(IC) Pokemon: Journey of the Rainbow Goddess

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii Neo Emolga Winter

Finally, we are ready to go! The adventure begins now!

The fantastic Pokeworld of Ransei...an uneasy peace is shattered when the ruthless warlord Nobunaga begins his march across the eighteen kingdoms, leaving terror and despair in his wake. Amidst all the chaos, the people cling to a prophecy of hope:

"Upon the day the rainbow goddess reveals herself, she will embark on a great journey to learn the twelve forms of magic, then she shall usher forth a world of light and an age of unending peace."

Many speculated on who or what the rainbow goddess could be, until a girl was born in an unassuming town with an array of amazing magical powers. She could make crops grow from the most barren of land, call forth rain, heal the sick and wounded, and even make the dead live again. On top of this, she never seemed to age or get sick once she came of age. It was because of her gift of channeling magic into a song--a rare talent in Ransei--that she was named Juno--"sound of the tree"

The townsfolk did their best to hide Juno's identity as the rainbow goddess, but fearing that Nobunaga would foolishly try to kill a god, the village elder appointed a team of the villager's best warriors and magic users to serve as bodyguards, just in case.

Today, however, was the big day--the day Juno and her bodyguards would embark on their long and perilous adventure.

The entire town had gathered at the elder's house, eager to get a glimpse of the silvery white haired girl and those who would protect her. Even those that doubted Juno was a goddess had to admit she had an unusually strong magical power.

But Juno was never one to boast about or misuse her gifts--she only used them when someone needed it, and never accepted any money or gifts in return for her help. All she wanted was to see people happy, and Ransei at peace once again.

[Noblejanobii]

Nakano Tanaka
The Elder's House

"Father please for the last time, I'll be alright," Nakano said, running her fingers through her dark hair. "It's not like I'll be traveling alone, there will be other bodyguards with us. You have nothing to worry about."

"Oh I have plenty to worry about, Nakano," her father responded in a stern tone. "You're going up against Nobunaga Oda, a ruthless warlord whose fierceness can be felt even here in the tiny corner of Ransei. Even with the Rainbow Goddess at your side, I can’t help but be the slightest bit worried about you.”

Kazan shook his head and gave a heavy sigh. “You’re all I’ve got left and you’re barely an adult, yet you’ve got the burden of the land resting on your shoulders.” He cupped Nakano’s chin and smiled at her. “I couldn’t be more proud of you and what you’re going to achieve. But that pride also comes with a lot of fear. Promise me it won’t be warranted, okay?”

Nakano paused as she listen to her father speak. He had a very valuable point in that this seemed like a lot more than a handful of teenagers could handle. And yet, it wasn’t like they had a lot of options. The burden of the land huh? She’s argue the Rainbow Goddess bore more of the burden than Nakano did, but it didn’t change the fact that she also had a burden of her own to carry. Protecting Juno wasn’t going to be any small feat, she imagined, so she’d have to do the best she could with what little skill she had. She might be one of the best swordsmasters in her village, but what about another kingdom over? Or several kingdoms away? She’d have to continue to grow and improve if she wanted to prove herself.

Speaking of Juno, Nakano had never met the Rainbow Goddess before and considered herself a bit of a skeptic. Still the hopes of everyone were riding on Juno, so for all their sakes, Nakano hoped the legend was true.

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii

(will wait on the others before giving the main quest)

[Winter]

Fuyuse
The Elder's House

"...and you're certain you aren't forgetting anything?" The corners of Fuyuse's lips twitched upwards at the way the doctor was fretting over her. In the four years they had spent traveling together, she hadn't seen the man so fussy since that first month when she was twelve.

"I am certain that I have not forgotten anything. I remember how to live off the land, the way you taught me to, I have the herb mixtures you gave me, as well as clean bandages, and I know that I can offer my services as a healer in exchange for anything else I might need if we run low on money. I have my tessen and my kurisarigama to defend myself and others with if worst comes to worst, and you know that Hitomi, Hanzo, and Daisho would lay down their own lives to protect me.” She had spoken more words this morning than she had in the past month, and as much as she disliked the idea, the young woman had a feeling that speaking more was something she was going to need to get used to. She’d spent four years perfecting speaking to her guardian more in motions than aloud, but today...well, today she was leaving him behind. Fuyuse reached up to adjust the straps of the basket she was using as a pack against her shoulders and tried to smile for him—maybe she could get his brow to stop furrowing and the worry to fade from his eyes if she seemed more confident.

“It certainly sounds as though you’ve prepared. It would seem I taught you well...perhaps too well, if you’re leaving the nest so early,” he chuckled, reaching out to brush a wisp of chestnut hair that had escaped her braid back behind her ear. Though the sound was amused, it contrasted oddly with the sadness of his expression, and just like that, her attempt at a smile slipped.

