PMD: Stargazer Chronicles

Pharaoh- Gifted

"No," Hannah said sternly.

"What?" Natasha asked. She glanced between them and noticed the Reticle. "What is that?"

"It's a relic for fortune telling we found in Valor," Hannah explained. "And it's known for very adverse effects."

"But what about Sel- I mean, Principal Gonzalo going to the Counselor Mountains?" Natasha asked.

"She's not going to learn anything by camping," Agatha spat. "That's why we're gonna cheat."

"Agatha," Hannah frowned, "you don't even have enough sleep after Alondra's situation."

"Look, no one's accomplishing anything." She glared at Hannah. "And I dunno about you, but I'm getting really tired of getting jumped in my sleep. This is our only option to get ahead for once. Now are you guys coming, or am I doing this myself?"

"But how?" Hannah asked. "Do you have enough control over what you can even see? How to use that thing?"

"I don't. That's why we're going to see Simone. I texted him to meet us at the park soon."

"Agatha, can't you slow down?"

Agatha tightened her lips. She stifled her voice down. "Do you not care about what happened to Alondra? Or you?"

Hannah's deep blue eyes remained still. "I do, but I care about your well-being, too."

Agatha nodded and glanced past her. "Well, I don't. So let's get started."

"Simone's the one who warned us about that artifact. Can't you at least listen to him?"

Agatha walked past her. "He seems fine with it." Along the way, she passed the Reticle to Charmander Natasha. She held it in her prosthetic arm, and away from her face. "Could you hold that for me?" Agatha asked her. "And, uh, try not to put it in front of my face."

Natasha smiled. "S-suuuuure!" she muttered. "Got iiiiit..."

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Geese often hung around the park at this time of year. They flew over small, green ponds. Park visitors turned down stone walkways in favor of letting their feet hit dirt.

Pikachu Simone sat at the top of a hill under a wave of rolling clouds. His fur looked freshly cleaned. He stood up on his checkered red and white blanket and waved to them. Agatha grimaced. So corny... She made her way up the slowest because of her prosthetics.

"Hey Simone," Walter said, once he arrived at the top. "Sup with the picnic blanket?"

"Oh, I take pictures of sunsets here a lot," he explained," and I don't like my cameras getting dirty or wet. Or my feet. What are you all doing here together?"

"They were following me," Agatha sighed as she finished hiking up. "I guess they can't find anything better to do with their summer vacations."

Simone's eyes lit up. "Relatable. So, let's figure this out."

"Figure this out?" Agatha asked. "Don't you know how to use it?"

"No," he said. "I know some things we could try, but I don't know the magic button. Lots of accounts say it's a different feeling for different people. Set it down in the middle there."

Charmander Natasha placed it down and sat. Agatha kept her eyes trained on her feet as she joined them, then at the sky; anywhere but the Reticle. The clouds looked huge today.

"Okay." Simone clapped his paws and leaned forward. "First and foremost, we don't want you to get lost in the... how does that go?"

"Lost in the sauce?" Walter asked.