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Old 05-17-2022, 07:06 PM   #751
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If it hadn't been zipped shut, Helena's mouth would have fallen open in surprised as Catharine revealed that her own Ursaring was her starter as well. She explained that she had gotten lost on a camping trip in the woods around Agate Village, and met the Teddiursa en route back to camp. "Wow," Helena murmured. "Sounds a bit like Teddy, though as much as he liked battle, I'm not sure I'd have ever described him as fiercely competitive," she added. "Raiding the Rare Candy stash, though, I certainly know what that's like," she added with a chuckle. "Ah... well, my adoptive parents gave me Teddy as an Egg when I turned fifteen. They tried to make it this big surprise, but it was light brown with a yellow crescent marking," the Banette chuckled. "Suffice to say, I knew what I was getting. Teddy and I got along basically right away, though I've had to stop him more than a few times from eating all the Rare Candy," she giggled. "Then when I caught Smiley, Teddy became basically a big brother to him." The blue-eyed Banette gave a small sigh. "I miss them both," she murmured. "I still wonder how they're doing sometimes- I actually did come across them again at some point after I... you know," she said, gesturing to her cloth body. "Ended up, uh, saving them from someone, actually. I had a talk with them after all of that. Secretly I was hoping they might want to join my brother's team, but they decided they wanted to seek their fortunes in the wild instead. I'm sure they're fine, though," she added with a small smile. "They're strong and smart, both of them."

The subject then turned to the business that brought Catharine to town in the first place- while it wasn't strictly related to cryptopokology, she nevertheless felt that Eddie's lab was the place to go for this. She produced a style of Poké Ball that brought to mind the description of the forerunners to the modern-day catching devices- hollowed-out Apricorns fitted to special devices. She had caught a Basculin in this ball, but it was neither of the variants known to exist in modern times- rather, a form thought to have gone extinct, a form that dated back to when the Sinnoh region was still known as Hisui. And she wanted to get a data-conversion protocol written up for this Basculin so that modern Poké Balls would have no trouble recognizing it. "Oh, I see," nodded Helena. She looked surprised by the notion of this form of Basculin even having an evolution- Basculin as people knew it in this day and age did not evolve, after all. "Fascinating!" breathed Helena. "Well, that definitely sounds like something Eddie can help with, then," she stated. "His family is why modern Poké Balls are capable of working on Pokémon such as Missingno. or h Poké. They've even developed a Pokédex upgrade." At that moment, the healing machine chimed with that all-too-familiar jingle that every Trainer worth their salt knows and knows well. "Ah!" Helena exclaimed, floating over to the machine and scooping up the Poké Balls. The Banette carried them back over to the counter, setting them gently down before Catharine. "There we go- your Pokémon are fighting fit," Helena reported.
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Old 05-17-2022, 07:32 PM   #752
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You need trainers like me! You need trainers like me...

Ysayle seems relieved that hers is not the only stomach complaining, and smiles at the prospect of cold berry stew, specially prepared at the temperature she could enjoy. "I really appreciate it," she says to Terri, truly meaning her words; nothing worse than a hot stew when you're an ice type!

Malamar shakes her head, looking in the direction of the back rooms, her mind's eye picturing Bisharp. I shall not leave this spot, she states resolutely, her gaze unwavering.

"Are you sure?" Ysayle asks. "Aren't you hungry?"

Malamar gives a gentle shake of the head and wave of her tentacle, encouraging the Eiscue to go off without her. Ysayle pauses a moment, but ultimately nods and follows her newfound friends.

As she makes her way to the door with the others, she sees a familiar face grinning and waving at her through the glass walls of the Center, along with a number of unfamiliar Pokémon and trainers. Though she could not recognize the three trainers' faces, their general appearance and garb had been described multiple times to her by none other than Mr. Oroitz. A pair of parents, with an only child. Cowboy hats on father and daughter... Both ladies with dark green hair... She couldn't pick up the "horrific stench of poison and betrayal" that the irritable crow insisted was a trademark of the man, but perhaps the window was shielding her from it. Mr. Oroitz's direst warnings circled around the very people she now peered at behind the glass, and if she disobeyed all other warnings - all other rules - the one rule she must never, ever, ever break - was the rule that she may never speak to any of those three trainers, ever.

Perhaps, at one point in time, Ysayle might have been afraid - or, at the very least, hesitant - to come any closer to the infamous Masterses. Even if they themselves turned out to be kind people, the wrath of Oroitz would be beyond reckoning. At this point, though, she had broken every rule in the book - visiting Sludge Wave Coast, befriending its inhabitants - what was breaking one more rule? Besides, what was Mr. Oroitz going to do? Punish Garl? Only her trainer and Miss Bia could do that, and, knowing them, they would just shrug their shoulders and be grateful nobody died in the exchange. If Ysayle just told everyone that it was Garl's fault... Well, if nobody would punish Garl, then no one would get punished. Simple as that.

"Wait... That's Garl! He's one of my teammates!" Ysayle turns to Terri and her team, curiosity clear on her face. "Any idea why he's here? Was he helping with the mission you were talking about earlier?"

---

Garl is careful to stay perfectly still as Willa mounts his back, and the practiced way he lifts himself once she is safely and securely seated strongly suggests that he has been well-trained in the art of transport, despite only having been large enough to do so for a very short amount of time. Then again, a smart trainer starts on practicing such dangerous tasks when their Pokémon are still small enough to handle. Given what Garl had related about his upbringing, it was not a far leap to imagine his trainer or Miss Bia strapping weights to Garl's back as a Tyrunt, and playing "games" which taught him such manners and protocol.

"You heard the Sheriff!" Garl echoes behind Maribel, moving at a steady clip. The eager dinosaur has no difficulty following Bouffalant, the sheer length of his strides saving him from having to exert himself to keep up. As they approach their destination, Garl's eyes pick up on a Pokémon just behind the door which looks familiar to him, and he breaks formation slightly with a happy roar.

"I think I see one of my friends!" He exclaims, pointing in her direction and approaching the glass with a grin and a wave. "Ysayle! Ysayle, is that you?"

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Old 05-17-2022, 08:39 PM   #753
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If it hadn't been zipped shut, Helena's mouth would have fallen open in surprised as Catharine revealed that her own Ursaring was her starter as well. She explained that she had gotten lost on a camping trip in the woods around Agate Village, and met the Teddiursa en route back to camp. "Wow," Helena murmured. "Sounds a bit like Teddy, though as much as he liked battle, I'm not sure I'd have ever described him as fiercely competitive," she added. "Raiding the Rare Candy stash, though, I certainly know what that's like," she added with a chuckle. "Ah... well, my adoptive parents gave me Teddy as an Egg when I turned fifteen. They tried to make it this big surprise, but it was light brown with a yellow crescent marking," the Banette chuckled. "Suffice to say, I knew what I was getting. Teddy and I got along basically right away, though I've had to stop him more than a few times from eating all the Rare Candy," she giggled. "Then when I caught Smiley, Teddy became basically a big brother to him." The blue-eyed Banette gave a small sigh. "I miss them both," she murmured. "I still wonder how they're doing sometimes- I actually did come across them again at some point after I... you know," she said, gesturing to her cloth body. "Ended up, uh, saving them from someone, actually. I had a talk with them after all of that. Secretly I was hoping they might want to join my brother's team, but they decided they wanted to seek their fortunes in the wild instead. I'm sure they're fine, though," she added with a small smile. "They're strong and smart, both of them."

The subject then turned to the business that brought Catharine to town in the first place- while it wasn't strictly related to cryptopokology, she nevertheless felt that Eddie's lab was the place to go for this. She produced a style of Poké Ball that brought to mind the description of the forerunners to the modern-day catching devices- hollowed-out Apricorns fitted to special devices. She had caught a Basculin in this ball, but it was neither of the variants known to exist in modern times- rather, a form thought to have gone extinct, a form that dated back to when the Sinnoh region was still known as Hisui. And she wanted to get a data-conversion protocol written up for this Basculin so that modern Poké Balls would have no trouble recognizing it. "Oh, I see," nodded Helena. She looked surprised by the notion of this form of Basculin even having an evolution- Basculin as people knew it in this day and age did not evolve, after all. "Fascinating!" breathed Helena. "Well, that definitely sounds like something Eddie can help with, then," she stated. "His family is why modern Poké Balls are capable of working on Pokémon such as Missingno. or h Poké. They've even developed a Pokédex upgrade." At that moment, the healing machine chimed with that all-too-familiar jingle that every Trainer worth their salt knows and knows well. "Ah!" Helena exclaimed, floating over to the machine and scooping up the Poké Balls. The Banette carried them back over to the counter, setting them gently down before Catharine. "There we go- your Pokémon are fighting fit," Helena reported.
Catharine smiled softly as Helena regaled her about how the Banette, while she had been alive, had met Teddy-more precisely, received him as a hatchling, as a birthday gift. It reminded her of how happy she had been to receive Isabelle's Egg from her parents for her 23rd.

"Your parents aren't the only one to go for a present like that. Isabelle, my Chimecho, her a egg was a gift for my last birthday. My parents definitely splurged for it, too, it was pretty apparent they'd hired a pretty skilled Breeder, and those aren't easy to come by in Orre, not by a long shot. They really wanted to go all out." Catharine said. Though, her smile faded a bit as Helena mentioned the brief reunion that she had had with her two Pokémon-apparently rescued from someone.

"I'm glad you got to see them again, but...rescued? Someone was hurting them?" Catharine asked carefully. Catharine had a nagging feeling in her gut. Bergeron had been harmed and used by a suspicious group to their own ends as well. Catharine hoped these incidents weren't related-if they were, then whatever conspiracy she was caught in the middle of was potentially a lot older and deeper than she could have imagined. Though, she did hope that Helena would one day come across the pair again-if not in the wild, then in the care of kinder, more caring Trainers than whoever had hurt them in the past.

Eventually, though, the conversation returned to the true purpose for her visit, and Catharine grinned as Helena mentioned the extent of Eddie's achievements.

"That kind of skill is exactly how I knew this was a good bet. And it didn't involve a trip across the entire mainland to the opposite coast from Springtide, unlike Palm's place." Catharine said, with a small grin. Just then, however, the healing machine behind the counter sounded off a familiar jingle. Catharine thanked Helena as her Pokemon were returned to her care.

"Alright, I should head to the back and have that conversation with Bergeron. Have a good one, Helena, it was nice talking to you." Catharine said, before proceeding to the back room.

Once the door was shut, and Catharine had confirmed that the room was empty for the time being, she released Bergeron in front of her. Hopefully there weren't any secret cameras or anything...she didn't normally talk to her Pokemon so openly in front of others, as she preferred to keep her ability to understand Pokemon on the down low.

"Alright, Bergeron. Let's catch up." Catharine said with a deep sigh, taking a seat on a nearby bedside, as the Cryogonal floated nearby. "So. I gave you the Cliff Notes about Fortuna on the road, but, you should probably be apprised of the finer details, given your situation. I mentioned that Fortuna had been hosting Diancie when two members of that strange group showed up at my place in pursuit of her. Normally, escaping such pursuit would be trivially easy for Diancie-she transfers her being between the bodies of Carbink as a defense mechanism." Catharine explained.

"But something made that impossible for her, I presume." Bergeron replied.

"Exactly. Unfortunately, that mechanism has one issue, and therein is the problem." Catharine answered. "Diancie is a Pokémon of fortune and prosperity. In keeping with that, being a host to Diancie is not something that is earned. Whether or not it will happen to a Carbink is set in stone from the moment they hatch, left entirely up to fate. Somehow, the group pursuing her, the same ones that put that weird patch on you, had already gotten Diancie's next host in captivity, and Diancie knew this. Unfortunately, going backwards in the order isn't normally an option. Lightning's not supposed to strike twice, and all. But with Celebi's help, Diancie could overcome that issue, and the Replica Relic Stone I have in my backyard has definitely attuned to Celebi enough that Diancie was able to call for their aid there." Catharine continued.

"By having her being travel back in time to her previous host! How clever!" Bergeron said heartily.

"Right. It was a process, so I had to hold off her pursuers in battle while Celebi got Diancie to safety. Whatever this organization's goal is, they had wanted Diancie to help enrich themselves, and I am directly responsible for the fact that they weren't able to secure her for their plans, so they're not exactly happy with me right now. If they were willing to use you to try to get rid of me...I have little doubt that they may try again. But our battle showed that you've certainly got the chops for battle, so I'd like to ask-would you be willing to assist me in whatever struggles I might have in the future with this group?" Catharine asked.

"You need not even ask! Whoever these people are, they stole me away to use as nothing more than a weapon! They may say that revenge is the practice of an undignified Pokémon, but for such a disgraceful slight, I should think of it as merely rendering consequences!" Bergeron answered.

"I couldn't agree more. Still, I wish I hadn't completely burned that patch. If I still had a piece of it, that would have been at least some sort of clue." Catharine said with a sigh. "Still, at this point, it can't be helped. And besides, we do still have to run Amamu to the Lab here. Let's get a move on." Catharine said, moving towards the door before coming to a realization.

"You're...a bit wide for the door...I really am going to have to remodel the house, geez. Return for now, Bergeron." Catharine mused, returning the large Crystallizing Pokémon to their Ball, before making their way towards the front door. "Bye Helena! I hope to see you again!" Catharine said with a jovial wave, before leaving.

And, at long last, the door to the Starmie Cryptopokology Lab opened as Catharine made her entrance. All at once, Catharine was taken in by the loads of bookshelves loaded with texts on the subject. Helena had mentioned that the fruits of this Lab were a family effort, and with this much just up front, Catharine could certainly believe it! However, it didn't seem like anybody was up front at the moment.

