Stardust-Dragon8

Female | 27 yrs old | Mostly Traditional Art, Occasionally Digital | Will try to post at least once per month | Avatar Created by Me!

[stardust-dragon8]

Last Updated: 12/26/2025

Please read this pinned post before interacting, especially if you want to send asks!

Welcome to My Blog!

This is a blog for my art. I mostly do traditional art with photos taken with my phone camera, and occasionally digital art. My art is mostly centered around my OCs and Pokémon (and I do anthropomorphic Pokémon sometimes).

I also like to reblog cat videos.

More info below!

OCs

Here's a list of my OCs!

If you want to search for art of my OCs, use oc: [name] (example; oc: rufis). You only need to use their first name.

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Please, ask me about my OCs! I'm shy, but I'll do my best to answer them! Note that I rarely, if ever, respond to comments and DMs, so your best bet is through my inbox.

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This ban list is subject to change.

Thank you for reading!

[stardust-dragon8]

Bonus drawings for Chapters 15-17!

Part 1 || Part 2 || Bonus (this post)

Other Recruits: First Set - Second Set - Third Set

Skipper! Juan's Egg hatched, and out came a healthy Skorupi! Now Pebble has a baby brother!

(His name comes from a kid thing; when I was a kid, I would pronounce Skorupi as skip-POUR-ri instead of score-RUE-pea, and even today, I have to catch myself.)

Hoo boy. . . I knew that I needed to create Team Cayenne's base even though backgrounds are my weakness, and creating them from scratch even more so. . .

So I spent a few days just making the base. The top picture is the final look of the outside, while the bottom two are concept sketches. The hardest part was making it looked inhabited, and as you can see in the second concept sketch, I decided to just make floor plans of the two places that are featured in the story: the ground floor/living room and The Celestial Siblings' room upstairs so that I wouldn't spend forever trying to design the place.

Thankfully, the rock beds Io and Nebula use were much easier to design, thanks to having the floor plan of their bedroom already conceptualized. They're more comfortable than they look. . . for the siblings.

(Minor spoiler for the story below!)

"When you stretch, feel your feet push into the ground and your muscles engage!"

I decided to not include Nami's teachings in the story, but I wanted to make this drawing as a bonus! I did do some reading up on grounding techniques, and I found out that stretching and other physical exercises are one of many strategies people use to reset. Considering that both Nami and Plasma are physical Pokémon, I thought it would be easy for Nami to walk Plasma through the somatic techniques. (Plus, I think she'd notice that Plasma gets tense whenever she's feeling angry, so getting her to notice the tension and work her way through it would help her control her emotions.)

[stardust-dragon8]

This is Part 2 of Chapters 15, 16, and 17!

Part 1 || Part 2 (this post) || Bonus

After this upload, I'm going to show off some bonus drawings, including a reference for the special boy! I'm almost done, I'm down to one more drawing; hopefully I will be able to get it done this coming week.

Warning: There's some negative self-talk in both Plasma's and Flora’s sections of the story, with the former's having a brief description of disassociation. The story does end on a hopeful note, though!

While Flora’s reasoning was sound, she got the location wrong.

Plasma was not upstairs, but instead was in the kitchen, looking at the fungus fritters made by their namesake. She debated whether or not she should take one, before deciding why not, and took one that had some mushrooms peeking out of the cuts. She walked out of the kitchen with the fungus fritter in hand, and sat on the lounge nest to the right of Diana, who was. . . napping? . . . on her back. She looked over the fritter, and after a sigh, ate it. Ugh, she can’t tell if it was better or worse than the one she ate last time. At least she’s not getting a stomachache. After eating the fungus fritter, Plasma looked around, seeing the recruits in the living room talking amongst themselves. She sighed and closed her eyes in thought.

She. . . she feels so disconnected from all this. She’s trying to exist in Team Cayenne’s shared home, the team she co-leads, and yet she can’t even convince herself that all of this is real. That the recruits and the wider Wigglytuff’s Guild want to help her and Flora despite their colossal mistake with Cresselia. Do they really want to help, or is she tricking them into falling into line, like the scum she is? She really wants to be a good Pokémon, like Breloom said she could. She wants to change for the better. . . so why does this disconnected feeling still persist?

A gentle tap on her leg broke Plasma out of her spell. She opened her eyes and looked down. Next to her was Quin, looking at her with his big eyes. “Hey,” he said, “Raya wants to talk to you.” The Lotad stepped back, and Raya stepped forwards, with Jane and Nami on either side of her as support. When the Stantler realized that the Charmander was staring at her, she backed up a little.

“Are you okay with this, Raya?” asked Nami.

“We’re here to help you,” added Jane.

The young Pokémon lightly stomped her right front hoof twice. “D-don’t worry. I. . . I can do this.” Raya approached Plasma again, took a breath, and started to speak. “I'm. . . I'm. . .” she repeated, before lowering her head in a full bow.

“I'm sorry. . . When the nightmares started, and it looked like you were a bad guy, I. . . I told the other kids of Treasure Town about you and that they should stay away. I even told Marill and Azurill. I. . . I made things harder for you and Flora than it needed to be. I'm sorry.”

Plasma was still staring at the bowing Raya. Quin chimed in. “If you’re worried about me and Raya, we’re still friends! I didn’t know she was spreading rumors about you with some of the other Pokémon in town until a few minutes ago, but I forgave her!”

“It’s fine,” the Charmander said with a sigh. “I accept your apology.”

Raya picked her head back up.

“Now just leave me alone or something.”

The four recruits in front of Plasma looked at each other. They all realized that the Charmander wasn’t acting or talking like her usual self. Jane’s maternal instincts couldn’t stand this, so the Jynx looked back at the Fire-type and clasped her hands. “Plasma, we can tell that something’s bothering you. You can talk to us about your woes; you’re safe here. Please, don’t bottle up your worries.”

“Yeah man,” Nami said to back Jane up. “If you need to get something off of your chest, then speak.”

Suddenly having four pairs of eyes focus on her made Plasma’s insides twist. She can’t just run from this now. She has to tell them, she has to. . . no, she can’t tell them that she harbors Darkari’s spirit. That will be foolish, telling them of their enemy just to reveal that she’s an enemy herself.

