Dorm Hall - 1st Floor

[Flyg0n]

The first floor of the dormitory building is clearly designed with large or heavy pokemon in mind. Study floors and walls, big doors, large hallways and spacious rooms with lots of open floor (and a notable lack of breakable items), and large comfy rugs and beds available for sleeping options.

Each room has a theme which is represented by the design of the door. Blue doors open out to a pool area for water pokemon. Red doors feature warm fireplaces and fire resistant decor for fire-types. The earthen doors have an outdoor space for digging a burrow. The preferences of all typings seem to have been taken into account.

***​

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion and Hazel looked inside some of the rooms to see which ones Hazel might like. The answer, as it appeared, was "all of them." Adaptable to any environment, indeed...

In the end, they settled for the familiar comfort of a conventional hotel room. Hazel greatly appreciated the large amount of space, and paced laps around the room simply because she had room to for a few minutes before getting bored. She had already been cleaned up, but fortunately for Gladion's presentability, he hadn't gotten ready for the end of the day himself prior to departure. He turned off the bathroom lights, showered, and emerged in pyjamas with hair that invoked images of a soaked altaria. He aggressively dried it before turning to bed.

Here, both Gladion and Hazel fit on the bed with considerable ease. Hazel draped a foretalon protectively over him for her own comfort as much as his, and sleep followed not long after. It had been, in both the metaphorical and jetlaggedly-literal sense, a very long day.

 

[Poivron]

A somewhat dazed Finley followed his jellicent down the long, long hall. Bouba checked each unoccupied dorm they passed, opening the door with deft tentacled motions, and inevitably burbling his displeasure when the room beyond proved unsatisfactory. They'd gone past dozens of dorms. Finley had lost count.

He couldn't care less at this point. He was trying to forget everything he'd seen in the past twenty-four hours, so he could pretend this was a normal vacation and not some bizarre scheme hatched by one of those billionaire lunatics his family always cautioned him against. And he was failing. The sheer derangement of the boat incident resisted all attempts to excise it from his memory: those dreadful screams and explosions! Pokemon battles without a referee, or any agreed-upon match rules at all, and trainers leaping into the fray to fight alongside their pokemon as if all the civilized rules of trainer battles had been wiped away in an instant! And other things he hoped were stress-induced hallucinations: some hideous demon that resembled a human but certainly wasn't one, and a horrifically oversized noivern the size of a house and Pokemon who spoke and worst of all, talk of alternate dimensions. He'd heard of alternate dimensions. Aliens came from alternate dimensions and they ate your face off. Wouldn't it be nice if he'd been hallucinating all along?

But to his utmost dismay, he could still discern reality from fiction. He really was here. Trapped on this lunatic island.

If Finley had known what he was signing up for, he would have declined the invite. Oh, the food was good, but he could order delivery anytime from the safety and comfort of his own home. And was a so-called vacation worth dealing with all these strangers, most of whom would definitely end up hating him? Why was he here again?

Then Bouba gave a gurgle of delight and plunged, with uncharacteristic speed, into a nearby dorm.

Finley poked his head in, and revised his entire opinion of the festival in the span of a second.

Now, his real home was stuffed to the gills with jellicent paraphnelia, and a home stuffed with jellicent paraphnelia was superior to any home without it. But the immaculately blue decor. The perfect feng shui of the furniture! It would bring a man to tears. It would bring him to tears, if he wasn't suppressing them. There were flawlessly fluffed blue throw pillows and blue velvet sofas and blue dome-shaped lights (which were slightly jellicent-shaped if you squinted). There was a wonderful blue-and-white bed with oceanic patterns on the blankets. As someone who had to do hours of cleaning whenever he had guests, which was not often, he could appreciate the painstaking effort it must have taken to arrange everything perfectly.

He peered into the adjoining room and saw Bouba luxuriating in a deep and enormous pool, complete with wave simulators and the sharp tang of salt. Despite the dim lighting, he could spy kelp and floatsam glimmering in the waters. Bouba waved a tentacle and produced a lengthy gurgle. This was, Finley decided, the I am very happy with my life and you should be too gurgle.

"Definitely worth it," he mumbled to himself.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Dinner had ended almost as abruptly as it began. Steven thought he'd been a decent enough conversationalist, but at his mention of Prim's partner, a look of alarm crossed her face and she immediately excused herself from the table muttering something under her breath. Then, when Steven turned his attention to the mystery pokemon who apparently was not Prim's, they were gone as well, the only glimpse of their retreat was a fluffy tail slipping into the dinner crowd.

