Sorta Good at Something [FINISHED]

[Morgan Lysandre-Fay]

MORGAN

^{Travel log
January 2nd, 26 A.P.
(Year 1 of the board)
Late Morning}


* * * * *

Dude, sucking at something is the first step to being kinda good at something. 

Wise words from a wise Granbull-who-may-have-actually-been-a-Ditto from the ancient past. They comforted Morgan, to some extent. Just because she let down her Pokémon down yesterday didn't mean she was a total failure. 

(Still, she hadn't told her father the details of the battle when she showed them to him. He'd assumed she won without even asking, and, well... What was the point in correcting him?)

So there was nothing wrong with sucking at something new... but she'd still really rather be over that particular phase by the time she left the city. So she woke up in time to actually see her father leave with his trusty, old Aegislash to... To... ... ...Morgan never had quite grasped what it was her father did for a living. 

So she made and ate breakfast--and suddenly remembered the Professor's remark yesterday. She burnt the corka slices she was frying up while distracted by her impotent frustration. 

After that, Morgan released both of her Pokémon in twin flashes of crimson light. "I know you both can eat berries and stuff, but what do y--" 

Morgan knew what Shuppet liked to eat. Emotions. That was the point of-- 

Oh, hey! She had the Pokédex function in her X-Gear now. She flipped it up and looked at both of her Pokémon's readouts. 

That was the point of her name. 

It was good to know their moves, too, and their abilities. There were some spots for personal notes, though Morgan couldn't imagine what use those would be. 

But, right, she was being frustrated that she hadn't thought to let Shuppet out of her Pokéball while she was reminiscing about the...insult?...yesterday. 

"You guys prefer to be out of your Pokéballs, right?" Raptor gave a hearty nod--well, it could have been a bow, given his proportions, but context clues!--whereas Malcontent... Well, she didn't react much. She kept the same contented look that she had yesterday, and at Morgan's words, the hem of her sheet-skirt sort of... blew up in the wind a little. 

Given they were still inside the house, Morgan doubted it was wind. 

"That...doesn't seem like a 'no'. So, I'll make a deal with the two of you. I'll try to keep you out as often as possible, withdrawing you only when there's danger or I have to go someplace where Pokémon are supposed to be in their balls--and even then, I'll still see if I can't find a, a room or something for you guys while I'm wherever. On your end, though, you've got to promise to be good. This means no wandering away, no picking fights with wild Pokémon without my say-so, and no bothering other people. Especially don't bother other people. How does that sound?" 

This time, Malcontent managed a nod, though it was rather slight, and if Morgan hadn't been looking for it specifically may have missed it, given the flurry of movement from the Hoothoot. 

"So that's settled." Morgan had forgotten her earlier preferred-food inquiry. "Well, guys, today's gong to be a day of training. We're gonna work those muscles, and next time we see that girl from yesterday, we're going to pound them into ash." For emphasis, Morgan knocked one balled fist into her other, open hand, mimicking a mortar and pestle. "Are you guys ready?" 

Even more nodding, and an excited hoot! from the little owl. 

However, even after such an exciting pep talk, Morgan wasn't... really looking forward to this. She didn't want to see her new friends--could they be called that? They hardly knew each other, but Morgan was already quite attached to the pair of them--hurt. Even if they were victorious, it would be exceedingly unlikely they'd get through any battle unscathed. And of course, in battle, there's always a loser. Even if she didn't know the Pokémon personally, it still pained Morgan to see them hurting... 

So the three of them strolled down rather more populous streets, until Morgan couldn't stand the crowd. She kept to mostly residential streets after that, even if it felt more awkward. 

Morgan wasn't sure why she was heading out to the bluffs-side of Port Town. She hadn't been near there since she'd come through the portal so long ago, but she felt the need to train her Pokémon with a view down the cliffs to the sea. ...Or, uh, if they couldn't actually get that close to the edge, at least the sea air would be nice, she supposed. 

[[Can haz Connection? :'3?]]

[Background image by Izzie Grace Blog Backgrounds]

[Olive]

This area always seemed to attract Lunatone & Solrock. Perhaps it was the Portal Energy that seemed to draw them in from the untold regions of space. Today, three Solrock floated just of the cliff. None of them were doing anything in particular, just kind of chilling. Though the Wingull found them to be great perches apparently, as a flock settled on the three Pokemon. None of these Pokemon stood out as Wingull look just about the same wherever you go, save the one in the middle who had one blue and one red ring on its beak. It was probably the leader.

