Pokemon: Mind and Soul (Retry) [IC / PG / Probably Not Accepting / Co-Hosted by Skaia]

[Sethera]

Training was. Well. It was not going well. Belle was out of shape. And even worse, she was holding the others back. As she trained with the others, a decision she had been avoiding previously grew impossible to ignore. 'I have to leave.' The others would not approve of the decision. Part of her agreed with them. But it was necessary. She had grown to care (somewhat) for the other two. This was as much for their sake as it was for hers.

By the time they arrived at the day care, Belle was dragging. She said little to the others, simply nodding her head when addressed. If anybody directly asked her a question, she would grunt, giving off an unapproachable atmosphere. And when both Nate and Quinn were suitably distracted by Billy, she took out a piece of paper and wrote, crossing out some words and wishing she had chosen a pencil instead of a pen to write with. Her chest hurt, and her eyes stung a little, but that was fine.

Things weren't okay now, but they would be soon.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Sethera

[LordCowCow]

Team JAA/AJA/AAJ

Anneliese wasn't so sure she liked what Anima had said. "Hm, are we supposed to fight with the Pokemon? Have I been doing it wrong this whole time? Oh dear, I've been making poor Leopold get hit when I should have been getting hit alongside him." She seemed to stress somewhat about this for a while until of course the time came to set up camp and she grew distracted.

---

"though I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to start a fire on a grass...hmmmm...Well, I'm sure we can deal with any problem anyway, Corsola's a water type anyway right?" 

"Oh yeah!"

“As for what you can do to help… Jacklyn’s right, we should start figuring out for a fire-- But she’s also right in that we shouldn’t be starting it on the grass. The Corsola where I come from at Ghost type, after all,”

"Oh no!" Anneliese furrowed her brow. "Something to burn..." She looked around, eyes lingering on the tent for a few moments longer than she should have before deciding that, no, that would be a bad idea. Thankfully Anima brought up wood and Anneliese gasped. "Oh my, I forgot, wood burns! That's right, I believe my parents told me that primitive people used to heat their homes by burning wood...how novel!" She clapped her hands together. "Very well I shall go on a hunt to find wood to burn!" She sent out her Shinx, who gave her a confused look and glanced around to find something to battle. "Come, Leopold, we must gather wood!"

From the grass nearby, something watched. Body tensed up as it observed the humans moving about. Then it ducked farther into the grass and waited.

Spoiler

So to be clear we don't have to write out step by step what we're doing and I would actually suggest not doing that but yeah we can spend this round setting up camp.

Don't worry about the last line that's just set up for Anneliese later.

---

Team BQN

“I am a ghost!”

"And I'm sure you're a spooky one at that when you put your mind to it." Billy said without missing a beat as he led them inside. "Don't get many ghosts. Some Ghost Pokemon of course, they're a tricky bunch to keep from wandering off but they're harmless for the most part." He paused. "Oh right, if one of them slips into your rooms don't worry just come get me or my brother and we'll get them back in the fence."

“I get a little excited sometimes.”

Billy laughed as well. "Ah it's alright. Good to see passionate young folk. Means you'll be sure to take care of your Pokemon right I'd say. If you wanna know more about caring for the Pokemon my brother does much of that. I mostly talk with the trainers, he's not very good with people, and do the cooking. But I can show you a thing or two about Pokemon food tomorrow if you're interested."

Billy had led them over to a hallway that had multiple doors on one side and only two on the other. "As for Bearble, course I know about them. That's one of the Starter Pokemon the Professor raised right over in her place at the edge of town."

He stopped then and gestured towards the doors. "They're all empty right now so feel free to choose however many rooms as you're comfortable with. Me and my brother's rooms are right across the hall if you run into any trouble."

His eyes lingered on Belle a moment and a small frown crossed his face, as it seemed he noticed something was wrong, but then he smiled again and decided it was none of his business before wishing them all a good night.

Spoiler

If you have anything more for Billy then ask me so can give you responses. Otherwise it's time to turn in for the night.

 

[radio414]

Quinn was happy to hear that Billy tacitly approved of his Pokémon-raising habits, almost as much as thon was Billy did not even blink at the startling revelation that his hostel was now, technically, haunted. From the mention of Ghost-type Pokémon, though, perhaps that was because it already was. Quinn wondered how a Haunter or a Spiritomb could even wear a collar, but the thought was as ephemeral as the Pokémon themselves, and there was still business to attend to that evening. Another visit to a Pokémon Center was required, and speaking of care, Quinn needed to figure out how Normandie would prefer to be treated.

Fae had known and been tethered to Cassiopeia for over a year now. The Drifloon’s habits and eccentricities were well-trod territory, and Quinn had become used to them and incorporated them into itself. Normandie, meanwhile, was unfamiliar territory. Their relationship was much more transactional. Who knew what would happen should the berries run out? There had to be other ways to dote on Normandie besides just feeding her, Quinn thought. Would a bath work? Quinn had read somewhere that rats were actually one of the cleaner animals in the wild with how often they groomed themselves. Would a bath even be necessary?

Cassiopeia did not take baths, but she did enjoy being in a bathroom’s steamy atmosphere when the water was nice and hot. She would also enjoy a good polish when Quinn felt she was deserving of a reward. Their first day of adventure and their first new Pokémon companion probably qualified. Quinn took their two Pokéballs back from the center and examined them both. “Tomorrow we shall figure this all out,” xe said to zirself. “Perhaps Bobby will be in a more sociable mood at breakfast time and we can present him with our questions. Either that or rely on our own intuition. Surely someone with experiences such as ours, who has faced such trials, can manage the responsibility foisted upon them here.”

They ended up in room L, which seemed auspicious even if Quinn had no understanding of why. The room was relatively spartan, with a bunk bed (Quinn took the top bunk) and a desk with a hard chair accompanying it. There was not an attached bathroom; they would have to share the unisex one (it was Billy and Bobby’s house, after all) just across the hall. Quinn did try to call first dibs on that. Cassiopeia was not the only ghost who enjoyed hot water. It soothed the soul just as much as the form that their material essence had taken.

After that and a few other standard nighttime rituals (Quinn had never been the most devoted tooth-brusher even when alive, but he had promised its mother to try their best), Quinn was ready to enter that meditative trance that enabled fae to explore a dreamscape at eir leisure. The only thing left to do was wish the others the same luck.

“Good night,” Quinn said as they knocked on each of zir friends’ doors. “Let us try to find each other in the Astral Plane, hm?”

[Sethera]

Belle's eyes widened at the talk of ghost Pokémon, but that wouldn't change her plans. She just had to… be a bit more careful. That's all.

In the end, Belle drank a large glass of water and went to sleep first, to ensure she was the first awake. And her bladder woke her up in the middle of the night as planned.

