YOOOOOOOOOOOOO

>>3217535
Happy 100th thread, Gobble! You did it again!

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>>3217539
[Hi!]
>>3217545
[We did it! Despite my inconsistency! Thanks, anon!]

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Dice faces down paralyzed Crawdaunt as it shakes off it’s confusion. He snarls, looking impatient and frustrated as he wants for his command. When Dice gets like this, he feels like an entirely different pokemon from the carefree, happy pokemon that drools absentmindedly instead of angrily.

“Surf, Dice! Flood over the entire dance floor!”

“Time to use our special backup plan, Crawdaunt! Try to make it there!”

That doesn’t sound good! Whatever she’s planning, she looks confident that it will change the course of this battle if it works.

The lights go out in the entire arena as Dice begins to summon up the mighty Surf! He’s still very into the move. If this is a trap, it’s not too late to cancel it and try something else.


>Continue at full power! You’ll hit the entire area regardless of what they try
>Ride the water high up into the air and don’t worry much about accuracy
>Endure whatever comes next!
>Use Natural Gift for a nice psychic attack
>Sniff them out in the darkness and Bite!
>Dance and evade!
>Something else

>>3217571
>Ride the water high up into the air and don’t worry much about accuracy
Try to position the wave so it cuts off line of sight to Dice, so even if Crab makes a powerful move they won't know where to hit.

>>3217571
>>Ride the water high up into the air and don’t worry much about accuracy

>>3217571
>Ride the water high up into the air and don’t worry much about accuracy

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Rolled 95, 16, 74 = 185 (3d100)

[Roll those Dice!]

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>3217593
Bless Dice, please.

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>3217593

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>3217593

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“Dice! Go up! Ride the water right up there and don’t worry about hitting it! They’re up to something!”

Dice slams down his tail as he summons a pillar of water going almost straight up. It’s angled a bit and sends him a little closer towards the middle as he flies up. He narrowly slips between the platforms as he goes way up towards the dance lights along the ceiling, and grabs on. He almost loses his grap when the lights come back on right in his face, but he adapts quickly.

You both look over the arena to see if Crawdaunt was hit from the rest of the water that went over the area. The section he’s in is the last one to get lit back up.

Crawdaunt looks better than unhurt from the attack. It looks unhurt entirely!

“Good job avoiding that attack!” She praises her pokemon with an odd emphasis on the word ‘avoiding.’ “Now, let’s finish this with Guillotine!”

Crawdaunt gets ready to jump. Can it really make it that high up?


>Get close in and evade, setting up for the next attack!
>Wait! Stop the fight! What did she just do?
>Drop down and Aqua Tail!
>Catch it’s claws in your claws and Bite it!
>Surf again!
>Water Gun it off course before it gets to you!
>Meet it halfway with Ice Fang!
>Endure!
>Something else


[Sorry about the wait. Had a phone call]

>>3217682
>Something else
Dragon Dance, since we've trained it to also be an evasive move.

>>3217682
>>3217696
this

>>3217682
>Something else
I can get behind Dragon Dance

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Rolled 7, 57, 23 = 87 (3d100)

[Spin those random numbers!

Also, I got another call. Sorry. Have a possible new job interview yet again. We'll see]

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>3217783

Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>3217783
We got this!

Oh, man. Talk about high stakes.

Rolled 77 (1d100)

>>3217783

>>3217802
Clutch roll, anon.

>>3217783
Good luck!

Hey, let’s do the dragon dance with Dice, yeah?

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“Dragon Dance into it, Dice!”

“Like we’ll give you a chance to use that buff!” She yells back. She looked a lot cooler before, but there’s a slight jittery edge that she has now that she’s holding back under her voice.

The claw pokemon leaps up high into the air. The way it moves makes it hard to tell how high it will go for a split second. It’s unclear until the last second that it needs to stop off at the first platform to continue upward.

Dice, rather than launching himself down, let’s his grip loosen and simply drops and dances. He looks like a big, blue, easy target whose path is easy for anyone to predict. Crawdaunt leaps to meet him halfway through his path.

With both claws forward and a sneer of assured victory, Crawdaunt makes contact with Dice.

But his claws do now. Dice uses his tail to roll, going back to back with Crawdaunt. Crawdaunt’s eyes go wide. Then the lights die again.


>Aqua Tail! Hard!
>Bite and take him to the ground!
>Ice Fang and throttle him
>Kick off and Water Gun!
>Scratch scratch scratch! Overwhelm!
>Something else

>>3217867
>Aqua Tail! Hard!
We’re back to back, the tail’s already in position.

Should be “but his claws do not”.

Fitting that our power play was a dance, right?

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>>3217901
[Oops!]

>>3217867
>Aqua Tail! Hard!
Into space

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Rolled 18, 26, 79 = 123 (3d100)

[Roll it!]

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>3217947

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>>3217966
[Roll better]

Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>3217947
How's this?

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>3217976
How about this too.

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>>3218017
[Good!]

>>3218027
I
WANNA
FUG
KEIRA!

Stop being an anime waifu, Gobble

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“Dice, now, Aqua Tail!” You command with a pose. Seeing his dance and feeling the change in the beat has given more groove to how you move.

“Quick! Harden! Don’t let it-”

Dice’s spinning tail finds Crawdaunt’s back with a sharp noise that pierces the sound and sends it crashing downwards. The crab pokemon just barely manages to shake itself into acting and use Harden before slamming into the floor with a surprisingly high bounce.

“Yeah! Go Dice! Don’t let her pull any more games! Go for the kill!” Abigail shouts over a quiet moment in the DJ mixing. She looks embarrassed, but keeps a defiant pose when eyes go to her.

Crawdaunt slowly pushes itself to it’s feet, wobbling back and forth. It’s amazing it managed to survive that blow, considering the damage it took before on top of Aqua Tail being super-effective. Yet, when it came at Dice, it looked refreshed.

Dice lands on an upper platform, far away from your side of the arena. He peers over the edge, but the lights around Crawdaunt go out again.


>Not again! Rush down and Bite!
>Surf the area! You can’t miss!
>Try Chip Away! Gobble’s used that enough times that Dice might have picked up the basics
>Rage! Be relentless
>Fire a Water Gun at the darkness where it was before it can move!
>Jump down and Ice Fang!
>Something else

>>3218070
>>Not again! Rush down and Bite!

I can't remember if we have aquajet

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Rolled 17, 23, 84 = 124 (3d100)

[Rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin']

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>3218141

Rolled 22 (1d100)

>>3218141


>>3218162
NO. BAD.

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>>3218162
[Anyone else?]

Rolled 31 (1d100)

>>3218181
I'll throw another one in the pile.

Rolled 95 (1d100)

>>3218141
Trying again for a zeny

Actually I just remembered something. Polu bin when?

Just got back from class. Good job so far guys. Seems like Dice is still in the fight.

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“Not again! Dice, get down there and and use Bite! Don’t let them escape!”

She looks worried. “Forgot it, it’s too risky, Crawdaunt! Go on the offensive instead!”

Dice vanishes into the darkness after his opponent. A few foot-tapping beats later, he comes stumbling backwards out, catching himself in a roll and looking wet. He wipes his jaw with the back of his hand, then throws his Sitrus Berry into the air and chomps it. His head lowers and his nostrils flare. He’s sniffing out his opponent. The way he looks into the darkness, you think he has a pretty good idea as to where he is.


>Go on, Dice! Get in there again and finish him with Ice Fang!
>Surf, attack from here into the wide darkness!
>Water Gun! They haven’t seen you use a ranged attack yet, it’ll be a surprise
>Scary Face! Keep it slow!
>Scratch! You can probably get a few in with your new speed!
>Something else

>>3218257
>Go on, Dice! Get in there again and finish him with Ice Fang!
CHOMP

>>3218257
>Go on, Dice! Get in there again and finish him with Ice Fang!
Might as well use that Dragon Dance to our advantage.

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Rolled 39, 30, 55 = 124 (3d100)

[Roll for chomps!]

>>3218257
>Water Gun! They haven’t seen you use a ranged attack yet, it’ll be a surprise

I wonder what’s happening in the dark?

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>3218294
Nomnomnom

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>3218294
I know Ice Punch is stronger than Ice Fang, but I’d rather improve Ice Fang with a Death Roll than learn Ice Punch. Punches are more Gobble’s thing, I’d like to keep strong theming.

I’m thinking either she’s switching between two Crawdaunts, or we got hit by an Endeavor, or we’ve been chewing through Substitutes.

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>>3218298
[That's good. I want to grow farther from the games and closer to things like Origins and manga material. I think there's more interesting ways to do battles that way.]

