ENTRY 002 NEED HEALING?

Leave it to Tuesday to choose going out in a blaze of glory when most people would have ran away in her place.

She has no regrets.

Immediately after the frankly-weird-as-fuck events that had taken place at Bronstaton Manor (and shortly before Professor Ash’s call for aid), she stares at the brave Cryonal that had shielded her from the attacks of corrupted creature after corrupted creature.

"You’re hurt, Ancile."

She can see it clearly: the damage caused during the battle, the chipping on the ice. It could have been much worse, that much is clear. Would she have cared if Ancile died? If he had been corrupted too? Would she have gone to the Everworld to save him or would she just have settled for catching another Cryogonal?

She shouldn’t care. Just like how she cares so little about Rocinante being gone that the thought of it barely crosses her mind. He’s just a bunch of coding and pixels like any other pokémon, after all. And, yet…

"I have some of Chariot’s poison with me, it should help you heal up."

She doesn’t even think twice.

CRYOGONAL'S RARITY INCREASED BY +5 (VERY RARE)

ENTRY 004 TREAT TIME!

"If I do this, you better stop being such a brat." Tuesday declared once upon a time, a blond eyebrow raised while her gaze remained fixed on the Ponyta standing before her. She could see the Pokémon through her open UI, having set it at 70% opacity.

<'I’ve never been a brat. It’s not my fault you’re an awful trainer.'> The flaming pony responded with a whiny, and the mismatched eyes of the Alchemist rolled there and then.

"See? Exactly that. If I were such a bad trainer, I wouldn’t be doing this."

A single button pressed in her UI is all that is needed to confirm the purchase, and just like that, in a second, with a nice sound effect and the most unceremonious flash of light in existence, the Ponyta evolved into a Rapidash.

"There you go. Not bad, huh?"

Having grown in size, Rocinante took a couple of steps in place, as if getting a feel for this new form of his. His flames flickered, and as if with an eruption, they then increased in size and heat.

<'Oh, hell yeah!'>

A melodious chuckle rose with the Rapidash’s enthusiastic exclamation, and shaking her head, Tuesday tossed a red berry towards the tall equine.

"Congrats, o noble steed."

<'Hmm… You know… I like the ring of that.'>

RAPIDASH'S RARITY INCREASED BY +5 (RARE)

ENTRY 006 BOARD GAMES

"I can’t believe they programmed you to know how to play checkers, Wimsey." An amused smile marks Tuesday’s expression, her mismatched gaze falling upon the black and white board that has been placed on the T.E.A. Shop’s counter.

It’s on this counter that stands a Sneasel of luscious dark fur, a paw brought to his chin as if deep in thought while also staring down at the pieces.

<'I’m not sure what you mean, Miss Tuesday. Every civilised creature should be aware of how to play such games of strategy. I also happen to be quite adept at Chess, although my claws do sometimes serve as somewhat of an impediment.'>

It is those claws that gently move a piece as if it were the most delicate thing in the world, and at the sight of it, eyes of ruby and sapphire narrow. Damn, so they had actually programmed him to be good at board games. Was this supposed to be a way to mess with players?

Before she has a chance to think of a response or be vexed by the situation, she’s saved by the literal bell: a customer enters the shop, cutting their game short.

SNEASEL'S RARITY INCREASED BY +5 (VERY RARE)

ENTRY 008 COOKING?

<'You should've gotten a bigger shop.'>

"I don't need a bigger shop. It's not my fault most doors aren't made for horses to fit through, Ro."

<'I'm not a horse. Hmph... But still, they should be.'>

It must make for quite the comical sight for any passersby: a flaming horse that pokes its head through one of the windows of the infamous little T.E.A Shop in Cerulean Lane. Perhaps not so comical to those few who had faced Rocinante in the kitchen of Bronstraton manor while corrupted, but isn't all that in the past now? New year, new Rapidash, and all of that.

In truth, it makes for quite the domestic sight: Tuesday stands by the cast iron stove that Pixel had "found" when changing into its Rotom Heat form. Over the stove, there's a pot, and a delightful herbal aroma is exuded by it as the Alchemist stirs its content. She scoops up some of the vibrant green liquid with a large wooden spoon and its then that she offers it to Rocinante.

"Try this."

What is he, her test subject? An oversized guinea pig? Apparently so, because he gladly licks the content of the spoon... and then immediately grimaces.

<'Ew, what the fuck?! It's bitter.'>

"Ha. Good."

RAPIDASH'S RARITY INCREASED BY +5 (RARE)

ENTRY 010 GROOMING

<'Ew, why do I gotta take a bath?!'>

"Because you just spent forever in the Everworld... and you're usually filthy, duh."

In truth, it's as if it hasn't been forever at all; as if all the time they had spent apart is being ignored. Just like that, they jumped right back into bickering as they always have, as if no time had passed. But, time had passed, and the effects of this are there even in a videogame like this one. A lot changed while Aesop was gone, even Tuesday herself, and that much is soon proven... moments after she gets her way.

<'Why are your hands so damn cold?!'>

"Oh, right... Freezer effect. Guess you're on your own or I might freeze your bath."

<'What?! The hell, how am I supposed to do this on my own?!'>

He does have a point. Sitting in the middle of a bubble bath and soaked to the bone, the Fennekin does make for a bit of a pitiful sight, especially with his huge ears being so heavy with water that they flop down. He's a little fox, how can he groom himself? Tuesday considers this from where she herself sits, at the edge of the tub, and opening her UI with a simple gesture, she finds the obvious answer to their dilemma.

