So basically Basil was completely out of his depth in terms of rumors he could explore. They either involved beings of unfathomable power, strange atmospheric phenomenons that kept Route 3 drenched in rain and he could only assume that something stronger than he was responsible for it, or mysteries so old that they predated the existence countless centuries of this region. All he was looking for were just things happening right now, but it looked like those were the main rumors going about. He would be lucky to be to even encounter anything as amazing as those legends or solve something like those strange stones, unless they just kicked his teeth in.

And here he is, with nothing else planned. He really did not want to leave just yet; there was still the gym, but he needed to get a whole lot stronger before he could even attempt that and he already stocked up at the Poke Mart so there was nothing he needed to buy. There was a lake, maybe he could fish... Wait, he didn't have a fishing rod.

Oh screw it! What's the point on going on an adventure without taking a little risk? Second guessing himself and shirking away from taking chances was exactly what he wanted to change! His next course of action was to go to Route 3 to go pay his respects at the Silent Shrine and then head deep into the Northern Silent Forest to investigate the strange meteorological status of the wetland.

Filled with newfound purpose, he marched his way to Route 3.

@hatakekuro

Basil marched to Route 3! He followed the road down the hill that made up Highhill, to a sparsely covered forest-route going north. Above it, a great cloud loomed, ensuring that soon enough...

There was a street-stall right before the route that was selling umbrellas for 50 P apiece.



So, what would Basil like to do here?



Connected areas:
Rainrock City. Across the route, north.
Route 4. Head east just before Rainrock.
Silent Shrine. Head west just before Highhill, through the forest.
Highhill Town. Just south.
North Silent Forest. If you jump off the road west.
Route 14. If you went onto the water to the east.

Wow, those black clouds looming in the distance were sure welcoming. Basil bought an umbrella from the stall because the last thing he needed was to look like a Furfrou that was just taken out of a bath.

As he walked to the entrance of the route, he saw the sign warning about the Drifloons in the area. Those stories were actually true? Basil had thought it was just a myth that parents tell their kids when they misbehave, not an actual case of children being kidnapped and never seen again! For as peaceful their world is, it was just plain creepy at times.

His feet splashed about in the puddles of water that littered the cobblestone path as he walked down the route and admired the beautiful trees, especially the ones with the strange colors. This place definitely was atmospheric. If it were for the fact that he already had a goal in mind, he would have sat down around the driest possible spot on the route, take out his sketch book, and start filling some pages in. Well, it certainly wasn't going anywhere.

First order of business was to ask around the people travelling routes some questions. While his Pokedex holds information on Pokemon in the area, it certainly was not complete so the best course of action would be to ask what kind of Pokemon could be found here. He also asked if they had seen anything unusual in the area in hopes to find any hints on what could be causing the route to be in a state of constant torrential downpour.

Whatever the outcome was, there was one reality that Basil could not ignore; his team needed some extra oomf before they could travel onward. For the next period of time, he spent it training his Pokemon

@hatakekuro

Basil did some training, so lets level up his Pokémon a bit. His main targets were Grass-types here, Bellsprouts and Shroomish, Shroomish in particular being annoying as damaging them with close combat attacks had a tendency to get you afflicted with status effects.

Still, some training got done, assuming he focused on Bellsprouts and the occasional Drifloon and Carnivine.







Basil found a lady in a yellow raincoat wielding a parasol in Route 3.

‘Hm? Pokémon here? I assume you’re wondering about the rarer kinds. Well, there’s the occasional Drifloon, and also sometimes there’s Carnivine… Occasionally, one can find Psyducks at the water-line of this route, that’s how I got mine. Oooh, but there was this trainer who claimed he’d found a Pinsir here! Not been able to find one myself, though.

Huh? Something causing the rain? No, it’s always raining here, it’s not being caused by anything! It’s absolutely delightful here! Makes me want to battle! Do you want to battle!?’

There’s occasionally consequences to talking to people on routes. Unlike in the certain other Pokémon worlds, though, Basil can say no.



And if he does not want to battle, what will Basil do now?





Connected areas:
Rainrock City. Across the route, north.
Route 4. Head east just before Rainrock.
Silent Shrine. Head west just before Highhill, through the forest.
Highhill Town. Just south.
North Silent Forest. If you jump off the road west.
Route 14. If you went onto the water to the east.

@PlatinumSkink

---

Zeal rushed towards the Steelix, punching and deflecting the rocks from the Steelix, but it was futile. With a mighty leap forwards, the Monferno pulled his fist back, putting as much force into it as he could. The blow connected with a loud, metallic clang as the Steelix was blasted backwards, crashing through computers and other tech as it was summarily knocked out.

"MOOOOON!~" Zeal, beat his chest with his fists before smirking in the direction of the Gyarados, already eager for more despite how much of a bad idea that would have been.

"Wahaahah! Get rekt noob!" Claire gave a victorious fist pump. Now that's what Teamwork can do! "Ahahah, man that was almost as fun as fighting Hector's Conkeldurr-eh? Her victory rant was cut short however, Ralia suddenly decided to congregate around her, all of her clones forming a little pyramid of Ralia's behind her. Was she...scared? Or wary? Claire cast a glance over her shoulder.

One of the big bads probably.

"Yeah yeah, that's right get good and then come back for round two! I'll beat ya even harder then!" Still, she couldn't deny that was an absolutely fun battle! Had too keep up appearances, too. Didn't wanna get cold feet in front of someone that could probably make her life incredibly miserable. As Cathia left, Ralia's clones dissipated, the small Ralts still hanging around on her shoulder while her other pokemon gave victorious cries and returned to their trainer.

