Part 39. But it failed!

[] Um, not now. I'm kinda in a rush...

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The other woman shrugged before waving you on. "Ah, fair enough then."

A loud crump booms from where the two male tamers are fighting, followed by a strangled cry. The woman sighed. "Go on, then. I need to make sure those two idiots don't get carried away."

Deciding to take her advice, you and your girls hurry across the bridge. Ana looks relieved, though you can't help noticing Lamina dragging her feet a little and sending occasional longing glances towards the fighting. 

Once you're out of sight of the bridge, the Armsmistress turns towards you. "So... why didn't you want to fight them? Those were just trainees, so I doubt they'd have anything too powerful. We coulda taken them on easily." 

[] Response?

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You've been walking for a few hours now. Though none of your girls show signs of lagging, you're beginning to get a bit tired. You're only human, after all, and as your rumbling tummy reminds you, it's almost lunchtime. 

Checking the map, you can see a few possible places to rest.

[] There's a designated camping area just up ahead. The sonic markers are supposed to keep it safe from ferals, but it's far from perfect. Apart from that, you might also run into other tamers looking to get some rest.

[] It's a bit out of your way, but there's a village nearby that you can rest in. It's too small to have a proper pokecenter, but you're sure that there'll at least be an inn or something where you can relax and find some grub.

[] Forget resting. You're strong! You're tough! Keep pushing on and try to cover as much ground as you can. 

38. Trainee Kelly Challenges You To Battle!

Let's check it out. Keep out our mouse and the armsmistress and approach to ask whats going on.

Keep alert on case of potential ambush. If we're attacked, bring out everyone and get some distance between the threat and us.

No sacrifices to "stall while you get away"

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While you're still a bit wary, these people don't seem like a bunch of Team Rocket goons. Cautiously, you step out into the open, Ana and Lamina at your side. 

Unfortunately, it seems that everyone else is too busy to pay attention to you. 

The rough looking tamer in green looks a little too smug for your liking. "Look," he drawled. "None of you said anything about not allowing switching. I won fair and square."

The two people on the bridge seem less then amused. The man in particular is fuming as he shouts at his opponent. "Fair and square?!" he spits, "You wretch! If you had any sense of honor, you would-"

"Hang on, Lionel," the woman beside him interrupted. Judging by the pokeballs on her belt,she was almost definitely another tamer rather then a pokegirl. Her clothing looked similar to her companion's, if a little more elaborately designed. "We have company."

"What?!" the man growls, glaring at you. "More cheating scum, here to rob us of our hard earned money?"

The guy in green coughs. "Speaking of which, I believe you still owe me-"

"Silence!" the martial artist demands, pointing dramatically at the other tamer. "I will not stand for this insult! I challenge you again! Double or nothing!" 

The guy in green smirks, pulling a brightly colored pokeball off his belt. "Well, if you're that eager to get your ass kicked, who am I to complain?"

"Boys..." the female martial artist muttered, rolling her eyes as she approached you. "Hey there, stranger!" she calls. "Sorry about the mess. I'm afraid Lionel tends to get a little too worked up by these challenges."

So what's going on here?

The woman gestures at her uniform. "Well, as you can see, the two of us are trainees from the Silent Fist gym. As part of our training, we're supposed to test ourselves against other tamers, which is why we're challenging anyone who wants to cross the bridge. You interested in a battle?"

[] Sure!

[] Um, not now. I'm kinda in a rush...

[] No thanks. But could I stay and watch your friend's battle? 

37. Checking it out

Get close enough to check on the situation but not enough to be seen or get within range from a random attack.

We'll decide what to do then.

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"We don't have enough information," you decided. "Ana, do you think you can get us closer without being seen?"

The Woodmouse bit her lip, glancing at everyone nervously. "Um, maybe?" she squeaked. "It'd be a bit difficult, though... If it's just you, I could do it. With everyone..." she gestured at the winged Armsmistress, who was almost bouncing with excitement. "Might be tricky."

In the end, you decided to keep your other girls in their pokeballs for now. Ana led you off the path, the Woodmouse walking slowly and carefully to make sure you could keep up. The two of you moved parallel to the road, trying to stay close enough to follow it easily while staying far enough to avoid being easily spotted. 

A few minutes later, you heard the sounds of fighting in the distance. A series of explosions rattled the woods, growing louder and louder as you approached, until finally it climaxed into a massive BOOM that knocked over a few trees and caused the ground to shake. 

Finally, you got close enough to get an idea of what was happening. 

On the ground, a pair of pokegirls were slumped over in a pile, both of them covered in bruises and burns. A youngish looking pinkette fretted over them. Judging by the glow, you guessed that she was some kind of magic user. 

