Fandom Pokemon Rebirth Pt. 1 - IC [Closed] [Reboot]

[Paperface]

City of Menva, Outskirts - 17:40​

Under the watchful eye of the afternoon sun – casting its warm light down upon the equally golden sand below – a gathering of Diglett, Sandshrew, and other curious Pokemon were taking great interest in a semi-regular occurrence. Once again, a convoy of vehicles, made up of Jeeps and trucks, were tracking through the Pokemon's territory. With the guidance of the Jeep leading the way, the convoy had been keeping a relatively steady pace. Enough so that the local wildlife had once again become accustomed to the sound of the engines. Sure, it had taken the Pokemon a few miles of carefully tracking the vehicles to build confidence, but now they were moving along as if they'd always been part of the convoy. Whenever the convoy got too far ahead, the Diglett would tunnel along to catch up, and occasionally, a braver Sandshrew or Rockruff would approach one of the vehicle's wheels – only to be repelled by the sudden blasts of dust.

However, the mechanical clank of a stick shift announced a change of pace for the Jeep leading the convoy. Getting into a higher gear, the driver pressed down the gas pedal, and the engine's roar spooked the gathering of Pokemon back into a state of careful observation. Another roar from the metal beast and the Pokemon scurried off or retreated underground. The method of getting to safety was based entirely on whether they were a Diglett. A shame, but the disturbance was a necessary one. Letting the other vehicles know they needed to prepare for the last obstacle between them and their destination had priority over scaring the local wildlife - and the engine's roar did just that. The track through the barren landscape had been straining and uncomfortable, but the final dunes were approaching quickly. Their destination, the city of Menva, would soon be in sight. However, the trucks wouldn't be able to crest the top if they didn't begin picking up speed at this distance. With that in mind, the leading Jeep would rather scare a few Pokemon than risk stranding the convoy on the dunes.

As the first Jeep began climbing the sandy hill, a large shadow passed over the convoy – casting its shade on each vehicle before the imposing form lingered over the Jeep in front. Soaring high in the sky was a massive bird Pokemon gliding in perfect sync with the speed of the Jeep. It was adjusting its momentum with the vehicle below to keep its shadow perfectly centered on it. Yet, while its shadow was the only lasting spot of darkness on the golden sands, the bird it belonged to had only the most vibrant colors. The Pokemon looked like a living form was given to the very skies. Its orange coat – representing the setting sun – thinned out into cloud-white feathers tipped in vibrant sky-blue hues. Its comb was a bright yellow that rivaled the sun, with streaks of red coming off it to dance in the airstream. It remained above the convoy for the few moments it took the first Jeep to crest the dunes - which seemed to prompt the bird Pokemon into flying ahead towards the city coming into view.

It flew over the decorated sandstone walls surrounding the small city, circled the towering ancient structure at the center with an impressive display of agility, and then perched atop the equally decorated sandstone gate serving as the entrance into the city – awaiting the arrival of the convoy. As the convoy approached the outskirts of Menva, the vehicles halted one by one as they parked in an organized manner outside the city gate – awaiting unloading by a mixed gathering of people, Machoke and Machamp stationed outside of the gate. Yet, nothing happened. The workforce had taken notice of the convoy's arrival but appeared unwilling to leave their spot in the shade of the city wall. Yet, this didn't seem like a case of slacking off on the job. Looking around, everything outside the walls - except the bird perched on it - displayed lethargic behavior. There were Hippowdon present to carry the delivered cargo into the city. However, only some were lumbering around. These, you might consider the energetic ones. The vast majority were simply lazing about - their bodies half sunken into patches of loose sand.

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Mentioned: Gary Sue smolfluffball Merciless Medic AreSneksSly
Interactions: -

 

[Gary Sue]

It had been a long day since Blake finally managed to get into the new region, having a bit of trouble once he got off his plane and tried to convince the driver of the convoy that he was in fact, part of the field team they'd requested. Apparently, there was some miscommunication with Professor Jade and the (he assumed at least) royal family that asked for him in the first place. Still, he managed to get through to the driver and was taken with. While he wasn't sure how everybody else had positioned themselves, if they knew one another or even had a good idea of how each one of them looked or what they did, he made sure to find a vehicle empty enough for him to just admire the surroundings.

