“Yeah,” Aedre said, looking to Lacey as well. As an aspiring researcher, working with physical and elemental types was always easier, since their abilities were more readily defined and understood. With psychic-types and ghost-types, though, science often hit walls—questions that couldn’t be answered. That much superstition revolved around psychic and ghost-types was a direct result of this, and though Aedre never felt particularly comfortable with not having answers, being someone who preferred the assurance of facts, her lack of understanding only helped to fuel her interest in trying to fill the gaps in her understanding. That was, of course, why she’d elected to come to Kosei and take on the task of investigating the Honedge—her Honedge.

“That’s right!” After a moment of hurried struggle, Aedre found the Pokeball she was looking for, Decus appearing at her side a moment later. “Dee! I lost something, but I’m not sure how, so I was hoping you could help me look.”

Decus’s single blue eye scanned his surroundings before settling on Aedre again, and, after a moment of consideration, he blinked once, indicating what Aedre hoped was consent.

“Excellent!” Aedre clapped her hands together. She’d been sceptical at first, but nowt that she had all these Pokemon and abilities to help her look—now that she’d given it more thought—maybe the package going missing was because of a Pokemon. With all the inexplicable capabilities of ghost-types and psychic-types, maybe a Pokemon was responsible for the box’s disappearance. “Now, let’s start walking. It’s a pretty straightforward path through the town from the gym to the mart. Just along this road.”

Hearing Amber’s comment about being harsh on herself, Aedre froze, cringing. How embarrassing to be accused of being self-critical by someone like Amber, who Aedre herself looked up to. For someone like Amber, who had her own issues and problems to deal with, to think about, to notice meant that Aedre had probably been much too vocal about her complaints.

But, had she been too hard on herself? Aedre paused to consider this, her eyes dropping to the ground. She had, after all, been criticizing herself over losing a package—a package she had every reason not to lose. Because, after all this, if it really was her fault, then she’d deserve all of her own criticism. Every bit of it. Wouldn’t she?

Despite her surprise, though, she managed to keep walking, albeit with a slight hesitation before picking up her original gait. The Pokemon around her, too, helped distract her, especially after Amber’s question about the box when they started laughing. Following Lacey’s gaze, she saw Amber, hair chock full of tree parts. Unable to help herself, Aedre burst into laughter, doubling over and clutching her stomach.

“Yeah,” she said, nodding as she wiped tears from her eyes. “Thanks, Tacita. Very inventive.”

Noticing Lacey move away from the group, Aedre focused on her, watching as the Gothita leaned down to inspect the dirt ground by a bush. The area of interest was unassuming enough, with nothing to set it apart from any other section of earth.

“Huh. This patch of dirt?” Aedre bent down, scouring the unmarred ground for anything of interest. “I… can’t tell what’s special about it.”

Decus floated over, the tip of his blade scratching the concrete slightly as he took his turn looking at the ground. Then, glancing between the dirt patch, Lacey, and the two trainers, he jumped up and unceremoniously began moving around in the dirt, his blade marring trails where he moved.

“Whoa, whoa, Decus what are you… ” Aedre trailed off, realizing that rather than moving randomly through the dirt, the Honedge was, in fact, tracing something. When he stopped, levitating away from his handiwork, he brandished his sash with a low murmur, watching as the trainers took in the footprint he’d traced.

“A footprint… Pokemon…” Aedre fumbled for her Pokedex, pulling it out and scrolling through the entries. “I’ve definitely seen that footprint before. Two-clawed and small, circular paw…”

---

---

@luckyblackcat

Without warning, a giant monstrosity of a bug zoomed inside the Pokémon Center. The Scyther flew a lap around the room and tucked his limbs in for barrel roll. Unfortunately, one of his feet nicked a light fixture, throwing off his spiral. The Scyther let out a loud hiss as he tumbled down, took a few wild and uncontrolled steps, and finally managed to stay on his feet through some miracle. The giant bug looked wide-eyed at an equally stunned nurse standing at the counter not ten feet away from it. Then the Scyther leaned casually against the front counter with a chill smirk, as if to say "Heh, I meant to do that."

A few seconds later, a pale man wearing a dark grey leather jacket and matching jeans walked into the Pokémon Center. Quickly reading the nurse's stunned expression, he attempted to wear a stern frown, but a tiny amused smile crept onto his stubbled face instead.

"Reaper!" Ty called out. "What have I told you about causing havoc without my permission?"

As Ty walked down the aisle, Reaper responded with a series of buzzes. They sounded snide, and it was probably better for both Pokémon and trainer that Ty couldn't understand his speech.

"Sorry about my Scyther," Ty addressed the nurse, sheepishly running a hand through his blond faux hawk. "He's used to getting all the attention, and I guess he's a little antsy since we spent most of the day training the new guy. Speaking of..."

Ty knelt down and released a pokeball low to the ground. A small brown Pokémon appeared and immediately slumped against the counter. A battered and exhausted Timburr looked up at Ty with its one good eye and one swollen black eye. Hunk looked a little glum.

"Hey, big guy," Ty said, countering his fighting-type's frown with an encouraging smile. "You did a really good job today. Don't sweat the Low Kick thing. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon. And then... you'll be unstoppable at the gym!"

