Trails of Tera Steel (Kiseki-inspired Pokemon Academy Quest)

ArvisPresley · Feb 21, 2024

[X] An Espurr
[X] Buy them. The constant stares are getting to you. -2000 Pokedollars
[X] Teach It

"C̸E̷A̵S̸E̸.̶ ̵D̶O̸ ̸N̵O̷T̸ ̴C̵O̴M̸E̷ ̶C̸L̶O̷S̶E̵R̷ ̴H̵U̶M̶A̵N̴.̵"

You barely duck out of the way of a blast of freezing wind, the attack hitting the scaffolding of the apartment. The sounds of creaking and breaking wood, of concrete and rebar straining to hold together, tells you that another attack like that and this place could collapse. You look back into the room to see what's going on.
In the center is a levitating Espurr, expression blank as they hold Roland in a telekinetic grip. Injuries pockmark their body, with a really nasty one on their neck. In front of the Pokemon is a slowly disappearing sigil, which looks like a six-pointed star with a hexagon in the middle with some ice and snow around it. So that's where the attack came from. Do Espurr learn Ice-moves? Nevermind that—you need to focus.

"Roland, are you alright!?" He nods in response before going back to argue and shout at the Espurr, who still keeps the same blank expression. The sheer psychic force emanating from the feline is warping the air around them. You're certain. If that attack had hit, it could've killed you.

"You're hurt! I'm sorry for trespassing, just let them go and we'll leave and get you some—" You're interrupted by a painful, ear-splitting noise in your head, like a metal comb being scraped over and over on a chalkboard. Your head—chimecho eyes shining a light brighter than anything you've ever seen—hurts. It hurts even more than when Argy first telepathically talked to you.

"Y̴o̴u̸ ̸p̷r̶o̷m̶i̵s̴e̴d̷ ̸a̷i̶d̵,̵ ̶w̴y̴r̸m̷.̴ ̸T̶h̸i̷s̸ ̴i̶s̶ ̷n̶o̶t̸—" Whatever they are going to say is cut off by them falling unconscious. Without their telekinetic control, Roland is freed and the Espurr stops levitating.

Ignoring the pain in your head, you rush forward to catch the Espurr in your arms. They're shivering and shaking, trying to hold their head with their tiny hands. You put your hand on their head to feel the Pokemon's temperature. A fever.

You need to get them to that Ranger Station ASAP. You pull out a Pokeball from your bag to temporarily put Espurr in. A Pokeball stasis should keep them stable while you start running to the station. You take one last look at the wound in the back of their neck, and flinch back at just how bad it is. It's like someone tried to tear off a chunk off their neck.

You put the Espurr into the Pokeball and immediately rush out of the apartment. The bottom floor of the apartment completely collapses as you make it out in the nick of time. That last psychic attack did enough damage to nearly bring down the entire building on top of you. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be anyone else, human or Pokemon, in the building.

"Roland, are you alright?" Your Pokemon chirps at you in worry, he himself seemingly no worse for wear. "I'll be fine, we need to get Espurr to the Ranger Station nearby. I need you to head up into the sky until you can see a building with a green Pokeball on top of it. Once you see it, point me in its direction." Roland spares one last look at you before floating off into the air.

You run like you've never run before. Following Roland's direction, you rush your way through the streets of the neighborhood, nearly bowling over multiple people in the process, and you shout apologies behind you as you continue your pace. Eventually, the distinctive green of a Ranger Station comes into view. Just like the other buildings in this part of the city, it's seen better days, but unlike the other buildings, some parts of it seem to be brand new, like someone just started renewing the place. Roland floats down next to you, chirping at you all the while. You thank and pet him for the good job he's done.

You rush past the doors and you're momentarily shocked by who you find inside. Elise!?

"Welcome to Silverleaf Office Mesagoza Branch, how may I—wait—Mariana? What're you doing here?" There Elise is behind a receptionist desk, wearing the distinctive red, white and black Ranger Uniform.

"I could ask you—nevermind that, I have a badly injured Pokemon with me, where's the healing station?" All traces of shock and surprise vanish from Elise's face as the professionalism of her training takes over.

"Right. Follow me. Rin, take over the front desk." Her Honedge materializes next to her, taking her place on the receptionist table. Elise leads you deeper into the station, talking to someone along the way on a walkie-talkie. "Yea, after you set it up, call Miss Leaf. Thanks."

It's the first time you see a healing station in its entirety. Most Pokemon Centers have the miniature one for minor or superficial injuries up front, while, apparently, having a larger, proper one in the back for more serious cases. From what you're seeing right now, it resembles pictures of ER rooms more than anything else.

You hand Elise Espurr's Pokeball. Hopefully, you've made it in time. Elise puts Espurr's Pokeball into a device that diagnoses their condition, and from the look on her face, it isn't good. "Where are you? I'm gonna need help with this." She says into her walkie talkie.

Suddenly, a Blissey wearing a nurse' cap bursts into the operating room from one of the doors, their eyes tiny pinprick dots, unlike any other Blisseys you've seen in Pokemon Centers. "Oh good, you take over, Ditzy. Sorry, Mariana, but protocol says that I'll need you to leave the room. You can explain the situation later. Take a breather, you look like you ran a marathon." You did.

You begrudgingly follow Elise's instructions to wait outside of the room, nearly collapsing into a chair out of exhaustion. Roland floats up to nuzzle your face out of worry. "I'm fine. Just worried and tired," you reassure him.

You hope the Espurr will make it, even if they did try to kill you. That neck wound was horrific, and just thinking about it makes you queasy. If they die…

Your clan has taken you hunting, but it'd be the—teeth gnashing howls of mightyenas ringing in your ears—first time you'd see a Pokemon die. There were a couple of occasions where some of the older Pokemon in the clan passed of old age, but you'd never seen it happen.

Would it really be your first time seeing a Pokemon die? The Highlands can get pretty violent—your sisters cries in your ears moms worried panicked crying face chimecho eyes shining a light brighter than anything you've ever seen—maybe you just got lucky and never witnessed any.

Your head hurts. Maybe you're still feeling the aftereffects of that last psychic blast—you feel Roland licking your face. "Stop that! It tickles!" Your eyes feel wet. Did you get that torn up worrying about Espurr? Your mind did go to a pretty heavy place.

Elise finally exits the ER, wearing a surgical vest and mask over her ranger uniform. Both are covered in blood. "Espurr is stable. I'll have to leave the rest to Miss Leaf once she gets here."

You feel your shoulders slump in relief. "That was pretty quick." Elise looks at you incredulously.

"It's been two hours since you left the room." Wow, you must be more out of it than you thought. "Rest up first, I'll explain once you feel better." Elise sits next to you, the two of you making small talk while waiting for Leaf to arrive.

"Didn't know you were a ranger."

"Nah, just a deputy one, or an in-training one. Depends on what Miss Leaf feels like calling me at that moment. Also kind of a non-sequitur, but thanks for becoming Class President. I don't think I could handle being her minion in and out of school. Well, no more than I already am with the Student Council."

"So how'd you end up becoming a deputy ranger or whatever?" You ignore the sheer relief in Elise's voice over not being Class President. You're still dreading whatever it is Leaf will have in mind for you.

"Glaseado and Montenevera still have a pretty sizable Ranger presence. I got a lot of what I know about Pokemon from them. The rest from my Mas—uh, Teacher. Life in the barony would be a lot harder without them." Your conversation is interrupted by a familiar singsong voice at the front desk.

"E~lise, it's not good for a ranger to keep their superior w~aiting!" You send a look of pity over to—

"You too Mariana! You've got some explaining to do~." Well, at least you'll only have to tell this story once.

You explain that you had been in the area since you were looking for the Ranger Station, and that you wanted to do some work for pay when Roland suddenly bolted towards an abandoned apartment complex where you found Espurr. You give an abridged version of your first meeting with the Pokemon, leaving out the part where they tried to kill you. From how Leaf's eyes narrow, though, she probably sees right through you. You describe how bad Espurr's neck injury was when you found them. Elise corroborates your words and tells you Espurr's gender. Apparently, they're female.

"Hmmm…I can probably handle this. If you're serious about wanting to help out at the Ranger Station, then I could deputize you like I did with Elise. Elise, I need you to get that Murkrow that loves bullying you to look through those apartments just in case there was anyone else there. I'll send Missy to check up on it too after I'm done." For some reason, at the mention of a Murkrow, Elise pulls out her coin purse, a resigned look on her face.

As Leaf leaves the two of you to check up on Espurr, Elise goes to one of the windows of the station. She has a 50 Pokedollar coin between her fingers, which she uses to tap the window sill. A Murkrow suddenly flies down and swipes the 50 Pokedollar coin from Elise's hand. "Mariana, meet Murkrow. Don't try giving him a nickname, he'll get mad."
"M~urkrow. E~lise." You blink. Right. Murkrow are some of the few Pokemon that can mimic human speech. That's still really weird to listen to. Roland, who's been wrapped around your neck, hisses at the bird, who just responds by pointing and laughing at him.

"Can you tell them what the apartments where you found Espurr look like?" You comply with Elise's request, getting close to the Murkrow in order to describe where you found Espurr in detail. You can barely make out Elise complaining about how that's the fourth 50 Pokedollar coin she's lost this week. Murkrow flies off after you finish your description of the apartments.

"Are they a wild Murkrow or…?"

"Yea, they are. Apparently, they got kicked out of their Murkrow flock for some reason. Now they spend most of their days messing with me." There's something about Elise's dejected, almost pouting look, that really makes you pity her.

"Wait, how long have you been working here?"

"I was made a deputy Ranger by Leaf on Tuesday. Only really started working here yesterday. Speaking of, wanna get a uniform? If you're gonna start working for us part-time you'll need one." The two of you spend the rest of your time waiting for news from either Murkrow or Leaf by going through the storage closet looking for a Ranger Uniform that's your size.

After an hour or so, Leaf finally emerges, arms outstretched, from the ER with Wiggly and Blissey behind her. Just like Elise, she is wearing a surgical apron also covered in what is likely Espurr's blood.

"Good news, the Espurr will live." You feel a weight lift from your shoulders. "They'll have to stay overnight, to recuperate, though, and they're still not conscious. That neck injury could've been fatal." You feel guilt settle in your gut. If you had been—ow!

Did Leaf just flick your nose?!

"Stop that. No brooding allowed in Silverleaf Office! You're gonna be my employee and I'll be paying you out of pocket, so I better not catch you brooding again."

"Since you'll officially be a Deputy Ranger under me, it's time for you to meet Ditzy." Leaf turns to the Blissey behind her. The pinprick-eyed Blissey suddenly starts changing shape, color, and shrinks. The shapeshifting ends, and at Leaf's foot making gurgling noises is a Ditto. They wave at you from the floor. "They'll be in charge if neither I nor Elise are here. Elise! Take care of your kouhai!" Kou-what?

Sensing your confusion, Elise explains that it's sort of like a junior. Then why doesn't Leaf just say that?

"And finally, what do you wanna do about Espurr?" Leaf suddenly has a serious tone to her voice, surprising you and Elise.

"I…don't know." You finally respond. "I wanna talk to her, I guess. Take her in if she doesn't have anywhere to go. She was in a pretty bad state when I found her. If she wants to leave or has somewhere to go, that's fine as long as she'll be okay." Espurr looked scared and sad when you found her.

Leaf says nothing, before shaking her head when a smile creeps up on her face. "That's enough for today, Duckletts. Don't worry, Mariana, I'll give you Espurr's Pokeball once she's healed. I literally visit you brats everyday. Sun's starting to set, so you two get going home. I'll clean up and make sure she's well-situated." With that last assurance from Leaf, both you and Elise head home for the day.

As the two kids leave, you go back into the ER to check up on your patient. Fatal wound was underselling it; Espurr nearly tore her own spine off. The Pokemon in question is still asleep under the effects of Wiggly's Sing. As for why she tried to tear at her neck, the culprit is on a metal plate next to her.

A microchip, likely a tracking device. Thankfully, it was already broken by the time you managed to take it out. Looks like Espurr was trying to destroy it or remove it after having already broken it.

You sigh. You don't recognize what model or maker the chip is from, which is impressive in your line of work.

"I need a drink." Both Wiggly and Ditzy protest, reminding you that you've almost gone two months without a sip. Ughh, the things you do to be a good teacher.

"It's been barely one week and these kids are already giving me a headache," you complain to no one in particular.

MONTH 1 WEEK 2 VOTE

Due to low KNOW: Gain 150 KNOW XP per week (Increases to 330 KNOW XP with traits). Ends at KNOW 8

Not every waking moment was spent in class, just most of them. What exactly were you doing throughout the week outside of the daily grind? (Some Potential Social Encounters change every week)
You have 4 AP Available (+1 AP because of the Summer Festival)
Current Cash: 8,000 Pokedollars
League Points: 1,000
Vote will be by Plan Voting Again

[] I Work Out at the Library: Mesagoza Academy has two Libraries, the one in Rodrigo Hall and the dedicated Library building in Maria Hall. Maybe spend a couple of hours a day studying in your free time so you aren't completely lost during class. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Theodora, ???, Elise
Gain 300 KNOW XP (Increases to 660 KNOW XP with traits)

[] Pokemon and Me: The Academy has a vast collection of Pokemon under its care and employ, not even counting student and trainer Pokemon. Such a large menagerie necessitates a small army just to take care of them and their needs. Time to check out the enlistment center. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: ???, Ostia, Manuel
Gain 300 PROW XP.
Gain 500 League Points
Gain random Pokemon Material

[] You Can't Run from a Trainer Battle: The battling Arenas at Rodrigo Hall are both numerous and massive. Since it's still early in the school year, the gap between the various students in the same year isn't quite big yet. You are *somehow* on the higher end of your school batch strength-wise. Sooner or later, you'll have to find greater challenges if your pace keeps up. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Nemona, Erika, Atticus
Roll 1d20+SKLL DC 20, 24
Gain 200-400 SKLL XP
Gain 200-400 Pokemon XP
All Pokemon Moves Gain 1 MXP
Benefits from this action will decrease once you reach 2nd Badge Level. Benefits will return if you remain 2nd Badge Level by Month 3

[] You Can't Run from a Battle Between Trainers: Apparently, the school has a dueling arena, not for Pokemon, but for Humans, where the students can pick up wooden spears and sticks to beat each other over with. You might be simplifying things, but it'll be a way to keep yourself fit and sharp. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Eri, Elise, Manuel
Roll 1d20+PROW DC 20, 24
Gain 300-500 PROW XP
Interacting with Nobles

[] To Train Them is Your Cause: While live battle is useful in sharpening moves, nothing beats good old practice. Experimentation, Building Muscle Memory or just plain old Mastery. Right now early on, while your Pokemon aren't that strong yet, it's still safe to use the Training Fields of the Academy. But as you get stronger, you'll have to look for more isolated places. You can't let people find out what you're cooking up, after all. That, and something about collateral damage from moves getting worse. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Erika, Ostia, Atticus
Roll 1d20+SKLL DC 24
Gain 100-200 SKLL XP
Gain 100-200 Pokemon XP
All Pokemon Moves Gain 2-3 MXP

[] Advanced BATTLE: A Pokemon Journey is a multi-year long process. Most Trainers get one badge and then struggle for years getting a second. Half of all Paldean Trainers quit around the third Gym. Only a tenth make it to the seventh. There are no shortages of Trainers with only one or two Badges hanging around in Mesagoza. Many of them go to Battle Arenas in Mesagoza proper to prepare themselves for the League Circuit opening up in August. You can challenge them, and you're absolutely going to lose, but there's no better way to reveal your weaknesses than having them ruthlessly exploited. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Nemona, Theodora, Jacinto
Gain 400-600 SKLL XP
Gain 400-600 Pokemon XP
All Pokemon Moves Gain 1 MXP
Lose Money no matter what

[] The World in a City (3/10): Mesagoza is huge. Obscenely so. It's so massive and sprawling that you could spend days traveling through every inch of it and still miss some nooks and crannies. But you're going to be spending the better part of three years in this city, maybe even more in the future. Better get wandering. -1 AP

This is a Multi-Action Choice. Each AP spent on it unlocks more options and choices in the future.
Roll a 1d100 Random Event Roll
Unlock at 3/10: Battling is not the be-all and end-all of how Humans spend their time with Pokemon. Hoenn and Sinnoh have Pokemon Contests, Kalos has that alongside the Pokemon Opera. And through its long friendship with Unova, Paldea has the Pokemon Cinema and Musicals. (Unlock Pokemon Cinema and Musicas. Pass CHRM Rolls of varying difficulty for some easy cash. Or just invite a friend to hang out.)
Unlock at 4/10: Syncretism is a funny thing. Although you were raised in the traditional shamanistic faiths of the Highlands, long centuries of contact with the Geomantic Church has eventually led to elements of both faiths intermingling with one another in your homeland. Time to see what a "regular" Geomantic Parish looks like. No better place to start than in the Rey Luna Cathedral. (Unlock the Rey Luna Cathedral as a location. They might know something about the stakes…)

[] Grade 8 Ranger Work: Following the 'Restoration of Order' in Porto Marinada, both the World Rangers Association and Interpol denounced the Paldean government. In retaliation, Paldea began to undermine Ranger Associations throughout the region. In Mesagoza proper, many of the responsibilities of Rangers fell to either the newly created and League-backed Trainer Associations or the Railway Military Police in the case of Mesagoza's environs. The effectiveness of the handover is questionable at best in some areas of the city, but this presents an opportunity for you to make some hard-earned cash via jobs that are too below the notice of the League to tackle.

Potential Social Encounters: Erika, Elise
Ranger Work is accomplished via a 1d20+STAT with DC thresholds for rewards (Cash and STAT XP)
What kind of Ranger Work you'll tackle will be decided by a vote in the next update.
There are four kinds of Ranger Work. Maintenance Work, Research Work, Community Work and Suppression Work. Each correspond with PROW, KNOW, CHRM and SKLL respectively

[] Purchasing Power: One of the Advantages of being a student in Mesagoza Academy (aside from the student discount) is that unlike regular Trainers on their journey, you don't have to trudge through the routes to get from settlement to settlement. This does mean that there isn't a need for healing items and traveling gear outside of Field Exercises, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. You never know when that potion is the difference between victory or defeat. -1 AP

Start a Mini Turn buying items
Current Cash: Pokedollars 8,000
Available items depend on locations in Mesagoza unlocked
Available Location: Mesagoza Northeast Calico Mall, Academy Town Pokemart, Calico Mall Delibird Presents

[] Extracurricular Extras: Whether due to a recent glut of League Points or a guaranteed source of them, you're now confident in engaging the internal "Economy" of the Paldean Pokemon League. You can request tutoring for yourself or for your Pokemon from the Academy staff or from upperclassmen, commission a TM or TR for your own use (it'll cost extra if you don't provide the Pokemon Materials yourself), purchase specific Pokemon Materials for your needs, or even take part in the informal School Auctions for rare items if you're feeling lucky. -1 AP

Start a Mini Turn buying via League Points
Current League Points: 1,000 League Points
Can exchange LP to raise stats or to teach Pokemon a specific move
Can exchange LP to commission a TM or TR (will cost extra if necessary Pokemon Materials aren't provided)
Can exchange LP to buy Pokemon Materials for personal use
Roll a 1d100 to bid for a random item (usefulness may vary)

[] Phantasmal Feline: Espurr was fully healed after having spent a day or so days at the Ranger Station getting treatment. Leaf personally gave you Espurr's Pokeball, on the condition that you are not allowed to talk to her without Missy nearby. You accept. You're worried about Espurr and it'll be good to finally have a proper talk with the Pokemon that tried to kill you and that you saved in return.

Has to be taken with Bonding Event: Espurr.
It'll be your first meeting with Espurr. You'll have Roland with you when you introduce yourself to them.

