Route 5
@PKMNB0Y

“Nidooo…” The ball sailed through the air, plonking the Nidoran right between its ears. The pokeball closed, capturing the Nidoran within. As soon as it fell to the ground, it shook once, twice, thrice…and with a somewhat suspenseful pause, it would finally give a click as the Nidoran was successfully captured within.

“Nidoran was Successfully Captured!”
“Sara rose to level 8!”



Just as he was celebrating his victory though, the phone on his pokedex would start beeping. An incoming message from Laurel?

Some miscreants are bothering the folk at that dig we saw on the way in. I can definitely handle it myself, but if you’re available it would make things go smoother. Please hurry if you are.

Well, it seemed like she was asking for help in her own way. What did Richard do? There was a Falinks nearby that looked like it needed help. With the gym being a dark type, it might be a good idea to grab one. Laurel could handle herself, totally.



Stellar Toy Factory
@Vertigo@XxFellsingxX@Savo

The old production room was massive. Lines of conveyor belts, large shelves reaching to the ceilings, making an almost veritable maze of shelves and old, left behind containers. If not for the clearly marked signs every so often, it would have been quite easy to get lost in this place. Yuu, taking the initiative would turn away from the window and conveyor belts and he’d find himself heading towards an area that was marked ‘Break Room’, being the nearest exit and most easily accessible room.

A group of Rattata crossed his path, seeming unbothered by the interruption as they’d start nibbling on some old crates, and chewing on some old wrappings and things that had been left behind. He could ignore them, though they were directly in his path.

Jill, talking her time to heal up her newly acquired Magnemite would be thankfully left alon and accosted by any other pokemon in the area as Yuu headed off on his own.



Stellar Toy Factory
@Crusader Lord

The strong wind ripped down the hallway, though considering it was just from a Murkrow - Clarissa’s hair and clothing would take a beating and look a little worse for wear, but she’d otherwise be fine. Sir Lopsalot on the other hand…

The Buneary sailed through the air, managing to avoid most of the strong attack with a display of acrobatics that would put other Bunearys to shame. Not having expecting such a display of bravery, the Murkrow could only watch as that little fist came right down on its head as Sir Lopsalot landed right on top of the dark type, sending them both tumbling and crashing to the ground!

“Muuuur…!” The Murkrow would shove the rabbit off of itself, pecking at the Buneary with an annoyed fervor, and while the Murkrow didn’t show signs of slowing down, it was certainly starting to look like it was hurting from the battle.

Now, how did Clarissa take advantage of the temporarily grounded Murkrow…



Ancient Grove
@Pyromania99@Thayr

“Who said I was concerned?” Yasu responded brusquely. “And yeah, you’re welcome I guess…” Hatty waltzed over, hopping lightly on Islas foot in mild annoyance before continuing onto Yasu and hiding behind her ankles where it proceeded to stare at Isla and Camila both. “But yeah, lets get going. The less time I spend out here, the better…ugh…I am not built for…pokemon stuff….”

Grumbling Yasu aside, the rest of the trip would remain mostly peaceful. The aggressive Heracross didn’t seem like it was going to return, and the scuffle had scared off the other pokemon that would have otherwise been in the area. It didn’t take long, then for them to reach their destination.

Soon, the forest opened up. The old, worn path now flanked by small markers and old lamps, though the neglected path was still overgrown. At the far end of the path, was an old shrine much like the one that had been in the old temple. Made of wood, with depictions of Celebi carved into several ornamental pillars on either side that flanked the area. The shrine itself, now having been neglected and left to the elements, was mostly a ruin, however. The roof had collapsed in one area, and the doors to it had long since fallen off. Whatever offering or objects that had been placed inside once upon a time, was long gone.

In fact, some of these disturbances seemed recent. A few burn marks were scorched into the shrine's wood. One of the ornamental pillars had been knocked over, so that it was leaning on a nearby tree. One of the pillars had also clearly been cut in half, as though something exceedingly powerful had cleaved it in two halves.

And standing in front of the shrine, was a lone woman.

An older woman, dressed in a grey jacket and skirt and a black blouse. She was standing there. Perhaps, a bit menacingly, not having noticed the approach of Camila or Isla. She was looking towards the shrine, though she didn’t seem to quite be…looking at the shrine itself. She seemed a bit out of place, all things considered.

“...uh.” Yasu frowned, patting Hatty who had found her way into the girls arms on the head. “Hatty doesn’t like that lady...” Hatty proceeded to jump onto Camila's shoulder and poke her repeatedly. "...Someone go say something to her, I'm not good at people."

The speed at which the battle had ended had left Richard somewhat less tense than he had expected himself to be, especially after the close call that was catching Sara just a little while earlier. Briefly, the young man considered if he was being too hasty in capturing Pokemon as he watched the ball he had just thrown shake and shudder.

That thought was promptly discarded as the Pokeball clicked shut, and Richard simply strolled over to pick it up and stare at the Nidoran inside.

