Session 42

Jaegers all around - some in uniform, some not - dancing and partying! Mainly to either side, as the center strip of the central district has been set aside for fireworks displays. The partying is subdued somewhat by bandages and other signs of injury on many of the attendees.
On the central platform - the cable cars cleared to the south, crashed to the ground since their lines appear to have been cut somewhere beyond immediate visual range - are Ignacia, one arm in a sling, hugging Tim with her other arm, bandage wrapped around his forehead. It looks like they have just completed some kind of speech.
Sam Spade waves.
Sands stands dutifully off to one side, half the quills on his back missing. He is the first to spot the party coming over the northern wall, and tries to get Tim's and Ignacia's attention.
Linnea: "Melo. We sure picked a good time to leave."
The dance music, broadcast through intercom all over the district, halts with a record scritch, which cues most of the attendees to look. Within seconds there are gasps and murmurs.
Max Thorn: "Quite."
Sam Spade: "We're back!"
Sam Spade: "And we brought the rain!"
Linnea: "And the eye."
Esme: "Amongst other things."
Ignacia slowly releases Tim and looks - then double takes. Tim groggily follows suit, then seems to quickly recover his energy, smiles, and waves.
Max Thorn waves.
Sam Spade waves back to Tim, enthusiastically.
Linnea: "…yup. This was supposed to be a death mission."
Esme gives a thumbs up.
Sam Spade: "Let's not rub it in her face too much, okay?"
Sam Spade: "Revel, don't rub."
Sam Spade says those last bits quietly.
Max Thorn: "Eh. A bit of rubbelry won't hurt too much."
It is trivial to weave around the pyrotechnics and pull up to the platform. The eye is big enough that the party can hop from hoverbikes up to the top of the eye, then from there to the platform.
Sam Spade: "Please do keep in mind she's a murderous psychopath. Who does need to be brought down a peg or two, yes, but still dangerous."
Tim laughs as the party gets within talking range. "I knew you could do it!"
Max Thorn does precisely that, though he's fairly clumsy at it.
Sam Spade: "I wish you could have come with us, Tim! You should have seen it."
[OOC] WC GM: No Athletics checks this time. :P
Tim: "Oh? What'd you see?"
Max Thorn: "The Mega Raidertank was just a factory-tank with a socket a regular Raidertank could fit into."
Esme: "Yup!"
Sam Spade: "Then it was destroyed by Lugia and all three of the great Birds."
Max Thorn: "And it was destroyed by some very angry pokémon."
Esme: "We also saved a bunch of tea."
Ignacia frowns for a moment. "Lu…but wasn't she…she couldn't get into Dojji."
Sam Spade: "Couldn't."
Sam Spade: "Like I said, we brought the rain back."
Linnea gives Ignacia a smug grin.
Max Thorn: "There was some sort of seal centered on the Mega Raidertank."
Esme thumbs to Linnea. "Just needed to take down the barrier."
Linnea: "I took care of that."
Ignacia sounds somber and mellow. The party can smell the booze on her breath.
Esme: "Oui, see?"
Linnea: "As if there was ever any doubt."
Max Thorn: "Also, there's a convoy that'll be arriving…probably tomorrow?"
Sam Spade: "Holdout Colony."
Ignacia: "But…the seal…you'd need another Legendary to figure out how to break it."
Sam Spade: "…You know a lot about the seal, huh?"
Sam Spade: "Whatever."
Ignacia nods.
Ignacia: "I…saw it, once."
Tim: "Whaaat? But you said you've never been to Dojji."
Max Thorn glances at Linnea. "(Do you want to tell her? Cos it's not my business to.)"
Ignacia: "It was a long time ago. Before…that equipment went north."
Tim: "Huh."
Sam Spade blinks.
Sam Spade: "Where was it?"
Ignacia: "Here. Fort Blaston."
Ignacia: "It wasn't active yet."
Tim: "So hey! Everyone! While you were gone, Team Stormcloud attacked. They were trying to kidnap Professor Petri."
Linnea: "Lovely."
Esme: "We heard!"
Sam Spade: "Yeah! How is the Professor?"
Linnea: "Also, I have my ways."
Tim: "Gone! Once she heard they were coming for her, she slipped past them. Once they realized it they disengaged."
Tim: "Good thing people listened to me for once, though."
Max Thorn: "Huh. So she's presumably still free, then. Unless they captured her somewhere else…"
Tim: "I led them through defenses - a few I learned from you - and, well…"
Ignacia smiles and pats Tim on the head. "Nobody died."
Max Thorn: "That's good to hear. Anyway, here's the orb you wanted."
Sam Spade: "Looks like Stormderp did some damage, though…"
Tim: "Oh, yeaaah. You should check out what's left of the southern district later."
Ignacia stumbles over to the edge of the platform and peers down at the orb.
Ignacia: "Huh. Never thought I'd see that again."
Sam Spade: "What is it?"
She staggers back to the party and fishes in a pocket. "Communications and sensing. It was the main coordination hub for th' raidertanks."
Sam Spade frowns more deeply.
Sam Spade: "Um. Shard-based technology?"
Linnea: "Wait, again?"
Ignacia shakes her head. "Jus' a transceiver, made to be boosted by a rotom pilot in a raidertank."
Ignacia: "The whole thing was meant to be a command tank jus' a bit bigger than a raidertank. Guess they made it larger."
