No.17495
>>17493"Not really. Just something high end in quality, not high-end in damage to our wallets."
You head up through what seems to be a small shopping mall into a restaurant overlooking the street. The smell of soup almost overwhelms you as you take your seat.
>>17494"That man…"
You recognise Sinistra's almost-disturbingly unassuming appearance as she steps out. She looks just like she would be in a house cooking for her children/
"Is a fanatical member of a dangerous group. He has something we want… namely, the location of a bomb he has planted in this building. You must break him and make him tell us where it is. If you need further information, you may ask me. Your task begins… now."
>>17491Hey, don't think poorly of city rangers just because they get so much!
Do you want some seaweed? How about mountain herbs From the plateau overlooking the fire lands? Or cold berries from near your home?
And eggs? Do you prefer Pidgey? Pidove? The strangely spicy taste of a Fletchling's egg? Or something more… exotic, like Wurmple?
No.17496
>>17492"Oran berries? Sure, thanks!"
She takes one and squeezes it over the roasting Patrat. The scent is oddly pleasant.
She cuts you a slice and puts it on a stake.
"Here, have some!"
No.17497
>>17495"Man, if it's as good as you say I'm surprised it's not more crowded."
That smell is already whetting my appetite.
No.17498
>>17496Huh, that's kinda cool… Though I kinda never ate patrat meat, it must be tasty! She's willing to eat it after all, and the smell isn't bad at all
Let's try taking a bite and savor the taste
No.17499
>>17495Seaweed and Fletchling egg sound prefect. A nice spicy meal to start the day.
No.17500
>>17497"There are nice hidden places most people don't know everywhere. You have to look!"
The waiter puts a big pot of soup in the middle of the table between you two. A few plates of uncooked meat and veggies come, and Arthurs starts placing them into the pot.
"Help yourself, cook whatever you like."
>>17498It's… pretty gamey. Richer than the farm meat you cook at home.
How much do you like it? You can roll.
>>17499You see Lily take nearly the same thing, while Webster goes off to drink from an unused wall socket instead.
Ready to go?
No.17501
>>17500I thought it would be kinda chewy…
'1d10'
Roll #1 1 = 1 No.17502
>>17501>1You struggle not to hurl. How does she survive on this stuff?
"What's wrong?"
No.17503
>>17500"Heh, you and I are really a good match Lily." I pet her leaf a little.
The others got some appropriate food too I assume?
Then its off to the tower.
No.17504
>>17495She has to have other things to do. I'll aim the flashlight at her too, for my sake at least.
"Honestly, I refuse to do anything like that." Flash the light in his eyes. "Whatever you are thinking about me, forget it. Both of you. Still, I want to know what led to this. So mister, what's your name and what is your cause."
No.17505
>>17502With an immense amount of willpower, I swallow, but still make a grossed out face
"It's… I don't think people should eat this…"
No.17506
>>17500"Man, if there's a place like this here, I wonder what's out on the trail."
I'll follow his example and place a few meats and veggies that look good into the pot.
"I'm not sure I recognize some of this. Is this all local cuisine?"
No.17507
>>17504"When your pathetic gym is blown sky-high, they will know that I, Francois, will have done it in the name of Team Exodus."
He is a very large man, his head seems almost comically small in comparison. He spits at you.
>>17505"Why not? It's nutritious, and easy to find!"
>>17503That ticket you have is for a guided tour of the Duality Tower.
You could go by bus, but a fellow ranger offers you a lift. Who needs public transportation when you have the ranger transport?
>>17506"Gathered from the region. It's hard to get fresh food from further up North, so we make the best of what we can get. There are a few farming islands for specialty beef, actually."
No.17508
>>17507"Oh, sweet! You know I was a little worried, I still haven't been on a bus and I've heard its not as easy as it looks to use one." I reply and join them for the trip.
"Anything exciting going on for you?"
No.17509
>>17507"It tastes HORRIBLE!" I exclaim
"I'm sure Nadia would appreciate it much more than I could"
No.17510
>>17508This senior ranger leads you to the Motor Transport hangar… and right past it. Instead, she calls out a Luxray, fitted with a saddle for two.
"Well… if you ask, I'm supposed to say not much. But just between you and me… things are getting pretty exciting." She smirks. "Expeditions are opening to explore the far north and south. And while we've done a good job repelling them so far, there are more rumours of criminal activity. Lately, we've begun to suspect that the strange gangs that have been operating all around are actually organized together."
No.17511
>>17507"So your name is Francois? Mine is Squire, Squire Escala. Sorry to be asking like this, but why exactly would you want to blow up this particular gym?"
No.17512
>>17509Nadia doesn't seem to mind. Jasper, though, has the same reaction as you, and decides to just lick the dripped blood around.
"…It does? Well, fine, what's good food for you?"
No.17513
>>17511"Haha, it's like you don't know! The bodyguards and agents this gym trains are the finest in the continent. They go on to apply their skills as Pokemon Rangers, or champions. If this gym is destroyed, there will be no more of these insects to stop our plans."
Remember, you can also ask Sinistra for information. She is standing at the doorway, watching silently.
No.17514
>>17510"I did notice the thugs I've been running into all wearing the same clothes.." I comment vaguely, not sure how much I'm supposed to say either.
"Say, you think there will be a lot chances to take on interesting and important jobs then? Even for a rookie like me?" I ask with a hopeful grin.
