ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
Deviation Actions
Literature Text
“Well, now,” the Liepard crooned, “I am a little sad we won’t reach Geoda just yet, but to travel by wagon…my, my, it almost makes up for that, hmm?”
Vidya looked to the Liepard. “Mal. I have to ask…after all, you said you were a thief. You’re not going to try to steal anything around here, are you?”
“Aww, is that a problem?” Mal looked over her shoulder, chuckling. “It’s not an imperative to me. I really did go through that dungeon to check this place out.”
“You mean to scout it out, don’t you?”
“Well…I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a part of it. And if I do see something worth taking…I just might.”
“I know you said you’re a nice ‘mon, but a thief? With what you’re saying now I can’t trust you.”
“Nor should you,” the Liepard said.
“Mal, unless you promise to leave everything alone that isn’t yours, I’ll have to turn you in. It’d be irresponsible –”
But Mal was already laughing at what Vidya was saying, heartily and almost without control. Her eyes were squeezed shut behind her black mask, and her whole body was practically trembling. “Me! Turn me in! Ahaha! Oh, that’s hysterical! As if you could actually do the deed!”
“You’re already as good as caught, Mal. We’re in the back of a moving wagon.”
“That hasn’t stopped me before,” Mal said with a wink. “Besides, a girl like me doesn’t remain a thief without getting very, very good at getting away. And that’ll be easier now that we’ve stopped moving.” And without another word, she leapt out of the wagon.
Vidya dashed to the end the Liepard exited from, but to no avail. The only thing that greeted her sight was the desert air and the humble town of Cactus Fields. Mal was gone. Vidya wildly searched around her without finding any sign of the Liepard thief; she had, impossibly, vanished into the desert air!
Veli joined his sister at the end of the wagon; she spat into the sand, and his eyes widened at the display. “That’s not like you, sister.”
“She was right here!” Vidya said, ecstatic. “How could she simply disappear?”
“She can’t have gotten far,” Veli said. “She got the same warning we did, so she won’t be leaving Geoda until the sands clear and the path is safe. Mal may have escaped, but we can at least take measures to make her miscreant manners more difficult.”
“Like what?”
“Nothing too difficult. I could give the guild leaders a description of Mal, and all the guild teams can then keep an eye peeled for any trace of her. At the very least we can make sure she does nothing to harm the citizens of Geoda.”
Vidya nodded. “You do that. I have to see to something. It looks like I won’t be making my date tonight, after all.”
///***\\\......///***\\\
“…will get you to that dungeon, and it should lead back to Andalusst, if you stay on the first floor. You’ve got that?”
The Poochyena beamed. “Hai, sure thing! It’s as good as delivered.”
Vidya nodded. “Just one thing…it might not be a good idea to go alone, so I should probably find a team willing to…”
“That won’t…iie, that won’t be necessary.” The Poochyena shook her head. “I move faster on my own, anyway.” Then, smiling, she added, “I’ve been doing this courier thing a lot, mostly for personal things. This won’t be my first dungeon, and it won’t be my last.”
“If you’re sure. But all the same…”
“Stay on the first floor. You made that clear, Vidya-sama. Sayonara.” She made a small curtsey, and skipped away, stopping only to speak to a ‘mon (presumably for directions) before she bounded out of sight.
“Did I detect a Iaponese accent from your new friend, sister?”
Vidya spun ‘round to see her brother had returned to her. “That young ‘mon said she was from Iapon, yes. How long have you been standing there?”
“No more than a few seconds, I assure you,” Veli said. “I found Solstice and spoke to her about Mal. She assured me that she would bring it up at tonight’s Researchers Guild meeting…as a minor point, but we agreed our collective, wary eyes would be enough to ward off any criminal response on her part.”
“There’s a meeting tonight?”
“Yes, but I got all the details from her. Right now, we should –”
“Ohh-ho, no, my brother, you’re not getting out of this one. We’re going to that meeting.”
“But I already –”
“You got vital details on what would be brought up at the meeting, all to avoid being in the same place as some hundred Pokémon. I won’t have it. Mother wouldn’t, if she were here, nor would Father if he could have been.”
Veli lowered his head, defeated. “You saw right through that, didn’t you.”
“It was obvious. You practically told me that you went out of your way to get those details. The things you will do by going to such lengths, my brother, are few and far between.”
“I don’t see why I should go, though,” Veli said. “It’ll be a waste of time for me, at this point. And yes, I did do it to avoid the meaningless socialization with…”
His sister interrupted him with a nudge. “My brother, it baffles me that you would do anything to avoid meeting someone new even as you will try anything you can to help them. Trust me, this’ll be good for you. Now, where was this meeting to be?”
“The Researchers camp, in an hour or so. The work begins tomorrow, at any rate. And I doubt this will do me any more good than not.”
///***\\\......///***\\\
“…now, this is…ah…”
“A Salac Cactus, sister,” Veli said immediately. “We’ve not gotten anything from this one, yet. And it looks like we have company.” He tilted his head back and to his left, indicating an approaching Heracross.
Vidya had been scooping a bit of pollen into a tube, and now paused to look over the new arrival. The ordinarily deep-black-blue shell of the Heracross was, on this one, a lighter, faded blue-grey. That, and his garb, suggested he had lived in or around Geoda his entire life. His pace was brisk, and there was the twisted brow of concern she could see even from fifty paces away. “A local,” Vidya surmised. “And he doesn’t look too happy.”
“We’ve been told to expect this,” Veli sighed.
“Try not to perturb him; I’ll talk to him.”
“What’re ye doin’?” the Heracross said. He stopped his approach about five paces away, arms crossed. Vidya was glad to see he did nothing more threatening or overbearing. The negotiation would be much more difficult if he wasn’t going to be open-minded.
She smiled. “Good morning, there, ah…?” She paused, waiting for a name. When it didn’t come, she shrugged. “Good morning. We’re examining this Salac Cactus…”
“I can see that.”
“…for Researchers Guild business.”
“Oh, I see.” The Heracross frowned, putting a clawed hand to his chin. “Huh. Researchers, you say? They ain’t been too interested in cacti here afore.”
“Evidently,” Veli said, “they’ve never had an opportunity to conduct a survey of the flora here…”
“Survey of what now?”
“Flora. Plants, sir, like this cactus.”
“I suppose that’s fine.” The Heracross shrugged, crossing his arms again. “Might a bit strange, doin’ this now after all the time they’ve been here, but I won’t question that. But this survey yer doin’, do ya really need ter be proddin’ an’ touchin’ the thing? After all, my ma always told me that lookin’ be done with eyes, ya know?”
