The Captive [Operation: Dig]

[Caramell 🍬]

Conversations floated around the watercooler of a necessary heist that would help Caribes gain footing within their organization. They were new fish, set upon the fryer with oil and butter, and flipped occasionally for optimal searing. The company was a bloated group of vandals, keeping each other under one name and banner only insomuch as a chance to protect themselves and their own self interests. There was no care or commitment between thieves, and even the contrary ‘honor’ that most would tout about was questionable at best. They would stake out the best offers they might come across, then proposition themselves favorably in order to assure their ascension on their future throne.

“That’s pretty useful.” The elderly gent murmured underneath their breath as they scanned over the details that had been sent to them. Vague as it might have been in so many way, it held all the necessary components to help Caribes understand the objective. Careful of the family but keep them at bay and avoid the pigs that might be sent at all costs. Same old, same old, do your best never to compromise the mission jargon that was typical of any heist planned and organized by their lovely little mafia family. “Though, I think I can manage this one.” They smirked, scratching their chin softly with a hum.

Caribes would stroll casually along the streets of Johto clad in a simple worker’s outfit and strolled up to the door with a low whistle and smile. Plumbing issues were a common problem for many a household name. It shouldn’t be too hard to convince their companions on the other side of the door that their toilet could use minor upgrades or a careful overview to ensure its own longevity, especially when you razzle-dazzled them with some easily fabricated statistics of toilets breaking down seemingly left and right under otherwise normal and common usage. Knock. Knock. Knock.

The sun climbed low between two birch trees, their stark white trunks standing like beacons whilst their branches, now barren with a strong lack of their once vibrant green leaves that was sure to return once the summer suns brought back their joyous hues. “Hello! Is the head of the house home, by chance?” Their friendly voice poured from their lips like syrup, thick and overly sweet meant to send you into a coma if you ingested too much in one sitting. “My company, Rotom-Rooter, was in the area. Can we chat for a moment?” Smile. A nice, wide smile that doesn’t crack the edges or look forced, so that whoever props the door open is compelled to stay a moment and listen to the grandparent-to-be standing in front of their door explain the miraculous wonders of their product!

Meanwhile, Chuckie would be searching through the long shadows that slowly climbed across the ground, seemingly longer by the second. He sneaked, leaving the once raggedy doll he so loved to hide underneath behind for the time being, and surveyed the house for an easy and not so obvious entrance. There was always more than one way to crack the code, nothing that needed to be obviously stated until it was absolutely necessary for the other to know. “Ah, this might work!” A cracked window that led to a bright and cheery room, decorated with frilly things and cute plush toys lined on the bed in a neat little row. Someone’s small child called this room home, or either it stood as a memorial shrine to someone’s past – all things that meant nothing to a ghost who could blend in with the shadows themselves.


OOC: Starting Operation

^{Words: 607 | Caribes - Babadook - Kayako - Scissorhands - Chuckie - Orla - Annabelle}

[Avalon]

Cherrygrove was a peaceful enough town, all things considered. Despite the relative chaos caused by Team Rocket in the surrounding area recently, it would not occur to most people to think ill of the elderly but well-dressed individual walking through the city streets. Caribes would go largely unimpeded, even as they muttered to themself and schemed on how to best infiltrate the house of the man famous for his discovery of the Dig TM. Team Rocket Grunts and Admins the region over were likely to have their mouths water at the notion of the crimes they could commit with such a move in their arsenal; acquiring it for the team's use would be a surefire way to cement Caribes' place within the organization.

Caribes was greeted at the door not by the one known as Mr. Dig, but by an older woman. She looked at the supposed salesperson that stood before the door, opening the door wide and beckoning for Caribes to enter in. "Oh, how lovely, a visitor! Please, come in, this timing couldn't be better, you know we have been having so many issues ever since that new chemical plant got set up by Blue Moon Falls," she went on, almost rambling as she freely complained about the state of Cherrygrove City. It seemed, like so many of her age group, that she was a rather opinionated woman. Any sign of the woman whose family had been subjected to countless break-ins in the past was not present, at least not on the surface.

She would try to usher Caribes into a sitting room, away from where Chuckie was lurking and skulking through the house. Sitting in this living room was an older gentleman, older even than Caribes most likely. He regarded the false salesperson with a slightly suspicious and contemptuous look, a furrowed brow and face covered in worry lines from years of dealing with those who had come after his discoveries. Even now that his daughter had moved out and away to attend school, he had yet to forget the terror caused by his home being invaded and ransacked in front of them.

