[Folio Town - Residential District East]

@Light Lord
"The attack seemed... it was not like anything I've seen before. Whatever it was, impaled Deeku several times, and the burns from the wounds seared deep into his hide, leaving a black, corrupted substance. One of the spikes had impaled him in such a vital spot that he was not able to recover in time. I believe even had he been taken to see a cleric, the result would have been much the same." Averting his gaze, the Mienshao's eyes narrowed, "If we are able to harness this power, we would be unstoppable. Of course, if we are not it is a dangerous threat indeed."

Crossing his arms, he looked up to the Toxicroak once more, "What say you, Datsu? How do you wish to proceed?"

[Folio Town - Guild Balcony]

@Light Lord
"Ah... Well then, I suppose that's fair. Thank you for staying with me then, Glyph. You have my gratitude..." With his gaze scanning the crowd, his eyes fell upon the blue Kirlia for a few moments, a subconscious sigh escaping his maw. "And... yes, I am quite looking forward to a nice meal. After today's events, it... would be the highlight of my evening."

In the square beneath the pair, the dancing Braixen slowed before finally stopping, giving a bow to her adoring fans. What seemed like the entire town of Folio cheered, some whistles and clapping could be heard. With a wide grin across her face, the Braixen spoke up, "Thank you! Thank you everyone. This concludes Night One of Troupe Relm's show! We'll be around for autographs and some chit chat, but we're all pretty much starving! Oh, and of course donations are always appreciated~ And hey! Whoever donates 100Poké is sure to get a sweet little kiss by none other than me~! All right everyone, have a wonderful evening, and make sure to check us out every night!"

Relm the Sylveon, along with Pyrrha and the other dancers came out from the sidelines, all being mobbed by generous fans.

Robel picked himself up, letting a pained groan out. "It would appear... it's over. How much longer until dinner? Oh, and the dancers are joining us as well I believe?"

[Folio Town - Town Square]

@Ninian
The dance show came to a fiery close, and Raiden added to the thunderous cheers and applause with his own loud clapping. The towering Pokémon stood up from the wall and began wadding his way through the crowd of ecstatic fans on his way to the Trunk's entrance. But something soon caused him to slow and look back at the mobbed dancers with a slight frown. ....I'll go say hi, give them a few coins, then I'll go find Genji.

Swiftly turning around and being careful not to accidentally smack any of the smaller mon around him with his wide tail, the gator shuffled through the crowds. Slowly edging closer to the Troupe until he reached what appeared to be the outer ring of civilians currently having an audience with each of the dancers. Glancing at the currently occupied Pyrrha, the Feraligatr shrugged and looked down to mess with something under his cloak. Soon one of his meaty scaled hands appeared from under the cloak from near his chest holding two objects. The same milky pearl and odd metal tube that were both attached to strings around his neck.

Raiden's eyes glazed over as he stared at the two shapes for what seemed like an eternity in his foggy mind. He rolled the pearl around in his palm with his thumb, letting it fall through his fingers in favor of the tube this time. It's color was of a dulled brown, and featured a few small dents. It's aged and weathered appearance matching up well with the rest of the well travelled Water-type's equipment. A tiny latch at the top of the tube indicated the fact that the tube was actually some form of capsule that could be opened.

A sigh escaped him as he quickly shook the fog out of his mind. Letting the tube fall back down under his cloak as the Big Jaw Pokémon turned his head back towards the Gardevoir dancer a good few metres away from him. It seemed like she was just finishing conversing with a Zangoose. A happy smile graced Raiden's cream colored maw as he began to slowly wade through the crowds to get to Pyrrha's location. Hand reaching down into his cloak again to fiddle with what sounded like a pouch of coins.

Finally coming up to the fully evolved Psychic Fairy, Raiden waved a hand in greeting and smiled down at Pyrrha. "Hi again Pyrrha. The show was amazing, just like I heard it was. You guys really pull out all the stops don't ya?"

[Folio Town - Guild Balcony]

@Ninian
Applauding the ending of the show for a few seconds, the Flygon turned back towards his right hand mon and raised a claw. "Of course, Relm and his Troupe are our honourable guests for the next few days. Dinner will most likely begin in the next half hour."

Adjusting the bag on his shoulder a bit, Glyph walked off towards the door back into the Guild. Turning his head and smiling at the injured Heliolisk as he got up to it. "I will be heading down to the kitchen to assist Dia in setting up. You are free to come help if you wish Robel, but if you would like to rest in your quarters until dinner that is acceptable as well. Goodbye for now, my friend. I hope you feel better soon."

And with that, the dragon crouched slightly to shuffle in through the door and disappear back into the Guild.

