Chapter 1: Storm

[Throndir]

The storms were loud as the crashing of waves rocked the ship ferociously as the thunder continued to echo in their cabins. You remember there was a forecast of heavy rains during the trip, but not this heavy. You don't remember there being any mention of a storm or lightning either, but there it was, flashes of bright light streaking across the skies, disappeared only moments after. They would be followed by deep rumbling, that even with the insulation of the ship, could still be heard.

The intercom on-board the ship turned on, static was heard at first, until the captain's voice emerged a second later.

"Looks like we have an unforeseen storm. We ask the crew and passengers to please stay indoors at all times. Please use any of the hand railings or poles, and ensure a safe distance from any unsecured items. We hope to clear the storm soon."

The intercom buzzed out, but you couldn't help but believe that the man's last statement was a simple way to attempt to calm the passengers. Hardly did you believe that the ship would make it's way out of the storm anytime 'soon'.

There were various people about. Children too, and though some kids had started up to crying and wailing, there were some who simply huddled close to their parents, clutching at them with fearful eyes. It wasn't just children on the ship though. There were other trainers on board, traders, entertainers, all of them with their own goal and agenda for the trip. That said, everyone was still mostly in disarray, many of them having a hard time simply staying in one place with all the rocking. There were more than a couple who looked terrifyingly sea-sick. Emotions were high, and it was easy to tell that people were stressed.

Many of the crewmen on board were in a relatively similar state. They had been busy on their part, cleaning up spilled items, or comforting passengers. Many of them soon gave up however, and loose items simply fell back down to the floor. The crewmen on the ship's bridge was on alert as they attempted to navigate through the storm, and correcting their course anytime a large wave was coming. But even that wasn't enough as the ride on the ship was far from comfortable.

The storm only got worse and worse however. The moment the ship had entered, it showed no signs of calming, and the rocking only grew in intensity.

The ship rocking back and forth is very turbulent. Roll focus, on any time you wish to do these skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Combat, Stealth, Any Education skill, and Perception. This stays into effect until I say otherwise.

This first part is to simply introduce your character, interact with others/NPCs. No real objective. I will be moving the story when I feel enough has been said or done.

[Linwelin]

Daniel had been looking forward to the trip to Olivine. He'd heard great things about the rock formations surrounding the town, as well as the quality of its beaches. It was certainly going to be quite the relaxing vacation spot for him and Bolt. Maybe he'd even get to see some interesting pokemon.

But this was not the Olivine beaches.

The roughness of this storm reminded him of a severe typhoon he'd had to weather out in the mountains once years back. It'd caused mudslides and toppled trees all over. More than a few people had been injured. And that could quite possibly happen here, maybe worse if people panicked. Daniel's instincts as a ranger kicked in. "How do I settle the panic in here...ah!" He may have put Bolt away when the storms had begun to get rough, but the memory of his partner sparked a thought. Honey treats! I've a whole bag of them...well half, now, thanks to Bolt earlier. But it should be enough to settle at least some of the children.

With that, Daniel began wandering around the room to confront unsettled children and parents to make sure they were all keeping their heads. He made sure to kneel down and hand each child a treat while doing so, trying his best to placate them. Of course, though knowledgeable of survival, Daniel was hardly a people person, so it didn't work every time. But certainly he settled at least some of the passengers, nodding toward the crew when they passed to signal his support.

Once he felt he'd done his part, he got to the nearest hand rail and secured himself. He made a note of where the life preservers were, for the worst-case scenario.

[Mysticsage]

Grey almost got thrown off his bed as the voice came over the intercom. Hiro popped out of his pokeball in that instant clinging to his arm and shoving his face into his clothes. Grey had never seen a Pokemon so reliant on his trainer like his machop. Not that he minded or anything it made him feel stronger knowing that he had someone relying on him for once. This however, was no the time so he was doing his best to calm his pokemon and coax him back into his pokeball. If this storm really was ranging out of control then he would have to move to the deck quickly. Hiroshi was not budging though so he decided it was probably best to take no chances.

