Somewhere in Golrod City

Teala and Maekrite receive a strange box from an Ursaring. The two wonder about its contents (Teala does so openly), then the Ursaring hands the box over to Teala.

Ursaring: <I don't know what that… thing is, but we know from lore that a Pokémon chosen as a guardian of the forest would use it to fight Evil.>

Teala: <That sounds kinda romantic.> -- takes the box.

Maekrite observes as Teala starts carefully unwrapping the box. He tries to read the look in her eyes for an eventual indication of surprise, wondering what are the contents. As the box is being open, however, Maekrite sniffs something strange in the air, something probably coming from inside the box. He thinks he recognizes the scent from somewhere... but can not exactly put it.

What he knows fairly well is that it is a [threat] and that he has to back away, which he does a couple of steps, growling and ears flatten, which Teala does not seem to notice.

Meanwhile…

Somewhere in the Golden Forest

Some of the patrollers on the northern edge of the forest notice a Tauros pulling a carriage on the road towards the forest, a Lickitung and a couple of Spearow following nearby. The carriage seems to hold  large wooden box. Immediately a group of mons, mostly Weedle, Beedrill and Buizel, arrange on the entrance to the forest, forming a column and then the leader of the group, one of the Buizel, squints to notice what looks like an [Espeon] walking behind...

The carriage stops by and the Lickitung steps forward.

Lickitung: <Yo, forest mons~>

The two Pokémon and the carriage are surrounded by a Beedrill, three Buizel and a couple of Weedle.

Beedrill: <May we see your [permits]… What's in the carriage?>

The Tauros nods and one of the Buizel walks closer, but backs off disgusted when he sees the Tauros produce the aforementioned permit card from within his muzzle, covered in saliva.

[Lickitung: <Offering from the peoplemons in Ecruteak.> -- points to the carriage.

Just when the second Buizel is about to speak the Espeon walks in and sits by, the Buizel recognizes her as one of the priest mons living under Her Perch. This prompts a silent reverence that some of the other Pokémon follow.

Priest Espeon: <Greetings, nya~…>

Buizel Officer: <Welcome, priest… this an official action?>

Priest Espeon: <Yes, in a way.> -- licks her paws -- <Seers at [Her Perch] had a vision that a mon whom She considers a [friend] will need some support, nya~. See, Lesthi> -- points to the Lickitung -- <has been instructed by the seers to cook this and us instructed to bring it here...>

Buizel Officer: <Cook? I see...> -- blinks, steps aside -- <Well, then, y-you can come in! You two, escort the priest the way in!> -- points to two Beedrill.

Priest Espeon: <You silly mons and your niceties, purr~>

The two Pokémon nod and arrange in a formation besides the Espeon and Lickitung. The carriage then enters the forest and the patroller mons start dispersing again.

In a couple of minutes, the carriage is safely brought to the grounds of the leader Nidorina and Ursaring for a quick inspection.

Golrod City

Teala finally disassembles the box producing a case as big as the box, made of a white-ish substance that Maekrite and Teala would probably recognize as polystyrene. Upon opening the case, perfectly contained, a notebook and a small bag containing a weird powder. The powder bag falls besides Maekrite, making the Nidorino step back and hiss instinctively.

Teala: <M-Maekrite...>

The Nidorino sniffed the powder from a distance, sensing a faint and brief, but well definite surge of power in his body when he did. He did not want it, any of it, before, he wouldn't want it now, his focus now was in avoiding the substance.

Teala: <Maekrite? What does this mean?>

Maekrite returns to his senses when he feels something being brandished around, he finally lifts his head and looks up at Teala to reveal her clumsily holding…

A Portal Gun.

Maekrite -frowns: <It means plot problems.>

(In response to this post)

Maekrite -runs alongside Teala: <Not saying it isn't, but… well, it is all too weird here! Whatever happened was long ago. We don't know what has changed since then and…> -- thinks for a moment -- <Well, something really bad had to happen if there are no more portal guns and no mon around here seems to have ever heard the word PEFE.>

Teala -shrugs: <To be fair, it is a confusing acronym. Tracer says he is not always sure what it means.>

Maekrite: <Point.> -- drops ears -- <Uhm, thanks for handling that thing for me. I don't want to be any close to that weird powder.>

(After this post)

Listening to Teala Maekrite and Silent seem to remember something. At that moment Fey chimes in, bringing Xavier and Monty around.

