>>5588947
>Male

>>5588947
>Male

>>5588947
>Male

>>5588947
>Male

>Male

>Female

>>5588947
>Female
Would be interesting to try something different. Also the evasion rate bonus is nice.

>>5588950
>>5588955
>>5588957
>>5588963
>>5588971
5 for male

>>5588977
>>5588986
2 female

Male it is (sorry most recent anon)! Writing...

Okay, okay. You put your hands on your shoulders, then on your chest, then your knees and finally your toes.

You know who you are, kind of. You're a boy. A man, even. Probably still a teenager, judging from your build, but definitely on the older side. Just barely a young adult, probably.

The wind beneath you begins to accelerate somewhat. You're quickly realizing you have less time left than you thought.

The colors around you continue to shift. You're unable to process more than one or two before they're gone.

Focus. Focus... you obviously weren't born here, you haven't known this place your whole life. You didn't... you're not from here.

The wind begins to whistle by your ears. As it flies by it's practically whispering a name. But which one?

>As the wind rushes past you, the name that comes to mind is...
>...Sinnoh
>...Hoenn
>...Sevii
>...Wyoming

>>5589005
>Sevii
Island adventures but without 50% water

>>5589005
>Sinnoh
best region

>>5589005
>...Wyoming
yee-haw

>>5589005
>Sinnoh

>>5589005
>...Wyoming
The most fantastical option

>>5589005
>Hoenn
Tropical island best island

>>5589005
>...Sinnoh
Depending on how things go, we could even wind up in Hisui, which is past-Sinnoh

>>5589008
>>5589010
>>5589017
Three for Sinnoh

>>5589009
>>5589012
Two for Wyoming

>>5589013
One for Hoenn (based)

>>5589007
One for Sevii

Sinnoh wins out! Writing!

"Sinnoh"...

Sinnoh? What's...
Ugh. The name sounds so familiar, but you still can't place why or what it is. Maybe it's a place. It's certainly not an object, and it doesn't sound like a person...
You'll just stick to that. It's a place, and that's all you need to know about it for now. Someplace you remember.

Speaking of places, this one is starting to freak you out. The wind is roaring by now. You can hardly hear your own frantic thoughts, which is a feat considering how many you have at the moment.

You need comfort. You need some kind of better feeling, an escape to someplace less abstract. You need to remember. Or even just pretend...

>What's your favorite place? Where do you want to be right now, other than here?
>I want to be someplace familiar and warm, where I'm safe from harm and able to relax.
>I want to be someplace high up and wild, where I can see all that lays before me and truly immerse myself in an adventure of my own.
>I want to be someplace dank and mystical, where the air is moist and my surroundings are dark and mysterious.
>I want to be someplace near water, be it a creek or a pond, where I can watch ripples on the surface and/or go for a swim.

>>5589034
>I want to be someplace dank and mystical, where the air is moist and my surroundings are dark and mysterious.
Let's go for a dark-type mon or something ig

>>5589034
>>I want to be someplace familiar and warm, where I'm safe from harm and able to relax.

>>5589034
>I want to be someplace familiar and warm, where I'm safe from harm and able to relax.
Given our current terrifying surroundings, I would definitely like something familiar.

>>5589034
>I want to be someplace familiar and warm, where I'm safe from harm and able to relax.
Comfy

>>5589034
>I want to be someplace familiar and warm, where I'm safe from harm and able to relax.
Sounds like either normal or fire. Cool.

>>5589034
>I want to be someplace high up and wild, where I can see all that lays before me and truly immerse myself in an adventure of my own.

>>5589034
>I want to be someplace dank and mystical, where the air is moist and my surroundings are dark and mysterious.

>>5588947
>Male

>>5589055
(that's already been decided on, anon! if you wanna choose what happens next, refer to this post >>5589034)

>I want to be someplace familiar and warm, where I'm safe from harm and able to relax.

>>5589058
(I see this is my first time doing it, thanks anon)

>>5589034
>I want to be someplace dank and mystical, where the air is moist and my surroundings are dark and mysterious.
Being dark type wouldn't be that bad, I guess

>>5589039
>>5589041
>>5589042
>>5589048
>>5589059
alright, 5 for warm and safe

>>5589038
>>5589052
>>5589062
3 for dank and mystical (no problem new anon)

>>5589050
1 for high up and adventurous

The winner here's pretty clear-cut lol. Writing!

>>5589064
(What would happen if a vote ties? Is resolution just delayed until it's untied?)

>>5589069
(that's what I'm planning on, yeah. Would give more people time to input. If a tie isn't broken within a day, though, I'll just do it myself. I wanna make sure the quest stays up and running after all)

Someplace familiar and warm...

Nothing comes to mind. You try in vain to generate some kind of image- any kind. The most that comes up is a few objects cluttered together, but before you can even process what they are, the colors vanish.

Your eyes open for the briefest second before the wind overtakes you.

You hear a loud THUD, and everything goes black.
-

Muffled voices can be heard in your head. Your brain is out of commission- there's hardly a thing in your mind.

You feel that you're moving. You don't know how, or by what, or by whom.

Before all else, something comes to mind.

>The image of a stuffed doll flashes before your eyes. You're unable to make out what it's of before the darkness swallows it whole.
>The image of a small box comes to mind. That's all you can process before you're out like a light again.
>The image of a book of some kind arises. You're unable to read anything or deduce what the book is save for a hardcover of some kind. It's gone before you know it.

>>5589081
>>The image of a book of some kind arises. You're unable to read anything or deduce what the book is save for a hardcover of some kind. It's gone before you know it.

>>5589081
(those look so much like real PMD questions, are they real or OC?)

>The image of a book of some kind arises. You're unable to read anything or deduce what the book is save for a hardcover of some kind. It's gone before you know it.

>>5589081
>The image of a book of some kind arises. You're unable to read anything or deduce what the book is save for a hardcover of some kind. It's gone before you know it.

>>5589081
>The image of a book of some kind arises. You're unable to read anything or deduce what the book is save for a hardcover of some kind. It's gone before you know it.

>>5589081
>The image of a small box comes to mind. That's all you can process before you're out like a light again.
What's in the box?

>>5589081
>>The image of a small box comes to mind. That's all you can process before you're out like a light again.
THE SECRET BOX

>>5589081
>The image of a stuffed doll flashes before your eyes. You're unable to make out what it's of before the darkness swallows it whole.
what is this questioning

>>5589081
>The image of a small box comes to mind. That's all you can process before you're out like a light again.
WHAT'S IN THE MYSTERY DUNGEON BOX?????

>>5589082
>>5589085
>>5589088
4 for book

>>5589092
>>5589095
>>5589102
3 for box (so close!)

>>5589097
1 for doll

It's decided! Writing!
(and these questions are all OC! also, I promise they're ending soon lol.)

(I see we have a draw tool, do we have any drawfags here willing to doodle some mons from time to time lol)

(sorry for the hold up, something irl caught me. I should be free for a while now.)
-
A book flashes before your eyes. Its title is muddy, the rest of it is blurry. All you can make out is something navy blue and a hardcover. Then you're gone.

...

...

"...i... ut...!"
You hear a voice. Then another, then another.

One of them is notably deep, like a really stern teacher's. Probably a girl's. Then another, which is noticeably younger. Also a girl's.

Is this heaven? Are you dead? Has some choir of angels come to greet you?

Before anything else, you try to sit up and rub your eyes. You're immediately halted by something fluffy forcing you back down, and as you hit an equally-soft surface beneath you your senses begin to return. One of the voices is clear now.

"Hey! No getting up, you hear? You're hurt!"

Weird. You blink a few times...
...and are greeted with the sight of an unkempt Buneary, giving you a slight frown.

Who this is, you have no idea. It's gotta be pretty huge though. Buneary are usually only about a foot, and this...

Before you can keep thinking another Pokemon floats over to you. A large pixie of sorts looks down at you, surrounded by a wreath of white lilies on her neck. Her stare is far more judging than the Bun's. "Stay down."
With a huff, the sprite gave you another look-over before floating off. You just watch her go, baffled.

Eventually, the Buneary catches your sight again as she begins to talk, making herself known as the younger voice you heard earlier. Her expression has shifted from a frown to visible confusion. "...what, have you never seen a Florges before?"

What do you say?
>"...no..."
>Nothing. Just keep staring. What the hell is going on?
>Write-in

>>5589128
>Write-in
"Where the hell am I?"

>>5589128
>Write-in
"...wow, rude..."

>>5589128
Seconding this >>5589134

>>5589134
(I realize now this is basically the second option, so feel free to count is as such, with or without the added question)

>>5589128
>>"...no..."

>>5589128
>Nothing. Just keep staring. What the hell is going on?

>>5589128
>Nothing. Just keep staring. What the hell is going on?

>>5589128
>"...no..."
>"Where am I?"
>"What happened?"

>>5589146
>>5589147
alright, this works
-
You stare for a moment, just... totally blank. Shocked.

It takes another change of posture from the Buneary to get you to snap out of it, with her crossing her arms slightly and tilting her head. "You're not much of a talker, are you?"

The Buneary exhaled sharply, her left foot beginning to tap. "That's... that's fine. Y' just fell out of the sky, I'm not sure what I expected out of someone who came out of a situation like that alive."

Wait, what? Hold on- no, she kept going. Albeit, mumbling. "I've never heard of a Meditite that can survive somethin' like that. Haven't heard of anyone survivin' something like that without wings..."

The voice from earlier- probably that 'Florges'- called from another room. "Buneary? You're not bothering the patient, are you?"
And a surprisingly-loud shout came from the Buneary right next to you in response. "No, ma'm, not at all!"

Just then, you managed to say something... while in the middle of wincing. "Ow!"
That caught the Buneary's attention, at least... "Oh- sorry! You're still fine, aren't you?"

>"Of course i'm not! I just fell out of the sky, and now some stranger is yelling in my ear!"
>"Yeah, totally." (sarcastic)
>"Yeah, I'm fine." (sincere)
>Write-in

>>5589158
>>"Of course i'm not! I just fell out of the sky, and now some stranger is yelling in my ear!"

>>5589158
>"I'm fine, just very confused."

>>5589158
>Write-In
Classic staring at hands/looking at a mirror moment.

>>5589158
>>5589168
This

>>5589158
>write in
"A Meditite...?" That's a kind of Pokemon, right?

>>5589158
>"Of course i'm not! I just fell out of the sky, and now some stranger is yelling in my ear!"

>>5589160
>>5589173
>>5589168
>>5589170
we've got our first tie! gonna wait for it to be broken

>>5589158
I'll break the tie by voting for "Of course i'm not! I just fell out of the sky, and now some stranger is yelling in my ear!"

