‘I dunno. I was trying to reason how there could be a shrine on that location. Because if it's there, it certainly isn't above ground. I know, Hector sometimes makes us jog the coast from Redcoast to Pureplain,’ Anise said, shrugging a bit.
‘Eeeeeeh...’ Anise made an awkward noise at the mention of the secret exit. ‘I don't... think that's it...’ she said, looking a bit guilty. ‘... on account I made that secret exit...’ she admitted, looking embarrassed. ‘I used a Zigzagoon with a Nugget to lure trainers to the mirror, having Zigzagoon run through the shrine and exit that entrance, and then I ambushed the trainer and battled them, in hopes of presenting it with a "strong one"...’ So, yeah, unless someone else made those secret exits, that's not necessarily it.
‘Eh?’ the girl blinked in surprise when Skylar just passed her by, coming to a very sudden stop.
‘That girl is actively hiding something from us!’ the officer declared, stopping a Pokémon battle’s distance away from Skylar and pointing his spear at him. ‘I am sure you’re feeling oh so noble protecting her,’ he said, his words dripping in venom. ‘but that girl is carrying a secret that could mean victory over the amts! Let us pass!’
‘Y-you can’t take them all on at once! We have to run…!’ the girl tried to persuade Skylar, but considering he likely wouldn’t, and also unnerved the grunts somewhat by showing his eyes (not to mention full 6-Pokémon team), she decided that… ‘Oooooh! Grandpa always said there was no running from a trainer battle!’ she called with significant regret in her voice as she cast down two more Pokéballs, making a total of three Pokémon take their stances before her!
Pokédex Entry #298 – Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokémon. It lives by water. It’s big tail is packed with nutrition for it to grow, and is also very bouncy. Azurill spins its tail as if it were a lasso, then hurls it far, the momentum of the throw sends its body flying up to 33 feet. On sunny days they gather at the edge of water and splash about for fun.
Pokédex Entry #551 – Sandile, the Desert Croc Pokémon. They live hidden in hot desert sands to keep their body temperature from dropping. It’s capable of submerging itself and swimming in sand, only its nose and eyes sticking up occasionally. Due to not being confident in hunting, it usually goes after things that have collapsed in the desert.
And the pink Spritzee above them.
‘Hmpf. Seems like you’re not planning on running. In that case, there is no need to rush this. We can follow the tried and true methods of Team combat…’ the officer said with his arms crossed. He leaned and whispered something in Grunt 4’s ear, the guy turning a little pale as the officer placed a hand on the guy’s back and pushed him forward.
‘Grunts of Team Virtue, ATTACK FIRST!’ the officer commanded, and the four grunts all took out two Pokéballs each, throwing them out along with the names of each of the Pokémon…!
Pokédex Entry #504 – Patrat, the Scout Pokémon. Extremely cautious, their nests will always keep a lookout, and they feel insecure without a lookout even with a trainer. Using food stored in cheek pouches, they can keep watch for days. They use their tails to communicate with others. Despite being cautious, they’re easy to sneak up on from behind.
Pokédex Entry #506 – Lillipup, the Puppy Pokémon. The hair on its face senses extremely subtle changes in atmosphere and can be used as a radar. It’s known to bravely face off against terrible odds, but also to run away from battles it cannot win.
Pokédex Entry #69 – Bellsprout, the Flower Pokémon. A carnivorous plant, it traps and eats bugs to eat. It can root itself deep into the ground to drink, or uproot itself to move. It’s skinny body is extremely flexible to avoid attacks, and its speed with its Vine Whips at prey are said to be blindingly fast. It loves hot and humid places.
Pokédex Entry #677 – Espurr, the Restraint Pokémon. The organ that emits its intense psychic power is sheltered by its ears to keep power from leaking out. It typically keeps it restrained, which is a good thing because it has enough psychic energy to blast everything within 300 feet of itself with no control other than the little locked ears.
Pokédex Entry #109 – Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokémon. It fills itself with lighter-than-air gases to float, and concocts them into poisonous gases within. When agitated, it expels the gases within into a poisonous smoke-screen. However, it can fail the process and randomly blow up. At higher temperatures, it is especially prone to blowing up at little to no provocation.
Pokédex Entry #194 – Wooper, the Water Fish Pokémon. It lives in cold water, sleeping on the bottom and seeking food by the shore when it's cold. When walking above water, wild Woopers cover their bodies with a slimy, poisonous film that keeps them from dehydrating. It's slightly dull-witted.
Pokédex Entry #627 – Rufflet, the Eaglet Pokémon. Known to bravely or recklessly challenge any enemy, no matter how strong it is. They’re natural-born warriors pick fight indiscriminately, even with their own parents, and grow stronger as they get injured. It uses its talons to crush berries or the shells of clams to get food.
Pokédex Entry #590 – Foongus, the Mushroom Pokémon. It lures in people and Pokémon with its Pokéball-like pattern and then poisons them with its spores. When dried, said spores can be used as stomach medicine. Why it resembles a Poké Ball is unknown. wait, didn’t we just establish why - Kalmia
Each set of two belongs to a different grunt.
Koffing is filling the whole tunnel with a weird gas. Neutralizing Gas is nullifying all abilities!
Grunt 1 is doing something weird. He’s having Patrat use Bide, and then he has his Lillipup Tackle his companion! Patrat’s glaring at Paradise!
