[Pokémon] A Smell of Petroleum Pervades Throughout

I think we should get to cianwood .

Adding onto what I mentioned earlier: If Vesta grows stronger, perhaps Tabiti will find more favor in you, since not only are you defending, caring for and cherishing your sacred fire, but also making it stronger. The stronger the fire, the stronger the devotion... and the more likely it is that she'll see fit to bless you with some sort of great gift. Even if she doesn't, you'll at least have a stronger ally to defend yourself against Eldritch Pokémon that would otherwise be too strong to take on.

> Is there enough fuel for both?
If you make it to Cianwood safely and there's nothing there or it's too dangerous, can you fly back to Olivine or if possible further?
If we're gonna be stuck with one, I'd rather we face the dangers we know rather than whatever lurks in Cianwood. If a big Tank of Kerosene is more than enough to get us around, begin flying to Cianwood with the intention of inspecting/looting it (didn't the lighthouse person imply that there were answers in Cianwood, ones we need?) - if there is danger fly away full throttle.
Lastly, have your highly pursuavise hand gun at the ready when you take off. Eldritch fearows could tear that chopper to shreds.
> Jasmine definitely said we should head to Cianwood and, as this was our entire reason for setting out to sea in the first place, I say we continue on to Cianwood.
> Check the weather if it's safe for flying. Check the sky if it's clear of any signs of flying eldritch pkmn. If both are clear, then fly to Cianwood.
Also, check the remaining ammo of your Highly Persuasive Handgun.
And before taking flight, ask Vesta if she's afraid of flying... Oh wait, that'll be her first time flying that is outside her jar and outside your bag... Never mind. >,>
> I would head towards the mainland before going over to Cianwood. If that masterball can work on that Eldritch Quilava (assuming it's not evolved AGAIN), then it'll solve most of your problems. Also, you may want to take some time to train Vesta. Perhaps she'll evolve or at least grow stronger. Even if it is telling her to torch a little more than usual, it'll only do some good.
Also, check your bag to toss out any COMPELTELY useless stuff. Sure, there's stuff that appears to be useless and works later on, but there have to be things to get rid of that are just beyond bad. After all, the bag might get full in the future, and you'll have to have room for more critical supplies down the road. However, let's cross that bridge when we get to it.
> I think we should get to cianwood .
> Adding onto what I mentioned earlier: If Vesta grows stronger, perhaps Tabiti will find more favor in you, since not only are you defending, caring for and cherishing your sacred fire, but also making it stronger. The stronger the fire, the stronger the devotion... and the more likely it is that she'll see fit to bless you with some sort of great gift. Even if she doesn't, you'll at least have a stronger ally to defend yourself against Eldritch Pokémon that would otherwise be too strong to take on.

One of the voices in your head seems to be concocting a long-term plan, but it's fairly comprehensively outvoted. Especially given that there does appear to be (by some miracle) enough fuel to get you to Cianwood and back to Olivine.

Though you do throw away the Beard Hairs, as the voice suggests. They're really not useful for, well, anything at all.

You also check on the Highly Persuasive Handgun, and remember that it has 8 PP left.

That done, you nod to Elm and then, with a thunderous clattering of rotors, the helicopter rises up into the sky, leaving those damn caves behind you at last.

You cheer a little. It felt like you'd been down there for ages.

If there are any airborne Pokémon here, they aren't coming near you; perhaps they're uncertain what exactly the helicopter is, and are avoiding it in case it turns out to be something that will eat them rather than permit itself to be eaten. In consequence, you enjoy an hour's flight through clear blue skies without even the slightest hint of danger, and you almost manage to relax a little. It's so peaceful here – or it would be, if the helicopter wasn't so damn loud.

Cianwood grows from a small brown wall on the horizon to a great dirty cliff, a thin strip of gleaming white sand at its base; between the two, perilously situated between the rock face and the sea, is the town itself. At first, it seems untouched, if lifeless – and of course, that's what you expect it to be, given the state of the rest of Johto. But as Elm brings the helicopter closer, you can make out the scars of battle on the little town: houses gutted by smoke and flames; broken beams jutting out through knots of tumbled roof-slates; ivory-coloured lumps in the long grass near the beach.