Hunk responded with a grunt and a weak thumbs-up. Even in his weakened state, he scanned the room and managed to find a cute lady. The Timburr had just enough time to wink at Aurora with his super manly black eye before Ty recalled him and Reaper into their pokeballs.

"Thanks for helping out," Ty said to the nurse. "And I'm sorry again for whatever Reaper did. I'm sure he'd be happy to spend all day tomorrow fixing any damage he might cause."

"No problem," the nurse replied with a smile, perfectly composed and professional. "We're a little busy right now, but you'll have your Pokémon back soon."

Ty nodded. If there was going to be a wait, he might as well find something to occupy his mind. It took him only a few seconds to zero in on something interesting.

"Ohh, you're such a good strong boy!" Ty enthused, eagerly yet cautiously approaching Skoll. "Or, girl?"

Ty knelt down and held out a leather gloved hand for the Growlithe to sniff. He smiled up at Sophia, who looked like she may be too grumpy or tired for chitchat... buuuut Ty was already here, so he had to commit.

"Can I pet your Growlithe?" Ty asked. "Also, where did you find it?? I've been looking around for a sick fire type."

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@Zanavy @fer1323

"Wha...?" Sophia and the Pokemon surrounding her pulled back at a loud buzz. Dizziness set in at her sudden motion, and she only just glimpsed the green blur before it made the most unceremonious landing. The insectoid beast steadied itself, thankfully appearing to mean no harm, judging by the way it leaned against the counter. Even so, Sophia's scowl returned. That was yet something else she could have done without.

She rolled her eyes as a grungy looking man followed the bug, scolded him and apologised to the nurse. There was no point in starting an argument with the guy. She didn't have the energy for it, and Oscar would all too likely intervene, try to put things to rights. Instead, she turned to Clarus, Skoll and Nomia.

"Some people really need to brush up on this training thing," she muttered under her breath, trying not to think about Grimalkin and the trashed room in Windshire.

Of course, for all her efforts to ignore him and others, it wasn't long until the guy approached to pet the Growlithe. "He isn't mine," Sophia explained, "but sure, his friendliness is why he's over here." Once again, she refrained from antagonising the newcomer. For one, Skoll seemed to enjoy the attention. The other reason was, as she'd always been told, wasn't it better to draw people in than drive them away?

"You see, I'm mostly a Psychic type trainer," she continued. "After all..." Hiding strain behind a smirk, she made the Bronzor's empty Pokeball rise into the air. "Like attracts like." She'd keep things simple, she told herself as the weight seemed to grow. Even in her current state, she wouldn't mess up this time. She'd make a better impression than she had on Rachel. It was just one Pokeball. That shouldn't be too much...

Yet it was. The room felt and looked to be tilting as she slid from the chair. Clarus reacted right away. With a cry of "Zor!", the mirror Pokemon used its own telekinetic ability to grasp hold of Sophia. Being a low level Pokemon, Clarus could only slow her fall rather than stop it, yet it meant the impact she'd braced herself for didn't happen. Instead, she settled like a marionette lowered into a heap, the Pokeball rolling past her.

"Ugh..." The mentally and physically exhausted girl couldn't bring herself to look at anyone. She'd avoided injury to her body, but her pride was a different matter. She could picture the disappointment in her mother's eyes if she were here.

---

Amber Pine

Out and about in Mesalon

@Dusksong

Amber craned her neck, peering in the direction Lacey stared. The area looked ordinary enough, the dirt patch clear of items, to her disappointment. At least this means we're closer to it, the researcher told herself.

"Ita!" Lacey called, pointing in the general direction the feeling emanated from. She turned her head from side to side, but the signals were faint and fuzzy. If a Pokemon was involved... Maybe it was of a certain type that was notoriously hard to read.

Decus, possibly owing to his Ghost typing, had fewer difficulties. Lacey drew back as the sword Pokemon leapt up and carved patterns in the dirt. Before long, a pawprint shape had formed.

In an instant, Amber had her Pokedex out. "Hmm, seems like some kind of rodent," she said, scrolling through an extensive list of Pokemon. The discovery of a clue didn't reassure her, quite the opposite in fact. If Lacey and Decus had uncovered a footprint while focused on this task, then it was connected to the missing parcel, meaning it hadn't been an accident. "A Sandshrew? No, they're smaller..."

Tacita swooped over to the shrub by the pawprint, plucking something from a branch and dropping it at Amber's feet. "Row! Rowlet!"

Crouching down, Amber studied the tuft of black fur. "Well that narrows it down..." After a few more button presses, an image popped up on the screen. A bipedal, dark-furred mammal, a red feather on its left ear, sharp claws jutting from its hands and feet. Amber held up the Pokedex, showing Aedre the picture of the Sneasel. "Could it be this one?"

Ty Westgrove

- Mesalon Pokecenter -

"Ah, cool," Ty responded, immediately accepting the woman's permission to pet a Pokémon that wasn't hers. He scratched the cheerful Growlithe under the chin and let his mind wander for a bit. Man, how awesome it would be to have an Arcanine! It would be just like the one in Sawk Norris 3 who jumped to the second story of that burning building...

Ty suddenly became aware that the brunette woman was speaking to him again. He refocused on her right as she said "Like attracts like."

