The Tree Grove: Home of the Mother Tree (POKEMON RP ONLY)

[Raves]

The trio of pokemon were getting not very far at all. The few residents of the Grove they had inquired on the whereabouts of this alleged Sage clearly had no idea what the Primeape was on about, and they were just about to pester a pair of Marill when something clattered to the ground before them.

"Whuh?" exclaimed the Snorunt as she hopped back a couple of feet from the sudden landing, before getting back to her feet. "The hell was that?"

The Pig Monkey mercifully hadn't been paying much attention, and merely snorted in mild annoyance before glancing down at the object. "Mrhm, lookin' like a bit of rock. Minior if I were to guess."

"You recognise that so easily? Perhaps your control of your rage is improving," Bracken chirped as Kandji roughly grabbed the bit of rock, examining it here and there to the ice pokemon's chagrin.

"Slight twinge of deep blue flecks on the inside, probably indigo core. It's got a couple days or so before it starts burning out."

"Since when did the fuzzball study geology?"

Kandji huffed. "Meteor showers often kept me entertained in the copse. Some of those rocks turned out to be Minior, you get a half decent convo out of them before the Grimmsnarl come waltzing down to feast on them," the fighting pokemon grumbled as he peered around aimlessly. "Any sign where the little blighter landed?"

Firn scoffed. "What. You get distracted too easy, mon. I thought we were looking for this sage you allege lives here. Stay. On. Track."

"I seem to have heard a crash over that way," the Finizen piped into the debate, waving his fin towards a slowly growing number of pokemon. "You have a thought someone there knows of this sage?"

"Yup."

"And the bit of shell is the bargaining chip?"

"Yup."

"You do realise they're probably just visiting too?"

"Yup. They've been places, they likely know a bit more about this sage."

"Well, we'd best mosey on over then, shall we? Why not, it means if our perpetually pissed primate does pop off I don't have to throw myself at him," Firn shrugged, as much as a living cone could at the very least. With a roll of the eyes the larger of the three began to make their way to the group of pokemon nearby where the Finizen had pointed them towards, trying not to look intimidating in any way, shape or form, which wasn't exactly easy for a species well known for having two moods: angry, and fucking angry. Just behind them the two others kept a slight distance, the dolphin waving his flipper nonthreateningly to the group of small pokemon.

[Missingno. Master]

!!!!! gave a hearty laugh as the Salazzle mentioned likewise being able to speak to Pokémon. "Well, I'd hope you do!" she grinned. Before anything more could be said, however, Chase's crash landing could be heard far and wide, and Elle and !!!!!'s reactions couldn't have been more different if they tried. While Elle was immediately on edge, concerned about what the hell had just happened, !!!!! hadn't so much as flinched. She idly looked in the direction of the impact. "Hm. Guess he had a good breakfast this morning." She then looked back at the Salazzle, noting the genuine expression of surprise. "Chase," the Tinkaton explained idly. "Remember that Minior I was talking to earlier? Teammate of mine, that was him doing a crash landing. Likes to do that to blow off excess energy, long as he's got room to work with. Doesn't hurt him, either, but nine times out of ten his shell breaks apart on impact. Hmm..." Following this was a moment's thoughtful silence, after which the Tinkaton got back up, slinging her comically oversized hammer over her shoulder once again. "Y'know what, last time he did a crash landing, he damn near lost half his shell, and Minior can't live without their shells. Like, he's not in immediate danger, but if he don't get it put back together in a few days, it, uh, it ain't gonna go well," she frowned. "Hey, Elle- any chance I could get your help on this, just in case?" she added, trying to sound casual as she asked this of the Salazzle, but Elle would likely detect that hint of genuine concern in the Tinkaton's voice.

~~~~~

"I see," Andromeda responded. "That is fair. A teammate of mine is somewhat like that himself- Observe prefers to, well, observe, only stepping in to say something when he believes it's necessary." And then came the crash, and similarly to the reactions of Elle and !!!!!, the more concerned reaction came from the one who didn't know Chase the Minior. Andromeda went over to look on at the situation as well. "I'll bet anything that was Chase," she stated. "Another of my teammates- a Minior. He enjoys the occasional crash landing. He's actually quite careful to not hurt anyone with this, either- the only real issue is if he loses part of his shell in the landing. And even then, only if it's not found within a few days. My teammates are... an interesting bunch," she stated, her core taking on a momentary warm yellow glow, indicating that she wouldn't want them any other way.

~~~~~

"Oh I'm very much OK or at least for the time being the crash itself didn't hurt it was so much FUN!" Chase exclaimed in response to the concerned Clefairy. "The only thing is part of my shell I can't find it and it's not such a problem right now but if a few days go by and it's still missing I might die and that's not great so I'm trying to see if I can get some help in finding it and that's where these guys might come in maybe I'm hoping!" he added, indicating the Morgrem and Floragato, as well as their reluctant Riolu companion.