The Deep Ones came here, you recall. It would seem they won whatever fight they started.

Elm stares.

"Hey," he says, voice half-drowned by the rotors' roar, "this doesn't look like how you described the rest of the country."

"No, I think it is preserved!" you yell back. "It's just that it's preserved like this – like it was left after they came here!"

"After who came here?"

"The Deep Ones!"

He's silent for a moment.

"Oh," he says.

Elm brings the helicopter down gently on the broad, open space between the dunes to the north of the town, and as the rotors cease their growling the world is plunged into sudden silence; the only noise now is your breath, and the slow crackle of Vesta's pulse, and the sigh of the sea.

No birds. No wind.

It is very hot here, and the air is very still.

You shiver, and get out of the helicopter.

To the north are some rocks and a Ruined Cottage.

To the south is Cianwood Town.

To the east is the ocean.

To the west is the great cliff and the tunnel that leads up to Route 47.

There is a signpost here.

There is a helicopter here.

Note: I'm sorry, I keep forgetting to thank those of you who've left nice messages and suchlike in your posts here - I tend to open this page, copy down all your instructions and write the next part of the adventure, with the result that by the time I'm ready to post, I forget to reply to any of you. Let me take this opportunity to say that I appreciate your support and accept your compliments gratefully; I hope you continue to enjoy this little excursion into post-apocalyptic Johto and assure you that you are very close to finding out the first of the Big Secrets.

Also! Whoever it was that wanted to PM me about the scrambled entries - Armorous, I believe - feel free to do so, though I have mostly forgotten what the scrambled entries stood for. I can probably work it out again, though.

Onwards!

(A tunnel that leads to route 47!？Does that mean Quilava can find you!?
I haven't played the new games in Johto - only crystal)

OH! I almost posted this without 'use the scanner' DO THAT FIRST!! Then-

I guess read the signpost. Examine it even. Then go north to the ruined cottage to see if anything is salvageable and to make sure the coast is clear. If there's nothing up there that can get you then North is one direction you don't need to worry about.

(the coast is clear right now but I don't like having a tunnel on the west and an ocean on the east. I swear there's danger everywhere screaming "I'M LURKING!")

Ready your Master Ball. If there's a very strong Eldritch Pokemon here, you can catch and use it. Even if itisn't the all-powerful Quilava that's been chasing you. And by using it, I mean by simply unleashing it on your foes. Chances are that this thing is the only ball around that can permanently contain any sort of powerful Eldritch Pokemon.

> After exploring the area to the north, carefully head towards Cianwood, making sure to stay away from the Route 47 entrance and the ocean.

(Yeah, it was me that asked if I could PM you about the scrambled entries. Sending question and the first two entries unscrambled.)

1) Read signpost
2) Explore ruined cottage
3) Head towards Cianwood

So we are in Cianwood !!! Firstly check out that signpost. ( i bet the narrator would have left a snakewood-style cryptic message ) Then try to loot whatever is left from that cottage. Lastly try getting to route 47.

>Ready your Master Ball. If there's a very strong Eldritch Pokemon here, you can catch and use it. Even if itisn't the all-powerful Quilava that's been chasing you. And by using it, I mean by simply unleashing it on your foes. Chances are that this thing is the only ball around that can permanently contain any sort of powerful Eldritch Pokemon.

The Narrator takes the opportunity for a quick double-entendre, and would like to inform you that your remaining Ball is indeed ready.

>(A tunnel that leads to route 47!？Does that mean Quilava can find you!?
I haven't played the new games in Johto - only crystal)
OH! I almost posted this without 'use the scanner' DO THAT FIRST!! Then-
I guess read the signpost. Examine it even. Then go north to the ruined cottage to see if anything is salvageable and to make sure the coast is clear. If there's nothing up there that can get you then North is one direction you don't need to worry about.
(the coast is clear right now but I don't like having a tunnel on the west and an ocean on the east. I swear there's danger everywhere screaming "I'M LURKING!")

Route 47, you recall, doesn't lead to the mainland. It leads west to the new Safari Zone – though it isn't exactly new these days, you remember. You might be able to find some very powerful Eldrich Pokémon there; however, to get there, you'd have to pass through Routes 47 and 48, which wind through caves and along narrow one-man paths projecting from clifftops, making them insanely dangerous even without the threat of eldritch attack.

