Fandom Pokemon Mystery Crossing [IC]

[WallrusY]

Azure the Mudkip
Location - Star Shard Town (Star Mart)
Time - 6:35am

Azure was not used to so many pokemon gathering in one spot before. He vaguely remembered one or two questions being asked of the Mudkip, but he found himself ignoring the questions and instead focusing on the hailstorm that suddenly started, leaving Azure shivering until the hail dissipated. Azure figured that it was probably the cause of the Vulpix, Erucca, though, considering the shy pokemon's behavior, he doubted that it was intentional.

There were several newcomers that came in after, as well as several other townspeople that he remembered seeing before - a Linoone (Mass, if he remembered correctly), a Scyther (who introduced himself as Caligo Strom), and an Umbreon (named Aiya). The Umbreon came in very suddenly, demanding reparations for a damaged plumbing system by hail. Azure gave a worried glance in Erucca's direction, but he stayed silent and let the other pokemon take care of the situation. Elliot had a flawless excuse for the damages caused to her house, while Mass was definitely a lot more sensible in the way that he dealt with the situation. Everything seemed to be going fine - all the newcomers were in a pretty good mood and nothing too horrible had happened.

A Kecleon emerged from within his shop, calling the newcomers to group together for the tour around town. Azure waved to the shopkeeper that he had grown familiar with, smiling at him. Azure then noticed a Riolu crashing onto the ground and the Zorua rushing over to him. Azure walked over to the two, definitely concerned for the fighting type pokemon. "Are you okay?" Azure asked worriedly. "I have a Sitrus Berry if you're hungry." The Mudkip pulled out the spare berry and offered it to the Riolu.

 

[Zmandd]

Lucas Ward the Riolu
Location: A...Town? (Star Shard Town)
Time: 6:37? I guess? It's been a few minutes

After a few minutes of well... black, Riolu's eyes opened to two pokemon hovering over him. Out of his left eye, there was a Zorua with exceedingly poofy fur. Out of his right eye, there was a Mudkip with a Sitrus Berry. Lucas had yet to eat a Sitrus Berry up until this point, but perhaps it would help. He reluctantly took the berry from the Mudkip and eyed it. He looked back at the Mudkip. Lucas may not have the best kind of perception skills, but, upon first glance, the Mudkip seemed friendly enough and not secretly trying to poison him. He took a bite out of the Sitrus Berry. This is actually kind of decent. I could get used to eating these.

Lucas sat up and examined his surroundings. Past the two pokemon standing in front of them, a gathering seemed to be taking place. A Kecleon seemed to be corralling a group together for some purpose, perhaps a tour? Lucas stood back on his two legs, stumbling a bit before regaining his composure. He turned to the Mudkip. "Thanks for that, it really did help."

Lucas then turned to the Zorua. "Thanks to you as well for checking up on me. I'm uh... not exactly 'used' to these legs yet." Lucas waived his two feet in front of him, emphasizing how "stubby" they were compared to what he's used to. "So what exactly is going on here, and how are we all able to understand each other? I thought Pokemon just shouted our names over and over again?"

//Interactions: WallrusY SpotBandit

 

[SpotBandit]

Chirin the Zorua
- Star Shard Town -
Interactions: Lucas [ Zmandd ]
Mentions: Azure [ WallrusY ]

Chirin turned to the Mudkip, as he hurried along with a Sitrus berry. Azure-- as his name was if Chirin's horrible memory with names served her well-- padded his way up to the collapsed Riolu and offered him a berry. Though initially confused, the Riolu somewhat hesitantly took the berry and had a bite of it. Before too long, the fighting type got to his feet and thanked Azure for his thoughtfulness. Chirin nodded when the Riolu turned his head to her and explained that he wasn't used to his legs, which caused the Zorua to impulsively raise an eyebrow in confusion. She thought, if you were born with your legs, you should be used to them? For a moment the Zorua thought of asking what exactly the Pokémon meant by not being used to his own feet, but she didn't want to be rude. Maybe he'd just eaten some kind of food that made him drowsy of sorts? Either way.. the Riolu ended up asking a question, and Chirin found herself compelled to answer. She loved answering questions.

"Aaah!" She perked, now a little less concerned for the Riolu. They seemed to be fine now. "Well, this is just a tour for newcomers that want to move into Star Shard Town." Explained Chirin. She nodded her head to the explanation. "It's starting shortly."

She paused for a moment before she turned to the Riolu. "So, what's your name?" She asked.​

 

[Skipper]

Mari
Star Shard Town, 6:37 AM

Mari smiled brightly at the vulpix when the hail stopped, “Thanks! There’s no need to be sorry. It was no harm done, after all.” Shy maybe, but polite. Mari could work with that if the vulpix didn’t object too much to her presence. She seemed like a nice sort of girl and Mari was always pleased to make new friends, especially since she had none around here now. It’d also be nice to see her come out of her shell a little. Mari could tell she had a lot of potential, and it really would be such a shame if her fears kept her from finding her passion.

Mari was about to turn away to find someone else to talk to for a little considering the hail had started because the vulpix was too stressed out, but the way she shrunk back a little and pressed her lips together made it obvious she was struggling to say something. True to form, Erucca blurted out her name, voice carrying across the crowd too loudly. Not expecting such an outburst from the usually quiet pokemon, Mari managed the truly unprecedented combination of chuckling softly and backing up in surprise. Erucca didn’t seem to realize how loud she’d been, but the resulting silence quickly got to her.

It was disappointing and a little sad to witness a pokemon be so afraid of the world. Mari hadn’t been here for long, but maybe there were things she’d have to be careful of if they could beat a girl down so thoroughly.

When a new voice piped up behind her, Mari fluffed her wool, the already voluminous cloud growing larger in response to her surprise. She tried to spin instinctually, to get the source in sight, but her new hooves were harder to manage at a quicker pace, especially on the smooth stone and she only managed to stumble and slide down onto her belly. At this angle, her bow was pushed away from her slightly, bringing the middle properly into view, and in a daze, she gazed upon the red-orange marble set in the center. It was prettier than she initially gave it credit for, holding a certain unconscious importance to her she hadn’t realized when getting her bearings on the way into town.

Shaking her head to dispell her wandering thoughts, Mari carefully pulled her hooves back under her. Once she was standing, she turned, deliberately this time, to see who’d joined the group.

