Closed Shadows

[Cynder]

You shine your torch on the ancient glyphs and open a text on translating them. They aren't specifically in the book, but you can see symbols for what is probably:

Steelhead ... ... ... shadow pokemon ... ... ... .... ... temple ... ... ... ... ... terror. Help

It's an incomplete translation, and therefore probably inaccurate. As you turn to leave after photographing the entire wall, you hear a growl. A black and red pokemon with a bone-gray plate on its head and glowing red eyes is stalking towards you. You can see more sets of eyes in the distance, and you can hear a soft baying.



And now introducing: Sinnoh

Sinnoh is one of the most technologically advanced regions in the world, along with Hoenn. And like Hoenn, Sinnohan researchers saw the great potential in the Rifts, this time for energy production. Unlike Hoenn, Sinnoh's Rift facility was in Sunnyshore City, on the coast. People have fled inland and Warped and Tainted pokemon patrol the coasts near the Rift.
This turn of events has not disturbed the monks of the Sinnohi faith, those who follow Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, and Giritina. These monks have turned to the Legends to heal the Warped and Tainted pokemon, or Afflicted Ones in their tongue, and they have succeeded, if only just. There is mutual distrust between the Sinnohi and the Rangers, each believing the other to be a fraud, and there is no communication between them.



(I made a mistake earlier, the Reverse World and the Shadow World are two different entirely different places. Sorry for any confusion.)
(Although the Shadow World mimics most properties of the Normal World, it does not mirror the Reverse World.
Universe Building:
The Normal World touches the Reverse World in places like mirrors, and there are some artificial connections to the Shadow World -The Rifts- and the Unown Dimension.
The Shadow World has natural connections to both the Reverse World and the Unown Dimension, the former through mirrors and the latter through occasional tears in the Space-Time continuum.
The Reverse world is connected to all of the aforementioned realms, directly fusing at some points with the Unown Dimension.
The Unown Dimension is what existed right after Arceus was formed, it would be named eons later when researchers exposed themselves to it and their thoughts manifested as actual beings, the Unown.)

 

[I liek Squirtles]

Calixta backed up instinctively, hiding behind one of Marcos's legs. After seeing Kong ready for battle, however, she took a few tentative steps and puffed her chest up, but the fear was still apparent in her face.

"So, uh, Lyla," Marcos said apprehensively. "What's our plan now? Fight our way out?"

 

[Sglod]

Before Marcos had finished speaking, Lyla shouted 'Kong! Grasswhistle!'

The beast stared, a slight frown detectable, as if to say 'What? You serious?'

'Trust me, mate...' was the response.

Kong snatched a piece of grass he kept in his fur, stuck it between his two thumbs, and blew. A tranquil melody poured out and into the ears of their foes. He played for a good minute swaying his body, like a pine tree in the wind, as he did.

But it wasn't working.

It had succeeded in making Lyla and Marcos slightly drowsy, but the horde of growling carnivorans had not been affected. The leading Houndour (it is a Houndour, right?) leapt past Kong, giving him a shower of flames.

'Kong!' Lyla yelped in surprise. 'This Houndour must be a high level', she thought, 'otherwise it couldn't use Flamethrower...'

'Hey, Marcos!', she yelled, 'Are you asleep? Come and help us!'

 

[Stryke]

Midway between the sea that separates Almia and Oblivia, there's a small ferry crossing these waters. On this small boat, a young boy and his Nosepass sit, thinking about what to do next.

What am thinking? Aaron thought. I'm going to a whole nother region to find someone I don't know all that well for a weird condition that I have that might as well come from a storybook!! What am I doing!?... Aaron sighed. He had no idea what he was doing or what he'd do when he got to Oblivia, but he knew that he had to find Marcos and stay away from the relief forces, who for all he knew from the Xtransciever conversation Zak had were going to use him for their own purposes. "Well Ten, let's start thinking of what to do. This is going to be one heck of an adventure."

Roughly 3 hours later, the ships horn sounded, and Aaron saw them approach the Aqua Resort. "Ok Ten, let's get off. Maybe someone here has seen Marcos." He prepared to get off, when he saw a brown haired girl with goggles, around 16, holding a sign that said "Aaron Sure". "Ten, look! It's a ranger! An actual ranger! And she's looking for us! C'mon, lets-" Aaron stopped in his tracks. For around her neck, he saw it. An orange ID Card, normally reserved for Relief Forces. Aaron ducked below deck, and brought Tenerock close. "Ok Ten, heres the plan. She's a Relief Forces worker, so we can't go near her. But we can't sneak past her either. So the plan..."

