PTU: Trinity Isles (Day 7)

[SuperVaderMan]

"I think what they have to say is more important," Koa says with a smile, glancing around to see where the three prisoners are.

[Arch Lich Burns]

"you can always come here and help me. Seriously though maybe you don't need one for pokesitting."

"we can talk to her afterwards."

[Natrivv]

"" Just thank you for their help.

[Dlover]

You want to leave this last one standing and hope it gets captured, right Sam? I could send Gwen in to negate the sandstorm damage, but it could be a turn or two before she actually gets into range.

[Arch Lich Burns]

I don't think sandstorm dmg will be much of a problem if they altered sand viel along with drout/drizzle. It would only last for one full round but can be activated every scene.

[Dlover]

Pretty sure it was triggered by a move, since it had a five-turn timer when it started.

[SamWiser]

Sending Gwen in would be good. Also, if you have any pokeballs left, I would repay you if you caught one for me.

[Dlover]

Alright, I'll send Gwen in to keep the sandstorm from hurting Dave and Phoenix. No chance of Alex going into danger himself, though, when he's barely conscious. Would practically guarantee the last enemy would knock him out with its last action.

[Dusk9]

Occult Edu: 4

Try as she might, Izzy just can't get her head around this part of the book. Something about the writing is just incredibly dense, more so than she'd been expecting. After rereading the same sentence for the twentieth time and still getting nowhere, she turns to Drake in exasperation.

"Hey, do you get what this bit is going on about? Cause my brain's just going fuzzy the more I stare at it...."

[Theis2]

"Hmm, maybe? I can certainly give it a try, though I've had kinda limited luck with understanding what's in these books."

With that Drake attempts to decipher the text with Izzy with more luck than Izzy

Drake occult edu: 4D6 = [6, 2, 3, 2] = 13

Drake occult edu skill monkey: 4D6+2 = [1, 5, 4, 3]+2+1 = 16 AP BOOSTED

[M0rtimer]

Koa, James, Bjorn, Irene

"I think what they have to say is more important." Koa says, looking around, but with no trace of the ghosts... For now.

"YES."

"THAT WAS WHO I WAS REFERRING TO."

"BECAUSE WHILE I WILL BE ABLE TO SERVE AS MESSENGER BETWEEN THEM ONCE WE PROCEED."

"YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO SPEAK TO THEM DIRECTLY."

"I AM SORRY IF I WAS UNCLEAR ABOUT THIS."

"REGARDLESS." Charon says- Gesturing to his side- A door forming as a gateway to wherever the other spirits might be resting... As the trainers enter through, they end up in a vaguely familiar scene. A ship once again bobbing along merrily on an endless ocean, the smell of salt in the air... As well as the sound of glasses.

"Yes! Little umbrellas!"

"I don't get it."

"I mean what is there not to get? They served the drinks with little umbrellas. And it was amazing."

"I mean I can see that, but why?"

"Not like it'll make it taste better."

Mulliver says- Pulling out the little umbrella from the glass, tossing it to the side as he downs the glass from up on the brig- Neither he nor Marquise seeming to have noticed the trainers yet... Perhaps somehow a bit too "tipsy" for it?

"Bah! You're such a spoilsport Mullie!" Marquise yells, clearly either having far more drinks than Mulliver, or simply not showing as much restraint as he did.

"Hey, I didn't say the drinks were bad, did I?"

"AHEM."

Charon's cough to attention immediately seems to snap the two spirits out of their stupor, any signs of the drink immediately washing off them as they realize present company.

"Aww, guys, you disappoint me..."

"I'm gone and only now you throw the party with little umbrellas?"

"YES! That's my girl!"

"Hmm." Mulliver simply utters- Pointing Marquise's attention to the new arrival. And it appears both of them see something the trainers do not- As if they immediately recognize who is standing before them.

"Oh!"

"Well... That was quick."

"Hmm. Thank you."

"So. I guess this is a goodbye."

"Ain't a farewell though!"

"HMM." Charon mutters himself, turning to see if any of the trainers wished to share anything before continuing.

"ISAAC IS... UNLIKELY TO WANT TO TALK."

"I CAN TAKE YOU TO HIM, BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU WILL FIND SUCH VISIT... SATISFACTORY."

"After all this time... He's shown no respite?"

