» Valor vs. Virtue [Ajax&Nyx] «

[Rin]

►“Wow, we finally got here,” Ajax exclaimed, walking up to the large stone archway spelling out “Brimburg” in bright blue letters above him. “To be honest, I’m bushed. I know we have to fight the Gym and everything, but maybe we could spend a couple days resting?” “We don’t really have time for touristing,” Nyx agreed at his side, still in Ninetails form, “but I suppose patience is a virtue. For now though, let’s head to the Pokemon Center. We have a full party of six now.” Nodding, the Scizor boy walked along the street, wanting nothing more at the moment than to clean himself (he was covered in grit and sand from the previous Route), find something to eat, and sleep. It took only a short while to find the Pokemon Center – this time he did not barge in in front of the rest of the Trainers, but instead waited in line for his turn to use the machines. As he waited, he looked around. There weren’t many Pokemorphs here, he realized – so far, he had only seen one in the entire town, a Nidoqueen morph with great ears, a horn, a tail, and armor over her body. Ajax caught a couple of people staring at his claw, turning away to mutter something. He was fairly used to this, especially back home, so it didn’t phase him, but it was awkward. The boy vaguely wondered if he’d be turned away from any hotels or stores because of his appearance.
«

► After healing his Pokemon, Ajax peered at Chatot on his shoulder. “You’ve come a long way from your home on Route 2,” he remarked, impressed at Chatot’s adventurous spirit. “Did you want to stay with us for the night and explore the town tomorrow? It’s your call. Some of these stores do look a little interesting, though! But I understand if you want to fly off and explore the Routes by yourself." «

[Birdybot]

Chatot stared around the town as they entered. A cool breeze rushed in from the coast as they left the desert, so he closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of it through his feathers. It was so good to get out of that heat at last. It was still hot here, but with the breeze it was quite nice. Certainly better than the stifling still air under the burning sun of the desert. The city itself was not as nice as Aniford, in his opinion. He was grateful to be off Route Three, but this place was far more noisy and bustling than the last town he'd been through. Big ships and concrete industrial buildings were everywhere, importing and exporting goods. It was prettier further in and along the parts of the coast not taken up by huge cargo shipping docks, but still the city wasn't his place.

Ajax asked his question. Chatot thought hard. Traveling with the boy had been fantastic and a great way to finally get out of Route Two. He'd seen a lot and was getting a bit tired of that kind of life. A trainer's life wasn't for him, he'd always known, and he had adventured enough to make him almost homesick. Not quite homesickness, the feeling was, more just being tired of moving about and missing having a permanent home. He wanted to settle down. When he grew stronger, he thought the Green Mountains or Silva Rainforest would be good places to move to, but right now this was a great position. Warm but not too warm, he liked the sea, there was food about... this was as good a place as any to indulge his desire to settle down. In all honesty, he didn't care much for seeing the city, wanting to get on with finding a home. "I think this is where we part, friend. It's been great, but I'm getting tired of traveling and Route Four seems appealing to settle down, at least for a while. You take care of yourselves, OK? I'll remember you. Maybe I'll hear about what you achieve in future, even if I don't see you again. I hope I do. Well... thank you so much for everything. Goodbye, and good luck with everything."

With that, he took off, flying away for Route Four. Around Ajax were a number of people; a couple of trainers, one with a Psyduck drinking from a straw at their feet; a group of teenage girls chatting excitedly, dæmons running around the group; an old well-dressed man leaning casually against a wall; several passersby all hurrying off somewhere. Streets led everywhere, all sorts of shops and services available. There was a cheap low quality hotel above the Pokémon Centre, and there would be dozens of others of varying expense and quality nearby.

