playthough From Everland to Reborn ~ A fairytale themed run [Last defeated: Amaria]

[Aphelli]

   (for characters appearing in the chapter only)? 

It fits well the theme of “Shelly learning self-confidence and audacity”. But I really didn’t expect her to learn it this way. I had assumed Shelly ship-proof, I don’t know why. 
 

(Also, you’re aware that stories featuring characters thinking themselves romance-proof overwhelmingly prove them wrong? If you weren’t in full control of the story, that would be begging for a Vanilla ship. How about Vanilla + Archer?)
 

We’ll stay tuned (and hyped, and re-read earlier chapters, maybe) for Season 4!
Good luck for your exams. 

Edited March 30, 2020 by Mindlack

[Candy]

56 minutes ago, Mindlack said:

I had assumed Shelly ship-proof, I don’t know why.

I know why: because she's underaged. The most I've seen shipped is Heather x Shelly, but more like a platonic relationship ofc. The ship I just sunk(?) was also platonic- given I only ever had platonic loves when I was 12, I assume that's the case for most 12 y/os, Shelly not being an exception to the rule. Her great admiration and adoration of Vanilla just morphed into love, it's as simple as that. And contrary to popular belief, pre-teen people also love, so even if it's "frowned upon", I didn't want to censor Shelly's feelings which were as naturally developed as I could

 

1 hour ago, Mindlack said:

If you weren’t in full control of the story, that would be begging for a Vanilla ship. How about Vanilla + Archer?

VANILLA RATES: REBORN COMMUNITY

Spoiler

• Mindlack (-10): 0/10 What is that BS ship

Jokes aside, it'd be funny (for me) to know who people ship with Vanilla. I could personally see: Vanilla x Aladdin, Vanilla x Archer, Vanilla x Shelly, and Vanilla x Saphira. None of which will be canon... unless?

[Aphelli]

You’re right about Shelly. Her being so young definitely is an important factor that limits her “shipping potential”, without preventing platonic ones.
 

I’ll trust your word on pre-teens also loving. ^^

 

23 hours ago, Candy said:

VANILLA RATES: REBORN COMMUNITY

  Reveal hidden contents

• Mindlack (-10): 0/10 What is that BS ship

 

Come on, only 0? I clearly haven't been original enough.

But I couldn't remember who she hated most, except that Vanilla x Aladdin felt trite and Vanilla x Jasmin was going to be, um, complicated when Vanilla went back to her revolutionary activities. Maybe Vanilla x Radomus? 

 

Also, there's the question of how I could be a 10/10 beforehand (that's the policy towards readers, they're good enough until they cross a line, maybe?), given how Vanilla reacted to the Reborn cast and the OCs. 

Edited March 31, 2020 by Mindlack

[J-Awesome_One]

VANILLA X WEHTTAM!

[Corso]

Vanilla x Pikachu (you did say there will be episodes dedicated to Pikachu) I'm just joking 

[Candy]

PSA: Regarding From Everland to Reborn Season 4

 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent financial deficit it has brought upon me, I was left with no choice but to sell everything I own, starting from my beloved expensive figures to my clothes. I'm now nakkid. Fortunately for me but unfortunately maybe for you, I also sold the rights to From Everland to Reborn (FEtR). As such, I will no longer be able to post new episodes for free on this thread. The whole story will be available for a small price of 50 USD in the following formats: Kindle, iBooks, PDF(1.4M).

Sorry for the inconvenience this might've caused, and again I thank you for the continued support.

 

Candy

[Corso]

3 hours ago, Candy said:

I also sold the rights to From Everland to Reborn (FEtR)

Damn you Disney

[Bunni Blair]

29 minutes ago, Corso said:

Damn you Disney

Yeah! Those fairytales don't even belong to you.

[Q-Jei]

[Evi Crystal]

I'm so happy for Shelly and Vanilla^^

And Heather did also develop as well

But... Aya... Poor Aya, I'm praiying for her T_T

[Candy]

From Everland to Reborn ~ My Mother

Expected Season 4? No? Well, fortunately for you, it's not Season 4... yet. Following the rules of this universe, I've written a random-ass, totally-inappropriate-timing-wise story because I'm super busy supposedly writing a grant proposal that is my qualifying exam. It's about Vanilla remembering her mother, even though we all think she's still alive. I dunno why, I felt like writing it and y'all know I'm not one to contain myself. At least the creation of Everland part of the story is enjoyable, maybe? 

 

My mother was an odd person.

 

Even though she was supposedly the only surviving member of an ancient wealthy family, her mannerisms betrayed an unexpected unease when it came to social interaction. She rarely accompanied my father to his social gatherings, as a result, and instead spent most of her time alone in our gardens. It seemed as though she could easily substitute human connection with taking meticulous care of her plants.

