[closed] i know the thought keeps you frozen in place

[outbounds]

Who: Conrad, Emmet, Ingo, Laios
What: Mystery Ghosts
Where: Southern forest and associated caves
When: Early June
Warnings: Pokemon-canon typical injuries/battling/levels of violence, potential fog effects, any other warnings to be added as they come up

[ The party moving through the fog of the southern forest moves through it with direction and purpose, though what direction specifically is left up to their collective instincts and senses of direction— there's no method of navigating through the shifting landscape of the south that has any true amount of reliability, after all. Not the more conventional methods like landmarks or trail markers, anyway.

And given the likelihood of the forest preying on and manipulating someone's perceptions— well, maybe it's a good idea to keep a running conversation going. Maybe? They'd notice if someone falls silent or says something completely from left field? Emmet's certainly chattering on about something, in any case, though even-toned and brisk and clipped in his usual manner as the Zoroark makes his way through the underbrush alongside the others. ]

—but those are just the ones who feed on emotions. And sometimes they have specific preferences! Shuppet for example prefer vengeful, envious feelings. And Misdreavus like fear. They might try to scare you and get sustenance from that.

Then there are still other species that don't need to do that. They might just drain your life energy directly, yup. Or because you decided to drink something you shouldn't.

[ How did they get onto this subject? Laios asked a question he shouldn't have, probably, and one thing led to another. All the same, though, it is also potentially relevant information, given what this particular quest posting mentioned at the end of it. ]

Comments

[offtracks]

Some of them will also act as guides for the spirits of the departed! That is what my variant of Typhlosion is said to do, but I could not say if it is so - I have not felt any sort of compulsion to seek out lost souls, nor have I seen any.

[ Unless one were to count the voices in the fog...his eyes flick over to Emmet, but he doesn't say it. He's not participating for any special reason, though he would agree with the idea. This is just what he'd be doing regardless though! ]

But of course, adding different typings to the mix does often result in a more corporeal and grounded ghost-type!

[conradachenleck]

[Conrad idly listens to the Ghost conversation as they make their way through the fog. It is a decent distraction, even if he doesn't have a lot to add. But on the subject of Ghost-types draining life energy, he does chime in.]

Um. Wait, a Ghost Pokémon will kill you over your choice of beverage? ...Don't, uh, Ghosts like to use Dream Eater? To suck up energy. Maybe I'm remembering wrong, I don't know. I thought that was a move Gengar liked to use.

[He can't remember all the move sets or types of attacks. As they walk Conrad turns his gaze to the expanse of fog from time to time and eventually he sees a shape or some sort. Is it following them? Or maybe he's just imagining things.]

[dunchies]

[ Laios seems far less into this than one might think. An innocent question about some ghost-type Pokémon — the corporeal kind, not unlike Emmet and Ingo themselves — has now led to this, a plethora of so-called fun facts he could honestly do without. The thought of getting his life force drained immediately makes him grimace; he can only wonder how they manage to get the unsuspecting souls that they do to feed off of. (Arceus help him, if he ever encounters a Greavard in the wild.)

That said, he sniffles in Conrad's direction, nodding in agreement. ]

It’s a bit petty, isn't it? [ So arbitrary, so without any biological need or function — he simply yawns. ] Mm. But that... that sounds like a Nightmare. [ An unintentional pun without context. He doesn’t elaborate.

Trailing a bit behind, his ears swivel casually, trying to pick up anything that could be of use. Instead, he steps on something metallic on the ground, the feeling of that giving him pause immediately. Pressing against the edge, he makes it flip as a test, before sniffing at it cautiously. ] ... Any ghosts that feed off greed, too?

[ Because of course. Why wouldn't they around here. ]

[outbounds]

[ Emmet's gaze does meet Ingo's for a moment at the mention of guiding lost souls, but he also doesn't comment despite his ears flicking once. Though maybe Ingo should go look for a Dusknoir or something to talk to, if he wants to figure out how that particular compulsion is supposed to feel. Anyway, in response to Conrad: ] Not kill, they do not typically do it all at once, but ... It is how Sinistea feed. They do it from inside after being ingested. But their tea doesn't taste very good until they evolve into Polteageist I hear, so it is a hard mistake to make. And they are small. They do not need much.

[ Chandelure, honestly, has probably casually snacked on more within the span of an average month than those Sinistea will ever need. His gaze stays fixed on the path forward as he continues, though his ears also pitch and swivel around as necessary to try to catch any odd sounds in their surroundings. ]

Dream Eater, though. Honestly. You are right that Gengar can learn it, but in general. More Psychic-types learn it than ghosts, I think! Naturally anyway. Can do a lot with the TM though they don't seem to be making that one so much these days...

[ And so it goes up until Laios finds the coin, at which point Emmet also pauses to glance back over his shoulder at the Boltund. Hmm. Greed? Nothing quite as specific as that is coming to mind, he thinks, but... ]

It is not quite the same, but. There are a number of Pokemon that are known to enjoy collecting coins or other shiny things? Some of them can get verrrry defensive over it. If we are talking about ghosts specifically then I think ... [ That one Paldean Steel/Ghost popular in certain competitive circuits, Gholdengo— what's its pre-evolution's name again? Right— ] Gimmighoul. But I think they like to keep them close to them, not leave them around as bait.

[offtracks]

[ Ingo meets Emmet's glance, though he can't interpret what it means. Could they do that, once? Probably. It doesn't seem like the sort of thing one could just re-learn... ]

I once heard a story like that from a merchant! He told me that in a distant land, there had been a greedy king who cared only for hoarding wealth. His avarice, and the resentment of his neglected people, caused new and terrible Pokemon to be born from his treasures, and they brought ruin upon him in turn.