Sharpedo Bluff

[Virgil134]

"Well, it's true that energy attacks hurt me more, but I have a new move that will help against that. Something that other Cranidos don't have."

Cabot stood up and took a step back from the edge of the cliff, before closing his eyes and concentrating. His body began to glow bright as small rocks materialized and formed a protective barrier around him, prompting him to open his eyes and look at Meringue with a proud grin.

 

[Namohysip]

Meringue tilted his head again. "Oh, one of those weird powers from that Maple person..." He didn't seem all that impressed. If anything, he seemed perplexed. "I guess that'll work as a small shield... Didn't think you guys would be able to pick up those powers. Apparently it isn't very easy to do. Must have to do with your volatile auras..." The way Meringue spoke of Maple, it sounded like he was speaking about some stranger.

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot tilted his head in surprise.

"Oh? Is something the matter?" he asked. "You sound as unfamiliar with it as we did last week, but shouldn't this be more natural to you since you're a Legendary and it's your world? The 'mons at the guild didn't seem too surprised by it..."

 

[Namohysip]

"Well..." Meringue hummed. "I didn't really know that Maple worked under Arceus for a while. I mean, sure, I'm new to everything, but one day Maple showed up with the rest of her group and... asserted themselves."

He shrugged. "Arceus said that she usually worked on smaller things covertly, but now that a new crisis was coming, she and her team had to be out in the open."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot blinked and gave Meringue a confused look. "Huh? You mean she and her team haven't always been around? But everyone we've met here seems to act like they've know them for years."

 

[Namohysip]

"That's not the impression I had," Meringue said. "Maple showed up and Arceus explained their situation. There isn't a whole lot to question after that, I don't think... They just accepted the help. They couldn't have been in the public eye for more than a month or so, right around when this new Omen started, maybe a little before. Lines up pretty well to me."

 

[Virgil134]

"I see..." Cabot said. "So, Arceus told you and the other Legendaries personally?"

 

[Namohysip]

Meringue nodded. "Have you met him yet? I bet once you guys go to Destiny Village, you'll get to meet him."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot smiled, his tail wagging slightly. "You really think so? I haven't met your Arceus yet, but doing so actually sounds pretty exciting."

 

[Namohysip]

"Eh..." Meringue seemed a little hesitant there, but he nodded anyway. "Yeah, he's a great guy. Egh--but I'm gonna focus on training again. I've rested long enough. Be seeing you?"

 

[Virgil134]

"Hm! Right!" Cabot nodded. "See you later, Meringue."

The Cranidos waved Meringue goodbye before heading off back into town.

<><><><><>​

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Technically, the last time Celeste had been stargazing on the bluff, it hadn’t gone well.

He’d been planning to go with Icetales next time, but he was feeling restless tonight. He couldn’t wait for Icetales to be ready some other night. The chances of Grey attacking again were pretty low...

He heard someone on the way! Was it Gr- No, it was Cuicatl. That was much better.

 

[Persephone]

Cuicatl walked up to the bluff. It had been a chaotic few days, and she needed somewhere quiet with a nice breeze and the sound of waves to take a nap.

But the sound of a heartbeat and the smell of fur alerted her that someone else was already there.

Fine. She could socialize.

“I think you’re Celeste, but I’m not really sure...”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Celeste I am indeed. I was feeling restless, so I came out here. The starlight always help me relax.”

 

[Persephone]

So it was nighttime. The cooler temperature hinted at it, but it was possible that there was just a cold front and cloud cover.

“Starlight never did anything for me, but I do like the sound of the waves.” She settled down on her stomach and stretched out. “Never heard them growing up, but I still got used to them by the time I was pulled here.”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Huh, you moved somewhere near the water? I’ve always just stayed in the same place...”

Celeste sighed. “This is the longest I’ve been away from home since... forever. What’s it like to live in a completely new place? Is it exciting? Scary? I used to wonder what it would be like when I was younger, before I had other things to worry about.”

 

[Persephone]

“Confusing. A little lonely, since I didn’t know anyone there when I arrived.” Not that she had been on good terms with anyone at home when she left. “What was your home like? You may have told me, but it’s been a while. A lot’s happened in the meantime.”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“It’s a quiet little place near Ho-Oh’s Roost. Long ago, after it stopped being an active volcano, some followers of Ho-Oh settled down there because it was rumoured to be... well, the place Ho-Oh roosted. Hence the name.

“Even now, pretty much all of us there follow Ho-Oh. They’re not a difficult higher being to follow, so even travellers are generally willing to abide by our philosophy.

“Our leader is whoever Ho-Oh shrinekeeper. That was my mother, until a few months ago. In the meantime, my sister’s taken up the role. She’ll probably be appointed by Ho-Oh... eventually.”

He paused for a moment to think before continuing. “What’s human society like? Those of us in my world don’t have anything but their ruins to go by, so it’s a mystery to us.”

 

[Persephone]

Cuicatl decided to ignore her thoughts on the gods for now. She didn’t want a rebate of the debacle with Starr, however much the latter insisted it hadn’t been Cuicatl’s fault.

She pushed down the thoughts about Starr, lost but not confirmed dead in a very literal example of Schrödinger’s Cat.

“Well, there are a lot of different places. Almost three hundred different countries, actually. The place I lived was a small town between two mountains. It... wasn’t that friendly to outsiders. Humans fight a lot. My home fought more than most places, because...” Mentioning human sacrifice was not a good way to make friends. Sometimes she slipped up because it had been such a normal thing at home. “The gods wanted us to fight their enemies. The king lives in a city built on top of a lake. There are a bunch of massive stone buildings built on the islands, and even bigger metal ones at the edge of the lake.”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Huh. Suddenly the human world didn’t sound so great after all...

“Countless states, wars, kings... Sounds like a novel to me. Seeing as they’re not open to outsiders, I would assume that’s the place you left? Did you want to get away from all the fighting?”