At the declaration this 'Jean' fellow made of this is what being a trainer was about, Steph was nodding along vigorously in agreement. To be a trainer was to challenge yourself, whether that challenge be in the form of exploration, taking yourself out of your comfortable zone, catching every pokemon, rising every pokemon, going on to breed and raise pokemon. Whatever the challenge was, a trainer should rise to it and push themselves. It was a huge drawing point to Steph, to face challenges, to rise to challenges, and ultimately to overcome challenges. She was a competitive person, and this scratched that itch just right.

It also helped that a journey like this would help her get what she wanted most, answers.

"Plezshah t' maytcha Jean." Flashing him a grin and cheeky salute, the grin soon faded at the issue of his terms for this 'challenge'. She was being underestimated and belittled here. This annoyed her. Oh boy, did this annoy her. That much was evident by the frustration on her face. In saying that, she was still quick to understand the rationale here. She was literally just starting her journey; he was clearly a very experienced and no doubt strong trainer. To defeat her would be childs play for him. This was a...compromise of sorts. A challenge more suiting her 'level', and would still perhaps provide him some entertainment.


That still didn't exactly dampen the blow to her pride, but the thought of this challenge was somewhat making it a less bitter pill to swallow. A three on one, and all she had to do was land a blow with a coordinated attack? That would be difficult. She had literally just gotten her Wimpod like five minutes ago, and Steve not that much longer still. She hadn't even taken them out of their Pokeballs for the first time yet. Dusk she had at least battled some wild pokemon against, and used to catch Steve. The odds weren't kind for her right now.

But that was the fun part, now wasn't it? To stare the odds, for better or worse, in the face and overcome them. If nothing else, she would rather fail trying than not try at all.

"Haeh, foine thaen. Oy'll taych ya faw undeahstimytin me." Pulling her out her other two Pokeballs, she sent out the still burnt and injured attempted chip thief and her scuttering little coward, neither Pokemon no doubt exactly inspiring the greatest feelings of confidence in the crowd around them as Steph gathered the three mons into a 'huddle' as she held a finger up as if to say 'hold on for a moment'.


"Igeht, fuhst theengs fuhst, laets geh' yahs introduced t' one anuhthah naow yayh? Dusk, thiies is Steve. Steve, thiies is Dusk." Introducing the two that had just fought not long ago, she turned to the Wimpod and thought for a moment. Yeah, that would do. "Steve, Dusk, thiies is Glory. Glory, Steve, Dusk."


The poor Wimpod, now ironically called Glory, was looking up at everyone as if they were crazy and the most terrifying things he had ever seen, while the Wingul just pecked at its feathers at the burn it was still dealing with from Dusk. Dusk for his part seemed quite set on following whatever Steph had to say now, fully invested and ready to show this guy who was boss.

"Ok we gawt foive chahnces heah faellahs, sao laets shaow thiies Squawkabilly heah whahts faw yayh?" A brief pep talk was all she felt was needed as she broke off the huddle and returned her attention to Jean and nodded. All she would then need to do was wait for the Metagross to be ready, then she was set to go with her first idea.


"Moigh' wahnna staep bahck fawlks!" Although her accent might make it hard for people to understand what she was trying to say, her intent to warn them she be somewhat helped by the fact she was getting ready to cover her face. Being out here in the open by the seaside of all places made this first plan a bit tricker to pull off, but she was going to try it anyway.


"Dusk staht weeth a smawg t' troy and obskyuah Metagross voision as much as pawssible! Steve, Oy wahnt yah t' geh' up noice and hoigh and behoind the bahstahd. Glory, use defaense curl!" What sort of plan started with a move a Steel type was immune to was perhaps lost on the crowd, but assuming the wind didn't completely blow away her little poisonous cloud from the Metagross's face too soon at least, it would at least prove a bit of an obstacle. In her mind anyway.


Glory for his part was happy enough with his part in this suicide plan, retreating into a little ball as Steve moved up into what he believed to be the position Steph wanted. Neither pokemon nor crowd would yet know the plan, but it would become apparent very quick as Steph barked her next set of orders.

"Alroigh' Glory, laets plie bohl! Stie curled up loike thaht and use aqua jaeh'! Steve use wottah gun whaen ih' troys t' move! Dusk troy and hiieh' em weeth an embah oolsao!" A multi prong attack designed to attack from different angles, something to be expected no doubt. Steph didn't expect Plan 1 to work, but it was set up for her following plan anyway so she didnt mind much.


[tdlr; she's trying to launch Glory like a water propelled soccer ball at the Metagross through an attempted Smog-screen set up by Dusk, with the other two providing support fire from different directions to either hit it when it moves or try and 'pin' it down to help Glory.]

Amelia walked along the streets with Valerian stopping on occasion to examine things that caught her interest before quickly catching up to him if he kept moving without her. If he paid attention, he would notice she seemed to have an interest in cute or sparkly things, like small toys or jewelry.

When they arrived at the pokemart, her eyes widened a bit as she took in the various goods that were available and on display. She quickly separated from her companion to look at the various goods and see what they all did. As she dud so though, her new pokedex/phone went off. Curious, she pulled it out to see a video message from Clarissa but when she played it, all that appeared in screen was static. Not entirely familiar with the technology but smart enough to figure out that wasn't right, she found the texting feature wrote out a message to Nils and Clarissa
Is everything okay? I got a video but nothing showed up? Do you two need help?

With her message sent, she would wait for a reply and continue to shop but was now feeling uneasy. Thankfully, she would be met with a distraction when she finally felt something she had been hoping for for a while: the feeling of a nearby ghost other than Phantump. Closing her eyes, she would focus on the presence, trying to feel what direction it was in. Once she had an idea, she opened her eyes again and quickly found Valerian.
"I'm going to check something out. I'll be back... unless you want to come with." She said, giving him a chance to respond before heading out to go Ghost hunting

@Remram @Joshua Tamashii

The Poké Mart sat just a short walk from the Center. When he got inside, he saw so many things on display. Not just the Pokeballs and Potions, there were other cute and sparkly things on display. “Let’s see,” he mused aloud, plucking various things off the shelf. “A few of these. A handful of Poké Balls. Perhaps one of those delightful little sprays that smell like pecha berries, very fresh, very forest-forward. And maybe some status healers for good measure. Oh, is that a silk scarf? That would definitely complement Aurelia Rose’s aesthetic.”

He brought his small collection of stuff to the counter with a content smile. “I’ll take all this.”

The cashier, beeped the items through the register.

“That’ll be… 8,250 Poké.”

Valerian blinked. “I’m sorry. What now?”

“Eight thousand, two hundred and fifty Poké,” the clerk repeated, deadpan.

Valerian stared at the total like it had personally insulted him. “But I only have…” He pulled up his Trainer ID and checked. “One thousand, seven hundred and fifty.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Aurelia Rose buzzed awkwardly. Camellia just blinked, already sensing that her new trainer was having A Moment.

Valerian put a hand to his temple. “This must be what poverty feels like…”

The clerk just nodded sympathetically. “Yeah. Welcome to being a rookie trainer.”

If he was allowed to use his prince money, he could have bought out this whole store in a heartbeat. But no, he had limited funds, and therefore could only buy the basic supplies. How beige… Valerian inhaled deeply through his nose and, with great dignity, began removing items from his pile one by one. He took the Silk Scarf out first with a dramatic sigh. “Someday.” Then the excess of Pokeballs. He already had 9 anyway. The berry scented spray? Regretfully returned. He would simply have to smell like battlefield sweat like the rest of the commoners. “A Repel. An Escape Rope. Two Antidotes. A Paralyze Heal. And One Awakening.”

The cashier rang up the new total. “That’ll be 1,550 Poké. New trainers also get a Free Potion with their first purchase.”

Valerian accepted his bag of goods with a princely “Thank you,” before turning on his heel and whispering under his breath. “One day I shall return. With prize money. With prestige. And with a shopping list that knows no bounds.”

