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Collected from Arsaga:

The landscape between Kethi and Kzye is made up mainly of calmly rolling hills, slightly sun-bleached stretches of wild grasses layered across those mounds, speckled with the occasional tree. The most prominent feature in the landscape appears at the horizon at the junction between Route 53, 61 and 62, the slope up to the crater of the extinct volcano that forms Sehto's island, shallow toward the west from where they are approaching, thus a smooth and benign feature.

While the sun's rays are not quite sufficient to turn the area into a metaphorical oven, the landscape has much in common with a desert, and the most prominent sound on their travels had set in during the afternoon: the stridulation of crickets and their kin.

And then, coming to rise to the top of a hill, with the slope leading up to the edge of the crater now a large, dominanting mark, Kzye appears to our friends: a comfortably small town nestled between two 'roots' of the massive mountain further inland, perhaps twice the size of Pyu Ivvi at most, baking in the afternoon sun. Stylistically, Kethi and Kzye seem related - the houses are of similar design. In a word: uninventive, but homely. [Editorial note: The sizes of Kzye and Pyu Ivvi have since been adjusted.]

The town seems to radiate something of a feel they'd last seen in Ehqaj - it's so quiet in the streets, as though lively were elsewhere. That is, until the sound of playing children drifts to them from somewhere to their front and right, full of bubbling joy, but distant. A playground, perhaps, at the edge of the town. Well, at least it's not all dead. Pleasantly, one of the first places in the town is its PokéCenter… small, but running and evidently kept clean and sparkling, not like in Pyu Ivvi.

As they are a few steps away from the PokéCenter's entrance, something abruptly uncurls into their view, uttering a threatening half-growled: “Chu-u-u-u!”, its small forearms pushed together tensely, a long, wirey tail attaching it to the drain pipe at edge of the roof, it dangling at height of their heads, a blob of black and brown striped fur, electricity sizzling across its cheeks, its eyes narrowed. It's a Raichu, expression distorted by a snarl.

But it doesn't seem to be attacking - and it's tail unhooks abruptly from the piping and it twists itself upright in midair, landing on all fours infront of the PokéCenter's door, its eyes still narrowed - evidently not in the least intimidated by the other two pokémon that just appeared.

The Raichu's tail lashes at the air, its gaze passing across the four of them as though in aggressive suspicion. The short fur covering its shape is standing on end, bristling dangerously, its small, pure white teeth showing past its sneering lips. It 'says' nothing, merely standing protectively before the PokéCenter like a makeshift guard.

As Nikki backs a step, the Raichu takes a tiny leap forward, widening the 'defended territory' a touch, tail corkscrewing slightly before unwinding again in an idle, aimless, but certainly restless lash at the air.

The Raichu regards Nikki with a stern glare, then nods once, simply, as she recalls the massive pokémon and it vanishes in a glare of red. “Rai, rai, rai-rai, chu!” it suddenly utters a barrage of 'words', tone aggressive, but simmered down from before. Its cheeks have stopped sparking, though, so despite there being no change in the rest of its demeanour, it seems a little less hostile now.

As the group makes motions indicating taking their leave, the Raichu's eyes narrow briefly, almost analytically, before it takes a step back itself in gesture of goodwill. It's still 'guarding' the door and its 'wish' has evidently remained the same - that they leave - but it's now quite noticably simmering down. A few moments later, it's shifted its weight into something more casual, almost a sit, its long, thin tail curling around its shape, tip idly clattering against the ground.

Long minutes later, they're by a shallow lake set into the mountain side. Devi's back is resting against a particularly cube-shaped rock, narrowed eyes denoting contemplation, her trousers dusted by the dry, gravelly ground, looking out at the desolate but strangely beautiful landscape. The outlook seems almost martian from here - Kzye's roofs are a few feet below them, and mostly off to the left. The shallow waters are a hot spring of sorts - given the vicinity to the volcano, no real surprise.

Long moments later, Keith has led them to Kzye's gym, through a thin, low, rocky corridor leading into the mountain side. The fading afternoon light outside doesn't follow them to any notable depth - but the glow from within the cavern ahead lights their path.

A triangular tunnel angles off to the right at the end of the initial entrance, its floor split at half width, a cool metal flooring on the side they enter on, and a shimmering, mottled glow of lava covering the remaining area. The wall to their right is slanted, the one on the lava's side is perfectly vertical - and by some kinda of miracle the temperature of the place seems almost bearable. Almost.

The path opens into a wide cavern that at first seems almost roofless given its spectacular height - and indeed, at its very top the ceiling is punctured by five triangular holes showing shreds of the sky, a piercing blue against the dark, brooding red of the interior of the cavern. The cavern walls are dotted with ledges reaching around the entirety of the near-circular cave.

The room - this arena - is split into three segments. The ground under their feet is solid where they stand, reaching a third of the cavern's diametre into the room, before abruptly cutting off with a straight line, into a nauseatingly deep chasm making up most of the floor by area. On the far side, the other third is once more made of solid ground, a strange statue erected in its centre, towering much larger than any human would ever grow to, its shape abstract and undefinable, like a Moore sculpture.

Crossing the chasm is an aluminium bridge of criss-cross wire, half-nuzzling the right side of the chamber. The lava stream that had accompanied them through the tunnel now behind them rolls as a lavafall down into the chasm, the flow bridged to allow them to access the left half of the floor on this side.

Keith, hands rested on his hips, grins into the arena, brimming with unprompted pride - chances are he's either not heard Nikki's compliment or doesn't consider her opinion important enough to weigh into his own. Beneath each of the ledges scattered on the walls is a warm, uniformly glowing electric light, cylindrical in shape. Keither seems to be inspecting all of them for a moment, before, satisfied that they are all functional, turning to face his guests. “My friends,” he addresses them. “Welcome to the Pyre gym. I suspect you want to know the rules you'll be subject to here?” His eyes glitter.

Collected from N'Sehla:

It was now shortly past midnight, with Dakarai trudging through the rapidly chilling, arid landscape around Kzye, the lights of the settlement glinting at the foot of the extinct volcano, just a handful of klicks ahead - two or three.