>>5589185
alright then, writing

File: post7.png (116 KB, 978x1248)

116 KB PNG

The weight of everything all at once hits you for a moment, and you blurt out: "No, of course i'm not fine!"
A moment's pause was given to remember something, before you continued. "I just fell out of the sky, and now some... some stranger is yelling in my ear!"

By the time you're done getting everything off your chest, you realize you've sat up again. A pang of pain shoots through your neck.

The Buneary looks somewhat shocked, but before she can say anything that Florges returns. "Buneary! I told you not to bother the patient!"
She gives the frizzy rabbit a bit of a death glare, to which your conversation partner shrinks away from. "Y-yes ma'am..."

The Florges turns your head towards her, her face now noticeably less stern, and continues. "Come now, lay down. Rest..."
Something passes over you, and you're asleep again.

-

Much later, you come to. Your eyes flicker open to a cave wall, somewhat reddish in hue- whether that's from the actual cave wall itself or something else is hard to tell. To your left is more wall and to your right is where the Buneary used to be.

You spent a few moments drinking it in. There was a small carpet leading down a hallway into which the room lead. It was wide open, with plenty of knick-knacks sat on flimsy wooden shelves. Some weird motivational quotes, plenty of flowers, and maybe some kind of fruit..?
Movement caught the corner of your eye once more, and you shifted to look. Eventually your gaze settled on a small Pokemon, covered in flowers of all different colors, leading a pair of other mon into wherever you were from... something that led to the outside.

You couldn't hear what was being said from here- not clearly, anyways- but you could make out the Buneary once more and a large deer-looking Pokemon next to her. The deer-looking mon was adorned with a long scarf and some ribbons on its... his?... antlers. It gave you a look before you could pick out anything more. Gulp.

...eventually, it turned away again and kept talking.

Now was your chance to check something you'd heard before.

You looked to your hand. It was blue. A glance to your feet. Significantly lacking in more than two toes. White.
That Buneary wasn't lying.

How do you react?
>More silence.
>A small gasp- loud enough to hear, not loud enough to disturb.
>A scream.
>Write-in.

>>5589204
>Write-in.
>"Oh no."

>>5589204
>>A scream.

>>5589204
>scream

>>5589207
And maybe some paic muttering to ourselves

>>5589204
>A scream.

>>5589204
>>A scream.

>>5589208
>>5589209
>>5589216
>>5589218
pretty unanimous lol, writing
(gonna try and space these response out between 10 or so minutes, maybe 20 at the most. If it takes any longer, assume I got busy with something and will return later)

>>5589204
>Scream
Seems to be the way to go.

>>5589204
>A scream.
I would scream if my body is completely different

Upon the revelation that you'd turned into a Pokemon all you could do was scream.

Loudly.

Very loudly.

Enough to make that initimidating deer from before flinch. And that didn't seem to be an easy task.

Within minutes, the strange mon talking to the other two flew over to you, fussing over what could've happened and propping you up to check your joints and other pressure points. "Is your neck still hurting? Has your head gotten any worse?"
The concern in her voice seemed almost recklessly worried, but that didn't matter. You had more important things to attend to in the moment. No attempt at gathering your words was made- you just spoke. "I'm a Pokemon!!"

That earned a nice reaction from the room. The Florges stared at you. The Buneary seemed... mixed? Her ears perked a little. The deer's, on the other hand, folded somewhat.
Eventually, the flower pokemon let out a loud "HAH" and looked back at you, her expression now unreadable. "You're... yes. You're a Pokemon. You need to rest, alright? You- clearly there's something wrong..."
The mon used her long flowery... tail-thing... to caress your head as it gently pushed you back down, but before she could move away the deer Pokemon had come up to your bedside. It spoke with a gentle yet commanding voice, with a hint of weariness to it.

"Comfey, this is clearly an odd case. I won't implore you to make an exception here, because I'm making it myself."
The deer lowered its antlers, smothering you in orange leaves, carefully nudging you onto its back. The process hurt less than you expected it to, even if it left your back aching somewhat.
All you could see was the ceiling of the cave as you heard the conversation continue.

"But mayor, you can't just take a patient out of care like this! He's clearly unwell!"
"Yes, but I don't think this is the kind of unwell regular care can fix. My family will know what to do with him."
You heard a weird giggle come from the Buneary, but as you turned your head to try and see what could've prompted it the rabbit decided to start pretending she was looking elsewhere.
"Your- your family is hardly a team of trained medical professionals, madam!"
"And you've hardly worked here for a month. Give Anastasia my regards."

With that last word, the deer straightened up and turned to leave.

[1/2]

>>5589237
You heard some frustration from the cave as it got further away, but it seemed quelled by the time your carrier turned and started heading left. You could hear the clopping of her hooves on wood, but you looked rather high up...

The Buneary decided this was a good time to start a conversation. "So! You're 'a Pokemon'?"
...what kind of question was that? Her expression looked both smarmy and curious. It was hard to tell whether she was teasing you or giddy for some reason.

"...apparently..." was all you could answer back. It was a bit hard to speak when you were being bumped up and down every so often, but you tried. The Buneary smirked and shot back really quickly. "Well so is everyone here! And everyone knows it! So, you must've hit your head really hard! Especially since you fell from so high up."
You just nodded along. Kind of.

As the deer began descending a flight of stairs, the Buneary struggled to catch up. And yet she insisted on talking regardless. "Can you remember anything? Have you got amnesia?"

What do you tell her?
>Be honest. "I think so, yes."
>Be snarky. "Well, if I did, I wouldn't know what a Pokemon is, now would I?"
>Write-in

>>5589242
>>Be honest. "I think so, yes."

>>5589242
>Be honest. "I think so, yes."

>>5589242
>Write-in
what's the amme asia?

>>5589242
>>Be honest. "I think so, yes."

>>5589242
>Be honest. "I think so, yes."

>>5589245
>>5589246
>>5589254
>>5589256
alright, writing

File: small_village_concept.png (54 KB, 800x600)

54 KB PNG

"I-I t-think s-o-o, y-yes."

Bump bump bump. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to try and respond while still being carried down a flight of steps.

The Buneary let out a laugh, snorting a bit before quieting down. "Oh, man, sorry. I never thought i'd see the day..!"
Your carrier spoke up soon after. "Erna, be nice to the guest. He's just being honest."
The bun reacted to that, nodding fiercely and returning to a calmer tone of voice herself. "A-alright ma." She swept back to you. "Sorry... I don't even know your name. Have you got any idea yourself?"

That was a good question...
By now, the deer was back on the ground, so you could certainly answer. Think. Think...

You tried as hard as you could, stopping just short of rubbing your temples as you attempted to come up with anything, but... no. All that came to mind was a capital L, which just seemed like a cruel joke.
A sigh escaped you. "...no. No clue."

Another chuckle from 'Erna'. "Ah, alright. Shoulda guessed..."
She wandered off for a moment. "...hey, I suppose you've got no idea where this place is either, right? I should probably just tell you."

The deer paused as Erna ran forward and paused before throwing her arms wide open. "Well, welcome to Redpine Village! It's a cozy li'l place with lots of stuff to do!"
She returned to your side and began counting on her fingers. "We've got a cafe, there's a big dungeon-y forest over there, you just came from the medbay, you can... uh... you could buy stuff from the market..."
It was evident that Erna had run out of things to describe faster than she'd anticipated. Her ears perked for one last time. "Oh! You could go minin'! Not in the state you're in, though. And probably not with those noodly arms of yours."
The Buneary lifted one of your rather-limp limbs to demonstrate.

>"Hey! That hurts!"
>Don't react to the strange maneuver. Still too shocked.
>Give her an angry look, but nothing more.
>Write-in

>>5589262
>Give her an angry look, but nothing more.

>>5589262
>Write-in
Please don't touch...

>>5589262
>"That's rude"

>>5589275
>>5589279
>>5589281
three-way tie so far, will wait for a tiebreaker

>>5589292
I'll change mine to support this
>>5589279

>>5589296
alright, will do! writing

Your limbs may have been limp, but they weren't limp enough to be unusable. Upon the Buneary touching your arm, you instinctively pulled it back a bit. "Please don't touch that. It still hurts."

Erna remained as she was for a moment before retreating slightly and nodding. "Oh, uh, right. My bad, I sorta forgot." She rubbed her cheek for a moment, before you felt the deer stop again. It spoke: "Erna, dear, please open the door."
With that, the Buneary hopped forth and did as much.

It was clear that you were headed somewhere, but it was a bit hard to tell where. All you could see was a long dirt road and a big building with some chairs and tables behind you. Soon enough, those too faded as a door closed behind you.
Erna grinned and looked back to you. "Welcome to my house."
Soon after, she headed back to her mom- the deer, somehow- and had a small chat.

Before long, you found yourself sitting on an incredibly plush couch. It was soft enough that you felt like you could melt into it and fall asleep at any moment. Perfect for your aching joints.
Erna sat beside you, her feet barely touching the floor. Her mother walked by and explained the situation.

"Meditite, you're going to be staying with us from now on. I don't know for how long. Presumably until you're healthy enough to walk out of here yourself. Until then, you rest on this couch and listen to what I tell you to do. Understood?"
Despite the demands, it was clear that this mon had only the best of intentions when addressing you. Her expression remained serious even as her tone betrayed a hint of concern, and the Buneary nodding along helped add to the relaxed atmosphere.
"Understood."
-

The next few weeks flew by like nothing. The Sawsbuck, as you'd come to know her, treated you like royalty whenever possible. She'd bring you three meals every day, whatever snacks you asked for, and plenty of extra pillows or blankets if needed. Erna would occasionally stop by to talk while an Alakazam rushed around the house and sometimes told her to do chores. She'd ask so many questions in an attempt to help you remember. What was your favorite color, what was your favorite food... it was all very cozy, and made you feel all sorts of wistful. She'd even given you a nickname- Indie, after Indigo- the closest you could find to a 'favorite color'. All the niceties almost helped distract you from the existential nightmare you were currently partaking in. Almost.

-

As dawn broke on another autumn day, you could hear rapid running down the steps, eventually culminating in Erna heading over to your couch and hopping up and down with glee. "Indie, Indie! Guess what!!"

>"What?"
>You just woke up, you're too tired for this shit. Give her a few confused blinks.
>Write-in

>>5589319
>>"What?"

>>5589319
>"What?"

>>5589319
>>"What?"

File: what.png (398 KB, 1064x607)

398 KB PNG

>>5589323
>>5589325
>>5589329

>>5589319
>You just woke up, you're too tired for this shit. Give her a few confused blinks.

>>5589319
>Blink a few times. "What?"