"Poison, rock, and grass... Honestly, that's not too bad of a core team," he muttered to himself. "Everyone covers someone else's weaknesses to an extent, so we should be good for a bit..."

Though he was briefly lost in his thoughts as Sara calmly sidled back up to him, the beeping from his Pokedex pulled his attention back to reality. Choosing to pocket the new Pokeball for the moment and resolving to get his new teammate in battle-ready condition sooner rather than not, Richard pulled out the device to see what it was that he was being messaged about.

Troublemakers, it seemed, were the issue at hand. After a brief glance towards both Luna and Sara, the young man returned the latter to her Pokeball and motioned with his head in the direction of the dig site he had seen on his way into the route.

"Looks like trouble's brewing. Luna, we're headed back; be ready for a battle once we arrive, okay?" he asked. The Snivy was a bit hesitant at hearing those words, but after quietly gripping the bell at her neck for a moment, gave Richard a nod.

With that, the young Trainer began to beeline to where Laurel had directed him to go; any other wild Pokemon could wait when there were more important things to handle right now.

@Rune_Alchemist

The rest of the travel to the shrine was pretty peaceful and uneventful. That was a good thing at the least. The not so good thing was when they got to the shrine and it seemed... Devastated. It'd be one thing if it was just the ravages of time messing up the roof and doors... But there was the burn marks, a knocked over pillar and a pillar cut clean in half. Then, there was a woman standing there. Hatty didn't seem to like her at all.

"Alright, alright. No need to poke my cheeks like that Hatty." Camila mentioned to the Pokemon. The Pidgey perched on her arm took the air as she reached for Hatty and placed it in Yasu's capable hands once again before giving it a pat. Camila then stepped forward. She wasn't sure the best way to approach this. She didn't know the woman or anything but she gave off a weird feeling. The assistant took a deep breath before speaking.

"Excuse me, Miss. How do you do?" Camila asked, observing the woman in front of her. "My name is Camila. The others are Yasu and Isla." The assistant mentioned, motioning toward the other two humans present. "May I ask for your name? And perhaps if you know what might have caused these burn marks here?" She added, curious about those since she laid her eyes on them.

CRASH

THUNK

FLOP

THUD!!!

Clarissa endured the Gust as best as she could, though the beating her hair and clothes took was certainly not unexpected. Thank goodness it wasn't a far stronger Pokemon, or else-....well, she didn't want to think about it. Getting thrown back into a wall or down a flight of stairs wasn't appetizing as a thought or a thing to have to deal with on the conceptual level. However, for now at least, the Murkrow was on the ground now. Sir Lopsalot was too, for that matter. That much made the psychic glad to some extent, though, as she quickly reached back into her things for a moment while seeing the scene in front of her.

Not that Sir Lopsalot seemed to find what was going on all very palatable, admittedly, given he was hitting at the Murkrow's beak with his little fists to try to defend himself now as well. In some capacity, really, the two Pokemon looked like two siblings fighting over something stupid until both of them were bruised and beaten up. But perhaps that was a bit of well-wishing? Ah, well, or something of the sort. But what could the adventerous duo do at a time like this? With the enemy in such a position, it was the perfect time to try to do something effective! They had come here to battle and catch one of these Pokemon, after all.

“Muuuur…!”

"Bun!"

Perhaps it was time to chance a Pokeball now? It seemed reasonable enough, even if it wasn't a perfect guarantee in the end. Worst case? Ah, Sir Lopsalot could....oh! That could work well, at least if it came through. Er, at any rate, she'd been practicing her throwing a good bit before coming to Byjerfal in the first place at least. So maybe they could have a moment to try something to better the odds for the time being, if nothing else, and see if the hurt put on the Murkrow was enough to catch it as well. Either way it would further the goal of trying to complete their mission here! THhough hopefulyl thhey'd meet up with the others before eventually escaping this place and going to the Contest!



"Prepare a Power-Up Punch, and be ready to attack it immediately, if it breaks out of the Pokeball!"

Even if the Pokeball merely brought them a moment's reprieve, if it was enough time for Sir Lopsalot to get a good attack ready....then they might have a chance! Still, if the Pokeball hit the Murkrow and interrupted the two Pokemon's battle Sir Lopsalot would nod as he did what his trainer had told him to. Albeit he would wince in pain....the damage was racking up for sure in the fight. But he had to perservere! He would not stop until the battle was won! Such was the seriousness of his incredible resolve. (Though if the Pokeball for some reason didn't hit the Murkrow and try to capture it, Sir Lopsalot would just try to smack the Murkrow back into the nearest wall with a Power-Up Punch instead.)

Would the fist of justice once again crash into Sir Lopsalot's foe before the day was through? Would the attempt to catch the Pokemon previal? Only the whims of fate and chance could tell now....

