The Song of Despair (Mission)

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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June 02
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Altagracia Contreras
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 5, 2022 17:33:34 GMT
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The howls of Absol reached even the ears of Altagracia through the thick jungle of Route 120. Even as she stood just at the edge of the jungle. She knew as a researcher, that she should not intervene but instead, watch and document how the increase in natural disasters earthly or otherwise affected Absol and their habits. Yet, the human part in her wanted her to do something about their pain, their suffering.

Torn as she was, she had given in to her empathy and requested help from the League, though Absol seemed a more solitary creature, for the most part, there were definitely more than a few who roamed the area, and should they decide to team up, she would be in trouble.

And so she stood there patiently, waiting for whomever the league would grant her as the prophetic howls of overstimulated and frantic Absols filled the air. . A long spiky blonde-haired mountain of a woman, clad in a basic researchers outfit, bland colors, and extra pockets being the most defining features of the attire. A backpack filled with any necessities she might need, and a binocular for scouting purposes.


OOC: Mission thread for ABSOL ABSOLVED
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lime

Shizu, Theo
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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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Shizue Murasaki
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 5, 2022 22:27:05 GMT
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League? Not really. But Shizue was not exactly a known member of Team Rocket, either. In fact, she was mostly just another researcher, already in the area for its many poisonous Pokemon to gather some samples. Some clerk had confused her with a league member due to helping out with an incident involving those – mostly out of curiosity, really – so she had been asked to help her fellow researcher with some Absol troubles.

Now, evidently, Absol was not a poison type Pokemon. But it was still interesting. And, if nature had taught them anything over the years, it was that even single-stage evolutions could get surprising new evolutions. Yes, yes, Eevees could become just about any type. Attempts to force a poison type evolution had failed lethally though. And Absol was certainly the kind of Pokemon that might wander into one of those space-time distortions and come out poisonous. That was what happened to Sneasels, apparently. It was possible.

Plus, she was already in the area anyway, so she had decided to swing by, wearing her usual travelling garb which was entirely primed for functionality, looking for this supposedly big researcher. Why the clerk had focused on that attribute was still a mystery to her, but she figured that she’d find out.
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senpai

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June 02
Heterosexual
Researcher
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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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Altagracia Contreras
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 6, 2022 17:49:57 GMT
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She was half a second from just losing her patience and just walking into the jungle when she heard the approaching steps of another person. Turning around her gaze fell upon Shizue.

She sent the woman a pleasant smile as she said. Hola, would you perhaps be here to help with the Absol?” Her approach was direct, and it didn’t seem like the woman had been lost so really, it was the only logical conclusion she could draw.

Though it didn’t take long before she realized the rudeness of just jumping straight to matter without even offering a name or asking for one. “Oh, where are my manners? My name is Altagracia Contreras, but Altagracia is fine. And what may I call you Ms.?” She now waited patiently for a reply, gauging the woman’s reaction as she did.


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Shizu, Theo
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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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Shizue Murasaki
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 9, 2022 19:47:55 GMT
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Hola? What a strange greeting. It was not of this region, probably. Neither of her own, either. Probably a foreigner. The name certainly sounded like that, too. But that didn’t matter much aside from a temporary curiosity, really. At the end of the day,, this was a somewhat casual task. There was observation to be made. And stranger or not, this person clearly was a woman of science. No one else was to wear lab coats and other scientific regalia.

“That is what I have come to here to do,” she thus replied plainly, believing to be speaking to a like-minded person. And she, too, also had not too much in the manner of manners. “I am Murasaki Shizue, researcher in the fields of poison and wildlife.” The latter was just added as a technicality to sound better. But at the end of the day, it was also true.
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senpai

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June 02
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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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Altagracia Contreras
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 10, 2022 13:09:58 GMT
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A sense of relief washed over Altagracia as this Shizue confirmed that she was here to help, shortly after introductions followed, she found the choice of subject research curious but figured asking further into it might be better for another time.

Now with that in order, there was nothing to do but get to the task at hand. She turned her attention toward the Jungle. The howls of the Absol moving about in there, some of them getting closer. “Before we head in there. Do you have any experience with Absol?” Altagracia had to admit her own experience was woefully limited to things that she had read, rather than actual on-hand experience.

The clashing songs of two specific Absol began to deafen the rest of the choir, clearly responding to each other though from here Altagracia could not deduce whether they were in agreement or debating their points of view.


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Shizu, Theo
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Shizue Murasaki
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 10, 2022 20:49:31 GMT
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“Absol, not directly,” she admitted. Not being truthful on an occasion like this was pointless. It was best to simply be concise and allow the other to know. It wasn’t like she needed to know much. This woman seemed like she knew a thing or two about them. At the very least, she spoke of the species with some familiarity, for whatever that was worth. These were her hunting grounds, so at the very least, she knew the lay of the land.

