A test of might in the greenland [Event]

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The undying forests were a strange site on the eastern lands. From Grassveil to the eastern coast one would expect to see a transition from greenery to barren wastelands. Instead, amidst the journey, one may encounter the Everspring Vale. Still, if one was to get to the Eastern Desert, they would have to get through this Vale or find a way around it... Or so a young Sandshrew thought, approaching the limits of this unexpected overflowing garden. That would be the only way he could describe it, garden, as every single tree looked youthful and the leaves didn't even have another colour outside of green despite winter coming close. Someone... Or something, probably the Forest Keeper, was making sure these woods remained healthy forever.

The Sandshrew took a deep breath and looked at himself. An average two feet tall rodent with the usual pointy ears, pattern and tail yet unusually barbed claws, a scarred eye and nose, standing on all fours. Around his neck would be a pink Trap Scarf bestowed upon him by a lost mentor while a belt traveled from his shoulder to his hip, where it wrapped around it and was held tight by a buckle. Hanging from the sides where two bags, one small on his left containing a few berries he could use to recover as well as a Revival Seed and some other seed and orb with which to get around the issue of powerful feral Pokémon, too strong to face head on.

On his right, he carried the few Poké he could spare, some reliable 20 coins with a 'P' engraved, and a crystal with which he could unleash great power if it was ever needed. Having checked that everything was in place, the Sandshrew, named Yigo, decided to venture in, ready to test his strength and endurance with a wish to return to the land and family that watched him grow. And so, with steady steps and into the corridors formed by carefully grown and tended to trees and brushes, another adventure began.

"If we're not the only ones looking, isn't it a good thing to be making haste?" Opal replied in observation, "If we want to eat the food, we have to get to it before someone else."

She then added in a joking manner, "You're not getting tired, are you?"

As the growlithe continued her pace, though making sure to check on Yigo, she noticed another pair of pokemon, a bibarel and sentret. Neither caused her alarm, however, for they were minding their own business, each enjoying a berry under the shade of a large, leafy tree. They weren't the food items she'd sensed, but it did serve to prove her point.

[Energy => 4 + 1 (Page Regen) = 5]

This fiery ally was rather impulsive. Despite being an explorer, she didn't seem to mind much getting exposed to traps or ambushes. Maybe she was feeling that safe because she was expecting Yigo to cover her in case anything nasty happen...

...but seeing how playful she was acting by egging him on to go on faster to not miss on the catch, he could hardly tell if she was just indulging that kiddish side of her or if she was as hungry as Yigo. Speaking of which, his senses didn't lie to him as he could observe while behind the Growlithe a pair of Pokémon enjoying a berry between the two. A rather odd sight when the usual for Yigo is spotting Pokémon fighting for supplies rather than share them.

Whichever the case was, that meant that there was one less berry to be obtained. Maybe that was why she was hurrying? Could the gem tell her that too?

[Energy: 1]

Opal began to slow down after a short while. The pair had arrived in a moderately sized clearing, and the smell of food was quite strong now. Yes, the growlithe thought, this had to be where her fiery gem had been leading her.

"Well, here here!" Opal announced to Yigo with a beaming smile, "And look! There's even more food than I anticipated!"

Indeed, the ground was practically laden with berries and gummis waiting to be found by perceptive explorers. There was plenty for both growlithe and sandshrew to eat. They would be able to fill their bellies and take some to have later.

As the race came to a halt, Yigo could realise that what was told about the fiery gem had more credibility. Not only there was food for them both... But much much more. They could stuff themselves and still have to bring back. No wonder why the ferals don't fight for resources over here. If in this dungeon they grow in abundance, there is little reason for conflict.

The expression of the exploring shrew was much different than the one of the shrewd explorer, very confused and expecting a trap of sorts to spring on them. In fact, there would be no rest until he was certain that there was no threat to worry about. After all, a clearing is an easy spot to get ambushed. Perhaps Yigo was paranoid when it came to dungeons but, in his opinion, that was the norm rather than the exception. Better being safe than sorry. "Looks almost... Too good and safe. Go get a few, I'll stand on watch just in case this was some lure..."