While he was still sulking about only having 200 Poké to his name, he noticed Amelia had returned. Valerian blinked when she asked if he wanted to come along. A week ago, he might have scoffed at the idea, he might have said he had more important things to do. Now?

He looked at Aurelia Rose, who buzzed with curiosity. He looked at Camellia, who was gently tilting her leafy head toward Amelia curiously.

And then he looked back at the girl. “…You’re asking me?” he said, like it was still new to him. “Then yes. Lead the way, Lady Amelia.”

Slayer tilted his head at Riolu's question before glancing at Jason, who was relaxed against the tree, letting and trusting his partner to carry the conversation. "Ral ra ra Ralts. Ralts ral ral ra." Jason couldn't understand it, but Slayer essentially said that every human he'd ever known was a good one, including Jason, even if he was a bit eager. He glanced at his human partner and then looked back at the Riolu.

"Ra Ral Ral Ra Ralts Ral Ral." Jason quirked his head slightly at the way Slayer spoke, quietly wishing he'd understood what his partner was saying. Slayer had said, "I can see into their minds, see even the thoughts they try to hide. He's not a taker, he's a giver and he wants to see us all grow together." The two Pokemon continue their back and fourth debate, clearly having seen two different sides of people in their youth, or at least having been raised very differently.

---

When they'd first climbed down into the sewers, Nils hadn't found the place to be spooky or anything. He was mostly preoccupied with not slipping on any puddles while his eyes adjusted to the dim light. Even now, alone on one side of the tunnel, he didn't feel creeped out... But he did feel something. A tingle at the back of his neck. He rubbed at it idly.

Tors paced in front of the hole with his ears flicking. Nils had leaned his back against the wall as they continued to wait, his eyes moving between watching Tors and looking out into the corners of the wider area. He wasn't worried, exactly, at least not yet, but it was kind of weird. He would have expected Clarissa to have made it to the other side already and called back to him, especially since the sounds of her and Scrapper shuffling had long since faded out. He didn't hear anything though, and the longer he stood there the stronger the feeling of being watched got. Nils was sensitive to it, and though in the right context it didn't bother him, right now? It wasn't a great feeling.

When the notification chime on his phone went off, Nils was glad for the distraction. He withdrew it from his pocket to find a video message from Clarissa.

"There she is," he told Tors. Nils sank into a crouch as the mudbray walked over so they could watch it together. Unfortunately neither sound nor picture came through at all. The video played, but it was only static through the speaker and on the screen. Pokemon and trainer shared a glance.

"Huh." Was that a bad sign or was the reception just poor down here? "...maybe we should go check things out. But before that..."

Nils stood up, stuffing the phone back into his pocket. He brushed his fingers against the pokeballs there, one belonging to Rau and the other the yet unnamed Aron. If who or whatever was spying on them was malicious, he had three pokemon on him including Tors, even if the Aron was weakened.

"Doesn't feel right to go through the tunnel without at least trying to find who's watching us do it, right, Tors?"

The mudbray shook its head in agreement. Nils pushed off from the wall with his partner at his side, wandering a little away from the mystery tunnel. He definitely didn't want some prankster to interfere with finding the source of the cries, so if he could, it would be best to find the source of this piercing gaze first just in case.

[ Thoroughly Investigate the Area ]

"Reaaaally?" Archie's eyes were practically glittering with awe from what the man said. "I got promise... I'll make sure to live up to that! I can't wait to see the look on Adriane's face when I become a hero like her too!" He excitedly said as they made their way out of the alleyway and back to the streets.

They met the old lady soon after. Archie beamed and bashfully scratched the back of his head once she complimented him and Audrey for bringing her purse back. She also gave them a Nugget, a shiny golden orb. The theatre group his parents belonged to used to make lots of fake Nuggets made of painted plastic balls as props so he was quite surprised to find out this one had some heft to it.

"T-Thank you, ma'am! We're just doing our best!" Archie beamed. While it's true that it felt nice being rewarded with physical means for doing good, nothing would beat the comforting prideful warmth Archie felt in his chest just seeing the old lady smile with gratitude after helping her. It never really occured to him that a hero would be rewarded for their good deeds, he just wanted to be a hero to inspire and help other people.

While he was thinking about that, the man they're with released his Darmanitan to help carry the thief. "Woah, you're a big guy!" Archie said in amazement as his and Audrey's Pokédexes flew out and scanned the Fire-type Pokémon.

When the guy named Basil asked his question, Archie also turned to him like Audrey. "How do you know the professor? Also why does your name sound familiar? Have we met before?"

@Typical@Goggy

Kapoc looked at the two tardy young women with a tired gaze before he heaved a sigh. "Alright, I'll just let it slide for now. Just don't be late again." The good professor placed the over-sized coffee mug on the table with a hefty 'clunk,' his gaze was focused over their shoulders. It was as if he was waiting for something to happen. "Three, two, one..."

And the sliding glass doors slid open right on cue and two women walked into the laboratory. A dark skinned woman with black braided hair and buzzed sides, wearing a red bomber jacket with a white tank top underneath and with black jeans and black boots. Her golden eyes curled up as she grinned at the two girls. The other woman had vibrant ginger hair and bright amber eyes. She had an air of professionalism and authority about her, someone that could get things done while also having a casual, yet friendly air if her attire was anything to go by.

The dark skinned woman gave the professor a casual wave. "Sup Cedric. We came back down as quickly as we heard they arrived."

"You practically flew out of the meeting. You really can't stand budget meetings can you?" The ginger said with a smirk and her arms crossed.

"Ugh they're so boring! I don't even know how you're supposed to stay awake through it! Cost of licenses there, move resources over there! I just want to battle strong opponents!" She threw her hands up into the air in unapologetic frustration while the ginger just rolled her eyes.

Professor Kapoc took a very audible slurp from his comically sized coffee mug as he just stared at the two women with very tired eyes. "Claris, Vivian. The loud one over there is the founder of the Evig League and the current champion, Adriane Brand. The red head giving her bedroom eyes is Evelyn Beck, the director of the Evig Pokemon Leaguue. One of your coworkers is also named Evelyn so please refer to her as Director Beck."





"I'm not loud!"

"And I'm not giving her bedroom eyes! Quit saying weird things in front of impressionable trainers!"

Professor Kapoc looked indifferent to their protests. While Vivian could have been completely unaware about how important these three were, Claris knew exactly who they were. They were key members in the rebellion in the Cipher Crisis though Adriane Brand was the leader of it. Claris would know due to her older brother's role as one her allies in the conflict. One would have had a very different idea of who these people were. Very, very different ideas. After all, they were very powerful trainers, but reality often proved to contradict preconceived notions.

Adriane walked and slung her arms over both girls shoulders and pulled them in close. "Just ignore that grump! Aren't you two excited? It's your first step to become a trainer!" She said with a wide grin.

"Ignore me and you won't get your Pokemon."

"Really, ignore him. He isn't as scary as he wants you to think he is." Director Beck gave the professor a knowing look to which he scoffed at. "Also, Adriane you really should practice your personal space."

The champion removed herself from the two trainers to be. "Sorry, sorry! She clapped her hands together loudly. Anyway, how about we get this ball rolling huh?"

Professor Kapoc quietly looked at the group before he shrugged. "Follow me."

They were led through the lab with the champion and director in tow to another set of glass doors that opened out to a wide open space that could only be described as the world's largest terrarium. There were various environments as if to accommodate as many Pokemon as possible. There were screens that captured all of the other zones, some being icy wastelands, some deserts, some tropical forests, and so on. Everyone was in a zone that looked like a pine forest. This explained why the building was so damn big.

There was a metal table with Pokeballs neatly lined up with name tags in front of them.

He motioned towards the table. "Well, go meet your partners."

How does their first interaction with their Pokemon go?

---

@CitrusArms

"You know what, done. Payment is after you complete the job. Here are the keys, they'll get you access to wherever you need to go."



