MT. PYRE

TAMING THE HORSE

UPON RETURNING TO MT. PYRE, the same unnerving feeling of being watched returns. on this eerie mountain, your footsteps seemingly disappear in the mist that endlessly billows out from the earth. oddly enough, the time of day is obscured: it seems like you're in eternal night. this has never happened before and as you struggle to find a rational explanation for this phenomena, you instinctively hush yourself. two horse-like pokemon neighs in the distance. wreathed in spectral mists, the black equine pokemon hover in midst the fog.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

however, the horses seem to notice you. they advance close. the clopping of hooves is muted— or rather, it sounds like an ominous breeze surging in like a tide. suddenly, they disappear in the dense haze before reappearing behind you like a phantom.

SPECTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that has your trainer offering the carrot to the spectrier and then post in MODERATION REQUESTS. after they have been given the carrots, the horses will promptly fade away.

should your trainer come the next day, they will find the spectrier on mt. pyre once more. shiv will post a new prompt, detailing what the spectrier want (hopefully, once per day). each request fulfilled by your trainer will steadily tame the spectrier.

Hideo Kino Andy Blackadder

"Only way I know how to get here," Hideo said, dusting off his clothes as he stood back up. "On my own, anyways." While he could contact Andy and be brought here by one of his friend's ghosts, he wanted to be sure he could find this place without help. Had to prove he didn’t have to rely on Andy for too much.

As he finished dusting himself off, he heard Andy approach him. He didn't resist as Andy guided him over to the plant. He could feel the greens and leaves of the carrot, even feeling the purple (not that he knew the color) stem. "It really did grow," Hideo commented, "And it's bigger than any carrot I've held before. I gotta get Vines to work on my garden sometime."

He felt a big monkey hand pat his head, the Zarude having followed along. Hideo couldn't tell if that was an agreement or an affectionate refusal.

Yet for some reason, Hideo's heart was uneasy. He wasn't sure why, but something felt off. He couldn't pinpoint what gave him that feeling, and he was unfortunately left unaware of how dark it had become, and of the mist that had covered the camp.

But he certainly heard that neighing, a sound he only vaguely recognized. "What the-" Hideo muttered, standing back up as he faced towards whatever made that noise.

His Zarude was already in front of him, facing these sudden intruders. Hideo could hear a breeze, assuming it was just the wind, but his Pokemon could see them approach, staring at the two horses...but not taking any aggressive action.

The Zarude even turned back towards its trainer as the horses disappeared, its hand stabbing straight into the dirt underneath Hideo's carrot - and cleanly pulling it out with a single motion. It put the oddly-shaped purple carrot in the boy's hand, obtaining a rather confused expression from the boy.

And it'd do the same for Andy's, if the other boy hadn't already gotten his carrot out or needed help.

"What you want me to do with-"

Hideo could feel a chill on the back of his neck. He turned, holding the carrot up with unsteady hands, and felt it be taken, followed by that uncomfortable sensation disappearing. He didn't know what just happened or what they were dealing with - but he was certain it was gone now.

"...what the hell was that?"

Andy Blackadder

MT. PYRE

TAMING THE HORSE

THE NEXT NIGHT, you don't spot the horses; however, they do find you. reappearing some distance away, they remain still: an eerie image in the mist. like spectral scarves, the mountain's ominous fog passes through where the horses' pasterns should be.

♥ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

upon closer, quiet inspection, the horses seem hesitant. without the shaderoot carrots— you do not possess the same gravity you once did; however, the horses approach still, sensing your benevolent motives.

THE SPECTRIER ASK FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSES WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that has your trainer offering any two week berry to the spectrier and then post in MODERATION REQUESTS. after they have been given the berry, the horses will promptly flash away.

you do not need to have the berry grow in your garden. you can simply purchase it from the SITE SHOP.

should your trainer come the next day, they will find the spectrier on mt. pyre once more. shiv will post a new prompt, detailing what the spectrier wants (hopefully, once per day). each request fulfilled by your trainer will steadily tame the spectrier.

Hideo Kino Andy Blackadder

“Can’t say I’ve handled any,” Hideo sighed, “I've only really touched carrots my family used for cooking, and none were that big.  All I grow in my gardens are berries, but if I can get Vines here to help them grow, I could get some pretty massive berries.” He could only imagine the size of the curry; would his cookware even be large enough to handle them?

Well, with the peace they now had after the departure of those horses, he could have some time to think. “I’m a little rusty on Ghostly Horses,” Hideo said, “But the only ghost-horses I heard about are pretty dang rare. Makes sense that they’d show up in Mt. Pyre, what with all the ghosts around here.” Not just the ones in Andy’s camp. “Well, if they were just here for the carrots, you think they’ll show up again if we grow more? Though I don’t have any more seeds...”

Before he could ask Andy if he had any, his Zarude pat him on the back. “What, you think they’ll be back?” Hideo asked, getting a hairdo-wrecking headpat from his Pokemon. “Well, Vines’s been right before.”

He turned back to Andy. “Mind if we stick around for a bit? I wanna be here when they get back, though I dunno when that’ll be.”

-----------------------

Whether allowed to stick around, or waiting for a notification for signs of re-arrival, Hideo would find his Zarude was correct: the ghostly horses were back, with their ethereal neighing and that strange wind that sounded when they approached. But Hideo was still unsure what to do; he didn’t have another carrot to give, and he didn’t know what to give this time.

Fortunately, his Zarude did.

