Name: Ronin and Miko. Deni and Eli. Real names, Denise and Elizabeth Walton. Age (Magical Girl): 11
Specialization: Air and Reinforcement. Weapon: The Swords. Melee/Mystic. Power: Twin Soul and Third Eye.
Stats: STR: 7 AGI: 7 VIT: 6 MAG: 7 LCK: 4
Perks:
Dual Weapon
Flexibility
Martial Training
Get out of Jail
Big Damn Heroes
Super Map
Patron: Solo Patron Benefits:
Free Agent
Genki Girl
Patron Drawbacks:
Alone
‘Oh, Lily, Alex, Connie and Gaia are around the corner…’ Miko started saying, but Rachel had already ran off. ‘Wait, stop!’ she called in alarm, afraid Rachel was about to attack their friends, and ran after. Then… well, the incident turned into just Lily screaming and Rachel stopping, so it was fine. Alicia already explained why they were there, so no need to do that. Instead, Miko looked towards the map to see if there were any more unexpected events, and then to Connie when she addressed them.
‘Oh, yeah, she was! She’s with Mac, have you met her before? Well, if you see someone riding a cockatrice, that’d be her. And she’s not Alicia’s aunt,’ Ronin told Connie with a smile. Miko turned briefly to frown at her sister.
‘They should also join the attack soon, I assume,’ Miko said. ‘Good job saving Alex!’ Miko said, smiling to Lily and the others.
‘Now for the remaining captives, and a Queen we need to handle…’ Ronin told, moving a hand to grip her sword, ready to move.
‘Is… do we know where Brittany is?’ Miko then asked, a bit more pensive, just in case.
__________________
Name: Mayra McCullough, or “Flame Demon”, or “Dragon-Spawn” Age: 15
Specialization: Fire & Darkness Weapon: Dragon body (Fists/Mystic) Power: Duplication
‘Left! Now right! Yeah!’ Mayra shouted out as she pulled on her unicorn ride to dodge various fire, then threw her actual fire behind her to block some of the shots and laughed as she had the foes chase after her. All accompanied by Brittany’s ridiculous song that the whole event seemed to somehow follow the rhythm of. Then… the river extended, and Mayra turned the unicorn around to face their foes to delight in seeing them be pierced by tridents and chewed by giant sharks. Delightful.
Then the mermaid princess showed up, and suggested Mayra was here to mount a resistance against the Queen’s soldiers. Honestly, Mayra hadn’t thought a second further than what was going to happen to the soldiers pursuing them, but…
‘Oh, absolutely! Let’s revolution this! Let’s gather up everyone we can, and tear the Queen’s army a new one! Let’s go where the fighting is fiercest!’
She turned to lead the army… somewhere, she hadn’t really thought of where, but the mermaid totally had a good suggestion that would achieve the intended goal, probably. In the meantime, she poked Brittany’s cheek.
‘Hey, Brit? Got a song for leading a rebel army to destroy a queen’s army?’ she asked, and then just kicked the sides of the unicorn to launch into full gallop, wherever they were going.
Interdimensional Home - The dimension has collapsed.
Blood Magic
Overcity Shift
Interdimensional Tourist - Joe.
Hammerspace Handbag
Ally - Mayra
Awareness
Absolute Direction
Sealing
Cuddlespawn - Demogorgon, the Prince of Demons.
Patron: Asengav Patron Benefits:
Creeping Doom
Reasonable
Minions
Retrieval
Mystic Might
Mana Font
Patron Drawbacks:
Quick-Tempered
Mind-Bent - Removed.
Insomnia
Bane - Candles and cracked mirrors.
Health Sapping
Lily scared Mariette half to death by letting her hear the scream, afraid that the Queen would hear it and react, not to mention scaring Mariette of what that scream might mean was currently happening to Lily. However, the Queen seemed to not react to it, so Mariette had to gamble on it being a minor incident. It was not as if she could assist as she was now, regardless.
… First mirror?
Mariette stepped through, and found herself in an underground garden. The vegetation grew thick, with spiky green leaves covering most available space. Thick, wooden trees created a veritable forest, their crowns covering the roof with green. Yet, it was underground, a cavern roof sealing the plants underground, and it was lit only by the light they brought with them. While her portal magic was sealed, it was simple enough for Mariette to use her other specialization, holding up her hand-mirror of a mystic weapon to illuminate the place for herself and the Queen.
Esther’s domain.
‘How…?’ Mariette asked, a bit taken aback. Now, she wasn’t exactly THAT shocked, it had been visited in the past, but that the Queen could just directly venture here was quite unnerving, given they had been trying to keep this place hidden. So many pages ago, the Queen says, Mariette’s thrall had taken root here…
Speaking of which…
Mariette turned her hand-mirror, a bright flash freezing the multiple vines and creaking branches that were starting to move, intending on converging on the trespasser. Instead, Mariette directly illuminated the source, the silent, beautiful woman standing like a piece of art carved entirely out of wood, staring soullessly towards the visitors of her world.
‘Esther, stand down,’ Mariette said. ‘She’s… she’s with me.’
Click the banner for the full image Esther stood motionlessly, staring blankly towards Mariette, her commander, and then the Queen that they’d had briefings explaining just how dangerous a woman she was. The vines, all around that had intended on attempting to capture the Queen, for obviously this must have been a trap to bring her somewhere where Esther could have helped in the battle, started to rescind…
Left there was simply the immobile wooden statue of the woman known as Esther, which despite looking so lifeless Mariette knew could creak alive upon moment’s notice to ensnare any prey. And behind her…
Behind her was a black, bulky round frame, like built into a rock, with a red jewel gleaming as the only light other than that which Mariette was emitting. The frame itself, the mirror that they had placed here, displayed nothing but the blackest of darkness, promising nothing but void for whatever passed through it. And, for anyone nearby, they felt a light, magical pull towards it…
‘Mother…’ Mariette turned to the Queen, and started speaking a bit more silently. For Esther not to necessarily hear. ‘This will… bring the attention of the others, my patron included. I will need to explain your presence, why you would help Asengav.’
‘Professor Dunstan, eh,’ Jacques said with a light smirk. ‘That’s a fun coincidence. We’re going to want to talk to him, as well. He’s one of our best researchers, after all, and we’re going to want to ask him about what he thinks of these Pokémon. Of course, Kalmia’s going to be working on it as well, but we can always use more than one viewpoint.’
Jacques stepped forward to Basil, and handed him something. A piece of paper… and a gray phone. ‘If they give you any trouble at the lab, give them this. Dunstan otherwise doesn’t usually see visitors.’
‘And that other thing. It allows you a free call to the Freecape Ferrymen. Rukh’s little birds are awfully expensive, usually, aren’t they? Usually it’s just the nobles using them. With this, you’ll be using my command to have one of them follow your whims for free, once. Use it to go somewhere fast, or maybe if you want information. Regardless, it will summon a Freecape Ferryman to your location. They’re usually pretty strong trainers, too,’ Jacques said, looking upwards as he did.
‘I’ll check the Espurr,’ Kalmia kneeled by the Espurr, who looked up at her due to her getting so close. ‘I’m sorry for all that has happened to you. I want to do a full check on you, to find out what they did to you, so we can help others like you. I won’t let this happen to you again. Deal?’ Kalmia asked the Espurr, and then held forth a small bit of Pokémon candy for the Espurr. Espurr blinked at the piece of candy, then grabbed it and started gnawing on it. Kalmia smiled and looked pleased enough.
Sylvia, meanwhile, was listening to Basil recounting the orange boy’s appearance while writing down his words. Then, she looked on as he then drew the boy’s appearance, and finally accepted the drawing.
‘Hm,’ Sylvia sounded as she took the drawing and inspected it. ‘Thank you. I will say, if your story is accurate, and the evidence points to that being the case, you have remarkable resolve for your age. Would you like a job?’