Looking out below, Aaron thought to himself I can't believe I'm doing this. And without warning, he jumped out a window below deck into the water below, and started swimming to the beach in the east. It was a miracle no one noticed, but another miracle when no one looked up to see the Nosepass hovering via Magnet Rise toward the beach in the east. And among those people was Summer, still looking for the 13 year old with the Nosepass, never once looking over to the east.

Aaron washed ashore and laid flat against the sand, tired from all the swimming. Tenerock slowly lowered himself down to where Aaron was and stood beside him. After some rest, he sat up. "Excellent job Ten! She never suspected a thing!" he said. "Alright bud, let's go ask the locals about Marcos." And they headed up the stairs to the city above, set on finding their friend.

 

[I liek Squirtles]

Lyla's call for help startled Marcos from what could've been a very needed nap. He shook his head to get his bearings.

"Alright, Calixta. Seems we got a big problem on our hands. Let's start with Dazzling Gleam!" Marcos put on some sunglasses. "I recommend y'all do the same. It's gonna get real bright up in this place." Calixta began shining brightly, causing the warped beasts to recoil. The purity of the attack seemed to have disconcerted them greatly. Calixta was now ready to fight. She was pumped up and ready for more.

"So, uh, what now, Lyla? Should Cali keep fighting?"

 

[Cynder]

ILS & Sglod: Yep, they're houndour.

Nira: ?

Stryke:
As you enter the main plaza of the Aqua Resort, a couple of people look askance at your entrance, but most don't notice. Even fewer notice Tenerock joining you a few seconds later. You ask about Marcos, but no one has seen or heard of him. An old man suggests you may want to check another island, because so many people have come to Oblivia and no one can keep track of everyone. You turn to leave for the ferry and you feel a slight tap on your shoulder.

"I hear you're looking for someone. Someone's looking for you, too."

You turn around and see a red haired girl with a Yanma pointing a styler at Tenerock.

"Come with us."

 

[Stryke]

"Tenerock, Protect now!"

Tenerock immediately puts up a protective barrier, protecting him from all sides. Meanwhile, Aaron turns a shade of red of which a stop sign would be jealous of. "Now, see here! I don't know who you are, but you sure as hell can't capture my Ten with your styler, and you CERTAINLY can't take me away and use me for your own nefario-" Aaron hit the ground snoring before he could even finish his sentence. For while was getting ready to blow his stack, the girls Yanma used Hypnosis on him, which in turn, made him fall asleep. Tenerock, however, caught on to the trick. As the Yanma turned to him, he whipped up a fierce, controlled Sandstorm. The girl and Yanma both covered their faces, and when it died down, the Nosepass was nowhere. The girl fumed for a second, before realizing it was no big deal. "Target acquired. Returning to base immediately" And as the girl dragged Aaron away to someplace unseen with the Yanma following behind, Tenerock watched from overhead, floating from Magnet Rise, vowing to rescue his trainer and friend ASAP.

 

[Cynder]

Stryke:
You wake to find yourself in a hammock hung in the porch of a house near the beach. The breeze feels good and smells of the sea. You can hear wingulls cawing out by the crashing sea. Its surprisingly nice for a base.

"Glad to see you're awake. You've caused quite a bit of trouble across Almia, if the reports are to be believed." said a middle aged Ranger, sitting next to the door, "Breaking and entering. Purse snatching. Petty thievery. The HRF want you real bad. But we've had different reports, and we don't think you've broken any laws. You just have a special talent, one the HRF want to exploit.
"Actually we want to use your talent as well, but we'll ask first. Zak says that you can talk to tainted pokemon. If you can, we would like you to accompany Isabelle to the Mitonga ruins where an archaeological expedition has been trapped, and see if you can convince the pokemon to leave our people alone. The expedition was headed by a Sir George... I can't quite remember his last name, please forgive me. If you don't want to help us we'll let you go. Either way, as far as the HRF is concerned, we haven't seen you."

 

[Stryke]

"Whuh... What?"

Aaron could hardly believe his eyes. He thought that he was going to be in some room, interrogated by some intimidating dude. Instead.. this? Not that I'm complaining he thought. "Oh geez... I thought you guys WERE the relief forces." he said, and the ranger shook his head in response. "Wait... wheres Ten???" he said worriedly. "Ten?" the ranger said. "My Nosepass... my friend! Where is he?!" "I'm sorry, but there was no Nosepass when you came i-" he stopped mid sentence, as there a Nosepass came, hovering down, with a rock at the ready. "TEN!" he yelled, and ran up to him. "It's cool, these guys are friends" he said as Ten slowly lowered the rock. "Ten, this is... um, what's your name?" "Call me Samuel." he replied. "Ok then. Samuel, this is my partner and friend, Tenerock the Nosepass. Ten, this is Samuel." "Hmm... I believe you chose that name for a reason... Tenerock backwards minus the K is Coronet. Like the mountain?" "Yeah, how'd you know? i want to visit that place one day, I heard it helps Nosepass grow".... "So, uh, could you give me the rundown again?"

