Welcome to Gaia! ::

With no real Normal Grand Master to seek out like the other types, Sub has suggested instead you seek guidance from a community of Normal type hybrids located in Sinnoh, west of Floaroma Town, beyond the forest. There you will find a small village mostly surrounded by forest except for the cliff over looking the sea which serves as the village's central point and where the chieftain's home is built upon. The village in question is named Bareeno Village, Bareeno said to mean “Of the Valley” as the original founders, Bibarel hybrids, were once native to where the Valley Windworks now stands, the native hybrids forced from their lands long ago. After a move to northern Floaroma the then chief sold their land to the Fuego Ironworks and used the funds to create the isolate village they have now.

Bareeno Village is filled with Normal type hybrids of all species from all parts of the world, acting as a refuge for those considered 'weak' or without a purpose. Here you will find that every hybrid is specialized to the job they play in the community as these are very serious and industrious people.

You must first seek out the village chieftain, a female Delcatty hybrid named Toshiko Bareeno, a very serious and ambitious woman, she believes strongly in the uniqueness of the Normal type and dares anyone to question her capabilities as a woman or a Normal type hybrid. You will need to first gain her permission to stay in the village. While outsiders are not banned and even humans come and go from here you must receive the chieftain's permission to stay in the village any longer than a day and you will certainly need more than a day to learn anything.

In order to do this you must prove your worth to the community. Find a job that needs filling and exceed at it. There is plenty to do at Bareeno Village as they try their best to be self-sufficient. Work with the Dunsparce hybrid miners in the mines. Garden with the Sawsbuck and Diggersby hybrids in the fields. Chop and carve wood with the Bibarel and Zangoose hybrids. Gather fruit and berries with the Ambipom and Furret hybrids in the woods. Construct buildings with the Ursaring and Vigoroth hybrids. Or work at the all natural remedies village Pokemon Center with the Blissey and Audino hybrids. There is plenty to do, find something you're good at and get the group's leader to put in a good word for you to Chieftain Toshiko.

Once she receives your recommendation she will have a sparing match with you. Don't worry if you lose, most do as Toshiko is ruthless even while sparring, the only purpose of this is for her to see for herself your will to be here. If you do well enough she'll accept you as part of their community and if you ask her she might just tutor you in learning a new move, and if she isn't capable of doing so she'll certainly instruct a hybrid who can to teach you.

You only need to be accepted into the village once, afterwards you're welcome any time but going forward with your training may require future tasks.

-Objective:
---Journey to Bareeno Village west of Floaroma Town.
---Find a job that you excel at and get the job's leader to recommend you to Chieftain Toshiko.
---Spar with Toshiko and show her how serious you are about being here.
---Be tutored by Toshiko or another hybrid in mastering a new move.

-Opposition:
---Any hybrid you might make enemies with.
---Wild Pokemon if you venture into Bareeno Woods. There you'll find; Starly, Bidoof, Buneary, Aipom, Delcatty, Happiny, Chatot, Munchlax, Lickitung, Combee, Wurmple, Silcoon, Cascoon, Heracross, Burmy, Cherubi, and Budew.

-Pokemon:
---You may capture one wild Pokemon.

-Rewards:
---Bareeno Village Passport
---Two new Hybrid moves and slots for them.
---The ability to take on the next Master Mission.
---1x Snag Emblem
---Varies from there.

~*~

Keiko and Ulla would find themselves in the Floaroma Town Pokemon Center. Keiko made a point to thank Claydol for the transportation, at the same time ignoring GRAY, who was being his usual talkative self. She started heading out almost immediately, not wanting to stick around the town - sure it was pretty with all the flowers and everything, but she wanted to focus on the reason she came here. Then she remembered Ulla having come with her, and she turned to the young Channeler. "Ready to go?"

Keiko giggled a bit as Ulla pulled out her hoverboard. "I wasn't planning on running all the way there. Though I guess we shouldn't be too slow about it. Terashi and Leon are waiting for us back home, after all. But that doesn't mean we won't have time to take in the scenery, either."

With that, Keiko started heading west through the trees, where the path to Bareemo Village lay. The path felt a little more armomatic than Floarma Town itself did, although that might have been something specific to Keiko. The way the area smelled with the trees and grass in the area, and the way the wind felt ruffling her fur... it was a new feeling, one that Keiko hadn't experienced before. But it felt strange, and yet somehow, it felt like she belonged there.

"Focus, woman," Keiko told herself, slapping her cheeks. "You didn't come here to play in the grass." As soon as she said that, though, she felt something soft but firm collide with her foot, causing her to lose balance and fall flat on her face.