>>3218312
it makes a lot of sense for Dice to be the master of the bite. He's always explored the world through his mouth anyways, so I like the idea a lot.

Rolled 44 (1d100)

>>3218294

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“Don’t let up, Dice!” You bob your head. “Ice Fang and finish this!”

“No choice and no time, Crawdaunt! Go for Guillotine! Just snap in front of yourself and forget about trying to spot him or anything else!”

Dice’s heavy steps accelerate into the darkness. The steps are off from the beat this time. But they seem intentionally so. The thumping in your chest from the now very loud music is quiet next to the thumping in your chest from your heart over the battle.

You think you hear noises and struggle, but it’s hard to tell if that’s the Pokemon or the remixing going on. You’ve lost the beat and are holding your breath.

The light returns suddenly! Dice is in the middle of a spin that ends with him throwing a ragdolled Crawdaunt from his icy jaws. He looks confused for a moment as he looks around, but comes to the realization that he’s won quickly. He roars, slams his heavy tail down onto the floor hard enough that you worry about it cracking, and then turns to you. The snarling face is gone, replaced with a big, happy smile and a look in his eyes asking if he’s a good boy.

“You did great, Dice!” You shout, rushing over to him. You stop at the arena edge and wait for the DJ to nod to make sure it’s alright.

“The challenger wins! Tough break, gym leader. Maybe next time!”

She shoots the DJ a fed up, but still slightly charmed. Then music dies down enough for her to speak over it with a microphone that she produces. “You’re clearly no ordinary challenger! I... can see clearly that you you’ve earned your badge! Come on over and we’ll discuss the battle!”

You finish giving Dice a good hug, then the two of you run over.

She offers he hand to shake for a second, then stops herself and begins to bow. You can see a lot of stress on her face for some reason, although she’s trying to hide it.
>Ask how she refreshed her Crawdaunt. That seemed fishy
>Give her a congratulations for a good match, and wait for your badge
>Ask what’s wrong. She can talk to you.
>Offer to heal her pokemon after you heal your own
>Something else

>>3218412
>Ask how she refreshed her Crawdaunt. That seemed fishy
I have to know!

>>3218412
>Ask how she refreshed her Crawdaunt. That seemed fishy

>>3218412
>>Ask how she refreshed her Crawdaunt. That seemed fishy

>>3218412
>Ask what’s wrong, she can talk to you

>>3218412
>Ask how she refreshed her Crawdaunt. That seemed fishy
but also...
>Something else
Ask her name! I mean, even the DJ didn't call her anything besides "gym leader".

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“Oh that? He had a berry.” Meara looks away and tugs at her sleeve. “Like your pokemon. Anyway, don’t worry about those details if you’ve won. It’s the losers who need to think over what they did wrong.” Her outgoing confidence starts to return. “Enjoy your victory. Don’t let is stress you. Otherwise, what’s the point of winning? Now, on to more important matters. I owe you a badge! And maybe if you’re lucky, I might teach you a few dance moves.” She puts her arms above her head and gives a quick bump against you with her hips. “I saw you grooving up there. A thin build like yours, good fashion sense, and hair like that, I’m sure you could be a scene on the floor! Bet your lady friends would like that!”

She moves from topic to topic, but it seems to be helping restore her to the way she was before the battle.

She takes out two badges. “Now, there are two badges here. We’re out of the third kind, but that one’s for sneaky people. You wear everything on your sleeves. -Nice shirt, by the way.- So, this large one with a fun design one is for people who overcome their self consciousness enough to have a little fun. People who might have a private, hidden bond with their pokemon but for one reason or another don’t like to show it to the world, and need a reminder not to hide it away like a weakness. This other one here, this isn’t for reserved people at all. It’s bright and shiny on the front but jet black on the back, see? That’s because it’s for people who, rather than use the dark when it might not be a bad idea, because they’re afraid of it, shine brightly. They force their light into every nook and cranny, and never let the darkness touch them if they can help it. They sometimes need a reminder that no matter how bright they try to make things, there’s always a shadow. And if you don’t get familiar with it once in awhile, it will take you by surprise. Either from yourself or people around you who you can’t sympathize with when they get too down. Have you ever seen a bright person lose their optimism? It’s not a ...ah. I’m sorry. I got way off track. Us redheads are talkers, you know. That’s what the other islanders say about us, anyway.”

“Which badge are you giving me?”

She sips her drink. “Which do you think is best for you?”

That’s an interesting question. The badge that reminds you to be be more open about your vulnerabilities, or the one that reminds you to let the darkness in once in awhile.


>The large, fun design badge
>The shiny one with the dark backside
>Are you sure you’re alright?
>Press her on the Crawdaunt healing. You didn’t see a berry
>Something else

>>3218549
>The shiny one with the dark backside
>Are you sure you’re alright?

>>3218549
>>The shiny one with the dark backside
>>Press her on the Crawdaunt healing. You didn’t see a berry
The shiftiness only increases my curiosity.

>>3218549
>The shiny one with the dark backside
>Are you sure you’re alright?
>Press her on the Crawdaunt healing. You didn’t see a berry

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You reflect for a moment. But only a moment. “I think the shiny one probably suits me best. That’s a helpful reminder.”

“Wise.” She comments, putting her drink on the nearby table and getting your badge.

“...”

“What?” She asks as she pins the badge to your chest. You’re glad there’s no actual pin on it. You like this shirt.

“It’s just, what really happened with the Crawdaunt. I didn’t see a berry. And, well, are you alright?”

She stops fussing with the badge, and just puts it in your hand. Her eyes meet yours for a moment, then she looks away again. “Tell you what. I’ll answer both of those questions if I lose my next battle. You seem like a sweet, honest boy. I think you might be a little too honest. If I told you to keep it a secret in order for me to tell you, you’d probably be honest enough to turn me down. Bad habit. You stay out of trouble that way, but trouble is where opportunity is.” She tussles your hair. “Sorry. I don’t know why I’m getting all philosophical today. A club isn’t a place for saying anything meaningful. Now, be a good boy and go fetch the next challenger for me. I’ll teach you something nice for winning after this match, if you’ll still want it.”


>Go fetch Laki. It’s her turn
>No. You want answers. She cheated, didn’t she?
>Give her a hug. You don’t know her, but she looks like she needs one
>Something else

>>3218699
>Give her a hug. You don’t know her, but she looks like she needs one
>Go fetch Laki. It’s her turn

>>3218699
>Give her a hug. You don’t know her, but she looks like she needs one
"Thanks, you're nice too."
Go fetch Laki. It’s her turn

>>3218699
>Go fetch Laki. It’s her turn
No hugs, we don't know her well enough and she might be a cheater.

ah I figured it out, I bet she's dices previous trainer.

>>3218699
>Go fetch Laki. It’s her turn
>I find that there's enough trouble in the world already, I don't need to make it, is tumble upon it on my own.

>>3218699
>Go fetch Laki. It’s her turn
>Give her a hug. You don’t know her, but she looks like she needs one

>>3218699
>>Go fetch Laki. It’s her turn

>>3218725
No....

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“Alright.” You say. You stop for a moment to hug her, but hesitate just a little too long. Instead, your eyes meet hers for a moment and hopefully express enough. You’re not sure what you want to express, besides just wanting to help someone who seems to be hiding their stress.

You go run back to the girls. Laki’s already halfway down. She didn’t need fetching, really.

“Good battle.” She compliments. The joy on her face finds itself a bit confused with that furrowed brow. “She was up to something. Any idea what?”

“She wouldn’t say.” You’re glad Laki caught that too. You were worried it might have been your imagination. And now Laki will be ready for it.

She grunts. “Figures. It wasn’t easy to pay attention, too, thanks to Hana. Good job, Soft Hands. You earned a good victory.”

“Thanks. And good luck.”

She smiles. “Luck is for people who didn’t practice enough.”

You settle into the stands, way up high, where Hana and Keira are. Your conscious pokemon sit in the row in front of you.

“Great battle!” Hana tells you.

“Yeah, good job, Goldentop.” Keira chimes in from the other side. “Glad you took her down a peg.”

Keira seems pretty unimpressed about this gym. She’s been here before, too. You wonder what happened.


>Chat with Hana during the battle
>Chat with Keira during the battle
>Chat with your pokemon during the battle to share your insights
>Let your mind wander
>Something else

>>3218795
Wait, so we used Bella, Dice, and Pepper.

We knocked out a Sneasel and a Crawdaunt. Am I forgetting something or was she supposed to have a third Pokémon?

Bella beat Sneasel handily, she sent out Crawdaunt, we swapped to Pepper, Pepper almost took out Crawdaunt, Pepper was knocked out, we sent out Dice, Dice finished off Crawdaunt, right?