She can’t change what she has inside. . . so instead she can change something related, to minimize the damage she could cause.

Plasma sighed. “The truth is, I want to stop myself from getting angry.”

The quartet was surprised. “Wh-what do you mean?” asked Nami.

“Exactly as I said,” the Charmander continued. “I don’t want to be a wrathful Pokémon anymore. My anger causes more problems than it solves.”

“But, but, but,” Quin sputtered, “but you’re so cool when you're mad! Like when you fought your way through a Monster House all by yourself a few days ago! I can’t do that.”

“You don’t know how much trouble my anger gets us!”

Quin squeaked from Plasma suddenly raising her voice, and he cowered behind Raya, who cowered behind Jane and Nami.

“You heard about Cresselia. Amp Plains, and Pebble having to deal with her disability for the rest of her life? The survey team, Armaldo, and I’m pretty sure it led to our kidnapping and Darkrai finding us! And who knows what else! I just. . .” Plasma let out a frustrated groan, aimed at herself and her conduct, and buried her head in her hands. “I just don't want to screw things up more than I already have.”

The four recruits were stunned by Plasma confessing to all of her guilt like a condemned criminal. They didn’t know how to respond; even Jane, who usually had the wisdom to solve problems like this, couldn’t find the words. What could they say to her, whose self-esteem has been lost? How can they convince her that her wrath is not a curse to be cured?

“Erasing your anger? Now that's going a bit too far.”

The four recruits were surprised by the new voice, and looked at the speaker. Even Plasma lifted her head out of hands and looked to her left. There, still on the lounge nest on her back, was Diana. As it turned out, the Slowpoke wasn't sleeping, she was listening with her eyes closed, and now found it fit to chime in. She rolled onto her belly.

“Hey,” asked Nami, “how long were you listening?”

“The whole time,” admitted Diana. “Now Plasma, why do you want to get rid of your anger, when it’s a fundamental part of you?”

“Didn’t she hear what I said?” Plasma thought to herself. “It doesn’t make sense to repeat myself, so. . .” The Charmander slumped in the nest. “All of the above, and, when I give into my rage. . . I become just as bad as all of the scum in this world. So I have to get rid of it.”

Diana nodded. “Well, that’s where you’re mistaken.”

“Mistaken?”

“Anger is not inherently good or bad, like all emotions,” the Slowpoke explained. “In fact, anger can help Pokémon in various ways, such as strengthening their resolve and letting them be honest with themselves and others. It's when it goes out of control that it becomes harmful. Plasma, what you need to learn is how to better manage your anger, not get rid of it.”

Plasma sat up in the nest. She was speechless. The words that Diana said had caused the awful feelings that were swirling inside her to uncoil ever so slightly. Why does it seem so obvious, yet so freeing when put into words?

Jane had realized that Diana was able to clear some of the doubt within Plasma so effectively, and complemented her. “. . . Wow, I could never put it in better words myself.”

At this point, Diana rolled onto her back. “I know two things; spice, and emotions. That's all!” The Slowpoke closed her eyes again, confident that her work here was done.

Nami scratched the back of her neck. “So if we want to help Plasma control her rage, then. . . I got it!” Nami’s tails buzzed at her eureka moment. The Buziel crouched down to meet the Charmander’s eye level, and said “As you know, I volunteer as a lifeguard, and while thankfully it doesn't happen all of the time, sometimes things go from zero to sixty in a flash and I have to save someone from a life-threatening situation. I can’t afford to freeze up while on duty, so I picked up some grounding techniques along the way. I ground myself before going to work to keep myself calm, cool, and collected. But they also help in other areas, and working through your emotions is one of them. I can teach you what I know in the backyard; it’s big and the fresh air will do you good!”

“Is it still going to rain though?” asked Quin.

“Well, the clouds have been going away, and it’s not as dark as it was before,” answered Nami. “We can always go back inside if it does rain.” She then looked back at Plasma. “So, what do you think? Want me to be your teacher?”

Plasma looked at the smiling Buziel. She just offered to teach her ways to control her anger, but. . .

Quin noticed Plasma doubting the offer, and said “Don’t be scared! Nami’s one of the greatest teachers on the entire planet!”

“It, it’s true,” Raya added. “Sh-she taught me how to play beach volleyball. I was so nervous, but once she t-talked me through it, I was volleying in no time.”

“And I feel that once you learn how to take control of your emotions,” said Jane, “you’ll find yourself changing for the better. But it won’t happen if you don’t take the first step.”

Plasma took all of those words in. She took a deep breath. “Nami, teach me, please.”

“Alright!” Nami stood up, and Plasma did so too. “To the backyard!”

---

When Flora couldn’t find Plasma in the upstairs rooms, she could feel her heart sink. She usually has a good intuition about finding others. She didn’t know how this developed, she just always had that knack. It's useful for not getting lost in a new place, and it's even more useful when you step on a trap that teleports you into a random part of a Mystery Dungeon. But now, she can’t even find her friend in a place she’s somewhat familiar with. Had she finally lost her touch?

Flora shook her head to stop those bad thoughts. No, she hasn’t lost it yet! She just made an error. Mistakes aren’t the end of the world! (Most of the time.) She just has to go back downstairs and search there. The Chikorita turned around to get to the stairs, and was startled when she saw a certain Lunatone in the hallway. “Woah, how did you sneak up on me?” the Grass-type asked.

“It’s hard to make noise when you don’t have hands or feet,” Io answered.

Flora blushed in embarrassment from that obvious answer. “Oh, of course.”

Io looked over Flora as she awkwardly walked to the stairs. Although their psychic powers barely cover the field of thought, they are intuitive and somewhat of an empath, and they could sense that something was burdening the Chikorita immensely. If she leaves with that burden, that will negatively impact her performance at her duties. Io felt that they had to do something to help her alleviate it. And maybe it’s a bit selfish to invoke this now, but they always wanted to have a private talk with her. So Io turned around to face the stairs and said “Flora.”

The Chikorita, who was prepared to go downstairs, stopped in her tracks. She looked behind herself.

“Can we have a one-on-one chat? I’ve been meaning to ask you since I joined Team Cayenne, but it always slipped my mind.”

