((accidental double post due to laggy guild site shenanigans and a timeout occuring

Please Ignore))

"You know, you almost get used to the smell the longer you're down here," Nils commented after one of the battles they duo found themselves in. It was kinda crazy really how just when he thought it was getting less bad, another poisonous pokemon would show up and spread a whole new odor around.

Clarissa would nod in silent agreement with the boy's statement, though it was apt to note that Scrapper didn't seem to be affected by the smells for...rather obvious reasons. He didn't seem to like the proximity they had to Alolan Grimer along the way, but had become accustomed to assisting in battle and being assisted along the way as well at the very least. He seemed to enjoy not being alone in it all, perhaps, an adorable little smile on his face of all things as they went along. Not that it was all the easiest nor hardest of things to handle, she supposed. Sir Lopsalot, for his part, seemed to be apt to battle before returning to his Pokeball at her behest to avoid further ticking poison within his system. While he tried to put on a tough face, it only went so far as she could see the winces of pain and such as they went further in and went through more battles to boot.

Though as he'd first seen the new Trubbish on the team-

"...Bunbun."

*BONK*

"Biiiiiiiiish!"

One ear thumped the walking garbage bag out of frustration for poisoning him, perhaps somewhat inevitably at this venture in Clarissa's eyes. In return, the Trubbish had been knocked flat on its little back, though it had almost managed to dodge after some nervousness being in proximity to the former murder bunny Pokemon that had chased it down to ensure its capture prior. Cue Scrapper running to hide behind Clarissa's legs, and Sir Lopsalot breifly standing with crossed little arms in front of her staring between her legs at Scrapper. It was enough to elicit a sigh from her, though also she had to admit that the two hadn't had the best of days thus far (nor the worst perhaps). Scrapper was finally on a team and starting to adjust, it seemed, and the Buneary had endured a loss in battle and struck true against an Alolan Grimer before the little Trubbish had proved surprisingly resilient in his attempt to resist battle and capture.

"Hey, enough of that. You're both on the same team now, ok? I know it's been a tough day so far...but we can all do this, together, ok?"

It had taken a minute, during this little spat between battles, before the Buneary uncrossed his little arms and let out a sigh of his own. It seemed her plea had not hit deaf ears in this instance, though she wasn't holding it against Sir Lopsalot either in her own mind. Sometimes it took time to 'get over' something, even she had to admit that on her end. But even so, after Scrapper dared to pop out from behind her legs finally he seemed to walk over tentatively, nervously, and somewhat anxiously to the Buneary at first as she tried to encourage the two to 'make up' as it were. Tried to at least.

"Bun..."

Despite trying to look away initially, still feeling a tad sore from the day's events, Sir Lopsalot would finally look over to the Trubbish and almost mutter out something. In return, however, Scrapper would stare for a second....only to walk over and lightly pat the Buneary on the back gently, consolingly even. It was an odd thing that seemed to surprise Sir Lopsalot visibly a little bit, only for him to out of the blue return the same gesture not long therafter.

"Trub trub. Bish?"

"Bun. Bun bun. Bun!"

From there, the battles and travel had continued onward toward the source of the vague crying they'd heard. The cry of 'buff' was certainly something different than the cries of the other Pokemon down there for sure. It almost seemed desperate or crying for help, to her mind, though she had no idea for sure. Not to mention the Aron were, well, visibly eating the place in ways that didn't seem quite a good thing as well. Had they been here before the city, and popped up from some underground cave or such left undiscovered during the construction? Had they migrated there or been accidentally kicked off by trainers releasing them down here? There were other ideas, perhaps, but nothing they could sit about and just think on without wasting time and progress.

...But she was sure that a shower would be direly needed on all their parts after this, and the Pokemon Center would certainly be the place they all needed to go in that sense.

Still, during one of her and Nils' battles against an Aron (not the same one he tries to Quick Catch in) that didn't go down too fast to try to catch the psychic would take a moment to ask Nils to allow her to try to catch it. Sir Lopsalot's Power-Up Punch move was certainly useful by far against these little Pokemon, but while Nils had sought to catch one she wanted to as well along the way. Just to fill out her Pokedex and such, see what sort of moves and ability it had, etc.

[Quick Catch Attempt: Aron]

However the attempt went, though, the duo and their Pokemon would seem to move onward well enough. Indeed, as they followed they crying they wouldn't seem to find anything until-

[As] they followed the sound of the crying they would find a hole in one of the walls. It was big enough that if a person, or at least a teenager, could crawl through it and make it to the other side.

Nils held his ear up to the hole in the wall, nodded to Clarissa, and then turned and stuck his head inside it. Tors (who'd been the most recent outside of his ball, swapping back and forth with Rau for battles) blinked, his ears standing straight up, and bit at the end of his trainer's coat as if to hold the boy back from just crawling inside.

She nodded back at Nils before he stuck his head in, though her own mind was in a light rush of thoughts as well for her part. It was not the largest of holes, but it was enough it seemed that she or Nils could fit through it perhaps. Any of their Pokemon likely could as well, then, since they were smaller in size than them of course. Did they want to just take a glance inside, though, or perhaps send one of their Pokemon to take just a peek through, first? That could allow them to scout things with less risk, to themselves or their Pokemon alike, and help them get some idea of things.

"Don't worry buddy," Nils said as he pulled his head back out. Nils made a soft hmm noise, patted Tors lightly on the head, and finally turned to Clarissa with one hand on his hip and the other on his chin.

"It has to be on the other side of this wall, right? ...what do you wanna do? I think the hole goes all the way through, but it was hard to see far into it. We could try and find another way around."

Hmm...there was also another point to be made. Clarissa would nod back at Nils, but her gloved right hand came up to her own chin in thought all the same. Was there another way around to get in? If this was the only entrance, maybe to the Pokemon's den or such, then that would limit their options. Plus they could be searching all day if they tried to pin down another spot. The crying had led them here to this particular hole in the wall, though, and...well...the Pokemon they were hearing...hmm...

Well, in the end it couldn't be helped too much, yes? Even if the smells of the sewer had been overwhemling at first, dirt was something she was actually more accustomed to all the way back as far as Pyrite. Dirt and sand and all of that. Couldn't find much of things like this in Grand Glory City proper, really, so that meant one thing to her mind after some breif internal debate on the matter.

The psychic's hand would come down from her own chin, even as she seemed to roll up her sleeves without a second thought on the matter.

"If we tried searching for an alternate way in, we could find one. Likewise this might end up being the only entrance potentially. Tors seems worried enough about you going in, so I think I'll give it a try myself and see what's over there instead with Scrapper coming in with me."

