Blaze Caverns

[MintyMimix]

Aggron was totally unperturbed by the way Hazel clambered aboard. He waited until she was settled atop his head before standing all the way upright. "How's the view?" he asked. "See anything good?"

Aggron rolled his gaze up to where he knew Hazel was standing and cracked a smile. "Your time to shine, lookout."

While she had to admit the higher elevation only served to make it even hotter, the coolness factor of being the lookout for The Aggron washed out any potential complaints as she wore a smile that gave her a breeze of joy and wonder. "Not yet, but I'll keep an eye out!"

Although Violet had taken the lead, her fatigue was getting the better of her as she missed details — the occasional bump she nearly tripped on, a rock embedded on the wall she almost nicked, a pathway entrance she didn't pay much attention to — Hazel had spent a portion of her own observation just trying to ensure the girl's safety.

After much poking and prodding, and initially finding nothing, something turns up. Faint scuffs of footprints, possibly made by fancy shoes. And then, a little further ahead in a narrow tunnel, a scrap of a suitjacket that seems to have been torn off after getting caught on a rough bit of rock. There's a good chance they belong to Xavian. After all he did come here yesterday.

Other than that there doesn't seem like there's anything more to be seen.

Nevertheless, she was not completely out of it, and her efforts were not in vain. Violet had spotted the footprints and Hazel happily identified the possible types of footwear that could make them. Once they trailed them through the tunnel, Violet yanked out the scrap of suitjacket and presented it to the others.

"Looks like our host had gone spelunking himself," she commented, but not adding much else to the conversation. The lack of sleep was settling in and any snide remarks or bad puns required too much thinking; she focused her remaining energy on keeping her eyes and ears peeled, but nothing else particularly caught her eye.

As the squad eventually looped back around to the cavern entrance, Hazel's phone made a few light beeps as she saw a text from Gladion. She held the device up to the trainers while speaking its message out loud for the Pokémon to hear as well.

"Well now, colour me impressed," Violet said, reading the message as her eyes brightened, "While our search for the criminals has turned up short, it seems the search for the mythical ones is yielding success. Hmm, mayhaps this 'Manaphy' could assist us in our investigation?"

She turned to the other trainers and asked, "What say you? I understand if you would rather continue this on your own, though I believe it may yield some merit in observing." Despite the initial introduction being rocky, she could at least respect that the two men were driven to make the mission successful. Even if she respected one of the two more than the other... she was sure Hazel would chastize her for that attitude later that night.

 

[Negrek]

Aggron looked down at Mightyena as she bounced about his feet, carefully so as to not jostle Hazel.

"Yeah, he is," he said, casually. "He doesn't like to tell people that, though. They start wanting to challenge him to a battle all the time. I wouldn't mind it, but he's a busy guy."

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"I guess it's no fun if the only thing people talk to you about is battling. If all they wanna know is how hard Metagross can punch, just watch the matches on tv. There's a lot to choose from. They play them on the lobby tvs at the League sometimes."

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"Wait, your trainer is almost a Champion?" Aggron inspected Mightyena's human for a moment. "Huh, don't think I would have guessed. He needs to work on his smile for the camera. The only let Lance get away with the grumpy stuff because he's got dragons. You seem pretty strong, though, so maybe he's got a chance."

"That makes sense," Mightyena said. "My trainer wants to talk about battling all the time, so I bet that's what he'd want to ask Steven about, too. It's so boring! Fighting is fun, but talking about fighting all the time is no good."

Aggron was probably right about Nate needing to smile more, though. She wished he would. "I hope he has a chance," she said. "But you're right, he has a long way to go. Your human seems so much more well-behaved! You're very lucky to have him."

She tried to chat with Aggron and Hazel as they went along the tunnel, whenever she could lift her nose from the rock for a couple of minutes. it got harder and harder to stay upbeat, though, as one corridor led into another and still they didn't find anything. There were some minor moments of excitement--footprints, a scrap of cloth--but they turned out to be nothing important. In the end Mightyena was simply focused on trying to smell out something, anything, that might tell them where the missing trainers had gone.

