Remram

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@Lunarlord34

Do not question random challenger logic.

Well, Toxel is certainly an option. Yes, somehow the diaper lizard's growl did indeed intimidate the carnivorous fish launching itself towards as an aquatic missile. Them the rules and the universe of this game abides by it no matter how silly and nonsensical they may be.

After its oh so intimidating growl, Vi faced down with liquid death speeding towards it. The Carvannah was surrounded by a torrent of water while electricity crackled weakly around the Toxel. A collision was unavoidable and the two traded blows though Steph was right. The moment that the Carvannah made contact with Vi, it was instantly inflicted with paralysis. Bits of static crackled around it as it recoiled in pain.

Quick to not waste an opportunity, Steph had ordered Vi to use Acid. The little Toxel spat out green sizzling globs of, well, acid at its opponent.

"Carvannah dodge!" It's trainer shout to no avail. The Carvannah was completely immobilized and just ate that acid. Yeah, that looked like it hurt, and it certainly did not look like it was going to last much longer. However, Vi did not look much better either. Just one hit looked like it hit the Toxel hard, and it did not take an experience trainer to realize how frail it really was.

"Dang it! Use Aqua Jet again!" The fisherman ordered. Again, the Carvannah propelled itself with a powerful stream of water and was soon cloaked in that ripping torrent.

What does Steph do?

---

@samreaper

Well, you know what they say. In for a penny, in for a pound.

The receptionist was just minding her own business, typing away at a computer when Tristan approached the counter and started saying some weird shit out of nowhere. Well, no need to unpack this weirdo's mental state. She wasn't paid enough for this.

"Gracidea Flowers," she corrected him with a forced smile.

The receptionist continued, "We have several books on flora in the library if you wish to learn more about them. As for how to obtain one, well, it's complicated. Gracidea Flowers only grow in our park and I'm sure you are aware there is a fine for picking a flower from a garden. The fine for picking a single flower is 50,000 P by the way."

Under any other circumstances this would have had been chump change for Tristan, but alas, he no longer had access to daddy's credit card. It would have seemed like there was no chance, but the receptionist was quick to speak up again.

"However, due to the difficulty of obtaining Gracidea Flowers in general we do allow requests on a case-by-case basis. We can put you on a waiting list, but if you're in a hurry you could try getting the written consent of the head gardener and the estate manager. At the moment they are both on the premises though I cannot promise anything. They are quite busy setting up for festivities for a VIP guest."

What does Tristan do?

---

@Zarkun

Jason was right, Sable would not be able to keep up dodging the onslaught of embers alone. Before he adjusted his order, the Totodile was hit by a series of flame. Parts of her were singed and burning, the pain was only going to get worse over time.

Sable was burned!

Not giving up, Sable was throwing out clumps of mud and shooting streams of water against as many fire balls as she could while trying to avoid the projectiles that didn't collide with hers. However, finding that coveted opening was proving to be far more difficult than they anticipated. The little Totodile was doing all she could to keep her head above water.

Not giving either of them a moment to breathe, the Echo crouched and then with explosive speed leaped downwards towards Sable. Again, it threw another flaming fist at the Totodile, except it wasn't the same punch. A vortex of flame shot from its fist straight towards Sable.

How does Jason react?

---

@Joshua Tamashii

Freya had a big, but warm grin on her face as she fought the urge to pat this little kid's head. She was certainly a bit shy and needed to grow into herself, but there was always time for that.

"Sounds like Steph told you about me. Only good things I hope," she said jokingly. Freya had a sense of ease and gentleness around her, a feeling that said that she was a kind and reliable person. It may have been a bit difficult for Amelia to get that feeling considering that the size difference was like having a Joltik next to a Wailord.

However, that grin soon turned into stark, wide-eyed realization. Freya carefully asked as to not draw Steph's attention, "Wait, you can understand her too?"

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@samreaper

Now that Tristan had calmed down and was not having a PTSD induced panic attack, there was a common trend in the paintings and photographs; many of them featured Gracidea Flowers in one way or another. Even in photos that were in black and white, he could see flowers of similar shape to that of the Gracidea. They weren't the key focus, typically just decoration though maybe to him it would've been strange that they were featured so heavily. If Tristan could confirm one thing about them, it was that she certainly had a fondness for these flowers. However, it could've gone as far as her just liking them. There may have been no special meaning behind it. What did Tristan know about flowers anyway? He was just some rich kid that probably has never even touched a blade of grass before, which would explain why he is so out of touch with reality.