She was the same with me as with everyone else. Growing up, I don’t think I heard her say any more than two words to me. I remember that when I was young, I craved attention from my parents, so I tried spending time with her in the garden. She didn’t express pleasure or distaste at me being there with her, and instead proceeded to tend at her flowers without acknowledging my presence once. In due time, I gave up on forming a bond with her, and instead grew closer to my grandmother and our many servants.

 

However, there were two times when she broke her routine and reminded me that she was not just a deaf robot.

 

The first time was when I was ten years old. On the night of my birthday, she came to my room. I was playing with my dolls, and thought it was a servant entering my room without knocking, which usually never happened. Needless to say, I was shocked to see her standing at the doorway. She watched me, with her default grin that she constitutively carried and made her look all the more like a robotic doll.

“Hi,” I said.

It’s my chance to talk to my mother, I thought at the time. However, since I wasn’t used to talking with strangers, I didn’t know what else to say. Besides, it didn’t help that she was just silently staring at me, even after I said hi.

“Hello, princess,” she said at last… but she rather whispered it, so I wasn’t sure I even heard her right. Even then, my ten-year-old self was elated to think my mother said hello to me and that she called me princess.

She moved slowly inside, and came to my bed where I was sitting. She was holding a book, which she offered me when she was close enough to me. I took the book, but wasn’t particularly excited when I read the title.

“A copy of the Book of Influx? They already taught us Everish history.”

I wasn’t sure whether she heard me, since she just smiled and soon after left my room without uttering another word.

I put my dolls aside and opened the thin book. It was an illustrated version; the type for children who are learning how to read. I didn’t question why my mother had chosen an age-inappropriate edition for me and started reading.

“In the beginning, there was nothing. No peace, no hope, no freedom,” started the book.

I turned the page over, and found that my mother had colored all of the illustrations, which had originally been printed in black and white. I turned the pages without reading the text, because I already knew the story, and I could essentially recite it in my mind while I looked at the drawings that represented key passages.

The story was of a time long ago, when magical beings were hunted and burned at the stake or placed in a ship and dropped into the sea while tied to large rocks. Just for the sin of existing. It was a practice widely held in Kalos and Galar, and it was a nightmarish time for people like us. There was an illustration showing people hiding, and turning a blind eye to the unfortunate who were caught and taken away from their family.

Spoiler

My awful epic af drawings strike again :lolxd:

The protagonist, Yveneas, was born with the powers to control life and death. Given her magical ancestry, she was also a target of the witch hunt, which eliminated her own parents. At the time of the story, she was ten years of age.

She found one of the ships which were being loaded with magical children: offspring of witches, wizards, self-aware wolves, mermaids, faeries… you name it. However, among them there were also non-magical children, who had been unjustly tried. The matching illustration showed a medieval ship with young people being tied to one another and being pulled towards the inside of the ship.

Spoiler

Yveneas slipped into the ship and started freeing the children. However, she told them to keep quiet so they could all escape when the time was right. When the ship was stationed in the middle of the sea, and the sailors were ready to drop everyone to their deaths, she acted. 

She conjured up a giant whale, which destroyed the ship into pieces. Of course, everyone fell overboard. Only the children and Yveneas were saved by the whale she controlled. The illustration had about 20 children dancing in circles on top of a whale, which also smiled. I didn’t question the feasibility of such a scenario, and carried on turning the pages.

Spoiler

this is art

They went to many regions, but they found out that none were very kind environments for children that were basically penniless orphans. So they decided to find their own place. A place where they belonged, where they could have everything they couldn’t in their hometown. They wanted peace, hope and freedom.

There were not many deserted places where they could start from zero, but they eventually landed on a literal desert. No one lived there, because all there was was sand.

Yveneas reassured her new friends that the place was perfect. She once again showed them her magical powers. From where only sand existed, came a patch of grass that extended in every direction. Then from grass came trees that grew at an unrealistic rate, and these trees bore fruit so that the children could feast on them. She created birds, which provided music to the once silent desert. She basically created paradise, and the children were ecstatic. And she was ecstatic, because she had made her friends happy.

“In the end, there was everything. Peace, hope and happiness. There was Everland,” is how the tale came to a close.

I still have the book in my room, if no one has touched anything since I left. The first few years since its acquisition, I read it very often, imagining how my mother would read it to me if she were to. However, as time passed and I came to understand my situation better, I discarded any such hope and left the book untouched in my bookshelf.

 

My mother didn’t speak to me again after that one incident, until more than 8 years later, the very last day when I was leaving Everland. My grandmother was trying to convince me to wear our traditional bubblegum dress, so that I would have Everland and my family in my mind at all times. Though I gave it credit for the convenience that came with its magical abilities, I didn’t want to wear such a flashy pink dress. I felt it didn’t match my persona, or the impression I wanted people to have of me when I arrived in the Reborn region.

