Dual Pokemon Quest

[Tascion]

[x]Hold a kabuto, because they're cool.
-[x]Ask it if it wants to evolve to a dedicated big pair of legs and forelimbs or if it prefers having a bunch of little legs.
[x]then continue on traveling

(sorry for blanking on this, I thought I had already voted)

 

[Blacksheep]

It felt different, returning to his aura classes after visiting the Summit. Lee couldn't quite explain it, but there had been a shift within him caused by contacting the blue orb. Lee knew that he would have to sit down and examine it more closely within himself, and the set of classes focused on moving aura within himself seemed like a good space to do so.

[ ]Focus on the lesson's purpose
[ ]Explore the new parts of himself

Training with his team was at least going well. Crunchbite's shell was starting to take on a sheen to it that showed he was nearing evolution. He was delighted with digging and then jumping back out into whatever minor command that Lee added on for practice. He would jump, run, and bite as he emerged from his tunnels. He was getting fast, and looked ready to start adding complexity to his commands. Crunchbite would be an immovable fortress for his enemies.

Nova was doing much better with control now that Lee had focused on specifically training her in it. She seemed somewhat confused by what Lee was asking of her, and he had to take some time to try and press into her mind that it was how they managed their life. If she wanted to be a trainer's pokemon, there were certain changes to how she lived that were necessary. She was clever enough to grasp that, and trust Lee to lead her forward even if she didn't see as far forward as he did yet.

Archer continued to work with Fathom beside Lee. His starter was so proud to be trusted with this, even as he began to prepare for a molt. The magikarp was getting better at focusing, and gaining size as he grew. His focus still wasn't great, but it was far better than when they had first started, and Fathom seemed to flourish under their attention. He seemed to enjoy it even more than the treats, even if the treats made it easier for him to connect what they wanted him to do.

 

[Blacksheep]

"A kabuto," Jaden decided. Lanette reached into the tank and pulled one of them out, little legs wriggling in the air before it was deposited safely into his arms.

"Hello," Jaden greeted it. The kabuto was very busy investigating the arms holding him, and when it responded Jaden found that the pokemon spoke with an odd accent. That was the best way he could describe it, at least. Pokemon didn't communicate in direct words most of the time after all. Certain psychic pokemon like Uri were an exception to that. They spoke in concepts and feelings and images. There was a sense when the kabuto spoke however, of something that wasn't there with the other pokemon Jaden had spoken with that came across as an accent.

The kabuto's biggest concern seemed to be whether or not it would be eaten, and once it had settled the fact that it wasn't, it was very curious that Jaden was choosing to talk to it. "It's a gift," Jaden told it. "I use my psychic powers to do it. Do you want to evolve and get two big forelimbs and two big back limbs, or do you like having so many little legs?" It wanted to evolve. It could eat more when it was bigger, and it would be able to fight better, and impress other kabutops. It would be very impressive when it was big. It thought it might be faster when bigger too, so it would be worth losing the legs it used to make sure it went as fast as possible.

Jaden grinned as he petted the kabuto. He thanked Lanette, and the professor walked him back to the door so he could continue on his way. This was really a super cool place. He was glad he'd found it.

[ ]Go fishing in the falls that are nearby
[ ]Look for magikarp climbing the falls
[ ]Play a game in the meteor craters
[ ]Head down to Route 115 towards Rustboro
[ ]Write-in

[ ]Train pokemon
-[ ]Train Sam
-[ ]Train Oliver
-[ ]Train Uri
-[ ]Train all
[ ]Play with pokemon
-[ ]Play with Sam
-[ ]Play with Oliver
-[ ]Play with Uri
-[ ]Play with all

 

[Tascion]

[x]Look for magikarp climbing the falls
-[x]Talk to some of the magikarp resting between attempts.
-[x]Look for one unlikely to make the climb but still wants to; such as due to a lost fin or something. See if it would like to visit a pokecenter, or even travel and train with Jaden and his team instead of evolving through climbing a waterfall.

 

[Space Jawa]

Experimenting while he was supposed to be learning struck Lee as an unwise idea. He stuck to what he was being taught, reasoning he could look into the other matter later when it wouldn't distract him from what he was supposed to be focused on.