"NO."

"HE IS A BROKEN MAN."

"..."

"I AM SORRY."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Alright... Shall we do this then?"

"I'll... Have to release my avatar for a while to do it. But I... Think it should be safe for you to watch. If you'd want to."

"THE WORST THAT SHOULD HAPPEN IS ANOTHER HEADACHE IF THEY ENCOUNTER A SUDDEN EXIT."

Izzy, Drake

Izzy, trying for the umpteenth time to read the text, eventually just gives up trying to understand some of the terms... Drake giving it his best instead... And realizing his earlier troubles were mostly not knowing which books were the ones he'd need to look into to find useful info- The whole translation part was... Manageable. As was evident by the fact they could all understand Luna, to be honest... As he dictates what the text reveals.

The temple of the damned is likely one of the most interesting sites described in this book. For not only does it serve as an site of respite for the weary traveller, and a base of operations for our honorable Templar, but it also serves a vital function connected to a custom designed by the Templar.

More over, the most interesting fact about this temple is that it's majority lies not in our world. The church merely serves as a gateway to a place in-between ours and the world of the dead- Transporting all inside it when the bell is rung three times.

There, on the other side, the majority of this great temple stands. And no longer being part of our world, it no longer needs to abide by all our rules. Rooms seeming bigger on the inside than the outside- The same door leading to a different room. Geometry that defies logic... Having had the pleasure to visit this place myself, I can share it is an experience that is hard to share- And for those among us who would choose to take the pilgrimage, I can tell it is an experience you'll share with your following generations.

And there, in this temple's court-yard stands the gate- Leading to the world of the dead. Once, every 100 years, this gate shall be opened by the ritual of the warden's passing. As one man will lay dow the great sacrifice of his life, to take upon him the title of warden for a period of said time. It is a great sacrifice, although well rewarded and considered a great honor. For one day only this festival the dead and living would be able to share seats- And at it's closing, souls that have redeemed themselves shall be released.

Which brings us back to the function I had talked about earlier. For while the temple held many purposes, one in particular we have adapted ourselves. For those who have done irredeemable evil, this church shall be their jail- Where they shall wait their time until their souls have been redeemed once more.

Alex, Phoenix

Gwen quickly rushes over, starting to try and shield the trainers from attack- As Cris tries to intercept any attack from the final larvitar, although it turns out pointless as it's bite attack whiffs completely- And Splash seems to stall as Dave cocks another pokeball...

And completely misses.

"Oh come the fuck on... Well, I tried- We need to get out of this fucking sandstorm, knock it out Splash." Dave instructs, a final bubble attack knocking out the Larvistar, ending the battle!

The trainers gain 90 exp to share among their pokemon.

Following this, Dave begins to quickly drag Phoenix back and out of harms way- To have the others take care of him...

[SuperVaderMan]

"I CAN TAKE YOU TO HIM, BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU WILL FIND SUCH VISIT... SATISFACTORY."

"Well... he's messed up, but I think we should at least tell him what's gonna happen, that Diancie's gonna release all this. Maybe give him a little peace-of-mind before he goes, yeah?"
And truthfully it was hard to stay mad at Isaac, with everything that happened. Yeah he tried to freak Koa out with the fake food, but Koa got to punch a (critical) rock at his face for that one already.

Other than that, Koa has no objections to Diancie doing whatever she's gonna do.

[Arch Lich Burns]

"we should talk to him. He hides his pain by harming others." James wants to watch her enact the ritual, watching her movements and what she does.

Afterwards he summons the courage to speak to Diance about something important.
"I am having a hard time protecting my friends from danger, and I cannot seem to be able to do anything to assist them either. I was wondering if it would be possible to become a priest?"

[Dlover]

Gwen clings onto Phoenix as Roy helps lift him, protecting Dave, Phoenix, and Roy from the onslaught of sand.

[SamWiser]

Phoenix... lets himself be lifted? Hoping somebody remembers to recall Cris.

► Show Spoiler

No larvitar for me. Oh well. I think Beldum works with my team better.

[Dusk9]

"...huh. So it's some kind of....bridge? Between here and the afterlife? Only, it doesn't open until a new Warden gets picked...."