In front of the bridge, a pair of humans dressed in identical uniforms stood guard, both of them looming over a rather disheveled looking traveler as they argued about something. 

"-completely out of bounds!"

"Well, nobody actually said I couldn't do that-"

"- don't play semantics with us! If you had even the slightest bit of common sense-"

"- quit bitching just cause you lost. I know how you assholes work!"

Hmm... should you really get involved with this? 

[] What do?

36. A Difficult Decision

[] Moderate Pace: Don't need to rush, but you don't want to dawdle either. (Average travel time and average chance of random encounters)

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In the end, you decide that there's no need to rush ahead. You keep your group moving at a steady pace, making sure to rest every so often to avoid wearing anyone out, not that any of your pokegirls seem to need it. 

Ana in particular seems to have perked up considerably since leaving the city walls. The little Woodmouse has taken it upon herself to act as the group's scout, disappearing into the underbrush and returning to warn you of any dangers on the road ahead. 

Halfway through your second day of travel, you're almost leisurely pace is interrupted as Ana bursts out of the bushes along the side of the road, looking more panicked then you've ever seen her. 

"Fighting!" she squeaks out. "On road ahead. Two groups of people. I think they're trying to kill each other!"

Your other pokegirls look worried, murmuring among themselves.

"Bandits?" Lamina barks out, the Armsmistress looking almost gleeful at the chance to fight. "If we hurry, we can still catch them!"

"Too dangerous." Thana disagreed, shaking her head. "We don't have enough information. I say we avoid them."

"But someone could die!" Ana exclaims, looking horrified at her harem sister's callousness. 

"Not our problem." Isadora shrugged. "I say we go around them."

"Doesn't matter what we think. Mistress has final say," Thana noted before turning to face you. "Your commands?"

[] What will you do? 

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A.N: You are really lucky that Ana can scout for you. 

35. Hitting the Road

[] Spend time with one of your pokegirls
- [] Armsmistress. Go eat, find out who she is, what she likes, etc. Tame her.

[] Spend time with one of your pokegirls
- [] Dragonqueen. Go eat, find out who she is, what she likes, etc. Tame her.

[] Make a call!
- [] Red. - Give her a heads up we're going her way, and to not just run off without us or something along the lines.

[] Travel alone
- [] Stick to the main roads (safer, but takes longer)

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You decide to kill two birds with one stone and bring out both your new girls at the same time. The results are mixed, to say the least. 

The Armsmistress takes her new ownership in stride, though you get the feeling that she doesn't really think much about you. A few questions reveal that she's had seven different masters in the past year, being passed around as a gift to friends or relatives or as a reward from salvage battles. She'll listen to your orders well enough, but she feels no real loyalty towards you at the moment. 

The Dragonqueen, on the other hand, is a very different story. She's quiet, confident, and to the point, but getting any actual information out of her is like pulling teeth. She admits that parts of her memory were erased to delete classified information, but assures you that she still remembers enough to serve as an effective trainer or combatant. 

You get the feeling that it'll take quite a while before you can get either of these two to trust you completely, but at least they're both willing to listen to your commands for now. 

Once you get back to the pokecenter, you make a quick call to Red, who still seems to be somewhere in the wilds. Your friend is more then happy to wait for you in Raymond's Rock, but says that she can't really afford to stay for more then a week. Plenty of time, even if you are having to travel on foot. 

In any case, what kind of pace are you planning to set?

[] Fast Pace: Push yourself and your group to travel as fast as you can. (Reduces travel time, but increased chances of fatigue and negative encounters) 

[] Moderate Pace: Don't need to rush, but you don't want to dawdle either. (Average travel time and average chance of random encounters)

[] Leisurely Pace: Slow and steady wins the race. (Increased travel time, but reduced chances of negative encounters)

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Also, what are you naming your new pokegirls?

[] Armsmistress Name

[] Dragonqueen Name

34. Preparing to Depart

[X] Name Woodmouse: Ana

[X] Armsmistress A (75, 000 SLC)

[X] Dragonqueen B (300, 000 SLC)

Current Budget: 9, 500 SLC

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This morning, you woke up with only two pokegirls to your name. An hour ago, you walked out of the Auction House with double that number. 

You rubbed the newly filled pokeballs on your belt with barely concealed glee. Isadora and Ana were both wonderful, but Witches and Woodmice weren't exactly famed for their power. Now that you had a solid front liner and an experienced trainer, your harem was going to become stronger then ever. 

For now, though, you had a trip to plan. Red's camping out somewhere neat Raymond's Rock, a mining town about fifty miles east of your current position. You'd definitely like to meet up with her again. 

But how are you going to do it? 