“But for a proper, scient-”
“Brother, please,” Vidya said. Then, smiling at the Heracross, she said, “Sorry, my brother here isn’t much of a Pokémon person. What he was trying to say is that our survey includes gathering fruit and pollen samples.”
“Pardon me, but that does sound a little suspicious,” the Heracross said. “I mean, the fruits, sure, ain’t none fruits better’n Salac, least that’s what I think. But the pollen…what do ya want that for?”
“I believe the hope is to study the plants by growing them ourselves,” Veli said. Before either Vidya or the Heracross could object, he continued, “We could well perform our tests on the plants out here in the open, but frankly that’s not preferable to having the plants in a more controlled field, like one the Researchers Guild assigns just to cultivate plants. Moreover, I understand the loc…pardon, townsfolk as like yourself might object to interfering with these plants.”
The Heracross seemed surprised, but not as much as Vidya was. Astonishingly, the Heracross lowered his arms, his relief – small as it was right now – very apparent. “Well, that we would. I heard yer compatriots were tryin’ ter…survey, it was, the cacti like that Salac there. It didn’t sit well with me, ya see. After all, I also heard yer was plannin’ ta breed them plants together…”
“Ah, crossbreeding. Yes, that is one of our research ob…one of our goals. Don’t misunderstand, sir, we intended to do that well away from the wild plants, in a more controlled location. If we did create a new breed, and one that was uncontained and producing more of itself…why, that could disrupt the natural balance of the cacti, and consequently disturb the livelihood of anyone that depends on them.”
“That’s the last thing we want,” Vidya continued, “after all we may be out here but this is your home. There’s the risk, sure, but think about the gains, as well. I understand the Peteya cactus has some medicinal value. A crossbreed might yield a more powerful medicine…and with us doing the growing, you’d have easy access to it if you needed it.”
“That’s right, is it?” The Heracross shrugged. “I don’t know that I understand all of that, but ya seem ter know what yer doin’. Here…” The Heracross cupped one of the Salac fruits in one of his hands, then twisted it gently. The fruit came off, minus the stem. “I love these Salacs, yer see. Ma had ter teach me ter get the fruits off without hurtin’ them.”
“Thank you,” Vidya said, and opened her bag for the Heracross to deposit the fruit inside. “We’ve been having trouble getting those fruits off at all; this is the first we’ve managed, in fact. If you could help us…”
“Sure!” The Heracross smiled. “Happy to help out.”
///***\\\......///***\\\
“…and that’s the way it is.”
“Fascinating.” Chelle, the Guild Leader of the Researchers Guild, finished recording Vidya’s account of the collection of cactus samples. Though the Reuniclus had been very thorough in doing so, she never lost eye contact with the Eevee in doing so, and managed this by using her psychic abilities to use her pen. With the jotting of the last word, Chelle gave an approving nod to Vidya. “You did a most adequate job in collecting these samples. And your brother was the one who enlisted the aid of the Heracross, was he not?”
Vidya tilted her head slightly. “Well, I think we both did as much in our part…”
“I won’t contest it, child, that you both played some part in that; your effort in keeping him in good spirits and reassurance was undoubtedly key, but it was the explanation of what we intended to do with the samples that, I think, was what ultimately placated the Heracross. That’s what I had meant. In any case, he should be commended.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him that when I see him, Madam.” Vidya bowed. Chelle, perhaps sensing Vidya was about to leave, held up a hand.
“Just another moment, as seeing you here has stirred a recollection. You said your name was Vidya? Of Team Gemini, correct?” Vidya nodded. “Then you and your brother were the ones that found the object that you dubbed the Hailstone?” The Eevee nodded again. “It is a fascinating find, and I applaud the care you used in retrieving it. The object has been sent back to the Andalusst Researchers Guild Hall, for further study at a later date. I would have sent word to you of it, but as you are here now it seemed fortuitous that I should deliver the news myself.”
Vidya bowed again. “Thank you.”
“That will be all.” Chelle lifted a paper she had been writing – Vidya caught the words “dissertation,” “life energy” and “feasibility.” Vidya almost asked, but the Reuniclus was already absorbed in adding to her work; curious as she was, it would have been rude to pry at that moment, and into something that wasn’t really her business to begin with. The Eevee left Chelle’s tent, still reeling slightly – it’s not every day that a ‘mon is recognized by the Researcher’s Guild Leader, and more seldom it was that the recognition was praise.
Vidya endured more of the desert heat, returning to where she had left her brother. (“At least it’s a dry heat,” she’d heard more than one Pokémon say of the weather.) The sun hung in the sky, only now beginning its descent towards and beyond the horizon. The Pokémon at the campgrounds were bustling about, either arriving from or preparing to embark on the tasks they’ve taken upon themselves to perform in service of their guilds. Many were with Luke, the Explorers Guild Leader, preparing a great cookout; more were either patrolling Cactus Fields, on the lookout for ruffians, or else were returning from such a patrol.
And, of course, there were tents as far as the eyes could see. There were lots of Pokémon, and even with the Pokémon bunking with their teams the number of tents needed to accommodate them all formed a labyrinth. The sheer number of canvas and rope structures was difficult enough to traverse, but that they were all nearly identical was confounding.
Eventually, Vidya found the tent she was assigned for Team Gemini – though it was only because the guilds had the forethought of labeling every tent with the team name that was to be using them. Veli wasn’t to be found in the one named “Team Gemini.” Vidya hailed a passing team: “Pardon, but have you seen an Eevee looking a lot like me? He’d have been wearing a grey bowtie…”
Vidya honestly hadn’t expected a reply, and was surprised that she received a helpful one. “Wait,” a Hoppip began, “he didn’t have this monotone, smarter-than-thou manner of speaking, did he?” Vidya nodded. “Saw him a short while ago. Said he was going on patrol, all by himself. Insisted on it, in fact.”
“Said he’d prefer not to be with the ‘lay-‘mon,’ I think,” his Amaura companion muttered.
Vidya groaned (causing the Amaura to wince), and said “Of course he did. Can never get him to…was there anyone following him, at least?”
“I’m afraid not. He your partner or something?” It was the Hoppip speaking; the Amaura looked withdrawn, quite affected by Vidya’s outburst.
“He’s my twin brother. Hey, are you alright, miss…?”
The Amaura gulped. “Al…Ally. It’s alright, not your…” her voice trailed off, and the pair wandered off. Vidya sighed. Father had always told her to be careful with her temper when talking to other ‘mon. And now…
She made up her mind, and she’d had half of it to go on patrol herself just to look for him, but to hell with that. She was simply going to wait for Veli to return to camp, and she would make him participate in the one activity she knew he was dreading.