Ty smiled lightly and nodded, like you do when pretending you paid attention to everything. His brown eyes fell on the mysteriously floating pokeball. For a second, Ty had this CRAZY thought that the young woman was making it float, like a real psychic or something. But then he noticed the floating Pokémon next to her and figured it was just a psychic-type playing around. Pshhh, what a dumb thought. Some people swear there are real psychic humans, but it's probably just something made up by screen writers and con artists.

The leather-clad man chuckled for a moment at his own absurdity. But his demeanor quickly turned to alarm when the girl collapsed out of the blue. She seemed to be conscious -- good, it would be a lot easier for him to help if he could communicate with her.

"You're safe and okay, miss," Ty explained to her, trying to mimic a doctorly sort of gentle yet authoritative tone. "It looks like you fainted for a second. Has this happened before? Do you have any medical conditions? Do you know anybody nearby who can help?"

Ty reached out to rest a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. With his other hand, he reached for his C-Gear, ready to call for medical help if necessary.

@LuckyBlackCat @fer1323

@LuckyBlackCat@OtomostheCrazy@Dusksong@Zanavy

Oscar keeps a watchful eye on Sophia. He smiles as he sees the smile on her face as the two dogs cheer her up with licks and nuzzles. Suddenly a green insect comes zooming in and barrels to the ground thou recover in time. A male trainer that looks like a greaser comes and reprimands the pokemon by his name. It seems that the bug is his. He lets out another pokemon with a black eye. This pokemon sees Aurora and winks at her. She flinches slightly as she sees this but looks a little relieved that he is recalled.

Oscar watches as the new trainer goes over to Sophia. He seems to be interested in Skoll by the gestures. It is too far and loud in the center to let Oscar hear clearly. He seems to want to pet Skoll which the trainer eventually does. Nomia the Eevee seems to be hiding behind Sophia legs at the new stranger but skool seems content with the attention. The two trainers seem to talk a little before Sophia seems to slump forward.

Oscar gets to his feet and goes over calmly as she already has someone tending to her. Aurora and Roadrunner come in tow. "Dont worry. She just needs a good night's rest. Most, Likely that she is exhausted from the tough couple of days recently. By the way, the name is Oscar. It seems that you have taken a liking to Skoll, my growlithe. He is paired with the eevee under the chair. Anyways, I think we should get a room or two and turn in for the night as it seems we all had a long day."

Ty Westgrove

- Mesalon Pokecenter -

Ty shifted his gaze to Oscar for a minute and then turned back to the fallen woman with an unconvinced frown. His adrenaline was still on high alert, heart pumping like an angry Pokémon was chasing him. But this Oscar guy seems to know this woman, and he insists that she's okay. Ty slowly eased the C-Gear back into his pocket, forcing himself to believe it wasn't necessary. Heh... he didn't want to become a worrywart like his mom, did he?

"Thanks for the info," Ty addressed Oscar. "Just to be on the safe side, though..."

Ty reached into his other pocket. With a small pop and a flash of light, a small pink Pokémon emerged from its pokeball. The Igglybuff's large round eyes quickly scanned her trainer.

"Hey, Med," Ty muttered. "This girl behind you just fainted. We think she's ok, but would you mind checking?"

Medic turned around, a little surprised to learn she had materialized right in front of a prone human. She waddled to the brunette and checked for bumps and bruises on her head. Medic spotted one -- it looked older than a day, so that was weird, but a wound is a wound.

The fairy type parted the girl's hair with a pillow-soft hand and held the other hand an inch above the bruise. Gentle waves of pink and gold energy flowed from the Igglybuff's hand. Humans are less responsive to Heal Pulse than Pokémon, and the young Igglybuff still had a lot of practice to do before she'd become an expect healer. Still, the bruise had been healing naturally for a few days, so Medic was able to eliminate the rest of it. Pleased with her work, Medic hummed a few notes.

Meanwhile, Ty sat next to the woman's recently vacated chair and looked back to Oscar.

"I'm Ty," the blond said. "I really do wanna know where you got that Growlithe. And maybe challenge him to a battle tomorrow, if you're up for it?"

@fer1323@LuckyBlackCat

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@Zanavy @fer1323

The moment Sophia hit the floor, Clarus floated down so she could grip on and pull herself into a sitting position. Squinting into the harsh lights, she huffed at the boy's fussing. "Look... Whether I did or not, I'm fine now," she insisted, trying to stand, sagging back to the ground.

Well this was nothing short of mortifying. Not only had she failed to impress this person with her psychic display, she'd pushed herself much too far, AGAIN. No way was she going to make this first impression even worse and admit she'd done the same thing the previous day.

Matters looked likely to get worse anyway as Oscar approached her, but thankfully, his response wasn't as overbearing as she'd expected. "Yeah... The issue here is we haven't been able to catch a freaking break since we set out," she explained to the new guy. "Maybe calling it a day isn't such a bad idea, but I have to wait here a while. Lacey, my Gothita, she's out helping someone."

It seemed not even Oscar's reassurance was enough, as the punkish guy let out a Pokemon. A round, plushie-like one with friendly red eyes - an Igglybuff. Although the last things Sophia wanted were pity and coddling, some of her frustration melted away as the little Pokemon tottered over and rested a hand on her head. Warmth spread over her like a blanket, the throbbing of a two day old bruise lessening.