So, thus begins her side gig! To start off she went to the basement area of the apartment, a place divided up into closets where people could store their belongings though that was not important. What was important was the breaker box that was located there and it, well, it looked normal. Except that it looked slightly scorched as if something was drawing power from it and had electrical sparks flying everywhere.

Then she decided to go up the roof for some reason to explore any possibility that there were clues up on the roof of the apartment. So, she most likely took the elevator because unless she felt like walking many flights of stairs just to prove a point and get her day's worth of cardio, the elevator was the most immediate option. When she got up there, well, it was certainly a rooftop. There were some Pidove and Pidgey standing there going about their own business. Whatever the receptionist was talking about earlier wasn't there.

Kaebe like most Pokemon have superior senses than humans. So the Tyrunt took a whiff and the smell besides the smell of char was metal though it was very different from the one of the circuit breaker. The circuit breaker itself smelled burned, but the other metallic smell wasn't. So the little dinosaur could lead her back down when she was ready.

---

@Xaltwind

Deciding not to engage with whatever else was around Route 4 for the time being, Evelyn decided to continue to make her way through the route towards the forest. Occasionally cars and trucks would drive by on the road by the dirt path, but otherwise it was peaceful. The Pokemon lived their life in a way that was independent of that of humans while the fisherman just sat by the edge of the river waiting for something to bite at their hooks. Then there were the ruins that sat by the river and from the distance they were just mainly dilapidated stone buildings covered in moss being reclaimed by nature. Not like she would ever be caught dead going in a place like that. Totally not a thing for a fashionable girl such as herself.

Now, there is a common rule in perspective: things get bigger when they get closer and things get smaller when you get further away. Crazy, but it was true. However, as Evelyn got closer to Starbor Forest she would not be wrong to think that her mind was playing tricks on her. The trees got bigger, but they kept getting bigger and bigger to sizes that were impossibly large. They were less trees and more like actual skyscrapers that cast shadows for who knows how far.

She takes the foot path and enters the forest.

---

@Crusader Lord

Ever had déjà vu before? Like you've done something or been somewhere before even though you know that logically that this was your first time experiencing it? That was exactly the same feeling that Clarissa had as she roamed the expansive network of tunnels. Was it because of the red rocks that made up the structure of these caves reminded her of hometown, Pyrite Town, and by extension The Under even if all she knew were the stories about that den of ill repute? Or was it something else, something that she could not put her finger on?

It was something to ponder on as she made her way through, her steps echoing against the cavern walls. The glow drifted along air and surfaces like mist, translucent in nature and yet still glowed with enough luminescence to make the cave visible despite being far underground. A curious thing though her main focus was to find the mysterious crying. Just how loud would something have to be to be heard from all the way from the cave up on the surface anyway?

Clarissa correctly deduced that it was the best option to avoid as much trouble as she could. After all, she only had her newly caught ragtag team and her strongest Pokemon was poisoned and already damaged. However, that did not stop her from throwing her punchy bunny at the sentient rock that looks like a pencil sharpener. We know the drill by now. Power Up Punch or bust. In a panic, the Roggenrolla that was simply just vibing with existence used Harden to increase its defenses in order to brace for another attack, but at that point enough damage had been done for her to throw a Pokeball at it and it was absorbed into it.

The ball landed on the ground and began to shake.

It shook once...

It shook twice...!

It shook thrice!



As she picked up the Pokeball, she sensed something. There was something big, something very, very big coming her way from one of the tunnels and she did not need her ESP to tell her that.

Hide.

---

@Shazamrock

Meanwhile, Nils decided to go look around for what was giving him the feeling that was staring at him. Actually, his instincts were on point because as soon as he walked off toward the direction of where he got the heebie jeebies from, he heard a very audible, "Shit!" followed the pounding of footsteps away from a corner.

Well, the chase was on! Nils pursued after the thumping of boots that echoed in the unrealistically large sewers, snaking through the twists and turns of the labyrinth of waste. However, he then heard a very panicked "Whoa!" followed by a very unfortunate sound of a splash and a groan of disgust. It gave the fledgling trainer time to catch up only to find a very scruffy man with a big black mustache and mutton chops, wearing a grease stained jacket and white shirt that was very much worn with a loosely tied orange tie. His pants and a flannel tied around his waist were unfortunately covered, in well, waste.



The man looked up at Nils while he sat in a pool of refuse. "Now I know what it looks like. An older dude skulking around the sewers who was spying on kids, but that part was totally by accident! I'm not a weirdo... I mean, I am, but not the bad kind!" He said as he slowly stood up as to not startle Nils, cautiously holding his hand up between them.

"Look, I'm not here for kids. Never for kids. I'm a private detective. I have cards with all of my contact information." His gloved hands shuffled around the interior of his jacket and he pulled out a business card.

What does Nils do?

---

@Joshua Tamashii@Crimson Flame

Actually, they would not have to look very far because the ghost type Pokemon was in this very Pokemart! They would walk around the aisles once again looking for the little specter, eventually ending up in an aisle that exclusively sold Poke Dolls of all kinds of Pokemon to act as bait while trainers ran away. But everything looked so normal! There was a Charmander one, a Squirtle one, a Clefairy one, a Pikachu one, a Bulbasaur one, a creepy looking Pikachu with shadowy claws in the process of ripping the head off a Pikachu Doll, an Eevee on...

Wait a minute.

The creepy looking Pikachu looked at both the medium and prince, its head dangled slightly. In fact, it looked more like a crude drawing of a Pikachu on an old rag with a wooden jagged club for a tail.

"Mimu?"

He looks at me. I look at him!

The Rotom Phone hovered in front of them and read the following entry:

Pokedex Entry #778-Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokemon. A lonely Pokémon, it conceals its terrifying appearance beneath an old rag so it can get closer to people and other Pokémon. Although it's a quiet, lonely Pokémon, if you try to look at what's under its rag, it will become agitated and resist violently.

"Mimu mimu!" It hopped off the shelf in a panic and made a mad dash to run out of the store.

"Hey! Someone catch that Pokemon!" The Pokemart cashier yelled out.

---

@Lunarlord34

"Then show me what you got." Jean said with an assured grin. He watched with great interest as she brought out all of her Pokemon and had a brief pep talk though was her team okay? The Wingull was burned and the Wimpod was, well, a Wimpod that looked at its trainers as if she was a loony. Well, she was the one who challenged him, not the other way around.

Still, he was pleasantly surprised at her tactics. A cloud of exhaustive fumes poured out of the candles' mouth towards the metal beast. Jean grinned and said, "Oh ho? Can't damage Metagross with Smog, but you can certainly limit our field of vision. Nice instincts!" He grew even more curious to see what kind of plan Steph had in store for him. Jean and his Metagross just stood there as Steph barked orders as her plan took shape. An attack through the smog and supporting fire to lock the Metagross in there.

"Oh nice plan, nice plan. You're going to have to do better than that though. Metagross, Hammer Arm on the ground."

The Metagross slammed its metal arm against the ground. It sounded like a bomb went off, debris flew everywhere. The force of the attack pushed Glory back as well as dissipating the smog that had rolled in. Meanwhile the debris of the attack shielded the Metagross from the series of embers that Dusk shot towards it. The Metagross then grabbed a large chunk of the debris with its claws and spun back, using the chunk of cement as a shield from the stream of water shot by Steve the Wingull.

That was attempt one.

---

@Zarkun

Slayer was surrounded and raised by kind humans and came to this world with the help of a breeder named Ruey. Up until now, he would have no experience with humans that only take or even know that many Pokemon that were impacted during the Cipher Crisis.. However, the Riolu seemed quite bothered by Slayer's words as if it already knew what the Ralts said about Jason to be true. Perhaps it was conflicted with the beliefs that it held and its own ability currently conflicting with said beliefs?