The girl took out the note she wrote earlier. She hesitated and then placed it on her pillow. When the others went to look for her… they'd see it.

I'm leaving. Don't look for me. Be well. I'll miss Don't do anything stupid. Normies.

~B

Her eyes stung and her chest hurt, but… this was just how things had to be. If she couldn't find a way home, she'd just go at her own pace. The others were too ambitious, too eager, too… nice. 'They're cramping my style,' she told herself as she exited the Pokémon Center slash Day Care. If she said it enough times, she might even believe it.

Part of her felt like, in some ways, this was fate. Perhaps in another world, she was the one the others left behind. She could almost see it. Stumbling through a swamp, meeting a girl with purple hair and a rough-and-tumble boy, and journeying together until the inevitable end.

She wasn't cut out to work with others. Nate and Quinn were nice, but how long would that last? No, she had to leave first. Before she let herself get hurt like that time so long ago.

A little girl ran out toward the beach, wearing a white dress and a sunhat over silky sapphire locks. Her golden eyes sparkled like gemstones under the summer sun. She grinned, revealing a gap between tiny baby teeth, and shouted a greeting to a group of children her age nearby.

The kids' expressions twisted. One held his nose, another made a gesture to ward off evil. Even more spat out vitriolic words, while others turned away as if she didn't exist.

The girl's face fell. She grabbed the sides of her dress and twisted them in her hands, looking down at the ground.

The earth underneath was flat and mixed with yellow clay and sand. Belle crouched down and reached out a hand.

The girl took a finger and swirled it into the sand, creating shapes in a corner of the beach by herself. Every so often, she looked up, biting her lip and gazing at the other children wistfully.

"Why don't they like me, Mommy?" she asked her mother when she arrived to pick her up from the beach.

The woman gave a painful smile. "Because you're different, and people don't like those who are different."

"I…" the girl trembled. "I don't wanna go outside anymore, Mommy."

"What? But you've been wanting to go to the beach all month! And what about our trip to the park next week?"

"No!" the girl screamed. "I don't wanna do that anymore!" She sniffled. "Sorry… I know shouting's bad."

"No, it's fine." Her mother frowned. "I understand. Take as much time as you need. But please, don't shut yourself away."

The girl shook her head and said nothing.

Belle withdrew her hand from the ground and snorted air from her nose. This wasn't the end of her journey, but this was the end of her journey with other people. She stood up. Maybe one day, she could let herself heal, open her heart, and move on. But that day seemed faraway, as distant as the stars in the night sky above.

And then she began to walk. Step by step, on the road that would lead her to her eventual destination.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Sethera

[Tiamat's Circus]

Well, that was one thing taken care of. Anima smiled nervously as Anneliese called upon her Pokémon, and announced their intent. She still had her reservations about sending Anneliese out to get wood alone, but… Well, she had handled herself well enough so far, and Anima herself was the one who was the most physically hurt of her group, so it wasn’t as if she had much of a leg to stand on. Still, she gave a slight nod towards Leopold as she knelt down. “Keep an eye on her,” she instructed the Pokémon, before rising back to her full height, and nodding towards Anneliese. “And, uh, be careful. I haven’t actually looked into what sort of Pokémon come out around here when it gets dark,” she chuckled lightly.

Anima had thought about teasing the girl, maybe making a joke about how there may even be ghosts about-- But she wanted them to be careful, not paranoid. She could do that herself, she reasoned, as she did her best to listen to their surroundings as she set about unpacking the tent, and getting ready to actually assemble it. Normally, she would have relished a time like this; quietly working while everyone set about their tasks. It would be good for her to have something to do where she didn’t find herself speaking much, except…

Given that she was to perform this journey with her companions, it only stood to reason that she should try to get to know them better. After all, she would need to be able to trust them, and while they were both... far different from her on the surface, she couldn't tell how much she could actively trust in them yet. For this reason, her stomach twisted itself into a knot as she tried to figure out what it was she should even ask as she scanned over the papers that had come with the tent, doubts rising even in this simple moment. It was, of course, much too early in their journey to ask about their reasons for the adventure, or anything about their past; she wanted to get to know them naturally. But how did one even do that? It’d been so long since she met new people, that even now she wasn’t really sure how to establish a natural friendship.

So, as she glanced upwards from the instructions, she decided to break the ice with a simple question, assuming Jacklyn was still there: “Do you, um… Know any good ghost-stories?”

[Skaia]

As Anima tried to delegate and formulate a plan as to what to be doing to set things up, Jacklyn smiled and said, "fufufu, leave all the tenting to me!" Of course it did not end up as "just" Jacklyn doing it. With Anima sifting through the papers Jacklyn was busy looking at each of the individual parts of the tent. Anima would be able to hear things such as, "oh I think this goes here," and, "this definitely fits together like this," and most concerningly, "wait it moves like this?" The girl continued to fiddle around with each part, probably making more of a mess then anything else as Anima asked her question to the adventurous girl. 

Turning around, tossing the part of the tent to the ground she was holding, she smiled at her companion. "Oh sure do! What kind are you interested in? See back in Castelia we had all kinds of urban legends and rumors and stuff like that. Like the story about being kidnapped by the sewer Krookodiles that were secretly running the city from the shadows - I checked and didn't find hide or sandile down there by the way. Then there was some other stuff like the Tentacruel that would sprout legs and roam the streets at night, looking for people to drag back into the ocean with it. But I didn't ever see one of those things come out at night, much less dry to drag someone into the sea with them. Oh, oh! And then there was the one about this haunted building near home. It was due for destruction and rumor had it that a bunch of ghost types would be in it and when it was raining they would spirit you away to some kind of weird haunted ship or something. Which never happened to me!" The girl became rather upset as she rambled on about these things. 

As she went back to pitching the tent, and with Anima's help making some progress on it she asked, "oh but I don't really know anything about where you're from. Like, a ghost type Corsola! That's crazy to learn about. Oh! Is that why you wanted to know ghost stories? Does Confi have any or like are there any cool spooky ones where you're from. I hear that smaller towns and stuff typically are loaded with haunted stories and ghosts!" The girl furrowed her brow thinking for a moment saying, "I wonder if Anneliese knows any good ghost stories, we'll have to ask her too!"

[Cheshire Toon]

Nate was excited about the prospect of talking to someone knowledgeable about the care of Pokémon. “That would be great! I wanna know all about Pokémon food,” he said. “Proper diet and care is half the battle when it comes to training.” Hard-work was a lubricant when it came to getting stronger. It made things easier, but if your foundation (your body and your mind) began to fail, hard work would never be a proper substitute. 

As they went their separate ways into the rooms, Nate waved goodnight to both his teammates. His eyes lingered on Belle longer than Quinn. Something seemed… off. He had a bad feeling in his stomach, but he was sure that sleep would fix it. 