Despite not being in the mood for company prior to sitting down, Steven was a little disappointed to see his impromptu table-mates go.

That left Steven alone with Aggron again just in time for their host's welcome speech. Thankfully it was on the brief side; Steven definitely didn't have it in him to sit through an hour of pomp and circumstance. After the introductions, he hadn't felt like pretending to eat anymore, so with one last trip to the buffet for some treats for Aggron (and maybe a midnight snack for himself), Steven and Aggron left the still-bustling hall and headed for the dorms.

The pair turned down the hallway to the first floor rooms. Steven wouldn't have minded the view from upstairs, but he was very certain any downstairs neighbors would mind Aggron's heavy footfalls above their heads.

They selected a room near the start of the hallway, one with a noticeably larger door to allow Aggron to fit into the room without squeezing through.

Inside, the room was tastefully decorated with slate floors and marble surrounds. Woven tapestries depicting misty mountainscapes hung on the walls, and several plush carpets covered the open areas to deaden the echo of all the hard surfaces, plus provide a comfortable place to curl up if Aggron were so inclined (which, in fact, he was.)

At the back of the room a pair of double doors looked out onto a patio beyond, but the sun had long since set and Steven was far too tired to explore much further than the king sized bed that sat centered on the far wall.

He was so tired he didn't even want to question how his suitcase was already waiting for him when they'd only just selected this room.

Steven shrugged off his jacket and hung it up in the tall wardrobe near the bed. Next to it went his waistcoat. Cravat loosened and slipped from his collar and draped over the nearby chair. The rest followed in a more haphazard fashion, and he collapsed face down in the bed, sinking gratefully into the heavenly sheets.

Aggron rumbled a quiet goodnight from where he hunkered down next to the foot of the bed, but Steven was already fast asleep.

 

[Phoenixsong]

The pool was quiet. Not silent—Gyarados could hear the gentle whirring of some kind of motor somewhere, from whatever was refreshing the water—but not as noisy as the big boat he had followed to get here (which at least meant there was no chance he'd get lost). Not as noisy as it had been on top of the boat, either.

The top of Gyarados's head broke the water's surface, slowly so as not to make a disruptive splash. He hadn't been inside many kinds of rooms meant for humans, certainly not since he'd evolved, but this one was pretty spacious, as those went. Big enough that the pool, which had a relatively small opening but seemed to run all the way underneath the floor to quite some depth, was nearly wide enough for him to stretch out in. Not that that was a terribly comfortable way to rest, but he could, technically. He wondered why more human rooms didn't have big pools underneath them. It must have been inconvenient to make space for a pokémon like him.

Gentle snoring noises came from the bed against the wall. It was a very big bed, but from what Gyarados could see while peeking out of the water Blue was curled up all small in just one corner. He had looked very tired when he'd showed Gyarados the pool, double-checked that he didn't want to stay outside in the ocean, and thanked him one more time for helping out on the boat. Gyarados still didn't really understand what had happened, but it would have been rude to ask when the little human really needed to sleep, so he didn't.

It was probably rude to ask Charizard, too, because he was also asleep judging by the dim, gently-flickering light coming from atop the big false-stone overhang off to one side, but Gyarados needed to know. So he reared up—again, slow and smooth, no loud splashes—and nudged his head forward, just a bit, so one of his damp barbels brushed against Charizard's nose.

The fire-type's eyes snapped open, briefly startled, but he relaxed when he saw whose big face was currently filling his view. A curl of flame snaked around his snout briefly, quickly drying up the wet spot. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry to wake you up, but I'm still confused," Gyarados said, his hissing barely above a whisper. "What happened on the boat?"

"Mmmph." Charizard grunted. "Some other humans started fighting. With weapons, and... weird stuff, I don't really know. The big one he asked you to restrain started it, I think."

Gyarados craned his long neck back in the direction of the bed, whiskers twitching with concern. "Is he—"

"He's not hurt. Upset, yes, because other humans were saying strange things about twos of people and him being Tank's human instead of ours. That part was confusing, and I'm going to be annoyed if they start it again." Charizard hissed, and little embers sparked behind his teeth. "But he's fine. I was there. I didn't let the fighters near him."