@Rune_Alchemist

---

Location: Ancient Grove
Mentions: @Pyromania99

The rest of the journey through the worn path was fairly peaceful despite Yasu's love of complaint. She wasn't built for Pokémon stuff...Isla snorted long and harsh through her nose at the thought. She wasn’t either, had handled herself relatively well, though Camila was probably right. The trick was half-baked, desperate, and really could have gone sideways yet any and all of the reasons the young girl had from the moment seemed somehow impotent as Isla thought through them. It hadn't been a great plan, but it had halfway been something. Such battles were definitely outside of her usual routine, and she couldn't help but scratch at the two on her shoulders in that subconscious reminder. No, the rest of the walk was fairly calm and Isla struggled to catch a glimpse of any other Pokémon in the brush.

Isla stopped in her tracks at the sight of the grove itself. It would have looked beautiful, magical, wondrous…had it ever been maintained. Markers dotted the clearing, something she recognized from older traditions in Johto, many crowned with moss and vine as they jutted out from the growth underfoot. The shrine itself reminded Isla of the temple, and the crumpled roof was in one way or another heartbreaking. It could have been better. It could be made to become far better. The inside of the shrine was as barren as could be…were there supposed to be objects inside for Celebi? Would such items annoy the Pokémon? Isla most definitely didn’t know. Other bits and pieces brought the worry further to the forefront, burn marks and a recently cut down pillar.

Of course, the woman standing there among all the history and ruins, standing there in front of the shrine, completed the image of unease. The woman most definitely did not seem to be among the faithful, nor among those concerned with the restoration of the shrine. Something about her clothing and posture gave that sense. Hatty wasn't enthralled by the woman, either…the psychic feeling might be off? Isla wasn't sure on that either.

“...uh. Hatty doesn’t like that lady...Someone go say something to her, I'm not good at people."

"Excuse me, Miss. How do you do? My name is Camila. The others are Yasu and Isla. May I ask for your name? And perhaps if you know what might have caused these burn marks here?”

Well, there's someone, she ruely observed, letting Dancing and Swiper jump down off her shoulders. Something definitely wasn't right, not at all, though Isla didn't want to bombard the woman with questions. That sort of thing surely could be annoying and if there was a way to talk through things with the strange lady then annoying her wouldn't work towards it. No, better to wait and see.

---

Route 5
@PKMNB0Y

Leaving behind the grassy plains he had chased the Nidoran into, it was a quick jaunt for Richard back to the main road and ultimately the Ruin where trouble was supposedly brewing. The dig itself was fairly simple. Standing stones arranged in a semi-circular pattern half buried in the ground. A few old stones that were once part of a building stood nearby. One of the tents that had been up earlier though, was now knocked over, and there was clearly a commotion that could be heard as he was walking up.

“Awfully uncouth of you cretins.”

Laurels voice, noticeably loudest among them.

“No need to be like that miss. We’re not here to cause trouble.” A different, unfamiliar voice. Male, this time. A bit gruff. “We just need everyone to clear out while we take a look at this place ourselves. You society types have no idea what you’ve got going here.”

“I don’t care.” Laurel replied with a huff. “You interrupted Verdue and Munchlax’s Lunch time, and you should know, that is an unforgivable sin.”

“Jeez lady, you’re a piece of work…”

Getting close enough to properly see now, Richard could see a duo of unfamiliar people. A rough looking red-headed older male. He was standing, arms crossed. At his side, was an aggressive looking Pawniard that was sharpening its bladed hands against one another.

“Can we just beat her up? Simple. Two of us vs. a bougie little baby.” Next to him was a younger looking woman wearing a much more severe, cold expression.

“I beg your pardon-! Ah, Richard! Over here! Help me send these two packing, will you?”

Most of the archaeologists and researchers had taken a few steps back, not wanting to immediately get involved.

Stellar Toy Factory
@Crusader Lord

The ball sailed through the air, the Murkrow too focused on its single minded assault on Sir Lopsalot to notice the ball sailing through the air at it.

“Krow!”

A surprised cry as it was bonked on the head with the pokeball.

Once…twice…three times…

Four times-!





The danger immediately over, Clarissa was free to catch her breath a bit. She was still locked in the factory, but she at least was probably fine, for now. Well. Sir Lopsalot had taken a bit of a beating and was looking a bit worse for wear, but that was probably fine now that she had got what she came for.

That said…

Before she could actually pick up the pokeball, the Gastly from earlier would phase through the wall, grab the ball in its mouth, give a ghostly laughed before zipping through a door - consequently throwing it open in the process.

She’d probably want to give chase. Unless she didn’t want to keep the pokeball.



Ancient Grove
@Pyromania99@Thayr

The woman didn’t immediately respond. Instead, she’d turn on her heels, quickly and a bit abruptly turning to the trio. Her right hand rested on her hip, her left arm was halfway extended to her side, palm side up, a bit like she was holding some invisible wine glass or something. Her expression though, was distant as she’d gaze at Isla and company.