The Riolu stood back and glared at Jason, pointing its paw at him. "Lou rio lou!" Jason certainly did not need to understand Pokemon to get the general gist of what it said. He would understand its intentions just by that challenging defiance in its eyes. Jason was being challenged to a battle! At this moment, he understood that this was a test.

How does he respond?

---

@GremlinAgain@baraquiel

Basil quickly glanced between Archie and Audrey with a look of realization. "Huh, now it suddenly makes sense how two rookies kept a cool head during battle. Kapoc does have an eye for talent." He muttered to himself. A sheepish smile formed on his lips unbefitting for someone with a tough guy, edgy appearance. "You could say that I'm acquainted with the professor through the champion. While we haven't met, maybe you've seen me on TV before? I did get a lot of interviews last time I was here."

Now that he mentioned Adriane Brand and being on television, something would have clicked for them. Earlier in the lab slipped in during Adriane's vomit vomit of an explanation as to why she was late, she mentioned that someone named Basil had just arrived in Evig today. And then there was the matter of him being on television. Now, they both had seen him on television. Audrey once saw him on television back in Kalos playing his heart out live at a concert while Archie once watched this same man in an exhibition match dominate his opponent in a Pokemon Battle. However, they both saw the news headlines that intersected both the world of musicians and trainers: Evig League's Confirmed New Elite Four Member...

"Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Basil Rivens, a member of Evig's newly formed Elite Four. A pleasure to meet you two." He said with a nervous smile. This man was one of the few in the region that was a step below Adriane Brand and as Archie would know given that he was basically her number one fan that she personally sought each Elite Four member herself.

"Dar!" The Darmanitan said with feigned offence.

Basil chuckled at his partner Pokemon. "And this is Cecil, my first and most trusted partner."

Amelia wondered towards the presence she felt, eventually ending up in an aisle of the shop filled with stuffed toys. She walked slowly down it, noting the presense getting closer and closer until it was right next to her. Stopping she looked towards the various toys before spotting the one that didn't match with the rest. She recognized the ragged Pikachu doll for what it was though and kept an eye on it. As such, she was in position when it hopped off the shelf, quickly catching the Mimikyu in her arms while it was still in the air and quickly pulling it in for a hug if she was actually successful.
"There there, it's okay. No need to be scared now." She said to the Ghost and Fairy Type calmly, gently patting it's actual head and not the fake Pikachu head. "What are you doing in here? People watching? Hoping to scare someone? Or are you just in here for shelter?"

If it avoided being caught by the little medium though, she would immediately give chase, using her abilities to keep track of it and follow it wherever it would go.

Vivian stands at attention, a smile on her face as she looks between the Champion and Director, seemingly unbothered by the antics of the duo (and Professor), letting herself get roped into Adriane's hug, "Yep! I've been around Pokémon plenty, but I'm excited to get out and explore the ruins of Evig" she says, launching into a tangent as the group began to move, with one having to make sure Vivian was actually following during her rant, "I actually come from Celestic Town back in Sinnoh and have a big love of archeology and history. I know most of the region is mapped out but I'm sure there's some stuff that got lost to history thanks to the whole Cipher incident. I mean you've got stuff like the Ruins of Alph, Burned Tower, and other stuff that tends to get abandoned and left alone for years before someone explores it again and finds something new. You've heard of the Relic Castle, right? I've done research on it and there's only an estimated fifty percent of the ruins actually explored due to sand. I mean, Unova's been developing for years at this point and we still haven't explored the entirety of the ruins there yet, just imagine what kind of stuff is still buried there. I've even heard of things like a living sun being found inside the ruins too, maybe there's a living moon-"

Abruptly, Vivian stops herself, looking around and realizing that they had moved all the way from the lab into a large, open habitat for Pokémon. She blinks for a moment as if readjusting herself, before properly catching up, rubbing the back of her head, "Sorry, got excited with archeology talk! Let me just go grab my partner real quick" the trainer to be says before running towards the table and picking up her Pokéball, taking a few steps back and opening her Pokéball without any fanfare, clearly more interested in seeing what was inside of it...



A burst of white emerges from the Pokéball, revealing a short, stocky and round automaton, its eyes lighting up with a yellow glow as it straightens itself out, looking up at its new trainer... Who had dropped the Pokéball in shock, her face lighting up with sheer excitement at it, "Oh my GOODNESS IT'S A GOLETT! THIS IS PERFECT, I'VE DONE SO MUCH RESEARCH ON THESE BEFORE! They were apparently made thousands of years ago and still have enough energy to burn to this day! It's odd that there's still some Goletts left that haven't turned into Golurks, but oh my goodness you can see the age of this one still!" Vivian begins her rant anew, practically snapping to different positions around her new Golett as she examined them, "Ooooh look at the cracks here on its arms, it's already done some fighting. Seal on its torso still seems firmly secured. Somehow most scientists actually don't know what kind of energy Goletts use, which is a bit strange since we've been with them for quite some time. Professor Kadoc do you have any idea why that would be-" Vivian suddenly breaks from her examination, turning back to the group with a new train of thought... Before her Golett abruptly grabs her hand, pulling her back a slight bit.

Before the trainer has any time to react however, the Golett suddenly tosses her into the air, a loud shriek coming from her as she spins rapidly. Golett, however, doesn't seem bothered, merely keeping its head fixed on her as it takes a few steps, to reposition itself, its hand stretched out. After a few moments, the purpose of this became clear as Vivian came back to the ground, surprisingly landing feet first on Golett's hand, though hardly perfectly, as Golett still had to reposition itself and its hand in order to balance Vivian, who was busy wobbling in place. If one looked closely, they could likely see swirls in her eyes from the dizziness.

Golett, however, did not seem to notice this, simply making proud sounding noises as it looks at the Professor and rest of the group.

---

---

Leaving the hills and rocks and sleeping, half-buried dudes-in-the-ground and the frankly uncomfortable number of fishmern behind, Evelyn trotted on down Route 4,until something new started to coem into view. Trees, as it were. That was fine. She'd gone walking in a wooded area once or twice before, no biggie!

... Exept it was a biggie. A real biggie. Because as she approached and came closer, these trees... They somehow just kept getting larger... And larger... And what-the-actual-Gigalith was this!? These things weren't just huge, they were monolithic!! What the hell was in the soil that made trees grow as tall as frikkin' skyscrapers!? Heck, some of these things were probably as tall as the buildings over in NExus City! Evelyn paused, momentarily, gazing up in awe at the goliath vegetation that now stood before her like a looming Fortress of Doom.

Gulp.

Well, there was no turning back now. She'd come this far, and no way in heck was a ... Well.. Giant forest... going to stop her! So, following the small dirt path, she ventured forth, into the underbrush, underneath the massive canopies and trillions upon gazillions of leaves and branches above. It was sort of like going into a cave... Except... Outdoors... And up on the surface... And with less rocks... Anyway!

The first thing the blonde trainer noticed, was just how big these trees actually were when you stood next to them. Like, yikes! Just walking around a single trunk would take you a fair bit of time. Seriously, you could probably carve out an entire home for someone inside the trunk of these things alone. Hmm.. Actually, that mighjt've been pretty cool. A real tree-house. Evelyn smirked at her own internal pun. Thankfully, nobody elese was around to see it.

Moving right along and going deeper though, things started to liven up. There were pokemon, of course. A lot of... Bugs... Now, Evelyn didn't have a problem with bug-types per se, she loved her Joltik after all. But there was just something about a whole, damn, numerically inflated swarm of the little things that made you get gooosebumps all over. In addition to the party-worms and caterpillar-thingies, there were also... Frumpy mushrooms... Yup. Those were some grouchy-ass-lookin' fungus. When her rotom phone detailed what they could do, Eve got this weird feeling that it might just be better to leave those little guys alone for now.

What was odd though, were the people here. There were a good number of them, and a whole heapin' few were... Climbing the trees? ... Why..? And why were some of them so excited, but also somehow terrified(?), of those marks that were scratched across the bark and sides of some of the big lumberpoles? Wasn't it just some failed attempt at lumberjacking? Still, there wasn't any har in finding out more, was there?

