Path of Legends [Paldea Arc]

[Darksol88]

Blizzard120

Tsuki the Lunar Wind

Reno Vantas

"To be fair," Sol spoke up, "It seemed like Alola handled things a lot more differently than the other regions based on the information we've found and unless you're us, replicating what Galar's got with their power spots doesn't seem to be terribly likely, apart from being a thing for much longer it seems. And if this is as recent as... sorry, remind me your name? Anyways, if it's recent, chances are they're being cautious about it in regards to how the wild occurrences were. As for the rest..."

Shaking one of his legs as he stood and continued to wait, he'd start with responding to the rest of what Freth said. "You and I seem to be on the same page. Much as I've been curious about the Crater- hard not to be when you hear about the rumors and theories throughout your life- there's no reason to worry about the Crater unless we suddenly need to. And if I'm being honest, he could stand to relax and, pardon the pun, chill a little too."

Then, to Tsuki, "He's an Articuno hybrid, yes. Standard variety compared to Freth's... Galarian, right? As for the name, I've always assumed it a nickname regardless of when it came to be. Not that I can say much in that regard."

And finally, to Beau, "It shouldn't. Those plants were thought to be myths and nothing more, and seemed to be a separate thing besides. At least, that's the way the books seemed to have it."  

[Requiem of Whyspers]

Having kept mostly quiet and observing as the others conversed once Freth had responded with a confirmation of no additional information, Odd tuned back in when the conversation turned to this “terastallization” topic. “Blizz has been picking it up too, huh?” He asked quietly, more to himself than anything. “Not surprised. He’s got some of the sharpest senses out of all of us.” He admitted. “I’m more skilled in the spiritual area but even I’ve been sensing something coming from that crater that feels powerful. I don’t know if it’s alive or just some natural phenomenon that’s crazy strong but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about it. I don’t want to go causing extra trouble for us, though, so I’m trying to keep it reigned in.”

“Speaking of craters, though… “ He said after a brief pause. “I can’t be the only one who’s noticed the huge Crystal formations dotted all over the place, right? Some of them are massive. Kind of reminds me of the Anistar City Sundial a little bit with some of them…” he shook his head. “Anyway… They don’t look like they crashed like meteorites so did they just… grow out of the ground or something?” He asked, mostly directing the question to Sol and Tsuki, who seemed to be the most knowledgeable about the region.

“Not sure what made me think about that but maybe it was you guys talking about ‘crystallizing’ Pokemon. I kinda want to see that with my own eyes.” He was really curious about it all now but he also wanted to pay more attention to the conversation and get more I for action first.  

[Tsuki the Lunar Wind]

"Uhh....!" Tsuki gave Beau a shrug. He didn't know that much! He was just aware enough to know some vague details, but not enough to know about the in depth mechanics of Terastalization. It wasn't like he was a high ranking enough trainer to be trusted with one of those orb things he saw being used. Though, did it relate at all to Paldea's giant Pokemon phenomenon? "Hey, Ms. Raifort does it have anything to do with that giant Klawf?" He asked the teacher. Though, the other human guy did have a point; it would be weird if this was another unique phenomenon to it. What were the odds, huh?

Tsuki nodded along to what Sol was explaining when he explained what Alola and Galar had going on. He seemed to be a bit confused by the hybrid's implying that they had somehow gotten their hands on Dynamax technology. "You guys can make power spots from HQ...?" He wondered how that would go down. Could they just approach this giant Klawf with a giant Pokemon of their own? Like one of those old campy monster v monster movies. "Oh yeah, I'm Tsuki Tanaka, I used to run with you guys a couple years ago before I got enrolled here." He'd explain, not wanting to get into the knitty gritty details right away.

He supposed it was fair that someone trained by Pryce would make their own icy persona name. Deciding to drop that line of thought and stop bothering Freth about her boyfriend, he moved onto another. Though, it wasn't like he knew all that much when Odd looked to him. "I really don't know all that much, I'm just a third year." Tsuki would admit, hoping his teacher would come in clutch and explain what exactly was going on with that.  