"Everyone here has some form of experience on their main subjects, but... I don't really have hands-on experience on sites, bar the ones I helped the Professor with... I don't think it'll be an issue, but it's nice to have some... space to myself, for a start.", he huffed and got comfortable, strapping himself in with his seat belt and taking the ride from the airport all the way to Menva silently. He wanted to have Goop out of her Pokeball for the trip, but the heat was overbearing, even for the light clothes he wore to match the occasion. There was no way he'd take his Goomy out and get it dehydrated in the dead heat of the desert with broad sunlight glaring down on everyone and everything.

If anything, now he felt gladder and gladder as time went on to have Water type Pokemon for the most part... In a desert, it'd come in handy, all the Water and Ice type moves they could use. He could at the very least, provide everyone with some form of refuge temporarily from the heat... when he got to actually knowing them, that is. But also, the Pokemon that appeared to be chasing each Jeep all too gleefully mostly seemed to be Ground and Rock types. That bode well for him, as far as he knew, he would fare pretty well in this kind of environment, even if his Pokemon weren't ready to take on the entire Millenium Vale League, assuming there even was one in a parallel universe. Just thinking about it got perked up and at attention, although the heat made sure to undo that burst of energy quite quickly.

When it stopped radiating over them all of a sudden, even if it wasn't for more than a few moments, he peeked his head out of the his side of the Jeep, seeing some peculiar Pokemon he couldn't quite make out the identity of flying above them, only to wait for the crew to exit the vehicles from the hour long ride at the gates of what must have been Menva. As excited as he was, the brunette wanted to wait and not be the first to rush out and act like a tourist, and so he waited... and waited... But nothing happened. "... Is everybody just going to sit there..?", he grunted and slumped forwards, taking off his seat belt and hopping off to dust himself. It was around now that the other individuals of the field team seemed to get moving, too. A doctor- that was an easy tell, and a... blue haired... thing. And a pink one, too... "... I suddenly don't feel so odd anymore."

As he tried to cheer himself up and put on a smile, he moved a hand to fiddle with one of the hair clips on the side of his head, approaching the group that would probably otherwise mingle with the drivers and rest of the workforce instead. "Hey. You guys are the rest of the A-team, right? Why don't we get introduced, yeah?", he sounded rather friendly, but only as much as he did tired, feeling his eyes half-shut and having an overall tired look on his face, as the sun shone down onto him, trying to almost literally melt his skin off. With a quick glance to the side, the shadows of the walls seemed that much more alluring now, huh... "I'm uh... Blake. Blake Kamea, archeologist, 22 years old and I've some Pokemon to boot. If you have any language questions, ask away, although it's a bit... specific."

And so, the five seconds of nothing qualified as awkward silence taking over in Blake's tired mind. "... Someone else, p-please take the lead... The heat's making this too hard to deal with."

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Mentions: literally everyone
Interactions: smolfluffball AreSneksSly Merciless Medic

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[AreSneksSly]

Mentions: Blake || Interactions: Gary Sue smolfluffball Merciless Medic ​

Unlike some of the other researchers, Alya was incredibly energetic. Dressed in beige shorts, a tank top and with their blue hair looking incredibly out of place with the golden sands of the Millenium Vale as their background, Alya Merriweather had little time to do introductions when everything was… everything.

The sweeping dunes, the blistering heat, the slippery sand beneath their boots; none of it was new to the petit researcher, yet their face had been frozen in a giant grin for the whole trip. As one of the first people to arrive at the Millenium Vale, there was little Alya could do to prepare themselves for the scope and size of the desert. Yes, Unova’s route 4 was a quaint little patch of desert, but the vale was all sand. They had to exert every bit of their willpower to try and keep themselves from hanging out of the jeep’s window and pointing in wonder at the pokemon that traveled alongside the train of vehicles. Merriweather felt like a child again, stepping past the cold, air conditioned tunnel and into the open air of Castelia City, its buildings towering over the small child as they watched in wonder, clutching onto their darumaka plushie in equal parts terror and awe. They could still smell the salt of the sea now, hear the bustling office workers rushing by, felt the wind push against their face. The endless blue sky of the Millenium Vale made Castelia feel small by comparison.

In all honesty, Alya had actually been doing pretty good keeping themselves in check for a while. Granted, their fingers were twisting around each other like lovers who wouldn’t see tomorrow, but other than that, all that gave away their giddiness was the incessant tapping of their boot against the metal floor.

