[Altepa Desert]

@Ninian

With a paw over her mouth, Piper hid a wide grin as she noted the Delphox's reaction to her touch. Seeing the serious look cast upon his face, she threw away her grin and nodded, frowning slightly. As he took a moment to consider their options, she closed her eyes, focusing on his soothing voice over the howling sandstorm above.

"Hm..." After he finished, she nodded and looked up at him with a light smile. "...I think entering the dungeon would be our best bet. The sandstorm won't be an issue down there and if we clear a room, we can hold it to ourselves. I'm sure we can take the Pokemon around there and besides, there could even be some artifacts for you to find! Plus, there's also more places to hide and run, well for me at least... So, shall we find the entrance?"

[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord
Brick's movement caused a wide grin to play across the Absol's visage. "Well, at least one of you is cautious. You know, you're not always going to have an experienced explorer by your side."

Keeping close to Devon, the Kirlia kept glancing backwards at the Absol, as if attempting to figure him out. Or possibly remember something. I don't think I remember anything about him... so... he shouldn't be that dangerous right? He's just... kind of creeping me out..." The girl was then pulled from her inner monologuing, "W-Wait, who are you!?" Eyes widened at the sudden appearance, she then rushed towards him, pushing Devon to the side, "Give that back you thief! Devon was totally about to have it until you ran him over!"

[Altepa Desert]

@MankeyMankey
The cheerful spirit returning to the Delphox, he stood up with a grin upon his muzzle, "That sounds like a brilliant plan~" Flashing a wink, he started off into the ruins, hoping to find anything of interest. Interestingly enough, it did not actually take him terribly long to find something. A large square tile was embedded into the floor, and before it a stone door.

Taking a step onto the stone, the Delphox frowned as nothing happened. Stamping his foot on it, a frown overtook his muzzle. This should be working...? Hmm...

Moving off of th slab, Alodi began to inspect the stone door. Slamming himself against it proved useless. "Don't come too close, Piper. I'm going to try something..." Pulling the branch from his sleeve, he aimed it towards the door. [ALODI used MYSTICAL FIRE!] A blast of ringed fire erupted from his wand, pummeling the door. However, it would not budge. Taking a few steps backward, the Delphox would be upon the tile once more. Putting a paw to his muzzle, he'd stare at the entrance with a confused expression. "That should have worked..."

[Glyph's Guild - Guild Member's Quarters]

@Light Lord
"N-No, it's fine. I'm sorry that's... all happening to you." Averting her gaze and holding her arm, she'd think for a moment before replying, "If you have somewhere to be, it would be rude of me to stop you... Please do take care of yourself. I'm still interested in having you as a bodyguard, but..." Closing her eyes for a moment, a sigh escaped her lips, "With everything that's happening, I'm not entirely sure how that'd be possible now. Anyway... I should pack. Thank you for visiting..."

@Ninian @Light Lord
[Team Horizon - Folio Town Guild]
[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

As the Absol behind them continued to make himself seem less and less trustworthy, the group was caught by surprise as a Pokemon divebombed Devon and took the item he had found. Even more, Lilisette was enraged, and immediately moved to confront the would be attacker. This caused the two to jump in to intervene. "Devon! You okay?" Ember said, running over to the downed Totodile and helping him up.

Selena focused on Lilisette. "Easy, he's not worth it. Just let him keep it, there's bound to be more around here." She said, standing next to the fuming Kirlia as she looked over at her.

[Team Daybreak - Folio Town Guild]
[Folio Town - Folio Guild]

After leaving the Town Square, the two Luxio headed straight to the Guild, where Fuse directed her to the Crew Rooms. "This is where all the Guild Members live. Not the most spacious things in the world, but it's... home..." He said with a hint of sadness in his voice. Hikari noticed this as she followed into his room. "Since we're a team, we'll be staying together... so we'll have to get an extra bed for you. I'll let someone know about that." He finished.

Continuing on through the Guild, they stopped at a small storage room. "Since you're an official member now, we need to get you some basics." He said, grabbing a box with the Folio Guild Crest on it. "Consider this your starter kit." He said, handing it to Hikari.

She opened the small box, and within it would be an Official Folio Guild Badge, along with a new Treasure Bag, and a Looplet. "Huh, so you have to get most of your own supplies yourself?" She asked, Fuse nodding. "They give the basics, then you do the rest. We all work together for that." He replied.

[Team Sanctuary - Valiant Village Guild]
[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F8]

As the group neared the stairs, they were stopped by what appeared to be a travelling Pokemon. Omen took a glance at him for a moment, then turned away again. "No. Haven't seen him." He replied bluntly, Serenity giving him a piercing stare. "Omen, what have I told you... I'm sorry, mister, when he's in a Dungeon, he's not the most sociable Pokemon. But no, I'm afraid we haven't seen anyone like that." She replied.

