"Now look what the Chespin dragged in!" Archie said in shock, not realizing his partner Pokémon would bring in a human out of all the clues it could be dragging along instead. Well, he would think that Bravos would think that this guy was a staff of the farm so it brought him in to help with questioning which was very smart of Bravos to do.

As soon as Bravos dragged the limping guy over, it immediately scurried and hid behind Archie. That's strange, he knew Bravos was probably the meekest and shy-est being in the entire Pokémon universe. It even passed out from absolute shyness the first time when they were talking to the Gym Leader earlier. The fact that the timid Chespin pushed itself hard to bring Danny over here made Archie think it found something about the limping man. There's probably more to Danny than meets the eye...

"I say the same to you, Mr. Limpy. All right then, to the security camera station thingy we go!" Archie said as they continued to go to the building. As they walked, he could see just how tightly it clutched his Pokédex, even refusing to give it back to Archie while it intently looked at Danny.

'Curiouser and curiouser... The young trainer thought to himself.

Once inside the building, Archie furrowed his brows at the man responsible for watching over the security cameras. "Mr. Camera Guy, I wanna see the footage on the time of the incident. I know you guys probably ran it over dozens of times but I wanna see what happened with my own eyes. And while you look up the footage..." Archie turned over to Danny. "Remind us, what were you doing at the time of the incident? And what did you do again that made the Tauros angry enough to chase you? And also, how exactly did you break your leg? Where did you trip while running too? Near the coop, near the house, near an enclosure? Did you even trip? Was it over a rock, grass, egg, stone, wood plank..?" The eager young Trainer pestered the limping farm hand with questions upon questions.

For now, Steph would reluctantly send her newfound Growlithe to the pc. If only because she needed to sort her team out due to all the water types she had, plus she figured she could train it to the South of Grand Glory City in the woods. Were they called Starbor Woods? Eh whatever it was called, she had only really glanced over the map of the region. Granted, she was tempted to head north to try and get a Beldum ASAP...eh she still had time to think it over at any rate, first and foremost her attention was focused on a bit of grinding before she found her way to the trainer school.

Once there, she heard a voice from the reception desk, so with the swagger of a black teen, approached it otherwise she wouldn't be able to beat the shit out of trainers in the gauntlet without getting any closer.

"Ye, Oy heahd theah was a triner chohlenge heah. Some sohta gauntleh' type dayl? Oy was inteahsted in hahvin a crahck myself, figured a good chahnce t' mezshah up ya knaow? Dunnao if moy friend Freya heah wahnts t' oolsao. Oh and Oy wahnna troy and wiien thaht egg ya gawt as a rewahd." Pretty straight forward response, as expected from the ever direct Steph. However would the poor receptionist make heads or tails of the eldritch tongue that spewed forth from Steph's mouth as she leaned on her forearm over the desk?


Find out next time on......

"Dumb luck..." Jason mutters as he leans back. They were right, no paralysis, none of Thora's team got frozen, and while Moon Blast hit, all it did was hurt Rotom, not weaken its ability to hit hard with Discharge. Coupled with moves and abilities that complimented each other, the aspiring Champion began to think he needed to sit down and see what his team could do before challenging any gyms. And having seen what he came to see, he did consider just heading to the Pokecenter to heal up his team before coming back for a proper visit of the Trainer School.

---

@Xaltwind

There was not much else to do than, well, to just walk around. A totally normal thing to do at a park. She would walk towards the rather impressive manor, pristine in its maintenance and handsome in matters of taste. While one would typically go inside, she would not be able to help herself from noticing that there was a rather loud commotion going on behind it.

She would eventually find herself standing on a patio paved with stone that then stretched out into the rest of the garden. One could just sit down and enjoy the view with a cup of tea and maybe some pastries if one were to go inside of the manor and bought some.

Except it was absolutely bloody bedlam. People were rushing around frantically to set up the party. Tables were being placed, lights were strung about, a dance floor was in progress of being put together, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. One could only imagine seating arrangements for the guests, the menu, and the entertainment that had to be put together. Frankly speaking, the employees looked like they were just a step away from being whipped. The one responsible for it was plain to see or to be more accurate, heard.

"No, you dull end of a Slowpoke I told you to hang the lights higher up! Are you trying to blind our guests? And you! Yes, I mean you, you Rhyhorn brained idiot! The tables must be arranged as so! Do you want them to be sandwiched together? And where in the hell is my cup of tea?!"