“I promise to come back, Waka.” As he pulled his hand away, she captured it in both her own. “I am not going away forever, just a little while. I much prefer treating injuries to causing them, and suspect that my time as a bodyguard will only make me appreciate my time as a doctor’s assistant far more.” And it might well give her answers about her missing past, though it seemed like a foolish thing to hope for after so long. Foolish as it was, the desire for knowledge about the life she had lost had come back in full force when the village elder had originally approached Fuyuse to ask about appointing her as one of Juno’s bodyguards along her journey. Had it not, she likely wouldn’t have agreed to leave in the first place—Waka was good at taking care of others, but almost laughably terrible at taking care of himself. She only hoped that he allowed his Audino, Momo, to look after him in her place...she just didn’t trust his Reuniclus or his Shroomish with overseeing his wellbeing. As much as she loved them, Shimeji tended towards airheaded and occasionally failed to notice the passing of entire days, while Daisuke had a knack for making Waka’s love of research worse, and the pair would quite literally pour over books, study samples, and experiment with cures until neither could continue to function and both eventually passed out. “Just promise me that you will not give Momo too much to fret over, alright?”

The doctor flashed a halfhearted smile before patting her hands with his free one and pulling his other hand out of her grasp. “I’ll do my best not to make Momo fret so long as you do your best not to make me fret, Fuyuse. Do not break your promise to return.” With that, he quickly reached out to pull her in for a brief hug, then looked down at the Houndoom, Croagunk, and Sneasel hovering close to their mistress. “I am trusting her protection to you three. Please...do not let me down,” he murmured, then nudged the young woman away from the crowd they had been standing in, towards the door to the elder’s house, where Juno and her bodyguards were to congregate. As she watched, Fuyuse saw all three of her Pokemon companions give Waka a firm nod before following after her.

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii Neo Emolga Winter

Juno watched as those who would be her bodyguards said their final goodbyes to families, friends, guardians. She knew more than anyone that Oda Nobunaga was a dangerous man, and was not above attempting the foolish task of killing a goddess.

As afraid as she was, she did her best not to show it, instead choosing to channel her fear into courage and grace. Arceus commanded me to come to the mortal realm, to deliver them from a grave danger. No matter how far we have to go, and no matter what dangers we face along the way, I will see my quest to the end, and protect those that protect me.

[Neo Emolga]

Kaze Burakku
The Elder’s House

There were few that believed Kaze Burakku was chosen by the Buranchi to answer the village elder’s request because they truly believed Kaze was the most disciplined, adept, and professional of the druids and resembled all that they stood for and believed as part of their creed and tradition. There were far many more that believed Kaze was wild and chaotic and the Buranchi had grown tired of his antics and sheer mischief and simply wanted to be relieved by his absence in hopes of some semblance of normalcy and sanity.

But there was one thing they could all agree on when it came to the wild teenager. He was the least likely to fear even the infamous warlord, Nobunaga Oda, but whether that could be attributed to bravery, insanity, or just plain foolishness was the real question. But every question had an answer.

It was a little of all those things.

Kaze felt there was one of two possible outcomes of his fighting style and antics when it came to his role in defending the Rainbow Goddess. The absurdity of it would either go down in legend and they would write stories of his escapades and make paintings and statues depicting his renown feats of whimsy and clever madcap absurdity, or he’d simply be another dead fool and all memory of him would be snuffed out in mere seconds like a candle thrown into a tidal wave. It was the chance of a lifetime and it wouldn’t be the first time Kaze had relied on luck, but he was hoping for the best. In the game of life, chance, and luck, Kaze grabbed the dice with a grin and couldn’t wait to see the outcome.

When it came to Juno, the Rainbow Goddess, Kaze was excited to meet her. He wanted to know so many things about her, such as where she came from, what foods she liked, if she could fly, what her favorite Pokémon is, and if she knew any good jokes. And it was clear that five minutes with Kaze would let Juno know exactly the kind of person he is. He could easily be Nobunaga Oda’s greatest threat, or simply a fool to be thrown aside and stomped underfoot. In a way, Kaze was like a faerie. In one way, he could be swatted out of the sky in a single fatal stroke like a squashed bug if his luck had run out, but on the other hand, he could perform allusive trickery and mischief that could spell a chaotic and an unexpected ruinous end for all his adversaries in a humiliating and unexpected demise of whimsy. There was little telling how it would all end.

And like that, Kaze was on his way, accompanied by Ōen the Bellossom, Dasshu the Emolga, and Gairu the Cinccino, all of which knew their trainer well and had adopted his style much to their own mischievous delight. Whether their unusual strategy and tactics would prevail or fail… only time could tell, but it would be a cold-blooded lie to say they wouldn’t get any kind of fun out of it however the fates decided.

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii Neo Emolga Winter

The excited chatter was hushed as the village elder arrived. Even though there was still a wisp of brown in his greying hair, he never lost the awed wonder of a child. He had weathered so many storms, but like the willow tree, he had held firm through it all. But was this newest crisis enough to break even those with the strongest of hearts?