The scyther getting cornered by Reed was stern and rigid, looking awkward and embarrassed amidst the other pokemon gathered. She wondered what that could be about? Reed was only showing off a book he had. He didn’t strike her as shy, not like Erucca was anyway, but he’d only just gotten here, and she didn’t know him at all, so who knew, maybe he was. Maybe he just wasn’t a morning person.

An umbreon walked into view behind the scyther, looking supremely annoyed with a sizeable chunk of ice. Maybe not so harmless then. She stalked right into the middle of the square, dropping the ice on the ground unceremoniously and glared at everyone, narrowed eyes scanning the crowd. Her gaze lingered longer on Elliot and Erucca. Mari hoped she wasn’t too mad, if only for Erruca’s sake. Who knew what a confrontation would do to her already paper-thin confidence.

Mari considered stepping in. She didn’t have anything she could offer in reparations, but she’d already pretty much made up her mind to stay in the area with all these interesting pokemon, and she didn’t want this encounter to scare Erucca off. Luckily Elliot spoke up before she had too. His excuse was outlandish though and Mari bit her tongue lightly to suppress a laugh. It was honestly kind of impressive he managed to come up with that on the spot. With a little practice, he might make a decent storyteller.

Before anyone could respond though, a bright green pokemon arrived, talking about the tour. Though she’d never seen one of these guys before, it didn’t take much effort to deduce that this had to be a kecleon. Unless someone was trying to play a prank, this was the guy who’d be giving the tour, so it only made sense.

Unfortunately, predictably, the umbreon didn’t believe him, and Mari started turning her brain for ideas. The linoone spoke up after that though, which really was probably for the best. Mari didn’t have anything of value on her, nothing she was willing to part with anyway, and she’d only just gotten to town. It might take a while to build up the money she needed to support herself here. Although she’d have given it up without a second thought, money was money after all and she could always get more, it was a relief not to have to worry about a debt right to start.

Her musings, and the situation, were interrupted by the arrival of a blue and black pokemon. Another one she’d never seen before. It really boggled the mind, how many different species there were out there. He seemed pretty out of it though and ended up collapsing before actually managing to ask what he came over for. This really was a funny bunch. Mari felt like she hadn’t laughed so much in a good while, and it made her sad to think she might have been unhappy with her past life.

For the first time, the black and red pokemon spoke up, padding over to the fallen one. Despite the noise of the rest of the group, she made very little noise. Mari wouldn’t have known she’d moved at all if she hadn’t been looking in that direction already. Well, she seemed to have it well in hand anyway, and with some help from Azure the new guy was on his feet again, no worse for wear. Mari’s smile turned fond at the wonderous healing effects of sitrus berries. They had a mild, well-rounded taste, making them great for medicines, though they tended to be quite tough and difficult to eat.

His response to the whole ordeal was what prompted Mari to finally insert herself into the situation. Striding carefully but quickly across the stone, hooves producing sharp clacks, Mari slid between the two pokemon, brushing her wool up against the girl by accident. A small gasp escaped her and her eyes went wide and round as energy arced weakly out of her wool. The resulting shock was barely enough to sting the other pokemon, but it caught her by surprise.

“Ahh, I’m really sorry about that,” she apologized, a lopsided smile falling awkwardly across her face, head dipped slightly in embarrassment. “I really didn’t mean to do that. Are you alright?” After making sure she was shaking it off, she twisted her neck to address the blue pokemon. It was rude of her to move on so quickly, and she’d apologize properly later, but she needed to confirm her suspicions first.

“Hi, I’m Mari. I think I might be in a similar boat as you, so if you’d like to talk a bit after the tour, come find me.”

Turning back to the red pokemon, she continued to apologize, “I know that was really sudden, and I swear I’m not normally this rude, but this was super important. I hope I can get the chance to make a better impression?” She smiled hopefully, backing up a few steps to get out of both of their ways.

“Oh!” she jumped, realizing she’d forgotten something, “By the way, what kind of pokemon are you two? I’ve just been calling you red pokemon and blue pokemon in my head and it’s getting kind of old. Also, what are your names?” She turned towards blue, “I know she,” and her eyes darted back to red, “already asked you, but,” her head twisted towards red, “I don’t think you ever mentioned yours.”

 

[Pestilence]

Caligo Strom
6:36-6:42 AM


Looking around Caligo didn't feel the need to join in on any of the conversations. The newcomers he met did seem strange but he was used to strange and it didn't bother him. He watched as a Riolu almost collapsed and the Mudkip, Zorua and Mareep surrounded it.

He thought about apologizing for jumping the gun but decided against it since the situation already seemed to improve and drawing more attention to it would be foolish. The vulpix seemed fine and the linone had agreed to help take care of the umbreon Aiya's damages.

Not wanting to engage with anyone right now due to how his first impression went. He checked the bulletin board deciding on a quest for the battlegrounds.

He returned back to the group when he noticed a Kecleon arrive. He had heard a rumour that they were extremely powerful but he didn't want to test the validity of it right now.

Quest Taken: The Battlegrounds volunteer.

 

[Sul_Silver]

The Kecleon Tour
Star Shard Town, 06:40-07:00

"Hello everyone! Ooh, that's quite a crowd we have here... Ok, my name is Odie, and together with my brother we run the shop in town. Now, Since we are running a little late, I would like to start the tour as soon as possible." As he said that, Odie noticed the older town members around. "I didn't expect any town members to take the tour, since you guys already know this. You can still take if you want. Alright, Let's get on with it! If you'll please follow me..."

Out of the shop, the first stop in the tour was the Restaurant and Cafe. "If you are hungry and don't know how to cook, this is the place to visit. The Cafe opens at 06:30 and the restaurant opens at 11:30, but closes much later. The cafe is probably the best spot in town if you want to hear some gossip, Paula the Alcremie is specially good at it. The restaurant is more useful if you want something more filling, but also more expensive. Ok, let's move on!"

Next, there was the bank. "Hopefully you won't need to come here often. Not that I dislike the banker, Gerald, but he's never your friend whenever he's at work. He will keep your money safe, since going around carrying thousands of ₽ is almost like asking to be robbed by Rebel Raider's thieves. He will also give out absolutely enormous loans, but I suggest you don't take them since it's straight up a trap. Trust me. Now, let's go to... the Farm!"

