AQ - S.S. Trousselin

[Negrek]

"Hoenn," he snorted. "Like you. Or...?" He left the question hanging, suddenly unsure of where he was going with this. He wasn't used to people coming up to him to chat. His species didn't really give off the most... amicable vibes. He snorted again to himself in amusement; none of Steven's team really did. Well, Cradily, kind of. She was at least the most outgoing of the bunch. Aggron glanced back down at the Mightyena and then around the empty deck, and realized the Mightyena was here by herself.

"No trainer with you?" he asked. Odd, he was under the impression this was a partners thing, after all.

"Oh, my trainer's with me! He's doing boring human stuff, though. He said I should go have fun." Mightyena guessed the steel-type's trainer must be one of the humans being loud nearby. She wondered briefly what they were getting so worked up about, but the thought passed almost immediately. It was boring human stuff, too, no doubt. And the steel-type had said something far more interesting.

"I'm from Kanto," Mightyena said, drawing herself up proudly. And then almost immediately added, "Saffron City," just to make sure he didn't think she was talking about some other place that wasn't as good. "But you're from Hoenn?" What kind of luck was that? The very first pokemon she met here! She couldn't stop her tail from wagging. "You must have met a lot of mightyena before, then! Aren't they all over? Even in the wild?"

 

[Sinderella]

Gods, cruise ship designers always knew what was up when it came to gyms.

The treadmills had been so expertly placed by the panoramic window, giving a full view of the ocean ahead. Even after a couple years in Alola, the sight of it still didn't strike Odette as anything special...but it somehow hit differently on a treadmill, while her hardcore rap playlist blasted through her earbuds. She'd mouth along with the words as she kept up her steady yet speedy jog, occasionally sneaking a glance at the blood pressure monitor looped around her wrist.

All looked normal, and all was well. She was fine.

Every so often, however, Odile would feel the need to pipe up.

T̴u̷r̷n̸ ̸u̶p̸ ̵t̶h̵e̷ ̴s̶p̶e̴e̸d̶.̵ ̴

No, she thought back abruptly.

A scoff echoed through her brain. Y̸o̵u̸'̸r̷e̶ ̶f̴u̴c̴k̸i̴n̷g̸ ̷b̸o̵r̴i̷n̵g̵.̵ ̴L̴o̷v̶e̴ ̶y̸o̷u̶,̵ ̶t̸h̸o̶u̵g̸h̷.̴ ̷



Enora was in her own little world, lost in the classical tunes playing softly in her headphones while she walked her respective treadmill at a steady pace. She'd glance up at Odette every so often, just out of pure protective habit. It was impressive that she was able to keep that speed without tiring, but Enora suddenly worried that Odette would trip over those human legs of hers. Dancer or not, everyone was prone to tripping, especially bipedal humans.

She huffed to herself and shook her head. No, she was fine. It was good they were getting some exercise in after the week of packing and getting home things in order to leave for this trip. She wouldn't interrupt it...for now, at least.


Odette's current song was interrupted by her phone buzzing, and she slowed to a mindful speedy walk as she picked it up off the holder.

The trip was only for two weeks, but at the rate she was being bombarded with goodbyes, it felt more like she was going to be gone for two months. As she opened her messaging app, she eyed the most recent text from Hau in 'Alola League Squad' imploring her to take pictures, along with several crying emoticons. There was also a message from Noel in 'Lansat Twerk Team' once again asking to stowaway in the cargo hold. The most recent message, however, was in her 'Luvdisc Trifecta' chat.

Clovis LeClair
I'm heading into a meeting. Let us know when you get there, sweetness 💙

Guzma Kahele
HOWS TGE BOAT
FUCK
*THE
​

With an exaggerated eye roll, she stopped her run entirely and stepped off the machine, waving at Enora in the process. "Come take a quick selfie with me for everyone at home.

H̷e̸e̴e̴l̸l̴l̵l̵l̷l̶l̷l̵l̸ ̶y̸e̴e̸e̶e̵a̵a̸a̶a̵a̷a̴a̷h̵,̷ ̶w̴e̵'̷r̷e̴ ̶s̷t̵y̸l̵i̸n̴'̶ ̷a̶n̷d̸ ̶p̴r̶o̵f̸i̸l̷i̴n̷'̴ ̴a̶n̷d̷ ̸t̸h̵e̷y̷'̴r̸e̵ ̴a̸l̶l̷ ̵j̸e̷a̷l̴o̴u̵s̷ ̷a̸s̶ ̸F̸U̸C̵K̷.̴ ̵


Enora beamed as she hurriedly stopped her own machine. She loved selfies! She never looked bad in one, either. Especially after a good walk. Surely Solene, Ange, Isaur, and Loic were going to want to see how good everything was looking so far too.

