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@Ephemeral

Picking out the egg, Erza’d notice something. Didn’t it seem just a bit closer to hatching? He wouldn’t be sure what were the signs that told him so, but it sure felt like it.

So, Erza moved on to combat opposing Pokémon. However, there was something he quickly discovered.

Pokémon on this route is somewhat higher level than he is.

Poochyena VS Hunter. Poochyena started with a Sand-Attack, but Hunter had no trouble blasting the beast with an Ember through the sand. Poochyena ran in to bite, though Hunter could get in another Ember before then… but yikes, Poochyena’s Bite hurt! Another exchange of Ember and Bite left both Pokémon pretty beaten up. Hunter has about 18% health left. That’s when Erza lobbed a Pokéball, which hit the Poochyena and it rolled on the ground.

The ball rolled once. Then it rolled twice. And it rolled thriiiiice…!



Second battle! So, Erza threw out Castform to battle Vulpix. Vulpix realized she was being drawn into battle… and called out into the air, suddenly summoning a powerful sunlight to the battlefield! … Which meant Castform suddenly transformed into his Fire-type form!

Noticeable Ability: Drought. Summons a harsh sunlight into battle.

This harsh sunlight decreased the power of Castform’s Water Guns… but it also meant that when Vulpix attempted to Ember him, it was Not Very Effective and Castform could just absorb the flames. Two Water Guns later, and Vulpix was in a bad shape while Castform was still lively in the flames. A Pokéball was thrown, hitting Vulpix and absorbing the Pokémon into it. Castorm has about 45% health left.

The ball rolled once. It rolled twice. It rolled thri-



Thirdly. Mareep VS Extraordinary. Erza guessed correct, his Duskull took a single- very painful -Thundershock that could then be Disabled. After that, Extraordinary Night Shaded over and over while Mareep panicked. The Mareep did shoot a Thunder Wave, paralyzing Extraordinary, but the Duskull showed no signs of that keeping her from Night Shading. Mareep used Cotton Spore and Growl to reduce Extraordinary’s speed and attack, neither influenced her Night Shade. Finally, upon the turn where Disable would be undone, Erza threw a Pokéball at the sheep. Extraordinary is at about 57% health.

It rolled on-



Now, Princess VS a Budew! … It wasn’t much of a match, especially since Budew rolled a 1 on the “what level are you” roll. Suffice to say, Budew attempted to Absorb on Princess, didn’t work, Princess made short work of the little plant and Erza could easily catch the Pokémon with a quick throw of a Pokéball. Princess is at 91% health.

The ball ro-



Now, then. Finally, Vee and this female Eevee Vee managed to track down. The attempt to convince the other Pokémon ended in failure, albeit Eevee did seem pretty curious about Vee. So, a battle it was. The Wild Eevee started by Baby-Doll Eyeing, reducing Vee’s attack, but the opposing Eevee lacked Vee’s Adaptability, and so in the ensuing battle of tackles Vee held the advantage. However, the wild Eevee had more experience, turning things into a decently evenly match. But, his time with a trainer pulled through, and Vee turned to be the more skilled Pokémon in the end, the wild Eevee looking more tired than him when Erza threw the Pokéball.

The Eevee was absorbed into the ball, which then fell to the ground. Vee has about 27% health left.

It rolled once. It rolled twice. It rolled thri-



Currently on…





Connected areas:
Route 11. To the south is the somewhat rainy route that connects to Rainrock and Redcoast City.
Pokéball Factory. A robust building that probably produced the balls in your bag right now.
Travel Outpost. A dock and a meeting place for those who wish to travel over Fairsea waters.
Bigfjord City. At the end of Route 12, seaside, rises a grand, corporate city with large, black buildings…
Route 13. A somewhat electrically charged route by the Power Plant, leading on to Worldedge City.



__________________________

@Rune_Alchemist

Claire dashed forth in the streets of Worldedge City, with quite a population wandering about that she needed to mind. She quickly opted to head for the more bustling Commercial District rather than the quieter Information District, and so (I’ll assume) paid the necessary 350P for teleportation to the other side. There, she found herself surrounded by so many shops and places with customers flocking towards the various places, but there was one place that stood out above all else. It was also where Claire was heading next.

Here was the Worldedge Department Store.



There’s clothing stores around, too, of course, but the GM is frankly not very good at clothes, as such, feel free to decide what kinds of clothes Claire could find for herself yourself for 2,000P, if so desired.

So. What’s Claire interested in, now?



Connected areas:
Route 10. South of Worldedge. A farmland employing multiple psychic Pokémon from Mt. Edge to help with the crops.
Route 13. West of Worldedge. A slightly disturbed route, which attracts electric Pokémon due to the proximity of the power plant.
Mt. Edge. The mystical mountain at the heart of Worldedge’s unnatural existence. Few people actually cross its fabled tunnels, most just teleport past.
Route 18. East of Worldedge. A calm stretch of land going from Worldedge to Witchpeak, part of the Allmass Cycling Circuit.





Currently in the Commercial District.



__________________________

@Gardevoiran

'Hm. I think I’d like to check out Route 3 a bit. I have a bunch of Pokéballs already, and I think I need to get a bigger team. Rotom’s not exactly helping, after all. After that, maybe I’ll take on the Gym. Maybe. In any case, sure. We’ll meet by the Gym,' Vivia said, nodding to Skylar as they momentarily parted ways.

First he headed to the Pokémon Center, which had its own small crowd of people hanging out. Skylar headed to Nurse Joy, who-



However, after that, Skylar asked about rare Pokémon around here.

‘Around Highhill? There’s more outside Highhill than inside, but if you look into the trees and bushes you could find some Karrablasts and Shelmets that other trainers might have missed!’

‘You can find the occasional Bulbasaur on Route 1, if you look reeeaaal closely,’ another trainer close by inserted, just because he overheard. He then moved on.

After that, Skylar went to the Pokémart, and bought himself 10 Pokéballs. He gets a Premiere Ball as a bonus. The clerk looked at him a bit in surprise at the question…

‘Um. Well, occasionally, you can fish up young dragons by the water-side… But we’re talking VERY rarely, and you probably need a Super Rod…’ the clerk replied to Skylar, looking a bit hesitant.

The only birds found in Highhill Town are Pidgeys, unfortunately. They’re commonly seen hunting whatever Caterpies are found nearby.



Pokédex Entry #16 – Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. They are docile Pokémon that avoid fighting, kicking up sand in an enemy’s face or using Whirlwind to avoid battles. They have sharp senses of direction, capable of finding their nest or destination from very large distances. They inhabit tall grass where they search and prey on small bugs.




Pokédex Entry #10 – Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon. It has a great appetite and eats green leaves larger than itself. Its feet has suction cups allowing it to climb on any surface. If attacked, it can release a stench from its antenna to ward off attackers. It is known to grow fast, and will create a cocoon out of silk for itself to evolve.


The reason for the local Machop and Timburr population is that Highhill Town requires plenty of work with the crops surrounding the town, and these strong though low-leveled wild Fighting-types are more than happy to help, be it with plowing or carrying the results! The effort is its own reward! Now all are wild, but quite a few are, and willing to take on a trainer!



Pokédex Entry #66 – Machop, the Superpower Pokémon. A Machop is built up by a special muscle, which despite its size makes it stronger than 100 humans and will never tire no matter how much it strains itself. This combined with their general availability makes them a common choice for helping humans with manual labours.




