[center][color=wheat][h3]Aedre Charbonnet[/h3][/color][/center] [hider=Three Days Prior] [i]How long again,[/i] Aedre thought with a sigh, looking up from her laptop with a sigh. She’d spent almost six hours now on the boat that had once been docked just off the Mauville City Port. While the trip supposedly took just over six hours, Aedre saw no sign of land for miles. Just the ocean — vast, blue, and unending in its enormity as it stretched from distance to distance, horizon to horizon. [i]Well,[/i] the girl thought, closing her laptop with a sigh, [i]might as well get a quick nap in.[/i] Walking over to the bunk in her room — one of the joys of being sponsored was that she didn’t have to pay — Aedre collapsed on the bed, taking one last glance out the window before closing her eyes. [i]Honedge, Honedge, Honedge. I’m excited and scared, a nervous wreck and a gleeful child. Will you accept me as your trainer?[/i] she mused to herself as she drifted off, a small smile on her face. [hr] “Miss? Miss. [i]Miss![/i]” Aedre snapped up, eyes darting around her room on the ship and settling on a uniformed man. A sailor. “Miss,” he said again, eyes sympathetic and voice quiet, “we’ve arrived.” [color=wheat]“Oh?”[/color] Aedre asked, turning toward the window. Outside lay the image of a rather quaint port town where fishermen were tying ship to dock as children ran around, laughing and playing around. [color=wheat]“Oh!”[/color] Aedre exclaimed, clambering out of bed. Flashing the sailor a sheepish smile, the young woman quickly packed up what few things she’d taken out of her backpack, slinging it on and heading out of the room with the sailor. [color=wheat]“Sorry about that,”[/color] she said, smiling awkwardly. [color=wheat]“Decided to take a nap, and — well — overslept.”[/color] “No problem,” the man said with a friendly smile. “Hopefully you had a nice nap. You know where you’re headed after this?” [color=wheat]“Er,”[/color] Aedre said, withdrawing a ticket from her pocket, [color=wheat]“Kraterdesh. I’m headed to Kraterdesh.”[/color] “Kraterdesh?” the sailor asked, raising a brow. “Whatever for? I mean sure it fits the part of a tourist attraction, but,” he paused, shaking his head. “Nevermind. Forget I asked. You take care, all right? It’s an hour or so on bike, so you might want to stock up at the local store. I believe they sell Pokeballs — some do, some don’t. Your best bet would be a Pokemart, but I don’t think this town has one.” [color=wheat]“Thanks for the info,”[/color] Aedre told the sailor, stepping off the ship. [color=wheat]“And I’m headed to Kraterdesh to meet with someone.”[/color] The sailor raised a brow but didn’t ask, choosing instead to tip his cap to the girl as she waved goodbye and disappeared into town. [hr] [i]He wasn’t kidding when he said to “take care,”[/i] Aedre thought, leaning her bike against a nearby tree and sighing. The sun was nearing the end of its path, and Aedre could just barely make out Kraterdesh in the distance. That is, the outer rim of the crater in which Kraterdesh rested. Aedre had taken the liberty to do some homework on the town before arriving, as did she take some time to look up the person she was meeting. [i]Eria. Kosei gym leader that specializes in Ghost Pokemon. Notable historian. Interested in the mystery of Kraterdesh’s crater after which the town takes its name,[/i] Aedre thought with a pensive frown. The silence that followed reminded her that she was alone, but she knew she wasn’t. [color=wheat]“C’mon out, Pasithea, Alitis,”[/color] she said, unhooking the Pokeballs from her belt and popping them open. Her two Pokemon appeared in a pair of brief red flashes, both taking a moment to look around at their surroundings before doing anything. Pasithea, the Togepi, immediately ran over to her trainer, clinging onto a leg and prompting Aedre to pick the still-small Pokemon up. Her Fletchling, Alitis, flew over to his trainer and settled on her shoulder as he always did, quiet and broody as ever. After both of her Pokemon were situated, Aedre slid off her backpack and took out the containers of food she’d purchased earlier. [color=wheat]“Eat up,”[/color] she said, handing them each a small container of berries. She held the container for Alitis as she inhaled her own sandwich, ravenous after all the biking. Although she’d stopped every now and then to take a water break, Aedre had still been en route to Kraterdesh on her bike for almost an hour. [color=wheat]“The sun is going to set before we arrive,”[/color] Aedre noted, frowning as she looked up at the sky. Pasithea voiced her agreement, causing Aedre to smile in amusement. [color=wheat]“What do you think, Little?”[/color] she asked her Fletching. The bird Pokemon gave a curt chirp before pecking up another berry. [i]Honedge, Honedge, will you like me as much as Thea and Little do/?[/i] Aedre wondered as she polished off her sandwich. [/hider] [hr] [hider=Two Days Prior] Aedre stood in front of the mirror, face wet from the cold water she’d splashed on in an effort to psyche herself up for the morning. [i]You can do this, Aedy,[/i] she told herself. [i]No problem. Just babysitting a Pokemon, you got this.