[Shalin Nariya]

It was still fairly dark outside when Shalin and Caprice woke up, a good night's sleep patching up her team's wounds almost as effectively as the first aid she had given her team before falling asleep. She had packed a little heavier than she liked for her expedition up and into the volcano, but it was far better to pack too much food than not enough. She stepped outside to prepare a hearty meal for herself and her team - probably the last big meal she would have until she returned. The food wasn't the most appealing, either - primarily pre-packaged to save on space, but it filled the hole.



After she and all six of her team had their fill, Shalin packed up her tent with what little light there was on the southwest side of the mountain, the sunrise obscured by the towering rock. She headed a few steps into Mount Grumble's caves and waved Caprice ahead. "Can I get a light, girl?" The Ninetales was quick to answer by shooting a barrage of Embers down the tunnel. The cavern appeared tall and wide, which was a nice surprise. The eager explorer and her Ninetales backed up just enough to maximize the space available to them while still being protected from the chilly morning wind. She attached the fire-type's tack and saddled up.



Caprice cautiously walked ahead, Shalin shining her now-lit lantern straight ahead to see what mysteries she could unravel inside of the only volcanic crater in Arciel. Entering the fiery caves took her back to her trip up Mount Chimney, where she met a Rapidash that sent her flying within seconds when she tried breaking it in. Saddened that the swift Pokémon was not willing to synergize with her, she ultimately released it back into the wild. She hoped that would not be the case this time.

Shalin's Party
//------------||------------||---||---||---\\
||NAME        ||SPECIES     ||LV ||HP ||EP ||
||Caprice     ||Ninetales   || 18|| 10||  5||
||Prance      ||Stantler    || 19|| 10||  5||
||Flit        ||Yanma       || 21|| 10||  5||
||Kiku        ||Stunky      || 23|| 10||  5||
||Serena      ||Meowth      || 21|| 10||  5||
||Levy        ||Milotic     || 18|| 10||  5||
\\------------||------------||---||---||---//

Shalin is hard of hearing in this thread.

{WC: 310}
{PC: 1}
{Shalin: 111/111}

[Elayne]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Shalin Nariya

Somewhere deeper in the tunnel, there is a loud clatter. It sounds pretty big, will you follow it?

[Shalin Nariya]

The temperature was already rising as Caprice went deeper in. It wasn't a big increase, but it was very noticeable - now more like a fall day instead of a winter one. The deeper she went, the taller the tunnel seemed to get. At least she would be able to remain mobile, thanks to Caprice. The Ninetales' smile grew as the temperature slowly rose the further they got down the tunnel. "If I'm right, once we get to the main network, there should be red light coming from the ground," Shalin mumbled.

Suddenly, a loud, almost explosion-like clatter echoed from beyond their current position. From how distorted the echoed noise was, she assumed it was quite far in. She undid the latch on Serena's Poké Ball, ready to call the Meowth to her defense at any moment. Caprice's fire likely would not be too useful here, with how populated the volcano would be with Fire-types. The brave rider continued deeper, for the moment regretting having chosen such a large Water-type for her team...

{WC: 172}
{PC: 2}
{Shalin: 111/111}

[Elayne]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Shalin Nariya

As you get closer to where the sound came from there seems to be... coal? Where did that come from?

[Shalin Nariya]

Dim, red light slowly increased in intensity the further Shalin and Caprice advanced, the temperature continuing to rise. The rider tugged on her Pokémon. "Can we stop for a moment? I'm getting warm." Obeying her partner's command, the Ninetales halted her walk forward. Shalin slid off, unzipped her jacket, and stowed it with the rest of her supplies for the journey. It felt like she had stepped into an air-conditioned room on a hot summer's day...but she couldn't help but feel she soon would be wishing she could remove more layers. "Thanks, Caprice." The Ninetales sounded a low but cute growl, sitting down to let the more appropriately-dressed girl mount back up. She turned off her light as the natural, red light increased in intensity.



A few hundred feet down the tunnel, it forked in two, a trail of coal down one path. The shards of coal caught her eye, easier to see in the red light than in the blackness of normal caves. Could it have been a Pokémon? She gave it some thought as Caprice's steps became more deliberate and cautious, but ultimately could not recall a Pokémon made of coal. Perhaps there was some kind of ancient mine here, abandoned due to the sweltering conditions deep within. She was inside of a volcano somewhere between dormant and active, after all.

{WC: 227}
{PC: 3}
{Shalin: 127/127}

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Shalin Nariya

The further you get down, the warmer it gets, and the more the coals seem to grow. You kick one just from walking, and it echoes for... possibly longer than it should. Actually, is that the sound of life somewhere further down? Little scratching noises, a few breaths, and a couple of notes. Yes, yes it was. Onwards! 