"I see you brought us a visitor," Mr. Dig said, looking squarely at Caribes. His wife explained who Caribes had claimed to be, some kind of salesperson or agent from a local company trying to help. It was hard to say if Mr. Dig bought the story or not, his face remaining inscrutable. It was likely he had always been a crochety-looking old man, even if only on the inside. Hard to imagine such a man was once a renowned hiker and miner who had discovered the way of teaching Pokemon to burrow and dig complex tunnels.

Caribes was able to get into the house, but now it would be clear to them that dealing with the man and his wife would be the first step in their master plan. The only way to get unrestricted access to the house would be to find some way past them, and the paranoid old coot was unlikely to let anyone just traipse through the house unimpeded. 

Caribes has encountered Mr. Dig and his wife! Caribes must subdue them in order to begin raiding the house.
What will Caribes and their Pokemon do?

[Caramell 🍬]

A crack. The door opened to an older female who eagerly welcomed the elderly gent dressed in plumber’s garments inside from the biting cold that howled just outside her door. They smiled, relaxing the muscles that pulled the corners of their face in a natural expression, and stepped across the threshold inside of her and her husband’s quaint, small home. A charming life on display through pictures hung on the walls, with little knickknacks that helped explain some of their hobbies. Championships won by their daughter, who might have been off doing bigger and better things by now. Charming.

“Oh, yes!” Caribes agreed, the light in their eyes blooming into small embers. They gossiped with the older lady with a small laugh. “It’s been great for my business for sure. But you know…we opposed the building of that plant all the same! What’s the point in honest work if it’s only coming from the suffering of others? Right? That chemical plant surely isn’t honest work, I’ll tell you that!” Quite a secret that Caribes wouldn’t divulge in further, and humored with a warming smile and soft chuckle as their hidden joke would surely be lost on the couple. How could they see through the disguise?

Chuckie rolled his eyes at most of the mundane things that existed inside of the daughter’s room. Just toys carefully placed in their spots and a bed made as though it begged to have the girl return once more. Empty nesters at their finest, unable to part with the things that reminded them of the precious moments spent growing up together with their precious child. Many of the things were carefully packed away and tucked inside the closet, with only some mementos sprinkled about. It was done in a way that made Chuckie feel that each item left purposefully out must have had some significance to it. Though, he couldn’t care less about that as he plucked a few stuffed toys up and inspected them meticulously, lest the man of the house find them hospitable hiding spots for the Technical Machine they hunted for.

“Hello there! I take it you’re the man of the house?” Caribes extended an arm in a warm greeting. “My name is Thomas Johnstone. I typically go by Tom. I’m here on behalf of my company, Rotom-Rooter to explain our newest and latest product! It’s an addition that can be added to most toilets and helps really extend their lifespan.” Caribes pulled out a small, strange looking item innocuous itself. A small round ring with strange carvings along the sides, though the feel was somewhere between plasticky and rubbery. “It connects directly to the Fill Valve, where we’ve found nearly 15% of breakdowns happening lately. We’ve got a fifteen year guarantee on this little product…that’s how confident we are in it! Mind if I divulge in more detail or demonstrate how it works?” Caribes asked with a wide grin.

The façade was only meant to buy the elderly gent enough time to get their Pokemon on the prowl, after all, and get the mood set up. Kayako and Oral slipped into the house the same way Chuckie managed to get in. Vines slipped from her in the other room, wrapping the window up securely. Kayako would slip out of the room, sneaking in the background to wrap up the doors and windows with her vines and create a trap inside the house itself, making it difficult if not impossible to break out. Orla moseyed into the hallway towards some stairs that seemed to lead up to an attic, creating strange illusions with her curse that weren’t there at all, though showed strange images like doors that didn’t exists, or continuous walls over physical doors that did exist. Just strange illusions meant to keep anyone wandering behind her at bay. But how long could Caribes charm and deceive their newfound ‘friends’ before things really started to heat up?

OOC: Kayako using vines to cover up any way 'out' - doors & windows. Orla is setting up illusions that don't really exist but look real. Chuckie is actively looking through boxes / toys / etc for TM. Caribes is still trying to charm the old folks.