You press the button for the scanner.

Results:

Seventeen (17) Pokémon found!

Six (6) Eldritch Magikarp found!

Four (4) Eldritch Krabby found!

Four (4) Eldritch Kingler found!

Two (2) Eldritch Staryu found!

One (1) Eldritch Corsola found!

The signpost reads:


The only ominous thing about is that someone or something has split it vertically in half with one immensely powerful blow.

You exchange glances with Elm. He shrugs.

"There are a lot of dangerous things out here now," he says – a statement with which you are forced to agree.

"We'd better check the area up north first," you say, taking charge. "Just in case something's waiting there to come down at us after we go into the city and block off our escape to the chopper."

Elm nods approvingly.

"Good thinking."

Othodox is good at thinking, says Vesta helpfully – which, given the number of voices you hear echoing in your head, might not be totally accurate. Oh well; you've never bothered yourself unduly about the voices.

Among the rocks you find a single thing that might be an Eldritch Geodude, massive and craggy, its arms folded tight around its body and its eyes firmly shut. It doesn't respond to you in any way, and Elm comes to the considered opinion that it is probably dead.

"Maybe some water got into it," he said. "It's quite common among those Pokémon that are mostly made of stone – if they don't keep filling the cracks in their bodies, water seeps in and then freezes during winter. Sometimes it bursts them completely, but usually it just fractures an organ and kills them quietly."

You nod wisely, as if you knew this already, and lead Elm across to the ruined cottage.

Here there really is nothing of value to take. It looks like part of the cliff face collapsed at one point, dropping a cascade of boulders down onto the building beneath – something the owners must have known was going to happen at some point, since the cliff is so exposed to rain and wind. You aren't even sure that the Deep Ones got the chance to tear this place apart.

> After exploring the area to the north, carefully head towards Cianwood, making sure to stay away from the Route 47 entrance and the ocean.
> 1) Read signpost
2) Explore ruined cottage
3) Head towards Cianwood
> So we are in Cianwood !!! Firstly check out that signpost. ( i bet the narrator would have left a snakewood-style cryptic message ) Then try to loot whatever is left from that cottage. Lastly try getting to route 47.

You're in two minds about going to Route 47. Some of your voices oppose the idea; some espouse it. Others don't even have an opinion. At any rate, you resolve to explore Cianwood City first. You did come a hell of a long way and through some serious obstacles to get here, after all.

With that in mind, you head south and into the heart of Cianwood. The buildings, by and large, are wrecks, but wrecks that are, impossibly, still standing; whatever (possibly Unown-related) forces is holding time still on the mainland is working here as well, and they are frozen, in some cases, with only one or two crumbling walls still supporting the upper stories.

To the north is the helicopter, the Ruined Cottage and the rocks.

To the east are several ruined houses and the scattered remains of the fish-drying racks.

To the west is the shell of the Gym.

To the south are the wrecks of a house, the pharmacy, and the Pokémon Centre.

Check the gym first that's always a safe bet. Also did we throw those beard hairs away in the chopper where we can get them back? If any other voices have played Don't Starve they'll know they're super useful. Also ask Elm if he knows anything about the deep ones he didn't seem very surprised when you brought them up.

Explore in this priority, barring any eldrich encounters in the middle:
1) Pharmacy (might have supplies for a possible upcoming fight)
2) Pokemon center (same reason)
3) The house to the south
4) The gym
5) The other ruined houses to the east

> Check the gym first that's always a safe bet. Also did we throw those beard hairs away in the chopper where we can get them back? If any other voices have played Don't Starve they'll know they're super useful. Also ask Elm if he knows anything about the deep ones he didn't seem very surprised when you brought them up.

Elm was not surprised by the Deep Ones for the simple reason that you already mentioned them when you recounted your story so far back in the cave. He was not surprised then because frankly after the years he's spent in this world he was ready to believe in anything up to and including sentient noodle golems with chikuwa eyes.

You threw the Hairs away on the Whirl Islands, but you aren't particularly bothered about that as you sincerely doubt Meat Effigies function as advertised outside of demonically-generated hell-worlds.

On second thoughts, perhaps it would work here.

