[PKMN FULL] Pokemon: The Way of the Stormsong (IC)

[EmeraldSky]

@Alex_Among_Foxes @Fact Checking Gardevoir @saniachan

The notes of a mandolin playing a mystical melody filled the air as a Sylveon with a blue glow made her way down the path to the town of Oscurala. Once she finished her song, she put away her instrument, then found her map of Sabia. Let's see...if I keep following this road, I should reach Oscurala before dark...

"Aine!" a voice called in the distance, snapping her to attention. ¡Aquí!

Aine noticed a Sprigatito in ranger's garb waving at her from the town gate. "Menta!" she called, her ribbons jingling joyfully all the while.

"Bienevidos--welcome." Menta smiled. "It is indeed an honor to have the Singer of Miracles here in Sabia..."

Aine just smiled. "As soon as I read the Storm Knight's story, I knew I had to come walk the Way of the Storm."

Menta purred happily. "I'm sure you've traveled far--so let me get you a room for the inn for the night."

 

[saniachan]

(For the record, the "Clover, Meseta, several days prior to Aine's arrival" part is my joint post with @EmeraldSky because I didn't (and still don't) think I could do Queen Sagita justice. 😅)

Clover, Meseta, several days prior to Aine's arrival

Ah, Meseta. It had been several years since the last time Clover set foot in the big city. While a visit to his alma mater -- Academia Violeta -- was so darn tempting, that's not even what he was here for. Instead, Guildmaster Lunick had directed him to get a Traveler's Writ from Queen Sagita before setting out for the Way of the Storm, so here he was.

As soon as he arrived at Castle Meseta, Clover told the guards that he would like to meet Queen Sagita. Specifically, he needed to get a Traveler's Writ from her.

"Are you going to walk the Way of the Storm too?" one of the guards asked, seemingly implying that there were some people before Clover who had come to the castle for the very same purpose.

"Yes."

"I will inform Her Majesty that you wish to see her." the guard assured Clover. "If she is not busy, a herald will escort you to the throne room."

"Ah, thank you," Clover gave the guard a nod of gratitude right before the latter left. The Eevee soon found himself reminiscing about his school days while waiting. From the simple things like hanging out with friends and attending school events to that one time when a senior prank went horribly wrong -- so much that Principal Turo had to intervene. Boy was that last one nerve-wrecking.

After a few tense minutes, a Vaporeon herald arrived. "This way, please -- Her Majesty has agreed to see you," they immediately led the red mage (?) to the throne room where a beautiful Espathra, in all her finery, was seeing off another resident of Meseta that had requested a Traveler's Writ. The room itself was pretty quiet in the late morning as Clover had noticed.

"Sir Clover of the adventurer's guild, milady." the Vaporeon announced. Of course Clover stood up straight upon being addressed as 'sir' by the Vaporeon. Even moreso when he had to mentally remind himself that the Espathra over there was the one he was supposed to meet. Still, the Eevee stepped into the throne room, trying to look confident despite being a nervous wreck inside as soon as the other mon went their merry way and bowed to the Espathra.

"Greetings, Sir Clover." Queen Sagita began. "Guildmaster Lunick tells me you wish to walk the Way of the Storm--is that correct?"

And then Clover blinked. Did the guildmaster really have to tell Her Majesty about this? No wonder the queen could simply name-drop the guildmaster like that. "Yes, Your Majesty. I am," Clover said regardless while trying to hide his disbelief.

Queen Sagita snapped, spurring an attendant to hurry off somewhere. "The Way of the Storm commemorates the journey of the Storm Knight, as told in 'The Song of Storms' -- just as the Storm Knight did in olden times, do you promise to walk the Way of the Storm with honor and respect?" she asked in the meantime. Yep, "The Song of Storms", the one song Sabian people would at least be familiar with. Clover was no minstrel, but even he knew what the song was basically about. He probably would need to review the details later, though.

"Yes, ma'am. I promise," Clover solemnly said after Queen Sagita finished speaking. He then raised his head to find the attendant from before coming in with an ornate piece of paper. The young mage also witnessed Queen Sagita writing something on it (it was actually the queen filling in some details, signing the document and sealing it but he couldn't see the whole process) and tying it up with a purple bow before handing it to him ("Here you are--may Arceus' favor be on your journey," she said). Clover then gratefully thanked the queen with one last bow before moving out once he's allowed to. Not without the queen's parting words, "Arceus' blessings on your journey," of course.

Once he was out, Clover went to an open diner to have a lunch. He took a seat, ordered a butterscotch-cinnamon pie and a cup of Tapu Cocoa, and contemplating if he could open the sealed document now or if he had to wait until the actual journey started. However...

