"No."

"Why?"

"Probably a bastard. See all them creatures around the perimeter of that tree? They're lookin' fer 'em-- cause they were a bastard!"

"Come on. We should at least try."

Tavish rolled his eye to Obstagoon. He did not want to help this stranger, this presumably evil, awful person. No matter how much his companion signed and swung her paws around in new, unique ways. Seriously, did she not see how many Brute Bonnets searched the brush and leaves for them? Two eyes weren't necessary to see how screwed they were. How angry the past mushrooms were.

Likely trying to eat them. Bastard.

And if it wasn't that, then it was research. Probably doing inhumane studies. Not as bad, but it was still an awful thing to do. Hell, if Tavish wasn't dead certain that the Brute Bonnets would both find and obliterate them off the face of the earth, he'd go over there and do it himself. Circumstance barely mattered. That quack Rhys Collins knew it first hand. 

Obstagoon tried to sign again, but he pushed her hands down. "Besides, even if-- and I mean IF, eye-eff, capital-- I even had the faint idea that I WANTED to help, we're two people! There's... seven? Eight? Brute Bonnet down there. Even if you, Bloke, and Sonny all played distraction, it still wouldn't be enough. You're askin' t'do a job that needs at least five more people."

---

mikael rosenberg
TOTAL: 92
QgFRjbYG

“Careful… steady hands...” Tavish cautiously directed Bloke as he extracted the precious minerals from the earth. Hell if he knew the exact dangers of these bright crystals. People gave these to their Pokémon here, supposedly. Fat chance in hell he ever did something like that– better off eating Lead or drinking Sulfuric Acid

At least he knew those would kill them all. How they’d break down their cells and cause total organ failure. Or just melt the flesh entirely. This, though? Entirely new ballpark. He didn’t even want to humor the stuff.

But Obstagoon held out the bag as the Toxicroak deposited the meager ‘ore’ with steady hands. She was right in her logic: they needed money, and this sold for enough. Furthermore, as much as he distrusted the League and its science, they had yet to show evidence that this stuff was necessarily bad for you. And if it didn’t hurt any Pokémon…

He’d have to trust his companion on the matter. She drew the drawstring on the satchel and hefted it over her shoulder. Bloke pointed to his Poke Ball, and Tavish reluctantly withdrew the poisonous frog. “Good work, Bloke. Obstagoon. Let’s hope we don’t find out after the fact that this stuff causes cancer.”

Obstagoon rolled her eyes but signed reassurances as they began their trek back to the surface. They had to delve pretty far into the earth to find this stuff, and with any luck, they wouldn’t run into any trouble on the way back.

And Rocket would suddenly become a charity for stray Yamper. “Stay on guard.”

---

nikkari hect

EXCURSION SIGN-UP

ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!

WHICH EXCURSION?: e.g. AZ EXCURSION A
PARTICIPATING CHARACTERS: tavish rose nikkari hect

EXCURSION SIGN-UP

ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!

WHICH EXCURSION?: e.g. GC EXCURSION E
PARTICIPATING CHARACTERS: tavish rose mikael rosenberg

Tavish’s final rock arced toward Rhys, still barely missing the mark as the man disappeared around the bend. He followed in hot pursuit, not nearly as thrown off by the appearance of the low-jutting pillar. This is also why he cleared it gracefully, like a ballerina in a play.

Obstagoon didn’t even bother to jump, as she instead raised her arms and delivered the sediment a powerful Cross Chop. Debris scattered in her wake, some chunks large enough to slow down the–

Nope, the Iron Treads barreled through it like it wasn’t even there. Obstagoon groaned but kept on running. They’d reach an open space soon, and from there they could try to plan out a response. Just needed to keep going.

And hope Tavish didn’t actually trip Rhys. That’d be another hazard she’d have to worry about as they emerged from the dark, decrepit tunnels. It was, by no means, a grand, open space. They were in a large pit, filled with various boulders and a few other wild Paradox Pokémon that clung to the edges like life-preservers. They all scattered as the earth rumbled underneath the wild pack of Iron Treads.

