Random Plots and Places 9: What a crazy, random happenstance!

[Baeleck]

[La Fontaine]

Katrina sighs in relief

That does make a lot of sense. Thanks, I'll encourage her to get a checkup.

The band starts to tune their instruments and check the equipment. People begin to crowd into the empty space in front of the stage.

[La Fontaine]

'Looks like they're starting soon.' Urias smiles and clasps his hands together in anticipation.

He's pretty glad they have seats - wouldn't like to be crushed up against the front barrier with everyone else.

[Rebonack]

[Granite City]

Professor Iris gives a little nod and dials the number. "We'll try calling her first and see if she picks up."

The phone rings! Twice. Then Jace will be able to hear someone voice on the other side that sounds suspiciously like Fortuna. Probably due to how sensitive his giant adorable ears are. "Hello, my name is Professor Iris. I have some of your friends here who would like very much to speak with you. One of them is named Zebes?"

Jace never gave his name!

"Yes, they're just fine. They're with me at my lab in Granite City. You can speak with them if you would like?" the professor continues, then gives a little nod. "Alright, here he is."

Then the phone is handed off to Zebes! It would be a little awkward for Jace to hold, after all.

[Aluminum Route]

Ah, Aluminum Route! The quiet little route that meanders between Geode Town and the nearby Sandstone Village! Smooth, rolling hills, babbling creeks, and lush plant life dominate the route. Which, of course, means that there's tall grass everywhere. One such patch looms in front of Fortuna and Sky. Who knows what kinds of fearsome wild pokemon might be lurking in there?

Our heroes don't find out. At least not yet. Because Fortuna's PIPcolt starts ring! Rings twice before she answers it, as it happens.

"Hello?" she asks. A few moments later her eyes widen. "Zebes and Jace? They're with you? Are they alright?" When she gets the answer she lies she visibly relaxes. "Can I speak with them? Please?"

Sky watches the exchange curiously. "Who's that?"

Fortuna grins back widely. "A pokemon professor from Granite City! She found two of my lost pokemon friends!"

[Silicon Route]

Kell & Kell flee the scene! Though pretty soon they're faced with a problem. To continue up the route they're going to have to leave the safety of the tall grass and walk openly. And there are a whole bunch of trainers milling around! They could try being all stealthy and weave their way through some low shrubs... Or they could be brazen and walk right up the path as though they belong there!

Or maybe some third option the narrator hasn't thought of?

Either way, both options carry some degree of risk.

What shall they do?

[Deathkeeper]

Granite City

Slander! Jace gave his name two rounds ago, in post 1106!

And he's very proud of how effective his giant fuzzy ears are, thank you very much.

<Hello, Fortuna. Glad your phone still gets service. I heard you're an official trainer now. Congrats.>
You could cut Zebes' sarcasm with a knife he's laying it on so thick.
<Jace and I are in Granite City. Want us to pick you up? I could probably be there in under a day.>
Dragonites are hilariously speedy for their stubby little wings.

[Lost_Deep]

Silicon Route

There is a bit of debate between the pair, until they decide to go out in the open, but along the edge. In addition, they're doing their best to act normal, like this is something they do all the time, but in a slight hurry.

Like they've got something that their trainer gave them to do.

[Rebonack]

[Aluminum Route]

Without even thinking about it, Fortuna replies in poketalk since that's what Zebes is using. Not that Zebes could be using anything else right now. <Har har, very funny. I got teleported into a supply closet in the middle of Professor Willow's 'welcome to the world of pokemon' speech. I had to blend in to get my PIPcolt updated with the map information of the area. And I got a really young Trapinch out of the deal. I mean, really young. I think he just hatched since he doesn't really know any poketalk yet.>

<He sure knows how to bite, though!> Henry laughs. Fortuna glowers at the fish. The fish smiles back, eternally optimistic.

<Anyway, I'll release him as soon as he's old enough to actually fend for himself. If he decides to keep following me, that'll be up to him. Pokemon shouldn't be owned.>

Sky is listening, very curious! That's an awful lot of mewing. He can't help but wonder what they're talking about.