Thusly, our intrepid beauty made her way over to one of the big trees, with those kinds of bizarre cuts or whatever they were, where there was an excited person standing nearby to. Hailing them in a friendly-enough-manner, Evelyn would ask.

"I notice a lot of people here are really excited about these... Scratches? On the trees. Why is that? And why're some of you trying to climb these giant things?"

Once she'd gotten her answer - and if she got none from this person, she'd move on to someone else and ask the same thing - there was only one more thing to do!

Yup. It's time.

time for Evelyn to look around and see if there any other pokemon lurking about that could be spotted or encountered, without spending too much effort or tredding off the little woodland-road too far. The search for more pokemon was on!

She could feel the vibrations of something big approaching as she picked up the captured Roggenrola, now dubbed "Pyrite", indeed, though it would admittedly get the psychic in a mild hurry to 'get away and hide'. Yet she would also grab the top of Scrapper as the duo began to book it back in the direction they'd come, even as his tiny panicked legs made as quick a run as they could for their lives, aiming on her part to find the nearest side tunnel or corner....somewhere they could hide out of sight behind a tunnel wall at least at the nearest convenience to avoid being seen by anything coming by. Even so, in her haste the psychic would breifly drop the newly captured Pokemon she still had in her hand, the ball opening and unleashing the once-vibing Roggenrola that was now inside of it.

"Click clack clock?"

He seemed a tad bit confused, perhaps understandably, as it made audible click clacking noises of its own as it seemingly spoke aloud at the sudden lack of punch bunnies and having been caught. At the same time, Clarissa would almost stumble over her feet as she turned to grab up the Pokeball and the little guy himself before darting forward once more in the direction she had been running. Where would they have a safe spot, though? Would anywhere be safe down-

"...Clack click click. Clack clock."

The Roggenrola turned its little body, crying aloud a bit more and pushing against her under-arm carrying in the direction as they neared a-....oh! It was a smaller side tunnel, one she might've not seen otherwise with her eyes in her panic, one that seemed to wrap around at a curve enough to hide maybe one person and a couple of small Pokemon. Maybe? Either way Clarissa would dart into the small side tunnel and squeeze herself and her two Pokemon in as best as she could.

...Poor little Scrapper was looking a fair bit scared, though was huddled to Clarissa's side as best as he could wedge himself, and Pyrite-

"Click clack."

Was whispering quietly for a second? It seemed so since he was being quieter than a few moments ago. He seemed to be vibing in front of the psychic, however, near the corner, keeping watch?! He'd just been caught for pity's sake, what in the mind of this little Roggenrola was-....was...oh. Right, none of them wanted to get eaten or so forth, perhaps, so that made sense. Even so, only Clarissa and the little Roggenrola would be in place to 'take a peek' if a safe chance to do so presented itself as the danger came by. That was a big 'if', however, as self-preservation was certainly not going to be any less than the first priority in this scenario for the trio.

Though as they waited in any case, the sense of deja-vu wasn't letting up even with the advent of new danger presenting itself. In fact, it somehow felt more like the opposite? Sure she felt some nostalgia and such at first, and yet...something about this place, these tunnels, the glow, all of it put her in some kind of odd feeling that something here was also familiar that she couldn't put a finger on. What was this place, and what in the world was going on here? She'd have checked her Rotom phone if it had alerted her before the approaching danger came, but there seemed to be nothing so far as far as she could tell on its end.

She just hoped that Amelia was doing well and that Nils was staying safe. But why were no messages getting back to her yet either? Perhaps the others were busy, that seemed fair enough, but hadn't the Professor said these Rotom Phones would work anywhere well enough? Hmm. She'd have to see once she got back to the sewers, and perhaps up to the surface once more, to boot.

But, for now, survival was important. Yes.

[Clarissa, Scrapper, and Pyrite are Hiding From The Approaching Danger (And Might Get A Peek At It Only If Safe To Do So From Around The Corner)]

@Remram

---

Claris had expected power from the champion of Evig, not a hug.

Brand slung an arm over her shoulder like they’d known each other for years—which, Claris certainly did, but she was quite sure that Adriane did not. And, in response, Claris froze, locking up as some defensive reflex she didn’t know she had was activated. Brand was close. Too close.

By the time the Champion let go, Claris had mapped three different reactions and committed to none of them. Instead, she smoothed the front of her coat in a quiet, practiced motion, her features carefully still.

She followed as the group moved, Vivian’s words filling the space in bursts of fast-paced, breathless fascination. Claris didn’t mind the noise. There was substance underneath the volume. But it was a lot, especially next to someone who hadn’t stopped talking since the doors opened.

The lab gave way to something much larger than she'd imagined: a simulated forest under an impossibly large dome. A gentle, artificial breeze brushed her face—simulated, of course, but the detail was striking. It made sense, in hindsight, why the building’s footprint on the map was so oversized, but seeing it in person was something else entirely.

Her eyes shifted to the table ahead, which was lined with Pokeballs, each marked with a name. She found hers easily and lifted it, thumb resting just under the button. She didn’t open it.

Vivian darted forward, brimming with excitement. Her Pokéball burst open in a flash of white, revealing a short, sturdy Golett that stood with eerie stillness as its new trainer lit up in delight.

Claris watched, quiet as the girl rambled about ancient energy, relics, cracks in armor, the unknowable source of a Golett’s power. It was impressive in a way. Loud, certainly, but the knowledge underneath was real, and Claris could respect that.

Then the Golett grabbed her.

Claris froze again, eyes narrowing. Vivian was lifted off the ground like a plush doll, tossed skyward before Claris could take a proper step forward. Her fingers brushed her belt reflexively, but before she could do more, the Pokéball in her hand snapped open.

A Pawniard dropped into a crouch in front of her, two blades half-raised, posture sharp. Silently, it watched the Golett, gaze focused and unreadable. He didn’t move, and neither did she.

Then Vivian landed, ungracefully but unharmed, on the Golett’s waiting palm. The stone Pokemon repositioned, stabilizing the dizzy girl, and both Claris and the Pawniard straightened. The Pawniard’s eyes flicked toward Claris, then away again. Checking that the situation was stable.

Claris stared at the Pawniard for a beat longer. She hadn’t known what to expect when she’d been accepted into the program—only that it felt unlikely. She hadn’t let herself imagine what kind of partner she might get.

Pawniard were known for sharp instincts, clean tactics, a certain lack of warmth—but she hadn't expected one to move that fast for someone it had just met.

She tilted her head slightly, studying him.

“Good instincts.” she murmured.

For now, she straightened, Pokéball forgotten in her hand. The Pawniard stood close, not touching, not looking. Just present.

It was a start.

---

@Remram @Joshua Tamashii

Valerian had followed Amelia through the Poké Mart, still a bit sore about not being able to afford all the stuff he wanted to buy. He was mid eye roll at a particularly ugly Slowpoke themed keychain when he noticed her stop ahead. “Ooh Pokedolls. Cute choice!” There were Pikachus, Clefairys, Ralts. So many to choose from. If only he still had money to get one. But one Pikachu plush didn’t quite match the rest. He recognized that crude Pikachu rag immediately. A Mimikyu.

Before he could react, it sprang off the shelf. Only to be caught by Amelia, who cradled it in her arms like a frightened child. He stood in stunned silence, watching her soothe the ghost-type like she’d done this a hundred times before.

He took a step closer, and cleared his throat. “I’m intrigued. A shy, theatrical spirit hiding behind a tattered mask… misunderstood, feared, and desperate for affection?” He placed a dramatic hand over his chest. “How utterly tragic. How magnificent.”

Aurelia Rose, still hovering by his shoulder, buzzed something between a sigh and a chuckle. Camellia simply tilted her leafy head at the scene.