Was it the smartest idea? Perhaps not, and even the currently Pokeball-contained Sir Lopsalot would have at least some form of hesitancy about this perhaps, but the Trubbish lightly tilted its body in curiosity as it looked at the hole and then back at her and then back at the hole. It looked then at Tors, seeing how nervous the Mudbray was about its own trainer even sticking a head in, before walking over and lightly patting it on the back in turn. He hadn't gone into this hole down here before, so it was certainly something different than the rest of the sewers he'd seen in his life so far. But he did kind of want to see what was over there...it piqued his own curiosity in turn, and since he wouldn't be alone that made it better! Right? Right.

"Trub. Trubbish!"

Was that supposed to be a reassuring tone? Well, he was trying his best at the very least to soothe the worries of one of his other compatriots if nothing else. Even so, the psychic withdrew a srunchy and began to quickly tie back her hair tightly for the crawl ahead all the same before looking back to Nils once more.

"At the very least, since your partner seems worried about you going in, I know you'll be back on this side in case we run into trouble and have to flee back through the hole. Though if you two did come along with, though, that might help if anything else is in there. In any case....here goes something."

Breathe in. Breathe out. In the nose, out of the mouth. Focus that mental energy. Focus. Relax. Good.

Clarissa would then begin to climb into the hole in the wall, seeking to go through to the other side, with Scrapper following right after her after taking a look at the sewer surroundings one last time. Nothing coming up on them in this particular moment? Whew. Good. Yet even so, as she would try to pass through the psychic would do something less than normal. She would open up with her telepathy, letting her powers open up some to 'look ahead' and try to get an idea if anything was over there and maybe what its potential mood was if nothing else. Like a gentle touch, meant to feel ahead and get some idea of things. It wasn't a set of actual eyes, but that's why she was climbing through in the first place really.

What would lie on the other side? She had no clue, but her Rotom phone was at least kept safe in an inner jacket pocket for now to avoid it getting covered in dirt. She figured that was at least the polite thing to do for it during this little escapade.

[Clarissa Is Going Through The Secret Tunnel Hole In The Wall To The Other Side]

@Remram@Shazamrock

When she had heard of her acceptance to the Evig region's selection of Pokedex holders, Vivian was as excited as a girl like her could be. Here was her chance to finally travel outside of her home town, her home region, and not only go on her own journey, but also uncover the secrets of a region that had just recently been freed from some evil team's tyranny. Vivian had spent days preparing everything she would need, including extra allowance to give herself a head start when she truly arrived, as well as committing the directions to the League Headquarters for when she arrived. She even planned her departure a full week early in order to truly curb her unfortunate tendency to miss a deadline. There was no chance for her to arrive late.

At least, there should have been. Until she took the wrong boat and ended up in Kalos. Then suffered delays with the boat that was meant to take Vivian to Evig thanks to a nasty storm and a considerably angry Gyarados. And when everything finally seemed to calm down upon her arrival, her week prep time already exhausted, Vivian ended up managing to have wandered all the way to the other side of Grand Glory City before a kind passerby helped lead her to actual Headquarters. Far, far later than anyone should reasonably have arrived.

Needless to say, Vivian's arrival was not one of quiet, instead heralded by her slamming the doors of the headquarters open, breathing heavily as she yells out "I'M HERE!", before running into the building for about three feet before tripping on her feet and nearly falling face first onto the floor, barely managing to keep herself upright as she makes her way to the front desk, clearing her throat as if she had not already made a massive scene, "Vivian Sorex, I'm here for Professor Kapoc's assignment."

Glancing over at the Riolu and following its gaze, Jason taps the Pokeballs. "My partners are in these, Slayer, the Ralts from earlier, and Rover, a Pidgey. Would...you like to talk to them? Or, well, one of them maybe? Man, what a time to wish I could understand Pokemon..." Honestly, it wasn't hard for the aspiring champion to understand the way the Riolu was likely feeling. Like that old lady had said, how would he have felt if someone was chasing him like a crazy person, he wouldn't be inclined to trust them either. Still, as he removed the ball with Slayer in it, he set it down after enlarging it and faced the button towards the Riolu. "Here, you wanna speak to him, Slayer is in here. Just tap that button in the middle and he'll be out to have a word with you. In the mean time, I'll be right here."

Glancing over at the Riolu and following its gaze, Jason taps the Pokeballs. "My partners are in these, Slayer, the Ralts from earlier, and Rover, a Pidgey. Would...you like to talk to them? Or, well, one of them maybe? Man, what a time to wish I could understand Pokemon..." Honestly, it wasn't hard for the aspiring champion to understand the way the Riolu was likely feeling. Like that old lady had said, how would he have felt if someone was chasing him like a crazy person, he wouldn't be inclined to trust them either. Still, as he removed the ball with Slayer in it, he set it down after enlarging it and faced the button towards the Riolu. "Here, you wanna speak to him, Slayer is in here. Just tap that button in the middle and he'll be out to have a word with you. In the mean time, I'll be right here."

---

Having one of them go inside and the other stand guard did make sense. Nils couldn't imagine that there were any nefarious people hanging out down here in the sewer unless they really happened to like dark, dingy, dank, dirty, damp tunnels... But if he tried, he could imagine something like a bunch of grimer packing themselves into the opening and completely blocking it, leaving them stuck. Then again the two trainers had cleared the area outside for the most part and there might be something dangerous on the other side of the hole.

"Hm," Nils said again as he considered what to do. He glanced down at Tors, who'd since released his hold on Nils' clothes. The Mudbray's ears waggled, less anxious now. They were still getting to know each other, so it was hard to tell the donkey pokemon's concern level. Was it about something he felt? Or maybe he just hadn't wanted Nils to dive in without thinking about it first. Tors himself would have to be confined to his pokeball if they went through; his hooves and body shape would not lend itself well to crawling at all.

There was one other thing that helped Nils make up his mind, which was the fact that Clarissa was already pulling herself up into the opening, and she happened to be wearing a skirt. The boy crossed his arms and pointedly looked away until Scrapper hopped up, then knowing his voice would echo a little he called quietly after them, "we'll keep a look out here then. Shout for us if you need any help and we'll come through."

Ultimately it was Clarissa's intuition that had led them down here in the first, so if there was a lonely pokemon it would only be right for her to be the one to console it.

@Remram @Joshua Tamashii

Valerian didn’t answer right away. Her words cut deep. His steps slowed as he walked thinking how he was going to answer. “I suppose that is the question, isn’t it?” he said finally. “If I stopped introducing myself as ‘the prince’… would people still look at me the same? Would I still look at me the same? There’s comfort in the title. In knowing exactly who you’re supposed to be. But… you’re right. It makes it rather difficult to know who I am.”

Aurelia Rose fluttered beside him. She landed briefly on his shoulder, nuzzling against his cheek

“And yet somehow…” he said softly, brushing his fingers under her tiny feet. “This little bug likes me for me. Despite the initial… drama…”

He glanced back at Amelia. “I think you’re braver than you give yourself credit for. Wanting to understand others instead of fight them. Walking away from the cage.” He paused. “And surviving my screaming without passing out from secondhand embarrassment. You may be more formidable than you look.”