Pokédex Entry #532 – Timburr, the Muscular Pokémon. They make habits of training themselves by carrying square logs and wielding them as weapons. They’re know to appear at construction sites and helping with the carrying. They pick bigger logs as they get stronger, and when they can handle any log without problem, they’re close to evolving.


Other than that, if Skylar followed the instructions of Nurse Joy and the Pokémart clerk, he could find Karrablasts and Shelmets in the trees or under rocks or in pools of water near the edge of Route 3 or by the shoreline of Dragon Lake.



Pokédex Entry #588 – Karrablast, the Clamping Pokémon. They live in fields and forests, hiding in tall grass or trees. When threatened, they’re known to spit acidic liquid to drive attackers away. If bathed in electricity together with a Shelmet, both will evolve.




Pokédex Entry #616 – Shelmet, the Snail Pokémon. Commonly found in bogs or similarly wet areas. It closes its shell to protect itself from attacks. It also produces and spits out a poisonous, sticky liquid. If bathed in electricity together with a Karrablast, both will evolve.


And that’s about what he’d find here. He wouldn’t find any dragons searching like this, so yes.

Now. Training.

Seabreeze has no trouble against any present Pokémon. He’s more than capable of handling all the bugs and all the fighting-types. He got stronger.

Seabreeze grew to Level 10!


Paradise would have some trouble with the two latter bugs, due to Grass-typing. Not because of bug-moves, though, but because Karrablast knows Peck and Shelmet knows Acid. That said, Paradise was more than capable of Gusting the fighting-types present. It went well.

Paradise grew to Level 10! Paradise learned Stomp!


JoJo didn’t have much trouble either, at least against Fighting-types. Fairy-type prevented any bugs trying to prey on the Psychic-type, as well, so that went well.

Jonathan grew to Level 11! Jonathan learned Disarming Voice!


Finally, Celebrity, also Fairy-type. What are you, an anti-Fighting-type team? That said, Celebrity is part normal-type, hence takes neutral damage from Fighting-type moves. She’d have the greatest difficulty training here, but honestly, with Sing at her side that was pretty easy, too.

Celebrity grew to Level 10!


There, some training done. What now?





Connected areas:
Route 1. To the south, is the common route of first journeys. Green and straight.
Route 3. To the north, the route to Rainrock or the Silent Shrine. A wet woodland.
Route 14. To the east, the lake known as the Dragon Lake, potentially for crossing.
Path to Silent Shrine. To the west, the Silent Forest and the path to the shrine within.



__________________________

@Typical

“Wriggled” is my new favorite word.

The Zubats continued to circle Eryn as she headed into the waters and became the typical traveller that one imagines heading through Wet Caverns, wading through water while fending off Zubats. Eryn in particular did this through the Embers of Dei and, when they came too close, the Struggles of Tula. It should however be noted that Tula was taking a considerable amount of damage from her own Struggles like this, but perhaps that was needed in order to keep the Zubats away.

Under the waters, some other fish were swimming. They were white, red, moderately large and with not insignificantly sized horns.



Pokédex Entry #118 – Goldeen, the Goldfish Pokémon. With its fins flowing elegantly in the water like an underwater dress, it has been called the Water Queen. However, take heed, as it’s known to ram its powerful horn into things in its way. It swims up rivers in schools when the weather grows warm.


Also drifting about or sleeping on the bottom of the waters was a couple blue spherical heads belonging to some other form of Pokémon that feels at home in the fresh-water of Wet Caverns. Eryn might step on one if she wasn’t careful.



Pokédex Entry #194 – Wooper, the Water Fish Pokémon. It lives in cold water, sleeping on the bottom and seeking food by the shore when it's cold. When walking above water, wild Woopers cover their bodies with a slimy, poisonous film that keeps them from dehydrating. It's slightly dull-witted.


Moving ahead, the path split into multiple paths. From what she could see, she had two immediate choices, though up ahead one of those choices almost immediately split into three others.

The river itself continued to the left. If she just followed it, she could see where the river went. She seemed to be able to hear voices in that direction? Chances were, if she went that way she wouldn’t be alone.

To the right was a shore which she could wander up upon and then wander onwards to where the path split into three paths again. To the left there was a slight descent into a rocky tunnel, with plenty of sounds. Sounds of rocks rolling about and knocking into each other…?

Straight ahead in that split led to a shallow stretch of water which was populated mostly by a crowd of small water-insects, dashing over the surface in search for algae to feed on. It wasn’t clear where the tunnel went, for there was a steep descent in the end of the tunnel.



Pokédex Entry #283 – Surskit, the Pond Skater Pokémon. Found on lakes or in puddles after evening downpours, feeding on microorganisms. It secretes an oil from its feet that enable it to move on water as if skating. When endangered, it secretes a sweet fluid from its head.


To the right there was another descent down to more water, a lake of unmoving water presenting itself, and… what appeared to be light from some form of light-source? Really looked like sunlight, but as far as Eryn knew, she shouldn’t be out just yet.

Zubats are still hounding her. Some Zubats definitely tried to swoop in to Leech Life at Dei as she held him on her shoulders, as he was the most obvious target. What would Eryn do?





Connected areas:
Route 2. Behind you.
Lakewatch Town. You don’t know the way, yet!



__________________________

@Joshua Tamashii @Eklispe

‘… Yeah, sure, I said something alike to that,’ Roderick figures that sounds good enough.

Oscar looked happy enough as dawkin handed back the staff to him.

‘Thank you. Your compassion shall not go unrewarded,’ Oscar plainly said, before handing something back to Dawkin.

Dawkin obtained Team Virtue Emergency Code!


‘Call the Team Virtue Emergency Code, and you will be taken seriously by the whole organization of Team Virtue, once. You can count on our assistance,’ Oscar told. ‘Oh, and here,’

Dawkin obtained Lunar Wing!


‘In case you run into her again. She tends to be more benevolent against those holding one of these feathers. They also guarantee pleasant dreams,’ Oscar explained.

Meanwhile.

‘I am Darcie, of Worldedge City. My father investigates haunted areas, and I scan them. If you commonly examine places like this, we may meet again,’ the girl replied to Amelia, giving her a bow that almost made her Abra fall off her shoulder.

Then, teleported over to the entrance.

Oscar did his thing with the Team Virtue members, while Amelia addressed the ghosts.

‘Hm. This seems to be the case. Anton, Jonas, grunts! Retreat, back to base!’ Ivory commanded, making a wave with her hand to the rest of the forces.

‘Rrgh! I was sent out all the way here, just for this!?’ asked an obviously frustrated Anton, who nonetheless complied.

‘Now, now, don’t be like that! If things had gone badly, your presence might have saved us!’ Jonas tried to encourage his fellow elite, who wasn’t really having it. Now, Virtue was mostly stopping, while Amelia said her piece to the ghosts of Old Tombs.

‘Aegislash…’ the Aegislash commented, as the Goletts and the rest of his forces halted their advances. The boy which he’d been using to talk walked to stand at his side.

‘I sense a change in the winds. You succeeded with something, did you not? Impressive…’ Aegislash’s boy commented… before the boy suddenly blinked and fell, dazed but suddenly aware. ‘Huh? I was…’

‘AEGISLASH!’ Aegislash commanded out, and the ghost-army turned on the spot, advancing back into the tomb. This left the boy lying there on the ground, considerably confused. Then, as they wandered in, more and more ghosts started stumbling to a bit, as Aegislash revoked his control over them, the ghosts regaining their normal wild status as soon as they were back within the tomb.