[CANNOT BE TAKEN] The First Step (1/2): Yo! Champ in the making! Gyms serve as testing grounds in a Journey, places where a Trainer's strengths and weaknesses are laid bare in a safe environment. Some regions prefer purely combat Gyms, others prefer to test a Trainer's relationship with their Pokemon and some challenge a person's relation to the wild and the world around them. Paldea operates on a hybrid system, the vast wilds of the region necessitating Trainers that know their lefts from their rights, but also that Trainers that know how to fight.

Normally, taking on Gyms during Field Exercises lets you skip the Gym Challenge part and go straight to the Leader. But for one reason or another, you're taking on your first Gym now, so Gym Challenge it is. -1AP

Will feature a sub vote next update on which Gym you will be tackling
-2000 League Points. Will be returned after a successful Gym Battle.
Taking this option will lock you into a Gym Leader fight next week. Gym Challenge will depend on which settlement's Gym was challenged
Since it's your first Gym, it will feature a Minor Battle against a Gym Trainer. If you can't beat them, don't even think about beating the Gym Leader (SKLL Roll DC 16)
CANNOT BE TAKEN (Gyms open in August)

Bonding Event: A week's available bonding events are decided either by the narrative or by who you hung out with last week as seen in the Potential Social Encounters. Bonding Events with your Pokemon are always Available. (Choose 2)

[] Roland: He isn't satisfied with the usual routine of you just throwing him as far as you could. He wants more. From what you could gleam, it seems to involve being thrown from really high up? It should be fine since he's a Ghost-Type, but you're not confident about throwing him off of the higher floors of Mesagoza Academy just yet. Improved Bond with Roland. 1/5 to Bond 3

[] Espurr: Espurr was fully healed after having spent a day or so at the Ranger Station getting treatment. Leaf personally gave you Espurr's Pokeball, on the condition that you are not allowed to talk to her without Missy nearby. You accept. You're worried about Espurr and it'll be good to finally have a proper talk with the Pokemon that tried to kill you and that you saved in return. Improved Bond with Espurr. 0/2 to Bond 1. Has to be taken with Phantasmal Feline.

[] Atticus: While shopping with Mela, she mentioned that she and Atticus had a mutual interest in Pokemon Fashion, fashion for Pokemon and clothing items made from Pokemon materials. You should ask Atticus about that. It'll give you an excuse to see how he's doing after the Round Robin too. Improved Bond with Atticus. 0/2 to Bond 1

[] Jacinto: Jacinto was badly annihilated during the Round Robin. As Class President, you should probably check up on how he's doing. Hopefully he's doing okay. Improved Bond with Jacinto. 0/2 to Bond 1

[] Eri: You met her during your training session last week when she was sparring with her Riolu in the school Training Fields. You made some small talk, introduced yourselves to one another and even exchanged phone numbers. You could give them a call for a quick chat. You Andosins have to stick together after all. Improved Bond with Eri Merkit. 0/2 to Bond 1

Fun In the Sun: Back in the Highlands, the next few days would be Naadam, the Summer Festival of the Andosin people. The rest of Paldea also celebrates their own Summer Festival, with each settlement having their own variation. Mesagoza celebrates as part of the region-wide Summer Festival, the Masked Maiden Masquerade, a series of carnivals and street parties exalting the titular Masked Maiden, one of the leal companions of Emperor Rodrigo and a declared Saint of the Geomantic Church. Here, practitioners must wear masks to partake in the celebrations and parties occurring city wide. The three-day festival ends with a grand fireworks display on the final day. Pick Two

No classes occur during the festival, but the school's facilities remain open. While the free time is nice, you're not enough of a shut-in to just spend the whole three days either inside or on work. It might do you well to go out with your friends and enjoy life a little.

[] Masked Maiden Masquerade: Erika is the kind of person that would shut themselves in during a holiday. She had no interest in the festivities until you mentioned the Masquerade. So now, the two of you are gonna go out and see the sights and smells of the festival. You even stumble onto Elise and Theodora enjoying the masquerade as well, though both Erika and Theodoraseem disappointed at encountering the other group. You don't know what's up with that, though. Or with Theodora's maid shadowing their movements from a distance. Improved Bond with Erika, Elise, and Theodora

[] Feast of the Maiden: According to Ostia, they aren't allowed to go outside during the Festival. You offer to record and liveblog yourself going to the Festival for them to see, which Ostia eagerly accepts. It's the least you could do. You nearly lost your nerve when you found that they wanted you to go to the feasts and buffets of the festival. Remembering the last time you went on a foodie adventure, you prepared your stomach and your wallet for the challenge to come. Thankfully, Manuel heard about Ostia's predicament and sympathized as an older sibling, and has decided to help by joining you and paying for the bill. Now it's just your stomach that's in danger. Thankfully, you can handle your spicy foods. At least Roland will appreciate the extra meals. Improved Bond with Ostia, Roland and Manuel.

[] Ivy Knight Exhibition: During Emperor Rodrigo's War of Reunification, an Order of Knights served under the Masked Maiden throughout the conflict. Known as Orden de Verde, they were named so after their iconic green masks and helmets, a tradition that goes back to Masked Maiden herself. During the Festival, they will be holding an Exhibition Match in the Plaza Toletum for all to come and see. It will feature modern Trainer Battles and Battles in the old style, where Trainers used to fight alongside or on top of their Pokemon to battle with one another. Nemona, of course, will be attending. And so will Atticus and Jacinto, apparently. Improved Bond with Nemona, Atticus and Jacinto.

Congrats, you are now officially a Deputy ~~Fixer~~ ~~Bracer~~ Ranger. The pay isn't that good and the dental doesn't exist, but it's something
Vote for the Weekly Actions and Bonding Event is by Plan. Vote for the Summer Festival hangout is separate.
6 hour Moratorium
Roland has learned Will-o-Wisp. As a TM learned move, it'll have a malus to its effect and growth until Mastery is Skilled.
Thanks to Casmii for proofreading this update.

ArvisPresley · Feb 23, 2024

People you've met:

Friends Family Acquaintances

Your Best Friend. Was supposed to go with you to Mesagoza Academy but she failed the exams. Will be undergoing her Trainer's Journey this August.

A friend you met in Levincia. Really young despite being in Mesagoza Academy. Troubled background.
Pokemon: Argy the Beldum, ???, ???, ???

A friend you met in Mesagoza. Really intelligent but also suffers from foot-in-mouth syndrome in social situations
Pokemon: Cornelia the Carbink

Your Rival. One-sided on your end. Loves Battling and is a savant when it comes to Pokemon training and battle.
Pokemon: Sunny the Monferno

Your Co-worker and Classmate. Kind of unlucky. Really kind person
Pokemon: Rin the Honedge
Jamukha: Your dad. Kind of a Goofball. Can get deadly serious.

Fadime: Mom. Loving. Caring. Terrifying. Was the daughter of a Shaman

Michel: Your older brother. Likes Pokemon more than people

Tamara: Your younger sister. Playful. Loves teasing people she like. Likes Timothee.

Timothee: Your adoptive brother. Family died in a Mightyena raid. Certified Brat. But he's your brat
You talked a bit but you really don't know her. Is apparently a noble. A member of Class II

You met them while wandering Mesagoza. A friend of Atticus. Informal. A student from Class V
Bond Level 0
1/2 to Bond 1

The third member of your Club's cooking group. Is kind of like Erika but a guy, so way more insufferable. Is nice to Ostia. A student from Class IV
Bond Level 1
0/3 to Bond 2

ArvisPresley · Feb 28, 2024

[X] Masked Maiden Masquerade
[X] Ivy Knight Exhibition
[X] Plan: Reaching That Distant Sunrise
-[X] I Work Out at the Library
-[X] To Train Them is Your Cause
-[X] Advanced BATTLE
-[X] Phantasmal Feline
-[X] Roland
-[X] Espurr

A new day, a new week. It just so happens today that today is the start of Naadam, the summer festival of the Andosin people. Throughout the Highlands celebrations and games are held during the midsummer. Those games are Andosin Wrestling, Pokemon riding and archery. You were a pretty decent archer if you say so yourself, sometimes even winning local competitions.

But Naadam is for the Highlands, you're currently in Mesagoza and you've never felt more homesick in your week of being here. Ughh, saying that out loud is pathetic.

Thankfully, Mesagoza and the rest of Paldea also have a Summer Festival. They technically have multiple as various settlements across the region celebrate at different times of Summer. Cortondo and Artazon celebrate right at the beginning of the season. While Levincia and Alfornada celebrate right at the end. Mesagoza, fortunately enough for you, celebrates its festival at the same time the Naadam usually takes place.

With the intent to stave off loneliness and your homesickness at the same time, you knock on Erika's door. Having planned an itinerary for the two of you to hang out that day.

"E~rika, the Summer Festival is today." You call out from her door, she seems to do this during weekends, locking herself in and spending all day on her laptop or phone.

"So?"

"Are you just gonna spend the entire day inside? Let's hang out at the festival! We could wear masks at that masquerade thing they're doing, even see some fireworks tonight."

"Oh! Shit, give me a moment to get dressed!" At that she finally decides to get off her butt. You wonder what did it. Is she interested in the masquerade? You did hear that there were rumors that the Masked Maiden was from Fede. Erika finally came out of her room wearing the same pink cardigan, skirt and leggings she always does. At least her shirt is different.

For your part, you're wearing a cyan long sleeve polo shirt along with jeans. One of the casual clothing combos you bought with Mela during Saturday. You're even wearing your hair loose rather than the typical pigtails that you do. You hold out your arm for Erika to hold onto, it's something you always did when hanging out with Kali. You wonder how she's doing.

Erika for some reason seems flabbergasted. After some convincing she finally grabs onto your arm, looking embarrassed all the while. If she's so reluctant to hang out, she could've just said no. It really does remind you of Kali.

With that the two of you head out to enjoy the festival. People were handing out pretty simple masks across the city for the celebrations. Erika got a big green mask that had a massive grin, although she's wearing it on top of her head rather than actually putting it on her face. You on the other hand got a Garchomp mask that only covers the top half of your head. It looks pretty silly but that's the fun of it.

The two of you just go around and enjoy the festivities, seeing games, parades and eating food around the city. All the while Erika explains to you what something is supposed to mean or what it's about. Apparently the Masked Maiden did come from Fede which is how she knows a lot about the celebration.

According to Erika, history has it that the first Masquerade occurred in Mesagoza when the Maiden was getting homesick, it was still early on after the reunification and the people of the city were still terrified of the Maiden. The stories were unclear why they were afraid and Erika herself didn't know the reason just that they were.

Emperor Rodrigo, seeing his closest companion being in such a state, had ordered festivities every Summer in Mesagoza where the people would wear masks and celebrate. It's said that many of the celebrations of rituals during the festival came from Fede or at least what Emperor Rodrigo had remembered of his time in the settlement.

Rumor had it that every year the celebration was held the Emperor and the Maiden had secretly disguised themselves in plain clothing and masked to enjoy the festivities alongside the common people. All so that the Maiden wouldn't feel alone and homesick. It's honestly a pretty touching story.

"You're really smart Erika." You compliment her while mulling the tale over in your head. She's a decent storyteller too.

"...she's not doing it on purpose. She's just Like This." She mutters under her breath, that you weren't able to hear it.

You wonder what it would've been like to stumble onto those two in the past, not knowing who they were. You were so busy thinking about that, you almost bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry! Wait—" The two of you had said at the exact same time, before realizing that the person you bumped into was Elise. She was wearing a black and blue tricorne and mask combination. It looks really good on her. Rather handsome, actually.

"Elise, darling, are you alright—oh, it's you two." Running up to the two of you seemed to be Theodora, she was wearing a black vest and a red skirt, with thigh high socks and long black boots. She also had a Rimean masquerade mask on her which covered the top half of her face but not her eyes which had a weird disappointed look on them.

"What do you mean, 'you two'?" Says Erika who walks up next to you checking if you're alright.

"Oh it's nothing darling, I simply thought Elise here had bumped into a stranger. Imagine my surprise seeing the two of you. Enjoying the festivities?" Theodora replied to Erika with a smile on her face.

"I admit, I didn't expect to see you two. But now that we've literally bumped into each other, how's your day been? Hope we aren't intruding on anything. Sorry about bumping into you by the way, I wasn't paying attention." Oh, Elise. Always apologizing.

"No, it's fine. I should be the one apologizing." It's honestly your fault, you're the one that got distracted.

"No, honestly I insist. I have a bad habit of bumping into people as Theodora can attest." The person in question had a strained smile on her face at the ongoing conversation.

"Well I was the one that got—"

"Our day's been great, actually. We've been having a lot of fun at the festival so far!" Erika forcibly interrupts you from apologizing. Why's she giving you glances like that? It actually is your fault you bumped into Elise.

"Yeah, I've been feeling a little homesick lately, so I thought I'd enjoy the locales. Hey, why don't you and Theodora join us for the final stretch? It's just a couple more shows and the fireworks left for the night!" Erika gives you the look she always has when you've said something baffling to her. Haven't seen that one in a while.

"That sounds great! The more the merrier! I mean if it's okay with you Thea?" Huh, is that Elise's nickname for Theodora?

"Why…of…course…" Theodora had a hesitant look on her face. "But please, just Theodora if it's not just the two of us."

"Oh, okay. That's great though, it'll be fun to hang out with classmates!" Elise enthusiastically said, wrapping an arm around Theodora.

"How about you Erika? Are you okay with this?" You give a big smile to the girl in question, it'd be good for her to have friends other than just you.

"Y-yea sure. The more the merrier and all…" It was Erika's turn to have a disappointed look on her face.

"The more the merrier…" Echoed Theodora as if she'd resigned herself to what was going on.

Your group ventured on throughout Mesagoza, public performances and dances were a common sight during the later half of the festivities, both human and Pokemon actors were seen. Theodora occasionally provided color commentary on the techniques and histories of the dances the performers were doing. Even Erika seems impressed with her knowledge in that department. Though the both of them are doing their best to ignore the other and only focusing on Elise and you respectively. Typically your group travels with Theodora and Erika furthest away from one another. With you and Elise being in the middle between the two of them.

At some point during the night while your group was getting dinner, Elise pulled you over to an out of the way alley.

"Someone's following us, I don't know who it is but they've been doing it the whole day. I've been trying to lose them but they always keep managing to find us." Your eyes widen, so that's why the route your group took was weirdly circuitous.

"Do we tell the others?" You do your best to keep your voice down.

"No, we can't tell them about it—"

"Tell us about what, darling?" There at the mouth of the alley where you and Elise were whispering was Theodora and Erika. The former had a serene smile on their face. While Erika was looking at you with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow.

"It's uh—" Elise struggled to find an answer.

"Someone's been stalking us!" You preempt her and explain the situation outright. Erika looks worried while Theodora merely looks surprised.

"What'd they look like?" Theodora asks Elise, who, with the meowth out of the bag, begins describing the person that was following us. As Elise's description continued, Theodora began pinching her nose.

"Oh for heaven's sake—VIRGILIA!"

"You called my Lady?" Out of nowhere a woman dressed in a maid uniform appeared behind Theodora and Erika, spooking the latter. Wait a minute, she seems familiar. Is that Theodora's maid?

The uniform was different, they were wearing a Zoroark mask and they had a new hairstyle but you recognize them still. It's Theodora's maid. She even does that whole 'her eyes are always closed' thing. Was she the one following you all along?

"Did I not say this morning that I'll be fine? I was just enjoying the festival with a friend." Theodora explained, exasperated at her own maid.

"I was merely worried for you, my Lady. It would not do for you to remain unaccompanied on such an occasion." Thinking about it, this might be the first occasion you've heard her speak.
"Well, I am accompanied. You're accompanying me, aren't you, Elise?" At the sound of her name, Elise started apologizing to Virgilia about the misunderstanding. But the maid brushes her off.

"I do have a secondary purpose for following after you, my Lady." Virgilia's expression that had previously been bordering on a teasing smile suddenly grew serious. Ever so slightly her eyes opened. You saw blood red irises that almost shone in the dark. "His Grace, the Duke de Medali, is requesting your presence in the Mesagoza estate. He is organizing a celebration for the family."

Theodora tensed, then turned to face the rest of your group. "It has been an excellent day, my dears, especially you Elise darling, but I'm afraid filial duties await." There's something unspoken between her and Elise but you don't know what. Erika has a thinking look on her face.

"Are you sure we can't accompany her? It would do little harm to Theodora." Erika finally spoke up. Virgilia turned her gaze to the girl immediately and Erika did her best not to flinch.

"I suppose but only one of you will—"

"Elise dear, could you accompany me for one last time?" Theodora didn't even let her maid finish. This caused what seems to be an affectionate smile to pop up on the maid's face.

Elise for her part immediately said yes, taking Theodora's hand and following after Virgilia who led the way. Theodora gave one last farewell to the two of you and a look of sincere thanks to Erika. Elise also said her goodbyes and apologies for causing the night to get cut short. Only you and Erika remained.

A moment of silence lasted between the two of you awkwardly standing next to each other, unsure of what to do. "Do you still want to see the fireworks?" You tentatively offer. You didn't want to end the day on a note like your group splitting up.

"Of course. We can't let this day go unfinished. You're the one who dragged me into this after all." You roll your eyes at her, as you offer your arm for Erika to hold.

You two find a decent spot high up in Mesagoza to watch the fireworks. Mesagoza was built on a large plateau connected to the Great Crater of Paldea. There were portions of the city that were much higher up than the rest of the metropolis. It wasn't to the level of division as Cascaraffa but it's still rather overwhelming walking up a flight of stairs onto a street looking behind you and seeing an entire city. Especially if those stairs were long winding ones that involved climbing hundreds of steps.

"Already winded? Don't tell me you're gonna pass out here." You tease a heaving and panting Erika, you're also kind of winded, but you can hide it better and you're not telling her that. Erika makes an undignified noise, almost like a gargle, too exhausted to banter back in return. "This place seems good enough, we can take a break here."

It's on one of the landings of those long flights of stairs that the two of you sit down and take a break to watch the fireworks. It's actually rather close to the Academy town. Probably one of the more less well trodden paths to the University.

"I feel like I'm gonna pass out." Erika complains leaning back onto the landing. "Never invite me out again if you're gonna have me walk around like this again."

"Aww, do you want me to carry you?" You tease in a saccharine tone. Erika quickly looks away and snorts.

"You'd already have if you could, you're like a mother hen. Maybe invite Ostia to complete the set" You giggle at her reaction, eventually devolving into a full laugh. It infects Erika and soon enough both of you had succumbed to a fit.

The two of you just relaxed and sat there, giggling and occasionally laughing, watching the fireworks.

"I'm sorry, Miss Mary, but Miss Raifort said I'm not allowed to go out during the Summer Festival. She says she's too busy to accompany me." You were in a voice call with Ostia on the second day of the Summer Festival. You had wanted to invite them out to join you in the festivities. Especially since you're sure that Ostia would love the various buffets, banquets and feasts across the city.

"Well how about I go video call you through-out the day so you could at least see the sights?" Your disdain for this Raifort merely grows every single day. To your dismay Ostia, with a sad face, shakes their head.

"I have to…train today and tomorrow, Miss Mary. Both Mr. Grumpig and Mr. Mal are around and they'll be in charge. Maybe if it was just Mr. Grumpig… I'm really sorry, Ms. Mary." Ostia looks like they're about to cry. You do your best to reassure and comfort them and it seems to mostly work. The two of you finally end the call after another round of apologies and reassurances to one another.

You slump down onto your chair with the call over. Checking your wallet, you should have enough to buy Ostia at least some meals from the festival, though not a lot. It'll be a problem for later.

You head downstairs to get some breakfast. It's around nine AM and you still haven't eaten any—

Nemona has a new Pokemon.

Nemona and Jacinto were lounging in what passes for the Dorm's ground floor living room. The former is wearing brand new rubber gloves likely because of her new Pokemon.

"I don't know how you manage it. The little guy's talons are getting tangled up in my hair!" On Nemona's head was a Wattrel, who seemed to be on the smaller side of things. Alongside Nemona was Jacinto who, as always, had Nimbus atop his head.