Now, there were a few avenues that he could take. He could ask an employee some questions regarding the matter, or he could try his luck and gain access to Aria's journals and personal letters. During the tour they were mentioned to be held in the library for posterity's sake. After all, they gave insights and historical accounts of not just her private life, but to the history of Florasong and even other historical accounts that happened around the rest of the region. Or he could just assume that he has the answer though there was always more to dig. After all, Aria purposefully made sure no one else, but her knew how to enter the forest and like the good Dr. Burgundy said, it was like she was trying to keep everyone else out even in death. What was she hiding?

What does Tristan do?

---

@Joshua Tamashii@Lunarlord34

The two spooky girls enjoyed their leisurely morning walk along the riverside, maybe Amelia more so than Steph. After all, anything had to be better than experiencing the eldritch truth for the first time. Also finding the shadow people was traumatizing too.

Let it also be known that Steph did indeed see her other partner Pokemon, but since her short-term memory was quite lacking this narrator will not remind her.

To get to the fishing store, they would step on a wooden quay where even the earliest hours of the morning there were people fishing. Actually, there were a lot more than either would expect in the morning. Most of the fisherman with mainly older men that looked like they had nothing better to do with their retirements though there were some young people that were clearly on vacation. They heard the sound of a cold one being cracked open. Oh dear.

While Steph was keeping her eyes peeled for anything for her to fight, it was best to try and keep one's eyes focused on what was in front of them. The Galarian bumped into a fisherman who was clearly reeling something in that was giving a good fight, but the bump just caused the man's grip just to loosen enough that the rod was ripped from his hands and sailed into the water with a great plop.

"My rod!" He cried out in dismay before quickly turning to Steph with clear vitriol and said, "Alright, you better take responsibility for that!"

Fisherman Irwin challenges you to a battle!

The fisherman threw a Pokemon and out came the pointiest fish alive. It looked like its preferred prey was children.

[
#318 Carvanha, the Savage Pokemon. It won't attack while it's alone—not even if it spots prey. Instead, it waits for other Carvanha to join it, and then the Pokémon attack as a group.

Whatever Steph sends out, the fisherman will order the Carvanha to use Aqua Jet.

Meanwhile, Amelia would just be there to witness this needless battle with Steph who was jonesing for a fight completely in the zone. However, someone approached her; a girl with wavy black hair and gentle crimson eyes that sparkled in the morning light. She wore a white, sleeveless blouse, a lavender skirt that reached slightly past her knees, and lavender closed toe sandals. This girl was remarkably pretty, almost like a model. She was also tall as hell, like God damn! Amelia would have to bend her back a bit to actually get a look at her.

"Well, it looks like Steph is enjoying herself," she said to herself with a chuckle. The girl looked down at Amelia and smiled, kneeling down to her level as much as she could. "Oh you're absolutely adorable! Are you traveling with Steph too?"

---

@Zarkun

Just by the scale of its teeth the Totodile dodged that flaming fist, the impact cracking the ground and sending bits of stone up into the air. Jason not wasting any opening ordered Sable to use Mud Slap, the little crocodile kicked up clod straight at the flaming figure. The Echo did not have enough time to dodge such a quick follow up at close range and was hit by the mud in its face, at least where one would assume its face would be. It recoiled in pain and seemed to be temporarily blinded by the mud, which gave the opportunity that Jason had been looking for to attack again.

A stream of water pulsed forward with great force and collided with the Echo causing the creature to reel back in pain. Steam radiated from its figure with a sizzle and yet despite the damage done to it, it still maintained its shape. Jason was going to need to put in a bit more work to take it down because this thing was sure going to do the same to him if giving the chance.

It jumped up in the air and landed on one of those stone fixtures hanging by chains from the ceiling. It began to blast spheres of ember at Sable and jumped from fixture to fixture as it did so to make it hard to pin down.

What does Jason do?