>>3218865
>>Chat with Hana during the battle
>>Chat with Keira during the battle
Why not both?

>>3218865
>Chat with Keira during the battle
I'm interested in how she seems unimpressed. For the other places we've visited, she has usually been pretty positive, but here...

>>3218865
>Chat with your pokemon during the battle to share your insights


>>3218870
At a guess, there were 2 crawdaunts and DIce wiped both out.

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>>3218865
>>Chat with Hana during the battle
>>Chat with Keira during the battle

>>3218865
>Feed Gobble some more. He was holding off in case he needed to be light on his feet for this battle, but he was clearly still hungry.

>Heal Pepper up and reassure it. Show it that cool picture you took, and let it know you’ll grow stronger together.

>Chat with the girls. How are they liking this place?

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[Oops. Meant Abigail, not Keira. Keira is away right now]

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You take out some boko bread for Gobble. He wanted to be light on his feet before. Now, this ought to help. He doesn’t need to be offered it twice. He takes it and has a huge bite before slowing down to more refined, yet speedy nibbles. He gets about halfway through before he thinks to offer some to the others. The fact that he does that at all is still very impressive.

Your mind goes to Ghost Pepper. You’ll want to chat later about the battle. And Hana during the battle. But right now, Abigail leaping to her feet to yell to Laki to win, using language you don’t think is very polite, grabs your immediate attention.

“...All the way up!” She finishes. You’re glad the loud music stopped most of that from reaching the arena as Laki and Meara take to their positions.

“What?” Abigail asks you and Hana as you stare at her.

“Well, umm, you seem not to like this gym very much.”

Abigail sits back down slowly. “Well, since now we have two whole braincells sitting together, why don’t you rub against each other and tell me why you think that is?”

Hana looks a little upset at that, but her mind seems to get distracted for some reason right after.


>She's from the same village as Abigail.
>Guess that since Abigail doesn’t like dishonest people. She must suspect the gym leader of something very bad
>Guess that Abigail doesn’t like dark types
>Guess that Abigail lost to this gym leader
>Well if she’s going to be like that, forget you even asked
>Come on, share. We’re friends
>Hey! No need to be rude to me and Hana!
>Something else

>>3219021
>Guess that since Abigail doesn’t like dishonest people. She must suspect the gym leader of something very bad

>>3219021
>Come on, share. We’re friends
It's alright if she lost to the gym leader, or if she just doesn't like her as a person, but there's no real reason to take it out on us.

fuck

is it her mom?

oh fuck

>>3219021
>Come on, share. We’re friends

>>3219021
>>Guess that since Abigail doesn’t like dishonest people. She must suspect the gym leader of something very bad
>>Come on, share. We’re friends

>>3219021
>>Guess that since Abigail doesn’t like dishonest people. She must suspect the gym leader of something very bad

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You put your finger on your chin for a moment. “Well, I know you don’t like dishonest people. So...I’m guessing you think she’s done something bad, right? Or she’s covering something up?”

She blinks. “Wow. Look who’s become insightful. You’re getting warmer.”

“...Is she your mom!” Hana asks as the thought occurs to her. She looks very concerned about what she just let out of her mouth.

“Ha! Like my mom would hold down a job! Good one.”

Hana sighs in relief, but the worried look on her face returns a second later when she notices the indent in the metal bench that she made with her robotic hand. She tries to bend it back into place as best she can.

“Well, what’s the rest of it then? Come on, share. We’re friends.”

Abigail’s hands fall from her thin hips. “Alright, alright, Sunshine. Put those big blue eyes away. I’ll tell you.” She sits back down. “She didn’t earn it. She knows she shouldn’t be here, and she took the job anyway. She shouldn’t call herself a gym leader, let alone a trainer.”

“She seemed to put up a pretty good battle to me.” Hana says.

“Yeah, well, that’s part of it. She’s not as good as you think. She isn’t exactly an honest battler.”

“It’s a Dark type gym.” Hana follows up. “Isn’t that sort of the style. A little?”

“Yeah, that’s an awesome excuse that’s worn out.” Abigail shoots back. “She got the job because enough people from my village complained about a lack of representation in the island power structures and they wanted a token face to show investors into the vispim industry like Val’s dad. Everyone from town acts like she’s someone to look up to, but she’s just an embarrassment. I don’t hate her because she sucks. I hate her because she knows it and instead of having any integrity, she let herself became the charity case face of my hometown.”
>”Oh.” Don’t touch this topic with a ten foot pole
>She’s being too hard on Meara
>Maybe she’s growing into the job. Everyone starts out a little under-prepared
>Wait, what’d you say about your mom?
>So who should run this gym instead?
>Something else

>>3219175
>So who should run this gym instead?

>>3219175
>Wait, what’d you say about your mom?
It's interesting for her to say that her mom 'would' not hold down a job, rather than 'could'.

>So who should run this gym instead? And how should it be run in the first place?

>>3219175
>So who should run this gym instead?
>Wait, what’d you say about your mom?

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“Well, who do you think should run this gym instead?” You ask.

Abigail throws up her arms. “What am I, the sad excuse we have for an Elite Four? Unlike some people, I don’t accept positions I can’t live up to. But if I had to choose...you know, there was this one trainer I met who knew a lot about dark types. Looked like a taller, cooler version of your Polu buddy. I’ll admit I didn’t really spend much time getting to know him, but I bet he’d be a better fit.” She waves the trail of thoughts off. “But don’t play that game, Herb. I’m sure you’ve met people you thought shouldn’t be...I don’t know, a sous chef.”

You nod your head to signal you get what she’s trying to say. “Hey, umm, what was that before you said about your mom? That she wouldn’t hold down a job?”

Abigail holds her arm and looks away for a second, but then aggressively dives into the subject instead of shying away from it. “Well, you saw my place. I won’t pretend I came from anywhere other than where I did. I’m not proud of it, but I won’t use it as an excuse to be a liar. My mom is a floozy. I have no idea who my dad is and sometimes when I see a guy who might fit the bill I look for facial features I might know from the mirror. I hate my mom. Not because of that, but because she acts like she did me a favor by keeping me.” Abigail looks Hana in the eyes. “Bet this is a first for you, but I envy your circumstances, Hana.”

Gobble stops eating.

Hana blinks, not sure how to react as the music becomes louder and Laki’s battle starts to really take off.


>Let’s talk outside
>Change the subject to literally anything
>Abigail! Not cool!
>You’re genuinely sorry to hear that
>...hug?
>Something else

>>3219253
>Hug Hana
>Give Abi the "I get what you're saying but not cool" look.

>>3219253
>Change the subject to literally anything
...well, this is a first. I genuinely have no idea what to say or do here.

>>3219253
>>You’re genuinely sorry to hear that
but
>Something else
"You should apologize to Hana."

>>3219253
>Give Abi the "I get what you're saying but not cool" look.
>You’re genuinely sorry to hear that
>Something else
"You should apologize to Hana."

wow I disagree strongly with all these anons; this is a first. But I am clearly not going to win the vote so lets just see where this goes.

>>3219284
What would you vote for, anon?

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[I'm afraid that's it for tonight. We should have some scheduling posted Friday night, and a thread Saturday night. Thanks for coming everyone! I missed you!

I owe you some writing like Polu's lewd-bin too, don't I? Anything else I should cover?]

>>3219319
Update us about whether or not your job is going well!

>>3219284
probably something along the lines of
"You’re genuinely sorry to hear that" and maybe "hug"
but while making some effort into fencesitting on the issue. The reason being we've gone down the road of being overly defensive of Hana before and it not only does it not go well, it also comes across pretty cringy. This topic of who had it worse has come up before and Herb has no fucking part in it

>>3219319
Thanks for running, Gobble. I missed you too!

>>3219328
Personally I just think it's fucked up to say, I hate my mom I wish I was an orphan. Gosh, Hana you had it good because your family was killed and you got adopted by cool people. That's what I got from what Abi said.

>>3219319
anything lewd would be wonderful, it's been quiet a while since I've had my fix of lewdbin. Thanks for running Gobble.

>>3219253
I agree with >>3219328
Our role is to let Hana decide how she feels and then back that up 100%.

So let’s just
>Hold Hana’s hand
And
>You’re genuinely sorry to hear that
While we wait for Hana to decide how she feels about that.

In the mean time, Laki deserves some support too, right?

>>3219284
You should vote anyways.

>>3219319
I always like stuff from the perspectives of our Pokémon.