"You kinda have to just get used to it. It'll be easier with a Wattrel, since they have webbed feet." Jacinto explained while bringing up a finger to scratch at Nimbus, who pecked it away. He waved as he saw you. "Oh, morning, Mariana! You usually wake up earlier than this. We didn't see you at breakfast earlier."

"Oh, I actually woke up pretty early today, I was just on a call with Ostia, wanted to talk to them about the festival, but they said they'll be… unavailable during it." You carefully leave out some details about Ostia's home life. It's not your place to talk about it.

"That's a real shame! I wanted to invite them to come with us to the Exhibition, but I don't know how to contact them!" Exhibition? Your confusion seems obvious as Jacinto explains after. Apparently it's some sort of show where the Trainers and Pokemon of a Knightly Order called the Orden de Verde will fight in one of the bigger and older arenas of Mesagoza.

"Their guardian forbid them from going out during the Festival, so there's little we can do." You will however talk shit about Raifort all you want.

"Hmm… If you're free today, you could come with us to the Exhibition. Atticus already went ahead to get us some good seats at the Plaza Toletum, where they'll be held. If that's okay with you, Nemona?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah sure, that's fine. Wonder what sort of rubber gloves I should get…" Nemona seems busy in thought, muttering to herself about a training regimen for her new Pokemon.

This is an excellent opportunity for you to scout said new Pokemon. You take a second look at the Wattrel, they seem surprisingly skilled, throughout the whole conversation they'd been firing small sparks of electricity at Nimbus who's been trying to protect themselves with small Safeguards. What really interests you though is that when sparks do get past the Safeguards, they stop right before hitting the Swablu. That level of control is outstanding. You have to take a closer look.

You prepare to head out, saying goodbye to Wiggly who's watching TV in the dorms. Walking alongside Nemona and Jacinto, you ask about the Wattrel.

"Oh, this little guy? I've been wanting to get a flying type for my team so that Sunny has someone to practice with while in the air. Finally managed to convince Jacinto to let me borrow some of his bird charisma to convince one to come with me." Nemona explains while Wattrel flitters and flies around her, occasionally landing on her palm.

"I do not have a bird charisma!" Jacinto yells, his objection undermined by him having to swat away a Tailow that tried to land on his shoulder. The three of you were on your way to where the exhibition will be held.

You take a real close look at the Wattrel. "What's their name?" You idly ask. Their plumage seems odd, a lot sharper than you'd expect for a Wattrel of that size. You've been around Wattrels and their evolution before, whenever your clan migrated to the northern highlands, the parts closest to the sea. The larger Kilowattrels loved challenging and fighting Doremi whenever your clan was near. In exchange your clan was able to collect Wattrel feathers to use for quivers or even as decoration.

"I was thinking of either Mercury or Mercy, mostly leaning on the former." Mercury's wings were on the longer end for Wattrels, meaning they're probably slightly older or more mature than their peers. From how they flew around, they're slower than Roland, who's currently back at the dorms sleeping. Lazy bones didn't want to get up today either, just like yesterday.

You wonder, could Roland beat Nemona's new Pokemon? Sure they're slower than Roland, but that's not saying much. Kilowattrels are nowhere near as fast as Dragapults, but they're endurance fliers and from what you remember from Doremi's fights with them, a pain to approach in close quarters. As an Electric type they'll probably outrange Roland's attacks. Though with Will-o-Wisp you might be able to whittle Mercury down…

"Wait, you taught Will-o-Wisp to Roland?" Shit, were you thinking out loud again? "Pretty good analysis, but I wonder how Mercury will do against Ostia's Beldum. They'll definitely be faster than them, but Mercury will be even worse at close quarters than Sunny. Actually that keep away thing gives me an idea. Jacinto! Iono's used Wattrels before, right?!" Nemona asks, suddenly turning to Jacinto who seems completely at your conversation about Pokemon.

"I-I believe so? Iono's Kilowattrel, name's Jet, has offspring Wattrels that are part of the Levincia Gyms one to three badge line-up. If I recall correctly, Jet's eggs are pretty common giveaways to contest winner's in Iono's streams." It's your turn to be confused as what Jacinto just said was indecipherable to you. He tries in vain to explain what an idol or a live-streamer is to you as your group approaches the Exhibitions venue.

The Plaza Toletum was an old Fort dating back to before the Great Collapse. It was converted to an Arena and Duelling Grounds around over a century ago. While the architecture of the fort itself resembled what you've seen of Classical Paldean marble and brick, elements and parts of the fort have seen changes throughout the ages. Palisades that hew closer to Post Dark-Age construction. Barracks more typically found in Star Forts dating to three centuries ago. A fucking parking lot.

You three make your way inside where Atticus is waiting, having reserved a couple of seats for the rest of you. The Plaza is rather packed with audience members. Who knew watching a bunch of Knight's duke it out would be so popular?

From what Jacinto explained to you, the exhibition will last from 10:30AM to 4PM with a thirty minute intermission at 12NN and 2PM. The first part of the exhibition will be a 3v3 match between the squires of the Orden de Verde. The second part will be a 2v2 match between two Knights of the Order, where they will ride and fight alongside their Pokemon like in the days of the Reunification, victory going to whoever knocks their opponent off of their Pokemon first. And finally, the last part would be a consecutive series of duels of all of the Knights of the Order against the local chapter's Ivy Knight. The rank just below a Grandmaster of the Order.

Your group makes small talk until the exhibition starts, heralded by the sound of actual trumpets and warhorns nearly ripped from the history books. A procession of armored women and Pokemon made their way to the stage. At their head was a surprisingly young woman with short light brown hair who seemed barely older than you. She wore full plate armor with a white and green cape that had the same insignia as the banners some of the Knights were carrying; a lance covered in vines, lilies and roses.

"We welcome you honored guests to bear witness to the valor and skill of our Order!" The young woman at the head of the procession shouted at the top of her lungs. "I am Francesca the Swift, the commanding Ivy Knight for the Mesagoza chapter of the Orden de Verde!" Beside the Ivy Knight was a Tinkaton wielding a massive lance and an Aegislash possessing a single-sided greatsword and shield. "May this day bring great joy and glory, to spectators and fighters alike! May the Exhibition begin!"

Two layers of barriers separated the audience from the Pokemon Battling in the Arena. Both squires, dressed in the green finery of their order, were in the arena proper, separated both from their Pokemon and from the audience by psychic shields. One thing you've noticed thus far aside from all the green was that every single Knight and Squire had a member of the Tinkaton line with them.

Said Pokemon, whether they be the baby-like Tinkatinks or the fully grown Tinkatons, also wore similar green helmets, capes and cloaks that their human counterparts did. The current battle right now was between a Tinkatink and a Tyrogue. The most curious element was what the Tinkatink was wielding. It looked like a small shield that Atticus called a buckler. Well, it's small for you, for the Tinkatink it almost covered their whole body.

The Tinkatink had been on the defensive against the onslaught of attacks unleashed by the Tyrogue. A flurry of kicks and punches began to push the Tinkatink right up to the barrier separating her from her trainer. Suddenly, the Tinkatink's shield glowed white and an explosion blew the Tyrogue away. Nemona shouts 'Bide' next to you, she's completely invested in the fight, shouting and screaming along with the audience.

The Tinkatink then ran up to the recovering Tyrogue and slammed her shield down on top of them over and over again. Finally, the Tyrogue had stopped moving, having fainted. The referee, another knight, had declared the victory to the Tinkatink's trainer to the cheers of the crowd.

"What's up with the shield?" You briefly ask your companions.

"I believe it is how the Tinkatink line grows stronger and eventually evolves. They make and construct weaponry made up of the parts of Steel type Pokemon. From a distance that Tinkatink seems to have used Aron and Bronzor plates for their shield. One wonders if some of them have ever ventured in making use of materials from other types of Pokemon. What would blades of Charizard scale and bone look like…" Atticus muses to himself.

The second part of the exhibition had begun and you were already on the edge of your seat. The current match was between two Knights of the Order, both riding on their Pokemon alongside Tinkatuff. One side had a Gyrados and the other a Milotic.

An earth-shaking roar rattles your skull as the Milotic trainer's Tinkatuff had managed to hit the Gyrados square in the eye with an arrow. That Tinkatuff was wielding a bizarre looking bow made up of various parts of Steel type Pokemon. The Gyrados trainer's Tinkatuff meanwhile was wielding a handcannon that spat fire and shrapnel at their opponent. The flames and craters caused by the shots are still burning, refusing to be doused by either side's water moves.

The truly nerve wracking part was the near constant close calls and near misses that you were certain would've caused a fatal injury if they had hit. A Gyrados lunge nearly swallows the knight off of Milotic's back. A near headshot from an arrow only averted by a last second dodge. The handcannon's blast causing a cape to catch on fire and having to be torn off mid fight.

You're not the only one worried as Jacinto looks pale and about to faint. Both Nemona and Atticus however were enthralled at the battle going on, in spite of the sheer destruction that's been caused. The entire arena was near unrecognizable due to the sheer damage caused by both combatants.

Yet despite it all, they both remain fighting, clinging on to their steeds as if their life depended on it. But inevitably, the match reached its conclusion.

The Milotic had decided to ram Gyrados head on, bringing the two knight's close together. The opposing Tinkatuff's immediately began to struggle against one another while their knights and steeds wrestled alike. At last, the Gyarados trainer had been pulled off from the back of their Pokemon and sent falling to the dirt. Their fall is cushioned by a glow of psychic energy.

The battle was over. And the crowd went wild. The Milotic's trainer had removed the helmet they've had for the entire match, revealing the unbelievably gorgeous knight beneath. Her long flowing pink hair freed to billow in the wind. Both of you and Nemona screamed at the top of your lungs.

"I WANT A MILOTIC!" Nemona yelled. Your screech was much less intelligible.

Eventually it came time for the final part of the exhibition, the Duels. And even though you're just watching you feel exhausted. The only in your group who wasn't feeling a little sluggish was Nemona who was almost vibrating in place out of anticipation. But all exhaustion left your body as the Ivy Knight entered the arena.

She was dressed in the same armor as earlier, but she was wielding her Aegislash, shield on her left and greatsword on her right. Beside her was the Tinkaton with the lance, it towered over its wielder, it was a strangely beautiful weapon. Metal protrusions nearest to hilt, spiraling to the lance's edge.

On the other side of the arena, were the winners of the day's battles and fights. Among them was Tana, the knight with the Milotic from earlier, you had to pry her name from the squire running the food stands outside the plaza but it was worth it.

"Visitors! Fighters! Many fought valiantly today but only a few had emerged victorious in their bouts. Now we enter the conclusion of this day, Duels between the victors and I, the Ivy Knight of Mesagoza. Their goal is to draw first blood from me by any means necessary. My goal is to defeat all of their Pokemon." As she finished her explanation she raised her Aegislash blade and pointed it at the other knights, who all wore grim yet determined expressions.

"Now, prove your will, your courage, your wit or prove nothing at all!" She declared to the challengers.

The first of which a trainer who had fought earlier atop a Braviary rushed into the field to battle. They had released their own Tinkatuff and the both of them rode atop the Braviary into the sky. The Tinkatuff wielded a crossbow that fired dozens of bolts the size of your arms at Francesca.

She leaped into the air, the Aegislash ribbons wrapped around her arm, a crater forming in her wake. Crossbow bolts were cut in half mid flight, as Francesca slammed the shield right onto the Braviary and broke a wing. Her opponent attempted to put some distance between them, Whirlwinds and Hurricanes flying out from Braviary's remaining good wing. Aegislash's ribbons jutted out and dug themselves into the ground, pulling Francesca away from Braviary's attacks.

More bolts were fired at her, the wind being manipulated by Braviary to cause to fly and maneuver all around their target. Any that approached, no matter how fast, were cut down in an instant. Francesca's movements were faster than they could hit. Aegislash's sole eye glowed.

The Braviary was starting to slow and lag, unable to maintain both flight and their control of the winds. Francesca took that opportunity to strike again. In a single leap she crossed the distance between her and her opponent, wherein she rammed the shield right onto Braviary knocking them out. As her opponent and the Tinkatuff fell, she slams the blunt side of the Aegislash blade onto the Tinkatuff, sending them crashing towards the ground.

With her other arm, she scooped up her opponent mid-air. Aegislash's ribbons shot out once more, pulling its Trainer and opponent towards the ground. Francesca's Tinkaton slammed the pommel of their lance onto the ground, declaring the duel over.

It is said in books and legends that trainers bonded with their Aegislash are able to wield them directly in battle. The Pokemon provides strength and power. The Trainer, the will and clarity of action. It's only now that you understand what they meant when Francesca dismantled nearly every single succeeding challenger without a sweat.

Not even Tana won, but she got close. Where an arrow from her Tinkatuff had nearly grazed Francesca's cheek during their duel. But it was not enough. Tana lost her duel to your dismay.

What was striking to you though was how despite getting crushed, the squires and knights took their defeats not just in stride but with pride. Chest and heads held high, eyes brimming with admiration for their Ivy Knight. It was outstanding.

As the last duel of the day ended and the crowd provided cheers and applause to the Order for their performance, you wonder.

Do they have merchandise? Something, anything to immortalize this day? The rest of your companions looked amused at your inquiry but thankfully Nemona fully understands your plight.

"That was AWESOME, no wonder Mariana wants to get merch! I still have my shirt from when Dawn finally beat Cynthia two years ago! C'mon I think I saw some onion hair looking kid selling them." One purchase from said onion hair squire later, and both you and Nemona were now the owners of posters bearing Francesca the Swift image. You also got a pin-back button with Tana's face on it. You thank Nemona as best you can for treating you since you didn't have enough to buy merch yourself.

With the exhibition over your group heads back home, buying dinner at one of the still open banquets for the festival. Even getting some for Ostia to eat on Thursday. You keep mooching off of and relying on your classmates for something like this, like some sort of walking parasite, you bitterly think.

Leaf was waiting in the Dining Room when you got back from the day's festivities, click-clacking on her laptop just like when you first met her. "Did you have fun, kids?" Leaf asks, eyes not leaving her laptop. At the affirmative response, she got a huge grin on her face.

"Ah, youth. Enjoying themselves, while I, your poor old teacher stayed inside all day." She says pantomiming an old woman's voice. "But enough about my woes, you kids get some rest or do whatever it is teens these days do at night."

"Except you, Mariana, we have official minion business to talk about." You sigh while your classmates send you looks of pity. You separate from them saying goodnight as you went to where Leaf was sitting.

"So what are we supposed to—" She interrupts you by throwing a Pokeball right at you. You catch it easily, looking at the ball it has a sticker of an Espurr on it. Is this…?

"She's all fully healed up. And before you thank me, I have a condition." She snaps her fingers and Missy emerges from her shadow. "You are not allowed to talk to them or let them out of their ball without Missy nearby or aware of what you're gonna do. She doesn't even have to be in the same room, she just has to know. This is for your own safety, I know what you left out of your story back then. Am I clear?"

You nod, unnerved by the serious look on Leaf's face.

A grin finally appears on her face, breaking the tension. "Good! If you wanna talk to them, do it in my office. Not gonna be using it anyways and if there's a mess then Wiggly can clean it. Also I suggest having Roland out when you do try to talk to them."

You thank Leaf for helping you with Espurr and for just in general. A small smile appears on her face as she brushes you off saying she has more work to do.

You head to bed, the day's exhaustion catching up to you. You set up the posters you bought onto the wall next to your bed, as well as hanging the mask you got from yesterday next to them and finally you pin your new button on the strap of your bag.

You'll need to talk to Roland tomorrow about talking to Espurr. As Roland sleeps on the pillow next to you, you fall asleep staring at Espurr's Pokeball on your nightstand.

It's the next day and you're currently looking from the tallest place in Mesagoza you're legally allowed to throw Roland off of. It's actually surprisingly hard since you're not allowed to go to a lot of the taller buildings.

It's Roland's condition for letting you talk to Espurr. You explained earlier that morning and he was surprisingly not pleased with you talking to a Pokemon that tried to kill you. Shocking. After nearly an hour of negotiating and pantomiming what he wanted, you two settled on this. He'll let you talk to Espurr in exchange you'll help him with throwing him off a roof.

It's something you'd have done anyways for him, but you let it be after you saw the smug and happy look on his face after you agreed.

So after looking up online the tallest places in Mesagoza that someone from the public is allowed to visit, you are on your way to one of them. The Luciana Arts and Cultural Center. Thankfully as an Academy Student you're allowed to go in for free. Which is good cause you're absolutely getting banned from coming here after this.

"You ready, little guy?" Roland, currently wrapped around your neck, is practically vibrating in excitement. Both of you were overlooking one of the cultural center's observation decks. A way for people to see the magnificent view of the world's largest city. Or so the brochure says.

Enough sightseeing, time to throw.

Taking one last look at your surroundings, making sure no one's looking and no one is below you, you throw Roland right down the observation deck as hard as you can. You then as casually and as quickly as you can muster try to make your way of the building without being arrested. The two of you had arranged to meet at a designated spot outside of the building after you threw him, so that he wouldn't have to float back up.

On your way out you wonder, how falling like that must feel for Roland. As a Ghost he'll be fine and he has a talent for defying momentum and stopping instantly. What is it that goes on in a Dreepy's mind whenever they fly through the sky?

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! The ground is getting real close!

Maybe you'll never know.

After you two met back up, thankfully without getting arrested, you went back to the dorms to get ready to talk with Espurr for the first time. Leaf and your classmates are out today so it was just Wiggly and Missy at the dorms.

You tell Missy what you were planning, get some berries from the fridge and go to Leaf's office afterwards. It's the first time you've been inside. There's very little affectation that marked it as a place that was used. Not even like a picture or decor or anything. Even your room had decor, since you placed the family blade on a mantle. Has Leaf even gone into this room?

Stop it. You're delaying. Buying time until you lose nerve and put it off for another day. Roland nuzzles your cheek to encourage you which you lean into to return. With sweaty hands you activate Espurr's Pokeball, releasing her.

The Pokeball's electronic beam sends her out sitting down on the floor, still asleep. You relax, she looks really cute like this. She looks much better than when you last saw them, there was a discoloration in the fur around her neck, likely a scar.

You stay a decent distance away, you don't know her background, but from how hostile she was, it likely wasn't good. Slowly, Espurr wakes up.

Her eyes snap open at the sight of an unfamiliar environment, psychic power quickly surrounding her, levitating the Pokemon. In the corner of your eye, your shadow writhes slightly before settling, telling you that Missy is watching but not intervening.

Well here goes.

"Hello! How're you feeling? You were in a pretty rough state when we met. I'm Mariana and this little guy here is Roland." The aforementioned little guy chirps his own greeting at her. Espurr seemingly ignores the both of you to check her body, focusing and touching their neck. Closing her eyes, the area around her neck began to glow brighter before vanishing.

Whatever she did caused her to calm down, looking less tense than when she woke up. Espurr finally turns to face the both of you. Expression blank as always.

'Human. Wyrm.'

That's the best greeting you're gonna get isn't it.

"You must be hungry. Probably haven't eaten in a while." You hold out the Lum Berry you got from the fridge. "Here—"

Next eyeblink and the Berry in your hand was gone, already being zealously devoured by Espurr. In its place was a small tuft of Espurr's hair. Trick, your mind provides.

You wait until Espurr finishes eating before continuing. It's the first time you've seen an expression on her face that wasn't a blank stare.

"So where do you come from, we could maybe help you find a way back to—"

'Not from here and no.' Espurr answers while scratching her neck.

"Could you tell us what happened to you, if you were abused or—"

'No.' This time her ear is twitching.

Roland is getting irritated from her continuous brusque attitude. You calm him down by petting him. If your eyes weren't deceiving you, Espurr's mouths form a miniscule grin. This is gonna be a process. It's fine. You can do this Mariana.

"So what do you wanna do? Where do you wanna go?"

Espurr grew still.

No answer, no tell. Eventually they responded. 'I don't know.'

