♪♫♪ Cecilia "Cici" Taylor ♪♫♪

Location: Tefan Village

@Zarkun

The two musicians had decided to head back to the Pokecentre fairly early. Skilled trainer or not, Cici knew she still had some resting up to do before she'd be able to take on this mission. Even with her worries about what tomorrow would hold, sleep came easily to her.

At the sound of hooting, she stirred and sat up. "Not again," she mumbled with a soft laugh. "Why do Pokemon keep doing this? I thought you'd sleep during the day anyway, ehh Tactus?" The Hoothoot simply tilted his head, letting out another hoot.

She didn't need to check her Pokedex to know about this Pokemon's sense of time. Back in Central City, she often heard their distant calls from the forests at exactly the same time each day. "So I guess I'll have to get used to this, huh?" she said, dragging herself out of bed and gently stroking Tactus' feathers.

Rolling her shoulders, she stood up straight. This was the most rested she'd felt in several days. Once she'd had coffee and breakfast, she'd be up for more investigation.

---

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Stillwater

@Dusksong @Lugubrious

Ella opened her eyes, the sea stack swimming back into view. The water reflected red and gold streaks that peered through the clouds, but it felt as if she'd been asleep much longer than that. Sitting up and stretching out her cramped limbs, she tried to make sense of the situation.

The events came back to her little by little, some pieces fitting together, others missing. The last thing she remembered was a mass of shadow engulfing her and the others. Then... what? Some kind of battle. A sense of urgency, as if their lives were in danger. An odd, destructive feeling, growing, like a wound dismissed as minor and allowed to fester.

Shuddering, Ella stared around. By her side, Jumbles gave a bewildered squeak, and a few feet away, Leisy, Olivie and the other trainer were waking up. Olivie was the first to stand up and head away. "Is everyone alright?" she asked, the words coming out rough and groggy. "Where are the others?"

---

✰ Jason Ackerman ✰

Location: Stillwater

@ToadRopes

"I guess the rumours about Stillwater are true..." Jason commented as he and Charlotte left the Pokecentre. Every time he thought he saw movement in the shadows, he tensed and froze, all manner of possibilities racing through his mind. Sometimes, having a vivid imagination was less than helpful, and right now, his lack of sleep wasn't doing him any good.

Trying to disguise his fear, he forced a confident smile. "Although whatever's going on here, I'm sure it's nothing my team and I can't handle."

Tibert glanced up at him, mumbling and shaking his head - then bristled. Jason's proud smirk vanished at the sound of feet clacking against the ground. Many feet. From around the corner, a giant, purplish-red centipede came into view. Then another. Eyes fixed on the two trainers, horns lowered, the two Scolipedes advanced with startling speed for their size.

"Come on back, Tibert!" Not wanting to think what a powerful Bug move could do to the little Psychic-type cat, Jason recalled him and sent out all his other Pokemon. He hoped he hadn't spoken too soon just now. The lights on the healing machine in the Pokecentre indicated it still worked, but if the situation became dire, it looked like there would be nobody around to help.

---

@LuckyBlackCat

Having had no luck in finding the last two Pokemon he'd need to fill out his team, Tommy had returned to the Pokecenter with Cici, playing with Amica along the way back. When they arrived, Tommy said good night to his companion and promptly passed out in what he was wearing after letting his team out of their balls. When he awoke the next morning at his usual time, he accompanied the sun's rise with a smooth jazz tune like he did each day before heading out into the lobby with his team in tow, stifling a yawn. "Man, yesterday was fruitless. Here's hoping we have a better day today..."

---

♪♫♪ Cecilia "Cici" Taylor ♪♫♪

Location: Tefan Village

@Zarkun

Strumming her guitar and singing the first few lines of a song brought relief at how much she'd recovered. Even so, booking a gig probably wasn't going to happen just yet. Right now, Cici had other things to think about.

She couldn't help laughing as Tactus insisted on hooting and tilting his head in time to the music. "Yet more accompaniment," she said, standing up and putting her guitar back in its case. After quickly getting ready, she headed into the lobby, Forte in her arms, Dulcet perched on her head, and Tactus flying after her.

"Hey," she said as she spotted a rather dejected-looking Tommy. "Well, first things first. We can't really investigate on empty stomachs."

---

---

One of the Scolipedes dared to paw the ground and charge for the two Trainers, before curling in for a Steamroller attack. Wimpod , of course, wimped out and scurried behind Charlotte, terrified of the much-larger bugs.

"Klang, go!" Charlotte called, hurling a Poké Ball. The gear Pokémon appeared in a flash, its cogwheels regularly spinning as it assessed the situation. "Gear Grind!"

Klang quickly spun so that its larger, dull-grey gear was facing the Scolipede. Klang spun furiously like a buzz saw and swung its body into the oncoming, rolling insect. The friction caused sparks to fly from the point of impact. The Scolipede blew back, landing awkwardly on its side, before scrambling back to its feet.

"Klang, use Shift Gear," Charlotte ordered.

The miniature cogwheel composing one of Klang's two faces floated up to the larger cogwheel, and Klang spun vigorously, moving at a nimbler pace.

"Intriguing. It looks like in an area without human development, the local Pokémon are able to mature to their higher evolved forms naturally and thus achieve a higher place on the ecosystem. I'll have to see if this is the case later," Charlotte mused. "Right now what worries me is the giant centipedes about to roll us flat."

