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Given how the conversation at the hotel went, something told you that Steele would do a better job asking townsfolk for opportunities to help. The fact that he didn't have Mary with him was already a huge help, nevermind his miraculous ability to get along with most people he met.

You floated the idea to him while you remained against tree bark. Steele seemed happy as ever to indulge. "Ah, good thinking! There's surely no shortage of people in need of help..."

He brought a stocky finger up to his enormous mustache. "I trust you will be elsewhere with Mary, doing something of importance?"

You nodded. "It's up t' her whether she wants t' come, but I was thinkin' of askin' around the militia. Maybe one of 'em has more experience with that mount'n where all the trouble seems t' be comin' from..."

Steele slapped you on the back hard enough to make you cough. "Well, boy, that seems like as good a plan as any!"
He rose to his feet and straightened his white bowtie while he spoke. "Best we get to it as soon as we can, then! Go easy on the leg," he motioned to the Validanis bite, "and don't get another bite if you can help it."

The busy businessman chuckled at his own half-joke, waving you goodbye and heading off into town after the two of you agreed to meet up at the hotel when you were done.

Meanwhile... you had a guard to go look for.

-----

Only the Lord knew where to start. There were so many state soldiers scattered about that you could've sworn the town was about to be attacked at any moment. You felt it, too; that air of the townsfolk fully believing it, of wanting nothing more than to run you out and never see another demon ever again...

Lucky, then, that your answer eventually came straight to you.

"HALT!! You there, with the weird..." ...the rifle pointed at your face was now waved in a general direction at the electric sheep remaining faithful to your right side... "...dangerous ram! Have you any reason to be so close to such a creature?"

He continued as you were about to answer. "You don't look like any shepherds I've seen 'round here. Answer, tell me now!"

Your hands settled on both sides of your head, palms facing the soldier. "I assure you, sir, she's got no reason t' cause any harm."

Mary bleated in protest and forced her way in front of you, giving the soldier an angry look. "Unless, of course, you intend t' hurt me."

The soldier's face drained of color. All bark and no bite. He lowered his rifle but left his brows furrowed. "I've got little reason to hurt you specifically, stranger, but you best explain what you're doin' with such a great threat to this town right now."

You adopted a straighter posture and slowly lowered your hands. "It's rather simple, officer. She's my companion, she follows me wherever I go. Couldn't tell you why," you half-lied, "but she's glued t' me like a dog to his bone."
How did Steele manage to do this with such a straight face? You cleared your throat and continued. "I-I was actually thinkin' I could ask you-- have you got any idea of where the nearest mount'n is? I've got some business to attend to there..."

The rest of your sentence was cut off by the man almost yelling in alarm. "Iron Mountain!! What-- sir, surely you're aware of exactly what you're doing?"

You didn't get to say anything before he continued. "That damned place is the entire reason my station here's been so awful! Nothin' but death 'n despair over there, I tell you..." He looked away for a moment, then whispered. "...it's about thataways," he pointed westward with his rifle, "less than an hour's walk. But don't you dare step foot past the mount'n basin. People die there, sir, and I am not about to be the cause of another death. You best be back by nighttime, too. Or I'll head over there and drag you back myself."

The man's intensity forced you to recoil somewhat. Maybe it had to do with him being so short, you wondered, or that big gun of his? You'd seen enough crazy gunmen back at home to know what they looked like.
No matter. You gave a salute. "I'll... do my best not to, sir."

With that... you headed westward.

Rolled 19 (1d100)

(rollan, not done writing yet. Will be done when I post choices.)

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The trip to Iron Mountain was shorter than you'd expected. Within what felt like an hour, you were there... at the base of the mountain, of course.

Yet, even from here, you could feel how acrid the air was. Your nostril hairs burnt if you tried to approach any closer, your hair stood on end... at times, when paired with the August sun, your skin felt like it was melting.

A considerable distance was put between you and the accursed place. It was a horrible miracle that the miners of this town were so driven that they'd work entire days there without dying from the hostility of the area. Had the town been any lazier, most of it would probably be healthy enough today to keep the place running.

Now then... you were here to search for Neofauna. You needed to find the source of all this as best you could without dying yourself and, surely, these outskirts were a good place to start. Even giving the place a lazy glance caught many anomalies that you hadn't even made out near Shenanigan's Gulch.

Huge lumps of dirt uprooting natural bushes were common. Commoner yet were entire swathes of dead flora, burnt and blackened and crippled, rotten like they'd been left to grow in only the worst soil one could imagine. Most of the rocks you could find had scratches embedded within them, their orange and beige coloring segregated by deep gashes, with tree trunks and fallen logs faring no better. The most bizarre bit of all of this, however, had to be the regular flora nearby. The berry bushes and tree saplings with hardly a scratch in sight, the blossoming flowers... the sight was unearthly beyond compare.

Where could you even start looking?

>The lumps of dirt. Most of them seem to be next to deep, DEEP holes into the earth. You'd have to find some kind of cloth to cover your mouth with, but maybe these tunnels led to some kind of poisonous vent..?

>The haphazard scratches. They look random, but maybe they could lead you to what caused them. There's an entire line of them to your left, all in a row...

>The rotten bushes and trees. There's a clear trail of death here that runs through your right. No doubt this will take you somewhere... but if the poison is potent enough to fell a fully-grown tree, you shudder to think what it would do to you.

>The odd patches of blooming wildlife. Helping the townsfolk is important, of course, so maybe some foraging for berries could help. Or maybe the source of all this lush growth could help make Redding's fields just that little bit more efficient?

>Someplace completely different. Patrol the outskirts for any kind of creature activity and clear out what you see. There's no time to delve into specifics: this is urgent.

>>6100041
How dare he misgender Mary?! But granted, she does have horns.

>>6100055
>The odd patches of blooming wildlife. Helping the townsfolk is important, of course, so maybe some foraging for berries could help. Or maybe the source of all this lush growth could help make Redding's fields just that little bit more efficient?

>>6100055
>The odd patches of blooming wildlife. Helping the townsfolk is important, of course, so maybe some foraging for berries could help. Or maybe the source of all this lush growth could help make Redding's fields just that little bit more efficient?

Happy to see another thread, QM, and with so much content to start as well. I'm excited to see where this leads next.

>>6100055
Checked.

>The odd patches of blooming wildlife. Helping the townsfolk is important, of course, so maybe some foraging for berries could help. Or maybe the source of all this lush growth could help make Redding's fields just that little bit more efficient?
Understanding why they're immune to the hazardous environment could lead to medicines or antibiotics to treat poisonings.

>>6100041
>>6100042
>>6100055
>The odd patches of blooming wildlife. Helping the townsfolk is important, of course, so maybe some foraging for berries could help. Or maybe the source of all this lush growth could help make Redding's fields just that little bit more efficient?

Yay, new thread! Let's see if Waltur can help the town just a little bit.

Honestly, it's just that I am not in the mood for killing him by walking into a poisonous mon or suffocating him in a cramped tunnel.

>>6100055
>The odd patches of blooming wildlife. Helping the townsfolk is important, of course, so maybe some foraging for berries could help. Or maybe the source of all this lush growth could help make Redding's fields just that little bit more efficient?
Shit, there's probably a bunch of Koffing around here isn't there

>>6100055
>The odd patches of blooming wildlife. Helping the townsfolk is important, of course, so maybe some foraging for berries could help. Or maybe the source of all this lush growth could help make Redding's fields just that little bit more efficient?

>>6100055
>The odd patches of blooming wildlife. Helping the townsfolk is important, of course, so maybe some foraging for berries could help. Or maybe the source of all this lush growth could help make Redding's fields just that little bit more efficient?

A poison type that can naturally inject nitrogen into the soil would be a game changer for agriculture. We’d pre-empt Fritz Haber’s work by over thirty years and revolutionize farming overnight.

>>6100155
Grimer for sure, based on rumors we've heard.

>>6100055
>The rotten bushes and trees. There's a clear trail of death here that runs through your right. No doubt this will take you somewhere... but if the poison is potent enough to fell a fully-grown tree, you shudder to think what it would do to you.
I’ll be the lone dissenting vote I guess. It’s more likely this will lead to what’s poisoning the water supply without putting us in a bad situation, unlike dropping down the holes. We’re here to study first, then fix once we know what we’re dealing with.

OP got hit by a random 3 day ban courtesy of some other chud in his ip range

>>6100696
Damn it! Anyone else who can post for him while he's appealing it or waiting it out?

>>6100696
Thanks for the heads up. That sucks.

>using the word chud without irony
That isn't helping OP's case.

>>6100696
That sucks. I guess the quest can wait a couple of days without completely dying, though.

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>>6100724

>>6100747
It's a good thing the quest's premise leaves a lot to discuss.

>>6100751
We're all playing the same character in this quest. I don't think we need individuals avatars.

>>6100751
Let’s get a discussion going to preserve the quest.

If Chud were a Pokémon, what would it be?

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>>6100781
The pond has fallen.... Millions must evolve...

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>>6100781
I suspect we may even run into these fuckers in the mine.

>>6100807
I have to ask what the hell is wrong with the Pokémon art community. Is it bipolar? Most of the art is very lighthearted and cutesy but you also have people making whatever the hell this is. What compels people do make these... bastardizations of otherwise innocent mon?

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>>6100696
Hi, it’s me, just here to confirm that this guy is not bullshitting. My home IP was banned for three days for… god knows what. Probably some different person in my range being a dick, I don’t know.

Assuming this goes through, I’ll continue posting updates daily. They’ll just be confined to specific times in different areas and I won’t have my super fancy OP formatting powers. I’ll leave the formatting in so that you get an idea of where it was supposed to be if I could insert any, but there won’t be any fancy text effects for the next three days.

After that, things should be back to normal.

>>6100065
>>6100108
>>6100121
>>6100131
>>6100155
>>6100186
>>6100213
I have a post prepped for following the blooming patch that will go up after this, so here are your (You)s. In the meantime, feel free to discuss things or vote for the quest on the suptg archives here: https://sys.4chan.org/derefer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsuptg.thisisnotatrueending.com%2Fqstarchive.html%3Ftags%3DPok%25C3%25A9pocalypse%2520Revival

I hope I’ll be able to post daily regardless of this odd hurdle. If not, oh well. I’ll be able to do so just fine come Wednesday evening, so I’m happy with that too.

Don’t let me interrupt any discussions you planned on having with that statement, haha. More than happy to see speculation fill the void. :)

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The least dangerous of all these options was also the most promising. Flourishing wildlife in such a poisonous place? That would definitely be of use to the townsfolk, whether you found the source of the poison or not.

You wasted little time in following the trail of excess flora into a small patch of woodland. The further you went into the sparse forest, the more you noticed what [i]types[/i] of flora were flourishing here.

Flowers, especially of the red and blue varieties... alongside [i]berries.[/i]

You felt a smile force its way onto your face. These weren't even the more poisonous berries you'd noticed back at Shenanigan's Gulch. These were definitely edible. Raspberries, blackberries, elderberries... or were those pokeberries? It was hard to tell. Nevertheless, the sight of enough food to feed every kid in town for a week was quite the pleasant surprise.

A rather abrupt clearing forced its way into the woodland. You ducked behind a bush to take a peek at what lay within, just in case you found yourself caught in an illusionary trap again.

There, in the middle of the sunny patch of grass, you saw... some kind of sprite.

A three-horned(!) creature, covered with some kind of leafy tunic, with roses for hands and a pair of oddly featureless legs.

Surrounding it was a trio of even odder creatures. Their heads were reminiscent of an infant flower's, yet they seemed to sprout from a second bulb as opposed to any kind of stem. They, too, had those strange legs... if you could count stumps so short to be legs. You could barely make out the small bibs and expressions they seemed to possess. Tiny faces, almost inscrutable from such a distance, with beady eyes and v-shaped smiles. Like tiny children, stuffed into artichokes and given life.

You couldn't make out much more. The creatures were so small that you feared you would step on them if you tried to enter the clearing. All you could do was watch... for now.

Acid continued to sting your nostrils alongside the brambly branches of the bush you'd bunkered behind. The constant poking and prodding at your skin was a never-ending irritance that you were willing to ignore for the sake of this analysis. You took extra care not to move your feet, aware of the thin sticks that would surely alert the strange creatures, instead focusing your entire effort on observation...

The three-pronged creature seemed to be some kind of leader. A mother, perhaps? She approached a bush and, with seemingly no effort at all, grasped a prickly branch...

Within minutes, the bush had begun to flower.

Another short slice of time left the bush littered in bright red berries, their rubbery skins reflecting the excess sunlight right at you, the small bud-creatures jumping and squeaking with surprise as their mother offered a berry to the diminutive crowd.

The scene warmed your heart in a way you couldn't describe. The best explanation you could muster was that it reminded you... of home. Of when your own mother had first shown you how to tend to plants.
How to sow their seeds, how to gather their harvest, how to appreciate the plants that remained.

You found yourself whispering thanks to the strange fae underneath your breath.

The moment was cut short at its very end, however, by an intruder.

