paladinlost | 10th moon [video]

Kudos on the badge, at least.

Thank you. Rosie, Avenger and Esuna all worked very hard. I think the whole experience was quite enlightening for Flare.

I told you that there was nothing to worry about.

Well, the Honchkrow was harder to beat than I thought it would be. None of my attacks had the advantage against him, so it turned into a fight of attrition.

And you still succeeded.

I found the Honchkrow to be quite a fascinating Pokemon, myself.

When everything else fails, use poison.

It did have quite the presence. Do you know of any trainers who possess one?

That is why I was happy that Schia knows a few Poison-based attacks. Ree did quite well also.

And, actually... [She glances over] Schiamazzo, come here. [There is a pause and after a moment, she holds up a black egg.]

I have obtained an egg from someone who bred her Murkrow for me.

I also like confusion, but since it was immune to Psychic attacks...

Ah, so you already have a future Honchkrow in the making. What is its evolution method?

Correct. But it will take some time to evolve it...

Unless I can find a Dusk Stone. The stone-based evolutions are so tedious.

A Dusk Stone? I remember a young lady who mentioned that she found one of those after a crystal attack. She used hers, but others might have obtained one and be willing to sell it.

Hm. I wouldn't want to evolve it right away... But my Misdreavus also evolves with that stone.

I don't suppose there is a way to use a single stone on two Pokémon at the same time? That would save you some trouble.

I am not sure. It isn't a huge concern at the moment, but Stella could stand for a slight change...

I've seen what Misdreavus evolves into. I have no doubt that form will suit her well.

Good. I may have to do some shopping around for this stone...

Should I hear anything about another Dusk Stone, I'll make sure to tell you.

Thank you, Cecil.

And who are you looking for...?

Cloud and Tidus. Both were our comrades during the war against Chaos. Cloud showed up in New Bark town around a week before the pixels, and no one has seen him since. Last I heard, Tidus was eating walls and Azalea, but he was supposed to return to Violet. He did not.

... Oh, he was the young man eating the wall. I remember speaking to him. Perhaps they went home...?

That is... probably what happened. Otherwise, they would have contacted us already.

Do not worry, Cecil.

I really should not. Their worlds are peaceful now. They must be glad to be back with their loved ones.

Just concentrate on what we must do here...

Pokémon to catch and train, Gym Leaders to defeat, exit to find. Enough to last us quite a while.

Precisely.

Who else needs their badge...?

Zidane for sure, Bartz I'm not certain, and Light has been here long enough to beat Falkner easily if he wishes. Firion already has it.

Hmph... I see.

Zidane has been here longer than I have. Earning the badge should not take him too long. And I doubt Light cares overly much about such things.

As long as it eventually leads to our leaving. My Pokemon are getting antsy again.

Getting to Ecruteak quickly would be advantageous. Since it leads directly to Goldenrod, Violet, Olivine and Mahogany, we would have more options for training and new Pokémon.

I am interested in seeing what is beyond Goldenrod while the world isn't... Backwards or something.

I'm hoping for a library, or perhaps a museum. I would like some information about the origin of this world, and to see if there is any mention of other groups of outworlders before.

I want to see a Pokemon that isn't a bird, bug, or a sheep.

...Not to sound pessimistic, but I doubt even distance will rid us of the Pidgeys.

Hey.

... I haven't been able to find Cloud either. Not so far, anyway.

He has to be somewhere. But I called the Pokémon Centers all the way to Olivine, and no has seen him.

Yeah. And none of my delivery contacts at the Lab have heard from anyone matching his description in a long time.

... Maybe he's gone home after all, eh?

[Zack looks tired.]

So this world brought him here only to send him back immediately? Without letting any of us meet up with him? I cannot believe that. I refuse to believe that.

[His fact contorts somewhat.]

Look, it's eating me up, too, man. But that's the way this place works sometimes... y'know? Anybody could go back home at any time. Just as likely as they show up, they leave.

I know. I simply... I hadn't seen him in seventeen years. If I had known he would disappear so quickly, I would have...

[That surprises him. Seventeen FREAKIN' years?]

Wait.

... Are you serious?