".....hey, didn't that Grim guy say he and his friends were stuck here? Like, they couldn't cross back over to their world. The....spirit world? Maybe...maybe they could get home this way, or something? I dunno, this death magic stuff is kinda beyond me, honestly."

Chewing on her knuckle absentmindedly, Izzy stares off into the distance, trying to get her head around this new information.

[Theis2]

"It does sound like it's a way to the afterlife without truly crossing it.."

"I think you might be right regarding Grim.. It sounded like they might already know of this.. Remember he had a special book that might be a spell book and he tried to kidnap several people.. He may have tried to replicate the ritual of appointing a new warden to open the gate to the underworld. Maybe we could find another way if we go to that temple."

[Natrivv]

Irene quietly watches feeling that the moment was too solemn to really interfere.

[Synch]

Bjorn shakes his head angrily.

"Well I for one don't want to talk to him! That psycho can go eat a - " He suddenly remembers the company he is keeping and cuts off mid-sentence, dropping his head in embarrassment.

[M0rtimer]

Koa, James, Bjorn, Irene, Izzy, Drake

"Well... he's messed up, but I think we should at least tell him what's gonna happen, that Diancie's gonna release all this. Maybe give him a little peace-of-mind before he goes, yeah?"

"we should talk to him. He hides his pain by harming others."

"..."

"VERY WELL." Charon replies- Once again creating a door for the trainers to step through, if more... Begrudgingly than otherwise. None the less, the trainers step through once again, this time entering again what at first appears to be a familiar scenery... Except far from the one they were expecting. As at first the trainers believed Charon had led them back to the void, nothing but darkness around... But it wasn't. They could not tell exactly why, but it was... Different, somehow. As if sometimes, beyond the veil things moved, unsettingly. Like dark thoughts- As if they were in the mind of a man that rather than focusing on a happy memory- Or even just any memory- His mind had turned mostly blank.

And it is at this point the trainers notice Isaac. Although once again, he looks... Different. Huddled down in front of them, he looked much younger- And thinking.

"...Isaac?"

Shaken out of his stupor, the madman quickly rose- Shifting shape once more as if caught, turning back in his adult, mad self.

"And what's this? Come here to gloat? About how you're alive again and we can continue to rot?"

"No, Isaac. I'm here to free Charon. You know what that means."

Isaac's glare turned to Diancie- His rage briefly stopped in it's tracks. Briefly.

"And why the hell should I care?"

"I'm not pure. And considering how I realize how rotten this world is... I never will be."

"So maybe the others can get the tiniest taste of freedom."

"I'm just getting another cell."

Isaac's mad glare starts turning into a smirk as he sees some of the trainers confused expressions. And once again... He laughs.

"...You still don't get it, do you?"

"Do you know what Charon is?"

"He's a cruel joke. A design made from malevolence."

"He was designed so even the gods can't release us just like that. That could only be done if Charon dies- Or if that wish was used. Something you wasted."

"Do you know why?"

"Because the gods didn't like the idea."

"And they wanted things to be done their way, or not at all."

"You think this would be the end of it?"

"It's only just begun."

"And why? Because bittersweet wasn't enough- You needed it all."

"And now we all get to rot for another century."

"And it's all your fault."

"I don't have anything to say to you anymore."

Isaac took the words quite literally- Opening a door for himself, rushing through as he slams it shut... Charon appearing soon afterwards, to help escort the kids back to the outside.

"...I DID SAY YOU WOULD FIND HIS INPUT... UNSATISFACTORY."

"Yeah... He's wrong, though." Luna chimes in, in a moment of realization.

"We got this far- At this point, I'll make sure the rest of the journey finishes."

"And know what? I still believe even Charon might one day redeem himself."

"Hmm... Still an optimist after all those years?"

"Aren't you?"

Diancie frowns for a moment, before giving a small smile.

"Well... All this is definitely pushing me back in the right direction, at least."

"Anyways. Let's do this." Diancie says, taking a few steps forward and a few deep breaths, briefly apologizing as this is "something she hasn't done in decades"... Charon is a harder show, but even in his colossal shadow form, betrays bracing himself slightly, if mostly because he seems unsure about how exactly it is going to happen... As Diancie becomes enshrouded in vibrant light- As the light fades, her human form gone, replaced by a creature definitely pokemon. Her base appeared to be a gray, floating rock, pink gems peeking through it's edge- As her upper body seems to be made of a fine white cloth, two small rock arms accompanying it. She carries a large gemstone around her neck, and her hair seems to consist out of several large diamonds, sticking out in orderly directions.