///***\\\.......///***\\\
“What’re you doing out here all by yourself?”
Veli said nothing, but groaned inwardly. Just when his patrol had been going so well, not another ‘mon for many hours, quiet at last…and he happens across another team. Without turning about to address them, he said, “I’m on patrol, same as you.”
“Oh, really? On patrol, are we? And just what are we to patrol around these parts?” Veli froze; the tone of voice was certainly not friendly. “Hehe, that’s right. Stay still just like that. We’ll be liberating that bag from you now.” Veli didn’t move. As he felt the bag being lifted from around his neck, he knew things would only get worse. The bag was empty, and he was being accosted by a bandit with at least one accomplice.
Sure enough, within seconds he heard a second voice squeal, “Hey, oi! Chief! He ain’t got nothin’ in here!”
“Nothin’? Heh. That’s fine. He can still do us some good, eh, boys?”
Veli gulped. Boys. Not good. There was surely a small team here, probably five or more.
“He’s got no goods, but that’s fine. He’s with those newcomers, those Explorers an’ the rest of them, eh? Ain’t that right? Well, kiddo, here’s how this is going down. We’re aiming to get at those bastards, but now you’re an easy way in for us. You can…”
“No.”
“No? Hear that, boys? He thinks he can mess around with us!”
“I won’t do it. You can’t make me.”
“Well, no, we can’t. But we don’t have to, see? You’re just an easy way in. It won’t matter if you won’t do it. It’d just be easier for us – and better for you – if you did. So –”
The bandit’s voice suddenly stopped; Veli only heard a small sigh and a light thud beside him. Then a new voice, much friendlier, asked, “You alright? Seems like you were in a bit of a rough spot there.”
“I was. Thank you.” Veli turned to at least see who it was, and found that he knew her already. Mal, the Liepard thief, was holding his bag, standing over two unconscious Krokorok. “You again.”
“Yes, me again. Did you miss me?” Mal placed the bag strap over Veli’s shoulder.
The Eevee frowned. “It isn’t very smart of you to be standing there. Everyone in Cactus Fields is looking for you.”
“And you’re not making it easy on me.” She grinned. “Really, I’m having a blast; it’s been so much fun I don’t even mind if I don’t get to take anything. As for these two,” she continued with a gesture, “I felt I had an obligation to intervene. Morally. Not that they were taking something, but the cowardly way they were trying it. I’m all for the stealthy, behind-the-back takeout, but when a ‘mon lingers there and continues to inflict fear…”
Veli shrugged, and Mal looked him in the eye. “They did bring up a good point, though. What are you doing out here all by yourself?”
“I’m patrolling…”
“Oh, posh, don’t give me that. That wasn’t my question – not what are you doing out here, but why are you alone? You know there are bandits out here, so it strikes me funny that a smart kid like yourself is out looking for trouble.”
Veli shifted, shrugging. “I’d just rather be alone…”
“I get you, but it just isn’t smart, or even safe.”
“You’re alone.”
“I can handle myself, and I don’t get into situations I know are trouble.” Mal scowled, then sighed. “Come on. I’ll walk you back to your precious camp.”
Veli blinked. “You’re risking capture, just like that?”
“Don’t patronize me. You saw how easily I got away last time. Now don’t make me knock you out and drag you back.”
Veli began walking back towards Cactus Fields, and his unlikely companion was silently slinking along at his side in an instant. “It still seems like more trouble than you need. You could have left me alone after knocking out those ruffians.”
“And let you get into trouble again? If you ended up tangling with worse brigands than those two, I’d never have forgiven myself. More importantly, the way I see it this is the best way to show you and your sister I’m a nice ‘mon at heart.”
“And yet you steal for a living.”
“True, but I try not to hurt anyone doing it. If I ever find the time, I ought to tell you just how many trinkets I returned after learning they held sentimental value.”
“Have you?”
“I have, actually. There was this –” Mal suddenly put a paw onto Veli’s back, stopping him. “What is that? Over there…no, there…”
It took a while to pick out the shape from the horizon of the setting sun, but Veli saw what Mal was indicating. A floating Pokémon, with spindly legs and limbs growing out of a sphere. It roughly resembled some kind of a bird. Veli knew what this thing was…
“Remarkable,” Veli gasped. “That’s…that’s a Sigilyph. I can scarcely believe I’m actually seeing one in the wild like this.”
“Why’s that?”
“Wild Sigilyph tend to keep to themselves. Their habitats are rather erratic, with no logical placement, appearing as often in deserts, jungles, plains, even caves and near coasts. They’re hardly seen in some places, then many more of them pop up almost without explanation. A common theory – one I share – is that they’re more automatons than living things.”
Mal still didn’t take her eyes off of the elusive Pokémon, which was slowly turning about. “It almost looks as if it’s looking for something…wait, that’s not natural?”
“Not entirely, no. It’s more likely they were bred specifically for a task, which, as the theory goes, is that of a sentinel. The theory would have it that these Pokémon are looking after some hidden structure, or some kind of an enigma best kept from prying eyes. Nobody knows if that’s true, but it best explains their distribution and behavior. Like I said, they usually keep to themselves, neither pursuing nor attacking any Pokémon that stays far enough away. The ones that get too close are attacked practically without mercy, and the Sigilyph don’t cease until defeated or the target gets far enough away; they then resume their original route.
“That’s the one sure thing that has been observed of Sigilyph, at least as I hear it. They travel unique but consistent routes. Even those Sigilyph that have made their way into civilization carry with them vague memories of places and paths they have never been on, memories that can’t otherwise be explained.”
“All that was on the top of your head?”
Veli nodded, as much enthralled by the creature as Mal was. “Yes, I’ve an interest in many things related to ancient lore and legend. References to what could be Sigilyph pop up now and again as loyal, incorruptible watchmen of the great cities of the ancients. At any rate, if we stay away from it enough, the Sigilyph should…”
Right when Veli was saying this, the mysterious Pokémon silently turned on the spot and flew off in a new direction, and not towards their destination in Cactus Fields.
“Huh.” Mal was still awestruck by what she had just seen. “Huh. Well, you don’t see things like that every day.” Eventually, she padded on ahead; “Come along, Veli. We still need to get you back to your camp.”
Veli sighed; “I’d loathe to, but very well. I know sister will simply try to drag me to that soiree of a party, but…”
“But is that a bad thing? What, exactly, is wrong with getting acquainted with others?”
“It isn’t. I mean, I know I’ll have to deal with strangers for all my life, but still…”
“Then what harm could there be in being friends with at least one of them?”
