when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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owli

dross, captain
she, her
25
august 17
Lilycove, Hoenn
bisexual
sailor / treasure hunter
nautica owner
how bold I was, could be - will be - still am
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skyler dross
when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 14, 2020 10:04:53 GMT
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Her heart was like a whole damn orchestra beating inside her chest.

The salty sea brine hit her nose as she flattened herself against the rock, wishing she could turn invisible at will. There were at least ten men - pirates - inside the grotto cheerfully talking to one another. Ten. When she looked down she saw that her hands were shaking and she took a silent, deep breath.

Skyler had assisted to the slow rise in piracy over the last few months, and had nearly been a victim of it herself. If no one did anything, she'd thought at the time, the hoennian waters would become unsailable.

'And that,' Skyler thought, 'will never happen as long as I draw breath.'

Her determination had found her strolling into the Ranger's HQ and offering her services to help drive the pirates out. There was, of course, more to the story than that, but it all led her to Skyler flattened to a rock wall in the shallows in the middle of the sea. The place looked like a rocky islet from a distance, but it didn't take her long to find the path that led to the grotto.

So there she was, trembling like an untested sailor confronted with their first storm.

Skyler looked up and saw the glint of steel flashing in her vision. Icarus, her Skarmory, was looking out for company and was waiting for her signal, just in case she needed to make a quick exit. Her own boat was moored in the sandy shallows, hidden between spires of rock and she had Vox, her Dusknoir, with her - invisible, the lucky bastard. According to the rangers she was supposed to have a partner for this, hence why she was waiting and scouting the terrain.

She slowly edged away from the entrance in case one of the pirates decided they wanted to take a leak. It had happened before, much to Skyler's disgust. 

"Hurry up, hurry up..."


● tags: (the gravity-defying hair did it for me LOL)
● notes: do the rangers even have a hq? xd

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played by

Ven

Lars
he / him / his
thirty-two
july 26
Sootopolis, Hoenn
don’t know, don’t care
ranger & courier
ex-head ranger
tonight
is gonna be the loneliest
1210 height
1210 height
nessuno vince.
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Laurence Anderson
when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 14, 2020 12:34:20 GMT
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Travel light.

Bring only the Pokémon you need.

Lars followed these instructions to the letter, and was now headed out from Pacifidlog riding on Ro, his Metagross. Formerly a dull shade of blue, some strange event had happened that caused his metallic surface to take on a ridiculously silver sheen.

It made him extremely visible while coasting above the water, of course—but this was the fastest and most comfortable way for him to travel through the water routes that comprised Eastern Hoenn’s treacherous waters. Reports of pirates had reached the Ranger HQ, and while normally they would be passed off to high-ranking League officials to deal with…

…there were some pockets of pirate activity that dealt with Pokémon smuggling, hence his appearance today. Long blue-and-white scarf trailing behind him in the salty brine, the Metagross caught sight of a moored vessel—the intel was that the other person had already arrived at the location to wait for him.

“Slow down, Ro,” he said as he navigated the Metagross closer to where he spotted a young person inching away from the cave entrance. Switching tactics, the beast hovered for a few more moments before coming close enough to a part of the outcrop where he could land without worrying too much about balancing himself.

Recalling the silver beast, he turned to the one waiting for his arrival and inquired quietly, “Do they have any weapons? I only have reports here that there’s a bunch of them, and that supposedly they’re also smuggling stolen Pokémon?”

Thank the hell he didn’t close up his overcoat today—the heat was starting to get really uncomfortable, close to ‘I’ll murder for cold air’ kind of weather.






time for a surprise sneak attack! Also yes, one of the Ranger HQ locations is in Lilycove, as there are several outposts across the region


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played by

owli

dross, captain
she, her
25
august 17
Lilycove, Hoenn
bisexual
sailor / treasure hunter
nautica owner
how bold I was, could be - will be - still am
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2,345 posts
skyler dross DOLLARS
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skyler dross
when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 14, 2020 13:27:07 GMT
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As if her worried mutterings had summoned him, she saw a flash of metal from the corner of her eyes. Immediately thinking of Icarus, she turned her head only to blink at the strange sight of a strangely coloured Metagross zooming past the waters, someone on its back. Both headed for her.

Oh thank the legendaries, her partner had arrived.

