Frontier Town Founder's Square

[Jackie Cat]

Laura closed her eyes as the light of the Spirit Nexus enveloped her, and then, with a shift of gravity and a rush of air, she was falling.

"Oh, fuck!"

She fell past wooden buildings, paws flailing, a cloudless blue sky blinding her... into a goddamn river.

"Ah! Someone? Help?"

She trod water for a minute, trying to dig her claws into the nearest hard surface, the struts of a nearby bridge. Somehow, she pulled her way along to the enbankment, and fell, sopping-wet, onto firm ground. Howls, this was so gross with her her fur and everything. What a miserable first impression. At least it was hot and breezy enough that she'd dry out fast.

She wondered whether she should lick herself dry like a fucking cat, since she was a fucking cat, and decided against it.

"Hello?" she called, as she trudged into the first open space she could find. "Anyone else make it here...?"

 

[IFBench]

Arctozolt could do without the stares they were getting.

It made sense. They were a Pokemon that should not exist, and their top and bottom halves were very disjointed with each other.

Nevertheless, as they entered the square, they saw one of the Pokemon they didn't recognize. A mishmashed Pokemon, though less overtly than themselves.

Were they similar? Only one way to find out.

"Hey, you there!" Arctozolt called out towards Gladion.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura made her way back to Founder's Square, head spinning with information from the town library, from comparing notes with Mhynt, from trying to remember every last howling thing that could be relevant. The sensory overload alone was killing her – cat's senses, in a hot and dusty climate, in a town when she'd grown used to trekking Galar's routes and wilds. She needed to learn more. She needed to keep track of the rest of the party. She needed to find a fucking job. She needed to practice using attacks, because she was a meowth now, and what did that mean for her diet, would she have to hunt, she didn't know nearly enough, and she just missed her pokémon so fucking much it was going to kill her.

"Goddamnit," she muttered to herself, sitting down at a bench by the fountain, in the shade of the empoleon statue.

She missed Salem. If she could've come here with Salem, this wouldn't be half as insane, or so daunting. But she was alone, and all she had in this world – 'Forlas' – was her (anxious) mind, her (weak) body, and her (complete stranger) allies.

For now, said the stubborn part of her. All I have, for now. Not forever.

She ran a paw over the green scarf she'd found in the Haus' lost-and-found box. That was something else she had, technically.

She glanced up, and saw that toxel, the one with the weirdly feline mannerisms, that she remembered from the Spirit Nexus. If she said hi, made a connection... that'd be one ally who wasn't a complete stranger. She bit her lip.

"Hey there," she called, feeling stupid. She wasn't even totally sure it was the same toxel. Except, there, the same cat-like behaviour. What was with that?

She called again, "Hey there, remember me...?"

 

[canisaries]

Wandering around Frontier Town, pondering what kind of job he could pick up, Andre found himself in Founder's Square. He was deep in thought until a familiar mask caught his eye. Nova! He should greet him and ask him if he'd made any progress with that railway plan.

He extended a vine above himself and waved as he approached the chimera. "Hey! Nova! How's it going?"

@Shiny Phantump

 

[canisaries]

Andre walked through the Square lethargically. It had been a rough day at work. He'd mistaken one street for another, and the letter he'd delivered there was apparently very important. He'd received a yelling from his boss and a strong fear of losing his job. Luckily, he'd gotten another chance. This time.

He sighed, wondering what to do now. Go to sleep early, or relax at some bar? That Sun Stone place sounded interesting - apparently there was a mawile there, one of the off-worlders, who had chains around her secondary set of jaws and sang some strange songs. But he'd also heard the Sun Stone Saloon was... a little out of his price range. And they probably wanted customers to pay if they wanted to stay and listen.

But, as luck would have it, he spotted a mawile at the corner of the square - and the chains around her jaws confirmed her identity. Maybe she'd be nice to chat up! Hopefully, she'd be friendly.

He trotted up to the mawile. "Hey there," he said. "You're the performer from the Sun Stone Saloon, right?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

The change of scenery was abrupt and drastic. The Night-Captain's salute faded out in the Travel Orb's flash of light, and in her place stood a larger-than-life limestone statue of an empoleon. Austere red sandstone walls were replaced with the hustle and bustle of a lively town's crossroads. Steven blinked, staring wide-eyed at their surroundings. They certainly weren't in Sunward any more.

