FujiwaraPhoenix

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Kochiya Sanae

??? — Hunter's Lodge

The dead silence that hung over the group as they made their way over to the hunter's lodge left Sanae feeling rather awkward, but that feeling soon fell to the wayside once the group as a whole arrived. While the fighting earlier had shown but a fraction of what brutality had taken place, seeing a bunch of injured civilians in lieu of injured soldiers left the young woman at a loss for words once more. But with the others having finished saving all the people they could from the destruction outside (or, at the very elast, that's what she assumed had taken place), Sanae had no intention of being left behind.

A brief look around the room confirmed that the group that they had left behind had made it here, at least, and apparently none the worse for wear. The boy and his sister seemed fine physically, though the distressed look on the former's face suggested that the stress might have been starting to get to him. The older woman, who at this point had moved off to the side, seemed... Well enough, relatively speaking; if her condition when they had first arrived was anything to go by, though, she would probably need to be checked at some point or another.

But that was neither here nor there—at least, not with so many other people still injured and at risk of death. Excusing herself from the rest of the group, Sanae quickly ran off into the crowd to try and repeat the small miracle she had done for the girl they had just brought over to the ones most at risk. There were no small number who couldn't be saved, with their injuries too deep or having been left untreated for far too long, but at the very least she could try and make sure those who weren't lost could survive.

There was only so far 'miracles' could go before they became impossible, of course.

---

Kendrick seemed a bit taken aback at Anne's jumpiness, but given how an injured civilian had spontaneously appeared behind her, the man couldn't fault her for reacting as she had. Regardless of that, though, the woman's words had a point; even if they stayed silent, the truth would come out eventually. The best thing to be done, then, was to do so with honesty in hopes that things wouldn't spiral out of control. With that thought in mind, the man's gaze hardened as he considered how to respond before ultimately deciding that a simple nod would be best in this instance.

"...Right. I'll be the one to tell him... When the time comes. He might hate me, but it'd be better than leaving him in denial," the older man said, glancing towards the still-anxious child before sighing. "I guess I should be getting back on guard duty; with everything as it is now, someone's gotta make sure we don't get bandits or something trying to capitalize off the Raven Herald's attack. If something happens, I'll be the first to come running, okay?"

After motioning to one of the people busy at work trying to treat the others who were injured to look at Anne when they got the chance, Kendrick simply waved farewell and left the lodge. With the sound of pouring rain now quite evident outside, though, one could only wonder if everything would pan out well enough.

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze@Drifting Pollen@EchoWolff

---

??? — Town Outskirts

As the rain intensified and the sounds of his voice began to be drowned out, the man whom the others had been following seemed to grow somewhat disheartened. The thought of his family being in the middle of the forest, teeming with all manner of beasts at the worst of times, continued to spur him on despite his injuries. But those desperate cries, strained to them point where his throat was left raw and sore, seemed to amount to next to nothing. The growing fear and anxiety on his face would be readily apparent as every agonizing second passed without any results, but everything only seemed to come to a head when Rayne finally suggested that he return to town.

"Are you crazy?! I'm not going to leave my—" he began to say, only for him to clutch his side and stumble towards a nearby tree. Though he did not fall to his feet, the villager seemed to need to use the plant as support as he took a few heavy breaths before continuing to speak.

"...Damn it all. Fine, I'll head back. My wife, Elaine: she's got light brown hair and should be carrying our child. I pray she found shelter before the rain began, but... I'm sorry, I'll leave finding her to you. Please. Tell her that Marcus is alive and well if you find her."

With that explanation, the villager silently accepted Rayne's proposal and, without any further fanfare, was whisked back off to safety while the two resumed their search.

Further exploration of the forest for shelter in particular would mean soon bear fruit, as it became evident by the number of ruins that nature had reclaimed what was once here. The reasons for their presence remained to be seen, but at the very least the ruins, damaged and worn down as they were, would provide no shelter from the elements.

