"...How do you really make a difference here, then?"
‘Lady, if we knew that, we’d be doing it already,’ the thief with the red hair who had used a Magnemite in the previous confrontation said, crossing her arms over there.
‘I am one of those office workers…’ the guy in the gas-mask said. ‘I have tried to change things from the inside. Still do. But believe me, the bureaucracy is built to crush any such attempt. They laugh it off, saying this is the way it is supposed to be…’ he continued.
‘So we resort to using our Pokémon~’ the Chimecho trainer inserted. ‘Unfortunately, just beating them in battle isn't going to change the system~’
The thieves had spoken in order from left to right in a half-circle, so following that the attention went to the big guy with the Quilladin… and he said nothing.
‘Our solution,’ the leader thief filled the silence. ‘is to make our teams and make robberies on noble-owned stores, and give the money to more deserving, and then to try to break into their bases and try to find anything incriminating. But if you're asking what you can do…’
‘Not much, probably~’ said the Chimecho trainer. ‘There’s a whole caste of powerful people who would try to stop you~’
‘But that's why we work together,’ the gas-mask guy said. ‘You could make or join a team trying to change things. There's quite a few of us in the city.’
‘Or, hey! There's a perfectly good team right here!’ the red-haired one said, clearly smirking under her mask as she held her arms out in demonstration towards the rest of them.
‘... If you can think of any other way to change the city, we’re all ears,’ the leader said. ‘We’ve tried to raise awareness in other cities with demonstrations, but the media always blocks it out, and it just becomes an excuse for them to brandish us as troublemakers. So for now, we do the one thing we’ve thought of that helps somebody,’ she continued, and then gripped her Pokéball again.
‘We fight.’ ‘and steal!’ ‘And give~’
The two later callers looked at the guy with the gas-mask.
‘I’ve got nothing,’ he stated.
‘Aw, c’mon! We almost said something cool together as a team!’
‘And so spontaneously, too~’
‘It’s because it was spontaneous that I’ve got nothing! If you want to be able to say stuff like that together, you have to rehearse it!’
‘Rehearsing is boring! We’ve got more important things to do!’
‘You could’ve said “and infiltrate”~’
… And the three of them behind the leader kept a sudden argument going. In the meantime, the leader looked to Erika.
‘No single person can be expected to change the world. I won't demand you do anything. That said…’ she steeled her voice. ‘For something to change, someone must do something. So, what will you do?’
She was asked again.
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.
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 group of horror-girls tensed up when the Queen lifted her blade. It looked like a motion that would start a fight, after all.
‘Don’t kill…!’ Mariette quickly whispered as she realized the Queen was attacking, not knowing she had nothing to fear yet.
When the Queen swung her sword, the agents jumped in various directions, Victoria and Tullia one way, Suzette and Ronja another. Tullia conjured an ice-shield to protect their side, while Ronja threw out a reinforced web that would shield them, just in case dodging was not enough. Lea was flying high already while Freya sprung aside, both prepared in case it was a Killing Blow that was being fired…
But they were all mistaken, for the attack was not against their physical bodies, but at an aspect of their existence.
Suzette dropped to the floor, having jumped to avoid the blow. Her eyes widened as she contemplated the new… no, repressed insight she had.
In her world, like any other, Suzette was a relatively normal Magical Girl. An empath that happened to have a power that allowed her to empty a creature of all will. She was an older woman with a child, who became a younger woman as a Magical Girl. The only thing she really wanted was for her daughter to be safe.
Unfortunately for her, her power was exactly what Asengav needed at that moment. In order to allow Asengav to recruit other powerful creatures to his cause, he first had Suzette empty their will, then he could ensnare them himself.
Suzette had actually taken pleasure out of acting out Asengav’s plans, thinking nothing of it, as long as her daughter was safe. Now, with the brainwashing removed, she realized she has been kidnapped, stolen from her world and family, and even worse… If Asengav were to find her lacking, he knew exactly how to hurt her.
‘… Huh,’ Suzette breathed out. ‘Well, ain’t that something…’ she smirked, because that’s how she handles things, but her voice cracked with fear that hadn't been there before.
Beside her Ronja landed, her web falling uselessly. The blind spider-girl was not as affected as her companion, but nonetheless perturbed.
A young girl found she had the power to hypnotise people. She opened a shop where she used this for money. Unfortunately, she drew the attention of a mafia, who demanded she used her powers for their gain. By accident, in rage, she hypnotised the mafia boss to kill a couple innocents in public, getting him arrested. The mafia figured out young Ronja was the cause, and they were coming to kill her and her family…
But they were all killed, in gruesome fashion, right in front of Ronja. She was then told by Asengav, their killer, that she owes him. So she was transformed into a monster girl and used her psychic powers for him. To repay her eternal debt.
With her brainwashing removed, Ronja realized her debt was eternal, and her life being saved did in no way mean she should serve Asengav eternally. She had but traded death for eternal slavery, and there was no question which was worse.
‘Oo…’ Ronja wavered on numerous spidery legs, her head spinning a bit. ‘That’s some power you have in that sword… You okay, Suzette?’
‘I’m hanging on…’ she said, with a smirk. ‘I wonder if the queen knows how cruel she just were, giving us insight, but still leaving us trapped…’
On the other side, Victoria and Tullia landed. Victoria merely stood straight, frowning, more annoyed than anything else.
A noble girl from a rich family that chose the wrong time to be born rich. Her family was attacked by an unruly mob and her family was forced out in a blizzard to survive. They did not make it, as they were caught in a blizzard. A lesser force first saved Victoria’s life… after which she beat it up and went Solo. But then, her powers depleted, she was ensnared by Asengav and brought into the fold.
Victoria has been fighting monsters ever since. Unlike some of the others, she didn’t really have any life to look forward to beyond what Asengav offered her. Still, the knowledge that she had to be brainwashed for Asengav to be able to rely on her left a bad taste in her mouth.
She would have been willing to slaughter monsters for him for free, why did he have to brainwash her!?
‘… Tsk ’ Victoria simply made an annoyed noise. Then… she was startled by the sound of Tullia’s staff falling onto the floor. ‘… Tullia?’ Victoria asked, looking over to see her friend’s utterly horrified expression.
A life straight out of a tame Magical Girl show.