‘… Cofa.’ ‘… Gengar.’ Meanwhile, Cofagrigus, Gengar and their more wild forces were standing watching by the side, mostly just disappointed they weren’t allowed to fight more. However, it would seem that the current quest was over.

… That’s when a couple Yamasks flew over to Amelia and Dawkin. They were exceedingly grateful. Something terrible had been going on, and it was now resolved. The Yamasks were carrying something between them, which they now offered to Amelia and Dawkin. One to each of them. A treasure from deep within the Old Tombs…

Amelia obtained Relic Gold!
Dawkin obtained Relic Gold!


… Then a big Golurk came walking towards Amelia. It stopped right in front of her, behind which Aegislash hovered after having gotten the ghost-army back into the tombs. And, due to the need to communicate, he’s going to temporarily take over the poor boy over there again.

‘We and our master was not the only things that were freed when that woman damaged the seal. This, which we do not know what it is, had been sealed down there with us. We do not know its purpose. We’re handing it to you, as thanks for your services this day.’

With that, Golurk handed something over to Amelia…

Amelia obtained Mysterious Orb!


… That’s about it. What will Amelia and Dawkin do no-

‘DRIFLOON GIRL!’ suddenly a voice called out. Amelia would find that Jonas dashed towards her, Vanillite following frenetically behind before Jonas basically crashed at her feet with head into the ground. ‘I’m so happy you’re safe and not kidnapped into a faraway land never to be seen again! I work every day to ensure incidents like the one we went through before can be avoided! I apologize for any and all discomfort I caused you, but I really, REALLY was just trying to save you from that Drifloon…!’ … So the kneeling man was saying to Amelia.

Anyways. He can be totally ignored. What will Dawkin and Amelia do?





Connected areas:
Route 7. The desert is right outside.



Okay, done that. Now let's comment a bit.

@Gardevoiran Yupp. Nicely posted. Tipped a bunch, haha. Guess you're not going to need that money, huh? Well. Let's hope so, anyway. XD
I'm just going with that Valen's left behind for now. Sounded like Pretty was fine with that. Yeah. Moving on.

@Joshua Tamashii And nicely posted. Hah, that's some speech. I need to have Roderick answer, though I intentionally avoided asking questions in order to just, well, make it so that we can continue to the next scene. You can walk, or you can teleport/escape rope, anything goes. Otherwise, talk to me, and we can see what we make out of it.

@Ephemeral Yupp. Nicely posted. As I mentioned, you unintentionally hit Yvonne at a pretty sore spot, I'll give you something for that, hahaha. Otherwise, onto Route 12. I've looked forward to writing that one for a while. Not really sure why. It's just a really nice image.

@Rune_Alchemist Yupp. That's good enough. Nicely posted. Onto the biggest city in Isson, thank lord Pikmin Eye already reached it with Martin so I didn't have to add the effort to write that on top of the rest here. XD

@Typical Pffth, hah. Escaping Leanne like that. You know you can't ensure you will 100% win all the time, right? XD ... Anyways. That's a mighty fine post. Nicely posted. Phoebe's existence is acknowledged and approved, as is her mention about Mt. Allmass's Steel-types, which is pretty accurate, heh. Guess that part was sort-of predictable. Anyways, onto Wet Caverns, huh? Well. ... I may have gone overboard here, but I felt like it. XD

@Eklispe Nicely posted. Yeah, that's some good reacting. Imagining the expression on his face as Cresselia turns towards him is great fun. Anyways. Hopefully we can get you back to actually Pokémoning in a bit now. In a post or two. XD ... That said, Oscar wants that staff back. It's very dear to him. XD
@Gardevoiran @prettydrops

'Oh, right. Yeah, I should probably do that,' Vivia stated to Skylar’s thing about praying if she should. 'Oooh. Hello, Jojo. I’m Vivia. Hope you’ll have fun with your new trainer,' Vivia said, nodding to the little Ralts before heading off to pray. Meanwhile, we’ll assume Valen gave some form of reply to Skylar that meant he’ll be staying here for now, and then Skylar was on the way again, still with Vivia along.

On the way, the path between the two halves of Silent Forest had its own look.



__________________________

@Ephemeral

Erza called back Princess, confirming Yvonne’s victory. Then he praised her efforts-

Yvonne wavered a bit, maintaining her smile but bringing one hand up to her chest and lowered her gaze a little to the ground.

‘Y-yeah, he is…’ Yvonne stated, suddenly a lot more demure than previously. Her smily waned away slowly, and then, when Erza was about to leave…

‘… Wait,’ Yvonne said, calling back Stefan and then walking up to Erza, though without making eye-contact. ‘… Sorry. I lashed out at you when you came to comfort me. It’s, er, it was good of you, don’t reconsider it,’ she said, looking sideways. ‘So, like, take these. Thanks.’ So she said before thrusting something into Erza’s chest and then hurrying off. He found himself holding a bunch of scales. Most of them useless, but-

Erza obtained Heart Scale!
Erza obtained Deep Sea Scale!
Erza obtained Prism Scale!


… And that was about it.

With that, Erza headed by the Redcoast City Pokémon Center-



-and then it was off for new lands. He headed through Route 11, no biggie, he was done exploring this place now. Instead, he took his sights north, upon the great plains that awaited there. A bit further north, and it became clear that the mountain-side had done a number on these plains. Yet… wasn’t it an amazing spectacle to behold?



__________________________

@Rune_Alchemist

Frans nodded to her taking care of Bronzor for now. Then, there was the call about remembering the poses, which made Frans laugh a bit again, striking one of the poses that Claire had drilled into him before departing on further. Then she addressed Kalmia.

'To the big city, huh? Well, good luck!' Kalmia simply wished her, and then she was off.

Approaching Worldedge City gave rise to something of a spectacle. Mt. Edge towered above all, yet the city itself gave it no quarter. It was as if the city itself followed the mountain far above where a regular city would end, and it should be noted that the entrance to Worldedge City is pretty high up, above a cliff down to the water, yet Worldedge City stretched DOWN as well as up. There were buildings on top of buildings, and it really looked like the whole thing should collapse… yet it did not. Supported by some form of mystic energy of Mt. Edge, the largest city of Isson was a spectacle to behold… and, well. Nothing else to it than to enter, is there?



__________________________

@Typical

Leanne was smirking confidently at Eryn… until suddenly Eryn was like “nah”.

'WHATTHE-' Leanne made a noise of distress as Dei smokescreened and Eryn made a run for it. Shortly after Eryn found one or two embers from a Flareon flying through the smoke, Leanne completely forgetting she wasn’t supposed to aim for trainers who didn’t accept the battle because she felt immeasurably snubbed. 'COWARD! COME FIGHT ME, YOU-!' … Was the last thing Eryn heard before she managed to dash out the area.

Eryn spent a while resting at the Pokémon Center, texting her friend, and then the day after she was up and it was time to head out again.

Managing to avoid any sort of fuzz in the morning in Pureplain City, Eryn successfully made her way across Route 2. Now, there’s trainers on the bridges of Route 2’s rivers, but Eryn could avoid those and arrive to the incline leading up to Wet Caverns in peace. There, she was confronted with a dark hole in the wall, leading into the mountainside which presented the caves that she sought to traverse. Reaffirming with herself and all of the stories around it, Eryn gathered up her Pokémon and entered.