I am. For most of them, we were separated only instants before arriving here. Even Cloud has only aged three of four years. But for me, those few instants were seventeen full years, and I've grown nearly twice as old. Even so... Seeing them all again makes me happy. But with Cloud and Tidus gone...

[Cloud.... you have some s'plainin' to do.

At this point, he just. Shakes his head. Because. ... Wow. The brain, it hurts.]

Who knows? He might show up in New Bark Town. Again. We'll have keep him in our line of sight this time.

Yeah... It's happened once before...

Next time, we'll find everyone who knows him, and we'll have a 'welcome back' feast. There is no way he'll want to miss that, so he should fight harder to stay.

Congratulations, and I hope that you find your friends.

Thank you. It was quite a fun match, and my team enjoyed facing opponents more talented than the local wild Pokémon.

I think that is beyond my power, now. But I'll look a bit more, just in case.

Marianne would probably enjoy a battle like that.

It is frustrating to have so little control over our lives..

You could try to earn the badges after she earns a few more levels. Her type would not be disadvantaged.

At least this world seems to be without wars. A small blessing.

Yes, I think she'll enjoy it. David, too.

There is violence, though. But I suppose that is little in comparison to total warfare.

Badges also give some travelling benefits, such as getting past that tree north of Violet.

But even the local violence does not seem to lead to casualties. Only wounds.

The odd one? I've heard about it, but I haven't seen it myself.

It wouldn't make sense for us to be able to die again. I suppose that is something to be thankful for.

Two of my friends have obtained the equipment necessary to bypass it. This will make future travels much easier.

That wouldn't explain the locals, however. Even they survive what should be mortal blows.

Perhaps the locals are not really alive. They might be golems of a sort, like in the old legends.

Their skin is too soft. They aren't bulky enough, either. Unless this world's golems are much different from ours, in which case anything is possible.

It's probable that they're very different from what we think of as golems; they could all be android or clones for all we know.

Robots. That's what they probably all are...

Mechanical dolls, you mean? Luca does have Calca and Brina back home, but the scale is not quite the same. They show much less individuality than the locals.

I think it's more likely that the locals are highly advanced androids with their own artificial intelligence. They might also be shape-shifting demons; I wouldn't put it past the Devil.

How can we know for certain? Is there a way to tell those androids and humans apart?

It's... getting harder to tell them apart where I am from. We would have to take a local apart to be sure.

I'd rather not do that, if it can be avoided. There is always the possibility that they are merely brainwashed victims.

True... I just want to know so badly...

I've been looking for libraries and public archives, though I have not yet found anything. Would there be an equivalent for technology? It might hold information about possible robots.

I doubt that the information would be available to the public. That would defeat the purpose of keeping us in the dark in the first place, wouldn't it?

What about records that are not available to the public?

That would involve some light-fingered work, but it would probably be worth it...

By some strange coincidence, I know someone who is quite talented at light-fingered work. Then again, any potential records would have to be found first.

I'm more than a bit familiar with such work myself, although, I must admit, I am a bit better suited to keeping my ear to the ground at the moment. You're absolutely right, after all.

My group will probably move on to Ecruteak next. Is there anything I should keep an eye on? Buildings, types of people?

Closest bet is people; behavior will out more often than buildings, although searching abandoned or ones associated with suspicious things is always useful.

I'll look for people with technical knowledge or in a position of authority. They would be more likely to know anything.

I'll look out for the same.

[Biz wanted to ENTHUSIASTICALLY CONGRATULATE his girl on winning, but Cecil's serious demeanor kinda. Squashed that idea]

Missing friends?

[Ah, but when she sees him, she does her best to wave at the camera. At least one of them feels a bit happier now.]

Yes. Tidus never returned from Azalea, and Cloud never reached Cherrygrove. I... guess they went home.

[Biz waves back happily, but he can sense the seriousness of the situation and refrains from interrupting while his trainer talks]

... more people to add to the list, huh? [sigh] I wonder if there's a pattern?

[Rosie makes a victory sign. She showed that Noctowl who's the boss! ~~With some help.~~]

There is one for appearances, but I've not heard of one for disappearances. It seems like some people leave at the same time, but other than that...

