And you can go jump off a fucking cliff for that attitude... Still, as Jason followed Helga and her Houndstone out of the cottage, he kept his frustrations to himself. He had hoped that they'd at least work together and cooperatively until they got to where the Ekans were, but it seemed that was not to be the case, which he could handle. His team was strong and, he hoped, fairly well balanced with all things considered. He waved at the Pumpkaboos as they walked out of the clearing and as they neared the trees again, let Slayer out of his ball, the Ralts sticking close to his trainer and eyeing the Houndstone with an equal mix of caution and curiosity. Jason himself had never seen one before, understood they were native to the Paldea region. He added it to the list of places he needed to visit when he was done here in the Evig reason and he'd either become the champion or given it his damnedest to become it.

---

The next half hour had been spent reading up and researching from the book to get better caught up on Pokemon. Another hour was spent sitting there, brain dead much like both the writer and narrator had been with their last posts.

A most learning experience. though perhaps someone got overzealous and put too much on Tristan's poorly developed mind filled with too much hair care products and self-importance.

After recovering from a blown mind fuse, Tristan finally collected himself and came out of it more knowledgeable." Holy Arceus! my head! How they expect kids to remember all of this and keep track of it. We get it, fire burns grass, water hurts fire and so on. I have half a mind of slapping the author." Grumbled the teen finishing up his eight cup of tea. Whatever bill might have come from this shall be ignored for sake of conveniency all around.

A quick bathroom break as eight cups of tea can go right through a person, Tristan left the cafe with a wad of napkins using each individual one to vicariously rub and dab his face and hands clean." All this..what was the word again? Effort? Yes, effort is making me sweat horribly. Arceus forbid I let my pores get all oily and nasty like a certain frump and screeching she-beast." Throwing the trash in a nearby bin and with a satisfied smile ran his hand through his silky lush silver hair." There we are. Can't be a proper Glory if I don't look good *and* feel good." Chuckling to himself with a haughty laugh right in the middle of a public sidewalk.

He could hardly wait to brag to Faye about what he has caught, the thought causing his smug grin to widen." And whatever this blue rock is about." Holding up and brandishing the strange rock gifted to him back at the mart. Turning it to and fro in his hands multiple times trying to think what its use was for." It's blue and feels kind of cold to the touch." Thinking back to the whole friendship thing then Princess came to mind." Maybe it's some kind of evolving stone that needs be eaten...that or I smack her with it?" Tapping it idly as he kept pondering." Then again, there was talk about levels but I don't see anything on pokemon about that. Is this some kind of shitty hidden stat stuff like one of those video games?" The thought brought out a frustrated growl out of the teen struggling to make sense of it all." For that matter, I still don't know how tms work. There's no slot or..." Trailing off as he looked at the stone." Oh Arceus tell me its not a supp-" Cutting himself short not wanting to finish the thought.

Some more fuming pondering thoughts, Tristan gave up and shoved the stone away in an agitated manner." I'll worry about it later. Damn. If only there was a super easy and convenient place of some kind of..information searching and the like that could help actually make sense of any of this." Grumbled Tristan tapping his foot to vent some frustration; an annoyed huff later and tilt of the head which caused him to catch a glimpse of a sign.

Turning to read the board." Research center? Sounds immensely boring. Guess it will have to do." With a flip of his hair and an equally filled yawn, the silver-haired teen made his way off towards the research center.

@Zarkun

Begrudgingly, Jason followed Helga through the forest. True to her word, he was being led through this dark, dank forest and surprisingly he was not dying. One could imagine that she knew her way around these woods like the back of her hand to avoid the dangers found lurking in the trees. Either that or everything that lived in this forest knew not to mess with the hellhound of a woman. At this point anything was possible.

It was quiet, not much talking to be had in general and it was probably doubtful that Jason had anything to ask her out of fear of being German Suplexed straight to Arceus or from her rude and unfriendly demeanor. In general, it was very boring. Eventually however Helga broke the silence.

"So, what's your story kid? Last I heard about the league, you either had to be an established trainer to join or had to vetted by the league administration," said the woodswoman. She eyed the Ralts clinging to his side. "You don't look like you've been a trainer long."

What does Jason do?

---

@samreaper

Well, he probably did see a sign, but it would eventually lead him back to Aria's Park. The manor that he saw and the research center were one and the same. Upon entering through its big red windowed doors Tristan would granted a strange, but wonderful sight.

The foyer of the manor was grand and spacious, filled with lovingly maintained, pristine late Victorian styled furniture to what could be described as Art Nouveau styled furnishings and art. Paintings and prints marked the walls, each of varying styles and subject matter though all tasteful. Even the interior was designed with an Art Nouveau mindset; organic shapes could be found on the tiled floors with intricate colored patterns that were abstract and yet reminded one of nature. There was a grand stairway and the metal guard rails looked looked like artist depictions of swirling wind and leaves. Of course, there were also all manner of flowers decorating in whatever fine pottery and vases that were available. It was almost like a looking glass into the past and life of Aria Eberg.