‘Um,’ Sylvia successfully caught Kalmia’s attention with that one, who looked away from Espurr and up at Sylvia. Jacques also lifted the tip of his hat a little.
‘A few too many crooks know my appearance. I’m not able to go undercover that well. But you might not have the same issue,’ Sylvia stated, plainly.
‘If you focused on just having one job, and wasn’t also the Gym Leader of Goldshore Town, maybe you wouldn’t have this probleeeem~’ Archie called up there from his giant plant.
‘Hush, now,’ Sylvia replied, no hint of amusement at that. Archie simply giggled.
‘Hold on, right there,’ Kalmia rose to her feet next to them. ‘Right after what he just went through? Also, as he said, he should keep his head down…!’
‘It’s for him to decide what he wants, isn’t it?’ Sylvia remarked in reply, looking at Basil.
‘…’ Anise stood silent throughout it all, right at Basil’s side for now.
What will Basil say?
Oh, and Kalmia is absolutely about to tell Sylvia off for trying to give Basil more opportunities to lunge into danger, and also maybe something more about poor timing, but here’s a moment for him to speak first.
Stillwood Village
Inside these calm forests lies a village completely in-tune with nature. The buildings are built around or in the trees of wood and stone, the light shining onto the village stifled by the great trees above. In the air, meeting your nose as soon as you tread into the village, is filled to the brim with the smell of forest and spores. It’s a wild smell, but somehow it is extremely relaxing and any worries seem to be stifled before the calming village ahead where everyone is always so calm and happy, wild Pokémon walking freely on the roads of the place. This is Stillwood Village, the most relaxing place imaginable, it’s people in touch with nature and wishing the best to all those who come to their cozy and ancient little home.
Wild Grass Pokémon freely wander the streets, spreading their spores into the air which the townspeople actively walk through every single day. They are all smiles, very helpful, the entire village and all visitors afflicted by the relaxing sensations brought by the spores during their stay in Stillwood Village. However, these spores are the reason quite a few avoid Stillwood Village, arguing that it messes with one’s mind. It is extremely rare that a member of Stillwood Village moves out of the village, after all. It will also quickly become evident just how little the members of the village care about the world at large, all their worries gone by the relaxing spores and just continue living, no troubles in the slightest.
‘What?’ Everfair exclaimed in a bit of surprise when Erika decided to run with the thief. But, that was swiftly followed with… ‘Dragonair! Catch up to them! Do not permit that citizen to fall to darkness!’
With that call, the Dragonair leapt through the air, heading towards the two running girls. The thief grunted and swiftly called.
‘Supersonic-!’ she told, and her Golbat emitted waves towards the Dragonair!
‘Safeguard!’ Everfair, running after them, called in return, and a swirling blue shield emerged around the Dragonair. The serpentine Pokémon looked ever proud as the supersonic waves glanced off the dragon, ineffective. The thief cursed under her breath.
‘Now, create a Twister to block their path…!’
But, while he’d given his command to Dragonair, there was ample time for Erika to make her own action if she so decided before his Dragonair’s attack could manifest.
They were still in the back alleys. There were some laundry hanging between the buildings back here, but also garbage cans and thrown away junk. They could turn right to head back to the main streets, as they’d gotten far enough that regular people still were on the streets around there, if they could get away. Otherwise, there was a set of stairs leading up a building on the left, leading around a corner, who knows where. There was otherwise mostly a wall on the left, linking multiple buildings, but it was only about two meters tall, perhaps it could be possible to jump. Or, just running straight forward like they were previously. That, or there’s always the numerous back-doors, if they weren’t locked. Numerous Rattata and one Trubbish was watching them running along…
What will Erika do?
Bigfjord City
Bigfjord City. The center of industry in Isson. If there’s a company, it likely has its headquarters in this city of commerce. The city of Bigfjord is famous for needing a lot of hands. The storehouse of Isson, the city is riddled with countless cheap apartments for the many objects of commerce that are shipped across the land. The ships of Bigfjord sail by the sea to Pureplain, where it is traded to the rest of the world. Inside the city hundreds of companies grow out of nothing and employ the population, and that is the draw of the city. The city itself are just skyscrapers after skyscrapers, modern and organized as far as the eye can see, with the larger companies growing out of the bunch with spectacular structures showing of their wealth and power, lording over the workers who move to Bigfjord for a chance at an easy life working for the big boys.
As you enter the streets of Bigfjord City, the night of Route 13 does not leave. Where the roads of Worldedge City might feel magical, the streets of Bigfjord City feel unforgivingly real. Cars drive around causing long lines of traffic, and uncountable workers and humans tarry about, going to or from work. What perhaps stands out the most is the sheer lack of Pokémon-themed marketing. In Bigfjord City, it is like they look down on the premise of Pokémon driving the world. The only Pokémon you see are the Murkrows sitting on the street lights, hunting for their next meals and trinkets, as well as the Rattatas lurking just visible in the various alleys, doing very much the same thing. Unlike basically everywhere else in Isson, the atmosphere was not welcoming. It was stiffeningly uncaring.
Erika said the part about fighting for information… ‘… Sure, but not right now,’ the masked girl said as she looked away from Erika. ‘I don’t mind a fight, but right now I just want to get away.’
Then she said the part about the city feeling cold… and the robber looked back at her.
‘… Yeah, I get it. I can tell you what you want to know, and then you can decide if you want to stay or get as far away from here as you can,’ she said. She then started walking, intending to pass her. ‘Okay. Then follow after me. If you’re still unhappy we can fight when we arrive. For now, we’re going to get out of here before the Cigs-’
‘STOP RIGHT THERE!’
Further back in the alley, in the direction behind the leader, a boy with white hair was gliding down with a thin paraglider between the buildings. The form clutching the paraglider had a silver uniform with golden details, and a similarly styled silver and gold eye-mask. ‘I, Everfair of the City Guardians, have come to apprehend this criminal! Citizen, you have done an admirable job delaying this black-hearted crook, but you may now leave her to me!’ he said, letting go and landing on the ground with a practiced roll before springing to his feet and pointing a Pokéball at them.
‘I will-! … Huh?’
So, the very moment the man had called out, the leader had broken into a dash. When passing Erika, she attempted to grab Erika’s hand, clearly unwilling to stay around any longer. ‘Run with me! You won’t find out the truth from him…!’ was all she had time to say. Now, she probably couldn’t run as she wanted to if Erika resisted.
Probably regardless of what Erika did…
‘Foul villain, are you trying to drag this portrait of innocence with you on this journey of evil? Citizen! Resist her treacherous pull! Nothing but darkness awaits in whatever hole she’s slithering back to!’ he called, and lifted his Pokéball high. ‘Come forth! Dragonair!’
And his Pokéball crashed open, from it emerged a long, elegant serpentine Pokémon…
Pokédex Entry #148 – Dragonair, the Dragon Pokémon. It stores an enormous amount of energy inside its body. If its body takes on an aura, the weather changes instantly, as its crystalline orbs give it the power to control the weather. It is said to live in seas and lakes. Despite having no wings, it can be seen flying freely.
Golbat flew to cover its trainer as she attempted to make her escape, with Erika if she allowed.
What will Erika do?
Bigfjord City
Bigfjord City. The center of industry in Isson. If there’s a company, it likely has its headquarters in this city of commerce. The city of Bigfjord is famous for needing a lot of hands. The storehouse of Isson, the city is riddled with countless cheap apartments for the many objects of commerce that are shipped across the land. The ships of Bigfjord sail by the sea to Pureplain, where it is traded to the rest of the world. Inside the city hundreds of companies grow out of nothing and employ the population, and that is the draw of the city. The city itself are just skyscrapers after skyscrapers, modern and organized as far as the eye can see, with the larger companies growing out of the bunch with spectacular structures showing of their wealth and power, lording over the workers who move to Bigfjord for a chance at an easy life working for the big boys.