"Hmm... It's a bit of an anticlimactic time, but I guess it does solve our problem..."

<'Huh... What are you talking about?'>

The Fennekin tilts his head, almost falling over thanks to the weight of his ears, but the answer to his question comes all the same... in the form of a finger tapping the air and a blinding white light that engulfs Aesop within seconds. He can feel it. Something is different. Something is changing. Something is changing him.

Congratulations! Your FENNEKIN evolved into BRAIXEN!

Still in the tub full of warm water, Aesop now stands on his hind legs, able to maintain balance in a way he never could until this moment. Instinctively, he reaches back, finding a stick that he grabs and spins gracefully, soon causing flames to sprout from its tips.

<'Woah. Cool.'>

Watching him, Tuesday smirks, half with pride and half with mischief.

"There you go! Now you can take that bubble bath all on your own."

<'Wha—... Wait!'>

Too late. She's already standing and walking towards the front of the store. In the same fashion as when he was still a Fennekin, Aesop rolls his eyes but smirks too, turning his attention back to this bubble bath he's supposed to be enjoying after being gone for so long.

BRAIXEN'S RARITY INCREASED BY +5 (VERY RARE)

ENTRY 012 NAP TIME

In less than a day, those doors will open and the T.E.A. Shop will be full of customers all day, as it happens every week on the one day their doors do open. However, for now, the store is silent, the only sounds within being those that come from one of the backrooms customers never have access to. There, in her Alchemy workshop, Tuesday sits, staring at a large glass bowl filled with dried lavender blooms.

"Hmm... I wonder if I could bring them back to life if I were a Gardener..." The Alchemist muses, having collected the lavenders back when they grew by the Precipice Shrine, and then dried them to preserve and store them. These lavenders don't grow by the shrine anymore. They may be the last of their kind, other than the seeds she had also collected. But, would those even have the same properties?

It's another thing to add to her list. Another experiment left for the future. For now, Tuesday has much more important plans, and they begin with the ice cold egg that is placed in the bowl, resting on a bed of lavenders while the mist expelled by its shell slowly swirls around it...

"Ursula." Tuesday turns to look at the Espurr that stands by the desk, picking her up with a gentleness that is rarely displayed in front of others. It's then that Ursula is placed on her lap in a manner that is all too reminiscent of the way Mars does with his cats IRL, and it's perhaps because of this that Tuesday scratches behind one of the Espurr's ears, causing it to twitch. "See the egg? I want you to use your Psychic energy to lift it along with some of the flowers, okay? Be very gentle."

Ursula nods in response to Tuesday's request, and lifting her small ears, the Espurr calls upon her Psychic power. Her eyes glow in soft magenta, and after a second or two, the egg wobbles and begins to rise, bringing some flowers along with it.

"Yeah, just like that. Well done." A faint smile tugs at the Alchemist lips, her hand continuing to pet the Espurr while her golden gaze fixes on the egg. It's to it that she speaks next. "The day you'll hatch is coming soon, Abby, so listen carefully..."

In a calm and measured tone, words are recited to the egg, each of them filled with purpose and as smooth as velvet:

"A feathered thing that bore a human face
Came swooping toward me in a wild descent,
and clutch me tightly in a foul embrace.
Not heaven’s herald, but from its fetid breath,
An Elder One more primitive than death." *

She would continue, but it's at that moment that one of the levitating dried blooms wanders too close to the Espurr's nose, causing her to sneeze and abruptly lose focus. The egg loudly crashes back into the bowl, unharmed despite the noise, dried lavender flowers are scattered all over the desk and floor, and Ursula... Ursula yawns.

As annoyed as Tuesday could be, she chuckles instead:

"Did the flowers make you sleepy? I guess they can still do that sometimes... We can try again later. Good work, Ursula."

ESPURR'S RARITY INCREASED BY +5 (VERY RARE)

ENTRY 014 ARMED&READY

The professor's message had been received.

The countdown had begun.

Tuesday had been making preparations ever since she had become aware of Ash's plan to take back the Giant Shrine, and while there had been a few unexpected setbacks, everything else has been going according to plan. Every item on the list, marked and checked twice.

Standing in the small backyard behind the T.E.A. Shop, she looks at the pieces of armour by her side, reaching for a Pokéball and from it summoning a magnificent Sawsbuck. Bartók stands tall and proud, too large to possibly fit in her Alchemist workshop without accidentally knocking down jars upon jars filled with flammable poisons — especially now that verdant Summer leaves grow all over those huge antlers. She had taken some of the leaves to store for tea just this morning, and yet his antlers are as lush as ever, as if every leaf taken were immediately replaced by two others.

"Alright, Bartók. Let's try on your new armor." She tells the stag, beginning to carefully place piece by piece of adorned steel upon the stag's body, tightening straps that she herself had attached with careful measurements. "Let me know if anything's too tight."

Patient, the Sawsbuck waits until the beautifully engraved shaffron is placed on his head, only then moving with a slow shake. The leaves on his antlers rustle and he kicks the cobblestones with one of his front hooves, breaking into a light trot to trace a small circle in the limited space of the backyard.

<'It's comfortable enough. Don't think it'll take much adjustment... It'll do well in the fight to come.'> He declares then, nodding at Tuesday, and of course, the Alchemist nods in return, knowing well how much Bartók loves a battle.

"Good. With Chariot gone, I expect you to pick up the slack... It'll be a tough fight."

Fire burns in her eyes and the same can be said for the steel-clad stag. Excitement. Bloodlust, even.

SAWSBUCK'S RARITY INCREASED BY +5 (VERY RARE)