He gave a faint smile. “Come. Let’s get our teams healed. And then… perhaps we’ll both learn something about who we are, along the way.”

—-

After getting his Pokemon healed, Valerian accepted the Pokéballs with a graceful nod. “Many thanks, kind nurse. Your work is appreciated.”

As he turned away from the counter, Aurelia Rose popped out of her ball on her own, and landed on his shoulder. Then, he opened Camelia’s pokeball, and in a flash of light, the Petilil appeared. “Now, I believe it is time for a formal introduction.”

The Petilil blinked slowly, tilting her leafy head side to side.

Valerian knelt down to meet her at eye level. “Hello again,” he said gently. “You fought with dignity. I want you to know… I see that. And I’d like to offer you a name. One that I think suits you. Camellia. It’s elegant. Resilient. Subtly vibrant. Like you.”

Camellia stared at him. Then gave a tiny nod.

Aurelia Rose buzzed approvingly from Valerian’s shoulder.

Valerian smiled faintly. “I’ll take that as a sign that she approves.”

With introductions complete and Camellia seemingly content with her new name, Valerian rose to his feet, dusting off his knees with a flourish. “Now then,” he announced, turning on his heel. “Our next order of business: supplies. It would be unwise to face the wilds unprepared. The Poké Mart should be just around the corner.” He then turned his attention to Amelia. “You’re welcome to come along, of course. Unless you have your own errands to run, or more ghosts to corral.”

Amelia remained silent as Valerian spoke, commenting on her words, Rose's affection for him, and even paying her a compliment, which caused the small girl's face to turn red once again as she quickly looked at the ground and used her hoodie to cover her face once again.
"I'm not... that brave... really. I'm just trying to... to be who I want to be... or find out who I am." She mumbled before taking a few seconds to collect herself while Valerian suggested they go to the pokecenter again. She only gave a faint nod to this before a thought occurred to her and she spoke up. "About what you said earlier, about you being a prince. That might be who you're supposed to be... but is it who you really are?"

Once they were at the pokecenter, Amelia let Valerian go take care of his team while she waited in the lobby, letting Phantump float around and examine things, so long as he didn't go too far. Once he was done getting himself introduced to Camellia and made his way back over to her, the prince made his next intentions known. They would apparently be going shopping. Before responding, Amelia checked her new pokedex, seeing no messages from Nils or Clarissa. She thought about it at bit before nodding.
"Miss Clarissa and Mister Nils aren't back yet, so I think I got some time yet. I don't feel any ghosts around but maybe there might some on the way over." She said, getting to her feet, ready to follow, Phantump floating over her shoulder. Looking down at Camellia, she gave the Petilil a smile before kneeling down to it's height. "It's nice to meet you. Are you feeling better?"

Once Archie saw the thief lying unconscious on the ground and his defeated Cacnea go back to its Pokéball, his eyes widened and he pumped his fist in the air. "Awesome! Bravo! You guys are so incredible!" He ran towards Bravos and hugged him tightly while spinning around. His Pokédex chimed to inform him and Audrey that their Pokémon levelled up and they got a bit of money from the battle.

At that moment, Archie was more focused on his partner winning its first ever battle.

"Chespin! Chespin! Ches!" The Grass-type Pokémon called back in happiness. It was tired and in pain from all the damage it took, but it was still strong enough to greet its Trainer with a bright smile. "No worries, Bravos. Me and Audrey will take you two to a Pokémon Center to treat you properly. For now, you can rest up in your ball yeah?"

"Ches, Ches!" It nodded in understanding and happiness as it returned to its ball. Archie then turned to Audrey and ran up to her, practically bouncing in place from all the excitement and adrenaline rushing through his veins. "Audrey and Rift, you guys are awesome too! I'm glad that worked out somehow, I was thinking it would be too crazy of a plan!" He said, cheerfully giggling as he sheepishly scratched his head.

Just then, there was a man shouting and approaching them. He looked oddly familiar especially with all the tattoos on his arms and neck. Before Archie could fully think about where he'd recognize the man, he walked over to the thief and took out the purse he stole from the old lady.

"Oh uh, t-thank you!" Archie said as he took the purse. He was still a little apprehensive about the guy, even thinking that he might be another thief. His eyes widened in surprise when the tattooed guy lifted the thief over his shoulders like a sack and opted to go with them to return the stolen purse.

Thieves wouldn't usually help return the stuff they stole, so the guy offering a hand to them must've meant he was a genuinely good person. "Thank you, mister! How did you get so strong? Do you work out with Machokes?" Archie would curiously ask the tattooed stranger as they would return the purse together.

Well, suppose learning how to pay with the rotom phone would wait for later for now with the man giving her the wimpod before breaking down into tears. Not that Steph was paying him much mind now after all, she simply was making her way with Freyja to the front of the line, also uttering what people could only fathom to be an apologies of sorts before reaching the front.

And what she saw once up there put stars in her eyes as she immediately spotted the Metagross, only half-listening to Freya though still registering what the girl said, stuff that she wasn't entirely surprised to learn being from the country herself, dock workers and sailors didn't seem all that different from farm folk at times even from her own limited experienced. Her focus instead narrowed down almost entirely onto the man who owned said Metagross. She had already been denied once, she would be damned if she was denied again!

Almost as if oblivious to the obvious tension threatening to boil over from some of those in the crowd with the man, Steph didn't even hesitate the moment after he spoke about anyone else trying their luck.

"Dahmn fuckin roigh' Oy do!" No doubt Freya was giving her a bewildered look as she stepped forward with her hand raised up high, a beaming wide grin on lighting up her face. Steph was already committed long before Freya would get a chance to stop her, though she could still certainly try as Steph moved closer.


And at first glance, perhaps he mightn't think much of this stranger. Or perhaps much like Steph, he might have an eye for the stronger sort. Strength of mind, strength of body, strength of character, whatever form that strength may come in. She had an almost ignorant confidence to her, almost as if this was her first hours as a trainer or something crazy like that. But that would be insane right, who in their right mind would challenge a no doubt extremely experienced trainer and very well raised and trained Metagross of all things to a battle? Only an insane lunatic would.

Which is exactly what Stephanie Irwin was.

"Raest of thiies lawt moigh' be spoineless, buh' oym oolwhys daown t' thraow hahnds anytoime, anywheah, anyone ya knaow? Ya knaow. Oh, and nymes Steph boy the boy." She stopped a few paces from the man, straightening herself up as if trying to face him down like a boxing promotion. No doubt he was taller than her, not that she was short by any stretch of the imagination, so it might be more akin to a toddler trying to stare down a Tyranitar, but Steph didn't care. There was a fire in her eyes, and a gaze fixated on the Pokeball the Metagross had been returned into.


