Meeting the sunrise after an hour's training was a fairly common routine for me.
It oddly took different styles of effort. In summer, the morning sessions were nice to train in with the cool of the morning being rather relaxing with the sunrise heralding an uptick in heat. There was also the issue that the sun rose earlier, so I typically got less sleep in summer.
Winter, for all the cold and winds could be horrible to train in, allowed me to push the sleep clock back and enjoy my rest.
I stretched myself out, enjoying the way various members of the camp that hadn't been on patrol were only just starting to awaken and see to their duties within the camp. Interestingly enough despite the earlier hour I had heard a constant humming, low song from somewhere in the camp.
More than a few stared when they found me and my pokemon going through a series of synchronised stretches.
Lead mostly by Titan.
"Tar!" he barked, having us shift into the pose I knew of as the sun warrior pose in yoga.
Jorm, Don, and Zephyr with their own physiology not matching a humanoid style had their own stretches to fill in these awkward points. When we reached those points I typically stepped back and helped by reminding my pokemon on what personalised stretches they needed to be doing.
For Jormungandr, it was jaw stretches and linkage rotation.
For my flying types, it was wing positions, talon stretches, and tail stretches.
This forced my other pokemon to hold their positions longer which always caused a tremor to build up through Bertha's body as she clenched and held on.
By the time we were done, we had several children who had woken up early only to wander up and stare at our workout. A few adults had also trundled up with curious eyes but looked uncertain as to what their eyes were showing them.
Jade was among the gathering but her gaze was locked on Empress.
I took a final breath before nodding to my pokemon as I stepped away from my pokemon as they broke into their own friendship groups. "Morning all!" I called.
"Your training with your pokemon is rather strange. Do you always take part in it alongside them?" Jade questioned.
"Of course," I replied easily. "I thought you had sent people to investigate me?"
Jade sniffed. "They never remarked on your training. More on your public face."
"Ah, that can be a bit misleading. During the Gym Challenges I have to sometimes be a bit of a prick to inspire a fighting spirit in my opponents."
"You do that to make them fight better?" she asked.
"Yeah, as a Gym Leader we're meant to be barriers for them to learn from and overcome. Most challengers face me first rather than later on, but I've recently put in place several challenges that are unique to my gym and make people come around once again."
"Your gym system is strange to me."
"Think of it as an extended rite of passage for young people," I offered. "Sadly, not everyone can take part but those who can typically all grow for the better."
"Hmmm, there is wisdom in this," Jade remarked and I held myself back from rolling my eyes. Of course she'd equate things better when I used terms like 'rite of passage' to her.
"Noticed that you were giving Empress a fair look over," I said as I tapped my foot against the ground. "When I encountered her she was nesting in an old campsite of what I think might have been a proto-crusher tribe."
"Proto? By the winds, what are you talking about young man?"
"Ah, a previous form of the Crusher tribe," I corrected. "There was a mural on the wall warning of the local threat with the Moltres that nested on Mt Silver."
"I have no idea where Mt Silver is," she remarked, "But if it was the tallest mountain to the south, then I know it from stories we tell our children to make sure that any who take on a Houndour or Growlithe know to respect the dangers of fire."
"Hmmm, yeah I have half an idea what that would be like," I mused. "Even if the scale is a little off."
Jade nodded, her eyes turning back to Empress. "So she is one of the Crusher companions of old."
"Yeah, she actually shared a memory of a young girl looking after her and her early days as a hatchling. The girl had beads and spent a good deal of time with an elder who sang if I recall the memory right?" I rubbed my chin before shrugging. "It's been a while. Still, the girl she was with seemed quite nice to her."
"Ah, her companion was a lorekeeper then? That is interesting. Perhaps one of them knows of her then."
"They're not going to try and claim her for their faction or something like that, are they?" I asked, suddenly worried that my honesty was about to bite me in the backside.
Jade snorted. "It shows that you do not know of the Lorekeepers. They, like the Overlord, are separate and at the same time all part of the factions. Any Lorekeeper may sit at a fire and share bread and food. They need only share their wisdom to those they sit with. Sometimes during festivals of significant importance or if we are approaching a landmark that requires us to all don masks they will be the ones to tell us. They will tell the old tales."