>>5589323
>>5589325
>>5589329
>>5589331
>>5589333
alright, writing
might be my last post for today as I'm getting a bit tired lol. Will be back tomorrow morning though, I've got plenty of time then.

>>5589337
awesome. Quest is looking good!

>>5589344
(thanks man! hopefully it stays good haha)
-
Might as well give her what she wants. "What?"

That seemed to cheer the bun up even more, to the point where she was grinning from ear to ear. You could see a small pair of buck teeth shining through, Erna seemingly unashamed of their display. "Ma said I'm a-ok to take you around the village t'day!"

Huh. Of all the news you were expecting, it wasn't that. Granted, you were feeling much better by now. You could even walk just fine, and you'd gotten used to having a few less fingers and toes...
You brushed aside your blanket and sat up straight, giving Erna a grin. "Oh, that's good news! I'm willing to go if you are. Do you have anyplace in mind?"

The Buneary gave a firm nod. "Of course I do! First, we've got to go to the cafe. For breakfast. Then, I can show you around town properly, instead of just tellin' you about it while you bump around on mama's back." Her smile slowly slid into a smirk, before she motioned for you to follow her to the door.

You didn't hesitate. You could feel a stretch coming on anyways, so getting up would help your legs tenfold.
-
Upon stepping outside, you were greeted with a big blast of sunlight right off the bat. Wow, the sun was shining brightly today. Good thing it was still Autumn, so you were chilly regardless. Erna caught your attention again. "Bright, ain't it? Today's real sunny. I think it's a good sign."

Sure, it could've been. You were willing to accept anything as a good sign by now. The two of you started forward, with Erna taking a slight lead as she headed to the cafe. "I'll show you where t' go."
As she went forth, someone bumped her side. "Hey!"
A small procession of grey, muscley mon with large pillars could be seen leaving slightly faster than they'd come. All that could be heard as they continued forward was a repeated "hup! hup! hup!".

Erna grumbled a bit and explained what'd happened as she dusted herself off. "That's the Timburr trio. I think I already told you about them, right? They work in the mines..."
She huffed. "They say they're goody-two shoes, but I know for sure that one of them's real annoying. Thinks bumping and shoving is the peak of comedy. Hmph."
You could see her nose slightly upturned as she continued.

[1/2 or 3]

>>5589360
When you finally got to the cafe, you were greeted with plenty of strangers at their own tables minding their own business. The smell of sweet pastries assaulted your senses, and sounds of kitchen hubbub ran amok. Wide windows let you see plenty of things outside, while the strategic placing of tables mostly in corners helped keep the main pathway clear for the guests and waiters alike. Speaking of waiters, here came one now.

An enthusiastic ferret-looking thing greeted you with a smile. "Hey there! Welcome to Mint and Sable cafe! Would you like a drink, a pastry, or anythin' else?"
The kid was soon accompanied by another ferret, who grinned all the same but was stopped before she could say anything by the first ferret.

You ignored the display and ordered a pastry and a drink, though Erna butted in and chose specifically which drinks and pastries to have for you. Rude, but you were too hungry to object.
Both of you took your seats at a small table in the bottom-right corner and waited for your food. While there, you could overhear a conversation not far from you...

"Really? Missing? But he'd never even go there in the first place. He's so timid..."
"Yes, well, that's what I heard." *Sipppp.* "And I've heard Makuhita cries from the forest, too, I tell you. It can't be anyone else."
The first mon in the conversation gasped, not too dissimilarly to the Comfey from before. "Oh, but that's terrible! You can't be right!"

While you tried not to stare at the pair, Erna had no such reservations. Her ears twitched, both unfurled, and her mouth fell slightly agape. In no time at all, she hopped off her seat and headed over to the other table. "Hey, so, what're you talking about? Who? What?"

The small pink bird she was now talking to rolled its eyes a little and sipped its tea once more. "Oh, nothing you need be concerned about. Not at your age."
Erna became visibly offended- even if only slightly. "...i'm 17! I'm totally old enough! Tell me!"
Another scoff from the bird. "Oh, hush. You know who I'm talking about. Dennis! He's gone missing."

"Wha'?"
Erna was baffled enough that she didn't even pronounce the t. That was impressive.
"You know what missing means. Now scurry off already." The bird returned to facing the table.
"N-no, no! You've got to clarify, you can't just leave it at that!"
The Comfey butted in. "Sweetie, it's better that you don't..."
Erna cut her off. "I- well, maybe, but...!"

[2/3]

>>5589378
The living lei had a point. You decided now was a good time to chime in, as your waiter had finally slipped you your Pecha danish and Erna's Kasib tart. "Erna, our food's here."
The Buneary's ears twitched once more, and she trotted back over. Upon hopping back into her chair the bun's face could be seen painted with dismay. "Thanks, Indie."

Some silence hung over the pair for a while, before they resumed their chattering. You instead turned back to Erna. You'd heard everything, so you got straight to the point. "What was that for?"
Erna huffed back. "Well, they said someone was missing. And sure, I haven't seen who they were talking about in... a bit... and I'm a little worried." Her voice got a bit quiet as she continued.
"I want to see if they're right. I want to go into the woods and see if Dennis is in there."

>"Hold on, hold on. Back up a moment. Who's Dennis?"
>Those dark woods behind the house? You're not so sure about this. Give her a worried look.
>That doesn't sound so bad. And a walk through the woods could help you even more with getting used to this new body. "Alright, sure. Let's do it."
>Write-in
-
(will answer votes tomorrow, I'm pooped. Feel free to submit answers from now until when I wake up. Goodnight, and thanks for the questing)

>>5589381
>Those dark woods behind the house? You're not so sure about this. Give her a worried look.

>>5589360
>That doesn't sound so bad. And a walk through the woods could help you even more with getting used to this new body. "Alright, sure. Let's do it."

(Loving the flow on this quest felt something official mystery dungeon might do, Erna is a bit rash but has the heart at the right place. Keep it up anon!)

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>>5589381
>>"Hold on, hold on. Back up a moment. Who's Dennis?"
this guy

>>5589381
>>"Hold on, hold on. Back up a moment. Who's Dennis?"
who dat?

>>5589381
>That doesn't sound so bad. And a walk through the woods could help you even more with getting used to this new body. "Alright, sure. Let's do it."
We still don't know what type of mon we are right?

>>5589381
>That doesn't sound so bad. And a walk through the woods could help you even more with getting used to this new body. "Alright, sure. Let's do it."

>>5589381
>>"Hold on, hold on. Back up a moment. Who's Dennis?"
By the way, I'm liking the idea of a scruffy Buneary with a Southern accent, that sounds especially cute

>>5589610
We're a Meditite

hello, good morning!
we've currently got a tie between asking who Dennis is and going into the woods. Will wait for an answer to break it

>>5590001
damn it I keep forgetting my trip
hopefully this works now

>>5590001
just do both, i'm 90% sure we are gonna go to the woods either way

>>5590013
I might, it could work
Anyone else alright with that?

>>5590033
(You dropped your name again)
That works for me, yeah.

>>5590033
Sure, let's go with that

>>5589381
>>That doesn't sound so bad. And a walk through the woods could help you even more with getting used to this new body. "Alright, sure. Let's do it."

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sorry for the absence. family emergency
Can't promise i'll be as available as I thought- I should be, but I might disappear sometimes.
Anyways, i'm writing my post now. (Also thank you for the name reminder lol)

The woods? The ones behind your house? And who's this Dennis? You frown a smidge, not happy that Erna's jumping to so many conclusions so fast. You're not opposed to the idea of going into the woods, just a little cautious.
"Okay, hold on. First of all: who's Dennis? Why should we be saving him?"

Erna frowned a little at the revelation, as if expecting you to have known. "Dennis? Well- he's this Makuhita who hangs around town. He thinks he's super cool, but he cries at anything. The kids around here tease him about it, and..."
She put a paw to her chin. She was probably connecting the dots. "...I don't think anyone actually knows his name. The kids just call him Dennis the Dunce because they think it's funny."
Erna shrugged, and you sighed. Maybe not. Nevertheless, you felt pretty bad for the kid now. He probably ran into that forest just to escape the teasing.

You took a bite of your danish and kept speaking, ignoring the bits of food still stuck to your teeth. "That seems like good enough reason for me. We should go after him."
The Pecha melted inside your mouth, its sweet and smooth texture prompting a bit of a grin as you kept chowing down. At least that was something else to remember- you definitely had a sweet tooth.
Meanwhile, Erna chuckled, not bothering to mention why as she spoke up. "Yep, that's what I hoped you'd say. Come on now, let's get ready!" She stood on her chair, tart in hand.
It was a bit hard to ignore the crowd that display drew, but you tried your best. "Let me finish my food first."
The buneary slid back into her seat and huffed. "Okay... you've gotta eat faster, though! You're takin' too long for what all this is about."
She wasn't wrong there...
-
A little while later, the pair of you were packing your bags.

Or, to be more accurate, Erna was packing her rucksack and you were packing your small purse.
Turned out, that was the only bag she had spare. And she had the lion's share of "adventuring materials", so there was no way she was taking the bag. At least it looked good on you, according to her.

As you kept packing the few berries and sticks you thought could prove useful, your mind began to wander.

That book... why'd you see that of all things? Right before you blacked out. It wasn't like something here reminded you of it, so it was probably important...

"Hey, Indie? Are you ready?"
Erna nudged you lightly. Oh, she'd noticed you spacing out.
As you returned to to reality, you gave the Buneary a small nod and a thumbs-up, which she returned right back at you. "Alright, cool!"

With that, the bun spun in place and shouted. "MA!! WE'RE GOING TO THE FOREST! BE BACK IN A BIT!!"
And so, your Buneary caretaker let you through the door before hopping along and guiding you to the Autumnal Forest.
-

>>5590197
[QUICK META INTERLUDE TO TALK ABOUT BATTLING!]
Battling here works differently from the PMD games, or the official Pokemon ones. In this scenario, a Pokemon can choose between having its 2 normal abilities in effect at all times, or its Hidden Ability. Our partner here, Erna, has Limber- her species' Hidden Ability- so that's the only Ability she gets the benefits of. She cannot be paralyzed under any circumstances!
For Pokemon without 2 standard abilities, like our protagonist Indie, they simply get the effect of their standard one or their Hidden one. Indie, for example, only has Pure Power- which means that his Attacking stat is doubled at all times when he has the ability.

BUT, this scenario doesn't have stats or levels! It's just got a general determination of strength via in-game stats, not any hard numbers. So a tanky pokemon like Snorlax would be pretty hard to take down and take a lot of hits, but that won't rely on any numbers- just how well-executed your attacks are. How you describe attacks landing- where you aim for on your opponent's body, any clever techniques you use, etc- will play a big part in swiftly taking down stronger enemies, instead of just "big attack hurt big number better".