The two didn’t exchange a word for the rest of the trip, so Veli couldn’t be sure when exactly the Liepard thief had left his side.
///***\\\......///***\\\
“…a Sigilyph? Way out here?”
“It was incredible,” Veli said for the third time. The sun had set, and the festivities at the “Great Cactus Cookout” were well underway. Pokémon of many stripes and sizes, both local and visiting were hanging around, and those that weren’t preparing the meals or serving them out to the patrons were thoroughly enjoying them with gusto. There would occasionally be a small kerfuffle wherein a Pokémon had a bad reaction to a spicy Spelon, but otherwise the cookout was so far turning out to be a smashing success. Vidya and Veli were seated at a table, and Veli was sharing his account with his sister and a couple of passing teams that caught wind of the story and invested themselves with an interest.
Veli ended up having to share the story another time with a few more teams, but for once he didn’t seem to mind. Vidya knew her brother better, though Veli was in fact being very covert in his true disliking of socializing. The account was mostly factual, but the events so fascinating that the story proved entertaining. Veli only left out Mal’s reappearance (substituting her for a renegade bandit taking revenge); having been the one to turn all the guilds onto her in the first place, it seemed wrong to let her second slide of justice in as many days go unpunished.
When they were finally relatively alone (in which time Veli told the story twice more), Vidya smiled at her brother. “Veli, I have to say I couldn’t be happier for you…”
“Verily? You’re not angry with me for leaving you behind?”
“Oh, no, I am quite displeased with you, and I had half a mind to scold you for it. But with what you went through as a consequence, I think you’ve been punished enough. …If you’ve learned your lesson, that is.”
“I have,” Veli said. “Never again, sister; I will never again go anywhere alone, without some kind of an escort. And if that means the escort is a party or an entourage, I will simply have to endure it.”
“Brother, it’s like a spell has come over you. I’m almost thinking it’s a dream, and…”
“Good evening, sir and madam. I have the pleasure of being your server tonight; can I start you off with something to drink?”
“Ah, yes, I’ve wanted to try –” Vidya stopped, turning to the serving ‘mon, and cried out with delighted surprise on seeing a very familiar face. “Basil? What are you doing here?”
The Snivy the twins met in Wear n’ Flair winked at the twins. “Well met, Vidya, and…Veli, was it? First, as to your question, mademoiselle, I got your letter, timely and soundly. And at the first thought of your missing our date, I decided I would not have it. I resolved to set off and follow you at once, even at the cost of my job.”
“You traversed the Basalt Caves on your own? Impressive.” It was Veli who had spoken up.
Basil shrugged. “Actually, the Poochyena that delivered the letter saw me to and through the dungeon. Such a friendly girl, and a savvy expeditioner if I do say so myself! At any rate, we cleared the dungeon but found ourselves stuck before the expanse of desert…well, to be brief, we caught a break, and the sands proved safe enough for us to travel across. It wasn’t smooth, to be sure, and I’m certain the Camerupt only acquiesced when I insisted on crossing the desert myself.”
“You what?” Vidya gasped.
“As I mentioned, Madame Vidya, I would not let sand or heat or perilous –”
“How irresponsible of you!” Basil’s words died in his throat, slaughtered by Vidya’s interjection. “I’m glad to see you so soon, to be sure, but to risk your own life and that of others! Huh, what were you thinking?”
Basil lowered his head, giggling nervously. “Well, that was rather reckless of me, was it not? No matter. Here I am now,” he said with a flourish, “and here I shall remain. I admit I was daunted at the prospect of searching all of the tents for you two – and you especially, Madam – but I caught wind of this cookout and figured it’d be the best place to go looking for you. Besides, given the opportunity to help…”
“Or to risk your neck,” Vidya murmured. Basil tensed, seeming to get slightly bigger in response.
“Now, now, I know that I erred grievously, mademoiselle, but really, this is uncouth of you. Interrupting others and talking out of turn!”
“Now you’re harping on me about that? But you never objected to it when I cut you off yesterday morning!”
“Yes, but you apologized for it, and so I forgave it.” Basil shook his head. “Passionate, indeed. There was a flare in you, Madam, and I knew it was that flare which complimented the pink on your bowtie.”
Vidya frowned. “Well, sir Basil, I do have one more question for you.”
“And what is the question?”
“Would you care to join us?”
Basil blinked. “Odd to overlook everything so soon, Madam, and certainly a strange choice for a first date, but even so, I cannot argue with the intentions of a lady of your charm.”
“That isn’t quite what I meant…I mean, would you do us the honor of joining our team?”
Basil chuckled. “Stranger still! Just a moment ago you called me reckless, and now…what an about-face! Am I truly so irresistible?
Vidya blushed. “Well, maybe so…and yes, what you did was a little dangerous, but Father always told me that there is no waste if you’ve learned something from it. That aside, you have good instincts, and a bright mind. I don’t see why you can’t join.”
“Nor I,” Veli said, which startled Vidya.
“Brother…?”
“It will very well be hard to justify this Snivy following you around like a love-struck Lillipup. And if he was willing to cross treacherous desert sand just to see you, I don’t think anything short of that will get rid of him.” Veli shrugged. “The fact of the matter is that you’re probably going to come along whether I want it or not. I may as well start getting used to it.”
“Good evening, I am Marckus and I’ll be serving you tonight,” a Haunter said, beaming. “Are there two or three of you?”
“Three, sir,” Basil said as he hopped up to take a seat across from Vidya. “And if I may speak for the group here, I recommend starting us off with the cactus flower tea. Not a traditional aperitif, but a welcome experience nevertheless.”
Vidya looked to the Liepard. “Mal. I have to ask…after all, you said you were a thief. You’re not going to try to steal anything around here, are you?”
“Aww, is that a problem?” Mal looked over her shoulder, chuckling. “It’s not an imperative to me. I really did go through that dungeon to check this place out.”
“You mean to scout it out, don’t you?”
“Well…I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a part of it. And if I do see something worth taking…I just might.”
“I know you said you’re a nice ‘mon, but a thief? With what you’re saying now I can’t trust you.”
“Nor should you,” the Liepard said.
“Mal, unless you promise to leave everything alone that isn’t yours, I’ll have to turn you in. It’d be irresponsible –”
But Mal was already laughing at what Vidya was saying, heartily and almost without control. Her eyes were squeezed shut behind her black mask, and her whole body was practically trembling. “Me! Turn me in! Ahaha! Oh, that’s hysterical! As if you could actually do the deed!”
“You’re already as good as caught, Mal. We’re in the back of a moving wagon.”