She quickly navigated the rocks to meet him by the lapping waves, already having grown somewhat familiar with the terrain. The man, she could now see, had a scarf around his neck ('What a strange way to dress in this heat', Skyler thought briefly) and this surprising gravity-defying hair. He was also very to-the-point, which immediately put Skyler more at-ease. She liked efficient people.

Skyler was used to knowing what she was doing and going about it in the most practical and efficient manner. Going into a new situation like this, especially when danger was involved, was nerve-wracking.

"I couldn't see clearly and was afraid to be discovered, but I saw at least ten of them lounging in the grotto up ahead. I think I saw cages in the far back, can't be sure though," she whispered. "I didn't see many weapons save for a few batons, but I could be wrong. I only glanced inside."

She hesitated only for a second before continuing, "Before we start this I think I should tell you that I've never done this before. I've dealt with treasure hunters while diving, but that's all." She couldn't in good conscience get the show on the road, so to speak, without her partner being made aware of her inexperience. He would quickly realize it when he saw her nervousness anyway.

"I'm a very capable diver and sailor and I have some strength in case things go south," she said in a low voice, gesturing to her toned arms. "My Pokémon are very capable as well," she motioned for Icarus flying high above them and Vox the Dusknoir briefly flickered into existence next to shadows before disappearing again.



● tags:
● notes: thanks! that helps things!

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played by

Ven

Lars
he / him / his
thirty-two
july 26
Sootopolis, Hoenn
don’t know, don’t care
ranger & courier
ex-head ranger
tonight
is gonna be the loneliest
1210 height
1210 height
nessuno vince.
awards
3,768 posts
part of
TAG WITH @lars
Laurence Anderson
when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 14, 2020 17:19:18 GMT
Laurence Anderson Avatar



“Then you should know the fastest way to help us escape should things spiral out of our control then,” he acknowledged to her sailing and diving skills.

“But of course—our aim here is to bring them in without having to use too much brute force. And only then, if we have to, we retaliate in self-defense, he added a few moments later.

Looking up at the Skarmory, he nodded.

“You can send in your Dusknoir to look ahead for us, and return when he gathers enough information. I presume you didn’t think of that since majority of Ghost-types can turn invisible?” he continued quietly.

Lars then did some quick math in his head.

Ten… against two that’s going to be odds against us, but if I count her two Pokémon and my six, we can reasonably take on them… he thought to himself as he pondered on the various possibilities.

“Of course, our advantage here is that we can wait for one of their number to come out and catch them by surprise—without causing too much noise to draw their attention. What do you think?”

Seeing as he was the one who had more experience when it came to handing situations like this, he seamlessly took charge while thinking of other options that were available to them. They still had the element of surprise on them, after all.






making the plans before attacking


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played by

owli

dross, captain
she, her
25
august 17
Lilycove, Hoenn
bisexual
sailor / treasure hunter
nautica owner
how bold I was, could be - will be - still am
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skyler dross DOLLARS
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skyler dross
when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 14, 2020 21:45:03 GMT
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Skyler nodded immediately. "Icarus up there," she gestured at the sky, "is one of our quick escape routes. He's waiting until I give him a signal and then he'll remove us from here in case anything goes wrong. He'll have to be able to get to us both though." She stretched her hand and pointed out the small boat hidden between the rocks. "I know this sea like the back of my hand and I brought extra diving equipment, just in case. I doubt they'll be able to follow us underwater. We'll ditch the boat if we really have to, but I hope it doesn't come to that." She was really attached to the boat. It didn't look like much, but it was hers.

She breathed deeply, and the knot of tension building up inside of her loosened up a little bit. The adrenaline was still pumping into her system and Skyler felt her heart at her throat. Things seemed to come into perfect focus. It felt, if she was honest with herself, kind of good. Horrible, but good.

Skyler found herself nodding as the ranger spoke. It made sense to try and avoid violence, mostly because she was sure that - even with her Pokémon - she couldn't take ten opponents at once. "You heard that, Vox?" The ghost flickered into existence besides Skyler. "You know where the grotto is, please check it out for us. Don't get caught," she looked at the ranger. "Anything he should look out for specifically?Weapons? The general layout?"

