[IC] Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Shadows of the Past [Full]

[Noklu]

Dylan the Mudkip

Valiant Village-Central Plaza

Dylan waded in place, taking in as much as he could from Devon’s response. His confusion was well-founded, Dylan’s question giving a lot of freedom in what could be interpreted from it. However, the question at the front of the Mudkip’s mind wasn’t alone, how this transformation of his happened nagging at him once again, only to be left without an answer.

The part about Devon’s dad did perk the Mudkip’s ears… er, gills, he supposed, up a bit, their symptoms deviating just a tiny bit. So the Totodile did have a memory after all? That was good to know, especially the part about him not being a Pokemon in Devon’s memory. That gave Dylan’s mind a bit of reassurance in what he was about to ask next.

First things first, however, was to find a better place to ask it. The Totodile’s voice had started to raise a bit in volume, drawing the attention of Celty on the river bank. Luckily, it seemed she wasn’t going to pry about what she heard, allowing a sigh to escape from the Mudkip. Once Devon had apologized, lowering his voice again, Dylan turned his head back to his fellow water type, giving a small shake of his head before whispering.

“No, it’s not weird really. It… actually answers one of my questions. If your dad doesn’t feel like a Pokemon in your memory, then he’s probably the same as you… and me,” Dylan muttered, adding that last bit under his breath. He couldn’t help but feel a bit open before asking his next question, glancing around the two once more. “Here… let’s go over here.”

Dylan didn’t wait for an answer, starting to swim against the Totodile, pushing him away from the others with his head towards the underside of the bridge. Once they were in the shade of the bridge, the Mudkip stopped, glancing around, only able to see some of the kids still playing in the water, Celty no longer in view. Turning his attention back to Devon, he let out a small sigh.

“S-sorry about being forceful there. It’s just, if the last question was weird, then this one will sound 10 times weirder, or crazier.” Dylan paused for a moment, looking up at the bridge hanging above them, the stone blocking all light. However, the pause didn’t last forever, the Mudkip’s attention snapping back in place. “Is it possible… Is it possible you were a human?” Oh god he hoped he wasn't wrong in his assumption...

@Light Lord@Ninian

[Light Lord]

Devon the Totodile

Valiant Village, River near Central Plaza

Dylan actually agreed with his crazy claim, and Devon was actually quite relived. However, the part about his father being the same as him....And Dylan? Puzzled the Totodile as he stared at the Mudkip with a tilted head. His voice still low. "'The same as you and me'? What, amnesiac?"

Devon didn't get an answer to his question. Heck he didn't even get a chance to respond to what happened next. Dylan butted his head against the Totodile's side. Beginning to push him under the bridge and out of view of Celty. The action was sudden, but Devon just kinda looked around and rolled with it. "Uh....Alright?"

Once the two Water-types had stopped under the arc of the bridge, they were alone in the shadows. Dylan apologised for pushing Devon, and apparently had another much weirder question. Devon didn't really have much trouble seeing in the dark due to his status as a little blue crocodile, and focused his sight on Dylan to wave a passing hand at him. "Nah, it's ok. Just let me move myself next time. And shoot. I'm all about crazy."

“Is it possible… Is it possible you were a human?”

The question at first, meant nothing to Devon. He simply stared at Dylan with misty eyes. "...'Human'? Can't say I know what that is but...It seems....Really familiar...."

Going over everything seemed to actually bring about more of the lost Pokémon's memory. Human. The word seemed to tumble around in Devon's head for what felt like hours in the span of a few seconds. He knew what this meant. He knew what this was. The Totodile's cloudy thoughts, hindered by his random affliction of amnesia, were given true clarity for the second time.

Devon's relaxed stance tightened. The Big Jaw Pokémon becoming as stiff as a board while looking past Dylan to the wall with dilated eyes. His bottom jaw hanging open as his senses no longer processed the world around him, instead becoming engrossed in an auditory hallucination.

---

"It's... incredible how different we all are."

"Yeah. I'd say humans got the short end of the stick when it comes to the stuff we can do though. Pokémon can change weather, fire natural energy lasers, store crazy crap like electricity and fire in the bodies, and evolve in a matter of seconds when it took humans a few million years to do it."

A pause came before the second voice spoke it's next words.

"You're something else alright. Without Pokémon, there's no way we would have made it to where we all are today. So....Thanks. I'm glad we're all able to be friends."

"Well... perhaps, yes in a lot of ways. However, I would say your species' ability to form lasting bonds with each other, as well as Pokémon... and your ability to facilitate friendship between different species of Pokémon as well..."

A soft, familiar chuckling flooded Devon's ears.