"So this is Frontier Town," Steven murmured, mostly to himself.

Yet someone must have heard him, because a voice that wasn't Prim or Tyrfing's sounded from behind their group. (It definitely couldn't have been Tyrfing, as the honedge had retreated into his scabbard since the morning and was hitching a ride on Prim's back in the meantime.)

"Hi, come here often?"

Steven gave a chirp of surprise and turned around to find the speaker. He came face to face with another singular eye, or well, not quite an eye; the one who'd spoken to them was a roggenrola. A roggenrola wearing the largest cowboy hat he'd ever seen.

"No?" Steven replied, hesitantly. "This is our first time in town."

 

[Jackie Cat]

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Their chance meeting – if it had been chance – had been fairly brief, in the end. Sonora had said to loop in a few more people. This late in the evening, it was too dark to be anywhere there weren't streetlamps, and Founder's Square seemed like a... not unreasonable place to talk? Anyone coming or going from a saloon or wherever would happen across them, given how central it was. And you could sit. And it was warm enough, on a late summer night, to be comfortable.

Mostly, Laura just didn't feel right talking about something like this around local waitstaff that could report them, and heading out into the middle of nowhere was suspicious and dangerous, so... this was her best attempt at somewhere to talk. She still felt kinda dumb. She wished she had the cash for a private room at Sun Stone or something. Damnit.

Still, somehow, she saw to letting anyone she could find at the Haus know what she was doing, left notes for others she could think of, and headed out, hoping that she'd catch the attention of anyone else in the nexus group while she was there. No need to cause a scene, just a quick "Hey, there's a mission offer for us we'd better talk about. Gonna head to the square."

 

[Namohysip]

Hip, hop, hip hop hop.

A Nidoran traveled down the roads while carrying a bag of supplies about half his size on his back. Spines dug into it, anchoring the bag where it stood, and an extra spine had been broken off and used as a makeshift pin to keep the bag closed.

This Nidoran had gained notoriety for being "strange." He went to shops, placed money on the counter, took some items in meticulous order, and then left, paying things by the exact amount. However, there were a few times when his payments were under or over, like they were based on prices from a few days ago. That was the story that surrounded the little porcupine rabbit.

He was cute. And harmless. Compared to the recent news about the mayor, he was a welcome customer and a more 'friendly' strangeness that Frontier Town could find... refreshing.

But strangeness was what the team was set to investigate. Perhaps this would be the day to 'speak' with the Nidoran again.

 

[Jackie Cat]

A new day brought new visitors to Frontier Town.

These ones were... different.

A Samurott had set up a little personal grooming station at the side of the fountain, with a hand mirror, shell razor, and some kind of foamy lather to brush onto her carefully-trimmed whisker-tufts. She remained focused on the act of cutting, even as some passers-by gave her dirty looks for using the public fountain in such a way. A wide-brimmed straw hat lay just beside her.

Meanwhile, even more dirty looks – and looks of horror – fell upon the hulking Golisopod who was bathing in the fountain. It seemed that one of the two had heated the fountain's water until it steamed, and Golisopod was now sprawled out enjoying an improvised hot springs of sorts. Just next to him on the fountain's rim was a folded poncho.

"Hey, Kyoko," he burbled.

"Mm?"

"Did you notice the statue? I wonder if it's of some local big-shot."

There was a brief silence.

"Most likely."

"Heh. Take your time shaving, ma'am. I don't wish to hurry out of this lovely water."

The Samurott raised an eyebrow. "Ibuki, our departure depends on whom we encounter here, does it not? This is a public place. We are well-positioned to ask locals if they have seen that person."

"Ah, yes. Of course. Well, don't mind me, then!"

Eventually, news of the pair's unseemly behaviour spread around the town, and certain offworlders soon approached...

 

[Virgil134]

A warm smile formed on Rodion's face as he looked around the square. Today was Autumn Crossing, one of Forlas' holidays, so he'd opted to go check out the festivities with Sonora. The crowded square definitely had a different vibe than Rosequartz Town’s during its own more festive occasions, not bad, but definitely different.