<Nah, don't pick me up. We both know where each other are and how to make contact. We should focus on finding Castykell and Kellia now. So that means spreading out and covering more ground,> Fortuna suggests. Then she glances over at the clueless kid watching her. <And one of the new trainers has apparently decided that I'm his rival. I really have no idea what to do with that.>

[Granite City]

Professor Iris listens curiously! This is all very interesting. Especially the fact that an unbroken string of 'Mew mew mew' is coming out of her phone. It would seem the professor's hunch was correct!

[Silicon Route ==> Limestone Town]

The Kells are spotted pretty much instantly.

"Oh my gosh, look at those pokemon!"
"It looks so cute in that little hat!"
"I'm going to take their picture!"
"I wonder who they belong to?"

And so on and so forth.

It would appear that their gambit paid off!

Without much fuss they waddle up the path enter Limestone Town! It's a pretty quaint little place, all things considered. A small town with a thriving fruit market and tourist industry! Why are tourists so interested? Because of all the caves, of course! Limestone Town is situated at the foot of Sedimentary Mountain and its extensive cave networks! And of course passing through the caves is required to reach Marble Metropolis on the other side. Just be careful in those caves, you never know WHAT you might find!

(hint: the answer is way too many Zubats)

If the Kells are hungry they might be able to bum some free fruit samples if they act cute enough.

[Lost_Deep]

Limestone Town

"<Ugh... hungry.>"

"<I'm not hungry... I wonder why. Maybe I strain trace elements from the atmosphere or something? In any case, if you want to steal some fruit, I won't blame you this time.>"

"<Can't. That might ruin the chances of the plan.>"

"<What is the plan?>"

"<Social media! Find some public computer access, figure out the biggest social media sites, and search them. Our friends are much less stealthy than we are.>"

"<And stealing might make people upset at us, decreasing the chance of getting computer access, I see. We should find a public phone and look in the phonebook for local libraries.>"

And that is what they do.

[Deathkeeper]

Granite City

<Oh, rival? He challenged you to a battle as soon as you were out of the door, right? Yeah, that's how it works. That means you'll likely have a sometimes antagonistic friendship in which you're friends or at least sort-of get each other but occasionally battle because it's the only way to properly judge each other. But you won the first fight, which basically means he's doomed to failure every time he tries to beat you, including the pokemon league. Or rather, that's what the cliche is. You can make it whatever you want.
...
I played all the games, alright?
Anyway, Professor Iris is giving us bands that make us catch-proof, and we'll carry some spares for the Kells. You can just bop them with a pokeball if you think someone's going to try and steal them, it's not like you can't just pull them out of it after that and pretend it never happened.

Oh, and last thing, turns out there are things called Gloom Stones that do the same thing that nasty machine back in Inside did to pokemon. Those idiots might have part of their group in this region. Jace and I promised to help Prof. Iris in exchange for sheltering us while we look for the Kells, so keep an eye out. I'd love to crush a base right now.>

Zebes says, finally releasing all that held-up talking he hasn't gotten to do save for small instructional chats with Jace.

[Rebonack]

[Limestone Town]

Aaww, no doing cute things for free food?

Oh well, there loss.

Quite a few people seem curious about the two pokemon with clothing wandering around, but no one is really questioning it. A few trainers who have their pokemon out likewise have them dressed up in cute little hats, scarves, or jackets. Maybe that's just normal around here?

Regardless!

Finding the Limestone Library slash Natural History Museum isn't terribly difficult! It's one of the larger buildings in the town and obviously a pretty popular attraction! There is a security guard at the front door looking kind of bored. Will the Kells just walk right in? Or will they do some sneaking?

Stay tuned to find out!

[Aluminum Route]

Fortuna does her best to ignore the stuff about rivals. Though she DOES give Sky a look that puzzles the kid. <Those Helmet creeps are around here, too? Great. Well, I guess we know what our big adventure is going to be. Stomping Team Helmet into the dirt.>

Yay for stomping!

<Those bands sound like a great idea. Save one for Henry and I just in case, okay? I don't think any of the kids I've met so far have any chance of catching me since Henry was able to whomp them->

<Everyone underestimates the Magikarp!>

<But it still pays to play it safe. We never know when we might run into some creep with a Master Ball. Alright, stay safe you guys. I'll keep looking around here while keeping an eye out for more Team Helmet goons. Bye Zebes!> And then with a beep she hangs up. Sky is watching her with a look of intense anticipation. "What?"