So sleep was what he planned to do. He released Peat and started their nightly routine. Grooming (himself and Peat), brushing teeth (his own and Peat’s, flossing, and a calm nightly workout that consisted mostly of stretches that he took to more easily than Peat. It was a relaxing way to wind down from the stresses of the day; it expended the last of your energy while giving your muscles a stretch that helped dissolve any excess tension from walking. 

It gave him time to reflect on the day. A lot had happened. His first real battle, his first experience traveling with friends, and his first time meeting a Ranger to boot. Nate decided that he wouldn’t let not catching a Pokémon on his first day bum him out too much. Belle hadn’t either, and she was already proving to be a stronger trainer. 

He would have to work twice as hard to keep up with both her and Quinn. 

“Sweet dreams, Quinn!” he called when they knocked. Peat rumbled his goodnites as well, and then the both of them prepared for bed. Peat climbed into the bed and curled into Nate’s chest. Nate breathed a contented sigh and was almost immediately claimed by sleep.

[LordCowCow]

Team JAA/AJA/AAJ

“Keep an eye on her,”

Leopold gave her a look that said "I was going to anyway" before looking away in obvious annoyance and following his trainer farther into the grass.

"If I were a stick, where would I hide..." Anneliese said as she wandered down a narrow path looking side to side. "Attached to a tree I bet. But there aren't that many trees around...Goodness, sticks are harder to find than I thought!" she noticed Leopold and started speaking to him. "I heard that some people need to use wood for heating in their own homes, isn't that amazing? I suppose this means that I shouldn't have to find much. If a whole house can be heated there's no way that it takes much for a camp fire..."

Leopold began to get antsy after some time and, figuring out that Anneliese was hardly finding anything, he began to run off to grab sticks himself and bring them back to her. Or rather dropping them in front of her for her to "find".

So engrossed in her adventure was she that Anneliese didn't notice it was getting darker. Not until she suddenly realized that she could hardly see the paths any more.

And once it hit her that it had gotten dark she froze up. She hadn't been outside without a source of light before and she began looking this way and that. Trying to find something that was lit up for her to focus on. When she couldn't she ended up crouched down with her head between her knees as she tried to instead ignore the darkness.

It was then that a creature that had been hiding in the grass started to inch forward. Slowly making its way towards the girl.

"Shiii!" The creature ducked back into the grass as the girl's Shinx came running up to her, carrying another stick, and nudged the girl.

"Oh, Leopold...oh my you, you found a stick. Good job." Shakily getting up she looked this way and that. "I suppose...that must be enough, yes? We should head on back."

Leopold noticed her hesitate, unsure which way to go, and so he took the lead and Anneliese followed her back to the camp.

Once she saw the others Anneliese breathed a sigh of relief and ran the rest of the way there. "Hello! I have discovered sticks!" she called out to them.

Spoiler

Feel free to finish up the night if you wish. I have something I wanna do in middle of the night but it'll be just for Anneliese and it'll be right before jumping ahead to morning so let me know if there's more you wanna do.

---

Team "B"QN

Quinn and Nate, the next day, would find that Belle had left and discovered the note left behind. Billy would inform them that he had noticed her leaving and "I thought I'd stop her but...it isn't really any of my business. I wouldn't want to butt in....sorry if that was the wrong thing to do."

He was about to offer them breakfast when suddenly there was a loud roar from outside. And through a window they saw a gout of fire shoot across their vision. "What in the world?" Billy exclaimed as he hurried outside.

They would see another man who looked just like Billy, only slightly longer hair and wearing heavy gloves instead of an apron, carrying a Smoliv in his arms and breathing heavy as if he had just been running.

"Bobby what happened?"

"It's Magmortar. She suddenly started acting up and began firing off Flamethrowers everywhere. I only barely got this little one outta the way."

"Goodness...what could have caused that?"

"Can't say for sure but...I did see someone running off that way, and it looked like he was carrying something. Might be that he took something from the girl." Bobby frowned and nearly growled. "I gotta make sure she don't hurt herself, or one of the other Pokemon, so I can't exactly chase them down..."

Spoiler

Gasp, a potential thief and a rampaging Pokemon! I feel that the options for what to do are clear but I will say it will be harder to calm the Pokemon down without dealing with the other matter.

 

[radio414]

Quinn could find neither Belladonna nor Nathaniel in their ventures through the astral plane that night. Fae could only dream of home. Technically, the house was active. Quinn could see clearly even though none of the lights were on, and she could hear sounds from the kitchen like the hum of a microwave or the occasional crackle of a gas stove coming to life. As ze wandered through the house, though, smaller details stuck out more and more. Despite the noises, the kitchen was completely abandoned, and every countertop had a noticeable layer of dust and cobwebs. The back door was only an affectation of a threshold -- the doorknob did not turn and pushing or pulling produced no results.

That was not to say all doors in the house were inoperable. The one to the restroom worked just fine. Quinn noticed that the bathroom mirror did not seem to work, reflecting nothing, acting as a sheet of jet-black metal against the wall. Other reflective surfaces were the same. The sink faucet had a leak that no fiddling with the handles could fix.

The door to Quinn’s bedroom was breaking down. It swung open without Quinn even needing to nudge it. This room was in more a state of disrepair than any other. The bed frame was missing an entire leg. It leaned over and the mattress slumped over the side. Books had fallen off their shelves, and the shelves themselves had collapsed. 

A whir emanated from the television back in the living room -- something was playing even though the screen was off. Quinn reached out and turned the television on, and the screen illuminated the entire room in a bright red light, a light that bled into Quinn’s vision, wiping out everything else. There were words on the screen too, in distorted and wicked black, only just legible:

YOU NEVER
CAME
BACK

Quinn woke up from the nightmare. Xe could see the time out of the corner of its eye. It was about three of the clock. Quinn refused to move. The room was unrecognizable to her and ey did not want to disturb it. It was only then that they realized he was not breathing, and e had to manually resume that particular function of their material form, concentrating on that until the unconscious habit returned.

Where were they? The memories of the previous day -- of the whole voyage, in truth -- took another moment to return. Quinn started to feel better. The breathing helped too. Still, the energies of the astral plane were against her, that much was obvious. Somewhere along the way, his noumenal essence had split in two. Part of Quinn’s self had stayed behind in Sinnoh, and it was calling across the waves trying to reach out.

But no, this was a necessary journey. Not everyone had agreed, but most had not been in a position to argue. A bout of homesickness was but a minor trial. Yet still, as the seconds ticked on, Quinn did start to relent a little bit. Ze inched over to the side of the bed, reached into hir bag, and pulled out one of the Pokéballs contained inside. “Cassiopeia,” Quinn whispered, and the Drifloon came out of her ball with as muted a “Drif…” as she could muster.

