Route 110, the next day

Poppy decided to let her team out for the day, and Donut, expectedly, ever since finding out about it last night, was mortified at having a new teammate.

Donut: How disrespectful! You two being here disregards the idea of Trainer and Pokemon! It was supposed to be just me and Poppy! Not me and Poppy and you and you and-

Shroomy: Just ignore him.

Sunrise: Yeah. He's got one backwards sense of Trainer and Pokemon.

Shroomy and Sunrise then headed out to train, with Sunrise helping Shroomy to try and evolve via Headbutting trees. After a while of Headbutting trees, Shroomy began to faintly glow, before the glow disappeared.

Shroomy: Hmm? Did I evolve?

Sunrise: No, but that glow tells me you're more close to evolving than I thought! This is excellent!

Poppy: Well, Shroomy and Sunrise, what's all this about?

Shroomy began glowing again before stopping, signifying to Poppy one thing.

Poppy: Oh, Shroomy, you're closer to evolving than I thought! This is perfect, because I just had an idea!

Shroomy: Oh?

Poppy: I was thinking that maybe we could get a hands-on battling experience at the Rustboro Gym! We should be able to get there by boat and after passing the Petalburg Forest, but once that's done, we'll be able to battle Roxanne!

Sunrise: That's a wonderful idea!

Shroomy: I've always wanted to battle, you know! This is great!

Poppy: The looks on your faces are telling me its off to Rustboro City we go! Come on!

Poppy then travelled back to Slateport, before boarding a boat to Route 104. She then weaved her way through the Petalburg Forest, where she battled a few trainers along the way, giving all three of her Pokemon a taste of action, until eventually...

Rustboro City

Poppy: Well, here we are. Rustboro City at last. We should be able to find the Gym soon. Time to see if Pokemon Battles are my destiny!

Team Iron Base

-Cid looks through the safety-glass.-

-Inside the room, Eris, still holding her cracked glass orb, sits across from a young man.-

Eris: You understand, then, what the procedure will entail?

Kid: I do, yeah. Not a whole lot for me to address, I mean, y'all know more about the soul than I do.

-Cid had been very careful vetting for this project, but the fact that rumors still got out regarding it continue to defy logic nonetheless.-

Eris: And what makes you think this will involve anything with the soul?

Kid: Well, you said it would reinforce my ability to resist the supernatural phenomena used by the visorheads. Either you mess with my soul, or you've found out that the pancreas is the source of all magical power.

-Cid notices his eyes squinting instinctively.-

Eris: And despite coming to this conclusion, you're still willing to go through with it?

Kid: Yep.

-Eris leans forward onto the elbow of her unoccupied arm.-

Eris: Why is that?

Kid: Do I need a reason to want to mess with some visorheads?

Eris: At your age? Yes. I do believe you do.

-The kid begins fidgeting, the first sign of discomfort he's shown through the whole interview.-

Kid: I don't like them fucking with kids. That's all.

Eris: If you are going to be accepted to this project, we will need full disclosure. There can be no variables unaccounted for.

-Eris's gaze was getting that edge that Cid had noticed whenever she would do her thing. Rather than focus on the story the kid was giving, Cid's mind wandered to the various side effects he'd found in his tests.-

-Eris... the first. In some other time, some other place, maybe some other self, she may have been a priestess. A representative, official or not, of one deity or another. Or, she may have been earmarked as a useful tool. Perhaps a genetic marker left behind by some god or another. By any measure, it had been a notch on her being. Most would not be able to perceive, or even comprehend, that notch. However, with the proper tools...-

-His mind wandered further, a dreadful habit of his, right as the rap of knuckles on the one-way mirror knocked him loose of his reverie.-

Eris: I believe this one is worth it.

-The kid was looking at the one-way in confusion. Cid turns on the light, revealing his face, and nearly causing the kid to fall out of his chair.-

Kid: S-sir!

-Cid pushes the intercom button.-

Cid: What's your name?