Linnea: "Only a little."
Tim: "You sure know a lot about it."
Ignacia: "I was THERE. Wasn' able t' stop it."
Max Thorn: "Oh…something we learned…they were apparently harvesting the dead to turn into rotom pilots."
Tim: "…"
Sam Spade: "Yeah…"
Ignacia: "Huh. So that worked?"
Tim: "…"
Max Thorn: "…"
Sam Spade: "That's part of why the raidertanks killed more people than Stormderp did."
Sam Spade: "Killing people was part of their goal. Stormderp just likes big bangs."
Tim grows deathly still. Ice is in his voice. "Ignacia. What was your role in this?"
Linnea: "Oh. Oh shit."
Ignacia shrugs and pulls forth four clusters, each of seven 1,000 pokeyen coins surrounding an Artillery Badge, which she hands to the party. "Here y'go, as promis'd. Now if you'll 'scuse me I need t' get more drunk."
Ignacia heads for the stairs down but Tim stands in her way. "Answer the question."
Ignacia stares down at him.
Tim death-glares back.
Sam Spade: "Maybe not when we're in the middle of a crowd?"
Ignacia: "You have their gratitude so don't make me strike you down right here and now." She puts a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from getting in her way further as she steps around him and heads down the stairs.
Max Thorn pockets the coinage and badge almost without thinking about it, but his attention is on Ignacia.
Max Thorn: "…"
Linnea: "I could just…hmm. But bad spot, yeah."
Esme: "Hrm."
Sam Spade sighs, then heads over and pats Tim on the shoulder.
Sam Spade: "Yeah, she's a bit crazy."
Esme: "Let her do as she wants, for now."
Tim stares daggers at Ignacia's retreating back. He trembles with anger, though only the party is close enough to see.
Max Thorn: "She'll get hers in due time, Tim."
Linnea: "Yeah, next time, she's not goin' anywhere."
Tim then looks back up at the party. "Did any of the seal survive?"
Sam Spade shakes her head.
Linnea: "Nope."
Sam Spade: "But I think Linnea can probably describe it really well."
Tim sighs. "We could have done forensics, seen if she made it."
Linnea: "I can one-hundred percent proof positive tell you that I erased it from existence."
Linnea: "Woulda been nice to know that beforehand."
Tim smiles and nods. "At least it's gone now, so Dojji can be restored."
Sam Spade: "I was hoping…that when the clouds came back to Dojji, then Ho-oh would come with."
Linnea: "Also, y'know. Rain for the whole region. So."
Sam Spade: "But not so much."
Tim: "Ho-oh?"
Max Thorn: "She'll be on the hook for other crimes soon enough anyhow."
Max Thorn: "Anyway, let's go find a room."
Esme: "Ho-Oh's not about rain, though. Well not til after it, anyway."
Sam Spade: "Lugia's counterpart? Legendary of the skies?"
Sam Spade: "Rain, no. Clouds yes."
Linnea: "Yeah, Mia needs attention pretty much nowish."
Sam Spade: "Isn't that the way it works? Lugia hides behind the sea, and Ho-Oh hides behind the clouds?"
Linnea: "And I need to see to my comrades."
Tim: "Oh! The line at the pokemon center should be short now."
Sam Spade: "Yeah, the sooner we get to the pokecenter the faster Chicklet can be back on her feet."
Max Thorn: "I'm sure that when the rain's over, Ho-oh will be out to bring a growth-inspiring sunshine."
Sam Spade: "Well, I seem to remember hearing that Ho-Oh was missing."
Sam Spade: "And that was why Lugia smashed that Raidertank in Foundry Town."
Max Thorn hops down to the ground, by way of the orb.
Sam Spade sighs
Max Thorn stumbles a bit on reaching the ground, though. "Oof."
Linnea: "Well, I mean-"
Sam Spade: "And taking away the clouds that Ho-Oh was hiding behind seems like a good first step in capturing a Legendary…"
Tim heads down the other side of the platform, and then to the pokemon center.
Sam Spade follows.
Tim: "I thought Ho-oh was just the sun, not the clouds."
Sam Spade shrugs.
Linnea: "I mean."
Esme: "Well Sam's right in that it traditionally hid amongst clouds, while Lugia hid amongst the sea…I think we're still missing something, though."
Linnea: "I've been tasked t' find out about the 'heart of the sun'. So even odds it's Ho-oh."
Max Thorn: "Best place to do research is at the Masonic Carpenters U, in Scale Mount."
Sam Spade: "Sounds like a plan!"
It is about that time that the party reaches the pokemon center. Linnea immediately recognizes her crew hanging out to one side - in (stolen) Jaeger uniforms, manning a bar.
Max Thorn: "We even have the largest multitype zoo in the region, though our specialty's in fairy and dark-type."
Linnea gives the party a silent nod, then starts heading barward.
Nurse Joy is at the counter, barely keeping herself upright. Chansey is patting away her sweat with a towel.
Sam Spade heads Joyward.
Max Thorn parks his butt in a chair in the lobby, opening his pokédex up to do some light reading. If anyone were to look over his shoulder, it's a groomer's guide.
Linnea: "Dearest fellows. It's good t'see you survived the onslaught. As you can see, we made it just fine. If y'give me a moment I'll come back and have somethin' of what's left."
The bartender smiles. "We've got plenty of mixed drinks on tap. How about some Wrecked Base?"
