Fandom Pokémon Rebirth Pt.1- IC [Closed]

[Noivian]

A sudden pressure on Skye's chest immediately jerked her from her sleep. Her eyes shot open and she gasped, winded. Cirrus immediately nuzzled his face into her cheek, revealing himself to be the weight keeping Skye from fully drawing a breath. Coughing, she sat up, causing the Eevee to topple into her lap. "Cirrus," she gasped, "Do you have to do this every morning?"

Cirrus just smiled back cheekily. "How else am I supposed to wake you up? You'd sleep 'til noon if I let you." Though to Skye, it just sounded like idle chatter from the small Pokémon.

Pangaea picked his head up off the floor, the Grotle having been disturbed from where he'd been sunning the miniature trees in the morning light. "You're gonna break one of her ribs one day," he grumbled to Cirrus. "You won't be able to get away with it when you evolve."

"You mean if I evolve," Cirrus shot back. Pangaea merely snorted in disbelief and laid his head back down on the ground.

Skye giggled, watching the two bicker. She may not know what they were saying, but she knew Pangaea's scolding when she heard it. "That's enough, you two. We should get ready for the day." Standing from her bed, the first thing Skye did was check the budding berries in Pangaea's miniature trees. They were coming along fine, if she had to guess, but were nowhere near close enough to being able to be eaten. She let the grass-type sit there for a bit, moving to her bags to pick out a new set of clothes.

But she didn't quite make it that far, as she noticed a piece of paper on the floor by her door. Curious, she went over to it and sat down before it, picking it up and looking it over. Initially, the thing just seemed like a map they'd give to tourists, but a flip over to the backside revealed that it was anything but an ordinary map. There were words written there, and as she peered over the handwriting, her brow creased in confusion. "Where did this come from...?" she questioned quietly aloud.

"What did you get?" Cirrus asked, bounding up onto her shoulder to get a better view.

"Look, see? It says, 'Stones have been known to move in the Vale. These need persuasion. An affinity to stones, but never to be rock.' I wonder what that means..." The two of them tilted their head to the same side in unison. "And why does it specify stones but not general rocks? Does it mean evolutionary stones, perhaps?" Flipping the map back over, she looked around the landmarks more carefully. To her surprise, there was a dark circle near the middle of the map that she'd nearly missed. "What was the geologist's name again? Hugo?" Skye asked, looking to Cirrus, who then shrugged. "I'll need to ask him about stones specific to this region..." Standing from where she'd been sitting on the floor, Skye folded the map and moved to put it in her bag.

Pouring water from the supplied jug into the small water basin she'd been given with her room in the inn, Skye laid out her selected clothes for the day- typical researcher khakis and a long sleeved cotton shirt- and proceeded to use the supplied washcloth to wipe herself down, if only to remove the layer of dust and sand that had built up on the trip here. It was a futile effort, as stepping outside would surely return all that grime onto her skin, but for the moment it made her feel cleaner. Dressing, she returned Pangaea to his Pokéball, and sorted out her pack. She wouldn't need all the survival gear she'd brought with her on her first day in, so in the end she simply brought along a smaller canvas backpack to hold some emergency items - potions, granola bars, a couple cups of Pokémon food, and a couple bottles of water, along with the mystery map, a pen, and her notebook from the day before. Cirrus hopped up onto her shoulder, and with that she was off.

Moving from the upstairs to the downstairs bar area, she quickly glanced around to see who was there. Part of her wanted to purchase a meal from the bar, but the other part of her was a bit too excited to see the city sights, the center, or perhaps explore the bazaar a bit. There was certainly bound to be local cuisine and other fruits or vegetables native to the area for her to snack on later. Instead, she took to a table, pulled out one of her water bottles, and waited for the people who'd expressed interest in joining her today to wake up and come downstairs.

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Interactions: Nobody

 

[welian]

Hugo woke up with a violent crash – in the night, he had Starmie’d across the bed, and as the sun rose, he had eventually fallen off the edge, his drool-soaked pillow falling down with him. The garbled and disoriented noises he made were not entirely human, perhaps more suitable to a tranquilized Wooloo than anything else. Squiggles was not pleased with the cold desert night and had gone into her Pokeball at some point after Hugo had fallen asleep.

Brisket, however…

The hyperactive Rolycoly was currently doing loop-de-loops around the room, using its wheel-like foot to simply run straight up the walls like a ten-year old boy who has just been given his first Pokemon… or a lot of candy. Not that Hugo knew what that was like, he was completely innocent, and Mrs. Bellwether had no reason to put him in detention.

"DESERT DESERT DESERT SAND SAND SAND ROCKS COAL ROCKS COAL SAND DESERT FAST WHEEEE!!!"

“Eeeurgh…” The graduate student picked himself off the floor and stretched, lifting one foot just in time to be run over by Brisket.

Hugo fell a second time, less loudly, but with a few more distinct four-letter words.