After hearing what had happened, Aaron was shocked, and a little surprised. "Me? A CRIMINAL? No way, nuh-uh. The only thing I've ever stolen was cookies from the cookie jar!" he said. "Well, the HRF has convinced people otherwise, and now you're quite the wanted man, in both sense of the word." "Oh geez, what is my family thinking???... Samuel! Could you possibly tell my folks where I'm at, and let them know I'm still alive?" "Of course." he said. He then smiles, and walks inside. "After what happened to Dad... who knows what they're thinking?" Aaron said to himself after Samuel walked in.

When Samuel comes back out, he sees Aaron staring out into the ocean, with Ten at his side. "Your mother is glad you're OK, and she's happy to let you assist us, and that she knows you aren't a criminal. She sends her love." he said. Aaron got up, and started back over to where Samuel was. "Thanks, I owe you one." "So, not to press you, but have you made a decision yet?" Aaron looked at Ten; "Nosepass!" Ten said. Aaron looked back at Samuel and said "We're in." "Excellent! You and Isabelle will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. You're welcome to get some sleep inside in the meantime." he said happily. "Thank you so much Samuel. I hope we meet again." he said gratefully. "I hope we do too" he agreed.

 

[kyeugh]

Mount Coronet was a cold place. Rosseaux had climbed its length many times as a boy, and rested at its cool peak in devotion and prayer. The chill had racked his spine and chattered his teeth in those days, but he had often thought it a divine wind, a sign that the Almighty watched him after all. Taking residence on the mount was a far different story, however. The winters were bitter and cold, and the days were sometimes only a handful of hours long; the jagged uneven spire blocked out the sun for half a day, and bolstered the downward flow of snow as it melted from the few hours of light it received. Thus, Rosseaux had to build his house on stilts so as to avoid the fickle rush of the mountain's winter river, and had a number of fires burning about his residence at all times. His medicham was often seen lounging about somewhere, or hanging from rafters, usually meditating silently. She preserved heat this way, it seemed, though Rosseaux boasted no such talent. He was content simply to thaw his hands by the fire.

But there was no time for that now. He was compiling his things and looking them over one last time, analysing thoroughly to ensure that they were all in order. It would not do to leave anything behind: for once he left his house, he would never come back. The Almighty had called his name quite clearly in a dream, warning him of the world he'd been ignoring. Disturbed by the decaying status of society, Rosseaux had turned to the gods of his childhood and sought refuge in their power, constructing a home from himself on the Sacred Mount and living there in relative solitude. There he had stayed for seventeen years, since the day he had lost all else. And he had lived in reverence and happiness.

But the Almighty scorned him for his disregard of the world around him. As it crumbled into an unholy amalgam of crime and the Banished One's influence, only he and his pure, driven soul could save the world from inevitable corruption. God had chosen Rosseaux to save the world.

With a heavy sigh, he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Medicham," he said softly, his words ringing out through the room even despite low tone of voice. "It's time to go."

dunno where i'm supposed to be going lol

 

[Sglod]

‘Keep fighting if you want,’ Lyla said to Marcos, I’m gonna leg it.’

She and Kong sprinted through the sprawling tunnels, with only a small torch to illuminate to jagged walls.

BAM!

‘Shit,’ thought Kong, ‘Shit, shit, shit.’

A dead end. Lyla, during a lapse of concentration, had knocked herself clean out on the wall, like an unfortunate starling flying into a tricksy window. Kong reached under her shoulders and thigh and rose with her body nestling in his fur. Sure that he couldn’t drop the young woman, he hurtled back to hunt for the exit - to meet again with the sunlight. An eleven year old Lyla had found him, an orphaned Snover, on the white shores of Lake Acuity and had trained him up to the beast, the arctic powerhouse, he was now. He remembered their battle with Cynthia, the individual flakes of his winning Blizzard attack twinkling in the light.

Wait? Light? Light! They were outside! They had escaped! And there were Marcos and Cali! Carefully, he lay Lyla amongst the wild grass, brushing her tangled fiery hair from her face. He glanced at Marcos, seeming to say ‘Well? What now? How do we help her?’

 

[Cynder]

Ok, I'm temporarily closing the Sign-ups until I'm good at dealing with more than four people. I'll open it again later.