Monferno leaped back towards her, a fiery high give between the pokemon and trainer. Laurel did a little victory jump, while Lure just hovered passively next to Tez, glad to have that whole thing over with with neither showing much in the way of emotion. Pip...proceeded to tackle Claire right in the stomach.

"Weh!? Chikorita? You evolved? Wahahaah!" Pip proceeded to snuggle, lick, and otherwise just generally behave like an overexcited puppy as Claire returned with headpats and a bear hug of her own. "Easy, easy girl...!" She laughed, soon managing to push the larger pokemon off her. As much as she liked taking a victory lap or two, now wasn't quite the time. Claire Turned to face the person who abruptly interrupted their battle. Might have even been for the best.

"...talk about serious Villainess Ohojousama vibes..." She muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. Should she use her real name here? Wait no, if she was a spy she totally needed a super awesome alias...actually, wait no, that might be suspicious in and of itself. Wait she was taking too long to respond here.

"Ahah, sorry, just uh, thinking. The names Claire. Hottest newest trainer in Isson, guarantee." She flashed a smug grin towards Isabella, though forgot she was still wearing the mask. "Price, huh..." She might as well play it safe. "Since I doubt a date with you is on the table," She responded jokingly with a light shrug. "Wasn't really looking for one. Battling someone fun like that is about as much of a payment I need."

---

---

Well, that went... slightly better than Skylar was expecting. Seabreeze was out cold, mind, but everything else was very nice as a development. Skylar picked up the Staravia's Pokeball and called back Seabreeze into his. "Welcome to the team... hm..." Skylar actually didn't have a name in mind yet for this little fellow, but after a moment of thought he called back to a trainer his dad told him about years ago and how that trainer had a Staraptor and was pretty well known for his spirit.

"Welcome to the team, Barry." There, a fitting nickname for a fitting Staravia. For now, Skylar sent him to the PC. It didn't feel right to replace Seabreeze with him, so he didn't want to do that. After all, Seabreeze was the OG of the team. It'd feel a little wrong to take him off.

Pocketing Seabreeze in his ball, Skylar reunited with Vivia at the Rapidash renting area on Route 6. Skylar listened in to what she had to say and nodded. "I think it's worth it, at least getting there. When we leave, maybe not so much, but while we've still got weaker Pokemon I think we'd be better off taking a Rapidash." Skylar suggested. Catching Staravia did cover his fee, anyway.

If that's the route that Skylar and Vivia were taking, Skylar brought out his Pokeballs and put away all his team save Jeebs, JoJo and Royal, and then he paid the toll for a Rapidash. Last thing the group needed was for some stray attacks to knock one of the team members out of the sky, after all.

So word to the wise, don't train your fire type Pokemon when it's raining because the rain weakens fire type moves, which was already pretty weak to begin with because Cecil's special attack was just hot garbage. Thankfully almost all the Pokemon he fought against were grass types though those Shroomishes were a bloody pain with their status effects, but it was worth it; his team had gained a level so it gave them more of an edge.

Basil found a woman in a yellow raincoat with a parasol and asked her some questions about the route and anything he could use as a hint for his investigation. While some of the information he already knew from the Pokedex, the Psyduck and Pinsir were definitely not listed on Pokemon that can be found so he should really search for them later after his expedition. He could only imagine how useful the information would be for the Professor if he cataloged them in the Pokedex.

Apparently people around here do not understand the concept of cause and effect. Well, he was completely on his own in that regard. At least she also offered to battle too!

"Alright, I'm up for that."

For the first battle against the Lotad, Basil would use Lupin to battle it. While they would have been caught off guard by the initial start due to Lotad's enhanced speed, ghost type moves aren't effective against dark types. Basil would order Lupin to use Quick Attack to fight it so it would essentially turn into a speed battle.

Basil would use Crocus against the Psyduck since the type advantage would make sense. The plan was to just use Leech Seed to drain its health while also using Vine Whip to strike the water type from a distance.

---

---

The moment they ignored further questions was extremely exasperating as Cyril tilted his head and rolled his eyes in the most dramatic way possible before facepalming. Well, he tried, and, uh, that was it. Time for the alternative solution. Taking a couple of steps backward, the young researcher placed a hand against his hip, his shoulders drooping a bit.

"Tch, guess I was wrong to assume you two were reasonable," Cyril merely shook his head and clicked the roof of his mouth, glaring at the duo as they began to encroach on him and Chloe. At this point, he seemed more disappointed rather than angry, though his raw determination seemed to bleed into most of his partners, aside from Cation who was ready to just pounce and play.

Mimi merely peeked behind Cyril's leg and blew a nervous raspberry whilst Aster and Velvet let out the most ferocious battle cry two cute Pokémon could, "Budeeee bun bunny!" Looking over, Cyril merely shined a confident smile at Chloe.

"Lets knock some sense into these two then, future champion, we got this," his smile became more wry, with the tone of his voice shifting into a much more pleasant, silvery tone as he teased the girl before snapping his fingers. Now that he thought about it, this opportunity was way too perfect!

"Another thing to note, this opportunity is perfect for learning double battles, as well as working alongside another person," he smirked as he glared at these two grunts, tilting his head with a devilish smile as he pointed at their opponents and snapped his fingers.