As you enter the streets of Bigfjord City, the night of Route 13 does not leave. Where the roads of Worldedge City might feel magical, the streets of Bigfjord City feel unforgivingly real. Cars drive around causing long lines of traffic, and uncountable workers and humans tarry about, going to or from work. What perhaps stands out the most is the sheer lack of Pokémon-themed marketing. In Bigfjord City, it is like they look down on the premise of Pokémon driving the world. The only Pokémon you see are the Murkrows sitting on the street lights, hunting for their next meals and trinkets, as well as the Rattatas lurking just visible in the various alleys, doing very much the same thing. Unlike basically everywhere else in Isson, the atmosphere was not welcoming. It was stiffeningly uncaring.
Kalmia looked unconvinced at that Basil said he was fine. When he was tearing up from Jacques and Sylvia’s praise, though, Kalmia absolutely noticed, and a slight change happened in the way she was looking at Basil.
‘Take your time,’ Jacques simply said, then stepped aside. Basil spoke to Stella about Kalmia. Stella looked at Basil, and then looked to Kalmia, who also kneeled down and gave the little psychic-type a wave and a smile. After Basil ended his speech… she leaned her head against him, clearly still attached to him, but seemingly still considering it, staring at Kalmia. That’s where she was when he then addressed them again. Kalmia and Jacques listened, and when he was done… Kalmia sighed.
‘Yes, Pokémon journeys, by their nature, have a degree of danger to them… But I feel like there’s a difference between that and…’ she used one hand to vaguely gesture at Basil’s current condition. ‘… but I see you have decided. But of course you have, I gave you that Pokédex for a reason, after all,’ she said, nodding. ‘Alright. Fight on. I’ll support you however I can.’
‘Fu-fu. Yes. Good self-realization. Now, then,’ Jacques turned to face away from the scene, in the direction the opponent had ran. ‘I need to see what I can find out to destroy those who would show injustice to these Pokémon. Sylvia?’
‘Yes,’ Sylvia came forth. ‘We’ll want to have these Pokémon thoroughly inspected for any trace of what our adversaries did to them. With those traces, we’ll be able to find out what might have been needed to do this. If we know that, we can find what resources they likely needed… and then we can find them at their source,’ Sylvia proclaimed, turning to look at Kalmia, who in turn was now looking at Espurr, standing there unmoving. ‘We will be depending on you to find that information, professor.’
‘Leave it to me,’ Kalmia nodded.
‘What should I do~?’ Archie, the little boy on the giant Lilligant that was still here, asked.
‘Just look after Stillwood Village until I call again will do,’ Jacques nodded up to him. ‘Oh, and let Basil here challenge you, if he so feels like it.’
‘Okaaaaay~!’ Archie replied.
‘… You have some friends…’ Anise stepped over next to Basil when she had built the courage to actually start walking and not just stare at Jacques the whole time.
Still, Kalmia could take Espurr right away, and Sylvia would, in fact, want that detailed description of the one Basil fought.
‘We’ll keep you posted on our progress. In the meantime…’ Jacques said, turning to look at him. ‘What will you do?’
What will Basil do?
Stillwood Village
Inside these calm forests lies a village completely in-tune with nature. The buildings are built around or in the trees of wood and stone, the light shining onto the village stifled by the great trees above. In the air, meeting your nose as soon as you tread into the village, is filled to the brim with the smell of forest and spores. It’s a wild smell, but somehow it is extremely relaxing and any worries seem to be stifled before the calming village ahead where everyone is always so calm and happy, wild Pokémon walking freely on the roads of the place. This is Stillwood Village, the most relaxing place imaginable, it’s people in touch with nature and wishing the best to all those who come to their cozy and ancient little home.
Wild Grass Pokémon freely wander the streets, spreading their spores into the air which the townspeople actively walk through every single day. They are all smiles, very helpful, the entire village and all visitors afflicted by the relaxing sensations brought by the spores during their stay in Stillwood Village. However, these spores are the reason quite a few avoid Stillwood Village, arguing that it messes with one’s mind. It is extremely rare that a member of Stillwood Village moves out of the village, after all. It will also quickly become evident just how little the members of the village care about the world at large, all their worries gone by the relaxing spores and just continue living, no troubles in the slightest.
Name: Ronin and Miko. Deni and Eli. Real names, Denise and Elizabeth Walton. Age (Magical Girl): 11
Specialization: Air and Reinforcement. Weapon: The Swords. Melee/Mystic. Power: Twin Soul and Third Eye.
Stats: STR: 7 AGI: 7 VIT: 6 MAG: 7 LCK: 4
Perks:
Dual Weapon
Flexibility
Martial Training
Get out of Jail
Big Damn Heroes
Super Map
Patron: Solo Patron Benefits:
Free Agent
Genki Girl
Patron Drawbacks:
Alone
Ronin and Miko prepared to be teleported, and so they were. And before them was the castle… empty, except for tire tracks. Huh.
‘Something something not look gift horse in the mouth?’ Ronin asked, looking towards her sister, knowing Miko had Third Eye.
‘Hold on,’ Miko said. ‘One of the trees on the west side is alive with magic, and… it’s following some animals around the corner, it looks like. … Huh.’ As far as she knew, that was just another of the strange antics of this fairy-tale world. She didn’t see any immediate complications, so she dug up the Super Map from her pocket, intending to reveal any possible ambushes.
Depending on what she sees in the Super Map, Miko might want to bring attention to it. Like, ‘Oh, Lily, Alex, Connie and Gaia are around the corner’ or ‘A bunch of foes are ready to attack us’, but that all depends on what she sees in the Super Map.
__________________
Name: Mayra McCullough, or “Flame Demon”, or “Dragon-Spawn” Age: 15
Specialization: Fire & Darkness Weapon: Dragon body (Fists/Mystic) Power: Duplication
‘You can never catch me!’ Mayra shouted back to the forces in pursuit. Of course, she was leading them to where she knew other forces where waiting to ambush, be they Mermaid or Forest Princess forces, but regardless it should be fun to see them be utterly torn apart. If they were throwing any projectiles Mayra was more than capable of blasting fire to keep them safe and also pull on the unicorn to make it jump sideways, dodge, etc.
Interdimensional Home - The dimension has collapsed.
Blood Magic
Overcity Shift
Interdimensional Tourist - Joe.
Hammerspace Handbag
Ally - Mayra
Awareness
Absolute Direction
Sealing
Cuddlespawn - Demogorgon, the Prince of Demons.
Patron: Asengav Patron Benefits:
Creeping Doom
Reasonable
Minions
Retrieval
Mystic Might
Mana Font
Patron Drawbacks:
Quick-Tempered
Mind-Bent - Removed.
Insomnia
Bane - Candles and cracked mirrors.
Health Sapping
Mariette nodded slightly, to the Queen’s question if that was true. Then… the Queen reasoned her own way to why this was a brilliant idea. Mariette, meanwhile… was trying to figure out how to spin this. What excuse to give. How, exactly, would she do this, when they were past the first step? Was the Storyslayer as capable as the Queen thought…? … … … The Queen already knew about the Black Mirror…
The Queen gave her command to Gryphon, commanding their invasion. Another to Cheshire, saying they would be late. This was happening, then. Mariette was but tense. The Queen asked if Mariette was ready to depart…
In so many ways, I am not.
Yet, she did not have a choice.
‘I am,’ Mariette said, reaching her own hand forward to take the Queen’s.
Stella nodded to his words, and then stayed by his side from then on. She then gave a little tiny wave as he introduced her to Anise. Anise kept her frown until Basil stopped talking to her.
‘Alright. I’ll wait, then,’ she said, crossing her arms, before standing by next to him waiting for the rest. Meanwhile, Stella went over to the exhausted-looking Espurr, staring at it. Espurr seemed a bit too tired to look back, but clearly Stella was observing something.
Eventually, the Aerodactyl arrived, carrying Jacques and the others, and Stella quickly ran to hide behind Basil’s leg. With that, Basil could start his explanation.