[X] Focus on the lesson's purpose

---

Lee continued to keep his Pokemon in basic training. Most of them, at least. Crunchbite he didn't really have much for. He suspected that he wouldn't have had much for Archer either if Archer hadn't been actively working with Fathom. Both of them were beyond 'basic' training, and for the time being he wasn't going to work on more complex techniques.

Fathom he was feeling especially hopeful about. At minimum, he was feeling optimistic that Archer and Fathom could have fought as a team in a double battle. Long-term, he was hopeful that with Fathom positively associating with Archer, Lee could eventually train the fish to associate that same positivity with Lee without Archer being directly involved.

[X] Train Fathom
-[X] Continue training Fathom using Archer

[X] Train Nova
-[X] Continue to work on Control

 

[Blacksheep]

Jaden headed to the waterfalls again. He had a plan this time. He was going to get a magikarp to join his team! It would be awesome. Surely there would be one at the waterfalls who would be happy to join him. Jaden didn't want to take one that could evolve on its own of course. He wasn't going to just steal their awesome accomplishment. But he'd seen how hard jumping up had been when he'd been there, and he was sure that he could help one of the magikarps that couldn't quite do that.

Finding another waterfall with magikarps set to leap up it was a bit tricky. Jaden might have been better off going back to that first waterfall that he'd encountered. A lot of running through caves and clambering around did eventually help him find another one though. He grinned as he spotted the magikarp all pooled together and building their energy for one of them to try and make the leap. This was exactly what he'd been looking for!

He watched the magikarps, cheering them on each time an attempt was made. It was hard looking at the gathering to determine who might not be able to do it. It was such a large group after all. Jaden spotted a thinner magikarp in the group, that looked like it was getting tired. The poor fellow likely hadn't been able to eat enough before making this journey, and was now stuck. Jaden waited for a quiet moment before walking over to the pool and bringing out some berries for the magikarps. They were more than happy to accept the food while they worked to build up energy for another attempt.

The too thin one was more than happy to take a break by Jaden and accept the berries. "Hey," Jaden said. "You are really awesome, you know that? You made it all the way here! It's super cool! But jumping the waterfall isn't the only way to get what's at the top you know. I can help you find it too." The magikarp perked up at Jaden's words. It wanted what was at the top so badly, but it hadn't had the strength to try at all for the past couple days, and knew it would only keep getting weaker. "Do you want to travel with me? We'd see a lot of cool things, and I promise you'll find what you want!"

The magikarp agreed, and an instant later Jaden had it captured.

Underweight magikarp acquired!
strong perseverance, naughty, female

What's her name?
[ ]Write-in

[ ]Go fishing in the falls that are nearby
[ ]Play a game in the meteor craters
[ ]Head down to Route 115 towards Rustboro
[ ]Write-in

[ ]Train pokemon
-[ ]Train Sam
-[ ]Train Oliver
-[ ]Train Uri
-[ ]Train all
[ ]Play with pokemon
-[ ]Play with Sam
-[ ]Play with Oliver
-[ ]Play with Uri
-[ ]Play with all

 

[Blacksheep]

Circulating aura within Lee's body is invigorating. He can feel the strength and power pumping into him. When he's not careful it spills over, sharpening his hearing almost painfully so, or making him sensitive to every single thing he touches. He knows it will take time to get the balance just right, but he knows how to use his aura now to enhance his natural skills and abilities. He can enhance his strength, speed, reflexes, senses. He just has to be careful and slow doing so until he really gets the grasp of it, to keep from injuring himself while doing so.

Nova meanwhile, was starting to truly finesse her control. She was fully in control of what she did, and heeding what Lee told her was necessary. Now she was just starting to show off with how well she could manipulate her flames. It would take some practice, but it wouldn't be much longer before she taught herself new fire moves just from playing around with her enhanced control.

Archer was as always, thrilled to help with Fathom, and Fathom was just as enthusiastic to be working beside him. There was a sharp gleam in Fathom's eyes these days. Something was stirring within the slow magikarp's mind.

The last basic aura lesson that Lee was being taught was perhaps one of the most difficult to grasp. It was about shared power and connections. Lee was asked to bring someone in to work with to foster that connection and demonstrate it.