Nurse Joy: "Hello, welcome to-" Her speech trails off into coughs, and she presses her side.
Linnea: "I'll hold you to that, just wanted to get a good word in and-oh dear."
Sam Spade moves in more quickly.
Sam Spade: "Are you alright?"
Linnea: "Excuse-excuse me."
Sam Spade: "They even got in here, huh."
Linnea heads rather quickly more Joy-ward.
Sam sees a large, blood-soaked bandage covering the left side of Nurse Joy's torso.
Nurse Joy tries to wave Sam away. Chansey looks at Sam and Linnea with rockruff-like pleading eyes.
Max Thorn looks up. "Please take a break before you kill yourself."
Linnea: "Right no we're gonna."
Linnea: "Get you some treatment, now."
Nurse Joy: "My…job…what I was…born for…"
Linnea: "You can't do your job if you bleed out."
Linnea: "C'mon."
Esme: "I am no doctor, but that looks… less than optimal."
Sam Spade moves in next to Nurse Joy, on the opposite side from Chansey.
Max Thorn: "What she said."
Linnea: "Somebody help me with this damnfool woman."
Nurse Joy tries to resist, but she has almost no strength left.
Sam Spade: "Besides, it helps you be a better Nurse from time to time, to see what patients go through…"
Max Thorn closes his pokédex, then stands. "I will take care of the desk today."
Sam Spade helps Linnea support Nurse Joy.
Sam Spade: "How can we help, Chansey?"
Bartender: "She took care of all the injured pokemon already. We would have tried to help but she just pounded us when we tried."
Linnea: "Right, we got a room open?"
Sam Spade: "Yeah, she's tough!"
Chansey shrugs, apparently having minimal knowledge of human medicine.
Linnea: "Less than optimal if we gotta work in a sittin' room."
Max Thorn moves behind the counter and pulls a stool over, pulling up a "basic care" guide on the computer there just to make sure he doesn't accidentally harm anyone.
Esme goes to check the room situation.
Chansey does, however, direct the party back to the central, staff-only corridor, and to a well-stocked operating room within.
The operating room is equipped for a wide variety of pokemon. It is possible to adapt it for use on humans.
Linnea: "Now this is what I'm talkin' about."
Sam Spade blinks
Sam Spade looks at Linnea, hesitance visible on her face.
Sam Spade: "Do…you have any idea how to use this stuff?"
Linnea: "Well, no. But I can adapt the tools to my methods, and it's a proper workspace."
Sam Spade blinks
Sam Spade: "Um. That's…filling me with confidence."
Sam Spade: "…And damnit, I'm out of sorts. I'm usually a better liar than that."
Linnea level stares. "There's magic healin' and there's science healin'. In the best possible world she'd get both, but we're stuck with the former for now."
Max only finds basic care guides for pokemon - but very thorough details on how to treat for bullets, burns, poisons, missing limbs, and more traumatic battlefield injuries.
Linnea starts clearing stuff out and setting up the room to work on humans, rather than Pokemon.
Max Thorn pulls up the intercom. "I've got some manuals out here, and most of the tools back there should work fine on humans."
The bartender calls from up front, "I think she's still got shrapnel in her, if you're looking to operate."
Linnea: "In either case, the basics are the same. Stop the bleeding, clean the wounded area, apply whatever else is necessary-"
Linnea: "Tch."
Linnea takes a deep breath. "Sounds like it's time to put all of my learnin' to the test, then."
Max does, at least, find the manual for basic pokecenter operation. For the most basic of wounds, insert pokeball with pokemon into machine and push the button; expertise is only needed if that fails to work.
Max Thorn pulls up a field medic's guide for shrapnel removal. "Right, let me project this…" He sends it over to one of the displays in the OR.
Linnea: "Thanks. You're a livesaver-saver."
The first step in Max's guide is to use the metal detector to image and find the shrapnel.
Max Thorn: "Esmé, there should be a metal detector back there."
Esme perks.
Esme: "On it!"
Linnea: "Esme, we are not dowsing Nurse Joy."
Linnea: "…though I guess this is technically the same thing. Sort of."
Max Thorn: "No, but you'll need it to find any shrapnel in the body so it can be removed."
Linnea: "Yeah."
Linnea: "Let's get her scanned."
Esme: "Don't think the Stormclouds figured out anything interesting with shards yet. Wouldn't really have any results."
[OOC] WC GM: …sure, I'll allow a dowsing roll for Esme to find the shrapnel.
Esme boots it up, messes with the controls for a moment…
Esme rolled up 10d6, success >= 4, exploding >= 6: 3 6 1 2 4 3 2 1 4 4 4 (1 explosions)
Esme finds 2 shards - one in Nurse Joy's belly, one stuck in her ribcage - and that Nurse Joy's arm on that side is a well-made prosthetic. It would seem this is not Nurse Joy's first battle.
Esme: "Oddly enough, yeah. Shards in there."
Linnea: "Wow. Okay."
These shards are just metal shrapnel, though.
Esme: "Well metal ones. Not the fun ones."
Max Thorn checks the guide for the next step…
Linnea sets about preparing. Scrubs, mask, washing hands, snapping on gloves…
The next step is optionally to administer anesthetic - in just the right dose, since an overdose can be fatal - and then to cut in and remove.
