(ACE) The PALLET Team

Oliver asked, "I-is it in the ground o-or- a container!?" How would that affect things? She was also confused as to why Oliver didn't take some of the bigger berries.

She got the answer to one of those questions when Kaleo said, "Oliver has a point. If it is potted we can take it to your own home for you to continue growing it. It isn't much but it would be a start." Oh. That would make sense. And then they could have at least two Pecha bushes.

Kaleo had taken some berries and that lightened her load some. She shifted the other berries around to get a better hold of them and then said, "Oh. Uh... I think it was potted? It wasn't directly in the ground." She had to pause as she remembered the bush; she hadn't paid much attention to the roots when she had seen the berries. To the other Pokemon who hadn't eaten yet, she said, "Why don't we eat some of these first?" She was pointedly trying to make sure the younger ones ate before she did. If there was a shortage, she could afford to go a little longer without food.

This made her look back over at Phobos, who had been quiet through most of this, and she suddenly realized that he had been stuck there without being able to do much. She looked over the house that most of them couldn't explore and thought that maybe they should take advantage of the abilities they had. There was a chance that something could be in there. "Phobos? Since we're here, why don't you take a look through the house?" She asked. "If you don't mind," she then quickly added. While it made sense to ask the ghost to explore, she didn't want to force an ally to do something they didn't want to do.

((If your characters do or don't eat the berries, it's fine, I just wanted to skip ahead a little give Phobos a little something to do! If there's any conflict, just let me know.))

"Oliver has a point," Kaleo said, munching on a berry. "If it is potted we can take it to your own home for you to continue growing it. It isn't much but it would be a start."

Oliver smiled, a bit bashfully, and nodded. Yes, that had been exactly what he was thinking.

Isolde shifted the berries in her arms a little, thinking on the question. She would have no idea what a pot was, probably. "Oh. Uh... I think it was potted? It wasn't directly in the ground." She paused a moment, likely contemplating something, and then had her attention stolen by the food. "Why don't we eat some of these first?"

The suggestion sent his stomach rumbling. Well... she had a point. There was food and they were all hungry for breakfast. Tentatively, he shifted all the berries he carried in his arms and took a berry, biting into it.

Oh, sweetness. Pecha. He loved pecha berries. The thought that they might have a potted pecha berry plant made him smile inside. It would be nice, to have a reliable food source that also just so happened to be his favorite flavor of berries.

He'd take what he could get, of course-- life had taught him that he couldn't afford to be stingy, ever. But... it would be nice, if he didn't have to settle, for once.

"Phobos?" Isolde addressing the young ghost gently tugged Oliver from his thoughts, the chimp looking over at the butterfly and the ghost. "Since we're here, why don't you take a look through the house? If you don't mind."

"Kaleo a-and Akamu and I can tell you what you're looking at, if you get confused by anything you find in there that you don't- don't recognize." Oliver added. "M-maybe see if you can find something to carry all the berries in? And-" a sudden idea came to him with a jolt. "When you get b-back from the house, w-we- we could look for a children's wagon? The plant Miss Isolde found is probably potted, but it would be hard for us to carry back. B-but if we can find a children's wagon- that has wheels. We can- set the pot inside and push or pull it. And- we would probably find one in someone's garage or backyard."

"Phobos? Since we're here, why don't you take a look through the house? If you don't mind."

Despite his earlier, disgruntled thoughts, Phobos finds himself being addressed directly. What luck-he got exactly what he'd been waiting for! He may not be an expert in berries and whatnot, but this-exploring-is his forte. Plus, Phobos already has a little experience from today with human places, why not take it further? He can always use the extra knowledge.

Hopefully it ends way better than last time.

"Of course I don't mind," Phobos affirms. He wouldn't pass up this opportunity for anything.

"Kaleo a-and Akamu and I can tell you what you're looking at, if you get confused by anything you find in there that you don't- don't recognize," Oliver says, and Phobos finds himself once again relieved they have Pokemon who understand human things. He can handle the ghost stuff; anything corporeal isn't exactly his territory. "M-maybe see if you can find something to carry all the berries in? And-"

Phobos waits patiently as Oliver talks; it would probably be rude to just leave in the middle of his spoken thoughts. Though he's not sure what exactly could be used to carry what the others found...

"When you get b-back from the house, w-we- we could look for a children's wagon? The plant Miss Isolde found is probably potted, but it would be hard for us to carry back. B-but if we can find a children's wagon- that has wheels. We can- set the pot inside and push or pull it. And- we would probably find one in someone's garage or backyard."