"Huh, I think Yolanda said something yesterday about hanging out with them," I muttered. "They seemed quite friendly to her?"
"They would. I hear Yolanda sang many new songs." Jade straightened. "I had the pleasure of hearing some of them and she has great skill. Her voice drew a tear from my eyes while telling a wonderful story of the hardships your family branch has undergone."
I was suddenly extremely curious as to which songs Yolanda had sung.
"Riiiiight," I muttered. "As temporary Overlord, should I be talking to them and checking if there's anything they need?"
"You are a temporary nothing!" she snapped back. "You! Are! Overlord!"
I gave her a firm look. I opened my mouth, about to reject her, only to shut it and think through what I was about to say.
How do I convey this to her without burning bridges? Jennifer had been adamant about that yesterday when I'd started workshopping ideas on how to get anything good in place.
A sigh escaped me as I worked to convey an honest truth. "This is not my life," I confessed. "This is a wonderful life for some, but for me… it is not me. I have my own path that I've forged Elder Jade. For all that, I want our paths to cross many times again in the future. It will not be the path I take."
"And yet you would steer our path now?" she questioned, her voice a mix of a hiss of annoyance and a whisper of fear.
"I'm the only one right now that has a clue of a path forward that doesn't end in suffering for all," I replied, locking eyes with her to show my conviction.
Jade's eyes dipped away from me. "That… is not what I wish to hear."
"I won't give you a pretty lie to cling to," I said, feeling like I was kicking a puppy. Here I was, handing this woman and several others the right to reform their old Faction along with several other necessities the Tribe had been hurting for, and I wasn't going to be staying.
It made me feel cruel and selfish.
But I also knew that I couldn't give these people my all, and they'd need that.
So I dredged up what I could for the limited window that I would hold the title of Overlord, but it wasn't going to be permanent. The trick was going to be making it a polite, clean split.
"When was the last time an Overlord stepped down?" I asked.
Jade's frown deepened. "I'm not sure," she acted like that hurt her physically to admit.
"So, I need to talk to the Lorekeepers then?" I suggested. They had been on the to-do-list for quite a while now, what with the revelations that they held the vast majority of the wisdom of the Crusher tribe with their verbal tales.
"Indeed," Jade nodded to herself. "I shall take you there!"
That drew an amused look from me. The camp wasn't that big. I'd seen the fire and tents they congregated around but for the life of me, I hadn't been able to approach them due to needing to sit in meetings, prove myself with rites, or work with my family and make sure they weren't causing issues.
Wherever I went people approached to speak to me, offer advice, demand a ruling on some arbitrary issue that seemed like life and death to them, or wanted to just spend time with their new Overlord.
Yolanda and the kids had more freedom than I did.
Being envious of children's ability to drift without too many people judging them or chasing them up was something I'd long grown used to, but it was odd to have it so… present in my day to day life.
If anything it reaffirmed my decision to not attempt to juggle the role of Overlord with Gym Leader. I had too many responsibilities as it was.
The Lorekeeper's fire always had music coming from it, either with a choir voices singing in unison, or a simple flute being practised with a master and an apprentice sitting nearby, copying the movements and attempting to embed the songs into their minds.
"Hello there!" I waved to the group who were clustering around their fire, singing what sounded like a recipe.
"—jerky for me, it makes me snore,
I need something clean, can't take it anymore.
Give me nature's bounty, the fruit and seed,
A fresh start, cup of tea, that's all I need!" some of them sang while a rather spritely looking woman sprang up and approached me.
Unlike the others, her hair was woven with beads that made it clack and rattle as she moved. Where the others stomped and shuffled she twirled and swept side to side with her head bobbing back and forth.
She also had different coloured eyes, with one bright blue, the other earthy brown.
"Hmmm, it's about time you came down here Overlord!" she singsonged. Her heterochromic eyes bobbing up and down as she moved.
"Yeah, I gathered that much. There's some questions I had that your group are the only ones who can answer," I replied, eying the motley group.
My eyes paused on a sleepy looking girl who was covered in blankets. Despite that, I could tell she was the girl who'd taken an injury and was now unable to walk.
"You should stick to tree colours, browns, and greens, and oranges," she replied without missing a beat. "There. That's some wisdom that will do you good! Get some fearow feathers for your crown, make it pop!" she waved her hands about her head like a mane as she danced back and forth.