But Tavish kept his eye on the back of Rhys, who showed signs of lagging. He remembered when he’d been the same, before he condemned himself down the path of vigilantic justice. How out of shape he’d been. How that had nearly gotten him killed several times.

He’d ensure this man never learned that mistake. Tavish pulled off another smoke bomb from his belt and handed it off to Obstagoon, “Throw it ahead!”

She rolled his eyes, but she did consider a different approach. The pot did not fly forward but instead slammed into the ground at her feet. White smoke billowed out and covered their tracks, so to speak. The first few Iron Treads audibly lost track of where to go and barreled off to the side.

The earth shook violently, and they could only watch as four Iron Treads slammed into the solid earth. For Obstagoon, a breath of relief.

For Tavish, abject horror. “Arceus, please grant them safe passage into your domain…”

“And send this bastard straight t'hell!”

He doubled his pace, his eye now ablaze. He’d feed him to the beloved creatures himself if he had to.

---

Rhys Collins
TOTAL: 296
 |aObnM0W

This strange winter was nothing against his bones, his skin. His freshly ‘procured’ wetsuit. Galar had weather like this all the time, and arguably worse. The massive body of water that surrounded Hoenn did not help matters, but it did mean that Mother Nature would be hard-pressed to change it for the worse.

Tavish just needed to not freeze to death. An easy thing to say, as he waddled up to the lick of sea on the beach. In his hands was a very large, bulky thing draped in blue tarp. Its crinkle cut through the gentle lap of sea waves like a knife. He barely gave any attention to the little girl and her strange pixie.

Barely.

“Only real difference I’ve noticed is that people dive intentionally,” He told the girl. If she turned around, she’d see a well-built man in a wetsuit one size too large, with a massive object in his hands, and a Toxicroak by his side. “Most of the time.”

“What brings you here, little one? You and your friend.”

---

Eris Halla

Thank Arceus; Tavish had shown up just in time to prevent this awful man from doing any harm (that he knew of). Who cared if a whole herd of Iron Treads, violent towards any entity that wasn’t their own, soon gave them the red death eyes? He’d prevented a tragedy, and that was good enough. With any luck, they’d trample this joke of a doctor along the way.

But, as much as he hated to say it, the quack was right: he’d be gored if he and Obstagoon also didn’t turn around and start to run after the doctor. However, he wasn’t about to show ‘mercy’ just because the other did.

That’s why, when they both entered the tunnel he had just emerged from, he bent down and scooped up a rock as they ran for their lives. And then another, and one more for good measure.

“Don’t think ye can outrun yer fate, you bloody devil!” Tavish lobbed the first rock right towards Rhys, hopeful that he’d blow out the doctor’s knee and damn him to death by robotic trampling.

Unfortunately, the one eye left a lot to be desired for depth perception. That’s why the rock instead went flying straight past the main, a few healthy feet in front of him. A second rock quickly followed suit.

“Damn you! Stay still, so I can condemn ye to a death suitable of your crimes!”

Obstagoon rolled her eyes. Now wasn’t the time to squabble– but she wasn’t about to step in when it felt like the Iron Treads were gaining on them. She knew they could get into sphere mode, but she didn't think they'd manage to catch up so well, in the dark and cramped space of these tunnels. They'd be in trouble if they didn't figure anything out fast.

---

Rhys Collins
TOTAL: 198
DSxiTEIU

These were strange lands and stranger people. He’d been here for quite some time now, but little had made less sense than this area. Not even Galar had something quite like this: a massive whole in the ground, filled to the brim with strange crystals and Pokémon from a different reality. How unreserved they were. How hostile.

But they deserved protection all the same. They were all Pokémon. Arceus’ precious creatures. Even if they were not of this time, they deserved to live their lives as much as the next Pokémon– especially since this was their land. Their home. If anything, he was the invader here.