"People of Hajime, we gather here today to send who we believe is the rainbow goddess that will deliver us." he began. "Her task may appear simple, but it involves a long and perilous journey--master the twelve forms of magic, and awaken her true power as the goddess. From there, she must travel to the Temple of Eternal Joy in Hikari, where all will know if she is the true goddess or an ordinary girl. Once awakened, she must travel to Nobunaga's fortress in Dragnor, where the warlord will meet his judgement."

Cheers went up at this. "Juno...you accept this journey by your own choice, and you understand the dangers and perils that await you?" the elder asked.

"I do." Juno replied.

He next addressed those chosen as Juno's bodyguards. "Do you three promise to do everything you can to keep Juno safe, no matter what Nobunaga, his underlings, evil sects sympathetic to him, or yokai may try to do to her?

[Noblejanobii]

Nakano Tanaka
The Elder's House

Nakano and her father fell silent as the village elder arrived. He began to give his speech, indicating that the time for the group to set out on their journey was drawing ever closer. Nakano watched Juno accepted the burden of the journey, with all the dangers it potentially held, seemingly without hesitation. For such a young girl, she was very brave, Nakano noted.

Nakano stood at attention when the village elder turned to she and the other bodyguards. He had a serious expression to him and his words mentioning "yokai" sent a bit of a chill down her spine. She had no mastery of magic available to her so unless she could wack the yokai into the next life using her swords, she wasn't going to be much use in those fights. But that was what her fellow bodyguards were there for. What she could not do, they could. And at the very least, Nakano could help protect Juno from Nobunaga and the other evil sects. Her skill with a blade would have been acknowledged by every opponent they met, that much she was certain.

"I do," Nakano responded firmly.

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii

(will wait on the others before we embark on the quest)

[Neo Emolga]

(sorry for the delay, the Wishmaker RP has gotten quite lively XD)

Kaze Burakku
The Elder’s House

Kaze watched and listened to the Elder’s brief speech about Juno and what she was tasked to do. Meanwhile, Kaze simply smiled, his fingers drumming a tune on his oak staff while the Elder was very formal about the mission at hand, including Juno’s need to master the twelve forms of magic, awaken as a goddess, and then travel to the Temple of Eternal Joy before taking on Nobunaga. For all intents and purposes, the Elder could have added they’d have to go to the moon and travel through the underworld and Kaze would have been totally fine with it and ready to go.

Juno accepted the mission, and then the Elder turned to her bodyguards, Nakano, Fuyuse, and Kaze himself. From what Kaze saw, Nakano Tanaka seemed to be specialist with swords and blades, and Kaze could nod and see and respect the combative utility in such a profession, though he knew it wasn’t quite his cup of tea. To him, magic was much more fun.

Meanwhile, seeing Fuyuse with a tessen and a kurisarigama gave Kaze a clue she was more focused on weapons, also. He had no problem with that, those things looked sharp! And Kaze was quite certain she wasn’t carrying those around because she had extra big blocks of cheese that needed cutting.

From the looks of them, Kaze believed one of two things were going to happen.

Either they’re going to love my style or I’m going to drive all three of these ladies crazy.

He was anticipating the later, of course. That’s how things usually seemed to go when Kaze was working with other people. But in the meantime, it seemed like among the four of them, Kaze might have to be the guide on all things magic, and he didn’t mind that at all! In fact he figured all three of them might get a kick out of what he could do and he enjoyed the thought of it, at least until Juno got up to speed and most likely would surpass him, but hey, he figured that was okay because of who she was and what she was set-

“I do,” Nakano responded.

He suddenly snapped out of his daydreaming and looked up to realize the Elder had finished talking and now expected a response while he got totally distracted. Right, he was probably talking about accepting the mission and going along with Juno to keep her safe. Totally good to assume that given the context of things, even if he was totally not paying attention to the exact things he was saying.

“You bet, all set to go!” Kaze smiled, giving Juno an optimistic wink to give her the special assurance that she should see this as more of a fun road trip than as a perilous endeavor.

He could have chuckled at the thought of what the reaction might be if he looked like he was about to back out but then just played a trick on everyone and accepted. But he decided nah, he was already going to drive these three ladies crazy in time, adding the village elder and all these people of Hajime to that might not go over too well. He felt maybe he could do that later when he thought of something much more fun and whimsical.

[EmeraldSky]

Neo Emolga

(You would likely enjoy the theater in this world...sometimes the plays will have clues for your quest! So if you're stuck, a night at the theater will help.)

[Winter]

Fuyuse
The Elder's House

All this attention and ceremony was starting to make her nervous. Fuyuse hadn’t expected it to do so, though she hadn’t ever really volunteered herself as a center of attention before, either. Normally it was Waka that took up everyone’s attention when they had traveled to a new town--he was the doctor, the extrovert who thrived on helping people as much as he possibly could. Her? She was content to keep position behind him, doing whatever he asked of her.

But Fuyuse had made the decision to step out from behind him, and she needed to learn to live with it. She watched and listened to the elder with an expression that was purely impassive on her face as he detailed the goals of their journey before looking to Juno and asked her if she was prepared to undertake the journey and the perils that would come with it. Of course, she accepted.

