The Lost Cities of Talas - The Archaeology Zone

[gmoyes]

gmoyes
As the trainers in the room gathered over the sign-up sheet, it is only after some minutes that you finally get your hand on the pen, writing “Alex Morgan” on the paper. After you came more trainers, and after ten minutes, the crowd finally settled, turning to Dr. Foster for further guidance.

“Excellent.” She quickly exclaimed, seeming to be rather pleased as she picked the inscription sheet. “I’ll be back in a moment, just need to hand this out to the right people. And don’t worry; no pokemon is going to appear now, cross my heart!”

As she giggles for a second, she leaves the room with a fast pace, and you continue your tour around the exposition. Various fossils of Omanyte, Kabuto, Lileep and many more were displayed, a small text explaining their traits, and a picture created by a computer. Another ten minutes pass, and Dr. Foster arrives, smiling as usual. “Oh God, Bob didn’t do any mistakes now. The Tournament will begin shortly. If you could please follow me, I’ll show you the Battlefield.”

As she exits the room again, you and all the trainers interested in participating in the “show” and some who weren’t trainers followed her, curious about what was going to happen. Walking down a wide hall, at the end is an entrance to a very large elevator. You were one of the firsts to enter it, although Dr. Foster asked for the remaining one’s patience, as she would get back to the main floor as quickly as possible. As the doors closed, the elevator started to descend quickly, and five seconds later you found yourselves on a large balcony. As you rush off the elevator, Dr. Foster ascends again, and while the others get to the underground level, you examine your locations. Below the balcony was a large battlefield, similar to those found on regular gyms and leagues. The battleground was of a simple concrete, nothing out of the ordinary. A few seconds later, the remaining trainers arrived, and Dr. Foster continues.

“As you have cleverly deducted, this will be the tournament’s location. For now, that is, but I’ll get to that later.” As she says that, you notice that the underground level didn’t only have the battlefield, as on the far end of the balcony there was a door; still, you didn’t find it too interesting, your mind focused on her words. On the battlefield level, stairs connected it and the upper level where you were standing. “For the first round, you will have to fight another trainer. Your names have been entered on a Random Sequence Generator, and the match-ups have been done. To start our tournament, we have…”

Turning to you, she continues with a smile “Our friend Alex here, and …Jaq…Jaqen, am I pronouncing this right?” The crowd sees a hand sticking out, a teen seeming to be excited. Passing his hand through his black short hair, his dark eyes meet yours quickly enough. All in all, he appeared a dark tall fellow – you even wander who you hadn’t seen him before, as he appeared to be quite the stand-out guy. “Indeed you did, Doctor. Jaqen, from a far away town, in the land of Braavos – hence the foreign name. Pleased to be of acquaintance” he greeted courteously. “Such a fine gentleman!” she giggled. “Very well then! Please go down those stairs, and start the match. It will be a 1vs1 pokemon battle. Whoever KOs the other pokemon wins. We have some complicated machinery here in the labs, but we do our battles simple!”

As you get down the stairs, the remaining trainers and the Doctor decide to observe the battle from above. Jaqen is first to release his pokemon, an Accelgor materializing in front of him. “Good luck!” he smiled. “Shall we have some fun?”

When Dr. Foster announced the first match-up, he looked around for this Jacen and gave a nod towards his first opponent. Of course as luck would have it, he would be in the first match. Jacen's apperance did sort of looked familiar. Maybe he ran into him the few times he had been at the bar. He wasn't familiar with the Braavos region, he himself came from Mauville in Hoenn. Though just looking at guy, he could tell this would be a tough match and as they got to the arena his choice of pokemon showed that.

His opponent had an Accelgor, a bug type who was know for its speed. His own choice would have to be important. While Bronsor had ancient power to combat the bug type, it was neutral to bug whereas Theta resisted it though didn't have super effective attacks. But it's electric attacks would mess with the pokemon's speed which would be useful to be able to defeat it. "Ok then, Theta let's go."

The magnet pokemon gave a chirp in reply and took its place on the battlefield. "Theta, start off with a Metal Sound and then follow up with Flash Cannon. Then use Thunder Wave." As the steel type bobed a nod, Alex had a flashback to his first battle here at Fizzy Bubbles. It was against a trainer named Charm and even with a type disadvantage, it was a close fight. The same stratagy applied here, lower its defences, attack it, paralize it. That would be a perminate stratagy for his starter.

[Rotom310]

Rotom310 (note: your intro post was very good, except for a very small part - “he spotted a few other cars around”. You made sure no one was other luckily, but that bit is self-updating, since you yourself added elements to the scene. A very minor element, obviously, but just wanted to point it out ^-^)

The ruins of the Sovereign Valley were certainly famous, many of its riches already on display on the Atlas Museum and several others, their exhibitions gathering hundreds and some even thousands of both experts and laymen. “Many of its riches”, you ask? Well, some speculate that there are still several hidden chambers in this vast maze of catacombs – and following the archaeologist tradition, the better hidden it is, the more valuable its contents. These were unfortunately very well hidden – no new discovery had been made in the last two years. Even the most modern technology could not pinpoint any new chamber, and fewer and fewer archaeologists were ‘wasting’ their time there. Were they wrong? Had they discovered everything there was to be found? Or were you the one who would discover something new, something exciting? Time would soon tell.

Korvéo was the first to enter the catacombs, believing to have seen something shiny in there. You quickly follow suit, finding no one in the first chambers you visit, although there are signs of them being recently visited. The Murkrow seemed a tad disappointed, nothing shiny was in sight, that had probably been the sun reflection on a more polished stone or something. As you continue your tour, you couldn’t help but notice some interesting paintings in a small chamber, although in a worn-out state. Time goes by indeed. It appeared to depict a population, both human and pokemon (a well-restored Claydol made that clear), and pictograms of their houses surrounding a bigger building, the king’s palace most likely! Certainly beautiful, but much was to be done if they were to return to their former glory. “Krow!” you hear Korvéo, spotting a small golden coin on the floor nearby. As he flew forward to pick it up however, something spherical rapidly slammed into him, pushing him to the ground. The creature soon revealed itself to be a Sandshrew, the mouse pokemon glaring at you. Your presence was clearly unwanted. “Shrew!” you hear, turning around to find another mouse standing at the door, and it didn’t look like it was going to let you go either.

What will you do?

(Ack, I'm really sorry for not doing anything with this for a while. Also, I really didn't know what to do from here, so I hope this is fine ^^;;)

"Murkrow~" Korvéo gleefully whooped up ahead. Trailing behind and quickly losing ground Drew groaned. It had only been a wekk since he'd obtained the Murkrow in a trade, and already this kind of chase was becoming far too commonplace for his liking.

Luckily the chase didn't last much more than a minute or two, as all of a sudden Korvéo stopped midair - almost causing Drew to run smack dab into him - and frantically flew about the cavern for few seconds before stopping and cawing frustratedly. The Murkrow pouted for only a few more seconds before he noticed his trainer. Flying over to perch on his shoulder, Drew noticed the 'krow kept a relatively blank expression on his face, though his eyes still gilttered with frustration and disappointment. "Hey, don't worry Kor," Drew said, deciding to comfort the bird when he saw Korvéo's disappointment instead of the yelling he much rather felt. "I'm sure we'll find whatever you were looking for eventually. And if not I'll make sure you get whatever you want when we get back to Castelia." A quick scratch under the chin and Korvéo seemed slightly brighter. "Ok, so, tombs. That's what we're looking for. And not just any tomb but a specific one, which I have no idea where it is and how to get there..."

"Krow," Korvéo muttered, resisting the urge to face-wing as his trainer continued talking.

"Yeah, I think I've found a problem with this plan," Drew groaned. "Man, now I wish there were actually some other people here," he said glancing around the chamber, empty minus one photographer and a Murkrow. "Oh well, let's look around shall we?"

Taking out his camera Drew walked around the walls of the chamber and the neighboring ones, snapping pictures of anything that looked remotely interesting. In particular were a couple of paintings off in a small antechamber. They were incredibly old and worn, but not enough to lose their original contents to history. From the bits that were most distinguishable, Drew guessed it was supposed to be a king's village, given how their were numerous small house-like pictograms surrounding a much large one. He could even see small people and Pokémon intermixed among the homes (though seeing a decently restored Claydol made him pause long enough to wonder why whoever fixed that little bit didn't bother with the rest of it). Adjusting the flash for the chamber's lighting, he took a few pictures of the paintings - mentally noting to do some research on them when he got back to his flat in Castelia - before he returned to the main chamber he had been in.

"Krow!" he heard Korvéo exclaim as he walked in through the doorway, quickly spotting the bird lunging at a small coin tucked in a nearby corner. Before he could reach it, however, the Murkrow was suddenly knocked out of the air by a small brown projectile. Rolling around a bit, the small sphere soon revealed itself as a Sandshrew, looking adorable in Drew's opinion as it glared his way. Ever since taking a shoot featuring a Sandshrew for a brochure for the Johto Safari Zone he held a soft spot for the 'shrew species, and looking down at the Sandshrew and its friend who just arrived seemingly trying their best to seem intimidating, Drew couldn't help but give an amused smile. They were still cute as hell, even when they didn't seem to want him there.

"Don't worry little guys," the photographer said crouching down toward the 'shrews, holding out his hands in a surrender posture to try to calm them down. "I don't wanna hurt you or touch anything. Just take a few photos of some tomb and go. Maybe if you could help me find it I could get out of here even sooner," he added, wanting to see if he could convince the 'shrews to help, assuming they didn't just try to claw his face off and force him out.

[CyberBlastoise]

Someone replies, I update. Simple enough.

CyberBlastoise
Perhaps you were on to something. Indeed, it looked like both pokemon’s movesets had been switched by some unknown means – it would explain at least why Petilil was using attacks it wasn’t supposed to know, and how Silver couldn’t perform any of those he was meant to know. Soon enough, you would see if that was true or not.

Silver is first to act, or at least tries to – did his trainer just tell him to use Mega Drain? He didn’t know that move, he must be confused; better to use Ice Beam, he would show that green bugger what he could do. Trying to focus some of his ice energy in front of his mouth, nothing begins to form, looking even more confused than before.

The ‘green bugger’ wouldn’t wait for him to attack however, as you spot him waggling its head to the right, to the left, to the right, to the left, before stopping. What had the gods of the Metronome given it? A small orb of rainbow colors forms in front of it, quickly firing a majestic Aurora Beam at the goofy turtle, which deals slight damage due to type resistance. But good news! The impact was big enough to snap Silver out of his confusion, ready to (finally?) hurt the Petilil.

Sleep Powder was next in line, while the Petilil began once more moving to the right and to the left, preparing another metronome. Maybe next time it could get a Bolt Strike, so Silver hurries up and tries to think how the hell he could release some spores he never learned how to release – but simply enough, it appears he just has to think about the attack, as spores shoot out of his cannons, spreading throughout the infinitely white arena. The Petilil begins to look drowsy, its movements to the left and to the left looking sloppy, before finally succumbing to the sleep powders. Such an opportunity could be valuable for a good strike!

What will you do?

So it was that the Pokemon's moves were switched. That means that both of their moves had been swapped. Now Bill wondered if it was such a good idea to give Silver quite a few of those moves, but he was thankful that Silver hadn't had the chance to learn any Grass or Electric type moves directly. Though Metronome was going to be a big problem, he could tell that. Instead he needed to think on the here and now. The Petilil wasn't the only one with new moves, now Silver was too. Bill wasn't about to let this temple get the best of him though. "Silver, start off with Growth. Then-" The Petilil may not be a high level, so what move should he use? "Try Mega Drain...if you can't, use Absorb instead."

Bill crossed his fingers and hoped for the best. The biggest problem is that with the move swap that also meant that Silver only knew Grass-type moves via Petilil's natural moveset.

[Missingno. Master]

The Sphinx: This Sphinx loves riddles so if you don't like them then this isn't the place for you. Answer the Sphinx's riddle and she will allow you entry. Once inside you will be faced with another twelve riddles. Each time you guess the correct answer you advance to the next stage where you will battle for your right to face another riddle. Make it to the end and you will receive great rewards, if you lose a battle or answer a riddle incorrectly you will find yourself back at the beginning.

A man in his early twenties was en route to Talas, as per the request of the floating purple cloth next to him.

"OK, Myrtle, remind me again why you wanted to come here?" Keith said in annoyance; his Shuppet had been pestering him nonstop to visit the Sphinx.

Myrtle rolled her eyes, also in annoyance. Though she had a tendency to show annoyance for but the flimsiest of excuses, this time it was somewhat warranted, as this question had been addressed several times before. "As I have said ear-li-er, Meat Sack," Myrtle said, "I have a fee-ling that this is one a-re-a where you and I might ac-tu-al-ly get a-long. You an-swer the rid-dles, and I han-dle the bat-tles."

"You're letting me handle the riddles," Keith said. "I was under the impression you didn't have a very high opinion of my intelligence."

"I still don't," snapped Myrtle. "But af-ter o-ver-hear-ing you solve Ma-ri-on's Gast-ly's rid-dle back at the bar, I am forced to ad-mit you might just have a cer-tain knack for rid-dles. In truth, I would like to see whe-ther that was a fluke or whe-ther you ac-tu-al-ly are smar-ter than you look."

"And you sure you can handle the battles?" Keith asked. "You haven't been in many battles yourself."

"Tell that to those Se-vi-per back on Ve-nom Is-land," retorted Myrtle. "I think they have rea-son to dis-a-gree with you there."

"All the same," Keith persisted, "If you wind up in trouble, I'll be glad to send in another Pokemon."

"Just keep mo-ving," Myrtle sighed as they continued towards the Sphinx.

[Marion Ette]

The Lost Cities of Talas
The Archaeology Zone

Atlas City

A bustling city located alongside the Laos River. While there are several small, stray settlements scattered across the land, Atlas's reputation has spread worldwide since the discovery of the lost city of Sobek less than a mile from its shore. The incredibly large influx of scientists, trainers, and tourists has aided in building Atlas from a humble village into a modern and prosperous city. Walking the streets at night isn't recommended, however, as the sudden prosperity of Atlas City has also attracted many thieves.

Areas:

Emporium Hotel: A luxurious five star hotel located in the heart of Atlas City, the Emporium Hotel is fit for royalty. Some even say they've seen royalty of the ancient spiritual kind inhabiting rooms on the thirteenth floor. Perhaps these patrons have had a little too much to drink in the elaborate hotel bar?

"Hotel rooms are just naturally creepy places, don't you think? I mean, how many people have slept in that bed before you? How many of them were sick? How many were losing their minds? How many were perhaps thinking about reading a few final verses from the Bible in the drawer of the nightstand beside them and then hanging themselves in the closet beside the TV? Brrrr. In any case, let's check in, shall we?" - Stephen King

***

A ghostly-looking young woman dressed in her finest black gown and sporting a meticulous updo of pale lavender hair enters the hotel lobby with an absolutely stunning Pokemon; a Ninetales with golden fur, ruby eyes and a pink bow around her neck struts through the doors beside the young woman as if the foxlike Pokemon was born to royalty. The young woman does her best to appear similarly poised and dignified, and though she does a fairly good job of imitating what she imagines the clientele of the Hotel act like, she pales in comparison to the natural elegance and beauty of her beloved Pokemon, who has clearly been pampered with far more regularity and attention than even the young trainer's currently well-styled hair. The lady gently pats the Ninetales on the head, and the creature coos happily.

"I certainly hope there are some vacancies on the thirteenth floor... Oh, I would hate to have come all this way for it to be a waste!"

The Ninetales whimpers a bit in response, as if to show her agreement with the well-dressed young woman's statement. She nuzzles her nose against the trainer's thin, pale hand and gives it a lick for encouragement. The trainer giggles a bit and scratches underneath the Ninetales' chin.

"Hehe, what am I saying... It won't be a total waste. Even if I don't get a room on the thirteenth floor, I am sure there are plenty of trainers around who would love to meet you and give you some well-deserved attention! Won't that be fun, Aislyn? Maybe not as fun as researching potential hauntings, but still..."

The Ninetales yips with excitement at the thought of socializing with some new friends, her gem-like eyes gleaming. This gorgeous Ninetales had certainly come a long way from when the ghostly lady had first come across her as a wild Vulpix, injured and so very alone. The Vulpix, now known as Aislyn, had agreed to join the young woman's team after being nursed back to health by the trainer's efforts, and ever since that day, Aislyn's trainer has vowed to do her best to ensure that Aislyn never suffers from loneliness again.

"I'm glad to hear it," the trainer responds with a warm grin. "Now, let's go ask about vacancies, shall we?"

[Takeo]

The sun was just starting to set, the cool breeze was whistling in, and the waves were gently crashing against the shore,

Hallow laid upon the sand while Grace and his newly acquired Trapinch, Cassiopeia, were playing,

"It's been a long time since you've been home Hallow,"
A voice called out to him,

Hallow sat up from under the umbrella he had set earlier in the day,
it couldn't be, he thought,

"Well well well, if it isn't my old friend Blaine,"
"You'd think a scholar like yourself would dress more formally," he joked,
Blaine was wearing your run of the mill hula shirt, red board-shorts, and sandals,
if you didn't know he was a native, you'd think he was a tourist,
"Haha," the old man laughed,
"You know what they say, When in Rome...,"
"Do as," Hallow replied,

Blaine turned his attention over to Grace who had just been quickly buried in the sand by Cassiopeia,
"Grace is looking stronger then ever," he remarked,

"Well it is thanks to your training," he said,
his smile faded,
He looked down toward the sand in shame,
"I'm sorry that I ran away without saying anything,"

Blaine walked over to him and sat next to him in the sand,
"We all have our own path,"
"Don't worry too much about the past,"

"How's the life of a runaway?," he teased,
Hallow shook his head and returned to his cheerful disposition,
"I met a trainer by the name of Matthew on my travels, he had a full set team of prehistoric pokemon," he paused, "Blaine, he had Mew with him...,"

Blaine just stayed quiet, watching the sea, the water glittering in the bright colors of sun and sky,

"Did it look happy?," he asked,

Hallow smiled at this, "Yes,"

"Then that's all that matter's," grinning,

The Lost City of Sobek

The first of the lost cities to have been unearthed, Sobek is the most extensively examined of the five known ancient civilisations. Despite the fact it's surrounded by desert, a thick, healthy layer of the greenest of grass has grown since Sobek was first uncovered. The dig site is extensive, and even though it is believed this city was the main agricultural centre of Ancient Talas, some of its areas raise questions as to what kind of rituals the people who once dwelt here may have performed. Here you will find many places of interest such as the Pokémon Centre, Research Lab and tourist stalls, as well as several interesting excavation sites to explore.

Areas:
Research Lab: Any fossils unearthed can be taken here for examination. Occasionally one of the professors may have a job opening, so if you're looking for something to do it can't hurt to swing by and see what's available.

Fate works in mysterious ways.