You can have as many moves as you'd like here. They'll only be forgotten over time if they're not used consistently, which is hard to do. Learning them is equally-as-hard of a challenge: seeing as there isn't a set level curve, how you learn attacks will depend on tutors or experimenting with existing fighting techniques. For example, to learn High Jump Kick, you could either seek someone out who knows it or try to experiment with Jump Kick if you already know it. You could also just attempt to mimic what the move sounds like to you, or how you've seen it performed by others, to try and self-teach. That might take a bit longer, but it's an equally-valid way of doing things.

Finally, all attacks have a similar chance of failure that does depend on dice, but it's a small one. Each attack has approximately a 1/7 chance of failing, but the numbers change based on the move's PP (which don't really exist in the setting, but I use them as reference for chance of failure. The amount of PP goes off of the mainline games' amount of PP, not Mystery Dungeon's). More powerful attacks like Fire Blast or Focus Blast will have a higher chance of failure. Critical hits also depend mostly on how you target the enemy. If you can find a weak point, then you'll have a higher chance of crits by hitting it. No RNG there.

>>5590200
So, to recap:
-Pokemon can either have their standard abilities or their hidden ability.
-There are no stats or levels in this scenario, things happen when they happen. I handle enemy deaths and attacks and such.
-Attack failure is the only element of RNG, where it's approximately a 1/7 chance for normal moves and a 2/5 for much more powerful moves like Fire or Focus Blast.
-You can learn new moves by either finding someone who knows a move you want that's willing to teach you, by trying to mimic it yourself, or by experimenting with an existing move you know to learn something similar.
-Be creative with move descriptions and what you can do in a fight! The more inventive you are, the easier it is to catch an enemy off-guard and take it down quicker.
Now then... let's head into the dungeon!

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Taking your first steps into Autumnal Forest sent a shiver down your spine.

You weren't exactly sure why. For all you knew, it was just a regular forest. But it made you uncomfortable.
Erna saw as much, and soon got to changing that. She peeked in front of you and grinned. "This place is pretty, isn't it?"
You gave her a nod, unsure of what else to say about it. Yeah, it... sure was.

The Buneary returned to her usual position and kept hopping along. "I sure hope it is. Ma said she found my egg nearby, and that I look as pretty as the trees do here. No matter what season it is, they're always this pretty orange-y color. I think it's neat."
A hint of hesitation entered her expression as she spoke, but by the time she finished it was long gone. Her grin had returned. "The sky's pretty different, too. Look."
She stopped and prompted you to look up.

Up there, high in the sky, the clouds seemed to swirl together. As did the sky itself. It was like a smoothie of blue and white being blended together, constantly. Intricate patterns made by the clouds would be destroyed by elegant waves of blue within less than a minute, and the clouds never seemed to remain alone for long. There was always a tendril or two of fluff intertwining, leaving, intertwining again with another cloud.
It was absolutely a sight to behold.

Erna interrupted the cloudgazing after a little bit to comment. "The sky outside'a here never looks like that. It's a shame, but at least I can always come here t' look at something pretty if I need to."

Just then, you heard rustling nearby. The noise snapped you out of your trance and you slipped into a stance, looking around to try and see what was there-
-before a purple rat jumped right at you!

Its large teeth and high-pitched squealing caught you off-guard, but you were aware enough to shake the pest off your arm before it could break skin. Now you were staring this fellow down, Erna by your side, ready to fight.
Another rat soon joined the first, and you both had enemies to take care of. Your accomplice made sure you knew: "Okay, here's the plan! Indie, you take that Rattata! I'll take care of this one! GO!"

With that, Erna charged forward to kick her rat right in the teeth. What happened next was a mystery, because you were too busy trying to figure out what to do yourself.
>What do you do?
>Punch the Rattata (1d7)
>Try to use a move. You're a Pokemon, right? You can do that stuff. (1d20)
>Write-in

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>5590156
Hope everything's going alright, QM.

>>5590210
>Try to use a move. You're a Pokemon, right? You can do that stuff. (1d20)
We're part psychic, right? What if we focus that in our punches?

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>5590210
>>Try to use a move. You're a Pokemon, right? You can do that stuff. (1d20)

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>5590210
>>Try to use a move. You're a Pokemon, right? You can do that stuff. (1d20)

ah shoot, I forgot that people'll be making multiple rolls when I suggest it lol. I guess i'll just take the highest roll each time.

>>5590212
>>5590217
>>5590240
(i'm doing better now, thank you)
This seems pretty unanimous lol. Writing

>>5590241
Might be better to suggest the action and then do the roll

>>5590247
>>5590241
This its better to select action then roll, since if someone gets a bad roll saya nat 1 nobody will pick it and if someone rolls a 20, everyone will pick it.

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>>5590247
(yeah, probably lol. I'll keep it in mind for the future, thanks!)
-
You're a Pokemon, right? Pokemon have moves. Moves hit really hard. You should try pulling off one of those.

Unsure of how to start, you decide to start concentrating really hard. Just think. You're a Meditite, you're good at kicks and punches. So you should try... that!
Or, wait- aren't you part Psychic, too? Concentrating really hard could make you use Confusion, or something! And it'd be better to catch this mon off-guard, so maybe you should do that instead.


...oh, what are you saying? There's a purple rat in front of you trying to eat you. Just do SOMETHING!
And so you do! On instinct, you thrust a fist forward and concentrate really hard, unable to choose between the two. You feel a bit of wind rush past as your hand seems to be engulfed in a colorless energy, successfully managing to pull off... something.

Erna, having already finished off her own Rattata, looks over and remarks- "Oh, hey! I didn't know you knew Pound!"
Then her focus drifts to the rat you've now thrown back into the bush it came from, its form clearly having taken some damage but not enough to go down yet.
Yet.
"Lemme help you with that!"

In no time at all, Erna dashed forward into a total blur, Quickly Attacking your enemy and definitely finishing it off for good. The mon lay on the ground, slightly crumpled. By the time you turned to see where Erna had been, she was already there again, hands on her waist. Very clearly proud of herself. "I shoulda warned you about those, sorry. Sometimes you step in here and you just get eaten by a bunch of wild people. It's no biggie, all you've gotta do is knock them out, but it gets annoying sometimes."

The Buneary put her hands behind her head as she continued forward. "Nothin' here's really that dangerous, so I dunno why those ladies back at the cafe would worry so bad, but if they heard screams... maybe something coulda gone wrong." Her expression became muted by the time she'd finished, and the Buneary looked back to make sure you were still there.

You gave her a thumbs-up in return, though something told you that wouldn't be enough to get her mind off of things.
>Just reassure her that you're still here.
>Remind her that the pair of you just won a fight together, and that whatever's around can't hurt us if it's only as strong as those things.
>Follow her train of thought. Brainstorm and discuss why Dennis could be here.
>Write-in

>>5590255
>Just reassure her that you're still here.

>>5590255
>Follow her train of thought. Brainstorm and discuss why Dennis could be here.

gonna wait for some more replies since it's a tie

>>5590255
>Follow her train of thought. Brainstorm and discuss why Dennis could be here.

>>5590255
>>Remind her that the pair of you just won a fight together, and that whatever's around can't hurt us if it's only as strong as those things.

>>5590262
>>5590282
2 for this as opposed to 1 for the others, writing!

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Well, why would Dennis be here?

You stop for a moment, trying to follow Erna's train of thought.
"Maybe Dennis ran here to escape all the teasing."

Erna stopped to look at you as you struck up the conversation. "Well... I-I mean, maybe. But the kids don't tease him that hard! They hardly lay a finger on him. Maybe he just wanted to take a walk."
Her left ear drooped as she assumed a curious pose, rubbing her chin as she continued. "I've told him how pretty this place is before, and he said he wanted to visit. He could've just followed up on that."

Then again, she'd mentioned screams before. "If the gossipers were right, he went in alone and hasn't been seen since. I'd think that if you mentioned it to him, he'd want to go with you."
Especially if he was as timid as he was said to be.

Erna's foot began to tap loudly enough for you to hear the constant thumping. "He's so nervous, though. I dunno if he'd have the courage. Even when we were talking together I had to force him to reply when I said somethin' that couldn't be answered with an easy yay or nay..."

Soon Erna noticed the thumping too, and began pacing to avoid it. "But because he's so timid, he could've been screamin' over something small. Like maybe he just got bit by a Rattata and couldn't do anythin' to it, so he had to make a scene and hope he got help!"
The Buneary stopped, seemingly settling on that as a revelation, before realizing something else. "...boy, if that's what happened, then the gossipers were jerks not to see what was happening."

She wasn't wrong, yeesh. All you did in response, however, was shrug- "They couldn't've known that's what he wanted..."

Erna seemed to agree with that. "Well, if that's what happened, then we better get to helping him quick! Trouble or not, he shouldn't be here anyways."

You nodded and followed along as Erna picked up the pace...

...until the pair of you came to a crossroads.
One path headed straight ahead. You couldn't see the end of it.
Another on the left looked a bit brighter, but you could hear some noise over there. Lots of rustling, and it sounded like some stronger wind.
And the final path, on your right, you saw what looked like a pretty normal path. There was something at the end of it, though; you could see that much. It didn't continue further into the woods. What was there looked oddly object-like, though. Maybe it was treasure?

Erna stopped at the middle of all three and glimpsed down each one. "Y'know, there's probably treasure in here. We could try and look for that on the side, if you want. We don't even know for sure whether Dennis is here or not." You could see a grin plastered on her face, but it was definitely more excited than sinister.
Hmmm.

>Which path do you take?
>Left
>Middle
>Right

>>5590343
>Right

>>5590343
>>Right

>>5590343
>right
It's probably an objectmon, but fuck it we ball

>>5590354
>>5590360
>>5590366
I forgot to mention I was writing, whoops. Well, i'm writing. Also, I'm nearly done now.

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The right path seemed like a good detour. Seeing as it had a definitive end, you could always just turn around and go the other ways.

You motioned for Erna to follow you as you headed down the path, a small smile showing your confidence.
She follows without hesitation. Actually, she sounds rather enthused.

What does that matter, though? There's something in front of you...
Slowing down to see nets you an Escape Orb, which you promptly show off to Erna.

She's dazzled by the sight. "Whoa!! That's an Orb! Dad gets those from dungeons!!"
This time, unlike last, she connects the dots rather quickly. "Oh, wait- doesn't that mean this is a dungeon?"

Both her ears unfurled and perked. The bun was on her tip-toes. "Quick, that means there might actually be danger here!!"
Was she scared? It was hard to tell, especially when she was grabbing your hand and running you back to the center. You hardly even had the time to stuff the poor orb into Erna's rucksack.