My mother came to us and looked at the dress.

“A dress for a princess,” she said, with the same whispering voice as always.

“If you’re going to say something, at least say something useful,” said my grandmother. “This is a dress passed down generations in the Hansel and Gretel line. It’s not a costume to play princess, but a garment that deserves respect.”

My mother took the dress in her hands and stroked the smooth silky bubblegum fabric and fiddled with the gems that decorated it. When she was done with it, she offered it to me. The way she did, reminded me of the time she gave me her book. I practically tore the dress of her hand.

“Fine. I’ll wear it. Are you satisfied?”

“I’m glad, Vanilla,” my grandmother said.

My mother said nothing, but smiled showing her teeth and went away to her garden.

 

That was the last time I saw her, since I left Everland. I don't think about my mother much, because there are not many things about her to remember. However, sometimes I wonder where she might be. In a prison cell or just under house arrest, since her only crime was to have a treasonous daughter? And if she's in a prison cell, I wondered whether someone might've given her a potted plant to keep her company.

 

Also bros look at the obviously br0ken view counter. Seems this story got 50k views out of nowhere which is more than the amount of money I'll ever have to my name () Press F for my also-br0ken bank account. See y'all in Season 4 this time for realsies... maybe?

[Corso]

Interesting episode, but does 6 count as "about 20"?

[Candy]

44 minutes ago, Corso said:

Interesting episode, but does 6 count as "about 20"?

That was half the joke corso pls

these are the times when I wish I had at least passable drawing skills lol you can clearly tell why I had to commission the Shelly-hugging-Vanini drawing 

[Candy]

From Everland to Reborn ~ Episode 71

O. Guess it's time. Buckle up, folks. And let's hope for a noiice Season uwu

 

Even though it was unnecessary, my friends insisted that I wait a moment so that everyone could come and say goodbyes to me. They were acting as though I'd never see them again, which was definitely an exaggeration. While I waited for the absentees to appear, I asked Shelly whether she would like to come with us. Granted, I wasn’t in command for this coming mission, so she’d probably have to wait in the Grand Hall while I finished it, but I figured we could travel together like we did not so long ago.

However, Shelly surprised me by rejecting my offer.

“Is it because you feel awkward around me, after our conversation earlier?” I asked her.

“N-no, that’s not it,” she shook her head and paused before continuing speaking. “I, um, have some r-roles and tasks here, and so, um, I wouldn’t w-want to inconvenience Charlotte and Saphira and the others. Sorry.”

“It’s alright. I understand. Good luck with your job,” I said and patted her head.

Shelly smiled without energy and joined the rest of the crowd that started to congregate in a semi-circle. 

Everyone except Saphira came; even Cain and Florinia, whom I didn’t see the day before were here this time. According to Heather, Saphira couldn’t come because she was busy deflecting the PULSE Clawitzer’s attacks which had resumed sometime between the time Eclipse turned it off and now. It was better that she couldn’t come, though, since I could leave Calcenon without her bitter attitude weighing me down.

 

Candy and her Rayquaza were waiting behind me. She was talking to a couple of Calcenon citizens who had happened by us and were surprised, like most people, to see a gigantic legendary pokemon floating above her head.

“Vanilla,” I was called, and shifted my eyes off Candy to see Florinia’s face.

“What do you want?” I said, and my face contorted into a frown.

“Last time we met, we were prevented from idle discourse due to Team Meteor’s sudden appearance,” she said. “But I have the impression that you hold animosity towards myself. A rupture within the group can have atrocious consequences, and thus I have approached you to clear any misunderstandings that may have resulted in such.”

“Don’t talk to me like you have no clue why I’m acting hostile towards you,” I said. “I’m quite certain you manipulated me so I would join you all Gym leaders, when I had planned to fight Team Meteor as an uninterested third party.”

“I admit I had intentions of you helping us as a coordinated team; however, my recommendations were never founded in falsehood. I saw an opportunity, when you told me you wanted to strengthen your team and I saw your talent when you fought ZEL in Obsidia Park. Many days have passed since then. You kept fighting Gyms and Team Meteor, and your pokemon team has become one of the strongest in the region. I saw first-hand that this was the case, when you fought alongside me in Fiore Mansion. Hence, you have achieved your original goal so far, doing what I recommended. I do not detect a reason for hostility.”

“Yes, my team has indeed become stronger than it was back when I battled you for the first time,” I said. “But my fight was supposed to lie in Everland, not here. Now it lies both here and there. It wouldn’t have come to this had you not butted in my business.”

“I merely acted in concordance with our best interest; it was you who altered your mindset,” she said. “But, the pressing question is, do you regret joining forces with us?”