“Come sleep out here with me, Cassiopeia,” Quinn said. This would help. It was a small thing, but it was familiar. Maybe in the future, they could include Normandie in the equation, and whatever other Pokémon they happened to befriend on their journey, but for now, this was enough.

---

Quinn read and reread Belladonna’s letter, trying to understand it even as Billy explained the additional information he had for them. The morning had seemed so exciting, too. Good omens abounded once her astral self had given up on exploration for the night, and any accompanying visions subsided. The morning sky was exactly as it should be. But perhaps Quinn still needed to work on his interpretations, because such prominent positive symbols blinded zem completely to Belladonna’s departure. How else was it supposed to feel about it? Quinn wordlessly passed the letter on to Nathaniel for him to read. Her final words to Belladonna had proven particularly insightful. Now the land of dreams was the only place they would find each other for the foreseeable future.

The sudden Magmortar attack was almost a welcome distraction to keep eir mind off it. “Nathaniel and I can go chasing after this thief,” Quinn said. “That way you can keep your focus entirely on your charges, the Magmortar, this cute little thing, and whoever else.” They looked at the Smoliv, still quivering in Bobby’s hands. Quinn was barely cognizant of the fact she had just volunteered for both of them. It did not particularly matter. Something had to be done. Stolen things had to be returned to their rightful place, after all. It was something Quinn knew from experience.

[Skaia]

As she was awaiting the answer from Anima, it had appeared Anneliese had come back. And with sticks too! "Good job Anneliese! I knew you had an adventurer's spirit in you! Or I guess a survivalists in this case?" The girl questioned, thinking about it for a moment before saying, "survivalists and campers are just other types of adventurers." Nodding at this conclusion, she then said, "we just about got the tent good and ready to sleep in!" Looking at the two eagerly she said, "oh, do you think this'll be like a sleepover or slumber party or whatever? They sound pretty fun and with teammates it sounds even better. So let's get that fire roaring and get ready to eat and sleep!" 

After emphatically shouting about something so mundane the girl then said, "oh right, yeah. We were just talking about ghost stories. You know any Anneliese? Oh I can't wait to tell some tonight!" 

---

The night had passed without incident, for Jacklyn at least, before she got out of bed. Waking with the rising of the sun, a natural morning person, the girl got out of her tent before shouting, "gooooood morning!" Stretching her body out, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the sun across her face, a large smile across her face.  It wasn't as though this was the first night that she had spent out of her home since starting her adventure, she had plenty of mornings at sea to add to that. But this was the first time she had woken up with the feeling of nature all around her. Despite her adventurous spirit, she had never actually ventured out to go camping on the outskirts of her city and sleeping in the parks, especially at her age, was not allowed. 

"It feels like it's really starting...for real now..." The girl smiled, muttering to herself as she looked towards the horizon. After a moment of basking the girl then shouted, "alright everyone! It's time for adventure! And the backbone of all adventure is traveling and seeing new places! So let's get going!" 

[Tiamat's Circus]

Despite having been the one to ask the question first, Anima was actually surprised to have the question turned back on her. She opened her mouth, as if to answer, but found nothing coming; her mind seizing for that moment, as she searched for something she could say. In truth, she had heard quite a few ghost-stories; it was the sort of thing that happened when you lived with a ghost type. Many of them revolved around Galarian Corsola themselves, and yet more revolved around Cursola - the eventual, apparent evolution of the ghost-coral pokemon - but her mind still seized up when it came time to answer.

She was only saved by the return of Anneliese, who cheerily called out that they had discovered sticks. “R-Right!” Anima sighed, (not-so) lightly slapping her forehead so as to ground herself, as she nodded towards Jacklyn. “The, um, tent is pretty much set-up. It may be a bit, uh, crowded since there are three of us, but that should be expected. As for the next step…” she trailed off. “Jacklyn’s right, we should start work on the fire before it gets too terribly dark,” she smiled. “Though, I think I’ll, uh, leave that part to you. After all…” she trailed off, kneeling down to pick Confi up from the ground as she tottered by, sweeping the Corsola up from her feet, and into her arms.

“Have you ever heard the story about the cursed Coral?”
----
The morning came as most mornings did; with Anima being awoken by someone else, much earlier than she wished she had woken up. Of course, the morning wasn’t only heralded by this. She had woken up many times in the middle of the night, tossed, turned, and forced herself back to sleep. Such was the nature of sleeping in general. She had been lucky enough, Confi working as a makeshift plush of sorts, but it was still strange getting to sleep on what may as well have been the ground with a light covering. 

She supposed, groggily, that she wouldn’t be sleeping in nearly as much as she liked during this journey.

It took a few minutes still for her to force herself from the tent, squinting from the sunlight and all around looking generally out of place as she rubbed drearily at her eyes. She yawned for a moment as she blinked them several times, Confi trundling behind her as she came to stop in front of the tent, and… With nary a word, giving a half-awake salute to Jacklyn as she spoke; turning on her heels, and beginning the (barely conscious) process of trying to disassemble the tent.
 

[LordCowCow]

Team JAA/AJA/AAJ

"oh right, yeah. We were just talking about ghost stories. You know any Anneliese? Oh I can't wait to tell some tonight!" 

"Ghost stories? Oh, I do not know, I was told that ghost stories were meant to keep children from running off and as I never did they didn't feel the need to..." a light blush came onto her face. "I suppose perhaps they should have told one or two..." She shook her head. "Oh but I am quite interested in the stories you have to tell!"

---

The creature in the darkness watched as the group of humans talked to each other. Getting rather animated and at times loud with their storytelling. It continued to watch and wait until the last of them had gone to sleep before moving forwards, slowly, slowly. It crept over towards a bag where it could smell food and approached it while pausing every couple feet to glance around.

Finally it had reached the bag and was just about to drag it off when... "Oh my, what is this then?"

---

Anneliese stirred, having heard a noise outside. At first she lay there, frozen, as she recalled some of the stories from earlier. However, after nudging and failing to rouse the others, she managed to take a tentative look.

And she saw a Rockruff with the strap of a bag in its mouth. When she spoke the little Pokemon froze up and stared at her a moment before letting go of the bag and taking off.

Or rather tried to. Instead it ran right into Leopold, who had freed itself from the ball when Anneliese had spoken. The Rock type tumbled backwards after bumping into Leopold and the latter glared down at the shivering Pokemon.

"Oh Leopold, good job. Hello there little one, you forgot to take this." Anneliese then presented the Pokemon with some food from the bag. The Rockruff seemed hesitant at first, glancing over at Leopold in terror, before gently taking the food. Anneliese beamed at the Pokemon. "That's right. No one should go without food after all. But you shouldn't take what isn't yours. It's always polite to ask first."

