Grass Continent ~ Treasure Town Beach

[TheGOAT]

A family of Shellos well off to the side were the only Pokémon in Astrid’s immediate sight. That was fine by her. She’d already decided this was her favorite spot in town; it was the very first place that allowed her to hear herself think.

“Okay, okay…” she told the gentle waves sliding onto the shore at her feet, soaking her paws and cleansing the sand in between them.

For good measure, she raised one of them, letting any remaining grains fall. It all felt real enough. For better measure, she inhaled, took aim at an indiscriminate point in the sky, and—

Nothing came out except an unruly mist.

“That wasn’t Aurora Beam,” she remarked. Oh well. At least she still had Freeze Dry.

Her tails brushed against the sand as she plopped down on the shoreline, letting out an icy breath that the afternoon sun wasted no time condensing. The ocean water rushing up against her sent waves of pleasant warmth up her body. They distracted her from the pounding in her chest trying to convince her that she wasn’t at all prepared for this.

 

[Ambyssin]

A solid half-hour after Nip left the forest, Necrozma too headed for clearer ground. Somewhere he could absorb light more easily. Less effort was good, after all. So he drifted aimlessly toward the beach. There were a few other people there, but he didn't mind them. He hovered out over the water. It took a great deal of effort and grunting, but he managed to strike the water with a pulse of Confusion. A geyser rose up and drenched him in ice-cold salt water. He shuddered.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Curio let Brisa catch her breath as they walked. By the time Brisa was physically comfortable enough to speak, she'd become emotionally uncomfortable with it again. So much for burning off anxious energy in the dojo. Maybe she should talk about the fight? No, she'd sound conceited for having gone two-nil against two opponents. Maybe discuss the bizarre scenario they were in? But it wasn't as if Curio had any more idea about it than she did.

"What's life like for you, normally?" Brisa found herself asking. "Where's home?"

 

[Namohysip]

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"Ahh, lovely moonlight tonight, isn't it?" Truffle asked, admiring the way the silver light reflected off of the gentle waves of the ocean. "I must say, of what I'd read about your kind, you're doing very well considering the form you currently take. I apologize if the others are less aware of what it means."

 

[Torchic]

Well, this is a nice little town... but shouldn't it be called a village? It's much smaller than the towns we have...

With those two giant Pokemon gone, and after a good night's rest, Cino was exploring Treasure Town. He noticed all the shops greeting him with glee and thanks for having saved them from those Magikarp. All he did was shielding someone, but that ultimately helped them win the fight, didn't it? He wasn't complaining. Though, something was definitely wrong around here. A Smeargle creating portals out of nothing? What a sight to behold.

Wow, they have a beach? ...Duh. We're near the ocean, idiot. He ran down the hill to the beach, but before he arrived at the sand part of it, he saw a familiar Roselia with his odd colored flowers, eyes closed and flowers directed at the sun. At first when he saw him back at the Dojo, he thought it was some mutant who had followed him here, but that luckily wasn't the case. Might just be a quirk from the Roselia's world?

"Hi, uh... I didn't quite catch your name, sorry. How are you? Are you also exploring a little? Sorry if I'm disturbing your meditation, or... something."

 

[Ambyssin]

Despite their blindness to its presence, Jelly was with the God Squad now. There wasn't much Necrozma could do about that. He remembered hearing about a lunch, but that just weighed him down further. Stars above, he missed having a mouth. Not that he could really taste things in his true form, per se. He still had no organs. But he could eat stuff nonetheless.

Rather than showing up and dragging the mood down, Necrozma floated off to the beach with the light ball still in his hand. "I remember the first time you ran across the water, Io." He spoke to the light ball. "You were so pleased with yourself, you forgot about your levitation and fell right in." A chuckle rumbled in his core, but faded as his arms sagged.

 

[Adamhuarts]

After their lunch, Cynthian decided to return to the beach for more sunlight and also peace and quiet. It's not that he didn't like it, but he wouldn't have been able to stand it if he wasn't surrounded by folks he knew then. Then again, did he really know any of the others? And what did they know about him?

Cynthian's snapped back to reality when he noticed a familiar mass of crystals at the beach after he arrived. Of all mons to be there, it had to be... Cynthian wasn't even sure what to call him. He pursed his lips and groaned quietly. Should he just ignore him and walk to the other side? No, that would be rude.