Never the less, behides perhaps a few quiet comments from the trainers, they were mostly struck with silence as Diancie focused... And the bonds that kept Charon trapped became manifest- A series of 8 chains reaching through the void and trapping Charon, fixing him in place. As Diancie moves to one of these chains closest to her... And cuts it- Sending a ripple through the void as it seems to weaken. She proceeds doing this, taking the opposite chain each time, as with each chain, the trainers headache probably became more and more prominent as for them, the world seemed to be falling apart- As they could swear to be standing in two locations at once when two chains were left- And with a final cut, they snap back to reality. The smoke that once permeated through the whole room like fine mist had disappeared- Or rather relocated, condensing around one of the final "keystones" that once kept the spirit trapped... As with some help of Diancie, the rock is ripped loose of the walls, and the ball finally coagulates in one vague blue sphere, what appears to be a set of eyes and a mouth forming in it- As well as three particular balls swirling around inside it... The creature briefly looking confused... Before seeming to laugh with joy. At least you think it's joy- It's always hard to tell with ghost types.

On that note, the trainers are mostly ready to finally head to bed, likely to get back on track towards the city in the early morning- Although James had one final burning question.

"I am having a hard time protecting my friends from danger, and I cannot seem to be able to do anything to assist them either. I was wondering if it would be possible to become a priest?"

"I..."

"Maybe there is something I can do to help. But... Let's talk about that tomorrow. Diancie replies, by now having turned back into her human avatar- Explaining her reason.

"Luna, you get some rest too. I'm going to check in with the temple... We can make any final arrangements tomorrow, but after that, I'll help Luna integrate into modern life. Worst case scenario, you can come work in my shop or something."

And on that note, the trainers likely finally went to sleep...

► Show Spoiler

I figured I'd just skip ahead in order to be able to round off the day. If any of you guys had anything you'd want to say during what happened, we can probably edit that in retroactively.

Alex, Phoenix

Thanks to Gwynn's help, Dave manages to drag Phoenix out of the sandstorm without anyone taking any further injury- The trainers taking some time to get Phoenix back on his feet, as well as patching up Dave seeing how he got pretty hurt too... As Dave apologizes when Phoenix does finally wake up.

"Hey mate, sorry I couldn't get you a larvitar- But I'm afraid I wasn't exactly sure how long it'd take before all that fucking sand was gonna knock me out as well."

"Okay... Can we agree after this disaster that we don't want any more nasty encounters?" Alexander chimes in- Not really bothering to wait for a reply as he uncorks another ether, although at this point none seem to be complaining about it- As it guarantees the trainers a safe way home, where they too spend their time licking their wounds before falling asleep...

END OF DAY 6
END OF CHAPTER 3: OLD AND NEW GODS (The torchic and the egg)

[M0rtimer]

BEGIN INTERMISSION 3

Pandora: part 1

The girl had been cautiously eyeing the man for a while now. It was rude to stare like that she knew, but as she was listening to music at the aisle, his strange attire couldn't help but catch her attention... A cape? Was he like a gym leader or something? Those guys were always a bit eccentric. But she wasn't sure what they'd want from an random electronics store- Picking up many of their devices, seeming to briefly inspect them, before with a vaguely disappointed look putting them down again... Eventually with a wry smile he seems to pick up an small old radio, however- And with it in hand, seems to finally be ready to end his shopping trip... As the girl watches the man try and leave without even passing the clerk.

"Hey!" the man behind the register naturally shouted- This strange man turning around, seeming genuinely confused as the other man berated him. "You have to pay for that!"

Seemingly taken a bit aback, the girl takes out one of the ears as her curiosity takes over, listening in-

"I apologize, I was unaware you'd wish for payment up front. If later services are not acceptable, is there perhaps something I can be of assistance with at this time?"

The clerk looked the guy up and down, recognizing his strange attire as well- But not seeming to care quite as much.

"Don't act fucking daft pal." the shopkeeper said, clearly not the type that agrees the customer is always right- Likely making him the manager- "Either pay up or get out."

"Pay up... What, exactly?"