"What were you talking about?" Sky asks excitedly.

Fortuna sighs. "I was just making sure my friends were safe, okay? It isn't a big deal."

[Granite City]

After the phone conversation ends, Professor Iris raises an eyebrow at the pair. "Your other friend, Fortuna? She's a Mew, isn't she?"

[Lost_Deep]

Limestone Town

"<Okay. How are we going to do this?>"

"<By being as legitimate as physically possible.>"

The pair will walk right up to the guard, Kellform following Kellia. The guard should hear a voice in his head. Excuse me? Kellia will wave her hand. Hey! Sorry to bug you, but my partner and I got separated from our trainer. We're wondering what the rules on Pokemon in the library are? We're hoping to get onto a computer and try to get in contact with her.

[Rebonack]

[Limestone Town]

Well!

That's a pretty clever way to go about it.

The guard seems confused at first, obviously thinking someone is talking to him out loud. He glances around a bit until at last his eyes finally fall on the Psychic type talking inside his braaaain! That's a thing they do, sometimes. But usually just the really clever ones, like the Abra line. The man scratches at his balding head under his cap.

"Oh, ah, well... Usually loose pokemon aren't allowed in the library or museum. They have to stay inside their balls. A few unruly trainers started fights and now no one can let their pokemon out inside," the guard explains. "But since you're lost... eerr... Wait right here, I'll call this in. Alright?"

Psychic-types are so creepy.

A pokemon being able to talk like a person is just unnerving.

He begins speaking into his walkie. "Hey Phillis? Yeah, this is Fred. We've got two pokemon out here who lost their trainer. No, I don't recognize the species, I don't think they're native to the Iwa region. One of them is a Psychic-type, though. Looks like a little girl and she's talking to me with telepathy. Mhmm. They want to use a computer to try finding their trainer. Really? Alright, I'll tell them."

*beep!*

"Okay, one of the librarians is going to help you," Fred says. "But no funny business while you're inside, got it?"

[Aluminum Route]

"We should fight some wild pokemon!" Sky suggests. "So our pokemon can get stronger!"

Fortuna gives a little shrug. "If we fight wild pokemon our pokemon won't get any stronger."

Sky flusters a bit. "Aaww, you know what I mean! Look, there's some tall grass right over there! We can walk around in there and fight a Bidoof or something." Before Fortuna can reply, the kid is already hunting around in the grass, only to be accosted by a deadly Pidove! "Ah ha! You're going to be the first wild pokemon I catch! Go-"

And then the poor little bird gets blasted by a Psyshock wave, sending it bouncing away and knocking it unconscious. Everyone knows that pokeballs won't catch a fainted pokemon! Fortuna is standing there with one arm raised as the Mew ears poking up under her hat retreat back to where human ears should be. Her bright blue eyes seem almost bigger and brighter, though they're quickly returning to normal.

"That was totally awesome!" Sky laughs. "You must be psychic like... umm... that Gym Leader from the Kanto region, what's her name?"

"Catching pokemon is wrong," Fortuna states definitively.

[Lost_Deep]

Limestone Town

No funny business, Kellia promises. Thanks, we really appreciate it.

Kellform smiles and nods. "<Nicely done. Thank him for me?>"

My friend says thanks, too.

[Rebonack]

[Limestone Town]

"Umm... you're welcome?" Fred replies uncertainly.

A few awkward moments pass.

"So... uh... those round things on the grey one? Are those supposed to be-"

Thankfully that question is interrupted by Philis the librarian! "You must be the two pokemon I was told about. Please, come with me. And stick close, if you will."

Yay!

Flee the awkward situation!

[Aluminum Route]

Sky balks. "What do you mean, catching pokemon is wrong? It's fine! Everyone does it! Besides, you said yourself that you have pokemon you're looking for."

"They're wild pokemon!" Fortuna retorts. "They don't belong to me. We're just friends. A lot of pokemon are way smarter than humans think they are. Catching them and forcing them to fight is cruel."