"In syyin thaht, probahbly gawnna lose buh' hy, nao shyme in troyin am Oy roigh'? A shawt nawt tyken is a shawt meessed." A chuckle would follow as she felt what one could only describe as 'Butterfrees in her stomach', adrenaline pumping as she tried to channel her excited energy. She knew this was a bad idea, this was a horrible idea really. Even Dusk was giving her a sideeye as if to say 'are you fucking serious?', but something clicked as she shared his side-on glance and the two just nodded at each other. Something something pets taking after their owners, even if Dusk was more of a partner than a pet. Ignore the fact she had known him for all of like, 2 hours tops. She would kill everyone in this room and then herself if anything happened to him goshdarnit.


"Sao, haow abeow' ih'? Oy reckawn a one on one, moy Dusk heah vuhsus yoah Metagross is praetty faeh. Unless youre Torchic?" A bold statement, and not one she entirely believed. Honestly she just wanted to fight the Metagross, who knew when the next time to do so would crop up like this? And who knows, maybe if she, by some miracle bestowed by Arceus, won, she might even be able to learn where to find one around Evig! She had already been denied the chance today to know where to find a Deino, she wouldn't let this chance slip also. Ooh wait he was strong, so maybe he might also know where to find a Deino? Or someone else who might?


Aight! That was it! She was well and truly fired up, that much was obvious and no amount of convincing could get her to back down. Bring it on, whether it be a one sided smackdown like everyone, including her, expected, or a miraculous showing of any sort. Her chances of victory might be nearly non-existent...but a chance was a chance!

[Steph challenges unknown trainer to a battle!]

---

The train hissed to a halt with a final lurch, and Claris was on her feet before the doors finished sliding open. Grand Glory City unfolded before her in crisp lines and humming streetlamps, its clean-cut skyline still too new to feel real. Not rebuilt, just built. A city without ruins. Without ghosts.

She adjusted the strap of her bag, boots clicking neatly against the platform tiles as she stepped off. The crowd moved around her like water, but didn’t touch her—some unspoken wall in her posture doing all the work. She liked it that way.

The lab wasn’t far. She’d memorized the map. She didn’t need to stop or look around.

Still, the closer she got, the tighter her chest felt. Not nerves. Not quite. Just… pressure. Like a first move in a match that mattered more than anyone watching knew.

The building was sleek and functional, wrapped in glass and steel. She approached, and her reflection flickered across the door for a second too long. Pale. Clean-cut. A little too stiff in the shoulders.

She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t knock.

She stepped inside and said, “Claris. I’m here for my assignment.”

And if her voice was colder than it needed to be, well. That was by design.

---

Audrey's eyes sparked with adrenaline. She loudly cheered as Rift and Bravos overpowered that PATHETHIC cacnea! Rift is really strong! No wonder he's MY starter!! Audrey happily came to celebrate the victory with Rift, letting out a squeal. Well, she was unsure about that tactic...Welp, It worked so whatever heh. She quickly rushed in, grabbing Rift before throwing him in the air and catching him. Like a true winner. Which, kinda scared the zorua. Thats fiiineee...

The sound of metal snapping and the pleads of a wrongdoer, basically the finest music in HER ears! Justice is SERRVEED! Rift quickly returned to his pokéball, clearly not wanting to be thrown again. "Thats alright Rift, did good." Audrey smiled at her pokéball, hoping Rift could hear her. To add on, her pokédex quickly chimed loudly.

Rift is now level 7!

Audrey earned 950PB!

Sweet! Money! She quickly turned to see Archie bolting towards her, energy matching hers she quickly chimed, "Gosh you are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool! Never in a million YEARS would I have ever thought about it! I'll never doubt your plans ever again!" Audrey said bouncing in place. Unfortunately Audrey's little cheers faded as she heard a man shouting. The guy had white hair and tattoos, unusual choices indeed but Audrey clearly wasnt the one to judge. Familiar...feels familiar...hmmm....hmm...uhhmmm......maybe kinda cool.....dunno! Audrey quickly replied to the man's question, "Yeah we're fineee!!!" she said.

She happily smiled and quickly joined in to return the purse. Audrey was very accepting to the guy. Even IF she was warned like 48 times to be cautious of strangers.

@Xaltwind
"...I mean, I'm not a photographer." He said to himself as he watched the blonde trudge off in a huff. Well, he got what he wanted originally so he had no reason to be upset with some random girl blowing him off.

So, Evelyn's plan of action was to train her Pokemon and the first one she was going to train was her beloved Joltik...against the Ducklets...which were water and flying type Pokemon. Oh dear. Needless to say, the Duckelts were quickly ensnared by the electric tick's electrical webs and roasted, hitting two of them at a time due to being a spread move. Frankly speaking, it was a massacre. The ones that took up the challenge were zip zapped into the lake and the smart ones flew away in a rush lest their feathers be singed by this small, yellow menace.



Now the Bidoofs... They proved to be more difficult than expected. Not because they were strong, but because a few random Bidoofs randomly had stat increases! In fact, they seemed quite Moody. One Bidoof went from stumbling slowly with its stubby legs before it had a burst of speed prior to its body glowing with an orange hue and dashed around like it thought it was the main character though was quickly humbled by Growlithe's Embers. Another Bidoof at first took normal damage from Growlithe's Embers at first too, but then for some reason its body glowed with a faint orange like the other one and just took less damage.

However, due to the fact that these attacks were dealing neutral damage some of these Bidoof were able to slip a Tackle in, leaving Growlithe moderately wounded.

Then there were the ones that Sentret had to fight. The fights were surprisingly even, or perhaps they were unsurprisingly even given that they were each of their respective regions' Route 1 rodents. It wasn't anything exciting. It was just tackles and swiping claws, no really exciting plays to be had this early in the game. Occasionally, Evelyn would have been forced to bring in her Growlithe to help land a finish blow. Still, the Sentret was able to put in some work though because it lacked the toolkit to apply damage quickly it was heavily damaged in the aftermath.



After her training session, she would see that same boy who was sitting on the rock telling her to get out of frame and that she didn't really look like a trainer. He was standing in the tall grass with his Rotom-Phone floating in front of him. His cool expression was replaced by a wide, energetic grin.

"Hey guys, Frankie here on my second day of my Pokemon journey!"

Yeah it was worse. He wasn't a photographer, but a Chatotker.

---

@Crusader Lord@Shazamrock

Neither trainer could ignore the allure of one of those cute little armored Pokemon chewing on the city's infrastructure. Now thankfully these things were little tanks that could withstand non-stab fighting type moves and if Mud-Slap was used by Tors then it wouldn't have actually done that much damage because it's Mud Slap and Mudbray aren't known for having high special attack. Well, they barely withstood the attacks because they were still quad weak to any super effective moves that Lors and Sir Lopsalot had.

Nils threw a Pokeball at the Aron he focused on and it was absorbed in a beam of red light before falling on the ground. It started to shake.

It shook once...

It shook twice...!

It shook thrice!



Clarissa then took her shot and threw a Pokeball at the steel type, absorbing into the ball. It fell on the ground and began to shake.