Horrible metaphors aside, the blue-haired researcher was extremely excited to get off of the truck and back onto the sand– if you couldn’t already tell, that is. Their heart had been beating like crazy, threatening to rip out of their chest at any moment and run into the wilds itself. The only thing stopping them from leaping out of the truck was the potential risk of getting lost and dying of dehydration in the desert, but even that was just a small background thought compared to the cacophony of excited screeching going through their head. If you put your head close enough, you could probably hear a faint whirring noise coming from them as Alya’s entire body buzzed like a bee.

Yet somehow, impossibly even, something even more exciting happened.

A passing shadow overhead turned the sand from a light peach to dark red.

Alya’s eyes widened as the smallest gasp slipped past their lips. It was the first sound they’d made since stepping into the jeep. With the last of their willpower gone and their pride quickly becoming but another quiet thought amongst a million others, Alya finally rolled down the window and poked their head out.

And god, what a sight. The golden bird contrasted beautifully with the brilliant blue of the sky, the majestic beast gliding through the air like a perfect orange cloud. Alya’s eyes trailed it the rest of the trip, the researcher’s body still firmly placed a quarter of the way out the window. It was only when the jeep came to a stuttering halt did Alya tear their gaze away, drifting thoughts becoming laser-focused as they realized the group had finally come to a stop at a tall gate. (Though what isn’t tall when compared to Alya?)

With a start, Alya tugged their body free from the vehicle’s window, just barely managing to not slam the door open as they yanked their bag’s straps over their shoulders. Merriweather practically jumped from the jeep, kicking up a puff of sand as their boots slammed down. The blue-haired spelunker froze at this, pausing to wave away the cloud from their face. Alya shook their head free of any remaining sand particles, before shutting the jeep door behind them and running towards the—

Well, almost. A dark-haired man approached them and two others before Alya could get anywhere. “Hey,” he started. “You guys are the rest of the A-team, right? Why don’t we get introduced, yeah? I’m uh… Blake. Blake Kamea, archeologist, 22 years old and I’ve some Pokemon to boot. If you have any language questions, ask away, although it’s a bit… specific.”

Alya tilted their head, looking mighty unimpressed with the sluggish giant. He’d just interrupted them right as they were about to run into the cool sand city after all, and no one interrupted Alya. Still, if they were going to be working with this guy, there was no reason to not be cordial. Plus, he gained some bonus points for being an archeologist, although his good rep definitely tapered off for being both taller and younger than them.

“Alya Merriweather,” they said first, breaking the silence. “26 and a geochemist. A pleasure to meet you, Blake.”

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Burkhardt​

Location: Across the sands to Menva -> Menva
Interactions: Blake ( Gary Sue ), Alya ( AreSneksSly ), Alistair ( smolfluffball )
Mentions: -
Paperface
Pokemon:
Amme the Audino
Fálank the Falinks
‘Ili Pakalua the Pyukumuku
Ziege the Skiddo

It was great, being on a desert-based exploration once again. The soon-to-be doctor had made sure to get everything he needed stuffed in his backpack before the trip, even having some damp rags on standby. To say he was excited was an understatement. He always loved exploring and getting to know people and culture as they explored. As he sat in the back of a covered Jeep, he watched the Pokemon run with their little convoy. He had sat near the opening, holding on to a beam for the roll cage so he could watch the little Sandshrew and Rockruff run towards them and Diglett swim through the sand like a Sharpedo’s fin in water.

As the curious Pokemon got closer, he held out his hand and got the more brave rocky pup to sniff his hand before the roar of the engine scared them off. Looking back towards the front of the jeep with a confused furrow of his brow, the man carefully walked towards the front and looked out the window of the flapping cover that shielded the back of the passenger Jeep from the sand and sun. There was a large dune they had to get over.

Then they’ll be at Menva.

He can just taste it. Well, he can taste the adventure, he didn’t want to be tasting any sand now.

He can feel two of his Pokeballs jittering and shaking in supposed excitement as the man’s brown eyes glinted with wonderment at how close his new adventure was going to start.

For as long as Raphael could remember, the wonder of trudging through sand and finding new ruins always intrigued him. But what interested him more were the people he’d be working alongside. He wanted to get to know them, what made them tick, if it were possible to be friends later- after all, he is their doctor. He is supposed to take care of them and while he could just do the bare minimum, he didn’t want to do that. That wasn’t a good doctor. That was a shitty one who didn’t care about his patients mental well-being and only cared for their physical health. No, he’ll be doing what he can to make sure they were all alright, even if it meant at his own expense.

