#kajishaymin

[teamsunfluff]

Team Sunfluff returns soon! Please look forward to it!

[teamsunfluff]

Lief: "Well. Actual Shaymin." He had a sort of giddy smile as he looked over the duo. "So, how's the weather down there? Imagine being so tiny."

He gave a drunken snicker.

"Wow, how original," Arin muttered with a roll of their eyes.

"Be nice," Kaji chided, giving Avin a little nudge. He raised his eyes back to Lief. It was very obvious from the smell of his breath that Lief wasn't entirely sober. Thankfully, Kaji was no stranger to dealing with drunks.

"It's wonderful down here. The cooler crisp air down here is just pleasant for our hedges," Kaji answered with a shake of his fluff. "Perhaps you could try it out sometime."

[teamsunfluff]

The sun began to peak through the window as the cloud cover dispersed...

Avin finished off one of the apples from the basket that had been given to them by Hope. It was a really kind gift, and despite the traumatic topic of discussion, the food was doing wonders to settle their nerves. Still, they could tell the same could not be said for Kaji. Avin could somewhat understand. The topic had always been more sensitive for Kaji. Avin wished they knew what to say or do to help but at the moment, they were still trying to process it themself and hardly felt equipped to help Kaji with it, beyond being there to support him through it just as he was for them.

"I think I'm going to head back to the guild," Avin said after a moment, "check in with the others and see if they need help with dinner or sentry duty. Is that okay?"

Kaji looked up from his apple and thought it over for a moment before nodding. "Yes, don't let me keep you. I think I'm going to order another drink to finish these apples with," he said with a smile.

Avin smiled and hopped down from their seat. "I'll see you back at the guild then when you get done!" they replied with a quick wave before trotting out of The Gigaton Brew.

A warm sea breeze ruffled their leafy hedge as they made their way through the town. As it was the middle of the day, the townsfolk were bustling about in a hurry. Avin waved as they passed by the bank, a flustered young Sandshrew barely able to return it in between counting out the coins for one of his customers. The Sandshrew flinched a bit as a voice boomed from down on the beach, the local Shellos ferryman making a last call before the boat headed out on the hour. Avin barely stepped out of the way in time as a pair of Tandemaus rushed past them, heading towards the local dojo where a Munchlax and Wormadam were currently conducting their latest lesson.

Avin trotted their way through the town square and approached a tall tent with a Beldum on the top. On the ground in front of it was a small bell with a sign that said “ring for service”. Avin lightly smacked their paw against the bell and sat back on their haunches as they waited. There was a bit of a ruckus inside the tent. The shopkeeper's grumbling was very audible amidst the rustling and shuffling of various items as they made their way to the front of their tent. After a moment, a Beldum poked their head out and surveyed the area before glancing down at Avin. They narrowed their eye at the Shaymin before letting out a low hum. "Can I... help you?" they asked in an uninterested tone.

"Are you Nox?" Avin asked in return.

“Yes, that is me. Who is asking?” Nox paused for a moment before quickly interjecting again to answer their own question. “Ah wait yes, you’re the Shaymin that Prisca was telling me about. Yes yes, come in.” Nox beckoned Avin inside before disappearing into the tent.

Avin tentatively followed, cautiously sticking their head inside before fully committing. The place looked a lot bigger on the inside than it did on the outside. There were piles of books, boxes, and baskets all over the places, containing everything from books on lost legends to jars of Cyndaquil hair. It was slightly unnerving, since Avin couldn’t think of a good reason as to why Nox, or anyone really, would have a bowl of Persian claws, but it wasn’t their business. Instead, they focused on what they came here for and followed Nox through the veritable maze within the tent to a section where many maps lay.

“I searched my stock after I spoke with Prisca yesterday,” Nox said, “and unfortunately I do not have any of the Gracidea Flowers that you seek.” The Beldum searched through the shelves before telekinetically lifting up a curled piece of parchment. “However, I did manage to locate this.” Nox floated the map over to Avin and opened it in front of them. “This is a map to an area in between Sky Peak and Cosmos Town. It is said to reside deep within a dungeon known as the Lost Forest.” Nox turned the map back to themself, scanning it quickly as if to affirm the information they were about to give Avin before giving them false hope. “According to this map, at the end of the dungeon, there is a field of Gracidea Flowers. You might be able to find one there.”

Avin sat in silence for a moment, almost in shock. There was another flower field outside of Sky Peak? They had always heard that Gracidea would only grow on the mountain due to the soil composition being so unique. But perhaps this dungeon was close enough to Sky Peak that it had a similar enough composition to support Gracidea Flowers as well. It was nothing short of a miracle to say the least.