__________________________

@Joshua Tamashii @Eklispe

‘Alright, we’ll leave it to her,’ Roderick agreed on the Amelia stopping the ghosts. ‘Hmpf. Team Amethyst are common criminals who do what they do for the sake of profit. I do what I do for the sake of the people. In the event of Kyogre and Groudon, I would do what I could to stop them. Field all my forces and attempt to subdue the beasts, perhaps trying to convince another legendary to assist if we can find one. Rayquaza, preferably. After they’re subdued, I start seeking a way to ensure it will never happen again. Permanently, as you so mention,’ Roderick told, simple, with no doubt believing each word he said.

‘Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it. We have detailed records of the horrors that Darkrai once caused, and as to why the seal was needed. It would make us fools to not act on them. … And I don’t know about you, but I like my dreams without these two beasts contending for if we have nice dreams, regardless of how it’s balanced.’ He then shook his head at the mention of thinking Joshua might be a terrorist or making people suffer.

‘I recognize you for what you are. It may have been my annoyance talking when I said you’d have Darkrai inflict nightmares on people. You are a protector of Pokémon, your justice maintained in your own way, whereas I am a protector of people. The two are not mutually exclusive. Team Virtue has fought Team Amethyst in defense of the Pokémon they’ve tried to poach, after all. One must sometimes take priority over the other. For what you do, however, I respect you,’ Roderick said.

Then Amelia went over first to Dawkin, and then over to Oscar.

‘Oh, yes, I’m fine, I’m grateful for your concern,’ Oscar said, standing up to take a mystic pose, despite being totally dusted by the fall. ‘The fates move in mysterious ways. Very well, I shall assist thee in quelling the conflict that has been stained the tapestry of today,’ Oscar stated.

‘Chatot,’ Roderick told, and held his arm in front of him. Chatot eagerly jumped onto his arm. ‘To Ivory. The mission is over. Return!’

‘The mission is over. Return!’ Chatot replied, perfectly using Roderick’s voice.

‘Oscar, take Chatot with you. That should make things work smoothly,’ Roderick said, Chatot flying over to land on Oscar’s shoulder. Oscar bowed to him.

‘Chatot’s assistance will be invaluable. Thank you, your excellency,’ Oscar said… and then turned to Dawkin. ‘Now, if you would. I’m the chosen wielder of the staff of righteousness. It is my pride and joy to be permitted to lay my lowly hands on such a wondrous artifact… so… may I request to have it back?’ Oscar asked, holding his hand out to Dawkin.

Dawkin mentioned Escape Rope.

‘You desire to reach the entrance. If so, then it would appear that you have use of my Abra? He can teleport us there at once,’ the girl over there asked, looking over here. ‘So… It would appear that you are a medium, too?’ she asked, looking at Amelia. An analyzing gaze, it is.

REGARDLESS, ASSUMING THEY EVENTUALLY ACTUALLY USE ONE OR THE OTHER TO GET BACK.



The theme of today's post is "how many people can we free from their current situations and set loose to do as they like again!?"

@Typical You being the exception, you're going into something instead. That took a while to make. Still, that was decently fun. Now, the level of <that> is only like 20, it doesn't get much higher in the Trainers' School, but still. I put you up against a trainer that would be more or less your level. Let's see how you handle her. Hahahaha.

@Ephemeral I'm afraid I don't entirely see Princess prevailing here. Stafan's one tough customer. XD ... In any case, you're free to do as you like, now. If you wish to continue talking to Yvonne, you can do that, or you can do whatever else you like, otherwise. Yepp. That's about that.

@Rune_Alchemist And with that, I think that's about as far as this little event needs to go, if you'd like to go do something else. Or, hah, suppose you can hang onto Frans if you want to experience some drama. Not sure what you'd do there, yet, but still. Now you can do whatever.

@Gardevoiran Since I've already decided you can have this Ralts, here you go. Hah. Alright, you're free to do as you like again.

@prettydrops Say, are you intending on posting? Otherwise, Skylar might just go off on his own without your reply. That may be for the best, if your next post is going to take a while, but, it'd feel better if you could talk a bit. Oh, well.

@Joshua Tamashii@Eklispe And... the big one. I got a bit weary of this event, so I took the chance and just cleared it up, here. This is primarily to ensure that Amelia and Dawkin can once again move as they want to without needing to follow this event. That said, there's a bit more event stuff to deal with. The rest of Team Virtue is still attacking the front gate of the Old Tombs, there's still a bunch of sleeping people, but Darkrai will deal with that. First things first, though...

I really can't let anyone get a legendary without a fight, though. No matter whom they are. Hahahaha.
@Typical

Kalmia watched with a smile on her face as Eryn bonded with her new Pokémon. The trio of Pokémon happily accepted the Occa Berry, Pumpkaboo doing some form of half-bow to Eryn and then Kyllene for it. Finally, when Eryn took her goodbyes with Kalmia, she raised a hand to wish her the same.

'No problem! Good luck out there!' Kalmia wished her. Slowpoke did the same, a full twenty minutes after she had left.

Eryn escorted the Pokémon back to Infested Woods, where they said their goodbyes and then Eryn and her Pokémon headed on. And, so, eventually, after a meal, she headed for Trainers’ School because money.



It’s a school. Kids around Pureplain City flock here eventually to learn the basics of Pokémon battling, or there are trainers that come here only to attend the odd lesson before they embark on their big journey. There’s a patch of grass on the side where wild Pokémon can be found, and every week the teachers are known to have found a new specie to release into it in order to keep the students interested. And, of course, there’s plenty of Pokémon battling among the students as they do their best to learn. In fact…

To the right immediately after Eryn enters the school, there’s a list of students in a ranking-list on a wall. A huge list of the 50 top students, ranked in Pokémon battling ability, and there’s a thing that anyone who visits can challenge the list to get onto it temporarily. Leaving for too long obviously means falling off the list, but those who rank high gain some benefits and bragging rights.



So, here Eryn went to battle against the most common of the trainers down here. That’d be a fair amount of them here, despite the late hour, and Eryn could get into a fair bit of battles!



School Kids wants to fight!

So, with a varying amount of confidence fighting in battle, most of the kids had pretty local Pokémon. Pidgeys, Rattatas, the occasional Meowth, Lillipup. Found on Route 1, there were a few Growlithes and Ekans, as well. Then, produced from the school park, there was Shinx, Purrloin and Sunkern. Finally, there was this strange kid with only a Remoraid.



Eryn would not take any particular damage. Her team’s doing fine.

Eryn was victorious! Eryn gained 460 P for winning!
Eryn was victorious! Eryn gained 212 P for winning!
Eryn was victorious! Eryn gained 331 P for winning!
Eryn was victorious! Eryn gained 7 P for winning!
Eryn was victorious! Eryn gained 673 P for winning!


Tula grew to level 10!
Erebi grew to level 10!


Next target!

'Huh? You want to battle?' a tiny preschooler that looked like an easy target asked, looking up at Eryn. He looked a little confused. 'Um. Sure. If you’d like to,' he told, giving her a little smile.



Elite Four Loke would like to battle!



Loke threw a Pokéball onto the ground, and a decently large floating metal construct with two giant clawed arms floated up into the air between her and the little kid.

'Metang!'


Pokédex Entry #375 – Metang, the Iron Claw Pokémon. When two Beldum fuse together, Metang is formed. The brains of the Beldum are joined by a magnetic nervous system. By linking its brains magnetically, this Pokémon generates strong psychokinetic power. Its body is tough, one famously survived a crash with a jet plane without a scratch.


'I am Loke. “The Knight” of the Trainers’ School Elite Four…' the tiny kid said in a tiny, child’s voice. 'Shall we… not?' Loke asked, giving this super-friendly smile towards her.

