Golden Grove

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[Energy: 17 - 11 (Entrance Fee) = 6]

Darcy continued her walk along the westmost road leading from Grassveil Town.  The Skitty had an excited spring in her step, and she hummed softly to herself as a gentle breeze ruffled her fur and sent the blue ribbon around her neck fluttering.  Today, she was hoping to fulfill a childhood dream of hers--she wanted to visit Fallen Leaf Copse.  Her father had taught her all about it when she was younger.  A secluded forest in the center of a lake, perpetually shrouded in autumn...  It sure sounded romantic.  Like something out of a fairy tale.   She shuddered with excitement just thinking about it.

Her parents had always forbidden her from venturing into Mystery Dungeons, but now that she was living on her own, there was nothing stopping her from exploring them at her leisure.  She knew firsthand that they could be  dangerous, but Fallen Leaf Copse was supposed to be about as tame as they could get.  It was  safe enough for many civilized Pokemon to call it home, in fact, so even if she did run into trouble she was sure that she'd be able to find help.  And besides, with how beautiful she had always imagined the place, how could she keep herself away?

As she crested a hill and the forest came into view, she certainly wasn't disappointed.  She was  tired from the long walk, and sore from her previous excursion into Pecha Forest, but all of that melted away as she took in the in the brilliant tapestry of gold and orange in front of her.  It was real after all...  She breathlessly loped down the last stretch of road and across the stepping stones that bridged the leaf-covered lake.

Darcy stared with wide eyes at the canopy above her as she hit dry ground, smiling giddily as she took a few steps forward.  Another breeze swept past her and she almost instantly became caught up in chasing after the orange leaves it sent swirling through the air.  She'd always had a weakness for chasing moving things, and with how enchanted she was by this forest, her inhibitions had all gone out the window.  The Skitty was completely oblivious to her surroundings as she gleefully frolicked around in the center of the copse's entrance, giggling as she jumped and pounced and crashed through piles of leaves.  It wasn't the most dignified activity for a member of the Grassveil Guild, but at the moment, she really couldn't care less.

Cirrus tried to force out the limp from her head for the sake of making some progress, but she found herself unable to do so entirely. All she could do on the matter was make one thing clear to Darcy. "Just promise that you won't hide this from me if it gets worse. Please?" she asked gently of her with concern ebbing from her face and particularly the eyes, hoping to not put her on the spot too much.

With that aside she was still completely up for the idea of a picnic. "I'd love to come along for that. You can both count me in~" It sounded like it would be a whole lot of fun and was thus appealing greatly to her true child. "We'll do this great as a trio, a solid one at that too."

[Energy: 6 + 1(New Page) = 7]

This seemed like a golden opportunity. Horochi had been in dungeons before, but never as part of some kind of trio, so it seemed like this would be a good learning experience for him about being on an exploration team with more than one other pokemon. "Yeah, I'd say that with all our abilities combined, we'll be able t' blow through this place like it's a leisurely stroll through Grassveil." He said with confidence. Horochi then started marching down the path that he believed led to the shrine, and also, hopefully some treasure for the three of them.

MagicalMario carried out 2 launched of one Fallen Leaf Copse :

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[Energy: 1 + 1 (New Page) = 2]

Darcy wanted to dismiss Cirrus' concerns as quickly as possible so that they could get on with their exploration, but something about how sincere the Togepi's words were made her pause.  She probably would have hidden her injury if it got worse, so that no one would have to worry, but Cirrus made her think that that might be misguided.  While Darcy wanted her friends to be happy, it seemed Cirrus wanted her to be happy just as strongly.  Taking care of her friends was the most important thing in the world to her, and she wanted to be someone that they could rely on...  But if Cirrus was anyone to judge by, they probably felt the exact same way.  Maybe she was being too hard on herself.

The thought made Darcy's expression soften, and she smiled as she let some of her worries fade away.  "Okay.  I promise," she said firmly while nodding her head.  ...She felt that she should add something else, though, as she turned her gaze to her paws.  "Um...  Thanks."

With that said, she turned around and excitedly bounded after the Torchic.  "Now let's get going!  Lead the way, Horo!" she said.  She scarcely registered any pain thanks to how uplifted she felt.  Horochi was right--together, she felt that the three of them could do anything.

(Energy: 9+1=10)

She cracked a rather reassured smile at this, gladdened by Darcy's honesty with her enough to loosen up on her concern until necessary. "Then we'll say nothing more about it and keep going for the sake of progress." Cirrus replied. So long as she was aware of when her help was needed, that was all the Togepi had asked for.

