June Catch All! [Open and Closed Prompts]

[dripdrive]

Who: Anasui, Emporio, Firepaw, Flamebringer, Sanji, Ring-Spirit, Laios... AND MAYBE YOU!
What: Quests and a Non-Quest Prompt!
Where: Southern Forest, Ocean, Around Town! Check the prompts!
When: Throughout June.
Warnings: Check the individual threads. Likely hallucinations in the quest-related threads.

Comments

[indifferentinferno]

[Flamebringer finds himself subconsciously keeping an eye on his teammates while they sail- Its force of habit. He wants to bark at Laios for sticking his paws in the water, warning of dangers in the deep of a horror he couldn't fathom- but he holds his tongue. For one- Its not his problem if Laios gets a paw bit off. For two- So far he was given no impression that these waters were as dangerous as the ones on Terra... or at least it remained to be seen.

Whatever threat they were going after- it wasn't given the same gravitas as the Seaborn. The guild runners seemed to think they could beat it at least.

He shared Anasui's sense of unease. This felt like playing right into the hands of their foe- None of them were finbeasts. All of them would drown should their rafts shatter and they be left stranded. Maybe Anasui could fly them out at best- but at worst, they were waiting to be killed.

He growl-sighed to himself. Why did he agree to this again?]

His head tilts slightly in Sanji's direction at the call. Eyes catching the fish swimming by.]

... If the bounty listing holds any grain of truth, then our opponent isn't going to fall for a cheap trick like that. [He looks ahead of them at the unknown waters. Displeasure obvious on his face... he turns his gaze back to the water, looking for the signs Sanji and Laios mentioned. Keeping an eye out. Looking for any larger shapes disturbing the water. It would help if everything wasn't covered in fog. It clung to their surroundings, unshakeable.]

[dripdrive]

... if we're lucky enough for them to be fleeing towards us instead of anywhere else... [Anasui clicks his beak with annoyance but it's clear by his expression that he's taking both Laios' and Sanji's words into consideration. Anasui looks up into the sky and scowls.]

... Scared birds, huh? We know this thing hunts birds but damn if we'll see any in the air with this fog...

[And so Anasui looks out to the ocean, looking for fleeing fish or anything else that may help them. At least the ocean is in motion, and movement from Pokemon will cause ripples. The air won't offer any clues like the ocean will.

And yet... it's of little comfort. Anasui's gaze remains stoic but he's as tense as Flamebringer as he looks out at the sea. He doesn't particularly like the ocean anymore (not after last time); the open water sends down a wave of unease down his spine to the tips of every one of his feathers. He expects that every time he looks out into the creeping fog onto the ocean's surface he'll see bodies in the water.

But no. He can just see a second school of tiny Pokemon, swimming away. He frowns as he looks at their movements.]

... Is it me or is this a lot of Wishiwashi? The small fish, I mean...

[dunchies]

[ Laios pays no mind to Flamebringer’s gaze, not even realizing it’s on him to begin with. Instead, he sits up fully as Sanji explains, beaming down at him with a particular glint in his eyes. He’s more than aware of the dangers this type of predator will pose, but he can’t hide his excitement at seeing it up close himself. ]

Flamebringer’s right. Dondozo might not be that clever, but Tatsugiri will likely realize something’s off. [ His gaze wanders across the other rafts before the smaller fish Pokémon catch his attention. ] One of us would make better bait, actually, so falling in might not be so bad at all.

[ He’s not exactly joking, but his tone lacks any weight to the seriousness of that scenario. Slowly, his eyes start to widen as more fish swim by, just as Anasui said. Instinctively, he reaches a paw out to one unsuccessfully. Huffing, he tries again with the same result. The school seems adamant to get anywhere but here.

Lifting his head up again, he follows the direction that they're swimming away from. ] This might be the sign we're looking for. Let's steer that way, but keep our pace slow for now. We don't want to cause any suspicious movements in the water.

[undeux_allblue]

Eh, worth a shot. You looked bored over there. [This is to Flamebringer, even though the absol very much did not look bored. Super on edge, if anything. But hey, fine if he doesn't want something actionable to focus on...and well. He has a point. Apparently they're up against a smart fish...thing. As for Anasui...]