Tullia had been a normal high-school girl with common worries and friends, a boy she liked, etc. Then a monster and a Puchuu entered her life and she became a Magical Girl. After that, several of her friends also became or already were Magical Girls, and her bully was a Dark Magical Girl serving an ancient evil plotting to take over the sun using the emotions of high schoolers!
They had a great, emotional adventure, with many laughs, twists and turns, and they all became the best of friends, even the bully. They fought many monsters, met fantastical beings, all without common people knowing. In the end, they had a great battle against the Ancient Evil, and they defeated it. With the power of friendship and the legendary Bifrost Staff that Tullia had received. They had earned their happy ending. So, now Tullia's greatest concern was if she could confess her love to that boy, intending to live in well-earned peace with her friends.
Then Asengav had grabbed her because he’d needed a strong ice-girl. It had been nothing short of an abduction.
So in this moment, when she all of a sudden was untied from Asengav’s brainwashing, the memories of her friends and family came flooding back, that of the world she had saved, their happy ending… The life she should have lived.
And… how… how long ago, exactly… had it been?
Tullia suddenly stumbled back, her eyes wide, stunned as her perception of reality suddenly changed. ‘Wait, I-’ she blinked, and turned to look from person to person, finally backing up against the wall. ‘No, no, no, no, no…!’ and she could do nothing but break down in tears, crying out as her hands came to clasp against her face.
‘Tullia, hold on, calm down…’ Victoria turned to her, her companion all these years, notably distressed by her friend’s state, a note of concern in her eyes as she lifted her hands, trying to figure out how she could use them to help.
Meanwhile, behind them, the half-snake Freya was coming to a stop, frowning, staring blankly ahead. She, too, had received new insight.
Freya was a warrior. Her world was one which employed Magical Girls as warriors. However, her world was suddenly attacked by a breed of monsters known as the were-lamias. Anyone bitten by a were-lamia became one, and even a single one was more than a match for a regular Magical Girl. Her world was overrun, and Freya was bitten in a losing battle defending humanity’s last bastion.
She would have turned into a were-lamia herself, but Asengav grabbed her. He “saved” her, merging her and the beast she was about to become, creating a monster girl that was a mix of both. Afterwards, she was used simply as an enforcer, and has battled many a foe… but has also been forced to prey on the innocent, to satisfy the were-lamia within her. She has since been able to communicate with the beast within, and she’d been named Shelyn.
All these years, all this shame about needing to consume the flesh of innocent people to keep the were-lamia in check. She’d considered trying to kill herself so many times. But, as she knew, she could not. Because she needed to be a servant of Asengav. That reason…
…
Just ceased to be.
‘…’ Freya stayed immobile. She took a moment to consider the sudden new perspective she’d been given. All she could do was grunt. ‘Fuck.’
There was a moment of silence, as all the troops of Asengav came to a stop… and then the green form of Lea came slamming down into the floor, having fallen from on high, spraying a couple of butterflies in every direction.
From the very start, Lea had been born to serve Asengav. She’d been with him since the very start.
Originally a Lesser Force, she was tasked with teaching and nurturing the adolescent horror. When Asengav no longer needed a nurse, she willingly forfeited her strength to become his first Magical Girl. She was his foremost champion, and she deserved him the most. Her entire life, dedicated to serving this Horror…
In her mind. She had but a single devotion. The reason to keep fighting? Asengav. The reason to command these girls? His approval. The reason to accomplish his goals? His love. The reason to keep flying? His pride. The reason to keep living? His choice.
And now, with a single slice of that terrible sword… it was all gone.
Leaving nothing but emptiness.
‘Lea. Are you… alright?’ Mariette took a step forward, but stopped herself, not sure if she should be worried about Lea or not, seeing how Lea had been nothing but hostile towards Mariette. Yet seeing the proud magical girl collapse like that was… uncomfortable. Lea was taking her time, but she was, in fact, slowly moving her arms as in an effort to push herself up…
Meanwhile.
‘… Huh,’ Xander said as he saw Su and Mika leap past him into the portal. He hadn't expected that, and also didn’t really know if he should do anything.
Back now.
‘Hey, behind you!’ Suzette suddenly warned, not knowing if the incoming girls were hostile or not. Mariette spun around, and…
‘... Su, Mika?’ Mariette asked, surprised, and then had to get moving immediately. ‘Wait! Don’t fight! None of you fight!’ she asked of them, stumbling forward to try to stand in between the Queen and the incoming two, albeit she wasn’t exactly the fastest. Over there Suzette, Ronja and Freya had enough presence of mind to refocus on what was going on, while Victoria was busy trying to manage the inconsolable Tullia and Lea was still out of commission.
There was also another thing, she realized. If the still brainwashed Nina had just watched them get un-brainwashed, she’d report it to Asengav immediately, so Mariette spun to talk to a wall. A wall she knew a camera and listening device was implanted into.
‘Nina, I need you to-’ She stopped short. ‘... Nina?’ she asked. The single-word question was not to the person whose name it was, just a general sound of confusion. Because, she shouldn’t be able to remember that name.
Nobody should.
… And that’s how she knew Nina, too, had been affected by that cut, somehow.
In a dark room lit only by the light of numerous computers, someone had been watching through hidden cameras in each room with a mirror so far, as well as listening to the words spoken through the speakers. In Esther’s garden, in the warehouse, and now in the collector’s mansion. The previous reports said the queen was an enemy. Mariette had arrived with the enemy to places where she should never bring an enemy, using not her own portals but the queen’s, and then started the ritual without alerting the others. Naturally, this sounded like Mariette was at risk of being compromised, which is what the onlooker had told Lea.
Obviously, the onlooker did not try to dodge a slice from a sword that was happening miles away from her. She was watching the slice happen on a computer-screen, done by someone who shouldn’t even know she exists, why would she try to dodge? Her own magic kept her safe, hidden from public perception, shielded from all attention…
Except that’s when the Storyslayer cut through her magic, the power of the sword cutting through her ability to stay hidden, bringing her appearance and name to light.