Grunt 2 is taking a ranged role. Bellsprout is throwing out Vine Whip at Azurill while Espurr puts up a Light Screen, protecting their whole team!
Grunt 3 has Koffing unleash a terrifying multitargeting attack in Poison Gas, blasted straight forward at Skylar’s team, threatening to hit anyone that doesn’t move out of the way, while Wooper’s shooting a Mud Shot at Mac!
Grunt 4 has Rufflet swirl around Skylar’s team… and try to charge at Skylar! He’s not going to actually attack Skylar, but he’s going to Fury Attack someone who so selflessly tries to protect him! Foongus, meanwhile, takes advantage of its secondary Poison-type to dash into the Poison Gas cloud and uses Mega Drain at Seabreeze!
The girl is cautiously looking at Skylar for tips on how to lead the battle, not wanting her own attacks to conflict with his she’s going to wait a little.
‘Oh,’ Anise made a bit of a noise at Basil’s observation. She looked at the map as he’d marked it, looking maybe a little alarmed he’d drawn on her map (even though it was just a sketch), still, she pushed that aside in her mind. ‘Huh. I suppose it’s underground there, then? We’d dive underwater and find a secret passageway inland to that location?’ she asked, looking a bit befuddled.
‘Is that the only possibility?’ she asked, looking curiously at Basil about it.
He got another frown as an answer to his introduction. Still, progress. Then he went on to ask about Silent Shrine legend.
‘As far as I can tell, those are separate legends, that somehow involve the same shrine. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if they're somehow connected,’ Anise told, crossing her arms. Then the part about how she may have defined "strong" right. ‘Could be. Doesn't give me a better clue as to what I should reflect in the mirror, though.’
She frowned considerably when he asked where on the moderately small screen the three shrines are. Instead of poking, she put a hand into a pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, ensuring Meditite was keeping it dry. ‘It's called the Shrine of the Center because it's at the center of the perpetual rain...’ she said as she looked at her own drawing... and then her eyes went wide. ‘Wait, uh... there's... if there's a fourth shrine... It can't be just... right...?’ ... She stared at the paper for a couple of seconds, then she proceeded to put her hand in her face as she presented the piece of paper to Basil.
circle is the radius of the rain triangle is between the three shrines other lines are roads or edges of water
‘... Huh,’ the girl made a noise as Basil asked that. She was still frowning, but now she pulled down her blue scarf, revealing her mouth and not looking quite as ninja anymore.
‘That... would be me, yeah. I am Anise, disciple of the Fighting-type Gym Leader of Redcoast City, Hector,’ she introduced herself. She looked between Basil and the note with narrowed eyes as if trying to discern some kind of trickery for numerous seconds.
‘Lost Shrine? I've... never even heard of that,’ Anise said, sounding quite disbelieving, still. ‘There's three shrines, built to be a triangle. The triangle's a bit obtuse, but. ...’ She looked like she was hesitating for a couple of seconds, but then spoke again.
‘It was said that once upon a time, a beast of rain rampaged, but it was calmed. However, there may come a time when it rampages again. “When the Strong One is reflected in the shrine’s mirror, the beasts will revert to their true form, and nature will be calmed”. So went the legend which I was trying to ask Lorette about. It's not how it was originally told, years of being retold orally has changed it, but something like that. Lorette came to see the mirror a couple times, but ultimately never had anything to say about it. I've been trying to figure it out before it rampages again. I've tried fighting trainers in front of the mirror tosee if maybe one of them is the "Strong One", but no such luck. Should have occurred to me when it didn't react to Hector, either,’ she said, sighing a bit.
‘Can you make anything of that?’ she asked, peering at Basil.
‘Nice! I’ll make sure of it!’ Brendon said, as a hand was shook and items exchanged.
Skylar obtained Dusk Stone!
Back to present.
Skylar decided to head down into the mines. Perhaps intending to fight some slightly tougher Pokémon or so. The lights quickly vanished as he and his Pokémon went deeper, meaning Pokémon unable to see in the dark or not accustomed to the underground may be at a disadvantage. Still, he headed down, went around a corner, and-
Pokédex Entry #530 – Excadrill, the Subterrene Pokémon. 300 feet underground they and Drilburs dig mazeline nests in which they live. They’ve evolved drills powerful enough to dig through metal plates, and are commonly used to dig out new tunnels. Measures sometimes have to be taken so they don’t inadvertently destroy underground subways.
A… not actually particularly big metal-carrying mole stood before him, glaring at him decently unimpressed. Eventually, though, it decided to merely walk past him, minding his own business.
This is a high-level area.
Now, higher-level versions of all the other smaller Pokémon that inhabit the Desert Mines are also around, Sandshrew, Diglett, Geodude, Drilbur and Sandile. Their evolutions probably are around here somewhere, too. Still, there were groups of hostile crocodiles roaming the caves for prey…
Pokédex Entry #552 – Krokorok, the Desert Croc Pokémon. They live in groups of a few individuals. The female is often the leader, and the males gather food. There’s a special membrane covering their eyes allowing them to see the heat of things, allowing them to hunt in the dark or in sandstorms. As they hate the cold, they dig deep into the sands.
… Probably best to avoid those.
Down here, there were some things Skylar could do. He could explore even more caves in hopes of finding interesting things, he could attempt training against the higher-level Pokémon down here, or he could try to mine down here for perhaps more valuable items, if he’s wary that the noise he’s making might attract wild Pokémon. That, or…
… Was that a human voice he heard echoing from deep inside the mines?