I glanced around, feeling like I'd stepped into a stage production. Taking a step back I leaned towards Jade. "Are they all a little mad?" I stage whispered.
"Just Glimmer-on-the-cliff, but she's the best singer, dancer, and also knows all the histories of our people. Believe me, people have challenged her to the rite of Lores and she's out performed them, and then kept going for a full day and a night just to send a message."
I blinked. "Of course, there's a rite for that," I muttered. "I'm guessing it's to see who can perform for longer or without making a mistake?" I asked.
"Yes, the style of the challenge is up to the challenger. Glimmer-on-the-cliff has done singing, dancing, ballads, and on the last she did all three. She has not faced any challengers in eight years now, making her the longest-running High Lorekeeper we've had."
Glimmer-on-the-cliff, rather than stand back and allow our conversation a lick of privacy, had stepped in close to Jade and nodded along, her eyes locked with mine. "You want to try challenging me for it? It would be a grand thing to have a Lorekeeper Overlord! Never been done before!" she announced.
"I think I'll stick with what I know," I offered carefully.
"Hmmm, fair enough! You've got some thoughts rattling around in there I suppose," she said, watching me as her hips and head bounced side to side in exaggerated motions.
"When was the last time an Overlord stepped down willingly rather than lose a challenge?" I asked, knowing it would be easier if there was an established precedent than just forcing it to happen.
"Oh! That one! That's the Overlord's farewell~" she gushed. "It's a good song I haven't gotten to sing in years!"
She whistled once, sharp and loud. Suddenly there was a hush as all other songs cut out and eyes turned towards her.
Her hand went to her chest and I thought about stopping her only for a clear, perfect note to ring forth from within her.
"Oooooooooh~" she trilled, and I heard people slow in their morning jobs while others began to stir as they registered her song.
"In the shadow of the mountains,
where the Crusher Tribe roamed,
There stood a mighty Overlord,
whose strength was widely known.
With a heart of iron, and a will of stone,
He led with fierce honor, but now he walks alone…"
And on she sang, weaving a tale of a powerful Overlord that had faced many challenges, but not those from within his tribe as people knew he was best for them. Instead they faced the harshness of a drought stricken land. A scourge of pokemon swarms, and even sickness dogging their steps.
And through it all the man had lifted his tribe up, dragging them out of despair with food, nurture, and steadiness.
Until time took its toll and he became too old. It was a beautiful song. Some people cried while others bowed their heads in respect. A few, however, had gained a knowing look in their eyes as they looked from Glimmer, to me.
It was as the song began to wind down that I realised I'd rather announced my intention of stepping down with Glimmer-on-the-cliffs singing this song.
She let the last note linger in the air, and everyone held their breath as it faded from existence.
A clap from the crowd stirred everyone and a moment later applause rang out as people and pokemon joined in.
Glimmer bowed to me, and then the crowd before turning back. She bobbed her head this way and that, reminding me of a curious Dodrio. "Huh, you're not sticking around then? Shame! I was looking forward to crafting your tale! Guess it'll be short and sweet!" she declared.
I grimaced. "Yeah, sadly while I can do much good as Overlord… it isn't my place."
Glimmer continued to twitch her head, this way and that. "Huh! Well, you are a self aware one, aren't you?" she smiled widely. "Good for you!"
I chuckled at her quick praise. "Thanks, I guess." Tilting my head I considered her, "I suppose you're also the one that I need to talk to regarding the Giant's graveyard and other landmarks?"
"That would be correct!" she cheered with a twirl that sent her hair clacking in a great cacophony. Her eyes fell upon the kids sitting around the campfire. "Oi! No slacking! I want windy tones this morning! No rock sits there gawping!" she snapped.
A trio clinched and took up their instruments.
Glimmer looked back at me with a sad shake of her head. "Apprentices!" she bemoaned knowingly.
I chuckled. "If you're going to tell me of the Graveyards, perhaps they were expecting you to sing again?"
"Bah! Those aren't songs… not yet anyway! No those are tales. And for that we can go to your fire and you can offer me the bounty of your stores!" she declared with a grin, like she was some Meowth slipping through my walls to raid my pantry. She patted her belly. "I have quite the appetite I'll have you know!"