Arriving at the Farm, the soil was very muddy. The farm was relatively small, it consisted of a barn and a fenced farmland, with a small orchard at the back. Odie got on top of a rock and cleaned his feet before continuing. "Ihatethismud... Ok, so the Farm! Almost all the food in town comes from here. They are mostly just berries, but there are a few fruits and herbs in there as well. You can buy it from them directly, but I hear that they give a few away to employees for free. A bit too muddy for my tastes though, let's move on."

After a bit of walking, the group arrived in the battlefield. Pokemon could be seen training and having brawls, under the supervision of a Gallade. "This is the place for fights and all things related. It was first made to keep Pokemon from fighting in the middle of the town, but now it's a full training center. Sometimes there are tournaments and such and, I don't want to brag but I've won my fair share of fights. Anyways, talk to old Nicholas over there for more information, he knows his stuff round here. If you get really badly hurt, you'll probably be brought to the Emergency Services, and you'll need to pay a small fee. They are a nice group of Pokemon, so give them a visit if you want to help. Next, let's go to the outskirts of Star Shard."

Near the outskirts of the town a few buildings and other places could be seen in the distance. "So to the north, the building with the red roof is the headquarters for the Red Blazes Adventure Team, and to our South West there's the Blue Waters Rescue Team. If will be honest, I think they are mainly a bunch of idiots looking to get into trouble, but they are my idiots and as long as they keep bringing in the treasures, there isn't much to worry." He then turned towards the natural features surrounding the town. "The river over there is called the river 'Sixth', and if will be honest I have no idea why. I've heard that it's because it's shape resembles a legendary Pokemon, but I wouldn't know. The forest is said to be haunted, but I've never seen a ghost there. Some Pokemon have gotten lost there, and I'd hate it to happen to any of you, so only go there when prepared. The same goes for the Blizzard mountains and the Fiery desert. They are NOT places to fool around." Odie took a look around as if to see of he missed something before continuing. "If you look to the south, you can see a building that seems covered in metal plates. That's the Lab. I don't know what they do in there, but sometimes they post odd requests on the news board. Near the forest there is also the Haunted house... this one I can say for sure is haunted. Once I went there following a request on the news board, just to be suddenly paralyzed and have my items stolen! There are also rumors of a witch living there... it gives me chills just thinking about it! There are dungeons scattered around the area, but I do not recommend going alone. Feral Pokemon often live in these places and tend to be very unwelcoming. Well, let's head back to the shop.

Back in the shop, Odie continued; "So the last place, the Star Mart! We strive to give our customers the highest quality items AND the best prices! If you talk to my brother whoiscurrentlyasleepdammyoulucas you can also sell any valuable possessions for a fair price! Feel free to take a look around after the tour is over. Now, to important business... I know none of you have a place to stay yet, and buying a new house isn't cheap. But I believe that everyone should have a fair go at having a good life in Star Shard. I'm offering ₽10,000 loans for you to buy your first house. There is no interest, you'll just need to pay me back eventually, and you can't go buying anything until you paid me back! There are 5 houses that are vacant as of today, and we'll probably have more in the future. Now, if you don't want to live in a house right away, there's an apartment building that is cheaper, but a bit more crowded. There is also the hotel in run by Indeedees. You could also share a house or apartment with someone you know to save some money, albeit a hotel room can get quite uncomfortable and crowded."

"And with that the tour is over! Thank you for coming, and I hope you have a great time in Star Shard! If you want to get a loan, buy anything or just ask questions, just come talk to me later. "


(You are now free to do whatever you want, and go on any quests you wish.)​

 

[Pestilence]

Caligo Strom
7:01-7:08 AM

With the introductions and tour seemingly done Caligo decided to might as well begin his job at the battlegrounds.

"If you need any help with battles or need a sparring partner be sure to inform me, later" He spoke to the group, to the newcomers in particular since some of them seemed to look like they would need some help.

Compared to how he behaved Caligo was actually looking forward to exchanging words(or fists) with the newcomers. But for now he decided to postpone the interactions for later. He was slightly disappointed at not finding a sparring partner but he was used to it by now.

 

[Anne Boolean]

Erucca Carmine
Star Shard Town, 6:40 - 6:45 AM
Quest: Gathering Clay with Aiya?

And it seemed the rouse didn't work. Despite Mass attempting to mediate, understandably the Umbreon didn't want to pay for damage she didn't herself cause. When she once again found herself under justice's hammer she could feel her legs trembling and head spinning just as it had before. She took deep breaths in an effort to not cause another ordeal through hailstorm. Thankfully though, the presence of the Kecleon calmed everyone down.

When she herself had calmed down, she noticed that a new Pokemon had appeared besides the group. It seemed to have collapsed and was being helped up by the Mudkip and the other fox Pokemon of the group. After eating a Sitrus Berry, this Riolu (they were popular in Sinnoh and she could identify it by its black and blue coloring) seemed to be okay. Regardless, a feeling of shame formed in her gut. How could she have been so selfish? This Pokemon could have been in a critical state and yet she was drawing everyone's attention by cowering with her tails to the bulletin board. Even if she didn't completely remember her life as a human, she was sure that she cared for the well-being of Pokemon. Why shouldn't that translate to a life as a Pokemon? She wouldn't take away from the gravity of her own predicament but these people had shown her kindness and responsibility, and she would make sure that it didn't go unappreciated. They welcomed her into their town and now she needed to prove that she would be a worthy member of their community, one who takes responsibility for her actions.

She turned to the Umbreon, who was now stepping away from the group, but then her ears perked up at the mention of legs, and not being used to them. Her ice blue eyes fell on the little group formed by the Riolu, Mareep, and Zorua, the first of which was talking about how he thought Pokemon just shouted their names repeatedly. Indeed Erucca had thought the same thing up until recently. Could he be going through the same thing she was? And then to add to her shock, the Mareep also stated she felt something similar was happening with her. Unbelievable! She seemed so calm and confident, as if she had been this way her whole life.

She turned back to the Umbreon, who had made some distance since Erucca had last laid eyes on her, and then back to the three. "E-excuse me!" she once again blurted out to them. "... I'd..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reminding herself of her goal to be strong, or at least self-sufficient. "I'd like to speak to you three later." To her credit the statement came out calm and with a tone of confidence. She took note of the group leaving with the Kecleon, once again glancing back at the Umbreon. A tour surely would have been useful, but with how big this town was Erucca figured the information wouldn't stick. Hopefully she can learn a bit from the Dark-type as she helped her, or the Linoone. She turned back to Aiya's direction and ran after her, at least as well as she could while still getting used to being a quadruped.

