Sethera

Rattata Farfetch'd Milotic Cherrim Buneary Shaymin Samurott Keldeo Litleo Yamper

Belle was about to lift her precious Gummy Bewears from the floor when the evil pair of hands struck again! Truly, it was a sad and terrible day filled with horrifying memories such as walking, battling, climbing stairs, and now, to add insult to injury, these hands were trying to steal her Gummy Bewears! Again! She would not let this travesty happen again. Once was bad enough. "Belle! You made it. Just in time too, we were just about to - " "Not now, Jacklyn," the blue-haired girl gritted out. "I have a mission before me right now." Her eyes narrowed with laser focus on the pair of hands in front of her, almost as if she were sniper from Call to Duty looking through a scope lens. Those hands were currently holding onto the loot, the precious bag of Gummy Bewears. Tugging on the bag, she felt a tug back. "For a ghost, you're pretty strong," she muttered, heaving back with all her strength. "L-let her have it, Haunter." Those words didn't register at first, not until the bluenette fell backward, having used so much strength that once the equal force on the other side had stopped, she just was bowled over backward. "Ow..." she muttered, before brightening when she realized she had retained grasp of the Gummy Bewears. "Yes! I win! My Gummy Bewears! Mine! My precious..." The girl remembered her surroundings when a hand entered her field of view. "S-sorry about that. Um. Do you. Uh. Need help?" What? "I er, I'm Dennis. Name, you? Er...what's your name?" Belle blinked, not exactly sure what she was supposed to do right now, before a lightbulb lit up in her head. Oh yes, this is just like when Kyousuke offers his hand to Sakura when she fell over. So I suppose I should take it? Putting the hand that wasn't grasping onto the Gummy Bewears over his palm, she used it as leverage to get herself back off the ground. Which she needed. Any forms of exercise, including getting up from a sitting position, was not something she could do very well. Or at all. "Thanks," she replied, before remembering that this strange boy had asked a question. Though not very well. "I'm Belle. What're you doing here?" she asked bluntly, glancing around the room. Now that the emergency was over, she felt her eyelids start to droop again. "Oh, nice, looks jus' like m'room," she observed. Except that she usually just used her powers to throw the trash into the trash can, so the floor was generally clean of wrappers, but the actual trash can was overflowing. Walking outside her room to empty the trash was just so much of a hassle. The girl's eyes widened in recognition when she saw a comic book on the ground. "Huh? You read Gligarman too? What do you think of the newest edition? I heard they're bringing in a new character, Gligirl, to appeal to the burgeoning female demographic. I haven't been able to keep up with it lately because I've been on a dumb Pokémon journey, though. Did Gligarman ever get rid of the bombs that Mr. Mimer planted on the S.S. Anna?" She cut off her impassioned rant, however, at seeing a familiar pair of ghostly hands on this boy's, Dennis's shoulder. "We meet again, Mr. Ghostly Hands," she said, eyes narrowing even more when they appeared to be attached--or not attached, actually--to a Haunter. Jacklyn appeared to have different thoughts, however, "laaaaaame." The girl seemed to deflate, waving the Haunter off saying, "well, not you. But," she then looked to the boy, clearly annoyed as she said, "you. You fooled me into thinking there was an adventure to be had in this lighthouse not once, but twice!" Looking at Belle and Dennis, something else clicked in the girl as, almost as if an after thought she said, "and you stole my friend's snacks. What do you have to say for yourself?" What?! Belle jumped away from the boy as if burned. "So you ordered your Haunter to steal my Gummy Bewears, huh?" she scowled. "You almost tricked me, but I won't be tricked twice. They're mine," she held the bag against her chest protectively, using her other hand to catch a couple falling Gummy Bewears before they hit the floor. Stuffing them in her mouth, she continued to glare at Dennis and the Haunter, more specifically the Haunter, cheeks slightly puffed out.

The battle had finally finished. It was over. Yue slumped to the ground in relief. She was really glad that that was over. Battles were scary, and honestly, she could do without scary things. Speaking of scary things, the others were now questioning the scary boss bandit. It sounded like he hadn't been looking for Jourans, which was weird because wasn't he shouting about that at the beginning of the fight? But whatever the case may be, at least now they could figure out exactly what this man wanted. And what he knew. The boss bandit began to talk about how the guy who stole the scary rooster man's boat was probably in Enta. Which...wasn't that where they were heading? Yue's heart sank as she connected the dots, listening halfheartedly to the others squabble about whether they should leave the man alive or not. I don't want to travel with such a scary man! she thought, and then glanced at the pegasus knight. Or with such a weird girl! She looked at Edda. Or the other weird girl! "You all better have a good reason to keep him alive or I'm gonna throw this javelin. I haven't had a chance to show it off, but I got a good throwin' arm." And now it sounded like Raynor was ready to kill the man. While Yue wasn't particularly for or against killing him, she did feel like the man was jumping the bowgun a bit. Also... "M-maybe he could tell us, w-where the other bandits are. The ones that are after Jourans." The archer shrank in on herself immediately afterward. "N-never mind, that was a dumb idea."

"That the one that did it?" Ari nodded. "Yeah, I thought she was nice, but I guess she's a Godslayer." "At this rate this whole place is going to go down." Elsa said. "I'll do what I can to keep it from falling apart but it won't last long." She then began to fire off Ice Beams at the raft itself, which was a good idea. "Anything I can do to help?" the Litleo asked, but he already knew what the answer would probably be. If he used Ember on the raft, it would only make things worse. Mac ran at Mia with an electrically-charged fist and, between her and Tornadus, they looked to be keeping Mia occupied. However, that wasn't the end of it. The Godslayer let out a painful shout and those bells began to ring once more. Ari winced when the ground trembled beneath his feet. Spitting out some Embers at the Miltank, he looked around for anything else he could do. -- Easter tumbled out of the way of a few of the Spike Cannon attacks, but wasn't able to avoid them all. And if he didn't want Dora to get too hurt, he couldn't very well dodge as much as he normally would anyway. Wincing when one of the spikes sliced a gash open on his cheek, the Sylveon jumped back to avoid the Brine, but stumbled in the process at a slight pain in his temples. Groaning, the fairy type shook his head. "Sheesh, don't you guys know not to gang up on a pretty gijinka?" he asked. "You're not even my type, anyway." Darks and dragons are more my style. At that, a ring of stars circled his body before shooting outward at the group. "These people are starting to get annoying," the Sylveon grumbled, before glancing back to Dora. "You all right back there, kid?" -- The group was getting ready to go when Heatran spoke once more. "Hey." The legendary stood with his arms crossed, looking slightly past the group. "I've heard some things even up here. There's something big coming. I can't leave to help out. So you all better do something about it. If you want to go around thinking you can beat me then go prove it alright?" "Of course! Next time I'll be back, I'll be stronger than waaay more legends than you could imagine." This girl... Keanu rolled his eyes. "Look, there's confidence and then there's just being silly," he said, ruffling the girl's hair as he passed her on his way to the edge. "There's a reason legends are called legends, y'know? Are you saying yer gonna be a--" he cut himself off when he saw a sudden sandstorm whip up near the edge of the city. "Ohhh no. That's no maika‘i. No good." "Huh...that's wei-..." Beside him, Randy paused, immediately closing his mouth. "Allie's back..." he said sternly, clenching his fists slightly. Randy slowly turned back towards Heatran, sighing. "...really wish you weren't right about that. But..." He simply gave a thumbs up towards him. "We got this. ...if I was able to hold my own against the Strongest Legend...she should be no problem." Keanu gulped, not sure if he shared his friend's optimism. "Guess that means we gotta get down there and stop her...I know you don't approve of the fighting, Marie...but I'm fairly certain this one is an exception. Plus...heh, I'm fairly certain I can give her a tail-whoopin', courtesy of her old man, since she left her sisters alone." "Of course we can fight her. She's nothing more than a bully, and I'm not just going to let a bully do as they please." Oh guardians. Not Marie too. Was Keanu the only person here with a lick of common sense? Well, at least Nani seemed to be--oh, that was what he was forgetting. Where was Nani again? I have a bad feeling about this. If she were anything like Randy or Marie, then he had a feeling they were running right toward her. Still, the Pikachu followed his friends down the mountain, saying goodbye to Heatran as well. Thankfully, Marie knew Rain Dance, and with that, they were actually able to make their way through the dying cloud of sand. Keanu tilted his face up to the sky and breathed in as the raindrops hit his skin. He liked rain. Water in general, actually. And after the literal heated battle they had earlier, this rain was a lot more welcome than blistering sand would've been. -- BGM They were all ignoring her. Everybody. She had told them to stop fighting, but nobody would listen. Was that because she wasn't strong enough? Compared to the other legendaries, she really was very weak. Letting out a sigh, the gijinka hung her head, trembling in fear as the sounds of battle raged around her. However, the crackle of flames caused her to lift her head in fear...and flinch at the sight of another gijinka-shaped blast of fire headed right toward her. These people...were so scary and cruel. Bracing herself for the hit, the grass type paused when she realized that...somebody else had taken the blast for her. That girl...the Accelgor, had done that...for her. She had helped her earlier too, hadn't she? And now, she was lying at her feet, damaged and burned...for her. I guess not everybody's that bad...there are people like her and, she turned to the Houndoom, like him too. She turned her head to the Mismagius and the Rotom. They are also risking their lives to protect me. It had been...a long time since she had met such mortals. People whose hearts rang with purity. "Thank you," she smiled down at the Accelgor. "I am grateful that people like you exist in this world." The legendary looked up, eyes narrowing into an uncharacteristic glare. "Didn't I tell you...to stop fighting here?!" The blossoms in her hair began to glow. "You're ruining the flowers!" The glow of the flowers spread to the woman herself, a blinding bright yellow like the sun, enough to force people to look away. When the glow faded, however, the girl had disappeared. In her place stood a young man instead. Unlike the woman, his clothing was a bit more complex, wearing a long white suit with trailing coattails and armor in green, red, and white. His hair was shorter and spikier, two-toned, and his eyes were a vibrant peridot. "Heh, it's been too long since I was able to let loose," the youth chuckled, rubbing his hands together in glee. "Who's up first?" his eyes zeroed in on the pair of Shedinja nearby. "Sorry, but well, actually no I'm not sorry. You're just getting what you deserve for messing up the meadow like you did." He raised his arms, and then, in the blink of an eye, slashed them down, the motion causing a large blade of air to form. It shot off toward both bugs with all the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow, cutting through one...and then the other as if they were both made of butter. As the gijinka fell to the ground, the young man tossed his head proudly. "Hah! Still got it! They don't call me Shaymin the Sky Warrior for nothing!" He glanced over at the nearby Accelgor and Houndoom. "I know, I know, you're speechless aren't you? I'm too awesome for words."

