Pokémon: Winds of Orlana [Advanced | PG-16 | Started | Not Accepting]

[Otaku-sama]

Nyoko opened her eyes when one of the men her age began to talk to her. She then realized that Maro was beginning to choke from her powerful grip. Nyoko released her grip, letting Maro quickly get away to catch his breath.

 

"Oh...Sorry Maro-chan! I guess I got a little worried again," Nyoko apologized to her winded companion, who simply lied down on his back trying to catch his breath. Nyoko then turned to the two who were sitting on the bridge.

 

"Oh. Hi there. What are you two doing on the ground over there," Nyoko asked them before taking a look to her right to see where the bridge once was. Nyoko stared at it for a second before slowly turning back to the two.

 

"Hey...Isn't there supposed to be a bridge there? Last time I checked the map there was a bridge. Did I read the map wrong again or is it one of those fancy lift up bridges or somethin'?"

[Bringerofcake]

Bahnes had finally found an entrance to the forest, after searching for more than a few minutes. It was a tight squeeze, and he received more than his fair share of cuts on the way through, but eventually he stumbled from behind a bush into the forest. The immense canopy of the forest was such that there was precious little sunlight emerging from the top. Thankfully, the forest still had plenty of visibility, enough that Bahnes could appreciate the forest's beauty. However, Bahnes was wary enough that he sent out Atominor. There was no telling when a Pokemon attack would come, and he'd be ready any time it did. As he began walking, a loud sort of roar, as if something large was being injured, split the air, sending a chill down his spine. Something big was injured. Bahnes debated himself for a while, then moved in the direction of the noise.

[Tempest Dahlia]

Robert rushed over to the broken bridge, What was once a sturdy and beautiful structure was now a heap of debris and ruin. Duskull moaned eerily to itself while Robert stared in horror.

"What... happened here?"

He gently grabbed his floating Duskull out of the air (Who was shaking, he noticed), and decided that now was the time to be gathering information. He went to stand near some police officers to eavesdrop.

[Shradow]

Daiskue shook Jayden's hand. "Thanks for saving me. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come along." Daisuke chuckled uneasily. "I'm Daisuke, by the way. Daisuke Atamagaii.

 

Daiskue then noticed Jayden talking to a girl that came over to where they were, and he saw her choking a Jigglypuff. "Well, there was some huge bird thing that came and destroyed the bridge! It was crazy." Daisuke answered her question with emphasis and hand motions, and his Munchlax copied his motions, to Daisuke's unawareness.

[Tempest Dahlia]

Robert heard a group of people talking nearby. "Maybe it's about what happened!" he said in a whisper of delight to Duskull.

 

Robert inched closer to see if he could make out what they were saying. From what it seemed, a bird had come and destroyed the bridge very easily.

 

"But what bird could have this much power?" Robert wondered aloud. "Skarmory? No, that can't be it... Boy, this is a real head-scratcher," he said to Duskull, who seemed to be eyeing everyone very carefully.

[Azure Flame Kite]

Jaden gaped at the girl's blissfully ignorant face; had this been an anime, his jaw would have dropped off screen, and broken all laws of physics by falling from the sky and knocking him out cold. How in the name of all that was pokemon did she not see it?! There was no way in heck that she hadn't felt the explosion, obviously, her pokemon felt it, so why didn't she put the numbers together and figure out that the bridge had been destroyed?! He was brought when Daisuke gave a slightly overzealous, but not unwelcome response to the girl's question.

 

"Y-yeah," he stuttered slightly, adding onto his new friend's response. "You know that explosion that happened a few minutes ago? That was the bridge getting blown to bits. I'm surprised you didn't feel it."

[Saiba Aisu]

GM Post: Ochre Woods

GM Post: Ochre Woods

 

[spoiler=GM Post: Ochre Woods]

 

The pink-haired woman brushed her skirt idly, trying to remove the score of green- and brown-colored stains upon it that had been gathered from the dense undergrowth and loamy soil around them. "It's good to see you again, too, Lisa," she said dryly in a pleasant low and slightly hoarse tone of voice, tossing one long tress over her shoulder. "Obviously," she added, pointing at her attire, "I didn't have much choice in my accommodations or how to spend the time today."