The following only happens if he goes there. Otherwise the events are paused until he does investigate.
‘Keep working! Don’t you even think of taking a break!’ called a strict, male voice called, and there was the sounds of numerous people that were chopping pickaxes at the walls in a small but well excavated pocket of the caves. If Skylar or his Pokémon were to peek onto what was happening…
‘Team Amethyst were in these mines! Break your backs if you have to, we must find what they were looking for!’ a man that appeared to be wielding a spear said as he commanded several white-clad grunts digging in the mine. They had their own light-equipment set up, enabling them to see while they were working. There could be little doubt that these were members of…
‘Team Virtue! The fate of the world could rely on this discovery!’ he called, and the lobster on his shoulder <hissed?> at them, warning with a pointed giant claw.
Pokédex Entry #692 – Clauncher, the Water Gun Pokémon. Its massive claw is a water-pistol firing compressed water using controlled expulsions of internal gasses. The shots it fires can shatter rock at close distances, it uses this to shoot down flying prey. It is known to use this expulsion to travel fast, jetting water out behind it to accelerate.
The guys working were all certainly grunts and didn’t exactly look dressed for the task at hand, yet they worked with burning passion, though they also looked pretty exhausted. One looked scared, though.
‘B-but sir, what if we're attacked by wild Pokémon? We're not strong enough for this area...’ he asked.
‘If we're beaten down, then we heal up at the Pokémon Center, and then come back to be beaten down again!’ the officer declared, before holding his spear towards the grunt that had spoken. ‘What? Is your determination wavering?’ he asked, in a way that sounded like a threat.
‘N-no, sir!’ the grunt quickly decided he was more scared of his commander than the wild Pokémon, and took his pickaxe and struck the wall with renewed vigor!
One could question what they were doing. Still, didn’t look like there was anything was immediately pressing…
‘EEK!’
There was a sudden cry as a wall collapsed just as one of the Team Virtue Grunts swung a pickaxe at it, and to the surprise of everyone present the wall collapsed and a green-haired girl fell out of the wall. She also happened to drop an odd, black multi-sided box(?) with green sides. Over her flew down a worried little pink thing that currently glowed on its own, a sign that it had learned Flash.
Pokédex Entry #682 – Spritzee, the Perfume Pokémon. It emits a scent that enraptures those who smell it. This fragrance changes depending on what it has eaten. In the past, rather than using perfume, royal ladies carried a Spritzee that would waft a fragrance they liked.
The Team Virtue officer walked over. He practically glared at her, and pointed his weapon at her.
‘Explain yourself,’ he asked her.
‘I-I’m sorry! I’m just a regular Pokémon Trainer exploring the mines when I fell into a hole, and I-’ she explained in a panicked haste, and indeed, there was a hole upwards beyond the pocket she’d been inside that the grunt had dug out, which said grunt was now staring up at with slight confusion. As she spoke the girl quickly snatched up the box(?) that she had dropped.
‘That box. What was that?’ the officer demanded.
‘N-nothing! Just a keepsake of my grandpa-’ the girl tried to explain.
‘Hand it over. Team Virtue will confirm what it is, then hand it back if it’s unrelated to our business,’ the officer declared.
‘N-no!’
‘… No?’ the officer asked, starting to advance on her, causing the girl to scramble to her feet to regain mobility. ‘Do you have something to hide from us, the just protectors of Isson?’
‘Wait, no! That’s not-’
‘You are arrested under suspicion of being a Team Amethyst agent! Surrender yourself!’
‘W-waaa-!’ the girl turned around and started fleeing in panic, her Spritzee flying after.
‘After her!’ the officer said, and with that the whole party pursued the girl… in Skylar’s direction.
Of course, if Skylar decided to leave / interfere BEFORE the end of the post, maybe even before the miners found the girl for whatever reason (albeit then he wouldn’t know she was there), then he can interrupt this post wherever he wants.
Basil jumped at suddenly being called out for most definitely taking the mirror from the shrine. Pokemon started dropping from above, soon followed by an oddly dressed girl who was quite aggressive judging from the fact she looked ready to perform a flying kick to his face. It was quite the shock considering he did not see anyone around the shrine so it was either poor timing or she was spying on him from the moment he entered its grounds. "Uh, t-the gym leader of Highhill sent me here. I was investigating the connection between the endless rain and the fairies that helped the hero long before." He said with a slight shake as he was not quite fond of the idea of getting his teeth kicked in. "By chance I met Lorette and she said to bring back whatever I found here to her and, well, this mirror seems pretty important to me." Hopefully that explanation would be enough to satisfy her. "If you don't mind me asking, why is it so important?"
The girl, that had been behind the roof practicing her ninja silence before jumping down, stared at him unconvinced. ‘Lorette? Why would she want this mirror? She's left it untouched all those times she came to visit. I don't buy it. Far more likely, you're making up an excuse to make me let you get away with it!’ the girl called, no small amount of anger in her voice. ‘I'm not telling you anything until you make sense. What exactly did she tell you?’ she then followed up, clearly not in an answering-questions mood.