"Well, I think I might have... when I came to the Guild before, I think I saw someone like that in the Guild." Krystal said, looking over to the Dark/Ground Type. Omen rolled his eyes and started forward again. "Well, that sounds like a good place to start. I hope you find him." Serenity replied with a wave of her feeler, before she and her sister picked up speed to catch up to Omen.

[Folio Town]

The figure was careful to avoid being spotted by the locals, he didn't have time for any distractions. He had to give his warning before it was too late. He kept to back alleys, with navigation of the town's streets that only a local would know, until he finally popped out in front of the Folio Guild. Breathing a sigh of relief, he trudged onward as he approached the guards. "I need... to speak to Glyph... there's no time..." He sputtered, his body showing clear signs of trauma and malnourishment.

[Town Path - F7]

@Shiny Keldeo@Ninian
A sluggish sigh escaped the pushed aside Totodile's limp form as the Quilava pulled him to his feet. Shaking his head a bit, Devon put a hand to his nose and rubbed it a bit as he glared at his Gligar assailant. "Yeah....I'll manage. Thanks Ember."

The flying Ground-type completely ignored the furious Psychic in front of him as he continued to rub the gem against his face. Half audible mumbles and giggles escaping his lips before he opened his eyes dreamily and blinked at the two girls once Selena said her piece. A smirk growing over his purple face. "Yeah, well I had my eyes on it waaaaaaaay before he showed up! So tough deal! This Awakening's mine!" The thief stated as he stuck his comedically large tongue out.

Devon soon walked up beside the blue Kirlia and blew a bit of sand off his arm, before leaning to look her in the face and point a claw at the Gligar with an amused expression. "I'm not gonna lose sleep over the thing Lilisette. If this guy wants it so bad, let him have it. He's a loser anyways."

Holding the shiny gem above his head, the Gligar twitched in announce at the commented, and pointed towards the Water-type as he stomped a foot. "I ain't no loser! You better shut your trap, croc cakes! Because as soon as I figure out how to use this thing, I'll be the strongest mon in this whole dungeon! You'll see!"

Rolling his eyes at the scorpion bat's anger, Devon simply shrugged before turning around slightly and beginning to walk off. "Sure. Whatever makes you happy dude."

[Folio Town - Outside the Guild]

@Shiny Keldeo
Both of the door guards went wide eyed at the sickly appearance of the Pokémon that approached them. The hefty Nidoqueen immediately dropping her ridged stance and moving over to put a hand on the mon's chest and steady him. "O-Oh my goodness! What happened to you!? No no no, you need to see the cleric right away!"

An uncomfortable wince came over the armored bug as he stepped close in attempts to assist as well, shaking his head. "And Glyph isn't here, he's off with his sister. If it's really that urgent, just tell me and I can relay the message. Teth's right, you need some help sir."

[Town Path - F8]

@Shiny Keldeo
Putting a clawed three fingered hand to his chin, the Krookodile rubbed a bit and smiled at the mention of the local Explorer Guild. "The Guild? I'd almost forgotten this town had one."

Flashing a charming toothy grin at the two females of the group, the croc began to walk backwards slowly. "Thanks for the information girls. I'll see if I can catch up with that gator then. See you." Turning around proper, the Krookodile soon eyed the path leading to the next room. The toothy grin on his face never fading, but it did seem to become a bit more menacing once the reptile narrowed his darkened eyes.

So Raiden, you came back to the most predictable place possible. It's almost as if you wanted my company.

[Glyph's Guild - Guild Member's Quarters]

@Ninian
Doing his best to bring a smile to his cut up jaw, the Feraligatr put his large hand on the doorway and looked back. "I'll try to be there if I can. If I can't, well, I'll be sure to get the message to you. See you later Pyrrha."

Sliding out of the door frame and moving slowly down the darkened hallway, Raiden's head hung low to the ground. His hands firmly gripping the worn strap of his bag as he simply stared at his dragging feet.

Out of all of the things I've done.....Lying to her has been one of the hardest.

[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord
Still enraged, the Kirlia cried out in response to Selena, "No! But you don't understand! He is worth it... that... that's...!"

A wicked grin played across the Absol's maw as he finished Lilisette's sentence, albeit softly, "...an Awakening..."

Devon's attempt to calm her down only worked, somewhat. "Normally I'd have to agree with you, but! If we could find Cerran... or even Erius! That Awakening... it could... we could..." It appeared everyone did not agree with her. Dejected, the Psychic-Fairy hung her head and followed Devon's lead. They don't understand... and what if that Gligar does figure out how to use it...?

While the group began to walk off, Volug padded towards the Gligar with a wicked grin, "Do you really think I'd let you keep that?" It was then the Dark-type would attempt to press a paw into the Gligar's chest, and pin him down.

@Ninian @Light Lord
[Team Horizon - Folio Town Guild]
[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

While Ember seemed unfazed by the realization of what the object was, Selena was slightly alarmed and cautious as the group started away. "Was that really an Awakening? Not some other Emera or something?" She asked, looking at the Shiny Kirlia. "And who were you talking about, and why?" She continued.

