Fire Province: Town of Wildeburn: Age of Mew(waning): Year 656: The Wildeburn Summit, Part 3

Moonbrand Present: Bravero, Conlan, Mandy, Ornia, Rudo

Ornia and Mandy: Support Rank D Reached

"Ah, good, another fairy type is on this team." Ornia said as she hovered up to Mandy. "I was worried that I would be the only one."

"I hate to break this to you, but I'm from the Steel Province." Mandy responded.

"It matters not what province you come from, or truly, what type you are either. I am simply expressing joy in that I have at least one teammate here, right now, who shares a type with me. Tell me, have you any temples to Tapu Lele in your hometown?"
"Pfft…" Mandy held back a laugh. "No, we don't have any temples to gods other than Arceus in Southshore."

"A tragedy that you must have grown up in a city that is nothing more than a den of heathens then. If you wish to cleanse yourself of those dirty inferior deities, I will be happy to show you the way of those in the Temple of Tapu Lele." And with that, Ornia was off.

"Well that was...unexpected." Mandy said as she made sure she had everything ready, before heading to the foyer to join the others about to leave the keep.

Arc Proper

"So here is the plan, milady." Cochrane informed as he attempted his utmost to maintain a rigid posture while he spoke to a somewhat confused Tashia, who wasn't conscious to hear Reshiram's words, and was confused from the second half of the negotiations. "Deirdre and Concordia will leave for Fable, while Gertrude and the two comfey remain with us to head back to Lightgrasp. Hadria will send Razr, Xenon, and Kavosa with us, while she and Glimmershine will return to the Dark Province, in order to prepare for our eventual arrival there. And we already know, thanks to the metal-jawed noivern that he and his zekrom partner will be assisting us in Lightgrasp as well, though all of the Flying Province entourage will be travelling with us back to Lightgrasp, as it is on a direct route back to their own province."

"Zeria is already on her way towards the capital." Nezarix announced. "Although, an absolute goddess like her may be enough assistance already."

"What was that about a goddess?" Ornia asked.

"He didn't mean any actual god." Faden roughly patted the carbink on the head. "It's just normal for a pokemon to talk that way about the love of his life."

"Ugh." Mandy covered her nose as she walked outside to see the large expanse of molten ground and magma lakes and rivers surrounding the soot-covered town of Wildeburn. "The smell of sulfur is overpowering!"

"Yep." Rudo agreed as she quickly covered her nose and mouth with her paws and huddled towards Conlan, who, thanks to his fire typing, didn't seem to be that affected by the aroma of the settlement. "We were lucky when we arrived, there wasn't any wind, but with even this breeze, there's such a huge increase in the smell of sulfur going up my nose!"

"Just be glad it isn't raining." Bravero contributed to the conversation as he observed the dark red clouds overhead. "I've never seen these before, but they can't be good news."

"Oh, the red clouds are perfectly natural here in Wildeburn." Fernando responded as he flew closer to the ground to join the conversation as well. "They aren't truly red. It's just the light being given off by the magma getting trapped by the thickness of the clouds in the sky. I agree though, they do look ominous."

"Huh." Gertrude looked around as Caress and Comfort both freshened the air around her with Sweet Scent. "I don't see many locals around. Would one of you Fire Province locals please inform me if it is a common occurrence for you lot to lock yourselves in your homes all day long?"

"No, this isn't common at all." Cochrane looked around. "The Fire Province is very community-oriented. There should be pokemon everywhere, even in a small town like this one."

"Ah!" A salazzle walked down an intersecting road and turned her head to see the entourage. "Queen Tashia, Cochrane, there you are! The baron's been looking for you!"

"The baron?" Conlan asked.

"Satinka, why are you here?" Cochrane asked, his brows furrowed in frustration that his time 'alone' with the queen had been interrupted by his coworker. "Inkeri only sent me out here."

"I didn't come here for you, don't worry." Satinka clicked her tongue, annoyed, before turning to Tashia. "My queen, baron Alvar, the one who so graciously allowed us to use Wildeburn Keep as a place for your summit, humbly requests your attendance at an event he has prepared for you."

"An event prepared for me?" Tashia repeated, still somewhat confused as to what she was even doing anymore.

"And not just you" Satinka nodded before turning to Fernando. "You as well. It is not often Wildeburn gets visited by even one province ruler, let alone two. As such…"

"I've prepared this arena for a tournament in your honor!" Alvar, a reshiram whose white fur was somewhat stained with soot, exclaimed as he motioned with his wing-like arms to a remarkably cleanly kept stadium considering the surrounding biome.

"A tournament in our honor huh?" Fernando grinned. "Well, I'd be honored to watch it."

"Well you see…" Alvar laughed a bit as he scratched his head. "I'm a little short competitors, and not even the prize of 250,000 poke is enough to convince any locals to go up against our champion. Aleron is a terrakion soldier who's helped keep this town safe for years, and will continue to do so. He's courageous, determined, and just a bit reckless. Only a pawniard, and a decidueye, both from out of the province, have also signed up for the tournament as of now, and thirteen slots still remain open."

"Oh, we can solve that." Satinka smiled as she pointed at everyone else. "You can sign up too!"

"One…" She pointed at Nezarix, whose eyes went wide. Why was he being volunteered so freely for a tournament by a soldier from a province that wasn't his?

"Two…" Satinka pointed to Faden, whose eyes went equally wide, sharing the same sentiment.

"Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven…" Satinka pointed at Conlan, Rudo, Mandy, Bravero, and Ornia in that order.

"Eight, Nine, Ten..." She pointed at Razr, Xenon, and Kavosa, who all looked at each other, more in eager anticipation of winning all that money than any surprise at being signed up. It would go a long way towards furthering their mercenary band's career as an actual band as well after all.

"Eleven…" She pointed at Cochrane, who, while glaring at her, stood up to accept the challenge.

"Twelve…" She pointed to herself, as though her participation in the tournament was a given. "And…Thirteen." She pointed at Gertrude.