With that sharp yet light proclamation, he exuded a bold aura as he asserted himself as he stood up straight, retaining his heads resting position as he scritched Velvet's ears and gave her a look. She looked raring to kick some butt as she hopped down from his shoulder and strut unto the battlefield, pointing an ear defiantly at her opponents, "Bun bun."

From what he could discern, Velvet was the best option for handling the start of this skirmish under these circumstances. If the sunlight was just a bit harsher, Aster could easily be chosen instead. Regardless, as soon as Cyril heard that attack, he instantly formulated a plan, "Alright, Buneary, pick up and toss Growlithe directly at the Gastly, make sure he keeps using Bite," Cyril exclaimed with a jovial, giggly grin as he pointed at the purple gas before lightly nudging Chloe's side with an elbow.

"I'm gonna stick with pseudonyms for now; don't want these two to put us on a list cuz' of their stupidity," he murmured to her before returning his gaze to the battlefield. He could already see Velvet picking up the Growlithe with her ears before getting a running start and launching him directly at the Gastly before tripping and falling onto her stomach due to how much she put into that throw.

Due to getting her move off faster, this hopefully makes the Gastly flinch, whether it be from the Bite, or that the fact a Growlithe had just been tossed in its direction. While that is the best case scenario, should it fail and the Growlithe gets put to sleep before he gets his bite off, Gastly is still taking a hit from the Growlithe regardless.

Following that, there are two scenarios that can play out: the Mareep uses Thunder Wave on either Buneary or Growlithe, well, if the tactic to intimidate and make the Gastly flinch is successful. Depending on whoever is hit will cause the ensuring strategy to change in the process.




Assuming nothing weird happens, such as Growlithe or Velvet being knocked out or the status effect keeping the former from attacking, Cyril will give Chloe a light nudge on the shoulder and beam at her widely, "Hopefully these guys aren't making you sweat, the future champ shouldn't be against easy trainers like this."

After a wink and giggle, he returned his gaze to the battle, taking note of the Gastly's replacement, Spheal as he rolls around around, ready to make his move. Pausing, he once again nudges her again, "Hey, hey, you wanna give coming up with a plan a shot? I think this might be the perfect opportunity for you, how about it?"




If she says no, well, Cyril will go on to point at Chloe's Growlithe, "While most people just simply have their Pokémon use a move and that's that, they don't think of other applications for it." Placing both his hands behind his back, the researcher will then lean forward, nudging his head at the Spheal. "Have Growlithe latch onto Spheal with Bite and make sure he doesn't let go. Immobilize the slower Pokémon! Buneary, return, you're up Aster!"

Quickly swapping out, Cyril brought up her Pokéball as a bright red beam flashed across the battlefield before returning her to his side as Aster clambered up onto Cyril's shoulder. Giving a proud smile to the Budew, Aster returned the smile back at his partner before running across his partner's arm before Cyril thrust it out.

Using a combination the momentum from the thrust, as well as his own jumping as well, Aster hopped onto the battlefield, making a little fearful cry as his little legs wiggled through the air. This wasn't just to make a cool entrance, it was also meant as a way for him to land safely behind Growlithe and the Spheal while Growlithe was biting and holding him down. He would probably take a little bit of damage from tumbling about, but Absorb exists, thankfully.

If Growlithe isn't paralyzed, Cyril will also explain to Chloe to utilize their enemies Pokémon as a shield to block the Mareeps Thunder Waves with Spheals body. If he is paralyzed, Cyril will ask her to use Growlithes body as a shield so Aster isn't affected. Hopefully Budew ended up rolling behind the two before rising up. Following that, Aster will use and spam Absorb on the Spheal whilst Growlithe inhibits their moves and quite possibly Rollout by continuing to grapple them with Bite.

Once the Spheal is knocked out and he notes that one of the grunts is out of usable Pokémon, Cyril will let out a hearty laugh as he returns Velvet to his shoulder, the latter of which is pouting. Should she be paralyzed, she'll try to give him a light punch on the cheek with her ears before the static electricity courses through her, preventing her from doing it. Mimi also seems to have come out of her hiding spot and is fist punching the air as she cheers Aster and Growlithe on, "Hap, hapi! Hap, hapi!"

"Looks like the rest of this battle should be straight forward for now," he proclaims, pointing directly at the remaining Mareep on the opposing side. "Lets go all in, there's no need to fear their status effects anymore!" Swapping strategies to all out offensive, Cyril informs Aster to keep spamming Absorb until the Mareep falls.

If a paralyze gets off, Growlithe will presumably probably take the brunt of it all due to being closer. Following that, Cyril would tell Aster to swap up strategies. Aster would then begin to hide behind Growlithe while the Mareep tries to paralyze him. Growlithe would either Bite and hold him down at this point or the Mareep (and trainer) would get frustrated before just setting off an attacking, resulting in Aster using Absorb on him.

Once the Mareep falls and the grunt swaps to Grimer, Cyrils face would probably start scrunching up as his nose began to wrinkle, "Bleugh! We need to take that Grimer out fast!" He felt a little bad for how negatively he spoke about the Pokémon, but good lord, the stench it eminated was just terrible! Why couldn't it of been the Alolan variant?

Despite feeling a bit nauseous, Cyril pressed on, analyzing his next steps to take towards defeating Grimer. Thankfully he already had another strategy prepared, though much to his chagrin, it would be a slow burn. "Missy, swap out Growlithe for Pidgey! Budew, distract Grimer and focus on dodging for now!" Pointing towards the purple sludge, Aster rushed towards it as quickly as its little legs would take it before it began hopping around and making faces at the Grimer, always jumping to the side to avoid attacks.