[Biz is making it in return! ... with his tail!]

Maybe we should start paying attention. A pattern has to show up eventually, right?

[How impressive! Rosie claps delightedly.]

There must be one. But if it takes place over, say, a year, it will be difficult to observe.

[Biz winks flirtatiously]

It's worth a try though, right?

[Rosie blows a kiss back.]

It always is, especially if it means understanding why people arrive and why they leave.

[the Aipom reaches out to catch it and hold it close to his chest in a sweet gesture of luuuurve]

If no one else is gonna give it a shot, then I will.

[Which makes her beam with the force of a thousand suns!]

The main problem will be knowing the exact date of the disappearances. Some people are loners by nature, and it can take a while before anyone notices.

[beaming is good!]

There are plenty of people who have disappeared who aren't loners, though. We could star there.

[She grabs Cecil's bag and points at it. I wonder what she could mean?]

We'd need to taken into account the people who came back and whether or not they have kept their memories, too.

[Biz's ears twitch. Does she have something for him?]

Yeah. And any other obvious factors-- OI!

[Biz leaps off of Kaito's head and streaks down the street toward the Violet City gym. MUST FIND ROSE]

[Maaaaayyyyybeeee~? Cecil turns to look at her for a few seconds.]

Ah, yes, she did finish that a while ago.

[well Kaito's giving chase, and it isn't long before both of the show up near the gym]

Geez--! I've never seen you run so fast!

[Rosie waves madly, before reaching into the bag and taking out a sheet of paper kept closed with a ribbon.]

That must have been a world record. Just how far did you run?

[sucks in a deep breath and sighs] From across town. I guess he really wanted to see her.

[Biz approaches Rosie and slicks back his hair to look ~*presentable*~, eying the paper eagerly]

Young love is such a beautiful feeling. It makes you runs across town without feeling tired, stand outside for hours in the rain, climb monster-filled towers to trade a powerful artefact...

[Rosie presents her gift proudly to Biz. Then again, she did put a lot of effort into it.]

[Biz stares at the painting in awe, before he reaches out to gently take the painting from Rosie. He stares at it for a bit longer, before he dips forward to plant an Aipom kiss on her forehead.

Kaito is watching this and kinda going 'derp']

... it's almost cute.

[Rosie blushes when Biz takes it, and blushes even more after the kiss. Biz just earned himself one hell of a hug.]

Almost? I believe they reached 'cute' quite a while ago.

[Pokecuddling tiiiiime]

Pokelove... it's so poetic~

[So much cuddling, the whole city will get cavities.]

Rather open-minded, too. I know a young man whose Banette and Ariados are quite close.

I guess to them, love is love, no matter what the shape is.

...Would that apply to Pokémon and humans, too?

[He sounds a bit disturbed by the possibility.]

... er. [thinking back to Simon's Magikarp now and SHUDDERING]

...I was going to try and research this world's history. I might as well also learn about its laws and customs, before the locals give me a heart attack with... unexpectedly strong bonds with their Pokémon.

... I don't think the people here like the Pokemon that much.

You would be surprised by the number of old laws that have not been repelled simply because everyone forgot about them, until some idiot shows up married to a chocobo.

I really hope Johto isn't that weird.

Johto itself? Probably not. But insane people can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

[The warrior approaches, nodding at the badge in Cecil's hand. He is distracted from the victory as well, however. When he speaks, his voice is rather hoarse.]

They still have not answered?

They have not. Even Cloud's friends from home have not heard from him.

I see... [He's frowning.]

Cecil, it is likely that they have been returned to their own worlds.

...I know. It's just... we never even managed to see Cloud in person. And I saw Tidus, in Azalea. I should have known something was wrong when he never came back.

Even if you were suspicious, there was little that you could have done, Cecil. This world seems to take people and make them disappear without warning.

...There is something we can do, if this happens again. Should we all be separated, we should call each other every two days or so. And should our Pokégears break, we should borrow the first we find to warn everyone. This way, we'll have a good idea of everyone's locations and status. It's better than nothing.