The two of them posed in front of the mirror as Odette snapped the photo. It turned out pretty cute, so she didn't bother with another.


W̴A̶I̴T̶ ̶I̷ ̴T̴H̸I̶N̷K̶ ̵I̸ ̵B̷L̸I̴N̶K̶E̸D̵.̸ ̴ Clearly Odile thought she was hysterical, judging by the snicker hiding behind her words.

"Shut up, Grudge," Odette said as she sent the image. She normally wouldn't have caught herself dead talking to an internalized Odile out loud, but it seemed that nobody else on board was in the mood to work out, so the place was empty. She was free to converse with her literal inner demon as much as she pleased.

It wasn't long before her boys responded.

Clovis LeClair
😍 I'm single and filthy rich, PLEASE call me

Guzma Kahele
SHEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSHHH GIRL U GOTTA BAE?????? HOLEEEHHHHHHH 👏👏👏👏
Enoras bettr lookin than u tho srry​

Gods, they were stupid. She hoped they and her other Pokemon kept the house intact while she was gone. But fuck, she already missed them so goddamn much.


She stretched her arms above her head before grabbing her face towel off the treadmill rails before pocketing her phone and gesturing to Enora. "How does a cool down drink in the food court sound?"

***
​

Odette would be lying if she'd said she knew where everything was. In fact, all that really called to her was the gym and that dance hall that she'd yet to check out. Everything else was a mystery. The longer she and Enora spent walking around trying to find the food court, the more annoyed she felt herself getting.

"Fuck me, is there a goddam map?"

D̴o̵ ̵y̶o̸u̷ ̴k̵n̸o̴w̸ ̶h̵o̷w̷ ̶t̶o̶ ̷r̸e̵a̶d̵ ̴a̵ ̷m̸a̶p̶?̸

Odette opened her mouth to respond, when she found herself walking past what looked to be a bar. It was already inhabited by a couple parties, but it wasn't nearly as crowded as she'd have expected the food area to be. She sent a look down to Enora and shrugged.

"I'm sure they'll have water here."


Enora considered it for a moment, before nodding. "Sounds alright to me."


Odette stepped into the bar, taking quick glances at the others who happened to be sitting separate from one another. Not together, it seemed. A guy and...a really tall woman? Good grief.

D̶a̶m̸n̸,̸ ̷i̷m̸a̷g̸i̷n̶e̸ ̷y̶o̵u̵ ̷w̴e̶r̴e̵ ̶t̸h̶a̶t̴ ̴t̸a̴l̷l̸.̷ ̶Y̷o̷u̵'̸d̸ ̵b̷e̴ ̶e̸v̷e̴n̸ ̶h̶o̷t̷t̶e̵r̶.̴ Odile giggled.

"SH--" Odette started to say, but she caught herself before she could yell. Now that she was in the vicinity of others, that out loud speak had to stop. Granted, she had to assume that everyone aboard had SOME idea about this thing she harbored and her affinity for it, but she was far too paranoid to let it show. It was bad enough Odile had refused to go in her ball prior to boarding.

She shuffled over to the furthest set of chairs, taking one and watching as Enora hopped into the second one. When she saw an opportunity she waved down the bartender.

"Two waters. Merci."

 

[MintyMimix]

"Whoa...!" Violet gasped in awe as she looked up and down every nook and cranny of the ship. They had nothing like this in her time! It was utterly massive; it could rival even the grandest of fleets alone, yet it was considered recreational? Not to mention the whole hull was made of metal rather than wood! "How does it float? How does it move, even?!"

An exasperated-looking Weavile followed shortly behind, clutching onto the lab coat she had been wearing as her eyes darted around with apprehension. They shouldn't have come here. It had to have been a trick, or a trap, or something — they hadn't even built a full team of six yet and they were being invited as one of the "best"? She pleaded with her trainer, vocalizing and pointing back to the docks they come from before blanching as she realized that the ship had already started moving.

Violet's expression oozed mischief as she taunted, "Come now, dear Hazel; art thou scared of a little water?" She gestured to the open sea for emphasis.

The Weavile, Hazel, sighed. Why did she agree to go along with her trainer's ill-thought out idea of a vacation again? Shaking her head, she hummed with interest as she thought more about Violet's previous question. Perhaps this could be a learning opportunity! Taking her Rotom Phone out of her lab coat's pocket, she carefully tapped the screen — doing her best to use the blunt side of her claw — as she typed, [This wasn't a good idea, you know. And I am not, but do you want to know more about the ship? I could look up the model.]