"Where are you trying to go with this? Money pal- Don't let me get the league in on this."

"There is no need for that. But I'm afraid I do not have this money... Is there no alternative?"

The girl frowned. On one hand, the whole scene intrigued her. On the other hand, maybe she shouldn't get involved... And neither was she exactly swimming in money, either.

Eventually, with a sigh curiosity and her good heart overtook her- Putting the headset back on display as she dashed up to the register.

"Hey! I'll pay for it!"

The man seemed to give a brief cautious look between the two of them, the strange man seeming equally surprised as the manager... As he shrugs- Money is money. And the duo is soon out of the establishment.

"...Thank you m'lady. My name is Prometheus- To who do I have the honor?" Prometheus introduced himself, putting his cane on the solid ground in front of him- As the girl enthusiastically introduced herself.

"Name's Pam!"

"Well... Thank you, Pam. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"Nah, it's fine... Although, I got a few things to ask- You're not from around here, are you?"

The man gave a brief smirk, and a solemn nod. "Yes- I guessed that much was obvious..."

"Well then!" The girl replied, flashing the man a maniacal grin as she continued- "That just can't do! Guess I'll have to show you around in our beautiful Murkoff city... Capital of Trinity Isles!"

The man paused, seemingly hesitating- As if he felt obligated to refuse. But eventually with a small smile nodded.

"That would be nice."

---

CHOOSE YOUR PATH.

[M0rtimer]

Begin tale: Red orb (switching hands)

--Years ago--

"3! 2! 1! Clear!"

The sound was quickly followed by another explosion- The fourth one so far the man counted, adjusting his glasses as he'd swear he was going to get a migraine at this rate. The heat was already taking a toll on both him and his men- The loud sounds reverberating through these basalt halls were only the icing on the cake. Speaking about ice, he could use some...

"Maxie."

The familiar voice grabbed the man out of his stupor, as he looked to up the girl he knew well. Certainly not a sight for sore eyes- Her short purple hair and "cute" outfit- having caught many the attention of the grunts, if her... Odd behavior didn't keep them off.

Maxie didn't share such an interest, however- Even though he admired her intelligence. Brushing off his red lab coat as he stands up to greet his admin.

"Courtney. How goes progress?"

"We believe to have breached through." she gladly informed, remaining as stoic as usual... Although earning a big grin from Maxie- The scientist and leader excitedly rushing over to the site of the dig.

His predictions had turned out correct after all- He would have lied if he said he had not began doubting them. But the ancient texts had lead him here in the end- Deep within this still smoldering volcano, his prize awaited.

The grunts gladly allowed him to be first to step through- Mostly because their perception of what lied beyond was skewed by the stories he had told... Admittedly, being a man of science, his research in the old text that had lead him here would raise the brows of people he once considered colleagues... But he always figured these texts were merely knowledge of people long past- And would offer so much to learn.

And while he thought his team's fears to be unbiased, the orb of no direct danger... If the stories off it were even half true, all this work would have been more than worthwhile.

And so he stepped into the room- The once wild basalt now turning carved, as if he had stepped into a large hall. The heat somehow got even more intense- Even though by his calculations, he should be moving further away from the core... But he didn't let this deter him- Posing valiantly as he walked to the pedestal in the room midst... The only one brave enough to follow him immediately his faithful admin- The grunts merely streaming in slowly at the beginning of where they breached the wall.

As Maxie finally claimed his prize...

Picking up the red orb from the pedestal.

A silence falls- As for a moment, everyone seems to expect something to go horribly wrong in unison.

But that never happens.

And while Maxie joined the moment for just a second too... He soon grinned victoriously- Raising the orb over his head in triumph.

"My men- We've done it. We've all been on this journey for a while now. But now, with this.. It has all been worthwhile."

"You've heard the stories. If even half of them are true, imagine what we will soon be able to do..." he says- Falling silent for a moment to let the imagination of his men run wild. It was important to keep them in line- And this would certainly be one way to do it.

"The very skies shall be ours to command- We'll part the clouds and bask the lands in sun. An end to floods. Endless fields of produce. And if all else fails... Just a nice day on the beach."

"And all we have to do for it is..."

And here is the point Maxie fell silent... As he didn't exactly knew the answer to that question. It didn't have any buttons or anything, nor did he... Feel anything from the orb- Some kind of energy he could control...

