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"Remind me why I signed up for this again?" Sol asked himself, for roughly the third time now by his estimate. The whole thing seemed weird, even by Sub's standards, and it was like he was being secretive about it. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd found himself subject to some odd request of Sub's, and he was pretty sure it'd be far from the last, but Wishing Stars? "I know how important they were during the World Championship Cup. But you'd think we'd probably be in a position to simply ask their government or the Pokemon League for some and not have much hassle from either." He kept his voice down, talking to himself in a hushed tone as he looked out the train he was on. The supposed urgency of the matter meant Claydol took care of taking him to Galar, having been rushed along before he could press the subject concerning whatever had caused his SNAG to be unreachable and to end up in the medlab. But it, apparently, also meant that Claydol couldn't be bothered taking him directly to any of the areas that'd actually
have a Wishing Star or its fragments, instead ending up in Wedgehurst. He had to assume it was either done in haste, or to give a sort of choice into the matter. There were many parts of Galar the team hadn't had the chance to explore or take in. Hell, they hadn't had the chance to fully take in the Wild Area, the part Sol elected to take a train to- even if some of the other areas sounded interesting. Another day, perhaps.
Looking around in the car, he did get a few looks from the other passengers and a lot of hushed whispers. Some of them because of the odd sight of a hybrid that should be able to fly taking the train like a normal person, some of them because by now, it'd be harder to find someone who
hadn't heard of the team after the world war and if one didn't outright hate their guts, they were probably starstruck... and also wondering why a Ho-oh hybrid wasn't just flying to their destination. To his credit, Sol didn't find it hard to tune them all out and wasn't a stranger to having to do so even before the team had come to enjoy some degree of fame.
"Raios me fodam..." he remarked under his breath, still hoping he wasn't heard as he looked out the train window again. The train ride would continue on without incident, and it'd arrive at the Wild Area before long. He was slow about getting off, making it a point to be one of the last ones to disembark. Much as he wasn't into the idea, the chance of one of the passengers being a trainer and having a Wishing Star on them wasn't zero. If they dropped it, he might be able to nick it and leave the scene before it's ever noticed. Luck wouldn't shine on him here, however, and the most anyone seemed to drop was a few Pokedollars. "...right."
Then it dawned on him that perhaps this wasn't the best idea when those same Wishing Stars were often refined into a bracelet for said trainers, something he only remembered after seeing several trainers with one. Unless they took it off, they weren't dropping those, and even if they did, they wouldn't be suitable for Sub's needs- they needed to be unrefined. Conceding that it wouldn't have sat well with him anyway, he simply continued onward into the vastness of the Wild Area. Unlike the tournament, he'd have free reign to explore and see what all the areas were like. And maybe free reign to get a little bit of training in in the meantime, give his Pokemon a chance to stretch. Whatever the case, it all started in the Rolling Fields.
Rather, it started before he even got into that area, with one of the passengers waving him down. Had he been that suspicious?
"...yes?"
"Seemed like you were looking for something! I caught you looking at the trainers' bracelets."
Crap. He was that suspicious.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Still new to the region?"
"You could say that."
"Wait... you were part of that one extra team in the tournament, right? So you know what those are."
"I do. What are you getting at?"
"Well, what if I said you could still get your hands on one of those?" The person asked, giving a smirk.
"...go on."
Unfortunately, they then took out a bracelet, to which Sol held out a hand to stop them.
"Perhaps it'd be worth adding context. I'm not looking for the bracelet. Need them unrefined."
"Unrefined? Why'd you need them like that?"
"I have my reasons. Can you help?"
They shook their head. "Afraid not. Best of luck, you hear?"
Giving a small nod, Sol took his leave and went into the Wild Area proper. "Even if taking the bracelet would work, too many flaws from the ones the trainers wore," he said to himself once he was sure he was out of earshot and fairly sure they were trying to sell him a fake. A couple of botched attempts wouldn't be enough to deter him, though. It just meant more of the Wild Area to explore. And maybe a few dens; if anywhere was likely to bear fruit, it was those. Not having a Dynamax Band meant he wouldn't be able to do much else with the dens beyond trying to explore inside them and hope he doesn't have to fight. The first one he found didn't have much to speak of, and what energy he did feel could be best described as a trickle.