And then her turned his attention to the bodyguards, and asked if they were prepared to do their best to protect Juno, no matter what they faced. Her ears perked up when the man mentioned yokai, having heard stories about the creatures during her travels with Waka, but never having seen any herself. It hardly mattered, though, Fuyuse would see Juno to the end of her journey regardless of what danger they faced--she wanted the ability to search for answers, and this was her best shot at getting them. Fuyuse watched and listened as first the other woman, Nakano, responded with an “I do.”

This was followed by a much more enthusiastic “You bet, all set to go!” from their only male companion, and Fuyuse watched in perplexion as he winked at Juno. She wasn’t sure that boded well, but she resisted the urge to sigh, instead willing herself to reply to the elder.

“I do as well,” she said, her soft voice filled with determination.

[EmeraldSky]

Winter Neo Emolga Noblejanobii

The elder nodded. "Very well--may the Legendaries watch over you all, and grant you their favor."

Cheers went up at this. "Your journey begins by crossing the Great River, and Juno receiving a hamayumi--the sacred bow of miko and heroines-- from the archers at the nearby keep." the elder explained. "From the Great River Keep, you will get on the Road of Ten Thousand Miles--your main route."

[Noblejanobii]

Nakano Tanaka
The Elder's House

"Great River Keep," Nakano mumbled, "seems simple enough." She turned to her father and said, "Guess it's time for goodbyes then. She exchanged a quick hug with him and as she pulled back, Nakano noticed that her father seemed teary eyed. And yet, Kazan had never looked prouder at the same time. This was a great honor after all, and one that while Nakano would not have to bear alone, it was still something far greater than someone her age should really be handling. Still, she was up to the test. The fate of Ransei depended on it after all.

Nakano glanced over at the other two bodyguards that would be joining the journey. First her eyes settled on Fuyuse. She seemed frail at Nakano's first blush, but she spoke with determination, a good indicator of hidden strength. Given the weapons she had her disposal, Nakano could trust her to be a fellow warrior in arms even if it wasn't necessarily the art of the blade. Fuyuse had more potential range to her attacks though, and a lot more stealth capabilities, so all in all while they both were weapons specialists, they covered different areas.

Kaze, on the other hand, was a bit of an interesting fellow. Nakano definitely did not miss that wink at Juno. She wasn't quite sure if he was just messing around or actually trying to flirt but either way it was eye roll inducing. Still, he was the team's only magic user, so she hoped he was as reliable as he was goofy. Or perhaps her first impression would be prove wrong as they made their way down the road. Either way, Nakano could only hope that Kaze would prove reliable in the long run.

Nakano looked at Juno and the others and said, "Well? That Great River won't cross itself. Shall we be off then?"

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii

(will wait on the others' responses before we continue.)

[Neo Emolga]

Kaze Burakku
The Elder’s House

“Very well,” the elder nodded to Juno and her bodyguards, “may the Legendaries watch over you all, and grant you their favor.”

Well, please let them know it’s totally okay for them to look away while I’m in the bathroom, relieving myself. Thanks!

There were cheers, and the air was full of optimism. Kaze felt compelled to wave to the crowd and get them excited!

“Your journey begins by crossing the Great River,” the elder instructed, “and Juno receiving a hamayumi, the sacred bow of miko and heroines, from the archers at the nearby keep. From the Great River Keep, you will get on the Road of Ten Thousand Miles, your main route.”

So in other words, I hope you like walking!

But Kaze was thrilled. It just sounded so interesting! He tried to picture what this sacred bow of miko and heroines looked like. Was it gold? Or silver? Or one of those sparkly crystal ones? Did it glow in the dark? Did it make any nifty sounds when it shot an arrow? Who knows! He could imagine he could think of a million different possibilities, but would the actual bow be one of them he was dreaming of, or something that even took him by surprise?

And sure, most others would groan and moan about the thought of a “Road of Ten Thousand Miles” like a tired kid who got tired of walking and wanted mommy or daddy to carry them on the way home. But Kaze was more curious to know where and what kinds of scenery would they see on this road? Deserts, valleys, swamps, mountains, maybe even jungles or tundra? It was anyone’s guess! As Kaze always liked to say, those who use maps don’t like surprises. Let’s get lost together!

"Well?” Nakano asked. “That Great River won't cross itself. Shall we be off then?”

“Hey, I’m all for it!” Kaze smiled. “What are we waiting for?”

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii Neo Emolga Winter

The Great River--so named because it seemed to wind for many a mile down to the sea--formed the natural northern border to the village. Just across the bridge stood Great River Keep, a fortress built before Nobunaga began his conquest to protect the village. Not surprisingly, many still loyal to the Imperial Family kept watch from the keep.