Nurse Joy: "Just…hurry…"
Linnea: "Right, we have anything to put her under? Dosage for a human?"
Peeling off the bandage reveals a scarred, bloody mess.
On the plus side, at least there will be less cutting required than if the tissue was all whole - and all there.
Esme shrugs.
Linnea: "Well if Joy wants me to hurry, well…"
Max Thorn pulls up some documentation…he's looking for a human-safe anaesthetic and an acceptable dosage level.
[OOC] WC GM: Medicine Ed check, TN 15, to get the right dose. On a non-crit fail you at least know you don't know.
[OOC] WC GM: +1 die for Max given the documentation.
Max Thorn rolled up 3d6: 13 (5 6 2)
[OOC] WC GM: Anyone else can check too, but without the bonus.
Esme rolled up 1d6: 2 (2)
Max Thorn: "Can't make head nor tail of this documentation…oh well, if she says 'hurry', then hurry."
Linnea takes a moment to focus as she looks upon the projected documentation. [-1 AP]
Esme: "Yeah, I don't know Hypnosis."
Linnea rolled up 6d6+1: 30 (6 6 3 6 5 3)
Linnea easily finds not only the right dose, but a gas mask to help administer it.
Linnea tries to reassure Joy as she sets the apparatus up. "Don't worry about a thing. You can count on me."
Nurse Joy struggles, but is soon under, and is unlikely to wake up until at least morning despite surgery - assuming she survives.
Linnea: "Right, next step."
Max Thorn: "All right. Be careful with the scalpel."
Max Thorn projects the metal detector's scan, then looks to see if the OR has a machine that can help sew people up.
Cutting away the tissue is comparatively easy; much of it is dead, necrotic tissue anyway.
Linnea washes and changes gloves before starting. Then grimaces as the task before her. Well, what must be done, must be done.
Max Thorn: "…Oh. And remove the obviously-dead tissue on the way in."
Given the wide variety of pokemon - including ones with rock-like, or just plain rock, shells - sewing up is not an option. Rather, there is a machiine to synthesize new flesh given samples of existing healthy flesh, and emplace it directly.
[OOC] WC GM: So, two checks to cut properly. Combat is obviously applicable, or suggest another applicable skill.
Max Thorn: "While she's busy with that…Esmé, there's a machine back there that'll help regenerate flesh. See if you can find it and get it standing by."
[OOC] Linnea: Honestly? I plan to keep rolling Med for as long as I can.
[OOC] WC GM: Go for it, then.
Linnea mentally shuts out everything around her, save for her patient, the documentation, and the orders of her friends. [-1 AP] [-1 AP]
Linnea rolled up 6d6+1: 21 (4 4 2 3 4 3)
Linnea rolled up 6d6+1: 19 (4 1 6 3 2 2)
Linnea extracts a few pounds of dead flesh, and two jagged-looking bits of shrapnel.
At a glance, these may have been hollowpoints, intended to cause severe injury. But how did they get in Nurse Joy?
Esme: "Works." She goes to tinker with the synthesization device. Neat!
[OOC] WC GM: Esme: Tech Ed check.
Esme rolled up 6d6+1: 24 (1 4 6 5 4 3) (Science)
Sam Spade frowns. She can't do a whole lot of good here, but she can start digging for dirt. Hollowpoints, eh?
Sam Spade: "Hey, Chansey?"
Linnea keeps her expression steely as she works, making sure to dispose of the dead material in the appropriate biohazardous waste unit.
Not only does Esme manage to regenerate Nurse Joy's torso, but the device seems to be picking up the shoulder as an injury. Esme could give Nurse Joy her original arm back - or at least, a flesh-and-blood exact copy - in place of her prosthetic.
Chansey is standing at the door, her nervousness plain on her face. "Chan?"
Esme: "Huh. This stuff is easy enough to use. Sort of."
Sam Spade: "How are you holding up?"
Max Thorn: "They design it that way, in case there's no Nurse Joy in charge."
[OOC] WC GM: So, does Esme? I'd say "morality choice", but both options are good.
Chansey tilts her head and points to Nurse Joy. "Ch, chan?"
Esme: "Think she'd want her arm back? I currently could arrange that."
Sam Spade: "…What do you think, Chansey?"
Chansey blinks, not understanding.
Esme ponders…then goes for it. Let it be a…well it'll be some kind of surprise.
Sam Spade: "Honestly, Esme, if she wanted her arm back she could have gotten it back."
Sam Spade: "I have to think maybe she wants the prosthetic for a reason."
Max Thorn: "Place like this, maybe she just never had the time or opportunity."
Esme thumbs to Max.
The prosthetic pops off as Nurse Joy's shoulder regenerates. From there it is just a matter of tracing down the pattern.
Linnea: "Let's just take care of the important injuries first."
Esme: "She was also embedded with bullets and still running the desk!"
[OOC] Sam Spade: I thought she was at the bar?
[OOC] WC GM: No, the party's all gathered inside the OR, save for Max at the desk.
Max Thorn: "Oh, hey. Sam, bring Chicklet and Mia up here and I can get them healed up, if nothing's too major for the machine out here."
Sam Spade: "Yeah, definitely."
Sam Spade: "Linnea, can you give me Mia's pokeball?"
Sam Spade: "Or Chansey could take it?"
Linnea had left her pokeball belt on a table a fair distance away from the operating space.
Linnea: "Back over there."