"Do you wanna stay with me then. For a while at least until you know what you wanna do?" Another long pause of silence between the two of you, as you wait for an answer from the Pokemon.

'Very Well.'

With that you spend the next hour or so just talking. And by that, you mean that you're the only one talking or responding between the two of you. You tell them about yourself, your family, your time in the Academy, personal things but not too personal. You asked if she wanted to go outside and she said no.

Other than that, Espurr just sits there. Listening. Occasionally drinking from the glass of water and munching on the berries you got for them. Sometimes staring at Roland trying to agitate him, the little guy doing his best to ignore her. Eventually…

"...like I'm not obsessed with her, like Erika claims I am. I just think that—"

'I'd like to return to my Pokeball now.' Finally getting tired of your presence is she. Took longer than you expected. You comply, recalling her back to her Pokeball. At least they were nice enough to ask. You feel the tuft of hair she swapped for the berry from earlier. The implication was clear.

With your attempt to talk to her done, you clean up as best you can and head back out to the Dining Room. There Leaf was waiting, having finally come back for the day.

"So? How'd it go?" She asks, not bothering to look up from her laptop.

"Better than I feared. Worse than I hoped." You reply. You're not even sure if she listened to what you were saying. But it's good to get her used to being near you. You're gonna briefly try again tomorrow while giving her some food. But you doubt anything's gonna change that quickly.

As you head to bed you check on the pictures your family sent you of this year's Naadam. You smile at Tamara getting first place in one of the riding competitions for younger kids. You laugh at how despondent Timothee looks at losing the youth wrestling competition to someone younger than him and at how goofy dad looks during the adults wrestling tournament. You send a congratulations to Michel for placing pretty high in his second Archery Tournament. You even see Kali in some of the pictures. She looks a lot happier now at least. You and Roland look at the pictures together. He doesn't get what they mean, but he appreciates being included.

You try to send mom some of the pictures you took during the Summer Festival here but she's adamant that you have to send them with your letter at the end of the month. Rolling your eyes you instead send them to Tamara, who you know won't tattle unlike the men in the family.

You miss them.

Before you go to sleep though, you receive an email in your school account. Oh right, you'll be having a club meeting this Friday. You still haven't joined one.

What Club does Mariana join?

Joining a Club: Every student is mandated to join a School Club in order to enrich their Academic experience. While attendance technically isn't mandatory, as Class President, it would not do well for you to play hooky. So unfortunately for you, it is mandatory.

Every Friday after the monthly Round Robin, there will be a Club Meeting. Specific clubs provide STAT XP and a Bond Point every Club Meeting with the Significant Club Members.

[] Literature Club: You like reading. Mostly fictional works, but that's valid. Fortunately for you, the Literature Club primarily focuses on fictional works with some non-fiction ones thrown in. And hey, you'll be in the same club as Erika, though she seems bizarrely conflicted on you joining the club. She should be happy you're in the club since it's one of the smallest ones in the Academy.

You'll be joining the Literature Club. Significant Club Members: Erika Furuwada and ???
Gain 150 KNOW XP every Club Meeting. Stops at KNOW 14
"Hey, Erika. What does GL and BL mean?"

[] Martial Arts Club: Your height has always given you an advantage when it comes to Bokh, also known as Andosin Wrestling. You and another Andosin native by the name of Eri Merkit will be representing the proud tradition of your homeland. Now, if only that Carmen could stop being so obsessed with Eri.

You'll join the Martial Arts Club. Significant Club Members: Eri Merkit and Carmen Luciana
Gain 150 PROW XP every Club Meeting. Stops at PROW 14.
At some point you'll start to feel like a third wheel

[] Engineering Club: The Orbal Revolution brought ceaseless wonders to the world. The Engineering Club primarily produces horrors 9 times out of 10. You've tinkered around with orbal devices once or twice, so horror is more likely for you. Luckily, you'll have Jacinto to guide you through it, and apparently there's another person from Fede here. Maybe they'd know Erika?

You'll be joining the Engineering Club. Significant Members: Jacinto and Ortega Harukichi. Instructor will be Ms. Gregoria.
Gain 75 PROW XP and 75 KNOW XP every Club Meeting. Stops at PROW 14 and KNOW 14
You'll be able to repair Orbal Devices, and maybe even interact with the Pokemon in the ARCUS…

[] Riding Club: Ride Pokemon are those that have historically served as transport for humans. As an Andosin, you've been raised around Pokemon that fell into that category your whole life. You can probably outride every person here. It'll do good to keep your skills fresh, though you wish Manuel would stop trying to make it into a competition.

You'll join the Riding Club. Significant Club Members: Manuel
Gain 150 PROW XP every Club Meeting. Stops at PROW 14
You'll have an easier time getting a Flying license

[] Art Club: Covering a rather broad range of topics from Painting, Sculpting to even Weaving, the Arts Club welcomes those who are more creatively inclined. As someone who's occasionally sketched in her notebook, maybe it'll do you some good to hone that skill into something more. 'Talent not honed will never surpass Practice Perfected'. At least, that's what Atticus says.

You'll join the Art Club. Significant Club Members: Atticus Hanzo
Gain 100 PROW XP and 50 KNOW XP every Club Meeting. Stops at PROW 14 and KNOW 14
You'll be able to gain some cash from taking on Art Commissions in the Academy.

[] Theatre Club: Do you have a flair for the dramatic? For showmanship? For the fine art of running a backstage production? Then the Theatre Club is for you. It doesn't matter if you've never acted a day in your life, neither has most of the club. Half of them are here because a former member of the Portomedio Opera Company will be the club instructor. The other half are here because Theodora apparently has a fanclub.

You'll join the Theatre Club. Significant Members: Theodora de Medali
Gain 200 CHRM XP every Club Meeting. Stops at CHRM 16
For some reason, the club is composed entirely of women, apparently as a result of when the school had briefly hosted the Cerulean Revue and an Imperial Princess had become obsessed with them.

[] Cooking Club: Anyone can Cook. Even kids! Ostia has joined the Cooking Club in pursuit of more meals to feed their insatiable appetite, with the intent of learning how to make a meal for themselves. Or just to taste test the works of other people (Ostia don't eat that, it's burnt). You'd love to be able to make a meal for them. Surely a person that's so deeply in love with Pokemon wouldn't mind eating some? Right!?

You'll be joining the Cooking Club. Significant Characters: Ostia and ???
Gain 100 PROW XP and 50 KNOW XP every Club Meeting. Stops at PROW 14 and KNOW 14
"Y-you—you eat Pokemon Ms. Mary…?"
You'll be able to cook for your Group during Field Exercises and in the Wild

[] Dueling Club: The other side of the coin of Paldean Martial Arts, this one focusing on those that used weapons like swords, spears and halberds. While you yourself are decent with a blade, there's no way you'll beat someone with formal training like Elise, so learning the proper forms and techniques could be useful. And hey, you might be able to teach those same forms and techniques to a Pokemon, if ever needed. It's awkward being one of the few non-Nobles in the club though.

You'll be joining the Dueling Club. Significant Characters: Elise Montenix and Astrid de Ambrette
Gain 150 PROW XP every Club Meeting. Stops at PROW 16
You'll be able to teach Beginner and Intermediate forms of Weapon Martial Arts to a compatible Pokemon

[] Computer Club: You're not all that tech savvy, hell, you still don't have a laptop. You're thankful that there's an Internet Cafe within the Academy Town or else you'd be in trouble. The lack of technical and computer know-how can be fixed. Now, if only that girl with the Eevee hoodie would stop staring at you.

You'll be joining the Computer Club. Significant Characters: ???
Gain 150 KNOW XP every Club Meeting. Stops at KNOW 14
You'll definitely be able to interact with the Pokemon in the ARCUS.

[] Battle (Fan) Club: Despite the name, there's actually very little batting done in the titular Battle Club, to Nemona's dismay. This lasted as long as it took for her to find out that the club is filled with people just as if not more obsessed with the analytical and theoretical side of Battling. Despite being on paper one of the largest clubs in the Academy, it has pretty shoddy attendance. Mostly you're just here cause Nemona is. Now if only you can get her to notice you.

You'll be joining the Battle Club. Significant Members: Nemona Mendoza
Gain 125 SKLL and 25 KNOW every Club Meeting. Stops at SKLL 14 and KNOW 12
Just staring at the Sun can be blinding. Also the battle knowledge is actually pretty useful.

[] Caretakers Club: Less a club and more of an on-call division for the Academy's neverending war for Pokemon caretaking and hygiene. Amongst your new band of brothers and sisters is Mela, someone else who understands the importance of your solemn duty. As an Academy Munchlax approaches, dirty and messy from that day's battle and training, you two return once more into the breach.

You'll be joining the Caretakers Club. Significant Members: Mela Irsa
Gain 75 PROW and 75 CHRM every Club Meeting. Stops at PROW 14 and CHRM 14
Gain a Random Pokemon Material Every Meeting. Gain a Random Pokemon Egg during December.

Thanks to Nemastrea for proofreading this update
Moratorium for Two Hours
Remaining Actions for Next Update:

I Work Out at the Library
To Train Them is Your Cause
Advanced BATTLE

ArvisPresley · Feb 28, 2024

Game Events and Former Protags

1996. 26 Years Ago, Red Isamu and Blue Oak tore through the Kanto Indigo League on their Pokemon Journey. They were 10 Years Old, allowed to embark on a Journey due to the heavily militarized society of Kanto in the wake of the Indigo Civil War which ended in 1983. During their Journey, they would square off against Team Rocket. An ultra-nationalist criminal organization that had infiltrated the highest echelons of Kanto society and the Indigo Armed Forces. The would go on to win the Indigo Plateau Conference, getting the right to challenge the Elite Four and the Indigo Champion, Lance Blackthorn. They would win. Both would turn down the position of Champion for their own reasons.

Theodora's Gossip: "A rather infamous publication that I read—No Erika, it's not a "gossip rag"—claimed that the two of them were seen in Alola engaging in a display of public affection."

Red Primary Team:
Pikachu (Starter)
Venusaur
Blastoise
Espeon
Charizard
Lapras
Snorlax
Red's Other Pokemon:
Jynx
Poliwrath
Omastar
Numerous others caught and eventually released for the Pokedex

Blue's Primary Team:
Umbreon (Starter)
Pidgeot
Alakazam
Machamp
Arcanine
Rhydon
Gyarados
Exeggcutor
Blue's Other Pokemon:
Heracross
Aerodactyl
Marowak
Raticate (Deceased)
Numerous others caught and eventually released for the Pokedex

1999. Turn of the Millenium. Gold Montaro, age 14, would within a single year, tore through the Johto Indigo League. He would challenge and later defeat Champion Lance Blackthorn, also turning down the position. After his third defeat to a pre-pubescent, Lance would raise the minimum Trainer age to 16, bringing Indigo in line with the rest of the world. Gold would later become involved in the clean-up operations against the remaining Rocket Remnants in both regions. Later he would ascend Mt. Silver in search of Red, and would then return claiming he had beaten the latter in a battle. A claim that would only be indirectly confirmed by Blue Oak during the First Pokemon World Tournament.

Theodora's Gossip: "My favored publication loves him for how indiscrete and crass he is. Infamously attempted to flirt with Cynthia Shirona during the PWT to no avail. Is currently at home in Newbark operating the daycare he had founded."

Leaf's Commentary: "Do I know him? Not every person from Indigo knows one another. God if I could be so lucky to never know him. Insufferable little—you'll be late for your next class, get a move on!"

Gold's Primary Team:
Ambipom (Starter)
Typhlosion
Politoed
Sunflora
Glaceon
Sudowoodo
Togekiss
Shuckle
Mantine
Gold's Other Pokemon:
Alolan Raichu
Fearow
Remoraid School
Numerous others caught and eventually released for the Pokedex
Numerous others part of the Montaro Newbark Daycare

2004. The Indigo League would announce an Anti-Rocket Campaign in the Sevii Islands. Headed by former Elite Four member Lorelei Kanna, she was tasked with rooting out the last remnants of Team Rocket still operating in the Islands. The campaign would end in 2008, a year later the Sevii would be declared a Battle Frontier with Lorelei as Frontier Brain.

Erika's Speculations: "I know I've heard Miss Leaf's accent before. I think it's Sevii…"

2012. May Birch, Brendan Senri and Wally Minjin were the three rising stars of the Hoenn Circuit of that year. The former two would become involved in the Magma-Aqua Crisis. Due to the damage and loss of life caused by the crisis, the Hoenn Conference of that year and the next were canceled. Of the three, only Wally would participate in the 2014-2015 Hoenn Conference, where he would emerge victorious. He would challenge the Hoenn Elite Four making it as far as Phoebe before losing. They were 16 Years Old as of 2012.

Theodora's Gossip: "Brendan is an inspiration! One of the darlings of the international Pokemon Contest Scene. Oh, if only Paldea was cultured enough to allow Contests rather than that Unovan knockoff."

Nemona's Rant: "Wally got as far as Wallace last year! Sure he lost, but he's close to winning, I believe in him!"

May's Primary Team:
Blaziken (Starter)
Breloom
Swellow
Aggron
Wailord
Donphan
Cradily
May's Other Pokemon:
Relicanth
Minun
Latias (Temporarily) REDACTED on order of Former Champion Steven
Numerous others caught and eventually released for the Pokedex

Brendan's Primary Team:
Delcatty (Starter)
Mightyena
Gardevoir
Swampert
Ninetales
Milotic
Castform
Armaldo
Brendan's Other Pokemon
Torkoal
Plusle
Latios (Temporarily) REDACTED on order of Former Champion Steven

Wally's Primary Team:
Gallade (Starter)
Roserade
Magnezone
Altaria
Kecleon
Sceptile
Flygon

2014. Dawn Berlitz would embark on her Trainer's Journey at age 16. The former would win the year's conference, challenging the Elite Four and making it all the way to Cynthia before losing. Dawn would eventually beat Cynthia in 2020 becoming the Sinnoh Champion and ending the latter's 30 year reign as Champion. Rumors that Dawn was involved in the Distortion Phenomena remain unsubstantiated.

Nemona's Rant: "She is my idol. My guiding light. I've seen every single one of her battles and my entire room is covered in her merch. If someone says they're Dawn's biggest fan, they're LYING. Cause I'm her biggest fan. If only she won against Cynthia earlier, then she could've participated in the Second PWT. It'll be another 8 YEARS until the next one. She'll stomp Red, I'm sure of it."

Dawn's Current Team:
Infernape (Starter)
Cherrim
Lopunny
Pachirisu
Vaporeon
Togekiss
Froslass
Dawn's Other Pokemon:
Wormadam
Rapidash
Numerous others caught and eventually released for the Pokedex

2014. Happening concurrently with Sinnoh's Distortion Phenomena, the Neo-Cipherist movement Dim Sun attempted a takeover of Almia. The combined efforts of Interpol and the Shinwan Rangers Association would see the coup foiled. Grade One Ranger Katerin Hitomi for her exemplary service and undeniable skill would be made a Color, the highest rank in the World Rangers Association.

Leaf's Commentary: "What is it Elise? …Kate, that tyke-bomb? Oh so you want some gossip about them. Don't deny it, gossip is the great Ranger past-time. Fortunately for you, I did know her. She used to pester me about what would be a good Color name. She settled on White Vatonage as you know. …No, I don't know what a Vatonage is. I think it's an in-joke between her and that old coot Hastings."

2018. 14 Year Old Selene Mizuki, a Kantonian Immigrant to Alola, became the region's first Champion. She had undertaken Island Challenge in the same year. She remains Alola's Champion to this day. Rumors of her involvement with the Aether Incident, and its subsequent collapse, are substantiated but are officially denied by the Alolan League.

Theodora's Gossip: "According to those same publications, it was the Alolan Champion herself that leaked the pictures! Of course whether that is true is up for debate. But the rapport between the two Kantonians and Champion Selene is known."

Selene's Primary Team:
Decidueye (Starter)
Mimikyu
Palossand
Dhelmise
Lunatone
Wishiwashi
Selene's Other Pokemon:
Nihilego REDACTED on order of Champion Selene
Naganadel REDACTED on order of Champion Selene
Lunala (Temporarily/Unknown by the Public) REDACTED on order of Champion Selene

2020. Following the Darkest Day, international mega conglomerate Macro Cosmos was nationalized under order of Her Majesty Queen Alicia II of Galar. Chairman Rose would willingly turn themselves in to Interpol. While the specifics are unknown, Orbal-based electronics and devices all throughout Galar and Northern Kalos suddenly shut down during the Darkest Day.

ArvisPresley · Mar 1, 2024

[X] Cooking Club

...The origins of the Great Collapse are unknown. The Geomantic Church claims that it was divine punishment for the greed and tyranny of the First Paldean Empire. Historical records from that era remain fragmented at best. What is clear is that by the time of the Dark Ages, Mesagoza's population had gone down from its peak during the Classical Imperial Era of 500,000 people to just 20,000. The Dark Age successor state of the Mesagozan Kingdom would spend much of its existence concerned with repairing the old capital. By the time of Emperor Rodrigo's Reunification, the city was at 100,000—

Your ARCUS is vibrating. Did you get an email?

Checking your school email, you received a response regarding your Club tomorrow. It'll be held at the third floor of Rodrigo Hall starting from just after noon up until five o'clock. You're not expected to bring your own cooking materials, thankfully enough.

With that done, you rub your eyes to return to the book you've been reading. It's the last one for the day. After that you're home free.

…Aside from the Mesagozan Kingdom, there were other major successor states during the Dark Ages. The Arch Kingdom of Cascaraffa, the Principality of Artazon, the Principality of Marinedo and the Margraviate of Glaseado. Of them, all but the last would survive all the way to the Reunification wherein Emperor Rodrigo would bring them within the Imperial fold. Glaseado would collapse during the early Dark Ages following a failed invasion of the Andosin Highlands. At its height it reached from what is today Medali all the way to Levincia. Legends claimed that the last Margrave of Glaseado controlled two cursed blades that allowed him to control the deadly frost and storms of the mountain range—

You stop reading.

That's…not a coincidence, is it. You think back to your memories of that ovoo. You'll need to look into this more. But not today, you're tired and you don't even know where you'd start looking. You found this out of pure chance. But at least you have a lead.

You finish up the rest of the chapter: it goes on to say that the Andosin Khans had briefly unified to defeat the invasion at great cost. It wouldn't be until Rodrigo's time that the Highlands would recover militarily. That part you know about.

You check the time. It's getting pretty late. You still have to feed and try to talk to Espurr for the day. You doubt it's gonna go anywhere but it's your responsibility to take care of her.

Sure enough, you're proven right when Espurr doesn't even bother talking to you telepathically. She scarfs down the food and water you brought her, ignoring your attempts at conversation and then immediately requesting to go back to her ball after she finished eating.

She's probably had it rough, no need to rush her.
It's the next day and you're treated to the sight of Leaf trying to be an actual teacher, giving lectures and all. After discussing the basics of battle studies, she started handing out papers to you and your classmates. Why does yours have a sticky note on it?

RR1 Performance: 4 Wins, 2 Losses, 2 Draws
Total Performance: 4 Wins, 2 Losses, 2 Draws
Feedback:
You're too easy to read except in a couple of circumstances (opponent too busy to look at you, opponent can't read people)
You're prone to panicking in general, decent at improvisation, decent at planning.
Dreepy's learnset is too limited, essentially two possible strategies. Struggles if opponent is faster or if opponent can outlast Dreepy.
Too harsh on yourself, you're fourth in the best class of an entire Academy.
You're good with Pokemon. Is the student with the best rapport to their Pokemon aside from Erika and Nemona.
Sticky Note:
Catch a usable second Pokemon sooner or later. Three Pokemon will be fine up to your 4th Badge.

That's…reasonable. Some of the criticism are ones you've had yourself but it's good for someone actually competent to put them into paper. You appreciate her mincing her words, even if it is just Leaf going easy on you.

