Every single dilapidated structure called out to her. Things that lasted the troubles Cipher brought to the land. Whether or not they had something to do with why these were abandoned she wouldn't know without a proper look. Unfortunately for her, but fortunately for the mission, every time she spent too long looking and starting to venture into what clearly was not a place the pokemon that stole the engine were hiding, Sage yipped to help direct her toward another spot.

Sploosh

She looked down then let out a heavy sigh. That would be a nightmare to clean, but she wore her hiking boots for a reason. She expected to step in stuff, and they were already old and beaten. It would have just been nice to not be a mess.

At least they were on the right path. "Okay, you're right. They're not in any if the buildings. Think you can keep us on the trail now that we've got a good fresh bit of oil and maybe scent of whatever that pokemon is to track?

Sage nodded with a confident. "Ee eevee vee ee." He smelled around the oil a bit before leading the way (at least toward the next bit of oil) with his trainer left to follow his lead.

The silence was heavy after Helga said her piece and Jason didn't attempt to break it, following with Slayer and Occisor in tow as they moved on. The silence wasn't oppressive, like it had admittedly felt before the brief, if meaningful, conversation, it more induced a degree of contemplation in Jason as he and his partners followed their wood-dwelling guide. Jason wasn't as naive as he was sure Helga took him for, the scars of what Cipher had done were evident on almost every Evigian native he met. The way they avoided any talk of Cipher was the most apparent, but with some people it was the way they would talk about the organization, the barely contained hatred and contempt and desire for...well, the young and aspiring champion would say revenge. At his dad's suggestion, before meeting with Kapoc and meeting Slayer, Jason had reached out to the Hoenn region's champion, Steven, and talked with him about his goal in Evig. As he followed Helga and walked, something he'd said resurfaced.

"Becoming the champion of a region is more than just being the face of the League, Jason. It involves taking on the future of your Region and proving that the darkness within its legacy does not define it. Teams Magma and Aqua were children compared to Cipher and we have second hand accounts, none of us lived what the Evigians did. If you do become champion, prove you're committed to them and show them you can help build a better future."

Of course, Helga's shared experience, as non-specific as they were, not only reinforced Steven's point but also reminded Jason he was still an outsider striving for a League Championship in a region he didn't grow up in. Which only drove him to prove he was deserving of it. However, before he could let his thoughts wander too much further, the sight of the glowing green balls grabbed his attention. When Helga said not to worry about them, he nodded and continued to follow, watching them grow in number as they got closer to whatever they were approaching. After a few more minutes of trekking, they finally arrived at a grey building that almost seemed like a plant nursery. Looking at it, the building seemed to descend into the Earth and, as he looked at it, he recognized the symbols and markings from the ruins in Route 4, where he'd caught Murus. "This is as far as I can take you," Helga said 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."

Jason nodded and then looked at the building, taking a deep breath. He was here to explore this and find out the information that restless scientist was trying to prove. And it started here. "Right, well, in I go. Occisor, Slayer, you two ready?" The two Pokemon nodded, Occisor much more confidently than Slayer, and the three strode into the ruins, wary but ready.

---

Tristan was understandably a bit shaken, having not expected such an experience from a story regarding a legendary figure. Overwhelming could be considered the most prudent term. The walk offered the needed recompense though it was not long before they would arrive at the resarch center.

After what he just experienced, the thought of a long and drawled out boring lecture on plants was mind-numbingly boring, at least at first.

Then entered Dr. Burgundy, who seemed to somehow draw people in almost immediately with the confident way the extinguished man carried himself. Something that certainly could not be said about a certain grouch; merely thinking of the void of life bastard sent a frustrated shiver through his body. He could only hope Burgundy was nothing like that uncouth louse.

As such, his reservations were understandable; albeit poignantly dickish without noticing.

Shortly after, Burgundy would start his lecture centered on zones and flowers. At first appearing to lose interest, but the doctor proved to have a certain..allure or aura that had even Tristan starting to pay attention.

Unbeknownst to the rattled teen still in the midst of learning interesting tidbits on temperature and soil effect on plant life, found himself drawn in just as much as the surrounding crowd. His pause also proving to be super-effective as a number, he, included had been holding their breath.

"It's magic."

Breaths exhaled almost in unison, a brief applause following.