Flora blinked. She looked down the stairs, then towards Io, then back down the stairs, then back towards Io. She thought about the Lunatone’s request. To be honest, Flora has been. . . afraid about finding Plasma at that moment. What if she said or did something that made the Charmander spiral even more? The Chikorita felt that she wasn’t ready to face her friend, and as much as it felt abhorrent to think about, a small part of her was relieved that she didn’t find her upstairs. Maybe talking to Io for a bit will help sort out her mind. So Flora turned towards the Lunatone and answered “Okay.”

“Follow me to my room.”

Io led Flora to the room they shared with Nebula, which was the only one that had a pair of jagged boulders the two of them called their rock beds. Io dropped down onto their bed, its shape cradling them. Flora sat down on a nest used by guests.

“Now that we’re here,” said Io, “let’s talk.”

The conversation started flowing naturally. At first, the two of them talked about what they knew; plant life, minerals, Mystery Dungeons, folktales, and other such things. After several rounds of facts and tales, the topic shifted to Wigglytuff’s Guild, then to the nightmares.

“I’ve never experienced any of the nightmares that have been going around,” said Io, “but that’s possibly because I sleep in the daytime, and only for four hours.”

“That makes sense,” said Flora. “Most Pokémon sleep at night, and Darkrai wants these nightmares to affect a lot of Pokémon at once. At least, that’s what I think.” The Chikorita thought about what was just said, and realized something. “Now that you mention it, Io, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced those nightmares either. Of course, not counting our unwitting trip into the dream world two nights ago. . . .”

As she said the last sentence, Flora’s voice petered out, and she started to dig her right front leg into the floor. Io noticed this, and saw how the Chikorita seemed morose. “I must be getting close to the heart of Flora’s burden,” thought the Lunatone. “Now it's time to help her face it.”

Io closed their eyes. “Flora, you told us that you and Plasma encountered Darkrai two nights ago. Did anything else happen? You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable.”

At first, Flora seemed to ignore Io, still grinding her foot on the ground. But the truth was that she did hear what the Lunatone said, and was considering whether or not to share. She eventually came to the conclusion that she can’t keep her anxieties close to her chest forever. She has to tell someone. Flora pulled her foot back underneath herself and gave a sigh. “Well. . . the thing is. . . when we encountered Darkrai, he. . . he told Plasma that. . . that she’s a version of him from a different timeline.”

Io didn’t expect that. Still, the Lunatone respectfully listened, and only responded with “I see,” in a neutral tone.

“And that’s crazy, right?” Flora asked. “Tell me that’s crazy, because it is crazy! Darkrai is obviously trying to trick Plasma! I mean, she may be rough around the edges, but she’s nothing like him. End of story! And yet. . . she believes him. She believes that she’s him, and it's weighing on her! You noticed how differently she’s behaving, right? She’s not confident in herself anymore, and I feel like she’s becoming trapped in her own head. Darkrai planted a weed inside her, and it’s choking the life out of my friend!”

Flora pulled her legs closer to her body. Io, still with their eyes closed, said “You wouldn’t stand for something like that, would you?”

“Of course not,” answered Flora. “I tried to get Plasma to realize that she’s not Darkrai.” She sighed. “But no matter what I do, I can’t convince her of the truth. She believes him over me. And I feel that this wall is forming between us, pushing us farther and farther apart. I don’t want to lose her, Io, but. . . but!”

Flora let out an uneasy breath. Tears started to sting her eyes.

“I feel so useless! Ever since the nightmares began, everything has been spiraling out of control, and I can’t seem to do anything to make things right! And this stupid Darkrai thing is just another one of my failures! Maybe it’s just my nerves making me feel this way, but I. . . really want to. . . !”

Flora didn’t finish that sentence, but it soon became clear what she wanted to do, as she pulled her bandana over her mouth and let out a frustrated, muffled scream. After she did so, she let the bandana fall back down, not caring how untidy it looked. The tears that were forming in her eyes were now rolling down her cheeks, and her breathing became sharp and uneven. Arceus, she feels awful.

Io opened their eyes and rose from their rock bed. They carefully approached the emotional Chikorika. “Let it all out,” they said. “You and Plasma are still young, and this is a lot to put on anyone’s shoulders. Catharsis is a wonderful thing; it will help clear your mind and lighten your burden.”

“I feel horrible though,” Flora said as she tried to wipe away her tears. “I probably look horrible too.”

“Catharsis isn’t instant, but trust me, you will feel better after this.”

Io lowered themselves to the floor, and Flora realized that they were allowing her to rest on their body for comfort. She climbed onto Io and laid on the bottom half of the crescent, all four of her legs dangling off of their respective sides.

For several minutes, Flora still felt icky and awful. The tears didn’t seem to want to end. But over time, the tears fell less and less, her breathing went back to normal, and the heavy feeling in her mind disappeared. Flora was amazed; she did feel better after the cry. And although her eyes were still red and puffy, she felt. . . normal. “I. . . I feel okay. . . actually okay,” she remarked.

“And all you needed was the space to feel your feelings,” said Io.

“Yeah. . . .” Flora watched her front legs lazily dangle off of the Lunatone. Although she mostly felt better, there was still one thing that was bothering her. “I still need help with Plasma, though.”

“Yes,” said Io, “we don’t want Darkrai to turn her into an extension of his wicked will. I have been thinking about a solution to this problem while you were processing your emotions, and I think I got it.”

Flora looked into the Lunatone’s eye.

“Stand by her, like you always have. . . In her state, she's likely feeling unmoored, and especially with what's been happening, loneliness is a deadly, deadly poison. Stand by her, even if she says that she can only be alone. Showing her that you support her, even after everything that transpired. . . that will pull her out of the abyss.”

Flora was surprised, and a bit uncertain. “Would that even be enough?” she asked.

“In life, the little things can make the big things manageable. And Flora, you are enough.”

“I. . . I am enough? I am enough. . . .” Repeating that affirmation in her thoughts caused a warm and fuzzy feeling to swell in Flora’s chest. A sense of joy filled her body, and all of her worries seemed so far away now. “Yes, I am enough. I am enough! I have to remember this! I am enough!”

The Chikorita suddenly hugged Io by wrapping her vines around them. “Thank you thank you thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” said Io, their neural tone having a sense of warmth.

