Yankee

World of Light

Word Count: 1071 (+2 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 12/80
Location: Edge of the Blue - The Maw

A rescue from and retaliation against Moreau dotted the children's escape from the area. Once everyone was free and clear from the mutant it was a mad dash to the elevator, and away from the last ditch effort Moreau was raining down on them. Like the others Ace Cadet ran as fast as his legs would carry him, smashing into the elevator and squeezing himself in among the many bodies trying to fit into the small space. There were some spikes to contend with, little monster horns and some metallic limbs. He hadn't even realized he still held those clippers in his hands too, hopefully they weren't poking into anyone. Despite the tight fit and how uncomfortable it was... it seemed like they all made it. Some worse for wear, though Blazermate was making quick work of their wounds. The Cadet didn't care at all that some of the areas where the acid has splashed him the most were pulling and forming into scars. He was just glad that they were out of there. Once their healer finished her work the Cadet let go, sagging. He dropped his tool and would have slid to the floor if he wasn't tucked between two people.

His energy level was just about zero. His eyelids were even drooping, though he perked up slightly when he noticed Link raising the dartboard up to get his attention. It was in a sorry state, but it was always meant to be a makeshift piece of equipment. The redhead mustered up a weary grin. "S'fine, 'bout time for an upgrade anyway."

The Cadet spent the rest of the ride up in silence, drifting in and out. He could feel the behemoths shifting around at their feet, and the thought came to him that he'd have to thank someone for looking after BB. He was kind of surprised no one had tried to eat the little piglets yet. Or maybe they had and they just got fought off, there was a lot going on at once down there.

When the elevator door opened with a soft dinging sound, everyone piled out. Some practically fell out, collapsing on the ground. The Cadet was among them, falling to his hands and knees and crawling off to the side to rest. All that running around in the junk room, the flooded room, cutting the chains with Nadia, getting thrown and splashed with acidic bile, and no stamina increase even after being healed twice... on top of that, the hunger so bad that he was sure his stomach was trying to eat it self... the mini monster hunter was running on less than fumes. He seated himself against a wall with his head tipped back and eyes closed. He shut out the pessimistic words, glad that others were refuting her, even though the statements that were more stubborn than optimistic. They were down, but not out. Nadia herself wasn't out either, she probably knew that somewhere deep down. Of course, the food probably helped—

Wait, food? Did they say food?

Cadet cracked his eyes open again, looking over. He'd heard right, right? Indeed, Ms. Fortune and two thirds of the Koopa were starting to eat, and beyond them was a banquet behind a wall of bars. At the same time, there were people crying out not to eat, reminding them all of the warning they were given before even setting out onto the ocean. Right, the food here was bad, cursed or something... he thought to the tune of his stomach growling painfully. He struggled to push himself up and onto his feet again, but somehow managed it. He also caught BB by the tail when he spotted the baby behemoth making it's way toward the food, but in his weakened state he couldn't even keep hold of a piglet. It whined and thrashed until it slipped from the Cadet's grasp, running over to join in on eating. Sighing, the Cadet trudged forward, standing beside the holdouts and wincing whenever his stomach grumbled.

"Hey hey, they're right - we weren't supposed to eat here, it was some kinda... kinda temptation thing, right? If you eat you'll end up cursed or... uh..." he didn't really remember what was said, just that they were warned not to eat. Fatigue was even getting into his brain. His eyes were practically spirals as he stood there wobbling. There were reasonable arguments on both sides, though the one that spoke to the Cadet the most was Bella's.

'The food is probably cursed, so just don't eat a lot of it.' Okay, that might be paraphrased, but that logic was sound wasn't it? The more you eat the bigger the curse, so if you only eat a little you only get a little cursed. Yeah, that made perfect sense! His resolve was quickly crumbling, and after seeing nothing immediately happen to those that were eating the Cadet's feet began to move on their own, shuffling forward through the opening that was made.