---

---

CP +1; total = 18

Leisy watched dumbfounded as the dark-type started on its rant, livid at the humans’ inaction. Is it… throwing a fit? she wondered, both terrified at the thought and confused as to what it pertained to. The Pokemon — Darkrai — was clearly among the ranks of legendary and mythical Pokemon, yet it seemed like Darkrai had the temper of a child trying to engage in a game of his own design and thought. When finding that his companions did mirror his interest, he would throw his hands up and storm off, fuming.

Still, Leisy felt a cool wave of relief wash over her when the darkness receded, her body feeling thin and light as it seemingly rose up in place. An icy cold greeted Leisy when she awoke, her body valiantly trying to regain lost heat after hours of inactivity. Wincing, she pushed herself onto her side and — with some struggle — rose unsteadily onto her feet. Cold, sore, dizzy, numb, she thought as she registered each of the sensations, her hand going to her forehead instantly in an attempt to steady her head as the world threatened to warp into itself before her. That — that, was anything but a dream.

Spotting Olivie and her Pokemon waking nearby, Leisy attempted to move towards the girl, only to find that her sense of balance was completely destroyed at the moment. Better to keep still and not pitch myself onto the floor, she thought, wincing again and proffering a smile at the brown-haired girl. Meeting Olivie’s eyes, she met nod with smile, a warm feeling in her heart as she watched the trooper stomp away.

Guess it wasn’t all for naught, she thought, sighing and dropping her hand before looking around for Ella. Spotting the pink-haired girl, Leisy carefully made her way over, her steps small and calculated with what brainpower she could muster at the moment.

“I—I think I am,” Leisy stammered, finding her mouth and her voice scratchy at first use. Clearing her throat lightly, she tried again. “Headache and serious disorientation, but I think it’s passing…”

Her thoughts touched upon something she remembered quite vividly, and a wave of sadness and regret flowed over her as she looked around the area, her head jerking left quickly despite her headache as she looked around for a specific flying-type Pokemon. “Bidein!” she called, fear filling her voice for a moment before she spotted the bird Pokemon waddling over, seemingly too tired to fly. “Oh Bidein,” she said, bending over and picking her Pokemon up with a sad smile. “Let’s head back to town then, Ella? I think we could all use some real rest after that… dream, if you can even call it one.”

---

@luckyblackcat @lugubrious

---

“Glad to help,” Cillian said, a grin on his face as his Bulbasaur gently laid the guilty — and now peacefully resting — Porygon-Z before the Zephyr Strip Security Office’s crew. His eyes lit up at the mention of a reward amidst the officer’s words of thanks, and he received the Heal Ball with a measured amount of giddiness — only so much as to not make his enthusiasm blatantly apparent.

“Woah, so this is a Heal Ball?” he asked, turning the pink-and-white Pokeball back and forth in his hands. “A bit girlish, but useful,” he said once the three trainers were out of earshot of the officers. “Maybe I’ll catch a pink Pokemon with it — just to make the colors match,” Cillian joked, pocketing the distinctly-colored capture capsule.

Juana’s voice interrupted any further words he had to say, and he peered over the girl’s shoulder at the map she was holding. “Huh. Interesting-looking statue — wonder if it used to live here?” he remarked, shrugging. “Seeing as we don’t really have anything better to do, let’s do that,” he said, pulling out his Pokedex and pulling up a map of Zephyr Strip. “Off we go then?” he asked, starting towards the direction his Pokedex pointed him.

---

@silver fox@toadropes

---

The location Shanae had thought of was an empty lot of sorts, devoid of trees and home only to rocks and sparse shrubbery. While these rather unwelcoming features were not strange in Ironforge, they appeared so to the woman who’d become accustomed to the bright skies and lush forests surrounding the hubbub that was Central City.

“Whoa there,” Shanae said as the Lairon slowed its bounding to a stop. Up ahead, the ground gave way downwards to a flat reverse-plateau in which gas spewed in spurts out of various small geysers. Shanae watched in fascination as opaque white steam burst out of a geyser near her, roaring towards the sky before allowing the winds to carry it away and disperse it. “Amazing,” she said, still in her spot above the geysers, knowing that it would be foolish to approach.

Returning the borrowed Lairon and releasing her Houndour, Shanae grinned. “Hey there, Ebon. We’re finally in your natural habitat,” she said. “Well, almost. But close enough. Be a dear and see if there’s any interesting scents around here?”

---

---

141 CP

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Stillwater

@Dusksong @Lugubrious

"Y-Yeah..." Ella replied, trying to stand up. The pain in her head spiked, blurring her vision. Her knees struck the stony floor. She yelped, remaining where she was for a few seconds as she waited for her surroundings to stop spinning.

Jumbles floated over, bobbing in the air as if equally exhausted. The image came back to her, horribly vivid - the little Pokemon squirming on the ground, a battle raging out of control around him. "It's ok..." Ella tried to reassure him, relief making the words come out in a rush. "It was just a dream."

Just a dream... From the disjointed fragments she could remember, it didn't feel like that. Her movements slow and careful, she picked herself up off the ground, swaying before regaining her balance. Holding the tired and distressed squid, she made her way forward, step by tiny step.