Evelyn would have followed the onslaught of abuse and eventually found the source: a man in his early 40s dressed in a gray three-piece suit with an equally gray tie, black shoes, and maybe not surprising, but a white carnation on his breast pocket. His black hair was slicked back neatly and had sharp grey eyes that commanded authority and at the moment, exasperation. Next to him was a short, elderly gentleman dressed in a gardener's attire holding a pair of gardening shear that stood with a cheery presence in contrast to the stressed individual.

The gardener's gaze fell upon Evelyn with some sort of recognition, as if he understood that she was a trainer, and with a smile he motioned for her to come over.



What does she do?




 

---

@baraquiel

For the sake of brevity and to get Archie out of this God forsaken farm, a summary of events that unfolded will be provided. After confirming who the suspect was, Archie would chase after the criminal and after narrowing down and defeating him in a Pokemon battle was able to apprehend him. Why did he do this? A combination of rotten luck and gambling debts though there was something off the way he spoke. He wasn't selling the Pokemon, he was sending them off to be sold by someone else and whoever was doing it had strong armed him into it. When asked who he was working for, a straight answer was never provided though one thing was certain: they were dangerous.

Back to scene!

Archie and company stood as the cops had Danny, the thief in cuffs, the blue and red lights lit up the otherwise mundane ranch. Neil looked at him not with disdain, but disappointment. "I told you what I told everyone else that I hired, this was your second chance."

His ex-employee chuckled regretfully and shook his head. "Not everyone can be so lucky. Just... I have one last favor. Lend an ear?" He leaned in and whispered something into Neil's ear, eliciting an expression of puzzlement and mild surprise. "Believe me, it's better this way."

A few moments later, Danny was sent away and now everything was just as it was. Neil and his wife, who had returned as soon as she was informed of what happened, discussed something privately among themselves away from Archie before Frida approached him with a kind smile on her face. "You were a big help Archie. I'm sorry that you were put into such harms way though. After discussing with my husband, we want you to have these."



"And, well, we want you to have this as well. I think we can trust it with you." She handed a Pokeball to the little hero. If he tossed it he would find out he received...



Neil's towering form soon approached him looking quite perplexed. "I don't agree with what I am about to do, but Danny said that it would be better in your own hands."



"He said that if you want answers then there is someone in Frostfjord that can do something in that, a friend named Josiah." He crossed his thick arms and looked down at the boy with evident concern. "Stay safe out there. I am getting an awful feeling about this..."

Frida slapped her husband's back for being so foreboding. "Have a safe journey Archie and if you need any help, our daughter is traveling just like you. She should be in Florasong by now with a couple of friends."

So, now what?

Connected Areas:

Grand Glory City
Florasong City
Illusive Woods

---

@Shazamrock@Goggy@Joshua Tamashii@Crusader Lord@Azure Bubbles

Connor stopped to look at the budding, if not a little bit crazed archaeologist, with a look of exasperated disbelief. "Help first, questions later."

Sabine knelt down and propped Clarissa up with her arms though found that she was a bit too heavy to pick up on her own. She gave both Nils and Valerian a stern look. "Hey, princeling and pretty boy, don't just stand there! Help me get her back to her feet if she can." Once they started to help to get the psychic back up with whatever support they needed, she asked, "How's the head? That looked like a pretty nasty fall."

Frankie's attention, meanwhile, had been stolen away by something. "Hey, do you guys see that...?" He pointed up just above the walls. Standing on top of those black walls was a quadrupedal beast with white fur looked down at them with red eyes. It had a ruff around its neck and chest and a tuft on the top of its head adorned with a single blue-black oval. It had a horn that curved like a scythe protruding from the top of its head.

Pokédex Entry #359 – Absol, the Disaster Pokemon. It senses coming disasters and appears before people only to warn them of impending danger. Because of this Pokémon’s ability to detect danger, people mistook Absol as a bringer of doom.

"Sol!" It began to leap from ruined structure to ruined structure, but at the pace it was going it would be enough for everyone to follow it.

What do you do?

---

(GM Note: This place has its own personal healing machines.)

@Lunarlord34

"Oh, yes. Actually, everyone should be gathered in the arena already. Just take your first right and you will find the corridor that leads down to it." After following the receptionist's instructions, they would find themselves at a pair of double doors. 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.

There was also Jason, that blue haired boy that was just at the professor's lab.