[Folio Town - Residential District East]

@Ninian
An odd, rumbling croaking noise emitted from the thief as he closed his eyes and stared at the ground just to the right of his shoulder. "....If you wish to know my honest opinion, the best way to proceed would be to do what we always do. Spectate." Looking up from the floor, Datsu stopped walking completely and smirked at the weasel-like mon. "You know that I have no interest in attaining 'ultimate power' or any of that sort of rubbish. I am a thief, and thievery only calls for dexterous hands and a deceptive disposition. I find that sort of raw strength would give me no benefit, and would only serve to draw attention; make us appear be 'super villains' which the public would not hesitate to retaliate against with lethal force."

The smirk soon turned back into that unsettling toothy smile. "Besides, Alias, this does not necessarily become a threat to us. What would one of such power want with common crooks? No no, I foresee that the guardians murderer has bigger plans in mind, ones that would cause trouble for the folk of this town specifically. Of course, one cannot be too careful. The wisest plan of action would be to analyse the power of this mysterious individual, perhaps make another visit to Deeku's corpse to inspect the wounds before we flee this tree. Gauge the abilities of this Pokémon to find a way to simply counter their power and disable it. Wouldn't you agree?"

[Folio Town - Town Square]

@Light Lord
With wide eyes, Pyrrha was stunned for a brief few moments at the Feraligatr's arrival before snapping out of it, flashing the heavily scarred Water-type a warm smile. "Oh! Why thank you very much. Yes we... do try to go all out, every show, actually! We really do appreciate your patronage."

Butting through the crowds of people, a small blue Kirlia finally emerged, crawling under the Feraligatr to finally reach the dancers. "Coming... through... there! Jeez, finally!" Picking herself up, she almost bumped into Raiden, before turning around to shoot him apologetic smile, "Eheh, sorry, this is more important!"

The Gardevoir's eyes widened in confusion as she looked over the small Kirlia, who then whirled around to give her a wide smile, "The show was awesome! I wasn't able to see the whole thing because my friend ended up getting mugged, but what I saw was just... so cool! Pyrrha, you're the best! Oh, but I'm probably just spewing words right now oh umm..."

Spinning around to give the Feraligatr a few more apologetic bows, "Reeeeally sorry!" she then turned back around. "Okay, so uh, two things. One, I want to join Troupe Relm, but two I kinda am apparently apart of Folio's Guild now, so I don't know how that would work... Three things then. I need to find someone, and I'm pretty sure you know him! Dunban! Do you know where he is?"

Completely floored by everything the Kirlia just said, Pyrrha scratched the back of her head, flustered, "O-Oh dear, everyone's looking for him. Is he in trouble...?" "Nope!" "Well...ah... as for you joining the troupe, you'd need to speak to Relm himself. He's... very picky. Also if you're a part of the Guild that would make things more difficult, unless you're... part time? Maybe that'd work..." Furrowing her brows in thought she continued, "If you're a member of the Guild, then you should be having dinner with us? Apologies, but perhaps that would be a better time to discuss this. That way I can greet everyone else..."

Hanging her head, Lilisette let out a drawn-out sigh, "...Ugh. All right, I guess. Thanks, I'll um... make sure I make dinner then. Oh no! Devon... Devon has to come eat too! Ember and Selena too! But they have parents? Shoot..."

Letting out a sigh the Gardevoir smiled up at Raiden, "You have my apologies. It seems she's a bit... rambunctious? Is there anything you needed of me....?"

"I'm right here!"

[Folio Town - Rhys' Clinic]

@Light Lord
The Totodile agreed on the team name, giving a little bit of joy to the Bayleef's heart. She turned her head, though, when she heard the voices in the distance. "Sounds like it's over now, we'd better get home then..." Said Selena, looking over to Ember. "Right... well, guess we'll see you tomorrow Devon. Tell Lilisette the same for us, will ya?" Said the Quilava. Giving a few waves, the two Pokemon headed out of the clinic.

Ember decided to kind of escort Selena home, just in case Bruce and his gang were still out and about. But, they made it to her home without incident. "See ya tomorrow!" Said Ember as she dashed off. Selena smiled and waved, and headed inside. "Mom, I'm home!" She said as she headed inside. "Selena, where have you been? You ran off so suddenly earlier, I was worried..." Said the Meganium inside. Dinner was already on the table, and her father sat on the other side of the table. He looked up and eyed the bag the Bayleef had.

"Selena... where did you get that?" He asked, causing the Meganium to look at it herself. "Where did you get that?" She asked. Selena shied away a moment and answered. "Well... that's a bit of a story..." She said as she recounted her tale of that day.

Meanwhile, Ember had quickly made her way home a few houses over. "I'm home!" She called as she trotted in. Her mother was waiting for her, already knowing about her daughter's joining of the guild from earlier that day. "Well, wash up and get ready, dinner's gonna get cold." She said, Ember heading into the other room. "She's really following in her father's footsteps..." She said to herself as she waited for her daughter to return.