Jacques raised his eyebrows and looked modestly curious when he explained, and frowned at the drawing of Stella’s circumstances. Kalmia looked alarmed, and pulled her Pokédex to scan Stella, as well as she could as the little Gothita was hiding behind Basil yet. The woman with the pink hair pulled a notebook and started writing down, while the policewoman simply paid attention. As Basil gestured towards Espurr Kalmia also scanned the Espurr, still alarmed.
Before he was even finished, the pink-haired lady turned and walked over to the police-officer, and then held up something that looked like identification. The officer looked a bit startled as she read the card.
‘Officer. Have your Granbull follow the suspect’s scent. The remains of his Pokéball are over there, use their scent. At some point, the tracks will suddenly end. At that point, attempt to find witnesses that saw how he vanished,’ the pink-haired lady told the police officer. Said officer had overcome her surprise and struck a determined expression as she got the instructions.
‘Yes, ma’am!’ she said, leading her Granbull over where the orange-haired boy had stood, where it caught a whiff, and then the both ran off in the direction he’d ran.
Jacques smirked as he gestured to the lady.
‘May I present to you Special Investigator Sylvia, whom we all turn to when crime is afoot,’ he presents.
‘I would like a detailed description of the perpetrator,’ Sylvia turned to Basil to say, but before he could even reply she turned to Jacques again. ‘Call Dorian, Josefine and Clethra. We need more researchers than just Kalmia looking at this,’ she said. Jacques nodded.
‘But let’s hear what Kalmia says, first,’ Jacques insisted. Kalmia, still looking at her research instrument, then looked back at Basil.
‘You aren’t mistaken. This Espurr’s level is 57… what’s more, Stella’s level seems to be 72. You said it was 74… didn’t you?' If Basil were to investigate, he’d find this to be true. Kalmia frowned, looking down at the data being presented to her. 'This is unheard of. Pokémon levels don’t decrease. What’s more, if these crooks sought power, they would have made these Pokémon evolve. This doesn’t add up.’
‘Indeed, it doesn’t,’ Sylvia said, clutching a fist. ‘We won’t let them get away with this.’
Jacques, meanwhile, turned his head and looked over at Anise, who’d been standing silent staring towards the Elite Four and the others.
‘You are…’ he started saying, and Anise winced as she realized she was being spoken to. She immediately clutched both fists at her sides and stood in a prepared martial artist’s ready pose.
‘Anise! Disciple of the Fighting-type Gym of Redcoast City, sir! I am… accompanying Basil at the moment!’ she pronounced, a bit on edge. Jacques looked amused.
‘You are, huh. Keep up the good work,’ he simply told her.
‘Yes, sir!’ she replied. Meanwhile, Kalmia finished her scanning and looked to Basil.
‘Are you alright, Basil? It wasn’t my intention to send you out into danger. Do you need a break?' she offered, clearly worried. ‘You did a good job getting through this encounter, but please, don’t put yourself in danger like this if you can help it-'
‘Oh, no. Absolutely do,’ Jacques suddenly said, interrupting Kalmia. Kalmia blinked, and looked back at Jacques like what
‘If thugs learn they can just walk all over you, they will. Don’t do that. Stand up to them, no matter how futile the odds. Maybe you’ll even beat them.’ With that said, Jacques stepped forward to put a hand on Basil’s shoulder. ‘Magnifiscently done, Basil. When the moment comes, stand up bravely, and fight for what you believe in. That’s how evil is defeated.’ He looked properly proud.
‘Wh-what are you telling a teenager, Jacques!?' Kalmia asked, frowning.
‘Oh, I’m not telling him to throw himself into danger. I’m just saying that, circumstances in mind, I approve of his choice,’ Jacques said, definitely still approving.
‘Yes, he certainly made the right call,’ Sylvia said over there, writing down some more. ‘He made our foe tip their hand. We know what to look for now,’ she said, before turning to speak to several of the gathered crowd to ask them questions. Kalmia, outnumbered, sighed, and turned back to Basil.
‘In any case. Yes, I can certainly look after any of the two Pokémon. Just Espurr? We probably want to check on Stella as well. Try to figure out what they’ve done to the both of them,' she said… and Stella gripped Basil’s leg, looking up at him with concern.
What does Basil do?
Oh, and the giant Lilligant and the boy on top is still here.
Stillwood Village
Inside these calm forests lies a village completely in-tune with nature. The buildings are built around or in the trees of wood and stone, the light shining onto the village stifled by the great trees above. In the air, meeting your nose as soon as you tread into the village, is filled to the brim with the smell of forest and spores. It’s a wild smell, but somehow it is extremely relaxing and any worries seem to be stifled before the calming village ahead where everyone is always so calm and happy, wild Pokémon walking freely on the roads of the place. This is Stillwood Village, the most relaxing place imaginable, it’s people in touch with nature and wishing the best to all those who come to their cozy and ancient little home.
Wild Grass Pokémon freely wander the streets, spreading their spores into the air which the townspeople actively walk through every single day. They are all smiles, very helpful, the entire village and all visitors afflicted by the relaxing sensations brought by the spores during their stay in Stillwood Village. However, these spores are the reason quite a few avoid Stillwood Village, arguing that it messes with one’s mind. It is extremely rare that a member of Stillwood Village moves out of the village, after all. It will also quickly become evident just how little the members of the village care about the world at large, all their worries gone by the relaxing spores and just continue living, no troubles in the slightest.
Erika successfully pulled Chic back, avoiding the Wing Attack. Golbat spiralled into position, blocking their way, while Golbat's trainer was behind them. Erika talked to the masked girl that had been commanding the thieves, who now stood alone facing her… and the leader put a hand on her hip as Erika finished.
‘Honestly, I could tell you stuff for free if you want. Just not here. It’s not safe. For me.’ she said first to Erika, and then muttered something a bit more quietly at the end as she glanced back the way they’d both come from. ‘That is, if you’re fine heading somewhere with me,’ she said, her tone all serious.
Now, the battle still totally could start, especially if Erika says no, in which case the Golbat would quickly wave its wings to blow away the sand and then fly up into the air to avoid the Flame Charge, with intention to afterwards dive down to Wing Attack at Chic!
Bigfjord City
Bigfjord City. The center of industry in Isson. If there’s a company, it likely has its headquarters in this city of commerce. The city of Bigfjord is famous for needing a lot of hands. The storehouse of Isson, the city is riddled with countless cheap apartments for the many objects of commerce that are shipped across the land. The ships of Bigfjord sail by the sea to Pureplain, where it is traded to the rest of the world. Inside the city hundreds of companies grow out of nothing and employ the population, and that is the draw of the city. The city itself are just skyscrapers after skyscrapers, modern and organized as far as the eye can see, with the larger companies growing out of the bunch with spectacular structures showing of their wealth and power, lording over the workers who move to Bigfjord for a chance at an easy life working for the big boys.
As you enter the streets of Bigfjord City, the night of Route 13 does not leave. Where the roads of Worldedge City might feel magical, the streets of Bigfjord City feel unforgivingly real. Cars drive around causing long lines of traffic, and uncountable workers and humans tarry about, going to or from work. What perhaps stands out the most is the sheer lack of Pokémon-themed marketing. In Bigfjord City, it is like they look down on the premise of Pokémon driving the world. The only Pokémon you see are the Murkrows sitting on the street lights, hunting for their next meals and trinkets, as well as the Rattatas lurking just visible in the various alleys, doing very much the same thing. Unlike basically everywhere else in Isson, the atmosphere was not welcoming. It was stiffeningly uncaring.
‘… Spurr…’ Espurr sighed out, just so exhausted, that it just sat down where it was, relaxing where it was after Basil’s encouragement. When Basil turned to address the crowd…
‘What? Who’s Kalma?’ ‘Is this guy some form of big-shot?’ ‘Ooh, we’re witnesses!? This was some kind of big event!?’
There was a sudden reminder that the people of Stillwood Village are some of the people least concerned about what’s going on outside their village in the entirety of Isson. Regardless, as being the people with the absolute least going on in their lives as well, they were also the ones with the most time to stick around. Some of them ran off, though.