Violet crossed her arms as she waited for the Weavile to finish her response. It always took awhile, but she had gotten used to it. Pokémon couldn't speak, after all. Still, no matter how much she got used to the gadgets and gizmos of the present, that phone of Hazel's always baffled Violet. It was like it had everything in it! "Mmm, no, I'd say it was a good idea; you shall see with time! And as for the research, I believe I will 'pass on that' for now." Violet replied with a dismissive wave. "...That's how you say that, right?"

After a receiving a nod from Hazel, Violet pointed to the open bar, "Sides, a pub's a great way to 'mingle', no? Why not have ourselves a look?"

Hazel started to type, [But you're underag—] before realizing Violet had already began waltzing towards it. With a click of her tongue, she pocketed the phone and her claws into the coat as she caught up with the girl. She really did feel like she was the trainer in their relationship during times like these.

Inevitably, Violet was denied any alcohol, so she relented to asking for two servings of lemon water. She grumbled and pouted as she eyed all the various foreign brands, while Hazel looked up their names to figure out their origins. Many of them were from Kalos, it seemed, much to Violet's intrigue. "Mayhap we ought to visit that 'Kalos' region one of these days; that may even be where they are hiding," She said, giving Hazel a knowing look without paying much mind to the other patrons just yet, but still able to be overheard.

[You just want to eat their food.]

"Guilty as charged~"

 

[Sinderella]

Enora was quite enjoying her water after that long stationary walk, when another duo entered the bar. A rather...underaged looking girl and her Weavile. What was an underaged teen doing in a bar anyway? Where the heck were her parents? Hm, actually...perhaps she was jumping a gun. Odette still got carded at every bar she tried to go to, all on account of her height. But then again, Odette had a much older face...

No. They were here to have a good time. To bond, to become more in tune with their...affinities and whatnot, and Enora had no business stressing herself out over things that didn't matter. Especially knowing that Odile was undoubtedly going to cause a problem sooner rather than later, and Odette might follow in suit with her temper...no, Enora would stay in her lane, enjoy her water, and keep her energy for when she really needed it.


Odette on the other hand couldn't help but overhear the newcomers talking. They were speaking so loud that it just couldn't be helped, really. What on fuck was that dialect? Was she mixing Old Galarian with modern lingo? Why would anybody ever? She couldn't judge too much because she still mixed up her own Galarian and Kalosian even after years of being fluent in Galarian, but that was somehow different. Galarian was Galarian. Old Galarian was...yeah, why the fuck would anybody bother with that? Some weird new TikTok trend she wasn't aware of, maybe? Perhaps she would ask Noel or Hau later; one of them might know better.

 

[Phoenixsong]

"My apologies, Blue. I... I think I did mistake you for someone I knew. I'm so, so sorry for bothering you. Um... good day, Blue. I mean it genuinely."

"Hmph... yeah. Whatever. Good day to you, too."

Blue sank back into his chair and sighed. What the hell was that?

He knew that plenty of champions had their weird little quirks—Lance had his capes, he'd heard something about the previous Hoennian champion spending all his time in caves or something, hell, even Red had gotten some kind of bug up his butt and decided he Really Needed To Climb This Mountain, Right Now Actually; they couldn't all just be normal like him, he supposed. And when you threw being an extremely flashy famous coordinator into the mix, well, maybe you were just gonna turn out Like That. Sure. That was probably all it came down to; the guy was just an eccentric. A really, really forward eccentric.

(But he had insisted...)

...nah. Maybe something had been kinda off about that, maybe not, but sitting here and having the heebie-jeebies over it was not remotely worth his precious vacation time. Blue knelt by the edge of the pool and splashed some of the water into his face, and felt immeasurably better afterward. Honestly, the weird vibes were likely just the heat. He should've brought a hat or something. Not normally his style, but neither was heat exhaustion, so.

"Hey, Charizard." His starter turned back toward him, finally looking away from Wallace being weird at someone else. Blue gestured toward one of the chairs currently covered by the charizard's wings. "You mind if I catch a little shade there?"

Charizard smiled and raised a wing. "Thanks, man." Blue resettled himself in the shaded chair, took a few more sips of his slightly melted slushie, and tried to go back to relaxing.

 

[Seren]

Close enough that she'd definitely know he was there, not so close as to invade personal space.

Olivia's head rose as the newcomer and his massive pokemon settled in. "Spii?"

"Olivia, no. Stay." Kimiko only opened one eye to make sure her espeon hadn't immediately pounced on the poor unfortunate soul who happened to camp nearby. The drink in his hand caught her eye, and she quickly looked around for some kind of stand or maybe a server. Or maybe he'd gotten it from one of the bars? She had been considering asking where he got the drink from, but after a careless display from his pokemon that knocked over several deck chairs and almost another passenger that didn't trigger a response from his trainer, she wasn't sure she wanted to anymore.