Or, rather, all the ruins save for one. Upon what seemed to be a long-decrepit foundations of a tower, the presence of a rotting wooden door that showed signs of recent use and that was cleared of any debris or fauna around it could easily draw the eye of anyone attentive enough for signs of human activity; further inspection would reveal that, though damaged, the hinges seemed to work well enough to allow for entry down a staircase that led into darkness. And deep, deep within, the faintest cry of a baby could be heard...

@DracoLunaris@Lugubrious

Pokemon: Dream

Richard Evans

Byjerlfal City — Commercial District

While some part of him did feel a bit bad about pushing the Munchlax onto Laurel, the fact that she seemed to cave in and that the Pokémon itself seemed pleased by the result left Richard with some hope that he hadn't done the wrong thing here. With any luck it'd grow on her... Provided it didn't eat her out of house and home before then.

When Nurse Joy offered to heal their partners back up for the journey ahead, Richard was more that willing to oblige; the newfound confidence Luna seemed to have gained had left him feeling equally invigorated, and if he wasn't eager to get on the road to wherever the road took him then what else could he really have been?

The momentary lull in activity as the Pokémon were brought away to recover was promptly broken by Laurel's own offer, though—one that Richard hadn't really expected to hear given how she seemed so eager before now to head out on her own. While he didn't have any particular goal or direction beyond taking the Gyms around the region on until this point, heading out to Giervor didn't seen like too bad of an idea—doubly so if it was at the recommendation of a local.

"Uh... Yeah, sure, I'd be fine traveling with you—if you'll have me, of course," Richard responded as he slipped both hands into his pockets. "I'd appreciate the company, especially with someone who knows this place a lot more than I do."

Once Nurse Joy returned with their now fully healed Pokémon, Richard took Luna's ball back with a 'thanks' before turning back towards Laurel.

"You want to lead the way, or should I?"

If it came down to it, he could always just use his phone's map to send them on their way... But surely Laurel would know best how to get them to where they were headed, right?

@Rune_Alchemist

Pokemon: Dream

Richard Evans

Byjerlfal City — Commercial District

When Luna landed the decisive blow against her opponent, Richard couldn't help but smile and cheer. It was a low-stakes battle, all things considered, but a win was still a win. Luna seemed to be left in a bit of shock over her victory—almost as if she hadn't expected it to come so simply—but the sound of her Trainer's voice seemed to snap her out of her own thoughts. With a smile, the Snivy ran over to Richard and, seeing him kneel down and stretch his hand out to her, returned with a gesture she had scarcely seen with the few glances she had of the other Trainers who had come and gone in the lab—a simple high five, positioned at just the right height for her to reach.

"Good job, Luna; you did great out there," Richard said, moving to pat his partner's head before standing up again. "Thanks for the battle, Laurel. Luna seems pretty comfortable now, so we've at least got the foundation in place."

As the other girl readied to leave, though, the appearance of one Nurse Joy and the ill-fated Munchlax they had brought here moments prior drew everyone's attention. Given what was being said, it seemed like the question of who would become the glutton's caretaker was floating in the air. Laurel's initial refusal caused Richard to become the Munchlax's focus for a moment, but a brief moment of thought (and a glance at his Rotom phone to check his funds) led to the young man shaking his head.

"I mean, all I did was help drag it over here. You're the one who did the most for it in the end, so it'd be best for it to work off it's debt in your care, right?"

Never mind that it would probably accrue a bigger one under her care, of course, but that would probably be better for it than starving on his nearly-nonexistent funds.

"I'll take it in if you really don't want to, but it seemed to gravitate towards you more than it did me, so..."

@Rune_Alchemist

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Kochiya Sanae

??? — Razed Town

Sanae let out a sigh of relief as she watched the injured girl slowly come to, and with the clarity that she seemed to have so soon after waking up it seemed that the most pressing issue had passed. The immediate concern that the girl had after waking up, though, seemed to quickly take it's place; Saria's own directions to keep the girl from immediately overreacting and pushing her still-injured body seemed to be enough for the moment, but she still deserved an explanation of some sort.

"We've forced the Raven Heralds to retreat; you're safe now," the green-haired girl began to say, before the feeling of a drop of water falling onto her cheek caused her to stop for a moment. Then another. And another.