By the entrance of the foyer there was a impressively large oil portrait painting of a beautiful, yet pale woman in her late twenties with fiery red hair done up in a bun and equally red eyes. Her lips were curled up in a gentle smile with a kind gaze as if to say that everything was alright. Underneath it was a plaque that held the name Aria Eberg.

Tristan was not alone in the foyer. There were any number of people there, many in white lab coats discussing there own matters. There was also a front desk where a young woman was sitting.

"Excuse me, sir?" She called out to get his attention. Once she did so, she asked with a friendly customer service smile, "Welcome to the Aria Eberg Estate and Research Center. Are you here for the tour?"

---

The building's design was nice, but did little justice for the beautiful style and decor waiting just inside. Like the garden, which he got to traverse through again, had found himself in awe of the place. Unlike most visitors and the grumbling whites, Tristan had stopped what he was doing to take pictures for future inspiration.

Something of which he was not allowed to do long before some of the staff might taking notice and find him bothersome. It was clear that, besides the place's beauty, the silver-haired teen was woefully out of place.

Hardly one for visiting such locations left Tristan a bit overwhelmed and uncertain where he was even going or why he even came here initially. Some innate need to make sense of what he read up on, mayhaps or something else?

Thankfully he would make his way to the counter where a receptionist had been waiting to greet him. Pocketing his Idex then clearing his throat." Ahem, yes. You could help me miss. Starting with telling me who did the decor and um..I suppose directions to the research center...if you would be so kind." Finishing with brushing his hair and a dazzling winking smile as his form of thanks and payment for the assist.

The quiet was certainly no fun to the young man, but as they walked, it was nothing new, as he'd spent a lot of time alone back in the Hoenn region as well, since he had a penchant for exploring not many people shared. Pokemon in the wild were dangerous and, admittedly, unpredictable, but Jason had always been smart and careful about it. However, that had proven to not be enough here in the Evig region on more than one occasion, as he didn't know it or the Pokemon that called it home anywhere near as well as he did Hoenn. Need to take some time and rectify that issue soon, preferably before I have another Scyther trying to make me a Headless Horseman...

Silence continued to reign for awhile longer, and, just as Jason was about to ask how far they had gone, Helga spoke first, inquiring after his story. Jason admittedly hesitated to answer right away, not sure how she'd respond to the truth and, briefly, considered lying to her. Then he looked at her biceps again and was reminded that she would probably suplex him to Arceus if he did, and so decided on the truth. "I was vetted for by the current Evig champion, along with a few others. The professor gave us our starters, we got a little speech and out we headed. I'm from the Hoenn region and, admittedly, am here largely because I missed the window for Hoenn's league. But I also get to see my parents more often up here, so there is a couple of pluses. That said, I've only been an actual trainer for a couple of days. Actually, nearly got my head taken off by a Scyther my first time here in the Deep woods..."

@samreaper

The receptionist gave him a friendly, yet businessman-like smile. She was not paid enough to people who think they were so good looking that a flashy smile was enough for payment when smiling and being polite towards service industry workers was just the bare minimum.

"Well, the person who decorated the manor would be Aria Eberg herself. If you are not here for the tour, please be sure to grab a map. It is quite easy to get lost if you don't know your way around. The entrance fee for young adults is 500P. All proceeds go to the preservation of the park and manor," she said with her best customer service voice.

If Tristan did spend the fee and grab the map, he would find that it was quite the expansive space. It was practically one half a museum for the wealth of valuable furniture and artworks that resided in the manor and of course about the woman herself. It had accommodations such as a cafe/restaurant near the back though for Tristan his main focus would be on the research facility on the upper floors. The pamphlet offered a brief description that when summarized to its main points researched 'The anomalous floral fauna growth unique to the garden' and 'the mysteries of the unique Pokemon found in and out of Florasong.'

What does Tristan do?

@Zarkun

Smart move Jason. One look at those biceps would put the fear in god in anyone. Only the brave and the stupid would dare lie to someone that looked like they ate nails without milk for breakfast every morning and let's be honest, he really had no reason to. It would just end poorly for him. At this point she seemed more like a mythological creature than an actual person who can just send someone straight to the pearly gates of Arceus' domain.

"Huh, is that so. Well, knowing that kid if you can't tough it out here then you're gonna struggle against whatever league she concocted," She said as they walked and she did not even try to sound demeaning. It sounded more like a warning and whether or not he heeded it was up to him.

She continued, "Although, I can't fault you with the Scyther. They're much more violent than they were years ago. I did what I could, but I couldn't stop them from decimating their numbers. Not with those absurd Shadow Pokemon." Bitterness could be heard in her tone and perhaps some regret. After all, she could not protect her own home from invaders.

How does Jason respond?