"Excuse me?" The shiny gardevoir crossed her arms. "Why in the name of Xerneas would I participate in a tournament honoring any royalty other than queen Deirdre or king Paulo?"

"Don't tell me that your province wouldn't appreciate the 250,000 poke you'd get for winning." Satinka laughed. "Or are you afraid of getting dirty? I guess the stereotype that fairy province locals cry when a speck of dust falls on them must be true."

"You can egg me on as much as you want, ignorant lizard, and I won't give you the time of day, but your province isn't the only one that stands up for itself. Insult the pokemon of Fable again, and I will end you. Fine. I'll join your tournament."

Tournament Contestants:

#1: Aleron, Terrakion (Male)

#2: Pierce, Pawniard (Male)

#3: Jaslynn, Decidueye (Female)

#4: Nezarix, Noivern (Male)

#5: Faden, Feraligatr (Male)

#6: Conlan, Monferno (Male)

#7: Rudo, Riolu (Female)

#8: Mandy, Mawile (Female)

#9: Bravero, Blaziken (Male)

#10: Ornia, Carbink (Female)

#11: Razr, Zoroark (Male)

#12: Xenon, Sceptile (Male)

#13: Kavosa, Krookodile (Male)

#14: Cochrane, Charizard (Male)

#15: Satinka, Salazzle (Female)

#16: Gertrude, Gardevoir (Female)

Round 1 Match-Ups:

#6 VS #15

#13 VS #9

#10 VS #16

#7 VS #2

#4 VS #1

#8 VS #12

#11 VS #3

#5 VS #14

"Oooh!" Satinka's eyes began to sparkle. "I get to go up against the human? And first? This will be fun!"

The pawniard, Pierce, looked over at Rudo with a confident smirk. "You might think you lucked out, but trust me, when I'm done with you, you'll be too scared to fight ever again! I'm just that good!"

"I've defeated criminal pawniard far tougher than you look by the hundreds. Don't start something you won't be able to finish."

"And there it is." Pierce grinned, unaware of the irony in his next statement. "You should watch out for that overconfidence."

"The leader of Team Horizon is up against me, huh?" Aleron the terrakion laughed boisterously as he looked over at Nezarix. "It'll be a great show of my potential when I defeat the leader of a Royal Rank mercenary band in one on one combat!"

"You there." Jaslynn pointed a wing at Razr. "You are my first opponent correct? Know that while you may have the advantage in type, your victory will not come. I entered in this tournament to win the prize money, and I will not yield it to anyone."

"Sorry if I disagree with you, but that money's going to team Soulwind, and no one else." Razr grinned.
"That's right." Kavosa smirked as he looked over at Bravero. "I'll defeat this fire type, and then defeat the winner of the first match after that the same way!"

"You underestimate how much training I've gone through." Bravero's brow furrowed. "If you had to live your life watching your back in case of an attack from the Azure Syndicate, you'd know what I'm talking about."

"I'm up against…" Mandy shivered as she looked over at Xenon, who seemed to be calmly meditating to prepare for the fights ahead. "That sceptile from merc madness who mega-evolved? How am I supposed to-?"
"Worrying in such an agonizing and ugly fashion doesn't suit a fairy type." Gertrude crossed her arms as she looked at Mandy. "Are you sure you can handle the mercenary life, mawile? You'd be more suited to a labor job, or perhaps being a housewife."

"What?!" Mandy's jaw on top of her head snapped angrily as she turned to face Gertrude. "I was feeling nervous, but you know what? I'm not anymore, because I want to fight you! I'll wipe that condescending scowl right off your dumb face!"

"You unfortunately will not have the satisfaction." Ornia positioned herself between Mandy and Gertrude. "The gardevoir will fall to me as I demonstrate to my new team that there is a reason why queen Deirdre chose me as a prize."

"Stay out of this, Ornia." Gertrude huffed. "In fact, all of you stay out of my way. When I win the money from the tournament, I'm becoming a Fairy Province noble. I can already see the suitors lining up at my mansion's door."

"Talk about living in a fantasy world." Rudo whispered to Conlan, who was frozen in place. His first match was against a trained soldier. Not just any soldier either, it was against Satinka, who was second only to Inkeri in terms of command when it came to the Lightgrasp Military.

"I can't believe I'm not until the end." Faden sighed, honestly somewhat disappointed as he looked over at Cochrane, who was busy clearly psyching himself up for the upcoming fights. "I'm not even up against anyone that strong either, am I? A charizard? I have to wait so long to get into the ring, but the match will probably only last a couple moves at the most. Oh well, I guess once I win that one, I can fight either Razr or that decidueye girl. Hopefully she'd be tough enough to not disappoint. But still...I'm more worried about Nezarix." Faden looked over to where Nezarix and Aleron were having some friendly boasts before the tournament.

"Aleron's allegedly defended this town for years, and while he may not be a mercenary, there's no mistaking the fearlessness of that pokemon."

"The first round of matches is about to begin!" Alvar announced as he quickly looked to Tashia on his right and then to Fernando on his left. "Our first matchup is Contestant #6, Conlan the monferno, VS Contestant #15, Satinka the salazzle! Please take to the arena!"

Conlan and Satinka walked to the center of the arena, a large circle of flattened molten rock, still warm to the touch. It felt far different than the Merc Madness arena had. Less artificial and a lot more natural.

"Are you ready, new monferno?" Satinka smiled. "I certainly am."

"These matches will continue until one pokemon or the other is either unable to battle from being knocked out or forfeits of their own accord. The tournament is single-elimination, and the winner will be granted 250,000 poke as the grand prize!" Alvar announced. "Match 1, Conlan the monferno vs Satinka the salazzle! Pokemon ready...begin!"

"What's wrong? Don't you want the first move?" Satinka taunted as Conlan stayed frozen momentarily, still trying to process what was happening. He was in a tournament now, against a trained and professional soldier. He thought back to his chess match with B in nowhere. The one in which he had spent too much time thinking. In that case-

"Well then-" Satinka laughed. "How about a-"

Within an instant, Conlan disappeared from Satinka's sight, before reappearing right behind her.