The Minior then noticed more Pokémon approaching. "Hiiii! Helloooo!" he called over to them. "I really picked a good place to crash land if this many new friends are to be found and- DID YOU FIND MY MISSING PIECE OF SHELL?!" he exclaimed suddenly, rotating with unbridled glee and dizzying rapidity in equal measures as he noticed the chunk of rock the Primeape was holding. "Is that a piece of my shell and if it is can you please give it back to me momentarily right now yesterday???" he pleaded.

[ShadowDRGN]

“Wha-” Elle sputters, eyes wide in shock as !!!!! laughs at her. She turns to the Tinkaton with offense pouring from her brow, and shaking her head she corrects her, “no, no, I do believe there’s been a horrible misunderstanding. I’m referring to being able to speak to humans, dear.”

Tempting as it is to ask if the Fairy-type found her brain in the same scrapyard she found her hammer, that distant crash currently has their attention gripped tightly. !!!!! explains about Chase and his habit of making quick acquaintances with the ground, and Elle’s face relaxes as she realizes that it’s nothing serious—to her, anyways.

“Oh, well. I’m sure someone else will sort it all out,” the Salazzle states as though it were certainty, and returns to lounging atop the sunlit leaf. That’s what she has teammates here for, naturally, and being near the entrance there’s bound to be someone caught up in this mess already. No, why put in the effort to be nice when wide-eyed rookies whose trainers hammered altruism into every fiber of their being are a dime-a-dozen in these parts? She could stay here, soak up the sun, catch a few admirers...

A stray glance is all it takes for her daydream to shatter all over the floor. Tinkaton stands before her, hammer slung haphazardly over her shoulder, with face and voice radiating concern for the hyperactive Minior. Elle sighs, rings of violet smoke rising from her nostrils as she moves to the edge of her seat and gets up wearily.

“Very well. If you want my help, then we’ll search around this area. Debris from an impact like that can fly quite far, you know,” she says, begrudgingly following behind !!!!!. She keeps her arms crossed, her eyes peeled, and her head filled with happy thoughts to drown out the urge to turn the Tinkaton into a pile of slag and roast pixie dust.

---------------

“I see. So no immediate cause for concern, then,” Knoll says, nodding sagely. That’s good, though in a way it’s also a bit boring. For a second, he thought maybe there’d be a little action to break up the pace today.

Even so, he won’t say no to a little more R&R. Folding his oversized hands behind his slender head, he lets out a sigh and watches Andromeda as she talks about her teammates. The significance of that amber glow isn’t lost on him, nor are the words causing that glow...

“My teammates are certainly... unconventional, as well. We were all hand-picked by our Trainer due to our species possessing rare or useful talents, and we’ve known each-other for over ten years, at this point. It’s hard to spend that much time with someone and not know all their little quirks,” he explains, smirking faintly. Love them or hate them, he couldn’t deny that they made his days interesting, indeed.

“Like now, for instance. Elle is most likely trying to weasel her way out of doing any actual work, and Mercury is probably throwing himself at that Minior to make sure everyone’s alright...”

---------------

Okay, good. Everyone’s alright... ish. Mercury glances between a screaming Milanor and the two middle stages flanking him with a mixture of curiosity and concern. If that’s a scream of joy, then he shudders to imagine what hellish noise the silver Riolu would unleash if upset...

“Uh, nice to meet you three,” he says with a bow, finding himself on the backfoot now as he stares down at the freshly-picked rose in Floragato’s hand. Oh, he’s getting vibes from this guy, for sure.

Delicately plucking the flower, he brings it up to his nose and imbibes that all-too-familiar fragrance, “my name’s Mercury, and thank you! Roses are my favorite,” he says, affixing the flower to his ear for safekeeping. Charming fella, he’ll admit that.

Turning to the others gathered around Chase, he nods to Firn, Kandji and Bracken as they appear with a shard of the Minior’s shell already in-hand. The Rock-type’s boundlessly hasty speech are hard for his ears to decipher, but he has some experience with the species from their time laying low in Alola. He knows that leaving this unattended to would be a poor idea.

“Hey, Chase?” Mercury grimaces deeply, “I dunno if you noticed, but you have more pieces missing than just that,” the Clefairy says, pointing toward more cracks and holes in Minior’s shell. He hadn’t seen the impact itself, but he can imagine pieces of shell being flung all over the grotto with how hard Chase hit the ground.

Turning to the rest of the group, the fairy takes a deep breath and puffs up his chest, trying to appear more leader-like, “how about we split up and help him look for the rest of the pieces? Pairs of two will cover the most ground, and there are eight of us here, so...” he trails off, glancing expectantly towards the two groups of Pokemon.