"I'll be handing out feedback the Friday after our class' Round Robins. Think about them, do something about them. Or don't. It's up to you. Class dismissed. Have fun in your clubs!" With that, Leaf dismisses you for lunch. Afterwards it's time for your first club meeting.

"Can I eat some of the burnt food?" Ostia asks while waiting for you to prepare the cooking materials. First club meeting and it's been split by the instructor into six groups of three.

"No, Ostia. It's not good for you." Luckily enough you're in a group with Ostia. You bat their hand away from trying to eat some of the raw egg. C'mon Ostia, please work with me here.

"Why not? I say let the tyke have some. It's how I learned to cook." …You're also in a group with one other. You glare at the boy, he had long flowing gray hair, so long so as to drape over one of his eyes. Thankfully he's wearing a hairnet right now, all three of you are. His name is Arven and he's kind of a jerk. To you at least.

"See Miss Mary? You're outvoted! Can I eat it if it burns?" Ostia looks at you with puppy dog eyes, your will to resist wavers but stands strong. You ignore the snickering behind you from Arven.

The entire club was tasked for its first meeting to at first cook something exactly to the instructors specifications. And then to cook something unique while being based off of what was made earlier. Your team got tasked with making an omelet and you're gonna make a damn good one.
"It's not gonna burn, I forbid them from doing so. Even if I'm not used to eggs this small." Seeing creatures that weren't Pokemon for the first time was weird. You're not gonna dwell on that thought anymore.

"Wait, what kind of eggs are you used to?" Arven asks.

"Pokemon Eggs." You answer nonchalantly, not noticing that Ostia stopped bouncing in place.

"Y-you—you eat Pokemon, Ms. Mary…?" You turn to Ostia who seems like they're on the verge of crying. Oh no.

"Huh, right you're Andosin. …I've never tried feeding him Pokemon before…" You didn't catch the last part of whatever colorful commentary he provided. You're too busy trying to comfort Ostia who's actually starting to tear up.

"P-please don't eat Argy…Miss Mary…" Your heart breaks seeing them cry.

"She's not gonna eat Pokemon in front of you, tyke. Right?" You furiously nod at what Arven just said. It at least seems to slightly work as Ostia is only sniffling now.
"...I'm sorry Miss Mary. I know it's part of your culture. I didn't want to do an Erika. But I don't wanna see…" You hug them, assuring them that it's fine. You did want to introduce them to Andosin cuisine, but you'll just have to find alternative ingredients for now.

"I'll handle the cooking for now. You calm them down. I'm not really that good with kids." You thank Arven as you try and get Ostia to cheer up.

You somewhat succeed but Ostia seems a little downcast for the rest of the club session. They did somewhat cheer up after the omelet you prepared and Arven cooked. You thank him but he brushes it off and says it's fine. You say goodbye to Ostia as the day ends and you go home.

You're going through Leaf's feedback during breakfast this Saturday when you get an idea. You remember reading it from one of Dawn Berlitz's interviews. According to her, it was something Cynthia gave to her as advice. 'Aim up. If you're at 1-Badge, challenge a 2-Badger. If you're at 3, challenge someone with 4 or 5. If you're at 6, challenge someone with 7 or 8. A Journey is about the betterment of oneself through personal growth and the growth of your Pokemon.'

Time to put theory into practice.

You head to one of the Battle Arenas in Mesagoza to challenge people stronger than you. …You're gonna lose a lot of money, aren't you.

"Ugh, another one? Fine. It's free cash, who cares." Another one? You're currently at the East End Battle Arena, one of the larger ones in the east of the city. At your confusion, the trainer you asked to battle points a finger at one of the arenas.

Is that…Nemona?

The hair is unmistakable and she's wearing her uniform. You aren't, having noticed that a lot of non-Academy trainers seem to resent students. She was battling alongside Mercury while Sunny was waiting by the benches cheering her on. Although she seems to be losing, the smile on her face tells you that she's having a fun time. She even takes losing way better than you—

Enough. You need to focus! You'll catch up to her eventually. You have to.

You do your best to ignore her, going as far as to make sure that neither she nor her Pokemon sees you. Doing your best to calm yourself, you repeat a mantra in your head.

Nothing exists other than you and your opponent.

You release Roland for battle, having briefed him of what you're planning. He's conflicted about it. He loves worthy opponents and challenges but he also likes winning. You managed to bribe him with you cooking food for him later tonight.

Your opponent sends out a Kirlia. Right, you challenged someone with a 2nd Badge. Before you could even react, Roland nearly gets taken out by a Disarming Voice. Kirlia follows it up with a Double Team and Magical Leaf combo, forcing Roland immediately on the run.

This is gonna be a long day, isn't it.

It was.

You battled around four times the entire day, all using Roland, who grew tired of losing after the second time. Thankfully the trainers you challenged gave a lot of really helpful tips. The fact that you were generous with the prize money probably helped.

Their tips alongside Leaf's feedback has given you ideas for training Roland tomorrow. Even if one of them did suggest 'get vitamins' to you.

It's the next day, you're currently at the Training Fields running Roland through mastering his current array of moves. It's now hitting just how much of a fast learner Roland is. You're having him fully master Quick Attack right now.

He's always used it as a mobility option and you're trying to see if you can get him to fully lean into that. You'll do this by having him continuously use Quick Attack not just for bursts of speed and maneuverability . You check the stopwatch on your ARCUS, he's so close to keeping it up for 20 minutes straight.

If he can do it, then you don't have to worry about him being outsped for a while. The time limit only starts getting raised to 20 minutes at the 2nd Badge and above. It remains consistent until the 5th Badge where it's raised again to 30 minutes. And finally it caps out at an hour at 7th above, going all the way to the fights of Champion level trainers.

At the stopwatch's twenty minute mark, you shout at Roland that he can stop now. Roland stops moving and floats towards you, however the light that signifies Quick Attack being used doesn't dissipate. It only grows dimmer. Huh?

You check your Pokedex. Agility? It seems Roland learned a new move.

"Look Roland, you learned a new move!" He chirps happily in response, flying all around you. Even while just floating he's a lot faster now, the light not yet dissipating.

"You're so smart, Roland!" You praise him while grabbing onto him, rubbing your faces against each other. Roland croons in joy. The two of you finish up training for the day and head home.

Your heart feels a little lighter now than it was last week.

MONTH 1 WEEK 3 VOTE

Due to low KNOW: Gain 150 KNOW XP per week (Increases to 330 KNOW XP with traits). Ends at KNOW 8

Not every waking moment was spent in class, just most of them. What exactly were you doing throughout the week outside of the daily grind? (Some Potential Social Encounters change every week)
You have 3 AP Available
Current Cash: 3,000 Pokedollars
League Points: 1,000
Vote will be by Plan Voting Again

[] I Work Out at the Library: Mesagoza Academy has two Libraries, the one in Rodrigo Hall and the dedicated Library building in Maria Hall. Maybe spend a couple of hours a day studying in your free time so you aren't completely lost during class. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: ???, Mela, Jacinto
Gain 300 KNOW XP (Increases to 660 KNOW XP with traits)

[] Pokemon and Me: The Academy has a vast collection of Pokemon under its care and employ, not even counting student and trainer Pokemon. Such a large menagerie necessitates a small army just to take care of them and their needs. Time to check out the enlistment center. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Atticus, Ostia, Manuel
Gain 300 PROW XP.
Gain 500 League Points
Gain random Pokemon Material

[] You Can't Run from a Trainer Battle: The battling Arenas at Rodrigo Hall are both numerous and massive. Since it's still early in the school year, the gap between the various students in the same year isn't quite big yet. You are somehow on the higher end of your school batch strength-wise. Sooner or later, you'll have to find greater challenges if your pace keeps up. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Nemona, Erika, Manuel
Roll 1d20+SKLL DC 20, 24
Gain 200-400 SKLL XP
Gain 200-400 Pokemon XP
All Pokemon Moves Gain 1 MXP
Benefits from this action will decrease once you reach 2nd Badge Level. Benefits will return if you remain 2nd Badge Level by Month 3

[] You Can't Run from a Battle Between Trainers: Apparently, the school has a dueling arena, not for Pokemon, but for Humans, where the students can pick up wooden spears and sticks to beat each other over with. You might be simplifying things, but it'll be a way to keep yourself fit and sharp. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Eri, ???, Astrid
Roll 1d20+PROW DC 20, 24
Gain 300-500 PROW XP
Interacting with Nobles

[] To Train Them is Your Cause: While live battle is useful in sharpening moves, nothing beats good old practice. Experimentation, Building Muscle Memory or just plain old Mastery. Right now early on, while your Pokemon aren't that strong yet, it's still safe to use the Training Fields of the Academy. But as you get stronger, you'll have to look for more isolated places. You can't let people find out what you're cooking up, after all. That, and something about collateral damage from moves getting worse. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Erika, Ostia, Theodora
Roll 1d20+SKLL DC 24
Gain 100-200 SKLL XP
Gain 100-200 Pokemon XP
All Pokemon Moves Gain 2-3 MXP

[] Advanced BATTLE: A Pokemon Journey is a multi-year long process. Most Trainers get one badge and then struggle for years getting a second. Half of all Paldean Trainers quit around the third Gym. Only a tenth make it to the seventh. There are no shortages of Trainers with only one or two Badges hanging around in Mesagoza. Many of them go to Battle Arenas in Mesagoza proper to prepare themselves for the League Circuit opening up in August. You can challenge them, and you're absolutely going to lose, but there's no better way to reveal your weaknesses than having them ruthlessly exploited. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Nemona, Jacinto, Elise
Gain 400 SKLL XP
Gain 400 Pokemon XP
All Pokemon Moves Gain 1 MXP
Lose Money no matter what
Only lower end is available this turn due to Current Cash. Raise Cash to 5000 above for higher ends of Stat Gains to return.

[] The World in a City (3/10): Mesagoza is huge. Obscenely so. It's so massive and sprawling that you could spend days traveling through every inch of it and still miss some nooks and crannies. But you're going to be spending the better part of three years in this city, maybe even more in the future. Better get wandering. -1 AP

This is a Multi-Action Choice. Each AP spent on it unlocks more options and choices in the future.
Roll a 1d100 Random Event Roll
Unlock at 3/10: Syncretism is a funny thing. Although you were raised in the traditional shamanistic faiths of the Highlands, long centuries of contact with the Geomantic Church has eventually led to elements of both faiths intermingling with one another in your homeland. Time to see what a "regular" Geomantic Parish looks like. No better place to start than in the Rey Luna Cathedral. (Unlock the Rey Luna Cathedral as a location. They might know something about the stakes…)
Unlock at 4/10: You need to find the Orden de Verde's Mesagoza Chapter House. You're not obsessed, you're just really interested in the history and traditions of the Knightly Order. If you get some more merch ~~maybe catch a glimpse of the Knights~~ out of it then all the better. (Unlock the Mesagoza Chapter House as a location. There might even be a way to join them as a student. Though that will be a long-term commitment…)
Unlock at 5/10: Even in the great Urban Centers of Mankind, Pokemon can thrive and grow. Humans and Pokemon living harmoniously alongside one another. (Unlock a Positive Pokemon Den. Unlocks an action to look for Positive Pokemon Dens once a month.)

[] Grade 8 Ranger Work: Following the 'Restoration of Order' in Porto Marinada, both the World Rangers Association and Interpol denounced the Paldean government. In retaliation, Paldea began to undermine Ranger Associations throughout the region. In Mesagoza proper, many of the responsibilities of Rangers fell to either the newly created and League-backed Trainer Associations or the Railway Military Police in the case of Mesagoza's environs. The effectiveness of the handover is questionable at best in some areas of the city, but this presents an opportunity for you to make some hard-earned cash via jobs that are too below the notice of the League to tackle.

Potential Social Encounters: Erika, Theodora
Ranger Work is accomplished via a 1d20+STAT with DC thresholds for rewards (Cash and STAT XP)
What kind of Ranger Work you'll tackle will be decided by a vote in the next update.
There are four kinds of Ranger Work. Maintenance Work, Research Work, Community Work and Suppression Work. Each correspond with PROW, KNOW, CHRM and SKLL respectively

[] Purchasing Power: One of the Advantages of being a student in Mesagoza Academy (aside from the student discount) is that unlike regular Trainers on their journey, you don't have to trudge through the routes to get from settlement to settlement. This does mean that there isn't a need for healing items and traveling gear outside of Field Exercises, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. You never know when that potion is the difference between victory or defeat. -1 AP

Start a Mini Turn buying items
Current Cash: Pokedollars 3,000
Available items depend on locations in Mesagoza unlocked
Available Location: Mesagoza Northeast Calico Mall, Academy Town Pokemart, Calico Mall Delibird Presents

[] Extracurricular Extras: Whether due to a recent glut of League Points or a guaranteed source of them, you're now confident in engaging the internal "Economy" of the Paldean Pokemon League. You can request tutoring for yourself or for your Pokemon from the Academy staff or from upperclassmen, commission a TM or TR for your own use (it'll cost extra if you don't provide the Pokemon Materials yourself), purchase specific Pokemon Materials for your needs, or even take part in the informal School Auctions for rare items if you're feeling lucky. -1 AP

Start a Mini Turn buying via League Points
Current League Points: 1,000 League Points
Can exchange LP to raise stats or to teach Pokemon a specific move
Can exchange LP to commission a TM or TR (will cost extra if necessary Pokemon Materials aren't provided)
Can exchange LP to buy Pokemon Materials for personal use
Roll a 1d100 to bid for a random item (usefulness may vary)

[] Phantasmal Feline: She actually made a request of you, this time around. She wants to walk around outside even for just a little. It's good she wants to do something of her volition (Even if she hypothetically wants to use this opportunity to run away. It means she's actually doing something.). You're starting to worry just how…passive she's been. Leaf reluctantly okayed it but Missy will be shadowing you the entire time.

Has to be taken with Bonding Event: Espurr.
Roll 1d20+CHRM DC 20
She actually made a request of you. You'll of course be accompanying them outside and you're gonna do it at night so that none of you classmates see you.

[CANNOT BE TAKEN] The First Step (1/2): Yo! Champ in the making! Gyms serve as testing grounds in a Journey, places where a Trainer's strengths and weaknesses are laid bare in a safe environment. Some regions prefer purely combat Gyms, others prefer to test a Trainer's relationship with their Pokemon and some challenge a person's relation to the wild and the world around them. Paldea operates on a hybrid system, the vast wilds of the region necessitating Trainers that know their lefts from their rights, but also that Trainers that know how to fight.

Normally, taking on Gyms during Field Exercises lets you skip the Gym Challenge part and go straight to the Leader. But for one reason or another, you're taking on your first Gym now, so Gym Challenge it is. -1AP

Will feature a sub vote next update on which Gym you will be tackling
-2000 League Points. Will be returned after a successful Gym Battle.
Taking this option will lock you into a Gym Leader fight next week. Gym Challenge will depend on which settlement's Gym was challenged
Since it's your first Gym, it will feature a Minor Battle against a Gym Trainer. If you can't beat them, don't even think about beating the Gym Leader (SKLL Roll DC 16)
CANNOT BE TAKEN (Gyms open in August)

Bonding Event: A week's available bonding events are decided either by the narrative or by who you hung out with last week as seen in the Potential Social Encounters. Bonding Events with your Pokemon are always Available. (Choose 2)

[] Roland: Despite pretending otherwise, he's smart enough to recognize words and letters. Time to teach your layabout how to read. With how he tried to run away, it's like teaching Timothee all over again. Improved Bond with Roland. 2/5 to Bond 3

[] Espurr: She actually made a request of you, this time around. She wants to walk around outside even for just a little. It's good she wants to do something of her volition (Even if she hypothetically wants to use this opportunity to run away. It means she's actually doing something). You're starting to worry just how…passive she's been. Leaf reluctantly okayed it but Missy will be shadowing you the entire time. Improved Bond with Espurr. 1/2 to Bond 1. Has to be taken with Phantasmal Feline.

[] Atticus: While shopping with Mela, she mentioned that she and Atticus had a mutual interest in Pokemon Fashion, fashion for Pokemon and clothing items made from Pokemon materials. You should ask Atticus about that. It'll give you an excuse to see how he's doing after the Round Robin too. Maybe you'll even find out what he's an apprentice of in the first place. Improved Bond with Atticus. 1/2 to Bond 1

[] Jacinto: Jacinto was badly annihilated during the Round Robin. As Class President, you should probably check up on how he's doing. Hopefully he's doing okay. …Hopefully he doesn't rope you into a conversation about Politics. Improved Bond with Jacinto. 1/2 to Bond 1

[] Theodora: Theodora seems exhausted, even more so than usual. With neither Elise nor Virgilia around, she's conscripted you to help make her feel better. How? Gossip. Halfway through you're wondering; How does she even know all this stuff!? Improved Bond with Theodora. 1/2 to Bond 1

[] Arven: Arven seems interested in your cooking knowledge, specifically how the Andosin culture cooks food for Pokemon. You could probably give him a couple of pointers. Even if he does remind you of a less tactful Erika. Improved Bond with Arven 1/2 to Bond 1

[] Elise: An idle comment during a conversation has led to you being roped into helping her train her swordsmanship. You've never seen a practitioner of the Eight Leaves One Blade School before. So this should be a learning experience. Improved Bond with Elise. 0/3 to Bond 2

[] Erika: Erika wants to catch a second Pokemon but doesn't know what team member she should look for. She asked for your help and feedback in brainstorming for her next team member. You weren't sure what she was worried about until Cornelia kind of told you. She's not looking for someone who fits on her team, she's looking for someone that could tolerate her. Improved Bond with Erika. 2/3 to Bond 2

[] Ostia: Cooking Club incident aside, Ostia enjoys hanging out with you. They haven't invited you into another foodie adventure though. But instead to look at, gush over and help train their new Pokemon. A Staryu. Improved Bond with Ostia. 2/3 to Bond 2

[] Nemona: The Yearly Trainer Circuit lasts from August until the end of May, the following Year. With June dedicated to the Yearly Conference. Winners of the Conference are granted the privilege of challenging the Elite Four and if they beat all of them, the Champion. This part usually takes place during July. This year's conference winner is challenging his first Elite Four member, Rika Cayena. You managed to catch Nemona watching it on the Living Room TV. Why don't you join her? Improved Bond with Nemona. 0/3 to Bond 2

Total Stat Gains this Turn:
1100 KNOW XP
800 SKLL XP
Moratorium for 6 Hours
Thanks to Nemastrea for proofreading

ArvisPresley · Mar 6, 2024

[X] Plan: Roland Needs a Win
-[X] You Can't Run from a Trainer Battle
-[X] Grade 8 Ranger Work
-[X] Phantasmal Feline
-[X] Espurr
-[X] Erika

"...Gardevoir line?"

"Hmm…nah, too clingy. And I already have Fairies covered," Erika replies as she writes something down in her notebook.

Erika had asked for your help in identifying which Pokemon she should try and go for as a second member of her team, so right now, the two of you are in her room, running ideas past each other. You're laying on her bed, looking through the ARCUS' Pokedex for Pokemon available in Paldea, while Erika sits at her desk writing an analysis of her options in that notebook of hers.

"Meowscarada?" They're pretty rare in Paldea, but not unheard of. They'd fit pretty well with her battle style since the Sprigatito line is known for being tricky and mischievous. You think one of the Gym Leaders, Brassius Neopoli, has one on his personal team.

"...maybe, but it's pretty hard to get one right now. I'd either have to buy from a breeder or convince a Trainer of one to give me an egg. It'll be much more feasible as a 4th or 5th."

"What are you even looking for in a second team member?" You ask, exasperated at having to throw out Pokemon names just for them to get shot down.

"Cornelia, could you pass Leaf's notes over to me?" The Carbink levitates over a sheet of paper similar to the one your teacher gave you last Friday. Is this what caused her to start wondering about future team options?

"Let's see, according to her, I need 'A member that can cover Carbink's offensive and mobility shortcomings'. She also wrote that 'get better at improvisation' advice you provided, but since she is an actual professional, I have no choice but to listen." You roll your eyes and throw one of Erika's pillows at her, which Cornelia telekinetically catches. You give a sheepish smile to the unamused Pokemon.