If she took him on, she’d be destroyed. Seems like preying on those that look weak in the Pokémon World does not always work out. So, that lesson learned, moving on.

Instead…!

'Hey, you!'

A girl with a fierce ponytail and red jacket approached with a determined smirk from the school building.

'I saw you through the window. You’re targeting those you think are easy marks, ain’t ya? Well, I’m taking slight offense to that! Only slight, so you’ll get off easy, but you WILL have to face me in a Pokémon battle! I’m rank #23, Leanne, of Trainers’ School! Take me on!'



Wannabe Cooltrainer Leanne wants to battle!




That’s a more equal battle. Eryn’s actions?

__________________________

@Ephemeral

Princess came out, and flew high while also throwing down Gust-based Sand Attacks. Stefan jumped back a bit and took it carefully, as this most recent challenger was stirring up the battlefield for him, making it hard to see and most assuredly making it hard to hit her as Princess was flying way overhead.

‘Hooo… Okay, that’s a trick… but…’ Yvonne said, as Erza commanded Princess to dive down at the now a bit more blinded Absol. Thooouuugh… ‘Stefan! Quick Attack!’

With that command, Stefan vanished from in front of Princess, ran around in a circle and hit her from the side, the deprived accuracy not making itself known as Stefan ran about and hit pretty well regardless. Princess fought pretty well, but with Stefan knowing Quick Attack, which was just Tackle but bloody superior, there wasn’t much Princess could do in this battle. Another two Quick Attacks, and Stefan would have knocked Princess out.

‘… Yeah, with that, I think I can announce myself the victor. Sorry about that, but I really needed to vent a little, hahahaha…’ Yvonne told, unable to keep herself from smiling.

If Erza can come up with some crazy plan to win here, he can go ahead and try it.

Otherwise, he can continue the post-battle talk if that appeals to him.

Or just head back to the Pokémon Center, because assumingly, that’s what he’d be doing next.

Anyways. What does Erza want to do?

If he still wants to Route 15…





Connected areas:
Sacred Ground. Over a bit of water, and past the Team Virtue blockade.
Redcoast City. To the east is the resort city also known for Contests.



That Tentacool is totally still there.

__________________________

@Rune_Alchemist

Frans looked on with interest as Claire brought out her Pokédex and called Kalmia. A couple of seconds later…

'Hi, Claire! What’s up?' Kalmia asked from the other side. She then listened to the problem, going a bit ‘Hi, Ralia~’ to Ralia when she called, and then spent a couple of seconds in silence as she considered. 'Yeah, I see it, it says here you caught a Bronzor. I also got Del here, currently on the PC. But he caught the Bronzor and it registered as yours, and you can’t trade to him? Okay.' There was some noise on the other side.

'I assume the guy has a Trainer Card? It’s a bit hard without one…' Kalmia asked, and Frans quickly reached into his pocket and retrieved his card, showing his name and registration and such, along with the fact he has all 18 of Isson’s badges.

'… Then that’s honestly really weird. It should work as normal. The only thing I could think of would be if someone actually programmed a block on that the Pokéballs can’t connect to that particular trainer, but that’s conspiracy-level weirdness. Why would someone even do that? More like, who could even do that? Yeah, no, I’m a bit out of ideas…'

… In front of her, however, Frans has gone a bit pale.

‘… Uh. Um. Th-thank you for your help. That’ll… that’ll be enough,’ Frans said, turning around a bit. ‘… Er, I guess this one is still officially yours, so, uh, look after him for now?’ Frans said, handing over Bronzor’s Pokéball. On account of the Pokémon not belonging to Frans, the nickname didn’t register. ‘You can keep the rewards. You brought something interesting to light, after all. I’m going to go have a talk with my father…’ Frans said, giving Claire a bit of a pained smile.

‘… See, he’s the owner of the Pokéball Factory…’

That said, Frans intends to wander off towards Route 13 with Parvati gently drifting above him. Route 13 was the route on which the Private Palace, Frans’ home, was located.

What would Claire do?

In case she wants to go do something else.







Connected areas:
Route 13. North-west, a dark route where electric-types gather for the nearby power-plant. Leads to Bigfjord City and further west.
Worldedge City. North, the largest city in Isson, divided into many districts on top of one another made possible by Mt. Edge’s crooked physics.
Crossing. East, a simple bridge over to Route 18 for those who don’t want to walk through Worldedge City and Mt. Edge.
Mountain Valley. West, a passage between the ranges Mt. Strength and Mt. Chill, leading directly to Stillwood Village.
Freecape Town. South-east, a cliffside town with excellent view and many birds. Home of the Freecape Ferrymen.
Route 8. South, a pleasant cliffside walkway with hilly terrain and great view over the waters.



__________________________

@Gardevoiran @prettydrops

Paradise, while unable to battle, had recovered enough to commit to this little task. Ralts stared at her in a bit of awe when she offered her head for Ralts to ride on. It took a moment's consideration, but Ralts got on and looked amazed as he was transported down to the ground. Finally down there, he turned towards Skylar and considered a bit. But, Skylar's good intentions were crystal clear to the empathic Pokémon, and… yeah, he had already decided. With a little smile, Ralts called out to Skylar.

‘Ralts!’



Meanwhile, Celebrity moved on to stare at Rotom. Rotom turned and curiously stared back. Rotom chuckled at her, and was totally ready to threaten with a couple sparks… when Celebrity went and pulled out the microphone. Rotom blinked at her a little in surprise. Then it was time to start singing.

'ROTO-!' Rotom spun and tried to fly away, but the Sing (which is a single-target move) soundwaves caught up to the ghost and the electric possessed washing machine promptly fell asleep. Vivia stepped up then and pulled Rotom’s Pokéball, calling back the sleeping Pokémon somewhere he could take a nice, long nap.

'… Thanks,' Vivia said, breathing out a bit, looking to Celebrity, and then reaching down to pat her a bit more, because perhaps she liked that.

Anyways. Skylar’s action now? And perhaps Valen’s, as well?

They’re currently at the Silent Shrine, primarily for praying or heading back to Highhill Town. Or Northern Silent Forest to the north and Southern Silent Forest to the south. Lorette’s still around close enough, too, frankly. Shrine Maiden of this place, and all.

__________________________

@Joshua Tamashii @Eklispe

‘I said that at worst I'd be interpreted as an extremist, I didn't say I was one,’ Roderick corrected, sounding a mite bit frustrated. ‘You're naive if you think the forces of the world are balanced. It does not concern me, I'll simply deal with the problems as they come. Yveltal being a problem? I'll deal with it. Xerneas becoming a problem as a result? I’ll deal with that. Arceus having a problem with me messing with his balance? Then by my title as the Boss of Team Virtue, I'll deal with him, too!’

‘Deal with him!’ Chatot repeated.

Then, however, there was Hydreigon sneaking up on Cresselia as she was charging her moonblast. However, Cresselia was not so unaware as to not notice. Her objective might be Darkrai, but she was still a Psychic-type on a battlefield. Noting Hydreigon approaching, Cresselia spun about in mid-air and sent her beam hurling back towards Hydreigon. However, this was a hurried move with a beam that typically needed to be calm, Hydreigon was experienced enough to see the signs and dodge a direct hit… but the sheer power of the beam meant even a near miss still showered Hydreigon in fairy-type offensive energy, dealing Super Effective damage x4. Hydreigon was certainly on his last legs after that.

This meant, though, that if Bisharp was still thrown he was free to make an attack on Cresselia, as there was no moonblast to deflect.

