[IC] Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Crossroads of Time [Full]

[Ninian]

Totodile

[Folio Trunk - Secret Room]

On the floor of a cavern, a lone blue reptile lay on it’s back. Tongue hanging out of the side of it’s mouth with eyes shut and breathing slow. The strangely colored Totodile was unconscious, but not for long. The lids of the creatures eyes twitched, and soon fluttered open to gaze upon the ceiling.

Huh?....What happened…..? Where am I?

Immediately assaulting the Totodile's senses was the scent of fresh water, likely coming from a spring, somewhere. To the Pokémon's side was a pool fed from a few small waterfalls trickling from the ceiling of what appeared to be a cave of some sort. Certainly an odd cave, as it had a surprising amount of foliage. Moss flourished on both the cavern's floor and walls, while small trees, plants and a few flowers could be seen scattered about the dimly lit chamber.

The Pokémon sat up, tongue retreating back into its jaws as it’s head scanned the environment slowly.

....I’m really drawing a blank. I don’t recognize this place….? Or do I?.....I-I….I can’t think of…..I can’t think of anything. My head really hurts too…..Did I smack it off a rock or something?....Ok, start with the basics. My name is…….

A frown defaced the young Water-type’s maw. I don’t know who I am! What’s going on!? Tilting his head downward to view his little blue toes and claws, they all wiggled a bit. The frown on the crocodile growing deeper. ....I don’t know WHAT I am either….I think I’m a…..Uh…..To...Toto...Dile? Totodile. That’s it. That seems right.

The amnesic lizard put it’s hands down onto the earth in front of him, and pushed itself into an odd standing position. The Pokémon waving it’s stubby arms around wildly as it wobbled a bit. Eye’s spinning from the sudden headrush. Whoa….T-This doesn’t feel right….Ugh…

The Totodile grabbed at it’s head, and tried to navigate away from the spring to no avail. The Water-type found itself stumbling towards the small body of water and driving his snout right into it with a loud splash. The reptile pulled it’s face from the water to cough and sputter, blowing the water out of it’s nostrils. Ugh….Well, at least I feel a bit more awake. That actually was pretty nice…. It would think to itself as deep brown eyes stared at the reflection on the pond's surface. The Totodile blinked at itself. ....So that’s what my face looks like huh?.....It feels…Off…….I’m probably just crazy. It’s my face after all…

An odd vworping noise echoed from behind him as a figure materialized. It was then the Big Jaw Pokémon heard a sultry, silvery voice, "You must be Devon."

The voice made the Totodile turn it’s head to look behind its shoulder, and raise a brow to the owner of the voice. "Uh….Am I? I kinda don’t remember…." Hearing it's own clearly male, raspy voice, the Big Jaw Pokémon paused for another few seconds in confusion before turning his back to the shore of the pond and sitting on his butt. Staring at his visitor and nodding slowly. "Devon….I think that might be me, yeah. That sounds right. And who are you?"

Stepping out from the shadows, the figure revealed itself. A short black dress hung around the newcomer's frame, with wing-like protrusions coming from her back. Though differing in both appearance and color, Devon would identify the young woman as a Gardevoir.

"You don't remember? How sad..." Rolling her eyes, she let out a slightly irritated sigh as she placed her hands on her hips. "Introductions will not do us much good, however I am Lady Lilith." Lifting a delicate hand to her cheek, Lilith scanned over the Totodile with a tinge of remorse evident upon her features. "You know, in another place... another time, we could have been friends."

Continuing to stare at the odd looking Gardevoir, Devon tilted his head. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Placing a palm to her forehead for a moment, she then brushed it off. "...Of course, you've just arrived here, haven't you? You simply do not know, and that is of course no one's fault. Devon..." A flash of pink shimmered in the darkness as the Gardevoir's gaze met Devon's. "I cannot allow you to live."

The threat nearly made Devon fall back into the pond. Thankfully, he was caught by his stubby tail as he yelled and brought up his claws in front of his face. "WHOA HOLD ON! WHAT DID I DO!? WHATEVER IT IS I CAN'T REMEMBER! I'M SORRY!"

With those sinister words, Lilith's form began to glow a green briefly before light-green leaves began to fire towards Devon. [LILITH used MAGICAL LEAF!]

A turquoise force field appeared before Devon. [??? used PROTECT]

The Totodile still had his arms up, cowering in fear. Waiting for the impact of that super-effective move that would no doubt kill him in only a few blows. It took about two more seconds of hiding before he would get brave. Sneaking a peak between his claws to look in front of him at the random force field. "Huh? A shield? Who did that?"

Lilith's expression faltered as the Protect was erected in front of Devon, her projectiles flying off harmlessly. "...Tch." Holding her arm out, the Gardevoir called out, "Show yourself!"

Padding through the Secret Room's entryway, a blue-ringed Umbreon came into view.

"Karaha, how dare you interfere with my plans."

With the Protect still shielding Devon, the Umbreon cocked his head. "...Do I know you?" After a moment of looking over the Gardevoir, the Umbreon picked up the pace to step in front of the Totodile. The Protect faded, and the Umbreon—Karaha—emitted a low growl. "We need to leave, now." Glancing at the brown satchel draped across his back, Karaha spoke, "There's an orb in there. Grab it."

Devon didn't waste any time heading the Umbreon's command. The Totodile quickly got to his feet, and practically tripped onto the Moonlight Pokémon as he shoved his grubby little hands into the bag and felt around. "Oh yeah we do! This girl is crazy! I swear I didn't do anything to her!"

"You cannot escape me."

Holding her arms into the air, Lilith began to gather energy. A pink orb coalesced between her hands before it was fired at the Umbreon. [LILITH used MOONBLAST!]

Devon's arm came back out of the bag, and in his grip was a small turquoise colored crystal ball. His head darted to the still attacking Psychic in front of them and gasped. "Oh crap! Move!" The reptile reeled back, and tackled the Dark-type with his full weight in an attempt to get them both out of the blasts impact range.