 

[Zahzi]

Jarid had been out of the Inn for hours at this point.....It was unclear when he actually woke up....Or if he slept at all. Hmm, perhaps this may help explain his demeanor. Regardless of poor sleep habits formed from a horrible upbringing, he found himself at the city center, looking from building to building for the best vantage point this city had to offer. Why was an engineer looking for a tall place? Well, wouldn't you like to know?

"This entire city is just one arid annoyance." he droned, so far finding no luck with his search. He had been here for twelve hours and still had yet to find the employer for this hopeless expedition. Blunder one. So far his opinion of this city sat on a fairly low pedestal- though, for Jarid, that's just about everything.

And while Jarid may have been annoyed with his surroundings, a certain Durant watched from his perch upon Jarid's shoulder with a not-so-subtle air of seething rage for everyone walking by. Who did they think they were, having the AUDACITY to exist on the same physical plain as him. The fukkin' NERVE of these ingrates.

"Remember our deal, Dremel. You don't START any fights, and you will be rewarded appropriately." Jarid muttered as he took out a small journal, jotting down some notes inside.Circles with an 'X' crossing several out. Building prospects?

 

[DevylCakes]

Mornings were very easy to handle for Anai'is. They were not easy for Archie. Sitting up with a book, the archaeologist listened to his Arcanine whine about the injustices of staying inside their pokeball during the entire trip to Menva. For a pokemon entirely unused to being in their pokeball, this was a very big deal. For Anai'is, of whom had already made a deal with the Arcanine to get him to accept the traveling conditions, this was merely an annoyance.

"I already made the deal with you that I would buy you as many treats as you want while on this trip. I bought you a case of your favorite treats before we left." Anai'is interjected before the pokemon could begin howling his dissonance, setting his book down to look at the pacing pokemon whose nose seem to always be in the air.

"It was awful in the ball-I didn't know where we could possibly be. You didn't even get the right color for my bed and the accommodations here are ghastly!" Archie grumbled further, inciting another argument that Anai'is had no way of leaving. Perhaps Hugo could tame the creature? Was his brother even awake at this point? Getting up from the bed, the Archaeologist crossed to his Arcanine and cupped its muzzle with his hands gently, fingers stroke through its coat as he moved them up to its ears.

"I promise to make it up to you... Now, shall we go see Hugo? You love Hugo, no? Squiggles is also he-" The Arcanine cut in immediately with what sounded like a heavy sigh, something that had Anai'is quietly chuckling to himself. His pokemon did not appreciate getting doused with water but he did enjoy being around the rock loving simpleton named Hugo. The Arcanine supposed he could deal with the odd pokemon just to get attention from Anai'is' brother. Accepting the situation-for now-Archibald moved to the door and waited for Anai'is to open it so they could make their way down.

Minutes later, Anai'is stood before Hugo's room with Archie waiting impatiently beside him. He ignored the pokemon for now to knock politely, expression already shifting to something more friendly and pleased given he would be spending the day with his brother-a very joyous occasion in his mind.

"Hugo? Have you finally woken up? Archie wishes to say hello."

 

[Paperface]

City of Menva, (Unnamed) City Streets – 6:40​

During the early hours of the day, Menva would share a likeness to the ruin it had been built around. Cold, and lifeless. The pale sandstone and wooden support structures could not make the place lively as its citizens could. Without them to serve as the proverbial paint, Menva was little more than a blank canvas capturing nothing but moonlight upon its faded cloth. Yet, the one roaming the streets during these hours was not doing so for sightseeing anyway.

The street Jarid had taken an interest in was deserted and void of open areas. Simply residential buildings on both sides of the dust-covered pavement. The lingering quiet suggesting he truly was the only one conscious in the area. For the time being. Soon the people of Menva would wake up. After all, morning had come. The light of the rising sun forcing the darkness to flee for another day. Only the stretching shadows on the ground remaining. In the new light, certain things revealed themselves. The details on the pavement, cracks in the sandstone... A wooden ladder propped up against the side of a wall that had previously used the darkness to remain unseen.


Mentioned: Zahzi
Interactions: -
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City of Menva, Hollow Sands Inn – 6:40​

Despite the outer walls of the Inn having been built from stone, the inner materials were not as... soundproof. Sizeable or heavy Pokemon making the wood creak or distinct four-letter words would not go unnoticed by the people already downstairs. Namely, the barkeeper. Who'd been busy cleaning the bar and doing the mandatory prep work before the sounds – once again – made him look up at the ceiling with daggers shooting from his eyes. Surprisingly accurate daggers as he knew the building well enough to pinpoint every maddening sound.

Pulling his eyes away from the ceiling, he glanced over to the girl who'd just come from the upper floor. Waiting for her to take a seat so he could vent his frustrations at someone else than his Dusclops for once. But, instead of barraging an early-morning guest with an unpleasant conversation, he begrudgingly returned to tending the bar instead. The professional thing to do. “Tourists,” he muttered under his breath, voice steeped in irritation.