"Oww..."
(Oww...)

Realizing she wasn't the only one that complained about pain, Keiko quickly sat up and looked at the Munchlax that caught her foot as it sat up and rubbed its eyes. (That hurt... That hurt!) the Munchlax said in Pokespeak, which Keiko could understand due to being a hybrid.

Before Keiko could apologize, the Munchlax rolled to its feet and glared angrily at her. (You big meanie!) it yelled, stomping toward her. Before she could react, though, Hera popped out of her ball and used Seismic Toss on Munchlax, twirling it in the air before suplexing it into the ground.

'Wait!" Keiko tried to say, but Munchlax was on the verge of fainting before she could say anything else. As quickly as she could, she recalled Hera, and was fortunately able to do so before she hurt Munclax further. (Why you bully me? I... I just wanna sleep...) Munchlax cried, holding its hands to its face.

Keiko rushed to Munchlax's side and did the only thing she could think of to make it feel better - she wrapped it in a tight hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Hera didn't mean to hurt you like that. She was just trying to protect me is all.' The Munchlax looked up at Keiko, then to Ulla, then back to Keiko, seeming a bit confused about the situation now that it was sure that Keiko wasn't an enemy.

"I'm okay, but I'm not sure about Munchlax," Keiko explained to Ulla. Munchlax seemed to calm down as Keiko explained the situation, feeling soothed by her hug. (Scary bug yours?)

"Yeah," Keiko smiled, pulling an arm away to grab Hera's ball and show it to Munchlax, who then looked at some of the other balls on Keiko's belt. (Pink ball is pretty,) it cooed, which drew Keiko's attention to one of the pokemon she'd caught with a Heal Ball. She attached Hera's ball back to her belt before procuring the ball in question. "It's a Heal Ball. I like them because they heal whatever Pokemon they catch, though the fact that it has my favorite color on it helps," she explained.

To Keiko's surprise, the ball in her hand opened, revealing Eve, who cheered happily at both Keiko and Munchlax, the latter of whom seemed very entertained by the brown-furred Pokemon's arrival. (Put me in one!) the Munchlax requested happily, which caught Keiko off-guard. "You want me to catch you?" Keiko asked, a bit confused. (Lots of meanies in the forest. Bunny lady nice,) Munchlax explained. Smiling, Keiko took an empty Heal Ball from her bag and tapped Munchlax in the belly with it. After a very short amount of time, the Heal Ball containing Munchlax was teleported into the Snagem Pokemon Storage System via GRAY.

"I was gonna have Audrey heal him, but I guess this works, too," Keiko explained before rising to her feet. With a happy sigh, Keiko patted Eve a bit before putting her back in her ball. She then stood up and smiled at Ulla. "Ready to keep going? We shouldn't be much farther, now."

Fortunately, it didn't take that much longer for the two of them to arrive at the village. She felt a strange sense of happiness seeing all the different kinds of Normal-type hybrids working together, and they all seemed pretty happy to see her, too - looking up from their work and waving at her. They were surprisingly unreactive to Ulla's presence - either they were really apathetic towards humans or they didn't mind her because she was with Keiko. It wasn't until she got close to the center of the village that someone acted differently, however. "Hey, outlander!" a Linoone hybrid shouted, catching her attention. "Chieftan's looking for ya." Surprised, Keiko followed the hybrid, motioning for Ulla to do the same.

Noting that her guide was a bit quiet, Keiko decided to break the ice. "I guess you don't have that many bunny hybrids in town," she said, not realizing she meant Lopunny until after she finished her sentence. "It ain't exactly like that," the Linoone hybrid explained, getting the gist of what she meant. "Boss said to look out for a shiny Lopunny hybrid with a weird device on her wrist."

Keiko realized for a split second that her being the hybrid of a shiny Pokemon would set her apart, until she heard 'weird device'. She looked down at her right arm and saw the Snag Machine she was wearing. Did many people identify Team Snagem members that way?

She didn't have time to ponder that, though. "Alright, this is it, just behind that curtain. Be careful, by the way. The Chieftan does a lot of good for this village, but she doesn't take any ~/~, so watch yourself."

"Right, thanks," Keiko said, before turning to Ulla. "Wlell, here goes nothing," she said to her daughter with a smile before turning and entering the doorway, expecting Ulla to follow her.

Once in side, Keiko and Ulla found themselves in a large tent - possibly the largest structure in the entire village. At least, it looked like a tent. The ceiling and walls were made of a kind of cloth. But there was so much space within that you could fit an actual house.