"Excuse me!" she called when she believed she was in earshot, repeating it a few times until she managed to make it to the Umbreon's side. The Vulpix couldn't help but pant a bit. From just a short run she had gained much more respect for four-legged Pokemon. "Allow me to help you repair your house!" She stood quietly after the request. At this point there was no denying that she had in fact caused the damage but she wondered whether or not she should herself say so. Instead of a confession though, also she managed to squeak out was, "... Please?"

Skipper SpotBandit Zmandd SCSaya06

 

[SpotBandit]

Chirin the Zorua
- Star Shard Town -
Interactions: Lucas [ Zmandd ], Mari [ Skipper ]
Mentions: Elliot, Reed

A mild tingle in Chirin's side caused her ears to perk up in a newfound attention, and she found herself immediately wondering what caused it. She didn't have to wonder for very long however when the Mareep that'd gently brushed by her immediately started to apologise-- though she really didn't need to, given it was only a small tingle. Chirin nodded to her question and replied with a "Yea, I'm fine. It's okay." given that she wasn't at all hurt by the sensation. Was that Static, maybe? Either way, the sheep started to talk to the blue Pokémon in a somewhat urged manner, given that she'd interrupted the conversation. Chirin frowned to herself slightly, hoping that she wasn't being a pushover for barely talking. She thought about it for a moment, before she gently shook her head in disagreement to that thought. No, she was over-thinking it. Everyone here, maybe save for the Phantump and the Sneasel, didn't seem so social.

Before too long the woollen sheep turned her head back to Chirin, and the Zorua reacted by perking up and suddenly bringing herself back to reality. The Mareep apologised yet again and offered a small smile, which caused Chirin to shuffle on the spot and simply nod silently in agreement. She was finding biting her tongue a comforting thing to do. What wasn't terribly comforting was when the Mareep exclaimed and jumped up, which almost caused the Zorua to do the same. The electric type asked both Pokémon their names, to which Chirin responded with an "Oh."

She shook for a moment to get any dirt off her coat, given that trotting to the town in an urgent manner likely would've kicked up some dirt onto her coat-- and though it was unlikely anyone saw the dirt, Chirin could sure feel it weighing down on her coat.

"Well," She started, then finishing off her shake. "I'm Chirin. I'm a Zorua." It wasn't terribly surprising that the Mareep didn't know what Pokémon Chirin was, given that Zoruas and Zoroarks tended to have a more secluded and secretive life. Then she turned her gaze over to the Riolu, and while she wanted to mention what Pokémon he was, she didn't want to blab on terribly much.​

 

[Zmandd]

Lucas Ward
Star Shard Town

Unfortunately, one of the many consequences of "making a scene" of such caliber as what Lucas just did was that you attract a lot of attention. As the Zorua and Mudkip were joined by a Mareep and an Alola Vulpix, Lucas realized he had a lot to explain. You could probably see the cogs in Lucas' head grind against each other as he tried to formulate an answer. "My name is Riolu-I mean Lucas... I am a Riolu, but my name is Lucas." Hearing the Zorua introduce herself as Chirping brought a bit of confidence to Lucas. He wasn't sure whether pokemon actually had names, as the trainer usually gives them a nickname if they even wanted to.

The Mareep though, seemed to have a sense of urgency with her. Lucas initially didn't know what to make of it, but the phrase "in the same boat" could mean a couple of things. Could this Mareep be a fellow human?

Lucas had several questions in mind, and the tour only added to the count, but Lucas was smart enough to realize that not all of them would be answered immediately. Instead, Lucas simply asked, "so what are the rest of y'all's names?"

// Skipper SpotBandit Anne Boolean WallrusY

 

[Sul_Silver]

Elliot the Sneasel
Star Shard Town, in the Star Mart, 07:05

After the tour had just finished, Elliot decided to take a look around the store and see if anything caught his eye... and well, it didn't take long for him to notice the large Grass Gem sitting behind the counter. He was perplexed by it, staring intensely at the gem a if he was hit by a Hypnosis. This didn't go unnoticed, as Odie moved over and said "What do you think of this beauty, huh? It was found by the Blue Waters Rescue Team during an expedition to the Forest Dungeon, yes. You can have it as well, for only ₽1,200!" "Just ₽1,200?? That's a great price!" or so Elliot thought, oblivious to the fact he had only ₽2,000...

As if this wasn't enough, he went on to buy a Forage Bag, thinking that it would be easier for him to carry his things. He also saw that there were pretty wings for sale, only ₽50 each! In the end, he walked away with the Forage Bag, 3 Pretty Wings and a Grass Gem. It took him too long to realize that he had effectively used all of his savings. He spent ₽1,550, leaving him with only ₽450. You can't even get a good meal with ₽450! Realizing his mistake, Elliot thought of maybe reselling the gem and get some money back, but he had just started his collection and knew it was better to keep it.

He sat next to the store to think of a solution, and then he remembered the Wing's purpose. If he gave all three to the Pokemon in the Haunted House, he would surely be given a higher reward, right? Elliot remembered what the Kecleon said on the tour, about the ghosts and the Witch... He couldn't just go. Not alone.

He saw a few Pokemon outside the Shop, a Zorua, Mareep, Riolu, Mudkip and the Vulpix from before, Erucca. Surely some of them would like to accompany him. If he was REALLY lucky, he may be able to snatch a few gems and stones along the way. "Hey guys, so I... accidentally found these Pretty wings. Does anyone want to help me deliver them to the house in the woods?"
​

Elliot, 07:12AM
Anne Boolean Skipper SpotBandit Zmandd WallrusY ​

 

[WallrusY]

Azure the Mudkip
Location - Star Shard Town
Time - 7:12am

Azure smiled as the Riolu, who said he was named Lucas, ate the Sitrus Berry and was replenished of his health. Mari also made her way into the conversation, slightly electrocuting Chirin the Zorua, but she seemed to be unharmed by the small shock that the Mareep's wool gave her. The Vulpix Erruca also called over to their group, saying that she wanted to talk to them later - though, to be honest, Azure wasn't quite sure what it was that she wanted exactly. Though, if it was something about the town, Azure would likely know the most (at least out of the current group that surrounded the Riolu), but something about it made Azure think it was different. He just sort of picked up on that kind of thing.