^{Words: 661 | Caribes - Babadook - Kayako - Scissorhands - Chuckie - Orla - Annabelle}

[Pixel]

The pokemon continued their infiltration. As they passed room-to-room, it became more apparent that Mr. Dig had learned from his past experience in Kanto. He wasn't just keeping the TMs in an obvious place. Opened closets and drawers revealed little aside from the usual mundane necessities of life. Clearly his wife kept a tidy home and filled it with personal touches. There was evidence of their travels and his history as a hiker, but those hints were scattered between decorative candles and paintings of landscapes purchased from local artists. 

As they passed through a hall, they would find a door leading to a study.

Inside they would see a room a little more masculine than the rest of the house. The man's study, perhaps? It held a desk of deep mahogany wood and a comfortable leather chair with worn arm rests that showed its well-loved nature. On the walls were shelves full of books and knick knacks, as well as a map of the world with pins, likely marking where he had traveled over the years. There was a photo of his wedding with the missus between a picture of his daughter in graduation robes and a baby photo of her playing in a sandbox with a diglett companion. There were also some discs in a drawer that looked promising, but they were blank, having yet to be coded with the information needed to teach a pokemon a move.

Back at the front door, Mrs. Dig was happily chattering with their guest, eyes big with awe, clearly either buying the sales pitch, or just eager to have a guest. "Come in!" she bid. "I have fresh baked cookies. Tell us more and have a bite."

"My dear, we should let the man go. If we are not going to buy, we shouldn't hold him up," he said, eyes narrow and wary. Like he could perhaps see the other's bad intentions. Or maybe he sensed danger. Some people were like that—he did travel the world, one didn't do that sort of thing and not develop any self preservation instincts. 

"One cookie wouldn't hurt. And it is so terribly cold outside. Look, the man is freezing."

Mr. Dig was apparently weak for his wife, as he sighed with a scowl, "Very well." His stare said 'I am keeping my eye on you' as he reluctantly let him in.

[Caramell 🍬]

That deceptive smile never left their face. It was warm and inviting, years of practice that helped Caribes place it just in the right notches so that it wasn’t too tight or too loose. They nodded towards the wife with a soft twinkle in their eyes. “I haven’t had fresh baked cookies in a long time.” Caribes commented softly and would take one as soon as it was offered to them. The small treat was soft and easily crumbled inside of their mouth. The rich chocolate pieces that decorated the cookie melted into molten springs that easily washed tiny chunks down the back of their throat to their stomach. Delicious. With a sweetness that was spot on, clear from her years of baking, without it being too overpoweringly sweet that your mouth began to pucker from the overt sweetness alone.

“Your wife is an amazing baker! Do you do this professionally, miss? My granddaughter’s birthday is coming up soon and I’ve been meaning to find a good baker.” The question was directed to the missus, though a casual and knowing glance was sent to Mr. Dig as though they also sought his permission to allow the wife to bake a future cake for the imaginary granddaughter Caribes had, a traditionally proper thing to do that the elderly gent might appreciate. They had a daughter of their own, it seemed, and so perhaps that was the soft spot to hit them at? It might help Mr. Dig warm up to Caribes, all the same.

“Sir, you’re not wasting my time whether you buy from me or not.” Caribes promised, keeping the illusion layered on thick. “I’m simply here to let you know how my product can revolutionize your life! Is that a crime? If so, I suppose we better call Officer Jenny at once!” Caribes chuckled, even though the taste of the words ‘officer’ and ‘Jenny’ left a very bitter aftertaste on their tongue. Yuck! “Maybe your toilet isn’t that bad off right now. You probably fix it yourself, right? But a busy man such as yourself, can’t possibly want to spend all your free time repairing the same problems when they pop up? So what do you say? A short demonstration! It’s free, after all!”

Chuckie giggled with delight as he slid into the study, shadows washing over the wall with long shadows that seemed to stretch over everything around. “It’s got to be in here somewhere.” The ghostly apparition commented to himself. Whenever he thought he heard a noise approaching, he would let himself fade into the shadow and vanish alongside them, only small eyes sometimes darting out from the darkness to stare quietly until the sounds subsided. “I don’t know…” Kayako frowned, flipping through some of the empty discs with her long vines and scattering them about in pursuit of their golden prize. Wherever it may be. “All of these are empty…” She huffed softly to herself, just loud enough for Chuckie to hear her.

Orla peered around the edge of an opening and watched her trainer speaking with Mr. and Mrs. Dig with a wide smile. She unleashed her curse – a given talent from her infancy that even she couldn’t explain – allowing the shadows to stretch and merge so that the door suddenly disappeared after Caribes stepped inside. The opening she peered from would create another curse all the same, making the walls stretch unnaturally long as though there were now no windows or doors anywhere around them. Was this what her trainer wanted her to do? Was she being a good girl by playing these fun tricks on the homeowners, and hopefully buying her teammates more time? She could only hope so.

