Video;

[truthdecided]

[It's the middle of the day, not long after quests go up that Akechi greets the Grumpearls with a serious expression.]

Greetings. This is Akechi. To anyone newly arrived, I'm a member of the Oran Berries, and I was also among the group exploring the Northern Forest.

[Images accompany of his words of meandering, overgrown plantlife, strange, glowing vines, and luminous mushrooms eerily aglow.]

As there are multiple quests related to the recent fungal infestation as well as further requests to explore to the north, I'd like to give you all my personal insights.

First...

[He raises a wing, feathers folded in such a way to approximate a hand holding up one finger.]

The spores cause heightened aggression. I highly recommend obtaining some form of facial covering to minimize their effects. While I cannot say how effective it will be, reducing how many spores you inhale will likely serve you well in the long run.

Second...

[He raises another feather.]

Be extra careful when removing the mushrooms. If you can dig around them, that will be ideal, but mushrooms have complex root systems called mycelium, so if you want to be extra cautious, it may be worth digging especially deep. The fruiting bodies are their primary means of reproduction, however, so simply removing and eliminating as many as possible while minimizing contact with the spores would be ideal.

[He tries to convey this with little images of the mushroom caps and the roots spreading far, far beneath the soil.]

Ren and I will return to the northern forest to rectify our... mistake. I also fully intend on gathering and eliminating as many of the mushrooms as possible.

Be smart, expect the worst, and we may be able to overcome this unfortunate infestation.

Comments

[offtracks]

Is burning them a viable solution?

[Or would that just make like, aggression smoke?]

[truthdecided]

It may help in eliminating them or reducing their range, but Dr. Denne did want at least some samples for further research.

[Still, come to think of it... Would it make smoke?]

I would advise being careful when using fire, if only to ensure the resulting smoke doesn't yield similar effects.

[offtracks]

I will execute some experiments, should I find any!

[Separate from retrieving samples, of course, but Ingo can really only carry so many samples anyway. He hasn't actually encountered any of these particular mushrooms yet anyway, so it's all a little hypothetical.]

[truthdecided]

Excellent. Do let me know the results; it'd be worthwhile to record them for future reference.

[Alas, Akechi lacks any fire type moves to speak of, so he'll have to defer to those more qualified.]

[offtracks]

Of course! It would be useful to know if that is a decent way of removing them. Though of course that could be easily overdone...

[There's not too many other new fire-types, though. Hopefully they could avoid anyone getting too flame-happy about it.]

[truthdecided]

We should see how many samples Dr. Denne requires. Then, assuming we gather enough, perhaps a fire type guild member could go in after to clear the lingering mushrooms.

Not to mention, burning can be beneficial to a habitat's longevity, if done in a controlled fashion.

[But control is the key word here, and given the spores... Hm. Still could present problems.]

[offtracks]

Hmm...it's certainly something to discuss with the guild leadership!

[Ingo's feeling rather cautious about the idea of large-scale burning, but you know. There's no reason not to at least suggest it.]

[truthdecided]

They would know the needs of the ecosystem better, if nothing else. I suppose Ribombee-san might be the one to turn to...

[Mightyena may know, but she's also not of the forest. It's not really her domain.]

[offtracks]

Yes, quite so...I know that there are some places where wildfires happen with regularity, but Hisui is not one of them.

[So he doesn't really know how that works, and also does know that it's something that does not work everywhere!]

video

[telewarped]

Your "mistake"...?

[Do tell!]

[truthdecided]

In our attempts to fend off the spores, we scattered them with wind. This... may have contributed to the infestation.

[He's not proud to admit it, but there's little sense in hiding it.]

[telewarped]

Nice going.

Did you get hit with any yourself?

[truthdecided]

We managed to avoid the worst of it, but we regrettably had to retreat. However, now that we know what to expect, future explorations should prove much more manageable.

[He steps away from the camera to reveal a familiar, folded up scarf.]

A scarf, mask, or a bandanna should provide adequate protection. Goggles aren't a terrible option either.

[telewarped]

Well, I already have to wear a mask literally all day every day, so sounds like I'm set.

[truthdecided]

In your case, goggles might be more worthwhile, though I suppose it would draw more attention to your true face...

