[attr="class","rose"]

[attr="class","rosepoke"]

[attr="class","text"]

as the saying goes, time waits for no man.[break][break]

and it seemed that the pinkette wouldn't wait to throw an unexpected lashing out at the man who'd been tasked with accompanying her on this expedition, albeit for a split second. taken aback by this development, silverio was left breathless for but a moment, nerves stunned by the sudden outbreak. did he say something he shouldn't have? or do anything that may have triggered raw emotions just now?[break][break]

as he would quickly learn...[break][break]

he may have indeed done exactly that, and the error would come to realization as she explained her reasoning for shifting to that defensive - belief in an entity that supposedly rules over all of time itself. a tale never before told to the paldean. the seemingly mindless sentiment on the part of silverio, said to be against what keiko believed in, would be instantly erased from his short-term memory, his visage drifting.[break][break]

"i'm sorry too..."[break][break]

this place wasn't hoenn, and it damn sure wasn't paldea either. one ought to do well in order to consider the feelings of others, especially other foreigners. or perhaps, was this a hoenn of another timeline entirely? regardless, there was still an objective to be completed in this time.[break][break]

"by the way..." as he moves to examine the skyline up top, he'd force his attention back to the girl with remorse flashing in his eyes. "i meant what i said earlier - about being lucky to be here. had i not been picked to join you, then i don't think i would've ever gotten a chance to see any of this otherwise."[break][break]

definitely worth writing home about, not that his family back home was likely to believe anything he jots down in any of those letters...[break][break]

he tugged at the line, and offered a nod, deeming it to be stable enough to zip along. "looks solid, feels tight. it's worth a try, i think...i'll go first." several minutes passed as he proceeded to fasten himself onto the line. "here goes...something!"[break][break]

and away he would go...!

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ expedition prompts completed: 1 of 4[break]
✦ greninja is burned[break]
✦ bingo prompt: hoenn[break]
✦ bingo prompts used (total): 1 of 5

[attr="class","rose"]

[attr="class","rosepoke"]

[attr="class","text"]

going forward, the ranger would do well to avoid making any sort of remark that may be interpreted as sinful, in regards to the beliefs of others. otherwise, perhaps this critically acclaimed 'almighty sinnoh' may not waste any of its precious time in passing sound judgment upon the paldean for such carelessness.[break][break]

have mercy...[break][break]

his partner didn't take long in following suit of him across the skyline, a chance for them to take in the sights around them, including..."a train...?" in paldea, such forms of transportation were a thing of mysteries; he had only ever read about them in various textbooks and other old and tarnished documents. "...looks like it runs on steam...cool..."[break][break]

alas, their sightseeing session would be cut short.[break][break]

after quickly disconnecting himself from the line, his eyes peered upward from the castle's base, mesmerized by its height in search of its apex. "hope we'll find something in there, anything really." looking back towards the pinkette, he added, "and if we're lucky, then maybe we'll get to ride that train too."

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ expedition prompts completed: 2 of 4[break]
✦ greninja is burned[break]
✦ bingo prompt: judgment[break]
✦ bingo prompts used (total): 2 of 5

[attr="class","rose"]

[attr="class","rosepoke"]

[attr="class","text"]

motion sickness was a valid concern, but not an issue for the paldean, for he has traversed across terrains unimaginable on the backs of large pokémon before, on land, sea, and air. one might say that he'd become one with the very fabric of nature that he has always intended to study. suppose these lands, perhaps dictating the existence of another plane or part of space entirely, ought to be studied as well...[break][break]

no time to hit the books, not yet...[break][break]

before either of the humans could step foot inside the massive edifice, another entity like the one they encountered previously had emerged from the castle's interior. something about this, however, felt off - as if it wasn't functional in the manner that it was intended to. the girl looked to the ranger, in search of an answer perhaps. he could hypothesize that this could've been the work of another machine? or possibly a person? he dared to step closer to the near-completely-severed volcanion-like creature...[break][break]

"i have no idea, but one thing's for sure: the damage done to this thing looks to be beyond repair...if only...huh!?" before he could get his thoughts out, the mechanized monster's functions discontinued - completely shut down. "i guess there's really no saving it now..."[break][break]

alas, there was still sights left to see.[break][break]

looking towards the castle's entrance, he called for the girl to catch up with a wave of his hand. "maybe we'll find some answers in there..."

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ expedition prompts completed: 3 of 4[break]
✦ greninja is burned[break]
✦ bingo prompt: space[break]
✦ bingo prompts used (total): 3 of 5

[attr="class","rose"]

[attr="class","rosepoke"]

[attr="class","text"]

forward may, indeed, be the only direction to go from here...[break][break]

but the only direction this machine would be headed now is six feet under - a fate seemingly inevitable, even for an artificial lifeform. regardless, silverio would opt to look past it for the time being, and instead, focus on the matter at hand: venturing inside the castle, finally.[break][break]

the sight of the room's interior struck a chord in the man's heartstrings; the space was littered with bones all around. never before had seen such a display of morbid proportions, which rendered his eyes widening and mouth agape as he scanned the vicinity. "no way..." sure there had to have been a way for this to happen, as if their sentient selves had been sacrificed for a daring ritual.[break][break]

a theory had come to mind.[break][break]

in spite of this gruesome, footsteps draw closer, keiko's. he turned back to the door from whence they entered, and the monster that was laid to waste right outside. eyes returned to the sight before them as he proceeded to express what he may have only just theorized in his mind. "that beast..." he began.[break][break]

no escape from the bones amassed here, despite being undone from their bodies. "if i had to guess, i'd say that it may have died while trying to protect this place, taking the lives of many along with it..."[break][break]

how far would that be from the truth...? who's to say...

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ expedition prompts completed: 4 of 4[break]
✦ greninja is burned[break]
✦ bingo prompt: ritual[break]
✦ bingo prompts used (total): 4 of 5

[attr="class","rose"]

[attr="class","rosepoke"]

[attr="class","text"]

"i'd rather not stick around long enough to find out..."[break][break]

whatever happened here in the past, granted if time itself could even be measured here, was irrelevant to the pair of explorers. silverio would rather focus on the present, that being the objective to examine the castle's interior. a tall order for the two of them, with an emphasis on 'tall'. eerie vibes - the sounds of clocks ticking, one after another, began to ring in the paldean's ears.[break][break]

small steps taken, careful not to overstep any of the carcasses. was truly something here? a treasure buried leagues beneath the sands of time? that remained to be seen. regardless, it would be a shame to have ventured all this way with nothing to show for it. suppose that the experience in and of itself may be considered a prize all on its own.[break][break]

with that in mind, silverio sauntered onward...

keiko mori

NOTES

✦ expedition prompts completed: 4 of 4[break]
✦ greninja is burned[break]
✦ bingo prompt: past[break]
✦ bingo prompts used (total): 5 of 5