The rabbit ran until she saw the crossroads, at which point she was forced to halt once more. That rustling seemed to unnerve her, so she just stopped for the moment.
>Start heading down the right (formerly-center) path with her before she can do anything else.
>Start forwards (the formerly-left path) and prompt Erna to follow you.
>Write-in

>>5590438
>>Start heading down the right (formerly-center) path with her before she can do anything else.

>>5590438
>>Start forwards (the formerly-left path) and prompt Erna to follow you.

>>5590438
>Start heading down the right (formerly-center) path with her before she can do anything else.
The rustling was to the (formerly-left) right?

>>5590438
>Start heading down the right (formerly-center) path with her before she can do anything else.

(hey, sorry, i'm going to have to clock out early tonight
replies might slow a bit during the week for obvious reasons, but i'll try my best to at least post once a day
thanks again for sticking around so far, see you tomorrow)

>>5590438
>Start heading down the right (formerly-center) path with her before she can do anything else.

>>5590438
>>Start heading down the right (formerly-center) path with her before she can do anything else.

>>5590438
>Start heading down the right (formerly-center) path with her before she can do anything else.

>>5590439
>>5590544
>>5590560
>>5590580
>>5590804
>>5590845
relatively unanimous! writing

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You poked your head forth to see where you were going-

-oh, no. It was that path.

Without a second thought, you nabbed Erna's hand and brought her down the other path before she headed into danger. You didn't know what that rustling was and you didn't want to, either. Even if this path seemed long, it was probably safer. Yeah, probably.

With the two of you now headed down the darker path, Erna quickly regained control and huffed. "Hey! What's the big idea? I was tryin' to hurry us up 'n all! We can't just leave Dennis waiting here!"
You shot back pretty quickly, keeping your composure. "You were heading straight into danger. Or, at the very least, someplace with other Pokemon. We can't risk that if it's as danger as you think."
The buneary raised her paw to talk back, before slowly lowering it and grumbling to herself. She started skipping ahead of you instead. "At least we could see down that other one. It's gettin' so dark in here..."

...you hadn't even noticed, but she was right. The comment prompted you both to slow down and just take a look at where you were.

A stare upwards netted a darker sky, one of grey clouds and a deeper-blue sky. The tree branches had begun to intermingle into a thick canopy, and it was becoming hard to see any intricacies in the previously-visible patterns. A comment from Erna brought you back to reality.

"Indie, I think I found the stairs."

"...the what?"
You headed over. What in the world was Erna talking about?

She moved to the left to make space for you and pointed to the ground, insistent. "The stairs!"
A large gathering of roots had formed where she looked, and somehow formed the spitting image of a set of natural stairs. You couldn't see what was beneath you, nor could you make heads or tails of what this was, but Erna didn't give you time to think before she started descending.
You reached out to take her hand, to try and pull her back- but she yanked her paw back to her side and looked at you with complete bafflement. "What're you doing? These help us go deeper into dungeons! It's- it's a bit scarier," she paused, her eyes leaving yours for a moment, "but we haven't found Dennis here, we can't even hear him. We need to go down here."

You hesitated.
Erna gave you a look, her Eyes swelling to Baby-Doll proporitons. "There's no guarantee there'll be danger. And if there is, we can take care of it..."
That just made you gulp, swallowing the breath you didn't realize you'd been holding. You gave a glance back to where you'd come from. That rustling didn't seem... too bad...

>Follow Erna down the stairs.
>Convince her to turn back and check the left path first.
>Write-in

>>5591618
>>Follow Erna down the stairs.

>>5591618
>Convince her to turn back and check the left path first.
I want to explore the entire floor first

>>5591618
>Follow Erna down the stairs.

>>5591618
>>Follow Erna down the stairs.

>>5591628
>>5591651
>>5591669
3-1, writing

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...the rustling didn't seem too bad, but Erna did have a point.

Whatever that rustling was, it probably wasn't safe. But there was no guarantee that something like that would meet them at the bottom of the stairs.
You sighed and decided to follow after her. Which clearly turned out to be the better decision, seeing as she was already descending. Shoot...

-

Once the two of you touched new ground, your immediate first thought was to look back at the sky.
Which was... still there? Somehow? What...
It looked similar to how you'd seen it just before you descended the flight. A thick canopy with grey clouds and a darker atmosphere.
Lowering your head to look around, you noticed that the entire floor was now feeling the effects of that.

You and Erna stood in a large-ish clearing, with SIX paths in every direction beckoning both of you to head down either one.
Turning to your partner prompted her to squeal a bit. "Oohhh! Indie, I had no idea this was a dungeon! And i've been here so many times before! Look at how big it is, too!"
She soon turned her head to the sky, beginning to teeter a bit as her mouth went agape. "And- oh my, the sky's still here..."

Erna looked back, then around, then up again. Soon enough, she could hardly stand still, hopping in a circle and pointing out every little pathway to you. "Indie, Indie!! It's so cool!!"
This was a good time to calm her down. And as she felt your hands grip her shoulders and keep her still, Erna realized that too. Her ears perked and she slowed as she remembered what exactly you were doing. "R-right- we have to find Dennis first. Or make sure he's here. Or... whatever."

Erna soon brushed your hand off and headed closer to the path you were directly in front of to inspect it. You thought it'd be a decent idea to do the same for all the other paths...
>Go down the first path, directly in front of the stairs. It seems relatively normal, if a little brighter than the other paths.
>Go down the second path, to the right of the first. You can hear noises from inside, but you can't make out what exactly they are. The most you can make out is some kind of voice.
>Go down the third path, to the right of the second. This one seems to have something at the end of it.
>Go down the fourth path, to the right of the third. Peering down this one seems to net you two paths in one- another crossroads.
>Go down the fifth path, to the right of the fourth. Plenty of noise from this one, but none of it sounds like anything a Pokemon could make.
>Go down the sixth path, to the right of the fifth and to the left of the first. There's something here- you can't make out what. It's definitively a dead end.

>>5591702
>Go down the third path, to the right of the second. This one seems to have something at the end of it.

>>5591702
>>Go down the second path, to the right of the first. You can hear noises from inside, but you can't make out what exactly they are. The most you can make out is some kind of voice.
The voice could be Dennis?

>>5591702
>Go down the second path, to the right of the first. You can hear noises from inside, but you can't make out what exactly they are. The most you can make out is some kind of voice.

>>5591702
>>Go down the second path, to the right of the first. You can hear noises from inside, but you can't make out what exactly they are. The most you can make out is some kind of voice.

>>5591702
>Go down the second path, to the right of the first. You can hear noises from inside, but you can't make out what exactly they are. The most you can make out is some kind of voice.

>>5591702
>>Go down the fourth path, to the right of the third. Peering down this one seems to net you two paths in one- another crossroads.

>>5591702
>>Go down the second path, to the right of the first. You can hear noises from inside, but you can't make out what exactly they are. The most you can make out is some kind of voice.

>>5591702
>Go down the sixth path, to the right of the fifth and to the left of the first. There's something here- you can't make out what. It's definitively a dead end.

(going to reply later today if I have the time, the aforementioned emergency is giving me a handful and I still have work
not dead yet though, I promise!)

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>>5591712
>>5591715
>>5591904
>>5592066
>>5592343
There was a voice down the second path. It could've been Dennis', so you decided to head down there.

You made a small noise and motioned for Erna to follow you as you crept forward, headed down the second path...

The closer you got, the quieter things became. You pressed on, ignoring the strange change.

Erna, however, couldn't help but comment. "...hey, why're you going down this path? There's nothin' here."

Just as she said that, the two of you ran into a dead end.

Huh.

You looked back to her, opening your mouth to say something- and just as you did so, you spotted a small bug behind your friend.

It seemed... irritated, somehow. It was a little hard to tell, considering the default shape of its mouth, but you could swear you heard growling coming from it.

You gave Erna's shoulder a small tap. "Wha'-?"
She turned around at your behest, now meeting the small bug herself. The Buneary didn't seem to pick up on the fact that it could be dangerous. "Oh, hiii! Indie, look! It's a Sewaddle! These guys are really cute, they sometimes like t' hitch a ride on my ears. They say it helps them see better."
The bun outstretched a hand to the small bug. It stayed put.
"Just give it some time, it'll climb aboard."

Do you want to do anything?
>Intervene- push Erna's arm away and point out that the bug looks mad.
>Stretch out your own hand. Maybe it'd prefer something less hairy.
>Poke the bug. It's small and it looks funny. Maybe if you poke it hard enough, it'll fall over and won't be able to hurt you.
>Ask about the leaf. Why is a bug wearing a leaf? How is it doing that?
>Write-in.

>>5594092
>>Intervene- push Erna's arm away and point out that the bug looks mad.
put that thing back where it came from so help me

>>5594092
>Ask about the leaf. Why is a bug wearing a leaf? How is it doing that?

>>5594092
>Intervene- push Erna's arm away and point out that the bug looks mad.

>>5594092
>>Ask about the leaf. Why is a bug wearing a leaf? How is it doing that?

>>5594092
>Ask about the leaf. Why is a bug wearing a leaf? How is it doing that?
>Intervene- push Erna's arm away and point out that the bug looks mad.

>>5594092
>Ask about the leaf. Why is a bug wearing a leaf? How is it doing that?
Time to annoy him into attacking us instead

>>5594092
>Stretch out your own hand. Maybe it'd prefer something less hairy.

>>5594097
>>5594111
>>5594142
>>5594152
writing!

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While watching this display, a thought surfaced.

You glanced over to Erna. "...hey, it's wearing a leaf."
She glanced back, confused. "...yeah? That's... they do that."
The Sewaddle refused to budge.

"Well, why?" Actually, better question- "How?"

...

...

"...what?" Erna continued to stare
Now even the Sewaddle looked confused.
You elaborated. "Bugs are supposed to eat plants, but this one is wearing one like a shirt. It even has a popped collar."
For some reason, despite tracing your finger atop the rim of the Sewaddle's outfit, the bug didn't take offense and bite you.

Erna stared for a few more moments, as if watching a professional entomologist question what a butterfly is, before snorting. She opened her mouth to say something- presumably something she thought was obvious- before mulling it over. "Actually, that's a good point. Sewaddle?" She glanced to the bug in question, who looked back at her with apprehension. "Why do ya wear that thing? Isn't it supposed to be your food?"

[1/2]

>>5596373
Without skipping a beat, the bug actually began to talk back. "Well- me ma made it, o' course! It keeps me warm an' cozy, and looks very fancy!"
It seemed... proud, almost, of that fact. Despite the fact that it sounded like an eighty year-old man. "Now then, can ye tell me what you're doing in this corner o' the woods, anyways?"
And he was right back to being a bit angry. What on earth.
"We were looking for a friend of ours. His name's Dennis..." Erna chimed in, making a big circle with her hands- "He's a Makuhita, real chubby-like-" -you continued. "...sure, that. He was screaming a lot, apparently."