I smirked. "I'll have you know, a munchlax is part of my family."
Glimmer stared at me seriously as she leaned back and inspected me. "Ten children with an old stabby hag, and a Snorlax on the side? That Flint fellow is quite the degenerate, isn't he?" she shook her head from side to side in mock reproach.
I started laughing before I could stop myself. The idea of a Snorlax and a human was… sickening to consider but also quite funny.
When we reached mine and Sabrina's tent, most of my family were awake with Yolanda beaming towards Glimmer.
"Was that your song I heard?" she gushed, ignoring me for the bead wearing woman.
"Indeed! Practise well and you'll have a voice that can call up avalanches, and a lover or two," Glimmer winked.
Glimmer locked eyes with Flint. "How are your hips big man?" she asked.
Flint blinked slowly. "Ahhhh? Fine?" he replied, shooting me an uncertain look but I just shook my head again as Glimmer nodded along before giving Lola a careful look over.
"I'm sure they are," Glimmer chimed before claiming a seat and directing her focus onto me. She made a 'gimme' gesture and I rolled my eyes as I reached into my pouch and began dragging out platters of fruit.
Glimmer nodded appreciatively and began tearing into a Nanab berry, stem, skin and all, causing everyone to lean back.
Tilly and Billy observed her thoughtfully only to copy her, causing me to grimace. Agatha chose that moment to march up with Tiffany, and a man who I knew had been held captive by the Crusher tribe, but still had no idea of his significance.
"Agatha, Tiffany," I paused at the man and glanced pointedly at the former Elite Four.
Agatha huffed. "Brock, this is Craig. He was a person of interest to us when you were first… introduced to me."
I blinked. That had been during the Guardian admittance. Why did I want to know this man? I inspected him carefully and it took a moment for me to catch on to how he was exuding rock aura passively.
"Ah, I see," I replied.
Agatha nodded seriously. "Craig went deep into the wilds and was captured by the Crusher Tribe, but they did not mistreat him. He still wanted to thank you for your efforts."
"Oh? Well you're welcome," I offered easily to the man only for him to grunt.
His voice had a deeper cadence than I was expecting and it resonated slightly before I realised he'd slightly empowered it with his rock aura.
He looked me up and down. "Hmph, looks like you didn't need me," he rumbled. Then he nodded to Flint and Agatha. "I'll be off then."
Without any further adieu, the man marched off, causing Agatha to scowl. "Annoying man," she grunted. "In hindsight, I'm glad you didn't learn from him," she muttered.
Glimmer, who'd been watching the byplay, without slowing down in her efforts to devour every bit of fruit in front of her hummed. "Granite found him and kept him close. People thought it pretty weird at first, but then Granite started becoming… better at fighting everyone but his brother."
"Huh, is that so?" I mused. "He's not linked with Team Rocket, is he Agatha?" I asked pointedly.
The kids all stiffened and glanced at the former Elite Four member only for her to shake her head. "He wasn't. He was well vetted, I can assure you. The man is a recluse hermit, not part of a terrorist cell."
"Alright, if you say so," I replied. Deciding to be a good host I opened a hand towards the fire. "Have you eaten yet?" I offered.
Agatha considered me and my family for a moment only to stop on Glimmer. Her lips twitched upwards. "I think I'll stay," she remarked. I felt my spine shudder. She had that look of a woman ready to sit back and watch something entertaining play out.
Glimmer got another look from me. Had I let a Mawile in? A stern steel and capricious fairy like person? Damn, too late now.
"Sooo Glimmer, is now a good time to ask about those stories?" I prompted only to recoil as she continued to shift through the berry bowls to find a giant Belue berry.
"Glimmer those are rather spic—"
She took a huge bite only for her nose to instantly start running and her eyes to water like a waterfall was forming.
"Ib's hob!" she screamed.
Without waiting I reached into my pouch and drew out some Cream Romani. Before she could question what I was doing I shoved the bottle into her mouth and began forcing her to drink.
She swallowed reflexively.
Then she paused, registered the pain was gone, as well as how good the taste was. She took another swallow, causing a bubble to blob into the bottle.
She tilted her head down and took her lips off the bottle, giving it a look, her eyes still dripping with tears while wiping her nose. "Wow, that was… both the worst and best experience I've ever had!"