"Well, if you insist I go first…" Conlan grinned as he directly hit Satinka on the small of her back with a Mach Punch, sending sound reverberations through the air before the salazzle rocketed forwards, only just able to use her feet to create enough friction to stop herself.

This was it then, Conlan thought to himself. He couldn't waste time thinking about what to do. Like Reshiram had told him back in the keep, he needed to put more trust in his power as a human turned pokemon, and this would be the battle where he started.

Fire Province: Blaze Desert(30F Mystery Dungeon): 9F: Age of Mew(waning): Year 656: Crustle's Caravan, Part 3

Moonbrand Present: Bennett, Gina, Magdalene, Verden

Gina and Verden: Support Rank A Reached (From a Double-Rank Up)

"Hey, Verden." Gina said to the other pokemon keeping watch while the others all slept. "I've been agonizing over this for a while. You told me it was a pity that I didn't have long-term plans. Mind explaining for me what you meant?"

"Nothing really." Verden replied. "It's just that, well, I find kind of sad to see a Pokemon so afraid of commitment."

"Whoa now, don't go putting words in my mouth!" Gina responded. "I'm here on this mercenary band, aren't I? It's not commitment I'm afraid of, it's death. I hate thinking about it, the fact that my life could end tomorrow, or the next day, or even in a few minutes if we're terribly unlucky. You used to be a slaver, you know how it is. Keep short term plans for your own survival. You have to look out for number 1, right?"

"Actually…" Verden looked towards the campfire the two were sitting around. "I tend to protect others before I worry about my personal needs. It's kind of why I wasn't immediately ostracized from my brother's trafficking operations. There were a lot of otherwise good pokemon simply trying to make ends meat in that organization."

"But you still resolved to ask for their deaths anyways? That's cold. You'd make a good Ice-type."

"Says the Ice-type."

"Hey, I'm not saying what you did was wrong." Gina laughed a bit. "Sticking to morals takes a lot of courage that I wish I had."

"I think not wanting to die is pretty normal, actually." Verden laughed back. "And if you're in the mercenary business, you have to have a fair amount of courage."

"Heehee." Gina giggled. "Verden, where were you when my first teammate died all those years ago? You might have been able to save me from my current reputation as the cursed glaceon."

"And you would have been a big help in getting me to stand up for myself if I had run into you while I was still a slaver." Verden chuckled. "But we're both here now, with pasts that we regret."

"Hey, you know what?" Gina asked.

"What?" Verden asked back.

"I think I might have just made a long-term plan. I'll help out this mercenary band until all these giant problems go away, and then, when I get enough money from missions, I'll settle down somewhere. Maybe find a nice husband, and just relax in peace for the rest of my life."

"That definitely sounds like a good long-term plan." Verden noticed Gina's smile as she thought of it. "You already look happy with it."

"Mmhmm!" She nodded. "Hey, who knows, maybe you'll finally have a lover of your own by that point! I can help you look for one if you want!"

"I uh-" Verden's somewhat red face was camouflaged by the light from the fire. "I'll have to think about that offer for sure. But for now, let's just promise to have each other's backs in battle, alright?"

"Heehee. It's funny seeing you flustered like that." Gina snickered. "Sure, you can count on me."

"Likewise." Verden smiled as Magdalene and Bennett rose from their sleep to take over keeping watch.

Magdalene and Bennett: Support Rank B Reached

"Hey Magdalene…" Bennett said as he lay back and look at the clear night sky, full of bright stars, while Gina and Verden slept. "I took this battle seriously, like you keep telling me."

"From what I saw, you were tripping on sand every two steps." Magdalene was not at all interested in wherever Bennett was going with this conversation. "Be quiet and keep watch like you're supposed to be doing."

"Don't you want to know why I tripped?" Bennett asked.

"No." Magdalene wasted no time answering and her serious face lit by the campfire certainly helped drive the point home.

Bennett gulped. "Alright, alright. Here I thought you of all pokemon would be willing to at least listen to a problem I've been having recently."

"Normally, you'd be right, Bennett, and maybe if in a few weeks, you haven't gotten us killed, and we're back in Lightgrasp, I'll listen, but right now? I just want to complete our shift on watch and then head back to sleep."

"Killed huh…" Bennett said as he put his hand to his head, as if to clutch it in pain, as he looked down at the campfire. "Yeah, I hope I don't get us killed either."

And without so much as a warning, he fell on his side and began to sleep.

Magdalene stared, unamused with the development, before heading over to where Gina was sleeping and nudging the glaceon awake.

Gina and Magdalene: Support Rank C Reached

"Huh?" Gina yawned as she stretched her body out before standing up. "Why did you wake me up?"

"Bennett fell asleep on the job."

"Poor soul."

Magdalene's eyebrow rose. "That is not what I expected you to say."

Gina smiled. "Let's talk about something else. Conversing about pokemon like him can make a lady sad, you know."

"I don't follow." Magdalene cocked her head.

"You know…" Gina shuffled her paws a bit. "Special pokemon…"

"I don't think that's Bennett's problem." Magdalene's eyes squinted. "Why did I wake up you and not Verden again?"

"Because we're mission board besties?" Gina asked sweetly before her face turned slightly sinister and her smile faded. "You remember right? You hid that globe thing on your neck from me back then. Care to explain what it is, mission board bestie?"

"Why did you emphasize-" Magdalene shook her head, realizing it was better to not get hung up on the details. "I'm sorry Gina, but I really don't know anything about it other than it's pretty. I originally wanted to join this team to find out what it is, because it feels like it could be powerful if used correctly."

"Hmm…" Gina mulled over in her mind how to approach the situation before deciding that, as long as Moonbrand was powerful, she would be safe, and therefore, if Magdalene's item was one of immense power, there was no harm in helping Magdalene learn how to use it. "Alright then. Like I said back at the mission board when we had our last big conversation, I like doing lost item missions, so if I run into any collectors, I can ask them what they know and pass the information on to you."