"May need to find one with more energy," he mused to himself. "Last time we were here, a number of them had visible energy pouring out. Maybe those would have Wishing Stars inside." During his musing, though, a Pancham would let out a cry and glare at him. Despite their attempt to look intimidating, it looked a lot like a child's attempt at imitating a Charizard. Still, he'd honor the attempt by letting out his Scorbunny. Unlike Sol, Inigo would be sufficiently intimidated by the glare and took a step back.
"It's alright, Inigo, you've got this," he spoke up, trying to keep him at ease. That is, until Pancham decided to Taunt the Scorbunny with a laugh. Upset about this, Inigo yelled back and jumped, ready to attack. "Don't let them get to you, relax."
Inigo was not into relaxing right now, making that known with another yell.
"Fine, fine. How about you channel that into your attack? Show them your Flame Charge."
This idea sounded a lot more like Inigo's speed, sparking flames with his feet as he rushed headlong into Pancham, knocking them back and starting to build up speed. Caught off guard, Pancham tried to make the best of their situation by rushing back with a Tackle and closing the gap between them.
"Need to keep some distance... Inigo, back off! Pepper them with Ember!" Inigo's increased speed meant backing up and widening the gap all over again was an easy task, firing Embers as he hopped backwards. Pancham was forced to take a defensive stance, unable to approach until the attacks stopped. Once they did, though, they shouted and glared at him and Sol with Leer. Though this still did nothing to make Sol any more intimidated than he was before, Inigo was still intimidated by it... and also still fired up from the Taunt.
"Inigo, Quick-" Before Sol could finish, his Scorbunny raced in to slam into Pancham with Quick Attack, knocking them back again and leaving them unwilling to keep up with the battle. "...Attack..." Sometimes, Inigo got a little impatient. With Pancham unable to give much of a threat, Sol knelt down and gave a little nod to them.
"You put up a good attempt. Give yourself time to recover and keep at it." He doubted a wild Pokemon would care that much, but he saw no reason to continue the fight when Pancham was already down. He motioned for Inigo to follow him as he pressed on.
He kept on until he got into the Dappled Grove, noting that it was much more sunny than he expected. The Wild Area seemed to be weird like that, and he couldn't figure out why. Still, the sunlight had its uses, allowing him to see in the grove's forest a little easier. It didn't take long for him to find another den, and it was hard to miss with the beam of energy shooting upwards from its location. He could see a few other trainers too, seemingly talking. Based on what he heard as he got closer, it sounded like they were talking strategy.
"Hey there," he spoke up, to get their attention. "Are you thinking to jump in there too?"
"Uh, yeah?" The first of them replied, shrugging before she continued. "We do a lot of these together."
"Want to join?" The second added, crossing his arms. "We usually have to wait for a fourth anyway."
"If you'll have me. I would've wanted to explore it anyway."
"Wha- alone? Are you that much of a barmy git?" Came the last of them, carrying an accent that added emphasis to her insult. Must've been another Galarian dialect.
"I, no?" Surely these dens couldn't be that dangerous, right?
"Whatever, come on!" As the second trainer jumped into the den, the other two would follow suit. Sol would take a glance down, but because of the energy, couldn't see anything. He doubted they'd just jump if it wasn't safe, so he and Inigo moved to join them.
He'd be the last to land, bracing himself for the landing and taking a second to look up. "Right, so about these-" He wanted to ask more about the dens, but he was fairly sure he wouldn't need to when he saw a giant Vulpix staring them down and quite capable of crushing the lot of them just by deciding to play. Even the roar they gave was enough to trigger a flight or fight response, deep and booming and barely recognizable. Barely noticeable underneath them was some rock; was that one of the Wishing Stars? "Never mind, I think I have enough of an answer. Shall we?"
Inigo would rush in front of Sol despite being unsure of how to even fight something like this, and a bit of relief came when he was joined by a Lombre, Dubwool and Riolu. Probably still relatively newish trainers, but considering the opponent, it probably would be manageable.
"We'll handle our own thing!" It was the first trainer again. "You handle yours! Just focus them down!"