Map of Phar Phar. A village so isolated one wonders how it even made itself onto the map. The people are traditional and wary of outsiders. Indeed, I spent hours at the gate explaining myself to the guards before I was even let through. And as soon as I stepped foot inside, I was met with harsh stares and sullen faces. This is an unfriendly village, and not one I think I will linger long at. I have included a map, however, for any adventurers stubborn enough to explore such an inhospitable place. --Excerpt from The Travels of Marc Pol BGM It seemed as if the group wouldn't be free of their new animal...friends, anytime soon. Glancing to the side, Catriona could see that Gunther seemed just fine with everything that was going on. The knight was currently surrounded by the beavers from earlier. Even the more unfriendly specimens had approached him by now, spurred on by their three companions. Actually going over to where he was would be difficult without accidentally stepping on one of the beasts. "What the hell is going on here?" Nearby, Alois looked more uncomfortable with the situation. In fact, he had been looking uncomfortable since they arrived. Normally, the lord would not have taken note of this, but seeing as this was the boy's hometown, she had wondered if he had any insight on their predicament. Alas, it seemed he did not, as he looked just as baffled as she felt. Currently, he appeared to be in a staring contest with the grumpy-looking badger at the back. “Your Majesty… something’s wrong here.” "Too many kinds of animals for them be act like this," Shiro agreed. "Perhaps... It a sort of spell or something, because there's no way the prey and predators can intermingle this peacefully." Catriona didn't know much about animals, but she couldn't help but disagree, and she opened her mouth to say so when somebody else spoke up instead. "Inera," Edrick began, clutching at his devotional icon with his left hand so hard that he began to bleed, "I may yet come to curse your name, but for now all I ask is a reason to believe." Before anybody could say anything to that, he spun his spear in frustration, the tip clicking against the cobbles of the road, and marched off down the street. Should we go after him? At least the boy was still within sight, but if he ended up moving too far ahead, they would have to move forward as well. "Ahah... quite a village we have here. It sure does remind me of an old fairy tale." Adel on the other hand, rather than being stymied like the others, seemed more amused than anything else. I suppose this is a rather fantastical situation. "You know, those ones about how a village angered a local witch, and everyone got cursed leading to various amusing results? These are probably just farm animals left behind after the villagers evacuated somewhere or something, though." "Indeed, I doubt they are villagers transformed into animals," the lord replied, shaking her head. "No matter their behavior, beasts are beasts. And while I don't know much about magic, I would think there would be no more than a handful of magic-users capable of something to that degree." However, now that Adelaide mentioned it, it did seem that Catriona had heard something similar, but the details were a little different. Still, the more she tried to remember, the more it slipped from her grasp, so the white-haired woman didn't put any further thought into it. Right after, Link turned to her and gave a report of what he had noticed so far. It was more thorough of an analysis than Catriona herself had managed. In addition, the mercenary had picked up a couple of things that she had missed. Well, that was no matter. Even back in the Garou, Link had had a knack for scouting. Though from what she remembered, he hadn't always been that way. Shaking her head, the lord began to mull over the blond's words. "You think it's magic too," the woman replied, a hint of frustration leaking into her tone. She had rather hoped it wasn't magic. Unlike her sister, she had never had a knack for magic, and didn't want anything to do with it besides. "So you're saying that somebody, or multiple people, used magic on the doors. And that the animals seem fascinated with Alois..." she trailed off before glancing over at the fighter. "Do you know these creatures?" she asked him. "Was this village known for raising such an...assortment?" At that, many of the animals, which had moved closer while they were talking, turned to Alois and jumped up and down. The badger at the back gave a sharp bark, and they quieted before parting like grass in the wind. The mustelid waddled forward, before finally coming to a stop before the boy. Standing up on its haunches, it growled and snuffled at the Histian before letting out what sounded rather like a dismissive snort as it turned away. What in the seven hells was that? "Whatever is going on," the lord continued after a pause, "we should keep moving. There will be nothing solved by staying in one place." She took a few steps forward, before stopping when a bloodcurdling screech split the air. Jumping back, hand on her sword hilt, the woman glanced around, only to hear what sounded like...angry meowing from below. Looking down, the lord saw a single black cat glare balefully at her before tucking its tail around its paws. Sniffing, it trotted away in high dudgeon, nose to the air as it showcased disdain about as well as any Galtean court noble. "We should be careful not to step on any of the animals," the white-haired woman warned belatedly as she took a few more steps. Eventually, with a few accidents, the group would manage to extricate themselves from the crowd of creatures. While many of the animals looked like they wanted to follow, at the badger's stern bark, they stopped. However, one of the beavers, which Gunther would recognize as the angry one from before, ran ahead of them down the street after Edrick. Following the beaver, Catriona remarked to Shiro, "It seems we must trust in an animal's instincts once more." Currently, he was the only member of the group present who would know what she meant. It hadn't been more than a few days since they had first met Rohns, though at the time it had just been a nameless wolf cub. The beast had brought them part of the way toward the fox village. Quite an intelligent animal. And this beaver seemed to be just as much, if not more so. The further they went, the more baffled Catriona became. There really is no sign of human beings anywhere. Where could they have gone, and in such a short time too? They continued down the path, and reached a T-intersection, where a side street branched off to the right. There, they could see a familiar blond lancer, standing in front of that building she had seen from outside the village. The one that looked similar to the abandoned shrine they had left behind. Stopping, the lord gazed up at the structure. "Do you think that the strange sound is coming from in here?" While possible, she wasn't quite sure if that was the case. Also, there was something...forbidden-looking about the place. Unlike the other doors they had passed by, this one was perfectly sound, and large enough to fit two or three people side by side. There were also what looked like historical scenes carved into the very stone of the door arch itself. Catriona recognized a couple as the Twelve Crusaders fighting against the goddess Inera. Approaching the door, the white-haired woman tried to turn the knob...and jiggled it uselessly. The building was locked. "What is this place?" she asked Alois. Below, the beaver squealed at their feet before running back down the street. Another roar shook the air, and it became apparent that it was coming from the direction their animal guide was headed. Casting one last glance back at the shrine lookalike, the lord turned to follow the beaver. "Let us depart. It appears that this is not our goal." The group moved further ahead, past a few more buildings of note. To their left was a large building that looked similar to a barracks. In fact, that could very well be what it is. It even had its own courtyard with some training dummies. While Catriona had never been in a village this small before, there was something about the barracks that marked her as strange, though it took her a while to reason through it. While most of the buildings seemed roughly-made, the church-like structure they had just left, as well as the barracks, had an obvious craftsmanship to them. "Your village is strange," she remarked to Alois. Soon enough, the group reached what looked to be a market square with a large stone well in the center. Numerous wooden stalls lined the outside, barrels and boxes piled haphazardly nearby. Oddly enough, many of the wares still remained, though some of the perishables looked a little wilted from being outside all day. Most of the goods were edibles, including bread, fruits and vegetables, meats, and cheeses. Catriona passed by a stall selling grilled meat skewers that still smelled faintly appetizing. There were more stalls than just food, however. There were also ones selling cloths, crockery, cutlery, and more. However, there was one particular stall that stood out to her, and not just because of the sharp scent of citrus coming from it. Originally having held an assortment of fruit that ranged from cherries, peaches, grapes, and even some early oranges and lemons, it had been knocked over, most of its wares having rolled out onto the cobbles of the square. Now, that by itself wouldn't be unusual, but what lay underneath it was. A large pinkish lizard-like creature was currently struggling underneath the stall, both of its batlike wings pinned to the ground by not only the stall, but also by various barrels and boxes that had been knocked over. Beside it lay a brunette woman with skin that seemed a cross between brown and olive, splayed out over a basket of overturned mandarins. She looked a little disoriented, though not particularly injured. Catriona glanced around, seeing what looked like multiple animals slowly creeping out of the shadows and staring at both the group and the downed lizard creature. Their beaver guide ran up to the fallen beast and circled it before turning back to the group with a smug expression. The woman stared. Was this lizard-like creature the Great Dragon? No...it was much smaller than she had heard the Great Dragon being, plus...there was something familiar about it. She had never seen one in person but she had heard about the wyverns of Isauria. Was that what this was? The possible wyvern opened a toothy maw and let out a pained roar. A familiar roar. She turned to the others. "It seems that this...wyvern, is the cause of the roaring." -- BGM After Penelope finished speaking, there was silence for a while before an audible rustling sound echoed from the cave. Shortly afterward a blond woman bearing a lantern emerged, the latter of which looked to be the source of the glow from earlier. She blinked a couple times, and then, setting down her lantern, smiled gently at the trio. "Why, hello there," her voice was low and melodic. "You must be those...friends that Licorice mentioned." Her smile grew a little mischievous. "Thank you for taking such good care of her. She doesn't like to admit it, but that child can be a bit difficult." There was a groan of protest from within the cave. "Oh, hush you," the woman shook her head. "Dearie me, I never introduced myself, did I?" She chuckled. "My name is Dariella. I'm a friend of Licorice's from way back." Her expression grew slightly nostalgic before she focused back on the group. "I never expected to see her here though. She usually stays in her home village. But it sounds like she's enjoying herself," her eyes curved into crescents. "And that's what counts, of course." Dariella stared at the group for a second before clapping her hands together. "Now, let's play a guessing game. Those are so much fun, don't you think?" Her amber eyes sparkled as she pointed at the tactician. "Now let me guess, hmm...you're Penelope," she pointed at the troubadour, "Ciela," she turned to the archer, "Tsetseg...oops, did I give away your hiding spot? My apologies," she giggled before bending down and smiling at a patch of underbrush behind the trio, "And...Rohns, right? Don't worry, we're all friends here." The woman straightened with a grin, "Did I get that right? I do hope so. I'm a little rusty, but I haven't been wrong yet," she winked. "And I know you must all be so frightfully worried for dear Licorice, but you can rest assured that she's just fine. The child is just a little...heated, shall we say?" she giggled. "I'd go into more detail, but you're all a little too young for that, aren't you?" The woman glanced around at the group. "She'll be right as rain in an hour or so, but you on the other hand, well," she shook her head, "Little sheep that stray from the flock for too long are liable to get eaten," she tutted. "Not that there are any wolves hereabouts aside from your adorable little cub, but the phrase still applies." She made a shooing gesture. "Now, better head on back, before you really get in trouble." OOC