“That sounds wonderful!” Avin said as they reached out to take the map. “So how do-”

“However!” Nox interrupted as they rolled the map closed, “This dungeon is no walk in the park, young one.” Nox narrowed their eye at Avin and seemed to almost frown, despite their lack of a mouth. “You are not a trained explorer and though your history as a tour guide on Sky Peak does give you some dungeon crawling experience, you need to be prepared before you walk into this place. I will not have your blood on my hands.”

Nox hovered the map over to Avin, holding it just out of reach as they continued their stern lecture. "Do not get your hopes up. You would be foolish to think a dungeon so close to Cosmos Town wouldn’t have been thoroughly explored already. Ask anyone at that guild you're staying at. They'll confirmed there's nothing there but a bunch of rocks with moss at the end of the dungeon.

“With that said, I have requested that Prisca pack you some supplies for the journey. In it, along with your normal items such as food and water, is an Escape Orb. Should you fail to find the flower field, since you don’t have an exploration badge, you will need to use that to escape instead. Understand?” Avin nodded their head silently. “Good.” Nox offered Avin something akin to a smile. “Then I wish you the best of luck, young Shaymin.”

Avin thanked Nox for their assistance before exiting the tent. Heading back to the main part of town, they spotted Prisca assisting a customer at her storefront. The hybrid began to wave as soon as she spotted Avin. “Hey! Avin! Come here for a second!” Avin quickly trotted over as Prisca fished something out from one of the cabinets in her store. After a moment, she approached the front again and plopped a small bag onto the counter. “It was hard to find a bag that would suit your size so I had to make some alterations but with some Psychic Gem powder, it should be able to hold about twenty items without adding any extra weight. Right now it has a bottle of water, some apples, a couple oran berries, an escape orb, and two heal seeds. Should be enough to get you started.”

Avin stared at Prisca for a moment before asking, “That’s a lot of supplies. A-Are you sure?”

“Of course!” Prisca answered without hesitation. “Sure Nox asked me to do it but I was planning to give you some supplies anyway. It’s dangerous to go into dungeons unprepared and I had a feeling that you were going to be heading into them sooner or later. I can tell we’re a bit of kindred spirits. The adventurer in you isn’t going to stop until you find those flowers.”

Avin sat in shocked silence for a moment before starting to tear up. “Thank you,” they said in a wavering voice, “I… I really appreciate all you and Nox are doing for me.”

Prisca gave Avin a big smile and patted the Shaymin on their head. “Just make us proud, alright? Go get that Gracidea flower for Kaji.”

“Yes ma’am!” Avin quickly scampered off to the crossroads by the guild and began to follow Nox’s map towards the Lost Forest.

[Kaji is temporarily not available for asks. Avin has begun their journey towards the entrance of Lost Forest.]

[teamsunfluff]

(@pokege-ne-project) Hope managed to drag over some apples with an old basket. Hastily put together, but it was an attempt of a gift. "Was there something you both needed to run from?.. If you feel like sharing. Regardless, have this, if you wish."

Avin and Kaji's expressions lit up when they saw Hope.

"Another...?"

"...Shaymin?"

The two look a bit relieved, before Kaji's expression darkened again. "Ah but... you aren't from our Sky Peak, right? I don't remember any Shaymin that look quite like you." He let out a sigh. "Still, thank you, both for the apples and your question. It's... good to have a reminder that we aren't the only ones out there, even if you aren't from our world." Kaji took one of the apples from Hope's basket and began to nibble away at it. He was trying to avoid answering Hope's actual question, it seemed.

Avin watched Kaji for a moment before looking back at the Absol-Shaymin. "I can answer your question. It's... hard to discuss but we've been asked about it enough times that it's gotten a bit easier to tell. And given you're not from our world well, it makes sense you wouldn't know."

Avin lowered their gaze to their paws for a second, taking a moment to collect themself. They took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly, then began their tale.

"Sky Peak's Time Gear was stolen," they said simply, "we were the only Shaymin able to escape the time freeze."

Kaji flinched a little at Avin's words, guilt apparent in his expression as he tried to keep occupied with the apple he was munching on.

"It's not well known but Sky Peak housed one of the many Time Gears scattered throughout the land. We Shaymin have been charged with guarding it since the gear was gifted to the Original Shaymin at the beginning of the world.

"Kaji and I had finished our escorts for the day and I was napping while Kaji was enjoying the last bit of daylight. While flying out over the springs, Kaji spotted the thief and tried to stop them, but was ultimately overpowered. It was... it was all he could do to flee and try to warn everyone else.

"Kaji was always one of the fastest fliers we had so since he was already in his Sky Forme, he was able to grab me and escape but... others weren't so lucky. Especially since it was almost sundown. Any few Shaymin who were able to shift either couldn't outpace the time freeze or shifted back in mid-air and plummeted, caught in the time freeze as they fell. We... we were only barely able to make it outside the Sky Peak Time Plate before Kaji shifted back."