A long few seconds passed. If Isla or Camila were about to speak again, they’d find themselves being interrupted rather suddenly.

“...ah, sorry. My mind was elsewhere.” The woman responded, voice soft but distant and perhaps a bit haughty. “Forgive me, I wasn’t expecting guests. I am Leah. What are you three doing here?”

“...we were looking for something of mine.” Yasu curtly replied. “I lost it here.”

“Did you now? Well, perhaps we should consider this lucky. I do not believe in chance meetings. Perhaps you three could entertain an old ladies question? Do you have any…particular dreams? Or perhaps, desires, wants, it doesn’t matter. Something you wish to accomplish.”

“Don’t have one. If I did, I wouldn’t tell a weird old hag like you.” Yasu responded as gruffly as she ever did.

“No? Well isn’t that sad…what about you two?” She notably said nothing about the burned bits of the forest or the recent destruction of this temple.

---

Location: Abandoned Stellar Toy Co. Factory Mentions: @Savo @Rune_Alchemist @Vertigo

---

Once Jill was done healing the magnemite, she took a couple steps back and looked over her new Pokemon with curiosity before nodding to herself. "That looks better," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Now I guess you'll need a name. Hmm..." She raised her eyes towards the ceiling as she tried to think of something. She'd named Aster after a flower, one that has a similar color scheme to the Aipom herself. There weren't any flowers that were grey - at least, as far as Jill was aware - and none that really brought to mind her new companion. She tried to think of other plants... sage? Onion? Chive?

... her stomach gave a small rumble. Okay, maybe don't think about food right now.

After thinking for a moment, something clicked in her mind. She remembered reading somewhere about a type of plant that could be used to generate electricity, which perfectly fit her new friend. Now, what was it called?

"... Oleander," Jill eventually said. "I'll call you Oleander, Ollie for short." She tilted her head to the side. "Does that sound alright?"

'Oleander' looked at her for a long moment, before slowly bobbing up and down. Apparently, it didn't seem to mind that too much.

Jill gave a big smile. "Alright, Oleander it is!" She turned to look at the other trainers, only to see Yuu leaving the room. "Oh! Are we going now?" she said, glancing over at Chloe. She glanced over at Aster, who was pushing herself up to her feet. Her movement were very jerky, and she was constantly shaking herself to try and rid herself of the static. "Erm, perhaps I should keep you in your Pokeball until we're able to-" However, she didn't get to finish that sentence before Aster shot her a glare. Jill put her hands up. "Okay! It was just a suggestion."

She made her way over to Chloe. "Thanks, by the way!" she said. "Don't know how I would have been able to handle that if it had just been me and Aster."

Given how he had plenty of time to recover after sprinting after the Nidoran, Richard chose to simply jog through the fields as he made his way towards the ruins that had been so conspicuously in his sight when he had first entered the area. With Luna keeping pace behind him, the young man soon found himself witness to the situation that Laurel had put herself in.

While he didn't necessarily catch everything in the conversation at hand, it became quite apparent to Richard that the situation was probably a bit more complicated than Laurel being offended by an interrupted meal.

"Hey, am I too late to join in on the fun?" the Trainer asked as he quickly moved between Laurel and the two people trying to commandeer the site for themselves. "Jokes aside, if you're going to try and posture for a battle, would it kill you to move away from the ruins? They're not going anywhere, and it'd defeat the purpose of coming here if you broke everything in the process, right?"

Though a battle would be good for more experience, Richard felt that trying to defuse the situation would be the best course of action here. It wasn't likely, granted, but at the very least he could try to reduce collateral damage and push them into a more neutral location if conflict was unavoidable.

"...Though I do have to question why you'd need to kick everyone out to look at things in the first place, much less cause a fuss by damaging these reasearchers' belongings and causing chaos besides. This is the era of modern technology; unless you're trying to steal a rock or destroy the place or something, you could've just... I dunno, asked to take some pictures? Or, well, just asked in general, really. Simple courtesy goes a long way."

All things considered, insulting the methodology that these two were using probably wasn't going to defuse the situation...

But by this point, that bridge had probably long since been burnt down. Luna seemed to have picked up on the situation and was mentally preparing herself in case she did need to fight, but it remained to be seen if these people would go so far as to attack a person in their attempts to get access to this place to begin with.

@Rune_Alchemist

---

Location: Ancient Grove
Mentions: @Pyromania99

Isla watched, listened, taking each piece as it came. She could tell right off that the woman wasn’t entirely normal, not by any means, and wasn’t entirely present in the moment. She was distant, she was thinking of something else, or she simply had to think of something else by compulsion. It was an off putting sort of thing, for someone to look at you and yet not look at you, almost as though they were staring off at another just behind. A shiver ran up the young girl’s spine at that thought, that another might simply be there and she wouldn’t be aware. Nonetheless, she listened as well as may be; some hint of what might be going on could be found in the words, and again, it did nothing to be so confrontational.