Belle gasped for breath like a beached Wailord as she climbed up the stairs. The ghostly hands had made much better time than her. Her earlier run had slowed down to a walk, and then to a crawl, practically hobbling on all fours by now. By the time she actually made it all the way to the top, she was sweating buckets, and her heart felt as if it would pound out of her chest. "Can't...go...any more..." she panted, coughing slightly as the irritants in the air scraped against her trachea, made worse by her ragged breaths. "This is...too much," she devolved into a coughing fit as soon as she reached the staircase from the trapdoor. Stopping to catch her breath, bent over, hands on knees, she listened to what sounded like a conversation coming from above. Well, actually, it sounded more like Jacklyn making a racket. "Hear that Ivan! There's still hope for this building yet If this building is haunted, then it's up to an adventurer to clear out any malignant or wayward spirits that are still here. Woohoo." A pause. "Do you think Belle likes ghosts?" "No, I don't!" the bluenette shouted, temporarily energized as her temper flared again. Storming up the stairs, she fixed her gaze on the pair of hands still floating in place. "You!" she pointed a finger at it. "Give me back my--" she glanced down, before diving to grab her candy. "My Gummy Bewears!" Distracted as she was, the girl didn't even seem to notice anybody else around her. It was just her, the ghostly hands, and the Gummy Bewears.

Yue knew that she was a liability here. Compared to everybody else she...just wasn't doing as much. She had had to get healed by Layne, and even that scary man whose hair looked like a rooster's crest was doing more than her. Even the strange girl, no, girls, were doing more than her. But I know, she thought. I know that I'm helping in my own way. And that's...enough, right? Maybe it wasn't, but... But I know I don't have to be the scariest or the strongest out there. I just gotta fight. That's all. One bandit at a time. Taking a deep breath, the archer moved forward, her steps soft and unsure. Until she was staring straight at the boss, a broken carriage between her and certain death. Trembling slightly, the girl took an arrow from her quiver and placed it on the bowstring. I can't mess this up! To the sides, Ada took down a mercenary, and the angry man was shouting about leaving Jeb for last. Yue wasn't sure who this "Jeb" person was, but she wondered if it was the person she had in her sights. If that was so, then, she would have to apologize later. Not that I'll be able to kill him myself, she thought. But I can help. She drew back on the bow to its normal length, and then continued to draw, until the bowstring looked to be at almost a perfect ninety-degree angle. She didn't use this art very often, as it really was hard on the bow, but here and now, at least she could be useful this way. "I'm s-sorry," she stuttered. "But you're a bad man. And bad men have to pay. That's the Iron Falcon way." With that, she let go of the arrow, watching as it made its way toward the boss of all of these bad men.

Ari stood back, shoulders heaving slightly as he recovered from the Headbutt. However, it looked like Mia had gotten ahold of Mac, thankfully, or not so thankfully, she threw the girl at Kazo. Elsa took the moment to attack shortly afterward, but then Mia elbowed her in the face. "Now now now...it seems you still don't understand. I will carry out my task...EVEN IF I HAVE TO KILL YOU ALL!" The end of her words was punctuated by a loud ringing that sounded like bells. The sound caused the wooden floor they were standing on to shake and start to splinter. Ari stepped back in fright. The person in front of them was a far cry from the motherly gijinka they had met in the beginning. He paled further as he looked down and saw glimpses of the swamp muck between the wooden logs. "Guys, this isn't looking too good." They needed to finish this quickly. But how quickly could they beat down a literal Godslayer? The Litleo set his face as he spat out Embers at the Miltank, not trusting that he'd be able to go for the cow again while the floor was breaking beneath their feet. He glanced around. "Should we go somewhere else?" His eyes were drawn to Tornadus's unconscious form. With him out cold, it wasn't like he could keep himself from going falling into the bog. Jumping over cracks in the floor, the lion made his way over to the legendary and began to shake him. "Wake up, Mister, wake up!" -- The Corphish looked a bit abashed but, with a deep breath, stepped closer towards Easter. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude or anything. But her father is worried about her. So I'm just going to bring her over by him." The Slowking, behind the rest, let out a gasp. "It's a trick, they're going to attack." They said in a slow, drawn out, manner. The Corphish looked at their companion in surprise but, right after, turned to aim his claw at Easter to fire a Bubblebeam. "Well that's not very nice, reading minds," Easter cooed. "But if you can read my mind you'd also know..." he shot off the Moonblast at the Corphish, "...that I'm headed there anyway." He grinned. "But we can do this the hard way if you'd like. That's just fine with me," he licked his lips. The Corphish was blown backward, the Bubblebeam attack going wide. Easter shook his head in faux pity. "Well, you were the ones who chose to do this the hard way. I can't have my precious Dora following a bunch of strangers, after all. Even if they are claiming they'll be bringing her to her father." -- While the others chatted with Heatran, Keanu was content to sit back and listen. Blowing out a breath, he felt his heart-rate slowly return to normal. However, something about this...didn't feel right. He felt like they were forgetting something. However, he was quickly distracted by the sound of...was Marie arguing? With a legendary? The Pikachu shook his head. "By the guardians, you're gonna give me a heart attack if you keep acting so lolo, Marie." "Well next time, you'll wish you had that option! So there!" As the Popplio finally finished her shouting match with Heatran she turned to Keanu and Randy saying, "come on, we have a volcano to get off of." "Yeah, yeah," the electric type yawned, getting up. "Good scrap, Heatran," he waved before turning to go down the mountain. "Wonder if Nani managed to find the kids all righ'." -- "So that's Shaymin, is it?" The green-haired woman tilted her head to the side. "Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself didn't I?" she giggled softly. "Silly me, still..." her expression became serious again as she glanced around. "This isn't quite the right time for that sort of thing." "I don't think we can stop this fight very easily! They came here to kill you, you know, and argh!" "Kill me?" she trembled. "The world has gotten much more violent in the years I've been sleeping." She clutched her head as she curled up into a ball, "Don't...please stop fighting." The Chandelure was laughing as the Legend emerged. "Oh hello there, so kind of you to join us!" She then launched a Fire Blast. However, it was interrupted before it could reach the woman, by the shadowy-looking Accelgor. Concerned, Shaymin crept forward to approach the girl, when a pair of Shedinja made their way toward her. The legendary paled and fell backward. "N-no, stay away!" However, one of the fighters stepped forward, "Hey now didn't you hear. The lady wants us to fight off her turf, and you wouldn't be so cruel to upset her right?" Shaymin nodded frantically in agreement, but it seemed like the others weren't so willing to listen. Watching the fight with wide, frightened eyes, her expression eased slightly when she noticed that the Houndoom seemed to be avoiding the flowers. He had been the one she was most worried about, being a fire type. He and the Chandelure. However, he actually went out of his way to avoid them, shortly after uppercutting the Cofagrigus he was fighting. His victory was short-lived, though, as he fell down right afterward. The man gave her a pained smile. "Sorry...m'lady, about the heat." "It's fine...I'm not hurt," the grass type shook her head. "Thank you...for avoiding the flowers." Then, looking to the Chandelure he said, "want to take a shot now? It's free." "Eh? D-don't!" Shaymin pleaded, gazing up at the surrounding gijinka.