[Winter]

Fuyuse
Elder's House -> The Great River

It had been...interesting, seeing the other female bodyguard, Nakano, saying her farewells to the man Fuyuse assumed was her father after the elder gave them the first stop on their journey and explained what they would find there. She considered her own farewells said before she joined the group, though she impulsively found herself making a few shy gestures to where she'd spotted him in the crowd, likely intent on watching the group until they left. I will stay safe. Carry you in my memories. She found herself smiling slightly as he repeated the motions back to her--I will stay safe. Carry you in my memories. It was such a curious phrase, but it had come to her the first time Waka had felt confident enough to leave her with only Hanzo and Hitomi for company while he ran an errand, and they'd been using it here and there ever since. Meanwhile, it seemed as though the only male bodyguard had no one in town to bid farewell to, in fact, he seemed eager to leave.

"Well? That Great River won't cross itself. Shall we be off then?" Fuyuse blinked herself out of her thoughts as Nakano spoke to Juno.

Seemingly a ball of energy, Kaze spoke up next, saying he was all for heading out and asking what they were waiting for. Not much for words herself, Fuyuse simply nodded and started walking, Hitomi hovering close to her side while Hanzo directed his attention to Daisho, a sound like an eerie, hissing laugh issuing from his mouth before Daisho moved ahead. After having taken a few steps, she turned back to the group and inclined her head towards their intended path as if to say Well? Come on, then.

The Great River, mercifully, wasn't far, serving as the northern border to the village, and as the group neared the river, Fuyuse found herself eyeing the Great River Keep, wondering if their task to help Juno retrieve this sacred bow from the keep was going to be as simple as the Elder had made it sound. When they got close enough, she turned to the others, starting a sweeping gesture to indicate entire group before stopping herself, shaking her head. Old habits were going to die hard, it seemed. With a sigh she willed herself to speak. "Do we know if the people here are friendly towards our cause? Should we be wary of trouble this early on?" she asked, her gaze shifting between the Juno and the other two guards.

[EmeraldSky]

Winter

"Have they given you any reason to believe they have less than noble intentions?" Juno asked, her voice calm and reassuring. "The residents of the keep have provided protection for the village for a long time. It would be very out of character for the elder to send us to a dangerous place."

[Noblejanobii]

Nakano Tanaka
The Elder's House -> The Great River

As the group left the village and began to venture towards the Great River Keep, Nakano found herself starting to contemplate what sort of trials they might face ahead. Although the Elder made it sound relatively easy, Nakano knew things were rarely as they seemed. Perhaps the Great River Keep might hold a test or trial for Juno or perhaps the entire party to partake in before they retrieved the bow. The Elder had been sparse on the details of it so she couldn't know for sure with these kinds of things. It appeared she wasn't the only one contemplating this possibility though, as Fuyuse stopped and spoke up.

"Do we know if the people here are friendly towards our cause? Should we be wary of trouble this early on?"

Before either Kaze or Nakano could respond, Juno came back with a quick response in a calm voice. "Have they given you any reason to believe they have less than noble intentions? The residents of the keep have provided protection for the village for a long time. It would be very out of character for the elder to send us to a dangerous place."

This response admittedly irked Nakano a bit. How in Ransei was she supposed to have that knowledge? Keeping a level voice, Nakano responded, "With all due respect, Rainbow Goddess, with Nobunaga as powerful as he is, who's to say there isn't a spy hidden amongst their ranks waiting to harm you? As our bodyguards, it's our duty to be skeptical since it may be a matter of life or death to you, especially when we lack any sort of background information about the location beyond what you've told us just now. I'm not from the village. This was actually my first time visiting. And my assumption is that might be the case for uh...." Nakano fumbled a moment, the realization hitting her that she didn't even know the names of two of the people she was traveling with. "...the other two bodyguards. So at least for me, I don't really know much about this location at all and was a bit wary of it myself."

"Dew dewott," Kichirou spoke up while tugging on Nakano. Nakano glanced over at her partner and nodded after a moment. He had a point.

"We barely know each other at all so I can't really blame any of us for assuming the others do or don't have knowledge of certain things. I know we're in a hurry but maybe we could take a moment to introduce ourselves and where we're from? Because I just realized I don't actually know either of your names," Nakano said as she looked at her fellow bodyguards, "and if I need to call for assistance that would probably be essential."

"I can go first." Nakano and Kichirou bowed towards their comrades. "I am Nakano Tanaka and this is my partner, Kichirou. We are from the kingdom of Fontaine."

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii

(is using Pallet Town's Japanese name for the village's name okay, or would you prefer it be named something else? This will affect Juno's introduction.)

[Noblejanobii]

Noblejanobii

(is using Pallet Town's Japanese name for the village's name okay, or would you prefer it be named something else? This will affect Juno's introduction.)

(Sure that’s fine)

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii Winter Neo Emolga

"I am Juno Kishida of Masara--nice to meet you." Juno smiled with a little bow. Her voice was both relaxing, and yet had a note of comfort in it. Her demeanor alone seemed to assure her guards that she would never betray them or forsake them when the going got tough. No matter what happeed on this long journey, she would protect her bodyguards as much as they protected her.