Sky kicks at a tuft of grass. "But pokemon fight all the time anyway. They're territorial and mean unless someone teaches them to be nice."

<Hey Forte? Maybe now isn't the best time to argue about this? We've got stuff to do, remember?> Henry reminds her.

[Lost_Deep]

Limestone Town

I know what they look like, but they're actually little hand numbs, Kellia sends to the guard.

Concerning the librarian, the pair go to him and will stay close. Thanks, Kellia sends to him, This means a lot to us.

[Deathkeeper]

Granite City

<We could just stop by and drop off a pair...> but Fortuna's hung up.

Jace crosses his tiny arms and gives a small smile.
I know it wasn't exactly the most well-hidden thing if you know what to look for, but did you tap that call? Just because it's your phone doesn't mean it's okay to listen in on conversations. Sends Jace.

[Rebonack]

[Limestone Town]

The guard seems skeptical...

Then into the library! Philis will lead them to her own personal work station. "Right over here, please. Can you tell me your trainer's name? And what he or she looks like? Trainer profiles are public information and I'll be able to access the database for you if you like."

Neat!

Wait...

Not neat!

The librarian isn't going to let them use the computer! How are they supposed to know what their nonexistent trainer looks like?

Quick! Think of something Kells!

[Granite City]

Professor Iris laughs. "Oh hardly. I just turned up the volume so I could hear a bit of what was being said. Most humans don't speak by saying 'mew' over and over again."

She raises a valid point.

"This may actually confirm the hypothesis of a colleague of mine... He believes that Mews are far more common than we believe, but they simply remain hidden by Transforming into more common pokemon or even humans! He even suggests that this might be the cause for psychic powers in humans..."

Wait... Is she implying that humans with psychic powers are Mews? Or does she mean...

[Aluminum Route]

Fortuna sighs. "You're right, Henry. Like usual. And you're right too, Sky. Sort of. A lot of wild pokemon are dangerous and territorial."

As if on cue a Bidoof lunges at her from the tall grass! She whirls around and whollops the rodent with Henry, sending it tumbling away through the air.

<KAPOW! It's super effective! Except not, since normal attacks aren't super effective against anything,> Henry laughs.

"And I can understand why humans need pokemon to protect them. It's just... I don't know... It seems like it could be less cruel," she sighs. Why not just use captive breed pokemon instead of grabbing wild ones? Surely there are enough breeders tossing dozens of pokemon in search of that single egg with the right nature.

[Lost_Deep]

Limestone Town

Wait, trainer files are public information? How does that work with privacy laws? I mean, sure, a lot of that info is on social media anymore, but that's the user's decision to put it there, not a mandatory public-access database- Kellform nudges Kelllia to stop that. -anyway, is that database international, too? We're actually from Hoenn.

[Deathkeeper]

Granite City

Jace narrows his eyes. "I sincerely hope he means that their proximity causes an increase in potential for the ability, because the only other interpretations I can think of for that are either paranoid or nasty."
<Not entirely unlike what Dragons end up doing in some 'verses.> <what?>
Jace shakes his head. "Anyway, what's our first move, Professor? Can we help with anything you've got going on now?"

[Rebonack]

[Granite City]

"An increase in potential is certainly one possibility," Professor Iris replies with a nod. She doesn't comment any further on that line of conversation, though. Zebes is totally right! Dragons are known to do that sort of thing. Those silly dragons. "As for help... I understand there's a rather rich gloom stone node within the tunnels of Mount Igneous. A goodly portion of our regions supply of the dreadful substance comes from there, though there are deposits in Mount Sedimentary and Mount Metamorphic as well."

This place has quite the rock theme going on, doesn't it?

"If you felt inclined to scope the area out, that might be helpful. The trainers that frequent the tunnels will likely want to battle, but the tags will prevent them from trying to capture you. Wild pokemon are quite thick down there, too. Especially the Zubats."

Those friggin' Zubats!

"I can understand why you might prefer to simply stay in the lab where it's safe. If you would be willing to allow me to run some non-invasive tests on your cognition it could be a great benefit to science!"

Yay science!

[Limestone Town]

The librarian raises an eyebrow at the pokemon concerned about legal nonsense.

Psychic-types are weird.