For now, though, it didn't matter much, as Erucca ran off to the direction that Aiya had gone, perhaps to apologize. So, Azure redirected his attention to making sure Lucas was okay. "Oh. my bad, my name is Azure. I've lived in Star Shard for a couple of years now," responded Azure, giving a small smile to Lucas after he asked for their names. Azure wondered if there was anything that the Riolu would want to know, but before he could ask, the Sneasel, Elliot, came to them, clutching three pretty wings in his hands, requesting for their help with delivering it to the house in the woods.

"Oh, that'd be great, actually - That's been posted for a while, though I never really tried to go for it because there were other things to do. But let's do it!" Azure agreed to Elliot's request pretty much immediately - he was all about helping other pokemon, even if that pokemon lived in a shady house somewhere near the woods. He walked over in front of the Sneasel, curiously examining the gorgeous feathers that the Sneasel held in his hands.

 

[Skipper]

Mari
Star Mart, 7:13 AM

Before Mari could get an answer out of either the red pokemon or the blue pokemon, Erucca’s nervous stutter cut through her thoughts. Surprised she took the initiative to pull herself into the conversation, Mari turned to her. Her broad grin softened into an encouraging smile when she saw Erucca struggling with her next words, and then stretched back into a wide grin at the confidence in her voice. Well! She hadn’t known she’d had it in her.

It wasn’t until after Erucca trotted off after Aiya, and wasn’t that just darling, that Mari finally got a response out of the two. A zorua and riolu, huh. Yeah, not species Mari’d ever heard of before, but strange pokemon she didn’t recognize seemed to be the norm around here. Apparently the world was much bigger than she initially thought. Oh, it was so exciting! Who knew what else there was to discover? Her heart started to race and her wool fluffed up again. It had deflated marginally when she’d accidentally shocked Chirin, but now it felt back up to full size.

She couldn’t entirely bring her focus back to Lucas when he asked for her name, but she did respond with a distracted, “Oh, I’m Mari,” before movement caught the corner of her eye. The group was moving. It looked like the kecleon, Odie, was starting the tour. “Well,” she called over her shoulder, “talk to you later, ‘kay? It looks like the tour is starting, so we better get a move on.”

The first stop was actually a couple of places. The Star Dust was a homey restaurant that still managed to leave the impression of a much more upscale place. The front was tastefully decorated, inviting without being too busy, and from what Mari could see through the windows, the inside was even nicer. Whoever ran the Star Dust clearly had a lot of love for it, and Mari was already salivating at the thought of a good, filling meal. It didn’t hit her until then just how hungry she was. It couldn’t have been more than an hour since she woke up here, but who knew how long she’d been unconscious.

Food would have to wait though. She had no money, so she’d have to make do with whatever she could scrounge up, or take one of the jobs on the bulletin and wait until lunch to get something nice. In any case, she wouldn’t starve before her next meal, and that was good enough for her.

The Starlight Cafe was significantly more relaxed. While it was well taken care of and by no means unkempt, there wasn’t the same level of meticulous detail obviously present in the Star Dust. The style fit the more casual nature of a cafe though, just as the carefully curated appearance of the Star Dust worked to lend the restaurant a classy touch. Gossip wasn’t a bad thing either. Once Mari was better established, she could see herself going there fairly regularly, getting something warm to drink and catching up on the town news.

The group kept moving, and soon they were passing by a rather ostentatious bank. Odie explained that Gerald, the banker, would keep your money for you, as well as give out loans. Mari wondered if he did have something against the banker, despite his words. Those were rather harsh things to say about someone he was fine with. A bank would definitely come in useful later though, even if Mari never needed a loan from there. Though, if it was a bad idea to loan from Gerald, where was she supposed to get money for big payments? Saving up and then buying might keep her out of debt, but she had nothing right now. She didn’t even have a place to sleep.

They passed by the bank quickly and walked a little way out to Starly Farms. They were looking for farmhands, weren’t they? Thinking back, she thought she saw that on the bulletin. She might be interested in that at some point, though it would be best to get a lay of the rest of the town before she decided what she wanted to start with. Getting paid partially in berries sounded nice, and would guarantee her at least a little food if she needed to spend the money on other things. As good a place to start as any, really. She’d keep the job in mind, but there was still the rest of the town, maybe there’d be something available that resonated with her more.

If there was, the battlefield was not it. Like everything in town, it was well cared for, but sporting marks of its use. The gallade that purportedly supervised training here wasn’t present at the moment, but it was still early, so it was likely the arena wasn’t actually open yet. Mari wasn’t against fighting, especially in order to protect herself, it was even fun when she was running off the high of adventure, but she’d found she could never quite get into it when the only reason was for the sake of getting stronger. She stumbled at the sudden rush of feeling. Whatever she’d been like in her past life, she’d apparently had very strong opinions on that. Interesting cultural history aside, Mari couldn’t see herself coming back here as a patron, much less an employee.

Odie led them to the edge of town after that, pointing out a few places in quick succession. The rescue team and adventure team seemed like they might be fun, but Mari wanted to learn more about them before she made any decisions about joining one. Solo exploration, or at least exploration on her own terms, sounded much more appealing right now anyway. She’d consider joining a team if wandering around outside town became dangerous or boring. Odie really didn’t try to hide his colors though, did he? Or well, if he was trying, he wasn’t doing a very good job of it. It seemed like he was mostly concerned about money, which wasn’t inherently a bad thing but was something Mari was going to have to keep in mind. From the bulletin, it looked like the kecleon brothers were the owners of the town’s only all-purpose store. She didn’t want to be uncharitable, but she wouldn’t accept getting cheated either.

Odie continued describing the areas around the town. The river must have been where Erucca ran off to. She’d have to fill her in about the tour when they saw each other again. Mari looked over toward the forest as the group moved along, the distance and unnatural gloom surrounding the trees made it difficult to discern any detail. She’d be entering that forest later today to investigate that strange request. That strange request that apparently involved a haunted house. Mari’s eyes snapped to the back of Odie’s head, ears twitching slightly to focus on what he was saying. Paralyzed and robbed? That was concerning, especially since the only thing she had on her was her marble. There was no way she was giving that up. Even if she couldn’t remember why it was so important to her, it was. She needed somewhere to safely store it before she set out.

