Amelia would let out a sigh of relief when the Mimikyu finally stopped going on a going on a toy destroying spree and instead seemed to focus on what it had originally came here to do. When it grabbed a potion and scurrying off. Amelia moved to follow, only stopping to pay for the potion, giving the shop owner an apologetic look before quickly following after the Mimikyu. With her abilities, following them through the streets waws not a problem for her, even if she lost sight of them or there were too many people. Eventually they reached an alley were there was a... not Mimikyu waiting for them.

Even without the advice from the Rotom, Amelia knew this was a delicate situation. One wrong more or word and the Pikachu could be attacked or worse. But it was either scared or in need of treatment. So, she carefully considered what to do before stepping forward and kneeling down next to the two little ghosties.
"I don't think we can treat your friend here. We need to take them to a pokecenter, were others can help it. It might take some time though. Will you let us take your friend to get treated?" She said to them. She felt bad for lying but this was the only way she could think of that not only saved the Pikachu but wouldn't upset the Mimikyu either, at least for the moment. After the Pikachu was taken care of was another story, since without it's 'costume' it would draw the instant ire of the Mimikyu and be attacked. So, she would have to try and take the lesser of two evils here.

@Remram @Joshua Tamashii

Valerian followed Amelia out. Occasionally rubbing the spot on his forehead where the Mimikyu he tried to capture headbutted him. The audacity! The sheer nerve!

When they reached the alley, he paused mid-step, blinking at the strange little trio before them. Two Mimikyu… and one not. His eyes narrowed. “…Wait.” He glanced at his Rotom Phone, which buzzed unhelpfully. Then at the bag-clad, trash-draped creature. Then back to the Mimikyu, who were doting on it like it was their long-lost cousin.

Valerian placed a hand dramatically over his chest. “So let me get this straight… That is a Pikachu, in disguise as a Mimikyu, who is already disguised as a Pikachu.” He paused, then gave a slow, impressed clap. “Honestly? Iconic. That’s commitment to the bit. Confusing. But iconic.”

Still, his eyes drifted warily to the Mimikyu, particularly the one who had turned his forehead into a landing pad. “…That said, I do suggest we proceed to the Pokémon Center with haste, before one of them has another emotional outburst and mistakes me for a chew toy again.” He dusted off his coat and added, “I can only take so many surprise headbutts in a day before it starts affecting my posture.”

---

She hadn’t made it far when the envelope was passed into her hand, folded neatly, corners worn soft from being carried around too long. No seal. No name. Just the familiar shape of something Lucen had touched, and chosen not to say aloud.

He’d sent word ahead, apparently. Said not to open it yet.

Claris didn’t roll her eyes, though the impulse flickered. That was just like him, always thinking three steps ahead, always reaching without explaining. She knew better than to take it lightly. Lucen didn’t waste gestures.

She turned the envelope once between her fingers, then slid it into an inner pocket where nothing else sat.

A message that would make sense later. Or one that wouldn’t. That was always the risk with Lucen.

But still… he’d sent it. He hadn’t forgotten.

She pressed the pocket shut and kept walking.

Grand Glory felt like a city trying very hard to forget what it used to be—and doing a decent job of it. Streets buzzed with people, digital ads blared from building walls, and Pokémon loitered as confidently as the residents. Birds clustered on streetlamps, Meowth sunned themselves on benches, and every few blocks or so, a Rattata skittered between alleyways, clearly used to being ignored.

As she walked, Claris flipped through her Pokédex, eyes narrowing slightly as new entries blinked into view, logged not by her but by the earlier arrivals. A few stood out as she silently scanned the list: Growlithe and Petilil. She hadn’t seen either yet, but the data was there, quietly shared across the network. A reminder that she was already a step behind. But that didn’t bother her. If anything, it made things clearer: The others were moving. She would too.

Claris lingered near a Pidove squabble long enough to see one headbutt the other off a cable, then turned toward the pale brick fencing that signaled the edge of Grand Glory Park.

The shift was immediate.

Noise fell away into the hush of trimmed grass and tree-filtered sunlight. Street performers and picnic-goers filled the green with warmth and motion, while across the lake, a handful of trainers worked their way through casual matches, all white-line sanctioned.

She caught sight of the blue bob of a Ducklett drifting across the water, dumbly serene. Sentret circled a tree trunk on the far side of the grass, one keeping lookout while the others scavenged. It was all very idyllic.

Pawniard walked a step behind her, not looking directly at anything but watching everything. When a street performer’s juggling act nearly spilled into their path, he didn’t flinch, but Claris noticed the subtle shift of weight in his stance. The readiness hadn’t faded.

Neither had hers.

Eventually, the pale brick path curled toward the Trainer’s School. She stepped into the sunlight outside the entrance, noting the architecture: clean lines, large windows, well-kept exterior. Efficient. The woman standing at the doors looked more like a Gym aide than a teacher, but her posture suggested experience.

As Claris approached, the woman’s smile registered. Friendly. Welcoming. Probably standard.

“Yes, thank you.” Claris’s voice was quiet, but clear. She met the woman’s eyes for a breath, then added, “I’m looking to observe battles today. Possibly identify rarer Pokémon in the area, if that data’s accessible.”

---

_@Remram

---

Unfortunately for the detective, Nils didn't slow down until the mysterious hole in the wall was within view. It was as he left it; no Rau or Clarissa climbing back out of it or waiting outside, but also still open, no blockages to speak of. It looked like he was going to have to go in, but before that he took a moment to take a breath and answer the question Dudley asked earlier about what he'd meant.

"We heard a crying sound coming from in there," Nils explained. "Been hearing it for a while now, way farther away than makes sense, unless the acoustics down here are just that good. So we followed it... my friend already went ahead, but I guess you already saw that if you were spying on us."

He didn't sound disturbed by the last bit, just stating a fact now that he knew Dudley was just a down on his luck detective. It was more the first part that Nils emphasized, since he hadn't thought anything strange about it until hearing Dudley's story. "You get it, right, detective? I mean if we followed this sound, how many other kids might have followed it down here too?"

As Nils mentioned before, he could be wrong about this. He sort of hoped he was, although that would mean the mystery of the missing kids would remain with no leads, ultimately a bad thing for both the people missing and his new acquaintance. Either way, Nils guessed he was going to find out soon enough. He moved to pulling himself into the hole in the wall when Dudley briefly stopped him to hand him an item. Nils glanced at the little purple ball, noting the cloud-like designs before tucking it away. He could probably guess its use pretty easily.