After debating it in his mind for a few seconds, Cynthian decided he'd just make a quick greeting and carry on. He walked over to Crystal boi and waved his flower.

"Heyyy... you. What are you doing way out here by yourself? Most of the others are having a curry banquet. Were you not informed?" Cynthian asked with a shaky and forced smile.

 

[Namohysip]

Over the gentle waves of the beach and the hissing sands, tranquil, slightly cheerful humming got louder and louder. Maple stepped in a slow rhythm, keeping tempo, as she sang a wordless, bouncy tune that felt more like it was meant for sea travel than a walk along the beach. Though, those were only a few degrees removed.

When Maple got close enough to spot Necrozma, she stopped humming and walked at a normal pace, giving a casual wave. "Hello, Necrozma, Cynthian."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"Hey, Celeste?" Cabot began. "Do you remember when you brought Dialga the first day we got here? I had never heard of him before, but it sounds like he's pretty important around here. What sort of god is he exactly?"

Celeste was taken back by the sudden question. He didn’t really remember mentioning them, and he certainly didn’t know much about them.

“Oh, hi. Dialga is a higher being. One of the most powerful, supposedly. They’re the embodiment of time itself, and... nobody knows much about them. Or, in my world we don’t. The idea of someone meeting Dialga is... unheard of where I’m from. Some of the weaker higher beings behave more like us mortals, but those as powerful as Dialga are incomprehensible to us. It’s better not to think of them as people, they’re more like forces of nature.

“However... They might be different here. Nobody would ever be able to talk to or beget gifts from the Dialga I’ve heard of.”

 

[Dragonfree]

The moment Dave looked into the dojo and saw Zane there (from the sound of it Brisa was about to kick his ass, and as much as he would've liked to see that, he had many better things to do with his time than to subject himself to more of the Zangoose's inanity), he scratched that plan and headed somewhere else. Somewhere private. The beach? The beach was probably good.

He stopped on a stretch of sand, looking around. Nobody there, as far as he could tell. No sound but the crashing waves and the distant chatter of the town. Some peace and quiet.

As best he could recall, dog Pokémon tended to learn... Odor Sleuth? Who the fuck named these things. A move that let them find and identify creatures that were hidden, made Ghost-types visible and vulnerable. Something useful not just in a fight but for investigative purposes, especially if they were facing things like that Darkwhite creep. Fuck if he knew exactly when Poochyena might learn it, but he was pretty sure it tended to be an early move, and he did definitely have a stronger sense of smell. He could at least give it a try.

If only trying to use moves without an opponent didn't feel so fucking dumb.

He sniffed experimentally at the sand; it smelled like sand and ocean. Fascinating.

He moved a little, put his nose down. Sand, sand, more sand. And also... a faint whiff of a Pokémon. Probably one that'd been there earlier today. Hell if he could tell which one. Actually, as he moved, he was pretty sure he could smell traces of several different Pokémon. Not all that helpful; probably loads of people had been to the beach, and it brought him no closer to identifying any of them.

Irritably, he moved a little further towards the bushes by the edge, towards maybe less sand and ocean and more... something else. One of the Pokémon scents intensified just a little. Another step, and yeah, definitely one above the others. He looked up, at the bushes ahead, took another step, frowned.

"Hey. Is somebody there?"

 

[Ambyssin]

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Necrozma wasn't flying straight. His path was shaky and zigzagging. Though he didn't really know why. The light ball Maple showed wasn't much different from the one he had held onto last week. Yet it stirred a deep gnawing sensation inside of him that the previous orb hadn't. What had changed? Some halfhearted meditation throughout the week... and fighting Team Spice. Though he used "fighting" loosely. The only blow his useless self struck was with a blast seed and the explorers considered him so worthless they didn't even bother attacking him.

It didn't matter. He was never much of a fighter. He doubted he would be in this world. That light... it wasn't about getting stronger. It was about being able to feel... somewhat more whole than he did now.

 

[Virgil134]

Day 15, Morning

After waking up the following day, Cabot decided to head off for the beach. With everything that had happened the past two weeks he wanted to take some time for himself, and opted to go to the place that reminded him most of home. When Cabot arrived, he was greeted by the sight of the rising sun casting an orange hue over the sea, the Cranidos smiling a little upon hearing the waves and feeling the sand between his toes. He walked around for a little and eventually found a nice spot to sit down, where he gazed out at sea.