Ember looked over her shoulder as the room fell out of view. "That creep isn't following us now, at least." She said turning her attention back to the front. As they entered the next room, Ember quickly spotted something out of the corner of her eye. "Hey, look, another one." She said, quickly pouncing and collecting the gem. [Ember Found "Clairvoyance"!] "Wait, so what do I do with it again?" She asked. Sighing, Selena replied. "Put it in one of the notches on your Looplet." She replied.

Ember nodded, putting the Gem in the Looplet on her paw. Her eyes flashed for a moment, and she seemed out of it. "Woah, okay, this is wierd... I can see... things... like... Xray Vision or something..." She said, glancing all around her.

[Team Daybreak - Folio Town Guild]
[Folio Town - Folio Guild]

The two's conversation was cut short when they heard a commotion outside. Turning quickly to the entrance to the guild, the two watched as the Scizor and Nidoqueen attempted to assist a badly injured Pokemon, who in the growing light was shown to be a Typhlosion. As Teth attempted to help him, he pushed the arm away weakly, forcing himself to stand up straight. "There is no time!" He would shout again, his eyes looking between the Scizor and Nidoqueen.

"I... I recognize you two... even now... Stein... Teth." He said, his gaze unwavering. "I remember when you two just joined the Guild, as a Scyther and a Nidorina. Have I been gone that long, that you had forgotten your old mentor?" He asked, an object he kept iron clasped in his hand being shown to the two. It was an aged Folio Guild Badge. "But, Glyph is with Glyde? I must go, there isn't a moment to lose." He said, turning and starting to head down the street.

The two Luxio would emerge from the Guild, looking at the Door Guards as the Typhlosion attempted to leave. "Hey, guys, do you know him?" Asked Fuse. "Yeah... it seems like he really knows you..." Hikari replied, equally curious.

[Team Sanctuary - Valiant Village Guild]
Folio's Trunk - Town Path F8 -> F7]

Stepping down the stairs to the next floor, the team came across a strange Absol who seemed to be attacking a Gligar holding an Emera of some kind. "Hey!" Omen would shout, trying to get the strangers attention. "What are you doing to that Gligar?!" Serenity would say angrily, moving into an attacking position next to Omen. "I don't know what's going on, but I feel like this is going to be a fight first, ask questions later kind of moment." Krystal replied, moving to the opposite side of Omen as her Sister.

[Altepa Desert]

@Ninian

Piper looked up at the Delphox, beaming proudly before giving a quick nod and following suit. "Yes!" After returning his wink, she trotted behind, allowing him to take point as she scanned their surroundings and watched his back to prepare against surprise attacks.

When her partner stopped and started inspecting the tile before the sealed stone door, she sat on the ground and continued her watch, listening for any signs of progress. Met with some frustrated grunts, she looked over her shoulder. "Is everything going alright back the-" Stopping her question at his warning, she quickly backed up to give him space. Cautiously, she watched the bright magical flame surge from his wand and slam into the door to no avail. "That's a strong door..." She muttered under her breath, taking a couple steps forward to inspect where the blast had hit. It seemed to have done nothing aside from giving the door an ashen tint.

"Maybe fire doesn't work on this one...?" Piper asked, stepping back and looked up at Alodi with an inquisitive tilt of her head. Hm... I can try too... Fighting usually beats rock... I'm pretty sure... She thought to herself, briefly contemplating the decision before confirming it to herself with a confident nod. "Alright, step back a bit in case something happens. I don't really know if this will work or not... I mean... it's worked on almost every door I've seen before buut... this one could be different." Taking a deep breath, she stepped back, a faint dark red glow enveloping her tail. [PIPER used WAKE-UP SLAP!] After a deep exhale, she burst into a sprint and leapt into the air, flipping forwards to vertically swing her tail down into the door.

[Altepa Desert]

@MankeyMankey
A sigh escaped the Delphox's maw, "...Indeed. I just... cannot understand why that didn't work...?"

Taking a step back as requested, the Fire-type watched the Skitty do work. "Good luck. Be careful..." He watched with furrowed brows. The attack was impressive to be sure, and it would have split, had the door been made of true stone. Alodi was beginning to think there was more to the ruin than he initially thought.

A sigh escaped his lips after he was sure that nothing was going to cause the door to budge. "Well, that's... unfortunate. I really thought that would have worked. I'm sorry, Piper, I—" The Delphox cut his words short as he felt the ground shake. "Wh—!?" Flipping around, the Delphox caught sight of something he had never seen before. A large, brown and tan Pokémon standing over 6', likely weighing quite a bit.

The Cavern Pokémon plowed through the group, gruffly muttering an apology, "Excuse me." With those words, he stood upon the stone square. The doors before them opened!

"What!?"

