Now we startin the FUN shit.

The Homefront Turn 1

Being a Preffesa -Professor- Professor was hard work! Granted, that was kind of common sense, but it was definitely something to be underlined at least three times and maybe bolded too, for good measure.

After that first declaration, the bulk of Mint's time was dedicated towards understanding his chosen field of study; namely, Pokémon. Wonderous creatures that had, honestly, more right to the world that humans also decided to call home, but had managed to somehow make work, to a degree.

From their strange ability to shrink when hit with a Pokéball, name now decided and no longer pending change, to the elemental powers they seemed to universally weird-wield- and to say nothing of the unique chararerastics-characteristics, there was no shortage of useful things to discover! Even just exploring the local area over the course of the last year had been incredible! Like, finding out that Bunnelby's and the fact that they loved cookies. At first Mint was outraged that the small rodent having stolen his treat that he got for being such a great boy Professor, but then the same little thief came back with a fistful of weird colored dirt that instantly captivated Mint's attention. For hours he poked and prodded at the odd substance as Bunnelby continued to contently snack off to the side, before Mint finally threw up his hands in exasperation and sent it the way of the ville's potter, who then proceeded to have a small heart attack as he was presented with a wonder material that held water as well as the vastly more expensive glass, while being generally hardier than likewise wooden products. From that point onward the potter, Howard, was never seen without at least three of the wabbits-rabbit- Really, but that sounds weird...- Rabbits around him at all times, to say nothing of the burrows now darting his property.

The next bit of news came in the form of the sheer number of Fletchling that had taken to perching on the ville's rooftops. At first the sheer number of them was freaking out the fellow villagers, frightfully pondering if there was about to be a mass attack or burning of their settlement, but after quickly fielding Mint forward as a diplomat/sacrifice to the flock, his own Fletchling was more than happy to fluff and mime what was going on. Also give an example of their preferred bribes. In exchange for the odd little sweet berries, or a good amount of solid twigs to support their weight and be carted away by a small team of the birds, the little ones were more than happy to ride alongside or around people, acting almost like guides towards more of their favorite foods that they were too weak to carry away, or, even more usefully, give slightly panicked trills when something much more dangerous approached. That solidly cemented the little redheads as new companions to the lumberjacks every morning, now a morning ritual for all to gather up, give their 'offerings', then head to work with their temporary partners proudly resting on their shoulders or the hefts of their more adorably, some had even taken to mimicking their 'gifters' while they worked to entertain themselves, often times several stacking on top of one another while another would try to 'topple' them. They were heart warming for several reasons.

On the other side of the coin though, Mint's new assistant Lily really was earning her keep! Which was absel-sello-ababa-Absolutely.-Thankyoulily! Absolutely worth keeping around! She did a great job of piling together the notes Mint kept accidently leaving around in his rush to document all the cool stuff he kept seeing, and she was a wonderful face of calm whenever something strange happened in the ville! It annoyed Mint that they still didn't completely trust his top-notch instincts in regard to all this, but it was...it was fine!

It was fine.

There was nowhere to go but up! And up they would get! -That doesn't make sense.- Not now Lily, I'm NARRATING! -Oh, sure, THAT you have no trouble with...-

But in any case, the main thing aside from the wonderful world of Pokémon, was working on properly constructing a road. Or, rather, a Route. Before, the main ways between Vaniville and Aquacorde were side routes and pack paths that constantly risk being attacked by wild Pokémon and exposed elements, helped only by the fact the two were relatively close and had their own means of self-sustainment, meaning that trade was mostly small things such as shells for windchimes or tool heads in exchange for wood and rarer berries generally located further in the woods, as opposed to larger shipments such as lumber or general transport.

But that all would change, thanks to the Sage Mint! -Is THAT what you're calling yourself this week? What happened to Sage of Freshness?- The SAGE! MINT! Would change life FOREVER! Because with the help of the Bunnelby's clearing the road of unwanted rocks and boulders (Those little guys were STRONG, wow!), the Fletchlings helping to navigate around and away from the more dangerous nests in the area (Run. Run RIGHT NOW THAT IS A BEEDRILL NEST FUCKING MOVE), a solid path between the two was no pipedream! Which was a weird phrase, where did it come from -I'll tell you when you're older- You're gettin kind of list with that Lily, but whatever. The road was still well under way though!