Knoll and Elle don’t seem to be coming to check on this, so it seems it’s up to him to direct this urgent easter egg hunt himself.

[Lil'twick]

"Oh, well that is a lovely name indeed! I'm quite glad you are fond of roses too, sweet Mercury," Florian flirts a bit with the Clefairy, giving a wink. "Roses can mean many things depending on their colors. That red rose can mean love or courage, but for you, I give you for your darling appearance ~"

"Florian you don't need to flirt with every man you meet," Floss tells the Galarian Cat with an over-it tone.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of flirtation, deary. Besides, it's important the lighten the mood! If we can't have a little fun while helping these starlings out, then what's the point?" he pouts, giving the shiny Morgrem kitty eyes.

"Heh, fine, whatever," the Morgrem lets out a shrug with a small chuckle.

Though, just as the Floragato was about to reply, the sound of footsteps stopped him. The smell of slightly singed grass wafted through the air, and the huffing of a Pokemon soon followed. A bright white rabbit soon emerged into the clearing, before stopping to catch his breath. The Floragato looked at the Pokemon with surprise, then a distasteful annoyance. The Riolu then started to squirm again, with Floss seeming not to care.

"W-wait... a...minute..." the Scorbunny huffs out.

"Bazal, great," the Floragato rolls his eyes. He thought his little kidnapping would be in the clear.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the rabbit shot back at the cat, a look of annoyance on his face. "Mil and I were going to hang out today, and when I woke up he was gone!"

"Well, we invited him out here with an offer he couldn't refuse!~" The cat tried to play it down.

"Yeah, mopey Mil needed some fresh air," Floss agreed with his cohort. "Though, as you can see Bazal, there's a bit of a problem.

The Morgrem then flicks his hair towards the exposed Minior. The Scorbunny gives a determined nod and is soon filled in on the situation by Floss. Florian, looking annoyed, starts to fiddle with his yo-yo as the entire ordeal was ruined. Oh was he looking forward to getting that Riolu out of his shell all day? Now, all of that planning was ruined! How miserable.

"Fine, Mil comes with me," the Scorbunny states. Floss nods, not seeing the point in arguing, and the Riolu runs over next to the Scorbunny without a word.

"Mercury, darling, why don't the two of us and Chase work together as a trio? There is nine of us now," the Floragato smugly suggests to the Clefairy, giving Floss a peculiar gaze.

The Morgrem responds and heads over to the trio of Pokemon who'd been watching this from the sidelines. Combing his silver hair with his hands, he inspects all three before shrugging. Eh, he didn't care either way. He knew the plan now was to split so they could watch the Riolu and Scorbunny. Maybe messing with them both would turn out to be a bit more fun.

"Heh, I'm Floss. Nice to meet you three. Send me with whoever you like."

[Missingno. Master]

(Note- this post is being made under the impression that some of the people that were previously involved with this storyline are no longer so. If it turns out my impression on the matter is mistaken, by all means, please let me know and I will be happy to adjust my post accordingly. Thank you.)

Chase gave an audible gasp at the notion that even more pieces of his shell might be missing than he previously thought. "Sweet Speed Forme Deoxys I think you might be right this isn't good what am I gonna do what-"

"Chase, take it easy," came the soothing yet firm tone of his Starmie teammate, as indeed Andromeda came floating over. "As long as we find the big pieces, you know you can organically fill in the cracks in time."

"Oh yes yes of course how silly of me haha I didn't think about that of course I'm just in a bit of a PANIC! right now because I'm on a timer but that would do it I'm sure-"

"Indeed," Andromeda said dryly, cutting across her teammate's babbling. "Ah, !!!!!, there you are," she added, noting the approaching Tinkaton. "Have you come to help look for Chase's shell?"

The Tinkaton nodded. "Figured that's what happened," she chuckled. "My new friend and I are here to- what the fu-" she spluttered, for as she turned to look at the Salazzle she thought was following her, said Salazzle was nowhere to be seen. "Dang, I had a feeling she ain't wanted to help, but sheesh!" she declared, albeit with an amused grin. "Anyways, she's a Salazzle named Elle, and I swear to Magearna she's real."

"No, no, I... I believe you," Andromeda murmured. "I myself was conversing with a nice Inteleon named Knoll until a few minutes ago, and I... couldn't tell you where he went. For that matter," she added, looking around. "There were more Pokémon gathered here, including a Clefairy and a Primeape, who had found- well, found that fragment of Chase's shell," she finished, gesturing with an appendage to the chunk of Minior shell now sitting on the ground.

"Dang," frowned !!!!!. "Odd time for so many Pokémon to just up and vanish. Hope everything's alright with 'em."

"As do I," agreed Andromeda.