So, he called Kalmia. She was out on a walk with various Pokémon on the PC.
'Oh, hey, Basil! How’s it going?' she asked, before he started outlining what was going on, vaguely. 'Are you alright, Basil? What happened?' Well, apparently he wanted to tell that on the spot, so… 'Okay. I’ll call him. I’ll be right there.'
If he waited on that spot…
Suddenly a massive something fell from above. As far as Basil could tell, it fell down from the very top of the trees that cloud the skies of Stillwood Village. Looking up at what landed, it turned out that what came falling down was a giant Pokémon.
Though the Pokédex showed…
Pokédex Entry #549 – Lilligant, the Flowering Pokémon. Famed for its most beautiful flower that will wither and rot if not given constant care. It is a symbol of status to have a thriving Lilligant with a blooming flower. Despite this, it is famously the most beautiful when it blooms in the wild. The fragrance of the garland on its head has a relaxing effect.
It was far, far bigger than what a Pokémon of that species should be.
On top of the Pokémon, a small boy walked up.
'Heeey~!' the boy called. 'I got a call from someone saying not to let anything happen to the boy in the market, so here I am~!'
And in case Basil wondered who that was…
‘Archie! The Gym Leader is here!’ ‘Lilligiant is as impressive as ever…’ ‘Huh, I guess this is the real deal, after all.’
The people around were more than happy to say.
The giant plant falling from the sky was enough to make someone else run into the scene and stop short, wondering what the heck was going on. The red-head frowned, looking over the scene, before looking over at Basil.
'… What have you been up to?' Anise asked, clearly feeling left out.
‘Excuse me? I was told there was a crime scene?’ … One of the villagers had called over the police girl from the police station that Basil visited, who had come over with her Granbull behind her, however…
'Nooope~! There’s someone else coming to deal with this! Until then, leave this scene to me~' said the young boy Gym Leader to the actual police officer.
‘Uh… I see,’ the officer said, looking not entirely convinced by that and is just going to stick around for a bit just in case.
Espurr was just content where it was right now.
Level 57
Eventually, after a while of waiting… a giant prehistoric dinosaur suddenly swooped in above them, breaching through the treeline, descending down. On its back, as elegant as always, stood a man in a suit and a tophat, seemingly completely stable despite having just been on the back of a giant flying monster.
Pokédex Entry #142 – Aerodactyl, the Fossil Pokémon. A Pokémon who roamed the skies in the age of dinosaurs, it has today been regenerated from genetic material found in amber. It’s a savage creature that is known to go for the throats of opponents with its sharp claws.
‘Basil, hm? To be summoned here without being told why, I must say. I am eager to hear what brought you to summon an Elite Four to your location, fu-fu,’ Jacques said, effortlessly stepping off the flying dinosaur onto the ground.
'Heeey~! It’s top-hat-guy!' Archie waved from on top of the Lilligant.
‘Archie, thank you for looking after Basil until I could get here,’ Jacques said, bowing to Archie.
'It’s the least I could do~' Archie replied, smiling so widely.
Not entirely as graciously, the familiar form of Professor Kalmia carefully slipped off the Aerodactyl, having arrived at the same time but clearly not as gracefully.
+ lab-coat as described, because professor
'Of all the ways to travel fast…' she sighed. However, she refocused on the task at hand. 'Basil! I called Jacques, and he then gave me a ride here,' she explained. 'What’s the situation?'
There was also a third passenger that had travelled on the (pretty large) Aerodactyl. Stepping off on the opposite side of the dinosaur compared to Kalmia and Jacques, was a girl with pink hair, wearing a dark dress, and had a Seviper following her every move. She watched warily at the other two directing their questions at Basil…
Pokédex Entry #336 – Seviper, the Fang Snake Pokémon. It hides in grass and strikes unwary prey with venomous fangs. It whets its bladed tail on rocks to prepare for battle, said blade oozing of horrible poison. It shares a generations-long feud with Zangoose, the two rivaling species battling endlessly throughout history.
Anise is just going to take a moment to process this. Could be Basil told her something before the rest arrived.
What does Basil say/do?
Stillwood Village
Inside these calm forests lies a village completely in-tune with nature. The buildings are built around or in the trees of wood and stone, the light shining onto the village stifled by the great trees above. In the air, meeting your nose as soon as you tread into the village, is filled to the brim with the smell of forest and spores. It’s a wild smell, but somehow it is extremely relaxing and any worries seem to be stifled before the calming village ahead where everyone is always so calm and happy, wild Pokémon walking freely on the roads of the place. This is Stillwood Village, the most relaxing place imaginable, it’s people in touch with nature and wishing the best to all those who come to their cozy and ancient little home.
Wild Grass Pokémon freely wander the streets, spreading their spores into the air which the townspeople actively walk through every single day. They are all smiles, very helpful, the entire village and all visitors afflicted by the relaxing sensations brought by the spores during their stay in Stillwood Village. However, these spores are the reason quite a few avoid Stillwood Village, arguing that it messes with one’s mind. It is extremely rare that a member of Stillwood Village moves out of the village, after all. It will also quickly become evident just how little the members of the village care about the world at large, all their worries gone by the relaxing spores and just continue living, no troubles in the slightest.
Name: Ronin and Miko. Deni and Eli. Real names, Denise and Elizabeth Walton. Age (Magical Girl): 11
Specialization: Air and Reinforcement. Weapon: The Swords. Melee/Mystic. Power: Twin Soul and Third Eye.
Stats: STR: 7 AGI: 7 VIT: 6 MAG: 7 LCK: 4
Perks:
Dual Weapon
Flexibility
Martial Training
Get out of Jail
Big Damn Heroes
Super Map
Patron: Solo Patron Benefits:
Free Agent
Genki Girl
Patron Drawbacks:
Alone
The two twins looked up at Rachel as she placed her hands on their shoulders and praised them. Both of them felt just a little bit embarrassed being praised like this, but Miko bit it together while Ronin smiled, both of them appreciative.
‘Thank you, ma’am,’ Miko said. ‘You can count on us!’ Ronin called.
Beyond that, they watched as Kimble entered the scene, simply letting her and Alicia have their moment. When the time came, they’d be ready to move.
__________________
Name: Mayra McCullough, or “Flame Demon”, or “Dragon-Spawn” Age: 15
Specialization: Fire & Darkness Weapon: Dragon body (Fists/Mystic) Power: Duplication
Mayra just heard the part where Alexander said the guards were a problem, and all of a sudden she kicked the unicorn into high gear and rode straight past them towards the city gates. The idea was that the rest of them were not to follow her, but to watch from a distance, albeit she did not convey this idea. Mayra rode straight up to the moat by the closed gate, and…
‘HEY!’ Mayra called out, lobbing some fireballs at the guards. When she had their attention, she lifted up Brittany in front of her, up to display. ‘I kidnapped your prisoner! If you don’t want the Queen to be very, very mad at you, you should summon the greatest force your little castle can build, and come chase me down! Don’t hold back; I can take anything you throw at me!’
‘Besides, your Queen is a ████-██████ ████-███████ █████ ███ █████ ███ █████ ██ ███████!’ Mayra shouted insults that could be neither written nor heard without in any setting expected to be presented to an audience. ‘And if you’re gonna let me get away with saying that, YOU’RE ALL ████████!’
With that, Mayra laughed and turned the unicorn to ride east, like, away from the secret entrance, and also where I mentally picture the nature/dwarf forces to be preparing that ambush. She was also ready to use some fire/darkness magic to fry/avoid any projectiles the gates might be launching at her at this point.
‘You’re gonna help me fight when it comes down to it, right, Brit?’ Mayra asked Brittany, turning the tiny shopkeeper back to herself like talking to a doll. ‘I saw what you were doing before Mariette stopped you! You’re a proper fire-cracker!’ she said, chuckling. This was taking place right in front of the gates, they needed to give the guards some time to get their forces/lower the drawbridge, anyway, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna get along just fine,’ Mayra smirked, ready to be an awful influence.