Once Pidgey was out on the field, Cyril would explain to Chloe to have the Pidgey to do hit-and-run attacks. Use Tackle to dive bomb in and quickly get out of range as soon as they attacked rinse and repeat this strategy for how long it takes until the Grimer has been knocked out.

This girl, wasn't she way too lucky? There was no way Atlas should've taken so much damage, it put him in a bit of a corner. No matter, he would win for sure, regardless of how luck she got! "Atlas, use Metal Claw." It felt like both of them knew, there was virtually no chance Atlas would be able to do anything before the much swifter looking Minccino struck one last blow, but Atlas matched his namesake in this regard and continued.

Once Atlas fainted, Dawkin would send out Tyrunt. Then, he would take advantage of his numbers to ensure his victory. "Tyrunt, use Stealth Rock, then stomp them into the dust!" Tyrunt seemed engerized by Dawkin's commands and leapt to do just that!

Plan: Tell Atlas to attack, likely resulting in ko before it landing. Send in Tyrunt, use Stealth Rock. If Minccino stays in, use Stomp until it faints, if Ducklet switches in use Stomp on Ducklet as well, until VICTORY OR DEATH.

---

@Rune_Alchemist

‘Hoho. A date? The nerve,’ Isabella chuckled, more amused than insulted. She then listened to the rest Claire had to say, a little glimmer in her eyes and a little smile on her lips. At the end of it, she raised her chin a little.

‘If it is battle that you seek, then there’s a lot of it that we can provide. Why, Bigfjord City on its own can keep you entertained forever, if that’s what you want. Regardless, feel free to take this as “advance payment”.’



She then proceeded to part-way turn around, looking over the destruction in the room. ‘The surface dwellers have become suspicious. Which is fine, we’ve already procured the results we wanted and sent them along with multiple messengers to ensure at least one of them arrives. Quite unnecessary when I, myself, carry a couple, yet the boss’ orders were absolute. Oh, well. It is time to evacuate.’

‘Claire. Do you wish to be part of an upcoming operation? … Yeah, I think you do. Come with me. We’re heading to Bigfjord City. I believe you’ll like it, there,’ she said, before handing something over.



… It’s blank. It’s a blank card.

‘Ask around for the Mammoth Squad on Steppingstone Street, ask for Onyx, and tell him Isabella sent you, and show them this card. I’d have brought you myself, but unfortunately we’re in the middle of a sensitive operation. Get out of this base before they find this base and label everyone in it as known members. You, keep in contact with her, and feel free to share your missions with her. She shows promise,’ Isabella said, looking to the “Lass” on that last part, who nodded frantically. Isabella then turned to Claire again. ‘Do you have any further questions?’



What does Claire do?

__________________________

@Gardevoiran

‘Alright, let’s do that, then,’ Vivia nodded, and they went over to the woman handling the Rapidashes. She was most happy to help, and with that they paid for one horse each, they each got a Rapidash which they could ride.

‘Here’s some of my best ladies for the two of you!’ the lady said as she led the two horses to them. ‘Don’t use them for battle. You’re free to explore with them until nightfall, then they’ll head back on their own. We have a partner outpost next to Raremine Town, simply drop them off there. Don’t try to take them anywhere else, they’re trained to not let you, heh. The biggest threats of Route 6 are Tauros, Bouffalant and Dodrios, all who are known to pick a fight at sight, but our Rapidashes can outspeed them all. Staraptor is a threat only if they see a Pokémon they think is a challenge, but at that point you’d probably be strong enough to fight through Route 6 on your own. Be careful of random fires, there’s three families of fire-types on the route, after all! That should be all! Have fun, you two~!’





With that, they could get up on the saddled horses and get ready to ride.

‘Oooh, I was never much of a horse girl…’ a somewhat uncomfortable Vivia muttered as she got onto the back of the Rapidash and looked nervously ahead. ‘Okay… I’m ready.’

And then… it was just to take off. They made the command… and the Rapidash accelerated something fierce.



It is hard to understate just how fast a Rapidash is.

It was like they took off from a rocket, as the horses sprung into motion and they flew off over the vast green fields. The elegant horses somehow ran in a way that stabilized their saddles, so as to not cause massive discomfort to their riders as they galloped over the various hillsides. The wind blew in their faces as they carried on, Vivia quietly screaming over there as she held on for dear life. Swathes of Pokémon, Miltanks, Tauros, Pyroars and more were left by the wayside as the two riders and their Rapidashes ran past, some younger Tauros trying to pursue but many not even bothering due to the sheer speed of their mounts. To the north the bottom peaks of southern Mt. Chill basically flew past, and in the south the cliffs down to the ocean could provide an amazing view (if you can see), one the Rapidash was all too happy to ride close to for a scenic experience. There were some fires around, as stated, but the Rapidash expertly avoided them and carried on towards their goal. There was a blaze on the Pokémon they were riding as the speed picked up, yet there was never any risk of them being burned…

Now, if Skylar and Vivia wanted to do anything on Route 6, it was now their little oyster if they wanted to take their time. Or, if they preferred, their path through Route 6 could pass in the blink of an eye and be over all too soon.

If you want to do more here.





Connected areas:
Route 5. In the north-west, connecting Lakewatch and Stillwood.
Endless Forest. To the west, a dark forest looms. It’s still there.
Route 8. In the north lies a comparatively pleasant cliffside walkway with hilly terrain and wondrous view, leading to Freecape Town.
Stalford’s Ferry. North-east, to take a ferry across Route 16 towards Witchpeak City. The only pleasant way across Route 16 is onboard a ferry, but even then…
Raremine Town. A town of miners and researchers that study what the miners find. Also a stop for those who want to travel the desert!