"Why not a Scyther, then? It fits both of those criteria." It'd cover some of the weaknesses that Cornelia has and would give her team a much needed offensive option.

"That's..hmm…they'd fit, but that'll be a difficult addition to my team. I'd have to convince them to willingly join, since there's no use getting a second Pokemon that won't even listen." You restrain yourself from snorting. "...and it's a good habit to establish. The problem is convincing them, and after that, well…" A rather ill-fitting grimace finds its way to Erika's face.

"Well what?" You ask, sitting up to talk to Erika at a better angle. "Why would that be a problem?"

"It's, uh…complicated." Erika turns away, trying to avoid looking at you, so you raise an eyebrow and spare a look towards Cornelia. Their way of expression is very different from what you're used to, and it's hard to understand what she's trying to communicate via pantomiming, but somehow, you get the gist of what she's saying.

"Are you worried that your second Pokemon won't like you?" From the look on Erika's face, you've guessed right.

"I mean—it's only natural that someone would be worried about that—it's…" She's stammering explanations and excuses, trying to spare herself the embarrassment, but stops after Cornelia makes a noise at her, causing her to clam up. You wait in silence for her to compose herself.

"...Fede has a tradition of raising human children communally alongside Pokemon," she finally says. "Aside from other human kids, I was raised alongside Cornelia, Gertrude, and Jill, a Hatenna and a Swirlix." Erika looks out her room's window as she speaks, like she's in a faraway place. "I was never the most sociable kid when I was young. Carried on into my teens, so I didn't get along well with a lot of other wild Pokemon around the place."

"Whenever someone from Fede heads off to the outside world for a Journey, they're usually accompanied by two Pokemon for their own safety, a Pokemon they've been raised with since birth and one they've convinced to join them before they leave." She gestures to Cornelia's Pokeball. "You can probably see how that ended for me." Oh.

"It's rather embarrassing, but the reason I was a mess when you first met me was because I was trying to convince a Wingull to join me, and, well…" She looks genuinely embarrassed, and you can see tears starting to form by the corners of her eyes.

That's it. You stand and walk over to where Erika's sitting. Ignoring her protests, you pull her up and hug her.

"I'm not gonna lie and say you're a social Beautifly, but you're a close friend and I'm sure you'll find a Pokemon you'll get along with." The hug is kind of awkward since she's a head shorter than you, but you put as much affection as you can behind it. After a moment of hesitation, she finally returns it.

"...Thanks. I think I'll try to go for a Scyther…" That's the spirit. But…

"Where would you even find one in Paldea?" You know they're not as rare as a potential Meowscarada, but you only saw a handful in the Highlands.

"Right. Don't tell Leaf I told you this, but our 1st Field Exercise is likely going to be in Cortondo. There's a couple of forests around the town where Scyther are known to hunt." Cortondo, huh? That'll help if you want to look for a third Pokemon.

"Don't worry. If she asks, I'll tell her I guessed." A moment of silence passes between the two of you, still wrapped in a hug. Eventually, Erika lets go, wiping her tears from her eyes.

"It's uh, getting pretty late. I believe the two of us should turn in for the night." You check the clock in her room, and you're shocked to discover that just talking about Pokemon took so long. You grab your belongings and start to head out of her room, and just before you go...

"Goodnight, Erika."

"Goodnight…Mary." You give her a look, and she rolls her eyes in return. "What? The twerp uses it, why can't I?"

You hear Erika's door lock behind you, and then the muffled sounds of someone screaming into a pillow. It's good that she's letting it all out. You, however, still have a part of your daily routine to do.

Heading downstairs, you say hello to Missy and Wiggly, who are watching a weird show on TV–something about a chemist in Unova. After grabbing some food from the fridge, you make your way over to Leaf's office, somehow still unused aside from your sessions with Espurr, and lock the door behind you. You see your shadow wriggle beneath you, meaning that Missy has already split off a shade to watch over you.

You had asked Leaf how Missy does that a few days back, and she'd told you it was something about using Night Shade and Poltergeist to split off a simulacrum of Mismagius for multitasking. You wonder if it's possible for Roland to do something similar once he's grown enough and even fully evolved.

Tangent aside, you release Roland and Espurr from their balls and have them exchange greetings with one another. The usual routine continues, until…

'Human Mariana. I wish to go outside. It does not have to be today.'

You blink. That's the first time Espurr has used your name. "Go outside? Are you sure?" Espurr responds with a nod, before repeating that it doesn't have to be today.

"I'll…see what I can do." You'll need to convince Leaf of this first. Satisfied with your response, Espurr decides to return to her Pokeball.

You broach the topic to Leaf the next day, luckily managing to stumble into her during lunch break.

Leaf looks at you with a calculating expression, intensely staring at you before she finally responds.

"You're not allowed to go out of the Academy Grounds, and Missy herself, not a shade will accompany you. You'll also have to do it at night." That works. You thank your teacher as she waves you off and tells you to head to your next class.

Now to convince Roland.

He's been a lot more, what's the word, uncooperative lately when it comes to Espurr. You know that he dislikes her, but you feel like there's something more. Thankfully, you manage to convince him by promising to take him to the Academy Town's Battle Arenas and to try and fight people he can actually win against. Such a needy Pokemon, but you still love him.

You spend the rest of your time after class, battling and winning against other first years, and even fight Manuel for the first time outside of the Round Robin. Roland with Agility is already too fast for Gawain's to keep up with, but despite that, the battle lasts a pretty long time since you're practicing an attritional strategy with Roland: wear away at the opponent with Will-o-Wisp and Infestation, while using Double Team and Agility to minimize the damage taken. So far, it's been serving you pretty well–you even have a winning streak going.

"Oh? You're my next opponent, Mariana? It seems Roland's gotten faster, huh?

Had. You had a winning streak going. You turn around to greet Nemona, who's just finished up her own match for the day. Huh, it seems she fought Erika. You wave to Erika, trying to get her attention, but she runs off looking embarrassed after she sees you. Did she lose that badly to Nemona?

"I wanna have a fair fight, so I'll use Mercury against you, Mariana! Also, Sunny wants to rest." You give her a thumbs-up, trying your best to make sure Nemona doesn't notice your eye twitching.

It's close.

Genuinely close. But close is not enough to beat Nemona. It'll never be enough.

As you say goodbye to Nemona, ending the day's battling session (the girl herself plans to spend all night battling whoever is willing to challenge her), you apologize to Roland on the way out. You could have made an excuse not to fight Nemona but…you couldn't. You had to fight her. Roland nuzzles up to your face to comfort you, which cheers you up a little.

"C'mon, you baby. Let's get you to a Pokemon Center."

With Roland and Leaf's approval, the day you escort Espurr outside arrives. It'll only be around the Academy Town at night, but apparently even that's okay with her. Then again, the Academy Town is actually a pretty big place–there's even a small park you never visit that'll be perfect for you to use.

"Come on!" You gesture for Espurr to follow you outside, Roland wrapped around your neck.

"Let's go!"

What a bother.

She waddles out of the door with Mariana close behind her. The moon hangs overhead. She knows not why that human, Strangling Flowers, had forbidden her from going out during the day, but it is fine. She likes the moon. Mother had said she was born under a full one.

Mariana follows, pink and blue threads of kindness and patience wrapping all around the human, near suffocating in their saccharine smell, but she skims the human's surface thoughts and there it remains, that little thread of white hot ambition going deep, tethered to two places: one to somewhere in the building she had left, the other to somewhere far far away. Is the human even conscious of that? Doubtful.

The human's shadow writhes, and there is their chaperone for the night. Not a shade this time; it seems her request has gotten the full attention of that Spectre, Sorrowful Jubilee. The Spectre is, of course, unable to help herself. She sips, just tiny droplets, of the purple sorrow of Mariana, a consistency like wine. Greedy thing, as she already drinks much from Strangling Flowers. She says nothing, of course, as the thread of sadness is taken and wrapped around the Spectre, strengthening her further. She has no need for it. The Spectre is already stronger than even her jailors, bar a handful.

Besides, calling her gluttonous would not do well for herself. Spectres like her never forget.

She continues to waddle, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of humans and Pokemon alike. She is careful to never let the Well leak, her ears forced shut, as she half-listens to whatever Mariana says about this or that, planning to remember the colors and noises later when she is asleep as Munna had taught her. She will not ruin this night. Thankfully, very little other humans are out to ruin it for her.

Mercifully, the Wyrm has decided not to do so either. He is obediently wrapped around the neck of his mistress, like her younger brothers clinging to Mother despite their age. He has no Name yet, so he is Wyrm to her, with Chains of Pride and Ambition, like cold iron wrapped all around him. A Wyrm through and through, and yet, it is that little thread that was not there when they first met that most interests her. It is a strange color, a feeling that is not easily put into words.

A cocktail mixture of regret, bitterness and betrayal, woven together when she tried to kill Mariana. She's known it for a while now, but the serenity of the environs has given her the focus to confirm.

The Wyrm—Roland hates her.

That is the issue with Spectres. Beings of memory clinging to remnants of emotions (or is it the other way around? She does not remember her Mother's lessons). A Spectre is incapable of forgetting, truly forgetting, for memories and experiences are what wove the tapestries of their forms.

She wonders if he will ever do something about it, whether his love for his human is stronger than his hate for her. Would he wait until he evolves? He is stronger than when she first met him, and he seeks strength, almost craves it. Would she do anything if he does strike one day?

She pushes and prods, trying to draw out the little gem within, to see whether he will do something about her beyond routinely complaining and slinging insults, so often merely empty words. She returns them back to see what other emotions will emerge, a game between the two of them.

But there are times. Where a nugget of true hate mixes in, though they are brief. He clamps down on it fast enough, and she is left wondering how to respond.

She is…unsure of what to feel about his hate. She remembers the relief and the hope, like a refreshing breeze, when he had come to her aid. He had reminded her of Natu, especially with how he acts with Mariana, before—

Hm. She's ruined the night for herself after all.

What a bother.

She stops waddling, stopping in the middle of a small park and looks off in the distance, letting a little of her power leak while ignoring the sound of alarm from Sorrowful Jubilee. She feels the threads that bind her, the threads that make up the tapestry of HIS Creation, the changes done to her by the humans had granted her strength, allowing her to tap into the Well of power within her, an Espurr's birthright.

She thinks of home. She feels her connections to her kin, brothers and sisters, and to her parents. She does not remember how she was taken, only the noise that broke the Well, broke her control over it. She long agonizes over what had happened to all she knew.

She tries, but she cannot reach them. Cannot envision them. No color, no sound, no smell comes to her. She is not like Natu, whose change had brought him sight beyond sight.

She chooses to interpret this as her being too weak to reach them. There will be no more for now–better, the uncertainty. The Well closes.

Looking around her, it seems she's managed to worry Mariana. Save that worry for yourself. It is not over yet. She tells her as such, and the grimace that made its way to the human's face is precious.

They walk in silence now. The Wyrm glares at her from his perch around the human's neck. The Spectre is quiet, contemplating her and what she had attempted.

Their procession finally nears the exit of the 'Academy Town,' as Mariana explains to her, the furthest limits of their trip. She once more looks off into the distance.

She…could try to find out what had happened to her home. The stars will guide her. She could teleport away and dodge those looking for her. It should be possible with the metal on her neck gone. She would not meet the fate of Munna and Natu, she is sure of it. She could—

The Wyrm hisses at her, their little signal whenever he wants to say something (usually an insult) that the Spectre need not hear.

She reaches into his mind and listens.

'Rejoice, ungrateful one. My human has decided to allow you to attempt an escape. She will distract the Sorrowful Jubilee as best she can. Leave or stay. I care not which, though I doubt you'll make it.'

She almost laughs, and her control over the Well nearly slips.

Mariana walks a slight distance away from her, whispering something. From her shadow emerges the Spectre, an irritated look on her face. Mariana is serious about this.

Fine. She will make an attempt.

She waddles as fast as she can–levitation would give away what she is doing. She can do it once she is far away enough, but–

She stops before she can even make it to the gate, her own shadow having turned against her, wrapping around her legs. When did the Spectre get a shade there?

What a bother.

"Okay, I'm sorry, it was my idea! Let her go, Missy!" Mariana pleads with the Spectre, who does not even deign to look at her. She calls off into the distance, towards where the dorms are. It seems Strangling Flowers is aware now of her attempt.

'Worry not, Spectre. I will not flee anymore.' It is pointless now, but at least Mariana had tried. She peers into the surface of her mind, and finds the human more worried about her than she is about herself.

How cute. Her kindness is near cloying. Reminds her of Mother whenever she'd misbehave, playing with the other creatures of the grove.

Fine. She will play nice from now on.

Their group waits until Strangling Flowers finally arrives, scolding and pulling on Mariana's ear. They are escorted back to the dorms, the Wigglytuff, Boundless Care, behind her and scolding her all the while. She cannot find it within herself to care, not when she is busy laughing (internally) at how the Wyrm curses at her for getting his human in trouble.

This night has mostly been redeemed. It seems she hasn't ruined this one quite as thoroughly as the others.

Hmm.

'Mariana,' she whispers into her mind.

'My name is—'

[] Espurr Nickname Write-In (Will be subject to a strict QM Veto)

"Double-check this for me, please," Leaf says as she hands you another document.

For the past two days after Espurr's trip outside, your time after class has been taken up by basically being Leaf's secretary. You take her calls, double-check her documents and papers, and even get her coffee. Punishment detail, she calls it, but you really don't regret it too much. Even if it's just the first part of said punishment detail, according to Leaf.

You give the paper a brief look, checking if there are any errors before—wait. You double-check the document, a bunch of it in legalese and technical language you can barely wrap your head around, but you get the gist of it.

Your first Field Exercise will be in Cortondo.

Class VII will be divided into two groups, one with four students and another with five. One group will be assigned tasks in the west of the settlement amongst the grasslands and hills, including the river, while the other group will be assigned to the forests, farms, and the Badajoz Plateau to the east of the province. You'll have to congratulate Erika for being right—

"Peeping, are we?" You're snapped out of your thoughts by Leaf looking over your shoulder, an amused expression on her face. "Don't worry, I should've expected you to eventually read some of the paperwork involving the Field Exercise. Surprised it took till Friday."

You were kind of in a fugue state while being her secretary.

"Oh right, that reminds me. Cancel any plans you have tomorrow. You're showing up to work at Silverleaf Office; that's part 2 of your punishment detail." You nod, trying your best not to give away that you already intended to do Ranger Work this weekend.

"As such, I'm gonna need you to fill these out." With that, she hands you a sheet of paper with your name on it: a list of Ranger Work you're gonna be handling for the weekend.

"Fill out the part asking for your birthday and sign at the dotted line at the bottom once you're done reading."

[] Write in for Mariana's Birthday (Any date involving June, July or August is not valid.)

Ranger Work 1: Pick 1
[] I Need a Stick from Unknown Caller:
"My darling Fennekin is within the cusp of evolution. Research has led me to find out that their evolution, Braixen, requires a decent stick or branch to serve as a conduit for their psychic abilities. I seek the help of you rangers finding me a decent one in the outskirts of Mesagoza. It has to be one steeped in Grass Type Energy. I'd go myself but I've been forbidden to leave the environs of the city, and my guardian is a rather protective woman. I will pay quite handsomely for your help in this regard, extra if the ranger named Elise Montenix is available."

You and Elise will both roll 1d20+PROW and 1d20+SKLL each. I will take the higher rolls of the two. DC 20/24
Improve Bond with ~~Theodora~~ Unknown Caller and Elise
Gain 15,000/20,000 Pokedollars
Gain 300 PROW and 300 SKLL XP

[] Berry Hunt from Caller Erika:
"…Look, I know Rangers are starting to become decrepit everywhere outside of Fede but this is ridiculous. I've been calling for over a week now! Anyways, my request is that you find and deliver a number of Wild Berries found in the outskirts of Mesagoza. The ones in the stores don't have the kick I need for my purposes. Also some Oran Berries, these ones can be store bought. They're for a friend anyhow. Deliver them to the Academy Town if you know where that is."

You and Elise will both roll 1d20+PROW each. I will take the higher rolls of the two. DC 16
Improve Bond with Caller Erika and Elise
Gain 8,000 Pokedollars
Gain 300 PROW XP

Ranger Work 2: Pick 1
[] Maintenance Work: Human communities across the world have long co-existed peacefully and sometimes not-so-peacefully with Pokemon. Someone or multiple someones have gathered enough funds to hire a ranger to clean up and repair the habitats that local wild Pokemon exist in, both for the community's sake and for that Pokemon.

You and Elise will both roll 1d20+PROW each. I will take the higher rolls of the two. DC 12/14/18
Gain 4000/5000/6000 Pokedollars
Gain 100/200/300 PROW XP

[] Research Work: Human communities across the world have long co-existed peacefully and sometimes no-so-peacefully with Pokemon. A student has asked for help in gathering field data about local wild Pokemon in Mesagoza. They believe that rangers will be the best way to achieve the objective of their paper while remaining as unobtrusive as possible.

You and Elise will both roll 1d20+KNOW each. I will take the higher rolls of the two. DC 12/16/18
Gain 2000/3000/4000 Pokedollars
Gain 100/200/300 KNOW XP

[] Community Work: Human communities across the world have long co-existed peacefully and sometimes not-so-peacefully with Pokemon. A young child has asked for help. A number of Pokemon near his house have been displaced and injured as a consequence of a territory dispute, and as the kid is both too young and too scared to approach the injured Pokemon, they've asked the rangers to help heal and relocate them.

You and Elise will both roll 1d20+CHRM each. I will take the higher rolls of the two. DC 14/16/18
Gain 2000 Pokedollars
Gain 400/600/800 CHRM XP

[] Suppression Work: Human communities across the world have long co-existed peacefully and sometimes not-so-peacefully with Pokemon. A Grimer in the Toilet, a Rattata in the Pantry, a Koffing in the Attic. Whatever way you want to mince it, a family has had enough and called for a ranger to evict a Pokemon from or near their house.

You and Elise will both roll 1d20+SKLL each. I will take the higher rolls of the two. DC 16/18/20
Gain 6000/7000/8000 Pokedollars
Gain 200/300/400 SKLL XP

STAT Gains from this Update
100 CHRM XP
300 SKLL XP
220 KNOW XP
330 Passive KNOW XP

Thanks to Casmii for proofreading this update
Vote for Ranger Work will be by plan
Example vote would be:
[] Angela
[] October 25th
[] I Have a Very Large Stick
- [] I Need a Stick from Unknown Caller
- [] Suppression Work

ArvisPresley · Mar 6, 2024

Field Exercise 1 Locations

Red - West Cortondo Province
Violet - East Cortondo Province

West Cortondo Biomes:
Guadania River, Western Farmlands, Northern Grasslands, Lake Marida, Marida Forest, Southern Grasslands

East Cortondo Biomes:
Badajoz Heights, Cortondo Breadbasket, Badajoz Ruins, Badajoz Forest

Nerdorama · Mar 6, 2024

Also another short omake, posted with GM vetting, because I have the brainworms.

'Silver'

Perhaps the most famous name to come out of the eradication of Team Rocket in the Indigo States, despite never being confirmed as a member of Team Rocket. And indeed then, only a name, with all other details of this mysterious young person suppressed by the Indigo League and Interpol, allegedly in return for their help in finally bringing the Capos of the Rocket Organization to justice. Their name, and their rumored association with Gold Montaro, seemed like it would be left in the past, a relic of a time that the Indigo States would prefer to forget.

But of course, a name cannot simply be eradicated.

Shadowy rumors the world over still echo with the name 'Silver'. An avenger striking from the shadows, or an assassin hiding behind the name of justice. A mere whisper of the name is enough to draw the fear and attention of the underworld, to say nothing of law enforcement, the world over. No one knows how many people operate under the name 'Silver', whether it's one or a dozen, and no one knows if any of them are the original anti-Rocket crusader of Johto. What is known is that an assassination attempt on Rime City's mayor in March of this year invoked Silver's name as a decoy to panic the police...which many have taken to mean that the RCPD is in fact aware of Silver's presence in the city-state. Clarification from the department has not been forthcoming.

