Avoiding the floating eerie glowing transparent shadowy nocturnal Pals, I climbed down some broken stone ruins. “Is it just me, or does it seem like this land grew around these ruins?” I stand at the bottom of the wall holding the torch up, examining the strange walls and cliff face.

“Bwa bwak. Bwa!” Trouble shook his large feathery form after jumping down from the top of the wall. “Kwah.” It flapped its cute little wings with an emphasis.

“There’s now way a Pal made th-... wait, can they?” I turn towards my giant meteor calling chicken. “Can you?” I tilt my head questioning this new reality.

“Bwa.” It gave me a flat look, before rolling its large eyes and walking towards a berry bush for a snack. “Bwark!” I swore it was holding in a laugh.

“Sure, make fun of the new guy. Oh Pal rock.” I jogged after Trouble waving my hand over the many items littering our way. “I am so looking forward to that bed.” I snag some berries as we wade through a thicket. “I remember someth-ugh!” I tripped over something solid in the bushes.

“Bwa bwak!?” Trouble jumped next to my fallen form, his head darting around for the danger. “Ku… Bwahaha!” He turned around before witnessing the glowing chest I had stumbled over, and Trouble doubled over in laughter.

“Shut it…” I hold my hand up to recall my Pal, can’t have him calling more trouble already. “What is this?” I ask my Paldex while rubbing my sore shin.

[A Treasure Chest. Certain Items are too dangerous to leave laying around, so they are guarded by a key system. While some chests, like this one, are just a rare loot cache.] The Paldex blinked an info screen showing some different keys and types of chests. [This one does not require a key, so just touch to start the looting process.] It chimed out.

“Like this?” I use my Paldex equipped hand to cautiously poke the chest before drawing it back quickly. The dimly glowing chest did not react to my touch. “Not a flesh eating mimic.” I sighed out of relief and placed my hand on the chest. I glanced at my wrist, swearing I could hear Trouble and someone else laughing from it. The chest vanished with a whooshing suction noise that made me jump back.

“Why am I so jumpy…” I shivered before realization struck me. “Torch.” I held up the torch that unequipped itself from my grasp once I tripped. My head started to clear up a bit. “That mental shit is annoyingly sneaky.” I grumble as I stand up and look around the area, before a sparkling glint downhill gets my attention.

[Once you build a Base, you can craft new enhanced clothes due to the newly acquired schematics.] My Paldex informed me as I picked up another sphere.

“Can I make clothes that can guard against the night?” I asked with some slight hope. A few branches and rocks were snagged as I hustled around a group of floating nocturnal Pals. “I would kill for a gun about now…” I groaned remembering the pitiful damage my bow and arrows did to my foes.

[You require more power to unlock the Advanced Weapon Tech. There is certain armor and accessories you can use to resist the effects of the Nocturnal Pals.] The Paldex softly chimed out with a dull glow, sort of like a whisper.

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“So I can get a gun?” I whispered with curiosity while trying to walk through a sleeping group of those pink cat Pals. “Can’t I just take one from someone else?” I thought back to the weird chef on the cliff, if I could have taken his weapon, I would have been better off I think.

[Only other Trainers can drop lootable weapons, and only if they are unequipped at the moment of death.] My Paldex beeped softly again.

“How can I tell the difference?” I found a few more blue pal stones, while something glowing a bright green caught my eye. “Oh, what have we here...” I stopped at the edge of a short drop into a small creek, yet the bottom was nowhere in sight. “Why is it so deep, something won’t grab me, right?” I wave my torch over the water, trying to see if there is anything in it.

[Trainers will have a Paldex equipped, usually on their wrists. They will also be able to summon a Pal for support.] My Paldex informed me. [There are no current deep dweller Pals or deep sea Pals populating the Islands.]

“If I get eaten, I’m taking you with me.” I sucked in a breath before leaping across the water, the torch was let go and vanished, leaving me in darkness as I crashed into a deep dark creek. “Shit! I hate this!” I splash wildly as I crawl my way a few feet to the opposite side, thankfully my feet found the bottom so the trip was easier than expected. “That was terrifying, I never want to do something like that again.” I shivered as I got out of the water and summoned the torch back.

“So what is this thing?” I squat down to stare at a transparent poor quality holo wireframe image of a squirrel looking Pal. “ What do it-AH! Huh?” My finger nears the holo image, before it reacts and bursts into a swarm of lights. They hone in and zoom into my body, but cause me no harm. “What the fu-”

[You have found your first Lifmunk Effigy, please collect more to increase your catching abilities.] My Paldex notified me with an info screen. [You can use their collective energies to enhance your soul power at one of the mysterious Statues of Power.] It showed me an image of a powerful looking figure holding a glowing burning sphere.

“So it does what exactly?” I ask in confusion as I start to scale the rock walls to get back up, instead of trying to swim back through the creepy water. “It doesn’t sound too important.” I made it up only to find it was a ledge and a taller wall was before me.

[It increases the capturing force behind the Pal Sphere, allowing you to capture more power Pals.] My Paldex simplified it for me. I crest the cliff and start to huff through the forest as I avoid some more nocturnal prowlers. [Take for example the Pal sleeping in that clearing, as an Alpha Pal that guards this area, it will require a great capture force while whittling down its health to capture it.] The Paldex mentions a large blue curled up ferret looking Pal making cute cooing noises as cold waves of frost flow from its slender body.

“So that effigy thingy made my capture stuff more powerful?” I put away the torch as I notice the sun is slowly coming up and the glowing nocturnal Pals have seemingly vanished like ghosts. I pick up a sphere laying just inside the clearing of the sleeping Pal. “Does being asleep affect my capturing of it?” I toss the sphere in my right hand eyeing the Pal.

[No, due to the hibernation state, it’s mental resistance is up, you will only wake and anger it. There is only a small increase in capture chance when attacking from the back.] My Paldex glowed red with a warning.

“Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid.” I turn to walk away, only for a twig to snap under my foot. “You have got to be-”

“Kwell?” A high pitched cute cooing sounded out from behind me. I turned to witness an adorable looking large blue fetter otter mix go from sleepy to angry in a moment. “Kuoo.” It snarled at me before an explosion from behind it took both our attention. “Ku?!” It turned around at the sound.

“Ah!” I threw the Pal Sphere I had in my hand at it, before turning around to sprint away. I had hoped the sphere would give me at least a second’s head start. Another explosion sounded up in the sky, causing me to turn back to look. “Oh fu-” I watch as the Pal Sphere twitches while hovering in the air, a bright light from it blinds me.