A new face, at least three times the size of the three-pronged flower-spirit, cruel and inflamed like a bee had stung both its cheeks. The stranger's narrow eyes fronted a body not unlike a skunk's, with purple fur and an enormous bushy tail that immediately forced you to pinch your nose upon its entrance.

The new creature wasted no time in approaching the berry bush, not seeming to notice the small spirits, sniffing the fruits they'd borne with a jealous look in its eyes.

You looked around you for Mary on instinct, hoping that if something went topsy-turvy she'd be there to keep things afloat.

It then occurred to you that you had no clue where your sheepy friend was.

>Keep watching the clearing. You want to make sure the forest spirits are safe and aren't sure that this newcomer is a threat. It wouldn't hurt to do a little research on them while you could, either...

>Intervene and try to scare the stranger off. Skunks are a menace at the best of times. Who knew what would happen to this one patch of oasis if a more powerful variety were to harm these benevolent forest spirits?

>Abandon the clearing entirely and go looking for Mary. Regardless of how long this food supply could last, you need to know where your sheep is. What could you even do without her?

>Write-in.

>>6100824
Thanks for the notice, QM. Glad to see you back.

>>6100826
>Within minutes, the bush had begun to flower. Another short slice of time left the bush littered in bright red berries, their rubbery skins reflecting the excess sunlight right at you, the small bud-creatures jumping and squeaking with surprise as their mother offered a berry to the diminutive crowd.
This is the greenest fucking powder keg this side of the Rockies.

>Abandon the clearing entirely and go looking for Mary. Regardless of how long this food supply could last, you need to know where your sheep is. What could you even do without her?
She likely kept away from the stench.

>>6100829
>Keep watching the clearing. You want to make sure the forest spirits are safe and aren't sure that this newcomer is a threat. It wouldn't hurt to do a little research on them while you could, either...
We're injured and alone. We don't want to get got by some butt-faced skunk.

>>6100812
I don't know, anon, why are you in a quest where a Mareep brutally curb-stomped a Mightyena to death?

>>6100824
Sorry to hear about your luck, QM.

>>6100860
Because Mary is awesome and brings joy.

>>6100825
>>6100826
>>6100829
>Abandon the clearing entirely and go looking for Mary. Regardless of how long this food supply could last, you need to know where your sheep is. What could you even do without her?

She is our only line of defence and I don't want to bear the fact that we were blushing at some pretty berries while Mary may have gotten poisoned and killed on my conscience.

>>6100829
>Call for Mary. It should bring her towards you and attract the attention of this skunk creature. It should be enough for these fae creatures to fight or run away before it continues to eat at the bush.
I would very much like to befriend these creatures. Serving as a momentary distraction may be enough to help that cause without putting us in undue danger, and we can still track down Mary afterward.

If I’m wrong I’m wrong. It’d likely mean using a nut on mom flower and asking them to help us beat back the skunk.

>>6100696
Motherfucker, the same thing happened to me yesterday. Who's IP hopping on /b/?

>>6100846
These creatures are going to revolutionize farming.
>>6100829
>Abandon the clearing entirely and go looking for Mary. Regardless of how long this food supply could last, you need to know where your sheep is. What could you even do without her?
Bad sign.

>>6100829
>Keep watching the clearing. You want to make sure the forest spirits are safe and aren't sure that this newcomer is a threat. It wouldn't hurt to do a little research on them while you could, either...
Best not to turn our back on it.

>>6100846
>>6100876
>>6101096
We’re leaving the clearing. Writing!

As much as you were fascinated by what was happening (and wanted to protect the forest spirits in case this newcomer meant trouble)… you needed to find Mary.

Her safety was non-negotiable, and you hadn’t a clue of where she could be.

So, wincing briefly as you limped out of your hiding bush, you retraced your steps… better to look where the pair of you had been than take a shot in the dark.

Returning to the original mess near the mountain’s base netted you results rather quickly. You heard a quiet mehhh as you approached, following the noise through thinner and sicker branches scattering a scant dirt path, until you found… a strange mole.

A brown and white one, to be exact, with claws longer than your torso and blue stripes down its belly. The stranger was halfway into one of the holes you’d noticed earlier, its bleached face now turning to face you, its head tilting to the side to reveal… Mary!

You sighed relief as the sheep saw you and lit up. She seemed to have been legitimately frightened, before, her tail still high in the sky and her feet in a stance you’d only seen her in before attacks. She bounded over to you and rubbed your leg, her right horn rolling back and forth over your knee, before she turned back to the mole and gave it an irritated huff.

The mole seemed more confused by this behavior than anything, never making any moves towards the two of you or doing much more than tilting its head or trying to sniff random things. You wondered what on earth could have prompted Mary to be so peeved by it.

And you would’ve wondered further… had you not been struck by an overwhelming drowsiness soon after.
Mary seemed unaffected, but the mole was evidently hit by the exact same impulse. A sweet song rung out through the area in tandem, its melody inviting you to close your eyes as it continued on, its high notes ringing through your head, the impulse overwhelming you until…

…it was over.
In front of you lay a sleeping mole, its head now lolling onto the side of the hole, soon joined by a few more of its kind mimicking its posture outside their own small tunnels in the dirt.

You were slightly groggy at best. Mary was as energetic as ever.

The sound had come from the clearing you’d just left behind.

>Return to the clearing. It might be worth it to see what made that noise. Had the sprites sung such a song? Surely there was no way…

>Returning there could be dangerous for the both of you. You aren’t sure of the skunk’s status and that song nearly incapacitated you someplace where you’ve been having issues breathing clearly. Patrol ahead instead, opposite the direction of the clearing.

>Stay here and study the moles. They are properly asleep and you need to make sure those vents aren’t the cause of all these poisonings.

>Write-in.

>>6101285
>Return to the clearing. It might be worth it to see what made that noise. Had the sprites sung such a song? Surely there was no way…

Rosalia really stretches our mandate as a “biologist” instead of a botanist. But this may easily be the weirdest “demon” we’ve come across so far. The rest have just been “animal with ability”, this is an ambulatory plant.

>>6101285
Return to the clearing. It might be worth it to see what made that noise. Had the sprites sung such a song? Surely there was no way…

Lets see what the flower did to the skunk.

>>6101299
Oops, forgot to greentext my choice. Oh well.

>>6101291
+1
That's gotta be Grasswhistle

>>6101285
>Return to the clearing. It might be worth it to see what made that noise. Had the sprites sung such a song? Surely there was no way…

I'm >>6100860 on mobile.

>>6101285
>Return to the clearing. It might be worth it to see what made that noise. Had the sprites sung such a song? Surely there was no way…
Keep a close eye on Mary as we do so.

>>6101285
>Return to the clearing. It might be worth it to see what made that noise. Had the sprites sung such a song? Surely there was no way…
Just had a thought. Could they turn our apricots into bushes? That’d be pretty nice for restocking.

Just caught up. Fantastic quest. Keep it up QM

>>6101285
On second thought, this interaction plus the previous interactions with Skarmory (a Pokémon that is indubitably much stronger than Mareep in most other scenarios) have me thinking type advantages in this universe are pretty damn severe. I think we should keep Mary far far away from any ground-types for now to keep her safe. We were lucky this Drilbur (?) was not in the mood for a scrap.

>>6101902
But those Skarmory pecked the Heatmor's brains out

>>6101915
Exactly, and Heatmor is already a pretty strong Pokémon compared to Mareep. Mary wouldn't beat it in a one-to-one.

>>6101915
Took a whole flock, though.

>>6101921
Yeah, because its a fire type.

>>6101291
>>6101299
>>6101305
>>6101323
>>6101324
>>6101332
Unanimous yet again. We’re returning to the clearing.

>>6101902
No, part of that is just early-days jank from before I had a lot of the power scaling figured out. Types do play a decently big role, but I want to emphasize technique more than rock-paper-scissors just because it makes for much more interesting writing. The flock bit was more of a rule of cool + conservation of ninjutsu situation where she was facing a lot of weaker opponents at once (for reference: they didn’t even know any STAB yet and I tried to emphasize that in the writing) and it would be really cool if she managed to take them all down herself. Had the fight taken place a week or two later, she probably would have been more challenged.

>>6101361
Thank you.

You started towards the origin of the strange melody, Mary definitively by your side as you went.

The pair of you made no qualms about entering the clearing proper, this time, and were greeted with the sight of a sleeping skunk… and a panicking forest spirit.

One of her children was missing. You weren’t certain where it could’ve gone, but the mother’s constant attempts to lift the skunk’s tail gave you enough of a hint.

To your great surprise, the spirit was hardly alarmed by your entrance. One of her children even squeaked in your direction, seemingly deciding to approach Mary before going back on that decision halfway to her, returning to the skunk where the entire group now gathered and directing that noise towards the purple stranger instead.

You made an attempt to approach the skunk alone, your fingers pinched over your nose, but even with shielding its stench was so overpowering that you ended up having to stay a full foot away from it. Mary, too, flinched upon imitating you and instead opted to step even further back.

It took a few seconds for you to realize what pose she’d taken—

And, within a minute or so, you managed to scramble away with the nearest child before Mary [i]shocked[/i] the sleeping skunk awake.

What followed was a blurry mess that you could barely remember once it was over with.

The skunk had awoken immediately, freeing the missing child beneath its tail, and thrown itself at Mary right after.
Mary had met the force of the skunk with her head, tearing into the dirt to keep herself upright as she was pushed almost an entire league backwards, headbutting the skunk and shocking it where necessary until it began to falter.

You’d spent that time stealing the rest of the spirits away as the skunk retaliated with a plethora of stench-based attacks, each more obviously poisonous than the last, returning to the bush you’d first hid in and trying to yell out for Mary to listen to you.

Shock after smell after shock after smell infested the once-flourishing arena, the influence of the skunk soon degrading it to the same state the rest of the forest lay in, and when the constant claps of thunder and blinding flashes of light had subsided…

…you peeked your head above the bristly top of the bush to see Mary standing atop a defeated skunk.

Its eyes remained open, yet her hoof upon its side made the results clear. Mary had won.

She seemed docile, after that, gently nudging the unconscious creature aside as she made her way back to you and the spirits. To her great dismay, you recoiled at her appearance. She had brought the skunk’s smell with her.

Your eyes watered. You couldn’t stay around here much longer— the lingering poison was beginning to hurt you badly enough that you found yourself slipping in and out of clarity.

With the sprites cupped in your palms, you dashed out of the clearing and further down the trail, Mary following you soon after.

<><><><><>

You couldn’t make it all the way to Redding. You thought at first that the main issue was your aching leg, but upon finding a source of water your body made the real cause obvious.

Staring at your reflection in the vomit-laden water of the nearest pond granted you the sight of the sprites for the first time since you’d run away from the clearing.
They seemed far better off than you— given the circumstances— the mother had been clutching two of her children while a third had laid its strange bud between your thumb and palm. The only point of concern was how one of the mother’s pair seemed flatter… and perhaps a bit yellower.
They seemed surprised by your sudden stop, with the mother looking up to you with a tilted head.

You lowered your palms to the grass to let them go. The mother didn’t hesitate, taking her two children with her and motioning to the third to follow.

The third, once it had pried its bulb out from the fleshy crevasse it’d nestled it in, looked back at you for just a moment.

>Motion for it to follow the mother. It would be wrong to tear up a family like this, especially after such a harrowing event.

>Offer the little one a nutberry. You’d rather offer it to the mother, but you can’t handle four of these creatures at once and she seems eager to leave.

>>6101961
>>6101962
>>6101964
>Offer the little one a nutberry. You’d rather offer it to the mother, but you can’t handle four of these creatures at once and she seems eager to leave.

He might like :)

Although I hope we dont upset mama flower by appeasing her child....

>>6101964
>Offer the little one a nutberry. You’d rather offer it to the mother, but you can’t handle four of these creatures at once and she seems eager to leave.
I wouldn’t mind making them a recurring series of neofauna to study though. What they eat (they’re plants, but do they need unusual amounts of water? Other things we don’t expect?) and the limits of their powers would be good to know. They may even be able to clear some poisons from flora if they can make it grow that readily.

>>6101964
>Offer the little one a nutberry. You’d rather offer it to the mother, but you can’t handle four of these creatures at once and she seems eager to leave.
Ampharos and Roserade seems like the start of a good team.

>>6101964
>Offer the little one a nutberry. You’d rather offer it to the mother, but you can’t handle four of these creatures at once and she seems eager to leave.

>>6101964
>Offer the little one a nutberry. You’d rather offer it to the mother, but you can’t handle four of these creatures at once and she seems eager to leave.

>>6101964
>Motion for it to follow the mother. It would be wrong to tear up a family like this, especially after such a harrowing event

Its only right. We're not some charlatan self-appointed intellectual who gets between a family for the sake of curiosity

>>6101964
>Motion for it to follow the mother. It would be wrong to tear up a family like this, especially after such a harrowing event.
I'd really hate to separate the family, even if this is a good research opportunity and a potential boon to nutberry farming. The Rosalia looked really panicked when she was missing one of her children. If this is also a female, I'd also be worried about her competing for our attention with Mary. It would be a weird look if all the Pokemon traveling with Walter are female, anyway.