ArvisPresley · Mar 8, 2024

Article:

…while neither had deigned to comment to the press on the beginnings of their relationship, Clair Blackthorn and Jasmine Mikan were clearly infatuated with one another. From how their friends and family had described it, Jasmine was the one who had courted Clair over the past two years. This remains consistent with how the former had been referred to as the groom by both the officiant and many of the attendants of the wedding.

Many high-ranking members and officials of the Indigo League were in attendance, close friends and associates of both Gyms Leaders. Most curious was the presence of both Oak siblings and the absence of Red Isamu…

Source: Clair Blackthorn and Jasmine Mikan Married; coverage by the Galarian Broadcasting Channel

Article:

…despite ostensibly being an occasion celebrating the marriage between two women, the ceremony itself remains steeped within the traditions and mores of the Blackthorn Clan. 2022 marks the 28th Anniversary of Lance Blackthorn's reign as the 4th Champion of the Indigo League. It also marks 30 years of Blackthorn dominance in the political scene of the two regions.

Lance Blackthorn had ascended to the Championship at age 19, then the youngest in the position's admittedly short history. A record that would be broken twice within two years as the 5th and 6th Champions, Blue Oak and Red Isamu, defeated Lance back-to-back. Despite both youths turning down the position, the embarrassment of losing to two pre-pubescents, combined with the chaos wrought by the initial Rocket Uprisings, many believed that Lance's government was not long for the world.

Yet it endured.

Now more than two decades after the 2nd Capo of Rocket, 1st Champion and Mahogany Gym Leader Pryce Yanagi, was arrested and executed for high treason. Champion Lance is enjoying his cousin's wedding, more secure in his, and by extension the Blackthorn clan's, power than ever before. Political Supremacy unseen since the day of the pre-Great War Indigo Imperial Dynasty. And with continued rumors of an affair with Elite Four member Yellow Tokiwa, it might not be an unfounded comparison…

Source: A Blackthorn Wedding an opinion-piece by The Pen, a Galarian publication

Article:

…At its peak before Kyogre's Awakening, Pacificlog had a population of nearly 40,000 souls, human and Pokemon. While it was the smallest in all of Hoenn, the town was a popular tourist spot due to being a settlement built entirely on a massive Corsola colony. Now ten years later, it is a town that barely reaches 1,000.

Despite efforts by May Birch and Champion Wallace Yunseok to bring back and reassure the Corsola that had made up the foundations of the settlement, many surviving Corsola had migrated to greener waters, primarily in the Orange and Sevii Islands. In some cases bringing on their backs the homes and in very rare cases the families of the humans that had lived in the town. Saved by the attachment the Pokemon held for the humans that coexisted with them. And they were indeed saved as, of the pre-Kyogre population, only 10,000 had managed to reach safety and later refuge in Slateport.

Despite all that, Pacificlog is far from the worst settlement in Hoenn as both Lavaridge and Fallarbor remain uninhabited…

Source: 10 Years After by the Hoenn Herald

Article:

…Dawn Berlitz's visit to Pueltown was part of the Champion's Almian good will tour. She met with Ranger and government representatives about the strengthening of ties between the two regions. Sinnoh and Almia were already in a mutual economic trading block, this move would further tie the two nations of the Hisui Archipelago together.

After meeting with local authorities, the Champion attended a performance in the city by the Go-Rock Quads. She is later said to have given the band her certified 'Cute!' rating…

Source: Sinnoh and Almia discuss political union by the Jubilife Journal

Article:

…as the protests in front of the Paldean embassy enter their 2nd week, many Castellians call for the cessation of diplomatic relations with the Empire and the halting of construction of the "International Campus". This has been part of a rising undercurrent of hostility to Unova's alliance with Paldea and the latter's continued occupation of Marinedo and Northern Ferrum.

President Ghetsis reaffirms Unova's commitment to its foreign allies and to the Republic's international character with his continued support for the construction of Teal Academy. Champion Alder had declined to comment on this…

Source: Protests against Teal Academy construction continue; by the Castelia Times

Article:

…Kalos' largest industrial concern announces its cooperation with Lysandre Labs to develop a competitor to the recently released Porygon Phone made by the Paldean Mendoza Group. The two companies have had a long and storied rivalry. First in arms manufacturing, then orbal technology and now electronics. The announcement of a collaboration by the company with a major national competitor within the Kalos market shows the desperation to not be edged out of the world market…

Source: Dumas Company to announce competitor to Porygon Phone by Le Lumiosian

Article:

…Champion Geeta announces early today to the Imperial Diet and to the press the official completion of the Marinedo-Medali High Speed Railway line. Planning for the railway line had begun four years ago, and while the railway had been considered usable as early as last year, it was only within the recent few months that the last RMP stations needed to secure the line were established.

As La Primera, the first commoner-born Champion in Paldean History, declares that there will be further marvels, industrial and technological, for the region. Support for her administration continues to grow amongst Paldea's urban citizenry…

Source: Marinedo-Medali HSR line completed by Paldea Today

Article:

…with the theft of Glen's Pokemon, this marks the fourth violent poaching incident involving trainers within this month alone. While no statements have been made beyond condolences and promises to bring the perpetrators to justice by Gym Leader Katie and the Cortondo Governing Council, many suspect that unreported incidents involving the smuggling and illegal poaching of wild and agricultural Pokemon are occurring.

Many continue to criticize Count Cortondo's decision to restrict the Provincial Army to their barracks. His official statement claimed that this was beyond his jurisdiction, and it was an issue for the Gym Leader and the RMP to address…

Source: Fourth poaching incident this month in Cortondo by Paldea Today

Article:

…the battle had already been over by the time the rest of the Rimean Police and local Rangers had arrived. According to reports by the SSS and later confirmed by the Interpol Rimean office, International Criminal and Rocket Capo, Victor Surge had been sighted amongst the attendees of the underground auction.

With this and the presence of Indigo boogeyman 'Silver' in the city, local politicians have called for an increased crackdown on criminal organizations like Satellite, Chevauchée and Falange…

Source: The Last Rocket, Surge, sighted in Rime; a report by the Rimean News Service

"Hey Ditzy, have the two of them come back yet?...No? Call me when they have, and also lock up for the week afterwards, and come to the dorms with them. We're going to Rime for a bit…Yes, Wiggly and Missy are coming. Alright, take care." Leaf slumps back onto her chair after the call. She spares one last look at the news report and sighs.

Now, while she regrets yelling at Silver, why didn't he tell her fucking Surge was in Rime?!

"Are you done preparing, Wiggly?" She asks her starter, receiving a cute little affirmative.

"Thanks, we'll leave after the students get back. I'll just write up instructions for Marianna throughout the week." Grabbing one of the pencils she leaves lying around, she starts writing. She keeps her off of thinking about it, busy to distract herself from—

The pencil snaps, her hand is shaking. She feels Missy embrace her, the coldness of her love for her trainer calming Leaf.

"I'm sorry…probably going to drink once I get back huh…" Missy makes a half-hearted attempt to discourage her. Ditzy and Wiggly will probably try a lot harder to stop her from relapsing.

Surge is probably already gone by now, but it won't hurt to check. And also to yell at Silver and the new kid in person for once. That might make her feel better. Maybe even get an apology gift for Jasmine for not coming to her wedding despite getting invited.

She tries not to look at the mirror, as she cleans up and grabs another pencil to write with. She might see a killer looking back.

ArvisPresley · Mar 10, 2024

[X] Plan: A Contest of SKLL
-[X] I Need a Stick from Unknown Caller
-[X] Suppression Work
[X] October 5th
[X] Renne

"Okay, so what about Alcremie?"

"It's fine if they offer it to you, but according to a family friend, Alcremies can change the taste and edibility of their cream even after you've eaten it."

"Wait, how does that work?"

It's the second meeting of the Cooking Club, and after an hour-long lesson in baking, your group has been assigned with making a loaf of bread from scratch. Surprisingly, it's Ostia who's taken charge, and is now intently watching the second batch of bread bake.

The first batch was given to your Club Instructor Mr. Gorgonzola; the second batch will be for your group to eat.

Meanwhile, you and Arven are busy discussing food that comes from Pokemon, a separate topic from food made from Pokemon. This was brought on by the usage of Fidough flour from Cortondo for the bread.

"It's something biological with them. Pokedex says all Alcremie can do it and Milcery close to evolving are also capable," you explain.

The family friend who told you all this being Jenkins, of course. One of your favorite stories from him is when an Alcremie in his unit kept their entire squad fed after getting cut off during the war. He was really into describing how weird it tasted.

"Are they known to have healing properties?" You think back to the times Jenkins discussed Alcremie; sometimes he talked about wanting to get one prior to the war but could never convince any Milcery to join him. Apparently, it would've really helped him in his Gym Journey, being one of the few Pokemon that could heal others.

"I think so, why?"

"...no reason." You don't push further, knowing when someone doesn't want to discuss a topic.

"Miss Mary! Mister Arven! The bread is done!" The both of you turn towards Ostia, who's done cooking and has pulled out the pan, thankfully with mittens this time, before placing the finished bread onto a plate.

"Come on, let's go eat." You gesture for Arven to follow; food is a lot better when shared with others and Ostia agrees with you. They're already trying to split the loaf into three.

This is nice. Just a calming club session. Hopefully, the rest of your week goes just as smoothly.

"Welcome to your first day as a Ranger, how are you feeling?" Elise asks you while doing her morning stretches, her Honedge in a sheath attached to her belt. The uniform is kinda itchy but you're not telling her that. It feels awkward on you, while Elise pulls off the red and black shorts and jumpsuit a little too well

"Nervous, but it is what it is. What are our tasks for today?" Elise has given you a brief crash course on ranger basics during your spare time this week. You attempt to wake up Roland, who's wrapped around your neck, still asleep. You didn't take no for an answer this morning, so the lazy drake is going with you to work.

"Mostly Suppression Work, it's, uh, when we need to pull Pokemon out of places they don't belong without hurting them." Elise hands you a paper with the details of each call the Ranger Office received and the nature of their request. Most of them are either from last night or earlier this morning, as well as from nearby residences, which makes sense.

Communities like these often rely on Rangers to keep them safe and interact with most wild Pokemon, leading to members from that community seeking to become Rangers. According to Elise, there's an old saying in Montenevera about how 'the cousin you like is a Ranger and the cousin you hate is a taxman.'

Even in the Highlands, a lot of the smaller clans rely on Rangers for things like negotiating and settling disputes with Wild Pokemon.

"We're also going to be making use of…" Elise pulls something out from her bag, a strange red device that looks like a weird handle with an orbal gem at the end of it.

"This! It's Miss Leaf's Orbal Stylus." Elise turns it on, and a small beam, the length of your middle finger, emerges from the gem. "It's something that Rangers out in Shinwa make use of. It lets them calm down wild and rampaging Pokemon, without having to fight or use Pokeballs." She hands it to you, and you give her a questioning look.

"Already made use of it last week, I'm not, uh… good at it." From how her voice slightly deflates, she's not very happy about it. You reluctantly take the Stylus and listen to Elise telling you how it works.

"You activate it, and a little light comes out. Then, you point it at a Pokemon–but only one, Miss Leaf emphasized–and they'll show up on this screen here. After some time, they'll start to relax and calm down. It won't work on Trainer Pokemon, though, something about Pokeball interference." You practice holding it like an orbal gun; Jenkins used to let you shoot with his when you were bored.

"Got that?" You nod. "Good, then let's get to it!" Elise says with a big smile on her face.

Hmm…

Both you and Elise are looking down a toilet bowl, where a Grimer is currently stuck. It seems too weak to crawl out of the toilet or go back into the sewers from where it came from. From how formless the Pokemon looks, they seem pretty young, might even be newly-formed. Doesn't even have that distinctive Grimer smell yet.

"It doesn't seem to be agitated or anything…it's just resting there," you observe. The Grimer stares, wide-eyed, at the both of you. You're not even sure they're aware of what the two of you are.

"So uh…how do we get them out of there? Cause…" Elise waves Rin around to punctuate her point. Right. A tachi is not a plunger. Honestly, you feel like a plumber would be better for this.

Well, the two of you already got paid. You pull up your sleeves and do your best to coax the Grimer out of there.

"Just stand still!" Job Two, handling a Rattata that got into a house's pantry. You'd think it'd be pretty easy, right?

The Rattata currently trying to claw Elise's face off begs to differ.

The plan was sound. Have Roland spook the Rattata out of where they were hiding, towards an opening where Elise was waiting, and then she'd grab the Rattata while you calmed the Pokemon down with the Stylus. Plans, however, do not survive first contact with the enemy.

Now you're trying to use the Stylus to get the Rattata off of Elise's face before they claw it off.

"IT'S NOT EASY, YOU'RE NOT THE—OW!"

You're not even gonna bother mentioning how the last job went, only its aftermath. The aftermath being that you're currently braiding Elise's hair and cutting off the parts that got singed. Thankfully, Koffings can control how strong they Self-Destruct and the Pokemon was just trying to scare the two of you off.

"I'd have been fine, y'know. Why'd you throw yourself in front of me?" Elise gives a small shrug at your question. She's looking down at Rin, laying on her lap, in contemplative silence. Despite the difficulties, the two of you managed to excellently accomplish all of your jobs for the day.

You're now waiting in one of the Trainer Association offices in Mesagoza. Ditzy had called ahead, so you'll be able to turn in the wild Pokemon the two of you found. Silverleaf Office isn't actually big enough to do the relocation on its own, so you'll have to outsource it. Apparently there's a fee, but Leaf will pay it out of pocket so your pay isn't docked. You're guessing this is one of the ways the League undermines the smaller Ranger Offices.

"...what am I even doing?" Elise whispers under her breath.

"Hmm? What'd you say?" You didn't catch whatever she said, but you don't like the almost dejected look on her face.

"It's nothing. The day is just pretty rough is all…" You definitely don't believe that. "I feel like I'm setting a bad example as your Ranger senior, heh." Elise tries joking, but you can tell that her smile is incredibly forced.

"You showed me the ropes; it was just an unlucky day for you. You just have to keep going until it gets better–we still have tomorrow, after all," you try to comfort her.

"..thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I feel like I'm losing my mind staying here." Right, the two of you keep getting stares from passersby. You're not sure whether it's because of the Ranger Uniform or something else.

Day Two of being a ranger. The good news is you only get one call that morning, so you don't have to work as much. Bad news is that the person who called didn't even leave their name, only that they'll pick up their request once we have it. Good news is that whoever it is, they're paying a lot of money. Bad news is, uh…

"Okay, so how about a Grookey?" Finding a stick that meets the client's criteria is surprisingly hard, that being that said stick is filled with Grass Type Energy.

"Are they even found in Paldea?" you ask, looking through the Pokedex with Elise for valid Grass Pokemon.

"I think some of them are found in Cabo Poco but other than that, I don't think so."

Eventually, after a little more research, the two of you find the perfect candidate.

"Sawsbuck? They're pretty common around Cortondo and Alfornada, their antlers are made of wood, and they can regrow. It's perfect!" You've hunted Sawsbucks and their pre-evolution before with your clan, though your part consisted of tracking them while your parents had Ravs or Chimu go in for the kill. There were also times where your clans would look for Sawsbucks in a dispute with one another and you'd go pick up the broken antlers of the losers.

Some of the forests west of Mesagoza approaching Cortondo are safe enough that the two of you would be fine as long as you didn't go too off-route. You'll just have to find ways to bribe a Sawsbuck to let you near them, then cut off a part of their antlers fast enough that they won't get hurt or change their mind.

With your quarry decided, the two of you commute to the western exit of Mesagoza. West of the City lies the road to Cortondo, the Badajoz Path. Named after the old pre-Collapse settlement that once overlooked the heights, it was one of many that didn't survive the fall of the First Empire. The ruins of such settlements dot the landscapes of Paldea.

Fortunately, you won't be heading there for now, as both you and Elise plan on heading to one of the outlying forests on the lower areas of the heights. To make sure you two actually have a lead, you confirm with the local League outpost on the edges of the Badajoz Path that there have been sightings of Sawsbucks in the area.

Your target is going to be one of the smaller ones, likely recently evolved; any stronger and you doubt either you or Elise could get away if things do go south. As you're about to head in, Elise releases a Pokemon. They still have Rin strapped to the side of their belt acting like a sword, so this might be a new Pokemon—

"Murkrow."

Nevermind. It's the same Murkrow that had been messing with Elise for weeks now, by how he turns to and extends a wing to Elise, imitating holding out an open palm like the Pokemon is asking for something from your friend. Elise sighs while pulling out a purse and gives almost 500 Pokedollars worth of coins to the bird as you look at the two of them, baffled.

"It was the only way I could get him to help us with this. I feel like he's less my Pokemon and more like my employee." After receiving the coins from Elise, the bird turned towards you, his wing still outstretched into an open palm.

"I am not paying you!" You tell him, doing your best to ignore Roland's snickering. This is absurd!

Murkrow clacks his beak and flies off, landing on Elise's head.

This is gonna be a long search, isn't it?

After what felt like hours of searching and tracking, your group, and by that you mean Murkrow, have finally found a Sawsbuck. You sneak a glance at them, careful not to be noticed; seems like a recent evolution, since their antlers haven't been covered in foliage despite it being the middle of summer. They're currently grazing in a small forest clearing. It's rather picturesque how the afternoon sun is shining down on them.

"Alright. I'll keep its attention on me, while you…do whatever it is you're planning on doing." Elise, apparently, has something that'll help with quickly cutting their antlers for the stick you need, but she isn't telling you what it is. You leave her behind a bush a distance away from the clearing, her hand on her tachi as Rin's ribbon slowly wraps around her right arm, a look of utter concentration on her face. You're not all that sure on what she's planning, but you trust her nonetheless.

You pull out a couple of the berries you have in your bag, hoping they aren't picky, and swat away Roland's attempt to eat some of them.

Approaching as slowly and as carefully as you can so you don't spook them, the Pokemon finally spots you approaching, the instinct to run briefly flashing across their eyes and body. Fortunately, the Sawsbuck relaxes after sizing you up, going back to peacefully grazing. You carefully move your arms so that the berries you're carrying are in the Pokemon's line of sight.

Finally, you get near enough that you can almost touch them. "H-hey there, I have something for you." You place the berries on the ground, careful so as to not make yourself look like a threat. Hopefully they like the Sitrus berry; that one was expensive. The Sawbuck sniffs the berries once before digging in.

"So, uh, I'm gonna need something from you. I hope you don't get mad." The Sawsbuck rolls their eyes and continues eating. You wonder when Elise is gonna—

"Autumn Leaf Cutter!" A glint of steel briefly crosses your eyes. What the—

In the blink of an eye, Elise is right next to Sawsbuck, tachi back in its sheath, having moved too quickly to see from her hiding spot to the left of the Pokemon. Both you and the Sawsbuck are in complete shock as to what just happened.

Before any of you can process what's happening, a branch the size of your hand falls from the Sawsbuck's antlers. Shock and surprise turns into disbelief and outrage, and the Sawsbuck raises its front legs, braying and neighing in anger.

"RUN!" Elise all but yells at you as she grabs the stick and your arm.

No time to think or even react as you put as much distance as possible between you and the now very pissed Sawsbuck. Both of your Pokemon are using whatever attacks and moves they can to slow or delay the Sawsbuck; Murkrow using Air Cutters from above to harass, Roland with Infestations and Will-o-Wisp to wear them down, and Rin intercepting and slashing the Vine Whips and Razor Leafs being sent your way.

But the Sawsbuck continues to just barrel right on through after the two of you. Of all the times to leave Renne's ball at home!

"What about the Stylus!" Elise yells at you.