But he’d make things right. He and Obstagoon trekked down inside the earth, deep within the dank caves that reeked of mildew, natural chemicals, and sweat. It was dark, but his eye had adjusted long ago. Besides, all he needed was the idle sound of wild Pokémon.

“Hold on,” Tavish held up a hand to stop his companion. Natural light filtered far ahead, down the rest of this path. Even better, the sound of heavy steps and the hum of some ‘engine’. Either someone had brought their car down here, or that was a Futuristic Paradox. Slowly, they crept forward.

They peered around the corner. Yep, there was a round metal one. A lot like a Donphan, but cast from iron instead of flesh. It looked peaceful, at home in the environment. And dangerous. It’d make things hard if they attracted its attention.

But something else caught the Obstagoon’s eye. She tapped his shoulder and signed. “A person? What? Where?”

She pointed directly to the figure, off to the side. At the edge of some foliage, away from immediate vision. Of their target, that was. For the pair, though, it was like they were in the perfect spot for an ambush.

But that face was eerily familiar. Like they’d been in conflict before…

It didn’t take long for Tavish to realize the connection. He swiftly pulled out his knife and stepped forward, his face in a hard scowl. He raised his free hand to shield his eye from the awful sunlight, “You! You bloody bastard, step back from the innocent Pokémon!”

---

Rhys Collins
TOTAL: 98
ZK2V7AO4

EXCURSION SIGN-UP

ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!

WHICH EXCURSION?: AZ Excursion C: Cull the Herd
PARTICIPATING CHARACTERS: Rhys Collins , tavish rose

Tavish could barely notice the onlookers who gave the commotion their utmost attention. He was too busy trying to ignore the queasy feeling in his stomach and the weariness in his bones. Poison. Of course– leave it to a Rocket Doctor to carry poison on them at all times.

If the man hadn’t been consigned to death by the association with a terrorist organization, Tavish would have dragged him to the police and had him tried for war crimes.

Instead, he grunted as he tossed the last of the available fruit to the horde and took one last handful for himself. It felt sinful to take any of it for himself, but his life probably hung in the balance of whatever he’d been injected with. It tasted sickeningly sweet– but filling.

Energy surged through his veins, enough to ward off the worst of the poison that infected his steps. He steps away from the scene, from the fight. It was time to leave: he’d accomplished everything he could here, and this wasn’t the tree to die under.

So with all the energy in his bones, he tossed his only other smoke pot onto the ground and ran away. His heartbeat drowned out any potential yelps or curses towards him as he retreated into the city of Sootopolis. Into its alleyways and crooks. This was certainly not the end of their fight. Now, it was personal.

And Arceus help anyone who dare get in his way.

---

Rhys Collins

The nearest Lokix extended its strong, black saw-like arms in warning toward Tavish, but he ignored the Pokémon and instead dug his hands deep inside the massive berry. If Rhys was from Galar himself, he’d know just how easily one could dig their hands into the sweet, sticky product of the Dyna Tree. Like a massive orange, ready to be pulled apart with enough force.

And he did just that. His hands now sticky with the substance, he turned back towards the two that came his way. The distraction worked– all he needed to do now was raise his hands high above his head and pull back. “If an apple works fer a day, this’ll last a week!”

The red, scrumptious fruit was thrown forward, right towards the two Rocket members. Even if they managed to dodge the nutritious fruit of the tree, they’d be unable to ignore what came right afterward: the Lokix that nearly cleaved Tavish in two instead turned its narrowed eyes to Rhys and his Lucario.

And it was entirely unafraid. It cried out and dashed forward, its saw-blades ready to tear them apart if they dared get in the way of its dinner.

“Why don’tcha ‘ave some more!” Tavish dug his hands back into the red fruit and lobbed more and more of its guts towards the Rockets. Even as the edges of his visions turned black and twisted, he kept on going until there was a large, pungent pile at their feet and over their clothes.