As Devon attempted to move the pair out of harm's way, the orb began to emit a brilliant white light, which enveloped them. [DEVON used an ESCAPE ORB]

[Folio Town - Town Plaza]

Faceplanting into bark, the Umbreon was successfully moved.

"Excellent... work." A few pained grunts escaped Karaha's maw as he picked himself up from under the Totodile. Shaking himself off, he thoroughly examined Devon before speaking, "I have a very important question. That woman, do you know her?"

Devon rolled off of his stomach and onto his side, still holding his head as he looked up at the Umbreon. A sad frown drooping his maw. "Nope. Or uh….Maybe? I don’t actually know. I just kinda woke up in that cave, and now I can’t remember anything at all. Except for my name. She somehow knew my name, But I swear I don’t have or want anything to do with that crazy jerk."

"...She knew my name as well, and I assure you I've heard nothing of her." Sitting down near Devon, Karaha let out a soft sigh. "You woke up in the middle of a Secret Room... that deep inside of Folio? And you do not remember anything...? Well... I'm Karaha, as that woman said..." Furrowing his brows, he tilted his head, "...do you not remember your hometown? Family? Anything aside from your name?"

The lost Totodile pushed himself off the ground, and crossed his arms to give a headshake to Karaha. "No...Just my name. I’m Devon, and thanks for the save Karaha." His head tilted to the floor. "I don’t know what I’m gonna do now though. Try to jog my memory I guess? How would I even do that….?"

Pondering the Totodile's question for a moment, Karaha finally shook his head, coming up with nothing. "I... I could not tell you. Perhaps you hit your head... if that's the case you should recover within the day. Sustenance would help."

A small smile played across his maw, "Also, you are quite welcome. You seemed in need of help, and I happened to be there."

Leaning back a bit, Devon’s frown began to progress into a smirk. "Glad you were. Else I would have been cut up by a bunch of leaves. Wouldn’t that have been a grand way to go." The Water-types gaze slowly drifted around, watching as crowds of Pokémon made their way through the streets that appear to made out of…..Bark?. There was also leaves high above their head, and a bunch more foliage and plant life around the buildings and shops. The scene both amazed Devon, and slightly intimidated him. It’s not like he knew where to go. "So uh….You mentioned food would help right? This looks like a giant tree, so is there like, fruit growing around here or something? Where are we?"

The Umbreon couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle when Devon spoke about his hometown. "...A giant tree is an apt description. This is Folio Town, and as you can see we live atop the tree's branches." After his explanation, one of Devon's comments finally hit him. Standing up, Karaha gave him a puzzled expression, "...Fruit? Errrm, I don't believe so. Not here, anyway. No, no... there's an inn around here and they..." Putting a paw to his head, he cocked it. "You know, we do not often get travelers here. I'm actually surprised there's an inn to begin with. Actually, no I do take that back. The food there is quite delicious, and I suppose there are patrons who cannot make it home afterwards, so... that would explain the rooms..."

Flushing beneath his fur, Karaha continued, "...enough of my prattling. Follow me."

Standing up, Devon snickered a hit at the Dark-type’s embarrassment. "Sure. Right behind you." Stumbling a bit in Karaha's direction to follow, the odd Totodile finally got some sort of awkward walking motion down. If you call taking a few steps, then falling back on his tail like a kickstand 'walking'.

[Lucius Cypher]

Gren

Location: Folio Town
Activity: Talking to strangers (Devon and Karaha)

Today was the day. The day. The day that Gren leaves home and tries to figure out his past. He had everything he needed: enough food to last him at least a week, his lucky rock, and the weird marble his mom said that belonged to him. Everything he needed to go on a journey. But there was one problem: He had no idea where to start. At first he figured he'd go back to the mines where his mom first found him, but he already did that. Nothing but bits of iron and occasionally more hard stones. No one in this town really knew much about him, at least no more than his mother did. Gren tried to visit his friends, see if they had any clue where he should start.

The first person he went to was Honey. Gren and Honey were tight friends, and while Honey wasn't quite as adventurous as he was, Gren could rely on Honey for help. The buneary was having a snack when Gren stopped by his house for a chat. Honey was having a snack when he noticed the green-eyed aron arrived. Hopping out of his seat Honey walked up to his friend, doing their signature greeting: a light headbutt, with Honey tapping Gren's head with both his ears. "Gren? What are you doing here? The berries won't be ready for harvest until another three days." Gren shook his head and crawled into a seat. "I'm not looking for berries, Honey. I'm trying to figure out who my real parents are."

Honey looked at Gren with surprise. It was obvious to both of them that Gren was adopted (Who ever heard of a mawile giving birth to an aron?), but Honey didn't think Gren would go so far to figure it out. He gave Gren a cup of berry juice, who thanked his buddy and finished it in one gulp. "That sounds pretty important Gren. I mean... I don't know what to say. I wish I could tell you something, but I wouldn't even know where to start." Gren nodded sadly. He kinda figured Honey would say that and Gren couldn't blame him.

Still, Honey wasn't going to let Gren go on such a low note. He went inside his house and came back out with a knapsack full of berries. Sitrus berries, Gren's favorite. "I... I guess if you're going to try to find out, you might end up leaving town. I wish I could go with you Gren, I really do, but... You know, I have the farm to take care of, and honestly? I think I'll just hold you back." Gren looked into the sack with surprise, getting out of the chair to give his friend and affection hug (Which mostly involved rubbing his head against Honey). "Nah, it's fine dude. I understand and I'm glad that you're going to help me anyways. I know I'll be going pretty far, but it'll be nice to know that when all is said and done, I have someone like you back here at Folio." Taking the sack and adding it to his own stuff, Gren was about to head off. Before he did he had one more thing to say to Honey. "But you know, it's not like this is goodbye. I might be gone for a while, but I'll do my best to stay in touch. I'll send letters! And plus, since I'll be traveling around the world, maybe I could send you some berry seeds or something. I know you've always wanted to grow every type of berry. Well... Now it's my turn to help you. Anyways, see you around Honey!"