"I hope so too they all seem so nice even the ones I didn't meet because well I don't have a reason I just have a feeling they're all nice and- PIECE OF MY SHELL!" Chase exclaimed suddenly, flying in rapid circles around the dropped chunk of his shell. "OK OK that's most of the big chunks but I'm sure there's at least three of the smaller ones left plus like a million tiny shards but that's OK if we don't find all of those because I'm able to naturally regrow the shell but at a very very very very slow pace and I mean slow even by all y'all's standards because slow for me is like kinda quick for you guys don't think I never noticed that I noticed that I notice a lot of things-"

"...so that's Chase, as I'm sure you've surmised by this point," Andromeda stated, addressing the Shiny Morgrem. "I am Andromeda, and this is our teammate !!!!!."

"Howdy," grinned the Tinkaton, comically oversized hammer slung over her shoulder like it was nothing. "So I guess the three of us'll be searching together, then?"

"WAIT there isn't Mercury anymore to make a trio with me and Florian should we not think about reworking the teams maybe somewhat a little bit entirely?!?!!?!" exclaimed Chase.

"There's an odd number of Pokémon involved in any case," Andromeda pointed out. "I-"

"now are ya sure about that, andromeda?"

"...fish paste," the Starmie exhaled, not even turning to face the newcomer, for indeed, there came an Alolan Sandslash from around a corner where he could not possibly have been hiding beforehand without having been spotted. "What are you doing here, Sans?"

"oh, y'know, just... chilling," grinned the Alolan Sandslash, eliciting a high-pitched giggling from Chase and a hearty laugh from !!!!!.

Andromeda merely sighed, her core flashing a dull, unamused grey. "If you're quite done with the jokes, Sans, we have a bit of a crisis on our hands. We need to find the missing chunks of Chase's shell, they went missing on impact."

"i gotcha," Sans nodded. "i'll help you guys to... chase 'em down." Another round of laughter from Andromeda's teammates followed this.

"Yes, well, perhaps we can go in pairs now after all," said Andromeda.

"Great idea!" grinned !!!!!. "Riolu and Scorbunny, sorry, don't know your names, but you're clearly good by yourselves, yeah? Chase, you're with... Florian, right?" she asked the Floragato. "Andromeda, you can go with Sa-"

"!!!!!, I swear to Kyogre, if you make me go with Sans I will feed your hammer to a pack of Aron," Andromeda seethed, her core flashing a violent fiery orange.

"Aww, you wanna stick with your ol' buddy !!!!! instead? Heh, how can I say no to that?" grinned !!!!!, putting an arm around the Starmie who would have been facepalming by this point if she had a face. Or a palm, for that matter. "Well, Floss, guess that just leaves you and Sans, then," she stated. "Sans is good people. Not from our team, but that don't stop him from showing up as he pleases."

"floss, eh? more of a toothbrush guy myself," Sans grinned. "nah, seriously, though, nice to meetcha. name's sans. sans the sandslash. put 'er there, floss," he said, offering a handshake, managing to somehow successfully conceal a fully inflated and ready whoopie cushion in his claws.

[Lil'twick]

Chaos. Everything was chaos. As quickly as most of the Pokemon were here, they left. Gone without a trance. He could only sense the auras flicker and suddenly fade. That whatever happened was something way beyond his understanding. He didn't really know how to process what was going on either. Yet, as quickly as those auras left... one new one came. One that felt odd.

Milanor could feel his sins crawling on his back.

The Riolu shuddered. He needed to get away from here. He needed to run. Now. Yet, he was still trapped. As long as that Floragato was here. As long as that Morgrem was here. Those two were determined to cause chaos. All because it amused them. Nothing more, nothing less. It was just a simple amusement of bored teenage boys.

He then felt a tug and saw the Scorbunny next to him give him a worried look. Was it that obvious that he was experiencing this powerful aura? That things he instead not recall slip back into his mind? The smell of singed feathers... falling on ashen snow. He shook his head. He needed not to live in those distant memories.

The silver Riolu then just gave the rest of the group a nod. He focused on the Minior, and sensed its signature. There were what, three shards left that needed to be found? Well, he'd be able to track one down at the very least. So, grabbing Bazal's hand, he started to run off following the trail of aura.

---

"Oh, boo," Florian pouted. First that charming Clefairy was gone, and now his quarry was as well.

"Guess the rabbit was enough to warp things," he sighed, before looking at the rest of the group.

"I think these teams are workable. Though, I do fear I would be quite unable to contain our friend if he goes haywire. After all, my specialization is information gathering. I am not the best fighter," the Floragato sighs, shaking his head.

"No matter. Floss, I trust you'll be fine with this... character," the Floragato states as he scans the Alolan Sandslash.

"Heh, fine by me," the Morgrem shrugs before looking at the outstretched hand.

"Sorry man, I don't do handshakes," he puts his hands to his side and bows his head slightly, before shaking it "no."

"But, well, hey, let's get this done and over with," the Morgrem snorts before walking off toward the tree itself.