The Rock-Fighting type pressed onward, down the stairs and into the ruins. Alodi whipped around with a wide smile across his visage, as if an excited child, "Let's go!"

[Altepa Desert]

@Ninian

A resounding thud was heard as Piper's tail slammed into the door which failed to respond with even a slight crack. Falling onto her feet, she looked up at the indestructible door in complete disbelief. "W-What?! B-But how?! That... That doesn't make any sense!" Now frustrated, she turned to her partner and shook her head. "Don't apo-" Met with the gentle tremor along the ground, she peeked past Alodi to find a gargantuan four-legged Pokemon meandering towards them. As it approached, she quickly shuffled to the side, not wanting to get crushed by its massive hooves. "Er..." She watched it with a confused expression, glancing over to see her partner's reaction before hearing the unmovable door slowly slide open.

In sync with the Delphox, she whipped her head in the direction of the door with wide eyes. "No way..." She mumbled, a bright smile creeping onto her face as she moved her head to meet her partner. Left speechless, she gave a quick nod and hurried through the door. Upon entering the ancient ruins, she looked behind at Alodi. "We are so lucky..."

[Cloister of Tremors]

@MankeyMankey
Flashing his teeth at the Skitty, he replied, "Indeed we are! Let's go!" Hurrying through the doors, he let out a sigh of relief as he watched the door slide closed behind him. "It appears to be some sort of weight-based mechanism... That's what I thought it was at first, but we must have been far too light..." Frowning somewhat, he then flashed a smile, "Well, the good news is not many can get inside. So, if we were being followed, I doubt they'll be able to get in!"

Making his way down the stairs, he'd notice that the ruins were pitch black, save for the ember that was still flickering on his wand. "Well, I can't see anything in here. Not even that Pokémon." However, the ground beneath them shook, clearly a sign that the Pokémon was nearby. "You know, I've never actually been in here. I don't even know what dungeon this is. It looks... ancient. Very ancient."

[Town Path - F7]

@Shiny Keldeo@Ninian
As he walked off to the next hall, Devon's face screwed up as Lilisette began to fluster over the loss of the blue gemstone. Was that really that Awakening thing that she told me about yesterday? The one that would evolve me into something super strong? But it wouldn't even help us that much right now would it? I'd need to be a Feraligatr for it to work, and Emera break when they leave a dungeon anyways.....And who're those two mon that she mentioned? Could they do something with the Awakening?

The Totodile slowed his pace a bit to fall back near the blue Kirlia and the concerned Bayleef. His head turning towards Lilisette as he tilted it. "I wanna know too. If it's really that important, we could probably go back for it..." Grimacing, the Water-type grunted. "That Absol might be trying to go for it. I seen him gunning for that Gligar as I was turning around back there."

Looking over to Ember, he raised a thumb up and smiled. "Like you can see through walls and stuff? That's awesome, now we can keep track of anyone else that decides to start stalking us."

...

Back in the other room, the Poliwrath made sure to stand at the mouth of the hall that Team Horizon had made their way down. His beady eyes focusing on the Absol as it intimidated the poor bat. The thick muscles in his arms tensing as he simply observed the situation for now. Though, upon the appearance of the two Eeveelutions and another Absol, Brick made a silent agreement with himself, and slipped down the hall.

The Gligar began to sweat bullets as the Dark-type approached him. The little purple creature eeping in surprise as he hopped back from the Absol's paw, and began to slowly walk backwards as he weakly stared down Volug. "H-Hey! Just cause I-I didn't let those guys have it, d-doesn't mean I'm gonna let you have it neither! H-Haven't ya ever heard of 'Finder's keepers'? E-Eh heh?"

The Ground-type continued to tremble, until the arrival of even more Pokémon, and the resulting shout, caused him to jump in alarm. The glowing blue stone slipped from the bat scorpion's claws much to his horror. The Emera falling to the knotted wood floor and shattering into glittering dust with an unceremonious clack!

The room went dead silent as the Gligar stared agape at the pile of dust that was once the omni-powerful gemstone. A nervous laugh seeping out of his maw as he clicked his claws together and forced a panicked smile. "O-Oh...O-Oops....Guess uh....Guess no one's gonna have it now, huh?"

[Folio Town - Outside the Guild]

@Shiny Keldeo
The Nidoqueen didn't move away at the rather weak shove. The concerned frown across her creamy muzzle however, faltered as her mouth gaped at the Typhlosion's identification of herself and her partner. "What? How could you know that? Our mentor? Who are...."

The words were quickly lost on Teth's lips as she gasped at the sight of the badge in the fire badger's paws. Stein froze at the tarnished oak tree, his head soon craning up from the badge to the face of the pin's owner. "....Pepper. We all thought you were dead...." The shock of coming face to face with a ghost dazed the giant bug for another moment, before he awkwardly reached out a claw and stepped out towards the Fire-type as he left. "Wait! Shouldn't we...!? Damn it, why do we need to be on guard duty now of all times?"