 

"And yes, young man," she continued, looking up briefly at Jason and Josh and reading the disbelief etched on their features, "I am Professor Sycamore. I can understand your skepticism—after all, I'm hardly dressed in a manner like your everyday Pokémon Researcher, am I?"

 

She laughed softly as she continued to brush her clothing with her hands, obviously trying to make herself appear more presentable to the three companions. After a moment, however, she realized the futility of such an effort and let her hands drop to her sides, her gray-blue gaze focused instead upon the unconscious Excavade that lay upon the ground not too far away from her. Professor Sycamore's eyes softened at the sight of the felled Pokémon; walking closer to it fearlessly, she paid no heed to the cries of alarm and warning from the trio. Kneeling on the ground, she ran her hands through its white- and black-colored fur gently, with a soothing air, as if checking to see how the badger-mole Pokémon was doing.

 

"I'm sorry it had to come to this," she said sorrowfully, addressing both the unconscious Pokémon and the three Trainers. Looking up at them, she continued, "I'm grateful to you for rescuing me, of course, but I wish that it hadn't been necessary to attack the Guardian Spirit of the Ochre Woods to do so..."

 

After a few more moments of stroking the Excavade, Professor Sycamore got to her feet, a weary but satisfied smile curving her lips. "He's going to be alright," she said at last, addressing the three companions. "You certainly pulled a number on him but I don't think there'll be any kind of lasting damage."

 

A brief, treacherous, and exhausted sigh escaped the Professor's lips but she quickly muffled the sound and stood up straighter, squaring her shoulders, as if she were drawing strength from some hidden reserve. "Alright," she continued, "I'm ready to return to Peach Town. It's not safe to discuss things here, so let's keep moving. We can talk once we get to my Pokémon Laboratory."

 

Having said so, Professor Sycamore strode forward at once, her bare feet and light step making no noise at all, like one of the nymphs or forest-goddesses of old. "Try and keep up!" she called back to them, moving into the undergrowth without looking back once.

 

[encapturer]

As Professor Sycamore went off, Lisa took the time to clean up. Most of the papers that fell out were ruined, but she was able to salvage some before finding the third Pokeball and her rod. She stared at the Pokeball for a moment before placing it back into the bag, figuring that a new trainer would be the best match for the Pokemon withing.

 

Once Lisa had her rod in hand and was ready to leave as well, Floatern flew and landed on the ground in front of her. Lisa sighed; she had forgotten to recall her Pokemon again; and he definately needed to be healed once she got the chance. "You did good," she said softly, as she pulled out Floatern's Pokeball from her pocket. "Get some rest." After the beam of light drew the Pokemon into the ball, she finally walked towards Peach town, proud of herself, Floatern, and the rookie trainers as well.

 

Though, I hope Professor has a good reason for doing all this...

[Zerato_AST]

"What an odd woman..." Nathaniel murmured under his breath as Eri drifted through the crowd ahead of him. Looking back at the police officers still occupying the small stub of bridge that hadn't been destroyed, he let out a small "Hmph!" and procedeed to follow the crowds off of the bridge. "If I'd never stopped earlier, I'd probably be in Peach Town by now...man!" He paused to massage his eyelids with his forefinger and thumb, fighting back a yawn as he finally stepped off the bridge. "The sooner I get there, the better."

[Aesirson]

Jason followed Lisa and Sycamore deeper into, or maybe out of, the emerald colored forest.

I wonder what she was doing out here in the middle of the night...

He then felt something pulling his shorts and looked down. It was Squinky, who looked tired after the battle.

"Oh right, you should return!" Jason pulled the Pokémon's Pokéball off his belt and clicked the small button making the sphere grown. "return."

As the beam of light encaptured the Pokémon into the ball Jason looked at the ball and then turned to Sycamore.

"Mrs? Here's your Pokémon..." He held the ball out for the professor to grab.