"I'll try!" You nearly fumble and drop the orbal stylus. Activating it, you look back and point it at the Sawsbuck—

Rin's sheath knocks your arms out of the way of a Razor Leaf. Too close! Way too close! You don't have the opportunity to use the Stylus, not like this!

A green orb of light began to gather around the Sawsbuck's mouth, and a hard brown shell began to encase the orb. Seed Bomb. Can Rin even intercept that? You've absolutely bitten off more than you can chew at this point.

Fear begins to creep into your heart. You never should've suggested Sawsbuck! If Elise gets hurt, it's going to be your fault!

The Seed Bomb launches.

"Elise, I'm sorry—

A black and red blur rushes past you, and you turn back to see that a Zoroark has cut the Seed Bomb right in half. They land, snarling, right in front of the pursuing Sawsbuck, who turns tail and runs at the sight of the new Pokemon

"What was that!?" Elise asks, just as shocked as you are.

"Who cares!? Keep running!" You yell at her. Taking one last look behind you reveals that both the Sawsbuck and the Zoroark are gone, but you aren't taking any chances until you've made it back to Mesagoza.

Tired, exhausted, and dirty, the two of you drag yourselves to the nearest Pokemon Center to rest after making it out of the forest. While none of your Pokemon are hurt, the two of you still need to catch your breaths. Right now, you're laying down in the center's lobby couch while Elise is calling Ditzy to report what happened.

Roland is worrying about and doting on you. You let him, too exhausted to fight back.

"I'm back. Ditzy says to go back to the office. The client is there to pick it up." It being the stick both of you nearly got trampled for, which you're still holding onto for dear life, though it's more of a branch than anything.

"Give me a hot second, I feel like throwing up…" Your feet like they're gonna crumble at any minute. That payment better be fucking worth it.

As she and Mariana return to the office, guilt eats away at Elise.

'If I hadn't been insistent on trying to make up for yesterday, none of this would've happened.' She'd wanted to stop feeling like a waste of space after yesterday, maybe even try to follow Mariana's advice, but it just backfired on her. She's certain that the reason the Sawsbuck was so angry was because of her attack. If she hadn't—

"Is that Theodora?" asks a tired Mariana. She looks up at the sound of her friend's name. Theodora? Here?

Thea can't see her like this—she'll just embarrass herself in front of her again!

Just as Mariana had said, there in front of Silverleaf Office are Theodora and her Fennekin, Sharon. She's wearing something similar to what she wore during the Summer Festival; it looks good on her, though it still feels absurd Thea decided to spend time with her of all people during the festivities.

Wait, didn't the caller say they had a Fennekin? Is Thea messing with her again?

'Well, time to face the music I suppose.' It's kinda bad that she's getting used to Thea's tricks and pranks, though it's kind of her fault for almost always biting onto Thea's bait and provocations. The fact that Thea still adamantly refuses to return her 50 Pokedollar coin unless she finally manages to one-up her is a big part of that.

Sure it's just 50 Pokedollars, but it's the principle of the matter! Elise puts the fact that she's made peace with never getting any of the money she's been giving Murkrow out of her mind.

"Oh dear, what happened to the two of you?" Theodora asks, looking shocked at just how ragged the two of them are. Hopefully, Elise managed to get all of the leaves out of her and Mariana's hair.

"Are you 'Unknown caller with the Fennekin'?" Mariana grumbles, understandably exhausted from the day. It's about an hour or so till dusk from the position of the sun right now. Elise is too lazy to check the time on her phone.

"I am indeed them. Apologies, I forgot to state my name when I called." She has that knowing little smirk that Elise is slowly learning means Thea is lying. "In all seriousness, are you two alright?"

Elise looks away from the genuinely worried look on Thea's face and puts a hand on Rin's hilt to calm herself.

"We'll be fine after our payment," Mariana states.

"Right, of course. Here you go." Thea pulls out five 10,000 Pokedollar bills, totalling 50,000 Pokedollars. Her and Mariana's eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets with the amount of cash Theadora is throwing around.

"I believe it'll be split 40-40-20, between the two of you and Silverleaf Office?" The two deputy rangers hurriedly nod. Elise feels like she deserves less, but she doesn't have the energy to argue over that with Mariana right now.

As both of them take their payment (Elise will give Ditzy the Office's cut later once they go inside), Thea takes the Sawsbuck antler stick off of Mariana and gives it to Sharon, who's excitedly running in circles.

Sharon takes the branch in her mouth, still circling in joy. A light begins to emanate and overtake the Fennekin's body. When it dissipates, it reveals Sharon having evolved into a Braixen, still running around on all fours with the now much larger stick in her mouth.

Slowly, Sharon realizes the embarrassing situation she's in and stands up all flustered, spitting the stick out and putting it in her much fluffier tail.

"Snrk…" Unable to help herself, Elise starts laughing at the absurdity of the situation, Thea and Mariana snickering shortly thereafter. Elise feels a little sorry for Sharon, but she needed that laugh.

"All's well that ends well. Isn't that right, My Lady?" The group turns to face the sound of the new voice–Virgilia.

"Oh, you're back, Virgilia! Well, it's been a delight. I thank the two of you and your Office for your help in this endeavor. I must be off. Tata!" Thea curtsies goodbye as she walks up to Virglia, but that's not what Elise is focusing on.

Virgilia's skirt and boots are messy with leaves, some dirt, and dried mud. That's rather uncharacteristic of Virgilia, at least from what Elise knows about her. Elise sneaks a glance to look up at Virgillia, who has a small smile on her face. That's…

"Elise! We're loaded!" Mariana grabs her by the shoulder and starts shaking Elise back and forth.

As the two of you head back to the dorms, you're still feeling the high of getting your pay. 20,000 Pokedollars! It was absolutely worth it. If risking your life pays this well, you might just keep doing it.

Roland's fallen back asleep around your neck despite the bumpy ride, courtesy of Ditzy, transformed into a Machamp, carrying both you and Elise to the dorms. While the two of you tried to convince the Pokemon otherwise, the Ditto was adamant in doing so. Eventually, Ditzy puts the both of you down, having finally arrived at the dorms.

"Thanks for the ride, but that was really unnecessary. I hope we weren't too heavy," Elise says.

"nO pRObleMn =D" Ditzy gargles, having transformed into a pink blob. It was disconcerting hearing them talk for the first time, but you've gotten used to it.

Entering the dorms, your plans of immediately going to bed and waking up at midnight for dinner are foiled by Leaf, who's waiting in the lobby. She's dressed much like the two of you are, yet different, like a Ranger uniform but bizarrely militarized. She also has some traveling bags with her.

"So, Duckletts, how was being a Ranger?" Both you and Elise give similar answers along the vein of 'It was alright, can we get a raise?'

"I'm sorry my Duckletts, but currently, we're in no position for one. Keep up the good work and you might get promoted to Grade 7 or 6–jobs are slightly better paying at that level. But enough about that. Mariana, can I talk to you for a second?" You say goodnight to Elise, who heads upstairs to rest, something unavailable for a dutiful Class President like you.

"I'm gonna be leaving for the next, I don't know, four days. Important stuff came up, so I'll be going to Rime for a bit. I need you to be temporary dorm manager while I'm gone, can you do that?" You nod–sounds simple enough. Leaf explains to you the various chores you're gonna need to do while she and all of her Pokemon are gone. Wait, does that mean—

"Yes, you kids are gonna have to cook for yourselves for a bit. Don't worry too much, I had Wiggly go out and buy groceries, which should last you until I get back at least. Worst case scenario, I left some cash in my office's desk drawer. It's for emergencies only, am I clear?" You nod, suddenly a lot less confident, suddenly thankful for the cooking lessons from the club. God, you hope Virgilia shows up to help with the cooking.

"And lastly, I'm gonna send a file to you via email later in the week about how your Field Exercises are gonna work. Print it out and distribute it to your classmates. Use the printer in my office for that, pretty sure it's stocked with ink. And here." Leaf gives you the dorm keys. "Use these responsibly, alright? I'm trusting you with this."

You look her in the eyes, slightly unnerved by how serious she looks. "Are…you alright, Miss Leaf?" You ask, worried about your teacher.

From the way she smiles, Leaf suddenly looks far older than she is. Bags under her eyes tell of the exhaustion, beyond just the physical, that she's feeling. "I'll be fine, kid. Thanks for worrying. And that reminds me, Missy said you should be fine talking to your little Espurr while we're gone." Right, she doesn't know her name. Renne told you not to tell anyone other than Roland.

With that, Leaf ruffles your hair,grabs her bags, and says goodbye.

MONTH 1 WEEK 3 VOTE

Due to low KNOW: Gain 150 KNOW XP per week (Increases to 330 KNOW XP with traits). Ends at KNOW 8
This is your last week of Fundamental Fundamentals (+10% KNOW XP)

Not every waking moment was spent in class, just most of them. What exactly were you doing throughout the week outside of the daily grind? (Some Potential Social Encounters change every week)
You have 2 AP Available (-1 due to ~~Class President~~ Dorm Manager duties)
Current Cash: 35,000 Pokedollars
League Points: 1,000
Vote will be by Plan Voting Again

[] I Work Out at the Library: Mesagoza Academy has two Libraries, the one in Rodrigo Hall and the dedicated Library building in Maria Hall. Maybe spend a couple of hours a day studying in your free time so you aren't completely lost during class. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: ???, Mela, Theodora
Gain 300 KNOW XP (Increases to 660 KNOW XP with traits)
Erika Bond 2: Gain +100 KNOW XP (Final KNOW XP gain increases to 880 KNOW XP)

[] Pokemon and Me: The Academy has a vast collection of Pokemon under its care and employ, not even counting student and trainer Pokemon. Such a large menagerie necessitates a small army just to take care of them and their needs. Time to check out the enlistment center. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Jacinto, Ostia, Erika
Gain 300 PROW XP.
Gain 500 League Points
Gain random Pokemon Material

[] You Can't Run from a Trainer Battle: The battling Arenas at Rodrigo Hall are both numerous and massive. Since it's still early in the school year, the gap between the various students in the same year isn't quite big yet. You are, somehow, on the higher end of your school batch strength-wise. Sooner or later, you'll have to find greater challenges if your pace keeps up. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Nemona, Astrid, Manuel
Roll 1d20+SKLL DC 20, 24
Gain 200-400 SKLL XP
Gain 200-400 Pokemon XP
All Pokemon Moves Gain 1 MXP
Benefits from this action will decrease once you reach 2nd Badge Level. Benefits will return if you remain 2nd Badge Level by Month 3
Gain or Lose Cash dependent on Outcome

[] You Can't Run from a Battle Between Trainers: Apparently, the school has a dueling arena, not for Pokemon, but for Humans, where the students can pick up wooden spears and sticks to beat each other over with. You might be simplifying things, but it'll be a way to keep yourself fit and sharp. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Eri, ???, Elise
Roll 1d20+PROW DC 20, 24
Gain 300-500 PROW XP
Interacting with Nobles

[] To Train Them is Your Cause: While live battle is useful in sharpening moves, nothing beats good old practice; Experimentation, Building Muscle Memory, or just plain old Mastery. Right now early on, while your Pokemon aren't that strong yet, it's still safe to use the Training Fields of the Academy. But as you get stronger, you'll have to look for more isolated places. You can't let people find out what you're cooking up, after all. That, and something about collateral damage from moves getting worse. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Erika, Ostia, Manuel
Roll 1d20+SKLL DC 24
Gain 100-200 SKLL XP
Gain 100-200 Pokemon XP
All Pokemon Moves Gain 2-3 MXP

[] Advanced BATTLE: A Pokemon Journey is a multi-year long process. Most Trainers get one badge and then struggle for years getting a second. Half of all Paldean Trainers quit around the third Gym. Only a tenth make it to the seventh. There are no shortages of Trainers with only one or two Badges hanging around in Mesagoza. Many of them go to Battle Arenas in Mesagoza proper to prepare themselves for the League Circuit opening up in August. You can challenge them, and you're absolutely going to lose, but there's no better way to reveal your weaknesses than having them ruthlessly exploited. -1 AP

Potential Social Encounters: Nemona, Eri, Atticus
Gain 400-600 SKLL XP
Gain 400-600 Pokemon XP
All Pokemon Moves Gain 1 MXP
Lose Money no matter what

[] The World in a City (3/10): Mesagoza is huge. Obscenely so. It's so massive and sprawling that you could spend days traveling through every inch of it and still miss some nooks and crannies. But you're going to be spending the better part of three years in this city, maybe even more in the future. Better get wandering. -1 AP

This is a Multi-Action Choice. Each AP spent on it unlocks more options and choices in the future.
Roll a 1d100 Random Event Roll
Ostia Bond 2: +20 to RER rolls
Unlock at 3/10: Syncretism is a funny thing. Although you were raised in the traditional shamanistic faiths of the Highlands, long centuries of contact with the Geomantic Church had eventually led to elements of both faiths intermingling with one another in your homeland. Time to see what a "regular" Geomantic Parish looks like. No better place to start than in the Rey Luna Cathedral. (Unlock the Rey Luna Cathedral as a location. They might know something about the stakes…)
Unlock at 4/10: You need to find the Orden de Verde's Mesagoza Chapter House. You're not obsessed, you're just really interested in the history and traditions of the Knightly Order. If you get some more merch ~~and maybe catch a glimpse of the Knights~~ out of it, then all the better. (Unlock the Mesagoza Chapter House as a location. There might even be a way to join them as a student. Though that will be a long-term commitment…)
Unlock at 5/10: Even in the great Urban Centers of Mankind, Pokemon can thrive and grow. Humans and Pokemon living harmoniously alongside one another. (Unlock a Positive Pokemon Den. Unlocks an action to look for Positive Pokemon Dens once a month.)

[] Grade 8 Ranger Work: Following the 'Restoration of Order' in Porto Marinada, both the World Rangers Association and Interpol denounced the Paldean government. In retaliation, Paldea began to undermine Ranger Associations throughout the region. In Mesagoza proper, many of the responsibilities of Rangers fell to either the newly created and League-backed Trainer Associations or the Railway Military Police in the case of Mesagoza's environs. The effectiveness of the handover is questionable at best in some areas of the city, but this presents an opportunity for you to make some hard-earned cash via jobs that are too below the notice of the League to tackle.

Potential Social Encounters: Jacinto, Manuel
Ranger Work is accomplished via a 1d20+STAT with DC thresholds for rewards (Cash and STAT XP)
What kind of Ranger Work you'll tackle will be decided by a vote in the next update.
There are four kinds of Ranger Work. Maintenance Work, Research Work, Community Work and Suppression Work. Each correspond with PROW, KNOW, CHRM and SKLL respectively

[] Purchasing Power: One of the Advantages of being a student in Mesagoza Academy (aside from the student discount) is that unlike regular Trainers on their journey, you don't have to trudge through the routes to get from settlement to settlement. This does mean that there isn't a need for healing items and traveling gear outside of Field Exercises, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. You never know when that potion is the difference between victory or defeat. -1 AP

Start a Mini Turn buying items
Current Cash: Pokedollars 35,000
Available items depend on locations in Mesagoza unlocked
Available Location: Mesagoza Northeast Calico Mall, Academy Town Pokemart, Calico Mall Delibird Presents

[] Extracurricular Extras: Whether due to a recent glut of League Points or a guaranteed source of them, you're now confident in engaging the internal "Economy" of the Paldean Pokemon League. You can request tutoring for yourself or for your Pokemon from the Academy staff or from upperclassmen, commission a TM or TR for your own use (it'll cost extra if you don't provide the Pokemon Materials yourself), purchase specific Pokemon Materials for your needs, or even take part in the informal School Auctions for rare items if you're feeling lucky. -1 AP

Start a Mini Turn buying via League Points
Current League Points: 1,000 League Points
Can exchange LP to raise stats or to teach Pokemon a specific move
Can exchange LP to commission a TM or TR (will cost extra if necessary Pokemon Materials aren't provided)
Can exchange LP to buy Pokemon Materials for personal use
Roll a 1d100 to bid for a random item (usefulness may vary)

[] Phantasmal Feline: She's finally opened up to you now. Sorta. At least she no longer answers your questions with just short sentences. Time to have a proper conversation with them, and this time, you won't have Missy looking over your shoulder.

Has to be taken with Bonding Event: Renne.
You'll have a proper talk with Renne. She's actually a pretty awkward conversationalist.

[CANNOT BE TAKEN] The First Step (1/2): Yo! Champ in the making! Gyms serve as testing grounds in a Journey, places where a Trainer's strengths and weaknesses are laid bare in a safe environment. Some regions prefer purely combat Gyms, others prefer to test a Trainer's relationship with their Pokemon and some challenge a person's relation to the wild and the world around them. Paldea operates on a hybrid system, the vast wilds of the region necessitating Trainers that know their lefts from their rights, but also that Trainers that know how to fight.

Normally, taking on Gyms during Field Exercises lets you skip the Gym Challenge part and go straight to the Leader. But for one reason or another, you're taking on your first Gym now, so Gym Challenge it is. -1AP

Will feature a sub vote next update on which Gym you will be tackling
-2000 League Points. Will be returned after a successful Gym Battle.
Taking this option will lock you into a Gym Leader fight next week. Gym Challenge will depend on which settlement's Gym was challenged
Since it's your first Gym, it will feature a Minor Battle against a Gym Trainer. If you can't beat them, don't even think about beating the Gym Leader (SKLL Roll DC 16)
CANNOT BE TAKEN (Gyms open in August)

Bonding Event: A week's available bonding events are decided either by the narrative or by who you hung out with last week as seen in the Potential Social Encounters. Bonding Events with your Pokemon are always Available. (Choose 2)

[] Roland: Despite pretending otherwise, he's smart enough to recognize words and letters. Time to teach your layabout how to read. With how he tries to run away, it's like teaching Timothee all over again. Improved Bond with Roland. 2/5 to Bond 3

[] Renne: She's finally opened up to you now. Sorta. At least she no longer answers your questions with just short sentences. Time to have a proper conversation with her, and this time, you won't have Missy looking over your shoulder. Improved Bond with Espurr. 0/3 to Bond 2. Has to be taken with Phantasmal Feline.

[] Theodora: Theodora seems exhausted, even more so than usual. With neither Elise nor Virgilia around, she's conscripted you to help make her feel better. How? Gossip. Halfway through, you wonder; how does she even know all this stuff!? Improved Bond with Theodora. 0/3 to Bond 2. Theodora Bond 2 Bonus: +100 CHRM when taking actions that list Theodora as a Social Encounter.

[] Elise: An idle comment during a conversation has led to you being roped into helping her train her swordsmanship. You've never seen a practitioner of the Eight Leaves One Blade School before, so this should be a learning experience. Improved Bond with Elise. 1/3 to Bond 2. Elise Bond 2 Bonus: Gain +100 PROW in You Can't Run from a Battle Between Trainers.

[] Erika: Erika's been cooking up ideas on how she's gonna catch a Scythe, ranging from the reasonable to the absurd to the actually gonna get herself killed. As always, she's asked you for feedback. Improved Bond with Erika. 0/5 to Bond 3

[] Manuel: Manuel has approached you to ask for (quoting verbatim here) "knowledge on raising and training Ride Pokemon only an Andosin would know". You're not sure on whether you should humor him. Improved Bond with Manuel. 0/2 to Bond 1

[] Nemona: The challenger managed to beat Rika Cayena, but it was close. 5-6 in the challenger's favor. After a week of rest and recuperation, they're now gonna challenge their second Elite Four member. An eight year old child?! You manage to catch Nemona watching it on the Living Room TV. Why don't you join her? Improved Bond with Nemona. 0/3 to Bond 2. Nemona Bond 2 Bonus: Gain +100 POKE and SKLL XP in Advanced Battle.

Total Stat Gains this Turn:
100 CHRM XP
1000 SKLL XP
330 KNOW XP
400 PROW XP
330 Passive KNOW XP

Moratorium for 12 Hours
Thanks to Casmii for proofreading

Trails of Tera Steel (Kiseki-inspired Pokemon Academy Quest)

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