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Mentioned: Noivian DevylCakes welian
Interactions: -

 

[Zahzi]

Jarid looked up at the ladder in front of him and gave an affirming grunt. He reached to his shoulder and plucked Dremel off before placing him on a crate nearby. He them prodded one finger against the Durant's head to keep its attention locked on him.
"Focus. Find a high place and remember every detail from that spot. I need all the information I need to make effective equipment in this shithole. Got it?"
After a few obviously crude remarks that TOS will not allow to be translated later, Dremel would turn around and climb up an adjacent wall elsewhere while Jarid took to the ladder and ascended higher. He would take the ladder if he needed to for a better view...Though from where he was, it seemed to have its own stairs. Maddening architecture be damned...

This must have been an old sentry tower they had built around when they started this city on the ruins. Probably just as rickety as everything else...Regardless, he had a job to do here. After a few more minutes to finish his ascent, he finally made his way to the top floor and took a moment to look at his surroundings.
"Peaceful, calm, almost tranquil. This place really is hell." he murmured to himself as he went through his pack and pulling out a pair of binoculars. He went to work scouting both the town and the surrounding landscape, taking pauses to jot more notes into his book before returning to his 'sightseeing'.

"....Sandstone only goes out a click before its all dunes...Wheels would be a horrible choice....Treads, maybe....They'd need proper teeth at this rate to scale that amount of sand without damage...Minimal shading, so an open-top is right out. Though that means it can be bulkier if need be...Not too much in case its needed in a cave, though...No sign of any volatile neighbors yet...Still, can't be too careful. Movement under the sand- Ambush tactics, or defense strategy. Too early to tell. Probably just let one of the Hostages waltz out and find out the answer. They'll survive....Probably."

---

As ordered, Dremel had been making his way around the city, keeping an eye out for the usual things Jarid would need to know about. It was convenient to be able to climb structures upside down. Less chance of people noticing him that way. So far, it was a crapshoot of poor infrastructure and questionable pluming that were at the top of observation. Once the city became more alive, he might get to see more interesting things...

 

[welian]

Hugo laid on the floor and sighed to himself, counting to backwards from ten while breathing deeply. It was a new dawn, a new day, and if he was feeling particularly philosophical, a new life.

But mostly, it was just a new day, and he had obligations to meet.

“Come in!” Hugo called out to his stepbrother, in acceptance and defeat. “And good morning, Archie. You're looking particularly fluffy today."

The geologist looked up at his visitors from where he was laying on the floor, his hands serenely folded over his chest as his blanket (half on the bed and half tangled around him) illustrated his descent.

Brisket was now bouncing on the bed, doing somersaults and flips in the air, not getting much height but clearly enjoying getting his excess energy out.

“So, like… Yeah.” Hugo waved his hand lazily about the room. “As you can tell, I’m not exactly ready. Or dressed. Or anything. I know you want to hang out and catch up and stuff, but like… do you think you can buy me some time? I don’t want to stand up Skye, you know?”

Meanwhile, Brisket paused, and looked at Archie with his single red eye. It would be creepy, if it weren't for the fact that, well... It was Brisket.

"WHEN I'M AS ANCIENT AS YOU ARE I'M GONNA BREATHE FIRE!!!"

 

[DevylCakes]

The Arcanine practically preened underneath Hugo's compliment. Its nose lifted into the air, giving off the proud spoiled look far too well. Anai'is sighed fondly, eyes tracking the pokemon as it waltzed across the room as if it owned it. Closing the door behind him, the archaeologist walked over to the bed to look down at his brother, his arms rising to cross over his chest.

"Good morning, Hugo." Anai'is greeted with an expression of confusion. It didn't last very long as Brisket went about their circus routine on the bed. "Brisket," he greeted the pokemon, lips tugging into that soft fond smile that seemed to only be reserved for his family. Archie sat down beside Hugo, fully expecting to be pet and praised more. Of course, that was before Brisket's little "outburst."

"How dare you! I am not ancient-I am experienced." The Arcanine huffed in annoyance, expression clearly displeased with having been called old. Lifting his nose to the air, the snobbish pokemon turned its head away from the other, clearing giving it the cold shoulder.

Anai'is laughed and leaned forward to pet his pokemon in an attempt to soothe its bristled fur down. "Yes, I will meet with her while you get dressed. Don't take too long though, Hugo. It'd be a shame if we missed all of the fun happening at the bazaar." The archaeologist teased, reaching out a hand to help his sibling get off the ground before he left the room.

Closing the door behind him, Anai'is moved to the open area downstairs and caught sight of Skye already waiting. How pleasant to know that someone else was an early riser. Approaching the woman, the archaeologist nodded politely in greeting and sat down. "Good morning, Sky. Hugo will be down shortly. I trust your morning has been well?" He added politely, though he was already moving to pull his small notebook out to prepare going over what they'd need for their little adventure.

 

[Noivian]

Skye's attention turned upwards at the sound of movement upstairs - a few particularly loud thuds and similarly loud voices. She glanced in the direction of the bartender, who clearly looked like he wanted to talk but didn't want to bother her, and had half a mind to move over to the bar to strike up conversation... that was, if she didn't spy Anai'is sitting down at her table from the corner of her eye. "Good morning. My morning was good, as per usual," she nodded in greeting. "You wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the commotion upstairs, would you?"

