Treasure Town ~ Marketplace

[Namohysip]

Kecleon Market was now only the first store of this up-and-coming, bustling district of Treasure Town. Past the market, there was a whole road that had several differently-shaped buildings of all kinds. While the stores were currently closed and empty, the marketplace was typically a place that buzzed with activity and commerce for purchases of all kinds. The roads were of more packed dirt and marking stones on the border, and the grass on either side was a healthy, but pale green. Further west was a long and winding path that led to Sharpedo Bluff, a great overhanging cliffside that faced the ocean far below. To the east was the Main Square, where events and other social gatherings took place.

Kangaskhan Storage was also here, though the team would have no use for its services, in addition to Xatu's Treasure Appraisal. For some reason, Xatu was still there, though he stood so still that he blended in with the rest of his tent.

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"It's just this way," Truffle explained, motioning to the collapsed building. "No matter what I try, my power is simply sapped..."

Kecleon Market was in shambles. The heads of the stone Kecleon had fallen inward, and only the purple one's tail was still intact. It seemed they had not invested much in structural integrity, but it was not unlike some of the other buildings nearby. Still, this building, as important as it was for exploration, seemed particularly damaged...

 

[Tanuki]

It wasn't stealing. Technically. If it was empty, there was no one to steal from, meaning Zane was, by most conventional measures, definitely not committing a crime. He had an assortment of greenery to leave behind and implicate a grass-type in the act and avoid suspicion, but that didn't automatically make it a crime. In fact, with law being a social-contract, it was made null and void when there wasn't a society that signed the contract present. Without laws, it is impossible to break any.

Nonchalant, careful, not suspicious steps as he very casually made his way through the market-place scoping out the perfect target. Instinct shot him as far from the Kecleons' as possible as soon as he saw it. Worlds removed, he still feared those beings. A gaudy, pink, out-of-every-non-February-seasonal store seemed perfect for his noble pursuit.

Glancing around ensured yes, he was still alone. He dropped a few leaves on his path up to the front. A sizable pile planted at the front, he went around in search of a back entrance.

 

[Namohysip]

"Ohh, you're distracting me, alright!" said the strange, hazy creature. "If you guys are going to attack me all at once... Uhuhu... Then maybe... juuust maybe..." She raised another blade of black-white fire. "I'll just attack first!"

She blasted Zane, this time aimed directly at him. It was too fast to dodge--too precise and too strong. Even if Zane tried to leap out of the way, it would cut something off of him. And yet, when the blast sliced at the ground Zane had stood, and as the others shouted for Zane to dodge... nothing but the building behind Zane was sliced. And Zane himself had disappeared.

"Wuh?" The hazy creature spun in all directions, wide, glowing eyes scanning for her playmate.

"Is this what Truffle called me for?"

The voice was moderately deep and feminine, with a hint of groggy tiredness, like she'd been rudely awoken. She had cream-colored fur and a long, limp tail vaguely in the shape of a brush. The tip of her tail was colored a bright gold that glowed in the nighttime air, even in the dark haze.

Next to the Smeargle was Zane, who had somehow been transported next to her several feet away, beside the rest of the team. The Smeargle was clutching a soft, sky-blue blanket, which was still half-wrapped around her body, and atop her furry cap was a lavender, flowery sleep mask, mere inches from falling over her tired eyes again.

"What is going on here?" Smeargle asked, stifling a yawn.

 

[TheGOAT]

A greater sense of purpose seized each footstep as Astrid trod along the Treasure Town road. Main street was a whole new beast now that the townsfolk had returned, breathing life into an area she’d only vaguely remembered having any activity—a lingering memory of her own world, she supposed. She much preferred this to the ghost town it had been days prior.

Joining her were Nip and Cabot, the latter of whom had planned the excursion. Given the opportunity to get to know the two better was why Astrid ultimately expressed interest in tagging along, although, she had to admit, varying her moveset sounded like fun as well. If that first battle was anything to go by, fighting here was a whole different gambit than what she was used to.

The Kecleon shop was one of the first buildings to greet them as they entered the marketplace, and the stacks of TMs placed behind the counter spoke for themselves.

“Hi!” she greeted the brothers, ruffling the fluff on her head to keep it out of her eyes. “We’re here to ask about moves.”

 

[Namohysip]

By the time Owen was located, Truffle had realized that it was already time for lunch. The bottled monster would have to wait and would attend them for lunch instead! Though kept securely in a bag instead, for now.