Hideo felt his Pokemon start rooting through his backpack, pulling something out. Before he could ask what Vines was doing, he felt something be placed in his hand: a Tamato Berry.

Confused, but still trusting his Pokemon’s judgement, he held the berry up - and felt the chilly breath of the ghostly horse as it was taken, before the chill went away along with the horse. “I was gonna use that for a chili,” Hideo sighed, swinging his backpack in front so he could make sure his Zarude didn’t disorganize everything in there.

Andy Blackadder

MT. PYRE

TAMING THE HORSE

UPON RETURNING TO MT. PYRE, the spectral horses await. their wavy mane seems quite tangled, knotted at its mauve ends. still, the sight of the pokemon is breathtaking. around you, the mist eddies and swirls like spirits escaping the consecrated ground.

♥ ♥ ♡ ♡ ♡

upon closer, quiet inspection, the horses seem hesitant. without the shaderoot carrots— you do not possess the same gravity you once did; however, the horses approach still, sensing your benevolent motives.

SPECTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that has your trainer's pokemon using the move, SHADOW CLAW, to "comb" through the spectriers' mane. after, post in MODERATION REQUESTS. after they have been groomed, the horses will promptly fade away.

should your trainers come the next day, they will find the spectrier on mt. pyre once more. shiv will post a new prompt, detailing what the spectrier wants (hopefully, once per day). each request fulfilled by your trainer will steadily tame the spectrier.

Hideo Kino Andy Blackadder

It would take Hideo a minute to reorganize his bag, but at least he had someone to talk to while he did it. "Sure hope it keeps the line at eating us," he said, "Or our souls. Wouldn't put it past a legendary ghost Pokemon to eat something like that." Or non-legendary, really.

Either way, they definitely came back. Which probably meant they'd be back again later, unless they were disappointed by the lack of Carrots.

---------

Sure enough, Hideo (and Andy) would have their (unspoken) assumptions proven correct;same chilly mist, same darkness Hideo couldn't perceive. Only this time, the fog had changed, and while Hideo couldn't see, he could definitely feel like something was off: was there a wind blowing around them?

Hideo had his Ambipom out this time (he didn't want his Zarude taking any more of his berries, or causing any more trouble), earning a small bout of regret as it meant they were now without his main guide.

But his Ambipom was still independent, and she could see something was up. Hideo heard her approach the horse, and all he could utter was, "Be careful, Pom." Last time Pom had done something with a horse was back at a Renaissance festival with John Sullivan , and the incident got Doug to threaten to glue her PokeBall shut if she acted up.

One of her tails was enveloped with a dark spectral energy, forming the shape of a Shadow Claw. It went straight towards the Spectrier…'s mane, gently brushing as she gradually combed through knots and straightened its purple hair.

She went at it until the content horse disappeared. "Guess it wasn't hungry this time," Hideo said, feeling a non-ghostly Ambipom hand brush against his head.

Andy Blackadder

MT. PYRE

TAMING THE HORSE

THE NEXT NIGHT, you see the horses— but they seem different in appearance from afar. getting close, you see that the spectriers' own wisps have become entangled with what appears to be renegade souls.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ ♡

when the spectrier see you again, they seem hesitant. without the shaderoot carrots— you do not possess the same gravity you once did; however, the horse approaches still, sensing your benevolent motives. the spectrier must be freed of this spirit, for it seems to bother the horse like a clinging burr. perhaps, there is a pokemon that is an expert at sucking souls...

SPECTRIER ASKS FOR:

OFFER THE WILD HORSE WHAT THEY SEEK

write a post that uses ONE SHEDINJA and a Pokemon using the move, VACUUM WAVE, to suck the soul away! after, post in MODERATION REQUESTS. after they have been cleaned, the horse will promptly fade away.

should your trainer come the next day, they will find the spectrier on mt. pyre once more. shiv will post a new prompt, detailing what the spectrier want (hopefully, once per day). each request fulfilled by your trainer will steadily tame the spectrier.

Hideo Kino Andy Blackadder

“People and Pokemon probably get scared off when they appear,” Hideo said, “Feels like it gets chillier every time they come by. And I’m gonna take a guess and say there’s stuff I’m not seeing going on too?” He doubted a Pokemon like this only made things feel different, though he had no way to confirm that; he hadn’t brought any Telepathic Pokemon to fill him in on what was happening.

“If we keep this up, we’ll probably be petting them for a while!”

-------------

This time took a bit longer than before - which gave Hideo enough time to return to his camp to pick some things up.

He couldn’t confirm if the darkness was real or supernatural, as the two horses appeared well into the night. But Hideo could still feel the chill, though that strange wind from before was gone. Instead, it seemed there were odd spheres stuck to the horses - which Hideo was aware of now that he’d brought his Oranguru with him.

But that raised the question of how to help them this time?

His Oranguru tapped his pocket - she wasn’t the only new Pokemon he’d brought. “You want me to let someone out?” he asked, receiving confirmation. He reached into his pocket, taking out a Pokeball - but before he could let out his Dragonite, his Oranguru stopped his arm, gently pushing it back down with his fan. “Oh, the other one?” Confirmation.

He took out a different Pokeball, letting his Lucario out. “Mind helping them get those things off, Fighter?” Hideo asked. The Lucario shrugged, looking over the two Spectriers. He assumed a stance, his fist whiffing through the air - followed by a wind pulling the air towards him, his Vacuum Wave pulling the spirits off the two horses.

Though now someone had to deal with the spirits...

Andy Blackadder