Avin sat in silence for a moment as they recalled the memory. "Donahue was the one to find us in the trees, right on the edge of the time freeze. He said we were both unconscious but otherwise seemed unharmed, which we both initially found very strange since we fell quite a distance but..."

"Donahue said he almost didn't see us initially because we were in a cocoon of dead flowers, vines, and leaves. Almost as if the earth itself had swelled up around us to heal and protect us," Kaji said quietly.

Avin nodded. "We'd never heard of anything like it before until we remembered a tale of the Original Shaymin. While most modern Shaymin aren't able to do it anymore, the Original Shaymin was said to wield power over life itself, specifically with regards to plants. They were able to give and take as needed."

"Our theory is that, while on the brink of death, the two of us tapped into some sort of primordial power as a self preservation measure, but... we're not sure."

Avin paused then chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, that was probably a lot heavier than you were expecting. Um... thank you again for visiting and for the apples. Please stop by again!"

[teamsunfluff]

I know Gracidea are rare… I will help you look for some. There must be some somewhere.

"Ah!" Avin bowed a little in thanks. "Truly? Thank you so much!"

Kaji, however, seemed less grateful and a bit more distraught. "I appreciate it as well; however, I'm not going to get my hopes up. As far as we know, the only Gracidea flowers were on Sky Peak and that's... not accessible to us anymore because of the disaster." Kaji stared at his cup as swirled the contents of his drink aimlessly.

Avin watched their friend with concern for a moment before speaking up again. "He appreciates the gesture a lot more than you'd think. We're just trying to not get our hopes up. Our dear friends Eugene and Kuno brought him a Gracidea flower not that long ago, but for whatever reason, it... didn't work. Our theory at the moment is that, because it was from their world, our bodies aren't adapted to react to the pollen from it, so unless it's from our world, the Gracidea flower won't do anything for us."

Avin lowered their voice a little. "The local traveling merchant, Prisca, did mention something about a dungeon nearby that might have some flowers, but we're not certified to explore dungeons without a member of the guild with us. And we'd need the map to the dungeon anyway, so I haven't really discussed it with Kaji yet."

[teamsunfluff]

(askthestrykers) Trina: Yo, this place? Cosmos Town. The name is such a vibe. What do you think about it here? Is it groovy and got a lot of neat spots? Or is it the most bait name ever...very agonizing and boring out of your mind? HAHA.

Avin took a moment to process Trina’s question before giggling. “Well, I suppose it can be a bit of a bait and switch, depending on what you’re expecting. I quite like the name too, but it’s got nothing to do with the town’s “vibe”. No real space theming here at all.”

“It does have quite a few neat spots though, being the Eastern Exploration Team Hub and all,” Kaji explained. “Being the second biggest guild on the continent, and the largest one on this side of the Bristle mountain range, the Cosmos Exploration Guild draws in a lot of folks.”

Avin nodded and gestured around the café. “This is just one of my many restaurants in town! There’s a club too as well as a dojo, a bustling market, and a few other spots. So I’d say it’s anything but boring!”

Kaji tapped his paw on the table to get Avin’s attention. “You should tell them why it’s actually called Cosmos Town.”

Avin’s expression lit up and they eagerly look at Trina. “Oh yes! So despite the lack of any real space theme here, it’s called Cosmos Town because Palkia’s domain, Spatial Rift, is near here, so it’s not been uncommon for residents to see them over the years. So because Palkia rules over space, the original settlers here went with a similar name as a sort of… tribute in hopes that Palkia would give them a blessing of prosperity. Unfortunately, legendaries like Palkia don’t really have that ability, but it’s a nice thought.”

[teamsunfluff]

( @mew-sanctuary ) Kami: Hello! How are you today?

Both Avin and Kaji stiffen at the sight of the alpha-sized Mew. Setting their drinks aside, the two bow their heads in reverence to Kami.

“Oh great guardian of the Grass Cornet, thank you for blessing us with your presence today. It is an honor to receive you and your question this day,” Avin said, “That you should ask of our well-being in this trying time is an honor. You can rest assured that despite our predicament, we have been well cared for by Guildmaster Hrímfaxi and rest of the residents here in Cosmos Town.”

“We have no offering that we could give you right now, but perhaps before you leave, you could order a drink?” Kaji offered, “we’ll cover the costs.”

[teamsunfluff]

(shaymincafe) Shiso: So who's this Ilva person? She seems to have quite the prowess with drink making if she's handling Petaya berries safely

“Ah!” Avin and Kaji’s expressions brightened at the appearance of the fellow Shaymin. “A fellow survivor… or hm…” Avin paused as they peered at Shiso. “No, your colors are not normal for this world. You must be from elsewhere.”

“To answer your question though,” Kaji cut in, “Ilva is the owner of this café, The Gigaton Brew.” He gestures towards the small Tinkaton currently preparing another patron’s drink across the room. “She’s a local here in Cosmos Town, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a friendlier face here!”