Deeper down the marketplace, where the buildings were nearly finished with repairs from the hazy creature's attack, the team was led to a large building on the east side of a wide street of packed dirt. The sun was high and the grass was a bright yellow, complementing the yellowing leaves of sparse trees behind the buildings. Several of them were shaped like the Pokemon that owned them, but a few were more generic and squarish or circular.

In front of the team was one of those more basic buildings, colored a rustic red like bricks on the outside, with a darker shade of wood-brown on the inside. Truffle stepped in first, his feathers taking on a slightly brighter sheen under the Luminous Orbs that decorated the black ceilings like a starry sky. Apparently, in this world, the basic buildings were considered modern and fancy. Professional. Dignified.

Despite this, the atmosphere within the building seemed to buzz with energy and the distant clanging of kitchenware in the back. Still, nobody could get a closer listen, as Truffle soon reemerged and said, "Unfortunately, they are having trouble accommodating such a large party in a timely manner. We will have to wait a little while, but they promised it would not take too long. So!" Truffle puffed out his chest, addressing the others. "All the more time for the stragglers to catch up, hm?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Try as he might, meditating in the dojo with his light ball didn’t help him reclaim the power he was hoping for. After a few hours, Necrozma floated dejectedly through the town, looking for any hints that could help.

He eventually sensed a strange energy from a tent resembling a xatu and floated toward it. “Is anyone there?”

 

[SparklingEspeon]

Tricky sprinted out of the cafe, ignoring the full feeling in her belly and the fact that all the sudden movement was making her feel a little queasy. She'd gotten left behind! She had to find somemon from the party she'd gotten sent in with so she could get back to the main group! Tricky looked around, looking for any face she recognized. No-mon looked familiar. Except...

...No, not him.

But it was him. Tricky saw it clear as day. She still remembered their encounter in the woods a week ago. He hadn't seemed to like her much. But, at the very least, he was somemon she knew - whatever that meant. It was worth a try. She took a deep breath, then strolled over to him.

"Hi."

It wasn't much, but between the stomache-ache and the last time they'd talked, Tricky didn't have much more of a peppy greeting to spare.

 

[Disco]

In the early, dull light of the morning, someone crept into the marketplace...

The someone glanced around, and slowly, methodically, she began to shove abandoned crates together at the edge of the area, until they made a stable, flat surface. She smiled and wiped her brow... But she wasn't done yet! Another set of crates, smaller ones, were pushed into a row, but were spaced out. In the end, it all resembled a nice little stand that also served as a bar...

She was nowhere near finished, her work had only begun. Deftly and with attention to detail, the Charmander continued setting up her impromptu shop. With bits and parts that she scavenged, a drying rack came into being that was quickly filled with an assortment of mints, berries, and even bitter herbs and apricorns! A fire pit was dug and a fire lit behind it, and carefully monitored.
"Almost done...", the Charmander muttered to herself.

Large jars filled with premade blends of the berries, herbs and spices were placed on the countertop; containers of water were stored behind and underneath. With a practiced hand and eye, Mellow put one of the most aromatic blends into the pot she had managed to get, then set it to steep. Soon, people would be wandering in... And when they did, she'd be ready for them...

 

[Namohysip]

Day 15, Early Noon

"Here we are," Owen said, looking down the main road. They had checked Olive and Plum first, but both of them seemed just fine for the time being, though Plum mentioned he was feeling under the weather. Still, he had no slug or signs of one, so they moved on.

"This place doesn't look too busy right now," Owen said to Dave. "But it might get more crowded later in the day."

 

[Cresselia92]

< Day 18 >​

Quite the commotion happened in the last couple of days in which Icetales was busy training at the Dojo to master his Tail Slap.

First, there were the rumors of a battle against a vicious Garchomp — he could see the telltales of that conflict, as some stands and trees showed minor damage from stray attacks — and then a Lugia crash-landed in Sharpedo Bluff, before being attended by the medical staff at the Guild.

Heavens! A Lugia! A real Lugia! A true legend in blood and flesh!

“And I do not even have any appropriate attire! Golly! This is most unacceptable!” cried Icetales, before looking all over himself. He felt so bare, indecent and vulnerable without clothing on his body. “I must amend this, pronto! This is the reason I am here, sirs!”