[Mind Check: 30 89+5 (Academic Dabbler): 94]

Unfortunately, your depleted wallet means that you won't be able to hire a flier or teleporter to take you there, which means that you'll need to travel the hard way. With so little money, you can't even afford to hire a bike or other land vehicle to take you there faster. However, there are still a few options available...

All Pokecenters have a noticeboard on their lobby where tamers can collect jobs and bounties for the local people. You hadn't paid attention to it before since you were personally too inexperienced and your harem too weak to handle any tasks worth the time. Now that you've filled up your harem a little, you're actually qualified to take on something actually profitable. 

In this case, a pilgrimage group heading to the temple on Mount Lazuli. They're a fairly large group that's willing to pay for tamers to guard them on their way to their destination. The only problem is that they'll be sticking to the main roads and making stops at every town or village along the way, which means that they'll be travelling at a snails pace. At the earliest, it'd take a week for the pilgrims to reach Raymond's Rock, by which time Red would have probably moved on to somewhere else. 

Another option is to join up with a group of tamers heading in that general direction. It's fairly popular nowadays, since having extra eyes and ears makes it safer to travel. In addition, a group of tamers and their assorted harems are able to fight and capture pokegirls that would be far to hazardous for you to tackle alone. Of course, that's assuming that you can get a decent group in the first place. There are always horror stories about unfriendly or incompetent tamers who can make a journey unpleasant or even dangerous for their fellow travelers.  

Of course, you could always choose to go at it alone. Tamers are meant to be rugged survivalists, after all. At least, that's what they always show in the books and movies. A lone tamer, travelling through the wilderness with nothing but her wits and her pokegirls to keep her safe... You have to admit, the idea does appeal to you slightly. 

Still, going at it alone is dangerous. Plenty of tamers vanish into the wilderness without a trace, their final fates rarely uncovered until long after it's far too late. Without a large group around to protect you from ferals, you'll need to be strong, careful and lucky in order to reach your destination safely. 

So, how will you travel to Raymond's Rock?

[] Hire a teleporter 

[] Hire a flier

[] Hire a vehicle 

[] Sign up with the pilgrim group (safest available option, will take the longest time to reach)

[] Look for other tamers who're heading in the same direction and see if any of them are willing to let you join their group (wildcard option)

[] Travel alone

- [] Stick to the main roads (safer, but takes longer)

- [] Cut through the wilderness and head directly towards your destination (faster, but more dangerous)

What do you do before beginning your trip? Pick up to three. You may repeat your choices if you want. 

[] Spend time with one of your pokegirls

- [] Who?

- [] Doing what?

[] Fight stuff!

- [] Ferals (chance to capture ferals)

- [] Battle other tamers (chance to meet people)

[] Make a call!

- [] Red's mum
- [] Your mum
- [] Red
- [] Gold

[] Buy Stuff

- [] What? 

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AN: Fun times ahead! You actually rolled well enough to unlock all the travel options as well as gain hints on what those options can do, but since you wiped out your budget, you can't actually afford any of the best options (teleporting and flying). 

If you'd flubbed the Mind Check, Blue would have been so excited about the chance to start her adventure that she wouldn't have taken the time to think about what other options were available to her and just went straight into the wilderness with her harem in tow. 

Also, if someone can find me a picture for your new Dragonqueen and Armsmistress, that'd be great. Seriously, fuck whoever came up with the Dragonqueen's description in the pokedex. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a picture that fits all those prerequisites?  

And in case you were wondering, the reason I didn't bring up the noticeboard earlier is because the only jobs that you could have done were noob stuff like "Find my pet" or "Chase away these Titmice from my garden". Since you figured out a way to make something like 300, 000 SLC in a day, I decided that Blue was just not going to even bother with any of the low pay mission work that most new tamers are stuck with. 

33. Shopping. Again.

[x][Spend time with Woodmouse]
[x] Training, looking for bow for the girl and somewhere to practice

[x]Buy Stuff
[x]Pokegirls (Armsmistress and Dragonqueens)

[x]You've spent enough time here. Time to go...
[x]East

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"So how does it feel?" you asked. 

"... it's ok?" your still unnamed Woodmouse shrugged. The two of you had spent the afternoon searching for a store selling decent weapons after your pokegirl had announced that the bows being sold at the local pokemart were "not really good". Personally, you couldn't really tell the difference, but since you'd already planned to spend the day with her anyway...

Pulling another arrow out of her quiver, she took a moment to carefully aim and fire the weapon. With a solid thunk, the arrow sank into the target. "Need more practice..." she muttered. 

"You seem to be doing alright," you noted, pointing towards your own target. "At least you're hitting the target most of the time."