With concern rather evident on her face now as she turned back up to glance at the sky, Sanae could see that it had indeed begun to rain. Though continued rescue efforts would have been ideal, doing so with low visibility and while soaking wet seemed like it'd be more likely to leave her sick and without much else to show for her efforts. On the other hand, leaving someone trapped or injured in the middle of the rain wasn't exactly going to do them any favors... But maybe the others had finished their sweep through the town to check by now?

"Mmm... I don't think I'm going to be able to help much with clearing the way for rescue, so it might be best if I head over to that lodge to see what I can do there," Sanae concluded, rising to her feet and glancing at the others before scratching the back of her head. "Though, uh... Don't think I'm strong enough to carry someone all the way there, per se. Can you help me bring her over?"

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

---

??? — Hunter's Lodge

Once Anne's voice broke through the din of injured cries and groans of pain to call out for Millie's family, a fleeting silence seemed to pass over the room before the same man who had guided the group of four to the lodge walked up to the group in awkward silence. He glanced briefly at the two children—particularly towards Alvin, who was the only one cognizant among the pair of children—before pulling Anne aside to speak with her privately.

"...I'm sorry that I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name's Kendrick; I'm the second-in-command of the town's defense corps. Those two kids... They're the children of the commander, Ywain, who was... Killed during the initial raid on the town," he told her as quietly as he could to not let Alvin overhear. "Their mother died during childbirth, but Ywain did his damn best to raise them—and a lot of us under him did our best to follow."

Kendrick glanced off to the side in silence before sighing.

"Sorry, but... Could you not break the news to them quite yet? Alvin's a bright kid—he'll figure it out if we don't tell him, I'm sure—but I don't think right now is the right time for that. I'll take charge of the kids for the moment if you want to help, but I really think you should rest, too. You and the others have done so much for our town, so it's only right that we try and do what we can, too."

All the while, Alvin seemed to be looking upon the carnage with a look of quiet sorrow. Seeing so many familiar faces twisted in pain or gripped by anxiety left the young boy at a loss for words—not to mention how his sister, though still comparatively unharmed, was still lying unconscious.

"...I..." he trailed off before he looked around at everyone present with a concerned look on his face. It seemed to make sense that not everyone was there, but that didn't do anything about the concern he felt about the one person whose face and voice were missing from the crowd.

@Drifting Pollen@EchoWolff

??? — Town Outskirts

Though the man didn't seem particularly inclined to stop, enlisting the apparent help of his rescuers (even if that had been unsolicited) at least gave him more motivation to press ahead. If the Raven Heralds had retreated, then there was a chance that his family was still alive—or so stood his reasoning, at least. It seemed that more than a few civilians had taken to fleeing into the forest to escape the Raven Heralds, but if the encounter at the church was anything to go by, their safety was by no means guaranteed.

Not that the villager would know, of course. Or maybe he did, and was simply turning a blind eye to hold onto the faint hope that his family was still alive and was just waiting for everything to have blown over.

"Elaine! Elaine, are you okay? Hello? Anyone?" he shouted out, voice hoarse as the feeling of raindrops meeting his skin spurred him on with even more fervor. "The town's safe now! Some heroes came and fought the Raven Heralds off!"

With the rain beginning to pick up, though, it remained to be seen if shouting into the forest would remain effective, if at all.

@DracoLunaris@Lugubrious

Pokemon: Dream

Richard Evans

Byjerlfal City — Commercial District

It was rather fortunate that Luna had enough trust in Richard to follow his orders to the best of her ability; given how meek the grass snake Pokemon had been during their first encounter, it wouldn't have been surprising in the least if she had panicked at the first sign of confrontation (even if she had come out here knowing full well what was to come next). The fact that she had also succeeded was a cherry on top, of course, but as things were now neither side had actually landed any sort of damage on the other.

But as things were, the two of them had the upper hand. All they needed to do now was press the advantage.

"Luna, keep your distance and get one more Leer off! Once you get that in, try to close the distance and Tackle your opponent until they go down; just push ahead and we should be in the clear!" Richard called out. Luna, upon hearing those words, gave a short cry of affirmation as the bell around her neck jingled.