Sam Spade: "Gotcha. This one? Okay."
Linnea: "Yeah. Thank you."
Max Thorn: "And you can probably pull up the security feeds, while you're here, see if her injuries were sustained on the premises and from whom."
Sam Spade grabs the pokeball and proceeds up to the front.
Sam Spade: "…Security….feeds?"
Chansey perks up at that, and points Sam to the appropriate slot in the machine behind the desk.
Max Thorn pops the balls into the machine, then pushes the button.
Sam Spade: "Thanks, Chansey!"
Sam Spade: "Unless Iggy wiped them."
[OOC] WC GM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKQ-j-zueNc
Less than a minute later, the pokeballs pop out, the pokemon within all healed.
Sam Spade takes Chicklet's ball out, then Mia's. She immediately opens the one.
Chicklet drops lightly to the ground, then grabs Sam's leg and holds tightly to it.
Max Thorn: "Could you take this ball back to Linnea, Chansey? She's the one who did all of the hard work with Nurse Joy."
It is about this time that Nurse Joy's fingers finish being reconstructed. All there is now, is for Nurse Joy to sleep off the anesthetic.
Sam Spade: "She looks like she has it well in hand, too, her and Esme."
Max Thorn: "Yup. So, security feeds?"
Esme: "Aaaand done."
Nurse Joy's new arm stands out relative to her torso. Looking close, it seems like this Nurse Joy has a lot of small scars.
Linnea: "…Very good."
Linnea washes, changes gloves. Then does another scan, another look over, just in case something went wrong or they missed anything.
All seems well. Nurse Joy will live, despite herself.
Linnea: "… … … …"
Linnea: "Yes. We're done here."
[OOC] WC GM: So, is Sam looking up the security feeds?
[OOC] Sam Spade: If they're not hard to get to
Max Thorn: "Put some blankets on her to keep her warm overnight, and then we're done."
Max Thorn: "Maybe wedge a pillow under her head."
It seems Nurse Joy was still logged into the various systems. Using her login, Sam is trivially able to access the security footage.
Linnea continues to stare blankly at the monitoring equipment, then seems to startle a bit before she sets about cleaning the operation area, and setting up fresh bedding.
Sam can not see outside the center, but about seven hours ago Nurse Joy seemed quite alarmed and was hiding behind her desk. The camera shakes every so often, irregularly. Then Nurse Joy stands up as the front door opened. An arm dressed like a Jaeger reaches in.
Sam recognizes the arm has a gun just as the gun goes off. Nurse Joy collapses. Chansey is in a panic, useless. The arm withdraws and the doors close - until just after five minutes later, when a small team (Linnea recognizes them as her crew) rush in and bandage Nurse Joy, hiding behind the desk with her until the shaking stops.
Shortly thereafter Jaegers begin rushing in with injured pokemon. Nurse Joy waves off her rescuers and begins doing her duty.
Max Thorn 's looking over Sam's shoulder. "…I wonder whose arm that was."
Sam Spade: "Maybe I was premature in dismissing the idea that it was Iggy."
Tim: "Huh. Probably Ignacia."
Sam Spade: "Yeah, wounded pokemon being forced to recover without assistance seems her style."
Max Thorn hmms. "Save a copy of that footage, it may be relevant later."
Sam Spade: "Um. How…do I do that?"
Max Thorn: "Oh. Plug in your pokédex, then it's a matter of…" Max walks Sam through it.
Linnea just continues to stare at the monitors once she's done, seemingly unaware of anything else.
Esme waves a hand in front of Linnea's face. "You alright there?"
Linnea: "I."
Linnea: "H-huh?"
Linnea shakes her head slightly, expression returning to something more normal.
Linnea: "Oh…"
Linnea: "Sorry about that…it's really difficult to pull out of trances like that once you start."
Linnea: "So…it seems she will make it."
Esme: "I think she'll be alright. She's got a whole new-old limb! More…circulation, or something."
Linnea: "Easier for the body to work with, at least."
Esme: "Oui! So relax a little, while we're not being chased by anything."
Esme sighs wistfully. "It will undoubtedly not last."
Linnea: "Yeah…course it won't."
Sam Spade: "So, Tim. What do you think about Iggy?"
Max Thorn thumbs the intercom. "You all right back there?"
Linnea: "We're fine. I gotta get out of these scrubs and stuff then I'm gonna hit the bar."
Tim: "I…" He frowns.
Linnea sets about doing just that, making sure any stained bits of uniform get sent to be laundered separately.
Tim: "…I think…y'know, maybe we shouldn't sleep here tonight. You've got your badges; let's get on the road."
Sam Spade: "…That…well."
Sam Spade: "Is probably a good idea."
Sam Spade: "I mean, she just sent us on a suicide mission and we came back."
Tim nods. "She's letting us through while she's drunk."
Esme makes her way back to the front.
Max Thorn: "I…would be okay with that if there's someone we can trust to keep an eye on Nurse Joy while she sleeps."
Sam Spade: "And…I think she might have been threatening you, there, at the end."
The bartender waves. "We'll keep watch on her."
Sam Spade: "I was about to say."
Sam Spade: "Esme, care to hit the road?"
Max Thorn: "Praise Arceus, and thank you."
Sam Spade: "Before Iggy sobers up enough to try to murder us in our sleep?"
Sam Spade: "Not that she'd try to do that. Necessarily."