[Rin]

► “Good bye, Chatot. It was nice to travel with you,” Ajax said, feeling the slight pressure on his shoulder and rustle of soft feathers on his cheek as Chatot took off. “Good bye, and good luck on Route Four.” He waved until the bird was a small speck in the distance. After a few moment’s silence, standing side by side with Nyx, he said, “It’s almost a little lonely without him.” Nyx inclined her head very slightly. “A little,” she replied, allowing one of her fluffy white-cream colored tails to curl around his legs. They stood there, watching the bustling city life around them for a few minutes, again in silence. “Well,” Ajax said, after a few minutes, “Let’s go to an inn and wash up. Then find something to eat.” «

► They both headed for the inn above the Pokemon Centre and booked a room. Upon arriving at it, they saw it was fairly small and Spartan in layout, with a desk, a lamp, and a bed with plain sheets – nothing else. It suited Ajax well enough. While he was used to the niceties of a palace, he didn’t’ really need them. Nyx, on the other hand, bounded around the room, sniffing the bed with great suspicion. Her lips pulled back with some disdain, as if she were sniffing a cockroach. “Oh, who cares Nyx, it’s fine,” Ajax rolled his eyes, knowing Nyx preferred a life of luxury. “We got somewhere to sleep, with an actual bed instead of under a tree. Good enough for me.” «

► Once both of them had showered and scrubbed themselves (Nyx turned into a Skarmory for that, as the steel surface was far easier to clean than fur), they walked back outside. It had gotten darker now – when they arrived, the sky had been a bright blue, but now it was shot through with the gold and pink streaks of sunset. Lights were winking on in the city. “Maybe we should let one of the Pokemon out,” Nyx suggested. “One who might appreciate the atmosphere. But maybe not, as I’m not sure all restaurants will accept non-daemon Pokemon.” Ajax considered. His Horsea, Weedy, would definitely love the smell of sea air, but he was probably a little too cuddly and energetic. He hadn’t spent time yet with Kharlan outside its Pokeball yet though, and…well…perhaps it might enjoy something different to desert life. With a flash of red, the Baltoy appeared next to Ajax. It said nothing, staying close to its new Trainer, but it twirled around in the air curiously, taking in the sights and sounds of the strange new city. “We’re in Brimburg now, Kharlan – that’s the city at the end of your home desert on Route 3,” Nyx explained their surroundings to the Baltoy, who dipped in levitation slowly to let her know it had heard. “But more importantly…what sorts of things are there to eat around here?” Ajax asked to himself, walking this way and that as he stared at the restaurants, looking lost. «

[Birdybot]

A number of people turned to look when Kharlan was released from his Pokéball, curious about which Pokémon this trainer had with him. It was always interesting to hear where adventurers had been and see what Pokémon they had encountered and caught. There was a good story behind each one. The streets were bustling with people all in a hurry to get somewhere. Their attire gave clues as to where they were heading. Casual clothes suggested spending time relaxing with friends, expensive suits and dresses marked people seeing big shows or going to fancy restaurants. It was still a bit early to see people geared up for a night of partying, but they would no doubt show up soon enough. The streets themselves began to light up as the sun set, several shops closing but all the bars and restaurants doing their best to attract business with lit signs, sometimes tasteful and in some cases tacky or blinding.

Along the widest street, which was lined with a neat row of equally spaced out trees and led to the coast, the more expensive restaurants could be found. They were the sort in which overpriced food was served in tiny portions on massive plates, to be eaten by the wealthy and important as well as a few more ordinary people out on a special treat to celebrate one thing or another. The other streets hosted all kinds of cheaper places. Some were no more than little take-away joints which promised grease and a chance of food poisoning. They all offered any sort of food Ajax fancied. Fast food, pizzas, sandwiches, Italian, Indian, Thai, Kalosian, Kantonian, all sorts with all different qualities and prices. The cheaper they were, the grubbier the place and the more questionable the hygiene and quality of the food, a trend seen in most places. Some still looked pretty nice for a low cost. A few narrower streets had no road, being only for pedestrians. On these the tables spilled out onto the street. Outside people would smoke or eat with their Pokémon; the general rule appeared to be that those things weren't allowed inside but were outside. It was a reasonably warm evening so sitting outside wasn't unpleasant.

People hurrying past noticed the lost looking boy, but none went up to strike a conversation. A couple stared at his claw. Most of them looked like they would be perfectly happy to help Ajax should he ask for it, but they all seemed to be too focused on their own lives to take the time to initiate any help giving.