Munching on one or two berries, Gren went to his next lead: Kage. The poochyena was in the town of Folio barking at some other poochyenas. He seemed to be in the middle of reprimanding a particularly puny pooch when he saw Gren. He gave the pup a sharp growl and the poochyena ran away. Gren greeted Kage with a headbutt, though Gren made sure not to bump Kage too hard. "Kage, my mon, what's the word on the street?" Kage grinned and the two walked out of the alley and into the Town Plaza. While some would call Gren bigger, Kage was physically taller since he wasn't so squat as Gren was. "I hear there's some mysterious stuff going on in the Trunk. Mon's been seeing strangers come and go, don't even stop by the town. Not many folks worried, but there are curious. What's with the bags? Mom kick ya out?" Gren shook his head, offering Kage a berry. Never one to say no to free food, Kage gobbled it down while Gren spoke.

"Nah, but I might be out of town for a while. You know I've been here for a good few years now, and I've always been wondering who my folks were. You know, my real mom and dad." Kage didn't show any thought to that. Like Gren, Kage didn't know his parents either. But he was founded by the pack as soon as he could remember, so it didn't really matter to him. So he just shrugged his shoulders as they stopped near a foutain for Kage to wash the Sitrus juice down. Once he finished he sighed. "I know I can't talk ya out of it, so I'll just be level with ya: I don't think it really matters. Ya got a home here, a loving mother, true friends, and a solid job. Most pokemon can't say that elsewhere. Heck, even if ya find out, maybe ya won't like what ya find, see? Ignorance is Blissey and all that. But... Since ya won't listen to my wisdom, I suppose I could at least help you on your journey." The poochyena smirked before taking something out of the fountain. It was a map. Gren tilted his head, wondering how and why Kage had that there.

"This here is a map of the Sand Continent. Now, can't say that this is entirely accurate, as I've never been to these places neither. But it's new, so it's got to have some merit, see? I doubt y'all find what ya looking for in town or even down the Trunk, so this here map ought to lead you to where you need to be." The map was quite detailed, marking not only the towns, but geographical information like roads, rivers, mountains, forests, and a few landmarks. The fact that everything was spelled correctly was a sure enough sign that Kage stole this, and not make it himself. Gren looked at his friend with a sink eye, asking the unspoken question of where this map came from. "Oh c'mon now, do ya really think that's all I'm good for? I happen to have a working relationship with people too. This map was made by some Exploration blokes from Sahra. I gave them some dirt about the local area and they gave me this map. C'mon, would I lie to ya?"

Yes he would, but Gren decided to believe him regardless. After all, he could certainly use this map if he left town. "Alright Kage, I'll accept that. But still, no more funny business, you hear? I know you got a checkered past, but we both made sure you're turning over a new leaf. I don't want to come back after all's said and done and hear that you got ran out of town because you're selling salt-water charms." Gren gave Kage a playful ribbing before they both parted ways. Kage might be shady, but he was a good mon. Maybe not a nice mon, but a good one.

Putting his map into a strap, the next pokemon Gren stopped by was his old friend Masha. He could usually meet her in the plaza at the Kecleon Shop, learning the trade. Sure enough he stepped inside and saw the little mushroom manning the register. She saw Gren and hopped off, giving him a solid headbutt. "Gren! What'll it be today? I just got a great deal on Big Mushrooms today. How about two per nugget? Or maybe you want to finally get that Rocky Hat you've been eyeing?" Gren had to admit both of those things sound very tempting right now, but he didn't have any money with him to buy much. Besides that, he got straight to the point. "Sorry Masha, I'm not here to shop. I'm actually here to ask for you help." Masha raised an eye at this. Wasn't often that Gren needed Masha's help with anything. Usually it was the other way around. Masha would normally try to charge him or ask a favor, but she had a feeling that this was a bit more important than just lending a hand at chores. "Sure thing Gren. What do you need?"

Gren took his sack off his back, digging inside to take out the strange marble. He put it on the ground in front of Masha (On account of the fact that neither of them had hands to hold it) so she could take a closer look. She's never seen anything like it, and it's shine made her immediately wonder how much she could sell it for. Gren knew this and spoke up. "I'm not selling it Masha. Actually, I was hoping you could help me figure out what it is. See, my mom said that before I hatched, this marble was next to my egg. She thought maybe it belonged to whoever dropped me off. My parents." Masha looked up at Gren and was quickly able to piece together what he wanted. She immediately got to thinking, but sighed.

"Hmm. It's a real shame Gren, cause I've never seen anything like this. I'm sure if I showed it to some merchants they might know, but traders won't come in till a few more days. Even then I've seen everything from bags of soft sand to Ho-Oh feathers (Actually fake), and I've never seen anything like this. Chances are your average merchant might not either. I can certainly tell that it's no ordinary rock though. If I had to guess, it must be some sort of evolutionary stone, like a dawn stone or something. But that's just my guess."

Gren nodded his head. His third try and he still wasn't any closer to finding out than he was before. He's already guessed that this was some sort of evolutionary stone, but he tried to use it on everyone in town; nothing happened. Masha could see Gren looking down, so she went back behind the counter and tossed a bag of pokedollars. It added up to about ten thousand (10,000). Gren looked up to Masha, curious. "I managed to sell those fossils you traded me a few weeks back. I was going to give this to you next week after we trade, but I'm guessing from all your gear you won't be in town for much longer. Consider this an advance, for all our business together. You know Gren... I was thinking that maybe it's about time I left town too. My mom and dad started their careers around my age. I think after I get everything settled, I'll head out and see the world too. I don't know what you'll get yourself into, but I know that I'll become the best merchant the world has ever seen. And if that can happen, then I'm sure that you'll be able to figure out more about your mom and dad too."