I thought about it. I remembered the times when Solaris’ Garchomp almost slashed through my throat, the time when I was captured by a bunch of religious maniacs who might’ve used me as the next sacrificial lamb, the times I got beat up because of my missions and when I almost got my existence erased by a computer program. If my aim was to build a strong team and return to Everland alive, this had been the most roundabout way of accomplishing it, in retrospect.

At the same time, however, I couldn’t reply with an affirmative answer just yet. Not while their faces were looking at me. Shelly, Charlotte, Heather, Cain, Anna, Noel, Hardy… even Saphira, and Laura who had gone missing. Each and everyone of them were giving their all to fight for their rights to exist on this land. I could almost see the faces of my Defiance group members superimposed on them. Roquil, Gigi and Lele, Lightbulb… and most importantly, Wolfie.

Aladdin had once said that it was ironic that I was fighting against Team Meteor, when the Defiance was more equivalent to them than the group of Gym leaders. Yet, perhaps it didn’t matter whether one was challenging the Status Quo or defending it. What mattered was the strong interpersonal relationships that were created through choosing a side. 

In that sense, Aladdin, there is no irony, I thought.

“No, I don’t regret it,” I replied. “Despite your manipulation, I don’t.”

For a second or two, Florinia let a smile slip on her lips, before quickly returning to her standard poker face.

“Safe travels,” she said.

 

Once I was done saying good-byes to everyone, Candy helped me hop on Rayquaza and we were off to the skies once again. 

“You know, despite everything, I’m glad you could make so many friends here in Reborn,” Candy said.

“They certainly don’t have a bias against albino people like back home,” I said. “It also doesn’t hurt that I’m helping them fight a rebellion.”

“I think they’d love you whether you did or didn’t fight, but I guess the context gave you an opportunity to open up to them.”

Rayquaza made a few turns here and there, to avoid a murmur of Starlies.

“Now, onto the topic at hand,” she said. “Ame will probably tell you the deets, but the thing is that they found one Team Meteor base in Reborn City, and she wants to get Victoria, Arclight, Adrienn, you and me to help with a surprise attack. According to her, their true leader, Lin, stays there, so we might be able to capture her if all goes well.”

“I see, but Candy. Didn’t you say you don’t condone violence? Isn’t it ironic that you’re going to participate in this mission?” I said, probably sounding a little too callous.

“Yes. I don’t condone violence or murder, which is why I told Ame I’d only help out if they promised me that no harm would be done to Lin or the grunts,” she explained. “We have pokemon in this region. Hence, we have the ability to rule win or loss with a method that doesn’t require inflicting pain on anyone.”

“If only Team Meteor had the same courtesy,” I muttered, remembering the all too many times they had no mercy killing or hurting my comrades.

We talked a little more, but I fell silent as soon as Reborn City came into sight. When Candy told me that they had been busy restoring the City, I didn’t expect the magnitude to be a whole region makeover. 

Rayquaza cried loudly as he made a touchdown on top of Opal bridge. The people around us scuttered out of our way, both scared and awed by the legendary pokemon. However, more than the people around me, my attention was directed to my inanimate surroundings. The floor that was once a dusty gray, full of trash and debris, was now clean and colorful. We walked down the stairs, and I saw a small park in front of the Grand Hall stairs, complete with newly-painted benches and flowers that looked as though my mother had tended to them. I ran over to the edge where the lake’s water splashed against the concrete wall. From the skies it wasn’t quite noticeable, but up-close it was obvious that the water was crystal clear. A light, pleasant breeze replaced the sewage stench that had once characterized it.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it? Almost like Everland. Who knew the wrecked city could become this beautiful,” Candy said behind me.

“It was worth it,” I whispered in a low voice.

“Huh?” she said because she couldn’t hear me.

I lifted Pikachu from my shoulder and twirled like I had never done before.

“It was worth it,” I said in a louder voice and laughing. “Everything. You hear that, Florinia? I regret nothing.”

I laughed so much that tears almost formed in my eyes.

rip my GIF-making skillz

Once I composed myself again, we entered the Grand Hall. At the very end, we found Ame talking with another worker, pointing at something on his computer screen.

“Oh hey! Great to see you two,” she waved at us. “Did you just arrive in the city?”

“Yep, and Vanilla got to see the renovated city for the first time,” Candy said and then smiled mischievously. “You should’ve seen her, twirling and laughing as though she had a massive sugar-high.”

“Hush, Candy. You didn’t have to tell her that,” I said, feeling my cheeks warming up.

“I’m glad you like our new look,” Ame smiled. “It was only possible because the entire city joined forces to contribute in whatever way they could.”

“You should go visit the other wards too. They’re all looking so nice,” Candy added.

“Now that we have everybody in the city, we should all gather here to discuss how to proceed with the Team Meteor case. Could you two fetch me Victoria, Arclight and Adrienn? I have to finish some stuff here but hopefully it will be done by the time you come back.”