For Nate, it was an uneventful walk through the sweltering caverns. Which in some ways was good, and in some, bad. Good in that even the obnoxious trainer seemed too tired to run her mouth, and most of the trip was made in blissful silence. Bad in that they really didn't find jack shit.

Nate scrutinized the scrap of waistcoat again, like maybe the fourth time it would turn out to be something other than it was. Nope. Just proof that Rich Guy had been here, probably yesterday. If he'd had any victims along with him, there was no sign of it. And no sign of the nosepass trainer Steven said he was looking for, either. Gigantic load of fucking nothing.

Nate rubbed his eyes and tried to concentrate. They'd been dragging around in the caves for what felt like hours. Maybe there was somebody's hideout just around the next corner, waiting to be discovered. Or maybe this was all a huge wast of time and energy, and they'd be better off doing literally anything else.

"Dunno that there's anything more to see around here," he decided. "If someone's actually seen one of these legendary pokémon, that's at least a more concrete lead than anything we've picked up here. I vote we see what's going on with that. Can always come back here later if there's something that points us back in this direction."

Meaning: he was going to find out what this "Manaphy" thing was all about, whether the other two were interested in coming or not.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Aggron was probably right about Nate needing to smile more, though. She wished he would. "I hope he has a chance," she said. "But you're right, he has a long way to go. Your human seems so much more well-behaved! You're very lucky to have him."

Aggron liked talking with Mightyena, even if they didn't get to talk much, what with her constantly sniffing for clues as they walked.

He rumbled a laugh at her last comment, though. "I like to think I picked him well. He's very nice. He made me stronger, too. More confident. Not much more to ask for in a human."

Suddenly he fell silent, like he was contemplating something.


"A lot better than my first human," he added, quietly. "A lot."

They continued walking for a while, Weavile Hazel chiming in with all the things she saw from her vantage point. (Some of it was telling her trainer not to bump into rocks but that was to be expected from clumsier humans.)

They didn't find, much, though. No other trainers of any kind, nor a shiny Nosepass.

Finally they wound up back in the cavern where they started, hot, tired and empty handed. Aggron huffed a disappointed noise and bent down to allow Hazel to dismount from his shoulder.

"Well now, colour me impressed," Violet said, reading the message as her eyes brightened, "While our search for the criminals has turned up short, it seems the search for the mythical ones is yielding success. Hmm, mayhaps this 'Manaphy' could assist us in our investigation?"

She turned to the other trainers and asked, "What say you? I understand if you would rather continue this on your own, though I believe it may yield some merit in observing."

Steven frowned. "We may not have found any of the culprits, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about Hayes."

"Dunno that there's anything more to see around here," he decided. "If someone's actually seen one of these legendary pokémon, that's at least a more concrete lead than anything we've picked up here. I vote we see what's going on with that. Can always come back here later if there's something that points us back in this direction."

"You two should go ahead. I know I said going solo here was a bad idea, but now that we've cleared the lower levels, I feel better being here alone."

"I think there's merit in searching some of the tunnels that are closer to the surface. This isn't the same area Hayes and I explored yesterday. I want to go back and find where I made my wrong turn today, and maybe I'll be able to find Hayes there, too."

Neither of the other trainers seemed too keen on sticking around the caves anyway, so with a final goodbye, they took their leave.


"I'm definitely intrigued to see what they might find from convening with a mythical pokemon, but I can't turn my back on finding Hayes today."


"I didn't want to say as much in the presence of those other trainers, but I'm worried about him. Let's head closer to the start of these tunnels and see if we can't find him there. Otherwise, I have my fingers crossed he already left and is waiting back at the village. I don't want to think about the alternative..."

<><><><><><>​

 

[ShiniGojira]

Having lived almost her entire life in caves, Evie was quite familiar with how intricate and confusing they could be.

The rocky walls, the stalactites above and the hard, rough feeling under her paws, they brought a sense of nostalgia to her and she couldn't help but smile.

The warmth however, was not as welcoming. While most people and Pokémon would call it pleasant and she could understand why. She despised it, despised the memories that came with the warmth.

