their first and only sign that something is wrong is when they start to feel sick. they'd just gotten their glasses back, and revelled in the ability to actually see for the first time since finding themself down here. they were perking up, expecting that soon this would be behind them... but they're wrong, of course. a feeling of nausea creeps up their skin so rapidly that they halt completely in their tracks. shuddering, they double over. the limb that emerges from them is less a limb and more a shield, pushing everyone around them away.

unfamiliar thoughts bombard them. "stay away from me! STAY AWAY!" "i'm the only one i can trust!" "i only need to take care of myself! no one else will do it!" though they try to fight it, try to control the impulses washing over them, the shield continues to try and knock down everyone in its way, and nikola can't help but feel a sick sense of satisfaction. their desire to help, to learn and to grow has been replaced only by a desire to be fully, completely independent. to never rely on anyone else, and to never be relied on either.

and to do that... they need money. money is what they were originally after when they joined dr. thorne's research, they suddenly remember. that's all it was. just money.

and there's a gleam of gold right here, isn't there? nikola's toxic shield turns its attention to Shred and his goldengho just as it's returned to its ball. but unfortunately for him, he brings out another bright gold pokemon, and in its desperation, nikola's toxic chain rears itself up and launches at his lokix, intending to bash it and its trainer in one blow.

when shigure asks if nikola seen any rare variants or extinct pokemon, they thumb their nose, grinning at him. they let him finish his thought before they continue, though by the way they're digging their phone out of their pocket, it's becoming abundantly clear that they have something to show him.

they open their phone gallery and display it before them. in the picture is a kabuto, in the flesh, sleeping in what looks like a cozy basket. in the next, it's eating from a bowl of pokemon food. next is a video in which nikola records the noises it makes and compares it to what scientists of the past used to believe it sounded like. there's a few more fluff pictures, in which nikola seems to be quite fascinated by (and enamored with) the fossil pokemon, despite its hard exterior.

"i caught a kabuto in the desert a while back," they explain. "it's not the most rare thing you'll find out there, but it's been very interesting to study!" and to lavish with love and affection, it seems.

[ SHIGURE URUHA ]

3x GREPA BERRY -- planted 10/04/24

[attr="class","garden"]

molly

[break]
♁ harvest[break]
terrain pulse, sweet scent, tackle, flail

nikola salutes. "got it!" anybody else might be a little more frightened with the way the room is warping itself, but this situation still beats being dragged through swampy, muddy water and restrained by alien pokemon not from this world. with luna and amoeba at their side, nikola follows after josh. while they walk, they consider the possibility of what might be going on, rubbing their chin thoughtfully.

"if it's meant to be an ambush, it's strange," they comment. "though maybe they thought you'd be alone..." perhaps nikola being here threw a wrench in their plans? or maybe whoever it is didn't have a plan. it's strange that nothing intercepted them outside the door, and aside from trick room being deployed, they're being allowed free roam of the environment.

as they proceed, shadows start to dance along the wall just out of the corner of nikola's eye. every time they turn to look, the shadows disappear again. frowning, nikola just tries to ignore them. the further they get in the gym, the more it seems like they're being pranked by something...

[ Josh Devlin ]

PURCHASING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X type 3 evo (25 PD) (quilava -> hisuian typhlosion) (50% off)

TOTAL

do come again!

25 PD

it might be a good idea to invest in some good old fashioned non-electric doors after this... nikola stands there in the dark, unable to see the expression on josh's face. he sounds unsettled, and it's enough for nikola to make a move so neither of them are just standing there waiting for something to happen. "not to worry!" they say, trying to comfort him. "i'm here with you, and i'm a lot stronger than i was before!" they put their hands on their hips, puffing their chest out.

then they release their umbreon, whose blue glow illuminates the room around them. luna sniffs the air and then freezes, as if hearing something. she lets out a bark, and heads for the door that doesn't open. "sounds like she noticed something," nikola says. "so let's just get that door open..." preferably without breaking it.

the next pokemon they release is a reuniculus that floats by their shoulder. "amoeba, use psychic to pry the door open," they tell him. the psychic type concentrates, and gradually, the door opens just enough to allow them to pass.

[ Josh Devlin ]

golly gee there sure is a lot to look at here!! too bad nikola can't really see any of it!!

through blurry vision, they manage to spot the cages, since they're much larger and more imposing than the herba mystica here. there's people inside, people they can't see clearly enough to determine if they're the ones they've been looking for. it doesn't matter; whoever they are, they shouldn't be kept in cages anyway. since there's likely no key around (this isn't a video game, after all, as much as it's been like a survival horror game recently), the only way to free them is to destroy their cages.