“...ah, sorry. My mind was elsewhere. Forgive me, I wasn’t expecting guests. I am Leah. What are you three doing here?”

Guests. She wasn’t expecting…Guests. The woman couldn't live at the shrine…could she? Eyes scanned over the destruction of it, the ruin of it. No, that couldn’t be. Guests…looking out beyond all of them. What did she see, what was there? And her name, Leah…Isla knew that Celebi was something of a traveler, moving through and among time wherever it may be. Could she be one of those caught among one of those journeys? Could Celebi even make such a mistake? Isla wasn’t sure. There were too many questions and knowledge that could only be found among a native of the region. If that was true, unlikely as could be…would she act in such a way?

In any case, Yasu responded, saying that something was lost…she’d said before that she was looking for Celebi, now says it is…’something’. Yasu was being ambiguous, vague. She didn’t want to reveal the reason. Why? Did she know of this woman, this Leah? The tone given by the priestess was deliberately brief, as brief as may be. Isla swallowed, staring more.

“Did you now? Well, perhaps we should consider this lucky. I do not believe in chance meetings. Perhaps you three could entertain an old ladies question? Do you have any…particular dreams? Or perhaps, desires, wants, it doesn’t matter. Something you wish to accomplish.”

Deams. Dreams and guests and a name, Leah. What…what did she want to know of the thing? Why did she want to know about dreams? It almost matched certain trainers Isla had met at Trainer Tower, that style, that attitude, the distance and contemplation and wonder. She knew them as psychics, ones who could lift Pokéballs with concentrated gestures, who asked so much and put all off so much. And yet…something was more about this woman, about Leah. There was something beyond even those cursory contemplations, those gestures. It was the tone, true, and the distant eyes, and the words here and there.

Again, Yasu responded. Weird old hag. She wasn’t as guarded as before. There was something there, some friction, some question that didn’t want to be answered. The thoughts and wonders came and went as Leah turned her attention to Camila and Isla with a single question.

“No? Well isn’t that sad…what about you two?”

“I am living my dream, as well as I could.” Isla didn’t want to answer it, not fully, not when there was still that question of why. She remembered psychics who could glean the loud thoughts…what could something else do with greater focus, or a different set of talents? The worry was there, sure, and a thought of a question in return gathered about to distract herself. Her tone was far less solid than that of Yasu, distinctly so. “When ah…when do you expect ‘guests’, if you ah…if you don’t mind my asking? Ma’am?”

---

It...it worked?

"Bun bun!"

It worked!!! She'd actually, for the first time ever, caught a Pokemon on her own! Or, well, with the help of Sir Lopsalot at least. But still, it was a catch! The psychic felt the edges of her mouth tug upward somewhat, not bothering to push it back down in the moment as she suddenly sat down on the floor with a loud sigh. Sir Lopsalot, for his part, would slightly slowly hop on over to her in turn and into the psychic's lap. While beat up and seeming worse for the wear, the little bunny was certainly a tough one to stick it out....and even to give Clarissa a beaming smile despite his condition at this point in time to boot.

Reaching back to grab her second Potion of the day, Clarissa would begin to work on aplying it to her partner Pokemon despite his wincing at the sting of it at first. Still, he seemed to mtaphorically 'bite his tongue' on the matter for the most part. The medicine stung, but it certainly was better than the alternative of being more hurt again. That much he seemed to get at the very least. Even so...

"You did great, and I couldn't be more proud."

Clarissa's voice was soft, and her tone was tender, a rare moment to see even for Sir Lopsalot himself as she spoke to him. Yet feeling something still wrong with things, he would use one little arm to poke Clarissa back a bit as well.

"Bun! Bun bun."

Eh? What was he-....oh.

"Ok, ok....'we' did great. Hehe."

By the time she finished applying the Potion to fix Sir Lopsalot back up a bit, the psychic would return to her usual expression of general stoicism before looking to the next bit of business ahead of them. The Pokeball. Her new Pokemon. The blasted Murkrow that she'd been seeking so far, finally caught in a handy Pokeball. It was decently strong too....she'd have to train Sir Lopsalot a bit to get him up to par too, though for now-

Before she could actually pick up the pokeball, the Gastly from earlier would phase through the wall, grab the ball in its mouth, give a ghostly laughed before zipping through a door - consequently throwing it open in the process.

She’d probably want to give chase. Unless she didn’t want to keep the pokeball.

"...Bun."

Sir Lopsalot wasn't amused. Well, wasn't very amused at least. Meanwhile, Clarissa scrambled to her feet and grabbed her things up again as Sir Lopsalot jumped up on her right shoulder. After that, it was a dead run toward the newly opened door the other Pokemon had taken its ill-stolen gains through. They had to go after that Gastly, and get back that Pokeball! Albeit as Clarissa did so, and Sir Lopsalot held on staying in his place, the girl's device would go off with another message. This time, it seemed, it was from Chloe once more with hopefully an update from the rescue party that had come to help her.