[DragonFang099]

Brian wasn't really surprised to see the non-Snagems looking at him and the others with interest or intrigue. He had to assume it wasn't often that the team attended such a place as the academy. Brian glanced at the group that wasn't Snagem and saw that one, a young man with a rather large backpack, looked to be rather nervous. Hmm, could it be that something was bothering him? Brian wanted to ask, but a shout from above caught his attention, and he looked up to see Raifort descending in a taxi.

As the teacher explained what they would be doing, he listened intently, not wanting to miss anything important. Ah, so he would be going with those that were on the ground, trying to find out where the Titan was that way. Hmm, that would be interesting, especially to see what kind of Pokemon would be encountered on the way. As they got underway, he pulled out his SNAG, then pulled up the list of Pokemon that could be found in the area they were going to. Hmm, no much in the way of what he was looking for, but as he looked through the list, one in particular caught his eye. The Pawmi looked like the pre-evolution of that Pawmo he'd seen during Blizz's battle a few days before in the market, and if that was the case, then that was the one he was choosing.

As they traveled, he kept an eye out for any Pawmi that might be willing to join his team, but most of them shied away. Hmm, perhaps bringing out one of his team might help? Certainly not Firebrand, he was fully evolved and temperamental, even after all this time. Lu would be too much, and Sparx wouldn't have much of an effect since he was an Electric-type, as well. That being said, the only one he could really use would be Randy, since Grace was still Shadowed, and he wanted to give any potential captures a fighting chance. Just as he reached for Randy's Pokeball, he heard a cry to his right, and he looked to see a Pawmi that was a little larger than the others he'd seen staring him down. Hmm, this one looked to have some fighting spirit to it, and he grinned a bit. "Fancy a battle, then?" he asked, and the Pawmi gave another cry, this one in affirmation.

"Alright, then, Randy, let's do this!" he said, tossing the Pokeball into the air. The Dunsparce materialized with a cry of his own, then stared down the Pawmi across from him. Well, as much as one can stare down an opponent with squinty eyes, that is. Brian waited to see what the Pawmi would do, and he wasn't disappointed when it launched forward into a Quick Attack. Ah, so a speedy hitter, then? He could work with that. "Wait until it gets close, then use Screech," he said, causing Randy to give a grunt in affirmation. As soon as the Pawmi was about to hit, he opened his mouth and let out a screeching noise, causing the Electric-type to grind to a halt and place his front paws over his ears in an effort to block the sound.

A moment later, Randy stopped Screech and launched right into a Rollout, which the Pawmi wasn't quite able to dodge and was sent flying into the air. Randy came around and aimed for a second hit, but the Pawmi used its momentum to send itself into a Slam attack, shocking Brian. Wait, surely he'd just seen that wrong? No, he wasn't, Randy was surrounded by electricity now, and although it didn't do all that much to Pawmi, it was certainly a good defense, using a move like Thunderbolt that Pawmi wouldn't expect. Granted, the improvised Slam attack had done more damage, but Pawmi had been just as shocked as Brian that Randy had used Thunderbolt, and it had caused his Slam to veer slightly off course, though not enough to miss. While Pawmi was recovering from his shock (no pun intended), Randy dove into the ground with a Dig attack, making Pawmi's Swift miss when Randy came up under him, sending him into the air a second time.

Two super-effective hits like that had definitely hurt, and Pawmi was certainly feeling it at the moment. He'd never met a trainer's Pokemon he couldn't beat before, so this was a first for him. He'd noticed that the man that had challenged him hadn't even given any commands after the first one, so he apparently trusted his Pokemon to fight on their own. Hmm, perhaps he would be the one for Pawmi, as well. Pawmi hit the ground with a thud, and although he was hurting, he managed to struggle to his feet one more time. He was exhausted from the battle, and one more attack would likely finish him, but he wasn't going to give up. He'd worked too hard to just lie down and surrender. So while he was ready to take that final hit that would send him into unconsciousness, he wasn't expecting the Pokeball that hit him in the side, and when he looked, he saw Brian standing there, a smile on his face. Ah, so he wanted him to join his team, then. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad thing, then, as Pawmi let the red light envelop him and didn't even try to struggle as the Pokeball snapped shut and gave a click to show the capture was complete.