Esme rubs her chin.
Linnea: "I don't want to take that chance."
Sam Spade: "We've only shown her up, twice, and pulled hints at dangerous secrets out of her while she was drunk."
Bartender: "You did good work. We'll make sure that work stays good, but we're getting out of here eventually too."
Esme: "Wanted to raid Petri's lab now that she's not there to keep an eye on it, but I suppose we could get moving."
Max Thorn hrms, and tries to reach the professor again.
Esme: "She'll definitely be seething when she sobers up in the morning."
The professor again does not answer.
Sam Spade hesitates.
Sam Spade: "…Can we take our hovercycles south?"
Max Thorn: "If someone hasn't grabbed them yet."
Max Thorn: "But we'd need to grab one for Tim, too."
Sam Spade grimaces.
Tim shakes his head. "Property issues aside, it'd be tough to GET them south. Petri already had one stashed in the southern district, but yours we'd need to get over the wall."
Sam Spade: "And the south wall would be a lot trickier to ramp than the north was."
Tim: "And it would be stealing, kind of."
Sam Spade: "Alright, then."
Sam Spade: "How are we for supplies?"
Tim: "South wall of this district, I mean. The southern district…well, if you could get it there…"
Linnea: "I'm okay stocked for first aid. Rations, eh-eh."
Max Thorn does a quick check, but… "We should be good. If not, I can forage."
Bartender: "You need rations?" He looks at his crew. "We can whip some up. How many do you need?"
Max Thorn: "We're heading to Scale Mount from here."
Esme digs through her bag. "I have everything I /need/…Oh! Did the rest of that ghost-orb business get here?"
Max Thorn taps in a rough travel plan into his pokédex and reads off the estimated travel time, plus a day just to be sure.
Sam Spade: "I think Jack's still taking it south. He should be here tomorrow."
Sam Spade: "But he should be safe, he'll be in a huge crowd of armed Dojjian refugees."
Bartender: "Five days, five people? Alright." The crew gets to work.
Esme: "Guess I could leave a note."
Max Thorn: "I'd say 'cipher it', but I don't know if he'd be able to."
It takes about fifteen minutes, then the bar crew produces a backpack-and-a-half sized block of prepared noodle dishes of various sorts: spaghetti with meatballs (flagged to use first), ramen, udon, and so on.
Linnea: "Ohhhh, you're all too kind! Thank you all so much!"
Linnea seems -particularly- happy about these.
Bartender: "Hey, all the best for the best." He scoops up Linnea in a one-armed hug. "You say a friend'll be here tomorrow? Who should we look for?"
Tim blanches a bit at the rations.
Max Thorn breaks it down and packs it all away into people's packs. "Thanks much for the rations, I appreciate it."
Tim: "Anyone got a picture of Jack?"
Linnea: "Uh. Not me."
Tim shrugs. "Just look for the most radical, extreme member of the convoy. He'll probably be driving."
Sam Spade: "Yeah."
Bartender: "Got it. And what should I tell him?"
Tim looks to the party.
Sam Spade: "We're headed to Scale Mount, and we hope he can catch up?"
Bartender: "Got it, will do."
Tim: "Alright, if that's everything, let's go before Ignacia wanders back over here."
Sam Spade: "Yeah."
Bartender: "Gonna be a little problem with that." He thumbs toward the front door, where a large number of Jaegers have gathered. The crowd seems happy.
Fortunately, they are at least waiting outside.
Max Thorn: "…Please tell me there's a back door."
Esme: "Or secret basement!"
Tim: "Let's hope there is." He runs off toward the back.
Sam Spade follows!
Fortunately, toward the back of the guest rooms, there is a back door. Tim is holding it open for the party, keeping watch for any of the crowd circling back this way.
Tim: "Hurry!"
Linnea gathers up her gear, and starts booking it that-way-ward.
Esme makes a swift escape.
Max Thorn shoulders on his pack, then makes his way out. "Amaterasu, come on out and take point, please." The houndour chuffs happily, and goes.
[OOC] WC GM: Stealth checks, all.
Linnea rolled up 1d6: 4 (4) (what is stealth to a magical girl)
Sam Spade rolled up 2d6: 3 (2 1) (Sam always meant to be more stealthy, but)
Esme rolled up 2d6+1: 11 (4 6) (Pretty Sneaky Sis)
Max Thorn rolled up 2d6: 2 (1 1) (beep boop I am a clumsy dumbass)
Amaterasu rolled up 3d6+1: 14 (5 2 6)
Sneaking out the back gets the party a little ways, but the party is no ninjas. Before long the mob sights them and stampedes their way with squees!
Max Thorn sighs.
[OOC] WC GM: Running for it, I assume?
Linnea 's hand strays to the pokeballs at her side a moment… then she books it.
[OOC] Sam Spade: In theory.
Sam Spade books it!
Sam Spade rolled up 1d6: 6 (6)
Max Thorn books it, too.
[OOC] Sam Spade: …….huh.
[OOC] WC GM: No checks needed for this.
The best way over the wall is the crashed cable cars piled up next to it. The party makes it inside and begins climbing. The fan mob respects this and stays outside, chanting, "JAE-GERS! JAE-GERS! JAE-GERS!"
[OOC] Max Thorn: Oh, good. I was about to ask if I could invoke Traveler.
[OOC] WC GM: Traveler is part of why you need no checks here.