Well, she certainly was a tough customer to sell this story. It certainly did not help that Lorette was exactly one for giving out detailed instructions and reasons in the first place. Things couldn't go his way that easily, could they? He sighed and shook his head knowing that this was going to probably not going to buy it. "Uh, honestly she was pretty vague about the whole thing. I was asking her about the presence in the Silent Shrine that listened to my prayer and that I haven't made any significant headway in my investigation. She said it is meant to be kept a secret, but she was feeling generous and told me about this shrine and some hints on how to find it." Basil scratched his chin before he snapped his fingers at what he remembered. "Oh wait, the one thing she did tell me was to remember that she referred the Deepforest Shrine as the Shrine of the Center and that once I found what I needed that the next part would be pretty easy... Though I am not sure what that part is." Yeah that really did not help his case considering he sounded incredible suspicious with the lack of information. "I'm not exactly sure what she gets out of this or what will even happen once I bring it back to her, but if you want you can follow me back and ask her yourself. I'm supposed to meet her in the shrine right now." Maybe this would help him get out of trouble?
The girl looked supremely suspicious of him, but ultimately held out her hand. ‘... I carry the mirror,’ she insisted.
Basil did not have any objections to that! "Please, do so." At this point he was just happy that he wasn't beaten into a pulp.
After handing the mirror over to the girl, the two of them started a silent and awkward walk through the Northern Silent Forest. The girl kept all three of her Pokémon out, and Meditite floated above her head as a psychic umbrella, using weak psychic forces to prevent the water from hitting the girl or her companions. They kept a healthy distance and kept looking around, like they were expecting to be surrounded by Basil’s companions and attacked or something, but as no such event happened they kept on walking.
Finally, they arrived back where Basil had received this mission in the first place.
Deepforest Shrine
It’s a shrine. Following the arcs of the forest, eventually the path somehow reached this road made of rock, leading through the forest to a destination. Surrounded by forest, far from any road, lay this sudden, as if hidden, shrine. In the midst of the rainfall of the Northern Silent Forest, this was clearly not the Silent Shrine, but someplace else entirely. Yet, other than being a shrine in the middle of nowhere, was there anything relevant about this place? It seemed but empty, abandoned and bleak from here.
Yet… the shrine was attended. There were small, white-bodied green-capped little fellas standing a bit here and there, holding tiny brooms sweeping like they were trying to be shrine maidens for the shrine, wearing the same outfits a shrine maiden would, white top and red dress. They also had noticed the person approaching before he’d come into view, some of them fleeing as if by sheer shyness, but others stood, watching the newcomer, unsure what to make of him yet.
Pokédex Entry #280 – Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. The horn on its head can sense emotions, and its own mood will be affected in turn. It will approach positive emotion and its body will warm, while it will shy away from and avoid negativity and hostility. Quite rare to see in nature.
Except, there was no Lorette here. She was missing. That said, when a particular Ralts saw him, it immediately piqued up and ran deeper inside, before coming back with a piece of paper that it handed over to Basil.
Had to go back to my Gym. If you come back before I do, it’s probably because you got stuck. Alright, let me be a bit less vague. What you’re looking for on Route 11 is a person, commonly found at the Abandoned Shrine. She’s a disciple of Gym Leader Hector of Redcoast Gym, otherwise. I’ve been hiding this from her, too, so it’s only fair. Between the two of you, you should have enough information to find the Lost Shrine. Good luck!
‘… What does it say?’ the girl, who still kept a healthy distance, asked.
Obviously, Alicia was on the way. Mariette REALLY didn’t have time to address her accusation, given it was true. Not all of it intentional, but it was true. Okay, could she do anything at all? Oh, she could still use touch-based magic. Which she had none. She could open a portal at her feet, but it wouldn’t go anywhere. Yet, this was enough. If she could get to the mirror, that was all she needed. The idea, of course, was that she could get to the mirror at any time and would never get anywhere close to Leena. That worked excellently, until they found out Leena needs to be taken out back and shot right now because of her ability.
‘I- I need to- if we can’t stop Leena, we need to get to the basement. Th-there’s a special mirror there I can activate…!’ Mariette said in response to Dina’s thing about escaping, to anyone nearby. If Mariette escaped now, and left the Black Mirror to its destruction, then Asengav… Asengav wouldn’t forgive her. Even if she couldn’t portal there from here, all she needed to do was lay her hand on it to open a portal out of this world…!
‘With the Void World removing our protective measures, the roof shouldn’t be that difficult to break through,’ Eli told, albeit she personally lacked that kind of strength, she stepped in front of Mariette making one of her wings a shield, because it appeared that Mariette’s own shields wouldn’t serve her now. She had to protect her mistress. She had to.
Specialization: Portals, Light Power: Tentacles Perks: Gifted, I. Home, Blood M., Overcity S., I. Tourist, H. Handbag, Allies, Aware, A. Direction Benefits: C. Doom, Reason, Minions, Retrieval, M. Might, Mana Font. Drawbacks: Quick-T., Mind-Bent, Insomnia, Bane, H. Sapping Str: 4 Agi: 4 Vit: 4 Mag: 22 Lck: 10
It appeared her root system had vanished. She was suddenly blind.
…
She’d spent so much time spreading her root system so she could control the entire mansion…
…
Without another thought, Esther broke out through the dirt, lifting herself out of the dirt of her own garden within which she’d been hidden to move somewhere else.