> Explore in this priority, barring any eldrich encounters in the middle:
1) Pharmacy (might have supplies for a possible upcoming fight)
2) Pokemon center (same reason)
3) The house to the south
4) The gym
5) The other ruined houses to the east

The Pharmacy is silent as the grave, which is fairly apt as that's what it seems to have become for the man who worked there. His bones are scattered across the blackened floorboards; something must have torn him apart to get at the flesh.

There isn't much here. Elm tells you that the scratches on the floor signify something heavy with a broad stride and clawed feet walked this way, but that's about the only thing of interest around, and it isn't something you can loot.

Leaving it aside, you move on to the Pokémon Centre, which is by now more of a tangle of spidery planks than anything else. You aren't sure where the door went, or indeed where the door even once was, but you spy a window and climb in through that, to find yourself in a tiny space in the rubble that's barely big enough to stand up in.

You can see bleached finger-bones sticking out from under some of the tumbled masonry, and the skull and sternum of a seabird half-crushed on the ground. It's the first evidence of normal animal life you've seen so far.

"Tap those bones together," says Elm, and you do; it produces a soft, muted thump. "Not long dead, then," he tells you. "Which means something killed it relatively recently and chucked the bits it didn't want in here."

You don't really feel like taking the bones, so you drop skull and sternum into the Tangle of Fireproof Webbing and Vesta crackles around them merrily.

Next on the agenda is the house to the south. Like the Pharmacy, it's been torn apart, and in fact appears to be balancing on a single wall on the ground floor. The stairs end in jagged splinters above your head, which puts paid to any ideas you had about getting to the first floor, but on the charred remnants of the carpet, half-covered by the drifting sands, you find a large iron ring. You attempt to loot it, and then realise it's stuck to the floor – it's the hasp of a trapdoor.

Together, you and Elm manage to prise the battered mechanism open, to discover that apparently the owners of this house had a surprising hoard of jewels hidden in a space beneath their floorboards. It simultaneously lends credence to the rumours of smugglers in Cianwood and makes both you and Elm feel ludicrously happy for a while. Vesta doesn't really understand what the fuss is all about – they're only shiny rocks – but dutifully spits out a few cheery sparks.

Othodox found some Fine Rubies! Othodox put the Fine Rubies in the Pouch.

Othodox found some Gorgeous Sapphires! Othodox put the Gorgeous Sapphires in the Pouch.

Othodox found one Glorious Great Diamond! Othodox put the Glorious Great Diamond in the Pouch.

The Diamond is roughly the size of the Koh-i-Noor. In fact, it probably is the Koh-i-Noor, which throws up all sorts of interesting questions that people more concerned with the truth than the Narrator might want to deal with at their leisure.

Feeling very pleased with yourselves, you and Elm move on to the Gym, which looks as if it has been used as a football by a crowd of sportive giants. The waterfall mechanism has broken down and the inside is flooded to ankle height with foul-smelling water; there is, however, a sodden cardboard box near the back, and you resolve to brave the flood and get to it.

Othodox found some TM01 Focus Punches! Othodox put the TM01 Focus Punches in the Pouch.

You're not sure if that was worth it or not. Either way, you don't want to spend any longer in the rank wreckage of the Gym than necessary, so you hurriedly make your escape.

The first of the three ruined houses to the east is utterly ruined; the second is almost utterly ruined except for the roof, which hovers impossibly on a sliver of brick wall like some crazy bird; the third is mostly intact with the exception of the front and rear walls. It's rather like a triumphal arch, only you have the terrifying feeling that it will collapse onto your head the moment you step under it.

"Doesn't look like there's anything here," you say, disappointed. "Well, obviously the Deep Ones were here, but they didn't leave anything."

"What's that, then?" asks Elm, pointing at something half-buried in the sand near the third house.

"Another bone, probably," you reply. There are many of them, wind-worn and fleshless, hiding underfoot. You keep stubbing your toe on them.

"But it's black."

"What?"

You walk over and squat down to investigate. It isn't quite black – more like a very dark green. And it seems to be some kind of stone ball.

You scrape some sand away and start pulling it out of the sand. Immediately, you discover that it is not a stone ball; it seems to be some kind of octopus.