[Guest Tainted Black]

Josh saw Jason returning Squinky, and figured it was for the best. "Alright, little guy, time for you to go back." He ruffled Wulfyr's head, before being bitten, again. He snapped at the wolf, and puti t back in it's ball, before trying to catch up with the others. As he approached Sycamore, he resisted his urge to ask what was wrong with her, and handed her the ball. "Here you go, ma'am. It's your Wulfyr. I used him to stop that Excavade, but, you already knew that."

[Hydra of Ages]

The police officers waited with professional patience as they shepherded the uproarious crowd from the remnants of the remainder of the Azure bridge. Though mostly peaceful, several individuals had evidently been more strongly struck than others, and blue-suited personnel were rushing in to take account of injuries and aid the ones who simply seemed to be shocked.

 

There was a cacophony of sirens in the air as a swarm of white ambulances arrived to accompany the police, each ejecting its own group of trained, white-coated personnel and Aid Pokemon in order to rush to the injured at the bridge's edge. A few stayed by the opening of the bridge to examine the crowd as they passed for evidence of injury from shrapnel; the explosion had been strangely clean, yet there was still the usual splintering of concrete that could lead to lacerated limbs and embedded shrapnel in the body that could turn toxic.

 

Once the majority of the crowd had been successfully dispersed, the head police officer took up her megaphone again, her Medicham walking in to take her position in watching the remainder of the passing crowd move by.

 

"Attention, everyone. For the time being, Azure Bridge is not available to the public on a whole for an indefinite period of time. Travellers wishing to travel to Azure City are not advised to attempt transversing the gorge in any other manner, and should instead follow the path through Ivy Town. she announced loudly, to the crowd's apparent indifference. Perhaps they were still shellshocked.

 

Ivy town? That was an interesting idea, Eri thought to herself mildly. She knew the original plan was for her to stay in Peach Town, but that wasn't likely to be a good idea, given the recent destruction. Media coverage was to be expected- even if the country wasn't that old, reporters from other countries would surely fly in to nab the story-, and so she should probably be on the move if she wanted to avoid being noticed by anyone.

 

Besides, she realized with a bit of a smile that she wanted to try her hand at being a traveler once. Those trainers always seemed so exciting on their journeys, making bonds with their pokemon and seeing such amazing sights... just the thought of that massive bird filled her with giddiness. She wondered if she, too, might be able to control a pokemon like that one day...

 

She paused, and drew a hand into the secret pocket in the side of her top. It wasn't anything too special, just containing the money she had, plus two small spherical objects.

 

After a moment of fumbling around, she pulled out one that was slightly heavier than the other. It was black, with orange lines drawn across it- all in all, it looked rather expensive.

 

She returned it to its full size, before clicking the lock mechanism open. the dark sphere bisected itself along its horizontal axis, and from within its hollow interior came a pool of yellow lightly, quickly moving onto the ground where it twitched like a serpent before condensing into a solid shape. A small blue creature without any limbs, and yet two small white fins on either side of its rather cute head appeared, before it made a happy squeal.

 

Eri smiled a little at her dear pet. "Lancelot." she said softly to the female dragon, before kneeling down and hugging the wyrm gently, who nuzzled her back breifly. She smiled and patted the dragon's head. "Let's get going." she said quietly, getting up and walking off. Lancelot slithered off after her.

[Saiba Aisu]

GM Post: Peach Town Outskirts

GM Post: Peach Town Outskirts

 

[spoiler=GM Post: Peach Town Outskirts]

 

Professor Sycamore slowed her pace and turned back to receive the two Pokéballs from Josh and Jason, her intense gaze softening slightly and a slight smile curving her lips. "Thank you for rescuing me and returning my Pokémon," she said to both of the boys, taking them and storing them in one of the pockets of the satchel that Lisa had returned to her. Then she turned back and continued to lead the group through the Ochre Woods; for what seemed like a long time, there was no sound except the steady crunch and thud of the traveler's feet as they made their way across the leaf-strewn ground and the loamy soil. Walking barefoot must not have been very comfortable, but if Professor Sycamore felt any pain, she did not show it.