Gren took the coins and his marble off the ground thoughtfully. Masha always seemed like she was scamming him out of a good deal, but she always knew what to say to make Gren feel happy. "Thanks Masha. Good luck with your business. Maybe we'll catch each other on our own journeys, eh? Anyways, catch you around."

Three down. Gren wasn't sure who else he could talk to. He figured he could go ask Helix down at the beach, but by the time he'd get there it'd be nighttime. Normally Gren would need to go early in the morning if he wanted to get back home before sunset. Perhaps he'd try to find Robo? He didn't know where he was or what exactly Robo was doing in the desert, but considering how mysterious he was, surely he knew something that Gren didn't. Maybe even something important. But before he could do that, he felt something slap against his forehead. He took it off and noticed it was a piece of paper. It was a ticket for jaywalking. Gren sighed; it was Seraph.

"It's dangerous for you to walk across the street during a busy day like this!" While most of the business did occur doing the day, right now the Town Square was hardly what Gren would call busy. And Gren was the type of mon who thinks getting out of bed is a chore. Gren sighed and started to walk away, but Seraph teleported right in front of him. She seemed a bit peeved that he was ignoring her. "Seraph, please. I don't have time for this right now! I'm trying to figure out who my parents are." Seraph looked at Gren questionably. "Isn't Miss Nadeshiko your mother?" Gren nodded his head, then shook it side-to-side. Yes she was, technically, but no she wasn't, biologically. Gren figured he didn't need to explain that to Seraph. "Yeah but... Look, I mean my real parents. You know, the one who laid my egg. My mom- I mean, Nadeshiko, she's my adoptive mom. And I love her, of course, but I want to know who my real parents are. And... And what happened to them. Why I didn't grow up with them."

For once Seraph didn't look at Gren with nasty eyes. In fact she seemed quite sympathetic. She stood in front of Gren, thinking, before flipping through her book and handing him a piece of paper. Instead of a ticket however, it looked like a set of directions into the Folio Trunk. "Hmph! Well if that's what you wanted to know, then you could have just told me. Normally we have records of all the families that live in Folio at the library, but since you were adopted, I doubt we have records of whoever your parents are. But maybe there is someone who would know. There's been rumors of a pokemon who can access all the knowledge in the world at the lower levels of Folio's Trunk. A bunch of Osha-wash if you ask me, but could be someone down there who knows a lot of answers to a lot of questions. I'd say that this pokemon is the next smartest person next to the sibyl, and this pokemon doesn't require you making an audience with it. Normally I wouldn't tell you this, since the lower trunks are dangerous, but it looks like you're already ready to go down there anyways."

Finally, Gren had a lead. A rumor about someone who might not exist, but it was the start for something. Gren didn't expect Seraph of all mon's to help him, but he was glad she was. He went and gave her a hug (Again, just rubbing his head against her, in this instance just her leg) which embarrassed the Karlia. She put her foot against his head and tried to kick him away, but she was too weak to even make him budge, instead having to teleport again to escape his affection. "Stupid baby! Don't be stupid! I don't even know if this rumor is true, and all you might find is a bunch of rocks and a puddle. The only reason I'm even telling you is because I respect the pursuit of knowledge, especially for someone as stupid as you. Hmph!" She crossed her arms and turned her back on Gren, walking away. Before she left though she did get a last word in. "For a pokemon like you, you'd need all the help you can get. And... And everyone should know who their family is. Even someone as stupid as you." Then Seraph ran off, leaving Gren to smile as she left. She was mean, but she could also be nice too. She just needs to be more honest with her feelings.

Now that Gren had a lead, all he needed to do now was head into the lower levels of the trunk. But that had it's own problems. Gren was a tough pokemon and could fight, but even he wouldn't be able to go far on his own down there. He'll need to work with a team if he hopes to find that mysterious pokemon Seraph was talking about. So to that end, he'll need to join a team. Gren didn't really know much about the Guild or Exploration Teams, but he knew enough about them that they would do stuff like explore the lower levels of the Trunk for treasure and stuff. Gren didn't think he would explore the mystery dungeons himself, but then again he didn't know what to expect. So now he'll need to go find someone to help him. He would try to go back and ask for his friends for help, but he didn't know any who would actually be capable.

Honey said it himself that he'd only slow Gren down. Kage was crafty, but the town life suited him better than dungeon crawling. Masha might be interested, but if what she said is true, she'll be busy for the next few days and she might hop onto the next boat to start her trading business. Seraph was right out of the question; she might have helped Gren, but he couldn't tolerate working with her forever. He was certain that Seraph felt the feeling was mutual. That only left a few people he could think off like his mother or Helix, but he didn't want his mother to get involved in his own problems, and Helix might have a hard time traveling across land. But Gren wasn't going to give up so easily: if push came to shove he will enter the dungeons alone.

As Gren was walking through the town square, he noticed a peculiar sight. A Umbreon and Totodile. The Umbreon Gren was fairly certain he's seen before, but he couldn't place a name. He only remembers seeing him, but never spoke to the umbreon. But Gren definitely hasn't seen the totodile before. In fact, he's never seen a totodile excite in pictures and books. Perhaps they were strangers? Maybe they could help him. Of course he can't simply walk up to them and ask "Hey will you join my team to find a mysterious pokemon down in the trunk?" He needed to be polite, introduce himself, chat with them. Eventually, he'll get what he wants as long as he's both patient and persistent. That's what mother taught him. So Gren walked up to the two strangers and introduced himself. "Hello! I don't think I've ever seen you two in town before. My name is Gren! Mind if I ask what you're up to?"

Nailed it.