Sophia propped herself up, finding that some of the fatigue had eased with it. Even the exhaustion headache had subsided a little. She ran her fingers just above one of her ponytails, feeling no bump on her scalp. As she sat up, limbs still trembling but less drained, a grin from the Igglybuff greeted her, followed by a short yet soothing tune.

The notes brought back memories, recent ones of the Clefairy video, and earlier ones.

...

"Come on. Focus," a voice, velvet soft yet cold, hissed.

Sophia tried, but her taut nerves threw off her senses. She raised her head, nodding and stumbling onwards. She couldn't see her mother through the blindfold, but she could feel that overwhelming presence masking the one she tried to find. Chimecho was somewhere in this room, and she should be more than capable of picking up on his aura. At almost eleven years of age, she should be further along in her training by now.

She hurried towards where she thought the Pokemon was, only to yelp as her leg struck the corner of a cabinet. Flailing, she kept her balance, but winced at the pain and her mother's tone.

"What do I keep telling you? You wouldn't do that if you'd get your head out of the clouds and find him." Her mom never shouted, but in a way, that calm voice was worse. "And sweetie, what's with that look on your face? That's hardly the look of a self-controlled young psychic."

Through the stinging, Sophia forced her expression into a stoic mask. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I'll... I'll give it another try."

"Remember what I've taught you this time," came the firm reply. "And Chimecho, do please hold off on healing her until she reaches you. I know you want to help her. I do too, that's the point of this. It's just that sometimes, the hard way is the best way to learn."

It was after a training session fraught with tension that Sophia removed the blindfold and saw the wound. The cut closed up from the wind chime Pokemon's Heal Pulse, but the mottled red and purple bruise remained. As she skulked to her room and pressed a wrapped ice pack to her leg, the Chimecho drifted in, patting her shoulder with an apologetic look and humming a gentle tune.

"I'm ok. This is nothing," Sophia whispered. "But... Thanks. And I don't blame you. I've just gotta make sure it doesn't happen again." Despite the tough act, the song was welcome, more welcome than it should have been as she let herself relax.

...

"Nice little song there," Sophia told the Igglybuff, returning the slightest of smiles. "Just wondering..." She glanced up at Ty. "I know this is your Pokemon and all, but..." Pausing, she turned back to the Fairy type. "Would another song be ok? Uhh, just curious about what an Igglybuff's singing sounds like."

This guy had better buy into the excuse, she thought. She shouldn't need this. She shouldn't be such a big baby as to want a damn LULLABY. Yet as reluctant as she was to acknowledge it, the more comfort from Pokemon, the better.

@LuckyBlackCat@OtomostheCrazy@Dusksong@Zanavy

Being healed seems to have made Sophia a little more tense, despite the slight smile she has. With her request of a different song, the healing pulse might have triggered something in Sophia but Oscar isn't going to press her in this state. Oscar looks at the pink ball of cuteness and at the trainer. Quite a contrast to his other pokemon and himself. Even the name of med which is probably short for medic given the evidence so far.

"I got him in the wild. and before I accept your challenge fully, can I ask why you are interested in my growlithe and letting you know that I have a badge already. legitimately" Oscar takes it out and shows it to Ty briefly. Oscar doesn't make it sound that him having a badge makes him better than Ty. More like a warning that Ty should think before he goes and challenges everyone in his sight. "I am also interested in your Med. Med seems a little out of place for you and your team from what I have seen. Is there a deeper story?"

Ty Westgrove

- Mesalon Pokecenter -

@LuckyBlackCat @fer1323

Medic blinked in surprise, then broke out into a beaming smile. The Igglybuff turned to look at her trainer with the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could muster.

"Of course," Ty responded, his tone toward the plushy Pokémon softening a little. "You don't need my permission to sing. Unless you're trying to put someone to sleep with it." The man felt confused but pleased that the grouchy woman seemed to be warming up to his Pokémon.

Medic let out a happy squeal and turned back toward her recent patient. Sure, Medic was still a child, and she hadn't yet learned how to consistently differentiate between sleepy songs and regular songs... but that wasn't on the forefront of her mind. The Igglybuff was born to heal, but she lived to sing.

The pink Pokémon began a soft soprano tune. She seemed a little nervous at first, so she closed her eyes and imagined she was the only living thing in the room. Once she gained confidence, Medic tried to put a bit of a jazzy spin on her song. After a few seconds of that, she blushed slightly and returned to her original waltz-like tune.

Ty leaned back and listened to his fairy Pokémon for a minute. He wasn't really a classical music fan... even a human singing like that might put him to sleep in ten minutes. But Medic loved it, and she deserved her time in the spotlight every once in a while.

The punk turned his attention to Oscar as he spoke, secretly appreciative of something else to focus on. He stood up and moved closer, so as not to rudely talk over Medic's singing. And totally not because the movement would help him stay awake. Ty pondered how to answer Oscar's first question, but his excitement bubbled over too much to play it cool.

"I'm training Pokémon to be in movies!" Ty announced, swaggering as if he were already a celebrity. "Fire types are great for killer action moves. Even off-screen, they're good for special effects. I don't need a Growlithe in particular, but it's on my list of good choices. If I could have any, I think it'd--woah."

