Putrid Swamp

[Tiki]

-Eerie Wood-

Coming back to this soggy smelly stinky sticky swamp once again, Penelope sighed and continued making her way. She can't believe this stupid stinky swamp was a common area between other parts of the forest. She wasted no time moving along like she knew the path she took through the swamp for another time. If she looked down carefully, her footprints from the last time was probably still here! Although she would not do that because it stinks and looking down was just asking the stench to build up in your nose, no thank you!

-twilight glade-

[Pixel]

"What. Is that stench?!"

Silas fought down the urge to gag. It was bad enough that he had to put down the chikorita and double over by a tree. Yes, he was a bit delicate in constitution in some ways, but everything reeked of something sulfuric mixed with boiled garbage. Once he regained his composure a little, he checked his map again. He gagged. "Putrid Swamp. Understatement of the year." More hail slapped against his head and face, but he hardly cared as he was too focused on his churning gut.

Mercenary also looked offended by the smell.

She had embers in her maw, but they sizzled and popped a bit and Silas recalled what happened when you mixed the wrong kinds of gas with fire.

"Try not...to use fire...Mercenary. If you see a threat, use dark pulse instead," Silas groaned and focused on trying to calm his stomach. Eventually he'd go nose blind to the smell, right? That annoyance, Shinya, was probably right behind him, mocking him, but at the moment, Silas couldn't care less. 

Mercenary growled at something Silas obviously didn't see and blasted it with dark energy.

 

—

Word Count: 200 | OOC:

Use Dark Pulse on Ghostie

Syndicate HP [ 85/89 ]
Mercenary HP [ 80/85 ]

Ghosts defeated: Cypress Rest, Eerie Wood

Waiting for ghostie

[Venominon]

Comin' in from the Eerie Wood

As soon as Shinya set foot in the Putrid Swamp, both of his Pokemon had similar reactions as the one Silas had almost immediately. "BLEH! This place reeks!" Yanma was the first to voice her displeasure, covering her nose and mouth with her front legs and flapping her wings rapidly to try and blow the stench away from them. Unfortunately, it was a losing battle. "Pew! Did somethin' crawl into this place and die...a hundred times?!" Sizzlipede went next, glaring all around at their new surroundings, and beginning to make some fire appear from his mouth to eliminate the odors in the air. However, just as Silas had done with Mercenary, Shinya raised a hand and stopped him, having seen far too many cartoons to let anything like what would've probably happened next happen.

"Probably not a good idea, Sizzlipede. I'd rather not get blasted off like those Team Rocket scrubs today. Or ever for that matter." His Pokemon listened to him, but both Sizzlipede and Yanma were confused, wondering why Shinya wasn't gagging on the very air all around them. "Boss...how can this not be burnin' the inside of your nose?" The Clear Wing Pokemon asked her trainer, but her voice sounded different, since she was still clutching her nose and mouth tightly. In response to her question, Shinya shrugged his shoulders, making absolutely no efforts to shield himself from the foul stenches of the Putrid Swamp. "Meh. Garbage is already piled high in the streets back home. Honestly, this place kinda reminds me of home." The Bug type trainer answered in a nonchalant tone of voice, and his two Pokemon found themselves wondering once again about the kind of environment their trainer was raised in.

And while that was going on, Shinya was once again able to catch up with Silas, once again taking notice of his very obvious discomfort and desperation to leave this forest behind. "Careful there, suit. If ya pass out on me, I'm not gonna carry ya outta here. You've been warned." Once more, unable to resist the urge, Shinya had some fun at Silas' expense, smirking at chuckling at the older trainer after he finished speaking to him in a half sarcastic tone. But, of course, the trainer from Alola was still on the lookout for wandering spirits, standing atop a fallen log and waiting for the next pair to show themselves. Hopefully, this time around, Team Skull would be able to take at least one of them down and not rely on Shinya's powers to make an impression. "Let's try this again, Sizzlipede. Use Bite on the first ghost ya see."

OOC: Also waiting for the next ghost to appear. If it's another double battle, then just have Sizzlipede use Bite on one of them. But if not, then Running Shoes used please.

[Rexman]

It was hard to imagine that Pokemon would live in an environment such as this. Yet, many Pokemon did, either because they were at home in the noxious fumes, or they couldn't smell in the first place. The muck and mire bubbled and roiled with the somewhat liquid that resided in the pools and shallows of this most nasty section of Ilex.