At this point, if he came off as a doting mother (and maybe something as a helicopter mom), he didn’t care. Well, he would if it started to degrade his likability and friendship with the others but that was besides the- Oh, a shadow?

His train of thought of what he was going to be doing had been interrupted when there was a large shadow that covered over them. Peeking out of the Jeep’s back, he saw the majestic bird that it was. It eclipsed the sun and he swore it looked like a Pidgeot (well, with what he could see through the blinding rays of the sun), but he didn’t recall one ever having this long of feathers. A Talonflame? No, those weren’t that big. It was too bright to be a Corviknight either.

The vehicles crested over the dune and the shift in orientation had Raphael holding on for dear life. The bird flew away and towards Menva. Whatever it was, it was fast. As he got a better look as the rays weren’t fighting his eyes, he saw the majestic thing in full. A Mega Pidgeot. How beautiful.

His stare was interrupted as he noticed the tower it circled and its perch was a wall that bordered Menva. His eyes widened and he slipped back into the Jeep, wanting to get ready for when his new team will be revealed.

As the vehicles parked, he peeked outside to see Hippowdon lazing around, and people, Machoke, and Machamp hiding in the shade. Everyone looked tired however. Was it the heat? It likely was. Or maybe it was their lunch. Noticing that people had already hopped off and began converging, he was just about to leave his Jeep when a white light flashed behind him. He looked to see his Skiddo, jumping with excitement. She bleated and jumped out of the back before Raphael had time to rein her in. Sighing, he knew that the goat would come back eventually.

Stepping out and walking to his new crew, he surveyed them all. One had brown hair and looked like the heat was affecting him rather quickly. Another had blue hair and they seemed to be rather impatient. Fixing his glasses further on his face (which aided as a pair of safety glasses to prevent sand from getting in… which helps all of two out of ten times), he introduced himself with quite a huge grin plastered on his face. He wore his usual items when going out exploring in the desert and goggles resting around his neck, paired with a decently sized bag upon his back.

“Hello, Blake and Alya. The name’s Raphael Burkhardt, twenty-six, and a soon-to-be doctor. I’ll be your field medic as this will be my sixth desert exploration and my tenth overall. Nice to be of service to you all.” He then moved his attention to Blake. “You okay there? You don’t see-AGH!”

The Skiddo who had occupied herself with the sleeping Hippowdon ran back to her trainer and got in the way as soon as he was about to take a step near Blake, tripping over her fluffy, grassy back and landing into the sand face-first.

Guess he did start eating sand after all.

He groaned and got up, brushing off the sand from his front, spitting out any sand that got in his mouth, and wiping some from his face before putting his glasses back on. “Ziege….” He said in exasperation, his Skiddo bleating in what sounded like laughter. With a simple hand movement, her PokeBall was procured and she was sent back inside, the goat’s protested bleatings ended in silence and Raphael put away the ball. “Sorry about that. Now where was I? Oh, right, Blake. Here.” He pulled out a rag from within his backpack’s pocket that was cool and damp. “Wear it like a scarf and it should help your heat issue. It’s good for about thirty to forty-five minutes. Maybe twenty-five in this heat.” He then looked to Alya. “You want one, too?” He offered, his hand already going into his backpack to offer. He would give their mystery fourth member one if he so needed it, as well. “Though, time is of the essence, it would be faster if we talked and walked at the same time.”

 

[smolfluffball]

The Weather Boy
Location: Outside of the sandstone wall with the trio of strangers, being watched by the bird, I'm sure.
Interactions: Paperface The Bird Gary Sue Clipped One AreSneksSly Blue Shortie and Merciless Medic Glasses Dude.
Mentions: Everyone. Even the bird.
Mood: No longer brooding.
Weather: Harsh Sunlight.

It’s going to get run over, Alistair thought, watching the small Rockruff approach the rolling tire. A spray of sand hit the rock puppy in the snout and it darted away, startled, or maybe offended. Alistair’s eyes followed after it and he saw it paw at its nose, then heard a quiet whimper next to him.

He recognized it as a concern from Nimbus. He kept his eyes trained ahead, choosing to focus on the golden sandy hills all over everywhere instead of giving Nimbus any proof that he was feeling less than spectacular. His bright blue, usually clear, but currently clouded, eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses he’d purchased before getting onto the plane, which had been a smart decision Popsicle made for him. His penguin Pokemon had caused quite a scene at the airport, since everyone in Lumiose positively adored Eiscue’s, thanks entirely to the increasingly annoying Strathmore clothing line. He’d had to drag Popsicle, and himself, into a bathroom to wait out the frenzy. And he almost missed his plane because of it.

