The Spiran Adventure

"Save me, O God."

"For the waters are come in-"

"-unto my soul."

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Morgan allowed them to share their moment. Separation must be something they take very seriously. As for her? Ten years ago, she was separated from her parents, having to fend for herself and survive while Anodyne Amusement Park refused to let her go for over five years, until the anomalous occurrences there finally let her go. Then she realized that her parents have went off-region to who knows where. But alas, she doesn't care about that much anymore. Cryptid Isle had given her a 'gift', and said 'gift' made her strong. Stronger than she can dream of. And that's what mattered. Her strength was recognized, by the League, by Team Celestial. And that recognition was enough for her. "I see. Keeping things under wraps." Morgan nodded. "Our current Champion would share the same sentiment with you two. See, nobody in the region even knows of the Champion's identity. They don't even know if they're a he or a she." She explained. "Events with a previous organization, Team Andromeda, scarred the Champion, who was still a Pokémon Trainer challenging the League at that time who got wound up with the organization's business. Tried to be a hero and all, and they did, but the costs were great. So they decided to prefer anonymity over fame. Fame attracts enemies. Exposes one's weaknesses. The Champion knew and learned that from Team Andromeda." "Of course, we of the Spiran League know of their identity, but we don't divulge on it for good reason." Made sense too. "As for public appearances? The current Champion appears to the public, but on a hooded mask." Ah, she prattled on again.

"As for what Ashe said, Spira was indeed cut off from the other regions due to an isolation policy two years ago. Though recently, that same policy has now been lifted, though it will take a while before other people from other regions would start truly flocking the place en masse." Though the mention of 'timeline' had picked her interest. She heard of certain theories of some people of Spira in the past, that this reality is but one of different possible realities. Of course, some believe it to be the ravings of a madman. But then again, The Primordial One works in so many ways some would consider to be unnatural, so Morgan believes in such possibility. And this just confirms it.

"A moment." A pause, as she snapped her fingers, in which that beckoned Asrai to stop the assault on the now motionless SYM-01, with Morgan now returning her to her Pokeball. "I do agree that its better to move in groups." She nodded. "And having someone who has the knowledge of the knowledge of the land is a major boon, too. So very well, I accept." Of course she had to bring it up too. "There may be times however, that I won't be available. League activities and all, but I would let you guys know in advance." And now, the sound of rustling and wood growing and snapping can be heard. "Seems that we've overstayed our welcome. The damage the fight had caused certainly angered the forest after all."

"That being said, shall we leave? We can head for Adamantine Town after leaving Fae Deepwoods and traversing Blackout Cave. Though alternatively, I can have my Gardevoir teleport all of us to Adamantine Town right off the bat instead. It'll wind her out a bit, having to teleport multiple individuals at once, but she'll manage." "So, what say you, esteemed guests of Spira?"

Ashe, Leon, and Willow were quiet at best as their host now talked about the Champion of the region as well as events that involved Team Celestial. Ashe had a sneaking suspicion that considering how much Morgan spoke of it, there was some kind of connection, but she wouldn't judge nor ask -- not unless Morgan put her family in jeopardy which, honestly, hadn't happened yet in her eyes, although she did share a look with Leon before he responded, holding his daughter as she leaned back against him, turning from Morgan completely. "I can... understand the Champion's plight." He offered a sympathetic smile. "I went through... something similar." He admits. That's all he'd say though.

"Your business and stepping away isn't a problem. At best I can cast glamours to allow us to explore the more open parts of the region if that's alright without impeding on other things." Ashe would reveal her grimoire and abilities in time -- but not yet. As for the Wood being upset, Ashe held her hand up for a moment. "A moment." The fae in her had her reaching into her bag and pulling out a small jar that held some kind of ointment within it. It had been blessed heavily with magic and she also left an offering of Moo-Moo Milk and Honey freshly got from Vespiquen hives. With that, she stepped away from one of the trees, hoping the gifts would appease and help heal the forest as she spoke something in Fae along the lines of; 'Apologies offend us, I know, but we have done you harm, so I ask you humbly to accept my offerings and use them to heal your wounds.'