With that she returned Leopold to his ball and began to go back to the tent. She paused when she felt a tugging on her dress and turned to see the Rockruff clinging to her and looking up at her.

"Goodness. Did you want more?" The Rockruff let go and took a few steps back. It hesitated then shook it's head and looked towards Leopold's ball. "Did you want to play with Leopold?" The Pokemon shivered and shook its head even more intently.

Anneliese wasn't sure what the little dog was trying to say and then gasped. "Do you want to come with me? It is rather...frightening out there, I suppose." Anneliese looked off into the darkness and also shivered. When she looked back at the Rockruff the Pokemon was sitting there expectantly and Anneliese smiled. "Very well then, just give me one moment..." The Rockruff waited as Anneliese looked for the singular Pokeball in her possession. She approached the Rockruff, holding the ball, and frowned.

She didn't know what she was supposed to do with the ball. She had heard people throw them but that seemed rather rude. So instead she put it in the palm of her hands and presented it to the Rockruff. The Pokemon looked confused at first before slowly moving forward and booping the button with its nose. It then got sucked into the ball which gave a few simple shakes before settling down.

"My, catching Pokemon is quite delightful!" Anneliese declared as she made her way back to bed, thoughts of what to name the Pokemon swirling through her head.

---

"alright everyone! It's time for adventure! And the backbone of all adventure is traveling and seeing new places! So let's get going!" 

Anneliese woke up to Jacklyn's shout and clumsily got up. While she wasn't nearly as groggy as Anima her hair was sticking up in multiple places. "My, quite the alarm aren't you?" she said with a giggle towards Jacklyn. "Oh! But before that. You would not believe it but we had a visitor last night. Come on out, Roland, and introduce yourself!"

She then sent out the Rockruff, now given a name, which took one look at the two humans and darted behind Anneliese and covered its face with its paws. "Goodness, but you were so bold last night sneaking into camp." She lifted up the Pokemon in her arms and it tried to disappear between them as the girl presented the Pokemon.

"Also....would one of you be so kind as to brush my hair? I have not done it myself before..."

[Tiamat's Circus]

Anima had only just gotten the tent mostly disassembled, and stuffed back into the bag it was transported in, when Anneliese spoke up; or rather, when she processed the words that had been stated a few seconds ago. “We- We did?” she stammered, practically wheeling around with the bag full of tent and tent-pieces, at a speed that threatened to turn the still-open bag into a projectile weapon. It was only as she made eye contact with the Rockruff, and as the small pooch darted behind their new trainer, that the fear seemed to drain from her eyes. “Oh, it’s.. A Pokémon,” she chuckled lightly, bringing a hand up to scratch at the side of her face. “For a second, I, Um, I thought you meant… Never mind,” she sighed, smiling.

“It’s a pleasure, to, um… Meet you, Roland,” she chuckled lightly as Confi trundled forwards, looking up towards the held-aloft-pooch themself, only to let out a quiet “coo…” before bedding down in the grass. “Confi says hello too... I think,” she extrapolated, crouching down to poke idly at the ghost-Pokémon for whom it was far too early in the day, before slowly rising back up to her full height. “As for your hair…” Anima crossed her arms.

Briefly, Anima contemplated making this a learning experience; a time for Annliese to learn how to do it herself. But… That seemed rude, and needlessly antagonistic. So instead, she simply nodded. “I’ll do it this time-- And. um, when we get the chance to stay in a hotel with a mirror, I’ll… show you how to do it yourself.”
---
All in all, they made good time with everything considered. It took some work getting everyone ready, Anima realized-- Not the least of which being herself given how little she wanted to actually wake up this morning, but somehow, they had still made good time. At least, good enough time, as they had reached the next town just a bit after noon, if the scratched-up screen of her PokéDex was anything to go by. Of course, it was a bit hard to read, and the extremely low-brightness she habitually kept it at due to its ailing battery was a bit off, but…

Well, regardless of what time it was, they had made it, if the signage reading ‘Fernsworth’ was anything to go by… Even if there was next to nothing else there waiting for them. “Looks like we’re, um… Here,” she announced with a half-hearted smile as she glanced around, gesturing hesitantly towards the two buildings; one at the center of the town, and one near the edge of the town. “I… Um, think, at least, that these two buildings are probably interesting? Not sure-- They at least look different from the normal houses,” she did her best to explain. “Though, the town seems kind of… Devoid of anything that's… Not a normal house. Where people... Um... live, so, uh…” she trailed off again. “Where do we want to start?”

Edited January 8, 2024 by Tiamat's Circus

[Cheshire Toon]

Nate was not the best at reading. His mind was too much of a livewire, his eyes too high-strung, to sit and absorb words on a page casually. He COULD read. He had read all about Pokémon, and he had already gathered quite the impressive collection of knowledge and trivia on them, if he did say so himself. It was just that being able to focus and read something required him to be EXTRA interested. 

He read the letter three times. His grip on it tightened and the paper crumpled between his fingers and started to tear; Nate read it again. 

“We gotta… I gotta…” he spoke softly, but it was through clenched teeth. He wanted more than anything to chase after her. To catch up to her and drag her back and demand that she stay with them. He hadn’t known her long, but he knew that she was in need of a friend, and he hated the idea of someone being on their own like that. He had grown surprisingly attached to the slovenly girl and her little Grass-type starter. He also knew that the only thing to do was respect her wishes. He really hadn't known her long enough to do anything so dramatic. 

The distraction was welcome when it came. Physical action. A place to direct the overwhelming need to act that roared through his veins. “Leave it to us! We’ll catch them!” 

Nate exploded out of the building like a Thunder Bolt. The hinges of the door creaked in protest, the force he had used to exit the building entirely unnecessary, and his feet pounded down the road in the direction the man had indicated. 

[LordCowCow]

Team QN

While Quinn was the first to go off where the supposed thief had gone Nathan was quick to overtake the young ghost. Perhaps had Quinn floated instead of ran they might have kept the lead.

Whatever the case it wouldn't be long before they both saw a suspicious person. The lack of buildings made it fairly clear where they were and even from the distance they could make out that they were a man with long red hair and wearing a black jacket with some sort of flaming bird symbol on the back of it. As they got closer, for the man didn't seem to be the best runner, they saw they were holding a Pokemon egg in their arms as they awkwardly ran.

The man kept glancing back, showing that he was wearing a black face mask as well, and when he noticed the two of them getting close he seemed to panic and pick up the pace.

This only caused him to stumble and trip. As he fell to the ground he twisted to avoid landing on the egg and accidentally let go of it. The Pokemon egg soared into the air and away from the man and would in scant few moments surely land on the ground a dozen or so feet away from the man.

