Epsilon: *buzzing to himself while reading a book on the floor*
Rocco: *staring at the same book intently*
Ava: *peers through the open window with a wide smile* Hello, everyone!
Epsilon: Oh, hey there Ava. What's with the cheery mood?
Ava: BM asked me to do one of his, uh, talking things? The one where he talks to the vee-yuu-wers? Vuuwers?
Epsilon: *chuckles* You mean the introductions? If so, I recommend you do it now.
Ava: Huh? Ah, hello dear veeweers! Welcome to another capiter of R-
Epsilon: Chapter.
Ava: Yes, that. Welcome to another chapter of Roadtrip, whatever that is. I don't know what a road is and I thought a trip was a thing you did, not something you read. Also-
Epsilon: Ahem.
Ava: Oh, right! Well, sorry if this oop-load is so late. BM says it's because of cool-egg stuff and his lap-te-oop broke. He says he's sorry.
Ava: That should be all for this, right?
Epsilon: Yup, good enough. On to the chapter!
Dsclmr : Seriously, does anyone care about these anymore?
The Hearthome Gym was quite a bit bigger in comparison to the one in Oreburgh. In sharp contrast to the dark orange rock and fresh mountain air surrounding the latter, the former was surrounded by sprawling blocks of buildings of various sizes and shapes. The air wasn't as fresh as in Oreburgh but it was serviceable.
With Josh and Ruby busy exploring the city, Tyler and his team decided to visit the Gym by themselves. Though he still felt rather tired, it was nothing a quick massage from an overly enthusiastic Sylveon couldn't fix.
"Quite a bit bigger than Oreburgh, huh?" Tyler commented as he and his Pokemon approached the Gym.
Entering from the large sliding doors, the group took a good look around the interior of the space. Inside, it had a noticeable darker theme compared to the one in Oreburgh, quite fitting for the type specialty it has, with shades of violet and very dark gray lining the walls and ceiling. Since it was right around lunch time, there weren't too many people and Pokemon around.
Within mere moments, pretty much all of his team except Ava lazily flopped themselves on a nearby couch. Tyler sighed lightly and with an eye roll made his way to the receptionist with the blue Ice type in tow.
"Wow, this place is amazing! What is it called again, a gee-yum?" Ava asked as Tyler responded with a chuckle. As they reached the front desk, the bored receptionist perked up.
"Good afternoon… how may I help you?" He greeted in a less than energetic tone.
"Hi there, I was wondering if I could schedule a Gym battle. Tomorrow would be ideal." Tyler responded while checking the calendar on his phone.
"Sure…. Trainer ID please…" The receptionist asked. Tyler opened his wallet and handed it over. As the receptionist began registering the information, he paused and raised his eyebrow.
"Tyler Whiting? Fantina's been expecting you. Just go through the door on your right and up the elevator to the top floor." He explained as he handed Tyler's ID back. Tyler looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression but nodded anyways.
"Huh, what does that mean?" Ava inquired, receiving a shrug from Tyler.
"I guess Fantina wants to see us." Tyler pondered for a quick moment on what would be the reason as he walked over to the seating area where the rest of his team waited. As he opened mouth and was about to speak, his phone buzzed. As he picked up, he noted the sound of rushing wind from the other side.
["Uh, hello?"]
["Hey there, Tyler."]
["Oh hey, what's up Lucas?"]
["Wanted to check up on you. You feeling better?"]
["Still a bit tired and achy but otherwise fine. Where are you, by the way? I can hear like, wind noise or something."]
["Oh yeah, I'm flying to Sunyshore City. Got a report to check on something there, you know, regular stuff. Anyways, I also wanted to tell you that Fantina and the other gym leaders wanted to see you."]
["Ah right, I'm actually at Fantina's Gym right now. Just checked in with the receptionist."]
["Oh that's great! Well, I'll be landing soon, I'll see you later."]
["Catch you later, Lucas."]