O M G girl im SO sorry for leaving u on read!! u wont BELIEVE what happened here 😱😱 ill tell u abt it later like??? it's crazy. anyway are u ok? we're coming NOW i promise 💖

ps. the dude with us is like an actual legit douchecanoe omg 🤡

The boy was a douchecanoe? What was his name....Yuu? Yuu. Reminded her of the more abrasive-seeming guy back at the Professor's lab who had fussed about Ripley and his less-than-stellar earlier comments. Was that the same guy who had come to help? Perhaps. But she also didn't have any idea what had happened with the group of rescuers either thus far, aside from them coming in through a window it seemed. Oh dear. And now the psychic herself likely had just one Potion left now, right?

Oh this was certianly a situation for sure. But she'd try to hash out a quick response to Chloe as she ran in a sliughtly exasperated pursuit of it at least.

You will have 2 tell me later for sure. Somehow ran in2 and caught an actual Murkrow. Little rough for the wear 4 now.

Then the Gastly I ran into earlier just took the Pokeball I caught it in and ran off with it. In pursuit to try to get the Pokeball back.

@Rune_Alchemist@Vertigo

The woman turned so suddenly and then spoke nothing for a time. Camila wasn't entirely sure if she should speak or not. As she was about to, however the woman finally gave words. She introduced herself as Leah and asked what they were doing? Before Camila could respond, Yasu did. To which Leah mentioned something about not believing in chance meetings and asking a question.

Dreams? Desires? Well, who didn't have those? Still, she wondered if she should mention any of hers to this odd woman calling herself an Old Lady. She only looked about ten years older than Camila herself. It was a little odd to Camila that a woman that looked to be in her thirties or so would call herself that. Then Yasu called the woman an Old Hag... Camila felt like she was missing something, though that could be Yasu being her own abrasive self.

Then Camila noticed the woman turn to Isla and herself and ask them to answer. Isla gave a pretty non-commital answer to the woman saying she was living her dream as best she could. Camila didn't really mention anything about her desire to run a lab like the Professor in the future but she did mention something to at least placate this "old" woman. "Perhaps fill out this catalogue of Pokemon for the Professor so I can go back to my nice assistant job at the lab?" She mentioned, half joking as this was by sheer technicality... The very same job she was doing right now...

Route 5
@PKMNB0Y

“Heh, naive kid aren’t ya?” The man responded with a grin, not seeming bothered by Richard showing up here. “Ya ain’t wrong, if all we wanted was the stuff here ourselves, that’d be the nice way to go about things.” He pulled out a pokeball from his coat pocket. “Unfortunately for you, kid, we’re going to make sure no one else gets this but us.”

“We’re burying this place. Again.” The woman's words were quick, sharp, and to the point. “Can I beat them into the ground, Montgomery?”

“Don’t gotta wait for my permission, Bea-”

Before the words even left his mouth, ‘Bea’ had already tossed a pokeball at Richard and Laurel.

The released pokemon, was a Sneasel! Well, it looked like a Sneasel, though its coloration was a bit off. It was a Hisuian Sneasel! The Sneasel would shake its body, giving a little laugh as it’d aggressively swipe the air in front of it.

“Seansel, rip and tear.”

“Well don’t just stand there, Pawniard, you heard the lady. Lets teach these kids how this world works, eh?”



Pawniard wasn’t far behind, joining right next to Sneasel.

“Tch, fine then - Verdue, lets teach these cretins some proper Rossaden Etiquette! No one interrupts tea time!”

It seemed whether he wanted to or not, he was now getting involved in a battle.





Stellar Toy Factory
@Vertigo@XxFellsingxX@Savo

So Yuu, completely ignored the Rattata. The little rat pokemon would continue to be mostly oblivious to his presence as he’d change course, contenting themselves with chewing through the remaining left over boxes and scampering along, unbothered after. It seemed like the only other potential door out of the large warehouse, now, though, was on the far opposite wall - it looked like an old loading bay with a few signs next to it saying ‘Foremans Office’ in old, faded letterings.

Easy enough to get over there. Just around some boxes, past some Conveyor belts, up a small flight of stairs to a catwalk above, and they’d be out.

Beeeep! Bzzzzt!

The sound of machinery powering up broke whatever silence there was as every single conveyor belt turned on - followed by large shutters closing off the doors in the area leading out! Static played over the factory's intercoms, buzzing while a few TVs also flicked on, flipping between static and showing old toy commercials. While the TVs and speakers displayed static, a faint, whirring, buzzing, almost laughing noise could be heard…

All three present would feel a bit of static charge in the air pass between them, shocking Chloe and Jill as they held arms. More importantly though, it made parts of her hair stand on end, completely ruining her hair style, for the moment.

Seems like something may have finally woken up in the factory...

