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Post by Pixel on Aug 12, 2023 3:32:47 GMT 11
Adrian probably shouldn't spend money on lotto tickets and scratch cards or raffle drawings. But when he stopped by the shops to pick up stuff for his journey or to help repair the ranch, he was often drawn to the cheap gambling opportunities. It was a bad habit, but...he'd won some stuff. A stone plate, some battle items...that sort of thing. What harm was it to fill out a raffle card every so often? Maybe he'd win a bike or something. That'd be nice, actually.
However, to his surprise, when checking the mail one day, he discovered that he'd won, not another X item, but an all expense paid trip to the safari zone—15 safari balls included. It was one of the 'top prizes' listed on the flyer, but he hadn't really thought he'd win.
But here he was, standing in a desert reservation, the safari warden detailing all the rules behind him. No battles, got to leave your pokemon behind. Only safari balls were allowed. Of course, there was also a bucket of bait provided, included in the entry fee.
"Once you encounter 10 pokemon, you gotta leave," the warden said sternly. "You can travel between zones if you want, but most folks tend to stick to one, especially if they're lookin' for somethin'. You lookin' for somethin' here, kid?"
Adrian shifted uncomfortably, "...Maybe..."
The warden snorted, "Get goin'. You're burnin' daylight."
Adrian staggered forward and started to explore those dunes.
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Post by necroix on Aug 12, 2023 7:09:14 GMT 11
Safari Encounter
[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"] [attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"] [attr="class","qkt-clip"]Skorupi LV 29 100% HP[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"] [attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]  Encounter: 1/10 Safari Balls: 15 Rock: 0/4 | Bait: 0 Skorupi: I'm invisible, you can't see me if I move slow. fSXCUKFk1-42 sparkle 1-42
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Pixel
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Post by Pixel on Aug 12, 2023 9:26:17 GMT 11
Adrian looked back at the warden.
"How are you supposed to catch anything if you can't battle them?" Adrian asked, motioning at the skorupi he found. "Just toss bait at them or?"
"Some folks throw rocks."
"That...seems worse than battling..." Adrian winced.
The warden shrugged, "The pokemon will run off if they get spooked. A rock will do less damage in the long run than a real battle. You think a pebble is gonna make a ryhorn do much other than blink at'cha? Over say...a surf attack?"
"Guess you have a point..." Adrian slowly reached down and picked up a rock. He felt kinda bad about this, but the warden had a point. Pokemon battles probably did way more damage than a rock did. He threw it. And he then reached for his belt. If the pokemon didn't flee, he'd throw a ball as well.
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Rock + Ball if poke doesn't flee
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Post by necroix on Aug 13, 2023 7:58:40 GMT 11
Apparently the skorupi could in fact be seen even if it moved slow as the rock hits the small scorpion before a ball is next and captures it safely inside.
Safari Balls Remaining: 14
Encounter: 1/10
[img src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/bw/skorupi.png"] [img src="https://pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/itemicons/safari-ball.png"]
[b]Skorupi[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 29
OT: Adrian Harrt
Moves: Bug Bite, Venoshock, Knock Off, Scary Face
Ability: Battle Armor or Sniper
Nature/Personality: [choose]
Flee (4) j|9lP1cG1-12
Capture (46) 1-100
1-12·1-100 |
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Pixel
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Post by Pixel on Aug 13, 2023 10:03:42 GMT 11
Well that worked surprisingly well. Adrian picked up the ball. Looked back again at the warden who wasn't trying to throw him out of the park...and then began to look around further. What else was here? The little scorpions seemed fairly common around here, as he caught sight of tiny purple forms scuttling in the distance, vanishing under rocks and into burrows in the sand. He'd double check the pamphlet. Apparently houndour, cacnea, tauros and other such pokemon were native here. Maybe those green things were pokemon rather than cactuses... Though he did have to wonder why fearow and electrike called this place home... Trapinch made sense though he didn't think he'd run into such a rare pokemon while here.
Lost in his musing, his nose buried in the pamphlet, Adrian wasn't paying the best attention to where he was stepping. Hopefully he didn't roll an ankle in a hole or anger a skorupi into crawling up a pant leg. He wiped his brow with one free hand, moping back soaked bangs and pondering whether or not he should get a haircut. He hadn't had one since arriving and his curly locks were getting a little long and out of hand.
(+202 words)
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Missingno.