It did more than rip apart Nina’s power to stay hidden. She found her mind struck, and Asengav’s mind-bending left her mind…
In a world where technology was integrated into every single facet of life, a hacker was able to take over the world. He used his programs to take over weapon development, and reprogrammed the AIs to wield these weapons for him. He destroyed nations, and became his world’s sole ruler. He would have been unstoppable… except then he was found by a single Magical Girl with a grudge. He had no protection against magic, which he didn’t even know existed. His whole rule was destroyed by a single Magical Girl that decided to attack a mundane person.
Instead of being killed, he was saved by Asengav, who transformed him into a Magical Girl, the very thing that had been his bane. Since then, she’d worked in the shadows, destined to be forgotten, her skills directed specifically towards remaining incognito and gathering information. So she’d resigned to her role, as an eternal slave of Asengav.
She already knew she was a slave to Asengav. The mindbending didn’t change that. What it did change, however, was that she was no longer okay with it.
… And then she was gone. The screens buzzed, still on, leaving an empty chair where Nina Wilson had once been sitting, the sounds of what everyone was saying playing through her speakers to nobody listening. The last unrelated sound was that of the door closing.
… Figuring she would address Nina later if she had to, Mariette refocused on Su, Mika and the Queen, trying to avoid a disaster here. She’d told them not to fight, everything else hung on if they let her try to say why.
Anise looked away at his question, she didn’t really have an answer for him. When he lamented the second part… she raised an eyebrow at him, but then deigned not to reply.
Meanwhile, Crocus followed Chikorita behind the rock, where it stopped, spun around and…
‘Chiko!’ it called, gesturing proudly at a being floating in mid-air, behind the rock so that the humans couldn’t see it. The being looked down at Crocus, and held one of its arms over its mouth, indicating to stay quiet. Chikorita was all happy, feeling like it had shown a cool thing to Crocus.
Anise followed along as Basil stepped over. When offering the berries, the Chikorita excitedly jumped to grab the berry, smiling with the little leaf twirling a little as it enjoyed the berry. Meganium looked over towards him with a gentle look, then also ate the berry offered with a single chomp before resting its head again.
Basil spoke all that to Anise, and, from Crocus perspective, the Pokémon behind the rock appeared to be listening to the conversation, and then…
"It's not like I come here, make an offering, and expect another Legendary Pokemon to just show up out of the blue."
Like on cue, the Pokémon flew up a couple of meters, stopping just above the rock.
‘Fair,’ Anise said. ‘I’m just taking precautions beca-’ and she stopped mid-sentence because she saw the thing that just drifted up over there. A small flying Pokémon with a blue body, two tails and a yellow face and helmet-like thing on its head.
Pokédex showed the following.
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Pokédex Entry #480 – Uxie, the Knowledge Pokémon. A Legendary Pokémon. It was born from the same egg along with its kin, Mesprit and Azelf, and together they gave their gifts to the ancient humans. Known as the “Being of Knowledge”, legends speak of that with Uxie’s emergence it gifted humans with the gift of intelligence, allowing ancient humans to solve problems and improve their quality of life, leading to the technology and civilization we know today. It has full control of the memories of those who see its eyes, which it uses to make people forget they’ve ever met it.
Yet, here it was, floating before them, staring at them through closed eyes.
‘Uxie,’ it stated, waving a small hand at them.
Uxie is the being of knowledge. It will only show itself if it KNOWS it will not be attacked, or if showing itself will not lead to others coming to attack it later. The above post is with the assumption you’re all going to be friendly, and when it in a bit will tell you not to tell others about it, that you will heed its wishes. If you were to determine that you will either attack Uxie or brag about finding Uxie despite its wishes…
Then Uxie will not have been here in the first place, and Crocus will have followed Chikorita who will suddenly be all confused and start searching, the thing it intended to show Crocus for some reason not being where the Leaf Pokémon expected it to be.
Ancient Stillwoods
Perhaps once upon a time people had a settlement here. Regardless, it was a long time ago and now nature had reclaimed this place many times over. A pathway can be taken past ancient rocks, but here stands even more ancient trees. Like in Stillwood Village, the trees cover up the overhead so little light comes through, but there is enough light to see. The place is thick with trees, ruins, moss and rocks. Navigating can be a challenge, but fortunately the forest here is not particularly deep. However, the inexperienced would be advised against trying to engage any of the Pokémon around here… and to perhaps bring a gas-mask, because the air is so thick with pollen that some people might have trouble breathing.
1. Search the area. Maybe find a Pokémon that isn’t immediately obvious, look for items or inspect the ruins for interesting things? 2. Train Pokémon. Just be aware that most things here can probably eat you alive. 3. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 4. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 5. Archie. The Gym Leader of Stillwood Village is somewhere in the forest.
Erika gave her command, and Chic sent a fireball into a nearby trash-can, setting it utterly on fire. They ran past, and Erika shouted her thing back at Everfair… who stopped short.
‘How could you! Dragonair, put it out! Use…’ Everfair stopped short again. Dragonair spun around, stopping its effort to cause a Twister to impede their advance. Unfortunately, this was the moment where Everfair was confronted with the reality that his super-cool dragon-serpent that lives in water does not learn any water-moves until level 39. He instead resolved to stand helplessly as he picked up a phone from his pocket and dialed a number.
‘Hello? I’d like to report a fire…’
Of course, this bought the two of them far and away enough time to turn a corner and run away from their pursuer. The thief looked behind them and there were no signs of their pursuers.
‘I’ll have to remember that one, good job,’ she said, sounding a bit impressed. Golbat made a noise, and she quickly looked up… ‘Don’t look up,’ she then quickly told Erika as they wandered on…
… There are faint shadows of people on top the buildings looking down on them. While difficult to see, they looked like they had strange helmets on them, and various birds next to them.
‘The Vultures. They earned their name by busting people out of trouble, and then demanding payment for it after. I guess they heard a fight going on,’ the thief said, in direct response to seeing Erika look anyway. ‘But they sometimes are just hired, like proper mercenaries. They never take jobs from the Cigs, but that doesn’t mean someone else might not have it out for us. Did I not tell you not to look up?’
They kept walking, snaking through several back-alleys and walked through several dark streets. In one spot, the thief stopped, as there was noise nearby. Looking out by a corner… there was a Pokémon battle going on. A band of four was fighting another band or four. There were various Pokémon, primarily fire on one side, a variety on the other side. The combatants were all wearing masks, albeit the four on the fire-type side had gone all the way and were wearing fiery red complete suits. The other side were also covering their faces, but their masks were just black, but with the classic card suits on them for some reason. Clubs, hearts, diamonds, spades.
