As you head toward the mountains, you notice a line of vehicles stopped on the road. Including the armored van you saw at Midpoint. A woman wearing an SPT vest is standing next to the van's open door, looking further ahead as you get nearer.

Seymour looked upon the scene with curiosity. "Obviously something is going on," he commented to his friends. "Should we be concerned? I doubt so many vehicles stopped here just for a picnic." For all he knew there was simply a herd of Tauros or Mareep walking across the road up ahead, but he had his doubts. He tried to see if all of the vehicles seemed to belong to SPT, or just the one.

Looking at the line, you only see one other military vehicle further ahead, a large pickup truck with cargo under a tarp. The others are civilian vehicle, a couple transport trucks and a few cars. You can't see why everyone stopped, but you do notice there's no traffic on the incoming side of the road either.

"Why would we be concerned?" Jake spoke lightheartedly,
"We are dang fine pokemon trainers and minor celebrities! The world should be afraid of us, not the other way around!"

While there was an inkling of concern under his braggadocio attitude, it didn't stop him from continuing up the road. He greeted the SPT officer casually,
"What's the dealio here? There a big party in Vilmur we weren't invited to?"

"I wish... The road's gridlocked... wait." The officer, holds a hand to her helmet for a moment. "The bridge is OUT?" She listens for a bit longer, before replying "roger, sir."

With a heavy sigh, she takes off her helmet and turns to you. "Looks like I'm not going anywhere. The bridge is broken. No way any of us will get to Vinmur like this..." Taking another look at you, she shrugs. "Well, maybe you three could get through, but none of our cars will."

"Thanks for the heads up," Seymour replied to the officers before continuing toward the busted bridge.

To Jakey and Phoebe, he said, "I hope we can still get through. I didn't bring my Tropius for flying if the bridge crossed a chasm. My Gogoat is a pretty good climber though. And I do have my Ditto with too..." Malley could transform into a flyer if someone else had brought one along.

"Let's go see what kind of obstacle we are dealing with. Hopefully the bridge wasn't destroyed on purpose."

"I don't know if Fetcher can get us across if the bridge was too big... and I don't know about rusty. Maybe I should just release it so it can retire... Well, I don't got him in my belt, so whatever."

Jake didn't really know the situation in much detail, so figured,
"Well, only one way to find out. Lets go check it out. Maybe we could some find some way to help everyone get there. I'm sure if we fix a bridge someone will give us the ride the rest of the way and arrive in STYLE."

Continuing down the road, you finally see the bridge, and the river it crossed over. The river is a few hundred feet across, and pretty slow moving. The bridge is really low, so there's probably no river travel on it.

And it's even worse now. The center of the bridge collapsed, over almost fifty feet. The center of the river is completely chocked by pieces of the bridge. Although... some of those pieces don't look like concrete. They look more like raw stones.

"Wow, it looks pretty bad..." Phoebe says. "What could have done that?"

Jake considered the scene. The rocks in the middle suggested either the bridge was made of rocks, or a rock-type pokemon used something like rock throw to destroy the bridge. The distance wasn't too great and the river seemed pretty calm, so Skipper could probably steer him across without too much trouble. But he was still interested in helping those stranded by the bridge's destruction.
"Huh... yeah, that's a bad break. Probably deliberate... I bet it was team gaia again. Who else would it be. Anyhow, I can probably use Skipper to get across, but can we help everyone? I don't know if skipper can dig up enough mud to get a mud bridge... that sounds pretty messy, but maybe I can do it?"

He looked to Seymour for a feasibility assessment and perhaps a better idea.

Phoebe scratches her head. "I don't know... most of the truck I saw running in mud tend to spend more time getting stuck then moving... I'm pretty sure Trio could cross that broken part by jumping on the rocks, but I don't know how a car could make it across."

"My Malley could double up your Skipper's efforts, but like Phoebe said, I doubt the vehicles would fare well in mud. I should be able to get across with the two of you too. Either on my Gogoat, or with Malley copying your methods." Seymour surveyed the wreckage a bit more as they continued to approach the water, then added, "I do think I would like my Nommlin and my Magikarp to investigate below the water though. My Ditto too. The three of them can search for any clues about what may have caused this, as well as double check for any safety concerns." When they reached the water, he released Jett, Marigold, and Malley to do exactly that.

Jake thought a bit more,
"Ok, so what if we get a bunch of mud, then blast it with fire to dry it out. Uh, well, maybe that would make the water go up if we do it across the whole river... so maybe we can just make a lot of mud where the bridge is in the water and turn it hard with fire..."

He then released growler and skipper. Then released bandy too as he continued to develop the plan in his head,
"You do you Seymour, I'll check if this might work!"

He then directed his team to try to fill in the middle of the bridge,
"Skipper, use mud sport and mud slap to build up the mud where the bridge is missing;
 Bandy, use your hammer to get all the mud nice and flat;
 Growler, use your fire to dry out the mud to make the mud nice and dry so cars can go across."

As the three water pokemon dive into the river to explore, Skipper starts to pile up mud on the collapsed area. Then, once a good pile of it has been gathered, Bandy starts pounding it down. After a few hits, you feel a rumble as the bridge creaks under you.

Downstream, you see Marigold and Malley jump high out of the water. They seem in quite a hurry to get back to you...

Seymour tried his best to give Jakey helpful suggestions for his mud-construction, but didn't have a whole lot to offer. He didn't have high hopes that Jakey's attempts would net usable results, but they wouldn't know for sure until they tried.

At the sight of his pokemon leaping out of the water, however, Seymour was immediately concerned. "What's going on buddies? Is there someone in danger? Are we in danger? Is there a structural concern? Or if there is a wild pokemon, then Malley, Transform into it!" The trainer wasn't sure what to be concerned about exactly, but he was concerned nonetheless.

Jake recalled growler into her pokeball as he didn't want her to get wet. He backed up to the base of the bridge, a bit concerned that the rest of it would collapse. Then he adopted a 'wait and see' strategy.

As you call out to the returning fishes, a sinuous blue tentacle raises from the water, nearly a dozen feet tall, then whips toward the bridge, tossing a cloud of rocks through the air. The stones crosses almost all of the fifty feet between you and the appendage, landing just short of Marigold and Malley. Whatever that is, it's too far for Malley to copy...

Seymour's eyes went wide at the sight of the rock-flinging tentacle. "What is that!?" he yelled. He was already reaching for his pokeballs to return his pokemon to safety. "Malley, Marigold, return. Jett, where are you!" The trainer was aiming his pokedex at the enormous appendage to see if anything would register.

He looked to Jakey and Phoebe. "Should we run for safety, or try to protect what's left of the bridge?" He thought he probably already knew what Jakey's answer was going to be.

"Lets show it whose boss!" Jake called. Given it was in the water, all they needed to do was run away from the river if it overwhelmed them. Though despite Jake's enthusiasm, his team was not that well prepared to fight a water-type. Nevertheless, it was worth a shot.

"Alright! Skipper and Fetcher, keep your distance!  Use long range attacks like mud bomb and air cutter!"

