AQ - S.S. Trousselin

[Phoenixsong]

Which was stupid, because c'mon, what were the odds that someone else was gonna to rock on up to his chair and casually tell him that actually he'd never met Gyarados or actually his birthday was in February or something?

"Maybe we'll take you up on that battle later, actually, but..." She felt a little guilty, since after all, coming out here to relax in silence was her original idea, too. But while she had his attention, she may as well put her thoughts out there. Maybe it was as simple as her mis-hearing. "Well, I'm wondering... Wallace wasn't the only one who noticed something different, because I also thought you'd started with a squirtle. And, uh... you said you've only been training for three years? Because I swear it's been at least a decade longer than that. You and Red haven't been in the public eye for - no offense - longer than I've really paid attention to, but it's definitely been longer than three years. So like... Did I just hear you incorrectly or what?"

Oh. Cool. Fuck me, then, I guess.

"This is one of those hidden camera shows, right?" Blue spun around in his chair, trying to pick out which of the drinks at the pool bar was "secretly" taping him. That had to be it. And he knew exactly who would pull this kind of moronic stunt. "Let me guess," he laughed, either failing to hide the irritation in his voice or not even bothering to try. "You've got Tank hiding in some cabin somewhere, and next he's gonna come out and try to hug me or something, act all 'sad and confused' when I 'don't remember him'? That's funny, that's really adorable, absolutely fantastic. I can totally follow this punchline, yep. Leaf put all of you clowns up to this, didn't she?" How she'd managed to rope in a whole cruise ship full of people was a question to be answered later, possibly with the assistance of thumbscrews. This "joke" was completely fucking nonsensical and therefore had her grubby gremlin mitts all over it. "I mean, seriously, 'your charizard doesn't exist oh and also you've been missing for ten years'? A hundred points for originality, at least, I guess I've gotta give you that!"

He turned and waved a dismissive hand at the guy who'd just started blabbering inanely about ghosts or something. Probably the host, or at least one of the extras or something. "Well, go ahead, get it over with! Tell me to smile for the audience or however this works! And then tell me where Leaf is hiding with the balloons or whatever the fuck, while you're at it, because I'd just love to give her a big, tight, thank-you hug around the neck right about now."

And he'd had the nerve to think that he'd been invited to a real, well-deserved vacation. Just fan-fucking-tastic.

---

"They must still be on the ship, yes!" she replied. "Thank you! Will you let me ride you?! My human hates flying. But I think it's fun! Do you know what a tropius is?"

Charizard scratched a horn, thinking. Tropius, tropius... maybe? Had there been something called that in the gym, once, with a challenger from somewhere far away? "Hm... are they green? Green and brown and tall? I think I might've seen something like that before. I would know it if I saw it again."

He smiled at the little pokémon, but then shot the espeon a look. "He can ride on my back," he said, pointing. "You I'll need to think about. You can start by promising to stay away from Blue's drink."

 

[AbraPunk]

“What, is that your stage name?” When the man didn’t respond, he realized he was actually serious. “Oh, gods, you’re not joking. Holy shit, you really think you’re something special, don’t you?” He laughed again, but it was a harsh, bitter sound.

Wes simply glared at the man. This idiot wasn't worth his time if he would not respect the future savior of all of the shadow pokémon that were suffering at the hands of--

He looked back to the masked man with a sneer. “Okay, reaper. If you want a show, then I’ll give you a show.”

Nico saw the opposing Umbreon slink out from the shadows, and leapt up, yowling, but--

With a vicious snarl, he launched forward, rings flaring, and lobbed a wall of dark energy at Wes’ foe. The Dark Pulse hit him squarely in the chest and launched him backwards, towards the small crowd gathered at the other end of the bar.

Wes flew back, hitting the wall. He was only dazed for a moment, before he got up. Fine, then. If this bastard wanted a fight, then he'd be getting a damn fight.

He quickly moved his goggles so that they rested on his head: he needed to see clearly for this. Drawing his knife, he stood there for a moment, trembling with the force of his rage.

"KILL THEM ALL!" He shrieked before rushing at the man.

--

Nico and Merian leapt into action immediately, both of them ganging up on the opposing Umbreon. Merian fired his own Dark Pulses, while Nico simply resorted to using his claws and fangs, since his Psychic attacks would be useless here.

 

[Negrek]

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“I was,” Odette spat. “For my own goddamn sake. And yet, I can only take so many people thinking I’m a damn child before I lose my fucking mind. Wild concept, isn’t it?”
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Enora sighed deeply and took the sleeve of Odette’s shirt in her mouth. She began to tug on it. “Odette, this really isn’t worth it,” she warned. Honestly, they hadn’t even been here that long, and things were already spiraling out of wack. “You’re gonna blow this up.”

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“I’m just setting the fucking record straight,” Odette seethed. “How would he feel if I went up to him and asked him if he had prostate issues because he looks like he’s 40-something? Bad right? It’s the same motherfucking thing.”

"Whoah, hey." Nate raised a hand in a soothing gesture. "That was my bad. You're right, I shouldn't have assumed nothing." Something about the prostate thing seemed familiar. He smiled without knowing why. He'd put it down to turnabout, he supposed. Here was somebody who didn't take no shit, anyway.

At least he was smiling until somebody else hailed the girl... woman? Nate forgot his dilemma completely when he saw who it was. Who he thought it was, anyway. What the hell was a gym leader doing here? One who apparently knew this chick? Just who the hell was she?

"I am the One Hundred and Sixty Third Denizen of the Dissonant Waters, Fifth Sub-Delegate to the Apostate Somnolescent Jellicent," he said. "What are you?"

Mightyena tilted her head as she listened to the strange pokémon's answer. She still didn't quite know what he was--normally pokémon just had one name, and that had to have been at least six. Once again it was too bad Steelix wasn't here. This was another pokémon she thought he'd get along with really well.

"That's great! I don't think I've ever met an apostate before." Her tail gave a brief, cheerful wag. "And I'm a mightyena! Why do you smell like fish and death?"

 

[Hanafuda]

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"Rest absolutely assured that this pretty face will do much more than just punch you, and that's a promise," Odette suddenly snarled toward Zack.

“I see,” Jack replied. He turned towards Odette in fear.

“AH! You can actually hear me!” Zack covered himself with his wings, trembling all the while. “No, please! I’m too handsome to die! You can’t kill a pretty bird before he gets the chance to score with a chick! Have mercy on a fellow beauty, please!”

 

[kyeugh]

Shouting. Flickering. Lightbulbs exploding. This green-haired fop tripping on his cape. This place is turning into a circus. Why in the world had Prim let herself believe she’d actually get to experience a restful vacation?