Kid: ... Red, sir.

-Cid turns and shoots an eyebrow at Eris.-

Eris: A joke in poor taste made by his former handler, if I believe.

-"Handler". Huh. Maybe he should have been paying attention to his story. He'll have to watch back the recording later.-

Cid: Well, Red. I will see you in my office in two hours.

Red: Y-yes sir!

Edited by DuneTheWanderer on Jul 17th 2023 at 12:45:00 PM

Around this time, Iridium, Ammit, and Aurum may hear a knock on the door.

Naranja y Uva Academy, Dorms

Iridium: -Opens the door to see-

Outside is another student in a purple uniform with shoulder-length red coily hair and medium brown skin with a Quaxly by their side.

Student: "Hey there, wanted to go check out my new dorm neighbor."

The Quaxly looks at Aurum in particular.

Quaxly: -buccal speech- <What a fine day to go looking for treasure it seems~>

Naranja y Uva Academy Dorms

Iridium: -Slightly confused- Okay, who are you?

Aurum: -On Iridium's shoulder- <Yeah well, you can't have any of mine.>

The student has a look of realization.

Trill: "Oh, right! Hey, I'm Trill, a student here. Quack Parade's part of my team. Heard a new student moved into the new dorm and wanted to meet them."

Quack Parade: <Haha, no worries, just speaking metaphorically, everyone has their own treasure they're seeking after all.>

Sinnoh Route 210

Atrin: You guys ready to head to Veilstone? Everyone's good?

As they walk, both Atrin and Mimir are looking around the area, almost as if in perfect sync.

Edited by etran12 on Jul 18th 2023 at 7:25:05 AM

Route 210, Outside Grandma Wilma's House

Desmond: Yeah, I'm good to go.

he yawns.

Morgan: Same here.

Desmond and Morgan take the rear, since he's new to the region, allowing his companions to lead the way.

Academy Dorms

Iridium: -To Trill- I'm... Sally, Sally Scrivener, and I did just transfer in from another school.

Trill nods.

Trill: "Nice to meet you, Sally. How are you adjusting? I admit I had a period of adjustment too but this school has been... overall pretty nice. Definitely bigger than My old one."

Naranja y Uva Dorms

Iridium: -To Trill- I like my new room more than my old one, more windows for one.

Trill: "Oh that's good. My room's got more distance. I mean, I like my parents but I kinda wanna do my own thing. They supported me enough to get me set up here, though, and... yeah!"

Quack Parade: <They want to search for their own treasure, and that's what I'm here to help with~>

???

-Ludmilla knows this place.-

-The warped, twisting paths in all directions and the smell of train oil.-

-She's in... Mementos.-

-But the walls are different.-

Ludmilla: ... Dreaming again, huh?

???: An enviable skill, for one such as us.

-Ludmilla looks at the wall. Knowing the nature of the dream, she wills it open, and standing in the corridor beyond is a woman with milky white eyes, a deep hood drawn over them. Her robes are a dirty white and ruddy red, something Ludmilla feels she's seen before.-

Ludmilla: Who are you?

???: A seer, nothing more.

Ludmilla: A lie of omission, then.

-A sly grin tugs at the corner of the seer's mouth.-

???: I merely give what information is important.

Ludmilla: Cut the enigmatic bullshit, I recognize your pattern. You're a Schoolkid like me, but older, like Altera.

-The smile swiftly disappears.-

???: You know of her?

Ludmilla: We have movie night every week.

-There's an...-

-...-

-... uncomfortably long silence.-

???: You are... not... lying. Interesting.

Ludmilla: Alright, now get on with it. I've dealt with the School long enough to grow tired of having psychic dreams about an impending threat.

???: Fair enough. My name is Theresa. I come to warn you that the School has begun its endgame.

Ludmilla: "Endgame"?

