[Expedition] These Woods Are Definitely Haunted [COMPLETE]

[Andraia]

Let's go! Expedition time!​

Players participating: Andraia

Trainers participating: Shelby "Pip" Sirènes
Pokémon participating:

Shelby "Pip" Sirènes

Trainer Stats	2	4	3	1	-	1	2	2	4	2
​	STRENGTH​	VITALITY​	DEXTERITY​	INSIGHT​	SPECIAL​	TOUGH​	COOL​	BEAUTY​	CLEVER​	CUTE​
Little Guy #00099 - Beginner - N. Totodile​	3 (4)​	3 (4)​	1 (3)​	2 (4)​	1 (3)​	3 (5)​	1 (5)​	1 (5)​	1 (5)​	3 (5)​
Mezzo #00118 - Beginner - Chingling​	1 (3)​	2 (4)​	3 (4)​	2 (4)​	3 (4)​	1 (5)​	1 (5)​	3 (5)​	3 (5)​	1 (5)​
??? #00405 - Beginner - Pikachu (PW)​	2 (5)​	1 (4)​	2 (6)​	4 (5)​	2 (6)​	3 (5)​	2 (5)​	1 (5)​	1 (5)​	2 (5)​

Expedition Area: Area 002 - Darksallow Valley (Beginner)

 

[Andraia]

On each of their previous attempts to Bring to Light the Mysteries of Darksallow Valley ™ Pip had stuck close to the river. Their thought process was simple: these woods are scary and dark and probably easy to get lost in, and the river is a very easy landmark that is easy to follow right back out. That logic was flawless – what was, unfortunately, not flawless, was Pip’s mastery of the skills necessary for safe traversal of Dark and Scary Woods. They had been in and out of the Valley multiple times, and most of that had been spent trekking along the same stretch of river closest to the cave (which, they imagined, was probably the stretch most explored, by everyone).

So, in some foolish burst of Gumption, they decided to try a different path. They went to the side immediately after existing the cave, cut across the river (the river was wide, but they were an exceptionally good swimmer), and went straight into the thickest darkest part of the woods they could find.

Immediately after entering they began to question their sanity.

They decided it was probably in their best interests to have all of their pokemon out-and-about with them, just in case. (It would be just their luck to fall into another hole in such a way that they weren’t able to fish their pokeballs out.) It probably would have been best if they could have left pikachu in his ball, but he was the only one of Pip’s pokemon that could generate a little light if necessary… and looking into the deep shadows of the forest, they felt it might be necessary.

They passed between the trees with their timid little pikachu clutched in their arms, chingling hovering protectively over their shoulder, and regional totodile skipping happily through the underbrush ahead of them.

 

[Andraia]

The screen flashes and exciting music plays...​ Current Word Count: 307 Total GEs Earned: 1 GEs Already Used: 0

 

[Andraia]

Trainer Danger You stumble into a plant patch covered in stinging hairs. Roll: INS + DEX vs DC 2​

Pip has INS 1 and DEX 3 (4)
... and they fail!

-1 VIT (3 Remaining)​

 

[Andraia]

Pip had only had a few opportunities to work with their new pikachu since acquiring him… and he was a bit… robust, compared to most of the same species Pip was familiar with. He was also a very nervous little creature, twitching and squirming around at every strange noise or unexpected movement. The combination made him very awkward to carry. However, every time Pip tried to put him down, he immediately clambered back up their leg (which was uncomfortable both because their legs were bare and thus easily scratched by tiny little pikachu claws, and also because their swim trunks were held up by only some elastic and a flimsy drawstring, and they kept having to grab for their waistband before the pikachu accidentally pantsed them in the middle of the woods).

On their previous scramble up Pip’s bare leg they had gotten them pretty bad, it seemed. Their leg had been stringing a bit, and the stinging was starting to get worse… their face paled as the stinging evolved to burning, and they realized what must have happened! Sure enough, the side of their leg wasn’t just scratched up, but also showing the telltale red splotching of stinging nettle exposure!