 

Gradually the trees began to thin and the emerald-colored light began to fade; in a few more moments, they had pushed past the border of the woods and were standing under the shadows of the extending boughs upon a dirt road that wound its way forward and through several colorful houses—they had finally arrived at Peach Town. Unfortunately, the picturesque view was spoiled slightly by the nervous appearance of the people that they could glimpse running through the streets in disarray, as well a solitary plume of black smoke rising from not too far off.

 

However, neither of the three companions had much time to register their surroundings, because Professor Sycamore suddenly sprang sideways and dove into the undergrowth next to them, struggling as she pulled at something unseen forcefully. After a moment more of labor, Sycamore gave a particularly powerful heave and dragged out a young man with gingery-brown hair and green eyes, looking distinctly disheveled.

 

"I thought as much," said Professor Sycamore, panting slightly from her exertions and tossing a tress of hair out of her eyes. She crossed her arms and regarded the stranger sternly, drawing herself to her full height.

 

"Who are you?" she demanded of him, "and what is your business in the Ochre Woods?"

 

[encapturer]

"Wha....?"

 

Lisa began to run ahead once she spotted the smoke in the distance. She passed by Jason and Josh who were ahead of her, but stopped as Professor Sycamore vanished into the bushes nearby. Lisa merely turned, wondering if the professor finally lost her mind. Fortunately, she was still quite sane, as Sycamore reemerged with a young man she captured.

 

Instinctively, Lisa raised the staff she was balancing on just moments ago and grabbed it with both hands. The way she held it was obviously defensive, the rod was kept close to the body, held with both hands. She awkwardly pointed it forward as to threaten the mysterious prisoner Sycamore had, but kept quiet as she gazed strongly into his eyes, awaiting his response.

[Bringerofcake]

Bahnes, looking slightly embarrassed, got up quickly. He dusted himself off as he commented "Wow, you're really strong!" He looked up at the faces of the four people before him and read a sort of bemusement, with a mix of hostility. He thought about it, and realized that it was pretty odd that he just was kind of pulled out of nowhere, with no introduction or anything. Atominor stopped floating and landed on his head.

"Name's Bahnes. And as for what I'm doing here? I'm looking for Professor Sycamore. Coincidentally, could you point the way to Ochre Village from here? If I'm right, that's where her lab is..."

He trailed off as he saw a Bug-type rushing into a tree. Clearly the thing was scared out of its simple mind.

"Actually, do you know anything about some loud roaring noises around here not a few minutes ago? They seem to have scared the Pokemon considerably."

[Otaku-sama]

Nyoko looked back towards the destroyed bridge and back to the man.

 

"Well now that you mention it, I did feel a little shaking before Maro-chan got away. I wonder what all that was about," Nyoko said before her eyes glazed over in thought. She then got an expression that appeared to be one of sudden realization.

 

"Hey, do you think that that rumbling had something to do with the bridge being gone all of a sudden?" Nyoko asked. The police officers began making announcements that Azure Bridge was closed and that the only way to Azure City was by the Ivy Town route.

 

"Aw man...I need to get to Azure City for a Pokemon Contest. I don't think I'll be able to go through a forest full of bad Pokemon. I don't like to battle and I'm not that good at it..." Nyoko lamented as Maro got up out of his breathless state. Maro got back on his feet and started to fix its lock of hair before being picked up by Nyoko with warning.

 

"Ahh Maro-chan! We can't go Azure City in time for the Contest!" Nyoko half cried into her fluffy companion, while Maro struggled in her grip.

[Saiba Aisu]

GM Post: Peach Town

GM Post: Peach Town

 

[spoiler=GM Post: Peach Town]

 

Professor Sycamore coughed dryly and then cleared her throat, obviously preferring to avoid commenting on Bahnes' compliment of her supposed strength. She listened closely as the young man explained himself and his presence near the Ochre Woods, narrowing her eyes slightly as his narrative took form.

 

"I am Professor Sycamore," she said at last, once he had finished his story. "However, if you're looking for my Pokémon Laboratory, you're going the wrong way—it's true that until just recently I was visiting my parents in Ochre Village, but my lab is located in Peach Town."

