It feels like the train ride lasted forever.

You only needed to change train once, for the last part of the trip to Bébagne, the village closest to the Cadien region. That train was very short, with only a single cargo cart, and one passenger cart. Even that cart seemed superfluous, as there seems to be only four passenger on that trip.

When you see the actual village, you can't help but wonder why there even is a train coming here. Not only is Bébagne sitting on the only land border of an often hostile region, it seems pretty small. There's just half-a-dozen building in the town itself, including a general store and a hotel. A rather big hotel, for such an out-of-the-way village. A few peoples are walking around, though none of them seems to pay attention to you.

Judging by the instructions you were given, professor Callery's lab is on the northern edge of the village, near the edge of a forest.

"Well, this seems to be our stop," Seymour commented to Portia. He adjusted the sleeves of his shirt as they disembarked, then took a deep breath of the small-town air.

"Bébagne sure is a tiny town, isn't it? Were you planning on heading to Professor Callery's lab right away? Or did you want to stop somewhere else first? Not that there are a lot of options here... Either way, I would be happy to give you some company, if you so desire." Truth be told, Seymour was a bit nervous being here all on his own. Excited, yes. But also nervous. And Portia was the only person he sort of knew thus far.

All things considered, Portia was not at all fond of trains.

It was the only assured way into the Cadien Region, sure, but that didn't make the trip any more pleasant.  The young woman had spent much the ride in stoic silence as she hugged a quietly snoring Abra in her lap, apparently torn between sleeping away the trip as well or furtively staring out the window.  Seymour's company and conversation was some comfort at least - a good distraction to help settle her mood.  Whatever the reason for her upset, Portia was glad to be off the locomotive even if they did end up in a nowhere-town on the line.

"With an inn like that?  Must mean they're hoping for a tourist expansion." she observed as she hopped to the platform and shifted her still-slumbering Pokemon to rest riding her shoulders.  The snoring critter seemed content to slump against the back of his Trainer's head, not the least bit disturbed by the bellow of the train whistle.  Seymour's line of questions about her plans, however, took Portia a little off-balance.  There were vanishingly few Trainers allowed into the Region in the first place; while she only knew the guy from the duration of their trip, it seemed like a bad idea to run off their own separate ways right off the bat.  Besides... as the young woman looked anxiously about at the few passerby, she couldn't help but feel they were probably going to spend their time being closely monitored by the powers-at-be in the Region.

"I'm not really in any rush, myself, but it doesn't seem like there's much here to explore in the first place.  Besides, the Professor is expecting us." she reasoned with a shrug and implicitly accepted the offer for companionship.

As you pass in front of the hotel, you get the impression that it's pretty old. Definitely older than the negotiations to open the border. You don't know why, but it's just a weird little something that bugs you.

Finding the lab is easy, being a bit out of the way. It seems rather small though, more like a log cabin than the usual Pokémon lab, with circular windows. And though the trail to the lab seems rarely used, you spot another trail heading into the forest. One that seems used far more often.

It's clear you're expected, as the professor steps out as you draw near. At least, you think that's the professor. He looks more like a woodsman than a scientist, wearing a red plaid shirt and with a tan you can only get by staying outside most of your time. "Hello there! You two are early. I suppose you are some of the trainer who want to explore Cadien?"

The town felt gloomier to Eve than it really was. Not that she hasn't had help in seeing it that way, thanks to the ominous warnings given to her before her departure from Kanto. She hadn't even been allowed to fly in, she'd had to stop at the closest airport and take a car to Bébagne. It was all the better for her, really, the less travel she had to do, the better. She already knew this trip was going to be very difficult. But she had promised her uncle to get the information he wanted, and she was sure she'd learn a few things about herself too.

Her long hair tied back into a braid that reached her waist, she peered into her compact mirror and made one last adjustment to her make up before stepping out of the front doors of the large hotel. Her back, which was no small thing, was carried easily by the deceptively small Pokemon beside her. But the Riolu seemed to take no mind, and did not look winded or complain as it followed Eve onto the sidewalk and off toward the lab.

It was slow going, as always. She stopped to rest once on the way, the Riolu patiently waiting, before she started up the trail leading toward the lab. She saw ahead two other youths several meters ahead closing in on the laboratory as she approached it. Other trainers come to explore the region, she supposed. She knew there would have been others, sent for other reasons. She glanced down at her Riolu, who wordlessly glanced back, and moved again toward the lab. Even as the man in plaid stepped out to greet them, she continued on toward them.

Once she had come near enough to hear and be heard, she immediately shifted to the side and sat down on a tree stump, rubbing her outer thighs in slowly, deep motions. "Sorry," she said quietly to the professor, smiling slightly as her arrival drew some attention. "Am I late?"

Portia wasn't entirely certain how to feel about the rustic nature of the Pokemon Lab.  On one hand, it was undeniably charming on its face.  But on the other, she had to wonder what its funding was like... it looked totally out-classed from the grand lab in Kalos's Lumiose City.  Though she'd thought the same thing when she visited Alola and had been pleasantly surprised in that case, so there was really no room to judge based on appearances.

"Suppose we are.  Do you expect any more to be showing up, Professor?" she didn't yet introduce herself.  There was a cautious air about the young woman that grew only that much stronger when Evelyn suddenly arrived, though Portia perked up significantly at the sight of her Riolu companion.  She offered a pleasant little wave to the Pokemon before even looking again at its Trainer at all.  "Nothing to worry about.  Apparently we're early."

Seymour nodded politely at the girl who had arrived just after himself and Portia and gave her a smile, but his main focus continued to remain on the professor. To Professor Callery, he said, "Yes, I am her to explore Cadien. You must be Professor Callery. My name is Seymour. Seymour Mons." Seymour pushed his glasses up with one hand and offered his other for a handshake.

"What do we need to do before we begin our exploration?" he asked, including Portia and Evelyn in his use of "we." "My lotad and I are certainly eager to see what all the Cadien region has to offer!" And with that, Seymour pulled a pokeball off of his vest, resized it, and let out his lotad. The little leafy pokemon looked around curiously, but remained otherwise quiet and stationary.

"There should be..." He pulls out what looks like a smart phone. "One more today, I believe. Bit of a late arrival, it seems. Well, let's get started. Seymour Mons, you say? The expert from Hoenn." He nods, and turns to the ladies. "And you two are?"

The crack of a branch breaking underfoot on the road announced Jake as he tried to make up for his late dismounting from the train. He only had a small bag for luggage that he carried in hand, and waved calling out loud,
"I'M LATE, I'M LATE!"

He slowed to a walk still a ways from the rest of crowd, breathing heavily. Jake looked fit enough, so he must have run all the way from the train. He wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to muss his messy hair into something resembling respectful, then he cleared his throat and continued,
"Oh man, everyone beat me here. I didn't miss too much, did I? Is there any pokemon left? Oh man, this place is so much smaller than Saffron city!"

Despite still being out of breath and worried he was too late, Jakey was still smiling broadly. He couldn't believe his luck, he was finally out of Saffron city and on his way to being a pokemon trainer!

"Oh, good. I hate when I'm late. It happens unfortunately often," Eve said with a small chuckle as she kept rubbing her legs for that moment. She looked up at the professor as he spoke, and pushed herself back up to her feet with effort. The Riolu, who chirped slightly at Portia when greeted but didn't otherwise move away from its master, followed, still carrying Eve's pack. She moved to stand near the other two, her hands clasped softly in front of her. "I am Evelyn Nomua, from Kanto," she said, bowing in introduction and greeting. "Please, call me Eve."

The sudden crashing from behind drew her attention and a surprised expression, staring back down at the boy approaching up the path. She stared at him for a small moment as he ran up behind them, and couldn't help but to smile a little when he tried to fix his hair. "Never fear," she said brightly, but gently. "We only just arrived ourselves."

"Portia Duval, and this slacker here is Houdini." she reached back to give the slumbering Abra on her shoulders an affectionate pat, which only earned a soft grunt and snore in return.  Between her name and the Kalosian trill of her accent, it wasn't hard at all to pick out where she hailed from.

She was about to continue speaking, though Jake's sudden and quite noisy arrival startled her right out of whatever she'd planned to say.  Even her Abra jolted momentarily awake but immediately yawned and slumped back into dreams once more without issue.  Had he been on the train with them the entire time unnoticed?  Perhaps he'd fallen asleep in the back of the car?  She looked to Seymour as if he could offer any enlightenment and gave a hapless shrug of her own.

"That... eh, would appear to be all of us then, Professor." Portia mulled as she tried to get herself back on track with the matter at hand.

Professor Callery looks at the newest arrival in surprise, before continuing. "Ah... right, Evelyn. I'm sure you'll do your uncle proud!" He says with a smile.

"Portia, yes..."

"And you must be... Falkner." He says to the last one to arrive.  "I see you don't have a Pokémon yet, correct? Well, if you will all step inside..."

The interior of the lab is more cozy than usual sterile of most research buildings. In fact, the place seems rarely used, with only a desk on the side showing clear signs of wear. Another weird thing you notice are the windows. It seems the glass is deformed, making it a bit hard to see outside.

"First, Falkner, choose your starter Pokémon. Pick carefully, he will likely be your first and most important companion. You can choose between Torchic, the chic Pokémon. Mudkip, the mud fish Pokémon. And Turtwig, the tiny leaf Pokémon."

Jake looked to the other trainers as the professor re-iterated the names. He had arrived just after the rest had introduced themselves, which was a bit embarrassing, but at least he knew two of their names. That just left the other boy that he didn't know the name of, but that was OK, he would know the name soon. He didn't immediately perk up when he heard 'his' name, but only missed a beat before responding with a quick grin,
"Yup, Falkner Diamond, that's me! Thanks a bunch."

Atop of arriving late, he was further embarrassed by the revelation that he was the only one who did not yet have a pokemon, still, it meant he was in the company of REAL trainers. Despite a rough start, the day was really turning out to be fantastic, and now he got to decide on which pokemon he would receive for free! -- Or perhaps just on someone else's dollar (Jakey wasn't thinking too much into it, it was free for him after all).

Lost in the mix of emotions whirring in his head, he couldn't take note of the environment... he was busy mulling over the choice of pokemon. He did not want to be totally honest and admit he actually did not know what a turtwig was, so he ruled that out. He knew both what torchic and mudkip were, so the decision between the two was harder. Not wanting to be the center of attention too long, his mind was decided by a single memory,
"I don't think torchic can learn fly, and torchik is a bird pokemon. That doesn't make sense, so I will pick mudkip! Final answer!"

He glanced around to the others. Wait, did he misremember, can torchic learn fly? If he is wrong, maybe they would realize he doesn't know enough about pokemon to be a trainer. He looked nervous, but tried his best to keep smiling.

Callery nods as he hands you the ball. "That covers the Pokémon. Next up, the Pokédex!"

He hands you each something that looks like a smart phone. "Now, place your finger on the circle at the bottom." As you do, the screen lights
up, and as for a confirmation of print registry. "Each 'dex is now locked by your fingerprint, to prevent it's use by other people. I know that may
seem excessive, but unlike in other regions, this Pokédex has many functions beyond Pokémon analysis."

He pauses, and glances at the window. He guides you to a table against the far wall, where the windows will be to your back. "First off, it
serves as your identity papers when in Cadien, so don't lose it. Odds are, any officials you meet will demand to see it, including the nurses
at the Pokémon Centers.

Next, it takes audio and video recording... constantly. And police officers can look at those recording at any time. It won't start recording until
you leave this lab, but after that, everything you do will be recorded. Keep that in mind."

His expression softens once his warning is delivered. "Of course, it also connects to communication satellites, letting you communicate with
people across the world! On monitored lines. And, of course, the map!"

As only one of them turned out to be in need of a Pokemon, Portia inwardly sighed in relief.  She didn't want to be saddled with a new companion so quickly - she could hardly take care of herself and Houdini as it was.  Though she was rather surprised the other boy needed a Pokemon at all; he was really just starting off his journey?  In a place like the Cadien Region?  Well, if nothing else, she had to admire his guts.

The state-issued Pokedex handed out, however, was met with an obviously displeased scowl even as she had no choice but to take it.  Portia already figured if she refused then they'd just try and kick her out, so she had to play along for the sake of keeping her welcome.  "And it's got a GPS tracker so the authorities can always know exactly where we are and what we're doing, I bet." it was less of an accusation and more a surrender to the obvious.  Bio-metric scanning, constant observation and recording... ugh.  The higher Cadien authorities probably even had powerful Psychic Pokemon to keep an eye on the population or try to peer into the future for upcoming problems.

Portia sighed and waggled the device she'd been given about between her fingers.  "Just out of curiosity, what would happen if our Pokedex was lost or destroyed?  Pokemon Training is dangerous work, after all - anything can happen.  Do you have some means of replacing it?" she pointed up at her slumbering Abra.  "Or what about if I jump around the region hundreds of kilometers at a time, or leave entirely?  The proverbial guard Watchogs aren't going to freak out on me, are they?"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:18, Thu 24 Oct 2019.

