~I entered the city gates around dusk, and looked around at the barely functioning town, a typical sight for these times. I looked out for, and spotted the two buildings most important to me: The shop and the inn.~

"Hello customer!" The shopkeeper said to me as I padded up to his shop. "What can I interest you in?"

"I'd like to buy some Oran and Tomato berries if you have any in stock." I said kindly to him.

"Of course." He replied, looking through and pulling out 4 Oran berries and 7 Tomato berries. "Would you like them all?"

"Yes sir." I responded politely to him, something most Pokemon seem to have forgotten how to do.

"Your total comes to 61P." He said as he bagged up my products.

~I proceeded to pay for them, heading towards the inn to rent a room for the night. Inside my room, I placed my rucksack on the bed beside me, and promptly passed out. The next day, I woke up feeling refreshed, and ready to continue on my journey. I left the room and headed out the town's Northern gate, planning to head towards Shiver City. I have no reason to actually go there, unless you count the thrills of adventuring a good reason. As I left the town, I ate a single Oran berry for breakfast, feeling energized and ready for the journey. Soon after I left the town, I came across a traveling group of three Pokemon. The group consisted of a Machoke, a Marshtomp, and a Togepi. Figuring it'd make the journey a little more safer, I decided to journey alongside them until we had to go our separate ways.~

"Always happy to have another adventurer along!" The brawny Machoke said cheerfully. He carried a lot of supplies on him, giving off the vibe of a merchant.

"Yea, it's always pretty cool to see a new face." The much more lax Marshtomp said, looking up at the sky. He wore a scarf around his neck, and it looked custom made, he also carried a few more in his rucksack, meaning he may be talented in scarf making.

"Yay a new friend!" The Togepi happily exclaimed. She seemed young, but excited to adventure.

~We walked along for a while in silence after that, then the Togepi suddenly piped out a good idea to pass the time~

"Hey! How about we all tell stories? That seems like a fun idea!" The young Togepi said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Yea.. sounds like a good idea.. Everyone else agree?" The Marshtomp asked.

"Yea, sounds good!" Machoke and I unanimously say, liking the idea.

"Ok, I'll start!" The Togepi says excitedly. "So, a long time ago, there was a beautiful princess who ruled over a kingdom. Everything was peaceful, until one day, a Salemance kidnapped the princess, and took her to his cave! The kingdom was at a loss, but then, a lone knight offered to help. The knight swore upon his sword that he would rescue the princess, and so off he went, braving the many dangers on his way to Salemance's keep! He had finally come face to face with the fearsome Pokemon, and engaged in a battle to the death! All seemed well for the knight as he had the upper hand, but then in a swift move, the Salemance BIT his head off! The knight died a very bloody death, and they all lived unhappily ever after, except for the Salemance! The end."

~After hearing this young Pokemon's story, I was heavily concerned with her idea of a fairy tale, and the others appeared to have the same thought. At least she didn't follow the happy ending cliche though, so the twist at the end was entertaining.~

"Alright.. Looks like it's my turn." The Marshtomp said. "A very short time ago, in a kingdom that wasn't so far away, there was a group of Pokemon on an expedition through the snowy mountains. One of the Pokemon, a Mime Jr., fell into a crevice after slipping on a soft spot in the snow. The Mime Jr. woke up about ten minutes later, finding herself not trapped, but at the entrance to some sort of cave in the crevice. Naturally, as an explorer, she entered the mysterious cave, preparing herself for whatever she may find, however, nothing could have prepared her for this discovery. She had stumbled across an ancient treasure room, filled with piles of Poke, Gold Scarves, and other valuable items. When she tried to pocket some however, a group of Ghost types appeared, and attacked without hesitation. A drawn out battle ensued between them, but in the end, the Mime Jr. emerged as the victor, besting the spirits that guarded the treasure. She pocketed whatever treasure she could into her bag, and ventured deeper into the caves, hoping now to find a way out of the crevice. She found an exit that led off the side of the mountain, and in a moment of faith, she leaped into the snow below, tumbling down the mountain side. She suffered minor injuries only, and when she made it back to the town, she was a hero, and donated much of her treasure to those in need.. The end."

~We all seemed to agree that this story wasn't bad at all, and even held a positive feeling at the end. Perhaps that feeling was due to the desire to see more Pokemon do this again, but we didn't think too hard on that, we were busy enjoying ourselves after all.~

"My turn then!" The Machoke said. "Okay so, there was once a small Pokemon that loved to play pretend. His favorite game was shopkeeper, where he and his friends would trade rocks and sticks like currency. The child Pokemon favored this game, and soon had an idea. He would collect a lot of useless items, then trade them in for a single item that held some value. After doing this multiple times, he soon found himself in possession of items worth a lot of Poke. This Pokemon gained street smarts in what others would give for certain items, and started making a fortune through this way of life. However, he wasn't in it just for the Poke, as he truly enjoyed bartering with other Pokemon. Soon he left home, and grew strong as he ventured the open world, trading items with Pokemon everywhere he went. The end."

~It didn't take much thought to realize this was a story about himself, but either way, we all enjoyed it. Then I realized it was my turn to tell a story, so I quickly thought up a plot to spin into a story.~

"Alright, I got one." I said, ready to spin my tale. "Once upon a time, there were a gang of thieves who dreamed of making it big, but they couldn't figure out how. One day, as they all were thinking of a new idea, a strange new Pokemon confronted them, telling them of an ingenious plan to really be on top. He gained their attention, spilling his detailed plan of taking over the crown, and though the crooks were hesitant, they soon agreed to the crazy plan. One day, after much preparation and conditioning, they stormed the palace, killing many royal guards in a bloody brawl. Eventually, they breached into the main chambers, confronting the royal family. The King and Queen fought back many of the criminals, but soon fell in battle. The new leader of the once common criminals assumed the role of King, leading the Kingdom to its ruin. As for the Princess, some say she was killed in the fight, while others say she managed to escape after being heavily wounded, though none know for sure.. The end."

~I bowed for them as they clapped, and only moments later, the group I was traveling with had to branch off in a separate direction. As a parting gift, the Machoke gave me some Oran and Pecha berries. As I continued walking, on my own now, I ate an Oran berry, hoping that would last me through the night. After a while of traveling alone, I neared the gates to Shiver City.~

"Finally.. I've made it.." I say to myself as I walk up to the gates, ready to fall asleep in a cozy bed.

"Unfortunately for you.. this is where your journey ends.." A voice emanates from the darkness, sending a chill down my spine.