She waves down the bartender. “I’ll try that vodka she mentioned or whatever it was.” This glass, while still small, is less decorated than the last. Just some crystalline liquid in a tiny cup. She throws it back, coughs less this time. This is going to be a long couple weeks. By the end of it she’ll probably be a pro at this drinking thing. She wonders how Ferry is doing.

 

[Inkedust]

There seemed to be a commotion on the other side of the boat.

A woman, somewhere in her mid-thirties, black hair tied up in a neat bun, sat up in her sling chair. Pity, it was such a good nap too. She reached for her glasses on the nearby table, carefully considering her options. She could go to check out what was going on or perhaps she could grab herself a refreshment or two. She took a quick glance at her quivering shadow, which seemed to be darker and appeared to have an odd shape to it and smiled. She really shouldn't concern herself over such chaotic matters, she thought as she leaned back into her chair.

Meanwhile, a small bulbasaur was pacing around the deck. She was bored, bored, bored. Silly Ayumi would not let her run off to have any fun, and big, dumb Dusana would stop her the moment she tried. She vocalised her displeasure numerous times through a long string of grunts and growls but Ayumi must've gone deaf again, because Ayumi appeared to be none the wiser.

However, the bulbasaur's ears perked up when she noticed Ayumi looking at Dusana. This was her chance, her time to bravely face down whatever was going down on the other end of the boat and engage it in glorious battle. Without second thought, she bolted into the cabin before either Ayumi or Dusana noticed.

"Vera!"

...Before either Ayumi or Dusana could catch her.

Vera ran as fast as her stubby legs could carry her. Bobbing and weaving through the massive hallways of the ship, her ears remaining focused on the chaos like satellites. She grumbled in frustration, not because she bonked her head a couple of times in the hallways (no pokémon as smart, strong, and beautiful as her could do that) but because the two hallways leading towards the main event was much too many.

When Vera burst through the doorways of her destination, she let out a powerful, and triumphant roar that simply screamed "I'm going to fight and beat all of you!"

In reality, it came out as a small, huffing bark.

 

[Seren]

"I mean, seriously, 'your charizard doesn't exist oh and also you've been missing for ten years'? A hundred points for originality, at least, I guess I've gotta give you that!"

And then tell me where Leaf is hiding with the balloons or whatever the fuck, while you're at it, because I'd just love to give her a big, tight, thank-you hug around the neck right about now."

Kimiko simply stared, taken aback. Blue... thought he was being pranked? And yet, he continued to say things as though he knew them for fact, things that she was completely clueless about. "I... I'm sorry? Who is Leaf? Is... is that some kind of pet name for a friend of yours?" She certainly hoped so. That sort of humor could be taken poorly otherwise.

"And to think, before Wallace came over, I thought I was the one being pranked. 'Yeah, you're on a vacation cruise with Young Blue, for real!' I didn't get it then, and I don't get it now."

---

Charizard scratched his horn, thinking. Tropius, tropius... maybe? Had there been something called that in the gym, once, with a challenger from somewhere far away? "Hm... are they green? Green and brown and tall? I think I might've seen something like that before. I would know it if I saw it again."

He smiled at the little pokémon, but then shot the espeon a look. "He can ride on my back," he said, pointing. "You I'll need to think about. You can start by promising to stay away from Blue's drink."

"If you say so! I've never seen one, I wouldn't know. He would!" She gestured towards the oshawott with her tail before the rest of the dragon's words registered. "Awwww! Okay, well fine. I know better than to be selfish. Gen can go first and I'll take my turn after!" Olivia cast a quick sideways glance at Blue's glass, but otherwise refused to commit to anything.

---

"Forgot to introduce myself, did I?" Knew he'd left something out. "I'm Finley, you can call me Finn if you want, but perhaps you shouldn't, nobody's done that before, it might not work out. Oh, and this is Bouba. Jellicent, of course. Isn't he marvelous? We met off the coast of Alola, might've mentioned that already. One of the finest ghosts I've ever known. We've been through the thick of it together." He nodded towards Bouba and grinned.

Well, that was... a strange introduction if she'd ever heard one - why would you tell someone your name and then say using it "might not work out"?? - but given everything else she'd seen up to this point, it was probably the least questionable. Kimiko nodded in reply and introduced herself, and then- "Did... did you say that thin- that your pokemon, I mean, is a ghost??" Immediately she was on edge again, eyeing the bulbous jellicent warily. Well, that explained the floating. And the unsettling vibe the creature gave off. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered randomly if she'd become to terrified of ghosts that she'd developed some kind of ability to sense them or something. It was only with mild relief that a mightyena had appeared and drawn the ghost's attention for a conversation.

In one swift motion, he raised his fingers to his mouth and whistled a single shrill note.

FWOOOOM.

Novo had been ready. With a vicious snarl, he launched forward, rings flaring, and lobbed a wall of dark energy at Wes’ foe. The Dark Pulse hit him squarely in the chest and launched him backwards, towards the small crowd gathered at the other end of the bar.

With perfectly poor timing after realizing she was in the presence of a ghost, a loud whistle made her scream and jump in surprise, and Olivia had to be quick to catch her in a psychic web before she tripped backwards over her deck chair.

God damn it, if that had only happened ten seconds sooner, she may not have just jumped out of her skin.

She thought she'd been hearing some raised voices from both the pool bar as well as the nearby room (was that a bar as well?), but now it looked to be escalating into full-on violence. That man just had his pokemon attack another person! Memories of her last fancy party event flooded her brain, and she was quickly on alert, especially with the ghost jellyfish directly in front of her. Olivia must have been remembering the same thing, as suddenly she was standing over the oshawott protectively, her head turning this way and that, taking in all of her surroundings and scanning for incoming threats. Not that she could really do anything against an umbreon - Kimiko cursed herself for training Olivia to learn calm mind at the expense of dazzling gleam.

Nico and Merian leapt into action immediately, both of them ganging up on the opposing Umbreon. Merian fired his own Dark Pulses, while Nico simply resorted to using his claws and fangs, since his Psychic attacks would be useless here.

Things were getting ugly. And this time, she was in the middle of the ocean in god knows what region even, so it wasn't like she could just flee. Her heartrate began to accelerate and she reminded herself to stay calm. Things weren't bad yet, but they were rapidly approaching disaster. She couldn't send Olivia into that chaos, what with two dark types, but if someone didn't do something, these two sounded like they were going to kill each other and then everyone else.

