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[talkyourwayout]

Hey, if anyone's still checking out that temple, I have some information that should be helpful. I found a map of an area in the middle part of the temple. When me and some others followed it, we found a big door with this weird-looking lock on it. I figure if I found the map, someone else might have found the key, or at least has some idea of how to get in there.

Let me know if you're interested, and I'll meet you near the temple to pass off the map and what went down for my team. I'm planning to head back to Azalea Town soon, but I'll wait a bit for this.

You know, as far as treasure hunts go, this one hasn't been too bad! I'm ready to move on, though.

Comments

[feathersfly]

you don't say? i found a key hidden in a little statue. no idea what it goes to. might be worth trying on your door, anyway. i've been meaning to go back in anyhow, so it seems like as good an opportunity as any.

have to see if my group wants to join up again. gotta say, this buddy system's kind of a pain. i'm used to doing a lot of solo work. it'd be easier not to have to coordinate with other people if i want to go in...i get that it's for our safety, but i'm used to risky work, too.

hope a little threadjack is okay!

[epitaffio]

I'm one of the guys who found the door with Louie.
Would you mind if I came along with you?

Always~

[feathersfly]

hey, sure thing. i think i've seen you around before, haven't i?

[Which is Hawks' subtle way of saying "oh, hey, coworker". He's made himself passingly familiar with some of them, and Doppio got a little more of his attention than others due to Hawks' hazy memories of their chatting during the weird weekend.]

if louie here isn't planning to dive back in, then i'm glad someone else is volunteering for the exploration team. i could ask if anyone from my last group wants to come, too. a group of two's allowed, but it feels kinda small. especially since my team hasn't exactly reached their max potential yet.

[epitaffio]

I think so too.
Hawks, right?

[AKA: "Hey, coworker." Although to be frank, Doppio can't remember much of how they met... Between the nature of that weekend and the general reliability of his memories, it's a wonder he can even remember a) his name and b) that he's a Rocket too. Then again, he figures that means there must have been something particularly striking about him...]

And don't worry I've got you covered!
I mean of course I'm still learning, but I've been here for a while.

I'm so sorry he's doing this the way he is.

[uber_marionettist]

Hold on there. I know they say three's a crowd, but I'm really going to need you to make room for one more.

[epitaffio]

[squints in green]

Sure.
You're the most experienced out of us and all

[feathersfly]

hey, the more the merrier. besides, you granted my request the other week. only fair to let you have one.

[feathersfly]

yep! i know we've met before, but given it was during that weird weekend, i'm gonna guess your memories of that are as vague as mine. hopefully this time they'll stick.

good to hear your team's set, though. i'll admit, an all-bird team isn't necessarily the best fit for a partially submerged temple.

[epitaffio]

All birds?
Did you do that on purpose?

[feathersfly]

of course. your text is pink on purpose, right? you should understand sticking to an aesthetic.

ofc ofc!... late response but

[talkyourwayout]

Good luck going back in there, Doppio. Tell me if you find anything good, okay?

no worries!!

[epitaffio]

Sure.
You're really not coming this time?

[talkyourwayout]

No, I think I've reached my limit with this whole temple thing. But have a good time, man!

[epitaffio]

Thanks.

I think I get it really!
Even if you have Pokémon with you, exploring such an old place can be pretty dangerous.
But I'm part of the Legendary Seekers so...
They'll give me hell if I up and quit.

[talkyourwayout]

Oh, great! Yeah, I'll get you the map once you figure out who you're going in with and prepare.

Yeah? I mean, I'm used to this high-risk adventuring too, but I'm usually with a group. What kind of work do you do?

[feathersfly]

sounds good. looks like i've got doppio and dirk jumping on our little bandwagon, and i'm still gonna ask a couple of the guys i went in with last time if they wanna come along too. since i found the key with them, only seems fair that i give them refusal rights on whether they want to see what it potentially opens.

[Of course, that means four Rockets and a Rocket's boyfriend. That's going to be an...interesting group. Hawks doesn't mind turning over some of his share of whatever they find to the team, if it's just some generic valuables - anything to keep them feeling like he's contributing appropriately, rather than deciding maybe he ought to be held to the weekly pokémon quota after all - but he doesn't know what they'll find. Will it just be generic valuables, or will it be something necessary to figure out this whole temple mystery? Objects of historical significance? Stuff that, say, would be better off anywhere other than being hoarded by Team Rocket?

He's confident of Steven and Thace, at least, but Dirk and Doppio...he doesn't know how loyal they are to Team Rocket, or what shape their loyalty takes. Or even whether they might decide to be selfish and claim anything important for themselves. He'll need to stay alert and flexible, just in case - figure out a way to argue a case for whatever they find, and against doing anything to disagreeable with it. There's sharing spoils, and then there's letting a pack of vandals make off with priceless artifacts...or sabotaging the entire point of all this exploring. Hawks is okay with the former, but has some pretty serious objections to the latter.

Ah, yeah, and he'll need to figure out a way - if possible; again, who knows what they'll find? - to get a share for Louie, too. The key would've been useless without the door, after all.

Nothing like being a double agent for having to juggle flaming hoops while jumping through them at the same time.]

nothing i'd call adventuring, at least. i'm a pro hero back home. i understand that worlds where heroism is a government-subsidized profession aren't exactly common, though, so i'm gonna guess that's a weird concept to drop on you.

[talkyourwayout]

That sounds good, just don't forget who gave you the map, too.

[He's not joking as much as one might think.]

Not that weird, actually. There's a superhero on my uncle's payroll; he looks after Duckburg when my family's off on adventures.

[feathersfly]

of course not. i mean, the key's pretty useless without the lock, right? if there's loot that can be split, you'll get a cut. if not...well, we can negotiate. who knows, it might be some kind of artifact that neither of us is really fit to keep.

you know, you're the first person not from my own world that seems familiar with the idea of a hero getting paid! i mean, there's plenty of people even back home that don't do a hero's work just for the paycheck, but heroes do need to eat, too, same as everyone else. and it's hard to do hero work and hold down a job. it may not be a perfect solution, but i always thought that the base idea of making sure heroes are financially stable so they can do the good work with fewer complications and distractions was a good one. nice to hear it's not just our world that thinks so.

[talkyourwayout]

Thanks, man. I'm always up to negotiate if things don't split up easily.

And hey, heroes are doing work, too, right? And like you said, they still need an income.

[And sure, Fenton has a day job, but Louie's not sure he actually gets paid...? Huey's mentioned him being an intern.]

The idea seems pretty sound to me, really.

[text]

[captainash]

Admittedly, I haven't gone anywhere near those ruins, so my idea might be completely off, but.

Have any of you tried to open that door with a Klefki?

[talkyourwayout]

Do those guys actually work as keys? Huh.

I mean, I guess it's possible, but that seems... Weird.

[captainash]

Sure they do. You can even give them some keys of your own, if you trust them.

They've got a gift for sniffing out keys, too. So if anyone brought one along, any existing key in the temple could have been snatched up without anyone knowing.

[talkyourwayout]

Oh, I thought the keys were more part of the Pokemon. Weird.

Anyway, that's good advice, thanks. I've already got in touch with someone who I think has the right key, but if that doesn't work out, I'll keep that in mind.

[captainash]

Hopefully it is the correct one. I mean, how many keys and locks can an underwater temple have lying around?

...If that number is above twenty, I don't want to know.

[talkyourwayout]

You don't want to know, then. At least, going off my experience in Atlantis.

Well, that was more traps than lock-and-key stuff, but the idea is people generally want others to keep out of those places.