_{"It's probably okay... just a little bit, just enough to survive... I can take a little curse..."} he mumbled to himself. Saying that last part out loud though sent a shiver down his spine and he slowed, reconsidering again. Curses were bad news, what if it made the hunger even worse after a while, or... or something worse that he couldn't imagine right now. _{"No... no I can make it through without it, I..."}

The indecision was making things worse, and the Cadet collapsed beside the table. To be cursed or not to be cursed... he laid there bemoaning the predicament until BB came back to his side, carrying something that looked and smelled like a mini meat pie in it's mouth. It dropped the food item on the Cadet's chest and then went back to the table to fetch more. It's snout was grimy with the evidence that it had already made it's own dent in the banquet. All hesitation fled the Cadet and he stuffed the meat pie into his mouth, nearly swallowing it whole.

"Oh my gog," he sighed, overtaken with relief. He had betrayed the anti-eating team, and it felt so good. He pulled himself closer to the table and sat up, sitting cross-legged and reaching blindly up to find something else to eat while some of the others went to explore. BB was amassing a small pile of assorted meat and vegetables nearby.

Fate/Profane Covenant

-- Matou Residence : day --

There was a monster in Fuyuki.

Well, there were actually many monsters in Fuyuki. Both literal inhuman beings and magi that bordered on the threshold. The city attracted them like flies to honey, and now they were all gathered. The stench of them, mortals and spirits, evil and heroic, filled the air.

This particular monster was stationed at a particular manor in a particular district of Fuyuki. If she were on the street she might have been mistaken for a homeless vagrant with her disheveled hair and clothes, were it not for the pair of horns that curled up from her skull. But, she was on the roof of the building - stretched out on her stomach with her elbows and hands propping her head up. A plain cloth mask covered her face, with the strings holding it up tied to each horn. It was hard to tell if she was awake with the covering, as she'd been there for a few hours already, unmoving. Initially, the monster had ventured up there after being told off by a particular someone within the manor. Apparently, there was something important going on inside called "cooking." Less than impressed, the monster had gone to soak in the sun of the world above.

Yes... the world that existed on the surface. This was the first time she'd ever been outside of Yomi. She had no desire to travel here in the first place, but she'd been summoned as a servant, and now she might as well make the most of it.

There were so many things that she'd learned within her first moments. Knowledge of the world granted to her so that she would be able to function top side. Complex things, like the language of modern people and what electricity was. Basic things, like what the sun was.

The air was warm. The "sun" was bright. The above-world was noisy. There were a lot of strange sights, sounds and smells. Rather than being intriguing, it was actually kind of annoying... she wasn't here to learn stuff, she was here to fight and eat. Actually the more she thought about it, the more pissed off she started to get. She was a "servant" in the Berserker class, with a "master" who was spending way too much time "cooking" and not enough feeding. Stupid man. Irritating man. She considered how long she would be able to survive in the above-world if she ate him. The thought was fleeting.

She might not have asked to be summoned here, but she'd already decided to accomplish what she could. A magic wish granting device sounded interesting. She could run, battle, and consume all kinds of top side food - and then at the end she would get that cup and... think of some kind of wish. Maybe she could use it for...?

Berserker was beginning to nod off and her head slipped, bobbing sharply. She slowly lifted it and shook it like an animal dusting off it's fur, her hair flying. She peeled herself off of the roof limb by limb, and when she was standing she began sinking through the tile until she was back inside.

What did that man say his name was? Shun...? Shin...? Like hell she was going to call some human "master," even if their fates were tied together. For now.

Berserker padded through the halls and down stairwells until she found the way back to where the Matou that had summoned her was. She threw open the door with one clawed hand, the other in a fist resting at her hip.

"Hey, Chin... Chini...?" Her dynamic entrance was softened by the name fumble, and the fact even with her horns she was much shorter than most humans. She regrouped quickly, and the smirk in her voice was easy to hear. "Ochinchin! Hurry up! If you aren't done soon I'm going without you!"

_{@Cu Chulainn}

Brilliant Fake Kaleidoscopic Prism

Umiko Satsuma

Name: Umiko Satsuma (薩摩海子)

Age: 16

Appearance: Outside of her magical girl form, Umiko is fairly average in looks - which is why she tends to dye her hair, wear nice clothing and trendy accessories, and perfects her make-up routine. She is short, slender, and has an average bust. She's always well groomed and is particularly proud of her luscious locks of hair (which are currently purple, her original hair color is black). When transformed, Umiko's hair fluffs up and turns a varying shade of colors - it's actually so long that she keeps it in a ponytail after the first transformation, and is happy it's stayed that way since. She also gains some visual traits from her Patron: a matching fluffy tail, an extra set of pointed ears, and a horn that looks like it's made of gemstone. Her battle outfit is European in style, giving off the impression of a military official.