Silentran♂ -to one of the Nidorina: <Your forefathers wouldn't happen to have left an armor of some sort hidden around, right?>

Maekrite pats Silentran♂, explaining that as a Nido he does not have use for such protections. He does remind him that he'll need a lot of practice though.

Silentran♂: <I think I know how to activate the portals anyway. Back when after the evac, we used the Magnet Train pillars. They were big enough.> -- shrugs, scratches ears... -- <If they still exist, we can use the powder.>

Fey -wanders in: <Oh you mean those white pillars spaced somewhere around to the south?>

Leader Ursaring: <They were cute, so we Eevees voted to keep them.> -- points to the southeast -- <There's 9 of them that way.>

The Ursaring goes on a quick explanation about the pillars having been some sort of road above ground but that was lost to the eras, and are now kept mostly because they are regular and tough, hence a good surface to practice blasts and file nails against.

Maekrite: <Good. But you'll have to do it yourselves,> -- turns to Teala and Toothless -- <because I'd rather not touch or sniff that stuff.>

Leader Nidorina: <We bid you farewell then, and we task you to complete this task that has most assuredly been set forth by Frithrah.> -- sighs -- <Hopefully you can make it back before the Festival.>

Cook Lickitung: <Yeah, it'd be nice to have you there. Remember it'll be they day right after-> -- a Thunderbolt from some practising Flaaffy cut the sky.

(In response to this post)

Maekrite: <I know... thanks.> -- sighs -- <But I have to protect this kit… and…>

Silentran♂ Leers up at the Nidorino, who smiles.

Cook Lickitung -to Toothless: <Please, make sure to take this huge box with you. You'll know what to do with it once you find your friend.>

Espeon motions to a group of Pokémon, who then carry the huge box alongside Toothless's group on their way to the Pillars.

After a moment though, Silentran♂ pokes Maekrite trying to tell him something, but the Nidorino ignores it. However when he turns his head he meets an Alakazam...

Xavier -points at the leaving group: <They're gonna need somemon who can operate the computers there if it has been this long.> -- sighs -- <I can not leave Monty here alone...>

Maekrite -frowns, growls: <With those little claws he has? He can not operate those machines. And I must keep them safe.>

Silentran♂ -raises quills, flustered: <Fine then, somemon who knows to operate the computers.>

Xavier: <He has a point. Deep down he is a human, more or less. And you are heading to deal with complicated human stuff.>

Silentran♂: <Maekrite, look... In this timeline I installed some Debian 9 terminals here and I know their boot entry points... if we can link to those operative again, we can learn what happened and assume direct control!> -- pounds the ground.

Maekrite -growls: <I don't even know what half of that sentence was about!>

Xavier: <Which proves my point, might I say.> -- nods decisively.

Maekrite looks down and ponders something.

Maekrite: <If something happens you will be an easier target there.>

Silentran♂ -looks at his current form, lifts a paw: <Smaller target. And, well… uhm... we were bound to deal with this eventually.> -- feels a bit uncomfortable.

The Nidorino blinks, ears pick up.

Silentran♂: <I know you want me to stay behind because we are kinda sorta in a storm… but we are past that.> -- pats the Nidorino -- <I can't do much useful like this, and if I want to help anymon I might need to... uhm...> -- breathes hard -- <evolve. So, perhaps you could train me.>

The Nidorino thinks for a moment, looks back at Fey, at this version of the colony, then at the group leaving ahead, at Teala.

Maekrite -nods: <Fine then. You learnt to Leer and Tackle on your own and I taught you to focus your energy in chatroom shenanigans and you know us better than we know ourselves...> -- starts walking plotwards -- <Where we can, I'll teach you.>

The Nidoran♂ looks less aprehensive, walks ahead.

Silentran♂: <Thanks, Maekrite.>

The two start rushing to reach Teala's group. When Silentran♂ realizes they are out of earshot of the colony, he turns to Maekrite and tells him something, which Teala might or might not hear.

Silentran♂: <Various Nidos kept asking for permission and trainings. I had to tell them you were my parli.>

The Nidorino blinks, chuckles.

(After this)

Silentran♂: <Whoa, I can't beleive it worked!> ._.