[It's easy to overlook the eyes when they're little dots, but goggles... well, they aren't exactly subtle.]

[telewarped]

[There's a flicker of discomfort at the thought—purely instinctual.]

I'll—think about it. Honestly though? I'm not sure if I even have lungs like you fully alive losers, so maybe I'm immune anyway.

[truthdecided]

I'd been wondering about that, actually. Ghost types are rather enigmatic in their anatomy.

[He pauses, feathers slightly ruffled.]

Not that I need to know such personal details, of course.

voice;

[outbounds]

Oh. Mushrooms that sound like they release something like Rage Powder. That's fun.

Was it just regular mushrooms, or were there Pokémon too?

[ Are they going to anger a colony of Amoongus by digging up the fungus? ]

voice;

[truthdecided]

The Pokémon were incredibly hostile, no doubt influenced by the spores. You'll want to stay on guard and proceed with utmost caution.

A larger team may increase the odds of your success.

[Then again, Emmet is fully evolved. That does give him a certain edge...]

[outbounds]

Oh. You are talking about other kinds of Pokémon. That is a problem, yes. But what I meant was more like Amoongus. Or maybe Parasect. Hang on.

[ Emmet's mental 'voice' recedes for a bit, replaced by the stylized image... top down diagram? Slideshow of sorts he sends instead, of first an oversized mushroom with very distinct patterning standing next to a large bird in a field. Opposite them are a roughly sketched out pair of blob opponents that might or might not look like something vaguely akin to Shoka's (and the Ring Spirit's) disguise, though one is in blue and the other in red.

the red one sends a bolt of lightning the bird's way, the blue one clapping its paws together excitedly. the bird develops Xes for eyes, flopping over dramatically. 'rewind', the image goes back a slide, and instead the mushroom waves its shroom arms, sending a cloud of powder at the mouse blobs, who develop exaggerated cartoon anger tics and unhappy faces before aiming the lightning at the mushroom instead. That last image lingers, an arrow pointing at the Amoongus and question marks around it as Emmet's 'voice' returns: ]

So! My question. Was it just normal mushrooms you saw, or were there Pokémon like this one too?

[truthdecided]

Ah, yes. There were also Breloom present. On the whole, I've found that grass, dark, and ghost types are fairly prevalent on the whole, along with bug types.

[He projects images of Nuzleaf, Phantump, and Spinarak as a few examples.]

Given the aggression of certain forest Pokémon of late, I suspect the mushrooms are to blame.

[outbounds]

Not as familiar with Breloom as Amoongus. But all of them were also affected? They were not responsible for the rapid growth of the mushrooms, you think.

[ Lots of grass types in the forest makes sense, hmm ... and Akechi's hypothesis, well. ]

You think they are why the Swoobat were attacking before. Or why some of the other rescue requests happened. Yup. It would make sense.

[ Hmmmm. ]

Which is why it would be annoying if we kept traveling the same tracks. Because the mushrooms keep regrowing. Amoongus' spores can sprout into mushrooms pretty quickly, is why I brought them up. But if you think the reason for the infestation lies elsewhere, we don't have to worry.

[truthdecided]

It did seem like grass types were more resilient, at least. Ren wasn't as affected as he could have been, though I took caution and blew the spores away, which may have resulted in our current predicament.

[He heaves a heavy sigh, but nods all the same.]

I'm almost positive the Swoobats were victims of the spores, along with the Pokémon who attacked Smoochum. However, the entire northern forest was full of strange, overgrown foliage even beyond the mushrooms.

[outbounds]

Some grass types are can nurture growth in plants. If they are confused or finding it hard to control themselves because of the spores it could be related.

Orrrrr, maybe the northern forest is just naturally full of weird plants and fungi. Could be either. Who knows.

[ definitely not them, who basically only just showed up in this world. who knows what's normal here. ]

What do you mean by strange, though? Just overgrown or something else?

[truthdecided]

Not merely overgrown, but often glowing, and the terrain of the forest felt as though it was... breathing, for lack of a better word.

[He tries projecting some images from the forest, complete with oddly glistening flora, along with vines that grab and snatch anything nearby.]

It was treacherous terrain, made worse by the spores and hostile enemies.