She stopped, grimacing at the narrow path ahead. How were they going to safely cross in their current state? Olivie had managed it, somehow, but one slip would be disastrous.

---

✰ Jason Ackerman ✰

Location: Stillwater

@ToadRopes

As one Scolipede rolled at Charlotte, only to be deflected by her Klang, the other rushed towards Jason. It lashed with the spikes on its tail, which took on a purple glow.

"Agne!" Jason called, pulling out of the way. "Aerial Ace!" The Doublade sped forward, the Poison Tail attack harmlessly glancing off his steel form, and repeatedly slashed in a blur. The giant bug skittered back, cracks and dents in its carapace, but wasn't giving up just yet. It lowered its head again, charging.

"Eira, slow it with Icy Wind!" Jason commanded. Stepping in, the Snorunt blew a gust of chill wind at the Scolipede, bringing its movement to a halt. "Good work! Now, Fraener, Dragon Pulse, and Iliana, move in with Flamethrower! Amyntas, use Rollout on the other!"

As Fraener and Iliana teamed up against the attacking Scolipede, Amyntas curled into a ball and hurtled at the one distracted by Charlotte's Klang - only for it to notice and move out of the way at the last moment. The Golett crashed into a wall with a thud. More annoyed than hurt, it jumped back up, grumbling.

An idea came to Jason. "Now's your chance! Use Stomping Tantrum!" Letting frustration fuel the attack, Amyntas thrashed at the Scolipede, pounding with powerful clay limbs. With all its focus on one bug, though, it didn't notice the other until a Pursuit attack slammed into its back, sending it flying.

"Amyntas, return now!" Jason shouted, recalling the fainted Golett. Gripping the Pokeball, he stared at the scene. His and Charlotte's Pokemon had to be able to take on these two, at their high levels. They had to.

---

The trek back to town was mute and heavy with tiredness, the girls’ movements slow and decisive as to avoid wasting what energy they had left. Leisy herself was trying her best to focus on her breathing — light, gasping inhalations that echoed her footsteps that still managed to seem quiet inside her foggy brain. ‘Hopefully I don’t suddenly collapse,’ she thought to herself wryly. If I keep this thought in mind, at least I’ll be prepared for the worst.

Once they’d arrived back in Stillwater, the girls made a beeline for the battered building they knew as the Pokemon Center. “Would you mind if we rested in the rooms in the back again?” Leisy asked after the old man had returned her Pokeballs. “We’ll probably be out before lunchtime.”

Turning to Ella, Leisy frowned and tried to gather her thoughts in her muddled brain. “I… don’t know if I want to spend another night here in Stillwater,” she admitted. “Darkrai definitely wasn’t finished with us; he merely let us go for now, and,” she sighed, “As childish as it seems, I’d like to get away from the place where it all happened. At least for now. What about you, Ella?”

---

@luckyblackcat @lugubrious

---

142 CP

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Stillwater

@Dusksong @Lugubrious

As daylight grew, the town seemed to slowly come back to life. The streets seemed oddly empty until Ella spotted two people talking in a low mutter, both bearing looks of confusion. Something registered in the trainer's clouded mind. A field filled with Pokemon, none of whom had always had those forms - none of whom could handle them. Except one. The Metagross, the trainer who'd woken up at the same time she, Leisy and Olivie had.

The other people... Here they were. They'd survived. With a sigh of relief, Ella headed into the Pokemon centre. There stood the old man at his desk, the lines on his face somewhat deeper than usual as if something had exhausted him, but the shadows that had surrounded him two nights before were gone.

Thanking him once he'd healed her Pokemon, she looked at Leisy, eyes wide. "But... we can't just do nothing..." she blurted, although the truth whispered in the back of her mind. They weren't ready for this. Besides, their priority was helping Vivian. This was why they'd come here in the first place, to train before resuming their quest. If they stayed much longer, who knew what would happen to the stolen Pokemon in the meantime?

Her words came out in a shaky mumble. "What do we do?"

---

@LuckyBlackCat

Tommy nodded, turning to Cici as Amica hopped up on his shoulder. "Got that right. Not sure what I feel like though. Maybe french toast?" His team, meanwhile, had already received their breakfast in the form of sandwiches and Poketreats, which they happily ate while the two trainers came to a decision. Amica nodded at Tommy's suggestion, but she also seemed concerned for her trainer, who was taking the lack of progress yesterday in finding out more about the Entei situation rather hard.

---

“We won’t do nothing. We’ll train,” Leisy said, realizing that she was falling back on the old mantra from Feyhollow. It was however, true, so she pushed on. “We need to get stronger, and taking on a mythical Pokemon like Darkrai isn’t the way to do it,” she said, as much to Ella as to herself. “Let’s start back a—after,” Leisy broke off, a yawn smothering any further words. “After we get some rest,” she finished, turning to the hallway that lead to the back. “Let’s say… five, six hours? We’ll need to get rested up if we want to make the journey back. That would put us just after noon, and I think we can make it back to Feyhollow if we move faster than we did last time.”

In her room, Leisy didn’t even bother trying to clean up before collapsing onto her bed. Her time in Darkrai’s Dark Void may have been called ‘dreaming,’ but Leisy felt as though she’d just pulled an all-nighter, her brain groggily trying to make sense of left and right as she kicked off her shoes.