Okay, now he's really puzzled. A "children's wagon" isn't even remotely familiar, nor is a garage. Phobos puts the words in his mental compartment of "unknown human things", to be saved for later (that place is getting to be a little full, honestly). Right now, he still has to explore the dangerous-to-anyone-but-him house, but Phobos figures it wouldn't hurt to have at least some idea of what to search for. It'd save them time, at least.

"You still want me to find something to carry the berries, right? Is there anything specific I should be looking for?"

"Oh. Uh... I think it was potted? It wasn't directly in the ground." Akamu shook his head at his brother with a small eye roll. The moth had already explained more than once that she was wild, what did he think she would do without a definition for a word like potted? Silly donkey. "That is exactly what he meant, don't worry. Pot is a word growers use to describe a container they grow plants in outside of the ground itself. So we should be able to get it for you."

"Why don't we eat some of these first?" Replied the older female and again Akamu let out a small sigh. Though he couldn't deny he was hungry this entire day had been a mental drain and he just wanted a break. Looked like Kaleo could use one too based on how quiet he was getting so with little else to argue he began slowly savoring the few berries that had been offered while making sure to keep an eye out on the others.

"Phobos? Since we're here, why don't you take a look through the house? If you don't mind." Well that was an idea if ever there was one. He had mentioned before that the only one who could likely explore the house safely was the ghost but it seemed to have gotten lost before in the discovery of the berries. Maybe now they could get some real survival potential other than a handful of berries like more pots for them to plant in.

"Kaleo a-and Akamu and I can tell you what you're looking at, if you get confused by anything you find in there that you don't- don't recognize." Oliver added softly making Kaleo smile. The little monkey was so eager to please so everyone could be happy, it made the Mudbray a little hopeful that maybe he could one day get back to that state. "M-maybe see if you can find something to carry all the berries in? And- When you get b-back from the house, w-we- we could look for a children's wagon? The plant Miss Isolde found is probably potted, but it would be hard for us to carry back. B-but if we can find a children's wagon- that has wheels. We can- set the pot inside and push or pull it. And- we would probably find one in someone's garage or backyard."


"You still want me to find something to carry the berries, right? Is there anything specific I should be looking for?" Kaleo thought for a moment and looked to his own hulking stature. "Anything that can hold items that rolls I can pull. And anything that looks deep enough to put dirt and a plant in that won't spill out. It doesn't have to be something humans made to do that for us to use it that way anyway."

Akamu was able to explain to Isolde what Kaleo had meant. "That is exactly what he meant, don't worry. Pot is a word growers use to describe a container they grow plants in outside of the ground itself. So we should be able to get it for you." She gave the puppy a smile in thanks.

Phobos responded, "Of course I don't mind."

"Kaleo a-and Akamu and I can tell you what you're looking at, if you get confused by anything you find in there that you don't- don't recognize." Oliver was quick to add. She was extremely grateful for the three of them to help with this. "M-maybe see if you can find something to carry all the berries in? And-" He jolted in the middle of the statement before continuing. "When you get b-back from the house, w-we- we could look for a children's wagon? The plant Miss Isolde found is probably potted, but it would be hard for us to carry back. B-but if we can find a children's wagon- that has wheels. We can- set the pot inside and push or pull it. And- we would probably find one in someone's garage or backyard." She wasn't exactly sure what that was, but it sounded like it would be incredibly useful. She could ask later when they weren't focused on the current house since it seemed like they weren't going to find one here.

"You still want me to find something to carry the berries, right? Is there anything specific I should be looking for?"

She let the others answer this question. They had a better knowledge of what could be found inside and what could be used. Kaleo said, "Anything that can hold items that rolls I can pull. And anything that looks deep enough to put dirt and a plant in that won't spill out. It doesn't have to be something humans made to do that for us to use it that way anyway."

She did try to think of anything to suggest. Considering how decrepit that building was, it might not have much... She added, "Maybe any large amounts of fabric?" If it was clean, maybe they could replace what they had had to use to move the bodies.

"You still want me to find something to carry the berries, right? Is there anything specific I should be looking for?"

Oliver looked over as Kaleo spoke up. "Anything that can hold items that rolls I can pull. And anything that looks deep enough to put dirt and a plant in that won't spill out. It doesn't have to be something humans made to do that for us to use it that way anyway."

"Maybe any large amounts of fabric?" Isolde added. Oliver nodded; he hadn't even thought of that!