With that, she pulled back and returned to Morgan without fear of overstaying. "I don't want to stress out your pokemon or their kindness. We can travel by foot and rest if need be by tent." She looked to Leon who nodded. With that said, he clicked a pokeball open and a Luxray -- fairly large in size, an Alpha variant, appeared, shaking out his fur and in doing so Willow was placed on his back who held on tightly to his fur. Ashe took this time to return Kumiko to her pokeball, promising she'd call upon her soon enough, but Lucky remained holding her arm with one ribbon and using his other ribbons to keep the rest of the family close.

It still is interesting and worth nothing, however.

Alas, Morgan would wait Ashe out, as she observed what she did. It didn't take much to guess that this is a way to appease the forest. To make sure that it won't rage on and be a problem for other passers-by. She can feel it too, the thickened energy from the forest being enraged now thinning out back to normal, bearable levels. At least the levels bearable for an ordinary human being.

"Very well. We go by foot, then." She would try insisting, but she had a feeling that Ashe would still counter-insist that its fine if they traveled by foot. Hence, the Fairy Elite Four would not really try to argue on her offer.

"Follow me, then." She stated, as she led the way once more. Indeed, the offering Ashe had made certainly worked, as their path to the exit wasn't obstructed much, nor did the path forked onto other directions that would have gotten them lost. And soon enough, they were out of Fae Deepwoods, the road ahead now revealing a path straight forward onto a cave, while another path forked to the left that ascended onto an observatory of sorts.

pkmn-spira:

Interesting... Truly interesting! The mere fact that they can read each other on what they'd eventually do next was a great indicator of mutual trust. Of something they have already done before. A dance that these two had participated together time and time again. It certainly reminded her of certain twins she know of. Or hell, even the current Champion of Spira alongside Argentum City's current Gym Leader. A combination attack, it'd seem, turning Sparkling Aria into a full fledged beam instead of just an orb of condensed water. Now, even if that was a thing in Spira, Morgan appreciates the novelty, as only those who think outside of the box do tend to come up with this. The attack struck true, the SYM Asset made only for excavation purposes taking the full brunt of that strike, the weight of the combined attacks forcing the rest of its body, which resembled that of a large worm's, off the ground, all while it squirmed around. Filter was good to help it survive, yes. But at the same time it also prolonged its suffering. SYM Assets are powerful, yes. But SYM-01 is not really meant for battle, see, and while it can hold its own on most Trainers, Champion level Trainers are too much for it. Though, this combat data would... prove hefty useful for the improvement of the remaining SYM Assets.

"I can feel it... Its thirteenth hour is here." Morgan stated. "Asrai. You can Play Rough, now." Hence, the Azumarill would be adorned with an elated expression, almost as if it wanted to let loose for once, its body now imbued with the ever present energies in Fae Deepwoods, thus further strengthening Play Rough. As it charged right to the SYM Asset, it would also boost itself further, via Aqua Jet. Upon crashing down onto SYM-01, it began to unleash a flurry of no-holds barred strikes. A beatdown that can be easily audibly heard, too. "That should do it." Morgan said, turning around as she faced and approached the husband and wife.

"You didn't tell me that your husband was quite the big shot, Ashe." Morgan spoke as her Azumarill still was beating up the now motionless body of the SYM Asset. Not that its ignoring what Morgan said of that being enough to do SYM-01 in, but rather Morgan's letting it have its fun. Pokémon from Cryptid Isle tend to have... certain tendencies, after all.

Moves were exchanged and as it finally came to an end, Ashe and Leon were pulled from their reverie of the battle, but their synergy remained. Recalling their pokemon, Ashe hurried to her husband who accepted her fully into his embrace, holding her tight. "Sorry i'm late, love." "It's alright. You're alive and not lost, that's what matters." Something is said in Fae before they pull apart, touching foreheads for a moment. Her hand lingering in his, Ashe waits a moment to respond to Morgan as Lucky brings down each barrier and Kumiko approaches with Willow, the girl immediately shifting into her father's arms while Ashe finally addresses their, well, savior at this point for reuniting the family.