As such, Candy and I were given the task to find three people who might be anywhere right now. I couldn’t quite remember who Arclight was, but that wasn’t important since Candy took that to her hands.

“Ok, Vanilla. I think I have an idea where Arclight and Adrienn may be,” Candy said as we exited the Grand Hall. “Arclight is probably recording his radio show at the Nightclub and Adrienn doing xyr duties to the city restoration. It’s likely we’ll find xem at xyr gym, since that’s where xe meets representatives from the wards and other people in the morning.”

“Do you have any idea where Victoria might be?”

“Hmm, maybe in Apophyll Academy? She's the headmistress, after all, but I hear she’s been absent frequently since the renovations started,” Candy scratched her chin. “Let’s see… how about we do this? Since you can’t go into the Nightclub, I’ll get Arclight and Adrienn. Meanwhile you can look for Victoria. That’d give you a chance to sightsee some of Neo Reborn City too. Isn’t that a great idea?”

I felt like the reason she assigned me to find the person whose whereabouts was least certain was pretty much because she wanted me to walk around in vain around the restored city. However, it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t curious to see the changes.

“See you in a bit,” Candy said and ran off towards the North Obsidia Ward, probably heading to get Arclight.

 

“What shall we do, Pikachu?” I asked my silky friend. “Should we go check Apophyll Academy? That’s really the only place I know she could be at, but if it’s like Candy says and she’s absent, I won’t have a clue where to find her.”

Pikachu nodded, so I shrugged. It definitely didn’t hurt checking Apophyll to rule it out.

I started walking towards Coral Ward, thinking I could’ve fetched Adrienn on the way since I had to go there to use Amaria’s boat anyway. However, since Candy said she’d take care of xem in my stead, I didn’t even stop by xyr gym to say hello. After all, our relationship was never the best.

When I entered the small hut that used to house Amaria’s old boat, I realized that it had been replaced by two expensive-looking yachts. I flinched for two seconds before remembering that now that the water was clean, I could use Pokemon to navigate the waters of Azurine Lake. Hence I left the garage and sent out Kame into the harbor’s water and hopped on top of his shell.

“Kame, let’s head west past Azurine Island until we find the beach.”

Kame happily obliged, splashing and washing his face with the clean fresh water.

 

VANILLA RATES: REBORN CHARACTERS

Spoiler

• Florinia (+1): 6/10 I've reconciled that she's a manipulator but I don't regret falling for her manipulation, as ironic as it sounds

 

A bit on the shorter side but otherwise it'd be twice the length so figured we should go short and sweet :3

 

QUICK LINK TO NEXT EPISODE

[Corso]

Exploring the new city is probably one of my favorite parts of this game
If I'm not wrong you're only 2 or 3 episodes (reborn episodes I mean) away from where I stopped playing, isn't it sad?

This run is making me miss playing reborn for the first time

[Candy]

Just now, Corso said:

Exploring the new city is probably one of my favorite parts of this game
If I'm not wrong you're only 2 or 3 episodes (reborn episodes I mean) away from where I stopped playing, isn't it sad?

Are? I think I'm playing E16 stuff now and we're in E18 so isn't that the usual stopping spot for most people (since E19 ain't out yet)? I'm doing a bamboozle

I'm dedicating a couple or so episodes or maybe more to exploring the new city as well~ hopefully I can do it justice

[Corso]

I haven't played E18 yet

[SilverAngelus]

Pikachu and Vanini twirling around in the air? All worth it uwu

Once she gets the Mega-Z Ring, they'll be using Twinkle Tackle next 

[J-Awesome_One]

Nothing wrong with shorter episodes. Sometimes they're needed to hype up the next Episode. Anyways, AWWWWW! GIF was so adorable. And for once, nothing horrible happened! Yay! How are you gonna change that for the next episode!? Who knows! Looking forward to it though. And as always, a nice read.

[Candy]

59 minutes ago, SilverAngelus said:

Pikachu and Vanini twirling around in the air? All worth it uwu

Once she gets the Mega-Z Ring, they'll be using Twinkle Tackle next 

tfw the edge is getting rounded lol

Lvl 5 mimikyu using Twinkle Tackle 

 

4 minutes ago, J-Awesome_One said:

Nothing wrong with shorter episodes. Sometimes they're needed to hype up the next Episode. Anyways, AWWWWW! GIF was so adorable. And for once, nothing horrible happened! Yay! How are you gonna change that for the next episode!? Who knows! Looking forward to it though. And as always, a nice read.

It can only go downhill from here  Prolly will be a slow but sure descent, too.

[Aphelli]

Yay, Season 4! 

But I'm really worried the beginning is too good to be true. Too much positive emotion, that's... really ominous. 

10 hours ago, Candy said:

It can only go downhill from here  Prolly will be a slow but sure descent, too.