He searched meticulously through the merchandise of the Kecleon Shop, pawing left and right at the various pieces of clothing and tossing the rejected goods into a pile. “No, no, no. This isn’t what I’m looking for, no. These scarves are Midnight Blue, not Dark Royal Blue!” he harrumphed, throwing yet another scarf. “Dark Royal is the shade that has the best synergy with my eyes. Midnight is so jejune, sirs.”

But before he could dig through the merchandise and make an even bigger mess, one clawed paw from one of the exasperated shopkeepers extended a light blue scarf. Icetales perked up and stared intently at it.

“Hmm… Ocean Blue? Well, it’s a touch too light, perhaps, but it shall suffice,” he said, taking the scarf in his paw. “…Yes. Yes, I’ll make do with this. Much appreciated, good sirs.”

He wrapped the tip of one of his tail around the scarf and walked toward the exit — much to the relief of the shopkeepers — when his gaze lingered on a light gray fedora exposed on a shelf. With his curiosity piqued, he strode toward the hat and tilted his head.

“A fedora…” he mumbled to himself, while his free tails quivered. “Should I… get one? It might ruffle my fur, but some protection from the sun during the most heated days is a potential benefit that I cannot ignore. However… what color would best suit my persona? Hm…”

And so he restarted searching with renewed fervor, while the shopkeepers mentally begged for anyone to come to their help…

 

[Ambyssin]

Curious. So very curious. Bahamut had been lounging in some trees near the road between the shops and the main square when he hard a commotion. Cynthian, apparently, fell victim to the parasites. Shades, if Bahamut was getting the terminology correctly. Bahamut laid low, considering sniping the roselia from a distance with a blast of psychic energy, but some of his teammates seemed to have handled things. Though they came close to making things worse, too.

Sighing, Bahamut placed his upper wings under his head and looked to the orange, sunset sky.

I assume you're listening. He didn't bother addressing Diyem by name. There was no point. It would seem that the energy you were so insistent we shouldn't take saved one of your summons from falling prey to these parasites. Yellow and orange expanded in his eyes. Which, therefore, begs the question of why you were so insistent we refuse this light.

If you ask me, I think it's because of something you're keeping hidden from us. So, what is it?

 

[Cresselia92]

The next day after the fateful encounter with Darkwhite at the beach, Icetales was checking out the marketplace once more.

No, he was not looking for a fedora anymore — he realized that, aside from flattening his fur, it would have made it harder to orient his ears to listen to folks — but rather he was looking for a book. Or a few books, perhaps, depending from how much stuff could fit into his bag.

The encounter with the twisted daemon made him realize that his current set of moves was inefficient, and he was in dire need of a general update. As such, he was looking for some detailed book with training methods and techniques for Ice-types like him. Perhaps he could find some technique to mess up with a daemon’s powers? But what? A status move, maybe?

Without realizing at first, he reached a lone stand brimming with books of all kinds and sizes. Most of them were worn-out, dusty and pretty old, but they were still perfectly readable. Besides, ancient texts had a special charm that greatly fascinated him.

“Ah! Excellent! Now, hmm… Is there some book about training and Ice-types?” he said with a grin, before raising on his hind paws and checking the covers. He was so assorted in his search that he didn’t sense the approaching presence…

 

[Shiny Phantump]

After arriving from the woodlands, Celeste looked up and down the marketplace stalls. He whispered to Cynthian. “Which of these do you think sells cause-play things?”

 

[Persephone]

Cuicatl stumbled into the strange scents of the marketplace. Her steps slowed and eventually she stopped altogether, losing the will to walk. She plopped down without a shred of grace. A small part of her noted that she barely felt the fall, especially compared to the pain of every trip back home.

Home.

Cuicatl looked up and shot a small burst of dragonfire into the air to remind herself that she could. Such a great change. The universe finally making up for a lifetime of bad luck. Did she deserve it anymore? She'd killed her brother and was willing to leave her sister in bondage and her... daughter without a mother. But home had never been half as good to her as this world.

She didn't believe in eternal punishment in the same way that Genesis did. But she increasingly wondered if her first instincts about this place were right. She had died. This was hell. In the end she'd tear her soul out and stomp on it to stay and then it would be taken away anyway.

That's just how the world worked.

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave sipped his beer at a table in the full curry restaurant, waiting for his food. The waiters had tried very hard to sell him the Great Curry Bowl Challenge, which as far as he could tell was some combination of obvious scam and excuse for the God Squad's Snorlax to eat for free. He'd just gone for a regular-sized curry instead, like a sensible person, and hoped it'd live up to the place's reputation among the group.

