Sojaveña Wilds Northern Badlands

[Jackie Cat]

Out in the hard places of the world, you stopped finding reasonable 'mon. You got the tough, or the desperate, and the desperate wouldn't last long if they didn't become the tough.

Much of Sojavena was arid roughlands – subtropical desert and similar biomes – but if you went far enough north and east, you got to the dry, eroded landforms they called 'badlands'. Scarce vegatation, clay- and fossil-rich earth, and gullies, slopes, and spires of rock with nary a flat expanse to be found. Hard to travel across, hard to settle or cultivate, but still home to tough 'mon and the occasional mystery dungeon worth delving.

For all its inhospitability, the Soja' badlands still saw some trade caravans – between Blaguarro and the far northwest settlements, or between the tundra tribes and the Soja' in general. Sometimes folks came here for research, or for treasure-hunting in its relatively un-tapped mystery dungeons. The fewer explorers delving a rift, the richer it must be, went the common wisdom.

As such, 'mon still travelled through here. And anywhere folks travelled, folks could get held up by bandits, too.

<><><><><>​

 

[Jackie Cat]

Bounty hunting for most Wayfarers so far had mostly consisted of tagging along with established professionals as spare hands and spare eyes. There was only so much a 'mon could do in a fresh body, after all. Now, though, the offworlders had grown into themselves, and had enough strength to bring to bear against wanted 'mon in a real fight. And since just about anyone could collect on a bounty if they had the approval of loca authorities, some Wayfarers were starting to supplement or replace their incomes with hard-won payouts for taking in outlaws...

Outlaws like Hawthorne's Fiends.

The Fiends were a huge gang of Impidimp, numbering well into the dozens. Their modus operandi was to stroll into a small town, push the locals around and demand whatever caught their eye, then get lost by the time a law 'mon could show up, or a local agitator organise a vengeful posse. Most stories of them were of mundane, low-grade thuggishness and bullying, but their wanted posters accused them of murder. Whether by ill-thought-out prank or outright homicide, odds were good the gang had given some poor bastard an untimely death.

Their base – or bases – were clearly somewhere in the badlands, and common sense said that the best places for bases were in or around the 'shallows' or 'mouths' of local rifts. A mystery dungeon was the only place anyone could reliably get food in a place like this, after all, and they were favourite hiding places for anyone not looking to be found, anyway.

The plan, such as it was, was to use Betel's affinity for such rifts to narrow down the search for the Fiends in a way that native Forlasan bounty hunters could hardly hope to. That'd give the Wayfarers an edge, and allow them to catch the outlaws unaware, on their own turf, where they'd not expect to find trouble.

That didn't mean the fight wouldn't be troublesome, of course...

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion looked over the dungeon they were ostensibly hidden in. “Alright. This where they’re hiding out? Let’s get this over with as soon as possible. And trust the wanted posters were deserved this time...”

They’d better have been.

 

[Weazel]

This was it, his own personal proving grounds. If Archie was going to make it as a bounty hunter here in Forlas, he was going to have to prove that he had the strength to be more than just a tag-along. Sure, they might not be ready to tangle with Hawthorne, but the lesser Fiends were still worth $500 a head, good money even split several ways. Plus, though the gang likely counted dozens in its ranks, they weren’t infinite. Sooner or later they’d lose enough members that the gang couldn’t sustain its current uptick in activity.

“If our intel’s good,” Archie nodded in response to Gladion. And, given that said intel leveraged Betel’s unique talents, the Oshawott was pretty sure of its validity. He did have to inwardly cringe at the chimera’s follow up statement. To be fair, Sonora really did commit the crimes she was accused of, she just had extenuating circumstances. And Fein really had committed the majority of Seth’s crimes using his appearance, and, for the ones Seth did commit himself, well, again, extenuating circumstances. But the Fiends’ crimes were many, and well documented over numerous smaller communities that dotted the region. They weren’t the actions of a lone individual, or a small group the local government had a grudge with. This was a big gang of outlaws throwing its weight around.

And if they were going to face members of said gang in a brawl, it was important that Archie have some idea of what he could expect, both from his opponents… And from his allies.

“So, sorry if this is a dumb question, or, you know, invasive,” he said, looking at Gladion, “Truth is I’ve never seen a Pokemon like you and Nova before coming here. Is there anything important that I should know before we head in there? Like its capabilities, or, uh… What it’s called?”

