Putrid Swamp

[❤ Aphrodite ❤]

Coming from Eerie Wood...

Aphrodite and her Pokemon soon found themselves wondering inside of a mysterious and gloomy swamp. The golden-haired Beauty Trainer's warm golden eyes taking in the sight of the dripping trees with dark trunks and silver moss hanging from their branches, rotten tree trucks, cloudy water, and some sort of curling mist surrounding the place. She also could not ignore the awful stench of the wetlands that caused her to cough and gag every once in a while. "For crying out loud, how could such a foul play like this exist inside of a forest?" She questioned out loud, carefully stepping over some decaying debris. "I feel like I can barely breath here. It's as if I am breathing in toxins or something. Ugh, I am sure that a place like this is crawling with p-po-poison types!" She added as she continue to walk. Chikorita was still resting inside of her protective arms, Titania walked beside her on the left and Salem glided next to her on the right.

Aphrodite's attention was soon taken away from the hideous environment around her when she heard one of her Pokemon wince out in pain. "Oh... I almost forgot that you were burned during that last battle," Aphrodite spoke out as she stopped walking and turned her attention on her Mimikyu. "Titania, take care of Chikorita for a bit," Aphrodite told her Kirlia, carefully handing the ill grass-type Pokemon over to her. Titania wrapped her arms around the grass-type and held her close to her body. She felt determined not to let anyone take her new friend away from her. Meanwhile, Aphrodite would dig into her bag to pull out a Burn Heal. She would then later herself down to Salem's level a bit. She stared at the ragdoll-like Pokemon for a few seconds as she attempted to muster up some courage. Aphrodite could not deny the fact that she often still found herself being slightly creeped out by the Ghost/Fairy-type Pokemon. Unlike the other fairy-types on her team, Salem is not known for his cuteness. However, he has managed to defense his trainer quite often through her journey.

"S-Salem...I know that we might not always see eye-to-eye with one another, but I want you to now that I care about you as much as I care about the other Pokemon on my team...I know that I might not always express that to you, but I do. And thank you... Thank you for always looking out for me even when I'm not being the kindest to you." She spoke out to the Mimikyu, a gentle smile spread across her lips. Salem would glance up at his trainer with his pitch-black eyes before giving her a quirky smile of his own. Without any other words, Aphrodite would spray the medicine on her Mimikyu's body to heal him from the annoying burn.

"Alright, let's get out of here before something bad happens," she added, taking the Chikorita away from Titania then leading her Pokemon a little further into the swamp.

---

Seeking wandering spirit encounter.

OOC: -x1 Burn Heal to heal Salem from his burned status.
Salem will also replace Astonish with Baby-Doll Eyes.

[Tarlar]

The forest changed surprisingly fast when the ghost had disappeared, one moment it was en eerie wood and the next it was a swamp full of stinking bog, it was like it had all changed around her without her taking more than a few steps. Of course that was impossible, it was probably the gasses or the subtly change of forest which had made it seem so.
Aphrodite's guess that this place was crawling with poison types was correct, she'd see the purple tail of one disappeared into the undergrowth, which surely meant there were a lot more around.

Aphrodite only got to take the chikorita back and stand up, when a "something bad" happened. A duskull had materialized soundlessly and hung in the air in front of them, its one eye burned with determination and it pointed at the grass pokemon and then at the ground. It was clear it wanted them to leave the sick pokemon behind if they wanted to leave, when they didn't do so immediately, it looked offended and its eye jumped wildly from one socket to the other.
It then gestured with an arm like a lord would to a servant and from the depths of the bog grimers began to rose and form a circle around Aphrodite and her two pokemon.

The duskull floated forward and right through some of the hanging vines and mosses like they weren't there at all, and once again pointed, very firmly, at the watery ground right in front of Aphrodite. She would see that there was a large puddle, but this being a swamp it might very well be bottom less and if she placed Chikorita down right here, it would sink into the depths.
The ghost was not going to let them leave with the chikorita, and the grimer's effectively blocked their path, although they didn't do anything unless they tried to push their way through. This was their master's fight.

Duskull [Lv 16] blocks your path!
Continue to battle here

(ooc: you forgot to write an ending in Eerie Wood and travel to here, please remember to do that next time ^^ Deducted burn heal and updated moves.