[Shiny Keldeo]

Breeze the Shaymin, Approaching Folio Town

@Ninian @Light Lord @Lucius Cypher
It had been a long journey from the Mist Continent, so long she had to seek shelter for the night as she had to revert back to Land Forme. Now that the sun was shining again, though, Breeze was back on the trail in Sky Forme. Traveling across the Desert Continent, it was hard to believe that a town situated in a giant tree could actually exist out here. But, low and behold, she finally caught sight of the giant trunk. It was amazing to see, as she had heard. She looked for a spot to land somewhere on one of the outlying branches. She caught sight of what looked to be some kind of observation platform. That would do.

She swooped down and landed delicately on the platform, taking a breath after flying for a few hours straight. She turned and wondered why an observation post would be right here, and looked out across the desert below her. Desert or not, the view was amazing. Then she suddenly seemed sad and looked down. "Sonya and Lola would have loved to see this..." She said quietly to herself. She gave her head a shake and suddenly felt something within her screaming at her. It was her stomach. She hadn't had anything to eat all day, she was starving. She decided to head towards what she believed would be the town center.

As she walked along the branches, she remembered that this town was, for the most part, cut off from civilization for quite a while. She wondered what the Pokemon would be like, what their life would be like... When she arrived in the Town Plaza, however, she found life to be relatively normal. Shops set up around the place, Pokemon walking around the streets, chatting with one another. It actually reminded her of Lively Town a bit. Her stomach roared at her again. She caught a slight dizzy spell but snapped herself out of it. She was tired, hungry, and in a new place she knew almost nothing about. First on the list: Food. Second: Rest. Third... she'd figure that out later.

She walked up to a small group of Pokemon, hoping they knew where she could find a place to grab a bite to eat. She spoke carefully. "Excuse me, do you, happen to know, where I can find, somewhere to get a bite to eat?" ...What was that voice? It sounded strained, tired, broken. It showed how tired she was, or how hungry she was. Either or both... what a great impression to make on the locals...

[Crimson Flame]

@Ninian @Light Lord @Lucius Cypher @Shiny Keldeo

Veronica the Lampent
Folio Town, Square

"Make new friends they said. It'll be different they said." Veronica muttered to herself as she entered the town. "Yeah, like I haven't heard that before. Veronica really wanted to believe she could have a normal life in this town. That she could make friends that wouldn't be terrified of her. But after so many attempts, holding on to that hope was getting harder. She had thought about joining one of those exploreres guilds she had heard so much about, but what guild would accept her?

When she arrived in the Town Plaza, she found it to be exactly the same as the all the other town centers she had been to. Shops set up all over the place, Pokemon walking around the streets, chatting amongst themselves, heck they even had a booth run by a Kecleon. Veronica hovered around looking at everything, and made sure to avoid contact with anyone else. "Yeah, this is totally fun..." The Lampent said sarcastically to herself.

She floated over to a nearby tree branch. It seemed like a quiet section of the town where she could think, and figure out what to do next. She leaned against it, and she breathed a sigh of relief when the branch didn't catch fire. She had learned how to keep herself in check by this point, but sometimes accidents did happen. "Who decided it was a good idea to put a town inside the branches of a tree? This is a disaster waiting to happen..." She said out loud, to no one in particular, and not expecting an answer.

She didn't realize until after she made her comment, that a small group of Pokemon had gathered nearby, and started talking amongst themselves. So much for quiet... The Ghost type thought. One of the group happened to be a Shaymin. Veronica had read that there was a whole village of them out in the grass continent, but this was stll a mythical Pokemon, and the first time she had actually seen one up close. Veronica was impressed, but only mildly. She hovered in place for moment, observed the group of Pokemon, and wondered if any of them noticed her presence.

[Ninian]

Karaha the Umbreon

[Folio Town - Square]

@Crimson Flame@Light Lord@Lucius Cypher@Shiny Keldeo
Gingerly placing a paw in front of him, the Umbreon stopped in his tracks as he heard a some-what familiar voice. Turning his head, he noted it was one of the Town's children. A soft sigh escaped Karaha's lips. It was true, Karaha was one of the most reclusive members of Folio, next to the Sibyl.

"...Oh, I live here actually... The building closest to the Sibyl's retreat is... my house. Well, it's actually more of a research facility of sorts, but I suppose that's besides the point. You're Nadeshiko's child, correct? It appears we have not been—"

An unfamiliar voice seemed to address the group from a small distance. Turning his head, Karaha looked over the Shaymin. It's been quite some time since he'd seen one, especially in the Sand Continent.

"Actually, myself and Devon here were about to get something to eat ourselves." Amber eyes shifted to Gren as he continued, "It's a pleasure to meet you formally, Gren. I am Karaha."

Amber eyes flickered towards a nearby branch. Karaha's gaze lingered only a second, but the Lampent had been indeed noticed. With his attention now on the present group, the Umbreon thought to himself, I've not seen them before...

[Light Lord]

Devon the Totodile

[Folio Town - Square]

@Ninian@Crimson Flame@Shiny Keldeo@Lucius Cypher
The still utterly lost and confused Totodile didn't really have much to add in the conversation. Karaha had pretty much covered all the bases. Leaving Devon to simply smile and wave at the two newcomers. He stood back a bit, tripping over himself once again to be caught by the end of his snout making contact with the ground. ....Ow. Why is this so hard? Maybe I really did hit my head....

Sighing, the little Water-type pushed himself back up into a sitting position to rub his nose a bit. Something quickly caught his attention in the corner of his eye. What appeared to be some sort of floating street lamp was over looking his group from a high up branch. What's that? Is something up there? Tilting his head upwards to view the strange thing the brown eyed mon raised a claw and waved at it. "Hi. What are you doing up there?"