No, it wasn’t a surprise reveal for a new line of clothes. No, it wasn’t a publicity attempt. No, it wasn’t a celebrity putting on a random photoshoot. No, no one was filming a music video, although Alistair could recall at least fourteen different musicians using his parents' own Eiscue’s in their videos to promote the clothes they were wearing in them. No, it wasn’t anything relating to the Strathmore clothing line, although Alistair really regretted that he was related to them. Popsicle hated it, too, because he’d had to be returned to his ball in order for Alistair to escape the bathroom and board the plane before it took off. He’d been so late getting onto it. The flight attendants gave him the dirtiest frowns he’d ever seen before. He’d apologized to them profusely.

It was so ridiculous. Of course people in a Lumiose airport would freak out because of a single Pokemon. His parents clothing line was stupidly popular, and he did know that, but he didn’t think he’d have to hide from people who kept bombarding him with questions and following him and Popsicle everywhere, trying to snap pictures. Because, oh, it’s you! Aren’t you a model? Can you pose for us? How about a smile, handsome? It was bad enough his parents' photographers always flashed so many pictures of him, even when he really did not want them to. He despised having random strangers recognize him and snag awful pictures of him, all because they recognized him from a collection of online photos and his poor Pokemon from that obvious square logo one could find anywhere they looked.

The life of the model son of celebrity fashion designers. The life of the future heir. This trip had to be fun and distracting enough, or else he’d tear out all of his hair and scratch up his face so he was no longer recognizable. Maybe a drastic measure to take, but he was rather desperate, at this point. If he was unattractive and horrible to look at then maybe his parents wouldn’t want him to take over their clothing line anymore.

Alistair kept his sigh contained and crunched his body up so he could rest his chin against the edge of the window, ignoring how the hot metal felt against his skin. He wouldn’t really do that. Rip out his hair and destroy his face. It’d hurt and he’d make his Pokemon even more worried for him than they already were.

Nimbus, as if to prove this point, floated in front of Alistair’s face and cooed to him. She was in her sunny form, bright orange and yellow, matching the dunes that really were everywhere. Popsicle was still in his ball, resting and, tragically, hidden away, out of fear of being recognized once more. Alistair’s other Pokemon were also contained in their balls, napping, most likely, before they and their trainer reached their destination.

The sun was draining him completely and making the sand waver. Alistair dragged his eyes up to glance at it, scorching and radiating everything with a slew of visible light and infrared waves and microwaves and ultraviolet waves above them. It was about as hot as he expected it’d be, for a desert, and he was not entirely prepared for all of it. He wished he could let out Popsicle, or that he had maybe worn a tank-top instead of just a light blue t-shirt and beige shorts, but he couldn’t risk anything. He’d decided, long before he even got on the plane, that he would not bring any tank-tops. He’d suffer the heat. He’d be fine in light colors and fabrics that breathed and the bucket hat he hated the shape and design of and lots of sunscreen. He had an ice-type and Nimbus knew some moves that’d also help keep him cool. He just had to get to shade and douse himself in water or freeze his sweat with icy wind.

The sand was relatively uninteresting to observe, save for the wonderment of what might lie beneath the ancient particles and all the shifting and sliding it must have done over the years. Alistair turned his head and rested his cheek on the edge of the window, deciding to observe the people in the vehicle with him. Before he could take in everyone’s different features, save for that one with the blue-hair, a large shadow fell over the car. He, just like everyone else in the vehicle, poked his head out of the window to look up at it.

A giant, glorious, stunning bird colored in brilliant sparkling golds and yellows and hints of blue and white flew above the vehicle, keeping them company on their quick trip over the dune to the front gates. Alistair urged the bird to take his glum mood away from him when it flew off, and he watched, in awe, as it spiraled up, as if dancing, before landing on the sandstone wall surrounding the city. He inhaled softly and exhaled gently, feeling a new lightness in his chest that had not been there prior to seeing the golden bird.

Thank you for helping me, he silently told the majestic Pokemon, although he suspected the bird was simply a very large Pidgeot. It was amazing enough to distract him from his sourness and remind him that, yes, he was actually excited about this adventure, even if it had started out so poorly. He was in a completely new place. He could start over. It’d be wonderful.