Ty interrupted himself as Oscar showed off his badge. He had met a few people with gym badges before, and every time it felt like he was standing next to a legendary warrior.

"Sick, man!" Ty told Oscar. "How'd you do it? Got any tips? I'm trying to get my first badge, myself. Gym leaders are great at combining power and showmanship, and I wanna check out their techniques firsthand. But I know that, if I want any chance to win, I gotta go in there with a type advantage."

The blond glanced back to the Pokémon Center's reception counter, past which his Pokémon were healing. He gave a slight tired frown as he turned back to Oscar.

"That's why I wanna battle anyone I can find," Ty explained. "According to the PokeDex, Hunk's supposed to learn a real fighting-type move next. But he's having a hard time with all the wild flying-types around here. Like, have you ever tried punching a bird?"

Ty felt less eager to answer Oscar's next question, about Medic. He considered his answer for a few seconds and then shrugged casually.

"Yeah, she does look a little out of place, doesn't she?" Ty responded in a bored tone. "Well, my parents bought her for me as my first Pokémon. They'd kill me if I traded her or something."

The leather-clad man took a second to glance toward his Igglybuff. The pink Pokémon was just finishing up her song with a drawn-out cadence.

"Medic doesn't like battling," Ty continued. "But her Heal Pulse is helpful off the field. She's worth keeping around for that."

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@Zanavy @fer1323

Sophia leaned forward and listened as Medic started to sing, softly at first as if she doubted herself. "No need to be nervous, you're doing great," the brunette soothed, her tough front easing away. Maybe it was the proximity of a friendly Pokemon, maybe it was the song's calming effect. In all likelihood, it was both. A delighted grin spread across Sophia's face as the tune's pace picked up. Such an adorable Pokemon, and so kind and caring... The psychic knew she hadn't earned such compassion, but appreciated it nonetheless.

The more the song went on, the heavier her eyelids grew... Sophia shook off the feeling, shifting her position. No way would she repeat the Clefairy video incident. To keep herself awake, she softly hummed along to repeating stanzas.

It was Oscar's showing off, and Ty's reaction, that jolted her back to reality. Given the circumstances, the fact that Oscar had a badge still didn't bother her. The problem was more that by now, she should be able to present one too. Her gaze turned wary. Oscar had better not say anything about how she'd gotten her ass handed to her...

She piped up when Ty mentioned preparing for his own gym battle. "You know, there are students in the gym you can challenge first, naturally they have loads of Normal types. Pfff, they're pushovers though," she said, as if she'd done better than she really had. "That and there are other strategies besides brute strength. Not that I had to be told this or anything! I mean, there's defense. I have a Steel type and a Ghost type, Normal types struggle to put so much as a mark on either." She glanced at Oscar. If not for her current state, she'd speak into his mind and tell him not to mention the gym fiasco, but that would probably result in her collapsing again. Instead, her warning glare said as much, before she turned her attention back to Ty. "I'm Sophia, by the way. A name everyone will surely know by the time I finish this journey."

As Medic's song drew to a close, Sophia's smile returned. "Looks like you enjoyed that just as much as I did," she said, easing herself back onto the chair, careful not to stand too quickly. She still wasn't going to let on that she'd needed cheering up, but the melody had certainly helped to do so.

@LuckyBlackCat@OtomostheCrazy@Dusksong@Zanavy

Oscar half listens to Ty explaining himself and Medic sing. He smiles as he remembers a classical Christmas music contest that his parents took him to. It was by starlight and most of the performers were fairy types. The most spectacular was a mega evolved shiny Gardevoir. She sang a Christmas song of melancholy and hope. Oscar wipes away a tear as He feels a little homesick now. "Don't worry. I am just remembering a happy memory and I think I am just a little homesick."

He glances at Sophia and sees her giving him a warning glare. Oscar thinks that he should tread lightly and not do anything that will make her stress or angry in any way or form. He turns to Ty. "Well, From my experience from contests, healers are still important in this case should things go awry despite all the safety precautions. Also, every leading man needs a leading lady. Not a damsel in distress per se but someone with a finer touch. Hell, I would love to see more females or feminine beings actually show that they are capable too. Maybe we can practice together as I plan to do contests. Contests and movies have lots of overlapping skills like adding flair to a routine."

As Sophia gives her advice on the students and gym leader, Oscar chimes in afterward. "My advice is to be versatile. Don't rely on one strategy to win. Have a backup or two in case the main one fail. Typing is important and useful but it would more impressive to win with a disadvantage than sweep with ease. I am also sure that they can have a counter to the popular strategy of ghost types and steel types. So always be on your guard."

@fer1323 @LuckyBlackCat

Ty smiled when Oscar mentioned his contest goals. He was right, they did have some key similarities.

"Yeah, that'd be cool," Ty responded. "Maybe we could combine ideas from the different styles."

Depending on where Oscar was headed next, Ty figured it might be worth thinking about traveling with him for a while. The open road was always safer and more fun with more people.

The punk listened as the two trainers gave him advice about the gym battle.

"I don't have any of those types..." Ty told Sophia. "But I'll try to remember that if I get any later. I can remember most of the weaknesses, but resistances are harder."