"... you're holding it wrong," the mouse said, passing you the bow. "Need to pull it right."

"Can you show me?"

"... sure."

All in all, it's a rather enjoyable day, one that your Woodmouse seems to enjoy just as much as you do. The mouse pokegirl is somewhat shy, preferring to speak only the bare minimum necessary. Despite that, she's surprisingly bright, able to keep up with you and Isadora's discussions fairly easily even though she only learned to speak a few days ago. 

You get the feeling that she'd be more willing to open up once you leave the city. Being in an urban area seems to distress the mouse pokegirl for some reason, making her twitchy and uncomfortably nervous about her surroundings. 

---------------------------

Spent 3, 000 SLC on new Bow!

Woodmouse Social Link Increased!

2d4: 1+1: 2!

Current Social Link: [Rank 1/10] [2/10 to next level]

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The next morning, you make your way back to the Auction House, your metaphorically jingling wallet lending a spring to your step. Unlike last time, you've got more then enough money to afford some of the rarer and more powerful pokegirls. 

You actually made a list last night, trying to think of any pokegirls that might be useful for your harem. In the end, you narrowed it down to two breeds: the Armsmistress and the Dragonqueen. Both would serve as powerful front liners, something which you really do need. In addition, either would serve as useful trainers, though the Dragonqueen is admittedly more suited for that kind of task. 

Finding yourself back in another Purchasing Hall, you quickly type in your search perimeters, all but bouncing in your seat from excitement as the program loads, only to frown as you see the disappointingly few results on your screen. 

It turns out that pokegirls that are known as good Alpha material are always in demand. Add in the fact that dragon types are usually very attractive to battling tamers, and any Dragonqueens on the market tend to get snapped up quickly. 

[Mind Check: 66 92+5 (Academic Dabbler): 97]

Fortunately, you aren't limited to the Auction House stock. Changing to a web browser, you pull up information on every ranch in the league, trying to find any that happen to have Dragonqueens in their stock. You also use the search engine to look for profiles on any high level tamers, scouring several forums until you find a website devoted specifically to selling pokegirls from tamers who recently decided to retire. 

A moment later, your screen is filled with names. 

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[] Armsmistress Option A

Price: 75, 000 SLC

Notes: A rare winged Armsmistress, this pokegirl has several years of experience as a tournament battler under a particularly talented tamer. She's an exceptionally skilled duelist, but isn't used to fighting in a team. 

[] Armsmistress Option B

Price: 60, 000 SLC

Notes: Another winged Armsmistress, this individual was put for sale by a ranch specializing in flying types. She's reportedly faster and more maneuverable in the air compared to other members of her breed, but her lack of experience has kept the price somewhat reasonable. 

[] Armsmistress Option C

Price: 50, 000 SLC

Notes: This wingless Armsmistress has spent several years in a blacksmith's shop and is reportedly a skilled armor crafter. However, she is relatively weak by her breed's standards, with no battle experience whatsoever. 

[] Armsmistress Option D

Price: 35, 000 SLC

Notes: A new Threshold, this pokegirl hasn't even crafted her own armor yet. Is completely untrained and will probably need to be broken in before she can be useful. 

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[] Dragonqueen Option A

Price: 350, 000 SLC

Notes: A Blessed Dragonqueen, this particular pokegirl talented and experienced in both fighting and training. However, it should be noted that she has a very strong moral code and will absolutely refuse to follow any order she regards as evil. 

[] Dragonqueen Option B

Price: 300, 000 SLC

Notes: A former military pokegirl, this Dragonqueen has a file filled with commendations and praise for her professionalism and work ethic. Unfortunately, due to a recent scandal her owner's been forced to retire in disgrace and is selling off all his pokegirls. 

[] Dragonqueen Option C

Price: 250, 000 SLC

Notes: Relatively young and inexperienced, this pokegirl is nevertheless a good example of her breed. Raised in a ranch specializing in dragon types, she's more experienced with fighting then training. While she's a powerful battler, you do find some notes mentioning that she has some kind of problem with other dragon type pokegirls. 

[] Dragonqueen Option D

Price: 225, 000 SLC

Notes: Put on sale after her previous master died, this pokewoman is noticeably older then the others on your list. While she's definitely experienced, you note that she hasn't actually fought any battles for years. 

[] Dragonqueen Option E

Price: 200, 000 SLC

Notes: A reportedly troublesome personality and behavior patterns has driven the price of this pokegirl down slightly. Though she's a decent battler, she's apparently a bit too much of a sadist to make a good trainer. Her last master noted that she seriously hurt one of the pokegirls she was training as punishment for a minor dispute. 

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Current Budget: 384, 500 SLC