So the other gym leaders also want to talk to me? Man, this must be a huge deal.
Tyler pocketed his phone and gestured for his team to get up and follow him towards the direction the receptionist pointed at.
"Who was that? Lucas?" Jewel asked as she strolled up beside him, who clearly hadn't paid attention to the phone call very much. Tyler nodded as he pushed and held a glass door aside to let the others pass first.
"Yup. Was just calling to check up on me and about the meeting with Fantina and the others." Tyler clarified with Jewel tilting her head slightly in confusion.
Oh right, should probably tell them about that too.
"Apparently, the other gym leaders also want to see us as well." Tyler added. Jewel nodded with an 'oooh' of understanding.
"Hmm, peculiar. How will we manage that?" Noir inquired, striding by Tyler's other side.
"Probably a video call or something. Whatever it might be, it must be incredibly important." He concluded as he stepped into the large elevator, holding the door open for the rest.
Pressing the button for the top floor, the elevator closed and began moving upwards.
"Do you think it may be about the incident at the ruins?" Epsilon buzzed his question.
"Dunno but it's possible." Tyler remarked with a shrug.
I wonder if mom or Lucas have told Fantina about it, though.
…
In a large, rather dimly room overlooking the Gym's middle arena, Fantina sat at the end of a large table. No longer in her aging but still lustrous purple dress that she wears during Gym battles, she crossed her hands and sighed. She wore a slight smile after having a nice battle with a Gym challenger who eventually lost.
She reexamined the document on the laptop in front of her with a sigh, skimming over it. Her eyes landed back onto the main content as she analyzed it one more.
It was then a buzzer rang from the front door. Fantina looked over, stood up and walked over to the door, opening it.
"Good afternoon, ma'am- er, Miss Fantina." Tyler greeted awkwardly with an outstretched hand, his team greeting her as well. Fantina giggled lightly before shaking his hand.
"Just Fantina is fine, darling. You must be Tyler, yes? Tyler Whiting?" Fantina asked with the young man nodding in response.
"Yup, that's me. So, you wanted to see me?" Tyler confirmed with a nod. Fantina nodded back lightly and gestured them to come inside. Closing the door behind them, she led Tyler and the others into the meeting room.
As Fantina turned up the brightness of the lights, Tyler's eyes landed on the on the large TV at the far end of the meeting table which showed the main menu of a video meeting app.
Man, did that thing spread fast. One day it's Skype then bam, that shows up.
"Please make yourselves at home. Now, the meeting should start in around an hour. I hope you don't have any important business, do you Tyler?" Fantina inquired as she sat back down in her chair. Tyler pulled a chair beside her while shaking his head.
"Nah, nothing for today. Though, I'd like to battle you after the meeting's done. Ah, if you're fine, that is." Tyler said with a snap of his fingers. Fantina giggled slightly and gave him a small smile.
"Sure thing, Tyler. I heard you're quite the battler so it's only fair that I don't hold back, alright?" Fantina said with smile. Tyler flashed a determined grin and nodded.
"Oh right, before I forget. Tyler, do you mind telling me on what happened in the Solaceon Ruins? I already got a report from Lucas but I would like to hear it from your point of view." Fantina inquired. Tyler flinched slightly as he replayed the incident in his mind before exhaling slightly as Jewel wrapped a ribbon around his arm. Fantina looked at him with a concerned expression.
"Well uh, it's a long story." Tyler admitted with a light chuckle, feeling a bit better. Fantina smiled slightly and nodded, getting comfortable in her seat.
"I'm all ears, sweetheart." Fantina said as Tyler began.
…
"That's awful, dear." Fantina muttered in shock. Tyler nodded, toying with his fingers.
"I was…. I was scared, you know?" He muttered with an exhale. Fantina closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, thinking hard.
"What you describe is strange, very strange. I've heard of sleeping people being afflicted by Dreameater before but never a fully awake person. The strength of such a move… I fear it may be like the others." Fantina muttered as she took a sip from her cup of tea.