Bidein, goodnight, she thought hazily as sleep claimed her. The Fletchinder chirped disapprovingly at its trainer’s sprawled form but flew over, perching himself on the bedpost and shutting his eyes as well.

---

@luckyblackcat

---

143CP

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Stillwater

@Dusksong

Ella bit her lip, hesitating, but Leisy was right. This would be best left to a stronger trainer, and she and Leisy would be able to come back once they'd trained more - as well as done what they'd planned to do from the start. She wasn't going to turn her back on Vivian.

"We'll have to go back," she said. "For Vivian. We weren't even supposed to be away this long." The thought of having left her friend for several days, when she needed support, brought a sharp stab of guilt - as did the thought of leaving the townspeople at the mercy of Darkrai. Would they be, though? The wraith had let everyone go, after all. There may not even be anything left to do here. For now, anyway.

Retreating to the room, she flopped onto the bed fully-clothed, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Bright sunlight streaming through the window woke her. Sitting up and stretching, she climbed out of bed. Those few hours of sleep had made a much-needed difference. Her head no longer pounded whenever she moved, and although her back still ached from two days of lying on stone, the pain had eased. Jumbles, also more alert, drifted over to her.

"You ok now?" she asked. "Come on, let's go see if Leisy's up." With that, she headed into the lobby.

---

♪♫♪ Cecilia "Cici" Taylor ♪♫♪

Location: Tefan Village

@Zarkun

"Sounds good," Cici replied as she let out the rest of her team and fed them treats. She had enough Pokefood for now, but she'd have to stock up soon. "Here, have these too." Facing her six Pokemon, she pulled the Rare Candies from her bag. "No, Dulcet, they're not all for you." The Swablu let out a disappointed chirp, giving her that pleading look, trying to appear as adorable as possible.

Passing each Pokemon a Rare Candy, she watched them eat the snacks. With the task ahead, they'd need the extra levels.

A sudden light burst outwards. Pulling back, Cici gasped. Five of the six Pokemon let out cries of surprise as, where Forte had stood a moment ago, a glowing shape grew bigger and bigger. The light faded, revealing the former Whismur's new appearance. A purple Pokemon, with speaker-like ears, sturdy limbs, and a mouth that took up most of his body.

"Loud! Loudred!" he boomed, jumping and stomping in excitement.

It took Cici a few seconds to recover from the shock. "Ohh wow..." she said, a wide grin spreading across her face, laughter bubbling from her. "Forte, you look awesome!" Leaning down, she hugged her newly-evolved starting Pokemon, who wrapped his own stocky arms around her. "Oof! You're pretty strong, you know that?" she chuckled. It had completely slipped her mind that, now she was a skilled trainer, this would happen soon.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to carry you around any more, but come along," she said, standing back up. "We'd better set out."

---

✿ Florence Hadley ✿

Location: Feyhollow Town

Through Feyhollow park, a small green Pokemon scampered, letting out happy cries. Behind her, a young woman ran, braid flapping, bag of supplies bouncing against her shoulder.

"Wait up, Vernie!" Florence called, nearly crashing into a passer-by. "Ehh, sorry!" It seemed the excitement of setting out was too much for the Chikorita to handle - even if she wasn't officially a trained Pokemon yet. The little Grass-type glanced behind her, jumping up and down. "Chiko!" she squeaked, waiting until Florence had almost caught up, before running ahead again. A sweet smell wafted on the breeze, like a mix of herbs and mown grass, mingling with the scent of the park's flowers. Vernie's fragrance always intensified when she was in a particularly good mood.

Sending a group of Flabebes scattering in alarm, the Chikorita disappeared around a bend in the path. There was a rustling noise, and a sudden sharp squeal.

"Vernie!" Rushing to the Pokemon's side, Florence knelt down. Vernie had caught her leaf on the thorns of a rose bush. She struggled, whimpering, twisting her leaf around, only managing to entangle it further. "Hold still. I'll see to that." Carefully freeing the Pokemon from the shrub, the new trainer plucked out thorns that had broken off and become embedded in the green tissue. Vernie winced, sap trickling from the wounds.

"Hey, it's ok. That's nearly all of them," Florence soothed. "This is the last one now." Once the final thorn was removed, a white glow surrounded the leaf, then faded. The scratches were still visible, but much smaller. Synthesis, a self-healing move known by many Grass types. Relaxing a little, Florence took a jar of salve from her bag and gently rubbed it into the leaf.

The Chikorita was pretty much ok, but it would probably still be best to get her to a Pokemon centre, just to make sure she was healed as quickly as possible. Petting her on the back and picking her up, Florence hurried to the familiar building.

---

---

Tora followed the others to turn in the Porygon-Z and completing their mission. As she received the reward, she curiously looked over the heal ball in her hands before looking to Cillian as he mulled over it. Chuckling a little in amusement as he noted how girlish it was. "That's true, but I believe it is to fit the theme with the Pokemon Center and their Chansey, Blissey and Audino." she responded as she clipped her Heal Ball onto her backpack strap. Leaning over on the opposite side from Cillian to look over Juana's shoulder, the black haired woman curiously looked over the image.