Theresa: Yes. Whether it is properly prepared for the consequences of its actions or not, between your companions and those of the would-be Artificer-Lord, they have reached the conclusion of their experimentations. They now seek to irrevocably change the landscape of the human mind forever. But before they can do that, they need catalyst.

Ludmilla: Let me guess, the catalyst is one of these "palaces" that Coyote has been going on about?

Theresa: Of course the Trickster would know of them... yes, I speak of them. And to ensure that no more are lost, they have created new agents in both the physical and mental worlds. One you have already met - the Yellow Eyes, children born of vicious temperament. I warn you of their physical counterpart.

Ludmilla: These aren't your standard Templars, I take it?

Theresa: Indeed. They are a... new type of soldier. One equipped with weapons that respond to their user's hostilities, their hatreds. And more than this, the School has broken one of their prime tenants: the eschewing of cybernetic enhancements. The School calls them "Cybers" for this reason. They are dangerous.

Ludmilla: Why are you just now telling me this?

Theresa: Because the cybernetic process is slow, and arduous. But the first representative has just awoken.

Ludmilla: Great.

Theresa: His name is Agamemnon. Be wary of that name.

Ludmilla: Wait, hold on. What age bracket are we talking here? They didn't make him a kid, did they?

Theresa: An apt question. He was produced on the cusp of puberty, so that his body changing may help adapt his cybernetics to his body.

Ludmilla: Oh good, I was afraid they were doing it just to fuck with me.

-Theresa arches an eyebrow.-

Theresa: Sarcasm?

Ludmilla: Hey, I'm the one who's been fighting the School for years now, I get to pick how to cope with it!

-Theresa holds up her hands.-

Theresa: Fair enough. I suppose it is time to let you awaken.

Naranja y Uva Dorms

Iridium: -To Trill- I didn't really know my... parents, I just have a guardian.

-There's an odd pause on the phrase "parents" that Trill may pick up-

Ammit: -To Quack Parade- <Everyone in this region seems very obsessed with treasure...>

Rustboro Gym

Poppy swung open the doors to the Rustboro Gym for her first Gym Battle.

Roxanne: A new challenger! Perfect! Let's begin!

Poppy: Alright, let's do this, Donut!

Poppy sent out Donut, while Roxanne sent out Lileep.

Donut: Ha! Time to show what a Dragon-type like me is capable of!

Donut began zooming around his opponent, before launching an attack.

Although Lileep was not moved from its position, it was still damaged. Before Donut could get away, however, it trapped him within its tentacles and fired off a move of its own.

The attack raised Lileep's stats, but then, Poppy had an idea. She had Donut go for Dragon Claw and get him trapped again, but then she called for a Breaking Swipe.

The attack smack Lileep right in the face, causing it to faint before it could pose a big threat. Next was Nosepass - it was 2 against 1 now.

To Donut's surprise, Poppy decided to make him go for Shed Tail, automatically switching him out. Poppy then sent Shroomy in, and when Nosepass went for Headbutt, Shroomy kept disappearing in puffs of smoke. That was, until Nosepass had an idea.

The ground shook as Shroomy found he couldn't keep taking advantage of the Substitute given to him by Shed Tail. He tripped, and a puff of smoke exploded around him - Substitute had been destroyed.

Shroomy's Seed Bomb hit Nosepass hard, but it wasn't enough.

Shroomy was taken out of the fight; it was Donut vs Nosepass now.

The attack did a good amount of damage to Nosepass, but it knew exactly what to do to keep up with Donut's speed.

After ensuring the next move wouldn't miss no matter what, Donut knew he had to take out Nosepass this next turn.

Donut looked at Nosepass and thought, for a moment, he had won. He looked back at Poppy in joy, and didn't Nosepass getting back up.

Donut: What?! But that move's... hard to... aim.... with...

Donut fell over, shocked with paralysis and defeated. Zap Cannon's hard to aim with, especially if you're not an Electric-type yourself.

Poppy: Ahah! Looks like I've lost!