"The same can be said for you, too. Thank you Devon."

---

Devon's dilated pupils soon shrunk back to their normal size, and the reptile blinked rapidly before staring back at the Mudkip bobbing in the water next to him. The Totodile wore a face of bewilderment as low whispers crept out of his jaws.

"Dylan....I remember. I know what a human is. I was human at one point....I had brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and alot of scars on my body.....You...You said before that we were the same. You were human too right?"

The former human teen's head hung down as his long snout brushed the water. "How did this happen to us then? Why are we Pokémon?"

@Noklu

[Gardevoiran]

Kargool the Vanillite

Valiant Village, Central Plaza

Kargool floated into town with his bag. He'd never moved before, and when he left his hometown, he decided to carry only what was needed, figuring he could buy a cheap place to call home for the current time being. He figured he could just register to create a rescue team off the bat without going through the trainee phase, considering he'd been through it all before. If he needed to prove he could start making a team, his badge would hopefully provide enough proof."Well... it's not home but it'll work out. I should probably stock up on some items first before going to the guild for registration, considering they're normally handy." Kargool went to the Kecleon Market to see if they had a good selection today. His debate ended up being over if he should buy a big apple or not... looks like he'd take a bit to decide.

[Shiny Keldeo]

Current World Time: 11:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.

Rico and Lulu, The Riolu Twins, Valiant Village, Spirit's Guild

@Iatos @Polaris North
Hearing Milton's challenge, the twins let him and Zaru gain a small lead. Then they too were off, in a flash they were just gone. They took to the trees, jumping from branch to branch. The night before seemed to leave little impact on the two of them. When they ran out of trees, they had already taken the lead greatly, not even seeing Milton or Zaru anymore. A few moments later they were home, barely out of breath. "You think we went a little too hard on them?" Asked Lulu as they headed inside. "Milton wanted a race, he should have known who he was up against by now." The twins shared a smile, and headed on into the main room.

They sat down in the corner of the room, and waited until Milton and Zaru finally showed up, Milton very out of breath, while Zaru seemed to feel like he enjoyed a brisk walk. "You two took long enough, did you forget about us back there?" Said Lulu playfully, giving off a chuckle. Not long after that, Spirit appeared in the doorway, his usual stern expression on his face. He moved to the center of the room, turning to face the four young Pokemon in the room. "Zaru, Milton, I heard from both your clients. Kecleon was pleased with your craftsmanship Milton, and Roserade was very pleased with your work Zaru. You two are free to do whatever you wish for the rest of the day. Just remember, today, I don't want anyone but the experienced teams out of the village." He turned to his twin offspring. "As for you two, I've reserved the Sawk and Throh Dojo for our special training today, I'll want you there right after lunch. I'll meet you there later."

Spirit took his leave, while Rico and Lulu simply sighed. "Told ya, special training day for us." Lulu had a bit more optimism about it though. "Hey, it's pretty exciting if you think about it. We're learning a move we're normally not supposed to be able to learn till we're grown up!" Lulu had a point, Rico had to admit. He turned to Milton and Zaru. "You two wanna grab some lunch then? I hear Slurpuff has that new Oran Berry Bread at her little bakery."

Unknown Location, En Route to Valiant Village

The gang was still walking, having taken no breaks since departing from Dry Valley Gulch. "So, how strong is this 'Spirit' guy anyways?" The lead Cacturne, distinguished by a pair of Blackglasses, stepped forward. "Well, boss, I can't say for certain, I've barely heard about the guy myself. He used to be a big deal back in the day, but nothing really recent. Maybe he's gotten soft at his old age?" Flash stopped in his tracks, the first time since they had started moving. He slowly turned to the Cacturne, staring him down through his dark tinted glasses. "Never, Underestimate, Your, Adversary. You have to believe that every enemy you face could be the strongest yet. If they are, then you are prepared. If they aren't, you made damn well sure you were ready in case. That's how we've always managed to stay one step ahead of the law, or have you forgotten that?"

The group was stone cold silent, sweat dripping from all of them. Flash had gotten his message across, and continued walking again. Soon enough, the gang was back to its original brisk pace they had been on before. Flash was determined to root out the boss who had sent so many highly trained Pokemon after him.

Valiant Village, Center Plaza

@Banana
The Kecleon Shop was open for business once more, and Pokemon from all over town were busy buying and selling items left and right, always keeping him stocked on many different items. Soon a small Vanillite came forward, he didn't seem to be from around here, as it was the first time Kecleon had seen the small Pokemon. Kecleon made it his business to know everyone in town, and a new face meant new possibilities. He seemed to be eyeing the Big Apple stock he had. "Ah, hello there, you seem to be a fresh face around here. If I can be of any help with your decision, please let me know. I like to get to know my customers personally, so I can be as much help as I can for them."