Stellar Toy Factory
@Crusader Lord

Pursing the thieving ghost, Clarissa would be led on a chase through more offices, up some stairs, spooking some Rattata, and through an empty computer room. The Gastly showed no signs of stopping as the Psychic would soon find herself pushing open a door and finding herself now on the catwalks above the factory floor, a few stories up.

Oh, she could see Chloe and the others from here, below her on the floor. Looked like they were having a rough time of it, too. Whatever was going on down there didn’t seem to bother her for the moment though, as she’d chase th Gastly across the catwalks towards the opposite side of the factory. The Gastly would phase through a door labeled ‘Maintenance and Computer Room’

It’d open without much fuss, where she’d find Gastly dropping the pokeball on a table in the middle of the room before flitting off again, though it was still nearby if she happened to check. More curiously, was the room she was in. Instead of a dormant, unused computer room, every single machine and computer in the room was alight with power, whirring and buzzing away loudly. Some switches were even flipping themselves…

Huh, she could feel a second ghost pokemon that wasn’t the Gastly…somewhere. It was hard to pinpoint, almost like it was everywhere…

Ancient Grove
@Pyromania99@Thayr

“Goodness, either you all are wary of me or you all are quite content individuals.” Leah would cover her mouth with a hand and giggle lightly, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Well, I suppose I can’t fault you all for that. Strangers can bring strange times, no? Well, whatever the case, I hope you can think of me as a friend from here on out.” Her distant gaze turned towards Isla, her expression softening. “Never, really. I am merely an old recluse who travels far too much in her free time. Not that I mind it…people can be so very noisy.”

“You done with your cryptic weirdness, lady?”

“No.” The woman would retort with a small smile. “I have one last Cryptic little thing to tell you, Miss Yasu. What you have lost, has returned to the start.” Leah would clap her hands. “Now, a gift to commemorate our first meeting. You are all trainers, yes?”

Leah walked over, handing Isla a small green and gold colored laminated card. On one side was emblazoned ‘VIP’ in large letters. On the back, was the logo for the hotel in Pines End depicting a Musharna sleeping languidly. Supposing she took it…



“You see, I was out here since an old friend wanted to meet me…” Leah sighed, glancing to the side as her shoulders slumped. “Alas, I won’t be staying. We have drifted quite far apart these last few years, it seems and I have no desire to stay here much longer. Consider it a gift from your new friend, hm?”

“We’re not your friend, lady.”

“Perhaps, not now, but who knows what the future holds? Just show that card to the front desk of the hotel here in Pines End, and they’ll let you three stay there free of charge whenever you want as long as the card doesn’t expire, no questions asked. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must be returning to Byjerlfal by the end of the day.”

Supposing no one had anything else to say to her, or to stop her from leaving, she would.

For a breif moment, the psychic got a glimpse of her all-volunteer rescue party as she darted after the ball-snatching Gastly across the catwalks. A girl with dyed hair, who seemed to be of the 'fashionable' sort, had an appearance that seemed to shout the name 'Chloe' for sure based on the texts they'd exchanged. Had a little pink dog Pokemon with her too. Then there was the ninja girl from the Professor's lab, her silly and mischevious simian by her side, and...eh? Did she just catch another Pokemon or such? Hmm. Meanwhile the sight of a blue dog-like Pokemon and grumpy-looking short-haired boy with him was likely 'Yuu' for sure. Ah. Wait, that guy had volunteered to come help her like this? Huh. Then again, Chloe had just told her the guy was a 'douchecanoe'....hmm. Seemed more to him than met the eye perhaps?

But all of this mattered very little in the heat of the moment, mostly as it was just what Clarissa could get from a quick glance at best as she pursued the Gastly onward. Her feet caused the catwalks to clatter and rumble a bit, likely having not been used to the feet of people for some time potentially, until she saw the Gastly phase through the upcoming door. Indeed, she'd try to open the door in a hurry as she tried to continue her pursuit as well, Sir Lopsalot sitting on her shoulder still as he hung on with his little Buneary arms, though upon finding it more easily opened without much of a fuss at all it seemed.

That in and of itself was strange enough, but as she opened to the door and walked in the psychic felt an almost electric sensation run across her brain and then down her spine. Her senses were....her psychic senses were, actually, going off in a way she hadn't felt before. She could feel a second Pokemon in the room, even as her eyes and ears took in the buzzing of machines and whirring of computers and clicking of switches going on seemingly impossibly around her, but the sensation was very peculiar. Very strange. It was like the room was alivesomehow, like the Pokemon to be looked for here was all over the place. Like it was in everything, or part of everything even!

It stirred the girl out of her enforced expression of stoicism once more, mouth slightly agape and eyes and ears and psychic senses looking about with some sense of surprise, wonder, and a little bit of concern as well perhaps. It was then her eyes would finally, now, she saw where the Gastly had put the Pokeball with the Murkrow on the middle of a table that itself was in the middle of the room. Still, she could feel the Pokemon lurking around and lingering still as well more distinctly than the other one that was in the same room with her too.