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>>3219324
[Will do! The current one is more demanding of time and integrity than I was led to believe. I have been lied to several times. It's still better than my last one and I know some people without jobs at all so I feel like an impossible to please jerk for having a full time, well paying job with better conditions than before. It's not the worst one in the world and the money can potentially pretty darn good. Learned the hard way and from a lot of warnings from others after that I can't trust my boss any farther than I can throw him, though.

I don't know. I need to sleep on a few things. Anyway, I don't want to get too personal blog about it. That's just life, right?]

Thing is, I don’t think Meara is of all that different an opinion from Abi. There’s a lot of pressure on her to have to be representative of a lot of people and she’s got to be worried about being behind the curve, especially given how she was kind of thrust into this without being totally prepared.

Now see, I think that the result of that is that she should keep up her spirits and do what needs to be done to catch up as soon as possible. I can see the argument that it means she should own up and step down, but you’ve got to acknowledge that that’d look bad if the one redhead steps down, especially so soon.

Wish I coulda participated more, but, well, work.

>>3219253
>...hug?
>You’re genuinely sorry to hear that

What Abi said wasn't "I'm happy your parents died" Its "My home life is so shitty I wish I'd had supportive adoptive family instead of my mother claiming some sort of apex of virtue for not putting me up for adoption."

>>3219556
I've had a pretty shitty family life and I wouldn't be like I wish I was adopted instead, cause kids who are orphaned didn't make that choice. You saying something like that to them is shitty. They would probably prefer to have their parents around even if they were shitty compared to a possible new family.

>>3219253
>You’re genuinely sorry to hear that
>...hug?
>Hug Hana

Aaaaaah crap I completely missed this yesterday thanks to work. Very very VERY late thanks for running! Sorry to hear that work is a constant pain in the arse and hope it gets better sooner rather than later!

>>3222134
[Thanks! I appreciate it!]

Keira needs to experience the mating press and then cuddles

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[Short thread, shortly. Got held up late at work]

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Awkard Edition!

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Pokemon%20Island%20Adventure%20Quest
https://twitter.com/GobbleQM
ALL BINS: https://pastebin.com/u/Gobblepokemon
Character info pastebin in progress: http://pastebin.com/iB0tb7rz
Dice odds for best of 3: http://pastebin.com/994WTT3g

Latest bin: https://pastebin.com/MnTZZFQu

General rules:

There is a 10 minute voting period after each post. Non-contradictory votes will be combined as best as possible.
Write-ins for all votes are always welcome and encouraged. They may not all make it into the post or be altered to fit in, but I'll do my best to at least try to address the spirit of the write-in.

Very important or contentious votes may be redone in a stricter voting system as circumstances warrant.

Combat mechanics involve three rolls of 1d100, taking the best, and using the base accuracy and crit ranges of the the PTU system, roughly, but the 'turn order' will be more like the anime, where sometimes you can do a few moves in a row or be hit by a combo of moves yourself, all depending on circumstances. Stronger moves tend to take more time and have more cooldown than weaker moves and also may leave you open to an interrupt, so beware of that timing. Speed is more important for closing ground, intercepting, and other things and doesn't necessarily mean going first.

Pokemon and trainers are unique, and may have certain specializations, skills, or other things that the video-game mechanics might not allow. Some examples: That kung fu Bellsprout in the anime, that crystal Onix, or a Roggenrolla that can fly. Herb's perception skills, pokemon knowledge, context clues in general, and other things will hopefully come into play to avoid completely unfair, unforeseeable bullshit, but expect more bullshit from more advanced trainers.

Call me out on a mistake and receive a suggestive picture, mostly likely a butt.

Pokemon:
Gobble (Munchlax)
Mace (Roggenrola)
Belladonna (Roserade)
Dice (Feraligatr)
Sorbet (Vulpix)
Ghost Pepper (Rotom)

Location: The Dark type gym in Terichi, in the sands

>>3227648
Aww, yeah! Poke-time!

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You give Abigail a serious look. You understand and feel genuinely bad for her, but that’s a pretty insensitive thing to say to Hana, who lost her family at a young age in a car crash. “Abigail...” you begin.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Abigail cuts you off with some defensiveness, but also concern.

“How did you mean it?” Hana asks calmly. She still has to raise her voice up a bit because of the increasing volume of the music while Laki battle.

“I’m not saying you’re luckier than me because you lost your parents. I’m saying I wish I lost mine instead of growing up knowing, for a fact, that my dad didn’t want and bailed. That my mom didn’t want me but instead of giving me up she decided to punish me for existing every day, with every talk, and she though if she occasionally made up for her controlling abuse with some shallow gesture and kept me alive that made her a good person. That I was so damn at fault for everything bad that ever happened but nothing good I did was ever good enough!”

You give Hana a soft hug from the side. Abigail calms down a bit and takes a breath as she watches the display.

“Thanks.” Hana tells you, gently pushing off. “But I don’t need it. Abigail does. I mean, don’t, y’know, hesitate to touch me or anything. And uh, I don’t mean that in a sexual way either. Necessarily. I like cuddles too but I’m down for like, stuff if you feel like that more. But don’t feel like you have to all the time either so... uh.” She’s quick to add on as she goes from calm to rambling. “I’m not good with tense situations. Sorry. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

Abigail’s heated temper is cooling rapidly as she’s infected with Hana’s embarrassed awkwardness. “Look. I didn’t mean anything against you. In fact I feel like a jerk using you to complain about my life. Who am I to bitch about my bad luck when you’re standing right here? I don’t really have any right to feel sorry for myself.”

“Stop.” Hana stands, suddenly upset. “Don’t do that.”

Abigail looks over to you, confused and looking for guidance.


>Hey! Something interesting happened in Laki’s battle!
>Abigail is right. She shouldn’t complain in front of Hana
>Hana doesn’t want you to feel sorry for her
>Something else

>>3227756
>Hey! Something interesting happened in Laki’s battle!

>>3227756
>Other people’s feelings or experiences can’t invalidate your own, because it isn’t a competition. You have the right to feel however you do. And if you do compare things, it can come across as pitying.

Ah yes, the race to the bottom. It’s not healthy. I’ve been there.

>>3227756
>Hana doesn’t want you to feel sorry for her

>>3227784
This

>>3227756
>Hana doesn’t want you to feel sorry for her
Hi Gobble! I wanna fug Keira! These thoughts have consumed me and replaced all other desires! I am a shell of a man!

>>3227756
>Hana doesn’t want you to feel sorry for her
>Something else
>>3227784
I'll support this.

>>3227756
ditto >>3227784

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>>3227794
[Oh no, anon! Don't ruin your liafu with waifus!
Or do. It's not the worst way to be. ]

>>3227794
Abi’s cuter to me, but she isn’t comfortable with swinging (and Laki won’t go for her), so I’m putting those feelings in the “useless” bin.

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“She doesn’t want you to feel sorry for her.” You explain out loud. You’re behind Hana and were tempted to just mouth it, but feel confident in your understanding of your girlfriend and her feelings. “Other people’s feelings don’t make yours matter less. You have the right to feel however you do. And if you do compare things, it can come across as pitying.”

Hana thanks you with her expression. “Yes! That! Exactly! I’ve done that race to the bottom. I didn’t let myself feel bad about things because some of the other kids had it way worse. And I was lucky. Kat, Robin, Claire...a lot of good people did a lot of selfless, amazing things for me.” She walks backwards into you, takes your arm, and wraps it over her like a seatbelt. “And I’m still getting lucky to this day.”

“Ew.”

Hana smiles, embarrassed but naughty. “That’s not what I meant.” She pushes her bottom subtly into you enough to make you doubt the sincerity of those words, even if her embarrassment is genuine. “I just mean, I feel bad for myself all the time. It’s okay. I’ve got a pretty good life, but I know it’s okay to feel down sometimes too. That’s not just my advice either! That’s straight from an actual certified grief counselor. And Abigail, it sounds like you’ve got a lot to feel angry and upset about.”

Abigail’s watery eyes look up to Hana’s. “Don’t you go feeling sorry for me after all that.” She sniffs.

Hana steps forward and offers a hug.

Abigail reluctantly accepts. “No funny stuff.”

You’re left standing just behind Hana. Usually you’re the one at the center of these things


>Join in the hug
>Slink away. Let them have their own moment
>Open up about a time you’ve felt down while everyone is sharing
>Something else

>>3227978
>Join in the hug
>Open up about a time you’ve felt down while everyone is sharing

>>3227978
>Something else

>Smile. You’re really happy when the people close to you grow closer.

>Watch Laki’s match. Go team!

I feel like, as long as we’re letting them have their moment, we don’t have to feel intrusive and slink away. Plus, I really want to see this match play out, I already missed Hana’s (which we need to ask her about how it went too.)