"Normally I don't tell people." Ashe admits. "Where we're from, it would cause people to be all over my family's home let alone his. It's better to live in secret." That being said, Leon took a moment to thank the woman himself; "I take it you found them? Thank you for doing so." Shifting his daughter, the girl who looked so much like Leon minus her eyes who mirrored her mother's finally looked Morgan in the eye. She didn't like this woman for some reason and she didn't know why. It was rude to stare her parents told her and let alone not give a person a chance, but her small features should have been able to tell Morgan she didn't trust her, let alone like her.

Something was off even if Willow didn't understand why.

"... So this is the Spira region." Ashe cut in. "From what I can tell, according to the Elite Four, Morgan, here, it seems to be cut off from any known open region." She folds her arms then. "There's dense fae energy here but I... honestly don't think we're in our own timeline, babe." Ashe admits with a sigh. Leon can only smile sheepishly. "Which means we're the prank of yet another time distortion, or a Hoopa."

But alas, she doesn't care about that much anymore. Cryptid Isle had given her a 'gift', and said 'gift' made her strong. Stronger than she can dream of.

And that's what mattered. Her strength was recognized, by the League, by Team Celestial. And that recognition was enough for her.

"I see. Keeping things under wraps." Morgan nodded. "Our current Champion would share the same sentiment with you two. See, nobody in the region even knows of the Champion's identity. They don't even know if they're a he or a she."

She explained. "Events with a previous organization, Team Andromeda, scarred the Champion, who was still a Pokémon Trainer challenging the League at that time who got wound up with the organization's business. Tried to be a hero and all, and they did, but the costs were great. So they decided to prefer anonymity over fame. Fame attracts enemies. Exposes one's weaknesses. The Champion knew and learned that from Team Andromeda."

"Of course, we of the Spiran League know of their identity, but we don't divulge on it for good reason." Made sense too. "As for public appearances? The current Champion appears to the public, but on a hooded mask."

Ah, she prattled on again.

"As for what Ashe said, Spira was indeed cut off from the other regions due to an isolation policy two years ago. Though recently, that same policy has now been lifted, though it will take a while before other people from other regions would start truly flocking the place en masse."

Though the mention of 'timeline' had picked her interest.

She heard of certain theories of some people of Spira in the past, that this reality is but one of different possible realities. Of course, some believe it to be the ravings of a madman. But then again, The Primordial One works in so many ways some would consider to be unnatural, so Morgan believes in such possibility.

And this just confirms it.

"A moment." A pause, as she snapped her fingers, in which that beckoned Asrai to stop the assault on the now motionless SYM-01, with Morgan now returning her to her Pokeball.

"I do agree that its better to move in groups." She nodded. "And having someone who has the knowledge of the land is a major boon, too. So very well, I accept."

Of course she had to bring it up too. "There may be times however, that I won't be available. League activities and all, but I would let you guys know in advance."

And now, the sound of rustling and wood growing and snapping can be heard.

"Seems that we've overstayed our welcome. The damage the fight had caused certainly angered the forest after all."

"That being said, shall we leave? We can head for Adamantine Town after leaving Fae Deepwoods and traversing Blackout Cave. Though alternatively, I can have my Gardevoir teleport all of us to Adamantine Town right off the bat instead. It'll wind her out a bit, having to teleport multiple individuals at once, but she'll manage."

"YOU COULD DEFINITELY SAY THAT. I've had my fair share of sleeping out in weird places." Mari says that with a small chuckle, knowing that 'well traveled' was probably an understatement in this regard. Yes, she was a total stranger to this world and its regions, but back home she was certainly more adventurous that most of her people, having seen most of the mainland and explored several of its biomes.

'Gib, gib,' Every so often, Kip tugged gently at Claudia's pant leg, eager to try and get a look at the food she'd been cooking. It seems he could already smell the spices, which might have not necessarily translated to heat, yet still made his mouth water at the thought. "I don't mind spicy! Kip doesn't either. The others, though . . ."