No, wait. You've pulled it out a little further, and it seems to be an octopus-headed man.

No, wait. (You really need to stop passing judgement until you've examined things properly.) It's something like a man, only with long narrow wings behind and multiple sets of gleaming eyes on either side of a broad, octopodean head; its body is lean and beautifully carved, but the muscles are all in the wrong places, and its hands and feet are nothing more or less than long, brutal talons. The little sculpture squats evilly on a small square plinth, on which is carved something in a strange alphabet of aggressively pointy glyphs.

You shiver.

You do not like this statuette.

"That's... not nice," says Elm, frowning at it as if he suspects it might come to life. "What is it?"
"I don't know," you reply. "It's got writing on it. Can you read it?"

You pass the idol over to him, and he examines the carved plinth.

"Er... no," he admits. "I have no clue what this says. But it looks vaguely similar to Sumerian cuneiform, and I think I've still got some cuneiform dictionary programs on one of the computers from when I went to Samarra to see the ruins of the temple of Ho-oh. It's worth a shot, anyway, but it'll take me a while."

"All right," you say. "Well, it's the only clue we've got, so if you could translate it, it might prove helpful."
"OK," says Elm. "I'll be in the helicopter, then. You keep looking or whatever and meet me back there."

Elm received one Fearsome Idol! Elm put the Fearsome Idol in the Archaeological Goodies Pocket.

He turns and walks away; once out of Cianwood, he involuntarily breaks into a run. You know why: there's something about this city – the impossible ruins, the silence, the scorching sun – that makes you feel as if you're forever three seconds from a deadly ambush.

I agree. Stay near Elm and protect him. He's your only human companion right now, and your main source of information on stuff that a Pokedex (or Vesta) cannot provide.

As for Vesta, you might try to teach her how to throw fire, sort of like that Eldritch Quilava can. If she can even learn an attack like Flamethrower or even Fire Blast, that would greatly increase all of your chances of survival against a powerful foe.

I got that feeling....something bad is going to happen. Escort Elm to the helicopter and stay with him as he translates.
Question : Will the Focus Punch TM's be compatible with the "Highly Persuasive Handgun" ???

On second thought, screw the Eldritch Quilava. Catch an Eldritch Magikarp, and subdue it. After that, train the crap out of it, and evolve it into an Eldritch Gyarados. Perhaps then, by using a veritable demigod of Pokémon, you'll be able to simply destroy anything that opposes your will.

Cosmic Fury said:

On second thought, screw the Eldritch Quilava. Catch an Eldritch Magikarp, and subdue it. After that, train the crap out of it, and evolve it into an Eldritch Gyarados. Perhaps then, by using a veritable demigod of Pokémon, you'll be able to simply destroy anything that opposes your will.

Click to expand...

I second this, you should totally do it. Never mind the fact that training that thing is probably going to take years and you have no guarantee it will continue to listen to your orders after evolving, no matter how much you frighten it. You will feel like a trainer again and if it works you can cruise through the rest of your journey. Do it or else I will have the nearest deadly tree attack Othodox in his sleep.

> Before doing anything else, see if you can destroy a house or something. Mainly for Vesta fuel...yeah....

> This voice would also like to remind the other voices that the EQ is your starter Pokemon, so you might not be able to tame anything else. Plus, why would you waste a Master Ball on a Magikarp? Go with the initial suggestion of training up Vesta. At least she already is loyal to you.

Training Vesta to throw eldritch fire is hands-down one of the best ideas I've seen in this whole thing. I've never considered her super useful in a fight because no matter how powerful she is - she has no range - or mobility. All you can do is throw her.
Run after elm and sit near the helicoptor training Vesta how to fight, occasionally checking the scanner - also - if you have enough Focus Punch TM's to waste, try using one on vesta. Just in case.
With the 'destroy a house' idea, I don't think Vesta really needs fuel, certainly not a house worth but I'm interested to know if you can affect the timeless houses. If you mess with a support wall will the roof collapse because you're the PC and it was really waiting for you in the first place??? Are the buildings Legitimately timeless so nothing will affect them at all??? What's Elm's take on the preservation thing?
Last thing - if you break off a piece of the dead Eldritch Geodude - will you get a loyal sentient rock?