To the casual observer, Olivia looked unusually calm for the situation. But Kimiko recognized her pokemon's struggling to perform calm mind on herself; she too was preparing for the worst.

This situation sure had escalated rapidly.

 

[Sinderella]

"Whoah, hey." Nate raised a hand in a soothing gesture. "That was my bad. You're right, I shouldn't have assumed nothing." Something about the prostate thing seemed familiar. He smiled without knowing why. He'd put it down to turnabout, he supposed. Here was somebody who didn't take no shit, anyway.

Well. There was that apology she wasn't expecting to get. She shot a surprised look at Nate as he, well, actively tried to do what she'd been doing earlier. Deescalate. He was smiling now, so clearly something she'd said had resonated with him. Or maybe he thought it was funny that he was getting verbally assaulted by a midget. Nonetheless, seeing the quick relent was enough to bring her down a smidge. Maybe even more so thanks to that shot.

"I--" she started to say. " I have a short fuse."

His cape got caught on something, and he tripped and fell to the ground.

Oh fuck. She'd screamed at Wallace too, didn't she? She sent him a wide-eyed look, unsure of what she should even do. See if he was okay? Comfort him? She wasn't good at that shit, and surely the last person he'd want to be face-to-face with is her.

She pressed her forehead into her palm and groaned. "Baise-moi..."



Enora nudged Odette with her head. "Do you need some water? Do you feel faint? You had that shot, I’m not sure how that’s going to help."

Odette sat her hand on Enora's head and scratched behind her ear. Whether she was doing it as an apology or for herself, she wasn't sure. "Yeah, I'm--"

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep. The monitor on her wrist started blinking rapidly.

And just like that, the corners of her vision went foggy. She had to lean against the bar to keep herself from falling over with her onslaught exhaustions.

"Ah, I lied," she muttered.

The monitor had barely started beeping before Enora jumped into action. She leapt over the bar and onto the floor on the other side, where she began to calmly yet urgently search for some water. Luckily, she located a small fridge stalked with sparkling water bottles. Those would do. She butted open the fridge and grasped one with her mouth, before jumping back up onto the counter and setting it in front of Odette.

"Here. Drink the whole thing."

“I see,” Jack replied. He turned towards Odette in fear.

“AH! You can actually hear me!” Zack covered himself with his wings, trembling all the while. “No, please! I’m too handsome to die! You can’t kill a pretty bird before he gets the chance to score with a chick! Have mercy on a fellow beauty, please!”

Odette tiredly grabbed the bottle and twisted the cap off, and she didn't hesitate to start chugging it. The longer she drank, the less the siren on her wrist beeped. Soon, it fell silent altogether.

She was mid-bottle when Jack and Zack piped up again, and she felt her brow start to twitch. She yanked the bottle out of her mouth and jabbed the opening of it in their direction.

"You're never going to 'score' a damn 'chick' if you're talking like that," she said sternly. "And you're birds. Why the fuck are you referring to them as chicks? Aren't chicks your babies?"

Before she could say much more, the sounds of the battle finally resonated with her, and she quickly looked over to see...twins? Battling it out? Well, they looked like twins, and had...similar Pokemon? Gods, why the fuck did they look so--

M̷A̸N̶,̵ ̵F̵U̶C̸K̵ ̶T̴H̴I̴S̸.̶ ̵Y̸O̸U̶ ̴G̵U̷Y̵S̷ ̵A̵R̷E̸ ̵B̶O̸R̴I̵N̶G̷.̴


Odette lurched and covered her mouth. "ODILE, DON'T YOU--"

The lightbulbs popped out in rapid succession, and several of the bottles on the shelves exploded simultaneously, sending some of the glass shards flying. Odette couldn't duck, because she'd gone completely stiff. A cloud of black shadows began to form from the small of her back, and it wasn't long before a hand reached out.

Followed by another, followed by a form that looked exactly identical to hers...except it still managed to be all wrong.


"̴͉̹̯̒Y̷̖͗͝ö̷̧́͜͜u̵̦͐̈́ͅ ̵̺́ͅģ̴͝u̶̜͆ͅͅy̵̡͘s̶̝͕̰̔̈͋ ̷̧͙̘͊f̷̰̪̾̃͘u̷̹͆̚̚c̸͚̯͛ḳ̸͎̅͠į̶̦̝̒ṅ̴̙ǵ̷͔̙̐ ̷̳̿̓Ś̷̮̟Ù̴̦̹́C̸̩̥̀̏Ḱ̴̨͂͐ ̵̻̩͑͝a̵͕̰̓̀t̷̪͐̃̎ ̴̹͖̄̔̊ͅb̶̜̠͐͜a̶̮̭͑̅͊t̶̻͗͠t̸̫̙̉͒͒ĺ̶̛̛͎i̶͔͂n̸͕̍g̸̫̪̃.̶͖̄̐͘ ̷̗̈̍I̴̬̬̪͝ ̵̲͚̏͘ẇ̸̠̟͑͝ą̵̟̙͘n̶͕̝̤̋͘t̷̛̥͓͍ ̶̮̯̌͂͋t̴̡̲͂ọ̴͎̜̀ ̸̗̱̯̓̀s̸̭͋ȩ̶̯̽́͒e̸̖̽̃ ̸̦͍̽̎H̵͚͓͗̒E̴̢̤̹̿́͝Å̴͚D̷̮͎̅̏̌S̷͔̏͂̾ ̸̪͝R̴̪̒͝O̷͔͛̈́͝L̶̞̤̍L̵͖̲͂̿͠.̸͕̱͙̕͝"̴̧͓́ Odile hollered as her shadowy form came to slight fruition just over Odette's head. She had half a mind to go over there and knock some heads herself, but then it dawned on her that it would be more fun to egg them on and watch from afar--then get involved when the blood started to spill.

"I̷ ̷m̴e̴a̶n̵.̷.̵.̷G̴O̴,̴ ̶B̵O̵Y̸S̶,̶ ̴G̸O̴!̶ ̷H̸e̸'̷s̵ ̴b̵e̷t̶t̵e̶r̵ ̸t̸h̸a̸n̵ ̵y̵o̷u̴!̷ ̸Y̵o̸u̸'̶r̶e̷ ̴b̴o̶t̵h̶ ̵b̵a̴d̷!̷ ̷Y̴o̶u̶r̴ ̴f̴a̴t̷h̸e̵r̵'̶s̷ ̵w̴o̴u̸l̴d̵ ̶b̸e̶ ̸s̵o̸ ̴d̴i̵s̴a̴p̷p̵o̷i̴n̸t̷e̶d̸!̵" She paused to consider her next words, and they came to her rather quickly.