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

@Zarkun@Sanguine Rose

Five, no there were probably more than that. Nolans eyes darted as he tried his best to keep track of their movements, but these bloody things were too fast to actually get a firm stance on their numbers though he refused to turn his spell off. The moment he did so would have meant giving up any possible advantage he could take over these damned lizard dire wolves.

Nolan jumped off his horse. There was no point on being on a it; these things were too fast and frankly, he was faster than his borrowed steed and could maneuver better on foot than trying to move on a panicking steed if the Asterins got close enough or if they were freaked out by them or more likely by him, which was great timing because three very hungry lizards were making a mad dash towards them.

"Your hunger must be dulling your instincts," he said almost as if he was insulted. Inky darkness swirled and slithered around his body followed by a suffocating pressure of magical energy. The smell of ash hung in the air and small specks of powder trailed behind the violent swirl of magic around the mage. It gathered around his hands and swirled around his hands like miniature tornados. He swung his arms forward and released two vortexes of pitch-black ash with the attempt to swallow the three Asterin and send hurling into the air at such a great distance that they either died on impact or were sent so far away that they would not become a problem.

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@Sanguine Rose

Thankfully, she did not need to test her climbing abilities or the strength of the decaying wood for there was a window around the side of the barn on the ground floor. So, the trainer with the shortest attention span within the entire region peaked her head just enough that she could see the inside of the old barn while whatever was inside would struggle to spot her. What she saw were strange bipedal pink creatures smacking what looked like metal baby rattlers against scraps of metal.

Using her trusty Pokedex, she accessed its database and in its robotic voice it said to absolutely no one's surprise,

#957 Tinkatink, the Metalsmith Pokemon. It swings its handmade hammer around to protect itself, but the hammer is often stolen by Pokémon that eat metal. This Pokémon pounds iron scraps together to make a hammer. It will remake the hammer again and again until it's satisfied with the result.

Luckily, she could see that the scraps of metal that the Tinkatinks were pounding were not made from the engine, at least not yet. Faye could see the engine sitting in the middle of the barn.

What does Faye do?

---

@Zarkun

Didn't Jason's parents tell him not to play with fire?

The Echo with great ease dashed out of the way of the stream of water seeking to douse it. The construct was faster than what Jason could have expected, and its assault was relentless. Without missing a beat, flame twisted and swelled from its shape before spitting out a series of fire balls at the mud slung at it, causing embers and mud to splatter against the flora and stone. It did not give either Jason or Sable a moment to breathe as it dashed straight towards the bipedal shiny crocodile and threw its flaming fist straight down at it with ferocity. Even if Sable could resist it, eating a hit from whatever in the fresh hell this thing was not going to go down well for the duo.

How does Jason intend to counter this?

---

@samreaper

So, Tristan unknowingly had all the pieces, but it was up to him to figure out what those pieces were. The tour finished and he was standing back in the foyer with no real sense of direction though not in his typical lost way that would make a certain former Galarian champion blush. No, he had idea where to take his investigation, except to the beginning. He stood in front of the portrait of Aria Eberg where her attire would be considered quite beautiful, it did not stand out from the typical fashion of the time. She was holding a bouquet of Gracidea Flowers, a beautiful flower with reddish pink petals. For real life comparison, it would resemble a Mandevilla.

There was nothing else of note in the painting, but there were also a series of photographs and other paintings that he could examine if he wished to do so.

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@samreaper

"We have tried to see what would happen, but it's just the preserved remains of her Pokemon. They are not the key to the forest. It's a shame, I would've loved to see the mysterious Moon Petal Pokemon, but perhaps it's just not meant to be," he said wistfully. He would lead the tour through the rest of the tour, but to Tristan it would've been uneventful as nothing could have been more interesting than what he had heard before.

Eventually, the tour group was brought back to the lobby. The tour guide that original led them through the building originally had brought them back. "I hope you all enjoyed our tour! If you'd like, please enjoy lunch at our restaurant or bring your patronage to our giftshop! Thank you and have a nice day!"

With that, Tristan was soon left alone. The portrait of Aira Eberg stared at him from across the room.

What does he do?