 

She tossed her head slightly back, indicating the colorful buildings of Peach Town that lay behind her. In the otherwise faultless blue sky, the column of black smoke climbed higher still. Suddenly, however, the smoke began to break apart, rising in segmented groups, growing fainter with each passing moment—it was clear that whatever fire was causing the smoke was slowly but steadily being put out.

 

"As for those noises that you heard," she continued, "their source has been dealt with. Still, your concern is appreciated—you're welcome to come along with us to Pokémon Laboratory. We'll discuss recent events in greater detail once we arrive."

 

The pink-haired woman turned and increased the speed of her pace, evidently concerned with the panicked state of the people and the mysterious smoke that had been rising above Peach Town. Behind her, Josh, Jason, and Lisa fell into place, moving past Bahnes and following quickly after the Professor as she ran towards her home. After a few minutes of running, the companions had reached the outer ring of the colorful buildings and were rushing through the oddly deserted cobbled streets until Professor Sycamore came to a sudden halt in front of them, her shoulders rigid with tension and shock. Peering around her, the others could see a mass of people—most likely the majority of Peach Town's inhabitants—crowding near what had once been an elegant bridge wrought of metal and glass, but was now just a sagging wreck whose surface came to a dangerously slanted and jagged edge that plunged into the gorge below.

 

[Shradow]

Daisuke wasn't really listening to the new girl. He was more interested in the condition of his egg and Munchlax. When he looked over him, Munchlax clung to him, still shaking. "It'll be okay little buddy. You could use a break." Daisuke took his Pokéball and returned Munchlax to it. He then carefully placed his egg back in the cloth and picked it up with both hands. Suddenly he heard some noises. He looked around and noticed a strangely colored Duskull floating nearby. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

[Tempest Dahlia]

Duskull, spooked by the sound of nearby voices, croaked eerily for Robert's attention.

"What's the matter?" Robert asked turning around, a worried expression on his face. Duskull had been making noises for quite some time.

 

"Hello? ls anyone there?" An older looking boy called out. Duskull became frantic and hid behind Robert's hat.

"Duskull..." Robert grabbed the ghost and strode over to the boy and held out his hand. "I'm sorry, was Duskull bothering you?" he asked, a light smile spread across his face.

[Shradow]

Daisuke noticed the Duskull hide behind another boy. "Oh, is that your Duskull? He's a cool color." Daisuke silently admired him for a second. "And, no he wasn't bothering me, I was just wondering what the noise was. I was on my way across the bridge, but then some crazy bird came by and blew it up. It looks like I'll have to go back to Peach Town for now, before I do some more field work." Daisuke realized he was rambling, then put his hand out to shake the other boy's hand. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Daisuke."

[Tempest Dahlia]

"My name's Robert," he said, shaking Daisuke's hand briskly. Duskull peeked from his owner's back cautiously, watching Daisuke.

"I was trying to gather information on this bird, but it would seem as a shock to everyone..." he mentioned, scratching the top of his hat and looking to change the subject.

"So you're going to Butternut Village!" Robert exclamed. "Hmm, l was planning to stay in Peach Town to admire the view, but since the bridge is gone... oh! What do you say we go together?" He asked.

[encapturer]

Lisa relaxed once the man, Bahnes introduced himself and it became clear he wasn't an enemy, breathing a sigh of relief. She approached him to apologize for their (mostly Professor Sycamore's) behavior, but the professor was apparently more worried about whatever was happening back in Peach Town. As the growing group dashed, Lisa ran up next to Bahnes, and said "Sorry for attacking you," before breaking off and running further ahead.

 

Once at the source of the smoke, Lisa tried her best to get a closer look while not distancing herself too much from the others - it was harder than it sounded with the large crowd in the way. This only took a few moments, as Lisa was more interested in Professor Sycamore's explanation on what was happening. After all, this was *only* a broken bridge in Lisa's mind; she couldn't do anything about it, so there was no reason to dwell on it longer than necessary.

 

Done with her mini-survey, Lisa ran back to her group. "Something you need here?" she asked Professor Sycamore, who led them all to what remains of the bridge. Lisa sounded annoyed and confused, though was truthfully honestly curious about why Sycamore led the group here. Not sure how long they will be staying here, Lisa knelt down to catch her breath and rest, in case Professor Sycamore took off running again.