She was still learning Lios' tastes. Echo preferred sweet and dry, and Pua hungrily devoured just about anything. Saga also wasn't picky, having spent a good portion of her life in the wild. But her own culinary tastes tended to remain an enigma.

"Its nice being well traveled, see?" Claudia finally responded. "A well traveled individual is a well-experienced individual, in regards to familiarizing themselves to the world." Claudia used to travel, yes. At least before taking a break a bit back at her home in Kalos... Then Team Flare happened, and she had to move out from the region, finally settling down here in Spira, even have a family... But then...

Ah, but is in the past, so it shouldn't bother her much now... right?

"The others you aren't so sure if they're fine with it, no?" A nod. "That's fine. I'll just make sure to have the spiciness be mild, bearable for both us and our Pokémon." She stated.

"Well, I'm following a modification of a family recipe, but now that you mention it, I'd like to see what more you can add to make the meal a bit of a surprise for myself, too."

"Save me, O God."

"For the waters are come in-"

"-unto my soul."

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Interesting. Her husband is the Champion of Galar? This woman sure is full of surprises, that's for sure. Pity. One SYM Asset is going down today, just because of this chance encounter, and to add more insult to injury, A Celestial Admin helped take it down. This'll put a bit of a hurdle in Team Celestial's plans... But its negligible at best. And this combat would give Team Celestial an insight on how they'd further improve the remaining, still active SYM Assets. So, SYM-01 is up against quite the strong adversaries. A Charizard, a Primarina, whose size was larger than those of its same kind, and an Azumarill that was native to Cryptid Isle. While the Primarina was already prepping up Sparkling Aria, SYM-01 knew well to avoid the Ancient Powers, even using Flame Charge to cut it close, but it did took several hits from the Dragon Tails. Receiving more damage from earlier ago already drove it to a corner, and the fact that it had to face three targets at once basically backed it against a figurative wall. Hence, SYM-01 would use Smack Down, upheaving a huge chunk of the earth, and lobbed it at Bahamut, before then using Earthquake, its lower body thrashing about underground.

"Jump." And as such, her Azumarill did leapt off the ground as to avoid the damaging tremors SYM-01 had caused. "Now, Belly Drum, and go for Aqua Jet, Asrai." And such, Asrai pounded on its stomach several times. Sure, this'd hurt it considerably, but it would maximize its attack potential. And while still off the ground, the Azumarill started blitzing forward as it used Aqua Jet, crashing down on SYM-01 full force, causing it to crash against a set of trees. Yet the SYM Asset is still not out of it yet, Morgan knew. Its symbiosis with SYM-09's virulent DNA caused it to adapt the defensive properties of one of SYM-09's available forms, as well as mutate out Filter as an ability, too. While true, its Ground/Fire typing meant it was immensely weak towards Water types regardless, however.

With Saoirse still prepping that Sparkling Aria, her bubble getting ever bigger and the creature retaliating, Ashe acted fast. Lucky kept the ground steady with fae energy for Kumiko and Willow, allowing Ashe to act as Leon and Bahamut came crashing down by sending out a pokemon in the form of a figure who cast Ice Beam like a slide to twirl in and around the creature, catching Leon and giving him enough time to call back Bahamut before he hit the ground. Knowing his partner was exhausted, he chose to hang onto the Lapras as it cast Hydro Pump to help boost Asrai's Aqua Jet before sliding the Ice Beam to Ashe's side. Sliding off, Leon laid a hand to his wife's shoulder who returned her Lapras with thanks.

"Ready?" "Ready as i'll ever be."

Both called out a pokemon each then; a Absol with many scars and ruffled fur as well as a mechanical leg, a Absolite glimmering in the rain and a Ampharos who wore a band around his neck that also glimmered in the rain. Activating Mega Evolution, the two pokemon waiting for Saoirse to finally fire off her Sparkling Aria before they acted at their trainer's commands.

"Swords Dance and then Night Slash!"

"Dragon Pulse at full blast!"

Using the attacks to form the Sparkling Aria into what could only be described as a beam instead of a orb of water, the 'kaiju' before them was hit with multiple attacks all while standing their ground for their daughter's sake, unafraid and in unison. In the last year... well, six years if you count the time distortion, they had come a very long way.