---

@Zarkun

Touching the piece of metal he could feel his place in reality slip. He was no longer in the temple, at least that's what it looked like. Jason was standing in the middle of a burning forest, flames roared uncontrollably as smoke billowed up with a violent intensity and yet he could not feel the heat. His lungs were filled with clean, humid air.

He watched as an outside observer both man and Pokemon run for their lives, fleeing from the forest. A tree gave out from the flames and collapsed with a great crack and then a resounding boom as it smashed against the ground, crackling with embers. It had fallen on someone who in their panic was too distracted or maybe too slow to avoid it. A hand peaked out from beneath the burning trunk.

"Don't stop running! We have to get out here!" A man yelled out as he literally ran through Jason.

"What is even happening?! What is that?!" A woman pointed up at the night sky and in it was a sight that Jason had never seen before, in fact, it was almost impossible to describe. It was like looking an aurora shattered like glass and yet, it looked like a hole where somehow it had lines that look ripped out of a geometry notebook's paper. For a brief moment. Jason could see something emerge from the anomaly in the sky.

Before he could see what came out green flames erupted from the flute piece that knocked him onto his back, suffering from minor stinging burns and maybe some slight bruising. After recovering, Jason would see that the flute hovered in place though the green whisps came pouring in from the shrine, from the corridor, and maybe even the outside and focused around it. The whisps molded and twisted, giving itself shape. It was something strange, something that he had never seen before; it was humanoid and somehow clown-like, but at the same time it was alien. However, it wasn't real; it was only made of flame.

The Shape of the Creature

Unknown specimen. Caution is advised.

It looked at Jason, well, at least he thought it did, and stood there as the only thing between him and his prize.

Echo of Immolation challenges you to battle!

What does Jason do?

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@Sanguine Rose

Dilapidated farm houses can still be saved for later, she had a bloody job to do. With the aid of Sage they followed the traces of oil for around ten minutes. There was something incorrect that she assumed. Back at the apricorn farm, the man suggested that they would most likely be taking shelter in one of the old farm buildings. The smell of oil would start to become noticeable to Faye and then the sound of metal smacking metal. Eventually, she would reach another old farm house with ground floor windows. Whatever was there, they had not noticed that she arrived outside of their hideout.

While she could run in head first, she did not have any information on what Pokemon she was actually dealing with or even how many of them there were. After all, she wasn't like Tristan who headed towards danger because he did not use his head out of some worthless sense of pride.

What does she do?

---

@Zarkun

With only nervous bravery, Jason walked up the stone stairs to the entrance with his team and led them through the entrance. What they found was a corridor made from the same stone as the exterior that descended down to lord knows where, their footsteps echoed as they walked. The corridor was lit with the green whisps of flame floating aimlessly as he continued his descent. At some point the corridor turned into flight of stairs once it became too steep. He had to watch his head though for the occasional tree root hanging from above as he walked though it was uneventful.

Eventually after spending quite some time descending through the temple he found something that he had not seen something in quite some time, sunlight.

Welcome to...

Shrine of Immolation

To anyone's surprise, they would see natural light deep within this shrine followed by the deep, lush plant life that decorated the entirety of the interior, some hanging from fixtures above or on other bits of architecture. Water flowed through a channel between the stone tiled floor with streams of water coming down the walls like little waterfalls, feeding the plants. Along the wall was a mural, a mural of flame and destruction of a forest while the sky above it cracked or had tears. Jason would remember that the beginnings of Starbor were born from fire, the destruction of the old forest before it was remade into what it is today. Green whisps of flame hovered in the air and yet, they were not burning anything. They were numerous with the highest concentration than the path to the shrine or even the corridor leading up to it.

It was odd though; it was far too pristine for an ancient temple. While the exterior had seen the wear and tear of the centuries that it existed, the interior while overrun with overgrown foliage did not show its age. It defied the course of time. One could feel it in the air, the power that suspended time itself within these hallowed walls. It was unnatural and yet, it could not be said to be either good or evil. It just existed and one could only imagine the power needed to halt one of the fundamental aspects of reality.

Surrounded by a small stream of water, there was an alter. The tiled stone had the same markings as he had seen before and the alter was made from the same thing. There was something on the alter, a small metal tube. It looked like it was a piece of a flute.