That is a possible solution, yes. I doubt Squall would like it, but it is better than being unsure for a great deal of time.

[OOC: I figured Cecil would want to be here? (http://for-cosmos.livejournal.com/4049.html)]

If we present it as necessary and practical, he might agree to it.

[ooc: He is~!]

Perhaps. We shall have to do our best to convince him, then.

[OOC: SO I saw right after I posted that. ^^;]

Ironically, Cloud and Tidus' disappearances should help with that.

...True. Squall is sensible, at least.

We should keep an eye on the new arrivals, too. Trucy went home, and she came back around a week later. It could happen to them.

Both Cloud and Tidus have appeared in this world before, though neither of them had memory of the conflict. It could be that they will appear here again.

It would be nice if we could predict the new arrivals exactly. We could travel back to Violet and Cherrygrove in advance, know when to buy coats for frozen friends...

It would also be favorable if this world would cease going through... events.

I wouldn't mind harmless events. Flowers growing in the middle of winter, random rainbows...

However, things like the transformation of the whole world, we would be best without.

It did get us to leave Cherrygrove, at least.

However unintentionally, yes.

But while the shorter routes were appreciated, I would rather have access to an airship. The pixels are not necessary.

An airship would be much more useful, certainly. I wonder, if this world has the ability to create things such as the pokeballs and pokegear, if airships could be created as well.

For all of their technology, their transportation industry is lacking. Cherrgrove is by the ocean, yet it has no port. Either something is kept hidden from us, or everyone in this world is fit enough to walk everywhere. For all we know, they could already have airships hidden somewhere.

Either that, or they have a reason for containing travel to these routes alone.

It might be an adulthood ritual. Sending a child on a journey to earn badges, as a way to prove their strenght.

I suppose. It makes little sense that we are sent on these journeys as well, though.

That woman did think we were her children. She might be somewhat... confused.

Perhaps. Still, there must be some reason that all of us who are brought to this world are encouraged to make this journey.

The question is, is this journey in our favor or someone else's?

But who would it benefit?

The Pokémon themselves, at the very least. Merchants who sell Pokéballs and other such items. There might be others we've not yet met.

Then perhaps that is the reason for our weapons being taken away.

In that case, it would have been more profitable for them to try and sell us new ones.

It would have been much more useful if they had.

But then the Pokémon-related stores would have lost money. That industry does seem to be the most powerful in this world.

It seems to be the only industry in this world.

Well, they do have the basics. But their society is indeed Pokémon-centric. How did that happen?

Oh! Mr. Harvey! Congratulations on your badge!

_{[Iris' face falls at Cecil's expression and again at his words.]} I-Is something wrong Mr. Harvey?

Thank you very much, Sister Iris. My Pokémon have worked hard for it.

...Two of my friends are currently missing. They have most probably left Johto.

I'm sure they did. I've heard the Gym Leader is very hard to beat.

O-Oh that's horrible! But I'm sure they're alright. If they have truly left Johto they will be safe...won't they?

It depends on your Pokémon's types. None of mine had the advantage, so I had to plan a few strategies.

Their worlds are supposed to be at peace. Hopefully, that hasn't changed during their absence.

I see...What kind of strategies were they?

That's good to hear. Some people believe that you return to the moment when you left. If that's the case, they should be just fine.

Status ailments and attacks that could complement them, mostly. But Avenger also has an interesting attack that makes items ineffective. IT stopped Falkner from healing his Pokémon during the fight.

That would be good for Cloud, at least. I think Tidus' situation might be more complicated, but I cannot remember all the details.

That is an interesting attack! That's very useful. It would have been terrible if you had to start over because Falkner healed his Pokemon!

Well, at least one of them is safe. I'm sure Tidus will be fine. Your friends sound like very strong people.

Quite a few move have interesting side effects. But I intend to buy more damaging moves in Goldenrod. I need to cover a few elemental weaknesses.

They are. All of them were able to survive the near-destruction of their worlds, against all odds.

Y-You can buy moves? I had no idea!

D-Destruction of their worlds?! How horrifying!

Only in Goldenrod, I think. They look like this. [He takes out his brand new Roost TM.]