[Neo Emolga]

Kaze Burakku
The Elder’s House > The Great River

Kaze was impressed with Fuyuse and Nakano. These ladies were sharp as a nail! They brought up a pretty darn good point about if they could really even trust the people at the keep, and it got Kaze thinking and considering they could have very well showed up at the front entrance, knock on the door, say hi, and then take a halberd to the head a second later and it would be lights out, good night, just like that. No more adventure.

“Well, geez, didn’t think about that,” Kaze remarked, almost laughing. “Okay, yeah, that’s quite true and falling victim to people we didn’t check out first would hit pretty high up on there on the dumb ways to die list. Most people I’m sure are friendly, but all it takes is letting your guard down around that one nasty person and it can be all over.”

Nakano had introduced herself and Kichirou, her Dewott, hailing from the kingdom of Fontaine. And then Juno introduced herself, coming from Masara.

“Name’s Kaze, Kaze Burakku,” he smiled a crisp and confident smirk. “I come from Greenleaf, nice meeting you ladies. As for my Pokémon, the Bellossom’s name is Ōen, the Emolga is Dasshu, and the Cinccino is Gairu.”

[EmeraldSky]

Winter Neo Emolga Noblejanobii

Juno whistled, prompting a beautiful white Ninetales to join her. "This is Crystal, my own Pokemon companion." Juno explained. "She is a rare mountain Ninetales, whose fire turned to ice to adapt to the cold mountain weather."

(what we know as the Alolan Ninetales is considered mountain Ninetales in Ransei--the Kantonian Ninetales are called plains Ninetales)

[Winter]

Fuyuse
The Great River

Admittedly, Fuyuse was more than a little surprised when Juno of all people questioned why she would believe the people of the keep might have less than noble intentions, then insisted that it would be out of character for the elder to send them someplace dangerous. After all, the elder had made sure to remind them, as well as the crowd that had gathered in the village, that their journey would likely be perilous. They would eventually be walking into danger regardless, and if they needed this bow to continue--well, it didn't really matter if the area of was being held in was safe or not, though she would have hoped the elder might have warned them if that was the case.

She wasn't going to start off this journey by being careless, however, and thankfully it seemed someone else agreed with her. Fuyuse nodded as Nakano explained that it was their job as bodyguards to be cautious, especially with what limited information they had at their disposal. Of course, then the young woman pointed out that she had no clue what her fellow bodyguards' names were, and Fuyuse realized that no one had introduced themselves yet. She was used to this, with how many people she and Waka had attended to over the years, names weren't always specifically necessary, and tended to be soon forgotten. These names, however, she knew she needed to remember and use. Fuyuse gave a more deliberate nod of acknowledgement and greeting to Nakano and her partner in turn as she introduced herself and Kichirou, her Dewott partner. She offered a similar nod to Juno as the young woman followed Nakano's introduction with her own, then fought the urge to frown as the only man in the group, Kaze as he would introduce himself, seemed to agree with exercising caution...but then suggested that failing to do so would be a dumb way to die. She was starting to wonder if the man was too carefree for his own good, not that much could be done about this--he was seemingly one of their onlyagic users, and the more guards there were, the safer Fuyuse hoped everyone would be.

Instead of focusing on that, she nodded in turn to Kaze when he shared his name, then his Bellossom, Emolga, and Cinccino partners, as well as Juno's unusual Ninetales partner. She supposed that just left her, then. She gave herself a moment to try to focus before she spoke again.

"Nakano expressed my thinking fairly well, it may not be entire groups that we need to watch out for, but a handful of individuals. It would be a potentially disastrous error not to be on alert at all times, and as I have not lived in the village long myself, nor have I had much reason to travel, I do not know the history or relations of this area particularly well. I was not certain whether or not any of our other companions had knowledge on this front, and thought it important to ask. Apologies if the question offended, however I did not want to start our journey on the side of carelessness." Fuyuse bowed her head slightly in apology before continuing on. "As for myself, I am Fuyuse. My companions include Hitomi," she paused to pat her hovering Houndoom's head, then moved her arm to gesture to where Hanzo stood a bit ahead of her, "Hanzo, and--"

She realized in the moment that she had lost sight of her Sneasel. Turning her focus entirely to Hanzo, Fuyuse moved her hands rapidly, shaping a question she knew the Croagunk would understand: Where is Daisho? The bipedal frog Pokemon responded with a vague gesture of his own, indicating Daisho had gone a bit further ahead. Brow creasing, Fuyuse let out a series of whistled notes, and after several long moments, the Sneasel returned to her line of sight. "And our troublemaker, Daisho. I have no homeland, I grew up with a doctor who traveled between territories."

[EmeraldSky]

Winter Neo Emolga Noblejanobii

Juno nodded in agreement at Fuyuse's explanation. "I understand--I did not intend to come across as naive. I am well aware that Nobunaga's eyes are everywhere, so we must be on guard--even in a location we believe to be safe."