Ocean's big. But so is the sea k- the Dondozo. Could scare alot away. You'd be surprised how many fish actually go by watercrafts in seas like this. [ Not that he knows THESE particular seas, but it seemed right. The fog is a problem though. He chuffs out another bout of fire, trying to focus enough on getting it to linger. He's got an eye for what is just water and what is possible ocean life...his ear flicks at Anasui's question, and Sanji throws more fire out toward the indicated area. Many small shadows scatter from the sudden light.] Ha. It's as promising a sight as any.

[Sanji stifles a snort at Laios's excitement. Can't help it, reminds him of several people back home. It's not like he can deny being interested in the many ways to cook up a brand new type of fish...] Yeah but falling in right now might be a bit too soon, so maybe put that on the backburner for now. [Sanji is definitely hovering now, ready to bite the boltund's tail and drag him back in case he tipped over or something. Even if spare fish would be nice. Squinting, and listening intently, he thinks he can hear a sort of rumbling where the 'wishiwashi' are coming from....]

Aye aye, captain. [It's said mostly in jest to Laios; but it's good instruction. He turns the sail so they start heading toward the commotion. What's likely to be a massive pain of a fight.

His tails sway with anticipation for it. This body may be ill equipped for this, but he can't help feeling excited for something normal for once.]

[indifferentinferno]

Are you volunteering? [Flamebringer snipes back at Laios' suggestion. His tone aiming for uninterested, but the stress of being out in the middle of the water is getting to him. So help him he will drag Laios's furry haunches back from the edge with his teeth if he has too. He's playing with fire (ha) in a situation where they're already at several disadvantages.

He can't help but second Sanji's caution- not that he voices it outloud. He doesn't rise to the bored comment either- Sanji might be feeling awkward about their shared memory experience- but it made no difference to him. He wasn't going to play any nicer than normal.

At Laios' judgement and Sanji's movement to follow his instruction- Flamebringer stands up, moving away from the rear and moving towards the front. No way in the Furnaces of Kazdel was he going to sit there and let the smaller Pokemon lead in a fight. In part because he was being mindful of what Laios told him about their type advantages and disadvantages- as well as Anasui's situation with being a known prey Pokemon to the one they were hunting.

... not that he'd asked for the information. More it'd been given to him regardless of his will in the matter.

Something about Laios was... familiar. In a good way or a bad way he wasn't sure yet.

He stands flush to Sanji's side. Looking over the head of a pair of furry ears was certainly familiar. He shakes his head slightly. He needs to focus on the present. He'd gotten lost enough in memories for an entire lifetime. His gaze focuses on the waves below- feeling far out of his depth for finding any kind of sign for what they're looking for. Very few people were actually willing to take the fight to the ocean back on Terra- so he was woefully under-equipped. In that regard, he was at least somewhat grateful for Laios' over-enthusiasm...]

[Its then that he spots a shape on the surface of the water- not below, a large one, but not nearly as large as they'd been led to believe for their prey- It looks like a corpse.]

Hey- [His voice is tense.] There's something out there. [He tries to indicate it by gesturing his head in that direction- he'll shoot a flamethrower if he has too, but he doesn't want to risk revealing their position to the enemy just yet.]

[dripdrive]

Should be me, going in then. I'm the sort of prey they want...

[Anasui mutters, though he doesn't move towards the water. He's not against it but he's not keen on being bait either. Anasui remains quiet otherwise, ignoring the others' banter until Flamebringer calls out. The Espathra looks through the gloom and spots the bird immediately. He recognises it immediately as the form Akechi wants to become too.]

That's a bird found in Paldea and could be a victim. Get us closer to there and I'll pull them up! [He is bigger than the rest of his party, after all, and that could be their next real hint towards finding these two bastards!]

[dunchies]

[ Are you volunteering? His eyes get a little wider at the idea. As the Electric-type of the group, he’d fare far better than some as bait. Even the thought of getting eaten doesn’t seem to stir any doubts – if anything, that’d just put him in the prime position to see how Tatsugiri up close. ] Actually, that could wo—

[ But he’s cutoff mid-sentence, with Anasui offering himself instead. His expression falls, unable to argue against the Espathra’s reasoning. With a sigh, he returns to looking back down into the water for more fish swimming by, only to be greeted by a few stray feathers drifting, all on their own. His brows narrow as he paws a few up onto their raft, just as the rest of the crew starts to stir at the sight of something up ahead. ]

That's... [ With a metallic sheen and strange feel, one name comes to mind. ] ... a Corviknight.