Before he signed up for the navy he had dreamed of adventures just like this, yet here he was actually in one. Over the past two weeks he had even wondered at times if perhaps this was all a dream, and he'd wake up back on Haipheh's naval base at any second. The logic of this world certainly felt like something out of a dream at times…

But, the things going on in Cibus were certainly real to the Pokémon living here. Giant Pokémon, possessed Pokémon, Darkwhite… and now there were these strange Radiance powers as well. Cabot looked at his claws. Touching that orb had definitely hurt, yet at the same time he hadn't felt any different ever since. No powerful new abilities, but also no harmful side effects. Where did this power even come from? Maple said it was from Arceus, yet Diyem claimed otherwise. He'd felt a bit uneasy about Diyem ever since his outburst at him, but he still trusted him. The Charizard had mentioned he'd be open to talk with anyone after they brought Team Spice back to the guild, so perhaps now was as good as any.

Hey, Diyem? Are you there?

 

[Chibi Pika]

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Starr slept in. After the hard as balls fight against Team Spice last night, followed by getting roped into a meeting with the God Squad the moment they got back, she'd been completely exhausted. The following morning, she tried to think of things to distract herself, but her thoughts kept straying back to what Maple had told them when they accepted the Radiance.

"It will awaken abilities within your spirits that may be exclusive to you... It is your innermost feelings twisting and shaping your energy into something you can wield. It manifests differently for everyone."

She hadn't really paid that part much mind. A power boost that would help them with their mission? There wasn't even a choice to be made there. Obviously she was going to take it.

What... what would it actually be like? "Innermost feelings"? The hell did that mean? Just fancy wording for everyone's energy signature reacting differently or whatever? Most likely. Still, it bothered her not to know. And they all needed to learn how to use this power anyway for it to be any good in a mission, right? Right. So... training. Training always helped her clear her head anyway. Win-win.

A bunch of people had already claimed the dojo, and Starr wasn't much in the mood to spar, anyway. So she headed off for the beach, where there'd be plenty of space to let loose if needed.

 

[TheGOAT]

Was it interesting? Okay, sure. A Lugia showing up was definitely pretty interesting. But Astrid had resolved to get herself a breath of fresh air, and with all of the party members swarming the young Legend, that was a lost cause. She avoided the guild altogether; the others would handle it, and she wouldn’t be too far if they needed help.

A little while had passed before she headed back down to the beach. Curses, she’d left her bag by the treeline, forgotten when she had escaped up to the bluff earlier that day. Ohh—hopefully her items were still there… Even her Useless Lump, in all its useless glory, surely held some sentimental value to her. Even the scratched up jar she held her berries in.

And—ah! There it was! As Astrid skipped down the well-trodden path, she spotted it hidden where she’d left it, right by where the beach opened up into a broader expanse. Shouldering her bag with a satisfied harrumph, she turned to leave when something else caught her eye: a silver and brown figure was pacing back and forth by the shoreline at an impressive clip, with a bag of its own slung around its shoulder.

Astrid squinted so she could see better, then started to approach. Wait, is that…?

 

[Adamhuarts]

"it's so bright and sunny out here at the beach. There's no better time to enjoy some sunlight, won't you say, Cabot?" Cynthian inhaled deeply and huffed. He was already feeling rejuvenated and energetic. "I know you're a rock type, but I'm sure you'd agree a little bit of sunbathing does some good."

Cynthian's eyes lined the shoreline as they approached the beach until he noticed two figures seated on the sand. He squinted his eyes and held a flower over his forehead. "Looks like quite a few had the same bright idea. Aren't those Brisa and er... Astrid? Was that her name?"

 

[Namohysip]

Nighttime​

Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up.

It was like an incessant ringing in their ears, but it was somehow both monotone and urgent. It was perhaps equidistant from morning and evening, only the stars and a bright moon to accompany them as several of Diyem's misfits shuffled around in the living quarters. But he was urging them instead to go outside and to the beach.

There were strange flashes coming from below, suggesting that something was happening near or at the beach shores. Thunder churned in the air and struck below, making the first boom of the night--it wasn't natural thunder. That was a technique.