 

[Jackie Cat]

It seems that you have approached the vicinity of the rift known as Hoodoo Tangle. You may notice mild spacetime distortion in this area. It is possible that members of Hawthorne's Fiends are nearby.

Good luck, heroic spirits!​

The deeper dungeon lay ahead, but the area Betel had pointed them to was already distorted enough just from the crazed nature of the badlands landforms – rocky spires and steep crevices abounded in a veritable labyrinth of ruddy clay.

By chance, however, the Wayfarers walked very nearly straight into a clearly inhabited spot. Squat wooden towers guarded the entrance to an obvious camp, and judging by the nasty sounds of cackling, jeering, and smashing glass from inside, it could only be a Fiends camp.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“So, sorry if this is a dumb question, or, you know, invasive,” he said, looking at Gladion, “Truth is I’ve never seen a Pokemon like you and Nova before coming here. Is there anything important that I should know before we head in there? Like its capabilities, or, uh… What it’s called?”

Gladion sighed. “We’re going with ‘Graydian’ here. Slower, bulky endurance, and I hit things with the helmet.”

At this point, even he could here the camp trough his helmet.

“Gonna say, yeah, whoever’s in that camp is definitely definable as a fiend.”

 

[Weazel]

Wait, they were going with Graydian ‘here?’ Did that mean that wasn’t what it was normally called? Well, either way, it was probably better than constantly calling them ‘chimera’ – a word which honestly probably better described the bizarre mix-and-match creature that was Arctozolt rather than either Gladion or Nova – or, even worse, ‘that thing.’ Bulky, slow, and weighty is the feeling he’d gotten from Nova as well, so hopefully fighting alongside Gladion wouldn’t be too different of an experience.

“I doubt I need to tell you, but, I can hit things decently hard, but I don’t take hits super great,” he said, “I’ll try not to range too far from your side, better if we stick together, and…”

He paused a moment to study the camp. Definitely sounded like there was a decent group hiding out here. Did the whole gang keep together, or did they spread out when outside of the town they were currently ransacking. The latter sounded more sensible, even with a Mystery Dungeon in their backyard there was probably an upper limit on the resources they could pull out at any given time, and they likely weren’t concerned enough about being found to concentrate their forces. Hopefully.

“Probably best we find a way to draw them out here, rather than go in there,” the Oshawott continued. They didn’t want to get surrounded and overwhelmed, after all.

 

[Jackie Cat]

It was hard to estimate just how many Impidimp were in the camp, but while it sounded like at least a dozen, it certainly wasn't the hundred or so that the wanted posters spoke of.

"When the big boss is out, I'm the boss of you 'til he comes back!" warbled the cheeky falsetto voice of an Impidimp, sounding like he was doing a bad impression of someone else. Possibly the gang lieutenant in charge of the camp in Hawthorne's absence?

I estimate there to be about twenty souls nearby, Wayfarers.

That is good news! Twenty Impidimp of their relative strength ought to be within your capability to best!
​

Twenty or so rowdy, partying, possibly-inebriated goblins. Best to jump them by surprise rather than let them get their act together...!

Turn 1
Player Phase​

The Fiends' activities are unclear from outside the camp. Be prepared!

[ ] Objective: defeat and arrest as many Fiends as possible.
[ ] Objective: defeat and arrest the Fiend Lieutenant.

 

[Goat]

“Friend or fiend? Which will it be~” Astrid hummed and whistled to herself, trailing back a little. The steppe had put her in a good mood in spite of some pricks in her paws, and the company was always nice.

She went mute at Betel’s warning and furrowed her brow. “Hmh. If there’s a Dodrio in there, I call dibs.”

There weren’t—that much was obvious two seconds in. Standing as bipeds didn’t keep the Impdimp from feeling like insects as they bustled in a chaotic lack of unison with one another. Astrid shuddered and drew water from the air, bursting forward into the closest stragglers in a calculated step behind Archie.

She fired sharp ice from the hip, eyeballing everything. No time to aim. In a beat, she leapt back and booked it, seeking cover.

A place like this didn’t have trees, so the closest tower would have to do. She crossed the threshold and leapt at the one on her right, angling the center of her chest for the lowest horizontal beam. “HuuMPH—!” And with scrambling paws, she yanked herself out of a toddler’s clawing range. Then she eyed the next beam and made another leap, soon gripping at the very base of the nest, ribs aching. Was anyone up there…?