Luckily, his assistant was more versed in such things- The girl already stretching a hand out, saving the leader face from embarrassment. The leader giving a smirk to his men as Courtney examined the orb, certain that this would work.

"Readings... Negative."

That smirk was wiped off quite quickly.

"What do you mean negative?"

"Can't use orb... Sense no magic in it."

Maxie was sweating- Something he'd like to play off as just the heat, but this whole expedtion was falling apart- As a last ditch effort was proposed by one of the grunts.

"Erm... Maybe try having a pokemon use it boss?"

"Yes! Yes, that is an excellent idea! Good thinking!" Maxie quickly replied, taking any chance to save himself from this utter disappointment- Quickly releasing his camerupt, handing the large camel pokemon the orb... Still to no effect. Maxie simply recalling the pokemon in angry silence, as he lets the orb roll away... And a silence falls over the group as they all collectively wonder what is next.

"...Many stories- Connected with Groudon."

His admin's words broke the silence- And started turning gears in the leader's head as well.

"Do you believe they may be related..?"

"Sensors say... Possibly."

Maxie considered the words- In truth only briefly. In fact, he'd have taken any excuse to make everything seem worthwhile.

"Yes... You're right Courtney!"

"So listen men... Our final goal seems to have been postponed a bit... But it stays the same. It seems that all we need to do is one more step. We shall find this groudon... And we shall triumph once more!"

The men, admittedly, weren't super excited, cheers only half of what they could have been- But given circumstances, it would suffice. As Maxie turned back to claim his prize... But at this time found it would not be that easy.

"Afraid I can't let you do that pal."

He's not quite sure where the man came from- Certainly not a figure that'd be able to just sneak by- Quite a large man, mostly in width- The dark-skinned man's belly almost but not quite straining against his sleeveless shirt, his arms still quite muscular- that combined with his trousers and flippers made it look like the bearded man had come straight from the beach... As he flashes the mob a nervous smile.

"Hey, look."

"I'd like to consider myself a pretty good guy."

"Try to help you folks out whenever I feel I can, you know?"

"So maybe we can all just agree that your in over your heads, forget any of this happened, and leave it at that?"

Silence fell over the group as the mob seemed utterly stunned... Until their leader barks out commands, that is.

"What are you idiots doing?! SHOOT HIM!"

The grunts quickly scrambled for their weapons- Most utterly unprepared for any sense of combat. And the strange man was left shrugging- As the orb in his hand began to glow, and runes form over it's hand...

"Eh..."

"Shame."

--A very, very long time ago--

"So... You're just giving this to me?"

"Yes."

The answer was stern, already decided, and the god could clearly determine likely not up for debate- Even if he himself felt like taking up such a responsibility. Turning back to the figure that looms over him, even in his avatar form.

"You really think I'm the best choice for taking this?"

"You're arguably the one of us who could who wants it the least, groudon." The great god spoke- Clearly still mildly troubled by recent events, and groudon could barely blame him- As despite this the builder tried to flash him a faint smile.

"That arguably makes you the best candidate."

"I'm not sure pal... I'd probably fall asleep on it or something."

"Hah. That wouldn't be as bad as what that fool would do."

"Yeah..." Groudon says, not exactly able to disagree... Part of him feeling like not wanting to bring up such bad blood- On the other hand... Curiosity demanding some answers.

"So... Heathran really tried to kill you?"

"Yes."

"And so... You've imprisoned him now?"

"Yes."

"Do ya think that... You'll ever let him go?"

A silence falls- Answer eventually coming from the builder who had turned to face a random window again, not looking at groudon once more.

"I'm not sure."

"Hmm... Do you think that... He had a point?"

This time around, the silence persists. Clearly, the builder was having trouble answering the question- So the other god chose to help him with it.

"Cuz, ya know... I don't think he did."

"Yeah, sure, these humans aren't always good... But you know how it is, right? A good deed goes quickly forgotten, while a bad deed you'll remember. And we always only see the bad things- And we miss all the little things."

"And sometimes, yeah, they're pretty dumb. They think they're doing good, when they're not. Ultimately, they didn't deserve what that bastard had planned."

The builder kept silent a moment more... Eventually giving a brief nod, turning his face slightly to give Groudon a slight smile.