Something the wild Pokémon noticed with frenzy in their minds. Soon enough, a few other Lokix gave them curious and twisted stares. If any other Pokemon were nearby, the might smell the beautifl aroma that was Dyna Fruit. And in such large supply, with only two measly barricades in their way...

---

Rhys Collins

“Let me tell the story,” Obstagoon asked. This was the last chance they would have, it felt like. The League had been informed of their presence due to the last meeting, and they likely didn’t appreciate a group such as theirs within their territory. At least, not in a very important location such as this.

“Hmm… I don’t see why not,” Tavish began to hand her the book, but she held up a furry paw.

“I don’t need it. This one won’t be that long, either.”

“Alright, then let us hear it.”

“Cro.”

“Then let me tell you a tale of Sacrifice:”

“Once upon a time, there was a man. He was no king. He was not even royalty. Yet he wasn’t a villain, and not born for evil. No, this was just a man. With a mind full of curiosity, empathy, and passion, he built a kingdom where everyone was equal. Pokémon and Humans coexisted in harmony, and knowledge was readily available. In short: a Utopia. This was the pinnacle of existence, for there was no obstacle they couldn’t overcome, and no dream out of reach.”

“But one day, something odd started to happen. In the dead of night, one by one, the Pokémon disappeared. No one knew why, and no one knew how. The range of those who left was large, and suspicions few. Why would anyone want to leave? Those now missing had nothing but praise for their home. Yet there they went; stolen away when no one looked.”

“The Pokémon were afraid. What if they were next? What if it was a predator? A hunter, who wished to slay them out in the wild where no one would ever find them. But the humans… they did nothing to help. Sure, they expressed sadness for their lost friends, but they remained only bystanders in the situation. Not a finger was lifted, nor a problem raised. They were not the targets of this force’s ire– what were they to do?”

“After a month had passed, the Pokémon were no closer to a solution. Hope started to fade in the face of blatant ignorance. Thus, they turned to their final hope: the Man who built the place they called home. They sought his court and relayed their anger. Their frustration. The man listened intently, and when they finished he expressed a similar frustration. He rose from his chair and declared to find out the source of these disappearances.”

“Thus, he left the comfort of home and walked out into the wilderness. For three days and three nights, he kept faithful watch from the outside. Whoever these perpetrators were, they were clever. For a while, he was scared he would get no closer to the answer than those who suffered most. Yet on the final day, he finally had success in his hunt.”

“They were thieves from a distant land, come to take their Pokémon. As for where they went, he did not know– only that it was not a nice place. This greatly outraged the man, and he wasted no time in dishing out swift and merciless judgment on the invaders.”

“But there were more. An almost infinite–”

“Obstagoon.”

“... Yes?”

“Why are you telling this?”

“Telling what?”

“My story. I’ve already told it. Last time.”

“Because, Tavish. It’s important.”

“Important to whom?”

“To me, damn it!”

“Why?! It’s said and done, and the King has already heard it!”

“Let him hear it again, but in a different light! One with consideration and empathy. Let him hear our side of it.”

“... Fine.”

“Thank you. Now, where was I… right:”

“The man could not possibly end the horde of invaders. Where one fell, two more emerged. It was an endless horde of invaders, there to ruin the perfect kingdom built for all. The Pokémon were unable to fight back, and the people remained indifferent to the plight of the few. For them, it was still a utopia. Even if the walls grew silent and the nights dark. They were not the ones forced to answer the call to arms.”

“This angered the King greatly. He felt alone. Powerless. A feeling he hadn’t felt before. What was he to do, to help those he held dear?”

“So, he decided to do the only thing he knew he could: nip it in the bud. If he gave up everything he had worked for, he could help all those affected.”

“Cro?”

“Of course he did! Even if the man didn’t think himself noble or heroic, the decision to sacrifice his life of comfort made him one. Even if his fellow humans did not agree, and the Pokémon scared of the path he’d taken, he decided to do the right thing. To stand up in the face of danger, look in the eye, and show defiance. He traveled to the land unknown, far from home, to make things right. No matter what it took, he would protect the land he could no longer call his own. For to do nothing and let the invaders get their way–”

“Was to lose his home regardless.”