When the time was right (and assuming they were behaving as Mayra wanted), Mayra would grin back and shout. ‘YOU’LL NEVER CATCH ME!’ and then kick the unicorn into dashing as fast as possible away, east, while throwing a couple extra fireballs up at the guards on the battlements to maybe take them out before riding off.
Interdimensional Home - The dimension has collapsed.
Blood Magic
Overcity Shift
Interdimensional Tourist - Joe.
Hammerspace Handbag
Ally - Mayra
Awareness
Absolute Direction
Sealing
Cuddlespawn - Demogorgon, the Prince of Demons.
Patron: Asengav Patron Benefits:
Creeping Doom
Reasonable
Minions
Retrieval
Mystic Might
Mana Font
Patron Drawbacks:
Quick-Tempered
Mind-Bent - Removed.
Insomnia
Bane - Candles and cracked mirrors.
Health Sapping
The Queen started giving Mariette a lesson in how to conquer a town. As absurd as that felt, Mariette was fine with that. She was permitted to see exactly what the Queen was doing, through the Queen’s own portals. So, she was deeply focused on the invasion of the town. In a way, that was good. It meant her eyes were not on other things, closer to home. That said, she wasn’t exactly happy to see an invasion-force heading to Penrose. She knew Nykannis had some form of defenses in play, but she had no concept of how strong she should expect that defense to be, or if it was strong enough to repel the Queen’s army…
Besides, Mariette realized. She was once again in a position to try to suggest a different method. She just needed to consider how to do so. … As soon as she got past the obstacle of needing to eat, apparently. She really, really didn’t want to eat. So, what does she, as the Queen’s daughter, do when she doesn’t want to do what she’s told?
Th-throw a tantrum?
‘B-but mother!’ Mariette tried. ‘Th-this is the most important moment, I can’t just sit and eat while everything is happening! I-I want to watch!’
… Definitely felt completely out of her comfort-zone to attempt to say something like that. ‘B-besides…’ Now, what was it Mariette wanted to say? ‘Why was it… we needed to conquer Penrose? Was it just to cause chaos and become an antagonist? Because… if it was just to slay Asengav…’ As unbelievable as that sounded…
‘Then we could just go to Penrose by portal, and then I could call him. At any time.’
‘Alright, we’ll be right behind you!’ Joshua said behind her as Erika dashed into the alley and pursued their opponents. She might have barely then heard Ewan’s ‘Wait, who’s that…?’
The Noctowl flew away at some point, perhaps unnoticed in the chaos that was unfolding.
Erika pursued the big guy and his Quilladin, that rejoined shortly into the alleys. He had been running in the same direction as their leader, but into the alleys they split, and Erika followed the ones with the goods. In these allies, sparse few other people hung out, and a few Meowths and Rattata avoided them as they ran. Multiple turns were taken, to the point one could question why these alleys existed…
Combusken shot an Ember at Quilladin! It hit the grass-type square in the back, and the grass-type cried out in shock and damage! It briefly slowed down, and the big guy it was running with slowed down too in order to pick him up! It looked like Erika and Chic was about to catch up, when…
The sound of wings.
‘Wing Attack!’
Golbat suddenly swooped in front of them. As long as they didn’t keep running, they’d avoid being hit by the initial blow, but now a giant bat would be blocking the way in the alley. It was the same Golbat as they’d seen before, and the voice had come from behind them.
‘Keep running!’ the leader shouted where she stood behind Erika, having clearly decided to catch up after she noticed her ally had been the one to be pursued. Erika and Chic now had Golbat in front of them, and the leader herself stood behind them. She had a black hood and a facemask, as well as a piece of cloth over her eyes, but likely one of those one can see through. ‘If it’s just you, I can deal with you…’
What does Erika and Chic do? If they don’t deal with Golbat, it’s going to harass them, but battling it would mean the Quilladin and its trainer would likely get away…
Bigfjord City
Bigfjord City. The center of industry in Isson. If there’s a company, it likely has its headquarters in this city of commerce. The city of Bigfjord is famous for needing a lot of hands. The storehouse of Isson, the city is riddled with countless cheap apartments for the many objects of commerce that are shipped across the land. The ships of Bigfjord sail by the sea to Pureplain, where it is traded to the rest of the world. Inside the city hundreds of companies grow out of nothing and employ the population, and that is the draw of the city. The city itself are just skyscrapers after skyscrapers, modern and organized as far as the eye can see, with the larger companies growing out of the bunch with spectacular structures showing of their wealth and power, lording over the workers who move to Bigfjord for a chance at an easy life working for the big boys.
As you enter the streets of Bigfjord City, the night of Route 13 does not leave. Where the roads of Worldedge City might feel magical, the streets of Bigfjord City feel unforgivingly real. Cars drive around causing long lines of traffic, and uncountable workers and humans tarry about, going to or from work. What perhaps stands out the most is the sheer lack of Pokémon-themed marketing. In Bigfjord City, it is like they look down on the premise of Pokémon driving the world. The only Pokémon you see are the Murkrows sitting on the street lights, hunting for their next meals and trinkets, as well as the Rattatas lurking just visible in the various alleys, doing very much the same thing. Unlike basically everywhere else in Isson, the atmosphere was not welcoming. It was stiffeningly uncaring.
‘Espurr…’ Espurr made a noise as Basil kept talking to it. Talked for longer than it should have taken Espurr to fire the Psybeam, as it just stayed charging, bending space around the feline’s paw, as he spoke. As Basil spoke, it seemed like Espurr was listening. Breathing a bit heavily, paw still aimed for Glory. It’s gaze wandered to the ground as he spoke about their grip on the Pokémon, and that good people existed…
Then flinched as Basil spoke about fighting back, a flash of franticness entered Espurr’s expression. It looked shocked at the proclamation that it could, in fact, fight back. In unsurity, it looked at the Hawlucha it was aiming the Psybeam at…
‘Don’t lose focus,’ their opponent spoke, and Espurr flinched again. ‘Fire.’
… Yet, Espurr did not, as Glory now spoke to it. Espurr looked at him in surprise, clearly not expecting this, either. ‘Es… purr…?’ Fighting for… me…? the Espurr asked, at that statement. And then, at Glory’s next question.
"Maybe you're pointing that attack at the wrong person?"
Espurr blinked at Glory. A little shocked to hear it. Then… it directed and pointed the unreleased beam in the direction of the orange-haired trainer. The onlookers gasped.
‘Espurr,’ he said again, with more urgency, his knees bending slightly and hunched over…
‘-Spurr!’ Espurr fired! A purple, extraordinary beam fired with such force it ruffled blades of grass and the clothes of the onlookers, the wind itself turned as the sheer force of the beam cruised through the air, and the opponent leapt out of the way. But, he was never the target. The beam flew low to the ground and hit the Pokéball that had been sent flying behind the trainer, and before their eyes, it was reduced to dust by the massive Psychic power of the beam emerging from the tiny paw of the Restraint Pokémon. As the beam ended… Espurr sighed out in relief…
and the orange-haired trainer was booking it. Just dropping everything and dashing as fast as he could, forcing a couple disgruntled Stillwood villagers aside as he ran.
‘What was that?’ ‘Looked dangerous!’ ‘Are you okay?’
The Stillwood spectators were clearly quite confused about what just happened, but for now, the scene was Basil and Glory’s. Espurr stood silently, exactly where it began.
What does Basil do?
Stillwood Village
Inside these calm forests lies a village completely in-tune with nature. The buildings are built around or in the trees of wood and stone, the light shining onto the village stifled by the great trees above. In the air, meeting your nose as soon as you tread into the village, is filled to the brim with the smell of forest and spores. It’s a wild smell, but somehow it is extremely relaxing and any worries seem to be stifled before the calming village ahead where everyone is always so calm and happy, wild Pokémon walking freely on the roads of the place. This is Stillwood Village, the most relaxing place imaginable, it’s people in touch with nature and wishing the best to all those who come to their cozy and ancient little home.