The tour concluded at the Star Mart with Odie’s mention of the house loan he and his brother were offering. Mari chuckled at that. Well, no wonder he wasn’t fond of Gerald, they were competing. Though, the interest-free deal made it quite a good one. Maybe the kecleons were just doing a good deed, giving newcomers better options than loaning from Gerald. Mari didn’t know how they could make any money off the loans if there wasn’t interest, but it was the answer to several of her problems. She needed a place to stay, somewhere to store her belongings, and a solid establishment in the town.

She took the first step toward Star Mart after deciding, only to stop as Elliot came up to the little group left outside with her. Her lips quivered as she fought to keep the smile off them. He found some pretty wings, did he? That must have been why he’d come straight from Star Mart. Technically, the claim wasn’t inaccurate. He did really find some pretty wings at Star Mart, but the way he said it like he’d just stumbled upon them casually, was delivered so well. He really would make a marvelous storyteller.

When she spoke, the laughter she was fighting pitched her words higher and gave them a slight wobbly quality, “I’d love to go Elliot, but do you think you could hold off for just a bit? I’d like to settle a few things with Odie, but then I’ll be good to go.”

Striding past him, Mari slipped through the door to the Star Mart, glancing around and getting an eye full of the stock. It looked like Elliot had bought a lot more than just a few pretty wings. How much money had he brought with him? Surely it couldn’t have been that much? Granted, she didn’t know how much things around here usually cost, but still.

When she got to the counter, she smiled politely at Odie. “Hey, I was wondering if you could tell me more about that house loan? It sounds like a really great deal.”

Sul_Silver

 

[SpotBandit]

Chirin the Zorua
- Star Shard Town -
Interactions: Elliot [ Sul_Silver ]
Mentions: Odie, Azure

After the interactions had concluded, the tour went on as usual. Chirin furiously took internal notes of every place, what they looked like, their location, and more. Perhaps it was her overanalysing her surroundings, but she wanted to make well sure where everything was stationed-- especially those training grounds. She'd eyed that place up for a while, having spotted it on her way here, though had to avoid the urge to jump in and start having friendly competitions. Though, she also noted that the Kecleons offered up loans with no interest, so Chirin would need to snap up on that offer to buy herself a house. How she'd make money given the options Odie had listed out for them with the various places there were to work at, she didn't know. The adventure teams sounded fun, though she didn't quite know how they made money. Maybe selling their treasures.. the cafe, while it sounded fun to maybe work at if the opportunity came, would've been difficult to hand out plates-- Zoruas weren't bipedal, and didn't have a free set of hands until they evolved. Perhaps the farm, maybe..? It sounded fun enough. Growing berries wasn't too difficult to do either if you know what you were doing, and given that was the main sustenance her and her family lived on and had to grow to live.. perhaps she'd be a little better at it than the normal employee..? The Zorua didn't want to give herself too much credit.

Then, Elliot came bounding back with a lovely handful of Pretty wings. Her eyes widened and she walked up to the ice-type with an "Ooh..", clearly encapsulated by their appearance. She perked up when she heard Elliot ask anyone if they wanted to go with him to deliver them. Deliveries were fun, Chirin decided. It took only a moment for her head to give a firm nod. As a bonus, Azure wanted to join too! It'd be a perfect opportunity to talk and make friends. They could also find other things along the way to sell, which'd be a great benefit for both her and Elliot, as the two of them would've needed to make enough money to get a house.

"Sure! It sounds like fun." She grinned and gave off a trademark mischievous Zorua chuckle. "I hope we find plenty of items on the way."​

 

[Sul_Silver]

Star Mart
07:15-07:18AM

Odie looked over the counter and eyed the Pokemon asking for the loans. "Well, hi there! Looking to get your first house, huh? I don't blame you, it's great to have your own place to keep your stuff and a roof over your head. Ok, let's go over the types of loans."

The Kecleon looked around and grabbed a large notebook. Scribbles and other things written in a messy handwriting. He shuffled through the pages and continued: "You can get a ₽10,000 loan for a new house, and it will be all yours. We also have ₽3,000 loans for apartments, although you have to give the money to the Jenna, the Goodra that manages the building as well as paying an extra fee every few days. I personally recommend the house loan, since it's more comfortable, but some people prefer apartments. Also, we have 'half' options for both loans in case you want to share your house or apartment with someone else."

"Now, for paying your loans... I don't like doing this, but if 3 days pass and no payment has been made, I'll send a personal team to get some of your belongings in order to pay your loan. You can pay at any time, just don't be late. Speaking of late..." Another Kecleon, this time a red one, appeared. "Yawn... sorry bro, couldn't get much sleep last night..." "Sigh... anyways, if you have any treasure, you can give it to this lazy-Lucas and it will count towards your loan."

"And I know what you are thinking, 'you say there is no interest, so there must be a catch, right?' Now, me and Lucas believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity at having a nice life here, so me and my brother started to help all newcomers get settled and start their lives in Star Shard."

"Now, are you interested?"
Skipper​

 

[Skipper]

Mari
Star Mart, 7:20 AM

She smiled a little at the interaction between the two brothers. She could tell they got along well even if Odie seemed annoyed with Lucas. It was just a bit of harmless teasing, and Lucas didn’t even acknowledge the name-calling. Odie clearly listed out the different loan plans and explained what each one would entail. She was impressed honestly. Odie at least had a real mind for business even when he was doing something for the benefit of others. It was hard to tell with Lucas, considering she’d just met him, but she wouldn’t be too surprised if he was just as good.

After hearing everything, Mari considered her options. The penalty for not meeting payment deadlines was steep, especially considering she didn’t have much of anything to her name. Three days though. That should be enough time to get something together, shouldn’t it? If it seemed like she wasn’t going to make it, there were plenty of jobs with decent hourly pay, and it couldn’t be that hard to scrounge up some items while adventuring. The first three days would be tough, but there were plenty of chances for her to make some money today, never mind tomorrow or the day after.

She could get an apartment, but in the long run, that would be even more money, and the extra space the house afforded was appealing. There was no guarantee she’d be able to keep up with a fixed rent, but the full house offered her more flexibility with her payment amounts. Overall it did seem to be the better option. As tempting as it was to ask for more time to decide, if she was going to make it out to the haunted house today, she needed a place to store her marble. Maybe buying a house was overkill on solving her storage problem, but the long term benefits more than made up for it. She supposed if it seemed like she was going to have trouble keeping up with payments, she could always ask someone to move in with her.