Now I'm really scared... But I now realize it's somewhat true, from E16 on, the picture really looks grimmer and grimmer somehow. Like Pyrrhic victories. 

[Baumina]

Awesome episode as always, Candy! 

Now that the Devon part is coming closer and the in-story Candy is going to be in there as well, I thought about the mega-rayquaza being a bit to strong to simply get captured.

So what is going to happen with Candy? What will change from the original situation?

I am definetly exited for the next episode.

[Candy]

On 5/4/2020 at 5:34 AM, Mindlack said:

Yay, Season 4! 

But I'm really worried the beginning is too good to be true. Too much positive emotion, that's... really ominous. 

Now I'm really scared... But I now realize it's somewhat true, from E16 on, the picture really looks grimmer and grimmer somehow. Like Pyrrhic victories. 

Had Vanilla chosen to fight Taka, hope might've been in the picture but alas, that didn't happen

 

On 5/4/2020 at 7:09 AM, Baumina said:

Awesome episode as always, Candy! 

Now that the Devon part is coming closer and the in-story Candy is going to be in there as well, I thought about the mega-rayquaza being a bit to strong to simply get captured.

So what is going to happen with Candy? What will change from the original situation?

I am definetly exited for the next episode.

Thanks! I donut think mega-ray will make an appearance in battle because it's actually not Candy's pokemon. It's similar what Pikachu is to Vanilla, a relationship of mutual respect rather than of a leader-subordinate one. Devon gonna be lit and dramathicc, as always

[Candy]

From Everland to Reborn ~ Episode 72

Azurine Island had somehow stopped looking like a setting for a horror movie, and now looked like a pleasant island to spend a weekend at. I saw a few people apparently surveying the area. Perhaps they were researchers, but I couldn’t tell for sure.

Then, we made it to Apophyll beach, which was left the same as I remembered it, despite the huge metamorphosis that the region had undergone. I figured that Apophyll, with its focus on tradition, would oppose any changes even if it were for the better.

I walked to the Academy, and once there I took off my shoes to clean out the sand that had accumulated inside. I asked a student whether Victoria was in, but she told me that she unfortunately wasn’t. According to her, she and quite a few of her students had left Apophyll to help out with the city’s construction work, saying that this was a good chance to build physical strength while helping out the region. That was noble and all, but it also meant that I had to walk back through the sand once again and without Victoria.

“Now where shall we go, Pikachu?” I scratched my head.

Construction work was going on all over the city, so she could be anywhere.

“I guess this is the time to do as Candy suggested,” I said, holding back a smile. “Time for sightseeing the whole city.”

 

Once I returned to Coral Ward, I passed by Adrienn’s gym briefly to make sure Victoria wasn’t there. Xe noticed me and waved a hand. The audacity! After treating me like a criminal down in the creepy underground castle, xe means to act like it didn’t happen? I turned my face away and kept walking, since the person I was looking for wasn’t there.

I went through South Obsidia Ward, so far the part that had been neglected the most by the construction workers. It was still a hub for thugs, who looked at me with disapproving expressions while they lit up their oddishweed joints.

Meanwhile, business was buzzing and more than ever in Obsidia and North Obsidia Wards, so much so that a few companies’ representatives gave me applications for positions I had zero intention to occupy. It was a stark contrast with the area I had just passed, reminding me that walls would always exist between the fortunate and the less fortunate, whether such a wall was imposed by law or just the invisible hand of supply and demand. 

I shook my head.

“It’s better for it to be imposed by supply and demand. At least one’d have more autonomy over one’s fate that way.”

 

Lapis Ward was pretty much unchanged. It had always been the most ordered ward, owing it to the high number of wealthy people who lived there. 

The prison… the orphanage was closed as always, and I wondered what had been the fate of the children who weren’t so lucky as to escape it. At least, I hoped it had changed for the better, given that Dr. Connal was currently in Labradorra.

I also stepped into Shelly’s Gym. Inside, I found a man guarding the entrance to the library portion, and he told me that Shelly was absent and thus I’d have to come back another day for a battle.

“Actually, I don’t really know when she’ll come back. Last I heard, she’s in Calcenon helping fight Team Meteor.”

When I came out of the Gym, two people who were talking to each other approached me.

“Hey, you’re Vanilla, right?” one of them asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“We’ve heard much of you in the news lately.”

“Is it true that Candy and you restored the Water Treatment Center? Thanks to you, the price of clean water has gone down by a lot.”

“It’s not just us. Titania also helped,” I corrected.

The two looked at each other with forced smiles. It would seem I bumped into Titania-haters.

“Ah, by the way, how is Shelly doing? Do you know if she plans to return anytime soon? We have a few friends who are itching for a Gym battle.”

“She’s doing well, but she’s busy with the situation in Calcenon.”