Anyway,


Stryke:

After a good night's sleep (Hypnosis sleep isn't exactly restful) and a large breakfast at the station you meet with the red-haired Ranger who captured you, Isabelle, in the gear room.

"Sorry, I thought I was taking in a wanted criminal, like many of my other missions. I didn't know Samuel wanted you unharmed, either. Still, if your Tenerock can put up a fight like that, we should have no problems in the Ruins, whether you succeed or not."

You take some ropes, climbing gear, lights, and Isabelle grabs a large Riot shield.

"It's in case Sam's plan doesn't work." is all the explanation she gives you.

Then you set off for Mitonga on one of the local Lapras.


ILS & Sglod:

(Thanks ILS, sorry I'm not that good at GMing.)


Nira:

You make your way down the mountain, taking a last look at your home before crossing a ridge. It's a long way down, but you've taken this trip many times, and you hardly notice when you arrive at the bottom. The forest at the bottom is temperate and filled with pokemon. You pray for guidance, and get no immediate sign. The Almighty has left your path up to you. The world needs cleansing, where do you go?

 

[I liek Squirtles]

"Oh, shit."

The limp body of Lyla filled Marcos with fear. How was he, of all people, supposed to fight? He was a breeder, not a fighter.

He gulped. He could either face the pack of Houndour (Kong was stronger, but at an extreme type disadvantage, and Cali was just scared out of her mind of them).

Stuck between the enigmatic Ruins and a pack of warped Hondour, he chose the safer option. "Let's go in the Ruins... we might be able to lose them."

He tucked Cali under his arm like a textbook, and ran into the dilapidated structure.

"C'mon, Kong! Turn left twice and we'll plan our approach from there!" He yelled as he dashed into the Ruins.

 

[Stryke]

I wanna buy a new butt... Aaron thought.

Aaron had been riding the Lapras for going on 3 hours, and as a result, his posterior was feeling pretty sore. "Hey Ten, how you doing?" he shouted up to Tenerock, who was hovering alongside them due to being too heavy for a Lapras and disliking the water in general. "Nose!" he said back cheerfully. "Nice, nice... hey Isabelle, do you know when will we arrive?" he shouted to Isabelle, who had a Lapras of her own. "Soon" she said, not looking up from her work. Roughly 5 minutes later, the Lapras had started to swim onto shore. They had arrived.

The Daybreak Ruins were big and imposing, with a large entrance leading into almost pitch blackness. "So, uh, what now?" he said nervously. "Well, we go in, of course!" Isabelle said. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that..." he muttered under his breath. Aaron got of his Lapras and thanked it for ferrying him, and approached the ruins, when he heard a very faint echo of a voice. "From there... there....... there.............". The voice sounded familiar to Aaron... it sounded like "Marcos!?" Aaron yelled. "Marcos! Are you in there?" he yelled again. But he knew that he probably wouldn't hear him. So he rushed over to Isabelle. "Isabelle! I swear I just heard my friend in there!" he said frantically. "Ok, ok, slow down. You're probably just hearing thi-" But Aaron had already dashed toward the entrance, with Tenerock following behind him. Silently swearing under her breath, she followed after him.

 

[Sglod]

Kong flicked his eyes around his vicinity, noticing a rotting tree that had fallen long ago. After hitting the Beedrill resting on it with an early winter, he heaved up the trunk, bits of bark scattering as he did. Brandishing his new weapon, he jogged back into the tunnels to greet the warped horde.

Seeing Marcos and Cali, still formulating a plan, crouched ahead, he grunted to prompt their attention. Both man and Pokémon managed to leap up and flatten themselves against the damp wall a split-second before the wood-wielding ape stormed past.

Making the second left, Kong's jog became a sprint. He was a bowling ball, the Houndour the pins. With the trunk being swept from left to right, the canids were being pounded like play-dough between the palms of a four year old. After reaching the end, Kong flicked back for the second round. He wished Lyla could see this!

Following their battering, the Houndour were noticeably disorientated. Something further could be seen, though. Their eyes were no longer that penetrating shade of red, but dark as with any other of their species.

 

[Cynder]

Sorry I haven't been on much, internet problems.

Stryke:
As you race down the winding passages of the ruins, you hear barking and yelling in the distance, - or just around the corner? The temple's structure is playing tricks on your ears, hiding the direction that the sounds are coming from. You turn around and realize that in your rush to find Marcos, you got yourself totally lost. Not everything is bad, Tenerock is still with you, but north is not what you want to find.