"I guess that's alright." Magdalene smiled. "Thank you, Gina."

"Don't thank me." Gina yawned. "I'm about to knock out." She kicked Bennett awake before heading back to her resting spot and falling asleep again.

Arc Proper:

10F

"So, we still have...how long to go before we're out of this desert?" Gina asked from under the personal hail cloud she had once again resorted to using to help her cope with the heat, while Verden wiped his own sweat with the toxic orb he was carrying with him.

Bennett, however, was getting the worst of it. He had no means of cooling himself off, and the constant chattering of the voice in his head to "Kill...kill...kill!" his legs were beginning to give out.

"H-hey…" He turned around towards the other Moonbrand members. "Maybe someone else can take point? I really need to rest I think…"

"Did you kick him too hard?" Magdalene asked Gina in a whisper.

"More like not hard enough." Gina muttered back.

"I'll take point." Verden offered as he created a substitute for Bennett to ride on while he moved up to the front of the caravan. "Bennett, eat some food, and drink some water."

"Hey Gina…" Bennett held out an already empty glass from his sprawled position atop substitute Verden's head. "Can you put some hail in this, please?"

"Only because I don't want to be responsible for your death." Gina said as she walked closer to the glass and allowed some of her personal cloud's hail to pour into the container.

It took about twenty seven seconds for the ice to melt completely into water, which Bennett then began to drink.

"Ugh…" He wiped his own brow. "I'm so sorry guys. I guess I'm not feeling so hot today."

"That's it!" Gina dropped her hail cloud and stormed back over to Bennett. "If you're going to be nothing but a liability and plague our lives with your crimes against language, maybe I won't feel bad if you die!"

"W-wait, stop!" Cassius exclaimed as he peeked his head out of his wagon. "There is no need for this fighting. We're almost out of the driest part of the desert! Just a few more floors, and there's an oasis. Past that, the heat should be fine for all types of pokemon! Please hold on for a little while longer!"

"Fine." Gina sighed as she recreated her own personal hail cloud, though it was significantly smaller than her first one.

"What's the deal?" She asked. "I think it's actually getting-"

"Oh, right." Cassius remembered. "It's hottest right before you reach the oasis, so be careful to not exhaust yourself too much!"

14F

Bennett was barely holding onto his consciousness by a thread. He could still move around, but not much else. Everything was groggy like it was all one giant fever dream. Wait, was it all one giant fever dream? He'd never dreamed he'd have a fever this bad, but now was not the time for puns and wordplay, even in thoughts. Gina and Magdalene were both visibly getting tired as well, Verden however, had managed to somehow adapt to the desert environment, and was still at full performing capacity.

As the caravan reached the room near the stairs, they appeared.

"Hey, down there!" One of the ten vibrava flying by noticed. "That caravan is probably loaded with goods to steal and sell!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Another of the ten vibrava announced. "I can't wait to raid the whole thing!"

"We have the numbers advantage!" Yet another vibrava exclaimed. "If we overwhelm them, we'll be able to steal enough supplies from the caravan to sell to the Sapien Triage!"

"Crap." Verden looked back at everyone else, especially the severely exhausted Bennett. "It's unfortunate guys, but get ready! Here comes a vibrava swarm!"

"B-Blizzard!" Gina announced as she concentrated as much of her energy as she could and managed to both freeze up and destroy two of the attacking vibrava, the remaining eight, however, had the common sense to avoid the ice-type pokemon at all costs.

Magdalene took a deep breath and attempted to shoot a Hypnosis towards the entire vibrava swarm as a whole, only to fail terribly, as the psychic rings burnt up in the intense heat.

The vibravas, rather than foolishly attack any of the trained mercenaries, rushed toward the wagons of the caravan, many of them gathering leg-fulls of valuable items from each wagon, going so far as to completely empty the second wagon in the lineup, while taking plenty from all other wagons save for the fifth one. The only exception was a reckless vibrava who ended up flying at top speed into the side of the wagon, splatting himself against the wagon wall.

"Hup!" Verden shot a Seed Bomb towards the highest concentration of vibrava, one of which was smart enough to notice it and batted the seed far across the desert before it finally did explode.

"Hgnh…" Bennett rose from atop Verden's substitute, before disappearing into the shadow of the caravan.

"Bennett…" Verden mumbled mostly to himself. "I know you want to help fight but...you really shouldn't push yourself…"

"Stop ruining this mission!" Gina yelled as she summoned another Blizzard, though quite clearly, the vibrava were aware of her attack and dispersed to avoid the Blizzard before reconvening in on the area.

Magdalene took a cue from the intense heat and let loose an Inferno attack, managing to kill a good four more of the vibrava, three of which dropped the items they had stolen, the last of which had yet to retrieve anything.

"The merchandise!" Verden exclaimed as he quickly caught each object as they all fell before the sand swallowed them up.

"Hraah!" Bennett let out a desperate Phantom Force attack from the shadow of the caravan wagons, slashing at the sole vibrava left to not have any items. The pokemon fluttered back as it winced in pain and looked around, before nodding and zooming in towards the 4th wagon of the caravan, picking up, somehow, all the remaining merchandise in the wagon. The rest of the vibrava, with all the loot they had taken, rushed away from sight, with every Moonbrand member either too exhausted or too preoccupied to do anything to stop them. Only the one lagging vibrava remained.

Gina rushed up to the vibrava, and blew a Frost Breath right in its stupid face. She had just seen its cronies take off with so much of the caravan's loot, and she would be damn if she allowed the monetary reward to lower itself any further. As the vibrava froze and shattered, it's merchandise all fell towards the ground. "Magdalene, Bennett!" She called out.

Magdalene jumped up and managed to grab about half of the items from the air, but there was still plenty left.

"Forget the items!" The voice inside Bennett's head urged him. "Kill them instead! You can do it you know. Then you can sell the items for money and become more powerful!"

"Gahhh!" Bennett yelled as he jumped with all his might. "Get out of my head!" He grabbed all the remaining merchandise before the sands could claim them and landed on his bottom.