“That hasn’t stopped me before,” Mal said with a wink. “Besides, a girl like me doesn’t remain a thief without getting very, very good at getting away. And that’ll be easier now that we’ve stopped moving.” And without another word, she leapt out of the wagon.
Vidya dashed to the end the Liepard exited from, but to no avail. The only thing that greeted her sight was the desert air and the humble town of Cactus Fields. Mal was gone. Vidya wildly searched around her without finding any sign of the Liepard thief; she had, impossibly, vanished into the desert air!
Veli joined his sister at the end of the wagon; she spat into the sand, and his eyes widened at the display. “That’s not like you, sister.”
“She was right here!” Vidya said, ecstatic. “How could she simply disappear?”
“She can’t have gotten far,” Veli said. “She got the same warning we did, so she won’t be leaving Geoda until the sands clear and the path is safe. Mal may have escaped, but we can at least take measures to make her miscreant manners more difficult.”
“Like what?”
“Nothing too difficult. I could give the guild leaders a description of Mal, and all the guild teams can then keep an eye peeled for any trace of her. At the very least we can make sure she does nothing to harm the citizens of Geoda.”
Vidya nodded. “You do that. I have to see to something. It looks like I won’t be making my date tonight, after all.”
///***\\\......///***\\\
“…will get you to that dungeon, and it should lead back to Andalusst, if you stay on the first floor. You’ve got that?”
The Poochyena beamed. “Hai, sure thing! It’s as good as delivered.”
Vidya nodded. “Just one thing…it might not be a good idea to go alone, so I should probably find a team willing to…”
“That won’t…iie, that won’t be necessary.” The Poochyena shook her head. “I move faster on my own, anyway.” Then, smiling, she added, “I’ve been doing this courier thing a lot, mostly for personal things. This won’t be my first dungeon, and it won’t be my last.”
“If you’re sure. But all the same…”
“Stay on the first floor. You made that clear, Vidya-sama. Sayonara.” She made a small curtsey, and skipped away, stopping only to speak to a ‘mon (presumably for directions) before she bounded out of sight.
“Did I detect a Iaponese accent from your new friend, sister?”
Vidya spun ‘round to see her brother had returned to her. “That young ‘mon said she was from Iapon, yes. How long have you been standing there?”
“No more than a few seconds, I assure you,” Veli said. “I found Solstice and spoke to her about Mal. She assured me that she would bring it up at tonight’s Researchers Guild meeting…as a minor point, but we agreed our collective, wary eyes would be enough to ward off any criminal response on her part.”
“There’s a meeting tonight?”
“Yes, but I got all the details from her. Right now, we should –”
“Ohh-ho, no, my brother, you’re not getting out of this one. We’re going to that meeting.”
“But I already –”
“You got vital details on what would be brought up at the meeting, all to avoid being in the same place as some hundred Pokémon. I won’t have it. Mother wouldn’t, if she were here, nor would Father if he could have been.”
Veli lowered his head, defeated. “You saw right through that, didn’t you.”
“It was obvious. You practically told me that you went out of your way to get those details. The things you will do by going to such lengths, my brother, are few and far between.”
“I don’t see why I should go, though,” Veli said. “It’ll be a waste of time for me, at this point. And yes, I did do it to avoid the meaningless socialization with…”
His sister interrupted him with a nudge. “My brother, it baffles me that you would do anything to avoid meeting someone new even as you will try anything you can to help them. Trust me, this’ll be good for you. Now, where was this meeting to be?”
“The Researchers camp, in an hour or so. The work begins tomorrow, at any rate. And I doubt this will do me any more good than not.”
///***\\\......///***\\\
“…now, this is…ah…”
“A Salac Cactus, sister,” Veli said immediately. “We’ve not gotten anything from this one, yet. And it looks like we have company.” He tilted his head back and to his left, indicating an approaching Heracross.
Vidya had been scooping a bit of pollen into a tube, and now paused to look over the new arrival. The ordinarily deep-black-blue shell of the Heracross was, on this one, a lighter, faded blue-grey. That, and his garb, suggested he had lived in or around Geoda his entire life. His pace was brisk, and there was the twisted brow of concern she could see even from fifty paces away. “A local,” Vidya surmised. “And he doesn’t look too happy.”
“We’ve been told to expect this,” Veli sighed.
“Try not to perturb him; I’ll talk to him.”
“What’re ye doin’?” the Heracross said. He stopped his approach about five paces away, arms crossed. Vidya was glad to see he did nothing more threatening or overbearing. The negotiation would be much more difficult if he wasn’t going to be open-minded.
She smiled. “Good morning, there, ah…?” She paused, waiting for a name. When it didn’t come, she shrugged. “Good morning. We’re examining this Salac Cactus…”
“I can see that.”
“…for Researchers Guild business.”
“Oh, I see.” The Heracross frowned, putting a clawed hand to his chin. “Huh. Researchers, you say? They ain’t been too interested in cacti here afore.”
“Evidently,” Veli said, “they’ve never had an opportunity to conduct a survey of the flora here…”
“Survey of what now?”
“Flora. Plants, sir, like this cactus.”
“I suppose that’s fine.” The Heracross shrugged, crossing his arms again. “Might a bit strange, doin’ this now after all the time they’ve been here, but I won’t question that. But this survey yer doin’, do ya really need ter be proddin’ an’ touchin’ the thing? After all, my ma always told me that lookin’ be done with eyes, ya know?”
“But for a proper, scient-”
“Brother, please,” Vidya said. Then, smiling at the Heracross, she said, “Sorry, my brother here isn’t much of a Pokémon person. What he was trying to say is that our survey includes gathering fruit and pollen samples.”
“Pardon me, but that does sound a little suspicious,” the Heracross said. “I mean, the fruits, sure, ain’t none fruits better’n Salac, least that’s what I think. But the pollen…what do ya want that for?”
“I believe the hope is to study the plants by growing them ourselves,” Veli said. Before either Vidya or the Heracross could object, he continued, “We could well perform our tests on the plants out here in the open, but frankly that’s not preferable to having the plants in a more controlled field, like one the Researchers Guild assigns just to cultivate plants. Moreover, I understand the loc…pardon, townsfolk as like yourself might object to interfering with these plants.”