----------------------------

Rachel watched as the battle with Pawmi went down. She was impressed that Brian hadn't seemed to need to give his Pokemon commands, and how well Randy had battled on his own. She and Brian had spoken briefly, and she'd understood that Randy was his most recent capture, so she had to wonder why he didn't direct the battle, then thought back to when they'd first met and he'd allowed Lu to battle against the male Lucario. Hmm, perhaps this was just his way of showing that he trusted his Pokemon? Or was this actually the way he trained his team? She would have to ask at a later date. For now, she wondered if there were any Pokemon that she could capture, as well. There were several that she did want to get, to give her some more type diversity, but for the moment, with them going up against a Rock-type, either Grass, Water, Ice, or Fighting would do. She knew there were both Makuhita and Skiddo that roamed this area, but for some reason, she couldn't see herself with a Makuhita, so she decided to go with a Skiddo.

She looked around and spotted one not too far away, seemingly nervous around the other Pokemon. Hmm, perhaps she could convince this little one to come with her, though doing so would mean getting close to Shinx and Yungoos, both of which were known to be territorial. She only had her Eevee, but he was trained for battle, so she knew he could hold his own. So she walked toward the Skiddo and tossed Eevee's Pokeball, letting the Normal-type out. "Let's see if we can get that Skiddo to join us, hmm, Rainer?" she asked, and the Eevee nodded. He bounced forward and spoke to the Skiddo, explaining the situation and asking if Skiddo would be willing to join him. The Grass-type seemed intrigued, and nodded before following Eevee back to Sky, though he indicated he wanted a battle to see if she was the right fit.

Rachel nodded and gave Rainer the command. "Start it off with Quick Attack, Rainer," she said. Rainer leaped to obey, slamming into the Skiddo with the Normal-type attack. Skiddo gave a slight grunt of pain, then retaliated with Leech Seed. Rainer was hit with the move, though he didn't seem to think too much of it at the moment. Instead, Rachel commanded the use of Swift, which she knew wouldn't miss, and watched as the Skiddo seemed to take more damage than normal. Was that a critical hit? Hmm, it looked like it. The Grass-type, not at all happy with the hit, fired off a Vine Whip, which Rainer only barely dodged, and Rainer responded with another Swift. Skiddo, not to be outdone, fired off a Bullet Seed, which cancelled out the Swift attack and left Rainer open for another Vine Whip, which he couldn't dodge in time. The Eevee cried out as the attack hit, and it was then he realized that the Leech Seed he'd been hit with before was beginning to take its toll.

Skiddo was regaining health at the cost of Rainer's own, and Rachel knew she would have to come up with a clever way to beat the Grass-type. As she was contemplating what to do, she realized that Rainer could use Swift in a unique way, one that she hadn't thought of before. "Rainer, spin on your back and use Swift!" she said, seeing the Skiddo use Bullet Seed again. Rainer, a bit confused by the order but trusting his trainer, obeyed, releasing Swift as he spun on his back. This effectively prevented him from getting hit with the Bullet Seed, as well as damaging Skiddo when it came in close with its horns glowing for a Horn Leech. Skiddo gave a cry of pain as the spinning stars hit home, and while it was distracted, Rachel threw a Pokeball, hitting the Grass-type in the side and sucking it inside. The ball snapped shut, wobbling several times as the Skiddo fought the capture process, before finally pinging. "Alright, Rainer, you can stop now," she said, picking up her newly-captured Skiddo's Pokeball.  

[Reno Vantas]

Beau would glance between Raifort and Freth, doing his best to process what exactly he was being asked of from the pair of them. "I'm...I'm sorry but where does it look like these wings have enough anything to get me off the ground on their own?" Beau incredulously told them, already reaching to grab a Pokeball from his pocket as he did his best to downplay his ability to fly. Cracking open the device with a sigh, Beau would look towards the jet-black Charizard that now stood stalwart next to him. "....I can glide and I have Pokemon to get me up to height. So fine, I'll do flying stuff. And just yell out for Zippo if you need a lift or a push, Freth. I'll only need him for the scouting part to get me up into the air. Speaking of...," Beau would take a small hop and land on the back of the large Fire type, "Let's get this flying and looking thing started." With a wingbeat that sent dust flying around the small area near them, Zippo and Beau would soon find themselves overlooking the scattered mesas of the badlands area. And from the perch, it was immediately obvious that the gigantic crab wasn't anywhere too out in the open because....well, it was a giant orange crab and not a ton of the lower level areas were high in that sort of color.