A combination attack, it'd seem, turning Sparkling Aria into a full fledged beam instead of just an orb of condensed water. Now, even if that was a thing in Spira, Morgan appreciates the novelty, as only those who think outside of the box do tend to come up with this.

The attack struck true, the SYM Asset made only for excavation purposes taking the full brunt of that strike, the weight of the combined attacks forcing the rest of its body, which resembled that of a large worm's, off the ground, all while it squirmed around. Filter was good to help it survive, yes. But at the same time it also prolonged its suffering.

SYM Assets are powerful, yes. But SYM-01 is not really meant for battle, see, and while it can hold its own on most Trainers, Champion level Trainers are too much for it.

Though, this combat data would... prove hefty useful for the improvement of the remaining SYM Assets.

"I can feel it... Its thirteenth hour is here." Morgan stated. "Asrai. You can Play Rough, now."

Hence, the Azumarill would be adorned with an elated expression, almost as if it wanted to let loose for once, its body now imbued with the ever present energies in Fae Deepwoods, thus further strengthening Play Rough.

As it charged right to the SYM Asset, it would also boost itself further, via Aqua Jet. Upon crashing down onto SYM-01, it began to unleash a flurry of no-holds barred strikes. A beatdown that can be easily audibly heard, too.

"That should do it." Morgan said, turning around as she faced and approached the husband and wife.

"You didn't tell me that your husband was quite the big shot, Ashe." Morgan spoke as her Azumarill still was beating up the now motionless body of the SYM Asset. Not that its ignoring what Morgan said of that being enough to do SYM-01 in, but rather Morgan's letting it have its fun.

"IT'S FINE!" Sure, she probably looked a bit silly with these big clothes on her, but they were still rather comfortable, and it beat being wet attire. "The clothes are fine. They're comfy. I'll take these then and set them out real quick. While the charizard had seemed happy to do what was asked of him, Mari felt a bit bad having him do so much. He was soon going to have his hands full with four young pokemon all clamoring around the kitchen, eager for a meal.

Following instructions, Mari searched the corridor and quickly found the room where the drying rack was. She was quite good at setting out her gear to dry; a show of the relative independence she'd picked up from a young age. Before long, she's back into the kitchen, and greeted by the sight of Kip staring up at the Countess, mouth watering as he imagined what food might be cooking for him.

"Kip . . ." Mari sighs with defeat, and then scans the rest of the space. Echo was patiently sitting in a chair, and Lios had taken to the window, pressing his snout against the glass and staring out at the storm, unblinking even when lightning dare flash. Aside from Kip, the one invested in the cooking was Pua, who was desperately trying to watch Claudia's charizard work with the ingredients.

Had her lover and dear child still be around, would she be like this every day?

Ah, wishful thinking. What's happened has already come to pass.

"Oh hey, you're back." She said, noting Mari's presence. "Its nothing. That, and spending time in here is much more better and comfortable than having your backs against my doorstep, no? Can't imagine how uncomfortable would that be, especially in prolonged periods. Still, sleeping in caves? Sounds like you're well-traveled already despite such a young age."

Then again, the same can be said for young ones in this world. Some regions even have kids as young as ten already embark on their own journey. Spira, on the other hand, had upped that age requirement, so now kids should be at least sixteen or seventeen in order to be able to start their Pokémon journey, while any younger ones would have to spend time in Trainer schools. It is their way of protecting their youth, what with some of Spira's locations can be pretty unsafe in the hazardous sense, considering the region not being a stranger to anomalous occurrences, especially what happened to Cryptid Isle ten years ago.

And that would just be a pain in the ass later on.

It was already hard enough getting an ID and passport without any records of his birth (modern or otherwise), he couldn't imagine having to do that every few decades just to change his name. No, it was much easier to just keep a low profile.

A look of sheepish embarrassment crossed Volo's face, and he laughed lightly. Despite his lack of formal recognition, he would take the praise and ride the high of it for a bit.