Grabbing the two lifevests he found in the closet he slung one on his neck then over the neck of Hiro. He was his only pokemon after all he was a gift from the Xan academy for being admitted. Thats why they were both on the ship to begin with taking the long trip from their home all the way to campus. It felt a world away especially in the storm. As they headed out to go up on the deck Hiro clung tightly to his pant leg causing him to look down and miss the other man rushing around the corner. He brushed past in a hurray not even looking where he was going.

"Jerk," brushing off the dust he noticed that the man in the white jacket had dropped something.

A Pokeball.

Looking to call after the man Grey picked up the valuable item only to find the man was already out of view. Most likely if he stayed up on deck they would cross paths again.

[Lance]

The spontaneous rocking of the ship was intense, sending an overly large man hurtling every which way. "The Boulder is falling," he warned while falling off to one side then... "The Boulder is falling AGAIN!!" He shouted once more as the ship suddenly reversed its tilt. Amazingly, the act continued with every wave that hit the ship, no matter how big or small. What was even more amazing, however, was that despite an overly large "projectile" waltzing back and forth throughout the ship, there were no injuries to speak of.

For as rare as miracles are, they do happen and often times when least expected. Thus, the one man act continued rather peacefully despite the turbulent weather, as the Boulder kept on rolling from side to side. He would have kept doing so too (perhaps even for the remainder of the trip) if not for the sight he just happened to detect while half-way through one of his many full-body barrel-rolls.

Even as his body went flailing every which way, the Boulder witnessed a spectacle both mysterious and inviting from the corner of his eye.

[spoiler=the spectacle of a man bearing a bag full of something yellow, something sweet]

[/spoiler]

Thus the man named Daniel got his wish, a close-up, relaxing view of a "rock formation," as it went barrel-rolling towards him.

[Burdenking]

Hello Daughter, how are you doing? We're fine, and so are the pokemon whose offspring you stole. Yes, we know it was you, but it's alright. Your father and I know the allure of training again was simply to good to pass, and know how you felt about the dishonor handed to you in the war.

However, it is still expected of you to ask before taking from your elders, as we would have said yes. Do not blame yourself for what happened, you fought as hard as you could in the most extreme of conditions. There is no dishonor in that, though i doubt you'll listen this time.....

Anyways, Your father and I were hoping to see you before the next holiday. We know you just spent what money you could to get to the league mainland, but It's tradition for a family to be together before the new year. So if you can, come home, if only for a couple of days to be with the family.

With love, Mother.

Oreah finished reading the letter again, frowning a bit as she folded it back up and placed it back into her bag. Her parents didn't know just how much shame she had been victim to. They couldn't, their pokemon hadn't been taken from them....They had trained their pokemon better, they hadn't failed them, and when the dark times came, their pokemon didn't fail them in return....

She had failed her pokemon, had trained them poorly, and when the League pet god came, they had returned her failure with their own. A deep pit began to form in her stomach, and Oreah had to do what she could to stop herself before her emotions got the better of her. With a shuddering breath, and her fingers tightening in the fabric of her shirt, Oreah closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.

A sudden shifting of the ship intterupted that as she was almost flown onto the ground by its force, breaking whatever concentration she had so she could catch herself. She had taken to sitting in a wide hallways within the ship, hoping to be able to just sit through the storm, but it was proving more powerful then originally thought.

However, a quick growl and a slamming fist into a nearby bulkhead showed she wasn't focused on that, her concentration breaking and the negative thoughts coming back. "....I don't need this now...." She said to herself, trying once more to calm herself, though she could feel her eyes water a bit before she began to calm herself. She heard the annoying sound of someone named "TheBoulder" careening through the hall, but she pushed it from her mind, not wanting to lose her progress on handling herself.

[Linwelin]

With a little effort, Daniel had gotten used to the swaying and jolting of the boat in the sea. He wasn't comfortable, of course, but he was managing. Things only seemed to be getting worse, which didn't see to help the less stable of the people on board. A certain man in particular had caught his eye; he was loud, eccentric, and POSSIBLY even spoke in the third person. The man was falling over himself so much, Daniel could have sworn it was a comedy act.