Turning his attention towards the one mesa that had damage at the top from an explosion, Beau would figure it was best to start off flying towards that location since beginning at the den site and working out made the most sense for a hunt like this. Giving a sigh as he did his best to figure out the likely ground routes the rest of the students would take, Beau decided he would scout along one of the routes and leave Zippo on flying overwatch to make sure he could get picked up for another launch or to help out with Freth if she had some flying troubles. Leaping off of his Pokemon and spreading his wings, Beau would only pay half attention to the ground he was flying across as he kept running through the possible things he could use to fight back against the Klawf this time. He only had two distinctly super effective Pokemon and while Nereus would be an effective choice, Pistachio....would be a harder sell. Especially since he was liable to want to simply blow up as the only major attack. As effective as a fireball (like that one flying towards him) could be, having the ability to only do it once would make it either require good timing or a way to keep the Seedot from doing that.

....Wait, what was that part about a fireball flying towards him?

Taking the lobbed Ember directly to one of his wings, Beau would immediately plummet to the floor of the canyon he had been gliding through. Grumbling as he picked himself up off of the ground, a small Fire type with a tiny helmet would roll out into the open ground with another fire building at the likely mouth area for the thing. Immediately cracking open another Pokeball and hurling it past the Charcadet, Beau would unleash a cloud of Powder as he scrambled back away from his assailant. It would only take a second before the Fire type released the Ember and ignited the powder cloud, a loud boom echoing through the area as the defensive cloud halted the attack. and with the distraction it offered, Nereus would erupt from his newly opened Pokeball with a Bubblebeam that sent the Charcadet scrambling.

Waiting on the other side of the smoke from the explosion, Beau would hear the sounds of fighting and movement stop as it seemed like things wound down. Figuring this was his chance to catch the brave little briquet that had tried to take him out of the air, Beau would reach into his pack for a Pokeball before starting towards the smoke cloud. As he got closer, the thought would cross his mind that the smoke seemed to be hanging on a lot longer than normal and was a slightly different color. As this fully registered, the Charcadet would charge out of the cloud of Clear Smog that it had been using to choke out Beau's Poliwag and for cover. With no time to react to the Flame Charge from the little guy, Beau would take the tackle square in the stomach before the inadvertent release of Powder blew the pair of them up. Slamming into one of the side walls of the canyon, Beau would see the Charcadet bouncing back from the explosion it caused as it sent itself flying backwards into Nereus.

Seeing the little Fire type getting ready for another charge towards him, Beau would figure that maybe a capture would be the easiest way to handle this little vengeful thing. It had enough wherewithal and recklessness to both want to explode and to know how to be thrown back to its advantage. Giving the Charcadet a quick come on motion with his open hand, Beau would look towards his very woozy-looking Poliwag before shouting, "Earth Power!" Knock this guy sky high!" The Poliwag would slowly begin to slap the ground with its tail fin, a soft glow beginning to build up as the Charcadet charged towards Beau. As it drew close, the glow would begin to grow more intense before the ground physically erupted with the power that glow indicated. The sudden upheaval of the ground sent the Charcadet flying into the air but it was still raring to go, glaring towards Beau as it was already plotting its next assault. Thankfully, Beau would cut off that train of thought with a quick toss of a Pokeball, the aggressive little bugger disappearing within the now violently shaking device. Standing back for a minute as he watched the device physically bounce off of the nearby rocks and plant life, Beau would eventually creep forward as the device finally lost whatever steam had been making it move and pocketing it.

Looking over to Nereus, he would quietly return the Poliwag to its Pokeball as Zippo finally landed beside Beau. Giving a flat stare to his Charizard, he would quietly hop on top of the mon before they began their ascent back to the heights of the mesas. "Couldn't have shown up a little earlier? Y'know, like when I got shot down by the world's most ornery toddler?" Beau half heartedly grumbled, once again looking to see if the mysterious Klawf was somewhere else besides its den. Maybe those two explosions would flush it out if it had been elsewhere?  