Hunger. Pain. The fear of failure. The stress that came with everymon's expectations.

It could overwhelm her.

But it didn't. She didn't let it happen, she was strong, stronger than most would call ordinary.

Evie took in a deep breath, calming herself as she delved deeper and deeper. "Victini!" she called out its name. "Victini! We need your help!"

Each corner she took, she cried out its name, her voice echoing against the rocky walls and ceilings but nothing came.

Where was it? Was she missing something? Why wasn't it coming to her? Was she wrong about it being in here?

The arena was the first thing she thought of when she heard of it being the Victory Pokémon, but she figured that it would've been too symbolic and she didn't want to draw attention.

"Victini!" she cried out again but as usual, nothing came. What was she missing? She growled. What did she–

"Clink tells me that they like to appear before trainers with a compassionate heart or a strong desire."

... right. They only appear to trainers and as far as she remembered, she wasn't one.

Turning her head, she nudged the Charmander with her muzzle. "Hey, wake up. I need your help."

June swatted her face away, nuzzling deeper into her neck fur.

"June..." she said, a low rumbling in her throat. "Wake up!"

The sheer volume of her shout jolted him awake and he nearly fell off. He had a claw on his chest, taking in large gulps of air rapidly. "Wh-what was that for?"

"Sorry but it was the only thing I could think of."

"...only thing you could think of," he muttered in a mocking tone. Blinking, he took in his surroundings. "Where are we?"

"Blaze Caverns. I've been looking for Victini but unfortunately, no luck. Xavian says they only appear in front of trainers with a strong desire."

"Oh..." He yawned. "Well, let's get to it then." Hopping off of her, he took out a book labeled 'Mythicals' Mystic Goals' and flipped it open. "Okay. By chanting out this ancient traditional incantation, we can summon Victini to do our bidding."

Excuse me? She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't remember it saying that."

"... well... uh, I may have added one myself?" He chuckled sheepishly. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"We're here to get help, not to have fun." This was ridiculous.

"But Victini loves fun! No wait, that might've been Mew, I think." He shrugged. "Come on, just follow my lead and – *yawn* – it'll be great..."

"Fine."

"Alright! Let's do this!" he shouted, forcing himself to be energetic despite the fatigue he was feeling. "Victory upon victory, stars shimmering in the sky, infinite energy it creates, fire upon my core! Victini, I summon thee!"

Evie followed his motions, a small blush on her face as she struck her own pose. Please don't tell me he has one for every legendary.

[[ @Flyg0n ]]

 

[Flyg0n]

The chant echoed into caverns before seemingly being swallowed by the warmth. Silence fell for a moment, punctuated only by the sounds of breathing and the very faint rumbling of wild pokemon, far off.

And then...

A small ember flickered to life and moved down one of the tunnels. It floated in the air briefly before suddenly growing... and growing. The fire expanded, taking the shape of a bird-like creature with a long pointed beak and flaming crest. It almost looked like Moltres-? The form seemed to shimmer and flicker, like fire, or maybe from the heat. But sometimes, if you turned your head just right, you could swear you could see through it?

Yet it still seemed real, an imposing figure wreathed in flames fierce avian eyes burning like white hot coals.

"Show your valor!" the being cried. "If you seek the paragon of Victory!"

 

[ShiniGojira]

Evie pounced into action at the sight of the firey creature, her teeth bared and fur standing on end as she kept herself between June and the figure.

June stared at the flying being slack-jawed before shaking his head and raising his arms, cheering loudly. "Holy crap! That actually worked!"

Evie growled at him and he coughed into his claw. "Right right, focus." He pointed a claw at the figure. "Victini! It's... time! I... uh... crap, what do I do here? Is there some kind of challenge I have to do? Do we need to battle?" Bombarding it with questions probably wasn't helping his case. He smirked. "Alright!"

When in Rome. "Victini! I accept thy challenge and would gladly request your help in assisting us on our quest to capture the alleged kidnapper or kidnappers! Will you kindly share us your infinite energy so that we may bring it to another being that would hopefully help us?" Evie turned around and muttered some words to him before returning her glare at the figure. "Oh and also, do you know how to use Magic Coat? We have some ideas we wanna try and we want to see if Celebi or one of the Latii's know them too and if they don't, we were kinda hoping you could teach them."