It was only 7am and the heat was immensive, the sky was clear, which would normally be a good thing back where Hallow was from,

His Vulpix didn't mind it too much, she being a Fire-Type and all, and Trapinch wouldn't had either but she was tucked away in her pokeball,

"The excavation site should be near by," He told Grace as they walked along the sand,

Hallow had taken this adventure on a whim after he talked to Matt. about fossil reanimation, he just couldn't wrap his head around how a fossil, a piece of an organism of the past like a skeleton, shell or even a leaf could be brought back to life,
to him it was too Farfetch'd and sounded like something that came out of a book or a movie, but that didn't stop him from hoping,

[Fireray]

The Lost Cities of Talas
The Archaeology Zone


The Isle of Talas

Areas:
Laos River: A long and winding river lined with tall palm trees snaking its way throughout this vast desert island. Many wild Pokémon can be found basking upon its banks, while families love to sit by the water and watch the barges sailing by.

Fireray wondered why he even came here. Clearly he wasn't made for the desert. Every other day he would have taken Cyndaquil but not today. Today he was training his weaker Pokemon.
Fireray was running though the desert hoping to find water soon. He was barly touching the sand as he ran though. Fireray collapsed when something occured to him. If he was running he would collapse quicker if he ran. Standing up walking in a steady pace he continue foward to the river. He finally saw family stitting at the river so he sprinted onward to the river.
'Kids don't try the following at'he thought as he collapsed in the river cooling down.

[Meetan]

The Lost Cities of Talas

Atlas City

The Market: A bustling marketplace. Food, clothing, and knick-knacks can be purchased here, but you'd better be careful. Some of the seedier business owners are renowned for advertising fake items as genuine artefacts. If you're lucky, however, you may just find a gem amongst the junk.[/size]

Alice Hope was not one for intense heat, but she was dealing with it. The walking around was good for her, and she honestly thought that this different culture – although brutal in history depending on the area explored – was fascinating. She was an outcasted nerd at heart, and this felt like taking a solo expedition, almost like the trips she’d make with her academy teacher so many months ago.

Her clothing was light. A black cropped top kept dignity with her upper half, and over the top, tied at the front of her waist, was a light, kimono styled top. Pink and orange flowers were sewed into the thin, river green material, which was at a v of her neck and ended in the middle of her thighs. Thin black leggings were cut off above her knee, and Alice’s favoured heels came back into play: wooden wedges, in a brown sandal style.

She had tied her hair up, some blonde bangs coming stray from her topknot. Instead of a backpack, a leather crossbody was around her front. She had heard of thievery in these parts, and didn’t want to take chances with a backpack.

The market was her choice of exploration. She had registered herself at the luxurious Emporium Hotel nearby, and would probably investigate the library after a browsing (and shopping?) session. She wasn’t exactly stuck for time these days, so Alice would make her way around Talas as she pleased, keeping in mind that some areas played host to Pokemon that would be openly aggressive and powerful to boot. Maybe they would be best to avoid for this adventure.

Her glossed lips parted slightly, blue eyes widening as she noticed some rings and bracelets on display, among fine looking garments. Maybe knick-knacks could be purchased as souvenirs for friends or family, but clothing and accessories seemed a far more worthy investment for herself. “How much do these cost?” She asked hopefully. Unlike some of the other sellers around, these seemed legit. “Can I take a closer look? Like, touch them?” That would be the best way to tell if the goods were genuine. Her nails were painted a bright orange, but her hands weren’t grubby. So it’d be okay, right?

[Treepandaone]

For those of you who didn't cancel your adventure with Takkupanda and have replied to his last update (Thrain and Kaisap) you can come into my group if you want but I don't mind if you want to cancel. If you want to stay feel free to reply to my update but if you don't a quick VM/PM will do ^^.

Hey there and welcome to my group, hopefully I'll make Talas one of your favoured spot and we'll go on an adventure that's fun for both of us. I prefer updates that are detailed so don't expect me to updates as much as some of these young guns. I've also got a few helpful hints when I'm updating so here they are:

* 3 attacks can be used per update in a single battle, and 2 attacks for each Pokémon in a double battle. If I ever update a triple battle each Pokémon will be allowed 2 attacks, though I doubt I'll ever use triple battles (too hectic it's easy to get lost).

* I've been reading the Pokémon Adventures Manga recently so I'll be using some reference points from there (the Team Rocket Elite for example). If you are unsure of any reference / character behavioural patterns you can consult Bulbapedia which has a good collection or you can ask me directly.

* All of the standard FB rules apply such as size 1, good grammar, no self updating and all that good stuff, and because this zone is all Dark Orange your default is that unless I specifically state otherwise. I'll still add it beside your name on each update for reference.

* I would like to state now I'm a rather rated R updater so Pokédeath could occur. I'm happy to take on all ages but swearing may be used, death and adult issues can be included. Just a heads up in case you don't want any of it.

* I treat updates a bit like a board or video game, but with no do-overs or continues. Your actions may affect the area your in, may affect the entirety of Talas and may affect other people. This zone will all be intertwined so if something major happens somewhere (volcano explosion or something) other people might feel it. I also believe in crossroads so there are times you are asked to take a direction. There is no real right/wrong answer but if you act too passively consequences could happen, just like if you act too aggressively consequences could happen. I'm not saying they will or won't, but my advice is to think about each scenario.

* In in interest of fairness I offer many levels of battling in adventures. Sometimes you will be asked if you want 1 vs. 1 battles all the way up to 4 vs. 4 battles (5/6 vs. 5/6 takes too long). The battles will be matched up level-wise but the more Pokémon you chose the harder it is. If you fail you walk away with very little so the risk is high but the reward is also higher (the loser could give you information / items / rumours / anything at all that may help you later on. It could be just junk).

* I prefer not to have signatures so if you could, can you post without them. I've got your profiles on record in an OpenOffice document but it isn't the end of the world if you forget, I'll still update you. I just like to keep my updates signature free.

I think that's it so have fun in Talas. This time I'll be replying backwards because OpenOffice corrupted my last file so to give myself momentum I'm starting with the ones I haven't done first. After that whoever posts first will be replied to first.

The Market: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Meetan: With no Pokémon out to accompany you on your trip to Sobek you decide that The Market is one of the best places to go; despite rumours of thievery and scamming, the market offers a wonderful opportunity to relax and browse some wares, as each day brings new and mysterious things, wondering what you'll find in today's lottery of stalls. Your feet plod against the cobblestone floor as you notice how busy the city is; scientists of varying importance rush past with letters, documents, Pokémon and various other experiments passing through the science-rich region of Talas. The influx of trainers has also bought a wider sense of commercialism as you look through some of the stalls, noticing Pokéballs, Normal and Super Potions, Status healers and Mail are the items mostly stocked in the bustling marketplace, though a stall of Moo Moo Milk catches your eye, the larger bottle setting you back 6000 while a herb shop sits next to it selling Energy Root for 800 and Revival Herb for 2800.

Moving through the market to kill a few hours before you head for the library or the Emporium Hotel, one of the poshest and most expensive hotels in Talas, you pat your chest to make sure your leather crossbody was still intact you browse the busy markets, taking extra precautions amidst rumours of Pokémon Thieves stalking the area, praying on those who are not well equipped. Coming to a stall of fancy bracelets and necklaces you ogle at the pretty colours, rare gems of red, blue, purple and green flash under Talas' burning sun, each one exquisite in taste and worth a lot of coins. You quickly decide that clothing and accessories for yourself would be a better investment than knick-knacks for family and ask about the price, a young man in his later 20's smiling.

Before he opens his mouth, however, an old lady comes out, giving you the once over, noticing your orange nails before snorting a little. You're taken aback but ask if you can touch them, just to ensure their authenticity before you spend what could easily be thousands of Pokédollars on fake goods, remembering that one shop trying to sell you Armooni, a cheap Clefable-style knock off of the Georgio Armani brand. The old woman grabs a fan from her pocket, slapping your outstretched fingers as you reel back in pain.

“No. Nobody touches the goods. I know what you are thief!” She cries, causing a scene as a few stall owners turn to look. Great embarrassment causing your cheeks to burn a ruby red as you attempt to claim your innocence, many of the stall owners shrugging as they accept your story of being a trainer in the land as they return to their business, but the old lady does not.

“You'd better leave Sobek thief or I'll make you leave” she threatens, slamming the fan down on the table with a crack. Reluctantly you realise you aren't going to change her decision, backing away from the rings, necklaces and bracelets you wished you owned, your head down.

Moving away from the old ladies' stand you further into the marketplace, away from the touristy section that give you odd looks as you walk by, protecting their goods and not allowing you to buy them. Feeling sorry for yourself and angry against the woman who did this you kick a rock on the floor, sending it forward a few steps. A little while later you lift your head, only to be in a part of the market you'd never seen before. A group of cooped up caged Pidgey squawk away on one of the stalls as their feathers litter the ground. The owner gives you a rough look as you look at them for a few seconds, feeling sorry for the poor flying Pokémon, wondering if they'll get sold to a trainer who wants them or just for Pokémon food. Noticing you were in a rather rough part of the marketplace you decide that it's an area more likely to produce fakes and decide to turn back, this is no place for a young woman who's Pokémon are slightly out of reach. Turning back, you walk back from where you came from, nonchalantly of course.

*Smack*

You feel something heavy hit you and before you can work out what you find yourself on the floor. The warm but dusty area of this market filled with loose rocks that clatter your elbow on the way down. Your eyes go blurry for a second but as they return you see a young man about your age, dressed in a white lab coat, his shoes a shiny back as he stands out amongst the surroundings.

“Oh I'm terribly sorry” he says, lifting your arm as he helps you up “I was just trying to deliver some important documents, I'm ever so clumsy when I'm in a rush”

Trying to cool it out you wave away his excuses, your arm pounding in pain though you try not to let him see, the designer glasses and long blonde hair swaying in the wind. Putting your hands on your knees and gasping for breath the man comes over and stands beside you, waiting for the right moment to introduce himself.

“I'm John. Pokémon Research and Scientist in Sobek, I study Pokémon habitats, I'm considered quite the expert” he explains, before looking down, his voice changing to an almost embarrassed tone “Today however I'm a delivery boy for my father, Mark Lavoisier, the head researcher on Pokémon biology and chemistry in all of Talas”

You smile as he tells his story, noticing his discomfort at discussing his father as his hands fiddle with the documents he's holding. Deciding to spare him of his family woes you introduce yourself, shaking his hands as you explain the reason you're in Sobek and the destinations you intent to go. He nods enthusiastically when you mention The Emporium and the library, having clearly spent a lot of time at both.

“Oh dear. I do apologise but I must be off. Mustn't be late for father's meeting”, he explains, waving the document's he's carrying in one hand. You nod in understandment as he wishes you well on your journey before walking away, this soon turning into a jog as he looks at his watch. You turn your back on him and smile, wondering about his life and if you'll ever meet him again before noticing something is wrong.

Checking your pockets for your wallet and keys you find everything in tact, but you still feel something is … wrong. Different somehow. Checking in your bag you go through all you had with you, a Pokédex, coin case, berry bag along with your valuable items are all there. Flicking through the bag pouches you find a small Silver Vulpix statue in your bag. Taking it out you notice it's hand-carved and very beautiful but you can't help but think it's there for a purpose.

“A calling card!” you yell out, some people in the market turning to you while other turn their backs to you. Rummaging through your bag you notice that your Pokémon are missing. Jotting your mind back to what happened you notice that the last time you didn't have them was before you met John! Running in the direction he left it you fail to see him, he must've disappeared somewhere.

Around you is a nightclub, opened during the day as a bar/restaurant, a bouncer on the door dressed in a black t-shirt and folding his well muscled arms; a market stall with a slightly-nervous looking seller and a child who plays over by a fountain, his clothes somewhat tattered like he's living on the streets.

What will you do?

OoC: If you would like the Moo Moo Milk or Herbs you can purchase it in your reply.

Laos River: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Fireray: Although you'd picked the Island of Talas to adventure in, you soon began to wonder why as the blaring heat smacked the back of your neck, the desert-continent's weather well established and documented by the region's large number of scientists. Although usually accompanied by your friend and Pokémon Cyndaquil, today you are accompanied by your lesser-leveled Pokémon, the ones you needed to spend time with to gain that special bond between trainer and Pokémon. You shrug off the decision to come to Talas and move along the desolate wasteland until you find the legendary Laos River, once described by Pokémon Magazine as 'the most beautiful river and yet the most deadly, snaking across tropical jungle and out to sea', the home to many families who like to watch the barges. Spotting on on the coast you pray they don't let their children follow your actions as you dive into the water, met with a splash as the sun's rays colour the excess a mix of blues and yellows.

This was more like it, the warm sun heating up the river's water to an acceptable temperature, still cooling against the sun you had experienced on your way to the popular hot-spot. You think back to deciding against getting a guide to tour you, confident in your own Pokémon's ability to get the job done and protect you from any dangers that could lie in Talas. Not that there are many dangers around here, you think, families come here and the Pokémon are well versed in their presence, offering only to battle when they feel trapped or endangered. Spreading yourself into a starfish and floating on top of the water you close your eyes against the blinding sun, the relaxing river washing away all of your troubles. You hear nothing, your ears underneath the water as the sounds of the river wash past, freeing you from all worldly stress as you feel any problems disappear. You bask in the moment for a few minutes more before deciding that you should continue your adventure along the river.

You open your eyes to see the bank on your right, however you notice that no families are close. You shrug it off, wondering if they had moved because you were setting a bad example, children could easily be squashed by the barges that past through or swept away in a heart beat. Laos was Talas' biggest river, affected with all kinds of problems. Breast-stroking to the edge, you grab hold of the bank's side, but the softened mud falls apart in your hands, pushing you further out into the river.