Spoiler

Stopping there because depending on what the next person does will affect what happens with the thief next.

 

[radio414]

The moment Nathaniel passed Quinn was the moment Quinn doubled her efforts to catch the thief. It was not a moment of competition, of course -- no man nor spirit in good karmic standing would dare turn this chase into something of that nature -- but an act of determination. The knowledge that Nathaniel was there at all gave Quinn the will to push onwards. Cassiopeia was there in front of xir too. She had not quite had her fill of hot air and sunlight for the day, but the Drifloon was still able to float. How Quinn wished his material form would hurry up and leave gravity’s clutches, but no such luck. Eir parents always insisted that it needed to gain more weight.

Quinn and Nathaniel’s collective will must have had some sort of effect, because the man they were chasing slowed, stumbled even. Nathaniel in particular was gaining on the man, and one errant look to check his position, one small crack in the thief’s own will, was enough to send both himself and the egg he was carrying flying into the air.

Quinn did not slow down to check on the man. He charged forward, eyes on the precious thing that had been taken and, even when the egg seemed just out of reach, they leapt forward with one final burst of energy, diving to get zir hands underneath the egg and cradle it from harm. It was just enough, and Quinn landed on the ground as well, though significantly happier for it. Or perhaps “happiness” was not quite the right word. In that moment, all Quinn could feel was relief. Quinn tucked the egg into faer chest and sat up, examining the egg for any potential break in its shell. “Nothing,” xe said, saying the result aloud just to reassure zemself. “Safe.”

She looked back at the man, who appeared to have completely forgotten his stolen loot, and was now evaluating which way he could go next. Cassiopeia was pestering him already, trying to get in his way no matter which way he looked, though she was a bit too unimposing to give him any more than small hesitation before he picked a direction. Quinn was out of breath, but they still tried to at least keep his attention a few moments longer. “What did you think you were doing?” Quinn said in between further gasps of air. “Or do, present tense, or will in the future? Were you the one causing all that trouble on Route One Oh One as well?”

[Skaia]

Jacklyn smiled as her companions had come to greet the day with her, not caring for their own disheveled or tired appearances, and was ready to tackle on everything that came her way. However, before the adventure could get started proper Anneliese had something to show them. Jacklyn's already beaming smile only widened more gleefully as she saw the pokemon, saying, "whoa! That's awesome. I've never seen one of these before!" The girl was looking at the with great excitement, both as if she were making a new friend and finding a new toy in a shop, before hearing Anneliese's other comment about it. "And it snuck in here? Which means," the girl put her hand to her chin thinking about it for a moment saying, "that Anneliese you defended our camp and made friends with the perpetrator? I knew you were a real adventurer when we first met! Welcome aboard Roland!" 

As Anneliese asked about fixing her hair up, Jacklyn got ready to volunteer herself to do so before Anima had already stepped in. She had never done any really styling of her own, both for herself and another, but she saw her sister take care of her hair all the time. And visualization was half the battle when attempting to do something. As such, Jacklyn was more then confident that she would be able to properly work with Anneliese's hair and said, "don't worry, I'll help out next time!" 

---

As the group had entered Fernsworth Jacklyn had taken in a deep breath of fresh air, as if absorbing the atmosphere around her. "Ah, the smell of a plain old town!" It was true that there was little to see here and Jacklyn found that in of itself to be a novel experience. She had hardly ever been aware with so little to see after all, that even something like this had kept her energy up. Of course something with nothing to see was still nothing to see and so her attention immediately snapped to the two buildings that Anima had pointed out. Looking at the shack on the outskirts of town, Jacklyn pointed emphatically at it saying, "then let's check that out! A place with a bunch of pokemon just running about that just looks so out of place is bound to have something interesting there. Like, maybe it's run by a ghost, or has some wise old hermit or some kind of former champion or something there!" Without waiting for the consent of the others she shouted, "let's go team!" 

[Cheshire Toon]

Nate was a boy that possessed a very one track mind. That was sometimes to his detriment; he struggled to multi-task well, and he could miss the greater scheme of things because he was too focused on the basic details. The thief with the egg was one such example. He was running too quickly, his body too tensed, to adapt for the fact that the thief had tripped and released the egg. Instead his attention remained solely on the man, the thief, who had become the outlet for all the anxious energy Nate found himself filled with.

He tackled the man just as he started to fall. Nate was used to getting hit, and had taken a lot worse during sparring than a small fall could deliver unto him. That would give him the edge in the scramble when they fell. He would put all his effort into restraining the thief, to hold him down and prevent him from moving, and if the force of the tackle and the fall hurt him... well...

Maybe don't steal things.

 

[LordCowCow]

Team JAA/AJA/AAJ

“I’ll do it this time-- And. um, when we get the chance to stay in a hotel with a mirror, I’ll… show you how to do it yourself.”

"My, thank you! I didn't know it was something that could be taught so easily!" Anneliese seemed genuinely astounded by this fact.

"don't worry, I'll help out next time!"

The girl giggled. "It seems that I have many choices don't I, I wonder if Leopold will offer next."

-----

Anneliese's eyes widened when they reached the town. "Oh, goodness. Is this all of it? Did someone take the rest of the town? That's terrible, I didn't realize thieves could be so bold!"

“I… Um, think, at least, that these two buildings are probably interesting? Not sure-- They at least look different from the normal houses,”

"Oh, but I was just thinking they all look different from normal houses. It is as though someone took a bunch of rooms and separated them, do people really live in those?"

then let's check that out! A place with a bunch of pokemon just running about that just looks so out of place is bound to have something interesting there. Like, maybe it's run by a ghost, or has some wise old hermit or some kind of former champion or something there!"

Anneliese gasped as Jacklyn ran off and hurried to follow. "Oh, I have heard of this!" she said. "People who live on the outskirts of town are called...outcasts, yes? I've never met an outcast before this is so exciting!"

Once they reached the door and Jacklyn knocked...nothing happened. It was silent for some time. And Jacklyn knocked again. Finally there was some noise and the door opened up partway. They could barely see the person inside but they could see it was a woman with glasses and a loose fitting button-up shirt. She seemed tired and her eyes, behind her glasses, looked unfocused and blurry as though she had just woken up. "I told you I didn't need you to bring food.....hm?"

She stared at the trio, blinking several times, before rubbing her eyes. "Who in the world are you?"

---

Team QN

“Or do, present tense, or will in the future? Were you the one causing all that trouble on Route One Oh One as well?”

"I don't know what the heck you're talking about, what kinda weirdos chase a guy like this any-ack!" The man's statement was cut off as he was tackled by Nathan. The momentum caused both of them to fall to the ground, bounce, and roll a few feet. Due to the force of the tackle the man ended up bouncing out of Nathan's grip and rolling a few feet farther than the young Pokemon trainer did.