>>6101967
>>6101971
>>6101981
Budew spreads allergenic pollen every Spring. We should get him or her to evolve before then if we go through with taking the Pokemon. We're also going to need answers to Fire, Psychic, and Ice.

>>6101964
Changing vote from >>6101981 to
>Motion for it to follow the mother. It would be wrong to tear up a family like this, especially after such a harrowing event.

>>6102020
Team comps, hah! Like I’d know what I’m doing there!

But more seriously, we’ll may end up having Walter experience that pollen first-hand by accident. I have no idea if they’d evolve by spring, and I can’t see him training a pokemon like this to the same extent he’d train Mary. Not unless it shows some impressive tricks.

>>6102012
It can also be viewed as a weak kindness. The mother may have too many children to safely protect in this area, as evidenced by what happened with the child that was caught under the skunk.

But using that reason alone and taking the child away without any further meetings isn’t right either, so I do think if we offer the nut then we should go out of our way to meet back up with the mother so they can continue to socialize while we study other things. We’ll eventually move on to places here where it won’t be safe for all of them, but we don’t need to leash them by us at all times.

Unless accepting the nut turns them into an exile or something. Not my intention, but I can’t know better until it happens.

testing the waters to make sure I was unbanned

>>6102131
alright, i'm finally free!!

Okay, now it's time to deliver the bad news lol.

No entry tomorrow, i'm completely swamped. I'll put one out on Friday, but tomorrow's a no-go. I'll see you all then.

>>6102136
Take care OP

>>6102131
>>6102136
Welcome back, QM!

>>6101964
>Offer the little one a nutberry. You’d rather offer it to the mother, but you can’t handle four of these creatures at once and she seems eager to leave
To handle ground types.
Too few kids dying on our watch for a Phantump. :(

>>6102136
Don't worry about it. We're happy that you got access back.

>>6102172
IT WAS YOU.

>>6102172
We don't have proof of that yet
But ghost types may possibly exist unless all those spooky happenings were the zorua.

We should pursue a water type amphibian. California is a hellhole without a stable water source after all

>>6102144
We'll keep this thread running for the day.

>>6102342
Yes, hencewhy finding one is a job and a half. There aren't that many swamps or ponds on our route to Sacramento, are there? In the case of swamps, I don't think we will find one until we reach the east coast.

>>6101961
>>6101962
Mary is a total badass.
>>6101964
>Motion for it to follow the mother. It would be wrong to tear up a family like this, especially after such a harrowing event.
It's a cute little thing, but I'm not strong enough to tempt the bulb baby away to a perilous journey. The mother seems fond of her children and was really worried when it got itself in danger.

>>6102342
I think it was Duskull

>>6102418
I love how pokemon still have their fighting bloodlust irregardless of what they are. They all love battles no matter how peaceful they might be. A Togekiss or Audino or Blissey will still kick ass

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>the world will soon learn pic related exists
Gentlemen, we should address the elephant in the room.

>>6102528
Somewhere, a Pikachu will electrocute an indian elephant

>>6102529
>thick skin
>large body mass
How many volts would that take?

>>6102528
>Human-like Egg Group
Horrifying, but we don't share the same ancestry in this scenario unless there is a twist reveal later.
>the African slave trade gets replaced by Pokemon
This is the more-tifying possible outcome.

>>6102529
>Pyroars in Africa
>any Fire type in Africa really
God willing, this will prevent some problems we face today.

>>6102530
I think that an Ampharos would suffice, so we'll just have to wait a couple of... how fast do Pokémon evolve in this universe?

If we take the gap between date of general Pokémon appearance and the date the Mightyena evolved (about a month? idk, I cba to check this), make it longer due to Mary being a medium slow leveler in contrast to Poochyena's medium fast rate and double it because Mightyena can already appear at level 18 (!) while Mary would take until at least level 30 to evolve, plus the fact that Mary is probably in way less action due to her being with Waltur all the time...

I think she will evolve when the leaves start falling.
Do leaves even fall in the Californian autumn? I genuinely don't know, I'm too northern to comprehend Mediterranean climates.

>>6102544
That being the evolution into a Flaaffy, I can't be bothered to guesstimate the entire way up to Ampharos without any reference points for second-stage evolutions.

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>>6102528
I don't want to think about it, and I think Waltur wouldn't want to either. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, alright?
>>6102529
On the topic of elephants, I think that pokemon like Donphan, Copperajah, and Mudsdale would be revolutionary in the labor and entertainment department. Only hurdle I can think of is what kind of training would make these creatures tolerant to all of that crap. I know Mary likes us, but that's because we're nice to her too. If she didn't like us there would be no way we could stop her from leaving.
>>6102538
>spoiler
It's strange how quickly pokemon adapted to our world. I don't think they have problems with eating the fruits, vegetables, and meats that have been on this earth for much longer than them. They had to have come from somewhere, and that hypothetical place would look very much like our own.
Also, the slave trade has been formally disbanded atleast 80 years ago and Juneteenth was 20 years ago. It JUST happened though. Wonder if pokemon will affect this too.
>>6102544
I'm not sure how evolution works in this setting since the anime takes liberties with the "when" and "why" of evolution (like how Bulbasaur have a dedicated cycle of the year to evolve, and how bug type evolutions involve reaching maturity while other pokemon like pic related can be old as fuck without ever evolving). Until QM clarifies or we find out in universe, I'll take your word with a grain of salt.

>>6102538
>>6102547
>>the African slave trade gets replaced by Pokemon
>It's strange how quickly pokemon adapted to our world.
The first and partly the second got brought up in the last thread iirc. For the second of these, I think lower cost and complexity of infrastructure as well as a less specialized job economy plays a big role. This quest would be a lot more chaotic if it took place in the modern era.

>>6102547
>We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, alright?
No, Walter's going to cross that bridge. He's going to have to put a stop to at least one instance of it and he'll have the trauma from seeing it firsthand.

>pokemon like Donphan, Copperajah, and Mudsdale would be revolutionary in the labor and entertainment department. Only hurdle I can think of is what kind of training would make these creatures tolerant to all of that crap.
People will learn very quickly, the easy or hard way depending on the person, that Pokemon would only be as willing to work with you as much as they like you or another Pokemon keeps them in place. This would mean that slave labor would be conducted by "weaker" first evolution Pokemon and overseen by stronger, more evolved ones. Of course, matters like trafficking are exceptions which I would not want to discuss to great depth in this thread.

>Also, the slave trade has been formally disbanded atleast 80 years ago and Juneteenth was 20 years ago.
That unfortunately doesn't stop anything, even today.

>They had to have come from somewhere, and that hypothetical place would look very much like our own.
Man, the day Walter finds a Pokemon that can talk...

>>6102538
>the spoiler
There was a book in DPP about this.

>Sinnoh Folk Story 3: There once were Pokémon that became very close to humans. There once were humans and Pokémon that ate together at the same table. It was a time when there existed no differences to distinguish the two.
In the first line, the literal translation states that people and Pokemon once married each other.

>>6102574
That's also continued in PLA where in a sidequest there's a Froslass with two Snorunt who she had with a traveler, which is literally just a common yuki onna myth

>>6102574
Let's hope our beloved QM does not go for the canonization of these back-door shenanigans.

No really, there are already enough dubious quests out there as is. We don't need another one.

>>6102565
>This would mean that slave labor would be conducted by "weaker" first evolution Pokemon and overseen by stronger, more evolved ones.
I was thinking less "prison rules" and more like psychological circus torture. You have to break an elephant's spirit before you make it stand on two legs. Pokemon and wild animals alike can really fuck up a human being if they wanted to, so the first thing to do is condition them to not fight back. I don't think a ringmaster would be above using OTHER pokemon to inflict that torment, though.
>>6102574
>>6102577
>>6102580
It'll probably happen as a minor footnote in Waltur's journey, hearing rumors at the old bar or whatever

>>6102580
>>6102590
When Pokemon civil rights inevitably get brought up decades from the quest's time as talked about last thread, this will become a much more frequent topic. As far as Walter's lifespan and the scope of this quest are concerned, however, it probably will only go as far as bar rumors, keeping someone's heavily implied secret, or rescuing someone's Pokemon from a sick fuck. I will be very, very upset toward the QM if it turns out leaving the Zorua pack with the pastor was a terrible mistake.

>>6102590
>I was thinking less "prison rules" and more like psychological circus torture. You have to break an elephant's spirit before you make it stand on two legs. Pokemon and wild animals alike can really fuck up a human being if they wanted to, so the first thing to do is condition them to not fight back. I don't think a ringmaster would be above using OTHER pokemon to inflict that torment, though.
A dubious silver lining is that human slave labor might truly disappear, although the reasons are far less than comforting.

>>6102590
I remember an episode of Top Gear that was filmed in some South American country.

Jeremy was appalled to hear that “a sheep is everyone’s first girlfriend” from a local.

Also think of how many drones have filmed ISIS fighters raping donkeys.

This is definitely going to become a problem, humans in the real world are far more… complicated… than our fictional counterparts.

>>6102528
Like this guy, self-snitching. Please have a BONK for your efforts.

>>6102675
>Jeremy was appalled to hear that “a sheep is everyone’s first girlfriend” from a local.
Don't say that to Walter, kek.

>>6102686
Shit, I didn’t even think of that.

I hope Walter never goes to Wales.

>>6102720
I think naval transport will be paralyzed until at least 1885 because of the aggressive water-types that roam the oceans now. Think about the impact a Sharpedo would have on a semi-early steamship or worse, sailing vessel...

That will be a delight when Waltur wants to see the old world.

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>>6102675
>This is definitely going to become a problem, humans in the real world are far more… complicated… than our fictional counterparts.
"Sinnoh's Folklore: Part 3"

"There once were people who married Pokémon. There once were Pokémon who married people. This was a normal thing because long ago, people and Pokémon were the same."

Bright side for Mareep 'hsubandry' is that it's probably not possible with that Static ability they've got.

>>6102730
What if all the legendaries exist now? When are Kyogre and Groudon going to start fighting? What the fuck is Arceus (the QM manifest in the setting? the sole meta character in the know?) doing? Are the Tapus spawned in random places across the globe and all 4 have been mysteriously compelled to travel to Hawaii? Where is Mewtwo hidden if Mew is still on an island in South America? Is Regigigas actually towing islands or large landmasses somewhere? Is one of the Lake Trio in one of the Great Lakes of North America? Shit like the Eon duo and the the legendary birds and dogs and some others must be travelling worldwide

>>6102574
>>6102810
That one book in Canalave City is cited so often online here for the reason you'd expect, and used in the circles you'd expect also for the reasons you'd expect.
Glaceon and Lopunny are going to be in a very strange role somewhere

>>6102833
My instinct is that Arceus might be behind all this, but that Mewtwo and other explicitly manmade Pokemon may or may not exist. if they do, it will be a sort of confirmation that there is an entire parallel Pokemon/human world out there, since no human in THIS world made them.

>>6102857
>random Porygon floating in ponds like real ducks
>random Klink in factories
>other objectmons where appropriate
What I wanna know is where the fuck are the Ultra Beasts?

>>6102867
Oddly, I don't think Klink is actually manmade. We already know Magnemite exist from what the townsfolk told us, too.

>>6102874
I know there's gotta be Nosepass and Probopass in mountains with tons of iron and especially lodestones in them. As it stands Walter cannot do anything to Ground types like that one Onix if we ever come across any.

>>6102867
I think that the more outlandish pokemon like Ultra Beasts, some legendaries, and the headaches that are Paradox Pokemon don't exist here.

>>6102875
It'd be a little funny if Walter finds a Ferroseed and we leave the Budew here. The Pokemon would just be sitting on his shoulder or resting against his back until it evolves, acting like a shoulder turret or grappling hook for our Neofauna enthusiast.

>>6102867
>>6102901
Ultra Beats in particular are probably just in Ultra Space. They're not even really Pokemon, after all.

>>6102901
Sure hope they don't. It's more fun that way.

I'm finally free to write.

Tallying the votes, we have...
>>6101967
>>6101971
>>6101985
>>6101987
Four for bringing it with us,

>>6102012
>>6102020
>>6102026
>>6102418
Four for leaving it.

I'll get to writing. I have something in mind for the tie.

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>>6102172
>>6103397
Shit, nevermind, I forgot to count one vote. That means 5 for offering a nutberry. Rewriting...

>>6103417
At some point I’d love to hear the story behind that pic from the artist, but I know I never will.

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>>6103445
I think it'a just a Pokémonified Spongebob gag.

>>6103445
>>6103448
Patrick Starmie being a retard

>>6103448
>>6103456
Thanks! I was a CN kid instead of Nick, so I missed the joke.

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Through the groggy soup of thoughts polluting your brain ran a single throughline.

You wouldn't be able to sleep with yourself tonight if you let a research opportunity like this one just pass you by.

Before you knew it, you'd slipped your free hand into your pant pocket and offered the little guy a nutberry. The strange nut... fruit? Plant felt softer in your hand than you'd recalled it feeling last. No matter.

The small green stranger seemed more than charmed by the offer, rubbing itself against the berry like it had made a friend. It occurred to you that it might not view a fellow plant as some kind of food.