 

[Cresselia92]

“…Yes. Apologies, good sirs, for inconveniencing you in such way with this last minute notice. There had been a fair amount of… hindrances, and I could not amend my order sooner.” He bowed with respect at the two Kecleon, before showing an apologetic expression. “As such, um, could you both send my orders to the Marowak Dojo… plus the extra materials I have written on that note? I shall arrange the transfer to the new location personally.”

After getting the answer he needed, Icetales took a deep breath and wiped his sweaty ears with a tail. “Phew! At long last! This was the last shop. I ought to go back to the dojo for the time being and get everything sorted for the pickup.”

And so, the Vulpix strode through the plaza, holding a rough map of the new location with his leftmost tail. He took a quick glance and perked up when he spotted a location in particular: a library! His heart wallowed in delight, thinking about the countless of books of foreign nature he would be reading from now onwards.

Feeling in high spirits, son? Thou dost not deserve to be happy, art thee aware of that?

Icetales faltered at hearing the odious voice ringing in his head. But… no. He wouldn’t pay attention to it, no. He kept walking, albeit at a more sedate pacing.

How long will it be until thy spirit cracks once more? And once more? And one time too many? And then, what will happen? Those ‘friends’ of thine will turn tails on thee, recognize what irredeemable rubbish thou art, and cast thee away? Because that is what thee deserve as a bas—

“Hush! I do not desire to hear any more words coming out of thy filthy muzzle, Father!” whispered Icetales irately, his fur standing up and glistening with frigid energy. “I am in no mood of conversing with a fiendish specter like thee! So, leave me in peace!”

He stood in the middle of the path, glaring at his surroundings and flicking his ears.

He waited a minute. Another minute. Five more minutes. No more voices bothered him anymore, and he took a sigh in relief.

He knew that he couldn’t get rid of his past and that his demons would have kept plaguing him for as long as he lived, but at least those were just voices and he could repel them? …The thought made his stomach twist and churn. Incorporeal as they might be, their words were still as sharp as blades.

…I ought to take some medication, perhaps. I never bothered much with that mind-cleansing garbage at home, but it might be required here. This… war is digging out the worst side of me…

He groaned inwardly and shook his head, before restarting his trip toward the dojo.

I shall concern with such dilemma in due time and drink a stronger extract of chamomile every night. The move to the new location and the preparation for the festival should have my priority. Who knows… perhaps I could take some inspiration from the new location to craft something even more grandiose than the original project? Could this be a blessing in disguise?

He looked up at the sky.

May the heavens lead my path. The deities know I will need that.

Without a second thought, he rushed toward the dojo. A brave new location awaited him.

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[NebulaDreams]

Curio took a bit of a detour after her talk with Owen at the dojo. She just happened to stop by a drink place on the way. No, seriously, that was a coincidence. And she wasn't stopping to get a stiff drink -- she was in a good mood and preferred a treat, like a cup of cocoa. Like a moth to a flame. It was better than throwing up in a ditch somewhere.

The town seemed eerie without everybody else here. Surely, there were a few more that hadn't crossed the portal yet. Well, whoever crossed paths with her at this moment, she was sure she'd have a nice chat with them to pass the time anyway. Right?

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut was unsure why he let Owen pester him into this ridiculous farce. He couldn't even taste the food in question for pity's sake. The curry would hit the light underneath his beak and... vanish. And this continued for every spoonful he took. Eventually when the bowl was at a reasonable proportion left Bahamut just poured it into his beak to get it over with. Again, it all disappeared into thin air.

The necrozma set the bowl down. "Okay. So, what was the point of that?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

"God this place smells even better than I remember," Starr remarked as she pushed open the doors to Precise Tastes and was immediately met with a wave of heavenly spices. Why the hell hadn't she come back here ages ago? Sure Destiny Village had plenty of great places to eat, but she wasn't wrong to remember this place as having the best damn curry she'd ever eaten.

Starr's eyes slid to the menu displays on the wall behind the front counter. There was a photo of that ridiculously oversized bowl that had knocked most of the team on their asses last year. The picture was surrounded by dramatic text explaining the nature of the challenge, as well as photos of the few people who'd managed to clear it. Maple was up there, naturally. Also Bahamut for some reason.

"...Fuck it. Who cares if I can't finish it, I want one of those," she said, pointing to the Great Curry Bowl Challenge.