“I am familiar with dark types in general and most Pokemon found in jungles. I also did the required reading, of course. But experience has to be earned somewhere.” A faint chuckle to take the edge of. Her attention was drawn towards the sounds of the Absol, however, sounding a faint dissonance. “At the very least, I our quarrel does not appear hard to find.”
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senpai

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June 02
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Altagracia Contreras
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 11, 2022 15:46:17 GMT
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It seemed they were in the same boat then. No direct experience. They would just have to make do. Altagracia gave Shizue an enthusiastic nod, once she had finished explaining where her competencies lay.

A chuckle escaped her as the woman joked. It was true, it seemed the Absols were about to make it easy to find them. “That does seem to be the case.” She spoke, her accent apparent. “Well, no use in standing around here.” She spoke and then began to head into the jungle, following the song of the two Absol.

Though as they would walk toward the sound, it would become more and more apparent that they weren’t alone. They were being watched by a group of three Absol, though the group did their best to hide. The sound of paws gently threading upon the jungle ground, leaves rustling as something moved through them, all these small signs would alert the women if they listened.

Altagracia noticed though she could not deduce exactly how many there were. She still found it curious that Absol an otherwise solitary creature seemed to have gathered here for some reason, and what made it all the more confusing was that the direction from which the songs were coming from hadn’t changed, so the ones following them weren’t a part of the howling currently going on.



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Shizue Murasaki
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 13, 2022 21:20:27 GMT
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“True, true,” she simply replied and followed. When there was nothing worthwhile to say, she usually kept it to a few words. Sure, she could get long-winded when it came to scientific explanations that required it. But she did not like to waste other’s time. Poisoning them was fine, but that would just be rude. Plus, it would be wasting her own time too. Maybe she just wasn’t in love with her own, slightly raspy voice, as many others seemed to be.

Instead, she focused on the task quickly, priming her senses on her surroundings. All about, there were the sounds of living creatures. That much was to be taken for granted, of course. This was part of the wilderness, of course. Life was abundant. But there were also more deliberate sounds, along with a certain presence. They were being watched. Absol were territorial creatures, from what she’d read. But they were not inherently aggressive or hostile to humans. For now, their presence was likely accepted. But that could change if they triggered a response. Certainly.

“It appears we are not the only ones interested in this,” she quietly relayed to the other. “Maybe these ones also seek for this song to be resolved. One way or another.” It certainly did not feel like a trap so far. Granted, that would be what made a trap a good one. Yet, given her experience with other wild Pokemon, this felt more like a social issue. Not a trap.
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Altagracia Contreras
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 14, 2022 17:00:03 GMT
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Altagracia gave the woman an acknowledging nod. It seemed she hadn’t been alone in noticing their watchers. Though she it peculiar that what she assumed was Absol, watched them but didn’t take engage in contact. Absol was known for doing just that. So maybe they didn’t want them to interfere in a territorial dispute?

The ideas were many, but the answers were few. And they didn’t grow any more knowledgeable as they went further and further into the jungle towards the sound.

After having walked for a while, the jungle began to thin, making a place for a clearing of some size. Two Absol stood opposing each other, though they were both lost in their song of Despair. From here it was clear that around the two singing Absol, laid a group of Absol of various ages. Though before they got closer and were able to get a clearer look, the three Absol who had been following blocked their path. Though it was clear they were little more than pups themselves, they stood opposing the two trainers. The largest of them growled.

Altagracia’s steps came to a halt. Not wanting to provoke them. “Seems like they don’t want us to come closer.” She spoke quietly to Shizue. “I am all ears if you have a suggestion that might convince them to let us pass.”

Whether the Absol understood what Altagracia said or not, she didn’t know. Yet the biggest one still growled. The others, however, stood solemnly, with saddened expressions on their faces, clearly less enthused about their task for one reason or another.


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Shizu, Theo
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Shizue Murasaki
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 16, 2022 18:22:26 GMT
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“There is always violence. But I am not sure of the chances, there,” she replied first, thinking. As scientists, they naturally had Pokemon that at least technically could fight, even if they were untested. All Pokemon had the capacity for violence. But that also went for the wild Pokemon. Which had a lot more experience fighting and surviving in the wild. They were not stronger by default, no. But they did not even know how many Absol there were. Hostility, unprovoked, struck her as a bad idea to begin with.

But just rejecting one idea did not mean that she brought anything to the table herself. They probably did need a way to pacify these Pokemon, or at the very least, to bribe them. “Though growling like this is a challenge of sorts. No reaction could be just as bad as provocation. It is likely that we would either have to fight, or to placate. Berries, mayhap?” She herself had none on her. But maybe the other one had? She seemed to be from around these parts, so she likely was more used to these sorts of things. Well, Shizue had some things on her that could be used to take care of this problem. Only those would probably be a bit too…lethal, for League characters.
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Altagracia Contreras
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 16, 2022 18:59:14 GMT
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Violence was an option. One she hesitated to employ, though she could maybe force her way through three Absol. Given the strength of her Tyrantrum. But she figured it wouldn’t give the best example to the pack of Absol up ahead. And if they wanted to help, these poor creatures, then they needed to earn their trust.