Eve followed the others into the lab with a somewhat slower pace; she wasn't dragging her feet, she just walked a bit slower than most people. Inside, she took particular interest of the surroundings. It certainly was a much different environment than her father's robust and busy lab. This place, strangely, looked as if it hadn't been used for actual research in a long time. It looked more like a gatekeeper's dispatch than a real laboratory. How curious that someone was obviously funding the lab, but so little seemed to be done in it. Or, perhaps, Professor Callery did more field work than actual lab work. That would make sense, too. The area seemed right for it, if you were looking for very specific Pokemon.

She nodded her thanks as she took the Pokedex and registered it as she was ordered, but privately she echoed Portia's words, even slightly smiling. It was expected, of course, that Cadien would be so intense in their monitoring of the trainers, as outsiders in the all but closed off region. "Just the price to pay for the privilege of entering the region, I guess," she said, more to herself but in a soft, soothing tone for Portia's sake. No one liked to be babysat all the time. But if they wanted in, they had little choice.

She stuck the Pokedex into her pocket underneath her over-sized knit sweater and looked at Jack, smiling at him pleasantly. His choice didn't seem odd, necessarily, but his vocalized reasoning for such did strike her as a little strange. She was no Pokemon expert like her Dad, but she knew a thing or two. There were other bird Pokemon who couldn't Fly, so it seemed a little strange that that had been the stipulation. "Is that your first Pokemon?" she asked curiously.

Seymour was certainly a bit disappointed that they were going to be so closely monitored, but not really surprised. He was just glad they were being upfront about it. Still, he would need to remember to keep his pokedex out of sight whenever he changed clothes or went to the bathroom...

The map, however, quickly occupied most of Seymour's thoughts. His eyes poured over every detail, excited to capture a glimpse of the unexplored area. Well, unexplored by outsiders. Once the professor asnswered the others' questions, Seymour added a couple of his own. "Do you have a suggested path we take through the region? Especially since we are still getting adjusted to a new place. What are the gym leaders like around here? Is there one that would be better for less experienced trainers to face?"

Jake squirmed with anticipation as he received the pokeball. Still, he had just enough self-restraint to not open it immediately. The professor was still talking, and he did not want to be too disruptive. He also accepted the pokedex/phone with both hands respectfully. He seemed less ecstatic about this than the pokeball, and somehow the pokedex seemed to calm him.

He followed the instructions for initializing the phone and stared at the display while listening, squinting a bit to try to get his brain working harder to work out what the different functions were. It all seemed reasonable enough, though he was not sure about being tracked everywhere. Nobody paid much attention to him before so he felt both a bit special and a bit intruded on by the fact people may be listening to him. Still, a thanks was in order,
"Thanks Professor! Wow, I don't know what I should call my mudkip. Maybe I'll come up with a name later, maybe Kip! Or Skip!"

He gave an odd look to Portia, her questions seemed a bit suspicious to him, but he supposed she knew better than him. He nodded enthusiastically and replied to Eve,
"Yup! This is my very first pokemon. I've met a lot, but I've never been partners with one before. After we are done here, can you tell me how to be a good trainer?"

He then turned to the professor and squirmed a bit more. The other boy asked an interesting question, and he wanted to know the answer too. Jakey knew he was the least experienced trainer here, so visiting an easy gym might help him get accustomed to a gym battle without worrying about being totally outclassed. He also raised his own important point -- and perhaps another explanation for his squirming,
"I, uh, need to use the bathroom, where is yours?"

If given permission, he'd listen to the professor's response to Seymour before racing the the bathroom and back.

"Oh, the bathroom's over there in the corner."

"I can understand your worry, but these things are really sturdy. Odds are, you would break before they did. Still, if you were to lose it somehow, you could probably replace it in a Pokémon Center. After a lot of questions, of course.
The GPS is unavoidable, even if Cadien wasn't so bad about privacy rights. It's how cell phones use figure out what satellite to use. And though you may get a bit more attention, pretty much everyone in the country is treated that way."

Falkner returns from the bathroom, just as professor Callery turns his focus back to the map. "When it comes to gyms, you need to know that Cadien treats it's league quite differently than other regions. Although you need eight badges to participate in the tournament, there are twelve gyms scattered around the region.

Each gym is ranked in one of three tier. The first tier is the only one without requirement, meaning you have to start with one of them. Those are Bluweil, Roarac, Vinmur, and Boonwagen.
The second tier requires two badges before you can challenge them. That's Chairluire, Vollemond, Herenport, and Bruglare.
Finally, the third tier gym have a four badges requirement, and are the most difficult. Montaunin, Northlone, Argenvers, and Carcamiers.

Now, you could just face the first and second tier to get an easy entry into the tournament. However, each badges is worth as many points as the gym's tier. Your badges' total is used to decide who you will face in the tournament. The competitors with the highest total will be matched against the ones with the lowest. So anyone taking the easy route, will find things far harder later."
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:57, Thu 24 Oct 2019.

No overt mention of punishment or penalty for losing the Pokedex?  That didn't strike Portia as being all too likely, but if the Region authorities were going to be cutting some slack on that front, she saw no reason not to pick it up herself.  A few ideas of how to handle the constant observation and tracking were already percolating in her mind while she mostly zoned out on the talk of the League.  That sort of thing didn't really interest her and she only paid a scant bit of attention to any of it.

"So it's not about playing fair and making sure everyone meets on equal standing then?  Sounds to me like it's either punishing those who couldn't hack it or just letting the already-strong Trainers stomp on weaker opponents." It wasn't as though Portia had a particularly high opinion of any League to begin with, but perhaps some of the rumors she'd heard about Cadien's being harsher than the others' had merit.  She canted her head aside and shot Seymour a wry smirk.  "You're gonna have your work cut out for you if you're going for badges.  I can't imagine any Cadien native is gonna like the idea of you trying to take the League title.  You better watch your back."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:05, Thu 24 Oct 2019.

Portia's comments about collecting badges drew a smile from Eve. She was in agreeance with her about the imbalance of power, but at the same time, this whole region seemed to believe in the old saying 'Might Makes Right'. So such peculiar rules to their League system weren't all that surprising to her. The system was unique in its complexity, but it didn't seem necessarily bad or flawed. Those who worked harder, got better rewarded for it. "If people don't want to put in equal work, then maybe they shouldn't meet on equal standing," she commented with a shrug, and smiled at Seymore. "You'll do great, I'm sure. I'll be challenging the gyms as well. That's why I came here in the first place, mostly."

She smiled at Jake. "I'm no expert, yet," she said modestly, "but I will surely tell you what I know. No problem."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:01, Thu 24 Oct 2019.

"It's actually pretty common in other sports. But in Cadien, well... the military is at the center of the government. That includes their league. And that could be a problem for you.

I'm not entirely clear on the details, but it seems their gyms are based around their training facilities. So Northlone isn't just an Ice gym, it's going to be actual winter combat. So don't expect the usual one-on-one arena fight."

Jakey was a bit more subdued after returning from the bathroom. He understood broadly what the professor was saying, but the names did not mean much to him, so he only got the general idea of what the prof was saying. Still, what he heard sounded good. He was not sure why the girls didn't like the system,
"I like the sound of this system I don't need to be able to beat the hardest gyms to get into the tournament and be on TV, just getting to the league would be awesome! Even if I get beaten in the first round, it will still be worth it. Anyway, if the best trainers fight each other first, the finals would be so boring."

He then turned with a smile to Eve,
"That sounds great, anything would help really. I think we all should travel together for a while too. I don't want to get lost here, not unless other people were lost with me."

Jakey bristled a bit with the talk of the gyms also being involved with the military. He hoped he wouldn't need to fight along side his pokemon. It would be hard to issue commands and be engaged in a fist-fight at the same time.

Seymour nodded along as the professor explained about the gyms. At the same time, he was already cross-referencing the map and plotting out potential courses. He paused though when Portia mentioned that he should watch his back. Mostly because she was right. And because he hadn't yet considered that aspect of their foreign status. But it seemed the others agreed that it would be wise to stick together in the immediate future, so that helped to alleviate some of his sudden apprehension.

"I also would like to stick together. At least until we get a bit more acclimated," Seymour commented to the other trainers. Then, to the professor, he said, "And we will no-doubt need to expand our friend-base eventually. And by that I mean capture pokemon. Are there any rules related to that that we should know about? Are there any particularly good places to find new pokemon that are nearby?" Seymour was excited to learn what wild pokemon were native to the region, and he was sure his barely-contained enthusiasm was seeping into his words.

With all said and done, Portia could only give a hapless shrug.  "Well, ain't like it makes any difference with me.  I'm no fighter."  she shook her head, heedless of the way her Abra jostled side to side with the gesture.  While League competitions were a big deal in any region they had never really held any interest as far as she was concerned.  Combat training, constant battles, physical conditioning... it all seemed like a lot of needless stress.

When Seymour asked about their route and the potential for Pokemon to be discovered, Portia regarded the map with a quiet look of consideration.  Given that at least two of the group were going to be making the Gym challenge, only one route made sense to her.  She pointed along the map to trace along the southern coastal route toward Blueweil.  "Personally?  I'd take the coastal route.  Blueweil has one of the low-tier Gyms and the route there is forests, grasslands, coasts, and leads into the mountains and wetlands.  That'll yield a lot of different Pokemon habitats right off the bat.  Plus it's the only way to get to Chairluire without doing a bunch of backtracking."

@DM
What's is the scale of the map?  I want to make sure I know how far I can safely teleport in a pinch, so how much distance does each hex cover?
This message was last edited by the player at 04:29, Fri 25 Oct 2019.

"I would love to travel with you guys," said Eve with a sincere, but somewhat sad smile. "But I won't blame you if it doesn't last. It will be slow going with me in he group." She reached down and gently patted her legs where she had been rubbing them upon her arrival. "I was in an accident when I was younger and can't walk very far for very long. That's why my parents got me a Riolu as my first Pokemon, to help me carry my things and in case I need help while on the road. So, if you guys aren't in a real rush to be anywhere, it would be great to have someone to travel with." She looked hopeful at least. She had resigned herself to having to travel alone because of her slower speed. Some companions would make the trip all the better, and infinitely safer.

She nodded softly to Portia. "I think that's the best way to go, too. Lots of opportunity for Pokemon, a nice low tier gym to get our feet wet in, and less travel time total. Sounds like there's something that way for all of us to be happy about."

"Well, sounds like we need to find you a riding Pokemon then.  Back in Kalos, Skiddo and Gogoat were the ideal.  They're so charming, with their adorable faces and soulful eyes~.  Plus they photosynthesize, so they're easy to feed, and have far more affable natures than Pokemon like Tauros or Ponyta.  They're the perfect mounts~." Portia didn't even bat an eye at Eve's concerns over her slow pace.  Hopefully a reassurance in and of itself - Portia wasn't in any rush at all and was all too happy to take a leisurely pace to explore.

She gave a look to the Professor - he would be the authority on the area, after all.  "They're native to open fields and light forests.  Do you know if there are any in this part of the Region, Professor?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:38, Fri 25 Oct 2019.

"To be fair, the lower ranked trainer does have one benefit. He gets the first pick of stipulation, though the higher ranked one can take a veto instead of making his own stipulation. The stipulations are things like triple or double match, or special terrains to fight in. There are others, but you'd have to look up the archaic Cadien dueling laws.

As for what Pokémon you can find... I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but despite living here to learn about Cadien Pokémon, I haven't been able to learn much about their native species. I was able to confirm a common rumor: when the Cadien army is in another region, they have a policy of capturing local species and bringing them back into their own region. So there is a good chance that any common Pokémon from other regions can be found there, including Skiddo and Gogoat.

Although I haven't heard of limit to what you can catch, there is one thing you may want to avoid. The military bases have nest of semi-wild Pokémon that serves as guards. They don't have trainers, but the soldiers tend to be very protective of them. It may be better not to attack them."

OOC: I knew I forgot something. The scale is 10 km per hex. At a normal pace, you can cover that in two hours. Considering the time needed to rest, and making and breaking camp, you can travel 40 km per day on average. Although Evelyn will need more pauses, you can make up for the lost time by cutting into your camping time.

Something about the Professor's reply darkened Portia's expression considerably.  Though she didn't pop off with a remark like she had prior, it was clear from her shift in body language that something he'd said really rubbed her the wrong way.

"Well, so long as the military zones have signage up to mark their territory or our Pokedexes alert us by proximity, we should be able to avoid stepping on any toes.  But what's this red symbol on the map here supposed to be?"  she changed the topic sharply as she pointed to the mark in question at Levallac.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:34, Sat 26 Oct 2019.

"Oh, that won't be a problem. You'll see how 'loud and proud' the Cadien military is once you reach the end of route 100. As for the red mark, that's the capital. If you go there, you'll be able to visit their parliament. The first foreigners to do so without being highly vetted diplomats, and probably the dream of every tourist!"

"A riding Pokemon would be nice, yes. Any kind would do, though I admit a preference for Ponyta, being from Kanto, " said Eve, clearly liking that idea. "Maybe I'll get lucky and find one somewhere here in Caiden. I used to ride Ponyta when I was younger before the accident. It would be fun to do it again."

She paid attention to the professor. Like Portia, she felt distinctly uncomfortable, but merely shafted rather than let her expression darken. It boggled her mind that such a thing would even work, disrupting the natural ecosystems like that. She decided it best not to say anything...