Then, suddenly, they locked eyes. No, that was wrong. He looked toward Daniel, but not at Daniel in particular. What could he be looking at- He almost finished his thought when he looked down and saw the treats. He was about to laugh, only when he looked back to the man, he was charging head-long toward him. Oh...Oh no... For reasons completely different than the rest of the passengers, Daniel began to panic.

As quickly as possible, Daniel used the railing to propel himself and leap over the charging man's frame.

[spoiler][blockquote]Acrobatics:  3d6+2 : 4, 1, 5 + 2, total 12[/blockquote][/spoiler]

[Throndir]

And with a quick flourish Daniel managed to jump out of the way, the Boulder careening towards the spot where the young man had just been standing.

[Throndir]

Fayleen Ains

The ship rocked back and forth, and it did little help settle Fayleen's stomach. She never liked to travel by boat, as the trip always caused her to feel sea sick. But this was much worse. All the swaying made her dizzy, and being dizzy made her want to throw up. Fayleen hung on one of the poles, clutching it as she tried her best to ignore the movements, but it only got worse. The longer the trip went, the more frequent did sudden lurches of the ship rattle her hold on both her stomach and her grip on the pole.

"Ugh. When will this trip be done." She said gloomily to herself.

[Throndir]

The storm never slowed or calmed. As time went on the ship grew worse and worse. It was hardly a matter of simply being rocked to and fro. The waves were large, and the boat was literally bobbing up and down, left to right, at tremendous rates. The thunderous beating of the storm still echoed clearly, and lightning strikes were more frequent now as they illuminated the dark skies and the overhanging storm clouds. Rain which poured in abandon only added to the cacophony of sounds and noises of the stormy night.

The passengers on board on the other hand were deathly silent, and even those children who had taken up crying, only huddled in fear. There were times when the boat sled to the side so precariously that it felt as if the boat would capsize. The designers of the ship proved true then, as the boat somehow still managed to keep afloat and continue riding out the storm even with the constant pushing and shoving of the seas. But even the crewmen weren't so confident.

"This is a rough one... No one said the storm would be this bad." He said solemnly. The first mate responded to him.

"From what I know the storm should have simply been wind and rain. You think those meteorologists messed up?" He asked. The ship lurched then, but he managed to keep hold. The captain too, held on to the railing nearby, after he recovered he stayed silent however. A few moments later he spoke.

"Not like them to make mistakes... These are hurricane speed winds. Probably the worse I've seen my entire life at the seas." As if on cue, the ship lurched upwards, slanting to the side as the crew held on to railings. There would usually be a point that the ship settled back into its originaly alignment, however this time around it continued to slant.

"Captain!" He first mate called. But it was too late. The ship began to capsize. The wave that had pushed the boat to its angle had come crashing above them. But more water continued to flow.

In the passenger cabins, many of the passengers began to scream. A number of them had put on the emergency life jackets, but found that the ship was woefully under-equipped. The extreme wave continued to push the ship - it would only be a few more seconds at this rate until the ship capsized.

You may roleplay out this section. NPC + PC Interactions are still encouraged. Roll a Survival check. I'll continue to the next part when most players have done so. Newcomers feel free to roll still.

[Linwelin]

Daniel was in disbelief at the power of the storm, and with the rocking getting worse and worse, he ended up heading to the rail next to life jackets. Well, that was part of the reason he did that. The other was to escape the strange man that had tried to tackle him for his treats earlier. He was hoping the odd character wouldn't be able to find him after he'd moved to another part of the ship.

I think I finally lost him...

Right as Daniel thought that, one of the larger swells seemed to have hit the ship. But...the ship wasn't coming back down.

Oh No...no no nononono"nononononONONONO!" He started saying in shock as he jumped up the sloping ship to grab a life jacket and don it as quickly as possible. He grabbed a couple others and looked around for anyone else he could help get one to, but at that point the ship was vertical and he was falling. Daniel grabbed hold of a railing while the ship capsized, doing his best to plan out how he would get out of this alive.