It seemed like the trio had their own strategies in mind, opting to work off the odd one out. Lombre would be ordered to spray the area in Mist, followed by Riolu darting in to soften Vulpix up a little with Rock Smash. Dubwool wouldn't get a chance to do anything just yet, Vulpix managing to get the jump by firing an Ember. Except judging by the size, it was less an Ember and more
firing the sun at the party, and Dubwool didn't have a chance. Their fluffy wool meant it went ablaze nicely and took the poor sheep out in a single hit.
Looking up after Sol felt it safe to stop bracing himself, he noticed the storm that was brewing in the den had gotten a little stronger and the sunlight had intensified.
"Nch, sorry! Thought I'd get enough time for Headbutt!" The second trainer didn't seem thrilled about this development.
"You're fine! Give it a bit and get back in there!"
"There is a lot of energy here..." Sol said to himself. "Guess that explains why Inigo seems revitalized himself. Anyway. Inigo, Double Kick!" The lowered defenses meant Inigo's kicks would be a bit more potent, picking up the slack and getting a decent amount of damage for it. In response, a barrier began to form and it seemed like Vulpix's defenses had been bolstered considerably.
"Already? Alright, let's push through!"
"Yeaaaaaah! We're still in these, keep going!" Unable to send his Dubwool back out, the second trainer took to cheering the rest of his group and Sol on. The energy of the den seemed to react to it, gathering around the barrier Vulpix had erected and forcing it to crack. In a stroke of luck, the barrier shattered just as the band on Lombre's trainer let out a burst of energy, and Vulpix's defenses were compromised.
Figuring the time to strike was now, Sol spoke up and figured he had the right idea. "Assuming they have the same idea I do... now, Quick Attack!" Inigo would rush back in to get another quick hit on Vulpix while they were reeling, and it seemed like Riolu's trainer was on a similar wavelength, adding another Quick Attack while Lombre was recalled. What followed next was the burst of energy going into Lombre's ball, glowing and increasing in size to resemble something closer to a medicine ball before being tossed to let Lombre back out.
This time, though, it was just as gargantuan as the Vulpix, letting out an equally loud, distorted cry.
"Ha ha, now we're on equal footing! Let's go, Lombre! Max Geyser!"
"I'm sorry, max what?"
If an Ember looked like a sun, Sol was certain that what was probably a Water Gun looked like something that a Blastoise should be firing instead. Though diminished slightly by the sunlight, the attack crashed hard into Vulpix and started up a rainstorm inside the den. Not that this mattered too much, as Vulpix couldn't take much more after that and the den's energy reacted in an explosion that made them recoil again.
The third trainer, deciding to take her chance, used her own band to make an empty Pokeball bigger and tossed it to try catching the Vulpix. Despite the size difference, it still worked like any other ball, just with a noticeable crater on the ground from its impact. It still wobbled and rolled all the same, eventually shrinking back down before it clicked to indicate a successful catch.
"That's... that's it?" Sol expected a bit more of a fight, but then again, it
was still a Vulpix...
Dubwool's trainer, slightly dejected at his poor luck, left the den without another word. Turns out it's fairly easy to climb back out.
"He'll be alright, don't worry," Lombre's trainer spoke up, recalling them to force an end to their dynamaxed state. "You did fine. Maybe we'll run into each other again!"
"Yeah, thanks for the help!" Finally, Riolu's trainer extended her own thanks, both of them taking their leave too.
"You know, you did alright too, Inigo." Sol added afterward, kneeling to lightly rub Inigo's head. As he did, he noticed the weird rock from before. "...hm?" He'd stand back up to walk over to where Vulpix was before, inspecting the rock further. What he actually found were two of them, both of them with a lot of red lines and several jagged areas. Not terribly sharp or anything, but they definitely felt like the same energy overflowing in the den. "Oh yeah, these would be it, wouldn't they?" Taking out a small bag, he'd pick both of them up and put them away. "Guess that gives two, then. Still... probably a ways to go. It wouldn't hurt to get a few more. It'll be a start and I imagine I won't have been the only one sent off to gather these."
Picking up an exciteable Inigo, Sol would start climbing out of the den himself, soon greeted by the sunlight filtered through the grove's trees. The other three had already departed. "That was... oddly fun. Need a more efficient method, though..." He elected to continue exploring and searching around, soon seeing there were even more trainers around.