She grinned and shot me a thumbs up. "I like it!" she declared.
Suzie, having been observing Glimmer nodded seriously. "I like this woman! She can be our auntie!"
Glimmer shot Suzie a smirk. "Awww, I like you too. I'll call you Glimmer-on-the-cliff!"
Salvadore, ever curious, leaned forward. "I thought Crusher Tribesmen only had one word for their names? How come you have a lot?"
"Cause I chose to!" Glimmer declared.
Everyone blinked. "That's it?" Salvadore asked.
Glimmer shrugged. "Yup!" she then took another drink of the milk. "Damn this is good."
"It's expensive," I remarked without any heat.
Glimmer took another drink, making sure to look at me as she did so. "Very good," she replied.
I shook my head and glanced down at the berry bowls I'd laid out. I hadn't meant to bring out the spicy berries. I made to return the Belue only to find it had vanished. I glanced around, expecting one of the kids to have started nibbling on it. Only no one had it.
Or rather, no thing, had it.
I spotted a shadow slinking away with it and was about to call out for it to stop when Agatha coughed. "Let Gengy have his fun," she smirked. "I think Granite must be hungry after only being fed gruel the last few days, no?"
I sat back down. "Well I suppose..." I remarked slowly.
"I'll handle it, don't you worry." She adopted an innocent look that didn't suit her weather face one bit. "I don't suppose you have any Cheri, Aspear, Figy, or Iapapa berries to spare me, do you?"
I handed over each bowl, knowing that Granite was in for a bad… well day, and then probably night as the spicy, sour blend of fruits would probably keep him on the… well lavatory pit, for a while.
"Keep him downwind," I remarked.
"Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs," Agatha bit back. I raised my hands to show I wasn't going to contest that.
The kids however, more than willing to step into the conversation blinked only for Tommy to speak up. "What should we teach Jade then? She's like our grandmother, isn't she?"
Agatha smirked but instead of answering in front of Flint and I, she just winked. "Come talk to me after breakfast, and I'll show you a trick or two."
Tiffany's delighted titter did nothing to set my feelings of concern at ease.
Glimmer watched on with a knowing look, that said that she had no clue what specifically was going to happen, but that it was going to be wonderfully chaotic.
Flint and I, as the only responsible adults, shared a look, both of us understanding that we needed to find another way to keep the kids occupied, lest they follow Agatha's suggestion.
Rubbing the bridge of my nose I sighed loudly. "Glimmer… can I please get those stories now?"
Glimmer nodded and drew herself up. "Yes indeed you can! Your bounty was most delightful! Invite me again for lunch and dinner if you would and I'll have tales each time!" she chimed.
I waved my hand in a 'please get on with it' gesture and she took another drink from the bottle before speaking up with a careful cadence as she reached for a small pouch on her hip. She drew out a small pinch of green sand and tossed it into the fires, causing it to shift to a purple tone that had the kids gasping in delight.
Men and women of the Crusher tribe who had been nearby suddenly bowed their heads and departed quickly.
Glimmer looked at me and then Elder Jade. "I will not speak the name as I know one who has said it but a few days ago. So when I speak of Ancient nightmares, know I speak of a Legend," she said carefully.
"Ohhhhh a ghost story!" gushed Suzie as she leaned into my side with a small smile.
"Listen well, friends, for this is a tale of warning—one that you should keep in mind should you ever find yourself near the mountains where the wind howls like mightyena and the ground trembles with ancient power.
Glimmer slapped her hands and caused the fire to waver only to rise a moment later. "The Giant's Graveyard is known to all of the Crushers.
"It is known that where giants fall, their graves were not just mounds of dirt like ours—no, their resting places became a place of eerie silence, a graveyard so old that it was said to be cursed.
"But there's a secret no one will tell you about this graveyard. Some say that deep within its bones, beneath the twisted stones and forgotten tombs, lies the resting place of a creature far more ancient than the giants themselves. A creature so powerful, so untouchable, that its very name causes the earth to shiver."
And like a shadow stirred the fire grew darker as Glimmer fed it small traces of her sand, her heterochromic eyes watching us over the top of the fire.
She waved her hand down, tamping the fire with a push only to whirl her arms out and around with a sweep.