"I believe so... Yes! It is. Can you tell me the name of your trainer, please?"

Uuh. If that was a bluff it doesn't appear to have worked. Wuh oh!

[Aluminum Route]

Sky peers at Fortuna, then over at the patch of grass, then back at Fortuna, then runs into the grass again to find another wild pokemon!

Fortuna sighs and continues on down the road, Henry in hand and the Trapinch waddling behind her. She doesn't make it ten feet before a child in obnoxiously short shorts yells at her, "Hey! I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"

"Oh for goodness sake..." she grumbles whilst face-palming.

[Deathkeeper]

Granite City

Jace's shakes his head.
If you don't mind, I don't feel safe going to a natural deposit of stones that sap my mental faculties, especially without anyone immune nearby to cover us.

We'd love to help with your research. I should add that I'm fairly sure we aren't exactly ordinary, but if there's value to you it's the least we can do.

Oh uhm, we can both read and write, by the way, if that would help at all. he sends politely.

[Lost_Deep]

Limestone Town

Well... We know her as Fortuna, but we think that's a nickname. Tends to wear pink... Kell will try to describe Fortuna to the librarian, but she never got a really good look. If asked why, it's because 'I'm all the way down here.'

[Rebonack]

[Granite City]

"Oh, you wouldn't need to worry so much about that. Unprocessed gloom stones are no more likely to have an impact on a pokemon than an unprocessed fire stone might," Professor Iris explains. "Even a processed stone needs to be used by the pokemon before it would have an impact on them. I'm sure you're aware that pokemon exposed to elemental stones can choose not to absorb its power and evolve. Though, of course, often times the insistence of their trainer will override their own desire Simply put, a pokemon must be holding the stone and actively using it."

Then she smiles an OH BOY SCIENCE! smile! "And we've been testing the effects of the gloom stones on pokemon as well. After the stone has been removed an antidote seems to be sufficient to cure the mental degradation." She frowns a bit at that. "Which is the excuse the Pokemon League is using to justify the allowance for gloom stones in pokemon battles. If the status can be cured then it isn't considered dangerous."

That...

Sounds kind of iffy.

Doesn't it?

[Limestone Town]

"A pink haired girl named Fortuna..." Phillis hrms as she does a search. "Ah! Here we are. Fortuna Wonder. She just registered with the Iwa region's pokemon league this afternoon at the Geode Town pokemon lab. It looks like she wasn't registered in any previous regions before today, Hoenn or otherwise..."

That's a little sketchy. Everyone who uses pokemon must be registered!

"Well, if she left Geode Town earlier, she's likely on her way to Sandstone Village right now. That's to the south on Silicon Route. Would you like me to call her pokegear and tell her that we found you?"

This worked out pretty well!

[Aluminum Route]

This isn't working out very well!

"Uhg! Your Trapinch is a level lower than mine! Why am I losing so bad?" a frustrated trainer yells, pulling at her hair as her own Trapinch's Bite is blunted by the psychic Barrier Fortuna is maintaining around her own pokemon. The ability isn't exactly obvious, but it probably wouldn't fly in an actual Gym. Against some random neophyte trainer who is annoying Fortuna?

"Bite him again, Trapinch," the disguised Mew commands. Trapinch is happy to comply! Pinching is what he does best. Unable to take the further abuse, the enemy pokemon finally slumps over. "There, you lost. I hope you're content."

<Aah, come on Forte, don't be so cold. These are just kids trying to have fun! They're weak and squishy and can't Splash, so they have to live through their pokemon!> Henry points out. Fortuna frowns at the fight a bit before heaving a sigh.

"That was a good battle. You should pay more attention to the status buffs on the enemy pokemon, though," she suggests, offering a hand to shake. The other kid returns the gesture.

"Yeah, I guess I was overconfident... Here's your cash for winning."

Woo! Monies!

Fortuna stuffs the fist full of coins into her inventory and waves goodbye to the trainer! "We should fight again some time after our Trapinch evolve!" the girl calls after her.