A strange kind of trill pulled your sight away from the small scene in your palm.

The creature's mother was getting impatient. The other two kids seemed nonchalant about it, the wilting one especially unconcerned, but there was distinct worry in the three-pronged plant's eyes. Enough to tug at your heartstrings a little. Lord, this odd neofauna was good at doing that, wasn't it?

You lowered your palm to let the nutberry's new friend return to its mother if it wanted to. Eventually, after a prolonged session of it trying to make friends, the verdant sprout rolled the berry off your palm and returned to its mother. It gave you a look of awe... before it was shuffled away by its shaken mother.

Mary returned to your side as the group departed and you felt yourself slump down next to her.

Looking at the sky was enough to give you a headache. It was time to head back to Redding.

<><><><><>

The pair of you crawled into town like a cripple and his favorite crutch, Mary constantly leading the way as your head spun. It took another stop to a deep hole in the road to relieve you of the sickness you'd been saddled with.

Steele was by your side not a moment later. How he spotted you in such a comparatively crowded town was a miracle that you dared not question. The jolly middle-aged businessman seemed chipper as ever despite your obvious state. "Walter! It's good to finally see you!"

He glanced at your leg and returned to your eyes satisfied. "Absent of another bite, I see. Good, good." Another slap on your back made you thankful that you'd thrown up the last of that poison eariler. "Whatever else ails you will surely pass in time. I have plentiful amounts of good news to deliver, after all! That'll expedite the process, surely."

You considered that it might after hearing what he had to say.

He'd met "many a helpful fellow, all of whom I'm sure you'd love to meet," who didn't hesitate to explain as much as they could.

On July ninth, around the same date as Shenanigan Gulch's incidents, the town had been assailed by Khrysómallon alongside many different species, all of which were new to the townsfolk. Small metal orbs descended from the mountains alongside many skunks of the same kind you'd seen earlier. Steele had gathered reports, too, of many others. "It's never consistent, you see. Everyone saw something else. I just felt it necessary to list them all since you seem so curious..."
Three-pronged purple salamanders had shocked people like the Khrysómallon. Rocks came alive, huge rats with red and yellow eyes began scaring children at night. Steel ants had been among the skunks. Or, maybe, those long-clawed moles. Something had gone and dug holes like the one you'd thrown up in earlier.

Those holes had torn up the rails, alongside the metal-eaters you had expected to be the root cause of it, forcing the town's imports to a halt and keeping the food supply restricted to their local farms which, Steele assured you, "have the entire healthy half of the population working on them."

Despite this, he went on to describe how various businesses were pleased to hear that he was soliciting assistance. The general store had lost its main cashier, the fire station was struggling to find a steady source of water for use with its hoses, the papers were lagging behind, the carriages in and out of town didn't have enough people riding them.

It was obvious that you couldn't help with all of that. Even with Steele's help, you'd be lucky to fix even one of these issues.

Maybe you could think of some way to do your best regardless of all that.

>Try to gather the town and sort things out managerially. Assign people to roles and hope that they'll listen to you. Mary could help with a show of force if you ever feel the need to make people listen.

>Focus on one specific thing you might be able to make right by the time you leave [which one? Write it in].

>Prioritize informing people of what might be causing the poisoning and spread as much awareness about how toxic the mountain is over anything else. The skunks were strong enough to cripple bushes with a few counterattacks. It was easy to guess what an entire throng of them would do to a series of cramped, deep mines.

>No, actually, you need rest. You have no obligation to help these people and any desire to do the right thing is outweighed by your heavy head and aching leg. [Will open a brief sub-vote]

>You have a greater issue standing right by your side right now. Mary attacked that skunk with little reason and treated it brutally. You need to focus on curbing that kind of aggression before it gets you in trouble later down the line.

>Write-in.

--------------
(Small interjection at the end of this story post to clarify that I am not ignoring the recruitment vote. I just have other plans for the little guy that may come into play later. :) Also, I am dead fucking tired and didn't proofrread any of this, so I hope it's still coherent lol. Lemme know if anything is hard to understand and I'll be happy to elaborate.)

>>6103502
Whew, dodged a bullet there. Enjoy the newfound meme knowledge.

>>6103574
I have a feeling our little friend is going to start growing nutberries in the forest.

>>6103580
>You have a greater issue standing right by your side right now. Mary attacked that skunk with little reason and treated it brutally. You need to focus on curbing that kind of aggression before it gets you in trouble later down the line.
It's about time we taught her a few commands and key words.

>>6103611
+1

>>6103580
>Focus on one specific thing you might be able to make right by the time you leave
Farming. We could try to find a way to tame those flower-creatures we met, or at least encourage them to live in or around the cropfields.

>>6103580

>Prioritize informing people of what might be causing the poisoning and spread as much awareness about how toxic the mountain is over anything else. The skunks were strong enough to cripple bushes with a few counterattacks. It was easy to guess what an entire throng of them would do to a series of cramped, deep mines.

Health takes priority. Possible extremely toxic areas need to be known about fast, or there might not be a town to help in a week. Being even a little sick from the poison type pokemon could lead to even more sickness spreading through contact and poor sanitization. You can only burn through so much medication before you're eventually just left to die. It was extremely common before the US streamlined medical tech and transportation.

>You have a greater issue standing right by your side right now. Mary attacked that skunk with little reason and treated it brutally. You need to focus on curbing that kind of aggression before it gets you in trouble later down the line.

We need boundaries set. If we ever meet someone who's managed to tame a pokemon and isn't meaning us any harm, we don't need her blasting them to death with lightning. Also the sooner we have confirmation we CAN teach her to behave, the sooner we can convince others that taking is possible.

>>6103580
>>6103611
I support >>6103637 as well, if possible.

>>6103615
The one thing that worries me about that is either the Pokemon becoming trapped or people killing themselves trying to do so. Unless we get people to really understand that happy and healthy plant Pokemon lead to better yields beforehand, this could create more problems.

>>6103612
>>6103580
Same as what >>6103642 said about supporting >>6103637

>>6103580
I support >>6103637

>>6103574
>>6103576
>>6103580
>Prioritize informing people of what might be causing the poisoning and spread as much awareness about how toxic the mountain is over anything else. The skunks were strong enough to cripple bushes with a few counterattacks. It was easy to guess what an entire throng of them would do to a series of cramped, deep mines.

People, people. This mine is clearly dangerous, so stay inside your homes with your lead pipes and mercury-filled mining supplies!

>>6103580
>Try to gather the town and sort things out managerially. Assign people to roles and hope that they'll listen to you. Mary could help with a show of force if you ever feel the need to make people listen.
Most importantly, Steele should be the one to do this. He’s better at getting people to open up, and I’d trust him to solve what he can while we’re here. That said, we can be available if he knows there’s a group that’ll be troublesome.

For us, I’d say
>Prioritize helping the papers in exchange for making copies of a simplified set of your own notes.
We (Steele and us) can hand out what we have so people know what to expect from Neofauna in the area, and we can both use the opportunity to speak about the poison and bush-growing plant Neofauna more specifically.

We’re best as an educator. May as well auto-assign that role to us whenever we work with Steele to improve a town.

>>6103580
>Prioritize informing people of what might be causing the poisoning and spread as much awareness about how toxic the mountain is over anything else. The skunks were strong enough to cripple bushes with a few counterattacks. It was easy to guess what an entire throng of them would do to a series of cramped, deep mines.

>You have a greater issue standing right by your side right now. Mary attacked that skunk with little reason and treated it brutally. You need to focus on curbing that kind of aggression before it gets you in trouble later down the line.

>>6103902
We should try challenging her battle-lust first, as we have never really objected to her going into a fight before. It is something to keep an eye on though, this little sheep has some serious blood on her hooves.

>>6103611
>>6103612
>>6103637
>>6103642
>>6103651
>>6103707
>>6103710
>>6103809
>>6103902
Alright, the vast majority want to deal with Mary and inform the town. I'll try to sort this out and make an entry today. No guarantees I'll post this evening instead of tomorrow morning, due to circumstances out of my control, but I'll do my best to deliver.

Hearing about the papers gave you an idea.

It wasn't until you were knocking on their creaky oaken door that you felt the need to divulge exactly what it was to Steele.

Your entrance was greeted with some suspicion, so you had to state your purpose. "I had a story you could run, 'n some important news t' deliver."

What exactly you had to deliver was whispered to Steele before the door opened and you were greeted with a beat-up kid giving you a suspicious glare. "Sheep stays outside."

Mary huffed an objection that was promptly ignored. You gave her an apologetic look, but you really weren't in a state to argue. The moment you limped inside the door was shut behind you.

The office was small, cozy. Most of it seemed to be made of the same oaken wood as the door and was draped in midday light wherever you looked. The large windows lacked curtains, after all, and seemed almost as large as the messy shelves littering the large room.

"List'n, stranger... we're interested in what you've got t' say, but it better be worth somethin'. We're itchin' for anythin' t' cheer the townsfolk up, y'hear?"

You gave the tired, lanky man across from you a small smile. "Then I'm happy to provide."

Instead of explaining the source of the poisonings in the mountain, you began with the good news about the forest sprite and her children. You placed special emphasis on how she was able to grow berries in minutes, your tone growing more dramatic as the man's face lit up, and the fact that they were very close to town.

"Well now... that's quite the story, partner..." The man massaged his chin as he listened into it. "But, I've gotta say, ah hesitate t' believe it."
He paused, considering something, before continuing. "I'll print it, but I ain't doin' it in certain terms 'til yah bring me some proof."

That dampened the mood a little. "I'll try my best, but I can't guarantee much..."

The raised eyebrow he responded with was soon lowered as you went on. "See, I saw these critters near the base of the mountain. I couldn't stay long; it was too poisonous. These large purple skunks were the cause, I believe, an' I came t' warn you about them."

The newsman's arms began to cross. You continued. "You wanted good news first, so ah obliged... but I think this warnin's more important."

He shook his head. "...ah find it hard t' disagree with that. Come, now, gimme that pen. Ah'll get this down for the rest'f the crew."

You obliged.

<><><><><>

Steele could barely talk through the tower of fliers in front of his mustache. "Walter, you're certain we need this many?"

You could barely nod back through your own. "How else are we gonna tell the town 'bout all this before t'morrow? We need all this info out as soon as we can get it... the papers aren't gonna be fast enough, they told us themselves."

Some townspeople snickered as the pair of you waddled around like blind penguins. An unwarranted baah from Mary shut them up pretty fast, but did little to make you look less funny. It was only when the two of you found a suitably empty wall to start hammering posters into that you started looking more normal again.

From sunset to sundown, all you two did was go around and hammer in some rather basic posters. Underneath a hasty lithograph of a fearsome skunk creature:

CAUSE OF MINE POISONING IDENTIFIED!! STAY AWAY FROM IRON MOUNTAIN...

If you or your loved ones plan on taking a wonderful excursion to scenic Iron Mountain... reconsider!! Beastly things such as these terrorize its base, and there are no doubt stranger dangers upon the great peak itself!

Beneath this was a picnicking woman, drawn in red pencil, setting a meal atop a checkered blanket for her infant child and husband while an exaggerated drawing of the skunk lurked in the bacckground.

Do not endanger your family, do not endanger your friends! Redding clinic already runs Red with Redding Blood... do you want to be next?

You were somewhat regretting letting Steele write these. The wording seemed more hyperbolic than informative. It got the job done, however, so you couldn't bring yourself to question it... yet.

Thomas, on the other hand, was proudly admiring your work. "Splendid! The town will be much safer with these around!"

His bushy mustache was turned upwards once again. "Thanks to you, boy, that clinic will be free of queues in no time." Another "pat" on the back followed, then a readjustment of his tie. "Now, there's plenty of rest to be had back at the inn..."

"I've got other plans." You caught yourself staring at Mary, not realizing you'd cut him off.

"Sorry?" The man made of money inquired.

"...I've got some trainin' t' do with Mary."

"Whatever for? She's been rather well-behaved, has she not?"

Steele's expression soured as he saw you clicking your lips. "...what has she done to require such 'training' at this time of day? Both of you are surely exhausted."

You shook your head. "It's like the pamphlets, Steele. This can't wait."

Crouching down to your inhuman companion got you thinking while Thomas kept talking. "Walter, reconsider. We will be leaving the day after next and you need your rest."

...

No, you have to fix this. If Mary lashes out like that at another wild creature, it could land you in even deeper trouble than you'd just escaped.

>Spend most of your evening training her to attack:

>Verbally, in English. She needs to be able to follow your every command whenever you wish her to and you can't risk forgetting words at crucial moments.

>Verbally, with some kind of secret code. It would be harder to remember, but if you used some kind of secret code language with her then it would be harder for others to understand what you might do next.

>Physically. Tie her attacks to certain gestures you make with your hands or body so that language isn't an issue at all.

>Some other way. [Write-in]

>>6104621
>>6104622
>>6104623
>Verbally, with some kind of secret code. It would be harder to remember, but if you used some kind of secret code language with her then it would be harder for others to understand what you might do next.

She won't need to see us, so we can command her from around corners, but our command would also be unknown to the enemy.

