[@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?

[hr]
[@Zarkun]

[color=C7B56F]"Because there was nothing right about what they did,"[/color] 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, [color=C7B56F]"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."[/color] 

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, [color=C7B56F]"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..."[/color]

[hr]
[@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.