[ ]Take Archer, the starter who's been at Lee's side the entire time
[ ]Take Crunchbite, loyal and sturdy
[ ]Take Nova, fast and wild and quick to challenge Lee
[ ]Take Fathom, the one Lee's worked most with
[ ]Take Kate, a dear friend who is always ready to support Lee
[ ]Take Jasper, a friend Lee looks up to

 

[Space Jawa]

The decision was not a difficult one. The closest possible alternate option might have been Kate, based mostly on the fact that she had been the one thus far that had provided him the strongest 'anchor' to the world when he'd previously entered the current.

But as good as a friend as she was, she was a friend. Kate and Jasper, they were close.

For something as important as he was learning, and what such a lesson might mean, Lee didn't want to step on any toes. There would eventually come a time when Lee would go his own way while Kate and Jasper would go theirs. Archer, however, the pokemon had been as loyal a Pokemon as one could ask for since the beginning, and Lee anticipated that Archer would be there for as long as it was possible.

That was a bond it was important for him to build on and work with.

[X] Archer

 

[Tascion]

[x]Name her Zahra
-[x]Introduce her to the team.
--[x]Sam, who is also aspiring to draconic power. Sam already knows a dragon type move and can show her this evening.
--[x]Oliver, who is fully evolved and understands the importance of balancing work and fun.
--[x]Uri, who is powerfully psychic. He's got a secondary goal of some improved physical fitness, so he's likely to be a training buddy for Zahra as she recovers.
-[x]Continue down towards Rustboro City
--[x]Set a easy pace and choose paths where Zahra can swim where feasible.
--[x]While Zahra is resting, as expected for most of this trip, and if water is nearby, see if Uri can psychically carry her in a bubble of water. The main thing is making sure not to risk any safety issues.
-[x]Make camp early and make sure Zahra gets plenty to eat and rest.

 

[Blacksheep]

Archer was thrilled to be chosen. Kate spent some time congratulating the rowlet on being picked before informing Lee that they would be moving on for their own travels. They would stay in contact over text, but Kate was too restless to stay there any longer.

Archer attended the aura lessons with him practically trembling with excitement. Surprisingly, it was easier to reach out to Archer than Lee had expected. Perhaps it was because Lee's previous experience of trying this had been with pokemon he didn't have bonds with. The closest to this he'd had before had been with the zangoose, and the zangoose had carried the burden of communication on their end. Lee was the one facilitating this, even as Archer reached back.

It was fascinating to feel Archer. It was almost like touching a miniature of the Current, with all the complexities born within the rowlet. There was acceptance there as well, and welcoming. Archer reached back, and Lee could feel the rowlet's mind expand with what the connection to Lee provided. A sharp awareness and intelligence was awake there, peering out at the world with new perspective gained.

Archer didn't see things the way that Lee did. Time was a vague construct. The past rested solidly for him to peer into, but the future was never more than a vague fog of an idea. All of Archer's plans hinged on what he could see unfolding from the Now. He had different senses than Lee did too. He didn't see the same set of colors, in fact Lee was surprised to see that he had patterns over his body in Archer's vision, broken harshly by his clothes, and he could feel the sun invigorating and giving Archer energy.

Lee could draw on that too. Archer would willingly pour his energy back down along this path and give him everything he had. They would be one in this moment, moving together with their minds. Sheer joy colored every thought Archer had with that. He had ached for a partner, and finding one in Lee was more than he could have asked for.

It was hard to part from that internal mingling, and listen to what his aura teacher said. The aura teacher explained that through this bond they could share everything. Thoughts, emotions, senses. Pain, power, and knowledge could go back and forth. They could heighten each other's abilities. The only thing to keep in mind, was that in that state they were the combined total of what they had possible. If one or the other tried to take it all to one half, the other could die.

[ ]Write-in

 

[Blacksheep]

Jaden cheerfully named the magikarp Zahra. He was quick to measure out more food for her to eat and set about introducing her to the team. Zahra noted each pokemon as they were introduced to her, but it was clear that her main focus was on the drive that had brought her all this way to the falls. Uri informed Jaden it was almost like she was dreaming, without the clarity that abras experienced.

Sam was intrigued by the thought of another dragon pokemon on the team, and was eager to test himself against her once Zahra grew stronger. Oliver was just thrilled by the situation, while Uri groaned about Jaden's reminder that he wasn't getting out of fitness training any time soon. He was in better shape than he had been when he'd started, but he still did his best to try and cut corners for it.