Below the buff, the water were calm. Nothing seemed to really catch Morgan's attention. Then, a deep clue-colored shell began to waddle out of the water. A few off the lesser Seagull floated down to see about the "commotion" and peck a little at the creature's hard back. A little off from the turtle-like pokemon, a fisherman was lazing back in his seat, his rod pulled on three separate occasions from what Morgan saw, but he was dead asleep. The day didn't look like it really wanted anything overly extraordinary to happen by nature. Maybe Morgan should pick one the few things going on and snap some life into this place?

((Connection increased by .3 | +1 for Primary))

[Morgan Lysandre-Fay]

MORGAN

It was very peaceful, this end of town. Morgan found she liked it. The hustle and bustle of the city were much too stressful, but with the Legend Portal so close, not to mention civilization within a stone's throw, so now it was time to relax a little bit. 

A thoughtful glance was cast towards the miniature monoliths and the Wingulls they were host to. With a Shuppet and a Hoothoot, Morgan seemed well on her way to a nighttime-themed team, and with three Solrock in one spot, Morgan made a mental note to keep an eye out for Lunatone (right after making sure her X-Gear registered both the Solrock and the Wingull.) She hoped it didn't look as peaceful as these three did, though. Even if there had been a Lunatone among them, Morgan wouldn't have had the heart to disturb them. 

Having an angry horde of Wingull chasing after her wasn't exactly appealing either, but that was most definitely and decidedly quite entirely beside the point, of course. Probably. 

Instead, Morgan picked out a zigzag path down the side of the miniature cliff, to see what this Pokémon on the beach was. She couldn't place it herself, and it was too far away and moving too much for her Pokédex to get a read on it. Was it... maybe Carracosta? That was the only Pokémon she could think of with a shell like that. 

Behind her, Raptor followed with little hops and skips, aided by the flapping of his tiny wings. Mal floated directly down, and was waiting for Morgan expectantly. It was certainly a little frustrating, but Morgan didn't think the stare was meant tauntingly at all. The little ghost didn't have much of any expression, really--her mouth was small, neither frowning nor smiling, and her eyes were large, but not overly so. 

While she made her way down, Morgan debated whether or not she should wake the fisherman, but ultimately decided against it. Aside from her aversion to socializing in general, it felt a shame to interrupt the peaceful air. Though--she supposed he was likely fishing for his supper. Hmm... 

[Background image by Izzie Grace Blog Backgrounds]

[Olive]

As Morgan drew closer to the shore, she found the deep blue Pokemon was in fact a Tirtouga. An injured Tirtouga at that. It front, left flipper was bleeding and was badly torn. The water behind the Pokemon began to bubble, then an Anorith crawled out of the water. Upon seeing this, the Tirtouga withdrew into its shell, as quickly as its exhausted body would let it. The little anthropod started scratching at the much larger turtle Pokemon. Was this big ol' turtle really that scared of this one half-pint? Why didn't it just lay on it?

Then the waters began to bubble again, and three more crawled out of the Forever Ocean. Well this was a bit disturbing. The Tirtouga was in deep trouble now, but that is the way of life after all. Especially on this planet. Only the strongest can survive. There was always that fisherman over there who was going to miss his fish that was probably meant to feed his family, but ya know, that shouldn't be on your conscience. A neither should the Tirtouga facing its death sentence. But that is up to you after all, Morgan.

---

4 Hungry Anoriths Appeared
1 Injured Tirtouga Appeared

[Morgan Lysandre-Fay]

MORGAN

So much for that calm atmosphere! Morgan struggled to correlate all her facts and prioritize. 

...The fisherman could probably wait a bit longer. The injured Pokémon before her--Morgan's 'dex reminded her that Carracosta's prior stage was named Tirtouga--could not. 

Pokémon died, though, as did everything else. Was it really her place to butt in? 