On the battlefield there were two trainers standing opposite each other. One was a girl about Claris' age with long wild blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail pinned with feathers in her hair. Her gray-blue eyes crackled exuberance and stood with confidence. From the other side was a woman in her mid-thirties with an aura of self-assuredness and elegance of carved ice though her lips curled in a warm smile. No matter what though, Steph could tell that they were not students; they exuded sheer strength.

@Zarkun
Meanwhile, Jason would recognize Steph from the lab as well though not her companion.

Standing between them was a woman who when she looked up curiously at the sound of the doors opening, looked up at the new entrants. "I'm sorry, you just missed the demonstration. Can I help you two?" Asked the woman.

"I believe they are likely here for the school's challenge," announced the old woman with a mischievous grin. "Now, with three promising trainers wanting to take part it'll take a large portion of the day. Now, how should we solve it?"

What do you two do?

Archie had a satisfied look on his face as the police came and cuffed Danny, the real culprit behind all the egg-thieving shenanigans here at the farm. Beside him, Bravos was curled up and taking a nap on a bench, resting after the hard battle he fought against the thief's Pokémon. "You did amazing, partner. I'm so happy for you." Archie softly said to his Chespin as he gently patted its head. Bravos shifted a bit in its sleep, a small smile forming on its face. He found himself resting beside his Pokémon as well, the adrenaline gradually disappearing from his body. It was kind of a long day as well but weirdly enough, he felt like he'd been at his farm for weeks.

He stood up just as Frida and Neil were approaching him. "Oh it was nothing, ma'am and sir! Helping those in need and delivering justice are just what a hero naturally does!" Archie proudly said with a puff of his chest. He thanked them as he received lots of Moomoo Milk and his eyes twinkled with fascination when the farmer couple gave him a Pokeball.

"Y-You're gonna... Thi-this... To-To me???!!!" Archie's excitement made Bravos jump awake from its slumber. As he tossed the Pokeball, a Mareep came out!

"Ma-a-a-ah~" It cheerfully greeted Archie and without hesitation nuzzled against his leg. In return, the green-haired lad gave his new Pokémon a big warm hug. "Thank you so, so much! I'm going to take good care of Hurrah!" He said, his voice muffled by his new friend Hurrah the Mareep's thick fluffy wool, as the Pokémon happily bleated upon learning of its new name.

He stood up again just as Neil approached Archie and gave him... a USB?

"Josiah... In Frostjord... Answers..." He repeated back, shooting a perplexed look alternating between the farmer and the small device in his hand. Behind him, Bravos cautiously approached Hurrah at which it figuratively jolted in figurative shock when Hurrah approached and nuzzled against it too.

"Oh psh, mystery and danger are all parts of a hero's journey towards triumph! Thank you once again for everything, Mrs. Frida and Mr. Neil. I won't forget your kindness!" He rushed and gave a big, warm hug to the couple. He enthusiastically waved good-bye at them as he and his growing team head out of the farm. He was practically jumping in joy and excitement because of having Hurrah on the team, his infectious beaming smile also affecting his shy Chespin and his gentle Mareep.

"Now, how do you go to Frostjord..." He said as he carefully examined the map on his Rotom phone. "Okay team, let's huddle up!" He sat on the ground with Bravos and Hurrah as he showed them a map of the Evig region. "Mr. Neil said we need to go to Frostjord and find a person named Josiah. He said that that person will tell us the answers about this thingy." He showed his team the USB given to him. "I don't know what kind of information this will have for us, but a good hero never lets a mystery remain unsolved if it means it can potentially harm innocents, so our mission is to get to this city and meet this person. To go to Frostjord, that means we have to keep going through..."

He looked up at the direction of the Illusive Woods. He gulped nervously, with Bravos even shaking in fear just by looking at those trees while Hurrah had a worrying look on its face. "N-No matter! The only way out is through. We just have to stick together and we'll make out of it in one piece. Besides, Mrs. Frida told me her daughter is at Florasong which is just at the other side of that creepy forest. Before we knew it, we're already at the other side, so try not to worry too much!" He happily grinned at his Pokémon. Seeing their trainer's warm smile helped make them relax a bit.

"Now that that's settled..." Archie stood up and patted his pants. He looked at Bravos and Hurrah who gave him nods of determination. "Onwards, fellow future heroes!" "Ches-pin!" "Ma-a-a-ah!"

Team Archie toughen themselves up as they approach the Illusive Woods!

