Brave New World

The 10th day of Team Evolution's visit dawns.

The night before, the Council had sent out another message commenting about their decision concerning the machines. They could not in good faith return any to Team Evolution after what had happened. But in exchange, they would offer an example of Warp Band technology and explain the means by which Union trainers and Pokémon communicate. This particular Warp Band could operate only one way - it could only receive messages directly sent to its particular address. There was no chance of the team being able to tap in to the network.

The Council did not make any comment on the extraordinary events that had occurred the previous day. It seems nobody knew anything about Mega Evolution or what to make of it.

Early on the 10th morning, representatives from the Council could be seen speaking with the leading members of Team Evolution once more, and though Rory appears disappointed, he does not argue overly much. The rest of their team is already in the process of packing up their tents... To the side, Crystal and Sakina can be seen, having reappeared after their unceremonious departure earlier. Crystal stays close by Sakina at all times; the latter seems vaguely disoriented.

Idle talk would have it that they intend to leave before noon. But there is some time for last minute conversations still, though they would necessarily need to be short.

Before departure, Rory has something more to say as well to anyone within earshot.

"We thank you for your hospitality, and we hope that we have given you all something to ponder. I will not belabor our departure by repeating what I said previously, but it is truly our fervent goal that we may build a world where neither humans nor Pokemon need live in fear. If any of you wish to contact us, we have been told that this Warp Band is capable of receiving direct messages. We would be glad to hear from any of you.

"We understand our previous actions caused a great deal of damage within this city. While we can do little to beg your forgiveness, we do wish to leave you with a token of good will."

He will bow, then.

"Perhaps we can agree on one thing - let us hold faith in the bright future of this world!"

They were noticed a half hour before they arrived.

The Guardsmen atop the city walls, their keen senses trained to observe anything out of the ordinary, had not failed to observe the flight of birds disturbed from their nests and the distant shuddering of trees. The pace was steady. Not of wild Pokémon meandering about, but of something with fixed, determined purpose.

News spread quickly, as it ought. The Council was aware of the situation in five minutes flat, and the guard on the walls surreptitiously tripled in the same amount of time. It didn't take much longer for idle citizens to realize something was amiss, and as the rumors propagated -- There are people coming through the forest! -- so, too, did the number of people thronging at the gate craning their necks to get a look.

They emerge from the forest, their pace brisk and their numbers thirty strong. Many wear attire that is hardy, made for traveling - leather boots, thick wool pants, and long jackets in shades of deep crimson and black. Others, clearly of some higher rank, are clad in suits or other formal wear; a few wear pristine white coats that must have only just been changed. As they approach, most stare coolly upwards at the assembly gathered before them atop the walls of the city.

At their lead stands a man with a mild smile and shaggy red hair. Two others stand close beside him: a young woman in a crisp, fur-lined white coat, sleek black hair pristine and perfectly in place and a gentle smile on her face and an aloof woman with brown hair wearing a sharp suit who appears extremely disinterested in the proceedings.

The company pauses. And there is a long, awkward silence before the man with the red hair takes a step forward. He speaks, and his words, though understandable, have a strange, foreign inflection.

"My name is Rory Donnachaidh. We have come on behalf of our people to serve as a diplomatic presence to your city."

...Another awkward pause.

"...I believe it is appropriate to say - take us to your leader."

He smiles more broadly, as if he's made a joke.

---------

We are Team Evolution.

We represent a group of people with a common purpose - to restore humanity to the peaks it once ascended and to raise up all Pokémon alongside us. We call ourselves Team Evolution for the only path forward for both human and Pokémon is to evolve. When we realized that our signals could be detected no longer, our scouts reported that the reason was human sabotage. Imagine our surprise to learn that a human civilization lay so close to those mountains... But what do I say? You, of course, must all have experienced surprise in equal measures, no?

We have come here for reasons twofold: to establish relations with this city and to retrieve the materials that you have been holding for us. It was a prototype, you see, and we would wish to have it returned.

Of course, we understand that you have little reason to trust us and great reason to drive us away. We will not attempt to enter your city if that is preferred - but we will camp outside, between the forest and the gates, for the space of 10 days, after which we will depart, with or without our materials. We hope you will be willing to speak with us during this time. We would also like to... hold a demonstration to explain our actions, if you and your Council are willing.

Please, come and speak with us if you have any questions. That is an offer extended to anyone in your fine city. I shall personally ensure that any visitors are treated with the greatest of courtesies...

((For approximately 10 IC days, the people of Team Evolution will be camped outside of Union. The next part of this event will require sign-ups. There is an accompanying OoC post to this post here. Please see that post for more details.

Please feel free to use this IC post to talk with the NPCs. All responses here will receive an NPC response.))

Iron Mines:
The trip to the eastern mountains is punctuated by the continuing aftershocks. After each one, it may be tempting to glance back at Union to see if any of the towers have fallen yet. The expedition parties move with incredible speed, knowing that the fate of their City hangs on the line.

When they reach the mountains, guided by the coordinates given of the 'strange radio signal', the parties will find that many of the normal entrances and routes have been blocked by cave-ins. In contrast, however, a gaping hole has opened up where none existed before. As this seems to be the easiest way to gain access, the parties slowly lower themselves in...

They will find themselves in the long-sought iron mines.

But there are so many twisting turns and tunnels, it will be impossible to stay together and make any sort of progress. Each group will have to take their own paths from here...

Old City:
Each of the twelve entrances down into the Old City take a different meandering route through the ruins. Though several are blocked off by this time, there are still many potential paths to take. The state of the Old City is poor, being underground as it is, and occasional soft rumblings are certain to cause unease. As the report states, however, there is enough of an interval between quakes that it should be possible to investigate safely.

It would be unwise to venture down alone, but it is impossible, too, for everyone to stay together if they wish to make headway.

Union:
The wild Pokémon continue to come out of the Old City, though the frequency has been somewhat lessened. Rubble lines the streets and though no towers have collapsed as of yet, some seem to be dangerously close and certainly nobody should be staying inside of them. As stated, the towers in Sector 3 are the worse off and construction crews work frantically to attempt to restabilize the foundations of these buildings.

The injured are innumerable, the number of casualties is as of yet unknown, and the chaos and panic is difficult to fend off.

There is a great deal of work to be done.

((Please post below with your groups - in the first comment, please note the members of your group, where you are, and whether or not you intend to keep a threading order. Regardless of threading order, mods will be responding at least once every 24 hours to keep the event moving. Groups should be three to four people in size.

At this time, all characters entering the iron mines will be able to choose to bond with a free extra Pokemon listed under 'Cavern' in the Map and Wild Pokemon post. Please respond there if you intend to make use of this. Characters who have already claimed a free Old City Pokemon may not do so.))