Suddenly you're caught by a current, sending you further down the river. Confident in your swimming abilities you manage to stay calm, swimming against the current and over to the side, but again another current sweeps you further down river. Looking round you notice you're caught in a white water rapid, an offset from the main river as you see a split behind you. Clearly swimming to the side to get out made you move into this path. Thinking that diving into a river you'd never heard of might have been a bad idea, you soon find yourself bobbing up and down, struggling for breath against the steadily increasing rapid water. You attempt to swim backwards, against the current but it's no good; it's too strong as you feel yourself getting pulled the other way. Turning round you see a large plain of grey before hitting it, the rock smashing against your skull and causing you to black out.

~~~

Opening your eyes you press one hand against your head as drops over water run down your face. Where were you? What happened? All these questions run through your head as you open your eyes as they adjust to the light around you. Putting your hand down on the floor you feel it's slimy and moving.

Wait... Slimy and moving? That doesn't sound right. You attempt to jump upright but are stopped by a large force stopping you; your eyes getting back into focus as you see a wall of flopping red. Ahead of you a cross-pattern seems to be the reason you're stuck, grabbing it to feel the mesh of nylon. A noise of whirring fills the air as you realise you're in a net; a net filled with Magikarp.

“Open the net” a rough voice shouts as you feel the weight lessen, before dropping to the floor with a thud. Your body smacks against the wooden deck before being hit in the back by a ton of Magikarp, each flopping around for a minute before running out of oxygen. Shaking your head you begin to stand but a hand grabs the clothing on your back, lifting you up with one hand.

“Well what do we have here boys? Looks like someone wants to sabotage our fishing trip” he says as you look to face him, a think black beard and moustache wraps round his face, several gold teeth filling his mouth as he speaks.

“Explain yur'self boy!” he says, slamming you back to the ground as you scamper towards the side “WHO SENT YOU?”

What will you do?

Research Lab: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Takeo: After an early morning under the scorching sun, you arrive at your destination; the lost city of Sobek. Emptying your wallet to find nothing, you look back from where you arrived from, hoping that your journey would end soon. Your feet touch down onto the soft mounds of sand as you stretch a little, the sun beating down hard onto your neck as Vulpix mews as it enjoys the head, walking bedside you. Behind you an mound of dirt moves, an underground Onix or something of its ilk speeds off without affecting you as a cloud of dust explodes into the air before being carried away by the wind. Protecting you eyes until the sand had past you whine about the heat, the humidity of Sobek certainly wasn't for the faint of heart.

A friend had recommended you to this place, the research laboratory, and you were sure his suggestion wouldn't let you down; the first of the lost cities promised to be an adventure, but if you could make money out of it was another thing entirely. You place a hand on your forehead as you scan the surroundings, protecting yourself from the instant up-kick of wind meeting sand, noticing a large town-looking outline in the distance. Wearing just a t-shirt, jeans and boots you decide to begin your journey through Sobek's desert terrain, marching towards the figure. You hear a few Pokémon calls in the distance, shrugging it off as you had heard the desert carried sounds far and wide, probably just another Pokémon mating call.

Despite being a ex-boxing superstar exercise wasn't always for you and this was certainly one of those times. Your feet sank into the sand as you moved, covering your boots with specks of ground rock, their weight making it hard to move with all the shifting, each plod of a foot seeming like more and more work. This, of course, wasn't helped by your Vulpix who began to walk with a bit of a swagger, its enjoyment your displeasure, the fire-fox's walking unhindered, unlike yours. A newly hatched Trapinch lay in your pocket, safely tucked away in a Pokéball. Perhaps this adventure was both for money but also to get closer to the ground-type to show it that you are a trustworthy trainer. Vulpix sensed your discomfort and stopped, still enjoying the warmth of the sun but this time walking at your pace. You sigh loudly and continue your journey and after what seems like forever, before seeing a patch of green. Stopping to look at it in amazement for a few seconds, Vulpix's 'Vul' brings you back to reality and you continue on, the further you go the more patches of green appear until you hit a spot where green grass seems to outweigh the sand. Turning back to look at the scenery you are gob-smacked by the climate; one of the only places in Talas where sand and grass co-exist, creating an original and unique climate that scientists have been stammering about for centuries.

You move on once more, passing recognisable buildings in the Pokémon centre, a place renowned for healing Pokémon when they were sick or injured, a medical miracle that the Nurse Joy's of the region and their assistants are able to offer the service for free; a lifeline for many Pokémon trainers and wild Pokémon alike. Next to it a small market stall bustles with early-afternoon life, clearly the market day as sellers pander to the crowd, offering fruits, meat and items of exotic nature, though some are clearly tat. The life of Sobek is perhaps one of the most mysterious; the influx of scientists to this region is well regimented and many come for the excitement of finding something new, or perhaps something old. Noticing you too are looking for something you dismiss both buildings, your feet now easily able to walk on the grass as Vulpix runs around in the background.

Passing through the excavation unit, you notice large and small tools sprayed around the site, a digger sits next to a small device while a mechanical arm is near to a small hammer and brush. You wonder how much they are worth, considering that the specialist tools that are smaller are probably worth more in monetary value, the life of Pokémon economy changing everyday. You decide not to pilfer any of the tools, thinking that it would be too hard to sell them but are astounded both by the lack of protection each of the tools have but also the lack of scientists. Again you ignore it, thinking perhaps Sobek is a honest and trustworthy place and the scientists are out, maybe all of them went to the market to pick up their lunch. You chuckle to yourself and continue through the excavation site, giant walls of stone and dirt intertwining to create the lost city of Sobek, the first discovered but by no means completely found, work still continues to this day to discover the secrets of past civilizations.

Coming to a stop outside a building made mainly of steel you notice it has only one floor, the length of the building however more than making up for it. You look up to see the roof of one of Sobek's marvels, and though you have no idea what it is, you figure that the building was made lengthways so it didn't destroy some of Sobek's masterpiece engineering. As you walk close, two glass doors slide open as a breeze of cool air hits you, a welcome refreshment from the beating sun. Walking in through the doors all is quiet but the brring of the air conditioner, as the room is filled with machines. Your boots clang off two metal meshes below before a large vacuum noise fills the air.

You notice that any residue sand is sucked clean from your boots, clearly an invention to stop excess sand from getting in the machines and breaking them, but your Vulpix doesn't agree, hissing at the loud sound before nipping your feet, causing you to let out a shriek and jump to the side. You almost slip on the well polished tiles as the vacuum comes to and end, Vulpix still staring at it in attack mode, its tail raised and head forward as you try to calm it down.

“Oh Bawk you idiot. If you've got your Grimer stuck down that vacuum again you can figure out how to get it back yourself” a voice angrily mumbles as you notice a thin man, aged around his late 30s, briskly walk round the corner, his head looking down at a clipboard. You notice his eyes follow the floor until he sees your kicks, following up your body to your face.

“Oh!” he says, surprised. “You're not Bawk”

You shake your head and introduce yourself as the scientist nods his head, his black bowl-cut hair wobbling as he does so. He stares at your Vulpix for a few seconds, grabbing a pen from the pocket protector of his white lab coat, combing through the paper's contents on the clipboard before tapping it.

“You're not one of us are you?” he asks, looking you up and down as you frown. “... A researcher I meant. Hahaha. A new scientists from Professor Samba is meant to be sent to us today. I thought you were him” he laughs. Suddenly remembering something, the scientist rushes back round the corner, heading to the place he was standing at when you came in before wheeling back a machine. A blue beam erupts from it, scanning you up and down.

“6'2” trainer with an Vulpix. Yes you'll do” he announces before noticing your bewildered face. “My name is Sebastian. We need someone like you. One of my machine parts was stolen by a thief and I need a trainer with Pokémon to go and get it for me. What do you say, I can pay you?”

It seems that the man is offering you a job.

What will you do?

Emporium Hotel: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Marion Ette: Wearing your most dignified of all dignitaries clothing, a black laced dress, you wander into the lobby of Talas' most famous destination; the luxurious Emporium Hotel. The heels of your shoes clack off the freshly-polished tiles as you gaze in wonderment at your surroundings; the best of the best being present in Atlas' king hotel. Marble adorns the walls, propping up the well-painted ceiling of an artiste's vision of legendary Pokémon; Talas' replicated styling of the Sistine Chapel not well-documented, but very expensive none-the-less. The walls, a green marble, reflects the wandering sunshine from many of the large glass windows spotted about the room, leaving it well exposed and bright, the whole room of exquisite taste. With your most beautiful Ninetales accompanying you to the region, you hoped that you would be able to find a place to stay on the 13th floor and while for most the hallowed ground of horror stories is to be stayed away, yours is far the opposite; the intrigue of the most famous hotel in Talas having mystery and secrecy on its 13th floor was an adventure too good to be missed. Ninetales coos as you pat it on the head, searching around for the front desk among the largest lobby you had ever seen, paintings, expensive rugs, meeting areas and golden objects all given more than enough space to attract attention and though you look at each for a few seconds, none have the attract factor you originally came in for.

Walking to the centre of the lobby you notice a statue of a young woman, perhaps a little younger than you. Her hair messy yet styled as the front parts at the top, leaving two curves to either side of her forehead while the back spikes down; a fashion long-gone from the world still looks regal when carved in marble. Still water covers the base, a Zubat standing in the foremost position you had every seen a Pokémon, its wings down as it seemed to stand at attention, a steely gaze meeting your eyes causing a shiver down your spine. The circle statue base begins at your waist as you peer over at the water, finding no fish swimming about but you notice how pristine the water looks, the clearest water you had ever seen in your life. The woman sports a long-sleeved shirt and black jacket while two earrings hand from her ears.

After a few minutes of looking over the centrepiece of the lobby you decide to move on, Ninetales leading the way as you talk to it about your hopes for the adventure, it licking your hand in response as the fire-fox nuzzles you, causing a chuckle to burst from your lungs. Smiling as it brings you to the front desk you see a Beauty smiling back at you, her perfect white teeth gleaming while her outfit is the latest style in Talas, a pointed blue piece showing you her value of monetary importance. One defining feature, however, sets her apart from others you had seen in the region, a thick layer of black mascara under her eyes.

“Hi there, and welcome to The Emporium. How may I help you?” She asks before looking down at your Ninetales, her eyes melting at its beauty as it stands proud, sitting down on the floor as its head is held high. Introducing yourself and asking for a room on a specific floor, however, causes her to react in almost-disgust.

“Floor 13?!” she says, reeling back before snapping with a sneer “One of those are you? Just because it's cheaper”

Your cheeks burn a bright red, assured that was not why you wanted to chose Floor 13 but you couldn't tell her that, she'd just as likely take the mickey out of your ghost theories as she would your lack of money. She puts her head down to the desk, her fingers tapping at the keyboard as she looks up available rooms, the screen changing from its luminescence white to a blue, highlighting her black mascara below her eyes. You hear a buzzing noise as her head jolts to the side, almost like she had just been hit by a shock. She takes a big gulp.

“I apologise for my earlier rudeness. I didn't mean to cause offence” she says, sheepishly smiling at you before glancing upwards.

Taking a look yourself you notice a small sphere covered in plastic, a clear sign of cameras jotted around the room, watching over the most important parts of the lobby. You look back at the woman as she caresses her neck, going back to the computer, tapping away. You wonder about the cameras, though also used for security purposes perhaps the upper-management also use it to ensure quality, though the jolt concerned you. How far was 'the most glamorous hotel in Talas' willing to go to make sure it stayed that way? Shaking off the feeling you return to the Beauty as she finishes her job on the computer, a few mouse clicks later and she grins.

“So the cost of your stay tonight will be 230,000-” she begins to say before cutting off, her head once again jolting as she looks down.
“Excuse me” she says, bowing “your stay has been paid for by another. It's on the house.” she says, turning to get a key from the cubbyholes behind her, the marvellous redwood houses keys from each room. As she turns, however, you notice a small black earpiece in her right ear, something you didn't notice before. Perhaps the jolt was just her speaker set on too loud, or the voice of the person on the other side.

Grabbing some items from one of the hooks, the woman turns back round with another jolt, handing you a keycard and key, explaining that to open the door you must first insert the key, swipe the card then turn the key to the left before opening the door, saying that if it's not done correctly you can't get into your room. She then points over towards the elevator.

“Charles will be your valet” she says, as you turn to look at the golden doors of the elevator, a ping sounding as they open to reveal the person you expect to be Charles, a man dressed in a black suit and top-hat bowing.

Moving over to Charles' position he scoots aside to make room for your Ninetales, standing with perfect posture, his hands behind his back and just below his waist, the standard for sure a prestigious hotel for sure.

“Good evening m'lady” he announces in a posh accent, you smiling back at him as he gives your Ninetales a once over, “an exquisite taste in Pokémon I must say and may I say that it's very well looked after.”

His compliments warm your heart, leaving Ninetales to look even prouder as she struggles to remain sitting still, her natural instincts to wag her tail, jump on Charles and lick him silly stopped by a sense of knowingness that he can't touch guest's Pokémon. The elevator pings as you feel the slight influx of gravity weigh you down, the normal elevator stopping signs as the doors open. You don't remember Charles touching a button, looking towards his side to see he did in fact have a control panel, but the floor button is not light. You shake it off as a safety precaution, maybe the elevator is controlled by the head of house to protect those dignitaries in higher-up rooms, their hoard of treasures being beyond imaginable.

Stepping out into the corridor, you're amazed at it's beauty; the area draped with fine silks and carpet that looked like you could sleep on it. On the side of the wall hung paintings of incredible worth, noticing some of them were ones you had read about being sold, the prices astronomical you wondered who could afford them. You notice the lack of security of each one, they just hang off the walls while further down the hall a Ming vase sits on a small, yet glamorous and marble, pedestal. Charles looks at you as he notices you have stopped for a while to stare at the paintings.

“Please do not delay miss,” he asks with a tone of worry “the artefacts have a very complex state of the art security system. If you dally for too long or touch them we could both be in trouble”

You agree with his wishes and continue down the corridor, looking at your key to find yourself room 18. Following the doors along you hear something coming from the room next to you, but you're not sure what. Following the beauty's instructions you first place the key in the door, sliding the key-card through the scanner before twisting the key and opening the door. It swings open to reveal the biggest room you had ever seen in a hotel; a room big enough to be its own secret base. Wandering in you see a 72 inch plasma TV hang from the wall, a red four poster bed opposite it. A bathroom with walk-in shower and designer bath sits far from the door and the “mini-fridge” is actually huge, the top of it reaching at least your waist. Looking inside you see bottles of Dom Perignon champagne, the vintage dating back to before you were born. Whistling at the expense it would take just to open that thing you close the door, a nagging feeling hits you like you've forgotten to do something.

A small tug at your arm brings you back to earth as Ninetales directs you back towards Charles, who stands in the door with his hand outstretched.

What will you do?

The Sphinx: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Missingno. Master: A mysterious place equalling in intellect and psychical prowess sounded like the best place to adventure but as you trekked through the gruelling journey through sand mountains, whipping winds and a beating sun you question why you even decided to bother; your Shuppet floating along beside you. Interacting with the ghost-type leaves you a little depressed but for some solitary words of encouragement about your ability to solve riddles.

Your Shuppet's confidence in your riddle ability was short-lived however as you questioned its battling; the story of Serviper being one that you'd hear in a bar … 'this one time, on Venom Island', knowing that it's exaggerated more and more every time the story was told because you were there. You were just glad your Shuppet had taken a break being mean and stopped calling you meat sack, the sarcastic and snide attitude it snipped with often causing distress and solitude. Seemingly working yourself up about it's attitude you decided that Talas was your chance to show it differently; the prove that you could crack the impossible 12 riddles and receive the answers you sought. … but what answers did you seek?

*Smack*

You head hits something firm and rough as you rebound back of a sand coloured obstacle. Panicking, you slowly back off, wondering if your thoughts had distracted you from walking into a Hippowdon pod. Everything seems to make sounds as you attempt to be quiet, the sand, your clothes, the wind, the sand again. Myrtle's manic laughing puts you a little at ease, however, when it comes; knowing that while the Pokémon was mean she wouldn't laugh at your misfortune unless you had done something really stupid.

As it turns out, you had. Lost in your thoughts of answers, riddles and your team you had seemingly hit a wall, causing your Shuppet great amusement of course. Trying to cool it out you return, knocking on the wall with your hands before nodding, knowing deep down that your sheepish attempts wouldn't fool anyone. With a large sigh exhaling from your lungs you take several steps back, looking up at the sand encrusted stone statue, the well-buffeted outer layer clearly affected by a long time of sand-corrosion, but it was still very impressive. The image of a Sphinx towered above the plains, its shadow cast far and wide. You think it's strange that you can't see it from a distance away given its size, but as Talas' worst kept secret you think it must have something to do with the desert conditioning. You strain your neck looking for the top, unable to do so as it seems to enter the clouds above before attempting to gain access.

Seeing what looks like two large stone doors past the paws of the Sphinx you approach cautiously, hearing rumours of traps and demise to protect the Sphinx from evil, but it seems none comes. You knock on the door, hearing it echo through the presumably large halls inside. You wait for an answer but none comes, knocking harder to hear silence still. A few minutes of increasing knocking to all out slamming the balls of your fist against the door leads you to huff and puff, sitting down for a few seconds. Mrytle, however, floats about checking crevices until she finds something; a small tablet. Calling you across you see words carved into the stone, reading;

I used to live in the seas and retain its knowledge; 'I'm weak to them now' is what they teach you in college.

What will you do?

Laos River: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Thrain: After an arduous journey with Blaze sniffing out anything and everything you finally arrived against another trainer, but with only capturing on your mind you decide that battling is not the agenda for today. Blaze whines a little as you drag him away but with the Treeko hiding behind his trainers leg in fear of the fire-type you think that it was probably for the best. Whistling for your fire pup you continue on the path next to the Laos River, the sounds of water crashing against rocks fill your ears as you observe the changes in water in different areas of the bank.

Growlithe runs on ahead, barking as he does so for you to follow him as you move from a walk to a sprint; attempting to catch up with the fire-type before it gets himself into trouble. Seeing a small forest area up ahead your mind casts back to the article on the dangers of the region, the jungles being contaminated by powerful and angry Pokémon, the best of survival instincts making it here in Laos.

Brushing your hand past hangings leaves you soon find Blaze sat down, its tongue extended and panting. Noticing that it has found nothing you begin to walk away but a noise makes you spin back round. Putting a finger on your lips to tell Blaze to be quiet you crouch down on the heavily-leafed floor, moving closer towards the sound. Opening through a clearing you see two very large muscular men surrounded by a small, yet still muscular, group forming a circle. Inside the circle the two larger men are showing off their muscles, goading the crowd into cheering for them.

Suddenly, both men reach inside the pockets of their black sleeveless leather jackets, withdrawing a small red ball which extends with their touch. It looks like a battle is going to go down, and judging by your surroundings it's going to be a powerful one.

What will you do?

Port Pearl: – Please reply in Dark Orange

kaisap112: Introducing yourself and your companions to the bald-clay lookalike you immediately register your interest for the special tournament he's hosting. His smile widens as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out an electronic device that looks a little similar to a Pokédex, but with far more buttons, pressing several as a loud crank is heard, the boat entry system unlocking with a zap; the walkway to the large cruise ship dropping like an old drawbridge. As he grabs your hand and leads you up the walkway you look back, worried that your Pokémon's over-active imagination will cause them to attempt to dive into the water but they do not, following you instinctively, bounding forward to chase each other onto the deck.

Now on board you wander along the side of the cruise ship, noticing how high up you are compared to the rest of the trainers on Port Pearl's shores, each one looking up at you and smiling, a few younger ones waving while some of the older ones are so caught up in the heat of battle further down Port Pearl they fail to notice anything. Smiling you turn to see the man on the phone, deciding to leave him be while he organises what he wants. You move along the side and inspect the life boats, each sturdily held on with strong and thick pieces of rope.

“This ship's got more life-rafts than you can shake a stick at” a voice says behind you, confident and strong in the ships ability “my ol' lady will never sink but if she did I'm more than well equipped to save all me passengers”

You turn to see the gentleman you saw earlier accompanied with another, a man who also looks in his late 40's but more muscular and well toned, rough but friendly in a white and blacked striped top.

“Captain Gavin Harding” he announces, tipping a white beret-styled hat towards you.

Introducing yourself you notice that both are eager to show you around, pointing out the marvels of the ship with enthusiastic voices, proud of their work to make this the biggest annual cruise festival ever. You're given a guided tour of the ship before being shown to a room, small but nothing more than bed, bin and desk, but comfy enough.

“You're out honorary guest for the cruise festival” the owner says, the captain nodding with approval.

“I know this quarter ain’t the best we've got but it's the only one left after the sales” the Captain continues, a hint of embarrassment about the room condition in his voice. Palming it off and saying it's more than adequate you thank both men for the free stay on the festival.

“Everyone else boards in a few hours then the festival can open and you can register for the tournament” the owner says with pride “why don't you and your Pokémon get some kip”

Agreeing to their plans you sit on the bed, Skitty curled up in your lap purring away. They leave and close the thick metal door behind you as you lay your head on the pilow...

~~~

“Lass?” The gruff voice awakens you from your sleep as you see Gavin standing at the door. “The last people are boardin'. I thought you'd want to see”

You sit upright and stretch, nodding to Gavin as he closes the door to wait outside. Looking around you feel like it hasn't been that long, but noting the comfort of the sleep how good it was to catch a nap. Kitty walks a figure of eight around your feet, nudging you with her head as you stroke it, her tail raising in delight as your hand runs down her back. After a minute of getting your bearings back you pick up Skitty, moving outside to see Gavin leant against a wall. He smiles as you exit, ushering away another sailor as you approach.

“Good sleep lassy?” he asks, you nodding in conformation as Skitty mews to agree with him, sending him into a hearty bellow. He extends a hand outwards, showing you to some stairs next to your room. Obliging and taking them you appear in a large glass room filled with radars, gadgets, buttons, whirring lights and wheels. Judging this must be to control centre you see a balcony with the owner standing on it, a microphone in his hand.

“Ladies and Gentlemen” he announces, the large boom boxes and individual room speakers blasting out the signal of the powerfully regal man “Welcome to the 10th annual Cruise Festival!”

The crowd cheer at the statement as you walk towards a window beside the balcony, content to look at the passengers from the glass without getting in the owners way, noticing the entire deck is brimmed with people; spectators and trainers alike. Looking to your right you see the Port, what was once a busy place now deserted, almost no-one in sight aside from those setting up their boats, those who couldn't get tickets and decided to revel in the party atmosphere by joining up to create a fleet.

“There are three tournaments on today before a night of celebrations. Today we're offering a special prize to the winner of each discipline, though you may only register for one, the mystery prize of a rare Pokémon will be revealed to the winner; I can assure you for this year we've pulled out all the stops.” he continues as the crowd erupt with cheer, dying down to excited chatter of speculations, “please consult your nearest helper, found in the pink 'Cruise Fest' shirts”

The crowd roar for the third time before settling as the owner heads inside, noticing you before shaking your hand.

“Noriko! Good to see you again, I hope you slept well. My Captain and I need to have a little chat about today's course, top secret you see. I'm sure one of Gavin's assistants can direct you to a helper to register for the tournament.” he announces.

Gavin looks at the owner sternly, nodding in agreement but looking slightly anxious. One of his members of staff ushers you back down the stairs and you follow him to a small desk inside the ship, right before the dock and towards a helper. She curtsies without saying a word and scurries off back to to control room, leaving you to deal with a helper.

“Hi there” the woman says, her enthusiasm coming through and catching you by surprise “today we have three competitions; the first of which is a water race. This takes place in the sea and has lots of excitement”

A small screen hangs from the ceiling as she flicks a switch, a movie plays detailing the event. You see a Sharpedo excelling itself with a Hydro Pump, its fins the guiding for the move before front-flipping underwater; touching a painted rock before setting off for the other side, closely followed by a Blastoise and Huntail closely behind. It looks like the Sharpedo is going to win until the Blastoise turns round, its cannons facing the rock as it propels itself with a Hydro Cannon as the crowd awww in amazement as the Blastoise wins by a close call; the Sharpedo coming second and a Golduck coming third.