---

---

After watching her Starly and Bounsweet enjoy each others company in the beautiful garden, Evelyn eventually snapped out of her cutificaiton-overload-stupor. Recalling both of the little critters back in their respective pokéballs, she proceeded to take a stroll about the place herself, enjoying the sights and smells.

Sights and smells and... Sounds...?

"Hm?"

There was a lot of noise coming from the big, impressive and perhaps over-compensating manor. Or rather, from behind it. Was something amiss? It seemed very turmultuous back there. And, being a girl from a town taht thrived on gossip, the blonde couldn't contain her curiosity to sneak a peek at whatever was going on back there.

With all the skillful stealth of a wall-mounted refrigerator, Eve made her way around the corner of the building, and soon came face-to-face what with a most peculiar spectacle. A buncha people were running all over a pleasant-looking area, trying desperately to set things up in preperation for... A party? Some kind of event? A private shin-dig? Whatever they were working, there was a loud fellow barking insulting orders at everyone, as if he was compelled to end every issued command with a stinging remark as per some obligatory contract... He... Didn't seem very pleasant...

There was another fellow of note though. A much older one, who seemed a lot less intidmidating - or at least less abrasive - judging by his behavior and appearance. He reminded Evelyn of a the stereotypical 'old gardening gramps' stereotype. But , for whatever reason, the old foget was motioning for her to come over.

Why?

Was she getting in the way? Perhaps she shouldn't have come back here. After all, as far as Eve knew, this could be private property and she was trespassing. Or maybe he was just going to tell her to leave quietly without making a big stink about the whole affair? He seemed to have noticed something about the young traienr though, and as she had been both spotted and beckoned over, there was nothing for it except to bite the bullet and see what it lead to.

Moving on over with a calm, measured and unflustered stride, Evelyn made her way over to the elderly gentleman, greeting him with a raised hand and a friendly, though subtle and soft smile, as she got close.

"Good day, sir. Did you want to talk to me about something?" She asked in her usual, polite-enough tone of voice. "Am I oerhaps getting in the way? I didn't mean to snoop, I just heard a large commotion when I was walking by and, well, I wanted to see if everything was alright back here." ... A partial white lie... She was most assuredly snooping, but not entirely out of morbid curiosity. After all, someone could've needed help!

Thus, Evelyn éngaged the old garderner in friendly conversation.

Vivian let out a large gasp as she laid eyes on the Absol, “An Absol?! Oooooh I’ve heard of these! They appear in a lot of ancient texts as harbingers of doom! Not that they ARE but a lot of people thought so at the time-” Vivian explains hurriedly as she packs up her belongings once again, “Regardless, there’s almost always-probably-maybe something important happening if an Absol shows up! Therefor-” the archeologist cuts herself off again, already running after the Disaster Pokemon. This was an omen of what could be a fantastic discovery!

Or a massive tragedy. But Vivian preferred looking on the bright side of things!

Following the lady's instructions after a brief nod and utterance of what no doubt was some sort of thank you in the eldritch tongue, Steph would find herself pushing open a set of double doors, a whistle escaping her at the scale of the battlefield arena. Like it wasn't just one field, but multiple. Guess that was a bigshot, big city trainer school for you eh?

"Demawnstruytion?" Steph didnt really know what was going on, but a glance at the two on the battlefield explained everything she needed to know. She wasn't an experienced trainer, sure, but she had watched so many Galar region fights, as well as other regions when they were televised, but in person wherever she could in Galar. They exuded the air of confidence, strength and experience that came with higher level trainers. With her attention settling on the aforementioned individuals, she lingered over the people she didn't recognise for a moment, before grinning at Jason, wandering up to the blunette and attempting to drape an arm over his shoulder.


"Ye, oym heah t' tyke on the gauntleh', figooah ya doin the syme eh Jason? Fahncy maytin yah heah anywhy, its only bayn a few hours, buh' its faelt loike mawnths, haows ih' gaowin mite?" Perhaps Steph was being too forward and friendly with the boy she had only met earlier that day and had talked to like, twice. At best. And not even really at length at all. But if Freya had learned anything about Steph in her short time knowing her also, it was that she was pretty friendly and straightforward with everyone she met. Perhaps too much.


"Lit! Lit lit!" Dusk would also Chime up from her other shoulder, the living candle seeming rather proud of himself as he made boxing gestures.

"Sawlve whaht though?" Steph wasn't sure what she meant by 'solve it'. There was a problem to solve? She didn't think a series of three battles would take too long would it? Even if it was now three seperate trainers who wanted to partake in the challenge, well two at least anyway.