Sam Spade: "Er. They think we're?"
Tim: "You've earned it in their eyes."
Tim: "You're not official YET. I mean, you've only got seven badges."
Tim: "But you've rescued our homeland."
Amaterasu thinks this is all great fun, of course, and bounds up the cable cars, waggling her little butt hard enough to occasionally cause her to take a spill.
Sam Spade: "But not your…dad? Older brother?"
Chicklet looks like she's trying to jump up and grab her pokeball.
Tim's face is shadowed. "We'll see what my father says when we see him again."
[OOC] Max Thorn: I need to commission art of Amaterasu clambering up the wall sometime. Goddamnit.
Once atop the wall, dropping down is easy - though there is no going back. The wall seems somewhat damaged from this side.
Linnea 's expression contorts a little at the thought of 'earning' Jaegerdom.
Despite it being night time, the houndours and houndooms that were along this valley last time make no sign of themselves. The increasing amount of battle damage to the terrain as the party progresses is likely why.
Max Thorn: "…Huh. I think the houndours'n'houndooms took themselves elsewhere, at least for now."
Max Thorn: "Anyway, down we go…hopefully without breaking our necks."
Esme: "Good."
And then the party comes across what is left of the southern district. The northern wall is breached but intact toward the sides, and some of the buildings to the north are still partially there. This is less so as the party proceeds through, until the southern end is completely blasted flat.
Linnea: "…ugh."
The massive southern wall is just plain gone, almost entirely. Still-smouldering remnants can be seen to either side.
Whatever happened here, it is clear that a massive amount of firepower was involved. That there were no deaths on the Jaeger side is indeed a minor miracle.
Sam Spade: "Huh."
Sam Spade: "When I saw that wall, I thought it was massive overkill."
Sam Spade: "…Now…"
Max Thorn: "To be fair, it's probably not necessary any more. But…"
Tim: "It was like they turned the wall into dynamite somehow."
Sam Spade: "Huh."
Max Thorn: "Honestly, I think Dunderclod needs a stern talking-to. Pokémon lived there."
Linnea: "R… right…"
Tim: "I agree."
Max Thorn starts down the slope, gingerly…
Tim: "But they were furious and determined to get at Petri. What'd she do to piss them off so much?"
Linnea: "Exist?"
Max Thorn: "Maybe they heard something about what she did at the lab."
Sam Spade: "Clone herself, then push her mind into the clone's body?"
Max Thorn: "More general in scope than that, but sure."
Tim: "Wait, what?"
Max Thorn: "We'll explain it in the morning…"
[OOC] Max Thorn: Want to timeskip?
Sam Spade: "Quite."
Tim: "Alright." He crosses where the wall was and takes a breath. "By the way. Thanks."
Sam Spade: "Hey, no problem. It's what friends do, right?"
Tim: "I really didn't want to have to deal with Ignacia with a hangover."
[OOC] Linnea: If we're timeskipping to tomorrow, I'm gonna apply First Aid Expertise to me and Sam, and another bandage to myself to clear up those injuries - and full restore HP all 'round.
[OOC] Linnea: Er, me and Sam at least.
[OOC] WC GM: Yeah, was just setting up for that.
Sam Spade: "I'm worried about her murdering us at the best of times."
Sam Spade: "Won't stop me from poking her, mind, but."
The party gets out of sight of Fort Blaston, and then a bit, before finding a clearing to camp for the night. Tim grimaces that they will be having noodles each night for five in a row, though notes he will not complain about free food.
Sam Spade breathes a bit easier after Linnea's ministrations. Don't worry. It wasn't awkward at all, at least on Samantha's side.
Then it is morning. A wide river looms ahead, over the horizon but on this day's travels; fortunately, there is a bridge.
Linnea takes a glance under the bridge beforehand. At this rate she'd expect anything.
[OOC] WC GM: When you get there. I believe Max had something well before then?
Amaterasu is still leading the way, darting here and there, sniffing at everything and generally doing the things dogs do when they're walking along.
Max Thorn , meanwhile, tries to hail the professor once again, now that it's morning.
Professor: "Dmitri O'Riain speaking. Who is…oh! Hey, Max! You pokedex was out of service range yesterday. Where were you?"
Max Thorn: "Hi, Professor O'Riain. We were out in Dojji on a mission. Just got back last night, heading to Scale Mount now."
Esme fiddles with shards as they walk along, the occasional 'CRACK' coming from her position. Gervais trods alongside her, actually deigning to hoof it for once.
Dmitri: "Dojji?!? But that's…oh, if you're coming here I'll get the story then. Hey, so I wanted to ask you, do you know a Professor Petri?"
Max Thorn: "Yup, she was in charge of the shooting range at Fort Blaston 'til recently."
Max Thorn: "My friends and I need to have words with her, so if she's there, please ensure she doesn't leave before we arrive. We're about four days out."
Dmitri: "Okay, so you have met her. This is just a background check. She was asking if we were hiring, and said she'd worked with you briefly."
[OOC] WC GM: Perception check, everyone except Max.
Max Thorn: "Especially do not allow Team Stormcloud to come after her."
Sam Spade rolled up 4d6: 12 (1 6 2 3) (Perception still lagging a bit)
Dmitri: "Team Stormcloud?"
Amaterasu rolled up 2d6+1: 6 (4 1)
Max Thorn: "Team of humans and pokémon working together, nominally led by a xatu or, perhaps, a pichu."