“On the middle deck we have a track and field, including some of the sports associated. The Pokémon compete in a hurdles race. ” she says, once again going to the screen, this time flicking the switch to another side. On this screen you see a Dodrio jump over a hurdle, a Jolteon just beside it as Dodrio's legs manage to make ground on the Jolteon, despite the latter being faster it needs to jump off on all fours. The Dodrio sprints round the track, pulling away further and further as it gets faster round the track, setting a new PokéCruise Record as it crosses the line, the crowd waving flags from the spectator stands on the ferry.

“On the bottom deck we have the mixed martial arts. We usually recommend this to boys first as they love their fighting.” the woman concludes, flicking the TV onto the last side as you see a small 8 sided ring with cages fills the screen alongside a film with some powerful looking Pokémon; Hitmonchan fights a Hitmonlee as blows are exchanged, the crowd cheering with every hit as they look even, a High-jump Kick knocking the Hitmonchan against the wall until it counters with a quick one-two jab of Fire Punch and Ice Punch.

“So what would you like to sign up for?” the woman asks.

What will you do?

[Meetan]

The Market: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Meetan: With no Pokémon out to accompany you on your trip to Sobek you decide that The Market is one of the best places to go; despite rumours of thievery and scamming, the market offers a wonderful opportunity to relax and browse some wares, as each day brings new and mysterious things, wondering what you'll find in today's lottery of stalls. Your feet plod against the cobblestone floor as you notice how busy the city is; scientists of varying importance rush past with letters, documents, Pokémon and various other experiments passing through the science-rich region of Talas. The influx of trainers has also bought a wider sense of commercialism as you look through some of the stalls, noticing Pokéballs, Normal and Super Potions, Status healers and Mail are the items mostly stocked in the bustling marketplace, though a stall of Moo Moo Milk catches your eye, the larger bottle setting you back 6000 while a herb shop sits next to it selling Energy Root for 800 and Revival Herb for 2800.

Moving through the market to kill a few hours before you head for the library or the Emporium Hotel, one of the poshest and most expensive hotels in Talas, you pat your chest to make sure your leather crossbody was still intact you browse the busy markets, taking extra precautions amidst rumours of Pokémon Thieves stalking the area, praying on those who are not well equipped. Coming to a stall of fancy bracelets and necklaces you ogle at the pretty colours, rare gems of red, blue, purple and green flash under Talas' burning sun, each one exquisite in taste and worth a lot of coins. You quickly decide that clothing and accessories for yourself would be a better investment than knick-knacks for family and ask about the price, a young man in his later 20's smiling.

Before he opens his mouth, however, an old lady comes out, giving you the once over, noticing your orange nails before snorting a little. You're taken aback but ask if you can touch them, just to ensure their authenticity before you spend what could easily be thousands of Pokédollars on fake goods, remembering that one shop trying to sell you Armooni, a cheap Clefable-style knock off of the Georgio Armani brand. The old woman grabs a fan from her pocket, slapping your outstretched fingers as you reel back in pain.

“No. Nobody touches the goods. I know what you are thief!” She cries, causing a scene as a few stall owners turn to look. Great embarrassment causing your cheeks to burn a ruby red as you attempt to claim your innocence, many of the stall owners shrugging as they accept your story of being a trainer in the land as they return to their business, but the old lady does not.

“You'd better leave Sobek thief or I'll make you leave” she threatens, slamming the fan down on the table with a crack. Reluctantly you realise you aren't going to change her decision, backing away from the rings, necklaces and bracelets you wished you owned, your head down.

Moving away from the old ladies' stand you further into the marketplace, away from the touristy section that give you odd looks as you walk by, protecting their goods and not allowing you to buy them. Feeling sorry for yourself and angry against the woman who did this you kick a rock on the floor, sending it forward a few steps. A little while later you lift your head, only to be in a part of the market you'd never seen before. A group of cooped up caged Pidgey squawk away on one of the stalls as their feathers litter the ground. The owner gives you a rough look as you look at them for a few seconds, feeling sorry for the poor flying Pokémon, wondering if they'll get sold to a trainer who wants them or just for Pokémon food. Noticing you were in a rather rough part of the marketplace you decide that it's an area more likely to produce fakes and decide to turn back, this is no place for a young woman who's Pokémon are slightly out of reach. Turning back, you walk back from where you came from, nonchalantly of course.

*Smack*

You feel something heavy hit you and before you can work out what you find yourself on the floor. The warm but dusty area of this market filled with loose rocks that clatter your elbow on the way down. Your eyes go blurry for a second but as they return you see a young man about your age, dressed in a white lab coat, his shoes a shiny back as he stands out amongst the surroundings.

“Oh I'm terribly sorry” he says, lifting your arm as he helps you up “I was just trying to deliver some important documents, I'm ever so clumsy when I'm in a rush”

Trying to cool it out you wave away his excuses, your arm pounding in pain though you try not to let him see, the designer glasses and long blonde hair swaying in the wind. Putting your hands on your knees and gasping for breath the man comes over and stands beside you, waiting for the right moment to introduce himself.

“I'm John. Pokémon Research and Scientist in Sobek, I study Pokémon habitats, I'm considered quite the expert” he explains, before looking down, his voice changing to an almost embarrassed tone “Today however I'm a delivery boy for my father, Mark Lavoisier, the head researcher on Pokémon biology and chemistry in all of Talas”

You smile as he tells his story, noticing his discomfort at discussing his father as his hands fiddle with the documents he's holding. Deciding to spare him of his family woes you introduce yourself, shaking his hands as you explain the reason you're in Sobek and the destinations you intent to go. He nods enthusiastically when you mention The Emporium and the library, having clearly spent a lot of time at both.

“Oh dear. I do apologise but I must be off. Mustn't be late for father's meeting”, he explains, waving the document's he's carrying in one hand. You nod in understandment as he wishes you well on your journey before walking away, this soon turning into a jog as he looks at his watch. You turn your back on him and smile, wondering about his life and if you'll ever meet him again before noticing something is wrong.

Checking your pockets for your wallet and keys you find everything in tact, but you still feel something is … wrong. Different somehow. Checking in your bag you go through all you had with you, a Pokédex, coin case, berry bag along with your valuable items are all there. Flicking through the bag pouches you find a small Silver Vulpix statue in your bag. Taking it out you notice it's hand-carved and very beautiful but you can't help but think it's there for a purpose.

“A calling card!” you yell out, some people in the market turning to you while other turn their backs to you. Rummaging through your bag you notice that your Pokémon are missing. Jotting your mind back to what happened you notice that the last time you didn't have them was before you met John! Running in the direction he left it you fail to see him, he must've disappeared somewhere.

Around you is a nightclub, opened during the day as a bar/restaurant, a bouncer on the door dressed in a black t-shirt and folding his well muscled arms; a market stall with a slightly-nervous looking seller and a child who plays over by a fountain, his clothes somewhat tattered like he's living on the streets.

What will you do?

OoC: If you would like the Moo Moo Milk or Herbs you can purchase it in your reply.

To have been talked to like that was utterly humiliating, and Alice felt her stomach churn, cheeks ablaze with colour. She wanted to protest, but was lost for words, and simply left to explore a part of the market that didn't consider her a thief or swindler. She found a rather rough, depressing area filled with caged Pidgey. She wanted to release them all, tempted to even take one for herself, but that would have to be contemplated on for the remainder of her trip. Perhaps just before she went home?

Turning back to a safer place, the young girl found she still couldn't keep out of trouble. Smack! She collided full on with a bad mannered (in her opinion), but handsome young man with shiny shoes ans glasses, waving documents. Polite even when she would rather not be, she waved his excuses away and got up, fighting pounding pains and persistent dizziness. Knocking into someone wasn't something that made her feel at ease, either. He seemed legit, but what if he was a pickpocket?

Funny that.

As soon as they parted ways, she smiled, wondering if she might run into this renowned gentleman again. But something did not feel right. Everything in her bag was in order - except her Pokemon, which had been replaced with a silver Vulpix statue. "A calling card! ****." The curse slipped from her unelegantly afterwards, as the trainer ran in her heels. John - if that was his name - was already gone.

Sobek wasn't a place Alice knew at all well, and it wasn't the safest, either. It had been a long time since she had adventured anywhere truly alone, always having a rental Pokemon at her side if not Swinub or one of her newer friends to rely on. They were relying on her now. Pichu was just a baby, for god's sake! What if Torchic thought he had been given away after all their struggles?! She needed to act. Now.

"I'll take one of those, please." Alice dashed over to the nervous store owner, pointing out the large bottle of Moo Moo Milk, and handing over 6000 coins. That old woman could scream all she liked, this wasn't the bloody time. "And while I'm at it, I've just had stuff nicked from me from that guy I was just with. Could you tell me anything about this?" She added, pulling the Vulpix item from her bag moments later.

((Stats.))

[Missingno. Master]

The Sphinx: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Missingno. Master: A mysterious place equalling in intellect and psychical prowess sounded like the best place to adventure but as you trekked through the gruelling journey through sand mountains, whipping winds and a beating sun you question why you even decided to bother; your Shuppet floating along beside you. Interacting with the ghost-type leaves you a little depressed but for some solitary words of encouragement about your ability to solve riddles.

Your Shuppet's confidence in your riddle ability was short-lived however as you questioned its battling; the story of Serviper being one that you'd hear in a bar … 'this one time, on Venom Island', knowing that it's exaggerated more and more every time the story was told because you were there. You were just glad your Shuppet had taken a break being mean and stopped calling you meat sack, the sarcastic and snide attitude it snipped with often causing distress and solitude. Seemingly working yourself up about it's attitude you decided that Talas was your chance to show it differently; the prove that you could crack the impossible 12 riddles and receive the answers you sought. … but what answers did you seek?

*Smack*

You head hits something firm and rough as you rebound back of a sand coloured obstacle. Panicking, you slowly back off, wondering if your thoughts had distracted you from walking into a Hippowdon pod. Everything seems to make sounds as you attempt to be quiet, the sand, your clothes, the wind, the sand again. Myrtle's manic laughing puts you a little at ease, however, when it comes; knowing that while the Pokémon was mean she wouldn't laugh at your misfortune unless you had done something really stupid.

As it turns out, you had. Lost in your thoughts of answers, riddles and your team you had seemingly hit a wall, causing your Shuppet great amusement of course. Trying to cool it out you return, knocking on the wall with your hands before nodding, knowing deep down that your sheepish attempts wouldn't fool anyone. With a large sigh exhaling from your lungs you take several steps back, looking up at the sand encrusted stone statue, the well-buffeted outer layer clearly affected by a long time of sand-corrosion, but it was still very impressive. The image of a Sphinx towered above the plains, its shadow cast far and wide. You think it's strange that you can't see it from a distance away given its size, but as Talas' worst kept secret you think it must have something to do with the desert conditioning. You strain your neck looking for the top, unable to do so as it seems to enter the clouds above before attempting to gain access.

Seeing what looks like two large stone doors past the paws of the Sphinx you approach cautiously, hearing rumours of traps and demise to protect the Sphinx from evil, but it seems none comes. You knock on the door, hearing it echo through the presumably large halls inside. You wait for an answer but none comes, knocking harder to hear silence still. A few minutes of increasing knocking to all out slamming the balls of your fist against the door leads you to huff and puff, sitting down for a few seconds. Mrytle, however, floats about checking crevices until she finds something; a small tablet. Calling you across you see words carved into the stone, reading;

I used to live in the seas and retain its knowledge; 'I'm weak to them now' is what they teach you in college.

What will you do?

"Shut up, Myrtle," Keith grumbled as he rubbed his head on the spot where it had collided rather painfully with the wall. "It wasn't that funny-"

"It was hi-la-ri-ous!" Myrtle exclaimed, not bothering to conceal her glee at her trainer's moment of stupidity. "It- wow, this thing is tall."

Looking up, Keith had to agree- they had arrived at the Sphinx, and man, was this stone statue tall! Keith couldn't even see the top- the statue appeared to stretch up into the clouds. Once Keith had gotten past this, he and Myrtle entered the Sphinx cautiously, ever on the alert for traps or other means of security. Or at least, they tried to enter; despite Keith's persistent knocking on the stone doors, nothing happened. Myrtle was not concerned with this, however; she was searching any crevice she could see. After a few minutes, she called out to Keith.

"Meat Sack, if you are quite fi-nished ham-mer-ing on those doors like a de-ranged Sla-king, come o-ver here and see this." Wearily, Keith got up and approached the Shuppet, only to see the stone slab she had located.

"Ah, the first riddle," Keith observed.

"You think?" Myrtle replied sarcastically.

"OK, let's see... Used to live in the seas... that alone tells me the answer is gonna be one of the fossil Pokemon," Keith remarked. "A good amount of them lived in the seas.

"That is right," Myrtle nodded. "When I was a-live, my fa-mi-ly would tell me sto-ries of an-cient Po-ke-mon such as Ka-bu-to and O-ma-nyte."

"It can't be those, though," Keith frowned, looking at the second line. "Whatever this is has to be weak against Water. Omanyte and Kabuto are both Rock-types, true enough, but they're also Water-types, negating any Water weakness. This also applies to Kabutops and Omastar... That also means it can't be Tirtouga or Carracosta... Grass also resists Water, so it can't be Lileep or Cradily... Of course! Myrtle, tell me, is the Bug-type resistant to Water moves?"

"It is not," Myrtle replied.

"Exactly," Keith said, now grinning. "Which means that a Rock and Bug-type would be weak to Water moves."

"I some-what doubt Dweb-ble, Crus-tle, or Shuck-le used to live in the sea," Myrtle scoffed.

"Oh, I agree," nodded Keith. "I agree completely. Anorith and Armaldo, on the other hand... The answer is one of those, I'm sure of it. The question is... which one?"

Myrtle didn't respond; she looked rather shocked that her trainer, her Idiot Meat Sack, was actually working out the riddle.

"Ah," Keith said after a few moments of thought. "I remember now. From what I've learned, while Anorith lived in the seas, Armaldo moved on to land. But still... While it can be said that Armaldo used to live in the seas because they evolved from the sea-dwelling Anorith, it can also be said that Anorith used to live in the seas because they're extinct."

"And what of the part a-bout 'and re-tain their knowl-edge'?" asked Myrtle.

"Well, Anorith and Armaldo can learn a small handful of Water moves," replied Keith. "I'd call that retaining the sea's knowledge. But it still doesn't help. Which one is the answer? OK, you know what, I'm gonna say Armaldo as my answer," Keith decided.

[Treepandaone]

I've got the writing bug so updates come early but don't expect this every time :x

Also noticed I'm updating a lot of people with M's to start their name. It's an M conspiracy!

The Market: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Meetan: Worried about your baby Pokémon thinking you've abandoned them you curse the thief, recalling him as rude and distasteful, doubting his whole story and wondering if John was even called John. It was the first time you'd adventured without Pokémon at hand and you began to feel unease in the unfamiliar territories of Sobek's rough city, having already having your Pokémon stolen what else could go wrong?

You give the old woman daggers as you enter the middle of the market square to which she puts up a fan to cover her mouth; staring back before briskly turning on her heels, removing herself from the situation into a small dark tent behind the stall, disappearing into the darkness as quickly as she entered it. Dashing over to the market you confront the stall tradesman in charge of the Moo Moo Milk, noting that his stall was too far away from the centre to hear your argument with the old woman of the jewellery store. Asking for the largest bottle of Moo Moo Milk he had he nodded, smiling weakly. You ask him about the thieves in this area and his face drops like a stone as he goes pale, his body flushed.

“Umm. I.. Ah...” he says, glancing to one side before looking down, his hands fidgeting with everything around him. “... No I don't”

You glare at him for a few seconds, knowing that a long enough time period and he would crack. You're silent, causing him to tap on the table with increased frequency before scratching his ears. This guy has tells. After a good few seconds of fumbling and mumbling the man returns to his tent without saying another word before a larger man comes outside. He snarls as he sees you, flexing his muscles as you tell your story and generally not paying attention to you. You boil with rage inside, but realise that without any Pokémon you can't do anything, the guy is bigger and more muscular than you, not to mention one scary dude. Accepting your turn of fate you search through your bag, grabbing your coin case before rummaging through it, throwing 6,000 coins on the table with disgust.

“Erwin, get me a large bottle” The man laughs as the first man comes out, his eyes looking at the floor the entire time. Snatching the bottle from Erwin's hands the thug throws the bottle into the air, leaving you with a few seconds of panic, the fresh water-drops moistining from the freezer causing havoc as you try to catch it, slipping out of one hand before just catching the top with the other. Snorting as if you'd won a marathon you turn your back on the stall, marching away, furthering your distance from that despicable human being.

Stuffing the Moo Moo Milk into your bag with anger you notice that the label rips on contact, catching one of the zips of the cross-body and, a black discolouration on the opposite side standing out against the leather of your pack. Looking around to make sure nobody could see you sneaked off into a less busy area, only one trader was around and he was haggling with a customer over an item, the discussions at quite a serious stage as their voices were both aggressive and forgiving, the usual haggle in the rough areas of Sobek. Returning to your bag once more you withdraw the bottle carefully, making sure not to rip any more corners on another zip. Using your index finger and thumb you pinch one of the corners not ripped, slowly but surely peeling the sticker from the front of the bottle, trembling as you did so. You move a little too hard and the sticker rips slightly, but the moisture of the bottle helps keep it manageable as you stick it back together, using the same moisture to remove the sticker far more easily.

Success! You manage to free the label from the glass, the front containing a picture of a cartoon Miltank with its thumbs up, the phrase “the most honest of milks” causing you to 'pah' sarcastically. Turning it over you see a black market pen print, smudged slightly by the moisture that helped you removed the label. Cursing the thing that helped you not moments ago you attempt to read it, squinting at each word.

“Thieves have my business captive. They operate from the club, the manager is the boss. He's too powerful for anyone here and keeps his business private. You need the password and a name on the guest-list, and I don't know ...”

The pen-marks stop there, clearly time ran out from him taking to the back of the store to you and the muscled man's stare-down. It seems he's given you a big clue, but in a town where anyone's stall could be infiltrated by thieves, who could possibly give you the information you need without ratting you out to the boss?

What will you do?

The Sphinx: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Missigno. Master: With an intense meeting of words exchanged between you and Shuppet you're glad the statue's impressive stature distracted you two from bickering so much, the top of the Sphinx clearly not visible from your position allowing a moments calm while you split up to find the entrance. It took a few minutes but you soon got there, finding the engraved stone carving and reading it aloud. Through knowledge gained on your travels and Mrytle's experience in a past life you begin to work out the puzzle, narrowing it down to just two ancient Pokémon; Anorith and it's evolution Armaldo. Confused as to which it could possibly be you take a shot in the dark, hoping that moves learnt satisfies the knowledge of the sea.