Note: Salem has 55/58 HP)

[❤ Aphrodite ❤]

"I can't even keep count of how many of those spirits we've encounter so far. It's like they're getting even more dangerous each time we encounter one... Still, I want to know what is it that the decided to put a spell on you and why are they trying to take you away from me," Aphrodite spoke, glancing down at the shivering grass-type Pokemon resting in her arms. "I guess it doesn't really matter, but I'm not going to let them take you," she added with a warm smile. Without wasting anymore time, Aphrodite and her Pokemon would make their exit from the swamp and head to their next destination.

Heading to Twilight Glade...

[❤ Aphrodite ❤]

Arriving from Eerie Wood...


"This is literally the last place that I wanted to travel back to...Oh, well. The sooner we can locate this special item the faster we will be able to leave," she stated, calling out her Pokemon and instructing them to search for the mysterious item once more.

Despite being entirely grossed out by the swamp, Aphrodite managed to push through her thoughts and emotions long enough to help her Pokemon search for the missing item. Unfortunately, after searching for a decent amount of time Aphrodite and her Pokemon would have to leave empty handed. "No luck here, but I think that I can see a path that we haven't explored yet, so maybe we will find what we're looking for there," she added with a little more hope as she headed towards the new path.

---

Heading towards Sombre Valley...

[❤ Aphrodite ❤]

Aphrodite's face was covered with a disgusted expression as she made her way through the Putrid Swamp. If there was one thing that she hated about having to back track through certain parts of the forest it was having to travel back through this horrendous swamp. Well, at least her and her Pokemon did not get attacked by wandering spirits and surrounded by Grimer this time. After fighting through the swamp, Aphrodite and her Pokemon finally made it through to the other side.

---

Headed to Twilight Glade.

[Caramell 🍬]

Team Notes: Kumaneko HP 30/60 | Ika HP 33/57 [26/50 before level up].
Ghost Encounters: Cypress Rest, Eerie Wood

 
MISHU MIZUMA
Dark Type Trainer •
Education / Science

The strange woods slowly transformed. Water rushed in between the spots where bright grasses grew taller and wilder. Bright yellow marigolds sparkled in the marshy regions, enveloped by sweeping cattails and wild bulrush. Large ferns fought over them for dominance, alongside massive bald cypresses whose expansive roots protruded from the surface of the murky waters down into their depths. Mishu was careful, walking along dryer pathways so that her feet wouldn’t sink deep into the watery ground that buckled and squished between her shoes. This was a different terrain, though still familiar to many parts of Ilex, and required careful consideration as she navigated through its path.

“Kumaneko, be careful!” Mishu stopped along her path and called out with her hands cupped around her mouth. Her hardheaded panda skirted to a stop and turned around, staring her trainer down with eyes that burned through your soul. Anger sparked between them, sure and true. Within the anger were tints of pain that shimmered like glitter sprinkled on top of a wooden desk. “These spirits…are they the cause? The reason why you were chased into Azalea?” Realization slowly settled between them as Kumaneko nodded her head slowly. Surely.

“They have to pay. They all have to pay for what they’ve done!” Kumaneko snapped firmly with a loud growl that shook her to her core. She sighed, her lips furling down into a soft frown. What did Kumaneko and the other Pancham endure before? Mishu slowly approached her Pokemon, using a fallen tree like a bridge to walk over a large bank of swamp water, and leaned down to stare her in her eyes. She would have scooped the small cub up into her arms, but she couldn’t risk placing the sick Chikorita down in the murky waters.

“You poor thing.” Mishu stated slowly. Perhaps, the spirits simply weren’t native inhabitants of the surrounding forest. If this was true, that would make a lot of sense. Invasive species were harmful often because of their ability to outcompete the native creatures and plants, often choking them out of their natural homelands. “Let’s set the story straight, then.” It would be a conservative effort in her part, if she helped ensure that these invasive ghost Pokemon were properly removed or shooed off from Ilex altogether. Kumaneko perked up as she smiled and pressed her head against Mishu’s leg. “Thank you.” The small bear whispered through a soft and low growl.

Set at Day

WORD COUNT: 411 words
OOC: Coming from Eerie Wood. Looking for next encounter!