[spoiler=Daniel wants to survive, so he tries to survive. Duh.][blockquote]Rolled 3d6+2 : 1, 5, 6 + 2, total 14[/blockquote][/spoiler]

[Lance]

[spoiler=Survival Check]
[blockquote]Rolled 2d6+6 : 1, 5 + 6, total 12[/blockquote]
[/spoiler]

[Zultar]

[spoiler]Will type RP post later. Survival:
[blockquote]Rolled 2d6+4 : 1, 1 + 4, total 6[/blockquote][/spoiler]

[Ella]

Letina Rae Desl?geech

Lurch left... Lurch right... Lurch left... Lurch right... Lurch... Lurch...

'Hrrck.' Letina covered her mouth and lay in her bunk in her room aboard the ship. Fire at sea... it did not do so well. Even when the ship was docked, the motion of it made her sick. Why was she traveling by ship again? Why? She could have just... found some other way... Like... found a flying type Pok?mon and teaching it fly and flying all the way there. An awesome fire flying type Pok?mon, like a Talonflame... Or just a Fletchling would probably be just as well. Why was she even going on this trip again?

'Hrrck.' ? Maybe her obsession with Cyndaquil had gone to far... Did she really have to go all the way to Cyndaquil's home region of Johto? She did have her own Cyndaquil. An adorable, cuddly young lady... Letina squeezed the Cyndaquil plushy she had brought along with her more tightly with glee at the thought of her beloved Quilz. She would have been cuddling with her, but did not wish to subject either of her beloved Pok?mon to the awful feeling of motion sickness. Not to mention both were fire types and probably would not enjoy being stuck on a ship surrounded by water.

'Hrrrck.' It would probably be a good idea if she did not think as much about being on a boat. Her body handled it better when she let herself think about her Pok?mon. It would not be a good idea if she threw up all over her bed. That would be very un-lady like. Squeezing her eyes shut, the young woman hugged her Cyndaquil plush tightly and thought of how much she loved Quilz. And Blaise. Because Blaise was one of her second favorite Pok?mon, too. He just did not understand how much she also loved him.

Letina eventually fell asleep, lost in her own world filled with Cyndaquil and all its forms, and Torchics, and others of her favorite Pok?mon. It was a world of utmost contentment.

"Ouch!" She was awakened most rudely by a sudden lurch, even more sudden than the lurches she had struggled with before. Rolling right off her bed, she landed heavily on the floor. Clutching her Cyndaquil plush tightly with one arm, Letina rubbed her head. 'What the heck? What's going on?'

Getting up, she attempted to steady herself. It took her a while of sliding around the room to reach her window. Quit a while, in fact, considering while trying to make it there, she realized that one of the Pok?balls housing one of her beloved Pok?mon had come loose from the bag she had placed snuggly by her pillow and was rolling around with the lurches. Freaking out, she lost all interest in looking out her window. She did not need to call him out to know who it was. She did not need to hold his ball to know who it was. It was Blaise's ball. She knew which balls housed which Pok?mon in her packs. She had to know, without looking, to make sure Blaise never saw how she acted upon seeing Quilz. She could not help it, and she did not want him believing she did not love him as well. As a perceptive young woman, she already knew Blaise knew something, but she did not know the extent.

She had grabbed her bag and strapped it securely to her body after practically falling back into it, making sure Quilz's ball was secure in her ball pocket. She might die if she lost her first Cyndaquil. Once her bag and Quilz's ball were properly secure for any emergency, Letina watched Blaise's ball roll about. Sliding around as well, she had to figure out how to best time it. ? Considering the young woman had grown up attending a medic school for ladies, one might assume that the lack of physical training on her part would not help her at all. She had used a pillow, she had used a blanket, she had even used the Cyndaquil plush she had been clutching ever-so-tightly, but to no avail. She could not seem to trap the ball. Losing hope, and in desperation, she launched her entire body at the ball.

Feeling absolutely ridiculous, bruised and scratched up from the constant tumbling back and forth across her room, Letina found herself laying very uncomfortable atop the ball. At least it had not all been for nothing. Quickly grabbing Blaise's ball, she stuffed it in her pack, making sure it was very secure this time. "Now, Blaise. You shouldn't go rolling off like that. I know you think you're a little rebel, but I care about y-. " She found herself tumbling right into the door to the hallway. Luckily, it was still locked, or else it might have popped open earlier when she was trying to catch Blaise's ball. Unluckily, it was as sturdy as it had been the previous times she had been slammed against it and was now adding more bruises to her petite body. This trip was such a bad idea. Such a very bad idea.