Jett pops his head out of the water, then swims back to the bridge, looking surprised by the blue appendage. As Seymour turns to Phoebe to ask her opinion, he only sees a retreating cloud of dust shouting "Gee tee ef oooooh!"

As Skipper and Fetcher move in to attack, two... no, three other tentacles rises from the water, followed by a rocky mass covered with spikes, then two yoga-ball-sized eyes. The Farfetch'd attacks are accompanied by the monotone voice of the Pokedex.

Omastar, the Spiral Pokemon.
Type: Rock/Water
A prehistoric Pokémon that died out when its heavy shell made it impossible to catch prey. Apparently, it cracked Shellder's shell with its sharp fangs and sucked out the insides.

!!!WARNING!!!
This pokemon display abnormal statistic compared to previously recorded specimens. Caution is advised.

Seymour had only just learned about Omastar at the fossil sanctuary they had recently stopped at, but even he did not need the pokedex to inform him that it shouldn't be this gigantic. "Wha- what happened to it?" he asked incredulously. Realistically, he probably should have followed Phoebe's lead and bolted. But he was too enthralled by the spectacle of it all.

"I think we may need some more pokemon..." He released his two grass types into the fray to join Jett the Nommlin. Glumpy the Shroomish and Glade the Gogoat. "Jett, Screech at it to lower its defenses. We'll need all the help we can get to breach that rocky hide. Glumpy, Use Stun Spore, then Leech Seed when you get the chance. Glade, use your Razor Leaf to try and take it down. We can't let it destroy any more of the bridge if we can help it!"

After giving his orders, Seymour couldn't help but look more carefully at the huge pokemon to see if it was somehow just an incredibly realistic fake somehow.

Jake looked at Seymour incredulously. The rational thing was to bolt, but he didn't want to leave Seymour in the lurch. He figured three of his pokemon and three of Seymour's would be enough. He pulled fetcher back, and released FeeFee and Bandy.

"Bandy, Fake-out, Fee-fee, confusion ray!  Skipper, keep it up with the mud attacks!"

Bandy charges on the whipping tentacles, jumping in the air to strike the creature's shell.

*POK*

You can see the vibrations of the hit running through Bandit's hammer, through her body, and all the way to the tip of her tail.

The tentacle pull back into the Omastar's shell as Glade strikes with his leaves, only for the massive thing to start spinning, dragging Bandy underwater... and you don't see her come back out.

The rest of your pokemon try to hit the creature with all their attacks, but the spinning shell throws off everything. Well, everything except Jett's screech, which transmits very well underwater.

The Omastar rolls menacingly toward the bridge...

"I think we need to give it all we got!" suggested Seymour, releasing the rest of his pokemon. Marigold the Magikarp, Malley the Ditto, and Locke the Lapimage. It would be difficult to handle so many pokemon at once, but the situation certainly seemed to call for it.

"Marigold, try to help Bandy get out of the water! Malley, be Glade and both of you aim your razor leaf attacks at the same spot. Locke, try hypnosis. Glumpy, leech seed time. And Jett, keep up the screech attacks!"

Even as he spoke Seymour tried to move to safety. He didn't want to fall into the water himself or get hit by flying bridge debris.

Jake grit his teeth and similarly release all his pokemon. He didn't like that he couldn't see bandy anymore. He kept his orders to the pokemon that were already out and added orders to the ones he just released,
"Fairy! Try to slow it down with string shot!
"Growler, use leer!
"Fetcher! Use sand attack!"

Jake hoped that he could do at least a bit to turn the tide with his assault of mostly status effects and debuff moves. He had another tactic though. He backed up, but as he stepped back, he whipped an empty pokeball at the monstrous pokemon. Would he catch it? Almost certainly not, but might they get a half-second of it being interrupted and confused by the capture attempt... maybe?

The onslaught of attacks pummels the rolling shell, seeming unable to even slow it. In fact, it rolls faster, and faster, and faster, charging right toward your team and the bridge.

Until it hits a big boulder.

The sight of a building-sized seashell sailing over you is quite impressive. As is the wave it causes when it lands in the river after, leaving you almost as washed up as the passed-out Bandy that Marigold brings back to the shore.

"Holy miltank!" Jake shouted as the mega-pokemon soared overhead and down into the river. He flinched back as he got splashed. He glanced around for a moment to regain his bearings and quickly collected his pokemon into their pokeballs. Not missing a beat, he turned back to the traffic jam and waved his arms enthusiastically,
"Did you all see that?! What the heck?!"

Seeing Jakey beginning to disengage from the current situation after the torrential wave, Seymour began angling toward a potential retreat as well. "Everyone, start falling back. Jett, one more Screech. Locke, try Hypnosis one more time. Glumpy, try a Giga Drain. Marigold, be ready to help anyone who falls into the water. Glade and Malley, be ready to carry me and Falkner off the bridge if we need to run."

Seymour hated to think what could have happened if the Omistar hadn't hit that boulder, but worrying about it now wouldn't solve anything. Still, if it rolled toward them again then Seymour didn't want to have to rely on only luck to save them.

As you back away from the bridge, the giant pokemon continues to roll away, seemingly unaffected by your parting shots. It does look wobbly, but not hurt.

"What in the blue blazes was that thing!?" The muscular man you saw before runs up to you, this time wearing a black police jacket. "Why is there something out of a Pokéstar Studio attacking the bridge!?"

"Sir," another cop, holding a radio, runs up to the man. "I've contacted HQ. They say they got a call from trainers last night, saying they saw this... this thing destroy the bridge after they crossed. Their report was dismissed as a prank..."

"Just my luck..." The man groans. "Alright, how long before they can send backup?"

"One hour."

"Right." He sighs, looking at the rolling Omastar.

"It looks like a giant Omistar," offered Seymour to the man who had addressed them. "That is literally all I know. I wish I knew why it was so big. Or why it attacked the bridge. Is there anything we can do to help? I would hate to see it roll over everyone stuck in traffic." Seymour had no idea what they might do to help, but wanted to at least ask. In the meantime he returned his pokemon to their pokeballs after letting them all know how proud he was of their efforts.

After receiving confirmation from the crowd that, yes there was a mega pokemon sloshing about in the water, Jake calmed himself.

"I guess maybe just leave it alone for now" He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious, but the fact it smooshed bandy without an issue and was completely impervious to any attacks they threw at it cowed Jake significantly.

"So, ever hear anything like this before... and just how big are the re-enforcements? Like, that dude could probably handle ten snorlaxes bodyslamming it!" He seemed game to help if it didn't involve taking on the Omastar.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:47, Fri 17 Feb 2023.

"We have a Dynamax-counter squad... though that phenomenon is supposed to last only a short time..." the lieutenant says.

As the giant shell slows down and falls over (making another large splash), the lead officer look over his own pokedex. "Let's see... rumors of a Dragonair attacking a lighthouse... unconfirmed attack of a trio of giant pokemon attacking an archeological site..." he mumbles, until he speaks up. "This looks promissing. Get into contact with Porta Vista. Ask them how they dealt with their giant Tentacruel attack."