"Thanks," he said, flashing the detective a small grin. "Don't worry, I'll make sure we don't get added to that missing persons list. Keep watch for us here, detective!"

Then Nils vanished into the dark tunnel.

Further in, having already cleared the abnormally long hole and crossed through a few of the rocky tunnels at the bottom led by his nose, Rau had made it to his destination. The Rattata did not immediately approach Clarissa, instead it sniffed the ground around her and her two pokemon (already too used to the smell of trash for the Trubbish's passive stench to bother it, though its active one would be a different matter). The Rattata's hackles were raised as it clearly smelled the lingering metallic scent of some massive creature... but since the danger seemed to have passed, Rau calmed a little, especially after Clarissa pet his head.

Rau chittered at her, not quite happily, more like it was trying to tell her something. But, yes, Clarissa had guessed right, his new trainer was indeed looking for her. Rau had been in his pokeball or otherwise separated from Nils when the bulk of the explanation as to why was happening, but the Rattata was intelligent enough to be able to pick up on the subtle worry his trainer had been giving off when he'd sent Rau on this little mission.

He could also pick up the lingering fear signals the Roggenrola was putting out, so Rau eyed it critically. Had the rock-type been too scared to protect what was now his, the trainer girl, from whatever beast had just been through here? For shame. The Trubbish must be the second-in-command since that rabbit was out of commission. So Rau turned to the Trubbish and told it in their own pokemon language that he would be right back with my trainer boy and to make sure everyone stays put and safe.

Rau glanced at Clarissa once more, his whiskers twitching, before he set off the way he'd come from.

He would eventually find Nils not too far from where the small tunnel connected with the cavern. The boy was momentarily stunned at discovering all this beneath the sewers. Just how far down did this all extend?! The caverns didn't feature any pipes, walkways, or lights, making it seem undiscovered by humans, and yet there was a glow to the place somehow... The contrasting colors of the mysterious light and the rocks around him made the otherwise fairly featureless caverns sort of pretty.

Whoa... So a pokemon burrowed up from this place into the city's sewers...? Nils thought to himself, wandering forward to take in the area properly. In edition to the ethereal glow the cavern had, Nils' rotom dex floated up once more to add additional light... as well as to try and make a call now that Nils saw it might not be that easy to find Clarissa. He could see there were several directions he could take as many other tunnels branched out from the one he was in. Unfortunately, there wasn't much luck in the phone service down here. Nils looked around at the pokemon and gently laid a hand on the red stone wall as he considered which path to follow.

LIIIIIIIIIX!

Oookay, maybe not that way then. It was hard to tell where exactly the roar came from, but he could tell its general direction at least. If they were in a forest or something Nils was pretty sure he'd be able to track Clarissa, but as of now he just had to pick a direction and listen for either his fellow trainer or the cries they'd been after.

"Raa!" Before Nils went the wrong way, his pokemon returned to him. Nils dropped to one knee to scratch behind Rau's ear in greeting. "Hey! Did you find her?"

Rau stood on his hind legs and jerked his head down one of the other tunnels (the same direction that roar had come from, Nils noticed) before running a circle around his trainer. He intended to lead Nils the right way, and without wasting much more time the two set off. They did keep Clarissa and her party waiting for a little bit (she had a head start on them after all), but eventually the form of his fellow trainer parked on a boulder came into view.

Nils appeared more casual than Rau had tried to imply, but only because he didn't want to spook Clarissa and make her think there was an emergency happening. There was definitely something weird, suspicious, and potentially dangerous afoot, but at the moment it looked like the both of them were unharmed, so any worry Nils had faded. Now that they were together, the two of them could probably fend off anything that needed fending off once Clarissa had all the information he did.

...and if they couldn't, there was always that smokeball that Detective Dudley had given him.

"Glad to see you're alright," Nils said to her. "I met a guy up there that made me think you might have gotten spirited away."

And to be fair, being spirited away was a very real concern back home in the mountains too.

"But uh, long story short..."

Nils proceeded to fill Clarissa in on what had gone on back in the sewers, starting with the static message he'd gotten from her, then what he'd heard from the detective (minus the man's life story), and his own theory too. At the end of it, Nils did not suggest retreating. Just the opposite, he seemed like he wanted to get to the bottom of his mystery even more now.

Jason stopped Slayer in a clearing and watched the trees around them and let out a long breath. "Alright, keep up Double Team, but move around here in the clearing, draw in the Riolu. Then when they make a move to try and close with you again, hit it with Disarming Voice." Repeat the tactic, but use Growl on occasion, keep it off balance." He briefly considered swapping over to Rover, but he didn't think she knew any flying type moves yet. "We've got this, Slayer."

@Xaltwind

Well, that was that. Evelyn believed that it was the best course of action to follow her Growlithe's nose to find the mysterious Pokemon and honestly, who could blame her. How many trainers would have been tempted by the promise of finding rare Pokemon, especially one long thought to be extinct in the region?

So, she and her little critter companions would follow the fire pup deeper into the woods. As they walked deeper in, it seemed like they were walking up on an incline and the canopy of the trees seemed thicker. It was getting darker, far darker than the main path of Starbor Woods. Running water could be heard off far below rocky cliffs and mist wafted upwards, clinging to the air in a humid haze. They would eventually realize that there was no cared for path in front of them, just the tread upon rocky dirt that resembled a path from the inhabitants of the forest.

---

@GremlinAgain

While one could conserve Pokeballs to save for the encounters, there was also another train of thought. If she was paid for each capture then the Pokeballs she used would have actually paid for themselves. However, letting the whimsies of fate decide what her next partner should be also had a certain charm to it as well. And what would be the next addition to her team? What would the future rock star of tomorrow call her next partner in her glorious tale?

"Yamp?"

A little sparky loaf of a butt wagged in the air turned around to have an inquisitive little Yamper curious about the wandering footsteps that drew closer to it. It looked at Audrey with its electric yellow eyes, its tongue lolling out of its mouth as it panted with a dopey, trusting grin on its face though looks were deceiving. Even the cutest Pokemon had the potential to be battle hungry little blood knights though at this level neither Audrey or this Pokemon were limited in what strategies they could perform.

So, how does Audrey wish to engage with the Yamper?
(GM Note: If there isn't enough to react to, you can tell me what you want to do and I can add it on here!)

Connected Areas:

Grand Glory City
Florasong City
Illusive Woods

---

@baraquiel

Let's get down to business! To defeat, the mons!

