The Dragons' Maw

[Shiny Phantump]

Hazel cooed, enjoying the touch. Sleet was acting very stange, which she found odd given nothing else strange seemed to be happening around her. "Yes. Is that surprising you? I am not sure what is supposed to be confusing me about this, with all honesty. You seem to be causing much confusion for yourself, though. You are being nervously gentle. I am not going to be biting you, I promise."

Gladion couldn't help but laugh. He imagined Hazel would probably never pick up on anything Sleet was trying to insinuate. It wasn't a subject area she would have picked up around him for sure. It seemed Sleet had neglected to explain anything of the like to her, either, only the curse words. He was okay with that.

He glanced up at Laura, smirking. Perhaps he could have a little fun with this, too... "Didn't know Sleet had a bashful side for birds."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Laura returned the smirk, entirely failing to maintain a deadpan expression. "News to me, too. Explains why she always wants to take corviknight taxis everywhere instead of walking, though."

"Nnnnoo!" protested Sleet, putting her palms up: [stop]. "Is jusst con-veeeeen-ient! Don't have a birrrrd thing."

This was too fucking good. Laura was going to use it forever.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion's smirk widened. "Aw, don't worry Sleet. We'll accept you for who you are."

Hazel looked back and forth between Laura and Gladion. They were clearly understanding something she was not. "Now I am being lost again. A 'bird thing?' What kind of thing are we talking about? What acceptance are we teasing Sleet about?"

"I'll-"

"Do not be saying you will tell me when I am older again! We are not so dissimilar in age that you are needing to say that over and over!"

He winced. "That's not what I was saying. I was kidding myself, you just read my mind. We'll talk about it later, not in the middle of a restaurant."

Hazel narrowed her eyes. "I will be holdng you to that."

Gladion had been hoping she wouldn't, honestly. He sighed...

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Sleet had that deerling-in-headlights look. Another marvel. It was enough to actually feel sorry for her, even after all her teasing habits.

"Hey," said Laura, "that's enough messing with Sleet. For now. How about we order some actual food? I don't, uh, think the waitstaff noticed us? I'll take everyone's orders to the counter, if you like?"

She skimmed the menu. Indecision. Oh howls, she had an appetite.

"Gonna have the house burger," she muttered. Sleet, eager to redirect attention away from her bird thing, nodded rapidly and signed something about the insect special. Hazel's curious face was assurance that she was about to start asking questions about what the different options even were, bless her.

Laura realised that at some point, she'd actually broken into a smile. Not a forced one. A real smile.

<><><><><>​

 

[IFBench]

Gen stirred the ingredients in the mixing bowl. The eggs and flour were already mixed thoroughly, and now he was almost done adding the milk and water.

As the last bit of liquid was added in, Gen called out, "C-could someone hand me th-the butter and salt?"

"Here you go!" Coleane said, handing him the melted butter and salt with a vine. "It's so cool seeing how human food is made!"

"Th-thanks," Gen said, a tiny smile visible through his furnet as he added two tablespoons of butter, and a quater teaspoon of salt.

 

[Hanafuda]

Seb stepped into the restaurant, fixing his hair. He looked a bit exhausted, but he still had enough energy to go through the day. “Oh, you would not believe what happened out there.”

“Yo.” Zack waved a wing towards Gen and smiled. “Ah, never thought you’d be the sort to cook! Pretty crazy, huh?”

“So, what’re we gonna do?” Seb asked as he sat down, his large Pidgeot beside him. He looked at his phone, a bit impatient. “Odette hasn’t spoken yet. Guess they’re still checking on things. I just hope nothing goes wrong.”

 

[ShiniGojira]

The first thing that caught his eye when he entered the restaurant was the large statue of a Flygon–no, it looked a little off. Was it a mega?

June snorted. Now, that's a spiky mon.

Glancing around, he noticed a familiar face. Cracking a grin, he waved and walked towards them. "Oh hey, you're already here, huh?" He threw a side-glance at Evie beside him before looking back at the others. "So, any ideas when Mr. X's gonna be here?"

 

[Hanafuda]

“Oh.” Seb looked at the Charmander with a small smile. “Hey. June, right? It’s been a while.” He looked back at his phone, reading Gladion’s message. “We don’t really know when Mister Xavian will be here. He must be busy taking care of his Pokémon.”

 

[IFBench]

"C-cooking's my p-passion," The Oshawott said, as he poured some of the batter into a pan on the stove. "I-it's my dream to o-open up a restaurant of m-my own someday."

 

[ShiniGojira]

“Oh.” Seb looked at the Charmander with a small smile. “Hey. June, right? It’s been a while.” He looked back at his phone, reading Gladion’s message. “We don’t really know when Mister Xavian will be here. He must be busy taking care of his Pokémon.”

"Yup, that's me, alright! Hope you've been doing well, y'know, what with the whole kidnapping thing going on..." June trailed off with a low chuckle. "So got any ideas on what to do to kill the time? I'm not exactly a good chef, eggs and prepackaged stuff are like the only things I can cook so I'm no help in that regard." He shrugged.

"C-cooking's my p-passion," The Oshawott said, as he poured some of the batter into a pan on the stove. "I-it's my dream to o-open up a restaurant of m-my own someday."

June raised a scaly brow at the Oshawott. "Really? My little brother loves cooking too. He's only just started to get used to using his vines and he's only occasionally setting them on fire now," he said with a grin before faltering a moment later. "Oh and before you say anything, he's fine. He can't feel anything with his vines if he doesn't want to. Plus, Evie's like the best healer any of us could ask for. I can't tell you how many times she had to heal one of our more... reckless teammates. No seriously, I only have so many finge–er claws."