---

The unexpected charge had Tristan hesitant for a moment as the teen who hardly knew the value was starting to practice the dread concept of *gag* budgeting. Should he bother going to this research center after all? He wasn't exactly sure one of his status could get much out of it.

Before making a decision, he grabbed a pamphlet as directed to see if it might aid in what he should do. Mention of this strange fauna seemed nothing too special but the mystery part drew his eyes. This got him thinking back to that forest and the unsettling vibe it had given off at the time.

" Hm, yes I suppose I shall take this tour. And this lady Aria Eberg truly has an astounding eye for beauty." A person for him to remember as he made his way over to the tour group though made sure to stand at the very back not wishing to get squish and trapped by the rabble tagging on along the tour.

" Wait..I feel like I forgot something... I'm sure it will be fine." Holding the pamphlet up to his face, the camera turning over and dramatic zooming back onto the counter revealing the forgotten map.

The pain and bitterness in her voice at the mention of the Shadow Pokemon caused Jason some measure of hesitance. He had known that Cipher's time in control of the region had left scars on the people as well as the Pokemon, his parents talked about it all the time, but this was the first time he'd seen anyone acknowledge it. Living out here amongst the Pokemon...guess I can't say I'm all that surprised she saw some of the worst when they came after the Pokemon here. He let the silence sit a moment longer before he spoke. "If I may, and I understand if you don't want to, no one when I first came to Evig wanted to either, but...what did Cipher do to those Pokemon to make them Shadow Pokemon? What did Cipher even hope to gain? I...I grew up around them, spent a lot of time among them when I was exploring in Hoenn, spelunking, mountain climbing, all of it. I just...I don't see what they did as right I guess."

Faye finished putting her extra pokeballs away when she stopped dead in her tracks because someone stood in her way. Wait, looking for her? She blinked after confirming with the delivery guy then read the note. "A benefactor?" She unwrapped the package to see the stone. Her eyes widened slightly. Well now, that was quite interesting indeed. Her gaze dropped to Sage who tilted his head to the side as they locked gazes. "We'll talk about it after we find out what the holdup is for the delivery is. Right now, let's get moving."

Back down Route 1 they went, and despite the continued distractions happening around her, she managed to stay on track. There would be time to do stuff later. No need to rush. Okay, well, she supposed putting things off was problematic and would cause rush, but right now she needed to stay on task. The task was likely not worthwhile, but who would know unless they investigated. And right now, with the anger the two she saw between the two older men and yelling contest they seemed to have going on, it seemed it might be helpful if someone stepped in.

"Hiya!" The young trainer raised a hand as a wave. She figured calling out as she continued her approach would help prevent either ornery adult from startling (though she knew that wasn't likely to stop the anger from getting redirected at her.) "So, I know you two will think it's none of my business but my name's Faye Wrexlyn, and I heard there was some trouble with the shipment so I came to offer some help." She kept a friendly smile on her face as she came to a stop, Sage beside her, not too far from the two gentlemen. "My team and I can look for whatever part is missing from your truck."

@samreaper

We're really doing this? We're really doing this. Okay, fine we're doing this.

The receptionist smiled at him, unknowing for what he was to about to do and said, "Here is your pass for the tour. " She handed him a slip of paper with oil painted flowers on it and text that said day pass along with other information that he did not need to concern himself with.

Tristan, despite being presented with a map on a silver platter and even told to take one, somehow forgot to pick it up even though it was next to the bloody pamphlet as if he was acting out spite for spending 500 P. He walked towards the tour group, making sure he stayed far in the back as to not wrinkle his overpriced clothes and fuss his hair which was probably filled with equally overpriced product.

The tour guide, a young woman wearing the standard uniform which was a white blouse with a black vest, pants, and shoes, led the group. She had a bright and ecstatic expression perpetually and spoke just was peppy as she looked. They stopped by a series of paintings and photographs of landscapes, some of the garden, some were the towns earlier days, and some were wastelands. They were surrounding the portrait of Aria Eberg.

The tour guide said with that same peppy energy, "Aria Ege, or Aria Eberg as we know today was the Duchess of Gotha, or how we know it as part of Jade Coast City before the counties merged together. She was married to Duke Archibald Eberg, cousin to King Johann Hadrada the Fifth. Before her marriage, she was the daughter of a Viscount of no renown, but her and Archibald met through sheer chance. Apparently it was quite the love story,"

As she spoke though, one could tell that there was a sadness that belied her energetic, positive persona. Her tone shifted as she spoke to something a bit more poignant as she continued, "However, Duke Eberg died young due to Consumption, otherwise known today as Tuberculosis. She too was beginning to show signs of it herself. Aria knew her death was coming and left to find a place to die in peace away from the socialites and the pressures of royalty. She founded Florasong in 1894 and it looked far different than it did today. It was once a wasteland; the soil was not fit to grow a single bud."

She motioned to the painting and sepia and black and white photos of a wasteland, barren pale soil for as far as the eye could see. If one were to tell one that this was Florasong before Aria's arrival they would not be faulted for their disbelief. There were some in the crowd that looked confused.