No.17515
>>17512I shrug
"I'm not really so picky. I like all sort of stuff, meat, veggies, grains… But not this…" I cut pieces of the meat with my hands and play a game with Nadia, throwing them on her direction and watching her catch it with her mouth
No.17516
>>17513"And what was your plan after destroying this gym? There must have been something you'd earn for it, right, something equal to all your effort you put in."
No.17517
>>17507"Really? Well I guess an island metropolis like this would need to import food from somewhere, wouldn't it?"
Can I tell what the soup itself is made of?
No.17518
>>17514The Luxray makes off for the streets. It runs at a surprising speed despite the load it carries.
"Well… actually, if you're looking to get qualification faster, there's a certain badge that you should try to get. Ever heard of the Primal Badge? It's the one given out by the bug gym leader in Dervor Town. You're tested there through a survival course that lasts several days. It's that, or about two more badges for a promotion. If you want it done fast, you can even apply for a train ticket!"
>>17515"Eh… I guess I kind of miss farm meat too."
>>17517The soup base is a mix of salty and savoury, and a hint of sweet. It's from the sauce of fermented soybeans, giving it its distinctive dark colour.
"We can fish enough to feed ourselves, but seafood all the time is boring, yeah."
>>17516"My plan? To go back and receive more orders. But if I must die here, so be it."
No.17519
>>17518"It must be. Variety is the spice of life, after all. Come to think of it, have you tried much other regional food yet?"
No.17520
>>17518My eyes light up "Really? I could do that. It sounds actually perfect for me, I'm not too into battles, but survival is a real skill."
No.17521
>>17518"You know I'm here because I just kinda wandered around? I'm actually envious, in a way." I smile at him. "To have a cause, something worth working towards. Tell me, for you, what's the best part about it? What did they promise you?"
No.17522
>>17518"Well… Why do you still stay here in the wild then?"
No.17523
>>17519"Not yet. That's part of what I'd love to do."
Actually, this is mostly fare you're familiar with at home too, just with a different spin. Still, filling, At at just 200P for an hour here and as much as you like, it's a steal.
>>17520"Its is! Be warned, though, it's one tough challenge. It's just you and your Pokemon and a few basic supplies, and you're going to have to fend off the jungle. Might be easier for you, since you're from the Evergreen, right?"
The tower is nearing. You can see it from pretty much anywhere.
>>17521"The best part? To be remembered."
He smiles.
>>17522"Do you think I like it a lot?"
No.17524
>>17523Nothing better than an all-you-can-eat place.
"Well, thanks for showing me this spot. I'll have to remember it."
No.17525
>>17523"By whom? Because if we all die here, that part will be kinda hard. I mean, this is a big place, so you must have put time into building a big bomb to take it down, right? To be remembered with a big blast."
No.17526
>>17523I listen and nod along, lost in thoughts of how best to survive in a jungle full of bug types. "That's right I am. How did you know?"
No.17527
>>17524"Whenever you return, here, yeah."
Time passes pretty quickly at all-you-can-eats.
>>17525"My name will be released, and my previous deeds known. And I will have known personal revenge, because it was that woman by the door who kicked me out of this gym."
>>17526"I heard you dealt with a criminal safehouse the other day! You seem like you're one of our rising stars!"
No.17528
>>17527I'll pet Quetz for a bit, then resume squatting.
"I'm sorry for prying Francois, but can you tell me what happened between both of you?" I ask him. "I promise to listen the whole way."
No.17529
>>17528"None of your fucking business."
Sinistra adds on.
"He had no control over his innate urges. He did not perform to our standards of precise, effective execution of our methods. To put it another way, he was a common street thug. When I caught him using the skills he learned to rob a man in a park, I expelled him."
No.17530
>>17529"I actually didn't know that about this place."
"So Francois, what did you do when you were forced out? Obviously, you were angry, did the 'Team Exodus' contact you then?"
No.17531
>>17527I get a proud smile.
"I did, it was.. really scary actually. Those guys don't pull their punches, and the machines they had were huge and evil looking." I explain moving my hands to show how big.
No.17532
>>17530"They did not find me. I found them. they told me they could use my skills. I would be part of a greater power, and be free to use mine as I see fit. They didn't stop me from doing what I liked…"
He laughs. Sinistra interrupts.
"The bomb is estimated to detonate in one hour. You must ensure he reveals the location before then."
No.17533
>>17532"What do you like doing Francois? All I have is what you've done, but not why."
No.17534
>>17533"Why? Because I'll go out with a bang. I always wanted to die violently. This is my time of reckoning."
No.17535
>>17534"What about any friends, or family you had here? Do you really want to hurt them?"
No.17536
>>17535"They're not here. I don't care about them. I only wish they were in this building, too."
No.17537
>>17536"You're wrong, on two counts. You do care, or else you wouldn't have come back here is the first."
"And second, you do have a friend here. Me."
No.17538
>>17537He laughs.
"Then you're enough of my friend to help me escape and leave the building?"
No.17539
>>17538"Yeah."
"In a way, at least. As a friend, I'll make sure you get a fair trial, if you tell me where the bomb is. I'll do everything I can too make sure everything is done cleanly. Going from what I've seen here, that would be the same thing as opening the door, right."
No.17540
>>17539"Fair trial? I'll be jailed and left to rot forgotten. But since you're my friend, you can help me escape, right?"
No.17542
>>17523''Uuh…Yeah, I do…Why would you be living here in the wild otherwise?''
No.17543
>>17540"I can help you, yeah, but you have to help me too, Francois. You know as well as I do that there's probably a few people hiding around here and more than enough traps to stop the best, of which someone of your caliber can see I'm not. Just help me, and I can help you."