The path brought them down closer to the coast, and Zahra was able to spend more time swimming alongside them than Jaden had expected. When Jaden had asked if Uri would be willing to levitate a bubble of water for Zahra to swim alongside them in, the kadabra had been pleased and eager to do so. Zahra seemed astounded at being able to see so much more of the world, and Uri found a good portion of his time spent keeping Zahra from leaping out of the water bubble. She seemed to view it as a challenge to do so, even with the exhaustion she carried still from not having enough to eat.

Jaden was working on fixing that though, he was going to get her plenty fed up! And in another week they'd be down in Rustboro and they could explore the city.

[ ]Stop to check out the coast
[ ]Go fishing
[ ]Go climbing around the mountains
[ ]Build a snow fort
[ ]Write-in

[ ]Train pokemon
-[ ]Train Sam
-[ ]Train Oliver
-[ ]Train Uri
-[ ]Train Zahra
-[ ]Train all
[ ]Play with pokemon
-[ ]Play with Sam
-[ ]Play with Oliver
-[ ]Play with Uri
-[ ]Play with Zahra
-[ ]Play with all

 

[Space Jawa]

Hearing that Kate and Jasper were leaving hurt more than Lee anticipated.

Perhaps it was that it was happening far sooner than he'd expected. Lee knew that they'd been going their separate ways eventually - that had been part of the reason he'd chosen to train with Archer - but he'd always expected it would be later. There was still Team Magma, there was still the quest for Rayquaza. Their departure now felt, perhaps 'premature' was the right word?

Yet there was little he could do. He'd made quite clear more than once that he would understand them leaving if they chose to do so. He just hadn't expected it to hurt as much as it did when it happened.

"Thank you for everything." Lee said as they said goodbyes. Kate, he gave a big hug. "Watch yourselves out there."

"Promise you'll keep in touch." Lee said as he gave Jasper a far more subdued by still firm and friendly handshake, something he'd take to far better.

"Keep him safe." Lee added to Kate, motioning to Jasper, in what was clearly an attempt at an ironic joke as Lee tried to make their parting end on an upbeat note rather than the sadness he was feeling deeper inside.

---

It was those feelings, that came from the departure of Kate and Jasper, that made the warning that the link between Lee and Archer could accidentally kill one of them hit harder than it probably would have normally.

Sure, it was an important warning regardless, but with his two traveling companions having just left, the warning that he could lose someone else if the link went wrong still hit him dead in the face.

While he was able to hold onto his composure, Lee tried to as gently and carefully as he could to bring him and Archer back out to the 'real world'. He needed a moment to process that last bit, and his gut told him that he would need a lot of practice to ensure he could end the link in an emergency in the future when he wasn't doing it under safe, controlled conditions.

[X] Try a controlled exit to take some time to process and recover.

 

[Tascion]

[x] Fire and Water (play) fight
-[x]Oliver tries to touch Uri to get a point
-[x]Uri moves Zahra around in a bubble of water. If Oliver gets wet, he has to go touch Jaden before trying again to touch Uri and Uri gets a point
-[x]Zahra splashes water out of her bubble at Oliver
-[x]Sam spits fire at splashed water to try and protect Oliver, or just giggles at the silliness
-[x]Jaden has to stay away from Uri by 20 or 30 feet, but tries to telepathically interfere a bit with whichever pokemon is currently winning by total points
-[x]Play until tired, bored, or everybody wins
[x]Explore the shore; tidepools and such.
-[x]Find battles with wild pokemon. Groups of two are against Uri and Oliver. Sam against weaker water pokemon, to practice fighting tough matchups. Zahra watches to learn about how the team fights.

 

[Blacksheep]

"Of course! You'll contact us as soon as something comes up, right?" Kate asked cheerfully. "You don't need to face it alone!" Jasper nodded and gave a smile to Lee as they left. Kate laughed at Lee's joke and waved.

Archer was a lot more unhappy with disconnecting from Lee. He knew it was important to be able to do that, but the little rowlet so enjoyed the closeness. Thankfully Lee managed a clean exit, and came out of it to find Rowlet working away at preening his hair.