Grass Dinosaur
Tiki
ZZ voluntary experimenter/ tester/ QA
Posts: 13,564
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Post by Tiki on Aug 13, 2023 16:35:03 GMT 11
Safari Encounter
[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"] [attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"] [attr="class","qkt-clip"]Skorupi LV 22 100% HP[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"] [attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]  Encounter: 2/10 Safari Balls: 15 Rock: 0/4 | Bait: 0 Houndour: Grrrr.... goCF_sL21-421-42·1-42
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Post by Pixel on Aug 14, 2023 3:34:02 GMT 11
A houndour? Adrian had—used to have—one of those. Someone stole it...He never did figure out who grabbed a chunk of pokemon out of his PC, but if he did find them, he was going to make sure they knew what his fist looked like in their thieving face. That said...for now...he was faced with the opportunity to catch one again. Whelp. Time to give it a go? He reached down and grabbed a rock, swallowed down how weird this felt, and threw said rock. As he watched the rock sail towards the fire-doggo, he reached for his belt and grabbed a ball. If the houndour didn't (reasonably) flee, he'd toss the ball. Maybe he could send his research or whatever to Mishu. The houndour were found in her Hills very rarely, but were also here in the safari zone in the desert. Maybe the hills would be more welcoming to the dark-type if they were hotter? Perhaps that's why he even saw the houndour at all. The season. It was a blisteringly hot summer night that he came upon the hound.
(Or maybe he should keep his nose out of her business. She was a busy woman who helped him not get as lost as he could be and pointed him to the door of the institute. He shouldn't both her...)
That said...he still felt his heart race a little. His gut turned. There was a breathless sort of nervousness upon seeing the houndour in broad daylight knowing what he knew now about the species. He recalled the ruthless way the houndour he previously battled and caught took on and tried to take down his own team. She was relentless with every ember. Her hunting drive was potent and clear. She didn't hesitate, didn't falter. She was like a mercenary on assignment. She enjoyed the thrill of hunting and battling. She was driven. Determined. He doubted that it was just her. Adrian could imagine that this pack hound likely had a tendency to fight and bite and stand their ground.
"...Wherever you are...I hope you're okay," he mumbled.
Behind him, the warden was giving him an odd look before shrugging. Wasn't really his business if weird folks wanted to stand there and talk to themselves. Maybe the heat was getting to the kid. Some folks couldn't handle the intensity of the desert sun.
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Rock + Ball if it doesn't flee
(+400 words)
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Post by Caramell 🍬 on Aug 14, 2023 6:58:23 GMT 11
Safari Encounter
[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"] [attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"] [attr="class","qkt-clip"]Houndour LV 22 75% HP[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"] [attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"] Encounter: 2/10 Safari Balls: 13 Rock: 1/4 | Bait: 0 Houndour: Hey, that hurt! I outta bite you! Hold still so I can! Flee? (1-4) T54|samb1-12Ball? (46%) 1-100Flee? (1-4) 1-12 Running Shoes exhausted! 1-12·1-100·1-12
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Pixel
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Post by Pixel on Aug 14, 2023 7:22:21 GMT 11
Okay. Yeah. Angry houndour! Adrian considered fleeing but knew better than to turn his back on this hound. He grabbed another rock and threw it before the houndour could take a chomp out of him! He stumbled in his attempts to outmaneuver the hound before outright tumbling backwards down the side of the small dune he stood on. Ouch! Sputtering and shaking the sand out of his clothes, he tried to straighten himself out. If the houndour was still there, he'd throw a rock again and just bolt. He didn't want to linger here. Honestly, he didn't even really want or need a houndour. It still kind of hurt to think about his missing Merc, and he wanted her back. So trying to scare this houndour off was ideal. Especially since Adrian had been foolish enough to try catching it offhandedly, knowing that an upset houndour could be a very aggressive houndour.
So away he shuffled, armed with more rocks to deter the houndour if need be.
The warden shook his head at him, "That was kinda pathetic."
"Well sorry for not wanting to get my face chewed off by a houndour."
"You did start it by throwin' the rock."
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ooc// Fleeing this encounter, please roll a new one
+200 words
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Post by necroix on Aug 14, 2023 10:27:18 GMT 11
Safari Encounter
[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"] [attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"] [attr="class","qkt-clip"]Cacnea LV 29 100% HP[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"] [attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]  Encounter: 3/10 Safari Balls: 15 Rock: 0/4 | Bait: 0 Cacnea: Excuse you, I was building sandcastles! uJF1uSWm1-42 sparkle 1-42
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Post by Pixel on Aug 14, 2023 10:48:36 GMT 11
Huh, well that was a new pokemon?
He didn't really have that many pokeballs and didn't want to squander them...so what to do...