If it weren't for this particular quest, would either trainer ever step foot in place like this? Probably not, unless they were Pokemon hunting.

Areas such as this were often hot, sticky and humid from the decomposition happening all around them, but right now, both Silas and Shinya would start to feel a drop in temperature. The woods were very weird when it came to temperature fluctuations, and so it had to be something important to cause a change.

The space before them started to shimmer before a duo of Pokemon would materialize, their single red eyes glowing in the gloomy darkness of the swamp.

Beee goneeeeee. Youuuu can't save itttttt they moaned, before disappearing into the shadows. Suddenly they appeared again, much closer than before.

Twin ghosties want to play with you. Go here to battle.

[Venominon]

With another pair of ghosts slain, Sizzlipede returned to his trainer's right arm, while said trainer grinned and nodded with pride. Even though his Pokemon wasn't the one to strike the finishing blow for a second time since this unexpected detour began. Hopefully, the next spiritual encounter would be different, now that Sizzlipede seemed to have grown stronger. Be that as it may, there was no denying that Silas and his team were still ahead of them. A fact that Shinya was quite well-aware of, as he turned to glance at Silas and Mercenary yet again, narrowing his eyes at the other trainer once more. Silas may have been fatigued and nearing his wits end, but there was still something about this man that sent out danger signals, which the Bug type trainer was quick to pick up on.

Regardless, the whimpering of the Chikorita in his bag snapped him out of it, causing him to once again focus on the matter at hand. But rather than wait for Silas to catch his breath, the Alolan trainer smirked again, deciding to take the lead himself this time. "Hey, suit! My Pokemon and I are gonna go on ahead! Catch up with us when ya can! Or rather...IF ya can!" Shinya called out to Silas, then he and his two Bug type Pokemon chuckled, unable to resist the urge to do so for the umpteenth time since they crossed paths. After that, with Yanma and Sizzlipede still clinging to his head and arm, respectively, the Team Skull grunt jumped from the fallen log he stood on, landing on another one that was several feet away. From there, he jumped over to the next one, then the next, and the next, heading down south and straight out of the Putrid Swamp.

OOC: Shinya and his Pokemon move on to their next destination. Sombre Valley.

[Pixel]

 
Mercenary banished the last ghost with ease and then they were back to being alone with Shinya. The punk trudged ahead, taunting him a bit about keeping up. Urg. Silas wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and straightened up. "It's time to go," he groaned, wincing a bit at the smells that continued to bombard him. While he was indeed slower than Shinya this time around, Silas wasn't down and out. He kept walking until he got to that spot where Shinya jumped down and shook his head. 

Nope.

He wasn't going to fall into swamp water. He called out Syndicate and motioned to the opposite shore, "Get me over there, quickly now. And don't you dare drop me!" The honchkrow made a few upset sounds about the smells, but that seemed to be motivation enough for him to do as he was told. He grabbed Silas and hauled him over the swamp water. Once on the other side, he returned both of the pokemon so he could more easily scramble his way free of the swamp.

A couple minutes later, he was back to being hot on Shinya's tail.

—

Word Count: 200 | OOC:

Syndicate HP [ 85/89 ]
Mercenary HP [ 80/85 ]

Ghosts defeated: Cypress Rest, Eerie Wood, Putrid Swamp

Moving to Sombre Valley

[Venominon]

Comin' back in from Sombre Valley

Having successfully navigated his way through the fog, mostly due to the smell, Shinya returned to the Putrid Swamp with an arm full of rocks he got from the forest floor. His next destination was the Twlight Glade, which he knew from the map on his Pokegear was just north of the Putrid Swamp. But before going any further, the Bug type trainer made use of the rocks in his arm, tossing them out in front of him at regular intervals as he went. If he heard a splash, he changed direction. If he heard a THUD, he proceeded that way. For obvious reasons, Shinya didn't wish to accidentally stumble into one of the pools of slime and filth as he made his way through the Putrid Swamp once again. Thankfully, his plan worked like a charm, as he soon reached the other side of the swamp, then continued on to his next destination.

OOC: Shinya now moves on to the Twilight Glade.

[Pixel]

 
Silas was right on Shinya's heels. 

He wasn't going to stumble in this mess alone. 

Fortunately, Shinya's rock throwing method seemed to work wonders and they trudged through the swamp with little issue save for violated nostrils and damp shoes. Silas did have to lean on a tree or rock a few times to steel himself. The smell was still as awful as before and he wanted OUT of this place. His gut roiled uncomfortably and he was lucky not to hurl.