"E-err...sure, yeah. I'll be sure to check on her," Ciela replied, though something about the way she said it made Catriona blink in confusion. Did she have reservations about being alone with Licorice? That is understandable. The Protean hadn't been with them that long and had proved herself a deadly foe to their enemies. Still, as the only person in the group capable of healing, it made the most sense to send the troubadour. While the princess herself had extensive experience in first aid on the battlefield, it couldn't really compare to actual healing magic, much as it made her uncomfortable to admit. As the village was just coming into view, Ciela turned to the white-haired woman. "Cat...uh...before we go to Phar...I wanted to say something first. It's about Licorice earlier. So uh..." However, before the troubadour could finish, the sound of a roar cut her off, coming from the village's direction. She paused before continuing. "I was thinking earlier, and I think I figured out what happened with Licorice. Err...so, may I go look for her now?" That...was not what Catriona expected her to say. She had expected hesitation, or a denial. However, now she was volunteering to go by herself. "That would be fine. However, it might be dangerous to go alone. Perhaps I should send somebody to accompany you?" Ciela shook her head. "E-ehhh, I'll go alone. Whatever happening in the village right now is probably super important and all. Don't worry, I'll manage...somehow." Catriona wasn't sure if she was fine with that. While Remy was a good horse, by himself he was not adequate protection for a young woman on her own. However before she could say much more on that she was distracted by a cold...something, nudging against her ankle. Glancing down, she saw it was that wolf cub of Link's, Rohns. She frowned despite herself at the memory the name evoked as she stared down at the animal, unsure what it wanted. While it had proven itself an intelligent creature in leading them to the fox village, that being the main reason she let it stay with the group at all, she wasn't used to dealing with animals in general. She had dealt with horses to an extent, enough she knew how to ride and care for her own horse, and she had accompanied her father on his hunts with the dogs, but she had never personally interacted with them. There was also the pair of white lions that her father owned, kept in the personal gardens of the royal family. However, they were in their hearts wild beasts, and, save for Reginald, few could approach them without expecting a hand to be bitten off. Gunther had managed, but they were still the king's animals through and through. Perhaps it smells something? Catriona wondered, noticing that it seemed to be sniffing her ankle. She hadn't bathed in a while, not beyond soaking in the rain the day before, anyway. Still, she was used to it by now. Soldiers didn't always get to bathe, and sometimes it seemed pointless to do so when the next day would see one covered in blood and guts. The white-haired woman blinked down at the cub, before remembering that she had kept one of Edrick's "travel cakes" from before. Perhaps that was what it was smelling? Was it hungry? Taking it from her bag, she dropped it down next to the wolf cub for it to eat before glancing back at the outlines of the village in the distance. "Let us see what awaits us there." BGM As the group moved forward, they noticed the foliage starting to thin, disappearing entirely into a clearing right as they reached the sign. It read "Phar" in blocky letters, the weathered wood making the words barely readable. To their left was a small stream that was probably somehow connected to that river from earlier, though this was much calmer, with a short, sturdy-looking wooden bridge spanning it. And in the middle of the clearing stood the village. Most of the houses were half-timbered with straw roofs, some even wattle and daub, a stark contrast to the elegant white marble structures of Ithome. However, there was one building that stood out. Made with stone and roofed with shingles, it looked similar in appearance to the abandoned shrine they had just left, with a steeple at the end. Following the road would bring them to a gate with a guard tower attached. As the group approached the gate they saw that it appeared unmanned, bare of people. Up in the tower, a single hawk screeched at their arrival, but...nothing else. Catriona stopped at the entrance before turning to Alois if he were there. "Are there no guards here?" It seemed unusual that a place would go to the trouble of setting up a gate and tower but leave it empty. However, another roar drew her attention further into the village. Perhaps that has something to do with the surprising lack of guards. Taking a breath, the woman stepped through the gate, and into the village proper. Inside, the ground appeared to be a mixture of cobblestone and dirt. Catriona's expression grew warier the further they walked. While she could see signs of life--half-filled water buckets, footprints in the dirt, and the glow of fireplaces through the windows, there was not a single human figure in sight. The village was as silent as the grave, more a ghost town than an actual village. However, what she did notice were the animals. They were everywhere, and included more than just the normal domesticated ones. Cats, dogs, livestock, and horses were in abundance, but she could also make out frogs, hedgehogs, mice, moles, rabbits, squirrels, and some of the bigger species such as badgers, beavers, deer, and foxes. And strangely enough, they did not shy away when the group approached, but rather stared at them with blank eyes. If Alois were there he would notice that many of them seemed to be looking at him in particular. A group of beavers stepped forward then. Catriona's brow furrowed, because it couldn't be, but no, it was. She recognized some of the injuries they were sporting. These were the same beavers that the group had fought before. However, they did not seem hostile anymore, chittering at each other and the other creatures. And that seemed to be the catalyst for the other animals to step forward and approach the group, making excited noises. However, one did not. An old, grumpy-looking badger stood back from the rest, satisfied to just glare at them. -- BGM Ciela's journey, whether alone or accompanied, was hard going. The forest, while not that dense, was still thick enough to make things troublesome for a horse. Every step threatened to twist Remy's ankles, or turn a hoof, but the horse gamely kept going. However, following Licorice's trail was not that difficult, as the Protean, in her distraction had churned the ground with every step. Broken twigs littered the ground and every so often Ciela would see what looked like long, jagged marks scoring deep gouges in several tree trunks. The farther they walked the more obvious the trail, and eventually they would be able to smell the faint trace of musk lingering in the air. Eventually, the trail ended at a large cave that seemed to be torchlit if the warm glow coming from within was any indication. It was here that Remy stopped, looking reluctant to enter. Just then, a couple of voices could be heard echoing from within, one of which sounded familiar. "...hurts..." "...course it does...aphro..." "...not...expecting..." "...wear off...soon..." "...sorry..." "...wait...outside..." And then they stopped.

"Let's get you patched up." Layne had said, before healing her. While the archer made a tiny grimace during the process, she didn't say anything, attempting to be strong like Rona. "Make sure the others know to fall back down here if things start going badly for them, I can't leave Rona and Edda, they're both still just charging forward. If you get hurt again, don't hesitate to retreat to me again." He gave the girl a nod, before running off closer to where the two he just mentioned were fighting. Yue didn't reply, mainly because she wasn't sure that she'd be able to follow through on any promise made, especially the last one. Before the archer could start to move herself, she heard shouting from the loud man from the south, the one with the familiar voice. A second later, a dead body crashed onto the ground nearby. The archer let out a squeak of fright, cringing back from the following splatter of blood. She crept forward, following the others, but it looked like she was too far away to do anything right now. Which was probably for the better, as the sight of the man ahead with the bright shock of red hair was enough to cause her to pale and start to tremble in fear. "H-he's supposed to be on our side?"

Mac patted Ari on the shoulder. "That's more like it. Let's show her that she can't just go around doing whatever she wants." Ari sent the girl a helpless smile before turning back to Mia with determination. Determination to end this. "I tried to give you a chance. But it looks like it was pointless. If you're going to stand in the way then I'll have to knock you to the ground." "We tried giving you a chance to stop fighting," Ari replied. "But it looks like peace isn't gonna win here." Kazo and Elsa were busy attacking, chipping away at the cow, but now it was their turn. "Come on!" Mac called out to Ari as she rushed towards the Miltank, aiming a kick at her leg. "Yeah yeah yeah, I'm coming," the Litleo grumbled as he ran forward as well, aiming for a Headbutt on her side. -- "Fast? Why?" Dora asked Easter as she followed along with the Sylveon. "Are we having a race?" Silly Dora, of course that's what she'd think. The Wooper thought about it, thought some more, seemed to lose the thought for a while and started to hum a tune. Then suddenly "Oh oh, the chair. Papa's fancy chair. We went under it when we left last time! It goes really fast under there!" "Well that's a start, at least," Easter replied, relief causing his shoulders to sag a little. "As long as we can get Brooke and Denku there, then...we might have a chance." As the two got nearer to the area the dungeon was at a group would come into view to stop their advance. A Corphish, a Frillish, a pair of Corsola, and a Slowking. The Corpshish pointed at Easter. "You! We were told by the king to protect the princess. Hand her over now! Your friends are stuck in the dungeon. You're all by yourself; surrender!" Easter let go of Dora's hand and looked at the group, head tilted to the side, "Huh? I'm not sure what you're talking about Mister. Dora is with me willingly. Unless you mean you're trying to...take her away from me?" his eyes widened pitifully. "That's kinda mean, don't you think?" Behind his back, a Moonblast began to form on one of his hands. If they wouldn't listen, then he would be ready. -- The battle had ended. "The volcano's rage has died." Heatran looked at the three. "It won't be erupting today." Keanu breathed out a sigh of relief and let himself collapse to the ground. Looking to the side, it seemed Randy had thought of the same thing, sitting and letting out a sigh. "...g-good thing the volcano isn't raging anymore...d-don't think that would've been good for Trailsau if it erupted..." he said, looking over at Marie and Keanu. "H-Honestly...that was my main reason to fight him...I-I mean, other than my reason for doing it being a Chaser...b-but...I think we won!" "I think so too," Keanu breathed, letting his head fall between his legs as he blinked past the sudden dizzying feeling of the adrenaline from before wearing off. "Oh yeah," he rifled through his berry pouch, bringing out a couple Sitrus Berries and tossing them to the others. "That was a haad scrap we just had," he commented. "Glad the volcano's not gonna blow its top, though." -- The shell continued to burn underneath the Chandelure's Fire Blast. The raging flames had created a scorch mark on the shell in the shape of a man. Normally, this would cause the dome to catch fire, but oddly enough, the flames did not spread beyond where the fire had hit. And then the plants began to move. BGM Almost as if they were sentient beings, the vines writhed and twisted before snaking back down to the earth. The leaves shook and fluttered to the ground. The grass unraveled themselves. The flowers fell with the leaves and seemed to attach themselves to the soil, their buds opening slowly in full bloom. Then, as if somebody had thrown a pebble into a pond, a wave rippled outward from where the shell had once stood, accompanied by a fresh breeze. The grass grew taller and the flowers grew more vibrant, their petals opening wider and colors shimmering into even more intense hues, from pale pink to lively fuchsia and powder blue to vivid cerulean. Yet none of that compared to what was revealed in the center of the shell. A young woman with rose-colored blooms in hair that seemed almost like woven grass. She had originally been lying in a fetal position, the ends of her white dress fluttering over her knees, but as if sensing everybody's gazes, slowly uncurled, blinking wide, ageless green eyes. They glowed yellow like sunlight in parts, with the edges darkening to the rich verdure of an ancient grove. The woman raised a hand to rub at her eyes before letting the arm drop, enabling the onlookers to catch a glimpse of a white ribbon wrapped around it, ending in a butterfly bow at her wrist. "Hnn," she yawned, before freezing as she seemed to realize what was going on, "Eh? W-what are you all doing here? And why are you fighting?" The gijinka's voice was soft and melodic, like tinkling bells. "Are you here to battle...me?" She started to tremble. "I don't think that's a good idea. Battling isn't very fun. And," she twisted around to look at the meadow, eyebrows drawing together before turning back to the surrounding gijinka. "If you really have to fight, then...don't fight here! You'll ruin the flowers!"