Pangoro did his Earthquake, and- ‘Oh, darn-’ Roderick was quickly grabbed by Archeops as the ground beneath him gave way. Being that the Earthquake wasn't aimed directly at any Pokémon it didn't damage anyone, but it literally levelled the playing field as the walls of the crypt came tumbling down, Luxray stylishly jumping down from a large rock, Roderick carried down by Archeops and Chatot while Oscar came rolling down with his arms around his Smeargle protecting the Pokémon from the ordeal.

By this point the room was covered in a cloud of dust from the falling debris, the girl behind Amelia had given a slight noise of distress thinking the whole tomb was going to come crashing down on them. However, everyone seemed unharmed, save the archeologists that just woke up in a cold sweat.

Now Joshua and Amelia started talking ceasefire.

‘I'd be hesitant to let you be his trainer. After all your drivel I wouldn't be surprised if you let Darkrai freely put people into eternal nightmares because “it's in his nature”,’ Roderick told, ‘and I'd hardly call this situation “for no reason”...’ Roderick said… but then sighed. ‘... However, I can tell both our sides are battling for some sort of justice, and champions of justice should not fight. That said, Cresselia may not see it that way…’

Meanwhile up above, Cresselia may or may not have been attacked by Bisharp, but for the sake of this continued scene she was able to keep the critter from climbing on her. That was, however, when Dawkin activated the Pokéball, attempting to return Cresselia to it… and while energy shimmered around the legendary, it was as if she simply refused the Pokéball's call. Cresselia spun towards Dawkin, glaring something akin to cold murder, and headed to fly towards him…!

Now, Cresselia’s only intention was to nab away the staff from Dawkin, though it was likely he’d mistake her intentions. Not that they’d ever be clarified.

… Because that's when Darkrai appeared, blocking the way between Dawkin and Cresselia. To Joshua and Amelia, Darkrai had just suddenly taken off at high speed when Dawkin had attempted to call Cresselia back. Cresselia wavered, faced with her rival, whose gaze squarely told he didn't like the way she had looked at Dawkin. Cresselia backed off, but quickly started charging another Moonblast…!

Darkrai snapped his fingers, and a small light emitted from his hand.

Cresselia recoiled, stunned, as a small light show of energy danced around her before vanishing.

That, was Disable.

Cresselia's Moonblast was Disabled!

Unable to suddenly perform her only effective attack, Cresselia panicked, looking down into the tomb as if for help. As soon as she realized that she wouldn’t be getting any, the Psychic legendary suddenly blasted away at far too quick a speed for any normal being to catch up to. The once again wild Cresselia soared off into the heavens.

‘… Let me get this straight,’ Roderick spoke, looking up at where that exchange just happened. ‘In the great natural balance of things Arceus preordained, Cresselia and Darkrai battle for our dreams…’ He looked at Joshua. ‘… and Cresselia finds herself a Psychic-type meant to balance out in a fight against a Dark-type?’ … He shook his head a bit, regardless of the answer to that.

‘Regardless. I am willing to overlook Darkrai's departure from this tomb if he does so as someone's partner. However, let me make clear. If I hear that Darkrai's been putting people into those never-ending nightmares of his… I'll find you, and I'll do what I do best.’

So Roderick said, his Chatot landing on his shoulder and nodding, while behind him Oscar was picking himself up and giving his Smeargle a hand. Didn’t look like he’d been able to draw much.

Darkrai descended down into the crypt again, placing himself in the center of the room, his might obvious as the legendary Pokémon set himself down after Cresselia had been driven off. He was facing Joshua now. Well, then.

One thing, first, however. The likes of Darkrai couldn’t just join anyone. They’d have to prove themselves worthy of him. Honestly, it’s Pokémon tradition, so please don’t consider it unnecessary violence and try to negotiate as to why he should join without a fight. Darkrai floated in the middle of the room, looking towards the one who would want to call himself “the Trainer of Darkrai”.

Would he like a go?

Still, that does not concern Dawkin and Amelia!

What would they like to do?

Dawkin will have his power-up for at least a bit longer.

‘…’ The girl from earlier is still standing here, Abra on her shoulder, camera in hand, snapping a picture of Darkrai. She probably got one of Cresselia earlier, too. Yupp.





Connected areas:
Route 7. The desert is right outside.



The Team Virtue VS ghosts battle is still going on, on account of that Roderick has not called Ivory off.
@Rune_Alchemist

‘Y-yeah, I know all that,’ Frans said, looking flustered. ‘But we did things correctly! In the first place, the Pokéball should have automatically understood when the Great Ball was handed over to me, and even after that when you handed over the ball it should have understood that you did it with the intention to trade...’ Possible crime-strategies that might abuse a system where "just hand the Pokéball over" is an acceptable way to trade Pokémon aside.

‘So... What's up...?’ Frans asked, confused.
@Ephemeral

Castform went into battle, casting Powder Snow! The ice hit Stefan from the front as the Absol hunted forth to attack Castform. Castform couldn’t avoid the Pursuit, and took a notable amount of damage, but Castform held tight. He unleashed another Powder Snow into Stefan! … However, the Absol remained unfrozen, and he jumped in for another Pursuit, which took out the last of Castform’s health, and Castform fainted.

Stefan, now obviously damaged, stood with his side towards Erza and gave him a mildly annoyed glare with the eye on that side. Got any more? … He seemed to ask.

‘Ha-ha-ha…! … Ah, I guess that was a bit unfair of me, I just had to take out my frustrations on someone… Sorry~!’ Yvonne stated, smirking so proudly. She didn’t look very sorry.

What’s Erza doing, now?

__________________________

@Rune_Alchemist

‘Huh?’ Frans looked considerably confused, as Claire pointed out that Tez was still in her party. In fact, he looked magnificently wide-eyed, Parvati floating about with a similar expression.

‘Excuse me for not entirely getting it, but what do you mean?’ Frans asked, wanting her to tell him a bit more about that.
@Ephemeral

A battle it was!

Firstly, it was Hunter VS Jeffrey, Growlithe VS Snubbull. Jeffrey indeed started out dashing in for the Bite, and Hunter replied with an Ember in the face. Jeffrey was hurt, but not out of it yet, and hounded in for Bites while Hunter bit back and interchanged with Embers. However, one of Hunter’s Bites turned into a Critical Hit and he won the first encounter rather handedly, though he only has around 33% health left.

Hunter grew to level 10! Hunter learned Odor Sleuth!


‘Ugh,’ Yvonne made a frustrated noise, but kept focused all the same.

Secondly, Vee VS Joline, Eevee VS Tynamo. Turns out Joline was faster, and wasted no time blasting a Thunder Wave at Vee, promptly paralyzing him. Here Erza’s luck took a turn for the worse, as Vee couldn’t move due to paralyzation. Joline blasted a Charge Beam, hitting Vee with an electric blast that increased her Special Attack, and Vee still couldn’t move. Vee was hit by another Charge Blast, and Joline’s special attack went up further, but now finally Vee got loose and managed to hit into Joline with an increased-power move from Adaptability, doing considerable damage. … Unfortunately, Vee went down to the next Charge Beam, which increased Joline’s Special Attack for the third time.

‘There you go! Well done, Joline!’ Yvonne happily called to her Tynamo.

Now. Casform VS Joline. No weather here, so it’s normal Castform. Castform dodged a Charge Blast on the way and struck Joline with a Tackle. Joline counter with a +3 Charge Blast into Castform’s face, that did more than half of his health… but Castform finished the job with a Tackle of his own, taking down the Tynamo. Castform is left with 46% health.