"Heh, the square is certainly lively. Even more so than normal," the Buizel remarked. "Sure seems like I picked the right time to visit Forlas."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

The trek back from the Industrial Park had been mercifully quiet. Steven had assumed at least one of their group would have a few choice words for him, given what transpired in their meeting with Nolan, but they all had held their tongue. That didn't mean he couldn't still feel their gazes on his back.

Once they were within Frontier Town's limits, the group began to disperse. Despite that, there was still one set of eyes on him, and he couldn't bear it any longer. He slowed to a stop and glanced to the side, catching the silver gaze of the wispy zorua fixed straight at him. Bellatrix, if he recalled.

"Something on your mind?" It was barely a question.

 

[JFought]

The square wasn't necessarily the ideal place to sit and think. Isidora sat on a bench staring at the night sky, and every now and then she'd have to weather some 'mon's presence as they passed through, though luckily it seemed no one paid her any mind so far. That would have to be good enough: considering what had gone down at the Haus last time she was out, she was starting to wonder if she should try and find someplace else to sleep and hang around from now on. Not like I trusted whatever scheme the Maus are running in the first place.

The meeting had been on her mind all day too. And her inability to get through to the others. And her performance at the castle. And the shadow situation. And this 'Radiance' power. And the damn Poké Ball. There was too much going on all at once now, and she had a gut feeling there was no chance she'd get more time to breathe any time soon.

She sighed and leaned on the arm of the bench. Why'd I even...?

 

[Chibi Pika]

The month of Winds gave rise to cooler temperatures than the merciless summer months before, but the Soja' was still the Soja', and even 'relatively cooler' was still warm compared to other regions.

One cloudless day, a Staraptor perched on the edge of the fountain at the center of town, having recently cooled off in the inviting water. The pure-white feathers across most of the bird's forehead suggested he was likely male, and at first glance, he might have appeared to be wild--he wore no clothing aside from a woven turquoise band around his left leg. Upon second glance, an onlooker might notice differently-colored feathers woven into the natural gray of his head--apparently for decoration--maybe a clan affinity? Not to mention the travel bag slumped against that fountain's base, likely belonging to him.

He'd been visiting various shops all morning, so anyone who'd gone shopping during that time was likely to have noticed him, as he didn't exactly look much like the average citizen of Frontier Town. Right now he appeared to be reading a crumpled up paper with a front-page story about the Wayfarers...

 

[Ambyssin]

Unfortunately, Nova's route to bring this dead zoroark to the mayor involved going through the town square. It was... less early than before. So, people were out and about now. Nova simply had to look natural. Which was easy enough. He was a big guy carrying some big cargo on his back because he didn't have a wagon or anything to pull it with. Easy enough.

He stopped by the fountain and paused, trying to remember which way to the mayoral residence.

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova managed to sleep through the night. It was a small relief given everything from the night before. The back of his head was tingling again when he woke up, but the mask's usual limited view greeted him as it always did.

With a sigh, he got to his feet and went over to the board to collect a couple of jobs. Then, Nova set off into town again.

A final step. His gut was telling him there was just a little more that he needed. The only question was what, exactly, would offer that push? Maybe it did have to do with battling, like Grace suggested?

But what was Nova supposed to do about that? Training was one thing, but all he was doing in fights was just bumbling around. He wasn't even sure he could say he protected anyone with the limited abilities he had on Forlas.

"Maybe an escort?" Nova mumbled aloud, walking toward the town square. People were up and about, as expected. Some stared at him in confusion. Perhaps because of his dusty pelt more than his piecemeal appearance. "Or maybe a trip to the river's in order instead," he muttered, sighing.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion had a lot on his mind. How could he not, after all that had happened. He could head back to his room, but he felt like there was more he had to be doing. At the same time, there was nothing he could tackle right now. Instead he’d absentmindedly wandered towards the archives through force of habit as if it would hold an answer to any of his thoughts, even though none of them were the kind a book could answer.

He stopped to take a break off to the side of the square— the ankle area of his left talon had been causing him some problems lately, which had been lasting far longer than he’d expected from the beatings he’d bounced right back from in combat. That… was probably another thing he’d have to deal with, too.