One of them happened to be taking a break under a berry tree, and unlike many of the others, this one didn't have one of those bands yet. They did, however, have a Wishing Star on hand, likely to have it refined as soon as they got the chance. Morals be damned, Sol felt maybe he had a chance of "borrowing" a quick third one and hightailing it before he was spotted. He recalled Inigo and tried to be as quiet as he could, making it a point to stay behind the trainer until he briefly lost his footing, accidentally hitting the tree in the process and causing it to shake. This also made the trainer take notice of the sudden jostle, looking up and around just in time for a Skwovet to get knocked out of the tree and land on their face.
"Wha- no! Bad! Get off!" Both trainer and Pokemon panicked, the trainer wanting their sudden assailant to get off and the Pokemon thinking they were responsible for making them fall out. Whatever the case, it was safe to say they were distracted and stealing the Wishing Star would be even easier than expected.
"O...kay then," Sol said to himself, deciding not to press his luck by watching, taking and stashing the Wishing Star before casually taking his leave. That way, if he did end up being seen, maybe he wouldn't raise any suspicions. "Can't say I'm proud of this one, but I'm sure they'll find another."
He didn't stop moving until he was well out of the grove, and close to a decrepit watchtower. He recognized this area easily, back during the tournament and how the team did what they could to secure the area. "You know? Probably still the best area to use as a sort of camp," he said to himself, letting Inigo back out and sitting next to one of the tower's walls. Though there were wild Pokemon around, most of them didn't seem inclined to bother him since they weren't being provoked. There was also a den nearby, but the energy there also felt weak. It was slowly intensifying, though, unlike the last weak den he encountered. But he felt it could wait a few minutes, digging around in some supplies he brought along and getting out a few berries he grabbed from the HQ on his way out.
He himself wasn't worried about food, but he figured Inigo would appreciate it, letting him have a few as a quick snack. "You know, you really do remind me a lot of Xipil when he was a Charmander."
This made the Scorbunny perk up, giving a curious glance mid-nibble.
"He did a lot like you do, sitting and practically bouncing while nibbling away at whatever's being eaten. Like you can't wait to finish and continue on," he explained, chuckling a little and taking another Pokeball out. "You'll meet him one day." He stared at it as he made the remark, though, and quickly put it away to ensure he didn't accidentally let his Charizard out. Up to now, he'd still yet to purify it; during the world war, one of the best defenses against a Shadow Pokemon- let alone the likes of XD002- was to use one yourself. At the time, there wasn't a Pokemon he'd trust more even with the risks of not seeking purification. But there were increasingly alarming drawbacks.
Over time, he'd noticed just being around Charizard could be enough to infect a Pokemon and over time, he also looked more and more normal. He wasn't sure as to why, figuring it was related to so many run-ins with other infected Pokemon. He could've dealt with that if it wasn't for Charizard becoming less and less likely to listen to him, Wes or anyone else. As it was, he could barely control him anymore, and didn't want to put anyone else at risk. He wasn't sure if purification was even still possible now. He remained lost in thought for a few minutes, deciding that maybe it was time to finally bring this sort of development up with Sub once he got back.
It'd been a good ten minutes before he finally figured the break could end, and Inigo seemed to get his fill of berries. He looked to the den again, noticing its energy was still intensifying slowly. Something might show up soon, but perhaps he'd have enough time to search within before that became an issue. Picking up Inigo again to keep him close, he jumped down into the den, seeing nothing once he landed. That is, short of a glowing stone and the occasional footstep of someone attracted to it.
"Another Wishing Star?" He asked himself, stepping closer himself. "No wonder this den's been building up. There's our culprit right there." He picked it up despite the potential dangers, but it didn't seem to react any differently otherwise. He could still hear footsteps. "Hm. Best take our leave now. There isn't a storm yet, but I feel like this'll cause one soon. Or whatever's approaching will once it's close enough." Quickly, he hurried back out of the den. Luck was on his side, it seemed like, now having four stars in rather quick succession. Maybe amassing these wouldn't be as difficult as it first seemed.
He looked around again, thinking of potential places to go to find more of them. As vast as the wild area was, it made choosing difficult. He noticed the lake in the distance, wondering if any might be there. He wasn't exactly equipped to go swimming, but this was a good time to try using another of his Pokemon. So he sent out Swampert and Dratini, taking one of the Wishing Stars out soon after.