"L-like- uh- b-blankets. The soft st-stuff we slept on last night?" Because, right. He wouldn't know what a blanket was, probably. "Soft stuff for nesting is i-important, so that's a good thing to keep an eye out for, too."

He would have said 'bedding,' but Phobos probably wouldn't know what that meant. Good lord, he'd really need to take the two wild pokemon aside at some point and give them a quick rundown of things that all houses tended to have in common. It would make further scavenger trips easier if everyone knew what they were looking for.

Kaleo is the first to respond to his question. "Anything that can hold items that rolls I can pull. And anything that looks deep enough to put dirt and a plant in that won't spill out. It doesn't have to be something humans made to do that for us to use it that way anyway."

Okay, so an 'item that rolls' that Kaleo can pull, deep enough to fit dirt and a plant. That shouldn't be too hard. All Phobos needs to do is find something big, right? The 'roll' thing is a little more difficult, but he'll make do. In a building like that, he'd be lucky to find anything...soon after, the others add in their own responses.

"Maybe any large amounts of fabric?"

"L-like- uh- b-blankets. The soft st-stuff we slept on last night? Soft stuff for nesting is i-important, so that's a good thing to keep an eye out for, too."

Phobos thinks back to last night, when it'd just been him, Oliver, Isolde, and Shadowmere-so, "blankets" were those strange things Oliver and Shadowmere bundled up in? He remembers his confusion-but then, that'd been his first time inside a human house. Everything had been at least a little alien. Finally, he has a name for the things that eluded his (albeit painfully limited) knowledge-blankets! And soft stuff too, technically. With no other context, Phobos assumes the word Isolde added-"fabric"-is simply another name for these once-foreign objects. Bam-one mystery solved, just like that. Now, could the rest follow as easily, please?

"Okay. Something to hold dirt, and blankets. That doesn't sound too difficult." He hopes not, anyways. Being helpful would be cut short if there's literally nothing in that sorry excuse of a house. "Wish me luck-I'll give a shout if I've found anything!"

He floats away to the dreary house. In its state, it's wouldn't keep out a gust of wind, let alone a ghost like himself; Phobos is able to slip inside easily. Unfortunately, what they saw on the outside is telling of what's on the inside. He was absolutely right to think finding anything here would take quite a bit of luck.

The pair watched as the whole group began to pitch together to offer ideas to Phobos, the more domesticated Oliver helping translate when possible. Akamu considered how nice it was to see compared to the few Pokemon he and Kaleo had encountered thus far in their trip around Kanto. Those...were not nice Pokemon anymore, if they ever were. This was almost refreshing to see. Perhaps when they found Jesse they could come back here to help out until there was a way back home.

"Okay. Something to hold dirt, and blankets. That doesn't sound too difficult." Phobos confirms, almost excited to help out. "Wish me luck-I'll give a shout if I've found anything!" Kaleo nodded and wished Phobos the best of luck with his search, if only for the pokemon in this small group to have a chance of surviving. He went back to Isolde quietly and ate another berry to soothe the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. Things had been quiet for a while and quiet usually ended with something bad to break it.

"Make sure anything you find is where someone can grab it!" Akamu called out in warning to the retreating ghost. "Anything locked away or in a collapsed section won't be safe for us." He hoped that they would be lucky enough to have a safe-ish path through the burned house otherwise this would all be for nothing.

Thankfully Oliver had a better idea of how to describe what she wanted. "L-like- uh- b-blankets. The soft st-stuff we slept on last night? Soft stuff for nesting is i-important, so that's a good thing to keep an eye out for, too." Blankets? That was what he called the fabric things she had been unsure of what to call. She had felt a little guilty having to basically throw out a few, but they had already been more or less ruined by blood and decay.

"Okay. Something to hold dirt, and blankets. That doesn't sound too difficult." Phobos repeated to ensure he remembered everything. "Wish me luck-I'll give a shout if I've found anything!" With a somewhat cheerful demeanor, the ghost floats off to inspect the house. He didn't have any issues slipping in, and even though she knew he should be fine, she couldn't help but worry a little.

"I wish you luck, then. Take care." She said to the young one before he got too far. While he was the most able to get away from something dangerous, it was still worrying he had to do this alone. There were things that could hurt ghosts still.

Akamu called out, "Make sure anything you find is where someone can grab it! Anything locked away or in a collapsed section won't be safe for us." Oh she was so thankful someone thought to say that. Even if he could get to it, it would be dangerous for them to venture in too deep.

There wasn't much she could do at this point, so for the moment, she just kept an eye on their surroundings. Her white wings fluttered to ensure she stayed aloft, but she tried to make sure she wasn't too high up. It wouldn't do to attract something...