The Heracross seemed surprised, but not as much as Vidya was. Astonishingly, the Heracross lowered his arms, his relief – small as it was right now – very apparent. “Well, that we would. I heard yer compatriots were tryin’ ter…survey, it was, the cacti like that Salac there. It didn’t sit well with me, ya see. After all, I also heard yer was plannin’ ta breed them plants together…”
“Ah, crossbreeding. Yes, that is one of our research ob…one of our goals. Don’t misunderstand, sir, we intended to do that well away from the wild plants, in a more controlled location. If we did create a new breed, and one that was uncontained and producing more of itself…why, that could disrupt the natural balance of the cacti, and consequently disturb the livelihood of anyone that depends on them.”
“That’s the last thing we want,” Vidya continued, “after all we may be out here but this is your home. There’s the risk, sure, but think about the gains, as well. I understand the Peteya cactus has some medicinal value. A crossbreed might yield a more powerful medicine…and with us doing the growing, you’d have easy access to it if you needed it.”
“That’s right, is it?” The Heracross shrugged. “I don’t know that I understand all of that, but ya seem ter know what yer doin’. Here…” The Heracross cupped one of the Salac fruits in one of his hands, then twisted it gently. The fruit came off, minus the stem. “I love these Salacs, yer see. Ma had ter teach me ter get the fruits off without hurtin’ them.”
“Thank you,” Vidya said, and opened her bag for the Heracross to deposit the fruit inside. “We’ve been having trouble getting those fruits off at all; this is the first we’ve managed, in fact. If you could help us…”
“Sure!” The Heracross smiled. “Happy to help out.”
///***\\\......///***\\\
“…and that’s the way it is.”
“Fascinating.” Chelle, the Guild Leader of the Researchers Guild, finished recording Vidya’s account of the collection of cactus samples. Though the Reuniclus had been very thorough in doing so, she never lost eye contact with the Eevee in doing so, and managed this by using her psychic abilities to use her pen. With the jotting of the last word, Chelle gave an approving nod to Vidya. “You did a most adequate job in collecting these samples. And your brother was the one who enlisted the aid of the Heracross, was he not?”
Vidya tilted her head slightly. “Well, I think we both did as much in our part…”
“I won’t contest it, child, that you both played some part in that; your effort in keeping him in good spirits and reassurance was undoubtedly key, but it was the explanation of what we intended to do with the samples that, I think, was what ultimately placated the Heracross. That’s what I had meant. In any case, he should be commended.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him that when I see him, Madam.” Vidya bowed. Chelle, perhaps sensing Vidya was about to leave, held up a hand.
“Just another moment, as seeing you here has stirred a recollection. You said your name was Vidya? Of Team Gemini, correct?” Vidya nodded. “Then you and your brother were the ones that found the object that you dubbed the Hailstone?” The Eevee nodded again. “It is a fascinating find, and I applaud the care you used in retrieving it. The object has been sent back to the Andalusst Researchers Guild Hall, for further study at a later date. I would have sent word to you of it, but as you are here now it seemed fortuitous that I should deliver the news myself.”
Vidya bowed again. “Thank you.”
“That will be all.” Chelle lifted a paper she had been writing – Vidya caught the words “dissertation,” “life energy” and “feasibility.” Vidya almost asked, but the Reuniclus was already absorbed in adding to her work; curious as she was, it would have been rude to pry at that moment, and into something that wasn’t really her business to begin with. The Eevee left Chelle’s tent, still reeling slightly – it’s not every day that a ‘mon is recognized by the Researcher’s Guild Leader, and more seldom it was that the recognition was praise.
Vidya endured more of the desert heat, returning to where she had left her brother. (“At least it’s a dry heat,” she’d heard more than one Pokémon say of the weather.) The sun hung in the sky, only now beginning its descent towards and beyond the horizon. The Pokémon at the campgrounds were bustling about, either arriving from or preparing to embark on the tasks they’ve taken upon themselves to perform in service of their guilds. Many were with Luke, the Explorers Guild Leader, preparing a great cookout; more were either patrolling Cactus Fields, on the lookout for ruffians, or else were returning from such a patrol.
And, of course, there were tents as far as the eyes could see. There were lots of Pokémon, and even with the Pokémon bunking with their teams the number of tents needed to accommodate them all formed a labyrinth. The sheer number of canvas and rope structures was difficult enough to traverse, but that they were all nearly identical was confounding.
Eventually, Vidya found the tent she was assigned for Team Gemini – though it was only because the guilds had the forethought of labeling every tent with the team name that was to be using them. Veli wasn’t to be found in the one named “Team Gemini.” Vidya hailed a passing team: “Pardon, but have you seen an Eevee looking a lot like me? He’d have been wearing a grey bowtie…”
Vidya honestly hadn’t expected a reply, and was surprised that she received a helpful one. “Wait,” a Hoppip began, “he didn’t have this monotone, smarter-than-thou manner of speaking, did he?” Vidya nodded. “Saw him a short while ago. Said he was going on patrol, all by himself. Insisted on it, in fact.”
“Said he’d prefer not to be with the ‘lay-‘mon,’ I think,” his Amaura companion muttered.
Vidya groaned (causing the Amaura to wince), and said “Of course he did. Can never get him to…was there anyone following him, at least?”
“I’m afraid not. He your partner or something?” It was the Hoppip speaking; the Amaura looked withdrawn, quite affected by Vidya’s outburst.
“He’s my twin brother. Hey, are you alright, miss…?”
The Amaura gulped. “Al…Ally. It’s alright, not your…” her voice trailed off, and the pair wandered off. Vidya sighed. Father had always told her to be careful with her temper when talking to other ‘mon. And now…
She made up her mind, and she’d had half of it to go on patrol herself just to look for him, but to hell with that. She was simply going to wait for Veli to return to camp, and she would make him participate in the one activity she knew he was dreading.
///***\\\.......///***\\\
“What’re you doing out here all by yourself?”
Veli said nothing, but groaned inwardly. Just when his patrol had been going so well, not another ‘mon for many hours, quiet at last…and he happens across another team. Without turning about to address them, he said, “I’m on patrol, same as you.”
“Oh, really? On patrol, are we? And just what are we to patrol around these parts?” Veli froze; the tone of voice was certainly not friendly. “Hehe, that’s right. Stay still just like that. We’ll be liberating that bag from you now.” Veli didn’t move. As he felt the bag being lifted from around his neck, he knew things would only get worse. The bag was empty, and he was being accosted by a bandit with at least one accomplice.
Sure enough, within seconds he heard a second voice squeal, “Hey, oi! Chief! He ain’t got nothin’ in here!”
“Nothin’? Heh. That’s fine. He can still do us some good, eh, boys?”
Veli gulped. Boys. Not good. There was surely a small team here, probably five or more.
