In a world full of floating islands, sky pirates, exiled magicians, and Pokémon, peace is difficult to maintain.
Shaymin, kind Pokémon who'd guided travelers once man learned how to fly, were hunted to extinction for their Gracideas: magical flowers...
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August and Cyryl left the tavern, full of glee. They'd won more than they bargained for, from bulging sacks of incos to random tools and potions opponents had pawned off. Cyryl favored zir new staff the most, using it to help lug a drunk August around town.
Omar found them wandering the streets that night with the pirate drunkenly singing old drinking tunes. August told the shipbuilder they were to follow her magical compass to wherever it may point as grand fortune lay at the end of its path. It took half an hour for Omar to convince the lively duo to wait until the morning. August claimed he'd dreamt the incident, refusing to admit she drank more than she could handle.
The next day, August downed one of their given potions to cure her hangover before they departed. Tuyen's compass led the trio westward to the dry outskirts of Rubrelum's infamous Red Desert. Fiery reds dominated the arid region, coloring the never-ending sand and rocky mounds in its hues. Dead plants such as cabbage palms, desert oaks, and saltbushes lay limp and leafless alongside the dusty paths.
August knew little of this harsh landscape, Rubre native or not. She was raised in the northeastern part of the country a whole week-long trek away. Lush orchards and quaint brooks had made up her backyard, not these dehydrated cacti and brick-colored dirt hills. She knew droughts hit the south much stronger than the north, but this was otherworldly.
"I swear one o' those moved," she told Omar and Cyryl, frowning at a cactus jutting out of a dried thistle bush.
Cyryl perked up and stated, "Cacturne and Maractus make up a great deal of the Red Desert's ecosystem. I hope you glimpsed the latter for our sakes'."
"What do you mean?" Omar queried.
"Maractus are docile Pokémon who play music and dance at twilight." Zir enthusiasm lessened as zie continued, "Cacturne, on the other hand, are fearsome predators. They hunt in groups at night to track down their exhausted prey and feast. Fellow Pokémon and humans are fair game."
"Oh." The shipbuilder drew close to his Magmar and Quagsire, staying clear of any and all underbrush.
As the day tolled on and evening came in its place, they decided to make camp in what appeared to be a shriveled oasis. Dried bracken and hollow trees encircled a deep pit that smelled strongly of salt and musk. Pidge took to the air to check for dangers then returned with a soft coo that meant the coast was clear.
Still, August remained on high alert. If they were to be ambushed by the Cacturne that night then she and Omar's Pokémon had to fend them off. Pidge was a lost cause; earlier when they were taking a break, the Pidgey had picked a fight with a wild Diglett and lost. The worm sprayed sand in the bird's face and knocked him out of the sky, squawking as if he'd suffered a Thunder Shock attack instead.
She wouldn't hold her breath for Cyryl or Omar to take a stand, either. Her apprentice barely managed to remain level-headed during a poker game, and Omar seemed to be passive type. She decided it was time to begin Cyryl's fighting lessons.