"This is wonderful....After so many years, he came back!" The badged Nidoqueen whispered to herself giddily. His brown eyes shooting towards the two Luxio as she smiled and crouched down berfore them. "Fuse, it's wonderful! That's Pepper! Ember's father! He's alive!" The happiness evident on the dino's face began to fade a bit, Teth biting her lip as she looked back to the exiting Fire-type. "Oh, but he's so unwell...Are you two busy? Could you please go with him? He wants to tell Glyph something, but he really does need Rhys help..."

[Folio Town Square]

@Ninian@Shiny Keldeo
"Excuse me."

The throaty voice of the large gator grumbled to the pair of door guards, and the two lions standing in the the wood archway. Raiden casually strolled past the group of four mon and disappeared into the crowded square.

...

One of his meaty blue hands reached up to grip the small pearl attached around his neck as he walked. The Feraligatr's thumb gently running over the cream colored sphere as he stared off blankly into the on coming crowd. However, something seemed to catch the scarred Rescuer's sharp gaze. Raiden's slit orange eye's flicked off into the sea of bodies to his right, and nearly shattered the pearl in his hand from gripping it suddenly.

Zeke, tell everyone that I've been followed. Tell them to retrace their steps to make sure they aren't being stalked as well. I'm going to take care of Minuano. I'll call if I need back up.

As the squeaky, strangely legible voice accepted the request and sent the message, the Water-type blinked at the grinning red figure leaning against a wall far beyond him. As soon as he opened his lids again, the figure had vanished without a trace.

[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord
"It... really looked like an Awakening. I've seen one once before, but it was embedded into a looplet." Glancing back, she sighed as they were out of visual range, "Anyway, Cerran and Erius are crafters. Their names probably haven't gotten out yet... but if you bring them to an emera, inside of a dungeon of course, they can merge their effects with a looplet. So, it's not... embedded into one? It is, one..."

Looking to Ember, the Kirlia sighed, "Yeah, you're right. He really bothers me though, I don't remember anything about him. I guess that means he's probably not that scary, anyway, but... he really creeps me out." Letting out a slightly excited squeak, Lilisette regained her vigor and rushed to Ember, "Nice! So... you have X-ray vision... like a Luxray? That's pretty cool. Are you okay? I hope it's not giving you a headache."

Weighing in on Devon's concern, the Psychic furrowed her brows, "It is important, but... I'm pretty sure you find one later. I mean, now that there's two Pokémon after it... and I don't think we can take that Absol."

[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord
Turning to glance backwards at the newcomers, Volug let out an annoyed groan, "This isn't any of your business, now is it?"

...it was about then that the Gligar became nervous, dropping the emera, shattering it into pieces. Placing his paw back down on the ground, the Dark-type ignored the Fly Scorpion and the group confronting them as if they were no longer important. In silence, the Absol would continue on towards Devon and his group.

[Cloister of Tremors]

@Ninian

Looking up at Alodi, Piper smiled brightly and nodded her head. "I see, that makes sense! And yeah, at least we'll be safe in here!" She lowered her voice and glanced in the direction of the huge four-legged behemoth that had allowed them entry. "I mean... I doubt there's anything that weighs as much as our friend over there..." With a little smirk, she stifled a giggle and turned around, trotting down into the dark ruins.

Even with the faint ember given off by her partner's wand behind her, it was difficult to discern the dungeon's depth. Due to the vibrations of the other Pokemon's footsteps from below, it seemed as if there were still many steps ahead. "Yeah... I can't see anything either... Well... besides you and the small area around us." She said, glancing over her shoulder. Turning back to focus to where she was going, she continued. "And really? Hm... I have never seen or heard of a dungeon like this... Well... The description doesn't really match anything I've heard about... And..." Trying to be discrete, she lowered her voice once more. "...I've never seen that Pokemon before either... I mean... I think I've heard rumors about one like it but... I have no idea what it's called. Do you happen to know anything? I mean, it seems indifferent to our presence now but... you never know..."

@Ninian @Light Lord
[Team Horizon - Folio Town Guild]
[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

Ember looked back down the path they'd come, but a frown came upon her face as she could see nothing from that direction. "I... I don't see anything back there..." She said, looking back forward. "But that way, I can see things... I think that's some kind of seed... and over there's an berry... It's like I can only see items on the ground or something..." She explained, Selena coming forward. "You must have found a Clairvoyance Emera. It let's you see any items that are on the same floor as you." She said.

She looked back behind her. "Unfortunately it doesn't help keep an eye on other Pokemon, or the location of the Stairs. I think those were called... Big Ears and... Stair Locator if I remember correctly." She continued to explain. "Oh well... we'll just have to keep watching our backs, then. Something we'll just have go get used to. Anyways, now we can find some easy items and stuff at least." Ember replied, ready to continue.