"Okay. Something to hold dirt, and blankets. That doesn't sound too difficult." Oliver smiled encouragingly at him. Yeah, that sounded easy. This would be easy, right? Ah please, let it be easy for once. At least something as simple as gathering supplies. "Wish me luck-I'll give a shout if I've found anything!"

"I wish you luck, then. Take care," Isolde said to the young ghost as he ventured inside. Oliver chewed nervously on a knuckle. Please don't let anything nasty be in there...

Sure, he'd smelled nothing, and neither had Akamu, but undead ghosts didn't have scents, did they? Usually not...

"Make sure anything you find is where someone can grab it! Anything locked away or in a collapsed section won't be safe for us."

Speaking of which.

He winced as the pup shouted a last bit of advice to Phobos before he got too far away. Welp, if there was anything scary in there, it definitely heard that. But there was no immediate shouting from their friend(?) so...

It was fine. It was fine, fine, fine. Everything was fine. He let out a slow breath Oliver hadn't realized he was holding.

"Does it matter if he finds something good in an unsafe part- ah wait-" He cut off his own quiet wonderings to himself. "If it's something big and he can't bring it back to us by himself, it would."

He hoped Phobos at least found something to carry the berries back, but better yet, something for them to transport that entire bush back. The idea of having any steady food supply eased a cramp in his gut that he had grown used to. Sure, one bush wouldn't provide enough food to feed them all, but Oliver knew that when you planted a berry, you got more bushes. It would be a matter of several days and they would have an entire viable farm! Maybe they could find some flowers around for Isolde, too. Did her species drink nector? He knew non-pokemon butterflies and Beautifuly did...

Actually, there's a lot I don't know about their kind, he realized with a jolt as he waited to hear back from Phobos about any potential findings. Any of them. I'm not familiar with any of their species. Akamu and Kaleo had a human so the culture might not be super diff- but even that's not true. They're from Alola. Two from Alola and two wild pokemon. He'd probably learn a lot from listening to them in the coming weeks...

Weeks. This really was long term, wasn't it? Please don't turn into disaster...

(KLSDBGKSBDGLSJDGBSLDBSLJHDBG FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYYY BITCH WE MADE IT WE MADE IT TO ONE HUNDRED and he's talking about wagons I stg he never badges during anything exciting; it's always him explaining mundane shit or silent contemplating and it's hilarious.)

"Make sure anything you find is where someone can grab it! Anything locked away or in a collapsed section won't be safe for us."

Right, that makes sense-the entire point of him being here is to keep the others out of danger, it wouldn't do for him to lead them right back into it. This place isn't holding up well, but surely there are safe spots the others can get to? Maybe? Phobos should really look and make sure. If there weren't, well, it's not like he can carry anything out himself. If only he could grab onto things and move them like Oliver and Isolde can! Being a ghost is fun, but sometimes the limitations really suck. At least he can go through walls.

"Got it!" he calls back, before beginning to poke around the damaged house. There's really not much here, and a lot of the visible objects are sadly out of reach beneath the collapsed parts. Hmm. Wait, what's this? He floats closer to a round thing lying on the floor that-oh, nevermind. Now Phobos can see that a part of whatever this object's called has shattered, and the broken pieces are strewn nearby. What a mess. Why couldn't it have been intact? Oh, but of course, his luck would never be that good, because-because-

Wait. Wait a minute. One of the things on his to-do list is finding something that can hold dirt, right? Yes, he remembers Kaleo saying something that could hold dirt and a plant, or something like that. Berries, plant, either one. This round-whatever has space inside it, so if parts of it weren't missing, then surely something could go inside and stay there? That's how these things work, right? It's like how Isolde and Oliver couldn't get into a room by phasing through like them, corporeal things are easily trapped. So, then, something like dirt and a berry (or plant) should stay in something like... again, whatever this object is. Phobos really should ask.

"Um, quick question," he calls out to the others, hoping their human knowledge will come through for him again, "I found something, but I don't know what it is. It's round... ish, kinda big, and empty on the inside, so it might be able to hold something? This one's broken, but I can try looking for a different one."


(Just fyi, what he found is a vase, and he has no idea how to describe the shape properly lmao)

Akamu was not by nature a very patient pup and as he waited for the ghost to search paced the ground incessantly hoping for any kind of good news. These pokemon weren't their responsibility, no, but he and Kaleo were the only ones with proper planting and gardening knowledge so for these few to have any chance of making a survivable stash of berry plants they needed help. Though helping them meant every day Jesse's scent grew fainter and fainter. Would he even be able to pick it up anymore once they did finally leave?

