[attr="class","rose"]

[attr="class","rosepoke"]

[attr="class","text"]

indeed, only way to find out, and it would not be by walking in the opposite direction. with his bearings gathered for the moment, silverio commenced his steps, albeit a bit shaken by his brief immobilization from just moments ago. but even so, he wasn't planning to sit out for the duration of this expedition.[break][break]

upon entering the depths below the ground's initial surface, he discarded his sunglasses, deeming the area too obscure of a view with them on despite the torches lit in lines along the walls of the tunnel. noting the footprints on the ground, most being too small to fit that of an average-sized human, silv would follow along to keiko's theory - suppose he wouldn't be the only one thinking of any possible scenarios.[break][break]

"you might be right, the question being what kind of a pokémon would wanna be running around down here..."[break][break]

faint sounds of footsteps upon reaching a fork in the tunnel, lots of them, from the right side. "you hear that...!? it's coming from that way...!"

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ prompts completed: 1 of 4[break]
✦ sandslash has fainted[break]
✦ ---

[attr="class","rose"]

[attr="class","rosepoke"]

[attr="class","text"]

"it could be..." was she hearing the same thing...!?[break][break]

probably not, but on no faults, safe to say. there were still many unknown variables to consider in these lands, the first being that massive obelisk, and whatever's making that obnoxious slicing sound being another, in tandem with multiple footsteps. like a buzzsaw carving through stacks of lumber. although, silverio could hazard a guess as to what may be causing it. "pokémon - a group of them, i'll bet."[break][break]

with keiko's slowking taking point, the team sought to get a clue as to what may be lurking in these depths, only for it to trigger...a trap!? no, an opening of sorts, towards the left of the fork. surely the events of today leading up to this point ought to be more than enough to trigger one's anxiety, of that silverio can agree on. suppose that keiko wouldn't be the only one looking to engage in any recreational indulgences after this expedition would be done with. "you and me both."[break][break]

the ranger met her gaze with a stern visage, perhaps a facade masking more growing concerns. "let's check the passage, although i'm pretty sure i heard footsteps coming from the other way, probably of other creatures..." and yet, the sound grew louder by the second. "if i'm right, then there's a chance that we may run into them sooner or later..."

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ prompts completed: 2 of 4[break]
✦ sandslash has fainted[break]
✦ ---

[attr="class","rose"]

[attr="class","rosepoke"]

[attr="class","text"]

as if they'd been waiting all day for a cue, the sources of the strange noises would instantly present themselves. on one end, a taller presence in the form of a ladylike bug of which keiko's slowking was pressed with the task of combating against. on silverio's side of things, a swarm of entities akin to origami projects rushdown the ranger, only for a few to be met with a fierce hydro pump from behind a few feet away, courtesy of the greninja. but just as quickly as some the folded-paper-like beings were being repelled, more of them came flooding the passage of whence he stepped in.[break][break]

soon enough, both he and his amphibian warrior were rapidly overwhelemed with a flurry of leaf blades, leaving the latter critically worse for wear. but there'd be some quick thinking on his trainer's part; from within the confines of his garment, clenched in one hand, a chained pendant glows vibrant gradial hue. "you've got this! hang in there!!" in a flash, the greninja emerges from the pile of moving paper in a revolutionary form, packed with a shuriken on his back.[break][break]

he swiftly launches an array of water shuriken at the tribe of paper monsters. then, as more of them rushed forward, their sacred swords would clash with a series of ice punches. while the ruckus ensued, silv unveils an empty pokéball from his back pocket and launches one at one of those papers in fell motion, assuming they were even classified as pokémon.[break][break]

no way out, other than to go further in!? "let's get moving then!!" the paldean sets a course away from the madness, with his mega-evolved greninja continuing his own assault to keep the alleged origami knights at bay.

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ prompts completed: 3 of 4[break]
✦ sandslash has fainted[break]
✦ greninja mega evolves[break]
✦ silverio attempts to capture a kartana

[attr="class","rose"]

[attr="class","rosepoke"]

[attr="class","text"]

with no means of escape, at least for now, venturing further within the sands' depths sounded to be the most viable option. despite the risks and the dangers that he and his companion have faced already to this point in time, there was still much about the rifts and other phenomena that silverio sought to learn about - and also to tell stories of, to his family back in paldea, in writing.[break][break]

only a few steps behind keiko, with mega greninja in tow, mindful of any other potential hazards that the tunnels may present to them, the road leading to a rounder confinement on a far wider scale. no other creatures in sight, but the small footprints was a clear indicator that, whatever they are, they've been here recently. "these look fresh..." the footsteps, rather. not to mention the mass of oddly-colored carcasses all laid out about the room.[break][break]

"it's like something, or someone, is trying to salvage these bodies and preserve them. for what reason? i can't even imagine..." now this? definitely something worth the effort to write home about. furthermore, a means to advance his studies, perhaps? silverio motioned to inspect one of the bodies, noting a small book protruding from its unorthodox attire. he carefully moved to grab it. a tad dusted, but legible.[break][break]

skimming through its lightly torn pages, he'd see writings that describe what could vaguely be referred to as...[break][break]

"beasts...?" like the one-foot-tall walking origami pieces he had encountered just moments ago? were there more of them...!?

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ prompts completed: 4 of 4[break]
✦ sandslash has fainted[break]
✦ greninja has mega evolved[break]
✦ 30 encounter mummified/well-preserved bodies of megalopolans who possess notes that suggest only ultra beasts lived here.

[attr="class","rose"]

[attr="class","rosepoke"]

[attr="class","text"]

the contents of this book are indeed worth recording, for it's something that silverio could want to look back on when theorizing about other possibilities presented by rifts in time and space. and as if it were waiting for a cue, like a safari warden making a call for guests to retreat, a fresh crack in dimensions has opened up behind the adventurous duo.[break][break]

as for the book containing material potentially carrying high value, what to do with it? for a moment, silv was tempted to ask keiko for a photo of this discovery, but thought better of it. history of any should be remembered, celebrated, and not tampered with, after all. with that in mind, he slipped the material back underneath the carcass's attire, then turned towards the rift.[break][break]

"right...on to the next one..." to another realm waiting to be explored, that is...perhaps...

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ prompts completed: 4 of 4[break]
✦ we outta here, gg's! thanks for coming![break]
✦ ---