> Um... Shouldn't you escort Elm back to the chopper? You know, just in case?
I don't think he can fend himself if something happens, so while he translates it, hang around near the chopper, maybe?
> I agree. Stay near Elm and protect him. He's your only human companion right now, and your main source of information on stuff that a Pokedex (or Vesta) cannot provide.
>I got that feeling....something bad is going to happen. Escort Elm to the helicopter and stay with him as he translates.
Question : Will the Focus Punch TM's be compatible with the "Highly Persuasive Handgun" ???

You head back to the helicopter and sit on the steps, watching for any attackers, while Elm works.

"You do realise that when I said it would take me a while, I meant this is a job that'll take days, right?" says Elm.

Ah.

"Uh... yes. I knew that," you reply, slightly too quickly.

You also consider stuffing the Focus Punch TMs into the Handgun, but you're pretty sure you can't just swap out the TMs like that. Besides, guns can't exactly punch. If you want to use them, you'll have to build a different sort of crazy contraption.

> As for Vesta, you might try to teach her how to throw fire, sort of like that Eldritch Quilava can. If she can even learn an attack like Flamethrower or even Fire Blast, that would greatly increase all of your chances of survival against a powerful foe.

You like this idea. It would awesome to actually be the Priest Sheathed in a Glorious Flame that Tabiti seems to have marked you as.

> On second thought, screw the Eldritch Quilava. Catch an Eldritch Magikarp, and subdue it. After that, train the crap out of it, and evolve it into an Eldritch Gyarados. Perhaps then, by using a veritable demigod of Pokémon, you'll be able to simply destroy anything that opposes your will.
> I second this, you should totally do it. Never mind the fact that training that thing is probably going to take years and you have no guarantee it will continue to listen to your orders after evolving, no matter how much you frighten it. You will feel like a trainer again and if it works you can cruise through the rest of your journey. Do it or else I will have the nearest deadly tree attack Othodox in his sleep.

Or you could do that, you think. That sounds good too. Although don't Magikarp take eighty years to mature? And doesn't Training something generally depend on there being something weak for you to battle it against? And isn't there literally nothing that fits that bill around here?

You stop for a while to calm down. All these rhetorical questions are putting your head in a spin.

> Before doing anything else, see if you can destroy a house or something. Mainly for Vesta fuel...yeah...
This voice would also like to remind the other voices that the EQ is your starter Pokemon, so you might not be able to tame anything else. Plus, why would you waste a Master Ball on a Magikarp? Go with the initial suggestion of training up Vesta. At least she already is loyal to you.
>Training Vesta to throw eldritch fire is hands-down one of the best ideas I've seen in this whole thing. I've never considered her super useful in a fight because no matter how powerful she is - she has no range - or mobility. All you can do is throw her.
Run after elm and sit near the helicoptor training Vesta how to fight, occasionally checking the scanner - also - if you have enough Focus Punch TM's to waste, try using one on vesta. Just in case.
With the 'destroy a house' idea, I don't think Vesta really needs fuel, certainly not a house worth but I'm interested to know if you can affect the timeless houses. If you mess with a support wall will the roof collapse because you're the PC and it was really waiting for you in the first place??? Are the buildings Legitimately timeless so nothing will affect them at all??? What's Elm's take on the preservation thing?
Last thing - if you break off a piece of the dead Eldritch Geodude - will you get a loyal sentient rock?

You don't know what will happen if you try to destroy a house, but equally you don't want to do anything that's going to attract the attention of any of the seventeen Eldritch Pokémon lurking unseen around the area. So, if it's all the same to the voices in your head, you'd rather not try.

Though it might be worth asking Elm what he thinks. After all, he's got more of an idea of how this preservation thing is working than you.

"Hey," you say. "Elm. How is the whole... time stopping but not stopping thing working?"

"Animals seem to be unaffected," he replies from within the helicopter. "And some plants as well, if you were able to pick Berries from the trees. But all artificial structures seem to have been frozen exactly as they were when this 'Dreaming' thing started – although since you've seen more than one building burn down, I guess they can still be destroyed." He sighs. "There's a weird kind of logic to it, but only until you start messing with it. I suppose it's dream-logic."