Roxanne: Even though you lost, you battled pretty well. I reckon you've got potential as a Trainer.

Poppy: Thanks! Off I go!

Poppy then walked out of the Gym, thrilled after the battle. She might have lost, but it was a great match.

Veilstone City Entrance

Atrin: -And that's why you never challenge a Mienshao to a game of ping-pong.

Atrin looks up.

Atrin: Looks like we made it. Hey, thank you both for keeping me company on the way here.

Desmond: No problem. I'm happy to. We need a guide anyway through the region.

Morgan: Which reminds me, Kris, you have a job at the mall or something?

Morgan jumps out of her sheath and flies in front of Kris curiously.

Morgan: Would you mind if I asked you to show us around?

Veilstone city entrance

Kris: I really need to get home... But I suppose I can show you a bit.

Mt. Battle Master's Office

-Dune is napping, owing to it being too damn hot to do anything and nobody is climbing the mountain in the boiling heat wave.-

-He has, however, accidentally left the TV on.-

Judi Colorado: Today in news, authorities are on the lookout for the perpetrators of the First Orren National Bank heist - while the exact amount stolen has not been made public, it is suspected that the payroll of several banks as well as their security companies may have been made off with.

-A picture of the inside of the bank vault, where a section of the floor has been cut out and then filled back in with what looks like metallic slag.-

Judi Colorado: From the information made public by authorities, the bank's subterranean protection system was compromised before the perpetrators used a Fire-Type to melt through the floor before plugging it back up. However, they have not released any details as to how the system was compromised, nor have they explained the logistics of how the metal could be so easily replaced.

-The picture changes to a map of Phenac City, with a number of dots in showing the downtown area.-

Judi Colorado: This marks the fourth incident of a crime spree that has struck Phenac City's downtown area, after the arson at the Phenac Forever Real Estate Agency and the server theft at the Kleb Collections HQ, with the inciting incident at the Amazing Inc. Warehouse being only a month behind us.

-A graph then appears, showing number from an old disclosure statement.-

Judi Colorado: It bears mentioning that each of these businesses have settled lawsuits regarding unethical practices in the last five years. Amazing Inc. was sued by the Orren Manual Labor Union back in 2019, Kleb Collections for violating the Fair Debt Act, Phenac Forever for alleged strong-arming of tenants, and First Orren for undisclosed fees and illegal use of user data. Other than this, there appears to be very little in terms of similarity between these businesses, or the methods used to harm them. Now, let's go out to our on-the-street correspondent, Mike Windmill, to see how the everyday Orren thinks of these events. Mike?

Mike: Thank you, Judi. I'm here at the famous Phenac Fountain Plaza, and with me are a pair of lovely locals. Tell me, girls, what do you think of the crime spree hitting the city this year?

-The camera pans to two girls, both with slightly different shades of purple hair, one tied up in a pair of very long pigtails, one with one really big ponytail.-

Twin-tail Girl: Well, I mean, if they were stealing from regular people? From, like, small businesses? That'd be one thing. But I can't think of a single bank that would even blink at losing one payroll.

Ponytail Girl: Yeah, it's like, it sucks that it was people's payroll, but it's a bank. You could take out all that money from the CEO's yearly bonus and they wouldn't even notice.

Mike: Are you at all concerned that the criminals might start targeting smaller businesses, or even public utilities?

Twin-tail Girl: I mean, they live around here, right? Would you want to cut off your own power in the middle of the summer?

Ponytail Girl: Ahmigawd, girl, could you imagine?

Mike: So you're not concerned... at all?

Twin-tail Girl: You ask any of the people renting around here, with how expensive everything's gotten, if they think the people who torched all those records at the one Real Estate agency or those jerks at Collections' servers, who the real criminals are - you might be surprised with what answer you get.

Ponytail Girl: Civil government, so far as it is instituted for the security of property, is in reality instituted for the defense of the rich against the poor, or of those who have some property against those who have none at all!