Valerian ignored them both. He crouched down slightly to meet Mimikyu’s gaze. “You don’t need to be alone anymore, little one,” he said gently. “I’m hoping to become a Fairy type master, and you would make a fine addition to my royal court. If you’ll have me… I’d be honored to offer you a place by my side.”

Then he glanced over at Amelia with a smile. “Unless of course he’s already taken a liking to you. In which case…” He stood, placing a hand to his heart, “I shall try not to be too heartbroken.”

---

Nils was never one to distrust his gut feelings, so he knew there had to be something around the area spying on them, he just didn't expect to find it so quick. And unless the pokemon down here had learned how to cuss, that something was definitely a human. Obviously other people had been down in the sewers before, but that there was actually one with them right now was sort of a shock. Was sewer diving some kind of popular city trend or something??

Of course Nils didn't hesitate to give chase. Not only was he curious, but since the mystery person had run he figured that they had to be up to something. Tors was right by his side as they raced after the sound of footsteps. It was hard to tell if they were gaining ground with the combo of shadows and echoes but luckily for them, and unluckily for the person they were after, the telltale sound of something plunged into the sewage meant their quarry wouldn't be getting away anytime soon.

Nils and Tors approached the lip of the walkway that separated them from the stream of waste water, and indeed there was another person. A man who was unfortunately sitting waist deep in said water. Nils' pulled his rotom phone out again, letting it float in the air with the flashlight app shining down on the guy to further illuminate him in the already dim light.

Huh, doesn't look how I expected, Nils thought. Then again he hadn't really expected to find a person at all until the chase started. And, well, look at Clarissa and him. Sewer exploration took all kinds.

And then the guy immediately started trying to explain. There had been an amused look on Nils' face at first when finding the guy had slipped into the sewage, but it faded into an uneasy one fast. He hadn't even considered what the man was implying against, but now that it had been brought up... was this guy actually a creep? Thank goodness Amelia hadn't come down here with them.

"Yeah, man, it looks really bad," Nils told him. Sensing his trainer's new tension, Tors squared up at the edge of the water to make the stranger think twice about trying anything as he stood up.

But they didn't attack the guy, they heard him out, for the moment.

"A detective?"

Maybe an investigator could be down here looking for clues for any number of cases, even the eerie cries that he and Clarissa were here for now, but even so wasn't that kind of... sketchy?

Nils took the business card, reading it over quickly before looking back to the PI and asking, "if you're actually a detective, what are you here investigating? And why'd you run away?"

One might've expected a disgruntled Steph at her first attempt effectively being swatted away, and maybe for a brief moment her annoyance resurfaced. But if it did, it didn't last long as her grin simply grew wider. Of course it wouldn't be so easy as to find the answer right away, it wouldn't be a challenge if it was so simple right? Perhaps it also gave some insight into her...wild personality, to put it kindly. This did however give her an idea of how he was 'not going to make it easy', eyeing the debris in particular it created. Could she pull off something with it? She had a million ideas racing through her mind, most of which weren't really realistic nor applicable in this situation. Maybe if she had caught one of Espurrs, she could do something different?

Eh no matter, she just had to work with what she had.

"Eh its praetty buysic, anyone weeth hahf a moind faw bahttlin wouldve thaw' of ih'." She didn't view it as 'impressive' instincts, she thought it was pretty much common sense. Sure a smokescreen would've been a more effective play, but just obscuring the vision temporary was enough of a play to maybe get an edge so she made do with the next best thing. If it came down to it though, if he thought attempt one was impressive, wait till he saw what she had planned for attempt five...


People should pray she wouldn't have to rely on it.

Though she wasn't sure how proceed from here for attempt two. She could attempt the same thing, make a slight alteration? But that probably rely on him reacting the same way, so she dismissed that idea for now. The Smog play would probably remain in use, it was really the only way she could give her mons much in the way of cover. She could maybe attempt to continue to bombard with ranged attacks? He could just hammer arm and put debris in the way again though. Much to consider, and she was doing so in pretty quick time really.

She may be a act first, think later type of gal mostly, when it came to battling a thrill she found was trying to problem solve on the fly. Not that she had really done any bar trying to put herself in anothers shoes when she watched them fight and think about what she would do. She didnt want to use what she would save for the last attempt if she had no other choice, it was pretty stupid and crazy honestly. And that was coming from her.

"Eh, whoy nawt." With a shrug, she decided to try something admittedly pretty basic, but maybe a classic would work? Then again her pokemon were still very green so none of her plans could possibly even be feasible with em, but eh it was the idea that counted right?


"Dusk laets staht weeth anuhthah Smog, geeve em haell weeth some Embah oolsao. Steve, Oy wahnt yah t'...." Calling her pokemon back over, she spoke in a softer tone so as to not be heard, though she was still making some rather...animated and exaggerated hand gestures. Once that was over, the Wingul was just left staring off into the distance as if some eldritch being had just talked to it, but still nodded as for the sake of convenience it understood Steph.


With his approach hopefully covered by the Smog, her plan was to have Steve burst out of the smog and start blasting water gun at the Metagross the moment it was spotted, and then aim to just do flyby water guns from different angles, but mostly Steve's use here was to drop off the once more curled up into a ball Glory so he could Aqua Jet into some of the debris nearby just before leaving the Smog. Effectively the idea was to pinball and try and pick up speed by bouncing off the debris, or at least make the ability to judge what angle Glory was attacking from more difficult.

And if Glory somehow got close enough to do this? Pocket Sand the Metagross in the face, aka use Sand Attack. If nothing else, it would hopefully make a later attempt easier to land. Or you know if you worked, helped the Metagross get hit in the face by the follow up Aqua Jet. The idea would be more...interesting if Metagross hammer armed the ground again and thusly left Glory more debris, and potentially airborne debris, to work with. If nothing else, Steph wanted to learn this Metagross's moveset.

Audrey smiled at the compliment, i'm so totally really good at this. Aren't i? she thought. "You could say that I'm acquainted with the professor through the champion. While we haven't met, maybe you've seen me on TV before? I did get a lot of interviews last time I was here.. Wait...TV? Interviews? Champion? Basil? OHHHHHHHH a spark flickered within Audrey's brain, connecting the dots. OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH NO WAY!!!= Audrey tried to hold in her screaming and it came out as a high pitched squeak when she tried to speak, "NO WAY!! Your THE Basil??" she covered her mouth, for dramatic effect and to suppress her screams. Her heart raced before she realized HE was the one Adriane talked about, OH ARCEUS DID I MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION???? Audrey genuinely tried to calm down.

Audrey smiled before letting Rift out of his Pokèball, trying to introduce him aswell. Rift was genuinely startled by Audrey's excitement, the poor zorua didn't understand that one of the elite four was right infront of them. "Zor! Zorrr..???" the fox chirped with confusion, looking at Bravos to see if he knew anything. Audrey was hyperventilating during Basil's introduction, before finally getting to calm down, " Oh my Arceus...Hii! I'm Audrey Caroll! I'm like, such a big fan of that concert you did in Kalos! And like this is Rift! no wayy, NO WAAYY— Okay Audrey, be be be- CALM DOWN!! Rift didn't quite wanna be there, tapping against the Pokéball Audrey still hold, he went inside by himself. Uh...Pokémon can do that-?

@baraquiel

"Chespin, Ches!" Bravos came out of its Pokéball as it didn't want to worry Archie too much. While it's still not fit to be in a battle, Bravos wanted to reassure its Trainer that it rested well enough to be able to walk alongside them.

The Grass starter Pokémon looked around in confusion, wondering why they stopped somewhere. That's when it noticed that its Trainer, Audrey, and Rift were talking to the old woman who's stuff was stolen, along with the stranger who helped them carry the thief.

Speaking of carry, Bravos slowly looked up at the Pokémon carrying the thief who was now looking down at it with a wide, toothy grin. "Che-Che-Che-Chespin!" It quickly jumped behind Archie's leg, its body quivering in fear as it looked nervously at the Darmanitan.