[Noblejanobii]

Nakano Tanaka
The Great River

Nakano gave a slight bow to each of her companions as they introduced themselves. She felt a lot better now that they were all acquainted, at least to some degree. There was at least some diversity among their Pokémon companions which could help in covering their weak points, though Nakano couldn't help but feel like a week link given she was the only one of the bodyguards with a single partner. Perhaps she'd find another companion along the way, but for now, Kichirou was more than capable of defending Juno.

"Right, now that we've got that all cleared up, shall we discuss out plan surrounding the Great River Keep? If we have one at all? I think Juno is at least somewhat correct in that we can likely trust most of the people there, but we should at least have something of a plan before we go in, just on the chance something goes ary."

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii

Juno showed Nakano a silver eight point star pin with a rainbow ribbon. "Those loyal to our cause will know this star and rainbow ribbon as the sign of the goddess."

(what the star basically looks like (https://i.pinimg.com/originals/10/ab/e8/10abe84e9f2121443e9d787b81d7e08a.png))

[Neo Emolga]

Kaze Burakku
The Great River

After Fuyuse had introduced herself her Houndoom, Croagunk, and Snealel, it came down to the killer question. To Keep or not to Keep. Juno was confident her silver eight-point star pin with the rainbow ribbon would be a sign of the goddess and those loyal to the cause would see it as a marker.

Eh-heh, do I dare say peeps NOT loyal to the cause would see it as a target?

“Just to be sure, I can cast Stoneskin on you just before we approach the door,” Kaze smiled, thinking that might be a good safety net. “If anyone tries to bash you, slice you, or any ungodly nasty thing like that, at least that’ll be a big surprise to them and it’ll keep you alive!”

He was even beginning to wonder… considering what Fuyuse and Nakano warned about, how badly did she need that bow anyway? Sure, maybe it could shoot shiny arrows and things of that nature, but they made it clear what kinds of risks were involved.

To Kaze, risk just didn’t exist and he was a wild dream chaser many times, but he definitely kept in mind that not everyone was like that. Fuyuse and Nakano didn’t seem to be like that and right now Kaze figured he must have looked like a nutcase to them! In the meantime, he knew very not-so-nice things would happen if something awful happened to Juno. Him, not so much, but he wanted to come out safe anyway, of course.

[EmeraldSky]

Neo Emolga

(will wait on the others' reactions to the star before we go on

[Winter]

Fuyuse
The Great River

Admittedly, Fuyuse was curious as to how people would know and recognize the ribbon and star as a sign of the goddess, but at least they seemingly had something to look for. That did little to help them address the situation of getting safely into the Keep. It seemed like they were going to need to get in, and it was likely fairly safe, but it was all the more reason for them to start trying to figure out a standard procedure. She nodded in agreement at Nakano's suggestion that they needed some kind of plan, then looked thoughtful at Kaze's offer...which quickly morphed into a frown as he followed the offer up with another carefree description of what might happen if the people in the Keep weren't trustworthy.

"At the very least, I would suggest trying to keep Juno between us as much as we can, though I can't say that any extra protection we might be able to afford her would be a bad thing. In time, I think it might be best for us to develop some form of primary traveling formation, but that will likely take time and practice with each other for us to find something that feels workable for all of us," she offered, hoping that they'd be able to figure something more permanent out relatively quickly. The future might look pretty grim if they didn't end up working well together.

[EmeraldSky]

Winter Noblejanobii Neo Emolga

Juno smiled at Fuyuse's suggestion. "That is a sound idea, and just."

She looked out at the keep in the distance. "Shall we approach the keep?"

[Noblejanobii]

Nakano Tanaka
The Great River

Nakano gazed at the star shaped emblem that Juno produced and started to ask Juno a question about it when Kase spoke up instead. He suggested casting some sort of spell on Juno that didn't actually sound like a half bad idea. This "stoneskin" ability would definitely prevent any harm from coming to Juno, at least for the duration of its activity. She started to open her mouth to ask Kase a question when Fuyuse spoke up. Fuyuse brought up another great point about the sort of formation they should take when approaching the keep. Between the stoneskin spell and this, they had a solid plan of approach and attack to get through the keep it seemed. Nakano still had a couple questions though, so she opened her mouth again, only for Juno to cut her off and suggest they head towards the keep.

By now, Nakano was feeling a bit annoyed that they seemed to be moving on without her. Fine then, her questions could be left unanswered. "Yes, let's proceed towards the keep then. I'll take the lead since I presume both of you have ranged attacks whereas I do not," Nakano said. "Cover her from the sides for now, we'll see if this formation works well enough for continued future use." Then she began to walk towards the keep without waiting to see if the others would follow.

[EmeraldSky]

Noblejanobii Neo Emolga Winter

Luckily for Juno and the others, the guards keeping watch smiled as the group approached. "Hail to thee, guardians of the goddess. We were informed of your arrival."

The captain gave the word, and the keep's gates opened, allowing the group inside. Many of the soldiers on duty rendered a respectful salute as Juno passed them.