"And one last thing, Clover."

"Yeah?"

"Whatever you do, do not open the writ."

Guildmaster Lunick's voice suddenly rang in the back of his mind. Sighing as he put the writ away, the Eevee opted to open his novel instead. He just started reading the thing, so naturally curiosity ensued about what the fictional princess would do after the god-person had revealed that one of her servants was actually her long lost twin.

Unfortunately for Clover, he didn't get far enough into the story when his orders came. Putting his book away, he couldn't help but to contemplate on the talks in town about a shiny Sylveon minstrel from the land of Ardamore, and how some said she defeated dragons with only her voice. Plus, it's not just the Singer of Miracles herself -- there were also talks about one of her former allies back in Ardamore actually visiting Sabia for reasons only they and Arceus knew. Many guesses ensued regarding who this visitor was: some said it was the Justice in Frost, some said it was the Lunar Knight, and some said it was the Mastermind in Alltrades.

While Clover found all these rumors interesting, he didn't really expect to meet any of these Ardamorian heroes anytime soon. He kept eating his pie anyway.

Blacky, Colorida, several days prior to Aine's arrival

Meanwhile, in a tavern at the city of Colorida, an Umbreon with blue rings and a Raboot -- your average Raboot -- could be seen enjoying their drinks. The Umbreon took a sip of his coffee while the Raboot seemed to prefer tea instead. There was also a traveling minstrel who was busy entertaining the patrons with a comedic ballad about... what, a winter cloak? Regardless, while most patrons currently there were laughing at the ballad, the Umbreon hid his face on the table for some reason.

"Master? You good?" the Raboot asked as soon as her laughter died down only to find the shiny Umbreon (whom she just called "Master") doing his best impression of a Tamato as he raised his head. "Yeah, I'm okay..." he barely replied. Seems like the Umbreon somewhat knew the context of the song but hesitated to tell his protege about it.

Clover, Oscurala, on the meetup day

Several days later, it's meeting time. Clover headed to the town gate from the guild where Menta was waiting. Well, he did expect Menta, yes, but...

What was a blue Sylveon doing here? I mean, did his Sprigatito friend just call her "the Singer of Miracles"? If that was the case, surely this Sylveon had to be that one Ardamorian minstrel he'd been hearing about, right?

 

[Fact Checking Gardevoir]

A Gardevoir in a blue navy coat and a hat on her head, with a peculiar gait - some would call it un-lady-like -, went down the path towards the town gate with visible enthusiasm. Captain Moonblast, as she called herself, had successfully registered for the journey through the Way of the Stormsong. Using her knowledge of sophistication from her... bloody youth and a bit of gold, she had posed as a "Señorita Graziela de la Villa" and been given a Traveler's Writ from Queen Sagitta. Ha! Fancy Feathers had seen nothing!

And so, with her belongings in her bag and her blade strapped to her right hip, the pirate Pokémon was ready to meet her adventure companions.
Sighting the gate, she spotted a Sylveon, a Sprigatito who were there, and also joined an Eevee in his walk as their two paths merged. So, these three would live the exciting adventure with her!

Looking at the Eevee, she smiled.
"Ahoy there, matey!"

 

[saniachan]

@EmeraldSky @Fact Checking Gardevoir

Clover, Oscurala

Shaking his curiosity aside, Clover ran up to the ranger. "Oi, Menta!" he called out from inside town -- said Sprigatito would probably need to turn around to see a red mage (?) heading her way. Before she could answer him, however...

"Ahoy there, matey!"

As if a foreign heroine was not enough, the ragtag bunch of adventurers now had a pirate in the mix. A Gardevoir pirate specifically. "Oh, howdy!" Clover welcomed the two newcomers with arms (front paws?) raised in glee. He then peppily followed it up with a quick introduction, "I'm Clover. Are you guys taking the Way of the Storm too?" Well! He could always ask about the Gardevoir's pirate getup or the Sylveon's dragon-slaying track record later. For now, those two looked like they could use a rest.

 

[EmeraldSky]

@saniachan

Aine was bemused by the Eevee and the Gardevoir pirate. What's a pirate doing here? As far as I know, the Way of the Storm doesn't involve sailing...but it does involve treasure, in a way.

She yawned before following the Sprigatito ranger to the inn. "Come on! The more the merrier!" the green cat Pokemon mewed to the two newcomers.

I guess maybe the pirate has turned from her plundering ways, and now wants to walk the Way of the Storm to atone? Aine wondered as Menta led the way inside the inn...

 

[Fact Checking Gardevoir]

Taking her hat in her hand, Moonblast waved it while bowing as a salutation to the group.
"I be pleased to make yer acquaintance! Ye may reckon me as Captain Moonblast!"