[Polaris North]

@Shiny Keldeo@Iatos

Zaru the Chimchar

Valiant Village

It was truly a shame that he lost the race but then again he didn't think much of it. "The scenery was just spectacular Lulu." He joked when she spoke. Although he was quite sure that some of the pokemon they almost bumped into were actually glaring at them but it was still a sight to behold he supposed. When Spirit walked to the center of the room, Zaru quieted down knowing that he should listen. He then sighed in relief when he heard that he did a good job. Sure Roserade said that he did fine but he wasn't very sure of that but apparently she was. Instead of answering orally like he always did, he only replied with a nod. Not going out the village today again huh? Well that nice tree they passed by just looked absolutely inviting to be lied down on. When he heard that the twins will be training he wondered out loud, "I wonder if we can go and watch. Hey, maybe train too." He couldn't help it. He was curious about that. He never stepped foot inside the dojo before so he wanted to know.

He then shook his head to get out of it and then looked back at Rico who offered lunch. "Ah, sure." It sounded like a plan. Come to think of it, he was getting pretty hungry. He just drank Oran Berry juice earlier and then an apple before that. He never did get a proper breakfast. Maybe that's why his stomach was growling. It seemed like it will be absolutely delicious. The Chimchar was up for it. He then stood up and then waited on the two so he could follow. However, somewhere along the silence of waiting, he began thinking about joining another team. He really wanted to try out some rescue missions and stuff like those. He hasn't done that since he never really had a team. "Anyway, how has training been going?" He decided to ask out of nowhere. He didn't like where his thoughts were going anyway so he might as well strike up a conversation with his friends.

[Gardevoiran]

Kargool the Vanillite

Valiant Village, Center Plaza

Kargool put his bag down when the Kecleon asked him if he needed help. "Thank you sir, but all I really need is to know how the rescue team registration process works here. Also I wanted to buy a few things before I do go and register." The Vanillite opened his bag and pushed things around until he found his wallet, and held it in his mouth. "I wish I had hands. How much will two Big Apples and 3 Oran Berries be?" Among the wallet was the other contents in his bag, one of which was a small picture of the Vanillite with his co-leaders back in his hometown. They'd be allies for a lifetime, that's for sure. The Vanillite wiggled his shards of ice (which in a sense could be his arms) as he held the wallet.
@Shiny Keldeo

[Bright_Ops]

Valiant Village-Central Plaza

@Noklu@Light Lord@Ninian

Gredy was happy.

Truthfully Gredy was happy a lot of the time, but today he was happy because it was his birthday and he could finally sign up as an Explorer and join a team... or make one, he hadn't decided yet! Of course if he was going to make one he would need to find some other pokemon to make it with. But whom?

It was a decision that required a great deal of thought... so much in fact that Gredy wasn't paying any attention to where he was going and walk head first into something, causing Gredy to fall back on his bushy tail in complete and utter surprise. Shaking his head and opening his eyes in order to make sense of just what he had bumped into while one of his paws started to rub the point of impact on his forehead, Gredy looked up to see that he had accidentally bumped into a Mawile that he hadn't seen around the village before. "Ow. I'm sorry Miss. Are you alright?"

[Ninian]

Celty the Mawile

[Valiant Village - Central Plaza River]

@Bright_Ops@Noklu@Light Lord
Relief washed over the Mawile as the two Water-types took their conversation to a relatively private location, all whilst lowering their tone. A soft nervous-type chuckle escaped Celty's maw as she thought to herself, Thankfully it seems I was the only one to overhear their conversation... Despite the bubbling sense of dread coming from deep within, everything—for the moment—was as it should be. Perfectly fine.

Or it would have been had Celty not felt something smack hard into her steel jaws. Given that they were steel, it hurt the poor Eevee significantly more than it hurt her. Which meant, it didn't hurt. That, however, was not what ruined the moment. Even had the accident hurt, it was still just that; an accident. Accidents could be forgiven.

Turning around to notify the Normal-type that everything was fine, Celty's mouth opened. The words that were about to come out of her lips were something akin to, I'm fine, don't worry about it. Are you all right? That must have hurt. That did not happen. Unfortunately, upon fixing her gaze upon the young Pokémon, Celty reeled. Red eyes widened as Celty looked upon the Eevee with an expression that may have resembled heartbreak. Perhaps distress. It was an odd mixture of pained emotions, however it would be very clear that the Mawile was not mad. A single sound escaped the Mawile's lips, though it would be barely audible, "L-Lu...?"