Personality: First impressions paint Umiko as "perfect." She is kind and helpful, smart and athletic, and of course she is modest too. However, the longer one spends with her the more that impression starts to feel less than genuine. The perfect and proper class president persona is one Umiko has carefully crafted. In reality she is a normal teenage girl. She has strong emotions though she tries not to let the bad ones show through. She gets irritated and passive-aggressive. She cries when she's stressed. She hates getting flustered. She does like doting on underclassmen, and she is truthfully the kind that would go out of their way to help people, but she tends to take on more responsibility than she can handle and rather than admit she is overwhelmed, she will put on a painful smile and stubbornly trudge through. In that way, she is a bit hard-headed as well.

Background: Umiko is currently going through her 2nd year in an all-girls high school. Her family moved her to an apartment closer to the school in Tokyo's central ward of Bunkyō just before Umiko's high school debut, and though it was initially a struggle to make friends Umiko has since risen to the level of class president with hard work and by tailoring her demeanor to those around her. She's very proud of herself, and she knows her parents would be proud too if they came around at all. As of now both of her parents work extremely demanding jobs and seldom visit, although at least one of them tries to schedule a phone call once a week or so.

But that's alright! Umiko has become an expert in taking care of the home with her parents' absence. It's also taught her a lot about time management... and responsibility. That's why when her Patron reached out to her, Umiko knew the right thing to do was accept and use the power she was granted to help people. In return for spreading her Patron's influence (which she does by comparing herself to a Kirin) she received the ability to transform her body into that of a heroine. Balancing her school work, student council work, and magical work is no easy feat but Umiko certainly makes it look like it is - but perhaps it's only a matter of time before the balancing act topples over.

Magical Powers

Patron: Amalthea

She-Goat Nymph, Foster Mother of Zeus

Patron Tool: A shimmering shawl, when transformed it takes the form of Umiko's cape and shoulder guards.

Patron Weapon: A sturdy yet stylish spear.

Patron Aspect: Aegis

Aspect Magic: The power of the Aegis is the epitome of defense. Nothing can pierce the ancient hide. For Umiko, this means that she has the ability to make things extremely tough. She can harden her own skin and make her body an impenetrable barrier, and she can apply the hardening to objects and other people. Making impromptu shields with unlikely items is well within her ability. It's also possible to change the density of an object, if only to make it heavier or return it to it's normal density. Using her Aspect Magic on herself changes her battle style to be slow and forceful, but she really prefers the faster pace of her spear.

Other skills: Cooking, sewing, cleaning, passive-aggressiveness, compromising, track-and-field, calling up obscure facts.

Other Mentions: n/a for now!

Brilliant Fake Kaleidoscopic Prism

A Kirin...?

Name: Umiko Satsuma (薩摩海子)

Age: 16

Appearance: Outside of her magical girl form, Umiko is fairly average in looks - which is why she tends to dye her hair, wear nice clothing and trendy accessories, and perfects her make-up routine. She is short, slender, and has an average bust. She's always well groomed and is particularly proud of her luscious locks of hair (which are currently purple, her original hair color is black). When transformed, Umiko's hair fluffs up and turns a varying shade of colors - it's actually so long that she keeps it in a ponytail after the first transformation, and is happy it's stayed that way since. She also gains some visual traits from her Patron: a matching fluffy tail, an extra set of pointed ears, and a horn that looks like it's made of gemstone. Her battle outfit is European in style, giving off the impression of a military official.

Personality: First impressions paint Umiko as "perfect." She is kind and helpful, smart and athletic, and of course she is modest too. However, the longer one spends with her the more that impression starts to feel less than genuine. The perfect and proper class president persona is one Umiko has carefully crafted. In reality she is a normal teenage girl. She has strong emotions though she tries not to let the bad ones show through. She gets irritated and passive-aggressive. She cries when she's stressed. She hates getting flustered. She does like doting on underclassmen, and she is truthfully the kind that would go out of their way to help people, but she tends to take on more responsibility than she can handle and rather than admit she is overwhelmed, she will put on a painful smile and stubbornly trudge through. In that way, she is a bit hard-headed as well.