Sensing his friend's upset Kaleo buckled his knees and lay on the ground next to the frustrated Rockruff and let out a small huff, hoping to catch his attention. Akamu paused long enough to see Kaleo sitting there and took the offer to curl up next to the nervous donkey. Kaleo, despite his offer of support, was also looking for his own comfort as his friend curled close. Being out in the open like this was nerve wracking to say the least and he kept shifting his gaze this way and that hoping to not spot anything trying to sneak up on them.

"Um, quick question," came a voice, startling Kaleo which in turn startled Akamu. The pup waited for another sound and nearly bopped Kaleo for freaking out when he heard just Phobos calling out. "I found something, but I don't know what it is. It's round... ish, kinda big, and empty on the inside, so it might be able to hold something? This one's broken, but I can try looking for a different one."

"Sounds like it could hold dirt and plants, whatever it is," Akamu called back. "If it looks big enough to hold that bush outside when you find a whole one let us know. It might be a pot or something like that."

Isolde felt bad that she couldn't help much with this part of the scavenging, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Eventually she ought to talk to Oliver, Akamu, and Kaleo more to see if they could teach her more about humans, but that was a thing for the future. For the time being she continued to keep her eye on the surroundings. Unless directly spoken to, she kept quiet. Thankfully the clearing sky made it easier to see, and the mists of the morning had dissipated. It was actually going to be a nice day if her instincts were correct. They could definitely use a nice day after all the nonsense they dealt with yesterday.

Her thoughts again strayed to all the Pokemon that had disappeared. She had only known them for a few hours but... She still felt responsible for what happened. She hadn't been able to keep a stronger eye on them, or she couldn't protect them. The Vivillon could only hope that they were alive. They had made it this far, right? They could continue... She kept trying to avoid the thoughts that told her that one of them had been a child who was too naive to not run up to strangers, one had been taken by an undead to who knows where, and the other had run out of the house in a panic with no telling if or when she would break out of her state.

She had to do better by these children.

"Um, quick question," the ghost called, Oliver craning his neck as he stood on his tiptoes as if that would allow him to peer through walls and see Phobos inside. The sudden realization about how stupid that was hit a moment later and he felt his face turn hot, moving to sit down. "I found something, but I don't know what it is. It's round... ish, kinda big, and empty on the inside, so it might be able to hold something? This one's broken, but I can try looking for a different one."

"Sounds like it could hold dirt and plants, whatever it is," Akamu answered. "If it looks big enough to hold that bush outside when you find a whole one let us know. It might be a pot or something like that."

"Good luck!" he added hastily, knowing that Phobos was probably feeling at least a little self-conscious about not knowing what anything was. He knew he personally would be dying from feeling stupid at this point and hoping desperately that the others weren't annoyed with him.

If only we could follow him in there. But that house looked way too unstable. If they were going in, it should be just to retrieve whatever was found. Assuming Phobos couldn't bring it back himself. Could ghosts carry things? Oh wow, he was drawing a blank. He hadn't known any ghosts except...

He shuddered. Better not to think on that. But he had to if he wanted an answer and... yeah, he remembered. They could. At least, Gengar could. But he didn't remember how. Did they have to concentrate really hard or...?

Ghost anatomy was confusing, he sighed to himself.

(So I tried, but a post just isn't going to happen this round, I'll need to skip. I don't want to stall the team so I'll give the details of what I was going to include: he does find an intact vase/pot and tells the others, and also mentions that he's not sure how to get it to them since he's not capable of carrying it himself.)

Akamu once again was incapable of waiting patiently and began pacing around the outside of the house, Kaleo standing off to the side looking worriedly at his brother. Akamu had been more and more restless and agitated lately which usually meant a Rockruff was close to evolving but the Mudbray couldn't tell if this was near evolution or stress of still not finding a sign of Jesse that was doing this to the Puppy Pokemon. All he could do was watch and be there when Akamu needed him.

Finally another sound of success came from within as Phobos announced he had found an intact pot, though he seemed less than sure on how to get them to it. "Hang on, let me see if I can help," Akamu called back. "Two of us are small and the chimp is nimble, is there a safe path through that doesn't involve walls, sharp things, or looking like it might fall over?"