Maybe he should think about publishing some papers under a fake name. Though he had no credentials so it was unlikely they'd be taken as seriously as someone with a formal degree. But it was a thought, coming up with a pseudonym and publishing his findings. That would give him something to do on the side, and maybe some additional income... Much to think about.

Aloud, he said, "You're not wrong about me diving headfirst into anything that interests me; I certainly am a nosy one. See why I said that trouble tends to find me? However, despite my findings, I'm not particularly well known, I'm a relatively private person and rather enjoy the anonymity much the way your Champion does." Volo chuckled, partially hiding his smile behind a knuckle. "The only thing that matters to me is the learning. I crave knowledge, no matter the risk to my health or safety. There's so many mysteries in this world... isn't finding the answers or truths, even if your name and face will never be attached to them, worth dying for?"

It was a genuine question.

Ella seemed knowledgeable, and was so eager to share said knowledge. Was she the type who felt similarly, or was she someone who was simply gifted with it but had no drive to find more herself? He really didn't know.

Of course, this was much to the dismay and annoyance of the Champion, as it makes cracking them down significantly harder.

"Humans are naturally parched for knowledge, after all. And even if we do end up having our fill, there's no end to the thirst. We may end up opening a box that we should have left well alone every now and then, but the temptation of learning something new far outweighs the risks, no?"

It is this same ideology that her sister Laura sometimes reins her in on. She'd argue that while that may be true, if one were to die in their pursuit of knowledge, then how would they be able to still learn of new things in the future?

pkmn-spira:

Children can be rather intuitive. Far beyond their age, so to speak. Morgan knew that Willow can sense that something was amiss with her. Well, not just her, but Ashe's Pokémon so far too. She had a feeling that this will be a recurring theme. But she at least had a proper cover story for that... that also turns out to be the truth. A young girl who was trapped in Anodyne Amusement Park ten years ago for at least five years, only to finally be found unconscious in Lodestar Town's town square. Whatever happened changed that same girl into who-- no. What she is today. Never mind the fact that that said girl eventually got wound up with Team Celestial, of all people, but its a fact that'd be obscured for as long as possible.

"Mm. Staying out of it is always a good option. But there's always that cosmic hand that would eventually make someone end up meeting the very thing they try avoiding down the road, no?" She stated. "Apologies that that sounded so ominous all of a sudden. But circumstances can work in mysterious ways, sometimes to an unpredictable degree." "Baobhan Sith, if you would?" And her Gardevoir would use its psychokinetic power to distort the dimensions, creating a black hole that would suck the Celestial Grunts in. "Don't worry about them. I've brought them to custody. After this, I'll have them in for questioning." Half-truth. They were brought to custody, yes, but were sent back to Team Celestial's HQ. Not like the people and Pokémon with her would know.

"Ah, the forest would be none too pleased with that." No doubt that that explosion would have caused a deal of damage on the forest. Seems that would cause a spike on weird activity around Fae Deepwoods for a while eventually. "Well, let's head there then. Seems your husband has... met some adversary." Not only whatever Lucky picked up on got closer, strong ground tremors shook the place the closer it got to them, even tumbled down several trees as it got closer. It definitely almost got Morgan to lose her footing a bit too. And soon enough, from underneath the ground would burst forth a Dugtrio of sorts... Or what could have been a Dugtrio. No normal Dugtrio would look like it had fifteen heads, which suggests at least five batches of it were meshed and assimilated together. Not to mention its looks swelled in size, and the fifteen heads spiraled around each other, and forming the shape of a drill. That's not all, it seems that their body also had some sort of biological 'exhaust vents' too, bursts of flame erupting from them from time to time. It was already injured from the fight earlier with Ashe's husband's Pokémon, too, though it still has some fight in it, as when it saw Ashe and the rest, it bellowed out a roar, a unified roar from all the Dugtrio heads on it. A chorus of anger, and pain.