The girl hmm'ed in thought. "Sometimes one of them comes out of the grotto to piss," she said with distaste. "There's a brief interval of time when they can't be seen by the others. That'd be the perfect time to strike. Otherwise we'll have to create some sort of diversion to lure one of them out." She paused. "I have another Pokémon, a Lapras, but she'd have to stay near the ocean. She could SING them to sleep, but I don't think she'll be able to affect all ten of them."



● tags:
● notes: and so the planning continues! how do these attacks work in this context i have no idea i'm just winging it lol

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played by

Ven

Lars
he / him / his
thirty-two
july 26
Sootopolis, Hoenn
don’t know, don’t care
ranger & courier
ex-head ranger
tonight
is gonna be the loneliest
1210 height
1210 height
nessuno vince.
awards
3,768 posts
part of
TAG WITH @lars
Laurence Anderson
when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 15, 2020 17:46:20 GMT
Laurence Anderson Avatar



“General layout, traps, and if there are Pokémon in cages would be good,” Lars remarked at the offer. “We can get a lot from a simple scouting trip, and luckily for us Ghost-types do that just fine,” he nodded a few moments later. He had also considered the other option which involved her Lapras, however…

“If we went that way we’d get caught in the crossfire too, and that would be bad,” he added. “You said they come out to do their business, right? I… I have an idea. Let’s wait until your Dusknoir gets back before I put it into action, though.

He then rummaged through his pockets for the same Heavy Ball that his Metagross was resting in.

“If my hunch is right—they’re definitely going to want to come after something shiny. That’s what my Metagross is going to do should they not come out from within the grotto.”

All they were waiting for now was for the Dusknoir to return. While it was admittedly risky for him to have Ro act as bait, honestly it was the other option that he had in his head right now.

“I also have… a Lucario, an Altaria, a Swampert, and a mated pair of a Gardevoir and a Gallade on my person. Let’s wait for your Dusknoir, Vox, to return so we can plan this accordingly.”






send a scout first and wait, before we proceed with the element of surprise on our side!


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played by

owli

dross, captain
she, her
25
august 17
Lilycove, Hoenn
bisexual
sailor / treasure hunter
nautica owner
how bold I was, could be - will be - still am
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skyler dross DOLLARS
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skyler dross
when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 16, 2020 13:36:46 GMT
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Skyler nodded as the ranger spoke, glancing at the grotto every once in a while for any signs of her Dusknoir. She logically knew that he would only appear once he was close enough, but the instinct to check up on him was too strong. If something went wrong, she told herself, they would immediately know about it.

Her quicksilver eyes fell on the Pokéball the ranger was holding. "Isn't that too risky for your Metagross? I mean, his species is pretty tough, but he'll be right there where everyone can attack him." There was a small pause as Skyler bit her lips worriedly, then her eyes fixed upon the man. "But if you think it's a feasible idea, I'm in. I trust you." He had lots of other Pokémon at his disposal, so if things went south, Skyler was more confident in their ability to fix things.

The wind whistled by Skyler's ears and for a moment all was still. Then the nearby shadows condensed into the familiar shape of Vox and Skyler exhaled in relief. The ghost Pokémon immediately began drawing on the sand under the watchful eyes of Skyler, shaping an oval with ten dots inside and their relative positions. He also drew, on the far side of the grotto, what appeared to be dozens of cages. So that's where they were keeping the Pokémon. "Do they have weapons, Vox?"

The ghost type nodded and made another doodle in the sand - a baton, a knife and what seemed to be some sort of harpoon gun. "Well, shit." If something like that hit her she'd be dead in a matter of seconds.

It was when she turned to look at the older ranger that she spied something coming out of the grotto.

Her mind immediately went on high alert and her heart jumped into her throat, adrenaline shooting into her veins. Instinct took control and she roughly grabbed the man's front shirt and pulled him and herself into the shadows behind a small rock outcropping. Skyler was barely breathing as she followed the movements of the two men that were exiting the grotto. They were laughing and joking with each other, completely unaware of the other two people watching them.

It was with visible relief that she noticed that both the Dusknoir and the drawings in the sand were gone.


"We could surprise them," she whispered, barely hearing herself over the sound of the surf. "Dusknoir could CONFUSE RAY them, but I'm not sure how long it'll last. We'd have to drag them away from the grotto and make sure they can't alert the others when they come to." Legendaries, was she frightened. She tensed the muscles in her arms in order to make her shaking hands behave themselves.




