As they went about their task and took small solace in each other’s company, Porter found himself missing her weird, little alien. Olaf, had it been? He was cute. Just not when he was echoing Porter’s embarrassing noises back at him like some demonic answering machine.
[break][break]
It was kind of crazy, but Porter didn’t want to say it; Sasky had pointed it out, anyway. But then he did a rubber-band head snap and blinked through sooty gray teartracks on his face.
[break][break]
“Wait. Dies? What do you mean, dies?!”
[break][break]
He thinks he knew, somewhere, that the Champion-- Kyle-- had died. But these people were all... figures, to him. Like celebrities. Almost not real. And so it takes Saskia connecting the dots, connecting to this famous, dead man with a name, to make the lightbulb go off in his head.

TAGS – saskia volosenkova [break]
NOTES – ashen anomaly

[attr="class","pkmn"]

In Paldea, studying great migrations and their effects on ecology, Porter had been in the field for weeks at a time. This included doing mundane tasks like sleeping, cooking, and bathing under the stars. He was no stranger to surviving in the wilderness-- in fact, he quite enjoyed it!
[break][break]
Having a Ranger outpost was a welcome reprieve from the roughness of it all; it was still pretty lonely and barren, but Porter wouldn’t balk at having a roof over his head, especially during Hoenn’s summers, which could be capricious and temperamental as far as weather patterns, he was coming to learn.
[break][break]
He’s been sitting in the crow’s nest watching Flying-types through binoculars and scrabbling down notes in his notebook when he realizes the ground floor’s gone quiet. He checks his phone and gasps a bit when he sees how much time has elapsed since the last time he touched base with SCOUT WILDER, the other Ranger on his patrol. Gathering his things, he hightails it down the ladder, only to find the place vacant.
[break][break]
“S-- uh, c-cadet Wilder?” he asks, wincing at how loud his voice sounded in the quiet. He wasn’t sure he was on a first-name basis with the other Ranger, but when no one answered for a short stint, he added, “Scout?”


[break][break]

TAGS – SCOUT WILDER[break]
NOTES – :3c

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Porter hadn’t been here when the Silent Icelands had been… created, for lack of a better term. He found it bittersweet. On the one hand, something happening that was so drastic, that affected the ecological climate so adversely, was a new kind of tragedy. On the other, it would have been a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence that would have been pretty cool to live through.
[break][break]
Despite his distance whilst it was happening, he got to deal with more than his fair share of the fallout. It was one of the more grunty Ranger tasks he’d gotten shouldered with, wandering around collecting soot and clearing away ash so that the native plantlife could begin to grow back. It was long hours of hard, tedious work, and his only solace was he’d gotten paired with saskia volosenkova once again.
[break][break]
“Were you around when this happened?” he asked, the eternal optimist in him resisting the urge to bemoan their drawing of the short straw.

[break][break]

TAGS – saskia volosenkova[break]
NOTES – ashen anomaly

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Porter watches the strange Bulbasaur amalgam go flying off into the deep blue yonder like a beetle flicked off a plant. His palms are scraped from where he’d had to crawl away from the thing, and he’s panting heavily.
[break][break]
“I am strongly reconsidering hanging out with you!” he says through gulped inhales, sweating from every single pore on his body. “Oh, my god.” His voice wobbles as he gets to his feet. “Are we done? Can we go?”



[break][break]

TAGS – robin coello [break]
NOTES – that's funny its spelled just like the word escape

[attr="class","pkmn"]

He was so absorbed in their surroundings that he almost didn’t hear her speak. When he did, and her words sank in, he paused.
[break][break]
“Get… get to the cool part?” he parroted, feeling like the whole place was pretty cool and, knowing Robin, sort of dreading what she thought was cool. “What do you mean? Robin?”
[break][break]
He hurried to follow after her, until something caught his eye; a little Bulbasaur, except it was… yellow, with black spots, and bright red eyes. “Aw, you’re kinda cute… hey, little guAUGHH!!”
[break][break]
Giant drills popped out of the bulb on the creature’s back and jabbed out at him. He scrabbled back on his ass, crabwalking away. “Ohmygodohmygodhmygod!”