...Bit harder than Mint actually expected, but then that was life, he guessed. Still! Plenty of time to think, and talk with the local craftsmen. Or, rather, one Craftsman in particular. The WORST, Best Craftsman of them all.

The first time Mint actually tried to explain how a Pokéball worked, he was nearly sentenced to the Forest for witchcraft. It was only by pointing out that he didn't even OWN any pointed hats and could reliably float in the water that saved his ass, but it did its job in souring most of his opinions on interacting with the village crafters more than necessary.

But this was something that went beyond matters of mere dislike. It was important, nay, VITAL, that the process of how to make the wonderous orbs lasted past your own lifetime. Mint of all people was more than aware of how quickly 'accidents' could happen after all...

So, it was with a determined sigh that The Great Sage swallowed his personal feelings in favor of what needed to be done, heading into the head blacksmiths house without fear!

...Before yelping in fear as he hastily ducked down from the small hammer thrown right at his face!

"Are you trying to kill me old man!" Mint justifiably yelled back while shaking his fist, glad he left Fletchling behind with the 'Watch Flock' for this little trip now.

"Bah! If you couldn't dodge a hammer than what good'd ye be out in the wilds! Nen if ya just came to bother me, hurry up and go ya little pint!" The Head Smith, Gerald was as crotchety as he was able, having simply returned to his nigh constant sharpening of axes to supply for the village after trying to inflict bodily harm.

Mint felt his teeth gnash for a moment, before he forced a breath through his nose, once, twice, three-

"Ye keep breathin like that an I'll never need a new bellow again!"

-THIS FUCKIN GUY THOUGH!

Without another word, Mint turned around and stomped off, only remembering the actual reason he was supposed to visit hours later when Lily asked how it went.

The sound of him bashing his head on a tree startled many a Pidgey that day.

Attempt #2!

Mint walked in shoulders squared, a bushel of Apricorns in one hand and a fistful of Tumbling Stones in the other. No words beyond the bare minimum would be spoken this time. That way laid only frustration.

Within moments he was solidly within the forgers room, presenting the two with no fanfare as Gerald watched it all with a single raised eyebrow.

"I brought you something incredibly useful!" There, it was done, PROBLEM. SOLVED.

Gerald looked down at the assortment of items Mint had just dumped on his floor, raised up the bushel in one hand, weighing it, and let out a light hum.

"Hmm, what den ye know, yes right. These ARE useful!" Gerald admitted.

It felt like the sun was piercing through the clouds. Hope welled in Mints chest as he was all set to share the wonderous Pok-

"I needed more kindling! You saved these old bones a bit of a hassle, maybe yer good fa somethin after all!" With nary a care Gerald shoved the entire bushel straight into his furnace, closing the chute and merrily going back to work on his now once-again blazing forge.

-IT WAS A LLLIIIIIEEEE! Mint fell to knees at this tragic betrayal of his expectations, before rushing back to his feet with fire again in his eyes!

"I'll be baaaaack!" Mint yelled as he ran out of the shop at full speed, completely ignoring the call of 'Bring more wood next time!'

He was going to do that anyway, NOT BECAUSE HE ASKED FOR IT!

Attempt #3!

Okay, so, obviously a balance had to be struck. Trying to talk first simply resulted in bodily harm attempts, giving the tools required just gave false hope, so obviously it was time to resort to desperate measures!

Y! Ooh, the word sent chills down Mint's spine! Mostly cause he didn't know it meant till Lily explained it, but then he REALLY enjoyed it!

But that just left WHAT to bribe him with. Which was...difficult for a lot of reasons. Namely because every time Mint tried to ask about it, people would look at him like he was crazy. Or, well, crazIER. -That's still not proper grammer. -It's MY story Lily, I want it to be EFFAMIZED! -Emphasized?- I unno, probably.

But, eventually, after trail and error (So. Many. Errors.) Mint finally struck gold!

It was a quiet summer evening where Mint was trying to climb trees to get some up close and personal views on the Fletchling Nests -I thought you were trying to spy on his house to gather clues-To! VIEW! THE NESTS! When he just so happened to have a perfect vantage point of Gerald relaxing on his back porch after a long day of work. At first Mint was gonna just call it a night and try to do some actual work instead -Okay, so you admit it- but then something strange happened.