“What did you put in those cookies, miss?” Caribes joked when they noticed their Pokemon’s powers starting to take effect in the main room.

OOC: Lmao Caribes was already inside? Either way, they're inside now. Kayako & Chuckie are checking out the master study room with the large desk. Orla is using Curse to play mind games on the couple.

^{Words: 649 | Caribes - Babadook - Kayako - Scissorhands - Chuckie - Orla - Annabelle}

[Rexman]

Mrs. Dig smiled and giggled a little bit, turning slightly red at Caribes's compliment.
"Oh stop sir, you are too much. They are just a basic cookie recipe." she said, composing herself and settling against the back of the chair that she had settled into.

"Please have a seat, there is no reason to stand around. Can I get you a glass of lemonade?" she asked, rising again, as if sitting down was a crime.

That was when Caribes asked about the cookies. Apparently, they were really good at finding the thing that the mark would be distracted by, as the woman sat down again.
"Well Mr. Tom, unfortunately, that is a family secret. I can't tell you that, just in case it gets out. These are award winning cookies, and I wouldn't want to jeopardize future accolades by letting my secret slip. I'm just glad you like them," she said again, still a little pink in the cheeks.

She went to get up again when she tilted a little bit, holding her neck.
"Dear, are you well?" Mr. Dig asked, looking concerned.

"I thought I was. Tell me honey, did you capture any weird, new Pokemon?" she asked, looking at her husband.
"What? No? Why would you think that?" he asked, stepping closer.

"Not sure....feel....off balance..." she said, before she seemed to stumble into the chair she was sitting in.
Mr. Dig turned to face Caribes, even more suspicious now.
"I believe it is time for you to leave, sir. Please vacate my home," he said, gruff face looking serious.

[Caramell 🍬]

Caribes studied Mrs. Dig carefully as she laughed off their compliments and seemingly blushed. Could she be lured away from her husband in a flighty affair, where one could easily gain more intel under the cover of night? The thoughts would bubble and boil in the back of Caribes’ mind as something they might pass along to the upper-level bosses in an attempt to test the waters of this almost too perfect, happy relationship. All’s fair in love and war, after all.

“I assure you, I don’t give such compliments out lightly.” Caribes outstretched one hand with their hands open, palms facing upwards for a light embrace. A simple peck on the top of her hand, innocent and sweet, but nothing more. Not only was Mr. Dig in the room, taking note of Caribes’ every move as though they were a foreigner from a strange land during the height of the Dark Ages, where anyone and anything could be your mortal enemy in disguise, they definitely didn’t want to add more fuel to that fire in a different direction.

“Ah, I definitely understand.” ‘Tom’ bowed, a smile stretching across ‘his’ lips as ‘he’ slowly lowered ‘himself’ into the nearest seat. “I would fancy a glass of lemonade, if you’d be so kind!” Caribes agree, a warm smile baked into every layer of their smile. Their attention strayed to Mr. Dig occasionally, more so as his wife would run to fetch the drink for their new guest ‘Tom’. “She’s quite a catch, Mr. Dig. Makes me wish I’d spend less time on the open roads and more time at home with my own wife.” A simple conversation between married men, even if Caribes never knew the feeling of such a thing themselves.

“So…I’ve heard some rumors. But tell me. What do you do, Mr. Dig? Corporate CEO of your own company by now, I take it?” Continue the conversation, until the missus would inevitably return with the drink ‘Tom’ requested. However, her dizzy spell caused her to slouch in her seat, unwell as though a sudden sickness or strange spell overcame her. Caribes’ smile faltered slightly, though they recovered it with ease. “I…don’t think I will.” They laughed, snapping their fingers so that Orla and Kayako would hop out from behind the hidden seams. “Orla, keep them both entertained, will you? Mr. Dig looks like he’s so…ordinary right now.”

Orla cranked up her mental games as Kayako stretched herself out to fill nearly the whole room, all while keeping her vines at bay. Curse clung to the air like a bad stench, stretching across the room as the illusioned heightened to their fullest potential. Should they remain susceptible, not only would the doors disappear – allowing only one to appear for a brief moment so that Caribes could pass through, to vanish again – but invisible ropes would attempt to appear around Mrs. Digs in her seat. Not really there in the physical presence as much as they were hopefully there through her own mental capacity, should the Curse.