[ ]Explore the cemeteries
[ ]Work on aura abilities
-[ ]Practice inner aura use
-[ ]Practice outer aura use
-[ ]Practice inter aura use
[ ]Hunt ghost pokemon
[ ]Take a class on ghost pokemon

[ ]Play with pokemon
-[ ]Play with Archer
-[ ]Play with Crunchbite
-[ ]Play with Fathom
-[ ]Play with Nova
-[ ]Play with all
[ ]Train pokemon
-[ ]Train Crunchbite
-[ ]Train Archer
-[ ]Train Fathom
-[ ]Train Nova
-[ ]Train all
[ ]Write-in

 

[Blacksheep]

Jaden was more than happy to set up a game of tag for everyone to play. Uri would try to stay back, and move Zahra around in her water bubble to splash everyone. Oliver's job was to tag as many other pokemon as possible. Jaden's job was to try and sabotage everyone else and mess them up. And Sam was just having a blast running around with everyone. The entire group raced around, with Uri occasionally teleporting around the field. Jaden figured out how to disrupt Uri's concentration when he did that, almost making him drop Zahra or be tagged by Oliver. Sam was more than happy to "help" with that, by cheerfully tackling Jaden.

It ended with Zahra being declared the winner. The magikarp looked absolutely thrilled by this, even if she wasn't entirely clear on what had been going on. She had been involved anyways, and she loved that.

Jaden lead his team down to the tidepools the next day for them to poke around and look for battles. They were growing stronger, and it was fun to interact with the wild pokemon. There were, of course, large flocks of wingulls down there. Pelippers could even be spotted here and there in the group. Corphish and crawdaunts could be spotted resting in the tidepools, and were quick to offer challenges to them whenever they came near. Sam was, of course, eager to fight, but Jaden made sure that any battles were not done against pokemon that looked like they might hurt his starter too much. He wanted Sam to get practice fighting against type weaknesses, not be hurt.

Sam was really good at fighting the wingulls with his flames, and getting good at maneuvering away from where they could target him with water in return. Uri seemed to enjoy the challenges of facing against the crawdaunts, and Oliver was of course, more than happy to run support in any battles and let whoever he was teamed up with build up attacks while he held the ground. Zahra watched all of it with, occasionally splashing in her water bubble as if wanting something.

[ ]Study how the wingulls interact with their flock, the other flock, and the pelippers
[ ]Poke around the tidepools more
[ ]Look for slowpokes
[ ]Head to Rustboro
[ ]Go fishing
[ ]Write-in

[ ]Train pokemon
-[ ]Train Sam
-[ ]Train Oliver
-[ ]Train Uri
-[ ]Train Zahra
-[ ]Train all
[ ]Play with pokemon
-[ ]Play with Sam
-[ ]Play with Oliver
-[ ]Play with Uri
-[ ]Play with Zahra
-[ ]Play with all

 

[Space Jawa]

Picking up on Archer's displeasure, Lee tried to offer the Pokemon some measure of assurance.

He didn't want to upset the little owl, but he also wanted to ensure that Archer learned to look positively on the time the connection was there rather than negatively on when it had to end.

[X] Try to reassure Archer

[X] After taking some time to rest and meditate on the connection process, practice entering and exiting the connection with Archer

---

While Ghosts weren't exactly something that struck Lee's fancy, he had a feeling that if there were things to learn about them, he should probably take the opportunity to do so. Namely because of his...situation, was perhaps the best way of putting it?

[X] Take a class on ghost pokemon

 

[Tascion]

[x]Head to Rustboro
-[x]Get the team check over at the pokemon center.
-[x]restock on supplies from the pokecenter
-[x]Find a pool for pokemon battles and let Zahra do some friendly spars against the others on her team. See what her strengths are. Don't let her overexert herself. Get her used to Jaden and Uri communicating in battle by a lot of telepathy

 

[Blacksheep]

Jaden focused on finally making it the rest of the way off the route and into the city. It felt a little weird to be back in civilization, and good too. He had forgotten how good it felt to be able to so easily get warm! He checked his pokemon in at the pokemon center as he resupplied everything for when they would eventually resume travels. It was amazing to realize how much he'd gone through. And the taste of hot good food he hadn't tried to make himself! And fresh fruit!

