The poisonous atmosphere lingers in the air, and Lutgarde frowns. "Sylv," they call out to their Sylveon which immediately backs away after landing a final Quick Attack on a possessed pokémon. The ranger only makes note of something disintegrating briefly, before turning to a couple of scared, uninfected townsfolk that they were protecting.

In an instant, their usual cheeriness and friendliness returns, and they nod, "Let's get you out of here. Sylph," they call out, and their Togekiss, saddled so she can fit a few more, appears, having just returned from bringing other people to safety. "It'll be okay," they assure the civilians with a confident smile, before Sylph flies into the skies and away, just to return momentarily.

They stand a moment in silence, before a warning shout from Sylv, combined with the mochi chant, pulls them back.

PROMPT rescue a fellow character, townsperson and/or a pokemon.

“Well, this is a real goddamn shit show.” [break][break]

Eddie had arrived with a handful of other military personnel in Littleroot, having been summoned in response to reports of some sort of strange dancing malady that had befallen the people. He'd been told with some ire that such fresh-faced recruits weren't typically permitted to respond to events of this scope, but this was an “all hands on deck” kind of situation, so any able body that wasn't chowing down on the maleficent mochi was desperately needed. [break][break]

His commanding officer barked orders, threatening to tear Eddie and his comrades a new orifice if they even so much as looked at the chewy globs of poison the wrong way, and they set to work trying to evacuate what survivors they could. It was harrowing work, between fighting off the infected and trying to claw their way through to what people they could get to. It was necessary work, though; Eddie was only too happy to shoulder-check his way through another pack of the infected when he saw what was on the other side of the throng. [break][break]

Two children, a boy and girl, crouched low by the side of a building, tears welled in their eyes, held each other tightly as Eddie and a couple of his comrades broke through the horde of dancing madmen. Eddie staggered over, a little weary from his efforts, and crouched low himself, holding out a hand in gentle reassurance to let the kids know he meant no harm, [break][break]

“Hey, I'm Eddie,” he called softly, his voice soothing to a low rumble. The boy looked up, wiping at his cheeks, “I'm gonna get you guys outta here, okay?” [break][break]

They nodded numbly, and Eddie reached to his waist to pop open the Poke Ball clipped there. Beau emerged, and despite his immediate agitation at the chaos of his surroundings, his black eyes softened as he regarded the children, [break][break]

“This is Beau. He's my best friend,” Eddie said with a smile. [break][break]

The bull ambled over, pressing a wet nose against the girl's cheek. She giggled as the Tauros snuffed at her in appraisal, [break][break]

“C'mon, we're gonna go for a ride.” [break][break]

With little effort, Eddie lifted one child, then the next, and set them upon the bull's back. While Beau was typically possessed with a stubborn bit of pride that prevented him from being ridden in most cases, even he was astute enough to understand when to let such things go. The children smiled, cooing softly and rubbing their hands across his fur as Eddie led them away, out of harm's way and back towards the safety of the temporary sanctuary that had been erected for the non-infected. [break][break]

He'd fight a dozen - no, a hundred more of those dancing freaks just to see the way those kids cried with delight when they were reunited with their parents on the other side.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] prompt: use a fighting type pokemon

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Wh- What?!” her mouth hung open in awe, reluctant to believe the summary of what was going on in LITTLEROOT TOWN. It tickled part of her brain that held a vague memory of a similar situation in Hoenn that occurred just as she arrived. Back then, she kept to herself, scared and broken. She hid. She could have done more, perhaps.

Eva spent the next few hours digging up the old reports in the archives. She read furiously, absorbing all the information she could in what short time she was granted. It looked like a Pidgeot stirred up a WHIRLWIND in her office by the end of it. Her research gave the Rangers on the ground more time to report their findings. A number of brief, yet informative, reports burned themselves into her mind and the doctor set off to observe the phenomenon first hand.

LEAGUE EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM
All nearby RotomPhones and PokeNavs buzzed and relayed the following message

The Hoenn League Science Division will be stationed at the LITTLEROOT POKECENTER along with the Emergency Response Team. Divert all INFECTED and INJURED to this location for treatment.

It was imperative to understand what was going on. Without proper knowledge of the unusual event, they risked endangering the rest of the region. Containment was of the utmost importance. Eva and the team worked tirelessly to understand. More questions than answers presented themselves but she was able to glean some important information by studying the infection and its progress.

LEAGUE EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM
AQUA Initiative, Ranger, Council Member, and Gym Leaders’ RotomPhones and PokeNavs buzzed and relayed the following message

PRELIMINARY REPORT; Littleroot Epidemic
Dr. Eva Morales and The Hoenn League Science Division

- The infected appear to become hostile on approach - PROCEED WITH CAUTION
- It is unknown at this time if the infection is contagious. Assumed to be transmissible. AVOID DIRECT CONTACT with the infected.
- Source: Unknown, suspect involvement with the sudden appearance of the TERA CRYSTAL FORMATION at the center of town or a POISONOUS SUBSTANCE. Recommendations: Avoid contact with the tera crystal, refrain from consuming any food or water within Littleroot, wear appropriate PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT including masks and gloves, utilize moves such as SAFEGUARD and MISTY TERRAIN to protect against infection, establish a perimeter to prevent further spread. A plan to safely investigate the tera formation is being formulated.
- The affected trainers and pokemon appear to be inflicted with a TOXIC CHAIN of sorts that is broken with defeat in battle.
- Current recommendation is to issue a CITY WIDE EVACUATION. A method for screening for infection is being developed. Any presence of a TOXIC CHAIN, even with a lack of clinical signs, should be considered as INFECTED and not permitted to leave Littleroot. Affected individuals should be sent to the LITTELROOT POKECENTER for further evaluation and quarantine.
- Region-wide preparedness - Gym Leaders (Josh Devlin, Alexei Ivanov, noah faber, CIAN MAHER, Michael Navidson, Hideo Kino, lam logan, Gwyar Wledig): Our current recommendation is to immediately establish a screening protocol for your respective cities and prepare for the SPREAD OF INFECTION. Any abnormal behavior or sudden appearance of a TERA CRYSTAL FORMATION should elicit an immediate emergency response. Contact the Hoenn Council (freya morningstar, FERNANDO SILPH, PENELOPE LIVY), Head Ranger ollie morales, Head Scientists Eva Morales and/or illeana reyes with any immediate questions or concerns.

Revision to current recommendations and guidelines pending further investigation.

Sincerely,
Eva Morales

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dahlia goode & kyle lopez & MATIAS SILPH & Greyson Connors & Laurence Anderson & Remiel Calcifet

😈 as a league member, include a report (written or referenced) for the league in your post.