After stumbling about in the fog for a while, that putrid smell became...less. Which meant they had successfully navigated to the edge of this vile place that deserved to be burnt to nothingness. If only swamps weren't notorious for noxious gasses which could possibly alight end turn into giant explosions. Otherwise he would indeed attempt some casual arson.

—

Word Count: 000 | OOC:

Coming from Sombre Valley.

Syndicate HP [ 85/89 ]
Mercenary HP [ 80/85 ]
King's HP [ 59/67 ] | Status: Poisoned
Ghosts defeated: Cypress Rest, Eerie Wood, Putrid Swamp, Sombre Valley

Moving to Twilight Glade.

[Pixel]

"Ewwww, what's that smell!? Blah."

Tommy grabbed his face and pinched his nose as they entered the putrid swamp. Heimdal whined and Sarge growled, ears flat. The sensitive noses here were being utterly bombarded by the noxious fumes of the swamp. Adrian grimaced as he stepped into a sludgy puddle on the ground and promptly tried to kick the gunk off his shoes, as he simultaneously pulled the collar of his shirt up over his nose and mouth.

Eyes watering from the stomach churning stench, Adrian did his best not to stagger to a tree and hurl. Tommy clearly was struggling in that department as well.

"We're not going to linger here. C'mon," he urged, but as they traversed the swamp, they discovered that their path would require going into that putrid water. THAT was something none of them wanted. Adrian looked around and quickly spotted a solution to their woes. Grabbing a ball, he sent out Zoro again, who bucked his head and glowered at him. "I know. I know. I just need you to knock down that hollow tree right there so we can have safe crossing."

Oblivious to any onlooking spirits who would want to haunt them, Adrian watched as Zoro pumped himself up for the charge before throwing himself at the tree to knock it over with a tremendous splash.
 

—

Word Count: 000 | OOC:
Zoro uses Work Up + Assurance on ghostie encounter.
If defeated, Porygon is holding exp share

Sarge HP: [70/72]

Ghosts Defeated: Cypress Rest, Eerie Wood

(Adding an NPC and mini side quest for fluff)

Coming from Eerie Wood.

[Caramell 🍬]

The gloomy swamps stretched on in odd directions with large cypresses and thick mangroves outstretching towards Adrian and the young boy. Strange sounds stirred through the terrain. Guttural growls gurgled just above the murky waters. Small bubbles arose announcing hidden mysteries below their deaths. As they traveled through the swamps initially on foot, they may have felt something almost slimy slide past them just beneath the surface. The spirit that monitored them snickered, its large red eyes burning with a strange passion.

“Yuummmyyy sooouuulllsss!” It chanted, its voice filling the thick bushy trees around them in repetition. A strange body dangled in the air above like a movie. An man in his late forties with a receding hairline nearly chased halfway up his head knelt with his hands bound behind his back and feet tethered together. The eyes searched in fear and in anger everywhere then turned to a strange burning red fire as they spotted Adrian with delight. “Giiivveeee mmmmeeee ttthhheeee sssooouuullll!” He struck out through the darkness, slashing Zoro on his side.

Zoro retaliated, rearing up and slamming his horns into the ghostly apparition with a powerful thunk! Duskull reeled back, screeching at the top of his lungs! Something flashed in the illusion that dangled above – a strange metallic item with sharpened edges. It was flung eerily into the late-forties bound man, before everything changed and the entire area painted itself in a sea of crimson red. Then…peace. The spell lifted as the Duskull floated far away, leaving behind a singular warning. “Thhheee sooouuullll wwwiiillllll bbbeeeee oouuurrrsss!” Now leaving the Putrid Swamp much brighter than it had once been.

---

Zoro gained 2 levels.
Zoro increased to Level 21!


Porygon gained 1 level.
Porygon increased to Level 12!

SPOILER: Click to show

Duskull's Night Shade: (crit) miO5vzzjp_1-16 (strength) p_1-16
Zoro's Assurance: (crit) p_1-16 (strength) p_1-16

Zoro's HP [46/63]1-16·1-16·1-16·1-16

[Pixel]

"We can cross here," Adrian said, pointing to the now felled tree. But as he did so, a shudder went up his spine and he looked around, on high alert. Alarmed and on edge, his set grit as he sense the evil spirit somewhere near. Zoro thrashed his head and Adrian saw the rippling bubbles...that turned into a horrifying illusion. "Close you eyes!" he shouted to Tommy, who covered his face as instructed, trembling in terror as the ghost wailed its threat. 