...or punching Red's pokémon in the face

Only when she overheard the stranger talking about Red to his charizard did Kimiko actually pause to inspect him. This guy fought Red? Recently? She thought Red had disappeared atop some mountain somewhere for training ages ago. Who was this guy? A closer look at the charizard and... okay, it did look pretty well trained, at least. She turned back to the stranger, looking him up and down, trying to figure out just who he could be to even know Red personally. He certainly looked ready for a vacation... all he was missing was a comfey around his neck.

"Espii!"

"Olivia, no," she said with an exasperated sigh. She reached a hand down to stroke her espeon's head, hoping to distract her from the drink the stranger thought was safe under his lounge chair.

"Blue! It's wonderful to see a familiar face here. I'm proud of you for being accepted into such a prestigious event. It's truly a testament to you and your Pokémon's skills. Although... I don't remember you having a Charizard. Is this a new addition to your team?"

"Wall...ace?" he ventured, wracking his brain for the name. "The Hoenn League gym leader— no, champ now, isn't it?"

And then another stranger approached, and it clicked; Clad in a hawaiian shirt and swim trunks, the first stranger looked far more goofy than she'd have expected of the former Kanto champion, but she could see this guy maybe being Blue... several years ago. But now? He looked a lot younger than she'd have thought for his age. When Blue later mentioned off-hand about only being a trainer for three years, she was very confused. Something here didn't add up. It had been over five since the Champion's Tragedy in Sinnoh. Both Red and Blue had been scarce for years even before that! What was going on here? Was someone playing a joke on her? If, so she didn't understand it; there were a dozen close-to-home subjects that could have been chosen and gotten a larger reaction out of her, if that was what someone was hoping for, and Kantonian champions were not on that list.

Her eyes only shifted to Wallace briefly before returning to "Blue" - there really wasn't any mistaking Wallace's unique style, short of a very good impersonator. Suddenly, Kimiko felt like she was in over her head. She had already surprised upon recieving her invitation that she had been considered noteworthy enough to be invited to this party, but to be in the company of gym leaders and (former) champions? Just what had she gotten herself into? If there was some big event that gym leaders and champions were attending, surely it was going to be more formal than she'd anticipated. Alex had been the one to suggest packing her nice, purple dress... maybe she'd find a chance to wear that again after all.

Kimiko lay back down, keeping her head turned towards the two gym leaders. She hadn't intended to be eavesdropping, but it was hard not to when Blue was so loud. And for whatever reason, she was finding it difficult to look away. Not that she'd ever been one to be starstruck by celebrities, but... something about seeing them in person was different. Or maybe it was because she couldn't even fathom the difference in strength and skill between herself and Blue in his prime.

She continued to observe Blue somewhat warily, not even registering that Wallace had walked off, as he got up to splash himself by the pool and resettle under his charizard's spread wings. What was the point of sunbathing if you were going to hide in the shade...?

 

[Poivron]

Blue sky, sparkling pool water, rows of luxurious deck chairs bright in the sun, an elegant gold railing flecked with salt spray. Finley took a moment to regret wearing his oversized 9th Annual Circhester Fishing Contest Winner! t-shirt, which looked very out of place in such an upscale locale. He hadn't been anywhere this extravagant in a while. He hadn't been anywhere in a while, since groceries came by delivery and he made a habit of battling indoors. All the better to show off his collection.

Being outside was not his forte. Cruise ships were not his forte. Neither were social gatherings. But as Bouba had told him, at some point you had to get out and live a little. If that meant accepting a bizarre invitation to a festival he'd never heard of, well, needs must.

He turned from the deck railing towards Bouba, floating to his side, and gave the jellicent a pat. Bouba gurgled pleasantly at him. This was the 139th photic variation of gurgle, he decided, roughly translating to You should talk to someone.

What were his options? Some other trainers and pokemon had arranged themselves around the pool, including a strikingly large charizard, though nobody was swimming. He didn't visit public pools often, but he was under the impression that they usually had people in them. Children screaming, jellicent splashing, that type of thing. The whole ship was rather less populated than he'd expected, but perhaps all cruise ships were like this. He sorely lacked knowledge on cruise ships.

In the end he couldn't settle on any particular person to talk to, so he decided to address all or none of them.