Uh, sorry. Anyway, the little hero and his nervous bundle of spiny pins began their first ever training session! There were certainly any number of Pokemon that they could have had as their training partner. Well, as long as he avoided the venomous purple danger tubes that slithered along the grass and the Rookidees that occasionally just watched from a distance not wanting any smoke from an overactive ten-year-old and his Chespin.

Now considering that everything is relatively low level at the moment, there really were not any sophisticated strategies that Archie could command beyond bonking things with a Tackle or flaying things with a Vine Whip though in the future specifics may be asked! However, one of the Pokemon that he would face just like his companion Audrey were those little Yamper scamps wandering around. With a little sparkly Nuzzle, Bravos was paralyzed, which left the Chespin open to being attacked due to its lowered speed. It however proved to be an overall fruitful endeavor!



What course of action does Archie wish to take now?

Connected Areas:

Grand Glory City
Florasong City
Illusive Woods

---

@Joshua Tamashii@Crimson Flame

One could almost hear the metaphorical record scratch and the silence just hung heavy in the air. The Pikachu looked at Valerian. The Mimikyu looked at Valerian. The Rotom Phones looked at him. Hell, even I, the narrator, am currently looking at Valerian because even I can't actually believe what I am actually witnessing.

Finally breaking the silence Valerian's Rotom Phone said, "I should've stayed at the lab, bzt."

Then the Mimikyu snapped around, their fake heads whipping around in the air, to look at the Pikachu with murder glinting through their little eye hole. The Pikachu's eyes widened in panic and it dashed past them and hid behind the prince's leg looking for protection. Valerian would feel the gaze of the two Mimikyu looking at him with that murdery gaze of theirs, shadowy hands stretching out from underneath their cloth costumes.

"WECURSEYU!" They both cried out in unison.



The two Mimimkyu lunged towards Valerian, shadowy's claws bored at him.

How does Valerian respond? Also, Amelia if you want to opt out and leave Val to his own devices I will not blame you. But is that in your nature?

---

@CitrusArms

"Magne, magne, magne!" The little sentient orb chanted in a panic, its big eye focused on what was ahead though for a brief moment it glanced backwards to see the little blue dinosaur hot on its non-existent heels. "MAGNEMITE!" It cried out in fear, looking at Kaebe's rather large jaw parted open with the intention to chomp down on it again. It certainly was not in the mood to be that scaly pup's chew toy!

Now there actually weren't many places for the Magnemite to actually run off to. There were only two exits: an elevator and a stairwell. Now considering that it was not in the mood for sitting still waiting for the elevator doors to part open and listen to its non-offensive tunes, it made for a dash towards the stairwell. Needless to say, it was probably not going to be a good look for Regan if it actually got into the main part of the building. In a desperate attempt to get Kaebe to back off, the Magnemite's body crackled with energy before it shot another jolt of yellow electricity straight at the dinosaur.

Threat of property damage aside, how does Regan react?

(GM Note: Same deal here. If there isn't enough for you to react to, just let me know and I'll tack on what you want to do in this post!)

---

@Typical

The woman maintained a professional smile though a spark lit in her eyes when Claris mentioned her desire to observe some Pokemon battles. "You most certainly can. In fact, we have a few other guests sitting in some battles today." As quick as she showed excitement she was then visibly troubled by the girl's other request. "As for your other request, that may prove to be difficult though if you wish you can speak to one of my colleagues I could arrange that. He will have questions for you if that's alright."

"Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Ms. Astrid, I am actually the director of the battle practicum program. Actually, newly appointed. My grandmother used to fill this position, but retired after she became a gym leader." She held her hand out to Claris for a professional, yet friendly handshake.

"Now if you follow me, I'll show where our battlefields are." Needless to say, Claris would follow her inside of the building and into a lobby. On the contrary to the exterior of the building, it was more modern, more sleek, and definitely fed the idea that whoever funded this school was pumping a lot of money into it. As she led Claris through the corridors "Here at Grand Glory's Trainer Academy we offer the most cutting edge training and knowledge in all things Pokemon. We work hand in hand with all of the other schools in the area to provide an in-depth education on Pokemon and we do accept visitors who wish to learn as well. If one wants to live in this world with Pokemon then they must understand them."

Astrid chuckled and said, "Sorry, obligatory elevator pitch. Anyway, here we are." She pushed open a pair of doors to reveal an indoor arena with several battlefields. The battlefields themselves were standard dirt fields though there were panels with various buttons by each field.

There were some kids that looked like they belonged to a class, but there were a few that looked like they were guests. They sat further away from the kids. One was a grumpy looking red headed looking boy who really looked like he didn't want to be there. He gave off a very fiery aura or in other words, a hot head.



Sitting by him was a flashy looking young man with pink hair that reached the bottom of his neck, wearing any number of accessories. One could tell right off the bat that he exuded a bubbly aura and highly excitable, kind of like a dog.



Then there was a rather plain boy with medium-longish brown hair sitting between the two boys. He reeked of mediocrity, as if he was just the essence of an NPC distilled and given flesh. He looked very uncomfortable with where he was sitting.



"Seriously? Why in the hell did sis say that I'd have to come here? I already know how battles work!" The grumpy young man said with a huff, crossing his arms like a petulant child.

"Oh come on! Don't be such a buzz kill! It's gonna be fun!" The flashy boy chimed in with a big grin. His eyes then fixated on Claris as soon as he noticed her walk in. "Oooo a new girl! Come here, come here!" He waved with both arms like a wacky inflatable tube man.

The plain guy looked like he just wanted to disappear.

It looked like a battle hadn't started yet. What does Claris do?

---

@Goggy

Bot versus bird, who will win?

The Farfetch'd wore a grin as it watched the Golett strut over with the exaggerated swagger of an automaton ready to throw down. It held its leek out towards its opponent as the Golett raised its arms up for a good old fashion brawl. The crowd of Pokemon and Vivian probably waited with baited breath, waiting to see who would make the first move.

The first one to move would be the Farfetch'd! It dashed towards the Golett and used Peck, or well, what could be loosely described as Peck. It thrust its leek at Atlas who used its arms and curled up with Defense Curl to withstand the attack, skidding back slightly. It was a critical hit, but even then such a weak move only did a small chunk of damage. It would not be enough to deter Atlas who threw a flaming fist at the Farfetch'd. In response, energy dark as the night coated the fighting-type's leek and swung down at the fist. Darkness and flame collided, sparks flew between them before the combined force of their attacks blasted both fighters back.

They were both seemingly evenly matched.

The Farfetch'd dragged its leek across the ground and then swung upwards, throwing a clump of dust and construction grit at Atlast.