[Folio Town - Town Square]

@Ninian
The gator kept his smile as the Gardevoir thanked him for his comment. "No problem. Really made the trek here worth i-" The giant cut himself off as he looked downwards in confusion to see a random blue Kirlia crawling between his legs. When she stood up and apologized to him for interrupting, he crossed his arms and nodded. Smile returning to his face. "It probably is. Go ahead kid."

Spinning slightly on his heel to turn away from the two of same evolutionary line as they conversed, Raiden reached up and scratched at his nose a bit. When the blabber mouthed Psychic Fairy apologized for the second time he simply gave a shrug. "Really, it's fine."

What the overly excited Emotion Pokémon had to say however caused the Feraligatr to frown as he listened in. She's looking for him too....Seen that coming.....I guess it doesn't matter....

The conversation came back to Raiden, and the towering scaled mon turned back to Pyrrha with the same kind smile. Slightly chuckling at the Kirlia's protest. "Nah it's fine. And no, not really. I just wanted to give you these." A clawed hand reached out from under the Water-type's cloak. In it's palm with a good sized cloth pouch tied off with simple white string. Holding it towards the dancer he scratched his head with a free hand. "There should be enough coins in there for all of ya. Thirty for each if my math isn't off. And don't worry about me breaking my bank, money isn't everything."

[Folio's Trunk - Treacherous Roots B3]

@Shiny Keldeo@Lucius Cypher
Everyone appeared to agree with his plan, causing Letho to put up that sparkling sharp grin again and shoot finger guns at his team mates. "Alright, let's jump a plant."

Tip toeing back down the narrow corridor while gesturing for the other three to follow, the imp stopped at the corner to look around it and into the small room once again. The Darkness Pokémon held up a single claw to his team and whispered. "Ok, wait for my signal guys. I'm gonna drag him over here."

With the instructions given, the Sableye seemed to just 'melt' into the floor and disappear. [LETHO used SHADOW SNEAK!] A flat, black oval stretched on the ground from where the Dark Ghost had stood and creeped it's way towards the Roserade in the next room. Edging it's way ever closer to the unbeknown Grass-Poison type until the oval's tip had succeeded in making it's way behind the patrolling Bouquet Pokémon. The form of the Guild member soon rose up out from the shadow in a purplely aura. A maniacal grin on his face as he stood up fully and held out his hands that began to pulse with a dark energy. "Yo, buddy, did you order a Dark Pulse? Or did I get the wrong tuft of grass?"

Whipping around with a sudden gasp, the Roserade's eyes widened as it felt the force of a concrete pole slam into it's chest. [LETHO used DARK PULSE!] A pained grunt escaped the masquerading mon as it was sent flying off through the room, landing hard on it's back near the corridor where Fuse, Breeze, and Gren laid in wait.

Groaning and cursing to itself as it got up, the now black scarred Roserade starred daggers at the giggling imp across the room as he shouted. "NOW GUYS! BLAST EM AND PIN EM!"

[Folio Town - Rhys' Clinic]

@Ninian
With the end of the dance show, Ember and Selena made their exit and said their goodbyes. Raising a hand himself, Devon called out and waved to his friends. "I will! See ya guys!"

Now, the Totodile-once-human was alone again. For the first time since he arrived in Folio's Trunk. The soft sounds of what seemed to be a wind-chime jingled through the halls of the small clinic, no doubt Rhys checking on the other patients. Starring at the ceiling, the scaled child sighed and closed his eyes.

So...I almost got killed by a psycho Gardevoir, made good friends, joined a Guild, got zapped by a thief, and now I even formed my own team......I know, Lilisette and Glyph said that I'm supposed to be some great hero that stops a war but...What was I before? A human....There's only Pokémon around here, and from the sounds of it, it's the same everywhere else.....Where did I come from? What was my life like before I turned into a Totodile and was brought here?.....Who are my old friends?...There....There was a voice. It talked to me after I got knocked out from the shocks...

"Devon!"

The Big Jaw Pokémon's face visibly scrunched up. His brain straining itself, forcing the memory of the voice out from the unconscious void.

...I know that voice....It makes me feel happy... Then a frown disgraced Devon's maw. ...And for some reason really annoyed. He's my friend though. I know that much....What's his name?...J..Ja..Jack?...James?...No, wait it's-

"Jason."

He said the name out loud. The silence of the relaxing clinic room broken by his own raspy voice. Devon's eyes slowly creaked open to let him stare at the ceiling again and smile. Yeah....His name is Jason. I've known him since we were kids....Where is he I wonder? Is he somewhere with the rest of the humans?.....I need to look into this when I get the chance....Maybe Glyph knows something? He's pretty knowledgeable....