Someone from the crowd asked, "So why did she come here if this was a no man's zone?"

"We can't say for certain why she did it, but judging by records, we believe it was she wanted to give her life to something. She planted a seed and with a gratitude for life, Aria turned a wasteland into home and it all started with a single flower," responded

There was something else in the portrait that did not standout before, but Aria held a bouquet of Gracidea Flowers. Tristan would actually recognize them as they were quite popular with fashion designers, most commonly used as corsages or adorned dresses and other attires.

She continued, "People came in and she used her resources to not just build a town, but our schools, our opera house, the museum, the lab, everything. Aria was beloved by others and she loved them in return. She died at the age of 30 in the year 1900 and her grave is buried in Mellow Grove if you wish to pay respects for her charity and gratitude towards life."

Her attitude then did a complete 180 and she went from poignant to energetic at the flick of a switch. "Alright everyone, please stick close together! You can't enter the labs if you get separated!"

With that, the group tour moved forward. What does Tristan do?

---

@Zarkun

"Because there was nothing right about what they did," responded Helga coldly. She stopped walking and turned to look at him and for a moment he could see the burden she carried; the burden of witnessing atrocity after atrocity and the weight that it carried. In a word, she looked exhausted.

His guide sighed and said, "Only a handful would know. I don't know how they did it and if we are going to be honest, if I did I don't think I'd ever sleep again."

It was fair to assume that the process of creating Shadow Pokemon was not common knowledge and that is for the best. There were many other groups with less scruples about the treatment of Pokemon to gain power quickly and for the sake of public mental health it was best that it was never released. Jason could already see the impact of Shadow Pokemon right in front of him.

Helga continued with a sense of urgency as if to get it off her chest, "Have you ever seen something that had no concept of good or evil? A creature that had no emotion, no desires, and no sense of self? A soulless killing machine that does not differentiate from Pokemon or trainer? That is what a Shadow Pokemon is; a mindless tool for violence with great, yet awful power. That is what they were to Cipher; tools to dominate and spread destruction. God, what they did to Valhane City and Sieggolt City..."

---

@Sanguine Rose

The two men turned to look at the random girl who just appeared waving at them and returned a confused wave though unsure why they were even returned it. Funnily enough, their surprise at their unexpected visitor diffused the angry bickering though the tension still hung in the air.

The grandfather, the one that Faye was looking for earlier, motioned her to walk over to the truck. He said, "Kid take a look at this."

Walking over, she would soon see that the truck wasn't a missing piece of the engine, there was a completely empty space of where the engine was supposed to be. Every single part of the engine was just gone, down to the very bolt and screw.

"They took the whole damn engine," said the portly man, his face screamed that he was bemoaning at the financial wound that this would inflict his wallet.

The mention of one of the cities dad had said he'd spent a lot of time helping people in made Jason grimace, though he was quick to wipe the look off his face. His parents had seen the aftermath of most everything, he didn't want to imagine how seeing it happen looked. His response was not the most forthcoming, however, as he wasn't sure how to respond. "Have you ever seen something that had no concept of good or evil? A creature that had no emotion, no desires, and no sense of self? A soulless killing machine that does not differentiate from Pokemon or trainer? That is what a Shadow Pokemon is; a mindless tool for violence with great, yet awful power." Fucking hell, if that isn't despicable... They sounded like something Magma and Aqua would have used, if they could have, and Hoenn would have become a warzone if they'd had access to that kind of power. If he was honest, as the whole mess with Kyogre and Groudon and both Team Magma and Team Aqua had been dealt with by the time he was looking at becoming a trainer, if they'd known had to get or make Shadow Pokemon, he had to wonder how Hoenn would have looked. Sieggolt City wasn't a name he knew, but he wasn't sure prying was a great idea.

After mulling these thoughts over for a moment, Jason spoke again. "I...did they ever say why? Or did they just attack without regret and without a second thought? They wanted to control the region is what I've been told, why decimate it like this? I just..." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be prying into it all like this, especially when you went through it, these can't be pleasant memories. I'll stop."

Excellent, the tension was diffused! Score one in the win column. When motioned to come closer, the young trainer absolutely abided the request and approached. To find the whole dang engine was missing. Okay, that was worth the exaggerated question of how in the heck that happens. Who would take a whole engine but not the truck?

She blinked and looked from the engine to the farmer that owned the truck. "Okay, well, do you have an idea of anyone that might want to impede your business? How long has it been missing? I don't have any pokemon with the ability to carry an engine back, but I sure as heck will see if we can track it down and get assistance bringing it back."

@Zarkun

She took a deep breath and heaved a heavy sigh. The last thing that she wanted was to be comforted by some random kid.

"It's fine, if you're gonna become champion then you must understand Evig's legacy, the good and the bad. Still, I can't help, but to be concerned that a future champion is so naïve," she said. This boy really wasn't the brightest of the bunch, but then again if the only threat to his region was a group of well meaning, but idiotic eco terrorists then it made some semblance of sense.