[Rin]

► Both Ajax and Nyx were of a prideful sort, and did not think to ask for help in the city. Kharlan drifted amiably alongside them, wondering why they did not ask for help, but decided it would be best if it didn’t try asking either. After all, it was new to this town as well. Once Ajax had walked up and down the street, hemming and hawing while looking at the restaurants, he picked a cheaper looking Italian place with some seats outside, where one could go up to the counter and order some rather greasy food but in decent-sized portions. Kharlan twirled about looking at the other customers and their food with some interest. It had never felt the need to eat, but it was very interesting to watch the humans and daemons stuffing their faces (sometimes very unelegantly). Having been in the Baltoy colony all its life, it had never seen the city life or much or humans and other Pokemon aside from other Baltoy (or Durants). «



► “A large cheese pizza with pineapple and ham for me and my daemon, please, and garlic bread on the side,” Ajax said politely to the cashier once he had decided. He was still a very small child, very young to be adventuring alone, and only somewhat able to peep over the counter even though he was tall for his age. He struggled somewhat extracting his wallet from his backpack – what with his claw, it was difficult to reach into small spaces, and he was forced to hold up his backpack awkwardly with his claw while fishing for the money with his hand. Eventually though he was able to get the coins out and onto the counter, while Kharlan drifted away to the table they were to sit at and amused itself by observing people on the street. “We can’t eat all of a large together…” Nyx said, frowning as he paid. “Yeah, but we can give some to the other Pokemon later,” Ajax said brightly. “I wonder if they’ve tasted human food before!” Nyx simply bobbed her beak once with ascent before morphing into a Glaceon so she could curl up on Ajax’s lap and wait for the food with him. They watched the people go by in the street as they did so. Perhaps they might see something interesting, or strange, or just strange to them. «

[Birdybot]

The cashier took the order and relayed it to the kitchen to be prepared. Outside, everyone was walking. Everyone except one man, that was. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, dressed smartly in a dark brown suit. He wore a flatcap, which seemed odd and out of place in the modern city around him. He didn't seem to care, though, staring into the crowd as if looking for something without quite knowing what that something was. Stood leaning against a lamp post, he was not concerned with the possibility of anyone noticing him. Calmly his eyes scanned the people as they passed by. His dæmon was no immediately apparent, but a Purrloin slunk out the shadows and rubbed herself against his leg, joining in the watching. The man turned and looked straight at Ajax for a good couple of seconds, then his gaze passed over somewhere else.

The man adjusted his hat as a spotty teenage boy came out the restaurant holding a large pizza and a plate of garlic bread. He was clearly a school kid earning a bit of pocket money. He set the food down on Ajax's table and smiled. "Do you want anything to drink?" he asked. While he didn't say anything, it wasn't hard to tell he was surprised to see someone as young as Ajax travelling by himself.

[Rin]

► “Oh! A drink? Ummm…I’ll just have water, if that’s okay,” said Ajax. As soon as he said it he wished he had asked for a Cherry Coke. It was his favorite drink from back home on Telaseine’s islands. But then again, this country might even have those drinks. Better stick with water, and it would cost less money also. Once the teenager had left, he eagerly picked up a piece of pizza and began chomping on it, scuffing the ground with his two-clawed, Scizor-like feet happily at the taste of the sweet pineapple and cheesy flavour mixed together. Nyx daintily stepped across the table, picking out a thin piece with her paws, placing it on her paper plate, and bending down to take small bites of pineapple, ham and the pizza separately. Kharlan spun in the air appreciatively, entertained by watching Ajax and Nyx eat. “What is taste like?” it asked, curious. «