Castform grew to level 11!


‘Ack. Ah, you did well,’ Yvonne complimented her Pokémon, before locking eyes with Erza. ‘You’ve done well so far, but now you’re up against the coolest Pokémon west of Worldedge! C’mon, Stefan!’

And so, Stefan the Absol VS Extraordinary the Duskull. Stefan went forth and with Pursuit right off the bat…! … Aaaaaaaaand took out Extraordinary in a single Super Effective blow, Stefan turning around with a snort and calmly walking back to his trainer with closed eyes after finishing.

‘You’re so cool, Stefan!’ Yvonne called eagerly. ‘Feeling like giving up, yet!?’ she then taunted Erza.

By the battle plan, Erza now went to Hunter. He sent an Ember Stefan’s way, which hit and did some damage… before Stefan finished that battle too, with a Pursuit move that struck out hunter’s remaining health after the battle with Jeffrey.

‘Hahaha… I already knew, but isn’t Stefan just the best!?’ Yvonne boasted, as Stefan was once again calmly walking back to his side of the battlefield to expect the next opponent.

What would Erza do now?

__________________________

@Typical

When Eryn moved back and started talking, Eryn(?) stopped somewhat close to the door into Kalmia’s residence, listening to what Eryn had to say while Pumpkaboo still stood like to defend her. When Eryn said the part of having wanted to be trainer together and wouldn’t have Eryn(?) stealing the spotlight, Eryn(?) looked down, perhaps a little guilty. She listened to the next part while looking down into the floor, but then Eryn offered to bring her along. Eryn(?) looked up at her, a bit surprised, her attention certainly captured. However, yeah, just as Eryn recognized herself, Eryn(?)’s gaze wandered to her companions, Pumpkaboo and Cascoon, the overgrown pumpkin standing to defend her still while Cascoon looked up at her curiously. Eryn addressed that, too, which ultimately left Eryn(?) looking down at Cascoon and Pumpkaboo, the latter of them now turning to look back at his trainer.

Eryn(?) took a bit of time. She went from looking down at her Pokémon to looking up into the ceiling… and then started slowly shaking her head-

-when she was pushed forward by what appeared to be nothing, Eryn(?) stumbling a bit before her Phantump exited through her back, having been inside Eryn(?)’s body. Eryn looked back in surprise, and the stump-ghost Pokémon just gave her a little smile.

‘Phantump!’ Phantump said, looking happily towards her. Pumpkaboo and Cascoon exchanged a look, too, before looking to Eryn(?) as well.

‘Pumpka!’ Pumpkaboo said, also giving a smile from the little mouth over the main pumpkin part below the eyes. Cascoon merely looked on, no objections.

Eryn(?) looked at them somewhat in surprise, then looked over at Kalmia. Kalmia smiled in return.

'Don’t worry. I’ll look after them if you wish. Escort them back, safely, if they so wish. Regardless, this side is handled,' the professor assured, a little wave with her hand. Eryn(?) looked back at her Pokémon once more, and they gave her assuring nods.

‘You’re awesome!’ Phantump encouraged with a smile, perfectly copying what Eryn recognized as the voice of Youngster Kale, who’d she just fought this morning.

'Ooh, that’s the voice I heard,' Kalmia mused, smiling.

Eryn(?) looked at her companions for a bit longer, coming to terms with what they were encouraging her to do. Then finally, Eryn(?) sighed, and turned to look at Eryn.

Eryn(?) looked a bit awkward, but then closed her eyes. Then all the colours that made up her body molded together, darkness enveloping Eryn(?)’s body. The dark form started changing, becoming smaller, the shape of the being before Eryn changing before her eyes. Finally, it took the shape of a much smaller creature. Colours returned, and in the place where Eryn(?) had stood was now a small quadruped Pokémon with black fur and red accents, looking towards Eryn with determination.

'Zorua,' the Pokémon said.



Pokédex Entry #570 – Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokémon. To protect itself from danger, it uses illusions to disguise itself as people or other Pokémon. While it can take the form of another, it cannot make their sounds or use their moves. It often takes the shape of a child, so if you’ve found a child that’s seemingly mute, chances are it’s a Zorua.


And, of course, if Eryn chooses to bring Zorua along…



Pumpkaboo shook off the backpack on his back, and Cascoon extended a couple needles to poke the top open, and the two Pokémon pushed the contents forward at Eryn.

‘Pumpkaboo?’ Pumpkaboo asked, while offering the three Pokéballs that were in the bag. Now, regardless of what Eryn might assume, it’s mainly just because the wild Pokémon are not going to need them so Eryn can take them with her.



'Well, this has been interesting,' Kalmia said, and turned towards Phantump. 'I assume the mask was to disguise that it was actually you who were speaking?'

‘Phantump!’ Phantump called, proud.

'I see. Well, then,' Kalmia simply said, now to look at Eryn and whatever she intended on doing next.

If she’d be leaving, here’s Pureplain City.





Connected areas:
Route 1. Easier path, just follow the bigger road.
Route 2. Walk through quite an amount of suburbs until you eventually reach the path.
Sea. There’s water, alright. Can take you anywhere you want to go, assuming you have means to traverse it.




an @ERode and @PlatinumSkink collab


Overcast skies pressed down upon the world below, overbearing clouds hanging with uncommon gravity. Few people were out on the street at this time of day, the largely suburban area devoid of activity. A few cars streamed by, and some retirees worked on their gardens, but that was all. That was nice.

No one noticed then, when a raven-haired girl stepped out from the shadow of a telephone pole, dressed in attire that could only be considered gothic. Her eyes, obsidian chips, turned slowly to survey the area, before she soundlessly strode on. The destination had already been pre-programmed, and with confidence that stemmed from machine-like precision and recall, she strode down the street to a tarp-covered building. ‘Opening Soon’, it said, but none of the ignorant would notice it regardless. A confirmation request was sent to the Owner, and after a response was sent, the girl blinked.

The order was given.

She balled up her right hand and punched the door.

Knock.

The shop was incorporated into one of the upper floors of one of the buildings fairly close to the center of the city. It’s a floor that no stairs go to, the main and only entrance is from the balcony as to prevent the average member of the public from strolling in, but having landed on said balcony the signs were as clear as day as to the nature of this shop. Brittany Todd’s Magical Market, Opening Soon. There’d be a magical signpost here that announced its location to the magical denizens of Penrose when the time came, but for now, one had to know where it was to find it.

Within, a Magical Girl in witch-like attire excitedly ran around about hanging up her magical trinkets onto displays as well as writing and rewriting price tags over and over reconsidering multiple times, a wide smile on her lips, a purple ball of a floating creature with eyes, small limbs and a hanging mouth stalking behind her monotonously… until there was a knock on the door. She stopped short for a bit, looking curiously at the door, and then ran over to open it. The eyes of the Magical Girl practically glowed as she saw someone unknown outside.

‘Oh, hiiiiiiiii! Welcome to Brittany Todd’s Magical Market! I love the eagerness, but me and Agatha aren’t quite ready yet!’ Brittany started, smiling so brightly.

‘����� ���� ��������’ Agatha, the floating ball that was Brittany’s lesser force patron, said.

‘Still! How can I help you?’ Brittany asked, grinning and holding onto the door.

The gothic girl did not blink. She did not nod. She did not smile. She did not breathe. She said, in a voice inflectionless and emotionless, “I derive no small amount of moral pleasure from supporting local businesses, and would like to offer you a variety of wares to augment your current stock of arcane trinkets, if you are so inclined.”