Otherwise, they carried on their trip throughout Route 6, finding that they passed some other people on Rapidashes heading in the opposite direction, their riders giving them a wave on the way as fellow Rapidash riders. Soon enough, they route opened up to an actual route, a road heading through eastern Route 6, heading from Raremine Town northwards. To the north was Route 8, the way to Freecape Town. To the northwest was a path to Stalford’s Ferry, the path across to the northern landmass over the waters of Route 16. Finally, to the south-east, was a rise of mountains creating a bowl around Isson’s only sandy desert, and at the mouth of the desert stood a pleasant, surprisingly green town, right on the edge where plain turned into desert…



__________________________

@hatakekuro

Lotad came into the battle, intending to use its sudden dramatic speed to its advantage and win the battle! … That is, only to be faced with Lupin, who was EVEN FASTER! Lilly realized this was a problem, and switched to trying to use Bubble instead, powered-up by the rain, but it was a little late as the Sneasel’s high attack cut down on Lotad’s paltry defenses! After taking two Bubble attacks that did around half his health, Lupin took down his opponent!

After that, it was Crocus versus a Psyduck. Leech Seed met Tail Whip, and then Psyduck ran in to scratch at Crocus while being drained by the seed… and Crocus easily dealt with the water-type using Vine Whip. It wasn’t even remotely a challenge. Both Pokémon got some experience, but all-in-all, it was way too easy this time.



‘Oooh, strong boy. Are you challenging gyms, by any chance? Good luck with that. I think I’ll just stay here… enjoying this delightful eternal rain… oooh, I love it…’ the Parasol Lady said, clearly having found her paradise as she turned and skipped on her way through the rain.

Well, that happened. What now?





Connected areas:
Rainrock City. Across the route, north.
Route 4. Head east just before Rainrock.
Silent Shrine. Head west just before Highhill, through the forest.
Highhill Town. Just south.
North Silent Forest. If you jump off the road west.
Route 14. If you went onto the water to the east.



__________________________

@Eklispe

‘Minccino, just keep your distance!’ Mia commanded, and indeed, Minccino just skipped around, never letting Atlas come close enough to Metal Claw, and so Atlas fainted due to the burn. Mia smirked as this meant the battle was once again fair. Then, Dawkin sent out Tyrunt…

‘Tsk. More rocks? Is that your theme, or something?’ Mia asked in annoyance, because that was highly effective against her. Not that Tyrunt knows any rock-type attack-moves for a while. In any case!

Tyrunt threw out Stealth Rock, spreading floating rocks into the air. They were decently easy to avoid if you were already on the field, but if you switched in… Minccino dodged around the rocks and went up to Tyrunt… and then slid around the little dinosaur, tickling him! Attack and Defense were both lowered! Then, after that, Minccino outsped Tyrunt, and…

‘Teh-heh, got you now…’ Mia said, a glimmer in her eyes… ‘Minccino, ENCORE!’ she called, and Minccino happily spread her hands. Light out of the sky, a spotlight shone down on Tyrunt, who then felt compelled to throw out another Stealth Rock! … A bunch more rocks now float around in the air! Rather uselessly! Tyrunt is trapped by the Encore!

‘Alright, Minccino, Tickle again, and then AGAIN, and then Pound!’ Mia commanded, intending to have her normal-type now overtake the rock-dragon through these tactics.

Dawkin’s response?

@Savo

Chloe looked a bit surprised by the command to pick up Growlithe to attack Gastly, but after thinking it through Chloe got a wide smile.

‘Growlithe! Let yourself be picked up and Bite that Gastly!’ Chloe called excitedly and approved of the strategy. Growlithe obeyed the command and leapt to be helped by Velvet. Velvet retracted her ears, Growlithe graced on top of her, and then the ears shot out like a pair of high-power springs and Growlithe was sent flying with a howl. A stunned Gastly's eyes widened even further than normal as a fire dog with barred teeth suddenly impacted it from straight in front, doing super-effective damage.

Gastly flinched!

Mareep, meanwhile, did what it had intended to and shot a Thunder Wave at the spot where Velvet and Growlithe had previously occupied, now only attended by Velvet. The electricity hit and coursed through her body, targeting her muscles. Velvet was paralyzed!

‘Uh, you need help with that Growlithe?’ the red-haired one asked.

‘I got this, focus on the Buneary!’ the white-haired replied, confident.

Next round, Velvet started insulting Gastly on Cyril's command. But, it was a little hard to get Gastly's attention when there was a dog biting its face. Outspeeding the dog, Gastly attempted to use Hypnosis again! … But a combo of being somewhat distracted by an insult to its trainer and the fact Growlithe wouldn't stay still long enough to fall asleep, Growlithe dodged the sleepy waves and hounded in for another wicked Bite! It's Super Effective! Gastly fainted!

Mareep, meanwhile, threw a Thundershock at Velvet, who found herself somewhat damaged by the electric sheep. Mareep’s trainer was also giving a side-eye at his partner, who had said he’d have Growlithe sorted.

Now Spheal came out.

‘Haha, come on, fire-type! Crush them under your weight, Spheal!’ the white-haired one called.

This is when Cyril asked if Chloe wanted to think of a plan. She looked out over the battlefield curiously, and then she broke into a wide grin.