"Ah, hello?" Catharine asked, though her attention was quickly caught by a particular text on the nearby shelves, a particular name on the spine. PC4SH. Catharine idly took out the book, though she already knew a fair amount about this particular cryptoPokémon. She'd read stories that it was first discovered when a modern Poke Ball, not yet outfitted with a data-conversion protocol for Hoothoot, was used to attempt to capture one. The safety check had been faulty, and...the results spoke for themselves, being severe enough to turn an ordinary bird Pokemon into, seemingly, a partial Ground-Type. It was this particular cautionary tale that ensured Catharine had brought a Rustic Poke Ball into the distortion with her, just in case. Still, she found herself skimming the pages as she waited for lab personnel to make their appearance, just to see what else she might learn.
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Old 05-17-2022, 10:16 PM   #754
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With almost all present in agreement, Terri and Laugh led the way to the doors. Before they could exit, however, Ysayle recognized the Tyrantrum waving to her from outside, identifying him by the name Garl, and asking if he was helping Terri and her team with whatever they had been doing earlier. But Terri looked surprised at the sight of the Tyrantrum. "No, I've never seen him before," Terri shook her head. "I have no idea why he's here... and there's Keith, Willa, and Maribel with him, too," Terri added, sounding slightly even more surprised- if Garl was indeed one of Minerva's Pokémon, from what she'd seen tonight, Terri was under the distinct impression Minerva was not aware that Garl was apparently acquainted with the Masterses.

"I suppose we may as well find out," Laugh suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Terri, and the couple led the way outside.

In the meantime, the Masterses had rode their way over to the Pokémon Center, at which point Garl recognized the Eiscue within and started waving to her. Keith, Willa, and Maribel watched in mild surprise as Terri and Laugh exited the Pokémon Center, leading that very Eiscue (along with a number of Terri's other Pokémon) outside. "Terri? Laugh?" said Keith. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes," nodded Terri. "I take it this Tyrantrum is Garl? Our new friend here, Ysayle, identified him from inside the Pokémon Center."

"He is indeed," confirmed Willa. "Do you know who his Trainer is, then?"

"I do," confirmed Terri. "I can't say who, however- I've been sworn to secrecy."

"Sworn to secr-" Keith began. "What... Terri, are you sure everything's alright?" he asked. "I get the feeling there's been a lot going on."

"Oh, yes, there has been," Terri nodded. "A lot has happened, but all involved will be fine," she promised. "I'm sorry I can't go into too much detail, you know I'm not one to leave you in the dark," she added apologetically.

"Of course," Willa nodded understandingly.

"Yeah, if you've promised to keep a secret, we got no right to pry," Keith agreed.

Terri smiled. "Thank you," she replied.

"Terri, that Bronzong," said Maribel, dismounting her Bouffalant. "Did XXXXX evolve?"

Terri's smile widened. "He did indeed," she confirmed.

AFFIRMATIVE, MISS MARIBEL! XXXXX's mechanical monotone rang out in Maribel's mind.

"Wow, congratulations!" smiled Maribel. At this, the Bronzong floated over and hugged Maribel, who giggled and hugged the sentient bell back.

