Daywich Haven, Tower City of Zakoss, Southern Cemetery, 1st of Year's Fall, Lunar Year 414
"Now arriving in Zakoss!" A Xatu announced as Lumina, an Eevee, was teleported alongside a group of pokemon, most of which seemed dressed for funerals. "Council hopefuls should seek out the tower in the center of the city for their trials, tourists should visit the Old Oak Inn for bed and browsing, those who are here to mourn can follow the paths and make their own way to the graveyards! We are currently closest to the Southern Cemetery so-"
Lumina stopped listening to the attendant of the teleportation circle and made her way out into the sunlight.
For a city full of graves and death, it was very serene, beautiful, and calm.
As she made her way, using a map to guide her, she took notice of all the pokemon entering and exiting tombstone shaped homes among the actual graves. Behind her, the Old Oak Inn towered over the area. Only the city's tower, The Tower of Souls, was able to stand with it.
Eventually, Lumina was able to find what she was looking for.
"Come in, come in." A Meowstic opened the door, and gently brought Lumina inside. "We've been waiting for...wait a minute."
He turned around, and did a head count.
A Glaceon and a Braixen were both standing beside a counter, while a Venonat was sitting on it.
"That can't be right...I only asked for three…"
"There are only three of us here." The Glaceon said. "You said you'd put the body away but you haven't."
"Well, how was I supposed to know which one?" Dirge responded as he walked up to the Braixen. "Jeez, all you bodies look the same to me so-ungh...heavy…"
"I'm not heavy, I'm resisting." the Braixen backed away. "The motionless Venonat on the counter, the one that reeks of embalming fluid, put that body away."
"I'm so so sorry you had to see that right away." The Glaceon turned to Lumina with a sigh.
"We're all here for the same basic purpose but Dirge is a little absentminded, it would appear." the Braixen added.
"Well, I'm sure things will work out, legends willing." Lumina smiled. "I'm Lumina, it's nice to meet the two of you! So, we're Team Daywich?"
"We're Team Daywich." The Braixen nodded. "I'm Letha, and these," She took out three different pieces of machinery, "are my gadgets. The Night Light, the Hole Puncher, and the Barrier Brooch. They've got some nifty abilities that will no doubt be very useful...as soon as I can get them to work properly."
"Wow, that's so cool!" Lumina's eyes lit up as she looked over each gadget.
The Night Light appeared to be a sphere of translucent quartz and tempered steel, designed to somehow contain and control sunlight.
The Hole Puncher was practically a glove with an exoskeleton of a gauntlet that would fit perfectly on Letha's hand, and seemed to be primarily used to modify is user's punches.
The Barrier Brooch was a small cyan and segmented amulet-like item, and seemed defensive in the nature of its use.
"Yeah, they're pretty impressive." The Glaceon nodded. "Exactly what you'd expect from someone from Daywich or Goldenvalley, but where I come from in Gall, it's the raw power you have inside you that matters. I'm Regan."
"Well, I'm sure we're going to all get along great!" Lumina beamed. "The legends have blessed our journey, I can feel it."
"So sorry about that." Dirge returned from putting the Venonat body away. "Let's talk about the mission! First, congratulations on making it through Step 1 of the application process."
"I thought we were already accepted." Regan tilted his head.
"That was step 1." Dirge nodded. "Step 2 is more difficult than that. Step 2 involves venturing into a Mystery Dungeon."
"Are there any that aren't part of the Council's trials?" Letha asked. "I could have sworn it was called Daywich Haven for a reason."
"Well, yes, our cities are extremely safe, but we teleport between them, which means there is a sprawling wilderness out there that is anything but." Dirge explained. "And we aren't going to be able to teleport to Fortune and invite ourselves along on their expedition since what we're looking for might be something they don't want to move, or even want to keep for themselves. We certainly aren't going to waste time walking the breadth of Iodrone to get there either. Our fastest bet is flight, but with Dammoghes on a relative rampage against magical item acquisition, it seems best to avoid the skies. That leaves us with the sea and rivers. We can get there faster than walking that way, and we'll avoid being noticed by anyone loyal to Stratos. Anyone afraid of a boat ride?"
No one seemed to mind. "Good, then in that case, all we have to do is get to the coast. I've managed to convince a lovely sailor to give us a ride for an extremely modest fee. I do have to warn you though, practically all of Daywich outside the cities is dangerous, we won't have a moment to rest until we get there."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Regan suggested. "Let's go and get to the city already. We have no idea how far everyone else could already be by now!"
"I agree." Letha nodded as she equipped her gadgets.
"Xerneas guides us." Lumina said a quick prayer before the four pokemon all set out, away from the city of Zakoss, and towards adventure.
*Dirge's Expedition Tem (Team Daywich)*
1: Regan Pritchard: Male Glaceon Sorcerer (Healthy)
Ability: Ice Body
Move Tree 1: Icy Wind → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 2: Copycat → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 3: Bite → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 4: Hail → ? → ? → ?
2: Letha L. Neapow: Female Braixen Artificer (Healthy)
Ability: Blaze
Move Tree: Ember → ? → ? → ?
SSS-791 (Night Light) Move Tree: Sunny Day → ? → ? → ?
PPG-654 (Hole Puncher) Move Tree: Power-Up Punch → ? → ? → ?
PSC-122 (Barrier Brooch) Move Tree: Protect → ? → ? → ?
3: Lumina: Female Eevee Cleric (Healthy)
Ability: Anticipation
Move Tree 1: Helping Hand → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 2: Charm → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 3: Tail Whip → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 4: Tackle → ? → ? → ?
Guest: Dirge: Male Meowstic Bard (Healthy)
Ability: Prankster
Move Tree 1: Scratch → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 2: Mean Look → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 3: Disarming Voice → ? → ? → ?
Move Tree 4: Helping Hand → ? → ? → ?