>>6104623
>Verbally, with some kind of secret code. It would be harder to remember, but if you used some kind of secret code language with her then it would be harder for others to understand what you might do next.

>>6104623
>Verbally, in English. She needs to be able to follow your every command whenever you wish her to and you can't risk forgetting words at crucial moments.
After all, it's not like we expect to be loosing her on other people.

>>6104623
>Verbally, in English. She needs to be able to follow your every command whenever you wish her to and you can't risk forgetting words at crucial moments.
We're no soldier or autistic operator. Walter's just a normal pokemon researcher. Stick to the regular "Mareep, use Thundershock!" and call it a day, jeez
I like how you gave it Odor Sleuth even though Mareep line can't learn that. It reminds me a lot of romhacks and fangames revamping the movepools of pokemon to be less retarded, because it's established that the people who play the games know them better than GameFreak ever bothers to

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>>6104724
>I like how you gave it Odor Sleuth even though Mareep line can't learn that.
I'm going to be honest: I have no idea what you're talking about. Can you point to what made you think as much?

>>6104735
The "have Mary smell the shoe trail" thing. Though I might have been overthinking it

>>6104747
Yeah, sorry, you're just overthinking it lol. I'm just going off of a regular sheep's great senses of smell for that. They're pretty great sniffers. I'll probably play around with movesets a bit regardless due to Dexit fucking up all the standards, but when I do it'll be pretty obviously communicated. I already tend to describe move use by just including move names into descriptions, so if it's something new I'll almost certainly do that.

>>6104760
Thanks OP, your quest is cool. Have you played 4chan's and /vp/'s hit romhack Pokemon Clover?

>>6104623
>Verbally, in English. She needs to be able to follow your every command whenever you wish her to and you can't risk forgetting words at crucial moments.
Just like dog training. A simple "Mary, Sit." is enough for me. And code words imply we'll be siccing her on things that understand the inner workings of human speech, which are human beings. I can't say I approve of that.

>>6104762
Thanks man, you are too. No, actually. I've been meaning to get around to it for ages, but I think my aversion to competitive play is putting me off of it. That and the eternal wait for 1.4.

>>6104791
You don't need to be competitive play to play Clover, dude. Also it's not gonna be 1.4 but 2.0 if word is correct

>>6104623
>Verbally, in English. She needs to be able to follow your every command whenever you wish her to and you can't risk forgetting words at crucial moments.
But
>Train her to use her most powerful attack with a code word or whistle. You can’t confuse it for anything else if there’s only one to keep track of.

We can keep one secret move easily enough.

>>6104704
>>6104724
>>6104767
>>6104881
Mary's getting taught in English!

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Cold wind caressed your sleepy cheeks as you forced yourself awake for the third time that hour.

"Mary! Shock it!"

A loud BZZT cut through the clearing, your sheepy friend setting fire to a bush with her signature bolt of lightning. You rushed to put it out (and patted yourself on the back for doing this so closely to a pond) before giving Mary a scratch underneath the chin. "Good job, girl." She gave a contented bleat and sat herself down so that you could scratch that one bit before her wool began a little more easily.

Steele's disapproval briefly returned to your thoughts as you stared into Mary's delighted eyes. "You need your rest."
Giving up that rest for this was worth it. Mary's training had been progressing smoothly, even if you were only barely staying awake for a lot of it...

While you scratched her, you caught some movement out of the corner of your eye.

A small nutberry... rolling itself?

Recognition struck you. Your hand abandoned Mary's chin, much to the sheep's dismay, and joined the rest of you in creeping closer to the mysterious occurrence. The grass beneath you gave way to a small dirt trail being blazed by...

...none other than the small budding creature you'd seen earlier in the day.

Alone.

Or so you thought!

It wasn't long before a loud SWOOSH from above you disproved that notion, forcing your hair into disarray and your sheep to jump forward and prep for defensive maneuvers. The small creature from before fell upon the nutberry, rolling it next to Mary's hoof... and catching the attention of a large bird, somewhat reminiscent of the flocks you'd seen flying above you on your way here.

A large curly crest adorned its black-and-white forehead, with the strange bird letting out a long trill and focusing its sight on that nutberry while you took in its appearance. It conveniently ignored the fact that the sprite's child had run over to protect its treasure, standing... in the way of the feathered stranger, very much determined to protect the nutberry before itself.

The bird's wings were spread wide. Its head was lowered, its legs sliding into a crouch.

Mary's tail was already being raised.

The point of this training session was to keep her impulses under control. Wouldn't prompting her to fight undermine that?

Did you have a choice when something was in danger?

>Yes. Scoop up the nutberry and the little plant like you did before and run.

>No. Command Mary to fight, but make sure that she only does so on your word. If you let her fight without her being commanded to, she might keep starting fights.

>>6105245
>No. Command Mary to fight, but make sure that she only does so on your word. If you let her fight without her being commanded to, she might keep starting fights.

I'm tired of running from everything. This Budew needs our help, god damnit.

>>6105245
>No. Command Mary to fight, but make sure that she only does so on your word. If you let her fight without her being commanded to, she might keep starting fights.

>>6105246
+1
Even researchers are trainers

>>6105245
>No. Command Mary to fight, but make sure that she only does so on your word. If you let her fight without her being commanded to, she might keep starting fights.

>>6105245
>No. Command Mary to fight, but make sure that she only does so on your word. If you let her fight without her being commanded to, she might keep starting fights.
It's the final evolution of that one star-inspired bird Pokemon. If it wasn't a Flying type, I would have voted to run.

>>6105245
>No. Command Mary to fight, but make sure that she only does so on your word. If you let her fight without her being commanded to, she might keep starting fights.
We can take the sheep out of the fight, but you can't take the fight out of the sheep. I think it would be a better idea to understand Mary's natural instincts and deal with them in a constructive manner

>>6105276
Yeah it's a Staravia

>>6105246
>>6105267
>>6105273
>>6105275
>>6105276
>>6105284
Unanimous vote for not being a coward, wooo!

sorry for the delay, got hit with something random. Writing now

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No, you didn't.

You split your attention between the assailant and its victim. A flash of fear crossed the small bud's face, the bird getting closer and closer until--

BZZT

Mary charged in front of the bird, taking its beak straight into her side. You saw a flash of pain cross her face as the beak struck true, almost parting the sheep's wool in twain to draw a bit of blood in her side. Something flashed in your throat as you realized that the sprite's child would have been skewered by such a maneuver.

Without skipping a beat, the bird gathered a current of wind around its right wing and drew itself up to its full height, fanning the gust-laden wing out to a width almost Mary's entire length long, and, just as it was about to hit your friend once again--

There! There was your chance!

"Mary, TACKLE!"

Your voice cracked as the words fled your mouth. Some kind of shared catharsis struck the two of you as the bird hit the ground, Mary's bleeding side now free of its beak, the small bud still safe and in sight.

The bird got back on its feet, missiles in its sockets with intent to fire directed squarely at that tiny sprite. It wasn't Mary that it wanted, after all-- she was just a distraction. No, that bird was intent on stealing one of your brother's gifts... at any cost.

It wasn't long before it was back on its feet.

"Shock!!"

A zap stopped the bird in its tracks, the stranger actively struggling to keep going... as it lurched forward.

Mary sidestepped it easily--

"Tackle!"

--taking it to the ground, where it flapped with enough strength to throw her off--

"Up!"

Mary steadied herself, only to be hit by--

"No!"

She stumbled backwards, her cheek swollen from a full-force impact of the bird's wing, blood still dripping from her side as she faced her adversary. Mary watched as it took flight one last time, its silhouette illuminated by the growing stars above, throwing its wings back and forcing itself into the air...

...there.

"Mary, Shock! One last time!!"

And so she did.

The bird fell to the ground, defeated.

Somehow, some way, it remained alive. You saw it return to its feet... but there was no fight left in its eyes. That fierce determination from before had thoroughly left it. A glazed, exhausted look supplanted such spirit as the bird hopped away into the ever-increasing darkness.

-----

You found yourself panting after the entire ordeal.

The last... however-many minutes had been spent patching Mary up. Stopping bleeding, using protection to keep yourself from being shocked by her wool, congratulating her for a job well done as both you and she struggled to stay awake.

The small bud whom you'd spent your time protecting seemed more than appreciative of it all. It had been squeaking with delight, dancing around the nutberry as if you'd saved one of its close family members, occasionally coming over to watch you care for Mary with a kind of wistfulness in its eyes.

When you got up to leave, a loud squeak came after you.

One step forward.
Another squeak.

Two.
Squeak.

You turned around. The bud was making the noise.

Every time you moved, it would squeak.

When you tried to leave, it just rolled the nutberry after you and followed its beloved berry's trail.

Twig after twig knelt to the mighty berry, the small creature making no attempt to approach with stealth, looking to you with adoration every time you gave it attention.

Where had its family gone...?

The thought escaped you as you trudged on. Only now, with the adrenaline finally wearing off, could you truly grasp how tired you were. Each step underneath the stars was another second you had not slept underneath a roof.

By the time you'd reached the inn, you could hardly see clearly enough to undress.

You hit the springy mattress like a stone.

<><><><><>

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Your body made sure you remembered as much once you woke up.

SORE. Your entire body was SORE. It felt almost as bad as when you'd first gotten here, sleeping by the saloon, your legs crooked and your spine stiff as you barely forced your eyelids open.

...man, what you wouldn't give to be at a tiny saloon right now.

Alone, of course, earlier into the day with only a few sober folks or older wanderers to chat with. In a bar so tiny that it couldn't even fit a piano. Without the noise and mess that large saloons brought with them. Just having a few drinks, cracking jokes with the same strangers you'd see every visit, catching up with the town and leaving... that sounded comfy...

...you hadn't been to one of those since you'd last seen your parents.

You rolled onto your back to stare at the damp, shoddy ceiling for just a moment. Your eyes quickly demanded that you look right, instead, over at Mary's resting place.

She was sleeping, safe and sound, with your bandage from before wrapped all the way around her waist. The last remnants of last night's tensions left you as you saw her bandage, noticing that it wasn't much bloodier than when you last saw it. Nearer to the wall, opposite her, sleeping next to your old nutberry and propped up by a chair leg, was the plant sprite's child...

...you weren't going to be leaving this room for some time. You could practically feel the bags underneath your eyes dragging the rest of your face down with them. A few hours of rest couldn't hurt.

What type of rest, though...?

>You could go for some relaxing conversation. In place of a saloon... there was always Steele. It wouldn't hurt to inform him of the new arrival, either.

>Spend your day documenting said newcomer as much as you could... informally. Just draft up notes and ideas for now. You don't have the energy to write an entire entry for it like you did the rest of the creatures you've studied.

>Do some general reading. You haven't checked the news in ages. Your naturalist books remain untouched despite how eager you were to read them. Laying in bed for a few hours and catching up on things seemed like a good idea...

>Write-in.

>>6105948
>Do some general reading. You haven't checked the news in ages. Your naturalist books remain untouched despite how eager you were to read them. Laying in bed for a few hours and catching up on things seemed like a good idea...

>>6105948
>Do some general reading. You haven't checked the news in ages. Your naturalist books remain untouched despite how eager you were to read them. Laying in bed for a few hours and catching up on things seemed like a good idea...
It wouldn't hurt to take a closer look at the Budew.

>>6105971
+1
Probably runt of the litter in plant terms

>>6105948
>You could go for some relaxing conversation. In place of a saloon... there was always Steele. It wouldn't hurt to inform him of the new arrival, either

Let's go strike up a conversation and see if he can't think of anyone who might be desperate enough to let our new little friend help with crops

>>6105945
>>6105947
>>6105948
>Do some general reading. You haven't checked the news in ages. Your naturalist books remain untouched despite how eager you were to read them. Laying in bed for a few hours and catching up on things seemed like a good idea...

I wanna see what happened in New York while we were out and about. I think Waltur would very much agree with this...

>>6106168
Hearing about what's happening in Sacramento is also important, given that Walter and Steele are on their way over there.

>>6105971
>>6105973
Just to clarify: you want to vote for general reading as opposed to documenting the Budew? (Your wording makes it a bit confusing; not sure if you copy-pasted the wrong option.)

>>6106322
Yes, for reading. I mean that we should take a look over the little guy once or twice. We don't even know the Pokemon's sex nor what he or she eats aside from berries.

>>6106335
Alright, thank you for clarifying. I’ll keep it in mind.

>>6105948
>Spend your day documenting said newcomer as much as you could... informally. Just draft up notes and ideas for now. You don't have the energy to write an entire entry for it like you did the rest of the creatures you've studied.
Let's get the little guy to feel happy after that incident.

>>6106391
The Budew got to keep his nut-beery and live after an encounter with something that would have annihilated him without a shred of doubt, I think he is happy enough for now. I am more concerned with Mary and Waltur at the moment, with Mary being pretty roughed up and Waltur being both insanely sleep-deprived and quite worried for his family which lives close to the utterly catastrophic events that have transpired in New York.

>>6105952
>>6105971
>>6105973
>>6106168
We shall be reading!