► “Tashte? I dunnoh,” Ajax said with his mouth full, surprised. He swallowed and continued eagerly, “Well, the taste of this is totally awesome! The sweetness of the pineapple is like bursting in my mouth and fighting with the saltyness of the ham! It’s like two Hyper Beams making an explosion!” Nyx and Kharlan both chuckled at the strange analogy. “I don’t think it’s that intense, but this is fairly good,” she agreed. They ate in silence for a little while, looking at the various passerby once more. Kharlan curiously nudged one of the pieces of pineapple that had fallen off Ajax’s plate onto the table, hoping to experience this ‘taste’ that everyone was talking about. Alas, it could not, and it wiped itself on a napkin quickly to rid itself of the sticky fruit residue before bobbing upward in the air, hoping that nobody had noticed. Thankfully, Ajax and Nyx were too absorbed in their people-watching. «



► Soon, Nyx noticed the man with the flatcap. He had looked in their direction a few times, but that was fairly normal since Ajax was so weird-looking, what with the awkward gigantic claw. But he had been scanning the crowd for a long time now. “Hmmm,” she mused to herself, her own gaze shifting around the people so she would not be obviously staring at him. Ajax’s gaze followed hers, and soon he was rather conspicuously staring at the man and his flatcap. He hastily broke his gaze and looked at Nyx. “What is it?” «

[Birdybot]

It did not take long for the teen to return, evidently having just poured the jug of tap water he was carrying. He set it down on the table, pouring some into a glass and leaving a couple of shallower bowls as he could see the boy had Pokémon with him. They might want to have something to drink too. He didn't know if Baltoys could drink, but if they did and he neglected to supply anything for them it might upset someone or be embarrassing for him. Better safe than sorry. He smiled vaguely and hurried back on inside to cater to the needs of the people steadily filling up more and more of the tables.

The man in the flat cap didn't appear to notice Nyx looking at him. His dæmon spied Ajax watching, however, and flicked her tail sharply against the man's leg to get his attention, glaring in the young 'morph's direction. The man said something and shrugged, apparently not thinking much of some kid. Sure, he might have Pokémon with him, but what was he, ten? A grown man like himself was more intelligent, experienced, and stronger. The claw was a game changer, but he wrote Ajax off as harmless fairly quickly. For a time the two stood there watching. Recognition was hinted on his face but quickly left as he guarded his expression when a middle-aged athletic looking woman dressed in expensive yet practical clothing neared him. The Purrloin-dæmon shifted her weight slightly. The woman walked past him without looking at him. Were any of Ajax's group to look at their hands, they would notice that both moved for a very brief moment, with the suggestion of a small object passing between them. The woman did not walk off but stayed in the area, sitting down by herself outside a small cosy little fancy cafe. The man's right hand was in his suit pocket, moving as it fiddled with whatever he had just acquired. His dæmon watched the woman's own dæmon, a Honchkrow, looking somewhat nervous. Whatever the man was supposed to be doing, he looked hesitant.

[Rin]

► "Shhhh shhh shh," Nyx snapped at Ajax, noticing that the Purrloin daemon had noticed Ajax staring at the man. "Stop staring at him," she hissed under her breath. "He knows that you've noticed him now." "Wait, really? I--um, oops," said Ajax meekly, tearing his gaze away from the man. Kharlan, however, took the opportunity to twirl around, scanning its surroundings in 360 degrees. It had a weird feeling that something eventful was about to go down, and it wanted to be ready from all sides. Plus there was the fact that it was very difficult to tell where it was looking at any time. I can be smart about this too, it thought happily, watching the man and Purrloin out of the corner of its eye. It enjoyed excitement, but something in the pit of its clay body told it that this might not be a good kind of excitement.  «