She continued, trying her best to explain how dictators and sociopaths would commit the most unspeakable horrors to someone sheltered from it. "Why did they do it? They did it for the same reason as any malignant despot would; to break the spirits of the Evigian people. Everything they did, every act of cruelty, every bit of destruction was to whittle down any bit of resistance."

Jason watched as her jaw clenched as disgust visibly was expressed along every wrinkle on her face. Her Houndstone nudged its snout against her in an attempt to comfort her. "Do you know what their greatest evil is though? They destroyed the heart and soul of Evig; it's people. They brought so many to the edge of despair that they just let it happen or worse, they joined Cipher to survive. We were cannibalizing each other like savages until we were forced to a breaking point; fight or die like bootlicking dogs, but we had no leader. Well, until that poor girl took up that mantle."

For whatever stories that Jason's parents told him about their time in Evig, it was different for him to meet someone actually effected by it and acknowledge the actual damage. For as strong as Adrianne, Kapoc, and all the other trainers were, no one truly did acknowledge the scars.

---

@Sanguine Rose

"It's those bloody pink things and this moron let it happen!" The grandfather shouted in frustration at Faye and then gave the rotund man the worst case of stink she had ever seen. If looks could kill, it would have been first degree murder. So much for diffused tension though the other man did not deny any of it. In fact, he looked quite sheepish as he rubbed the back of his bald head.

The other man said in his embarrassment, "Well, he's not wrong. There's been a pack of these pink Pokemon that appeared recently from the forest. They kept trying to take parts from the engine for some reason, but I was always there to chase them away. I, uh, took a quick snooze during my break and when I woke up the engine was gone."

The old man scoffed at him and said quite belligerently, "A quick nap he says. An Exploud could scream in your ear and you'd still be dead to the world."

Deciding it was best to ignore the abuse, the rotund farmer kept his focus on Faye. "Last time I scared them off, they ran off north from here. They don't typically leave the forest so I'd look somewhere they could take shelter."

While Steph was getting up and around, Amelia slept on in the sleeping bag she had used for the night, finding it more comfortable than the solid ground. Her pokemon where gathered around her, Mimikyu, Phantump, and Yamask all finding somewhere to rest on, next, or above her while Golett was awake and watching their surroundings, being a good sentinel. The automaton turned towards Steph as the older girl got up, watching her for a few seconds before raising a fist in greeting.
"Golett." It said before lowering its fist and returning to its guard duty, letting Steph do what she wanted.

By the time Steph returned from her morning of training, Amelia was awake and still looking a little groggy as she packed up the sleeping bag.
"Mooooooooorrrrrring." She said with a yawn, rubbing her eyes before giving Steph a while. "Sorry. I'm usually still asleep at these hours. I didn't keep you waiting too long did I? Do you have any plans on what we're going to get into today? Oh, wait, we should probably think about breakfast first, right? We can't do anything on empty stomach. But, uh... I've never cooked anything before, so... would you be willing to teach me?"

Jason didn't speak for a long time after Helga finished speaking, walking in silence. He'd seen similar looks, heard similar tones, in his conversations with Adrianne when she'd briefly mention Cipher. And we complained about Team Magma and Team Aqua back home...they were kids playing games compared to what happened here... As he glanced at Slayer, his first partner in his journey, the young man realized that there was a good chance that Slayer was, at the very least, descended from the part of the Pokemon population that managed to avoid getting turned into Shadow Pokemon or culled by Cipher, if not a survivor of the devastation himself. In fact, as he paused to reach down and hug his partner, he pulled Occisor's ball off his belt and let the Scyther out. There was a confused "Scy" as it saw Helga and then turned around just in time for Jason to give it a hug as well.

"Hey buddy, I...you were justified in what you tried to do when we met." The Scyther stared at Jason for a moment before nodding and giving a hug back awkwardly as the trainer looked at Helga. "I get that I may seem young and dumb to you. I get that I seem naive as being from Hoenn and not seeing everything that happened first hand would make me seem, but I want to make a difference here and...I want to keep Cipher from ever having the power to make a come back. Let's get you your moss and me to that Shrine, and then I'll continue my journey and get strong enough to stop anyone like that from gaining that kind of power again. You have my word."

---

Going from a long and boring reading lecture to a possibly boring tour could possibly backfire for the inexperienced teen. Though, seeing as how he already paid for the service he might as well go along. He might learn some useful things (doubtfully he thought) and followed along from the back of the group. Being surrounded by a bunch of unknown strangers in a research/museum was not something he enjoyed, the sake of his clothes and hair which does indeed have hair product that cost as much as the group's clothes nearly combined.

Following along while half listening to the peppy tour guide and looking over the pamphlet. A look of boredom evident on his face.

