Day 1, 4:00 PM: Sunny/Partly Cloudy

The duo started to make their way back after meeting Yukari and starting "the game" for the truth of it all. Shinku was able to mop up whatever came their way with little issue. It wasn't long until the familiar sight could be seen over the horizon, that being their hometown of Pallet Town. Good thing too, because the parcel was starting to get heavy on her back from the trip back.

"Master, are you sure you are able to function at an acceptable level with the extra weight?" I heard Shinku ask next to me as we approached town.

"I...I'm fine. Besides, w-we're almost there." I said, doing a very poor job of hiding my exhaustion through strained pants. While I was very tired, I was looking at it from a positive perspective; chances are, I'd be doing something similar quite a bit through the journey. Best to get some practice in, right?

We trudged our way over to the lab where Professor Oak was no doubt spending his time at, as usual. Secretly I wanted this thing out of my backpack, whatever it was. I was sort of curious about what was in it, too. Shinku was kind enough to push open the door for me, clearly noticing me struggling. As we walked in, I shouted "PROFESSOR, I GOT A PACKAGE FOR YOU!" at the top of my lungs, entirely done with whatever in the world this package was.

"Oh, hello Mary! A package, you say?" He said as he approached the two of us as I was slinging the backpack off of my back, getting out the somewhat large and inconspicuous box. I brought the box over to the desk in the back of the lab, finding it difficult to stay up now that the weight was off of my shoulders.

"Perfect timing, actually! I was wondering when this would get here, but I certainly didn't expect you two to be bringing it...?"

"Neither did we, but the shopkeep offered Master a benefit to it. And she's too kind hearted for her own good." chimed in Shinku, her expression unchanging as always. I sighed when I realized I couldn't think of anything to say against it, sliding down to the floor to catch my breath.

"Well, this actually works out quite well! The contents of it ar-"

"E-Excuse me, Granpa...?" a familiar voice cut through the discussion, cutting off whatever Professor Oak was going to continue with. It was long before I noticed Ren's form creeping around the corner in her usual sheepish self. She noticed me collapsed on the floor in a mess and rushed over, with a concerned look on her face. "M-Mary! Are you okay?"

"Long...trip, back."

She giggled a little and helped me up. "Did Grandpa have you helping with chores, again?"

"Entirely...my own choice."

"It's appreciated, nonetheless. And quite good timing as well," said Professor Oak, looking at the package, "considering its contents are related to the both of you."

I perked up when I heard that. Ren did the same. "Wait, really?"

"Big sis told me you had something you were supposed to be coming in soon, so I rushed over. I-Is that it?"

"Right, right, don't worry." Unbenknowst to the both of us, the remaining cSanae doll had made its way to the desk right next to the box, gohei in hand. It was enough to make Ren jump right into my arms. I patted her on the back a little with a giggle. Little ninja doll, I swear. With one clean motion, she removed the tape from the package with the gohei and bowed gracefully. Professor Oak dived both hands into the box, there being clearly way too much packing paper in it, before pulling out two small, red book shaped devices.

"I really hope that's not all that was in there," I said, realization hitting me that there was likely about 20 times as much packing peanuts as there was items in it. How in the world was it so heavy?!

"I believe so, but these two objects were definitely worth the trip!" he said, setting down the two devices on the table behind him. "These two objects are my greatest invention. My dream, realized in full! These are ArtBooks, an electronic encyclopedia of Puppets from across the region! From these, you can find the location, statistics, abilities, and information of any Puppet in the database!"

Both of us got wide eyed at the idea of it. "Wooooow, that's so cool, professor!"

"Indeed it is! But there's one small problem: it needs to be filled, and for that, the person holding it needs to catch those puppets, so that it can obtain information on them. And that's where you two come into it! I want you two to take these ArtBooks and fill them with as many puppets as you can find! To make my dream fully realized, I want you two to scour the ends of the Earth, and make this encyclopedia fully complete!" he said as he handed each of us one. It was surprisingly heavy and durable.

I took a moment to observe the object in front of me. It was finely made, and was likely to serve many people down the line once it was fully complete. I flipped it open to find a surprisingly simple interface, and the only Puppets in the system were those of Shinku, which had a detailed description of her in a number of ways, and a few that they had seen in town, which were empty. I took a moment to read over the listing on Shinku.

"A magician that was raised by Shinki in Makai. She has a powerful Grimoire, but she hasn't used it recently." I looked back at Shinku. "...you've got a magic book?" She shrugged, as confused by the information as I was. I flipped the ArtBook back and placed it safely in my bag. Ren did the same after examining Inaba.

"We won't you down, Prof! Between the two of us, we're bound to finish it in no time!" I said in an overly-enthusiastic tone, looking back at Ren. "Right, Ren?"

"Y-Yeah! Definitely! We'll get the whole thing finished, and it'll be a super big help to you, Grandpa!"

He clasped his hands together in happiness. "Excellent to hear, girls! I have a few of my aides placed all around the region, so be sure to check in with them every so often. And remember that I'm always a phone call or e-mail away! Oh, before I forget, I've got one more gift for the both of you..." he said, going back to the box. I KNEW there had to be more in there, from how heavy it was! He pulled out two smalled boxes, and gave us each one. Inside them was 5 small orbs, whose colors seemed to meld together between Red and White like a Yin Yang symbol. "You'll need some orbs to start catching Puppets, so I figure it'd be best to give you a head start!"

I "oooo"'d a little at the box before taking the orbs and placing them in a special compartment in my bag. "T-Thanks, Grandpa! In that case, I'm gonna go ahead and get a head start! I-I'll see you out there, okay Mary? Oh, and don't forget to stop by my house before you go! I-I'll make sure big sis leaves a map out for you, alright?" she said with a shy wave as she made her way out. I loved how confident she was getting with this. It was entirely new for her, but I think it's healthy for her too. As much as I'd like to be with her all the time, I have to let her grow on her own.

Shinku tugging at my skirt snapped me back to reality. "I believe we should be departing as well, Master."

"R-Right, sorry. I guess I got..caught up in it all. Right, we should head out too." I looked back at Professor Oak. "We'll stay in touch, alright? See you soon!" I said as we both waved goodbye, and he did in kind.

Ren was nowhere to be seen when they left. No doubt, she had gone ahead at a surprisingly brisk pace. Chances are they'd run into each other again in no time. Map in hand, Orbs at the ready and goals all around us to fill, the two of us set out beyond this sleepy little town to whatever future awaited us at the end of it all. One way or another, we were going to find it, together.

-Chapter 4 END