[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220729/023912a75a8a9b16c801799640a60148.png[/img]

[b]Word Count:[/b] 2,601
[b]Level 8 Roxas:[/b] 28/80
[b]Exp Gained:[/b] +3
[b]NEW EXP Balance---[/b] 31/80

[h3]Northeastern Skies[/h3][/center]

Roxas still had a bit of time after helping Midna with her problem, and the first thing he wanted to do was check out what would be his living quarters for the foreseeable future. His room was, ironically, Room 13. Given what these Lost Numbers seemed to know about all of them, Roxas couldn’t help but wonder if that was on purpose or not. Did they know enough about him to know how much of a connection that number actually had to him? Ah well, no sense in overthinking it.

Once there he let Scamp out of his Poke Ball so the two of them could look around the room and relax for a spell. During this time, Roxas changed out of his monochrome outfit again and back once more into his other casual outfit. He really didn’t want to look dressed for battle if the plan was merely to go down there and have some fun and celebrate. But unlike last time he was sure to stow his black outfit into the large main pocket of his trainer bag along with his gauntlets and mask. At least then they’d be handy if he happened to need them for anything.

But no sooner had he changed his clothes did he hear a knock on his door. Wondering who would possibly be visiting him, Roxas walked over and opened the door in order to answer. “Alola!” greeted the stranger standing before him. He was a man probably in his thirties and with quite the sun tan. Of course his age was hard to tell when he had platinum white hair, pulled back in what looked like some kind of bun or ponytail. Also his face was clean shaven save for the goatee on his chin, whose color was mostly white but also seemed to have bits of darker black mixed in as well. The old white lab coat he wore seemed to suggest he was a scientist, but he had to be a pretty casual one with the blue jeans, sandals, and tank top he wore underneath it.

[color=Gold]”A…lo…la?”[/color] Roxas asked with confusion on his face.

“Oh, my apologies! Where my parents are from, ‘Alola’ is used as a way of saying hello and goodbye, you see.” The stranger clarified, “But where are my manners? My name is Koa.” He said with a big grin.

[color=gold]”Oh, uh, my name’s-”[/color]

“...Roxas.” Koa said, “I’ve heard. And I’ve also heard that you’ve got a Pokemon with you.” He leaned over and looked past where Roxas was standing and spotted Scamp in the living quarters. “Tell me, Roxas, have you learned much about Pokemon since meeting your Yamper, there?”

[color=gold]”Well,”[/color] Roxas said, [color=gold]”we sort of only just met today. So… I guess I haven’t learned much yet.”[/color]

“Not to worry.” Koa said with a warm tone, “Everyone has to start somewhere. Anyway, I wanted to meet you because I’m something of an expert on Pokemon, you see. I’m a Professor, and I study Pokemon for a living. But as you can imagine, being in this world doesn’t exactly give me many chances to meet Pokemon Trainers, at least ones who aren’t under Galeem’s influence anyway. If you’d like, I’d like to share something with you that I think you’ll find most useful.”

[color=gold]”Sure.”[/color] said Roxas, [color=gold]”If it’ll help me take better care of Scamp.”[/color]

“Of course, of course!” said Koa with some excitement in his voice, “Follow me if you will, both of you in fact.”

And so Roxas and Scamp followed Professor Koa to the ship’s Laboratory, which was only located a couple of levels down and surprisingly close by. Within the Lab, Koa showed Roxas his work area. There, the Nobody saw all kinds of sketches, diagrams and formulas related to Pokemon and their abilities. He also saw a recurring symbol that was essentially the letters “VN” in certain places. But he had no idea what any of it meant.

“Welcome to my little slice of the ship’s lab.” Professor Koa said, “As you’ve learned by now, some people in Galeem’s world were born here, and thus have no trace of his influence. Well, as it so happens, there are also Pokemon who were similarly born here to parents who were brought from their original native regions. Like your Yamper, there. See how he shows no trace of Galeem’s influence?”

[color=gold]”Huh?”[/color] Roxas asked, then looked closely at Scamp and finally realized it. [color=gold]”Hey you’re right, he’s not Galeeming! So he’s an example of new life too?”[/color]

“Correct!” Koa confirmed, “Or, as I’ve coined it, Vita Nova! Or ‘VN’, for short.”

Oh, Roxas realized, [i]that’s[/i] what the VN in his formulas meant. But for now, Koa continued his explanation.

“I learned everything I know about Pokemon from my mother and father, who were both Pokemon Professors with ties to the Source Engine. And so I went ahead and decided to study Pokemon just like they did.” Koa explained, then after a brief pause he continued. “I took a particular interest in studying Pokemon that were like me, born in this world as new life. I took to calling them VN Pokemon in order to distinguish them from their Source Engine counterparts. I also began to theorize that VN Pokemon may be capable of certain abilities that the normal Pokemon are not.”