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Alright, I'm sorry to delay an entry again but I need to do some more fact-checking. I was going to do a lot of research for the future this week but I'm greatly behind on that and it's more relevant than ever to this next entry so I'll need a bit more time. I'll post sometime tomorrow afternoon/evening. Apologies.

>>6106574
Just don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

>>6106574
Take care OP

>>6106574
I'm sure the headlines will be good enough to justify this delay.

Wow, holy shit, good thing I did indeed fact check and do more research. Would've been a disaster if I let what I had planned through, lol. Writing the next entry right now, quite eager to get this show back on the road. :)

>>6107043
No worries, QM.

>Would've been a disaster if I let what I had planned through, lol.
This didn't involve plants, right?

The kind that you'd always fallen back on, of course. Since you were a kid.

Reading.

Although...

You rummaged around in your trunk, initially looking for books but ultimately settling on your slightly outdated copy of the Sacramento Daily-Record Union upon remembering your ultimate goal. It was dated August 3rd, three days before today and almost two weeks after the copy you'd last read.

Despite the somewhat small gap in time between those two issues... this one was huge. It was so noticeably thick when you pulled it out that you figured it could be used as some kind of blanket.

Unfurling it demonstrated why in big, black letters. Absolute mountains worth of big, black letters.

EUROPEAN TRAIN SYSTEMS IN SHAMBLES! ORIENTAL EXPRESS IS NO MORE

PARIS EVACUATION CRISIS CONTINUES. GRÉVY GIVES STATEMENT FROM NARBONNE

AUSTRALIA: JEWEL IN GREAT BRITAIN'S COLONIAL CROWN. FEW CONFIRMED CASUALTIES AFTER JUL. 9TH OCCURENCES...

The bed beneath you creaked and moaned as you struggled to keep yourself comfortable while reading. Every headline seemed worse than the last. It was only after you'd reread Australia's portion that you noticed its positive slant.

An "artist's rendition" of Paris was included on the front page, just underneath the titular subject matter, only barely sharing space with a picture of the decrepit Orient Express. Scenes of overflowing rivers, spirits flying into the sky with horrible expressions on their faces, people lying motionless in the streets...

You steeled your sore stomach as best you could and finally flipped to the second page.

More headlines assaulted your eyes.

You saw quick mention of Finnish witchcraft, again, skimming the text and quickly realizing that the July issue hadn't been joking. There was an entire paragraph devoted to Russian officials demonizing the practice, something about a civil disturbance and ongoing battles against it. Snow during the summer in temperate parts of the empire.

Ongoing reports about New York City, confirming basically everything the crazy man from before had said. People were still locked in there. Only mail could get in or out... and, apparently, the population was getting sick of it. Or the papers were exaggerating. Either way, it hardly comforted you to read about.

There was just one more thing you needed to learn about before you felt right to put this down...

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Sacramento first Peaceful City in California...

Your heart soared for just a moment.

Here Today, Recorded, there have been No unnatural deaths in Sacramento for this week. The Daily-Record Union takes it upon Themselves to declare this a sign of Peace and Prosperity to come, with Sacramento being the Most Peaceful City of this State...

Your silence was briefly broken by a brief stretch from the other side of the room causing the creaky floor to make some noise. Glancing over: Mary was stretching herself... and falling back asleep. You returned your attention to the paper.

...George Stoneman celebrates the Peace by promising action, restoration of city... railroads to be curtailed...

Relief escaped your lips. Things really were peaceful over there, weren't they?

The rest of the paragraph covered some interviews with local townsfolk, proud of their city's Peaceful title, commenting on the ongoing return of one Collis Potter Huntington and the unusually cold summer. A smile crept across your face. At least one destination on your little road trip didn't involve someplace barely keeping itself together...

...

...the smile was a frown before you knew it.

You tiptoed over to Mary and lay the paper atop her, its secondary purpose shining through as the sheep slept with the paper on her wool, giving a glance to the small bud... still asleep next to its beloved berry... before returning to your trunk and proceeding to spend the next several hours waist-deep in naturalist nomenclature.

-----

Only when sunbeams struck the roof of your window did you think to turn away from the tale of Prometheus and Pandora.

There was nothing strange about the occurence. Not at first, anyways. They were just sunbeams. It was noon, you figured, so they should have been seeping through as usual.

But... these sunbeams weren't yellow. They weren't white, they weren't orange.

They were a strange, light purple.

Peeking out the window granted you the sight of a somewhat cloudy sky. Even more oddly, the clouds seemed to be slightly dark... yet the sun shone on as if there was no coming rain.

You felt your brain give out for a moment as you tried to comprehend what could cause this. After nearly a month of supernatural events happening to you nigh-nonstop... this was what was confusing you most. Surely these creatures didn't have power over the sun itself. They didn't have the capability to change the coloration of earth and her Heavenly neighbors... right?

Your mother's voice overtook your thoughts. "Well now, have I ever... there's been nothin' like this before, that's for sure." Even something like this that stunned you to silence would probably just elicit a comment from her. Hah.

...

Feeling so unsure about the result was almost as unpleasant as the sudden reminder of your family.

The pit in your stomach was becoming hard to ignore. You felt well enough to be productive now. Best get to it, eh?

>Go talk with Steele first and foremost. You have lots to tell him about. [Write-in what you would want to focus the conversatoin on most. The sun, the plant friend, the state of Sacramento, etc.]

>Write a letter to your parents first. They probably aren't in New York City... but even if they aren't, you want to make sure they're safe.

>Write-in.

>>6107142
>Write a letter to your parents first. They probably aren't in New York City... but even if they aren't, you want to make sure they're safe.
If there's even a way to send it under conditions like this. I'm surprised there's still communications across the Atlantic. You'd think that Pokemon in the oceans would sink ships and chew underwater telegraph cables.

>>6107142
>Write a letter to your parents first. They probably aren't in New York City... but even if they aren't, you want to make sure they're safe.

>>6107142
>Write a letter to your parents first. They probably aren't in New York City... but even if they aren't, you want to make sure they're safe.

>>6107137
>>6107141
>>6107142
>Write a letter to your parents first. They probably aren't in New York City... but even if they aren't, you want to make sure they're safe.

Hope ma's doing okay.

>>6107207
+1

>>6107207
Given that this is the second time someone's bringing this up, I’m going to briefly interject to do some explanation. It’s not an oversight. Genuine spoilers ahead, mind the tags.

Water-type Pokémon are, generally, very friendly towards humans. If you go through all their dex entries, 90% of the problem players are either way up north in the arctic (Cloyster), extinct (Kabutops), freshwater dwellers (Basculin) or very deep in the ocean (Jellicent). The few exceptions to this rule tend not to be aggressive unless provoked, and the literal only example I can think of that doesn’t fall under one of these categories is Sharpedo… a relatively rare mon that has yet to exist in the triple digits yet.

Beaches will probably suck massive donkey balls. God knows any aspiring explorer is going to be very lucky if they don’t accidentally ram their boat into a Mareanie or get their foot taken off by a Palossand while trying to leave shore. But once you actually get into the water, or if you just leave from a dock, you will probably be fine (Pokemon-wise) for your entire trip. Most of the perils of sea travel will still come from the usual 1880s safety standards and unpredictability of the sea itself instead of any dangers Pokemon might present. Hell, things might actually get safer with mon like Lapras around.

Vote’s still open for a bit. I just wanted to take some time to clear this up since there wont be a chance to do it in the quest for a while and people seem very curious.

>>6107441
>Water-type Pokémon are, generally, very friendly towards humans. Did you know that Vaporeon...

>>6107447
I wonder how that'll go for the first human man to KNOW

>>6107441
Wow, you really did your research. Good stuff, QM. I wonder what that entails for aquatic life in that case.

>Kabutops
Some day, a kid is going to accidentally bump into a "rock" and it'll actually be a Kabuto living off the scraps of fish from nearby fishing.

>>6107447
>Water-type Pokémon are, generally, very friendly towards humans. Did you know that (insert some suspect fact here)?
Watch this become a meme.

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>>6107207
>>6107242
>>6107289
>>6107343
>>6107371
alright, closing the unanimous vote now. We're writing to Walter's family first.

>>6107447
Yeah, I really should've checked that phrasing before I posted. Pic rel.

>>6107493
>Wow, you really did your research.
Funny comment considering this is the aspect of the quest I had to research the least, by far haha. Thank you though, the process has been fun.

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...no. You wanted to be productive, but you couldn't just ignore what you'd been reading about.

Even if all of New York wasn't in peril, the edges of Cooperstown were still too close to danger for comfort.

You sat down at your desk, the noise briefly awakening the small sprite child and tempting it over to your side. You paid it no mind, however, instead opting to pull out a blank sheet of your notebook and start writing.

Ma...

Already your pencil was off the paper. You stared at the word for just a moment, a brief war raging on in your head, before you continued writing without further proofreading.

To say my life has changed is an understatement... you began, going on to thank your family profusely for the nutberries.

Next up, of course, it needn't be understated just how worried I am for you...

This kind of flowery language was always Mabel's specialty. You were surprised you had it in you to pour out even a sentence of it...

Time flew past you as the scratching of graphite on paper overtook any thoughts you had. The hour mattered less than explaining every single event you'd dealt with in the past month alone. Attending to Shenanigan Gulch's problems, travelling with Steele (whom you never referred to by name for reasons that you found yourself unable to explain), befriending Mary and witnessing the feral dog's transformation and...

-----

...when the people in the inn's halls began discussing their filling lunches, you figured you should stop yourself.

The letter before you was now multiple pages of borderline histrionic recollection. Reading it over left you feeling violated. You hadn't been so vulnerable in years... yet you knew wholeheartedly that your family would appreciate such honesty.

Your heart warmed as you imagined them gathering around the letter, mama reading it to pa and the siblings. Looker would bark, his puppies demanding entrance to the family gathering as their father stuck his snout between their crowded forms, all of them gathering around the ancestral tree in the front to catch up underneath the shade. The cool autumn breeze would bring down a leaf or two, leading to the dogs rioting, Robbie complaining, Junior calling for peace...

Just as your mother finished reading over the letter, you did too. You stared at the desk as you folded the letter as best you could, slipping it into your empty rucksack until you could find it a proper envelope. The final sentence echoed in your head as you rose to wake Mary and leave the room for today.

Best Wishes to you all, and may the New World treat you as kindly as my thoughts do.

<><><><><>

Steele met you at the local eatery.

The pair of you were meant to talk over lunch, but you instead found yourself staring into space with most attempts at conversation. "...Buchanan."

You returned to earth. "Y-yeah?"

"Buchanan, you haven't been eating. Are you sick?"

"No, I..." ...hadn't been feeling stellar, but surely that was unrelated... "'m perfectly fine."

You stuffed a brussel sprout into your mouth. "'Sh all well."

"...well, I won't pry into your private affairs. If you insist as much, then so it shall be." Thomas' eyes drifted to the nutberry being hoisted onto your dining table, then the sprite that followed it. "Shay, that... I h'vn't sheen shuch a thing b'fore," he pointed at the creature with an empty fork and prompted it to show some concern, "have you?"

He paused to swallow his own brussel sprout and point at the leafy child once more. "It looks... like you've left your food for so long that it's come alive."

You followed the sprite's trail as it rolled its berry closer to you and further from Steele. That got the first chuckle of the day out of you.

>Play along with Steele's origin story. Your food came alive, so clearly you are obligated to adopt it.

>Explain where it came from and how without being playful about it. You're still feeling hollow from that letter and don't want to joke around.

>Distract from the topic of the sprite entirely and move on to your agenda for the day. You've already wasted half of it on sentimentality and lounging. Best make the most of that second half.

>Write-in.

>>6107799
Checked.

>Write-in.
>Explain where it came from and how. Now that you think about it, Brussels isn't such a bad name for a sprout.
We don't want Steele thinking it's edible, kek.

>>6107801
+1

>>6107799

>>6107799
>>Explain where it came from and how without being playful about it. You're still feeling hollow from that letter and don't want to joke around.

>>6107801
+1

>>6107798
>>6107799
>Explain where it came from and how without being playful about it. You're still feeling hollow from that letter and don't want to joke around.

No Steele, you can't eat the Budew.

>>6107801
>>6107835
>>6107861
>>6107875
>>6107917
Unanimous again. Let's be honest.

"No, that... that ain't what happened, thankf'lly." You stuffed another sprout in your mouth to punctuate before continuing.

"I jus'... met this little guy outside yesterday. Was trainin' Mary." Your eyes drifted to the doorway, where she'd been forced to stay. It was too far away to make her out from here. "Well, ah wasn't trainin' her first. Ah was fightin' those skunks we were makin' posters for. But, when ah was trainin' her later," you glanced at the sprout and tried to discern some kind of gender, "he came along 'n wouldn't let me go. Really liked these berries, I reckon."

Your hand slipped into your pocket and procured a pair of nutberries, at which Steele's eyes widened. "Ah, you... you offered it that? You simply gave it a berry... and it wouldn't leave your side?"

Whatever you tried to say was incomprehensible. You swallowed. "'mf, yeah. Happened with Mary too."