ILS & Sglod:
Watching Kong use his Wood Sledgehammer to brutal effect you abandon any thoughts of advanced tactics. The Houndour backed off at the Abomasnow's first charge, but they were now back in full force, breathing flames at the treant. Calixta prepares a Moonblast to fire at any enemies that approach, but freezing wind rushes through the area and blows most of the pokemon away; those that remain are frozen to the floor. The Houndour, thoroughly frightened ,do not advance again.

 

[Stryke]

"Marcos... Marcos... Where are you??"

Aaron stumbled around corners blindly, looking for his friend, but without any luck. "C'mon, he's gotta be around here somewhere!!!... OW, HEY!" In his haste to find his friend, he hadn't noticed the Block Tenerock set up in front of him, and as a result, walked full speed into it. "C'mon Ten, why'd ya have to do that??" he said a bit angrily. "Nose, Nosepass!" Ten said with just as much intensity, and Aaron realized where exactly he was.

Lost. I can't believe I'm lost. Oh geez whatdoidowhatdoidowhatdoido.... "Hey, wait! You're a living compass Ten! You can tell me which way is north!" Ten complied, and Aaron responded with "All right!... Except that doesn't help much. What was I thinking!? Oh man, I can be so impul- huh?" While he was muttering to himself, Ten had decided to bring out a Fire Punch and hold it, shedding some light on the situation (if you'll pardon the expression). "Hey, great idea Ten! At least we can see! Way to keep a cool head, unlike me. So, at any rate, unless Isabelle has planted some sort of tracker in my clothes, we won't be finding her any time soon, so our best bet is to look for the archeological team. Let's be quiet; maybe we'll hear something." Both trainer and Pokemon craned their ears and listened hard, and they could very faintly, so faintly they thought it was just their imaginations at first, some sort of Pokemon cry, impossible to make out from this distance.

"Alright Ten, we know what we have to do. Let's go that way!" Aaron pointed in the direction of the sound, and on they went, into the unknown.

 

[I liek Squirtles]

"Damn, Kong, that's impressive," remarked Marcos. It was a mighty fine display of strength by the Ice-type, and he was suddenly glad of having him by his side. Cali huffed; he smiled and ruffled her little hair curl. "You, too, girl! You know you're super strong," he assured his companion. Complacent, she squeaked "Clef!" and walked down the hall. Suddenly, someone called his name.

Marcos perked up. "Kid, are you there?!" he said preemptively. He cautiously followed the voice, Calixta and Kong close behind. It could've been a trap, for all he knew.

"Hey, uh, Aaron," he called out. "Come over here, it'll be safer," he said, ensuring that he wouldn't be caught off guard.

 

[Cynder]

I have a reliable internet connection! (I found an ethernet cable and connected my modem/router -I don't know which- to my laptop. Defeats the purpose of the laptop, though.)

No updates, you guys are the ones interacting. I just thought you should know.

 

[Stryke]

"And we are entering our 2nd hour of wondering aimlessly, brought to you by my stupidity!" Aaron muttered to himself. ""Hey Ten, lets go this way!" I said. "It'll be great!" I said. FEH." Aaron was bored out of his mind, looking for this archeological party for going on 2 hours. His feet were sore and he was getting hungry, and he was starting to feel it. "I hope you're doing better than I am, Ten" he said. "Nose..." Tenerock said halfheartedly. "You and me both, bud". Suddenly, he heard a voice ring out of the darkness, and his ears perked up.

"Hey, uh, Aaron," the familiar voice called out. "Come over here, it'll be safer." "Huh... Marcos? Are you there?" he called out. "Yeah, I am. Why are you here though? You shouldn't have come!" he called out in reply. His voice seemed to be coming from both left and right, high and low, so close sounding yet also sounding far away. Aaron head started to spin. Marcos' voice seemed to be getting louder, echoing repeatedly. He started to crumple to his knees, overwhelmed, confused, and starting to fade.

No... no not now!!! he thought. I can't slip into another weird coma! RRRGH... "TEN! Give... me... a jolt......" Tenerock, thinking quick, charged up with a light Spark, and, careful not to electrocute his friend, tapped him lightly. Aaron, about to fade, was jolted awake and sitting up, gritting his teeth through the small pain. "*pant*... Thanks Ten. Probably would've... *pant*... laid there for too long. Thanks man." "Pass!" he said. "Hey Aaron... are you still there?" Marcos called out, sounding not too far away, and coming from the right. Whew, glad thats over... he thought. Aaron detected a slight unease in Marcos' voice, but shook it off. After all, a couple of hours in here would make anyone uneasy. "Yeah, I'll be there soon." he called out, then set off in the direction. However, he noted that he still had a slight headache, but put it out of his mind as nothing important. "After all, whats the worst that could happen?" he said to himself.