...Anorith, as arthropods, had been abundant in their prime on Earth, if she remembered correctly. As more complex and generally larger organisms, Tirtouga and Carracosta were much less so. Additionally, as simple and simply-evolved (in terms of species rather than individual metamorphosis) organisms, Anorith were not the most intelligent creatures. 

Morgan's mind was made up. "Raptor, Growl on the nearest Anorith! Mal, Screech at a different one!" 

Actually, Morgan realized she could move while commanding. Duh, she mentally chided herself as she moved closer to the sleeping fisherman--keeping her eye on the fray. 

[Any chance I get a bt of Recognition for being almost-correct on guessing what the Pokémon was? ??]

[Background image by Izzie Grace Blog Backgrounds]

[Olive]

Following Mal and Raptor's attacks, the Anorith turned and hissed at the two Pokemon. Mal's move caused its Anorith (Number 2) to wince and shake its head. Raptor's (Anorith 1) found the growl to be a challenge and had already scuttled to the owl. Its pincers were held out as it began to take multiple shots at the Hoothoot for interrupting its hunt. Anorith 2 followed in its partners steps, but it faced a more challenging dilemma... it couldn't reach Shuppet. A hiss escaped it as the anthropod attempted to stand on its rear to slice at the ghost Pokemon.

Bubbles began to swell under the fisherman's bauble as Morgan approached. The man snorted awake as the pole pulled again, this time almost right out of his hands. "Whoa there!" he called out to the inanimate object. He clasped the pole tighter and began to reel in, but then the line snapped. With a step back the old man rubbed removed his cap and rubbed his balding head. "Well, that's mighty strange." He didn't seem to notice Morgan or the other Pokemon, but it seemed that he would fine for now. Morgan needed to keep her attention on the battle.

---

Anorith 1 attempts multiple Scratches on Hoothoot!
Anorith 2 is reaching for Shuppet!
Anorith 3&4 are still going at Tirtouga
The old man is awake!... but his line snapped.

((+.2 recognition for almost-guessing x3 ))

[Morgan Lysandre-Fay]

MORGAN

Oh, the fisherman was awake now. That's good, though it's a shame his line broke. And... a bit worrying that apparently that's odd, given what just climbed ashore... 

But right, the battle! It looked like the Anorith that Morgan's Pokémon hadn't engaged were still harassing the poor turtle. "Raptor, Tackle Mal's Anorith; Mal, see if you can't screech at both the other two!" The Hoothoot didn't waste the time or effort on nodding, he simply turned and flung himself toward the Anorith whose pincers were still in the air, despite enduring the painful scratches of his first target. Mal, in turn, drifted up and around, wailing as she drifted closer to the Anorith. If luck was with her, the Tirtouga in its shell shouldn't be affected too much by the sound--but Morgan feared that, just perhaps, the sound reverberated inside and made matters worse for the poor creature. As long as Morgan managed to draw the Anorith away, though, it should be all right--provided she, and her Pokémon, were able to handle all of them at once. 

---

Hoothoot attempts Tackle on Anorith 2
Shuppet attempts Screech on Anorith 3 & 4


[Recognition is also one of Morgan's primary skills. Given she only almost-recognized rather than fully, though, I want to be sure--would that be +1.2 because primary, or it it without the +1 bonus because it wasn't really successful?]

[Background image by Izzie Grace Blog Backgrounds]

[Olive]

Raptor flew at the Anorith, successfully knocking it on its back. If the predator and prey shared one thing in common, it was their sturdy exo-shields that made it next-to-impossible to recover from falling on their back. The Pokemon made a sound that mixed between a whimper and a hiss as it sadly tried to sling its claws at the Hoothoot. From behind, Anorith 1 zipped back to Raptor and began slashing at him again.

As Mal screeched, the shell of the Tirtouga rattled and the two attacking it flinched. This time though, the Anorith crawled on top of Tirtouga's shell and began waving their claws at the puppet, perhaps this time they'd be close enough to actually strike her. Not that their moves would have any effect on the Shuppet of course. These Anoriths were squealing in upset. This was not the beset situation for the pack, they couldn't hit one of their opponents and one of their allies was disabled. What were they to do?

Behind the battle, waves were slowly getting bigger and rising closer to the action. The fisherman to the side finally noticed the battle and let out a little 'whoop!' He waved his arms at Morgan and called out, "Hey watch out fer them Anorith! They don't hunt alone!" The man quickly began to gather up his things, watching the shore and battle carefully. What did he mean by that? Of course they don't hunt alone!