---

About one and a half hours after they arrived, Plasma and Flora got ready to leave the recruit’s house. It was now past noon, and it was about time for them to go on their missions to prepare for the expedition to the Hidden Land. Some of the recruits led the duo out of the door, saying their goodbyes and wishing them good luck.

The sky was clear, and the sun was shining. The overcast clouds didn’t take hold after all. Plasma and Flora walked side-to-side, their confident steps reflecting their renewed resolve. Things felt different, in a good way.

The Chikorita took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. “I’m so glad that we visited our recruits today! Everyone’s doing great, Skipper’s so cute, and the house is so lovely!”

Plasma looked at Flora. Feeling the ground under her feet, hearing the gentle breeze in the trees, seeing the Chikorita enjoying the day. . . the Charmander couldn't help but smile.

“Yeah, me too.”

(Bonus!)

[stardust-dragon8]

I have completed Chapters 15, 16, and 17 of Explorers of the Spirit!

The written portion of the story is finished, but it actually got so long that I had to split it up in two parts. If you're reading this at the time this is uploaded, Part 2 is going to be uploaded a day from now. If you're in the future, then Part 2 is up, and you can access it through the link here and at the bottom!

Part 1 (this post) || Part 2 || Bonus

But enough of my yapping. Let's get to the story, and obviously spoilers for Explorers of the Spirit below!

After everything that happened, and for things that are about to happen, it was time that the two leaders of Team Cayenne paid their recruits a visit.

Before they were to go on their missions for the day, Plasma and Flora decided to visit the shared home that the recruits of Team Cayenne use when not on duty. Since the recruits aren’t housed in Wigglytuff’s Guild, they had to find a place to live themselves, and what they found was. . . a fixer-upper, the most generous term to give to that run-down place at the outskirts of Treasure Town. It was the cheapest place two young Pokémon with only 10% of the cut from their jobs could secure. When they first got the place, Plasma was sure that the team got scammed, but Sunny, the oldest recruit at the time, assured their two leaders that they would truly make the place their home.

It was a good time for Plasma and Flora to visit their recruits, the former thought to herself - along with the rest of the guild, they were expected to go on an expedition to the Hidden Land, where the Temporal Tower is located. There, she and Flora, along with (unbeknownst to the guild) Grovyle and Breloom are expected to meet with Darkari for him to explain the distortions in time. It’s likely that only those who are housed in Wigglytuff’s Guild will be able to go, like the last expedition. It was also. . . two days after Team Charm lured the two of them out of the guild to kidnap them on the behalf of Grovyle, so the latter could enter her dreams and defeat Darkrai, but that didn’t pan out, as it turns out that Darkrai is as his most powerful in someone’s dreams and the fact that she’s a carrier of Darkari’s spirit -

“Plasma, are you okay?”

The Charmander snapped out of her rumination. She looked down to see Flora looking up at her with worry in her eyes. “We were going to the house,” added the Chikorita. “I didn’t hear you walk with me. . . are you okay?”

Plasma looked ahead, and saw that they were one hill away from the recruit’s house. Drat, she just spaced out. She should stop doing that. “I’m. . . fine,” Plasma said after some hesitation.

Flora sighed. Plasma’s not fine, she could tell, but she had no idea how to help her partner. . . “Let’s just, let’s just go already,” the Chikorita said to hopefully leave behind the tension.

The two of them walked the path to the house in silence. The only noise was the sound of their feet brushing up dirt, and the howling of the wind, as dark clouds blanketed the sky above, threatening rain. Besides the dirt path, there was a wooden fence that started out as haphazardly hammered-in stakes that demarcated the extent of Team Cayenne's property, which included decently sized front and back yards. The duo passed the fence, walked halfway towards the front of the house. . . and then were suddenly blindsided by someone bowling them over from their left.

Flora tumbled from the impact, dazed. She regained her senses and looked to where Plasma was. . . and saw that a certain Solrock was on top of the Charmader, greeting her like an Arcanine who thought they were still a Growlithe.

“Plasma, Plasma!” Nebula yelled, still parked on top of her. “A-and Flora! You two are okay! We were so worried when we heard that you two disappeared and I would be crying right now if I could produce tears!” the Solrock rambled.

Plasma somehow was able to get both of her arms out from underneath Nebula, and she started to attempt to push him off of her body; attempt because he was so hard pressed to crush her in his happiness. “Can you. . . get off me?” she finally grumbled. “You're as heavy as you look!”

Thankfully, Nebula got the message and the pressure on her body lessoned, and Plasma was able to lift him off of her. As she did, she heard a familiar voice coming from the front of the house, and saw that some of the other recruits, thanks to how loud Nebula was yelling, had exited and now were looking at her and Flora in awe.

“Hooray!” said Quin. He looked up at Raya and said “See, I told you that they’ll come back soon! We didn’t have to worry so much!”

Raya, who was staring at a certain Charmander in shock, realized that Quin was talking to her. He didn’t seem to notice. . . “Y-yeah, I guess that’s good. . . .”

Some relieved tears were forming in Jane’s eyes, to the point that her vision was getting blurry. She rubbed her eyes with her right forearm and stepped towards the duo. “Plasma, Flora,” she said, her voice quivering. “I’m so happy that you two are safe. When we heard from the guild that you were missing, I - we were afraid that you were kidnapped, or hurt, or worse, or all of the above. . . we thought that we would never see you two again. That you would never get to meet him.”

Flora, who was back on her feet, ran up to Jane and gave her a big hug with her vines. The Jynx almost didn't register the embrace, but when she did, she hugged the Chikorita back. “I’m so sorry for making everyone worry,” said the Chikorita. “I truly am.” Flora blinked away some tears - it seems that she was a little weepy as well - then realized that Jane had said something interesting at the end; him. She looked up at Jane and asked “Wait, him? Who is he?”

Jane looked back at the other recruits, and Juan spoke up. “Oh him? Let’s just say that he has been meaning to arrive for a while now, but just yesterday he managed to make it. If you’re curious, come inside!”

Flora let go of Jane, and the Jynx clasped her hands. “Plasma, Flora, please come inside and meet this truly wonderful boy. Nebula, do you want to follow us?”

“Yeah, I’m done throwing rocks!” the Solrock answered, and he floated towards the other recruits.