Nodding to herself, Mari focused back on the two kecleon. Odie was waiting patiently and Lucas looked like he was ready to fall back asleep, but they both gave her their attention when she looked up. “The house sounds like the one for me. Is there a minimum payment amount, though? And would I be able to switch to the half option if I found someone to move in with me?”

Sul_Silver

 

[Sul_Silver]

Star Mart
07:20-07:22

"Ok, ok. Yeah, the house is great yeah, it's got enough space to have a small family. Now, as long as you make an effort to repay the loaned amount, I really don't care how much you repay. Now, if you start slacking on the repayments, I may put a minimum of ₽500 on them. Had to do it only a couple times in the past though."

"Now switching to the half option is uncommon... most people that get a house get one for themselves or already have a roommate ready. I don't know what your current situation is, but come back to me if you find someone you wish to live with."

"So, What do you think? Do we have a deal?"

Skipper​

 

[Pestilence]

Caligo Strom
7:25 AM
Location-Battlegrounds

It had been a while since Caligo had returned to the battle grounds. He would usually train in isolation since that would help with his concentration. Arriving he noticed Nicholas the veteran who ran the battlegrounds as a way to help pokemon toughen up. He admired Nicholas's strength and hoped to some day match it.

The lack of pokemon around was understandable as it was still early normally he would find a decent amount of fighting types present and a single buff magikarp.

"I've heard you needed volunteers Sir Nicholas" he said walking up to him. He wouldn't address the gallade without calling him sir.

"I have arrived here to volunteer" he added moving his arm like claw to his head in the form of a salute.

 

[Skipper]

Well, that was just fine! Mari had no intention of skimping on payments, after all, she was borrowing money from them. It was only fair to try to get back to them as quickly as possible. The confirmation that she could also rework her loan to include another person was generous. It gave her options and allowed her more flexibility in the future in case something unexpected happened. The kecleons’ lax handling of their house loan was unexpected but not unwelcome and lent credence to Odie’s claim that they just wanted to help people out.

“Sounds good! We have a deal. I hate to rush you, but could we get this sorted right now? It’s still early, but there were a few things I wanted to check out today.” She smiled sheepishly after making her request. Chances were she'd be seeing Odie and Lucas regularly, if not for her loan payments, then later for general shopping. She might also run into them casually in town, and getting off to a bad start with them now was something she wanted to avoid. But she really did need that house.

“A few of us newcomers were thinking of going to check out that haunted house, and well, if I’m going to get robbed by a witch, I’d rather not have anything valuable on me.”

Sul_Silver

 

[Sul_Silver]

Battlegrounds
07:25AM

Although it was early in the morning, some Pokemon were already hard at training. Not a lot mind you, but there were quite a few. Nicholas had just arrived at the scene, ready to get a lesson started. If he couldn't, then he would train himself. But it seemed that the tournament posting had attracted quite a bit of attention, and more and more Pokemon were arriving to get ready for it.

Just as he was hoping to get a helping hand, Caligo arrived. Nicholas knew him as a short-tempered, but strong Pokemon always striving to outdo himself. "At ease, Caligo, at ease. Thanks for coming. We are having quite the influx of Pokemon right now, and I'm not quite sure I'll be able to handle them all myself. Now, I know I can count on you to take care of some of them, make sure they are ready for the tournament, yes?"

Not expecting an answer, or trusting that Caligo would accept, Nicholas pointed towards a small group of Pokemon, with a Mienfoo, Fraxure and Pincir. "Those Pokemon... I can feel they aren't ready. They are tense and are not confident enough. They'll end up just hurting themselves. I want you to make sure they know how to properly fight. Do your best."

Pestilence​

 

[Zmandd]

Lucas isn't usually scared, but the thought of dying in a Pokemon body didn't seem particularly pleasing to him. That being said, he hated the idea of wandering alone again even more. A haunted house may provide danger, but at the very least he can put aside lingering questions about his existence and focus on something more relevant to the present situation. Besides, as the Kecleon said in his tour, money runs everything in this town. If he was gonna find answers, he first had to survive. As the Sneasel he hadn't acquainted with yet prepared to leave with Azure and Chirin, Lucas spoke up. "I wanna come with." Oh, I really hope I don't die from this.

// Sul_Silver WallrusY SpotBandit

 

[Sul_Silver]

Star Mart
07:25

"Oh, in a hurry, eh? Ok, ok, if you will please wait just a moment..." Odie went out the back and grabbed a few sheets of paper before scrolling through them, until finally finding what he was looking for. "Ok, I will just need you to sign or stamp this with your paw print, which one you prefer. Oh, you probably want to see your house first, right? Ok, just follow me."

The house was positioned in the very edge of the villas, so it had a view to the outskirts of town. Inside, it had the bare essentials, such as a comfortable place to sleep and a small chest to keep your stuff. Otherwise, it was pretty much empty. "It's not much now, but you will surely find things to fill it with in no time. So, just sign or paw print here and it's yours."

Skipper​

 

[Yamperzzz]

Reed had previously spent his time just fooling around and watching everyone until the tour began. Just before it did, he noticed a Kecleon, a Pokémon he had only seen in pictures. Odie, the Kecleon, was eager to start the tour, and Reed shook in excitement as they did.

Their first destination was a restaurant and a café. He thought that the café was cute and thought that it would be good to learn more about the other Pokémon in town. He also had never seen an Alcremie before, or what it was supposed to be. Reed tilted his head in curiosity.

The next place they visited was the bank. Immediately, Reed imagined a situation involving a large group of Pokémon robbers being defeated by heroes. Otherwise, he didn't think much of it other than a place he could store his money.

Later, they visited the farm, much to Reed's enthusiasm. Not only did he want free berries, but he also genuinely wanted to help care for the plants here. It seemed like a lot of fun. Reed looked at Odie as if he was crazy when he mentioned about not liking mud. Reed was still a child, so he still thought that mud was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

When they arrived at the battlefield, Reed was incredibly inspired by the Pokémon fighting there. They all looked incredibly strong! He hoped to come there in the near future to become as strong as them! He continued to admire the variety of Pokémon there, including a Gallade. He had only seen them a number of times before.