"Oh. Good." The sea serpent dipped a little lower in the water, relieved, although his barbels were still twitching. "I should have been there, too."

"You said you didn't want to be on the boat."

"But I should have been there. I could have been. Or at least I could have gotten there sooner."

"'Gotten there'?" Charizard almost laughed as he pictured the big boat. "How? The deck we were on was taller than you. Taller than two of you, maybe." He rolled his eyes a little when he said "two of you". "Even you can't jump that high."

At that, Gyarados looked away and went quiet for a bit.

Sometimes Gyarados got like that when someone talked about jumping, or sometimes other things; he wouldn't say why. Whatever the reason, Charizard wished he had a better idea of how to stop his friend from sulking. The big fish didn't have a tail flame, so they couldn't share fire. He thought about resting his head on top of Gyarados's, but he didn't know if that would actually be comforting for a gyarados like it was for a human (and also, admittedly, Charizard wasn't too keen on touching someone so wet; another tongue of flame licked involuntarily around his snout at the thought).

Words would have to do for now. He thought for a moment, and settled on clarification. "It was just a really big boat, I mean. Way bigger than it needed to be. I don't think anything could jump that high out of the water, unless it could also fly. And anyway," he added, "what he needed you to do was scare them, to make them stop right away and think really hard before fighting again now that you were there. So, actually, it was perfect the way it happened, because you still got to spend most of your time in the water and everyone else was really surprised to see you. Couldn't have gone better."

The serpent was silent for a little while longer. "Mm. Okay. Thank you. I'm glad you were there for him," he said at last. Then Gyarados slipped back down into the depths of the pool.

Charizard watched his friend sink for a bit, until eventually the water-type swam out of sight under the room's main floor. He knew that final low hiss indicated genuine gratitude, but there was still that telltale twitch in Gyarados's whiskers before he'd disappeared.

The dragon sighed, casting one last glance at the water, then another at the little figure huddled under the blankets. So much trouble for them, he thought as he closed his eyes and tried to return to sleep. He wasn't sure he liked this vacation much at all.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Dinner that night was a subdued affair. At least compared to the first night when everyone had piled into the main hall right from the boat. There were only a few groups of trainers around when Steven and Aggron sat down with their food. (Weirdly, some of them were still talking about breakfast...)

But as they ate, no one came to join their table, and once Aggron had his fill of the roasted figy berries he'd sniffed out from the beach, the pair made their way back to their room.

----

The door to the dorm room closed behind Steven with a soft click. It was still early, and he was nowhere near as tired as he was the previous night. As Aggron tromped into the room, Steven moved to the wardrobe and hung up his jacket. He wasn't ready for bed yet, though, and instead opted to recline in one of the leather armchairs facing the patio doors and kick off his shoes.

His gaze slid over to where Aggron was peering out through the glass doors into the nighttime landscape. Steven grinned as he saw an opportunity.


"What, can't wait for that hike tomorrow?"


Aggron's head snapped toward him with a grumpy snort, and Steven couldn't hold in his laughter.

"I'm only teasing," he said, still hiding his laugh behind his hand. "I did want to check out those tunnels we saw today, and the company will be nice."

Aggron rumbled a reply and Steven shot him a look. "No, it's not only because I want to see more of that shiny Nosepass. Though, he was rather striking..."


Steven laughed again as he saw Aggron winding up for another grumpy response. "Alright alright, I'll stop. Hayes seems like an interesting fellow, and it's not often I run into someone like him. And don't worry, I won't fawn over Nosepass too much." Steven paused, grin growing again behind his hand. "It's not every day that you get to see a shiny pokemon, though..."


Aggron's tail thumped against the ground and he turned back to the patio window with a huff.

Steven laughed harder and had a feeling Aggron might never speak with him again for the rest of the trip if he didn't knock it off.

"I'm sorry, Aggron," he said. "I'll stop this time. Though, it is unusual that we've already seen two shiny pokemon since we've been here. First that Sylveon on the boat, and now Nosepass. Rather favorable odds for how rare those kinds of pokemon are."


"Then again, there are trainers here from more than one universe. Things are already unusual enough. Like a talking Oshawott who used to be a human!"


"...And whatever that shadow doppleganger from the boat was." He shuddered slightly at the memory, and a low growl started in Aggron's throat. "I don't know what that creature was, but I'm sure it wasn't human. It certainly didn't seem like any pokemon I've ever seen, either."