 

[Flyg0n]

Evie growled at him and he coughed into his claw. "Right right, focus." He pointed a claw at the figure. "Victini! It's... time! I... uh... crap, what do I do here? Is there some kind of challenge I have to do? Do we need to battle?" Bombarding it with questions probably wasn't helping his case. He smirked. "Alright!"

When in Rome. "Victini! I accept thy challenge and would gladly request your help in assisting us on our quest to capture the alleged kidnapper or kidnappers! Will you kindly share us your infinite energy so that we may bring it to another being that would hopefully help us?"

Instead of replying, the fiery creature let out a horrific shriek, a sound that seemed to pierce through to one's very heart. White fire flared from its form, and it hurled itself at June and Evie with a kamikaze of flames.

Evie met the attack fearlessly with tooth and claw, dodging the fire and lashing back as June encouraged her. Even as the fiery spectre pressed the attack, once more Evie's resolve burned brightly, matching it.

And then, as soon as it began, it ended. The spectre dissipated, revealing the small orange and cream shape of Victini. It danced forward through the air and snickered, beaming brightly. "Wow, you guys were awesome! I loved your vixtory chant! Can i use that? maybe I can get other humans to summon me with it! No one's ever made up a nice chant for me before." It clapped its paws together and fluttered closing, darting in circles around Evie and June as if examining them. "You guys are pretty different from the trainers I know! That's cool."

It fluttered back and crossed its arms with a nod. "Oh, sorry for all the fire, I'm supposed to make sure I test trainers before I show myself! To make sure they have a good heart. And you guys fit the bill perfectly! So you want some of my amazing victory energy to help find those bad guys on the island?" It seemed to speak almost a mile-a-minute, yet not quite rambling either, just very excitably. "I mean, you guys probably don't need it! But I'll give you a little bit anyway, if you really want it."

"Oh and also, do you know how to use Magic Coat? We have some ideas we wanna try and we want to see if Celebi or one of the Latii's know them too and if they don't, we were kinda hoping you could teach them.

"And you'd have to ask Latias about Magic Coat, I don't know if she knows that one! But I do! The other mythical pokemon usually don't like it when I tell them what stuff to learn though."

 

[ShiniGojira]

And then, as soon as it began, it ended. The spectre dissipated, revealing the small orange and cream shape of Victini. It danced forward through the air and snickered, beaming brightly. "Wow, you guys were awesome! I loved your vixtory chant! Can i use that? maybe I can get other humans to summon me with it! No one's ever made up a nice chant for me before." It clapped its paws together and fluttered closing, darting in circles around Evie and June as if examining them. "You guys are pretty different from the trainers I know! That's cool."

The sudden attack caught him off guard but as always, Evie was quick to react, matching the mythical with her own attack.

Then it just stopped and revealed itself as Victini.

June grinned at the energy it was showing and he gave it a thumbs up. "Sure! You're welcomed to use it!"

It fluttered back and crossed its arms with a nod. "Oh, sorry for all the fire, I'm supposed to make sure I test trainers before I show myself! To make sure they have a good heart. And you guys fit the bill perfectly! So you want some of my amazing victory energy to help find those bad guys on the island?" It seemed to speak almost a mile-a-minute, yet not quite rambling either, just very excitably. "I mean, you guys probably don't need it! But I'll give you a little bit anyway, if you really want it."

"Not us," Evie said, shaking her head. "We want you to share some of it to the other mythicals, preferably Latias or Celebi. Their sensing powers and time travelling abilities will be very useful in our quest."

"And you'd have to ask Latias about Magic Coat, I don't know if she knows that one! But I do! The other mythical pokemon usually don't like it when I tell them what stuff to learn though."

"Oh, okay," he said. "Would it be okay if we ask you to follow us to one of the legendari– I mean, mythicals. 'Cause apparently, someone's blocked Manaphy or something and your Magic Coat could help us in determining what the blockage is."