Spoiler: Turn Order

1. Archie
2. Gladion
3. Astrid

Spoiler: Astrid turn 1

Astrid (108 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Dash to Trash Heap (3 MC) (-2 TMP)
- Aqua Jet @ Horde (-6 STM, +2 TMP)
- Tidy Up (-22 STM, +2 TMP)
- +1 Attack
- +1 Speed
- AGILE Ice Shard @ Horde (-7.5 STM, +2 TMP)
- Ice Shard @ Horde (-5 STM, +2 TMP)
- Ice Shard @ Horde (-7.5 STM, Sure Hit, +2 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Horde — AI
- **Bonus Action:** Dash to Lookout (-2 TMP)
- Interact @ Climb lookout tower (-3 TMP)
Net change: -48 STM, +3 TMP
Net totals: 60 STM (87 after regen), 8 TMP

 

[Weazel]

Archie drew his Scalchop, summoning up his Razor Shell. Twenty on three sounded like pretty steep odds, but Betel was confident they could make it work. He focused, drawing the Water energy blade of his weapon vertically, and took a deep breath. He could feel the beginnings of Shadow Corruption seeping into him already. He willed himself not to go too far, he couldn’t lose himself here. Astrid and Gladion were going to rely on him to pull his weight, he couldn’t, wouldn’t allow himself to drag them down.

“Okay, let’s try some shock and awe,” he said, and rushed into the camp, swinging his blade at the nearest imps as he ran, looking do as much damage as he could before the camp had fully caught on to their presence. He heard more than saw Astrid following along shortly behind, and hoped they weren’t leaving Gladion too far behind. Then, as quick as the Oshawott entered the camp, he ran back out, daring the outlaw rabble to give chase.

Spoiler: Turn 1

Archie (94 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Bonus Action:** SHADOW Focus (+5 TMP)
- SHADOW Swords Dance (-18 STM, +2 TMP, +18 SHD)
- Detect (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- Dash to Main Camp (-2 TMP)
- AGILE Razor Shell @ Impidimp (-24 STM, hit, effect, -6 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Razor Shell @ Impidimp (-16 STM, hit, effect, -6 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Walk to Lookout Zone
- Receive (Call) (+3 TMP, -10 SHD, -10 RAD)
Net change: -76 STM, +4 TMP, +8 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 18 STM (41 after regen), 9 TMP, 8 SHD, 0 RAD

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Leave the shock and awe for the little ones, we’ll just do what we need. Don’t have to worry about putting on a show for anyone.”

He reached for some spikes he’d prepared, a way to slow things down when they ended up at a numbers disadvantage, and scattered some. Then he turned his attention to the actual fiends.

“…and they’re gonna need plenty of both anyway once they see how this is gonna go for them.”

Spoiler: Turn 1

Gladion (102 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Toxic Spikes (-23 STM, +2 TMP)
- Taunt @ Impidimp (-20 STM, +2 TMP)
- Protect (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Call @ Archie
Net change: -61 STM, +6 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 41 STM (66 after regen), 11 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 1
Player Phase Results​

Archie dashed to Main Camp.
Archie was poisoned by the Toxic Spikes!
Pointed stones dug into Archie!

Archie's AGILE Razor Shell dealt 21 damage to the Impidimp! Defense didn't drop!
Archie's Razor Shell dealt 26 damage to the Impidimp! Defense didn't drop!

Gladion deployed Toxic Spikes in Lookout!
Gladion Taunted the Horde! Looks like it'll last for [1] turn...
Gladion Called out to Archie.

Astrid's Aqua Jet dealt 14 damage to Horde!

Astrid's Scout Feat! She avoided the Steel Spikes.
Astrid Tidied Up the Steel Spikes!

Astrid's AGILE Ice Shard dealt 16 damage to the Horde!
Astrid's Ice Shard dealt 20 damage to the Horde!
Astrid's Ice Shard dealt 21 damage to the Horde!

Astrid's Spotter Feat!

The fae outlaws erupted into yelling, threats, and general disorganised scrambling as they took the first hits. There were so many of them that the attacks only made a dent, but a decent dent it made at that. Still, they'd realised at once that they were under attack, and had only one, all-purpose response.