‘Send out Budew, we're going to need the Absorb damage!’ Chloe said, before excitedly turning to the battlefield.

‘Growlithe! Bite on Mareep, pick it up, and ram into Spheal with it!’

Growlithe proceeded to run straight to a somewhat stunned Mareep and bite into its side!

Now, Growlithe was perhaps not quite capable of picking up Mareep, but he sure could drag the panicking sheep along! Not happy to be pulled, the sheep started throwing lightning shocks. While damaging, neither that nor static was managing to paralyze the hound as it turned towards the incoming rolling round seal…!

‘Hey, don’t crush my Mareep!’ the red-haired one called.

‘Spheal! Target him from his side!’ the white-haired one commanded.

Spheal attempted to roll to hit Growlithe in the side… but Growlithe was a way faster turner than Spheal and as such managed to collide the Mareep into the rolling Spheal!

Mareep fainted!

Spheal was paralyzed by Static!

… Except, even with paralyzation, Spheal kept rolling, building power as it was coming around a tree…!

This was when Grimer was going to be sent out.

‘Yes! It worked! It’s paralyzed!’ Chloe called about her fortune with the putting Mareep in the way plan. ‘But, uh, it’s not stopping…’ she then remarked, and it was time to figure out a new plan.

Does Cyril do anything in particular?

Argh, being slower was truly disadvantageous. As soon as the Encore landed and Tyrunt was forced into an inopportune Stealth Rock, Dawkin swapped him out for Pichu, resulting in the latter being Tickled. With any luck Pichu's static would rub off when it got Tickled as well, but luck seemed to be against him this battle so he wasn't hoping for much. "Pichu use Nasty Plot to power up!" Dawkin said, and then swapped Pichu out for Tyrunt, the former Pokemon letting out a little squeak of surprise as it was interuppted. It was a bit of a cheeky move, but perhaps his opponent would fall for it and try using Encore again, seeing it work once they might be thirsty to see it again. Regardless Tyrunt would come onto the field, Tickle and Encore free, and he would once again "Now Stomp that rat six feet under!" Tyrunt seemed a little confused by the sudden swapperos, but he didn't let that stop him from rushing into battle once more!

---

Huh, that was actually a whole lot easier than he thought it was going to be, but hey, he won't complain about things going in his favor.

"Um, yes, actually I am." Who would have thought that it was that obvious. It's not like he was that strong considering he just started today.

God she was creepy. She could stay in the rain for as long as she wanted as long as she kept as far a distance from Basil as possible. He used this as an opportunity to use a potion on Lupin since he had a feeling that the Sneasel was really going to be pulling its weight in the foreseeable future.

With Lupin healed, Basil returned him to his Pokeball and began to make his way down to the Silent Shrine so he can pay his respects.

@Eklispe

Dawkin switched to Pichu, and Mia’s eyes lit up a bit. Pichu got tickled by an eccentric chinchilla, after which Dawkin commanded Nasty Plot to fool out the Encore. Mia, though, had other plans.

‘Pound it! Do as much damage as you can!’ Mia commanded, and Minccino struck Pichu with a Pound! With Pichu’s low health and lowered already low defense, this pound struck for major damage! It wasn’t clear if Pichu could take another one of those! Static failed to activate. ‘Nice! Just so we make sure Ducklett can take it out in one shot later…!’

Dawkin switched back to Tyrunt, who immediately took a Pound… that didn’t do very much. Minccino looked up awkwardly at the sudden rock-dino that had appeared.

‘No sweat! Tickle it!’ Mia commanded, excited. It’d then become a Tickle VS Stomp battle, where Minccino started tickling the rock-dino again and again, and due to lowered Attack from Tickle it was actually taking quite a bit of Stomping to actually do damage to Minccino. Two Stomps and two Tickles later, Minccino had only taken around half health, and each next Stomp was going to be weaker.

‘Grr. You should have been afflicted by Cute Charm by now…’ Mia growled at the oblivious Tyrunt. ‘Regardless! Its defense is down! Start Pounding! You only need to do enough so Ducklett can take out the rock in one blow…!’ Mia commanded, and now Minccino was going to switch to using Pound. Weak against Rock, yes, but he’d been Tickled twice, lowering Attack and Defense.

Dawkin’s moves?

__________________________

@hatakekuro

After having departed and kept a healthy distance away from the Parasol Lady, Basil turned west to head through a narrow path towards said shrine. He’d no longer need the umbrella as the road was built to curve just beyond the reach of the rain, as such he could walk on this stretch of road separating the two parts of Silent Forest.

---

---

"I mean, I was a bird kid. Sometimes my dad let me ride Pokemon, though, so I've got a little more experience than you, I guess, heh." Skylar chimed in with a slight giggle, climbing up aboard the Rapidash and gently holding onto the horse's neck. Jeebs and Royal were put back into their Pokeballs, since the ride would probably be far too quick for them to reasonably stay on, and Skylar placed JoJo into his lap.

"Rrall~?" the Ralts mumbled atop the Rapidash.

"Hold on, bud. We've got quite the ride."

And with that, the group began to ride... though, it really would've been much more interesting if Skylar could see it. Really, he was moving so fast that he just couldn't take in any scenes and make things out, so the best he could do is just ride through to Raremine next to Vivia. That being said, as the group rode through Route 6 and began to pass by the riders going in the opposite direction, Skylar waved over to them since he could make out the shapes of people on horseback.

Skylar dismounted his horse along with Vivia, waited for her to get a little closer, and he started walking beside her. "So how was riding a Rapidash? It's a lot different compared to the Dodrio we had at my dad's lab." Skylar asked Vivia for a moment. "I thought it was a good ride. Really wish I could've seen the sights, though."