[color=gold]”How so?”[/color] Roxas asked with piqued curiosity.

“In the world of my parents, Pokemon are able to inherit moves and abilities from their parents. And they’re also capable of evolving in certain ways based on the Regions they are native to. As such, it is likely only natural that some Pokemon born in [i]this[/i] world likely have their own unique capabilities as well. Unfortunately, I only have so much data for my research. That’s where I’m hoping you will come in. I’d like you to try and find some other VN Pokemon out there in your travels and help me gather data on them.”

[color=gold]”You mean like a research assistant?”[/color]

“That’s one way of putting it. But it’s more like I’m asking you to further yourself as a Pokemon Trainer. Try to catch some of these VN Pokemon you find in the wild so that I can study them and gather more data. They’ll be well-taken care of course, so no worries about that. What do you say?”

[color=gold]”Sure.”[/color] Roxas said, [color=gold]”Scamp could probably use some friends, anyway.”[/color]

“Excellent, that’s the right attitude to have!” Professor Koa said, “And to help you in this endeavor, I’d like to give you something.” He dug around in some drawers and eventually fished out a device that looked like some kind of phone with a touch screen, “This device is called a Rotom Phone. It’s a phone modeled after the Pokemon known as Rotom. You can use it to give me calls or send me messages. It even has a camera for taking pictures! But most importantly, it has the Pokedex feature.”

[color=gold]”Poke…dex?”[/color]

“That’s right. It’s sort of like an electronic encyclopedia containing all kinds of data about Pokemon that a trainer would find most useful. It will automatically record the data for Pokemon you see, and even more data for Pokemon you catch. That data is then transmitted to me for study, of course.” Koa then revealed a little bonus to the gift, “It also comes in different color cases, pick whichever one you fancy.”

[color=gold]”Um…”[/color] Roxas looked over the color options and then found the one he wanted. [color=gold]”I like that one.”[/color] He pointed to a silver and white case.

“Nice choice.” Koa said. After attaching the case he handed the device over to Roxas, “Here you go. All yours now.”

[center][hider=For Roxas][url=https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Rotom_Phone][b]Rotom Phone[/b][/url][/hider][/center]

After this brief little meeting, Roxas and Scamp soon found themselves in the vehicle bay where they learned of the rather scary-sounding method they would be dropped off. Thankfully Sandalphon was willing to go first to ensure safety. Once that was confirmed Roxas hesitantly climbed inside one of the frighteningly named hellpods. Scamp jumped into his lap, but Roxas decided he’d be safer in his Poke Ball and recalled him for now.

[color=Gold]”Here goes nothing.”[/color] He told himself as the pod closed and they began to be launched one after another. When his turn came up, he couldn’t stop himself from yelping in surprise. He certainly bounced and banged around a bit in his pod as it plummeted down to the earth where Carnival Town awaited.

[center][h3]Carnival Town[/h3][u]Sandswept Sky[/u][/center]

Roxas’ pod crashed a few doors away from where Midna’s pod had crashed. But after he got out, Roxas became a bit too enamored with fiddling with his newly acquired Rotom Phone to notice the confrontation going on between the Princess and the dark man she was talking to. But after a few moments he finally noticed her waving at him and returned the favor. Then he had the sense to let Scamp back out of his Poke Ball.

He then decided to try out the Pokedex by having it record Scamp’s data. [color=Gold]”Yamper, the Puppy Pokemon.”[/color] Roxas read aloud. [color=Gold]”This Pokemon is very popular as a herding dog in the Galar Region. As it runs, it generates electricity from the base of its tail.”[/color] Roxas then glanced up at Scamp who was looking at him with his tongue hanging out, [color=Gold]”Herding dog? No wonder you were in Port Meridian. There were lots of farms and stuff around that town, right?”[/color]

“Bow-wark!” Scamp answered, though obviously Roxas didn’t know exactly what he was trying to tell him.

When the Yamper barked, the familiar noise elicited another bark from just down the street, albeit one with a much ethereal timbre. When Roxas looked over, he saw the source right away: a [url=https://i.imgur.com/Ry8KFuN.png]spectral dog[/url] with rounded, blobby features and round, blazing white eyes. This Polterpup darted through the air instead of running, and the moment he reached Scamp he offered a play-bow, inviting the Pokemon to engage in a game of chase. Of course, the ghostly beast’s owner came running after him, and she looked almost as extraordinary as her pet. She appeared to be a tan catgirl, with short, fluffy white hair that hung over one eye, not one but two tails, a stylishly short dark blue jacket, shorts, and not that much else, with two handles stuffed into her belt full of pouches and a metallic case slung across her back. Of course, the most stunning thing she wore was her infectiously cheerful smile, making for an altogether lovely lady.