Max Thorn describes their uniform.
Sam Spade: "They're probably on their way already."
Sam Spade points out a few places.
Dmitri: "I see. Well, we'll keep an eye out. What's going on?"
Sam Spade: "Someone came by this way yesterday, and that's about the timing for Stormderp to be chasing Petri."
Linnea rolled up 2d6: 9 (3 6)
Max Thorn: "…And I've been informed they may be on their way already. They hit Fort Blaston a couple days ago, hoping to grab her."
Esme rolled up 2d6+1: 7 (5 1) (Whoops Spotting Things)
Max Thorn: "They, uh. Leveled the entire southern wall, too. I'm not sure with what."
Dmitri: "The…the entire. Southern. Wall?!?"
Max Thorn: "Yup. We could backtrack and get some footage of the remnants, if you'd like."
Dmitri: "No need. Um. Where EXACTLY are you right now?"
Max Thorn pulls the 'dex away long enough to get coordinates from it, which he relays.
Dmitri: "I see. So you'll be at the river in…hmm. When you get to the river, head left. I'll get a boat and meet you where it hits the coast."
Dmitri: "Should be able to get you all the way here by tonight."
Dmitri: "How much trouble is Petri in?"
Max Thorn: "Uhhhh…I'll explain on the boat."
Dmitri: "Is it safe to let her near the Pokemon Storage Facility? She said she might be able to help get it online."
Esme tries to clap her hands together, but ends up slamming two shardworks together, which repel with a shower of sparks. "Tonight? Extra noodles! That's ni-yeow!"
Max Thorn: "Make sure someone keeps an eye on her, but I don't think she'll sabotage it…"
Esme: "Probably not, but I still wouldn't let her near… well anything."
Dmitri: "Got it. Oh, and how's Antheia doing?"
Max Thorn: "She evolved!" Max swivels the 'dex so Antheia's visible.
Dmitri: "Good for you! I knew she would in your care."
Dmitri: "Alright. I'll make sure Petri has an escort, then I'll see you in a few hours. Remember: river, then left."
Max Thorn: "Right. See you soon, Professor."
Shortly after the call ends, the party faintly hears singing from up ahead.
Max Thorn pockets his 'dex, then looks ahead. "…Singing…?"
Sam Spade bites her lip.
Linnea: "Ooh, I wonder…"
Linnea thinks…has she heard that voice before?
Several pokemon voices, in a simple cadence. It almost sounds like marching music.
Max Thorn cocks his head a bit…
Max Thorn rolled up 5d6: 20 (4 4 2 4 6) (Pokémon Ed)
[OOC] Max Thorn: Attempting to identify the pokémon involved.
Max Thorn: "I think it's Dunderclod."
Max identifies a wide array of voices - but soon identifies a specific pichu's among them.
Minutes later, the bridge comes into view - and a large swarm of pokemon crossing it, a few wearing shirts with the Team Stormcloud logo.
Max Thorn: "…yup, that obnoxious pichu is among them."
Sam Spade: "Of course it is."
Esme grimaces. "UGH."
It looks like the bridge is narrow enough that it stifled their progress a bit.
Max Thorn: "This is where we'd turn left, but. Do you want to do something about them?"
Parts of the song have a beat roughly like, "Pata pata pata pon" , though in each pokemon's own words.
Linnea: "I'm pretty sure we're far outnumbered."
Sam Spade: "Would we be fighting them, necessarily?"
Max Thorn: "Doesn't mean we can't, oh, sabotage the bridge."
Sam Spade: "Because I'd love to just have an argument."
Linnea: "Well, if they noticed us, they'd probably pick something."
Max Thorn: "Though…I would honestly prefer to just head to the coast. They'll be a few days to Scale Mount."
Esme: "Hrrg…that is prooooobably the best solution. As tempting as getting into it with them is."
Linnea: "We need a chance to properly recollect ourselves. And Scale Mount is likely the best plan."
Sam Spade: "Well, I'm not averse to playing with them later. But I'd rather they not hit Scale Mount as hard as they hit Fort Blaston."
Sam Spade: "Still, we know they're coming."
Sam Spade: "Left here, you said?"
Max Thorn: "Yup."
The mouth of the river is barely half an hour's walk further, and waiting there is Dmitri in a large powerboat. He waves to the party.
Sam Spade waves back.
Linnea: "Sup."
Max Thorn: "Hey, Professor O'Riain!" He ushers the others onto the boat, then recalls Amaterasu.
Dmitri: "Hey, Max!" Once the party is aboard, he guns the engine, turns around, and heads south along the coast. "We're in luck: the tides are calm. It's been a while since I've dared go very far in this."
Esme smiles. "Should be like that for a bit."
Dmitri: "Oh?"
Max Thorn: "Lugia and the Legendary Birds are busy up in Dojji."
Max Thorn: "Which…here's what we were up to…" Max weaves a fairly dry (and scientific) view, with interjections from the other three.
Linnea stares out eastward. "Huh…"
Esme shudders.
Linnea: "Hey…can we check out Bay Island once we're done here?"
Dmitri: "Huh. You did all that? Well, that certainly explain-"
Up ahead, from Scale Mount, there is a massive BOOM.
[OOC] WC GM: +1 trainer level each for getting the Fort Blaston gym badge.