“There is no end to this tale– not yet. But everything always turns out right for the heroes. As was in the past, and now in the present, and forever more in the future.”

Silence fell onto the small group, save for the King who clapped at the tale. His soft hands smacked into one another with infinite grace, “Cro! Cro!”

“Is that how you see it? A sacrifice no one else could make?”

“No one else would make. It takes a great amount of courage to do what we've done. An even bigger amount to do it the way we've done.”

“... If only others could as well.”

“Well, you’ve got the four of us,” Obstagoon waved to the others gathered. “Even if the League let the problem fester, it was not for lack of trying.”

“Never as simple as it seems.”

“And we’ll come out ahead yet.”

“Thanks, Obstagoon. I think I needed that.”

A comfortable feeling of camaraderie fell upon the band. Even if the future was uncertain, their tale had yet to finish. That would have to be alright with the King, the one they’d have to say goodbye to very soon. But that wasn’t in the now, and was a problem they could all ignore for the moment. They could look up at the stars, enjoy the cool air of the night and the fresh smell of grass and berries.

Ignorance was seldom enjoyable, but for now, they held on. The closest thing to hope they’d ever know.

“Tale about dreams, eh? Never been a big fan of those, as the main topic, but maybe something about a legacy,” the man rubbed the stubble on his chin. His four comrades each shared a stare with one another, a confirmation of having the exact same thought inside all their heads. Unfortunately for them, the man saw it all as clear as night. “What?”

Sonny and Sir couldn’t sign, so they looked to Bloke and Obstagoon to convey the message they all knew true to their hearts. Bloke held up his pointed hands in defense, “Oi, I was a late addition. You’ve got the history with him, not me.”

Thus, the obligation fell to Obstagoon. She started to sign cautiously, as if scared to step into the minefield right before her. One wrong step, and they’d all be blown sky-high. “Well… we think you should change that. You know. Stop being so hell-bent on the idea of dreams alone.”

The man looked flabbergasted. His eye darted between them. “Is yer head on loose there, Obstagoon? We’ve talked about this before, and my mind isn’t changing: dreams on their own are worthless.”

“None of us disagree with you there. Not entirely, anyway,” she responded. “But a dream can be a nice thing to have. Gives you hope.”

“But that must be tempered by the weight of reality. Otherwise, they’re as good as the stars in the night sky– a pretty thing to look at, sure, but do nothin’ for us down here.”

“Do you remember when we used to dream, Tavish?”

The man fell silent, knowing that this was a touchy subject for her. But he wasn’t content either, as his fingers dug into the dirty fabric of his pants. They’d done this song and dance too. Only once, and it’d been a bloody nightmare afterwords. It happened the night he decided to take matters into his own hands. When he abandoned a life of comfort and ignorance.

“Our simple dreams, ones made up on a whim and gave us such whimsy in our hearts… do you still remember them, Tavish?”

“Of course I do,” he said. “How could I forget them?”

“Of owning your own lab. Of fighting for the rights of Pokémon as best as we could, even if the odds seemed insurmountable. Hell, we even dreamed of fantastical things. Like your brewery idea, or my dream to go far away, and explore new sights. New sounds. Meet more wonderful people. In a way, we both got what we wanted.”

“At the cost of everything, Obstagoon.”

“Well, that would make a good story of its–”

“No,” Tavish crossed his arms and shoved them forward. “Timeout. My, our history, isn’t over! There isn’t some grandiose tale here. Not the kind we should tell a King. They aren’t like the stories in this book. Ones that would be more proper, with better endings and where everyone lives happily ever after.”

“Back when things were simpler? Easier?”

“Yea!”

“Tavish, they’ve never been simple.”

He looked to the furry black-and-white creature, and then back to the other three. None of them could properly meet him in the eyes. Something snapped inside, and he closed the book with a loud thump. “Fine.”