Another, less pleasant sound rumbled through the patients room. Blinking, Devon put his claws down to rest on his now growling stomach. The uncomfortable gurgling feeling inside urging him to shift a bit to peak over the side of the table and down to the floor where his Guild bag sat. A disappointed sigh escaped the Totodile as he knew that he could not reach the fruit inside of it without tumbling off the table and probably causing more un-needed injury. "Hey, Rhys? Are you there? When do you think I can leave? I feel a little better..."

[Folio Town - Guild Balcony]

With Glyph's departure, the Heliolisk's brows furrowed, contemplating his options. He could help, which he was in far too much agony to do. He could rest, which was the smart option. Or he could visit someone he was in dire need of visiting.

It seems I have about thirty minutes until it's time to eat. I... in this condition, I doubt I could make it all the way over there. Perhaps this would be best left until tomorrow... A dejected sigh escaped Robel's maw as he reluctantly shuffled towards his chambers.

[Folio Town - Residential District East]

@Light Lord
Waving a hand, the Mienshao let out a soft chuckle, "Yes, yes, I suppose you're right. This would be why you're the boss, no? You're absolutely right, though. There's already several requests from various Guilds across the continents wanting our heads, but with not enough drive to do so." With a shrug he'd continue, "That would likely be the breaking point..."

"You're right... whatever it is likely wants nothing to do with us... All right then, perhaps you should take a look at the corpse. I know where it's residing, so... I suppose whenever you are ready. It is about time for us to be heading off, yes?"

[Folio Town - Town Square→Rhys' Clinic]

@Light Lord
Shooting a slightly worried glance at the Feraligatr, she then shoved whatever thought she had out of her mind. This wasn't important right now. "Kay, then! See you at dinner Pyrrha, I gotta go get my friend Devon. I hope he's okay..." Waving the dancer off, Lilisette then dove between Radien's legs again to worm her way through the crowd.

Pyrrha let out a slight chuckle, looking over Raiden, "...She's certainly an odd child."

Now out of range of the dancers, Lilisette rushed through Town Square, bumping into almost everyone she possible could, though entirely accidentally. "Whoops, sorry! Coming through!"

After only a few minutes, the blue Kirlia made it back to the Clinic.

A chingling noise could be heard in a distant room, Rhys making his way back towards Devon at his beckon. "Apologies. So you wish to leave? Let me look over your wounds..."

Rushing into Devon's room, Lilisette blurted out, "You have to dismiss him! It's dinner time! I'm sure he's starving. Please Mr. Rhys."

The Chimecho scanned the Totodiles body with a concerned expression. Taking small look under the Totodile's dressings, and then at his maw, he let out a sigh. "I suppose you'd recover faster in your own bed... please, if you have any plans to do any strenuous activities tomorrow, do come see me first thing in the morning."

"Whaaat, why can't he come—wait. Waaait. You're actually letting him go? Like, I don't have to cry or beg you!?"

"He's... not well, but with some Psychic assistance, he should be able to eat on his own, and certainly he can sleep in his own bed. Walking would cause him some trouble though, but you did manage to bring him to me."

Pumping her fists into the air, Lilisette let out a cheer, "WOO! Dinner time then, what do you say, Devon? Ready to blow this Popsicle stand?"

[Folio Town - Town Square]

@Light Lord
Once Lilisette was out of sight, Pyrrha took the proffered coins in hand. "Th-This is heavy. Are you... certain? That's a lot of Poké..." Staring down at the sack, tears almost welled in her eyes, Thirty for each of us...? That's so... incredibly generous of him. I-I can't believe... and he's offered to escort me for free, too. I just... Taking a few moments, she looked up at the scarred Feraligatr with a truly, genuinely happy smile. "This... this means a lot to me. Thank you. You're so unbelievably kind..."

The dancer's gaze fell to the floor for a few moments as she contemplated something before speaking up, "Ah... Raiden, right? Perhaps you'd like to have dinner with us? I'm certain the Guild is going to be throwing a banquet, when really our dancers eat quite little to maintain our lithe figures. I guess... what I'm trying to say is I'm sure there'd be enough food to feed another mouth."

[Folio Trunk - Treacherous Roots B3]

@Light Lord @Lucius Cypher
Letho made his move, sneaking up behind the Grass Poison Type and knocking it off balance. Then he told them to move in, and move in they did. Breeze struck quickly with Air Slash, throwing a blow towards the Roserade's turned back. [Breeze used AIR SLASH!] Right behind that, Fuse rushed forward with Spark, trying to get a back to back hit on the Wild Pokemon. [Fuse used SPARK!] There was no talking, there was no time to. This was a time for action, not for words.

[Folio Town - Town Square]

@Ninian
The giant froze up as the Emotion Pokémon took the most uncomfortable escape route she could, between his legs again. His cheeks turned a bit pink for a moment as he looked back down at Pyrrha and joined in the chuckle. "Uh...Yeah. But that's most kids really."