Foyer
Lea immediately recognized the danger of the seeds being launched her direction. She blew a strong wind forward to disperse the seeds, but they exploded into growth and charged at her. The fae monster then used some good-old 21 Agi mixed with wind-magic agility to perform some outrageous athletic maneuvers to dodge back away and through the limbs of the spiked tendrils. Even at one point she looked like she was about to be caught… when that part of her gently dispersed into butterflies and reformed on the other side of the tendril, successfully dodging the attack.
That aside. So, Dina’s magic defended them from ice, the web was vanquished/cut, the rage-beam hit but didn’t take down the mark, Taihei’s explosions missed due to them slipping on ice (how surprising), fire turned to glitter and the whole enemy team vanished out a portal. Alright, then.
A scene between MDP and Mayra takes place here, but before long they headed east two rooms to the common room, leaving this post.
They couldn’t pursue through Tenebra’s portal, because then they’d be on their own with no support. Then the Void World was called, and Mariette gave her orders.
‘… Everyone, report your capability without magic,’ Lea told them. ‘I still have my agility, and a ranged weapon.’ ‘…’ Freya, who had circled around to arrive from behind the east wing, merely extended her claws. Everyone knew already. ‘I’m physical to begin with, this is but a minor setback,’ Victoria told with a grin. ‘I… I still have a ranged weapon and agility, but I am far less capable without magic,’ Tullia told, sounding worried. ‘I have some explosives that work even in a magic-less world,’ Taihei said, lifting a couple grenades that she retrieved from somewhere. ‘But otherwise I’ve got tentacles and am a hard rock to punch.’ ‘I’m slightly physically capable, just, like, Eli-level? Though, I’m super-lucky, so it should work out!’ Josefin said happily. ‘I still have my web and close-range healing abilities, but probably don’t expect me to fight like this,’ Ronja said, spinning up some new web she couldn’t shoot anymore. ‘Haha. If I’m limited to self-magic, guess I’ll just boost myself like no tomorrow. I can throw a punch!’ Suzette said, showing off some fisticuffs at the air in front of her.
‘It seems the battle has moved outdoors, and I’m no longer useful sitting in my cubicle,’ the voice belonging to their information girl came from upstairs, dragging a box behind her. With her wandered the silent tree-girl named Esther.
‘I prepared some things, knowing there was an anti-magic girl, just in case. Here, have some things.’
Outside
So the ambush happened. Ronin knew it’d happen, she just really counted on that the infiltration team would be strong enough to handle it. She found that Dina’s enhancement made them escape the ice, and Taihei’s explosions missed, and Tenebra opened a portal of kinds and they were fleeing and-
-and Connie got hurt.
‘I got that-!’ Ronin leaped, raising a personal shield as she grabbed onto Connie’s shoulder, healing it while being carried off, taking a ride on Leena as they arrived to the outside. Ronin barely weights anything, should be totally fine.
Then Void World happened. Ronin blinked in surprise. Oh my god that is going to cripple Mariette while she could still evacuate her with a touch. ‘Th-this magic-less world, it might be our best chance!’ she whispered to Gaia and Connie, because MDP is not here as they’d shortly notice. ‘How’s, uh, your magic-less capabilities?’ she asked Gaia and Connie.
Alicia was heading off, and Ronin knew she had to be on her tail. She had to attack alongside Alicia. ‘I gotta go,’ she said, feeling all tense, pressured and a bit panicky. It was going down. She was about to run off, when-
‘SENSEI!’ Ronin had to cry out when Sakura got herself stabbed and thrown away. She ran off to crouch over her, holding her hands forward to try to heal. Darn, she didn’t have time for this! She had to climb the mansion! B-but she couldn’t sacrifice Sensei’s life to save those she cared about! She-
Aurelio showed up, saving the day like a big damn hero. Also… Jenna.
‘Ah-’ Ronin blinked as she realized… this was the one that she’d been recommended to tell. ‘Uh. If I can touch Eli and Mariette I can bring them to Djinn Sister’s dimension where Janet and Jenna can remove their mind-bending and we’ll have saved them from the horror that enslaved them,’ she spoke quickly, getting up on her feet, quiet enough that nobody she didn’t want to hear this would overhear. ‘I gotta go before Alicia kills them,’ she said, spinning around to dash for the wall of the mansion, starting to climb after Alicia, boosting herself with Reinforcement magic the whole way…!
Specialization: Reinforcement Power: Twin S., Shapeshifting Perks: M. Training, Flexibility, Fated, G.o.o. Jail, BigDamn H. Benefits: Free Agent, Genki Girl Drawbacks: Alone, also in debt to Crimson Cradle Str: 7 Agi: 7 Vit: 7 Mag: 8 Lck: 6
The random Victoria clone was wiped out by the Void wave. Sad.
So did all the snow, curiously enough. They’re now just standing on a featureless black ground with a mansion on it over there.
In any case. Shortly after Alicia had ran off, Josefin stuck her head out of a second floor window looking intensely worried.
‘Leena!’ she called. ‘Your Void World is collapsing this dimension! Unless you stop, everyone in here will die! You don’t want that, right!? I mean everyone!’
And if she turned out to be uncooperative…
‘Please, you’ve got to stop her!’ Josefin shouted to the Leena’s allies, because she figured that they shouldn’t like that, either.
Though if that wouldn’t work either, the forces of Asengav were preparing a charge. They were just waiting for, like, Alicia, Reaver and Justine to leave the ground level. Josefin because she was lucky and would probably survive even if they decided to shoot at her.