Pip awkwardly shuffled the pikachu to one arm (distressing him with their panic, causing it to dig it’s little claws into their neck, which really wasn’t helping matters) and dig out their medicated cream (a new purchase – they at least learned from their previous experiences). Thankfully they had had the foresight to store it in an easily accessible side pocket. After they had dealt with their own immediate problem, they double checked that the pikachu and Little Guy hadn’t been affected, but they were both clear.

 

[Andraia]

(The roll attached to the previous post was unintentional.)​

 

[Andraia]

The screen flashes and exciting music plays...​ Current Word Count: 595 (307 + 288) Total GEs Earned: 2 GEs Already Used: 1 4 - Trainer Danger

 

[Andraia]

Discovery​ Something seems to be stuck just under some exposed tree roots. You find thick vines that end in rounded tips, reminding you of a particular pokemon. +1 Research​

 

[Andraia]

Little Guy was marching on ahead of Pip, sniffing around at every new tree and plant he came across. Pip wasn’t particularly worried about him, because they knew that he had very strong recall, and so far he had been very good about running back to them the moment he encountered anything dangerous. Of course, he was still very young and he wasn’t perfectly trained by any means, but he was definitely the best behaved of Pip’s small team. (This included the two pokemon Pip had left behind in their dorm – the Lapras and Vaporeon were both fine pokemon, and they knew that they could train them up quite nicely… but, honestly, they intimidated them a bit, and they just didn’t want to. They would have to eventually, but not yet.)

(... they should really start on that before Mémère called next though… especially that lapras…)

Pip was pulled from that thought spiral by Little Guy, who made a chittering noise and crouched down at the base of one of the trees! He pawed at the ground and made little whine-like noises, clearly very interested in something hidden out of Pip’s view. They hurried over to see what was going on, which the pikachu expressed his objection to by burrowing itself as deeply as it could into Pip’s open Alolan shirt.

As they drew closer, they could see that there were some vines mixed up amongst the roots of the tree. They remembered what they knew about the tangela-line pokemon that could be found in this forest and thought that the rounded ends and colour looked like it could be a potential match… they pulled one of the expedition-provided research balls from their pocket, just in case. However, by the time they got close enough to get a clear look, the vines had disappeared and Little Guy was looking at them sadly, clearly missing the new friend they thought they had found.

“Maybe next time Little Guy,” they said consolingly, giving them some skritches behind their eye ridge while they were crouched down.

 

[Andraia]

The screen flashes and exciting music plays...​ Current Word Count: 939 (307 + 288 + 344) Total GEs Earned: 3 GEs Already Used: 2 4 - Trainer Danger 6 - Discovery

 

[Andraia]

Heal You come across a comfortable clearing that looks like a great place to relax. +1 VIT to All Party Members​

Pip regains +1 VIT (4 Remaining)​

 

[Andraia]

Not too long after that, the party stumbled across a very pleasant little clearing. The trees were more spread out here, which created a gap in the tree cover that allowed more of the late-morning sun to stream through and light the area, making it significantly less spooky that the surrounding woods. It was almost cartoonishly picturesque. They were both immediately suspicious, and mentally capturing the image to possibly recreate with water colours when they got back to their room.

After snooping a bit around the edges to make sure it wasn’t some kind of trap left by a particularly crafty ghost pokemon, they found a nice patch of (non-stinging) grass and settled in for a moment. They had dried off enough by now from their swim across the river that they figured they should switch out their usual sandals for the more environmentally appropriate hiking boots.

The pikachu did not make this task easy, as he was still doing his level best to bury himself in Pip’s chest (he was fully underneath their crop top at this point, with his little ears sticking endearingly out of the neckline – he really was very, very cute). They did their best to work around him, and they tugged on their boots and attached their handles to the outside of their bag.

Mezzo floated over while they were shifting around the their bag, making faint little chimes and turning the full force of it’s baby-doll eyes on Pip. “You looking for a treat?” They tried to discourse begging behaviour… but it was cute, and they were, occasionally, very weak. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for us to have a little snack while we’re here.”