A little part of his mind tried to remember everything Phoebe had told him about exorcisms...


"Anyway, we haven't seen them since the boat, and that might not be a bad thing. Hopefully they won't be interested in any of the tunnels we'll be exploring, either."

Aggron rumbled his agreement, only because he really had no interest in battling evil spirits or whatever that thing was. The battle he cared about at present was the one with Blue's Charizard. Speaking of, it seemed Steven was on the same page, rambling about TMs and strategies and... Aggron yawned and slowly opened the patio door with his claw.

"Ah, I'm sorry, was I rambling again?" Steven looked up from his musings at the sound, only to spot Aggron standing by the patio doors, one claw resting on the handle, throwing a concerned look over his shoulder back at him.

"I'll be fine," said Steven with a smile. "I won't stay up too late."

When Aggron still hesitated, Steven waved him off with fake annoyance. "I know how much you like sleeping in the garden at home. And I promise, I'll go to bed shortly."

Aggron rumbled a vaguely skeptical reply, but decided he'd rather enjoy his own vacation and play the 'I told you so' card tomorrow. He turned and shuffled out into the garden, determined to find the perfect spot to curl up.

Steven's smile softened. He didn't miss the way Aggron left the patio doors slightly ajar, allowing him to keep tabs on Steven even from outside. It was always tough love with his partner, and he still couldn't get over just how protective the big steel type was. Steven shook his head. He wasn't entirely sure what he did to deserve the loyalty of such an amazing pokemon, but he certainly wasn't going to question it, nor would he trade it for the world.

Suddenly, he yawned. The excitement of the day was finally catching up to him. And maybe a little of the timezone lag was still there, too.

"Looks like I'm actually going to keep my promise tonight," Steven said to the empty room. He was sure Aggron heard him through the open door, though.

He stood from the chair and made his way over to the bed, giving one last fond look out into the nighttime garden, th light from the room glinting off his partner's steel plates.

Steven smiled. "Goodnight, Aggron. See you in the morning."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion laid stretched out on the bed. “Talked to our host today,” he said. He’d considered using sign while Hazel was learning it, but in practice her limited vision made it hard for her to interpret them when she wasn’t looking directly at him, so he stuck with verbal speech. “Seems like you’re safe here. That’s a relief, isn’t it? Sorry if today as boring, but tomorrow will be a more exciting day for you.”

[I was meeting someone today, while you were out.]

It was still surreal that Hazel could speak back now. Sure, it was slow and clunky to have her sign out each phoneme, but was still vastly more than they’d had yesterday.

“What? What did you do?”

[Wanted to be visiting Malachai. Instead I learned Laura is having a second partner here. Her name is Bitch.] Hazel used the whole-word sign Sleet had taught her for the curse instead of signing it out phonetically. [It is pronounced Sleet. But it is polite to be greeting her with the sign.]

Gladion nodded. “Ah, alright. How was Sleet?.”

[Very…] Hazel paused co consider her next word. […interesting. But I like her. She is fun. I am glad to have friends.]

“Me too.” Gladion laughed. “I’ve been doing nothing but worrying since we got here, but it’s turned out to be a pretty good thing so far.”

[It is being very good,] Hazel agreed.

 

[Flyg0n]

At some point during the night, a note is slipped under the door...

And lo, behold when Solgaleo carries the sun to its highest place
Then take shelter behind the Dauntless Shield
And take care to keep this secret
Breathe not a word, no not to a soul​

What a strange note! Is it nonsense? Or could it be a code of some kind...?

 

[HelloYellow17]

The first floor was quiet, all things considered. Hard to believe that nobody had attempted to break in to this kid’s room yet for some answers—but then again, maybe picking a lock wasn’t part of an average trainer’s skillset.

“Novo, see if you can pick up a trail of a Scizor or Hypno,” Wes murmured. “Neo, keep an eye out.”

Novo put his nose to the carpet while Neo chirped an affirmative and hung back several paces, eyes narrowed and ears swiveling in all directions.

It had already been more than a day since the kid’s disappearance, So Wes wasn’t even sure how successful they’d be at finding his room. Thankfully, though, Novo’s keen sense of smell led them right outside a particular door that was painted green. The Umbreon sat back on his haunches and trilled proudly. Wes grinned and rubbed Novo’s head. “Awesome, bud. I’ll take it from here.”