Background: Umiko is currently going through her 2nd year in an all-girls high school. Her family moved her to an apartment closer to the school in Tokyo's central ward of Bunkyō just before Umiko's high school debut, and though it was initially a struggle to make friends Umiko has since risen to the level of class president with hard work and by tailoring her demeanor to those around her. She's very proud of herself, and she knows her parents would be proud too if they came around at all. As of now both of her parents work extremely demanding jobs and seldom visit, although at least one of them tries to schedule a phone call once a week or so.

But that's alright! Umiko has become an expert in taking care of the home with her parents' absence. It's also taught her a lot about time management... and responsibility. That's why when her Patron reached out to her, Umiko knew the right thing to do was accept and use the power she was granted to help people. In return for spreading her Patron's influence (which she does by comparing herself to a Kirin) she received the ability to transform her body into that of a heroine. Balancing her school work, student council work, and magical work is no easy feat but Umiko certainly makes it look like it is - but perhaps it's only a matter of time before the balancing act topples over.

Magical Powers

Patron: Amalthea

She-Goat Nymph, Foster Mother of Zeus

Patron Tool: A shimmering shawl, when transformed it takes the form of Umiko's cape and shoulder guards.

Patron Weapon: A sturdy yet stylish spear.

Patron Aspect: Aegis

Aspect Magic: The power of the Aegis is the epitome of defense. Nothing can pierce the ancient hide. For Umiko, this means that she has the ability to make things extremely tough. She can harden her own skin and make her body an impenetrable barrier, and she can apply the hardening to objects and other people. Making impromptu shields with unlikely items is well within her ability. It's also possible to change the density of an object, if only to make it heavier or return it to it's normal density. Using her Aspect Magic on herself changes her battle style to be slow and forceful, but she really prefers the faster pace of her spear.

Other skills: Cooking, sewing, cleaning, passive-aggressiveness, compromising, track-and-field, calling up obscure facts.

Other Mentions: n/a for now!

What Does The Word 'Greetings' Mean To You?

Welcome definitely not the basketball player Kyrie Irving. Don't worry, your secret is safe with us

Persona - Soldiers of Fortune

Harriette Moore

^{? ? ? : ? ? hours}
People were talking. She could hear their muffled, discordant voices around her. She heard fear, anger, worry. Mostly she was hearing disbelief and panic, though. That did not bode well. Harriette was slow to rouse, unwilling to face... whatever was going on. Whatever had happened to them. She remembered a gathering at the gazebo, the realization that all of them could see those cracks in reality, and then—

After that... that couldn't have been real.

The cracks widening, completely breaking open, and the warm wind enveloping them and putting them to sleep. A falling sensation before total darkness, followed by waking with a soreness in her side where it felt like she'd landed on solid ground.

This can't really be happening... can it?

Harriette's thoughts were echoing what the others were saying aloud. Finally, she opened her eyes and sat up. The view brought cold dread seeping into her bones. It was like some horror film, twisted surreal imagery everywhere around them. Harriette dragged her gaze along the horizon, but everything looked... bad. Cursed and terrible. A mockery of the city they were just in. She looked to the building ahead of them, a large prison complex. It stood where the university would have been.

Despite everything, a quick burst of laughter bubbled out of Harriette. It was gone as quickly as it'd come. She pinched herself a couple of times, thinking it must be a dream. When she took that tumble on the staircase she must have been knocked unconscious. What else could explain this? But she didn't awaken.

Harriette stood up, dusting off her skirt. She was noting all the little details now, every little thing about whatever place they were all in. The more she considered it, the more she was convinced that this wasn't a dream, and the pit in her stomach grew all the colder.

"Mass hysteria..." she murmured in response to some of the students wondering about delusions and hallucinations. Even as she said it she shook her head though, then cleared her throat and spoke up a little louder. "...it wouldn't be like this. This is... something else."

She couldn't bring herself to say 'this is real' aloud. It felt real though. Sounded and looked real, even if her brain was fighting to find some evidence that it wasn't. Logically, it was impossible to fall through a crack in reality into a hellscape silhouette of your city. And yet.