Adrian kept the sick grass-type close to his chest as he ushered Heimdal across the fallen tree and then followed suit, water sloshing as they crossed the swamp with urgency. The ghost had taken on a terrifying form—that of an aged man who looked like he'd been potentially murdered, his body thrown in the swamp, never to be seen again. But Zoro was there for the rescue. As Adrian reached dry land, the bull whirled on the ghost and charged, head thrashing back and forth. 

He watched as a horn jabbed into the ghost's form and shattered its illusion quite soundly. One hit and the wails faded. The air became easier to breathe. The swamp seemed brighter. Adrian let out a sigh of relief and checked on Tommy, who was quivering, hands still over his face.

"Hey, it's okay now, the ghost is gone," Adrian assured him.

"I don't like it here," the boy whimpered.

"I know. I'm getting you out of here as fast as possible."

"But what about the chikorita? It's sick...we have to help it first." Tommy pointed out.

"You're in danger and—"

"You'll keep me safe, officer. I trust you."

Adrian bit his tongue and just...nodded curtly, "Regardless, we need to get out of this part of the forest." Of course, Adrian wasn't exactly the best with directions. He was doing his best to get back to the shrine so they could navigate to the exit, but he wasn't sure if he was on track until he was certain of which zone he was in. So all he could do was keep moving and hope his terrible sense of direction didn't get the pair of them hopelessly lost in the heart of this forest, especially while all the ghosts lurked and loomed.
 

—

Word Count: 400 | OOC:

Sarge HP: [70/72]
Zoro's HP [46/63]

Ghosts Defeated: Cypress Rest, Eerie Wood, Putrid Swamp

(Adding an NPC and mini side quest for fluff)

Moving to Sombre Valley

[Pixel]

What could be said about the putrid swamp that had not been said already? It was putrid. Nobody wanted to be here. And Adrian was certainly not of a dissenting opinion. This place smelled foul, looked just as unappealing, and between the ghosts, the sick pokemon and the scared child, he didn't see a need to loiter. He urged Heimdal forward as fast as possible through this part of the forest, hoping the stench of the swamp didn't cling to his clothes or skin for too long after this was done. 

Maybe his sinuses were burned out from the stench, but by the time they crossed again, taking a different direction in hopes of escaping back towards the shrine, he was...ALMOST able to breathe without wanting to violently purge the contents of his stomach. 

"Hurry," Tommy complained.

"I am."

"This place suuuucks."

"Sucks less if your mouth is shut."

"..." Tommy blew a raspberry. 

"You know I'm right," Adrian grunted.

"...Yeah," Tommy grumbled, trying to smother the stench in Heimdal's warm fur. Just a little longer and they would be through this place. Adrian could see where the trees parted up ahead. Freedom! And with luck, no more swamp ever again!
 

—

Word Count: 200 | OOC:

Sarge HP: [70/72]
Zoro HP: [56/74]

Ghosts Defeated: Cypress Rest, Eerie Wood, Putrid Swamp, Sombre Valley

(Adding an NPC and mini side quest for fluff)
Porygon is holding exp share.

Coming from the Sombre Valley.
Going to the Twilight Glade!

[Pixel]

They were finally out of the Eerie Forest. And into a horribly wretched swap that smelled so foul that her stomach twisted and Arcanine whimpered. "Urg, I know, buddy, this is awful. Let's get through here quickly." Her companion whined more, not wanting to go forward, whimpering like a hurt puppy because his nose was being violated by this stench. Uh oh. She tried to urge him on and he just wouldn't move. "Hey Lola...we may have to walk for a bit, Arcanine seems to be overwhelmed by the smells here..."

"Oh it's fine. I don't have much of a sense of smell anyway!" she slid off Arcanine's back alongside Freya, still holding the chikorita like a baby. "Alright, let us be on, yes? This sandstorm looks like it may clear up soon...but who am I to predict the weather?" Freya had to marvel at the woman and how she wasn't bent over gagging from the smell.

"Right." Freya returned Arcanine and would have returned Teddiursa, but she climbed onto her shoulder and stubbornly clung to her hair. "...Okay, fine, you can stay out and suffer with us if you're gonna be stubborn. Your trainer is going to have his hands full with you."