Novo nodded and trotted to the end of the hallway where he took up position, ears pricked for any sign of company. Neo remained stationed at the opposite end.

Wes eyed the doorknob. Nothing special, a single pin pick would do the trick just fine. For such a fancy establishment, he’d expected a much bigger challenge, but he wasn’t about to complain. He slipped his pick of choice from under his jacket and set to work.

He didn’t manage to get too far before he heard a sharp bark from Novo that made him jump.

@Negrek

 

[Negrek]

Nate hadn't seen much point hanging around the police station longer than he absolutely had to. The cop didn't really seem to know much and seemed more interested in pushing blame off onto the hypno chick than anything. Typical cop. Who knew how much of her information they could trust, anyway?

Going to get the hypno chick's take on things was an obvious next step, but something was still nagging at Nate about the whole scizor kid's disappearance. Nobody'd seen him leave his room, and he'd apparently disappeared with it locked from the inside, and nobody'd even opened it up since then to take a look? Chances were good that there was absolutely nothing of interest in there, but you couldn't just not check.

He wanted to have a look around Reena's room, too. Maybe it would turn out she'd gotten her own mysterious note under the door, one telling her to go to the beach. Something like that. Some obvious smoking gun that would tie this all up neatly. A guy could fucking dream.

Mightyena prowled ahead, now and again putting her nose down to sniff out something or other. Looking for clues. There was none of yesterday's joyful spring to her step, no playful bounding. She was going to take it so fucking personal if they couldn't find the kid. Or worse, if they found the kid, and she wasn't okay. Nate's stomach clenched at the thought.

Back at the dorms, Nate started to ask Mightyena if she had any clue where the scizor trainer's room was when her head snapped up, ears standing up straight. She prowled forward, head lowered and hackles raised. "Hey," he said softly. "What's up?"

Mightyena took the stairs swiftly, quietly, following some smell or noise or something. Nate tried to keep up, but she was way out ahead--until she came to an abrupt stop, growling fiercely at--an umbreon? Oh, shit. Nate looked around wildly, and yup, there he was: dark coat, shades, grim expression, messing with the lock on one of the doors. For a second Nate was about to tell Mightyena to go for it, but wait. This guy didn't seem quite big enough. Not as stringy. This was the other one, wasn't it? The one who'd ended up getting attacked, not Knife Guy himself.

Still. Quite a moment they'd walked in on, wasn't it? Nate raised a hand slightly, and Mightyena relaxed, losing the growl. She didn't take her eyes off the umbreon, ready to leap forward if it turned out this guy wanted to get as dangerous as his evil twin.

"What's up?" Nate asked, keeping his tone light but not entirely friendly. "Lost your key?"

 

[HelloYellow17]

"What's up?" Nate asked, keeping his tone light but not entirely friendly. "Lost your key?"

Novo’s bark startled Wes and he swore quietly under his breath as his hand slipped on the knob. He glanced up and saw—oh. That scraggly guy who had been his savior on the boat. He’d never had the chance to thank him properly…though, judging by the guy’s very measured expression and the tense Mightyena that was exchanging growls with Novo, perhaps now wasn’t the best time for that.

He paused for just a moment, wondering if maybe he could actually get away with it if he pretended this was his room…oh, screw it. The guy was already on his guard. Might as well be up front and hope he won’t be a snitch.

“Well, if you have a key to this place, I won’t say no,” he said with a sheepish grin. Gods, that was such a lame response. He gave up his weak attempt at humor and returned his focus to the lock. “Look, I know it looks shady, but this whole damn place is shady. I’m just trying to get some answers. No way in hell am I just gonna sit back and trust other people to handle it.”

 

[Negrek]

Well, that was a disarmingly honest answer. Nate couldn't help but return the other guy's grin, if briefly. "Fair enough, I guess. Can't really pretend I wasn't coming here to do the same thing myself." He took an experimental step forward, keeping half an eye on the umbreon. Mightyena glanced up at him uncertainly, but didn't protest. "You need help with that lock?"

 

[HelloYellow17]

Well, that was a disarmingly honest answer. Nate couldn't help but return the other guy's grin, if briefly. "Fair enough, I guess. Can't really pretend I wasn't coming here to do the same thing myself." He took an experimental step forward, keeping half an eye on the umbreon. Mightyena glanced up at him uncertainly, but didn't protest. "You need help with that lock?"

