Yeah, this is definitely Hammerlocke. You remember these streets, though you don't quite remember them looking quite so shit. You suppose that's only natural, though. With Spikemunth dead, all the squalor must have rushed straight out of its husk, down the road, through the tunnel, and directly to its neighbour. The apocalypse is probably just a coincidence.

Jabs aside, you're not quite sure what to do. Transported to an unfamiliar familiar place, surrounded by strangers, straddling the line of your perceived allegiance between League and Rocket, and with no sign of any heroic deeds that need doing. What a pain in the ass. Why the hell can't this be a simple quest? You're hardly in the mood for a bespoke and emergent adventure right now. No, you want to get out of here, before that moose finds you. But, fine. Fuck it. What heroism is there to do?

Well, there's hands in the poison, but getting rid of pests is hardly heroic. They're not grand dragons or demonic ogres, nothing truly villainous. What they are is enough to make you fetch Slither Wing from his Pokeball. Of course, as soon as you release him, he hits you with a hard jab to the gut that you tank moderately well, and you retaliate with a few irritated slaps that he tanks effortlessly, but once that little issue passes you by, he's more than capable of handling any that draw near with an Earthquake. Granted, its a little overkill, but the insect seems to be pulling his punches. Or perhaps the environment is simply unnerving him, putting him on edge, throwing him off his game? Hard to say. You don't speak ancient primordial imagination bug. Point being, the job is getting done.

But aside from pulling the metaphorical weeds, what else is there to do? You hardly have any patience for the frightened and teary-eyed survivors. Nor do you have much interest following the crowds, for as well and good as strength in numbers is, you'd rather not pack yourself tightly into a clump of bodies that'll get mulched by a single attack. No, both Shred Zeppelin and Jack Sabbath are lone wolf types. They work with the pack, but only for their own benefit, and not to their detriment. You'll let them do the heavy lifting of figuring out what the heroism you need to do is. In the meantime, might as well reminisce, yeah?

It's not the best time to take a trip down memory lane, but it passes the time either way. You stroll along down streets you haven't walked since your youth, Slither Wing trotting along close behind, dispatching any of the sludge hands that get too touchy feely. Hours pass, and the sun begins to set, but you're not much bothered by it all.

Despite everything, it's actually quite pleasant, in an uncanny sort of way.

---

Hammerlocke Boys, We Love Making Noise
TL;DR - Jack Sabbath and Slither Wing explore the ruined Hammerlocke based off his shoddy memory and dispatch any hands they come across with """precise""" usage of Earthquake.

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What was once a gorgeous city much more worthy of being called Shalin's home than anywhere in Hoenn was a gloomy, tainted wood illuminated only by the faint light of a few glowing mushrooms. It was a place she wished she could have visited. Ballonlea wasn't there, though. All thanks to Necrozma. It was a draft she had just barely dodged, thanks to her arrival in Hoenn the day before Meteno's barrier showed up. Had she arrived a month earlier, she would have been forced to fight alongside the League against Necrozma -- a fight that would have almost certainly resulted in the deaths of all of her closest partners.

Suddenly, a radio message from Gwyar Wledig came over her comms. "On my way!" With that, she and her Flygon flew toward the knight and his Glastrier. "I'm gonna need some room to work! And cover your ears!" Standing hear the Power Spot, Sandy churned her wings in a potent BUG BUZZ. As strong as it was, the shockwave did little to dislodge the poison other than make microscopic cracks in the ice. "Not enough..."

The wild rider took a deep breath. Being in her SYGNA SUIT, she knew what she had to do. For weeks after donning it the first time, she had practiced for this very moment. There didn't appear to be any immediately hostile forces around, making her daring idea significantly less risky. The Flygon lowered her wings, allowing Shalin to step over one of them and allow herself to be lifted into the air on one. She exhaled, then addressed Gwyar once more.

"This is gonna seem reckless, but it's what my Sygna Suit lets me do," she awkwardly admitted as her legs hung from the sides of the green, translucent wing. "I'm gonna switch my comms off so I don't blow your ears out. Here goes!" Putting on her BRAVEST face, she held on tight with all four of her limbs as her prized dragon's wings began beating. "Use your BUG BUZZ, Sandy!" Shalin ordered, every hair on her body standing on end from the anticipation. The SYNC STONE within her suit glowed green, INFINITY ENERGY flowing between her and her insectile dragon.

Shalin and both of her Flygon's wings disappeared into a green blur as a shrill, vociferous whine filled the stadium. It would have been impossible to miss; those close may have been able to faintly hear the girl screaming. Whether it was of fear or joy, it was impossible to tell. The ground-type did not take off; instead, she directed potent, ground-shaking vibration toward the Power Spot in an attempt to shatter the solidified poison preventing its energy from radiating outward.

Shalin had no idea whether what she was doing was working; all she could see was a still Flygon wing alongside a primordial swirl of the various colors around her. Were it not for her suit, the enhanced BUG BUZZ would have seriously messed up the girl's insides. INFINITY ENERGY truly held limitless possibilities, didn't it?

Ballonlea - and the woods beyond - is dark. Grim. The trees seem almost devoid of leaves - and yet, even then, the criss-crosses of the grasping branches are enough to block the night sky above, only thin rays of natural light filtering down. Pools of ominous poison have formed here and there, the result of something terrible that has since appeared in this Galar.

But Ettie's concerns aren't immediately on the village itself. To clarify, she indeed cared about the village. If she was supposed to do good things or something like that, then she'd be happy to treat this village as her packmates. But, everyone else seemed to have their attentions set on the village itself. She, meanwhile, had her focus more on the woods beyond.

Because this was the pack's territory. And by extension, her territory. She had to understand it, and she had to provide for the pack.

So whilst the others focused upon the village itself, Ettie gestured for Anne to follow her into the wilds. "This way." She spoke softly, a hand drifting down to where Scarlet was sheathed at the small of her back. When her fingers brushed against the hilt and tassels, she could almost feel the way the Doublade stirred. "We hunt."

. . .

The woods, however, were in no better a shape. Anne growled low, an Accelrock carrying her forward as she avoided the grasp of one of those strange, poisonous hands - allowing her to swipe at it with her claws to smack it away. The poison seemed to have taken over portions of the forest, saturating some of the plants that grew there as well. Even once she was clear of the danger though, Anne would Accelrock once again - darting to someplace cleaner.

It took a careful eye from Ettie and a careful nose from Anne - but anything that looked even slightly edible, anything that looked like it could be regrown, was all gathered together. Mushrooms, roots, berries... She also gathered anything that just looked useful in general; herbs that still appeared untouched by the poisons, sturdy branches, abandoned supplies... She would gather as much as she could - as much as they could carry, in the time that the pack had - whilst getting a feel for the layout of the woods.

And when the light began to dim, she returned to the village - ready to share her finds with the peasants there.

TLDR / NOTES :
- Ettie goes prowling through the woods, both to gather supplies/food, and to scout the surrounding territory.
- Lycanroc uses Accelrock both to cover more ground in a shorter amount of time, and to occasionally fend off the weird grabbyhands.
- Once the sun begins setting, Ettie returns with any food, herbs, supplies, etc. that she and her pokemon can carry.
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