I entered Niner's Stake. I immediately went to the PC and Pokemart. I had some quick stuff to do...

You entered the Pokemon Center...

After finishing my errands, I walked into the Corona Desert. I made sure to put a canteen in my bag before doing so.

You entered the desert...

I stepped off of the ZEP Train, back into town. Finally back in Niner's Stake, after half a year, I headed straight for the Cave Dwelling Ruins.

After tying up some loose ends, I went back to the ZEP Station. There, I boarded a train that would take me back to Wayside Harbor, for my third gym battle...

Back to the Stake, I was here for one reason: it was my portal to the Desert. I wanted to catch a Charmeleon before going to vacation in the islands. So, I set forth into the sandy wasteland...

I returned to Niner's Stake yet again. I stepepd off the train, placing my foot onto the round of the darkened city. I made my way to the Pokemon Center to switch around my team. Afterward, I headed straight to the gym.

You made it to the gym without any interruptions...

Devin and I ran through the town, excited about our victory. We healed up at the Center real quick, and then boarded a very late train headed for Port Current. We were going..."home"...

...not. Change of plans. I decided that we couldn't push off saving Linus any longer. I whipped out my cellphone, and dialed TM's number. Gilroy answered. "Hey Mr. G. Send the chopper to Niner's Stake please. It's time for Operation: Save Linus!" After hanging up, I send a text message to KSUkid, and headed to wait by the entce of the town...

After Nurse Joy healed Amelia, I walked outside thoughtfully, staying on the shaded side of the Pokemon Center. I had freaked out when Amelia passed out, and I was still stressed about it. If she had passed out once in the desert, she would likely do it again. After all, she was so young, and an Ice type. She had hatched in Cinder Oasis, and evolved there as well. She hadn't ever been in any other environment at all, which was part of the reason why the desert took such a toll on her. Most Ice types actually live in cold environments before moving or being taken to other places, so they could acclimate without too much trouble. But, Amelia hadn't had that step in the process.

I wanted to make sure that Amelia's system would heal fully, and not have this happened again. That meant I had to journey to a cold area of Sharma. That left me with the options of either of the Floating Isles or Rinundra Island. I had been to both of the Floating Isles, so I thought Rinundra would be a good idea. I could train her there, alongside my other main Ice type, Yuka the Froslass, and bring along Tillia and another Fire type, among others. It was a good idea. But, I had a problem: no boats went to Rinundra.

I could go for Meltdown, as a mission. We hadn't yet explored that island, so it could work. Or maybe Snowl would be nice enough to grant me this favor if I payed for the fuel cost. Either way, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, and dialed Snowl's number...

The sun was straight above you, so the shadow of the cliffs to the east didn't provide much shade this time of day. You found a sliver of shade from the pokemon center's roof to duck under if you so chose, but you had to almost flatten yourself against the wall to stay in it. After a few rings Snowl picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey Snowl," I began. "It's me." I began to head back into the Pokemon Center since shade wasn't in abundance right now. "My Glaceon passed out in the desert, and, well, I think it would be best to expose her to an Ice type's natural environment to help her recover." I went straight to the point. "Do you think I could go to Rinundra? It could be a Meltdown mission, so I'll catch some Pokemon and whatnot," I added. I decided that catching some Pokemon for Meltdown was probably a good idea, since our stock had stayed the same for quite a while. So, I would do it as a mission.

There was a slight pause before she replied. "Sure Ryan, Meltdown can fund you going there, but you'll obviously need to do some hunting for the team. Explore the coasts for TM; see if you can catch some water-side dwellers there, especially from Seel's and Spheal's family lines. Do you think you could take a Melter poke or two to train? Arti's been sitting still too long, and I'm sure she'd love it on Rinundra."

In my mind, I went through the Pokemon I would be taking. Let's see... Amelia obviously. Yuka and Tillia. Articuno could work too. Melanie's nice as a backup in case I ran into something big and powerful. And she's warm. Jolteon could use the training too. "Sure, Articuno could come with me. And I'll catch plenty of Pokemon for the team. I'll set out as soon as possible. Anything else you want me to do while I'm there?"

"Just don't freeze. Rinundra is the coldest area in Sharma, even moreso than FIA because of the wind chill. Call Gilroy about a chopper and ask him to bring you a windproof coat to wear as well. And Arti, of course. Good luck; I'm sure Amelia will be fine. Give her a hug for me."

"I'll stay warm. Thanks for everything, Snowl." With that, I hung up the phone, and then dialed another familiar number. Gilroy picked up pretty quickly, and I explained everything to him. After hanging up, I went to the PC to switch up my party. Then, I headed outside to wait for the helicopter. I was going to change into warmer clothes on the ride there, mainly because if I dressed warm right now, I'd probably have a heat stroke before the chopper arrived.

I headed outside, with five Pokeballs of my belt. Within a few minutes, the helicopter had arrived. A ladder was sent down, and I climbed aboard...

When you climbed up into the chopper, there were two other people. The pilot, and another, probably a co-pilot, who helped you in by offering a hand. Once you were secured in a seat, he handed you an icy blue pokeball you recognized. Before you knew it, you were flying over the Sharma mountains and headed Northeast, towards Rinundra...

The helicopter landed in Niner's Stake quietly. I thanked the pilot, and then got out. It had been a very long time since I had been here. It was now time to plot my next course of action. There were many options - I could backtrack to Port Current and take on the VLCL there. Or, I could continue on past Cinder Oasis to Penumbraville. Even as these thoughts crossed my mind, I knew which one I would choose. I was going back to Port Current. Again. I decided to head to the PC to switch up my team first...

Niner's Stake looked as dry and dusty as always, but there was an autumn crispness to the air this time of year, that was especially nippy at night. You made it to the pokemon center without any problems, and the TM helicopter headed back to base.

After withdrawing a Pokemon and healing the rest of my team, I decided it was time to leave town. I headed toward Echo Cave, many thoughts flying through my mind in rapid succession. I needed to work on some Contest Moves, and I still needed to get Jolteon to like me. This trip through Echo cave was sure to be interesting.

After your brief visit back to civilization, you left Niner's Stake and entered the echoing tunnel connecting this town to eastern Sharma.