“He’s got no goods, but that’s fine. He’s with those newcomers, those Explorers an’ the rest of them, eh? Ain’t that right? Well, kiddo, here’s how this is going down. We’re aiming to get at those bastards, but now you’re an easy way in for us. You can…”
“No.”
“No? Hear that, boys? He thinks he can mess around with us!”
“I won’t do it. You can’t make me.”
“Well, no, we can’t. But we don’t have to, see? You’re just an easy way in. It won’t matter if you won’t do it. It’d just be easier for us – and better for you – if you did. So –”
The bandit’s voice suddenly stopped; Veli only heard a small sigh and a light thud beside him. Then a new voice, much friendlier, asked, “You alright? Seems like you were in a bit of a rough spot there.”
“I was. Thank you.” Veli turned to at least see who it was, and found that he knew her already. Mal, the Liepard thief, was holding his bag, standing over two unconscious Krokorok. “You again.”
“Yes, me again. Did you miss me?” Mal placed the bag strap over Veli’s shoulder.
The Eevee frowned. “It isn’t very smart of you to be standing there. Everyone in Cactus Fields is looking for you.”
“And you’re not making it easy on me.” She grinned. “Really, I’m having a blast; it’s been so much fun I don’t even mind if I don’t get to take anything. As for these two,” she continued with a gesture, “I felt I had an obligation to intervene. Morally. Not that they were taking something, but the cowardly way they were trying it. I’m all for the stealthy, behind-the-back takeout, but when a ‘mon lingers there and continues to inflict fear…”
Veli shrugged, and Mal looked him in the eye. “They did bring up a good point, though. What are you doing out here all by yourself?”
“I’m patrolling…”
“Oh, posh, don’t give me that. That wasn’t my question – not what are you doing out here, but why are you alone? You know there are bandits out here, so it strikes me funny that a smart kid like yourself is out looking for trouble.”
Veli shifted, shrugging. “I’d just rather be alone…”
“I get you, but it just isn’t smart, or even safe.”
“You’re alone.”
“I can handle myself, and I don’t get into situations I know are trouble.” Mal scowled, then sighed. “Come on. I’ll walk you back to your precious camp.”
Veli blinked. “You’re risking capture, just like that?”
“Don’t patronize me. You saw how easily I got away last time. Now don’t make me knock you out and drag you back.”
Veli began walking back towards Cactus Fields, and his unlikely companion was silently slinking along at his side in an instant. “It still seems like more trouble than you need. You could have left me alone after knocking out those ruffians.”
“And let you get into trouble again? If you ended up tangling with worse brigands than those two, I’d never have forgiven myself. More importantly, the way I see it this is the best way to show you and your sister I’m a nice ‘mon at heart.”
“And yet you steal for a living.”
“True, but I try not to hurt anyone doing it. If I ever find the time, I ought to tell you just how many trinkets I returned after learning they held sentimental value.”
“Have you?”
“I have, actually. There was this –” Mal suddenly put a paw onto Veli’s back, stopping him. “What is that? Over there…no, there…”
It took a while to pick out the shape from the horizon of the setting sun, but Veli saw what Mal was indicating. A floating Pokémon, with spindly legs and limbs growing out of a sphere. It roughly resembled some kind of a bird. Veli knew what this thing was…
“Remarkable,” Veli gasped. “That’s…that’s a Sigilyph. I can scarcely believe I’m actually seeing one in the wild like this.”
“Why’s that?”
“Wild Sigilyph tend to keep to themselves. Their habitats are rather erratic, with no logical placement, appearing as often in deserts, jungles, plains, even caves and near coasts. They’re hardly seen in some places, then many more of them pop up almost without explanation. A common theory – one I share – is that they’re more automatons than living things.”
Mal still didn’t take her eyes off of the elusive Pokémon, which was slowly turning about. “It almost looks as if it’s looking for something…wait, that’s not natural?”
“Not entirely, no. It’s more likely they were bred specifically for a task, which, as the theory goes, is that of a sentinel. The theory would have it that these Pokémon are looking after some hidden structure, or some kind of an enigma best kept from prying eyes. Nobody knows if that’s true, but it best explains their distribution and behavior. Like I said, they usually keep to themselves, neither pursuing nor attacking any Pokémon that stays far enough away. The ones that get too close are attacked practically without mercy, and the Sigilyph don’t cease until defeated or the target gets far enough away; they then resume their original route.
“That’s the one sure thing that has been observed of Sigilyph, at least as I hear it. They travel unique but consistent routes. Even those Sigilyph that have made their way into civilization carry with them vague memories of places and paths they have never been on, memories that can’t otherwise be explained.”
“All that was on the top of your head?”
Veli nodded, as much enthralled by the creature as Mal was. “Yes, I’ve an interest in many things related to ancient lore and legend. References to what could be Sigilyph pop up now and again as loyal, incorruptible watchmen of the great cities of the ancients. At any rate, if we stay away from it enough, the Sigilyph should…”
Right when Veli was saying this, the mysterious Pokémon silently turned on the spot and flew off in a new direction, and not towards their destination in Cactus Fields.
“Huh.” Mal was still awestruck by what she had just seen. “Huh. Well, you don’t see things like that every day.” Eventually, she padded on ahead; “Come along, Veli. We still need to get you back to your camp.”
Veli sighed; “I’d loathe to, but very well. I know sister will simply try to drag me to that soiree of a party, but…”
“But is that a bad thing? What, exactly, is wrong with getting acquainted with others?”
“It isn’t. I mean, I know I’ll have to deal with strangers for all my life, but still…”
“Then what harm could there be in being friends with at least one of them?”
The two didn’t exchange a word for the rest of the trip, so Veli couldn’t be sure when exactly the Liepard thief had left his side.
///***\\\......///***\\\
“…a Sigilyph? Way out here?”
“It was incredible,” Veli said for the third time. The sun had set, and the festivities at the “Great Cactus Cookout” were well underway. Pokémon of many stripes and sizes, both local and visiting were hanging around, and those that weren’t preparing the meals or serving them out to the patrons were thoroughly enjoying them with gusto. There would occasionally be a small kerfuffle wherein a Pokémon had a bad reaction to a spicy Spelon, but otherwise the cookout was so far turning out to be a smashing success. Vidya and Veli were seated at a table, and Veli was sharing his account with his sister and a couple of passing teams that caught wind of the story and invested themselves with an interest.
Veli ended up having to share the story another time with a few more teams, but for once he didn’t seem to mind. Vidya knew her brother better, though Veli was in fact being very covert in his true disliking of socializing. The account was mostly factual, but the events so fascinating that the story proved entertaining. Veli only left out Mal’s reappearance (substituting her for a renegade bandit taking revenge); having been the one to turn all the guilds onto her in the first place, it seemed wrong to let her second slide of justice in as many days go unpunished.