Ty turned back to Oscar.

"Yeah, it would be impressive to win that way. But if I went for the style points and lost, I'd just look stupid. I'd like to try at least one gym battle before I look stupid."

Ty chuckled lightly and continued.

"So I think I'll just try for brute strength at first. That's kinda Hunk's whole thing, after all. If that fails... then I'll have to plan for the dramatic 'underdog beats the champion against all odds' thing."

The blond looked toward Sophia. With the way she introduced herself, she seemed ambitious, too.

"So, Sophia. What's your goal?"

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@Zanavy @fer1323

With a slight snicker, Sophia shook her head as Oscar made his typical attempt at sagely advice. "What, you're saying I don't know what I'm talking about? Yeah, counters are kind of a given, but you've got to admit, throwing off their Normal type moves is still a useful technique." Now she thought about it, though, that was probably why the student had that Dark type Rattata, to take out Ghost types. She cringed, hoping nobody would notice.

When Ty asked her about her goals, she tried to make the confident act all the more convincing, grinning and straightening her back. "Well, as you've probably heard, Kosei has a league challenge like no other. As in a tournament. And yeah, given that contests are a big thing here, this is the perfect place for me to make a name for myself... in a lot of ways." It wasn't just her Pokemon who could impress, after all. Ty may have shown little reaction to her trick earlier, and she remembered Oscar's comment several days ago about having "seen better" all too well, but in time she'd prove herself to them, and to everyone around her.

"Oh! Yesterday someone mentioned a contest hall in the next nearby town, Vareena," she added, then immediately regretted it. If Ty got into contests as part of his training for movies, that would mean even more competition. Someone else to show up her lack of knowledge unless she got some practice in, fast. "Just you wait. I'll show both of you the meaning of the word style."

Aedre slapped her forehead. “Of course! Arceus, it completely slipped my mind!” Her journey from Pokemart to gym had been completely normal except for one, glaring thing: she’d smacked into someone on the way. The encounter had completely slipped her mind since she’d been focused on getting to the gym, but now that the facts and proofs were laid out in front of her, it was as plain as day—or as dark as the Sneasel’s fur.

“On my way to the gym, I ended up bumping into someone—physically—and falling. Right at, um, that corner.” Aedre pointed at the spot where it happened, which was a mere five meters or so from the footprint. “The woman I smacked into helped me up, and when she was leaving I saw a Sneasel run to her side. Smirking, I think.” Aedre paused. Was that evidence though? Or was it just her reading too much into the situation? “But the Sneasel… if it used Thief…”

Aedre trailed off, mind whirling. If the Sneasel was the culprit like what the clues seemed to suggest, and if she wasn’t reading too much into everything that was happening, then that meant—

“Someone stole the package,” Aedre whispered, eyes wide. The possibility hadn’t even crossed her mind, considering that she’d just received the parcel herself, but it was a definite possibility. A likely possibility, even, considering that the package had been important enough for her research lab back home to refuse to tell her anything about it. Pick it up, they’d said, and bring it back to Hoenn with her. No other instructions.

But why would anyone want to steal the package? What did it contain for it to be so valuable, so desirable that someone had tracked her down? This question, Aedre supposed, could be answered quite simply: the package was exactly what it appeared to be—a box containing a Pokeball—and it held exactly what it was supposed to—a Pokemon.

“I think,” Aedre said, inhaling to calm her frayed nerves, “I think the package was a Pokeball with a Pokemon inside, and whoever it was that stole the package wanted that Pokemon.”

Aedre swallowed, her mouth dry. If she was right—and she was fairly sure she was—then her lack of caution had put a Pokemon in danger. And, unfortunately, the weight of that mistake was even heavier than the responsibility of losing a package because unlike objects, Pokemon were living creatures, and living creatures weren’t so easily replaced.

A flutter at her ear had her glance up at her Fletchling, again perched on her shoulder, and she tried for a small smile. “I really messed up this time, huh, Little?”

---

---

@luckyblackcat

Amber Pine

En route to Mesalon Pokecentre

@Dusksong

Amber's fingers clenched around the Pokedex. She'd hoped the conclusion wouldn't come to this, but the evidence the Pokemon had uncovered could hardly be explained any other way. "Aedre..." Her expression had darkened considerably, but her gaze remained sympathetic. "No you didn't. It wasn't your fault, it's just... It seems there's trouble cropping up everywhere."

She recalled what she'd asked earlier about the message to her sister, the vague hints she'd given Aedre, the details she'd left out. She'd been so preoccupied with Coral, then with Vivianne, that she hadn't thought to warn her friend about criminal activity. And researchers were supposed to be smart.

"Quick! Aeshna, Tacita, fly up and look out for anyone suspicious," she commanded. At once, the two sharp-eyed Flying types rose high into the air, scanning this way and that. Amber took a long, drawn-out breath, looking from her Pokemon to Aedre.

"Remember earlier when I said things hadn't gone smoothly?" She paused, wondering how to put it. "That... was kind of an understatement. You see, there's been other less than pleasant activity around here. As in two days ago, I witnessed an attack. An attack some people think is linked to the group Team Noble. Everyone survived, thank Arceus, but this Team Noble... It says something that even the gym leader sounded a little wary when he mentioned them. I really should have told you..." Aedre's advice replayed through her mind, that if she considered someone a friend, she should tell them the truth. Why hadn't she applied that to the other researcher herself?

