20: The Merchant: Thud. I land right on my front again. At least the bird centipede is no longer clutched around my leg. Like Pokemon in all Mystery Dungeons, they disappear when you leave the floor. Unbelievable to think of that thing as some undiscovered Pokemon species. I pull myself up and the pain from the landing spreads fast, worse than my last poor landing. It’s growing on my sides too with how that steel monster tossed me across the room. It’s a warm sensation that stings if I move my arms the wrong way. I must be black and blue all across my torso. “Run,” the voice says. It’s always urging me if I’m ever still for seconds. It’s annoying, but it does keep snapping me out of my absent mind. Plus I really don’t want to learn more about the…

Chapter 14: Mending and Moving on: Earlier that same night… Unsatisfied with what happened in the office lately, Squawks would whisper at Miranda, “Hey M’lady, I had to wonder why’d you bother intervene with that show and give away our Perfect Apples? You should’ve honestly let that go on and blow up the guild! That’d been the show worth the popcorn!” “Agreed.” Bibbles supported. “Also, why did you not report the assault that Luxio did to us while we’re ‘trying to help them’ with their mission? He deserves a heavier punishment like, getting banned from the expedition or getting his badge revoked; heck even seeing him in a wanted poster would be priceless!” The buzzed feline groaned in irritation as she raised her right paw, into a fist, before giving…

Chapter 5: Excadrill: “That was a serious breach of protocol,” Charizard was saying. “You exposed yourself to the whole area. No doubt they're analyzing the footage of you right now.” Braixen stood with his head bowed in shame. “Yes sir.” They were in Charizard’s office, a place Braixen had never been before. The dragon towered over him, every scale of him breathing indignation. “And on top of that,” Charizard went on, “you assisted a Type: Null! What were you thinking? Do you realize it could have stabbed out your heart with the twitch of a leg?” “Yes sir,” said Braixen mechanically. “It was too miserable to hurt me, sir.” “How did you know?” Charizard demanded. “Did it speak to you?” “A few words, sir,” said Braixen. He…

A place to stay: Written by: BananaSpy There is a lot of unwritten laws surrounding ghost possessions. They are seen as a two way street - you give your own power to the living, and in return, they will help you accomplish whatever unfinished business you had left. Mutual respect and borders are key to such a relationship - After all, you will share the mind and body with this person for the rest of their life. George Bryton's "Ghost Culture", page 26 The quest room of the Averil family was comfy, despite its size. With the family's blessing, Harmony transformed it into her little den. She bought a used PC, moved in a bookcase from the living room, and lined the walls with purple lights. There was also a huge board where she would lay out all the clues…

1.1.14 – Review, of The Greater Picture: I woke up with a massive headache today. I don’t know why, and I really can’t be bothered to figure out why. Waking up in the morning wasn’t nearly as pleasant as falling asleep was.  Going to bed was relieving, comforting, welcoming even. The tears had drained all my energy for the day and I was ready to stop thinking about anything, tucked by the words of my friends, despite all the ideas and discomforts surrounding my situation. I didn’t have to think about anything that would come to me the next day, the biggest worries on my mind being what I was going to eat before I fell asleep with an empty stomach. Right now I just dread doing anything. I’m dreading that Lilac will call with some news about my condition, something that…

The Brick: Ember grunts as she attempts to pry open his captor’s fingers to no avail. Luke, meanwhile, tries to swallow his fear. He’d gone through one harrowing experience just to be dumped straight into another. “Who are you?!” He yells, trying to galvanize his resolve. “Call me Obsidian. But, back to business. You gonna tell me which of these pouches the goods are stashed in.” “You-” Luke bites his tongue. What kind of bizarre game is this?! Obsidian would rather make him tell them where to look instead of doing it themselves? Why bother with this? Is he insane? Is he gonna just kill her anyways?  “What, do you expect us to have found some buried treasure or something?” Ember retorts in equal parts anger and desperation, trying…

Chapter 177 – A Troupe’s Second Act: George cracked up, seeing the Weavile bounce down the street. It got even funnier when he crashed into a tent, much to the bewilderment of all Pokemon nearby. No one expected a fight to break out, least of all in a market. They weren’t ferals, and this wasn’t some hunt gone wrong.    Yet here it happened, with them smack dab in the middle. Gasps sucked up half the air on the square, causing the candle-bearing street lamps to flicker. Eyes went wide, and mouths hung open as the nearby Pokemon cleared the area. Even the shopkeep took a step away.    “Like that.”   The Dewott had barely drawn his scalchops by the time the mood changed. No one laughed now; not even they did. But boy, if the temptation wasn’t…

Chapter 36 - Captives: Neuengelstadt, 10. Herbstmond, 1027 n.d.B. ​Für wen es angeht, Der Generalstabsdienst und Eure Majestät, König Siegmund von Wahrheit, sind sich wohl bewusst, dass alle Ebenen der Armee des Königreichs von Ideale die Teilnahme am Gefangenenaustausch seit über einem Monat abrupt eingestellt haben (Stand: Versand dieses Schreibens). Wir gehen davon aus, dass dies mit einen kürzlichen Vorfall zusammenhängt, bei dem die strategische Planung der intern als „Operation Zündfunke“ bezeichneten Kriegsvorbereitungen durch Agenten des Königreichs von Ideale kompromittiert wurde. Der Generalstabsdienst geht davon aus, dass die kompromittierten Informationen bis in die höchsten Führungsebenen weitergeleitet wurden, da dieses Verhalten eine…