"Hello. Lovely weather, isn't it?" he said to no one in particular. Good conversation starter, good. "The last time I was on a ship like this, my father was taking me to see the jellicent blooms off the coast of Alola. Go in the right season and you see them spread out for miles, flickering with phosphorescent light and all that. Remarkable sight." Not so good. "Though I haven't been on a ship in years. Frankly, I'm somewhat phobic of them. Not the water, it's specifically ships I happen to have trouble with, I've had negative experiences with them in the past. I don't recommend them." Wait. What was he saying?

Well, it was out there now. If nobody cared to answer, he could always occupy his time with Bouba. Bouba was a marvelous conversational partner. He patted Bouba again. Bouba reached out a little tendril to pat his shoulder. They were good friends, Bouba and he. This would go fine.

 

[IFBench]

"Okay, calm down," Seb muttered to himself, clasping his hands together in front of his face. He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed to relax. After he opened his eyes, he spoke again. "First off, it's nice to meet you too--call me Seb, and second, Pokémon usually say their species name when they talk or do some weird sounds. You didn't go 'Tro-tro' or anything like that--you're speaking like a normal person. How?"

"Oh, I've always been able to! Every Pokemon I know back home can speak! Well, except for hatchlings, but still!" Coleane said.

Meanwhile, Gen found himself knocked onto the ground by Coleane's flapping wings. Not wanting to bother his new friend, he made his way over to the pool, where he saw a bunch of people gathered.

"Um...h-hi," he said, in the human language.

 

[Hanafuda]

“Um… Okay…” Seb was at a loss for words for a moment. He read a few internet stories written by enthusiasts that featured talking Pokémon, as well as a few rumors that he thought were fake and existed to make profit. And now here he was, looking at a Tropius that spoke fluent English. Was he going crazy? Who was going crazy? He rubbed his eyes before asking something else. “Sorry, but mind giving a more detailed explanation? Did you learn how to talk yourself?”

Jack looked around with a bit of worry in his face. “So, Coleane, right? I’m Jack. This might sound pretty sudden, but where’s your Trainer?”

“What about the little guy with the hood?” Zack asked next, crossing his wings over his chest.

“Sorry if these are a lot of questions,” Jack said. “We just want things cleared up .”

 

[IFBench]

"My parents taught me how to talk!" Coleane said, before frowning at Jack's question. "I'm the Trainer! And Gen's one of my partners!"

 

[Hanafuda]

“Uh… Good enough of an explanation, I guess?” Seb said, tilting his head back and forth. He was still confused, but at least he got something. “Yeah, maybe we should relax with the questions if they’re bothering you too much. But really, a Pokémon that is a Trainer? You’re not kidding, are you?”

“I’m trippin’ out, man,” Zack said, holding his head.

 

[IFBench]

"Yeppers! I'm a real trainer!" Coleane said, digging into her bag with a wing, and pulling out a Trainer ID, with a picture of the Tropius' face. Noticeably, the hometown section was left as "Unknown".

 

[Hanafuda]

“This is nuts!” Zack exclaimed, reading the ID.

“Okay, seems legit,” Seb said before chuckling in a mix of confusion and amazement. “So, you thinking about taking on the League? Almost every Trainer I’ve seen wants to do that.”

 

[IFBench]

"Yeppers! The voice who sent me here told me to become the 'Champion'! I'm still not entirely sure what that means, though," Coleane said, her wings drooping a bit as she finished talking.

 

[Hanafuda]

Seb put his hands into his jeans’ pockets as he explained. “Well, becoming the Champion of a region is kinda like being a king or queen. You get a lotta respect in your position, and if I’m not wrong, there’s management involved. There’s lots of things you can do as the Champion, but you gotta be responsible.” He sighed and lowered his head as he muttered to himself. “I don’t really think I’d be able to live up to the task… I’m okay just being normal.”

“But won’t becomin’ the Champ net you all the chicks in the region?” Zack asked.

“Not the best question to ask,” Jack muttered in disbelief. “Please, give it a break for a bit.”

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Oh, my trainer's with me! He's doing boring human stuff, though. He said I should go have fun." Mightyena guessed the steel-type's trainer must be one of the humans being loud nearby. She wondered briefly what they were getting so worked up about, but the thought passed almost immediately. It was boring human stuff, too, no doubt. And the steel-type had said something far more interesting.

"I'm from Kanto," Mightyena said, drawing herself up proudly. And then almost immediately added, "Saffron City," just to make sure he didn't think she was talking about some other place that wasn't as good. "But you're from Hoenn?" What kind of luck was that? The very first pokemon she met here! She couldn't stop her tail from wagging. "You must have met a lot of mightyena before, then! Aren't they all over? Even in the wild?"

"Oh," said Aggron, dumbly. He still wasn't used to this conversation stuff. Not to mention anytime his trainer was gone from his sight, he ended up in some kind of trouble. Interesting that this Mightyena was so comfortable just letting her human wander about unattended. Perhaps he was just that boring that trouble wouldn't find him.