Maekrite: <What does that mean though?>

Silentran♂ -pounds chest: <PEFE must be all OK! :3>

Maekrite goes pick the kit up and sits him on his back. After pointing to Teala that they must not forget the [big box], which is hopefully picked offscreen, Silentran♂ holds on the Nidorino's neck. Maekrite then leaps into the unknown as well.

???? – PEFE-B

Observing Toothless and Teala...

Maekrite: <O'kay, that doesn't help us very much. I don't remember PEFE being like this…>

Silentran♂: <It could be…> -- hops down -- <Perhaps the systems shut down when the dragons attacked for some reason.>

Maekrite watched amusedly as Silentran♂ goes wander around, sniffing and lifting random pebbles. After a moment the Nidoran♂ returns, somewhat befuddled, but shakes his uneasiness away literally (tossing some poisoned quills around).

Silentran♂: <The bad news, we could be anywhere inside the infrastructure. The good news is we already deleted that [killer AI] in this timeline, so...>

Maekrite -to Teala, before she can ask about: <Back in the other timeline, this evil computer that managed Pokefutures survived and took over PEFE.> -- growls -- <Took my kin and Basket's hostage, used them for evil experiments, for science, she said.>

Silentran♂: <Ah yes, we dealt with it with Tagg and the others. Then we had to reformat all of the systems ._.>

Maekrite: <Tried to kill you with those weird [white machines] that fired lazors and bullets. Good thing you were wearing that [armor]…> -- goes hug the kit.

Silentran♂: <Well-> -- tries to break free -- <we have to choose if we go up and down. Up is the surface I guess, which might mean [resources] and food; down are the main network systems and the [power source]. I can probably reboot them if we can find a computer still working.>

(After this post)

Silentran♂: <Great, we fell for that…>

Maekrite looks flustered at the Torchic leg comment.

Maekrite: <Oh, that would absolutely NOT work. Like, totally...> -- roars -- <Why don't you come here? I want to practice chewing.>

We see the walls starting to close on us, then Maekrite feels Silentran♂ poking his shoulder.

Silentran♂: <Not this literal next time, Maekrite. We can not just bite her off the systems!>

Maekrite turns to look at the closing walls, rolls his eyes and mutters a curse in Lapine. Then he growls as his ear is nibbled.

(After this post)

Silentran♂: <Oh, you are the mon we almost crashed against before?>

Maekrite snorts at the Ivysaur while Silentran♂ cheers and goes fetch the bone.

Maekrite: <Hey… what is happening now?> -- to the Ivysaur -- <Have you seen a big box?>

(After this post)

Silentran♂: <Wait, a button would free us from her? Wish it was this easy last time...>

Maekrite growls and motions for the kit to wait there.

Maekrite -to Lake and Tracer: <I'd push it but I have the feeling something bad can happen.> -- to the Ivysaur -- <How strong are your vines, just in case?>

PEFE-B Mainframe

(After this post of plot twist)

Gene is heading the group of two Nidos, a Feraligator, a Dragonite and himself off the scene thanks to a technical panel that is opened by ninja means. However, when he closes the technical panel behind the group, something happens and they just disappear from the plot temporarily.

~Offscreen-land~

The five mons find themselves in a world of nothingness. How is that different to saying that they find themselves "nowhere" is up to philosophers to discuss. Lake and Maekrite probably feel like they would question where are they or what are they doing, but since they're offscreen, if it happens, we won't see it.

A couple of seconds later...

PEFE-B, in a Schröedinger Location Above Ground

Somewhere in the ruins around the PEFE dome, a torn and dirty door is lying on a pile of rubble. While nomon is looking, the door opens and out emerges Gene's group, somehow.

Silentran♂: <So how are we getting outside again?>

Gene -walks behind the group, closes the door: <…There. I am sure we are outside somewhere now.>

Silentran♂ -looks around: <o_o>

Almer, PMD-B

In the restaurant/hostel where Umbra and his party are staying, a certain Aron who is completely legit ¬¬ is wandering around cleaning the furniture. When he is done with that, he starts idly walking around, spying on the rooms to check of the occupants are inside.

Suddenly, the sound of something big crashing somewhere nearby is heard and the Aron yelps, goes to the kitchen immediately.

Demeros: <Ponzi, did you heard that? ._.>

Ponzi: <Yeah... it was in the building across the street though, I'm gonna go check out what happened.> -- walks away.

Demeros: <Oh ok, I will... attend our guests~> -- grins, walks away.