>>3228014
This

>>3227978
Backing
>>3228014
Even though I want Herb to do more with them in general. Sometimes we have to just let it be.

>>3227867
She's cute too, but I think she's better bro material for Laki than she is waifu material for Herb.

>>3227978
>Join in the hug

>>3227978
>Join in the hug
Hi gobble!

>>3227978

>>3228014
Go team go!

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You smile. Seeing them grow closer warms you in a way that outmatches even the best homecooked meal.

You pat Gobble on the head after realizing he was watching, then sit down and turn your attention to the match.

“Chatot! Now!” Laki commands. She always looks so confident up there. It’s hard to think of her as anything other than invulnerable sometimes. She’s just got so much presence when she’s in the moment. That strong but feminine voice, the assured and strong movements, the determined but rarely shaken look in her eyes. You sigh in admiration. She’s amazing. And winning! “Go Laki!”

Abigail and Hana both break their moment to watch the battle.

“Go Laki!” Hana yells. The loud music is making her less worried about drawing too much attention.

Abigail shakes her head in disapproval. “You can do better.”

“Beat her s-soundly!” Hana stumbles and laughs at her unintentional pun.

Abigail rolls her eyes but smirks. She leans in and whispers into Hana’s ear.

“Go Laki!” Hana repeats after Abigail’s instructions. “Show no mercy!” She says after another whisper. “Win that badge and shove it right up her a-” Hana covers her mouth. The music got very quiet just as she was finishing that sentence.

“I remember this song when I was here before.” Abigail says with an amount of smug that you didn’t think possible.

Hana, embarrassed, playfully shoves Abigail. The tiny redhead goes flying much further than intended thanks to her robotic arm power.

As you and Hana help Abigail back up, you notice Mace way down closer to the battle area. He’s just near the edge. It’s not like him to wander off. He’s not crossing the line, but he’s looking very agitated.

Chatot is suddenly taken down by a refreshed looking Bisharp. That’s a shame. It looked like they were winning just a moment ago.

Laki looks just as confused.


>Let him be and talk after the match
>Come on, pokemon. Let’s go investigate
>Chat with Hana. You feel like she’s still got something to say
>Cheer louder for Laki. Put all your energy into it!
>Something else

>>3228244
>>Come on, pokemon. Let’s go investigate
>>3228244

>>3228244
>Let him be and talk after the match

>She’s got to be swapping Pokémon if the same species under cover of dark. Otherwise, why would you have won after knocking out “two” Pokémon? It’s a good trick.

>>3228244
>>3228295
Alright I'll stick with caution for now.

Deleted my old vote.

>>3228244
Backing
>>3228295

Also, Mace just might be trying to hone his hearing in the difficult setting of a thumping club.

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You’ll chat with Mace after. If it was anything too serious, he’d be getting you. He could just be trying to hone his hearing with all the thumping music.

Or maybe he’s figured out the trick to this gym. She’s got to be swapping Pokémon if the same species under cover of dark. Otherwise, how-

“How did you avoid Chatter? That’s not possible!” Laki’s voice booms over a mic. Wait, there’s a microphone in the challenger area?

“Soundwaves.” Meara winks, acting cool but looking uncomfortable. “Now, Bisharp, show that Wailord how we cut down the fat!”

The battle rages on. Despite the setback and very unlucky timing on how the darkness seems to favor Meara’s side, she retakes the lead.

Hana leans against you as you watch. “Keira spilled the beans.” She whispers with a big smile.

Keira did what? You panic for a moment, looking for your bag. The container of beans sticking out the top. It doesn’t look like anything is missing, so she must have put them back. You don’t like using dropped food, but beans need to be soaked anyway so you can clean them up before use.


>Assure Hana everything is fine
>What are you talking about?
>Ask Hana if she notices anything weird about the battle
>Ask Hana about Cubone. You've seen them hanging a bit lately
>Something else

>>3228410
>>What are you talking about
>Ask Hana if she notices anything weird about the battle

>>3228410
>It's fine they don't look like they're missing and beans need to be soaked anyway so you can clean them up before use
>Ask Hana if she notices anything weird about the battle

>>3228410
>It's fine they don't look like they're missing and beans need to be soaked anyway so you can clean them up before use
>Ask Hana if she notices anything weird about the battle. You think you know what the trick is.

>>3228410
>>What are you talking about?
>>Ask Hana if she notices anything weird about the battle

>>3228410
>admonish Hana lightly about scaring us about the beans. Wasted food is nothing to joke about.

>>3228410
>It's fine they don't look like they're missing and beans need to be soaked anyway so you can clean them up before use
>Ask Hana if she notices anything weird about the battle. You think you know what the trick is.
why must we bite the low hanging fruit!

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“Think we can handle it?” Hana follows up with a strange grin.

“Huh? Oh. That’s fine. Beans are easy to clean. A little soaking and thumb-work is all it takes.”

Hana gives you the weirdest look, like you said something unexpected and amazing. You know a lot of tricks with beans, but you don’t think that’s particularly impressive. You guess you shouldn’t judge though. She hasn’t spent much time cooking. No need to look down on anyone without experience.

“Hana.”

“Yes, Mr. literally-the-best-catch-ever?”

“Uhh, have you noticed anything weird about the battle?”

She takes a moment to change gears. “Yeah. There’s definitely something strange going on. I think she might be cheating somehow.”

“Of course she is.” Abigail says. “And that’s why she sucks.”

Hana looks a little more reluctant to cast judgement. “I don’t know. Isn’t a gym really supposed to teach you something and test you in some way?”

“And that’s what’s going on here?” Abigail retorts. “It’s not that that makes her suck. She’s just a crappy battler. Even if she was good once, which I doubt, she’s so reliant on being able to fall back on cheating that she doesn’t know how to battle any more. She takes dumb risks constantly. Like I said before, she shouldn’t be here. It’s no wonder you trounced her so easily.”

Laki pushes her lead with Wailord. The massive pokemon gives it’s opponent nowhere to run and overpowers it. She just needs one more KO.


>She was tough. Abigail is being too harsh
>Why doesn’t Abigail challenge her if she’s going to keep on that topic?
>You agree with Abigail. You don’t like how this gym leader operates
>Hana’s right. A gym leader just needs to teach and test
>Something else

>>3228555
>>Why doesn’t Abigail challenge her if she’s going to keep on that topic?

>>3228555
>Guillotine is definitely indicative of a high-risk high-reward playstyle. I’m not ready to say it’s a bad one quite yet. Maybe I’m just a capable battler?

>>3228555
>>Why doesn’t Abigail challenge her if she’s going to keep on that topic?

>>3228555
Is swapping out pokemon actually cheating? It's still to 3...

---
Abigail could challenge her but beating her in a battle doesn't prove anyone right or wrong and... if she considers it cheating why would she want to fight her?

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[I really hate to do this, but I have to call it there. Sorry it's so short. I have an early day tomorrow and was held late at work today. I'll let you know as soon as I do when we're running next, but Wednesday night seems like the most likely candidate.]

>>3228637
It's cool these things happen.

>>3228637
Thanks for running!

>>3228555
>You agree with Abigail. You don’t like how this gym leader operates
>the only thing you learn from battling a cheater is to stop trusting your opponents to fight honestly

>>3228555
>Beans are easy... ...A little soaking and thumb-work is all it takes
L-lewd

>“It’s just, what really happened with the Crawdaunt. I didn’t see a berry. And, well, are you alright?”

>She stops fussing with the badge, and just puts it in your hand. Her eyes meet yours for a moment, then she looks away again. “Tell you what. I’ll answer both of those questions if I lose my next battle.

I think Herb has already figured out both answers.

1: She’s secretly swapping Pokémon in the dark (which I’m adamant isn’t cheating, she’s sticking to 3 Pokémon and knowing things your opponent doesn’t is just good sense. It’s like using a zoruark or Double Team.).

2: She feels an immense amount of pressure being suddenly thrust into a position where people will see her as representative of her island.

I think Herb should guess those things to her before she says them. If we nail both, it’ll be a great power play. And, once she’s taking us seriously, we’ll be able to reassure her super hard!

Tell her that we know what it’s like to have people say “oh, so mainlanders do what you just did. Tell her that she has to make sure that, even if she decides to put up a strong face to the world, she can be vulnerable enough to ask for help when she needs it. Talk to a fellow gym leader or type expert she trusts.

Does that sound like it’ll work to you guys?

>>3229002
I do wanna guess first, and she can tell us if we're right. Also, Abigail seems a fair bit biased in my opinion, what with her (and everyone else really) immediately assuming she's cheating instead of trying to figure out her strategy first.