The rodent would be looking around the clearing, trying to spot any suspicious rustling or trap tiles.

"Sure, I'm not afraid. I'll scare away anyone who tries to hurt us!"

Opal confidently marched out into the clearing. This place hadn't been very scary so far. If other pokemon did turn up now, they wouldn't have the element of surprise, anyway. Now seemed like a good time to use her Morning Sun skill, while there was minimal risk of being interrupted. It was so refreshing to feel those rays of light warming and nourishing her body.

Not long after healing herself and gathering up a decent amount of food, there was a crinkling of leaves as new arrivals entered the area. Opal's keen ears picked this up immediately and she turned around to face the potential thread. What she found before her was a pair of Vulpix. They looked to be around the same age as herself and Yigo. Their relaxed stance suggested that they had no ill intent, but they were a little cautious.

"Uh... Hello, growlithe," one piped up, "You're not gonna attack, are ya? We're not looking for a fight."

[Energy: 1+7=8]

The rustling of leaves triggered a paranoid reaction, turning around and standing on a battle-ready stance right off the bat. The Sandshrew turned his head to Opal to see if she had caught it too and it seemed so as she too was on the ready in case something happened. The newcomers seemed relaxed, almost if they had entered a street of a town so it would make sense to feel alarmed when they found two Pokémon ready to start a fight.

When one of the vulpines spoke, making clear that they didn't want a fight of any sort, Yigo turned his head away from them and dismissed them as a thread. He was curious to see if there was something else around, just in case the Vulpix were a distraction. Sniffing around, the scent could only be traced back to them, the berries and Opal. Everything seemed pretty safe. It was time for some questions then.

"We don't want one either. We sensed that there was some food here and decided to take some to continue with our journey. When you two showed up, we didn't know if you were going to pick a fight over food. Come and take some if you want. There is enough for all of us" He spoke calmly. If they don't want to fight, they might as well have them over for a quick snack. Satisfied with the friendly aura of the place, Yigo walked over Opal's side and sat down peacefully, rump on the floor and claws fidgetting with the belt's buckle to get his bag off of him fo a while. He groaned at the freedom of an unstrapped body and shook his head. Now he was ready to take a break.

"I expected this dungeon to be much more hostile. How is it that everyone here is this peaceful?" He asked, this question needing not to be addressed but interesting if it got any reply at all.

"There's lots of resources here. The plants have all the water and sun they need, which makes lots of food. We don't fight because we don't need to," the first vulpix answered, feeling quite relieved that it didn't have to fight.

"The berries grow large and are very nutritious. Same for gummis." the second added with a nod and a smile. She was the more confident of the two, and the first to walk up to join the explorers. The other trusted this judgment and followed after a moment. It was always nice to enjoy a meal with friends, after all. The more, the merrier!

A bit strange how a paradise so plentiful lay in contrast to the desert at its very edge. If Pokémon don't need to fight at all for the berries, it may be a nice place to set up a permanent burrow should Yigo need to. He dwells on that fought for a while as he takes a berry, an Oran berry that was lying around. It fits in between his claws but it does look way bigger than those he found in Pecha Forest and not nearly less plentiful as he saw. Observing this very berry, Yigo couldn't help but smile as he played with its weight and bounced it in between his claws "It's quite big, yes, ha!"

He was starting to relax and take this area as "safe". There was nothing to worry about, right? Knowing this, knowing that this dungeon may be a good resting stop without any danger meant that he could probably come to the desert and return without issues. His stomach growled to that though, seeing no more reason to delay a well-deserved snack. And how so with such a berry in his hands? Yigo lay down on his berry, placed the berry on the ground in front of him, held on the sides by his claws and started nomming at it without a worry.

"You're really quite lucky, you know," Opal said cheerily, "There's not nearly this much food where I grew up. I can't help but imagine what my family would say if they knew about a place like this. It's magnificent! It's even almost as warm as a desert!"