"Oh, yes- now that he's got arms, XXXXX is a hugger," smiled Terri. She then turned her attention to Minerva's Pokémon, as did Keith and Willa.


~~~~~

Catharine smiled at Helena's story, relating the time her own parents sent her an Egg for her latest birthday, which hatched into her Chimecho. She then asked, however, if someone had been hurting Helena's former Pokémon. The Banette nodded gravely. "A Team Rocket executive, notorious for only using Shadow Pokémon... the man who killed me," she responded quietly. "He had turned Teddy and Smiley into Shadow Pokémon. Thankfully, though, I was able to get through to them and help them remember me, and my brother helped me purify them once and for all. That's a whole other story as to how he was able to help with that, though- I'm sure he'll be happy to tell it if you visit him later."

Once Catharine had retrieved her Pokémon and had her talk with Bergeron in the back room, which, true to Helena's word, was as empty and private as the Orre-native Trainer could have hoped for, she departed the Pokémon Center, though not before saying her goodbyes to Helena and expressing a hope to see her again. "Oh, me, too! Feel free to come back anytime, Catharine," smiled Helena, waving back, happy to have made a new friend.

At the Starmie Cryptopokology Research Lab, Catharine was immediately drawn to the bookshelves full of reading material. One book caught her attention in particular, about a Pokémon known as Pc4sh, one with a rather sad origin story. After a few minutes she would hear footsteps, though not those of a human- rather, what appeared to be a larger than average dark blue Marill stepped out, stopping as she spotted Catharine. The belly and tail orb seemed to be swirling with a pale blue mist. "Oh... a visitor?" Pikablu murmured, somehow sounding quiet and shy as well as deep and authoritative at the same time. She turned back around, facing the back of the facility again. "Eddie!" she called out.

"Hm? Pikablu, what is it?" came a voice, just before the teenage boy known as Edward Tentacruel Starmie walked into sight. "Ah, a visitor," he said. "Welcome, welcome, to the Starmie Cryptopokology Research Lab. What book are you reading there... ah. Pc4sh," he nodded gravely. "Oh, the incidents that took place when Pokémon species native to Johto were being officially recognized..." he shook his head. As he spoke, he produced an orange Pokédex from his pocket, the classic HANDY505 model, and pressed a few buttons on it.

"Pc4sh, the Grounded Pokémon. A Normal and Ground-type," droned the device. "The first known specimen was transformed from a Hoothoot as a result of being caught by an ill-equipped Poké Ball. Looking directly at one can cause headaches or even loss of consciousness, and in most cases, no recollection of the Pokémon's appearance, theorized to be a remnant of the Hoothoot's hypnotic capabilities."

"Fascinating though the end result undoubtedly is, it is nevertheless horrible that Pokémon have been forcibly put through such transformations without their consent," Eddie shook his head. "One theory in the cryptopokology community is that this is in fact a branched evolution, though I personally would hesitate to consider it as such without first finding a reliable method of inducing it that does not involve insufficiently updated technology, and above all, determining whether the transformation itself does not actually harm the Pokémon. For all we know, this could be something akin to Poké Gods, perhaps a Mist Stone would achieve similar results. It would be wonderful to be able to study a Pc4sh or a similar Pokémon someday and get to the bottom of all this," he trailed off.

"...blu?" Pikablu murmured, tugging on Eddie's pant leg.

"...oh, yes, yes, my apologies," Eddie said sheepishly, adjusting his glasses as he addressed Catharine once more. "It's entirely too easy for me to get lost in thought on such matters as these, please excuse my rudeness. I'm Edward Starmie- you can call me Eddie, I actually quite prefer that- and this is my Pikablu." At this, Pikablu smiled and waved at Catharine. "So, what's your name, and what brings you here today?" he inquired.
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Old 05-17-2022, 11:07 PM   #755
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As Catharine skimmed the pages of her book, she was chewing on what Helena had told her about Teddy and Smiley's rescue. A Team Rocket Executive, who was in actuality responsible for Helena's murder. Catharine would be lying if she said she hadn't winced a bit at that particular admission. Still, the pieces she had were clattering around loudly in her head. The group she had gotten entangled with didn't have identifying clothing. It was simply black, spartan in nature-no garish R, red or otherwise, to be seen. Was she really dealing with an altogether different problem? If so, hopefully she could get some answers sooner rather than later-the complexity of this mystery was getting under her skin. However, it wouldn't get to distract her for much longer, as the voice of a Pokémon caught her attention, calling for an "Eddie." When Catharine looked up, she blinked. And then blinked again. The figure standing in front of her resembled a Marill in many ways, but it's coloration was a darker blue, and where white would be, and on the tail, was instead the appearance of swirling mist. There was no mistaking one of the icons of cryotopokemon, after all-Pikablu was one of a scant few whose presence was fully visible to people. And it wouldn't be long before Eddie himself made his appearance, commenting on her particular choice of text-and having his Pokédex read out a full entry for the species. As Eddie asked after the purpose of her visit, Catharine snapped the book shut and returned it to the shelf.

"Catharine Park, at your service." Catharine introduced herself with a wave. "It's actually no coincidence what I was reading, actually-I'm here to ensure that no such transformation befalls a species I rediscovered today!" Catharine said, releasing the latch on Amamu's Rustic Poke Ball, the White-Stripe Basculin within quickly appearing at her normal size amidst the group, though she did inch closer to Catharine's feet once released. "Introducing, or reintroducing rather, Amamu, a White-Stripe Basculin! A regional variant that went extinct a long time ago, with no fossil record. I found her Egg in that distortion that enveloped Springtide Isle today-the rumors about regional variants from ancient Sinnoh-and I mean Hisui-era ancient- appearing there are definitely true, though I'm afraid the distortion faded before I could investigate much further. In any case, I'm here to officialize her rediscovery, and ensure modern Poke Balls are equipped to properly handle any other specimens that may have come to our time." Catharine explained. "And, well, Palm's place is a hell of a hike from here, and given that the species certainly isn't escaping endangered status in only a matter of hours, I figured time was of the essence. Given the particular nature of developing conversion protocols for cryotopokemon, and a glowing recommendation from Nurse Helena, I knew a lab like this one could easily step up to the plate. And given that I seem to be looking at, well, a true-blue Pikablu, I see I wasn't mistaken!" Catharine added with a smile. "So, would you care to do the honors?"
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Old 05-17-2022, 11:49 PM   #756
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With Eddie introducing himself and asking the name of his visitor as well as her purpose at his lab, Catharine shut the book she'd been perusing and placed it back on the shelf, introducing herself at once, and stating that her reading material of choice was no coincidence, segueing perfectly into why she'd come today as she sent out her White-Striped Basculin, the sight of which immediately caught Eddie's attention. "X-x above," he murmured wonderingly, eyeing Amamu from a respectful distance. He nodded as Catharine explained about the distortion, and that this lab seemed like her best bet for getting White-Striped Basculin to be recognized by modern Poké Balls, between what she knew of cryptopokology in general, and of Eddie's lab in particular from what Helena had said. He also looked quite pleased at Catharine's knowledge of cryptopokology, seeming quite satisfied that the Pikablu before her was in fact a Pikablu. "Well, I wasn't sure whether that distortion had anything to do with my area of expertise, but I must say, this isn't too far off at all." He nodded to Catharine. "You've come to the right place," he stated. "If you would please bring Amamu back this way?" he asked, leading the way past the bookshelves and into the back. Pikablu brought up the rear, intent on watching these proceedings with interest.

Machines were everywhere, up to and including a very large red machine in the back right corner, right underneath the large satellite dish on the roof, and not by coincidence. In another corner, a sizable snoring sphere slumbered- a Normal Form Electrode. To their left, however, a man was typing away on a computer, but he stopped as he noticed the visitor. "Ah, Eddie, who's this?" he asked.

"Ah, yes- Dad, this is Catharine Park. She's rediscovered a form of Basculin long thought to be extinct," explained Eddie. "She's come here in the hopes that I can officialize the rediscovery, and ensure that modern Poké Balls can properly handle this form. Catharine, this is my father- my parents have consented to work in my lab, after the last eruption of the Cinnabar Volcano left them both homeless."

"Robert Starmie, at your service," Eddie's father introduced himself. "And thank X-x above that that eruption only destroyed our home," he added with a slight sad chuckle. "I shudder to think sometimes... well, never mind that- White-Striped Basculin, is it, then?" he added, regarding Amamu with a professional curiosity. "Fascinating, fascinating. From the Springtide distortion, no doubt?"

"Exactly," Eddie nodded. "And it's doubtful that Amamu here is the only one, either- Springtide Isle tends to attract Trainers in droves, after all. Case in point, Willa headed out there earlier today herself, came back with a Kricketot. So, time is of the essence."

"Say no more, then," nodded Robert Starmie. "I'll get back to this, you do what needs done."

Eddie nodded, then led the way towards the machines. "Not that I'd think you would, but please be careful to not touch the machines," Eddie requested, before heading over to the large red machine- specifically, to the computer screen and keyboard in the center of the front of it- and began typing furiously. "Fortunately, I don't anticipate this being too difficult," he stated. "There should be considerably less risk when it comes to alternate forms of recognized species of Pokémon, as opposed to entire species themselves. Between that and the fact you've brought a specimen here, it shouldn't take too much time at all." A few moments later, he pressed a button, and a panel opened up on the side of the machine. From within there emerged a mechanical arm, tipped with what looked to be a scanner of some sort, not unlike what one might see on a Pokédex, but larger. "Now, I just need Amamu to go right... there," he stated, indicating a section of the floor that seemed to be right within the scanner arm's range.
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Old 05-18-2022, 12:35 AM   #757
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As Catharine was led back into the rest of the lab space, she and Amamu both looked around in wonderment. Amamu was simply taking in the space around her, though she did eye the sleeping Normal Form Electrode with some curiosity, but Catharine was in awe at the expanse of machinery round her, though she was certainly mindful of Eddie's requests to refrain from touching any. However, their entrance had caught the attention of Eddie's father, who Eddie promptly introduced as Robert Starmie.

"Good to meet you, Robert. It is a shame, though, what happened to Cinnabar Island-so many lives lost or uprooted, all at once like that." Catharine said somberly. One volcanic eruption, as if from nowhere, was all it had taken. But in due time, Eddie set to work at the large red machine, and it wasn't long before what appeared to be a scanner arm extended from its side. Though, Amamu was hesitant to approach the designated area at first. Noticing the Basculin's apprehension, though, Catharine squatted down beside her.

"Hey Amamu, it's alright. That machine will make it so that every Poke Ball is safe for other Basculin like you, and let scientists everywhere know you're back, so they can begin conservation efforts. It won't hurt you, I promise." she said softly. Amamu hesitated for a moment, but quickly made up her mind.

"I'll do it. To keep the others safe." Amamu replied softly, before making her way over to the spot Eddie had pointed out. As wary of strange things as White-Stripe Basculin like her had learned to be on instinct, she had to put on her brave face this time-this would help keep her fellows safe-and safety was something all too precious for White-Stripe Basculin. Their tendency to avoid conflict and their cessation of color-based tribalism hadn't come from nowhere, after all-the waters of Hisui had certainly been treacherous, and infighting was something they had come to realize they could ill afford. Catharine smiled warmly at Amamu, letting her know her bravery was appreciated.

"Alright then, we should be ready to go whenever you're ready, Eddie. And in case you'd like some help with a Pokédex entry when you're done, I have a number of articles and files downloaded of what documentation of the species survived to the present day, if you'd like me to send them-there is technically a surviving entry of sorts, but it's my understanding that most Pokédex standards prefer to avoid the use of first person, and that entry decidedly did not." Catharine said as she stood, holding up her P★DA for emphasis, before turning back to where Robert was typing away. "But while we wait, I don't think I got a good look at this project here. What are we looking at, exactly?" Catharine asked politely.
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Old 05-18-2022, 01:15 AM   #758
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"A shame indeed," Robert had said in response to Catharine. "Still, though, from what we were able to find out, it seems as though there were no casualties. Cinnabar's seen its fair share of eruptions in the past, after all- we were pretty well prepared. A shame about all that's happened, but material possessions are infinitely more replaceable than lives." Eddie nodded in emphatic agreement to this.

Over at the machine, Amamu was showing some hesitance to approach, but Catharine was able to assuage the Basculin's concerns. At the promise that the machine wouldn't hurt, Eddie and Pikablu both nodded reassuringly. Whether this had any impact on Amamu's subsequent actions, nobody knew- in any case, the White-Striped Basculin made her way to the designated area. Once she was there, Eddie pressed a button, and the machine began to hum. The scanner began to do its thing, and true to everyone's word, did so completely painlessly.

"Ah, yes," Eddie nodded in response to Catharine's offer. "That would be greatly helpful, Catharine, thank you. I do know of the sort of Pokédex entries you speak of- I haven't delved too deeply into the entries of Hisui's first Pokédex, but from what I understand things were a lot more informal back then. A certain charm to such a thing, I won't deny, but even so..." he trailed off.

After that, however, Catharine had turned her attention back to Eddie's father and whatever he was doing, inquiring about the latter. "Ah! Yes," nodded Eddie. "My father is currently working to compile all the information we have about Glitch City. There's generations of research from my family, of course- the Starmies are some of the most prominent cryptopokologists in the field, going all the way back to my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Bartholomew Starmie, the man who discovered Missingno. in the first place! Glitch City has long been theorized as an alternate dimension where cryptopokémon call home. And while it's long been theorized to only be accessible from the Kanto region, recent discoveries indicate that it is accessible from Fizzytopia as well!" he grinned, his glasses catching the light. "I've got my father trying to compile all of our family's research along with all the notes Hermione's taken on the matter- Hermione's my Weedle, you see, and she along with her previous Trainer, have actually been there!"

As if on cue, a small beige bug, albeit decidedly large for her kind, lowered herself from the ceiling on a strand of String Shot, placing herself delicately on Eddie's shoulder. In addition to the increased size, the Weedle also sported a jet-black tail stinger. "Ah, Hermione," smiled Eddie. "I'm glad you could join us. This is Catharine, and this is Amamu, her Basculin. Her White-Striped Basculin."

"White-Striped!" Hermione breathed, eyeing Amamu, clearly intrigued. "So the rumors about the Springtide distortion were true after all. Very interesting. Oh, yes- nice to meet you both," she added, politely bowing her head to Catharine and to Amamu in turn.

"Hermione is easily the smartest Weedle I've seen in my life," Eddie stated. "And the strongest, too. You would not believe most of the moves she's capable of using. One of many reasons I was drawn to this region- reports of Pokémon being able to learn moves typically impossible for their kind. To say nothing of the reports regarding one Keith Masters! He's Hermione's former Trainer, and the things he's seen and experienced- the first thing I did when I came to this region was seek out the man and interview him. He ended up helping me establish my lab here in town, in fact," he smiled.
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Old 05-18-2022, 04:14 PM   #759
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"I'll get you those files, then." Catharine said, prepping an E-Mail and attaching the files. Documentation of the White-Stripe's calm and timid temperament, for one, but also of how their particular coloration and appearance came to be-after Basculin had first come to the waters of Hisui, they had found the environs to be extremely hostile. As a result, schools of Basculin, of both colors, were regularly decimated, between attacks from other Pokémon and the regular infighting. Faced with the grim reality of the situation, schools of differing colors began to put aside their differences. It was an uneasy truce at first, but every bit necessary for survival. And when it worked, the show of solidarity made several things happen. The colors they had once fought over faded out to white, and their fins became a mixture of their shapes, but somehow, the spirits of their fallen schoolmates triggered a fascinating new evolution. It was only then, that their old colors would return-a vestige of what they came from, and a reminder that all that came of infighting was needless death. And this development was significant enough that one such Basculegion had been blessed by Arceus, becoming one of the region's "noble" Pokémon. Catharine actually started at seeing that-the caretakers of these noble Pokémon were known as wardens. And Catharine remembered the words she had heard from that strange shadow, as the distortion was fading...

"The duty of 'warden' now falls on your shoulders."

Well, that certainly wasn't a coincidence. But, Catharine didn't have time to dwell on it long, as Eddie introduced his father's current effort as a compilation of their knowledge of Glitch City.