As the tree continued to fall, twigs snapping at its base, it began to gain momentum, and soon enough it was close enough to crash into the party. Fortunately, Tsetseg had managed to rescue both herself and the beaver, rolling just beyond the shadow. The pegasus, Tyltalis, was shooed away from the vicinity of the tree fairly easily. Though not human, she could tell what was going on and was smart enough not to want to stick around. Her owner, however... Adelheid, perhaps because of the injury to her head earlier, was not moving quite fast enough. In fact, she was still putting the last of the salve on her face when the tree had started to fall. Gritting her teeth, Catriona stepped forward to push her out of the way, anything to get her to move. However, somebody was faster than her. Link, who was in front of her, had already been shouting at the pegasus, had finally reached the mount's owner, and, lowering his head, tackled her past the falling tree, the both of them landing heavily on the other side. And the next moment, the tree crashed to the ground where everybody had been standing previously. The edge of its trunk lay barely a few centimeters from Tsetseg's outstretched foot, but the archer was unharmed, as was everybody else. Catriona breathed out a sigh of relief, but didn't show any other tells to her feelings aside from that. Striding forward, she looked at the tree, and where it was situated. "It appears that our crossing will not be as difficult as before." The tree was rather tall, and, having stood near the water's edge, was just long enough that it completely spanned the width of the river. While one would have to be careful walking on its rounded surface, it was wide enough that it could easily carry two people walking abreast, or a single horse. The beavers that had been swimming toward the other side paused but continued to swim, finally reaching the shore. Surrounding Tsetseg, they made chirring noises of concern for the beaver in her arms before the creature woke up and slipped out of the archer's grasp. Joining its fellows, it looked back once at the archer and then disappeared into the brush with the others. Farther upstream, Licorice approached Ciela. "We need to be getting back to the others," she spoke, glancing over at where Edrick was as well. However, whether it was the recent memory of her chasing him, or something else, at the Protean's approach, Remy reared up on his hind legs, and in that moment, something fell out of Ciela's bag. A small bottle, filled with a pearlescent pink liquid. Before Licorice could react, the bottle smashed open on her head, trailing down her hair and onto her face. The fox stared for a second before dunking her head in the river, but a little of the potion had already been absorbed into her skin. The fox could still smell the heady scent of honey, strawberries, and magic from the mixture. "I..." she started speaking, pupils dilating. "I don't feel so well." She took a deep breath, seemed to regret it, and then continued, voice strained. "We need to go back." -- After being healed of their wounds, the entire group managed to cross the river. The walk through the forest on the other side was rather damp, the air heavy still with moisture after the rainfall, the ground giving off a fresh, earthy scent. However, the group would notice immediately that the path on this side of the bridge was much more traveled in comparison, though still little more than a footpath. Catriona glanced to the side where Licorice was. The fox looked a little strange. Or rather, it was her actions that were strange. She seemed to be going out of her way to avoid the others, but every so often cast glances over at certain members of the group, though Catriona couldn't guess for the life of her what those glances meant. The Protean would unconsciously step closer to where Penelope was, before shaking her head and lurching over to Ciela, and then backing up into Sienna, before dancing away into Tsetseg, and so on. It seemed...a little worrisome that somebody who had proved herself such an impressive fighter was having difficulties just walking right now. She must have gotten injured by the beavers sometime during their last scuffle. And unfortunately, it seemed to get worse as time went by. It was obvious that her injuries were really getting to her, as the fox eventually growled before transforming into her beast form and running ahead. "I did not realize Licorice was so badly injured," Catriona commented into the silence left behind. "Ciela, perhaps you should check on her once she returns?" However, time passed by and Licorice did not return. Still, she was probably scouting, and she knew her way around the area better than the rest of them save for Alois, so Catriona was not particularly worried. As the group walked through the forest, the light filtering through the trees brightened, and once they entered a break in the trees, they could see the noonday sun shining overhead. Finally, as noon turned to afternoon, the group would see what looked to be a wooden sign ahead, along with the barest outlines of buildings in the distance. "It appears that Phar is not far ahead," Catriona said, glancing at the group. "Perhaps here, we will learn more on the whereabouts of the Great Dragon. Or at least a direction to go toward." Soon afterward, the group would hear a strange roaring sound, coming from the direction of the village.

Belle was ready to be done with this. She had caught a Pokémon, so it was time to, well, leave right? Except she couldn't really leave quite yet, since she was still waiting for her traveling companions to be done. How annoying. The girl let out a sigh, but paused when she heard a menacing voice, "Haun haun haun." Soon after, she felt her backpack move without her say-so, heard the slight buzzing sound of her zipper unzipping. Looking back, she saw a pair of floating hands reaching into her backpack. "Aaagh!" she screamed, despite herself, and lurched forward, falling flat on her face. "Oww," she moaned, rubbing her nose as she got up. No blood, at least. Getting up, she shook her head before turning at hearing laughter from behind. "Haunhaunhaunhaun." Turning around, she thought she caught a glimpse of something, but a second later all she could see was that same pair of hands, grabbing...oh no it didn't. It had her Gummy Bewears! Her fear replaced by wrath, Belle lunged forward. "Gimme!" Unfortunately, her hands closed on empty air. Hissing in rage, the bluenette heard yet more "Haunhaun" laughter before the pair of hands, clutching her bags of Gummy Bewears, fled up the stairs. Without thinking, the girl followed it, her unwillingness to let her snacks slip away overpowering any hesitation at climbing the stairs. She paused briefly before beginning her climb, but, shaking her head, she set her face and began to climb, determination giving her the strength to keep going. Determination to get her snacks back!

Yue couldn't help the sigh of disappointment she let out at seeing how...ineffective her attack was. Still, she wasn't surprised. It wasn't like she was anywhere near Rona in strength. Soon afterward, she heard a noise from the south. Glancing over, there appeared to be...a man. Something about his voice was vaguely familiar, but she wasn't sure where she had heard it. She hadn't even seen this person before. And from the sounds of it, he wasn't the kind of person she wanted to get to know anyway. While she was distracted, the mercenary she had just shot at came forward and attacked her, the blade slicing past her clothes like butter and creating a deep wound in her side that seeped blood. Crying out in pain, the girl stumbled back, clutching her wound. This is what she got for stepping forward and trying to fight on the frontlines. But...she glanced over to where Rona was brawling, a savage smirk adorning her face. At least she's not too badly hurt... "Alex, Raynor, one of you come cover for Yue." The girl drooped slightly at that, her earlier relief draining away, replaced by shame. "I-I'm sorry..." she muttered. Soon after, the pegasus knight from before swooped over, stabbing the enemy mercenary through in one thrust. As she pulled the lance back, the bandit slumped to the ground, dead where he stood. "Pretty rude to attack a cute girl like that you know." The girl, Alex, if she had heard right, said, before turning to Yue. "You alright there? Stay behind us, alright?" "U-uh sure, th-thank you," the archer replied, a little intimidated by this strange, powerful girl. However, she froze at the next words. "No worries, Leon, your girlfriend is safe." "G-g-g-girlfriend?!" Yue stammered, embarrassment worsening her ability to speak. "N-n-n-no, t-t-that's not it, n-not at all." Flustered, the archer almost dropped her bow to clap her hands over her face, but remembered where she was at the last second and ducked her head instead. "My what?" "You know. Love of your life. Partner in crime. This pretty little flower over here is your girl right? Or if not she's totally your type ain't she? I'm not ruining your courting am I?" With every word the other spoke, Yue felt the urge to sink into the ground and never come out rise. "Wh-," Leon facepalmed, "we're nothing like that. She's a friend and team member." Shaking his head he then said, "I suppose nice to see some things never change." "Same to you. Don't worry, friend, I'm sure you'll get your chance!" ...I don't know if I like her, the archer thought. She was grateful to the other for coming to her aid, but immediately afterward she had embarrassed both Yue and Leon, coming to a very uncomfortable conclusion. She did like Leon after all, but like that? He was just, kind, and a person she respected, but...well, that kind of admiration was different from the other admiration, right? ...Or maybe it's not? I'm not sure... Wait, no, that's not the point! The girl shook her head, silver locks fluttering in front of her face as she did so. Looking up and brushing back the flyaway strands, the archer glanced around. I need to find Layne...there he is. She hobbled toward the priest, very determinedly ignoring the two behind her. If I stay there any longer, I might turn into a beet. Her steps slowed as she passed by Ada and neared the healer, her hesitation toward healing magic showing in her actions. "U-um," she murmured. "I..." she slumped, "...might need help." She glanced nervously at the fighter nearby, cringing away from him and trying to somehow blend in with the dirt road around her.