Suddenly I wasn't looking at a fire, but instead a sweeping towering form with a purple body and wings of nightmare.
For half a second I thought it looked back at me, but then the fire fell away, leaving me blinking in shock.
"In the Graveyard of Giants, it is considered brave to merely patrol the edge. A duty often stepped back from and understood. The Graveyard is no meadow but a land that claws out at the living. When you patrol you watch not just for the hunters that stalk the land of shadow. But the shadow itself," she warned, eyes darting about to the children.
Suzie huddled into me and I curled a protective arm around her.
Glimmer mimed a walking action with her fingers. "To advance beyond the boundary you must have a team of pokemon resistant to the touches of death or be powerful enough to shrug the effects off!"
"At the centre of the graveyard there is a tear in the world, linking this to another. To some it is hell, to others the shadow realm. We know it as the Distortion world. A place twisted and warped beyond understanding. From that tear this Legend can sometimes emerge.
"Some say it's been waiting, patient and still, watching for anyone foolish enough to tread too heavily in its domain. So caution your heart young ones. Bravery is good but too far becomes nothing more than a cautionary tale."
She swept her gaze around only to pause upon Agatha. "Should you walk in the shadow beware, if you move too boldly, if you step too loudly... if you disturb the giants' graves... It will awaken."
She put her hand to her chest. "Draw not from within, for energies too great will stir the land."
"Now, some say that if you tread lightly, if you move with reverence, the spirits of the giants will protect you. Others say that the best way to avoid a Legend's wrath is to leave no trace behind—no footprints, no broken stones, nothing. But mark my words friends, there are those who've wandered too far into that place, thinking it just a simple graveyard. And they've never returned.
"So, should you ever find yourself near the mountain pass, and the wind begins to carry the scent of old stone... and you hear a distant rumble, low like thunder... take care, my friends. For the giant's graveyard is no place to blindly wander… for if you wander blindly…
"There will be nothing left to find."
And just like that Glimmer leaned back just as the fire shifted back to a warm orange glow and the light of the sun returned to our skin. I blinked and shifted around at the sudden change.
The children shivered, then Cindy beamed. "That's a great ghost story!"
"Yeah!" cheered Forrest while Misty looked a little more pensive as she watched Glimmer.
"Who lives within the centre of the Graveyard?" Salvadore whispered, his caution and curiosity warring clearly on his face.
Glimmer turned and regarded him. "We speak not its name. Speaking it too much and too often draws its attention young one. I skirt the border of tales I cannot tell for another two months now. Should I utter its name today, I will curse our people to move immediately."
Salvadore swallowed. "Is there really a pokemon like that?"
"Yes," I said, answering for Glimmer. "She's not telling some tall tale here Salvadore. There are pokemon like that who's name you cannot utter without drawing a fraction of its gaze upon yourself."
Suzie stiffened. "But… what if we say it by accident?"
"You won't say it more than once," Glimmer replied firmly. "You say it once and those around you that hear it know."
"Oh," Forrest said, understanding slamming into him as he looked at me and saw my serious expression locked in.
"It will also taste like a cold chill upon your tongue," Agatha said, her gaze distant. "So you will be warned. Only the truly foolish push beyond that. I've heard that when said twice the chill intensifies… and then if they push again… they are gone."
"Woah!" Cindy leaned back. "That's amazing! Does it show up and take them?"
"Cindy," Flint said, giving her a careful shake of the head. "Those people… they're never seen again," he said. .
He opened his mouth to say something only to shake it. "Hey kids I think you should all make the most of the sun! I heard there's going to be some pokemon sledding happening over on the hill!" he turned to his wife. "Honey, do you want to go?"
Lola, who only now did I realise had a lost expression blinked and nodded quickly. Her face shifted into her vapid smile. "Come on kids! Last one there is a rotten Grimer!" she called, leading the kids off.
Salvadore lingered for a moment, glancing between us and the others. He sat back down next to Yolanda while Forrest and Misty remained seated, watching Glimmer.
Only for Flint to speak up. "During the war… we didn't have to fear… that pokemon. We had a system in place for it to give its… final kindness," she said.
Agatha grimaced. "Ah, I… hadn't thought of that in many a year," she muttered.