Well...uh...maybe he could try the whole rock thing again. It worked on the skorupi, even if it didn't work on the houndour. Not wanting to be made into a pin cushion, he gathered a couple of rocks and...well. threw them in quick succession. If this cactus was stubborn and didn't run away, he'd start throwing balls at it. (Why did he already feel so...stressed? Like he'd not find anything super rare or cool or interesting? Or if he did, it would run away immediately?) There was no point in worrying too much...he still had most of his encounters left. This was just his third...and he still had most of his pokeballs. He just had to be mindful and ration them. He had just little over one ball per pokemon he found. Which wasn't much but...it was better than none?
(If he ever came here on his own, without having won the trip on a raffle ticket, he'd buy more pokeballs. 15 just didn't feel like enough. It made him feel like he had to be super cautious with throwing them, and super liberal with using other methods of getting the pokemon to STAY IN THE BALL.)
His mind racing. His heart as well. He waited to see how the cacnea would react to his act of violence. And if it would flee or attack him like the houndour. He already looked a hot mess. Another tumble down the side of the dunes wouldn't be the absolute worst...Even if he would be picking sand out of his hair and ears and everywhere for the next month. His poor shoes. Would they ever be free of the tiny granules of debris? Absently, he shook his sleeves in hopes of ditching the feeling of grit before taking the jacket off entirely and wrapping it around his waist. The warden snorted and shook his head.
"About time you took that thing off, boy. Was waitin' to see if you'd have a stroke out here in that ridiculous thing."
"I wasn't expecting it to—"
"To be hot in a desert?" the warden asked wryly. Adrian glared and looked away. Okay, you have won this round warden. Well played. Adrian had to admit he messed up there.
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Rock x2
Words: 400
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Post by necroix on Aug 14, 2023 11:19:38 GMT 11
The cacnea seemed to be frustrated when the first rock hit it as it tried to continue building its sandcastles but at the second rock, it had enough. It frustratedly kicked down the castle it had started to build. If it couldn't have it no one could, before quickly going on its way. It would find a better place to actually build its sandcastles than here where it was being hit with rocks. Encounter: 3/10
Safari Balls: 15 Flee? (4)2JaGIyI|1-12
Flee? (5) 1-12 1-12·1-12 |
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Post by Pixel on Aug 14, 2023 12:46:41 GMT 11
Whelp. By cacnea. Go be a cactus...thing...and build your sandcastles somewhere else.
Adrian sighed and started shuffling forward. So far he caught one skorupi. Ran from a houndour and scared off a cacnea. He had something to take from the safari but he was still feeling a little bedraggled and embarrassed and like he was wasting this once in a lifetime opportunity. He rubbed his face and groaned. He still had like...seven encounters to go before he was kicked out. Come on...something cool show up! Please? Pretty please?
There were so many cool pokemon in this desert if he could just, yknow...catch something.
Something cool or rare or...
No, no, he shouldn't think like that. Keep your head on straight, Adrian. Just be thankful you even had this opportunity. You were some nobody kid from kanto who got a lucky break playing a raffle. (Maybe the heat was getting to his head and making him irritable.)
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new encounter!
+161
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Post by necroix on Aug 14, 2023 14:07:57 GMT 11
Safari Encounter
[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"] [attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"] [attr="class","qkt-clip"]Cacnea LV 25 100% HP[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"] [attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"] Encounter: 4/10 Safari Balls: 15 Rock: 0/4 | Bait: 0 Cacnea: Wait where did everyone go? I thought we were supposed to build sandcastles. NmNPG3ez1-42 sparkle 1-42
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Post by Pixel on Aug 15, 2023 3:46:30 GMT 11
Another cactus? Adrian contemplated what happened last time, and with a shrug, grabbed another rock and gave it a toss. Assuming this one didn't run, sure, he'd throw a ball. Why not? He didn't /need/ one of these things, but it was different and he was pretty sure they weren't exactly abundant in the region. Johto wasn't known for its desert like some places, such as Hoenn. So this little spot of reservation might be the one place it lived. Or he could be wrong. He wasn't really sure. Not like he really knew anything about the little green pokemon that was playing in the sand.
The warden snorted again behind him.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothin'. You gonna save up all them pokeballs and not throw'em?"
"What if I run into something interesting?" Adrian waggled the brochure in his hand a bit at the warden. "Who knows, maybe I'll see a Tauros or a Trapinch."
"That what'cha after?"
"...I...I guess?"
"Izzat why you ran from the houndour?"
"I ran from the houndour because it was trying to eat me."
"Bah, it was away from its pack, it wouldn't have done that much damage."
"Your faith in wild pokemon astounds me."
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Rock + Ball
(+200 words)
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