((Sorry it is short, I couldn't think of what else to do without Phobos's further reply))

After a bit more waiting, Phobos finally called out that he found something intact that they might could use. Isolde glanced at the Pokemon with her and at the house. Could any of them even fit in there and be able to carry it? Her large wings would make it impossible for her to navigate through the decrepit house without bumping or nudging something. As much as she would prefer not to, the younger ones might have to go in to retrieve it... First she had to ask, "How big is it?"

Akamu added his own question, "Hang on, let me see if I can help. Two of us are small and the chimp is nimble, is there a safe path through that doesn't involve walls, sharp things, or looking like it might fall over?" Very good questions if they had to go in... She waited for Phobos' response before trying to encourage or dissuade them from the venture. If there was a path, they should be fine...

"How big is it?" Isolde asked. Oliver worried his lip. If it was too big...

"Hang on, let me see if I can help," Akamu added. "Two of us are small and the chimp is nimble, is there a safe path through that doesn't involve walls, sharp things, or looking like it might fall over?"

"Th-there might also be a way in through the back?" Oliver called, hoping Phobos could hear him. He didn't have high hopes that the front would have a safe way in, but Phobos probably hadn't seen the back yet. "Um- remember how there was a door in the back of the house that led outside to the enclosed space with the fence? It's where we buried the gun we found and how we got there?"

As soon as he mentions the thing he's found, and how he can't get it back to them, Phobos receives responses from almost everyone else. That's a relief-he really didn't want to have to figure a way to solve this himself. Being a ghost and picking up a material object... well, there's not a whole lot of options there for him to pursue, really. The corporeal Pokemon will know better than he does, he can depend on their advice.

"How big is it?" Isolde's question is the first, and Phobos looks over the round object again. It doesn't look that big, really, with a little effort any of them could likely carry it back outside... but then, is he really the best judge of something like that? What if nobody can carry it out? Then this entire venture will have been entirely pointless, and that's the last thing Phobos wants.

"Hang on, let me see if I can help. Two of us are small and the chimp is nimble, is there a safe path through that doesn't involve walls, sharp things, or looking like it might fall over?"

Phobos inspects the area he's in, keeping an eye out for things that might not be good for a corporeal creature to go near. There's really not much that looks like it'd be safe for someone who can't just phase through whatever falls on them, or through the walls themselves; there's no way he'll tell them it's safe to go through here. Most of it is already collapsed anyways, they probably couldn't get around it. Could there be a different path, maybe, one he hasn't seen yet? It's not as if he's looked through the entire house.

Oliver is the next one to speak up. "Th-there might also be a way in through the back? Um- remember how there was a door in the back of the house that led outside to the enclosed space with the fence? It's where we buried the gun we found and how we got there?"

It's been awhile since they did that, but Phobos hasn't forgotten following Oliver outside to get rid of that gun. He might not ever forget that gun, especially not when Shadowmere ran away not long after they buried it. Phobos tries to let thoughts of her float away, though, he can't be sad now... the others are relying on him to find them a safe way inside. If he doesn't focus, he might make a mistake, someone could get hurt, and it would be entirely his fault.

"I remember that, yeah! Let me take a look," Phobos answers, mustering up as much cheer as he can. True to Oliver's idea, the back of the house isn't as damaged as the front-at least, that's how it looks to him. There's less of those collapsed parts, and more places where the walls don't get in the way. Akamu also mentioned sharp things, and while Phobos isn't entirely sure what all counts as sharp, there's less broken stuff too. He assumes Akamu meant stuff like the broken bits from whatever these objects he'd found are called. Either way, it's a lot safer than the front of the house for sure.

"Oliver, you were right. It looks like you guys could get in from back here," he says to the others, "It doesn't look like anything could fall on you, and I don't see any broken stuff around? There's not a whole lot of room, though... please be careful."


(I'm really sorry this is lackluster, I'm really tired rn. Please let me know if anything I put here needs to be edited)

Kaleo shifted nervously the longer it took for the small ghost to call back, pacing a small line between Akamu and Oliver as he waited. What if, what if something happened and they didn't hear it from out here? Or what if there was no way inside for anyone but a ghost? What if he found something terrible? There were so many possibilities that he wasn't sure if he should feel terrified or not.

"Th-there might also be a way in through the back?" Oliver called out, the simple logic Phobos was simply looking for a safe path making his worse thoughts take a backseat a moment. The Mudbray smiled at his new little friend, grateful for the relief. "Um- remember how there was a door in the back of the house that led outside to the enclosed space with the fence? It's where we buried the gun we found and how we got there?"

"I remember that, yeah! Let me take a look."