Cirrus hopped down from Skye's shoulder onto the table, and patted her arm with his paw a few times. "Don't forget the map! Show them the map!"

She frowned, looking at Cirrus' expectant and serious face, and tilted her head at him quizzically. It took her a few seconds longer that she'd like to decipher what he was saying. "Ah! Right. I received an odd message in my room last night while I was asleep. Once Hugo joins us, I figured we could look over it together?"

 

[Paperface]

City of Menva, (Unnamed) City Streets - 6:55
​

Peaceful, calm, almost tranquil. The words of the metal-clad man had been accurate on his part as he investigated the outskirts of Menva. Dremel, however, while searching the streets, would soon describe them differently. While the sun was slowly rising, the shadows clung to objects. Desperate to keep the area shrouded. It was exactly that fading shroud that hid a projectile from sight until it was already on a collision course. A spark of light in the shade serving as the only – and very late – warning to a stray Pokeball crashing into Dremel's face. Immediately, the ball halted. Unable to do any significant damage to Dremel's steel body before dropping to the ground. A fresh dent in the ball from the impact. Yet, far from the only one already present on it.

One would assume a trainer had taken an interest in Dremel, but the state of the ball begged to differ. The surface was riddled with dents and scrapes. The button on the front flickering with wild sparks of electricity. Far from being able to still performs its duties as a capturing device. What purpose did this piece of scrap still serve?

The answer came running from the same shade. A small, red-and-grey Pokemon rushing along, searching for something. Laying eyes on the ball its yellow eyes widened momentarily, but quickly narrowed when it spotted Dremel alongside it. Bringing itself to a halt just outside of the shade and revealing itself fully as a Pawniard. The Pokemon held out its bladed arm to the side. Serving as a barrier for a rotund Golett to crash into from behind. Instead of following the same path as the ball by tumbling further forward into Dremel.

Having stopped its friend from crashing into Dremel, the 'thief' of their Pokeball, the Pawniard pointed its blade towards the perceived threat while the Golett regained its balance. Determined to defend its dazed ally and reclaim the Pokeball from the metal ant. However, the shaking of the blade's tip revealed this Pawniard knew it didn't have the strength to back up its bravery.


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Mentioned: -
Interactions: Zahzi (Dremel)

 

[Zahzi]

Dremel had continued on his task, murmuring to itself about- get this - even more violence. Almost like it's a bit now. So far he hadn't found anything close to what Jarid needed. Why the hell was he even bothering with what he wanted? He already found the tallest fuc-

*CLANK*

Dremel stared straight ahead until the ball fell against the ground and rolled for a bit. Once he registered what it was, a rage seemed to seethe within the ant....No, no. Another one. You know, more direct. Less 'I hope your family burns alive', more 'I ALREADY BOUGHT THE KEROSENE AT THE POKEMART' kind. Oh, right....The idea of being trapped in a Pokeball is quite possibly his biggest rage-inducer.

Aaaand the fact it seemed more like a practical joke didn't help. Just made it worse.

Good eye on the Pawniard, though...The sheer animosity in the glowing red eyes of this particular Durant at their very existence at the moment seemed more akin to a horror story than one about cute little monsters. He spared maybe a single glace at the Golette, but not much else.
A violent clicking rapidly came to the forefront of the alley they were in as one leg was set on the ball as he stared down the Red and Gray Pokemon, a glare of menace and hatred burning from the ant.

".....IS THIS YOURS?"​

 

[welian]

It didn’t take Hugo too long to clean up, get dressed and saunter down to the tavern where Skye and Anai’is were waiting – but enough time for them to discuss his rock-eating habits behind his back, should they so have desired.

Once Squiggles and Brisket had been wrangled into their Pokeballs, Hugo sat down with his new colleagues. He wore cheap cargo shorts and an old band t-shirt, looking more like a high schooler than a young professional geologist. To his credit at least, he was wearing good hiking boots, albeit worn and dusty like everything else he owned. The only things missing were a wide-brimmed hat and a fluorescent safety vest… which were probably in his backpack.

“Good morning, I think. It’s still morning, right? What are we looking over, prices?” Hugo stroked his facemask thoughtfully, not unlike an old wizard stroking his beard. “Maybe I’ll find a cool rock to give Dad. A red one. Those go faster, according to Brisket.”

 

[Noivian]

Skye turned to Hugo as he sat down at the table, smiling widely at him. "Ah! Just the man I was waiting for! I need your expertise on something...." Digging into her pack, Skye produced the mysterious map from earlier and laid it out flat on the table, map-side up. "So this is a map of the area, right? It looks pretty standard... but if you look closely, there's a big circle around this bit here..." Skye pointed to the circle west of the upper half of the ravine displayed in the center of the map. She waited for a bit for the two to get their fill looking at the map, and then flipped it over to reveal the handwriting on the back. "'Stones have been known to move in the Vale. These need persuasion. An affinity to stones, but never to be rock. - Z'." She took a moment to look pointedly at Hugo after reading aloud the writing. "I figured you'd be the best stone expert around, though I do find it curious why it specified stones and not rocks. My initial thought was evolutionary stones..."