The Psychic dancer marvelled over Raiden's offered money, and it simply caused him to smile and nod. "I'm certain. If I ever need more, I can just pull off a few jobs. Even so, money isn't exactly important to me." The genuine, happy smile shown off by Pyrrha caused Raiden's own to develop the same sort of intensity. "You're welcome Pyrrha. And thank you. I try to be."

With nothing more to say, the gator was preparing to turn away and walk off. But just before he managed to move his legs, Pyrrha spoke up with words that rattled his body to the core like a bolt of lightning. Raiden's orange eyes shrunk down to mere pricks as his bottom jaw hung agape. Staring at the dancer's hung head for a moment before looking away and closing his mouth.

I-I shouldn't....Should I?....It's....Not like it would wreck any of our plans....I don't even really have a goal up here....But then there's Genji.....No, I can make this work. I'll just call him while she's still talking with the crowd...Make sure he's ok, then I can have dinner with them......I can't believe this is really happening....

The panic and stress washed off of the Feraligatr's face like dirt being scrubbed off from a light rain. A confident grin taking his maw as he looked back down at the Gardevoir. "I'd love that. I haven't been able to sit down and have an actual meal in days. Thank you."

Looking around at the crowd still gathered around the Troupe, Raiden put a hand on his hip. Causing his elbow to awkwardly jut out from under his cloak. "Looks like you guys'll be busy with this crowd for a few more minutes huh? That'll give me some time to get ready. Then I'll meet you at the Guild. That sound good?"

[Folio Town - Rhys' Clinic]

@Ninian
Lilisette's timely appearance brought a big smile to Devon's face as he waved at her. Clutching his stomach and looking to the Chimecho cleric to confirm the Kirlia's claims. "Seriously. My stomach feels like it's trying to eat itself." He complied with Rhys' check up, taking his hands away from his body and opening his maw up when gestured to. A sharp toothy grin stole the Totodile's features when he was good to go. "I will. Thanks Rhys. You're a life saver."

Sitting up from the table and placing the rags on his body off to the side, the Big Jaw Pokémon turned himself to face Lilisette and join in the cheer with a raised fist. "Oh yeah I am! Let's go!" With that said, Devon pushed himself clear off the table to fall a short ways towards the ground.

....And hit it feet first, letting out a sharp hiss and stumbling onto his butt. A sort of pained wince disgracing his face as he rubbed his legs and shifted over to grab his bag. Throwing it over his shoulder again as he smirked at Lilisette. "Looks like my legs are still jelly...Damn it."

[Folio Town - Residential District East]

@Ninian
Starting to walk once again, the frog quickly nodded. "Indeed. Rox should be waiting for us just past this neighbourhood to give us both a ride to the ground. Then, we can traverse the lower trunk in search of the corpse whenever it is you feel comfortable. But from the ferocious style of the guardian murderer, it would be wise to analyze the body's wounds as soon as possible. Come along Alias."

And with the threat of the 'Shadow-type' looming over head, the thieves departed.

Gren watched as Letho attacked the roserade, knocking it closer to the ground. Breeze and Fuse attacked it from behind, slashing it's back with an air blade and tackling it with a spark. Gren kicked off, building speed as he rushed towards the Roserade's legs to knock it off balance. [GREN used ROLLOUT!] If that succeeded, then he would continue to roll towards the wall, with enough force to go up a few feet into the air. From there, Gren planned to land onto the Roserade and put his full weight right on top of it's body, to pin it to the ground.

[Folio's Trunk - Treacherous Roots B3]

@Shiny Keldeo@Lucius Cypher
The dungeon Roserade got to a shaky stand, still cursing under it's breath as it attempted to sprint towards the taunting Sableye in rage. Unfortunately for it, Letho had assistance. The call from the ghost caused the plants eyes to go wide. A sharp, intense pain flaring up on it's back as it took a direct hit from Breeze's Air Slash, but didn't have time to worry about the super effects of the attack due to the sparking mass of blue and black fur charging towards it.

A panicked yelp escaped the rosy mon as it took the electrically charged tackle head on. The yelp itself sounding feminine, but the gasping and cursing afterwords sounding oddly male. Again it had no time to recover, as it was quickly tripped flat onto it's stomach as a rouge Aron rolled under it's legs. Said Aron landing from it's drop just a few inches next to the Grass-Poison type head. Enough to make it shudder and yelp. Covering it's head with it's bouquet hands. Though they weren't pinned down like Gren had hopped, the Roserade was down for the count.

Letho popped out of the floor next to the downed leafy Pokémon, smirking and rolling their body over with a foot to press it onto their chest and glare down at them. "Alright Roserade, you got some questions to answer. Answer em like a good little rose bush, and we let ya go. No catch. But if you misbehave...." A devious twinkle appeared in the imp's right eye. "I'll give you something to really be scared of. That crazy cult leader of yours will look like a cuddly little Poochyena compared to me. We clear?"