The nurse was happy to report that most of his pokemon were in good shape, and Kahra was putting on weight. As long as Jaden continued to feed her plenty and make sure she didn't push herself too hard, she should have an easy recovery. She did warn Jaden that Kahra was larger and fiercer than the average magikarp, which didn't bother Jaden at all as he was aware that Kahra was on the brink of evolution.

Jaden took them all down to the pool, though Sam opted to stay far away from the water and just watch the others. Oliver was happy to splash around in the water, even if it waterlogged his fur. Uri, surprisingly, seemed to enjoy swimming. Zahra spent the time in the pool simply zipping around at first, overwhelmed by the new environment and the changes from the wild waters she'd known.

He had to wait for another day to get Zahra to practice battles, as she'd been far too quick to burn herself out with her excitement yesterday. Battles were a bit complicated. If Jaden hadn't been able to reach to her psychically he had the feeling this would have been much more difficult. There was the drive for growth in her, but her mind struggled to keep it in focus. It was only with Jaden linking to her and keeping her focused on battle that she was able to do it. Her tackles had quite a bit of exertion behind them, and she was swift. Tackling was about the only thing she could do however, even if she was able to even launch herself at Oliver out of water and force the linoone to carry her back to the pool and drop her back in after.

[ ]Visit Devon Corp store for specialty pokemon tech and pokeballs
[ ]Visit the park
[ ]Visit the gym
-[ ]Take a class on rock pokemon
-[ ]Take a class on defense
-[ ]Challenge the gym
[ ]Visit pokemart
[ ]Visit Contest Hall
-[ ]Enter a contest
-[ ]Watch a contest
[ ]Write-in

[ ]Train pokemon
-[ ]Train Sam
-[ ]Train Oliver
-[ ]Train Uri
-[ ]Train Zahra
-[ ]Train all
[ ]Play with pokemon
-[ ]Play with Sam
-[ ]Play with Oliver
-[ ]Play with Uri
-[ ]Play with Zahra
-[ ]Play with all

 

[Blacksheep]

Archer was deeply pleased when Lee preened him back over the connection having ended. That was enough to have the rowlet trilling with pride and pleasure.

The practice with Lee in connecting and disconnecting was tiring for both parties. It used aura for both of them. Lee even started feeling Archer start to manipulate his own aura to help Lee connect by the end of the week's worth of practice. The practice really brightened Archer a lot, he seemed to gain a ton of energy. He was constantly ready to go and do things, take anything on. He didn't resist the end of the connection anymore, knowing that it would happen again. Being patient in holding it was key, as if either of them pushed too much it could leave them tired when it ended.

The class on ghost pokemon was different from any of the other classes that Lee had taken on pokemon before. It very quickly became clear that research in pokemon had been invested more in how to tell when a ghost pokemon was dangerous and how to fight them than anything else. There were lessons on talismans to ward them off, to purify an area, and even to trap one. There were lessons to tell when there was one hiding, from extra darkness and a chill that couldn't be dispelled, to a lingering tiredness that couldn't quite be shaken.

Ways to placate and calm ghost pokemon was also offered. The teacher was clear that what ghost pokemon was being dealt with was important to know, as while shuppets would accept toys as offerings to get them to leave, phantumps would take them as an invitation to move in. Individual research was emphasized, as well as a warning to immediately report if there was a struggle in controlling a ghost pokemon. It was more dangerous than working with dragon pokemon, as while both could and would kill if handled wrong, how to handle a ghost pokemon was much less known.

[ ]Write-in

 

[Space Jawa]

Having completed the basics of Aura training and establishing a foundation to build on, Lee Hinsu felt it was time for a brief break of sorts. He and his team would need to push themselves hard in the coming days. But first, it would be nice to take a step back, take a breather, and just have a little fun before the real work resumed.

[X]Play with pokemon
-[X]Play with all

[X] Stargaze with Team

 

[Tascion]

[x]Dual battles
-[x]Zhara and Uri against Oliver and Sam, with Jaden helping out whichever side is losing. The goal being to help Zhara learn about the difficulties of winning simply by direct force. Choose an arena in which Zhara needs to rely on Uri to get her back into the water. Maybe a beach one, or an arena with big islands.
[x]Visit Devon Corp store for specialty pokemon tech and pokeballs after a morning of practice, to keep the training from going long and overly tiring out Zhara.