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me much," Eve mused when the professor assured them they wouldn't miss the military markers. She decided to keep comments about 'the dreams of every tourist' quite to herself, though. Military occupation was not something to be envious about in her opinion.

"Well, Ponyta and Skiddo share habitats for the most part - so long as they have lots of big, open fields to graze and run around in, they're happy.  Maybe we'll get lucky and find both~.  I'd love to make friends with a cuddly, leafy Skiddo~." Portia was too lackadaisical to ever see the appeal in a temperamental, picky Pokemon like Ponyta when it came to a mount... though she did have to admit they were positively charming on their own merits otherwise~.

Rather than get caught up in her own fond speculation, however, she turned her attention to the pair of boys in their company.  "What do you two say then?  Are you on-board with taking the southern route to Blueweil?" Part of her was genuinely worried that they'd want to rush ahead as fast as possible on their way - boys being boys, and battling Trainers on top of that - where she was all too happy to take a slower pace alongside Evelyn.

Jake managed to stay quiet for a little while. Getting a ride pokemon would be great for Eve and probably some of the other people. He preferred to be on foot though. He never had the opportunity to ride a pokemon (or even a bike for that matter), so his feet were the only means of travel he really trusted.  However, it was exciting to know that pokemon from all over were in the Cadien region. It was also good to know to not accidentally wander into a military base (or parliament for that matter - Jake didn't want to be bored to death).

When Portia asked a direct question, Jake didn't hesitate to voice his enthusiasm,
"Oh yeah! The south route sounds great. I'd totally get lost on my own, so you all can decide where to go and I will just come with. I'm not really in a rush, it gives me more time to get to know my Mudskip, Mudkip, Skip, Skipper. I'll call him or her Skipper then."

Jakey figured now was as good of time as any to pull out the newly gotten pokeball and unleash his Mudkip for the first time. As it appeared on the floor, it looked about confused for a moment as Jakey waved to it with a grin,
"Hey there Mudkip, I'm your new friend... and I already thought of a nickname for you. You can be Skipper, like a boss because you are my #1 pick! We are going to have a lot of fun together!"

This seemed to be enough to orient the Mudkip so it knew who to focus its attention on. Nevertheless, it looked around the room to the others and the surroundings in general. Satisfied with the room, it let out a short,
"Kip kip"
Before moving to Jakey to be picked up. It squirmed a bit at being held initially, but relaxed when it was clear that Jakey didn't mean any harm. Unsure what to do after it stopped squirming, Jakey quickly put the midkip back on the ground and squatted to scritch its head while the others worked out the details.

The arrival of the diminutive amphibian seemed to brighten Portia's mood back up a bit.  She crouched down as well, knees tucked to her chest so she could greet the little Mudkip while it looked about so curiously.  Her Abra - still fast asleep astraddle her shoulders - just continued to snooze without a care for common courtesy.

"Hi there~." she cooed, seemingly quite a bit more affable toward Pokemon than she was adults given the night-and-day attitude she seemed to have with how she regarded the Professor.  As Jake began to scratch the Mudkip's head, she reached out to take his hand and gently guide his touch a little further along the back of its skull.  "Careful - the fins on Mudkip's head and cheeks are really sensitive, and their skin dries out if you don't give them plenty of water, so scratching can irritate them.  Try rubbing at the base of their head or under their chin with your fingertips instead."  She was at risk of sounding like a know-it-all, but she clearly meant well.  "Considering this is your first Pokemon, you made a pretty good choice.  Mudkip are really easy-going, but pack a lot of power too - they're good for newbies."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:18, Sun 27 Oct 2019.

As everyone focuses on Skipper, a soft ringtone comes from the professor. He steps away, a bit embarrassed, before answering his phone.

"Hello!" ... "Yeah, the first group is here. It's looking good so far, three of them already had companions..." ... "What? Why?" ... "Whoa, that's a bit last minute, isn't it?" ... "I see... but what about the other trainers? I..." ... "Right. Well, I guess I have no choice then. I'll take the evening train."

He hangs up the phone and returns to your group. "Sorry about that, it seems I'm needed at a convention. Guess we'll be traveling in opposing direction for the next few days!" He tries to be cheerful, but he seems a bit awkward at his sudden departure.

"The southern coast sounds like a great choice," Seymour said, agreeing with his new friends. It was actually the same direction he was most favoring anyway. "I don't really mind a slower pace either, especially at the start of our journey. It will help ensure we don't miss anything important."

Then he watched Jake interacting with his mudkip for the first time as the professor was on his phone call. Seymour probably would have had a mudkip himself if his family hadn't gone through the trouble of providing a lotad for him. It was kind of a tradition in his family to find their own starters. But he really liked his lotad, so he didn't mind. Even now his lotad was shyly approaching the mudkip, curious about the other similarly-sized water Pokemon.

"Looks like my lotad likes your mudkip," Seymour observed. "If you ever need a bit of water, I'm sure he could spare a Bubble or two to help Skipper out."

By then the professor had finished his call, so Seymour turned his attention back to the adult in the room. "I guess we shouldn't keep you from preparing for your convention. It would probably be good for us to get some distance behind us before nightfall anyway. Thank you for all of your information and help." He turned to address his new companions. "Was there anything anyone still needed before we head out? Either here or elsewhere?"

Eve beamed delightedly when all of them said they didn't mind a slower pace. She had been hoping to stick together with one or two of them at least, but would have understood why they would want to leave her behind. That they were all willing to go at a more leisuly pace for her to keep up was heartwarming and made Eve happier than she could say! "Thank you, all of you," she said, bowing her thanks. "I'll do my best not to keep us too slowed down."

The Riolu looked on quietly from nearby, but caught Eves eye and smile. With a pause and a little bark, she set down the pack and went to say hello to Pokemon who would now be their traveling companions. "Athena likes to make new friends. She chatted up all the Pokemon in my dad's lab before we made our way here," Eve chuckled.

She turned her attention to Seymore and shook her head. "I have everything I need already. I can leave when everyone else is ready to go," she assured him.

Jake nodded to Portia in thanks as she gave him tips. She really knew a lot about pokemon, he was impressed. He moved his hand down to scratch at the mudkip's nape of its neck as Portia had suggested. Jake also appreciated Seymour's offer,
"You guys really know a lot about Mudkips, I am really impressed. I'll let you know if Skipper is getting dry. Thank you a bunch for the help. I am sure we will have a lot of fun on the road together. I am hoping Skipper can walk along side us as we go to the next town."
He glanced up as the professor took the call and looked a bit down when it turned out the professor was not going to be accompanying them any further. Still, it was a good reason to start getting ready to start his life as a pokemon trainer,
"Thank you for everything professor! I'm sure we will see you later, and hopefully we will all have more friends by then! We should probably let you get ready for your thing."

Jake picked up his small sack of belongings while Mudkip introduced itself to the Riolu. The mudkip didn't seem phased by being the center of attention momentarily, but it also didn't seem to revel in the attention either. This mudkip seemed about as easy going as any other mudkip for the time being, at least.

"I sure as heck better know a lot - I've been studying Pokemon since I was little.  Honestly, I was practically raised by Wild Pokemon." Portia tone was half-joking, half-wistful on that remark.  Her focus briefly turned distant in thought for a moment, though she had no chance to linger in her own mind as her Abra gingerly hugged about her brow and snuggled against the back of her head in a sleepy, yet affectionate, gesture.  That brought her back to the moment with a smile as she reached back to tuck her fingers fondly under the Abra's ear just so, which got a happy trill in return.

As she rose back up to full height, the teen seemed back in her usual sorts - attitude and all.  Portia gave a careless shrug over the Professor's apologies for having to run so soon; it wasn't like he'd been a lot of help anyway, so his absence wouldn't be missed by her.  Just another unreliable adult, it seemed.  "Yeah, yeah - thanks for the state-issued tracking devices.  Feel free to call us whenever your bosses want to eavesdrop on more conversations." she wasn't about to feign being okay with being monitored, but surely the Cadien government didn't expect outsiders to accept the constant observation without complaint.  So long as she still cooperated, however, they'd just have to deal with her gripes.

Portia shifted her satchel to her side and looked to the others gathered around.  "Alright, let's get a move on then.  We're wasting daylight and there's nothing to see in this back-end town, so let's take the route north to Rivierestel.  Assuming they have even a halfway-decent shop there, we can stock up on any supplies we need before we really leave the mainland."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:22, Mon 28 Oct 2019.

Portia's comment seems to make Professor Callery a bit uncomfortable, but he doesn't protest. Instead, he wishes you the best of luck as you set out on route 100.

The road is old. Hundreds of years old, maybe. Rather than the modern asphalt so common every where else, it uses old flat stones, weathered by the elements. Judging by the turfs of grass growing in every cracks, the road is rarely used.
The plains around you are mostly empty, with only a few scattered trees and bushes decorating the area.

It also seems any Pokémon on this road are using the plants to hide, as you notice a group of Wurmple in a clump of bushes near the road.

"Anyone want to try to get a cuddly little caterpillar to join their team?" Seymour asked, pointing to the cluster of the wriggling little pokemon. "Or maybe spar with them? It could help us dip our toes into the water before we get too far from helpful resources." He pointed back toward the town with his thumb.

Seymour himself did not have a lot of interest in catching a wurmple, since they could be found all over the Hoenn region he was from. However, he wouldn't be opposed to participating in or watching a little light battling. It could potentially help the team to get to know each others' capabilities.

Portia simply shook her head in reply as the group ambled down the old, worn road - she had no interest in bothering a handful of Wurmple just minding their own business.  Though she couldn't help but turn her eyes toward the skies; if there were Wurmple around, sooner or later there would be some predatory bird Pokemon in the area as well.

"Don't look at me.  This slacker doesn't even know any combat moves." she smirked idly as she waggled her head about, which made her slumbering Abra jostle limply side to side.

Jakey seemed a bit put off by... something as they travelled down the old road. Skippy on the other hand seemed more than pleased to socialize with all of its travelling companions -- human and pokemon alike. Seymour pointing out the wurmple seemed to snap Jakey out of whatever fugue he was in, but he shook his head,
"I already got all the pokemon I can handle now. But I- "

A look of realization crossed his face and he pulled out his pokedex and pointed it to the various pokemon to get information on them as he talked,
"I totally forgot to check with Skippy to find out what moves he knows. He probably knows tackle though! I can't spar until I know what he knows. Maybe I can find out with a spar? Do you think the wild pokemon would mind?

He seemed to be working it out in his head, but he looked to Eve as well. If she wanted a wurmple, maybe they shouldn't frighten them off. He also looked to Skippy, who seemed to notice the group of wurmple the humans were talking about, and the mudkip looked between the humans and the wurmples with a blank expression.

Evelyn doesn't seem interested in the bugs. If Jakey and Seymour wish to train a bit, they're free to do so. Otherwise...

Further along the trail, the group can see what appears to be berry trees. If they wish, the trainers can attempt to gather fresh berries either for food (to improve your Survival Gear) or find medicinal berries (to improve your Medical Items). If you want it, just say what you wish to try improving.

Seymour merely shrugged when Jakey asked if the wurmple would mind. He had no clue. Some pokemon liked to test their strength, others liked to be left alone. But Seymour himself had opted not to battle the bugs in the end. The wurmple had the type advantage over his lotad, and he didn't want to embarrass himself by losing to a bunch of bugs right at the beginning of their journey. He decided to wait and see what other pokemon might show themselves along their walk.

But when they saw the berries growing, Seymour couldn't help but take an interest. "A lot of berries can be beneficial to a pokemon's health," he commented as he began searching for medicinal fruits.

---

Seymour will look for medicinal items.

"They're pretty good for Humans too.  We don't really get as much out of them as Pokemon do, but they can be pretty tasty.  I wonder if Cadien has any of its own unique breeds?" Portia mused aloud as she joined Seymour, though she was more inclined to find snacks than medicine.  The party had grown quite a bit - she was accustomed to traveling alone or maybe with one other person, but with so many more people and Pokemon alike, it would be wise to stock up on food wherever possible.

Portia will look for Survival items.

True to her word, Eve was unfortunately slow in her travels. She had to stop every hour to sit down on the side of the path and rub her upper legs from hip to knee, slow but hard, but she never complained, and in fact thanked them regularly still for sticking with her and putting up with it. That would pass in time, of course, for right now, she was just happy to have human traveling companions!

The had considered the Wurmple purely for an academic venture, but had ultimately decided against it. They would be interesting to study to be sure, as they were the only known Pokemon anywhere to have a divergent evolutionary path that was not based on gender or environment, quite an impressive accomplishment for the humble bug. But she knew herself too well. While she was not in any way stupid, an intellectual, she was not. The poor bug would just get sent back to the Pokemon center and left in her storage bank for goodness knows how long, despite all her best intentions.

When they came across the berry trees, she smiled happily. Nodding in agreeance with both Portia and Seymour, she went to look through the bushes herself. "My Dad did some research on berries from different regions. Apparently there's a whole lot of variation. And a lot of Pokemon native to those regions get better benefits from them, at least when taken unrefined," she offered happily.

Eve will look for medical items.