Pokédex Entry #59 – Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon. It is not actually legendary, but it has long been admired by many for its majesty and grace. Capable of dashing without pause for day and night at substantial speed. It is powered by an internal fire that continually blazes.
Pokédex Entry #38 – Ninetails, the Fox Pokémon. Legend has it was formed when nine saints/wizards coalesced into one. Its nine tails contains supernatural energy, allowing it to live 1,000 years. It is highly intelligent, but also very vengeful. It is said pulling its tail causes a 1,000 year curse.
Pokédex Entry #663 – Talonflame, the Scorching Pokémon. Its diet is mostly built of smaller birds. It flies high, then swoops down at speeds of over 300 mph to catch its prey. Flames fill the gap between its feathers as it flies. If excited in battle, it fans its own flames to scatter fire in splendor. Its sturdy feathers have been used to make fireproof clothes.
Pokédex Entry #338 – Solrock, the Meteorite Pokémon. Pokémon fallen from space, they’re rumored to originate from the sun. They’re powered by solar power, during the day they line up and face the sun. Their psychic power allows them to read the emotions of others. When it rotates, this Pokémon shines brightly and gives off intense heat.
Pokédex Entry #286 – Breloom, the Mushroom Pokémon. It lives in warm and humid climates feeding on trees and plants in fields or forests. It’s a powerful fighter, with light footwork and punches that stretch, it’s said to put pro boxers to shame. The seeds on its tail are poisonous and should not be eaten. It spreads poisonous spores from its head as it fights, taking advantage of the dazed opponent.
Pokédex Entry #703 – Carbink, the Jewel Pokémon. Born from the temperatures and pressures deep underground, it slept for millions of years before birth. It can fire high-energy beams from the gems within its body. It uses its mane to polish one another’s jewels.
Pokédex Entry #594 – Alomomola, the Caring Pokémon. Typically found floating on the open sea, they’re enveloped by a special membrane with a special mucus that heals wounds. If they find an injured Pokémon or person, it will hug them, heal them and bring them to shore if they’re a land-based life-form. Very gentle in its nature.
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.
Fire was flying, which the Breloom was trying to dodge as best it can, and the Alomomola sent sprays of water back, and the battle continued, with the trainers on both sides intense in their commands. What few regular people was left were running for cover. Still, the ones with the fire-Pokémon seemed like they had the edge…
‘The Clovers and Daybreak,’ the thief muttered. ‘We’re taking a detour.’ With that statement, she turned around and they took a different route.
With that, the thief escorted Erika through what felt like it must have been half the city. If Erika knew her directions, she would be able to tell they were heading roughly north-west. Eventually… the buildings started to look a lot less fancy.
Despite this being the main street, the main street looked dirty. The buildings grew far more closely together, the street smaller and more claustrophobic, and it felt like a lot less care had been taken in lumping these buildings together. Darkness found its way naturally into the corners, as the buildings themselves were covering for any overhead light. There were people walking around, and few of them looked well-off. They looked dispirited, simply accepting that this is the way life is now. To the west, the buildings were getting shorter, indicating the end of the city. In the distance the sun could be seen, as if making its descent.
‘Welcome to the Sunset Slums,’ the thief said in a dry tone.
Eventually, they arrived in front of a building. In front of it stood the other four robbers. A girl in a beanie with some red hair under, black sunglasses, the one that had used a Magnemite. A girl with brown hair and a cheery expression, the one with the Chimecho. A seriously big guy, the one with the Quilladin. A lanky guy with a gas-mask, the one with the Koffing. All were wearing black and some form of masks. Only Quilladin of the Pokémon was still out.
‘You brought one of the freshies?’ the guy in the gas-mask asked.
‘Ssh. Let’s just show her what we do, first,’ the thief said. In the building, there was a counter and they brought the stolen goods to said counter… Where a purple Pokémon with gems for eyes suddenly peeked up.
Pokédex Entry #302 – Sableye, the Darkness Pokémon. They live quiet lives in dark caves where they dig for their favorite food, raw gems. These gems surface on their eyes as glittering jewels. They tend to be feared, for it is said that those who meet with these glittering eyes in a dark cave have their spirits stolen away.
The Pokémon took the goods, inspected them very, VERY closely, and then dove down behind the counter. Then, it skipped up again, and put a bunch of money on the counter. The thief picked it up, and…
‘… Geh. It would have been more…’ the thief muttered.
‘It would have been more, but a gallant hero got in our way~’ the Chimecho trainer called weirdly jovially in Erika’s direction.
‘I mean, it makes sense, we look like bad guys,’ the guy in the gas-mask said.
They stepped out, and the five of them journeyed a bit more. Eventually, they stopped by a new building. They knocked on the building’s front door… and eventually, an older woman opened the door. The leader of the thieves held forward the money to her.
‘This should cover the rent of those two families we couldn’t pay for last time, right?’
‘It will. I’ll feed them, too. Thank you for your service,’ the woman nodded to them, and the door closed.
They then stopped at a couple more places of various sentimental value. A day-care with both kids and Pokémon, a home-bakery, a little shrine…
Eventually, they’d distributed all the money they’d received, and then headed for a place where they could look back east towards Bigfjord City proper.
There, the thief turned back to Erika.
‘I’m going to ask you one more time. Do you truly want to know what’s going on here? I warn you that, when you’ve heard it, you won’t be able to unhear it. You can always leave this city, go back to your blissful life as a normal person. Are you sure you want to know?’
‘Alright. So an explanation…’ she said, starting to walk again, and gesturing for Erika to follow. ‘This is Bigfjord City, the center of working in offices and having promising careers in Isson. That is the promise which causes people to move here. However, there’s no luck to be found here. This city is a cold-hearted machine that drives common people to the bottom, to work for scraps until the end of their days.’