“That’s a good idea.” She stated, then slowly bent down on one knee and took off her backpack. She made sure her movements were clear and non-threatening to the Absol. She opened the backpack, and after a bit of rummaging found some Poké Poffins carefully packaged to protect against weather.

Slowly she unpacked them and made a small display of offering them to the Absol as a gift of sorts by placing them on the ground in front of them. The biggest Absol seemed skeptical, but the others were inclined to accept the offer. The Skeptical Absol looked towards Shizue expectantly though whether it expected betrayal or food was uncertain.


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Shizu, Theo
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Shizue Murasaki
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 25, 2022 18:36:35 GMT
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Of course it was a good idea. Shizue made it a habit to have those. Well, most of the time at least. Fortunately, her partner while not having the same idea, had been prepared for this occasion nonetheless. It certainly was convenient to have someone with supplies around. And she genuinely meant that. As someone without much experience, it was natural that she could maybe bring an outside perspective, but she did not have the kind of expertise to prepare for all eventualities.

Thus, they had poffins now. And, most importantly, the Absol seemed to accept the gift except for the one that seemed to deem her the suspicious one. Granted, of the two researchers, she would be the one most likely to poison poffins. But she hadn’t, this time. Hence, all she could do was shrug and make a slightly apologetic gesture. Hopefully, it would accept this. Not like she could do more to convey that she was not even involved in procuring the poffins.
Pokemon were not exactly good at picking up on cues like this.
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senpai

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Altagracia Contreras
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jun 25, 2022 19:19:37 GMT
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The two Absol ate the offerings, leaving one behind for their brethren. It stared at Shizue for a moment longer but decided to accept the offering. Altagracia slowly got up again from her position. The eyes of the Absol were quick to be upon her, before they looked between each other, seemingly having a small debate. The two trusting Absol nodded. The third one reluctantly followed.

Altagracia slowly took a step forward, and then another. The Absol did nothing. She gestured for Shizue to follow. Their offering had been accepted. “Well, so far so good.” Everything had gone surprisingly smoothly for now. She glanced back at Shizue, to see if everything was alright.

And as they would walk closer to the clearing. The song continued. The howls which created it set a tone of despair, ushering in calamity with their PERISH SONG. The Blood red and black sound waves that flew back and forth between the two howling Absol grew more visible the closer they got.

Altagracia halted just short of entering the clearing. She gazed out onto the scene. The two singing Absol were the only ones still standing. Though she couldn’t quite see whether the others were conscious or not. As far as she knew Contests of PERISH SONG prowess, weren’t exactly common among Absol. Turning to her only other option for information right now. She asked. “What do you make of this?” she gestured towards the sight. From the greying fur on one of them, she deduced it was much older than the other. Was this perhaps a strange way of fighting for territory?


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Shizu, Theo
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Shizue Murasaki
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jul 2, 2022 16:04:46 GMT
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“I make of this that we are seeing two exceptionally stubborn individuals of this group,” was her first assessment. Given what these Pokemon were using and how long it must have been going on, it was painfully obvious that they were of the sturdy sort. However, while she knew that contests between Pokemon could go on for a long time, she did not immediately understand why this. A proper fight certainly would do more to impress others – and it would be over more quickly. A test of endurance like this probably had a different kind of meaning. And given that, apparently, multiple others had participated, it was not the result of a simple grudge in her non-expert opinion.

But then again, Perish Song was the kind of move meant to take the other with you regardless. There was no winning condition in her eyes. It was likely that the surviving Absol would succumb to the other’s song after anyway. Hence, the meaning had to lie in it making it that far to begin with. Further than all the others. The last Absol standing.
“Maybe the key is in what we did not see so far. We were beset by individuals, yes, but not by what appears to be a leader. I do not see anyone of elevated position watching, either. Mayhap that is what this is about. Them seeking to decide who will become the next leader?”
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senpai

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Altagracia Contreras
The Song of Despair (Mission)
POSTED ON Jul 8, 2022 8:02:47 GMT
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Shizue’s deductions seemed fairly spot on. While Altagracia had reached the same conclusion, having someone there to confirm them was appreciated. “I think you are on the right track with that idea.” She stated, her eyes never once moving from the two Absol engaging in song. However, that posed another query. How would they deal with this? Simply jumping in there and halting it would certainly lead to no good outcome.

But perhaps they did not have to intervene but merely observe and help post dispute? That was certainly an option. But alas Altagracia wasn’t a fan of the do-nothing approach, she needed, not craved big sweeping motions when she had already decided to help. “Hmmm. I have a feeling no good will come from halting this match, so perhaps providing aftercare for them is the move?” Altagracia thought out loud, not even realizing that she was voicing her thoughts while she tried to deduce their next move.

For all their time spent just getting there, the song contest was slowly reaching its finale. The old grey-haired Absol’s legs beginning to buckle, drained of vitality by the onslaught of the younger opponent. Still, it would not go down without a fight, even if it had to go way past what was reasonable for it.


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