The same Curse would try to convince Mr. Digs to slam himself down into a nearby seat as an invisible strong gust of wind – at least 15 miles or better in strength – would attempt to slam into him to knock him down, followed by the same invisible ropes that would attempt too mentally tether him to the seat. Caribes would soon join their Pokemon in the master room where different boxes and containers were layered, carefully displaying different artifacts and empty discs. “Ah, this doesn’t have anything useful, does it?!” Caribes snapped angrily, turning on Chuckie with narrowed, sharp eyes that stared down at their Pokemon in an almost disgusting manner. “You’d better get out there and find me that disc before I turn you into a real bonafide plushie! Do you understand me?! Don’t make me regret letting you help in this mission!”

Chuckie slinked out of the room with wide eyes and an almost tremble to his slither. His master was furious and had finally unleashed all that fury on him! He noticed the staircase leading up to the attic, carefully tucked against the roof where the hole would lead up. Chuckie used his shadowy arms to pull the staircase down and carefully began climbing them upwards towards the attic, in an attempt to search just as much as it was an attempt to escape his master’s fury. “Man, they really need a chill pill.” Chuckie grumbled in a gruff whisper. “I’m trying my best!” He complained.

OOC: Still using Curse on Mr. & Mrs. Dig. Kayako is using Growth only to physically block off any actual exits beyond the mind games. Caribes goes to help hunt for the TM. Chuckie moves to the attic to search.

^{Words: 766 | Caribes - Babadook - Kayako - Scissorhands - Chuckie - Orla - Annabelle}

[Rexman]

"What is the meaning of this!" Mr. Dig yelled, before he was slammed with the invisible force of the ghostly energy coming from the Curse. As soon as he hit the chair, he seemed to pass out, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. Mrs. Dig had the same thing happen to her and just like that, they were out of the way. At least they were in chairs, right? Caribes definitely could have done something worse to them.

With the attic being one of the last places to look, Chuckie seemed to have the right idea. All manner of boxes and other types of storage containers awaited the living doll, each one taped up and labeled with sharpie. The question was, would they be able to decipher Mrs. Dig organization methods?

After checking a box or two, the poor ghost would still not be any closer to finding the TMs.
Just before moving on to the next box, the floor beneath the ghost Pokemon seemed to vibrate a little bit. What was that? Was Caribes moving around underneath Chuckie?

The ghost Pokemon had only a few more seconds to think about it before a shape barreled up from under the floor, almost colliding with the ragdoll Pokemon.

<Get out of my house! How dare you hurt my owners!> the Pokemon hollered. When the dust from the broken floorboards cleared, Chuckie would now be face to face with a very angry Dugtrio. Would the ghost try to fight by himself or get back to the rest of his team?

Level 20 Mr. Dig's Dugtrio attacks!

[Caramell 🍬]

An earthquake rumbled through the house. Chuckie couldn’t let the mission be compromised by simple weather conditions. At first, he tried to ignore the jostling floorboards even as they snapped and splintered away, creating a large divot in their center. He was focused on the boxes, commenting furiously underneath his breath as he ripped wooden top after wooden top off each and every one and tossed it to the wayside. “There’s no way I can go back to him empty handed!” Chuckie huffed with a nervous chuckle. “Really…isn’t this Annabelle’s fault? Everyone loves a good fish sandwich!” His mind whirled with new thoughts.

Annabelle huffed from the bottom of the stairs as she stared up. Hopping up them was no easy feat. She would wiggle about until she summoned enough energy. She used the built up energy to launch herself up into the air, high enough to hop onto the next step. “Don’t try to pin this on me, Chuckie.” She laughed, finally making it up to the top step as something unseen knocked Chuckie off his feet temporarily. Annabelle shook her whole body and laughed at her companion. He was such a clumsy oaf, it was no wonder that Caribes needed to threaten him to get him in line. “You can’t even do a simple task on your own, can you? It’s…sad, really.” She smirked.

Chuckie slid across the thick wooden floorboards and hit his head against the thick wooden leg of an old desk that had been placed up there. He slowly rose up on his feet while rubbing the tender spot where he hit his head. “What in the world?!” His eyes searched through the darkness until they landed on the three-headed mole like a Chernobyl mutant gone wrong. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s rude to barge in on others?! You should knock first next time!” Chuckie snapped, dark energy beginning to envelope his entire body as his anger wrapped around his heart.