With any luck, that declaration would fill his partner with enough confidence to keep trusting in his calls and bring them both a victory in their first battle together.

@Rune_Alchemist

Pokemon: Dream

Richard Evans

Byjerlfal City — Commercial District

The amount of mixed messages that Richard was getting from Laurel were rapidly growing in number by this point, but the fact that she had agreed to a battle was really the only thing that mattered in the moment.

"Thanks," he responded simply as Luna seemed to briefly jump into the air when the other Trainer's Sprigatito chose to play with her tail. With a smile, Richard patted the Snivy on the head before turning back towards Laurel and, at her (very valid) suggestion, followed her out of the Pokémon Center and onto the street nearby, with Luna following closely at his heels.

Having been given the liberty to act first as per his opponent's grace, though, Richard took a moment to pull out his Pokédex and trained it onto Luna as she hesitantly moved into position in front of him. Other than the requisite data about the Pokémon proper, it seemed the the device also recorded all of the moves she had available to her. The egg move that had been mentioned when he had first scanned his new partner, it seemed, was Glare—a welcome surprise, if anything.

"All right, Luna, let's get this show on the road. Open with Glare and make she that it sticks; after that, run away and Leer whenever you get a chance, okay?" he spoke simply, taking care not to shout and startle her. If there was any fighting style that would take advantage of the Snivy's strengths, Richard believed, it would be something that introduced the least risk or threat of being counterattacked at an inopportune moment.

@Rune_Alchemist

Pokemon: Dream

Richard Evans

Byjerlfal City — Commercial District

As the others made their suggestions, Richard sat by in silence and contemplated the options that were presented to him. Before he had pitched the question, the young man had considered a slower and more measured approach to get his Snivy to gain a bit more confidence in herself. A battle—at least in his mind—was always a far more serious affair, but if it came to one with no stakes...

Richard's train of thought was promptly broken as Kennet offered a small bell to him. Nothing about the item struck him as particularly noteworthy at a glance, but the following remark about it meant that it was at least worth trying to use.

"Thank you," he replied, a smile on his face as he took the bell before letting Snivy out of her Pokeball. The Grass Snake Pokémon seemed somewhat startled at being brought out so suddenly—and in a completely different place from where she had been moments prior, no less—but seemed to calm down slightly when Richard beckoned her over onto the seat next to his. After a brief moment of hesitation, though, she complied and walked over, only for Richard to tie the bell around her neck.

"Mmm... Yeah, that should do for now," he said, moving back as the Snivy curiously batted at the bell and caused it to ring. The smile on her face as she rang it a few more times seemed to put Richard at ease as well, if not for a different reason than it did his Pokémon.

"Yep, that works. Thanks, buddy; hope to see you again in the future," Richard said to Kennet as he bolted out the door before turning his attention towards the Sprigatito rubbing itself up against his leg. Laurel promptly picking it up and suggesting a battle thereafter, though possibly somewhat implicitly, caused him to shrug and take her up on her non-offer. Her Sprigatito seemed to be open to the idea, given its own reaction, so it was worth asking at the very least.

"Well, I don't want to keep you for too long if you're in a rush, but if you've got some more time, I'd like to request a battle with you. You did suggest one, after all, and your Sprigatito seems to have caught on to that, too."

There was a pause before Richard turned back towards his Snivy and seemed to think for a moment before patting her on the head.

"You're okay with that, right? Sni-hm... Nickname might be in order sooner rather than later. Luna, maybe?"

The newly-named Luna gave a little cry of assent and nodded in turn.

"Luna it is, then. Right, then; I won't hold it against you if you refuse, of course," he continued, turning his attention back to the other Trainer, "but it would be greatly appreciated."