Wild Grass Pokémon freely wander the streets, spreading their spores into the air which the townspeople actively walk through every single day. They are all smiles, very helpful, the entire village and all visitors afflicted by the relaxing sensations brought by the spores during their stay in Stillwood Village. However, these spores are the reason quite a few avoid Stillwood Village, arguing that it messes with one’s mind. It is extremely rare that a member of Stillwood Village moves out of the village, after all. It will also quickly become evident just how little the members of the village care about the world at large, all their worries gone by the relaxing spores and just continue living, no troubles in the slightest.
‘Nope! Nothing of the sort!’ Kaz replied enthusiastically about not having a phone or Pokédex. He did have an issue that he didn’t exactly have a way to write down the number, either, but that could be solved if Eryn had something she gave with it… or he turned to Golduck, asked ‘You remember it?’ and the Golduck nodded slightly, ‘Great!’ Kaz called, looking pleased. Then he assured he’d keep her posted about the Glaceon, and he went off.
With that, Eryn headed back, and nothing in the Frozen Cave wanted to bother an Onix making her way through. The miners of the encampment welcomed her back, some asking how it went for her in the Frozen Cave proper, and then she could take her place to sleep for the night, and have her important conversation with Eri and then contact people. Then, that was enough for the day.
The next day, she set off for Route 5.
Route 5
Just as Stillwood Village is the least visited settlement in Isson, Route 5 is among the least travelled routes on Isson main landmass. The route is a steady incline from Lakewatch Town to Stillwood Village, with some elements of the base of Mt. Chill nearby, the waters of Dragon Lake next to it too, sporadic forest from that surrounding Stillwood Village and some of the plain elements from route 6 as well, along with a very traveller-friendly road makes Route 5 perhaps one of the most naturally stunning routes of Isson. There are no roads for asphalt here, only travellers are explorers seeking or exiting Lakewatch Town for some reason, as well as Pokémon trainers on their journeys.
A peaceful route without any real dangers, it still offers a lot of variation. Walk on the west side by the waters of Dragon Lake to potentially encounter some Pokémon of the lake. Walk by the mountains on the east and perhaps feel some of the radiating cold of the range of Mt. Chill to perhaps see some more mountainous Pokémon or maybe an ice Pokémon that stumbled out of their caves. The route is a bit cold, attributed perhaps best to the proximity to the Frozen Cavern, and it gets colder the closer the mountain you go. Multiple rivers run down from the mountains, part of Mt. Chill that melts, but efficient wooden bridges help passage over. And of course, patches of forest here and there.
The south of Route 5 opens up towards what people call the Vast Plains, or simply Route 6. There parts of the Endless Forest spread out to make things a bit more covered in trees, but as soon as you leave this forest, all you’ll see is plains as far as you can see, and that’d be Route 6. On the other side of the route is the forest that covers Stillwood Village, you need to enter the forest to get to the village. At the middle by the lake is Lakewatch Town, resting a bit above Dragon Lake. And, of course, the passage up to the Frozen Cavern lies up that hill, for those who want to brave the range that leads towards the enclosed and frozen Route 9 on the other side.
Trailing along the route on Peri, she would not run into any particular dangers, but perhaps some travellers would be a bit amazed at seeing a trainer actually ride an Onix. It wasn’t that common a sight, and the giant Pokémon was an impressive sight. But, for now, she was heading towards the coordinates she’d been given…
Oaken sat on a foldable chair, leaned forward holding his Pokédex in front of him in one hand and a notebook in the other, staring down reading through his glasses. At his side stood a large horse, its mane flaming, a large horn sticking out of its forehead. On the back of the horse was a saddle, reins attached to a bridle, it outfitted to be ridden.
Pokédex Entry #78 – Rapidash, the Fire Horse Pokémon. Can usually be found cantering plains or fields. It is very competitive about speed, loving to run at full speed, around 150 mph. At great speed, its flames blaze ferociously, enhancing its appearance. It only slows down to let its children catch up to it.
She might know about the service where one can hire Rapidashes to ride on Route 6, depending on how well informed she is.
‘Hmph. You came,’ he said, as if it hadn’t been a given that she would. He put his Pokédex and notebook aside, standing up to face her. ‘It would seem we have a mission we will need to deal with together,’ he said, referring to what she’d been told down by the legendary Pokémon previously, that Oaken still intended to join in on. ‘We’re going to need to be strong, so it makes sense that we should measure each other’s strength. Albeit…’
He scoffed a little, as he grabbed a Pokéball from within his jacket. ‘I doubt you’ll be able to match my team as you are now.’ So he said, no shortage of confidence in his words.
‘So. Trainer chosen by Azelf… Eryn,’ he said, as he lifted the Pokéball towards her. ‘I assume you’re prepared?’
Name: Ronin and Miko. Deni and Eli. Real names, Denise and Elizabeth Walton. Age (Magical Girl): 11
Specialization: Air and Reinforcement. Weapon: The Swords. Melee/Mystic. Power: Twin Soul and Third Eye.
Stats: STR: 7 AGI: 7 VIT: 6 MAG: 7 LCK: 4
Perks:
Dual Weapon
Flexibility
Martial Training
Get out of Jail
Big Damn Heroes
Super Map
Patron: Solo Patron Benefits:
Free Agent
Genki Girl
Patron Drawbacks:
Alone
‘Yeah, there you have it!’ Ronin chuckled as Mac laid out the facts. Miko looked unconvinced, and started saying…
‘I was more referring to that we’re…’ then her voice trailed off, and she shook her head. ‘Never mind.’ The fact they hadn’t been magical girls for very long, and weren’t that much older than they looked. But it seemed insignificant to argue about at this moment.
‘Wait, huh? Were we heading to-’ Ronin spoke, because she hadn’t entirely understood that they’d volunteered to be teleported back, but that moment was also the one where they were teleported and arrived to the base. Ronin and Miko were looking around, but then Elora displayed that the Queen was attacking. The both of them got serious expressions, as they listened…
And then Alicia asked them that. The two twins exchanged looks, and then looked back up at her.
‘I firmly believe we’ll make more of a difference if you bring us with the attack,’ Miko argued.
‘Not only is it where we want to be, but we’ll be able to heal you all up and keep you healthy and even deflect individual attacks!’ Ronin argued as well. On this point, the twins were of the same mind.
‘We’re not the strongest, so putting us up against a whole army like that isn’t going to make much difference…’ Miko said, looking towards the screen. ‘We’ll do it if you feel we’re needed there, but…’
‘If you’d have us, we’d like to support you at the castle, ma’am!’ Ronin concluded, and the two looked at her with determination. After all, they knew Mariette was holed up in the castle now, and both of them still felt connected to their former master, and wanted to save her.
Ronin and Miko were really bad on large battlefields with many opponents. Not only did they not really resist gunfire, they lacked the firepower or barrier strength to either eliminate the armies of opponents or resist their firepower for long. They were better suited supporting stronger people, or dealing with single stronger targets.
__________________
Name: Mayra McCullough, or “Flame Demon”, or “Dragon-Spawn” Age: 15
Specialization: Fire & Darkness Weapon: Dragon body (Fists/Mystic) Power: Duplication
Interdimensional Home - The dimension has collapsed.
Blood Magic
Overcity Shift
Interdimensional Tourist - Joe.
Hammerspace Handbag
Ally - Mayra
Awareness
Absolute Direction
Sealing
Cuddlespawn - Demogorgon, the Prince of Demons.
Patron: Asengav Patron Benefits:
Creeping Doom
Reasonable
Minions
Retrieval
Mystic Might
Mana Font
Patron Drawbacks:
Quick-Tempered
Mind-Bent - Removed.
Insomnia
Bane - Candles and cracked mirrors.