Wait, where'd she get that- woah!
Tyler flinched as he stared at a floating glass of water in front of him. A purple mass suddenly began to fade in around it as it manifested into a Gengar, startling Tyler and the others.
Noticing Tyler's discomfort, Fantina placed down her cup.
"Oh dear. Tyler, this is Magnolia. Magnolia, Tyler. Don't worry, she won't hurt you." Fantina introduced in an attempt to calm him down.
"Hey, hey, take it easy." Magnolia spoke in a surprisingly kind, ethereal voice. Tyler eventually calmed from his panic attack and shook his head in embarrassment.
"Sorry, sorry. It's still fresh." Tyler shook his head and outstretched his hand towards Magnolia, with the Ghost type shaking it. He noted how strange her touch felt, almost like pressurized air on his hands.
"I'm Tyler, nice to meet you. Sorry for all that." Tyler apologized with his greeting. Magnolia nodded and flashed him an apologetic smile. Or rather, more apologetic smile, considering she's a Gengar.
"No worries, I should've paid more attention to your story. Actually, speaking of…" Magnolia began tapping her… chin?
"Being a Gengar myself and the wild Gengar I know, they never act like how you described. I mean, I love a good Dreameater now and then, but even I know not to attack anything awake with it." Magnolia surmised, a devious grin flashing across her face for a split second before fading immediately upon noticing Tyler's discomfort, chuckling nervously.
During all this, Fantina was busy doing something on her laptop. She placed it down on the table and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Alright, it's time for the meeting. Everyone, sit down please." Fantina announced. One by one, everyone took a seat and turned towards the screen at the far end.
"Good afternoon, everyone." Roark greeted with a wave. Alongside him were the other Gym leaders, totaling seven including Fantina.
"Heya, Roark. Hello everyone!" Tyler greeted. The respected gym leader nodding back with a smile as the others greeted as well.
"Wahaha, you must be Tyler huh? Nice to meet ya!" Wake greeted jovially with a guffaw.
"Oh, we seem to be missing Volkner. Where is he?" Gardenia pondered. At this, a dark-haired girl perked up.
"Volkner said he had to deal with something in his town, yes. Lucas told us about it." Candice elaborated. Gardenia snapped her fingers and nodded in understanding.
"Right, sorry. Forgot to read the chat. Had to rest a lot lately." She admitted with a solemn expression as she glanced outside the window. At this, Maylene decided to perk up.
"Hey now, don't be so down sister! Gotta keep that chin up, a few bad Scythers aren't enough to take down a strong tree like you." She encouraged. Though it didn't fully turned Gardenia's mood around, she smiled slightly at the effort.
"On the topic of that, why don't we proceed with the meeting?" Fantina announced with a cough. A round of agreements later, she and the others pulled up their own documents.
"Well then, you lot won't mind if I start off first, right?" Crasher Wake inquired. The others shook their heads as his expression hardened.
"From the report of the area, thankfully nobody was hurt in the initial blast. The marshlands are closed to the public on stormy days, after all. Some folks near it were rattled by the blast but nothing more. Unfortunately, can't really say the same about the Pokemon living in the marshlands. Again, praise be Arceus that there weren't any losses of life but a good number of them were injured, somewhere in the fifties." Crasher Wake muttered through gritted teeth.
"As most of you guys already know from the crap ton of news coverage about it, some strange 'rifts', as the glasses folk call them, have opened in the marshlands. Of course, we've decided to shut it down indefinitely for the time being as we try to look into the damn things." He finished. The other gym leaders nodded thoughtfully, some of them even writing notes.
"Do let any of us know if you need any assistance, Wake." Fantina offered. Crasher Wake smiled gratefully and nodded with a grunt.
"Thank you, 'Tina." He thanked as he leaned back into his seat, indicating it was someone else's turn to speak.