It did seem unlikely that they would find another spot quite so comfortable for a break. With that in mind, they took their snack pouch out of their bag and pulled out a bit of food for each of them.

 

[Andraia]

The screen flashes and exciting music plays...​ Current Word Count: 1261 (307 + 288 + 344 + 322) Total GEs Earned: 5 GEs Already Used: 3 4 - Trainer Danger 6 - Discovery 15 - Heal

 

[Andraia]

Trainer Danger You stumble into a plant patch covered in stinging hairs. Roll: INS + DEX vs DC 2​

Pip has INS 1 and DEX 3 (4)
...and they succeed!​

 

[Andraia]

The screen flashes and exciting music plays...​ Current Word Count: 1261 (307 + 288 + 344 + 322) Total GEs Earned: 5 GEs Already Used: 4 4 - Trainer Danger 6 - Discovery 15 - Heal 4 - Trainer Danger

 

[Andraia]

Heal A patch of tasty oran berries hides uneaten in the shade of a thick tree. +2 VIT to All Pokémon​

 

[Andraia]

After they finished their snack, the party picked back up and moved on. Pip was eventually able to coax the pikachu out of their shirt, and get them to relax enough to start dozing slightly in their arms. Although they were a bit heavy, they were much more comfortable to carry when they weren’t squirming around, and Pip’s arm strength was pretty good, thanks to all of the swimming. (It actually wasn’t nearly as good as it should be – they were aware that they over relied on their legs a lot – but that was what the free weights in their apartment were for!)

Without the squirming electric type distraction, they were doing a lot better job keeping an eye out around them. They were able to skillfully avoid stumbling straight into another patch of the stinging nettle like plant, which was a welcome relief. How much of this stuff was growing in this forest? Was it as prevalent as it seemed, or did Pip just have a supernatural tallent for stumbling across it? They should have a one of the local research botanists tell them if it had any usefulness for them – they could collect it the next time they came out.

They also spotted a patch of oran berries, which would have been ever better if their pokemon hadn’t all just had a snack. As it was, neither Little Guy nor Mezzo expressed any interest in them, and they didn’t want to wake up the pikachu to find out if he did. It would be better to let him rest…

 

[Andraia]

The screen flashes and exciting music plays...​ Current Word Count: 1525 (307 + 288 + 344 + 322 + 264) Total GEs Earned: 6 GEs Already Used: 5 4 - Trainer Danger 6 - Discovery 15 - Heal 4 - Trainer Danger 10 - Heal

 

[Andraia]

Heal A patch of tasty oran berries hides uneaten in the shade of a thick tree. +2 VIT to All Pokémon​

 

[Andraia]

As it happened, it seemed like this part of the forest was positively overflowing with oran berries! It seemed that they were growing around the bases of all of the trees. They supposed they must do very well in the conditions here. The leaf little probably provided ample nutrients, and they must not require that much sunlight if they thrived in these deep shadows. Maybe their roots tangled with the roots of the trees, and they sapped their nutrients from them? They weren’t much of a terrestrial-plant-science person, really, but there was some level of crossover with marine ecology (in which they were quite highly educated).

Little Guy was still pleased to do his thing as their expeditions self-assumed leader, and he didn’t seem particularly concerned about getting attention from Pip. Mezzo, however, seemed a bit put off that most of its trainer’s energies had been directed to the new pikachu. Normally it would rest on their shoulder while they trooped through the brush, but every time it looked like it was about to take it’s usual perch it would spot the pikachu and float off in a huff. Pip couldn’t say that they were upset not to be doing the walking for 75% of their group, but they did feel bad for the little chimecho, so they took a little time over the next stretch of the walk to give it a bit of extra affection.

They called it over and gave it some affectionate rubs, and played with it by letting it swing from their free hand for a while. After a few minutes it seemed satisfied and floated off to investigate something in the trees, and Pip was pleased that it’s chimes seemed much more cheerful.