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Interactions: welian

 

[DevylCakes]

Anai'is regarding Skye with an expression akin to a cat with their cream. He looked fairly mischievous as well as entirely smug. He did know what had happened upstairs and he was all too keen on informing her. Unfortunately, Archie had decided that he required attention at that moment instead. The pokemon's large head dropped onto his lap and shoved against his stomach, pushing against vital organs in a way that wasn't necessarily painful but was uncomfortable.

"I can't believe I have to remind you of something so simple as feeding me. I require sustenance and you are clearly lacking in your duties of providing for me." The pokemon huffed and grunted, the noises more like whining than anything else. Regardless of that, Anai'is knew what the creature wanted. Maybe.

"Pardon me, this one is rather high maintenance." He spoke, expression polite though tone fondly frustrated. Reaching into his bag, the man removed a treat for his pokemon and held it out, ignoring the way Archie licked any and all residue-free from his hands after gobbling it down. How uncouth.

Before Archie could demand anything further, Hugo finally appeared. "That would be the source of the commotion upstairs," Anai'is answered finally, lips tugging into a much warmer smile now that his brother had appeared. Realizing that he wouldn't be getting anything further now that the archaeologist had turned onto what he considered as 'work mode,' the pokemon slumped down until he was laying by their feet-entirely in everyone's way should they attempt to get up and leave.

Watching as Skye laid out the map, Anai'is leaned in eagerly to review it. "This is rather fascinating... Did you purchase the map like this or did you find it?" The man inquired, eyes shifting between Hugo and Skye most curiously. "Out of anyone to know about rocks, you're right. Hugo certainly would have the best expertise in this area. I can't possibly fathom what they mean... Unless the stones themselves are a type of pokemon or a pokemon is causing the stones to move due to migration...?" He suggested though it was more so for him to think aloud more than anything.

 

[Paperface]

City of Menva, (Unnamed) City Streets - 7:00
​

The raw intimidation factor was enough for the Pawniard to momentarily dismiss its offensive stance. Lowering its shaking blade as the words of the opposing Pokemon lingered in its mind. If there was any doubt metal could change color, the proof was the paleness of the Pawniard's face. It took a familiar voice to snap the fear-stricken Pokemon back to reality.

“Stein?” the Golett murmured with a mechanical undertone to its voice. Its voice was cold and monotone, but within it was the key that released the Pawniard's mental shackles. Broken free, the Pawniard brought up its blade once more. The tip catching a few rays of sunlight as the Pokemon slashed the air in front of it. “It is ours!”

“Stein..”

The Pawniard glanced back at its partner. Sharing a gaze of reassurance before returning its gaze to the opposing threat. More confident now than mere moments before. “Hand it over! That Pokeball!”

“Please.” the Golett added, foolishly pleaded to the non-existent kindness in the murder-ant's heart. Though, the low soulless tone of its plea was likely less than convincing.

“Goff! Shut it!” the Pawniard retorted hastily, jabbing its blade a few times into Dremel's general direction in hopes of getting the point across, “It's the enemy! Don't you remember? Lady Zakhe said we're knights now!”

“Our Lady..”

“Yes, our Lady!” The Pawniard and Golett, Stein and Goff respectively, continued their rather one-sided conversation for a few moments before Stein quickly returned its gaze to Dremel. “Stop distracting me Goff, he's still there you know?” Regaining its composure, and raising its blade at the Durant for the third time, the Pawniard addressed Dremel once more. “Hand it over! That Pokeball!”


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Mentioned: -
Interactions: Zahzi

 

[Zahzi]

It would appear that either the second or third time the Pawniard turned to face the menacing ant, both he and his precious ball would have disappeared into a cloud of dust and sand. It seemed like too much for his size to have fled, and while living off of spite alone, it would be doubtful he'd take the ball with him.

...A Sand Attack, perhaps, or...

----

Meanwhile, finding all he needed, Jarid had begun making his way back down the ladder and back toward the Inn, mulling over his notes. If someone were listening, he was mumbling about now to acquire all the parts and materials.

He seemed to be avoiding crime-based avenues....For now, at least.

 

[Noivian]

Skye shook her head at Anai'is's question. "I didn't purchase a map, nor is that my handwriting," she stated, taking a moment to pull out her journal to show them a sample of her handwriting. "I just woke up this morning and it was on my floor. I assume someone slipped it under the door at night? It certainly wasn't there when I went to bed..." She frowned and crossed her arms, tilting her head back to stare up at the ceiling contemplatively. "A Pokemon migration that moves stones...? Hmm... I don't know what Pokemon are native to the region, but if they're moving stones supposedly without touching them, it might be using magnetic or psychic forces... Magnemite, Beldum... Abra..." She hummed and shook her head, looking back down to the map. "There's too many to list, if it's Pokemon-based. We'd need to take a survey of the Pokemon in the area first."

Meanwhile, Cirrus poked his head off the side of the table to look down at the dejected Arcanine. "It's okay, don't worry! Skye and I haven't eaten either, and I know she never forgets to feed me. If he does forget, I'll save you some extras."

