Gideon felt a little bad for startling her, but figured he could make it up to her by helping undo some of... the... wow this thing was really knotted up, huh?

"You weren't kidding." He remarked, his eyebrows scrunching together in concentration as he worked through the worst of the tangles. Eventually he freed the webbing strap on one end, though, and tied it to a nearby tree.

"Alright, that should do it! Try anchoring the other end now. Hopefully the trees aren't too far apart."

Meanwhile, CRISPR fluttered over to where the odd... blob in the ground jutted out. It retracted into its burrow some, but its pink nose was still visible. Feeling like it might be a Pokémon the professor would be interested in, the VIVILLON released its SLEEP POWDER above the WIGLETT and trilled for Gideon to come catch it.

catching WIGLETT
Dione Sutoringu
[bug/water]

☉

To say Gideon had a less-than gracious landing would be an understatement. Where his two companions easily alighted from the giant metal Pokémon, the professor desperately clung to its iron carapace upon impact. It was a miracle he didn't land face-first into the dirt.

Luckily, he survived to live another day. And make another discovery! His brother was the first one to point out the odd symbols surrounding them and bring them to Gideon's attention.

"Fascinating..." The professor breathed, running a hand over the grooves carved into the innumerable stalks of bamboo. "Scribe, photograph these."

As far as translating the glyphs, he was equally surprised to find that he could understand them.

"It says..." Squinting, Gideon read aloud, "A robe of fire rats."

What could that mean?

Unfortunately, their group didn't have long to ponder on the mysterious message. While leyon cœur's MOONBEAM was helpful in illuminating the area for Gideon to better examine the symbols, it also revealed that they were not... exactly alone.

From the darkness a gigantic centipede-like creature emerged, its trunk of a body rising into the air well above them. It hissed menacingly while its hundreds of legs undulated back and forth. With an ear-piercing screech, a crown of fire also bloomed on its head.

"Ha! Spectacular!" Gideon exclaimed with an odd grin. Read the room, man!

He gestured for his ROTOM to record this encounter before releasing a TYRANITAR onto the field. He stepped between the humongous insect and the professor, ready to offer protection.

Gunner Graves leyon cœur

• 14 encounter gigantic bug-type pokemon that will attempt to ensnare, hunt, or kill you

☉

How fleeting normalcy had been.

They'd only just entered this alien realm and were now suddenly thrust into the throes of danger. Shaking earth barely gave warning of what was to come before all three men were propelled into the air.

It was like something out of a comic book. Gideon would have laughed, if it wasn't so terrifying. He clung to an iron branch for dear life, his ROTOM floating beside him helplessly.

"I will be once this thing lands!" He responded to Gunner Graves, yelling above the roar of rushing air.

Thankfully the - giant metal root? was it a living thing or some automaton? - whatever it was wasn't soaring very high into the air. It simply transported them from one crater to the next, just above the tree line.

leyon cœur pointed out the crater ahead. Flashes of something stood out within the dense vegetation, but Gideon couldn't make it out between his watering eyes and faltering grip.

"Nope! But we're about to find out!"

He braced for impact.

Gunner Graves leyon cœur

• gideon channeling his mechanical bull riding skills

☉

After gingerly securing the specimen in his pack and collecting a soil sample, Gideon then called upon his ROTOM to take detailed notes and images of the surrounding area via the tablet it inhabited.

"Soil is thin and appears to be similar to Oxisols and Ultisols found in tropical forest areas. Littered in decaying vegetal and other biological remains. Surrounding foliage is dense, with a thicker canopy and more sparse understory..." Scribe documented every word the professor spoke; it knew the drill by now.

"...Does anything feel right inside these rifts?" Gideon probed his younger brother, half-teasing, once he'd concluded his observations.

Of course not. These places were so far removed from their world that it was intensely disorienting.

But also exhilarating.

"Do you have much experience defending against Bug-type Pokémon, Ranger Cœur?" Gideon asked their other party member as he righted himself, brushing his pants as he did so.

Gunner Graves leyon cœur

• 05 harvest the fertile soil or plants of the land

☉

The Ultra Crater - a veritable paradise.

Ecologically speaking, anyway. The rich pockets of dense jungle hosted innumerable species new to science. Plants especially! Which wasn't Dr. Graves' area of focus, but he'd been allowed an emergency grant to conduct an expedition into this new realm despite that. Something about low application numbers.

The danger didn't deter him. He'd always been up for a challenge - to his detriment, at times. But the risk was worth the reward, in his opinion. Knowledge was power and could be used for the greater good.

"Wow! Look at the trigger hairs on this specimen!" Gideon remarked as he carefully used a hand trowel to extract the specimen from the earth. "It must be carnivorous... which means there will likely be insects or insect-like creatures here."

Paradise indeed for a bug nerd like him.

Gunner Graves leyon cœur

• 05 harvest the fertile soil or plants of the land

☉

Gunner Graves was alive and moving, and that's all that mattered right now. Gideon would ruminate on what he'd just witnessed later, over a strong scotch probably. For now, they needed to continue with their expedition.

While waiting for his brother to change, however, something half-buried in the earth glinted in the dull light overhead and caught the professor's attention. It was right by the area where the vengeful spirit had materialized and attacked them. Using his hand to delicately scoop soil away from the object, eventually a clay oil lamp was uncovered. Interestingly, it was covered in intricate carvings that hinted at it being some sort of offering.

Was that the image of a Pokémon imprinted along the edges?

All speculation, of course, until Gideon could return to the museum. In the meantime, he'd wrap the lamp in a padded material and secure it in his pack before following after his three companions.

The GHIMMIGHOUL ferryman was a... peculiar sight. Probably harmless, right? They'd had enough excitement for one trip, after all. And the river wasn't that wide, so they wouldn't need to stay trapped in it's boat for long.

Gideon's false hopes were shattered when @rosie was suddenly ripped from them, plunging into the murky depths. He didn't cry out in alarm; instead, the professor reflexively leaned over the edge of the boat and extended his arm into the water to try and grab ahold of the drowning woman.

Gunner Graves Caleb Harcourt @rosie

• 🗺️ GIDEON GRAVES's divorce experience must be explored in some way &/or he will be able to retrieve an artifact (be creative within reason) for his national museum of natural history.

• gideon discovers an oil lamp covered in strange carvings!

☉