"Yes, sir!"

"In the meantime... that thing must come from somewhere. It deliberately destroyed the bridge, then hid until you tried to make a way through. That's not normal behavior for a wild pokemon, regardless of it's size. We have to keep it busy until backup arrive, so we need you to try looking around to find who's commanding it."

"I'll do what I can to help," agreed Seymour, thinking of everyone's safety. "I don't suppose you have a way for us to swap out our pokemon teams, do you? I have a few pokemon companions that may be better suited to the task at hand than my current team." He figured the chances were slim, but if anyone would have a portable pokemon transfer system, it would probably be these guys.

Jake also indicated he would want to switch his team around. None of his current team were well set-up for this kind of a challenge. Nevertheless, he could try to overwhelm it with status moves.
"Uh, commanding it? I guess I can send fetcher to look around. Hopefully it won't chuck rocks at birdo."

"Unfortunately, our wireless network isn't on par with Galar. Seriously, where did that Rose find the money for something like that? Otherwise we wouldn't need to wait for backup." He says something to his assistant, who runs back to their truck. "I'm afraid we'll have to manage with what we have. But at least, we can lend you some gear."

The lieutenant returns, and offers each of you a solid looking suitcase. "You're lucky, most trainers visiting Vinmur don't get to try those until they join the gym challenge." He opens the case, showing it contains radio equipment with a screen in the top part. A padded area on the side holds a communication headset, and six smaller boxes on straps. "Those are special audio/video communicator, designed for pokemon use. With that, you can command your team at a distance. The screen will show you what your team sees, and is controled through this."

He gives a crash course on how to work the radio's control, while his boss fishes out an emergency bag to heal up Bandy. "Now, I wish I could tell you where to look for that pokemon's trainer, but I'm not sure where they could hide. The plains are an unlikely spot, so it would either be in the badlands to the west, or the swamps to the north-east. I'll leave it to you to choose where to start."

Seymour accepted the new gear with barely suppressed glee. He couldn't help but be intrigued by the new tech, especially considering that being able to experiment with it would likely help give them an edge in the Vinmur gym challenge. Still, this was not the time for any sort of celebration.

"My Magikarp won't be able to search the badlands very effectively, so I think I will send her toward the swamps. It is probably smart to follow the water in that direction anyway. It seems like the obvious place to search. My Nommlin and Ditto can accompany her. Then perhaps my Lapimage and Shroomish can ride my Gogoat out into the badlands to search that area?" He looked questioningly toward Jakey. "Would it be a good idea to split our forces? It would probably be a lot easier to manage our teams if something happened in one area or the other if all of our buddies weren't in harm's way at the same time." That was Seymour's ratonale anyway. Maybe Jakey had a different perspective.

Jake scratched his head. He accepted the radio equipment but wasn't sure exactly how it worked. He also wasn't sure how to coordinate pokemon in two totally different areas.
"Uhm... do you have any recovery items to get bandy back up?" Jake asked the lieutenant as he thought a bit more about splitting forces.

After a moment he had maybe a bad plan,
"Do you think we could command each others pokemon for just a bit? That way you can be swamp command and I can be badland command. It will be hard to know what is happening if we both have divided attention. I can send Skipper, bandy, and fee-fee to the swamp; and growler, fetcher and fairy can go to the badlands."

Jake didn't want to admit he didn't really know what badlands were, but he'd probably find out soon enough.

"That sounds like a good idea," admitted Seymour. "I am fine with that plan as long as our pokemon are. Besides, we will still be right next to each other if anything does come up."

Seymour asked Glumpy, Glade, and Locke to follow Jakey's instructions for the time being. And also asked Jakey for a refresher course to know what his Skipper, Bandy, and Fee-fee were capable of.

With Bandy back on her feet, and the camera strapped to your companions, you send your teams out in the direction you were given.

The badlands looks like the backdrop of most western movies: small shrubs covers the low parts of the terrain, in between hills made of alternating layers of gray and reddish stones. It's very open, but between the hills and rocky spires, there's plenty of places one could hide.

The swamp, on the other hand, is even worse than the last one you visited. The thick tree coverage makes it almost impossible to see the sky, while the trunks are close enough that there no way to see more than twenty feet ahead of you.

What commands do you give your teams?

As the pokemon headed to their destinations, Jake gave Seymour a quick lowdown on his pokemon's capabilities:
"Skipper has both water and ground moves, so they should be most useful in the swammpy swamp.
"Bandy is a sneaky specialist. Lots of physical moves, some normal, more dark. If you find the baddie, you can have it steal some of their gear.
"Feefee is kinda spread; I don't really know. Might be good to minimize and scout covertly too. He has stuff like incinerate, confusing, twisters and hexing.
"Probably use bandy and feefee for scouting and keep Skipper in reserve as a heavy"

As his pokemon get into position, he crossed his arms. Comparing his video to Seymour's he felt like the badlands were an easier pick to scout... but the enemy was only in one of the environs.

He'd need to get the lowdown on glumpy, glade, and locke. He had a basic idea of what locke could do, but less on the others.
"Glumpy, glade. Hold back for now.
"Fairy, harden until you can take a big fall.
"Fetcher, keep scouting the air holding fairy.
"Growler, use Odor Sleuth to try to detect any humans around.
"Locke... can you do a heat mirage and use ember to make yourself harder to see, then do some scouting as well?"

Seymour nodded to Jakey's suggestions. "Good advice. I will keep it in mind. Glumpy is good at stunning and draining opponents. Glade is an all around tough lady, and great at transporting too. Lock has the fire and ice, of course, but is also good with mist and hypnosis."

After filling in Jakey on a few more of his team's quirks and strengths, Seymour issued the orders he had for his own team of 'mons.
"Marigold and Jett, you two stick together and be the underwater guard. Make sure nothing sneaks up on the rest of the team from below the murk. Jett, lend a Helping Hand when able, and Marigold, Splash big and loud if you need to give the team a warning.
"Malley, be Skipper. Then Malley and Skipper can search around at ground level.
"Feefee and Bandy, try to search from the treetops where able. Hitch a Ride on Bandy if you need to Teefee, and try to stay Minimized.
"If we come across any suspicious areas, everyone can hang back and Bandy can try to Infiltrate to gain intel."

You watch your respective screens closely, trying to guide your pokemon in their search.

Jake gets the first result, as Growler sniffs something in the air. She yaps a few times, looking around like she was searching for Jake.

Seymour, for his part, notices something as Feefee looks down at the other pokemon. A set of footprints in the mud, heading deeper into the marsh.

"I see footprints!" Seymour reported. He thought for a moment on how to proceed next. Obviously the prints needed to be followed. But they needed to be followed safely.