Dream-logic. It makes sense. This whole experience has been very much like a nightmare, what with the fantastic beasts and the rules picked and chosen and altered seemingly at random; the Gengar called this the Dreaming, too. And then there are the Unown, which seem to be maintaining the stasis... How does it all fit together? Is there some lunatic in control of it all, a capricious god who spits in the eye of logic and has no sense of smell?

You aren't sure yet. But slowly, with Elm's help, you're beginning to figure it out.

You turn your thoughts to something else that's been interesting you instead: what will happen if you break a bit off the dead Geodude? Wandering north, you take a large rock and bring it down on a loose-looking knobble protruding from its forearm; it breaks free with a loud crack and the gap, as is usual with Geodude, starts leaking cement. Soon enough, a new lump of rock has patched the wound, and there is a large piece of rock at your feet.

It displays no sign of life whatsoever.

"Well, it was worth a try," you sigh, and head back to the helicopter.

Since you only have Vesta and not a pet rock, you resolve to see if you can Train her at all instead. There is a problem in that there are no wild Pokémon you can safely use to grind with, meaning she isn't going to level or get any stronger, but you might at least be able to teach her a new move or two.

First, you try out the Focus Punch TM.

Vesta and Focus Punch are not compatible.

Ah. Fair enough.

You nod thoughtfully, and check the scanner, just in case a Magikarp has wandered close enough to be fried.

Results:

Twenty-one (21) Pokémon found!

Six (6) Eldritch Krabby found!

Five (5) Eldritch Kingler found!

Three (3) Eldritch Tentacool found!

Three (3) Eldritch Staryu found!

Two (2) Eldritch Magikarp found!

One (1) Eldritch Starmie found!

One (1) Eldritch Corsola found!

You frown. That's not good. It looks like the others are eating the Magikarp. And possibly breeding, or at least attracting more Pokémon with the blood.

Eventually, they'll run out of Magikarp to eat, you realise.

They'll probably still be hungry, though.

WARNING: BATTERY LOW.

Oh, great. You remember now the warning the Scanner came with – the bit about it draining the battery abnormally quickly. You either need to find an adaptor to charge the Pokédex with, or a fresh battery.

You switch it off to save power and set the Tangle of Fireproof Webbing on the sand before you – there's no sense in worrying about something you can't control, after all.

"Vesta," you say, uncertain of how to begin Training something that's a cross between a six-year-old child and a storm of raging elemental potency, "can you throw fire?"

Throw? She sounds doubtful. I don't have arms. You can throw, though! If you need to.

"Yeah, but... that's not quite what I meant." You pause to think. This may require a different tack. "How far back can you remember?" you ask.

I don't remember very much, she replies. I don't think I have anywhere to put memories.

"Uh... OK. What do you remember?"

I remember you. I remember we're saving the world. I... don't remember how we got here. Or why we came here. Or where 'here' is. But that doesn't matter.

She appears completely unconcerned by this. Presumably it seems normal to her.

"O-K," you say slowly. You were planning to ask if she could replicate the way the Eldritch Quilava shoots flames, but she wouldn't remember that, would she? She remembers the Quilava, remembers that it's your enemy, and forgets every time it appears.

The only things she can remember reliably, you realise, are those that fall into those categories in her inventory: BURGEONING ELOQUENCE, RAVENING HUNGER and UNDYING LOYALTY. She remembers grammatical rules, mostly; she remembers to ask for food – and she remembers the things that are most important about the one she's loyal to: you.

"All right," you sigh. "Watch, Vesta."

You spit in an arc towards the sea.

"Can you do that?"

Vesta crackles for a moment, pondering. Then she rears up out of the webbing, a serpent in emerald feathers, and hurls a fat green spark at the waves.

"OK, good!" you say, patting the webbing. "That's really good. Can you do it a bit bigger...?"

An hour or so later, it's getting dark and Vesta can spit a vivid tongue of flame up to thirty feet. You're not sure how potent it is in terms of a Pokémon move, but you suspect it's comparable to the Ember of a Cyndaquil somewhere between Levels 5 and 10.

Not great, but it's better than nothing.

It is dusk.

Elm's Fatigue is rising sharply.

Elm's Hunger is rising.

Elm's Thirst is rising.

Othodox's Hunger is rising.

Othodox's Thirst is rising.