"Oh, are you not its trainer?" Lola asked, motioning at the teddi.

"Technically, no, I'm just raising her for her actual trainer. I mean, I feel rather bonded to her right now, but..." She smiled fondly. "I know one day my role in her life will come to an end. I am helping her get stronger in return for room and board. He runs this ranch and pokemon breeding service, and he raises all these pokemon. Sometimes, he just needs help with a few promising pokemon. Like Teddiursa here...and I have a Marill too I am raise. Though...he does seem to have a soft spot for what his pokemon want. His clefable, Star, is traveling with me right now because she connected with me the moment we met. I think he was sad that this pokemon he raised from a baby so easily bonded with a stranger, but he didn't want to make her unhappy by not allowing us to journey together."

She sighed and smiled a bit, "And part of what makes a pokemon journey so special...are the friendships you make along the way. Even if you have to say goodbye sometimes. Not every partnership is forever."

Freya might have continued, but Teddiursa growled again and leapt off her shoulder into the storm. She saw the little bear do a little dance before lunging at something she couldn't see. Another ghost?

—

Word Count; 426 (+400)| OOC:

Coming from Eerie Woods.
On Forest's Blessing Quest.

Sending out Teddiursa.
Using swords dance + crunch on encounter.


(Adding an NPC to my journey for flavor)

[Caramell 🍬]

There remained a strange presence that permeated through the swampland. Large red orbs glowed through the canopies, small hints of something else lurked through the shadows lingering around the tall grasses sweeping in the thick overgrowth of the surrounding forest. Water seeped around cattails and swallowed the large roots of gigantic cypresses. Large telupos with their drab gray barks and thick, bushy green canopies loomed between the willows and oaks sprinkled around the ever-present cypress trees. Strange piles of purple slime bubbled along the surface of the water, sometimes seemingly becoming one as they swamp through its murky depths and sometimes sitting atop its surface.

A small purple skunk slipped through the tall grasses just past the watery depths where solid ground should once more remain. They stopped briefly, strange beady eyes staring beyond the mist and haze of the dark surroundings as the thick canopies above Freya’s head choked out the sun’s warm light. Then, as though they were merely reveries dreamt up by Freya herself, they popped off into silhouettes that only dance with the surrounding winds. Even the sentient sludge piles shifted off quickly, rushing each other and unusually fast compared to their relatively sluggish forms. Something hunted within this forest – something hidden and not quite seen.

Teddiursa’s growl caused the ghost to appear in the blink of an eye – as large in size as the tallest cypress, it tried to gobble up the world with its body along. Teddiursa danced, slashing its arms in front of itself as though it carried invisible weapons and even giving a couple of kicks in the air. “YOUR SOULS WILL BE MINE!” The ghost roared, blinking twice with long, slow, and deliberate blinks that caused Teddiursa to forget how it previously just danced. When Teddiursa rushed forward and bit it, the ghost would shrink back into the shadows once more. “YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE LAST OF US!” It screams, as though it were a villain off some cartoon show.

Freya defeated Evil Spirit Duskull!

Feel free to continue your trek.

Click for details, no need for Battle Database:

SPOILER: Click to show

Teddiursa gains +2 levels to [Lv 20]!

[Pixel]

As Teddiursa lashed out at the ghost, the sandstorm rushing around them seemed to slow...no. It faded entirely. She lifted her head and saw that the swamp was no longer being tormented by a sepia haze. Oh. Wow. That...barely improved things. It was still gross here. She was idly aware of the haze before Teddiursa cleared it with a good CHOMP.

<Go away! Nobody cares about your stupid haunting or revenge or whatever. We have places to beeeee. Like out of this icky swamp. Blah. This place is gross. And it reeks. Can we get out of here now that I got rid of that creep?> Teddi complained.

"Well...I certainly agree with you there. But you have to quit running off." Freya scolded, scooping up the little bear. "Lola, are you okay?"

"I'm fine dearie! I have this little one all safe as well." She pet the chikorita in her arms, still trembling and ill. "Let us be on our way. Once we are out of this swamp, that arcanine of yours will help us progress, yes?"

"Ah, yes, he just really hates the smell of the swamp."

And off they'd go. They needed to get back to the shrine...but which way was the right way?

—

Word Count; 206 | OOC:

heading to sombre valley


(Adding an NPC to my journey for flavor)