There's a good amount of berries of all sorts. Portia even finds one she's never seen before. Beige, with green spots. And big. And sprouting spores...

It's only when she hears the indignant "Shroom!" that she realizes she grabbed an angry Pokémon. The foot-high mushroom creature jumps at her, while two more show up near the others.

OOC: And your first fight begins! Just tell me what you decide to do, and what orders you give your companions. I'll run a few rounds, and give you a chance to react if things changes.

Jake lost what little interest he had in fighting the wurmple when Seymour did not seem interested. He also did not seem to notice the bush of berries. As the others talked about how the berries could be useful, Jake began picking berries himself, but did so indiscriminately. Maybe someone could go through his findings later and sort out the useful from the useless.

When he heard the shroomish battlecry, he initially began moving to attack the pokemon himself in the effort to scare it off, but then remembered he had a partner that could battle properly. He gave a confident, but not clear command,
"Alright Skipper, show me what you can do!"

He pointed confidently to the shroomish that jumped at Portia and expected his pokemon to do... something! For what it was worth, Skipper looked ready to battle -- despite a type disadvantage, it began moving towards the central shroomish with a focused glint in its eyes.


Jake is just grabbing all the berries.

While she was generally keen to only snag the berries who's shapes she recognized, Portia couldn't help but be drawn to a more curious looking sample.  Pink with bright blue spots, she though to to herself, that's new one? and she gave it a curious tug from the bush it was settled in, only to yelp when it suddenly leaped free with an angry shout.  No sooner did the Pokemon leap up at her than the girl seemed to just vanish on the spot with a flicker and a hiss of displaced air rushing into the space she'd occupied.

In that same instant, Portia and Houdini reappeared a fair distance away - it seemed her Abra's reflex to Teleport from danger was just as keen as could be, taking his friend along for the ride as well.  It only took Portia a second to reorient herself and shout back to where the others were still amidst the Shroomish.  "Be careful!  Don't breathe in Shroomish's spores!  They're toxic!" she warned.  It was more her habit to try and run from such a situation rather than fight - she'd been the one to intrude on the Shroomish, after all, but Jake was already fit to fight...

Houdini performs a Low difficulty Teleport 15m away from the Shroomish (Awesome Rank as he's taking Portia along)
This message was last edited by the player at 21:20, Thu 31 Oct 2019.

Seymour flinched in surprise when the group of shroomish appeared, and Portia had already teleported by the time he had regained his composure. It seemed Jake at least was ready to take them on, and Seymour wasn't about to let him do so alone. He signaled his lotad with a whistle that it should come join the fray.

Heeding Portia's warning, hes said, "Lotad, keep your distance! But lets try to spook them like they spooked me. Astonish!" The shroomish were at a slight type advantage, if Seymour wasn't mistaken. But he had always thought they were kind of cool, so he figured he would at least try to catch one. Besides, they had a lot of useful abilities. Abilities that lotad had to try and avoid right now.

---

For now, lotad will try to remain evasive and use astonish repeatedly to try and make them flinch. He will focus on a single shroomish even if multiple attack at once. If Either the shroomish or his lotad look to be halfway to fainting, he will try to end the fight by throwing a pokeball at the shroomish.

Eve nearly dropped her handful of berries as the Shroomish and cried out as she stumbled back. Athena jumped forward without instruction to defend her startled mistress, barking out a sharp warning! "Athena! Watch out!" she gasped as she backed quickly away. Athena couched and growled low and angry, her eyes flashing bright steel blue.

Like Portia, Eve was very ready to try and calm these Pokemon down, but with the boys already thick in the fight, she didn't think that was going to be possible. She quickly pulled a Pokeball from her pocket, but stayed back for the moment. "It looks like we don't have a choice... Athena, be quick and careful about it!" The Riolu gave another bark, and moved so quickly, you'd think she was an electric type! She dashed forward to strike the Shroomish that had trundled toward Eve, trying to move without getting hit by its spores.

Athena used Foresight.
As soon as possible afterward, Athena will use Quick Attack (priority move).
Eve will use a Pokeball as soon as suitable to attempt to capture her Shroomish.

With Portia and Houdini safely out of the way, the remaining Pokémon quickly pair up for battle.

Skipper jumps at his opponent, only to land right into a cloud of spore. He tries to shake off their effect, only to find himself covered in rapidly sprouting seeds. He fights against them to reach the Shroomish, only for the plant to bounce off his head and run off into the bush.

Lotad jumps at the Shroomish, passing through it's spore like it wasn't there. He tries to attack the mushroom, only to find himself caught by the same seeds that caught Skipper. As he tries to shake them off, the Shroomish violently tackles him. In a fit of worry, Seymour starts tossing Pokéballs at the Shroomish. It takes a few of them, but the plant can't resist for long. Shroomish is caught!

Athena keeps her distance at first, waiting for the initial cloud of spore to settle before charging in. She hits the plant, bouncing off it's round body to avoid it's counter-attack, and lands behind it for another blow.
It stumbles closer to Evelyn, looking at her with sad eyes. Seeing that it lost the will to fight, Evelyn comforts it before convincing the Shroomish it enter her Pokéball.

To give people a better idea of how combat works, I'll give a break down of what happened, rule-wise. Feel free to skip it if the rule-side of things don't interest you.

First, in the Skipper fight:
Turn 1. Does Skipper act first? That's Skipper's Weak speed vs Shroomish's Low speed, so 25% chance. A 71 gives the initiative to the Shroomish.
Does Shroomish's Stun Spore work? As it's a Status move, it's an unopposed Very Likely, -3 for the Stun Spore lack of accuracy, giving a 50% chance. I got a 6. Oops, that within 1/5th of the odds of success, that means it's an Ex. YES. For a move that causes Paralysis, that means Skipper gets fully paralyzed immediately, and looses his turn.
Turn 2. Does Skipper act first? We use the same stats as before, but as Skipper is Paralyzed, he gets a -2 RS to his speed, dropping his chance to just 5%. I got a 76, so Shroomish acts again.
Does Shroomish's Leech Seed work? Again, Very Likely -1 RS for accuracy. That's a 75% chance, and a roll of 43 give it another Yes. Skipper is now Paralyzed and Seeded. But now it's his turn!
Does Skipper's Tackle connects? That pits his High ATT against the Shroomish's Average DEF, so 75% chance! And the dice gives... 99. Ouf, not only is it above 75, it's above the 1/5th threshold for failure, giving an Ex. NO. Not only does the attack miss, Skipper left himself wide open...
Turn 3. Since Skipper had an Ex. NO on his attack, the Shroomish gets to act first automatically. On the up side, since Full Paralysis triggers on the Initiative check, Skipper cannot be fully paralyzed this turn.
Does the Shroomish's Tackle connects? That it's Low ATT vs Skipper Below Average DEF. 45% chance to hit, and the roll is 35.
Does the Tackle cause a wound? Since Mythic doesn't include hit points, we have to ask this question, and compare the Tackle's Power of Low against Skipper's HP of Below Average, with the Leech Seed giving a +1 RS. That means the odds are 50% again. I rolled an 11, so it's a yes, giving Skipper a Wound (and -1 RS until he is healed). But...
Rolling a Double under 5 in Mythic signals a Random Event. In this case, the event is an NPC Action, defined as Adjourn The Public. The first thing that makes sense to me, is the Shroomish running off. This ends Skipper's fight.

Next up, Lotad.
Turn 1.Does Lotad act first? Lotad has a Low speed, just like the Shroomish. So that's a 50% chance. 94, that's another Ex. NO. That gives a free attack to the Shroomish, while Lotad cannot reply. The dices are not in your favor!
Does Shroomish's Stun Spore work? Let's be honest, wild Pokémon are not good at strategy. The Stun Spore starts at Very Likely, drops to 50% due to accuracy, and then down to Impossible since Grass types are Immune to Stun Spore... With a pitiful 10% chance, a roll of 27% leaves Lotad unaffected.
Turn 2.Does Lotad act first? Same odds but a roll of 26, so Yes.
Does Lotad's Astonish connects? That's Lotad Weak ATT against an Average DEF. That means only 5% chance... and with a 34 roll, the attack miss.
Does Shroomish's Leech Seed works? Again, a Likely chance after Accuracy, dropped to Very Unlikely because it's used against a Grass type. But with a roll of 7, the seed actually manages to break through the immunity.
Turn 3.Does Lotad act first? A 36, Lotad moves first again.
Does Lotad's Astonish connects? With 5%... a 71 means another miss.
Does the Shroomish's Tackle connects? Low ATT, Low DEF, so 50%. Rolled a 38, so another hit.
Does the Tackle cause a wound? Low Power with +1 RS, against Below Average HP, gives 50% chance. I rolled 25%, giving Lotad a wound. It's not a lot, but Lotad does seem in trouble, so...
Does Seymour catch the Shroomish? That's a contest between Seymour's Pokéball reserve (Below Average) and the Catch Rate of a Shroomish (Minuscule 2... they're really not hard to catch). That gives a 100% chance of success, but unless he gets an Ex. YES, he'll end up using enough Pokéball to drop his reserve to Low. He needs a 20... but I rolled 54. The Shroomish is caught, and Seymour has less Pokéballs.

Finally, Athena.
Turn 1.Does Athena act first? With an Average speed, she has 75% chance. A 59 gives her the initiative. Since she uses Foresight, she doesn't have any other roll to make. That means...
Does Shroomish's Stun Spore work? With 50% chance, a 67 means the attack fails.
Turn 2.Does Athena act first? Quick attack has +1 priority, improving Athena's odds to 85%. An easy Yes with a roll of 48.
Does Athena's Quick Attack connects? Athena has Above Average for ATT, against an Average DEF. However, she used Foresight last turn, giving +4 RS. That gives a 90% chance, so a 79 hits.
Does the Quick Attack causes a wound? Quick Attack has a Low Power, against the Shroomish's Average HP. Just 25% chance... but a 17 gives a Yes! Shroomish takes a wound.
Does the Shroomish's Absorb connects? Since it's hurt, it tries to get some healing. It has a Low SpA, facing Athena's Below Average SpD, and with a -1 RS for his injury. That leaves it with only 10% chance to hit. And he rolls... 95. Not only does he miss, Athena gets to act next automatically.
Turn 3.Does Athena's Quick Attack connects? She doesn't have Foresight anymore, but her opponent's wound still leaves her with 80% chance. So a 64 hits again.
Does the Quick Attack causes a wound? With the wound, the odds shift to 45%. A roll of 44 is close, but enough. That's 2 wounds for the little mushroom, and a random event. NPC Positive, Attach Advice. It's not as clear, but it tells me that it no longer wants to fight. Because of that, I skip the Pokéball roll and let Evelyn befriend the plant.

And that was how fights go in Mythic. Hope that was informative!

With two mushroom in Pokéballs, and the third one running, the group takes a moment to gather their wits... and their berries.

OOC: And the group gets their rewards!

Seymour gets enough berries to increase his Healing items to Low. But at the same time, his Pokéballs drop to Low as well.
Lotad took a Wound, but he also leveled up! And lucky you, you get to pick one of his stats to increase by one stage.
I'll PM you your new partner's stat.

Portia gets a good supply of food, increasing her Survival Gear to Above Average.
Houdini's timely rescue gives him 1 XP, and improves his ATT to Minuscule. Since he did a Combat Teleport, he didn't take fatigue from it.

Jakey didn't get any good berries.
Skipper has a Wound, but he gets 2 XP and a new ability. Choose one of the following:
 - Fountain: Can generate large amount of water. Gives +1 RS to Survival checks to find food (+2 in an environment where there is no drinkable water), and the Pokémon learns Water Gun as a default move (ie: doesn't count as part of the 6 move limit, like Tackle).
 - Dry Skin: Fire moves have +1 Power against the Pokémon. Water moves have -2 Power, and if they fail to cause damage, they will heal the Pokémon instead. If the Pokémon is targeted by an effect that can heal it while it rains, the effect's odds get +1 RS.

Evelyn found a few berries, but nothing that can compare to the equipment she gathered before leaving.
Athena leveled up, and you get to pick what stat to improve!
Your new Shroomish will arrive in your PM soon.

If you take the time to heal your Pokémon, I'll make the roll to see if it works.

This message was last edited by the GM at 18:26, Fri 01 Nov 2019.

As the shroomish Skipper was fighting made its escape, Skipper made its way back to Jake with a small limp and some residual twitches from the paralysis powder. Jake gave a concerned look to it, but could not help but smile a bit. It was his first battle, and while it was not a resounding success it was not an utter failure -- sure his pokemon didn't land a hit, but it frightened off one shroomish and gave Seymour and Eve a chance to catch the others. Jake turned to Portia as the others were likely celebrating their new catch and Jake didn't want to kill their buzz,
"Wow, my first battle! It looks like Skipper got knocked around a bit, do you know anything about caring for pokemon injuries? I don't think he is too bad, so we don't need to go back to a pokecenter."

Jake looked in his small bag and rummaged through his spare change of clothes. His eyes widened as he found a fat wad of cash, but he pulled out what he was really looking for -- a couple berries that he had been given for the adventure. He wasn't sure which was which, but hopefully one could be used to help out Skipper.