Well. He hadn’t been expecting that sort of response. Part of him wondered if he really wanted to get someone else involved…but, well, some backup would be nice. Just in case.

Still, though, he had to smirk a little at the offer to help. “Nah, I think…I’ve got us covered.” He inserted the pick one last time.

Click.

Wes rose to his feet and called his Pokémon back to his side. Neo peered curiously around his trainer’s legs at the new company, and Novo continued to side-eye the Mightyena with a healthy amount of wariness.

Wes then glanced at his new…partner? Acquaintance? “Don’t think I got your name—not that you have to give it. Mine’s Wes.” He wasn’t usually one to offer his name first, but he figured it couldn’t hurt in this case, given his not-so-great first (and second) impression. “If you want to tag along, I won’t say no.”

And with that, he turned the handle and pushed open the door.

 

[Negrek]

"Name's Mitch," Nate said offhandedly. "Wes," huh? Hadn't exactly met many of them around.

What he was itching to ask--what he was dying to ask--was just what the hell had been going on with Wes' evil twin on the boat. But that felt like it would be weird. Weirder than standing around awkwardly waiting for the guy to finish picking the lock. Nate considered the pair of eevees instead of trying to strike up a proper conversation. Interesting pair. The kind of pokémon you'd usually expect to see with a rich guy; didn't exactly match the rest of Wes' attitude. There had to be some kind of story there.

Mightyena was a little more talkative. She gave a few curious sniffs in the direction of the eeveelutions, then said, "Where are you from? You smell like sand."

 

[Flyg0n]

The inside of the dorm was exactly as extravagant as the rest of the rooms. Soft green carpeting, forested murals on the walls, and a pleasant earthy scent, as well as an outdoor area with a small cluster of trees. The room looked slept in - the bedsheets were shuffled and a some clothes were lying around. Franklin and Scizor had definitely been here. But the room otherwise appeared normal, at a glance. No signs of a fight, and no signs of Franklin himself or his Scizor.

Perhaps the room still had clues to offer...

 

[HelloYellow17]

"Name's Mitch," Nate said offhandedly.

Mitch, huh? Not an unusual name. Wes half wondered if the guy was actually being truthful about his name or not. Whatever, he didn’t really care. He wasn’t here to make friends, anyway. He acknowledged him with a nod.

“Nice to meet you. Uh, officially, I mean. I never did get to thank you for your help on the boat, so…yeah. Thanks for that.”

Okay, not bad. Could have been way worse, anyway. Wes quietly congratulated himself on not completely bombing at the conversation, then stepped into the room.

Mightyena was a little more talkative. She gave a few curious sniffs in the direction of the eeveelutions, then said, "Where are you from? You smell like sand."

Novo hesitated, unsure whether he wanted to answer truthfully or not, but then Neo spoke up instead, bounding forward with a chirp and tail raised in a friendly gesture.

“It’s called Orre! It has lots of sand and is really hot but night time is cold and sometimes it’s green and has water!”

The inside of the dorm was exactly as extravagant as the rest of the rooms. Soft green carpeting, forested murals on the walls, and a pleasant earthy scent, as well as an outdoor area with a small cluster of trees. The room looked slept in - the bedsheets were shuffled and a some clothes were lying around. Franklin and Scizor had definitely been here. But the room otherwise appeared normal, at a glance. No signs of a fight, and no signs of Franklin himself or his Scizor.

Perhaps the room still had clues to offer...

Hm. Wes wasn’t sure whether he was relieved or disappointed to find nothing here. On one hand, he really could use some kind of a lead, but on the other, at least they weren’t walking in on a dead body or something.

“Sniff around, see if you can find anything,” he said to his Pokémon, then started investigating the bed, pulling back sheets and checking under the pillows. Novo poked around the closet while Neo headed for the outdoor area.

 

[Negrek]

"No problem," Nate said. "Couldn't really just let some psycho run around trying to stab people." Good lord. What the fuck had even been going on on that boat?

He followed Wes, the eevees, and Mightyena into the room--she was already having a conversation with the other pokémon, apparently. That was good. If she wasn't worried, Nate wasn't worried.

"From Orre? Really?" Mightyena's tail gave a single wag. "My trainer keeps talking about Orre." And he didn't seem to think much of it, but Mightyena certainly wasn't going to repeat any of that to the espeon. She still wasn't completely sure about them, but the espeon at least was acting friendly. "Are there a lot of eevees in Orre? I don't know of many trainers who have two!"