^{Mishu | Ziggy | Wanigara | Sakka | Yōsei | Ika | Kumaneko}

[Marchbaby]

The spirits were well aware of Mishu reaching the next area and the guardian spirit of the putrid swamp lie in wait ready to strike as soon as the young trainer was in prime position for an ambush. The mucky terrain of the putrid swamp made any ambush easy but the spirit had no doubts that trying to strike too early would be a costly mistake. It was well aware that she had already defeated some of it's friends and it had no intention of falling to Mishu. It's plans were a bit harder to set up however as the Pancham next to her would have a type advantage and things could quickly spiral out of control if it wasn't defeated first.

Unlike some of the other spirits this Duskull had some ability to counteract a type disadvantage however it would be defenseless if it were to be outpaced by the young panda. The Duskull could only hope that the poor terrain would slow Kumaneko down enough to outpace the bear and spring a trap against it before she could get an attack off. By now the Duskull knew if it did not strike now any chance of catching Mishu off guard would be lost as it sprung from the mucky waters in front of her and ushered in a warning to the trainer.

" Give up on your quest or suffer our curse! Chikorita's soul belongs to us!" It screeched before making a beeline dive for Kumaneko.

Duskull (Level 17) is trying to chase Mishu off from her quest. Defeat the evil specter here.

[Tiki]

-Eerie wood-

This part of the forest was stinky and wet, as Penelope looked down on the ground when her shoes made splashy noise on the deep puddles. She would have to be careful to not get these stinky mud on her clothes and shoes, and the ongoing rain wasn't helping with the soaked state of her clothes. Clutching onto the Chikorita, she watched as the poor grass type twitched and murmured in pain.

She figured there should be another one of these ghost here. She stopped on a dry patch of land and looked around again, whispering to her Pokemon to help look for the next ghost.

-le waits-

[Pixel]

As Penelope trudged into the murky swamp, trying to not get her shoes and clothes (too) dirty, that eerie sensation returned. Dark and ominous and seething. Brimming with animosity. The ghosts whispered amongst each other of their brethren's defeat, but this tricky, sneaky ghost thought it had a plan. A good plan. No matter what it heard about a powerful, purifying azumarill that didn't even give a ghost a chance to do any sneaky scheming. 

It floated nearby, obscured, waiting for the opportune time to strike. Closer. Closer. Yes. Come closer Penelope. 

When the sensation of burning hatred became too much, a glowing red eye would appear suddenly in front of her, wispy arms reaching towards her, "Giiiiive us the chikorita. It's soul is ours. It cannot leave this place." It was clear that this pokemon planned to collide with Penelope and do who knows what with its icky, spooky ghost powers! Possession maybe? Could ghosts possess people or was that just an old wives tale to keep naughty children inside after dark and away from old, dangerous houses? 

Its presence was intense and overbearing.

Penelope would not want to be touched by the ghost AT ALL.

---

Duskull (Level 17) is trying to scare away Penelope.

Continue this encounter here.

[Tiki]

Penelope huffed grumpily at the silly Duskull. "You can't hold the Chikorita hostage! That's like, criminal!" Although the Pokemon themselves don't have a justice system, it certainly didn't sit right to her that some Pokemon themselves decided to gang up and to take the Chikorita hostage.

With the Duskull gone now, Penelope can't help but feel uneasy, as there were likely more of these ghost minions around. She hurriedly look for an exit in this pouring rain, and headed toward the next part of the forest.

-going to twilight glade-

[Caramell 🍬]

Team Notes: Kumaneko HP 30/60 | Ika HP 33/57 [26/50 before level up].
Ghost Encounters: Cypress Rest, Eerie Wood

 
MISHU MIZUMA
Dark Type Trainer •
Education / Science

Kumaneko watched the strange apparition disappear into the screaming rain that bellowed around them with sharp winds strong enough to nearly topple the trees where they stood. She had mixed emotions swelling inside of her chest. It was hard accepting the help of others on a task that felt so personal and close to her very being. These spirits terrorized her home. They scared her friends away from everything they’d never known or loved. They forced them to seek refuge, shelter, and steal valuable resources within the heart of Azalea itself just to survive. Yet, when it came time to face them, she was no better than a dog chasing its tail.