I'll go ahead and take dry skin, especially because other characters were commenting that Mudkip skin can get dry. Jake will also try to heal Skipper's wounds, but hopefully with assistance.

Portia hustled back to rejoin the group from her brief jaunt into the background, all while her Abra continued to snore away as if nothing had happened at all.  Part of her worried for the third Shroomish that had run off - there were three of them and two had been captured, so wasn't it all alone now?  Pokemon were more difficult to gauge than Humans though; sometimes they were abjectly loyal to the bitter end, while other times they didn't have any trouble at all just abandoning everything to go live a new life somewhere else.  She could only hope the little fungus fell into the latter category.

"I'm sorry!  I'm so sorry!" though she'd been dryly sarcastic at best with the Professor, Portia seemed much more at ease expressing herself amid her peers as she hurried to apologize for her fumble.  "I should've been more careful... I thought it was just a berry I didn't recognize.  I'm colorblind so I should've been paying more attention to what I was actually looking at... I'm so sorry..."

It had been a minor scuffle at best, but Portia seemed to be beating herself up over it more than was necessary.  All the same, she took a knee to sort through her bag and hastily checked her supplies for any medicine she could offer.  A little fatigue was nothing to worry about, but paralysis from spore exposure was better taken care of sooner than later.

Portia will check her Healing Items - Average for any medicines or berries to remove the Paralysis status.

Portia does have a few useful berries.

OOC: I posted the relevent question in the Game Rules thread.

Jakey got a No answer. He can reduce his Healing Items from Weak to Minuscule to heal one wound or Status on Skipper. Portia, on the other hand, got a Yes. She can either heal a wound or status, or lower her Average Healing Items to Below Average to heal both.

Seymour looked at the pokeball containing his new pokemon with a grin on his face. His garden of pokemon had just doubled in size! After a moment he kneeled down and gave his lotad some congratulatory scratches on the underside of its rain dish. "You did good buddy. And now you have a new friend! Hopefully it will rain tonight so your sores can heal up good as new." Lotad's condition was not too bad, it seemed. Just a couple nicks and bruises. Nothing that seemed like it needed serious aid just yet. Seymour opted to save his healing resources for more dire times.

And speaking of more dire times... "Sorry your mudkip got so roughed up," Seymour commented to Jakey. "If you need any healing supplies, I could certainly lend you some. At least let my lotad send some bubbles your way to help keep your mudkip moist." He made a gesture to lotad and the little pokemon's mouth began to foam lightly. Some of the foam floated lazily toward Skipper.

"Portia," Seymour said, turning toward the girl and her abra. "That teleportation was awesome! And don't feel the need to apologize to me. If it wasn't for your colorblindness, I wouldn't have my new friend! It all worked out in the end. Didn't it, Eve?" He grinned over at Evelyn, who had also captured a shroomish. "You going to give your a nickname, Eve? I haven't decided if I am or not..." He had thus far opted not to give his lotad a nickname, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to continue with that tradition for all of his pokemon.

---

Changing Seymour's pokeball stat from "below average" to "low."
Changing Seymours healing items stat from "weak" to "low."
Marking that lotad has a wound.
Increasing lotad's special attack from "average" to "above average."
Adding shroomish to "Seymour's PC" thread.
If there are any adjustments I have missed, let me know.

I don't suppose we can abuse the mudkip's Dry Skin ability to purposfully heal it with lotad's bubble attack, can we? Or have Skipper sprinkle lotad with water to mimic rain and heal lotad using his Rain Dish ability?

Sorry, Water Dish actually needs rain. A water move wouldn't cut it. You can try using Bubble to heal Skipper, but there's a risk: if your luck goes wrong, you could end up injuring him even more instead.

Eve smiled at the Pokeball in her hand, and went to Athena, reaching down to pat the Pokemon on the head. "You did a great job, Athena," she praised. The Riolu made a gruff sound like she did care, but smiled despite herself.

She looked back to her companions and approached, moving to Jakey and the mudkip that seemed to have gotten the worse of it, gently brushing the poor creature on the back. "Oh, poor thing," she lamented, and nodded quickly in agreeance with Seymore. "Yes, I'll help too with healing items if you need something," she said at once. She carefully stood back up and Athena was already there with her backpack, which she began digging in for her medicine bag. Apparently she had everything compartmentalized!

She looked up as Portia spoke and nodded in agreement with Seymore's statement. "Yeah, it was a great teleport. It all worked out in the end. No need to be upset. You didn't do anything wrong, or even different than I would have," she said, trying to make Portia feel better about the whole thing.

She looked to Seymore again and then down at her Pokeball, now full of her new Shroomish, and smiled. "I always have nicknames for my Pokemon. For me, I've always loved Greek mythology. All the gods and goddesses, big and small, so I name my Pokemon after them. Plenty for all my Pokemon, I think. Let me see... This one, I think I'll name him, Hamadryad."

Eve will offer medical supplies to Jakey for Skipper if they are needed from her own supply.

Portia looked gently abashed as the others reassured her but didn't argue with them.  At least not on her mistake - when they complimented her timely Teleportation, she could only offer a lopsided smile and reached back to scratch her Abra behind the ear with an affectionate touch.  "That wasn't me - that was Houdini here.  An Abra's telepathic powers are always active, even when they're asleep like this.  So they can sense danger even before it happens and teleport away in a snap.  Houdini's been protecting me like that for most of my life, ever since we met in the back alleys of Lumiose City."

Houdini, in return to his partner's grateful words and fond petting, simply snored and snuggled into the back of her head for a more comfortable position to continue snoozing in.  Portia just sighed and went back to her bag; she produced a covered wicker basket that was packed full of various berries, all wrapped in bits of wax paper to preserve them over time.  "Here Falkner - Cheri Berries are a surefire cure for stun spores." she plucked a partially-dried berry on its long stem from the bundle and offered it over.  "Here's hoping Skipper likes spicy food... they're pretty hot."

Portia will remove a Status effect, but not recover any Wounds for Skipper.  The others can handle that part, or we can rest later when the rest of us have picked up some more Wounds as well.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:54, Sat 02 Nov 2019.

Evelyn has more than enough medicine to heal Skipper's wound, and he seems to love the spicy flavor of the berry. After catching their breath, the trainers head back out toward Rivierstel.

Finally, they saw a building in the distance. But before they could really admire it, a tall man in red and purple clothes steps around a small hill stands in the middle of the road in front of you. He turns his alabaster eyes toward you, and sneers. "To think this is who they chose. A runaway, a wanna be. A girl who knows what she's doing, but is too famous. And a mystery boy who doesn't have a clue. What a waste." He runs a hand through his chocolate-colored hair.

All was well in the end, and the lot of them were back on the road.  Portia was eager to see the next town as it crested into view, though she ended up dismayed as a stranger decided to block their path.  Though instantly wary as he so purposefully moved into their way, she was just left scowling at his remarks.

"Careful where you step - looks like there's garbage on the road." Portia remarked over to her companions and, without even giving the man a second look, shifted to walk around him without breaking stride.  She didn't know who he was or why he seemed to have a beef with them, but he was clearly there to start trouble and Portia wasn't interested.  She had enough problems with adults to begin with, let alone one who showed up out of nowhere and started slinging insults at a bunch of teenagers.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:53, Mon 04 Nov 2019.

By the time they reached the town, Eve's legs were quite painful indeed, and she was rapidly losing her cheerful demeanor. She didn't snap at the others, but kept silent to keep herself from saying something not very nice in her pain and frustration at said pain. The appearance of this stranger who seemed to be there for no other reason to insult them was only making her more irritable, but also oddly defensive. These people, though she didn't know them well yet, had been kind to her, accepted her weakness without complaint to travel with her, and had actively tried to befriend her. She did not take kindly to someone putting them down for apparently no reason.

"You seem to know an awful lot about us. Yeah, and that isn't creepy like, at all. And what kind of insult is 'too famous', anyway? Couldn't you come up with something better?" she sniped right back, placing her hands on her hips in a very sassy manner as she glowered. "If we're such a waste, maybe you should focus your efforts on something more pressing in your life. Like your fashion choices. Red and purple? At your age? This time of year? Boy, please." One hand rose to brush a long lock of platinum hair behind her shoulder, her nose going in the air as she followed Portia, hoping that the boys would follow their lead.

Jake thanked both Portia and Eve for helping heal Skipper. It didn't take any of his few berries with their help, and it seemed they had supplies in surplus. He tried to remember that it was Cheri berries that healed paralysis, but memorization was never one of his fortes.

As they made their way down the path, both Jake and Skipper seemed chipper. He looked in confusion to the man who stood on their path and taunted him. He looked between the others to see if making a scene was something that was OK. It was not until Eve decided to get sassy that he jumped in as well,
"Yeah, you don't know me. And, and, I didn't even know we were traveling with a famous person. So she obviously isn't TOO famous if I don't know her. Plus, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be something more than you are now. That's called 'mbition! Obviously you don't got any of that, else you would be doing something better than dissing random people in the middle of nowhere!"

Unfortunately, Jake didn't have a clue that he was the one who didn't have a clue and instead identified himself as a wannabe. Despite that lapse of self-awareness, he knew not to get in a fist fight in Cadien on his first day, but he was confident he could hold his own against the man despite the age difference. He moved with an air of confidence that he lacked when interacting with pokemon as he followed Portia and Eve's lead.

"Bold words, for fools who don't even realize they're walking into a warzone." He sneers as Portia passes him. He tosses out a Pokéball in front of the others, revealing a Teddiursa. "I think it's time you learned. Diplomacy and war are just two sides of the same coin. And that coin will flip before long. Let's see who'll be crushed when it does."

Seymour had returned his lotad to its pokeball when they continued walking, and was whistling happily to himself when the stranger appeared.

At first Seymour had been alarmed by his presence, then confused about which of the people he was supposed to be in the man's monologue. And finally, Seymour was barely holding back snickers as Eve and Jakey ripped him apart verbally. Seymour wasn't exactly surprised that they were meeting some prejudice, being outsiders and all. But he was surprised that it was happening so soon.

When the teddiursa came out, however, the snickers quickly stopped and Seymour's face returned to a serious demeanor. "You really want to pick a fight? With four people at once?" Seymour raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Who wants to teach this guy his lesson?" Seymour eyed Evelyn, since she seemed to be taking the role of leader right now, and had a powerful fighter to face the bear. Simultaneously, Seymour was looking up Teddiursa in his pokedex in case he ended up being the one to face it instead.

---

Seymour is looking up Teddiursa in his pokedex.

Teddiursa, the Little Bear Pokémon. This cute, cuddly Pokémon is easily frightened and frequently licks its paws, which are usually covered with sweet honey.

Looking at the bear in front of your group, you have doubt about it being easily frightened...
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:20, Mon 04 Nov 2019.

Despite the constant prodding and plying the man gave out at every turn, Portia didn't seem to rise to it at all.  Whatever his musings about her running away were, that didn't seem like it was something that actually bothered her; she and Houdini were very good at it, after all.  Once past the stranger, she paused long enough to look back at the others after he'd dropped a Tediursa in their path.

"Just ignore him.  We're here on invitation - it doesn't matter what some rando with a chip on his shoulder thinks." she called back.  The stranger had no chance of winning in a battle when so heavily outnumbered, which meant he had other motives for wanting to pick a fight he was certain to lose.  Even if they just fought him one-on-one in a row, all it would do was needlessly waste time and exhaust their Pokemon for no gain.

All the same, Portia drew out her own Pokedex but had no interest in scanning the Tediursa who sat primed to fight.  Instead she lifted the device out at arm's length as if taking a selfie in its camera and made sure to capture the whole scene behind her as well - the stranger included.  "Heya Cadien observation team and whichever agent is unfortunate enough to get assigned keeping track of me.  We're just outside Rivierstel and this creep was totally waiting in the bushes to ambush us.  Super gross, right?  Some weirdo hiding just to jump out and accost a bunch of kids, trying to pick a fight?  He knew where we were gonna be and he's talking a lot of trash about knowing our backgrounds, so I guess he must be associated with you guys somehow, maybe?  Keep a better eye on your underlings or check your security to see if anyone's been digging around in your files." she chimed brightly at the broadcasting camera as if she were doing a livestream.  She didn't like the idea of being observed and recorded all the time, but could still turn it to her own uses when the need arose.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:15, Mon 04 Nov 2019.

Eve had stopped when he threw out a Pokemon to intersect them. It might not be a very intimidating Pokemon, but every Pokemon could be dangerous if raised to be. Eve rolled her eyes and had every intention of following Portias advice up to that point, and couldn't help but to smirk as Portia went out of her way to get the stranger on camera. She looked down at the Teddiursa, and didn't stop Athena from setting down her pack and growling menasingly to try and intimidate it. "You're right, Portia. We have nothing to gain from this... 'confrontation.'" She huffed haughtily, crossing her arms over her chest. She was not going to back down nor would she command her Pokemon first. She had endless patience when needed.

"Do it." The Teddiursa runs toward Athena, dashing from side to side almost too fast to follow. Not that such tactics are useful against Athena's senses. But the bear's speed is worrisome. Even with her Quick Attack, the Teddiursa unleashes a string of attacks. Athena stumbles back, apparently hurt.