"Well, it is next to one," the confident vulpix answered with a laugh. She liked these new pokemon. They weren't local, but they weren't causing any harm, either. "Well, this food isn't going to consume itself. Let's eat it before it goes bad!"

Opal lay down and happily started tucking into a gummi that happened to be resting right next to her paw. The vulpix weren't wrong, these things were great! It wasn't one of her favourite reds, but the gummis here were somehow bigger than any she'd ever seen. If all the food sources here were of such high quality, it made perfect sense that things were so peaceful here.

The growlithe licked her lips and looked about to select her next morsel. It was at this moment that she noticed something that caught her interest far more than any of the food here. "That was good. I should come back here again and... oh my gosh! You have fire stones! Where did you get them?"

Opal's eyes lit up and her tail was wagging rapidly. This concerned the more timid vulpix, who thought the other fire type might want to steal them. Growlithe needed fire stones to evolve, too, after all. "They're... They're for us..."

"Yeah, they're ours. We dug up some buried treasure, but we're not really sure when to use them. We've heard it becomes harder to learn moves after you evolve." The confident vulpix wasn't afraid of the stones being stolen, but would defend her and her friend's treasures if she had to.

"Oh, I know they're yours. I don't want to steal something that belongs to another pokemon. I'm sorry if I sounded like I did," Opal apologised, then resumed her excited tone, "I just really want to find my own! I can't wait to evolve into an arcanine, and if I've come to a place where I can get one, I want to get searching!"

These Vulpix turned out to be some nice company and seeing them join in among Opal and himself felt rather comforting. It wasn't hard to imagine that there would be tribes or even villages around to take advantage of resources like those of this valley or maybe it was the lack of those the reason why everything was so plentiful. It didn't matter much as Yigo continued to nibble on the skin on the berry and started munching on the wholesome pulp, bite by bite, until energies began returning to him.

[Energy => 5 + 10 (Oran Berry) = 15]


He would stay very much quiet, allowing the fire types to chat between themselves. Not the least of reasons being that they shared a common type but also because Opal was looking rather excited to have them around. Her body language, how her tail wagged around, her cheerful attitude and her sentences said with enthusiasm... it was not surprising that it was starting to rub off. Yigo's own tail began swaying from left to right and in his snout, hidden by what was left of the berry, a smile showing his little teeth was forming. He also decided to join the conversation!

"We aren't here to steal anything" He raised his snout and sat down properly, shaking his head to get rid of any juices that may embarrass him in front of the natives "I am Yigo and I was also from the desert. I used to roam it before I got rescued to a town in the west. This is Opal" He tilts his head in her direction "She's an explorer, almost as opposite as you can get to a thief or a criminal so you can rest easy about the stones. We got here trying to reach to our homeland and maybe get a hold of some Rawst berries too" He mentioned. If they needed more evidence, Opal has a badge to prove her position.

"I always wondered how evolving through a stone must feel like. If it is as easy as finding one and poking it, one wonders why parents don't evolve you as soon as you are born!" He giggled to themselves. Imagining Arcanine acting as baby pups was a hilarious thought. Imagining them tackling a Pokémon they hold dear to cuddle and being able to topple them down like that feels warm to think about but incredibly silly as well "I wish I could evolve with a stone too" He raised one of his claws as if holding some invisible pebble "I don't think there is any Sand Stone or Earth Stone for me so I have to figure out how evolving works. Lucky you!"

"Yeah, I'm part of the Grassveil Guild," Opal said proudly. When the timid vulpix asked what a Guild was, she explained, "A Guild is a group of pokemon who do jobs for others. If someone has a problem, they can come to us and a team is sent out to help them. We do things like rescuing pokemon lost in dungeons or apprehending criminals."

"Are you and Yigo a team, then?"

"Not quite. Yigo wanted to come here, and it sounded interesting, so I took some time off to come with him."

"Oh, okay. Exploring other dungeons seems a bit scary to me. You must be so brave."