"Well, this sucks…" Verden said as he did inventory after putting the rescued items away. "We lost two whole carts' worth from that ambush!"

"T-true, and that's a shame." Cassius nodded. "But the oasis is just beyond those stairs there! It should give all some much needed rest and relaxation!"

"Unfortunately for you five…" The smirking heliolisk watching from a distance laughed to himself. "You won't get any rest or relaxation from that oasis! Kek!"

Fire Province: City of Emberguard: Residential District: The Gilded Deerling Gambling Den: Age of Mew(waning): Year 656: Espionage in Emberguard, Part 3

Moonbrand Present: Aaron, Charlie, Semora, Terune

The City of Emberguard, located in the arid wilds of the western Fire Province, just north of the Blaze Desert, is home to a population of roughly 11,000 pokemon which, while small for a city, is still roughly twice the population of the Fire Province capital of Lightgrasp. The sandstone buildings against the scrublands of the wilds where the city resides give off the impression of a very old and established town, which would not be wrong. The city is regarded as a wonderful trading hub between the Dark, Ground, Fighting, and Fire Provinces, and this can be seen in the design of their architecture. The buildings are all somewhat crude and uneven, like durant mounds, with some spires reaching high into the air, while others are naught but well-made holes in the ground, but they're made with utmost care and the sandstone supporting them keeps them intact even during the occasional earthquake or thunderstorm that the city suffers a couple times a year. While the city does have its share of problems, type relations is not one of them. Pokemon of all types and all walks of life can be found living in Emberguard's 4 major districts, separated like rings on a tree trunk. Many of these pokemon become merchants in the city's outmost district, the Market District, where they make a living by selling items of their homeland to all manner of travelers and locals alike. Those who make enough money to purchase property in the city move into the second outmost district, the Residential District, where all manner of residencies can be purchased, from tiny hovels to two-story homes. In addition, temples and taverns can be accessed in this district as well. Some pokemon skilled in certain crafts can set up shop in the Artisan District, the second innermost district of the city, where not only can they practice and improve their craft, but they can also charge for lessons and make enough of a name for themselves to catch the eye of the pokemon that live in the city's innermost district, the Nobility District, where only the most elite of Fire Province society are allowed to venture without having made an appointment well prior to the visit. In the center of the Nobility District is none other than Calbridge Hold, the palace where Visha, the volcarona duke of emberguard resides. Among the residents of Emberguard, Visha is considered a fair and just ruler, and is widely respected among his subjects. Unfortunately for everyone, Emberguard's current condition is not the sandstone utopia it's known to be. Rather, the outer districts are run-down and destitute thanks to the damage done from the recent Obsidian Legion attack. That has not, however, stopped the residents of the Nobility District from engaging in the political intrigue that has made Emberguard so infamous among Fire Province cities. Those in power in Emberguard are among the shrewdest pokemon in the province, but in recent months, all manner of rumors and scandals have been circulating about many of the notable names in the province, and the most popular one by far is the rumor that Aradia, a braixen noblewoman and one of many bachelorettes vying for Visha's hand in marriage, has hidden a cannibalistic type 2 legendary in her manor, and her silence towards the press does not do her any favors. It is this rumor that Inkeri and the four present Moonbrand members have come to investigate, and their search has led them to the Gilded Deerling, a tavern known among the Market District to be a high-stakes gambling den.

Charlie and Semora: Support Rank D Reached

"Hey." Charlie tapped Semora on her dark green shoulder as the two sat at a table while Inkeri and Aaron placed an order at the bar of the tavern.

Semora's eye moved towards Charlie, but her head remained stiff, refusing to turn and face the charmeleon directly.

"Yes?" Semora asked.

"What were you doing in the mystery dungeon where Conlan found you?" Charlie's eyes were narrow with suspicion.

"I was completing my own mission at the time." Semora's eyes narrowed to a similar level. "I would appreciate you not pry into my personal life."

"I'm only trying to look out for the team." Charlie crossed her arms.

"In that case, let me leave you with this as I head to the bathroom…" Semora announced as she stood herself up from her seat. "You can learn as much about me as you want…" She turned her head to finally face Charlie, and she could feel the seriousness in the sceptile's voice. "As long as you're prepared to die afterwards."

Charlie gulped as Semora left the area.

"That was...not the most ideal conversation…"

Terune and Charlie: Support Rank D Reached

"Um...Charlie?" Terune shyly floated towards the charmeleon waiting alone at the table. "Have you been...looking for this?" He held up Charlie's book, causing her to, for a split second, reel back in terror, before quickly snatching the book from Terune's hands. "Yes, thank you for returning the book to me and for not reading it-"

"I read it."

Charlie froze. It was over for her now, wasn't it? A kid had read her book. Well, maybe he didn't quite understand what he was reading.

"Is there a reason that the main character continues to do um...those things? With the mega charizard character even though she's married to someone else? He's not even nice to-"
"Terune…" Charlie tried her hardest to force a smile as her brow twitched. "Would you mind terribly if we stopped talking about this? We have a mission to perform and no one should have fiction literature on their mind."

"Oh, yes'm. Alright." Terune nodded before floating off.

"Whew…" Charlie relaxed in her seat. "Safe….for now anyways. Still wish he hadn't read it."

Arc Proper

Aaron stared down the contact across the table he was sitting at intently. "So...a roserade in Emberguard eh?" He asked. "We're a long way from both the Grass and Poison Provinces."

"Yes, we are." The roserade nodded back as she hid her mouth with her red and blue flowers, careful to not let Aaron see anything other than her intent stare back at him. "You are a far cry away from the Ice Province as well."

Aaron nearly gasped, before stopping himself, realizing that letting this pokemon see any surprised emotion would shift the tone of the conversation, and he could end up swindled.

"How's he doing?" Charlie asked Inkeri as she, Terune, and Semora all returned to the table.

"About as poorly as I'd expect he'd do." Inkeri sighed as she relaxed back in her chair, putting her arms behind her head and crossing her legs.