Blinking a few times whilst staring at the Eevee, Celty finally accepted the situation with equanimity. An embarrassed chuckle escaped her lips as she thought to herself, Right, of course that's a boy Eevee, and he doesn't even look like Lucrecia—who's a Sylveon now. What a ridiculous mistake. Fuck I'm a mess.

With what seemed like hours internally, but only a few seconds in real time, Celty finally spoke up in a lucid manner, "Fuck I am really—" Pausing, she covered her mouth awkwardly for a moment before shouting out, "I can't believe I just said that! Shit, please—" Covering her mouth once more, she hesitated in an attempt to recollect her thoughts before blurting out yet another obscenity. Hanging her head, she spoke softly, "...w-wow, I'm sorry. I'm a wreck right now. Not that that's your fault, I'm fine by the way. You didn't even hurt me. ...Are you okay, by the way? I'm sorry that I flipped out... you just remind me of someone I used to know. That's all. And um, not in a bad way. That probably wasn't very obvious."

Celty was just barely looking at the Eevee, a hand behind her neck, scratching it awkwardly. "...I'm Celty by the way. Remember that name in case you want to avoid me later. Which I totally wouldn't blame you if you did."

[Flood]

Valentine

Valiant Village-Pangoro's Bar

Valentine ran a coin over his knuckles repeatedly, looking at every pokemon who got near him as either a potential customer or threat. After the twenty second shifty eyed glare from some random guy, it made Valentine want to sigh. Closest thing he could get to that was running this coin over his knuckles though. Over. And over. And over again.

Why couldn't he sigh? Well lungs aren't a very common organ on a Haunter ya know. Regardless, he was getting pretty good at this trick. You just gotta make sure that your fingers are solid to do it, that's all. His thoughts were interrupted by a low growl near him, being produced by a Krokorock with a chip on his(?) shoulder.

"You're in my chair." A distinctly feminine voice said with venom as the now identified female tried to make herself look as big as possible. Valentine shook his head, kids these days. Always trying to be top dog, as if it mattered.

"You don't want to start something you can't finish. Walk away kid." Valentine shook his head at the Krokorok and went back to his coin. Suddenly he heard the wind being parted quickly and once again tried to sigh out of some habit he had formed in life. He flipped the coin into the air and moved backwards out of the Krokorok's Crunch range. He formed a ball of energy in his palm, tossing the Confuse Ray at his for with accuracy formed from years of mercenary work, anticipating a dodge on the Krokorok's part. She once again went for a Crunch, relying on type advantage, and took the initiative. One Sucker Punch later and she was lying in the wreckage of a nearby table. K.O.

Valentine floated back to his chair and caught the coin he flipped just seconds ago. "Could someone get her outta here? Kids these days have no respect for their elders." He grumbled, ignoring the fact that as a Haunter he wasn't much older than she was. He usually considered however many years he had lived when he was alive as part of his age. Not that he knew how many years he had lived.

Valentine glanced over at a nearby presence as they cleared their throat, it was the owner. "Put it on her tab." He mumbled as he grabbed his bag and began floating out of the bar. Looks like he wasn't getting a job today.

[Empour]

Hat

Nearing the end of a beaten road, midday

There it was.

After a month of walking, Hat was finally at her journey’s end. The town was in sight.

She’d spent a long, long time on the road, sneaking through dungeons and eating what she could find. It had been agonizingly quiet and lonely, with nobody to talk to. Still, though, the time spent alone gave her plenty of time to think, plan, and reflect, even with nobody to bounce ideas off of.

Hat passed by a small berry farm, on the outskirts of the town. There were Pokemon there, working, tending the crops. Considering her position, she might even end up joining them. She didn’t know just what was going to happen, when she arrived at the town. It could be that she’d been identified in the getaway, and that there was a warrant out for her arrest. If that was the case, she would have to escape as quickly as possible. Hat could do that, Hat was fast.

On the other end of the scale, she could be little more than just another traveler, passing through the town. If that was the case, Hat could easily just slip right in, and find her way into the Guild’s treasure pile. It certainly wouldn’t be easy, but...

A thought occurred to her. Normally, for a robbery like this, the team would use all of its powers available, with half the team going in and learning about the place, and the other half attacking. Now, though, she didn’t have the luxury of information she so desperately needed. There was no way to quickly learn about the guild’s secrets and weaknesses, with only one Pokemon. She would have to stick around for a long time, and lie low as she did. Maybe even get a job, for food.