"You've got attitude, but it means little in this business." The Riolu replies, but her attack leaves the Teddiursa unfazed.

As the group watches the exchange, they notice movement from the city. Though at this distance, it's hard to know what it is.


If you want to jump in the fray, or give specific orders, here's your chance. Athena has take one wound so far.

Combat log:
Does Athena act first? Odds: 7/35/88 Result: 79 -- No

Turn 2: Does Athena act first? Odds: 10/50/91 Result: 59 -- No

Does the Teddiursa Fury Swipes connects? Odds: 16/80/97 Result: 18 -- Yes

Does the third hit connects? Odds: 13/65/94 Result: 22 -- Yes
RANDOM EVENT: PC positive -- Develop/War
Random event ends the attack.

Does the attack cause damage? Odds: 10/50/91 Result: 44 -- Yes
RANDOM EVENT: NPC negative -- Waste/Intrigues

Does Athena's Quick Attack connects? Odds: 16/80/97 Result: 50 -- Yes

Does Athena's attack cause damage? Odds: 1/5/82 Result: 51 -- No

Seymour was content to let things go, since his traveling companions did not seem interested in sparing with this jerk. But then when the stranger attacked them anyway, all bets were off.

"Alright mister whatever-your-name-is. That's it." Seymour threw the pokeball containing his newly caught pokemon. "Shroomish! Show this teddiursa what you've got! Leech Seed, then Stun Spore!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Seymour noticed the movement from the city, but he couldn't really focus on that at the moment. So he didn't.

---

Seymour will have shroomish try leech seed, then use stun spore until it connects or shroomish is badly wounded. Then he will have it switch to using absorb instead.

Eve was a bit surprised by the ferocity of the little Pokemon, but only momentarily. A thug would have a thug Pokemon. "Brace yourself, Athena, don't let it get to you," she encouraged her Pokemon, who seemed shocked at the damage the little bear had inflicted. "Just stay back and endure it, don't be in a rush. Get ready now." She narrowed her eyes sharply, waiting for the Teddiursas next attack to come. "Now, hold until it hits you... Then strike back and counter it!"

Distracted by the unprovoked attack on her Pokemon, Eve didn't notice the movement from the city.

Riolu will hold off from attacking, and Endure if she must to survive another attack. And then use Counter when hit again.

When the opposing pokemon came out, Jake definitely took notice, but it was not enough of a provocation to engage Jake. Despite his somewhat uncouth appearance, he had a cool head when it came to conflict. Things changed when the Teddiursa attacked Eve's Riolu. Acting on instinct, Jake moved towards the conflict, but then paused again. He then directed Skipper to the Teddiursa, but his command was not an attack,
"Skipper, move to the side and use growl! Keep it on edge and strike only if it gets too close!"

Despite his lack of confidence in dealing with wild pokemon, he moved with a degree of certainty when dealing with this kind of situation (once he realized he should be letting Skipper do the intimidation rather than himself). He'd been in fights on the street before; he knew that having an ally nearby can help boost morale of the combatant and weaken the enemy's resolve. That and it was less honor and more difficulty coordinating when too many people or pokemon were attacking a single target.

Like the others, Jake was too focused on the battle to notice movement from the city.

Skipper will flank the teddiursa and use growl repeatedly. If the teddiursa changes target to Skipper or if it gets knocked in Skipper's direction, Skipper will use tackle.

Seeing all three Pokémon close in, the stranger shouts "Keep moving!" The Teddiursa keeps moving quickly, jumping from side to side, and dodging Shroomish's Leech Seed doing so. Skipper manages to get close enough to Growl at it, though.

The stranger grins as the group surrounds his companion. "Now! Earthquake!" The bear jumps between the three, and smashes the ground with his paw, right next to Shroomish. The mushroom is thrown back and looses consciousness, while both Athena and Skipper are hurt. Skipper manages to Growl at him again, but Athena stumbles from the blow and is unable to counter-attack.

OOC: Shroomish is KO, while Skipper takes a first wound and Athena a second one. Further more, Athena needs to recover her footing, so the Teddiursa will get to act before her (though other member of the team may get to act before it).

Turn 3: Does Athena act first?  Odds: 16/80/97  Result: 30 -- Yes

Does Shroomish's Leech Seed connects?  Odds: 16/80/97  Result: 88 -- No

Does Skipper's Growl work?  Odds: 16/80/97  Result: 22 -- Yes
RANDOM EVENT: Remote event -- Postpone/Liberty

Turn 4: Does Shroomish act first? (Athena needs to wait for an attack before using her move)  Odds: 4/20/85  Result: 69 -- No

Is Athena hit by the Earthquake?  Odds: 17/85/98  Result: 36 -- Yes

Is Shroomish hit by the Earthquake?  Odds: 15/75/96  Result: 5 -- EXCEPTIONAL YES (a critical hit, that means +2 Power for the attack)

Is Skipper hit by the Earthquake?  Odds: 17/85/98  Result: 47 -- Yes

Is Athena hurt by the Earthquake?  Odds: 19/95/100  Result: 27 -- Yes

Is Shroomish hurt by the Earthquake?  Odds: 17/85/98  Result: 10 -- EXCEPTIONAL YES (that's a one-hit KO)

Is Skipper hurt by the Earthquake?  Odds: 18/90/99  Result: 61 -- Yes

Does Athena's Counter connects?  Odds: 4/20/85  Result: 98 -- EXCEPTIONAL NO

Does Skipper's Growl works?  Odds: 17/85/98  Result: 12 -- EXCEPTIONAL YES (the Teddiursa's ATT drops two level instead of one)

This message was last edited by the GM at 15:31, Fri 08 Nov 2019.

"Shroomish, no!" Seymour exclaimed, even as he struggled to keep his balance from the earthquake. This teddiursa was an even stronger combatant than he had anticipated. Seymour quickly recalled his KOed pokemon.

After a split second of hesitation, Seymour sent his injured lotad back out into the field. "I know you're still hurt, lotad, so try to keep your distance. Stay back and give the bear a constant barrage of Bubbles!"

---

Seymour switched out his pokemon and will have lotad keep using bubble. Preferably from a safe distance.

Jake's confidence was shaken by the earthquake. That little pokemon had a lot of spunk. It was probably stronger than all their pokemon put together. He looked about for a moment to the others. Seymour still wanted to fight, so Jake would feel bad pulling out now. Skipper was still in OK condition, but probably could not keep up the fight if he got hit by another earthquake. He wasn't able to intimidate the Teddiursa into stopping the fight, so it was time to get physical.
"Alright Skipper, do whatever you can to tackle him! The bubbles are your friends anyway! Keep him from using that attack again!"

It looked like the Riolu was on the back foot and Lotad was using a water type move, so even if his Skipper was hit by the bubbles accidentally, the water type move probably wouldn't have much impact. Though Jake was still new to being a trainer, he'd seen battles before and he knew water type moves wouldn't have much impact on a Mudkip.

Jake is instructing Skipper to do a series of tackles to try to keep the Teddiursa on its back foot, even if it means getting hit by lotad's bubbles.

With the group reeling, the small bear turns it's attention to the closest threat: Skipper. It launches another series of claw strikes, hitting the mudkip repeatedly... only for Skipper to continue through, forcing the Teddiursa to dodge out of the way. This gives Lotad the opening he needed, as he strikes with a stream of bubbles.

It didn't cause much damage, but it's a start. You glance at the stranger to see his reaction... only the man isn't paying attention. Instead, he's looking back toward the city. Or more accurately, at the form running toward you. "Tch, should have setup further..." He suddenly recalls his Pokémon, before drawing a second Pokéball.

"Looks like you're in luck, kids." He tosses the ball into the air, releasing a Drifblim above him. The man grabs it's arm, and lets it lift him off the ground. "Since you like my face so much girl, you can keep it!" The man drops something not far from Portia, as he fly toward the forest to the west.

OOC: The battle is won... sort of.
Seymour's Lotad increases his Speed to Below Average, while his Shroomish gains one of the following talents:
  - Effect Spore: Can cause status effects when hit in melee, depending on the last digit of the attack's question: 1-Poisoned, 2-Paralyzed, 3-Sleep.
  - Mushroom Harvest: If he's not unconscious at the end of the day, he has a chance to grow a mushroom after a night's rest. Ask a Below Average question, with the following results:
     Ex Yes - Balm Mushroom (cures Burn, Paralysis, or Poison, but reduces one random stat)
     Yes - Big Mushroom (causes Poison, but increases two random stats, for an hour)
     No - Tiny Mushroom (has an Average chance of causing a wound, but increase a random stat for an hour)
     Ex No - No mushroom have grown.
     What stats are affected by the mushroom can be determined with an Above Average IQ check.

Houdini gets to increase one stat of Portia's choice.

Athena also gets a stat increase of Evelyn's choice, and gets to pick one of the following talents:
  - Steadfast: When the Pokémon would Flinch, he gains +1 speed.
  - Aura Reader: The Pokémon can sense the personality and mood of someone it observe. This is more of a roleplay effect than a combat bonus.

And finally, Skipper's HP increase to Average.

Last round's combat log:
Turn 5: Does Lotad go first?  Odds: 3/15/84  Result: 44 -- No
RANDOM EVENT: PC positive -- Carry/Bureaucracy

Does the stranger notice what's coming?  Odds: 9/45/90  Result: 36 -- Yes

Does Teddiursa's Fury Swipes connects?  Odds: 17/85/98  Result: 24 -- Yes
Third hit?  Odds: 15/75/96  Result: 27 -- Yes
Fourth hit?  Odds: 11/55/92  Result: 66 -- No

Fury Swipes hits three times, does it causes a wound?  Odds: 11/55/92  Result: 92 -- EXCEPTIONAL NO

Does Skipper's attack connects?  Odds: 16/80/97  Result: 100 -- EXCEPTIONAL NO

Does Lotad's bubble connects?  Odds: 13/65/94  Result: 30 -- Yes

Does it cause a wound?  Odds: 3/15/84  Result: 84 -- EXCEPTIONAL NO

This message was last edited by the GM at 16:52, Fri 08 Nov 2019.

That the whole thing turned into a fight displeased Portia, but she was confident her companions could handle themselves.  In the meantime she kept on filming, focused on events through the screen of her PodeDex both for the sake of keeping a record of the attack and for strategy later.  The group could review the footage and make use of it in their combat training when they had the chance.  Otherwise she remained well out of the way to allow the others to handle the threat; apparently she really hadn't been kidding when she said she wasn't a fighter.

"Yeah, yeah, whine about it some more, you... y-you..." Portia's taunt as the Stranger slipped into retreat died in her throat when he let out his Drifblim.  As she was at the back of the group, the others likely wouldn't realize until it was too late, but the Stranger himself had the perfect view to watch Portia as all the color drained out of her face.  Any more barbs and insults she might've had came out as nothing but a strangled noise in the back of her throat as the young woman let her PokeDex clatter to the ground, staggered on her heel, and instantly passed out on the spot.

Though Houdini had since proven he was more than capable of sensing a threat and Teleporting away in time, the Abra remained fast where he was atop his companion's shoulders even as she fell partially onto him.  He hugged tight around Portia's head and yelped in pain as he hit the ground with her, but refused to let go as he shielded her from hitting her head with his own body.

Portia is Unconscious.

Houdini's SpA stat is increased one rank and his PC profile has been updated.

The battle still seemed to be a bit one sided even with three pokemon against the stranger's one, but Seymour still had hope that they could take down the teddiursa if they worked together. His hope all but evaporated though when the trainer revealed his second pokemon though. Seymour found himself breathing a deep sigh of relief when the trainer decided to make his exit. Still, what was so bad that it would make a strong trainer such as this flee?

As Seymour gazed into the distance to see what was approaching, he noticed Portia go down. It looked like her abra had prevented any serious damage though, so he didn't rush to her side like he otherwise would have. He tried to see what was approaching. Then he released his shroomish once again. "Can one of you guys check on Portia," he said to Jakey and Evelyn. "I want to try and revive my shroomish again in case it is danger that is approaching..."

---

Seymour is trying to see what is approaching and also trying to get shroomish conscious again.

I am raising lotad's speed to Below Average, and giving shroomish the Effect Spore talent. Also, updating shroomish's current status to KOed.

OOC: Seymour can wake up Shroomish if he's willing to drop his Healing Item score to Minuscule.

Also, I forgot to mention: you all gain 10 Favor for progressing in the Mysterious Attacker plot line.

As he digs through his pack, Seymour can distinguish a large Scolipede running toward him. On it's back seems to be a rider dressed in red.

Jake's concern when the Teddiursa turned its attention and attack to Skipper turned to a look of almost smug pride when it became evident that Skipper was not only able to take the blows, but also force Teddiursa into the stream of bubbles unleashed by Seymour's Lotad. He looked from the fight to the stranger, then from the stranger to the approaching person. He glanced back to the stranger as Teddiursa was recalled. He was not surprised when the second pokeball came out -- he was savvy enough to know they were being toyed with. He wasn't quite savvy enough to avoid being confused by the man's comment about girls liking his face and moved to intercept what the man dropped, but in mid-motion he caught sight of Portia dropping to the ground.