"Let's get down to business then…" The roserade said as she held out one hand, careful to use the other to continue hiding her mouth. "Take ten petals, and place them to the spaces I point on the table."

Aaron nodded and did as he was told. "I see…" The roserade looked at the petals on the table in front of her before looking up at Aaron. "You plucked them a little roughly, so their meaning is hazier than should be, but I will do my best to read them, in honor of our mutual friend. As expected, this center petal covering your marker is symbolizing your obedience to authority, even those you may not trust." She shot Aaron a glance again, trying to read his expression, though once again, Aaron managed to remain stoic enough for the procedure to continue. "This second petal, crossing over the first one, tells me that you are being opposed, for good or bad, by forces of emotional entanglement here in this city. There will be no painless way to overcome it either. This third petal, closest me, lets me know that you hope for this reading to point you in the path of the power to overcome a great threat that you yourself are not fully sure even exists." The roserade's eyes widened as she moved her eyes to the fourth petal.

"Tell me, aggron, what did it feel like?"

"What did what feel like?" Aaron could feel his stoic face beginning to slip.

"Having another act as your heart, of course." The roserade brought both of her arms up to her mouth to hide it again, though this time she included short-lived giggles until Aaron motioned for her to move on.

"Well, I knew about your heart specifically from that fifth petal." The roserade pointed to the fifth petal Aaron had placed down, "And in the very near future, you will meet a pokemon selfish, shallow, and self-satisfied. He will be the influence that brings your goal to its climax."

The roserade then brought her blue bouquet down to point at the last four petals, all in a column. "Right now, you believe that by completing your assignment, you will secure wealth and prosperity for pokemon that are important to you, Your friends however, seem to have also instilled in you a desire to use this mission of yours in order to help those in the city with physical and financial hardships. Oh, I can see it in your face now that the petal says so. You are feeling confused, vulnerable, and without defenses deep within what you feel is enemy territory. I understand your concerns of course, but this last petal...it is giving me a strong feeling that I should advise you against attempting to change the current course of time. For if it follows the flow as it should, the end result of the mission you have undertaken will birth something wonderful. While not necessarily pertaining to you specifically, this ordeal you are faced with will in the formation of a bond based on love, honor, and trust, signifying the end of isolation."

The roserade gathered her petals, while still holding a bouquet to hide her mouth, and stood up.

"Now that I've assisted you, I must be off. Give our mutual friend my regards."

The roserade rushed out of The Gilded Deerling, and all of a sudden, the music began to die down.

"Something isn't right." Inkeri bit her lip as she looked around the gambling den. The addicts had all gotten up and left the building as well.

"Aaron." She walked up to Aaron. "Did you do anything that would-?"

"Go, go go!" An Alola form golem was calling out as a bisharp, delcatty, simipour, dragonite, and spinda all rushed into the gambling den, followed by five savage bergmite, clearly trained by the Emberguard Guard as war-beasts. "Aaron the aggron and accompanying Moonbrand members, for defying the UGM while under its employ, you are hereby arrested!"

"This is tauros shit!" Aaron called out angrily. "Inkeri, tell them that the Fire Province isn't part of the-" Aaron's jaw dropped when he realized that Inkeri had disappeared in the commotion.

"Well fuck you, too!"

"How are we going to be able to fight all of them?" Charlie asked, somewhat worried, as another five savage bergmite moved past the sapient guards.

"Now!" A voice from the roof of the tavern shouted, and down dropped a mewtwo that Semora managed to recognize, accompanied by a shiny female haxorus.

"Who the fuck are these guys? We don't have to fight them to do we?" Aaron asked.

"Shut up,and focus on the guards!" The haxorus informed them. "Don't you think it's strange that they're being led by a golem? They're Obsidian Legion lackeys, trying to keep your province fighting itself!"

"Can we trust either of these pokemon though?" Charlie asked Semora, who happened to be the closest one to her.

"I can vouch for the mewtwo. He is a fine healer, and hopefully can hold his own in close quarters battles as well."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm Hextra, and this is Micah. Know that we're done playing the 'getting to know you' game, let's fight already!"

Semora lunged for the bisharp, staying closer close to the floor with a Low Kick of her leg, hitting the bisharp in his shin, but the pokemon remained stalwart and standing, bracing through the pain of the attack. The delcatty beside the bisharp did some quick thinking before looking around the room, and deciding on Aaron as the enemy she wanted to fight the least. "You know, steel stud, there's a much more preferable way to resolve this." She beamed a big smile at him as she strutted closer. "How about we behave like adults here?"

"I'm not falling for that shit." Aaron was not fazed by the Attract attempt.

"Well said." Micah nodded at Aaron as he teleported into the concentration of Obsidian Legion lackeys and threw a punch at the dragonite, who effortlessly dodge the blow.

"Hraah!" The simipour guard jumped on Charlie, and gashed perpendicular to her scar with four powerful Fury Swipes.

Meanwhile, the dragonite brought his fist back at Micah in a Dragon Rush, knocking the mewtwo back to the other side of the tavern.

"How dare you touch me." The bisharp gashed Semora with a Fury Cutter attack, knocking her back into Aaron, who managed to catch her before she fell completely.

Charlie blew a Flamethrower onto a charging Metal Claw attack and used the combination to uppercut the Simipour with it, causing the pokemon to stagger back, and Charlie to become un-grappled from his grip.

Charlie looked at her hand, and smiled, proud that her 'molten claw' technique had paid off.

"Feel my Thunder Punch!" The golem yelled as he rushed at electrified fist towards Aaron, who managed to toss Semora out of the way before the punch hit him incredibly close to where his chest cannon operated.

"Gahhh…" Aaron braced himself, trying his hardest to keep from letting his chest cannon open up.

Hextra charged the dragonite with a Dragon Claw attack, and sent the poor soul flying out past the city gates, she attacked with such force and fury.

"U-um…" Aaron gulped.

The spinda Thrashed her way into Hextra, with almost the same force that Hextra had used to attack the dragonite, sending the haxorus careening through the tavern until she crashed into the far wall.