[Deathkeeper]

Granite City

Zebes snorts.
I didn't say my concerns were entirely rational. But that logic doesn't make sense. Just because antibiotics exist doesn't mean it's okay to inject people with harmful bacteria.
His face softens with concern.
I don't want to change the world. We don't dislike trainers like Fortuna does. People use pokemon in this world, and it's usually good enough to justify the system that some people abuse. Training can be harsh. Some things can be pushed on Pokemon, and in the end it's not different than people that do ethically blurry things to other people. But the mind is always the last bastion, the sanctuary. If you take that away from someone you damage their being. Maybe I'm biased. But taking that away, even temporarily, is a travesty.
His eyes brighten.
You can quote me on that if you file a report. Oh, and Zebes brought one more friend with us, kind of accidentally. We didn't introduce him because he's a handful, and we actually only caught him because he was attacking our house and Zebes really wanted to spite this one Trainer. We actually didn't know what to do with him. Uhm, would you like a Zapdos for a while, Professor? He probably deserves to be released, but we didn't trust him to not make trouble...

Professor Iris has far more space for Lord Voltaire than the Place. He might enjoy a vacation at some place less stuffy. Plus Iris will probably poke-nerd all over him; it'll be good for his ego.
Zebes never actually put the Ball down after using it, so it ended up in the Bag that he grabbed when they left.

[Rebonack]

[Granite City]

The Professor gives her head a little shake. "I don't disagree with you. The gloom stones are dangerous. Even if no side effects have been observed yet, they've only been studied for a few years. There's no telling what long-term effects they might have. If a criminal Team is utilizing them, that suggests they might know something about the stones we don't."

Then Zapdos is mentioned!

The professor laughs at that.

"Goodness! Another legendary? I don't suppose your Mew friend is carrying around Ho-oh with her, is she?"

That would be silly!

Fortuna would probably be more interested in making friends with Lugia

"But listen to me babble, we would love to study the Zapdos! As with all our wild pokemon studies, we would band and release him once we're done."

[Lost_Deep]

Limestone Town

Maybe someone messed up some backups or something. I'll let her know when I meet up with her and she'll call it in. When in doubt? Blame IT!

This is why IT people can be bitter.

But yeah! Please do! I know she'll be happy to hear from us.

[Deathkeeper]

Granite City

Jace laughs a little at Iris' making fun of herself.
It's probably really cute.
Okay, well, you should know that he's probably as smart as Zebes is. I'd say 'we' but I don't really know if being psychic actually relies on certain mental faculties. He's really egotistical, but he has some sort of weird honor code which keeps him from just breaking his Ball. He probably could if he wanted.
~Us legendaries have a whooole secret life you know nothing about~
He sing-songs that last mental sentence, wiggling his fingers.
Really, it's just Zebes and I normally. Fortuna showed up a few months ago in need of friends. And Voltaire attacked our house! It was all very much coincidence. Um, we're not really experts on the Birds. Zebes says he knows they've been seen in Kanto and Kalos, plus the Sevii Islands. But we're not really sure if there's supposed to be a limited population, and this one is from our home. So...yeah, we have no idea if releasing him around here would upset the balance or something.
Of the Three Birds, Zapdos trumps Moltres and Articuno, while Moltres can only take out Articuno, and Articuno can only take out Zapdos. Extra Zapdos would mean the trio would be upset!
We think he might be a good guy if someone could get him to soften up. We're not really great at trying to take him as seriously as he would like. Maybe you'll be able to convince him that there's value in other people.
Jace monologues this, with some silent input from his familiar, as Zebes goes over to the bag, pulls out the Ball, and presents it to Professor Iris.

[Rebonack]

[Limestone Town]

"Of course, I'll call her right now," Phillis replies as she places the call. "Yes, my name is Phillis and I work at the Limestone Town library and natural history museum. I have two of your pokemon here, a Castform and a Kirlia? Mhmm. Alright! We'll keep an eye on them for you. Have a safe trip!"

*beep!*

"Your trainer is on Aluminum Route right now and the journey will take some time to complete. But don't worry! You two can stay here at the museum until she arrives so long as you promise not to make a mess of anything."

You hear that Kellform?

No raining on the carpets.

[Aluminum Route]

Fortuna is getting harassed by quite a few trainers. There are lots of kids here on Aluminum Route who just got their started from Geode Town and they're all itching for a battle. Thankfully some of them have the sense to listen to Fortuna when she explains that she really would rather not battle. Though... those are something of a minority.