● tags:
● notes: time to spice things up! -evil face-

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played by

Ven

Lars
he / him / his
thirty-two
july 26
Sootopolis, Hoenn
don’t know, don’t care
ranger & courier
ex-head ranger
tonight
is gonna be the loneliest
1210 height
1210 height
nessuno vince.
awards
3,768 posts
part of
TAG WITH @lars
Laurence Anderson
when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 18, 2020 18:25:49 GMT
Laurence Anderson Avatar



It was only mere minutes before the Dusknoir returned and drew out a rough map of the area—and the sight of the multiple squares confirmed his suspicions. There were Pokémon here, and they were going to get them out as soon as possible!

Before he could remark about the feasibility of the plan, he felt his center of balance shift before getting dragged to one side as he heard loud, boisterous laughter.

Crap, we were almost seen! He thought, his eyes picking out where the Dusknoir had drawn lines and shapes into the sand. Mercifully, those were gone—and the two men were none the wiser.

“Alright, we take them out slowly, whittle down their numbers,” he said as he rummaged through his pockets before pulling out a Pokéball at random. “Hey… are you okay?” he inquired a few moments later, as he spied her shaking hands.

“Deep breaths, we got this,” and he quietly sent out the occupant of his Pokéball—revealing Gareth, his Gallade. “He can Teleport… but I have a better idea. We can use your Vox’s Confuse Ray, but first… Gareth, pin their shadows down,” he added quietly.

The Gallade nodded and stood still, before watching the long shadows extend from where he stood, heading right where the two were—most likely doing their business or something else unmentionable. It took a few moments before the Gallade’s eyes glowed, and he nodded.

“Go,” he said to her a few moments later. “Confuse Ray, if you can put them to sleep all the better,” as the two began making a ruckus about how they were stuck and couldn’t move.






time to cause mayhem. Gallade used Shadow Sneak to pin the two pirates' shadows down!


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played by

owli

dross, captain
she, her
25
august 17
Lilycove, Hoenn
bisexual
sailor / treasure hunter
nautica owner
how bold I was, could be - will be - still am
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when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 18, 2020 19:26:21 GMT
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Skyler inwardly cursed her hands and their shaking as soon as the ranger remarked upon them. This was not a moment to showcase how nervous she was- they still had a whole bunch of pirates to capture. "I am. I will be." She took a deep breath just as the ranger had advised her to do, letting the sea brine into her lungs. She could do this. She could do this.

The Gallade was quick to do his job and then it was her turn. "Okay, Vox, our turn. Follow the men and confuse them. They can't be able to speak or shout for help," Skyler whispered into the air, hoping that her Dusknoir was close. Her only confirmation was a chill at the back of her neck and a sudden displacement of air.

"He's going," she told the ranger, looking intently at the path the two pirates had taken. For a single dreadful moment she thought that Dusknoir had failed, but then the loud complaints turned into shouts of alarm that were quickly and swiftly cut off.

The sudden reappearance of Dusknoir by her side was sweet relief. He nodded at her and at the ranger, disappearing yet again. Skyler could still feel his presence behind them. "We should go secure them, just to make sure. I have some strong nets with me along with duct tape."

The path to the pirates was thankfully short, albeit fraught with nerves because she was exposed in case any other pirate decided to empty their bowels. Speaking of...

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

She had found a new meaning for the expression 'to be caught with your pants down'

"Umm... We should probably use your Metagross now to lure the others out," she said, utterly grossed out. She turned her back on the unfortunate scene. With the drooling expressions on their faces and the snores coming from one of the pirates, she suddenly found that nets probably weren't necessary. "Should we separate and lay a trap at the entrance to the grotto?"


● tags:
● notes: i've been listening to the pirates of the caribbean soundtrack just for this lol. also, would more surprises be unwelcome?

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played by

Ven

Lars
he / him / his
thirty-two
july 26
Sootopolis, Hoenn
don’t know, don’t care
ranger & courier
ex-head ranger
tonight
is gonna be the loneliest
1210 height
1210 height
nessuno vince.
awards
3,768 posts
part of
TAG WITH @lars
Laurence Anderson
when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 18, 2020 19:51:19 GMT
Laurence Anderson Avatar



“Bring the duct tape,” was all he said as the Dusknoir reappeared a few minutes later.