"Horo, it's all your show now. Let's move onwards~" she said to him while strolling on with them both, eyes peeled for any aggressive ferals. The Torchic definitely seemed tough and tenacious enough to tilt the odds in their trio's favor and Cirrus made sure that she was prepared to contribute to the best of her capabilities.

[Energy: 7 - 6(Feral) - 3(Feral) = 0]

Horochi was a bit surprised to see that he had actually taken the lead in this exploration. Both of his new friends had even nicknamed him "Horo", which was infinitely shorter than "the one who bullies the bully", but then again that was just a title, and not a nickname. Perhaps a combination of his perseverance and determination that had made him a natural leader, but nonetheless, he decided to ignore these thoughts and press on. Although there was one thing that he just had to get off his chest that he didn't want to share with just any body, and he hadn't seen Pilot since they parted ways after traversing Pricklemist Hill, so he figured that Darcy and Cirrus would possibly get him, so he decided to pop the question. "Hey girls, ya don' hafta answer this if ya wan' but...are ya satisfied with this world?"

"Satisfied with the world..?" Darcy said as she paused to pounce on another leaf drifting through the air. The question caught her off guard. It had been a long time since she had thought about that sort of thing. If she had been asked the same question a few weeks ago, her answer would have been an easy 'yes', but since leaving home, she wasn't so sure... These past two weeks had without a doubt been the hardest of her life, in part because they had opened her eyes to some things she could never have imagined before.

"...I think that I'm satisfied with my own life. I can't imagine having a better family. And... The same goes for my friends." She glanced at Cirrus and gave her a warm smile. "If I can live together with Pokemon like that, then I'm happy. Anyone would be."

She paused. "...But I guess not all Pokemon have that kind of chance, huh..." she muttered as she cast her gaze downward. Her mind drifted to her teammate, and the way he had been abandoned by his siblings, and to all of the job postings she had seen at the guild that were from Pokemon who were desperate or unhappy or had been victims of crime...

"...I'd be lying if I said that it didn't bother me a little," she finished while grinding the leaf into powder with her good paw. She couldn't help but wish that Horochi hadn't brought this up. She had been in such a good mood just moments earlier, and wasn't thrilled to suddenly have her mind filled with heavy thoughts. "Um... Why do you ask? And what do you think, Cirrus?" she asked distractedly as she resumed walking.

"I enjoy my own life too. I'm satisfied." she replied after spending a moment or two within silent contemplation. It certainly was a profound question. More was soon to come to her head though. "I don't know very much about this world though, so there's no way that I could speak for everyone." Cirrus added on. Her thoughts continued to swirl.

"Ever since I went out on my own, I've seen some Pokémon with less... stable pasts and differing views. I thought that I had it normal with my caring mother, nine siblings, and hidden nest. It never once crossed my mind that this wasn't the case for everyone..." she admitted to them both, aware of how this made her sound as though she'd unknowingly taken it all for granted. "For all the flaws anyone could bring up, being out in this world has been an eye opener and I'm glad for it. Before leaving the nest, that was the world as I knew it..." Like Darcy, she too had seen much in a short time.

"...Sorry, I went off on my own track there." she finished by muttering. "In a few words, I like this world. Warts and all." Her unblemished mind was truly on display.

"Really?" Horochi questioned. "Both of ya 're a'right with how this worl' turned out?" He thought about their answers for a bit. Them mentioning their families had reminded him about the fact that he had no idea where he came from, like he was some biological anomaly, although it never really bothered him since the world wasn't some stage play where he was the star. "I like it jus' the way it is too." He said with a smile. "'r at least...That's what I WOULD've said, had there not been the possibility a changin' it." He continued on, saying a misleading answer to his own question on purpose, but that didn't make it any less true. "Ever hearda this girl named Synd'r?"

Darcy nodded as she listened to Cirrus. The Togepi's experiences echoed her own... Leading a sheltered life, and being surprised upon leaving it behind.

She turned to Horochi as he spoke up. She smiled with relief when he said that he was happy with the world... Until he continued talking, and her contentment was replaced with curiosity. The mention of Synd'r in particular caused her ears to perk up.

"Oh! I've heard Pokemon talking about her at the guild, but all I know is her name!" she said while bounding closer to the Torchic. "Is that what all the fuss is about? She wants to make the world better?"

This girl must have been planning something big, if it got the attention of the guild. Darcy had been so wrapped up in her own life that she hadn't paid much attention to the discussions about her, but if it meant helping some of the Pokemon she had met, she was eager to learn more.