[break][break]

TAGS – robin coello [break]
NOTES – fight a fusion

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Porter gave Robin a small smile. He didn’t so much doubt that she was a professional as he wondered how much it could be possible to have expertise in such… weirdness.
[break][break]
“Very spooky,” he confirmed, listening to the far away heartbeat. “Ermie, can we get some cover? I feel real exposed here.”
[break][break]
The Empoleon conjured a deep blue mist to help them blend into their surroundings.


[break][break]

TAGS – robin coello [break]
NOTES – heal/support

[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","itemcolicon"]

[attr="class","itemcolname"]ultra deep sea

[attr="class","lgdcol"]

[attr="class","itemcoltexttit"]STAGE: COMFORTING

[attr="class","itemcoltext"]As materials are mined and gathered, the designated trainer(s) will begin to experience heightened anxiety and fear. The walls around you are slightly translucent. They are fleshy and pink, pulsing with energy ever so often. Through them, you can view the great starry fields of space.[break][break]



Threats may begin to encroach upon this chamber. Nihilego, Poipole, Naganadel, and mutated Pokemon who have found themselves unluckily teleported here.[break][break]



The heightened mental anguish may also take a toll, requiring healing or barriers against assaults of the mind. However, there is limited time to mine. What will you do?

The strange gravity of the place meant his Empoleon could swim through the air. Porter sat cross-legged on her back, trying to ignore the nerves building up in his gut.
[break][break]
“I haven’t actually been down to one of these places, yet.”


[break][break]

TAGS – robin coello [break]
NOTES – take the brunt equally

[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","itemcolicon"]

[attr="class","itemcolname"]ultra deep sea

[attr="class","lgdcol"]

[attr="class","itemcoltexttit"]STAGE: PREPARATION

[attr="class","itemcoltext"]After surviving a journey to the deepest extremities of Ultra Deep Sea, you find yourselves in a chamber with a glowing, magenta organ pulsing in its center. It's a gargantuan core that continuously emits energy. Terrifyingly, the radiation it spreads seemingly distorts space and time around it.[break][break]

Around you, Poison Tera Crystals, minerals imbued with Dynamax Energy, and more exist for you to mine, harvest, and gather.[break][break]

To overcome the energy's paranoia or hallucinogenic effects, designate someone who will take the brunt of the core's radiation.

‘Obstruction’ in the most literal sense of the word.
[break][break]
Porter lowers the loop of bowel to look at her, slightly injured. She can’t see his pouty frown beneath the rebreather. “Proudly.”
[break][break]
He continues to feel along the intestine until he found where it backflowed into the stomach. He was pink up to his elbows in gore, at this point. “I wonder if this has any effect on the pancreas…”
[break][break]
When Robin speaks, he snaps his head to look at her so quickly his neck cracks. “Do NOT put that in your mouth!” Sighing, he smears viscera on his thighs, and peels out of his gloves as he steps away from the corpse. “Here, you can put them in my bag. Try not to touch them directly.” Since he hadn't picked any up, yet, he figured it would be okay.

TAGS – robin coello [break]
NOTES – lessen the load

[attr="class","pkmn"]

He returned her smile as she really put the Kalosian and saliva into the word connoisseur.
[break][break]
Unfortunately, their conversation was derailed. Her neat was answered by his own, “Oh.” The stench was overpowering, and he pulled his shirt up over his nose. Despite this, he wanted to investigate, the natural curiosity in him overpowering the urge to run away.
[break][break]
He dropped his pack and pulled out sterile gloves, snapping them high up over his elbows. He’d packed two high quality masks, as well, and he offered one to Robin. “For the smell.”
[break][break]
Making sure his laces were tied, he waded into the gore.
[break][break]
“It’s got-- ore in its intestines? Was it eating it?” He held up a loop of bowel, to scrutinize. “No, it’s more like it’s… intracellular. Like it was absorbed, or integrated?”

TAGS – robin coello [break]
NOTES – continue 2 mine

[attr="class","pkmn"]