He didn’t know what gave him that big brain moment, but it was better safe than sorry, right?

He’d heard the exclamations of surprise before they were quieted down, and knowing that they would still pose a danger if their hands were free, it was a safe idea to bind their hands together at the very least.

Her exclamation a few moments later made him look over, and his normally stoic face changed to one of utter… well, he couldn’t exactly put a word on it either, but hell, seeing that exposed was definitely something that would be burned into his eyeballs for a good while.

“You know how pirates behave when they see sparkly things, right? They become a one-track hive mind. At least that’s what pop culture says they’d do,” he said before unballing the rest of his party as quietly as he could manage. The Gallade had followed over, watching as a Gardevoir, a Lucario, a Swampert, an Altaria and a familiar Metagross emerge from the flashes of red light.

“Gareth, take Lynette with you. The both of you, go with her, he said as he tilted his head towards her. “They’re capable, they know how to work together. They can handle any situation thrown at them,” he added.

To the Altaria, Swampert, Lucario and Metagross, he turned to face them. “Ro, go out and get the rest of them here. Nami, Ryujin, Alpha, hide yourselves until they start coming out. Then we strike, he added.

The other four Pokémon nodded, before the Metagross folded its legs in and used Magnet Rise to float off the sandy ground and made a beeline for the entrance—the other Pokémon scattering as well.

“Be careful not to get caught!” he added in her direction.






brb internally dying XD


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played by

owli

dross, captain
she, her
25
august 17
Lilycove, Hoenn
bisexual
sailor / treasure hunter
nautica owner
how bold I was, could be - will be - still am
awards
2,345 posts
skyler dross DOLLARS
part of
TAG WITH @skyler
skyler dross
when the wind blows, steady she goes (mission)
POSTED ON Jul 19, 2020 8:16:53 GMT
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Skyler focused on the ranger's words in order to try and wipe the image of the two pirates from her mind. It was hopeless, though. She'd remember that forever.

"It seems that they are collecting Pokémon, so I'm sure your Metagross will draw them right out. If they're all like those two," she shuddered, purging the image from her head, "then I don't think we'll have to worry much." Their success had bolstered Skyler's confidence a little. At least she wasn't shaking anymore and her head had cleared somewhat.

The man grabbed a few Pokéballs and released what Skyler supposed must be his team. Her eyebrows went up as she studied the team. If any Pokémon team could be said to look professional, she thought, this team would definitely be it. She felt safer already with the Gallade and Gardevoir by her side.

If only she had a Pokémon that could mega-evolve, she'd kick all of their asses...

As the Metagross floated away from them, Skyler nodded. "I won't," she told the ranger. "Be on your guard just in case they aren't all as dumb as those two."

She made her way around the rocky outcropping, stepping over sand and stone and having to hike in one short section. The two Psychic types followed after, and she could still feel the chill of Dusknoir's presence.

As she peeked from behind the rock face, she could see that the entrance to the grotto was deserted. Had all of them followed the shiny Metagross? "Vox, can you go check if anyone's there?"

Dusknoir was back shortly, and held out three fingers. Shit. That meant five had gone for the Metagross.

She didn't want to fight all three of them, especially near the caged Pokémon.
"Maybe we should use the same trick we did before? Gallade, could you pin their shadows? Vox, you know what to do." Her eyes shifted to the Gardevoir, "In case something goes wrong go to your trainer and warn him, okay?"

Gallade's eyes glowed and it wasn't long before he nodded at Skyler and Vox disappeared. So Skyler waited, and waited, and waited...

"Ye didn't think we wouldn't' notice a lil' ghostie sniffin' around, did ye girlie?"

Skyler froze at the words coming from the entrance to the grotto. But- how? She looked at the Gallade in confusion - hadn't he pinned their shadows down? - and motioned for Gardevoir to go warn their trainer.

Knowing her position was compromised, she tried to get a better vantage point and was greeted with the image of a burly woman with a few missing teeth looking directy at Skyler with an awful grin on her face; behind her was a Mightyena pinning Vox down and another one growling. "Skull an' Bones here know all 'bout yer fancy ghost and psychic tricks."


● tags:
● notes: when shit gets *real*

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