"This may not be connected," she continued, "but seeing as it happened here, and not long after the attack, we've got to consider the possibility that it is."

Aeshna and Tacita swooped down, shaking their heads. Amber gave another sigh. "Thank you, anyway," she said, leaning down to pet both of them. "And you, Lacey." The little Gothita had her hand placed on Aedre's leg in a gesture of comfort. Amber didn't know much about Psychic types, but given the Sneasel's Dark typing, she figured it wasn't so much the Pokemon Lacey had sensed as the fact that something significant had happened - which pointed all the more to a theft. Not just a theft, but a kidnapping. "Come on, let's take you back to Sophia, then we'll need to let Lan and Rachel know about this."

On the way back to the Pokemon centre, Amber took out her Pokegear, alerting the police for good measure.

---

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@OtomostheCrazy @fer1323 @Zanavy

"Hey, Lacey!" Sophia smiled down as the little Gothita broke away from the two trainers who'd just arrived. Seeing the fraught look on the usually cheerful Pokemon's face, her own expression became serious. "Huh? What's wrong?" She turned her gaze to Amber and Aedre, both of whom appeared just as unsettled as Lacey. "What happened?"

Putting her Pokegear away, Amber sighed. "It looks like the package wasn't just lost," she explained, "but stolen."

Sophia's eyes went wide. All this, and now just when things seemed safer, a theft? "Stolen? Geez, like there hasn't already been enough crime around here."

---

While the conversation between Vivianne and Lan went on in the next room, Rachel waited, practically bouncing on her heels. Finally, seeing the stern-faced woman reenter the hallway, the Rock type gym leader hurried into the healing area.

Gathering Pokeballs from the machine, Lan looked up. "Ah, Rachel." The other gym leader greeted her with a bow of his head. "What brings you here?"

A grin spread over Rachel's face. "Well, I found something in the caves that I'd never stumbled across before," she explained, bubbling with excitement like a child on the morning of their birthday. "I had no idea there were ancient ruins here! Not that I could get far, there was a locked door, but surely you know something about this! Surely you know where the key is!"

Lan regarded her with steely eyes, the lines in his face deepening a fraction. "Those ruins belong to a civilisation that deserves respect," he chided her, "and are not to be disturbed."

Rachel's enthusiasm deflated slightly. Since Lan had never said anything about the chamber in the past, she'd half-expected an answer like this, but went on. "I wasn't going to disturb anything, all I wanted was to look."

Her words didn't change the monk's mind. "While I don't distrust your intentions," he continued, "as gym leaders, we have just as much of a duty to the region as we do to challengers. This includes its history as well as the safety of its inhabitants. There's no telling what would happen if the chamber were to be intruded."

At the mention of duty and safety, Rachel cringed, remembering the group's encounter with the ghosts. That had been a narrow escape... and yet Lan's response had further piqued her curiosity. "Could you at least tell me what's in there?" she asked.

Just as she'd thought, the Normal leader remained unyielding. "Nothing that anyone should interfere with."

Well, this was yet another letdown. "Ah, well..." Rachel gave another smile, an uneasy one. "It sure was an interesting find. All this travelling, and there's still so much to learn about the region!" She'd just have to ask Eria, then. A Ghost type gym leader who doubled as a historian just had to know about this. And next time she caught up with Ray, she'd have a few questions for him, like why he'd never mentioned a hub of spiritual activity he must have sensed.

With Rachel by his side, the ever-solemn monk headed back to the arena. "There certainly is," he replied, "but while some level of curiosity is healthy, excessive amounts lead nowhere good. Especially untempered by caution."

It was more important now than ever that the key he'd been entrusted should stay where it was. What concerned him wasn't just the risk of any dangerous being getting awakened or unleashed. If what was behind the door fell into the wrong hands, the consequences would be nothing short of dire.

Mesalon Pokecenter

Ty smiled as Sophia appeared gain a spark of energy while she talked about her ambitions. If these two trainers were willing to wait for him to try for his gym badge, they might be fun to travel with for a little while.

"I might just have to-"

Before Ty could finish his statement, another group entered, and the focus shifted to them. The blond tilted his head a bit when he heard about crime happening in Mesalon.

"Actually, there's not a lot of crime in Mesalon City," Ty commented. "We're pretty chill for the most part... err... not that that detracts from how bad it is that it happened to you." The trainer suddenly realized that all these people knew each other, and he might've awkwardly butted in on a private matter. He unconsciously fiddled with his eyebrow piercing."Uhh, I- I can leave."

@LuckyBlackCat@fer1323@OtomostheCrazy@Dusksong

@LuckyBlackCat@OtomostheCrazy@Dusksong@Zanavy

Oscar smirks as Sophia seems a little more like her high and mighty self as she explains her goals. Arceus willing, they might all practice together. Oscar does not matter if he loses to a person that worked hard and is more creative or risky in his or her routine. All the better as it means that the quality is of the highest caliber possible. Quality rarely comes easily in anything and it takes time and hard work. Something that Sophia needs to understand, Oscar muses.

