[attr="class","rosepost"]Eris wasn't half bad at comforting now, but she wondered how much of her current state was still attributable to the sprite. "I hope normal is enough in a world like ours," she said with a lighter tone than the sentiment deserved. "And I take it that pokemon like this," she gestured to the sprite, "are the ones trying to help protect our world?"[break][break]

She still wasn't sure what to make about legendary pokemon getting involved in their politics, but she supposed it was necessary to take allies wherever they could get them. "I wonder if the Council has considered alerting the world to what's going on here, like an 'all hands on deck' situation, but I guess it would also cause mass panic." What a difficult balance. [break][break]

"Are you interested in this kingdom because it might fit into this larger picture?" She wanted to see it over multiple expeditions, to see if she could find any totems of Almighty Sinnoh, but she would give herself a break for a while, if only to prepare herself mentally for all that she might find here.

[break][break]Eris Halla [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]"Yeah," she agreed as she looked out at the sprawling desert, "there's definitely more to this Obelisk than meets the eyes." She heard a thump and turned to find Silverio on the ground. "Sil-!" She scrambled to his side even as a psychic wave came out of nowhere - only missing her because of her quick dive to her companion's side. [break][break]

She looked up just in time to see Slowking react to the Espathra, hitting her with a water gun that distracted her from her freezing gaze. Was it mean look or something else altogether? She was unfamiliar with the birds. Slowking used heal pulse to help Silverio recover from the Espathra's gaze. [break][break]

Keiko looked around for anything to use to their advantage. The obelisk that had risen above them all then descended into the earth, shaking the world around them violently. The Espathra flew off in a panic, and the obelisk revealed a stone platform. There were... stairs? Leading underneath the desert? "Um, I think that's where we'll find some answers..." She turned to Silverio with a mixture of concern, fear, and curiosity. "You okay?"

[break][break]silverio delfino |[break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]The fishbowl's cute, and Combee has no issue with it being made with tap water. It drinks hurriedly, but Keiko's gaze is pulled from the cute bug and back to the bartender. "I think a shot of that stuff'll kill me," she confessed. Cupcake vodka sounded horrific in every way... but then, she'd recently learned how much peril the region was in and, why shouldn't she indulge? [break][break]

Life was short, and it was clear there were evil and divine forces both at play in the region. Tomorrow was most certainly not guaranteed.[break][break]

"I'll risk it," she decided with questionable confidence. "But you have to try it with me. I can't suffer through it alone, y'know." She hopes she can take the shot with some grace. She doesn't want to embarrass herself in front of the Zorua or the owner.


[break][break]MAISIE MAUDLIN [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Pelipper's undeserved breakfast and glorious (late) return would both go uncelebrated as Keiko lurched forward and grabbed him, tucking him under her arm in a manner to suffocate him. "WHY ARE YOU SO LATE?!"[break][break]

The bird flailed in her arms. Alas, she saw no Rangers flying above to rescue them or evaluate the situation. No, it was just Pelipper - who had so graciously announced his presence by stealing the breakfast SHE had caught. "YOU LITTLE RATTATA WITH WINGS, I'LL-" Pelipper put up a good fight, but she wrestled him to the ground. "Gallade," she said with less shouting but equal urgency, "I need your blade arms right now." Pelipper flailed with renewed vigor, but he couldn't get free.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]With a calmer mind, the problem seemed more immediately manageable, even though it couldn't possibly be. The sky was falling. But they had time to fix things. It wasn't over until it was over. She didn't know what to make of the idea that they were being brought closer to Arceus - in a bad way? Like they were approaching some divine punishment? Some judgement? [break][break]

She couldn't focus on that part. They needed to take down the people who want to abuse the unusual phenomenon... "Okay, okay. I can help with that effort, at least. Is this what the League is facing behind closed doors?" They'd done a decent enough job of keeping the harsh reality of the threats facing the region at bay - the public only knew League vs Rocket for the most part. [break][break]

She didn't know who to reach out to first to get involved with the deeper parts of it, but she would get there. "Sorry for freaking out."

[break][break]Eris Halla [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]The ghost hand ducked the hydro pump, but it seemed to hover above them while considering how best to approach an attack. She pulled her camera out and snapped a photo, not recognizing the ghastly hand to belong to any pokemon she knew of. When she looked down to her camera, though, she'd snapped a picture of empty sky. "Almighty Sinnoh," she breathed out with a growing sense of dread. "Another illusion."[break][break]

She turned to look at Silverio with wide eyes. If they didn't know if their experiences were real or not, they could underestimate an enemy or overextend their team and fall ill in the desert. Neither were good outcomes. "Maybe expeditions here should involve more than two people, huh?" She felt herself going pale as the blood drained from her face.