[ He waits until the sail closer to the figure before, hesitantly, dipping into the water to help nudge the Pokémon into position for Anasui to lift them up. The water is oddly calm, but the cold is definitely making him shiver the longer he stays in, a few sparks bouncing off him instinctively before he finally makes a move to jump back up. He shakes the water off, until realizing he might be getting it all over everyone else. ] S-sorry!

[ But onto more pressing matters. ] Mm. How are they doing? Maybe we could give them some of our berries.

[undeux_allblue]

[Sanji's ear flicks, then both ears flatten irritably. Between Anasui's quiet insistence on being bait- yes he has a logical point but it still pisses him off- and Laios's easy agreement to jumping into dangerous waters...he's already getting kind of cranky. He even bumps shoulders with Laios to cut him off in saying it could work.] Not 'till it's necessary. Both of you. [Hypocritical of him, he knows. Still.

His attention snaps back to the commotion, his eyes locking on the waterlogged figure as Laios investigates the feathers. As a pirate, he's familiar with drowned sailors (hell, his own captain has been one of those many times, idiot) but seeing a massive bird just floating limply on the water is something else.] Man overboard. Er...bird.

[They get closer, and the little team makes quick work of rescuing the Corviknight. Sanji keeps his little paws on Laios's lower back as the Boltund dips in the water, very focused on not letting the other fall in prematurely. He's considering a good way to warm both him and their rescue up with some embers when he gets some water just splashed in his face- Laios.] Oi! Watch it!

[He growls, stepping away to shake a bit off himself (which. May get on Flamebringer and Anasui. Tough luck guys.), then hops over to the other raft, looking the unconscious bird pokemon over critically.] Yeah, if they're breathing. Hey. Can ya hear me?

[Nothing. Bird's not moving, but he can hear a faint pulse when he leans in. He balances back on his hind legs to plant his front paws on the coriviknight's chest then...realizes this may be a bit too difficult for his small stature. He growls lowly, and his head whips around to Flamebringer. ] You. You're a merc, right? You know CPR. Get them breathing so I can feed 'em. [No, Flamebringer never told him that. More unspoken information he'd rather not question too hard.] You other two, keep a close eye out; the target must be real close if its food is still kickin'.

[indifferentinferno]

[Flamebringer looks over at Laios, making a face that shows clearly he thinks the boltund is crazy.] I was joking you idiot. [Sanji thankfully is also cool headed about this. Losing anyone in their party- or getting separated, would be the quickest way for this ordeal to get out of control. They didn't need their attention split between fighting and saving their own.]

[He growls at the water splash, backing further away from Laios. He wasn't the saving type. But he was curious... a fowlbeast huh... Corviknight? It wasn't a name that sounded familiar to him. It must be a species of Pokemon he hadn't encountered yet.] Save our supplies. Unless they're dying, we're going to need those to make sure them and us get out of here alive. [It would be a waste of charity if it was fine, and then the rest of them had to do without at a pivotal moment.]

Sanji gets him wet again- was no one even bothering to mind their proximity here? But Sanji just gets an incredibly flat and annoyed look for it.]

[He shoots the Vulpix a sharp look. Yes he knew. And he hated that this stranger knew that already. How would one even give CPR to a creature like this..? He'd have to manage the beak-

But before he could actually comment any of this out loud or make an attempt- Sanji's own efforts bore fruit, the large fowlbeast let out a heaving cough filled with water- and rolled onto its side, successfully dislodging the rest from its lungs.]

[After its had a few minutes he speaks up.] Hey. Can you answer some questions for us? [Direct as ever. But he shifts so he can keep Anasui in the corner of his vision...

Predators weren't usually so keen on letting prey slip away- Especially incapacitated prey. This fowlbeast Pokemon had either gotten extremely lucky...

Or they were being toyed with. Possibly lured into the very den of their target. His fur stood on end and his posture was tense, senses on high alert for any strange sounds or sights in the vicinity.]

[dripdrive]

[Anasui works with Sanji and pulls out the drenched bird, not caring if he got wet or even slightly zapped by Laios' electricity. He merely grunts his disapproval as he rolls the bird onto the raft. However, once the Corviknight is on deck, Anasui's attention immediately is on the ocean, being on the same wavelength as Sanji.