Plasma walked up towards Flora. The duo looked at each other, and silently agreed to meet him; they were going to go in the house anyway, and they didn't want to get rained on. The duo followed the recruits inside, the Chikorita taking off her Explorers’ Bag and placing it near the welcome mat.

Since the last time Plasma and Flora saw the home, the older recruits had committed to fixing it up and making it their own by taking up some part-time jobs to fund the renovations. Their efforts were clear just from the living room itself. While they didn’t have wooden floors and walls yet, they still made due with a grass rug in the middle, a dining table near the kitchen, a lounge nest opposite of the table, and actual windows to the front and back yards. Not only that, both sets of stairs were fixed, so they could access the upper bedrooms and basement without needing to navigate around some missing steps.

Most of the other recruits were in the living room, with some in the kitchen, as evident by the sounds and smells. While some weren’t doing anything in particular (and were relieved to see that their leaders were safe), quite a few of them were at the back left corner of the room, watching over something. Jane walked up to Betty, one of those in the corner, and said “Excuse me, Betty.”

The Nosepass turned around, slightly jumped in surprise when she saw Plasma and Flora, then shuffled aside. Now with enough room to join the crowd, the duo walked to the space where Betty was and saw what the others saw.

Near the corner of the living room, there was a nest made up of straw and leaves, and there were two Pokémon in the nest. One of the Pokémon was Pebble; she was curled up, but not asleep, and the bandages she was wrapped in since Amp Plains were gone, showing the lightning scars she sustained. The other Pokémon, somehow smaller than Pebble, was another Skorupi, pale blue in color and round where otherwise would be pointy. The other Skorupi was curled up by Pebble, mandibles chittering idly, as the older Skorupi looked over the baby like a big sister.

Pebble looked up from the baby and saw who was watching her. “Oh, hey Plasma, hey Flora,” she said in a casual tone. “Juan’s egg hatched into my adopted baby brother. His name is Skipper.”

Before the duo could comment on this, the recruits watching over the two Skorupi finally realized who joined them, and reacted with surprise. Even Pebble, who just greeted them, didn’t recognize who she was talking to until someone said “Plasma and Flora are back!”; she shook her head and blinked, shocked that she didn’t pick up on their return. Skipper innocently giggled at her shock.

Sunny took off her glasses, cleaned them, and put them back on. “Well, my eyes aren’t deceiving me,” said the Chansey. “Welcome home, you two!”

“Uh, thanks,” Plasma said with a slight sigh.

Flora stepped towards the nest. “Skipper, nice to meet you!”

Skipper stared at the Chikorita and clicked his mandibles at her. “Don’t worry about that,” said Pebble, as the Grass-type seemed wary of his reaction. “You’re a new face, so he’s just going to look at you like that for a bit. He literally hatched yesterday, you know. Also, he’s going to climb everyone until his exoskeleton hardens; he doesn't have his armor yet, so he’ll piggyback on anyone that looks tough. But you have to be prepared for the ‘I’ll sting everyone, and sometimes I’m poisonous’ phase of a Skorupi nymph that hasn't mastered self-consciousness yet once that exoskeleton does harden.”

“You know a lot about taking care of a baby,” commented Flora.

“Only Skorupi,” said Pebble, “but I was a nymph once.”

Skipper stopped staring at Flora and climbed onto Pebble’s back. “Alright,” chuckled the older Skorupi, “let’s get up!” She pulled her legs in and started to stand up, pushing herself off of the ground in a careful and somewhat rigid manner. “Alright, move it!” Pebble said decisively, and the others, including Plasma and Flora, gave her some room to walk.

The other Pokémon dispersed. Sunny was talking to Plasma and Flora about the day they had yesterday, and how the intense worry for the safety of their leaders mixed with the absolute joy of Skipper’s hatching. While the latter leader listened to how some of the recruits were planning to discuss how to conduct a search party after they were done doting over the hatchling, the former was watching Pebble carefully, and noticed how her movements seemed slower. Maybe it’s just her imagination but. . . “Pebble?”

Pebble turned around. Skipper did that staring thing at Plasma.

“The doctors removed your bandages?”

“Yeah, yesterday evening,” explained Pebble. “They said that I can go exploring again, with a handicap.”

“. . . Handicap?” the Charmander hesitated to ask.

“Well, I can’t move my legs and tail as fast as I could before. Something about the electricity having a lasting impact on my nerves or something, I don’t know.”

Guilt formed in Plasma’s chest. Pebble saw the slight change in the Charmander’s expression and said “Look, I'm fine. I'm a bit stiff, but I can still walk. And I can definitely still fight. So don’t count me out just yet! Besides, the others can take care of Skipper when I’m on a dungeon run; I made sure that they knew how to feed him and stuff like that.”

. . . That didn’t make the guilt go away; if anything, its grip only got tighter. Plasma looked behind her, and saw that Flora has since sat down with Sunny and a few of the other recruits at the dining table, still chatting. “I. . . have to go,” said the Charmander, and she walked away to try to get her mind off of the mounting guilt.

Pebble would find herself staring at the Charmander’s backside as she fled from the conversation, before she did a Skorupi’s equivalent of a shrug and went outside with Skipper to play with him.

---

After chowing down on a mid-morning snack, Plasma and Flora decided it was time to tell the recruits what they told the guild. So they called all of Team Cayenne to the living room, and explained what happened from the expedition to the Murky Forest to yesterday; how they fought Cresselia, how she has been captured by Giratina, how they were kidnapped two nights ago, and how they encountered Darkrai while trapped in a nightmarish world.

Shock, fear, and fury spread across the recruits. So that’s what happened? And he’s behind the nightmares? This chaos?! That means --

“Argh, that fiend!” Hylda bellowed while raising the rocky sword hilt she always held above her head. “If only my sword wasn't shattered into seven and a half pieces, I could vanquish this foe!”

“Wasn’t it six pieces just yesterday?” thought Neptune.

Jane went up to Plasma and Flora and embraced the two of them in a big hug. “I knew there was more to the nightmares than what was on the surface,” she said, “. . . but Darkrai? You two must have suffered a lot.”

Plasma groaned and tried to pull away from the hug, which made Jane let go of the two leaders.