‘And the reason why so helpfully displays its own name for all to see,’ she then said, and pointed east, at the tower so proudly declaring “RUKH” to the entire city. ‘The noble families of Isson have inherited all the largest businesses. The Rukh family, the Mercia family, the Agni family, the Rivens family…’ she spoke with some distaste. ‘All take the lion’s share. This leaves this city with areas such as these, where those who failed lives, barely making ends meet. The rest of Isson don’t hear about this… but of course they don’t, the Rivens family controls the media.’
‘Fortunately, this world has afforded us means to fight back,’ she said, holding up a Pokéball. ‘With the money we steal, we feed the people and keep their rent paid, pushing their deadlines a little further, making lives a little easier to live. We support the few businesses that are not owned by the noble families. It isn’t as if we’re hurting their income in any meaningful way, they can take a little pain.’
‘Also, most of their HQs are in Bigfjord. We break into their bases and search for evidence. Any dastardly plans, anything that could get them into trouble. That’s what we’re searching for. It is also just in general our way to show our displeasure. Our protests. That is illegal, absolutely, but they’re not giving us much choice,’ she said. ‘That’s why we wear these. If any of us one day gives up, we hope to be able to return to a regular life… eventually,’ she said, gesturing to her mask, which each of the others also wore.
‘… Then some people decided to play it up, adding code-names and dressing in fancy outfits under their given name, like they’re heroes and villains or whatever…’ she shook her head, looking like she thought it was all stupid. ‘Of course, the noble families aren’t about to let us do this freely. They established the Cigs… The “City Guardians”, to hunt us down. They're a mix of good-willed people actually fooled by the noble families into thinking they’re doing a good thing, and those who know and don’t care. The real pieces of work.’
‘With the streets of Bigfjord City as our front-lines, our groups are trying to make a difference in this world. We don’t know if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and we’re breaking the laws and risking our necks to show our displeasure. That’s what we’re doing.’
‘Having heard all that… what are you going to do now?’ the leader asked, crossing her arms and looking at Erika.
‘There could just be a bunch of sacred places. Stillwood Village can have its own ancient mythology. I just remember hearing about it while researching my own ancient mystery,’ Anise said with a shrug. ‘You don’t have to solve this one,’ she remarked, sounding almost like the first step in an intervention.
She did look the tiniest amused by Crocus being infatuated with the Chikorita. She crossed her arms and watched curiously.
The specific one Chikorita that Crocus approached looked at him curiously as he approached, and made his noise… then smiled happily and called.
‘Chiko!’ it called, and then bounced forward at him before starting to try to run in circles around him and then just generally wanting to play. Skipping around through a bunch of flowers or so. Not a romantic gesture, just wanted to play. Meganium just rested peacefully. The other Chikorita was also curious and wanted to play, really.
‘Chiko!’ Chikorita called and gestured for Crocus to follow the Leaf Pokémon, and then it dashed behind the mossy rock.
Ancient Stillwoods
Perhaps once upon a time people had a settlement here. Regardless, it was a long time ago and now nature had reclaimed this place many times over. A pathway can be taken past ancient rocks, but here stands even more ancient trees. Like in Stillwood Village, the trees cover up the overhead so little light comes through, but there is enough light to see. The place is thick with trees, ruins, moss and rocks. Navigating can be a challenge, but fortunately the forest here is not particularly deep. However, the inexperienced would be advised against trying to engage any of the Pokémon around here… and to perhaps bring a gas-mask, because the air is so thick with pollen that some people might have trouble breathing.
1. Search the area. Maybe find a Pokémon that isn’t immediately obvious, look for items or inspect the ruins for interesting things? 2. Train Pokémon. Just be aware that most things here can probably eat you alive. 3. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 4. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 5. Archie. The Gym Leader of Stillwood Village is somewhere in the forest.
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 barriers turned useful, and Ronin managed to arrive unscathed, despite touching the sharp items more than once. They looked back and… huh.
‘I guess the Walrus and the Carpenter ate all the oysters,’ Miko observed.
‘Does that, somehow, answer a riddle of these rooms or something?’ Ronin asked, confused.
‘I… don’t know,’ Miko responded, because she absolutely did not.
Then Alexander came through, and Ronin cheered for him. ‘Well done getting through! We’re smaller than you and it was still a doozy, but you got through anyway!’
‘Wait, but-’ Miko was about to say, but Alexander already grabbed the mallet. ‘- what if it’s trapped!?’ she finished her sentence after he’d already grabbed it.
‘Yeah, you focus on the door! We’ll just deal with anything this room throws at us!’ Ronin drew her sword, standing as a bodyguard watching Alexander’s back.
Miko sighed, and then did the same, drawing her sword, just in case, glancing around with her Third Eye.
__________________
Name: Mayra McCullough, or “Flame Demon”, or “Dragon-Spawn” Age: 15
Specialization: Fire & Darkness Weapon: Dragon body (Fists/Mystic) Power: Duplication
Mayra crouched, preparing herself with a grin as Gryphon three arrows to shoot at her. ‘Oh? You gonna shoot me?’ Mayra asked, and, well, indeed she was.
The dragon-girl blasted herself with a kick and a fireball to the side, jumping towards a shadow that she’d seen that she was going to use Darkness magic to sink into. It was very difficult to destroy someone who had sunk into darkness. Mayra chuckled mentally, as the first arrow was dodged by the act of jumping into the shadow…
… Only for Mayra to realize Brittany was left completely exposed in a silly sitting-position on the surface. So, turns out, Mayra cannot bring other people into her shadows. The Big Backpack is a Perk, and as such part of her magic, and did follow, but all of Brittany? Nope. And there was the second arrow going directly for Brittany.
Mayra blasted out, arms grabbing onto Brittany in tense alarm, as the two of them flew up into the air as Mayra managed to bring both of them safely out of the way of the second arrow, Mayra’s eyes somewhat wide as she had to act in all haste to counteract her stupid mistake.
That, unfortunately, meant she’d launched herself straight into the air, where she was an open target for Gryphon’s third arrow. Mayra was definitely going to try to fire and claw it, but given how quickly she’d had to act to save Brittany from the second arrow, it didn’t seem like she’d be in time…
… And that’s when Brittany can do her thing, if she so pleases.