Akamu looked over at Oliver and stared a moment. What the hell were these pokemon doing with a gun? What the heck had happened before he and his brother got there? And why was it a clear enough reference the ghost understood the concept of a back door? So many questions.

"Oliver, you were right. It looks like you guys could get in from back here. It doesn't look like anything could fall on you, and I don't see any broken stuff around? There's not a whole lot of room, though... please be careful."

"Great. Wait there and let's see how we can get into the backyard to get to that door." Akamu was sure enough Isolde and Oliver could get over the fence, one could fly and one could climb, but even if Kaleo used his height to help the Rockruff hop over that left Kaleo all by himself. That...was an uncomfortably thought.

"Okay, we need a plan. We need to see if there is a gate to the back or else Kaleo won't make it over and I won't leave him by himself." As if on cue Kaleo began to shrink and shudder causing Akamu to move over to his brother and nuzzle his leg to try and comfort him. He looked to Isolde hoping for the best, "Did you see anything when you were back there earlier?"

Oliver had a good question that could give them something to work with. He called out to Phobos, "Th-there might also be a way in through the back? Um- remember how there was a door in the back of the house that led outside to the enclosed space with the fence? It's where we buried the gun we found and how we got there?"

"I remember that, yeah! Let me take a look," Phobos responded. He fell quiet for a few moments, probably while he looked. It was still a little nervewracking until he spoke again. "Oliver, you were right. It looks like you guys could get in from back here." He then added,
It doesn't look like anything could fall on you, and I don't see any broken stuff around? There's not a whole lot of room, though... please be careful." Oh... Yeah, She probably couldn't go in there herself.

Akamu took charge and told Phobos, "Great. Wait there and let's see how we can get into the backyard to get to that door." Then he spoke to the rest of them. "Okay, we need a plan. We need to see if there is a gate to the back or else Kaleo won't make it over and I won't leave him by himself." Wait what? Why would they be leaving Kaleo by himself? Unless he meant that he didn't want to leave Kaleo alone with her. She couldn't fault them for that since they just met... The poor kid shrunk down and Akamu had to go over to comfort him. He then asked her, "Did you see anything when you were back there earlier?"

What would they be looking for? She had been a little distracted by her original hunt for food, so she hadn't paid close attention to all the walls blocking the garden off. She mused aloud, "I think it was mostly enclosed... Do you mean something like a 'door?' I can go look again."

"I remember that, yeah! Let me take a look." Oliver smiled a little in relief, allowing the corners of his mouth to quirk up just a little as he relaxed for a moment.

Then he felt the eyes on him. Swallowing, his shoulders hunched and curiosity trumped survival instincts as his gaze slid to the side to get a look at who was staring at him. Akamu. Why...?

He didn't look hostile, just confused. And kind of freaked- Oh, the gun. Yeah, out of context, that sounded weird. It was pretty upsetting in context too, but at least it made more sense that way. Ask me later, he mouthed to the pup. It didn't feel appropriate to talk about such things in front of everyone else. Especially Kaleo, come to think of it. He was pretty scared. And guns were scary.

And it had been used to do a scary thing.

"Oliver, you were right," the ghost called, making Oliver start a bit before looking towards where his voice came from. The bit of news being encouraging, it coaxed him to smile a bit again. "It looks like you guys could get in from back here. It doesn't look like anything could fall on you, and I don't see any broken stuff around? There's not a whole lot of room, though... please be careful."

Akamu was quick to make some decisions, an act that left Oliver frozen and glancing back and forth between Isolde and the bold little pup. "Great. Wait there and let's see how we can get into the backyard to get to that door."

To the chimp's astonishment, he then turned to address the rest of them, still taking charge."Okay, we need a plan. We need to see if there is a gate to the back or else Kaleo won't make it over and I won't leave him by himself."

And still, Isolde did not object. She didn't even look annoyed. Kaleo shrank a bit, and Oliver winced in sympathy, but that was all that happened. No anger from the butterfly at all.

"Did you see anything when you were back there earlier?"

"I think it was mostly enclosed... Do you mean something like a 'door?' I can go look again."

She wasn't angry yet but that didn't mean she couldn't become angry. And Oliver could feel she was stronger than either of the two boys. With little regard to things like thought, he blurted out, "W-well- Phobos said there wa-was a way in through the back, so th-there's definitely a door!" Inwardly he groaned. Look a little more nervous, why don't you! But he'd started to speak so he had to keep going. Taking a deep breath, he added, "M-Miss Isolde might be planning to-" Shit shit shit he was saying something like an order or like he had the right to speak for her he was gonna catch it now but he couldn't stop- "M-might be planning t-to- to st-stay outside be-because her w-wings c-could knock into stuff, so she co-could stay here with Kaleo? I-if you two a-are okay with that?"