Slowly walking up to the table, the psychic would carefully pull out three more jerky pieces to keep held in her left hand as a 'just in case'. After this she could pull up her device from Camphor, the "Camphordex" she'd call it for now, and try to look around the room with it held in her right hand. Maybe it could find something to scan? Help her find the Pokemon here maybe? Why had the Gastly brought her here, and why was this other Pokemon running the place.. And, really, perhaps the best question was this other Pokemon potentially the one who locked her inside of this Abandoned Factory for that matter (if her growing suspicions were correct)? What reasons did it have? Even Sir Lopsalot seemed concerned enough about his trainer's intial reaction to the room as he looked around with his eyes and kept his ears open to try to be aware of potential dangers alongside his trainer (Ghosts, why'd it have to be ghosts? He couldn't punch ghosts! Well...at least not punch them yet).

"Bun..."

Tentatively, however, Clarissa would try to reach out with her telepathy to the 'everything' that was what read she could get on that second Pokemon in the room right now. See if she could, gently and safely enough, make contact with it. It was like offering a simple handshake, in a sense, as if too say 'hello there, i'm here and want to say a friendly hi to you' type of thing. Or, well, that was her intent in things at the very least. Not to spook the Pokemon, but rather to make contact with it in this case. Apparently psychics and mediums, now that she thought back to something from her days training with her grandmother, had an affinity for ghosts somewhat maybe? Eh, that was according to one of the friends of her grandmother back in Orre that she'd met....had no idea why though. But the fact this bit was coming back to mind was certainly more relevant, perhaps, to whatever was going on than other things at least.

The Camphordex, however, was pretty vulnerable right now depending on the inclinations of the second ghost Pokemon in the room that wasn't Gastly.

@Rune_Alchemist

"Well, can't say I didn't try."

With a shrug of his shoulders as negotiations broke down, Richard calmly took a few steps back to position himself at Laurel's side as he began to consider his to handle his first multi battle. The young Trainer had expected a double battle to be his first foray into the format, but given the situation, it really couldn't have been helped.

"Right. Luna, you're up," he called out, at which point the Snivy gave a cry of acknowledgement before hopping over to Verdue's side.

It didn't really need to be said, but the two Pokémon their aggressors had sent out were very much not ones that Richard would have liked to face; not with either of their current teams, at least. Being at disadvantage that they were, though, meant that they needed to fight smarter.

Luckily, he and Luna had plenty of practice with their opener, and he didn't even need to openly telegraph anything about it with a verbal command!

"Luna, let's start with the usual. Prioritize that Sneasel for now, but get them both if to can to make things easier," Richard declared before the Snivy threw out a Glare towards the Pokémon in question.

Control was the name of the game right now, and the less that the enemy was allowed to act, the more leeway they had to chip away at them.

Anything after that, though, would have to wait until the enemy made a move of their own.

@Rune_Alchemist

---

Location: Abandoned Stellar Toy Co. Factory Mentions: @Savo @Rune_Alchemist @Vertigo

---

The beginnings of a blush and a lopsided smiled began to form on Jill's face at Chloe's compliments, though these were quickly replaced with surprise as the other girl linked arms with her and started guiding her into the next room. Guess they were carrying on, then. Jill quickly glanced over her shoulder and motioned with her free arm for Aster and Oleander to follow. The former had already started to scurry after her trainer, but the latter seemed more hesitant. After a pause, it gave a small, low ~bzzzt~ which was probably it's own version of a sigh before following after the rest of the group.

Upon entering the next room, things immediately started happening with the doors shutting and various machinery starting to turn on. Jill felt a current of static run through her, much stronger than the one she had felt when she had tried to help Aster, and watched as Chloe's hair suddenly started to frizz upwards. The ninja then felt her own hair, expecting it too was starting to stand on end.

... Surprisingly, it had not. She felt a little disappointed.

With the slightest pout on her face, Jill glanced over to Oleander. "Do you have any idea what that is?" she said. Both of her Pokemon had tensed up upon entering the room, but whereas Aster was looking all around in all directions, not sure what to expect, Oleander seemed a little more... resigned, was the best way Jill could surmise it. They were also looking around but a lot less frantically, and were focusing mostly on the areas where there were machines. Small sparks started to emit from their magnets, as if in anticipation.

After Leah left Camila was just confused about what happened. "Well, that's nice. You got a VIP card to that hotel then." She mentioned to Isla with a shrug before turning to Yasu. "Right now that that lady is gone, what where you looking for here, exactly? Anything we can help find?" She asked, looking around the place. If Yasu told her what she was looking for, she'd be happy to help if not she'd probably take a peak all around the shrine and figure out what secrets it may hold on her own. "The place looks rather destroyed." Camila mentioned, looking with extra attention at where the burn marks were on some things that seemed like they were rather recent.