How does Vivian react? Will she take charge of the battle as a trainer or would she continue to let Atlas battle on its own?

---

@Shazamrock@Crusader Lord

Yeah if nonsensical and stupid were things that Clarissa was not used to then she better get ready to macro dose with it because welcome to Evig where life comes at you fast.

Yes, Nil's worries with her being spirited away were entirely justified especially with the stories he had heard growing up about snow women kidnapping men to turn them into her husbands and draining their souls or stories about ice giants that wander around Mt. Ymir and pluck travelers into the air never to be seen again. Of course, those stories were always twisted around in a way that they were meant to scare young children into being good when they were being naughty, but it was hard to say that they were entirely fictional when people did go missing in the mountains without a trace. Some say it's a warning to respect the mountains. Others put more stock into fairy tales because they were not just stories, but a warning.

Anyway, now that Clarissa was caught with Nil's side of the story and the strange happenings that he experienced she may have explained what had just happened while she was down there, or not, due to freewill and whatnot. However, what they could both agree on was that they needed to go deeper in this strange cave.

So they would continue. The strange haze lit their way as their steps made soft echoes.

There was certainly an oddness about this cave though it had to do with what they actually noticed. As they both noticed there were no pipes down here, no cement or concrete, electrical wiring, or any human signs that humans had intervened here in one way or another. It was purely untouched and disconnected to the rest of Grand Glory City. So how or why was this place here? Was it pure coincidence that this was here, was it left alone with the knowledge by the city planners that this place existed, or was it something else entirely?

Or was this just the ramblings of a narrator trying to fill in the space and set the mood for their adventure? The world may never know.

Whatever they were thinking or talking about as they made their way further into the cave they both heard a shrill, "TUFFFFFFFFFF!"

This was then followed by the voice of a young man screaming, "SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"

Well, do you follow it?

---

@Lunarlord34

"You can do it Steph! I believe in you!" Freya called out to Steph from the crowd with her two fists clenched with tension from watching this David versus Goliath situation.

"Don't you fucking lose to him crazy girl! I've got a lot riding on you!" The green haired girl in the crowd shouted.

"Language." The crimson haired boy chided the green haired girl with a deadpan expression.

"Man you've certainly got the spirit! Come on keep it up!" He said with a grin full of clenched teeth. This was proving to be a much, much harder challenge than he initially thought this was going to be. "Dodge out of the way of that Wingull!" The Metagross despite being so big and heavy, was able to quickly dodge to the right to avoid the stream of pressurized water heading its way. However, just as it moved out the way Glory ricocheted its way towards the clawed super computer

"Quick, jump!" Shouted its trainer and the Metagross leaped just enough to let the Wimpodd just fly underneath it to the other side, but as it came down the Litwick rocketed its way towards the Metagross as it came down to land. "Heavy Slam on the ground!" The weight and force as it collided with the concrete sounded yet again like another bomb went off. The shock wave was enough to push Dusk back.

Fourth attempt failed. Shit fuckery it was.

---

@Zarkun

So escaping into a clearing when they realized that they were not going to be able to fight the Riolu that way, they decided to also zone the hell out of the blue fox too. Well, a zoner war has just occurred though in reality the Riolu was at a heavy disadvantage. It stayed behind the trees, letting a Disarming Voice shred the bark of a tree and then it would come out of hiding to blast a Vacuum Wave through one of the doppelgangers that Slayer kept spamming because it turns out Double team was amazingly broken in this game. Maybe it would need to be nerfed in the future.

Anyway! It was hard for Growl to take effect when it needed a visible line of sight on the target. Still, there was quite a bit of pressure being put on the Emanation Pokemon. Right now it knew at this rate it was going to lose so it took a gamble. It dashed out from behind the trees at high speed via Quick Attack with a hail Mary to slam the Ralts into the ground and... it passed through one of the clones.

"Olu..." No need to translate to understand what it just said.

What does Jason do?

Vivian was very slow to respond as Atlas and the Farfetch'd took up their stances, stammering over themselves as they tried to grab Atlas' Pokeball to return the automaton to its home. Yet by the time she had managed to get it into her hands, the duo had begun their brawl, stopping the young archeologist as she watched in awe. She wasn't a battler, that kind of thing never truly interested her, though she had certainly taken time to watch official League matches. But that was, in a sense, entertainment on a TV or computer. A natural divide that prevented her from getting invested. Here though? This was real. The fact that it was her new partner taking the initiative, the cheering crowd, the sound of the two combatants clashing.

It was enough that Vivian almost forgot that she was supposed to be the one commanding her Golett.

"Gah, er- Atlas, use De-" Vivian begins to call out, cutting herself off as she saw the gravel and dirt at Atlas...'s arms, as the automaton had simply lifted its relatively large arm to cover its face. It was a moment where Atlas couldn't see the bird... Yet it didn't seem to care as it stepped forward, reaching its other hand down to scoop up a chunk of loose dirt and grit itself, before throwing it up into the air in front of it, anticipating Farfetch'd to try to use the opening Atlas had created. Then, with a stomp forward, the arm that Atlas used to block their face swipes to the side, an aura of fire raging around it before they swing forward with yet another Fire Punch.

---

---

Thus, the brave blonde girl and her menagerie of intrepud partners set off, into the great, wide, wild unknown! In search of a supposed exticnt but not really extinct pokemo, to protect it from the clutches of vil bug-eyed bug-maniacs, who'd probably just stick it in a jar and gawk at it all day if they got their grubby mitts on it. Go, Evelyn! Ride, Evelyn! For great justice and animal protectin-rights!

...

And then shit got real damn dark, real damn fast. What the hell!? Was this really a forest? It felt more like they were trying to traverse some kinda organic, plant-covered cave! The road was gone, replaced by a laughable excuse for a 'path', there were no other people, a thick-ass and completely unnecessary misty fog was rolling in, and there weere ledges and drops that would see you fall down into certain doom. Or at least broken limb territory. And good luck getting an abulance or medical chopper to find you in this place!

Evelyn silently cursed under breath. She was really starting to regret her decision. But, she'd come this far, and there was nothing for it but to press on. Growlithe hadn't stopped and barked at anything just yet, so whatever had made thsoes slashy scratches on the trees earlier hand't been found yet.

As the trio proceeded into the dark depths of the Starbur forest, they warily watched the wide variety of potentially vicisous worm-things that were ready to wallop them. Not to mention those cocoon things were just too damn creepy! Did they really need eye sockets!? Joltik latched onto Sentret, who in turn hugged Joltik, while their heads kept turning form left to right and then back again. Meanwhile, the fire-pup was happily just sniffin' that ground, plotting along as if there wasn't anything amiss in the world.