"So, you're the one they sent to train under me, huh?" A very powerful-looking Delcatty hybrid said as she rose from a nearby couch. "Huh... you don't look like much, no offense."

"I wasn't born like this," Keiko explained. "Somebody forced hybridiation on me, so that's probably why I'm not very strong."

"I hope you kicked their butts for it, then," Toshiko huffed. Keiko looked down at that moment - she was happy that I was the one to rescue her, but part of her wished she knew Frustration right away so she could have fought Lovrina herself.

'Anyway, I'm willing to help you, but it won't be free. You gotta do something for me and my people if you want my help," the chieftan explained. "Sub said you'd want me to help the village. Do you need any delivery work done? That's what I have the most experience with," Keiko asked right away, even though not all of her experiences with delivery were pleasant ones.

Toshiko shook her head, however. "We already got a delivery boy. HEY, BRUCE! COME MEET THE NEW GIRL!" the chieftan shouted. Keiko froze up almost immediately. I hope it's not THAT Bruce, she thought to herself.

Sure enough, a Tauros Hybrid entered the giant room, smirking at Keiko. "Hey, she's kinda cute." he huffed "Nice to meet ya."

"We've... already met..." Keiko said mid-facepalm.

"I'll take your word for it," Bruce said with a shrug. "Though you do sound familiar somehow."

"She offered to help you with the Fuego Ironworks delivery. You need her help?" Toshiko asked.

"Well, she does have Pokemon on her," Bruce spoke up. "I mean, I can handle the Wild Pokemon on the road, but I do kinda feel a little bad doing it. I'd rather they have actual pokemon to fight instead of me just beating on them in a one-sided match."

"One of these days you're gonna faint from blood loss with that bleeding heart of yours," the chieftan huffed. "Fine. You've got the job, Sparkles."

"Sparkles?" Keiko asked bewilderedly.

"Because you're a shiny," Toshiko explained with a smirk. "Anyway, what about the kid? We don't do daycare,"

Keiko looked down at her ears and blushed, although nobody could see it behind her fur coat. Though her mind moved from that quickly when Ulla was mentioned. "She can help out around the village, too. I know she looks really young, but she's very mature for her age. What kind of jobs need going around the village? So she knows what she can pick from?" Keiko offered, asking about the jobs for Ulla's sake.

"Well, the Dunsparce miners are always looking for extra hands. There's also the fields if being underground isn't her thing. Dunno if she'll be much help with logging or construction, but she could go through the forest picking berries and such. Or, if she's talented with natural herbs and remedies, our all-natural Pokemon Center needs all the help it can get."

"What do you think?" Keiko asked, turning to Ulla. "You can come with me if you want, but I'm sure the village would be really grateful if you gave some of them a hand."

"Then it's settled. I'll see you when you get back," Toshiko said to Keiko before turning to Ulla. "Come on, I'll show you where our Pokemon Center is at."

~*~

About ten minutes of walking later, Toshiko and Ulla would arrive at an overgrown wooden building that looked well made despite being very primitive in design. Several different herbs and berries were growing out of vines on the walls, both inside and outside. "This is the place," Toshiko said calmly, leading Ulla inside.

"Welcome to our Pokemon Center!" a very cheerful Blissey hybrid spoke up as Toshiko and Ulla entered. A nearby Audino hybrid, overhearing this, stepped out and greeted the pair as well. "Hiya!"

"This is Ulla. She'll be helping you with your work while her mother is working and training with us. I'll trust you two to take care of her while she's here. If you have any problems, you know where to find me." With that, the Delcatty hybrid turned to Ulla with a smirk. "Have fun!"

(I'll let you name and interact with these two as you please.)

~*~

"So, uh, where did we meet again?" Bruce asked as he and Keiko walked up to a pair of Tauros packed to the brim with cargo.

"Goldenrod City..." Keiko replied, sounding depressed.

"Goldenrod..." Bruce muttered. His eyes widened as realization struck him. "OH! ...oh. Man... you're really changed, Cake."

"On the outside, yeah," Keiko sighed. Deciding to leave the conversation at that, the two mounted the pack Tauros and began riding to Fuego Ironworks. Keiko was used to being called Cake by now, between Night and Chaos. It took her a bit to remember as she rode her way through Sinnoh, but eventually she remembered that of the people that knew her by that nickname, Bruce was the first to call her by it.

"So, uh..." Bruce started to say, trying to pick conversation back up. "I... uh... I really... owe you an apology."