Thinking about it that way though, that this was something actually happening to them right now that they needed to get out of, it brought some sick sense of comfort to Harriette. She could still feel that dread within her, but she could try and focus on getting them out of this situation. After all, most of the people gathered were students. Some dealing with this much worse than others. She turned to give these students her attention, gaze softening, but of course another curve ball came flying at them. Light, alarms, and men dressed in all black uniforms. It might have been a relief to see other people, but these men were faceless and aggressive. Were they even humans at all? They didn't look like the others that had been pulled in. Regardless of how they looked, Harriette raised her hands. In vain she tried reasoning with them.

"Right, we're - we're not inmates. We're lost and we need help," she said as she moved with the group, following the beings' instruction. Of course the faceless officers didn't acknowledge her words, just pressed her to keep walking. That was okay, maybe they could explain to the judge when they got there so long as they didn't stir up any trouble, like someone trying to make a break for it—

"Wait, stop!" Harriette had slowed to call out to the breakaway, a man she didn't recognize at all. He might be in danger for that move - or worse, endanger the rest of them. The guards he'd toppled were quickly getting to their feet and ushering the rest of them to keep going, a baton nudging Harriette in the back to pick up the pace. She bit her lip and ultimately complied.

'Ello everyone!

Welcome! There's always a good handful of RPs looking for players, either new "Interest Checks" or ongoing RPs with the "apply" tag. Hopefully you can find one you like!

World of Light

Word Count: 1471 (+3 exp)
Level: 5 - Total EXP: 32/50
Location: Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon Northwest: Obelisk Temple
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
D34C25

In a way it was fortunate that all the other combatants were engaged, so that Primrose could devote her full attention to keeping Earthquake at bay without worrying about anyone else attacking while her focus was occupied. At this distance, the chain sickle Earthquake threw was easy enough to see coming, even with it's speed. She could see how he was moving his arm, and the path of the chain, so before the sharp end reached her she would evade, knowing it was possible. A step to the left, to the right, back. Ducking when he swung high, jumping when he went low. Deliberate movement of her feet and concentration painted on her face. A sharp eye might notice that the dancer was slowly setting up, doing what she did best, but Earthquake was more interested in flinging his weapon around, thinking he had Primrose pinned down and that it was only a matter of time before he sliced her.

"Heh heh, that's it! C'mon, dance!" The massive man cackled, swinging his arm in a wide horizontal arc and watching the chain he held fly along the path, dragging the sickle behind it. With one final step Primrose moved out of the way of it's path and completed her Panther Dance, feeling the benefit spread through her limbs. That weapon was fast, but now she was even faster - more than enough to deal with her oversized opponent.

"If that's what you want then watch closely," she said, and with a twirling flourish she had another spell swirling in her hand, "I'll give you a show."

With newfound speed she hurled the coiled dark magic at Earthquake, who realized a moment too late that he should probably be the one evading now. The Moonlight Waltz struck him head on and he reeled backwards - but with a stubborn stomp of his foot he righted himself, grimacing.

"You—" he was swiftly interrupted by another blast of magic. Roaring with indignation Earthquake swung his sickle back and forth, but the dancer shimmied out of the way much more easily than she had been moments before. The lilt of Primrose's laughter as she danced around the blade and cast her spells irritated the man more and more, until he was wildly swinging both ends of the chain.

"Rrrraaaghh!" The clattering of metal resounded through the cavern, adding to the chaotic cacophony already going on. The sickle carved gouges in the stone floor, followed by the weight on the chain's other end smashing pieces out of it. With double the reckless movements Primrose kept an eye on her footwork, the pace of her casting slowed to compensate - and though she was beginning to tire she was doing well, not a wound to show.

Until suddenly her left arm was wrenched down hard. She felt her shoulder pull painfully and the spell dissipated in her palm. She looked down to see the chain looped around her wrist, with the weight resting on the ground below it. Here eyes followed along the length of the chain until she met Earthquake's own eyes. He seemed just as surprised as Primrose was to see she'd been caught. A menacing smile began spreading on Earthquake's face soon enough though.