You close your eyes, announcing your guess with tender wording, Armaldo being chosen as your answer. You await on the edge of your proverbial seat, you stomach coiling in butterflies as … nothing happens. You angrily kick the dirt, knowing that one mistake in the Sphinx's tomb means you can't continue, even guessing the right answer would do nothing.

Creaaaaaaaak. BOOM.

Your ears prick up as you hear the old stone whir into life, a complex system of stone and metal intertwining in ancient mechanical engineering; cogs sound like they're going and stone sounds like they're moving. You cross your fingers and toes, hoping the old system still works and before you know it the doors begin the move, sand pings from either side of you as the door judders, a cloud of dust and sand exploding in your face, causing temporary blindness for you and Shuppet.

A few moments pass before your eyes stop stinging, opening them to see a black hole where two doors used to be. A few more moments of shocked silence pass before you whoop for joy, punching the air, even Myrtle does a spin before stopping, thinking you hadn't seen her but you had. Perhaps your influence of puzzle-solving was getting through to the Shuppet, though you thoroughly doubted this was anything but mere excitement to battle what was inside.

The loudest roar echoed through the cave as a wave of energy blasted past, the wind causing your clothing to ripple as you and Shuppet struggled against the wind. As quickly as it started it settled, leaving you and Shuppet to look at each other for a few seconds, deciding if you wanted to enter where that awful powerful noise had just come from. You both agree and pad your way in, as sneakily and carefully as you entered the doors to the Sphinx's lair.

“W-w-welcome challenger” a voiced bombed, crackling slightly as it did, “It has been a while since I have had visitors”.

Your head begins to hurt as you feel the voice inside your head, the sound of both booming voice and that combining to bring you to your knees as you clasp your hands over your ears, trying to remove some of the pressure you were feeling. A long pause gives you time to shake the feeling before a wave of pain hits once more.

“You may enter my chamber. 12 riddles and I shall see you; fail one and destiny is not here” it says as you look over to Myrtle who also seems to be struggling.

The pain subsides as soon as it stops, leaving you bewildered and dazed. Standing up on your two feet once more you walk a few steps, almost feeling drunk as your steps are out of rhythm and random, jabbing one foot forward as your brain takes time to compensate from the effects it's like you've just learnt to walk. Suddenly you feel one foot sink, a tile below you lower than the floor. You curse in anticipation.

A red light at the end of the room signals your worst fears, you've trigged a trap. The doors behind you slam shut, making the tomb pitch black aside from the now spreading red light splitting off to another strand, seemingly getting closer. Your eyes blur as your try to find your senses once more but it's not until the light is really close until you see it's fire, and the background behind each one of stone. Moving slightly by recognising the up-step you creep forward before noticing that the fire is travelling by a stone guttering system, shooting along what you can only assume is a fuel of some sort developed by an early civilization. Remarking how clever they must have been you see at each stop you see a heavily shined log sticks out, the fire burning the top-layer before sitting on the plank, the fire creating light for the entire room as hundreds of planks are light. The last one lights and you can now see clearly, the fire very illuminating.

You notice how small the room is, about a 40x40 metres square with just a single notable feature, an altar sitting in the center. Cautiously approaching with Shuppet floating ever-closer you see another riddle on the base, which reads;

“Sit ups straight boy! Train me to detect before you perish, for I am the catastrophe if you do not”

What will you do?

[Meetan]

The Market: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Meetan: Worried about your baby Pokémon thinking you've abandoned them you curse the thief, recalling him as rude and distasteful, doubting his whole story and wondering if John was even called John. It was the first time you'd adventured without Pokémon at hand and you began to feel unease in the unfamiliar territories of Sobek's rough city, having already having your Pokémon stolen what else could go wrong?

You give the old woman daggers as you enter the middle of the market square to which she puts up a fan to cover her mouth; staring back before briskly turning on her heels, removing herself from the situation into a small dark tent behind the stall, disappearing into the darkness as quickly as she entered it. Dashing over to the market you confront the stall tradesman in charge of the Moo Moo Milk, noting that his stall was too far away from the centre to hear your argument with the old woman of the jewellery store. Asking for the largest bottle of Moo Moo Milk he had he nodded, smiling weakly. You ask him about the thieves in this area and his face drops like a stone as he goes pale, his body flushed.

“Umm. I.. Ah...” he says, glancing to one side before looking down, his hands fidgeting with everything around him. “... No I don't”

You glare at him for a few seconds, knowing that a long enough time period and he would crack. You're silent, causing him to tap on the table with increased frequency before scratching his ears. This guy has tells. After a good few seconds of fumbling and mumbling the man returns to his tent without saying another word before a larger man comes outside. He snarls as he sees you, flexing his muscles as you tell your story and generally not paying attention to you. You boil with rage inside, but realise that without any Pokémon you can't do anything, the guy is bigger and more muscular than you, not to mention one scary dude. Accepting your turn of fate you search through your bag, grabbing your coin case before rummaging through it, throwing 6,000 coins on the table with disgust.

“Erwin, get me a large bottle” The man laughs as the first man comes out, his eyes looking at the floor the entire time. Snatching the bottle from Erwin's hands the thug throws the bottle into the air, leaving you with a few seconds of panic, the fresh water-drops moistining from the freezer causing havoc as you try to catch it, slipping out of one hand before just catching the top with the other. Snorting as if you'd won a marathon you turn your back on the stall, marching away, furthering your distance from that despicable human being.

Stuffing the Moo Moo Milk into your bag with anger you notice that the label rips on contact, catching one of the zips of the cross-body and, a black discolouration on the opposite side standing out against the leather of your pack. Looking around to make sure nobody could see you sneaked off into a less busy area, only one trader was around and he was haggling with a customer over an item, the discussions at quite a serious stage as their voices were both aggressive and forgiving, the usual haggle in the rough areas of Sobek. Returning to your bag once more you withdraw the bottle carefully, making sure not to rip any more corners on another zip. Using your index finger and thumb you pinch one of the corners not ripped, slowly but surely peeling the sticker from the front of the bottle, trembling as you did so. You move a little too hard and the sticker rips slightly, but the moisture of the bottle helps keep it manageable as you stick it back together, using the same moisture to remove the sticker far more easily.

Success! You manage to free the label from the glass, the front containing a picture of a cartoon Miltank with its thumbs up, the phrase “the most honest of milks” causing you to 'pah' sarcastically. Turning it over you see a black market pen print, smudged slightly by the moisture that helped you removed the label. Cursing the thing that helped you not moments ago you attempt to read it, squinting at each word.

“Thieves have my business captive. They operate from the club, the manager is the boss. He's too powerful for anyone here and keeps his business private. You need the password and a name on the guest-list, and I don't know ...”

The pen-marks stop there, clearly time ran out from him taking to the back of the store to you and the muscled man's stare-down. It seems he's given you a big clue, but in a town where anyone's stall could be infiltrated by thieves, who could possibly give you the information you need without ratting you out to the boss?

What will you do?

Alice's patience was wearing incredibly thin, but without her Pokemon to assist her, she did not feel safe kicking off. The bigger guy could throttle her with minimum effort, for one thing, and secondly-- Her trail of thought ran out as the bottle was thrown up into the air. She could not catch to save her life, or her money, but this time the girl just about managed it. She saved her Moo Moo Milk, and with a glower of severity and a snort to boot, she left to a quieter corner of the market.

Nosey as ever, she eavesdropped on the serious haggle session not too far away, peeling the label off seeing as it had already been ripped. Honestly, even if it hadn't, pulling labels off bottles was a terrible habit of hers, and both her parents and teachers back at her academy found it annoying. As it was, this habit came in handy. The first seller hadn't been a jerk after all - he was a hostage.

She thought back to the club from before. That bouncer looked up to no good, too. If she was going to enter that place, she'd have to get one of her party dresses and go looking damn fine. But first, her name on the guest list and the password would be required... But how to find it out? The stalls must have all been under control of the thieves, except perhaps the old lady that despised her. She might have been loud, but it all made sense now. Still, going back so soon could be a cause for attention...

There had been a raggedy boy, by the fountain. Perhaps she could help him out? She had berries, some people like pokeblocks and poffin, and she wasn't /too/ strapped for cash... Alice wandered over in that direction, relieved to find the child again. "Excuse me," The girl stopped a short distance from him, and spoke softly and warmly, "My name is Alice, and I'm not used to this place. I need some help, and I was wondering if you could help me? I could help you, too, if you'd like me to."

((Stats.))

[Missingno. Master]

The Sphinx: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Missigno. Master: With an intense meeting of words exchanged between you and Shuppet you're glad the statue's impressive stature distracted you two from bickering so much, the top of the Sphinx clearly not visible from your position allowing a moments calm while you split up to find the entrance. It took a few minutes but you soon got there, finding the engraved stone carving and reading it aloud. Through knowledge gained on your travels and Mrytle's experience in a past life you begin to work out the puzzle, narrowing it down to just two ancient Pokémon; Anorith and it's evolution Armaldo. Confused as to which it could possibly be you take a shot in the dark, hoping that moves learnt satisfies the knowledge of the sea.

You close your eyes, announcing your guess with tender wording, Armaldo being chosen as your answer. You await on the edge of your proverbial seat, you stomach coiling in butterflies as … nothing happens. You angrily kick the dirt, knowing that one mistake in the Sphinx's tomb means you can't continue, even guessing the right answer would do nothing.

Creaaaaaaaak. BOOM.

Your ears prick up as you hear the old stone whir into life, a complex system of stone and metal intertwining in ancient mechanical engineering; cogs sound like they're going and stone sounds like they're moving. You cross your fingers and toes, hoping the old system still works and before you know it the doors begin the move, sand pings from either side of you as the door judders, a cloud of dust and sand exploding in your face, causing temporary blindness for you and Shuppet.

A few moments pass before your eyes stop stinging, opening them to see a black hole where two doors used to be. A few more moments of shocked silence pass before you whoop for joy, punching the air, even Myrtle does a spin before stopping, thinking you hadn't seen her but you had. Perhaps your influence of puzzle-solving was getting through to the Shuppet, though you thoroughly doubted this was anything but mere excitement to battle what was inside.

The loudest roar echoed through the cave as a wave of energy blasted past, the wind causing your clothing to ripple as you and Shuppet struggled against the wind. As quickly as it started it settled, leaving you and Shuppet to look at each other for a few seconds, deciding if you wanted to enter where that awful powerful noise had just come from. You both agree and pad your way in, as sneakily and carefully as you entered the doors to the Sphinx's lair.

“W-w-welcome challenger” a voiced bombed, crackling slightly as it did, “It has been a while since I have had visitors”.

Your head begins to hurt as you feel the voice inside your head, the sound of both booming voice and that combining to bring you to your knees as you clasp your hands over your ears, trying to remove some of the pressure you were feeling. A long pause gives you time to shake the feeling before a wave of pain hits once more.

“You may enter my chamber. 12 riddles and I shall see you; fail one and destiny is not here” it says as you look over to Myrtle who also seems to be struggling.

The pain subsides as soon as it stops, leaving you bewildered and dazed. Standing up on your two feet once more you walk a few steps, almost feeling drunk as your steps are out of rhythm and random, jabbing one foot forward as your brain takes time to compensate from the effects it's like you've just learnt to walk. Suddenly you feel one foot sink, a tile below you lower than the floor. You curse in anticipation.

A red light at the end of the room signals your worst fears, you've trigged a trap. The doors behind you slam shut, making the tomb pitch black aside from the now spreading red light splitting off to another strand, seemingly getting closer. Your eyes blur as your try to find your senses once more but it's not until the light is really close until you see it's fire, and the background behind each one of stone. Moving slightly by recognising the up-step you creep forward before noticing that the fire is travelling by a stone guttering system, shooting along what you can only assume is a fuel of some sort developed by an early civilization. Remarking how clever they must have been you see at each stop you see a heavily shined log sticks out, the fire burning the top-layer before sitting on the plank, the fire creating light for the entire room as hundreds of planks are light. The last one lights and you can now see clearly, the fire very illuminating.

You notice how small the room is, about a 40x40 metres square with just a single notable feature, an altar sitting in the center. Cautiously approaching with Shuppet floating ever-closer you see another riddle on the base, which reads;

“Sit ups straight boy! Train me to detect before you perish, for I am the catastrophe if you do not”

What will you do?

Once Keith and Myrtle ceased celebrating the correct answer, Keith glanced at Myrtle, smirking. "I saw that," he grinned.

"I do not know what you are talk-ing a-bout, Meat Sack," Myrtle replied.

"Yeah, right, I saw that little spin," said Keith, still grinning. They then heard a loud roar from within the ancient structure, and at the same time, a great wind blasted both Pokemon and trainer. Keith and Myrtle exchanged glances; Keith looked somewhat unnerved, whereas Myrtle did not (though she secretly felt a little uneasy at this as well).

"Well, shall we go in?" Keith asked quietly.

"Of course we shall go in," Myrtle snapped. "I do not in-tend to chic-ken out of this. It will take a lot more than un-earth-ly roar-ing and po-wer-ful winds to re-pel me. What a-bout you, Meat Sack? I can taste the fear al-rea-dy star-ting to build up with-in you. It is tas-ty."

"Yeah... yeah, let's do this," Keith said, his determination building. As they entered, though, they were greeted with a booming voice that forced Keith to his knees as he covered his ears in agony. Even Myrtle was rattled by the loud talking.

"Arrrgh!" Myrtle wailed in agony. "Hold me, Meat Sack! I mean- uh..." Fortunately for Myrtle, the loud voice had ensured that her moment of weakness was not made known to Keith; her involuntary reaction was drowned out thoroughly. Keith then looked over at Myrtle, but out of concern for her, rather than having heard her. Myrtle didn't realize this immediately, and she blushed slightly, though her glare intensified. The voice stopped around then, leaving both Keith and Myrtle somewhat disoriented. Keith stumbled forward, but only took one step before the tile he just stepped onto sunk down.

"****," Keith groaned as the doors slammed shut behind them.

"Meat Sack, look!" Myrtle exclaimed urgently, indicating towards the red light. Upon closer inspection, Keith could see that it was fire, a means of illuminating what would otherwise be a pitch-black room. The fire was slowly spreading by means of some ingenious ancient design along the walls, slowly making it easier to see in the room. When it was done, the room was somewhat brighter. It was then that Keith noticed an altar in the center of the room, and walked up to it, his Shuppet following close behind. Together they read the riddle on the base, and the two were silent for some time.

"Well," Keith said at length, "I'm not entirely sure about this one. The 'detect' part leads me to think of the move Detect..."

"And the word 'pe-rish', that makes me think of the Pe-rish Song at-tack," Myrtle added. "Per-haps the an-swer is some-thing that learns both Pe-rish Song and De-tect."

Keith snapped his fingers at this. "It could be Absol," he remarked. "Come to think of it, it also says 'I am the catastrophe'... Absol are able to predict natural disasters, aren't they?"

"They... they are, yes," Myrtle replied, once again taken somewhat aback by the fact that her trainer, whose intelligence she frequently called into question, was doing so well.

"Well, I can't think of anything else, so I'll go with Absol as my answer," Keith declared. He felt reasonably confident about his answer, and yet he couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous. Myrtle noticed this and floated closer to him, feeding on some of this nervousness. It wasn't half bad, really, as far as the Shuppet was concerned.

[Takeo]

For those of you who didn't cancel your adventure with Takkupanda and have replied to his last update (Thrain and Kaisap) you can come into my group if you want but I don't mind if you want to cancel. If you want to stay feel free to reply to my update but if you don't a quick VM/PM will do ^^.

Hey there and welcome to my group, hopefully I'll make Talas one of your favoured spot and we'll go on an adventure that's fun for both of us. I prefer updates that are detailed so don't expect me to updates as much as some of these young guns. I've also got a few helpful hints when I'm updating so here they are:

* 3 attacks can be used per update in a single battle, and 2 attacks for each Pokémon in a double battle. If I ever update a triple battle each Pokémon will be allowed 2 attacks, though I doubt I'll ever use triple battles (too hectic it's easy to get lost).

* I've been reading the Pokémon Adventures Manga recently so I'll be using some reference points from there (the Team Rocket Elite for example). If you are unsure of any reference / character behavioural patterns you can consult Bulbapedia which has a good collection or you can ask me directly.

* All of the standard FB rules apply such as size 1, good grammar, no self updating and all that good stuff, and because this zone is all Dark Orange your default is that unless I specifically state otherwise. I'll still add it beside your name on each update for reference.

* I would like to state now I'm a rather rated R updater so Pokédeath could occur. I'm happy to take on all ages but swearing may be used, death and adult issues can be included. Just a heads up in case you don't want any of it.

* I treat updates a bit like a board or video game, but with no do-overs or continues. Your actions may affect the area your in, may affect the entirety of Talas and may affect other people. This zone will all be intertwined so if something major happens somewhere (volcano explosion or something) other people might feel it. I also believe in crossroads so there are times you are asked to take a direction. There is no real right/wrong answer but if you act too passively consequences could happen, just like if you act too aggressively consequences could happen. I'm not saying they will or won't, but my advice is to think about each scenario.

* In in interest of fairness I offer many levels of battling in adventures. Sometimes you will be asked if you want 1 vs. 1 battles all the way up to 4 vs. 4 battles (5/6 vs. 5/6 takes too long). The battles will be matched up level-wise but the more Pokémon you chose the harder it is. If you fail you walk away with very little so the risk is high but the reward is also higher (the loser could give you information / items / rumours / anything at all that may help you later on. It could be just junk).

* I prefer not to have signatures so if you could, can you post without them. I've got your profiles on record in an OpenOffice document but it isn't the end of the world if you forget, I'll still update you. I just like to keep my updates signature free.

I think that's it so have fun in Talas. This time I'll be replying backwards because OpenOffice corrupted my last file so to give myself momentum I'm starting with the ones I haven't done first. After that whoever posts first will be replied to first.

Research Lab: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Takeo: After an early morning under the scorching sun, you arrive at your destination; the lost city of Sobek. Emptying your wallet to find nothing, you look back from where you arrived from, hoping that your journey would end soon. Your feet touch down onto the soft mounds of sand as you stretch a little, the sun beating down hard onto your neck as Vulpix mews as it enjoys the head, walking bedside you. Behind you an mound of dirt moves, an underground Onix or something of its ilk speeds off without affecting you as a cloud of dust explodes into the air before being carried away by the wind. Protecting you eyes until the sand had past you whine about the heat, the humidity of Sobek certainly wasn't for the faint of heart.

A friend had recommended you to this place, the research laboratory, and you were sure his suggestion wouldn't let you down; the first of the lost cities promised to be an adventure, but if you could make money out of it was another thing entirely. You place a hand on your forehead as you scan the surroundings, protecting yourself from the instant up-kick of wind meeting sand, noticing a large town-looking outline in the distance. Wearing just a t-shirt, jeans and boots you decide to begin your journey through Sobek's desert terrain, marching towards the figure. You hear a few Pokémon calls in the distance, shrugging it off as you had heard the desert carried sounds far and wide, probably just another Pokémon mating call.