Easy enough to clear up, assuming we're right about her switching out identical Pokemon, which is not only a legitimate strategy, but the exact kind of trickery I'd expect from a Dark-type gym.

>>3229083
Of course Abi’s got a bone to pick, she thinks Meara is out there giving her island a reputation for weakness and freeloading off of charity.

Of course, Meara is probably worried about giving her island a reputation as quitters.

“Cheating” has been thrown around a lot when “trickiness” is appropriate.

>>3229002
What makes you think she isn't using 6 pokemon?

2 of each species, switching them out when one gets low HP.

>>3229336
We only saw her use 2 species (crawdaunt and sneasel) in our match. If she was going to actually use more than the 3 Pokémon that she said she would (aka actually cheat), she would have had to use a third species to pretend like she was using 3 Pokémon.

And I have no reason to believe she’s cheating for Laki’s match if she didn’t for ours.

Basically, because using 6 would be cheating, which we have very strong evidence to suggest she isn’t.

>>3229377
You haven't shown any. That just means she has used 4 so far.

Remember when Crawdaunt magically came back to life? There is mine.

>>3229445
I’m not sure I’m following.

Are you saying that in her match against us, she used two Sneasel and two Crawdaunt, and pretended that she only used one Sneasel and one Crawdaunt?

And that then, either the referee knew she was cheating and decided that any more cheating was too much, or didn’t know she was cheating and decided she only got two use two of her three allotted Pokémon?

Because the ref calling the match what appeared to be early tells me he knew how many Pokémon she was actually using and called it after she lost 3.

And if she swapped Sneasel, I imagine we would have noticed it “healing”.

>“What am I, the sad excuse we have for an Elite Four?”

Still real curious about this line, by the way. I’d be real surprised if the elite four weren’t up to snuff, considering the gym leaders have been real good.

You know, if Herb were a gym leader, I think I have a good gimmick.

The arena, by technology and/or magic, is within a healing field. Pokémon all heal so fast that Pokémon almost always need to be eliminated with a ring-out, pin, or massive one-hit K.O.

>>3229490
I rather have Herb's test be more about a trainer and a pokemon working together to complete some task like cook a meal or some other creative pursuit.

>>3229555
>trainer and Pokémon wheelbarrow race

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Super 100 Mega Awesome Time Edition!

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Pokemon%20Island%20Adventure%20Quest
https://twitter.com/GobbleQM
ALL BINS: https://pastebin.com/u/Gobblepokemon
Character info pastebin in progress: http://pastebin.com/iB0tb7rz
Dice odds for best of 3: http://pastebin.com/994WTT3g

Latest bin: https://pastebin.com/MnTZZFQu

General rules:

There is a 10 minute voting period after each post. Non-contradictory votes will be combined as best as possible.
Write-ins for all votes are always welcome and encouraged. They may not all make it into the post or be altered to fit in, but I'll do my best to at least try to address the spirit of the write-in.

Very important or contentious votes may be redone in a stricter voting system as circumstances warrant.

Combat mechanics involve three rolls of 1d100, taking the best, and using the base accuracy and crit ranges of the the PTU system, roughly, but the 'turn order' will be more like the anime, where sometimes you can do a few moves in a row or be hit by a combo of moves yourself, all depending on circumstances. Stronger moves tend to take more time and have more cooldown than weaker moves and also may leave you open to an interrupt, so beware of that timing. Speed is more important for closing ground, intercepting, and other things and doesn't necessarily mean going first.

Pokemon and trainers are unique, and may have certain specializations, skills, or other things that the video-game mechanics might not allow. Some examples: That kung fu Bellsprout in the anime, that crystal Onix, or a Roggenrolla that can fly. Herb's perception skills, pokemon knowledge, context clues in general, and other things will hopefully come into play to avoid completely unfair, unforeseeable bullshit, but expect more bullshit from more advanced trainers.

Call me out on a mistake and receive a suggestive picture, mostly likely a butt.

Pokemon:
Gobble (Munchlax)
Mace (Roggenrola)
Belladonna (Roserade)
Dice (Feraligatr)
Sorbet (Vulpix)
Ghost Pepper (Rotom)

Location: The Dark type gym in Terichi, in the stands

>>3236216
Heya Gobs!

>>3236216
Yay! Poke-hype! I can't wait!

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[I have a new job with a regular, unchanging schedule. We'll be running more regularly from now on!]

>>3236233
Managed to break free from that weirdly hostile boss? Good on ya!

>>3236233
Congrats!

>>3236216
Don’t forget to add our new badge to the OP image, Gobbo.

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>>3236244
[Oops!]

>>3236233
That's awesome! Glad to hear things are getting better!

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“I don’t really like sneaky stuff from a gym leader either.” You consider. “The only thing you learn from battling a cheater is to stop trusting your opponents to fight honestly. But Guillotine is definitely indicative of a high-risk high-reward playstyle. I’m not ready to say it’s a bad one quite yet. Maybe I’m just a capable battler?”

Abigail bobs her head a little, then folds her arms. “Maybe. But everyone likes to think that about themselves, right? You being capable doesn’t discount her from being terrible and a little lucky.”

“Why don’t you fight her, then?” You posit.

“I’ve just got Conqueror. And I’ve already been here.” Abigail fiddles with something in her pocket. “I don’t need another badge.”

“So don’t fight her for a badge.” Hana says. “I mean, she’s not just a gym leader, right? She’s a trainer. She might enjoy a battle that isn’t about a badge just to change things up.”

Abigail considers for a moment. “Maybe. Or maybe if I just beat her three with Conqueror alone, I can expose her for the hack she is!” The little redhead begins pacing and strategizing, keeping a massive, scary grin. “I’ll prove to everyone she’s not fit for her job!”

That reminds you of something. When Abigail and the others were going to get the psychic girls, Keira told you about how Abigail was almost going to catch a second pokemon and decided against it. She even said Abigail had a panic attack.


>Ask Abigail why she didn’t catch the other pokemon
>Suggest Abigail use three pokemon anyway. Maybe Gardevoir or Cubone would want to help
>On second thought, maybe Abigail shouldn’t battle Meara
>Wish her a fun battle. You look forward to watching it
>Something else

>>3236268
>Ask Abigail why she didn’t catch the other pokemon
I feel bad we aren't watching Laki's match.

>>3236268
>Wish her a fun battle. You look forward to watching it

I’m not quite ready to say I think these two ideas are related, but maybe by watching her battle we’ll get some insight.

>>3236268
>>Ask Abigail why she didn’t catch the other pokemon

>>3236268
>Suggest Abigail use three pokemon anyway. Maybe Gardevoir or Cubone would want to help
It doesn't have to be a permanent thing. She could also borrow pokemon from one of us, too.
>Something else
I can't pretend to entirely understand your motivations for wanting to do this, but is this really going to be the best way to make your point?

>>3236268
>Wish her a fun battle. You look forward to watching it
1v1 battle would also invalidate Mearas gimmick if we are accurate in what we think her gimmick is.

>>3236282
Like, Herb beat Polu 3 Pokémon to 4, but nobody said Polu was a bad trainer.

And anyways, she’s already told us about her Pokémon that left her Bye-Bye Butterfree style. I’m surprised Herb hasn’t made that connection in his internal monologue here.

Gonna be busy, don’t forget to be afraid if Fug tonight!

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“Well, I hope you have a fun battle. I look forward to watching it.”

Abigail stops pacing for a moment then sits down. “Realy? I thought you’d get all softie on me.” She puts her thumb and finger under her chin. “Laki’s toughening you up, huh? Really rubbing off on you. -shut up Hana-.” She says pre-emptively. “Good. As thick as her head is, she’s right about most things. Don’t tell her I said that, though.”

You and Hana share a look. That was her version of very high praise.

“Hey Abigail?”

“Yeah?”

“How come you didn’t catch that pokemon?”

Hana tenses up. It must have been awkward.

“A Caterpie came by while I was doing it.” She answers, keeping her gaze on the match. “Figured you guys already had your little whispers and giggles about that.”

“Whatever it is, it’s a trap!” Laki announces loudly, taking everyone’s attention. “Time for our own trick. Rest!” She poses a bit, but makes no motions to the music. That feels strange. You couldn’t resist when you were up there.

That’s going to delay the battle for awhile. Laki’s been playing very cautiously, from what you’ve managed to catch in small glances. She attacks when she can see and when she feels it’s safest, but won’t commit too much. It’s dragging on the match, but Laki in no current danger of getting sweeped. She keeps backing off to do something like Rest instead of pressing her advantage and going with the flow of the battle.