“Well, if Darkrai's in the picture,” said Diamond Dust, “that means Plasma has been framed! Hah, if he just stayed in the shadows, we probably would have never figured out his involvement! Gloating about your misdeeds; classic scoundrel mistake!” The former cutpurse pridefully chuckled, as if she didn't just make a hypocritical remark.

“Now let's think of ways to take this bully down!” yelled Nebula. “I'll go first; SUNBEAM DESTRUTO RAY!”

“That sounds like a good idea,” said Io.

“YEAH, SUNBEAM -”

“Let's all have a meeting about how to deal with Darkari this evening. Most ideas are welcome.”

Nebula realized that Io shot down his super awesome sunlight-based secret weapon in the most backhanded, siblingly way possible. The Solrock narrowed his eyes and whispered “You're gonna get it - Sunbeam Distructo-style!”

The others agreed to Io's proposal, and started to disperse once again. Plasma and Flora mostly stayed near Jane as she tended towards them. This gave Terry, who was silent for the team meeting, enough time to walk around and think. Finding his words, the Caterpie went towards the duo and said “So let me get this straight.”

The two leaders of Team Cayenne (plus Jane) looked towards the Caterpie.

“You two encountered Cresselia on your last expedition, she tore into Plasma, and you fought her in response?”

“Y-yeah,” Flora responded.

Terry sighed. “On one hand, I understand the reasoning; letting that slide didn’t seem right. On the other hand, the nightmares wouldn’t be a problem if Cresselia wasn’t captured. . . and it's really ballsy to go toe-to-toe against someone who’s way more powerful than you two.”

“We didn’t know. . .” Flora said in shame as Plasma backed off from the conversation.

“I’m not blaming you; I’m just stating facts.”

“W-well,” the Chikorita said, “sp-speaking of expeditions. . . the guild is planning to go to the Hidden Land soon. Like last time, only the members who live in the guild are allowed to go. We completely forgot to tell you all that.”

“I understand,” said Jane. “We can hold up the fort.” The other nearby recruits agreed.

“And it’s not like we can’t assist,” added Sunny, who overheard the expedition news. “I can send the guild as much information about the myths and tales about Darkrai and Giratina I have on hand! Granted, I need to search through my notes, but I desperately needed to reorganize for a while anyways.”

Flora became chipper as she realized that the rest of Team Cayenne got their leaders’ backs. “That’s great, thank you! You hear that, Plasma? We can rely on. . .” Flora turned around as she said the last sentence, and saw that the Charmander wasn’t by her side anymore. She looked around; she couldn’t find her. “How did she. . .” The Chikorita turned back to the others. “Uh, again, thank you for your help. I’m going to look around the place; you really did a nice job fixing it up.”

The recruits that were talking to Flora allowed her to leave. She shuffled away, hiding a worried expression on her face. Touring the house was only a half-truth; what she really was focused on was finding Plasma. The Charmander has been acting strange for the past two days, ever since Darkrai planted the idea of her being the carrier of his spirit in her head. What once was a hotheaded and confident Pokémon was now filled with doubt, and distracted half of the time.

Plasma’s not okay, but Flora didn’t know how to help her.

The Chikorita groaned to herself as she saw how many Pokémon were blocking the way to the ground floor bedrooms and back yard. “If Plasma didn't want to be seen, she wouldn't want to push her way through the crowd. There's less Pokémon by the stairs to the bedrooms above, so I think she went upstairs.”

Flora hurried to the stairs. She looked up to the floor above, wondered why she felt nervous, then climbed upstairs.

---

(Part 2)

[funny-friends]

a sleepy girl jirachi and her and two less-sleepy friends (she/her for all 3!!)

[stardust-dragon8]

I've been costuming Rufis in so many cute alternative outfits that his default one was looking plain by comparison. Not anymore!

Behold; his new look!

I also did some sketches to break in his redesign!

[stardust-dragon8]

I really wanted to play more Explorers of the Spirit this month, but things were happening or not happening, and I couldn't find the time. So instead, I drew some stuff!

(Io's pose is based on a pose I found online.)

Also, Plasma’s and Flora’s fusion has a name now! She's Spicie (pronounced like Spicy)!

[stardust-dragon8]

OC Fusions!

Ingot (Rufis + Cronus, He/Him)

This guy is one of my oldest fusions! I believe I first made him back in 2020? I keep redesigning him every time Rufis and/or Cronus got a redesign themselves; this is the most up-to-date!

Ingot is a mischievous and emotional extrovert that seems like a more extreme version of Rufis' outgoing personality than a blend of his energy and Cronus' calm. (Then again, Cronus is equally as emotional underneath his stoic front. Maybe the mage uses the fusion to let out his emotions without drawing attention to himself?)

Ingot resembles a demon, with Rufis' ears looking like horns from afar, and his sharp-looking tails constantly surrounded by flames. Those tails ignite when he's feeling angry or excited.

Ingot wields fire and darkness magic. He can also levitate, though only a few feet off of the ground at a maximum.

D'Art (Cronus + Malus, They/Them)

D'Art is also a pretty old fusion in terms of how long ago I first came up with them, though they are not as old as Ingot. They were originally just a generic-looking fusion before I redesigned them with the stained glass motif in mind a few years back.

D'Art is smart. They know that they're smart, and as a result, they are very smug. They are a convicted and motivated fusion that won't give up on themselves easily.

D'Art's magic is Malus' plant manipulation, strengthened due to Cronus' light magic.

They have a tendency to use fancy words. Sometimes, they need to be reminded that most people don't know what words like "verisimilitude" means off the top of their heads.

D'Art's name comes from the term objet d'art, which refers to small, decorative works of art, usually high-quality in nature.

(Also I completely forgot their wings in their third drawing, dang it)

Snickerdoodle (Rufis + Petunia, She/Her)

Snickerdoodle had only been drawn once before in the past. For this post, I redesigned her to be less generic-looking.

Snickerdoodle, or Doodle for short, loves messing around and values her free time, which is often spent doodling (hence her nickname) or tinkering with small objects. It's hard to get her to do something serious, but when she does get around to being productive, she's focused and will do her best. . . if only to be able to get back to her free time faster.