"Synd'r?" Cirrus had to think on that for a moment. The name certainly wasn't familiar to her. "Uhhh... Nope, it's just not ringing any bells. I've never heard of her before." It was to be somewhat expected, she didn't have the connections nor the associations with the guild that Darcy did. She wasn't at all aware of what exactly this Synd'r character was doing right now and continued listening further.

"She's wanting to make the world... better?" While it was a good thing in and of itself, Cirrus couldn't help but wonder why. The world didn't look bad enough to merit making enough efforts to catch the attention of an exploration guild. At least, going by what she saw to be the world... "Mmmh, this took a turn for the serious..." she lightly said, refocusing her attention on the forest path.

Gengarzilla carried out 10 launched of one Fallen Leaf Copse :

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Horochi was only partially surprised that both of his comrades didn't fully know about Synd'r. "Ah, well then lemme explain. I dunno what her exact goals are, but I have heard th' one sentence tha' she said which made me so interested in her. "My allies, no longer should we be imprisoned by the rules set upon us. Help me in my fight, to take over this land, and let freedom reign." I dunno what tha' exactly entails, but it got me thinkin' about my view a th' world..." Horochi stopped there. He wasn't completely sure about whether or not he agreed with what he was likely going to say next...

"Umm... You lost me..." Darcy said with a confused giggle. She wasn't sure what she had expecting, but it... certainly wasn't that. "'Rules'? Like the laws? Or does she just want to cheat at board games? And she wants to take over the world to do it..?"

She shook some fallen leaves off of her fur. "I don't really understand," she finished as she thoughtfully returned her gaze to the scenery. Maybe she was missing something, but doing away with laws didn't seem like it would help anyone. She was sure that Synd'r had her reasons, but it sounded as if the guild would be trying to stop her, if anything.

(Energy: 10-28=0)

Cirrus hadn't really absorbed much of that due to being more focused on the forest path, but it sounded as though Darcy wasn't completely on the same page with Synd'r's way of changing the world. Being the least knowledgeable out of the three regarding this topic, she decided to quietly trust her friend's judgement here. Another player in that event, Tsukishiro the Absol, would have more luck than Synd'r the Vulpix in swaying the Togepi at this point. Her thoughts were then snapped by a leaf of all things.

"Huh" she exclaimed. "Guys, check out this leaf over here..." Cirrus pointed it out to them, near the edge of the path. "This one's purple for some reason. That's really strange..." As she mused, a Cascoon observed them from within the gaps of a nearby tree's branches.

Horochi noticed that Cirrus was more focused on the path ahead of them than on their conversation about Synd'r. Maybe it was for the better that something as serious as changing the fundamental rules of society on a global scale be saved for a later time. He also noticed a green leaf among all of the red, yellow and orange ones which he silently picked up. Horochi then saw a pile of leaves on the side of the path, and seeing that Darcy was playing in them when they first met, maybe a bit of fun could brighten the mood. "Hey girls, I think it's a friggin' crime tha' we're in a place a eternal autumn an' yet we haven' done this yet." He said rushing up to the small leaf pile and leaping into it talons first...only for him to seemingly bounce right off it with a loud yelp after suddenly feeling a sharp sting in the base of his feet and landing right on the opposite side of the small leaf pile. "Urk, nevermind." He growled as he continued onward, with each step being ever so slightly more painful than the last, but he decided to just take a page from Darcy's book and just grin and bear it.

"Hm?" Darcy said as she hopped to the side of the path and leaned over the purple leaf, somewhat distracted from her conversation with Horochi. "You're right. That is strange..." she said as she turned it over with her good paw... She thought back to her mom's herbology lessons. She didn't remember any purple kinds of blight...

"I think it's just from a rare plant. I guess this means you're lucky today!" she concluded with a cheery smile. She picked the leaf up by the stem and trotted back to Cirrus, then playfully set it down on the Togepi's head. "Maybe you should keep it. I'll ask my mom if it's any good for medicine the next time I visit."

Just then, Horochi spoke his mind again. This time, it was a sentiment she fully agreed with. She was about to leap into the leaf pile after him, but the Torchic bounced right across it instead of falling in, revealing a silk-covered bug Pokemon.

"Ahh, Horo! Not you too!" she said as she took a few steps in his direction. She winced with sympathy... Her own sting had hurt worst right after receiving it. And Horochi only had two legs, so he would probably have a harder time keeping pressure off of it than she did... "Are you okay? You can ride on my back if it hurts too much..."