"I want you both to take a decent look at this," he remarked, setting the stone on the ground so they could inspect it. "I'm trying to find more of these, and I think there may be some in the water. Think you two could swim around and seek any out? Swampert, I'll also be trusting you to keep Dratini safe." A nod would come from Swampert before jumping in immediately, followed by Dratini slowly slithering to the water and finally getting in after a bit of effort. As Sol saw it after they couldn't be seen, the most he or Inigo could do was wait.
So, he figured to help Inigo get a little training in without having to fight a wild Pokemon for a change. A lot of it was simple stuff, mainly speed training since he noted it to be a strong suit for his Scorbunny. It was also the sort of training he noticed him really take to, taking a lot of stock into his agility. It provided an interesting contrast to Charizard's preference for stronger attacks over faster, weaker ones that might be able to land more often. Even without his shadowfication, though, Sol knew that there'd be a time when his Charizard wouldn't be able to keep up anymore. He wanted to be ready for that day, with someone who could take up the torch and allow Xipil to get the rest he'd earned multiple times over.
After taking what had to have been the tenth series of kicks from Inigo, using his arms as a means to brace and provide an easy target to hit, Sol would finally hold his hands out as a signal to stop. "That's enough for now! You're doing good, but let's take a breather. Surely those two should've found something by now." As if on cue, a rock would come flying out of the water, followed by Dratini. He'd manage to catch Dratini before she hit the ground, breaking her fall as the stone landed at his feet.
"Are you alright? What happened?" He asked, letting her back down just in time for Swampert and a Whiscash to emerge from the water in the middle of a fight, both going back down as Swampert smashed them back underwater with Hammer Arm and chased after them. "...I see. Excuse me." He took back to the water's edge in case Swampert needed help too, leaving Inigo and Dratini where they were. Unsure of how to help, the Scorbunny would dig around Sol's stuff again, procuring another berry and offering it to Dratini.
In the meantime, Swampert and Whishcash were duking it out about as well as a fish and something with arms reasonably could. But with it all happening underwater, Sol could only see so much. The occasional wave made him think that the Hammer Arm he saw wasn't the only one that was used in the fight and eventually, he swore he could see a little bit of ice forming along the top of the water. Underwater, Whiscash's thrashing and slams finally got repaid in the form of an Ice Punch, managing to freeze some of the water and a bit of Whiscash too to finally make it give up the fight and run. After that, Swampert finally came out of the water, shaking his arms afterward.
"Let me guess," Sol spoke up afterward. "They tried to attack?"
Swampert gave a nod. He wasn't fast enough to keep Dratini from taking a hit, but he was able to step in after the fact. Given the stone that came out with Dratini, Sol had a feeling he knew why the fight broke out. "In that case, let's stop the search there for now and try somewhere else. Here, let me recall all of you so you can rest."
Inigo, Dratini and Swampert would all be recalled before he went off to another part of the Wild Area, looking back at the stone. Sure enough, it was yet another Wishing Star- the fifth one now. Stashing it, he wondered if he should just try to get a couple more and hope others might come through, or to try and see if he could amass fifteen of them. A lofty goal, but one that could spread a little luck Sub's way, he felt. One he'd have to see about depending on how the search went from here. Seeing a bridge in the distance, well away from the lake and- assuming he remembered the city right- Motostoke, he felt maybe it was time to see what the other side of the Wild Area was like.
He thought about just flying there for a moment, but he shrugged and decided to walk. No need to be in as much of a hurry, plus maybe he'd get lucky and find another Wishing Star along the way. As he walked, he took in the nearby sights. Various wild Pokemon, going about their day. Trainers, having battles, conversing with one another, with varying degrees of experience. He opted to look away for a bit, at other sights. More red lights dotted the field, likely other dens overflowing with energy, but far enough out of the way for his current destination. It felt like a certainty it'd be the case on the other side and, upon reaching the bridge connecting two, saw that he was right to guess that. If anything, that part of the Wild Area stretched out even further than the first half did and looked even more varied.
"...I have got to come here on something that isn't business," Sol said to himself. Something about the Wild Area spoke out to him and if he had the time for it, he'd like to explore it more thoroughly. Looking up again, he saw just how dark it was getting. There wasn't much daylight left, and it'd be wiser not to continue traveling during the night when there wasn't a need to.