"Gotcha now, geheheh! C'mere!" He kept a tight hold on the chain and with both hands yanked it violently, dragging Primrose towards him. With his strength it was all to easy to haul the dancer, and she found herself flying towards him too quickly for her to think up a plan. The closer she got the wider Earthquake's smile grew. He opened his arms to welcome her with a bone crushing hold, and in a mild panic Primrose reached instinctively to the thing she'd always relied on.

The dagger glinted briefly, just long enough for Earthquake to recognize that there was a weapon in the dancer's hand before the momentum of being pulled in sank the short blade into the bandit's gut. He yowled in pain, pawing at Primrose but she was already free, standing a few paces back she slashed at his arms until he retreated. The two were standing only a few feet from each other, glaring. Unfortunately for Primrose it seemed that despite the punishment Earthquake had taken so far, he still had more to give.

"Yer just full of tricks ain't ya?" he growled out, to which Primrose couldn't help but smirk and reply, "A lady must have her secrets..."

"Well I got a few secrets of my own!"

Earthquake inhaled so deeply that he threw his head back before slinging it forward again, a shower of flame spewing from his mouth. If it weren't for her speed boost, Primrose would not have countered in time. She summoned her pyromancy, and fighting fire with fire she used the Flame Fan to blow his attack away. Afterwards she was left singed and completely caught off guard when Earthquake himself appeared in front of her, rushing through the last of the flames. His own speed was far greater than the dancer expected from a man his size, and he crashed into her belly first despite the open wound. She went flying, landing on her back against the stone. The rattle of a chain warned her that pain was soon to follow, and though she scrambled to stand the weighted end of Earthquake's weapon came in to knock her back down. Her dagger flew from her hand as she was thrown to the ground again. With a laugh the bandit raised his arm and brought the weight down again and again, battering Primrose until she was still and bruised, but breathing.

He sauntered over to where her weapon had fallen, picking the dagger up and turning it over in his hand. "Nice piece of work here, might fetch a pretty penny. 'R maybe I keep it as a souvenir, eh?"

He laughed, taunting Primrose, but when he looked over to where he left her she was gone. "What?!" He stomped over to the area, but there was nothing but a bit of the dancer's blood on the stone. Gripping his chain sickle tightly Earthquake whipped his head from side to side, trying to spot the dancer in red but not finding her among the other battles going on. Sweating, he called out, "ran off to hide, did ya?!"

"Hey, eyes up here."

Earthquake's gaze shot up toward the ceiling, where Primrose floated thanks to the magic of her scarf. The fabric glowed while in use, but it was hardly noticeable when compared to the great fireball the dancer held above her head. Her whole body pulsed with light as she expended a battle point, making the Fire Orb swell with even more power. Wisely, Earthquake judged that taking the full brunt of this spell would not be a smart idea. He backpedaled, intending to retreat, but Primrose threw the orb down at him. The impact torched his body and exploded, and Earthquake fell to the ground with a great crash.

Still he wasn't quite done. Terribly injured the ninja stubbornly pushed himself onto his elbows, blinking rapidly to clear the bleariness from his eyes. Directly above him, Primrose stopped her flight and fell right onto his stomach, knocking the air out of Earthquake with a sound much like a deflating balloon. He glared at her, opening his mouth to spout some nonsense no doubt. Instead he was silenced when Primrose brought her leg up and stamped her foot down hard on his face, effectively knocking his lights out.

"Hope you enjoyed the show," she sighed through gritted teeth, and hopped down off of the man's stomach. She wobbled slightly before taking a moment to compose herself, and was quick to pluck her family's heirloom from Earthquake's hand. A sweep with her eyes over the battlefield gave her a brief, if incomplete look into how the others were faring. She also saw some new combatants that definitely hadn't been present beforehand. Finally, she looked back to where Poppi and Tora had been fighting, and found only those two there. She made her way over, noting the softly glowing spirits of the Resistance members.

"Are you both alright?" she asked quietly, unsure if she should be treading on their moment of down time. "If needed, I think I can use my dance to spread Warmth healing to everyone, but it may take the last of my magic."

She'd used quite a lot in dealing with Earthquake, while having to sit back, focus on supporting dances and recharge was something she wouldn't necessarily be opposed to, the chaotic and unpredictable nature of the battle at hand made her wary to take any of her cards off the table. But if the duo would be alright for now then the three of them could jump back in where they were needed and assess from there.

What Are You Listening To?