"Alright, Skipper, Malley, follow those footprints, but use caution. Marigold and Jett, keep up the underwater guard, but you can narrow your perimeter a bit. Feefee and Bandy, try to scout ahead a bit from above and make sure the direction Skipper and Malley are going isn't going to lead to any hazards while they focus on the footprints." Aside form helping the pokemon to be cautious, there wasn't a lot else to be done at the moment. Seymour kept a close eye on the camera screens though, looking for any sign of the person who made the footprints in the mud.

Jake thought if he was closer to growler, he may be able to divine the subtle meanings of the yaps. Alas, he could only use the screen.
"Oh, ah, great, you found something. Well, lets go investigate it then.
"Glade, carry glumpy and follow. Glumpy, prepare to use stun spore on my command. We are going non-damage route!
"Fetcher, follow as well and prepare to drop fairy on the target if it is hostile.
"Locke, follow in parallel so you can flank the target if it tries to escape"

IN THE SWAMP
The team follows Seymour's instructions, doing a good job of following the tracks. After a short while, you notice a cabin on a dryer patch of land. It looks like the track are going toward it. It looks rather old, but in good shape.

IN THE BADLANDS
Growler gives a bark, running toward one of the rocky outcroppings, sniffing the air from time to time. The others follow, their path going over more and more broken terrain, until they pause at a crack between two large rocks.
Growler stops, barking as she looks at a dark brown stain on the stone.

"Hold up, team," said Seymour when they came upon the cabin. He needed a moment to figure out what move to take here. They needed to be careful, but also needed to keep in mind that this might be the dwelling of someone other than who they were looking for.

"Okay, let's do this carefully. Malley, be Bandy. The two of you will sneak up to the cabin to take a closer look. Infiltrate without being seen, if possible. We especially need to know if anyone is home. Skipper and Feefee will be your backup. If anything happens I want you two to be ready to rush to Malley and Bandy's aid. In the meantime keep watching the cabin area from further back, one on each side. Jett and Marigold will be the outer lookouts. Stick to the water where you can and circle the far perimeter. Make sure nobody enters or leaves the area without us knowing."

After giving the instructions to his team, he looked to the military members that were lending their gear. "Do you guys have any record of a cabin being at this location in the swamp? Or know who owns the property?"

Is that a poo stain? Jake wondered. He paused a bit. Wondering if whoever they were hunting had the same sort of remote technology that he was using. Surely they couldn't be using conventional orders for the big pokemon this far away. Or maybe they weren't controlling it, just vaguely monitoring it through like a microphone or something.

He was a bit cynical about being able to impact their current situation, but it was good practice for the future gym mission, and he got to experiment with 'commanding' another persons pokemon.

"Hmmm, Fetcher, get a good view of everything from the top. We will try to smoke them out... or something.
"Growler, approach the crack and begin to enter.
"Locke, use ember on growler to give some light and trigger flash fire
"Glumpy, prepare stun-spore so if anything comes out this way, you can stun it.
"Fairy, prepare string-shot"
"Glade... stay in the sun, so you can keep maximum speed in case something comes out"

The lieutenant turns to Seymour. "No, but there's always some trainers building cabins in the wilds. It could be one of those."

IN THE SWAMP
Bandy and Malley move ahead, examining the cabin. Bandy climbs one of the walls, and take a peek at the window. It's dark inside, but you can spot a form on a chair. It's moving a bit, making you think it's a person that's sleeping.
As the other pokemon look around, they find more tracks, but it looks like they all belong to the same person, going to and from the cabin.

IN THE BADLANDS
Growler starts slipping into the crack, until Locke sends his ember down to light things up... giving you a flash of a mummified reaching for Growler.

"What in tarnation?!"
Jake exclaimed as he saw the figure in the darkness
"I really hope that isn't the trainer, if it is, we reached them a thousand years too late!"

He was moderately sure it was a pokemon, but had no idea its typing. In any case, it was unethical to attack a human... well, maybe? Jake wasn't entirely sure on the whole 'ethics' thing when it came to dealing with potential threats.

"Growler, get away from it and shoot an ember in, but don't target whatever it is directly.
Locke, use your glow for better lighting!
Glumpy, use stun spore at the thing!
Everyone else, stand by!"

It sounded like there was excitement happening on Jakey's screen, but Seymour didn't have time to look over at what was going on. He had his own situation he was dealing with. To Malley and Bandy, he said, "Alright, I think we will need to sneak in and look for clues to make sure this is the person we are looking for. Bandy, see if you can Infiltrate the building safely. Malley, follow inside. Try not to wake the person sleeping inside." Everyone else would stay on watch for the moment, ready to step in if things went sideways.

---

I am intending for Bandy to use their Infiltrator ability. I believe Malley has the same ability while transformed, correct?

IN THE BADLANDS
Glumpy releases his spores, unfortunately before Growler could pull out of the way. In Growler's camera, the hand seems to keep reaching for the canine while she moves back.

It's only when Locke leans in closer and lights the crack better that you see, from Glumpy's camera, that Growler is too fascinated by the hand to pull away, and she's trying to snap at the inanimate member. The thin crack doesn't allow Locke's light to reach the bottom, so you can't really see more then a dried arm coming out of the dark.

IN THE SWAMP
Bandy and Malley poke around a bit, before finding a chimney on the roof. There's a grill inside to stop pokemon slipping in, but that means little to the nimble thief and malleable clone. Inside the room, the figure doesn't seem to notice them, as the pair looks around the room.

The place looks pretty much as you'd expect from the outside. A hunter's camp, left for anyone to rest while crossing the swampy terrain. The only things that seems new are the sleeping figure, and a backpack left against the wall. The pack seems pretty run of the mill, with only a tie-dye scarf hanging from it's side.

Seymour was beginning think maybe this was just a random person resting in the cabin after all. But then he spotted the tie-dye scarf. Never would Seymour have ever though that the sight of tie-dye would become so distressing.

"I think I may have located a Team Gaia member," he reported to the officers nearby. "Owning tie-dye isn't a for-sure giveaway, but it certainly points in that direction. I'll have Bandy try to search their pack, but let me know what specifically I should be looking for."

Once he received an answer, he would have Bandy check the pack. He would also have Malley peek around the rest of the cabin to make sure the sleeper was really the only one there. He would want to get a look at their face if possible, as well as know how many pokemon they possessed.

Jake grunted. It PROBABLY wasn't a person, so he commanded growler to act as a dog would,
"Fine, Growler, if you like it so much, grab it in your mouth and pull whatever it is into the daylight!"

IN THE BADLANDS
It takes some works for Growler to reach the hand and pull at it, until she manage to back out slowly. It's only when she's out that you get a good look at what she's pulling.
It's a dead body.
By how dried out it is, they must have been dead for a while. They still have clothing, and a ripped backpack on their back. Their belt also seems to have a couple of pokeballs on it.

IN THE SWAMP
Bandy starts fiddling with the pack. You can see three pokeballs on the side, but Bandy is more focused on the bag itself.
Malley starts looking around... only to find a large green shape. The camera turns before you can see what it is exactly.