As for Archie, he could feel the gears in his mind clicking together. He hadn't really put too much thought into it since he was still basking in the afterglow of winning his first battle but upon closer inspection, the guy did seem really familiar. It wasn't until he said his name was Basil that everything fell into place.

"Oh!" Archie dropped his fist in his other palm as he remembered Basil. "You're part of the Elite Four, just beneath Miss Adriane. That means I have to work hard to beat you and be on her level!" He said, his eyes shining with newly realized purpose.

When Audrey shrieked and fangirled, Bravos yelped loudly in response too. Archie laughed and carried his Chespin under his armpits. "My name's Archie and I'm gonna be a hero just like Miss Adriane! This is my partner, Bravos, and we're gonna train lots to beat the Elite Four and be a hero-champion like her someday. Say hi, Bravos!" He proudly said with a wide, toothy grin, stretching his arms out to show Bravos to Cecil and Basil.

"Ch-Ch-Chesss...?" Bravos uttered in confusion before passing out from pure shock and fear, its soul escaping from its open mouth for comical purposes. It probably fainted after realizing its Trainer practically introduced themselves as potential rivals to an Elite Four member. The poor Chespin simply couldn't catch a break.

Regan Calhoun

@Remram

Just some bog-standard bird Pokemon up here. “Hmm. Maybe it’s something up here besides a Pokemon? Something that would be of interest to a trainer.. I can’t imagine it would be some kind of item. Must be a pokemon, right? Or maybe a viewpoint.. We’ll check it out later, Kaebe. Maybe whatever it is will turn up. Now that we’ve swept the building, let’s look in the basement again.”

On the elevator ride back down, she crouched in the elevator and gave her cute little dino a lot of pets and attention. There was a rhythmic thumping against the side of the elevator as it descended, from his wagging tail.

Very dog.

The pair reentered the basement, and Regan went to the box that had been suspect. Even she couldu smell the burnt, but perhaps Kaebe could smell something more peculiar? Some kind of pokemon that wanted something to do with the electricity. Probably an electric type, if it wasn’t already done in by the potent electrical current.

"Whatcha smell, boy? Any Pokemon?" She lifted her chin to point forward, at the breaker box.

The Riolu's sudden shift in attention and pointing of its paw at the aspiring champion was indeed self-explanatory. "You want a battle, huh?" Jason glances at Slayer and the Ralts steps up to stand next to his partner and the trainer nods before standing up himself. "Alright, little buddy, a battle it is. I don't know what you and Slayer talked about, but I guess I don't need to with a fierce fire in your eyes like that. Slayer, let's do this. Double Team into Disarming Voice!"

@Crimson Flame@Joshua Tamashii

Very much against its will it was caught in the little girl's arms, wriggling very hard to get free. However, it stopped for a moment when she asked what it was doing in this Pokemart. Now, she could not understand what Pokemon could say. However, she could commune with the dead and spirits and, well, ghost type-Pokemon were close enough to being either of those things. So what Amelia heard were the articulated thoughts of the Mimikyu while Valerian just heard random gibberish.

"My friend and I came in here to find medicine to help treat our other friend. We were going to sneak off with it, but then I saw those Pikachu and I was filled with unyielding... murderous... rage." The Mimikyu's little dots for eyes dilated as they focused back on the shelf of Pikachu plushies

"Let me at them! Stupid popular electric rat!" It shouted, its shadowy hands sprung out from the yellow cloth and its claws flailed in the air towards the stuffed Pikachus before it broke free before rushing towards the stuffed dolls again with the intention to rip some more heads off.

There was a question that really needed to be answered. Where was its friend?

"Mimu!" Valerian heard from behind and before his face was covered by the shadowy hands of another Mimikyu, latching on tightly.

"Oh my God get them out of my store!" The cashier shouted in abject horror.

How do they react?

---

@Typical@Goggy

"Whoa, those Pokemon certainly have some intense personalities!" Adriane commented with a laugh as she watched Vivian get tossed high into the air while the Pawniard was ready to go for the kill. Somehow, each trainer got a Pokemon that suited their unique personalities though whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was up in the air.

Direc "Well, I for one think that we should not delay their adventure any longer. Professor Kapoc, could you give them their Pokedexes?" Said Director Beck.

Professor Kapoc gruffly said,"I'm getting there, I'm getting there. I just need to get a few matters settled." He fished around his lab pocket before handing them their Rotom Phones. Their phone's eyes shot wide open and hovered around their new owners.



"As you know, a Pokedex is an encyclopedia for the Pokemon you can find in a given region. As my assistants, you will be filling out the Pokedex as you all gather data on the returning populations of certain species of Pokemon. Any Pokemon that you catch will be sent here where we will observe for research. For each new species and variant you catch and/or evolve, you will be financially compensated based on the rarity of the Pokemon. Each time you record a Pokemon's location, it will be shared among all of you. Please test it out on the Pokemon you all just received."







For some reason, there was now this big damn black dragon hovering behind Professor Kapoc though it looked sleepily grumpy as if the incarnate of violence was awakened by the Vivian's screaming. It leaned down and sniffed the two new trainers before it grunted and hovered over to a very worn patch of grass and flopped on it.

"Now onto the phone itself. These are modified with state of the art military grade tech. You could be below the earth's crust and I'm certain you'd at least get three bars. The lab's phone number and all of your numbers are already installed to ensure you all are able to communicate with each other and myself. This includes the phone numbers of the group that you were supposed to be a part of today. Other than that, they're just regular phones so do as you will with them."

Kapoc rummaged through his over-sized lab coat pockets and pulled out small sacks of something before he gently lobbed each one at the new trainers. "Oh and take these as a bit of help."



"By the way, you guys aren't my only assistants. We had another group yesterday. They should still be around the city or close by. Anyway, I've done my part. If you have any questions about the league, ask Director Beck and Ms. Brand. Other than that, you are all dismissed."

Well, the world was their cloyster. Now what?

---

@Xaltwind

One of the people that she approached was one of the bug maniacs. They tore their attention away from the slash marks to look at her through their thick soda bottle glasses that frankly made them look like the bugs that they were obsessed about. "Hm? Oh you haven't heard?" He said with nerdy, snide superiority as if he had something over her. "A Pokemon that was thought to be extinct in Evig due to excessive poaching was seen around here, but what we can gather is that it's located somewhere in the Deep Woods of Starbor Forest. It's an incredible opportunity for collectors such as ourselves... albeit it may be above our skill level."

Another one of those nerds looked up at the people climbing the tree. "As for those guys, they're just adrenaline junkies. You know, the kind of people that climb something because it's there? But hey, if you're a trainer I've heard you can find some Pokemon that make the canopies their homes. You can rent or buy equipment back in Starbor Village."

Well that was very valuable information! A Pokemon's population making a comeback and Pokemon that lived in the canopies high above though judging by the comments of the bug maniac it seemed a bit dicey so to speak. Also, those trees were really, really tall so if she ever felt tempted to climb them then she better be ready to break a sweat.

But beyond that, there were other Pokemon that were not so off the beaten path. Occasionally, she would see little purple apes climbing on the branches that hung lower to the ground. They had very mischievous grins as if they would fleece your pockets if you were not careful.



However, there were some trees that had strange colorful markings that... that stunk. They had an acrid smell and the ones that were responsible were these strange looking gray creatures with black gas mask-like faces, bulging eyes, and buck teeth that were colored purple by the tips. They seemed to be painting parts of the forest that they seemed to be their territory.



Well, now what?

Connected Areas:

Route 4
Corrupted Marsh
Starbor Village

---

@Crusader Lord

Earth tremored beneath Clarissa's feet and bits of rock and dust fell upon her as the thing that she sensed drew closer to her. She could hear the rumbling of earth and rock, and the scraping of... metal? It just kept getting louder and louder reaching a fever pitch that would have left those in ear shot with ringing in the ears until it came to halt. Whatever it was, it was massive. Clarissa could tell just by hearing the way its body moved. It was as if boulders were rubbing against each other.