"What the fuck...kind of...Thrash was that?" She coughed to catch her breath. Before she could truly process anything however, the bergmite, all at once, attacked with Blizzards, washing the whole tavern over in ice and snow, and even managing to freeze Aaron completely.

"Uh-um...Rock Slide!" Terune called out as he summoned a barrage of rocks and chucked them at the guards and bergmite. The bisharp and the simipour both managed to dodge the Rock Slide, while the rest of the guards and a good six of the bergmite were all hit. The six hit bergmite were crushed to bits under the falling rocks, while the guards themselves merely took a bruising.

"Heal Bell!" Micah announced as a hollow sound reverberated through the area and Aaron's ice shattered, allowing the aggron to move again.

"Fuck that kid!" The bisharp cursed as he lunged at Terune with another Fury Cutter, sending the phantump up into the ceiling of the tavern so forcefully that the entire building shook.

Hextra, still groggy from the mass of Blizzard attacks, rushed at the bisharp with a Brick Break, only to have it be dodged.

"Heh, say goodnight, charmeleon!" The golem laughed as he jumped up in the air and dive-bombed towards Charlie. "Heavy Slam!"

Charlie was only just barely able to roll out of the way to avoid being crushed to death.

"Hraah!" The spinda continued with her Thrash attack, this time jumping straight through Terune, doing nothing other than making the ghost type pokemon feel uncomfortable.

Charlie stood up and attacked the golem with a Hidden Power, but as she did so, the Golem grabbed Aaron and tossed him into the line of attack, before rolling away.

"Gah!" Aaron shouted.
"Aaron, be aware of your surroundings!" Charlie snapped.

"I know!" Aaron yelled as he rushed the golem with an Iron Head, shattering the Obsidian Legion lackey to pieces.

"Oh, aren't you a handsome young pokemon?" The delcatty tried for an Attract on Terune as he freed himself from the ceiling of the tavern. "Why don't we agree to not fight each other, alright, hun?"

"Uh-Alright…" Terune forget to drop down as he suddenly felt more mesmerized by this delcatty than he remembered being when the battle started. She was working for the obsidian legion, but she said she didn't want to fight, and she was kind of pretty but-..."Ungh…" Terune began to rub the sides of his head in confusion.

Semora once again swept towards the bisharp with a Low Kick, knocking the pokemon to the floor. "Hngh…" The bisharp grunted. "As long as I still have…" He staggered to stand up. "The last of my strength...I will defeat you all…"

"Die, fire-type!" The simipour lunged at Charlie with a Fury Swipes once more, but Charlie weaved through the attacks effortlessly. "Stay still, damn you!" The simipour cursed.

The bergmite all took this as their cue, and one jumped towards each Moonbrand member, brandishing an Ice Fang. Charlie, Semora, and Terune all dodged, and while Aaron was hit, he easily smashed the bermite against the ground in a counterattack.

"Rock Slide!" Terune fought the pervasive thoughts about the delcatty as he once again summoned a large amount of rocks and chucked them at the lackeys and bergmite, managing to knock out both the bisharp and the simipour, as well as crush two more bergmite. Now only the delcatty, the spinda, and one last bergmite remained.

"Hrah!" Hextra slashed the delcatty with a Dragon Claw, bloodying the pokemon's face with a visible gash and scar, before the delcatty fell to the ground, losing consciousness, and snapping Terune out of his mesmerization.

"Thunder!" Aaron yelled as he smited the remaining bergmite with a Thunder that, by all accounts, was way over the top considering the enemy it was used on.

Micah headed up the spinda and threw a punch at it, which the spinda drunkenly dodged in her stupor. Micah turned to Semora. "Help?"

Semora nodded and rushed up to flank with a Leaf Blade, only to also be outmaneuvered by the spinda. "What's with her?"

"Terune!" Semora looked up to where Terune was still grabbing onto a rafter near the ceiling. "Can you get her from there?"

"Um…" Terune rose his other arm and pointed it at the spinda, Dark Pulse spheres shooting out of his hand. And while the dark spheres were right on the mark, the spinda kept dodging the attacks by bending and moving in the most counterintuitive ways possible.

"*Hiccup*" The spinda hiccuped as she rushed at Hextra for the final of her Thrash attacks, only for the shiny haxorus to dodge.

Charlie blew a solid Flamethrower towards the spinda, hoping that the spreading flames would account for the erratic movements of the enemy.

The spinda easily danced around the flames, until, out of nowhere, she fell face-first into the attack.

She did not get up.

"Whew...that's all of them." Charlie wiped her brow.

"An amazing performance, I'd say." Inkeri clapped from a hole in the ceiling. "Well done, each of you."

"What the fuck are you talking about, you traitor?" Aaron asked angrily. "You left us to die-"

"I did no such thing." Inkeri shook her head calmly. "I fact checked the information. You can rest assured that these are not, in fact, true Emberguard Guards. Just as that haxorus with the scar told you, yes?"

"Scar?" Aaron questioned as he looked over at Hextra and noticed the large scar along the left side of her neck.

"It's a wonderful scar isn't it?" Hextra smiled as she boasted. "I was sparring with a garchomp once, and we both got a little too into it. Man, that was a good time."

"Now that things have settled down a bit…" Micah said as he looked around at the Moonbrand members. "I have a favor to ask."

"A favor?" Semora crossed her arms. "I hope you know that we're rather busy right now."

"It shouldn't hinder this favor too much." Micah replied. "If you would find it acceptable, I would like to join this mercenary band."

"This one?"

"Unlike many other pokemon, I can teleport." Micah explained. "And I am aware that once the problems here have been taken care of, some Moonbrand will be heading to Fable. Thanks to some strange circumstances surrounding that island, I cannot teleport there, but I've heard some disturbing rumors from Hextra here."

"Hmm…" Aaron scratched his head. "Hextra sounds too much like 'Extra'. How about we call you Hex?"

"I think I'd like that." Hex nodded. "After all, when I heard what Micah told me, I decided to join up with you guys as well!"