"̵̨̍C̸̝͌͒̏̐͝H̵͉̝̼̥̝̆͛̓͠Ơ̵̛͖̪̚P̶̥̑͑͜͝ ̷̣̳̭͆̚ͅH̷̛̹̣̩̋̆̉I̵̞͍͐̚S̷̻̘͉̀́̔ͅ ̸̻̘͎̬̌D̵̠͙̜̓̆̈͝I̶̬̔͊̓ͅC̷̠̫͚̬̽͆͝K̵͖͖̮̠̃̕ ̴̧̥͇̀Ō̵͓̣͖̻͌F̸̮͑F̶̜͕͇͚̪͑̈́̿͝!̴͍̲͗̐͌̐"̸̧͉͉̃͂Ỳ̸̮̼̠̙͊̎͝A̵̧̜͓͆̈̚Ă̵̤̽͜A̸̠̎̊Ǎ̵̠̩̲̀͆̂À̶̦̘̮͕Ȃ̷͇̟̼̳̒̃A̷̛̼͚̽̑́̀Ḁ̶̿̈́́͐͝Y̶͈̻̩̝͑!̸͙̮̠̏̀͆͜

 

[Poivron]

"That's great! I don't think I've ever met an apostate before." Her tail gave a brief, cheerful wag. "And I'm a mightyena! Why do you smell like fish and death?"

It seemed that a misunderstanding had occured. Misunderstandings must be corrected. Especially this one, which made his tendrils quiver somewhat. Bouba hastened to explain: "I am not a fish. I am a Jellicent. Jellicent are far superior to fish. I will also clarify that I am not the Apostate Somnolescent Jellicent. I am Fifth Sub-Delegate to the Apostate Somnolescent Jellicent. Very different! I am still a Jellicent, however."

Bouba did not know what a mightyena was, but she did not appear very mighty to him. He decided she was not a threat. As for the not-so-distant commotion he could hear with what passed for a jellicent's auditory organs, it was also likely not a threat. He judged it unworthy of his energy. For now.

He turned and waved a dismissive hand at the guy who'd just started blabbering inanely about ghosts or something. Probably the host, or at least one of the extras or something. "Well, go ahead, get it over with! Tell me to smile for the audience or however this works! And then tell me where Leaf is hiding with the balloons or whatever the fuck, while you're at it, because I'd just love to give her a big, tight, thank-you hug around the neck right about now."

"I... I'm sorry? Who is Leaf? Is... is that some kind of pet name for a friend of yours?" She certainly hoped so. That sort of humor could be taken poorly otherwise.

"And to think, before Wallace came over, I thought I was the one being pranked. 'Yeah, you're on a vacation cruise with Young Blue, for real!' I didn't get it then, and I don't get it now."

Finley had gotten worse reception before, this was fine, this was fine. "Right, right, I'm not pranking you! At least I don't think I am, if someone asked me to set you up I'd remember it, unless they also happened to remove my memories or something." Bouba would protect him from that kind of thing. Hopefully. "I don't think Kimiko here is pranking you either, and I don't know who Leaf is, or Young Blue?" He waved his hands in the air somewhat hopelessly. "I'm not sure what the fuss is, really. I thought we were just on a nice vacation here? Festival of Friendship?"

Kimiko nodded in reply and introduced herself, and then- "Did... did you say that thin- that your pokemon, I mean, is a ghost??"

His eyes lit up. "Yes, of course! Isn't he the best? Jellicent have such— such scintillating bodies, you know, and those long gauzy appendages, everyone calls them tentacles but they technically aren't tentacles since they aren't physical organs per se, more like spiritual projections. The really cutting-edge research on this isn't out yet but there was a study at the University of Hulbury that put some of them under phasic-aura analysis to— ah, wait, what was..." Finley turned towards the battle, which he had just noticed for the first time, and blanched. "Suppose this isn't the right time to discuss jellicent, then? Bouba?"

Bouba, who was gurgling intensely at a mightyena, did not respond.

 

[Hanafuda]

The lightbulbs popped out in rapid succession, and several of the bottles on the shelves exploded simultaneously, sending some of the glass shards flying. Odette couldn't duck, because she'd gone completely stiff. A cloud of black shadows began to form from the small of her back, and it wasn't long before a hand reached out.

Followed by another, followed by a form that looked exactly identical to hers...except it still managed to be all wrong.

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"̴͉̹̯̒Y̷̖͗͝ö̷̧́͜͜u̵̦͐̈́ͅ ̵̺́ͅģ̴͝u̶̜͆ͅͅy̵̡͘s̶̝͕̰̔̈͋ ̷̧͙̘͊f̷̰̪̾̃͘u̷̹͆̚̚c̸͚̯͛ḳ̸͎̅͠į̶̦̝̒ṅ̴̙ǵ̷͔̙̐ ̷̳̿̓Ś̷̮̟Ù̴̦̹́C̸̩̥̀̏Ḱ̴̨͂͐ ̵̻̩͑͝a̵͕̰̓̀t̷̪͐̃̎ ̴̹͖̄̔̊ͅb̶̜̠͐͜a̶̮̭͑̅͊t̶̻͗͠t̸̫̙̉͒͒ĺ̶̛̛͎i̶͔͂n̸͕̍g̸̫̪̃.̶͖̄̐͘ ̷̗̈̍I̴̬̬̪͝ ̵̲͚̏͘ẇ̸̠̟͑͝ą̵̟̙͘n̶͕̝̤̋͘t̷̛̥͓͍ ̶̮̯̌͂͋t̴̡̲͂ọ̴͎̜̀ ̸̗̱̯̓̀s̸̭͋ȩ̶̯̽́͒e̸̖̽̃ ̸̦͍̽̎H̵͚͓͗̒E̴̢̤̹̿́͝Å̴͚D̷̮͎̅̏̌S̷͔̏͂̾ ̸̪͝R̴̪̒͝O̷͔͛̈́͝L̶̞̤̍L̵͖̲͂̿͠.̸͕̱͙̕͝"̴̧͓́ Odile hollered as her shadowy form came to slight fruition just over Odette's head. She had half a mind to go over there and knock some heads herself, but then it dawned on her that it would be more fun to egg them on and watch from afar--then get involved when the blood started to spill.

“That’s how he refers to girls, both human and Pokémon—OH HEAVENS!” Jack jumped back in shock after witnessing Odile’s entrance.

“Yeah! Bird lingo!” Zack exclaimed. He pointed a feather-finger towards the dark version of Odette. “And you! Doppelgänger! What’re you doin’? Thinkin’ about killing everyone? Well, I have half a mind to stop you right there right now, fiend!”