[Darksol88]

Tsuki the Lunar Wind

Blizzard120

SubonicXP

"Oh, right! I'm remembering now, something about someone- I'll presume parents or guardians- not being keen on your membership compared to studies abroad... guess they also weren't keen on us knowing where you'd be going to. Anyways, right, power spots. So they're a lot more local than that," Sol replied, raising the hand his Snag Machine was on and showing the attachment on it. "Sub was able to upgrade the Snag Machines with the same functions as Galar's Challenger Bands, inventing another alongside to make our own power spots. We've been calling it the Dyna Beacon, but it's... admittedly still being field-tested, so Ambrosia's not ready to replicate them yet. Though, depending on things, today might very well see an opportunity for that- hm?"

He'd see the Rock Channeler among the others, noting she still lacked the hammer. "Hello again," he remarked, figuring Amaranth was given too short notice to cross paths with her already. And if the channeler was here, it might be some time before it did happen. "I didn't get a chance to ask for your name yesterday."

He wouldn't get to wait for an answer when Ms. Raifort came in, seeing the flying taxi drop in... and one of the others fidgeting as nerves apparently got the better of him. Arven, he thought he heard him being called? He couldn't blame the nerves, even if he looked like one of the older students. A giant Klawf had a way of demanding respect, after all. And, it turned out, he wouldn't need to ask for the Rock Channeler's name either. Mentally shoving his observations to the back of his mind, he'd listen to the plans and note the likely less-encrypted, albeit useful, update to the SNAGs. At least they wouldn't need to worry about a fleet of Rotom phones to juggle alongside them. Though, despite the serious expression, there was the slightest hint at wanting to chuckle at the under-the-breath remarks of not laughing about buttes, especially mesa sized ones.

"Right then, we'll update as soon as we find anything. And Freth, I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but just relax. I'm sure you'll continue to adjust fine." He'd take to the skies shortly after his remark, quick to start getting himself a bird's eye view of the area. His immediate search didn't reveal much yet, seeing wild Pokemon wandering among the drylands. No giant Klawf for the moment, but as big as it was, missing it again would be something to blame himself for. In the meantime, he did see a harsh glow in the distance, one that reminded him of vague memories of similar, albeit rare, events.

"...hm? That glow..." He took another glance in the vain hope that he was simply seeing things, but it was still there. With how many years it had been, could he handle them now? He already had a feeling wild Pokemon might become involved if they find and fight the titan Klawf again; last thing they'd need is a potentially stronger one roaming around, even if it wasn't all crystallized. Starting to lower his altitude, he'd speak up on his SNAG.

"Heading to the ground for a moment. Seen something I want to ensure won't get in our way."

He'd continue his descent after the remark, practically blinded by the glow as he neared. Anything else felt dim from how brightly it continued to shine, but as he cautiously stepped closer, he'd be able to make out what was giving it off: A Dunsparce. Had he not already been aware of the phenomenon, he wouldn't have seen it as much of a threat at all. But wild Pokemon like this weren't quite run-of-the-mill, a lesson he was beginning to remember. He wasn't sure what he'd be in for, but he felt he could handle it this time around. With so many years traveling, learning about the world, fighting for himself and for Snagem came far more experience than he had back then. And he could get the jump on them, too.

"Agnes!" He called at once, sending out his Sirfetch'd without hesitation. "First Impression!"

She'd immediately rush forth, leek held forward to run it through Dunsparce while their back was turned. It certainly served well as an opener that sent them forward a little, but beyond that... they shrugged it off. Turned around. Stared at the two as if the affront was little more than a silly display before letting out a cry as crystals shot up around them, obscuring them completely. And unlike those run-ins decades past, Sol could feel the odd energy.

"Now it really begins!..." Cautiously, Sol took a breath to mentally prepare himself, keeping his guard up as the crystals quickly shattered around it to reveal the now-crystallized foe and the even larger jewel upon their head. A skull and crossbones, purple all over as if symbolizing the danger he'd just willingly dove into. Another cry came from the Dunsparce as a means to intimidate the two, but neither were intent on backing down and Agnes would take to keeping her shield up as she readied herself. She wasn't a second too soon either, as Dunsparce tensed up while the jewel seemed to react.

"That was a move? ...wait." He'd see the jewel react a second time as Dunsparce launched themself at Agnes tail-first, the Sirfetch'd quick to use her shield to weather the attack and use it to throw them back. Judging by the poison seeping from the tail and dripping from the leek shield, it was evident they had more tricks than most wild Dunsparce would. And it dug pretty deep into the shield, too. "Poison Tail? And that jewel was reacting as they attacked..."