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Interactions: DevylCakes welian

 

[DevylCakes]

Now isn't that peculiar? Anai'is tipped his head slightly to the side as his mind pieced together what was going on. A mysterious map with secretive hints and details. Could it be a tourism ploy? Perhaps even a trap...? Or was someone seeking assistance via riddles and puzzles? Glancing back down at the map, the archaeologist felt a desire to explore, his mind coming up with a plethora of ideas that they could tackle this mystery before realizing that perhaps they shouldn't tackle it.

"A mysterious map suddenly appearing in your room... It's certainly odd," the man hummed as he leaned back to regard the entire table. "The words could be either helpful or detrimental... I don't think we should be splitting up until we know whether this mysterious benefactor is truly on our side." He suggested, not in an attempt to be the leader of their project-no. Anai'is just didn't want anything to happen to them while in a foreign place while acting as representatives for an excursion. Success requires safety and the archaeologist would not sacrifice that.

"I was planning on going to the bazaar, but perhaps we should start somewhere closer? We could go to the city center and let Hugo warm up his brain and think through the words on your new map while we survey pokemon and the people here." Anai'is suggested, hand reaching down to rub against Archie's ears in order to distract him from getting another treat so soon. Of course, the man didn't need to do that given Skye's pokemon had piqued the Arcanine's interest.

"How very kind of you... Apologies for not greeting you, you're so small that I didn't notice you until now. My name is Archibald Dukeus Bartholomew Augustine Lucienne Baniti-Mousa the First." The Arcanine lifted his nose proudly and very pretentiously as he greeted the other pokemon. Leaving Anai'is hand, he sat up fully, posture straight and demeanor all too prim. Poor Cirrus had no idea what they had just gotten themselves into.

 

[welian]

His expertise. She wanted his expertise specifically, because rocks. Eat your heart out Anai’is, finally, the geologist got to be the cool kid! Sort of. Hugo would have been more excited, had he not been yawning and rubbing his eyes.

“An affinity to stone but… not rock? So… like, what, a ground type Pokemon? And they… need persuasion to move?” He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. Talking to rocks sounded like a typical Tuesday morning to him, so if it was literal persuasion, that wasn’t going to be an issue.

“… It could be a sliding stone,” the sleepyhead added after some thought. “You put a little ice under a boulder, and it just kinda goes… woosh. You know?” Hugo held up his fist and made a fwooshing noise, pantomiming what he thought was a perfectly acceptable illustration of a sailing stone.

“The only problem with that explanation is that it’s… erm, boring, I guess? Nobody would go through the effort to put a mysterious note under Skye’s door over some frictionless rocks in the desert, that we could read about in the tourist brochures. Not that moving stones aren’t cool, I’m not a class traitor like that, but, like… you know?”

Hugo sat up.

“…. I wanna see it. I've got my bag. Let's go."

 

[Paperface]

City of Menva, (Unnamed) City Streets – 7:06
​

Upon raising its blade, the Pawniard realized the full extent of the danger they were in. Trying to explain the situation to his rather slow ally had allowed the opposition to disappear in a cloud of now settling dust. Worse yet, as the curtain of sand particles fell, the Durant and their precious Pokeball had disappeared from the scene. However, this wasn't an opponent that would flee, Stein knew that from the moment they ran into one another. “Goff!” the Pawniard cried with a hint of desperation, whipping around to face his ally, “where did the enemy go?!”

Despite the panicked question, Goff seemed in no rush to answer. Its glowing eyes staring up at one of the buildings. Seemingly fascinated with something on the roof.

“Goff! What are you-”

“Our Lady.. decided..” the automaton Pokemon interjected before Stein could finish another desperate cry. Instead, Stein remaining in silent shock as Goff locked its arms around the Pawniard's body. Keeping his ally close so they could both be shielded by a single move. The light emanating from Goff's body grew more intense as it produced a translucent, light-green bubble around them. Without knowing their opponent's current location, there was no way to counter an attack. Shielding themselves from the upcoming blow was the only viable strategy.

Mentioned: -
Interactions: Zahzi (Dremel)
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City of Menva, “City Center” - 7:06
​

Menva had always been at its busiest during the early hours of the morning. When the sunlight was working hard chasing away the shadows of the night, but not yet intense enough to rapidly warm up the land. Yet, these hours were short and you'd only need to stay here a couple of days to realize all the physically intense work should be done during this time. Setting up the bazaar's stalls was one such example, but the materials needed to study the ancient center of Menva would not be left outside during the night. Thus, between the scientific community, religious locals, and gatherings of tourist folk, there was a crowd comparable to Menva's bazaar surrounding the building.

From a distance, the people blocked sight to most of the building's lower half. Yet, it easily towered over the crowd with its total height. Walls of smooth rock angled slightly inwards served as the outline of the building. Each corner was decorated with a pillar. Adding depth to the otherwise flat structure. The front wall of the structure had three openings close to either of the front pillars, perfectly spaced between each other, but with a large area in the middle separating the left openings from the right ones. Atop this sizable base stood another similarly shaped structure. Smaller in size and serving as the base for the large dome at the very top. Looking out over the city and its citizens. As if monitoring all that had been built around its ancient being.