---

Anorith 2 is flipped and therefore Disabled
Anorith 1 scratched Raptor
Anorith 3&4 were affected by Screech
Anorith 3&4 attempt scratch on Mal

(( You still get the +1 Bonus x3 ))

[Morgan Lysandre-Fay]

MORGAN

Oooh, nice. So one 'down' already, though it would likely have to be dealt with la--

The fisherman interrupted Morgan's thoughts as he called to her. She blinked, and said, "Thank you for the warning, sir!" Well, if that wasn't a signal to get the heck out of dodge, Morgan didn't know what was. If she hadn't already been feeling uneasy by the two-to-one ratio of enemies to allies and the way the fisherman's line snapped shortly after they came around... Well, she'd thought she'd seen it tugged before, while she was climbing down, but... Her eyes weren't--they weren't that bad! But they weren't great, either, and she'd been focusing on getting down the slope more than this strange man. 

But this wasn't the time or place for that! "Raptor, Mal, draw them to the side and up the shore a bit!" Her two Pokémon started retreating slowly, allowing themselves to get scratched. Raptor was taking his damage well, though his eyes narrowed in pain. Malcontent, on the other hand, lazily floated down and right in between the three mobile Anorith, natural claw swipes passing right through her ethereal material. 

They were making progress, but slowly. Morgan threw caution to the wind and just walked right up to the Tirtouga. She knew it was feral, she knew it couldn't understand her, but she said "I'm sorry," regardless of these things, as she pulled a Pokéball out of her bag and tapped the button to the creature's shell. She'd hoped to avoid that--but then, how else had she been planning to save it? She couldn't very well carry it and its heavy up the bluff, let alone across the rest of town. 

For now, though, she waited in tense silence for the Pokéball to respond, gaze flicking between it, her Pokémon still inching away from the shoreline with Anorith in tow, and the swell in the water--and the Pokémon that was likely to appear any moment now. "Sir," she called tentatively, without turning towards the fisherman she was addressing, "I don't know about you, but I'm not sticking around for whatever that is in the water!" 

---

• Hoothoot & Shuppet attempted to kite the three remaining Anorith away from the shore and Tirtouga
• Morgan attempted to capture Tirtouga in a Pokéball
• Morgan attempted to warn the man of her impending run away 

[whee x3 re pts]

[Background image by Izzie Grace Blog Backgrounds]

[Olive]

The remaining Anorith took the bait and began to follow the Pokemon off he shore, back into town. Luckily for Raptor, the anthropods were not very intelligent, or strong.. or really fast. They continued their failed attempts at attacking the bored-looking ghost. At one point they even stopped to crawl on top of each other to reach the Pokemon. As with all genius ideas, this one flopped. Specifically the top one which flopped right on its back. Two down.

Morgan reached Tirtouga right in time. The red plasma absorbed the Pokemon into the red and white capsule which shook wildly in the woman's hands. One, two, ding. She did it, her first Pokemon capture. Unfortunately, this enjoyment was short lived as she heard the man shouting indistinguishable curses. He had already thrown together his pack and was running back to the city.

Bubbles were reappearing in the ocean. Not a good sign seeing as they were much larger and widespread than the first bit. Morgan watched as a huge creature began to make its way out of the salty waters. It was encased in a tough, black shell with golden outlines and and red accents. Behind it a large spiked tail swung left and right to remove seaweed that had caught onto it. Both of its pincers raised in the air, along with its shelled head, as it roared a deep, hissy, "MALDO!" There was no doubt that the roar echoed throughout the entire city.

The creature was an abnormal six feet tall. It stared down at Morgan with its oddly placed eyes and began to push forward. That, unfortunately, wasn't the worst part.

Another horde of Anorith scuttled their way onto the shore. They flew right past Morgan and into the town. Good going Morgan. Had you just let nature take its course, you would have spared the entire city of an Anorith invasion. It wouldn't be too bad of course. There were only about 25 of them.

---

Tirtouga was captured! 75TP required to tame -remove 1 pokeball
Mutated Armaldo appeared!
25 Anorith swarmed the town!