"Oh my, two in one day." Inkeri snickered to herself. "A physical powerhouse, and a healer who can hold his own. I certainly don't mind adding you to the roster. Now, are you ready to join us on your first mission as Moonbrand members? We're about to break into a mansion!"

Supports That Happened Before The Missions Began

Conlan and Bennett: Support Rank D Reached

"Hey, there he is! Con-lan-my-man!" Bennett exclaimed as he walked up to Conlan, who was busy getting mail.

"Hey Bennett." Conlan greeted with a smile. "How is the world treating you?"

"She's very needy, but rarely gives anything in return. I liked my old world better, you?"

"Ehhh…" Conlan wavered his hand. "It's hard to decide. There are times when I miss everyone in my old world so much, but there are also times when I dread going back and leaving everyone here behind. It feels somewhat like I simply moved from one house to another sometimes as well, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess that makes some sense." Bennett nodded as he folded his arms. "Well, let's wish each other luck on whatever adventures we both go on next. I'm sure they'll be...out of this world."

Conlan gave a giant, disappointed sigh.

"Sure, Bennett, Sure."

Rudo and Charlie: Support Rank C Reached

"Th-the...Ca- The Cha-...The Charm...an...der...The Charmander! The Charmander!"

"That's only the first two words of the sentence, Rudo." Charlie laughed. "Come on, read the rest, you've got this."

"E-no wait...Is o-ran-gie… What's 'o-ran-gie'?"

"That word spells 'orange'." Charlie informed Rudo. "Here, look at this one too."

"Tastie?"

"Taste." Charlie corrected. "Sometimes there is a silent e at the end of a word."

"That's stupid. Whoever thought that up is stupid."

"It's just the standard Normalian language." Charlie laughed. "If you wanted I could teach you Firean, but you might find yourself stressing out too much over its grammar and noun genders."

"No, Normalian is enough." Rudo answered. "It's the one everyone uses in day to day life after all."

"Well, I guess that's enough practice for now." Charlie said as she closed the picture book that she had lent Rudo for practice. "You'll be able to read high-level works before you know it. Don't give up!"

"Then I can read your book!" Rudo jumped up, eyes glimmering with excitement.

"Absolutely not." Charlie's face went stern as she refused bluntly.

Semora and Bravero: Support Rank C Reached(From Double Rank Up)

"You're Semora, right?" Bravero asked as he walked up to Semora, who was busy training against a dummy in the UGM Hall courtyard.

"You're the new member?" Semora asked. "What did you come here to ask me about?"

"Well, actually...I was told by Conlan that if I wanted information on the Azure Syndicate, I should talk to you?"

"You've come to the wrong pokemon then." Semora said, continuing to train. "Even I don't have as much information as you would probably expect me to-"

The Leaf Blade she was practicing suddenly disappeared as she realized an error she'd made. "Wait a minute...what did Conlan tell you about me? Because if you know about me, then I'm going to need to kill you-"

Bravero could have reacted in any number of ways, and Semora would not have been fazed, but laughing was not one of those ways.

"Hahahahahaha, Oh, that's great!" Bravero smiled.

"What are you-?" Semora's eyes narrowed.

"You don't want to tell me anything about your past, so you make a false threat to end my life." Bravero smiled. "I've been targeted by those out to kill me before. You're too relaxed to actually be intending to kill me, right?"

"You're beginning to make me curious about your own past, new member-"

"Bravero." Bravero said. "My name is Bravero, feel free to use it."

"Bravero, why do you want to know about The Azure Syndicate?"

"It may or may not have to do with a massive debt my father incurred that still hasn't been paid back yet and a kidnapped brother? What about you, Semora?"

"I don't think I feel comfortable sharing my past with a stranger…"

"Fair enough. Let's be friends then." Bravero held out a hand for a handshake.

"No." Semora replied without moving.

"What, why not?" Bravero rose an eyebrow.

"The last pokemon I got close to…" Semora looked down at the ground.

"What, he died?" Bravero asked, bluntly.

"Did you just-" Semora gasped. "He was my-"

"It doesn't matter now what he was to you. He died. Those are the facts, and besides you're wrong. The last pokemon you got close to didn't die, because he's talking to you right now."

"We aren't close, Bravero."

"Oh really?" Bravero cocked his head towards his hand. "All you have to do is reach out your arm, and we'll be touching each other. That's pretty close already."

"You are making me both angry and confused." Semora's eyes narrowed as she gave a cool reply again. "If you do truly want to learn more about The Azure Syndicate, come to me when you are focused and able to listen."

Having said her piece, Semora walked off into the UGM Hall.

"Man…" Bravero rubbed the back of his neck. "For someone who is allegedly an assassin according to Conlan, she's kind of adorable."

AN1: Pierce the pawniard was sent in by LivingTorch, thank you LivingTorch!(Can I call you LivingTorch?)

AN2: Hextra "Hex" the haxorus was sent in by 1Glimmershine, thank you blackfang!

AN3: Congrats to Gina and Verden on making Support Rank A! As was stated back when they were introduced, this is the first rank where OCs can begin a romance with one another. If you decide that you would like your OC to harbor or act on any romantic feelings for the other author's OC, please PM me about it. Various events can play out differently for OCs in a relationship, and some events or areas can only be accessed by OCs in a relationship as well.

AN4: OC Sheet

OC Name, Sex, Species:

OC Home Province (Where they are from):

OC Role(Teammate Hopeful, Other Team Member, Minor Villain, Commoner, Etc.):

OC Profession(Are they unemployed like Terune, are they a veteran like Concordia, an assassin like Semora, etc.?):

OC Moveset:

Move 1(From Natural Movepool):

Move 2(From Natural Movepool):

Move 3(From Natural Movepool):

Move 4(From Natural Movepool):

Alt Move 1(Can be TM or Egg Move):

Alt Move 2(Can be TM or Egg Move):

OC Personality:

OC Background:

Anything Else Doobop Should Know:

That's all or now! Thanks for reading ^.^!