That is until they came upon the painting of Aria Eberg with commentary, courtesy of the tour guide who not only seemed to know the topic exceptionally well. But, she did so with fitting tones to fit the mood of the story on Aria's life story.

Unexpectedly, Tristan and to a certain unseen force's relief found himself captivated by this woman with each portion of the esteemed woman's tale and achievements. Then he saw the images of desolate wastelands that have died or dying.

A multitude of emotions bubbled within as he observed the painting. This woman surely had grace, beauty and style with impeccable taste with the Gracidea flowers and gorgeous decor sense. Most of all, she was loved by man.

She was everything Tristan was not and with it came resentment and jealousy, but no matter how hard he tried he could bring himself to hate this woman long dead. He found himself feeling great respect and admiration for Aria, however the story told sounded...far too fantastical and unrealistic.

*No one does anything purely out of kindness. Humans are beings of selfishness and greed who think of nothing but their own gains.*

The words of his father echoed in his mind like poison in that imposing and icy voice that sent unpleasant chills down the spines of any who had the misfortune of hearing them. His silhouette loomed like a massive figure with mighty hands threatening to squeeze the life of him.

After an unknown amount of time, the chilling shadow encroaching around him within its suffocating grasp seemed to evaporate. His mind clearing up; where he would take notice of how he was hugging his own shivering body, his breathing a bit shaky and cold sweat slicked his gorgeously clean face.

* Tch. Shut up you... you.... conceited bastard!!!* Tristan mentally shouted with every ounce of pent up rage. Words he long wished and desired to say to that horrid man, had he only the slightest shred of courage.

For a moment his eyes nearly welled up out of fury only to be blinked away, followed by a long and slow shaky exhale before lifting his head to peer back up at her painting.

* As awful as it must have been. I can't help but wonder what it would have been like to live in your time... if it meant getting to meet you.* Tristan thought, a mix of bitterness and somberness.

The tour guide's voice broke through Tristan's self-pitying (which he hoped none of the others noticed) and with a quick sniffing wipe of the nose, turned to see the group starting to move on. A part of him wanted to just leave.

Tristan followed.

Pink pokemon from the forest? Surely they weren't talking about the Illusive Forest. Well, no, surely they were, given it was the only sizable bit of woodland nearby. Okay, so a fairy type - maybe a grass type? - that wants metal. What the hell fairy type wants metal? None that she could think of off the top of her head ate it or used it, but a fairy type would be more likely to be trying to make use of metal than eat it. So at least there might be time.

She realized the old man was about to start another fight and chased her pensive expression away with a smile. "Okay, well, that's actually great news. Well, not great news that the engine was taken, but if they were interested in metal perhaps I can barter with them. I don't have an engine worth of metal, but I got a bit. And if you maybe have some scrap metal...Point is, if you - " pointing at the old man - "Head on back to your shop. And you -" pointing to the farmer - "at least see if you have spare nuts and bolts to get the engine put back in...I think I can help get it settled."

Sage looked up at his young trainer with a quizzical 'eev?' before yipping a bit more cheerfully.

It wasn't a great plan, but it was a plan. And rather than wait to see if the older men agreed or not, she just turned and set off North where the farmer had said he saw it. Sage trotted alongside her. Faye knew she was putting a lot of faith in luck and such, but she had a general game plan. There was enough metal on her she could maybe entice a trade from the pokemon if they were looking for what she assumed and just wanted metal. The real luck was that they wouldn't have destroyed the engine before she could convince them to not destroy the piece of machinery. She was expecting them to be small, so was readily looking for smaller hiding places that only truly determined pokemon might follow creatures - but also maybe big enough for a truck engine to fit.

@Zarkun

Helga watched the scene unfold quietly, her arms crossed while her partner Pokemon stood by her side wagging a bony tail. She listened to him give his heartfelt speech though it had an unexpected reaction; the woman looked at him with pity, which was strange because earlier she enjoyed mocking him for making his grandiose promises.

"You don't understand the weight of those words. For your sake, I really do hope that you never have to," she said turning around and continued to walk through the dense forest. Not a word was uttered by her and silence was left to hang in the air with the thick fog. There was not anything else to say, only things to reflect on. This was especially true for Jason. He was an outsider, someone with barely any ties to the region and its history. To become champion of Evig was not to just become the strongest trainer in the region, it was more than that. It was to take on the legacy of the region, all its glory and shame, it's past and future.

He would have been left to stew with his own thoughts. However, there would be something to catch his eye; a light flickered just right at the corner of his peripheral vision, and then there was more flickering and flickering until there were light green balls of fire floating aimlessly in the air. They did not seem hostile, hovering slowly. It was curious though. They did not seem to originate from any Pokemon, the air just combusted around them with no warning and yet there was no heat.

"Don't worry, it means we're close," Helga reassured him as if she had experience with this phenomenon. Her gaze never shifted from the path, completely unbothered by the flames. They would continue to walk alongside the whisps of flame.

