<b><span style="font-size: 15px">Round Primary</span></b><br/><br/><br/><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><b>Dawn of the Second Day</b></span><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>The night settled upon the village of Utsumi. The villagers cleaning up from the hasty meal cooked and settling in for the night. The rooms offered were of no extravagance, but after the week Eleyna had been through, a bed may as well have been a five star resort. She hadn't expected to fall asleep as quickly as she did, either.<br/><br/>She was awoken by the woman who owned the house. The sky carried only the faint glow of the coming sunrise, and waking at such hours had never agreed with the girl. It required a herculean effort to rise from the bed. The aches had returned in full force, the ware her limbs had suffered the two previous endless days returning. The home owner's husband showed her to the small bathing room, offering her towels and a new Yukata. She sat naked on the stool for a long time, waiting for some willingness to wake up to set in. She could hear the couple milling about in the house, the sizzle of food cooking slowly seeping into the small bathroom. It was enough at least to get her to lift the bucket of water and pour it on her face. She yelped with sudden life as she was hit by the shocking revelation of the water's temperature. It was quite cold, and her slumping body suddenly rigid and upright, her soft nipples now pert, and her eyes wide open. She heard laughing in the adjacent room. At least she wasn't struggling to wake up anymore.<br/><br/>She washed quickly and dressed. For the third day in a row she was without underwear, and worse, she was beginning to not notice. The smell of a village breakfast met her as she stepped out. It was hearty, and completely without the sugar she had been accustomed to on the mainland, and complete with a dark tea. The couple sat with her around the kotatsu table on cushions as they ate. Eleyna was surprised to find the two were quite lively and excellent conversationalists. Eleyna wondered at how the others were faring in regard to their lodging.<br/><br/>When Eleyna returned to her pack in her room, she opened her pack and realized that it was absent her old tattered clothing. She riffled through the pack and felt her heart speed up as she realized something else was missing as well.<br/><br/><span style="color: darkgreen">Ah.... Sumimasen </span>Eleyna heard the woman of the house say behind her. She spun to look at her.<span style="color: darkgreen">I decided to take the liberty of washing your clothes... Or at least I was going to, but there wasn't much left of them.</span>She bowed apologetically.<span style="color: darkgreen"> I did manage at least to clean your hat.</span>. She presented her cap which she had bought in Saisho.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Uhm... there was a - well a badge in my bag. Did you see it?</span>Eleyna asked, hesistant.<br/><br/>The woman gave herself a light tap on the head.<span style="color: darkgreen">Oh, haha, yes. It was tangled in your shirt.</span>She reached into her waist band and withdrew the shining pink Soul Badge, giving it to Eleyna who quickly took it and shoved it to the bottom of her pack.<br/><br/><i>Stupid, stupid, stupid!</i>Eleyna thought, angrily, her cheeks flushing.<i>You shouldn't have taken it, you stupid girl! It wasn't yours, stupid, stupid Eleyna!</i>She set what remained of her supplies on top of it to conceal it. What if someone had found out she had taken it from the trainer they rescued on the cliff side? What if -<br/><br/><span style="color: darkgreen">Ah - gomenasai, I didn't mean to intrude on your things.</span>The woman bowed again.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Oh no no... its not that.</span>she stood and bowed to her.<span style="color: blue">Its really, its ok. Its just uhm - I mean I didn't want anyone to know. Its uh, I mean... well, no its ok. Thank you for taking care of me.</span>She bundled up her rebellious raven black hair, shoving it through the gap in the back of the hat before securing the brim around her forehead. She smiled at the woman from beneath the brim.<br/><br/>The woman beamed at her.<span style="color: darkgreen">Ah... Look at you. Dame dame... lift those shoulders up and pull them back. Come on now, stand up straight.</span>She took Eleyna shoulder, moving them. Eleyna responded to the woman's motherly tone. She took Eleyna's Yukata, straightening it, tugging it and setting it more properly upon her.<span style="color: darkgreen">Chin up.</span>She put a finger on Eleyna's chin lifting it a little, confused.<br/><br/><span style="color: darkgreen">Ah... there she is. </span>She put her hands on Eleyan's shoulders, smiling brightly.<span style="color: darkgreen">There's the beautiful girl you've got hidden under there. </span><br/><br/>Eleyna was momentarily dumb founded. She had never been called beautiful before, except by her own mother, which of course hardly counted. The woman smiled.<span style="color: darkgreen">You don't need some Pokemon's approval to be great, Eleyna.</span>She told her.<span style="color: darkgreen">All you need is what's right here.</span>She tapped Eleyna's heart.<span style="color: darkgreen">All you have to do is stand tall, and not let that world out there sit on your shoulders. It's alright to be noticed. You'll be a great trainer.</span><br/><br/>Eleyna stared at the woman, bereft of words.<br/><br/><span style="color: darkgreen">Oh, don't give me that look.</span>She said, smiling.<span style="color: darkgreen">Once a mother, always a mother.</span><br/><br/>She turned as her husband called for them to hurry up.