A huff escaped the now identifiable as male Roserade trapped beneath the ghost's foot. "Crystal. And I don't fear The Manifest. If you savages weren't so thick headed, you too could see that she is a kind and gifted leader."

A look of pure boredom blanketed Letho's face as he mimicked a speaking motion with his claws. "Yeah yeah, go ahead and keep spouting your brain washed bs. What sort of 'kind and gifted' leader sends her goons after any innocent Pokémon that wanders down here for supplies and doesn't feel like bending over and licking her paws?"

"Talons. And I don't think any of us do that."

"Whatever!" Letho protested as he threw his arms up in the air. "Let's get to the point. We're looking for a certain Pokémon down here. Not one of your cult buddies either. We're looking for....Shit."

The Roserade underneath him blinked up at the ghost, before rolling his eyes. "Please don't tell me that you came all the way down here, assaulted me, and you aren't even sure of who it is you're even looking for. You Guild members are so idiotic."

[Folio Trunk - Treacherous Roots B3]

@Light Lord @Lucius Cypher
Fuse sighed as Letho attempted to interrogate the Roserade. "Here, let me have a shot at it..." He said, stepping into eyesight of the Grass Poison Type. "Yeah, I wasn't too keen on the mission, but I had to do it. We're looking for a Pokemon who would know anything about him." He said, motioning with his paw towards Gren. "You might know something too, though. Kid never knew his parents, practically abandoned as an egg. Got taken in by a nice Mawile up in Folio, but he wants the truth..." He leaned in closer and spoke lower. "The hard head practically doesn't care what it takes, even if he gets killed."

Breeze continued looking around worryingly, she couldn't see the sky, so she had no clue what time it was. She could only guess it was just about sunset, which meant any moment now... She couldn't worry about it much, it was going to happen soon anyways. She floated over above everyone. "Every Pokemon has at least some soft spot in their heart, if you know anything, please..." She said.

[Folio Town - Town Square]

@Light Lord
When the Feraligatr mentioned the crowds, Pyrrha's face grew a deep red. "Y-Yeah. it's probably going to be a while. Well um... glad you can join us! We might be late? Or at least I might be late, usually appearances take a while. The other girls will probably be able to leave here shortly though."

Giving Raiden a bow, a smile crossed the Gardevoir's lips, "Anyway, do whatever you need to do. I'll see you at dinner!"

[Folio Town - Rhys' Clinic→Town Square]

@Light Lord
Pumping a fist, Lilisette called out, "DINNER TI—" only to cut herself off moments later. Watching in horror as the Totodile fell to his butt, she let out a surprise shriek before embracing Devon with [PSYCHIC]. "Shoot! Sorry. Here uh... I can help you to the Guild. Man... it's far isn't it."

With a small groan, the Kirlia made her way out of the Clinic, Devon in tow. Rhys called out, "Please do be careful!"

It took a little bit for the pair to reach the halfway point between the Clinic and the Guild. Setting Devon gently on the ground, Lilisette let out a drawn-out sigh. "Talk about draining. Gonna have to rest for a few here. Like my head's starting to hurt. Probably not as much as you hurt though. Sorry about that... like um. You're supposed to be really um... hardy? Like, obviously you are I guess I just didn't take into account that you still feel... pain... I guess..."

"Even if it gets you killed." Gren said with startling coldness. He was listening to Fuse and was mostly just following up on his bluff, since Gren didn't have the actual stomach to kill another pokemon. Fight, sure, but to attack with the intent to kill... That's just something Gren wasn't ready for. But he could try and lie if he had too. Part of him felt like he wasn't lying though; he really would do anything to find out what he needed to know. And if this roserade had to disappear to make that happen...

"I'm looking for a pokemon who lives here. Someone who lives alone, likely away from where you and your cronies stay. They're strong, strong enough that they could easily beat you and your friends by themselves." Of course Gren still had no idea who to look for, but hopefully if they find someone strong they might be able to point him in the right direction. There was always a chance that the pokemon he was looking for might be part of the gang down here, so Gren kept his options open. "Tell us everything you know and we'll let you go."

[Folio Town - Town Square]

The blue gator nodded down at the dancers predictions. Grinning slightly. "I can see why you get flogged the most. You're the poster girl for the entire show after all. I think you do a great job at it too."

Turning his back to Pyrrha, Raiden looked over his shoulder and waved. "Yup. See you then Pyrrha." The Feraligatr then began to trudge his way through the mob once again. Taking slow, careful steps so as not cause any accidents. His intense orange gaze drifting between those in the crowd for a moment before targeting the edge of the crowd and continuing towards it.

Breaking through the crowd, the Water-type looked around for a moment before spotting a path that lead back into the neighbourhoods. But he hesitated for a moment. Raiden's eyes caught sight of a peculiar duo. The same brown spiked Totodile and blue Kirlia from earlier. The Totodile seemed to take notice of him and give a questioning gaze. One that the combat experienced Pokémon ignored as he walked right past the two in utter silence to continue into the lamp lit Residential District.