"I enjoy experiencing new sights and sounds, and smells as well," Opal shared casually. She feared little, but that didn't make the vulpix a lesser pokemon. They were just different, that's all. Both of the vulpix were nice pokemon who the growlithe would love to be friends with. She wolfed down a berry as Yigo shared his thoughts on evolution, then turned her head to address him, "I've read about different types of evolution, but I don't recall anything about sandshrew needing items. Some species need to learn certain moves or visit certain places. Maybe you're one of them? I'm not absolutely sure on that, though."

The thought of the guild made Yigo consider why he had brought Opal with him. It was not that he didn't appreciate the help but with all the rescuing and criminal capturing, he wondered why she wasn't spending her time doing that instead. After all, wasn't doing good and stopping evil more important than following some pokémon to explore the east? It didn't make much sense to Yigo and, in fact, the reasonable idea of doing guildjob was what kept Yigo away from guildmembers altogether.

When the more timid of the two Vulpix wondered if he was part of Opal's team, he shook his head in denial to add to Opal's explanation. She had her own team already with that Cimche. Still, her sentiments were relatable when it came to exploring dungeons even if Yigo grew more fond of familiar spaces by the day. When it came to the talk about evolution, Yigo couldn't help but wonder how much Opal knew about Sandshrew "As far as I know, I only need to grow stronger so, one day, I may evolve. I just... don't know when it will be if ever. I remember seeing some Sandshrew that was about double my age and that worries me a little. I am not as strong as those back home so not knowing when my time to evolve will come is scary. Not that I mind much since other Pokémon think I'm cute and often give me free food due to it but knowing that my evolution is at my claw's reach just by poking a stone seems way easier and more convenient"

"It seems like there's ups and downs to each method of evolution," Opal mused, "If you need a stone like me, you have to go and actually find one, but I suppose it is convenient to be able to choose when to evolve."

The growlithed grinned at her friend and continued, "You shouldn't worry just because you met an older sandshrew. You don't know what he has or hasn't been doing to get stronger. What matters is that you get stronger! I know I don't worry when I see strong pokemon. If anything, that just gets me more motivated!"

Opal was practically dancing with excitement as she talked. She was always eager to explore and improve. How could she not be? There was so much to do and even more to see and smell!

The memories of some evolution stones in the markets of the black peaks came to Yigo's mind. One particular shop had a few odd stones for show: one radiating with chilling energy and the other almost darkening where it stood. By the way they were protected behind glass and waiting on an ornate shelf, one would assume that they were pricey items even if many pokemon can't use them. "I have only seen stones in markets before. I never managed to find one on my own before. They must be pretty rare. It's no wonder why you got so excited at seeing some, Opal. Who says that there aren't more lying around?"

He smiled, his worries having been eased due to the Growlithe's reassuring words. Besides, it's not like he had any hurry to evolve. Life wasn't so bad for someone small and nimble such as himself. "I will get stronger, but I don't need to evolve! As I am, I'm capable to do anything I need to, and this is proof!" He stepped on the floor with force, almost causing the dirt below to shake. Opal's emotions were resonating with him strongly but he had to make sure he wouldn't harm anyone! That said, he wondered if the Vulpix felt the same.

"You are not going to evolve yet, right?" He directed towards the brown-furred 'mons "That is why you are carrying the stones without using them. Do you like being a Vulpix more than being a Ninetales?"

The timid vulpix was startled at Yigo's burst of confidence. They scuttled backwards with a small cry and tried to hide behind their braver friend, who just sighed. "You can't be like this forever, you know. Well, technically you can, but you're not gonna get far like that."

With a shake of her head, she turned to address the sandshrew directly.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, yeah, we're waitin' to evolve. I'm not worried at all about my form changing. I just don't wanna act on impulse, y'know?"

"Oh, you said earlier that you wanted to consider your moveset, right?" Opal piped up, "Pokemon that evolve from stones have a harder time learning moves. Luckily I've already got pretty good ones! I've done a lot of learning! I'm good to go as soon as I find myself a fire stone!"