@Rune_Alchemist

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Kochiya Sanae

??? — Razed Town

"Uh... I mean, I guess that going large-scale isn't really necessary, and it's not like these are concrete buildings or anything like that, but it's not like stone and wood is that much better..." the green-haired girl responded, scratching the back of her head nervously before she tried (mostly in vain) to help clear the rubble and debris that Saria (and the still-silent Lily, who had only just regrouped with them none the worse for wear) was moving with ease. Not to say that she didn't give it a fair shot, at least, but after the disheartening results of the last fight her attempts at helping (at least by means of physical labor) didn't do anything to lift her spirits.

Rayne's voice calling out to them to regroup at least showed that she was unhurt, and the subsequent arrival of the one that Sanae still mentally quantified as a mecha—Lewa, if assumptions about Rayne's statements were to be made—seemed to be much the same. That left less than half the group from the church well and accounted for, but the problem was that the others were nowhere to be seen. Given how injured one of them was and how of the other three, two were still children and one was unconscious...

With the heat of battle settled, the young woman was at liberty to be concerned about their wellbeing. Hopefully they would arrive soon enough without incident, but given how things seemed to pan out the fear that someone had been taken or injured or worse did at least leave her somewhat concerned.

Those thoughts promptly took a backseat, though, as she noticed what seemed to be a teenage girl trapped beneath a wooden beam. Her form had been obscured by the rubble that the other two were clearing away with relative ease, but with that out of the way Sanae could very clearly see that they were unconscious and bleeding—probably from a blow to the head from something or another, given the red painting half of her face over. At this, the shrine maiden tried to help as best she could in clearing the way before running in and dragging the girl out as fast as she physically could.

Though, again, given how much physically weaker she was than her companions, the only real benefit in her doing so was that the others could make sure that nothing fell on her head in the process and left the trio with more problems than they started with. Regardless of how much impact her taking the lead in this had, though, Sanae could at least see that the girl was still breathing and feel that her body was still warm. Whether or not the injuries she had would lead to complications was less important than the fact that she was still alive despite the situation—in a way, that was a true miracle. And while she wasn't someone who could, say, reverse causality or something insane like that, she could still help in her own way.

The girl's condition wasn't confirmed, after all, and even if it was "only" one person, a miracle to make sure that things wouldn't worsen was child's play.

Pulling out an ofuda out of thin air and leaving it to hover above the girl's body, Sanae brought her hand in front of her chest and began to pray. A faint light would begin to envelop the unconscious girl in front of her soon thereafter, but none of the physical injuries she had sustained seemed to be overtly mending themselves—as the shrine maiden had expected, really.

"...That might be the best I can do on such short notice," she mentioned before taking a deep breath. "Rayne said that there were a few people hurt at a hunter's lodge or something? It might be worth it to bring her over... Wait, maybe I should try stabilizing all the injured we find like that...?"

It was at this point, though, that the girl began to stir and ever-so-blearily seemed to open her eyes...

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

---

Rayne's and Lewa's efforts to scour the town for survivors and clear the area to make it safe for travel seemed to proceeding without issue—a mission greatly expedited by the lack of any enemies trying to interfere with their actions. It really did seem as if the Raven Heralds had come and gone like a storm—not unlike the literal storm that seemed to be rapidly forming overhead. The timely arrival of "proper" rainfall would likely put an end to any stray fires that the group hadn't already quenched or that burned out on their own, but that would also lead to more issues in rescue efforts when those clouds stopped simply gathering and began their "work" in earnest.

But of those who were left trapped beneath trouble, if even for a moment, Rayne's uncanny ability to simply drop them into the lap of the hunter's lodge meant that they were well out of harm's way when that rain did eventually come—never mind how startled those present seemed to be when their injured neighbors and friends began to manifest out of thin air into the middle of the building or when those still conscious when Lewa carved through broken pillars and debris to save them in all of his Matoran heroism.

One man who had just been freed by the Toa's efforts, though, seemed to give his thanks (however reserved) before heading off towards the nearest exit instead. If questioned, though, the mention that the rest of his family had run off into the woods (as had many others) to flee the moment they were made aware would make his motive perfectly clear. How to handle that statement, though, remained to be seen.