Her Trapinch is starting to seem a little fatigued and even Henry is beginning to show signs of wear! <Man! What a workout! It's been a while since I've bludgeoned this many cute pokemon into submission! Tackling those Arons really hurts, though.>

"I'm starting to wonder if I should just fight them myself," Fortuna laughs. "But then our cover would be blown. I might be able to get away with that on Team Dunderhead grunts and wild pokemon, but against another trainer?"

<You could always Transform back and carry us! Teleport from place to place!> Henry suggests.

<Pinch...> the young Trapinch groans.

<Yeah, I hear you buddy. But buck up! You'll get tough one day, too!> Henry enthuses at the buggish looking critter.

Then suddenly phone conversation!

[Granite City]

Professor Iris takes the ball and places it into a machine that begins taking reading on the pokemon inside.

"From what little I know of the legendary birds, they migrate the world over. It isn't known how many there are..."

Whoop.

She seems a bit lost in taking down this new data on Zapdos. Though she does raise an eyebrow at the name. "Lord Voltaire...?"

[Deathkeeper]

Granite City

<Voltaire was an electrical joke, it was funny at the time!> protests Zebes, translated by Jace to the Professor.
<And Lord was supposed to be a slightly mocking sign of respect. He was the first legendary that I me->
He stops, and exchanges a look with Jace. They look at the professor, themselves, and then back to each other. They both face-palm.
<Aw, geez.>
Memory conflictions!

[Lost_Deep]

Limestone Town

Don't worry, we know how to act in polite company. Just how long is 'some time?' We're not going to have to wait a day, are we? Can you maybe show me where she is on a map?

Kellia's tummy rumbles. She keeps a straight face and hopes it wasn't audible. This is one part of being alive that Kell does not miss.

[Rebonack]

[Granite City]

Professor Iris looks puzzled!

Especially is Jace translated that 'first legendary they met' part. "You mean, aside from your friends, right?" she says. Clearly this must be what he meant.

[Limestone Town]

"Well, on foot each Route is about a three day journey from one town to the next," Phillis replies. Sounds like the the routes here follow the cartoons rather than the games.

Swell.

"I suppose you could try heading south toward Sandstone Village and try meeting her half way?" the librarian suggests. "I could write you a note to show to anyone who tries catching you. Or you could just use your telepathy to let them know you already have a trainer."

Both of those things would work!

Then stomach rumbling! "Oh goodness! You two must be hungry. Would you like something to eat?"

[Aluminum Route]

"Well, at least our friends are alright," Fortuna says, her countenance brightening slightly. That's shortly interrupted by her belly rumbling. She puts a hand over her stomach and sighs. "Are you two as hungry as I am?"

<Forte, I could eat like... eight pounds of fish flakes right now. Too bad we didn't grab any food from home,> Henry laments. <But hey! We're super resourceful pokemon! We can find something, right?>

Fortuna gives a little nod before leading her friends to an out of the way spot where trainers wouldn't be seeing them. And then? She dismisses her Transformation. <Okay, I'm going to scout the area and see if I can find us something to eat. Henry? You're in charge of making sure the Trapinch doesn't get into trouble.>

The Magikarp strikes a salute. <I will be as his fishy shadow!>

<Great! I should be back quick. See you guys in a little while!> Fortuna replies brightly before focusing on a distant grove of trees and then blurs out of sight with a pop of displaced air.

[Deathkeeper]

Granite City

The Pokemon are far too busy having a moment to pay attention to the Professor.
<I caught Voltaire, and distinctly remember being surprised about seeing so many pokemon at once, and then a legendary. You were-

-out with Veronica, yeah.>

<Bouncing around in her purse.>
<That did not happen! Just because I was you doesn't mean...that I...
...would have been way too big......but we directly changed species... ...and I wrote her a note because you were feeling down.......since I had to go see her while cute and tiny......and she said it was a fun change of pace, but that she liked you normally......because harpies are fragile while humans are durable.>

The two stop, pausing completely for a full five seconds. They look down at themselves, then at each other, exchange a look, and sigh with another simultaneous facepalm.
<Aw, geez.>