Not an easy prospect, but easier than failing and ending up with Weave in the bottom of an oubliette somewhere. Certainly easier than going out and trying to learn a whole new profession, too. It was springtime now, Hat actually had to buy food. She couldn’t do that if she was trying to learn how to play a flute.

She could always steal, but that would likely put whoever she stole from on edge. She didn’t want to get caught.

Finally, the first houses of the village proper came into sight. They were tall, beautifully-crafted, and well-stocked with chimneys for the winter months. Hat was impressed. She’d been expecting something... Smaller, dinkier, for a town known only for an exploration guild.

As she walked through the town, she could see all the little Pokemon that lived there, bustling about, doing work. There were Pokemon working gardens, Pokemon running shops, Pokemon buying from them. The town was absolutely abuzz with energy. Hat couldn’t even tell where the exploration guild was supposed to be- She’d been expecting it to be the liveliest place in town, but the whole town was even livelier than that!

Hat opted to explore. There’s nothing illegal about exploring a town, right?

Hat, after looking around and darting between the much taller Pokemon around her, eventually noticed a high point, a tall tower with a roof and a staircase, a fair distance away. Seeing no other way to see over the insurmountable mass of tall Pokemon around her, she made her way towards it.

[Iatos]

Milton the Zorua

@Shiny Keldeo
@Polaris North

Milton glanced to the Riolu twins as they commented on they taking long, well obviously it took longer to actually run the route their than taking the birds way through the trees, he didn't even count that as a fair option to a foot race as he could just have done so himself. But he never stated the rules of the challange so he supposed he were at fault. He knew that his base speed was higher than any of them and on solid ground he was the fastest one, he could probably do the tree thing too if he wanted too. "Well you did take a shorter path so its not that strange your here first" he said as he rolled his eyes. However he soon turned his attention to spirit who again caused him to mentally facepalm as he only told them to do whatever they liked after a work well done... like if it been way to hard to tell them that out by the brinde.

He nodded however "Understood Master... Cya master" he said and then quickly left for the door. However as he head Rico's offer he glanced to him with a half smile. He thenn slowly shook his head, as much as he wanted to accept that offer he needed to stop by home "Sorry, I need to get back home. Mom will be grumpy if I eat away and she already made lunch" he replied and then he went out of the guild. Once he was home he was greated by his mom and tackled down by his sister who he spent a while wrestling down until he hugged her. "I'm home~" he said cheerfully as he went to eat his dinner and rest a bit.

======

Tzerah the Luxray

Valiant Village: Guild

@Shiny Keldeo

Stirring awake from having slept for quite long no , the Luxrat Tzerah looked around with confusion as she didn't really recognize where she was at the moment, the scents around her was different and she was sure she could smell both Spirit and the Pangoro from the resturant on her... wait... the resturant!?... with a blurry memory she recalled being there, but now she weren't!... quickly getting to her feet she quickly spun around and charged out the room only to realize she was at the guild. This realization made her sweat drop and blush deeply... they had... they had mol... no they might just have carried her here. She looked down, blushing red as she realized how embarrassing it was, sure she lik... didn't 'mind' the guild master, and knew he could see through her anyway, so... well to break down and cry to him... well it was just totally weird.

She felt she needed to show gratitude to them... then again she wanted to give them a good zap becasue... because she was.... so humiliated. She felt like her pride was wounded... they weren't her mate so they couldn't jsut do as they liked with her!.. not that.... uhm she allowed her mate to do as he liked... no, totally not as he liked!... she buzzed with lightnign as she snarled at her self for even thinking that. She felt worry settle in as she didn't know how her little baby was feeling.. no, her kid.. her annoying kid... yes her kid was annoying, yes... she sighed... she jsut couldn't resist those motherly instincts could she?. She wanted to cuddle her baby.. and her mate... she wanted to cuddle to the two of them. But first... first she was going to go 'thank' the guildmaster.

Being on her way out a Magnemite suddely came out and bumped into her causing her to growl loudly. "HEY! **** ** *** *** *** " she yelled probably killing about two hundred fairies if one was to believe the tales with her very 'unpretty sailor speach' making the Magnemite turn quite pale. "Sorry... Sorry sorry... miss Tzerah i'm sorry..." it replied sweat dropping all over the place as it thought it would die for a second. Once Tzerah had stopped 'killing fairies' she sighed loudly and turnd around and was glad no kids heard her, she didn't want them to pick up.... no SHE DIDN'T CARE!... she facepalmed as she glared at the Magnemite. "What in the name of Arcaues do you want!?" she demanded loudly and with a heavy snarl.