He changed his destination, the agile youth making it to Portia before the others -- as Seymour was concerned with his pokemon and Eve's legs were stubborn to say the least. Yet, when he made it to her side, he looked back at the others,
"Hey, uh, what should I do? She looks like she is knocked cold, but I didn't see what hit her."

Jake had seen unconscious people before, it was not wholly unusual with his rough and tumble lifestyle for someone to take an inconvenient bump to the head. But despite his experience seeing unconscious people, he hardly had experience treating unconscious people. If it was one of his close friends, he would slap them around a bit to bring them to, but he barely knew Portia so it seemed too uncouth, even for Jake, to do that.

Eve had knelt down and was spraying a potion over Athena's wounds, looking concerned. "You did just fine, Athena, don't stress out about it," she said soothingly to the apparently pride wounded Pokemon, who looked grumpy indeed as she was pulled back from the battle to let the other less injured Pokemon take over. She looked up as the stranger began to float away on his Drifblim and scowled, confused at his actions, but angry indeed at his brash behavior in attacking them straight on.

She looked up as Jake spoke, and blanched in surprise at seeing Portia on the ground. "Portia!" she gasped, letting go of Athena and moving as quickly as she could to her side, kneeling down next to her on the other side as Jake. She reached down and pressed her hand to her head. Even as she looked up, Athena hurried over to her with a bottle of water from her travelling supplies. "Portia, wake up! What happened??" she said in concern, opening the bottle of water and gently splashing the cold water onto her hand, and then onto Portia's face. She was so worried, she didn't even notice the Pokemon with the red rider come close to them until it was impossible to miss the trundling many legs of the Scolipede!

Evelyn heals one of Athena's wound. Lowering her Healing Item score can heal the other one immediatly if she wishes.

Thankfully, Portia fainting spell didn't last long. She quickly wakes up, with Houdini, Evelyn, and Jakey looking down at her.

By the time she fully recovered, the bug rider is close enough to clearly distinguish. "Hey! Are you alright? What's going on?" The brown-haired man (though with his slender build, you first thought he was a woman) wears a red military uniform, and you can see a pistol on his hip. He stops his mount a short distance from you, before walking closer.

It wasn't her companion's voices she heard first.  In that distant darkness, there was another... not exactly a voice, but a warmth.  A familiar presence that resonated through Portia's mind, steady and strong as a heartbeat, that pulled her back to lucidity.  Her eyes fluttered open and came back into focus to find Houdini curled over into her view from overhead, certainly awake for once with an expression of worry set across his usually deadpanned face.  For a second she just laid there in silent befuddlement before her wits seemed to catch back up all at once and she jolted upright, eyes wide and fearful as she looked around and to the skies.  No sight of the Stranger or his Drifblim... Portia's shoulders trembled as she heaved a sigh and gathered her Abra up into her lap, quick to pull him into a hug.  Though whether it was to reassure him or herself was anyone's guess.

"I--" she started, her voice small and meek compared to its previous boisterous tone.  It was just then that the Scolipede and its rider came right on up with a concerned call.  The cavalry had arrived, such as it was.  Portia shook her head and gingerly shifted to get back up onto her feet.  "We got jumped by some creepy stalker guy.  He ran off when you showed up, but I guess I ticked him off - he must've had his Drifblim hit me with some weird attack or something."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:17, Sun 10 Nov 2019.

As Seymour knelt down to heal his shroomish, he had to pause and consider for a moment. He knew he could revive her, but at the expense of most of his healing supplies. But his pause only lasted for a moment. After all, what kind of trainer would he be if he let his pokemon suffer just so he could be stingy? Especially after the sacrifice Glumpy had made. That was what he had just now determined his shroomish's name was. Glumpy.

Once Glumpy was conscious again, Seymour returned her to her pokeball and faced the new arrival. "Are you... here to help?" Seymour asked the brown-haired man, adding to Portia's words. He was glad to see she had recovered quickly. "Did you see Portia's recording? Who are you and/or who are you with?"

---

Adding 10 Favor
Reducing Healing Item score to Minuscule.
Reviving Glumpy the shroomish. What should I write for her current health status?

OOC: Glumpy has currently one wound, and no other issues.

"I'm Lieutenant Barry, first Rivierstel Recon. We were keeping watch for your arrival. When we finally spotted you, it looked like you were in a fight, so I came to see what was happening." He looks in the direction the stranger left. "This area is a No-Man's-Land. We're supposed to check on anyone coming close to see why they're here. If you recorded him, I'll need to copy it at the castle. I can take care of that while your Pokémons are getting healed."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:19, Sun 10 Nov 2019.

Jake looked wholly relieved when Eve began to treat Portia, and even moreso relieved when Portia came to without issue. He looked between Portia and the rider. If the guy used his pokemon to attack a human, Jake figured it wouldn't be bad to give the stranger a taste of his own medicine if they crossed tracks again. Scowling, he looked at the rider with his hands on his hips, but his tone indicated he was frustrated with what happened rather than hostile to Lt. Barry,
"Thanks sir, we didn't want to get in a fight, but the guy just kept at it. I didn't know people would be so mean here. I'm glad you came along, else I don't know what he would have done."

Skipper by then had made it back to Jake's side and rubbed its head against his leg. It wasn't seriously wounded from the fight, but it wanted a bit of attention, which Jake was happy to give as he squatted and rubbed the back of its neck.

Eve will heal only one wound and keep her Medical Supplies level where it is.

Eve was relieved when Portia came around, and it showed on her face. She carefully helped Portia sit up, and looked sympathetic when she explained that it was the Drifblim that had knocked her out! "We'll get you to a doctor, and they can have a look at you," she said soothingly. Athena was watching carefully, rubbing the wound on her belly and scrutinizing the back of Portia's head. The Riolu reached up and tugged at the sleeve of Eve's sweater, catching her attention, and shook her head pointedly. Eve looked back to Portia, but for the moment, didn't say anything. This would likely be something to talk about when they had a little time alone.

She looked up at Lieutenant Barry and got back up to her feet as well, helping Portia if she needed it. Athena was quick to stand at her side, looking serious. Cadien was not a place to take lightly, in any regard. "Oh, would you escort us into town, please?" she said, looking hopeful. "That would be great of you. That fashion disaster's Pokemon was a lot stronger than I expected. He did a number on my poor Riolu."

"I'll be okay - just knocked me for a loop.  I'm not hurt." Portia sighed as she gave Houdini a grateful squeeze, though she kept him held in one arm rather than settle him to his usual spot on her shoulders, as if not ready to let go of her stalwart companion so soon.  She was keen to take the offered hand to be helped back to her feet, though no sooner was she upright again did she spot her PokeDex on the ground.  Not a scratch on it either despite the drop, which was both reassuring and annoying.  A curious tone muttered low in her throat as she picked it up and the little souvenir the Stranger had left them as he made his retreat.  "Looks like the creep left something...?"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:03, Mon 11 Nov 2019.

"Well, it's not unusual for trainers to challenge one another, but... I doubt that person came from Cadien. We didn't get any report of people crossing the river, and I'm the only one who left the castle today."

Portia finds some interesting things in the bundle. For starter, a small amount of money (apparently, the man respects the tradition of paying the victor). Next is a red headband with yellow and white flames on the border. And finally... a latex face. The face of the stranger who challenged you.

"Right then, if you'll follow me." Barry starts to walk toward the city, only to pause once he notices Evelyn slowing down. "Are you alright miss? If you like, you could ride Scolipede. I promis, he's the smoothest ride you'll ever experience."

OOC: There's enough money for Jakey and Seymour to increase their Pokédollar rank by 1.
The headband is a Focus Band (the wearer has a 1 in 10 chance to avoid passing out. The next move to make contact will cause it to faint, unless another effect prevents it or the band triggers again)

Eve looked up as Barry addressed her. She was trying her best to keep up and not slow down their escort, but it had been a while since she had rested, and she was starting to feel the fatigue set in. She brightened at the invitation to ride the Scolipede, smiling up at the lieutenant. "Really? You don't mind?" she said, her voice full of gratitude. "I have, er... Weak legs. I get tired quickly. I haven't had a chance to rest in a while. A ride would be excellent." Coming up to the side of the Pokemon, she let her hand run gently along it, not at all put off by the fact that it was a giant bug.

"Ugh... this guy just gets worse and worse." Portia grimaced in disgust as she held up the latex mask.  Still, it confirmed a few things in her own mind, least of which was that the Stranger was indeed concerned about his identity being revealed.  A person with secrets was a person with weaknesses.  Portia retrieved a resealable plastic baggy from her bag and stuffed the mask into it for safe-keeping (and so that she didn't have to touch it), though she tossed the cash and headband over to Seymour.  "Here, you three did all the fighting, so split the wins among yourselves."

Back in as proper sorts as she could be, Portia fell into step alongside the others, albeit at a quicker pace to keep up with Scolipedes' casual gait.  She skimmed through the recording on her PokeDex to check the footage, curious as to whether the so-called authorities had already gotten it as well.  She didn't necessarily believe Lieutenant Barry's claim of full ignorance - he might've been unwitting and uninvolved personally, sure, but she smelled something rotten coming from higher up already.  "Well, he could fly, so I'm pretty sure he could sneak across without being noticed if he really wanted to.  Besides, he knew all about us and was already laying in wait.  We're not friends from prior journeys together, so the only way he could know all that is if he had access to Cadien's background search information on all of us." she sighed as she pocketed her PokeDex once more.  "You guys either have a rogue agent or an information leak - either way, he's got some bone to pick with us being here.  Seems more like he's mad at the process and is taking it out on us."

Jake's nose wrinkled as Portia lifted the latex mask. That was weird stuff. Why would a guy wear a mask like that. Jake then remembered he had covered his face a couple times while doing some petty crime and figured the man was doing the same. Still, that didn't explain why the man attacked in the first place. To some extent though, Jake didn't care why the attack happened, it was just another challenge they had to face. Jake did care about the cash and happily partook in taking his share of the winnings (but didn't seem to care about the headband). In the past couple days he went from having practically no money to having, well, more money than he had ever imagined.

He walked spryly along side the giant bug pokemon with Skipper hopping along to keep pace. He listened a bit to Portia's speculations on who the guy was, but his mind was more thinking about all the stuff he could buy with his newly gotten riches.

"Possible..." Barry grants, "but rather unlikely. Between the patrols, and the camouflaged radars..." He stop suddenly, looking embarrassed. "Please pretend I didn't say that..."

During your discussion, you moved closer to the city... and the fortress guarding it's access. Seeing the construction, you understand what Professor Callery meant. The castle is huge, sitting astride the very large river. Despite it's size, it looks half-way between a medieval building and a modern bunker. On the top of it's walls a crenelations, were multiple soldiers are standing. They try to act professional, but can't help but looking like fans looking at an arriving star.

Though it's massive metal doors seems able to stop a tank, they are currently wide open. Barry looks a bit sheepish. "Sorry for not unrolling the red carpet. We don't actually have one available. We barely got the plate instaled in time..." He points to a sign on the wall, describing the history of Castle Riviere. Of to the side, you can also see the box the sign came in.

The path through the castle is pretty twisted, clearly designed to delay attackers. Once you're almost through, Barry points to a Pokémon Center sign (also recently installed) mounted near the exit. Behind it, a nurse (also wearing a military uniform) waits for your arrival behind a counter, ready to heal your Pokémons.

"If I may have one of your Pokédex? I'll make a copy of the battle you had, to see if we can learn anything about that man."

Though she knew full well the whole of Cadien was a militaristic state, actually seeing the imposing nature of the first outpost into the area was daunting.  Daunting and unsettling, really.  Portia couldn't help but frown as she looked about - she couldn't tell if the haphazard, hurried effort to make the place seem more welcoming was simply a paper thin disguise to reassure them, or a genuine but clumsy effort to actually put a good foot forward.

"Here, I was actively filming the whole thing." Portia handed over her PokeDex on request, glad to be rid of it for a moment's time at least.  "So what's the deal with this place?  I get wanting to fortify the front door, but isn't this a little much?"

Eve shifted a little uncomfortably as she road on the back end of the Scolipede, listening to Barry and the others. Camouflaged radars made her uneasy, as did his comments about rolling out red carpet, as she wasn't sure exactly how facetious or serious he was being, or if it was a more personal attack on her. The stranger's whole 'too famous' jab had left her more rattled than she had first admitted. Shifting uncomfortably, she watched as the towering fortress came into view, and felt humbled under it. Even the Pokemon League stadiums in Kanto were this big.

"I don't know," she said in response to Portia's former comment. "It kind of seemed to me that he was jealous, by the way he talked to us and attacked us without provocation. He knew of us enough to insult us each individually, but he also seemed insulted by our very presence. Like he was mad he hadn't been chosen to come instead. It's almost like... he had something to prove."

Seymour was quiet for most of the trip. His thoughts were divided. Part of his brain was busy taking in all of the new information about the attacker and the region, along with everything Barry's presence and comments implied. The other part of his brain was still worried about his injured pokemon. So when the pokemon center came into view, Seymour let out a sigh of relief he hadn't realized he had been holding. He finally felt his brain had caught up to his emotions.