“Good job Ika.” The words were hollow as they tumbled from Kumaneko’s lips. They were devoid. Emptied of all personal feeling or emotion. She couldn’t let her heart leak into her statements. While she was proud to see how well Ika easily handled the spirit, and thankful that her buddy was able to take on the challenge as readily and easily as she did, her heart ached. She felt useless, like a pathetic Caterpie trying to face off with an overly powered Pidgeotto, trying to save its nest from the would be invader. Ika caught on and immediately floated over to Kumaneko. She wrapped her tentacles securely around her friend and hugged the black and white bear tightly. “Are you ok?”

Kumaneko shoved Ika off and shook her head firmly as she stood up. What was she doing? She didn’t need consoling! That was reserved for weaker Pokemon who let their emotions get the best of them. Kumaneko was far from that. She was strong. Fearless. Brave! There was nothing that she couldn’t tackle, even if she needed Ika’s help for this minor problem of hers. She didn’t need this strange ‘affection’ that was being offered, as though she were a broken doll desperate for repairs. “I’m fine, Ika! Please! Let’s just…hurry up to the next challenge, ok? Before it’s too late.” Kumaneko turned swiftly on her paws and rushed through the thick tangle of overgrown shrubs and creeping vines, desperate to run from the situation entirely.

Ika sighed sadly and stared down at the ground underneath her floating form. Had she said or done something wrong? Mishu walked over to her blue squid and knelt down beside Ika with a soft and gentle smile. “This is hard on Kumaneko.” Ika turned her attention back to her trainer, and stared into Mishu’s warm amber eyes with her dark charcoal hues. “She’s most likely used to being the tough one that everyone else can depend on.” Mishu continued to explain, slowly and gently to try and help pick up Ika’s spirits. “We need to give her some space to process her own emotions, but also need to be there to support her in this hard time she’s facing. I know it’s a lot to ask of you. Just know you’re doing a great job.”

Ika’s eyes brightened at Mishu’s mention of all her hard earned efforts paying off. It was great to know that she wasn’t messing things up terribly. She was valuable and useful. Even if the spirits were hard to negotiate with to help them find the solace they needed to finally rest for eternity, she was able to help Kumaneko out when she needed it most. As Mishu turned towards the forest and began pacing through the thick overgrowth, pushing thick vines out of her way and carefully crawling over large logs scattered from fallen trees, Ika would float silently behind her trainer in expectation of their next encounter.

Set at Day

WORD COUNT: 609 words
OOC: Ika will forget Acupressure and learn Slash. Moving to Sombre Valley!

^{Mishu | Ziggy | Wanigara | Sakka | Yōsei | Ika | Kumaneko}

[Caramell 🍬]

Team Notes: Kumaneko HP 30/60 | Ika HP 42/66 [38/62 before level up].
Ghost Encounters: Cypress Rest, Eerie Wood, Putrid Swamp, Sombre Valley

 
MISHU MIZUMA
Dark Type Trainer •
Education / Science

She was right and they were wrong! Look at all the dead, eerie trees that surrounded them! Kumaneko leaned down by familiar paw prints she’d left in the grassy dirt last time they trekked through the area and pointed with her claws as the anger boiled over inside of her chest. They wanted to believe in what they thought was right to such an extent, that they were having the team circle around aimlessly and allowing the ghostly apparitions to gain a foothold over them. “See this?! This is ME! That’s MY footprint! Do you see any other Pancham around here?! No! Because I MADE THIS!” Kumaneko roared angrily off her chest.

Ika paused and sighed softly as her charcoal hued eyes glanced around the area with a heavy heart. They were wandering around like lost puppets on a stage. Every tree and every turn they made, only drove them further along the same path. What was the end that they sought? Where would warmth and shelter be found, if they couldn’t even dig themselves out of the pit they’d fallen into? “I’m…I’m sorry Kumaneko…” Ika apologized softly, a few tears threatening to break free from the corners of her eyes. She was useless and offered no help. She could barely protect her friends from these strange ghosts who wanted to steal souls. And she couldn’t even help their hurting souls find peace.

Why was she even trying to help if she was such a useless sort? Ika turned and fled through the air deeper into the forest. Tangling branches reached out and cut the small squid in various places along her body. It stung, though not nearly as much as Kumaneko’s words. They burned through her soul, numbing Ika to all sorts of pains beyond the one she felt in her heart. “She’d be better off without me.” The small ghost cried softly in a whisper underneath her breath. Kumaneko fumed, her fur bristling along her arms and back. “If you both would have just LISTENED to me, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” She snapped angrily, stomping on her own tracks to try and erase them as though that would help them regain lost ground.