A frantic Seb came running towards the bar area. “What happened!? I heard glass breaking!” When he saw the Farfetch’d pointing towards Odile, he gasped and covered his mouth in shock. “Who is this?”

He caught the brief sight of an individual he had seen in the media before. The white clothes and the turquoise hair were immediately recognizable. “What in the world is Wallace doing here?”

 

[Phoenixsong]

Kimiko simply stared, taken aback. Blue... thought he was being pranked? And yet, he continued to say things as though he knew them for fact, things that she was completely clueless about. "I... I'm sorry? Who is Leaf? Is... is that some kind of pet name for a friend of yours?" She certainly hoped so. That sort of humor could be taken poorly otherwise.

"And to think, before Wallace came over, I thought I was the one being pranked. 'Yeah, you're on a vacation cruise with Young Blue, for real!' I didn't get it then, and I don't get it now."

"Again with this? You think you know who I am, and who Red is, but not who Leaf is. She has a champion title, too! She was with us when we drove off Team Rocket! She—" He stopped and took a deep breath, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Literally the only way this would make sense was if she'd specifically told you and the other actors or whatever to skip mentioning her, because somehow I guess that's a 'logical' component of whatever this surrealist joke is supposed to be?

"And what is 'Young Blue' even supposed to mean? You think I'm, what, 'Blue Oak Junior' or something and you were expecting to meet my dad? Except for the part where that wasn't his name, and also the part where he wasn't a pokémon trainer, and also the part where he's dead?" No, that... that was a hell of a reach, even for Leaf. Weird, morbid death stuff wasn't her MO. "Or do you think I'm supposed to be some kind of old guy or something? Seriously, what?"

Finley had gotten worse reception before, this was fine, this was fine. "Right, right, I'm not pranking you! At least I don't think I am, if someone asked me to set you up I'd remember it, unless they also happened to remove my memories or something." Bouba would protect him from that kind of thing. Hopefully. "I don't think Kimiko here is pranking you either, and I don't know who Leaf is, or Young Blue?" He waved his hands in the air somewhat hopelessly. "I'm not sure what the fuss is, really. I thought we were just on a nice vacation here? Festival of Friendship?"

Damn it, that apology sounded way too awkward to be fake. "So did I," Blue said through gritted teeth. "But having two different people come up to me and insist they know my life better than I do, not really my idea of a fun vacation, yeah? So where are you people getting this crap from, exactly?"

What the hell was even going on? If Leaf wasn't behind this, then who was? The guy from the invitation? Why would some rando stranger decide to pull some stupid hoax like this? And another thing, what was with all the fighting on the other side of the pool? Was that even related? Was he hearing things because he was wigging out, or had someone over there honest-to-god just shouted "kill them all"? What the fuck?

---

"If you say so! I've never seen one, I wouldn't know. He would!" She gestured towards the oshawott with her tail before the rest of the dragon's words registered. "Awwww! Okay, well fine. I know better than to be selfish. Gen can go first and I'll take my turn after!" Olivia cast a quick sideways glance at Blue's glass, but otherwise refused to commit to anything.

The lack of committal was noted, and it absolutely would have been remarked upon, but as stressed out as the little Gen pokémon seemed it sounded like Blue was getting pretty upset, too. What was the other human saying? That there were two of him? Of course there weren't two of him. Even though his mother had called her human and his human the same name—Old Sam and Little Sam—she knew that they were two different people, even if she hadn't realized how different. That was why Charizard didn't call him "Little Sam" anymore. (Well, he wasn't entirely sure if Blue had ever understood that they'd named him Little Sam, but Charizard had learned that his human didn't like that sort of thing and so had stopped out of respect for his friend anyway.)

"I'm sorry, uh, Gen? Drink thief? I can help you look for the 'tropius' later. I think my human needs—"

There was a crash, a burst of energy, loud voices from across the pool escalating to shouting and screeching and howling. Those sounds weren't battle cries, they were just bad. Charizard's tail flame roared to angry life as the dragon reared up, snarling, fire curling around his teeth as he tried to pinpoint the threat. The espeon leapt in front of the little pokémon and Charizard's wings flared out again, protecting Blue and the confusing humans behind him but ready to kick into the air and go on the attack at a moment's notice.

This was supposed to be a nice trip. A safe trip, quiet and relaxing except for some fun battles, maybe. Why did nothing ever go the way it was supposed to?

 

[Inkedust]

Vera stared into the room in shock. What was this? They weren't...

They weren't paying attention to her! Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!

She let out another bark (making sure that she would be louder this time), and ran straight into the room, vines and powder at the ready.

Meanwhile Vera's trainer, Ayumi stared at the spot Vera had vanished completely dumbfounded. With knowing look and gentle whisper towards her shadow, Ayumi's gaze returned to the open sea as her shadow returned to normal. The strange presence that'd resided within leaping from furniture to furniture before it followed Vera down the hallways. The presence stopped at the entrance of the main event, refusing to make itself known...

 

[Sinderella]

“And you! Doppelgänger! What’re you doin’? Thinkin’ about killing everyone? Well, I have half a mind to stop you right there right now, fiend!”

Odile stepped onto the floor, leaving behind her shocked host and the goody-two-shoes Sylveon as she brushed herself off. Really, what the fuck did she have to do to get some heat going? She had some solid momentum with the altercation between her new best friends--Odette was about to punch that guy, Odile could feel it in her form. But no, Odette had to go ahead and accept his damn apology and let that stupid shot get her all calm. Alcohol was supposed to rile people up, but it just made her tired.

But, now Odile felt kind of bad. Maybe it was a bad idea to have not gone in the ball. Odette's blood pressure wouldn't have dropped like that if they were separate. Maybe she'd have stayed mad and they could have caused a scene together. Get everyone angry. That would have been so fun!

Missed opportunity. Unfortunate.

But it was fine. With those two bozos fighting just feet in front of her, she had plenty to enjoy for now, and nothing at her precious vessel's expense for the time being. She was ready to just watch everything play out, until somebody got mouthy.

Fiend? Killing everyone? Complements of course, but all wrong.

She frowned and snapped her head around to Zack. Her head turned so far, it was nearly facing backward entirely.

"I̸ ̶n̶e̷v̶e̴r̶ ̸s̷a̶i̶d̸ ̷a̸ ̶f̷u̴c̸k̷i̶n̵g̶ ̸W̶O̶R̴D̵ ̶a̴b̴o̸u̴t̸ ̴k̶i̴l̵l̴i̵n̷g̴ ̵a̴n̴y̷b̷o̸d̸y̸,̵ ̴b̴u̶t̵ ̵n̵o̷w̴ ̶I̸'̴m̵ ̸h̶e̸a̷v̵i̴l̵y̵ ̸c̷o̶n̵s̷i̶d̸e̵r̶i̵n̵g̴ ̶i̴t̴," she threatened.