Mayra landed back down, decently unscathed, her expression neutral as she looked over at where Rachel held Brittany. Was that Mayra’s fault? 100%. She’d been very confident she could keep the little pipsqueak safe. There was no way she wouldn’t be blamed for this later. And, honestly, quite rightly too. But, like, Mayra’s kinda bad at just handling all that, emotionally, so…
‘Oh, would you look at that,’ Mayra said, spinning back to face against Gryphon, her tone noticeably lacking her usual mirth. She sunk into a battle-stance, knees bent into a beastly prowl, clawed hands raised. ‘You just removed my reason for holding back. Also.’ Mayra threw a glance at the horizon, through the gate, at the truck approaching. ‘I’m about to get reinforcements.’
With that statement, Mayra suddenly split. With the Duplication power, Mayra was able to divide into several copies of herself, all as physically competent as herself. With this being the battlements or just inside the walls, there should be plenty of places to jump around to, as each of the agile dragon-girls took a different route to their target. Just needed to keep them distracted. A couple more fighters would be showing up soon… but if Mayra could punch Gryphon’s face first, that’d be sweet. Actual Mayra was hiding using Darkness, intending on circling around and getting into position to strike when the time came, watching Gryphon get chased by the duplicates first.
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
‘Well, what I am saying, is maybe the drink turns you smaller so that you could pass through safely?’ Ronin suggested.
‘… And if so, how were you intending on becoming your normal size again after getting to the other side?’ Miko questioned, frowning at Ronin.
‘Why, by drinking the potion on the other side, of course! … Or maybe just drinking it again!’ Ronin replied.
Alicia suggested those with Reinforcement magic should be able to make it through there…
‘Yeah, leave it to us!’ Ronin replied.
‘Me and sis are also the physically smallest, so we should have the least amount of trouble,’ Miko agreed, albeit worried about if there was a trap on the other side.
Ronin was quick to walk in. Instead of her feet landing on the floor, she created a small platform with Reinforcement magic, allowing her entry without touching any surface. Now, of course, she couldn’t stand up straight, but she was more than happy to just crawl through as quickly as possible on all fours, all while reinforcing herself as much as possible just in case of a sudden attack. Miko was right behind her, following the same tactic, prepared to defend her sister in case something happened to the one in front.
And if they did make it to the other side, they’d look for a way to get the rest of them through as well, assuming nothing was immediately threatening them.
__________________
Name: Mayra McCullough, or “Flame Demon”, or “Dragon-Spawn” Age: 15
Specialization: Fire & Darkness Weapon: Dragon body (Fists/Mystic) Power: Duplication
‘Hahaha!’ Mayra just laughed as she threw kicks and punches and claw-swiped accompanied by fire at the enemies around, swinging Brittany in the backpack around with her in whatever direction happened to be behind Mayra at the time. Going to assume this is just inside the gate right now, fighting whatever card warriors are around. Then, they clearly caught Gryphon’s attention. ‘Whoa!’ Mayra shouted out, suddenly having to propel herself with a fireblast and vaulting (with backpack) out of the range of a giant arrow, but then was slammed into by the quake and the wind launching her away, a bit shaken. ‘Heeey! Wait your turn!’ Mayra said, still grinning, then got defended by Rachel. ‘Heeey, the Inquisitor is working with me! That’s cool!’ Mayra grinned again as Rachel fighting with a dragon monster girl amused her.
‘Leave it… to me!’ she yelled, and jumped towards whatever buildings might be around… ‘Brit! Explosives!’ she requested, holding clawed hands back for Brittany to put things in.
Because believe it or not, Mayra would be able to throw those things way, WAAAY further than Brittany could!
And so, Mayra started lobbing things at the distant Griphon with thrown items. These being Brittany’s explosives, pieces of debris she just clawed off the nearby buildings or her own fireballs, she left the battle with the goons to the Mermaid Princess so she could pursue Griphon on land, throwing projectiles and dodging attacks while carrying Brittany with her!
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’s hand was on the jewel at the top of the mirror… and with a lurch, it started. The nothingness within the portal started to swirl, one more whirlpool of magic being drained. Now that she had Asengav’s permission, there was no need to enter them. That said, now the mirror could be detected, and perhaps some disturbed people would come to do something about it. Once again, Mariette turned to the guardian of the mirror. For the previous mirror, it was Esther. For this mirror…
‘Xander,’ Mariette said, turning to look towards the dragon boy. He put the book down and stood up to look at her. ‘You know the duty which you were assigned now, even if it was Mayra’s originally.’ Not that Mayra could ever be rooted in place, and as such wasn’t really suited to be a guardian the way Esther was. ‘There is a possibility someone will arrive to try to take, destroy or pass through this mirror. Your job is to stop them. Survive, and I promise, I will free you from this leash.’
Xander frowned at her, but nodded. Mariette sighed out.
‘… But don’t die for it. It is not more important than your life. Defend it, but if you find yourself outmatched, flee through the mirror,’ Mariette told him.
‘… Huh,’ Xander looked surprised at her words. But he nodded again. ‘Alright. I’ll do so,’ he said. Mariette nodded back to him, that she had accepted his understanding. She’d now given the same warning to the guardians out of two out of five mirrors. She had no desire to see any of those she’d worked with to die. However, saying that warning from now on… would be more difficult.
She gestured to the queen, and that it was time to open a portal to the next mirror. By her own estimations, this was when the encounter would happen. She prepared herself as a portal opened, and…
‘Mariette,’ the sprite’s voice was raised before Mariette had even walked through the portal. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’
The room was a proper museum. Walls displaying various artifacts, riches in grandeur. This was the grand hall of a collector, a man with magical connections so frantically trying to collect magical items, who had been drawn to Penrose, living on the outskirts of town. As Ronja and Suzette had suggested, hiding the tree in the forest, hiding the mirror among a trove of other magical artifacts. Various artifacts were hanging on the walls, with magic glass protecting it, with nametags on all within this windowless room with white walls. The owner of the collection had been mind-controlled by Ronja’s threads for a while now, and would protect his collection to the last against any intruders, which just happened to also include the mirror…
But he wasn’t here right now.
Instead, before the mirror, flew Lea, glaring at Mariette, looking a tad upset. Asengav’s most dedicated and closest follower, her “spokeswoman”, the one who kept him updated. Most of the time, information to Asengav goes through her. But this time, Mariette had side-stepped her entirely and gone directly to her lord, at the moment where it mattered the most.