"Uhm... uhm uhm... You got a message from the shief... uhhm... your suspended from work duty until you've recovered from... from your uhm lack of sleep... oh please don't kill me!" the Magnemite said and quickly floated up in a silvery blurr. Tzerah just stood there for a couple of mins, twitching at the spot. 'Suspended?... she got suspended?:.... AAARRGGHHH' "SUSPENDED!... I WORK MY ASS OFF AND THEY DARE SUSPEND ME!??"she roared as she stated buzzing with lightning, of course the Sherrif had suspended her because she really needed the time to recover... not that it was any good news to Tzerah who took her job very seriously.

Her eyes was quite litterallty glowing red and she was crackling with thunder as she walked slowly like the physical embodiment of a thunder cloud. There she saw them... the Frikking kids of the guildmaster!... they would be the first to feel her wrath!... 'YOUR DEAD!!!!' she said and charged forth with lightning's speed... she didn't even hesitate to pounce at them even thought a milisecond before her paws hit the two of them and brought them to the ground her lightning quickly died down. She did however pin the two of them to the ground and start tickling them. 'DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!!::.....'she thought while laughing maniackly as she tried to tickle them to death... quite seriously too... "FEEL MY WRATH!" she said

[Shiny Keldeo]

Current World Time: 11:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.

Rico and Lulu, The Riolu Twins, Valiant Village, Spirit's Guild

@Polaris North @Iatos
Milton politely declined their offer for food, but Zaru said he would go with them. They were about to leave when out of nowhere a large asailant pounced on them! Instead of attacking them, however, the attacker tickled them with electricity. The twins finally managed to get a look at their attacker, Tzerah the Luxray. The twosome were laughing uncontrollably, until they finally managed to break free from her 'attack'. "Guess you're feeling a bit better now, aren't you?" Said Lulu, still recovering from the tickle fit. Rico had fully recovered from it, a few tears still under his eyes from all the laughing. "I'm guessing you're looking for dad, he should be down at Sawk and Throh Dojo." Lulu finally managed to calm her laughter, turning to Zaru. "Come on, let's go get that bite to eat. And sure, I'm sure dad wouldn't mind if you watched."

The twins managed to get outside without another 'attack' from Tzerah, and made their way downtown to Slurpuff's Bakery. Sure enough, he was just slicing some freshly baked Oran Berry Bread. "Three berry sandwiches please!" Said Lulu cheerfully, making sure they had one for Zaru as well.

Flash the Scizor and Gang, Boulder Mountain

The gang soon came upon their final obstacle to reach the Guild of Spirit the Lucario. Boulder Mountain, a massive and high ranked Mystery Dungeon which consisted of two parts: Boulder Mountain East Slope, and Boulder Mountain West Slope. "So once we get through here, that Valiant Village place will only be a short ways away?" The Lead Cacturne nodded. "Alright then, split into groups, we go in separately to not attract as much attention from the locals as we would in a massive group. I'll go it alone, see you on the other side."

The rest of his gang watched as Flash disappeared into the cave before them. "Man, Flash is pretty confident of his power. I doubt he'll need our help anyways, let's go. Cacturne, with me!" The group of Cacturne headed into the cave. "Alright then, Crustle, you're with me!" The Lead Crustle, shown by the Focus Band around his rock, led the group of Crustle into the cave.

[Bright_Ops]

Valiant Village-Central Plaza

@Noklu@Light Lord@Ninian

Gredy had been expecting one of several responses to his lack of attention; The primary two was either the pokemon in front of him would accept his apology and go about their business after he promised to be a bit more careful next time or they were going to give him a piece of their mind because he had bumped into them thoughtlessly. While he had hoped for the former, he was prepared to take his punishments for the latter if that was what came about; One had to face up to the consequences of their actions after all.

What actually happened caught him off guard however; The Mawile had turned to him to say something and honestly looked like she had seen a ghost or a zombie or something. Gredy's ear twitched a little as he heard her say something that sounded like 'Lu' through he didn't understand what Lu was or why it would have caused such a reaction in her.

Once the shock started to wear off, the Mawile started to ease up... and Gredy's ears folded against his head as the swearing begin. Yes, he was an adult now and he knew what the words were but that didn't mean he liked hearing them. He didn't think badly of the Mawile for using them through; It was clear that whatever had gone through her mind had shaken her badly but still...

Once she had recollected herself properly, Gredy's ears perked up again as he smiled at the now named Celty. "My name is Gredy. Don't worry, we're cool. I don't plan to avoid you or anything because you saw something that freaked you out; Sometimes these things happen. I'm sorry again for bumping into you, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." He admitted as he shyly kicked the ground in front of him.

He didn't answer the question about if he was okay or not, but he seemed to be fine.