Annabelle spritzed Chuckie first, catching him off guard and making him calm down slightly. “What was that for?! I thought we were on the same team! Wait until Caribes hear about you!” Annabelle puffed up her cheeks and nodded towards all of the mostly useless boxes scattered around them. Typical. Gotta lead Chuckie to water and make him drink it, if you hoped to get anything done at all. “You have a task, leave this weakling to me. Got it? Last thing I want is both of us becoming a stew because of your mess up!” She then turned to Dugtrio with a wide grin. “Focus on me, big boy! I like ‘em dirty.” She winked before unleashing a powerful blast of water from her mouth aimed directly at Dugtrio.

OOC: Sending out Annabelle and using Water Pulse x2 if needed!

^{Words: 465 | Caribes - Babadook - Kayako - Scissorhands - Chuckie - Orla - Annabelle}

[Pixel]

<I will ensure you are stopped! You will go no further than this, trespassers!> The dugtrio declared furiously, its many heads bobbing with anger. At the first blast of water, it ducked underground again, the floorboards rippling until once more it burst out, slamming into the bruxish's underbelly. A powerful strike! One that the dazzling fish counter struck by sending another water pulse. A pretty even match up here. Whoever hit next could possibly end things. Annabelle might need back up...though this dugtrio was pretty hot tempered. Maybe it could be distracted from its game of dodging underground.

That said...

<I will not stop until you are all taken down. My owners are the best and they do not deserve this treatment! This home is our home. And as such YOU DO NOT BELONG!> The earth shivered again from the ground type's wrath.

Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Dugtrio  LV 20
HP 36% [18/50]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Annabelle  LV 19
HP 45% [27/60]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

Dugtrio [Arena Trap]: Status
Annabelle [Dazzling]: Status

SP59 Dugtrio used Dig! It disappeared
SP45 Bruxish used water pulse! It missed
SP59 Dugtrio used Dig! It reappeared
SP45 Bruxish used water pulse! 

Confuse? Y5V_XEMyp_1-1001-100

[Caramell 🍬]

Annabelle’s smile was a strange, creepy smile that stretched from ear to ear. Her eyes were gleaming with some strange intent. Dugtrio spoke with such indignation that it seemingly had no idea what sorts of trouble it might be in. She scoffed, shaking her whole body, and causing the large purple protrusion on the top of her head to bob about in the open air. “Oh, honey!” She snapped her many sharp, pointed fangs in the air. “I will gladly trespass in your domain any day of the week. And when I’m finished with you, I promise,” Annabelle giggled, “you’ll be begging for me to trespass again!”

Chuckie shuddered. Annabelle was definitely weird, which was saying something coming from him! Those words had once been uttered to him, back when they first started working together. Back then, he slunk away and easily put himself back up inside of his ball. Now, he enjoyed seeing it being used on someone else. “Dugtrio sure does look lonely.” He scoffed as the three-headed mole ducked down under the floorboards once more. “You shouldn’t let a Pokemon like that get away. You won’t find such a catch so easily!” Chuckie laughed.

Annabelle ducked her head between the floorboards inside of the wide, open hole. It was so dark inside and so many splintered bits of wood and broken nails populated the very dark tunnel. Well, she wasn’t going after Mr. Handsome and risking getting her scales all scratched up! When Dugtrio popped back out, slamming into Annabelle from below and sending her spiraling through the attic and clattering against some cardboard boxes, she immediately popped back up. Ouch. “Honey, we haven’t even discussed moving in together, yet. Your Pokeball or mine?” She chuckled with a sharp, firm frown that showed she wasn’t very happy with the attack. “It’s rude to start fighting this early into the relationship. We haven’t even went on our honeymoon.”

She turned her head to something shiny on the ground. A strange red bottle with a white sprayer head. What was this? Gulp! Yum! She immediately plucked it off the ground and gobbled it down in one quick gulp. There that was, all nice and super yummy! Turning on Dugtrio once more and sobbed profusely, large tears spilling all around her. “But you were just going to ask for my fin in marriage!” She wailed, building a large pressure of water in the back of her throat, which she aimed at Dugtrio once more. “How could you tell me I don’t belong?! Your family is my family! That’s what it means to say ‘I do’!” She wailed.

OOC: Using Caribes' only Super Potion on Annabelle and then having Annabelle use Water Pulse! Not self-updating so Super Potion can be confirmed.