<span style="color: darkgreen">Ah, that's our que then. Village life starts early. We've got a festival to finish preparing. </span><br/><br/>Eleyna followed the couple out of their house, slipping on her sandals with them and stepping out onto the dirt road between the houses. She was lost in thought, though no idea crossed her mind. The woman had tapped a critical nerve in her somewhere, some childlike nervousness and pulled it from the depths of Eleyna. She couldn't rightly explain or grasp why it had affected her so, but as she started down the road she couldn't help but draw her shoulders back and stand tall.<br/><br/>Eleyna was amazed to see there were already some villagers at work in the festival grounds. The sky had begun to lighten, and over the eastern peaks looking down on the village was a golden glow of the rising sun. Brollem was at the edge of the village, talking with some of the villagers. From the parchment in his hand and contemplative look on his face, Eleyna reckoned he was in the process of coordinating their day's effort. Eleyna gave a polite goodbye to the couple that had let her stay with them, heading to Brollem to see what she could do.<br/><br/>Brollem noticed her coming, and gave her a once over.<span style="color: red">Well, you're looking fine this morning, Eleyna. </span><br/><br/>Eleyna smiled from under the hat and nodding.<span style="color: blue">Am I? Well... I guess it's just been a good morning. What can I do to help?</span><br/><br/><span style="color: red">Hm. And chipper to boot. Well, I'm glad for feeling in high spirits.</span>He smiled under his bushy beard and gave a nod.<span style="color: red">You lot,</span>He began, looking to the other trainers that were present as well,<span style="color: red">may actually be a great deal more helpful today than I would have liked. While the whole lot of it needs to be finished and all, there's some details that have got me concerned. We may need your Pokemon to see them through. Apparently, to observe the proceedings properly, we need a great deal of a certain kind of flower. Don't ask me, I don't understand why - tradition they're tellin' me. Tachiko says she knows where some's growing, just a bit south into the woods there. But, with things being the way they are, I'd feel a great deal more comfortable if she and the others going to collect them had a bit of support, if you take my meaning. I don't rightly expect trouble, but I'd rather not take the risk.<br/>
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The seconds a touch easier to handle. Its a sort of pre-festival ritual. You've met Aiko, Kaiyo's granddaughter last night. Well, this whole thing requires the youngest person of age from the village to perform a dance of sorts during the festival. Its what the stage and the float are for. Before we can do all this, she's got to go into the Spirit Forest north there and present an offering. Its apparently supposed to be act as a sort of invitation to the spirits, let them come to the festival to be appeased or what have you. This one I'm genuinely concerned about - Aiko's a sweet girl, and I'm not about to let her go in there alone. I was going to go with Makko and Kikuchiro, but...</span>Brollem looked in the direction of Kaiyo, who was walking along side her granddaughter at the edge of the bay.<span style="color: red">But apparently, only Aiko, as the dancer, can go. No one else of the village may enter the woods. So, let's call you lot a loophole then. Some of you go with her, keep her safe, bring her back. I don't need to remind you what historically has lived in those sorts of places. Those of you looking to nab a ghost or psychic Pokemon, this may be your chance.<br/>
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Then, of course, there's the festival preparations itself. Its back of track thanks to your work yesterday, but its far from done. We've got to finish construction, paint it all up, decorate, bonfire pit's got to be dug and so on. Not undo-able, certainly. In fact, I reckon we've got plenty in us to get it done alone, but any help would be appreciated.<br/>
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If you're tired, well, I don't blame you. Feel free to relax, of course. Use the training grounds, that sort of thing.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: blue">So, I'll help with the building, then?</span>Eleyna asked.<br/><br/><span style="color: red">Nope. I've got something special set aside for you. Can't have you leaving here not being a trainer, not while there's a perfectly good gym founder willing to set on the right track. Alright?</span><br/><br/>The prospect of once again being hurled into attempts at training would have disquieted Eleyna, but she felt confident today. She felt different. She kept her back straight and gave a nod.<span style="color: blue">Hai!</span><br/><br/><span style="color: red">Alright. It'll be a bit before we get things kicked off. You lot can figure yourselves in where you'd like. I'll let you know when they're all heading out and will need help.</span>Brollem concluded giving them a nod.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-size: 12px"><b>Utsumi Travel Guide</b></span></span>:  Day 2<br/><br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline">Quests:</span><br/><ul>
<li><b>Collect Kenjiki Flowers </b> <i>Risk: Moderate</i>    - Rewards: XP, ???</li>
<li><b>The offering</b> <i>Risk: High</i>        - Rewards: XP</li>
<li><b>Building the Festival </b> <i>Risk: None</i>   - Rewards: XP</li>
<li><b>???    </b> <i>Risk: ???</i>           -        Rewards: XP, ???</li>
</ul><br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline">Locations and Special Opportunities:</span><br/><b>Gym Battle Badge Available (EVO)  </b>-        Rewards: XP, Badge, HM<br/><b>Training Field</b>-        Rewards: Bonus XP During Training<br/><b>Shop</b>-        Terminal Available for Pokemon Trading<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>