‘Mmmmm, nah,’ Brendon sounded. ‘Fossils are actually sorta common here, and we’re talking the rare stones here. I’d have agreed if it was just a Fire or Leaf Stone, but this is the Dusk and Shiny Stones here. So one fossil for one stone. Deal?’
Back to present.
‘Darn straight!’ the scientist agreed with Skylar’s words that he was not going to act like it was a burden, his smile back, as he went off to do other things.
Dunstan did not stop Skylar on the way out, Dunstan wasn’t aware that Skylar was even here, as such couldn’t do something like that. Moving on!
Skylar had a meal, and then went back to the mines. Business was slowing down, and he was warned that at a certain time the guests would be recommended to leave and the lights would be turned off, but he could do things until then.
Focused on training the lower-leveled Pokémon in the mines. The others got some experience, but this’ll about do.
Seabreeze grew to level 17! Jonathan grew to level 16! Jeebs grew to level 13! Royal grew to level 14! Royal learned Spark!
…
What?
A swirl of light passed over Jeebs. His fuzzy body that he obtained not long ago broke open, revealing long, beautiful wings, two antennas arose from the top of his head, and in general he looked much more complete.
Congratulations! Jeebs evolved into Vivillon!
Pokédex Entry #666 – Vivillon, the Scale Pokémon. Known to appear all over the world, the pattern on the wings differ depending on the climate of their habitat. They’re extremely skilled at finding water, so if you release one in a desolate environment it can be followed to find your way to a spring. In the deserts of Isson, they’re the primary means of finding the Mythic Oasis.
New Pokémon evolved! Skylar earned 2000 P!
Jeebs learned Struggle Bug!
Aside from that. Skylar dug some more, and while his time didn’t yield as many findings as last time, he still found something. Another rock, and some sort of claw that must have loosened from an ancient Pokémon, perhaps?
Skylar obtained Hard Stone! Skylar obtained Razor Claw!
There. What will Skylar do now?
Desert Mines
The Desert Mines is what the town of Raremine was created for. Outside the entrance exists a small gathering of tents and buildings to supply the people passing through, where different people gather to potentially purchase the findings of the mines. There are different mines for the various metals that are used throughout Isson for construction, but the place people think of when heading to the Desert Mines is the one specific where trainers are allowed to pick up their own pickaxes and head down to dig! The miners tend to use their Pokémon to help with the digging, and a lot of the Pokémon they use are native to the cave itself, so for some help just catch one and go at it!
There are maps showing where you’re more likely to find different things, be they stones, fossils or remnants of ancient civilizations. The mines themselves are well-lit, with lamps in the ceiling letting people wander free. The Pokémon here are very used to humans walking about and are constantly maintaining the structural integrity of the tunnels, making it a very safe working environment, despite being a mine. But, deep in the mines is a place where people stop going, lamps no longer light the place up, a place where Pokémon are allowed to live free. What sort of secrets might await in the deepest depths of the Desert Mines? Are you here to find out?
1. Find Pokémon. Can be specified what kind of Pokémon is being searched for, and how you search. 2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding. 3. Seek trainers. The miners around here commonly have Pokémon and could totally take you. 4. Talk. There’s plenty of miners and some researchers one could talk to. 5. Mine. Grab a tool, and get to chopping! The miners always appreciate the extra help! Your chances may increase with a Pokémon helping! 6. Brave the Cave. Seek deeper into the cave, see what form of secrets the depth of the mine might hold. 7. Mine Sellers. People on the outside of the mine willing to buy scraps you may have found! 8. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 9. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you.
Basil sketched out the mirror and its surroundings.
Basil obtained Mirror Sketch!
After nothing of note happened, Basil then advanced into the shrine, discovered the secret exit out the back, he inspected the mirror. Poking it revealed it to be a physical object, and picking it up revealed it to not be trapped. Having come this far, Basil decided to take the mirror with him out the back, exiting towards Northern Silent Forest…
‘Hold it,’ called a voice from above and behind him.
A small blue frog dropped down in front of him, looking all stylish and threatening(?) as it landed. On his left, a mostly yellow/redish humanoid-beast-like Pokémon landed with a martial-arts stance, and on his right a big-headed blue/grey also humanoid little thing drifted down more slowly than the others with no visible means of flight, its limbs in a resting pose.
Behind him, now, dropped an actual human, who quickly dropped down into a martial-art stance of some sort. She had red hair and an exotic outfit with reddish pants, a dark shirt with her elbows revealed, and a long blue scarf that was currently lifted to cover her mouth, unlike in the following image of her.
Pokédex Entry #656 – Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. It secretes flexible and delicate bubbles from its chest and back which absorb damage that would otherwise damage it. While it is known for a happy-go-lucky attitude, it has astute awareness of its surroundings.
Pokédex Entry #307 – Meditite, the Meditate Pokémon. It is found deep in mountains, meditating for hours on end and surviving on a berry a day. It trains its spirit, and by heightening its inner strength it somehow achieved levitation. It also enjoys daily yoga workouts.
Pokédex Entry #619 – Mienfoo, the Martial Arts Pokémon. While not very strong, it’s very fast and has mastered the art of elegant combos using claws to increase damage. As it concentrates, it grows in speed and efficiency. They have a tendency to start acting like their trainer’s personal body-guards.