[/i] Grabbing a towel from its place on the shelf, Aedre dried off her face and finished preparing for the morning. The morning she’d formally receive the Honedge. [hr] Eria had recommended that Aedre retire for the night, assuring her that whatever needed to happen could wait until the girl got some rest. Tired from her journey, Aedre had agreed, and she hadn’t regretted it yet. After all, she was nervous about meeting her new Pokemon as well. Sure it was no biggie, getting a new Pokemon, but Aedre had only ever owned two: Pasithea and Alitis. As the last time Aedre had added a Pokemon to her not-quite-complete Pokemon team was when she was still in middle school, Aedre felt very nervous about the addition. Yes it was a wonderful opportunity and yes it was a fascinating Pokemon, but Aedre still felt her heart beat a little faster as she followed Eria to the back of the Gym. But really, she shouldn’t have. The red-and-white classic ball felt small in her hands — too small to contain the wonders of the Pokemon inside. [i]A Pokemon that is rumoured to be ancient swords possessed by a departed spirit,[/i] Aedre thought, glancing at Eria to get her okay before releasing the pokemon. [i]A Pokemon that is said to drain life energy by wrapping its sash around its prey to survive.[/i] The sword remained sheathed, floating in place rigidly as the gem on its hilt shimmered — [i]a sapphire blue eye,[/i] Aedre thought. Slowly, the sword raised itself into the entire structure made a move towards Aedre sash first. Stretching out her hand, Aedre took hold of the patterned blue slash, a polite smile on her face. [color=wheat]“Nice to meet you, Honedge,”[/color] she said, her two eyes meeting the Pokemon’s one respectfully. [color=wheat]“My name is Aedre Charbonnet.”[/color][/hider] [hr] [hider=One Day Prior] Aedre scrolled through the entry she’d written on her laptop, a thoughtful frown on her face as she scanned it for grammar. [i]It’s fine,[/i] she thought, sighing and closing the laptop before turning to stare out the plane window. Though Eria had offered her a spare room to stay in as she got used to her new Honedge, Aedre received a message from her lab back in Mauville that instructed her to pick up a package at a place near Mesalon. As the trip was, again, sponsored and would allow her to travel to yet another part of the world, Aedre took up the call and headed over. The plane trip was only a little over half a day, but Aedre was already beginning to grow weary of looking up to see mysterious lands blurring by her window. What she wanted wasn’t to enjoy the scenery from behind a pane; it was to experience it firsthand. Dinner was served at precisely six pm by a nice middle-aged lady garbed in the flight attendant’s uniform clothing. “Chicken or beef, honey?” “Chicken’s fine, thank you,” Aedre told her politely, smiling. The meal was warm out of the — [i]what did they use anyway?[/i] Aedre mused, opening the package and digging in. As she forked pieces of chicken into her mouth, her eyes wandered the infinitesimally small landscape that seemed so mysterious in the darkening light as the sun sank below the ocean horizon. [/hider] [hr] [center] — Mesalon City Pokemart — [/center] [color=wheat]“Thanks!”[/color] Aedre told the Pokemart employee, pocketing the five Pokeballs she’d purchased. Exiting the mart, Aedre sighed and checked her watch. [i]Enough time to wander around a bit,[/i] Aedre thought, sighing and glancing up at the sky. The sun was bright, the day was young, and the package wouldn't arrive at the Pokemart until that afternoon. A commotion caught Aedre’s attention, prompting her to turn towards a large building diagonally across from the mart. [i]The hospital?[/i] the girl wondered with a frown as her eyes skimmed over the crowd outside. People crowded around the hospital doors, and Aedre even spotted a few camera crews set up around the doors. [i]Some kind of terrible accident?[/i] she wondered, wandering over. While she knew it was rude to eavesdrop, she pulled out her phone and stared at the screen idly as she absorbed the words being tossed around the crowd. Whispers of an “attack” and an “interview” drifted around as well as the names “Detective Hammer” and “Rheese Laudat.” [i]Clearly none of my business,[/i] Aedre thought, turning to leave just as a brunette with fierce grey eyes pushed past her, shouting for people to get out of her way. What caught Aedre’s attention, however, was the name on her lips — Rheese Laudat. [i]Who is he, some local celebrity?[/i] the girl wondered as she watched the girl weave through the crowd. Then — with a flash of inspiration or a sudden lapse in judgement, depending on how you looked at it — Aedre ducked through the crowd and followed the other girl into the hospital. [hr] [center] — Mesalon City Hospital — [/center] The hospital was a bustling mess as reporters pestered every hospital staff member they could see mercilessly for more information on a certain “Rheese Laudat.” Aedre watched from a distance as the brunette disappeared deeper into the hospital with the nurse at the front desk, evidently in a position to be allowed into “Rheese’s” room. Deciding that she had some time to kill and that it was already too late to turn back anyway, Aedre took a seat in the waiting area. “Can I help you?” a nurse asked, walking up to the girl and deliberately ignoring the reporter that was glaring after her. [color=wheat]“No. I’m just waiting for someone,”[/color] Aedre said with a polite smile. [color=wheat]“But thanks for asking.”[/color] “No problem honey. If you need anything, feel free to ask,” the nurse said kindly before leaving the waiting area, head held high and straight as she continued ignoring the reporters. Aedre frowned but pulled out her laptop and busied herself with it, typing up another entry in her daily record. This one featured a certain “Rheese Laudat” and a brown-haired girl that Aedre had pegged as Rheese’s sister.