Aggron did perk up at the sound of Kanto. He wasn't entirely sure which city was Saffron; Steven had been to a bunch of them over the years. But he had been to Kanto, that much Aggron was sure of. "Kanto's nice," he rumbled. "A bit cooler than Hoenn, and the mountains are big." He wasn't sure what kind of compliment to give a Mightyena about her home region, but she seemed happy enough. She was doing that whole body wiggle Sidney's Mightyena did when it was dinner time.

Oh, he should probably tell her he knows other Mightyena. That would probably go over well, too. "My, uh, friend is also like you. A Mightyena. She's strong." He paused. Aggron wasn't sure how many Mightyena he'd seen in Hoenn. There weren't a lot of them in the caves and mountains. But he hadn't met any from Kanto before. "You'd probably like Hoenn," he decided. "You should bring your boring trainer there sometime."

But, speaking of trainers, there was an awful lot of racket coming from his right about now.

"Hang on," he said for the Mightyena's benefit, and rounded toward Steven with a grumble. But when he saw the look of panic on the flouncy water-type trainer's face, Aggron bristled with alarm.

------

"...Steven, you weren't there at my sendoff. You had... business stuff, remember? You said you wouldn't be allowed to leave those duties unless I was in dire need or danger. And for what it's worth, I tried to invite you, but under the rules of my invitation, I... couldn't."

Steven listened quietly as Wallace explained something that decidedly had not happened, the picture of their situation becoming clearer and clearer. Though it didn't help that as Wallace talked, he was becoming more and more distressed, which in turn was beginning to distress Steven, too.

He should be panicking, too, right? Having a mysterious festival take place in some other time wasn't normal. But the invite had said something about mythical pokemon, and he'd seen his fair share of what those pokemon could do. It wasn't impossible that this was happening. This wasn't the time for panic.

He leaned against the railing, breathing heavily. He felt like he was going to pass out of throw up, and he didn't want to do either in the ocean.

"I need a drink, Steven. And before you say anything, I think I deserve to get drunk, assuming I'm not already."

"Of course I am, Steven!" Wallace shouted. "Don't you remember telling me the news right before Winona and I got married?! Don't you remember how I made a fool of myself on live TV?! Don't you remember this?!?!" He took out a piece of rose quartz and held it in front of Steven with a shaky hand. "Please Steven. Please tell me that this is some sick joke. Please tell me you had some deranged rich person idea gone horribly wrong. PLEASE STEVEN!!!"

"Wallace. Wallace. Wallace!" Steven had to raise his voice to try to get through to his panicked friend. Gods, he knew this wasn't his friend, the Wallace from his time, but it hurt to see him like this just the same. He just hoped this Wallace would also listen to a voice of reason, no matter how absurd what he was about to say was going to sound.

"I can't remember things if they didn't happen to me."

Somehow, Wallace's eyes went even wider, and Steven mentally cursed himself. Great opening line... He quickly continued before Wallace could interject.

"It's not a joke, I promise. We're from different places, different times. I'm sure of it. The Steven you're talking about, the Steven you know? He isn't me. Well," he paused, looking a bit sheepish, "He kind of is, we're very similar from the sound of it. But the events leading up to now, they don't line up. Whatever has transpired for you hasn't for the Wallace I know."

Wallace was still on the brink of hyperventilation, but at least he was listening now. He still looked so betrayed, and it made Steven's chest clinch tight. In a snap decision, he reached out and grasped Wallace's hands, the beautiful rose quartz now held between them.

"I'm sorry. It's not that I've forgotten, it's that I've never known."

The events that this Wallace talked about, marrying Winona, stepping up to the Champion's position while his Steven had moved on, they sounded nice. This Wallace was living his own, happy life. Steven hated to see him so terrified at the prospect of having it ripped away.

"You're not losing it," Steven half-whispered. He wasn't sure if that was directed at Wallace or a promise to himself.

"If anything, I'm overjoyed to get the chance to know you all over again," he said, letting go of Wallace's hands, now that they were trembling less.

"Imagine, now I have twice as many Wallaces in my life," Steven laughed. "I'm not sure if he'd be jealous or ecstatic. Though, I suppose I could ask you that question, actually."

 

[Negrek]

"Oh," said Aggron, dumbly. He still wasn't used to this conversation stuff. Not to mention anytime his trainer was gone from his sight, he ended up in some kind of trouble. Interesting that this Mightyena was so comfortable just letting her human wander about unattended. Perhaps he was just that boring that trouble wouldn't find him.