Gobble sits up next to you on the opposite side of Hana. He puts up his fists and makes a few shadow punches to communicate something.

“You think she should be more aggressive, Gobble?”

He nods. But he cocks his head after. He wants to know what insights you have to share. He’s always trying to learn, after all.


>Laki’s used to training to take on Jane and trapping her. It’s a habit she needs to grow out of for battling others
>There are a lot of unknowns. Being cautious and taking it seriously is better than tapping your feet
>Laki isn’t getting into the moment and dancing. She’s not enjoying the battle when that’s really what’s important
>Something else

>>3236394
>Laki’s used to training to take on Jane and trapping her. It’s a habit she needs to grow out of for battling others

>>3236394
>Something else
Its a prudent course at this point, but if it drags on to long it threatens to make her to predictable and then the whole game collapses like an improperly made souffle.

>>3236394
>Laki’s used to training to take on Jane and trapping her. It’s a habit she needs to grow out of for battling others.
It might be a reasonable strategy when she knows what the opponent is capable of, how they think, but in this situation, where she isn't quite sure as to what the opponent is up to, it's far more likely that she won't be able to tell when she has a chance to dictate the flow of battle, to shift gears and take advantage of an opportunity to win.

Honestly, though, I think she might enjoy this kind of battle. We like to get into the moment, but she's shown in the past that she seems to enjoy a "play to win" scenario a lot more.

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“It’s a prudent course at this point, but if it drags on to long it threatens to make her to predictable and then the whole game collapses like an improperly made souffle.” You watch closer. “I think she’s just too used to training to take on Jane. Her strategy was tailor made to trap her. It’s a habit to battle like that now and she’s going to need to grow out of it for taking on others.”

Hana blinks. “Wow. That’s really insightful. That’s how real battlers think about these things, huh?”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking, Goldentop! The secret to this gym is non-stop aggression. The darkness makes people afraid. It slows down the meek and timid. Not that you’re exactly the type to charge in head first, but you’re just too naive and cheery to worry about things going wrong so you were able to press her.”

“Thanks.” You choose to take that as a compliment.

She tussles your hair, then starts walking down the steps to get a different view of the battle and have a chat with Conqueror.

“We’ve got them now! Whirlpool! Then follow up with Heavy Slam!” Laki points, finally taking the offensive again after a lot series of probing and resting.

Hana looks around. “It’s pretty dark up here...”


>Concentrate on the battle
>Go with whatever Hana is about to suggest
>Stand up and cheer. Give Laki support loud and clear
>Abigail thinks I’m naive? What does Hana think of that?
>Something else

>>3236456
>Stand up and cheer. Give Laki support loud and clear

>>3236456
>>Stand up and cheer. Give Laki support loud and clear

>>3236456
>Something else
Smile at Hana. "Later, I promise. I think Laki would want us to wait until after she's won to celebrate her victory with us, right?"

>afterwards
>Stand up and cheer. Give Laki support loud and clear!
"Don't let her mix you up! I know you, Laki! When you get the chance to win, you take it!"

>>3236456
>Stand up and cheer. Give Laki support loud and clear

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“Yeah! Go Laki! You’ve got this!” You stand up and cheer loudly. It’s hard not to feel self-conscious but you’re feeling the effects of the lights and thumping music in the club that encourages you to loosen up a bit. “When you get the chance to win, you take it!"

Laki looks back to you for a second. The sweat going down the side of her head and general tension in her stance contrasts with her warm and grateful smile.

Hana stands up too, but she’s a bit too late. “Kick her...teeth into her butt!” She stumbles over her words. “Go Laki!”

Laki’s attention is drawn back to the battle as there’s a sudden attack.

“She’s so going to win.” Hana predicts, looking interested. Then distracted. “We could...pre-celebrate.”

"Later, I promise. I think Laki would want us to wait until after she's won to celebrate her victory with us, right?"

She nods. “Right! Okay!” And both of you watch the battle unfold.

Laki’s next gambit pays off. She has Wailord follow up with a Rollout and takes Bisharp out. Unfortunately Wailord slides along the floor and goes way outside of the battle area too.

“It’s alright, Wailord. You did great. Now go, Meowth!”

“Last chance to win. It’s up to you Pers...wait. No. Go, Incineroar!” She changes her mind halfway. “Please.”

You hadn’t noticed it before because of the angle, but there’s a little camera on both trainers and a viewscreen over on the other side. Meana looks like she’s sweating, a lot.

“Go all out! Use your strongest moves!”

Incineroar huffs. He doesn’t seem to care much for those directions. He also doesn’t seem to have much of an opinion of the little Meowth that’s walking up with a cautious fighting stance. Incineroar turns it’s back and folds it’s arms.

Laki hesitates to give a command.

Belladonna shoots up from her spot, looking furious. She looks like she might do something.


>”Go on! Take your chance, Laki!”
>”Bella, sit down and watch. Don’t interfere.”
>Get your ball ready to retrieve Belladonna
>”Come on Incineroar! Your trainer gave you a command!”
>Something else

>>3236568
>>”Bella, sit down and watch. Don’t interfere.”
> That mon thinks she's too weak and is over-relying on it.

>>3236568
>Something else
Don't interfere just yet, but maybe surreptitiously release Dice, so that he's ready to act in case something goes wrong.
To Bella:
"I know how you feel, Bella, but we can't just interfere like that unless something seriously goes wrong. Besides, Incineroars are supposed to be heels, right? They love to act like the bad guy; don't be fooled."

>>3236568
This
>>3236580

>>3236568
>”Bella, sit down and watch. Don’t interfere.”

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“Bella, sit down and watch. Don’t interfere in Laki’s battle.”

Bella points and pouts. Incineroar is being disrespectful!

"I know how you feel, Bella, but we can't just interfere like that unless something seriously goes wrong. Besides, Incineroars are supposed to be heels, right? They love to act like the bad guy; don't be fooled."

"It's true. I saw a movie about this vigilante who wore an Incineroar mask, and everyone thought he was a bad guy, but he was really a dark knight. A silent protector." Hana follows up.

She still pouts, but loses energy as she sits down again.

Meowth opens with a Fake Out under Laki’s orders. This irritates the Incineroar more than intended.

“Screech!” Laki commands. Meowth obeys and gives a peircing howl that irritates Incineroar. It cover’s it’s ears and turns.

“Now, follow up with a Bite!”

Meowth launches back at the huge Fire pokemon. But this time it’s caught mid-air by a Throat Chop. Meowth spirals through the air head over feet a few times before landing on it’s back and coughing.

Despite Abigail being way farther down the rafters, you hear her yell “Oh shit!” through the noise. Everyone flinches.

Meowth pushes itself back up. But something looks off. It’s having trouble breathing.
>Point it out to Laki
>Like you just told Belladonna; don’t interfere
>Get right up to the edge of the battle area and try to feel it’s injury with aura power
>Cheer louder than you’ve ever cheered before! Go Meowth!
>Something else

>>3236656
>Get right up to the edge of the battle area and try to feel it’s injury with aura power
Assuming feel is not a typo, and we aren't interfering by healing, then this is probably best. We can tell whether it's something serious or not, and if it is, act from there. If it's just a hairball or something, then well, we didn't actually do anything; no harm, no foul.

>>3236656
>Get right up to the edge of the battle area and try to feel it’s injury with aura power

>>3236656
>Like you just told Belladonna; don’t interfere
>But be right next to the edge as soon as the match is called to heal the cat.

Meowth might be faking guys, until match is called don't interfere.

>>3236656
>Like you just told Belladonna; don’t interfere

It’s a throat chop, I think that’s just what it does. And anyways, Laki and Meara are closer, they’d have a better time telling what’s going on.

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>>3236658
[Yeah. Sorry I wasn't clear. Not interfering, but using aura to just gauge the situation]

>>3236656
>>Like you just told Belladonna; don’t interfere
>>Get right up to the edge of the battle area and try to feel it’s injury with aura power

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[Roll some dice!]

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>3236708
Rollin!

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>3236708

>>3236718
Nice.

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>3236708

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>3236708

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You get up and move closer to the battle area. Belladonna throws up her hands in frustration, looking to Hana for sympathy.

“He’s not going to interfere.” She says. “Uh, right?”

“Right.” You say, absentmindedly trying to focus as you run down he steps. “Just looking.”

Hana follows behind you. You both get closer, and you stand as close as you can without being a distraction or going too close to the line. The battle seems a lot more real from up close. Meowth coughs and limps as it approaches.

You close your eyes and reach out with your feelings.