The smart thing would be to hide as much as possible and wait out whatever this thing was. However, curiosity got the better of the psychic and she just had to take a look and, well, she certainly got an eye full. A large, metal snake with a colossal jagged under bite glinted under the ephemeral light of the cave. Its mouth opened up and bit down on a chunk of rock, crushing it into pebbles.

Clarissa's Rotom Phone hovered in front of her and read out the creature's entry:



The Rotom Phone read this out loud, at full volume. Its robotic voice bounced off the cavern walls. They were not built with self-preservation in mind.

The Steelix was now facing Clarissa, its big red eyes were now honed in on her though it was not attacking her. It was just looking at her, waiting to see what she would do.

What does Clarissa do?

---

@Shazamrock

The business card was rather plain looking and looked rather cheaply made. In fact, it was less of a business card and more like regular printer paper was placed in those clear sleeves meant for trading cards. It looked like it was just typed up on the Pokemon equivalent of a word document with no design aspect to wow or impress potential clients. In fact, the one that Nils was holding now looked like it was stained with the bottom of a coffee cup. However, it was still legible and it said Dick Dudley, Private Eye. An unfortunate or appropriate name. It also had his business phone number and address. Apparently he was a resident of Neon Shore City.



Dudley stood up, standing perfectly straight, and cleared his throat as if to try and maintain professional legitimacy even when his pants were soaked in... never mind. "I've been investigating an odd disappearance. I was hired by a rich unknown benefactor to find their child and their Pokemon and the next thing I know I found a similar trend. This was the last place that kid was seen before they poofed into the aether. And the job is paying well and with the divorce and the alimony I have to pay my wife..." As he spoke he grew more and more dejected, his overly straight posture slumped in defeat.

"She took the kids, man. She took everything. I don't even have a proper place to live in anymore. I've been living out of my office for three months, sleeping on a mattress that I'm sure just by smell alone belonged to a grandpa before he passed away. My meals are now consistently just canned Veluza and top ramen. I am dead broke and just really need the job, kid." Rather than proving himself to be dangerous, he just seemed outright pathetic. Like life was just repeatedly kicking him down until he was both metaphorically and literally at the lowest he possibly could be, in the sewers covered partially in waste.

However, he seemed to have enough self awareness that he was dumping way too much personal on a random kid and straightening his posture again. "As to why I ran away. Can you blame me for running away if you saw anyone down here?" Said the detective as if he was not lamenting how much his life sucked.

"Actually, you wouldn't have seen anything would you?"

---

@Lunarlord34

"Just take the compliment" Jean said to the girl who stubbornly refused to take any form of praise. He stood there though, patiently waiting to see what kind of plan she would come up with. Frankly speaking, even if she said her orders out loud in broad daylight he doubted that he would actually understand a word she even said. It may as well have been her giving orders to her Pokemon in a completely different language.

What he could guess and correctly so was her taking advantage of Smog to use as cover for her Pokemon again and out from the smokescreen came out the annoying little Wingull shooting more water at the sentient super computer. Once again, the Metagross lifted that chunk of debris it was holding earlier and used it as a shield from the various Water Guns at various different angles. This was then followed up by Glory pinballing his way out of the smog, using the debris to erratically change its path.

The gamble would pay off as the little Wimpodd That Could was able to get just close enough to kick up sand at the Metagross and... it was complicated. It hit the Metagross' eyes and it made a sound of mild annoyance because no one likes getting dirt, dust, and grit in their eyes. However, at the same time if Steph was concerned about stat drops then this would have done nothing. However, what she was aiming for worked and worked within the confines of the game. So she was able to blind the metal giant though the battle wasn't won yet.

"Metagross! Ice Punch on the ground!" A chilling aura surrounded the Metagross' claws and once again it struck the ground with ferocious force though what happened next was very different. Spikes of ice protruded outward from the ground acting as a barrier between Glory and the Metagross, preventing its follow up Aqua Jet from connecting.

While she had yet to inflict damage to the Metagross, she had him on the back foot now. All she needed to do was to apply even more pressure.

---

@baraquiel@GremlinAgain

"When you say my name like that it sounds like I'm a bigger deal than I actually am. Right now I'm just a trainer traveling around Evig, just like you two." Basil said with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head. "But yes, it's me. In the flesh." He lifted his hands up and let them fall to his sides. Rather than this big, larger than life character than one would expect him to be like the champion of the region, he was rather this awkward well meaning younger man. A self-deprecating behavior that betrayed the strength he wielded.

He smiled warmly at the two trainers. "Archie, Audrey. It's wonderful to meet two promising trainers and it's always nice to meet a fan." Basil knelt down to be closer to Archie and Bravos' eye level. "And it's always nice to meet a challenger. Work hard enough and I'll have no choice, but to accept your challenge."

His gaze shifted to the two Pokemon, "Hello Bravos, hello Rif-" He stopped mid-sentence when he realized that Rift just noped back into his Pokeball and that Bravos's spirit was floating comically out of its mouth. Did it just faint? "...Maybe they need to go to the Pokemon Center." He suggested.

Basil stood back up and patted his pockets and his shoulders as if he was looking for something. He looked quite troubled. "Ah shoot, I left my stuff at the hotel." He turned his gaze to Audrey. "Well, I can't give you an autograph, but how about a selfie instead? I'd feel bad to leave you empty handed. You can join too, Archie."

A quick photo session with the Rotom Phones later and the police cards rolled up to them.

"Ah, they're here. I'll take care of it. You kids enjoy your journey" Basil walked to the police car, but he turned back to the two newbie trainers. "Before I go, I'm gonna tell you both something that I wish someone told me when I first became a trainer. Dreams are heavy and, believe me, you're gonna carry that weight." Though he continued with a smile and said, "But don't let go of it, alright?"

Cecil the Darmanitan loaded Sven into the police car before being returned to her Pokeball. Basil went in followed by the old lady they helped though he rolled down the window. "I'll see you around Archie, Audrey. When we meet again I'll look forward to hearing all about your adventures." With that, the car drove off and they were alone again.

Well, there were no more purse snatchers, old ladies, or sudden appearances of an Elite Four member. They were now totally free to explore the city and by extension Evig to their heart's content.

So what was their first plan of action?

---

@CitrusArms

Metal, Kaebe smelled burned metal. The shiny scaley puppy walked with its snout to the concrete until the two of them were standing in front of a maintenance closet. Well, Regan was given the Maintenance Key by the receptionist at the front desk and with a ka-chunk of the lock she would've been able to open it. The inside of the closet was exactly what one would've imagined one to be. It was filled to the brim with cleaning products and equipment for making quick repairs for where the apartment managers couldn't be asked to outsource for better help.

Kaebe and even Regan could actually smell the burnt metal the strongest in this room. It wasn't to the sides. It wasn't on the ground. It was...above? They both looked up and saw a metal orb with a single big eye, magnets for limbs, and a screw coming out of its head. There were burn marks around its eye in the same way a child was caught with cookie crumbs all over their messy face.

The Rotom Phone hovered and read out in its robotic, electric voice:



It blinked at the ranger hopeful and the thing that should've been extinct before it somehow widened in panic. "Magne!" It cried out before it tried to bolt to the door.

How does Regan react?

---

@Zarkun

Now, here was the thing that Disarming Voice. It can't miss at all. By design this move bypasses all accuracy checks. So when Slayer cried out an aura of heart shaped sound waves slammed against the Riolu for super-effective damage. However, the Riolu was caught off guard as it only declared a challenge and was not positioned for battle just yet. How unsportsmanlike!

The Riolu glared at Jason and dashed off towards the more wooded area, using the trees as cover from the Ralt's long range attacks. "Olu!" It shouted, telling them to come and fight them then. If Jason was going to fight dishonorably in its eyes then it was going to go out of its way to make this fight even harder on him.