It is nearby.

Anasui is tense as the Corviknight coughs out more seawater. With a croaking voice, it can only screech out a single word.]

B-Below!

[Anasui's eyes widen as he sees a dark shadow in the water rush up towards their raft. Without warning anyone, he immediately screeches, using Disarming Voice at the ocean. While the attack isn't powerful, it hits its mark and, more importantly, pushes the raft across the water just enough so they don't all get capsized into the water. It's a good thing that they're all on alert. No one should be surprised as it appears - a tremendous fish that could be easily mistaken for a whale.

A wild Dondozo has appeared.]

It's here!

[Anasui shouts. The Dondozo roars back. And, for a brief moment, the bright, orange form of the Tatsugiri is visible. But then the Dondozo closes its mouth and swings its tail.

Time to fight!]

[dunchies]

[ His focus lingers on the Corviknight, still desperately trying to catch its breath. A stroke of luck for them to have found it when they did, or maybe far too much of a coincidence, all things considered. Just like Flamebringer, he has his own questions come to mind; the answers, however, just as quickly arrive, their bounty finally breaching the surface of the water. His nails dig deep into the raft, bracing for impact, only for them to get pushed away just in time thanks to Anasui.

Immediately, Laios tenses at the sound of Dondozo's roar. At first, all he can do is bare his teeth in the creature's general direction. Its massive size makes it easy to follow, even as it repositions itself in the water around their vessel. His ears flick, trying to pick up on the Tatsugiri's commands while tucked away, but the Dondozo's movements are obvious enough. It rears up its tail, ready to slam it back down on the crew. ]

Everyone, brace yourself!

[ But Laios doesn't heed his own words. Instead, he prepares himself, waiting for the tail to come just close enough to launch himself at it. With little grip against its slippery scales, he Bites down with full force to latch on, the attack enough to keep the Dondozo too distracted to commit to a full slam, instead thrashing to get the Boltund off. ]

tail whip isn't the most effective but whatever helps here-

[undeux_allblue]

[Sanji yelps, crouching down. He's got possibly the best sea legs out of everyone, counterbalanced by now having. Er. Four of them and tails. Still he holds steady as the raft jolts and bobs on the waves, ears flattening against the shouting and water.

Laios calls to brace themselves. Sanji's too small to stand over the Corviknight, so he ends up balancing his front paws on the bird to keep them more or less in place. He could tie them to the raft? But if it capsizes, they'd be trapped....no.

He also hates how Flamebringer was right about the food. Looking at this massive thing, and lamenting how he can't just jump up and kick its lights out...yea. They're gonna need the food. And the new pokemon here isn't actively dying.]

The hell? [Is that a smaller fish in the not-seaking's mouth? It's gone in a blink though, and then Laios is latched onto the Dondonzo's tail.] LAIOS!! You idiot you can't just- shit- [ There's more thrashing, the Dondonzo does not like that. Sanji hopes Laios isn't shoved too far underwater. The vulpix mutters a string of curses and then...]

Hey! Oversized carp! Calm down, wouldya?! [ He hates doing this, it's embarrassing, but every little bit helps when a teammate is getting thrown around like a leaf on the wind. Sanji's curled tails wag around in a disarming manner, rustling under the mostly transparent raincoat he's wearing. Should be visible. Ish.

Sanji used TAIL WHIP! Foe DONDONZO's DEFENSE fell!]

[indifferentinferno]

[The warning from the Corviknight makes Flamebringer's blood run cold in a way that few other things can- adrenaline immediately surging through his body as he stands flush to Annasui with the arrival of their quarry and the quick thinking of his teammate-

They were headed into the heart of the storm now.

Everyone reacts quickly- In the chaos of it all he only barely sees Laios make his move-

He bites back a shout, Laios is already being thrown around like a hound pinata no amount of his protests will stop that now, he growls. Most of these so called 'moves' he'd been told he had right now seemed to be close range- At this distance and with the Dondozo thrashing around so much- moving in for a physical attack would be unwise.

No, he would need an opening for that. He hears Sanji taunting it- Maybe he can also play the part of distraction.

Given this is a finbeast- and their location, he doubts fire will mater all that much- but if he can blind it.

He glares at it, mind steadied now that the fight has begun- It feels the pressure.