 

[Blacksheep]

It wasn't often that Lee took a break. Archer was thrilled when Lee laid out plans to go star gazing. He was quick to help in picking out what he saw as the perfect spot for them all to relax in. Nova seemed happy to lean into Lee's side and stare up at the lights above them. Fathom was happy simply to be included. Crunchbite was less engaged with the stars in the sky, and more interested in the flickering lights he could occasionally see moving around the mountain.

It was pleasant. Lee could feel the ghosts of Mt Pyre, but they seemed to have accepted him staring up at the stars. He even had the sense that one had decided to join them.

[ ]Look
[ ]Don't look

Lee took his team out for a day to relax and play down at the base of Mt Pyre, close to the beach and out of the claim the ghost pokemon held across Mt Pyre. Fathom was thrilled to get to swim properly, and was more than happy to spit water at everyone who came close to him. Archer responded by playfully teasing at the magikarp. Nova wanted to play at pouncing, but Crunchbite seemed determined to ruin her plans with the way he stood like a statue.

Lee grew concerned that his trapinch was in fact sick, a fear that heightened when Crunchbite's skin split open. Lee rushed forward, only for a bright light to come from him. A bright vibrava pushed his way out of Crunchbite's old skin and stretched. New wings that weren't quite done yet flexed and fluttered behind him. He let out another soft cry and burrowed partly into the sand as the team was brought to a halt to stare at this surprise.

Been reading ghost stories, I have been slightly influenced

 

[Blacksheep]

Jaden decided to have his pokemon practice in dual battles with each other. Uri partnered with Zahra to grant the magikarp mobility, while Sam and Oliver worked together on the other side. Unfortunately Zahra needed Jaden to be able to battle. It was obvious why most magikarp didn't manage to evolve. Finding the focus necessary to evolve, and keeping it, was difficult for their species. Zahra was highly driven, and wanted it badly, but it didn't mean that it was easy. Zahra just continually pushed herself, Uri doing his best to make up for the magikarp's shortcomings.

Sam had a fantastic time, reinforcing his belief that he was the best member of the team. Oliver of course was enthused to be with everyone and showing off. He was always up for whatever everyone else wanted to do. He was gentle with Zahra, more playing than battling when they came in contact. Zahra was still left tired after the training, but Jaden had a sense that once Zahra was fully healed it wouldn't take much to get her over that last hurdle to evolve.

They went to the Devon Corp next to view what they had. A lot of their tech was impressive. Scanners that could tell a pokemon's weight, size, and age from a distance, high tech cameras, gear for viewing camouflaged pokemon and ghost pokemon, the latest in teleportation technology, and miniaturized rooms to take along on trips, though those were very expensive. The medicine section looked boring in comparison.

The section on pokeballs covered the varieties available, and how it altered how pokemon experienced them. There was of course the basics, which were pokeballs that were reinforced in increasing levels to help contain powerful pokemon that might accidentally shatter weaker ones, the luxury pokeball and friendship pokeball both designed specifically to create a greater sense of comfort and safety within the pokeballs by altering the lining to be softer, adapt to the pokemon being awake or asleep, and simulate comforting scents, to pokeballs designed to overcome the flaws that came with working in different environments, such as underwater, or in caves.

[ ]Look at pokeballs
[ ]Look more at the tech
[ ]Write-in

 

[Space Jawa]

Lee Hinsu consigned himself to inquiring as to who - or what - had joined him and his team. It was hard not to, and depending on who it was might also be unnecessarily rude.

[X] Look

---

(Going to complete the part with the Ghost before moving on to following up on what I presume is Crunchbite evolving.)

 

[Tascion]

[x]Look at the tech.
-[x]See if Uri thinks the teleportation is like what he does.
-[x]See if the ghost camera does anything that Jaden can sense telepathically
[x]Look at the pokeballs
-[x]If any of the comfort ones are better for any of Jaden's team, pick one up for them.
[x]That evening, discuss the battle. Keep it informal but go through what worked. Don't focus too much on Zahra specifically, but draw attention to how teamwork helped.
[x]Before bed, trying meditating with Uri. If it goes well, trying bringing in the others one at a time. For Zahra, try to help her meditate for reaching a place of calm.