Aggron did perk up at the sound of Kanto. He wasn't entirely sure which city was Saffron; Steven had been to a bunch of them over the years. But he had been to Kanto, that much Aggron was sure of. "Kanto's nice," he rumbled. "A bit cooler than Hoenn, and the mountains are big." He wasn't sure what kind of compliment to give a Mightyena about her home region, but she seemed happy enough. She was doing that whole body wiggle Sidney's Mightyena did when it was dinner time.

Oh, he should probably tell her he knows other Mightyena. That would probably go over well, too. "My, uh, friend is also like you. A Mightyena. She's strong." He paused. Aggron wasn't sure how many Mightyena he'd seen in Hoenn. There weren't a lot of them in the caves and mountains. But he hadn't met any from Kanto before. "You'd probably like Hoenn," he decided. "You should bring your boring trainer there sometime."

But, speaking of trainers, there was an awful lot of racket coming from his right about now.

"Hang on," he said for the Mightyena's benefit, and rounded toward Steven with a grumble. But when he saw the look of panic on the flouncy water-type trainer's face, Aggron bristled with alarm.

Mightyena's ears perked up. So the steel-type had been to Kanto! It made sense that he talked about the mountains. It really was too bad that Steelix wasn't here, or Graveler. They always enjoyed talking about rock stuff.

A strong Mightyena, though. That was way more interesting. Mightyena's ears pricked up, and she started to ask more about the steel-type's friend, but he turned away, tensing as if for a fight.

For a moment Mightyena was alarmed, but then she saw the steel-type was looking at the humans, one of which had to be his trainer. Ah. It probably wasn't a good idea to get involved with whatever was going on between the humans, and the steel-type would understandably be distracted if his trainer was in distress. She could come back later. If she brought Nate, maybe he would even want to challenge the steel-type's trainer to a battle!

"I do want to go to Hoenn!" Mightyena said brightly. "Maybe you can tell me more about it later." Yes, the steel-type was definitely fixated on whatever was going on with his human. "Good luck with your trainer! I hope they don't die."

The steel-type probably didn't even hear her. That was okay. Mightyena trotted off, already thinking of where she ought to go next; she could see almost the whole ship from up here. It looked like there were a lot of people around the pool. She could see charizard, espeon, a small pokémon that looked like they were wearing an item on their head... yes, that was clearly the place to be.

It was strange that the humans decided to carry more water around on the ship when they had the whole ocean around to use, but Mightyena couldn't complain. She wouldn't mind going for a swim. It would be better, though, if someone would throw something into the water for her to chase. She could probably get Nate to do that for her after he got done moping.

She considered the pokémon around the pool for a moment, most of them familiar kinds. The small blue one with the item looked interesting, but Mightyena paused before she could reach them, her attention drawn to someone standing--floating?--a bit away from the pool. They were big and seemed almost like a balloon, blobby and drifty with long tendrils hanging down underneath. They smelled something like a ghost, but something like a fish, too. Mightyena changed course, making for the weird pokémon.

He turned from the deck railing towards Bouba, floating to his side, and gave the jellicent a pat. Bouba gurgled pleasantly at him. This was the 139th photic variation of gurgle, he decided, roughly translating to You should talk to someone.

"Hello," Mightyena addressed the ghost-fish cheerfully. "What are you?"

 

[Dragonfree]

May gripped the railing tightly as she looked around the ship. Most everyone seemed thrilled to be here, people lounging casually on chairs by the pool or chatting. Some of them looked, or at least dressed, weirdly like some old regional champions from three decades ago, but were far too young to actually be them. Did seem to have strong-looking Pokémon, though.

She'd thought she was dreaming when an envelope with some kind of tablet fell into her lap, rousing her with a jolt. A Talonflame flying away from the window into the night, but the window was closed. And then the invitation. This honor has been extended to Trainers and Pokemon teams displaying unusual skill or noteworthy achievements and will celebrate the special bonds we share with our Pokemon partners.

Her lungs had filled with lead. Her first instinct had been it had to be some kind of joke. But nobody knew, and people kept telling her she was the Champion.

And it said there would be legendary Pokémon. Didn't... didn't that mean they had to go, if there were legendaries, out? She'd pressed yes without thinking. And then suddenly the tablet was gone, and after blinking at where it had been for a while, wondering if it had ever been there at all, suddenly there was a woman with a Hypno, in her room, casually producing some sort of portal.

She'd assumed she was dreaming again. None of it had made any sense, and she'd just unthinkingly walked through, in her pajamas, sleepily grabbing Spirit's ball and her clothes with her.