---

@samreaper

Dr. Burgundy turned his attention to the silver haired boy and said with a joking grin, "Well, if I were you I would suggest buying a lottery ticket."

There were some chuckled from the tour group though not at Tristan's expense. The scientist, still with the affable grin continued, "But no, the garden does not increase the amount of shiny variations of Pokemon. That was just pure luck, but that's great for you. Many collectors would be envious just to have one." Sometimes there was no deeper meaning in things that happens. Somethings they happened just because and finding meaning where there isn't anything is a pointless endeavor.

"To answer your other question, we can only assume that there is a way because Aria has been on record to come and go freely from the Illusive Woods, a place famous for making people disappear. However, we also have other records from hundreds of years ago though they are quite fantastical in nature. Old texts mainly spoke through poetic drivel, such as and I paraphrase mind you, 'the Illusive Woods will not bring thy fall to thine who wear gratitude to all' or 'the mist will break when the sibling beasts awake,'" the scientist explained with obvious skepticism. Most stories that came from that time period would typically be considered unreliable mainly because the text was vague and sometimes plainly false. However, perhaps there is something to be gleamed even from the vagueness.

Dr. Burgundy continued, "Other than that, Aria's journals did not say much in how to get in. What we do know is from her records is that it's home to many fairy-type Pokemon. If we're going to be honest and this is my own personal opinion, she was trying to keep us out. As for why I can't say for certain."

What does Tristan do?

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@Zarkun

Helga watched the scene unfold quietly, her arms crossed while her partner Pokemon stood by her side wagging a bony tail. She listened to him give his heartfelt speech though it had an unexpected reaction; the woman looked at him with pity, which was strange because earlier she enjoyed mocking him for making his grandiose promises.

"You don't understand the weight of those words. For your sake, I really do hope that you never have to," she said turning around and continued to walk through the dense forest. Not a word was uttered by her and silence was left to hang in the air with the thick fog. There was not anything else to say, only things to reflect on. This was especially true for Jason. He was an outsider, someone with barely any ties to the region and its history. To become champion of Evig was not to just become the strongest trainer in the region, it was more than that. It was to take on the legacy of the region, all its glory and shame, it's past and future.

He would have been left to stew with his own thoughts. However, there would be something to catch his eye; a light flickered just right at the corner of his peripheral vision, and then there was more flickering and flickering until there were light green balls of fire floating aimlessly in the air. They did not seem hostile, hovering slowly. It was curious though. They did not seem to originate from any Pokemon, the air just combusted around them with no warning and yet there was no heat.

"Don't worry, it means we're close," Helga reassured him as if she had experience with this phenomenon. Her gaze never shifted from the path, completely unbothered by the flames. They would continue to walk alongside the whisps of flame.

Eventually, after all the trekking the group would arrive at a building of grey stone that went into the earth. It was covered in vines, tree roots, and manner of foliage and those flaming whisps were clustered around the general area with a high concentration, painting the darkness and fog with a green light. It was strange though. The building despite essentially being an entire garden for plant life was almost perfectly preserved save for some wear. Moss covered stairs led up to the entrance and the doorway was an arch and if Jason had paid attention, it had the same markings from route 4's ruins carved into them.

"This is as far as I can take you," she while turning around to face him. "Remember what I said, I could only lead you here, but I cannot protect you. This is something you must do on your own."

What does Jason do?

---

@samreaper

Luckily for Tristan, no one was really paying attention to him. They were all caught up with the tour to really give the kid any passing glance and it probably helped that he stuck to the back of the crowd.

Despite his desire to leave, he pushed on and followed the crowd. Now, there is something Tristan knew about wealth and that there are two kids of it: wealthy and wealthy wealthy. Even for a brief moment of just following the group tour he was able to figure out that Aria Eberg was most certainly in the latter category. The manor itself was almost the same size of the Glory residence and just like the foyer it was filled with art if priced in this current day and age would be worth millions on millions as well as other tasteful fineries. One did not have to think hard on how easy it would have been to get lost in this manor.