"That does seem interesting. I wonder how old it is and what kind of ancient Pokemon? Might be able to learn something." Tora agreed, humming cheerfully at the thought of discovering some more knowledge of Pokemon.

---

Leisy’s eyes opened at the second blare of her alarm, and she rolled out of bed to turn off the call for morning before making her way to the bathroom. A brief five minute shower turned into ten as she thought over what her team was shaping up to be. Obviously, Bidein and Naunet were her forefront runners, and Devinco trailed not far behind them as an equally strong contestant. Cassia, her Ekans, trusted her more now, but only more so than when Leisy had first caught her. So, Tyrus, her Ghastly, was probably stronger than the Ekans, having been through a battle with Ella. Animo, her Sewaddle, was newest and therefore last, although perhaps tied with Cassia since, again, the Ekans didn’t trust Leisy entirely yet.

Trust — we’ll have to work on that first, Leisy thought as she clambered out of the shower stall, toweling her hair off with one of the supplied towels. The bathroom was run-down and without most basic electric appliances, but at least it had the basic necessities covered.

After changing into some clean clothes, Leisy made her way towards the lobby. There, she found the old man attending to the desk conversing with a small group of people. Spotting the approaching girl, a crooked-toothed grin stretched on his face.

“There she is!” he said, waving Leisy over. “Where’s your friend? Oh, over here, girlie!” he called, spotting Ella walking over. “You two young’uns really did a number on our resident haunt. Never woulda’ though’ he was real. Darkrai, I mean.”

“Are you the trainers who defeated him?” a nearby townsperson asked, eyes scanning over the girls curiously. “And what of the other two — the Metang and the tall one?”

“Olivie and Bernard?” Leisy asked, frowning. “I’m not sure. We parted ways after we woke up.”

“Alright. Well, as promised, we’re transferring the trainer points into your accounts,” the younger man said, bowing. The group followed suit, “Thank you for your service.”

With that, the townspeople left promptly. Beside the girls, the old man chuckled. “Don’ mind them — Stillwater’s a place of private people. They don’ much like travellers, helpful or not,” he explained as he reclaimed his place behind the counter. “So, you two are leavin’ now, aren’t ya? Safe travels, trainers.”

“Thank you. Take care as well,” Leisy said, dipping her head to the man since bowing seemed custom in Stillwater. “Alright then, Ella. Let’s go?” Leisy prompted, heading out of the makeshift Pokemon Center. “We should grab some food as well — It’s past lunch, and I haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

---

@luckyblackcat

---

144CP

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Stillwater

@Dusksong

Failing to spot Leisy at first, Ella headed back to the room, where she took a quick, refreshing shower. Feeling much more awake, she changed clothes and made sure she'd gathered up all her belongings.

This time, she noticed Leisy as soon as she entered the lobby. The trainer was in mid-conversation with the extremely grateful-looking old man, who called her over.

"We... did it?" Ella piped up. "You mean we defeated him? But how?" It was all starting to come together in sharper clarity. The wraith, trying to create a story, using people like marionettes, sulking when they'd refused to be his little puppets. And, just now, she hadn't had any nightmares.

The old man gave his gap-toothed grin. "Yep! Yer din' let him be the big scary bad guy he wanted to be. Messed up his story real good."

All Ella could do was stand there in bewilderment as one of the townspeople mentioned their rewards, trainer points. "Th-Thanks," she replied. She'd barely done much except freak out and brutalise everyone in sight. Did she really deserve a reward?

She bowed to the old man and followed Leisy. "Yeah... We haven't eaten anything for a day," she agreed. She'd only feel properly revitalised once her nagging hunger and thirst were sated.

---

✿ Florence Hadley ✿

Location: Feyhollow Town

Even with the familiar light yellow walls and smell of disinfectant, Florence felt like an outsider in the Pokecentre.

As she entered, Nurse Joy looked up from the desk, quickly greeting her before resuming talking to an old lady who spoke in a low, trembling whisper. The woman clenched her hands by her sides as she cast a glance towards the Pokeballs in the healing machine. Florence hung back, her gaze shifting from the worried trainer to Vernie, then to the floor. How did the nurse manage to stay so positive and reassuring?

As much as Florence wanted to help Vernie, it seemed the one who needed help most was the woman at the counter. Chewing at her lip, Florence hoped nothing too bad had happened to this person's Pokemon.

The nurse leaned down and said something to a pink-and-purple Pokemon at her side. "Aroma," the Pokemon replied, approaching Florence and Vernie, bringing with her a strong smell of perfume.

"Hey, Aromatisse," A small smile lit up Florence's face as she set Vernie down on the floor.

The Chikorita stepped forward, nailed toes clicking on the tiles. "Chiko-Chikori-ta," she said, raising her leaf and showing Aromatisse the scratches. Putting her hands together, Aromatisse released a pink energy wave, healing the last of Vernie's injuries.

"How's that? Are you alright now?" Florence asked, crouching down and examining the Chikorita's leaf. Vernie anwered with a cheery squeak. Although the new trainer kept her smile, it was with a tinge of sadness that she watched the two Pokemon. Once she left Feyhollow to explore the world, Vernie and Aromatisse would surely miss each other.

But this Pokemon centre... It wasn't where she was meant to be after all. At least, not for now.

---

---

“Okay,” Juana said chipperly. “I gotta take lots of pictures.”