A begrudging clap from Tristan. His sudden foul mood lessening considerably. The man was not quite done yet, however as mention of Aria's name got his attention once more. " The Moon Petal Pokemon. " The title of legend and myth told or at least a tiny portion of it. Seeing the peculiar remains both unnerving yet immensely fascinating.

The speech ending with one last big mention, the Illusive woods.* Hang on. I feel I've accidentally stumbled onto something..assuming this is that same...wicked forest.* Briefly recalling the intense ominous aura felt from it made his body shiver yet again.

"Now, does anyone have any questions?"

After some contemplation, Tristan raised his right hand." Yes, this Illusive woods you spoke of. These are the same enchanted forest with some strange..force around it, to clarify yes? If so, I am curious if there is a way into said forest? Plus, I feel there might be some strange things going on as I have caught two shiny pokemon within the garden only prior to coming here." He asked, appearing as if like bragging, but Tristan decided to share it after hearing about the strange effect surrounding the forest.

@Sanguine Rose

Dilapidated farm houses can still be saved for later, she had a bloody job to do. With the aid of Sage they followed the traces of oil for around ten minutes. There was something incorrect that she assumed. Back at the apricorn farm, the man suggested that they would most likely be taking shelter in one of the old farm buildings. The smell of oil would start to become noticeable to Faye and then the sound of metal smacking metal. Eventually, she would reach another old farm house with ground floor windows. Whatever was there, they had not noticed that she arrived outside of their hideout.

While she could run in head first, she did not have any information on what Pokemon she was actually dealing with or even how many of them there were. After all, she wasn't like Tristan who headed towards danger because he did not use his head out of some worthless sense of pride.

What does she do?

---

@Zarkun

With only nervous bravery, Jason walked up the stone stairs to the entrance with his team and led them through the entrance. What they found was a corridor made from the same stone as the exterior that descended down to lord knows where, their footsteps echoed as they walked. The corridor was lit with the green whisps of flame floating aimlessly as he continued his descent. At some point the corridor turned into flight of stairs once it became too steep. He had to watch his head though for the occasional tree root hanging from above as he walked though it was uneventful.

Eventually after spending quite some time descending through the temple he found something that he had not seen something in quite some time, sunlight.

---

@samreaper

Dr. Burgundy turned his attention to the silver haired boy and said with a joking grin, "Well, if I were you I would suggest buying a lottery ticket."

There were some chuckled from the tour group though not at Tristan's expense. The scientist, still with the affable grin continued, "But no, the garden does not increase the amount of shiny variations of Pokemon. That was just pure luck, but that's great for you. Many collectors would be envious just to have one." Sometimes there was no deeper meaning in things that happens. Somethings they happened just because and finding meaning where there isn't anything is a pointless endeavor.

"To answer your other question, we can only assume that there is a way because Aria has been on record to come and go freely from the Illusive Woods, a place famous for making people disappear. However, we also have other records from hundreds of years ago though they are quite fantastical in nature. Old texts mainly spoke through poetic drivel, such as and I paraphrase mind you, 'the Illusive Woods will not bring thy fall to thine who wear gratitude to all' or 'the mist will break when the sibling beasts awake,'" the scientist explained with obvious skepticism. Most stories that came from that time period would typically be considered unreliable mainly because the text was vague and sometimes plainly false. However, perhaps there is something to be gleamed even from the vagueness.

Dr. Burgundy continued, "Other than that, Aria's journals did not say much in how to get in. What we do know is from her records is that it's home to many fairy-type Pokemon. If we're going to be honest and this is my own personal opinion, she was trying to keep us out. As for why I can't say for certain."

What does Tristan do?

---

Tristan listened to the doctor explain answers to his questions with a sarcastic skepticism that somehow made Tristan feel a bit insulted. Not for himself, but for Lady Aria. The man's attitude with how he almost seemed to belittle the idea of these myths and legends as merely an amusing thought.

Not that the man was exactly wrong either. Such fantastical things does seem unlikely, but after the stories of Aria's tale; in fact true at that and....

That... unseen force. Previously thought to be ominous, though, however, the details about this moon petal mon and Aria linked certainly seemed clear. Could it be the source or guarding said source of whatever... mythicism surrounded the forest truly made to be illusive.

Mention of Aria having a way to enter in and out certainly stood out.

" she was trying to keep us out. As for why I can't say for certain."

Those words. Something did not fit for some reason. If she was the only one allowed passage then... maybe she had an item that allowed it? Why such a force would be put up, he could not say though saying it was to keep everyone out felt like only part of the story.