A small little Zigzagoon trotted up to where Gerald was calmly sitting, casually carrying one of the odd blue colored Apricorns sometimes found in the deeper forests, before it dropped the nut and took a seat of their own beside them, both simply sitting beside one another.

Then after a few minutes, Gerald picked up the Apricorn and, with a flick of his wrist, sent it flying out into the forest, which the Zigzagoon wasted zero time darting after, tail twirling so fast that Mint was surprised he didn't feel from breeze up in the treetops. Within moments the little Goon was trotting back proud as could be, before setting it back down and taking another seat.

Then Gerald did it again. And again. And again.

Even with only the light of a halfmoon to cut through the darkness, Mint wasn't able to miss the small smile he saw on Gerald's face. He knew because he saw it on his own, every time Fletchling tried to groom him after a long day of work, or steal him some snacks when he ignored his grumbling stomach.

After witnessing that, Mint decided to talk down a bit on his efforts. He simply took to leaving some written directions beside a pile of stones and Apricorns by the forge's door, continued to work alongside his assistant, and make the world a better place.

If anyone took notice to Gerald walking around with an oddly blue Pokéball, no one commented on it.

They had bigger things to worry about after all, like getting ready for the final push needed to complete the Route between Vaniville and Aquacorde!

And to start off on the right track, it was time to rectify a grand mistake! Well, not so much a mistake as take an easy opportunity. Namely, befriending the Scatterbugs.

The poor little things were so scared when Mint tried to approach them with Fletchling on his person that they would literally scream and scramble backwards till there was at least seven feet of distance between them and Mint. Then this would repeat until they would dejectedly leave.

But not today! Because the only thing Mint brought with him this time was a smile on his face and a song in his heart! ...Well, that, and a massive haul of different berries held in a cloth sack hefted over his shoulder.

It didn't take long at all to head to a dense enough clearing to see a good sized gathering of Scatterbugs idly grazing on the treeline or resting on the canopy floor. As he actually entered the clearing though, every eye immidiately snapped to Mint's form, pupils dilating and ready to run if need be.

Mint didn't mind the reaction, there was something of a fair precedent for it by this point after all, and merely decided to allow his gifts to speak for him.

With a sharp grunt of exertion, the bag was dropped forward onto the floor, and the knot was swiftly undone, revealing the prime assortment you had gathered for the occasion. Mint's grin grew even wider when he saw some of the younger Scatterbugs mouths open wide and eyes starting to sparkle.

Oh yeah, it was all coming together.

(Silken Goods now available! So warm, so strong, much wow!)

It was also later that evening that Mint came home bereft of berries but instead serving as an impromptu cart for several Scatterbugs clinging to his form, each letting out little squeals of joy or wonder at the massive change in speed compared to their usual waddles and swings, when the young professor finally got word that they had broken through the canopy line of Aquacorde, and would be establishing true contact in the morning.

The laughs and drinks that night were the first of many, Mint was sure of it. Or at least they damn better be, cause Lily kept blocking Mint's attempt at trying some of the better wine!

After getting the ville friends situated (They like the hang on strings from roof corners and sway in the breeze, how interesting!), it was finally time to walk the new Route to Aquacorde the following morning, and the feeling of it was night and day. Compared to the rough, winding pathways that often times doubled up on itself when the previous maker became waylaid or forced to flee before continuing their efforts, to this new, semi-straight path that was nearly completely flat and liable to be visible even in heavy rainfall (hopefully)? It was a masterpiece, a brilliance of planning and effort, all accomplished in a single turn of the season!

The people of Aquacorde were appropriately impressed. The village elder, Kablam, welcomed all of them equally, free to stay and experience their marvelous home while a new, more permanent trade agreement would be hashed out to make use of the now much safer traveling path. Something Mint had zero issue agreeing with, even if he wasn't actually asked about said opinion.

Hmm, this would be so damn fun!

END OF CHAPTER

In the next update shortly coming up, THE WORLD EXPANDS~

Jesus, I'm really hauling ass with this series, I'm honestly amazed with myself. Two days I've been writing this! TWO DAYS! I didn't even think of this till mid-afternoon yesterday!