Zeke, I need you to get a hold of Genji for me. Ask his Unown what he's doing, and see if he's gonna be able to make it to Folio tonight. Or if he's even still planning on coming up here at all.

~~~

A message rang out to other members of the Symbol Pokémon's species. One that echoed through the odd communication line only known by the sentient letters. "@U7$! #$@^*% %@#^$ %0 &$&# @$&4 6@$#* ^$ $%#*^, @#$ *& ^#'$ 2%^#*$ %( ^7$#^ $%^ *& #@&*%!"

[Folio Town - Town Square]

@Ninian
The crispy Totodile touched down on the hard wood street. Once again using his small tail as a stand to lean back on so as to right himself without falling back. Shaking the odd feeling of weightlessness away, he looked over Lilisette with a guilty frown and eyes full of concern. "Oh right. Psychic power gives you guys brain drain. Crap, I'm sorry Lilisette." Waddling over to the Kirlia he laid a clawed hand on her arm and looked up at her with a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine to walk the rest of the way. It'll still hurt, but trust me. I used to get beat up all the time when I was human. I can handle a little bit of leg pain. Thanks for the lift."

That said Devon turned around to begin walking towards the Guild across the plaza. But after only a few seconds he paused and looked off near the albeit smaller crowd gathered near the dancers. The same cloak wearing Feraligatr that was talking with one of the dancers earlier that day was staring in their direction. There he is again....What is his deal?

The face of the mysterious reptile was hard, stuck in a neutral disposition that hid what ever was going through his mind. And just as soon as he appeared, he left. Strolling past Devon and Lilisette as if he refused to acknowledge their existence. Devon's head followed the Feraligatr as he trudged along. "Who is that Feraligatr guy? This is like the third time he acted all mysterious and moody around us."

[Folio's Trunk - Treacherous Roots B3]

@Shiny Keldeo@Lucius Cypher
The Roserade turned his head towards the Luxio to listen to his explanation of what the purpose of their mission was. The Pokémon's leafy brows furrowing as he glanced over at Gren and spoke under his breath. "That seems rather foolish. Why risk your life for a truth that you have little to no idea how to obtain? And if one already has a loving guardian, what more could they ask for?"

The attempted threat from the small Aron standing by caused the Bouquet Pokémon to chuckle. "Ohhoho. Child, you are clearly bluffing. You would not have the gall to take a life. Besides, these Guild members live by a code; such code restricts them from killing unless absolutely necessary. They would not bring me fatal harm, and they certainly would not allow you to do so."

The Rosarade's comment caused Letho to sigh and nod as he looked over at Gren. "He's right Gren. We don't kill unless we need to. And this defiantly ain't one of those times. You better simmer down kiddo."

After Gren said the rest of his piece, and Breeze somewhat played onto the Roserade's soft side, the plant sighed and looked up at the ghost still pinning him before closing his eyes and snorting. "You seem to think that I am cold and heartless. You are incorrect. For the followers of the Manifest are not ruthless degenerates like the other Pokémon who call this dungeon their home. Truth be told, the Manifest's sacred grounds reside on the lower most floors of this tree. Though some of you already knew that."

Opening both of his charming pink eyes again he ran them over the party before sighing. "I was tasked with patrolling the floors beyond the Great One's reach, seeing if there are any hostile Pokémon planning to approach the sacred grounds. Seeing as you seem to not have plans to do so, and that you are not technically trespassing by this point, I may be able to assist you."

Letho gave a quick fist pump and a toothy grin from his space above the Grass-Poison type. "Now we're talkin'! Thanks Rosy. So, spill the beans, what do ya got on our 'mystery Pokémon'?" He asked as he crossed his arms and leaned down to look the Rosarade in the eyes. The Pokémon in question groaning and putting a flowery hand to his forehead. "...My name is Rin, thank you for asking." Letting his arms go flat on the ground next to him, Rin cleared his throat. "There is one Pokémon that resides on these floors that I know of. One, that could relate to your description. She is a rather independent Froslass that does not swear allegiance to the Manifest, but does not cause trouble like so many of the others that live here. If I recall correctly she lives somewhere on the fifth floor of this area. But such as the nature of a Mystery Dungeon, that may no longer be the case. Does that suit your needs?"

Letho looked around at the rest of his team mates, the sharp grin on his face fading to a small smile as he shrugged. "Well, it's better than nothing right guys? Wanna go check it out?"

[Folio Town - Town Square]

@Light Lord
"I think if I get stronger using Psychic should be pretty easy, but I really haven't practiced it that much? Plus I'm not really as strong as I need to be so... I'm rambling. Probably because of the headache." Laying back on the ground now, the Kirlia stared up, "Anyway, you sure you can walk the rest of the way? I need to rest just... right now, in general. Should be fine in a few minutes."