"Glitch City...going there sounds like it would be the adventure of a lifetime. And you say your Weedle, and her previous Trainer have been there!? So it may be possible to get there from here...that is interesting! I'd have to meet that Trainer, I'd love to hear about their time there!" Catharine said eagerly. Though she wouldn't have to wait long for the former to make an appearance, as just then, she descended with masterful use of String Shot.

"Good to meet you as well, Hermoine." Catharine returned the Weedle's greeting with a wave. As Eddie mentioned his interest in the capability of Pokémon to learn moves here that they normally couldn't, Catharine nodded. "I know at least part of that is that Technical Machines are greatly advanced here, though they haven't got repeat use functionality integrated yet. Fortuna, my Carbink, was able to learn Draining Kiss and Misty Terrain from them. One of the things that really grabs me on that front, though, is some of the moves more unique to the region. Celebrate's a bit of an odd duck, it's an adaptation of a move that already exists elsewhere, my Chimecho knows it. But she also knows Psysplit, which is a very interesting move." Catharine explained, before turning back to Hermoine. "So, Eddie tells me you and your old Trainer once visited Glitch City. What can you tell me about it? I love adventuring, and visiting an alternate dimension sure sounds like the ultimate adventure!" Catharine asked.
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Old 05-18-2022, 08:44 PM   #760
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Catharine wasted no time getting the email going, attaching all manner of documentation, and when Eddie received it, he read it all with great interest- White-Striped Basculin had quite a history to them. The result of schools of Basculin getting relentlessly preyed upon by the hostile predators in the waters of Hisui, and the schools of Basculin, out of necessity for survival, setting aside their differences. Eventually, two forms became one, the fins a mixture of the shapes found on Red-Striped and Blue-Striped Basculin. But more than that, the souls of their fallen comrades would trigger an evolution unheard of in modern times- a being known as Basculegion. And apparently, Arceus itself blessed one Basculegion, which became one of Hisui's "noble" Pokémon, one of ten Pokémon blessed by Arceus almighty itself, each one looked over by a warden.

Catharine, meanwhile, was intrigued by the mention of Hermione and her previous Trainer having been to Glitch City. She went on a bit about how the TMs produced in Fizzytopia were greatly advanced as opposed to in other regions, though this came at the cost of repeat functionality that other regions so enjoyed with their Technical Machines. Though she was intrigued by some of the moves that had been discovered in Fizzytopia. "Oh, yes, Hermione knows a great deal many such moves herself," nodded Eddie. "Including Celebrate, as it happens. It has an interesting effect when powered up with a Normalium Z, too, boosting the user's stats across the board. I'm hoping to maybe show that off in the next Colosseum challenge I take part in here."

Catharine then turned her attention to Hermione, asking the Weedle what she could tell her about Glitch City, stating that an alternate dimension sounds like basically the ultimate adventure, which to an avid adventurer such as Catharine was a very enticing prospect indeed. "Oh, I would love to talk about it, though we'll probably have to get Homer in here for telepathic translation, unless... can you understand what I say?" Hermione inquired, eyeing Catharine curiously, "The way you asked, it almost seems as though you expect answers you can comprehend. It's almost like talking to Terri. If indeed you can understand what I'm saying, then certainly, I'd be happy to talk about it. There's a lot I didn't witness firsthand, you understand, but I did see a thing or two, and I was able to get further details from Keith and my former teammates while said events were still fresh in their minds."

Eddie, meanwhile, went back to doing his thing with the White-Striped Basculin details. "Hmm... All right, according to that ancient Pokédex entry, it was thought to be a regional form... I don't know about that," he shook his head. "A regional form that doesn't change type, I don't know... well, but then, there's Bulbasaur's Fizzytopian Form to consider," he added thoughtfully. Even still, though... no," he decided. "All right, let's see... 'Basculin- White-Striped Form- the Mellow Pokémon. A Water-type,'" he muttered to himself as he began to type out his Pokédex entry. "'In ancient Hisui, hostile conditions forced schools of Basculin to set aside their differences and work together to survive, resulting in this form. Unlike other forms, White-Striped Basculin are gentle and skittish.' Ahh... yes, yes, I like the sound of that," he nodded.
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Old 05-18-2022, 09:35 PM   #761
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"Catharine's expression blanked for a moment as Hermoine directly asked Catharine if she could understand her. Shoot, in her eagerness to learn about new things in a new place, and complacency from Helena having spoken English herself, she'd gone and displayed her ability irrefutably. In front of at least two witnesses (Catharine couldn't quite tell from her current position if Robert had noticed while typing away), not even an hour after having been secretive about it in the Pokémon Center. Catharine grimaced a bit internally at the slip-up, though outwardly she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Uh, yeah, I can understand you, actually." Catharine admitted quietly. "It's not something I put on display often, though. As for how, well, let's just say there's a replica of the Relic Stone in my backyard for a good reason-gratitude. Understanding the hearts of Pokémon is a precious gift." she explained. "So, ah, Homer's services won't be strictly necessary. But if you'd like to call on any other Pokémon to help you explain, you're more than welcome to bring them in if you'd like." Catharine said, before looking up. Eddie was typing away, seemingly unfazed by the admission. Then again, Hermoine had mentioned someone by the name of Terri also being capable of understanding Pokemon, so it wasn't too far fetched to think that Eddie knew them, and thus hadn't found the idea to be too shocking. "Though, you mentioned a Terri being similarly capable?" Catharine asked, intrigued. Though, at that moment, she heard Eddie finalizing a formal Dex entry for Amamu, and paused. "Wait, hold that thought for a moment." she asked Hermoine, quickly turning to where Eddie was working, finagling with her P★DA to prep it to receive new data. "Are we just about finished? P★DA's ready to accept new data whenever you're ready-and please, feel free to load the family upgrade in while you're at it. It's not easy coming by that kind of data, so I might as well grab it while I'm here!" she said, holding out the device.
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Old 05-19-2022, 08:47 PM   #762
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Catharine's ability to understand Pokémon speech was typically one she didn't display so readily, but between an eagerness to learn and a recent conversation with a Banette who had been speaking human language herself, she more or less let it slip. Robert Starmie, at the very least, had not overheard this- he was too focused on his work, and the machine they were all near was a decent enough distance away from where the man was working in any case. Eddie had heard, but as he was busying himself with all of the White-Striped Basculin data, he didn't spare a moment for much of a reaction. Especially once he overheard Catharine admit to it so quietly, explaining that it wasn't exactly something she made common knowledge.

Hermione nodded as Catharine asked about the aforementioned Terri, though before the Weedle could begin to respond, Catharine asked her to hold that thought- having heard Eddie muttering out the Pokédex entry as he was writing it up, she got the feeling things were wrapping up, and informed him that her PDA was all set to receive the new data whenever it was ready. In the process, she also requested the Starmie family Pokédex upgrade. "Oh, certainly, with pleasure," Eddie smiled in response to this latter request. "Wonderful timing, too- the scan should be wrapping up just about... now," he stated. And sure enough, as he said it, the scanner arm stopped doing its thing and retracted back into the machine. "All right- Amamu, I thank you for your help with this," Eddie said with a respectful nod to the White-Striped Basculin. "It should be good to go any moment now..." he murmured, making some finishing touches. And finally, with the press of a button, he finished. "There we go," he stated. "It's all set. Now to send the data to your P★DA, both the new Pokédex data for White-Striped Basculin, and the Starmie family upgrade." As he said this, he pressed another button. The words "Now transmitting upgrade data for Pokédex version 8.1.1.121 to nearby devices" appeared on the screen. Eddie's own Pokédex beeped within seconds as it received the data. "Give it a few seconds for your device," Eddie advised. "It only took so little time for me because I already have the Starmie family upgrade- ah, there," he grinned as Catharine's device pinged to indicate the successful upgrade. "And what's more- now that you have the Starmie family upgrade, any time new data is added to that, this device, the HANDY Improvement Computer Mark 121, will transmit it wirelessly to all Pokédexes that have received the upgrade," Eddie stated, patting the large red device. "An invention of my grandfather's- Oldman Starmie," he stated. "Of course, if you're as well-read on cryptopokology as you seem to be, Catharine, no doubt you would know him and my grandmother better by their pen names, Viridian Coffee and Anne Mewtruck," he added.

"To answer your question, yes, I mentioned someone named Terri who can likewise understand Pokémon speech," Hermione said to Catharine. "She's a Trainer from the Ruins of Alph in Johto, she currently lives here in town. She's very nice and very interesting. Now... to help tell the story, hmm... Helena would be my first choice, she saw more of it all than I did, but she's probably still working at the Pokémon Center... I suppose Myrtle would technically be the best choice- Myrtle and Helena are Keith's Banette. Helena's very sweet and nice, while Myrtle can come off as more abrasive, as nice as she is underneath. Though she's the only one of us who was out of her Poké Ball the entire time- dear Arceus, this even predated Keith getting Meowth," she chuckled. "So, yes, if you think you could handle Myrtle's personality, you could ask Eddie, and he could ask Keith to bring her over. Between the two of us, I have no doubt we could recount the whole story to you."
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Old 05-20-2022, 08:16 PM   #763
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Amamu quickly returned to Catharine's side once the scanner arm retracted. Both her and Catharine looked to one of the screens on the machine, where all of the data was being finalized.

"You did great, Amamu!" Catharine said, bending down to gently pat the Basculin on the head. "This information goes to scientists everywhere, so they can devise the best methods for conservation." she explained. "That way, they can help the others who came through that distortion build up a population in the wild!" she explained. Amamu looked on in admiration. She didn't quite understand it all-but if this would help her fellows, she was glad of it, and it all she'd had to do was stay in place for a few moments.

Not long later, Eddie had finished pushing the updates to her P★DA, and handed it back to Catherine, explaining how the Handy Improvement Computer would keep it updated automatically, thanks to the work of his grandfather on the machine-though both him and his wife were, apparently, better known to many by pseudonyms.

"Truthfully, I'm not really that familiar on the topic of cryptopokology, so that one actually comes as a surprise-though it certainly makes sense, I suppose! Still, most of what I know of cryotopokology is surface level-equal parts fact and fiction, likely." Catharine said. "See, I'm a high adventure enthusiast first and foremost. Climbing, long hikes, remote locations, mysterious places, that sort of thing-you can see why a trip to Glitch City would catch my interest. Still, cryptopokemon sightings do tend to occur in such circumstances, so stories occasionally pop up when I look into various locales, and I have a habit of falling down a rabbit hole or two-no doubt some of that is exaggeration or misunderstanding, though. And, of course, when I looked into rumors of extinct or otherwise undiscovered Pokémon appearing in the Springtide distortion, anecdotes about PC4SH and other such cases cropped up in their midst, as a word of warning." she explained. "In effect, I was actually surprised to find this institution on the map, though I was certainly pleased by it-given the urgency, it was much better than having to cross the region to visit Professor Palm. That said, Hermoine here," Catharine said, turning back towards the Weedle, "was going to tell me more about Terri, and who I could talk to regarding Glitch City." And indeed, Hermoine did so, proposing that Catharine connect with Myrtle, Keith's other Banette, for more details.

"Well I can confirm that Helena is indeed hard at work at the Center, as I was just over there. Now, if you say Myrtle was the only one to have been out of her Ball for the entire duration, then I think she would be the best to consult on the matter, alongside Keith himself. And perhaps I could meet Terri afterwards. The Ruins of Alph are very interesting, given their attachment to the Unown-that strange power that emerges when they gather gets a lot of tales flying around in adventure circles, and who knows how tall they really are. The general advice among adventure-seekers for wild Unown is to not get their attention-that way, they don't draw you into anything strange." Catharine explained. "But, I'm off topic. Eddie, would you be willing to help me meet with Myrtle? I would absolutely love the firsthand account of Glitch City." Catharine asked.
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Old 05-20-2022, 08:40 PM   #764
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After Amamu was free to go, the White-Striped Basculin wasted no time returning to her Trainer's side, said Trainer wasting no time in commending Amamu- simply staying in place for a few moments was going to end up being of great benefit to the rest of her kind that might resurface in this day and age.

Catharine then clarified that she wasn't all that familiar with cryptopokology, and thus wasn't aware of Viridian Coffee and Anne Mewtruck. She explained that her priorities lay in adventure- climbing, hiking, remote locations, mysterious places, things of that nature- explaining well enough why the topic of Glitch City had her interest, and also why she knew as much as she knew in the first place- cryptopokémon tended to pop up in remote locations and mysterious places. "Indeed, it sounds like there's a fair amount of overlap in our interests," Eddie nodded. Indeed, Catharine had read cautionary tales about the likes of Pc4sh when looking into the rumors about the Springtide distortion. "Understandable, yes," Eddie agreed. "I must say, I'm pleased that my lab's becoming well-known enough that you were able to find it as you did," he added with a small smile, adjusting his glasses as he spoke.

And then the subject turned to Hermione, with Catharine stating that the Weedle was going to tell her more about Terri, as well as who would be best suited to telling the story of Keith Masters's adventure in Glitch City. The Weedle did so, and Catharine confirmed that Helena was indeed working hard at the Pokémon Center, having just been there herself. "I believe it," Eddie stated. "Helena's in there more often than not- she's able to call in a Nurse Joy to cover for her if need be, though, so she does still socialize, and travel with Keith. But she does love what she does," he stated.

"That she does," Hermione agreed. "And honestly... perhaps if you intend to talk to Keith and Myrtle about this, maybe it would be more prudent to go and see them. I actually was thinking of going to visit them myself, spend some time with my mate and my son," the Weedle added, her eyes lighting up at the mention of her family. "I only decided I wanted to go with Eddie once it was made clear that the lab would be withing easy crawling distance of the Poisonous Palace- much as I love helping Eddie with his cryptopokology work and research, I would not have wanted to go so far away from my family."

"Now, I can't understand what Hermione says," said Eddie. "But I saw the way her face brightened up just then- she was talking about her family, wasn't she?" he said with a grin. "And if that's the case, I take it she's suggesting a visit to the Poisonous Palace, rather than calling Keith and Myrtle to come over here?" he asked. And even though he was addressing Catharine, Hermione's vigorous nodding gave Eddie a good feeling as to what the answer was going to be.
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Old 05-20-2022, 09:56 PM   #765
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"Our two fields do overlap some, yes." Catharine said. "Though like I mentioned, a lot of it on my end is hearsay and cautionary tales from people who had some kind of strange or frightening experience-I doubt there's much exposure to in-depth research like yours. Though it is quite fortunate that your lab is indeed gaining some traction in that case. The more we know about cryptopokemon, the more we can recognize them as being just as much a part of nature as anything else, and know how to respect their presence in the wild." Catharine said. As she expressed her desire to meet with Myrtle and Keith to discuss Glitch City, however, Hermoine proposed that the assembled group meet Keith at his residence, apparently nicknamed the Poisonous Palace, rather than bringing them out to the Lab. And Eddie didn't need to understand Hermoine's words to catch on that the Weedle seemed to be excited to pay a visit to her family, who were still Keith's Pokemon, in so doing.

"You are indeed correct in your assessment, Eddie." Catharine confirmed, perhaps unnecessarily, though with no less of a grin. "And I am entirely amenable to the idea. I remember the sign on the way here, it's just next door if I'm not mistaken-definitely close by. And it sounds like Keith owns quite a few Pokemon, given the number of names I've heard, so it would be an excellent opportunity for Amamu to socialize as well-and for some of my other Pokemon, come to think of it. So, why don't we head over there now, unless you still have some work to finish, Eddie?" Catharine asked Eddie, gesturing for Amamu to follow as she started moving back towards the front of the Lab.
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Old 05-21-2022, 07:32 PM   #766
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Eddie nodded in agreement with Catharine- getting to learn all the more about cryptopokémon, to get the world to recognize them as beings just as natural as any Pidgey or Rattata, that was his dream. He was always pleased to meet someone else who agreed with this point of view.