"Tsk, tsk," Florian sighs before outstretching his yo-yo.

"Chase, do you mind if I wrap this around you with Vine Whip? That way, we can get a bird's eye view," the Floragato postulates the Minior. Yes, scanning the entire area. That would work quite nicely... to enjoy the show.

[Missingno. Master]

Sans's arrival did not go unnoticed by anybody. It seldom did. Milanor in particular outright shuddered, the Riolu's massive type advantage doing nothing to mitigate the fact that Sans's presence made him feel supremely uneasy. Thus, when given so much as the slightest opportunity to run off with the Scorbunny, he did just that. Sans watched the pair run off, making no effort to stop them or call them back. If anything was on his mind at the moment, however, he hid it well.

Florian, meanwhile, agreed with the proposed team arrangements, before pointing out that he wouldn't be all that well-equipped for keeping Chase under control. "Oh you don't have to worry I don't go all that haywire hardly ever sometimes maybe if it's Tuesday which I don't think today is ANYWAY if you think I'm bad my friend Liliana she's a Dusknoir she told me stories about a Rotom her previous Trainer has his name is Gadget and he's a lawnmower and he goes 'MOW THE LAWN MOW THE LAWN MOW THE LAWN' which is fun to say but I think I have a bit more self control than that!" the Minior said very fast.

"...contrary to the impression you undoubtedly got just now, my friend is quite correct- I sincerely doubt the need to keep Chase under control will actually arise. When it's a matter of recovering his shell, he can be quite focused on the task at hand," explained Andromeda.

"Yeah, you'll be fine," grinned !!!!!. "C'mon, Drom, let's get a move on, huh?"

"I suppose we'd better," conceded the Starmie, who followed her Tinkaton teammate.

Floss, meanwhile, politely declined the handshake. Sans shrugged, seemingly unfazed by this. "hey, to each his own," the Alolan Sandslash responded. He then followed wordlessly after the Shiny Morgrem, only speaking up moments later. "...so, floss, tell me- your riolu friend, what's his story?"

This just left the Floragato and the Minior, with the former asking if he could hold onto the latter by way of Vine Whip, so as to be able to scan their surroundings from something of a height. "Well to be honest I didn't think Floragato could even learn Vine Whip I mean with that yo-yo you have there I feel like it should be possible let me think I know it's Leafage level 1 Scratch level 1 Tail Whip level 1 Bite level 7 Hone Claws level 10 Magical Leaf level 13 Quick Attack level 15 Seed Bomb level 17 U-turn level 21 Worry Seed level 25 Slash level 28 Energy Ball level 32 Play Rough level 36 and Leaf Storm level 46 yeah yep no Vine Whip unless you get it as an Egg move which I think is only a thing for Chikorita but then in this region who knows because I can actually use Hydro Pump which is not a thing Minior can do and yet I'm a Minior and I can do THIS!" At that point, Chase paused in his monologue to let loose a high-pressure jet of water at a nearby rock, the Minior's Hydro Pump reducing said rock to soggy gravel in seconds. "ANYWAY to get to my point if you say you know Vine Whip I believe you so go ahead and grab hold and I'll fly you up so we can search from the sky in STYLE!"

[Lil'twick]

"Oh, pardon, I more meant it in an action sense than the actual move," Florian states, quite taken aback by the Minior's sudden information dump.

Well, that at least assuaged his fears. While erratic, the meteor had at least a good brain. No, all bright minds had their own little quirks. This was no different. No matter, it was not time to ponder on this anymore. Instead, the Floragato threw his yo-yo out. It wrapped around the Minior, and the Floragato gave it a good tug. It wouldn't snag, that's good.

"Alright Chase, take us up and away," Florian tells the star, gazing off in the direction of the Riolu and Scorbunny.

---

"Heh, well, I don't know honestly," the nasal voice of Floss replies to Sans.

"Dude's always so glum, ya know? Flor and I thought he needed to... enjoy life a little. Spice things up instead of broodin' all the time. Looks like that's happening," the Mogrem continues, telling the Sandslash.

"Still, you seem... different. Not that's a bad thing. Just, I can tell you're a lot more knowledgeable than you're letting on. So, let's cut the crap and find that shard. Considering everyone else just flew off, let's search the ground floor. Sound good?" the Morgrem asks as he heads towards the tree proper.