Among those being observed by the stone dome, standing near the edge of the crowd, was Asif. Dressed in his usual, cultural attire as a means to attract outlanders to his presence. The adornments on his clothing chiming softly with each of his gestures as he stood in conversation with one such person. A man of similar age, yet far from similar in appearance. Dark hair, and an equally dark beard and most importantly wearing a suit of sorts. Presumably, this gentleman was here for business purposes. Earning himself the attention of Asif. If only to test the man's intentions, or rather, the depth of his pockets.

“If you... insist on heading into the desert, I can... assist. Help you find what you're searching for. But only if I know what it is you search, and only for the right... currency... no, payment.” Asif managed to get through his explanation unscathed, yet business propositions were one of the few moments he wished outlanders could just – for once – speak the local language.

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Mentioned: -
Interactions: Foster

 

[Zahzi]

As the dust cleared, it was clear the ant was gone. And in his place was a hole that had been dug below the two, and the rumbling around them would make it impossible to miss what he was doing, his aim to cause as much damage as possible to the pair that had annoyed him enough to warrant his wrath....Okay, you know what? That's honestly not that hard to do, so perhaps we should root for the two unfortunate idiots that walked into his line of sight? Maybe some thoughts and prayers..? No? Well, worth a shot anyway...

An attack didn't seem to come immediately. The ground around them seemed to move as the angered insect burrowed under them at an alarming speed. Whether or not it was on purpose, a pile of crates near the two tipped toward them. Would it fall? Would it even be worth noting? Regardless of the crate's end, his impact would finally come afterward as Dremel shot out of the sand, mandibles at the ready for a throat to catch..!

- - -

Jarid stopped as he heard a familiar voice. Well, perhaps familiar wasn't the right word. A uh, 'recent addition to the plethora of annoying voices he had ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT would be the reason for all his headaches'. An optimistic approach to be sure.

Jarid looked over to Asif from a distance. Without any doubt he'd notice him soon. His attire made it impossible to blend in, after all. Until then, he would get a better read into who he was trying to scam this time. A tourist like the rest of them. That suit wouldn't last long in this environment...A definite tourist.

"Listen to his words with a handful of salt. He rambles on and on and expects others to cover his tabs." he finally muttered, coming closer to see what they were up to.

 

[Foster]

The Vale was, Allister had decided, notable even amongst the many arid climates his occupation had brought him to in the past. Menva’s city center was a testament to that, as was the man who stood before him, kitted out in the cultural attire of these lands and apparently more than willing to provide him with the assistance he needed here. For the right price of course.

“Payment won’t be an issue my friend.” Allister replied to the man, his smile a flash of white beaming from the dark of his beard. As he spoke, he reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out a credit card, deftly twirling it around in his fingers before holding it up to Asif’s face so he could inspect it. “I assume you take card? If not, I’ll simply make a withdrawal if you can point me to the nearest cashpoint.”

The heat here was pretty overbearing and it wasn’t for the first time since his arrival that Allister longed to get Yvenyal out of her pokeball so he could cool down in her frosty aura. But alas, letting an 8’10” prehistoric monster out for a walk in a bustling city center was neither practical nor advisable. He’d rather keep the locals on his good side for as long as possible. Starting a snowstorm in their desert home wasn’t going to endear him to anybody.

With no snow dinosaur to cool off the Galarian native he’d taken to standing in the shade where possible, allowing the shadow cast by the nearby stone dome to shelter him as he continued his conversation. He’d already had a few odd glances about his suit, but his attire was, despite appearances, tactfully chosen. The cream cotton that the outfit was comprised of was both lightweight and remarkably well performing in the heat, and the hat atop his head protected him from the worst of the sun’s efforts. But it served another purpose, it marked Allister out as an outsider, and presumably one with disposable income at his, ah…disposal. Asif had clearly gotten that idea from the man, hence how their interaction had come about.

“As for my quarry…”

Allister paused as he returned the credit card to his pocket for a moment, rummaging around until he found what he was looking for, a neatly folded up square of paper that upon being opened up was revealed to be satellite imaging of the Vale. Vast areas of the Vale were highlighted in yellow, with various figures displayed down the side of the map that had no apparent function to the average onlooker.

“One of Devon corps’ satellites has revealed this area to be awash in mega stone energy. My boss takes a particularly keen interest in these sorts of things, so I’ve been sent here to track down the source.”

After making sure that Asif had plenty of time to look at the image Allister returned it back to his pocket, where it nestled beside the credit card he’d revealed earlier. That card was staying right there until Asif provided proof he had the facilities to use it, but showing the man that he had money was hopefully more than enough to get him moving them down the right track.

“I’m not sure how familiar you are with mega evolution, or the stones that cause them, but under normal circumstances these incredible little rocks fall to earth in the form of meteors. It’s been tricky for our science teams to get a handle on just how long these stones have been here from satellite readings but we’re guessing upwards of 500 years, minimum. With humans being as we are, temples and ruins seem like a good place to start.”