"This is weird," she muttered. It didn't feel like a dream anymore, salty sea air whipping her face. She had at least managed to change, once she was on board and had found her cabin. But her Pokégear? Any way to contact Mark and tell him where the hell she was? She'd tried to borrow someone's phone but the number came up as disconnected. She still wasn't sure it wasn't a dream. But if it wasn't, apparently there were legendaries; one way or another they had to be caught too, didn't they? She couldn't just demand to leave, could she?

(She wasn't quite sure she'd actually have gone back even if she could. Robin, and Victor, and Sparky, and everything; maybe being on a ship with a bunch of strangers who might not have even been following the Ouen League, or if they had she only had one Pokémon with her so why would they ask about any particular one of the others, was better.)

Stupid. What was she supposed to do with just Spirit, anyway? Maybe if she could pull off the Curse trick. Did somebody sell Pokéballs on board? She hadn't exactly brought any.

Everything was weird and backwards and off. She tangled her fingers absent-mindedly in Spirit's mane, and the Ninetales leaned her head against her leg.

"It is strange," Spirit agreed in a murmur. "You didn't speak to Mark at all? Do you think you were somehow manipulated to agree?"

"No, I just... I don't know." A cold chill crept down her spine. Would she know if something manipulated her? Some invasive psychic or just sleep brain? How were you supposed to tell? "Spirit, maybe... maybe don't with the speaking human on here. We don't know who any of these people are."

Spirit made a noise of discontent but responded, "Fine," in Pokémon speech. She'd probably love to keep showing off, wouldn't she. The prominent pendant with the glittering rubies around her neck was already liable to attract the bad kind of attention. What were the qualifications for this trip, anyway? Normally a cruise ship would be full of fancy rich people, but this was all expenses paid, and she was here. What kinds of people had gotten invited? A lot of them looked like adults. Was she one of the youngest people here?

There was a tall girl with dirty blond hair leaning against the railing a bit further ahead, who at least looked like a teen. And with her was...

May squinted. A... Pikachu? But...

Warily, she approached the girl. "Hey," she said. "Is... is that a Pikachu with feathers?"

 

[MintyMimix]

As interesting as it was to look up a bunch of alcohol brands that she couldn't have, Violet started rocking in her seat in boredom. Places like this were supposed to be loud, proud, and filled with cheer! Somewhere you could have a pint, meet new people, trade stories, and sing songs together in laughter and merriment — at least, that's what she heard from the knights. The place was just... quiet. Somber. Where was the party?

Noticing the impatience in Violet's stance, Hazel made a small and inquiring mewl to get her trainer's attention. When Violet turned towards her, Hazel typed, [Perhaps we could look at what they will be serving for lunch?] Her eyes looked from side-to-side to see if there was anyone watching. If this was a trap, they'd certainly have eyes on them.

Violet responded with a scratch behind Hazel's ear. Hazel let out an involuntary trill as her expression relaxed. Violet replied, "Sounds like a splendid idea; shall we?"

Hazel had kicked her foot up as the heavenly scritches continued, only to frown as they stopped when Violet got up from her seat. She instinctively reached out a claw before she slowly blinked and sputtered, coming back to her senses. She hated that her trainer could pacify her like that, but it just felt so good.

Hopping off the stool, she bowed to the bartender and other patrons before scampering off to catch up with her trainer. Violet felt a bit of fur brush beside her pants as she smirked. "What took you so long?" She asked as she walked closer to the menu on the wall.

"Ice-cream crafted by the richest of the rich, mind you!" He waved his spoon at her as if scolding a child.

While Hazel recorded the options on her phone for future reference, Violet tilted her head over to the chatter in curiosity. She tried to pinpoint the source of the voices, but it sounded like it was coming from the two Pokémon sat a table with a plate of berries next to a bowl of some foreign delicacy. But that couldn't be right; where was their trainer?

Deciding she'd try to see what was going on, Violet gestured for Hazel to follow as they approached the Pokémon duo. While Violet kept her eyes above them searching for their trainer, Hazel took a bow and made a few yips and meows in her native tongue as she gestured to ask, "Hello; sorry for the intrusion. We wanted to learn a bit more about the dining here. Where do we get these dishes? Did your trainer provide them?"

 

[IFBench]

"Huh, that's..." Coleane began, before noticing the distinct lack of an Oshawott on her back. After looking around, she said, "Thanks for talking with me! Gotta go!"

She began wandering the ship in search of her companion, before stumbling upon the "bar". She walked in, and saw a Charmander, a strange Pokemon she'd never seen before, a Weavile, and...another human!

Wings flaring up in delight, Coleane asked the whole group, "Hi! Have any of you seen an Oshawott wearing a red reunion cape? I'm looking for him!"