Despite being a ex-boxing superstar exercise wasn't always for you and this was certainly one of those times. Your feet sank into the sand as you moved, covering your boots with specks of ground rock, their weight making it hard to move with all the shifting, each plod of a foot seeming like more and more work. This, of course, wasn't helped by your Vulpix who began to walk with a bit of a swagger, its enjoyment your displeasure, the fire-fox's walking unhindered, unlike yours. A newly hatched Trapinch lay in your pocket, safely tucked away in a Pokéball. Perhaps this adventure was both for money but also to get closer to the ground-type to show it that you are a trustworthy trainer. Vulpix sensed your discomfort and stopped, still enjoying the warmth of the sun but this time walking at your pace. You sigh loudly and continue your journey and after what seems like forever, before seeing a patch of green. Stopping to look at it in amazement for a few seconds, Vulpix's 'Vul' brings you back to reality and you continue on, the further you go the more patches of green appear until you hit a spot where green grass seems to outweigh the sand. Turning back to look at the scenery you are gob-smacked by the climate; one of the only places in Talas where sand and grass co-exist, creating an original and unique climate that scientists have been stammering about for centuries.

You move on once more, passing recognisable buildings in the Pokémon centre, a place renowned for healing Pokémon when they were sick or injured, a medical miracle that the Nurse Joy's of the region and their assistants are able to offer the service for free; a lifeline for many Pokémon trainers and wild Pokémon alike. Next to it a small market stall bustles with early-afternoon life, clearly the market day as sellers pander to the crowd, offering fruits, meat and items of exotic nature, though some are clearly tat. The life of Sobek is perhaps one of the most mysterious; the influx of scientists to this region is well regimented and many come for the excitement of finding something new, or perhaps something old. Noticing you too are looking for something you dismiss both buildings, your feet now easily able to walk on the grass as Vulpix runs around in the background.

Passing through the excavation unit, you notice large and small tools sprayed around the site, a digger sits next to a small device while a mechanical arm is near to a small hammer and brush. You wonder how much they are worth, considering that the specialist tools that are smaller are probably worth more in monetary value, the life of Pokémon economy changing everyday. You decide not to pilfer any of the tools, thinking that it would be too hard to sell them but are astounded both by the lack of protection each of the tools have but also the lack of scientists. Again you ignore it, thinking perhaps Sobek is a honest and trustworthy place and the scientists are out, maybe all of them went to the market to pick up their lunch. You chuckle to yourself and continue through the excavation site, giant walls of stone and dirt intertwining to create the lost city of Sobek, the first discovered but by no means completely found, work still continues to this day to discover the secrets of past civilizations.

Coming to a stop outside a building made mainly of steel you notice it has only one floor, the length of the building however more than making up for it. You look up to see the roof of one of Sobek's marvels, and though you have no idea what it is, you figure that the building was made lengthways so it didn't destroy some of Sobek's masterpiece engineering. As you walk close, two glass doors slide open as a breeze of cool air hits you, a welcome refreshment from the beating sun. Walking in through the doors all is quiet but the brring of the air conditioner, as the room is filled with machines. Your boots clang off two metal meshes below before a large vacuum noise fills the air.

You notice that any residue sand is sucked clean from your boots, clearly an invention to stop excess sand from getting in the machines and breaking them, but your Vulpix doesn't agree, hissing at the loud sound before nipping your feet, causing you to let out a shriek and jump to the side. You almost slip on the well polished tiles as the vacuum comes to and end, Vulpix still staring at it in attack mode, its tail raised and head forward as you try to calm it down.

“Oh Bawk you idiot. If you've got your Grimer stuck down that vacuum again you can figure out how to get it back yourself” a voice angrily mumbles as you notice a thin man, aged around his late 30s, briskly walk round the corner, his head looking down at a clipboard. You notice his eyes follow the floor until he sees your kicks, following up your body to your face.

“Oh!” he says, surprised. “You're not Bawk”

You shake your head and introduce yourself as the scientist nods his head, his black bowl-cut hair wobbling as he does so. He stares at your Vulpix for a few seconds, grabbing a pen from the pocket protector of his white lab coat, combing through the paper's contents on the clipboard before tapping it.

“You're not one of us are you?” he asks, looking you up and down as you frown. “... A researcher I meant. Hahaha. A new scientists from Professor Samba is meant to be sent to us today. I thought you were him” he laughs. Suddenly remembering something, the scientist rushes back round the corner, heading to the place he was standing at when you came in before wheeling back a machine. A blue beam erupts from it, scanning you up and down.

“6'2” trainer with an Vulpix. Yes you'll do” he announces before noticing your bewildered face. “My name is Sebastian. We need someone like you. One of my machine parts was stolen by a thief and I need a trainer with Pokémon to go and get it for me. What do you say, I can pay you?”

It seems that the man is offering you a job.

What will you do?

After an early morning under the scorching sun, Hallow arrived at his destination; the lost city of Sobek,
Hallow was not made for hot weather, he walked, miserably, with his head down, back slouched, and a dry tongue sticking out,
"...if we some how survive this trip..., I'm making a promise to myself to never come back...,"

Emptying his wallet to find nothing, was the last thing he had anticipated, though he had half expected a Butterfree to fly out of it,
"...Damn!," he said,
"I've only got myself to blame,"
"Vul!,"
"I mean, its human nature that we like things to be unpredictable,"
"damn that roulette table in the Casino...,"
Grace chuckled,
"Hopefully, we can make some ends meet here and go back home,"
"Vul!,"

As He looked back from where he arrived from, he hoped that his little trip would end soon, and was all for not,
His feet touched down onto the soft mounds of sand as he stretched a little, the sun beating down hard onto his neck as Vulpix mewed as it enjoyed the heat, walking beside him,
"Of course your comfortable in the heat Grace, your a fire type for Arceus sake!,"
he said a bit bitterly,

Behind him a mound of dirt moved, and an underground Onix sped off as a cloud of dust exploded into the air before being carried away by the wind,
"WOW," he said in amazement, despite his discomfort, for a few seconds Hallow could appreciate the nature of the world,
Hallow put his hands over his eyes protecting them from the small sandstorm that was created till it had past,
Hallow whined about the heat, the humidity of Sobek wasn't for the faint of heart,
"Argh!,"

Matt. had recommended to come to this place, the research laboratory, and he was sure his friend's suggestion wouldn't let him down; the first of the lost cities promised to be an adventure,
He placed a hand on his forehead scanning the surroundings, protecting himself from the instant up-kick of wind meeting sand, noticing a large town-looking outline in the distance.

"Hey we're in luck!, a city, I'm sure we can find food and water there!,"
Wearing just a t-shirt, jeans and boots he decided to begin his journey through Sobek's desert terrain, marching towards the figure,

He heard a few Pokémon call in the distance, shrugging it off as he had heard the desert carry sounds far and wide,
"its probably was just a Pokémon's mating call," he inquired,

Despite being an ex-fighter, exercise wasn't always for him and this was certainly one of those times,
His feet sank into the sand as he moved, covering his boots with specks of ground rock, their weight making it hard to move with all the shifting, each plod of a foot seeming like more and more work,
"How can anyone walk here?,"
Of course, this didn't help with Vulpix who walked with a bit of a swagger, its enjoyment, his displeasure, the fire-fox walked unhindered, unlike him,
"You know, somehow I get the feeling your mocking me...,"

His newly hatched Trapinch laid in his pocket, safely tucked away in it's Pokéball,
What made this trip extra special was bonding time he had hoped to gain with the little ground type,

Vulpix stopped teasing him, sensing his discomfort, still enjoying the warmth of the sun she walked at Hallow's pace,
*sigh*
He continued his journey and after what seemed like forever, he spotted a patch of green,
He stopped to admire it for a few seconds,
"Seems like forever since I have seen anything besides sand,"
"Vul,"
Vulpix's 'Vul' brought him back to reality and he continued on, the further he went, the more patches of green appeared until he hit a spot where green grass seemed to outweigh the sand,
"Interesting..,"
Turning back to look at the scenery he was surprised by the climate; he would later find that this was one of the only places in Talas where sand and grass co-existed, creating an original and unique climate that scientists had been stammering about for centuries,

He moved on once more, passing recognisable buildings like the Pokémon centre; a place renowned for healing Pokémon when they were sick or injured, a medical miracle that the Nurse Joy's of the region and their assistants were able to offer the service for free; a lifeline for many Pokémon trainers and wild Pokémon alike,

Next to it a small market stall bustled with early-afternoon life, clearly the market day as sellers pander to the crowd, offering fruits, meat and items of exotic nature, though some are clearly tat,
He was tempted to buy something to drink but thought to wait until he found a better alternative than cactus juice...,

The life of Sobek was perhaps one of the most mysterious; the arrival of large numbers of scientists to this region was well regimented and many came for the excitement of finding something new, or in a better sense, something old,
I guess, even I'm searching for something too...,
he dismissed both buildings,
He was finally able to walk comfortable due to the grass,
Grace ran around in the background,
"Well aren't you happy," he said with a bit of a better disposition,

Passing through the excavation unit, Hallow noticed large and small tools sprayed around the site, a digger sat next to a small device while a mechanical arm was near to a small hammer and brush.
I wonder how much that's worth,
considering that the specialist tools that were smaller were probably worth more in monetary value,
*sigh* the life of Pokémon economy was constantly changing day-in, day-out,
He shook his head and decided not to steal any of the tools,
despite his appearance, he was no thief,
He was amazed though both by the lack of protection each of the tools had but also the lack of scientists,
Again he simply ignored it, thinking perhaps Sobek was a honest and trustworthy place and the scientists were out, maybe all of them went to the market to pick up their lunch,
He chuckled to himself and continued through the excavation site, giant walls of stone and dirt intertwining to create the lost city of Sobek, the first discovered but by no means completely found, work still continued to this day to discover the secrets of past civilizations,

Coming to a stop outside a building made mainly of steel, Hallow noticed it had only one floor, the length of the building however more than made up for it,
He looked up to see the roof of one of Sobek's marvels, and though he had no clue what it was, he figured that the building was made lengthways so it didn't destroy some of Sobek's masterpiece engineering,
As he walked closer, two glass doors slid open as a breeze of cool air hit him,
"Ah!~, thats the stuff,"
a welcome refreshment from the beating sun,
Walking in through the doors all was quiet but the bring of the air conditioner, as the room was filled with machines, his boots clanged off two metal meshes below before a large vacuum noise filled the air,
"Huh?,"

He noticed that any residue sand was sucked clean from his boots, clearly an invention to stop excess sand from getting in the machines and breaking them, but his Vulpix didn't agree, hissing at the loud sound before nipping at his feet, causing him to let out a jump to the side,
He almost slipped on the well polished tiles as the vacuum came to an end, Vulpix still staring at it in attack mode, it's tails raised and head forward as Hallow tried to calm her down,
"Hey now, its just a machine,"
He turned when he heard a voice come from a corridor,
“Oh Bawk you idiot. If you've got your Grimer stuck down that vacuum again you can figure out how to get it back yourself” a voice angrily mumbled,
He was a thin man, who looked to be around his late 30s, he was briskly walking round the corner, his head looking down at a clipboard,
Hallow noticed his eyes following the floor until he reached Hallow's kicks, were he followed them up his body up to Hallow's face,

“Oh!,” he said, surprised, “You're not Bawk,”
Hallow shook his head and introduced himself,
"No, the names Hallow Heartless,"
the scientist nodded his head, his black bowl-cut hair wobbling as he did so,
He stared at Hallow's Vulpix for a few seconds, grabbing a pen from the pocket protector of his white lab coat, combing through the paper's contents on the clipboard before tapping it,
“You're not one of us are you?” he asked, looking Hallow up and down,
Hallow frowned,
"No, but what's that suppose to mean?,"
“... A researcher I meant, Hahaha, A new scientists from Professor Samba is meant to be sent to us today, I thought you were him,” he laughed, suddenly remembering something, the scientist rushed back round the corner, heading to the place he was standing at when Hallow came in before wheeling back a machine,
"Uh, whats that?,"
before he could get a response a blue beam erupted from it, scanning Hallow up and down,

“6'2” trainer with a Vulpix, Yes you'll do” he announced before noticing Hallow's bewildered face, “My name is Sebastian, we need someone like you, one of my machine parts was stolen by a thief and I need a trainer with Pokémon to go and get it for me, What do you say, I can pay you?”

It seemed that the man was offering Hallow a job,

So much for a honest town, he thought,
"About this job...," he asked,
"How can I be of assistance?,"

He turned to find Grace, who was just starting to explore the facility, Growling at each machine she came across,
"They're just cold machines, they can't hurt you," he reminded her,
"I'm sorry about this," he walked over to her, pulling her away from a computer's hard drive before she felt the need to burn it to a crisp,

"You know, maybe we can talk this over a cold drink,"

[Fireray]

Fireray: Although you'd picked the Island of Talas to adventure in, you soon began to wonder why as the blaring heat smacked the back of your neck, the desert-continent's weather well established and documented by the region's large number of scientists. Although usually accompanied by your friend and Pokémon Cyndaquil, today you are accompanied by your lesser-leveled Pokémon, the ones you needed to spend time with to gain that special bond between trainer and Pokémon. You shrug off the decision to come to Talas and move along the desolate wasteland until you find the legendary Laos River, once described by Pokémon Magazine as 'the most beautiful river and yet the most deadly, snaking across tropical jungle and out to sea', the home to many families who like to watch the barges. Spotting on on the coast you pray they don't let their children follow your actions as you dive into the water, met with a splash as the sun's rays colour the excess a mix of blues and yellows.

This was more like it, the warm sun heating up the river's water to an acceptable temperature, still cooling against the sun you had experienced on your way to the popular hot-spot. You think back to deciding against getting a guide to tour you, confident in your own Pokémon's ability to get the job done and protect you from any dangers that could lie in Talas. Not that there are many dangers around here, you think, families come here and the Pokémon are well versed in their presence, offering only to battle when they feel trapped or endangered. Spreading yourself into a starfish and floating on top of the water you close your eyes against the blinding sun, the relaxing river washing away all of your troubles. You hear nothing, your ears underneath the water as the sounds of the river wash past, freeing you from all worldly stress as you feel any problems disappear. You bask in the moment for a few minutes more before deciding that you should continue your adventure along the river.

You open your eyes to see the bank on your right, however you notice that no families are close. You shrug it off, wondering if they had moved because you were setting a bad example, children could easily be squashed by the barges that past through or swept away in a heart beat. Laos was Talas' biggest river, affected with all kinds of problems. Breast-stroking to the edge, you grab hold of the bank's side, but the softened mud falls apart in your hands, pushing you further out into the river.