Combining Rufis' fire magic and Petunia's ice breath, Doodle can breathe out water vapor or a colored smoke. Useful for concealing herself, or as an ephemeral work of art!

By combining Rufis' paintbrush with Petunia's spear, Doodle can create a pen-like polearm that can produce magical ink. (I haven't decided on what the ink does yet).

Plasma + Flora (She/Her, Currently Unnamed)

This gal was literally made a week ago, since I couldn't get the image of a dinosaur-like fusion between Plasma and Flora out of my head unless I put it on paper. As such, she doesn't have a name as of yet.

As expected from a fusion between Plasma and Flora, she's very passionate, maybe a bit too passionate sometimes. She feels her emotions intensely to the point that it might overwhelm her components into splitting apart.

If she's glaring at you, most of the time, she isn't actually angry. Plasma's intense RBF doesn't mix well with Flora’s tendency to overthink. So the fusion just. . . stares.

She obviously can use Fire and Grass moves, but what’s really special about this fusion is her vines. Located on her upper shoulders, she can control them just like Flora can, but the ends are covered in cayenne powder that can make the eyes water, the nose run, and the mouth feel like it's on fire! Also, it's highly flammable!

And here's bonus drawings of the fusion!

[stardust-dragon8]

Like the last time I tried to do a big comic but backed out of it for Explorers of the Spirit, I turned some of the sketches into full pieces, plus I like to show off some concept art for the final post!

Spoilers under the cut for Chapters 12, 13, and 14, and there’s a bit of personal and body horror too.

So one of the concepts for the scraped comic was this plushie of Plasma, representing how her physical body is just a mirror of the real Plasma with Darkrai's spirit inhabiting it. The comic would have had some frames of Darkrai sewing up the rip in the plushie's chest and dropping her into the sea (where she wakes up at the beach like in the beginning of the game). . . but as I made the drawing above, I realized that I couldn't draw a hand holding a sewing needle for the life of me, which would have gotten in the way of making the full comic.

One of the things I was gutted that I couldn't include is the homage shot to Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion (specifically the second image). But, because I didn't do the comic, I could expand that homage into a mini-comic, where I can make it my own! I really like it.

Speaking of Madoka Magica. . .

The Aurascape Pokémon! Where everyone has way too many eyes, and they're all judging you!

For those who don't know, the first Mystery Dungeon explored in the dream world is The Aurascape, supposedly the physical representation of Plasma's aura, which Medicham saw back in Chapter 9. And well, the Pokémon inside happen to be those who Plasma knows, because she desires control over everything around her. . . at least, according to Darkrai.

I really wanted to lean into the personal horror of it all, so I basically took a few Pokémon that you can encounter in the Aurascape and made them more monstrous. And although you don't encounter any of your recruits, I decided to add Diamond Dust and Raya into the mix, because Plasma has come into conflict with those two before. Also I didn't have any ideas for Poochyena and Teddiursa other than to put a bunch of eyes on them.

(The reason why Cresselia looks like she's melting was because the Cresselia copies in The Aurascape were all pre-burned, which I thought was striking.)

This is the other thing I was gutted that I couldn't include in the last post: Grovyle! I really wanted to show him off! Look at him, only cool people can still look cool while wearing a silly-looking cape! (It helps that it was a gift from his beloved partner)

Also, human Plasma! Or the Plasma that Grovyle knows! Look at her! (Grovyle are surprisingly short compared to a human; only 2'11" tall!)

Finally, imprisoned Plasma! This girl is not having a good time!

That's it for now!

[stardust-dragon8]

To those of you who want to know what happened during the past three Chapters of Explorers of the Spirit but feel that the trigger warning on the main post applies, I made a post describing the most important revelation so far.

So basically in Chapter 14, the biggest revelation is that potentially, Plasma is actually Darkrai's amnesiac spirit from the original Explorers of Sky timeline, who lost his memory after Palkia destroyed the dimensional hole after his defeat at the bottom of Dark Crater, taking the form of the original timeline Plasma. The reason why she's so aggressive and so keen on ridding the world of scum is because she's subconsciously acting out Darkrai's will, who will go to any lengths to punish wrongdoers, even if it brings the world to ruin.

Specifically, her strong reaction to Cresselia immediately labeling her as an evil Pokémon is Darkrai's spirit responding to a similar betrayal by her in the past, when she discarded her friendship with him after learning that he's destined to ruin the world.

How does Plasma and Flora learn about this? Well, they were tricked by Team Charm, knocked out cold, and kidnapped to help Grovyle, who believes that the Plasma of this timeline, being a lot different than the Plasma he knows, is an illusion conjured up by Darkrai, and with Gardevoir's ability to send Pokémon into a dream world, entered Plasma's dreams to hunt down the Mythical Pokémon of nightmares. Speaking of, Darkrai finds Plasma and Flora first, and not divulging his identity until he showed Cresselia's betrayal, basically revealed she has a serious issue of control and needing to be in control in every aspect of her life and the world. . . just like him.

Plasma is not taking this well. She wondered if she really was Darkrai once the nightmares started, and once the villain of the story basically showed her via her spirit, she's convinced that she has no choice but to play her role as the one who dooms the world. She is currently following his request to reach the top of Temporal Tower to find out what he means by the distortion of time.

Grovyle, who was hunting her down, is also convinced that our Plasma is a version of Darkrai who's taking the form of his dear friend, but formed a temporary truce with her and Flora to escape the dream world. He can't really deal with a Pokémon who can manipulate dreams in his home turf, now can he?

Flora is not convinced. She thinks that Darkrai is trying to trick Plasma into falling into despair, and that she and him are completely separate individuals. Sure, the Charmander can be a Tauros in a china shop when dealing with her problems, but she has no intention of destroying the world, right? She's trying her hardest to convince Plasma to stop listening to Darkrai's lies, but nothing's sticking. . . .

Related to the most important revelation, Chapter 12 has Wigglytuff sending Team Cayenne to Treasure Town Ruins to find Armaldo, his mentor from all those years back, so he can tell them his story on how he reformed from being a criminal. Unfortunately, Plasma takes it as Wigglytuff not trusting the duo, and she was seconds away from throwing down with the old fossil Pokémon. Flora, however, puts her foot down at this point and calls Plasma out for fighting everyone who rubs her the wrong way, and for the first time in the story, leaves her behind (with the rest of the team following the Chikorita).