The tour took them through various different parts of the manor like any tour through a dead person's home turned museum. They went through the various parlors filled with one would expect at this point, her bedroom which was also furnished quite beautifully and had fresh flowers that one would fairly assume are changed out frequently, the dining hall which had sparse amounts of people sitting where Tristan could smell the aroma of delicious freshly made food. Did he eat yet? Anyway, then there was her personal library where her personal letters and journals were preserved for posterity.

But Tristan wasn't here for those things. What he was there for was for the research center and eventually they would arrive at a place that reminded him more of Kapoc's lab; live plants were preserved in machines for god knows what purpose and there were all manner of machinery strewn about with people in white lab coats working. It lacked the beauty and taste found everywhere else in the manor.

One of the scientist's approached the group. He was tall and lanky, but looked pretty put together with his neatly combed back blonde hair, ironed light blue shirt and brown slacks with black shoes, and clean shaven. The man looked around to be approaching his forties. He gave the vibe of being a nerd, but the kind that people find socially acceptable and attractive.

"Okay everyone, I am going to hand this off to our Chief Scientific Officer and horticultural expert, Dr. Harold Burgundy," said miss tour guide.

Dr. Burgundy had a bright and friendly smile, unlike the Pokemon Professor that Tristan was unfortunately acquainted with. He said with a Galarian accent, "Hello everyone, I hope you are all enjoying the tour of our beautiful manor. I'm quite excited to talk to you about our research. Now everyone please follow me."

Dr. Burgundy began to walk the group through the lab though do his best to keep them out of the way. While leading the group he said, "What we research here are the unique properties about the garden and the Pokemon that reside within it and in our surrounding area. It's quite more complicated than what most people think."

He stopped the group at what could only be described as an incubator for various kinds of flowers. Many of them were labeled with various names with numbers and other labels that showed the different PH levels of the soil, moisture, humidity, temperature, and so on.

"Now, does anyone here know what Zones are for flowers?" He asked though to no response. It would be surprising to know if Tristan knew what it was. Seeing that no one answered, he continued, "You see, flowers tend to grow best in certain places due to the Zone's temperature. Not all plants thrive in all ecosystems, except that's not the case here. No matter the Zone, all plants that grow in the garden thrive regardless and that is not the only oddity."

He pointed towards the section of plants that were divided by soil quality and attributes.

"Different plants thrive with different kinds of soil. Some prefer more acidic soil, some prefer sandier soil, and some prefer soil with higher moisture. This too seems to not be a factor as all plants thrive here as well. Even the nutrients of the soil does not seem to decay, which leads me to my conclusion."

There was a dramatic pause and he had the most stern, serious expression on his face before he cracked a grin. "It's magic." The tour group, Tristan probably not included, and the scientist both laughed since it was such a ridiculous idea.

"I joke, but we have concluded that external factors must be at play and we are working diligently to crack that mystery. However, we believe that external factor must be a Pokemon. They have powers that we still cannot fully comprehend, even bringing life to a barren wasteland is within the realm of possibility." The extent of what Pokemon were capable of were entirely unknown. Sure, there were the stuff of legends and myth, but that's entirely what they were. The world still obeyed the laws of the universe and even if Pokemon had strange abilities they still abided by those set rules.

However, that would be put aside as the scientist continued with the tour.

"There is one other mystery unrelated to the garden, but equally interesting; Aria Eberg's mysterious partner Pokemon, the Moon Petal Pokemon." He continued to lead the group towards the next talking point, something strange yet so captivating. It was two beautiful set bouquets, except they looked like they were made entirely made of a light blue crystalline structure, yet they looked real with every vein, every crevice, every petal and thorn defined.

"These are what remain of her old partner. What we do know from her personal journal is that the Moon Petal Pokemon could be found deep in the Illusive Woods though we are not able to come and go as freely as she could."

He turned around to the group and clapped his hands together. "Now, does anyone have any questions?"

---

@Sanguine Rose

Yeah those farmers were not able to get word in before she ran off to the north. She had every right to be confused; most Pokemon were not blessed with the ability to craft objects, especially metal. Faye would be heading north to find such a Pokemon, but what she found were old dilapidated farm houses and homes that were no longer inhabited. They were probably much older than her though who knew what they were hiding? Well, that was probably not a priority at the moment.