Besides the green sprite, Suzette and Ronja stood at the side. Both looked pretty calm. Suzette, blonde empath, smiled and waved to Mariette, while Ronja the blind arachnid monster girl was spinning some reinforcement web in her hands. On the other side stood the smaller Victoria and the taller Tullia, the two ice-specialized girls, Tullia standing with her staff in the ground and looked very confused between Lea and Mariette, while Victoria narrowed her gaze looking at the queen behind Mariette. Also here was Freya, the half-snake monster-girl, but she was looking away and like she honestly didn’t want to be here, clutching one arm over her chest and the other over her head…
Lea had gathered as many as she could that were fit for fighting, Mariette observed. This was what she'd expected. Their operator had seen them through her cameras by the first mirror and notified the rest, Lea had been gathering the girls while they were at the second, and now they had come to intercept them by the third. That's why they had her place cameras by each mirror, after all. She was watching, even now.
‘Well?’ Lea asked, demanding an answer.
‘Quick action was required,’ Mariette replied, having already prepared her speech in her head. ‘Wonderland’s invasion is occupying the forces of Penrose, and the queen herself has agreed to help our cause, with the assumption we’re acting immediately. Asengav’s will will be done, then Wonderland can claim what is left.’ It was fortunate that Mariette was the one with the lie-detecting power. It would have been troublesome if Lea also had this ability. Lea would not be sated by their words, however.
‘How can you possibly trust HER word!? To let her in last second on this plan Asengav has crafted for longer than you’ve been alive!?’ Lea was not happy. ‘She’s the one who’s going to-’
‘She’s my mother,’ Mariette stated, a statement that caused numerous looks from the other present girls. ‘who has graciously decided to help her daughter out. That’s… something mothers do, right?’ she asked, looking to Suzette and Ronja. She knew Suzette was, is, a mother since before becoming a Magical Girl, and Ronja had her “spider babies” phase before. Suzette bit together, losing her happy expression as her one sensitive topic was raised, while Ronja giggled a bit next to her.
‘Even then…’ Lea said, determined to get a word in.
‘Besides…’ It was time to put her in her place. ‘Asengav has already agreed with me. The ritual is underway. In this world, I am the champion of Asengav. Arguing against my decision is arguing against Asengav himself. So step in line, Lea.’ Mariette declared, putting on a determined face. Internally, her heart was going a million miles a minute, but that was besides the point.
Lea did not reply, merely floated with an angry expression in mid-air, looking down at Mariette with her usual look of superiority.
‘I think she got you there, Lea,’ Suzette jeered with a grin from the side.
‘Yeah, I think I’m following Mariette on this one,’ Victoria chuckled on the other side.
‘I’m not sure how we got here, I think we really should be working together right now,’ Tullia said, looking unsure but still determined.
‘Yes, the ritual has started. It is time to get a move on, or all you with pants are going to be caught with them down when our enemies come after us,’ Ronja the half-spider told.
Freya just grunted. This all… was so petty and unnecessary, she thought.
Lea, not losing her expression of one of who is in control, eventually spoke.
‘Very well. I will relent,’ she said, to Mariette’s relief. ‘But first, I would like the answer to two questions.’
Mariette stayed tense, as Lea now looked to the queen instead.
‘Why is Mariette not travelling with her own portals?’ she asked, as the portals the queen opened were reddish in frame, with a thorny vine engraving and carrying Wonderland’s sigil, instead of just the round holes in reality Mariette makes. ‘What is the necklace that Mariette is now wearing?’ Lea followed up with the second question.
Mariette stood firm, not betraying any emotions. It wasn’t like she was completely unprepared for this question. But… now that it came, she wasn’t confident in her prepared lie.
She’d be quiet long enough that the queen could give her own answer, but otherwise she would eventually speak up herself.
Anise simply nodded with satisfaction on the first two things that he said. Then, though…
‘… Getting in my own way?’ she repeated what he said in a mutter while looking down into the ground, mostly to herself. Though, she then looked back to him as he kept talking. Then, on that she’s the kind that wouldn’t like to be handed an answer… ‘Darn straight,’ she said with another nod.
‘Yeah, let’s go,’ she agreed, before telling Meditite to keep an eye out for them with Psychic powers as they advanced through the woods.
They wandered, stepping beyond old ruins of rocks and tightly grown forest. Still, beyond minding not to step on Vileplumes they were ignored by the denizens of the forest. So, when they had walked far enough, the trees opened up to clearing.
In the otherwise tight woods they’d passed through, here there was plenty of room. A sense of peace could be felt around this area. In the center stood a single, great, moss-covered rock. It extruded some form of magnificent energy. Before it, rested a single, large Pokémon, and two lower evolutions of it. The big, green dinosaur-like Pokémon with flower-petals around its neck lifted its head to gaze at the newcomers, and the two playing smaller version of it with leaves on the top of their heads stopped to look towards them curiously.
Pokédex Entry #154 – Meganium, the Herb Pokémon. The fragrance of its flower soothes and calms emotions, anyone who stands next to them will feel immediately refreshed. It uses this becalming scent to blunt a foe’s fighting spirit. Its breath has the power to revive dead grass and plants, making them healthy again. A forest with Meganium in it will never die.
Pokédex Entry #152 – Chikorita, the Leaf Pokémon. It uses the leaf on its head to check for humidity and warmth, seeking towards sunlight. A sweet aroma spreads from its leaf, which calms those who smell it and creates a friendly atmosphere. A docile and friendly Pokémon, domesticated Chikoritas are commonly paired with children, but rare in wild. Loves to sunbathe.
It would be reasonable to assume the feeling of peace in the area was partly due to the Meganium and Chikorita’s scent.
Confirming they weren’t looking like threats, the bigger Pokémon put down its head again and continued resting.
‘Oh. I’ve heard about this place,’ Anise made a noise of sudden realization. ‘It was considered sacred by the people of Stillwood’s past… a gathering spot, but also said to house a mystery…’ Anise said, as she tried recalling something she might have been told or read somewhere, frowning a little as she did.