It was faint, and it was very far away, but they could all hear it. Familiar, ethereal, warped laughter, and the glowing, white eyes of Darkwhite near the beach. A Lugia that was too small compared to the literature was blasting several Weather Balls toward Darkwhite, but every single strike bounced uselessly off of her, and Darkwhite countered with strange, black-white attacks and countless normal moves in seemingly random order. Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, Ice Beam, Energy Ball, Dark Pulse--Darkwhite didn't care. She threw anything she wanted at Meringue, who, inevitably, looked like he was going to be too tired to continue.

Grasped in her tiny paws with a surprisingly strong grip... was Celeste, limp and unconscious, held by the horn.

The way the sand of the shores was completely upturned, with no place level or tranquil like it was supposed to be, suggested this battle had been going on for quite some time.

 

[Namohysip]

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After the hectic night at the beach, the sands were s till in ruins here and there, though it seemed that a few Pokemon had made an effort to level out the field again. It still wasn't enough, however

After locating Bahamut on his badge, Owen found that he was indeed here--though he shouldn't have been too surprised--and made his way down. He could only imagine what Bahamut would want to tell him... He was a very intimidating Dragon, and there was something about him that always had him feeling strange. He tried not to think too much about that.

"Bahamut?" Owen called.

 

[Ambyssin]

With the vast majority having (foolishly) balked at the idea of bringing up Dark Matter to Maple's team, Bahamut slinked off to the beach. He settled on his side in the sand and absentmindedly traced a wing along the water whenever a wave rolled up on shore.

 

[Cresselia92]

The sea was quiet that early morning. Shades of pink, orange and yellow colored its salty water, making it look like someone had dropped huge buckets of watercolors. A soft marine breeze blew across the sand and spread the pleasant and invigorating aroma of iodine.

Seated under a palm tree was Icetales, staring forlornly at the panorama with ears pressed tightly against his head. His tails brushed against some papers lying under her paws. Papers as blank as his spirit.

Why am I here? I… I am not the most apt of choices…

Darkwhite. Silver Trench. And now Maple.

Failure. Failure. Failure.

He shut his eyes.

Some hero I turned out to be! I cannot do anything right! I wager even the festival would turn into a disaster, if I were to persevere.

He glanced at his bag, his gaze lingering on the plans he always carried around. There were only a few minor touches and tweaks required to start it for real. He scowled.

…Useless rubbish. I am useless.

Wordlessly, he crammed the white sheets back into his bag, not even bothering to make sure they didn’t crease. He couldn’t think properly and he was tired of staring at the whiteness. He needed something else.

Suddenly, he remembered a lesson that Keo’Keo V had taught him many years ago…

To unleash thy stress, thou might consider venting thy frustration with tears or squalls, as keeping thy emotions inside will merely damage thee, she said.

Keo’Keo V was always so smart and wise. It was always a good idea to heed her words. He had already leaked his fair share of tears, so squalling be it.

He strode toward the shore and stared at the horizon. Then, he took in as much iodine air as he could and…

Kwoooooooh…

A low, guttural howl came out of his jaws and reverberated all around him — chilling and frightening, like nightmarish winter winds. The lungs emptied and the tails chilled, cloaking his body in a thin mist. He felt so free, one with the sky, the sand and the sea.

He perked up when he heard chittering, and upon glancing at the source, he saw some Krabby hurrying toward the sea. He halted instantly. Were they startled by his unholy cry?

Heavens! What am I doing? This is so barbaric! So indecorous! So degrading! So… so… so liberating…

He was flabbergasted: squalling made him feel a tad better. And so, he howled once more and to his heart’s content, pouring all his frustration and self-contempt into those cries.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Hey there, Owen," said Brisa, warmly.

She'd not been fully ready to see her charmander friend after her cafe trip and prompt crash in the Guild clinic the previous day, but she vaguely recalled offering him an exhausted greeting. She was surprised but... profoundly glad to see his enthusiasm to see her again, all things considered. She returned his bow, and stood with her tail high and ears alert.

"I'm happy to say I'm feelin' better already. Astonishin' what good eatin' and a proper night's rest will do to a mon. I hope y'all weren't frettin' too hard about us the last few days."