Following this, Catharine confirmed, unnecessary as it was, that Eddie's assessment was correct. "Well, then, no time like the present," he stated. "I've got nothing pressing to keep me busy right now. Dad?" he called to Robert Starmie. "We're going to visit Keith, can you handle things around here while we're gone?"

"Sure thing, son," Robert called back. "Your mother should be back in a little while, too- we got this, don't worry."

"Thank you," nodded Eddie. He then looked down at the Poké God near his feet. "Pikablu, are you coming too?"

Pikablu nodded. "Blu!" she confirmed.

Eddie nodded back, then looked around, approaching the Electrode who was now starting to wake up. "Gigawatt, we're going to see Keith," Eddie explained. "Would you like to come along or do you want more sleep?"

"TROOOOOOODE," Gigawatt gave a droning yawn, seemingly pondering the matter for a moment before shaking his head... whole body... to indicate a negative answer.

Eddie nodded understandingly. "Sleep well, then," he responded, patting the sentient sphere, before checking the various Poké Balls clipped to his belt. He then gestured for Catharine (and Pikablu) to follow him.

The walk was indeed a short one, though Eddie was able to get in a few words regardless. "He does indeed have a lot of Pokémon," he said. "Mainly Poison-types, as per his specialty, but by no means does he train that type exclusively, as I'm sure you've gathered. Between those and his wife and daughter's Pokémon, there's a fair amount living there. Here we are," he added once he'd arrived on the doorstep of the Poisonous Palace. "Just... be prepared," he added as he knocked.

Before Catharine could devote too much time to wondering what Eddie meant by this, the question was swiftly answered. The double doors flew open, and a Pawniard, hovering in midair by way of her Magnet Rise move, was blocking the way inside, brandishing her blades threateningly. "Identify yourselves!" she barked.

Pikablu, however, stepped forward. "It's quite all right, Ginny, I can vouch for them," she said gently, yet somehow still authoritatively at the same time.

The Pawniard's demeanor changed almost immediately. She descended to the floor and saluted the Poké God. "Oh- miss Pikablu, my apologies," she said humbly. "Please, of course, you may all come right in," she added, stepping aside. Pikablu looked a bit sheepish at this level of respect, but nodded her thanks to Ginny all the same.

Eddie led the way into the spacious entrance hall, though the presence of a Hariyama lumbering into the kitchen gave the impression that the largeness of the place was more due to necessity than extravagance. "Keith?" Eddie called.

"Upstairs, Ed," came the reply, though rather than coming from Keith Masters himself, it instead came from a Dusknoir who had phased his head through the ceiling from the floor above. "In the Battle Room."

Eddie nodded. "Thanks, Peeves," he replied. Peeves the Dusknoir gave a nod and withdrew his head back into the ceiling.
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Old 05-21-2022, 10:04 PM   #767
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As Catharine made her way to leave, Eddie made a quick stop to consult his sleeping Electrode, asking if it wished to accompany the group. The large yawn that followed clearly indicated a negative, but Catharine was grinning as Eddie caught up to the group.

"Gigawatt, huh? It's a little funny, I actually have a Yamp-ah, well, he's a Boltund now-evolved on the road, actually." Catharine said, catching her mistake. "But his name is Gigabyte, as it were. I'd get you two acquainted, but perhaps not in here. He's more than a touch hyperactive, so it'd be best for him to get out in an open space, with no delicate equipment." she explained. As the pair made the short walk, and Eddie explained Keith's heavy preference for the Poison-Type, Catharine nodded. "I'll admit...Sludge Wave Coast, Poisonous Palace? I had a feeling. And a place that big, I'm sure a lot of Pokémon live there." Catharine said with a chuckle. Then Eddie, with a very nonspecific warning to be prepared, gave a knock on the door.

When said door near-instantaneously burst open to reveal a levitating Pawniard, blades extended and ready for combat, Catharine and Amamu both jolted back in surprise, the former with a loud and somewhat undignified yelp and halfway to summoning Clarisse to her defense, before the situation became clear. It seemed the Pawniard-Ginny-was merely some manner of security detail, and was at ease once Pikablu stepped forward to vouch for the group.

"...and breathe. Could have used a more specific warning...It's alright, Amamu, Ginny won't hurt us now." Catharine muttered, as she followed Eddie inside. Amamu followed closely behind, though still giving Ginny a wide berth, wary of the Pawniard after that sudden display. Though, now that everyone was inside, Catharine could see that the area definitely seemed big enough to host a Pokémon of Clarisse's size-Keith had clearly had a touch more foresight in the dimensions than she had when getting her place built-then again, she hadn't expected to suddenly own a ten-foot tall Ursaring when she'd started out. As Eddie called for Keith, a Dusknoir's head phased through the ceiling to inform him-in perfect English, Catharine noted-that Keith was upstairs in the Battle Room, before vanishing.

"I think I'll wait down here, as it were. Normally I'd be up for a round, but between having been out and about on Springtide and the battle I had to catch my new Cryogonal on the way here, I'm rather strung out for the time being, so I'd rather grab a seat somewhere." Catharine admitted, before gazing intently at the Snoverberry tree at her side. "...these Snoverberries aren't just for show, are they? I'll admit I could use a quick snack-and Amamu definitely could use one for her help earlier." she asked.

"Food sounds nice." Amamu seconded quietly.
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Old 05-22-2022, 02:23 AM   #768
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Eddie smiled as Catharine revealed she actually had a Boltund that went by a similar name to Eddie's Electrode, so freshly evolved that she almost called him a Yamper out of habit. "Oh, that's very cool," Eddie stated. "But yes, not in here, I would have to agree," he added. "I definitely appreciate the thoughtfulness. Gigawatt there was actually my very first Pokémon. Well, not the one I've known the longest- that honor goes to my Klink, who was the family pet at the time, but Gigawatt's been mine specifically for the longest."

Once they arrived, and Ginny did her thing, and Catharine breathed again, she admitted that a more specific warning might have been a good idea. "...eheheh, I suppose so," Eddie conceded sheepishly. "My apologies, Catharine."

"Ginny is paranoid and overprotective, but ultimately harmless to the innocent," Pikablu spoke up.

"Speaking as her former teammate, I'm in agreement with that sentiment," Hermione chimed in. "Keeping Keith and his family safe is her topmost priority. That said, you're hardly the first to have gotten such an... alarming first impression of her, and I'm sorry to say it's likely you won't be the last."

Once Peeves had informed the guests on where Keith was, Catharine stated that she was more inclined to wait downstairs- normally the idea of a battle appealed to her greatly, but right now she was more in the mood to grab a seat. "Fair enough," Eddie nodded. "Though if memory serves, there's ample seating in the Battle Room, we could just watch. I'm sure the family's up there training for the Colosseum challenge later today."

"Yeah, you're right about that," came the Dusknoir's voice yet again. This time, Peeves in his entirety phased through the ceiling, floating down until he was hovering just before Eddie and Catharine. As a stark contrast to Catharine's first impression of Ginny, the Dusknoir didn't come off threatening in the slightest. "They actually shouldn't be much longer, Albus was just going up against Hippowdon up there. You'd be proud, Hermione," he added, addressing the Weedle on Eddie's shoulder. "Your son's Harden let him stand his ground against Hippowdon's High Horsepower."

"That's my boy," Hermione responded, beaming with motherly pride. "He's always shared my passion for learning as well as his father's passion for battle," she explained to Catharine, behavior that got Peeves to raise his one and only eyebrow in mild curiosity, though he did not say anything on the matter at the moment.

"And to answer your question, I do believe the Snoverberries are free to take," Eddie chimed in, though with a questioning glance at the Dusknoir all the same.

But Peeves nodded. "Help yourselves," he replied, reaching over to one of the Snoverberry trees and plucking a few himself, popping them into his mouth. "Mmm. Good stuff," he commented. "Anyways, Ed here called me by name, but that's no reason to not introduce myself. The name's Peeves," the Dusknoir introduced himself to Catharine and Amamu. "So, who might you be?" he asked.
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Old 05-23-2022, 01:54 AM   #769
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"It's water under the bridge, Eddie. Just caught me a bit off my guard there, though I suppose that is in part the point." Catharine replied to Eddie's apology. She wasn't truly all that bothered now that things had settled-especially since no one opted to comment on the exact nature of her reaction. As Pikablu explained (and Hermoine subsequently confirmed) that Ginny was merely overprotective, but not one to harm anyone innocent, though, Amamu actually looked back at the Pawniard, no longer obviously sheltering behind her Trainer. She was still rather intimidated by Ginny, and she knew she was still young, knowing only how to Tackle an opponent as far as battling went. But to be a protector...Anamu admired her bravery and evident strength, if perhaps not her exact methods. Maybe, when she was older and stronger, she could train with Ginny to become a strong protector in her own right. She had already taken her first step back in the Lab, after all.

As Eddie mentioned that Keith and family were training for a Collosseum Challenge, though, Catharine's eyes lit up. "Ah, that's right, Gigabyte did mention something about that! Ah, the guy who runs that whole thing, Gavin I think his name was? He actually wound up at my place not long after I came by my Carbink. Chased a Shiny Flygon well into the canyon I have my place built in, though it got away from him-I, ah, heard him before I saw him, if you get my meaning." Catharine explained. "Still, if only I wasn't so worn out, I'd volunteer to actually join in. I watch those a lot, but I haven't gotten to actually see one in person since...since I moved here from Pyrite, actually, much less gotten to actually partake in one-only had Clarisse in those days, and Orre's Collosseums don't exactly run Singles." she explained as Peeves descended to make his introduction.

"Catharine Park at your service. The Basculin beside me is Amamu. Good to meet you, Peeves." Catharine introduced herself in return, quickly plucking and chowing down on a Snoverberry at the Dusknoir's invitation, before grabbing another to give to Amamu, who quickly chowed down, as Peeves gave some commentary on what was going on upstairs.

"Albus being a...Kakuna, likely?" Catharine guessed, though as Peeves raised an eyebrow at Hermoine directly addressing her, with great pride in her son, she sighed. "Welp, that Delcatty's out of the bag. Yes, I understand her, and all Pokémon, at that. I don't normally show it off, but Hermoine got me a bit excited-we were thinking of talking to Keith about his time in Glitch City." Catharine explained. "Anyway, before we head up, I wanted to bring out a few more of my Pokémon, let them socialize a bit. Though, given how Clarisse is now, you all might want to take a few steps back while I let them out." Catharine explained, waiting for those present to heed her warning before releasing a few of her Pokémon in a bright flash. Laura quickly fluttered to her usual perch on Laura's shoulder. Isabelle flinched back a bit from Peeves, though she quickly seemed to come to a realization, and the fear vanished from her face. Peeves wasn't that same furious spirit from the distortion-his singular eye, while red, wasn't the burning, angry red she'd felt then. Fortuna, for her part, carefully established a distance from Ginny, but otherwise seemed to just look around. Bergeron floated at attention at the edge of the small group. And lastly, towering above all present at ten feet tall, Clarisse stood in the middle of the newly released group, dwarfing the rest of them.

"Introductions, everyone!" Catharine said with a short clap, bringing all of her Pokémon to attention. "Alright. Firstly, Laura. Still looking for a Leek for her. She refuses to be given one, before you offer-wants to find it wild." Catharine explained, as Laura gave her best bird-impression of a salute.

"Hello, darlin's!" Laura added simply.

"Next, Isabelle. Bit slow on the talking front, but friendly nonetheless." Catharine explained.

"Hello!" Isabelle supplied, with a happy chime.

"Over here, Fortuna. I actually met her at my place, and-" Catharine began before Fortuna interrupted, having caught sight of Pikablu.

"By my Lady's stars!" she exclaimed, rushing over to Pikablu. "To meet an esteemed Poke God like yourself is a truly fortunate blessing-second only to having hosted my Lady herself! Your Trainer is truly blessed to have been able to meet you!" she continued.

"-she just said you were profoundly blessed to have met Pikablu there, Eddie." Catharine helpfully added. "Then we have my Cryogonal, Bergeron-we actually met on the road here, had a battle about it, whereupon Gigabyte evolved." Catharine said, though she gave Fortuna a meaningful look, which the Carbink quickly understood-that battle had been an ambush, not that anyone present needed to know that. Yet.

"Good to meet you all. I am Bergeron, as stated." the Cryogonal said, regal tone evident in their voice.

"And lastly, my first partner, and half the reason I'm going to have to remodel my house, Clarisse!" Catharine added, gesturing to the giant Ursaring.

"Hello, I'm Clarisse! I got this big when I evolved today, while in that distortion. Do I smell Snoverberries?" Clarisse introduced herself, as Catharine promptly handed her a Snoverberry from the nearby tree, which was promptly scarfed.

"Alright, everyone! Earthquake and Gigabyte aren't out right now, I'll see about it once I know the former won't chow down on the potting soil, and the latter has someplace to run around. In any case, I'm going to have a chat upstairs. I figured this would be a good time for you all to socialize, so feel free to hang about wherever, and chat with whoever. The only thing is, Clarisse?" Catharine said, getting the Ursaring's specific attention. "I want you to go with Amamu. She's still a bit shy, and hasn't had the time to train with us. Anyone tries to mess with her, you keep them away. Be the consequences, if you absolutely must." Catharine said, knowing full well that few Pokémon would generally want to tangle with an upset ten-foot Ursaring.

"I will go with her. You," Clarisse addressed to Peeves, "look like you live here. Is there anywhere Amamu might go to swim with other aquatic Pokémon? Preferably somewhere I can supervise." Clarisse asked. The other Pokémon all gave varying sounds of acknowledgment before all going their own ways. Laura made for the Kitchen-if anyone was cooking in there, she had an eye for quality vegetables. Isabelle followed-the Kitchen was her prime hangout spot back home, usually being the one to quite literally ring the dinner bell. Bergeron, for their part, actually headed upstairs ahead of Catharine, though they wouldn't be headed for the Battle Room. No, they could simply sense the Library upstairs, and the Cryogonal did certainly enjoy the leisurely pursuit of a book-they made do, even with their lack of true hands. And Fortuna had a similar sense for the Game Room upstairs, though she wasn't exactly headed there to play, herself-her Lady's blessings were better spent otherwise. Rather, in a place where emotions could run high, perhaps she'd be able to overhear some loose lips, and see if the mysterious group that had sought to capture her Lady had made other appearances today-if any of the Pokemon here had witnessed such people, perhaps she could finally make some headway in her mission to rescue her Lady's future host from their clutches-and she surely did not want to leave the ambush they had set on Catharine unanswered.
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With Ginny's rather alarming first impression firmly behind them all, Eddie's mention of a Colosseum challenge got Catharine's attention in a big way, and she revealed what Gigabyte had told her from the day one Gavin Golurkson had come to visit. "Oh, you've met Gavin already?" Eddie smiled. He chuckled as Catharine stated that she had heard him before actually seeing him. "If he had just lost track of a Shiny, and a Flygon, no less, then oh, that sounds like the Gavin we know and love," he grinned. As Catharine admitted just how long it's been since she'd seen a Colosseum challenge in action, and more to the point, mentioned where she was from, Eddie's eyebrows flew up. "A small world indeed- Gavin's from Pyrite Town as well! He'd spent much of his youth watching the battles in Pyrite Colosseum, and he started up Sludge Wave Colosseum as a way of trying to bring a little Orre culture to Fizzytopia."

Peeves nodded in response to Catharine's introductions, and nodded again at the guess that Albus was a Kakuna. "A Kakuna indeed," he confirmed. Though before much else could be said on that matter, the subject turned to Catharine's capability to understand Pokémon language. He nodded at her confirmation, though gave a small chuckle as the subject of Keith's adventure in Glitch City was brought up. "Oh, wow, that brings back memories," the Dusknoir remarked. "I was still a Duskull back then... oh, wow," he murmured. Thankfully, he snapped out of this train of thought in time to heed Catharine's warning, as did all others present, and a damn good thing they did, too, for a number of Pokémon emerged at once, several of them being... well, quite large. The Farfetch'd perched on Catharine's shoulder. The Chimecho seemingly involuntarily flinched at the sight of Peeves, but seemed to not fear him beyond that initial instinctive reaction, for which the Dusknoir was grateful. The Carbink looked around, careful to keep her distance from the Pawniard. And then came the big ones- the Cryogonal and the Ursaring, both of them massive for their kind. And with Ursaring already being a sizable creature on average, Clarisse easily dwarfed all else present.

Catharine introduced them- Laura, the Normal Form Farfetch'd, was still after a Leek to call her own, but was refusing all offered ones, preferring to find one growing wild. Isabelle, the Chimecho with perhaps the most on-the-nose name for one of her kind, while slow when it came to talking, was friendly nonetheless. Fortuna, the Carbink, actually interrupted her own introduction upon noticing Pikablu and rushing over to greet her, recognizing the great fortune and profound blessing of an occasion as momentous as getting to meet a Poké God. "I thank you for your kind words," Pikablu responded modestly. "Do I take your wording to mean, then, that you have had the honor of hosting Diancie?" she inquired. "A great honor, if the stories I hear have anything to them."