Nimbus cooed again and pressed her misty head against his own. He gave her a small smile and grabbed his bag and the hat he hated, then put both on. He had to pull his legs up to avoid being trampled over when the petite blue-haired one escaped the vehicle in a rush and watched as the door was almost slammed closed. He saw the other guy with glasses near his Pokemon, a cute little Skiddo, and saw the grass goat scamper off. Glasses Dude didn’t seem that bothered, since all he did was sigh, and he left the vehicle in much less a rush than the other two people.

Realizing he was the last person to get out, Alistair quickly crawled out of the vehicle, ducking his head to avoid whacking it against anything. He flinched against the light and brought a hand up to shield his eyes, but let out a laugh when Nimbus moved in front of the sun to try to block it for him. It worked, somewhat.

“Thanks, Nim,” he told her, his gaze drifting over to the trio gathered in front of the gate. “At least one of us came prepared,” he mumbled, noticing all of the items Glasses Dude had on his body. His eyes flicked to the other members of the trio and he studied them briefly.

The Blue Shortie was so short. Alistair couldn’t remember the last time he ever saw someone so tiny. In elementary school, maybe. The other guy, the Clipped One, looked like an average joe, basically. Brown hair. Kind of dull. Glasses Dude also seemed kind of dull, appearance wise. Alistair lifted his own faded pink hair and studied the ends of it, thinking he maybe looked kind of dull, or like he wasn’t interested in fashion in the slightest. The faded pastel pink hair, the stupid white and black spotted bucket hat, the light blue shirt with holes at the bottom, and the plain beige shorts. It was such a pathetic look that really did not suit him.

Of course, the faded and disheveled appearance was mostly to keep him undesirable to look at. A messy person was no fun to look at, his parents always reminded him. The sunglasses he was currently wearing and the glasses he normally wore were not to help improve his vision in the slightest. He had heard, once when he was younger, that a hero used glasses to hide his true appearance. Alistair had adopted that, and so far it had seemed to work, mostly. Except at the airport, surrounded by everyone who had their phones out, capturing him at his worst.

He shook his head. He was not going to remind himself of that. He had people to meet.

As he approached the trio, he saw the Skiddo that had run off come back and knock over its trainer. Glasses Dude fell into the sand, sputtering then quickly clambering back up, looking like a complete fool. Alistair couldn’t help but laugh at the scene, but he quickly changed his laugh into a very fake cough as he approached the group.

“Thanks for kicking up all that sand,” he teased, waving his hand in front of his face. “Anyway, putting that wonderful Skiddo related fiasco aside, I’m Alistair.” He waved the hand he had been using to bat away the ‘dust’ at the trio, smiling brightly. “Last to arrive, so I guess I’m late to the introductions party. No one tell me your names. I’ll figure them out later. I already have nice nicknames for all of you.” He pointed to Nimbus, who was hiding behind his shoulder. “This is Nimbus. She helps me with my job. This isn't her default form.”

He glanced at the wall, then he looked at the people and Pokemon idling around. The heat was probably draining them too. Having to stand guard outside of a city in the blistering heat couldn’t be very cooling. He glanced up at the sun again and tried to ignore the sweat already beading down his neck. “Did the letters say if anyone would come out to get us or do we have to go in there by ourselves?”

 

[Paperface]

City of Menva - 17:48​

The convoy arrived at Menva under the watchful eye of the majestic bird perching. The Pokemon had secured its position atop the settlement’s gate – sharp talons digging into the old sandstone. It had been playing the role of a passive onlooker as it carefully preened its feather. At least until the roar of the convoy’s engines attracted its attention. Once the engines turned off, the piercing gaze of the large Pokemon began scanning the convoy with intent. It was waiting for the passengers to leave the vehicles. It refused to divert its gaze for more than a few moments at a time and only continued preening its feathers. Priorities. However, when the first passengers approached the gate and entered Menva, it became clear the bird had little interest in any of those passengers. Its gaze focused on a few specific ones. The small group that’d gathered around to introduce themselves to each other.