Raiden passed the group, and Lilisette's eyes fixed on him. At Devon's words, she shrugged, "I really don't know. He is pretty weird though. Like... moody's a good word. What's a Feraligatr doing in Folio anyway? It's ... not really an ideal place for Water-types. Like, at all. You're probably feeling it too. Speaking of, are you doing okay?"

[???]

@Light Lord
A singular, feminine message called out across the Unown communication line. "@*!@2 @&#!2872 @*$&@9_)( _)@(##*$*&! (@$)(#*%!) #$*@($ $$*@! (#@(*)(# *@*~!@!"

[Folio Town - Town Square]

@Ninian
The Totodile inspected his friends drained body laying out in the middle of the street and nodded. "I'm sure. You just take a break, let your brain recharge. I'm fine to walk."

Lilisette's further concern for his well being after her comment about the strange Feraligatr caused Devon to put his tiny arms behind his head and let out a drawn out breath. "I'm ok. It's really hot here though, even at night. And I haven't really had anything to drink today besides a little bit of Rawst berry juice Rhys gave me." The croc's mouth than hung agape as he quietly panted. "...Plus I can't sweat. I can only let my mouth hang open like this. I'd be nice if this place has a pool."

[Folio Town - Residential District Alley]

@Ninian
The towering blue mon crouched down on one scarred knee in a darkened alley between a few closed down shops. His hand digging through the contents of the flapped messenger bag on the ground before him. A quiet vworp noise behind him caused him to look over his shoulder as the Z-shaped Unown 'waved' at him with it's nubby protrusions. "$55555# #$@^*%! ^4& #&$*:'@*!@2 @&#!2872 @*$&@9_)( _)@(##*$*&! (@$)(#*%!) #$*@($ $$*@! (#@(*)(# *@*~!@!'"

A grunt escaped the Feraligatr as he turned back to his bag and closed his eyes. "I knew it wouldn't be that simple..." After a moment, he opened his sharp orange eyes. "Tell them, if they need me, just call alright?"

The Symbol Pokémon did a few spins in the air before winking again. "@&13! #177 #& #$@^*%!" And with that, the black letter slipped back into the air to disappear in the same fashion that it had arrived. Another message ringing out to the rest of its kind shortly after. "#$@^*% @#%$ %^#* $% @*!@2 @#$ @(##*$*& 6##2 @#$, @^*$ #!** %^&!"

Now alone again, Raiden stood up and discarded his raggy brown cloak. Pulling it off of himself by the hood and letting it fall to the ground in a heap next to his bag. His form while hidden to others in streets, featured many horrifying scars that ran up and down his scales. Most notability a small, vertical scar on his round stomach that appeared to be left over from some sort of sharp puncture wound.

A little corked glass bottle was held in his right hand as he tilted his head upwards and opened his maw wide. A geyser of water blasting out of his throat high above the roof tops to peak, and then fall back to the tree below and drench the gator. Taking a moment to enjoy the coolness of the liquid with a contented sigh, Raiden reached back down and grabbed his cloak to dry himself off a bit.

The cork of the bottle flew off with a small POP! The contents inside letting loose a very sour, pleasant smell into the air as the Big Jaw Pokémon dipped two claws into the bottle and began spreading the contents on himself. "Zeke, little help putting this stuff on?"

[Folio Town - Town Square]

@Light Lord
"Huh. That must suck. Sorry. Well... you... should probably drink something. And as far as pools go... I think Folio has a spring at the roots? And something about like... water ... urk, can't ... brain..." Putting her hands to her head, a wince crossed her visage. "Apparently... thinking hurts. A lot. Right now. Just uh... give me a few..."

[Folio Trunk - Treacherous Roots B3]

@Light Lord @Lucius Cypher
Fuse nodded. "At least we have a who and a where, that's more than we had to go on before..." Said Fuse, looking down to the Roserade. "We can probably let him up now... Sorry for the misunderstanding, Rin. We have no quarrels with you or The Manifest, you just can't be too sure in a Mystery Dungeon who is friend or who is foe." He said.

Breeze breathed a sigh of relief as the confrontation seemed to be at an end. Then she felt it, it was happening, here and now. Her body became enveloped in a bright green light, and she promptly dropped to the ground, now in Land Forme. "Oh no... I knew this would happen..." Said Breeze, looking at her forme now. This was possibly the worst place for this to happen. She sighed. "Well, Fuse is right. But... maybe we could head back to the Waypoint and camp out for the night, that way we can be at full strength in the morning when we set out?" She asked, almost begged.

Fuse nodded his head. "I didn't know it was this late now... It would be best to backtrack and wait out the night, I think." He said. He looked down to Gren, clearly by what had happened so far he was going to want to push on... Letho would be the decider then. He honestly didn't know how that would come out.