When the Sprigatito and the Sylveon moved towards the inn, she quickly followed.
"'Tis a tad late for a Lemonade 'round a table this eve, but mark me words, we'll share a drink at the next inn we stumble upon, on me tab!"

 

[Alex_Among_Foxes]

Lucky knew it was getting late. He had been running since he got his final permission from the master of his orphanage that he could go on this adventure, but the meeting place was quite far to travel, and having to wait for his Traveler's Writ to come by courier took longer. But the master wouldn't permit him to go see the Queen all by himself, and the rest of the staff were too busy to escort him. All he had with him beyond his Writ and some gold that was gifted from the Queen, was a custom made (by a very kind elder Spidops who worked at his orphanage) backpack designed for comfort and ease of removal for one who can't walk on just two legs. He'd never been able to do it, no matter how much he was coached and how hard he practiced.The master assumed it must have been a result of his nearly drowning as a baby, and decided to just let it be rather than continue to try and 'fix it'.
He had just barely made it to the gate of the town 'Obcura'? 'Oscura'? 'Osgiliath'? He'd already forgotten... But he was just glad to see that it wasn't fully dark yet, and that he hadn't taken a wrong turn somewhere. Tired and out of breath, he tries shouting at some nearby people to ask them if they know where the group of 'Storm-Trompers' (as he liked to call them) were going to meet.

"He- He- Hello!? Do a- Any of you kn- Know where I- I can find the- *He takes in a deep breath of air and coughs a bit* The group o- Of Stormwalkers?!"

 

[EmeraldSky]

@Alex_Among_Foxes

"Just saw Menta leading a Shiny Sylveon and a Gardevoir pirate to the inn..." a Pikachu merchant replied as she packed up her unsold wares for the night. "Maybe they were the group you are looking for?"

"A pirate, walking the Way? THAT I have to see!" a Quaquaval fighter smirked. "Maybe they have remorse from all that plundering, and now want to walk the Way for forgiveness?

 

[saniachan]

@Fact Checking Gardevoir @EmeraldSky @Alex_Among_Foxes

Clover, Oscurala

Lemonade, huh? Clover had only ever drunk the one sold at Violeta's cafeteria and that one tasted rather... meh. Maybe Captain Moonblast here could help him give the drink a second chance? Who knows.

"Come on! The more the merrier!" he heard Menta calling out to both him and Moonblast. The Eevee was trailing behind the ladies when he noticed another Eevee -- one who walked on four limbs instead of two -- asking about the... Stormwalkers, he said? Seeing that Menta didn't seem to respond to her name being mentioned, Clover made a little detour to the other Eevee. To the Quaquaval commenting on Moonblast, Clover shrugged, "I dunno, man. Maybe she's just seeking an adventure?" And to the other Eevee, he asked with a (hopefully) reassuring smile, "Are you taking the Way of the Storm too? Menta and the others are going to the inn. Come on." With that, Clover led his fellow Eevee to the same inn Menta, Moonblast, and the Singer of Miracles (he didn't catch her name earlier) were heading to.

 

[EmeraldSky]

@Fact Checking Gardevoir @saniachan @Alex_Among_Foxes

The inn was fairly quiet when the group arrived. As far as Aine knew, this was no different than the inns back at home.

"It's 10 soles for a night." she heard the innkeeper tell Menta.

After counting out ten of the small gold coins with a sun emblem on them, Aine nudged her payment to the innkeeper. "Here you are."

She took a moment to look around the common room to see if any of the patrons were interested in a performance. When in Sabia, do as the Sabians do. she reminded herself.

 

[Fact Checking Gardevoir]

Moonblast, when her turn came to pay, offered the innkeeper a smile and a half graceful, half exaggerated bow before giving them ten soles from her bag.

Not wanting to go to sleep right away, she looked around the shelves, hoping to buy and drink at least one bottle of Lemonade.

Settling at the bar, she dropped a few more soles and hailed the bartender.

"Hey there! Fetch me a bottle o' Lemonade, if ye would be so kind!"

 

[saniachan]

@EmeraldSky

Clover, Oscurala inn

While Clover had his own room back at the guild, he'd already said his farewell to his guildmates earlier in the day, so there was no point of returning there for the night. Instead, he paid the stay fee upon arriving at the inn. And like Moonblast, Clover was not in the mood to sleep yet, so he now found himself closer to Aine.

"Hey, uh..." Clover tried to call out to the Sylveon. "The Singer of Miracles, yes? Is it true that you took some dragons down back home?" he asked. And yes, the red mage referred to Aine by her title because he still hadn't caught her name yet.