The Sewaddle put a small nub to its chin. "Well, I've not heard anything like that. The most i've heard has been the usual screamin', of prey an' the like. I did see a weird black-n-yeller fella with punchin' hands, though- he was somewhere around here, if you oughta know. Dunno if he's still about."
Erna was visibly impressed. "Oh, whoa! Thank you, lil' guy!" She got to her feet and motioned for you to follow her as she headed back to the center, waving goodbye to the Sewaddle while she did so.

You returned to the circle, trying to ignore processing what'd just happened. You were a Pokemon now, you just had to deal with stuff like that.
By the time you'd broken out of your brain you heard Erna calling back to you as she headed down the third path. "I'm gonna go look down here, alright Indie? Try and find somewhere else for us to go while i'm gone!"

That just leaves you right where you started, if with a little more information than before.
Where do you go now?
>Go down the first path, directly in front of the stairs. It seems relatively normal, if a little brighter than the other paths.
>Go down the fourth path, to the right of the third. Peering down this one seems to net you two paths in one- another crossroads.
>Go down the fifth path, to the right of the fourth. Plenty of noise from this one, but none of it sounds like anything a Pokemon could make.
>Go down the sixth path, to the right of the fifth and to the left of the first. There's something here- you can't make out what. It's definitively a dead end.

>>5596375
>Go down the sixth path, to the right of the fifth and to the left of the first. There's something here- you can't make out what. It's definitively a dead end.

>>5596375
>>Go down the sixth path, to the right of the fifth and to the left of the first. There's something here- you can't make out what. It's definitively a dead end.

>>5596382
>>5596420
huh, writing

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(sorry things are moving a bit slowly, I've been doing a lot of worldbuilding in the background and my priorities are split)
-
While Erna was off going down the third path, you decided to head down the sixth. You wouldn't be there for long, so you thought it a good choice.

The trek to the end of it was about as short as expected, and it didn't take you long at all to find the treasure chest lying in wait at the end.
Whoa. You were confident you'd struck it rich, and bent down to open it...

...only to be pelted by a plethora of coins, and greeted by a strange grey being!
Whatever this thing was began trying to wiggle angrily at you, attempting to look intimidating!

Unfortunately, it kind of just failed!
The being was surprisingly small. Hardly even half your height. And you were still trying to nurse off the bruises you'd gotten from it pelting coins at you.
While the lil guy started ranting in what sounded like gibberish, all you could think about was your pained cheek...

"Hey! Indie! Look what I found!"
In what felt like no time at all, Erna had returned. In her hand was a seed of some sorts. "It's a Stun Seed!"
The mon waved it around a little, slowing as she approached, before noticing the strange creature in front of you and the bruises on your cheek. Her eyes slowly panned from those to the culprit that'd created them...
...the bun's ears curled, and Erna seemed more than a little spooked. "...w-whuzzat?"

>"I have no idea, but it threw a bunch of coins at me..."
>"Treasure, clearly."
>"An asshole."
>Write-in.

>>5596562
>"I have no idea, but it threw a bunch of coins at me..."

>I've been doing a lot of worldbuilding in the background
Sweet. I'm looking forward to it.

>>5596562
>>"An asshole."
thanks for the gold kind stranger

>>5596562
"I have no idea, but it threw a bunch of coins at me..."
And nice work on the worldbuilding, QM. Excited to see it.

>>5596562
>"Treasure, clearly."

>>5596562
>"I have no idea, but it threw a bunch of coins at me..."

>>5596567
>>5596589
>>5596885
writing! and thank you haha
it might be a bit until it's clear, but i've got a lot of stuff for this now

>>5596562
>>"An asshole."

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Might as well be honest. "I don't know, but it threw a bunch of coins at me when I tried to touch it."

Erna glanced at your bruises again. "Try and stay away from it..."
You backed up a little and got on your feet again. The little grey thing was still angry and wiggling. Maybe it'd be best if you just left it alone. Your partner seemed to agree, and the pair of you soon left to the center again.

The walk back was relatively silent until Erna spoke up. "...I don't remember this place bein' so mean. Even if it's a bit deeper down, this is still the same forest. The only difference should be that it's a bit darker, right?"
Food for thought...

Wait, there was something behind you. "Indie?"
A look back-
-aaaand the grey thing had followed you into the circle. Before you could say anything, another coin smacked you right in the forehead.

Erna instantly assumed a battling stance- "Hey! What the heck?! We didn't even do anything to you!"
You decided to follow suit soon after. More gibberish came from the grey creature, and it started pelting you both with coins. Again.

>Fight back! Try and hit it with that 'Pound' thing Erna mentioned you could do earlier.
>Fight back! [Write-in how]
>Run away! Take Erna with you. Run down the first path.
>Run away! Take Erna with you. Run down the fourth path.
>Run away! Take Erna with you. Run down the fifth path.
>It's throwing money at you! Pick that shit up!
>Write-in.

>>5597080
>>Fight back! [Confusion]

>>5597080
>It's throwing money at you! Pick that shit up!
>Fight back! Try and hit it with that 'Pound' thing Erna mentioned you could do earlier.

>>5597080
>Fight back! [Confusion]
>Don't pick up that stuff!
I gave a quick look at the dex entry for these guys and trying to steal the coins apparently drains life force.

>>5597089
>>5597186
writing

Rolled 3 (1d7)

>>5597358
I forgot to roll whoops
I need to practice doing this stuff more often lol. Gotta throw Indie into some big dungeon where he's just constantly assaulted

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>>5597437
Coin after coin kept pelting your bruised cheeks. You put up your arms to try and deflect them, but that just ended up with you bruising your arms instead. Yeesh- why were these things so strong??
You needed some way to fight back. You're a Meditite- you're part Psychic, right? So you can probably do Psychic things...

How would you do that.

Maybe just... concentrate...?
You tried to see past the coins. To look directly at the weird guy in the chest. Out of the corner of your eye, you glimpsed Erna struggling against the same deal- though she did seem to dodge a bit more deftly than you had- before refocusing on the enemy...

A bit of a headache followed. Ignoring it did little to help it leave, and soon you managed to make out a purplish-pinkish glow around the enemy...
You strained a bit further, trying to force your eyes to open as your hands instinctively reached for your head, and-

BAM!

The enemy was hit with... something! The glow you saw earlier dissipated, leaving nothing but a struggling tipped-over chest flailing its arms and throwing coins up in the air... and onto its face.
The Buneary next to you was quick to mention her newfound glee. "Indie! You did it! I-I don't really know what, but you beat that thing!" She threw her arms up in the air and started running forward, throwing up a kick and sending the poor chest flying into a tree.

A toothy grin soon met you, and the Erna gave a thumbs-up. "Now we can keep on going! Thanks!"
You give on glance back to the pile of coins where the stranger once stood... and start forward.
Your partner follows soon after.

Returning to the circle once again, you realize you're running out of time. You still don't know where Dennis is, and most of what you've done so far is meander. And now you have a mild headache on top of that. Gotta think... which path looks the most promising for your goal?
>Go down the first path, the one directly in front of the stairs. It remains slightly brighter than the rest.
>Go down the fourth path, the crossroads.
>Go down the fifth path, with alien noises continuing to belch out of it.

>>5597459
>>Go down the fourth path, the crossroads.

>>5597459
>Go down the first path, the one directly in front of the stairs. It remains slightly brighter than the rest.

Gonna wait for a tiebreaker

>>5597459
>>Go down the first path, the one directly in front of the stairs. It remains slightly brighter than the rest.

>>5597467
>>5597512
alright, that works
writing

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The path Erna'd initially been looking down...
Huh. It seemed brighter than the others. Maybe that was the one?
You nudged your partner's shoulder and headed towards the first path the pair of you'd seen. You could hear her following suit soon after.

The first path was mostly uneventful. It gave you just enough of a reprieve to start thinking again after whatever you'd done back there. It looked like a Psychic attack, and it worked similarly enough to an attack... you could chalk it up to that for now.

A glance to the sky distracted your mind. It was looking a little less grey than it had before, though there was an unease to how the clouds formed. It almost seemed like they were fighting at points- sometimes one cloud would suddenly overtake another, or the two would merge in what seemed like a haphazard battle for dominance, like they were alive. Small specks of them almost seemed to battle each other, and if you listened closely a distant squawk or chirp could occasionally be made out.

...

"...Erna, are the clouds here supposed to squawk?"
Your partner stopped in place and turned back to see you looking at her with an outright poker face. Her expression was unreadable for a moment, before she remembered. "Right- you've forgotten a lot, haven't you? Those are Swablu, little birds that look like clouds! Then they grow up, and they look like even bigger birds and even bigger clouds. That's probably a flock of them that you're seein'."
She picked up the pace right after, now skipping, until-

"HEY!"

That voice didn't belong to either of you. And a quick pan around the area made sure nobody here was making that sound.
Erna's ears sprung open. "I recognize that voice! Indie, come on!!"
The two of you hurried down the stairs...

-

Once the two of you made it down the steps, you were both greeted with a rather awful sight. A huge rat held a fat-looking fighter in its claws!
Something told you that whatever the mon was, it wasn't supposed to be that big. Its eyes probably weren't supposed to be bloodshot, either.
Erna seemed tempted to agree. "Wha..."

The fighter flailed and flailed. His voice sounded desperate. "L-let me go!! Come on, I didn't even do anything t-to you!"
...was he crying?
Your partner stepped forward and assumed a fighting position, seemingly ignoring her hair standing on end, yelling down the rat like it was nothing. "Hey, stupid!! Listen to him and let him go, or I'll kick your teeth in!!"
That got its attention...

What should you do?
>Assume a fighting stance, but don't do anything just yet.
>Back Erna up and yell!
>Jump right to the "kicking your teeth in" part and try to pull an attack off.
>Write-in.

>>5597573
>>Jump right to the "kicking your teeth in" part and try to pull an attack off.
huh, totem raticate?

>>5597573
>Back Erna up and yell!

>>5597573
>>Jump right to the "kicking your teeth in" part and try to pull an attack off.

>>5597573
>Jump right to the "kicking your teeth in" part and try to pull an attack off.

>>5597573
>Back Erna up and yell!

Rolled 5 (1d7)

>>5597575
>>5597713
>>5597763
rollan

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You took one look at the Raticate's prisoner and knew what to do. With little hesitation, you backed up and thrust a kick towards the rat!
As you did so, you put in that same concentration from before, while fighting the Rattata earlier... and pulled off a clean Pound on the rat's-

-cheek.
You missed its mouth, but still managed to get that general area.
As your kick hit the opponent, you heard a squeak from behind you and to your right. But before you could make it out you felt yourself falling- and realized that you'd never landed a kick before.