You rolled the pair of berries across the table for Steele to inspect them. Part of you wanted to keep them safe, but... you trusted him well enough. The little sprout's attempt to race over to the others was funny to watch, as well, even if it inevitably returned to its favorite. "It's the best way i've found t' quell these creatures. Works on every one. Even the... stranger ones."

An ambulatory plant. One that almost looked like it could communicate with other flora. It hadn't needed any food since you got it, it hadn't demonstrated any powers like its mother, it... baffled you. Was this even the same kind of newcomer as Mary? Could living flora really be neofauna?

"Buchanan, you're doing it again." A pair of stocky fingers snapped in front of your face. You apologized and Steele continued the conversation. "I appreciate you letting me look at these... plants... though I am remorseful that I do not know enough about to really do anything with them."

"There's nothin' you need t' know, Steele. Just offer 'em and the creatures will understand. I've got livin' proof 'f that."

He stared at you with a foggy expression. "Well, it can't just be that simple for all of them."

The pair of you trailed off into a small debate, bringing up the steel ants that had fled with the berry and the sprite's child initial refusal to stick by you, but were soon interrupted by a white-haired, weighty waitress. "Are the two'a ya done eatin'? We've got need'f some tables."

<><><><><>

The two of you kept talking on your way to the post office, mostly discussing the strange weather and the state of things, while Mary trailed behind and carried the small sprite and his best friend atop her back. "I haven't ever seen it myself, no! And the darkness of the town," Steele had noted, "brings little wonder as to why you locked yourself in that room for so long." It was definitely hard to tell that it was noontime with how shady everything seemed...

He waited for you outside the post office as you folded your letter and sent it off, the postman paying no mind to your inhuman friends as he went through the motions and never looked behind his countertop, greeting you with a wave and a question once you'd returned and left your worries behind.

"Buchanan-- I appreciate your gift." He brought the nutberries up to his chest. "Although, even with all this discussion... I find myself wanting some instruction." Steele glanced at Mary, then at you. "I have no want for such inhuman companionship, but... is there some way you could truly prove to me how easy it is to cooperate with your 'neofauna'?"

You considered the thought. One of many on your mind...

"...sure, it's no issue. I think... I think it'd be best t' do this somewhere else, though." You jabbed a finger behind you, where one of your posters hung. "Jus' goin' far enough t' find this new stranger," you moved that same finger to the sprite, "had me worsened."

Another thought came to mind. But you weren't sure you wanted to float the possibility. Even with your leg feeling well enough to walk... Steele had mentioned so many places in need of help. What were you to do?

>Suggest it outright. Bring up the state of Sacramento to Steele, emphasizing the good news. Set out a day early to try and make it there as soon as possible.

>Dismiss the thought. You'd agreed on three days, and there was still enough to do. You could spend tomorrow detailing the new neofauna, or helping various parts of town even more so, or braving the poisonous mountain base...

>Procrastinate on it. Maybe it'd be better suggested closer to nighttime, where people wouldn't notice your leaving, so that nobody tried to injure Mary or the sprite on your way out.

>>6108187
>>6108189
>Suggest it outright. Bring up the state of Sacramento to Steele, emphasizing the good news. Set out a day early to try and make it there as soon as possible.

I don't feel like there is much more to do in Redding. There's a whole world outside of this poisonous dump waiting for us.

>>6108191
+1

>>6108189

>Dismiss the thought. You'd agreed on three days, and there was still enough to do. You could spend tomorrow detailing the new neofauna, or helping various parts of town even more so, or braving the poisonous mountain base...
There's a lot more to learn here. There's MAGNEMITE.

>>6108189
Changing my vote from >>6108232 to backing >>6108318

>>6108189
>>6108318
Supported. I think Drillbur would be a better fit for Steele.

>>6108189
>Dismiss the thought. You'd agreed on three days, and there was still enough to do. You could spend tomorrow detailing the new neofauna, or helping various parts of town even more so, or braving the poisonous mountain base...

>>6108189
>>6108318
Only a go travels on bad legs. Any creature that walks on the land knows how bad it is to stress injured limbs. Hell, horses had to be out down when one broke and a vet wasn't a choice. We're in the middle of a neofauna surgence, with plenty to see and do right where we are for now. Also if we were to solve a few problems and maybe even figure a solution for the mountain, we could earn ourselves a bit of goodwill, credibility and supplies for travel.

We could definitely use a water pokemon too, because fresh water is what decides the very life of a town. Or possibly a psychic. Our curiosity would never be more piqued than discovering levitating powers

>>6108318
>>6108322
>>6108338
>>6108356
Writing!

Nothing. You let the thought vanish from your mind without resistance. You had promised this town that you would be here for three days. To leave so early would do nothing but earn you more ire.

Steele brought a hand to his chin. "...well, we don't need to go that far, do we?"

You paused. Steele went on. "If we try to find some odd creature in the town itself, we can kill two birds with one stone. I will learn how you managed your... easy feat," he hesitated to brush off what he considered 'your achievement' like that, "and the townsfolk can be shown the same."

The thought wasn't a bad one, but you couldn't help a frown. "That sounds smart, but... I haven't seen any fauna 'round here since we came. Only Mary 'n her new friend."

Even now, glancing around town square, you couldn't see anything out of place. Wary citizens went from place to place, mothers shielding their children from nothing while free men commented on the lavender sun, state militia patrolling and discussing amongst themselves as the town remained absent of aggressive threat. A thin shield of dust shielded far-off things from your vision.

The businessman seemed unphased. "Well, then, we can just look elsewhere! Redding is large enough, and we haven't seen the half of it." He grinned.

"You're... pretty set on this, aren't you?" You chuckled back. It was a dumb question. The fact that he was even asking to see this, despite expressing that he didn't care much for its results, already spoke volumes. His following nod just confirmed what had already been said.

"When I mention something, Buchanan, I mean it. Rarely do I state my intentions half-heartedly." He strolled past you and threw his arms out wide. "Besides! What greater help could we provide this town than a key to safety? Mary has relatives here! Even if they simply learned to befriend her kind, all their problems would disappear like that." A snap punctuated the statement.

You hesitated to mention the poison. It'd be redundant. And you'd seen where it came from. Once those skunks disappeared, you were certain the town would be well. "I'll say, Steele, ah kinda agree. But..."

>"...I think we'd be better served jus' helpin' around town normally." This was a risky move, given your past experiences, and it would be safer to just assist with what you knew was wrong. Demonstrating the nutberries could wait until neofauna were more abundant, less dangerous, and less despised by locals.

>"...where should we start lookin'?" You were completely on board with this proposition. You just didn't really know where to start. Would you:
>Attempt to directly tackle the mountain and lure some neofauna from there into the town?
>Scour the entire town for some small nook or cranny that might have neofauna within it?
>Head to the edges of town and hope some stray townsfolk from there get to see your demonstration?
>Start looking somewhere else, with a different plan? [Write-in location and idea]

>"...the townsfolk are still scared of 'em, no matter what we do. We should try'n change that before makin' a show of how you can befriend 'em." This is too enormous a problem to ignore. You should spend the rest of the day getting people used to Mary and the sprite before you even try to convince them that these berries can do anything for them.

>"...this's our last day here. We can't do much. Let's jus' take a stroll, stock up, 'n leave this for later." Twelve or so hours to make a difference won't be impactful enough to really change things. You should just focus on yourselves first and foremost. Lay out that agenda, buy some supplies. Relax as best you can while you're someplace more melancholic than chaotic.

>Write-in.

>>6108826
>>6108828
>"...where should we start lookin'?" You were completely on board with this proposition. You just didn't really know where to start. Would you:
>Head to the edges of town and hope some stray townsfolk from there get to see your demonstration?

Mountain: poisonous. Town: empty. This is probably the only way we can see if Steele gets his very own companion.

>>6108828
>"...where should we start lookin'?" You were completely on board with this proposition. You just didn't really know where to start. Would you:
>Scour the entire town for some small nook or cranny that might have neofauna within it?

Leading neofauna directly into the town is bound to get one or all of us shot, and finding some that were in the town all along is actually bound to be a plus. No risk of poisoning ourselves and we'd be right in the town so no need for a long trip. If Steele does push for it more then I suppose we could take the risk if he's that dead set on the mountains. I'll leave it up to other anons but I think we should search for neofauna.

>>6108828
>"...the townsfolk are still scared of 'em, no matter what we do. We should try'n change that before makin' a show of how you can befriend 'em." This is too enormous a problem to ignore. You should spend the rest of the day getting people used to Mary and the sprite before you even try to convince them that these berries can do anything for them.

>>6108828
>"...the townsfolk are still scared of 'em, no matter what we do. We should try'n change that before makin' a show of how you can befriend 'em." This is too enormous a problem to ignore. You should spend the rest of the day getting people used to Mary and the sprite before you even try to convince them that these berries can do anything for them.

>>6108828
>"...the townsfolk are still scared of 'em, no matter what we do. We should try'n change that before makin' a show of how you can befriend 'em." This is too enormous a problem to ignore. You should spend the rest of the day getting people used to Mary and the sprite before you even try to convince them that these berries can do anything for them.
Keep the Budew away from children. We don't want he or she becoming a makeshift maraca.

>>6108828

>"...the townsfolk are still scared of 'em, no matter what we do. We should try'n change that before makin' a show of how you can befriend 'em." This is too enormous a problem to ignore. You should spend the rest of the day getting people used to Mary and the sprite before you even try to convince them that these berries can do anything for them.

>>6108850
>>6108867
>>6109056
>>6109057
Alright, we're trying to convince the townsfolk not to be scared of neofauna. Writing.

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>>6109313
Somewhere in Kentucky, pic related is 12 years old and in extreme suffering

"...the townsfolk are still scared of 'em, no matter what we do. We should try'n change that before makin' a show of how you can befriend 'em."

The unfortunate truth tore down your ideas of showmanship.

Steele frowned. He was going to say something, then stopped himself.

"...well, I suppose Mary would count as one of her kind." He strolled back to you, hands behind his back. "Perhaps if we are lucky, we can have her communicate with her own kin and introduce a few of them to the town."

You glanced at the lavender sun for just a moment longer. It was high in the sky. Noontime, you approximated... better get to work.

<><><><><>

The day flew by you in the blink of an eye.

You spent it traveling across town, gloves in hand, teaching various people how to properly handle your sheepy friend. You made sure to keep the sprite's child away from the people, unsure of what trying to interact with it would bring and not willing to find out someplace like Redding.

What struck you, while doing so, was the surprising lack of children in the town.

You'd search them out first, remembering your experience with Rosetta and hoping that they would be more open to the idea of petting a weird-looking sheep than their parents... and, though you would find some success in both your theory and its practice, it was limited. Mothers especially seemed to be sparse, with their children even more so. Throughout the entire day, you only managed to find five or six kids in the entire town of several-hundred.

As the sun had begun to set, you and Steele stood outside the clinic, by the shrunken line of sick people.
You let Steele handle the introductions, as you had before, while you gave out the gloves and instructions. Mary seemed more than pleased by all the attention, occasionally giving contented bahhs to particularly good scratchers, the plant sprite staying in your shirt pocket while you supervised whoever agreed to give the Khrysómallon a few pats.

The sun was halfway beneath the horizon when a sick young lady agreed to give your bovine buddy some affection. You moved to say something as she approached, but Steele beat you to the punch.

"Say, madam, have you any clue where the younger crowd have gone?"

He immediately earned a raised brow from the patient, the woman seeming more confused than anything, before giving him an actual answer. "...um, ah dunno the sp'cifics, b-but ah've heard some people are leavin' town... jus' t' be safe, after all those posters..."

Your own brows began to raise. You were surprised people had taken notice...

The lady coughed a little and gave Mary a firm pat on the head. "Y-you've got a nice sheep, mister. Ah don't know why she doesn't fight like the others do. Ah 'ppreciate it, t-though."
Her pale, tinted face warmed with a smile.

"Ah, well..." You glanced at Steele, then back at her.

Rolled 18 (1d75)

(rollan)

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...you found yourself staring at the ground, unsure of how to continue. The only benefit of this was noticing the... odd shape of some of it. Some kind of... long lump?

You ignored that and forced yourself back into conversation. "They're not all bad, really. I've been tryin' t' show how..." ...your eyesight drifted off to one of the state militia officers, far from the clinic but evidently watching you... "...but I can't say I've been all too successful, nowadays, with how th' town's been treating my Mary."

The lump was getting longer. It was heading towards the decrepit rail. You felt your hand slowly approaching Mary's side, your companion vocalizing her confusion at the gesture, while Steele slowly took over conversation with the sick lady once again.

When a huge claw extended from the end of the lump, you felt the need to excuse yourself. Mary came with, much to your dismay, and Steele seemed hasty to follow suit. "Walter? The line is hardly spent, what are you--"

His mustache almost seemed to flare up as he noticed the foot-long claw extending out of a hole in the middle of the tracks.

Another claw followed it, with a red-tipped snout pulling a long head out of the ground with it.

That creature from the mountains... what was it doing so close to town?

Steele proposed a possibility. "Ah, an attacker! What... great timing!"
His tone betrayed a hint of excitement. Maybe his plan was going to happen after all.

Another lump popped up nearby. Soon after, a third one joined the lot of them.