He waits for a good opening and aims towards its eyes- Aiming to blind either through burning them, or just from the pure heat and light making a substantial distraction. Its not very effective- but he does see it flinch away on instinct.]

Laios has our advantage. [He says to neither of his partners in particular.] We should keep that thing busy.

I'm assuming we can all share the Tatsugiri and Dondozo dialogue

[dripdrive]

[Anasui digs his claws into the raft and braces as the waves crash against their boat. However, he's able to stand back up quickly enough, given Laios' effective distraction. With Sanji calling out Laios, Anasui doesn't feel the need to do it himself.]

Idiot... [Anasui mutters back to Flamebringer as he backs up on the raft, giving himself some room.] Type-advantage or not, did he think he can beat a fish in the water alone? [Anasui then sprints for the edge and launches himself into the air, away from the Dondozo's tail so Laios can use Discharge without risk of hitting him.] Next time, wait for me to get in there!

[The Dondozo is still looking away from the raft, due to Flamebringer's attack and its eyes lock in on the Espathra. With an angry yell, Anasui's body glows under his feathers before it releases a powerful Lumina Crash. Anasui lands safely in the water and bobs up, not unlike a duck, as Dondozo roars again in pain and pulls away from the blow.]

You idiot! You absolute buffoon! Now all our defenses have dropped! You're supposed to be faster than that! [The Tatsugiri yells from inside the Dondozo, loud enough for everyone to hear.]

Guhhh... Don't yell at me. You're not getting bit!

Don't complain! Get that feathery meal already! Or go for that little, red snack!"

works for me!

[dunchies]

[ The commentary isn't unexpected, though most goes unheard. Jumping head first at a monster of this size wouldn't be his first choice, but in open waters, it's a matter of striking hard and fast before it has a chance to destroy their raft all together. His teeth sink deeper into the Dondozo's tail, boosted by his Strong Jaw. It's enough power to keep him hanging on long enough to let out a burst of electricity. Defenses weakened, the wild Pokémon cries out as it takes the full brunt of a Discharge.

As for Laios, there's only so much thrashing he can take before finally letting go, and just in time for Anasui to dive in next. After the Boltund crashes into the water, there's a solid moment before he manages to breach the surface again, gasping for air as he quickly tries to catch his breath. Laios looks over at Anasui, and then the Dondozo, its mouth open while the Tatsugiri barks its orders. ]

We—we can't let it get Sanji! It h-has to be you. [ To be the bait, that is. He doesn't doubt Anasui can stir their attention enough to keep the Dondozo and Tatsugiri both distracted. He turns his head, hearing the former rush for the raft out loud again: Okay, I'm going, I'm going! ] N-no — the Tatsugiri! Go for the Tatsugiri!

[ He's trying to swim back to the raft himself, but the wake from the Dondozo makes that more of a struggle than anticipated. With it's mouth still open, it swims aggressively at Sanji and Flamebringer, preparing to unleash a Crunch of its own. ]

we will finish this quest so help me by golly

[undeux_allblue]

[Sanji didn't know it was possible for all his fur to stand on end while in the middle of the ocean. Chopper's agitation made alot more sense...or maybe it was the electricity he knows is running through the water.

It takes all he has to stop himself from jumping in the water after Laios. It's what he did for his idiot captain, his poor doctor. But now he could be practically a devil fruit user himself; he knows the water will sap his strength and make him an even bigger burden on this team. He will not, he cannot let that happen. Besides, Laios can actually swim.

The dondozo flinches at the fire, and Sanji can throw some embers of his own, if anything to move the raft a little more away. He pulls on the rope that turns the sail into the wind, floating them away from the whale, toward the paddliung boltund. ] That little bastard is calling the shots, sounds like- oh shit-

[He was just about to crouch down to try biting at their waterlogged teammate, help him up somehow, but the Dondozo's massive teeth are closing in.

It looks hungry.] Merde. Merde merde merde, cut it out you massive shit-for-brains seaking! If you're that starving I can make something much better and more filling than- PUTAIN-

[Not used to being so small in the face of something like this, stuck between a whale and the water, the blond vulpix stays rooted in place shouting a seemingly endless string of swears, the raft not seeming to make it away in time. His stance is wide in front of the Corviknight, but it's not enough, it never is-

He knew what he signed up for. It's a different thing entirely to stare such helplessness and fear in the face.]