[Neo Emolga]

Kaze Burakku
The Great River

Fuyuse obviously wasn’t too keen on Kaze’s disposition, and Kaze had to admit, to someone of her stature, he had to be coming across as a real idiot. Like, the not very reliable kind. Even if he knew magic. In fact, that might make it even worse. The bards never sang songs about idiot mages. Well, never in a good way, anyway.

Okay, okay, get it together! Get your head out of your butt and start thinking like a normal human being around these ladies, dummy! Because if you mess this up…!

She and Nakano had suggested going in formation, which Kaze nodded and he could see where they were getting at. That was a solid, respectable, tactical plan. From here on in, he couldn’t keep getting careless or start looking like he should have been a court jester instead of a druid. That wouldn’t have gone down well at all and he didn’t need even more people thinking he was an idiot, a drunk, a maniac, or any possible combination of distribution among those three roles.

“I like the formation idea, let’s go with that,” Kaze replied with a nod.

See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? That didn’t look goofy at all!

When they approached the keep, the watchguards smiled, hailed the goddess and the bodyguards, mentioned they were informed of her arrival, and the keep’s gates opened to allow Juno and the rest of the group passage. Just. Like. That.

Something seemed really fishy. And Fuyuse and Nakano were right, he couldn’t afford to be a complete idiot in this kind of situation. There was too much on the line! That and in there, he’d be surrounded by walls. Thick, stone, walls. The deeper they went in, the more walls he’d be surrounded by and the further away from nature he’d be. And that meant he’d be more out of his element. It was hard to summon up plant roots and the forces of nature in a confined area surrounded by stone!

“Hold it!” Kaze shouted out to Juno before she took another step.

He knew once they went past that gate, there was no turning back… if it slammed shut. They would be at the mercy of this keep and he felt that was a really bad position to be in.

“Something just doesn’t seem right, Juno,” Kaze told her with a whisper, just out of earshot of the guards as he was getting a little anxious about the whole situation. “I think it’s a trap. It’s got to be. How could they have already been informed about our arrival, we just left the elder’s house only a short while ago! And I don’t think any rider or Pokémon messenger was dispatched to reach the keep beforehand to let us know we were coming. That and the weird thing is, if they wanted to give you this Sacred Bow of Miko and Heroines, wouldn’t it have made sense to take it to the elder’s house so you’d have it as soon as the journey started!?”

“It’s just seems a little suspicious they’re this welcoming,” Kaze told her, looking around him and not quite convinced these smiling guards could be trusted especially considering the possibilities that Fuyuse and Nakano mentioned earlier. “Sure, it’s nice, but… it’s too nice. Nobunaga seems like just the kind of guy that would pull a stunt like this to take us all out early before we even knew what hit us. Set up a welcoming party, make it look all inviting, throw open the doors and make it look like hospitality’s on the house, and once we’re in a spot we can’t run away from, everything slams shut, they lock the doors, kill the lights, and we’re trapped like Ratattas in a cage. You know, this is why I’m not an indoors type of person, by the way!”

He didn’t have a whole lot of time to think of a plan, but something came to mind and it wasn’t half bad.

“Look, let’s mention we’re in a hurry,” Kaze suggested. “We only just started this journey and we don’t need the breaktime anyway, so we can ask they deliver the bow out here and I can use my magic to see if there’s any traces of poison or if it’s been cursed in any way before you lay a finger on it. If I can confirm it’s safe, then take it and we go. But as long as we’re out here, we can still make a run for it if we need to if things even look a tiny bit doubtful. In there, not so much.”

“And from here on in, let’s lose the star and the rainbow ribbon,” Kaze recommended. “That and any sign that makes it clear you’re the rainbow goddess. Wear a dark, black cloak instead that hides most of your face and gives no indication as to who you are and we stay off the main roads wherever we can until we know we’re in safer territory. Nobunaga could have assassins and snipers anywhere just waiting for us to show our faces. Better to have it where we can be mistaken for nondescript everyday people rather than make it abundantly clear you’re his top target to everyone we pass by. Our job is to keep you safe, and the way we do that is not attracting any unnecessary attention.”

Fuyuse and Nakano were right about their wake-up call. At this point, personally, Kaze was almost thinking of forgoing the bow entirely, no matter how pretty or powerful it was. Fuyuse and Nakano had their weapons and their Pokémon while Kaze had his own magic and Pokémon as well. Meanwhile, Juno had her Ninetales, Crystal who could also protect her. They really didn’t even need the bow and what a fool he’d feel like if the second Juno laid a finger on it, it exploded and killed them all. It couldn’t be worth the risk! If she really needed a bow, they could buy a decent one at the next town they visited. A normal weapons merchant wouldn’t booby-trap a piece of their own merchandise intended for their regular clienteles. But these strangers that already knew about the rainbow goddess and had prepared this bow Kaze never heard of just waiting and intending it specifically just for her… that had potential of being a disaster.

[EmeraldSky]

Neo Emolga

(waiting on what the others will do--luckily, this keep is safe, but that's not to say there won't be attempted treachery down the line...)