"There's only a couple of 'em! C'mon lads, let's get 'em!"​

"Dibs on their boots!"​

"They don't got any boots you fuckin' moron!"​

"Okay! Dibs on their hats!"​

"Kick their teeth in! Nobody gets the jump on the Fiends!"

The horde of Impidimp Fiends, being a gang of individually weak bullies, have shaky morale that will shatter instantly if their leader falls. Taking out the Morgrem lieutenant will likely end the fight immediately.

Astrid climbed the lookout tower.

"Aiyeee!" shrieked the small goblin who'd been dozing off in the lookout post, before flailing wildly at Astrid as they made their escape.

From up here, Astrid could see the whole camp easily – but it was an undistinguished mass of Impidimp, with no leader in sight. At least it would take less concentration to hit any of them from up here.

Interact result: The Impidimp lookout on guard struck Astrid for 8 dmg in a panic before fleeing!
Interact result: Astrid will not take penalties for attacking at range while in the lookout tower.
Interact result: Astrid scouted the camp and didn't see the Morgrem lieutenant anywhere. They must be in one of the tents...

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 1
Enemy Phase​

The Fiends rallied quickly, even without their boss present on the battlefield just yet. Their moves were weak and uncoordinated compared to more disciplined foes the Wayfarers had fought, but aggression and sheer volume of attacks made up for it. There were twenty or so of them, just as Betel had said. Yet, being outnumbered didn't feel like a disaster just yet...

The enemy Impidimp are a Horde!

When fighting large groups of weak enemies, they're represented in the battle mechanics as a 'Horde', which is a single unit comprised of many enemy pokémon. They share one (massively inflated) HP bar, along with all their stats, boons, actions and so on. They tend to have weak stats compared to elites and bosses, but their strength in numbers gives them other advantages.

• Hordes are hard to hex. Depending on their strength and size, all hex timers inflicted on them will be reduced by [2]. You'll need to use Strong Style, an exotic type, the Saboteur Feat, or other similar improvements to your hexing in order to make ailments and debuffs stick.
• In addition, it's a tough ask to drop an entire Horde's stats very much in a short space of time. Hordes' stats can only be debuffed by 1 stage each per turn.
• Hordes can nail more opponents at once than a single fighter on their own. All their moves count as Multi-Target, without the damage penalty. Any moves that are already Multi-Target will target Everyone Else.
• In addition, once per turn a Horde will organise itself to perform a Horde Attack. Like Boss Attacks, these are telegraphed ahead of time, but they instead hit Everyone Else in every zone the Horde is present in. At least they don't get sure hit/sure crit on these attacks!
• Speaking of zones, Hordes can spread themselves out across most of a battlefield. Unless otherwise specified, Hordes are assumed to occupy all known zones. Many movement-related mechanics don't apply to them.

"Hit 'em, hit 'em, hit 'em, hit 'em!!"

"Dibs on their belts!"
​

"Go fer the face! Aaaaaaaaahh!!"
​

The Impidimp threw Iron Thorns at Archie & Gladion! Detected! Protected!
The Impidimp threw Iron Thorns at Archie & Gladion! Detected! Protected!
The Impidimp's Fake Out dealt 8 dmg to Astrid and 9 dmg to Archie! They Flinched!
The Impidimp's Thief dealt 15 dmg to Gladion and 12 dmg to Archie! They stole Iron Thorn and Iron Thorn!
The Impidimp's Dark Pulse dealt 23 dmg to Gladion and 17 dmg to Astrid! Gladion's Covert Cloak prevented Flinching! Astrid is already Flinching!
Horde Attack: the Impidimp are preparing Thief!

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion growled in frustration as two iron thorns clattered off his helmet.

"Clearly, someone does get the jump on the fiends. We're kind of right here as we speak. I don't know why you bother yelling something so obviously disproven by the fact we're here doing this at all."

Spoiler: Turn 2

Gladion (66 STM, 11 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Toxic Spikes (-23 STM, +2 TMP)
- Taunt @ Impidimp (-20 STM, +2 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Leppa Berry) (+40 STM)
Net change: -3 STM, +4 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 63 STM (88 after regen), 15 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD

 

[Weazel]

Well, seemed like all he got for his troubles was a big helping of poison. That might be something he ought to deal with before it got any worse. Gladion seemed to be doing a fine job of keeping their attention for now, so, Archie made his way around the side of the camp, keeping low while the Graydian took the heat. He needed some time to regroup.

