(After this post)

PMB-B

The Linoone snickers as he listens to Lake, it's pretty obvious he is not from around there.

He walks around "aimlessly" and by a convenience of plot ends up resting just some short distance behind Lake.

(In response to this)

The Linoone stands up and shows his stash.

Linoone: <Hello mister Feraligator from afar, and your friend...> -- bows to Skye -- <I'm a scaven-wait... trader from the northeast lands and your [scarf] caught my attention. Looks really nice, not silk from a mon you see around here...> -- tries to touch it, turns to the Shepard -- <Am just wondering if he is interested in doing business, shepard~>

(Response to...)

Linoone: <Come on, I know I can find something good somewhere...>

The Linoone has produced already a pile of small objects including a watermelon, something that resembles a D battery, an attachable Razor Fang, two Energy Roots, a bottle of [dust] labelled with monese symbols, a Pearl, a foldable chair from human times, a Purrloin plush, and a weird [cape]. Also, a small [rotating object] can be seen in his stash for a moment before he closes it.

Linoone: <Uhm... if you think there is anything here that you might want... we can surely reach an agreement...> -- turns to Skye -- <Oh, hang on... perhaps this might be of interest to you!>

Holds the weird cape before Skye.

(In response to this post)

The Linoone smiles and hands over the cape to Skye for her to put it on.

Linoone: <Sure thing, I'll go with a Slash move, my favourite...> -- to Lake -- <You'll see it can perfectly do this. The art and development of energy-negating items has flourished in lands like Hoenn!>

The Pokémon steps back and hunches over, playfully growls, which prompts his other Linoone colleague to facetable. Not paying attention to that, he waits for the signal to leap in for a left side Slash.

(In response to this. Also, awwwww)

The two Linoone show a certain degree of aprehension, as well as annoyance, that Skye is rejecting the deal. However, after they exchange looks and the second Linoone shakes his head, the two decide to let the matter go.

Linoone: <Was worth a try. Say, at least you look like you know what you can sell, so...> -- hands out his personal business card, which is just a piece of bark with some monese inscriptions -- <If you ever want to trade, you'll find us roaming the northern area.>

Other Linoone -points to the north and makes a "big" gesture: <Yeah, we roam the routes west from [Her Perch].>

Linoone: <And we are very, very good at picking up [goodies]. Remember that...>

The second Linoone goes to fetch the Scar-Cape. The two then nod a goodbye to Skye and Lake, then eerily leer at the Ampharos before making a somewhat hasty, but still educated, exit.

(In response to this post)

Espeon -looks at paw absentmindedly: <It depends... on how long have you lived... and how attached have you been to life.> -- narrows eyes as he examines Skye and Lake for a moment -- <Could get an interesting reading out of you two, perhaps...>

(After this post and the following one)

The Espeon seems to hesitate for a moment.

Espeon♂: <I can not promise not to see your private memories, since I can only watch where your subconscious leads me to.> -- tilts head and looks proudly -- <But I do solemnly promise, as a superior cat, that if you express any sort of discomfort I can pull out, or you can pull me out by force if you want.>

(After this post)

The Espeon picks another tendril of thought where he senses a threat and falsehoods. However, all he sees is a scene of a Honchkrow and a Unfezant riding a Salamence, inside some sort of very well ornamented cave where everything is a mess. The image of humans repeats, this time fainter.

«...Ok, somemon listens to a lot of those epic tales that I've heard the birds say are told beyond the seas. Man, one would thing a monly mon would like to leave his stamp on reality...»

Sends a mental inquiry to Lake wondering if he can try hunting for one or two more memories.

(After this post)

«Oh... the novel solution? Sure, why not? Let's check it~»

The Espeon starts unrolling the tendril of memories, amassed like a thread, and mentally examines it. He decides he immediately likes what he sees. There's a Murkrow bird, and another bird, and various Pokémon, without much if any trail of weird human things. But what he likes more is that one of the birds seems to be enclosed in a bubble.

Memory!Lake: <...So I'm afraid you're going to have to be punished...>

The 'gator in the memory blows up a bubble («whoa, I didn't knew Bubble attacks could get that big...») and encases the still free second bird inside, just like the first bird. Then an argument arises while a random Wooper happily hops above one of the bubbles.

Espeon: <I have to say, I like what I see...> -- turns his psychic power "off", leaving Lake's head -- <I'll always remember this for when I need to hunt a bird. That memory was quite interesting... I liked it a lot :3> -- twirls tail.

(After this post)

The Espeon examines the memory of the battle, at the same time comforted by the effort and the tactic Skye put on it yet dismayed and annoyed that apparently this Pokémon was also suffering from delusions of the times when there were humans around, now mostly lost to myth.

«What, is there a Lansat smuggling ring in the Golrod area or something else I have missed? I mean, it *might* be a good opportunity to prove my worth but come on... those humans feel kinda... I don't know, corny?»

The Espeon keeps exploring Skye's memories looking for something about battles, not noticing much else of what is going on around him in the meantime; he's also almost lost "track" of where Lake was standing next to them.

Meanwhile, out of one of the stands walks a Nidorino holding a small basket of [herbs]; he notices the group and after a moment of hesitation, goes check up.

????: <Morning, shephard...> -- greets the Shepard by raising his right paw -- <What's with the group over there?>

(From here)

Espeon -mentally separates himself from Skye: <...Well that last one was pretty interesting. The trickery is a bit convoluted but I'm sure I'll find the opportunity to apply it sometime in my from now on adventurous life~>

The Espeon walks around for a moment, getting himself used back to reality, then sits in front of Lake and Skye.

Espeon: <As for your pasts, as promised, I can try unveiling some things from them, but, I have to warn you; both your minds are weird,> -- makes a paw gesture -- <so if there is a Lansat smuggling ring anywhere in the nearby that is supplying you, I'm not going to stealthily suggest that you could speak about where it is in my presence...>

(Continuing from here)

Espeon: <I see... your family.> -- looks straight at Lake -- <Haven't seen mine for long, I guess I can understand how that feels.>

The Pokémon suddenly pounces on Lake and climbs on him, trying to sit on his shoulder.

Espeon: <Now, as I warned you, this might hurt a little. Not only because of the claws, mind...>

The Pokémon tries to cling to Lake while inspecting his memories from much closer, focused on digging deeper and deeper within the gator's foundational memory of a sequence of events, always in first person. He tries to avoid focusing any on the shallow layers, partly because of the whole thing about not understanding the presence of human image in Lake's mind.

First level he reaches with a certain hint of seclusion is a moment in time when the gator, then a Totodile, is sleeping on a table, the faint presence of a Chikorita and a Cyndaquil nearby. From there, the Espeon starts digging deeper and deeper, focused only on the multiple extents of time and on the idea of a family presence.