Just past the bridge was as good a place as any to set up camp for the night, he felt. Not much in the way of wild Pokemon, and being near water was among the best spots to have access to. Finding a bit of wood wouldn't be difficult in the area either and once he had enough for his needs, he'd finish settings things up. A weak flame from his hands was more than enough to get a campfire going, and he'd finally let out most of the Pokemon he had on him- Scorbunny, Swampert, Dratini, Gallade, and Quilava. The last one, still holding Charizard, he didn't dare open. Not now. Scorbunny and Dratini were slightly intimidated by the two that weren't Swampert, and only because they at least saw him before.
"Relax," he chimed in, trying to ease Inigo and Dratini's nervousness. "Both of you might be newer ones, but I assure you, they're safe. Lucan, Aletta, why don't you introduce yourselves? Though, old as those names are, perhaps I could think of better ones... are either of you opposed to this?" His Gallade and Quilava gave him a confused look, finding the whole thing sudden after having responded to those names for many a year. They looked at each other, than at Sol, but without an answer to give. "If it helps, I have my reasons if you'll bear with me. But..."
Sitting down near the campfire, he looked up at the still-darkening sky. "Perhaps it's time I stop trying to obfuscate where I came from."
This would still be confusing to them and Swampert, as Sol had a habit of not disclosing more than he needed to. Inigo and Dratini were confused too, but because they lacked context. "I'll explain more to you all in a bit, but I'd like a chance to give something more fitting. For you and for myself."
A moment passed as the two looked at each other again, deciding that if he was going to explain, the context would be the deciding factor. But the one who spoke up was Swampert; if they were being given new nicknames, then he wanted in on it too.
"Alright, alright, fine," Sol said, laughing. "You'll get one too. Think I already have one in mind. Dratini, I'll extend the offer to you too, if you'd like. Don't feel like you have to answer right away. This will be a long one..." The explanation and context that followed would continue a decent ways into the night, shedding a lot of light into details that Sol had elected to keep hidden but, without the threat of Ein anymore, saw less and less of a reason to keep doing so. One day, he figured he'd disclose it all to the rest of the team. Apart from a choice few, that is. As he finished, he added another piece of wood to keep the campfire going a little bit longer.
"So there you go. One very longwinded explanation, as promised. I can answer other questions too, but to the current point, what are your thoughts? I feel like I should've just gone with different names in the first place."
Gallade, after a moment, knelt down and nodded, keeping his head lowered. Even now, he still had a tendency to do that. Quilava would shake her head at the Pokemon next to her and look over at Sol instead. She seemed to be willing to go with it, at least.
"Alright... I think I've got it. Calida," Sol commented, looking to Quilava. "You've always had a little bit of a fiery nature. Type aside, of course. The name doesn't have any special meaning past that, but I feel like it fits. What do you think?"
She wanted to growl at the remark about her disposition, but all she'd manage to do would be to prove him right. Looking away, she conceded that it did fit- for what it was worth- and nodded.
"Good, good. Gallade, how about Arnau? The older name was always meant to sound somewhat knightly, so nothing's different there beyond the basis of the name. I'm willing to just go back to the old names if either of you prefer, or find another that might be received better."
Gallade gave it some thought, and foreign as it sounded, he'd at least give it time first.
"Alright. And Swampert, I didn't forget about you. As I said, I already had one in mind. Rio. Keeps to the theme and simply means river. A bit basic, I'll admit, but it would fit for a water-type. Like it?"
Swampert thought about it for a bit, unsure despite personally asking for this. He'd need to get used to it too. Dratini, to her credit, didn't opt to answer. But that was okay.
"Then we'll try that out for a bit. Thanks. And Dratini, when you're ready- if you are- we'll look into one for you."
The group would continue conversing a bit longer afterward, getting a light meal in before turning in for the remainder of the night and putting out the campfire. Day would come almost too soon, recalling each of the Pokemon after they were as good to go as he was. Sleeping on other thoughts allowed him to give some thought to how he wanted to go about more Wishing Stars, and figured to only get a couple more. He could trust others in the team to get more elsewhere.