It shook once...

It shook twice...!

It shook thrice!



After catching their Arons and much discussion, it was decided that only Clarissa would be the one and the only one to crawl through this makeshift tunnel to find the crying Pokemon. With resolve and maybe a healthy amount of apprehension, the resident psychic knelt down and crawled her way into the makeshift hole. It was pitch black in there. She wouldn't be able to even see her own hand even if it was an inch away from her face, but judging by her direction after a few minutes she realized that she was going slightly downwards.

With her mind's eye she was able to 'look ahead' and what she was able to grasp was that there was an open space at the end of the tunnel. A very, very, large open space. With the knowledge that there was an end in sight, Clarissa would keep crawling through this long and narrow space for what must've felt like ten minutes until she saw... light? There was a light literally at the end of the tunnel. With a final push she crawled out of the hole into an open space. An impossible space.

Why was there light in this cave? Why was there a cave system underneath Grand Glory?

Where the hell was she?



Meanwhile, as Nils sat around standing ever vigil at the hole in the wall he would get the feeling that something was watching him. As if something was staring holes into him.

---

@Zarkun

The Riolu continued to give Jason the evil eye, but at the very least it stood up and carefully made its way over to Jason though it looked ready to book it the moment things got iffy. However, it stood very close to Jason. It glanced down at the Pokeball and with a press from its paw, Slayer came out of his Pokeball in a flash of white light only to meet the stern glance of the fighting type baby Pokemon. It crossed its arms, looking up and down at the psychic type.

"Lou, lou Rio lou?" It asked while giving Jason a sharp glare. In other words, it asked Slayer why he was traveling with a human.

"Riooo Lou lou lou! Lou lou rio?!" It continued. While meaningless to Jason, Slayer understood what it said. It said, 'Mama said that humans steal from us and see us as objects. Why travel with someone like that?'

Somehow, Jason really got the feeling that this thing really didn't like him, or at the very least seemed very conflicted by him.

How does Slayer respond?

---

@Crimson Flame@Joshua Tamashii

So, uh, yeah. The medium and the prince wandered the streets to go to a Pokemart. It wasn't really hard to find one. They were like the Pokemon equivalent of a gas station convenience store just minus the dubious processed food sitting far too long in the light of a heat lamp. They walked through the automatic sliding glass doors and were greeted by a scene that will quickly become familiar to them.

Ding-Dong~! Welcome-!

Stocked shelves filled with goods as far as the eye can see! Yes, with everything that a fledgling trainer would need. Shelves lined with Pokeballs and medicinal goods were to be entirely expected though they also had little spray bottles of Repel and bundles of rope used to leave an escape path for when an intrepid trainer bit off more than they could chew when exploring a deep cavern and needed to retrace their steps for a quick way out. Still, one could not help that they were holding out on you as if you were not ready for their other more powerful goods or maybe they didn't want to make the journey for new trainers too easy? Either way, you were too poor to even afford those better items anyway. Welcome to real life.

There were also unrelated Pokemon goods mainly in terms of snacks and trinkets though they don't have a price because they have no actual impact on game play.

While Valerian and Amelia perused the store's wares, they would notice a sign posted on a wall.



Whenever they were ready to pay for their goods, they could go pay at the self-check out or pay at the register if they were so inclined.

HOWEVER! There was something very strange in this store and only Amelia with her special medium powers could detect it. There was a ghost type Pokemon lurking somewhere in this store.

Pokemarts Prices:
Pokéball - 200P
Potion - 300P
Antidote - 100P
Paralyze Heal - 200P
Awakening - 250P
Burn Heal - 250P
Ice Heal - 250P
Escape Rope - 550P
Repel - 350P

Now what?

---

@Lunarlord34

The man, or well, actually everyone stared at this random red head that just spouted something with that accent so thick you'd break a knife trying to cut it, but everyone got the gist of it. This random kid with a little sentient candle with a blue flame was challenging this man with a hulking super computer with claws. Forget level difference, the size difference was completely absurd. It was a literally coughing baby versus hydrogen bomb.

"O-oh dear..." Freya muttered to herself while she watched the scene unfold. Frankly, the reason why she didn't stop Steph from doing something so blatantly foolhardy was because she had not expected her to do it.

The man, however, looked at Steph in stunned silence though the corners of his mouth began to quiver. Then like a broken dam a hardy laugh burst from his chest, his hands on his hips as he howled with laughter though there was not an ounce of deride towards her. No, it was joy.

"Now this is what I'm talking about! This kid has more moxie than any of you salty old men! That's what being a trainer is all about! Facing every challenge no matter what!" He flashed a big grin of approval at Steph, taking her challenge very seriously. "You, I like you. Steph is it? Call me Jean." He pointed a big thumb towards himself.

"While I'd love to do a one on one fight, let's make this interesting. Bring out all of your Pokemon. You can get five attempts to land a coordinated attack against my Metagross here and if you land even one attack then it is your win. However, if you can't then it is your loss. To make it fairer, I will not attack your Pokemon, but don't think I'll make it that easy for you. Deal?"

Does Steph agree to his terms? This may be the only way she could get an actual win against an opponent as overwhelmingly strong as him.

---

@GremlinAgain@baraquiel

The man chuckled at Archie's innocent, but hilarious question. He gave him a warm grin and said, "Well, you could say that. When you've been a trainer for as long as I have then it comes with the territory. You'll get there someday if you eat right and work hard enough. Gotta say though, both of you did a good job at beating this guy. It's not everyday you see new trainers pull something like this. You both got promise!"

As they walked out of the alley and into the streets they would only in a few minutes find the old lady whose purse had been snatched by Sven. She clasped her hands together in appreciation and said with all of her heart and her lungs, "Oh thank you so much young man! How could I repay you, Mister...?"

The man smiled and waved off the praise nonchalantly. "Basil, ma'am, but it was these kids who fought for your purse back." He gestured towards Archie and Audrey with the wave of his hand. "I'm just on cleanup duty."

Now that was a familiar name. Didn't they hear that name somewhere today?

"Oh!" She turned her attention to the duo of novice trainers. "I'm so sorry! Here, let me make it up to you two! Here's a reward and I will not take no for an answer!" The old lady fished around her purse before she pulled out two shiny little golden spheres and then placed one each in their hands.



"Well, all's well that ends well. Cops should be here soon." Basil said as the thief groaned unconsciously while being held on his shoulder. "Okay, he's actually heavy." He grabbed one of the Pokeballs attached to his belt and with a click of the button a massive red gorilla thing with fire for eyebrows appeared.

Darma! It called out happily as it loaded the thief onto its own shoulder.

The Rotom Phones hovered in place and read out the following entry:

Pokedex Entry #555- Darmanitan, the Blazing Pokemon. The thick arms of this hot-blooded Pokémon can deliver punches capable of obliterating a dump truck. This Pokémon's power level rises along with the temperature of its fire, which can reach 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Basil glanced at the Rotom Phones in surprise and then back at the kids. "You're one Kapoc's kids?"