"Huh?" Keiko asked, having been lost in her thoughts up to that point.

"I was in... kiiind of a bad place when we were together. I mean... I feel bad. You were pouring your heart out to me and I just... locked my feelings away. I mean, I kind of had to so it didn't get in the way of my work, but... I shouldn't have kept doing it when you and I were alone. I should have opened up to you more. I just... I don't know. I felt like I shouldn't be telling you work stuff because I didn't think you could help with it, and it'd just feel like I'm whining anyway-"

"It wasn't entirely your fault," Keiko spoke up, interrupting Bruce. "I wasn't in the best place either due to how the relationship I was in before we met ended up, and.. I shouldn't have been leaning on you emotionally as much as I was."

Bruce turned to retort to Keiko's explanation, but stopped short when he saw the promise ring she was wearing. "...how's the new guy treating you?" he asked glumly, which caught Keiko's attention. She looked down at the promise ring she was wearing - the one I gave her. "He's really nice to me," she said, knowing Bruce would want the truth. "He has anger issues sometimes, but he never takes it out on anybody close to him. He always takes time to be with me and our adopted daughter-"

"You adopted her?" Bruce asked. He was a bit relieved to hear that - Keiko showing up with a kid had him worrying that she left him with more than he thought, but knowing she adopted Ulla set his mind at ease a bit more, until he realized why it set his mind at ease and started feeling bad again. "Aaanyway, I'm... glad you're happy. You deserve it."

"You deserve to be happy, too," Keiko insisted, which only made Bruce smile. "Yeah, I had a feeling you'd say that. Classic Cake. Well, hell, I'm still young! I'm bound to find the right gal at some point!" Bruce roared, laughing heartily afterward. Keiko smiled wistfully at that, but both were caught off guard when the pack Tauros they were riding stopped.

"Whoa, we're here already?" Bruce asked in shock. "Man, delivery rides have never been this short, what gives?"

"We were doing a lot of talking," Keiko replied, hopping off the pack Tauros she rode in on. "That's probably why the ride seemed shorter."

"Guess that makes sense," Bruce shrugged hopping off his ride as well. The pair of hybrids looked on at Fuego Ironworks - a large steel building that looked to be made of equal parts architecture and patchwork, with a large yard full of scrap metal piles scattered throughout and interspersed with piles of industrial refuse. As the pair approached, someone yelled "Watch out!" as a metal pipe dropped from near the top of the building. The next thing Keiko knew, she was sitting on a pile of scrap metal with her back against a steel wall as workers gawked at her in shock. "Hey! Watch it! Coming through!" Bruce shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd and toward Keiko. "Arceus, Cake, are you okay?"

"What happened?" Keiko asked weakly as Bruce helped her to her feet. "You started running on all fours like a bat out of hell, then you suddenly jumped up super high and butt-slammed a falling steel pipe so hard that you crushed it between your behind and the side of the building," Bruce explained. Keiko was bewildered by his answer so much that she looked behind her and, to her surprise, found a metal pipe lying on the pile of scrap metal with a dent the size of her rear end.

As Keiko looked on in confusion, not remembering anything that happened between hearing a voice warn her to watch out and Bruce helping her stand up. "Alright, what's going on out here!?" an unusual voice asked, catching Keiko's and Bruce's attention. "s**t, of course he heard that," Bruce cursed under his breath, drawing out Keiko's curiosity. The voice belonged to a Magmortar hybrid who had stepped out of the steel building wearing a kimono designed with fire in mind, judging by the way it looked. Whoever it was, he didn't look pleased. This was the point when Keiko realized that all of the workers were hybrids, and that of all the myriad fire-type hybrids working there, there were more Pyroar hybrids than any other species of hybrid there, which caught her interest seeing as they were dual-Normal types. She didn't have long to wonder if they had any connection to the village as the Magmortar hybrid had singled her and Bruce out.

"Didn't I tell you not to cause trouble!?" the Magmortar hybrid shrieked, apparently singling Bruce out. Some of the workers stood close to their leader trying to explain that he wasn't causing trouble - one in particular insisted that Keiko saved his life. "And ruined perfectly good metal while she was at it!" the Magmortar insisted, motioning to the steel pipe with her butt imprint in it. The workers insisted she helped them, causing the Magmortar Hybrid to give up trying to yell at his workers and focus on Bruce. "Look, it's not that big a deal. I could overlook it by itself, but as if it wasn't bad enough, you're about a half-hour late on your delivery!" the hybrid insisted. Before Bruce could defend himself however, he was brushed aside. "Whatever. Agni forbid you normies show up on time. Just do your work and get lost. And take your slutty girlfriend with you!" he roared before heading back indoors.