"... Now, that's an abomination if I've ever seen one." Morgan noted. "Baobhan Sith, return." She said, calling her Gardevoir back. "Asrai, would you please?" And with another Pokéball, she would send out an Azumarill. "We're going to have to deal with this thing." She told Ashe. "No doubt its connected to Team Celestial. Should have." Seems she's going to help take down SYM-01. Ironic. She's definitely going to have a bit of a problem with the other Admins and the old man for assisting on taking down their own asset... But that's fine. While useful, SYM-01 isn't that important an asset, anyway. She can always make the excuse that SYM-01 isn't even supposed to be in this place, hence letting those Grunts from earlier take the fall.

Dare Ashe not say she had seen her Mother use a black hole once more but... bigger and for... a more sinister purpose. Her expression said something of being unfazed by it, but she honestly thought 'black hole' meant, well, into the void -- so if she wasn't supposed to worry about those people... well, oh well, she supposes. Besides, they had been at a point of nearly harming her daughter and Garchomp. However, Kumiko was tense at the sight of what happened, moving just behind Ashe, trilling softly to which Ashe gently pet her snout.

Even as the giant kaiju of a monster appeared, she didn't seem phased. Mostly due to her having gone to other timelines and help fight against them. However, seeing her husband on the back of his partner, Bahamut, brought a smile to her features. They looked exhausted, but in a way, thrilled to be experiencing some fun in a real battle for once. "Sorry i'm late, love! How's our little sunshine doing?" He called. "Scared, but in one piece!" With that, she nodded to Kumiko who stepped back, shielding Willow from the sight of the creature known as SYM-01.

"Don't let her see a thing, Kumiko!" Kumiko called with a roar in response of she understood as Ashe pulled out a pokeball, tossing it up and with a loud thump amidst the dust landed a Primarina -- a large specimen with spots along her underbelly and a vicious snarl coming from her as two rows of sharp teeth appeared. Slamming her tail against the ground in a territorial display, the beautiful pokemon known for being a songstress was... not so beautiful with how vicious she looked. "Ready for a rumble, girl?" Ashe called to which another thump of the tail was given.

"Lucky, you know what to do." She said softly to her Sylveon who bounced away to stand beside Kumiko and Willow -- casting not just Protect, but also Reflect and Light Screen all at once, bracing himself. There was also him summoning from the various atmosphere around them to create a thick barrier just in case the creature tried anything.

Now with the battle team ready, the couple were honed in on the creature completely. Lucky's barriers would not break -- he was good at what he did and he was showing it. Now they could focus.

Pity. One SYM Asset is going down today, just because of this chance encounter, and to add more insult to injury, A Celestial Admin helped take it down. This'll put a bit of a hurdle in Team Celestial's plans... But its negligible at best.

And this combat would give Team Celestial an insight on how they'd further improve the remaining, still active SYM Assets.

So, SYM-01 is up against quite the strong adversaries. A Charizard, a Primarina, whose size was larger than those of its same kind, and an Azumarill that was native to Cryptid Isle.

While the Primarina was already prepping up Sparkling Aria, SYM-01 knew well to avoid the Ancient Powers, even using Flame Charge to cut it close, but it did took several hits from the Dragon Tails.

Receiving more damage from earlier ago already drove it to a corner, and the fact that it had to face three targets at once basically backed it against a figurative wall. Hence, SYM-01 would use Smack Down, upheaving a huge chunk of the earth, and lobbed it at Bahamut, before then using Earthquake, its lower body thrashing about underground.

"Jump."

And as such, her Azumarill did leapt off the ground as to avoid the damaging tremors SYM-01 had caused. "Now, Belly Drum, and go for Aqua Jet, Asrai."

And such, Asrai pounded on its stomach several times. Sure, this'd hurt it considerably, but it would maximize its attack potential. And while still off the ground, the Azumarill started blitzing forward as it used Aqua Jet, crashing down on SYM-01 full force, causing it to crash against a set of trees.

Yet the SYM Asset is still not out of it yet, Morgan knew. Its symbiosis with SYM-09's virulent DNA caused it to adapt the defensive properties of one of SYM-09's available forms, as well as mutate out Filter as an ability, too.

Again, as Elena speaks, Jasper takes detailed notes, ensuring that she emphasizes the same statements that her interviewee does. She nods along, frequently looking up to return some eye contact before returning to her notetaking.