As the Devon agents explanation came to an end the approach of a particularly grizzled individual caught his eye. Allister couldn’t help but think he was being a little over cautious in that get up, but as he drew closer it became apparent he was actually walking directly towards them muttering something as he got near.

“Friend of yours?” Allister queried, jabbing a thumb towards the approaching man.

 

[Noivian]

"That's a long name!" Cirrus responded with a slight laugh in his voice. "My name's Cirrus. It's nice to meet you, Mr. First." The conversation was cut short, however, as Skye stood and folded the map back up, slipping it into her pack.

"Alright, then it's settled! We're going to the city center first." While the researcher was indeed excited to see a historical monument and compare notes from what she'd learned last night to what could be learned today, she had to admit that there was a twinge of regret in the pit of her stomach. That, and a small rumble of hunger. Skye clearly had banked on going into the bazaar first, and a quick glance to Cirrus' lopsided smile showed that he too was feeling the consequences of her decision. She reached over to give him a light pet, silently trying to imbue the idea that she'd get him something extra tasty later. But business came first.

Picking up her pack, Cirrus hopped up onto her shoulder, and the two of them led the small group outside, towards the city center.



Upon arriving in the area, Skye concluded that the building was absolutely massive. An impressive feat for ancient peoples to pull off. Certainly they had employed the assistance of Pokemon in the construction. And while Skye may not know much about architecture or ancient culture, it wasn't hard to conclude that this building was a religious center, especially given the information she'd learned last night. The researcher took out her notepad, skimming over her notes briefly, before looking up towards the dome again.

Scanning the crowd, it wasn't hard to pick out a certain familiar face. The man they'd arrived with last night... what was his name? Had he ever introduced himself? Regardless, he seemed to be talking to the local from last night - Asif, if Skye remembered correctly - and some new, suit-wearing man. Forgetting the fact that she was currently in the company of two other people, Skye moved as if in a daze over to their conversation, only catching the tail end of what was being said.

"Sorry, did you say stones?"

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Interactions: welian DevylCakes
Mentions: Foster Zahzi Paperface

 

[welian]

Hugo was looking forward to the ruins, of course, but he did promise to go to the bazaar with Skye, and that was also exciting! Long hours outside sorting gravel, long hours inside examining the shape of sand under a microscope… a bit of shopping would be welcome. He bounced along with Skye and Anai’is, happy to be outside, up until the point that he very much was no longer happy – that was the point at which, down the street, he saw two men from last night, the terrifying one and the lying one. There was the third man too, the one talking about stones.

A myriad of expressions passed Hugo’s face as his brows knitted together. Fear of Jarid, annoyance with Asif, and a gleeful interest in Allistair-whose-name-Hugo-did-not-know-yet-but-makes-narration-more-convenient. His facemask made it difficult to read his entire face, but anyone with eyeballs could see he was conflicted.

Ultimately, once a rock-eater, always a rock-eater.

“Did you say meteor? Hey, maybe Professor Palmer will let me stay long enough to watch the Perseids!”

To study a rock from space… the thrill sent a chill up his spine!

 

[DevylCakes]

A long name was something to covet in Archie's eyes. It brought forth a sense of pride... And, of course, pedigree. So as soon as the small Pokemon mentioned that his name was long, the Arcanine immediately began to preen. Puffing his chest out, raising his snout, the pompous beast was all but ready to brag to Cirrus about his lineage, talents, and skills. What skills he might have would be completely unknown as their counterparts stood from the table to begin their search through town.

It was rather irksome, but Archie would ensure that Anai'is paid for his untimely decisions (more than likely through treats and grooming than anything else). Giving a loud huff, the creature followed beside the man, hulking form all too intimidating when paired with the archaeologist's frigid demeanor.

Now that work was involved, in the archaeologist's mind at least, Anai'is was not going to waste time. Expression serious, eyes sharp, and posture primly stiff-the man cut a rather imposing figure all on his own that screamed that he was untouchable. Well, to anyone without skill that was. Listening to Hugo and Skye converse, primarily Hugo with his vast knowledge of rocks, Anai'is kept his eyes on their environment. He was looking for anything that might stand out or perhaps even give them a better clue.

Jarid was the first person Anai'is noticed, though it was nigh impossible not to see the man. It was also apparently too hard to avoid him as well given how Sky gravitated towards him, the local from last night, and a random stranger. This was most certainly not in their plans but Anai'is couldn't say anything given that this wasn't an actual work project he was the leader of. Unfortunate, but perhaps the man they met from last night might be able to provide them with information regarding the stones. Following them, Anai'is places his hand on Archie's shoulders as a signal for the Pokemon to remain close as he approached.

"It seems that fate has decided that we meet again. It is pleasant to meet you again, Asif." He greeted, expression easing into something more sociable once more. "Apologies for my party and I sneaking into your discussion, but could you perhaps provide us with more information? I'm sure our Geologist here would find the topic most fascinating and, perhaps, he could offer some assistance?"