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after jumping off the train, they begin their journey through the castle-like structure that might have been a dome at the same time. he's not entirely sure anymore.[break][break]

"what the?"[break][break]

it's hard not to feel disgusted by the many BONES that lay at their feet. they number in the thousands, and cian feels himself wanting to throw up.[break][break]

"fucking gross."[break][break]

he steps away, then turns back to look at them.[break][break]

"how long will you guys be here for? i'm thinking of setting up camp while you guys explore."[break][break]

27 uncover thousands of human remains (bones) in the mechanical kingdom's castle.

[attr="class","bottom"]Melody Miro Hideo Kino Eva Morales[break]

Bones? Eva cringed as she slowly turned her gaze down towards the ‘gravel beneath her feet. She swallowed back the familiar scent of death and she knelt on the cavern’s floor. Her fingers brushed against the smooth ivory surface of a femur, confirming the presence of death.

“Well, I don’t like the looks of this,” she murmured mostly to Blade as he frowned down at the remains alongside her. They were both used to death. Still, it was jarring. When she rose it seemed CIAN MAHER thought this to be a good place to set up basecamp, “Wait, really? Here?” she motioned around to the graveyard of bodies. They could do better.

The debate was cut short by the subtle quake of the ground beneath their feet. The echoed of heavy footsteps grows louder, “Wait, Hideo!” Eva wasn’t about to let him wander the castle by himself so she rushed after him and the Magearna and his Shadow Alakazam.

Eva was too stunned by the Volcanion to speak. Its deep, commanding voice echoed the chamber around them, vibrating to her core. She watched Hideo enter, invited by the wary beast. If she had known better, she would have waited too, but Eva was too curious. Her pull to heal drove her forward. It was something she considered since she first ventured here with illeana reyes. The lifeless gaze of the Volcanion and Magearna that wandered the kingdom was heartbreaking. Illeana’s mist had granted one brief reprieve from the Kingdom’s song, “Can they be healed? The soulless?”

The Volcanion shifted, a heavy step turning it’s stern expression to regard the human it did not invite into its chamber. A pensive silence drowned them as it considered its words.

“WHY DO YOU WISH TO HEAL THEM?”

Eva shrugged her shoulders as if that was a silly questions, “It’s what I do, I heal. It’s my purpose.”

The idea of a purpose seemed to strike a chord in the Volcanion. It once had a purpose: to protect, to guard.

Slowly it nodded, “THERE MAY BE A WAY. COME, HUMANS,” it led them to the other side of the chamber, revealing a collection of sparkling SOUL HEARTS.

---

Melody Miro & CIAN MAHER & Hideo Kino

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"oh! not here, but i think there's a room somewhere here that's comfy enough."[break][break]

he nods and gives a thumbs up to Eva Morales and Hideo Kino as they disappear deeper into the castle to explore. with that done, he turns to Melody Miro with a smile.[break][break]

"thanks for staying behind. i would've gotten quite lonely otherwise."[break][break]

stepping past cobalion and melody, cian leads the way.[break][break]

"let's go find a nice place to camp."[break][break]

18 begin building a base camp/settlement of some kind.

[break][break]

kCqVOGRe

[attr="class","bottom"]Melody Miro Hideo Kino Eva Morales[break]

Eva watched the procedure carefully with a critical gaze. She made sure to memorize the details, the way the hearts sparkled, the gentle care the large pokemon used to transfer it to the Magearna, and most important the transfer of energy – Infinity Energy.

The professor was painfully aware of what the coat was. She’d studied this sort of energy, watching it flow between living things like a stream of water. It was finite, not infinite as the name suggests. A being can only hold so much, and when they released some of it, there was none left to replace it. A concerned looked crossed the professor’s face, a concern for the Volcanion.

She wouldn’t bring it up until Hideo left to avoid placing the burden of knowledge on another. She stood by silently with the second Magearna, hesitating to even let the pokemon try it on another, “Wait!” she gasped as the Volcanion moved to place a SOUL HEART in the mechanical pokemon’s chamber. It paused, looking at her with displeasure, “What about . . . you? Your energy?”

The Volcanion shifted, the moan of gears making it sound like the pokemon groaned in exasperation.

“YOU WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND, HUMAN,” the sacrifices they’re willing to make to fulfill their duty.

It placed the SOUL HEART in the chamber, watching the Magearna slowly tick back to life. More disappointment. Eva frowned, placing a gentle hang on the living Magearna’s side.

“THIS IS NOT HER EITHER. TAKE IT AND GO – I MUST REST.”

Without another word the Volcanion shifted to turn, lumbering back to its chamber to rest after the transfer of energy made it weak. Concern still bubbled in the doctor’s chest but Eva respected the wishes of the ancient being, “C’mon, this way,” she spoke softly to the confused doll. She gently led her back out to the others where they would eventually finish setting up camp and end their expedition only to return another day.

---

Melody Miro & CIAN MAHER & Hideo Kino
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