Ancient Stillwoods
Perhaps once upon a time people had a settlement here. Regardless, it was a long time ago and now nature had reclaimed this place many times over. A pathway can be taken past ancient rocks, but here stands even more ancient trees. Like in Stillwood Village, the trees cover up the overhead so little light comes through, but there is enough light to see. The place is thick with trees, ruins, moss and rocks. Navigating can be a challenge, but fortunately the forest here is not particularly deep. However, the inexperienced would be advised against trying to engage any of the Pokémon around here… and to perhaps bring a gas-mask, because the air is so thick with pollen that some people might have trouble breathing.
1. Search the area. Maybe find a Pokémon that isn’t immediately obvious, look for items or inspect the ruins for interesting things? 2. Train Pokémon. Just be aware that most things here can probably eat you alive. 3. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 4. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 5. Archie. The Gym Leader of Stillwood Village is somewhere in the forest. 6. Area Specific: Last Area. This ancient forest isn’t particularly deep. You could get to the end in moments if you ignore everything else. Question is, what’s there?
Anise stood and stared at him as he started explaining himself, crossing her arms as she did. Froakie stood next to her, saw how she stood, and also crossed his arms next to her. And then…
‘I think you’re worrying yourself too much,’ she stated. ‘And if that’s too shallow an answer for you…’ she closed her eyes to think a little first.
‘I don’t see you turning out like him. Granted, I can’t see anyone ending up like him, but still. Despite your bleak outlook, you’ve broken out of your cage and challenged this world. You’ve given yourself a choice, and you’re fighting for it. I’d say you deserve to be a little selfish. If you being “selfish” is just you being nice to people, then who cares, really? As for the being put into danger part…’ She smirked the slightest.
‘Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think your Pokémon are alright with being put in danger for you. They want to grow stronger, too. If you’re really seeking affirmation, then I think you should ask them. If your Pokémon approves, then what can you be doing wrong?’ she said, shrugging.
‘That, and had you actually intruded on me and the Breloom, I’d have been mad. That was my scene to prove myself in,’ she continued.
Ancient Stillwoods
Perhaps once upon a time people had a settlement here. Regardless, it was a long time ago and now nature had reclaimed this place many times over. A pathway can be taken past ancient rocks, but here stands even more ancient trees. Like in Stillwood Village, the trees cover up the overhead so little light comes through, but there is enough light to see. The place is thick with trees, ruins, moss and rocks. Navigating can be a challenge, but fortunately the forest here is not particularly deep. However, the inexperienced would be advised against trying to engage any of the Pokémon around here… and to perhaps bring a gas-mask, because the air is so thick with pollen that some people might have trouble breathing.
1. Search the area. Maybe find a Pokémon that isn’t immediately obvious, look for items or inspect the ruins for interesting things? 2. Train Pokémon. Just be aware that most things here can probably eat you alive. 3. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 4. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 5. Archie. The Gym Leader of Stillwood Village is somewhere in the forest. 6. Area Specific: Last Area. This ancient forest isn’t particularly deep. You could get to the end in moments if you ignore everything else. Question is, what’s there?
Archie ran off, and Anise was looking at the TM in her hands when Basil suggested catching whatever evolves into them. That’s when Anise gained a sudden focus in her gaze and made up her mind.
She advanced on a Breloom. The modestly large kangaroo-mushroom wasn’t so inattentive as to not notice, and turned to face her.
‘I am going to be facing a legendary Pokémon. I am going to need the strength of strong Pokémon. I’d like you to come with me,’ Anise stated to the Breloom, her tone serious.
The Breloom inspected her, the seriousness of the tone getting into its expression. After a second’s consideration, Beloom raised its claws and spread its legs, taking on a fighting-stance against Anise.
‘You want me to prove myself?’ Anise asked. She took a deep breath… and then took her own fighting stance, looking ready to square off, fists raised, legs bent. ‘Alright! I’m ready!’
Utter confusion entered Breloom’s expression. The Pokémon looked over to various companions a bit further away, and they had no answers. It lowered its fighting stance, apparently no longer intending on fighting.
‘Hey! I’m serious here!’ Anise called out, sensing that she was not being taken seriously. She took a step forward… when the Breloom simply spun around, swinging its tail. As the tail did, it released a cloud of spores. ‘Uh-oh,’ Anise skipped backwards, having to spin around and dash away a couple meters, avoiding a Vileplume flower as she did. She then turned around, met with Breloom just looking at her with a neutral expression through the cloud of spores, before it turned away and just walked back into the forest.
Anise took a moment to just stare back at Breloom, contemplating, before walking back to Basil.
‘Alright. Fine. I’ll catch a Shroomish,’ Anise told him, this particular venture apparently having ended in failure. ‘It was worth a shot.’
In any case, at some point there Basil started talking about that Anise was kinda amazing. She looked surprised at that, and then returned to her default expression as Basil continued his story. At the end of what he was saying… she crossed her arms.
‘… But unlike the rest from your world, you’re out here proving something. What with that gnawed-on arm and helping me and whatever you did with those Psychic-type Pokémon,’ she said. ‘But I’ll bite. What are your goals, then? So I may judge them for myself.’
What does Basil do? Having this conversation in the midst of these old buildings in this old forest holding Pokémon with a higher level than anything they’re currently packing.
Ancient Stillwoods
Perhaps once upon a time people had a settlement here. Regardless, it was a long time ago and now nature had reclaimed this place many times over. A pathway can be taken past ancient rocks, but here stands even more ancient trees. Like in Stillwood Village, the trees cover up the overhead so little light comes through, but there is enough light to see. The place is thick with trees, ruins, moss and rocks. Navigating can be a challenge, but fortunately the forest here is not particularly deep. However, the inexperienced would be advised against trying to engage any of the Pokémon around here… and to perhaps bring a gas-mask, because the air is so thick with pollen that some people might have trouble breathing.
1. Search the area. Maybe find a Pokémon that isn’t immediately obvious, look for items or inspect the ruins for interesting things? 2. Train Pokémon. Just be aware that most things here can probably eat you alive. 3. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 4. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 5. Archie. The Gym Leader of Stillwood Village is now right in front of you, intending on dashing away. 6. Area Specific: Last Area. This ancient forest isn’t particularly deep. You could get to the end in moments if you ignore everything else. Question is, what’s there?
Xaltwind
Lunamaria Hawke
Kon Kon
Floofenstein
RPM
Renose
Rune_Alchemist
Savo