Health Sapping
‘…’ Mariette stared in pretty much oppressive silence as Cheshire came in, placed the tray over there, introduced herself and made a multitude of offerings, some making Mariette’s eyebrows twitch a bit, before finally leaving… and standing right outside the room. Which was troublesome, in case Mariette wanted to talk to someone. She could have cat hearing, for all she knew. That said, that time was not right now.
Instead, Mariette was embracing her “Mother”’s offer to watch as she would “lay devastation” on Penrose… which sounded concerning. Mariette was unable to actually take the Queen’s hand through the mirror, but she could nod appreciatively and now place the mirror closer to the Queen, properly by her side, so she could watch what she was doing in greater detail. With that, she should be in the best position to judge if whatever she was directing her firepower at needed urgent assistance or not, and if there was anything Mariette could do to help…
The opponent trainer watched blankly as Glory used Detect. The move that embodied the way a martial artist could predict any attack from the opponent when they focused, and enabled them to avoid any blow, once. The Espurr fired, a phenomenally powerful beam of pure Psychic power that Glory would have been too low-level to avoid… yet the Hawlucha moved at his own blinding speed, unerroneously bypassing the beam with a swift sidestep, allowing him to dash parallel with the beam… to run straight past the Espurr, directly for its trainer. The beam struck the ground next to Basil, where it severely tore up the ground.
The opponent had also heard Basil’s command. Showing no surprise, he picked up Espurr’s Pokéball and curled an arm around it to protect it… yet Aerial Ace never misses.
Glory leapt up next to the trainer, and slashed with his talons; somehow completely avoiding the trainer’s attempt limbs yet landing a perfect hit on the Pokéball. Unable to be held back by human strength, the ball was launched back behind the trainer and into the wall of the building behind him, several meters back.
Espurr spun around, eyes widening at the confusion that was Glory’s attack not being aimed for it. It wasn’t the only one confused, the villagers that stopped to watch the battle were also very confused. That wasn’t how a Pokémon battle was supposed to be fought!
Then Basil shouted to the Espurr…
The bipedal cat spun back to look at Basil, its tiny little mouth hanging a bit open. It wasn’t expecting to be addressed like this, and it looked like it was taking its time to process what it had been told…
‘Espurr.’
The one word from the opposing trainer and the Espurr flinched, in a manner one might associate a child being caught behaving badly.
‘Use Psybeam on the Hawlucha.’
‘Es… purr…’ Espurr replied, turning around away from Basil, and lifted its shaking paw again, charging another beam intended for Glory’s back. Even without the Pokéball, it seemed the trainer’s words had power in the Espurr’s mind… albeit. Basil’s own words had clearly done something, as the Espurr hesitated, giving Basil and Glory time for another move.
What are Basil's next words, or his next action?
Stillwood Village
Inside these calm forests lies a village completely in-tune with nature. The buildings are built around or in the trees of wood and stone, the light shining onto the village stifled by the great trees above. In the air, meeting your nose as soon as you tread into the village, is filled to the brim with the smell of forest and spores. It’s a wild smell, but somehow it is extremely relaxing and any worries seem to be stifled before the calming village ahead where everyone is always so calm and happy, wild Pokémon walking freely on the roads of the place. This is Stillwood Village, the most relaxing place imaginable, it’s people in touch with nature and wishing the best to all those who come to their cozy and ancient little home.
Wild Grass Pokémon freely wander the streets, spreading their spores into the air which the townspeople actively walk through every single day. They are all smiles, very helpful, the entire village and all visitors afflicted by the relaxing sensations brought by the spores during their stay in Stillwood Village. However, these spores are the reason quite a few avoid Stillwood Village, arguing that it messes with one’s mind. It is extremely rare that a member of Stillwood Village moves out of the village, after all. It will also quickly become evident just how little the members of the village care about the world at large, all their worries gone by the relaxing spores and just continue living, no troubles in the slightest.
‘Lance, Aerial Ace the bag the man is carrying! Sven, Icy Wind! Freeze the path they’re running!’ Ewan commanded his Pokémon, intending just like Erika not to allow the robbers to get away with anything. However, in that moment, with a slight electrical bolt from Thunder Wave making a little zap, the Fearow was forced to land. Lance was fully paralyzed!
Meanwhile, Sven the Swinub was debating how to throw that Icy Wind, because he couldn’t see a way to cast that without striking the robbers themselves with it… and the Swinub got dizzy from Golbat’s earlier Confuse Ray and rolled over on his back. Ewan grunted. Neither of his Pokémon would be doing anything this turn!
Erika, through, sent her Combusken, Chic, forth as a ball of flame. As the Quilladin was in the midst of the group of robbers, this meant they had to part ways to not be in the way of Chic as she charged, but way before she reached her target…
‘Vine Whip Jump!’ came the command of the big guy who previously hadn’t said a word.
With no hesitation, the Quilladin launched two vines upwards, both attaching themselves to lamp-posts, and then pulled with enough force to pull the Quilladin into the air, pulling it over Chic and launching the grass-type flying into the air like a projectile, over both Chic and Erika!
‘Keep running, you know where to go…’ the big guy kept saying… when a pink flash suddenly flew right past him, making him flinch as the bag in his hand was suddenly taken from him. Standing by the side of the road was now Joshua’s Espeon, protecting the bag of goods, having used Quick Attack to snatch that bag from him.
‘Alas, I must support Lady Erika!’ Joshua said, having apparently whispered his command to Espeon beforehand. The robbers were somewhat off-balance…
‘Leave it! Scatter!’ their leader commanded, and they suddenly parted ways. The various buildings had alleys that could be ran into, leading to many different paths. While they had intended to simply dash past Erika, Chic made that a slightly more perilous quest. With that, the leader and her Golbat dashed for one alley to Erika’s left, the woman who previously had the Magnemite went for another further away, closer to Ewan who still had problem with paralyzed/confused Poémon. The one who had the Koffing dashed for a building across the street while quickly grabbing another Pokéball among those he had available. The big guy whose Quilladin was going to flee past Erika by itself also dashed after the leader, but if they got there they’d take different directions inside the alleys. The woman that had the Chimecho pranced while humming for a different alley on Erika’s right, her Chimecho pursuing joyfully.
Would Erika pursue any of them? Of all of them, Quilladin was now the only one that still had stolen goods, while the humans were heading in various other directions. Quilladin had launched itself over Chic and Erika, and was going to continue running on the other side after landing in the middle of the road and then trying to take off.
Bigfjord City
Bigfjord City. The center of industry in Isson. If there’s a company, it likely has its headquarters in this city of commerce. The city of Bigfjord is famous for needing a lot of hands. The storehouse of Isson, the city is riddled with countless cheap apartments for the many objects of commerce that are shipped across the land. The ships of Bigfjord sail by the sea to Pureplain, where it is traded to the rest of the world. Inside the city hundreds of companies grow out of nothing and employ the population, and that is the draw of the city. The city itself are just skyscrapers after skyscrapers, modern and organized as far as the eye can see, with the larger companies growing out of the bunch with spectacular structures showing of their wealth and power, lording over the workers who move to Bigfjord for a chance at an easy life working for the big boys.
As you enter the streets of Bigfjord City, the night of Route 13 does not leave. Where the roads of Worldedge City might feel magical, the streets of Bigfjord City feel unforgivingly real. Cars drive around causing long lines of traffic, and uncountable workers and humans tarry about, going to or from work. What perhaps stands out the most is the sheer lack of Pokémon-themed marketing. In Bigfjord City, it is like they look down on the premise of Pokémon driving the world. The only Pokémon you see are the Murkrows sitting on the street lights, hunting for their next meals and trinkets, as well as the Rattatas lurking just visible in the various alleys, doing very much the same thing. Unlike basically everywhere else in Isson, the atmosphere was not welcoming. It was stiffeningly uncaring.
Xaltwind
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Ariamis
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SkyeOfStars
Remram
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King Kindred