"Great. Wait there and let's see how we can get into the backyard to get to that door."

"Okay!" Thank Uxie there's no objections, because Phobos would have no idea what to do otherwise; there's no way the others could get through the front without someone getting hurt. 'Sharp things' and walls getting in the way aren't a problem for him, but he has to look out for the safety of his non-ghost friends. If he says it's not dangerous, and something still happens to any of them, then... that is not a happy thought. Nope, no way, Phobos isn't going to think like that right now, go away negativity. The others are going to get here without any sort of trouble, and it won't end up like the last time he had a brilliant plan and tried to help someone.

Speaking of helping, Phobos wonders if maybe his friends might need him soon. Nobody's said anything to him again yet, but still, it's kind of boring waiting here alone with nobody to talk to or anything interesting to look at. Everything in here is either broken or buried under the collapsed parts of the house. Maybe he could ask if they want any help...? No, no, he'd probably only get in the way of whatever they're doing, and then they'd definitely become angry with him. It's better, safer, to stay here and wait until he's actually needed.

"I think it was mostly enclosed... Do you mean something like a 'door?' I can go look again."

"Yeah, kind of like a door. Usually it is the same size as the fence-"

"W-well- Phobos said there wa-was a way in through the back, so th-there's definitely a door!" Kaleo looked back and forth between his brother and the others, the conversation seeming to teeter on the edge of an argument if someone said or did the wrong thing. His ears beginning to flatter he watched and listened as even Oliver began to stutter from the tension. "M-Miss Isolde might be planning to- M-might be planning t-to- to st-stay outside be-because her w-wings c-could knock into stuff, so she co-could stay here with Kaleo? I-if you two a-are okay with that?"

Akamu sighed and turned to face the chimp, shaking his head as he felt Kaleo trembling where his haunches rest on the donkey's foreleg. "I meant that we need Kaleo's strength to move anything. Especially if we get that wagon. And he can't exactly do anything from out front. I was asking if there was a gate to the backyard we could all go through and then you and I can slip in through the back door while Isolde and Kaleo wait in the back where there aren't as many-" he looked at the vacant streets nervously and sniffed at the air a bit, almost as if he were checking for something. "-open spaces..."

Nudging his brother once more he leaned down and whispered in the small pup's ear, Akamu letting out another sigh as he nodded to his brother's words. His posture becoming less defensive Akamu looked at both Isolde and Oliver and did his best to try to ease whatever weird tension the Mudbray was sensing. "Look...I'm not... We said we'd help, right? I'm not trying to move in on anyone's turf. I just want to find our trainer and go home. That's all."

Phobos's voice was cheerful as he replied back to them. "Okay!"

"Yeah, kind of like a door. Usually it is the same size as the fence-" Akamu was explaining.

Oliver interrupted with a nervous voice, "W-well- Phobos said there wa-was a way in through the back, so th-there's definitely a door! M-Miss Isolde might be planning to- M-might be planning t-to- to st-stay outside be-because her w-wings c-could knock into stuff, so she co-could stay here with Kaleo? I-if you two a-are okay with that?" She wondered why he was so nervous, but he was kind of right. She had been planning on staying outside, but that wasn't what they had been talking about right then.

Akamu sat down and shook his head as he spoke to Oliver. "I meant that we need Kaleo's strength to move anything. Especially if we get that wagon. And he can't exactly do anything from out front. I was asking if there was a gate to the backyard we could all go through and then you and I can slip in through the back door while Isolde and Kaleo wait in the back where there aren't as many-" He paused long enough to look up and down the empty street and sniff before picking up his thought, "-open spaces..." Kaleo then nudged him before bending down to whisper to the puppy. Whatever he said, Akamu then said, "Look...I'm not... We said we'd help, right? I'm not trying to move in on anyone's turf. I just want to find our trainer and go home. That's all."

She wasn't sure what to do to ease the tension. It almost came out of nowhere, and she had no idea what had caused it. "That's fine, Akamu. I wasn't thinking that at all. I just... wasn't sure what you meant. I'm sorry, I'm still learning." To Oliver, she said, "Yes, I was planning on staying outside. But Akamu has a good point. So let's see if we can find the 'gate' he was talking about." That was the best she could do. Unable to stand just floating there much longer when they had a mission to do, she started to flutter around the fence. If there was a gate, then it probably would stick out, right?