They passed a bunch of little green spider pokemn too. Hmph, those ones ain't got nothing on my Joltik. A certain internal commentary concluded.

But then, everything stopped. They came to a dark place with a lot of fog... But there was somehting in it. Barely visible. Evelyn squinted. Growlithe had, for the moment, stopped. Was that... It? Was that the legendary exticnt pok-OHMYGODISTHATAFAWKIN'HUMANSKULL!?!

Evelyn let out a sharp and girly 'AAaaaiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!', which caused Sentret and Joltik to leap inot the air and scamper around in a circle non-effectively, until they ran into each other and collapsed in a heap. Growlithe just raised his sniffer and looked athe distant, blurry, obscured thing, then shoved the snout back down into the ground.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-what... Why's there... Who... Wha... That's... How did... Who did... Huuuuuuh...?" A very pale-faced Eve was trying to come to terms with the decapitated skeletal remains ahead of her in the dark.

Thankfull, she came to terms with fast. Especially when it started glowing.

Wait.

It glows...?

... And then somehting skittered out of it.

Another AAaaaiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee/

As glowy eyes of disturbing doom suddenly stared at her from the bone-head...! Was this some kind of horror movie? Had she become the unfortunate protagonist of some splatter film, where she'd spend the next 1.5 hours running through a nmisty forest while being chased by a lunatic wearing a Swlowbro-mask and wielding a chainsaw!?

... Nope. 'Cuz her handy-dandy Rotom Phone suddenly spoke up.

... Apparently, it wasn't a skull. Just a pokemon. In the sahep of a skull.

Evelyn blinked and stared at the pokemon, who was now staring at her and her own pokemon.

"I... It's a pokemon...? Not a ... Something else... Oh, thank heavens..."

The strength left her legs, and she fell onto the damp ground with her knees together and legs sprawled out in a most indignant fashion. A giant wave of relief washed across her entire being. Thank the frikkin' fates she ahdn't just stumbled upon the remains of some poor, dead traveler who got lost in this damn forest. 'Cuz that woulda been a real bad omen for the blonde. She took a few deep breaths and managed to calm herself down, her pulse slowing back down, her heart stopping it's drum-like palpitations and the color slowly returning to her sheet-white face. Sentret and Joltik had also calmed down, a bit.

"Is... Is this it though? A spinerak with a different body-shape? I... I guess? It was being sought after by those bug-fanatics... Maybe they go crazy over weird little irregularities like this?" She tried to grasp and rationalize the situation. To nobody except herself, of course.

Sentret stayed still, looking at the skull-spider. Joltik though, leapt off his brown-furred friend and slowly approached, tilting his head from side to side and chittering curiously at the other creature. This was,a fter all, a sort of... Cousin(?) to it. Well, at least as far as subspecies were concerned. For now though, Eve was happy enough to keep staying on the ground and calming down for a bit. She'd probably be in an outrage once she got up and noticed any grass or dirt-stains on her clothes, but that was an issue for Future-Eve to deal with.

Evelyn is recovering from nearly fainting from the sight of human-skull-shaped pokemon. Growlithe continues to sniff the ground in search of "The Extinct" pokemon. Sentret is keeping an eye on the Skull-spinerak. Joltik is curiously investigating the Skull-spinerak.

It was a fair bit of information to take in as Nils gave her his side of things, though given the odd circumstances some part of her was...believing it all at face value thus far. Nils didn't seem to be a liar, to her experience, and if a detective was down in the sewers above (that was already odd enough as it was) as well then it painted a better picture of belivability as well. Given the odd nature of how any sort off compotent city planner could miss a winding set of underground caverns, the insanity of her run-in with a Steelix (who liked dried jerky in this case), the oddity of the tunnel leading DOWN to here from the already underground sewers, and so forth, it seemed to her that the theory her current traveling compatriot had about this potential 'phenomenon' they were tracking down made more sense than not.

She'd likewise return the favor in giving her share of details to Nils about what had happened on her end thus far, though even as they continued on beyond that it made her wonder internally as well. What kind of Pokemon could be casting a voice so far, enough to lead people on potentially into some kind of....what, a trap? A scheme? A desperate plea to trap a new friend down here with them? Hmm. Yes, she felt a Pokemon was the root cause of this perhaps, speaking of the mysterious crying and such that is.

But the whole thing about the caves being down here, no one noticing, and things not having collapsed into them some time ago? No, that was a mystery that screamed either 'an abnormal and utter act of Arceus' or overall just that 'a Pokemon did it' in any case to her mind. Beyond that, well, it wasn't something to ponder on too deeply for now perhaps. Perhaps. Either way she carried Pyrite in her arms for the time being, with Scrapper following right at her side (right side).

But if other kids had been lured down, what was their next lea-

"TUFFFFFFFFFF!"

This was then followed by the voice of a young man screaming, "SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"

-...d. Their next lead.

Given they apparently had no communications with the outside world and no way to send non-creepy videos out to others, she'd need to apologize to Amelia and the Professor later as well for that matter despite her lack of knowledge at the time, she'd need to talk to the Professor about that potentially later when it came to the Rotom Phones he'd handed out to them. Yet for now, she would get her Rotom Phone to begin recording again as they finally had a lead moving forward. Just another video to bring back about things to explain the mess underneath the sewers...alongside maybe bringing pictures of the Pokemon eating up pipes down there as well anyways. That was a safety hazard, but very much secondary to the current situation at the moment as well!

Clarissa would turn to meet Nils' eyes as best as she could, and then would begin to dart forward as she called back to the boy. Yes. She had to keep her eyes on the goal ahead, which for now was their Pokemon rescue mission tunring into a potential human rescue mission! Or both, maybe? Er, it depended on what bizarre things came next as far as she could grap it all at the moment.

"That might be-...come on, Nils, let's hurry, but keep an eye out for more Steelix!"

Steelix feeding and tunneling made enough sense given the tunnels' size, then, and other Pokemon like the Roggenrola, Sandshrew, and so forth lived in these spaces as well given its nature. But none of them made cries like they had just heard, or had heard back in the sewers, in any case. 'Tuff'? Hopefully there wasn't an overly 'tuff' fight coming ahead, given the status of her Pokemon at the moment, but there was only one way to know for sure! And, in true fashion, her Rotom Phone zoomed along recording video alongside her with a smile on its face and not so much as a singular thought to anyone's safety (even its own).