While the group occupied themselves with introductions, two more individuals emerged from the convoy. The first was a soldier-looking man who’d been the convoy’s leading driver. He wore beige camo pants, a similarly colored jacket, and heavy black boots. Then, a more educated type sporting round glasses and casual clothes more fitting for a vacation than an expedition. They exchanged a few unheard words before walking toward the group. The soldier passed the gathering by to approach the bird atop the gate instead. Reaching into his bag, he produced some food scraps, which he tossed up at the Pokemon. The bird caught the food scraps in its beak and seemed to appreciate the gesture. At the same time, the more educated type took a moment to gather himself. He pushed up his glasses after a deep breath and produced a small notebook which he nervously read aloud. The tone of his voice appeared uneasy, and the words sounded foreign but far from fluent. After struggling through a few poorly constructed sentences, he sighed. Then, he pushed up his slipping glasses again and tried an English approach instead. “You don’t happen to speak English? I’m Rowdy. Rowdy Strato, Valley Windworks Researcher.”

He awkwardly held out his hand for someone to shake it before continuing. “I’m looking for the doctor in charge of the current dig site surrounding… ‘Taefan Heruset’?” While Rowdy waited patiently – and awkwardly – with a mixture of desperation and uneasiness on his face, the soldier finished treating the feathered gatekeeper. He called out some demanding words in a foreign language, which were received with visible annoyance by the people and worker Pokemon alike. They’d been more than content resting in the shade of Menva’s wall. However, appreciated or not, the words compelled those addressed to return to work. Their reluctance was tangible in the air, but the unloading of the convoy’s cargo began all the same. A combination of Machoke and Machamp occupied themselves by lifting the goods of the vehicles while the people secured said goods onto the back of previously sunbathing Hippowdon.

Satisfied with the activity returning to the area around the convoy, the soldier joined the conversing group. However, not for a pleasant conversation, by the look on his face. He interrupted the conversation by spewing more foreign words with a mild annoyance in his tone. From his body language – and the way he was pointing aggressively towards the gate – he seemed to want the group to leave the area for an unknown reason. In all likelihood, they were in the way of the workers.

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Mentioned: Gary Sue Merciless Medic smolfluffball AreSneksSly
Interactions: -

 

[Gary Sue]

As everybody introduced themselves, Blake could only see one light at the end of this three-way tunnel, and that was definitely the doctor, Raphael. Accepting the scarf from him with a curt nod, he turned to look at Alya and Alistair, with not too much excitement to spare. One felt like they were glaring daggers at him, while the other simply felt... "What does he feel like..? Cocky? Arrogant? No... I-Ignorant..? Something about the high and mighty act and that flamboyant look is just a bit overbearing... Oh, that's what I was loo-", his inner monologue got interrupted as he heard a foreign language spoken in a nervous tone, turning to Rowdy to raise an eyebrow and smile somewhat. Everybody else probably heard little more than gibberish, and although he wasn't too good with it, Blake could tell.

He was about to respond in the very same language, starting his sentence before getting cut off by the English repeat. "Ah yeah, everybody here speaks English.", he laughed lowly and shook the scrawny man's hand, tilting his head somewhat before turning to look at the rest. With his eyes pinned on the soon-to-be doctor, he gestured him towards Rowdy with his head, hearing some barking from further away and getting distracted. He observed everybody getting to work, noticing that whoever was bossing them around was headed right their way too. Although he wanted to frown, he kept a small smile on his face and watched the soldier approach, starting to give them orders too and speaking with a stern tone.

Although Raphael's remedy for the head was working wonders, he was certain everybody else must have been very worn out by said heat a while now. So he couldn't do much but nod, and say something to the soldier before he turned to the group and now Rowdy. "He wants us to go inside the gate or help- let's move in. We'll have to pack some supplies, right?", he tried to get everyone moving, not to take on the role of a leader but to move away from what seemed like a headache of a person, this... guard? Captain? He knew little, and cared even less. His job was to go to that dig site all four, now five of them were here for. And as everybody began to move towards the gate, Blake made sure to stay on the front so he could take care of any conversations that were necessary.

For no particular reason, he had the slightest idea that the others would struggle to speak in any language that's not English- specifically the local ones to this region, at least. But that did make him puff out his chest rather proudly. He was happy to know he could provide to the group something nobody else really could, after all. It's nice to not get ahead of himself though, he felt like already, he was just off to a good start with Raphael and noone else. Although blue had put everything on the table, maybe he could start up a small conversation while Rowdy and doc stayed busy. "Hey, Alistair? Name's Blake by the way, but... what's your job again? Raphael's a doctor and Alya said she's a chemist- no... geochemist..?"

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Mentioned: Merciless Medic smolfluffball AreSneksSly Paperface
Interactions: Rowdy & Soldier, Alya, Alistair, Raphael

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