The combination gave him an epiphany, a code that took decades to crack starting to finally show itself. But he needed more confirmation... "While we've got a chance! Rock Smash!" The Sirfetch'd would take her leek and rush at Dunsparce while the opening was still there. Though her attack would land, Dunsparce seemed to shrug it off and barely budged, though their guard would falter a little. It was hard for Sol to discern if type was truly a factor, as the jewel didn't react at all. Plus Dunsparce had coiled up beforehand, and it was easily stronger than most in the area.

So far, he concluded that he still didn't know enough about this whole terastallization thing to come to any conclusion. In response to the attack, though, Dunsparce let out an ear-splitting Screech to force Sol and Agnes to lower their guard, allowing them to attack again with their tail, spinning again as they made impact on the Sirfetch'd proper. A weak spot had clearly been hit, as the combination saw her give a shocked cry and the thought that she'd underestimated the opponent she was sent against. A Brutal Swing followed in retaliation, if only to throw Dunsparce off before they could cause much more damage.

"Atento...!" Sol braced himself just in case once his ears weren't being assaulted, quick to instruct Agnes to do the same. Not that he had to tell her twice, she wasn't out of the fight yet even if she wasn't much for the tactic Dunsparce went for. "See how they take a Slam!" She'd move in close enough for her leek to reach as she went to slam it down, raising it up to get ready on it. But just as she was ready to start throwing the leek's weight downward, she'd suddenly stop, unable to will herself to move as Dunsparce gave a Glare that, in that moment, managed to strike fear and paralyze her. By the time she was able to move, her opponent was already on the offensive again and landed their mark with another Poison Tail.

Sol grimaced a bit as he watched Agnes falter, then fall. The poison didn't appear to stick, but she certainly wasn't continuing this battle and he was about to recall her. "Agnes, fall back, let's-"

Looking back, she gave a glare of her own as she fought through the paralysis. "...on your terms. Right. As you will, then!" Respecting the choice, he'd let Agnes keep up the fight. Though, it was less keeping up the fight and more bowing out on her terms. Steeling herself, she'd raise her arms again and tuck both leeks close as she rushed with the hardest Brave Bird she could manage. The reckless attack would prove more effective than her previous attempts, but the recoil from her impact gave Sol all the information he needed; she wanted to ensure the next one might manage what she couldn't.

Quiet, he'd recall Agnes and nodded. "Was hoping you'd get to fight that Klawf if we see them..." He remarked, getting another ball ready and sending out his Gallade. "Arnau, let's make sure her assault won't be in vain. But brace yourself!" He was already anticipating another attack, but instead he watched Dunsparce Coil up again, jewel reacting yet again. Maybe this would let him rule out more of the factors...

"Need to be careful... keep your distance and strike with Psycho Cut!"

The range allowing Arnau to be safer, he'd generate slashes of Psychic energy to batter Dunsparce. Despite their defenses being bolstered again, they gave a cry at an unwelcome hit and found themselves on the other foot for a moment. This wasn't lost on Sol, as a final puzzle piece just fell into place. Though, in hindsight he could guess the jewel could've been a decent indicator on its own with its symbolism...

Though Dunsparce responded by flinging themself forward and flailing around, managing to hit really hard despite Arnau otherwise managing to stand his ground and weather it. They were getting desperate, but this only added even more danger if this wasn't stopped soon. "Stay with me here! We need a decisive blow, Arnau, so keep up with Psycho Cut!" The second attack sat even less well with Dunsparce than the first, being forced back and reeling from the psychic slashes. But they still stood, doing everything they could to close the gap the Gallade was forming to get close enough and land another, more desperate Flail to make Arnau ultimately relent even faster than Agnes had.

"Starting to think I should've kept some Revives on hand- eh?" As he went to recall his Gallade, Dunsparce would capitalize on Sol's guard being lowered and launch themself at him with another poison-tipped, spinning tail. Abandoning the recall, his eyes would briefly glow before swinging an arm forward, a Psychic burst deflecting Dunsparce and throwing them back. "You wait your turn." The attack seemed to have some effect, as the jewel suddenly shattered and Dunsparce looked... normal. Weakened, but normal. And trying to get up.