“Yeah, we figured.”

“Bummer for my friends. With over half the leaders absent, it’s practically impossible to complete the League, and the whole terrorist situation is taking forever to resolve.”

“It would seem so,” I said. “Tell your friends to stop idly complaining and come help fight terrorists so that it’s resolved as soon as possible.”

Then, I left them behind to keep looking for Victoria.

“You heard that, Pikachu? Complaining about silly things while people put their lives on the line.”

Needless to say, I was put off by the conversation, but I was determined not to be in an ill mood. We still had a few wards to check out, and I wanted to do it with honest appreciation.

 

Peridot Ward was also greatly remodeled. There were a few parks that were added in, giving the neighborhood a higher quality of life. Children were playing catch, while the elderly sat on benches to watch them. As I watched from the side, the small ball missed the catcher’s glove and bounced twice before rolling to my feet. I bent down and picked up the ball.

“Sorry sis,” said one of the kids when he came over to retrieve the ball.

I handed him the ball, but the boy kept staring at me.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“Sis, your face seems familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”

“As far as I remember, I don’t know you.”

The child stared some more with a pensive expression. Then he clapped his hands.

“Oh I know. You’re the sis from TV. The one fighting the bad guys, right?”

“I guess I am.”

“Wow it’s so cool to meet you. I also want to fight bad guys but mom says I have to go to school and train my pokemon first.”

“It never hurts to be prepared,” I said, but it sounded more like something Wolfie would’ve said.

“But that’d take too long and they’ll get beaten before I finish,” the boy pouted. “Say, sis. Would you talk to mom and tell her to let me fight?”

“No, sorry but I won’t,” I said, instantly clouding the boy’s glittery eyes. “If you had enough strength, you wouldn’t need to convince anyone of the fact. Come find us when you and your pokemon have won people’s respect.”

Then, I remembered the couple from Lapis Ward earlier and added: “Your bravery and will to help, though, are very welcome. Thank you.”

I thought the child would cry, but he held back his tears. I stood back up.

“You shouldn’t think ill of your mom for not letting you fight. It’s a sign that she cares about you.”

With that, I left the boys to continue their game of catch; however, soon after I left I heard a shout from the same kid I was talking to.

“Hey, let’s stop. I challenge you all to a pokemon fight!”

 

When I entered Jasper Ward, I was dumbstruck. So far, the wards I had passed through must have required some repairs of the broken ground and decorations of the parks; however, nothing compared to what the Jasper Ward must have required. After all, the last time I visited, it was basically destroyed to an inhabitable degree. Now, it was not only repaired but beautiful, almost to the extent that I couldn’t believe what it once was.

From what I gathered, the majority of people who lived here were over 50 years of age. That was no surprise, since the ward was practically filled with clinics and elderly homes. It would be mighty convenient for old people to live here.

I also took a peek at Malchous Forest, which from afar seemed to be about to lose its forest status. A lot of trees had been cut down, probably to reconstruct the city. There was a young girl with a sign arguing with the workers that were still busy cutting wood and transporting it around. I was rather surprised there weren’t more people fighting against deforestation, but I guessed people were either too busy building homes or being elated about restoring a broken city.

 

Lastly, I entered the northwestern-most ward, which was the Beryl Ward. This one hadn’t been destroyed as much as Jasper Ward, but still had a good amount of vegetation outgrowth in some areas due to the PULSE. Now, those patches of grass had been mowed and the pavement had been restored. I wondered if Heather would be glad that her home had been fixed, or get angry at the workers and Adrienn for doing what she wanted to do.

I walked the streets of Beryl, which had more people than I remembered being around when I visited in the past. When I reached the front of the now-deserted Gym, I stopped in my tracks.

“This ward only brings back bad memories,” I said to Pikachu. “It’s the place that a person committed suicide in front of me, and also the place I came when you…”

I patted the head of his disguise. Pikachu bent his neck so that he stroked my hand instead.

“It’s no use remembering painful memories. I always try not to think of that sort of stuff.”

I turned left to head to the cemetery, thinking that Victoria could be visiting Kiki’s grave. Kiki's ashes had been mostly scattered on Apophyll beach, but I remembered seeing a tombstone with her name in the past when I'd visit Pikachu's. Perhaps Victoria wanted a separate, more tangible place of mourning. At least that's what I assumed, since it wasn't my place to ask Victoria unnecessary questions regarding her mentor.

However, when I made a left turn from the supposedly-empty Gym, I heard a couple of loud animal cries from within it. I jolted from the sudden sounds and rushed in to see what was happening, hoping that it was the doing of a stray pokemon and definitely not a ghost’s.

Indeed, I found two pokemon. Two, apparently stray, skuntanks, to be precise. One of them appeared to be angrier than the other, and kept trying to scratch its opponent. All the other one did was dodge the attacks, which pissed the offense even more.