Nadia slowed down as she neared Roxas, sizing him up at a glance. It didn’t take catlike eyes to notice that the boy’s own lacked Galeem’s light, and if that fallen hellpod belonged to him, he sure hadn’t distanced himself from it. A unfortunately timed run-in with that rampaging pink bull, [url=https://i.imgur.com/In4sd47.png]El Odio[/url], had delayed most of her team’s arrival here, but it looked like she’d managed to catch the newcomers after all. With Chucho and Scamp helping to break the ice and get everyone’s attention, both sides were converging on this location, a relatively nondescript street dividing a row of houses and a [url=https://i.imgur.com/kqoijIY.png]sandlot[/url] where a shade tree hung over market tents and some [url=https://i.imgur.com/whw4WIa.png]jumbo cacti[/url] wandered around.

“Well hey there!” Nadia began, crossing her arms as her tails flicked back and forth. Out of everyone present, including Geralt, she only recognized one person: Blazermate. So it looked like introductions were in order. “Made some new pals, Matey? Well, welcome one and all to Carnival Town! I was half-expecting more Consuls, but if you guys are actually friendlies, we’re gonna have one serious oomfiesta on our hands!” Snickering, the feral spun her forearm around to add extra pomp and circumstance before performing a big, theatrical bow. “The name’s Ms Fortune, Seeker extraordinaire. To whom do I owe the purrleasure?”

[color=gold]”Huh?”[/color] Roxas was initially confused at how she introduced herself. [color=gold]”Seeker? But I thought [i]we[/i] were the Seekers?”[/color] He inquired hesitantly. But after a moment it finally hit him. [color=gold]”Wait, the other team!”[/color] With the gargantuan amount of things that happened the last few days since that Rush Hour incident in the Metro, Roxas had almost forgotten all about the other team of Seekers that took a separate train than he and his group had. [color=gold]”I’m Roxas.”[/color] He finally said, [color=gold]”I think I met some of you back in Twilight Town before we all went down to the metro. Never thought we’d run into you guys here of all places.”[/color]

And then he heard Scamp’s familiar bark, [color=gold]”Oh, over there is Scamp. He’s my Pokemon.”[/color] He explained, while also noticing that Scamp and Chucho had begun to play and chase each other around in circles. [color=gold]”Looks like those two are friends already.”[/color]

Nadia paused for a moment as she wracked her brain trying to remember everyone from the rendezvous she also attended in Twilight Town. In fairness, a lot had happened over the last few days. So many new faces came and went that everything tended to blend together. Plus, any number of the people who’d briefly glimpsed could have fused into someone unrecognizable since then. Giving up, she focused on what lay in front of her. “Yeah, they’re really waising the woof,” she agreed, not-so-subtly sneaking in some terrible wordplay. She aimed her smile on Roxas. “That corg of yours is really cute, man, I wanna pet him so bad. But how crazy is it that we managed to meet back up here of all places? Guess that means we can all enjoy a day off together!”

She turned her attention to Roxas’ companions in an effort to spot any more familiar faces she might have missed. While she saw a middle-aged guy with glasses, a big old guy with glasses, a nondescript office worker, a big redhead, and a bright-eyed angel, some of her friends were definitely not here. “So where’s Sakura, Susie, Peach, and Geralt? I know I got one peeper covered, but ‘eye’ don’t see ‘em anywhere.”

[color=gold]”Sakura and Karin stayed behind in Midgar after we defeated the Guardian there.”[/color] Roxas explained, [color=gold]”It’s kinda complicated, but the Guardian turned out to be the source of electricity for an entire city. With it gone, the city lost all its power, so Karin wanted to stay behind and do what she could to help the people there. And Sakura wanted to stay with Karin.”[/color] He paused briefly and then continued. [color=gold]”Susie stayed up in the airship we all just dropped down from. Said she wanted to check out its technology. You’ll see her again when we’re ready to leave, I’m guessing. And Peach…”[/color] He trailed off into a hesitant pause here. Which was a sign that what he was about to say wouldn’t be good news.

[color=gold]”It’s complicated.”[/color] He finally said. [color=gold]”She’s not gone or anything but… she’s… not exactly herself anymore either. And I’m not talking about spirit fusion either. There was this thing in Midgar turning people into monsters, and Peach, she… she…”[/color] He trailed off again, looking like he didn’t want to go into any more of the gory details. [color=gold]”But Geralt’s still with us. Right over there, in fact!”[/color] He hurriedly said to change the subject. He gestured over to where he spotted Geralt standing, figuring the Witcher could speak for herself.

Already somewhat shocked by the news about Peach, Nadia stared, not comprehending, at the tall lady with armored but still relatively modern clothing, her white-orange hair exceptionally long and her complexion neither grizzled nor ghoulish. “Huh…?”