► It turned out to be a good thing that Kharlan did this, because while Nyx was shushing Ajax, the woman came by and moved her hand towards the man's coat, and saw the man move his elbow slightly as if he was taking an item. Both Pokemorph and daemon missed it, but Kharlan saw. ~Ajax, Nyx, there's a woman with a Honchkrow daemon and she just made this little movement towards the suspicious man. I think she might have handed him an item of some sort, though I have no idea what it might be.~ Kharlan was so thankful it was a Psychic type and could contact his Trainer in that method. It was a strange experience for the little Baltoy, though - it had never touched a mind outside of the Baltoy clan, and Ajax's and Nyx's minds - although they felt connected somehow - were so radically different than its family...as well as each other. It hoped the message had gotten to them. Nyx's terse nod told it that the message had been successful. "Ajax, Kharlan, we should leave," Nyx said tightly. "I don't know what's about to happen, but I am not sure I want to be in the middle of it when it does." Ajax frowned at being interrupted in the middle of the meal, but slowly started to get up, leaving a few coins on the table as tip and folding away the pizza into the cardboard box. "But we should make sure we are around to help the citizens in case something happens," Ajax said back quietly, perturbed. "It's not our responsibility," said Nyx back. "But fine, we can watch from a distance just in case." Ajax nodded and they left, rounding the corner by several meters. "Kharlan, will you float above the building and tell us what happens?" Ajax implored as soon as they left being able to see the man and woman. Kharlan nodded. Only a day out of the desert and it was already...becoming a spy? Whoa, the outer world is definitely interesting if nothing else. It nodded, determined to fulfill its mission, and floated above the cafe they had been eating at into the shadow of the chimney where it could easily look down on the path and all the civillians in it. ~Nothing yet,~ it mind-messaged Ajax and Nyx, shivering as it once again psychically touched what could only be described as a mind of hot flashes made of razor-sharp blades, throwing themselves at various thoughts in a haphazard way, melded with a mind that felt like a cube of frigid ice.  «

[Birdybot]

Once Ajax stopped staring, the Purrloin-dæmon continued to watch him for a few moments before deciding he was no real threat. After all, he was only about ten years old. That claw looked wickedly sharp but her human was bigger, stronger, and had Pokémon of his own. She turned her attention away from the 'morph child and spoke to the shady man once the woman had gone. She seemed anxious about something. The man looked worried too, but there was a sense of urgency and necessity about whatever it was they were up to. Finally with a sigh the man walked off, dæmon at his heels looking about often enough for it to be suspicious.

They rounded a corner and Kharlan would be able to watch them as they fell into place behind a jumpy looking man in his late thirties or early forties with a Cinccino-dæmon clinging to his chest. He followed closely behind in the crowd, having to stay so close in order to not be pushed away or lose sight of his target. The target did look behind him on a couple of occasions, but did not recognise the man in the flat cap and could have attributed the closeness with which he was being followed simply to them both having a similar destination - after all, there was a big flow of people walking in the same direction. The man grew more suspicious when he turned into a narrow alleyway only to be followed by the younger man in his flat cap. The Cinccino-dæmon mewled in distress. "I... I don't have it! Leave me alone! I don't know what you want from me!" the older man shouted, voice wavering with fear. The younger man drew out the package from earlier. "What.. what have you got there? What is that? Tell me!" the older man was panicking now.

[Rin]

► Kharlan wondered to itself why the man in the flat cap was so nervous. If he was was doing something he knew was bad, why was he doing it? It watched the Purrloin daemon and the man follow their older target into the narrow alleyway. Now what would happen? it thought to itself, watching the older man turn around and the Cinccino daemon press itself to her human's chest, mewing with a note of panic in its' high voice. Kharlan barely had time to remember to send an image of what it was watching to Ajax and Nyx before the older man started yelling and pointing at the package that Kharlan had seen the woman give the flat-capped man. What in the world was going on? The poor Baltoy knew very little about human tendencies and politics, so it had little way of knowing if this was normal or not. He psychically messaged Ajax and Nyx, speaking, ~Ummm...I'm not quite sure what's happening, but the man in the flat cap and his cat-Pokemon daemon followed an old man into an alleyway about 20 meters from where you all are. The old one, the one being followed, just turned around and started yelling at the flat-cap man, saying things like 'I don't have it!' and he seems concerned about what's in the package that I told you he received from the woman...should I keep watching?~ Hearing no response, it twirled slowly, focusing back on the conflict in the alleyway below it. «

► "Yes," whispered Ajax, eyes flickering as he took in the images and speech that Kharlan was sending him. "Kharlan can't hear you," Nyx pointed out, her tail flicking back and forth nervously. "Let them stay up there. I'm curious about what's in that package." "Should we rescue the man with the Ciccino daemon?" Ajax wondered. He had no idea who was in the right in this argument - perhaps the man with the Ciccino had something horrible, and the flat-capped man was exacting revenge. "I guess we should just keep waiting..." he mumbled, Nyx nodding agreement. "This is their conflict. Not ours. It's not like they are attacking Pokemon or citizens. We should stay out of their business," she advised. «