[Clarissa Is: Following The Voices To Their Source (Along With Nils, She Hopes)]

@Remram@Shazamrock

Along with the Mimikyu, Rotom phones, Pikachu, narrator, and possibly even Arceus themselves, Amelia also stared at Valerian in shock, quickly followed by exasperation. She wasn't sure if the prince was simple stupid, clueless, or simply oblivious to all the warning signs. Regardless, he had said the one thing he should not have and the consequences were fast and merciless.

The thought of leaving him to suffer those consequences passed through her mind of a fraction of a second but Amelia wasn't that kind of child. She moved to grab at least one of the Mimikyu while Phantump came out of it's pokeball to hit the other with a Branch Poke, even if it meant only taking out the Disguise.

"Take it and run!" She shouted at Valerian, not saying Pikachu's name for fear of riling up the Mimikyu further.

Audrey was searchin reall hard for her next partner in crime...By searching hard, more just standing there and waiting for something to happen. Her next rock star... Was... Was... ABSOLUTELY ADDDORRRAAABLEEEE. It was so stubby, yellow, and ITS AN EELEEECTRIC TYPEEE. The first thought that came to Audrey's mind was ... Big butt and also Time to catch that!. Her smile grew wider, maybe concerning but whatever? She quickly (and very elegantly) grabbed her Pokéball and threw it on the floor, blue sparks went flying as her little zorua came out. "Lets come out Rift and SHOW THAT YAMPER WE DESERVE ITS LOOVEE!" she squealed.

"Hmm...hmmmm..." Audrey didn't know what to do, attack it or just capture it... And Rift was getting impatient. So, with time running out, Audrey decided to.."Rift...Just...Scratch, i guess." well that was a bit boring, who knew catching Pokémon was SO hard?? Couldn't possibly be Audrey...

"Now, Slayer! Everything you got!" The Ralts used Disarming Voice on the Riolu until it looked like it was weak enough. "Do...Do I throw the ball?" Jason wasn't entirely sure why the Riolu picked the fight, but he wasn't gonna put it in a Pokeball just yet.

"Yeah! Woohoo! Let's go, Bravos!

Archie was Bravos' cheerleader throughout their whole training, which was just fighting multiple Pokémon as best as his Chespin could, but the experience his Pokémon gained was definitely more than enough to make it stronger. Not only did its level was in the double digits now, Bravos was also able to learn a new move. Now it wasn't limited to just one attacking move anymore.

Despite most of the Pokémon Bravos faced were low-levelled, that didn't mean luck would always be at its side. Its last opponent, a Yamper, managed to paralyze it with a Nuzzle and take advantage of the Spiny Nut Pokémon's status condition. Luckily enough, Bravos managed to power through and come out victorious in the end.

Once the defeated Yamper scurried away, Archie ran and approached his partner. "You were so awesome, Bravos! You were like, 'Hah!', 'Yah!', and 'Rah!'! I always knew you could do it!" He excitedly said while doing action poses. Meanwhile, his Chespin laid on the ground, teary eyed in a comical way as yellow sparks would sometimes appear on its body causing it to jerk.

"Che-Che-Ches-PIIIN!" It would weakly say before getting jolted by its lingering paralysis. Despite its weakened state, Bravos could still manage to give its Trainer a weak smile. Archie's wide smile faltered, the gravity of his partner's situation just settling in on him. He picked up his Chespin and held it like a baby in his arms.

"Thank you, buddy. You've done more than enough. Let's find you some place you can rest in, yeah?" He said in a calmer tone. The easier thing he could do was to bring Bravos back in his Pokéball but he saw how much effort his partner poured in to those fights despite it being meek and easily scared. Its time to put in his own effort too.

"Okay, let's see here... Hm, doesn't look like there are any Centers..." Archie looked around and indeed, there wasn't any Pokémon Centers nearby. He could go back to Grand Glory City but it would be such a waste of time and he wanted his Chespin to feel better ASAP. He then turned his sights to the farms nearby and wondered if they could do anything about their situation.

"Welp, it's worth a shot. Let's go, Buddy!" He's now carrying Bravos on his back as he walked towards the farms and ranches, hoping someone would help them.

[Go to the ranches/farms and interact with whoever's there]

@Goggy

With large arms like those, Atlas certainly could block the clump of sand and grit thrown up to its very robotic face. Its instincts were also correct; the Farfetch'd leaped towards the Golett in a moment where it thought it had found an opening and was ready to swing its leek down towards it with a Night Slash. What the bird had not expected was that Atlas had expected this and threw back the gravel and dirt back at its face, crying out in surprise and annoyance. Its troubles were far from over when Atlat stepped forward and putting its rotund back into it threw a flaming fist square in the duck's stomach. A critical hit.

The audience gasped collectively as they watched their champion tumble backwards on the hard concrete. Then there was silence. It hung heavily in the air as the audience watched the bated breath to see if the leek wielding warrior would stand up again.

Its feathery wing twitched and then gripped its girthy plant based weapon and stood up with a cocky grin. The audience went wild, crying out with cheers of support for their hometown hero. There was a visible burned imprint of Atlas' fist where its feathers were and it looked like it hurt a lot.



"Fetch'd!" It cried in violent delight as it charged towards Atlas with dark energy channeling along the leek for another Night Slash.

Atlas knew what this was, any natural born fighter would know. This Farfectch'd was putting everything it had into this one attack, knowing that it could not win otherwise.

Would Atlas and Vivian respect its resolve?

---

@Xaltwind

Despite all of her incessant screaming, the Spinnarak looked unperturbed. It was as if it wasn't even looking at her to begin with. Upon closer inspection, she would realize that its eyes really were not glowing white. They just looked like glassy spheres of white though there were purple pupils that sat in the middle of them looking through her and her Pokemon. While it certainly had blade-like legs, they certainly were not large enough to make cuts as big and as deep as the ones that were on the tree.

There was of course, the obvious other factor. This thing smelled nothing like the scent it was following earlier. In fact, it would have made her Growlithe distressed, perhaps it whined or barked because it knew exactly where that scent was.

It was above them.

Before any of them could react, the Spinnarak shot a glimmering strand of silk at Evelyn's chest and quickly tugged her down. The next thing she knew, she felt something cut through the air where her head was.

A blur skidded along the ground and eventually came to a halt. It was a big bug, standing nearly five feet tall with a sleek green body with cream sections connecting its limbs and thorax together. Its wings were large and delicate yet they looked like they would flutter at unimaginably high speeds. And those arms, evolved through the ages to become sharp sickles to cleave through its prey. This thing was built for fighting, to shred anything in its path like the apex predator it was and it stared her down with its black piercing gaze.