Of course, she shows her honest shock at the gym leader's admissions to the town's past. What she saw on her short stroll could not have been further from the image that Elena paints: a true trash hole. While the reporter suspected a rags to riches story of some kind, she could not have predicted the extent.

"That's...Wow. You've been through a lot, haven't you?" A short pause as Jasper puts down her pen. "Um, I'm not saying this out of pity. I promise. But I'm sorry that you had to experience that in your childhood, and I'm glad that you were able to do something about the place this used to be." Another pause. "I think you did good, Elena. Adamantine City couldn't have asked for a better leader."

She retakes her pen and flips to a fresh page.

Sure, there are things she did, and is still currently doing that others would frown upon when discovered... But who'd blame her? She's only in it to ensure Adamantine Town would have a secure future.

In her eyes, such actions are faultless.

Referring to Adamantine Town as a city was, as stated before, an ego stroke for her.

"Well you know what they say, steel has to be tempered in order to become more resilient. The same goes for us humans. We have to be tempered to become tougher for what lies ahead. To be tough enough that we do not bend, nor break."

"There's no fault that you haven't heard any news about Team Andromeda, if at all. The moment the isolation policy started rolling, any and all chance of news about any events that transpired in Spira has been suppressed, so you wouldn't be able to find much as an outsider during those years."

"And well, they are indeed a nasty crew, one being that they almost did doom Spira with their actions. Casualties on both humans and Pokémon were pretty quantifiable. The Spiran League took quite the hit, too. Did you know that we lost the lives of five Gym Leaders at that time, and said events also caused one Gym Leader to retire?"

She continued. "The previous first, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth Gym Leaders died, all these by Team Andromeda's hands, while the second Gym Leader had to retire due to certain events."

"They almost managed to kill our current Champion too, who was still a Pokémon Trainer at that time challenging the Spiran League." She pointed out. "If it weren't for the Second Starchild showing up to aid them, things would have ended disastrously."

"After Team Andromeda's plans were foiled, leading to their disbandment, it is then the isolation policy of the previous Champion started rolling. This is done so that outsider's won't be a hindrance to Spira's recovery... But its also a double edged sword, which meant that Spira won't get any outside help, either."

"Eventually though, that Pokémon Trainer I've mentioned earlier managed beating the previous Champion, and became the new Champion of Spira up to this day. It was then the current Champion started issuing out aptitude tests for Gym Leader applications. I applied for the position of fifth. Obviously, the aptitude test involved Pokémon battling, along with other things. I passed those, then became Gym Leader of Adamantine Town."

"So Spira spent two years recovering from Team Andromeda's actions. It was difficult, and every capable adult and Pokemon had to work hand in hand round the clock to speed up the progress. Of course, I multitasked too. While my main and topmost priority is Adamantine Town, I still helped on other places in the region too. Once Spira's recovery was deemed satisfactory, our current Champion then decided to lift the isolation policy... and here we are today."

Once she was granted the privacy to, Mari changed into the offered clothes. They were a bit big on her—expected, she was smaller than average—but they were still suitable, and a welcome change from the sopping gear she had arrived in. With that done, she starts going through her satchel and belt pouches, laying them out carefully and pulling out whatever supplies were inside in order to help them dry faster.

Obviously, Mari wasn't going to just leave her gear here. She wondered where she could hang them to dry. Perhaps she should ask . . .

Before long, the rider meandered towards the Kitchen, peering through hallways and wandering cautiously until she was certain she'd found the right room. Each of her pokemon followed her—save Saga, who remained at the fireplace to keep warm. The girl had her wet clothes tucked against her chest.

Her Charizard, on the other hand was also assisting with other ingredients as well by gathering them for Claudia to prepare.

"There's a drying rack on one of the rooms close to here." She stated. "Just go down the corridor a bit, then head right. The first door you see would be the room I'm mentioning." Though she did thought about it for a bit, before asking "Or if you want, I can have my Charizard bring your clothes there for you instead?"

And she did took note that the spare was indeed a bit big on her.