^{Words: 446 | Caribes - Babadook - Kayako - Scissorhands - Chuckie - Orla - Annabelle}

[Pixel]

<You are unhinged if you think I want any kind of union with you> The dugtrio scoffed. When the bruxish lunged for something hidden in the floorboards, the mole ducked down again, ignoring her wailing and accusations to burrow deep. A few seconds later, the trio emerged again, slamming the bruxish around. That should have done it...stupid fish must have found a healing item. No matter, it would defend its master no matter what! <I will protect MY family from YOU because YOU are not MY family and never will be. My duty is to my humans. They need me. And I will not tolerate anyone getting between me and them.> Before it could bury itself again, Annabelle shot another water pulse at the dugtrio and this one did the trick.

The rings slammed into her wayward groom and in a daze, he sank back into his burrow and did not re-emerge, the quaking floorboards now calm and still.

She was victorious!

Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Dugtrio  LV 20
HP 0% [0/50]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Annabelle  LV 19
HP 45% [27/60]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

Dugtrio [Arena Trap]: Status
Annabelle [Dazzling]: Status

SP59 Dugtrio used Dig! It disappeared
SP45+ Bruxish ate a super potion! Bruxish was restored to full health!
SP59 Dugtrio used Dig! It reappeared
SP45 Bruxish used water pulse! 
Dugtrio was knocked out!

---

Annabelle gained +3 LVs and grew to LV 22

She is trying to learn disable. Forget a move and learn disable?

(-1 Super Potion)

[Caramell 🍬]

Annabelle stared inside of the burrow with sharp violet eyes. They flickered, taking the smallest inkling of movement for a positive sign. Water spurted temporarily from her lips, chasing the wayward groom deeper inside of his hole. “I think he’s taken care of.” She snorted, raising her head up victoriously whilst glancing around the room curiously. “Have you found anything useful up here yet?” She questioned Chuckie, who peeled the top off another box and dug around inside of the container.

Old clothes meant for a child who had outgrown them, snuggled between large plushies once adored beyond their prime. They were memories that no longer fit in the other room, carefully packaged away, and shipped to exile in the attic so that they wouldn’t hoard too much room. Another crate revealed strange records that Chuckie had never seen before. They were large, round discs meant to be placed onto an old school record player, where music would easily feel the room as it spun around and sung its sweet melodies. A relic of a simpler time.

“I’m not sure I’m finding it anywhere in here.” He growled low underneath his breath and pushed himself away from the boxes that lined the attic. They’d managed to take the beast down. That was easy enough. Now they stood at the stairs that lead up to the attic and peered down just as a familiar face peered up at them, hands shaking as they stilled their nerves. “What was all the commotion about, you two?!” Caribes snapped firmly, eyes furrowing together angrily. “Have you found anything useful there or not?” They demanded.

They crawled down the ladder to stand beside their trainer studied the many doors that led to different areas of the house. They’d checked the master room and the attic, with little to show for it in the end. The kid’s room that their Pokemon originally entered the house through turned up very little, though that was to be expected. Caribes doubted it would be snugly tucked inside of the same living room where they kept the owners subdued. Had they missed some key clue in one of the other rooms, or was the risk of diving into the kitchen and nearby dining room worth it for the reward?

“We’ll split up. Chuckie, keep searching the attic. Annabelle, you search the main Bedroom. Babadook,” Caribes turned, placing two fingers inside of their mouth, and whistled loudly. Seemingly out of nowhere, a small furry hamster raced across the ground, stopping just short of colliding with Caribes’ legs. “There you are.” They laughed with a firm expression. “Babadook, you’ll check the Kitchen. You can fit easily under the sink and inside the dressers. I’ll search the Dining Room.” And with that, each part of the party would turn and stalk off to their respective areas of the house.

OOC: Looking for the crate! Everyone's searching a different section of the house to make sure nothing's missed. Annabelle forgets Astonish for Disable!

^{Words: 484 | Caribes - Babadook - Kayako - Scissorhands - Chuckie - Orla - Annabelle}

[Pixel]

It takes some time and some searching efforts. The TMs were hidden well. Caribes investigated the dining room and started to open all of the cabinets and drawers, pushing the books off decorated shelves in search of secrets or hints. However, it was when his foot snagged on the rug that his attention was grabbed. As he freed himself, he would see the floor looked a little different here. Like there was a very fine line on the wooden blanks that didn't quite align with the pattern. Pulling the table and chairs aside, he was able to flip the rub and reveal an obscured trap door. 

