by Ze Blitzkrieg » Sat Aug 03, 2024 8:01 pm
Liz gives you a little nod, encouraged that you seem curious enough to inquire after the Rescue Team.
"That's them. They go by Team Verdant, and they're the newest Team in Burrowton. They don't have all that much experience, but I think that just makes them more eager to prove themselves. That's why they patrol the upper levels so often. That's where they found you."
A few more nuggets of wisdom to salvage from the Nidoqueen's words. If there were upper levels to the ruins, or caverns, as Liz called them, then that must have meant that there were also lower layers. Since Wattson couldn't pick up hide nor hair of the Professor or your colleagues, it stood to reason that maybe that weird light transported you further up into the ruins, leaving them further down. Of course, that would also mean that there would be anthropomorphic babes living in a community in the sky, which you were now a part of, so maybe the directions got mixed and you got sent further down instead of further up. Maybe.
"They should be having a rest. Come, I'll show you to them, and you can give them your thanks."
The matronly Nidoqueen gestures you to follow her, though she doesn't move too far ahead of you just in case you happen to lose the strength in your legs and keel over on her. Wattson follows close behind you for a change, perhaps in part because he doesn't want to get lost in a strange town, and in part because he doesn't want to leave your side so soon after the events in the caves. The curtain at the door gives way to the rich, orange-hued light of sunset, and the sight beyond is almost breathtaking. The primitive little hut you inhabit sits high atop a hill, which sprawls downwards towards a huge, rolling plain of vibrant green grass that seems to sway off in the distance with the breeze. There are other buildings like it that dot the hillside, maybe a dozen in total, and you can make out what looks like a wall of gathered stones that seems to circle the hill. Liz takes a turn in the opposite direction, however, heading up the hill by way of a charming little dirt path, and when you follow her, you see that not every sight has yet to be enjoyed: at the top of the hill, a tree so massive it might be the match for the one in White Forest all the way over in Unova. The roots alone are as thick as your torso! But, apparently used to the sight, Elizabeth doesn't even stop to pause as she makes her way toward it, humming a sweet little tune and swaying her tail to the rhythm.
Along the way, you spot more than a few fellow Pokemon. And much like Liz herself, each of them seems much, much more humanoid than you remember. A curvaceous Absol woman with an armful of berries hurries along the path beside you, perhaps heading off to prepare dinner at her home. A lazy looking Frogadier lounges comfortably in the shade of the great tree as you pass by, and you even catch sight of a young couple, a big, burly looking Raticate fellow with a petite Rattata girl clung to his arm, looking up at him with all the sickening affection of a pair of lovebirds. Loverats, even. The closer you get to the tree, you can see part of the base has been carved away to form a makeshift 'doorway' into what must be chamber inside of it. It must be one heck of a chamber too, given that as you approach, even Liz doesn't have to duck under to squeeze through the entrance. She beckons you inside with a reassuring smile.
"Come on, nobody here bites. Well, maybe a few, but they won't bite you, sweetheart."
Wattson settles up beside you as the two of you prepare to head into the breach, and as Elizabeth's bulky tail disappeared through the entrance, the two of you follow her through with all the bravery one can muster. The sight inside is... almost wondrous.
The room inside is huge! Easily the size of the Professor's lab, at the very least. The interior is handsomely decorated, with decorative rugs lining the floors, a mixture of long wooden tables in the middle and smaller, circular ones circling them on the exterior of what looks every bit the part of an RPG tavern room, just made... bigger! There's even a few approximations of couches on the very edges of the chamber, perhaps for those who want a little comfort while they enjoy the ambience within the tree. You'd expect it to be rather dark, but there seems to have been an effort to run lengths of cordage in the upper sections of the chamber, and from each of them hangs big ol' lanterns, a warm glow coming from each of them that blankets the space below in comforting orange light. A little deeper into the tree, there seems to be a counter of sorts, and behind it, another carved doorway. Perhaps the room you were in only made up one half of the tree's circumference, with more to see beyond. Not that there wasn't already plenty to see. There are more 'mon inside the tree than there were outside, gathered here and there at the tables and counter. An Eevee, a couple of Starly, even a cute little Luxio sitting over at the counter being chatted up by what looks to be a very confident Pichu boy!
You don't have too long to linger on all the different folks enjoying their evening, though, before a voice calls out to you.
"Well, well, if it isn't our damsel-in-distress! Good to see you up and about!"
Your eyes track the direction of the sound, eventually landing on a table to the left of the entrance, where a duo of 'mon sit. The one who calls out to you is an unusual sight: a Snivy! And, if her voice wasn't a give away, her long, pretty eyelashes and pert little lumps on her otherwise svelte chest certainly tells you she is... well, a she! Like most of the 'mon you've come across, her go-to choice of clothing in a chest wrap and loin cloth, albeit a little more daring than some, with the fabric around her chest just a single wrap to cover her nipples while leaving a little more breast on display than most, even if she isn't the bustiest thing in the world, and her loincloth flares stylishly to the side, giving a very good look at her right thigh, which, to her credit, is much plumper than you'd expect from a 'mon who loses its legs upon evolution! Definitely more of a pear than an hourglass, this one. You catch a mischievous glint in her big, brown eyes when she catches sight of you checking her out, although Liz cuts her off before she can tease you too much.
"Now, now, Sage, be nice. Mira is still recovering from her ordeal. She doesn't need any sass."
Pouting cutely at the chiding, you have a chance to look at her companion as well. While Sage seems every bit the smug little firebrand, her friend strikes you immediately as more the dark, brooding sort. Which is totally out of character for a Riolu, the 'mon he resembles most. It's hard to tell with him still sitting, but you reckon he's a bit like Wattson in terms of build: short, but lean, perhaps even more-so, given his Fighting-typing. Leaning closer to a proper twunk than a twink, but still very cute. His clothing is more conservative and utilitarian, his loincloth hanging just low enough to give him the privacy he needs, although you do spot an accessory in the form of a satchel hanging from his shoulder. And an adorable little bandana around his neck! One which, upon closer inspection, Sage also wears, albeit its vibrant green color almost blends with the leafy shade of her scales. The Riolu, you suppose being Rover, does eventually get to his feet giving both you and Wattson a once over.
"... I'm glad you're both alright. We almost didn't make it in time."
You recall the few hazy memories you have, post-Zigzagoon nut. The feeling of being picked up and hauled off. The suddenly flash of blue, which in hindsight, must have been Rover arriving to save the day, then... nothing. It seems like your assailants might have thought to make you their spoil and carry you deeper into the caves. An actual bad end, if they had more friends waiting back wherever they called home.