Finally, though, the trip came to a close, as Skylar and Vivia pulled up to Raremine Town at last!



Immediately as Skylar stepped into Raremine, JoJo on his shoulder, Vivia at his side, he started looking for a Pokemon Center... for multiple reasons. One was that he needed to heal up Seabreeze and get him back on the team. The other, though, was that Skylar wanted to figure out a bit of the area, get the word on what was going on and figure out a plan from there.

"Hey, uh, isn't that one of those grunts from before?" Skylar asked Vivia, pointing over to the direction that Dawkin was in (though his head didn't actually turn with him.) "Her voice sounds familiar and she said something about having a Ducklett... hm..." He put a hand on his chin and thought for a moment before he kept walking, though must faster. "Plan - We go to the Pokemon Center, heal up Seabreeze, and head over there after asking about the gym, fossil lab, and whatever else is super important." Skylar waited to see what Vivia's input was.

If that was fine with her, then the plan was simple. Pokecenter, asking questions while they waited and were in there, then they would go back to help Dawkin if he needed it.

If she didn't, then Skylar'd just skip the center and go straight over to Dawkin's area. After that, though, would be Pokecenter and Pokemart to heal and stock up on Pokeballs. He wasn't sure if he'd be correct, but he had a hunch that there might be a spare Archen around this city for Skylar to add to his repetoire of feathered allies. Ok, maybe not *all* of them were feathered, but an Archen would be a major addition to his squad. Heck, maybe even an Aerodactyl would be awesome.

That's the plan. Let's make it happen!

@Gardevoiran

‘It was… frightening, but also glorious, in such a weird way…’ said a positively out-of-breath Vivia after that whole horse-ride. ‘They really go fast, huh… and that whole massive plain was just their personal playground… whew, felt I could have been thrown off at any moment… but it was so… beautiful…’ Vivia said, before she gazed to Skylar, and sort of realized he’d been unable to see it all, and proceeded to be a bit self-conscious for a bit. Thereafter, they went into Raremine Town, and Skylar soon pointed out that he’d recognized a voice.

‘Wait, really? Uuuh, there’s a lot of people. Let me check…’ Vivia said, as she went over to peek over, before coming back. ‘I think you’re right. She’s currently in a Backpacker’s outfit, though. She’s currently engaged in a Pokémon battle inside an arena of miners that are excitedly cheering them on… and she’s facing- wait, isn’t that one of Kalmia’s trainers?’ Vivia asked, having a vague recollection of Dawkin’s appearance.

But, before that, they apparently had time to go to the Pokémon Center to heal and ask a couple questions.



Some questions, then. Gym, fossil lab and whatever else is super important.

‘Oh, here to challenge gyms, are we? You’ll find there’s no Gym Building in Raremine Town. But, that doesn’t mean there’s no gym challenge. Go face the smaller exit into Route 7 to the left of the main one, you’ll find it marked “Gym”. Oh, and consider buying Go-Goggles at the shop for 1200 P. You may find yourself in need of them…’ Then the guy took an extra look at Skylar. ‘… Or maybe you’d do just fine, huh.’

‘Oh, yeah, fossils! They show up every now and then from the Desert Mines we’re working in. The mines are primarily for metals, of course, but we find stones and fossils as well. The stones are traded to the Stone Store here in town, and the fossils are brought to the labs. There, they’re somehow able to bring the fossils back to life! How cool is that!? They’re also doing all other kinds of research, headed by Professor Dunstan himself. No idea about what else they’re researching, though.’

‘They say the waters of Route 16 are haunted, it’s too dangerous to cross for most Pokémon Trainers. Yet, Mr. Stalford bravely offers a ferry for those willing to protect the ship as they cross. Guess any business is viable as long as trainers pay enough, hah. I’d recommend taking the long way by Freecape Town for a safer way across.’

‘The so affectionately called Old Tombs lie in the far reaches of Route 7. They’re an archeologist’s dream. Still, there seems like there was a ghost uprising there, recently? Eh, no concern of mine. Oooh, do you want to go to the Mythic Oasis, which’s located somewhere in the sandstorm? Go to the Bug Garden and hire a Vivillon, then! Those bugs can find the water of the oasis even through the sandstorm!’

‘So, recently there’s been a spree of Ancient Pokémon being kidnapped. The miners blame the scientists, and the scientists blame the miners. Yet, just today, both sides joined forces to try to see if they could find a responsible third party. It was like an emissary of peace made its voice heard from afar and everyone just sat aside their differences… Is there truly a Pokémon with that kind of power out there?’

… And that was some information.

Right. What are they doing?





Connected areas:
Route 6. The Vast Plains open up to the north of Raremine. The shorter paths lead to Route 8 and 16, while west far enough leads to Lakewatch Town.
Route 7. The single rocky desert of Isson, it connects to the Desert Mines, the Old Tombs and to the Mythic Oasis.

Wow, the rain really did have a set perimeter; he just walked right out of it and turned to look at the drops pouring down behind him. "And they think this is normal?"

Basil walked down the path to the shrine, glancing at the grass types that had made their home in the path. There were also a couple If he didn't catch Crocus early that day he would have definitely been tempted to catch a Cottonee, but it would be for the best to have a spread of types in his arsenal. Well, at least until he had a way of dealing with fire types. The most amount of excitement that could be found were just occasional gusts of wind and travelers coming and going from the town or the shrine.