Taking all his thoughts and considerations together, Tristan raised his hand once more." Doctor, may I ask one more question. Has that.., crystal memorium been attempted to be brought near the forest?" He asked curiously, hoping not to come across trying to offend.

Unsurprisingly, as Jason descended down the stairs, the dark was the most prevalent thing that he could see as he followed the stairs down into the earth, eventually returning both Occisor and Slayer to their balls just to avoid accidentally knocking one of them over. Time seemed to stretch here, as he had no real source of light aside from the light his phone's flashlight offered, but he was willing to bet that when he finally saw the natural light, he had been walking down for some time. He turned off the flashlight off and approached, squinting his eyes as the sun hit them and then staring in awe of what he was standing in.

All around him showed a place caught in time, stone grown over with greenery but, despite everything, looking like it was as fresh as the day it was placed. In the middle as Jason looked around, sitting in the center of a pedestal, was what looked to be a piece of a flute, something that seemed to draw in the aspiring champion. The green flames continued to dance around, doing little more than existing and Jason, after staring at the piece of flute for a few minutes, sighed. "Well, fortune favors the bold and all that." Reaching out, he clasped the flute piece.

@samreaper

"We have tried to see what would happen, but it's just the preserved remains of her Pokemon. They are not the key to the forest. It's a shame, I would've loved to see the mysterious Moon Petal Pokemon, but perhaps it's just not meant to be," he said wistfully. He would lead the tour through the rest of the tour, but to Tristan it would've been uneventful as nothing could have been more interesting than what he had heard before.

Eventually, the tour group was brought back to the lobby. The tour guide that original led them through the building originally had brought them back. "I hope you all enjoyed our tour! If you'd like, please enjoy lunch at our restaurant or bring your patronage to our giftshop! Thank you and have a nice day!"

With that, Tristan was soon left alone. The portrait of Aira Eberg stared at him from across the room.

What does he do?

---

@Zarkun

Touching the piece of metal he could feel his place in reality slip. He was no longer in the temple, at least that's what it looked like. Jason was standing in the middle of a burning forest, flames roared uncontrollably as smoke billowed up with a violent intensity and yet he could not feel the heat. His lungs were filled with clean, humid air.

He watched as an outside observer both man and Pokemon run for their lives, fleeing from the forest. A tree gave out from the flames and collapsed with a great crack and then a resounding boom as it smashed against the ground, crackling with embers. It had fallen on someone who in their panic was too distracted or maybe too slow to avoid it. A hand peaked out from beneath the burning trunk.

"Don't stop running! We have to get out here!" A man yelled out as he literally ran through Jason.

"What is even happening?! What is that?!" A woman pointed up at the night sky and in it was a sight that Jason had never seen before, in fact, it was almost impossible to describe. It was like looking an aurora shattered like glass and yet, it looked like a hole where somehow it had lines that look ripped out of a geometry notebook's paper. For a brief moment. Jason could see something emerge from the anomaly in the sky.

Before he could see what came out green flames erupted from the flute piece that knocked him onto his back, suffering from minor stinging burns and maybe some slight bruising. After recovering, Jason would see that the flute hovered in place though the green whisps came pouring in from the shrine, from the corridor, and maybe even the outside and focused around it. The whisps molded and twisted, giving itself shape. It was something strange, something that he had never seen before; it was humanoid and somehow clown-like, but at the same time it was alien. However, it wasn't real; it was only made of flame.



It looked at Jason, well, at least he thought it did, and stood there as the only thing between him and his prize.

Echo of Immolation challenges you to battle!

What does Jason do?

Sage didn't make much noise following the scent, but he started walking even more carefully when he heard the sound of metal being banged. Eventually his purple haired trainer heard the noise too and slowed to a more careful walking pace with her focus entirely on where the sound was coming from. There wasn't any way to get distracted from something literally drawing your attention with a racket.

And there was no way in this or any other world Faye was going to just rush on in there. She may not have known what pokemon it was, but she knew what kind it was. It was the kind that could - even if it took a dozen of them - remove and carry a vehicle engine well away from the spot they stole it. It was the kind of pokemon that could apparently work metal. That was the kind of pokemon she wasn't going to ambush without knowing how big or how many or any thing like that.

Sage stopped away from the house, watching the front door. Faye made her way around to a side window, hoping to find one she could see the pokemon inside without having to creep up on the porch. If she needed to go up on the porch to see in a window where the pokemon worked, she'd do so carefully testing the boards with each step ensure she didn't pick a board that would creak and alert the engine stealers to an intruder, or - worse - snap under her weight and cause her to get hurt.