[Birdybot]

Oblivious that they were being watched, the two men in the alley continued their dubious conversation. The younger man stood still, silent. It was impossible to tell how nervous he and his dæmon had been just moments before. Now they were carrying out their aim, they emitted an air of confidence, looking like they knew exactly what they were doing and as if every action was very much deliberate. They continued to let the old man babble for a while, letting him do the work getting himself all worked up and panicked. "Look, is it... is this about... her?" he struggled to get the word out, as if merely mentioning this person might summon her. "I told you, nothing happened, I didn't do anything, I didn't take anything! I know what she's lost! This is about that, isn't it! I didn't. I don't know who did. I can't help you. Just let me go!" he tried to run off, but reacting quickly the younger man released a Zangoose from a Pokéball in his pocket. The Pokémon shoved the old man back roughly.

The young man took a step forward. The old man couldn't meet his eyes, shaking in fear, clutching tight to his dæmon. He buried his face in her fur when she whimpered in terror. Finally the younger man spoke. "She told me to do whatever it took to get it back. Something like that should not fall into the wrong hands. Whatever it takes. Do you understand?" Zangoose clicked her claws against each other menacingly.

The old man was on the verge of tears. "Yes, yes, but I didn't do anything! Why can't you see that! Stop!"

The young man moved a little closer. "You would say that if you did steal it. How are we to know the difference until you help us? Unless you want me to use what's in this package...?" he let the threat hang in the air.

The old man looked defeated. "Don't, not for me, but for the people of this town... it's too terrible. It's a shame what happened to her, yes, but there's no need to go so far."

"But if you keep this up, there will be a need... She really is quite desperate. Buildings can be rebuilt, and the world has enough people as it is."

[Rin]

► If Baltoy were capable of sweating, Kharlan would be doing so right now. What in the world was going on? It thought the outside world would be grand and interesting, and it was true, the town had been a plethora of exciting new sights and auras. But it didn't expect to see such malevolence right away. The comment about 'the people of its' town' brought a chill to its clay body. What in the world could be so dangerous that was in there? Kharlan psychically relayed what was happening to Ajax and Nyx in a panic. The two exchanged glances. Nyx personally did not care much for the town, or the people in it. But what sort of thing could be contained in such a tiny bag that the town's buildings would be destroyed? Her claws clutched the brick underneath tightly, and she prepared herself to transform into a Skarmory and lift Ajax off the ground in her talons if necessary. «

► The Scizor boy twitched unhappily. What in the world could be in that package? He still wasn't sure if he should be intervening in the confrontation, but if the town were to be endangered... what sort of organization could the flat-cap man be part of that he could make that threat? Ajax squinched his eyes shut, trying to think. Nyx wasn't doing anything... he crouched down, trying to think of some sort of distraction he might be able to make. All the while, Kharlan twirled quietly in the shadow of the chimney, doing its best to listen, feeling very nervous but very courageous at the same time. «

[Birdybot]

The young man sighed and opened the package a small amount. The old man froze, stunned, until the younger man brought out a small object from the package. There was still something else remaining in the package, which the old man seemed more concerned about. The small object removed looked like some kind of electronic device, except it was also old. Far too old to have been made since electricity had been widely used. It seemed mechanised, running on power, but it source and how it worked was unclear. The man carefully moved a few dials, entering in his location before clicking a switch. Cogs turned.

A few minutes passed before a Honchkrow swooped down into the alleyway, clearly having flown there in a hurry. Both men looked extremely uneasy around it. The old man was afraid of it, the young man staring at it like it was unnatural. The Honchkrow spoke to the young man too quietly for the older one to hear before, a few minutes later, the same woman from earlier arrived. The Honchkrow hopped to her side immediately. That offered an explanation as to why the young man had been so uneasy around it - the woman from before had a Honchkrow-dæmon and had not arrived with one. He had flown there ahead of her despite evidently having been much further away than any dæmon was known to be able to. "I understand you have something of mine, David?" she asked the old man.