Ari wilted when it looked like it would come to a fight anyway. Why did everything have to end in fighting? He wasn't sure why, but he was starting to tire of it. Mac clenched her fists, "We can't let her do this. Right? Kazo? Ari? What are you gonna do? You know I'm gonna have to stop her one way or another." "It was never a question of 'if', but 'why'," Kazo stated. "Of course I'm not going to let her murder Tornadus... I won't ever let that happen again...," With that, he ran off, rushing up to the Miltank and readying to hit her with an attack. Well, if Kazo was going to attack, then Ari certainly wouldn't be left behind. Letting his head droop, the Litleo closed his eyes and concentrated. Working himself Up to the idea of yet more fighting. His head pounded with uncertainty, or was that his heart? Still, despite the fear forcing his legs to quake, or his tail to shake, he knew that he needed to be strong once more. A king was not just wise, but also strong enough, and experienced enough, to be confident in his beliefs. This is just another experience, he thought. It's something that will turn me into the kind of king that my father would be proud of. That others will want to follow. His eyes snapped open, and he raised his head with a defiant tilt of the chin. "Fine," he declared. "I don't want to fight you either, but like you said, I also have to do what I have to do." -- The fairy type chuckled gently, "Hi, Dora." His smile turned a little sad. "No waffles, I'm afraid. I came to ask..." he hesitated. "Dora... Brooke, Denku, and I, we'll be leaving here soon. And, well, we weren't sure if you wanted to come with us." He took a breath. "But...whatever you decide, we won't be coming back, at least not Brooke, Denku, or I. So if you leave...you probably won't get an opportunity to come back for a long time. And if you stay...you might not find an opportunity to leave soon either." He knew that Dora could be a little silly sometimes, so he wanted to make sure she would understand exactly what her decisions would mean for her. She blinked up at Easter silently. Then she tilted her head to the side. "I was gonna go with you anyway. I still have a lotta things to do." The Sylveon let out the breath he was holding. "Oh. Okay." His smile became a little brighter. "I'm glad to hear that." Dora returned his smile with a beam of her own, before jumping up and turning back to her mom, nuzzling her. There was a sweet, innocent affection in that single action that caused the fairy type's heart to clench. Eventually, the Wooper looked up at the Milotic. "Bye bye, I'm gonna go adventure more now!" She hopped off the bed to stand next to the fairy type. The queen gave a wave, smiling gently, and Dora waved back. Easter paused, closing his eyes before giving her a bow. He opened them as he straightened. In the next second, the room darkened, the walls fading away to form the night sky. It was as if they stood in the vast expanse of space itself, dotted with the glittering pinpricks of distant lights. Soon after, a single star fell from its perch above, trailing a stream of its fellows. They came down, swirling around the Milotic on her bed, granting her, at that time, a heavenly majesty of sorts, her own crown of dazzling lights. And then, just as soon as they arrived, they burned themselves out, falling to the bedspreads and winking out into nothingness. As the effects of Wish faded, Easter spoke, the blue of his eyes slightly grayer, like the sea beneath an overcast sky. "I am sorry I can do nothing more for you." He hesitated. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances. But, you don't need to worry about your daughter. You can rest assured of that." His mouth tightened. "Brooke, Denku, and...I, we would walk through the gates of the Distortion World before we let anything happen to Dora." He glanced at the Wooper fondly before turning back to the queen. "Farewell. May the stars shine down upon you." Taking the Wooper's hand, the two of them left the room, where the Kingdra waited for them on the other side. "What are you--" the gijinka started but paused at hearing the queen call his name from inside. "Yes, Your Highness?" he asked, giving the duo one last, hesitant look before stepping inside. "All right," Easter said, striding down the hallways. Left, right, and then another right, go straight past three doors, and then take the first left. He turned to Dora, "Let me know if I'm going the wrong way, but I'm pretty sure this is the fastest way to where we need to go. Brooke and Denku are down in the dungeons, and last I knew, your father was headed down there as well, and he wasn't very happy with us. We might need to get out of here fast, so if you have any ideas on how to escape this place, I'm all ears." He wasn't going to rely entirely on the Wooper. After all, it was Dora. But, as someone who had lived between these walls as long as she had, she might know of an alternate avenue of escape. If they were lucky, they'd find Phione as well. Perhaps the legendary wasn't even in the castle, but outside of it? With any luck, they'd be able to find him and then return to the S.S. Showdown. He could only hope. -- "Randy keep coo- AHH!" A small scream of pain brought Keanu's attention to Marie. Oh, gods no, he thought, worried. Marie's having a haad rub with this. No surprise, what with them fighting a legendary and all. Exactly how did they get into this situation again? Thankfully, the pillars seemed to change course, though why exactly Keanu wasn't sure. Perhaps Heatran was taking pity on them? ...Nah. The downside, however, was that they were heading for Randy instead. Marie shot a blast of water toward Heatran, apparently hoping to distract the legendary. Remembering what had happened the last time their attacks had combined, Keanu fired an Electro Ball at the bullet, hoping that the combined force would be enough to take some of the heat off of Randy. The ball of lightning ripped through the air like a meteor, trailing the scent of ozone in its wake.

Things seemed to have wrapped up nicely. The beavers had finally been taken care of, having either been tossed away, fled, or tamed by the various members of the group. With this, we should be able to cross the river, Catriona thought. Glancing at the other two nearby, Sienna who looked a little frazzled still from the recent battle, and Link, who was bleeding from a similar wound in his leg. It seems I wasn't the only one to be targeted that way. Drawing herself up, the woman lifted her head to speak, to command for them all to cross. And then Rohns began to bark. What now? Came the thought, but it was not another beaver, like she feared. Instead, the dog was barking at where one of the creatures had slammed into the trunk of a tree covered with mushrooms. She had not taken much notice of it earlier, only that it had been swaying a little unsteadily in the wind, but now she could not help but notice it. Because it was falling with a loud creak of splitting timbers. Falling their way. No, not exactly their way. It was falling...toward the river. Their only saving grace was that they had nobody in the river at all, nobody to be rescued that way. Edrick had followed Ciela, out of the line of fire, and Link was nearby, leaving only Tsetseg and Adelheid, as well as her pegasus, under the shadow of the falling tree. If they did not move, and fast, then, well, that was a scenario Catriona did not need to think too hard to contemplate or immediately dismiss as a viable option. "Look out!" she cried, but even without her warning, the sharp crack of wood breaking would have been enough of an alert for the others. She ran forward, necessity quickening her steps. "You need to leave, now." She glanced at the tree, but there was no way to prevent it from falling. It was then that she noticed the form of the unconscious beaver, still squatting at its base. The animal looked like it would not wake up anytime soon, and nearby, there was another beaver, directly in the path of the falling tree. However, this beaver was still conscious, and started to crawl away, so there was not much to worry about on that quarter. This was not good. On the other side, the two beavers cuddling with Gunther straightened up, alert and glancing over to where the tree was falling, before slipping into the water, their sleek forms trailing a V shape behind them as they swam through the river. Upstream, Licorice noticed Edrick approaching, though he was still fairly distant. The fox relaxed her stance, transforming back into her humanoid form while she was at it. Still, it didn't look like Remy would try to run through her, anyway. Her ears flicked just then, and the Protean turned, staring off toward where the village was, before turning back to the pair of horse and rider.

Belle stood there, watching the Poké Ball in front of her. It shook, wobbled, and shook some more, the red light in the middle blinking frantically, before releasing the Rattata it had been attempting to contain. And said Pokémon looked furious. Cursing, the girl threw another ball, but the result was just the same. Before she could throw another ball, the Rattata charged, not for Moo, but for her. Sucking in a breath, the girl glared at the rat. "Y-y-yeah? You think you're so tough, because you can't be captured?" Her legs shook and she collapsed to the ground right as the Pokémon reached her. Lifting her arms to block the attack, she paused when it...didn't come? Glancing up, she saw the Rattata glaring down at her with contempt before it turned away, tail brushing past her face. Relieved, the girl leaned back, but...she couldn't help but feel a little...embarrassed as well. Or was it anger? Anger at being bested, at being shown she wasn't good enough. Hah. As if that were true. She was Belladonna Morgane, also known as Leppapi online. She stood at the top of the rankings, and had even earned money from esports tournaments. And she, Leppapi, had been bested by a mere Rattata? A hand snapped out, grasping the curled end of that furry tail. A low, intense voice spoke. "Hold it right there." The Rattata whipped around in indignation, but paused at what it saw. A normally weak-looking, chubby girl with dark circles under her eyes, except said eyes were currently narrowed, glowing a bright blue instead of their normal yellow. "You think you're better than me?" she hissed between clenched teeth. "I might not be a good trainer, but I'm still leagues above you." She grinned, and it was then that the rat noticed a small, red-and-white ball hovering next to her, outlined in the same blue as her eyes. Before it had time to register anything beyond that, the ball shot straight toward its face like an arrow, and everything went dark. Belle sighed in relief when the ball finally stopped shaking, the button in the middle turning back to its original metallic gray instead of the blinking red light from before. Picking up the Poké Ball, the bluenette stared down at it for a while. "You know, I probably would've just given up if it weren't for your attitude," she mused. "So...thanks for that?" Pocketing the ball, she turned, relaxing at seeing the group of Rattata had scattered after their ringleader had been captured. "At least I don't have to deal with all of your friends too." Beside her, Moo let out a weak low.

The Rattata was too busy charging at her to notice the Poamoo headed its way. The grass type shoved it to the side with another Tackle, slamming the rat against the wall of the lighthouse. It almost seems like there should be a rat-shaped indent there. But the lighthouse was made of sturdier stuff than that, though the Rattata looked a little dazed. Belle stood up straighter, a little relieved now that she wasn't currently under attack. "Okay, we need to keep up the pace. Bind it with your vines, Moo." The cow nodded, and thin, whiplike rattan vines snaked from his sides to coil around the rat. "Now, slam it into the ground." By doing this, they would hopefully prevent the Rattata from recovering and going on the offensive again. "I think the Pokédex said there was another move learned too?" Taking out the encyclopedia, Belle aimed it at her Pokémon and glanced at the information displayed. There was also a voice feature, but she had disabled that as it was a little annoying. "It looks like you learned...Rock Smash? So you can smash rocks now?" That was useful. If she ever needed to smash any rocks, she knew what to use. Will this also work on a non-rock? she wondered. While she was thinking, the Rattata started to wriggle in its binds, still lively even after being slammed into the ground. It twisted around and bit down on the vines encircling it, causing them to loosen their grip as Moo let out a bellow of pain. "Raa!" it cried, but instead of immediately charging like Belle had expected, it stayed in place, and what seemed like a gust of wind kicked up around its feet as a swirling orange energy engulfed it. "What is that?! Whatever that is, it's not good. Moo, attack!" the bluenette cried, dismayed, but before her Poamoo could even begin to move forward, the Rattata ran at the other Pokémon at top speed, smashing into the cow with what looked to be the force of a small bullet. The grass type was sent flying, lowing in shock and pain, before landing heavily on the ground in front of his trainer. "This isn't good...that Rattata is not only fast, but whatever that move was, it made it stronger too." Belle stared down the Rattata, sweat starting to run down her face. "We need to end this. I know it might seem like overkill, but...use Rock Smash." There was no response. "Moo?" The cow let out a pained moo as he slowly staggered to his feet. His sides were heaving as he panted in exertion and exhaustion. Unlike before, he did not stand tall, but wobbled, looking as if one good gust of wind would tip him over. "Hmm, you're low on health, aren't you," Belle remarked. "That's not good. This battle isn't over yet." She snapped her Pokédex shut as she commanded. "Moo, use Rock Smash! Give it all you have!" The grass type moo'd and ran forward. This time, he managed to reach the normal type before getting hit, lifting his front hooves into the air before slamming them down on the Rattata with finality. The rat let out a gasp of pain, looking far more affected by this attack than any of the previous ones. "Okay, that seemed to do it." Taking out an empty Poké Ball, Belle threw it at the Rattata. As its form turned red and was sucked into the ball, Moo's hooves touched empty air before landing on the ground. Were things really going to be that easy?