Finally ready to travel again, he resumed traveling through Bridge Field and into the Stony Wilderness. The rock formations around the area made for an interesting sight, but they didn't look like the sort to have anything in the way of Wishing Stars. Like everywhere else in the Wild Area, though, there were plenty of dens littering the area that might hold one. But if he didn't have to run the risk of going one alone again, he didn't want to press his luck with the idea.
"You know, if you toss a Wishing Piece in there, those dens usually have someone show up."
Sol perked up and looked behind him, seeing someone donning shades and a white ball cap alongside his uniform. He recognized it as that of the Galarian Pokemon League, remembering the others like him he'd seen during the team's earlier stay. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, sorry. I'm one of the League's vendors. Several of us stay around the Wild Area to help trainers out with various items. If you're willing to part with some Watts, that is."
"Oh, right. Saw a bunch of you during the tournament. I appreciate the gesture, but as you can see," Sol raises his arm to show that it was devoid of any sort of Dynamax Band. "Watts aren't something I can give you. So, I'm afraid I'll have to turn down your offer."
"Didn't you...? No matter. Look, normally the League doesn't do this sort of thing, but here." Opening up a ball to reveal his wares, the vendor would take a few Wishing Pieces- three in all- and handed them to Sol. "We know things didn't go well during the world cup, but we're glad to see more visitors to the region. So, try using one of them sometime."
Sol was perplexed, but grateful for the generosity all the same. The pieces wouldn't be as useful on their own, but if he remembered correctly, three of them could work about as well as a single Wishing Star. "Right... thanks."
"Of course, mate! Hopefully you'll have a band next time." He'd back off to leave Sol to what he was doing before, watching as he traveled onward and started leaving the area. A short trek found him at another part of the Wild Area, with the map on his SNAG reading "Giant's Mirror."
"Hm. What of this place..." This place was a lot less lush than the others, with a desert in the distance. The grass here was likewise a lot less greener, and he found a ring of rocks with a den in the middle. The rocks were tall enough to nearly match him, but being near a den like that made him think. If these Wishing Pieces and Stars were formed from the energy around the dens, then maybe he could simply mine one or something. Or if not that, doing that and then tossing it in to bathe it in the den's energy could be of use. As he drew near, he could tell the energy around the den was welling up, but at a faster rate than the last time. It would mean another solo excursion into a den, though.
He decided to inspect the rocks. He couldn't feel anything from them, suggesting that maybe they wouldn't work. But maybe it was worth a try anyway. Unsheathing his sword, he took the hilt in both of his hands and took a deep breath. He slammed the hilt into the rock with as much force as he could, managing to break off a small piece. It wasn't much, but Sol figured it'd be enough for a test. "Doubt this will do anything, but..." He picked up the rock before tossing it in, looking down to see if there'd be any results. Nothing happened after a couple of minutes, but the energy was still building up.
Looking down again, he decided to jump down... and right into the start of a storm. To anyone outside, a beam of light would shine from the den as its energies overflowed, but Sol quickly realized things were dangerous. "Bad time... there's probably a Wishing Star here anyway, I'll just grab it and go before the storm worsens." Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to look up yet, and when he did, he learned just how deeply in trouble he was. Another giant Pokemon, but not one he recognized. It reminded him a little of a Farfetch'd, but this one was white and looked like it had a sword and shield. Or maybe a lance and shield. The details didn't matter, he knew this was going to get rough fast.
With its loud cry and the storm growing intense enough to prevent escape, Sol was left with no other choice but to handle it on his own.
"...fine. We can handle this," he said to himself, shoring up his lack of strength with numbers. He'd toss four Pokeballs at once, letting out his Scorbunny, Dratini, Gallade and Quilava. "Look lively, we're not getting out without a fight!" He was quick to take out his SNAG too, but the den's energy was effective at jamming its signal. He couldn't get any information on his opponent. "Mierda! Alright, we do this the old fashioned way."
"Spread the attack types apart. Inigo, Double Kick! Dratini, Twister! Arnau, Psycho Cut! Calida, Flamethrower!" Process of elimination was a terrible way of discerning types, but it was all he had right now. Mild confusion aside from Calida and Arnau, the Quilava's Flamethrower managed to come out first and hit the giant Pokemon, and though they weren't fond of the attack, they seemed to handle it quite well. Not good. Thankfully, Arnau would also get the jump on the opponent, attacking from range with a burst of Psychic energy cutting deep. This one seemed to leave the Pokemon reeling a bit, like a weakness had been hit.
