Group RP Pokemon: Evolution Quest (IC thread)

@SAF

Having had no luck searching for the Radiant Sky Sect, Xuehua ended up retreating to the one place she could calm down from her frustrations - the library. Between the aisles of reading spell work, trying to learn a little more about the Prismatic Orb (not much luck there) and about what they could possibly be up against...

Wasn't that someone she knew up ahead? No, it was definitely the Mawile from the Expedition Society. From the looks of it, she was studying something called "Dynamax"? She drew closer to get a look.

 

As for Atelier, he ended up paying 500 crowns at a forge to merge the grass materia with his Ethereal Grimoire, as well as another 2500 crowns to repair his books. As he walked out of the forge, he came face to face with Swirlix who had bought bags of snacks ("There you are! I was looking all over for you!" said Swirlix). So then it became a trip to the store to buy more coffee beans. At this rate, there was enough coffee to last five camping nights!

Now that his books were upgraded or repaired, Atelier went to find his companions. Aine had to be writing that letter by now, right? Rather than wander around aimlessly, Atelier went to a nearby coffee shop and paid for a cup of coffee (100 crowns for a cup for himself and a cup for Swirlix), while opening his books and review strategies.

Balance: 20,900C
Inventory: ?x Books and Novels, 1x Journal, 1x Strategy Book, 1x Middle Rune of the Moon, 1x Watera Tome (SotS), 1x Firaga Tome, 1x Lunar Tome (CdL), 1x Ethereal Grimoire, 1x Brynhildr, 1x Steel Short Sword, 10x Geo Pebbles, 10x Gravelerocks, 1x Thundara Gauntlets, 1x Potion of Fire, 2x Aloe Vera, 1x Kettle and Cup Set, 5x High quality coffee beans
Equipped: Eevee Scarf

 

Library

@ChocoChicken

According to the book Mawile was reading, Dynamax is a high-tier magic that could turn a Pokémon gigantic. This kind of magic was said to be originated from Eternatus (presumably the very same one who had fought the Shadow Dragon King eons ago) and could only be executed at certain places -- one of such places was <insert Sol DK lair's location here>. Minstrels typically do this via Swanna Song (though it would tire them out for a good while) and there were other alternatives for those who do not sing.

Looking up from her book, Mawile could see a certain Glaceon mage curiously peering at the same book she was reading. "Oh, hello," the historian slash tactician greeted the newcomer. "Do you need anything?"

Inn

@WavePearl

"Now, now, you guys said you're going to the bard's guild, yes?" Chief Ampharos raised his arms in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Not that it helped, but for Arceus' sake, he still had to do something!

"Ah, right," thankfully for Chief Ampharos, Blacky soon snapped back to reality. He quickly shifted to reposition himself to face the Sylveon instead of looming over her. "Care to join us, milady?" the Umbreon warrior offered a paw. Cue Celine's suppressed giggle and Josson's wistful yet approving smile (not that Blacky could see it) at the gesture -- the Fennekin clearly looked like she was having a field day.

 

"In that case," Chief Ampharos rose from his seat (with Celine's "Yay~!" in the background), "Post office first, it is." He then wobbly headed to what he thought was the exit door only for his underlings to frantically drag him to the correct way ("CHIEF!!!" "The exit's this way!"). The knight heaved a sigh and the squire rolled his eyes as they led the minstrel out from the inn.

 

"Oh, nothing in particular. Just wanted to get some prep work done for the next raid, if we can. Do you think that would work?" Xuehua asked, gesturing to the book. "...Or if it could be used against us is another problem."

 

Library

"This..." Mawile scanned the textbook again, "...is more of Sol Dragon's problem than Shadow's," then turned back to Xuehua. "Many accounts of those who'd previously fought the Sol Dragon mentioned his usage of Dynamax in his lair," she explained, never mind that a certain someone in their group had firsthand experience of the phenomenon.

Post office

@WavePearl @122 Generation

Meanwhile, at the post office, Blacky felt a little awkward now that it was just him and Aine who actually went there. His liege made a detour to fetch his sword at the blacksmith while the Expedition Society people insisted on waiting at the Bright Harp guild. So... yeah, just the shiny Eeveelutions left at the post office.

 

Josson

@122 Generation

Once Josson retrieved his protege's (originally) handmade sword, he contemplated to catch up with the sword's owner at the minstrel's guild but ultimately decided against it. Instead, he went to a nearby coffee shop to pass time. The Jolteon paid for a cup of black coffee...

Wait a minute. Was that the Swirlix from Expedition Society? And Atelier too?

He decided to join them.

Blacky and co.