They both would be able to get to their feet after and the guy shouted out "The heck? What're you some kinda superhero or something?" He reached into a pocket and pulled something out. "You kids gonna regret messing with Team Phoenix....next time!" In his hands they could see a Pokeball. He then threw it forward but, instead of sending out a Pokemon as expected, the ball continued forward and hit Nathan in the head as the strange man took off once again.

Spoiler

If Nathan were to look at the Pokeball he would be able to tell (by Pokemon logic magic) that there was a Pokemon in it even through the man hadn't actually sent the Pokemon out.

Also if you two would greatly prefer catching the guy can work something out but it's not super necessary to advance things since he doesn't have much more to provide beyond more dialogue and being able to turn him in to the non-existent authority in the town.

 

[Cheshire Toon]

Nate grabbed for Peat's ball at his waist, prepared to battle. "Gah!" he grunted when instead of releasing a Pokémon, the PokéBall struck him in the head, and then fell to the ground. "What--what's wrong with you?" Of course the man had already started running. Nate started to chase after him, ignoring the pain lanciing through the knot already forming on the side of his head, then thought better of it. 

He looked at Quinn. "Nice catch," he said, smiling at them. Then, "Are you okay? That dude was crazy. I can't believe he just dropped that egg. Plus," Nate knelt down and picked up the PokéBall that had been thrown at him. It was slightly heavier than normal; one of a few clear indicators that something was inside of it. "He just left his Pokémon behind. Didn't even release it. What kinda scumbag does that?"

[radio414]

Quinn did not know what the man was talking about either, and so just stared at the man in confusion until Nathaniel tackled him and put an end to whatever remaining semblance of a chase there had been. She might have even applauded such a move had fae not been clutching a Pokémon egg against their chest. Just because the egg had been through so much already and remained intact did not mean each subsequent action was any less dangerous.

Cassiopeia, meanwhile, tried to make sure the man did not make it any further, blocking off whatever routes she could with a body the size of a Starly. She kept turning around to look at Quinn, though, clearly concerned about the potential for scraped knees and bruised elbows from that dive Quinn had taken. She was not a very good roadblock even with her arms outstretched, but Nathaniel was a good enough alternative to keep the man in place for the time being, even as he wriggled out of Nathaniel’s tackle. The disparity in size was probably why the thief threw a Poké Ball at Nathaniel and not the Pokémon ready and willing to fight, though perhaps nobody was expecting the ball to be used as a weapon of assault instead of the monster inside.

Before anyone could do anything else, the man ran off, making it Quinn’s turn now to inspect Nathaniel for wounds. “I am alright,” xe said, “The egg is alright too. But you are not dizzy or anything, are you? Any blurry vision? I cannot believe it has been barely two days into our proper adventure and we have both been hampered by injury.”

With regards to the Pokéball now in Nathaniel’s posession, Quinn said, “That must have been stolen too. I could not imagine surrendering a companion so easily. Normandie has only been with me for a single day but if anything happened to her I would fight tooth and nail to get her back. But if that is true, I wonder who the owner is? They would be worried sick. Perhaps Bobby would know? He would at least know who to ask, and we have to head back with this, too.”

Ze needed a moment at the beginning to catch its breath from the sprint, but once they were moving again, it was easy to keep doing so, and the walk back to Billy and Bobby’s hostel was shorter than Quinn had expected. “We brought an egg back,” Quinn announced as soon as they had crossed the threshold. “Hopefully it is the one that was missing. The thief mentioned something about Team Phoenix and regret, but I only recognize the latter of those things and I do not regret anything about this morning yet besides that it happened at all.”

[LordCowCow]

Team QN

When they returned to the daycare they'd first see Billy, wringing his hands and looking out into the fenced in area with a nervous expression. A bit farther on, inside the fence, they'd see Bobby standing with his hands over his ears.

“Hopefully it is the one that was missing. The thief mentioned something about Team Phoenix and regret, but I only recognize the latter of those things and I do not regret anything about this morning yet besides that it happened at all.”

Billy jumped a bit as they suddenly showed up and turned with a smile. "Oh, good. That should calm her down right quick." He frowned. "I heard of Team Phoenix, but usually just around bigger cities. They're a nasty bunch who think they can do whatever they want just cause no one can stop em all." He sighed. "Ever since Champion Hannah went missing....." he sighed, then shook his head. "But enough about that, y'all should go get that egg to Bobby. Oh and try not to listen too hard."

When they got a little closer they could see the Magmortar. It seemed to be trying to stay awake and struggling to do so. The cause seemed to be the trio of Jigglypuff who were standing around it and singing gently. But even as they watched they could see the Magmortar was trying to shake it off.

Spoiler

Figured would give a lot of openings for talking to each other, Billy, Bobby, and leave it open ended what exactly you do. Lemme know what you end up doing so I can give a little bit more.

 

[Tiamat's Circus]

Of all the things Anima wanted to do, go up to a stranger’s house - one who was, as Anneliese had put it - an outcast’s house, and knock to see if anyone was home… Was among the last things she wanted to do. Of course, there were worse things that could happen, but… This early in the day, and she wasn’t feeling it. It felt as if her heart would burst from her chest at any moment, even as she held Confi close to herself. Every knock Jacklyn made only served to make it worse.

And she knocked not once, but twice.

And the door, worst of all… Opened, and someone was on the other side.

“We’re, um… New trainers,” Anima admitted, trying-- No, praying, that she could answer before Jacklyn so as to head off any statements of grandeur. “Sorry to bother you, Miss, but, we were new in town, and…” she trailed off, trying to think of a good answer. Of course, there was… No good answer to give. They were just here, and looking for something to do. Hardly a compelling argument or reason to be here. But… Anima was hardly the best liar. “...To be honest, I’m not entirely sure why we’re here. I think… We’re, um, looking for something to do?” she explained, though her voice made it out to be more like a question than anything else, as she cocked her head to the left. “Sorry again, for bothering you without a good reason.”

The woman groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "This isn't a tourist spot..." she looked at the trio for a few tense moments. "You're not here to complain about the starter choices are you? There wasn't anything wrong with how I raised them. If they're disobedient, that's on you."

"N... No Ma'am," Anima shook her head, swallowing uncomfortably. "I, er... I brought my own," she explained, squeezing Confi slightly; and in return, getting something akin to a squeak from the Pokémon. "But... If you raised them... Does that make you, a, er..." she trailed off, doing anything she could not to make eye-contact. "Professor, here?"

The woman blinked. Her eyelids moving so slowly that it took some time to realize it was even a blink. Then she sighed. "Dang, walked into that one...Yes, that's me. The, ugh, 'renowned' Professor Cedar. Nice to, ah whatever." she mumbled the last, giving up her attempt at courtesy.