It would've been hard to figure out where to start, but she stepped in something wet with a splosh sound. One of her shoes was halfway covered in engine oil. Good luck getting the stain or the smell out, but it was a lead. It meant that they did come this way after all.

What does Faye do?

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@Zarkun

She took a deep breath and heaved a heavy sigh. The last thing that she wanted was to be comforted by some random kid.

"It's fine, if you're gonna become champion then you must understand Evig's legacy, the good and the bad. Still, I can't help, but to be concerned that a future champion is so naïve," she said. This boy really wasn't the brightest of the bunch, but then again if the only threat to his region was a group of well meaning, but idiotic eco terrorists then it made some semblance of sense.

She continued, trying her best to explain how dictators and sociopaths would commit the most unspeakable horrors to someone sheltered from it. "Why did they do it? They did it for the same reason as any malignant despot would; to break the spirits of the Evigian people. Everything they did, every act of cruelty, every bit of destruction was to whittle down any bit of resistance."

Jason watched as her jaw clenched as disgust visibly was expressed along every wrinkle on her face. Her Houndstone nudged its snout against her in an attempt to comfort her. "Do you know what their greatest evil is though? They destroyed the heart and soul of Evig; it's people. They brought so many to the edge of despair that they just let it happen or worse, they joined Cipher to survive. We were cannibalizing each other like savages until we were forced to a breaking point; fight or die like bootlicking dogs, but we had no leader. Well, until that poor girl took up that mantle."

For whatever stories that Jason's parents told him about their time in Evig, it was different for him to meet someone actually effected by it and acknowledge the actual damage. For as strong as Adrianne, Kapoc, and all the other trainers were, no one truly did acknowledge the scars.

---

@Sanguine Rose

"It's those bloody pink things and this moron let it happen!" The grandfather shouted in frustration at Faye and then gave the rotund man the worst case of stink she had ever seen. If looks could kill, it would have been first degree murder. So much for diffused tension though the other man did not deny any of it. In fact, he looked quite sheepish as he rubbed the back of his bald head.

The other man said in his embarrassment, "Well, he's not wrong. There's been a pack of these pink Pokemon that appeared recently from the forest. They kept trying to take parts from the engine for some reason, but I was always there to chase them away. I, uh, took a quick snooze during my break and when I woke up the engine was gone."

The old man scoffed at him and said quite belligerently, "A quick nap he says. An Exploud could scream in your ear and you'd still be dead to the world."

Deciding it was best to ignore the abuse, the rotund farmer kept his focus on Faye. "Last time I scared them off, they ran off north from here. They don't typically leave the forest so I'd look somewhere they could take shelter."

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@samreaper

We're really doing this? We're really doing this. Okay, fine we're doing this.

The receptionist smiled at him, unknowing for what he was to about to do and said, "Here is your pass for the tour. " She handed him a slip of paper with oil painted flowers on it and text that said day pass along with other information that he did not need to concern himself with.

Tristan, despite being presented with a map on a silver platter and even told to take one, somehow forgot to pick it up even though it was next to the bloody pamphlet as if he was acting out spite for spending 500 P. He walked towards the tour group, making sure he stayed far in the back as to not wrinkle his overpriced clothes and fuss his hair which was probably filled with equally overpriced product.

The tour guide, a young woman wearing the standard uniform which was a white blouse with a black vest, pants, and shoes, led the group. She had a bright and ecstatic expression perpetually and spoke just was peppy as she looked. They stopped by a series of paintings and photographs of landscapes, some of the garden, some were the towns earlier days, and some were wastelands. They were surrounding the portrait of Aria Eberg.

The tour guide said with that same peppy energy, "Aria Ege, or Aria Eberg as we know today was the Duchess of Gotha, or how we know it as part of Jade Coast City before the counties merged together. She was married to Duke Archibald Eberg, cousin to King Johann Hadrada the Fifth. Before her marriage, she was the daughter of a Viscount of no renown, but her and Archibald met through sheer chance. Apparently it was quite the love story,"

As she spoke though, one could tell that there was a sadness that belied her energetic, positive persona. Her tone shifted as she spoke to something a bit more poignant as she continued, "However, Duke Eberg died young due to Consumption, otherwise known today as Tuberculosis. She too was beginning to show signs of it herself. Aria knew her death was coming and left to find a place to die in peace away from the socialites and the pressures of royalty. She founded Florasong in 1894 and it looked far different than it did today. It was once a wasteland; the soil was not fit to grow a single bud."