@WavePearl

Once Aine and Blacky got the former's postal business out of the way, they headed to the Bright Harp guild. Turned out that the Expedition Society folks had just recently arrived too despite supposedly heading there earlier -- mainly due to Chief Ampharos' sudden need to sightsee around the town. This, in turn, forced Celine and Archen to act as their chief's guide lest he would stray too far away while thinking he was still in town.

That said, the five of them entered the Order of the Bright Harp's building.

 

"The Sol Dragon, huh." Xuehua gave it a thought. If they made it there... "You'll need a counter to that when it comes up, won't you. Some kind of channelling magic, I presume?"

 

Clearly, it appeared that Atelier's mind was drained into his books as if he had lost track of time. Almost absentmindedly, he sipped his coffee without looking twice at the cup. At the same time, Swirlix was watching over Atelier's shoulder with her cup of coffee - which unlike Atelier's had lots of cream and sugar. The smell of newly poured coffee tickled her nose which made her turn to see who it was for.

"Huh?! Josson?!" she said.

Atelier looked up, his mind now distracted. "Oh, hey there. What brings you here?" he greeted Josson.

 

Library

Xuehua's question was soon met with a nod from the Mawile. "There are several ways to even the odds, actually," the latter explained. "Swanna Song, Ethereal Grimoire, Prismatic Orb..."

Coffee shop

"Hm? Nothing much -- just waiting for everyone," the older Jolteon replied to Atelier as he took a seat. Should the Eevee look closer at the two swords on Josson's person (he normally only had one), he'd bound to notice the same Cinderace sword Blacky had been wielding throughout their journey.

Bright Harp guild

Ah, the minstrel's hall. The soft music wafting through the building made both Eeveelutions smile -- Aine's smile was more chipper (with her jingling ribbons and all) while Blacky's was more... wistful. And apparently Chief Ampharos was more concerned on Blacky's well-being ("Blacky? You good?" "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine.") while Celine somehow found Aine's lively smile infectious.

And now to find the one in charge of this guild...

 

"Huh? Interesting swords you have there," Atelier remarked. Hadn't he seen that sword before? "Will you be bringing those to combat?"

On the Jolteon's other side, Swirlix nudged Josson's arm. "Cream?"

 

"...Hold on. Did you say Prismatic Orb?" Xuehua paused. She hovered a limb over her satchel where the orb lay. "That's... good to hear actually."
As for 'Swanna Song', that did ring a bell, but she didn't remember the details. Did Aine have something like that? It had gone unused for multiple raids... why weren't they using it more again?!

 

Library

"Yes, the Prismatic Orb," Mawile affirmed Xuehua's, er, suspicion (?). "Along with the Swanna Song and Ethereal Grimoire, the Prismatic Orb can be used to evoke Dynamax as long as its user is somewhere with Dynamax energy," she added before jotting down all the information from earlier in her notebook.

Coffee shop

Seems like Atelier's question made Josson raise an eyebrow. He normally only brought a sword with him and nearly forgot the second one until the Eevee pointed it out. "Yes and no, I'd say." Josson then put a paw on the Cinderace sword's hilt with an additional explanation, "The Cinderace one is Blacky's."

And then the Jolteon could feel a nudge from Swirlix who offered some cream for his coffee. "No, thanks. I'd rather have my coffee black," he gently refused the offer. Given his... history with Blacky, this might as well be a hint of where the Umbreon got his coffee preference from, right?

Bright Harp guild

The harp chord with a whorl of music notes signifying Meloetta's presence caught everyone's attention. Celine's eyes went wide for awhile since it was her second time meeting a legendary Pokémon (her first one was when she had to wake Jirachi up -- which was quite a hassle in itself) while both Archen and Chief Ampharos were somewhat relaxed because unlike the Society's last outing -- prior to Celine's enrollment -- where their meeting with a legendary mon was quite tense, this one seemed to be much more relaxed.

And then there's Blacky who... suddenly sneezed out of the blue, much to his embarrassment. Took him awhile to recover before he actually gave Meloetta a polite bow like his previous instances of meeting legendaries (sans Jirachi, maybe, but only because he wanted to be treated as one of Kickenham townsfolk). "Good day to you too, Lady Meloetta," he said. "We're seeking help to deal with Spikeford."

(Leaving this part somewhat hanging because I wanna give Aine a chance to speak up here.)

 

"Ah, I see. I thought that sword looked familiar," Atelier said before he raised his cup. "I suppose you must know the history of the sword as well? Not that it's my business to know about it either. Why do you have it?"

On Josson's other side, it was like Swirlix was in a world of her own, having set a small plate of sweet puffs to complement the coffee.

 

"...I think we should be able to access a few of those methods already," Xuehua said in a lowered voice. "Maybe even all three. Are multiple Dynamaxes in one space possible?"