She turned her body to match the orientation of her head. The bone in her neck cracked back into place with an eerie snap.

"Y̷o̸u̶ ̴h̸a̴v̵e̴ ̵h̶a̴l̶f̵ ̶a̶ ̵m̸i̷n̶d̴ ̸t̴o̴ ̵s̷t̷o̸p̷ ̶m̴e̶?̵ ̶W̷e̶l̸l̶ ̷I̵ ̷h̴a̶v̵e̶ ̶h̶a̴l̷f̸ ̶a̸ ̷m̴i̸n̸d̶ ̶t̵o̷ ̴r̷u̷i̸n̷ ̶y̷o̴u̴r̸ ̶d̷a̴y̸.̶ ̴"

She slowly stepped over to Zack, a smile creeping over her uncanny face.


"W̵h̶a̴t̷ ̵s̷a̸y̴ ̸I̸ ̸b̴l̴e̷w̴ ̷c̶a̶n̸n̵e̶d̶ ̵a̴i̵r̵ ̸i̸n̵t̸o̴ ̸y̴o̶u̸r̷ ̵t̷e̸a̴r̷ ̵d̷u̸c̸t̸s̷?̴"

Another step.


"O̶r̶ ̷I̷ ̶c̷o̷u̸l̵d̶ ̸f̶i̷l̸l̵ ̴y̵o̶u̵r̶ ̵e̸a̷r̸ ̸c̴a̸n̷a̴l̸s̷ ̴w̴i̵t̷h̵ ̶c̸o̴n̶c̸r̷e̷t̴e̷?̵"

Another step.


"O̴o̴o̷o̸r̸r̶r̸r̶r̸r̸ ̴m̸a̶y̵b̵e̸ ̶I̸ ̵s̸h̸o̵u̷l̸d̷ ̴j̵u̶s̷t̷ ̴h̴a̶v̸e̸ ̴y̸o̴u̵ ̵i̴n̶h̶a̴l̸e̶ ̸a̶ ̵h̸a̶n̸d̸f̸u̴l̵ ̴o̴f̴ ̶t̶e̷r̴m̷i̵t̵e̵s̶.̴ ̷"

Another step.



"O̴r̵ ̷B̵E̸T̴T̷E̴R̴ ̴Y̵E̸T̴,̷" she now stood over him, "H̸o̴w̶ ̶a̶b̵o̷u̶t̸ ̵I̴ ̶j̶u̶s̵t̴ ̸g̸n̵a̸w̶ ̶o̷n̷ ̶y̵o̶u̶r̷ ̷f̵u̶c̴k̴i̴n̷g̷ ̸t̸o̴e̶s̶ ̸w̵h̷i̵l̷e̸ ̵y̶o̸u̷ ̸s̴l̶e̵e̵p̷?̸ ̴I̶'̸m̶ ̵n̶o̷t̶ ̸a̶b̵o̷v̷e̷ ̸d̴o̴i̶n̴g̷ ̸t̶h̸a̷t̵,̴ ̵d̴o̵n̵'̶t̴ ̶t̵e̵s̴t̶ ̷m̸e̷.̴ ̵"


Odette stomped forward and grabbed Odile by her shirt collar, yanking her backward and up to meet her gaze. "What did I say about coming out? Do you know how to listen?"


"D̵o̷ ̴y̵o̵u̸ ̶k̸n̵o̵w̸ ̶h̶o̷w̸ ̷t̶o̸ ̷c̵a̷u̴s̶e̶ ̸p̸r̴o̸b̴l̷e̶m̷s̵ ̸o̴n̶ ̷p̷u̴r̴p̶o̴s̵e̶?̶ B̵e̷c̷a̶u̵s̵e̸ ̷I̶ ̷t̸h̷i̴n̶k̴ ̸w̵e̴ ̶n̶e̴e̵d̷ ̷t̴o̴ ̷h̵a̷v̴e̵ ̷a̵ ̶d̴i̷s̴c̴u̵s̶s̷i̴o̶n̵ ̶o̸n̸ ̵t̵h̷a̸t̵.̵"


"This isn't funny, Grudge. I was trying to keep things civil and calm and you couldn't be bothered to--"


"W̶A̴I̸T̶ ̵I̸S̸ ̴T̶H̵E̷R̷E̶ ̴A̸ ̴F̴U̷C̸K̸I̸N̸G̶ ̴W̶A̵T̶E̸R̵S̶L̷I̵D̸E̵ ̵O̶N̶ ̵T̵H̷I̶S̸ ̴S̷H̸I̴P̶?̶"


"Are you even listening to me?"


""̶͖͎͗̆̇͝Ẅ̵͇̼́̍͝ͅͅH̵̗̠̭͔̿̐̽͝A̷͔͍͇̱̎T̵̗̺͒ ̴͌͜I̶̼̱̼͒͘F̷͈̫̄̐́̅ ̴̛͇͕͍͌̿̅͜W̶̲̹͋̔͒Ȇ̵͙̓͆̌ͅ ̵̰̖̜͗̀͜M̴̠͓͈͆̀̊̄ͅA̴̡͙͉͋̇D̸̞̈̀E̶̠̪̹͊͐ ̷͚̱̮͐̂͌͜T̴͈̩͔̠͌̽̒̀Ḥ̶͊ͅE̵̺̭̓͛̆͝S̵͇̪͍͈̾Ę̷̰͂ ̴̡̣̐ͅB̸̪͒O̸̧̨̺͚͌͋͂̕Z̵̧͖̏̌̒O̴̹͋̄͝͠Ś̵͉̱ ̸̞͓͉̿̌͊F̵̨̄́I̶̹̾͝G̸̫͕̏͝H̷̬͋͠͠ͅṮ̶̣͖͖͆̏̉̕ ̶͚͒͒͌̐O̴̲̠̪͊N̸̨̬͒́̕͠ͅ ̶̭̘͒́̂T̵̑̒̉ͅH̸͎̣͕͎̐̃͘E̷̛̗̒͝ ̶̡͖̀͌̍W̸͔̦̯̜̃̚A̶̜̫͚̥̋̃̐͝T̸͇͇̯̏́͋ͅE̷̡͈̟̭̅̈́R̵̩̗̀͂S̶͉͖̲͆̂L̷̯̈́͛͒̔I̵͕̬̊̇͜Ḋ̷̜̦̺̥E̴̻͈̻̐ͅ?̴̭̠͚̻̑̈́͝͝"̷̡͚̮̦͑̍͂̂"