 

[EmeraldSky]

@saniachan

Aine smiled at the young Eevee and nodded. "My name is Aine."

Inspired, she located her mandolin case and started tuning the instrument inside. Singing the entire ballad of her quest would take too long, so she decided to see if her companion wanted to hear about a specific part, or a different song or story altogether. Tales of the Storm Knight were popular in this area, as were songs from the Sabian theater--the grand and heroic plays known as zarzuelas.

 

[Alex_Among_Foxes]

Lucky stood in silence for a moment to finish catching his breath, then began to ask the helpful Pikachu for directions to the inn, and about who this Mentos person was, when another Eevee approached him first.

"Are you taking the Way of the Storm too? Menta and the others are going to the inn. Come on."

Lucky smiled happily with the knowledge that he hadn't missed his traveling party. He turned and said "Thank you for the help!" to the friendly Pikachu, then quickly followed his fellow Eevee to the inn. Even though he still wasn't sure who this 'Mental' person was that people kept talking about, he just assumed it was another member of their group.

When he reached the inn and heard about the fee, he pulled a small cord that was hidden behind his right ear, and the bag he was wearing on his back released, dropping to the floor. He digs out the money pouch and tries his best to get ten coins without spilling the rest all over the floor. After paying for his room, he packs up his money, then rolls onto his back on top of his travel pack, which then re-latches itself onto him. He thinks to himself while sighing heavily that he's glad that's over, and now he needs a rest after all that running.

 

[saniachan]

@Fact Checking Gardevoir @EmeraldSky @Alex_Among_Foxes

Clover, Oscurala inn

A Simipour bartender came as soon as they heard someone ordering a drink. "Lemonade, eh? Coming right up!" they took the money Moonblast had offered and exchanged it for a bottle of Lemonade.

Meanwhile, Clover perked up as soon as Aine started tuning her mandolin. "Ah, nice to meetcha, Aine," he said. It was then followed up with a story request, "Tell me about that one time when you braved an icy tower for your dragon hunt, please?" And yes, he got that idea from some random rumors he'd previously heard back then.

 

[EmeraldSky]

@saniachan

"Okay then..." Aine mused as she fine tuned her instrument "'The King and the Icy Tower', coming up!"

With that, she sang about her arrival in Ludester, her encounter with Calyrex, following Calyrex and Glastrier to the icy tower, and braving the tower itself, complete with a few flowing chords to simulate icy wind.

 

[Fact Checking Gardevoir]

Thanking the Simipour with a nod, the Gardevoir grabbed the bottle and, in less time that it would take saying it, gulped its entire content before putting it back on the table with a satisfied sigh. The Sylveon's song and music caught her attention as soon as it started, and she silently watched and listened, enjoying the moment.

 

[Alex_Among_Foxes]

Tired from the long run getting to the starting point of his first adventure, (and deciding against repeating the hastle of removing his traveling pack again just to buy a drink that he'd also need to dig out his special straw just to be able to enjoy without spilling it all over himself) Lucky takes a seat near the other Eevee who led him here, as he still didn't know any of the other people he was traveling with and didn't want to bother any strangers by accident. Though he perks up again at hearing someone mention a song and a story of adventure.

 

[EmeraldSky]

@Fact Checking Gardevoir @saniachan @Alex_Among_Foxes

Aine continued her song. For her, the events she sang about were as clear as day--and she vividly remembered them as if they had happened yesterday. Wherever her traveling companions were now, she hoped her song would reach them.

 

[saniachan]

@Alex_Among_Foxes @EmeraldSky @Fact Checking Gardevoir

Clover, Oscurala inn

While waiting for Aine to finish her tuning, Clover went over to the bar. The Simipour bartender seemed to know him, at least.

"Oh, Clover! How can I help you?"
"Tapu Cocoa for me, please!"
"The usual?"
"Yes~"

A few more soles later, the drink came. The bartender already knew that Clover loved a cup of Tapu Cocoa. Then again, Oscurala was a small town where everyone knew everyone -- including the local guild members. The same couldn't be said for the town's newcomers, though.

And then the Eevee from before sat beside Clover at the bar. "Ah, howdy," he smiled at the other Eevee, "I'm Clover, your friendly neighborhood red mage." It then occured to him that this kid probably didn't know who they were traveling with. "And speaking of friends, this Gardevoir here is Captain Moonblast," Clover pointed at said Gardevoir who was sitting nearby. His gaze then turned to the singing minstrel (her song was currently at the point where the knight took the brunt of the hailstorm while crossing an icy bridge) and said, "That Sylveon over there is Aine. She came here all the way from Ardamore." And finally, he scanned the room for a certain Sprigatito, intending to introduce her to the other Eevee...