Catharine translated for Fortuna, telling Eddie what her Carbink had said. He nodded seriously, knowing this fact as well as anyone present, how blessed he was to have a Poké God to call his friend. She then introduced Bergeron, the Cryogonal, and her most recent catch; and finally, Clarisse, the gigantic Ursaring, whose introduction quickly gave way to smelling Snoverberries. Catharine told her Pokémon to go and socialize while she went upstairs. Her only request was for Clarisse to accompany Amamu, to ensure nobody would mess with her. The Ursaring took this seriously, then turned to Peeves, asking if there was anywhere Amamu could go to swim. "There is indeed," Peeves confirmed. "Swimming pool, just through this door, actually," he added, indicating the first door to the left. "Big, too- pretty sure even you'd find it roomy," he said with a nod to the sizable Ursaring. As he spoke, he reached into the nearer of the two Snoverberry trees again, but instead of a Snoverberry, he pulled out a big red Sweet Apple instead. "What the..." he murmured.

"Ooh, apple?!" came an excitable voice from the direction of the kitchen.

Peeves turned to look as an Applin rolled out of the kitchen. Then back at the Sweet Apple in his hand. Then back at the Applin. "Oh, crap," he said, rolling his eye. "Amy, will you stop-"

"I've been looking for that, I've been smelling it around here!" the Applin exclaimed as she rolled closer and closer. "Clever of Keith, hiding it in the Snoverberries, he knows I don't like 'em!"

Peeves looked indecisive. At first he made to put the Sweet Apple back where he'd found it. However, he realized this would no longer deter Amy, now that she knew where it was being hidden. After a moment's deliberation, he gave a sigh, rolled his eye, and held out the Sweet Apple. The Applin pounced, devouring the apple in short order, after which she began to glow. Unlike when Willa's Applin evolved, however, Amy stayed on the ground. The leaf eyes drooped, the top of her apple becoming like a helmet as a rather chunky body erupted from underneath, and when the light cleared, a contented stood in Amy's place.

"...And this is Amy," Peeves said to all present. "She's... well, she was Keith's Applin until like two seconds ago. She has quite the fondness for sweet foods, especially Sweet Apples, like the one Keith was holding onto in order to evolve her at the best possible moment," he added pointedly.

The Appletun shrugged. "I felt the time was right," she said simply. "Keith'll understand that, won't he?" she asked with confidence.

Peeves gave an exaggerated sigh. "You know, right now I just hate how totally right you are about that," he grumbled.

As Laura and Isabelle headed to the kitchen, Amy accompanied them. Once in the kitchen, they could see a Slurpuff using Psychic to take a number of hamburger patties out of the refrigerator. As he placed them on paper plates, he then turned to look, doing a double-take at the sight of the Appletun. "Damn, Ame, you really grabbed the Sweet Apple already, huh?" the Slurpuff asked. "Who're your friends?"

"Dunno," Amy admitted, looking at Laura and Isabelle. "I arrived a bit late for the introductions. But, uh, this is Cotton," she added, indicating the Slurpuff. "Haven't been around here long, but certainly long enough to know the guy's a great cook."

"Heya," Cotton greeted the Farfetch'd and Chimecho. "Take it you've already met Amy here. Very big on sweet foods, including the kind of apple that, well, you probably saw for yourselves," he said, gesturing towards the freshly-evolved Appletun.

In the library, Bergeron found relative peace and quiet, as well as a great number of books on many subjects. Only two other Pokémon seemed to be present at the moment- a Normal Form Decidueye, snuggled up with a Roselia whose coloration seemed to match said Decidueye, were both reading a book entitled The Art of Archery, by Bo Enarro. As if to make their choice of book all the more fitting, the Roselia was holding a bow in one of her rose hands. Engrossed though they were in their reading, the two Grass-types could not fail to notice the gigantic sentient snowflake that came hovering in. "Hm- oh, you're not Winter," remarked the Roselia. "Are you visiting? I'm Artemis, and this is my girlfriend, Decidueye."

"Who might you be?" Decidueye asked of the large Cryogonal.

In the game room, Fortuna didn't find too much in the way of others. There were a couple Pokémon shooting pool, however- a five-foot-tall Scrafty, swaggering around wearing a pair of Black Glasses, and a Barbaracle, whose various Binacle all seemed to be muttering to one another to try and coordinate their movements. The two seemed very absorbed in their game, however, and did not notice their guest just yet.

"...and I'm telling you guys, your teamwork ain't shabby, but it's no match for the unparalleled hand-eye coordination of one mind in complete control of the whole body," the Scrafty was saying as he lined up a shot.

"Yeah, says the guy losing to a bunch of Binacle," retorted the Barbaracle's head. "Ian, Oscar, get ready, our turn'll come soon." As if in response, the lower hands on the Barbaracle gripped their stick tightly.

While neither of them seemed to notice Fortuna, that did not mean the Carbink's presence went unnoticed. A Torkoal shyly and silently approached Fortuna, head tilted in curiosity. A few puffs of White Smoke drifted up out of her shell, forming into a question mark that lingered in midair long enough to drive home the general point.

Back downstairs, as Catharine's Pokémon went their own ways, Eddie turned to Catharine. "I'll show you to the Battle Room," he offered. "Besides, I'd like to see the training going on up there myself. This is a family of skilled Pokémon Trainers."

"Yeah, I'm headed back up there myself," Peeves added. "Lil and Chip are up there, we've been watching the battling together."


Quote:
What? Applin is evolving!



...

...

...!



Congratulations! Your Applin evolved into Appletun!

*Amy learned Headbutt!*

*Amy learned Growth!*

*Amy learned Recycle!*

*Amy learned Sweet Scent!*
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Old 05-24-2022, 01:44 AM   #771
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Eddie mentioned that Gavin was indeed the man behind Sludge Wave Collosseum, and that he'd built the place as a way to bring a part of Orre to Fizzytopia with him, to which Catharine smiled. "Yeah, I can understand the feeling. My, ah, thank-you gift to Celebi, for my ability, ended up being a full replica of the Relic Stone for much the same reason-when the area became green around it, it was like my own little microcosm of Agate Village in the midst of the badlands. Now all the canyon needs is a hollowed-out engine car doubling as a restaurant at the entrance, and between us we'll have most everything." she joked.

As her Pokémon were introducing themselves, Pikablu did ask Fortuna, based on her wording, if she had ever been host to Diancie herself.

"I have indeed been so blessed, until recently." Fortuna answered. "And it is an honor, as you say. Those of us who will host our Lady, it is set from the moment we come into being. It is a truly unique and indescribable experience, that I am truly fortunate to have had the privilege of living." she explained. Introductions went smoothly from there, but just as Clarisse and Amamu had entered the pool room, and the others were beginning to break away, Peeves had gone for another Snoverberry-only to have a bright red Sweet Apple in his hand when he pulled it from the plant. As if on cue, a similar-looking Pokémon rolled from the kitchen at speed, and quickly zeroed in on the fruit. Catharine quickly consulted her P★DA for an ID.

"Applin, the Apple Core Pokémon. As soon as it's born, it burrows into an apple. Not only does the apple serve as it's food source, but the flavor of the fruit determines its evolution." the device informed her helpfully.

The Applin had apparently been making a big fuss out of looking for the apple in Peeves' hand, and after a moment of deliberation, Peeves realized, with a roll of his eye, that he wasn't going to get her to back down now that he'd brought her prize out into the open. The moment Peeves offered it, Amy quickly made to devour it, and began to glow. Ironically, half of the apple was left uneaten, serving instead as a helmet of sorts for the newly evolved Pokemon's head, and the main body now bore a strong resemblance to an apple pie! Catharine rechecked her P★DA for information.

"Appletun, the Apple Nectar Pokémon. Its body is covered in sweet nectar, and the skin on its back is especially yummy. Children used to have it as a snack." the device supplied.

"That's...a bit morbid." Catharine said, a bit uneasy at that mental image of just tearing parts off of a Pokémon to eat, while Peeves and Amy lightly bickered about the timing of her evolution. "For what it's worth, Amy, congratulations on evolving." she added. At this point, her Pokémon fully went their separate ways. As Eddie began to move towards the upstairs, eager to watch the ongoing training match, Catharine followed behind.

"I'd certainly like to watch too! Even in training, Doubles matches are so much fun to watch! You can really get a sense of a Trainer's strength and approach just from watching them." Catharine said, as the trio proceeded upstairs.

Back in the kitchen, Laura and Isabelle were introduced to Cotton, who seemed to be in the process of whipping up burgers for dinner, if the large number of patties being levitated onto plates by way of Psychic was any indication. Cotton asked for an introduction, but Amy admitted she had been a bit too late to the party to be able to provide.

"Yeah, Amy popped in just about when we were finishin' up-Peeves was goin' for a Snoverberry and got somethin' else, from the looks of it." Laura explained. "But I'm forgettin' my manners! Name's Laura! Still lookin' for a good Leek out there, but I'll find it for sure!" the Farfetch'd added.

"I'm Isabelle! Laura...picks good veggies." the Chimecho got out, taking a moment to settle on her words.

"What she's not sayin' is back at home, she lives up to her name-she practically is the dinner bell." Laura teased, causing Isabelle to blush lightly. "But she's got a keen mind, for sure. She managed to master that Psysplit move a while back. I ain't seen nothin' like it!" Laura added.

"Need...help?" Isabelle asked.

Over in the pool room, Amamu quickly hopped into the water, but stayed close to the surface and the edge of the pool, where Clarisse stood. The Ursaring noticed Amamu's trepidation, and hunched down to reassure the Basculin.

"It's alright. You don't have to go too deep, if you want to stay where you can call for me. But go out and swim, make some friends, alright? If anyone tries to start something, you just holler, alright? I'll take care of it-even swim out to ya if I have to." Clarisse said.

"Thank you, Clarisse." Amamu said, slowly making her way out into the pool proper.

Up in the library, Bergeron quickly realized they were not alone, as they were addressed by both a Decidueye, and a Roselia bearing a markedly similar coloration, holding a bow. The pair seemed to be reading a book about archery, which Bergeron figured made sense. Still, the pair noticed the large Cryogonal almost immediately. The Roselia introduced herself as Artemis, though Decidueye herself apparently went by no other name.

"Ah, greetings, you two. I am called Bergeron. My Trainer, Catharine, is meeting with someone here." Bergeron introduced themselves, scanning some of the nearby bookshelves until they found one that struck their fancy-The Composition of Musical Classics, by one Ohver Churr. "While Catharine does wish for me to socialize, I am still drawn to a fine read such as this one." they said, carefully using their ice crystal chains to take hold of the book and bring it to a nearby table. "That said, you must be remarkably close with Decidueye, Artemis. I've heard of Roselia with differing colors, but a coloration matching a Decidueye is surely new to me-and that bow doesn't seem to be for show!" the Cryogonal said with a chuckle, as they opened their book.

In the gameroom, Fortuna was actually paying rapt attention to the Barbaracle at the pool table, though still out of their notice. Binacle and Barbaracle were something of a unique species psychologically-some would have one clear personality all their lives. Others would start as two distinct personalities as Binacle, but be mostly or completely integrated into one by the time they evolved. Others still had an opposite journey, one mind becoming more distinct personalities upon evolving, and others still were many throughout their lives. If Fortuna had to guess, this Barbaracle was of the very latter persuasion-they managed to communicate so effectively as to function as a whole, cohesive unit, in a game so reliant on coordination and skill, that they seemed to be beating the pants off of their Scrafty opponent-if not quite literally. Such skill spoke to ample experience in working around each other. Fortuna, in her thoughts, only barely noticed the Torkoal that soon approached her-rather, she noticed the smoke messages first.

"Ah, my apologies, I was distracted. I am Fortuna. My Trainer is visiting, currently, though she is elsewhere." the Carbink explained, keeping her voice down. "Truthfully...I was hoping I might overhear something useful here, but those Pokémon are so engrossed in their match, I may as well ask you directly. Have you, or any of your teammates, encountered any...suspicious people, as of late?" Fortuna asked. "My Trainer and I have had a couple of run-ins with a mysterious group, but our investigations haven't yielded much information as of yet. I was hoping to find some assistance." she explained.
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Old 05-24-2022, 09:15 PM   #772
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Eddie chuckled at Catharine's joke about all her place was missing being a hollowed-out train serving as a restaurant. "Gavin's mentioned the place you're likely referencing there- the Outskirt Stand, I think he called it," Eddie replied. "He gave their cheeseburgers a glowing review." He nodded, following Amy's abrupt evolution, at Catharine's assessment of Appletun's Pokédex entry. "Sounds morbid indeed, but then, consider the source of Snoverberries," he said, gesturing to the trees. "Evidently, although these ones obviously grow on ordinary trees, Hermione first had the idea to grow them from Snoverberries plucked from a Snover Keith used to own."

"It's true," confirmed Hermione. "Jack is his name. He's actually now an Abomasnow living with Keith's parents, but he used to be something of a mascot for the Adoption Center in years past- it used to be a rather dismal place, from my understanding, and he saw it as his mission to help brighten spirits around there. He gave me some of his Snoverberries as a parting gift so that I could grow them, because the whole team had grown to like snacking on them. You'll see potted Snoverberry trees all over the house now," she finished, sounding somewhat pleased with herself.

"I suppose what matters is whether said back skin can come off painlessly and regrow without issue," Eddie speculated out loud. "I've heard such a defense in the context of Slowpoke Tail harvesting, but that only really holds true on the technicality that by the time the Slowpoke registers the pain, the tail's already grown back, so..." he trailed off. "Something to look into, I would imagine, though decidedly not at Amy's expense," he stated.

In the kitchen, Laura and Isabelle introduced themselves, the former stating she was still looking for a leek, which got the Slurpuff nodding in understanding. "You know, there's a forest just south of town where wild Farfetch'd live," he said. "Dunno if you've already tried there or what, but if you haven't, that might be a good place to look. If nothing else, bunch of Farfetch'd in there with leeks of their own who might at least be able to point you in the right direction. Either way, good luck with that, Laura," the Fairy-type finished. Isabelle's brief introduction was then expanded upon by Laura, stating that the Chimecho basically acted as the dinner bell back home, but adding that she had a keen mind, managing to master a move known as Psysplit. "Ooh, Psysplit, Hermione knows that one," murmured Cotton. "Definitely a unique one, for sure. Mastering that can't be easy." He then looked at Isabelle, as the Chimecho seemed to shyly offer her help. This was met with an appreciative smile from the Slurpuff. "Well, sure," he replied. "I'm gonna get moving on dinner pretty soon- it's gonna be bacon cheeseburgers tonight. The bacon, Shelley'll handle that when she gets down here, she's a Torkoal- she cooks the bacon with her own smoke, that does wonders for the flavor. As far as vegetables and berries go, though, I'd appreciate a little help with preparing them, if you're up for it?"

In the pool room, Clarisse reassured her Basculin friend, and Amamu slowly swam out into the pool. There weren't a lot of other Pokémon swimming in there at the moment. A family seemed to be swimming in one area- a pair of drastically different-looking Qwilfish, and a Lanturn whose lures emitted a curious purple light. In another area of the pool, a pair of Tentacruel could be seen, one of them easily twice the size of the other. If the larger of the two exited the water and stood up on her tentacles, she would be comparable in height to Clarisse. But in all probability, the first to catch Amamu's attention was likely to be the Blue-Striped Basculin, swimming right on up to her. This Basculin's expression conveyed surprise and curiosity- seeing Amamu seemed to have caught her very off guard. "Huh," she remarked. "I seen plenty of Basculin in my time, but they're usually either Red-Striped or Blue-Striped. Ain't even known a third kind existed- you're a new one on me. The name's Pisces," she introduced herself. "New around here? Who caught you- Keith? Willa? Maribel?"

Outside of the pool, a seemingly inanimate heap of broken bleached coral that had been sitting innocuously in the corner came to life, the little spectral orb resting in the broken coral base opening his eyes and floating up somewhat as the ectoplasm body and branches shimmered into sight. Looking around, Cursola could not fail to notice the ten-foot-tall Ursaring that had decidedly not been present when he'd taken his nap. Dragging his coral base across the floor, he slowly made his way over to the Ursaring. "Hello!" the Ghost-type greeted Clarisse, demeanor surprisingly cheerful for what one might assume for a Cursola. "I'm Cursola, who are you?"

In the library, Bergeron was quick to notice Artemis's coloration, remarking that between that and the bow, she must really be close with Decidueye. "Oh, we are quite close," confirmed Artemis, putting an arm around her girlfriend, which elicited an affectionate nuzzle from the Grass/Ghost-type. "Though the popular theory is that this isn't due to our relationship."

"Artemis's parents, Keith's Carnivine and Roserade, are evidently distantly descended from Decidueye," stated Decidueye. "Bloodlines with a dormant passion for archery buried deep down within."

'Dormant until I hatched," stated Artemis. As though to prove her point, she looked around the library, spotting an empty water bottle sitting on a table a considerable distance away. With her bow in rose, she nocked a singular Pin Missile, took aim, and fired. The pointy projectile pierced the plastic with precision. "Hermione's hypothesis is that it was the Rose Incense that brought that Decidueye ancestry to the forefront."

"Keith's Rose Incense is not ordinary," explained Decidueye. "He's used it to finish the purification of Shadow Pokémon before- he received it as a gift from Celebi for restoring its faith in humanity, I was told. I never heard the complete story there, though it evidently contains traces of Celebi's power if it can do this sort of thing."