[Lucius Cypher]

Gren

Location: Folio Town - Town Square
Activity: Talking to Devon and Veronica (Sorta)

Nodding his head, Gren was pleasantly surprised to hear someone who knew about his mother. "Yup, that's me! Nice to meet you Karaha." Gren didn't really know much about the sibyl or this place Karaha lived at. All he knew was that he wasn't suppose to go up there, and that it was pretty boring. Most of the pokemon there says he can't go inside, so there was never really much reason for Gren to explore that place. He was going to keep chatting when a shaymin showed up! Gren had never seen a Shaymin before. He's only seen them in books, and this shaymin looked different from the drawings. This shaymin must be in his sky form, if Gren was correct. It was very interesting. "The inn has good food. I usually eat at my house, but sometimes my mom wants to go into the town, and when it's time for dinner we eat at the inn. They make a good cake, but I like my cake plain. Sometimes they fill it up with cream and berries and makes everything so gooey." Perhaps not the most appetizing way to describe a perfectly fine cake, but Gren felt the need to explain the town to the stranger. "I would ree-com-mend the sandwich instead."

Then the totodile fell. Gren tried not to smirk, wondering why he tripped. Maybe he was hurt? But then he got up and seemed just fine. Maybe he was just naturally clumsy. Gren was going to greet him when the totodile went off to a tree and started talking to someone there. Gren looked and saw.... Some sort of lantern pokemon. Gren honestly did not know what kind of pokemon this was, and he's never seen it before. Curiosity got the better of him as he turned towards Karaha and bowed his head. "Please excuse me." That's what his mother taught him to do if he ever had to leave a conversation with someone. It was rude to just walk away after all.

Gren caught up to the totodile and the strange new pokemon. "Hello! I'm Gren! Who are you?"

@Ninian@Crimson Flame@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord

[Crimson Flame]

Veronica the Lampent
Folio Town, Square

Veronica's presence had been noticed after all. At least by some of them. The Umbreon gave her a look but didn't say anything. Much to Veronica's relief. Now she wouldn't have to get into an awkward conversation about what she was doing there watching.

Her relief didn't last long. She was approached by a cheerful looking Totodile."Hi. What are you doing up there?"

Veronica hadn't noticed she had floated upwards until he pointed it out. Most likely to avoid a conversation. Well, the jig was up now. "I float..." Veronica replied bluntly as she lowered herself to his level. "Not all of us are fortunate enough to have legs..."

A green eyed Aron was the next mon to approach her. "Hello! I'm Gren! Who are you?"

Well... at least no one is running in terror... The Lampent thought to herself. "Name's Veronica. I'm... new in town... You should be careful. Bad things have been known to happen when I'm around." The ghost type produced a couple of purple Will-O-Wisps at the ends of her arms, and juggled them around a bit before making the balls of fire disappear. "Some even call me a witch..." She said with a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice, and an eye roll.

@Ninian @Light Lord @Lucius Cypher @Shiny Keldeo

[Ninian]

Lilisette the Kirlia

[Folio's Trunk - Floor 6]

Running as fast as her small legs could take her, a Kirlia rushed her way through the mystery dungeon. I don't remember this place being quite so dangerous! What is up with—

Her thoughts were interrupted as a [DARK PULSE] was hurled in her direction.

A scratchy voice called out behind Lilisette. "You know, I have orders to kill you on sight, sweetheart."

Turning her head to glance at the assailant, she stared at him slack-jawed. "What!? Why me? Specifically!? Do you even know who I am!?"

Raising a claw to fire another [DARK PULSE], the assailant, Gliscor, cackled, "Of course I do. You're the pretty little blue Kirlia I was told to dispatch."

A groan escaped the Kirlia's lips as she blinked behind the Gliscor. "Ooookay, that's kind of weird that you have orders to kill me, but whatever. I don't really have time to deal with you right now." Lilisette's eyes began to glow a bright blue as telekinetic energy embraced the Gliscor. As soon as the blue aura consumed it, Lilisette used her [PSYCHIC] to hurl the Fang Scorpion Pokémon a decent distance from her.

"Catch me if you can suckerrrrr!" With those eloquent words, Lilisette continued rushing towards the stairs.

Karaha the Umbreon

[Folio Town - Square]

@Crimson Flame@Light Lord@Lucius Cypher@Shiny Keldeo
Padding closer to the Lampent, Karaha tilted his head with a rather confused expression. It lasted for a few moments before a small smile spread across the Umbreon's maw. "...A witch? For doing what, conjuring flames? If that's the case, then our very own Sibyl is a witch as well."

Shaking his head and letting out a soft sigh, he continued, "Welcome to Folio Town, Veronica. No harm will come to you, or anyone present as long as I am here. Where do you hail from, if I might ask?"

[Light Lord]

Devon the Totodile

[Folio Town - Square]

@Ninian@Crimson Flame@Shiny Keldeo@Lucius Cypher

Devon kinda frowned at the not very informative answer from the ghost, but decided to roll with it. "I can see that. It's pretty cool. And, legs ain't as much as they're cracked up to be." Looking down at his scaly blue feet, he gripped them and winced. "Mine ain't really treating me that well today...."

The same happy little Aron had made it's way over next to him, and introduced himself to Devon and the Lampent as Gren. Looking to his right, the crocodile smiled at the Steel-Rock Type. "Hey Gren. I'm Devon. Nice to meet you."

The light fixture-like Pokémon finally spoke up with her own interesting version of an introduction. One that might have sounded more like a threat, that is if she didn't sound and look so bored when giving it. Devon turned back to the now named Veronica and shrugged while still keeping his smile. "You can't be that bad. If you were bad news, you would have attacked us or something. You should really work on your intros though. Don't play yourself down like that. You're not a witch."

[Shiny Keldeo]

Breeze the Shaymin, Folio Town Plaza

@Ninian @Light Lord @Lucius Cypher @Crimson Flame
Phew... looks like they didn't notice how tired she was... the first impression is always the one you don't want to botch up when meeting new people. "My name's Breeze, nice to meet all of you..." She stumbled forward for a second and straightened herself. "Sorry, dizzy spell." She shook her head, clearing her mind. Then returned to the matter at hand. There was a Lampent among them now. "I can kind of understand why, you might not though. A lot of places in the world are afraid of Ghost Types, I've never quite understood why. They don't tend to trust them. I, on the other hand, have no problem with Ghost Type Pokemon. And the nerve that a Pokemon would call you a witch... that's just barbaric..."