"We are not--"

"̵H̶e̴y̴ ̶b̶b̵b̴o̸o̷o̷o̶o̴y̸y̴y̵y̴s̶s̸s̵s̶s̷s̷,̷ ̶I̴'̵m̴ ̵n̷o̵t̵ ̶s̴a̴y̸i̵n̶g̸ ̶t̶h̵i̸s̸ ̶f̵i̵g̷h̷t̸ ̷w̴o̴u̶l̷d̴ ̷b̷e̸ ̴m̵o̵r̶e̴ ̵i̸n̶d̷i̷c̷a̵t̴i̴v̵e̷ ̵o̶f̴ ̶y̶o̴u̶r̵ ̴t̸r̷a̵i̸n̴e̷r̵ ̷s̴k̷i̷l̸l̵s̸ ̴i̵f̵ ̷y̸o̴u̵ ̵f̵o̶u̴g̴h̶t̸ ̴o̷n̵ ̴t̷h̷e̷ ̶w̵a̶t̵e̷rs̷l̸i̵d̴e̶ ̴b̴u̵t̸ ̷y̸o̷u̴r̸ ̸P̴o̴k̵e̶m̴o̵n̵ ̴w̶o̶u̷l̸d̷ ̴d̵e̷f̶i̷n̷i̸t̵e̴l̷y̸ ̸r̵e̷s̶p̵e̵c̷t̶ ̷y̴o̵u̷ ̵m̴o̸r̵e̴ ̸i̵f̵ ̵y̴o̶u̴ ̴w̷e̷n̸t̴ ̸t̸o̵ ̸f̵i̸g̴h̴t̵ ̴o̵n̷ ̶t̶h̶e̴ ̸w̵a̸t̷e̵r̴s̷l̶i̷d̴e̸!̵"̸


Well this was just brilliant.

"Now I need a drink," she murmured.

 

[Seren]

"Again with this? You think you know who I am, and who Red is, but not who Leaf is. She has a champion title, too! She was with us when we drove off Team Rocket! She—" He stopped and took a deep breath, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Literally the only way this would make sense was if she'd specifically told you and the other actors or whatever to skip mentioning her, because somehow I guess that's a 'logical' component of whatever this surrealist joke is supposed to be?

"And what is 'Young Blue' even supposed to mean? You think I'm, what, 'Blue Oak Junior' or something and you were expecting to meet my dad? Except for the part where that wasn't his name, and also the part where he wasn't a pokémon trainer, and also the part where he's dead?" No, that... that was a hell of a reach, even for Leaf. Weird, morbid death stuff wasn't her MO. "Or do you think I'm supposed to be some kind of old guy or something? Seriously, what?"

Damn it, that apology sounded way too awkward to be fake. "So did I," Blue said through gritted teeth. "But having two different people come up to me and insist they know my life better than I do, not really my idea of a fun vacation, yeah? So where are you people getting this crap from, exactly?"

Chaos was unfolding all around them now, as now there appeared to be two sets of twins on the scene. That sense of deja vu returned again when Kimiko stared at them. They didn't seem to be... attacking, although one of the women was certainly also threatening someone at this point. Kimiko did not miss the way Blue's Charizard took a protective stance that covered not just his trainer, but herself and Finley as well, which she appreciated... maybe keeping her conversation going would help keep her grounded.

"For the record, I never insisted I know better than you. Not gonna let you just put words in my mouth like that, hotshot. All I'm saying is what I know about you. Or, though I knew, I guess. Yeah, I expected you to be a hell of a lot older, unless you actually are and just haven't aged in a decade or two, in which case, hot damn, you look good! Where I come from, it's all fairly common knowledge. I don't understand how you seem so defiant about it, unless you're like... a really poor impersonator who didn't actually do their research properly... which sounds a little ridiculous." She glanced once again at the pair of black haired women, and another thought came to her. "Or maybe you're not the Blue I know, but just... a different Blue." God, that sounds even more ridiculous. If he didn't already think you're insane, he will now. Hell, at this point she hoped he was right and they were all on some hidden camera show that was likely about to come to a very sudden, violent end.

---

The espeon leapt in front of the little pokémon and Charizard's wings flared out again, protecting Blue and the confusing humans behind him but ready to kick into the air and go on the attack at a moment's notice.

Olivia would never admit it to anyone, but this new move she'd been practicing did not come easy to her. Especially in the heat of battle; ironically, the place it was intended to be utilized. It was hard to keep calm when you were being attacked. A shadow blocked the light and she lost her concentration when she opened her eyes, but it was just the charizard moving in front of the humans. At least he was willing to protect them, should it come to that. He'd be a lot more useful right now than she would against those umbreon.

Not that she'd ever admit to that, either.

 

[Inkedust]

Victoria stopped. A Bulbasaur? And a small one at that. Victoria couldn't just let the little thing go off and get hurt, not if Victoria could do anything to stop that.

She stopped chasing after Wallace and picked the Bulbasaur up like a wolf carries their cub—with her mouth. She carried her some distance away before putting her down.

View attachment 2920
("Now what might you be doing? That fight's dangerous.")

Vera was now starting to get reallllllly annoyed. She was meant to be the centre of attention. What is everyone else doing!

She make a squeak when she felt herself being picked up. Dusana? No, it couldn't be, she'd managed to outrun her a while ago. When she looked up at the perpetrator - a milotic - she grinned. Finally! A worthy opponent! She was so going to-- wait a moment. Why was the oversized noodle taking her away from the action? Did she not know who she was dealing with? Vera tried to struggle out of its grasp, making a long series of grumpy bulbasaur noises the entire way. When she was finally set down, Vera took one look at the milotic, then the barfight, then back the milotic again. Vera fired a sleep powder directly into the milotic's face before running back to the fight with a satisfied bark.

Dusana watched the exchange from not far off. She didn't like anyone here... They were all too shouty. The sooner she could take Vera back to Ayumi, the better. Maybe if she just used Poltergeist on all the glasses they were holding...

Dusana slunk towards the bar, hidden in the shadows. Those in close proximity would feel a sudden chill, as if the room had gotten suddenly colder.

