Having just returned to the centralink, honestly, I'm more than happy to just go back to camping.
Hell, Himiko even floated over to where I made a pile of felt cases, which once held the camping gear, and used it as a cushion.
I can tell she's a little worn out after everything. I can't blame her.
One interesting thing was Eris's reaction to the weird place.
If I were to describe it, I would have to say she's interested yet cautious.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the Entralink, it's like a den with multiple exits, which can pop up anywhere. It also means entering one, then exiting the other, means travelling way faster."
She just seems to nod, but I can tell that if I went into more detail, I would have a cooked apple.
"Don't stress about it too much for now, once you've settled in, if you want, I'll answer any questions to the best I can, ok?"
'It's just this place feels weird, even the sunlight here feels weird, it's like the sun is there only after passing though the canopy of many trees, that's what's mostly throwing me here.' She says with an exasperated tone.
I nod in semi-understanding, but I just shrug as well since I can't sense sunlight's edibility, so it's just new information to compound the weirdness of this place.
"I'll form a plausible explanation, but for now, just get comfortable, maybe have a look at the helix tree. I think it's a pair of trees at least. Maybe."
At that, she jumps from my shoulder and starts waddling around like she owns the place with big apple energy.
As for me, I go prepare food since my stomach finally reminds me it's time to refuel.
It doesn't take long after starting cooking for the pair of girls to return to me. I had to use a rudimentary meal for Eris since I don't really know the nutrient requirements for a grass dragon type outside of sunlight.
That does pose a question, since she's a dragon type, would she consume meat? Would that also mean she would prefer plant-based meat alternatives or be insulted by such meat?
I continue to ponder the interplay of the possible stance a plant type would have to tofu products until Eris speaks up after her meal.
'So, are you gonna explain this place or not?' she says with a hint of mirth.
"Well, it's not an easy subject since I don't know if you could comprehend the concept." At that, I try and come up with a way to explain it. I reach into my backpack and take out a notepad I got for notes.
On a pair of pieces of paper, I start to do some scribbles. Eris and Himiko both got on my shoulders to watch since this seems interesting.
Once I've done the scribbles, I rip out the pieces of paper and lay them down. There are three pages: one represents the Entralink with a doodle of the helix tree, the isle of Armour with the dojo and Mistralton City with an airport.
"Each of these represents locations, now this place called the Entralink. That one is the Isle of Armour where we found you and the other is the city closest to where I found Himiko, ok."
I watch as both nod along so far. With that, I prod the Entralink's doodle before placing it underneath both of the other doodles while keeping it visible.
"Now the unique thing about the Entralink it's like a nexus of psychic dream power. Due to this, it's not a fully real location, meaning it doesn't have to follow the same rules as everywhere else."
At this, I draw some lines across the drawings connecting both of the real locations to the Entralink "So to act as the nexus of dreams, it connects to various locations. I can use these connections as tunnels to travel between the locations."
I can tell I have a slightly cooked eel on my shoulder from Himiko trying to process it, but Eris seems to just nod since my explanation had visual aids.
"Also, due to how this place isn't real, I'm not sure if it's suitable for grass types or dragon types, since I have a feeling this place would have an influx of Fairy energy, so tell me if you feel uncomfortable tell me."
She is silent for the most part, but I take it that it isn't a real problem right now.
"Since this place is habitable, me and Himiko use this place as a base camp just because it's easy to come and go from."
Silence is my only response. At this, I tilt my head to her and notice her sight isn't really on me or the diagrams anymore, but on the thicket of trees to the north of us.
"Oh yeah, the thicket, haven't really explored in there yet, is there something wrong?" I inquire from her.
'As you said, I can feel fairy energy here, but all it's doing is making me slightly tired, but I can sense a flux of different energies being drawn there by something.'
"Well, I did just say this place is like a nexus, maybe most of the elemental imprints of Pokémon dreams are dumped there." At that, I pause for a second, then pale a bit.
I look towards the Thicket with dawning horror visible on my face; which catches the pair of girls off guard.
Himiko is the first to respond, concerned 'What's wrong, you look paler than the paper in your notebook?'
It takes a few seconds for me to respond, but when I do, it's with a hurried statement: "Both of you stay away from the thicket for now. I'm only guessing, but if you enter it without me, you won't return."
This catches the pair off guard, and I can tell they want answers. "My guess is based on how if this is the nexus and the archways lead to the real world, the thicket must lead to the fully immaterial world; we probably need a guide or some sort of waymarked to navigate such a place."
I notice that, in addition to a smoking eel, I have a roasted apple on my shoulder, I sigh before shaking my head at them.
"Just don't enter it for now, ok?" To be honest, it's just easier to tell them to stay away than trying to explain a concept like the Pokémon equivalent of the Warp.