Besides taking note of those passing things, he did not spend much time on the path and found himself outside of the shrine. It was a serene, well maintained place, obviously because its an important cultural landmark for the town and for trainers beginning their journey. Strangely enough, there was a booth selling souvenirs and leaflets that explored the history of the shrine. Turned out that even sacred landmarks were not immune to consumerism.

Basil entered the building and witnessed the strange scene of an overenthusiastic bug maniac scarring children. He was just going to ignore that chaotic mess and approach the idol before kneeling down.

What the heck do people even pray for? Sure he could pray for having a smooth journey and become champion though that was not entirely what he really wanted. Even if it was, why would any higher power listen to him? He wasn't a hero seeking strength to destroy a monster, heck, he could not even say that he was even the protagonist of his own life. All that bravado and display of ambition Basil showed to Jacques and Rodger was more to convince himself that he can grow because deep down, he knows that the only one getting in the way of his journey is not a staggeringly strong trainer or Pokemon, but himself.

Well, he certainly was not in control of his fate and that was not going to change anytime soon so why not just surrender. He bowed his head and held his hands together in prayer.

"I am not a hero like the one who defeated the beast nor am I remarkable. I do not ask for you to help me defeat the league and become the champion; that task falls upon my Pokemon and I. All that I do ask is for your hands to guide me to become the person that I hope to be."

@hatakekuro

Basil went over and eventually decided he was going to pray at the shrine. He said his piece, and he was met with… silence. The idol most certainly wasn't responding. Yet, somehow, Basil would get an impression, instinct or premonition that something had heard him. Something had heard his wish.

Besides that, nothing much was going to happen here. What would Basil like to do?



Connected areas:

Route 3. If you head east, back along the Path to Silent Shrine.

North Silent Forest. If you go into the forest north.

South Silent Forest. If you go into the forest south.

@Joshua Tamashii

‘Hey, Amelia?’ Kalmia showed up next to her, looking a bit eager but also a bit pensive.



‘As you may know, I am not the one that actually installed the PC-system in Isson. I’m just borrowing it with permission from the guy who is actually running it. While you trainers of mine are using my, Kalmia’s PC, everyone else in Isson uses David’s PC,’ Kalmia said, a decently serious tone of voice as she did.

‘David is both the owner of the Pokéball Factory close to Rainrock City, and the PC system that he operates from his home. He is the master of the Private Palace, located west of Worldedge City. He’s a decently rich guy, constantly working to spend his money on technological advancements. I hear he used to be a pretty accomplished Pokémon Trainer back in the day, as well,’ she continued, reminiscing about him.

‘I met him once when I was seeking permission to make an off-shoot of his system for research. He was a pleasant and understanding man, if a little intimidating. Now, I COULD just call him and ask for permission to edit his system, but understand that we’re seeking to circumvent one of the oldest rules in the Pokémon World. Without his permission, that is not happening. As such, I’d like you to go to him and present your case to him. It may feel a little cheap, but nothing like a little girl to tug at the heartstrings to make him consider it, right?’ Kalmia said, smirking a bit.

‘The Private Palace is accessible from Route 13. You can get there on your own, right? In the meantime, I’ll see if I can work on a prototype to present to him. If you want me to be there, you can call me when you get there and I’ll get there as soon as I can. If you want to do other things before the time comes, and give me a bit more time to work, I could make something a bit more impressive to show off,’ she then said, and then seemed to get deep in thought.

‘The Pokédex already keeps track of if Pokémon uses moves, I just need to create a function that… somehow connects to their Pokéballs if they try to illegally use a move, to enforce the rules of Pokémon battle through programming rather than actual physical presence. It’s, uh, a system that could easily become vulnerable to exploitation, what if someone uses a “non-active” Pokémon as a shield to take damage for them even if they don’t use moves, for instance? I need to think of all such circumstances, and fix them all, somehow…’ Kalmia said, and then chuckled a bit.

‘Haha, if I actually complete this, it might be something that finally pushes my name to fame, like other professors. But, it wouldn’t be for actual Pokémon Professoring, it’d be for technological development, and I don’t know how I feel about that. I mean, I can do that, too, I learned all about Pokémon programming for the sake of studying Pokémon in boxes and how I can improve things for them there, as I intended that to be my thing, but… Oh, well!’ she said, and then gave a wide grin.

‘I’m in your corner. If you have trouble getting into the Private Palace on your own, show them this,’ Kalmia said, and offered a letter.

Amelia obtained Kalmia’s Permit!

‘Any further questions? Otherwise… good luck!’

Currently in Pureplain City.





Connected areas:
Route 1. Easier path, just follow the bigger road.
Route 2. Walk through quite an amount of suburbs until you eventually reach the path.
Sea. There’s water, alright. Can take you anywhere you want to go, assuming you have means to traverse it.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt something odd; something actually heard him and it sure was hell wasn't the idol. "Thank you for listening." Basil bowed his head to the idol, really, to whatever the heck was listening to him ramble on.

There were two things that he wanted to do: first Basil, perhaps against his better judgement, went to approach the bug maniac to make some inquiries. Specifically, he wanted to ask about what the parasol lady said about Pinsirs being located on route 3 or at least the general area and some info about their behavior and where they would most likely congregate.

The second thing was that Basil wanted to talk to the man with the stall outside the shrine. He simply inquired the nature of the spirits that aided the hero long ago, such as their abilities or if they had any attributes that stood out.

If nothing of note happened, Basil would head north to explore the North Silent Forest.