[Saiba Aisu]

GM Post: Peach Town

GM Post: Peach Town

 

[spoiler=GM Post: Peach Town]

 

After another moment of horrified, disbelieving contemplation, Professor Sycamore turned her back on the site of the ruined bridge and moved off towards the right, calling after her in a tense, perfectly-controlled and commanding tone, "Follow me."

 

Bahnes and the three companions quickly did as they were told, hurrying after the pink-haired woman as she led them to the right and along another wide cobbled street, further into Peach Town. As the group hurried along, they could not help but notice the eerie manner in which the colorful settlement seemed almost deserted, due to the fact that the majority of its citizens were crowded around the ghastly ruins of what had previously been the Azure Bridge. The lack of people somehow made the colorful shops and many small establishments seem meaner for their absence; however, they did not have much time to appreciate the pleasant appearance of their surroundings due to how quickly Professor Sycamore was moving ahead of them.

 

"We're here."

 

Professor Sycamore finally came to a halt at the outskirts of Peach Town, bordering the dirt road that wound away and out of sight towards the Ivy Woods. Ahead of them, the companions could see a fairly large pavilion, barred by a pair of delicately-wrought iron gates that gleamed in the sunlight. Rising from the center of the pavilion was a large but pleasant-looking two-story building made of white-painted wood, complete with sparkling glass windows and charming red shutters on either side of them. Not too far behind the building rose a tall windmill, rotating steadily in the sweet-smelling summer breeze.

 

"Welcome to my Pokémon Laboratory," Professor Sycamore said to the others, turning and indicating the structure with one elegant hand while the other was placed at her waist. With the exception of Lisa, who just looked slightly bored, none of the companions had ever seen such a grand and impressive building; for a moment, their mouths hung comically open in shock.

 

Professor Sycamore gave a low and pleasant laugh at their identical expressions; the sound was surprising when considering how brusque and businesslike she had sounded before in the Ochre Woods, or even when she had seen the destroyed bridge. "Come along," she said, beckoning to them and continuing to walk up towards the laboratory. At the tall gates, she bent towards a small keypad, entering a sequence of numbers quickly. Without a sound, the gates swung open, allowing the companions to pass. Before they knew it, Professor Sycamore was unlocking the front door with another keypad combination and they were sitting in comfortable living room while she climbed the stairs, her messy appearance in contrast to the orderly nature of her surroundings.

 

"I'm going to tidy up," Professor Sycamore called down to them, disappearing to the right of the stairs into what was presumably the personal section of the Pokémon Laboratory. "Just take a seat and talk among yourselves until I come back; there's some cold green tea in the fridge if you're thirsty."

 

[Bringerofcake]

Bahnes followed the group, staying close as far as they went. They were headed in the direction of Peach Town once again, and, upon learning that this was Professor Sycamore, he wasn't about to lose her again. He didn't know where the Lab was...

Then, one of Sycamore's companions, a girl, apologized for their rude behavior.

"Pay it no mind", he replied, but the girl was already off and running ahead of him.

They made it back out the forest, where Bahnes re-appreciated the destroyed part of the bridge. Knowing how it would hamper travel, he was saddened slightly, but was gladdened when he realized (due to the lack of angry bystanders) that there weren't any casualties of the explosion.

 

But that too, was fleeting, as the Professor was already on the move once again. Bahnes, thankfully, had enough vitality to keep up, and so managed to make it to the lab with the others. He declined the offer of tea, however, mostly because he was imagining all of the various devices and machines the professor could keep. His mind pulled him back to the real world at that point.

[Aesirson]

Jason, who had remained quiet all the time, quickly reacted to Sycamore's last words from the private quarters.

"Tea!" He quickly went to the fridge, found the green tea and then turned to the rest of the group. "Would anyone else fancy a glass?"

Without waiting for a response he started looking for glasses, and found a cupboard with a multitude of glasses, picked one and made himself a glass of tea (Yes, he drinks it from a glass, not a cup) He then took a seat and looked at the others.

"Wouldn't mind living like this, eh?"