[Team Daybreak - Folio Town Guild]
[Folio Town]

Hearing about who this mystery Typhlosion was pulled at Hikari's heartstrings. "Ember... she's the Quilava, right? The one with the Human? And that's her father?" Fuse replied, looking towards the fire type trying to form an opinion of the guy. "Oh, Fuse, we have to help! We can't just turn our backs on something like this..." Hikari said, giving Fuse a look that no self respecting Pokemon could resist.

"Of course. It is our job to help Pokemon in need after all. Besides, this sounds easy enough, a quick and easy mission to get you into the swing of things, Hikari." Fuse replied, Hikari beaming. "So... what actually DO we do?" She asked. Fuse continued to watch the Pokemon. "I remember some older Guildies talking about Pepper once, said he was stubborn as a Tauros. I doubt he'll be pursuaded to see Rhys until he's talked to Glyph. So..."

"I've got an idea. Rhys is the town healer, I guess? Well, I could go find him and bring him over, while you stay with him." She suggested. Noticing the Typhlosion was almost out of eyesight, Fuse nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me, nice one. Rhys should be at his shop near downtown. He's a Chimecho. If you can't find it, just ask around. He'll know where to go from there." Fuse said, the two quickly taking off on their different pursuits.

"Hey, wait up!" Fuse yelled as he ran to catch up to Pepper. "I don't care what you say, I need to see Glyph before anything." He said, not wavering from his path. "That's fine, they just want to make sure you make it there okay." Fuse replied. "I can't say I recognize you, you must be rather new. Name's Pepper, Guild Trai- well... Former Guild Trainer for the Folio Guild." He said, continuing down the path towards the far reaches of the town. "They call me Fuse." He replied simply.

Meanwhile, Hikari wasted no time in searching out the location of the Town Healer. Standing before the building he was said to be at, she entered and looked around, seeing no one immediately. "Hello? I'm looking for the Cleric, Rhys." She said out loud.

[Team Sanctuary - Valiant Village Guild]
[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

Unsure of what type of Emera the Gligar had dropped, Omen kept his focus on the odd Absol. As he started to walk away, Omen fired a Night Slash past him, which collided with the corner of the path entrance he was about to go down. "It is my business when there's a Pokemon in trouble. So I'll ask again. What's going on here." Omen responded sternly, Serenity staying by his side.

Krystal, on the other hand, had quickly moved to the Gligar's side as the Absol had left him. "Hey, you okay? What happened?" She said softly, trying to calm down the now nervous Gligar.

[Cloister of Tremors]

@MankeyMankey
A laugh escaped the Delphox's maw at Piper's remark, "Oh yes, I'm sure you are quite right. Though, I suppose that begs the question. If you need to weigh that much..." Furrowing his brows with obvious concern, he continued onward, making sure his footsteps were careful. "Now that you mention it... I have never seen that Pokémon before either. Well, I suppose it's a bit too late to turn back now! Onwards and upwards?"

With that said, he continued forward at a more brisk pace, though he was still careful of his surroundings. "Let us hope whomever that Pokémon is... that it does not mind us following."

Holding out his torch, Alodi looked upon the walls with some interest. It appeared the area had strange, ancient writing on the walls, though he could not discern its meaning. "This place... it must be ancient." Upon further inspection, however, it appeared the letters were not writing at all! "The letters... they're.... living...?" The harsh footsteps of the Rock-Fighting type before them appeared to be awakening the slumbering Symbol Pokémon.

[Town Path - F7]

@Shiny Keldeo@Ninian
As Lilisette explained the skills of the two craftsmon, Devon's jaw went ajar at the revelation. "Whoa. That's amazing. You could tap into that power whenever you wanted...." Crossing his arms, he sighed. "But if we did manage to find those guys and bring them back, that Emera would be long gone anyways. We'll probably find another one later down the line. It'll take awhile for me to even need it, right?"

The novice Totodile listened to the two girls go back and forth on the specific effects of Emera Ember had picked up, he cracked a slight smile as he walked on. "We can do that. I'll peak into any of the item rooms to check if the coasts clear before we grab anything. Who knows, we might even find those other two Emera Selena mentioned."

...

The Gligar let off of huge sigh of relief once the Absol took it's paw off of his body. The Fly Scorpion looking wide eyed at the Glaceon and nodding quickly as he got to his feet, 'dusting' himself off as he avoided her eyes. "Y-Yeah yeah. I'm fine. I-I'm just gonna uh.....Go look for more...stuff. Away from that guy. Very far away." Stiffly turning around, the Gligar then attempted to give his tiny wings and few flaps and dart up to the dark rooted ceiling of the dungeon.

[Cloister of Tremors]

@Ninian

"Really? You never have? Hm... It must be super ra-" Piper stopped herself as the Delphox picked up the pace, panicking as she fell a tiny distance behind. Raising her voice just a bit, she called out, "W-Wait! It's dark, don't go so fast!" With quick little steps, she trotted to his side and continued along, matching his pace.