-Mike gives an uncomfortable cough.-

Mike: Well, uh, there you have it. Uh, back to you, Judi.

Rustboro City Pokemon Center

Nurse: Thanks for waiting! Your Pokemon have now been fully healed up.

Poppy: Thanks!

Poppy took her Pokeballs, and headed out of the Center. From there, she saw a man panicking.

Bald Man: Oh, what do I do, what do I do?!

Poppy: Hey, what's the problem?

Bald Man: Oh, my son! He's teleported off all the way to Dewford Cave with that Abra of his! He says his friends told him there's a whole clan of Aron and Lairon within Dewford Cave, and he's off to catch the clan's leader, an Aggron! He doesn't know how bulky Steel types are, he won't even make a dent in Aggron's defence!

Poppy: Oh no! Don't worry, I'll head to Dewford Cave and save him!

Bald Man: Oh, thank you! You can catch a boat from Route 104 to Dewford Town. Head north of the town, and then west, and you'll find the cave!

Poppy: Alright! Off I go!

As Poppy then dashed through the Petalburg Forest to Route 104, a conversation was happening between her Pokemon.

Within her Pokeballs...

mazingMushroom [MM] began hassling risingFox [RF].

MM: Alright, I've got some news.

RF: Wait, before you get into that, did you win the Gym Battle? I was asleep.

MM: No, we lost, unfortunately. Now, Poppy's going to Dewford Cave to save a kid!

RF: Oh... wait, this is perfect! You're close to evolving, so you can just evolve in there and we'll stand a chance against all the Aron!

MM: Tell me again why you're so fixating on beating Aron?

RF: Oh. Well, I think it's about time I told you.

motorDragon [MD] joined the Hassling.

MD: Poppy's heading to Dewford Cave? Huh.

RF: Oh. You're here. Well, I think it's still time I told you.

MD: Told us what? Oh wait, it's backstory time, isn't it.

RF: Exactly. A while after I was hatched, I ended up getting lost and ended up on Route 110. From there, I was alone... Until I came across an Abra that panicked and teleported me to Dewford Cave. There, I met Aron, my first friend.

MM: You got teleported?

RF: Mhm. Me and Aron were best friends, but the clan he was part of didn't like me. Then, one day, everything fell apart. He told me he heard rumours of a Fire Stone deep in the cave, that would help me evolve into a Ninetales. So we travelled down to find the Fire Stone, and the whole clan was waiting. I had been lured right into a trap. I was pelted with Rock-type moves, and if I hadn't escaped and ridden in a Pelipper that took me to Route 110 where I met Poppy, who knows what might've happened to me...

MD: You were betrayed...

MM: So that's why you've been eager to help me evolve into Breloom? To get revenge on the Aron clan with Fighting-type moves?

RF: Indeed. And if there's really a Fire Stone down there, they all better be prepared to be torched.

risingFox ceased hassling mazingMushroom and motorDragon.

Dewford Town

Poppy: Well, here I am. Off to Dewford Cave I go!

As she dashed towards the Cave, she didn't seem to realise a bright red helicopter hovering over and approaching the town.

Veilstone City

Atrin: Only if you're good for it. If you don't have time, we can probably figure this city out, not a problem.

Atrin smiles.

Atrin: But for what it's worth, it's been good to make new friends.

Levincia Port, Paldea

The passenger ship pulls into the dock, and the crew breathes a sigh of relief. This journey has been especially hard, mostly because of the young couple that have been on this voyage. One of them, the blond one, spent the trip loudly and obstructively re-enacting just about every boat based movie in existence. The other, the one who is for some reason covered in bandages, scared all of the other passengers to the point where half of them were demanding refunds.

But the journey is over now. Hoops and Xaster step off the gangplank and onto solid ground. Xaster breathes in deeply. "The scent of a new region," he says. "It's just so..."

"The same as every other port city?" Hoops asks.

Xaster sighs. "You have no sense of adventure."