[Shalin Nariya]

Shalin was glad she had shed as many layers as she could - the cave's interior was already up to the temperature of a warm, Spring day. Now wearing just long jeans and a green tee, she and Caprice continued deeper in, the dim, red light starting to become a brighter orange. This cave had to lead to the mountain crater's interior. A trove of Fire-type Pokémon had to live there, but if it were anything like Mount Chimney, it would be very inhospitable for a human to travel through. If she wanted to camp, she would need to do so outside - perhaps mapping the tunnels would be a good idea in the event she needed to leave the sweltering conditions quickly.

7QhicysHp_p_
{Wisdom (Perception) DC 13 with disadvantage: 7 + 4 = 11 - FAIL}

As she progressed, the cave opened up, and the ambience of glooping sounds filled her still-injured ears. The trail of coal increased in density, Caprice accidentally kicking a rock or two while walking. Shalin barely heard a sizzling noise over the ambience around fifteen seconds later. She looked around and put out her lantern's light completely. Her surroundings were brightly lit in reds, oranges, and yellows by what she only could assume was magma far below. As the first bead of sweat dropped from her long hair, she signaled for her golden fox to continue following the trail of coals, unaware of the signs of life nearby...

{WC: 230}
{PC: 4}
{Shalin: 164/164}·

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Shalin Nariya

As you turn the corner, you are met with the back of a large Carkol that, on hearing you, shifts around and gives a questionably hostile look. A small call, though, has him relaxing just a little as a Combusken steps out from around him to assess you. In her arms is a Larvesta. 

[Shalin Nariya]

The more Shalin stepped out into the open part of the cave, the more she started to sweat. The temperature had grown to that of a hot summer's day, and she was on the top level. From what she could see, there were several paths below her as well, and they had to be even hotter. At least it was a dry heat.



Peering to her right, a large stack of coals with a red-and-white face radiating heat towered over Shalin. Was this a Pokémon she had never seen before? She checked with her Pokédex app, and found it to be a fire-and-rock-type called Carkol. The coals Caprice had been kicking around were no doubt from this Pokémon. Caprice stepped back and let out a few cries, presumably communicating with the wild. It faced a Combusken carrying a Larvesta, which Shalin only recognized from having just caught one not too long ago.



"Caprice, can you take me closer to them?" The fire-type nodded, slowly walking over to the pair of smaller Fire-types. She examined the insect for signs of obvious wounds, one hand on Levy's Poké Ball in case things turned for the worse.

{WC: 197}
{PC: 5}
{Shalin: 164/164}

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Shalin Nariya

The Carkol shifts about restlessly making low tones that didn't mean much even in Pokemon tongue. He was antsy at best. The Combusken, however, looked calmly at the human and waited for her to approach before holding up the Larvesta that was clearly roughed up and seemed to be missing one of its sun-like red feeler-appendages on the side. A low cry escapes from the Combusken.

[Shalin Nariya]

With the Combusken obviously worried about the smaller fire-type it was holding, Shalin relaxed and took her hand off Levy's Poké Ball. Dismounting Caprice, she closely examined the Larvesta's body, only to see one of its pointed, red feelers was missing. Checking her supply bag, she had no Berries to feed wild Pokémon with. Even an Oran would have helped a lot. The next best thing she had was Super Potion.

The girl started to dig through her supply bag for one when her breathing suddenly became heavier. Right behind the Combusken was the crater's magma pit, a dangerous amount of heat radiating from it. She dropped to her knees, crawling away from the edge of the crater cliff before she could breathe normally again. "Caprice, see if you can find a corner that's cooler," she asked. The Ninetales nodded, turned around, and started walking toward the outer wall, eyes shifting about. Shalin waved for the Combusken to carry the Larvesta away from the magma pit. "I have medicine to heal you with, but it might explode if it's too hot. Would you come over here where it's cooler?"

{WC: 190}
{PC: 5}
{Shalin: 164/164}

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Shalin Nariya



The Combusken seems worried for you too, actually. She at once steps away from the excess heat and towards somewhere cooler. The Carkoal, however, seems to rock from side to side and opts to remain where he is… awkwardly ‘bouncing’ one way and the next. The entire area seems to shake just a little from this restless motion.

[Shalin Nariya]

With the fire-types and Shalin out of the worst of the heat, she felt safe applying medicine to the injured bug-type. Locating a vial of Super Potion, she began spraying the Larvesta's wounds, placing careful attention toward where the missing appendage was. She breathed a sigh of relief - the medicine bottle didn't explode when she released the pressurized fluid within. "There, you should feel better now," Shalin softly said to comfort the Larvesta, unable to hear her own voice - she was unsure if all of her words had come out properly.



She turned her attention to the Carkol, slowly approaching the larger Pokémon. As she got closer to the ledge the rock-type stood over, she began sweating again. The ambient glooping noise caused by the release of magmatic gases grew more frequent and louder as well. Shalin, letting her curiosity take over, peered over the cliff to see what could possibly have been rocking the ground beneath her so much. Her hand was on Flit's Poké Ball, just in case.

