PMD: Stargazer Chronicles

Songstress- A New Explorer

Running water made for better drinking water than water that didn't move. Still water created all sorts of filth. The second step was filtering the water. The third step was disinfection, to remove any viruses and bacteria.

A stream barreled down the side of the green mountain. The rocks underneath occasionally jutted their smooth surfaces above the water, bubbling up water around them.

Cinccino Hannah returned to the basics: food, water, and shelter. She didn't know where she was, but didn't make any effort to find out. Her journey to follow the wind continued. Along the way, the only other pokemon she saw was a Ribombee that didn't see her. It was lonely.

Traversing the mountain itself came with its own tricks. After drinking some water and getting herself hydrated, Hannah had to continue on through the mountain forests. The trees were caked with deep, verdant moss. From the trees, the moss stretched onto the burgundy soil. Bugs swarmed around different objects like fallen chunks of wood and puddles from the overnight rain.

Hannah's fur was a frizzy wreck, but she didn't have to worry about her appearance here. Whenever it caught onto something, she yanked it instead of taking the time to free herself. As she continued on the path spiraling down the mountain, she kept an eye out for any aggressive animals or traps.

Soon, the path ahead opened up under the blue sky. A field of pillars of gray and brown rocks jut out from a sea of stiff green below. The slope ahead leading down into the green ocean dipped and became a steep cliff. Each of the pillars had gentle green poking out from them and reaching up the side of their walls. Fog covered over the sea of green far below.

Wind pushed against Hannah's face. Her long fur and tail leaned back where she came. The pillars had varying space between them. They stretched out into the morning fog until they vanished from sight.

Hannah visualized her jumping from pillar to pillar. It felt like nature was giving her a challenge to face, though she wasn't sure what waited on the other side. But, ever since that night, her body hadn't felt the same. Her ability to manipulate wind grew weak. Some of the jumps would be a little far for her to make now, but she felt a call to try.

The benefit of a running start would be reserved for the first jump. Cinccino Hannah backed away from the edge, planning to use it. She ran on all fours and leaped.

Gentle whispers flowed into her head. They overwhelmed the fierce wind flying past her ears. Hannah couldn't make out the words, possibly because her focus was on grabbing the rigid rock in front of her. She nailed her claws into the stone, then pulled herself up. She continued to climb until she reached the top of the pillar and balanced on her two feet.

Without a running start, the next pillar looked miles away. Hannah would have to rely on the wind to take her there. She swirled it around her body, but it was only a gentle push: a taunting shadow of what it used to be. Still, even if the wind couldn't help her, she resolved to take the leap anyways.

Hannah tensed her legs and jumped. Her arc was short. She pushed with the wind as hard as she could, but all she gained in return was a nudge and a headache.

She fainted before she reached the ground.

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"Just look at yourself. Your job is to sit down here and watch? Pathetic!"

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Water splashed in a tiny puddle. It echoed on repeat in Hannah's ears. The ground she laid on had become warm from her body heat. Dirt on her face hadn't been this comfortable before, but she pushed herself up and wiped the side of her arm across her face. She prioritized getting rid of any dirt over her eyes.