"If you were hoping to weasel out of this responsibility, you're not doing a good job of it."

"Haha-Nah, it's fine. I'll do it."

"Hmm."

"Thank you, Groudon."

--A very, very, very long time ago--

"And to you, Heathran."

"I grant you the essence of my fire."

"Handle it with care- For realize when not handled well, it is a force of destruction. Lashing out with no regards."

"However, neither distance you from it. For this fire resembles more than destruction. In these sparks you shall find life as well. And my passion, ever burning."

End of tale: Red orb

THE GODS...

WHAT IS REALLY SPECIAL ABOUT THEM?

SURE, THEY ARE MASTERS OF THEIR OWN ELEMENT...

BUT AREN'T ALL POKEMON THAT?

BESIDES THEIR FANCY AVATAR AND AURAS, WHAT DO THEY HAVE THAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT?

HAA HAA HAA.

I GUESS YOU WILL FIGURE THAT OUT YOURSELF.

Unlocked 1/2 of: The doomed scholar.

END OF INTERMISSION 3

[M0rtimer]

BEGIN CHAPTER 4: THE CALM
BEGIN DAY 7

Koa, Bjorn, Irene, Izzy, Drake

Slowly, one by one, the trainers wake up, all having gone to rest in the communal sleeping chambers... Those who managed to sleep at least- For it turns out that Luna, despite all her charm, beauty and elegance, rivaling even that of Eliza... She somehow also manages to snore with the sound that'd make a snorlax green with envy.

Perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration, most trainers having slept quite well regardless- And what they can only presume to be the next day, as their pokedexes seem to tell them, greets them...

Alex
Alex meanwhile, had a decent night of sleep, if slightly unconvential... As a large part of the night was spent actually finding one- Sending a few text messages to James with no reply, and taking a quick trip by his apartment, finds him to not be there.

Luckily, his new group of friends is there to help out- Introducing Alex to the local trainer hostels- Which... Does mean a lot of privacy is taken away, as he sleeps with a bunch of other people- Most likely still stragglers from the quite recent tournament- But does actually get to sleep in a proper bed rather than a couch or worse.

And it seems to come with some bonus benefits as well... As he finds up when Dave wakes him up in the morning.

"Hey, mate, we can go down if we wanna get some free breakfast. Want some?"

Phoenix
Phoenix meanwhile, had returned to rest under his bridge... Waking up groggily- As if the injuries from last day hadn't left enough of a sore, he had somehow barely managed to keep asleep too- His sweet dreams turned into nightmares which... He can't quite recall at the moment. Although even now it leaves him feeling a bit uneasy... He's awake now anyways. Might as well seize this day.

Haley
Meanwhile, somewhere else entirely, a for now stranger leans back on her chair as the trees wizz by past her... Sitting in front of the massive train, wagon after wagon of goods towed behind it. Train doesn't usually take passengers- But with some pleading she managed to hitch a ride, which was a far better alternative than walking... That would have taken ages!

But finally, the golden fields of her home long behind her, the city's skyscrapers start coming into view- And she whips out her phone to send James a message... But with no reply. Typical- You're not sure if he's still asleep, or doesn't know how to pick up the phone... Or maybe he's actually unavailable at the moment? Nah.

Still, the train starts slowing down as it starts approaching the unloading docks, and she'd be free to go in a moment... If only she knew what to do long as James wasn't around, at least.

[Dlover]

"Yeah, I could use a decent meal." Stretching a little, Alex follows Dave downstairs to grab some breakfast, "How's Alexander doing? He seemed to get pretty beaten up in that fight."

[Arch Lich Burns]

Haley gets off of the stop, thanking the driver. She soon releases her cactus with the ironic name, Cushion.

She decides to give James another message, maybe he will text back.

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Whr da fak u @

no, that is not right. james is not fond of cursing. Instead she sends it to her brother, Rusty, knowing it would irritate him to no end. She giggles and tries to send a better message.

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Whr r u

wait, no James won't understand that, delete.

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where are you at James?

that is better, send.

she talks to her small cactus "this is going to be so exciting! Battles! Excitement! Danger! Explosions! Preferably not the last one though!"

She then rushes to the police station.
"Hi! i was wondering how I can be an awesome ranger?!"