"Yuck and double yuck!" Jake exclaimed as he saw the dead body. It technically wasn't his first time seeing one, but it was the first time he'd seen one so up close. He didn't give any orders... not at first. He had no idea what the policy was on finding a dead body. Luckily, there were authorities nearby. Jake waved over the lieutenant,
"Uh, I found someone, but they aren't going anywhere fast."

He figured if Seymour had found something, it would be more pressing for the lieutenant to listen to that first.

"Hold up Malley. What was that green thing? Can you give me a better look at it? And Bandy, if anything happens, make sure you get ahold of those three pokeballs." He definitely didn't want to steal an innocent person's pokemon, but it was always good to have three fewer potential foes to have to face off against. Besides, it was looking likely that the pokeballs did belong to a Team Gaia member, so he would probably be doing those pokemon a favor by freeing them from their owner.

"If you find an ID anywhere, hold it up to the camera. Or anything else with writing on it." Even if they didn't have time to read papers right now, it would be good to have a video recording to go back to. At least, he hoped the video feeds were being recorded in some way...

IN THE BADLANDS
You get to look at the dead body from all angles, as your team examine it in curiosity. It's clothes are badly damaged, as well as the exposed dried skin under. Like they had a severe case of road rash. In some places, large straps have dug into the person's limb. But the real damage seems to be on their limbs. Their arms and legs look like they were broken, some on multiple places.

IN THE SWAMP
The lieutenant turns to look at your discoveries, but the two video start shifting rapidly. Bandy manages to grab one of the Pokeballs, but she turns away when a hand falls on the other two. Malley's camera shows the person starts to move, grabbing at the balls on their pack, but the image shakes and turns over, the view filling with bubbles.

AT THE BRIDGE.
The lieutenant steps away from watching the kaiju battle, to focus on your discoveries. "So you both found someone?" He asks, glancing at your screens.

Seymour didn't have time to reply to the lieutenant. His and Jakey's pokemon seemed to be in danger. "Malley, Bandy, get out of there! Run Away! Skipper, try to watergun the door or window down. Distract and extract! Feefee, try to get eyes on the situation. I want to know what is going on. Jett and Marigold, standby, eyes sharp." After seeing Malley's screen fill with bubbles only caused Seymour to become filled with worry. He hated not knowing what was going on. Especially while being so far away.

---

Bandy/Malley are using their Run Away ability, if possible. Seymour is also trying to apply his Rampage ability to Skipper's attack, if possible.

Jake just kinda shrugged at the lieutenant,
"I got a dead body. Wasn't me, but probably someone killed them. Lots of broken bones, must have been one bad gang."

He didn't have any orders for the pokemon. He trusted they wouldn't try to eat the dead body.

"A gang in the middle of nowhere? And if he was attacked, wouldn't they have taken those Pokéballs on it's belt?" The lieutenant points out. "I think you should ask your team to look around, see if you can find more information on their death."

IN THE SWAMP
The stream of water bounces off the window, rattling it but not breaking it. Malley quickly makes it's way up the chimney, soon followed by Bandy.
Feefee makes way close to another window, and stares inside. The human inside is standing up, though with difficulty, leaning heavily on the table next to them. But Feefee's attention is focused on the green form you glimpsed before: a Politoed running across the room to the chimney.

IN THE BADLANDS
So far, your team is mostly focused on the vertical crack the dead body was in, close to the base of one of those big rocky hills that dots the landscape. How do you direct your team to search?
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:45, Fri 14 Apr 2023.

"Bandy, Malley, get out of that chimney, then Pound the Politoed back down if it climbs up too. Then Skipper, hit anything that comes out of the building with a Mud Slap while Bandy and Malley retreat. Feefee, stay Minimized as much as possible and keep the camera feed looking in the window." Hopefully all the pokemon would be able to retreat safely. Then they could keep an eye on the cabin from afar for a bit. He was glad Jett and Marigold were still watching the perimeter so that no new surprises caught them off guard.

Jake groaned. Now he was going to be the police and do an investigation.

"Uh, Ok... Lets see."

He wished Seymour and him had flipped roles. It seemed like Seymour was doing sneaky stuff and Jake was stuck with the brainy stuff.

"Fetcher, get a bird's eye view. Look for any uh, human-y stuff. Glumpy, you are nice and small, can you investigate in the crack?  Growler and Locke, try to keep everything nice and bright. Uh, the rest of you just get close to the body so I can get a better view of it."

IN THE SWAMP
Skipper starts firing off Mud Slaps toward the shack's door, even though the door is closed. Bandy and Malley manage to get out of the chimney, and stand ready to hit anything coming out. But all that comes out are more bubbles, that the infiltrators pops as best as they can.
Feefee keeps watching the window, showing you that after chasing Bandy and Malley, the Politoed moved back to the human. You can see she's a woman, looking pretty old. In fact, just staying upright seems to be a challenge, even as she watches the door. She has a pokeball in her hand, but isn't calling out the pokemon yet.

IN THE BADLANDS
Looking closely at the body, you think he's a man, but it's so damaged it's hard to tell. Without the body in the way and enough light, you see more of the brown stains you noticed outside. Blood, you now realize.
For his part, Fetcher does notice something interesting. On the side of the stone hill is a rope, tied to a series of metal hooks, except for a small dangling section at the top. Looking at it closely, the end seems damaged. Not a clean cut, but something between frayed and torn apart.

Seymour was surprised by how old the woman was. Was she a founding member of Team Gaia or something? "Do you recognize this lady?" he asked the lieutenant.

Regardless of the answer, Seymour felt it was now time to switch from actively searching for clues to passively watching for new information. He issued new orders to the pokemon under his command. "Skipper, keep blasting that mud, but on the windows. Block their view on your side of the building. Bandy, use the distraction to retreat to the trees with that pokeball you snatched earlier and get hidden. Malley, if can stay safe, keep hidden up on the roof. Try to get to a good spot to see and hear things if anyone comes outside. Feefee keep peeking in the other window, but try hard not to be seen. Skipper, when they are all in place, clear the window with a water gun and hide in the murky water. Marigold and Jett, are the outskirts still clear? No new surprises coming in or out of the area?"

Was the guy... climbing rocks?  Why would he do that? Maybe there was something on top?  Maybe it was a dramatic chase and his quarry cut the rope. Maybe it WAS a gang-related death.
"Fetcher, get a view of the top of the hill. Look for any signs of other people there... or maybe any pokemon dwellers. Maybe the criminal was a pokemon!"

Of course, there was the possibility that the man was simply climbing rocks for fun and had accidentally fallen to his death, but that was not as fun of a story, so Jake preferred not to believe that unless the evidence became overwhelming.

He still had one piece of evidence pointing to foul play:
The body had been in a crevasse... which was suspiciously convenient hiding place for a body. It was unlikely that the man would have fallen from the cliff and just so happen to land in the crack. It could be a particularly morbid pokemon was using the body for decoration if it made its home in the crack.
"Locke and glumpy, see if there is anything else interesting in the crack."


He also considered releasing the pokemon in the pokeballs for his own pokemon to interrogate... but they might have gone crazy being stuck in a pokeball for so long. Is that something that could happen? All this uncertainty was really bothering Jake!