 

[IFBench]

There was so much happening, Gen was terrified out of his mind. The two doppelgangers were fighting and one shouted to kill them all and was he serious was he going to try to kill everyone on the boat was he going to die was he going to die he didn't want to die he wanted to go home and now he heard screaming from the bar and everything was falling apart everything was falling apart he couldn't breathe he couldn't breathe he needed to do something he needed to he needed

Gen shouted at the top of his tiny Wott lungs, yet in human language, "SOMEONE! HELP! SOMEONE'S TRYING TO KILL EVERYONE!"

His rapid breathing didn't return to normal, nor did the tears in his eyes dry. He was terrified out of his mind.

 

[IFBench]

"Fascinating..." Violet replied, rubbing her chin with intrigue. "It is quite amazing, is it not? I still wonder how it all stays afloat myself!"

Violet's smile widened as she put the pieces together: Pokémon speaking in a human language, from a home without humans to begin with, and unfamiliar with the technology they had in the slightest? Hazel certainly had a point; she was standing in front of a 'scientific nightmare', but that was assuming that science had anything to do with it at all.

"Tell me, before you came to this ship, did you perhaps hop through a portal, or experience a flash of light before you ended up away from your home?" Violet said, picking her head up from her hand. She could feel edges of her grin rise and her teeth show in arrogance as she asked, "Were you magically transported here?"

She winced, pulling her leg inward as she felt a sudden, sharp jab prick at her calf. She looked down with a smarmy smirk as she observed Hazel's frustrated, disapproving glare. "You deserved that one," Hazel berated in Poké-speak, fidgeting with the digits of the claw that had bat at her trainer. It wasn't meant to harm, just to snap her back to reality.

Rolling her eyes, Violet observed the Tropius looking over the menu as she answered the hanging question in her own way. "Don't bother with half of the items on the menu. You need to be 'of age' to have them," she deadpanned as made quotation marks with her fingers. "Seriously, back in my day, anyone could have a fine wine or a bit of whiskey to dull the boredom. What was wrong with that?"

[There are. So many things wrong with that.] Hazel typed on her phone's notepad app, shoving it in Violet's face before retracting it and adding, [And stop saying stuff like that! Do you want to outed as a Faller?!]

As she finished her angry message to Violet, Hazel paused as she registered the last word she had typed. Faller. Could this Tropius, Coleane... be one as well? Was that why Violet was invited, too? Was every passenger on board a Faller, then? There were far too many unknown variables. She needed more information. Foundational knowledge before she could form a hypothesis. And a control group, if possible.

Deciding to directly address the Coleane, she rephrased Violet's question and asked in Poké-speak, "Are you... from another era, or even world?" It didn't register to Hazel that she left her Rotom Phone on the table after she asked the question.

"Noperdoodles, I didn't go through any portals! I came here in my sleep! A voice brought me here! I think it's the same voice that brings humans to my world!" Coleane said, before looking at Hazel. "Yeppers, I'm from another world!"

She looked over at the phone on the table, with the strange symbols she could inexplicably read now. Her bananas shook, and she asked, "What's a Faller?"

He pointed a claw at Coleane, standing on his seat. "You're a trainer too?"

"Yeppers, I am!" Coleane said, fanning her wings out in pride. "You're one too? I thought I was the only trainer who was a Pokemon in the whole human world!"

 

[ShiniGojira]

Noperdoodles, I didn't go through any portals! I came here in my sleep! A voice brought me here! I think it's the same voice that brings humans to my world!" Coleane said, before looking at Hazel. "Yeppers, I'm from another world!"

She's from another world... Honestly, that surprised him less than he expected. Guess travelling through numerous worlds really does desensitised you to these things, sheesh.

Although... a voice that brings humans to her world. Now, why did that sound familiar?

"Yeppers, I am!" Coleane said, fanning her wings out in pride. "You're one too? I thought I was the only trainer who was a Pokemon in the whole human world!"

June grinned, showing off his fangs. "Yup, I'm a bona-fide trainer with four badges, see?" He took out his badge case from a backpack only he and Evie could see, showing off said four badges from Kanto before putting it back. "You're like the second Pokémon I've met that's also a trainer." He stuck out a claw. "I'm June, nice to meet ya, and that Pokémon sitting across me is Evie. She's a pretty cool gal."

Evie nodded, waving a paw. "Hello."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven was alone on the upper deck, now vacant save for himself and his partner. He lingered there, still bewildered by his encounter with Wallace.

Aggron rumbled quiet reassurance, and Steven gave a heavy sigh. "No, you're right. I still worry, though."

Aggron rumbled again and rolled his eyes. Now Steven was going to be overthinking this and they wouldn't be able to relax. With a gentle nudge, Aggron pushed the two of them over to the railing to watch the group relaxing by the pool. Maybe Steven would get the hint that that's where he should be, too.

But, rather than peace and calm, the pool deck exploded into chaos. Pokemon attacks filled the air, and a massive Charizard roared, using it's bulk to shield a group of trainers and pokemon that looked like they'd rather be anywhere but there. This didn't feel like a battle...

And then a wail cut through the wind:

Gen shouted at the top of his tiny Wott lungs, yet in human language, "SOMEONE! HELP! SOMEONE'S TRYING TO KILL EVERYONE!"

Aggron saw the way Steven's hands tightened around the railing, and grumbled to himself. He knew what his trainer was going to say before he even said it.

"We're going down there."

With one last sidelong glance at the peaceful upper deck, Aggron followed Steven down the stairs and down towards the chaos. He paused only once to throw an envious look at a woman with a black bun, lounging in a chair like there wasn't a care in the world.

Aggron huffed. Curse his trainer's nose for trouble. He at least better get to smash something after all this.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Gladion narrowed his eyes at her, but bit back his tongue. He'd take that as his cue not to send out Hazel. That was a shame, she'd seemed trustworthy to this point. "Personally, I think technology poking around in my brain without my permission is scarier than a bit of genetic engineering, but hey, power to you. You're missing out on the good food, though." Poor Hazel. At least she couldn't hear him say that.

"As for Eternatus, I dunno who that is, but cool name I guess. If it's weird enough to make international news, that's probably another problem. Joy of joys..." He paused to bit his lower lip and mull over the idea in his head before continuing. "Say, you wouldn't have had the misfortune of hearing about Ultra Space before, would you?"

Laura's eyebrow went up. "Other dimensions and stuff, you mean? I've read, like, posts online about weird shit happening in Alola. I take it you've seen some of that shit up close...? I won't lie, I'm dead curious about it. Uh, Eternatus is... was a dragon 'mon the size of this goddamn ship that appeared from space or another world or something. It flattened parts of Wyndon. The only way you've not heard about it is if you're from another world or another time, or you've been living as a hermit for the last few years. Mentioning Ultra Space makes me think, maybe one of the first two."