"They can be knocked out of it?" He asked, thinking for a moment before deciding to get a Great Ball ready. "Maybe this works too, then," he remarked as he tossed the ball, ensnaring the weakened Dunsparce. To some fortune, they weren't able to fight out of the ball, eventually clicking and disappearing to be sent to storage. Only then did Sol let out a sigh, holding out a hand to help Arnau to his feet. "Probably for the better it's dealt with, they would've been a problem if they joined in. You and Agnes did well, thank you." He'd recall him before taking to the skies again, remarking to himself afterward.

"Though I must confess that trying to catch it wasn't just to see if I could without that jewel..." Then, he'd get his SNAG out again. "Apologies, things should be sorted now. Continuing the recon, I'll update if anything's found."  

[Requiem of Whyspers]

Odd was a bit confused when it seemed like even Sol and Tsuki were at a loss regarding what exactly this "terastallization" thing was. It seemed strange that even the natives to the region were unfamiliar with the concept but who was he to say anything in that regard? He was from a frozen mountaintop in Johto where nothing special ever really happened. One might be willing to offer him the benefit of the doubt if he were to suddenly return home and find some strange new phenomenon had sprung up in his absence so he figured he could offer the same courtesy to them for now and simply shrugged. "I guess we'll all be figuring that out together, then." He admitted just before Mr. Raifort appeared from the sky in a Flying Taxi and explained what they would be doing for the trip[ today. "Why am I surprised to hear we're chasing Pokemon Kaiju today? This sounds like the plot of a terrible PokeStar Studios movie..." He grunted quietly, shaking his head as he began to move along with the others.

The channeler walked quietly, keeping to the back of the pack for the time being, mostly because he felt as if the heat was actively trying to kill him practically from the moment they entered the drylands and it was simply easier to hang back and move at his own pace to walk amid the group and be harried along by someone who was too impatient to understand his plight. Before he'd even made it a third of the way through the canyons and crevasses, he'd released Chorale, his Froslass to keep close to him and simply bring down the temperature with her Ice-type powers, using a soft Icy Wind from time to time, just enough to keep Odd from overheating. That is, until she was hit by a chunk of white, not-quite-chalk-like stone from behind, causing her to falter and spin around, searching for her assailant.

It took a moment for her to look closer at the chunk of whatever hit her and a moment longer for Odd to come to investigate, having seen why she stopped acting as his personal air conditioner a moment before. "What the heck is this?" He inquired, leaning over to pick it up and get a closer look. Almost instantly, he felt the texture but also felt a sort of burning sensation in his hand as a small blister formed where he had touched it. "Sanctified salt? Here, of all places?" He asked, incredibly confused by the sudden presence of something strongly religious and frequently weaponized against spirits as well as Ghost-type Pokemon. "Chorale, return." He ordered, holding up the Dusk Ball that usually contained the icy Ghost.

He looked around for a moment, already feeling the heat beginning to get to him again, trying to figure out where the salt had come from. He wouldn't have to search for too long as another clump of the stuff came down from above, the salty Rock Throw's source at last revealing itself to be an unusual little stone mushroom near the top of a nearby canyon wall. Ducking out of the attack's path and practically throwing himself into the shade to hide from the heat for the moment, Odd analyzed his collection of Pokeballs and selected a basic one, one of the few he owned of it's kind and threw it out to reveal Fermata had been brought along today.

"Hit that weird mushroom Pokemon with Shadow Claw!" He directed the ghostly owl. Fermata nodded and dashed forward, flapping his wings to give him a bit of lift, hurling him into the air where his talons took on a deep, menacing glow before he slashed at the sentient salt lick.

“Nac…li?” The Pokemon asked, as if the attack had done nothing to it.

”I know I hit it… what happened?” Fermata asked as he landed, barely dodging a salty stone hurled at his head, clearly aimed to knock him down a peg. The barely avoided Smack Down left the still unnamed mushroom open to counterattack and Odd called for one quickly. “Try Spirit Shackle!”