It’s...wow. You can ‘see’ around yourself. There’s Belladonna running to your side, with Mace and Gobble sticking close to you and her in case you need them. You can tell them apart based on the way they move and the feelings they give off. Hana’s aura throws you for a loop for a second. You’ve felt it before more than once, but it’s always when you’re sitting and relaxing. She’s a flurry of tense activity when she’s out and about. She’s also unique in that her aura floats above the ground when she’s standing up.

You focus your senses towards Meowth, and sense pain. But also...eagerness. Excitement. Deception. The aura explodes into action, fear, and ambition as it flies away from you towards an aura made up primarily of frustration. Your own heartbeat goes crazy in response to feeling the battle renew.

But there’s more. You can sense in a much wider area than you thought. Maybe it’s because you haven’t done much in terms of using energy today, and maybe it’s got something to do with being in the right, loose mindset thanks to the rhythm of the music. You aren’t sure. You’re not in the mindset that makes you worry about those what-if’s and optimizing the moment, so the question isn’t important. You’re far enough in the moment to let your instincts take over your mind and it’s worries.

And your instincts flare. There’s a presence watching Meara. Curious. Interested in her fear. Keeping it’s distance but slowly slithering closer. It’s only got some focus on her and otherwise doesn’t seem to have noticed you or anything else yet.

Meara’s own aura is a mess. It’s a panicked, fuzzy ball of conflicting energies. This isn’t just a battle to her. It’s something very stressful.


>Confront it to scare it off
>Watch closely, but be subtle
>Reach out to Meara to try help clear up her aura so it stops noticing her
>Snap out of this strange aura vision
>Something else

>>3236825
>Watch closely, but be subtle
>Something else
Get Gardevoir over with you. She's psychic, so she should be able to tell us a bit more about what's happening here. Even if she can't due to type immunities, that in itself is helpful info.

>>3236825
>Watch closely, but be subtle

>>3236825
>Watch closely, but be subtle

>>3236825
>Watch closely, but be subtle

>>3236825
>Watch closely, but be subtle

Could be the protector, could just be some ghost. Let’s focus in and try to tell the difference.

>>3236825
>>Confront it to scare it off

So, bets on what the presence is? I’m thinking Shuppet.

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You watch closely, but keep enough of a distance so that you don’t draw any attention yourself.

The aura becomes more familiar and clear as you watch and wait. The more she becomes worried and stressed, the more it seems to focus on her. It’s like hunting animal smelling a potential target.

Closer and closer, it approaches. It grows more interested in her as she loses hope. It’s massive, powerful, and unfortunately familiar.

It’s the Rayquaza.

As it comes closer, a small cluster of presences you hadn’t noticed before scatter. Were those Ghost pokemon? Wow. They’re good at hiding! It’s sort of creepy that they can just be around like that.

Rayquazza gets closer to the worried gym leader. It’s gazes into her aura, as if looking for something. But it stops, and seems to, for a lack of a better term, sniff the air.

Can it sense you? It’s focus is moving in your direction!


>Pull out of this mode, quick!
>Keep subtle, hide your aura
>Try to get Gardevoir’s attention
>Explode energy towards it to scare it off
>Something else

>>3236960
>Try to get Gardevoir’s attention

>>3236960
>Try to get Gardevoir’s attention
>Keep subtle, hide your aura
>Something else
If you can do it without snapping out of this state, call Jane, both to inform her and get her advice.

>>3236960
>Explode energy towards it to scare it off

>>3236960
>Keep subtle, hide your aura
>Try to get Gardevoir’s attention

>>3236960
>Try to get Gardevoir’s attention
>Explode energy towards it to scare it off

>>3236960
>Keep subtle, hide your aura
>Slosh some aura between you and Hana, to mix it up and look different.

>>3236960
>Make your Aura and presence known
Not out right confrontational but if it continues its hunt or treatens us in some way.
>Explode energy towards it to scare it off
otherwise suggest pancakes

>>3236960
>It’s the Rayquaza.

Hey, which one though?

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>>3236995
[The darker presence]

>>3236960
>Try to get Gardevoir’s attention
>Explode energy towards it to scare it off

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You reach out Gardevoir. She’s a Psychic, and a Fairy type. And beyond that, someone you trust. Rather than keep yourself hidden, you decide to reach out openly. Loudly.

The eyes fixate on you instantly. You’ve stolen it’s attention.

The heat of it’s gaze is almost overwhelming. But as Gardevoir’s attention also comes to you, it lays off ever so slightly. It feels like the being is extended. Even so, it’s extended and weak presence is incredible. You truly understand why some pokemon are often worshiped as gods.

There’s an accusation in the gaze. A venom to it. But rather than shy away, you shine. You’re here. You’re interfering with what it’s doing. And you’re not letting yourself be intimidated.

Somewhere, vaguely, you’re aware of your physical body and an intense amount of sweat building on it.

Gardevoir is by your side now. You don’t know how that happened so quickly. “I will shield the light!” Her voice echoes in your head.

“Betrayer...” A low, rumbling feeling echoes over this plane.

You flare some energy wildly around yourself. It’s shocking how much you need to light up the area around you. It’s like it’s emanating a strong darkness.


>”Leave Meara alone!”
>”You’re not a protector. You’re trying to hurt everyone!”
>Offer pancakes. We can get along
>Flare at 100% effort. Give it all you’ve got
>Something else

>>3237063
>”You’re not a protector. You’re trying to hurt everyone!”
>Something else
Offer them a chance to explain themselves, and make amends. If they turn it down, well, sometimes people have to learn things the hard way. If that happens,
>Flare at 100% effort. Give it all you’ve got

>>3237063
>”You’re not a protector. You’re trying to hurt everyone!”
>Flare at 100% effort. Give it all you’ve got

>>3237063
>>Offer pancakes. We can get along

>I saw what happened. Please, I don’t want the people of Loanah to get caught up between the two of you.

>You haven’t spoken to her, have you? If you can’t, I understand, but please let me be a messenger between you. I don’t think there ya to be any more fighting.

Guys, accusations won’t be appealing. Let’s at least try talking things out. After all, this is the one who literally died protecting Loanah. I believe they’re probably still good, at the core.

>>3237063
Fair enough, I'll change my vote to this.
>>3237079

>>3237063
>Offer pancakes. We can get along
>I saw what happened. Please, I don’t want people to get caught up between the two of you.

>>3237063
>Offer pancakes. We can get along
>I saw what happened. Please, I don’t want people to get caught up between the two of you.

>>3237063
>”Leave Meara alone!”
>”You’re not a protector. You’re trying to hurt everyone!”
The time to offer pancakes is from a positionof strength, after kicking him to the curb.

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“You’re not a protector. You’re trying to hurt everyone.” You communicate. “...Aren’t you?”

“I want more than that.” The sheer power of it speaking whisks away the some of edges of the energy you’re projecting.

“What...what do you want? I want to know, honestly. I want to hear your side of things.”

“SIDE?!” It bellows. “You wish to pass judgement onto me? To assess my righteousness?” The darkness turns red, and hot. “By what arrogant justification do you dare assume the ability to understand my motivations?”


“Well,” you gulp, but don’t flinch, “I thought we could at least try to talk it over some pancakes.”

The face it makes would be comical under any other circumstances. It seems at a loss for words at the moment. Not that you’re really communicating it words. More like complicated expressions of feeling and meaning.

“I saw what happened. Please, I don’t want people to get caught up between the two of you. You haven’t spoken to her, have you? If you can’t, I understand, but please let me be a messenger between you. I don’t think there ya to be any more fighting.”

The red anger flares harder than before. Intense heat almost forces you back. If not for Gardevoir’s presence, you’d probably feel actual, physical pain. “Become caught up between us? They have been since the beginning! And now they stand between us again! If you want to tell her anything, tell her I see how she was right, and how I’ll destroy everything between us for good.”

“It doesn’t ha-”

“You can’t understand what drives me. But you might understand a fraction of it.” The gaze turns towards Hana's aura. “Run from these islands, or learn more than you wish to know.”


>Please don’t
>Throw everything you have at it
>It’s trying to scare you because you can make a difference. You won’t run
>Okay! Just give me time to convince my family
>Something else

>>3237115
>Throw everything you have at it
>THAT IS IT! I tired being reasonable, I tried being nice, but if you want to threaten her to get to me? Then we'll fight.

>>3237115
This
>>3237121
And also, physically impose yourself between them. They have to go through you.

>>3237115
>>3237121
I'll support.

>>3237115
>Impose yourself between them.

>She sees now that she was wrong! I’ve seen the spirits that grew up around her regret!

>Please, she doesn’t want you to make the same mistake as her! I- I won’t let you!

>>3237115
Oh, and I’ll add:

>If he tries to make a move, break the bone clip.