This snaps Plasma out of her blind rage, and horrified that this is what caused Flora to leave her side, withdraws from fighting Armaldo. She only returns to the guild at night, and apologizes to Flora, as she has been taking her friend for granted. Plasma has a breakdown at this point; ever since the nightmares began, she has been losing control of herself, and feels like she can't trust anyone but Flora, which is why the Chikorita getting angry at her and leaving was so effective at snapping her out of her rage.

Flora says that yes, there is a lot the two don't know, but they got to stop making enemies. She basically tells Plasma to stop assuming everyone is out to betray her, and if they do, only act on it after they do so. Today was a bad day, so tomorrow, they should start off fresh again.

(Yep, Flora stands up to Plasma, and it was awesomely effective. My Do No Harm quotes post basically predicted this!)

[stardust-dragon8]

Alright, it's finally done! My take on Chapters 12, 13, and 14!

I really wanted to do a comic, and actually came up with a script that was shorter than the last time I tried to do this, but then I couldn't figure out the layout, so I thought that it was better if I put it in writing with occasional drawings again. Sorry!

But, as I said, nothing bad happened in those three chapters, so everything's going to be fine, right?

. . . Right?

(Actual warning here: the writing and images past the cut goes deep into personal horror, as well as some body horror. I think this is one of the most harrowing things I've ever written. If you want to know what happened but feel like you would be potentially be triggered, I made a post summarizing the events of the past three chapters.)

I used to think I knew myself.

Plasma, the Charmander with no memories before meeting Flora. Plasma, the co-founder of Team Cayenne. Plasma, with a strong sense of justice, who wants to rid the world of scum. Plasma, the one who will make the world a safer place.

Seems laughable now, after everything I learned.

My body is false, a twisted mirror of the true Plasma, the Plasma Grovyle knows.

And my spirit? The force that drives my being?

Only the incarnation of the biggest scum of them all. . . Darkrai.

I don't want to believe it.

But. . . it makes too much sense.

Cresselia singling me out as evil, followed by the most intense rage I felt so far. . . Medicham seeing how hot my aura was and saying “I knew what it meant”. . . everything that happened with the nightmares. . .

It's only because I carry Darkrai's evil.

Flora, who I dragged into mess after mess, keeps insisting that Darkrai is lying, that me and him are two separate people.

But she can’t be ignorant of the truth. She knows that I'm twisted.

She saw what lies in my spirit! She knows how much I desire control over all else!

She left me when I didn't listen to Armaldo. . . and there's nothing stopping her from leaving me again, this time for good.

So why does she still stay by my side?

What does she see in me that’s still worth defending?

We formed a truce with Grovyle to get out of the dream world. But even after we wake up. . . nothing is ever going to be the same.

I know what my spirit drives me to do, and it's to be a toxin that makes the world worse. Every step I take pushes me further and further away from everything I once thought was true.

And honestly?

As the carrier of the Spirit of Darkrai. . . I feel like. . . for the sake of the world. . .

Short of obliteration. . . they should lock me away. . . and destroy the key.

[stardust-dragon8]

Wow, it has been, like, eight months since I last played Explorers of the Spirit!

Well, it has been long overdue! I have paid for my absence by playing through Chapters 12, 13, and 14 over the span of six (non-consecutive) hours. And, well, nothing bad happened and everyone had a grand old time! =D

I have something special planned this time, but first, since I did recruit new Pokémon, I'm going to do my usual showcase! It's only eight this time around, and six of them came from Chapter 12, which means there's a lot less characters I have to come up with.

First Set - Second Set - Fourth Plus Bonus

Chapter 12

Mastro and Alicia, the duo singers of Ol' Treasure Trebles!

Pierce, the loud and proud bodyguard of Ol' Treasure Trebles!

Felix, the gentle, bookish boyfriend of Alicia!

Spool, the appropriately-named weaver of silks!

Juan, the jolly hiker who brought a mystery Egg!

Chapter 13

Betty, with a nose for gossip!

And Hylda, who studied the blade!

[stardust-dragon8]

I wanted to adjust the design of Flora’s Keyblade that I created in my last post. Now it has better shapes and a few more details to keep it consistent!

[stardust-dragon8]

Double Upload 2: Electric Boogaloo!

This time it's my Explorers of the Spirit characters with quotes from Real-Time Fandub's Do No Harm!

(These last two drawings are not based on Do No Harm, but they do have a bit of nostalgia for me; combining Pokémon with Kingdom Hearts!)

(Edit: I slightly redesigned Daylily after this post; the redesign can be found here.)

[stardust-dragon8]

A January double upload? More likely than you think!

Now get ready for Rufis in his New Years finest!

[stardust-dragon8]

Happy December 10th!

(I learned about this meme late December of last year and wanted make my version in time for this year.)

[stardust-dragon8]

Last Updated: 7/12/26

My OC List!

OCs With Name Tags

These OCs can be searched for on my blog using oc: [name].

Original

Rufis

Cronus

Petunia

Malus Spinner

Fawne

Pokémon

Plasma - Charmander

Flora - Chikorita

Wayward (Andrew Quarters) - Linoone ✨️

Willow (Lemon-Lime) - Swoobat ✨️

Gorge - Cramorant

Vane - Staraptor

OCs Without Name Tags

These OCs don't have a corresponding name tag. You can still search for their names directly.

Pokémon

Quin - Lotad

Diana - Slowpoke

Pebble - Skorupi

Wendle - Tangela

Fritter - Paras

Ivan - Zigzagoon

Raya - Stantler

Sunny - Chansey

Rex - Houndour

Coal - Magby

Gel - Slugma

North - Magnemite

Nami - Buizel

Neptune - Krabby

Terry - Caterpie

Io - Lunatone

Nebula - Solrock

Mittens - Glameow

Flashlight - Chinchou

Box - Tentacool

Diamond Dust - Snorunt

Katie - Castform

Fir - Snover

Jane - Jynx

Mastro - Kricketune

Alicia - Illumise

Felix - Volbeat

Pierce - Pinsir

Juan - Lickitung

Betty - Nosepass

Hylda "the Blade" (Zoey) - Cranidos

Skipper - Skorupi