She motioned to the painting and sepia and black and white photos of a wasteland, barren pale soil for as far as the eye could see. If one were to tell one that this was Florasong before Aria's arrival they would not be faulted for their disbelief. There were some in the crowd that looked confused.

Someone from the crowd asked, "So why did she come here if this was a no man's zone?"

"We can't say for certain why she did it, but judging by records, we believe it was she wanted to give her life to something. She planted a seed and with a gratitude for life, Aria turned a wasteland into home and it all started with a single flower," responded

There was something else in the portrait that did not standout before, but Aria held a bouquet of Gracidea Flowers. Tristan would actually recognize them as they were quite popular with fashion designers, most commonly used as corsages or adorned dresses and other attires.

She continued, "People came in and she used her resources to not just build a town, but our schools, our opera house, the museum, the lab, everything. Aria was beloved by others and she loved them in return. She died at the age of 30 in the year 1900 and her grave is buried in Mellow Grove if you wish to pay respects for her charity and gratitude towards life."

Her attitude then did a complete 180 and she went from poignant to energetic at the flick of a switch. "Alright everyone, please stick close together! You can't enter the labs if you get separated!"

With that, the group tour moved forward. What does Tristan do?

---

@Zarkun

"Because there was nothing right about what they did," responded Helga coldly. She stopped walking and turned to look at him and for a moment he could see the burden she carried; the burden of witnessing atrocity after atrocity and the weight that it carried. In a word, she looked exhausted.

His guide sighed and said, "Only a handful would know. I don't know how they did it and if we are going to be honest, if I did I don't think I'd ever sleep again."

It was fair to assume that the process of creating Shadow Pokemon was not common knowledge and that is for the best. There were many other groups with less scruples about the treatment of Pokemon to gain power quickly and for the sake of public mental health it was best that it was never released. Jason could already see the impact of Shadow Pokemon right in front of him.

Helga continued with a sense of urgency as if to get it off her chest, "Have you ever seen something that had no concept of good or evil? A creature that had no emotion, no desires, and no sense of self? A soulless killing machine that does not differentiate from Pokemon or trainer? That is what a Shadow Pokemon is; a mindless tool for violence with great, yet awful power. That is what they were to Cipher; tools to dominate and spread destruction. God, what they did to Valhane City and Sieggolt City..."

---

@Sanguine Rose

The two men turned to look at the random girl who just appeared waving at them and returned a confused wave though unsure why they were even returned it. Funnily enough, their surprise at their unexpected visitor diffused the angry bickering though the tension still hung in the air.

The grandfather, the one that Faye was looking for earlier, motioned her to walk over to the truck. He said, "Kid take a look at this."

Walking over, she would soon see that the truck wasn't a missing piece of the engine, there was a completely empty space of where the engine was supposed to be. Every single part of the engine was just gone, down to the very bolt and screw.

"They took the whole damn engine," said the portly man, his face screamed that he was bemoaning at the financial wound that this would inflict his wallet.

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@Zarkun

Smart move Jason. One look at those biceps would put the fear in god in anyone. Only the brave and the stupid would dare lie to someone that looked like they ate nails without milk for breakfast every morning and let's be honest, he really had no reason to. It would just end poorly for him. At this point she seemed more like a mythological creature than an actual person who can just send someone straight to the pearly gates of Arceus' domain.

"Huh, is that so. Well, knowing that kid if you can't tough it out here then you're gonna struggle against whatever league she concocted," She said as they walked and she did not even try to sound demeaning. It sounded more like a warning and whether or not he heeded it was up to him.

She continued, "Although, I can't fault you with the Scyther. They're much more violent than they were years ago. I did what I could, but I couldn't stop them from decimating their numbers. Not with those absurd Shadow Pokemon." Bitterness could be heard in her tone and perhaps some regret. After all, she could not protect her own home from invaders.

How does Jason respond?