Another year, another visit to the shrine, it seemed. Ettie wasn't sure what to make of the effigy that sat beneath the waters - besides that none of her more aquatic packmates could get too close to it, let alone move it... But, it was nonetheless a curious sight.

In the moment though, she was focused on making sure her newer packmates, and more or less those who weren't present before, were able to partake in ringing the bell - the pack enjoying the quiet festivites that came with it as one.

And if yet another of Ettie's packmates ended up touched by the draconic spirit that seemed to fill this cave, well... That would make this trip all the more exciting then, right?

For Ettie's credit, she noticed pretty quickly as Onyx and Lucan both made their approach - glancing up, and smiling brightly. "Hello, Friends!" She'd greet with a bright wave, getting up and stepping back a few paces to clear the battlefield.

Yip, too, would perk up - and hopping back onto her feet proper, would make a couple of eager yips! She would shine bright as she Terastallized into Normal, with that familiar crystalline quality and everything.

And once prepared, she'd twirl her tail a couple of times, before holding it like a rifle - letting loose a Tera Blast from it in the form of a deluge of white paint!

Gimmick: Tera (+15 on even rolls)
HP: 3/3
czeyti5U

onyx straub

Ooh! This was definitely something new! Yip's eyes would first be locked upon Ana's arm - but upon noticing Rose, she'd glance to it next, giving an eager little yip! New things! Exciting! What would they have to put on display?

Either way, Ettie would smile and nod. "Thank you! Ettie likes friend's partner, too!" She chirped back - visibly admiring the Iron Valiant as well. So shiny, and pretty!!! But, any admiring had to wait - there was a fight to be had, first! "Am ready!" She'd respond, raising her orb high!

Terastallization envelopped Yip - the pale crystalline overlay making her fur all the more white. But rather than remain a Smeargle, Yip would decide to use Transform - painting herself to take on Rose's appearance! (Aside from, of course, the crystalline appearance seeming to still be present.)

It took a second, to get used to this strange new shape - the transformed Smeargle looking herself over. But once she understood the blades on her arms, she'd readily go for a mirror match - charging forth, blades shining in a Psycho Cut..!

Gimmick: Tera (+15 on even rolls)
HP: 3/3
t_fMsNaK

ana fell

After a nap - the two of them snuggled up together on a bench - Ettie and Yip were ready to go..!!

... Or at least, they were at the battlefield for their next fight. It appeared the two were a bit distracted, Yip having taken to doodling on the ground, and Ettie giggling as she used Yip's own paint to join in with a bit of fingerpainting of her own.

They seemed to be having fun, at least!

Gimmick: Tera (+15 on even rolls)
HP: 3/3

onyx straub

Two fights under their belts, and Ettie and Yip were both still ready for another! Even as the skies above rumbled - which did send a brief shiver down the wildchild's spine - the two would get into place for their next fight.

Yip sniffed at the air, idly swinging her tail about; would this next pokemon be interesting in some way, too?

Gimmick: Tera (+15 on even rolls)
HP: 3/3

ana fell

Time for the second fight - the first one had been pretty fun, and Ettie was ready to see Yip have some more fun, win or lose! She'd rock on her heels as she walked to one end of the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Yip - after a brief rest from the prior fight - was already raring to go. The Smeargle bounced from foot to foot, tail swishing about. Who would her next opponent be, she wondered? Would they have anything interesting to Sketch, or otherwise mimic with her other moves?

Only time would tell.

Gimmick: Tera (+15 on even rolls)
HP: 3/3

CIAN MAHER

The dream was ending.

But it was ending in... perhaps a much more slowly way, than Galar's dream did. Bit by bit, it was disappearing - and Ettie did not really like watching it. It made her heart twist in a familiar yet distant way.

Instead, she'd sit with Ebon in the main hall, wish tag in her hands. She watched the others write upon theirs, and she wasn't wholly sure what she herself wanted...

... But if she had to choose one, perhaps it'd be for her to be smarter. More intelligent, though she may not know that exact word.

Upon seeing her opponent, Ettie perked up visibly. "Oh! Josh-friend! Hello!" She chirped, waving back. "Mhmm! Ettie and Yip want play-fight! Have lots of fun!"

Yip would make a few barks of agreement, tail swishing as she looked to Raikiri. The Zeraora seemed imposing - but she wasn't scared. She had shenanigans aplenty to make up for this; which would include that of terastallization!

As Ettie's Tera Orb glowed bright, Yip's Normal typing was enhanced, her fur crystalline-white - and wielding her tail like it were a rifle, she'd fire off a Tera Blast from it, right at Raikiri!

Gimmick: Tera (+15 on even rolls)
HP: 3/3
NZsaQMfr

Josh Devlin

Everything was so exciting! So many lights, so many sounds, so many people - and a lot of those people were playfighting with one another! And Ettie was gonna get in on the festivities, too!

Or, well, more accurately Yip was. The Smeargle was eager to flex her muscles a little - and perhaps cause a light bit of mischief along the way! Cause what was more fun, than bamboozling someone a bit?

Either way, the two would stand readily at one end of the battlefield, waiting for their first playmate.

(Gimmick - Terastallization)

Josh Devlin

Being a Smeargle was much more hard work than people think, sometimes!

Certainly, Sketch means that one could pick any road in life you want... But those are, like, big decisions!! Those moves stick with you, unless you decide to forget one in lieu of another - and you have to actually find the perfect moves to pique one's interest with!