It took a bit of walking down steps, but eventually the trainers would reach the mighty statue that stood in the bowels of the decrepit station. A titanic humanoid, it did not appear to have a head, but its body appeared composed of white marble, with bronze and obsidian lining its arms and legs. Its feet, however, were overgrown with moss and ivy, save for a couple of spots where tourists would rub the feet of the monument, supposedly for luck.

Juana looked up at the statue. “You know,” she said, folding her arms and tipping her head at the markings on the bronze strip bisecting the statue, “those little dots look kind of like a face.”

She grinned. “In any case, it’s a pretty sweet-looking statue,” she pointed out. “It actually looks like a few statues I read about in a book, though I can’t put my finger on it…”

Juana pulled out her little notepad and did a quick sketch of the titan. The more she looked at it, the more it seemed less like a statue and more like a slumbering goliath.

She didn’t think too much on that point.

---

---

---

Charlotte pointed to the Scolipedes. “Klang, use Gear Grind on the leftmost one. Charjabug, Acrobatics on the rightmost.”

As Amyntas finished its Stomping Tantrum, Klang whizzed towards its target and gnashed the insect with its cogwheels. Meanwhile, Charjabug, with blinding speed, zipped through the air, hissing with an electrical buzz and started flailing all over the other Scolipede.

“Charjabug, now use Discharge,” she said. “But be careful.”

Charjabug’s eyes lit up in fury as electricity ran down its carapace, before shooting out all around it. Charlotte threw her own Golett out, and the sturdy Ground-type absorbed the electricity without so much as a blink. Charlotte had switched Klang out for Golett in order to not harm her Pokémon The Scolipedes, however, had it pretty bad. Charjabug had managed to paralyze one, and badly damage the other.



CP +1; total=19

✰ Jason Ackerman ✰

Location: Stillwater

@ToadRopes

"Iliana!" Jason called out. "Use Flame Burst!"

The Vulpix spat a ball of fire, which exploded into embers as it hit one of the already weakened Scolipedes. The embers scattered all over the second Scolipede. Both flailed before rolling onto their sides, unconscious.

"Whew... Told you it was no problem!" Jason said to Charlotte with a shaky laugh, although he had no idea what he'd have done if she hadn't helped. "Well, looks like it's back to the Pokemon centre." Returning all his Pokemon, he retraced his steps.

To his surprise and relief, the lights were back on, and he saw two girls step out. He caught a glimpse of their tired-looking faces before they disappeared round a corner, saying something about food. "So this place isn't completely abandoned," he commented, heading in.

Behind the counter stood an elderly, bearded man, fishhooks in his cap. He gave them both a crooked-toothed smile. "'Welcome! Yer both new 'round town? Would yer be wantin' yer Pokemon healed up?"

With a nod, Jason handed over the six Pokeballs. "What was going on, just now?" he asked.

"Ehh, a pesky ol' Pokemon wreakin' havoc round here," the man answered. "His idea o' fun, keepin' us all out like lights, dreamin' away. But some young'uns came along an' put a stop to that game of his. Nothin' more to worry about." He passed the Pokeballs back to Jason. "An' there we was, thinkin' he was just a legend."

Jason's eyes widened. "You mean Darkrai?" He thought back to the other story he'd heard about Stillwater, besides that of Lunala. But from what he'd read, Darkrai only inflicted nightmares on evildoers, leaving innocents alone... didn't he?

---

✿ Florence Hadley ✿

Location: Feyhollow Town

Turning her attention from the two Pokemon to a notice pinned to the wall, Florence took out her Pokedex.

This organisation was one she'd always admired, especially since deciding on a life path to follow. And now that path no longer parelleled the one to this guild, but seemed to lead directly towards it. She'd set out to care for Pokemon along her way, and what better opportunity was there to do so?

There was one problem, though. She'd seen the dubious looks people tended to give the poster, heard the mutters between trainers in the lobby. If part of her goal was to learn to befriend people, would being a member of this group drive them away, all because of one incident in its past?

She reminded herself that its members had been held to strict rules for decades, but that didn't change the fact that not everyone knew this.

"Chiko?" Noticing Florence's uncertainty, Vernie bounded over to her.

"Know what..." Florence muttered, thinking back to the first time she'd met Vernie, the days she'd spent by the Chikorita's side, helping her through her illness. "I'm doing this. I'm joining Aether Foundation."

With that, she pressed a button on her Pokedex, the message on the screen confirming her recruitment.

---

A quick trip through town landed the trainer duo some port staples as most of the lunchtimes vendors were either starting to clean up or had already done so. Leisy had fetched her Fletchinder a small carton of fresh sardines — which the bird Pokemon inhaled happily — and herself a take-out box of rice topped with some fried veggies, most likely from one of the village’s small farms or such. The duo paused at the outskirts of the town to quickly polish off their food — both being ravenous after their day-long fast — before starting off towards Feyhollow at a brisk pace.

“I wonder if Vivian’s doing well,” Leisy said, focusing on her pacing feet. Her confidence in her own abilities had seen a boost after she’d learned that she’d managed to complete the mission involving Darkrai, but at the same time she’d been doubtful. Darkrai hadn’t been looking to hurt the trainers — he’d merely wanted someone to entertain him. A plaything. And he’d gotten that, in a way, so he’d left. There had been no test of her skill as a trainer, no test of her improvement. Only of her personal willpower.