There are many worlds out there which haven't known peace in decades. Theirs were merely some of the unlucky ones.

Well then, I will have to look into some myself when I arrive in Goldenrod. I'm not a trainer, but I'm sure some of the moves will be useful. What does yours do? _{[She inclines her head at the Roost TM he is holding.]}

...That's terrible. That hasn't been much destruction at Hazakura. I suppose I've been very lucky.

From what I can tell, it allows Flying Pokémon to heal themselves. I might give it to Esuna, unless I catch another Flying-type.

Is Hazakura the name of your whole world, or is it a region?

That sounds like a useful ability! Perhaps I should get one for Dollie too!

No no. Hazakura is the temple where I live. But I suppose you could say it's my world. I rarely leave the temple after all.

I received it when I defeated the Violet Gym Leader. I think he gives one to everyone who defeats him.

Living in a temple, surrounded by spiritual energy, far away from petty politics... That must be a peaceful life.

I see...Well, if I'm going to defeat the Gym Leader I'll have to train a lot more. I wonder if they sell that one?

_{[Iris nods happily.]} It is. Hazakura is a beautiful place. I wish you could see it.

I'll look for it when I reach Goldenrod. It might be useful against Falkner himself.

Sadly, we have yet to find a way to visit other worlds at will. Some of our fellow outworlders can, but apparently their destinations are limited.

Oh thank you Mr. Harvey! That's very kind of you.

That's too bad. Perhaps my friend Larry can paint you a picture of Hazakura! He's a very talented artist and I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

A talented artist? He's in luck. The Violet Pokémart sells some paint and artistic supplies. Though the choice is limited, he will not find himself unable to practice his art, unlike musicians.

Oh that's wonderful! We should be in Violet in a day or so. He's promised to paint a portrait of me, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind depicting Hazakura as well.

...There are no instruments here? None at all? I don't play anything myself, but it's horrible that people that do are unable to play.

You will reach Violet tomorrow? In that case, you might want to visit Sprout Tower. It is a spiritual place, where monks live and pray every day. The customs must be different between worlds, but it might feel a bit like your home.

There are a few, apparently, but they are quite expensive and can only be bought in Goldenrod. This world likes forcing people to walk through caves and forests before they can shop properly.

I hope to yes. Oh, that sounds wonderful! I will be sure to give it a look. I had no idea they had places like that here. _{[She supposed she ought to have a look, if only because that was the only place that Sister Bikini might be.]}

Oh dear...That seems unfair. I don't see why they don't have any means of transportation here. We only had a snowmobile at Hazakura but in the city they had all sorts of ways to get you where you're going.

Historical or spiritual sites are hard to find in the region. I've only heard of the tower and of the ruins south of Violet.

None of it makes any sense. Even a coastal city such as Cherrygrove had no port. This goes against all logic.

Hmm...that really is too bad. Spiritual places are places of healing, and everyone could use some healing at least once in their life.

It does seem a little strange. I wonder why that is.

The spiritual center of Johto might simply be somewhere else. But I've heard no one mention other shrines and temples.

At the very least, it's impratical from an economic point of view. How do the goods sold in the Pokémarts travel?

It's possible. I will be sure to ask around. I'm sure someone would know where such a thing would be located.

Yes, it's very odd. Perhaps they use flying Pokemon?

It could work, if the Pokémon were big enough. But someone would have seen them in the sky at some point.

Yes...I guess you're right. Maybe they just teleport things? I know there are some Pokemon who are able to teleport themselves.

...That might be it. They have the technology to do it. Pokéballs can teleport themselves if a seventh Pokémon is caught; why not everything else?

_{[Iris seems pleased to have thought of the idea.]} It does seem to be a superior mode of transportation. Now if only we could teleport things would be much simpler.

I could, back home. Which makes it even more frustrating.

Y-You could? How exciting. That would be a rather useful skill.

It is. It has a good range, and it isn't very taxing. It's rather helphul when exploring caves.

That would be very helpful. I couldn't do anything like that back home. Then again, I don't know where I would teleport to! Hazakura was my home, and I knew of little else.

10th moon [video]

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