“You want a story? Here’s a story of your precious ‘dreams’, unbound by reality:”

“Once upon a time, nine years ago, there was a bright-faced lad with the stars in his eyes and a head in the clouds. Things were easy, simple, ignorant. He had a few friends, a few Pokémon companions, and life was easy. There weren’t any actual problems, and there wasn’t any hardships. He had a nice job where he did what he loved.”

“And then they came,” he spit the acidic phrase off of his tongue and motioned far away, towards Sootopolis. “They came from the sea and started to steal. Plunder. Kidnap the precious creatures that wanted to live simple lives. Brought to a foreign land against their will, where everything was awful. A war zone, where they were drafted or conscripted at best. Not to mention the treacherous seas that many never escaped.”

“And this hurt the man. Not only because of what was happening, but because of how the people reacted: they didn’t. They shrugged their shoulders, said ‘what can you do’, and bloody well moved on with their lives. How could they willingly choose to turn an eye to the problems that plagued their lands? How could they sleep at night, knowing that they held the power to help the situation?”

“So, the man acted. He called the government and asked them what their plans were, how he could help. And they turned him away. ‘Join the royal guard, and you can make a change’. So, he did. He worked hard, day and night, to get into their illustrious service.”

“Yet he never did. His work meant nothing, because he was always passed over. Never given the time nor day to prove himself loyal to the cause. Excuse after excuse, they sent him home with a pat on the back and a ‘better luck next time’. How it infuriated him. How his blood boiled.”

“So, he decided to join a local watch. Keep an eye out for intruders that dared to take from their homes. He was accepted, and he watched with as good an eye as everyone else. Day and night, always on the lookout. He never saw anything, either from the cover of night or because of other obligations. Yet the problem persisted. Nothing got better. If anything, things grew worse. Like not even those in charge cared.”

“The man started to expand his efforts. He raised awareness, sent out petitions, held peaceful protests against the seemingly infinite inaction. If there was a way to show the problem to all, then he did it. Everything under the sun was fair game, save for direct violence. For he was one man, and this a problem for an entire body of people. They were so many, and they so few– so why couldn’t they stop it?”

“And as time went on, something started to change in the man. His heart grew cold, and his brain full of strange ideas. Those clouds he reached for, the ones he thought firmly in his grasp– nothing more than blips in the sky. The people did not care. The royalty did not care. No one cared, it felt. And despite his best efforts, his attempts to make the imagination into a reality, he never got a single foot off the ground.”

“It was only when he resorted to violence that the people noticed. That the people cared. If it did not affect them, then it wasn’t a threat. But as soon as it disrupted their daily life, then they grew mad. Upset at the injustice being performed at the hands of this villain.”

“But the villain was him.”

“The people turned on him. Insulted him for his methods, assaulted him for his decisions. The royalty condemned him. Pokémon feared his name, for what he might do.”

“But the invaders learned to fear that man. Whenever they saw his signature red fatigues and smelled brimstone in the air, they knew themselves doomed. They had been deemed problems, and problems were best squashed underfoot. For him to take action, he had damned himself to hell. A life of this path that no one would dare tread. Because they were afraid of losing things.”

“The man did not live happily ever after,” his knuckles grew white, “he did not get to realize his dreams. He did not get to live the life he wanted. He has given so much to better the lives of those around him, and yet they spit on his shoes.”

“You can keep your dreams, those clouds in the sky, like the Kingdom of the North,” the man set the book down by his side and pulled himself to his feet, “but tell me where that gets you in a year or ten.”

“Tavish, they give us reason to wake up in the morning, to have hopes and look to the future!”

“And look where that got me, Obstagoon. Look where we are now.”

The man stormed off, his boots heavy in the dirt and grass. Dew scattered off the stalks, leaving behind a trail of mother nature’s tears. She wept for the man, and for those he had to leave behind. She wept for a soul that kept his head focused right ahead, with a glint in his eye that would never go away.

One that could only admire the night sky and moon for what they were, not for what they could’ve been.