Hoops glares at him. "Forgive me, but one of us wanted to fly rather than spending a week on a rickety boat."

"You can't even get seasick."

"I can't get a stab wound that lasts longer than a few seconds either, but I don't throw myself onto knives."

Xaster nods. "Touché. So, what's first?"

Hoops considers. "There is a gym in this town, according to the guidebook."

"Really?" Xaster groans. "You're already thinking about battling? There are so many tourist destinations for us to check out first. Concert halls, art museums, theatres..."

A glare from Hoops makes him stop. "Yeah, we'll go to the gym."

Levincia Gym, Two Hours Later

Neither of the pair is good with a map, and so it takes a while for them to actually find the gym. When they do get there, it's different than what they're used to - Hoops did their challenge in the huge stadiums of Galar, while Xaster is used to the smaller Sinnoh buildings. This is something else entirely - an open air field behind an office building.

"Uh, hi." Hoops walks into the office building and approaches the front desk. "I'm looking for the Levincia Gym?"

"This is the right place," the receptionist confirms. "Is this your first time challenging a Paldean gym?"

"It is," Hoops says. "We just came here from -"

"Well, then the gym leader will use an appropriate team for your level," the receptionist says. "Please fill out these forms."

"No, you don't understand," Hoops says. "I'm an experienced trainer."

"Sure, hon," the receptionist says, in a disbelieving voice. "With no badges to prove it, though."

"I have badges from another region," Hoops protests. They hold up their Galar badges as proof.

The receptionist barely looks up. "Listen, you don't want to fight Iono when she's above your level. Trust me when I say not to be overconfident."

Hoops is about to say something else, but instead takes a deep breath. "You know what," they say. "I think you're right. Tell me though, do you think my team will be enough to battle Iono?"

They run their hand over the pokéballs on their waist, pressing the release button on several of them at once. In a flash of blinding white light, they bring out Sal, Vul, Ray, Gon, and Sno. They seem to tower over the receptionist, who shrinks down in her seat.

"Oh, you said you wanted to battle Iono at full strength!" she says, as though she just misheard it until now. "Well, let me get that sorted out for you."

Xaster can be heard laughing his arse off in the background.

The Hamlet, The Weald

The Fungal Witch: Uuuuuuuunobtainium? Half. Heeeeeeere.

It points to itself, specifically the part of its mass where it absorbed that jar

The Fungal Witch: Quarrrrrter Countessssss... Quarter caaaaaaretaker.

It shuffles, trying to physically push Kamui towards the door.

The Fungal Witch: LEEEEEEEAVE.

Meanwhile...

Also The Hamlet, Also The Weald

The rightful owner of this land and his retinue have finally arrived. What's the reason, what's the plan?

Water Vellumental Temple

Yeah if we had the big hand mode we could scrunch it...

-Gale ponders for a moment then decides against breaking out a potentially plot-breaking move just yet-

Careful though, looks like it's about to blast! You guys brought Protect and Wide Guard, yeah?

Sunyshore City, Abandoned Salon

-The shadows shiver as Gale passes amid them. She's on her guard, one hand in her bag to draw swords at a moment's notice. She glances at Flamel-

Don't get what she's looking for in here... It's not even a particularly good trap for us honestly...

The Weird Pokemart

Yeah, it does. Yeah. Is that all you uh... All you need, Spamton?

-Gale tries to look deeply apologetic at Jacred-

Just trying to help the guy rest, yaknow?

Hamlet Past

She blinked, her fire instantly leaving her at the mention of the name that she hadn't heard in much too long.

"Unobtanium?" She asked, shoved out of the house and only not pushing against the force due to a distinct lack of desire to continue bashing her head against a brick wall.

There was someone else, wasn't there. With any luck, they would know where Gale was, too.

Her ear flicked as she heard distant footfalls. A number of people. People, not undead freaks. Excellent, allies. With a deep breath, she allowed her vulpine features to recede as she walked away, flipping the fungal freak the finger.