David shook his head, neither his eyes nor those of his dæmon able to leave the Honchkrow. "No no no, I really don't. I will help you look for it, though, really I will!"

The strange woman sighed. "If the wrong figures out how to use my flying machine, so much trouble could be caused. That kind of technology is different to your planes or helicopters, understand? Your lot aren't meant to have it. I'm sorry to have had to threaten you, but this is so much more important than you. Please, help me." She sounded softer now, a huge change from the intimidating man and woman who had first cornered poor David.

David nodded hurriedly. He swallowed. "Yes, yes, of course, anything to avoid any more mess here. But... there are only three of us. This is a big city. How on Earth are we supposed to find a small machine like yours?" he asked.

"Aurelio can look from the skies," she indicated her dæmon. David looked away from him, up at the woman without making eye contact. He clearly did not like how far Aurelio could wander from his human. "We know roughly where it is most likely to be, and who is most likely to have taken it. You can help us there, you know those people better than we do, David. Yet they'll know you, and they'll know me, that's no good. We can search the area, but if we have to talk to anyone, or risk being seen, Simon will be the only one we can use. We'll struggle with just us. Simon, is Zangoose your only Pokémon? If you have more we might manage," she asked, addressing the young man when she mentioned 'Simon'. Simon nodded, the Zangoose in question doing her best to look strong enough for the task.

[Rin]

► ~He's opening the package...should I do anything Ajax??! Oh wait, it's not that bad? I'm confused. A big crow Pokemon just flew in, I think it's called a Honchkrow, why is everyone so scared of it? It's just a normal Honchkrow.~ Ajax's eyes spun as Kharlan blabbered the information to him. He just wanted to climb up the building and look, gosh darn it. A few minutes later, Kharlan exclaimed, ~Oh, the Honchkrow is a daemon-whachamacallit, what Nyx is! His human just arrived. Everyone still seems scared of him, though.~ Ajax shrugged, uncaring of the Honchkrow which Kharlan had deemed normal, until Nyx whispered, "Wait. That daemon arrived a few minutes ago according Kharlan. And now his human his here? His human might have been skulking around, hiding, and could have seen us. We should leave and not get involved." «

► But now Ajax was curious. Could there really be a daemon that could move minutes away from their human? Even he and Nyx couldn't do that, and they could get farther away from each other than anyone else he knew because of all the training they had done on their island kingdom home. "Nah. I'm gonna see for myself." Ignoring Nyx's affronted glare, he started climbing the building laboriously, hauling himself upward brick by brick at a time, using vines and outhanging bricks as handholds. He got to the top just in time to hear the woman say, "...flying machine, so much trouble could be caused." Scooting closer, he peered over the top of the roof down at the group, finally getting to see the situation for himself. Happy to see Ajax, Kharlan floated over to its trainer, continuing to watch the events in the alleyway below unfold. Moments later, Nyx also landed lightly on the roof, transforming from a Skarmory back into a Glaceon, looking very disgruntled. «

► "What flying machine?" Ajax whispered eagerly to Kharlan, snuggling up next to the Baltoy to peer down at the people talking below. It was an awkward position they were in; although Kharlan was fine floating, Ajax had to keep his claw placed firmly on the building's shingles as his body was angled downward due to slanted roof to keep himself from slipping forward. Kharlan shrugged best a clay doll could, ~Don't look at me. I've never been out of the desert before.~ it offered. Nyx watched the conversation and cut in tertly in a slightly sharper and louder whisper, "The moment that Honchkrow daemon takes off, he'll see us as obviously as a bunch of Wumrple sitting on a log." "Pff! It'll be okay--" Ajax whispered even more loudly, before his claw slipped on the roof shingles and he slid downward into plain view of all people in the alleyway. "Oooooopppss..." he muttered with a blank, horrified look on his face. Meanwhile, Nyx could only place her paw to her forehead in utter disgust. «