Lowering her voice once more, she nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I hope it doesn't get mad... It looks... really strong..." She looked ahead, squinting her eyes as she discerned the Pokemon's massive silhouette. I wonder what types of moves it knows... The amount of damage it can do must be scary...

Following her partner's gaze along the wall, her eyes widened with astonishment as the letters of the wall's ancient text began to shift and move about. "Woah... They are alive... I've... never seen anything like it before..." She asked herself, mesmerized by the sight of dozens of symbols coming to life.

[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord
Listening curiously to Selena's explanation, she made her way over towards Ember, leaning over her as if hoping she'd get some of the Emeras effects and see things too. Of course, she didn't. "Hmmm... that's pretty cool, actually. I mean, let us know if you see something good! Or tasty. We could go for that berry if you want? Unless you just want to get out of here..."

Attention now back on Devon, she nodded, "Right! No idea where they'd be though. Anyway, yeah... we could've like taken the Awakening and hid it somewhere. I think that works? I haven't tried... but, yeah. You're right, we don't need it right now. I'm sure we'll find them eventually. I wish I remembered if you had an enchanted looplet or not... maybe you just had an Emera... Rrrrgh, I should have studied more."

Twirling in place, the Kirlia made her way forward before stopping. "Wait! What am I doing!? Ember! You take the lead. You have fancy Item-sight or whatever."

[Cloister of Tremors]

@MankeyMankey
Slowing down at Piper's request, the Delphox looked rather worried as the letters continued peeling off the walls, seemingly chasing after the Pokémon ahead of them. "...It seems like they're following him. That's..." Scratching the back of his head he shot Piper a worried glance, "Well, at least they don't seem concerned about us! That's... good, right?" Letting out a sigh, he continued, "I haven't seen them before either... and I've been to a lot of ruins.."

Torch still before him, he slowly followed behind the stream of letters down a corridor. "At least this is preferable to the sandstorm."

The trembling of the ground ceased, as if the strange Pokémon had moved to a different floor. "Hmmm. We must be close...?"

It didn't take the group long to come across the magical stairs. The strange symbols seemed to be completely stripped from the wall, presumably disappearing into the floor beneath them. Looking down, he then glanced to the Skitty, "Shall we?"

[Folio Town - Rhys' Clinic]

@Shiny Keldeo
Upon hearing a feminine voice, the Chimecho panicked somewhat, scurrying around jingling as he went. "Yes! Ah, yes I am here, give me a moment... apologies! Oh! Please do come in." After a short wait, the Psychic made his way over. "Why hello, you're a new face. How might I help you?"

[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord
The attack didn't even cause the Absol to flinch. Instead, he paused, letting out an irritated sigh. "Oh, so you've made it a habit to help feral Pokémon? How quaint. What's done is done. The emera has shattered, so I have no quarrel with him. I also have no quarrel with you. Now, if you'd leave me to my business, I'll leave you to yours."

[Folio Town - Outskirts]

A cool southern wind scattered a few stray leaves along the path. The deserted branches far from town proper whispered with the chatter of surrounding plant life. The harsh desert sun occasionally peaking in through gaps in the canopy and bringing light to the scarred visage of the lone alligator as he walked the forgotten road. His orange eyes flicking about at every sound, and shudder the ancient oak tree produced due to the desert gales.

Eventually his gaze settled for the sight directly in front of him. Far up the path, stood another reptile. Though shorter than the towering Water-type, the red and black Ground-type with it's natural 'eye mask' meeting his piercing glare with a fanged grin was none the less an unsettling sight.

"Fancy meeting you here. I was under the assumption that you preferred the cooler climate of the Water Continent."

The Krookodile's comment was met with a stoic stare from the Feraligatr as his slow stomping walk came to a halt. "You knew I'd come here."

A hearty laugh echoed out of the croc's long, pointed maw as he put a clawed hand on his hip. "Getting sick of the scent of blood are we? Raiden, Raiden, Raiden! You know that taking a vacation isn't going to get you anywhere! How very selfish of you! Your friends are out there getting things done, while you're here, talking with strangers."

The taunting of the stripped Dark-type seemed to not phase the Feraligatr as he narrowed his eyes and tilted his head forward. "You know damn well that's not the reason. The bigger question is why you're here, and why you haven't tried to kill anyone yet."

The Intimidation Pokémon's tail dragged along the ground behind him as he waltzed to his left, and put a thoughtful had to his chin. "The war, isn't the payoff. I had hoped you've realized that by now. All I want is for things to be a bit more simple. And while a war may make things simpler, I couldn't care for it. I'd rather it not happen." Turning his head towards Raiden, his beady eyes bore into Raiden's as the grin returned. "That isn't very heroic of you, is it Raiden? To want to cause a war? You do have other plans, don't you?"

The Feraligatr continued to stare, before letting off a throaty growl. "I'm just a Pokémon trying to protect what he cares about. I don't care who thinks it's heroic or not."