Suddenly you're caught by a current, sending you further down the river. Confident in your swimming abilities you manage to stay calm, swimming against the current and over to the side, but again another current sweeps you further down river. Looking round you notice you're caught in a white water rapid, an offset from the main river as you see a split behind you. Clearly swimming to the side to get out made you move into this path. Thinking that diving into a river you'd never heard of might have been a bad idea, you soon find yourself bobbing up and down, struggling for breath against the steadily increasing rapid water. You attempt to swim backwards, against the current but it's no good; it's too strong as you feel yourself getting pulled the other way. Turning round you see a large plain of grey before hitting it, the rock smashing against your skull and causing you to black out.

~~~

Opening your eyes you press one hand against your head as drops over water run down your face. Where were you? What happened? All these questions run through your head as you open your eyes as they adjust to the light around you. Putting your hand down on the floor you feel it's slimy and moving.

Wait... Slimy and moving? That doesn't sound right. You attempt to jump upright but are stopped by a large force stopping you; your eyes getting back into focus as you see a wall of flopping red. Ahead of you a cross-pattern seems to be the reason you're stuck, grabbing it to feel the mesh of nylon. A noise of whirring fills the air as you realise you're in a net; a net filled with Magikarp.

“Open the net” a rough voice shouts as you feel the weight lessen, before dropping to the floor with a thud. Your body smacks against the wooden deck before being hit in the back by a ton of Magikarp, each flopping around for a minute before running out of oxygen. Shaking your head you begin to stand but a hand grabs the clothing on your back, lifting you up with one hand.

“Well what do we have here boys? Looks like someone wants to sabotage our fishing trip” he says as you look to face him, a think black beard and moustache wraps round his face, several gold teeth filling his mouth as he speaks.

“Explain yur'self boy!” he says, slamming you back to the ground as you scamper towards the side “WHO SENT YOU?”

What will you do?

The battle between Fireray and the current was beginning to form. Fireray knew he could make it up the river but the current was strong but not strong enough. Fireray swan to the side which of course had some natural support. Fireray thought that everything was over but then the mud failed and Fireray was trying to swim to the side but this time he couldn't make it back to the side and when he glanced forwards he saw a white water rapid and the normal river which was calmer but not that calm. Fireray would have swam to the white water rapids but today it was about survival to get back to shore.
Fireray swan to the other side of the lake. 'There was nothing about a white water rapid in the Pokemon magazine,' Fireray thought. Fireray was regretting that he even came here. First the heat then the water is was enough he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't swim against the current for long and he couldn't keep control anymore and was just floating on he rapid water. Fireray was about to reach his Pokeball when something hit him hard on his head. Fireray gasping in pain was about to look around to see what it was but fainted as soon as he turned his head and his eyes lost focus.



Fireray woke up and was confused in where he was. 'I was swimming against the current and as my eyes lost focus I only saw. Wait where am I? I'm not in a bed or something like that!,' fieray thought while his eyes adjusted to the light around him. 'Wait, what is that moving above me is red and soggy' fireray started to mutter to himself. Fireray recoiled as he saw Magikarp under him. As fireray wanted to stand up he was shock to see more Magikarp above him.
“Open the net” a rough voice said. 'Finally a voice, but is it a friendly one?,' Fieray thought. Fireray felt the weight lessen and for a second he thought he was in the air flying. The thud gave Fireray another wound and he saw a man with a beard and moustache. The magikarp struggle for air like dying fish. A hand graped him him and lifted him up.
“Well what do we have here boys? Looks like someone wants to sabotage our fishing trip” said the same man that lifted him up. Fireray saw the gold teeth.
“Explain yur'self boy! “WHO SENT YOU?” The leader said. Fireray was scared and quickly crawled to the side.
"No one sent. Who are you anyway and what do you want?" Fireray told the man defiantly. Fireray hoped they didn't notice him taking a Pokeball out which belonged to his water guy who was ready for action.

[Marion Ette]

For those of you who didn't cancel your adventure with Takkupanda and have replied to his last update (Thrain and Kaisap) you can come into my group if you want but I don't mind if you want to cancel. If you want to stay feel free to reply to my update but if you don't a quick VM/PM will do ^^.

Hey there and welcome to my group, hopefully I'll make Talas one of your favoured spot and we'll go on an adventure that's fun for both of us. I prefer updates that are detailed so don't expect me to updates as much as some of these young guns. I've also got a few helpful hints when I'm updating so here they are:

* 3 attacks can be used per update in a single battle, and 2 attacks for each Pokémon in a double battle. If I ever update a triple battle each Pokémon will be allowed 2 attacks, though I doubt I'll ever use triple battles (too hectic it's easy to get lost).

* I've been reading the Pokémon Adventures Manga recently so I'll be using some reference points from there (the Team Rocket Elite for example). If you are unsure of any reference / character behavioural patterns you can consult Bulbapedia which has a good collection or you can ask me directly.

* All of the standard FB rules apply such as size 1, good grammar, no self updating and all that good stuff, and because this zone is all Dark Orange your default is that unless I specifically state otherwise. I'll still add it beside your name on each update for reference.

* I would like to state now I'm a rather rated R updater so Pokédeath could occur. I'm happy to take on all ages but swearing may be used, death and adult issues can be included. Just a heads up in case you don't want any of it.

* I treat updates a bit like a board or video game, but with no do-overs or continues. Your actions may affect the area your in, may affect the entirety of Talas and may affect other people. This zone will all be intertwined so if something major happens somewhere (volcano explosion or something) other people might feel it. I also believe in crossroads so there are times you are asked to take a direction. There is no real right/wrong answer but if you act too passively consequences could happen, just like if you act too aggressively consequences could happen. I'm not saying they will or won't, but my advice is to think about each scenario.

* In in interest of fairness I offer many levels of battling in adventures. Sometimes you will be asked if you want 1 vs. 1 battles all the way up to 4 vs. 4 battles (5/6 vs. 5/6 takes too long). The battles will be matched up level-wise but the more Pokémon you chose the harder it is. If you fail you walk away with very little so the risk is high but the reward is also higher (the loser could give you information / items / rumours / anything at all that may help you later on. It could be just junk).

* I prefer not to have signatures so if you could, can you post without them. I've got your profiles on record in an OpenOffice document but it isn't the end of the world if you forget, I'll still update you. I just like to keep my updates signature free.

I think that's it so have fun in Talas. This time I'll be replying backwards because OpenOffice corrupted my last file so to give myself momentum I'm starting with the ones I haven't done first. After that whoever posts first will be replied to first.

Emporium Hotel: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Marion Ette: Wearing your most dignified of all dignitaries clothing, a black laced dress, you wander into the lobby of Talas' most famous destination; the luxurious Emporium Hotel. The heels of your shoes clack off the freshly-polished tiles as you gaze in wonderment at your surroundings; the best of the best being present in Atlas' king hotel. Marble adorns the walls, propping up the well-painted ceiling of an artiste's vision of legendary Pokémon; Talas' replicated styling of the Sistine Chapel not well-documented, but very expensive none-the-less. The walls, a green marble, reflects the wandering sunshine from many of the large glass windows spotted about the room, leaving it well exposed and bright, the whole room of exquisite taste. With your most beautiful Ninetales accompanying you to the region, you hoped that you would be able to find a place to stay on the 13th floor and while for most the hallowed ground of horror stories is to be stayed away, yours is far the opposite; the intrigue of the most famous hotel in Talas having mystery and secrecy on its 13th floor was an adventure too good to be missed. Ninetales coos as you pat it on the head, searching around for the front desk among the largest lobby you had ever seen, paintings, expensive rugs, meeting areas and golden objects all given more than enough space to attract attention and though you look at each for a few seconds, none have the attract factor you originally came in for.

Walking to the centre of the lobby you notice a statue of a young woman, perhaps a little younger than you. Her hair messy yet styled as the front parts at the top, leaving two curves to either side of her forehead while the back spikes down; a fashion long-gone from the world still looks regal when carved in marble. Still water covers the base, a Zubat standing in the foremost position you had every seen a Pokémon, its wings down as it seemed to stand at attention, a steely gaze meeting your eyes causing a shiver down your spine. The circle statue base begins at your waist as you peer over at the water, finding no fish swimming about but you notice how pristine the water looks, the clearest water you had ever seen in your life. The woman sports a long-sleeved shirt and black jacket while two earrings hand from her ears.

After a few minutes of looking over the centrepiece of the lobby you decide to move on, Ninetales leading the way as you talk to it about your hopes for the adventure, it licking your hand in response as the fire-fox nuzzles you, causing a chuckle to burst from your lungs. Smiling as it brings you to the front desk you see a Beauty smiling back at you, her perfect white teeth gleaming while her outfit is the latest style in Talas, a pointed blue piece showing you her value of monetary importance. One defining feature, however, sets her apart from others you had seen in the region, a thick layer of black mascara under her eyes.

“Hi there, and welcome to The Emporium. How may I help you?” She asks before looking down at your Ninetales, her eyes melting at its beauty as it stands proud, sitting down on the floor as its head is held high. Introducing yourself and asking for a room on a specific floor, however, causes her to react in almost-disgust.

“Floor 13?!” she says, reeling back before snapping with a sneer “One of those are you? Just because it's cheaper”

Your cheeks burn a bright red, assured that was not why you wanted to chose Floor 13 but you couldn't tell her that, she'd just as likely take the mickey out of your ghost theories as she would your lack of money. She puts her head down to the desk, her fingers tapping at the keyboard as she looks up available rooms, the screen changing from its luminescence white to a blue, highlighting her black mascara below her eyes. You hear a buzzing noise as her head jolts to the side, almost like she had just been hit by a shock. She takes a big gulp.

“I apologise for my earlier rudeness. I didn't mean to cause offence” she says, sheepishly smiling at you before glancing upwards.

Taking a look yourself you notice a small sphere covered in plastic, a clear sign of cameras jotted around the room, watching over the most important parts of the lobby. You look back at the woman as she caresses her neck, going back to the computer, tapping away. You wonder about the cameras, though also used for security purposes perhaps the upper-management also use it to ensure quality, though the jolt concerned you. How far was 'the most glamorous hotel in Talas' willing to go to make sure it stayed that way? Shaking off the feeling you return to the Beauty as she finishes her job on the computer, a few mouse clicks later and she grins.

“So the cost of your stay tonight will be 230,000-” she begins to say before cutting off, her head once again jolting as she looks down.
“Excuse me” she says, bowing “your stay has been paid for by another. It's on the house.” she says, turning to get a key from the cubbyholes behind her, the marvellous redwood houses keys from each room. As she turns, however, you notice a small black earpiece in her right ear, something you didn't notice before. Perhaps the jolt was just her speaker set on too loud, or the voice of the person on the other side.

Grabbing some items from one of the hooks, the woman turns back round with another jolt, handing you a keycard and key, explaining that to open the door you must first insert the key, swipe the card then turn the key to the left before opening the door, saying that if it's not done correctly you can't get into your room. She then points over towards the elevator.

“Charles will be your valet” she says, as you turn to look at the golden doors of the elevator, a ping sounding as they open to reveal the person you expect to be Charles, a man dressed in a black suit and top-hat bowing.

Moving over to Charles' position he scoots aside to make room for your Ninetales, standing with perfect posture, his hands behind his back and just below his waist, the standard for sure a prestigious hotel for sure.

“Good evening m'lady” he announces in a posh accent, you smiling back at him as he gives your Ninetales a once over, “an exquisite taste in Pokémon I must say and may I say that it's very well looked after.”

His compliments warm your heart, leaving Ninetales to look even prouder as she struggles to remain sitting still, her natural instincts to wag her tail, jump on Charles and lick him silly stopped by a sense of knowingness that he can't touch guest's Pokémon. The elevator pings as you feel the slight influx of gravity weigh you down, the normal elevator stopping signs as the doors open. You don't remember Charles touching a button, looking towards his side to see he did in fact have a control panel, but the floor button is not light. You shake it off as a safety precaution, maybe the elevator is controlled by the head of house to protect those dignitaries in higher-up rooms, their hoard of treasures being beyond imaginable.

Stepping out into the corridor, you're amazed at it's beauty; the area draped with fine silks and carpet that looked like you could sleep on it. On the side of the wall hung paintings of incredible worth, noticing some of them were ones you had read about being sold, the prices astronomical you wondered who could afford them. You notice the lack of security of each one, they just hang off the walls while further down the hall a Ming vase sits on a small, yet glamorous and marble, pedestal. Charles looks at you as he notices you have stopped for a while to stare at the paintings.

“Please do not delay miss,” he asks with a tone of worry “the artefacts have a very complex state of the art security system. If you dally for too long or touch them we could both be in trouble”

You agree with his wishes and continue down the corridor, looking at your key to find yourself room 18. Following the doors along you hear something coming from the room next to you, but you're not sure what. Following the beauty's instructions you first place the key in the door, sliding the key-card through the scanner before twisting the key and opening the door. It swings open to reveal the biggest room you had ever seen in a hotel; a room big enough to be its own secret base. Wandering in you see a 72 inch plasma TV hang from the wall, a red four poster bed opposite it. A bathroom with walk-in shower and designer bath sits far from the door and the “mini-fridge” is actually huge, the top of it reaching at least your waist. Looking inside you see bottles of Dom Perignon champagne, the vintage dating back to before you were born. Whistling at the expense it would take just to open that thing you close the door, a nagging feeling hits you like you've forgotten to do something.

A small tug at your arm brings you back to earth as Ninetales directs you back towards Charles, who stands in the door with his hand outstretched.

What will you do?

Marion and Aislyn admire the statue in the lobby for a long while before finally approaching the desk. Something about that statue did not sit well with Marion... For the ghost-type trainer to actually be spooked by something must mean there's some serious bad mojo going on. Even so, Marion searches the statue for any indication of who it may be depicting, but finding no such information and realizing that she has probably been admiring the beautifully carved woman and her unnerving Zubat for a little too long, she approaches the Beauty at the desk and begins the check-in process. She is surprised and slightly offended by the Beauty's rude comment about checking into floor 13 because it was cheaper; Marion was certainly not the type to parade around her family name, or indignantly remind people of who she was, but as an heir of the Ette family fortune, she was certainly no cheapskate! Even so, the thought of going on a tirade about family names was far from her own personality, and she was not about to explain her desire to hunt for ghosts, for fear of being even further ridiculed by this Beauty. A sudden jolt snaps the Beauty out of her sneer, and Marion cannot help but think of the experiments she read about in school with Rattata in cages, being shocked as a part of learning certain behaviors... or to avoid certain behaviors. Certainly, it had been effective in Pokemon models, and she imagined that such "training" was effective in human models, as well. Even so, it was slightly disturbing... Maybe even downright Orwellian. Marion's thoughts immediately drift towards the management of the Hotel. She couldn't help but wonder who might be running such a big operation... It seems like everywhere Marion went, some Casino or Radio Tower or Company was being taken over by a horrible cult or gang of thugs. Then again, even "honest" businesses sometimes stooped to questionable practices...

Marion grins at the receptionist, readily accepting the apology. "Oh, please don't worry! No offense taken." It was a lie, of course, but Marion did not want to see this receptionist punished further. Even if she had been offended, she was not one to inflict pain on those who have wronged her... unless they were to harm her Pokemon, or do something equally as reprehensible. No matter what Marion says, however, she is powerless to prevent the next jolt, which alters the Beauty's request for payment to a statement that Marion's stay at the hotel would be on the house. "Paid for by another..? Oh, that's wonderful! I am incredibly grateful to whoever my benefactor might be." Marion aches to ask who might have decided to pay for her room, but decides against it. Perhaps she was better off not asking too many questions around here... If she wanted information, she would have to simply remain observant. There was always, of course, the possibility that these jolts WEREN'T being administered by the upper management... The thought makes Marion shiver with a strange mix of fear and excitement. In a sadistic sort of way, she was having fun already.

Marion claims the keycard and key, memorizing the instructions before thanking the receptionist and following Charles into the elevator. "Good evening," she responds with a curtsy. Charles becomes an immediate favorite of Aislyn's, and she coos happily in response to his compliments, and though she retains her dignity and remains still, her tails still swish back and forth a bit to show her contentment. Marion smiles at Charles, showing that she too is glad to hear Aislyn being verbally lavished in such a way. "You are too kind, Charles. I love my Aislyn very much, and I am so pleased to hear that my love for her is displayed in her appearance. Some say I spoil her, but I think she deserves all the attention that she gets." Aislyn barks in agreement.

When the trio finally arrives on the 13th floor, Marion is amazed by the wondrous displays that adorn the corridor. Certainly, she and Aislyn were not thieves, and she knew better than to touch anything even if it did not appear guarded, but she was still fascinated by the history and culture these valuable paintings represented... Each one seemed to have its own unique story. Studying each artifact carefully, Marion tries to place herself mentally in the time when these pieces were created and used, but is taken out of her reverie by Charles' eerie warning. Marion immediately pulls back, remembering the shocks administered to the receptionist earlier. "Very well," Marion says, though now completely on alert... Considering how seriously the Hotel took customer satisfaction, she could only imagine how intense their measures were to ensure security. Marion wonders how the Hotel was able to get ahold of not only wonderful Talas artifacts, but also high-end paintings and astronomically expensive art. More and more, she thought of the infamous Silph Company scandal, but made a mental note to herself not to betray any such thoughts to anyone.

Marion is escorted to Room 18, which is certainly an impressive room... It was practically the size of a whole Secret Base! Both Marion and Aislyn seem excited to move in and get settled, when the ghostly trainer senses that she has forgotten something. Seeing Charles with his hand outstretched clues her in; a tip! Of course! At first, the young trainer looks a little panicked; though she had bought her Fizzytopian credit card to pay for her room, she had not brought any coins with her after hearing about the prevalence of thieves in the city. The momentary shock passes, however, as her eyes light up with the memory of something that is likely just as good, which she has been carrying around for awhile. Marion reaches into her purse and pulls out two velvet bags full of Stardust. Given the current market prices, such a treasure could easily net 2,000 coins... Maybe more, if he found the right buyer. She also takes a shiny Silver Leaf out of her bag, which added 1,000 coins to the value of his tip... or was it more? Less? Marion couldn't remember what the silver market was like in Talas right now, but it was a nice little treasure, anyhow. She places the two stardusts and the silver leaf in the man's outstretched palm, and follows the gift up with a grateful bow. "Thank you for your wonderful service, Charles," she says in earnest, and Aislyn copies the bow herself. She then seems to suddenly remember something. "Oh, before you go... Who is depicted in that statue in the lobby? It's quite an impressive piece!" Marion tilts her head, hoping that the question would not lead to either of them being shocked.

[Treepandaone]

The Market: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Meetan: Getting nothing but a sense that Talas' business is hectic from eavesdropping on a market haggler and trader you peel the sticker back carefully, your 'annoying habit' coming in as useful in the trials and tribulations of Talas. Finding that the market trader is a hostage under the mystery group's tirade you begin to search for a way to get your Pokémon back, your mind returning to the child playing by the fountain.

With your sweetest voice you approach the child, noticing his clothes have holes in them, some patch-worked up but others gaping wide open, the skin on his knees well worn and tough looking from all the times they've healed over. His cap is similar to a truckers, though differences in width at the top and a small round ball separate it from the fashion icon. Asking him, from a short distance away, if he could help you he merely grins as he turns round.

“Help? The name's Skoochy”, he announces, “I escaped from an orphanage when I was young and I'm never going back. Don't think a sweet voice will work on me, I live on the streets, struggling. You got it all given to you.”

You seem taken aback by the boy's statement, feeling angry that he would make a snap judgement about you. You want to say something as a rebuttal, but painfully bite your tongue instead, knowing this boy was your only hope of getting your Pokémon back. The more you think about it, however, the more you see how he could be right, you were here shopping for goods while he was scouring the streets. You remain as calm as you can be, reiterating your statement of intent for information of the whereabouts of your Pokémon.

“I know where they are yeah, but it'll take something to de-fog my memory” he says “2,000 coins and I can sleep and eat well tonight.”

You look at the boy's confidence with marvel, asking for such a large number of coins to sleep and eat well was an understatement but you realize the market that he's in; everything in this region costs and with the tourist trade it costs lots. Talas is both the boy's tutor and curse, the well developed attributes of confidence and prose offset by the very nature of his condition, a poor orphan boy struggling to get by. You study him for a second and notice his eyes divert down to your hands.

“Or that bottle of Moo Moo Milks looks very tasty. I'll give all the information you need for that”, he says.

What will you do?

The Sphinx: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Missigno. Master: Working out the relationship of Perish Song and Detect you begin to complete the puzzle, Myrtle’s invaluable input helping you further your understanding of the catastrophe Pokémon before settling on it, declaring the answer to the altar.

As you do the crystal clear water begins to shake, sending ripples to the far reaches of the bowl as the ground too began to shake. Your already nervous disposition was increased as you begin to lose your balance, the ever increasing magnitude of the tremors leading you to suspect that you might have got this riddle wrong. With your Shuppet floating closer it seems that it's almost taunting you, not only feeding off the nervousness you had but also floating, unable to feel the vibrations as you shimmer towards the altar, holding onto it for stability.

Ca-thunk. Ca-thunk. Plink. Plink. Plink.

The ground begins to convulse more, sending you to your backside as you wonder what you've done by holding onto the altar. The sound of rocks falling greets your ears but as you look over to your side you see the walls remaining in position, like the small area you were occupying was the only thing shuddering.

Then, suddenly, things begin to set in motion. Above you the ceiling begins to open, the slow movement of rocks opening like the roof of a tennis stadium, a ray of light illuminating the plinth you seem to be standing on. The sound is deafening but it seems the Sphinx's ancient engineering still works as a sound of cogs is added to the drone as the arena begins to wobble more before finally being pulled from the ground, with you on it.

Your surroundings slowly fade as you take a long journey upwards, making it to the second level in due time as Shuppet floats alongside you, the 3x3 metre square holding the altar clamps into place with the new floor. You look around with amazement at where you are, the room easily seen as it employs by the same lighting system as the previous room, but this time already in function by the time you arrive. Several pillars free stand from the floor, while some have fallen, leaving little waist-high cover as numerous small and large rocks litter the 40x40 metre arena.

You notice that on either side is a thin platform, away from the regular square, one level while the other is raised, with the one end of the raised arena is a section of bars, similar to a jail house. You also notice a small one-way dog-flap type contraption, preventing you from fitting through and continuing. Deciding that the level end must contain the next part of the continuing riddles you move over, finding that it fits you perfectly with a little room to spare.

Suddenly a Roar is heard from the raised side before an Absol jumps through the flap, standing impressively on top of the raised platform. You see it flick its head scythe as it pads down the stairs of the raised platform, standing opposite you and Myrtle, snorting. It would seem that to you must first beat this Absol before continuing.

What will you do?

OoC: A badly paint-drawn illustration of the arena. Circles are pillars, the others are fallen. You're on the left.

Research Lab: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Takeo: “Water?” the scientist asks as it slowly occurs to him that you've trekked across Sobek's desert, “Oh of course. Right this way”

You thank the heavens for your interruption as your throat croaks with lack of hydration, the scientist is so involved with the statistics of both yourself and your Vulpix that he seemingly forgets the etiquette of hosting, blanking you in favour of papered information. He issues you round the corner as you oblige, pulling Vulpix away from any flashing lights, scared that it'll take offence to the computer and burn the rather expensive machines to a crisp, causing even more expense. Eventually the Vulpix begins to settle after several tellings off, allowing you and Sebastian to sit down on the shiny blue table, the marble gripping your fingers as you run it across, feeling the bumps of such an expensive piece.

The scientist pulls out his Pokédex-like mechanism once more, tapping a few buttons before a machine in the corner whirs away, depositing clear water into a plastic cup. Getting up and getting it Sebastian smiles as he presents you with the ice cold chilled water, you thanking him as you gulp it down. Snarkily thinking that the once honest town wasn't so honest any more you listen to the scientist mumble, the words almost going over your head as he examines you and your Pokémon with great interest before you finally finish your drink, returning back to the subject of the job. Sebastian looks up at you as you do so, a more serious look on his face as he does so.

“A thief by the name of Louis took it.” He says sadly, looking down at his half drunk cup caressed in his hands “He was a student of mine, a brilliant scientist on the cusp of completing wave particle technology. We were so close to completing and he turned out to be a Team Rocket spy. He stole my machine part and fled into the desert.”

You nod as he completes the story, wary of Team Rocket through your connection to Blaine, a previous Team Rocket scientist turned good-guy after a trainer called Red changed his views on the world.

“He fled into the desert about a day ago. I've not seen him since. There's probably a few major places he'll go and hide.” Sebastian continues, snapping you out of your daydream about Blaine and his former suitors.

“There's a few places he might be; there's a small chance he'll be at The Market. You must've seen it when you came in. He used to go there every day when we worked together, but I never knew why. Now my guess would be he fed information back to Team Rocket. The other place he could be is Farity's Shrine. There's a rumour that it was built to The Goddess of Fertility, but that's just an old myth. Farity's Pond is another place that they might be there, but heavens knows why. It's filled with water so he might have gone there for refreshment. The Colosseum is the last place he could be, but I'd advise you to stay away from there, it's packed with creepy stuff and only powerful trainers should go. Louis didn't have a Pokémon that I know of so I doubt he's there.”

You nod as the scientist ushers you back to the front door as you contemplate your options, each being as vague on where the thief could be.

What will you do?

??? Ship: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Fireray: “A nobody eh? Well then welcome aboard 'The Gargantua' laddie” the man bellows as you clamber to the side of the ship's wodden deck “Me name is Captain Pete Jorge”

The large moustached man lets out a hearty laugh, his crew doing the same as you begin to feel at ease. The wind blows hard in your hair before sending the sail flapping hard, picking up with the gust and sending the ship into a shudder, causing you to lose balance once more as you try to return to your feet, sending you back flat on your backside. You wince painfully but the real danger appears after your hand slips from behind your back, the once stealthily hidden Pokéball you had in your grasp for protection now being revealed as the Captain's crew member's faces turn to shock.

“A Pokeball” “He's got a Pokemon” “He's attacking us when our guard is down” they scream

You see a flash from above, looking up to see the birds nest inhabited by …. something, the combination of the scorching sun and a Flash attack making you sheild your eyes with your forearm. You Attempt to explain yourself but splutter out nonsensical rubbish, managing only a few first letters before changing your mind, the panic of the situation not allowing you to fully explain the situation before the Captain, who takes his time to asses what has happened for himself.

Looking at him with the most confused look you find yourself sent flying backwards, immobilised as you struggle without joy, your arms and legs restrained by something. Regaining the full use of your sight you look at your clothing to find it secured to the thick timber making up the port-side by large thin nail-like objects. Trying to pry yourself free but to no avail you notice a faint buzzing flits to your ears as you begin to inspect the deck to find the meaning behind your captivity, seeing a Beedrill before working out its Pin Missile attack must have fastened you.

The large man, now known to you as Captain Jorge, strokes his moustache as a Chatot lands on his shoulder, the captains large and stubby fingers moving from his face to his Pokémon as he slowly stroked its head, the caws of affection greeting him.

“Lock him in the brigs”, he exclaims, turning on his heels as he does so.

You're surprised at the callousness, the Pokémon's affection having done nothing to lessen your sentence as the pins shatter into pieces before dissipating, three of the crew-members getting you up by the arms before dragging you away to a single door underneath the steering wheel. Struggling to get an arm free to release a Pokémon you fail as the men overpower you, one pulling out a steam-punk weapon and pointing it at your face, you nodding to comply as you give up. The men take you down several flights of stairs, the light getting darker and darker before finally settling on a floor, the bottom.

Throwing you into a large wooden cell your Pokémon are taken from you and stuffed into a bag mere metres away from your position, thrown into a corner after being pulled tightly shut by the string mechanism on top. A metal door is slammed shut on your face as you watch your Pokémon being taken, their purpose unknown as you find yourself in a prison.