I suppose that will have to be enough for now, she thought, glancing at the Fletchinder squeezed on her shoulder. Bidein’s new weight — although heavier than before — was becoming familiar now, as was bracing herself before he landed. Keeping in mind that, one day, her lovable, not-so-little Fletchinder would grow into a full-sized raptor, Leisy wanted to treasure every moment she could that involved Bidein’s current size. Let me baby you for a bit more, she thought, reaching over and bopping the bird Pokemon on the beak to get its attention. Successfully gaining it, she earned a light nip at her hair in return before the fire types eyes refocused on the woods, the sharpest pair of eyes in the group keeping steady vigil.

A little over two hours into their trek, Leisy called for a water break, and the pair of trainers found a nice little clearing with some logs. Taking a seat on one of the fallen trees, Leisy pulled out her water bottle and began to unscrew it when she noticed a funny orange object next to one of the logs.

“Huh. Is that… a pumpkin?” she asked, standing. Getting Ella’s attention, the two trainers approached the oddly-placed vegetable.

---

@luckyblackcat

---

“Agreed on the pictures,” Cillian said with a grin, camera at the ready. “And I don’t know what we’ll be able to learn from a statue alone… Perhaps we could ask a local about it, if we want to learn about its history,” Cillian suggested to Tora as the trio of trainers made their way to the location of the statue.

Cillian’s first impressions of the monument went something along the lines of: big — no, giant — and mossy. Definitely old. Looks like some sort of ancient machine or robot. The dots are oddly-placed and slightly freaky.

Luckily, however, his brain recovered enough to shut down his incoherent thoughts and trade them for more evaluative ones — ones that found ways to appreciate the way a few dainty, mundane-colored butterflies fluttered about the moss on the humanoid figure’s shoulders and the angle at which the sunlight fell on the gentle giant. His camera captured these moments, himself silent as he focused on aligning the statue with the device in his hands. Photography was always like this, allowing Cillian to tap into a calmer, more contemplative side of himself that he normally didn’t show. Although he was sometimes completely oblivious to the way his demeanour changed, Cillian adopted his normal attitude again once he’d finished his short vacation with nature, his camera — lens covered — returning to its spot around his neck.

“You’re right about the dots looking like a face,” Cillian said, tipping his head as he evaluated the statue again, “but then where is its mouth? Its nose?” After a moment’s thought, he shrugged, a grin gracing his face again. “Well, I guess it’s just another mystery of nature.”

---

@silver fox@toadropes

---

145CP

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Stillwater -> Route to Feyhollow

@Dusksong

After a quick lunch of a mixed vegetable stir-fry for herself and berries for her Pokemon, there was only one thing left for Ella to do in Stillwater. Noticing how the town had livened up - lights in windows, people walking along the beach, vendors displaying handmade wares - she took a detour to the mart.

Just like that, the twenty trainer points she'd earned were spent. As she left, she wondered if she really deserved to keep the Black Sludge. The shopkeeper, grateful for her actions (if they could even be called actions), had let her buy it, but she wouldn't be able to use it in a battle until she ranked up. It was strange to think she was just one Pokemon away from reaching Skilled rank. Even completing a mission hadn't made her feel the title would fit her.

"Yeah... I hope she's doing better," she replied as she made her way along the marshy route beside Leisy. Recalling something from Darkrai's nightmare, she shuddered. "I don't know if you remember anything about this, but..." Her voice trembled. "Back there, I... I think I tried to stay behind, so he'd let everyone go. And you were talking me out of it. Saying people would miss me. I didn't think so at the time, but how messed up was it that I'd have put Vivian through that? Especially with everything she's dealing with right now."

As she gave Vivian a call to let her know she and Leisy were on their way back, that stab of guilt sharpened at the thought that she'd been close to abandoning her friend altogether, all because she'd felt like the weak link of the team.

After a two-hour walk, she sat down on a log to rest her aching feet. It felt like it would take a while to recover her full strength. Letting one Pokemon out at a time, she fed them more berries. "I didn't even know ghosts needed to eat, before I met you," she said as Brighteye happily devoured an Oran berry. "Or do you just like the taste?"

That was when Leisy pointed something out. "Hm? What's a pumpkin doing here?" Ella wondered aloud, approaching it. This pumpkin was huge, easily over two feet tall, and capped with dark, curled leaves.

Without warning, the pumpkin jumped up and turned around, revealing two glowing, eye-like holes in its rind. "Ohh! A Pokemon?" Ella blurted, staggering back in surprise. Her shock turned to admiration. "Those are such pretty lights!"

Brighteye floated over. "Duskull! Skull!" she cried, just before disappearing into the forest. The Pumpkaboo turned this way and that in midair, failing to notice shadows creeping up until they shot forward, wrapping around it like clawed hands.

"Brighteye, leave it alone!" Ella shouted. With a squeal, the Pumpkaboo pulled free and vanished into the shrubs. "Hey, wait!" the trainer called. "It was just her idea of a prank! She didn't mean any harm!"