How do they respond?

---

@GremlinAgain@Goggy

The receptionist jolted in their seat and looked at the two girls standing in front of them. Well, it was more to due with the absolute chilly gaze that Claris gave her. More trainers? There were stragglers? "Oh Kapoc is not gonna like this..." They muttered to themselves as they pressed some buttons on a desk phone. "Professor Kapoc? Oh hello, it appears that you have two more... Oh you were already aware? Shall I notify Director Beck and Champion Brand? Yes, of course, right away." They hung up and underneath their breath they muttered, _{"Damn coffee addict..."}

The receptionist took a deep breath and said with a forced smile, "Professor Kapoc will see you right away. First door to your right. Good luck."

The girls would walk towards another pair of automatic sliding glass doors and they were hit with the overwhelming smell of coffee. It smelled like the good professor was roasting his own coffee in his own laboratory. Other than that, it looked like every standard lab that could be imagined; sterile with white and metallic surfaces with machines making weird noises and colors. It was most likely best to not touch them.

They would find a man standing by a desk with a desktop computer sipping from a comically sized cup of coffee. The man had red, sleep deprived eyes or at least eye as half of his face was hidden by long bangs. His face was scruffy with facial hair though if one were to look past the deep bags of sleep under his eyes and that he really should shave, he looked quite young to be a Pokemon Professor.



He glowered at them looking as if he was already just sick of the day, or maybe he really just needed a nap, or both. "You're late, after I explicitly told you two to get here 8 AM sharp." The professor took another sip of coffee while silently staring them down. "Vivian, you already informed of your... mishap. So what's your excuse Claris?" The grump asked with the usual sense of charm and tact, which is zero, but that is the usual amount.

If Vivian noticed the receptionist's forced smile, she did not show it, merely giving an enthusiastic nod, "Awesome, thanks!" she says, giving a small wave to the cold looking girl next to her before jogging over in the direction given to her... And almost immediately walking past the right door in favor of the first left door, barely realizing her mistake when she looked back to see the other girl heading into the correct one, forcing Vivian to double back to catch up.

Naturally, she entered the lab as chipper as she always was, though even she couldn't help but wince a little bit at Kapoc's grumpiness, rubbing the back of her head and giving a small chuckle, "Yeah, sorry Professor. Had some bad luck actually getting here, you know how Gyarados migrations can be, especially when they get upset by a storm, but I am here." Vivian states as she brings her hand back down, "I guess everyone else aside from us have already set out?"

Regan Calhoun

@Remram

“Hey, hey, at least I was trying to give him more than half. Give him,” Regan turned and saw that David was no longer there. Must have buggered off, like she suggested. Hm, “twenty.. _five..”

She looked toward the entrance for a moment, contemplating something before she turned back to the receptionist, “and 1500 for handling the thug.”

One transaction later, and Regan was off into the apartment building. She’d first want to check out the breaker box, before going for the roof. She’d do the roof anyway, just to be thorough. She might be able to get Faye up here, too.

She wasn’t one to snoop around a whole bunch. She wanted to be thorough, of course.. maybe Kaebe had a good sense of smell? She’d ask him if he smelled pokemon.

---

Claris stepped through the glass doors just as the girl beside her gave the receptionist a wave and a chipper thank-you. The girl—short, bright-eyed, breathless—offered Claris a quick smile as she took off in the wrong direction.

Claris didn’t say anything. She just watched the girl sail past the right door without breaking stride. When the girl looked back and saw Claris heading the opposite way, there was a visible pause—then a sheepish double-back.

The automatic doors hissed open to the lab.

Coffee hit first—strong and bitter, curling through the cold sterility of chrome and glass. Machines blinked and muttered at the edges of the room, all clean lines and quiet purpose. She kept her hands to herself. Nothing here needed her touch.

Professor Kapoc stood at a cluttered desk, half-shadowed by too-long bangs, cradling a mug that looked better suited for stew than coffee. One eye was visible, red-rimmed and unimpressed. His posture didn’t exactly radiate warmth.

“You’re late, after I explicitly told you two to get here 8 AM sharp.”

Claris didn’t blink. Her voice came out clear, even.

“Train from Valstille was delayed. I came straight here once it arrived.”

A short pause.

“If timing’s critical moving forward, I’ll plan around a wider margin. Just wanted to be clear this one wasn’t avoidable.”

Behind her, Vivian was already explaining—something about storms, sea routes, and Gyarados migrations. Claris didn’t interrupt, but the mention of sea serpents drew her attention.

Migrations that close to shore this early in the season were uncommon. Gyarados moved with purpose, rarely without cause, and if they were reacting to a storm, it had to have been massive. Pressure drop, maybe, or tectonic movement offshore. She tucked the note away—quietly, with the rest.

Something to look into later.

---

---

---

Eve watched with bated bteath as Joltik, the first of her little pals, sauntered off to begin its training. she held onto the potion in her hand, slightly squeezing at the bottle, ready to rush over and help her starter should he find himself in a bind. However..

As the Joltik meacningly approached the Duckletts, wit the sun shining down to give its silhouette a dark, shadowy form as heads were turned to look at it... IT was the Duckletts who needed saving. Web upon web of electricity came flyiong out, frying the water fowls in mere moments. With its speed and agility, the little spider pokemon made quick work of the birds, turning the once peaceful riverside into a massacre, with those who didn't fall before the might of electrical fury to cower and flee in a panic... A wise choice... Evelyn, meanwhile, stood there on her perch a short ways away and stared in awe at what had just happened.

She felt... Conflicted... While happy that her little bug hadn't gotten even a scratch on him and that his training had gone flawlessly, she... She couldn't help but feel a bit bad for all the poor, innocent birds who'd just had to bite the dust due to this, and hoe effortlessly they'd been downed. Still, one couldn't forget that this was how Pokemon grew stronger, and it was just a part of life. Yup. Definitely a part of life. A single spider felling dozens of birds, with webs of shocking lightning... Uh-huh, totally natural.

When the little murder-machine returned, the blonde smiled, bent down and picked the yellow fiend up into her arms, giving him a big smile a warm, loving hug.

"Great job, Joltik! You were incredible, as usual." She praised.

Happy and proud chitter was the response, as Joltik cheered(?) and then tried to hug Evelyn back with its small, skittery legs... It... It didn't work that well, but the snetiment was there. Sentret and Growlithe also trotted over to the pair of Master and Pokemon and happily greeted their senior, praising him (probably?) as well. Perhaps. It was hard to tell. Evelyn didn't speak Pokemonese after all, but they all seemed happy and supportive.

As she did though, a noise form her rotom phone caught the young trainer's ears, and it quickly zipped out and hovered infront of her - displaying soem very interesting news and information.