‘What’s your business with the mirror?’ she asked, all her Pokémon looking ready for battle… and so did she, for whatever reason.
So the battle commenced. In the midst of which, Justine seemed to be attempting to convince Lily that Mariette had destroyed Penrose. She didn't have anything particularly reasonable argument for the case, yet Lily seemed to be seriously considering it.
‘If you have reasonable accusations to levy against me, I will hear them out. The partial destruction of Penrose was caused by monsters abusing the fact the majority of Penrose's Magical Girls, me included, was trapped inside a Lesser Force's beach dimension,’ Mariette told, clearly irritated. ‘Lily. I trust you,’ she then followed, because reasoning with Justine was too much to ask.
Then Void World happened. Because of course it did. Mariette had been updated that some upstart created a portal unlike her own to make them escape the ambush, which was annoying. The portal girl made a mental note that if that girl showed up again she'd be the first one to be taught a lesson. The wave passed Mariette, and...
It was very strange. Despite not relying on magic at all when it came to standing up, she still felt weak and about to fall over. It was possible Eli was the one who caught her, if it wasn't Hilaria, Eli looking on with worried eyes. Yet, that was not important next to the following event. The world itself. It was... Needed to address Alexander's question.
‘... There's no non-magical exit,’ she answered him, and then brought her communicator to her lips. ‘Everyone. Leena's Void World is causing the whole dimension to collapse. Neutralize her or everyone here will be dead in five minutes. I repeat. Neutralize Leena is a new primary and urgent objective.’
... And seeing how Mariette is now utterly powerless, that's all she could do.
A lot of things happened as the wave of anti-magic went by, but perhaps one of the most pronounced was...
One second, Mikayla was floating there, with her army of spirits, in-battle and powerful, her Powerful Aura echoing over the scenery...
Then Void World wave passed.
... And there was no sign of her. It was like Mikayla had never even been there. She was gone.
In a different dimension entirely, Mikayla woke up. She stared a bit absently at the ceiling.
Turns out astral projecting is a little difficult in a world where magic is cut. Not only was the magic in her projection cut, the portal through which Mariette was allowing her to project through was also cut. Seems Mikayla's part in this battle was over.
It did not take long to reach what he'd seen earlier.
If he went there…
Abandoned Shrine
So. There’s a shrine, standing on the edge between the abandoned buildings in the southern area of Route 11 and the Silent Forest further south. It’s positively tiny, and despite the markings all over around it. A few Chinglings jumped about, just looking happy and not minding anything at all, making their little ringing sound as they did.
Pokédex Entry #433 – Chingling, the Bell Pokémon. An orb in the back of its throat chimes each time it jumps, making a ringing sound. When endangered it defends itself by emitting deafening high-frequency cries. When it starts crying, it’s hard to make it stop.
Inside the tiny shrine was a podium. On top of the podium stood a strange mirror. It was adorned with an odd frame that had varying colors adorning it. As for what it was or what it was doing here, there were no particular answers for.
So, that’s what was here, as far as Basil could tell. What would he do, here?
Route 11
Those heading to Route 11 by any other route than from Rainrock may receive a warning of the weather conditions by the clouds gathering overhead to release before climbing over Mt. Strength. Route 11 consists mainly of one big road leading in-between Rainrock City and Redcoast City, two cities with very close ties and bonds due to many reasons. Aside from the main road there are farmlands below as well as plenty of small patches of forests and plains around, all under the spotty clouds that sometimes shower the area in a blanket of light rain, sometimes shine down with a hopeful sun through the cracks in the sky but mostly both at the same time.
Route 11 is somewhat of a crossroad. To the east lies Rainrock City, and the path there leads on an incline to the high altitude of the mountain-laid city from the coastal Redcoast City in the west. Should one decide that one does not wish to head in either direction, the path north to Route 12 exists and is considered the main road to bigger places like Bigfjord or Worldedge City or perhaps out over the seas of Route 27. Route 11 is also fairly known for a high amount of abandoned buildings, as those who lived in them moved to neighboring cities in recent times. They stand, looming, free to explore for those who rejoices in emptiness. But, one famous building that perhaps isn’t as abandoned is the Pokéball Factory in the north-east, just off-road in the direction of Route 12.
The route is decently well-trafficked, with trainers and others coming down from Route 12 to Rainrock or Redcoast or onwards, and as such trainers might want to stay off the main road. Plenty of side-roads, though. Due to the rains many hurry past these terrains… but perhaps they’re missing out on a few rare Pokémon in the process?
1. Find Pokémon. Can be specified what kind of Pokémon is being searched for, and how you search. 2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding. 3. Seek trainers. There should be some trainers among those walking back and forth in the area. 4. Talk. There’s plenty of travellers around. Maybe seek answers to any burning questions you have. 5. Move along. Move along normally, letting any events that may come happen naturally. 6. Hurry along. Intentionally avoid confrontations and try to get safely to the next destination. 7. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 8. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 9. Area Specific: Explore Buildings. There’s abandoned buildings. Why not have a look? 10. Shrine. Basil saw one over that direction before. 11. Basil Specific: Pokémon Fight Club. So, does one talk about what one found in that building?
Connected areas: Redcoast City. To the west. A pretty straight road. Rainrock City. To the east. Requires a bit of a climbing road. Route 12. Requires crossing Route 11 on the way north, also pretty well-traveled. Pokéball Factory. A turn east on the path north should bring you there. Northern Silent Forest. Going south, one can breach into the rainy forest.