@DracoLunaris@Lugubrious

---

??? — Town Outskirts

Once Alvin was offered Joker's support, the child began to sob loudly as he fully abandoned any pretense of being "strong" or "brave" for his sister's sake. At the end of the day, he was still a young boy, and what the day had wrought would easily have brought most others his age to their breaking point far earlier.

The sobbing and crying continued for what might have felt like an eternity for the child (even if it had been far less), but eventually those cries turned into sniffles, and then to uneven breathing amidst a silence that at once felt both comforting and crushing.

"...Th-thank you..." the boy managed to say between breaths halfway towards hiccups before the group began to move back towards the town. The lack of any assailants despite his loud crying spoke of the fleeting safety that had been given to them, but even so Alvin continued to grip onto the hem of Joker's coat as they pushed through—and finally broke past—the forest.

And lo, the results of the carnage were laid bare in front of them. Bodies of the dead, friend and foe alike, were scattered about—but no sign of the Raven Heralds continuing their fight to be seen. It seemed that the woman's words held weight at a glance, but only the state of the town within would mean anything at this point.

As the group approached the gate, however, an older man with a sword sheathed at his side quickly ran over to the group, a look of concern clear on his face as he looked the two children over.

"Alvin! Millie!" he called out as he slowed to a stop. "You're all right—thank the gods! Can't imagine what would've happened if you didn't come back..."

The concern over the children's wellbeing soon took a backseat, though, as the man shifted his focus towards the other two present—though Anne most of all.

"Did you get those wounds protecting these kids? Gods, we've got to get you some medical attention as soon as possible!" he said in a panic, almost dragging the group towards the nearby hunter's lodge—which, given the groans coming from inside, could have easily led someone to assume that it had been converted into either a medical bay or torture chamber. "I'm sure we can spare some herbs and gauze for you..."

@EchoWolff@Drifting Pollen

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Kochiya Sanae

??? — Burning Town

Despite her best efforts, Sanae found herself unable to break through the enemy mage's defenses. For better or worse, she didn't even seem to register on the girl's radar beyond something to be blocked as she attempted to handle the perceived "real" threat—a fact which did hurt her pride a bit—but the sudden light show from around the city caused the green-haired wind priestess to pull back out of instinct. Where she had expected a follow-up attack to try and take her out from the skies, though, she found...

Well, nothing. Less than nothing, in fact—the enemy seemed to be moving to retreat from the town outright.

"I... Guess that counts as a win? Doesn't really feel like it, though," Sanae grumbled as she floated back down to ground level and landed near Saria. A wary glance around proved that the Heralds that could still move were retreating or dragging their injured peers away, but the young woman had no intent to engage in further combat with an injured enemy force—not when it seemed likely that she was a bit out of her depth here. Maybe more than a bit, really.

With no signs of any attempted parting shots, the young woman glanced towards the sky and, upon noticing the gathering storm clouds (a result of the town being lit aflame, possibly?), shook her head and sighed.

"Talk about dramatic timing. Rain should help put out what I couldn't, at least, but I don't want to think about how bad it'd be for the injured people who might be stuck out in the cold," she remarked before glancing towards the other woman at her side.

"...Or, well, that's just common sense, I guess. Might be a bit of a silly question, but you wouldn't happen to know how to handle rescue and recovery stuff, would you?"

It didn't help much that the tengu and kappa on Youkai Mountain were perfectly capable of preventing natural disasters from happening, of course, but if there was any time to want to hope that someone else would be able to lead the rescue efforts instead of her having to rely on bits and pieces she remembered from before she had moved to Gensokyo to begin with.

@Raineh Daze

---

Despite the explosivity of what the sniper had wrought, the rubble created from what had been destroyed didn't seem to have resulted in any loss of life. Missing large swaths of their walls made the houses structurally unsound, of course—a lack of supporting framework was what had caused the rest of the collapse to begin with—but there didn't seem to be any people unfortunate enough to have been caught up in that.

That didn't mean that there weren't any casualties to speak of, though. The bodies of a few dead townsfolk were strewn about the inside of a few homes, and some still showed traces of being recently ransacked by the invading forces. Those, however, seemed few and far between; most of the houses had been left mostly untouched, save a lack of human presence inside.