After Amber and Aedre come and explain the package, Oscar muses. "it must be really valuable in monetary terms or critical slash important for something. either way, we won't know for sure." Oscar is intrigue but not utterly interested to dedicated any resources to it now. He has bigger fish to fry. "Well, I am off to get a room. See you all later." He waves goodbye to everyone as he takes all of his pokemon and gets a room. In the room, He lets them all out to get comfortable. SkoLL, Nomia and kushala form a group while RR and Aurora form another. Diasho looking out of place is invited to sleep with Oscar.

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@OtomostheCrazy @fer1323 @Zanavy @Dusksong

As Oscar left, Sophia glared in his direction. "You know, a little more concern and a little less stating the obvious might be appreciated," she called after him. Sure it was getting late to be dealing with these things, especially after a day as stressful as this one, but the chaos wasn't likely to let up any time soon. Not even in a peaceful place like Mesalon, it turned out.

Huffing and shaking her head, she turned to Ty. "Uh well... Nothing happened in Mesalon itself before this, but outside the town is another matter," she explained. She leaned over, picking up the distressed Gothita and hugging her in a gesture of mutual comfort. "When I said we haven't been able to catch a break, I meant it."

---

Amber Pine

Mesalon Pokecentre

@OtomostheCrazy @fer1323 @Zanavy @Dusksong

"Sophia..." Amber kept her voice calm despite the other girl's tone. "It's best not to drag anyone else into this, and with everything that's happened today, I don't blame him for needing to rest." She paused, wondering how to tactfully suggest to Sophia she should do the same. "We all should before long."

With a smile she hoped was comforting but probably looked strained, she faced the blond guy. "It's ok, there's no need to. It's just... There was an incident between here and Windshire, but everyone involved is going to be alright, and it's being looked into." The way she'd worded it to Coral seemed the best way to put it now, although there were bound to be awkward questions... as the sudden notification beep from her Pokegear reminded her.

The wail of police sirens followed, giving her no time to read her sister's message. When the car pulled up outside the building and a policewoman entered, notepad in hand, Amber gave as many details as she could.

Ty Westgrove

Mesalon Pokecenter

Ty's brows raised as the women talked about some 'incident' that seemed like it involved injuries, or at least threat of injuries. A mysterious theft, and now a dangerous action-packed scene? It sounded like Ty had found himself in the middle of a tv crime drama. As the police walked in and began speaking with the tall brown-clad woman, Ty found it hard to resist listening in. It was like watching a train wreck... deep down, he felt that it was rude to butt in on these strangers' disaster... but it was such an intriguing break from mundane life, he couldn't help himself.

"Ty Westgrove," a nurse announced from the back. "Your Pokémon are ready."

The punk trainer let out a small sigh, glad for the external reason to pry himself away from the true crime documentary.

"See ya?" Ty briefly addressed Sophia in a tone halfway between a statement and a question. He took a few steps toward the counter and then stopped in his tracks, remembering something. He briefly scanned the area and found what he was looking for: Medic the Igglybuff, gazing at the Honedge with a fearful curiosity. She sang under her breath, making up a song about the strange thing that might be a Pokémon.

"It's fine, Med," Ty sighed as he picked up the plush Pokémon. "It has a trainer. She won't let it hurt you."

Ty thanked the nurse as he picked up the pokeballs of his Scyther and Timburr and arranged a room for the night. He glanced back at his new acquaintances one last time... and the feelings of devilish curiosity came flooding back. Dang it. If he went to his room now, he'd have nothing but more time to stay awake imagining a series of outlandish situations these trainers might have gone through. Ty decided it wouldn't hurt to ask if Sophia was okay with telling him about their sick story... for the sake of his sleep quality.

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it," Ty addressed Sophia, vainly attempting to sound unexcited. "But what was that 'incident'? Did you and your Pokémon epically escape something dangerous? Y'know... if there's something dangerous on the road, it's best for people to know before they leave the city."

@LuckyBlackCat @DuskSong

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Pokecentre

@Zanavy

Sophia scowled. She'd gone and let on too much. Now if she told this gratingly intrigued trainer the full story, she'd just look like even more of a weakling... Plus it wasn't exactly the easiest subject to talk about. "It's nothing," she muttered, but the last part of Ty's statement kept nagging at the back of her mind. If she gave no warning, something could happen to him, and she'd gotten enough people hurt as it was.

"Ok, well it was little more than an annoyance, really," she continued. "Some whack job with an Aerodactyl decided to set it on us, for reasons best known to himself, and his henchmen followed suit with their Pokemon. Of course, we stood up to them no problem..." She paused. There, Ty had his story of their 'epic escape', but did she really want him to underestimate the danger? "Ok, maybe we had a little help. But the point is," she said, gesturing towards Amber. "Like Amber said, we're all going to be just fine. And yeah, there was talk of some shady organisation. Team Noble. If they stir up trouble again, though, we'll be ready for them."

She only realised she was shaking when Lacey squeaked in concern. "It's ok," Sophia whispered, gently rocking the Gothita like a mother with a child. "It's all going to be ok." How she wished she could promise that. If only seeing the future were one of her abilities... Then again, maybe it was for the best that it wasn't. In any case, the uncertainty surrounding the journey ahead was nothing short of terrifying. Not that she should be letting this show.