"use leaf blade on the bars," nikola commands, pointing at a cage that isn't already being worked on by somebody else. their serperior slithers over effortlessly and lashes out with its tail, slashing the bars of the cage expertly. meanwhile, nikola tries to figure out how to clean their glasses... everyone here is probably just as muddy as they are, meaning they can't use their shirt or other fabrics to clean anything. they look around, hoping against hope there's some clean fabric here or, against all odds, clean water they can use.

• player/ooc name: newt
• character tags: NIKOLA SAMSA VELVET ASCH STERLING WARDEN MAKI YUKIMURA
• dropped characters' tags (if applicable): n/a
• ic posts for characters: nikola post sterling post velvet post maki post
• are characters in directories?: yes!
• any notes/comments: <3

they wade through the waters, following the dim light in the distance and the others in their group. they're sluggish as they move, unable to see, everything a blur in the dark and the damp. their only thought now is to find the way out, so they don't become entombed here like the other bodies they've seen. their mind briefly flickers back to the bloodmoon ursaluna, which they think they saw in the previous cave... however much they would have loved to have studied it and gotten some pictures, survival takes priority here.

they don't realize what's happening until it happens, because they're so far behind the core of the group. they're slow to respond to the warning cries, stopping and feeling for a pokeball when they realize something's up. before they can call upon one of their pokemon to assist them, though, they feel something tugging them down again. they fight against it, trying to pull away, not wanting to end up in the mud again.

perhaps it's because they're so far behind that they manage to break free. they reach their pokeball and call upon their serperior, who manifests and immediately thrashes his tail at the dhelmise, helping nikola get away.

with the acquisition of their togekiss, nikola's been able to travel around the region much easier. getting from mossdeep, where they currently reside, to the mainland is now quite simple. they have a new job in lilycove, too, allowing them to care for more pokemon.

the last time they saw josh devlin, they only had their cyndaquil and a newly-captured kabuto. that's obviously changed since then, and while they were in the area they thought they might show off their new teammates. so they dropped by the gym, despite the late hour, just to say hello and see how everyone was doing.

but almost as soon as they arrive... something stirs. the lights go out all at once, and there's a crash from nearby, like something has just been knocked over. nikola can only see a dark shadow go flitting across the floor before it's gone. they stand there stupidly, unsure what just happened.

"uh... is this normal?" they ask josh, the darkness suffocating around them.

[ Josh Devlin ]

taking with nikola and Josh Devlin !

nikola nods along as josh explains. so being a gym leader is about more than just taking challengers, huh? they never really looked much into it, having had no interest in the gym challenge overall. but it does make sense; a gym leader should be expected to be a leader of the community, which makes it a position of both responsibility and privilege. nikola is starting to get the sense that they were very fortunate to wander into josh's path as they did.

another onix passes. or is that the same one...? it doesn't pay them much mind. there's a roserade standing on its back as if riding it just like nikola and josh rode here, and nikola regards it curiously before turning back to josh.

"it's unfortunate that we didn't stumble into any actual fossils," they say with a sigh. "but catching a fossil pokemon was more than i had hoped for, honestly." they're getting a little sick of the sand. "maybe this is where we should part ways...? oh, but i'll be sure to visit you in mauville some time." they give him a bright smile. "i'll be looking to expand my team, i suppose. maybe when we meet again, we can battle."

[ Josh Devlin ]

passing over onix and roserade.

nikola is unable to see the chaos happening. luna's snarl doesn't seem to do much damage, and their mouth is full of the taste of alien tentacle. they gag, still trying to wriggle free. the two of them, caked in mud and holding onto each other, lose morale as they realize the reality of their situation. nikola visibly wilts, though they still keep their arms protectively around their pokemon. "maybe we're not cut out to be adventurers," they whisper sadly. they haven't been able to help anyone today...

that's when the coins hit them. the nihilego holding them takes the brunt of the blow, but several coins still ping into nikola and luna, knocking both of them out. the nihilego, defeated, frees nikola, who sags to the floor. for an extended moment, it seems as if they're not going to wake up.

then they stir, and sit up. luna is still unconscious in their arms, so their first thought is to return her to her ball so she can rest. their second thought is: "ow." they look around. now that they're free, they remove their muddy glasses and look around, squinting. uh... is everyone freed and walking away? where are they going? it seems like they're splitting into two groups again... the nihilego burst without warning, and nikola lets out a shriek as the tera crystals rain down. they scramble to their feet, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but here.

but which way to go, when their blurry vision is obscuring both paths? they lean down and pick up a coin, flipping it. it lands on heads, so they go down PATH 1, stumbling over bodies and crags in the rock along the way. limping slightly, they catch up with the rest of the group, trying to act like they've been there the whole time. if anybody looks back, they'll see just how downtrodden and beaten nikola is, with a bruise forming on the side of their head where the coin hit.