"Hey hey, I would like to discuss the Lake Verity incident, yes. May I?" Candice offered with various signs of affirmation from the other Gym Leaders.
"We can help explain the situation too." Tyler said as he gestured to most of his team. Candice tilted her head slightly in confusion before realization struck her.
"Oh, interesting! Do tell us everything you know about it, yes? We can only work with the aftermath so much." She said jovially. Tyler nodded and began to recall the whole incident.
…
From the harsh shine of the midday sun, a silhouette emerged from the sky. Purple wings flapped slower and slower as the Crobat landed on the ground. Atop his back, Lucas climbed down as he wiped some sweat from his brow due to the heat. He gave Nocturne, the Crobat, a good pat and scratch on his side, the Poison Flying type appreciating the gesture.
"Good work, bud. Now since it's really hot, d'you wanna stay inside or out?" Lucas offered, a ball in hand. Nocturne shook his head rapidly.
"Nuh-uh, you can keep the heat for yourself. Let me in." He commented with a glance towards the sun. Lucas chuckled and clicked the ball to recall him. He placed the ball back into his satchel and made his way towards the digsite, greeting the workmen and Pokemon with a wave.
In the distance, he spotted the tent that Vince specified. Around it, a few of the workers had already gathered, forming a sizeable crowd. His brow furrowed in curiosity as he walked at a slightly hastened pace.
"Excuse me, comin' through." He muttered as he squeezed past the crowd and into the tent. Inside the tent, Lucas noticed Vince and Will in front of a table with various looks of concern on their faces.
"Hey, Vince? Will? What's up?" Lucas greeted as he strode over to them. The two archaeologists looked up and gave a short greeting. Lucas also noticed that Tesla was on top of the table, sniffing at a particular spot.
"Ah, good to see ya, Lucas. We've a bit of predicament, 'ere." Will confessed. Lucas instinctively turned to Vince for an explanation.
"Right. Will and his team here discovered an ancient plate of some sorts. It was fire themed of sorts and was incredibly old, at the very least a millennia. Really interesting piece." Vince explained. Lucas nodded and pointed at Tesla on the table, who stopped and began sniffing Lucas' finger instead. Vince began explaining their problem.
"Ah well, that's bec-"
"SOMEONE STOLE IT! I'LL GET THEM!" Tesla barked enthusiastically, startling Lucas and Wil. Vince, who was unfazed by the sudden increase in volume, simply sighed.
"Tesla, we've been over this. Look, there's no certainty someone stole it. They could've just-"
"NO! I'm sure of it!" Tesla barked adamantly, catching Vince off guard. He continued sniffing at the table, getting closer and closer to the far end of the table. He sniffed it again before a confident smile formed on his green muzzle.
"I FOUND IT! LET'S GO!" He yipped before jumping off the table and ran outside the tent. Vince staggered backwards slightly before chasing after his electric buddy. Lucas and the others gave chase as well.
"Tesla, slow down!" Vince yelled as he chased Tesla through the digsite, weaving inbetween mounds of dug up dirt and bounding over rocks. In the distance, he noticed Tesla climbing up an embankment and running into the nearby forest.
Vince groaned in annoyance as he got up after slipping on some dirt, eyeing his dirtied clothes with a frown and sigh. He muttered something about rolled up newspaper and how Tesla was 'gonna get it' when Tesla dove into a nearby bush.
"Damn it, Tesla. Wh-" Vince exclaimed as he stopped in front of the bush. Tesla suddenly leaped out of the bushes with a piece of paper in his mouth.
"The trail enfs ere buh I found somefhing!" He exclaimed in a muffled tone. Vince took the piece of paper and began reading it. His eyes widened at the contents.
In it was a phone number and the sentence 'You need my help.'
On the very bottom was the Team Galactic insignia.
BM : *appears in a puff of smoke* Boy, this one took foreeeeeeever to finish. Thanks, procrastination and Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. Anyways, that's all for this one.
Epsilon and Ava: What the f-