The Oshawott chowed down on his Lum Berry while he did his best to keep his focus on the nearest imps – a surprisingly difficult task given the throng of them – before taking cover in a nearby tent!

Spoiler: Turn 2

Archie (41 STM, 9 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 8 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Walk to Trash Heap
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Lum Berry)
- Detect (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- Interact @ Tent (-3 TMP)
Net change: -18 STM, -1 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 23 STM (46 after regen), 8 TMP, 8 SHD, 0 RAD

 

[Goat]

With a final shove, Astrid was inside the tower’s nest, face to face with a lone, frantic Impdimp.

“Hi,” she said, “I’m Astri—oouf!”

And just like that, with a swipe and a leap, it had jumped down to where she’d come from. Tower conquered! But… she rubbed her nose and it barely stung. That was no soldier. Was that even a proper thug?

She prepared more bursts of ice and did aim this time, but held fast and frowned before taking a shot.

Really though, are these… are these kids? I can’t tell. I don’t think so, but they sure look like it.

They clawed and hawed at the tower’s base, and the searing burn of a Dark Pulse hit her square-on and left her brain buzzing. Whatever. Killer goblin toddlers were still killer goblins.

Spoiler: Turn Order

(As posted)

Spoiler: Astrid turn 2

Astrid (78 STM, 8 TMP, +1 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Tidy Up (-22 STM, +2 TMP)
- AGILE Ice Shard @ Right tent (main camp) (-7.5 STM, +2 TMP)
- Ice Shard @ Left tent (main camp) (-5 STM, +2 TMP)
- Ice Shard @ Horde (-7.5 STM, +2 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Horde - moveset
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Leppa Berry) (+40 STM)
Net change: +0 STM, +8 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 78 STM (101 after regen), 16 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 2
Player Phase Results​

"What're you lot waitin' for?? Get in there! Get some hits in!!"

"Dibs on their scarves!"
​

"Where's the boss? Someone get the boss!"​

Gladion deployed Toxic Spikes in Lookout!
Gladion Taunted the Horde!

Archie walked to the Trash Heap and inspected the tent...
It was full of additional goblins.

Astrid's AGILE Ice Shard hit the right tent! It dealt a grazing 11 damage to the Horde!
Astrid's Ice Shard hit the left tent! It dealt a grazing 13 damage to the Horde!
Astrid's Ice Shard dealt 24 damage to the Horde!

Astrid's Spotter Feat! The Fiends' moves:

Thief
Fake Out
Dark Pulse
Encore
Torment

The tents perforated by Astrid and snuck-into by Archie were full of nothing more than additional Impidimp – some of whom melded seamlessly into the braying crowd of goblins, while some of the weedier-looking ones legged it out the back. At least the party got some grazing hits off in the process. Clearly, though, the tent nearest the pile of treasure was the boss's tent...

A Morgrem wearing a floral-pattern necktie and a pair of riding gloves sauntered out of that same tent, looking equal parts furious and troubled. He – or rather, she as Betel's network helpfully clarified – picked up a loose dungeon orb off the nearby pile of loose loot as she approached.

"You boys can't get anything done without me, can you?" she said, bemoaning her underlings with an unexpectedly female voice for her species. "Get yer act together! There's only three of 'em! What can they do that I can't, huh??"

She smacked the nearest Impidimp around the head, and his fellows around him either giggled at his misfortune, or hurried back into the fray to avoid similar recrimination.

Morgrem Sophie wants to fight!

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 2
Enemy Phase​

"Let's go, lads! Don't let the boss down!"

"YEAH!! Kick 'em in the nuts!!"
​

"First one to score a knockout gets extra beer rations all week!"​

The Impidimp kept assailing the trio of bounty hunters with renewed vigour!

The horde's Thief hit everyone!
Astrid: 5 dmg!
Archie: Detected!
Gladion: 8 dmg!
The horde stole Iron Thorn and Iron Thorn!
The horde's Iron Thorn dealt 11 dmg to Astrid and 13 to Gladion!
The horde's Fake Out dealt 8 dmg to Astrid and 8 to Gladion! You can't make someone Flinch twice in a row! Covert Cloak protected Gladion!
The horde's Thief dealt 7 dmg to Astrid and 15 to Gladion!