[Missingno. Master]

Florian was taken aback by Chase's words, up to and including how casually the Indigo Core Minior rattled off Floragato's entire level-up movepool, but comported himself and clarified that he didn't mean literally using Vine Whip, but rather meant it more in the way of kinda imitating the general idea. "Ohhhh, OK, that makes much much much more sense to me, yes, certainly then, go right ahead!" Chase nodded, allowing the Grass-type to wrap his yo-yo around the Minior. And once Florian confirmed that everything was secure and ready to go, Chase gave a nod, and rose up into the air, with surprising gentleness and care. Undoubtedly, based on the Minior's previous movements, Florian might have expected to be suddenly and violently yanked straight upwards, having to just barely cling to the yo-yo as though for dear life... and yet, that was not the case. The Minior was providing a surprisingly smooth and easy ascension into the air, rising until both he and the Floragato had a beautiful Pidove's-eye view of the surrounding area.

~~~~~

Sans listened as Floss explained that he didn't actually know exactly what the Riolu's story was. Just that he was always so glum, and that he, Floss, along with Florian, thought he needed to enjoy life a little bit. The Alolan Sandslash nodded thoughtfully in response to this.

The Shiny Morgrem then went on to say that Sans seemed different. Not necessarily in a bad way- rather, he got the sense that Sans was way more knowledgeable than he was letting on. Sans said nothing to this statement, merely grinning as he tended to do. Once the Shiny Morgrem suggested that they search the ground floor, Sans gave a nod. "sounds like you're barking up the right tree with that idea," he agreed, following right behind Floss. you're pretty perceptive yourself, Sans thought as he observed the Shiny Morgrem in front of him.

~~~~~

"...I'm not saying I dislike puns, !!!!!. I'm not Myrtle or Noxie. Just, Sans goes nuts with them, and he just pops up anywhere he pleases, and just... it grates on my nerves, is all," the Starmie was saying as she and her Tinkaton teammate went on their search.

"...OK, part of what I'm getting from this is Teleport envy, since you yourself told me you don't know the move," !!!!! stated, ignoring the Starmie's indignant spluttering. "Sounds like an overrated move to me, anyways. I dig the journey just as much as the destination, y'know? Hell, it's why I didn't just volunteer to off a Corviknight, make Chase a new shell out of the metal, y'know?"

"Well, that, and the fact that you wouldn't actually murder a Corviknight in the Tree Grove, right?" Andromeda asked. When she got no response to this save for a cheeky grin from her Tinkaton teammate, the Starmie's core flashed red. "...You wouldn't murder a Corviknight here in the Tree Grove, !!!!!, right?" she added, sounding a bit nervous now. At this, !!!!! threw back her head and laughed heartily, continuing to leave Andromeda's increasingly frantic repetitions of the questiion wholly unanswered.

[Lil'twick]

Florian scanned the area, intending to 'locate' the shard. No, he was much more interested in something else. His actual mission. Spying on the rabbit and the jackal. This was all part of a test from his master, to see if the rabbit had what it took. Every starter Pokemon that entered the fold was secretly tested. Some passed with flying colors, but others were... not up for the tasks.

While most specialized in infiltration for information gathering... using the techniques of Kantonian ninjas... Florian took a more Western approach. The likes of Galarian and Kalosian spies. Disguises and schmoozing. He uses his charisma to his advantage and performs subterfuge that way. After all, if everyone thought of you as a friend, then loosening their lips was even easier. So, up, and up and away he went, keeping his sights on the duo he orchestrated being here. He would, after all, scan every so often for the missing core part. Death was a little faux pas.

---

Floss could feel a shiver as he continued to investigate the ground floor of the grove. Whenever that icy stare pierced his back... He could feel it. This Alolan Sandslash was trouble, no doubt about it. That if he ever decided to be serious... No. That would be a terrible idea. After all, he was amiable enough now. Even if they were on a goose chase, that was certainly better than nothing, no?

"You find anything yet?" the Morgrem asks, scanning the dark nooks and crannies. It feels like a chunk of rock wouldn't have flown into here. He had a bad feeling started to creep into his stomach.

---

"So, Mil, you holding up okay?"

The Riolu shook his head. He was too focused on tracking down this aura to respond properly. He wasn't like his evolution. His grip on aura was nowhere near as proficient or potent. He was like a child, often trying to grasp at straws and trying to learn how to walk. It was frustrating, but he made his vow. He would stay like this... for as long as he was alive.

"Not in the mood to talk, huh?"

Once more the Riolu shook his head. He couldn't see the Scorbunny's face, but he could feel the eye roll. With a little "humph" the Scrobunny just bounced along next to the Riolu. It was... interesting, having someone try this hard to be his friend. Most others would give up. So why would those assholes drag him out like this? Why would this rabbit try so hard to be friends with him? he didn't really know.

Yet, he could feel the aura trail go cold, and he opened his eyes. before him was a chunk of rock. This looked like part of Chase's shell. It had the same energy as the Minior, at the very least. He picked it up, surprised at how light it was. He expected a meteor shell to be a lot heavier.

"So, you know how we get back?" Milanor asked the Scorbunny.

"Nope! Was kinda hoping you would be able to... I'm kinda bad with directions, hehe..." Bazal replied, scratching the back of his head with an apologetic look.