[Polaris North]

@Iatos@Shiny Keldeo

Zaru the Chimchar

Valiant Village

When Rico was about to lead them to where they would be getting their lunch, someone suddenly yelled,'YOUR DEAD!!!!'. This caused Zaru to jump out of the way by instinct, ready to fight until he saw Tzerah, the pokemon that was part of the police force. The tension in him died down the moment he saw her and then she began to... er, tickle? He supposed, the twins. She seemed to be in a good yet awful mood for lack of better word. Perhaps something bad happened but it was still better than most of the things that had happened to her. He supposed he should be lucky considering that he wasn't the target of those tickles. He didn't want to. "Heya Ms. Tzerah." He simply greeted.

When the... incident seemed to have been resolved, they headed for Slurpuff's bakery. Zaru began to look around. At most, he would visit this place once a week maybe? He always did go out of the village and into the forest for some berry hunt to save some money. He wasn't exactly used to having food prepared for him in the most delicious ways possible. He took a seat nearby and then waited for the two to come. "Really? I can watch? Sweet!" Hey, something to do on this boring day of not going out.

[Iatos]

Tzerah the Luxray

Valiant Village: Guild

@Shiny Keldeo
@Polaris North

Having the twins eventually escape her tickle wrath, she panted slightly as she sat down. She nodded to them as Lulu asked if she felt better "I do... Thank you" she responded softly and then threw a gaze at Zaru. A smirk crossed her lips but then she just nodded to him "Hello to you too young one" she replied as his name simply escaped her mind.

Hearing that her Intended Victim were at the Training Hall she immediately sat out towards it after the kids left. However before she arrived she came to an abrupt stop... She didn't know if she looked presentable... Thus she quickly ran to the river to see her reflection. Once there she would take a while to actually groom herself before she felt satisfied. But it was definatly not because she wanted to look beautiful to them... No it was...uhm personal reasons.

Arriving at the building she shut her eyes for a moment before opening them, they glowed slightly as she scanned the building someehat with her x-ray vision. She sniffed the air and then entered once she spottes him.

Coming inside she walked straight out in the open and towards Spirit. Then she just stood there starring at him. Because the trouble was that she had not planned ahead of what to do next.

[Ninian]

Celty the Mawile

[Valiant Village - Central Plaza River]

@Bright_Ops
With furrowed brows, Celty looked over the Eevee while still hanging her head. Lowering her voice, she replied, "...Gredy. I'll make sure to remember that. Well, ah... thank you for not hating me, I just...." The Mawile's ears flopped as she shook her head in an attempt to keep herself from pointlessly babbling. "It's fine that you ran into me, those things happen. You probably weren't expecting the reaction you got, though, and for that I'm really sorry. You're okay though, right?"

Tilting her head, Celty looked over the Eevee for any sign of injury. Despite smacking into what was essentially a steel bar, he looked surprisingly fine. "I don't really see any injuries, but if you start losing your balance, or feel like vomiting, you should probably visit a cleric. I don't actually know who you'd even see for that, though. If you didn't notice, I'm new here... ahahaha..." A soft, sad chuckle escaped the Mawile's muzzle.

@Noklu@Light Lord

[Empour]

@Ninian @Bright_Ops

Hat

Valiant Village, Main street, midday

On top of the tower, there were various telescopes, binoculars, and all sorts of similar equipment. Hat supposed this was the town’s local stargazing place, but it was also pretty good for looking at the layout of the town. There were many different strange buildings here.

Some buildings were brightly colored, others were decorated in an obvious theme. One such building was obviously a kecleon shop. Hat noted its location- She didn’t want to get too close to it if she could help it.

Eventually, though, she saw what looked to be the guild. It was a couple of larger buildings, only distinguishable from the rest by the obvious training equipment along the outside. The Pokemon there moved in small groups. Teams, obviously. Looks like she’d found her target.

However, despite knowing what it looked like, Hat had absolutely no idea how to approach it and learn more about it. She supposed she could try and sneak around it, to get a closer look, but given how many Pokemon were there, it would be risky, and hard to explain if she got caught.

If she was feeling particularly bold, she could even try to go in directly, under the premise of looking to join the guild. She had no such intention, obviously, guilds tended to take far, far too much of their member’s earnings for her liking.

Suddenly, she noticed something. Along one of the little walls of the tower, there were various posters. Most of them were promotional, advertising products or jobs, but there were a few that most certainly weren’t.

Wanted posters. There were a few nasty-looking Pokemon on it, a Beedrill, a Scizor, a Jinx. They all had some serious cash listed under their names, the Scizor especially. Hat briefly considered trying to catch one, but immediately threw the idea away. There was no way she could beat monsters like these.