Pokémon: New Horizons

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✦ Botan Naito ✦	-

---

Everyone was very eager to disembark, Botan included, so after Arlo confirmed that the blue haired woman was his sister and then challenged a race to shore the young woman smiled brightly and dashed off after him. She wasn't as quick as him, shorter legs and much less experience and all, but maybe she could use her smaller size to her advantage in weaving through the rest of the people on board! Botan descended the stairs to the lower deck quickly, but just before enacting her plan of squeezing right through the crowd a very familiar Pokémon's voice reached her ears.

"Champ." Jarvis was a few steps behind Botan, having spotted her running and being quick to catch up with her. Slowly Botan came to a stop, turning to smile sheepishly at the Machamp. Each of his four arms were laden with bags. There was a large red duffel with a few charms attached to it's zippers, a second nearly identical bag with contents that seemed bulkier than whatever was in the first one, a big rectangular canvas bag that clearly had to have been some kind of pop-up tent, and a slightly smaller gray bag that was unremarkable compared to the others.

"Looks like you've got everything! Thank you Jarvis." The Pokémon grunted happily in response. Together the two made their way more slowly off of the ship, the small crowd parting ahead of Jarvis to give him and his ward space. Once on land, Botan breathed in deeply and spread her arms wide.

"We made it! Panmia Island... islands? Well, we're here! It's that real start of our adventure!"

The island was beautiful, even just the small fraction of it they were seeing. The foliage was lush and green, and even where the small makeshift buildings were situated there were swaths of plants untouched - the land carefully combed and cleaned just enough to make space for the humans living there now. It felt much more wild than the fields of Kanto. The gardens of Celadon were much more colorful, but they were arranged that way - and the plant size didn't even hold a candle to the ones on this island. The only thing that could compare in Botan's home region was the Safari Zone, but even that was a planned jungle, sculpted by humans. Botan looked off into the distance toward the treeline, looking for any sign of wild Pokémon. At the moment she didn't see any besides the birds high overhead, which she could barely make out. Most likely they were more Wingull, if their cries were any indication.

"Alright!" Botan turned to Jarvis and held out a hand. "A bag, please! Since this is a proper adventure with a whole group, I want to start carrying my weight! ... or some of it, at least!"

Jarvis looked skeptical, but he held out the smallest bag - "Jarvis! One of my own bags!" - at first before switching to one of the red duffels. He gave her the lighter of the two, and though Botan struggled initially with holding it once she got the strap over her head and the bag balanced on her hip, she felt quite proud of herself. "Thank you! Now, let's meet up with the others."

Like the rest of them Botan made a detour to group sign-ups, but was pleased that one of them had already gone to the trouble of registering their group. She made a quick correcting to the spelling of her name and then joined the group where they all waited a little ways off. It seemed that she met up with them at just the right time, as Isla kicked off the discussion about planning before heading into the wilderness proper.

"Oh! For supplies, I brought everything I could think of!" Botan said, gesturing to Jarvis with both hands. She wasn't exaggerating in the slightest. "I got a tent, clothes, blankets, boots, canteens, a small stove, a flashlight, escape ropes, repels..." She counted the items she remembered off, ending with, "...a punching bag, and food!"

Jarvis nodded along with every item listed, confirming that it was indeed among those he carried. She might have gone overboard with her packing, but it was a (mostly) uninhabited island. Better safe that sorry, right?

"Plus, Jarvis can take care of anything we need in the strength department. You'll find that he is very capable. As for me..." she trailed off, growing quiet. A dust of pink brushed her face, realizing that compared to Arlo and Isla, and probably everyone else too, she didn't have any skills relevant to surviving outdoors. "Um... well, I brought my credit card. I'm not sure what we can obtain with money here on the island, but rest assured I have that covered."

It was all she could offer at the moment, besides the supplies she'd brought. Hopefully that would change though, she was planning to make the most of this expedition and learn as much as she could.

She also meant to correct Felix once he'd arrived that she was actually the last one off the boat, but the next thing she said piqued her interest so much that it pushed every other thought from her brain.

"Oh! Yes! Thank you Felix, I'm so excited to get a Pokédex of my own! I'm going to go get in line now!" And so she went, the big bag she held bouncing off of her with every step she took as she hurried over.