Suddenly, Letina's eyes went wide. She was on a ship. She was on a ship, and the ship was rocking violently. It was rocking way more violently than it should, even in a mild storm. Not too long ago, when her parents were her age, Team Aqua had tried to awaken Kyogre and make it turn the entire world to that of sea. No... No... NO. Not again!

Double checking her bag once more to ensure her beloved Pok?mon and meager items were secure, including the Cyndaquil plush she had been clutching tightly the entire time she was rolling about her room, the breeder-in-training flung her door open wide before she could be tossed across the room again. "NOOOO!!!!" She screamed. "I NEED OFF!" She started making her way down the hallways. "HELP!! DON'T LET KYOGRE DROWN MY BELOVED POK?MON!" With that thought in mind, the young woman began running towards the nearest person, fully intending to make them find a way for her to get off the ship before Kyogre could drown them all.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though the legendary Pok?mon's attacks had already taken affect. Luckily, Letina had donned a life vest before she had even boarded the ship, paranoid about being totally out of her element.. In fact, she had also made Quilz and Blaise wear life vests specially made for them, gifted to her by her parents and grandparents right before her voyage.

[spoiler=Survival Check][blockquote]Rolled 2d6-2 : 6, 4 - 2, total 8[/blockquote][/spoiler]

[Fellow Rabbit]

Vinny Drechsler

The man had been sleeping soundly for hours, even long after the storm had set in. Neither the thrashing of the waves against the ship nor the frantic screaming of other passengers would rouse him. He was dreaming happily about playing poker with a Furfrou and two Nuzleafs and there was not a thing in the world that would cut that enjoyment short, dangit! Of course, not until one particularly powerful wave threw him from his bed onto the floor.

"Nein! Bitte!" He still wasn't quite sure what was going on or where he was, but he continued to react anyway, "It vasn't a bluff! Just look at ze cards!" He held up his hand in front of him and, to further his confusion, it was empty. Not a single royal flush to be seen. And that, perhaps, was the most unsettling thing about his rude awakening. This was an unacceptable conclusion to the $100,000 pot he was only moments from winning! Someone would pay dearly for this abomination.

But first, he decided to go get some donuts. Jumping right to his feet, he ran through his door and straight down the hallway before tripping over his untied shoelace and barreling right out the door at the end. Of course, being the klutz he was, Vinny didn't have the capacity to end his stumble and he continued on his haphazard trajectory, at the end of which happened to be the blur of a man wearing a blurry forest green blur atop his head.

It was then that the revelation hit him. There was no donut shop on this ship! What a horror! First he lost his poker game and now this‽ Today was surely the worst of all days! By now he had already forgotten that he had lost all his balance and was barreling quite maniacally at a poor innocent man who, at a closer look, appeared as though was being assaulted in much the same manner by yet another man, though he appeared much more muscular and perhaps slightly more of a threat.

Vinny knew he had to act, and he had to act fast if he was going to prevent the imminent collision between the three of them. In a quick, split-second decision, he reached into his pocket and retrieved the first thing he felt there. Without thinking, he threw it ahead of him, feeling just in time that he had indeed withdrawn the Pok?ball containing his beloved Magikarp.

"Kimmel!" He shouted, but it was too late. The Pok?mon had already emerged from the ball. It was time for a change of plans, and Vinny knew just what to do! Still unable to stop his stumbling toward the poor man, he called out the first thing that came to mind. "Quick, meine Liebe. Use Splash!"

And that's just what the Magikarp did.

(Translation: Nein! Bitte! = No! Please!
Meine Liebe = My love!)

[spoiler=Das ist nicht m?glich!]
Rolled 3d6+6 : 5, 3, 4 + 6, total 18[/spoiler]

[Burdenking]

[spoiler][blockquote]Rolled 2d6+4 : 6, 5 + 4, total 15[/blockquote] Survival check[/spoiler]