"A new move? Let's see here..." She began reading the description and recorded effects of the new move. She then scrolled through Joltik's existing repertoire and checked the info on each of them too. "Hm... Well, I suppose... Let's learn it. Learn Bug Bite, and forget Fury Cutter." The deicison was made.

Eve didn't really see the need to have two Bug-type moves on her little spider of doom, and she wnated to keep the other ones Joltik had both for the sake of coverage and to keep his arsenal of tools varied. Though, when she thought about what it said Bug Bite actually did, a snorty giggle escaped her motuh, one that she had to stifle. It eats the other poemon's berry if it has one? That's so mean...

With that done and over with, she turned to Sentret and Growlithe and knelt down, patting each of them on their respective head. It was the newcomers turn to try their hand at training. So, the order was given adnd the duo was off! Off to face a gang of fuzzy, buck-toothed rodents. How hard could this possibly be~?

...

Apparently, quite a bit.

"What's with these chubby fuzzballs...?" Evelyn stared in disbelief at the scene beofre it.

For some reason, some of these doofs gained some kind of... Some kind of super aura, and just went ham or shrugged off attacks like someone was throwing a bucket of water on them. While Growlithe managed to hold his own mostly, due to being a big, strong and - more importantly - fire-breathing pupper, Sentret on the other hand... He wasn't doing so hot. On more than one occasion, Eve had to call out for Growlithe to go help her scout-pokemon deal with a bidoof that just kept hanging on and getting ready for a couner-attack. Eventuallly, the pair returned to their trainer and Joltik, who greeted them warmly.

Growlithe barked happily, apparently feleing triumphant in that his training had gone so well. Sentret, on the flip-side, whined and looked absolutely exahusted from being mauled and tackled by the silly gopher-beaver-things. Thankfully, its trainer had still been holding on to that Potion she'd taken out initially for Joltik. So, it only seemed like fair to use it now, on the poor little guy who'd tried so hard.



"Sen... Sentret!"
"Mhm, you're very welcome. You both did really good. Look at how much you've grown already."

She let the little rotom phone float down to the eye-level of her rabbit-rat and fire-dog, and showed them the increase in their levels. Not that pokemon could read human script, or probably even understood the concept of mathematica and numerical computation and breakdown of meta-physical strength and power... But who cared? It was then that Eve also noticed somethjing else.

"Oh? Hey, Sentret. Look at that, you also learned a new move? Good job." She praised and gave the little cuddlemuffin a nice, soft but firm headpatting.

This, however, seemed to upset Growlithe, as he was the only one who hadn't learned a new move of the trio. He whined, and his ears slouched, and he had the saddest puppy-dog eyes you could ever imagine, enough to break your heart if you looked at them. Eve felt a sharp pang of guilt shoot through ehr entire body and she visibly jolted from the emotional pain. Walking over, she sat down and gave the pupper a hug.

"C*mon, don't be like that. You did great too."

A low whine... But when Sentret and Joltik also came over and gave their cheerful support, the doggo perked up and let out a happy bark. Everything was a-okay in Team Evelyn once again.

... Until it wasn't...

It was only now that Eve came to realize the horrible, awful, inescapable truth... Sentrt's and Growlithe's fur and coats... THEY WERE MESSY! As a result of being tackled by and knocked around by the weirdly powerful doof-balls, her precious poke-friends now looked disheveled and unkempt. This would not be allowed to stand!

Reaching into her bag, which seemed capable of storing an unreasonably large amount of things, the girl retrieved a comb and a brush. Calling both of the pokemon over, she squatted down next to them and began the process of carefully and methodically grooming. Soft brushing, firm combing... Yeah, she was at this for a while. Growlithe didn't seem to mind, enjoying the pampering and sensation. Sentret though... He seemed content at first, but towards the end began to be a bit fidgety and wanting to be done. But, the stern orders of his Trainer kept the little mouse-rabbit in line long enough for her to finish.

Now when she looked upon them, a dazzling azure backdrop appeared, and shining, sparkling stars and bubbles floated by as the camera slowly panned past the fabulous and perfect-looking duo. Any female pokemon who saw these two well-groomed and handsome gentlemons would surely swoon on the spot! Eve gave herslf a nod of approval. Much better.

For now, she let the trio engage in their usual pokemon-play. Joltik jumping onto and riding on Growlithe's back, while the pupper chased after Sentret, who was happy to get to explore and look around the area. The bolonde's head turned to the bidoofs soon enough though, and she gave them an unreadable expression.

"So weird... What was up with these things?"

Had it been any other trainer, they probably would've thought it a good idea to try and single one of the orange-flowing doofs out, weaken it and then capture it, so that the good Professor back in Grand Glory City could study it, and it's weird glowy power. However, this was Evelyn. And she ahd no interest in catching one of these bizarre beaver-bastards, especially after the beating they brought on her beloved Sentret. So, for now, the little vermin were left unchecked and unexamined, for another trainer with more brains than beauty to come around and investigate.

IT was at this point though, that a voice caught Evelyn's attention. She turned on her heel to find...

Oh, That guy again.

Yep, it was Mr. Get-out-of-my-shot. He was standing in the tall grass, apparently with a rotom phone hovering infront of him, doing some kind of spiel... Wait, was he recording? She raised an eyebrow. This guy was a Chatotker? She had to turn her head away and cover her moutnwith one hand to stifle a snorting single laugh. With an outfit like that? What, did his followers consist of some pre-schoolers and his parents or something? She wasn't judging or anything (She totally was), but c'mon. Look at the guy!

Oh well, he could do whatever he wanted, the far-more-stylish girl concluded. It wasn't any of her business how self-delusinal others were (... she's one to talk). After letting the three musketeers run around and blow off some of their post-battle fatigue, it was time to come on back and return to their pokeballs though. The time to get moving had come once again. With no more mons that really interested her, and nothing really left to see on the route that would warrant her continued remaining in the area, there was only one option really left to her.

Thus, Evelyn began making her way along Route 4, heading for Starbur Forest in the distance.

An ethereal glow hung in air literally lighting the enclosed space of red rock with a blueish hue. There was an energy about it, something that resonated through the air though what it was was hard to say. It was a vast network of tunnels, an eerily quiet space where even the slightest sound bounced off the walls. There was no doubt that this place had not been touched by human hands, if it was even known by the inhabitants of the city above. A fragment of another time from long ago, isolated and forgotten.

However, those who found themselves in this strange network of tunnels would quickly find that they were not alone. As expected of a place located deep underground, there were a litany of Pokemon that made their homes here. Armored little creatures scuttled around, looking for iron ore and other bits of metallic minerals they can get their mouths on.

What....what was this place? She'd figured a potential Pokemon was down here from the former natural habitats on-site before the city was built, but this? This was an entire cave system! Tunnels all over, Pokemon eating and digging and such, and a faint blue hue of glow that lit up the red rocks and for a moment seemd to grant them an almost purple-tinted hint. Going for her Rotom Phone, Clarissa would have it film the appearaance of the place and the Pokemon she could see there, including a proper look back at the tunnel that had led her there. Then she had the camera turn to herself for a moment, then, speaking clearly for the camera and gesturing to the lighting and features.