The lieutenant looks at Seymour's screens. "Wait... is that Joan? I think it is... We picked her up for interrogation about Team Gaia a month back, but she didn't know anything useful." He frowns. "She doesn't look good. Like she's ill..."

IN THE SWAMP
Skipper lathers the windows with thrown mud. Not enough to block the view too much, but the view was already limited, so Bandy has no trouble escaping out of sight. Malley stays on the roof, moving about to look over each side in turn.
While that happens, Marigold jumps in the air, giving you a slightly dizzying view of the trees. Jett pokes his camera out of the water, showing you that the area is still clear.
Once Bandy is hidden, Skipper clears the window, before hiding. Through Feefee's view, you see Joan leans against the wall trying to catch a glimpse outside, but she doesn't seem to spot your team.

IN THE BADLANDS
With a better look into the vertical crevasse is pretty much like a funnel, the sides squeezing so close, a person couldn't have gotten in there on his own. Even if the victim had survived going in, he couldn't have gotten out.
Fetcher flies higher, getting a better look at the plateau. You can make out a metal hook still in the rock, higher then the place the rope was hanging. And a bit higher you see a small cave... moments before a dark purple shape rushes out and strikes your Farfetch'd. The camera spins for a few moments, before the image stabilizes, showing a Gliscor turning around, preparing for another attack.

"Everyone stand by," he said to the pokemon. "Right now, we wait and watch. Let's see what their next move is. Try to stay out of sight as much as possible." There didn't seem to be a whole lot else they could do that would be useful other than observe. Would this Joan person make any calls for reinforcement? Go back to sleep? Go search for her missing pokeball that probably contained one of her pokemon?

Or would Seymour have to try and get a medical team sent to her location? He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for an ill old lady out in the wilderness with only her pokemon. Even if she was a member of Team Gaia.

"Aha, I bet that is the criminal!" Jake exclaimed as the camera went spinning, "Show him who rules the skies fetcher! Use Aerial Ace!"

As for the rest of the team... Jake wasn't sure if there was anything more to be done on the ground, so he called on them to prepare,
"Alright, wait till fetcher descends a bit, then blast the glisgor with all you've got!"

Catching Seymour's worried look, the lieutenant says "I'll send a team to apprehand her, including a medic. But... the way she looks... you may have to send your team to help her. Unfortunately, her Politoed will probably try to protect her."

IN THE SWAMP
As you watch, the woman struggles with her remaining pokeballs, before stumbling toward her pack, and falling to the floor. You can tell she's still moving, but she looks really weak. Her Politoed shakes her, looking worried.

IN THE BADLANDS
Fletcher gives a quack of approval, but before he can line up an attack, the Gliscor shows it's own acrobatic abilities, clipping Fletcher's wings and sending your bird down into a tailspin. Even as his screen turns into a dizzying twister, you see from the cameras of the rest of your team that the bat follows Fletcher on his way down, apparently ready to launch another attack.

"Hmm." Seymour needed to take a few moments to decide how to proceed. He intended to help the old woman if he could, but he needed to do so safely. It wasn't long before he formulated a plan that he hoped would work.

"Jett, I need you to get that pokeball from Bandy. Bring it to the front door as a peace offering. Let them know we do not intend harm. Malley, climb down from the roof and be Jett too. Join him as a fellow Nommlin and the two of you can knock on the door. Be each other's backup. Everyone else, hold positions and await further instruction."

Jake had to focus on his battle now. He felt split though. He heard a bit of Seymour's situation to think there might be something amiss. Though protecting his pokemon came first,
"Alright, Volley #1 lets go!
"Fairy, use string shot to slow it down!
"Growler, use roar to make it hesitate!
"Glumpy, use stun spore to paralyze it!
"Locke, use powder snow to knock it out!
"Glade, use worry seed... or something!"

He ordered his commands to try to maximize the chance of them all landing. He had considered having Growler use ember, but he didn't want it to cancel out powder snow. He also considered ordering fairy to attack, but he viewed limiting the mobility of the angry bat to be a slightly higher priority.

As for Fetcher, he was not sure if giving it an order to use a move was for the best. It seemed like it would have a handful just staying aloft,
"Fetcher, hang in there! Do what you can!"

IN THE SWAMP
Malley and Jett knock at the door, the Pokéball on the ground. After a short time, the Politoed throws the door open, rushing out aggressively. He doesn't seem to notice the ball, instead charging at your two companions, forcing them to back up to avoid getting hit.

IN THE BADLANDS
The barrage of attack pummels the Gliscor, stopping it's attack on Fletcher. The only move that missed was Locke's snow, the target being forced back before it got in range. The Gliscor screeches as it turns back, but you see Fetcher is still falling, apparently unable to slow down his descent.

"Jett, Malley, both of you Hold Hands. Help each other avoid attacks, but don't fight back. Lure the Politoad away from the front door if it continues to insist on being aggressive. Even get into the water if you can." He didn't want the enemy pokemon to hurt his team, but it definitely wouldn't trust them if they fought back. "Bandy, if the fight continues, try to sneak back inside again. We need someone inside to help assist the poor lady."

---

Jett and Malley are using Hold Hand on eachother, helping eachother to focus on dodging. Bandy will use Infiltrator to sneak back inside if the Politoad continues to be a nuisance.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:14, Thu 11 May 2023.

There really wasn't anything Jake could think of doing to rescue Fetcher from its perilous descent. And he couldn't really pursue the glisgor without a flying pokemon.
"Locke, keep blasting at the bat to keep it away. Glade and growler, try to find a way to cushion the fall.
"Fetcher, stop falling and start flying.
"Fairy, can you PLEASE evolve into something that can fly so you can rescue Fetcher?"

Glumpy was left out of the orders.

IN THE SWAMP
Jett and Malley do a good job luring the Politoed away, keeping it's attention every time it turns back toward the cabin. That gives enough of an opening for Bandy to slip in, and take a closer look at the fallen, drooling woman.
The lieutenant steps closer, looking into the camera. "Try pulling her eyelid open a bit... gently... now bring your head as close to her chest as you can..." He literally places his ear on the computer's speaker for a moment. As he leans back, he looks worried. "Dilated pupils, rapid pulse and breathing, small tremors... I think that's hemlock poisoning... I don't think she'll last long enough for our team to reach her..."

IN THE BADLANDS
It seems Fetcher can't hear you, as he keeps falling. Glade and Growler get ready to jump to catch him, while Fairy looks at you for a moment... before firing string between the two quadrupeds. The two look confuse, but still jump to catch Fetcher, who gets grabbed by the web Fairy built.
Although the attacker looks back for a moment, the sight of Locke's snow convinces it to return to it's nest.

Seymour stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Keep dodging and distracting," he said to Jett and Malley while he contemplated what to do next. Moving the woman didn't seem like a viable option. And how do people treat hemlock poisoning anyway? All he knew about it was that hemlock was a poisonous plant. He had no clue how to treat it, or how to make an antidote for it.

