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It was early in September, and August saw a Pokemon he hadn't seen before walk through the open gates into the town. What this Pokemon was, August had no clue. It was quadrupedal, with large, somewhat cat-like ears with tufts of orange fur. It looked somewhat similar to a Fennekin, but deviated noticeably in terms of appearance.
August was nervous around this stranger. What their intent was was, at this point, unknowable. Of course, it would be unwise to enter any enemy territory alone, but maybe they were just a decoy, and there was an entire army in waiting. August, calling upon his son Mercury in case anything went wrong, began to investigate.
Beyond the gates, and behind the stranger, was nobody, even after checking every angle that the enemy force might be able to hide. August noticed the stranger looking confusedly at him, and then confidently marching into the town. "Who are you? Where are you from? What are you doing here?" August asked before they could get any further.
"Tolui, newest resident of this town," they answered. "This is where I'll be from now on. Do I need to explain much else?" Tolui then proceeded to strut his way towards where Reverie lived. Strangely, Tolui was carrying a plate of food.
August and Mercury kept a close eye on Tolui. "Fly up, and if he does anything suspicious, pounce on him," August instructed his son. It seemed highly likely that whatever Tolui was trying to serve was poisoned, but why he would want to poison Reverie, August had no clue. The stranger entered the hole in the large tree which Reverie was resident in, out of sight of August.
Tolui, carefully balancing the plate of breakfast he had prepared, went into a hole in a tree, where he found a Rowlet, which he had heard was named Reverie, still sleeping. He set down the plate on a small table near her bed.
Seemingly jostled awake by the noise, Reverie awoke, and seemed somewhat startled, before relaxing slightly again.
"Oh. Aren't you the new guy?" she asked plainly.
"Of course, I wanted to make a good impression. Now go ahead," he said, indicating the plate he had set down.
"You're not doing a very good job," she replied.
After witnessing Tolui march out of the tree, Mercury came soaring down upon him with a yell. However, Tolui, seemingly having heard the cry in time, was able to dodge out of the way. Mercury, able to react quickly enough, was able to land safely. Tolui adopted a more defensive stance, and watched Mercury carefully.
"What were you trying to do?" Mercury asked. He turned to the tree, deciding to check on Reverie. Maybe the poison was fast-acting. "August! See if Reverie's okay!" he told his father.
"Introducing myself in this new territory, though I am feeling somewhat hesitant to pursue the trading relations I had planned, because of you," Tolui explained.
"Well, where are you from then?" Mercury asked, hoping Tolui would tell the truth. If he did, then Mercury was already considering traveling there, to find if there are any other conspirators in this plot.
"Far away from here. I, alongside some others from various areas, traveled all the way from the Kazachok Mountains to get here, and I hope I don't have to leave so early," Tolui said, indicating westwards.
Mercury got closer, ready to initiate another fight if necessary. "What did you put in that food?" he continued to interrogate.
"Pancakes. Mashed bananas, flour, sugar," Tolui said, of course trying to hide something.
Mercury began to charge up electricity for an attack. "Don't lie to me! You tried to poison Reverie!" He knew that Tolui wouldn't reveal the truth, and that Mercury would have to force him. He unleashed a jolt of electricity around him, and Tolui promptly fell to the ground. "August, does Reverie need any medical attention?" Mercury called out, suddenly realizing not just the danger that this foreigner might present, but the health of a resident. He heard August's footsteps.
"She said she liked it," August reported.
"I'm not sure how well I'll be able to trade anything with you..." Tolui said.
Tolui looked up at Mercury. If all the residents of this place were this hostile, he needed to either leave, or get a force behind him to defend himself. But doing either of those things now seemed difficult, thanks to Mercury's thunder wave.
He saw August approach him, and Tolui began to tense up with anxiousness. He was vulnerable, and open to attack. August bent over, and with a serious look, asked "What did you give Reverie the pancakes for?"
"For diplomacy!" Tolui answered honestly, but he didn't know if anyone would believe him.
"I'll take your word for now, but if I find out that there's more to this, know there's more pokemon on my side than on yours here," August answered, handing Tolui a cheri berry, which he promptly ate, likely against his better judgement, but found that it had contained nothing harmful, and was cured of his paralysis.
Though August and Mercury still had their eyes on him intently, Tolui continued on through town, hoping to create a better relationship with the Pokemon of the area. It was possible that they might receive him with hostility, but he was considering staying with them if they decided to accept him.