"Didn't like that one... so are we looking at Fighting? Poison? Some mix with one of those?" He asked, energy welling up all at once as the opponent unleashed an attack. The energy came crashing down in an appearance not unlike a giant fist, hitting Dratini and taking her out right away. As he recalled her and the storm intensified, he also noted that the Pokemon felt like it had more energy. Those hits were only going to get stronger.
Inigo would be able to get his attack out afterward, the Double Kick landing a couple of decent hits, but otherwise it was shrugged off.
"Feels stronger too... can't tell what kind of attack that was. If we can get a burn, though... Inigo, Calida! Use Ember and Flamethrower! Luc- er, Arnau! Psycho Cut seemed to be effective, so keep to using that!" He thought about just swapping Swampert in, but remembering the last fight he had in a den, the energy seemed to help Pokemon recover quickly. He might be able to send Dratini back out, though if he did, he hoped she wouldn't go down again so soon.
As before, Quilava and Gallade got their attacks out first, the combination of Flamethrower and Psycho Cut being as effective as last time. This time, Inigo would be able to fire a few Embers before the opponent could attack, managing to singe and burn them. But then the barrier came up. And no amount of cheering would help this time. Unlike last time, they took a swing of their giant leek, forcing Sol to duck and try to keep more of his from falling.
"Get down, now!"
The Brutal Swing would miss him, but slammed hard into the rest. Unlike the previous attack, this one didn't seem to be as empowered. But their heightened Attack meant Inigo and Calida barely took the hit. Arnau would be fine for now, but the Gallade wasn't terribly fond of it either. With the den's energy building up around Dratini's ball, he tried to send her out again, seeing her able to fight all over again.
"Really can't take another of those..."
He watched as the giant Pokemon reared back for another swing, forcing a bit of fast thinking. "Not again! Now, Wide Guard!" Taking to the front, Arnau would release a protective burst of energy to form a shield around the group. For a brief moment, they were safe as the second swing crashed against the shield, but that'd be all it could take. He definitely needed to bring a stop to this.
"While we have a chance! Inigo, Quick Attack! Calida, let's go for a bunch of hits with Swift! Dratini, try Twister again!"
Inigo would rush and kick the barrier, but it'd weather the attack without an issue. The series of rays from Swift would yield better results, having a harder time dealing with it. Dratini's Twister would end up meshing into the Swift to cause a few more hits... and finally, Sol built up a Psychic burst in a last ditch effort. "Should've done this from the start." The concentrated attacks would become too much for the barrier, making it shatter and leave the opponent taking the brunt of the attacks afterward. The whole time, the storm had gotten dangerous, but with the energy having an explosive reaction, it seemed like it'd die down a bit. Furthermore, the Pokemon was fairly weak, the energy dissipating fast as the giant body shrunk back down to a more normal size.
"That... that was too close. Not sure what you are, but," Sol remarked, taking out a Great Ball, "I think you're coming with me and I'm looking you up after I'm out of here." He tossed the ball at once, seeing the rock from earlier as he did and noting there was no change. There was, however, another Wishing Star where the giant opponent was before. By the time he grabbed it, the ball's wobbling had stopped and it clicked. The storm had passed, too. They could escape.
"Come on, we're not staying here a second longer." He was quick to recall his Pokemon and leave, panting and sitting down afterward. "I think... I think I need to get one of those bands before next time. Cut the losses, these should be enough of a start." Only six stars- assuming the pieces were worth using. It wasn't bad, but trying to get more would be too dangerous if it meant more dens. As he took a moment to regain his composure, he'd look at his SNAG to discern the Pokemon he'd just caught. Apparently, they were called a Sirfetch'd and an evolution of Farfetch'd of all things. But he did note the image he was was different from any he knew of; probably a regional variant that happened to evolve.
Putting his SNAG away and getting up, he'd start his return trip to HQ.
Mission Results:
-Got five Wishing Stars, and three Wishing Pieces. So Six...?
-Caught a Sirfetch'd in a den, alone. Worst idea ever.
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