Flint nodded and he looked up at me. "If you were ever captured, and you had critical intelligence, or if there was a truly cruel person 'caring' for you," he said, stressing the word 'caring' to me. "Then you were given a piece of paper with its name before such missions. If the pain became too much or you had no other way… then you spoke the name and it came… and released you from your suffering."
"Damn," I murmured. "That's intense."
Glimmer was staring at Flint like a fascinating rock she'd chanced upon. "You have stories, I think I would be very interested in hearing."
"I'm not a good story teller like yourself," Flint replied easily.
"I thought that system up you know?" Agatha cut in, her gaze still distant.
Flint blinked and stared at her. "Oh… well, I think you eased a lot of people's pain."
"Back then I did it for the tactical advantage it offered us with keeping intel from our enemies," she murmured. "I hadn't quite… grasped everything quite like I have now." She sighed.
Glimmer glanced between Flint and Agatha, unsure who to target first it would seem, instead of prodding either she glanced around, reading the room only to smile at me. "I hear you have some amazing songs. Your sister was adamant I get you to sing Overlord." she leaned forward eagerly. "So, care to show me?" she asked.
I nodded, grateful for the topic shift, as were several others I believed. I hummed as I glanced around. The first thing that caught my attention was all the ice and snow from last night sitting in clumps.
My mind instantly leapt to the first song about snow and ice.
"So this is a song everyone should know," I said with a slight smirk, knowing I was about to troll the Crusher Tribe.
"The snow glows white on the mountain tonight," I began. Forrest and Yolanda both perked up, knowing fully well what this song was.
"Not a footprint to be seen," I crooned, causing Agatha to look at me with surprise while Glimmer started to grin.
"A kingdom of—" I was just starting to build into the intro properly when around me, snowballs rose from the snowdrift and began to pummel me.
"Ah! Ow! Sorry! Sorry!" I muttered covering my head as behind me the tent flaps opened.
I turned and smiled at Sabrina who glowered at me and the world like we'd wronged her.
"Brock, we agreed, no singing that song before ten in the morning. So no, stop," she commanded firmly.
"Right, sorry, forgot myself," I replied sheepishly.
Sabrina huffed and shuffled out of the tent with her blankets wrapped around her like a giant kakuna. Her eyes locked onto the fruit bowls left out and without missing a beat she began munching on the spiciest berries present.
Misty gagged. "Isn't your mouth on fire?" she wailed.
Sabrina blinked. "It's a good burn," she replied, only to take a bite from a Spelon.
Glimmer shook her head. "Well now I have to create a ballad about you, you're too interesting not to have one," she muttered, her eyes observing Sabrina with interest. "Now how should the song begin?" she whispered to herself.
I glanced at Sabrina and projected a thought.
Bad Bitch, Bad bitch, what'cha gonna do when she comes for you?
Sabrina snorted in amusement, rather ruining her 'cold and powerful' mask she had going.
I turned my attention to a more serious topic with Agatha lingering.
"So, we're going to have to organise an expedition, aren't we?" I asked her.
She nodded. "I suspect that if there is anywhere in the world that would have Gengarite… then this Graveyard of Giants will be it. The same will likely be true of many pokemon that enter to fight the pokemon in the centre. It may just be the greatest and most terrible find we ever learn of," she mused.
"Well, let's get the Crusher tribe sorted, and this Team Rocket link resolved before we go poking our heads into that particular Beedrill nest."
"Indeed," Agatha replied. "Lorekeeper, tell us more of the world your people roam, if you would?"
Glimmer grinned widely and happily began another story then and there. With Sabrina at my side I allowed myself to relax and wonder at the wider world that was out there, just waiting to be explored.
Sadly, before that could happen there were many other tasks that needed to be completed.
I wasn't going to just drop everything with the Crusher Tribe and run off. The same was true of my gym.
The Graveyard of Giants also didn't sound like something that should be approached without great caution.
But we'd get there and see what there was to be found.
There could be everything I ever wanted, and there could be nothing.
It was oddly exciting to know such an adventure awaited in the future.
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A.N. Thanks go to my patreons for your continued support!
I don't want the Crusher Tribe aftermath to drag on too much more, as there is the risk of a lot of bloat with keeping them around. That being said they will be the vessel that other landmarks and even a region being opened. Look forward to that!
Thanks also go to Twmmy for proofreading this chapter!