HALLOWEEN EGG HUNT #1

Every time Alice had visited the Rookery previously, she'd found it totally devoid of life. But this time, dammit, she was not leaving until she found an egg! She'd just spent part of the morning sick with jealousy over the eggs other players had found that they'd posted online, so naturally she had to have one for herself.

"Search every corner! I have no idea how big or small the eggs will be, but we're exploring every inch of this place," she told her Pokémon. Stella was already using his vines to pick up hollowed pumpkins and unceremoniously turn them upside down while Sol excitedly hopped from place-to-place with his nose to the floor. "I don't know if eggs have a scent, but I'm loving the energy!"

<I think this pumpkin is past its expiry date,> Stella commented as he lifted a gnarly-looking pumpkin covered in what looked like fuzzy black mold. And then the mold moved. <Uhhh?>

Light streamed from the pumpkin's carved eyes and landed right on Stella's face. Instantly, he dropped the pumpkin - but it didn't fall to the floor. Instead, it floated in midair, and now Alice could see the black shape on top of it was the creature's real head, and from it shone a pair of beady orange eyes, a fanged grin below them.

Stella's vines suddenly stretched toward another pumpkin, which he grasped and pulled closer until it was directly above his little body. Then he emptied the pumpkin's contents over his head, covering him with its orange, slimy guts. The Pumpkaboo let out a cackle of glee and zoomed off deeper inside, its jack-o-lantern eyes lighting its path.

<Ughhhh! What happened?> Stella jumped out of the pile of pumpkin guts and shook himself, spattering her with bits of orange.

"I think that Pumpkaboo just hypnotised you!" She'd had no idea it could do that. "We've gotta catch it!"

<Egg!> Stella reminded her, blocking her path.

"Ah, right!"

"Ah... How are we supposed to find an egg among all this...?" He wondered, voice faint as he observed the abundance of pumpkins... As well as the occasional Pumpkaboo appearing in front of players. Though there were other players about, he was too nervous to introduce himself to any of them. But, he still had company of sorts. After all, he hadn't been speaking in the royal we.

<We find by searching. That is the only way we can make progress,> Virgil the Rowlet bluntly stated from his perch on his avatar's shoulder. TheMorningStar nodded hesitantly in agreement, but then paused before approaching any pumpkins. "What if... What if we run into pokemon?" He murmurs nervously. He still hadn't had his first battle yet, even if he'd equipped Virgil to be a tank. Though, the Pumpkaboos didn't seem to be attacking, but that didn't mean they wouldn't.

<If something happens, then I'll protect you,> Virgil stated with weary fondness, used to reassuring his trainer even this early on in their journey. And so TheMorningStar cautiously but thoroughly began to search for eggs among the pumpkins, with the Rowlet on his shoulder suspiciously searching out potential Pumpkaboos intent on startling the two.