A shadow cast over both scarred reptiles from the leaves above as they continued to stare one another down. Minuano turning to face the Big Jaw Pokémon and tap his chin. "Then I have a question for you, Raiden. Is what you care about worth it? Lately it's been nothing but a pain in your ass. You're a predator; you could easily survive on your own like you used to. That village, and that spoiled girl, are lost causes. You just can't bring yourself to admit it."

A loud slam echoed through the foliage as the ragged old bag hit the ground next to the scarred Feraligatr's left foot. His arms positioned down towards his stomach, a long white blade of light clutched in his claws. "I'm tired of talking to you. You came here to end this, so let's do it."

A smirk crossed the Krookodile's jaws as he put out his right arm to the side. "Oh? No more chit chat? Well good, I guess we can skip right to the last part then. I like that." The three short claws glowing a menacing red before extending out into a singular sharp blade of aura. The croc's hand closed around the blade as he spun it around in a circle. "But you're wrong. I didn't come to end this, Raiden. Your death or mine won't end anything."

Minuano's arm was a blur as the crimson energy blade now positioned itself towards Raiden. "You were just alone, and you happen to owe me that eye of yours."

[Team Horizon - Folio Town Guild]
[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

Ember slightly panicked when Lilisette proposed that she take the lead. "W-what? Me? No... I'm not much of a leader, that much is clear... plus most of my attacks are Fire attacks, it would be bad if we got into trouble with me in the front." She said, looking around her. "That is true... but I think you're more of a leader than you think." Selena said in reply. "R-really? That's not true... all I ever do is mess up when I try to do something like a leader..."

Selena smiled. "That's part of being a leader. You learn from your mistakes. But I guess it's really up to Devon. He is the Team Leader, after all." She said, looking over to the Totodile.

[Team Daybreak - Folio Town Guild]
[Folio Town]

The two had struck up a conversation as they continued forward, Pepper never falling in his stride. He had inquired about how Fuse came to join the Folio Guild, and had been listening to his story. "I see... I must say I know what it's like to be away from your home, your family, for so long..." He said. "Folio has changed so much since I last saw it, so have the residents. But... some things never change." He continued as they walked along an abandoned branch street. "Odd, usually you'd see some citizens out and about..."

Fuse sighed. "Glyph's evacuating the town starting today. He doesn't want civilians to get caught in the crossfire..." Fuse started, Pepper closing his eyes and sighing as well. "I knew he would do something like this. He's doing just what they knew he would, too. This makes it that more urgent for me to speak with him... Ah! That should be it right up there!" He said, his wobbly pace steadying slowly as he approached a home very familiar to him.

"Let me see if he's here, or if this is even the right place..." Fuse started, Pepper blocking him with his arm. "There's no need. This is the place. This was their parents house, Glyph's Sister lives here now that they're gone." He took a few steps forward. "Glyph! I know you're here! It's an Emergency, I've Gotta Talk With You ASA-Now!" He yelled out.

[Team Daybreak - Folio Town Guild]
[Folio Town - Rhy's Clinic]

As the Chimecho came around the corner and met the Luxio's gaze, it would be obvious by the look in the girls eyes that something was wrong. "Phew, they said I could find you here. My name's Hikari, and we need you to come to Glyph's Sister's House!" She said, speaking quite quickly. "Some Typhlosion showed up at the Guild, his name was... Pepper I think they said. He's in real rough shape, but he was insistent on talking to Glyph before anything else. My partner went with him there, and he sent me to find you." She finished, finally taking in a breath after explaining everything she could.

[Team Sanctuary - Valiant Village Guild]
[Folio's Trunk - Town Path F7]

Omen stayed ready for anything at this point. This other Absol wasn't even fazed by his warning shot. He wasn't cocky, nor overconfident. He was relaxed, as casual as he could be. That meant he was powerful, dangerous, and knew exactly what he was doing, whatever it was. "Did you just call him Feral? Just because someone lives somewhere like this doesn't make them Feral, those are Pokemon with little care for their own safety or the safety of others!" Serenity said angrily at the Absol's comment.

"Easy, Serenity. Krystal, get over here." Omen said, not taking his eyes off his possible foe for a moment. Watching the Gligar flee, the Glaceon returned to Omen's side. "What are you thinking? Definite Baddie?" Krystal asked in a whisper. "I don't know, he really just gives me the creeps, and what he called that poor Gligar..." Serenity replied, both looking at Omen. "Whoever he is, he's dangerous. We'd need help to really take him down if it came to that... And we have no backup." He said, keeping his gaze on his target. "For now, all we can do is watch, and wait to see what he does."

Nodding in agreement, Krystal held up a paw. "We're so sorry for the misunderstanding, sir. Our leader is a bit... on edge lately. We were heading out to the desert, so don't mind us if you think we're following you." She said, Omen finally diverting his gaze to change worrying glances with Serenity.