"Considering the aura trail wasn't a straight line... uh... Great. This area of the forest is a lot more wooded than the grove proper. I know it's not the direction we're facing now. Let's see if I can... get a grasp of someone's aura," Milanor huffed, trying his best to focus.

Yet, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't grasp anyone.

"You good?" Bazal asked him.

"No... my head hurts. Guess we just gotta walk for now," Milanor sighed, and they started to walk in the direction they had come from.

[Missingno. Master]

Florian's search of the area was thorough, but not directed at the shard- rather, he seemed intent on keeping an eye on the Riolu and Scorbunny. Chase, of course, was oblivious to this, scanning the area himself as well while relying on Florian to keep up. "I don't see it yet do you see it where do you think it went," he murmured, his voice as soft as his words were fast.

~~~~

Sans could see it. That shiver that went down Floss's back with every glance in his direction, whether the Shiny Morgrem could see him looking or not. There were sins of some sort crawling on Floss's back, Sans could tell that much. Enough to warrant a bad time? Well... he was still alive, wasn't he? No, Sans saw no reason at the present moment to antagonize the Morgrem, especially since they were both busy searching for a precious piece of Chase's shell.

"nah, not yet," Sans replied to Floss's question. He too was peering into any opening he could find. "i guess this means this search is off to a... rocky start," the Alolan Sandslash quipped, grinning in a self-satisfied sort of way. "heh. but seriously, dunno if it'd have flown in any of those," he added, nodding to the smaller nooks and crannies Floss was searching. "piece that small wouldn't matter much. it's the big chunks we gotta worry about. anything small enough, chase can make regenerate, fill in the cracks, so to speak. he just can't do it with the big chunks- takes longer, see, and the timer don't tick that long, if ya catch my drift."

~~~~~

"...and furthermore, it would create a whole legal hell for Terri, and she's already not on the greatest of terms with Fizzytopian law enforcement-"

"Oh, for Enamorus's sake," chuckled !!!!!, the Tinkaton shaking her head. "I wouldn't murder a Trainer-owned Corviknight in the Tree Grove in a way that could be traced back to me, alright? You feel better now, Andromeda?"

"Shockingly, no," the Starmie retorted dryly. "There were entirely too many qualifiers in that promise, the last of which I don't trust in the slightest."

"Hey, c'mon, this is what I do," grinned the Tinkaton shamelessly. "You don't think I could cover my tracks if I needed to?"

"Frankly, no," said Andromeda. "You are completely and utterly lacking in any semblance of subtlety."

'Aww, thank you!" smiled !!!!!

"That wasn't a compliment, you blithering-!" began Andromeda hotly, her core glowing a fiery orange. She looked about ready to blast her own teammate with a healthy dose of Firestream, but stopped speaking as she saw the Tinkaton turn her head suddenly. "Is that...?" Andromeda began, turning towards that same direction, and noticing the chunk on the ground before them.

"Heh, sure is!" grinned !!!!!. She walked over and swiped the chunk of Minior shell off the ground. "Chase'll be pleased to see this."

"Indeed," Andromeda sighed in relief. "Now let's get back. Which way is it?"

The Tinkaton turned, giving her Starmie teammate a blank look. "...you don't know either?" she asked.

Andromeda wished very dearly in that moment that Starmie as a species were capable of facepalming.

[Lil'twick]

"Hmm, well, I do have some good news and some bad news. I, personally, have not seen any of your chunks. Yet, two've been located, in addition to the one still with you. My two friends who ran off have found one... while it looks like your two friends who ran off have found another. Oh, but they both are so helplessly lost! But you can see them, yes, within the thicket of the trees. Blue sticks out like a sore thumb," the Floragato chuckles as he gives the Minior a status report.

---

"Dead men tell no tales," the Morgrem suddenly states, looking at Sans.

"And if we don't find this chunk, then that's what Chase'll be, right? Heh, great," a nasal sniffle at the end.

"Doesn't matter how many bits and pieces there are then. Just the parts that makes him... him. Hmm. Nothing would've flown into here then. It looked like the shards all went out into the forest when I saw him land earlier. Wait... You've been acting strangely since you got here. You've been hiding one, haven't you?" the Morgrem turns around, staring the Alolan Sandslash dead in the eyes.

---

Milanor had been struggling to find anyone's aura for a few minutes now, except him and Bazal's, The Riolu looked around, seeing the Scorbunny peering skyward. There was a hint of confusion on the rabbit's face. The jackal held the shard tightly and then stopped.

"What're you looking at?" he asked Bazal with an irritating scowl.

"I think I see... that cat in the sky," he states, awestruck.

"The cat? Florian? In the sky? What are you, cra- oh shit," Milanor starts to chide Bazal while looking up, before stopping dead in his tracks.

"You're right."

"I'm often more right than wrong! No one listens though," the Scorbunny pouts a bit.