---

Super Potion use.
{WC: 171}
{PC: 6}

[Jae]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Shalin Nariya

The Larvesta whines but heals up with the Super Potion’s power. The Combusken sighs softly in relief and gives you a grateful nod. The Carkol rocked and then seemed to roll one way and then the next excitedly?? What did he want from you? It was hard to tell. The ground was shifting, though, and it was clear that it was this Pokemon causing such a surprising amount of motion. Far below, there appeared to be darkness only. Yikes.

[Shalin Nariya]

Shalin was hearing bubbling magma from somewhere, and the light had to be coming from somewhere deep in the crater. Had the Carkol's rumbling caused the magma in the chamber to recede this quickly? The ebb and flow of magma in a volcano was nothing unusual. Perhaps Arciel's rangers had used Pokémon to drill into the volcano long ago for making artificial tubes to release the pressure if the magma level reached a certain height? Scientists had done that with Mount Chimney to reduce the impact of its last paroxysmic eruption.

Nonetheless, Shalin carefully crawled away from the ledge, slowly getting to her feet, Caprice keeping a close watch on her. Why would a Pokémon sway and cause tremors like this, especially when she had just helped the wild's friend? Having only just seen the Pokémon for the first time, diagnosing its problem would be difficult. She started with the obvious - she slowly circled the fire-type to make sure it, too, wasn't hurt - searching for large cracks in its rocky surface, embedded foreign objects, and the like. She focused more on keeping her balance when having to go behind it, given the chasm below. Even if there were a ledge to land on, the heat down there would probably roast her alive...

{WC: 215}
{PC: 7}

[Elayne]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Shalin Nariya

The Carkol's bouncing doesn't cease in the slightest until the Combusken seems to glare at him, chirping at him to stop. That doesn't stop the Carkol though that scoots even closer to Shalin, now giving her puppy dog eyes. Wait, can Carkol even do that? Apparently this one can. He also hasn't stopped the constant jumping around, Combusken looks irritated and looks at Shalin imploringly.

[Shalin Nariya]

Completing one circle around the Carkol, Shalin found no injuries at all - it looked perfectly healthy. If anything, it looked almost too healthy, to the point where its swaying could cause a cave-in if not stopped. She caught the Combusken's irritated glance, then returned a shrug, unsure what either of them wanted. She healed the wounded Larvesta - wasn't that plenty?

Shalin glanced upward, seeing the rock-type's gaze change to an affectionate one, like that of a young Poochyena looking for a new home. It looked almost creepy coming from such a menacing Pokémon. "Wait, you want to come with me?" She dug through her supplies for an empty Poké Ball. Carkol was a Pokémon far removed from the kind of team she had in mind, but if it really wanted to come with her...

She sighed, finding an empty Poké Ball and holding it six inches or so from the beady-eyed fire-type, its button facing the wild. "Caprice, you have any idea what they want?" she asked her Ninetales. There wouldn't be any room to loose Levy in such cramped quarters anyway - if she had to send him back, it wouldn't be a big deal.

{WC: 197}
{PC: 8}

[Elayne]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Shalin Nariya

The Carkol deadpans at the pokeball in Shalin's hand and looks imploringly at the Combusken who simply sighs and starts walking again, gesturing for the Carkol and Shalin to follow. Instead of touching the pokeball however, the Carkol takes Shalin's shirt in his maw and throws her on his back of cold coals. Nope, they were going on an adventure! Where? Only the Carkol knew as he started moving rather quickly deeper into the tunnels.

[Shalin Nariya]

Shalin nearly dropped her Poké Ball when the fire-type grabbed her and flipped her atop the peak of its coal pile. Her heart raced for a moment out of fear of being burned...but the coals weren't hot at all. They were...cold? If anything, it felt good - the apparent breeze got her hair moving and cooled her off as Carkol rolled deeper into another tunnel, picking up speed as they went. She could feel a lot of heat from underneath her, but the layer of coals on top somehow stayed cool.

Keeping her balance the best she could, Shalin scurried to the top of the Pokémon, her clothes already covered with patches of black powder. Her Ninetales followed behind the Combusken and Larvesta. Carkol sped down the tunnel, which got darker and cooler the farther away the two got from the heated volcanic expanse. Even the Ninetales was forced to start holding embers in her open mouth just to see - the only other light source was the bottom of the Carkol itself. The girl held on tight, trusting her new partner was more adept at seeing in the dark than she was.

{WC: 194}
{PC: 9}

[Elayne]

A random event has occurred!

What will you do?

Shalin Nariya

The Carkol kept moving quickly down the tunnel, a rather annoyed Combusken trailing behind them. They would occasionally make chirping sounds directing the Carkol where to go, he seemed to be listening at least, even if the ride was a little rough. Soon enough, there appeared to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Was it the way out?