OH! That was it!

"Bandy, I need you to start rummaging through all her stuff. Especially her pokemon gear. Look for an Antidote or other healing items! We need to apply it to her." He knew that such items were meant to be used on pokemon to treat pokemon-created poisons, but maybe they would be able to stave off the hemlock poison long enough for professionals to arrive. "Feefee, Skipper, I think you two will need to go in and help search too. Marigold, help distract that Politoad with your splash attacks. If the Politoad tries to interfere with the search inside, I am afraid we may have to knock it out."

Jake breathed a sigh of relief when fairy had its moment of genius and saved the plummeting bird.
"Woah, that was clever. You don't need to evolve for a few more days now, but now I expect even more from you!"

It was meant as a joke, hopefully his pokemon didn't take it the wrong way. He went quiet for a moment, then turned to the lieutenant... saw he was talking with Seymour and shrugged. He then addressed his pokemon,
"Well, is Fetcher OK to get back on its own, or do we need to carry him back?  Might as well mark where the body is and start back to me."

He was not sure how his pokemon were going to mark the spot. He thought of how growler might do it, but was interested in how his pokemon react with the less-than-clear order.

IN THE SWAMP

Bandy rummages through the woman's bag, finding a few healing items. Recognizing the bottle of Antidote, you tell her how to use it... only to realize it's empty.
Searching a bit more, Bandy drops a small book that opens as it lands. You tell Bandy to look at it more closely after glancing at a drawing of a plant. Although you don't recognize them at a glance, you're able to make out some of the text, and see it's talking about poisonous plants. It looks like Joan realized what was happening to her, and was looking for a local plant to treat her problem.


IN THE BADLAND

Fetcher is down for the count, he used the last of his endurance to try and land, with little success.
At your request to mark the area, they rely on their instinctive behavior. Marking the place with scents and some spores. Glade tries to make scratches, but they're not exactly visible from a distance.
"It's alright." The lieutenant leans closer to you and taps a few buttons, causing a string of numbers to appear on each screens. "That will tell us where to find the body. We'll send a team there once we've dealt with this situation."

It was clear to Seymour now what had to be done. He just wasn't sure if they would be able to pull it off. It would require a lot of luck. Which meant they really needed as much help as they could get.

"Jett, Malley, Marigold, and Skipper. We really need to convince that Politoad we need a temporary truce. I am counting on the four of you to convince it. By force, if necessary, but don't let it faint if you can help it. We'll need all the help we can get."

"Bandy, I need you to help me find the plant in the book that we'll need for healing this lady. Once we have that information, we'll need to show the picture everyone and scour the swamp for it. Which leads me to Feefee. Feefee, I need you to release the rest of this woman's pokemon. We need to convince them to help us search. The more eyes we have looking, the better the odds are that we will find what we need. Everyone be careful, but hurry. Our time is running out."

Jake seemed impressed by the numbers on the screen. Using math to determine a location was pretty cool! He continued to monitor his pokemon's progress back to his location, but moreso turned his attention to Seymour's quandary. He was not sure what was happening exactly, so he stayed quiet for the time being.

IN THE SWAMP

The Politoed realizes he's surrounded, yet not being attacked. It takes some times, but the Politoed seems to calm down enough that Skipper can approach it without being attacked.
Feefee gathers up the three pokéballs Joan had. Two of them are empty, while the third releases a  Corphish who seems quite confused at Feefee and Bandy's presence. It's not hostile at least.
Bandy turns the pages as you command her. Thankfully, the camera has a good enough resolution for you to make out the words, and you manage to find a good image of the plant you need.


IN THE BADLANDS

With Fetcher strung up on Growler's back, your team seems like it will have no trouble making their way back to where you are.  It doesn't seem like you'll have much to do now...
Until the lieutenant speaks up. "Since your team seems to be done, I can split Seymour's team with you so you can both assist them in searching the plant," he suggests.

"Oh yeah, the plant. I mean, the dead guy PROBABLY wasn't controlling the mega-mon. Do you happen to have some healing bits to get fetcher up and adam? I always run low on that. Gotta get new digs."

Jake was glad to just have control over his own pokemon going forward. Most of the time, he didn't have much idea what to do with glade or glumpy.

Seymour made sure to take a screenshot of the relevant page in the book so that he and Jakey would have it for reference, then said, "Alright, let's get everyone searching, pronto."

When it was time to give control of Jakey's pokemon back to their master, Seymour couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. Being responsible for someone else's pokemon was even more stressful than he had bargained for. Especially when controlling six all at the same time.

He sent Marigold to search along the water's edge since she would have a lot of trouble on land. He sent Jett and Jett-Malley to search further out since they could both move pretty fast. Especially if they made the journey in the water before exiting to the land for their search.

The lieutenant transfers Feefee, Bandy, and Skipper back to Jake.

Since FeeFee and Skipper have Hitch a Ride, do you want them to grab on to Jett and Malley?

That's fine, so long as they can all still spread out a bit to search different areas.

Jake doesn't seem to care as much about this new mission. It sounded like Seymour already found something, so he doubted that they would find anything new. He gave his pokemon a loose mandate to scout the area, and he just kept an eye on the screens as he did some squats to keep limber.

Finding a plant in a swamp sounds easy... but it's pretty much the embodiment of finding a needle in a haystack. That explains why that woman couldn't find anything. Thankfully, with eight pokemon searching, you're able to cover more ground.

After a while, you notice Jett's feed shaking, as he looks into a clearing. On one of the rocks, you spot a small patch of the flower you seek. But as Jett moves closer, he suddenly jumps aside as what looked like a puddle in the shade suddenly rises, revealing itself to be a big Swalot.

OOC: Jake, Feefee had followed Jett, though she's some distance away right now.

A Swalot appeared? Seymour didn't have time to determine if it was friendly or not. They needed those flowers ASAP! That said, full-on aggression may not be necessary. "Jett, Fake it Out, then grab some flowers and Quick Attack outta there back to the cabin. Via the water if able." Jett was faster in water than on land.

"Everyone else, Jet found the flowers. Converge on his position for backup if necessary." Of course the orders only went to Malley and Marigold, but he said his thoughts aloud to help Jakey make informed decisions of his own.

---

Jett will use Fake Out on the Swalot, then grab flowers and try to escape using Quick Attack for speed.

"Aw nuts, a big boy!" Jake considered also ordering FeeFee to grab the flowers, but he didn't want to risk Feefee getting to close to the poison type, so he settled for a status move,
"Feefee, use confuse ray. We just need to distract it."

As for the other pokemon... Jake didn't really care too much at the moment. They were probably too far to do anything, and he wanted to focus on dealing with the hostile pokemon and the flowers rather than relaying positional data to his other 'mons. He nevertheless did inform them that they found the flowers and so they could group up at the cabin again.

Jett briefly stuns the large pokemon with a slap... but finds his hand sticking to the Swalot's body. By the time he frees himself, the Swalot has recovered, and 'stands' as tall as it can... before falling over on Jett.