"Well, then let's head in that direction then!" Milanro shouts, grabbing Bazal's hand with his free arm, and starts running.

[Missingno. Master]

"Two of them! That's most of them right there oh this is going so swimmingly it almost loops right around to drowningly which I don't think makes sense but it's something I heard !!!!! say once so it could honestly go either way and what did you say ANDROMEDA AND !!!!! ARE LOST WE MUST HELP THEM THEY FOUND A PIECE OF MY SHELL IT'S THE LEAST I CAN DO!" And focusing hard, Chase sent a pulse of rocky energy into the ground below, deftly aiming it around the Floragato. And good thing, too, as once it hit the ground, sharp stone peaks erupted out of it, heading in the direction of the Starmie and Tinkaton.

"WHAT THE F-" began Andromeda as she saw the Stone Edge coming their way.

"Ah, Chase is doing this, isn't he?" grinned !!!!! "You just leave that to me! HYAAAH!" she bellowed, taking a great swing at the oncoming rock peaks, meeting it with a powerful Gigaton Hammer that sent a spray of gravel flying in most directions (thankfully not behind !!!!!, which was where Andromeda currently was).

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!" Chase bellowed from afar. "FOLLOW THE ROCKS THEY WILL MAKE YOU NOT LOST!"

"Welp, you heard the little neck pain," smirked !!!!!. "Let's get a move on, yeah?"

"I... yes, of course," Andromeda replied. "Er... !!!!!? I, um... I must thank you for that just now. I can understand Chase's good intentions, but I cannot help but think you just spared me from taking that Stone Edge core-on."

"Ah, weren't nothing," !!!!! shrugged it off. "Wasn't about to just stand there and let you take it."

"Indeed," Andromeda concurred. "You are a good friend, !!!!!."

The Tinkaton's eyes lit up. "We're friends?" she grinned. "HAH! Yeah, baby, I didn't think you had it in ya to admit it, but you LIKE havin' me around!" She put an arm around the Starmie as she said this, boisterously walking alongside the row of sharp rocks. The Starmie simply sighed. She couldn't decide whether she regretted saying that or not, but had a feeling she didn't regret a damn thing.

~~~~~

Sans chuckled, meeting the Morgrem's gaze unflinchingly. "credit where credit is due, you sure get my sense of humor. only problem is, you're dead wrong- chase is a friend, i wouldn't do that to him, even as a joke," he shrugged. "matter of fact, think i see a chunk right there," he added, pointing a little ways away, where indeed it looked as though a chunk of Minior shell was sitting, nestled in some leaves. In the time it took the Morgrem to turn and look, Sans was already there, picking up the fragment of shell with a satisfied grin.

And then, before he knew it, Sans had put an arm around him. "walk with me, floss," Sans said lightly. "and level with me. you've been acting squirrelier than a skwovet the entire time we've been on this hunt. someone's got himself a guilty conscience if i had to guess. skeleton or two in your closet, no bones about it," he grinned. "the thing about guilt, though... it speaks volumes about someone. sure, it says they've done bad. but it also says there's a glimmer of a good person somewhere in there. maybe more than just a glimmer. nah, it's when there's zero remorse, inside or out, that's what you don't wanna see. or have, for that matter. buddy... if i didn't think there was any hope for you?"

At this point, Sans's grip tensed up, and his eyes went eerily blank. "...You'd be dead where you stand," he finished.

And just as quickly as it came, the moment had passed. Sans's hold on the Morgrem's shoulders was back to relaxed and easygoing, his eyes looked perfectly normal, and you could practically hear the font change in his voice once more. "...and yet, you're not. food for thought, eh, flossy?" he grinned. "getting to my point- you don't gotta tell me what's made that guilt a thing. i ain't fishing for the details. just looking to make sure we're on the same page here, like. y'know what i'm talking about?"

[Lil'twick]

Soon enough, all parties reconvened. The Morgrem with the Alolan Sandslash gave a slight, nervous chuckle, and just nodded his head. The Floragato with the Minior tugged on the Minior to let them down, and the Riolu and Scorbunny had made their way back into the grove. Presumably, the Starmie and the Tinkaton did as well. Once all parties reconvened, each respective party presented their shard to Chase.

"So, is there anything else we need to do, or is he doing to heal on his own?" the Riolu asks, looking a bit disdainfully at the Floragato.

"Well, he presumably should. All of the shards were found. Unless there's something else you failed to inform us of," the Floragato chimes in, shrugging off the Riolu's.

"Hehe, yeah, I think we're in the clear though," the Morgrem states as he gives an uneasy sideglance at the Alolan Sandslash.

"Well, if that's all, then let's head home! It was super fun everyone!" the Scorbunny exclaims, completely oblivious to the tensions happening. Everyone else nervously nods, and waves off the other group.