>>53718460Huh. This... wasn't Veilstone...
That was the main thought going through Percival's mind as he stepped through wild grass, eventually stumbling upon a small hill with resort-like houses scattered atop it.
The map he'd been given said there was a shortcut to get there, and the grunt had taken it. Maybe he should've known better.
He sure thought he should've.
He had lost... so much going this route. An entire team. Dead. His Jolteon, his Metang, his Budew- all gone. And the Barboach, Magmar, Krabby- them, too. He'd even lost the poor Weedle he was bringing along with him just to take care of environmental hazards.
It was beginning to weigh on the grunt. If you lost one hammer, it wasn't that bad. But if your garage set on fire? Then it was maybe reasonable to weep.
That was how Percival justified his reactions, at least.
Covie now clung to him like a scared child would. He himself was more wary than stepping in the grass than ever. None of the Pokémon he faced seem to make sense. Only about half were even native to Sinnoh. Had the invasive population seriously overrun the locals that fast...?
Percival shook his head. No, that couldn't be the case. The invasion couldn't just be getting... more severe over time...
...that was dumb. Of course it was getting more severe, the longer the invaders stayed the longer they had to grow their numbers.
Even trainers were using them, now. Sunflora and Wynaut and Mudkip- all nonnative, but mon that he'd fought on his journey regardless.
This plan was beginning to fall apart a little. There was no way Percival would be able to get it done with even more losses. And... he could deal with that, he said. He'd just need to put in even more effort to train newer mon. He'd be losing a lot of valuable experience by continuing to lose as many mon as he had now.