The castle was certainly an impressive structure to behold. He felt a sense of cultural pressure settle onto his shoulders as they entered. He was probably the first person from Hoenn to enter this structure in countless years. Possibly ever. But rather than overwhelm him, the pressure actually excited Seymour. He had friends back home that would give almost anything to be where he was right now. Already this trip had been worth the journey!

He scanned the area as they walked, taking in how society seemed to function here in Castle Riviere. And to see if there was anywhere they could potentially purchase more items for their trip. Or a way to make money to purchase items for their trip...

---

Seymour doesn't really have anything relevant to add to the conversation at the moment, so he is sort of hovering at the back of the group right now, listening and observing.

Pokedollar stat increased from "weak" to Low."

"Mad that he wasn't picked, or mad that we were.  I don't think everyone in Cadien is going to be happy to see us here and might resent the whole situation enough to pull a stunt like that.  Or other regions might not be so keen on the idea of Cadien opening up its borders." Portia reasoned with a shrug.  It was mostly speculation at that point, but she'd dealt with enough petty adults to have a good handle on their logic.  "Whatever that creep's problem was, he came prepared, and that's more worrisome to me.  But, hey, maybe we'll get lucky and never see him again once we get off the mainland.  Cadien's not gonna let some disgruntled stalker sneak around within its borders causing problems for us, right?" she couldn't help but shoot Lt. Barry an incredulous look on that remark.

"Of course! After all, Castle Riviere was built to control the only land access to Cadien. It would reflect badly on all of us if we let some random weirdo through." Barry says, as he returns Portia's Pokédex.

The nurse finishes her treatment of the group's Pokémon soon after, and Barry guides you back to the exit. "Welcome to Rivierestel, the gateway of Cadien. I wish I could escort you further, but I'm afraid I have to return to my duties. So unless you have any final questions, I must bid you farewell."

Gateway is an understatement. Among the various skyscrapers in the heart of the city, two stand wider and taller than the rest, linked by a sky arch bridge, giving the impression of a massive open doorway. Ironic, considering how access to this country has been limited for so long.

The noise of the metropolis welcome you into Cadien.

OOC: All injuries your Pokémon had are removed, and you gain another 10 favors for completing your journey across Route 100.
You can ask any other questions you may have to Lt. Barry, before continuing on in the thread 'Rivierstel'.

Later that day...

How is it that everything manages to go wrong so quickly?

Atticus had planned his journey for months, ever since he was chosen to participate in the Cadien League. From hatching the egg his mother gave him, to picking the perfect itinerary to get to Bébagne.

And then... the hurricane hit. It didn't pass too close to Hoenn, but it was enough to delay his cruise for a day. And, like dominoes, his plan fell apart, forcing him to scramble to replace all his correspondence. Time and again, something came up to cause another delay, until he arrived just too late to catch the train to Bébagne.

He sent a desperate email to Professor Callery, hoping a day's delay wouldn't ruin his chance. To his surprise, the Professor replied that he would take the train out of Bébagne, and meet him at the station.

And now, the train rolls in, and a tan man steps out. Looking around, his eyes settles on you. "So, you must be Atticus?"

Atticus was upset that his journey had taken yet another bump in the road with the hurricane being so sudden. It felt like every time he tried to take that brave step forward, something held him back or put a dent in his progress. However, imagine his relief when Professor Callery said that he would come and meet him! He didn't think that was even a possibility but here he was, facing the man who was willing to take time out of his day to meet him after everything else had fallen apart.

"Y-yes, sir! Thank you for meeting me. I was really worried I wouldn't make it," Atticus replied with a meager smile. He did his best to stand up straight and proud just like his father taught him. He wore a black hoodie and jeans, holding on to the straps of his backpack while he waited for further instructions from the Professor. He wasn't sure what to expect now that he was in a whole new region where he didn't know anyone or anything about it. He was simply determined to accomplish his goals, eyes beaming with quiet but fierce determination.

"Well, you are in luck. If you'd written later, you'd have caught me on the train." He digs into his vest, and pulls out a Pokédex. "Here you go. You brand new Cadien Pokédex. Just press your tumb on the bottom of the screen to register it.

Now, there's a few things you should know... first off, this is set to record everything that happens to you. And it serves as you identity papers. So if you have to deal with officials, they'll probably ask to see it... and they look up anything that happened to you. Don't forget it.
Also, unlike in Hoenn, the Cadien League is led by the military. They have certain... eccentricities. They have a dozen gyms, divided in three ranks. You still need to defeat eight gyms to compete in the League's championship, but you can challenge more to increase your score."

Atticus was relieved that at least this worked out for him, and that his luck had served him well enough to end up here on time. His hazel eyes widened behind shaggy hair when the Professor handed him the Pokedex, his key to this new and unfamiliar place. As someone who had dreamed about this moment for years, he could not contain his excitement. He reached for the tool and immediately placed his thumb on the screen as instructed so it could register him. He then listened to the professor attentively as he explained the mechanisms of the region, impressed with how vastly different it was than Hoenn.

"Twelve gyms? Wow, so many chances to get strong..." he murmured mostly to himself, as he did not want to seem overly ambitious to the tan professor. He straightened up again and nodded, having digested this new information and keeping it stored away in his impressive memory. "Where should I go from here, Professor? Are the gyms in a specific order, like in Hoenn?"

"Not quite. If you look at the map..." (OOC: That you can reach with the Game Map link above) "You can see where the various towns are. Like I said, each gym has a tier.
Bluweil, Roarac, Vinmur, and Boonwagen are all tier one. They have no entry requirement, so you can face any of them you wish, in any order.
Charluire, Vollemond, Herenport, and Bruglare are tier two. You can only face them if you have two gym badges.
The last four gyms are Montaunin, Northlone, Argenvers, and Carcamiers. They require four badges to challenge them, and are the hardest gym they have. And are worth the most points, of course.
Levallac's the capital. They don't have a gym, but it's a great place to visit if you want to see sights that legal visitors haven't seen in years. And Antoseau is where the League's tournament takes place, for those who've gathered at least eight badges."

Atticus absorbed all of this information eagerly, listening to the Professor speak without interrupting him. He looked down at his Map and studied it, trying to figure out where he was and where to go next. Seeing as the closest gym to him was Bluweil, he assumed that would be his first stop. Sure, he wanted to see the sights and get to know the region, but he was here to become a Champion and that meant getting to work on his dreams right away. "So, I think I'm going to take route 100 first and make my way towards Bluweil, right?" he asked, showing the Professor where his priorities were. He wanted to train and battle and get stronger and now it was time to make that happen.

With a laugh, the Professor says "Well, first you'll need to reach Bébagne. Although... there may be a way to cut the trip down. One of the other trainers has an Abra. Maybe she'd be willing to make a quick jump to pick you up. If you're interested, of course."

Atticus' eyes sparkled when he mentioned the Abra -- he always wanted to Teleport! He nodded, although he was immediately nervous about encountering new people. "Um, I'm interested if she doesn't mind... I know it might be a burden..."

The Professor pulls out his phone, and sends out a message. After a short pause, an answers comes back. He raises an eyebrow as he reads it. "Hmm. She's coming, but it seems she has an issue. She should be here soon.

Well, in the mean time. Remember when I mentioned your score? Each gym badge is worth as many points as the gym's tier. In the final championship, the contenders are matched based on their score. The ones with the highest score face off against the ones with the lowest. In short, taking the easy route when it comes to gym challenges will leave you facing the strongest contender in the tournament.

There is one advantage to having a low score, though. The lowest score gets to pick the first match condition. Things like special terrain, or fighting in double or triple battle. There are others, but you'd have to dig into the region's dueling laws to find them."

<< Portia and Houdini arrive from Rivierstel via Teleportation <<<

While the Professor and Atticus were busy with reviewing the League rules, they'd quickly become aware of a strange pressure in the air all a sudden, akin to what it felt like when a storm front was moving inland.  All at once, with a sharp hiss and flicker of sudden motion, an unlikely duo simply popped into existence just a short ways off down the train platform.  Portia landed from a small drop - she'd appeared a foot or so off the ground, as it tended to be a safer means of arrival - while the Abra who sat perched astride her shoulders Tepig-gy back seemed wholly unphased by the situation.  He just snored away carelessly... though given how Abra were asleep more often than not, that was hardly indicative of anything.

After a quick look to and fro, Portia spotted the Professor and an unfamiliar teen.  She jogged quickly down their way and did her best to seem affable despite the rather unpleasant situation she'd just left behind in Rivierstel.  "Oi, Professor, don't think I'm gonna make a habit of this.  Does Cadien not have Corviknight taxis or what?" though she smarted off at the Professor, she offered a lopsided smile and a handshake out to Atticus.  "So you're the other latecomer, huh?  I'm Portia Duval of Kalos, and the slacker on my shoulders is Houdini."

"Sorry about that!" The Professor says. "I'm afraid the Cadien army was to busy on the western front of the Kalos war, they didn't get the chance to meet Pokémon native to Galar. Though speaking of Pokémon..." He suddenly smiles like a kid in a candy shop. "Did you meet any Pokémon native to Cadien?"

"Does Cadien even have any native Pokemon of its own?" Portia cast the Professor a sidelong look with plenty of ire.  While it was mostly about her disdain for Cadien's habit of abducting Pokemon out of other regions, she couldn't really blame him for touching on a nerve with her regarding the little native bunny she'd just dealt with.  He had no way of knowing and she just sighed as she withdrew her Pokedex.

A flick and a swipe from her free hand was all it took to bring up Laconney's Dex entry on the display.  "You tell me."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:07, Sun 24 Nov 2019.

Atticus hoped that the other trainers were okay since the Professor mentioned an issue. He didn't ask anything else about it, though, in case it was a private matter. He nodded when the man mentioned his score and listened attentively again to his explanation on the region's leaders and gyms and how their system operated as opposed to Hoenn. It was very different but it sounded like one heck of a challenge that he eagerly wanted to get started on.

"I'm going to try to get the highest score possible," he admitted with a determined nod. He wasn't the kind of kid who took the easy way out. He liked using his critical thinking skills to solve problems and find solutions that were out of the ordinary. He was startled by Portia's sudden appearance, and when she marched over to them, vocally expressing herself to the Professor, he bowed his head slightly. He nodded though when she introduced herself and was immediately interested in the fact that she was from Kalos, a region he had only heard and read about but never visited himself.

"I'm Atticus... and it's nice to meet you both," he murmured, although he clearly had a great interest in Houdini. "Wow, an Abra..." he expressed quietly, his affinity for psychic Pokemon having lead to him researching all he could about them. He didn't bother commenting any further when Portia held up her Pokedex though. He had never seen the bunny on the screen before and he assumed it must have been native to the Cadien region as the Professor had mentioned.

"I'm sure they have some... unless the ones they brought in ended up displacing the native..." The moment Portia holds up her Pokédex, the Professor grabs it to read the entry. The way he reacted, you'd think he just had access to the secrets of the universe.

"Fire and ice!? Really? That's possible!?" He seems lost to the world, focused entirely on the 'dex like a twitter addict on his phone.

Portia could only sigh over the Professor's excitement about the Laconney's PokeDex entry.  He was the one handing out the devices and he didn't even know all that was recorded in them, or that such critters were nesting in the next town over?  He hadn't really left the best impression on her when they first met and she found him more lacking than ever, especially compared to the other more professional and knowledgeable scholars from other regions.  Of course, she was from Kalos - the most technologically and scientifically advanced region in the hemisphere - so her standards were much higher than most.  But between his apparent lack of knowledge and the under-equipped lab he worked in, it really seemed to her that the Cadien region's organization was slipshod on that front.  She was even beginning to suspect the Professor wasn't even a Cadien native himself with how he spoke.

Rather than continue to scowl at the Professor Portia instead gave Atticus a look while he wondered over her partner.  She eased a bit closer his way and leaned to make Houdini slope to one side, lolled nearer to him so he could have a better look or even pet the snoozing critter if he was so bold.  "Not the most traditional of partners, but me and Houdini have been together for years.  Thankfully he's pretty low maintenance." she said with a wink.  "Do you have any Pokemon as well, or are you picking up a starter from the Professor?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:40, Sun 24 Nov 2019.

With a heavy sigh, the Professor returns Portia's Pokédex. "I wish I could join you. All I can do for now is observe the Cadien frontier from afar... and not too long, or else they get nervous. Hopefully the lot of you will help change that!"

OOC: Unless there's something else, Portia and Atticus can return to the main thread, and meet the rest of the group at the hotel.

With a little time spent to chat and for Houdini to catch his breath after one new jump, the trio was ready to go.  She offered the Professor a halfhearted farewell and took Atticus by the hand - physical contact wasn't mandatory for teleportation, but it did make it easier.

"So, just relax - teleporting doesn't really feel like anything and it'll be over before you even know it.  But suddenly having, like, your orientation and lighting and temperature suddenly shift from that of one location's to another can be sorta disorienting." she warned as she raised her free hand with three fingers up.  "I'll give you a countdown and we'll jump on three.  One--"

Whether it was Portia's sense of mischief or Houdini's - or both, for that matter - was a mystery, but the three of them instantly vanished on the spot long before the countdown finished.

>>> Portia, Houdini, and Atticus Teleport to Rivierstel >>>