Her Rotom Phone hovered in front of her and read out the following entry:

Pokedex Entry #123- Sycther, the Mantis Pokémon. Some call it a ninja. Its movements— imperceptibly quick—are sufficient to cleave the air in two. Its two sharp scythes are more than just weapons. It uses them with dexterity to dress its prey before eating.

"Scyther!" It shouted out with the clearest visage of hatred that Evelyn would have ever seen in her life. It charged towards her at high speed once again, its blade keen to make its mark this time.

What does Evelyn do?

---

@Zarkun

"Lou!" It cried out in pain as it rolled back from the fairy-type imbued sound wave. Quickly it stood up even while weakened ready to fight and then it met Jason's confused gaze with its own. "Lou?" It was as if it was asking why the fight wasn't over yet. Jason had clearly won the battle or at the very least had the upper hand. By all rights it should have been fighting its way out of the ball like every other trainer.

"You hesitate," said a very familiar elderly voice from behind Jason. The old woman that he spoke to before was standing behind him as if she just poofed into existence like some sort of apparition. "Pardon my intrusion once again. Let's just say that I have a vested interest in helping young trainers just like you grow." She said with an aged smile as her glance fell upon the Riolu he was just fighting. "Most trainers would be chomping at the bit to find such a rare Pokemon and yet, you lack conviction to catch it. What's on your mind?"

Well, how does Jason respond?

---

@GremlinAgain

The Yamper just watched Audrey squeal out in joy without a thought behind its eyes. Friend! It thought to itself and then it saw Rift appear from its Pokeball. Fighty friend!

That sweet, dopey expression the Yamper became sharper, its brow furrowed determinedly as it locked the hell in. Of course, Rift was so much faster than the electric corgi by virtue of actually being built for speed when compared to the literal loaf with feet. Rift's claws scratched at the Yamper, inflicting a moderate amount of damage.

"Yamp!" it cried out in pain, but it grit its teeth and sparks of electricity crackled around its body. It threw itself at Rift ready to Nuzzle it for very little damage, giving it the ever annoying paralysis status effect.

How does Audrey wish to proceed?

(GM: Side note, if you wish to turn this into a quick capture just let me know.)

---

@baraquiel

Well off to the farm!

Archie would walk down the road a bit, which was a bit of a steep decline as he was going downhill. It was quite the pleasant walk along the flowers and fresh air, something much different than the dry air of Edda that was a consequence of living right on the border of a desert. Eventually, he would arrive down at what looked like a stereotypical ranch; a series of massive red wooden buildings with Pokemon contained in these enclosures. They were most definitely not wild Pokemon so they could not be captured, but that does not mean they can't be obtained.

In one partition, there were two kinds of Pokemon that looked very similar; they were both wooly things though one species had a white coat and another with a yellow coat.

Pokédex Entry #179 – Mareep, the Wool Pokemon. Clothing made from Mareep's fleece is easily charged with static electricity, so a special process is used on it. The more static electricity is charged, the more brightly the light bulb at the tip of its tail glows.

Pokédex Entry #831 – Wooloo, the Sheep Pokemon. Its curly fleece is such an effective cushion that this Pokémon could fall off a cliff and stand right back up at the bottom, unharmed. If its fleece grows too long, Wooloo won't be able to move. Cloth made with the wool of this Pokémon is surprisingly strong.

There were two pens where pink, round bovines were separated from these fierce bulls with three tails. For some reason, looking at the pink cows would instill a primal fear that would be hard to explain as if a collective consciousness had experienced their wrath.

Pokédex Entry #241 – Miltank, the Milk Cow Pokemon. Miltank produces highly nutritious milk, so it's been supporting the lives of people and other Pokémon since ancient times. This Pokémon needs to be milked every day, or else it will fall ill. The flavor of Miltank milk changes with the seasons.

Pokédex Entry #128 – Tauros, the Wild Bull Pokemon. When Tauros begins whipping itself with its tails, it's a warning that the Pokémon is about to charge with astounding speed. Once it takes aim at its foe, it makes a headlong charge. It is famous for its violent nature.

Then there were these little orange chickens walking around by a coop pecking ground. One got the feeling that if it were safe, they would have lined it with asbestos lest they set the coop ablaze.

Pokédex Entry #255 – Torchic, the Chick Pokemon. Torchic sticks with its Trainer, following behind with unsteady steps. This Pokémon breathes fire of over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, including fireballs that leave the foe scorched black. It has a place inside its body where it keeps its flame. Give it a hug—it will be glowing with warmth. This Pokémon is covered all over by a fluffy coat of down.

Eventually after walking through the property, he would see a man in a red flannel with denim overalls over it and black boots. He was lifting bales of hay and tossing them onto the back of a truck. Now this man had an imposing figure; he easily towered over Archey, which was not really much a task but this man easily made his parents look puny by comparison. He barrel chested, and had arms and legs that like steel girders that looked like they could crush rock. His bearded face punctuated a stern, no nonsense expression.



He had only just noticed Archie and looked like he told his barn hand to finish the job and walked over to the fledgling trainer.

"Can I help you, boy?" He said with a very commanding tone. He sounded like gravel being dropped onto charcoal.

What does Archie say?

Shit fuckery it was then.

With the 4th fail, Steph knew it was last chance saloon. With most of the more conventional tactics come and gone, perhaps something more out of the box was required here. And if nothing else, she certainly was never in the box when it came to ideas. Too cramped, not enough freedom or creativity in it for her. And now would be a good chance to showcase such.

In a manner that began quite similar in the process as the preceding attempt.

"Oolroigh' ya heah thaht faellahs? Dawnt laeh' anyone daown naow! Sao laets geh' thiies bahstahd eh? Dusk laets staht theengs off weeth a smawg!" Once more looking to try and gain any cover from the smog, it was a tried and true tactic here but that wasn't the only thing she was aiming to try and do to gain such, as an Ember and Water gun would burst from the smog soon after and collide in front of the Metagross in an attempt to hinder its sight further. During which, a returning pinballing Glory would aim to use the covering smog and steam to once again bounce around on the rubble, hopefully finding a blind spot upon which to hit the Metagross from.


But that wasn't all, as Steve would come bursting out of the smog cloud soon after, requested by Steph to use a water gun to blast off for a but of extra speed and begin to circle the Metagross and bombard from above and the side with waterguns. If one found its mark, that would be good, but the aim was more to limit its movements and options and support Glory.