"Really? Huh, I figured someone from Yon'lou would like it more. Guess I was wrong." "Eheh...yes, I guess that's...a little odd...I'm sorry," Yue trailed off, looking down at the ground as she continued to walk, though soon afterward all conversation would be forgotten as they were alerted to a potential ambush nearby. -- Yue looked around. It looked like everything was being handled at the moment. Raynor was taking on two enemies at once, however, which was worrisome. Biting her lip, the archer started to move up to help him--after all, he had proven to be...not as scary as he looked, so it was only fair that, as a teammate, she help him--when...something else, no, somebody else appeared. Two somebodies, actually, but the nearer one was the one she was more concerned about. It was a boy--no, the voice sounded feminine. It was a girl riding a pegasus, and she seemed to know Leon. Did that mean she was friendly? Hopeful, the silver-haired archer glanced up to watch her swoop down and take down the lancer that had been attacking Raynor. Relieved, Yue turned to the nearby enemy mercenary instead. He was using a sword, and if he got anywhere near Rona with that...well, she couldn't let that happen. It was scary, and she'd probably get attacked, but she had to try to get him out of the picture. Walking up to stand beside Leon, she offered him a meek "hello," before nocking an arrow onto her bowstring, aiming at the mercenary and letting it fly.

Catriona blinked as those giant jaws closed a hairsbreadth from her. Soon afterward, the beaver let go of her to pounce on the Protean once more, fearless in its maddened, bloody rage. The fox managed to dodge to the side in the last moment, but it did not dissuade the beaver any, turning around to attack once more. "Let us be done with this," the lord declared, her tone sharp with annoyance. Moving forward, she attempted to stab the beaver but missed once more, blade sinking into the mud. "Damned beasts," she swore. "I have not met an opponent so difficult in quite some time, and I have fought many." She turned her gaze up toward where the others were dealing with their own furry menaces. Adelheid had finally recovered enough that she was able to stand upright without immediately falling back down. The pegasus knight still looked a little muddled, asking after the current state of affairs. Link quickly replied and soon after Edrick managed to hit the beaver that Tsetseg was holding down with the butt of his lance. The animal, while not knocked unconscious, looked as if it would not be fighting back anytime soon. However, the beaver that Link was trying to scare off was unimpressed with his performance. Baring its long incisors, the animal moved forward, intent on attacking the green-garbed man. Just like the beaver had earlier with Catriona, this one latched onto his leg, and would not let go. Further up the bank, Ciela's words seemed to get through to her mount. The horse slowed its pace somewhat, ears flicking back and forth from nervousness to attentiveness. Taking advantage of this decrease in speed, Licorice, still in beast form, bounded ahead of the steed and turned, black tail flicking back and forth behind her as she blocked the way forward. Remy skidded to a halt, starting to rear before stopping and slamming his front hooves back down on the ground. Whickering nervously, the horse tossed his head, eyes rolling back to look at Ciela. Meanwhile, on the other side, Penelope had finally managed to touch the riverbed, though she would have to stand on the tips of her toes to actually walk on it unaided. Beside her, Shiro would have a much easier time of it. Up ahead, Alois succeeded where Gunther did not. His pantomime show seemed to do the trick at convincing the beaver in front of him not to attack. The animal stopped, but, unlike the two beavers near the knight, did not look nearly so calm at the prospect of prolonged close proximity to human beings, and, backing away, slipped into the forest. The two beavers, on the other hand, had relaxed so much they appeared almost tame, making soft chirring sounds as one flopped on its belly, nuzzling up against the man's armored leg, while the other climbed up into his lap.

Even after Ari spoke, even after Kazo spoke, Tornadus was still being stubborn. The Litleo shook his head in disappointment. The legendary then continued his boasting, but was quickly silenced by...a ball? And looking to the side, it was that kind lady from before who threw it. It took a little bit to process. Kind lady. Ball. Tornadus on the ground. But he was helped along by her words. "Goodness, this has just not gone well. I didn't want to do this with children around but when you have a chance to get rid of a Legend you just have to take it." She smiled sadly at the trio. "I suppose I can't ask you to leave and let me take care of my business, can I?" Kazo sighed and shook his head, recovering from his shock first. "S-Sadly no. I'm guessing it's going to be too much to ask about why you're doing all of this?" Meanwhile, off to the side, Elsa looked ready to attack the woman, which made Ari shiver a little. It looked like things were going to get...bad. Again. "We shouldn't fight..." he urged to...well, everybody. "Please." -- The Kingdra was blushing heavily and having trouble looking at Easter as he pointed off in the distance. "R-right this way." He led the Sylveon down the hall, glancing back at him every few seconds, but unable to keep his gaze on him for long. "Well...Everyone loves Dora, after all." He said, finally responding to what Easter said. "It's hard not to. Even if she wasn't...you know, the princess." "Yeah," the fairy type nodded. "That makes sense. We didn't know Dora was a princess either, and she endeared herself to us." He smiled softly. They continued walking, the Sylveon quietly keeping track of how many turns they made and how many doors they passed, until they arrived at what seemed to be the right room. The Kingdra called inside, answered by a soft melodic voice. Quickly thanking the dragon type and entering the room, he saw Dora sleeping, and automatically, a part of him that had been tense, relaxed. Also lying on the bed was a sickly but still beautiful Milotic. "Greetings Your Highness, my name is Easter," the Sylveon bowed. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I was looking for Dora..." he paused, glancing at the girl on the bed, a little stymied. With the Wooper asleep like this, it was a shame to wake her up, but they really needed to get going. But... He hesitated. Maybe she's better off here? Her father is a jerk, but she seems to like it here nonetheless. "She looks so peaceful like this." The woman smiled. "Yes, well, after spending the entire day being herself her body has to settle down somehow." "Yes, that's true," the fairy type chuckled. "And, it's a shame, but, I'd like to wake her up. I wanted to quick talk with her." And ask her if she wants to stay here or not. The woman coughed lightly into her hand before answering. "Well, that's fine with me, but you're responsible for getting her back to bed later. Though I am interested in wanting to know more about the people Dora has been with all this time." "Oh?" Easter attempted to block off any impatience he felt. Thankfully, it should take the king quite a bit of time before he reached the prison, though he was already on his way there it seemed... Well, Brooke and Denku would just have to wait. With all luck, the king would just reprimand them before returning. Still, that downed Tentacruel was rather suspicious...he probably should've moved him somewhere, but he just didn't have that much time. "Well, it's been Brooke, Denku, and I along with Dora for the past few weeks now, but Brooke's been with her a lot longer than that. Years, I think. Ever since she came to the surface." He stopped, hoping he didn't touch upon a sore spot. If this woman was anything like her husband, she wouldn't be too happy to hear this. "Brooke, that's a strong name." The woman responded. "I'd like to talk to this Brooke." She gave Easter a long look. "I have a feeling that isn't going to happen any time soon, is it?" Ah. He hadn't been subtle enough. Fair. He was rather impatient right now. The fairy type blinked innocently, glancing briefly at the door before back to the queen. Lowering his voice just to be sure, he decided to be truthful, "Probably not. We're...on a bit of a mission. We're not planning on staying long. Well, you might have heard as much from your husband." Though they hadn't told him the whole truth. "And Dora..." he glanced up at the water type, "She came with us, and we'd like to leave with her." He hesitated, forcing out the next words. "Unless...she would rather stay. I guess that's what I wanted to ask her." It was the height of foolishness to be so frank with a woman who had every right to want Dora to stay with her. And yet, he didn't have the time to dance around the topic either. If worst came to worst, he would just have to knock her out somehow, loathe as he was to do so against a gijinka in her condition. The queen looked down at her daughter, running her hand through the girl's short hair, before responding. "I'm sure my husband won't like that. Which I suppose is why you are in such a rush." She sighed. "He's too afraid of the outside world. Ever since what happened to me..." She looked back at Easter. "But that's why I want Dora to make her own choices. Soon I might be around any longer and then she won't have that chance. I'm sure you realize, Dora isn't our biological child. She was brought here by a young man." She nodded to herself. "She deserves to see more of the world she was born into; not just this place." Easter sighed, partly in relief, but partly out of sympathy for this woman before him, who would send her daughter out for her own sake. He couldn't help but see the parallels to his own situation. My mother threw me out as well...I'm sure she did it just so I could come crawling back on my knees, begging for forgiveness, but...instead, I left for good. And I'm glad I did. There is so much more to this world than a small seaside town. This woman, no, this mother, realizes that as well. It wouldn't be unusual for her to want to stay with her daughter while she's like this instead, to spend her last moments with the child she loves. His expression turned sardonic. Would I had this person for a mother instead. It's a little sad that she, who has no family ties with Dora, treats her so much better than my own blood-related mother. The Sylveon's visage turned pained. "You are correct... Your husband is...less than pleased with the prospect of Dora doing anything but staying here, within these city boundaries." He glanced around the room, taking it in. "Were he to have his way, she would never leave. At least, that is the impression I have gotten. And Brooke...well, she is a little unsatisfied with that idea. I don't blame her, honestly. I've gotten attached to Dora too, and the idea of forcing her to live in a gilded cage sounds...unpleasant. I used to live a similar life, and in the end, I'm glad I left it." He shook his head. "Still, the fact you're letting Dora choose...well, I feel like you're no less a mother than you would have been had you been her biological mother." Just like Brooke is no less a mother either for taking care of Dora like this for so long. That child was fortunate to have two, if not three mothers who cared very much for her. And me, he thought. I care for her too. Maybe not exactly like a mother, but...she is still dear to me. She was like that other little one, the Eevee, the one they all lost. Cherished. Special. Loved. -- Much to his relief, the heat was finally taken off of Keanu. Only to land on Marie instead. Which wasn't very good either. Then to Randy, and then back to him and Marie. Great. He attempted to dodge, but every time he moved, so did the lava pillar heading his way. Which was annoying. Gritting his teeth, the Pikachu sent off an Electro Ball before jumping out of the way as the pillar came after him. He could only hope that it would help, even if just a little. "This is impossible," he muttered. The electric type glanced at the others. Hopefully they were still managing to keep up throughout all of this.