Her stomach growled again. She needed food, badly, but she didn't want to be rude to these new Pokemon by just leaving suddenly. Then the Aron turned towards the Lampent with just a bow and a few words and went off to converse with the Ghost Type. Phew, one less Pokemon she'd have to worry about. Over all, the town seemed pretty nice. It was an interesting system they had there.

Then another Dizzy Spell kicked in, this one was much stronger than the last. She barely kept on her feet. Okay, so maybe flying since sunrise wasn't the best of ideas, but it was the only one to make it through the desert. Not to mention she had run out of food a day earlier, so she was completely starved. She tottered a bit, somehow managing to stay upright. She hadn't made the best decisions the past few days, after... she wouldn't even think about it now. It was impossible to think straight right now anyways, she felt like she was on the verge of collapse.

[Lucius Cypher]

Gren

Location: Folio Town - Town Square (In a tree)
Activity: Talking to Veronica

”What's a witch?” Gren has never heard of this word. He thinks it might be a bad thing, since this stranger says she is one and people don't like that, but he didn't see anything wrong with it. When she made balls of fire, Gren was mesmerized. It wasn't often that he met pokemon who could manipulate flame. Living in a tree tend to make people careful about open flames. Still, Gren thought it was cool. He guessed that witches were pokemon who could control flame, which perhaps was why people were scared of her.

Karaha said that the sybil was a witch too, or at least the sybil could make fire. The sybil was important to Folio Town, though Gren didn't know why. He's never seen the sybil, not even if the sybil is a boy or girl or what pokemon the sybil was. If Veronica was similar to the sybil then maybe the reason everyone doesn't like her is because she doesn't talk to people. Kinda like the sybil. Well, Gren intended to change that.

The little Aron started to climb the tree, struggling but eventually reaching the flying lantern. He extended a paw out to her, which just barely went past his massive head. “I don't think you're a bad pokemon. You just need to talk to more mons so they get to know you. My mom says pokemon only spread rumors when they're, uh… Ignoring rats. I think. So if you talk to people and let them know you they won’t say bad things about you. Unless you are a bad pokemon… Anyways, why don't you come with us to the inn and have some snacks? I wouldn't recommend the cake, but they have some nice sammiches.” Gren kept his paw extended, expecting Veronica to take his little foot and follow him. Though he'd need to take his hand back if he intends to climb back down the tree.

@Crimson Flame

[Light Lord]

Devon the Totodile

[Folio Town - Square]

@Ninian@Crimson Flame@Shiny Keldeo@Lucius Cypher

Still a bit saddened and confused by the Lampent's not so confident intro, Devon held onto the hope that they would be able to cheer Veronica up somehow. Perhaps if she came and ate them like Gren suggest? That might work. The Totodile bent down onto his hands and knees, pushing himself back into an awkward standing position that involved leaning back on his tail. The sounds of stumbling and someone tripping over their feet soon distracted Devon. The little blue croc turning around to spot the Shaymin that had arrived around the same time as Gren looking very sickly. Eye's dull and movements slow while Breeze wobbled in place. The sight caused Devon's face to light up in alarm. "Hey are you ok!?"

Stumbling over Devon put himself beside the slightly shorter Pokémon and attempted to hold her steady. "Here, lean on me. You look like you're about to pass out...." Deep brown eye's darted back to the rest of the group as the Big Jaw Pokémon slightly raised his voice. "Maybe we should put off the sandwiches for now. Breeze looks like she's needs uh....Uh...." Pounding on his head a few times with his fist, Devon managed to get the words out. "Doctor! We have one of those here right?"

[Ninian]

Karaha the Umbreon

[Folio Town - Square]

@Crimson Flame@Light Lord@Lucius Cypher@Shiny Keldeo
Of everything that was currently going on, Breeze worried Karaha the most. The trip to Folio was long and full of hardship. If the Flying-type Mythic had actually flown... she likely would have encountered sandstorms. Coupled with dehydration and low blood sugar, it would be the likely cause of her so-called dizzy spells.

The Umbreon's hypothesis was proven when the Shaymin's stomach growled. She was at least famished. At Breeze's second dizzy spell, Karaha noted Devon's concern. When he offered to let her lean on him, the Umbreon shook his head. [KARAHA used PSYCHIC!] A blue aura overtook Breeze, as he attempted to stabilize her. "There's no need for that Devon. You can hardly keep yourself upright as it is."

Gaze now fixed upon Breeze, a warm smile played across his maw, "Of course we have a cleric, but that is not necessary. Breeze merely needs to be nourished. If you all wish to continue conversing, that is fine. Come now, let us get you something to eat."

[Shiny Keldeo]

Breeze the Shaymin, Folio Town Plaza

@Ninian @Light Lord
The dizzy spell slowly subsided, Breeze shaking her head as her vision cleared. "Thanks... and sorry, I haven't been making the wisest of decisions lately, I probably should have stocked up more." This was certainly embarrassing, a great first impression she was making indeed. "I'm glad the Pokemon in this town are so friendly and helpful, this is my first time flying solo in..." She stopped there, she stopped thinking immediately. She didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to acknowledge the memory's very existence, period.

She noticed her downcast expression right away and righted herself immediately. It was those moments many Pokemon could read her like an open book. She looked back to the Umbreon and Totodile. "Food sounds good, thank you. And yes, after something to eat and a short nap I should be fine." Mostly fine, she thought to herself. Since that thing happened, she hadn't been fine at all. Right now, she just wanted to ease the worry of the Pokemon here.