Artemis nodded. "And Celebi is best known for its time travel capabilities, so having the side effect of bringing traits of my distant ancestors into greater prominence in the present day... well, I could believe that not being a coincidence."

Fortuna's initial distraction got the Torkoal shuffling awkwardly, wondering whether she was being ignored on purpose, when the Carbink noticed the smoke and apologized. The Torkoal nodded her head respectfully in response to the greeting, and in response, concentrated very hard. Seven puffs of White Smoke rose from her shell, and lined themselves up, each puff forming into a letter, spelling out the Torkoal's name: SHELLEY. At the Carbink's plea for information on any sort of shady characters, Shelley considered for a few moments. The smoke spelling out her name morphed in midair, the letters merging together, changing shape to form an arrow, which pointed at Shelley herself as she shook her head no. However, the arrow then turned, to point to the corner of the room just to the left of the row of arcade machines. Once Shelley was sure the point was made, the arrow dissipated, and the Torkoal led the way over to said corner, where a Camerupt sat, a black fedora adorning his head.

"Ah, my darling Shells," the Camerupt spoke up, as the Torkoal nuzzled him affectionately, a gesture he returned before turning his attention to Fortuna. The Camerupt seemed to be speaking in perfect English. "And it seems to me we have a visitor as well. For my beloved to refer you to me, I can only surmise that there's something troubling you." Indeed, as he said this, Shelley nodded to confirm the Camerupt's words as fact. "Those with any degree of knowledge of the Fizzytopian underworld will know me as the notorious Don Mel, but to my friends I am simply known as Vinny. Now... what troubles you, Fortuna? What can I do for you?" If the Carbink was confused as to how Vinny knew her name when she'd only told it to his mute Torkoal girlfriend, said confusion was easily dispelled by simply looking up, to where Vinny's eyes had briefly glanced before addressing the Carbink by name- more of the Torkoal's smoke had puffed out above Fortuna, spelling out the Carbink's name for the Camerupt's convenience.

Amid all this, Eddie, Catharine, Hermione, and Peeves were all headed up to the Battle Room, and Catharine expressed her excitement for watching the training, stating that doubles matches were a lot of fun to watch. "I can't argue with that," Eddie stated. "Taking part in them is fun, too."

"Yeah, they might not be Keith's usual thing, but he's from Hoenn- the birthplace of the double battle," stated Peeves. "He knows his way around them. Willa's no slouch with them either, and, well, lemme just say, it's evident that battling skill runs in the family," he chuckled.

As they arrived at the Battle Room, the door was open, and the sounds of a Pokémon battle could be heard from within.

"Now, Hippowdon- High Horsepower!"

"Albus! Harden! Now!"

Thunderous footsteps shook the Battle Room as Eddie led the way inside, said footsteps caused by a large Hippowdon charging headlong at... a Kakuna. A Kakuna who stood his ground, stiffening his shell for all he was worth. Leaning forward, he extended the two stinger-like protrusions from the front of his shell and dug them into the battlefield. And when Hippowdon slammed into him, the little Kakuna held his ground in a frankly insane display of resilience. And these Pokémon and their respective Trainers weren't the only ones present, either- a woman stood off to the side, as though to referee the match, while several Pokémon were watching from the seating area of the Battle Room- there was an excitable Drapion, an emotional Rhyhorn, a Meowth who wore a Gigantaband on his front left leg and a female Meowstic sitting very close beside him, as well as a Dusknoir floating beside a Duskull whose cloak looked like a chocolate chip cookie, and he even smelled the part, too. "Keep it up, Hippowdon!" one of the Trainers was calling out- a little girl, dressed mainly in black, with the exception of the cowboy hat on her head, a Key Stone set into the front of it. There was a large TV screen on the wall visible behind the battlefield, and it currently showed a scoreboard akin to what one might see in an official battling facility, with images of the Trainers and the Pokémon they were using. One image was greyed out on each side- evidently, there had been a Wobbuffet and a Dracovish in on this battle, but both appeared to have fainted before they got here.

On the opposite end of the battlefield, a man wearing an identical cowboy hat grinned as he adjusted said headwear. "Use Liquidation!" he commanded his Kakuna.

"Kaaaakuna!" Albus exclaimed as water swirled around his body. Following this, a spike made of water jutted out from the top of the shell, striking Hippowdon and forcing him to let up on the High Horsepower attack. If Catharine had looked at Hermione at this point for any reason, she would have seen the Weedle beaming with pride as she watched her son in action.

The man wasn't finished yet. "Ice Beam, let's go!" he called out.

"Use Rock Slide!" exclaimed the girl. Immediately, Hippowdon generated a ring of boulders around himself and send them flying towards the Kakuna, who shot each one down in rapid succession with a barrage of Ice Beams, each one striking and shattering a boulder as it came flying. By the end of this, the elevated platform on which the battle was taking place was peppered with chunks of ice and rock, and the Hippowdon and Kakuna were panting as they eyed each other.

The woman, however, stepped forward, right in between the combatants. "I think that will do for now," she said firmly, yet with the slightest of smiles. "In the interest of not pushing Albus and Hippowdon too hard with the Colosseum challenge coming up, I declare them both unable to battle, and this match to be a draw."

"Phew," grinned the man. "Albus, good stuff. And Maribel, sweetie, I'm liking how much stronger Hippowdon's getting, that High Horsepower nearly had us near the end."

"Thanks, Dad," smiled Maribel, evidently the girl's name. As she spoke, she walked alongside her tired Hippowdon and started petting him. "Hippowdon, good work," she said. "You've gotten much tougher."

"I can see we're just in time for some training," Eddie remarked, causing all eyes to turn to the door.

"Oh- hey, Ed," smiled Keith Masters. "Who's your friend?"
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Old 05-25-2022, 01:41 AM   #773
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Catharine smiled warmly at the origin story behind the Snoverberry trees in the house.

"That's actually quite sweet of Jack." she said. "Though Eddie is correct in Amy's case. I never bought that Slowpoke Tail-chopping defense for a moment, myself. And if the word from Alola and Galar is any good, they're better when they come off naturally, anyhow." she added.

In the kitchen, at Cotton's suggestion of consulting with the nearby Farfetch'd settlement, Laura held up a wing.

"True, they could be a good help, but I think I'd rather save that tack for a rainy day. Catharine likes adventure and wanderin' as much as I do, so it's more fun that way." she explained. With a bit more discussion, however, the menu item of the night was revealed-bacon cheeseburgers. And while Cotton was ready to get a start on things, they weren't going to say no to some help with the berries and vegetables.

"We'll help!" Isabelle chimed. With gusto, she first made her way to the refrigerator, looking over the selection of berries available, levitating many of them with Psychic herself to check for bruising, though she was avoiding the sour ones somewhat-she didn't much like the flavor.

"Not too many dry ones, Isabelle! We're cookin' for a real full house, here!" Laura called, as she brought an onion and a cutting board over to some clear counter space. She carefully set the onion on the board, before stepping back and staring the onion down. She extended one wing, which began to glow on the edges with a light-blue energy. All in one blurring motion, Laura was suddenly on the other side of the onion, and the onion itself was cut cleanly into several evenly-sliced discs, which spread themselves out on the cutting board like toppled dominoes. "Aerial Ace doesn't ever miss!" the Farfetch'd preened, gathering up the slices and setting them off to the side on a plate.

Over in the pool room, Amamu kept her distance from the pair of Tentacruel and the Hisuian Qwilfish-the former species had had no issues predating upon her kind in the past, and the latter, while not a predator per se, had nonetheless been a barb in their sides, especially when they evolved. The nearby Lanturn's lights definitely intrigued her, however-she was unfamiliar with the species, as they hadn't appeared in Hisui, and so she watched them from afar. But before she could get too distracted, she was approached by Pisces, a Blue-Striped Basculin curious as to her appearance-and as to who caught her.

"Ah, none of them. My Trainer is Catharine, she is visiting here. She was hoping to talk to Keith about a place called Glitch City, I heard. I am called Amamu. As for how I look...Basculin not unlike you once migrated to the waters of the Hisui region-though from what I hear, it's not called that anymore." Amamu began-this story was written in every White-Striped Basculin's very heart and soul, and her voice showed that as she told it. "Hisui's waters were extremely dangerous. There were lots of predators, from land, sea, and sky. Between them, and Red and Blue-Stripes fighting both each other and other territorial Pokémon for turf, entire schools were regularly decimated if not entirely destroyed. It got to a point where all of us realized that we would die out if things continued that way, and that something had to change. When we first swam together, it was an uneasy alliance. Our numbers were still so thin that other Pokémon could still regularly drive us away, and many days, we were on the verge of giving up, and surrendering to our fates. But as we endured, and slowly our numbers grew again, it could no longer be denied that together was the way. Before long, we shed the coloration we used to fight over. And with that spirit driving us, no barrier could inhibit us from working together any longer-not even death. The souls of those gone before us allowed the first evolution into Basculegion, whose coloration reminded us of how we in part drove ourselves to those dreadful times. One such Basculegion was blessed by Arceus themselves, and he and his kin ferried the heroes of Hisui across the seas in their efforts to safeguard the land. My father was of that noble lineage, attending to the land's second hero, 'The One With The Mission,' and the duty to protect both those of my kind who have come to this new land and time, and the lands around us, will one day fall to me." Amamu finished. "I will admit, I had wondered if our predecessors still swam in this time-Catharine had mentioned that I was a variant of some kind, but never of what manner of Basculin. I am greatly pleased to know that those our ancestors left behind remained safe." she added.

At the poolside, however, Clarisse found herself greeted by a remarkably strange spectral Pokemon. The face on the small, almost ethereal orb in the midst of the large, ectoplasmic body certainly resembled a Corsola-as did the segment of broken shell it all stemmed from, if not for the gray-white coloration. Clarisse supposed it made sense, though, as Cursola introduced himself as such.

"Hello, Cursola. I am Clarisse. My Trainer, Catharine, is visiting. She has appointed me to watch over our new teammate, there-the one with the white stripe." Clarisse explained, gesturing to where Amamu and Pisces were conversing, though she appeared a bit tense as she looked on. The Basculin she knew were known for their aggression towards other colors, but the situation seemed calm-for now. "I have to say, though, I have never had the pleasure of meeting a Cursola before. Did you come from Galar yourself?" Clarisse asked.

In the library, Bergeron listened with rapt attention to Artemis' story of her dormant Decidueye lineage, brought to the forefront by a Rose Incense imbued with Celebi's power, though as Artemis fired a Pin Missile with such accuracy as to nail an empty water battle from across the room, they rattled their icy chains in what passed for applause amongst Cryogonal.

"Such skill! And that Rose Incense, how interesting-to hear it was used to purify even a Shadow Pokémon...yes, that would indeed imply the presence of Celebi's power within. Alas, being a Cryogonal, I can't say I share such an interesting and storied lineage-I was only one of a number of Cryogonal living in the Cloud Garden, though I wasn't quite born yet when that whole Ice-Type incursion with that Abomasnow happened, as big as I might look." Bergeron explained. "You might have guessed from my choice of text, but I developed quite the taste for classical music in those days. A kindly older woman who lived in one of the mountainside lodges would play such music almost every day, and I wasn't the only one who would stop to listen-she would often come out when she was finished to leave us food, as well." they added.

In the Game Room, Fortuna watched as Shelley spelled her name with her White Smoke Ability. At Fortuna's request for information, the smoke shifted, forming an arrow that pointed towards Shelley herself, as she shook her head. But before Fortuna could say anything else, the arrow turned to point towards the arcade machines, before dissipating as Shelley made her way in that direction. Fortuna followed, and came to see Shelley nuzzling up against a Camerupt in a black fedora, who referred to Shelley as "his darling Shells" in perfect English, before correctly deducing that Fortuna had come to him with some troubles.

"Indeed, there is trouble afoot." Fortuna nodded as Shelley nodded. But at the mention of the name Don Mel, Fortuna's eyes lit up, though she did briefly look askance as Vinny addressed her by name, though she settled when she saw Shelley's smoke to be responsible. "As Shelley has told you, I am Fortuna. Until recently, I was the host of my Lady Diancie. But, therein lies the trouble. An unknown, sinister group is seeking her capture. Ordinarily, this would be of no object, but my Lady knows that her next host has already been captured. She was forced to enlist Celebi's help to flee to her previous host. She remains safe for now, but I do not know this group's whereabouts, and as long as her future host is captive, the danger remains. Fortune has not yet willed a further successor to be, and so the situation teeters on its fingertip. This group allegedly seeks my lady as a means of coming into greater prosperity, but as to their ultimate intentions for so doing, my Trainer and I are still unaware, beyond that they are surely no good. While our initial attempts at identifying the group ended in vain, the name Don Mel did come up in our search, in passing. It is truly fortunate meet you in person. Alas, I wish I had more to tell you, but our personal encounters so far number only two. First contact was when Catharine and I met. I didn't see much of their appearances-their outfits were entirely black, covered most of their bodies, and had no identifying marks. The second, I was not personally present for, but I got most of the story while Bergeron was in the Box, before they were healed upon Catharine's arrival here. Catharine's newest Pokémon, her Cryogonal Bergeron, was apparently deliberately set upon her as an ambush somehow. They don't recall much, just the same description of black garb that I gave you, and that the last thing they recalled was that their previous 'Trainer,' matching that description, released them before applying some kind of patch to their body that must have made them act very aggressively towards humans. Unfortunately, that patch was completely lost in the battle Catharine had with Bergeron, burned to a crisp in efforts to calm them. It's all so perplexing. If the two incidents have anything in common, it's..." Fortuna trailed off, racking her brain for ideas. "...unusual cold." she finally came up with. "Bergeron had been artificially made aggressive, but not made a Shadow, and Cryogonal know Sheer Cold out of the Egg-doubtlessly they were projecting that. And first contact was made in a snowstorm, but Catharine lives in an area that's mostly badlands, a snowstorm that strong would be highly unusual. Are you aware of any outfit that might be linked to such phenomena?" Fortuna asked.

In the Battle Room, Catharine watched the unfolding match with rapt attention, because while the idea of a bout between a Hippowdon and a Kakuna might seem very one-sided in theory, the bout unfolding was anything but! Albus held fast as he was served what Catharine quickly realized was at least his second High Horsepower of the match from Hippowdon, and as Albus proceeded to riposte with Liquidation, the expression of pride on Hermoine's face could only be called well-earned. Though, Catharine eyed the scoreboard-while only two Pokémon were on the field, each side was down one. She couldn't make a full judgment having seen only the battle's conclusion, but it seemed to her like either at least one side of this engagement had been treating this match as two concurrent Single Battles, rather than one Double Battle, or the downed Wobbuffet had gotten one hell of a hit in before going down-it could be either. However, the battle came to a close as Albus used Ice Beam to perfectly parry a full onslaught of Rock Slide, a display of terrific skill on the Kakuna's part. The refereeing woman declared both Pokémon too tired to continue in the interest of keeping them in good shape for their upcoming Collosseum Challenge, and ruled the match a draw, at which point Eddie made their presence known.

"Catharine Park, at your service." Catharine introduced herself when asked. "I was paying Eddie a visit to officialize the rediscovery of the White-Stripe Basculin I found in the Springtide distortion today, but while I was there, he did inform me that you," Catharine said, eyes landing squarely on Keith by process of elimination, though she raised an eyebrow at the chocolate-chip Duskull in the room, "have been to Glitch City. And as someone who loves adventuring in remote and mysterious places, I just had to hear more, so here I am." she added.
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Old 05-25-2022, 08:28 PM   #774
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Laura conceded that seeking help from her fellow Farfetch'd might be a good idea, she preferred trying to find one her own way, through adventure and wandering. Cotton nodded understandingly. "To each their own," he said. He then looked on, impressed, as Laura and Isabelle set to work at once. The Farfetch'd was clearly in her element here, taking command of the vegetable and berry situation with ease, slicing an onion with magnificent precision courtesy of her Aerial Ace move. Isabelle was no slouch, either, checking over the berries for any signs of bruising, even levitating a few by way of Psychic to get a better look when necessary. "Hah, good stuff," grinned the Slurpuff. "Let's keep it going- we got a lot of burgers to make!" At this, he began to levitate many burger patties in the air at once with Psychic, and by following up with a carefully controlled Flamethrower, proceeded to cook them in midair, turning them as needed, sniffing with his acute nose to ensure they were being cooked well enough.