A stumble and a thud followed as you tripped and fell upon hitting the dirt. It didn't take too long to get up again, but now you had a sore behind...
"Indie!! You-"
Erna rushed over and pushed you back a bit. "That was super cool, but you shouldn't be-"
Before she could finish, the rat lashed its tail in Erna's direction, sweeping her away from you and knocking her over. Once she was on the ground the tail pressed against her chest, keeping her grounded while the rat refocused its attention on you.

The vitriol in its expression couldn't even be put into words. Its glare was intense, unsettling- the only thing it could be described as is an outright Leer. Eugh.
"I-Indie, get Dennis o-" Erna tried to call over to you, only for the rat to smack her sideways.
Your heart began to race somewhat. Sheesh, Erna'd hardly been hurt by every other battle so far. Yet she'd hardly landed a hit in this one! And your kick didn't even seem to do much- the most you could see through that leer was a small bruise.

It was beginning to dawn on you that this fight was somewhat out of your league... but is that going to stop you?
>Yes!! You can't fight this thing! Go free Erna and get out of here. Getting some help from the village might make it easier.
>Yes, but maybe that doesn't matter. Talk to Dennis.
>No! Keep on fighting, even without Erna!
>No! Free your partner and keep on fighting!
>Write-in

>>5600292
>Yes!! You can't fight this thing! Go free Erna and get out of here. Getting some help from the village might make it easier.

>>5600292
>>Yes!! You can't fight this thing! Go free Erna and get out of here. Getting some help from the village might make it easier.

>>5600298
>>5600303
writing

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At least, it'll stop just you.

You gulped down your pride and ran over to Erna, forcing aside the rat's tail to free your partner- and receiving a lashing to the back in the process.
Lord, that HURT. All of a sudden it felt like blades made of air were rushing down your back, splitting your skin open- despite the fact that you weren't bleeding. "Erna, we have to go! Leave Dennis, we can't fight this!"

The Buneary looked back at you, baffled. "Whu- Indie, he's screamin'! He can't get out of this alone!"
And you nodded right back. "Yes, exactly! And neither can we! Let's go back to town and get some help!"
You yanked Erna up and pulled her after you, heading back to the stairs. As you started running up the steps, the rat let out an enraged squeal and tried to run after you. You could hear Dennis beginning to cry again as you ran, though that could wait- you knew you had to do something about this, and you were just getting weaker as time went on.

The Buneary you were bringing along began to protest as well. "Indie, we haven't got many battlers!! Only pa might be able t' help, and I don't-"
She looked back and gasped, before you yanked her up to the second floor.
-
Irritated squeaks and chitters came from the stairs, and you could hear scratches and skitters as the rat tried to climb up after you. Dennis' occasional "ouch"ing made you think he wasn't being spared as the monster tried to pursue you two.

Regardless, you kept on running. Until-
"Indie!!"
Erna dug her paws into the ground and skidded to a halt, yanking you backwards and freeing her paw from your hand. "I'm not goin' with you!"

That made you stop and turn back. "What? Erna- you'll be hurt even more! You saw how just one attack from that thing left you on the ground and vulnerable!"

Skitter skitter, scratch scratch.

"Have you seen how much Dennis's hurting? Look at him! He's been cryin' since we got there! Even before that- he tried to toughen up when we were there, didn't you see?"
Erna hardly stood still as she talked, her arms illustrating every word. Now, both her paws were coming together over her chest. "I'm beggin' you, we've got t' go back. I-"
She looked away for a moment, then lowered her voice. "I feel bad for teasin' him when I was younger. I don't know how Dennis feels right now, but I wanna make up for makin' him feel like trash when I was little."
More scratches. They were getting worryingly close. You were ready to run if needed. Erna's speech was starting to get on your nerves- there was a monster behind you two, god damn it, and she was sitting here telling you about her feelings??
"L-listen- you go back 'n get help. I'll stay here and fight off that big dummy! I can d-"

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Before she could say another word, the beast's face poked out of the staircase. TIME TO RUN.
You grabbed Erna and sped off, running as fast as your legs would let you. You could hear the raging rat in pursuit- it was right on your tail. Worse yet, Erna was loudly complaining as she seemed to bump on some things along the way. Whatever she was bumping on soon became white noise, as did everything else. You just kept running and running.
-
Eventually, you found yourself out of the dungeon.
You and Erna, outside.


And the big rat right behind you.
You had to stop, you were so winded. Erna looked visibly beaten and even more irritated. But none of that mattered as the volumnous vermin clutching Dennis burst onto the scene and immediately tried to swipe at you.
You stumbled back, just barely missing. Your first instinct was instant- "HELP!!"

Much to your surprise, that seemed to get a reaction out of plenty of villagers. You heard an explosion in noise as the quiet village soon erupted into chaos. As mon rushed past you to confront the Raticate, you saw party hats atop some of their heads and the occasional colorful flag in a hand or paw. Just your luck that you interrupted some social event.

As the enemy was swarmed by allies, you spent your time taking Erna aside. She didn't let you touch her until she could stick some weird paste on her cuts and scrapes, and even after that her eyes never left yours and were filled with irritation. But the two of you soon found someplace safe, and you felt it relevant to ask- "Are you okay?"

Erna glared back. "Do I look okay t' you?"
Her arms were crossed, her ears droopy. "I coulda done it. We coulda had him. If we just stuck around a lil' longer, we could've beaten that Raticate back like it was nothin'."
You mirrored her posture, save for the drooping ears. "Erna, I was hardly holding my own against the Rattata from earlier. There's no way we could've taken that thing on."
"Says you!" She shot back right away. "Dennis was in danger! A-and we had a Stun Seed!"
...come to think of it, you had an Escape Orb too. The guilt on your face was more than visible as you realized you could've just smashed that down there. "Oh, now you're realizin'? I showed it off t' you, you shoulda remembered!"
The bun huffed and turned away from you. "So much for impressin' the village."

...wait, what?
Your expression hardened once more. "Hold on. Impressing the village?"
A bit of Erna's anger was beginning to rub off onto you. "...Erna. You said this was about you feeling bad for teasing him. Now you're saying you wanted to impress the village?"

That seemed to hit a nerve. Her ears slowly furled as she began to compose herself. "W-well, I was trying t' make up for what I did... but I also wanted t'... t' show that I'm an adult now."
Erna avoided eye contact. She scanned the area for a moment before picking up a small pebble and fiddling with it.
Hm.
>Believe her. You can have more than one reason for doing something, after all, and there wouldn't be much reason to bring up her wanting to impress everyone while trying to get you to stay with her.
>Cross your arms and say nothing. Just give Erna a disapproving look.
>Write-in

I thought we would have run away with Dennis too, not just Erna

>>5600369
(can't really do that with Dennis being held hostage though
I made sure to specify only Erna in the post because the entire point of it is running to get help to free Dennis)

>>5600367
>You should be more clear with me next time. That's what friends do, right?
>But wouldn't throwing yourself into danger make people thing you are irresponsible instead of an adult?

>>5600375
Fair enough, that does makes sense. I assumed that the Rat had dropped Dennis while fighting Erna since talking to him was an option, but talking to him while he is still being held was possible.
By the way, are you planning on adding some kind of inventory system when we stop being less then rookie rescuers? It could help us remember what items we and our friends have.
I'm off to bed, good night.

>>5600367
>>Cross your arms and say nothing. Just give Erna a disapproving look.

>>5600367
>>5600383
+1

>>5600367
>Believe her. You can have more than one reason for doing something, after all, and there wouldn't be much reason to bring up her wanting to impress everyone while trying to get you to stay with her.

>>5600367
>>Cross your arms and say nothing. Just give Erna a disapproving look.

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>>5600426
>By the way, are you planning on adding some kind of inventory system when we stop being less then rookie rescuers? It could help us remember what items we and our friends have.
(i'm not sure, honestly; I usually prefer to keep systems light, but I'm realizing that we probably do need an omnipresent inventory of sorts or I'll be putting anyone who isn't paying 200% attention at a disadvantage. Maybe i'll just keep a list of what we have privately and then bring up inventory whenever it's relevant?)

(going to wait for a tiebreaker before writing since there's currently a tie between the write-in and crossing your arms)

>>5600367
>>5600383
Tiebreaker

>>5600383
>>5600484
>>5600891
alright, writing

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fuck I went on a worldbuilding binge again
ACTUALLY writing now
also ignore the Pure Power thing I mentioned here >>5590200, it's been retconned

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Your arms slipped into a crossed position and you gave Erna a slight frown, but dropped the act fast. She didn't sound like she was lying, just caught off-guard...

"I would think throwing yourself right at danger like that would make you look more irresponsible than adult... but it's fine." A sigh escaped you as you continued, and you sat down to be on Erna's eye level. She looked a little more relieved now. That was good... "As long as you're honest about it next time."

That prompted a full-on grin from the bun. "R-right! Next time!"
You continued, mirroring her once more. "That's what friends do."
Speaking of friends...

A glance back to the entrance of the woods netted you some horrors.
The three Timburr who'd come to assist were splayed out on the ground, thoroughly defeated. Erna's parents- or, at least, her mom- weren't faring much better either, with her Alakazam father now guarding his clearly-wounded wife against further attacks. At least he seemed unharmed.
Meanwhile, the Raticate itself was definitely injured... but Dennis remained in its clutches. The blood-red of its eyes stood out even more on a background of now-dirtied fur.

Erna peeked around your shoulder. You could practically hear her trembling as her eyes scanned the area. "...t-told you they weren't fighters..."
You looked the whole scene over again before getting on your feet and pulling Erna onto hers. "Aren't you, though?"
She seemed puzzled for a moment- before it clicked, and her ears shot up. "Wha- not now I'm not!"
Erna's foot began to tap... "You just told me how I shouldn't be fighting right now." ...and your head began to nod.
"I'm not refuting that. And clearly us fighting this thing isn't working." Your fingers felt your chin for a few moments. You had a couple of plans that didn't involve up-close combat, but whether they'd work...
...well, you couldn't find that out without trying them.

But which to try first?
>Talk to Dennis! Try and convince him to fight it himself, or find a way to wriggle out. He seems more defeated than determined to get out of there.
>Taunt the creature to come after you and tire it out through banging it into walls or other objects. Become the bullfighter you've always wanted to be.
>Write-in

>>5601542
>Taunt the creature to come after you and tire it out through banging it into walls or other objects. Become the bullfighter you've always wanted to be.
This rat is a monster. Must be Joey's.