Accepted. Thank you for polishing the character. We'll try and find a way to insert her into the RP soon.

Catriona tugged on the beaver, but to no avail. The animal just would not let go. Gritting her teeth, the woman continued pulling, while Sienna started to bash it over the head with her beaststone. The combined effort managed to loosen the beavers grip just enough that it fell off of the girl, though the marks of its teeth left large, bloody imprints on the Protean's hand. But there was no time to focus on that. The beaver was still at large. "Now, we end this!" the white-haired woman shouted, whipping her sword out to slash at the beaver. Scoring a long slice down its side, she huffed triumphantly. Only to stop when the animal lunged at her. Stepping back, the woman held her sword in front of her in a block, but even so, the beaver managed to get through her defenses due to its small size. Soon Catriona had a large furry rodent clinging to her leg. Things weren't any better elsewhere. Adelaide had finally gotten off of the beaver she had squashed, but she looked far too groggy to do much else at the moment. The beaver, taking the opportunity to slip free, chose to attack the nearest thing, which happened to be Rohns. Nearby, the beaver Link was fending off wasn't doing much except making weird spitting sounds while it continued to back away, before finally giving up and running for the hills. The one underneath Tsetseg was squirming, trying to get out from underneath the girl, but it wasn't having much luck. Still, if nothing was done, it seemed like it would eventually wriggle itself free. While Shiro had sank underneath the water and seemed to be holding the beaver hostage there, it was still slow going crossing the river, especially with the current tugging at the ones doing the crossing. However, Alois at least had managed to touch land on the other side, though he was still partially submerged to his waist. As soon as he arrived, the beaver that had finally let go of Gunther turned and started growling at him. The other two didn't look interested, however. Further back, Penelope had reached a little over the halfway point when she would notice a log being carried down from upriver, headed straight for her. All the while, Licorice continued to run after Ciela and Remy. Which only prompted the horse to run faster.

"Huh? O-oh, yeah. The sun's not as bright as it normally is, so I don't feel like my skin is getting too much heat, haha," Ada replied. "But I would think you'd like it a bit brighter, wouldn't you?" Oh. That went...a lot better than she was expecting. She was half-worried that the girl wouldn't want to reply at all. Except she did. So...now what? Oh yes, I should respond. "Uh-uh..." Yue mumbled, "I think, uhh, actually, I'm not a...huge fan...of the sunlight, that is," she finished lamely. Oh spirits, wait, that was a disagreement, wasn't it? So that means, oh no, I hope she doesn't think I don't like her or anything. Talking...really is difficult. Not too far away, Layne spoke up, rescuing the archer from this awkward situation. "It's really quiet out on the roads today..." He clicked his tongue for a moment, before speaking up louder, "...Anyone know if there's been any reports of bandit activity lately? I'm... A slight bit twitchy right now." As Leon replied, Yue started to muse over his words. Bandits. While she didn't have nearly the trouble fighting them as she did monsters, they were still trouble, trouble that she would rather not have to worry about. Continuing to walk, the archer perked up when Rona returned and discussed something with Leon. The boy thought for a bit before finally turning to the rest of the group, "alright, there's a sign that some kind of struggle took place up ahead. Keep your wits about you since we don't know where their attackers might have gone." At that, the girl stiffened and looked around carefully, before quietly falling back to the rear of the group and stopping briefly to string her bow, foot holding down one of the ends. Eventually they reached a fallen caravan, along with sounds of movement. Almost as soon as they saw it, bandits poured out of the vehicles, and started...a curiously funny conversation. The girl stifled a giggle before shaking her head. No, time to get serious...serious face on. After all, from the sounds of it, those bandits were after them for a reason. Because they had Jourans. The archer nodded in reply to Leon's words before nervously taking up her bow and reaching back for an arrow from her quiver. Rona, was, of course, the first to move. "Suppose it's time to test this thing out!" the girl shouted before taking off. That shout of confidence, for some reason, it made Yue feel more confident too. "I-I can do this." Taking a deep breath, the Yonan moved forward as well, though she wasn't nearly as fast on her feet as the wyvern rider was on the wing. Still, it was progress. Now hopefully the enemy wouldn't get too close.

The Legend howled with laughter. "Oh is that so? Well let me tell you kids something. You'll all have to learn about romance sooner or later. It's what makes life worth living! Just look around at how happy it makes everyone!" Ari glanced around, and yeah, people looked happy, but he still remembered how Mac and Kazo had looked during the wedding itself. Bored out of their minds. Then Tornadus shrugged. "Everyone's so worried about this Godslayer business. Don't get it myself. They'll run into the wrong Legend soon enough and get taken down. Maybe they caught us by surprise but that's over now. Just look at me." He spread his arms wide "Do you really think someone could take me down?" "Yeah, but if they run into the right Legend, then that Legend is dead," the Litleo replied, shaking his head. "Which means there are less legendaries around. That's not good. Also, it's not good to be so cocky, Mister." He had been cocky when he first started this adventure. Had thought that all he needed to do was try a little harder and he'd be able to take down a legendary, show his worth. Except he had been proven wrong, multiple times. Was this what his father meant when he had told him wisdom was the product of mistakes? If so, then that meant he was getting wiser, kinglier. But I think I would have liked to have not made those mistakes at all, even if that made me less wise, he thought. -- "My room?" The Kingdra said, glancing in. His eyes focused on the paintings and he shook his head adamantly. "No, of course not, that's uh...that's someone else's room. A Wailord I know, yeah, just was wondering why you were here...a-anyway, let's forget about that alright?" Dang, Easter thought. That certainly would have made things easier. Still, it looked like the dragon type was willing to talk anyway. "The Princess is with the Queen right now. Her mother, that is." The Kingdra's expression saddened. "Poor girl." He said solemnly. "Oh?" the Sylveon asked, slightly concerned. "Why is that?" He jumped a bit, clearly not realizing he said that part out loud. "Well...you know, cause the queen is sick and all." "Oh..." Easter had forgotten that. Now that he thought about it, Dora had probably mentioned this, but he had just forgotten. "That's too bad...do they know what's causing it?" he asked, curious despite himself. He knew that they were on a time crunch, but this was information that could be useful for later. "Not...really, we don't get sick much down here. Some say it was after a stranger from the surface came down here..." "How unfortunate..." the fairy type clicked his tongue sympathetically. "And poor Dora." He didn't have much experience with sick people, so he wasn't too thrilled at the idea of meeting this woman, but it looked like he would have to. The gijinka took a breath, before getting back to the topic at hand. "Ah, sorry to cut this short, but I really do have to be finding Dora. Do you know where the Queen's room is?" "Well, yes, but I'm not sure I should..." There were two ways this could go. The short but violent way, or the longer diplomatic way. Cursing internally at his softening heart, Easter let himself droop, eyes crystallizing with unshed tears. "I understand your hesitance, but it's not like I'm going to do anything bad. Dora is my friend, and, well," he looked down shyly, biting his lip, "I'm not used to being this long without my friends by my side. This place is really nice, but seeing them...it's reassuring," he looked back up and gave a hesitant, but sweet smile. The Kingdra stepped forward, waving his hands around "No, no don't cry, okay, it's okay, I'll take you there!" The Sylveon sniffled. "R-really?" his smile became bubblier. "Thank you, oh thank you sir! I've been so lonely." He edged a little closer to the man. "I'm glad that Dora is surrounded by people like you," he said, tone serious but heartfelt. Really, he was glad. Not only did it make it easier to get his way, but...well, maybe he was also glad because it meant Dora had probably grown up happily here, even despite her father's overprotectiveness. -- Keanu's Surf was good enough to mitigate the Lava Plume that came their way. However, it wasn't good enough to stop Heatran in his tracks. The legendary leapt up, bringing his head back for what attack, Keanu wasn't sure, but it looked like it would hit hard, regardless. Groaning, the Pikachu quickly Substituted himself with a stuffed doll, finding himself displaced into a position somewhat between Marie and Randy. "Ugh, this guy is for real," the Pikachu muttered. He wasn't too happy with Heatran targeting him, but that meant he wasn't going after either of his brahs, and they didn't need the extra attention at the moment. Speaking of them...wonder when Nani's gonna come back, he thought. It sure would be helpful to have her here right at this moment.