 

[Namohysip]

Andre had been wandering through town talking about the upcoming festival in Little Scriven, getting the word out for morale and general event comings and goings. It had been a quiet affair so far and he was met with cordial nods, though few seemed to be immediately interested. Perhaps, with time, they would think about it more and talk with others.

But curiously enough, this time, someone approached Andre first...

Gerome, the great Tyranitar of the Wanderin' Zera. There was something surreal about seeing him outside of that place, but it wasn't like they hadn't seen him out and about before.

"Hello, Andre," Gerome grunted with a nod.

 

[Ambyssin]

"Psychic powers are like invisible muscles. You train them through repetition."

Gene would always say stuff like that. Nova never cared about it because he'd always been able to be psychic when he wanted. Now, though, the words really sank in. Because his psychic "muscles" had long atrophied from eons of neglect. Even with Forlas' insane strength growing atmosphere or whatever — something which continued to eat away at Nova's insides for reasons he wasn't sure he could realistically bring up to other Wayfarers without sounding like he was ready to go postal — Nova still had to work at it.

He'd started with small pebbles. Simple enough. Lifting them up and down. Left and ride. Forward and back. Walking around with them. It had gone well enough.

And then a tumbleweed came rolling through. After confirming it wasn't actually a bramblin, Nova, in his foolishness, figured it'd be the next best thing to train with. To "walk" it through town, both for the endurance training and to practice actually using psychic abilities in public. After all, he'd be around others in the head of the moment.

So, Nova made his way through town, tugging on his aura to push the tumbleweed along, even as the breeze wanted to carry it the other way. But boy was that tiring him out.

 

[canisaries]

Andre wasn't quite sure what to do with what he'd remembered of his human life last night. On one hand, he was glad he knew more, but on the other, it brought with it a sense of dread. He would have to go back to that situation when he was done with Forlas. He would have the responsibility of resolving that situation. Could it even be resolved?

He trotted through the square in thought, his hooves clacking on the stone, until he spotted someone familiar - Nova. Maybe he could spare a quick chat, give him some advice. After all, Nova knew what it was like to have a bad situation back home...

"Hey! Nova!" he shouted, forcing himself to smile for the encounter to start off well. He also shouldn't just jump into the subject. Actually, he did want to ask about something before that, anyway... "Heard you were part of the lab crew in the Blaguarro raid. How'd that go?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova was on his way back from the orchard with promises of a cabin that he and Ark could borrow.

... Okay, technically they'd be squatting in it. But apparently the owner had been gone for a while. Worst case scenario, they'd find a corpse or a skeleton in there or something. Not a huge deal.

But he needed to find someone to guide him since he'd so foolishly ruined his map. That was what Nova got for mishandling a blast seed. He sighed and shook his head.

A glint of light in the corner of his eye drew his attention left, toward a street branching out from town square. He squinted, then realized it was just sunlight glinting off another full's metal beak. Nova wondered if he should say hi to Gladion.

Wait.

The beak was gold. And the tail of that full was turquoise.

Nova headed for the left street. The other full had patches of white fur on its belly and golden forelegs just like his.

Something was wrong. Very wrong. Nova picked up the pace. Hadn't someone described running into a doppelganger before? Think, Nova!

... Notva spotted him. Their crest fanned out in alarm and they broke into a run in the other direction.

"Shit..." Nova tucked his head down and sprinted forward. "Hey! Stop!" he cried. "Somebody stop them!"

But the few townsfolk he passed only offered confused stares. Of all the times for the bystander effect to kick in, why now?

Though Nova tried his best, he couldn't catch up to Notva. He staggered to a stop, hunching over to catch his breath. "Damn... it..."

Nova looked down at the tracks left behind. He quickly rummaged through his bag and grabbed a scrap of paper and a small pen. He carefully traced Notva's small tracks, then stuffed the paper in his bag. Nova turned with a huff and marched back toward town.

He couldn't let this get him down. He needed to be in good spirits for Ark's sake. And, really, compared with Alexander and the Covenant, one niggling imposter seemed like small potatoes.

But boy did he hope those small potatoes wouldn't become the side dish to an annoying entree.

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