“Now that you know all about this place, I think it best that we land.”  He flipped some switches and the core stopped moving with a sound like a lead weight falling on a granite table.  All that was left of the noises was the hum.   “I think it best that we decide who goes and who doesn’t before I open the doors.”  He pulled a gold cylinder with a round red jewel inset at the top.  “Since there are no ley lines to speak of here, I’ll have to make one.  This is the mark seven, it has almost everything you would ever want in a magic item.”  It extended to a staff, which he drove into the ground.  “When I concentrate, it will produce a localized ley sphere around us.  I can’t use it outside without being noticed, but here is safe and we can make preparations here.  I’m afraid that unless they are willing to both become human and wear some pretty uncomfortable clothes, the pokemon stay.”  There was grudging ascent from the affected party.  “The senior magi also would have to change if they wanted to do this.” 
Blaze and Vapor looked at each other a moment “I think we can sit this one out.”
“Gary, you are wearing precisely what everyone else should, congrats.”  Against all odds, Gary managed to look even more self-satisfied than usual.
“Ash, you could get by, but I would suggest that you remove the hat and wear a cloak like Gary.”
“My hat?”
“Yes!” 
“Fine.”  He stuffed the hat in his bag grumbling and materialized a cloak from an enchanted button.
“Misty, you would have to change clothes completely to come with, as would Duplica.” 
“Something more anachronistic?”
“Precisely.”
“OK, but I’m making it comfortable on the inside.”
Duplica giggled.  “Where’s your sense of adventure?”  A dress appeared on her, which by their standards was a few centuries out of date.  Gasping for breath, she concentrated a moment, her breathing stabilized and she coughed “I see what you mean.”
Misty looked vindicated before summoning the power to change her own garments.  “I hope we don’t have to do this often, I’m still rusty at changing my appearance.”
Saliaven looked on “Who am I missing?  Myself!”  He shrank, his hair receding partially, until he resembled a teenager of approximately fourteen with unruly white hair.  “Can’t let them know it’s me too early.”  His robe changed to a brown cloak with breeches, a tunic and ball hilt rapier under. 
Misty looked perplexed a moment “Wait.  If they aren’t used to pokemon trainers, what will they think of a band of kids not one being older than fourteen from their perspective coming into their town?” 
Saliaven looked surprised a moment “They’d be suspicious alright, we don’t look like the usual travelers.”
Gary cleared his throat “I do look older than I physically am.”
“Yes, but not old enough.  Blaze, Vapor, it looks like you’re with us after all.”
“OK, then.”  Their clothes changed to fit the times. 
“Now I think, we are ready to leave.”  He flipped a switch, and the gates opened.  “Wait.”  He materialized a wheelbarrow with various supplies in it.  “We have to be prepared, I don’t intend to teleport anywhere until we leave.”
Pikachu looked nonplused “I thought we were already at our destination.”
“I can’t risk just popping directly to the outskirts of the main city.  These people are so paranoid that they’ll ask us where we’re coming from, and then check into it.  Besides which, we have to get a few supplies from the other cities first.” 
“I just don’t want to stay here longer than I have to, its depressing.”
“Not for long.  To our first stop!”  With that, he marched the people that were to travel with him out the gate and wherever he meant for them to go.  They looked at the wheelbarrow.
“This place is a few centuries behind the civil rights era.  We can’t pull it.”  Misty said, half seriously. 
“You always said I was too scrawny to do anything.”  Ash added.
Blaze looked at Gary, then at the cart.  “I’m a highborn mage, you can’t really suggest I pull it.”
As they all walked after Saliaven, Gary picked up one of the handles and ran after them.  “Wait!  Someone has to help me.”
    Ash, picking up the handles after they had all exited the city, looked back.  Startled at what he saw, he called to Saliaven, “Did we just exit a boulder?”
“Ya, I had to camouflage it, imagine what would happen when these people notice a blasted great city has just appeared in the middle of the countryside.  It’d be chaos.” 
“I suppose you’re right.”
“I invariably am.”
“Where to now?”
“The first city we’ll be visiting is in the middle of the countryside.  I figure those there would be less worried about where we come from, it being where all the outcasts live.  From there, we’ll spiral inward until we reach the capital, where the generator and most wizards live.” 
    With the others in tow, Saliaven led them west, strategically making it look as if they had come from the areas further toward the center.  It should be noted for those who haven’t guessed that the countryside is mostly a barren desert, as pointed out by Ash earlier on.  The life essence being drained out of the ground leaves little in the way of renewable nutrients and the entire sky is tinted red by the shield.  The town that they approached looked as if it had been made entirely of dust.  Everything was covered in the same sediment that made up most of the landscape, and the buildings had been made from the mud of that earth.  The gates were rough-hewn stone, and most definitely closed.  As they came closer, someone who, if better armed and armored, resembled a guard appeared above it.  In a voice clogged with dust he said “Name, and business”
Saliaven ran forward, the picture of youthful energy.  “That goodness, we thought we’d been lost days ago.  Our map blew away during a sandstorm a week ago, and we’ve been looking for a settlement since.”
The guard looked over at Blaze “Is this true?”
Blaze quickly caught on, and tried to look dignified “yes.  We’ve been traveling recently, and had a spate of bad luck.  As my son has already said, our map was destroyed, along with much of our possessions.  We were hoping to find a place to stay and buy some supplies.”
“Where were you headed?”
Saliaven stepped forward “Cryshal-Yaananost, sir.”
The guard whistled “you are lost, this is Melder.”
“Then we’re on the west coast?”
“Indeed.”
Blaze took up again “But you do sell maps.”
“Yes, the best cartographers in these parts live here.  You’re lucky that you found us.”
“Indeed, now if you can open the gates.”
“Of course.”  He disappeared a moment and the gates swung in.  “We’re pretty small, so it should be straightforward where everything is.”
“Thank you.”
    As they entered, Duplica came up alongside Saliaven.  “That was pretty good.  Any plans now?”
“We go to the inn, spend the night, and then get the supplies we need.”
    The inn was probably the only place that wasn’t made of earth.  Against all odds, it was made of wood.