[break][break]silverio delfino |[break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]"Oh, geez," she huffed out as Silverio helped her up. It was just one thing after another down here! [break][break]

His Greninja was fast-acting. Slowking followed with a headbutt, but the strike went right through Confagrigus because of its typing. Thankfully, Silverio's team carried the fight and pushed the ghost back until it fled by fading underneath the sands. Where it would end up, she couldn't say. "Yeah - good - let's skeddadle." [break][break]

She was breathless as she scurried on her feet out of the scene and away from the obelisk, but she only got a few yards before a gigantic ghostly hand descended on them both from above. "Holy f-"

[break][break]silverio delfino | 14 experience a misleading mirage.[break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]The distortion opened up, and after her conversation with Eris Halla in the Mechanical Kingdom, she felt it was her responsibility to poke around inside. She needed to understand the phenomena better in order to protect herself and others against them when they were weaponized. Unfortunately, she selected the wrong pokeball as she approached it and sent out her newest companion, a uniquely colored Slowpoke. [break][break]

It was not a great choice for protection, but stepped into the rift with him anyways, looking to see if there were threats on the other side that warranted a better guardian pokemon. However, she didn't see any pokemon. There was some wild storm circling above, but she didn't see anything else inside. Still, something troubling sat in her belly, warning her to leave. Maybe this was a better expedition for a party of people rather than just herself.[break][break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]She rolled her eyes affectionately. Right, they could take on any storm, huh? She would need a pretty powerful team to handle environmental threats, but that wasn't her skillset. Travelling in spite of those threats? That was where she succeeded. [break][break]

As she watched him prepare the Tatsugiri, she felt... something. Like a sixth sense, maybe. [break][break]

"I would make sure there's sunscreen," she answered flatly, eyes on his reddened skin. The feeling was impossible to ignore, now. She turned and looked for whatever it was that was setting her off - but it was in the sky. A blur, a shadow. "What's that?" She hadn't seen anything fly over the island since they'd landed. It appeared to be coming closer, perhaps drawn by the fire's smoke.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]So much faith in his pokemon, but so little faith in the divine. She couldn't imagine that kind of philosophy for herself. Pokemon were fallible. [break][break]

"Right, well, maybe you can do that part and I can be moral support." She beamed at him, clasping her hands behind her back to really sell how much her positive spirit could contribute the operation he'd be solely responsible for. "I do think I'll never leave the house again without carrying an extensive kit with me. Knives, first-aid, flare. Gotta deck that thing out to the nines."[break][break]

She didn't want to be caught relying on her Pelipper again. On any one pokemon again. She didn't like the helplessness or the lack of control that resulted from such a scenario.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]What an interesting theory. "Lived long enough..." She scrutinized it closer. "Pokemon that get super old and like constructing little artifacts..." Nope, nothing came to mind. She didn't think anything would want this little shape beside the creepy little elgyem, but those guys didn't seem to be the creating type to her. [break][break]

Then, a chill wafted over her just as it did Silverio. "Cold in the desert?" It wasn't nighttime - this shouldn't be happening. [break][break]

Then, a Confagrigus appeared behind them, it's ghastly hands outstretched towards them. "ALMIGHTY SINNOH!" She faced the sudden visitor and tried to scurry at the same time, tripping over herself and falling into the warm sand. Slowking growled but the Confagrigus didn't seem to care as it loomed over the Leaguers.

[break][break]silverio delfino | 10 involve confagrigus or runerigus in some way.[break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Keiko isn't sure what to make of it - having a child comfort her while she's losing her grip on reality. It's a secondary concern, stuffed underneath the headline: HOENN IS DESTROYING EVERYTHING. [break][break]

Eris takes her hand, and something appears before them. Distinctly, Keiko knows this must be a special pokemon, one that operates in some sort of domain like the other legendary pokemon. She is speechless even as the animal panic in her chest is forcefully calmed by it. How, she doesn't know, but it works. Her breathing slows. Still, her mind turns over it isn't a lie, it isn't a lie, it isn't a lie.[break][break]

The real saving grace is that Eris offers a sapling of optimism. Time to change things, yes, Keiko can cling to that readily. She's captivated by the sprite's gaze, mesmerized by the way it seems to see her in a way nothing else has. She maintains eye contact with it as she asks, "how can we change things?" Her new mission is unfolding before her very eyes. Her purpose is greater than being a wartime courier, than transporting intel and medicine and ammunition: she's going to help correct the path of destruction their entire reality is barreling towards.

[break][break]Eris Halla [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]The adventure into a place that seemed holy and sacred to Almighty Sinnoh was turning from a temple into a tomb. She couldn't make heads or tails of the new reality painted before her. How could Hoenn be this monstrosity? [break][break]

Our world is apparently destined to be the end of all other worlds.[break][break]

"What does that mean? What does it mean?" She was closer to hysterics now. And could it be the decision of anyone to make that true, god or human or legendary? Who would pick that fate for their world if it was even possible? "That doesn't make any sense. Why would you lie about that?" Panic. Panic. Panic. She knew Hoenn was capital S Strange but there's no way the explanation for it was that this was a path of destruction the entire world was set on. She didn't sign up to be a part of it.

[break][break]Eris Halla [break]