~~~~~

Amamu was quick to clarify that her Trainer was one visiting, and at Pisces's questioning, launched into the tragic tale of her people. Despite hatching so recently, she knew this tale well, a story etched into her very heart and soul, a fact Pisces was quick to pick up on from how Amamu spoke. Spoke of the dangers of the waters of ancient Hisui. With the natural infighting Basculin were known for, combined with the dangers they faced from outside forces, their numbers dwindled dangerously, to the point where they decided an uneasy truce was better than dying out completely. Pisces was speechless as she took in this tale, though once Amamu had finished, she had some things to say. Or stammer, as the case may be.

"That... what... but no, no, we Basculin, we're... we don't just... Basculin are the apex predators of the water! The very thought that we could... and yet..." she trailed off, looking back at Amamu, for she was more inclined to believe the White-Striped Basculin's words than she herself was prepared to realize, so sincere was Amamu's manner of speaking. "So... Damn," she breathed. "I... so, in those times, Basculin were actually in friggin' danger of going extinct," she murmured. "And... so you mean, it's that fighting, the Blue-Stripes against the Red-Stripes, that was almost our kind's undoing back then?" she asked. "I... Shit, damn, this is a lot to take in," she shook her head, feeling as though her entire way of thinking had just been challenged in a big way. Which it basically had.

On dry land, Clarisse greeted, and introduced herself to, Cursola, who was quick to notice the Ursaring's tense look upon noticing the Blue-Striped Basculin. "Oh, don't worry about Pisces- if she wanted to eat your friend, we'd be stopping her already," Cursola said matter-of-factly. "Actually, she looks troubled about something," he added, noticing his teammate trying to process what all Amamu had said. Turning back tot he conversation at hand, Cursola shook his head. "No, no, I was born here in Fizzytopia," she explained. "My mom is Keith's Toxapex, and my dad's this awesome pink Corsola someone else owns. Apparently there's these Incenses that are responsible for why I was able to be born in this region?" Cursola said, shrugging his ethereal branches. "I don't understand it much myself. How about you, though, miss Clarisse?" he added, looking up admiringly at the massive Ursaring. "You're much taller than any Ursaring I've ever seen before! You might even be as tall as Maribel's Tentacruel!"

~~~~~

In the library, Bergeron was quite impressed by Artemis's archery adeptness, and showed interest in the strange properties of Keith's Rose Incense. They began to explain their own humble history, though at the mention of the Ice-type incursion of Cloud Garden, Decidueye spoke up. "Funny you mention that- that incursion is apparently when Keith caught his own Cryogonal, Winter," Artemis said.

Bergeron then went on to reveal their taste in classical music, due to a kindly older woman who would play music like that on a daily basis, and even leave out food for the Cryogonal and any other Pokémon who would stop and listen. "That sounds nice," Decidueye remarked. "It's something of a contrast to my own beginnings- I was always a bit of a loner, hunting my prey in the dark depths of Cadaver Forest, until I stumbled upon Keith and Willa. I took them on with every bit of cunning and trickery I possessed, and Willa and her Mawile were quite the match for me. I was impressed, and readily joined her team. And as you can imagine, I've never regretted it," she added, giving Artemis a loving look.

~~~~~

Fortuna seemed to know of Vinny, or at least by his Don Mel moniker, and launched into the story- about her being the latest host of Diancie, about an unknown group seeking to capture Diancie to accomplish their own ends. Diancie, for the time being at least, was safe and sound, though the group's whereabouts and motives beyond financial gain remained to be seen. Vinny listened intently as the Carbink relayed what little information she had on the organization- black uniforms with no identifying marks, applying a patch to a Cryogonal that forced them to turn aggressive towards humans, and the only real link between the two encounters of this group being unusual cold. Fortuna finished by asking if Vinny knew of any sort of organization that could fit this?

"Well, first off, I wish to say that is an honor to have an esteemed host of Diancie herself in our humble abode," Vinny stated, bowing to Fortuna as best as one could expect a Camerupt to bow. "Second and foremost- this organization. I will say up front, I cannot give you anything definitive to go off of at this time," he said with an apologetic nod of the head. "However, what you say rings a bell in my memory... do you know of Team Plasma?" the Camerupt inquired. "In the Unova region, they were an organization that purported to separate people and Pokémon for the sake of the latter. Of course, this was but a lie concocted by the true mastermind behind the organization, who simply wished to rule the world unopposed by virtue of being the only human in possession of Pokémon. However, in the years following the exposure of this lie, Team Plasma split into two factions. One faction followed the figurehead known as N, who wholeheartedly believed in the lies Team Plasma was spouting to the public. This faction, from my understanding, currently still exists as a force for good. The other faction, however, followed the aforementioned mastermind, one Ghetsis Harmonia. And this faction dressed in black and made use of the legendary Kyurem. One of their higher-ups was even known to use Cryogonal. Black outfits, an affinity with the cold..." the Camerupt trailed off. "And while Ghetsis was taken into custody, several of his most loyal followers helped to free him. Nobody has seen him since. I cannot state with any certainty that the story I just related to youse has anything to do with the organization targeting your lady, but it certainly sounds like something worth looking into. In any case, Fortuna, you have my assurances, I and my associates will look into the matter, and attempt to contact you should any information come to light," Vinny promised.

~~~~~

Catharine introduced herself, explaining what had spurred her to come to Sludge Wave Coast, and from there, what had driven her to visit the Poisonous Palace. "Ooh, wow, that was years ago," Keith chuckled, grinning nostalgically.

"Oh, are you gonna tell the story again, Dad?" asked the girl. "I love hearing that one!"

"Certainly seems that way, sweetie," Keith nodded. "So, yes- Catharine, good to meet you," he added. "Undoubtedly you already know this, but I'm Keith Masters, and this is my lovely wife Willa," he added, putting an arm around the woman beside him.

"A pleasure," Willa nodded.

"And this is our daughter, Maribel," Keith continued.

"Nice to meet you, miss Park," Maribel said politely.

"My turn for introductions, I think," Peeves piped up, the Dusknoir floating back over to the humans, holding hands with the other Dusknoir, while the chocolate chip Duskull floated all around them. "Catharine, this is Liliana. Lil, Catharine."

"Pleased to meet you," Liliana said politely. "And this here is our son, Chip," she added.

"Hi! Hi, Catharine!" Chip said, zipping around in excitement before floating in front of the visiting Trainer. "My name Chip, nice meet you!"

Keith, meanwhile, was looking on and smiling- Hermione had crawled down off of Eddie, and was now affectionately nuzzling the Drapion who had been watching the training. The Drapion was gently hugging Albus with one arm at the same time. "Heh. And that big fella over there is Scorpius," he added. "You already saw Albus in action, of course, and I have no doubt you've met Hermione by now- one big happy family, those three," he smiled. "But yes- I'd love to tell you the story, Catharine- but right now, I'm thinking Cotton should be getting ready to start cooking, so you'd be welcome to stay for dinner if you like," he offered. "We're having bacon cheeseburgers tonight, I'd be glad to tell you the story while we're eating."
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Old 05-26-2022, 03:26 AM   #775
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Down in the kitchen, everyone was cooking with gas. Laura chopped a number of onions with her Aerial Ace, and once enough were cut and plated, moved onto the Berries Isabelle had selected, using Fury Cutter to keep up the pace as she chopped. Thankfully, Laura noticed, Isabelle had listened to her earlier advice and had provided a mostly even distribution of flavors.

Isabelle, having finished with selecting Berries, had taken to helping Cotton cook the patties. While she wasn't possessed of Flamethrower herself, she was all too happy to use some of her Mystical Fire to give them a little je ne sais quoi-why let Shelley's trick with the bacon have all the fun? Speaking of...

"Just need...bacon. Where's Shelley?" Isabelle asked, as she helped plate the latest batch of cooked patties. The bacon seemed to be the last thing that needed doing-after that, she could start calling everyone down.

In the pool room, Pisces had clearly had her worldview challenged by the story Amamu had told-to the Blue-Stripe Basculin, the thought of near-extinction on account of the usual infighting between colors was almost inconceivable.

"We are and were still great predators in the water...but far from invincible. If you were unlucky enough to anger the wrong group of, say, Qwilfish or Overqwil for one, they'd leave you in bad shape, and some aquatic Pokémon would definitely jump on the opportunity to take out otherwise aggressive and problematic neighbors. And that's saying nothing about predators from the land or sky as we moved upstream to spawn. But, perhaps more importantly-our infighting contributed to our situation, yes, but it wasn't the only cause-I've heard enough today to know we didn't last forever, despite it all. It was merely the one we had the most control over. And truly, I am glad that you have never had to experience such desperation-no matter how we were forced to live, I would never wish that sort of hardship on another." Amamu reassured Pisces.

On the poolside, Clarisse sat back at Cursola's reassurance that Amamu wasn't in any trouble. But when he mentioned the sort of union from which he had been born, Clarisse sputtered in shock-the exact combination of parentage had been anything but what she was expecting to hear!

"Sorry, I was just under the impression that Toxapex preferred to eat normal Corsola rather than, ah, have kids with them." Clarisse explained quickly. "That bit about the Incense, though, I'll have to keep in mind. I'm not sure if it's a top priority now that she has Bergeron, but Catharine did think about getting an Alolan Sandshrew a few times, maybe one of those incenses could be helpful in getting one." the Ursaring mused. "Though, as for how I got this big, I evolved in the distortion that appeared on Springtide Isle today-that's where we found Amamu, actually. I'm not sure what it was exactly, but in the process, I was filled with some kind of wild energy, and I think that's what made me get this big. My senses are also sharper, especially smell. Spoiler alert, it's bacon cheeseburgers for dinner tonight." she added.

In the Library, Bergeron was surprised to hear that Keith had caught his own Cryogonal from the Cloud Garden.

"Is that so! Perhaps I'll be fortunate enough to meet them." Bergeron said, before Decidueye began discussing how she first met Keith and Willa in Cadaver Forest.

"Catharine actually encountered me on her way here today." Bergeron said. "I was in a...less than ideal situation, and I'll admit I lost my composure-to the point I don't personally remember much of the fight. But Catharine utilized quite clever tactics and good observation in order to emerge victorious, and was able to calm me down. Her Yamper, Gigabyte, actually evolved as he landed the decisive blow, I heard!" they added with a hearty chuckle, carefully avoiding the specifics. Catharine had seemed to be wanting those cards played rather close to the chest, after all.

In the game room, Vinny was nothing but polite, patiently hearing Fortuna out, and offering a small bow in respect. But perhaps more importantly, Vinny had a hypothesis as to the identity of the mystery group in question-Team Plasma. While they had emerged and been thwarted twice in the past, the first time in part by their schism into two factions, one of which now acted as a force for good, even after being taken in after both defeats, the leader of the outfit, Ghetsis, had escaped custody both times, thanks to his most loyal followers-one of whom was even known for using Cryogonal in particular. Ghetsis had not been seen since his second escape, and after the split, his faction had taken to largely wearing black clothing-not unlike the individuals Catharine had encountered.

"Do not apologize that the information is not definitive. Any lead or hypothesis is better than what we had before-the information that Ghetsis is at large again wasn't exactly publicly available." Fortuna said. "All that being said, if this is indeed Team Plasma's doing, I am extremely worried. What we were able to learn about their prior operations showed a trend of escalation-and if they were indeed the ones pursuing my Lady in addition to their main objective, they may be seeking to gear up for a third incarnation. And that second time, they did not only use Kyurem-they were able to fuse it with one of the other legendary dragons, according to some rumors. If they wanted to escalate further...Arceus above, I could only pray that that man is not so foolhardy as to forcibly reform Unova's Original Dragon! Reshiram and Zekrom have been separated for far too long. Forcing them back together would only result in a cataclysmic disaster-its very name is verboten for a reason!" Fortuna mused, pacing back and forth. "I appreciate your offer for further research-we will also have to redouble our own, though doubtlessly we can get a bit further now." she added.

In the Battle Room, Keith had a nostalgic expression at the concept of recounting his time in Glitch City. The younger girl he had been training with, apparently his daughter, Maribel, seemed to love that story as well. And the referee of the recently concluded match was introduced as his wife, Willa.

"Good to meet all of you." Catharine said. Peeves proceeded to introduce his own family next, and Hermoine had gone off to join up with her own, but Chip in particular approached Catharine directly to introduce himself-if with slightly broken up words. Catharine found it childlike and endearing, and it brought a warm smile to her face-to say nothing of the scent of cookies emanating from his uniquely-patterned cloak.

"Well hello, Chip! With all that energy, you remind me a bit of my Gigabyte!" Catharine greeted sweetly, before turning back to Keith, who offered that she stay for dinner. "As for dinner invitations, I'll happily accept-it's probably the easiest way to get Gigabyte to sit still, and for Earthquake to not act on any potting soil cravings. And if Cotton's already cooking, then no doubt Laura and Isabelle volunteered to help in the kitchen. I'm pretty sure I saw them wander off in that direction on my way up here, so if you hear a Chimecho's bell start ringing, that's probably Isabelle telling us dinner's ready." she explained, as she made her way to the nearby PC to withdraw two more Poke Balls, though she did not yet release their inhabitants yet-better to let them out when the food was on the table!
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