“I, um…” Anima trailed off, staring at her with a bit of a wince in her eyes. Whatever she had expected from the professor… This wasn’t it. And while she couldn’t particularly blame the woman, considering they had just barged up to her house and knocked on the door… “I'll... get out of your hair then, ma’am,” she muttered, glancing idly at the other two, and… As much as she knew it was wrong to wish ill on others, hoping they’d bother the woman more.

[Skaia]

With excitement in her step, Jacklyn made her way over to the house that seemed just so out of place. Striding with confidence in her step, Jacklyn had made it to the door of the, as she believed it to be, hermit's house before knocking. There was no response. The adventurous girl had thought of several reasons this might be. For one, the house itself could just be abandoned, which would only further add to the mysterious out of placeness it had to it. Secondarily it could just be that her knocking didn't have enough spirit behind it and so the person that was in there didn't hear them. After all, they could be busy doing whatever it was hermits did or maybe even asleep, in which case of course just knocking once wouldn't be enough to get their attention. So she knocked again. Harder.

She waited once more, pausing to see if the hermit would answer her knocks this time. The girl was getting ready to go for a third round when the door finally did open. With an older looking woman who said something about food, as she asked Jacklyn who she was the girl gave a big smile. "We're- " before Jacklyn could finish her statement Anima had answered for the group. While it was certainly true that they were "new trainers" Jacklyn couldn't help but feel that there was a lack of passion and zest in that, as opposed to of course proudly proclaiming they were adventures. This disappointment in her teammate's word choice didn't last very long as instead it was replaced with excitement at the discovery of who this woman actually was. 

"You're the professor!?" Jacklyn didn't seem bothered by either the professor or Anima's attitude towards one another, before stepping up excitedly. "As if I would complain, I couldn't ask for a better partner then Rus. Isn't that ri- oh, right." The girl pulled out her pokeball before sending out the Lepash. "Isn't that right Rus?" The Lepash had no context for what the girl was asking and was inclined to disagree with her immediately before seeing that the professor was there. The typically proud pokemon looked both embarrassed about the situation it was in and apologetic about his trainer's exuberance. 

The professor's eyes moved down to the Pokemon. She crouched down and lifted Rus up. Examining him all over before looking at Jacklyn. "He's stressed." 

"Eh? Really?" The girl looked in disbelief as she said, "well adventures can be stressful, I've heard about it, but we're only just started! Besides we already won our first battle and even got a new teammate. Oh! Are you jealous Rus?" 

The Lepash turned towards the girl, clearly annoyed with her, and let loose a small puff of smoke into her face. 

Coughing, waving her hand to get the smoke out of her face, the girl locked eyes with the pokemon. "Why you..." Looking back to the professor she said, "was he always like this?"

"I can't say I've ever gotten that kind of treatment." She says, holding Rus and idly petting between his ears. "Sometimes with some of the other Pokemon...Perhaps he thinks of you as a Pokemon." She stared at Jacklyn. "You aren't, are you?"

Rus seems a bit embarrassed to be pet but also doesn't do anything to stop it. Jacklyn looked confused by the statement saying, "no? I mean, I have this cool bunny decal on my hat. But I'm definitely a human and definitely his trainer."

"Hm." She sighed and set Rus down. As she straightens back up she let let out a groan of discomfort. "Well what does that even mean, 'his trainer', do you think?"

"That he's my...pokemon? Adventuring buddy?" The girl seemed confused by the question.

She frowned and looked down at Rus and spoke directly to him. "You might have to be less subtle with this one."

Rus let out a resigned sigh but nodded at the professor's words. Jacklyn, meanwhile was only more confused at the subject though couldn't help but feel like she was being insulted. With another pout she retorted, "well, uh, what's a 'professor' then?" 

Edited February 17, 2024 by Skaia

[radio414]

Quinn had to agree with Billy. “You can tell us all about the regional goings-on in just a moment. I am rather curious and I am sure Cassiopeia is too,” e said. “But we should get this egg to its rightful owner first. Do you have a way to alert your brother so that we do not all collapse in a Sing-induced stupor?”

Billy waved his hand. “Ah, don't worry. From that distance it won't put you to sleep right away, so just go on ahead and give him a tap.”

“Very well,” Quinn said. She checked on zir Drifloon who was still flitting around, hovering over Quinn’s shoulder. “Let us still get you back in your ball for now just to be safe, Cassiopeia. I do not want to take more Pokémedicine from these nice people than we already have.” When Cassiopeia protested, Quinn added, “Do not worry, we can find you a nice sunbeam later. It is a beautiful day out; they should be easy to find.”

Once that was sorted, they went back outside to the scene of Jigglypuff desperately trying to calm a Magmortar. Bobby was nearby, both trying to keep things under control and trying to not pay attention, which would have been a comical scene if the circumstances were not so serious. Quinn did as they were told, giving Bobby a light tap on the shoulder and showing him the egg still cradled against Quinn’s chest.

Bobby grunted, stood up, and clapped his hands together a few times. The Jigglypuff surrounding the Magmortar scattered at the signal, which allowed the distraught Pokémon to finally stand up from its sedation.

Some part of Quinn was worried about the morning’s events playing out again. For example, what if fae and Nathaniel had apprehended the wrong thief, and had reclaimed the wrong egg? Indeed, as the Magmortar saw Quinn approach, she raised one of her hand cannons. Magmortar were generally only five Starly tall, but that still towered over Quinn, and she could see a glow down the barrel. The rest of Quinn, though, was undeterred. Xe held the egg out in front of her and simply asked, “Is this yours?”

The Magmortar’s entire demeanor changed as soon as it saw the egg. She lowered her cannon claw, accepted the egg gently, and sat down. Quinn saw tears running down her face. “Oh,” Quinn said. unsure of what kind of tears these were. He thought about physically comforting the Magmortar, hugging them or just petting her on the head, but did not want to cause more distress than had already been caused. They settled for words: “It is a terrible thing, being kidnapped,” Quinn said. “I hope this brings you peace.” They gave the Magmortar another moment, walking backwards for a few steps before turning around to head back inside…

…only to be swept up in a hug from the Magmortar the second it turned around. “Oh!” Quinn said, a different “oh” than the one before. “Okay, a hug after all, then.” Of course, Quinn’s position was not great for reciprocation, so ey settled for simply holding the Magmortar’s hand/cannon/claw-things until Bobby came over and convinced the Magmortar to let Quinn go. The hug was warm, though, in more ways than one.

Billy was still there just inside the daycare. “The goings-on, then,” Quinn said. “We will keep an eye out for Team Phoenix. But if the champion is missing, how can Pokémon challenges be completed? I would hate for my and Nathaniel’s journey to be cut off so soon.”