>>5601542
>>Taunt the creature to come after you and tire it out through banging it into walls or other objects. Become the bullfighter you've always wanted to be.

>>5601542
>Taunt the creature to come after you and tire it out through banging it into walls or other objects. Become the bullfighter you've always wanted to be.

>>5601542
>>Taunt the creature to come after you and tire it out through banging it into walls or other objects. Become the bullfighter you've always wanted to be.
Can we get a piece of red cloth or something?

>>5601545
>>5601556
>>5601559
>>5601561
lmao that's pretty unanimous
writing, will see what I can do about the red cloth

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Talking to Dennis... hm. That required getting close to the Raticate, didn't it? The other plan would work better for now.

You puffed your chest out, filling your lungs, stepping forward and yelling in the Raticate's direction. "HEY! BUCK-TOOTH!"
Wow, that hurt. But you couldn't just stop- the vermin was looking your way! "YOU'RE FAT, HAIRY, AND SMELLY!!"
You didn't even know if it understood those words, but it didn't matter. You kept your head held high.
Meanwhile- "Indie, what?? Stop yellin', it'll come over here and hurt us!"
Erna pulled you over to her. The grin on your face refused to waver. "That's the idea. It'll charge over this way-" -you pointed to the thick tree behind you two- "and smack right into that thing. Then we can run over to another tree, or even the back of the mountain, and it'll tire itself out."

It was easy to see the gears shifting in Erna's head as she put the pieces together. "...but won't that hurt Dennis?"
You shook your head. "Just the opposite. If i've got it right, the Raticate will be too tired to keep clutching him that strongly, and Dennis will be able to break free. Or, at the very least, it'll be much easier for us to get him out of the rat's claws."
Speaking of rats, you could hear some loud chittering from behind you. "...aaand that's our cue!"

You snatched Erna up once more, throwing the pair of you to the side as the Raticate came running- only to hear a large THUD once you and Erna were on the ground.
A glance back confirmed it. The plan had worked, sort of! Your enemy's head could now be found buried in that tree.
Well, at least, until it was focused right back on you. Back to taunting...
...you pulled up a big red leaf as some kind of distraction before continuing. "A MASSIVE MORON LIKE YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO US. JUST COME AND TRY!"
Eugh, those buck-teeth looked gross when they shook. At least the plan was working. THUD!

Erna just watched, baffled, before she decided to join in the fun too. A little ways away from your second tree, she stood by the mountain. Soon after you could see her sticking her tongue out. "I BETCHA CAN'T EVEN TOUCH ME! YEAH? THE DUMB LI'L BUNNY YOU COULD HURT SO EASILY BACK IN THE FOREST!" And then she blew a raspberry.
Another swift dodge to the side, and another THUD- this even louder than the last. Was that blood on the rat's cheek?

It didn't matter. Your sights were set on its claw... where Dennis could be seen, struggling and struggling. You noted how he seemed to be having an easier time... just as anticipated. You could get close, now, and try to free him. But you weren't sure whether that was a good idea just yet.
>Get closer anyways- worse comes to worst, you'll try to dodge again.
>Leave it. If things go according to be plan he'll be freed soon anyways.

>>5601586
>Get closer anyways- worse comes to worst, you'll try to dodge again.

>>5601586
>Leave it. If things go according to be plan he'll be freed soon anyways.
But tell Erna to get ready to use the stun seed so Dennis has an easier time

>>5601586
>>5601603
Supporting.

>>5601603
>>5601621
will write tomorrow! goodnight for now

>>5601603
+1

>>5601603
>>5601621
>>5601760
today is yesterday if you stretch hard enough
anyways, writing

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You decided that getting close was a bit too risky. Probably a good call on your part, seeing as the vicious vermin was now rearing up on its hind legs and trying to jump at you instead of running-

Just in time. Thank god for reflexes; if you hadn't thrown yourself to the side you'd be dead meat by now.
Your immediate next impulse was to turn and see- Erna, right. You needed to let her know-

"HEY, ERNA!! I DON'T THINK YOU NEED TO YELL ANYMORE!!"
It was hard to yell while you ran but you managed. Being chased around by a Raticate probably helped keep you from tiring out. One more run around the mountain, and another loud crash from the Raticate-
A cloud of dust kicked up, your motion coming to an abrupt halt in front of your baffled friend. "Well then, whaddo I need t' do? What is it?"
The Buneary could hardly stay still. Didn't her foot hurt from that much tapping?? "Stun Seed! Get it ready! You have it, right?" -hopefully she made that out in between the pants and gasps for breath.
Erna gave several firm nods in a row. "Yep, yep!" She plucked it out and turned back to the rat. You whispered the plan in her ear, and jogged over to the wounded crowd.

It seemed like nearly the whole village was here. You could see Erna's parents- now leaning against the side of their house- that trio of Timburr now crowding around what looked like an elderly Hariyama, the Florges and Comfey from the med bay, and even those Mienfoo from the cafe. Everyone seemed about the same amount baffled as they did scared and confused. Judging from the decorations on the town's stage, they'd been... having some sort of festival before all this. That made you feel a little guilty, but didn't dissuade you from doing what you came for and trying to comfort those who'd been caught up in the mess with whatever terrible social skills you had. Eventually, however, you remembered about a certain Buneary, and looked over to see...

...Erna?
You did a double-take. All you could see was a Raticate in a twitching pile. Where was she? A light jog over to the rat's side revealed...
...her and Dennis! They were fine! And talking to each other. You couldn't make out what was being said until... "...oh, there he is! Indie, c'mere!!" A wave beckoned you over.
You did as Erna said, grinning all the while. "I did most of the work, but I can't say Indie didn' help! He did... co-ordinatin' stuff." She was puffing her chest up. Was she trying to look cooler?
"...I planned all of it and Erna helped." Aaaand the Buneary immediately began to huff. "Well- okay, fine, you did a bit of the work, but I still beat it!"
Man, she wasn't giving in. That was a bit annoying. Anyways- you stuck out a hand to greet the Makuhita the pair of you had been half-ignoring until now. "That doesn't matter. It's good to see you safe."

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Touching the Makuhita's glove prompted you to retract on instinct. It was pretty clearly snotty. Seeing Dennis' face confirmed your suspicions- he'd been bawling like a baby throughout a lot of this. Ew.
"T-thank you so much!! Ah couldn'- I could hardly touch that monster! E-even when ah punched it, a-an' ah saw it flinch, it jus' scooped me up an' wouldn't let go..." Dennis sniffled and rubbed his eyes. You felt a temptation to ask him why he was fighting it in the first place, but this was hardly the time. "T-thank you, Erna, ah thought I'd become that thing's dinner soon..."
The Makuhita waddled over to your friend and gave her a hug right after.
It would've been cute if you didn't remember why you weren't shaking Dennis' hand right now... oh well.
-
The rest of the day passed like a blur. Sawsbuck told you off for bringing the Raticate outside of the dungeon, the Mienfoo twins offered you and Erna a pair of berry tarts on the house, and Dennis was... unfortunately, still mocked. Like a lot. Erna was there to fend off anyone who tried to touch him, though, and once you got to know the mon you actually felt pretty bad for him. No mother, no school, some shitty future in a mining facility? Wow, that was a bummer of a backstory. No wonder he'd gone into the woods to get away from all that.

However, all that was irrelevant, as right now you had a larger problem to deal with.
Erna had decided screaming in your face was the best way to wake up.
Predictably, this had led to you not being awake enough to speak to her once she did so. Just as you were coming to your senses and properly recognizing that it was a new day, her speech became understandable.
"...and we'll be late! We've gotta go, right now, right now! C'monnnn!"
Uuuugh. Sometimes you wished Erna was more mature for her age. You rubbed your eyes open and sat up, giving your friend the grumpy grimace she should've expected. But didn't, apparently, since she actually backed off after that.

Once your bed was made and your morning stretching was done, you looked back to Erna.
Who'd... just been watching.
>"Hey, what gives? You woke me up by screaming at me and now you're just staring while I do my morning routine? Why?"
>"...what do you want?"
>Write-in

>>5603771
>"Hey, what gives? You woke me up by screaming at me and now you're just staring while I do my morning routine? Why?"

>>5603771
>>"...what do you want?"

>>5603771
>"Hey, what gives? You woke me up by screaming at me and now you're just staring while I do my morning routine? Why?"

>>5603771
>>"Hey, what gives? You woke me up by screaming at me and now you're just staring while I do my morning routine? Why?"

>>5603771
>"Hey, what gives? You woke me up by screaming at me and now you're just staring while I do my morning routine? Why?"

>>5603771
Get going, you don't wanna be late Bunbun.

(a family event is taking up my attention tomorrow and preparations took up most of today
Will definitely be free Sunday, but idk about Monday. Wednesday is also full. Will still try to update whenever possible, thank you for still reading!)

>>5605466
>thank you for still reading!
Thank you for writing, QM!

>>5603777
>>5603783
>>5603818
>>5603939
Forgot about laundry, had to do that. Writing now. (Also checked)

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That irked you more than you expected it to, especially given that you'd just gotten up. Usually you were too groggy to be this irritated. Then again, yesterday was... well, it wasn't usual, that was for sure.

"What gives, Erna? Why are you screaming and staring at me?" You snapped at her- though, said snap was about as threatening as a grumpy puppy growl. At least it was to Erna, seeing as the Buneary was hardly moved.
"You've been asleep for, like, three hours longer than you should! I wanted t' show you around Tumul Town, but it's nearly noon now! We've lost so much time!" Her arms crossed, her foot began to thump. The frown that followed was a given.

You needed some time to process everything, though- what was a Tumultown? Did she mean tumultuous, or tumble-down?
...the blank stare you were giving Erna as you processed it didn't register until she pointed it out. "...don't be a hypocrite, Indie. You're starin' right back at me."
A few blinks and some eye rubs later, you were (probably) back to earth. Or wherever this was. "Sorry, I was thinking. What do you mean?"

Erna caught herself, clearly about to get mad again, before clarifying. "Right, I keep forgettin' you don't know these things. Um, Tumul Town is this cool town near the base of Mount Augur. One of the biggest around! Ma goes down there all the time to get resources for the village, and pa goes there for work. I just think it's cool, so... I wanted to show you 'round." The Buneary smiled a little. The fact that you could still see some annoyance in her body language dampened its effects a bit, but at least she wasn't outright mad anymore.

...you'd nearly forgotten that you were on a mountain. One with a name that cool, no less. "Okay, well... I guess we could do that, yeah."
Erna earned a half-hearted shrug from you as you went to collect your things. That purse had come in handy, so you decided to hold onto it. It wasn't like anyone minded, and Erna seemed to think it looked funny, so there was little reason not to.