When they were finally relatively alone (in which time Veli told the story twice more), Vidya smiled at her brother. “Veli, I have to say I couldn’t be happier for you…”
“Verily? You’re not angry with me for leaving you behind?”
“Oh, no, I am quite displeased with you, and I had half a mind to scold you for it. But with what you went through as a consequence, I think you’ve been punished enough. …If you’ve learned your lesson, that is.”
“I have,” Veli said. “Never again, sister; I will never again go anywhere alone, without some kind of an escort. And if that means the escort is a party or an entourage, I will simply have to endure it.”
“Brother, it’s like a spell has come over you. I’m almost thinking it’s a dream, and…”
“Good evening, sir and madam. I have the pleasure of being your server tonight; can I start you off with something to drink?”
“Ah, yes, I’ve wanted to try –” Vidya stopped, turning to the serving ‘mon, and cried out with delighted surprise on seeing a very familiar face. “Basil? What are you doing here?”
The Snivy the twins met in Wear n’ Flair winked at the twins. “Well met, Vidya, and…Veli, was it? First, as to your question, mademoiselle, I got your letter, timely and soundly. And at the first thought of your missing our date, I decided I would not have it. I resolved to set off and follow you at once, even at the cost of my job.”
“You traversed the Basalt Caves on your own? Impressive.” It was Veli who had spoken up.
Basil shrugged. “Actually, the Poochyena that delivered the letter saw me to and through the dungeon. Such a friendly girl, and a savvy expeditioner if I do say so myself! At any rate, we cleared the dungeon but found ourselves stuck before the expanse of desert…well, to be brief, we caught a break, and the sands proved safe enough for us to travel across. It wasn’t smooth, to be sure, and I’m certain the Camerupt only acquiesced when I insisted on crossing the desert myself.”
“You what?” Vidya gasped.
“As I mentioned, Madame Vidya, I would not let sand or heat or perilous –”
“How irresponsible of you!” Basil’s words died in his throat, slaughtered by Vidya’s interjection. “I’m glad to see you so soon, to be sure, but to risk your own life and that of others! Huh, what were you thinking?”
Basil lowered his head, giggling nervously. “Well, that was rather reckless of me, was it not? No matter. Here I am now,” he said with a flourish, “and here I shall remain. I admit I was daunted at the prospect of searching all of the tents for you two – and you especially, Madam – but I caught wind of this cookout and figured it’d be the best place to go looking for you. Besides, given the opportunity to help…”
“Or to risk your neck,” Vidya murmured. Basil tensed, seeming to get slightly bigger in response.
“Now, now, I know that I erred grievously, mademoiselle, but really, this is uncouth of you. Interrupting others and talking out of turn!”
“Now you’re harping on me about that? But you never objected to it when I cut you off yesterday morning!”
“Yes, but you apologized for it, and so I forgave it.” Basil shook his head. “Passionate, indeed. There was a flare in you, Madam, and I knew it was that flare which complimented the pink on your bowtie.”
Vidya frowned. “Well, sir Basil, I do have one more question for you.”
“And what is the question?”
“Would you care to join us?”
Basil blinked. “Odd to overlook everything so soon, Madam, and certainly a strange choice for a first date, but even so, I cannot argue with the intentions of a lady of your charm.”
“That isn’t quite what I meant…I mean, would you do us the honor of joining our team?”
Basil chuckled. “Stranger still! Just a moment ago you called me reckless, and now…what an about-face! Am I truly so irresistible?
Vidya blushed. “Well, maybe so…and yes, what you did was a little dangerous, but Father always told me that there is no waste if you’ve learned something from it. That aside, you have good instincts, and a bright mind. I don’t see why you can’t join.”
“Nor I,” Veli said, which startled Vidya.
“Brother…?”
“It will very well be hard to justify this Snivy following you around like a love-struck Lillipup. And if he was willing to cross treacherous desert sand just to see you, I don’t think anything short of that will get rid of him.” Veli shrugged. “The fact of the matter is that you’re probably going to come along whether I want it or not. I may as well start getting used to it.”
“Good evening, I am Marckus and I’ll be serving you tonight,” a Haunter said, beaming. “Are there two or three of you?”
“Three, sir,” Basil said as he hopped up to take a seat across from Vidya. “And if I may speak for the group here, I recommend starting us off with the cactus flower tea. Not a traditional aperitif, but a welcome experience nevertheless.”
Suggested Collections
Featured in Groups
I made it! 
Phew!
Right, so not everything went according to plan. I did most of what I set out to do, but I only ended up using one cameo - that of horseg27's Team Glacial Herb. (Ally was so precious, by the way.
)
But, more importantly, here's the recap of what occurred in this series of tasks:
Completed the Researchers Task 1, Sensitive Survey, and enlisted the aid of a local Heracross to collect the samples. Acquired: Pollen Sample and +1 Merit
Participated in the General Task 2, Prickly Patrol, keeping the perimeter safe from encroaching bandits. Acquired 3 Star Coins and a Volbeam item.
ALSO, in the process, completed the Merit Bonus by observing and leaving be one of the mysterious, enigmatic Sigilyph. Petroglyph acquired.
Participated in the Great Cactus Cookout, enjoying the meals, serving a few, and helping to clean up after the event. Acquired: 1 recruitment slip.
And...
As a result of gaining the above rewards...
Basil the Snivy has joined Team Gemini!
I'll update the team information in a bit, but for now, just read and enjoy. ^_^
Phew!Right, so not everything went according to plan. I did most of what I set out to do, but I only ended up using one cameo - that of horseg27's Team Glacial Herb. (Ally was so precious, by the way.
)But, more importantly, here's the recap of what occurred in this series of tasks:
Completed the Researchers Task 1, Sensitive Survey, and enlisted the aid of a local Heracross to collect the samples. Acquired: Pollen Sample and +1 Merit Participated in the General Task 2, Prickly Patrol, keeping the perimeter safe from encroaching bandits. Acquired 3 Star Coins and a Volbeam item. ALSO, in the process, completed the Merit Bonus by observing and leaving be one of the mysterious, enigmatic Sigilyph. Petroglyph acquired. Participated in the Great Cactus Cookout, enjoying the meals, serving a few, and helping to clean up after the event. Acquired: 1 recruitment slip.And...
As a result of gaining the above rewards...
Basil the Snivy has joined Team Gemini!
I'll update the team information in a bit, but for now, just read and enjoy. ^_^
© 2015 - 2024 Wyvern-1
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In