There was a sudden flare of orange light as the Pumpkaboo reappeared, passing right through a tree and rushing at Brighteye, its fangs bared in a grin. Watching the other ghost back away, it giggled. Ella let herself relax and sit back down as the Duskull and the Pumpkaboo continued to chase each other around the woods. They were just playing... and Brighteye seemed to actually be getting along with another Pokemon.

While distracted, Ella felt something tug at the bag on her shoulder. She glanced over to see a small purple cat darting away, her bag of Pokefood in its mouth. "Hey!" she yelled, jumping back up and running after the thieving cat.

---

✿ Florence Hadley ✿

Location: Feyhollow Town

Florence read over the information on her Pokedex again.

"Well, they encourage catching Pokemon..." she murmured, taking out the Pokeball from her bag and giving it an unsure look, before turning her attention to Vernie. "So I guess I'd better start with you... if that's ok."

As Florence crouched down, Vernie trotted over, her curiosity piqued. The new trainer studied the capsule for a few more seconds. It looked so small. Would Vernie be alright inside it? What would it even be like for a Pokemon inside a Pokeball?

It was Vernie who took action. Extending one of the buds on her neck into a vine, she tapped the button on the capsule. It sprang open, enveloping the Chikorita in light, pulling her inside and snapping shut.

The Pokedex beeped. Looking at the screen, Florence felt some of the tension leave her as it indicated the Chikorita was at full health. Now to make sure she was alright in other ways. As the new trainer pressed the button, her friend reappeared in a flash of light.

"Chiko!" Vernie jumped up and down in excitement. Stretching out her vines, she pulled Florence into a hug.

The young woman gave a relieved chuckle. "Well, I'm officially your trainer now."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the old lady at the counter turn around. She instantly recognised her - one of the people who ran the local health food shop. Her kindly face was creased into a look of panic. Of desperation, even. Not knowing how to react, all Florence could do was stay back, her eyes cast towards the floor. She only knew this person by sight. It wasn't her place to ask what was going on.

She did, however, hear what the woman said as she let out a Ribombee, who zipped around in a clearly agitated state. "We'll make sure they get found." With that, the storekeeper shuffled from the building.

---

---

Charlotte called her Pokémon back and accompanied Jason to the Pokémon Center. Charjabug, however, stayed out and inched alongside Charlotte.

As the old man healed their Pokémon, Charlotte spoke up. "There are a few behavioral studies on Darkrai; they're pretty scant, and they say that Darkrai creates nightmares as a self defense mechanism. That's all the studies could glean, though; these mythical Pokémon are just too elusive to observe in detail."

Charlotte tapped her chin. "But if this Darkrai issue had been taken care of, then why are the Pokémon still so agitated? For all I know they could still be on edge; they have been known to experience more complex emotional responses akin to that of humans."



CP +1; total=20

✰ Jason Ackerman ✰

Location: Stillwater

@ToadRopes

"Yeah... From what I've read, Darkrai drives people from its territory by afflicting them with nightmares," Jason replied. "Though who can really know how ancient, powerful Pokemon think... We probably can't even begin to understand."

He considered Charlotte's comment. "Apparently, Darkrai can also give Pokemon bad dreams. If they've been having nightmares, it makes sense they'd still be on their guard."

Turning back to the old man, he asked another question. "On a related note, would you happen to know anything about Lunala?"

"Ehh, she's said to give good dreams to folks who respect one another," the old man replied. "Though she don't seem to have been about lately. Most likely 'cause of Darkrai, an' some say there might have been other Pokemon workin' with him, gettin' in her way. We'll just have to wait an' see if there's any sign of her comin' back."

"Hmm..." Jason wondered how to go about this mission, which suddenly seemed even more difficult than he'd thought. How would he find Lunala without accidentally agitating Darkrai?

"Well, if we get in a few hours of sleep now," he continued, feeling the effects of the all-nighter, "we'll let you know what kinds of dreams we have. The Darkrai thing is definitely dealt with, right?" Nodding, the old man handed him a key. As wary as Jason was about falling asleep here, he could barely keep his eyes open any longer.

---

✿ Florence Hadley ✿

Location: Feyhollow Town

As soon as the old woman left, Nurse Joy looked up from the desk. "Florence! Sorry to keep you waiting," she said. "How's Vernie?"

Florence gave a small smile. "She's fine now. I'll try to keep her out of any more trouble - you know how overexcited she can get." She glanced down at the little green Pokemon. "Ready to head out again?" Vernie gave a cheery cry. Of course. It had been a silly question. "Please don't run off this time."

She raised her head. "Well... See you." During her time in the Pokemon centre, the nurse had been more of a work colleague than a close friend, often busy seeing to Pokemon while she herself had been changing linen and sorting supplies. When the time would come for her to leave for the next town, though, Florence knew she'd miss her, as well as the Pokemon who worked at her side.

With that bright smile Florence wished she could manage, the nurse wished her good luck.

"Thanks," Florence replied, heading outside, Vernie following close behind.

There, just leaving the town hall, was the shopkeeper, accompanied by her husband. Both their faces had a grey-white tinge, as if they'd experienced something awful. Once the woman had pinned a piece of paper to the vine-framed board in the town square, her husband placed his arm around her shoulder, whispering something to her. Turning round, they made their weary-looking way down a street.

When they'd gone, Florence slowly approached the board. What she read made her cold with shock.

---