Meanwhile, Nate checked nightstand, desk, side table--anywhere that someone might put their papers. Anything they could learn about the scizor trainer could be useful, anything that might tell them who he'd been talking to or what he'd been doing on the island. Nate kept an eye out for the trainer's pack, too. He was curious whether it looked like the guy had any chance to prepare to leave, or if he'd been caught unawares and left all his shit behind. "Anyone been in here besides the scizor and the trainer, Mightyena?" Nate asked.

Oh, right. She needed to help. Mightyena gave the espeon a brief, apologetic wag, then put her nose to the ground and started sniffing her way around the room.

[[ @Flyg0n Odor Sleuth ]]

 

[Flyg0n]

“Sniff around, see if you can find anything,” he said to his Pokémon, then started investigating the bed, pulling back sheets and checking under the pillows. Novo poked around the closet while Neo headed for the outdoor area.

Meanwhile, Nate checked nightstand, desk, side table--anywhere that someone might put their papers. Anything they could learn about the scizor trainer could be useful, anything that might tell them who he'd been talking to or what he'd been doing on the island. Nate kept an eye out for the trainer's pack, too. He was curious whether it looked like the guy had any chance to prepare to leave, or if he'd been caught unawares and left all his shit behind. "Anyone been in here besides the scizor and the trainer, Mightyena?" Nate asked.

Oh, right. She needed to help. Mightyena gave the espeon a brief, apologetic wag, then put her nose to the ground and started sniffing her way around the room.

[[ @Flyg0n Odor Sleuth ]]

A few shirts were left in the drawers, a jacket hung in the closet, and even toothbrush still by the sink. And beside his bed lay his backpack, seemingly still full of supplies. He hadn't even bothered to steal the complimentary coffee before leaving. Outside looked normal enough. Scizor scent, indicating he'd lingered or slept out here, and tracks in the ground. No signs of a struggle.

At first, sniffing around only revealed the expected scents - earth and grass, the scent of the boy, and the faint steely scent of a Scizor. But a thorough, deep sniffing reveals something else in the air... Something odd. It's not a scent you can properly place. A little bit chemical-like, but a little sweet too? But still unpleasant. And distinctive. It's very faint by now, but there's enough to make note of.

Even if you can't figure out what it is now, you'll definitely know if you smell it again!

Other than that, it seems to be only other scent in the room.

 

[HelloYellow17]

"From Orre? Really?" Mightyena's tail gave a single wag. "My trainer keeps talking about Orre." And he didn't seem to think much of it, but Mightyena certainly wasn't going to repeat any of that to the espeon. She still wasn't completely sure about them, but the espeon at least was acting friendly. "Are there a lot of eevees in Orre? I don't know of many trainers who have two!"

Neo looked up from where he’d been investigating and cheerfully replied, “Nope! We’re the only ones! Pokémon don’t live in Orre unless they have a trainer or they were stolen!”

Novo snorted. “Don’t say it like that.”

At first, sniffing around only revealed the expected scents - earth and grass, the scent of the boy, and the faint steely scent of a Scizor. But a thorough, deep sniffing reveals something else in the air... Something odd. It's not a scent you can properly place. A little bit chemical-like, but a little sweet too? But still unpleasant. And distinctive. It's very faint by now, but there's enough to make note of.

Wes felt a prickle of unease at the discovery. Could the boy and his Pokémon have been…drugged, somehow? But why? Where would they have been taken to? He rubbed at his temples with a sigh. He’d been hoping for answers, but instead he only had more questions than he did before.

He glanced at Neo again. “Okay, bud, I need your help one more time.”

Neo bounded over and rubbed against Wes’ leg with a chirp. The gravity of the situation evidently wasn’t enough to dampen the Espeon’s spirits—if anything, he seemed like he was having the time of his life playin detective. Wes couldn’t help but grin at his enthusiasm. “Think you can figure out if there was another Pokémon here besides Scizor?”

“Spi!” Neo tipped his head up to the ceiling, his forehead jewel glowing.

Neo used Aura Reader. @Flyg0n

 

[Flyg0n]

Neo used Aura Reader. @Flyg0n

Neo scanned the area for traces of other Pokemon! .... Unfortunately, whatever traces may have been left seem to be gone now... Nothing can be detected.