Eventually, after all the trekking the group would arrive at a building of grey stone that went into the earth. It was covered in vines, tree roots, and manner of foliage and those flaming whisps were clustered around the general area with a high concentration, painting the darkness and fog with a green light. It was strange though. The building despite essentially being an entire garden for plant life was almost perfectly preserved save for some wear. Moss covered stairs led up to the entrance and the doorway was an arch and if Jason had paid attention, it had the same markings from route 4's ruins carved into them.

"This is as far as I can take you," she while turning around to face him. "Remember what I said, I could only lead you here, but I cannot protect you. This is something you must do on your own."

What does Jason do?

---

@samreaper

Luckily for Tristan, no one was really paying attention to him. They were all caught up with the tour to really give the kid any passing glance and it probably helped that he stuck to the back of the crowd.

Despite his desire to leave, he pushed on and followed the crowd. Now, there is something Tristan knew about wealth and that there are two kids of it: wealthy and wealthy wealthy. Even for a brief moment of just following the group tour he was able to figure out that Aria Eberg was most certainly in the latter category. The manor itself was almost the same size of the Glory residence and just like the foyer it was filled with art if priced in this current day and age would be worth millions on millions as well as other tasteful fineries. One did not have to think hard on how easy it would have been to get lost in this manor.

The tour took them through various different parts of the manor like any tour through a dead person's home turned museum. They went through the various parlors filled with one would expect at this point, her bedroom which was also furnished quite beautifully and had fresh flowers that one would fairly assume are changed out frequently, the dining hall which had sparse amounts of people sitting where Tristan could smell the aroma of delicious freshly made food. Did he eat yet? Anyway, then there was her personal library where her personal letters and journals were preserved for posterity.

But Tristan wasn't here for those things. What he was there for was for the research center and eventually they would arrive at a place that reminded him more of Kapoc's lab; live plants were preserved in machines for god knows what purpose and there were all manner of machinery strewn about with people in white lab coats working. It lacked the beauty and taste found everywhere else in the manor.

One of the scientist's approached the group. He was tall and lanky, but looked pretty put together with his neatly combed back blonde hair, ironed light blue shirt and brown slacks with black shoes, and clean shaven. The man looked around to be approaching his forties. He gave the vibe of being a nerd, but the kind that people find socially acceptable and attractive.

"Okay everyone, I am going to hand this off to our Chief Scientific Officer and horticultural expert, Dr. Harold Burgundy," said miss tour guide.

Dr. Burgundy had a bright and friendly smile, unlike the Pokemon Professor that Tristan was unfortunately acquainted with. He said with a Galarian accent, "Hello everyone, I hope you are all enjoying the tour of our beautiful manor. I'm quite excited to talk to you about our research. Now everyone please follow me."

Dr. Burgundy began to walk the group through the lab though do his best to keep them out of the way. While leading the group he said, "What we research here are the unique properties about the garden and the Pokemon that reside within it and in our surrounding area. It's quite more complicated than what most people think."

He stopped the group at what could only be described as an incubator for various kinds of flowers. Many of them were labeled with various names with numbers and other labels that showed the different PH levels of the soil, moisture, humidity, temperature, and so on.

"Now, does anyone here know what Zones are for flowers?" He asked though to no response. It would be surprising to know if Tristan knew what it was. Seeing that no one answered, he continued, "You see, flowers tend to grow best in certain places due to the Zone's temperature. Not all plants thrive in all ecosystems, except that's not the case here. No matter the Zone, all plants that grow in the garden thrive regardless and that is not the only oddity."

He pointed towards the section of plants that were divided by soil quality and attributes.

"Different plants thrive with different kinds of soil. Some prefer more acidic soil, some prefer sandier soil, and some prefer soil with higher moisture. This too seems to not be a factor as all plants thrive here as well. Even the nutrients of the soil does not seem to decay, which leads me to my conclusion."

There was a dramatic pause and he had the most stern, serious expression on his face before he cracked a grin. "It's magic." The tour group, Tristan probably not included, and the scientist both laughed since it was such a ridiculous idea.

"I joke, but we have concluded that external factors must be at play and we are working diligently to crack that mystery. However, we believe that external factor must be a Pokemon. They have powers that we still cannot fully comprehend, even bringing life to a barren wasteland is within the realm of possibility." The extent of what Pokemon were capable of were entirely unknown. Sure, there were the stuff of legends and myth, but that's entirely what they were. The world still obeyed the laws of the universe and even if Pokemon had strange abilities they still abided by those set rules.

However, that would be put aside as the scientist continued with the tour.

"There is one other mystery unrelated to the garden, but equally interesting; Aria Eberg's mysterious partner Pokemon, the Moon Petal Pokemon." He continued to lead the group towards the next talking point, something strange yet so captivating. It was two beautiful set bouquets, except they looked like they were made entirely made of a light blue crystalline structure, yet they looked real with every vein, every crevice, every petal and thorn defined.