I sent out Wolfie (lycanroc) and told her to use a couple of attacks to knock out the violent skuntank. Fortunately, the skuntank wasn’t very strong, so we could calm the situation in no time. The other skuntank looked at me, at Pikachu, and then quickly ran away from the Gym.

“What could that have been about?” I pondered aloud as I called Wolfie back to her pokeball.

Pikachu jumped off my shoulder, catching my attention in the process. He approached the knocked out pokemon, and pulled out a plastic card from beneath its paw. He handed the card to me, and I saw both sides to determine what it was. The card reminded me of Aladdin’s keycard, but this one didn’t have any decorations or text on it.

“Pikachu, I think this skuntank… was Corey’s. I don’t know if I should take this card from it, when I don’t even know what it’s for.”

When I don’t even know what it’s for. I looked in the direction of Corey’s room. He was part of Team Meteor, whether willingly or not. 

“This key… can’t just be an inert piece of plastic, can it?”

 

I extended my arm so that Pikachu could climb back to my shoulder, and we headed inside Corey’s room. The room smelled like damp mold; however, it had been left intact from the only time I had seen it. Even the hood and mask that he had worn earlier that day, were still neatly folded on top of his table, albeit with a layer of dust clouding its black color.

I searched around for a place to use the card key on, and I eventually found it. There was a slit on the farthest wall, where I could slide the card in. The wall dislocated and pushing it revealed a secret room.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much inside that could interest me. Just a couple items like a toxic orb and a framed picture of a pink-haired lady smiling, but he also had a wall covered with vials of what I assumed was poison. I felt like this couldn’t be all he had hidden in this room, so I searched some more. Eventually, I found an old notebook that had some coffee stains on it, or at least I hoped they were coffee stains and not from something toxic. I thought I hit the jackpot and had found the notebook that contained secret information about Team Meteor. However, I soon realized this wasn’t the case, when I turned to the first page.

“Dear Heather,” I read aloud. “By the time you read this, you’ll be strong.”

I was not raised to be strong.

I was raised to be naïve, and I suffered for it.

I shall not make this same mistake with you.

I closed the notebook for a moment. That was enough to get an idea of what this notebook was, and now I wasn’t sure that I should be reading it. However, I had already started reading, and I couldn’t stop my curiosity from creeping in. So I kept reading.

“Reality is cruel,” I read aloud again. “This man… Corey writes that as if it were the most ground-breaking discovery. Ah, he did say he was raised to be naïve.”

I kept reading on. At last, I started on the part that had likely prompted Corey to write a hidden letter to his daughter. It was the story about how his wife had been murdered. 

I joined Team Meteor to sabotage them.

Specifically, I sought the head of the man who killed your mother.

He was after an artifact I foolishly bestowed upon her.

He saw her life as a small price to pay for it.

“This must be about the ruby ring,” I murmured.

The man ended her life in poison.

When I discovered her IV was laced, I struck out.

One of the few things I can still take pride in is that man’s scream as he pulled the syringe from his bleeding eye.

That eye just couldn’t have been salvageable, even with all of the Heal Pulse treatment in the world. Suddenly, the face of a man with a red eyepatch flashed in my mind. Could this have been Sirius’ doing?

Since then, I coveted the venom that ended your mother Elena’s dear life.

From it, I have made poisons to corrupt.

Poisons to control.

And poisons to deliver retribution upon the guilty. 

“In other words, this man went mad when his wife was poisoned,” I said, closing the book. “It’s ironic that he became fixated on poison, when that’s what he should be hating the most.”

I placed the notebook inside my bag. I figured this was something Heather had to own. I knew what it felt like to question yourself why your parents are the way they are, so I couldn’t just turn a blind eye to the book that contained answers that Heather probably wanted to get.

When I was about to leave the room, Pikachu cried and pulled my arm towards the vial-covered wall.

“What is it? Do you want me to steal some poison too?”

That was half a joke, but I checked the vials in any case. Each one of the thin vials had tiny writing that I could barely make out in the dim light. However, I soon found a pattern to their placement.

“KCN… Then this one is KCN antidote. Carbaryl… Then carbaryl antidote…”

Yes. Corey mentioned he had studied and synthesized several poisons, but he had omitted to write that he had also made antidotes to pair them.

“I guess antidotes are a class of poison too,” I said and closed the wall behind me.

 

VANILLA RATES: REBORN CHARACTERS

Spoiler

• Corey (+1): 4/10 He might've been a shitty parent but at least he went with the "eye for an eye" with Sirius. That's my style.

 

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[Corso]

48 minutes ago, Candy said:

It’s better for it to be imposed by supply and demand. At least one’d have more autonomy over one’s fate that way

Capitalism and the american dream, isn't it?