Keiko knew that the only reason she was being called slutty was because of her body shape, which Lovrina forced on her - that alone made her face curl up into a snarl, and her energy to build up in a growing Frustration. Before her energy could build up enough to actually use the move, however, Bruce grabbed her shoulder. "Don't, Cake. He ain't worth it," he whispered to her. After a moment, she accepted that, and calmed down. allowing her energy to disperse. While Bruce unloaded the cargo, the workers assured Keiko that their boss was an a*****e and that she was quite beautiful - she had to flash her promise ring before they got too enthusiastic about telling her that. Once Bruce was done, the pair of Normal-type hybrids mounted the now packless Tauros and made their way back to the village.

"Sorry about him, Cake. He's always been like that," Bruce tried to explain as he and Keiko rode back to Bareemo Village.

"It's fine," Keiko sighed, focusing her eyes on the road. "I've dealt with worse. It just bugged me that he judged me like that without even trying to get to know me. Basically just decided I was dirty based on my body."

"Yeah," Bruce sighed. It was at that point that he built up his courage to ask something that could make things worse. "How did it happen, exactly? The, uh... you becoming a hybrid. I heard you telling the chieftan that you were forced into it, but-"

"I basically got kidnapped. The woman responsible wanted me to pop out an army's worth a Buneary hybrids to fight some 'great evil'," Keiko lied, not wanting to discuss Shadow Mewtwo, Cipher, or Snagem.

"Arceus," Bruce grunted.

"Right as the hybridization set in, my then boyfriend showed up with a bunch of our friends and curbstomped the woman responsible and her henchmen. She's behind bars, now," she continued to explain.

"Good," Bruce added. "Crap. I know you'd been through some serious stuff in your delivery days, but..."

"That takes the cake," Keiko interrupted. "That's mainly why I'm here. Sick of not being able to defend myself. Plus, this new body comes with more than just brute strength. Might as well learn to use it."

"I hear ya," Bruce sighed, not wanting to admit that he hadn't bothered learning any moves himself.

Due to the silence shared by the pair for the rest of the trip, the ride to the village felt like it took a good deal longer than the ride from. As they arrived, the sun was beginning its descent into the horizon. "It's getting late," Bruce noted as he removed himself from his steed. "Hope the chieftan doesn't make you wait until tomorrow for your fight with her."

Keiko didn't respond right away, pondering whether or not she'd feel better about having the fight now versus having the fight in the morning. But not only was it not up to her, she had Ulla to think about too, so even if she could make the decision, it wouldn't be fair of her to make it on her own.

"I'm gonna check up on Ulla. Do you mind letting the chieftan know that i'll be there soon?" Keiko asked, looking up at Bruce.

"No problem. I always go right up to her office to report on the delivery anyway. See ya soon, Cake," Bruce offered. The two then went their separate ways, Bruce making his way to the center of the village while Keiko headed toward the low-tech Pokemon Center.

Keiko entered the building by herself, looking around to see if she could see Ulla before asking for her.

"Thanks," Keiko smiled, feeling a little nervous at Ulla's question. "Well, the guy we were delivering to wasn't the nicest, but his employees were nice enough that I didn't mind too much. Otherwise, it was a surprisingly peaceful trip. Bruce mentioned having to fight off Pokemon on the trail, but we never ran into any," Keiko explained, though she stopped herself when she realized she was talking about herself too much.

"Did they keep you busy?" Keiko asked, although it didn't take her much longer after that to remember what she was actually coming here for. "Oh! I'm about to go talk to the chieftan and see if I can schedule a spar with her before it gets too late. Would you like to come along? Or do you still wanna work here for a while longer?"

"Um, we're about to close up for the night," Hope butted in. "Sorry. We're normally open late into the night, but we're closing early for the village festival tonight."

"Hope and I will be on call for emergencies until late at night, but since you and Ulla are visiting, it would be a shame if you missed the festivities. Besides, it isn't healthy for someone as young as Ulla to be out that late, no offense." Lulu explained with a smile.

'You're right, thanks for telling us. I had no idea there would be celebrations tonight," Keiko replied, smiling happily at the two nurses. "Anyway, I'll wait for you outside. You'll probably see them tonight, but I don't know when we'll be leaving, so I'll give you some time just in case," she added, smiling at Ulla before stepping out the door.