As your pokemon struggles to get out, Feefee gets close enough to hit the Swalot with his ray, confusing it, and giving Jett a bit of time to free himself, but he's no closer to getting the flower...

Jake 'Hmmms.' The confusion should give one of them a chance to get the flowers if they both go in. Maybe they will both make it. Jake decided to risk exposing Feefee,
"Alright Feefee, avoid the big fella, use minimize, get the flowers, and skedaddle back to the cabin ASAP."

"Jett!" exclaimed Seymour when his pokemon disappeared underneath the Swalot. Luckily Jakey's quick thinking had helped his pokemon get free again.

"That was close. Try to keep your distance from here on out. Use Aqua Jet!" If Jett could keep the Swalot distracted, Feefee could focus on those flowers.

Jett keeps the Swalot's attention on himself, despite not doing a lot of damage. It's hard to judge through the camera, though it looks like the confusion hit the Swalot worse than usual. He seems to be wavering, and looking a little sick... before you heard a loud "BLUERG!" A stream of fluid spews from the Swalot's mouth, covering the camera's view.

Looking at Jake's monitor, you see Jett is covered in the thick fluid, though still attacking the Swalot. The distraction is enough for Feefee to grab the flower, and run off toward the cabin.

"Jett, we got what we came for. Disengage and fall back to the water. Swim away and wash off all that gunk if you can. Everyone else, regroup at the cabin." Now that he had given his orders, he needed to figure out how to use those flowers to cure the old woman. Or at least keep her alive until medical help arrived.

With Feefee flying away, Jett swiftly dive underwater, and easily escapes the blob pokémon's chase. When they rejoin at the cabin, they find the door is still open, and the woman is laying on her side.

You have the flower, what do you do now?

Seymour consulted the screenshot he took of the book page with the flower depiction. He then did his best to direct his pokemon how to properly administer the flower to the woman. Hopefully it would do the trick to ease her ailment, but didn't feel to great about the odds. Neither he nor his pokemon were trained medical professionals. Still, they had to try.

According to the book, it seems the flower needs to be brewed like tea, then given to the victim to drink. Looking through Juan's bag, Bandy find a set of metal plates, bowls, and mug. And Jett has no trouble providing the water.

There's just one problem. She doesn't seem to have a lighter.

"Dang it. No way to start a fire," commented Seymour. He thought for a moment, then remembered one of Feefee's abilities.

To his Ditto, he said, "Malley, do you and Feefee think you could use Incinerate to try and start a fire? Outside. We do not want to accidentally start the cabin on fire." If they succeeded, Seymour would attempt to walk Jett through the brewing instructions.

The place is so wet, starting a fire is pretty difficult. Fortunately, Incinerate is especially good at burning up plants, so the team manages to make a fire hot enough to heat up the water. The sequence of actions to prepare the medicine is complex, but you have enough pokemon with skilled hands to manage, with close supervision.

With the tea brewed, your team gets the unconscious woman to drink it, slowly. It's hard to tell how much of an effect it has, but you think she's breathing more easily.

The lieutenant nods. "It seems she's stable. Hopefully, she'll be able to hold on until our team reaches her."

Seymour nodded to the lieutenant. "I really hope so."

To his pokemon, he said, "Alright Malley, Jett, and Marigold. Great job. I am proud of you all. It seems the worst is over. Now we just need to wait for the medical professionals to arrive. While we wait, let's set up a loose perimeter to make sure no wild pokemon or other Team Gaia members arrive to interfere. And when we finally meet back up, everyone is definitely getting a treat or two!"

After about half an hour, a woman in uniform arrive, on the back of a Braviary. "Major Kaufman," she says, saluting the muscular men directing the operations. "Here's the three pokéballs the suspect had. Two are confirmed to be holding her pokémon. The third on is registered to her, but empty."

The Major takes the ball from the woman, nodding. "Let's hope we're right then..." As you watch, he brings out a Bouffalant, rides it toward the river. The giant Omastar is still sitting there, occasionally tossing rocks at the various SPT pokémon surrounding it (from a mostly safe distance). It seems their strategy was to just attack the Omastar from the back if it tried leaving the river, luring it back in the middle.

Reaching the line, the Major commands the rest of the SPT to give him cover, as he gets close enough to use the pokeball. The Omastar starts glowing red, though it looks less... stable than the usual recall of pokémon. Still, the giant beast vanishes, causing the Lieutenant to breath a sigh of relief. "Looks like that did it. Time to wrap up." Turning to you, he adds "Your pokémon are on their way back on a helicopter. We'll give you a lift to Vinmur, you deserve some rest after all this."

"Thanks," replied Seymour. "I am just glad we could keep the Omistar from continuing its rampage of destruction. And glad that we kept that lady from dying, of course." Seymour shuddered when he thought about how bad that would have been.

When the pokemon returned by helicopter, Seymour rushed over to meet them as soon as it was safe to do so. He scooped up Marigold in his arms and gave the Magikarp a big hug even as the rest of his legged pokemon huddled around him and did the same. "I am so proud of all of you. You did so well today!" He looked over at Jakey's Feefee, Bandy, and Skipper. "You three were awesome too. Great job!"

Jake gave a thumbs up to all involved.
"Wow, we solved a mystery, but it didn't become a murder mystery at least. Well, except for the dead guy I found. I am pretty sure the pokemon did it, but I am still a bit skeptical. Might have been an elaborate cover-up."

Jake confidently retracted his pokemon into their balls after individually congratulating each of them. He then sat by the side of the road with a sigh. Tracking all the individual cameras was tiring in a way somehow more intense than going for a run! He was kinda thankful for the offer of a ride but,
"Too bad we weren't able to get everyone else moving across the river. Well, they didn't help out as much as us, so we DO kinda deserve it."


//Hand still having some issues, but I wanna post. That and I don't think typing messes with it too much (Crosses fingers)

You spot the team Jake controlled returning. Well, you spot Growler first. As she gets closer, she seems... bigger than when you sent her out... Bigger than you, in fact, as you look up at a happy looking Arcanine.

The lieutenant looks at your canine. "Looks like that Omastar wasn't the only one to grow..."

Level up time!

Glumpy's Att increases to High
Locke's SpD increases to Above Average
Malley's Def increases to Average
Jett's HP and Def both increase to High
Marigold gains a new ability! Choose between Decoy and Simple
 - Decoy (Once per fight, can force all nearby opponents to target the user, while gaining +2 Eva for the turn)
 - Simple (When user's stats are modified, double the value of the modification)
Glade learns Take Down
Take Down Normal P High -2 User takes Low damage recoil

Bandy's SpD increases to High
Fairy's SpD increases to High, and his Speed increases to Below Average
Feefee's HP increases to High
Fletcher's HP increases to High
Skipper's Att increases to Awesome
and finally...
Growler has evolved into Arcanine! Her Speed increases to Awesome, and she learns Flame Burst
Flame Burst Fire S Ab. Av 0 Has a Very Unlikely chance to Wound target's allies

We'll be continuing next week, as you arrive in Vinmur.