Bingo.

Pulling that up, he found various odds and ends, but most importantly, he found a crate of shiny discs. As he worked it out of the hole, a light flickered through a nearby window. Then, someone stepped in through one of the doors. 

It seemed as if the gig was up. The police had arrived on the scene.

Or at least...a single, cautious officer.

That flash light shined on Caribes' face and the officer fumbled with the flashlight.

"Freeze! Don't move!"

All the noise from the earlier battle had attracted attention.

---

Policeman Dean and his [LV12] Growlithe are on the scene!

[Caramell 🍬]

They plundered through the house. Valuables and priceless memories were scattered about as the elderly yanked open cabinet doors and dresser drawers. They tossed silverware on the ground and scattered plates with barely a cursory glance at their own handiwork. There was little time to think. Precious as the seconds were to Caribes, they knew that they must work quickly. In their haste and need to tear apart the house itself, Caribes even knocked the large wooden table over and tossed a few of the chairs out of their way. It had to be around here somewhere!

“Sure, sure.” The small apparition complained underneath his voice, scurrying back up the long wooden stairs into the attic once more. Most of the cardboard boxes and plastic crates had been picked through pretty thoroughly. The ground rumbled underfoot, causing Chuckie to flinch momentarily as flashbacks of Annabelle’s opponent flooded his mind. “Man…let that stupid wolf-rat show back up…and I’ll really show him a challenge” He scoffed quietly with a smirk, ripping apart some blouses he’d found stashed away in a corner of the room. Try as he might, nothing was here. So why was he still searching?

Annabelle floundered into the large bedroom whose impressive king sized bed rested snugly inside of a rich cherrywood set with matching chest of drawers and matching nightstands. She rammed the nightstand with her head and splashed the chest of drawers with a stream of pressurized water in her attempt to knock it open. Fins had their disadvantage, after all. Biting and tearing at the wood worked better with her strong jaws, and eventually she managed to scatter all of Mr. and Mrs. Dig’s personal clothes across the ground, flopping from one drawer to the next, as she searched. “Look at how these humans live!” She laughed at her own handiwork. “Absolutely filthy. Social Services should be called to take my future husband out of their custody!”

Babadook worked passionately alongside her trainer in the next room over, hopping on top of a nice looking black stove to squirrel herself inside of the cabinets above. She squeaked loudly in annoyed huffs while hopping from shelf to shelf, kicking several aluminum food cans, bags full of different items, and spices out of their homes to scatter to the ground below. “How much can two people eat?! They’re stocked so well they could feed a whole zoo!” She griped in annoyance as nothing seemed to turn up despite her best efforts. Could she return to her trainer empty handed? As she tried to envision such a thought, a cold shudder crawled down her spine. Nope! Not even going to try that!

Eventually, Caribes’ smirk curled with a dark sense of satisfaction as they kicked at one of the floorboards. So that was the game plan all along?! They pulled the rug up and tossed it into the nearby kitchen with ease. They weren’t going to leave this place emptyhanded, even if the screaming sirens wailing in the distance grew louder with every heartbeat nearly guaranteeing the arrival of International’s laziest Police Force. Pulling the floorboard up the elderly gent picked the crate up in hand and whistled loudly for their companions. Now to make their speedy escape! And…

Oh. Well, of course. Do a good misdeed and here come the stupid-hero patrol come to fail the day once again! “Before you go getting any odd ideas, officer.” Caribes sickening smile stretched a mile across either side of his face. “This isn’t breaking and entering. Go ahead and jot that down for the records. Mr. and Mrs. Digs welcomed me into their home with open arms.” A familiar pink bovine rolled to Caribes’ feet and looked up to her trainer with a wide, happy smile. She turned with a grumpy expression to the small red canine and shook her head. “You need to leave.”

“Orla, can you be a dear and show them the door? Seems they’ve mistaken us for would-be common core criminals. Rollout, please.” Though sweet and soft to the tone, their instructions were anything but a request. Orla was wise to the ways of her pack – something she delighted in as one of Caribes’ more impressive companions. “With pleasure! We were invited guests. You’re the ones who are being rude!” She snapped firmly, curling up into a tight ball as she barrelled across the ransacked home in Growlithe’s direction.

OOC: Sending out Orla and using Rollout!

^{Words: 741 | Caribes - Babadook - Kayako - Scissorhands - Chuckie - Orla - Annabelle}