Step one: find out what pokemon she was going to be dealing with, and if the engine was still intact.
Step two: carefully get their attention and try to negotiate.
Step three: recover the engine by any means.

So, onto step one. She peeked in a window with her pokedex at the ready to help identify the pokemon.

The sudden vision confused Jason, but he paid attention all the same. The great fire that made Starbor what it is now, but...what was that hole in the sky... However, before he could really try and figure out what he saw, the piece of metal in his hand let off a small eruption, giving the hand that had grabbed it very minor burns and setting the trainer on his ass as he grunted in slight pain and surprise. As the flames all gathered and coalesced into the shape of a Pokemon that Jason had never seen or even heard of before and his Pokedex had no clue what it was either. Regardless, however, Jason was not leaving without that flute peace. So when the figured faced him and gave off the aura of wanting a battle, he pulled out a Pokeball and let Sable out, the Totodile spinning in place before facing it's opponent. Jason smiled slightly, this little crocodile was prone to never want to be alone, but he knew he could count on her when it came time for battle. "Alright Sable, since this thing's made of green flames, what say we use Water Gun to try and put them out. Following that, let's hit it with a Mud-Slap!"

---

The answer the doctor gave proved him to be wrong, but only on the object which now that he thought about it was not, only too obvious. It also looked to be too big and likely heavy which for Lady Aria would be far too inconvenient.

And Burgundy merely stated that said object wasn't it. The possibility of some special key or so was still very much real.

Coming to the research center proved more fruitful than the teen expected, who previously merely had a passing curiosity about entering the forest now found himself intrigued. Especially more so if this Moon Petal Pokemon really has some connect to Aria.

And considering that the only way into said forest was through said item, then better to pursue and get their hands on it now. Recalling it now, Faye mentioned needing to look something up in passing.* Hmph, where is that frump gallivanting around anyway?* Tristan pondered, annoyed.

Why was the rich, spoiled teen doing detective work? A question with no real answer and at this point it didn't matter. Tristan was already where he needed to be and had most of the info needed now, so might as well make use of it.

Figuring the tour had nothing else for him from this point on, he chose to lag behind. His initial opinion of Dr. Burgundy now uncertain. As while he disliked the grumpy asshole, Kapoc..the man was at least honest. At least that's what he felt. Doesn't change his dislike of the horrid man and that wicked dragon beast of his.

Now left alone and no Tristan had no intention of wandering off and causing trouble. Instead, he chose to inspect the museum artefact involving Aria, starting naturally with her portrait. If the woman indeed had such an item, then items concerning her could hold a clue.

Amelia was happy to see that Steph seemed to be in a good mood and was more than willing to slow down to show Amelia a thing or two about being out in the wild and how to take care of some basic things when not in civilization. As such, once she was done packing up her things, she moved over to Steph's side and watched and listened carefully to everything that the older girl said. The first thing was breakfast and for this, Amelia actually brought out what looked like a sketchpad and pencil that she had in her bag and used these to write down the instructions and ingredients Steph used, that way she would have it on hand in case she and Steph either got separated or went their separate ways and Amelia couldn't recall the recipe from memory. Thankfully, Steph kept it simple, but the meal was also still rather flavorful. Amelia was more than happy to eat it and share it with her partners, all of whom seemed to enjoy as well.
"Thank you for the meal, it was very delicious." She said once she had cleared her plate.

After that, Steph moved on to what they should do when it came to leaving camp. Amelia understood the importance of this bit and when the lesson was over, she had Golett put out the fire they no longer needed with it Mud Shot, that way the embers would be out for certain. With all of that done, she would be read to head out with Steph, as the older girl listed their objectives for the day. Amelia was fine no matter where they went, though Starbor Village still made her a bit nervous. It was just a small boat ride away from Florasong and that made it way to close to home for Amelia to be completely comfortable with. She had been planning on passing through the village as quickly as possible before, but if Steph felt like staying a bit longer, Amelia would put her reservations aside and try to enjoy herself. After all, it would be her first time in the village.

As they walked, Steph brought up another person they might meet, a girl named Freya. Steph didn't give too many details on the girl's personality and her description of this Freya was a bit more on a vague side, but she reckoned she would be able to recognize the other girl if she spotted her.
"I'll be sure to keep an eye out for her as we go. What kind of person is she though? Have you known her long? Is she a trainer as well and if so, what kind of pokemon does she use?" Amelia asked, figuring such details would help paint a bit a of a clearer picture..

@Sanguine Rose

Thankfully, she did not need to test her climbing abilities or the strength of the decaying wood for there was a window around the side of the barn on the ground floor. So, the trainer with the shortest attention span within the entire region peaked her head just enough that she could see the inside of the old barn while whatever was inside would struggle to spot her. What she saw were strange bipedal pink creatures smacking what looked like metal baby rattlers against scraps of metal.

Using her trusty Pokedex, she accessed its database and in its robotic voice it said to absolutely no one's surprise,



Luckily, she could see that the scraps of metal that the Tinkatinks were pounding were not made from the engine, at least not yet. Faye could see the engine sitting in the middle of the barn.

What does Faye do?

---

@Zarkun

Didn't Jason's parents tell him not to play with fire?

The Echo with great ease dashed out of the way of the stream of water seeking to douse it. The construct was faster than what Jason could have expected, and its assault was relentless. Without missing a beat, flame twisted and swelled from its shape before spitting out a series of fire balls at the mud slung at it, causing embers and mud to splatter against the flora and stone. It did not give either Jason or Sable a moment to breathe as it dashed straight towards the bipedal shiny crocodile and threw its flaming fist straight down at it with ferocity. Even if Sable could resist it, eating a hit from whatever in the fresh hell this thing was not going to go down well for the duo.

How does Jason intend to counter this?

---

@samreaper

So, Tristan unknowingly had all the pieces, but it was up to him to figure out what those pieces were. The tour finished and he was standing back in the foyer with no real sense of direction though not in his typical lost way that would make a certain former Galarian champion blush. No, he had idea where to take his investigation, except to the beginning. He stood in front of the portrait of Aria Eberg where her attire would be considered quite beautiful, it did not stand out from the typical fashion of the time. She was holding a bouquet of Gracidea Flowers, a beautiful flower with reddish pink petals. For real life comparison, it would resemble a Mandevilla.

There was nothing else of note in the painting, but there were also a series of photographs and other paintings that he could examine if he wished to do so.

---

Tristan observed the portrait closely for anything that might stand out. Besides being a lovely painting, little else stood out, other than her impeccable taste but that went without saying. The bouquet of Gracidea flowers were the only thing the woman seemed to have on her besides jewelry.

A thought came to mind as he studied the bouquet though it was only that. What he was thinking seemed like it was on the right path, but if it was that simple then accessing the forest would have been solved already. Though, considering the stories he was told up to this point and Lady Aria's achievement and theming with plants being too strong to ignore.* If this woman did indeed have some kind of key or totem then it must either be a very specific small item that had since been lost or...something that is actually easy to get but requires more to it.* The silver-haired teen contemplated.

If it was indeed some kind of plant, this could explain how she would easily hide it since the woman was likely seen with flowers or other plant on her person quite often considering her position. The pieces were there, but something was still missing.

" This whole thing is peculiar. Why even put up such a barrier to begin with? And keep it such a secret for that matter." Was it really to keep humans out or was it to keep whatever inside? The inverse was possible as well, there was also this mysterious Moon Petal...

Right index finger gently tapping against his left arm as he pondered over this. Things were starting to connect though best to check around more to see if he could glean any clear proof. With his plan of action decided, Tristan moved about inspecting any portratis related to Lady Aria, where he would search for any commonality or hints.

@Joshua Tamashii

Well, with Amelia on board with the plan for the day, Steph watched as the Golett put out the fire with one of its moves, smothering the embers of the fire in wet mud. Huh, well that worked as well I guess! Anything that got the job done and that seemed like it should. Now she wondered if a Pokemon with Flashfire could just absorb the heat of the embers or not...wait, she had other things to think about first!

Currently, she was being bombarded by a bunch of questions from her diminutive travelling companion, which she took a moment to think on the first one though the others would be pretty straightforward.

"Noice, koind, reliable. praetty and tohl as waell loike Oy side. Fuhst toime Oy maeh' hah she pahtched me up aftah Oy lawst some skiien cahtchin Dusk heah whaen he faell aftah Oy tawssed hiiem up a leettle too hoigh. Should've thaw' abeow' thaht bettah buh' ih' is whaht ih' is." As she spoke, she showed off the bandages of her little incident yesterday. Were some details omitted? From Stephs perspective, not really. From literally anyone who witnessed her yeeting her Litwick like a baseball? Oh absolutely a lot missed.

"Oolsao haelped me eow' whaen some douche nuggeh' drawngao desoided t' troy and stayl moy Pokedex, gyve me a lovely tiiep on wheah t' cahtch a Growlithe, absolutely schooled a reech punk. Oh roigh', she's oolsao tykin on the chohlenge sao ye she's a triner oolsao. frawm whaht Oy knaow of, she uses a Growlithe and...uh...i...dawn't knaow whaht else."
Ok that question wasn't straightforward. Did she see her use another Pokemon? Nothing came to mind other than the Growlithe she had, which was what led to Steph questioning where she got it and the subsequent capture of her own.

"Buh' she's praetty good and strawng frawm whaht Oy saw, and nawt just in a bahttle. Muynaged t' hawld me bahck frawm sluggin the reech preeck myself! hahaha! Oh buh' haow lawng hahve Oy knaown hah? seence yaestuhdie. Oy'm nawt frawm round heah, if moy accent heah isn't thaht much of an indicuytah heh." As they walked and talked since Steph was walking at a leisurely pace compared to her usual pace to allow Amelia to keep up with her, Steph decided to also keep an eye out for anything interesting on their way to the rod store. Whether that was a wild Pokemon interaction or maybe another trainer, maybe some problem she could solve for someone, she didn't care much.

The training before hadn't quite scratched that itch. She had an itching for a fight, a proper fight, and not whatever that was back in the alleyway. She wouldn't accept that as her first, proper trainer fight. And sure she could challenge Amelia to one, but no offense to the kid she didn't seem like the challenge she was after.

If not, then she wouldn't be too fussed if she made it to the fishing store without incident.

Jason blinked in surprise at the perfect dodge and counter to his attacks and, as the blazing fist flew towards Sable, he knew he couldn't let her get hit. "Sable, dodge and then more Mud-Slap's. If an opening presents itself, blast it with water gun! But don't let it touch you!" He didn't know how powerful this thing was and he wasn't going to cause Sable to take more damage than he had to.

@samreaper

Now that Tristan had calmed down and was not having a PTSD induced panic attack, there was a common trend in the paintings and photographs; many of them featured Gracidea Flowers in one way or another. Even in photos that were in black and white, he could see flowers of similar shape to that of the Gracidea. They weren't the key focus, typically just decoration though maybe to him it would've been strange that they were featured so heavily. If Tristan could confirm one thing about them, it was that she certainly had a fondness for these flowers. However, it could've gone as far as her just liking them. There may have been no special meaning behind it. What did Tristan know about flowers anyway? He was just some rich kid that probably has never even touched a blade of grass before, which would explain why he is so out of touch with reality.

Now, there were a few avenues that he could take. He could ask an employee some questions regarding the matter, or he could try his luck and gain access to Aria's journals and personal letters. During the tour they were mentioned to be held in the library for posterity's sake. After all, they gave insights and historical accounts of not just her private life, but to the history of Florasong and even other historical accounts that happened around the rest of the region. Or he could just assume that he has the answer though there was always more to dig. After all, Aria purposefully made sure no one else, but her knew how to enter the forest and like the good Dr. Burgundy said, it was like she was trying to keep everyone else out even in death. What was she hiding?

What does Tristan do?

---

@Joshua Tamashii@Lunarlord34

The two spooky girls enjoyed their leisurely morning walk along the riverside, maybe Amelia more so than Steph. After all, anything had to be better than experiencing the eldritch truth for the first time. Also finding the shadow people was traumatizing too.

Let it also be known that Steph did indeed see her other partner Pokemon, but since her short-term memory was quite lacking this narrator will not remind her.

To get to the fishing store, they would step on a wooden quay where even the earliest hours of the morning there were people fishing. Actually, there were a lot more than either would expect in the morning. Most of the fisherman with mainly older men that looked like they had nothing better to do with their retirements though there were some young people that were clearly on vacation. They heard the sound of a cold one being cracked open. Oh dear.

While Steph was keeping her eyes peeled for anything for her to fight, it was best to try and keep one's eyes focused on what was in front of them. The Galarian bumped into a fisherman who was clearly reeling something in that was giving a good fight, but the bump just caused the man's grip just to loosen enough that the rod was ripped from his hands and sailed into the water with a great plop.

"My rod!" He cried out in dismay before quickly turning to Steph with clear vitriol and said, "Alright, you better take responsibility for that!"



The fisherman threw a Pokemon and out came the pointiest fish alive. It looked like its preferred prey was children.



Whatever Steph sends out, the fisherman will order the Carvanha to use Aqua Jet.

Meanwhile, Amelia would just be there to witness this needless battle with Steph who was jonesing for a fight completely in the zone. However, someone approached her; a girl with wavy black hair and gentle crimson eyes that sparkled in the morning light. She wore a white, sleeveless blouse, a lavender skirt that reached slightly past her knees, and lavender closed toe sandals. This girl was remarkably pretty, almost like a model. She was also tall as hell, like God damn! Amelia would have to bend her back a bit to actually get a look at her.

"Well, it looks like Steph is enjoying herself," she said to herself with a chuckle. The girl looked down at Amelia and smiled, kneeling down to her level as much as she could. "Oh you're absolutely adorable! Are you traveling with Steph too?"

---

@Zarkun

Just by the scale of its teeth the Totodile dodged that flaming fist, the impact cracking the ground and sending bits of stone up into the air. Jason not wasting any opening ordered Sable to use Mud Slap, the little crocodile kicked up clod straight at the flaming figure. The Echo did not have enough time to dodge such a quick follow up at close range and was hit by the mud in its face, at least where one would assume its face would be. It recoiled in pain and seemed to be temporarily blinded by the mud, which gave the opportunity that Jason had been looking for to attack again.

A stream of water pulsed forward with great force and collided with the Echo causing the creature to reel back in pain. Steam radiated from its figure with a sizzle and yet despite the damage done to it, it still maintained its shape. Jason was going to need to put in a bit more work to take it down because this thing was sure going to do the same to him if giving the chance.

It jumped up in the air and landed on one of those stone fixtures hanging by chains from the ceiling. It began to blast spheres of ember at Sable and jumped from fixture to fixture as it did so to make it hard to pin down.

What does Jason do?

@Joshua Tamashii@hatakekuro
The day had barely even begun and she was already getting into a fight. Today was a good day! She didn't even get a chance to apologise for the man before he sent out a Carvanah and honestly, Steph was just appreciating the fact that he wasn't using it on her after her previous experience the day before. Also, how was this taking responsibility? Eh, who cared right? This was definitely more of Steph's style!

And even if she did apologise, would the guy understand a word of what she said? Absolutely not.

"Carvanah huh? Guess thy must be caught round heah." Steph mused as she held a hand up to her should where Dusk was getting ready to jump down and defend his trainer, glancing at the girl as her hand blocked her partners path. [color=f37B5A9]"Nahh Dusk mite, thiies ine't a foigh' yah cahn wiien. Oy knaow just the gahl."[/color]

Reaching down to her belt, she unclicked a ball on the side and tossed it out to reveal...Vi the Toxel.

It was pretty straightforward, right? She was fighting a water type so using her electric type was the best choice here. This would also give her a proper chance to see what Vi was capable of as well, having only really used her against some poor wildlife.

"Roightao vi, fuhst yaw gawnna use Growl thaen laeh' the drongo heah hiieh' ya and whaen he does use Nuzzle gawt ih'?" The Toxel looked back at her with a bit of skepticism at the incoming pokemon clad in water but figured it was fine to trust her. Steph wished she more of a ranged option, because since Nuzzle required contact and all it didn't really leave much options to use without getting hit and she figured Vi here could at least take the one hit. After all, one hit was all she really needed to win this fight with Nuzzle.

"Aftah thaht, spiieh' eow' some Acid roigh' in hiies pointy fyce."

While this happening, she was quite absorbed in the fight and didn't notice Freya coming up to Amelia. Oh well, she would just have to say hi to her friend when she finally did notice I guess.

---

Through his inspections of the portraits and pictures involving Lady Aria, he would quickly take notice of the flower being the one similar link. Outside that, nothing else stood out from his investigation. It was both strange and yet not? Considering all her achievements involving plants and flowers and all.

And one would figure the woman to have a number of favorite flowers. But, in all images were the same type of flower; in fact, he could hardly recall seeing any that did not have one involved whether on her person directly or simply part of the image in some way.

Peculiar indeed." Either the lady just really loves that flower or.... but surely it can't be something that simple can it?" Tristan muttered to himself as he pondered off to the side having chosen an angle where he could not be seen. As his actions would likely come off as strange." But, seriously. This can't be it...can it?" Though it also made perfect sense. With her intent to keep whatever lie within the forest secret, she would choose an item that even if she lost could easily be replaced and not to mention completely inconspicuous.

The mere notion sounded so laughably ridiculous and for a moment he thought to laugh the idea off.

Then his mind was struck with a flashback recalling the researcher and his skeptical and dismissive approach.

He had nearly fallen into the same mental trap as the researchers. If the answer really was this flower. An answer right under their nose this whole time."Because the answer is, just as her life was like. Magical." He commented aloud to himself, his eyes briefly tearing up at this possible revelation.

Of course, even Tristan wasn't stupid enough to go and outright say or assume this to be the answer and he merely thinks the flower is involved in some way. Whether the flower was just the first part or if it was the key itself.

For now, he needed to find out more information on said flower and where he may procure one. The silver-haired teen turned to get moving only to halt in his tracks.* Hold on a second. Why the hell am I doing this menial grunt work when Fahe...or was it fuha? Gah, whatever! She was the one who wanted to go in in the first place.*

After having this thought, Tristan changed course to make towards the exit but with each step his curiosity on the mystery behind the forest and Aria, this moon petal mon and something about sibling beasts?

Without consciously noticing he would realized he was standing in front of the same counter from before.* Damn that glorious woman. How could anyone resist!* Grumbling his acceptance; besides, to have an opportunity to hold this over Faye was a delicious little cherry on this delicious mystery sundae.

" A sublime dessert with impeccable flavor that delights the tongue." Said Tristan, who took a few seconds to realize he muttered out loud. Quickly shifting into a throat clearing cough." A-ahem. Pardon, merely a treat from lunch lingering on the mind too much." Playing it off with an awkward laugh, his hand covering his embarrassed flushed face.

Hoping to have saved himself some bit of pride there, Tristan gave one more clearing cough against his fist." I apologize. I don't intend to waste your time too much, so I would like to ask where I may find information on this...Gra..gracie? No...Gracedie flower? Or where one could perhaps be obtained?" Asked the teen, genuinely curious to know.

He was already this far in. Might as well and see how this plays out and if this whole flower route proves to be a bust they can still back out before its too late.

Right?

Jason would have crowed in victory if it wasn't for the fact that the figure was clearly still full of fight despite the two back to back blows When it leapt up to the fixtures, Jason was already giving orders, trying to anticipate. "Sable, dodge everything it throws at you, don't stop moving and keep track of what it throws at you." No sooner did he finish saying that than the being a flame threw ember after ember at his Totodile, leaping from fixture to fixture to keep from being pinned down. At this point, Jason decided that dodging everything probably wasn't practical and instead adjusted his orders. "Sable, dodge what you can and block what you can't dodge with Mud-Slap and Water Gun. The moment it presents an opportunity, just like before, hit it with all you got!"

The journey to the fishing store was nice and peaceful. Amelia did her best to keep up with Steph's pace, managing to do so with little effort, though she suspected that Steph might have slowed down a bit for her. But as they walked along the Route, Amelia took the time to look around at their surroundings. She had grown used to being up late and as such, she was usually still asleep until around noon, making being up this early a bit of a new and refreshing experience. Seeing things cast in the light of early dawn wasn't dissimilar to the world in cast in the light of dusk, save for the pokemon that were coming out. As they walked, Amelia paid a mind to her sixth sense, always eager to see if she could feel a Ghost-Type nearby.

When they reached the fishing shop and the wood quay that it was built on, she watched the pokemon swimming around beneath the surface of the water, wondering how many she might be able to recognize. This resulted in her lagging behind a bit and with her attention elsewhere, she didn't notice when Steph stopped to battle the fisherman who had decided to pick a battle with the older girl. This resulted in her running into Steph, letting out a small cry of surprise as she fell back, managing to stay on the wooden path. As she was getting up, she heard someone mentioning Steph by name and had to look up to see a very tall and very pretty looking girl. The next thing she knew, this giant was kneeling down to her height and even complimenting her, something Amelia had not been expecting.
"Oh... um... tha... thank you." She said in a low, embarrassed voice, quickly looking at the ground as her cheeks turned bright red. She still wasn't used to being given compliments by people she didn't know and she honestly wasn't that cute... was she? Surely she was just average. "But... uh... oh, you... are you... Freya?"