Which with these two out in the open and their roles in this strategy clearly defined, that just left one further question. What about Dusk? In fact, where was Dusk? Well it was rather simple really. At one stage when Glory was close enough and given an opportune 'blind spot', it would unfurl from its ball and launch the little candle out from within it and straight at the supercomputer with the idea of either hitting it with an Ember or hitting a watergun with an Ember and causing a cloud of steam to limit the metagross vision and allowing Dusk the chance to hit it with Astonish. Glory would then continue to pinball around and try and hit him if it could.

And if it used Hammer Arm to cause another shockwave and knock Dusk away again? Steph still had one last ditch effort in mind.

Run in herself, grab Dusk and fucking hurl him as hard as she could at the Metagross and have him Astonish the bastard that way.

Regan Calhoun

@Remram

Aaah, sand attacks! She couldn’t let it run downstairs. Wasn’t there roof access? She had to stop it somehow. She didn’t think a ball would catch it right now, but maybe she could stall, that way? Ah, she’d bluff! “Kadabra, get ready on the ground floor! It’s going for the stairs. Kaebe, keep after it!”

If she could chase it up to the roof access, she could trap it there and catch it.. or it could get away into the city. Didn't Magnemite live in, like, power plants or something? This couldn't be it's natural habitat. Regan glanced briefly at the hallway as she ran through it. No, it didn't seem like a metal magnet ball would live here. Power plant felt right.

Poor thing must be scared. Only holed up here because it was shelter, not because it was home. And there's food here. Perfect hiding hole, except for the power outages. If she could trick it into a corner, maybe she could talk to it? She should take it to a power plant. There aught to be one nearby, right? With a city this big.

Atlas holds their own post-punch pose for the duration of the dramatic silence, only returning to their normal stance once the Farfetch’d got to its feet. In the same breath, it held out a hand, gesturing for the bird to come to them with a cocky sounding mechanical noise, a challenge that the Farfetch’d was quick to answer.

For Vivian, she was engrossed with the battle. She didn’t expect to get such a powerhouse Pokemon as her starter, but Atlas’ performance was spectacular… Even if they were seeming to ignore her, a fact that got pushed aside thanks to Atlas’ results. Yet as she stood there in awe of her mechanized starter, Vivian’s eyes focused on the Farfetch’d’s leek, or more specifically, the dark energy that surrounded it, her mind rapidly combing through the information she knew,

“Hold on, that energy seems to be some sort of dark power. That’s generally tied to Dark type classifications. Most ruins are inhabited by Pokemon largely classified as Ghosts and Psychics, and there is history of certain other species attacking ruins and stealing from it, and those species are generally classified as Darks. Which would then mean that-”

“OhnoAtlasdodgebeforethathitsyou!” Vivian shouted, waving her arms at intense speeds to try and get her partner’s attention.

Yet it was all for naught as Atlas was too focused on the incoming attack to listen. And if a machine could smile, it would be obvious that Atlas was at this moment. Seeing the dark energy flowing through the leek, Atlas responded by stepping forward, his core glowing brightly as fire formed around their fists. Atlas would not run: He would meet his foe’s blow head on.

Atlas gathers their own strength and uses Fire Punch to directly counter the Night Slash. Vivian, meanwhile, fails to give advice and instead covers her eyes so she doesn’t have to see the horror about to unfold.

"Riolu picked the fight, but it wasn't for no reason. I don't know what was said when Riolu and Slayer talked, I, uh, don't speak Pokemon, but I had a feeling there was more to it." He glances at the old woman and then at Slayer and the Riolu. "I'm not gonna just throw a pokeball and risk messing that up." Slayer approached the Riolu with a smile as Jason spoke to the old woman.

"Ralts. Ra Ra alts Ral Ral, Ralts." He offered the Riolu a hand. What was said was simple enough. "See? He's a good person, though maybe a bit eager. Do you believe me now?" Jason watched the exchange and tilted his head slightly.

"I genuinely wish I understood what they were saying."

---

After reuniting with his fellow trainer and giving his side of the story, Nils was treated with a recap of Clarissa's side as well. She apparently hadn't known that the message she'd send had been corrupted (or whatever had happened) and of course she hadn't gotten the call Nils had attempted to make earlier. She'd also not found anything as she followed the soft crying noise through the tunnels, at least until a huge pokemon had found her. That part of the story had Nils' eyes widening, as it must have been the thing he'd heard roar just a little bit ago.

Maybe this eerie cave system was a little more dangerous than it seemed. Actually if one considered the giant pokemon that could just as easily crush you by mistake as it could swallow you whole on top of the various other wild creatures, the risk of getting lost in the tunnels or said tunnels collapsing whether trapping them in or falling right on top of them, plus the whole mystery with the crying and missing persons... Well, maybe it was actually a lot more dangerous.

But Nils only spared a moment for that thought. There were more important things at the moment and they were already in too deep anyway. Literally, as the two trainers and their pokemon had continued further in.

Nils' own phone continued hovering at head height to act as a floating flashlight as they walked. Rau remained outside of his pokeball, having taken a spot on the boy's shoulder to act as a look out, eyes wide and his ears, nose, and whiskers twitching.

And, eventually, the explorers were given more direction in the form of a harsh cry that could only be from a pokemon, and shortly after a plea that could only be from a human.

When Clarissa turned Nils met her eyes, his eyebrows raising up in surprise. They were still for only a moment before they ran, having easily come to the same conclusion.

"That might be-...come on, Nils, let's hurry, but keep an eye out for more Steelix!"

"How exactly could we miss them?" he couldn't help but quip back, though it hardly helped to lighten the grim painting that someone's shouting for help painted. Regardless, Nils sprinted alongside Clarissa towards the voices.

[ Let's solve this mystery! ]

@Remram @Joshua Tamashii

Valerian barely had time to process the chaos that had just unfolded. The Mimikyu lunged at him with their claws out, and Amelia got between them along with her Phantump. She told the prince to run, but Valerian blinked, then straightened his posture with indignation. “Absolutely not. One of these fiends is destined for my Fairy court. If they crave a battle, then they shall have one! Besides-” he flipped his hair back with flair, “it would be terribly unprincely to abandon you to fend them off alone.”

He gestured to his Pokemon. “Aurelia Rose, Camellia. To me! Your prince requires your assistance!”

The shiny Cutiefly and Petilil looked at each other, wondering what they were about to be thrown into, before jumping into the fray.

Valerian pointed at the Mimikyu like he was a king declaring war. “Camellia, strengthen yourself with Growth then strike with Absorb. Aurelia Rose, dazzle them with Fairy Wind! Make it spectacular.”