Reed surveyed his surroundings as Odie pointed out the number of areas located on the outskirts of Star Shard. He made an audibly "oooh" sound as he was informed of the two different teams there who brought in treasure. For obvious reasons, Reed's eyes lit up with excitement. Odie continued to show them other areas including the forest there that was supposedly haunted. Being a ghost Pokemon himself, Reed teasingly made spooky moans to remind everyone what he was. He thought about maybe going in there to meet other ghost friends, despite the forest supposedly being dangerous. He figured the ghosts there wouldn't hurt another ghost like him!

Finally, they returned to Odie's shop, where he showed it off to everyone. Admittedly, Reed felt overwhelmed and nervous when Odie mentioned house loans. Though it would be cool to have a house, he thought it would be challenging to get money to pay off the loan without being able to spend on anything for a long time. Even if he managed to get his own house, he was afraid that he would be all alone in it. It was because of these reasons that Reed thought of living in an apartment instead. He could meet new friends without having to spend as much money. Maybe he could get his own home in the future...

Reed had spent some time observing the rest of the newcomers before coming to the apartments where he would want to stay. At this time, he had begun to pay less to the others and more on the random items Odie had stocked on his shelves. He wasn't sure if he would spend anything there, but it would definitely have to be small if he did. He may be incredibly naive, but one of Reed's special traits was being able to save money very easily. He was somewhat frugal, as hard as it may be to believe. Perhaps he got it from his mother. He eventually decided to leave and look at them later.

He left Odie's store and headed towards the apartments. After asking around once again, Reed found himself just outside the building. His plan was to get the apartments situated, then somehow get a job at the farm. He was rather proud of himself and the smart decisions he was making. He was going to be a full-blown adult soon! He triumphantly opened the door to the entrance and floated inside.

Sul_Silver (Interacting) @AnybodyElseWhoMayBeNearby (Open for Interaction)​

 

[Skipper]

Mari
Outside Star Mart, 7:30 AM

Mari was grateful Odie was accomodating of her urgency and followed behind him on the way to look at the house, making sure to get a good idea of its relative position in town. They passed by several other houses but eventually stopped in front of a quaint little place, sturdy and well cared for, but minimalist. The yard was plain, consisting solely of grass and the dirt road that connected the front door to the rest of town. It would do for now, but this was definitely a work in progress. She was no expert on design, but a new coat of paint, something bright and lively maybe, and some flowers or berries out front or in the back would really start to make the house look like home.

When she got around to it, she’d see if anyone down at Starly Farms could give her tips. While berry growing was something she had a little background in, berry effects were much more her area of expertise. There was just so much to it! Mari figured she must not have had the attention span to properly learn about all the different types of mulch and which ones were best for which berries in which conditions and on and on and on. She had picked up enough through osmosis to know all the things she didn’t know, which was at least somewhere to start.

Moving into the house revealed a utilitarian bed and a small wooden chest. Both were shoved neatly in the corner, leaving the rest of the floor space open without any kind of furniture to make it look more lived in. Well, at least she’d be able to fill it with things she liked later. She paced around as Odie talked about the house, listening to her hooves clack off the wooden floors. When he was done speaking, Mari continued to look around, making her way over the chest at the foot of the bed. It really was small, maybe just less than half her size. Considering she was a completely different height as of an hour and a half ago than she was before that, it was hard to gauge exactly how big she was in comparison to other things, but she knew she was much smaller than she had been, and that was enough to tell her this chest was going to fill up quickly.

Shifting her attention to the bed, it was easy to see someone had gone to great lengths to find something decent, if cheap. It wasn’t a bad bed, and Mari could see herself getting used to it after a few nights. Her new coat of wool would help with temperature control, so she might be able to save some money on blankets. Satisfied, she walked back over to Odie, excited to officially call the house hers. She looked over the paperwork briefly, not really reading so much as skimming for a few keywords as well as the agreed-upon amount. Eagerly, she lifted a leg, pressing her hoof firmly into the paper before pulling it away, revealing a black imprint. There, that was it, the house was hers now. All she had to do was make sure to pay the kecleon’s back regularly and she could confidently call herself a proud homeowner.

Odie gathered up all the paperwork, checking it over a few times to make sure it was all verified, and then left her to enjoy her house. Mari jogged over to the chest, wanting to hurry now so she could meet back up with Elliot at Star Mart. Or, she tried to jog. As soon as Mari reached some invisible threshold, it felt like it would be impossible to walk any faster, and instead, her legs seemed to instinctually know how to move to bring her gait up to a trot. Startled at the sudden change in movement style, Mari screeched to a halt, skidding across the flooring and leaving a few shallow scratches. Thankfully she was far enough away that she didn’t end up tripping over the chest. It would have been unfortunate to have face planting into a wall be her very first experience here.

Mari stood frozen for a few seconds, but eventually managed to calm down and took the last couple steps towards her chest slowly. She opened it, and then carefully removed the marble from her bow and placed it gently in the chest. Her bow stayed with her, but at least her marble would be safe from any thieving witches. Hopefully, no one tried to rob her at all, but she really had no idea what she was getting herself into with this haunted house thing.

Business settled, Mari raced back to Star Mart, relieved to still see Elliot, along with Azure and Chirin, still waiting around the shop. Good, they hadn’t left without her, though she did feel back for asking them to put a hold on their days just for her.

Slowing to a stop right in front of the group, she huffed, breathing heavily, “Hey! Thanks for waiting. Sorry if I kept you guys for a while. Did anyone else want to do something before we go check out that haunted house? Or are we waiting for someone else?”

Sul_Silver SpotBandit WallrusY

 

[Sul_Silver]

Elliot the Sneasel
Star Shard Town, Outside Star Mart, 07:30AM

Finally, everyone was together and ready to go. Elliot, the Zorua, the Mudkip, the Riolu and the Mareep. Elliot was surprised that so many people decided to go with him, and a bit annoyed at the thought of having to share the reward by 5. But he knew that he had better chances of making it through the forest if he's in a larger group. He also noticed that the Mareep, Mari, wasn't with her Mega Stone. He would have his chance anther day... maybe. He wondered if any of the others had stones as well.

"Alright gang, I think everyone is here... well let's go! The haunted house awaits us!" And he began heading towards the forest, waiting for the others to follow.
​

Elliot, 07:32AM
SpotBandit , WallrusY , Zmandd , Skipper ​