Evie scoffed. "As if being 'reckless' can begin to describe Pixels." She shook her head with an exasperated sigh, clearly disappointed at the thought of the Vulpix's lack of self-care.

 

[Flyg0n]

"C-cooking's my p-passion," The Oshawott said, as he poured some of the batter into a pan on the stove. "I-it's my dream to o-open up a restaurant of m-my own someday."

"Well, I'd say you certainly have the skill for it," Chef Flygon said approvingly as he watched Gen work. "And the passion. How long have you been cooking for, young Gen?"

 

[IFBench]

June raised a scaly brow at the Oshawott. "Really? My little brother loves cooking too. He's only just started to get used to using his vines and he's only occasionally setting them on fire now," he said with a grin before faltering a moment later. "Oh and before you say anything, he's fine. He can't feel anything with his vines if he doesn't want to. Plus, Evie's like the best healer any of us could ask for. I can't tell you how many times she had to heal one of our more... reckless teammates. No seriously, I only have so many finge–er claws."

Evie scoffed. "As if being 'reckless' can begin to describe Pixels." She shook her head with an exasperated sigh, clearly disappointed at the thought of the Vulpix's lack of self-care.

"M-maybe I can meet him someday! I'd l-love to give him some tips!" Gen said, grinning through his furnet. "I u-used to set things on f-fire a lot when I was s-starting, too."

"Well, I'd say you certainly have the skill for it," Chef Flygon said approvingly as he watched Gen work. "And the passion. How long have you been cooking for, young Gen?"

The Oshawott's tail started wagging at that, as he tilted the pan around. "I've been c-cooking since I was e-eleven, so five y-years!"

 

[Hanafuda]

"So got any ideas on what to do to kill the time? I'm not exactly a good chef, eggs and prepackaged stuff are like the only things I can cook so I'm no help in that regard."

“All I can think about is what to do for the plan,” Seb replied. “Would keeping Mister Xavian occupied with a nice chat work?”

“I got something you might like,” Zack said. He showed the Pidgeotite he held in his wing to June with a proud smirk. “Ever seen one of these beauties?”

 

[ShiniGojira]

"M-maybe I can meet him someday! I'd l-love to give him some tips!" Gen said, grinning through his furnet. "I u-used to set things on f-fire a lot when I was s-starting, too."

June grinned. "Who knows? Maybe we'll cross paths again someday? My brothers and I have been through a lot of universes before so it's not all that unlikely."

“All I can think about is what to do for the plan,” Seb replied. “Would keeping Mister Xavian occupied with a nice chat work?”

“I got something you might like,” Zack said. He showed the Pidgeotite he held in his wing to June with a proud smirk. “Ever seen one of these beauties?”

"Maybe?" June shrugged. "He seems like the kind of guy that would run his mouth if given the chance. Maybe we could trade stories or something?"

The Pidgeot spoke to him, revealing a familiar marble-looking stone. He gasped at its glinting light, leaning in to get a better view. "Woah! Is that an actual mega stone? That's so cool!"

Upon hearing the exclamation from the Charmander, Evie turned to see the mega stone for herself although she looked more curious than impressed at the stone.

 

[Hanafuda]

"Woah! Is that an actual mega stone? That's so cool!"

“You got that right, buddy,” Zack replied. He flexed his free wing with the same pride he displayed in his expression. “I’m pretty sure you’re gonna get your own soon. Could be an epic fight.”

Seb turned to look down at June with a bit of surprise. “You know about Mega Stones too? Are you also from Kalos?”

 

[IFBench]

"Mega stones? What are those?" Gen asked, as he tilted the pan around, cooking the crepe.

 

[Hanafuda]

“This baby right here,” Zack replied, flicking the Pidgeotite up and catching it in his wing. The stone glinted under the light as he showed it to the Oshawott.

“They’re special stones that allow certain Pokémon to Mega-Evolve,” Seb answered. “It’s a temporary transformation that powers up a Pokémon, but they have to be good friends with their Trainer to be able to control themselves.”

 

[ShiniGojira]

You got that right, buddy,” Zack replied. He flexed his free wing with the same pride he displayed in his expression. “I’m pretty sure you’re gonna get your own soon. Could be an epic fight.”

"Heh heh, right..." As if he'd be worthy of something so prestigious. He chuckled half-heartedly, scratching his cheek. "Well, I'm not exactly a fighter so I doubt that."

Seb turned to look down at June with a bit of surprise. “You know about Mega Stones too? Are you also from Kalos?”

"Yeah, about that..." June trailed off with a light chuckle. "Imagine a world where the only way you could see or interact with Pokémon was through a screen or a book and that, only non-magical/Aura-using creatures exist."

 

[Hanafuda]

"Yeah, about that..." June trailed off with a light chuckle. "Imagine a world where the only way you could see or interact with Pokémon was through a screen or a book and that, only non-magical/Aura-using creatures exist."

“That sounds kinda odd,” Seb said, looking up in thought. “But what about that Aura part? You mean something like Lucario? Man, those are always a handful…” He muttered that last part.

 

[ShiniGojira]

“That sounds kinda odd,” Seb said, looking up in thought. “But what about that Aura part? You mean something like Lucario? Man, those are always a handful…” He muttered that last part.

"No no, Crikes. How am I supposed to phrase this?" June hummed in thought before snapping his claws. "Do you know what animals are? Let's say, cows or pigs? Plain birds, fish? Cats? Dogs? And I don't mean Pokémon by the way, as they do not have the capabilites of using moves nor do they have types." Although June didn't voice it. Mentally, he was groaning at the direction their conversation was heading. These things were always such a hassle to go through.