Hence some of Yip's choosiness, in which moves she wanted to sketch. Certainly, she could go for something powerful and straightforward... But where was the flexibility in that? What fun was there in just, having a huge fuck-off laser?? Where was the mischief potential???

But, as she found, there was much to learn from her own packmates.

During the evenings, when they begin to howl one by one... It takes her by surprise, to see when some use Copycat to Howl with!

This piques her interest, the ability to copy moves without having to commit to it. Thus, she is more than happy to Sketch it for herself; a fun and flexible move, with which to cause some shenanigans. Perfect!

Redeeming:
- Birth By Sleep Custom
- - Midday Lycanroc (Shiny) - Steadfast - Accelerock, Rock Tomb, Crunch, Endeavor, Endure, Howl

Initially, Ettie wasn't sure what the significance was in the journal she was given. It was a nice gift and all, but... She couldn't really read - and it didn't seem like Ebon had too much experience with it, either. So, it came as a surprise when Ettie opened it...

... Only to find herself someplace else.

Slowly, quietly, the pack moved through the undergrowth of 119. They had caught the scent of injured prey - a Sawsbuck that had gotten separated from its herd - and for the past while, they had been tracking it.

But that was not what made this hunt stand out in Self's mind. This was a special memory, because this was the first hunt her mother had let her accompany the pack on.

Her sister follows close to her side - the azure Rockruff's gaze determined. A few of her cousins and older siblings are here as well, noses sniffing and ears pricked. All the while, her mother - just as blue as her child, if not moreso - takes the lead, all the while.

Even if the pack has better noses and ears, Self instead puts her vision to work - taking note of the tracks, of the broken vegetation and hoofprints left from the Sawsbuck's hasty retreat. She is ready to prove herself, for her pack's sake. And seeing where the Sawsbuck had crashed through the bushes... With a low huffing sound, she points in that direction.

Mother gives her an approving, warm glance - and gazing to the rest of the pack, directs them accordingly.

Indeed, in that direction the Sawsbuck can be found - panting, tired... Its flanks bleed from a prior encounter with the hunting party, one leg noticeably causing a limp.

The pack begins to encircle, ready to pounce. Self and Sister are quiet as they both hunker down at their mother's side, waiting for the signal... And as the packleader darts forth, the collective joins in, ready to take down the prey once and for all.

Even as the Sawsbuck's antlers swing and hooves lash out, Self is able to leap onto the cervine's back. As it bucks and flails, she wraps her arms around its neck and squeezes, snarling wild through her teeth. Her packmates grab at its legs, trying to stop the bucking, to bring it down.

And with time, as lack of air and exhaustion alike make the deer slow... It topples over - allowing Sister to go for its throat.

A successful hunt - a clean catch. The pack would eat well tonight, and this knowledge fills Self's heart with pride. Especially when her eyes meet Mother's own - and she knows that she did well, for her first true hunt...

Dreams were... Strange, to Ettie, by now. For the longest time, she recognized dreams to not be reality, to be separate from it. But then came the years spent in Galar, where - though much of it was indeed separate from the reality she knew now - it left lasting effects and a memento behind, even if she could only remember pieces of it. There were the dreams brought on from exposure to the mist, where one of her own packmates was changed multiple times as a result.

Where was the line drawn, between a dream and the waking world?

It was hard to say. But it meant the idea of putting an end to a dream even stranger. She had experienced it once, in those twenty years of Galar, ad her feelings upon it were... A bit of a mess.

But from what it sounded like, all dreams had to have an end, right? The dream of Galar did. And so did any other normal dream. So this, too, had to end - and Ebon knew how. Though with the language barrier, trying to figure out the specifics from him was hard.

So, she was happy to follow his lead, as they entered those familiar woods, walking through winding paths... To the den, that the dream was centered around, she realized - the sounds of playful barks and yips echoing in the distance. "We ask pack for help?" She questioned, glancing to Ebon.

And Ebon, in response, considers this question for a second... Before nodding, allowing her to believe her initial thoughts. Not a complete lie - the pack will indeed help, but... Maybe not in the way that Ettie will think.

He has no intention of telling her how this will go. He has no intention of having her see it. It would be kinder to her, this way - for the dream to end without her seeing a drop of blood.

As the two approach the den, Anne is there to greet them - her tail idly wagging as she nuzzles Ettie. The wildchild giggles in turn - reaching a hand up to scritch behing Anne's ear, as they nuzzle her back, briefly wiggling. Soft, content, canid noises are shared between the two - and even without a shared tongue, the sentiments are communicated all the same; they are happy to see one another.

With those initial greetings done with though, Ebon would nudge Ettie to the den - giving her a brief nuzzle. Surely, she'd want to see the rest of the pack too, right?

Which, Ettie liked that idea! They could play together for a little bit, right? Smiling and nodding, she'd run off into the den, ready to greet her other packmates.

This left Ebon and Anne outside the den - and though the Dusk Lycanroc initially turned to follow Ettie, he would grab her attention with a low 'rrruff.' They had something they'd need to discuss. Something that Ettie need not know.

And though something approximating uncertainty flickered in Anne's expression... She'd agree to stay, seeing the serious look in Ebon's air.

Perhaps this was the kindest way for this to go. For Ettie to be among her family, not knowing a thing. To not see the true way this would end. For all she'd know, this dream would end the same as any other ordinary dream...

... Suddenly, abruptly, as one awakens - yet gentle all the same, with those pleasant memories there to linger unmarred...

Ettie wouldn't know what had happened, even as she awakens in the real world, surrounded by her packmates.