Townsfolk were beginning to notice and the state militia already had their guns aimed at the tunnels, eager to fire.

How would you go about handling... whatever this was?

>You wouldn't. Let the lumps be. The strange mole creatures were docile when you last saw them. Given your efforts... maybe the populous could recognize that, and the guards would stand down.

>Attack, right away. Command Mary to shock the first one you saw and try to dispatch the rest in a similar manner. You can't risk anything right now, let alone some kind of coordinated attack.

>Try Steele's plan. Lure one or two out of their holes, pretend to take them on, then flourish a nutberry or two and let the townsfolk watch as you tried to help Steele tame one.

>Write-in.

>>6109352
>>6109360
>Try Steele's plan. Lure one or two out of their holes, pretend to take them on, then flourish a nutberry or two and let the townsfolk watch as you tried to help Steele tame one.

We shall make the mining town of Redding friends with the moles. A fitting combination.

>>6109360
>Try Steele's plan. Lure one or two out of their holes, pretend to take them on, then flourish a nutberry or two and let the townsfolk watch as you tried to help Steele tame one.
Given our lack of serious success and how jumpy everyone is after our posters, no way the militia doesn't open fire. We have to defuse this, FAST.

>>6109360
>Steele ends up getting Steel types
KEK
Here's my vote
>Try Steele's plan. Lure one or two out of their holes, pretend to take them on, then flourish a nutberry or two and let the townsfolk watch as you tried to help Steele tame one.
The downside is that a dex entry says they can end up ruining crop fields and farmers hate them for it. The upside is Excadrill are known for helping humans construct better tunnels, and there are no subways or underground structures for Exacdrill to accidentally fuck up

>>6109360
>Try Steele's plan. Lure one or two out of their holes, pretend to take them on, then flourish a nutberry or two and let the townsfolk watch as you tried to help Steele tame one.

>>6109360
>Try Steele's plan. Lure one or two out of their holes, pretend to take them on, then flourish a nutberry or two and let the townsfolk watch as you tried to help Steele tame one.

>>6109372
>Thomas J. Steele: California first gym leader
Would be baller.

>>6109531
He becomes the first actual gym leader, and opens up a training facility
>Steele-works

Honestly, it's appalling how little we know about Steele. What does this guy even do for a job?

>>6109846
Some sort of politician?

>>6109941
Gilded Age politicians that tolerate all the mud and muck Steele has gone through? Is Steele the proto-Teddy Roosevelt?

>>6109976
No way he's TR in disguise

>>6109982
I thought he would be Mark Twain.

>>6109985
>1835-1910
He'd be 49 here with the year being 1884. Steele feels much older than that in description. I think he's an OC and not somebody historical

>>6109976
>>6109982
>>6109985
Also Teddy is alive and he's 26 in 1884. This is a wild period with lots of historical famous people still being young out there. As for presidents, current one is Chester A. Arthur followed by Grover Cleveland in 1885

>>6109368
>>6109369
>>6109372
>>6109374
>>6109524
Unanimous vote! Entry's gonna come later today (probably in a few hours, maybe in the evening-ish), I'm just closing the vote ahead of time so that I don't have to change course before then.

>>6109992
Haha, yes, the writing worked :)
I've been intentionally trying to make him seem older, it's part of his character. In terms of actual age, Steele is approximately in his mid-50s. This is the 1880s so nobody really knows his exact age, nor does anyone really care. His tendency to be a bit overly eloquent and his early grey hair makes him seem even older.
TL;DR: he's not as young as Twain, and not the same person. Fun theory, though. I should plagiarize it sometime.

Rolled 218 (1d255)

>>6110110
damn, I forgot to roll again

>>6110344
>218
Whatcha got in the bag there? That wouldn't happen to be a Slugma would it? Just gonna do that to us? Send a living cataclysm like that at us?

>>6110346
I can already tell you in advance that this cataclysm would be poison-typed and not a worm-shaped squirt of magma.

>>6110344
>>6110346
>>6110348
>A Scrafty holds Steele at gunpoint with a stolen revolver held sideways

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Steele seemed enthusiastic... why not play along? This may not have been the best place or time, but it was a gambit that, if executed correctly, could win the hearts of the townsfolk.

You first traversed the length of the tracks and tried to find a pattern to the tunnels. The only consistency in them that you could find was a marked push to your right. Across the length of the town, away from the mountain... you ignored the fact for now and reminded yourself. You were doing this partly to teach Steele.

You rose from your crouch and readied yourself, slowly approaching the first mole you'd seen, preparing for--

"FIRE!"

A--

BANG, BANG, BANG

A volley of shots were fired at a pair of moles further away from you that had popped out alarmingly close to a few men. The state militia had already gotten started.

The creatures were promptly alarmed, with various squeaks and woos following the moles back into their holes, the few that remained above surface popping out and aiming for the militia officers.

Of these moles, the original one that had tipped you off to their arrival was nowhere to be seen. It had popped back underground while you'd busied yourself with surveying the situation and procuring the three nutberries you had on hand. A frustrated huff escaped you and you shoved two of the three nutberries into Steele's open palm. "Follow me 'n don't get'n the way of the soldiers."

The sturdy stockbroker obeyed, his attention seemingly elsewhere, while your eyes fell upon a soldier mere feet away from assault. That was as good an opportunity as any. Now was when you had to strike!

You yelled something to the young man, neither of you making it out, distracting him long enough for him to miss his shot and hit some far-off tree instead. You gave a wayward glance at Steele, confirming that he was watching (indeed-- with rapt interest), before commanding Mary to your side and situating her between the soldier and his assailant.

When the mole moved to attack Mary, you instead rolled a nutberry down from your arm and let it sniff.

For a moment, the entire town seemed silent.

It wasn't, of course. The background of gunfire raged on, as did the various noises of the moles and the men they assaulted, with all the shouting and squeaking and rumbling blending together... but, for that single moment, you heard none of that.

Instead, all your senses devoted themselves to sight.

The sight of the mole's bewilderment, the sight of the townsfolk and soldiers alike turning to look at the man putting himself right in the way of the vicious bloodthirsty ground-dweller, the sight of Steele almost imitating the mole's own confusion...

...and the sight of the mole halting itself, sticking its enormous claws into the dirt so as not to hurt the soldier, sniffing the berry and gently plucking it from your palm...

...before digging underground, never to be seen again.

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The lavender sunset bathed the surreal scene all the way to its end, only barely shrinking away as Steele came to overshadow the mole's former place.

You barely noticed him, for a moment, the gunfire returning to your ears with an entrance as grand as one would expect from the king of warfare, instead thinking of how else to try and replicate the maneuver when there were so many more moles. "--n'n?"

BANG BANG, BANG BANG

Soldiers were lowering their guns. The firing was getting quieter, further away. One soldier managed to dodge a mole, lodging it into the wooden walls of the shop behind him and causing wooden splinters to fly everywhere, prompting other men nearby to take shelter or abandon their positions.

The sole pair that remained wasted no time in getting nearer. "--w! C-n s--e tha-??"

Only when they started talking did you realize that getting so close to gunfire was a bad idea for your eardrums.

You motioned to the two soldiers and Steele to head inside the splintering shop, your hands over your ears, forehead dripping with sweat as the purple sun beat down on your brief retreat.

Once inside the shop, your condition improved... slowly, but surely. Within a few minutes of quiet you could hear well enough to make out speech... and the fact that the soldiers hadn't stopped talking since they'd followed you here. "Sir, that was completely in the way of procedure--"

"You have more, don't you?? That--"

"Stop inter--"

"PLEASE, quiet. Quiet..." You held a hand to your head and briefly massaged your temples. The two were getting loud enough to make your head hurt. Once they did as you said, you took a brief glance outside...

...Mary ran amongst the townsfolk attempting to prevent the moles from surfacing underneath them, her haphazard attempts producing mostly failure, causing naught but panic in the less-acquainted citizens and apprehension even in those who knew her. She seemed unable or unwilling to notice this, instead continuing her useless game of zap-a-mole in your absence, only stopping once she noticed your face in the window...

...returning to the situation at hand as you spoke... "...I-I've gotta few 'n my trunk, at the inn. Steele, this fellow here," you raised a hand towards the suspiciously quiet statesman, "has two."

The soldiers ran for the door but you tried to stop them again with a brief shout for them to wait. "I don't know how t' get any more! There's-- there's other ways, jus' stay here'n lower your guns--"

TH-DUNK

The mole which, until now, had been stuck rotating within the shop's walls finally managed to stop its painful spiral into wood. It flew forward... only to be followed by Mary, who'd headbutted its behind to make her way into the room. You immediately forced her to stop before she engaged, a small grin spreading across your face when she obeyed, the mole too dazed to retaliate. "Now-- Steele, Steele! You saw what ah did, right? Could you provide a... dem'nstration t' these wonderful soldiers?"

The politician's pupils darted from the floor to your face, his mouth still hidden behind the fingers covering his mustache, the man hesitating before procuring his own gifted nutberries. He bent down to the frantic mole creature, offering one, extending an uncertain hand...

...that was soon left empty, only briefly grazed, with a dash of mole spit and dust being the only remnant of the nutberry that had once been there.

"See... e-even if they're all fighty-like, you can jus'..." ...you silenced your anxious commentary and directed your attentiont to Steele, who seemed laser-focused on the strange mole critter.

Both soldiers were stunned to silence.

One shouted something incomprehensible for a moment, quickly silencing himself and moving to his rifle, eventually leaving it behind.

The other simply looked back and forth between the two of you, Mary, the mole, and his co-worker.

Thomas was the first to break the silence. "...you just..."

He trailed off as the mole became further placid. Mary stepped back, allowing it more range, the creature taking the opportunity to sit itself down and begin gnawing at the nutberry without further threat.

"...you just leave them be, and hand them some food?"

A nervous chuckle was your first response. "I-I mean-- they still seem t' be animals, Steele, they..."

A loud boom came from outside. You focused on the soldiers. "...why'd you open fire?"

The incomprehensible one spoke first. "Standard procedure, sir, across the state. Ever since New York."

His antsy teammate followed after. "This town 'specially. We can't be takin' any risks, not durin' evacuation."

You frowned. It was beyond easy to understand the soldiers' positions... would they understand yours? "Well, from what I know... shoot'n without provocation's the one way t' piss all these creatures off..."

The dimming sunshing poured through the huge hole in the wall. The purple light danced upon the mole, vaguely gracing Mary, and Steele... who hadn't said a word.

>Quickly end the conversation and head outside with Mary. You can still hear some distant gun shots and there's no way the chaos has completely abated. If it wasn't your duty to end it before, it is now. Focus on:

[Choose one stance on each problem]
>Calming the populous down first and foremost. This is what you were here for, and you can't have the town aggravating the moles any more than the soldiers already have.
>Calming the soldiers down. Distracting them, trying to reason with them, anything it takes to get them shooting away from the town and away from the moles.

>Attacking the remaining moles. They're already posing a threat to the town: one that you need gone.
>Trying to pacify the remaining moles. You've only got one nutberry left, but... maybe you could partition it? Try to make use of it some other way?
>Something completely different (applies to either stance. Write-in.)

>Stay inside and talk some more. You need shelter and you're not sure you can afford to go outside when there's still active gunfire. About what, exactly:
>Promise the soldiers some nutberries of their own, like you'd given to Shenanigan's Gulch, on the condition that they find some way to tend to them and spread them amongst the townsfolk. You'll deliver a few of the ones in your trunk to them tomorrow morning before you leave.
>Question Steele on his silence and possible new companion. This isn't like him, is it?
>Elaborate further on your experiences with neofauna. Explain how they seem to be intelligent, most are not aggressive, how they're less than hostile towards the idea of human companionship...

>Write-in.

>>6110390
We only have 1 nutberry left in total? We need our one nutberry saved to be able to grow more later

>>6110390
>Calming the populous down first and foremost. This is what you were here for, and you can't have the town aggravating the moles any more than the soldiers already have.

>Trying to pacify the remaining moles. You've only got one nutberry left, but... maybe you could partition it? Try to make use of it some other way?
Get all their attention and let them WATCH us feed one of their kind."See, people are FRIENDS. We provide FOOD."

>Promise the soldiers some nutberries of their own, like you'd given to Shenanigan's Gulch, on the condition that they find some way to tend to them and spread them amongst the townsfolk. You'll deliver a few of the ones in your trunk to them tomorrow morning before you leave
We're like Johnny Appleseed, kek!

Steele's got a Drillbur now!

>>6110390
>Calming the populous down first and foremost. This is what you were here for, and you can't have the town aggravating the moles any more than the soldiers already have.

>Something completely different
>It's food they're after. Lure the remaining moles with veggies or greens and toss them away from town.

>Promise the soldiers some nutberries of their own, like you'd given to Shenanigan's Gulch, on the condition that they find some way to tend to them and spread them amongst the townsfolk. You'll deliver a few of the ones in your trunk to them tomorrow morning before you leave.
I can't see why we can't check up on Steele and his new pal.

>>6110407
I think we have more back in our hotel room, base don what the last update said. Only one more on our PERSON right now. Well, on Steele's person, I think.