Eventually, though, Rayne's call to action drew some sort of response from a somewhat worn-down building closer to one of the town's southern gates—in other words, where the group had initially arrived from. The building itself was clearly not residential in nature, and the miraculously untouched sign featuring a bow and arrow alluded to it's intended purpose. The building seemed undamaged by the carnage at a glance, and upon entering the number of townsfolk—injured or otherwise—made clear that they had come here to seek refuge.

With that said, the sight of someone armed entering had immediately put the armed among their number—hunters, given their garb and the way they handled their bows—on edge. Seeing that the one who had arrived was not one of the Raven Heralds, though, the group slowly lowered their weapons as one of them chose to take the lead and speak up.

"Never seen your face before. Guessing you're part of the group that drove those guys off?" the hunter asked, gesturing at a few others who were still on edge to lower their weapons before stepping forward. "Name's Jeire. You have my thanks for stopping the Heralds before they got a chance to knock at our doors. That being said, we're a bit short-staffed right now—lots of people missing right now, of course, and we've got our hands full with the injured. Hope it isn't presumptuous of me to ask for whatever help you can give: first aid, rescue, cleanup... Not going to force you or anything, though.

@Lugubrious@DracoLunaris

---

??? — Town Outskirts

Though he was still visibly shaken by everything that had happened, Alvin seemed to be doing remarkably well in terms of keeping himself together. Joker's words seemed to register in his ears as he shakily tried to stand up, only for his legs to fail him once more. But with the sounds and shadows of what he could only guess were the Raven Heralds disappearing, the young boy felt somewhat more at ease about the situation panning out as it had.

"I hope so... Maybe she's just tired...?" he asked in response to the black-haired teenager's assertion, hoping that such a simple explanation like that held true. "But if that lady really had the Heralds go away, then it should be safe for us to go back home, right?"

There was a moment of pause before Alvin's thoughts finally seemed to catch up with his body, and almost as if a dam had been broken, tears began to stream out of the child's eyes.

Even if it had taken place over what could only have been the shortest of timespans, one could only imagine how long that must have felt like to a child not used to such things.

@Drifting Pollen@EchoWolff

Pokemon: Dream

Richard Evans

Byjerlfal City — Pokémon Center

Though some part of him expected Laurel to help, a Max Revive was the last thing that Richard had expected to receive. On top of actually helping the injured Munchlax, the other girl had gone so far as to get something this expensive for...

Well, given her story the Munchlax was probably wild? Even so, that sort of gesture did stand out to him despite the somewhat sour first impression he had of her.

"...Huh. Well, if you've handled the culprit then that's one less problem on our hands," the young man responded as he used the item on the injured Pokémon in his arms and watched it perk back up. "But we should still make sure that there wasn't any long-term damage done, just to be safe."

The rest of the walk over to the Pokémon Center was rather uneventful, thankfully enough, and before long the nurse and a squad of Chansey had all but carted the Munchlax off and left the three people who had brought it in behind. The results of that assessment remained to be seen, of course, but that did mean that they were at least stuck here for a while. At the very least, though, Laurel seemed to take this moment as an opportunity to fill the two of them in on some of the details about the incident. Given how she seemed to know the most about the situation, she'd also likely be the one to fill out the paperwork; whether that would amount to anything was anyone's guess.

"Hm. Well, some stranger choosing to resort to personal physical violence on your behalf raises a few red flags, but if you dealing with them—whatever that's supposed to mean—didn't teach them a lesson, hopefully a visit from the police might," Richard said as he settled down in one of the nearby seats before glancing at the Pokeball still attached to his belt. "It'd have been one thing to try and use that as an excuse to capture it, but that felt like violence for the sake of violence."

The young man took a deep breath before briefly glancing at the other two people waiting with him.

"...Bit of an odd segue here, but I probably need to get my own partner here at least used to battling at some point. I don't want to throw her into the figurative deep end right away since she seemed like the type to be easily spooked when I first met her, but we have to start somehow. You two got any ideas on how to help, maybe?"

@Rune_Alchemist