Drawing a feather from the inside of one of his wings, Fermata snapped one of his neck vines taught and fired said feather like a deadly arrow infused with ghostly energy, aiming to pierce the strange little mushroom’s very soul. Just before the arrow hit, the mushroom’s body flashed silver as it used Iron Defense. The physical aspect of the arrow broken on impact with the Pokémon’s body but the shade of it passed through and stuck into the Pokémon’s shadow, pinning it in place.

“Naclnac!” The mushroom exclaimed, hurling itself into the air, from its own perspective at least,, with a tiny hop. Upon making contact with the ground again, it sent a burst of energy through the ground that erupted beneath Fermata in the form of a Stone Edge formed from a mixture of sandstone and salt.

“Feather Dance!” Odd exclaimed as the attack began to emerge. Fermata was only just too slow to react, the earthen blade’s tip just beginning to pierce his flesh as he dashed backward with a flourish that sent feathers of energy out in a shower that managed to block the bits of debris sent flying and put enough space between him and the attack to prevent serious injury. That had been the intention, at least, but the salt in that blade was doing a number on Fermata, stinging painfully from even the small scratch it had inflicted. “Try using something that isn’t physical. It seems to be taking those hits too easily.”

“Nacli!” The little mushroom exclaimed as it hopped again, this time sending a shower of stones in varying sizes flying toward Fermata with a Rock Slide. “Careful! Try using Giga Drain!” Odd directed as the Arrow Quill Pokemon ducked and dodged around the incoming boulders.

”I don’t know-hop that attack!” Fermata called back, beginning to pant as the shower of stones went on.

“Then how about …um… Magical Leaf!” Odd called back, trying to remember what special class moves Fermata could use.

”Now-hoo that’s in my wheelhouse!” Fermata confirmed, dashing forward in a small flurry of feathers, the lot glowing in rainbow colors as they hung in the air for a moment before the plant aspects took control and the leaf-like plumage shot off through the Rock Slide, bobbing and weaving through the hail of stones. Most of them didn’t make it but three or four leaves converged on Nacli at once, crisscrossing their paths as they sliced at Nacli from all sides at once.

The Rock Salt Pokémon was still reeling when Odd called for a follow up. “Leaf Blade!” Nacli felt the strike’s energy more than the physical blow itself when Fermata appeared practically right in it’s face and struck a downward slash with a feather infused with Grass energy. “Nac… li…” the Rock-type’s body shined white for a moment as it Recovered it’s health, a moment later lashing out as a beam of silver energy was fired at Fermata with Flash Cannon.

The Decidueye was caught square in the chest and thrown backward by the hit, landing on one knee. As he landed, his body began to give off a green aura as Overgrow took effect. “This thing’s way stronger than I thought…” Odd commented. “And I could use that salt it seems to be making… Fermata, use Leaf Blade one more time!”

Fermata nodded. ”You-hoo got it!” He replied, throwing himself into the air with a huge leap, using his wings to maneuver in the air to barely dodge another Flash Cannon, though he was struck with a Smack Down as he got closer. He’s use the downward momentum as he was knocked from the air to his advantage, however, drawing a feather and forming a blade of Grass energy around it as he slashed with Leaf Blade.

Nacli, pinned as it was, was unable to dodge the attack and flinched as it was struck, Fermata hitting a critical point with the attack. Pulling out an Ultra Ball, Odd took careful aim and threw it, striking the small Pokémon in the forehead while it was off-kilter. The ball shook a few times before settling down and pinging softly.

“Come here, Fermata. Bring that Ball with you and let me check your wounds.” He told his partner as he sat down in the shade, the heat getting to him again. Fermata nodded, retrieved the ball and came back to Odd’s side. “How much does it hurt?” He asked as he looked at the spots where those salt-infused Rock attacks had struck.

”It burns a bit but I’ll be alright, I think.” Fermata assured.

“I’m not surprised. That Pokémon seems like it’s able to create sanctified salt. It’s like spiritual poison for Ghost-type Pokemon and other spirits.” Odd responded, shaking his head for a moment. “We’ll get these treated as soon as possible. Hold tight until then, alright?” Fermata nodded, making it clear he trusted Odd, before he was recalled to his ball. Odd watched as the Ultra Ball containing Nacli was warped away to his storage boxes and let out a long breath before calling out Chorale again to help cool him back down so he could continue the hunt he was supposed to be on.