"Hey, don't forget about that one guy! He went in the tent! Blast 'im!"

The horde are focusing...
The horde's Dark Pulse dealt 27 dmg to Archie! You can't make someone Flinch twice in a row!
Horde Attack: the Impidimp are preparing Thief!

It seemed, however, that their tactics didn't really vary. At least while Gladion was Taunting them so much...

"Well aren't you just a ripe, yellow-bellied, battle-shy piece of work!" jeered the gang lieutenant, as she approached Gladion, gasping with indignant horror as his Toxic Spikes pricked her feet. "Ain't you gonna fight like a real 'mon?"

As if to demonstrate what she meant by that, the Morgrem immediately set about smacking and clawing at the chimera's head, with a view to getting rid of that infuriating cloak he wore...

"Dibs on the cloak!"​

Sophie walked to Lookout. She was badly poisoned by Toxic Spikes!
Sophie used her Healthy Orb!
Sophie Taunted Gladion!
Sophie's Knock Off dealt 22 dmg to Gladion! His Covert Cloak came loose!

As if she could sense Astrid's lingering doubts about the relative adulthood of her goblin gangers, Sophie turned to the fox with her face wet from tears. Was that... running mascara?

"How could you come here and spoil our day like this? How could you??"

Just because it was obvious histrionics didn't make the Fake Tears less effective...

 

[Goat]

Even if the Fake Tears weren’t painful, all the sensory overload from the moment she’d walked into camp left Astrid cringing at it anyway. But there was hardly any time to linger on it since she dove from the tower squarely onto Sophie’s head. An eleven-pronged barrage followed before she rolled backwards and regrouped with the other two.

“Hah—how we doing?”

Spoiler: Turn Order

1. Archie
2. Gladion
3. Astrid

Spoiler: Astrid Turn 3

Astrid (101 STM, 16 TMP, +2 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Tidy Up (-22 STM, +2 TMP)
- AGILE Ice Shard @ Sophie (-7.5 STM, +2 TMP)
- Ice Shard @ Sophie (-5 STM, +2 TMP)
- CRITICAL Ice Shard @ Sophie (-7.5 STM, -20 TMP, +2 TMP)
- Aqua Jet @ Sophie (-6 STM, +2 TMP)
- Aqua Jet @ Sophie (-9 STM, +2 TMP)
- Icicle Spear [x5] @ Sophie (-35 STM, -6 TMP, +2 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Sophie’s Defense and Attack
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Iron Thorn) @ Sophie
Net change: -81 STM, -12 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 20 STM (45 after regen), 4 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion fixed his cloak. Sure, the combination of it with the helmet made him more like he’d emerged fully-formed at age fourteen from a Hot Topic than even his favourite hoodie could ever have dreamed, but it was eminently practical. And who was this Morgrem trying to knock it off, too? Was she a woman? (Girl?) That didn’t seem like it would be possible per the rules of his world, so… was the species itself different here, or did she just socially live as a… trans Morgrem? Did that kind of terminology even apply here? If not for being rather otherwise occupied by combat he’d be far more curious about it.

Whatever was up with her gender, she was his enemy and he lashed out at her. “Worried you’re gonna lose if we keep going? But, sure, if you wanna get hit, sure, be my guest.”

It was cathartic and all, but Astrid called him back to reality. He grit his spiritual, rhetorical teeth and forced himself to pay attention to the plan. It was so tempting to just try to duel her like Rin, but he couldn’t allow it. “I’m alright…”

He looked at the Impidimp, then back at the Morgrem before speaking loudly enough they were clearly being addressed indirectly. “I’ll tell you what we can do them that you can’t: We can make them taste the defeat. We can bring them in. We can make them regret trying to exploit the ongoing problems on the world as a smokescreen to get away with shit.”

Spoiler: Turn 3

Gladion (88 STM, 15 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Body Press @ Morgrem (-16 STM, +2 TMP)
- Protect (-18 STM, -5 TMP, +2 TMP)
- Taunt @ Impidimp (-20 STM, -5 TMP, +2 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Item (Oran Berry)
- Interact @ Fix Hot Topic Cloak (-3 TMP)
Net change: -54 STM, -7 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 34 STM (59 after regen), 8 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD