Byjerlfal City, SS Calliope

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@XxFellsingxX@Savo@Crusader Lord@PKMNB0Y@Thayr@Pyromania99

“Gahaha, you guys have the steel to weather the toughest of storms, I’ll give you that!”

Amid the noise of the cruise liner guests, a boisterous, though gravely voice rang out high above the others. A small crowd had gathered on the top deck where one of the cruises' main attractions were - what else but an arena for pokemon battles. This wasn’t just any normal battle, however.

On one side, a Dhelmise.

In another, an Annihilape.

“Most folks aren’t prepared for Dhel here.” The owner of the voice, an older gentleman dressed in an old dark blue navy uniform. Long wind-swept hair white with age. “Good, a man needs to be prepared to face any wave out on the sea.”

“Your praise is unneeded, Sir Tuule. This was merely a whim for Annihilape. He was quite eager to test his mettle against a strong opponent. He is my only partner and under any other circumstances the outcome might be very different.” The opponent, a man dressed in highly traditional looking clothing, something that perhaps might be seen in Tohjo or Kantona.

“Don’t undersell yourself. Luck has gotten many a man through a gale. Now then, lad, I’ll be generous and let you have the first move.”

“Very well then. Annihilape, Rage fist!”

Annihilape let out a cry, an angry but focused growl as it leaped forward, fist glowing with ghostly fire -

“Heh…Dhelmise! Phantom force!”

The seconds before it made contact, Dhelmise simply vanished into the ether, the fist of the Annihilape missing entirely.

It wasn’t unusual to see people fighting aboard the ship. What was unusual…is that this was the Ship captain. A man by the name of Tuule…and also the Gym Leader of Rivenwall. His opponent was a trainer that they had picked up in Kantona after a brief stop over for the final leg of the journey.

The battle would last quite a while, neither side being able to get a decisive blow or being hit with a battle changing move. Dhelmise made good use of its moves - it lacked speed compared to its opponent but yet, it hit much harder and was able to take more blows. Annihilape though, was faster and was able to avoid most of Dhelmise slower moves.

“Gyro ball!”

“Tch-Annihilpe! Rage fist before it can finish the wind up-!” The monkey pokemon leaped towards the anchor, but the moment he did so, the anchor was launched, slamming right into the Annihilapes body and sending it flying out of the arena, and almost overboard into the sea below.

“...Humph. Good fight, but not good enough kid.” The captain chuckled, grabbing a walkie talkie from his coat. “Alright everyone! I hope you enjoyed the battle!” His voice echoed everyone over the ship, coming over through the PA system. “This is your Cpatain speaking! We’ll be pulling into port shortly! Everyone get ready to pack up and move out! If you need assistance, ask any of the crew! I’ll be out on deck.” Turning back to his opponent he’d offer a toothy grin. “What’s your name, anyway lad?”

And so the ship would pull into the port at Byjerlfal not too long later. Camphor asked those who were on the cruise to gather here at the dock and wait for one of her assistants - a woman by the name of Camilla - to meet them here to lead them to the lab.

Byjerlfal
City, Commercial District

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@Crimson Flame@Theyra@Bartimaeus@VitaVitaAR

The airport was just as lively as the ship was though it was of a different excitement.

“Like seriously, have you ever thought about getting into the contest scene? You’ve got the perfect bod for it and that serious cool demeanor the guys will love.”

“Ma’am, I’m just the security you hired. I’d appreciate it if you kept the hands off.”

“Wo-ow. Re-jec-teeeeed. You know, most people would kill for an opportunity for me of all people to sponsor them, but here you are turning me down three times.” The woman in question was wearing a black and yellow dress, and somewhat eccentrically so. She looked more like she belonged home on a stage more than being at an airport.

“Ma’am, I’d ask you to stop being so loud before we draw attention to ourselves-” The other woman was dressed almost the exact opposite. A striped suit, long dark hair and a no nonsense, almost tired looking expression.

“Aw, and deny my wonderful fans a chance at an Autograph? Pfft, fat chance.”

“Ma’am, I am authorized to forcefully move you out of here and to the venue.”

“You’d use force against a delicate flower such as myself?”

“Yes. Excessive force.”

“Tch, you’re no fun, suit - ah. Well it looks like the fans found me.”

True as she said, a small crowd had gathered. A quick look at various posters and adverts in the plane terminal said something about the current round of contest finals being held in Byjerlfal - later today of all things! Aside from having the best of the best coordinators showing, the current Contest Star dubbed the ‘Dream of Byjerlfal’ was making an appearance herself - which was the woman now being swarmed by fans - the Bug Type gym leader of Honinngton by the name of Valarie.

The crowd was quickly growing and making it a small bit difficult to get out of the terminal. The security woman seemed less then amused and was seemingly questioning the life choices that led her to this exact moment.

Camphor had instructed all those that were coming from within the region to board a plane and be welcomed by one of her assistants. A woman by the name of Frieda. Even the one of you that were already living in Byjerlfal, she had instructed to meet up here first before heading to the lab.

The crowd was steadily growing. Above the crowd though, one could see a small sign being held up by what was a tiny little pair of arms that said 'Camphors Lab', though it was hard to see who was holding it up as they were now well past the steadily growing crowd of Valaries fans.

"Mmm... I suppose that logic would have me lean in favor of the Annihilape, but playing right into Dhelmise's strengths like that... Maybe he would've done better if he tried to leverage some more support moves and setup rather than focus wholly on attacks? No, wait, Giga Drain might throw a wrench in things here... But I think that Annihilape should be able to get angry enough for a good Rage Fist to work if it tries to weather the storm, right...?"

Compared to many of the other spectators on board the ship, the young brown-haired man seemed to be less caught up in the spectacle of the match and more focused on the actions that led to the challenger's defeat. Even if this wasn't exactly a proper Gym battle, a brief glimpse at what the Gym leader—the ship's captain—could do was information he would gladly shelve away for a future challenge.

With a sigh and shake of his head, Richard Evans simply shrugged his shoulders as the Rotom Phone he was taking notes on promptly flew back into his pocket. That was a problem he'd have to tackle in the future—one that was, all things considered, quite close at hand. Though he would have much preferred going through the Unova League on his own terms, the Trainer-to-be had since rationalized the whole "being shipped off to another region by his mother" issue as a way of dodging any sort of comparisons on his journey through a League.

That didn't exactly resolve the issues that he had already—namely, his own habit of reacting to battles as a knowledgable spectator rather than as a trainer proper—but hopefully that habit of armchair analysis would smooth over as time went on.

At least he was aware of it, if anything.

Once the announcement to prepare for landing had arrived, the young man nodded before promptly heading back towards his room. The few weeks he had spent riding on this ship had been pleasant, what with all the stops at major cities the world over, but at the end of the day he was still here to do a job... Even if it was only because of his mother's connections.

Living up to those expectations was why he was here, for better or worse.

After packing what remained around his room into his luggage (which was composed mostly of clothing and souvenirs to ship back home when the time came around), Richard spent the last of his time on board lying on his bed trying to figure out what route he would take to visit all of the Gyms in the region. Doubling back multiple times over did not seem like a great way to spend the next few weeks, and that'd probably make him look like a fool at the end of the day.

Once the SS Calliope had finally docked at port and the tourists began to shuffle off board, Richard quietly merged into the crowd with his goods in tow. All that remained to be done now was to meet up with the others the Professor had brought from overseas and be led to the lab; hopefully, that assistant in question was already waiting for them at the dock so that they (read: he) wouldn't be left stranded in the middle of the city with little more than the clothes on his back.

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

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Mentions: @Pyromania99 @PKMNB0Y Location: SS Calliope, Byjerlfal City

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She could hear it, even though the topside decks were maybe three, four above. In her minds eye, she could see all of them, all the people, all the noise about the battle. When Isla had boarded, she couldn’t really have imagined there being so many in one place, all packed around together. Deep breath, deep breath. Her headphones were tight around her head, music blasting. At the quiet points, she could still hear them. There were so many, watching and yelling and moving and- no, no, too much. For a brief moment before, she’d looked up the city they were going to, Byjerlfal. No idea on how to pronounce the place, one way or another, but then again she’d forgotten about the name the moment the population numbers popped up. After that, Isla hadn’t read much at all about the city.

In some ways she really, really wanted to get back home. She knew everyone there and they all knew her. It was simple and easy, with the only ones who came and went being the trainers at the tower. They were in a whole different category to her, people she couldn’t really make real friends with as they always came and went. But…with so many people, everyone was going to be like that. Isla was already wanting to leave the city before she’d even arrived, to get out on the road and see Pokemon or nature, to just be away from all the people and noise and movement.

Eidda. Hands shook a little as they rummaged around a pocket in her jacket before finding the little folded-up map dad had printed off. There were a lot of places around, different routes to take, a whole new…continent, really. A thought arose at that. How different would the food really be? She’d grown up eating fish, mainly. There was enough coastline for that, surely, but…would they be the same? Maybe, maybe not. Things to try out, Isla supposed, things to try out and experience. She had to like something there, surely, and maybe it’d be something surprising.

Her eyes glanced at the little phone resting on the desk, charging away, and at the message the Professor had sent. What was her name? It reminded her of a Pokemon in some ways. Camphor, that’s what it was. She’d mentioned Tanoby, as well as Nemesis. They seemed sort of…dismissive on things, things deemed boring or dull or sad like the Unknown at those Ruins. Dad had warned her, said that if the Professor was difficult to work with to just accept it and remember she’d not have to work with Camphor directly in the field, right there, all the time. It was weird advice, especially considering all the other Professors Isla knew about. She could remember Oak’s talks, televised and recorded as they were, or Elm and Birch. They were all pretty good, educational, interesting. What’s a Professor like if not that? What’s a Professor who’s not good with talking or being…nice? She wasn’t entirely sure.

The ship’s announcement system came on, something she only noticed by the fact that a little green light appeared next to the speaker. As she took her headphones off, the sound of wind crept through the noise as the Captain gave his announcement. It sounded like he was outside, somewhere. Was he battling? Isla thought, suddenly distracted. Maybe, maybe. The sounds of it had seemed to die down, she thought. In any case, there was that announcement.

“-pulling into port shortly! Everyone get ready to pack up and move out! If you need assistance, ask any of the crew! I’ll be out on deck.”

She looked over at her bags, just an old forest green duffle they’d bought from one of the Seagallop sailors a few years before, already packed away. Sure, there was a sleeping bag tucked away there, a blanket or so, few sets of clothes and the like, a set of waterproofed pants for fishing, and in some ways it was probably not as packed as it could be. It looked almost sad, drooping over slightly with all the weight at the bottom, the metal fasteners at the top jangling slightly. Two rubber boots hung by their laces on one of the straps, only serving to make it look even more awkward. A quick check around the room and, well, everything seemed to be in order there, nothing lost, nothing out of place, and a made bed. Good, good, she thought, everything nice and set. Getting up, her hand slapped against her pocket and gears started to whirr. Phone, phone, phone, phone - she checked under her bag, under the pillow where she kept it while asleep, before her head whipped around to the other side of the room. Desk. Good. Only she could lose something in plain sight, and a bit of relief came at the fact that no one had seen that. It was fully charged, too, and quickly enough unplugged from the socket, the charger wrapped up and put into its proper pocket on her pants. Good.

A ship’s horn, closer. It was…a few blasts, though she couldn’t really make out in what order. Might as well go outside to check. Slipping her phone into her pocket and heaving up the duffle about her shoulders, Isla patted herself down again, checking that she had everything in her pockets where it should be, especially that key card, and clicked off the lights. Down, down, down the hall, and she could hear people in a lot of the rooms packing away in the last minute. Where’s that exit to the weatherdecks, where is that…ah, there. She took the turn, opening the door out into the wind. Well, there was the source of it, a tug pulled up alongside. Leaning out over the railing, boots swinging to one side for just a moment, she felt herself staring, trying to make out details here, there. People moved about on the decks, seeming to be so far away, one of them looking up just a moment. Isla couldn’t help but smile, waving down before feeling foolish at waving, of all things, at a…tug. Whoever it was down there waved back. Ah, crisis averted. Good. Looking back up, she saw for the first time, truly for the first time in person, that city as the tugs swung the ship around, the one she had been staring at moving away and off to the other side.

It seemed so big, compared to everything else, so big and just…tall. Buildings reached up, sleek glass and steel shining against the light, and the streets between them seemed to be lost. Next to the piers and quays, long and low warehouses dotted the landscape, roofs painted at random intervals with various company colors, logos, designs. Where would she find that…assistant? They had to be near the pier, that’d be the best place to be, that or a…terminal, like there was for the Seagallop ferries. There had to be one somewhere, to process people coming on or off the ships. Swallowing her nervousness at the idea, especially at the fact that her plan had boiled down to waiting at the terminal until the vast crowds had finally sifted away from the piers and into the city, she stood there, waiting, waiting as they slowly, slowly came closer to the pier. The warehouses seemed to grow bigger for a moment before they moved past, off and away to a more clear, clean area.

Finally they were right alongside it, the tug engines growing louder as they pushed the ship up against the buffers. Here and there Isla could see little teams waiting, hardhats and even some Pokemon dotting the length of the cruise liner. Lines were cast off and away to the pier, teams working quickly to secure them away, and still they waited. A brow was brought up, a crane working quicker than Isla could have guessed before it was in place as well and lines also set down and secured. Figures moved along it, up and down for a long handful of minutes, before it was finally open to traffic. Quick as can be, it seemed like a floodgate had been opened as tourists moved down it as rapid as they could, down and out into the city.

Wait, wait. She didn’t want to deal with that sort of traffic. She just sort of marveled, breathing in and out, looking at the city and the various little details. There didn’t seem to be any little groups forming on the pier…maybe at the terminal. Probably. Hopefully. Aside from a phone number to call, out to Camphor’s lab directly, there wasn’t much of a backup plan for Isla. She knew she should have gotten out more during their voyage, out and talked to people to try and find others who would be going to the lab as new hires, but just…every time she’d tried, there had just been too many people. Too late for that sort of wishful thinking. Wait, wait. Ah, it was finally clearing up after a…Isla checked her phone. Fifteen minutes? Time had just gone and flown away. She sighed. It wouldn’t do that at the terminal.

Making her way over to it, she turned in her room card with one of the staff members before briefly bounding down the brow. It shook and bent at the action, elastic as it seemed to be, and her heart just dropped. She stopped, waiting for it to stop moving, before starting again with careful, measured steps. Someone behind her chuckled at the pause, another somewhere behind them snorted in annoyance, and Isla tried to ignore both reactions. Definitely not the sort of thing she’d been used to with the Seagallop, there it was as short as could be and you were just…there. Dry land, there it was. She walked to the side just a few steps, letting others go past as she scanned about for…another person who was scanning about? Someone standing to the side and waiting for others? Maybe? There was someone off to the side, and tentatively Isla took a few steps forward.

“Excuse me, sir?”

He looked over, then down again one he realized that whoever he was talking to wasn’t exactly as tall as himself. Oh, heck, he was tall with a big gut, a sparse beard, crinkles in his face that spoke of long years smiling. The huge backpack set down next to him said either tourist or another new hire, but the sparse beard did not say the same. Too old? Maybe he was the assistant, Isla didn’t know how old those got especially with a strange person like this Professor. Maybe he’d just…go out and live life in the mountains? Maybe? He replied with a curious little accent, almost nervous and too quiet among the hum-drum of the pier, and Isla almost had to stretch upwards to hear him. “Yes?”

“Um…” She paused, unsure. The accent didn’t say he was from Eidda…unless she was wrong about that and it was from Eidda. Oh, heck, it was too much to analyze in the moment. “Are you…Professor Camphor’s assistant, sir?”

He stared for a second before smiling, chuckling to himself. “Ah, no. Waiting on the wife. Forgot something in the room. But hey-good luck to you. Good for the kids to run around, even better if some Pokemon Professor helps em out. You have fun.”

“Ahhh…well, thank you. You have a good day, sir.”

“Oh, we will, we will.”

Well, that didn’t work. Looking about again, she didn’t see anyone else waiting on someone to come down. Terminal it was. Where was it…signs, signs, signs…pursing her lips, she walked off from the waiting man purely because she didn’t want to stand around with him and make something awkward. It’d be weird. Where was it…she couldn’t see. Even then there seemed to be too many people and the ship itself still seemed to have more waiting as others came off the brow. Wait, there was a…no, probably not. Maybe? He seemed to also be looking, young as well with maybe a foot of height on her and just a single bag. All the other tourists seemed to be carrying a house with them. Maybe. She inwardly collected herself, little courage and all after the brush with failure before, before approaching him before he got too far away from the pier and all the people coming off of it. Getting in close, she cleared her throat as loudly as she might which was not very loud at all, before speaking up.

“Excuse me, sir, are you…are you one of Professor Camphor’s new hires too?”

Restraining her powers in a general sense was certianly something Clarissa had become accustomed to, whether it was on a plane or on a ship or just in the general sense. Something as easy as breathing air these days, at least better so compared to only two years ago if nothing else. At the same time, however, she didn't have to be psychic to take a guess at a few of the looks she got on the plane during boarding, after getting up in the air, and after landing again. Even her mother had noted that the psychic trainer's attire was certainly like that of 'some kind of Junior Detective' in some capacity. Was it so strange, though?

...To her, that answer was a solid 'no'. Not compared to how Eidda seemed to be in comparison to Orre at least.

The wastes stretching out before one's eyes, the rocky terrain around her former home back in Pyrite Town, the presence of far less people in general, and the like had become so familiar to her and something she had become used to. Meanwhile, though, Eidda seemed to be bustling to the brim with everything! People all over the shop, Pokemon popping up out of the wild grass and everywhere, it was to a certain extent overwhelming for her even after two years of trying to get adjusted to things and going to school and so forth. It had made her need for self-control with regards to her powers also more important, given that she wondered if she'd be overwhelmed by simply trying to relax them for a second as she was able to do back home sometimes.

Blargh. Just blargh. At the very least, though, Sir Lopsalot had been allowed to sit on her lap so she could hold him during the trip. Well, not that the adamant little Buneary hadn't insisted on it anyway after taking one look at her face while walking through the terminal to the plane. So many people, so many crowds, so much....noise, and that had just been at the terminal! Before landing she'd done her best to steel herself and make sure some snacks were on her stomach before exiting at least. Would be enough to help her focus and get through the surely-to-be-noisier path ahead into Byjerfal City to meet up with the assistant she and others were supposed to find.

Yet even with herself steeled, the whole place felt wild in its own right as she got off of the plane, got her luggage, and began to make her way toward the general exist as indicated by large signs hanging above her and others' heads. People, Pokemon, everything and everyone just moving about in a rush and flurry of colors and cries and voices that almost seemed to only ever move to the beat of its own chaotic rhythm. Occasionally she thought she could see something strange in the shifting mass of bodies and movement too, for example some kind of strange Girafarig in the crowd that was even taller than normal and with its tail encapsulating its head! Or at least it had seemed like a Girafarig. Maybe the nerves she'd fought back were still there and making her see things now...

Breathe. In and out. Controlled. Slowly. Steadily. Just like she'd practiced many a time before. Focus. Rinse. Repeat.

Ah, now that did help her feel some extent better at least. Besides the crowd, though, it was admittedly fascinating to see so many Pokemon around as well. So many she had never seen before, so many from places she'd likely never heard of before, and this was only the start! If she were to be honest, she did still feel somewhat excited as well right now as she tried to clear her head of the nerves otherwise.

"Bun!"

Sitting on her right shoulder to get a view on things, the ever-vigilant Buneary by her side would lightly call out and point ahead. It seemed he could see the sign being held up, though his trainer seemed to struggle a little bit more in commparison. Yet as Sir Lopsalot did get her attention, at least, Clarissa simply looked over to him and gave a nod before changing direction.

It did not help her much, though, as soon she became stuck near the edge of a tightening throng of people trying to push forward toward another distraction. Trying to move across them rather than farther in, the psychic girl sought to get through to the other side if she could. Meanwhile Sir Lopsalot would cling to her tightly to avoid getting knocked away onto the floor. Despite getting progresstively more sucked into the throng of adoring fans and wannabe marriage proposals here and there, however, though, it definitely wasnt hard to hear the sort of things many of the crowd were saying in the meantime.

"Valeriiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

"I wanna see the famous Contest Star before we go!"

"Isn't she the Bug-type gym leader here in Eidda? How can bugs be contest stars?"

"Marry me, Valerie!!! You're my 'Byjerfal Dream Girl'!"

"Seriously dude?"

"Mommy, can we get her autograph? Please please please!!!"

"I heard rumor that she and Lisia might be doing a collab in the future!"

It was like a Wailord had used Whirlpool or something around the woman the crowd seemed to be mentioning, because as she gripped her luggage and Pokemon for dear life Clarissa was being sucked into the throng deeper and deeper as it tried to push forward. The crush felt worse and worse the deeper they got in, like a pool of darkness was trying to swallow them up in a pop-culture-obsessed living disaster. Clarissa by the moment felt tempted to attempt to use a bit of telekinesis to just push some people back and make some space for herself and her Pokemon to be able to at least breathe for pity's sake! Everyone was just so focused and seemed to be pushing her further forward and forward, yet before she would reach the point of 'letting go' for a second out of sheer frustration the girl found herself suddenly bumped into and sent flying forward-

"Aaaaahhhhh!"



-and spilling hard down onto the airport flooring, into the epicenter of the whirpool of Valerie fans. Right in front of the woman in a black and yellow dress and the other woman dressed in a suit, in fact, though the psychic didn't much have the luxury to look up for the moment as one hand briefly clutched the side of her headd. Sir Lopsalot, in the meantime, had been flung a little bit farther due to his position on her shoulder and landed on the floor between the two well-dressed women. The psychic girl's suitcase, however, was lying on the ground on its side near Clarissa's own feet at least.

"Oww..."

Did she mention she hated overly large crowds like this? Because she did.

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Location: Bjyerfal City Mentions: @Pyromania99@Thayr@PKMNB0Y

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As everyone was fixated on the battle playing out on deck, few people noticed an Aipom scampering through the crowd, weaving in and out from between people's legs and under their feet as she made her way towards the front of the ship, where a teenage girl was sat perched atop the railings. The girl was holding an notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, the former of which was open to a page that had the words written "Dearest Ma and Pa"... and nothing else. She'd been staring at the page for a good few minutes, and was apparently so fixated on it that she didn't notice the Aipom grab the railing with her tail and swing up to perch beside her.

The Aipom brushed herself off before producing two apples, one of which she holds out to Jill. When the girl continued to stare at the page, none the wiser, the Aipom suddenly got haughty and threw the apple at the girl's head. It bounced off the top of her skull, flying back up into the air. The girl looked up just in time to see it falling back down towards her and caught it with one hand. She looked at it for a moment, as if her mind is taking a while to fully process what it is before looking over towards the Aipom.

"Oh, is this for me?" she said. Her face broke out into a big grin. "Thanks Aster!" Still smiling, she took a big bite of the apple. The Aipom, Aster, looked more than a little infuriated, and might have done something else had an announcement not sounded over the boat's PA system.

“This is your Captain speaking! We’ll be pulling into port shortly! Everyone get ready to pack up and move out! If you need assistance, ask any of the crew! I’ll be out on deck.”

Both the girl and the Pokemon glance upwards at this before the girl suddenly rose to her feet, all while still standing atop the railings. "Welp!" she said, stretching her arms up over head. "Looks like it's time to go!" She closed her notebook and put both it and her pen back in the duffel bag she was wearing around her shoulders. Aster forgot her momentary rage and quickly scampered up her trainer's body until she reached the girl's shoulders, wher she proceeds to perch and continue eating her snack. Holding her arms out at either side for balance, Jill then started walking across the railings as follows the other disembarking passengers of the ship. More than a few of them cast her strange looks as she passed them, but she doesn't seem to notice. If Aster catches them staring at her, she proceeded to stick her tongue out or blow a raspberry at them, and that seemed enough to put people off.

Eventually, Jill exits the ship and begins craning her neck to try and find this assistant Camphor's letter had told her about. As she's doing so, however, she overheard Camphor's name being mentioned and turned swiftly to see a girl about her own age attempting to strike a conversation with a young man. Without even waiting for the boy to answer, Jill bounced up excitedly to the two of them. "Oh, are you guys about the job too?" she said, jumping up and down as she speaks. Again, without even waiting for a response, she extended her arm out for a handshake to the pair of them. "Hi, I'm Jill, and it's very nice to meet both of you!"

Camila Willows

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Mentions: @XxFellsingxX@Thayr@Savo@PKMNB0Y

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The day had started like most others. Camila was performing her secretarial work in Professor Camphor's lab like the good little intern she was. She hadn't studied half as much information about Pokemon as she would have liked but what much could she expect when she was acting as a secretary. Still, today was a bit special. She and the professor's assistant had both been tasked with retrieving the new hires. Well, it would be easy enough. She just needed to go to the docks, wait for the ship to come into port and guide them all to the lab.

Well, she had plenty of time before that. She stopped by a cafe to get a bite to eat since she had somehow figured that she wouldn't get the chance later if she wanted. After, she stopped into a local coffee shop. She had never been a drinker prior to working at Camphor's lab but the combination of being around it constantly and the hours she sometimes put in led her to start drinking it even recreationally now. Though the way the professor drank it was like utter sludge to her.

Not that it really mattered much. She just had to make her own. Or buy it from a place made specifically to make it. "Oh! I should get a sign." She kept a marker in her bag for her work so that came in handy. She just needed slightly larger than average piece of paper or cardboard. Both of which were easily accessible in the city so it didn't take her long to find a piece of fairly pristine cardboard she could use as a sign. She found a seat by the dock as she waited for the S.S. Calliope to come into port. She wrote "Camphor's Lab" on it and held it with her legs as she sat, waiting for the boat to come into dock by reading some old research papers that the Professor ever so curtly "Allowed" her to read.

Soon enough, however, the Calliope came into dock and the passengers disembarked. She let the first wave of highly desperate passengers leave so she could have a slightly easier time in not being pushed into the water. Not that she couldn't swim but she chose a nice outfit for the day and she'd hate to have it ruined by the salt water. As soon as those first passengers had exited toward the city, Camila herself had moved in, trying to find the new workers the Professor had called to the region. She held the sign up with one hand and securing her purse with the other. "Who here are the new hires for Professor Camphor's lab!?" She called out, noting a few people that seemed slightly familiar. She had seen pictures and heard names but it was hard to tell faces you weren't intimately familiar with out in a crowd. At the least she remembered the names. Isla, Richard, Jill and Yuu.

Lingering by the docks as a majority of the other passengers left made Richard stand out like a sore thumb, but at this point the best he could do to not look like a Magikarp out of water was to simply look relaxed as he slowly scanned over the people present. There didn't seem to be anything immediately eye-catching quite yet—any sort of sign that the Professor had indeed sent someone out to grab them who wasn't being held up for some reason or another—but it was more than likely that had to do with the still-moving wave of people leaving the area to begin with. In the meantime, though, he could spend what time he had now taking in the sights from the pier; it certainly had a different atmosphere from those back in Castelia, at least.

It was at this point, though, that the young man found himself approached by someone who seemed to be just a bit more apparently out-of-their-depth than he was. Context and assumptions, at least, made figuring out that she was probably not the assistant he was to look out for simple enough. Better that than looking like a fool asking if she was the one waiting for them, at least—that'd have been more than awkward. Before he could even think of replying, though, another young lady—this one dressed notably more eccentrically than the rest of the crowd—interjected, introducing herself before he even had a chance to speak his piece.

Rude.

"Sir's a bit formal, but yeah, I am," he replied to the first, giving the girl a half-wave after turning to face the two proper. "Name's Richard Evans. I presume you've two've also been pulled from overseas?"

As he spoke, though, the crowd seemed to have dissipated enough to allow for someone with a sign to make it through—that, at least, was eye-catching enough. The sign itself looked a bit hastily put together, even from a distance, but the words on it—and those that reached his ears from the one holding it—made it clear that she was the assistant they were to find upon arriving.

"We can continue talking as we walk. Let's not keep anyone waiting," he followed, gesturing briefly in the direction of the sign waving in the air before starting to move. "I'm getting a bit tired of smelling nothing but saltwater, anyhow."

@Savo@Thayr@Pyromania99@XxFellsingxX

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Mentions: @Pyromania99 @PKMNB0Y @XxFellsingxX @Savo Location: Byjerlfal City Docks

---

Before he, whatever his name was, had gotten a chance to reply another person came bounding up. Isla hadn't seen the girl at all and her first indication of anything at all happening being the sound of her voice. For the briefest moment she could feel herself jump in place, head whipping over to find a hand extended out. Isla took a moment to steady herself, thinking that her mentally shutting out the vast crowds probably was the best catch-all solution. Deep breaths, deep breaths were always good. The crowd about them seemed to part ways, a little pocket amid another wave of disembarking passengers with all their luggage and talk and motion. Lots of distracting movement about here and there, stuff Isla wasn't too keen on.

"Oh, are you guys about the job too?"

"Hi, I'm Jill, and it's very nice to meet both of you!"

She looked Jill up and down, focusing on her instead of the movement behind. All of it seemed pretty well in line with…maybe a history book Isla had read some years before? Maybe some of the trainers at the tower before she'd left? Ninja type, but…greens instead of blacks. It was more than odd. Despite having a few inches on her, Jill seemed a lot smaller too. The comparison went further still, a little Pokemon Isla didn't recognize perched on her shoulders eating a treat. They already had one? And…they were out and about, not confined in a Pokeball? She suddenly felt a little smaller, too. Sure, mom and dad had always said that Pokemon should be asked to be friends, not forced to it,but that argument always made it seem as though it was a far off thing she could never quite reach. Maybe that was closer than it seemed? Maybe?

Isla looked back at the guy she'd originally poked. He seemed a lot younger from the front than the back, tall and lanky and just a little bit annoyed at the other girl, Jill. He introduced himself, sort of laid back compared to what he could be.

"Sir's a bit formal, but yeah, I am. Name's Richard Evans. I presume you two've also been pulled from overseas?"

"Isla. And yes," she replied to both, taking the otherwise ignored hand from Jill to shake as the guy - Richard, now he was Richard she had to remind herself, seemed distracted enough to look out through the crowd. Letting free the hand, she turned too to look down whatever direction it was…she could nearly see it, a piece of cardboard through which Isla could see…ah, it was at an angle. She could only make out "Lab". Had to be it, the.

"We can continue talking as we walk. Let's not keep anyone waiting," he followed, gesturing briefly in the direction of the sign waving in the air before starting to move. "I'm getting a bit tired of smelling nothing but saltwater, anyhow."

Well if there was anything that'd make her decide to jump into it, offering up what she had desperately been looking for before was surely among them. Adjusting her straps for the duffel, Isla nodded her agreement before saying, almost eagerly, "sure, that's fine by me. Let's go."

---

Location: Bjyerfal City Mentions: @Pyromania99@Thayr@PKMNB0Y

---

Jill didn't seem at all offended when Richard didn't take her hand, a big smile still plastered on her face. That smile grew even wider when Isla took her hand instead, and Jill gave it a strong, enthusiastic shake. "Richard and Isla," she repeated, as if committing both those names to memory. "Alright, got it." She let go of Isla's hand and took a small step back, looking between the two of them before suddenly seeming to remember something. "Oh, and this is Aster!" she said, gesturing to the Aipom atop her head.

Aster's ears pricked up at the mention of her name and she glanced over at the two other humans. After looking them up and down for a moment, she raised her tail-hand in a lazy wave before going back to eating her apple.

Richard then mentioned they should get moving and gestured to something behind Jill, causing the girl to once again turn very suddenly towards where Camila was. "Oh!" she said, before giving a small laugh. "How did I miss that?" She gave the woman a wave and started following the rest of the group towards her.

"Uwaaah..."

This was... a lot.

It wasn't as if the girl was entirely unfamiliar with being in public places. Much of her life had been spent in and out of the hospital, after all. But this was a particular dense and bustling sort of crowd, and it had only been her first time ever getting on a plane in the first place.

In some ways, it actually made her happy. At one time, she thought it was something she'd never live to experience. The sensation of lifting off, of moving through the sky, and now arriving at the airport, it was something entirely different from any of her prior experiences.

However-

That didn't mean it wasn't kind of overwhelming. Certainly, crowds weren't entirely unfamiliar to her, but the petite, white-haired girl found herself practically drowning in people.

She couldn't see around them very well, and it was so loud and bustling it felt like she might be swept far away in the tide.

Needless to say, Sophie was not exactly used to this kind of experience.

But she had to persevere! This was her opportunity not just to see the world around her without any training wheels on, but to grasp at the kind of things she had always dreamed about!

If she couldn't make it through the crowd, then she couldn't make it even further beyond!

But practically everyone here was taller than her and that made it incredibly difficult to see that beyond.

"E-er, excuse me... Ah! Pardon me, um, I need to get through? Please...!"

It was perhaps something of a miracle that lead to her finding a somewhat viable path through the bustling crowd.

Less miraculous was how she caught herself up on her own feet as she was just about to escape.

"Kyaaaaaa?!"

The world accelerated around her quite abruptly, as Sophie found the floor rushing up to meet her.

"Ooof!"

At least it hadn't been a particularly hard fall, and she wasn't feeling unwell at the time. But she still felt the air knocked out of her, and the slight jolt of impact through her chest and stomach rattling her small frame.

It took a few moments for her to start picking herself up, and it was at that moment that she finally saw the sign just ahead of her.

"Ah! That must be them!"

@Rune_Alchemist

Alexander's first real time outside of Tohjo City, and the place is busy with people. Even though he did not change regions and just took a short flight from Tohjo City to Byjerlfal City. It is still an eye-opening experience, the first time visiting another city and going to meet new people. The start of his journey, and Alexander could not be more excited about it. Though he would like to blend in but he is wearing his Tohjo attire so he sticks out, unfortunately.

As he started to walk out the gate, did he hear a low chirp coming from his right shoulder and he looked to see that Cora was awake and seemed nervous. In a calming tone, "It is okay Cora, I know you are not used to being around alot of people but you are safe. Just relax or do you want to go into your Pokeball?"

Cora shook her head in a clear no, that is a thing Alexander has noticed about her. She does not like being in a Pokeball.

"Okay so just stay on my shoulder, and we will get through this," Alexander said with a comforting smile.

Cora happily chirped but still seemed a bit nervous, and that was when the two saw the crowd form as he noticed a sign that read Camphors Lab, but it was soon hard to see within the growing crowd.

Alexander could hear what the crowd was saying, and apparently, Valarie was the center of their attention. Not surprisingly, even in Tohjo city, Alexander knows about her. The Bug Queen of Honinngton, and now he has to get past her fans to get to the person holding the Camphors Lab sign. Alexander only sighed at the thought and, after a moment of barely seeing the sign. Alexander made a last word to Cora. "Stay glued to me, Cora," and with that. Alexander went to move through the crowd.

"Excuse me, pardon me," Alexander repeated as he made his way through the crowd. Only to get pushed by someone yelling, "Get out of the way. I want to see Valarie!"

Alexander did not respond and only focused on getting through the crowd. Are all of her fans this rude? He thought, and he almost found himself stuck in the crowd as the fans bunched up more. But, he more forcefully made his way through the crowd and managed to see the sign ahead of him. Almost there, he gladly thought, and after being pushed two more times by another impatient fan and by being pushed by the person he was pushed into.

Some first day in Byjerlfal City so far, he annoyingly thought as he finally made it through the crowd. Breathing a sigh of relief, he made sure that he did not lose anything in the crowd and that Cora was okay. Once he knew everything was still on his person and Cora was scared. After calming her down, Alexander walked over to the person holding the sign and greeted them with a slightly tired tone. "Hello, I am Alexander, and you are expecting me."

@Rune_Alchemist

Leo happily bounced into the airport. He didn’t have to take the plane, he already lived in Byjerlfal City. But he still had to come to the airport to meet up with others doing the same thing. It would be the start of his journey and he couldn’t be more excited. He would get his first Pokémon from the Professor, and make all kinds of new friends both human and Pokemon!

The airport was crowded and full of people. He had to make his way through the crowd to find one of the professors aides. A woman named Frieda. She wasn’t hard to miss, she was holding a sign 'Camphors Lab' what would be difficult was getting through this crowd. He weaved his way through the sea of people, occasionally offering a friendly smile and greeting to those he passed by. Spotting the sign he headed in that direction. “Hi, I’m Leo! Ready to start this adventure!” He exclaimed while pumping a fist in the air.

Among the group was a boy with a Noibat sitting on his shoulder. His eyes went wide with excitement. “Oh my gosh hi! You’re Noibat is sooooo cute! Can I pet it? I don’t have my own Pokémon yet. I’m supposed to get one from the Professor.”

Byjerlfal City, Commercial District

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@XxFellsingxX@Savo@PKMNB0Y@Thayr@Pyromania99

As the group made their way off the ship and to the pier below, a small crowd was gathering both from the ship workers as passengers themselves. Aside from luggage, some cargo was also being delivered. More interesting perhaps, was that the Captain was now making his way down the gangplank, and right towards the group. He was holding a small box that was purple on top and white on the bottom. The trainer he had a battle with was following close behind.

“So these are Camphor’s new hires, eh? Aren’t you all a lively lookin’ bunch, ahaha.”

“Hm…new trainers?” The Annihilape’s trainers eyes looked over all, though specifically seemed to linger on Yuu. “Well, Captain Tuule. I believe our exchange ends here.”

“Aye, lad. Good luck on your ghost hunting. Say hi to Matthias for me if you run into him.” A small crowd was now looking their way.

“Hey isn’t that one of Valarie’s contest stars…?”

“Yeah what was his name again…?”

“I believe it is time I’ve made myself scarce. Good luck on your travels, everyone.”

“Ah-he’s leaving!”

The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving after him.

“Surprisingly one to shy away from the limelight, eh?” Captain Tuule walked over to the group. “Captain Tuule, at your service. How was the trip if I may inquire? Any complaints?” He looked over to Camila. “Ah, and before I forget again, lass. You must be Camila. Camphors said good things about you.” He’d hold out the box. It seemed smooth on all sides, with no discernable way to open it. “Here, Camphor’s delivery. Be sure this gets to her.”

He’d lean in close, whispering just so Camila could hear.

“And be careful. Miss Keira informed me some rats are possibly looking to cause trouble over this. Best be on your way back to the lab sooner rather than later, lass.”

Byjerlfal
City, Commercial District

---

@Crimson Flame@Theyra@Bartimaeus@VitaVitaAR@Crusader Lord

“...for the love of...”

“Hey hey hey, what have we here? A cute little trainer falling right into my lap?” A smirk that could only be described in some manner as smugly malicious appeared on Valarie’s lips as she’d look down at Clarissa. “And a cute little bunny, too! Your boss would love this lady, wouldn’t she?”

“...Miss Kiera does like Bunearies, yes…” The suit wearing woman would help Clarissa to her feet. “You alright miss? If so, move on. Neither of us have time to entertain fans-”

“Heey, don’t listen to that dummy. I make the rules here so I can do whatever I want, including entertaining a cute little fan like yourself.” Valarie interjected, taking a few steps towards Clarissa, earning a frown and a quiet grumble from the suited woman. “So how about it? A once in a lifetime chance to have some alone time with me. I’ll even give you a first class ticket to the contest. VIP seat, back stage access, autographs.”

The suited woman was glaring at Clarissa now. The word ‘Menacing’ certainly came to mind. Many of the people in the crowd were complaining about how it should have been them.

For the others in the group, making their way past the crowd of people was slowly becoming easier as some started to disperse, either having places to be or realizing that they couldn’t get much closer to Valarie. This was a good thing for the person seeming to be holding up the sign. As soon as Ripley got close enough, the person in question managed to wriggle out into the open, stumbling over her and an Impdimp sitting on her shoulders that was holding the sign in question.

A woman of average height, black hair tied into a braid with a somewhat darker colored complexion. She looked like she might have originally been from Tohjo or Kantona.

“Ooof…oh dear if I realized today was the finals for the master rank contests…” She’d sigh, managing to straighten her posture as she’d look over towards Ripley. “Ah! You must be Ripley! Glad the sign worked.”

“Imp.”

The impdimp nodded, waving the sign around energetically.

“Alexander! Yes, I’m glad you got here on time…oh, and here comes Sophie, I think!” The woman would shout upon seeing them. “Ah, sorry I haven’t even introduced myself yet…Frieda. One of Camphor’s assistants. Ehm…sorry if it seems odd I know your names, I read your applications and files…repeatedly, erm…hope that doesn’t seem too weird.”

“Dimp.”

“Oh, right, this is Pix. He’s mine. I think-Oh, here comes Leo…Good, that’s everyone except I think…Clarissa Ryte? In the mean time, allow me to welcome you all to Byjerlfal. The professor might not say it, but she’s really glad all of you decided to help. Shes’ been swamped with research projects and some more top secret things with the Mexatus Corporation. On top of already not liking field work she’s really glad you all are potentially helping her.”

“Impy.”

“...I mean…sure Pix I’ll be glad to have less work too but that’s not the point. Uhm, if you have any questions though I’ll be happy to answer what I can while we wait for the last hire to show up.”

Camila Willows

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Mentions: @XxFellsingxX@Thayr@Savo@PKMNB0Y

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After she called out as she did, Camila noticed a number of people walking her way. It was safe to assume these ones were the new workers she was sent to pick up. "Hello everyone! Welcome to Eidda. My name is Camila and I'm here to guide you to the lab." After she gave her small introduction however, the captain and someone that she thought she might have recognized walked off the boat where the captain walked up to her.

"Ah! Captain! Yes, I am the new assistant." Camila said, not needing to introduce herself. "H-has she said good things about me? I'm glad to hear it then." She added with a bright smile before listening to what the man had to say about the box in front of her. "Rats? Hmm. Understood." The woman acknowledged before taking the box and setting it in her bag, out of sight. "I shall keep it safe." The woman added. "With that in mind... Come now, new workers. We should get going. You guys can ask me questions along the way if you want." She mentioned to the four others she was meant to be guiding. She had done what she had come here to do either way. All she needed to do was smile and take them to the lab for a job well done! She took a happy sip on what little was left of her drink at this point and tossed it in a nearby trash can.

With both his backpack and luggage double-checked to make sure nothing had somehow left his person (mild paranoia about petty thievery was a valid concern when this out of place, after all), Richard simply made his way over to the assistant whose sign was waving about in the air. The appearance of the ship's captain to follow after them to hand something off to said assistant was mildly unexpected, of course, but as the other apparent assistants-to-be congregated around the sign, Richard simply chose to take note of the others who would be his co-workers in the near future.

The girl who had initially approached him—Isla, if he had heard her correctly—seemed to remain mostly silent on the way over. In that regard, it was hard to get a gauge on her character beyond maybe being a little soft-spoken. More concerning, though, was the girl who had interjected earlier. Her name half-lingered inside his head; Jane or Jill or something of the sort. More notable that the Trainer herself was the Aipom she had with her; it seemed fairly lackadaisical in nature (as one might have expected), but the fact that she was okay with it hanging out outside of a Pokeball meant that she either had built a great rapport with the creature or that she might have been too carefree as a Trainer.

Hopefully it would be the former, else it would probably be prudent to take a different route from the ninja-apparent when everyone inevitably split up to take their own paths around the region.

And then there was the last guy, the one who had somehow slipped into the group without so much as a whisper. Something about him seemed oddly familiar, but to what end Richard himself couldn't quite put his finger on at the moment. Not that he particularly wished to interrupt someone lost in their own thoughts right now, else they respond unfavorably, but at least his presence would be acknowledged... Or something of the sort.

But rather than waffling about trying to start up some more small talk, the assistant—after being handed an odd package by the captain—swiftly made the executive decision to lead them away. Probably for the best, all things considered; Richard was more than ready to see what Professor Camphor had planned for the near future, even if it probably just boiled down to "give everyone who didn't already have a partner one and throw them off into the world, guidance be damned."

@XxFellsingxX@Thayr@Savo@Pyromania99

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Mentions: @Pyromania99 @PKMNB0Y @XxFellsingxX @Savo Location: Byjerlfal City Docks

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"Richard and Isla alright, got it."

"Oh, and this is Aster!"

Isla watched as the Aipom perched atop the girl’s head gave a little wave, and for some reason or another just gave a slight, little wave back to the small Pokemon. There was something cute about it, though she could recall somewhere in her studies that that specific Pokemon was a tricksy sort, inclined for jokes and sorta…thievery? Maybe it just is when they don’t intend on giving things back. She hadn’t ever dealt with a mean-spirited Pokemon like that which had more human in it than most, but those definitely did exist somewhere, with some trainers, if they didn’t exist like that on their own. She huffed out a bit at the thought, dismissing it away. Things to learn in the future, that’s all it was, and for the time being she could keep one slight eye on the Pokemon she didn’t know. At least the trainer seemed OK.

Folding her arms as the trio began to make its way over, she could see another guy approach closer. Must be another one of the new hires, then, she thought. He was pretty tall, though, lanky as can be with a dead stare and a way of moving that just sort said a hostility to Isla. She’d seen that sort of walk before, at the trainer tower, with the ones who thought they not only were good enough to beat everyone but also that they were destined for it. She hoped that was wrong. What was a little pinprick of movement about his head, a trick of the light maybe, soon was a small Pokemon in the shape of a…a phone? Isla stared for a second, wracking her head for what the heck that could be. Nothing really came to mind, though. What was it? The guy took the Pokemon in his hand, though, and started taking pictures left and right of…she couldn’t really tell from where she was at.

Of course, some others approaching threw themselves into the forefront of attention and Camila’s introduction soon dropped from Isla’s attention. The Captain, she recognized him when they’d first boarded, and someone else…maybe the other trainer he’d been battling? Isla didn’t recognize him, though the remnants of the passengers made comments here, there, that made her feel like she should know who he was. Valarie’s contest stars, one of them had said…who was Valarie again? Isla really didn’t know. Gym leaders and above hierarchies, maybe? She knew they did those a little bit different to back home, though then again Kanto wasn’t exactly ‘back home’. He didn’t seem to like the attention though, and she caught him leaving. Of course, the Captain didn’t make much of it.

“Surprisingly one to shy away from the limelight, eh? Captain Tuule, at your service. How was the trip if I may inquire? Any complaints? Ah, and before I forget again, lass. You must be Camila. Camphors said good things about you. Here, Camphor’s delivery. Be sure this gets to her.”

Isla watched as a little box was handed over to the assistant, a bit of a whisper between the two that she couldn’t quite catch, though looking over she couldn’t help but catch the taller guy…seeming to have a crisis of faith? Some sort of concern? He didn’t look outwardly well. What’d set him off? Isla wasn’t sure of that either as the guy seemed to shake his thoughts away and return back to reality.

"Ah! Captain! Yes, I am the new assistant. H-has she said good things about me? I'm glad to hear it then."

"I shall keep it safe. With that in mind...Come now, new workers. We should get going. You guys can ask me questions along the way if you want."

Isla paused, waiting for someone else to ask a question before she felt she could just ask her own question, “What’s the professor like, exactly?”