Mishu sighed, shaking her head softly. “We’ve been here before.” She stated softly, knowing all too well to give Kumaneko her space in this moment. “So has someone else, though? Look, other footprints.” She pointed to the fresh shoe prints in the ground made by another trainer who had previously made her way through this stretch of forest. Who else was out here beyond them? Were they at risk of falling victim to the strange spirits that plagued this land? They needed to hurry if they wanted to catch up to the other person, and possibly help save them before one of the spirits could ferry them away. “Come on Kumaneko, let’s keep up with Ika.” Mishu urged, running after her floating squid.

Kumaneko tossed her arms up to the skies in a grand gesture. “Sure! Ok! Why not?! It’s not like we HAVEN’T ALREADY SEEN ALL OF THIS before?! It’s not like there’s just MILLIONS OF PANCHAM making these footprints everywhere! They’re everywhere, I tell you! In the trees, under the ground, in the grass! Pancham galore! These aren’t my tracks AT ALL!” She stomped through the earth, snapping scattered twigs and smashing down tall grasses in her wake. She was absolutely furious! If they ran back into the same strange valley they’d just left, no one would help calm her down for a long time after they’d finally ever managed to find their way out.

Set at Day

WORD COUNT: 614 words
OOC: Coming from Eerie Wood and headed to Twilight Glade!

^{Mishu | Ziggy | Wanigara | Sakka | Yōsei | Ika | Kumaneko}

[Tiki]

Wait encounter. already did ghosty so just regular
Aqua Ring over Tail Whip
Azumarill Box 1, withdraw Shroomish from Box 3
for RP purpose, Azumarill is around
Coming from Eerie Wood

Coming back to the stinky smelly part of the forest, Penelope facially expressed her dislike of such discomforting smell. While she didn't feel the ghostly presence giving environmental chill, she thought she saw some Pokemon peeking out from the swamp watching them.

"They're not the ghost type Pokemon, you still want to take on them?" The fairy type Pokemon asked her friend.

"Yeah, why not? You got your workout in in this rain! Now it's my turn!" Narctar replied hastily.

"Well, don't take too long, the Chikorita looked like it's still struggling." Zuroy squeaked back at him.

[Pixel]

There was indeed a pokemon lurking nearby. It inched and oozed and slimed its way out of the swamp, a roiling, rippling blob of stinking sludge. The stench was already bad in the swamp, but the grimer's approach somehow made it more foul. Its foul form reeked so badly that it made Penelope's eyes burn and mouth grow dry from the stench. No doubt it was a reek worth bottling to sell as a weapon of war. 

But there was something of note beyond its smelliness.

Clutched in a globby hand was a firm, dark ball of sludge. It appeared compacted and blackened with all the toxicity of the swamplands. A normal pokemon might just catch ill from touching such a ball, but the grimer looked content, perhaps even pleased to have the sludge. It bobbed along, head tilted as it noticed Penelope's presence.

"Griiiiiiiiiiiimer!" it cried out. Uh oh. The stinky blob looked like it was going to charge at Penelope!

---

A (LV 11) grimer holding black sludge has appeared!
Continue this battle here.

Shiny? 6YCZ5mx01-42

SPOILER: Click to show

Uncommon? 1-4
Item? (1) 1-4 yes!
Level? 8-15

1-42·1-4·1-4·8-15

[Tiki]

After yet another Pokeball, the Grimer was finally captured! The grimy Chingling was free from the sticky grip of the poison type. With the pouring rain continued on, the grimy residue was quickly washed away from her small body.

"Hey um, Azumarill!" The Chingling floated up toward Zuroy.

"Yes?"

"I am actually no longer Jimmy's Chingling. I am Penelope's now. Anyways, I think she accidentally popped me open in the forest, so I am going back inside the Pokeball now." The Chingling spoke, clarifying a statement she heard earlier.

"Oh right! I am sorry!" She squealed in apology, as the Chingling motioned around Penelope until she returned her. Then, Zuroy also realized the rain had calmed down, and asked to returned to the Pokeball as well.

-going to Sombre Valley-