"These are what remain of her old partner. What we do know from her personal journal is that the Moon Petal Pokemon could be found deep in the Illusive Woods though we are not able to come and go as freely as she could."

He turned around to the group and clapped his hands together. "Now, does anyone have any questions?"

---

@Sanguine Rose

Yeah those farmers were not able to get word in before she ran off to the north. She had every right to be confused; most Pokemon were not blessed with the ability to craft objects, especially metal. Faye would be heading north to find such a Pokemon, but what she found were old dilapidated farm houses and homes that were no longer inhabited. They were probably much older than her though who knew what they were hiding? Well, that was probably not a priority at the moment.

It would've been hard to figure out where to start, but she stepped in something wet with a splosh sound. One of her shoes was halfway covered in engine oil. Good luck getting the stain or the smell out, but it was a lead. It meant that they did come this way after all.

What does Faye do?

@Joshua Tamashii

After a successful brief morning training, Steph felt a little more content with how her party was coming together. She already had nearly two full teams, but she knew she would need more if she was to overcome this challenge. Of course there were certain core members she would want to keep together, but that didn't mean they would pair well against every leader and trainer she would fight along the way. With Dwayne the geodude now added to that roster, she did umm and ahh about what she should add next but honestly that was a pretty long list. She was better off focusing on what she currently had and could deal with that anyway.

For now she returned to Amelia who was in the process of waking up and packing up her stuff, to which before Steph answered her she gave a brief nod to the Golett and let Dusk hop off her shoulder and drop...float down to the ground? Eh, details.

"Brekkie? Ye thaht's the fuhst staep taowahds a lawng die! Espaecially seence we gawt moah wohkin t' do sao we gawtta piien the eahs bahck and wehk a biieh' eh?" She wasn't too sure how Amelia would fare with travel, but she figured she might have to slow herself down a tad to allow the girl to keep pace. Though suppose if things got too dire, Steph reckoned Amelia looked pretty light so she could just carry her a fair distance of the way if she had to so she figured that was worth keeping in the back pocket. She did say she would rather that not happen, but till they got a Gogoat or something similar Steph didn't see much of an option. Unless her Golett carried her? Maybe but it probably wasn't all that quick either. Eh, a bridge to cross when they got there. She would have to reconsider her map to see how far the next town was anyway, not being overly familiar with the region not being a local and all.

"Yayh nao prawblem mate, everybody's gawtta staht somewheah and leahn roigh'? Though yah daon't oolwhys hahve t' cook in the mawnin, sometoimes Oy just gao weeth the old fitehful of some fruih' aw brayd and the loike. Maowstly depends on whaht yah wahnna ayt, buh' if yah huyng around me lawng enough Oy'll shaow yah a thing aw two abeow' some cookin. nawt the baest buh' Oy geh' the jawb dun." She had picked up a few things from her Aunt and Uncle, and even her cousins though to a lesser extent. Especially as she got ready to set out for the league competition and all. Cooking was a valuable tool for any stage of life, but especially when journeying through a region when you weren't in a town with easy access to food. Just had to bite the bullet and make do with whatever you had, just the way Steph liked to live life.

Using the still warm embers of last nights fire, it was easy enough to get a new fire going and cook up some basic grub for breakfast. What exactly? Who cared about that detail right now, but something basic and filling before another big day. She would try her best to show Amelia how to use the embers to start a new fire and explain that before they left they would have to throw a bucket of water or something over the embers to prevent it being a hazard later down the line, as embers tend to burn for a long time even after a fire is dead, hence why they can even use the embers so easily in the first place. Then once that was done just let Amelia watch as she cooked up the food and then once they had themselves some grub and fed their mons, suppose it was time to move onto their next course of action.

Which, if the info Steph had on the place was right then her next designation seemed obvious as she looked down at the device in her hand showing the map of the route.

"Suppose ahh fuhst stawp is the fishing stoah, rods ahh pretty usaeful faw ooll koinds of theengs. Aftah thaht we gawtta head through the forest t' geh' t' Starbor Village, sao we'll say haow thaht ooll faehs buh' weeth any luck we'll be theah befoah dahk. If nawt, guess weah cahmpin in the forest and gettin t' the village in the mornin'. Nawt much use fussin ovah haow lawng it'll tyke us." Though contrary to what she said, she would love to just rush forward and get the ball rolling. But with the responsibility she had decided to undertake taking care of the little shiela, she just had to be content with a bit of a slower approach than first planned.

But with her plan for the day laid out, she let Amelia give her input or suggestions on what else they could do but otherwise she was set to get going to the store, assuming nothing held them up before they got there it shouldn't take long, but after the hectic day she had yesterday? Wouldn't be surprised if something happened along the way there, but guess that was the fun of the journey now wasn't it!

"Oh and moigh' mayt up weeth a mite of moine, lovely shiela by the nyme of Freya. tohl, blahck haeh, rayl bahsketbohlah, modelin type. yah'll knaow hah whaen yah say hah."