‘Oh!?’ Brittany’s eyes widened and she took a step back for a moment looking up at the girl. Then she spun to Agatha, grabbing the tiny hands of the floating ball with glee. ‘Did you hear that, Agatha? She wants to support us! I’m so happy!’

‘�� ��� ��� �������� �����’ Agatha said.

‘Well, then,’ Brittany grinned, spinning back to the girl, her eyes shining a bit. ‘I’d be overjoyed to have your support! Come in! Oooh, we need to discuss this at length!’ she called, spinning back inside her shop to run to the table where a whole lot of magical items, some of which are explosive, were just lying about. She pushed a number aside to make room for other things on the table, then excitedly seated herself opposite of where she was clearly offering the girl to sit, Brittany excitedly leaning forward on her elbows as she watched her.

The gothic girl followed after Brittany. Momentarily, her irises burned silver, scanning over the disarray of magical artifacts, before blinking back into coal black. Taking the offered seat, she pulled out a small matchbox, sliding it open. It was empty.

“To begin with, let us confirm: what items do you mainly house within this establishment? Do you seek to have the widest selection possible, or do you desire specialization instead?” Questions curled out between those fine lips as if read off a manuscript, the girl’s eyes focused on nothing in particular.

‘Oh, I sell EVERYTHING!’ Brittany exaggerated proudly. ‘The idea is that I’ll sell stuff that’ll help magical girls or others in their fights against monsters and whatnot, but honestly, if it’s magical and I can get my hands on it, I’ll sell it!’ So the girl said, grinning happily, Agatha floating beside her head looking at their visitor.

If the gothic girl was taken aback by Brittany’s proud proclamations, she didn’t show it. Rather, she said, “Understood. We will begin with a sampler set then.”

And from the matchbox, she began to draw out objects one by one, placing each gently onto the table. A silvered arrowhead, thrumming like the plucked strings of a harp. A bottle of living ink, the contents slowly rising up the glass surface, only to seep down again. A mechanical heart, the clockwork gears ticking counterclockwise as it pulsated slowly. Her hand slowly turned so the palm faced upwards.

“Go ahead.”

‘Ooooooh. Okay, Agatha!’ Brittany said with a smile, leaning forward and raising a hand over the items. A bit of power went through her hand and the purple ball floated and looked over the items… and then finally it turned to look at her.

‘�� ��� �������� ������ ����������’ Agatha said.

‘Woah,’ Brittany made an impressed noise over the arrowhead. Then the bottle of ink.

‘�������� ��� ������������� �������’ Agatha continued.

‘… Nice!’ Brittany grinned over the ink-bottle. Finally the mechanical heart.

‘������� �� ������� ���� ���� ������’ Agatha finished.

‘S-seriously…!?’ Brittany’s eyes widened a bit, as she retrieved her hand. She looked at the girl a bit in awe.

‘Who are you…?’ she asked, amazed, not one who could withhold her emotions.

The gothic girl’s eyes became of gleaming silver once more, before fading away. No smile, no reflex in the face of the witch’s awe. “I am Dolly, a representative of the Gourd,” she said, dipping her head down slightly. “If you are satisfied with the quality of my Master’s wares, let us discuss their value.”

‘Ooooooh… I’ve heard of the Gourd… Alright,’ Brittany grinned. ‘Okay. What I think they’re worth. If I sold this…’ Brittany looked over at the bolt. ‘… Probably not a gold coin. However, quite a lot anyway. I’d say… 15 silvers, perhaps?’ She then looked over at the ink-bottle. ‘This one is cool, though has a narrow field of application. Let us say 7 or 8 silvers. This one, though…’ Brittany smirked holding her hand over the clockwork heart.

‘This one is universally desirable. One gold, as well as five silvers and ten bronze, perhaps?’ Brittany estimated and asked. She didn’t actually have experience as a shopkeeper, but she was running with her hunches.

“It doesn’t matter what you will sell it for,” Dolly replied, unmoving and unmoved, “We are here to discuss what you will buy it for. We care not for coinage, but rather...what can you offer that can not be obtained elsewhere?”

‘Oh, right, yeah,’ Brittany blinked as she realized she may have gone the wrong direction. ‘So, um. I’m a bit of an alchemist. With the right preparation, I can make you materials that could be hard to come by, otherwise. Um. I did collect a whole bunch of other potentially use- useful loot from monsters and such during my travels, that I could provide you. Otherwise, I have the support of Cindy, a monster-girl with following in-town, who, er, surely could do favors for me in exchange for my continued support, and could as such help you find what you’re looking for. Totally,’ Brittany said, looking at her guest wide-eyed.

‘So, would you like some reaper cloths? Imp claws? Raum talons? Pixie wings? Enhanced orichalcum? I don’t have much of the latter, but I could make more…’ Brittany tried some more concrete keywords, to see how Dolly would react.

There was a pause, an almost inaudible ‘whirring’ passing through the air. Then, Dolly nodded. “The viscera of rare beasts will be sufficient. For now, however, we would like you to acquire something for us. Days ago, Soth attempted a ritual, and though the Horror’s plans failed, there were pieces of it that remained. Obtain for us the Abyss’s ritual implements, prioritizing pieces from their altar.”

Silver gleamed in her eyes again, an uncommon inflection invading the gothic girl’s voice. “Will you be able to do that, Brittany?”

Brittany blinked a bit extra at the request. Surely, anything valuable at the scene would already have been plundered. However… ‘Agatha!’ Brittany briefly requested the help of her patron, holding both her hands into the air. Agatha, purple limbed ball with a face as he was, floated and placed himself in her grasp, before Brittany lowered her hands and held it in front of her. She focused on the ball that was her patron, and in her grasp, he became spherical and spun. Brittany charged her Psychic specialization, using Agatha as the Mystic Artifact he partly represented, and with that her eyes began to mildly glow with the visions she was being provided.

‘… Yeah!’ Brittany called, a little confident smile appearing on her lips. ‘I’ll get it for you. Be it sealed, hidden or even just lying around, I’ll get it for you. Anything that has been left behind, I’ll find it…!’ So she said, the visions still dancing before her eyes as she looked past them at Dolly.

The smile was unnatural, but it was there, the gothic girl nodding her head once more. From the Matchbox, she drew out five more items, laying them down onto the counter. “We will leave you with these then, and if you succeed, will continue to supply you with wares from the Workshop. May chance smile upon you, Brittany.”

With that, Dolly stood up, slid the Matchbox into the folds of her dress, and collapsed into sand. And within a couple of seconds, even that sand turned to nothingness.

The glow of Brittany’s eyes went away as Dolly drew out more items, the shopkeeper girl’s eyes following the items and then up to the girl again with awe as she spoke. Then, Brittany provided a simple, bright grin. ‘Got it! And on you, Dolly! You’re welcome back, anytime~!’ … And then Brittany was startled as Dolly turned into sand, which then also wasted away.

Brittany was quick on her feet, blinking a bit. Okay, first she examined the items she had been given. A few ‘Oooh’ and ‘Aaah’s later she put them away temporarily and checked so the alarm-system magic items she had was in-place on the store. Good. Then… ‘C’mon, Agatha! It’s been a while, but we’re going treasure hunting!’

‘���� ���� �� ����������� ��� ���������’ Agatha asked.

‘You bet!’ Brittany grinned as she replied, before the two was in a dash out the door to complete the objective they had been given. She was smiling the whole way. This whole store thing was going great! She had multiple suppliers now! Who would have thought!?
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