[Crimson Flame]

Veronica the Lampent
Folio Town, Square

Despite her introduction as a witch, no one seemed to be frightened. Everyone seemed friendly, which was a surprise for the Ghost type. As a matter of fact, no one even understood why anyone would be frightened of her in the first place. This was the first time this had ever happened. Usually people would call her names, or be terrified. The Shaymin pointe out others not trusting Ghost types, and Veronica nodded her head in agreement. "The Shaymin is correct. My family and I don't exactly get warm welcomes like this... Everybody thinks we want to eat their souls or something... She decided to leave out the part about accidentally burning her old school went she hadn't gotten the hang of her abilities yet. That was a long time ago anyway...

The Green eyed Aron offered his foot, and pointed out the Inn that served food. Right at that moment, the Shaymin collapsed. Most likely from hunger. The Umbreon suggested they get food at this point. "Well, it is lunchtime... She then took the Aron's foot. "I'll try not to accidentally burn you... Um...Thank you...

@Ninian @Light Lord @Lucius Cypher @Shiny Keldeo

[Ninian]

Karaha the Umbreon

[Folio Town - The Blue Treecko]

@Crimson Flame@Light Lord@Lucius Cypher@Shiny Keldeo
Looking to Breeze, a small smile overtook Karaha, "That is quite all right. I will see to it that you recover post-haste."

Though he said nothing to Veronica, her words deeply troubled him. The Umbreon's brows furrowed as his gaze lingered on the Ghost-type's form. After a few moment's pause, he pressed onward. Taking a few soft steps forward, Karaha found himself inside The Blue Treecko. Behind him would be Devon, Veronica, and Gren. A gentle Psychic hold would continue to overtake Breeze as Karaha would be determined to help the greatly weakened Pokémon. At least until she was able to take a seat.

Once inside the inn proper, the most notable feature would be the wooden theme. The building was normally constructed, in the sense that it was made from other non-wood materials, however, it was built around Folio's already established branches. So, aesthetically, it appeared as if parts of the tree were growing around the building's walls. One of the branches even supported the second floor.

Looking ahead, a rather bored Servine leaned across the check-in counter. They were both an innkeeper and a host, and upon further inspection of the establishment, one could conclude that this was the deadest time of day. The calm before the lunch rush. The Grass Snake Pokémon's red eyes caught sight of the customers, and he righted himself. "Welcome to The Blue Treecko. Are you dining in, or seeking solace for the evening?"

Looking around for a moment, Karaha's gaze would then settle on the Servine. "Ah, we're all dining in." Pawing at the ground for a moment he paused before speaking, "I believe it should be five of us."

With a nod, the Servine gathered some napkins and menus, and made his way over to the dining area, "Follow me."

A large wooden table with small cushions would be in the center of the dining area. It was one of the larger tables, and seemingly the only one that would fit the entirety of their group. Laying the napkins and menus down, the Servine would look the group over. "I will be back in a few minutes to see what you decide. As far as specials go, we have few perfect apples, as well as a vegetable curry. I will be right back." With those words said, the Servine disappeared into the back.

[Light Lord]

Devon the Totodile

[Folio Town - The Blue Treeko]

@Ninian@Crimson Flame@Shiny Keldeo@Lucius Cypher

Devon awkwardly followed behind everyone as they made their way over to the inn. He was getting better at it, but walking was still very foreign to the Totodile for some reason. Good use of his tail helped him keep his stride as he went to the table with everyone else, plopping down on one of the cushions and picking up one of the paper menus. Leaning into the paper, Devon squinted his eyes at the text descriptions of each item. The writing defiantly wasn't familiar to him. ...What is this writing? I've never seen it before I swear.....It looks like just a bunch of random scratches made with ink.....Wait hold on....I think I can.....Yeah. I can just make it out....

Slowly putting the menu back down on the table with his choice in his mind, the young Water-type looked around at everyone gathered with deep brown eyes. "So....What are you all doing in Folio? I know Karaha and Gren live here, but what's everyone up to?"

[Lucius Cypher]

Gren

Location: Folio Town - The Blue Treeko Inn
Activity: Eating and talking to people

Gren helped Veronica down, a pointless gesture on his part but it showed his willingness to accept her. He didn’t get burned by her at least, so once they were ground level they left with everyone else to the Blue Treeko inn. They had different types of seats and cushions to accommodate different types of pokemon; Gren liked what he called the basket seat. It was essentially a woven basket with cushions on the inside. They were fun to rock around in. As everyone got seated Gren took the menu and looked off of it. While he could read, he wasn’t very good at it. It took him some time to understand the words and he has absolutely no luck with spelling (or writing, but that made sense since he has no hands). But he’s been to the inn enough to know what his favorites are. He would have the Shroomish Stew: a stew made of special green mushrooms and berries. Not made out of actual shroomish, though his mother once teased to him that it was. The stew came with a small loaf of bread and in a special bowl that Gren can eat the soup out of without a spoon.

Once he made up his mind about what he wants to eat Gren put the menu away and watched everyone else. The totodile, Devon if Gren remembered his name correctly, wanted to know what everyone else was doing here. While He didn’t directly asked Gren the green-eyed aron spoke up anyways. ”I am on a quest! But I need to find someone first, someone who lives in the lower level of the trunk. I… Don’t really know what else to do except for that. I’ve never even been into the lower trunk before. Have any of you?” Gren didn’t expect the newcomers to know, though they may have more experience about adventuring over all to be helpful. This question was mostly directed towards Karaha, who seemed more experienced than Gren, and maybe Devon, since he was with Karaha.

@Ninian@Crimson Flame@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord

[Light Lord]

Devon the Totodile

[Folio Town - The Blue Treeko]

@Ninian@Crimson Flame@Shiny Keldeo@Lucius Cypher

Gren's mention of his quest peaked his interest, but upon the Aron completing his speech Devon didn't have much to offer him. The Totodile shook his head and frowned. "Sorry Gren. I just got here, so I wouldn't really know much about this place."