"This cave system seems to sit underneath the Grand Glory Sewers, which might explain the presence of Aron down here eating at the pipework in the sewers above. I came down here through a tunnel the Pokemon here dug up at an angle into the sewer system, with them seeking more food I believe, while seeking whatever Pokemon is making the crying noise people have heard down here before. I don't know how far the tunnels go, or if there are more connections to the sewers, but....this place is...beautiful, I believe, in its own way."

Untouched by human hands, thriving with life of its own, and yet part of her felt enthralled to simply look about the underground cavern of sorts. Perhaps this place hadn't been connected to the surface before the city was built, but it reminded her of the red rocks from back in Orre. At the same time, this wasn't Orre....indeed, this was the home of many Pokemon, it seemed, who hadn't a care in the world about the city above save for using the sewers for food perhaps. Like a sort of harmony where Pokemon and the living places of people had by chance touched upon each other, though there was some room for concern perhaps.

For example, what if a tunnel came up underneath one of the water channels? It could send sewage into this place! Plus it gave room for Alolan Grimer and such to migrate down here as well. Certainly just isolating this place wasn't an option, seemingly, given the propensity for Pokemon down here to dig. But perhaps the Professor and others could help stabilize things so this place could be safely studied at least? Hmm.

Still, before she ended the video, Clarissa looked back at the camera of her Rotom Phone again.

"And Nils, if you are watching this, I'm sending this to let you know it's seeminglly safe to come down as well if you wish. But we might need to eventually go back for some potions and other supplies if this place goes deep enough. I'm heading deeper in to explore in the meantime. I'll try to keep in touch."

This video would help give some light to the presence of this place, perhaps, which might be of concern to the city and perhaps to Professor Kapoc as well. Indeed, the psychic would thusly send her little video documentary to Nils, Amelia, and Professor Kapoc in turn, before asking her Rotom Phone to hide again but to let her know if anyone messaged her moving forward. For Nils, the video was a way to communicate things to him. For Professor Kapoc, though, the video was footage of a place and its Pokemon to help archive for Eidda's records perhaps. Perhaps. She hoped it would be useful infomration, at least, whether he knew about this place already or not. Plus....well, she was making note of the Aron eating up the pipework as well. As for Amelia? She siomply hoped to give the smaller girl something cool to see from all the way down here, even if she hadn't wanted to come down for her own reasons, as a goodwill gesture.

It was then she felt a small poke against her right leg, in this case from Scrapper who was perhaps trying to snap her back into reality for a moment. Or, at least, get her assurance of this (to him at least) very strange place of sorts.

The psychic took a few slow breaths as she looked about, before reaching a hand down and patting the Trubbish next to her on his little head and then glancing down at him and giving a slight nod to the little Pokemon.

"We'll be heading deeper in as best as we can, but let's take care of ourselves down here, ok?"

The Trubbish nodded back, before his eyes fell forward on Pokemon and path ahead. Clarissa's own would follow suit.

The plan for what came next was rather simple in her mind. She couldn't spend all day catching things here if she wanted to investigate, nor did she have the supplies to maintain such an effort. However, they could make efficient use of time and resources and the like here at the very least. So the plan was to move forward, seeking to avoid extra trouble as best as possible while seeking out the source of the crying pokemon down there.

[Action: Seeking Out The Source Of The Crying]

Meanwhile, she'd go about trying to quickly catch one of the little rock Pokemon down there. She'd try to find one that seemed sturdy or durable enough to hang on well, or perhaps had something special about it compared to its other kin. ((Clarissa is, to make the OOC note, seeking a "Sturdy" or "Sand Force", because getting to name one of these things 'Darude' would be amazing yes.)) She wanted to be particular about her target before going for a swift catch attempt using Sir Lopsalot and returning the little Pokemon to his ball once more for safety reasons.

[Quick Catch Attempt: Roggenerola]

Then came the next part, because as she'd continue to carefully seek out the source of the crying the psychic would try to use her senses and sensory ESP to try to locate any Uncommon or even Rare sorts of Pokemon down there as well. Things that she could potentially strategically catch (after hopefully learning what it was via the Pokedex) along the way as she tracked down the crying. Of course that depended on the Pokemon and their situation, but she'd have to pool her existing Pokemon along the way to try to handle any potential battles she was forced into otherwise. Even if it meant going two on one or more so to ensure her and her team stayed well enough and safe while trying to avoid any extra trouble along the way....because this place and situation were, despite everything, still a potential danger to them all with the wrong misstep.

[Action: Seek Out Rare, Primarily, and Uncommon, Secondarily, Pokemon Along The Way]

Though if she was forced into any battles she could win against Pokemon she hadn't caught yet, specifically the Sandshrew that mulled about this place, she'd at least try to capture one for the road. But, well, the road ahead was dangerous enough so far from the surface and they had to be prepared. It made her wish she'd sunk money into supplies becoming coming, but....this? This was much more than she'd thought she'd actually run into thus far!

But hopefully she'd get to the crying and its source in this trip, rather than having to retreat and go back. If they had to, though, she would, carefully so, if push came to shove in a serious enough manner. But the Pokemon-...well, she hoped it would be ok just as she hoped to help hers stay as ok as possible coming out of all of this in the end.

@Remram@Shazamrock@Joshua Tamashii

Audrey just continued walking, listening in on the conversation. Woah, an experienced trainer...WOAAAAHHHH she was rather amazed by the guy's experience. Wait errr...What if he's lying? Eh. She quickly brushed it off, satisfied with the fact that karma was served very fine. Finally, the voice of an old lady was heard. The same one who get her purse snatched, Audrey smiled as the guy...Basil? pointed to her and Archie, she was given a nugget and she stared at it as if she was given gold, Well...she probably just got given gold.

Audrey received a nugget!

The nugget was small but so shiny it was basically like she was staring at the sun, Wow that old woman's rich. WWWOOOOOWWWWWW Audrey smile widened as she held onto the nugget as if it was a newborn baby, she quickly put it into her bag and shut the zipper. She wasnt at all listening to Basil's words but the sound of a Pokéball opening did startle her, Audrey turned to see a big, red, thing.

'Darma!'

The thing shouted, her Pokédex quickly buzzed in however.

"Pokedex Entry #555- Darmanitan, the Blazing Pokemon. The thick arms of this hot-blooded Pokémon can deliver punches capable of obliterating a dump truck. This Pokémon's power level rises along with the temperature of its fire, which can reach 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit."
Woah, thats rather hot. Wait...-

"You're one Kapoc's kids?"

He knows about the professor? Str- Wait why am i treating the professor like hes some obscure person? Huh... Audrey quickly replied "Yeah, we are?" she said, rather confused by the sudden question but oh well.

@baraquiel