~~~

It seems like hours pass as you pace up and down your new cell, unable to think of a way out of the predicament. Your Pokémon remain trapped in a bag on the other side of the room and you've spent what seems like an eternity doing nothing, predicting that you must've been held in the cell with no interaction with anyone for hours. Maybe more. You stop pacing before looking around, deciding that enough is enough. You've got to get out of here …. but how?

What will you do?

Emporium Hotel: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Marion Ette: Delving deep into your possessions for a suitable tip for the nice man who had so kindly appreciated your Ninetales for all its worth you pull out two bags of Stardust and a Silver Leaf, handing them over to the well-dressed man you know as Charles.

“Thank you so very much M'am.” He says, bowing a long bow before walking backwards, thanking you with real sincerity as he leaves you in peace, only to be stopped by your question, feeling only too kind to oblige your request.

“I am not too sure of her name I'm afraid, she was here far longer than I and the original staff members who actually knew her have long gone” he explains, his posh drawl emphasising the effort taken to remember “What I do know is only a myth. It is said she saved the hotel founders from great evil before going on to great things. Great things.”

He pauses at the latter, drifting off into a visible thought train while nodding his head slightly, snapping back to reality after a few seconds before finishing how bow, this time with an apology. Bidding you adieu he leaves you to your thoughts as Ninetales takes up your attention, the door closing behind Charles. Sniffing around the bed Aislyn seems to have caught the sent of something peculiar, turning her nose up and sniffing louder as she comes to underneath the pillow before sneezing loudly, causing you to jump with surprise.

Figuring she had just caught the sent of pepper you decide to try out the bed, laying down on it as Ninetales ignores whatever she had sniffed and lays her head on the bed n front of you, her eyes looking up as one ear goes up while the other stays down, the pose irresistible not to stroke as you cover her in affection. Smiling and laughing you can't help but to think back to the desk clerk's rudeness, the fact that you don't use your family name is surely a credit that goes unnoticed; a humble attribute credited by those who seek out such accountable tastes, often those in the upper echelons of society.

Ninetales pulls you out of your own thought bubble as its hind legs stands on the remote trying to vie for your attention, the large 72” plasma TV wall-mounted flicking into action as a Jean Claude Van Damme movie blares onto the screen with pounding volume, sending you sprawling as you attempt to find the remote, crawling on the floor until you find it, clicking a variety of buttons before it turns off, the hotel remote stereotypically being one that makes no sense; the little green button shutting the TV off and returning you back to a comfortable silence.

Sending a small glare Ninetales way you notice that both of the fire-fox's ears are up, its head cocked as it whimpers slightly, its head facing the door. Calling its name you see it doesn't move, focused solely on the door to the extent where you have to touch it on the head to bring it back down to earth, it jolting with surprise as it does so, panting before licking your hand happily. A few more seconds pass before its gaze slowly but surely returns to the door, making you question its behaviour, the Ninetales acting like it's trying to be sneaky in returning its focus from you, but without success obviously.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH”

A loud scream makes you jump as Ninetales hammers towards the door. Finding yourself on all fours while Ninetales scratches at the door you quickly return to your feet, grabbing the keycard and key before heading to the door, opening it and standing in the archway. Looking up and down the corridor, Ninetales squeezes past your outstretched leg and runs back the way you came, further towards the elevator before stopping, sitting down as you catch up. Panting at the short sprint you look over your Pokémon to see a full skeletal arm laid out on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding it and a top-hat in the corner.

“Hey, you. Are you okay?!” a voice from behind asks as you spin on the spot in attack position, Ninetales doing the same “I heard a scream and ca.... woah”

Ahead of you a man around the age of his late 20s is stood frozen to the spot, his eyes bulging with fear as his Arcanine stands beside him, its hind legs raised while its front two are lowered, its back arched as it stares at you and your Pokémon.

“You …. you did this?” he asks, his voice breaking with fear as he takes a few steps back.

Protesting your innocence you see that he scarcely believes it, deciding to tell him what you've been doing, how you got here and almost your entire story. Only the mention of Charles gets the man to relax a little, his dark brown eyes looking at you with more intent as you say the name, nodding as medium his dark black hair sways slightly as he nods.

“I... I too was brought here by Charles” he explains, “My name is Jack Luscombe. I was just daydreaming when I heard this scream and … well and then you were here with … that.”

You nod at his story, believing his words and agreeing with parts of the same, telling him you too came out from your room when you heard the screaming but you're troubled by the blood and the skeletal hand; surely both should not exist in the same place. Pointing it out the Jack he gulps deeply, turning away as his face goes a slightly off-white colour, unable to quite stomach the evidence before him.

“Maybe we should go downstairs... that rude woman at the front of house will give us an upgrade to a room not so littered at least” he says, ushering the subject away from the dead hand.

Agreeing, though not for the same reasons, you return to the elevator, clicking the button to hear it ping straight away, the elevator already situated on the correct floor as the doors open to reveal a blank room with nobody in. Wanting to get to the front of house to ask about this hand you tell Jack to get in, the man slowly tiptoeing over the hand and blood as his Arcanine bounds over, squeezing into the space with you and Ninetales. After a few seconds of avoiding the blood Jack manages to enter the elevator, but as you push the button for the ground floor it ceases to do anything, not lighting up like it did before nor moving at all. It would seem that the elevator isn't working.

What will you do?

[Missingno. Master]

The Sphinx: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Missigno. Master: Working out the relationship of Perish Song and Detect you begin to complete the puzzle, Myrtle’s invaluable input helping you further your understanding of the catastrophe Pokémon before settling on it, declaring the answer to the altar.

As you do the crystal clear water begins to shake, sending ripples to the far reaches of the bowl as the ground too began to shake. Your already nervous disposition was increased as you begin to lose your balance, the ever increasing magnitude of the tremors leading you to suspect that you might have got this riddle wrong. With your Shuppet floating closer it seems that it's almost taunting you, not only feeding off the nervousness you had but also floating, unable to feel the vibrations as you shimmer towards the altar, holding onto it for stability.

Ca-thunk. Ca-thunk. Plink. Plink. Plink.

The ground begins to convulse more, sending you to your backside as you wonder what you've done by holding onto the altar. The sound of rocks falling greets your ears but as you look over to your side you see the walls remaining in position, like the small area you were occupying was the only thing shuddering.

Then, suddenly, things begin to set in motion. Above you the ceiling begins to open, the slow movement of rocks opening like the roof of a tennis stadium, a ray of light illuminating the plinth you seem to be standing on. The sound is deafening but it seems the Sphinx's ancient engineering still works as a sound of cogs is added to the drone as the arena begins to wobble more before finally being pulled from the ground, with you on it.

Your surroundings slowly fade as you take a long journey upwards, making it to the second level in due time as Shuppet floats alongside you, the 3x3 metre square holding the altar clamps into place with the new floor. You look around with amazement at where you are, the room easily seen as it employs by the same lighting system as the previous room, but this time already in function by the time you arrive. Several pillars free stand from the floor, while some have fallen, leaving little waist-high cover as numerous small and large rocks litter the 40x40 metre arena.

You notice that on either side is a thin platform, away from the regular square, one level while the other is raised, with the one end of the raised arena is a section of bars, similar to a jail house. You also notice a small one-way dog-flap type contraption, preventing you from fitting through and continuing. Deciding that the level end must contain the next part of the continuing riddles you move over, finding that it fits you perfectly with a little room to spare.

Suddenly a Roar is heard from the raised side before an Absol jumps through the flap, standing impressively on top of the raised platform. You see it flick its head scythe as it pads down the stairs of the raised platform, standing opposite you and Myrtle, snorting. It would seem that to you must first beat this Absol before continuing.

What will you do?

Keith was very much nervous as the room seemed to start shaking. Was this the start of the Sphinx's way of ejecting those who got a question wrong? Keith glanced over at Myrtle- as she was floating in midair, she wasn't affected by the tremors, which were intensifying at an alarming rate. She seemed remarkably unaffected by all this. Finally, she turned to look at Keith. "What?" she asked.

"OK, Myrtle, you know how you love to eat negative emotions and such?"

"Yes."

"Well here's a heaping helping of nervousness with a side of rising panic, so dig in!" Keith exclaimed as the ceiling started to open up. And then the small platform Keith was standing on began to move upward, the Shuppet hastening to float upward to keep up with her trainer. As the platform moved into place, Keith's jaw dropped as he saw where he was- an enormous arena.

"I would not be-come too awe-struck, Meat Sack," warned Myrtle. "Re-mem-ber, there are sup-posed to be bat-tles in here as well, and an a-re-na like this would be i-de-al for a bat-tle." Sure enough, no sooner than Myrtle had said this, a Roar was heard. Myrtle shuddered from the sound, which told Keith that the roar wasn't an ordinary roar, but the Pokemon attack Roar. And then came the Pokemon who likely used the move, through a small dog-flap-esque contraption on a raised platform. Keith's eyes widened as a quadrupedal black-and-white creature made its way down the stairs and faced him and the Shuppet, and snorted. Having only just identified the species in the previous room, Keith knew very well what this was, but he couldn't help but take out his Pokedex and point it at the creature all the same.

"Absol, the Disaster Pokemon," the device droned. "Absol can predict natural disasters before they happen, but its attempts at warning people have resulted in it being mistaken as the cause of said disasters."

"Well, let's do this," Myrtle stated as she started to float towards the Absol. Keith flung an arm out in front of his Shuppet- a meaningless gesture, she could easily phase through the arm, but it surprised her into stopping nonetheless.

"Myrtle, you're kidding, right?" Keith said. "You're tough, there's no question of that, but you'd kinda be at a major disadvantage here. The only move you got that have any kind of real impact here is Water Gun. Absol's a Dark-type, your Psychic attack won't work. And Knock Off isn't even a good thing to use on something that doesn't resist it."

"Well then, what Po-ke-mon will you use?" Myrtle inquired.

"This one," Keith replied as he held up a Poke Ball. He took several steps back to create a better amount of space between him and the Absol. He then turned his hat backwards.

"Why do you do that?" grumbled Myrtle. "That is a cow-boy hat. It looks near-ly the same back-wards as for-wards."

"Myrtle, I'm your trainer," Keith said. "Now please don't-"

"I don't give a Ra-ti-cate's rear end if you are Ash frig-ging Ketch-um with the world's stron-gest Pi-ka-chu," retorted Myrtle. "There was no point to that-"

"Let's skip the lecture for now," Keith said as he wound up, then heaved the Poke Ball. "Malfoy, go!"

In a flash of light, the ball split open, and a Croagunk materialized before his trainer. He stared down the Absol with that perpetually odd look on his face. "Croa... Croa..." Malfoy croaked softly.

Myrtle glanced at Malfoy dubiously before turning to Keith. "Has Mal-foy e-ver bat-tled be-fore?" she asked.

"I'm not at liberty to say," Keith replied smoothly.

"That's a no," groaned Myrtle.

"Relax, Malfoy's strong," Keith stated. "He hasn't done a whole lot of battling, true, but he's got a big fat type advantage working for him here. OK, Malfoy, let's do this! Set up an Aqua Ring to start with. Then get in a nice preemptive strike with a Vacuum Wave, and follow up with Cross Chop!"

[Meetan]

The Market: – Please reply in Dark Orange

Meetan: Getting nothing but a sense that Talas' business is hectic from eavesdropping on a market haggler and trader you peel the sticker back carefully, your 'annoying habit' coming in as useful in the trials and tribulations of Talas. Finding that the market trader is a hostage under the mystery group's tirade you begin to search for a way to get your Pokémon back, your mind returning to the child playing by the fountain.

With your sweetest voice you approach the child, noticing his clothes have holes in them, some patch-worked up but others gaping wide open, the skin on his knees well worn and tough looking from all the times they've healed over. His cap is similar to a truckers, though differences in width at the top and a small round ball separate it from the fashion icon. Asking him, from a short distance away, if he could help you he merely grins as he turns round.

“Help? The name's Skoochy”, he announces, “I escaped from an orphanage when I was young and I'm never going back. Don't think a sweet voice will work on me, I live on the streets, struggling. You got it all given to you.”

You seem taken aback by the boy's statement, feeling angry that he would make a snap judgement about you. You want to say something as a rebuttal, but painfully bite your tongue instead, knowing this boy was your only hope of getting your Pokémon back. The more you think about it, however, the more you see how he could be right, you were here shopping for goods while he was scouring the streets. You remain as calm as you can be, reiterating your statement of intent for information of the whereabouts of your Pokémon.

“I know where they are yeah, but it'll take something to de-fog my memory” he says “2,000 coins and I can sleep and eat well tonight.”

You look at the boy's confidence with marvel, asking for such a large number of coins to sleep and eat well was an understatement but you realize the market that he's in; everything in this region costs and with the tourist trade it costs lots. Talas is both the boy's tutor and curse, the well developed attributes of confidence and prose offset by the very nature of his condition, a poor orphan boy struggling to get by. You study him for a second and notice his eyes divert down to your hands.

“Or that bottle of Moo Moo Milks looks very tasty. I'll give all the information you need for that”, he says.

What will you do?

Alice was stunned at the price the boy, Skoochy, put forth. 2000 coins? She had just spent 6000 on the milk from the stall! His snap judgement irritated her, too, but she had to remember that he was in a very different position to her, and that he was also her only hope.

"It's nice to meet you, Skoochy." The girl replied patiently, placing the Moo Moo Milk into his hands. There'd be another occasion to purchase one, and probably cheaper, too. "If you want it, then you can have it. Just - please tell me what you know. Or show me where they are? I'm really worried about them."

Indeed, Alice was. In a place like this, it was odd for a thief to take Pokemon, but no coins or other valuables. Would her Pokemon end up sold off, trapped in cages like those Pidgeys? Or was there another, more worrying purpose behind all this?

((Stats.))