‘Eeeh, Fire Stones aren’t worth as much as Dusk Stones. Rarer,’ Brendon said, looking a bit sceptical. ‘Still, I don’t really have much use of a Dusk Stone, myself. So, if you’d like to give me any of those OTHER fossils you got, then I’m up for a trade!’ Brendon negotiated with a wide smile.
Skylar then hurried back to Raremine Town, and went first to the Pokémon Center, and then to the research lab. A building with white walls contrasting the usual yellow, brown or beige buildings of Raremine town, a sterile looking building that was the research center for examining the products find in the desert and the desert mines. Going inside there were signs pointing rather handedly towards the “Fossil Resurrection” area… assuming one can see, anyway. But assuming Skylar could find his way…
‘WELCOME! … To the HALL OF RESURRECTION!’
Skylar found himself in a lab-like room, blue walls, covered with tubes and cables and liquids pumping around and the room otherwise dominated by a giant, square machine in the middle of the room, with a bunch of glowy yellow lines around it that seemed more to make it look cool than actually be practical. Then there was the excited-looking scientist standing with arms spread demonstrating the machine.
‘In this machine, the souls of old are reunited with their bodies and are brought forth to walk this earth once more! One would have thought this would be the realm of the occult, but no! This is science! SCIENCE! Oooh, most based and excellent science! With it, the dead walk once more! Hahahahaha!’
The eccentric scientist held his arms forth to Skylar.
‘You have a fossil you would like to resurrect, do you not? Give it here! Give me, and I will bring it back to life for you, free of charge!’
Weirdness about free resurrection services aside, assuming he was given the fossil he pressed a button on the machine and the top of it opened like a giant maw or a treasure chest. The man placed the fossil in the middle of it, clicked the same button again, and it shut tight.
‘Then, let the resurrection process COMMENCE!’
So he called, and slammed his fist into a far too big to be practical button on his display, and the machine gave an unsettlingly loud churn and started vibrating, the yellow lines on it starting to glow brighter in the bottom and going upwards, as if it was filling up with energy, and then it reached full, aaaaaaaaaaand…!
…
It fizzled out and the machine’s shaking slowed down until it stopped.
…
But the machine didn’t seem to be turned off?
…
…
…
‘What, did you think it would be done instantly?’ The scientist crossed his arms, shaking his head. ‘This is going to take numerous hours, straight into the night at this rate. Come back tomorrow. Hah, instantly. Do I look like some kind of miracle worker? Kids these days are always so impatient…’
So, it turns out Skylar would have to wait until tomorrow to get his Pokémon. Eventually he’d find himself outside the lab again, unless he had additional questions or so. He might notice a sign that pointed to Professor Dunstan’s office, a famous researcher of legendary Pokémon, if that was of interest. Otherwise, it was back out on the streets of Raremine Town.
What would he do here?
Raremine Town
no cat-eared girls here, sorry
Raremine Town is a moderately large, bright town on the edge of the only desert in Isson. By some twist, the largest mineral deposits in the land is located right under the desert, making it an attractive place to build mines. From that, Raremine Town naturally sprung into being as a merchant town on the edge of habitability from where the mineral could then be delivered to the rest of Isson. The temperature is hot, sun blazing down on this land where plains slowly become desert, the atmosphere dry and unfriendly… yet, life and trees blossoms among the buildings of Raremine Town.
The ground is still the grass from the Vast Plains, with buildings on top of them. The modern houses stand tall with plenty of architectural skill put into them, tools for building and living sold inside the houses. Everywhere, one can see workers walking about, but they’re happy workers, with their families living close at hand in the town and with the finest equipment available. Oh, and of course, plenty of Pokémon that assist with the finding of ores and such! The trees, which appear to have been planted and grown all over town by the residents themselves, gives plenty of homes for local Pokémon to live.
Overall, it’s busy, with people walking and talking all over, an active town indeed.
1. Find Pokémon. Can still search for Pokémon in cities~ 2. Talk. In cities, there are considerably more people one can talk to. Talking can give you info on local rumors and such. 3. Exit. Exit the town to any of the connected areas. 4. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 5. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 6. Notable Places. Visit any of the places in the city! 6.1. Pokémon Center. Heal all your Pokémon. 6.2. PokéMart. Go to a store and buy things. 6.3. Pokémon Gym. ??? 6.4. Desert Miner’s Hangout. The workers of the Desert Mine live around here. They can give tips about the desert! 6.5. Research Lab. For archaeologists, those who want to talk to Dunstan and those who want to resurrect fossils. 6.6. Stone Store. Where all the stones of the Desert Mines or Frozen Cave eventually end up! Lots of evolutionary and other kinds of stones! 6.7. Bug Garden. A garden within which bugs thrive. Vivillons can be hired here for tracking down the Mythic Oasis! 6.8. Warehouses. Because the things they mine here needs somewhere to be stored. This includes Ancient Pokémon, apparently, as some of the warehouses are pens. 6.9. Familiar Faces: Dawkin. Currently visiting the lab.
Connected areas: Route 6. The Vast Plains open up to the north of Raremine. The shorter paths lead to Route 8 and 16, while west far enough leads to Lakewatch Town. Route 7. The single rocky desert of Isson, it connects to the Desert Mines, the Old Tombs and to the Mythic Oasis.
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