Perhaps, though, if she were to “help” with the capture of one, the townspeople would give her a share of the reward. If not, at the very least she’d gain a lot of respect. Nobody would expect a criminal to help catch another criminal, right?

She considered the idea. She hadn’t actually seen a single one of these wanted Pokemon, but she could just as easily pretend she did. The mountainous forest she’d gone through on her way over was relatively thick, but could certainly house a Beedrill or Scizor inside. All she had to do was go to the guild, and say she spotted one of them on her way over from Misty Town. Easy.

If things went sour, she could also use the chance to quickly take what she could from the guild, too. After all, who’d be left behind, defending the place, if there was a nearby dangerous criminal?

Hat decided that this was her best option. If she could gain the respect of the townspeople like this, it’d be much easier to slip in and lie low. Much, much easier.

Hat climbed down from the tower. She knew where the guild was, but she still needed to make certain of it. She couldn’t be going and babbling to some random farmer about how Grease the Beedrill was nearby and dangerous, she had to go and babble about that to the guild.

She looked around. There were plenty of people to ask, so she decided to ask the least busy-looking person, a Mawile petting an Eevee down near the water. The Mawile looked strong- Maybe it was a member of the guild.

Hat made her way over. Upon a closer look, the Eevee was even fluffier than expected. The Mawile was definitely not. When she was close enough to hear that they were actually talking to each other, she hesitated. They hadn’t noticed her yet, and she didn’t want to make a poor impression.

Of course, she did need to know exactly where the guild was. She waited for a pause in their conversation, then spoke up.

“Hey, you two,” she said, “Either of you know where the guild is?”

She never did like her voice. It was very high-pitched, which tended to clash with her gruff Sneasel-esque accent comically. She couldn’t get rid of either half, no matter how much her ex-teammates had laughed about it. She hoped these two wouldn’t.

[Gardevoiran]

Kargool the Vanillite

Valiant Village, Guild
Kargool entered the Guild with his bag, now containing an extra few supplies in it. He learned how the guild system works here, and figured he could come and ask if he could register a team right now. He probably couldn't, he assumed, but it wouldn't hurt to ask if he could. He knew how the process worked for new members, you sign up to be a trainee, you do your work and what you are told until you prove that you can be a full rate rescue team, then you can get full pay from the jobs. He hit the door with a soft Flash Cannon to knock, as he can't really knock using his "arms". After waiting for near one minute, he sits down at the door and patiently waits for the guild master to return.

[Ninian]

Celty the Mawile

[Valiant Village - Central Plaza River]

@Bright_Ops@Empour
Despite waiting for the Eevee to respond, a completely separate voice piped up. It was high-pitched and decidedly feminine, and definitely of a different timbre than the Eevee's. Turning to face the source of the voice, Celty blinked a few times before realizing it was a small Snorunt with an accent she's heard once before, somewhere.

Wincing, the Mawile retreated to her thoughts, Fuck, did she see what happened? Way to be a freak, Celty.

After a somewhat brief pause, Celty responded, "Yeahhh..." Hesitantly, Celty spun around trying to remember the direction she came from, before finally extending her paw to point towards the Guild. "That's it. You're new here too, I take it?"

In the Vacinity: @Noklu@Light Lord

[Empour]

@Banana@Ninian

Hat

Valiant Village, Main street by the river, midday

According to the Mawile, the guild was indeed the buildings she’d seen before. Good. Somehow, she’d been expecting this to be harder. Apparently it wasn’t.

“Thanks,” she said, looking in the direction of the guild, “I just arrived here, I need to speak with the Guildmaster urgently,” she said, excusing herself. She would have liked to give a little more information, help spread the word that she was in fact a helpful traveller, but she hadn’t actually decided which of the outlaws to claim she’d seen.

With that, she left, without so much as a goodbye to the Mawile. Truth be told, she didn’t really want to speak to her again. She seemed both nice and unhappy to talk to her, which was... strange. Hat didn’t want any suspicion. At all.

A minute of fast walking through the town, and she was in front of the guild’s buildings. There were many Pokemon walking about, mostly in small groups. Hat noticed that most of them seemed to be children, for some reason.

It occurred to Hat that she had no idea just who the guildmaster was. She assumed it would be a ghost of some variety, considering the place was called Spirit’s Guild, but she couldn’t see any out and about. She would probably have to ask someone working there.

A Vanillite, a fellow ice type, didn’t look to be doing anything. Perhaps she’d ask him- Everyone else seemed to be busy.

“Hey, you,” she said, roughly, “You know where the guildmaster is?”