 

[Flyg0n]

"Not us," Evie said, shaking her head. "We want you to share some of it to the other mythicals, preferably Latias or Celebi. Their sensing powers and time travelling abilities will be very useful in our quest."

"Oooo thats a fun idea! Celebi can't really use my power, its kinda of different plus they're stronger sorta, but..." Victini clapped its hands together rapidly. "Yes! Latias can definitely use it. She'd like that I bet. I can even call her right now if you want?"

"Oh, okay," he said. "Would it be okay if we ask you to follow us to one of the legendari– I mean, mythicals. 'Cause apparently, someone's blocked Manaphy or something and your Magic Coat could help us in determining what the blockage is."

Victini paused. "Magic Coat? How would my Magic Coat help Manaphy?" they mused. "Their Heart Swap is pretty strong! I'm not sure if I can do much about it..."

 

[ShiniGojira]

"Oooo thats a fun idea! Celebi can't really use my power, its kinda of different plus they're stronger sorta, but..." Victini clapped its hands together rapidly. "Yes! Latias can definitely use it. She'd like that I bet. I can even call her right now if you want?"

"Yes." Evie nodded. "That'd be great."

Victini paused. "Magic Coat? How would my Magic Coat help Manaphy?" they mused. "Their Heart Swap is pretty strong! I'm not sure if I can do much about it..."

"Well, let's see... now why do we need Magic Coat again..." he mumbled as Evie walked to his side, whispering some words to him. A look of realisation dawned on him and he nodded. "Ah, so that's why. Okay, so um, Magic Coat reflects any moves that doesn't do damage back to the target. Since Manaphy's been blocked... somehow. We could use your Magic Coat to see if the blockage's a move, a machine or some kind of magic-y thing."

 

[Flyg0n]

"Yes." Evie nodded. "That'd be great."

"Well, let's see... now why do we need Magic Coat again..." he mumbled as Evie walked to his side, whispering some words to him. A look of realisation dawned on him and he nodded. "Ah, so that's why. Okay, so um, Magic Coat reflects any moves that doesn't do damage back to the target. Since Manaphy's been blocked... somehow. We could use your Magic Coat to see if the blockage's a move, a machine or some kind of magic-y thing."

For a solid second, Victini stared blankly at the two pokemon. "Oh I get it now! Wow that's really smart. So if Manaphy tries to swap with me and I bounce it, you guys could know for sure what's blocking it."

They clapped their paws together. "Oooohhohoho okay then! This will be fun! I'll call Latias right now!"

Closing their eyes briefly, they paused midair. A moment later they opened their eyes and grinned. "She'll be here in-"

There was a rush of air and a blurry shimmer, then a shape appeared suddenly in midair. "What is it? Are you okay? Did-" she paused, narrowing her eyes as she scanned the caves, then looked back at Victini. She rumbled in displeasure. "Victini! I told you to stop doing that! You can't say something is urgent like that, I thought someone was in danger!"

Victini grinned sheepishly. "But it is important! And urgent." They gestured eagerly to June and Evie. "They had the best idea! I'll share some of my aamazing power with you, and you can try to sense if anyone on the island is bad!"

Latias' brow wrinkled and she glanced between Evie and June and Victini. "Apologies, let me introduce myself first. Latias, but perhaps you already knew this. And actually that's an interesting idea!" She turned back to Victini with a small frown. "Victini, you know you cannot directly share your power with me. Or any mythical pokemon."

Victini wilted slightly. "Right..."

Latias shook her head and smiled gently before turning back to Evie and June. "If you allow Victini to grant you a fraction of their power, it can be transferred to me. Would you accept this? I won't lie, it may be... intense for a mortal pokemon. But not unbearable."

 

[ShiniGojira]

Evie and June glanced at one another before turning their gazes back to the mythicals.

"I accept," Evie said. "But before I do so...

[[Mind Reader]]

"... could I ask whether you've any clues or ideas that may help us? Have you or your brother noticed anything suspicious on the island? Do either of you know where each mythical was when... Reena was taken? I don't doubt any of you but I want to know whether any of you, were near or at the beach when it happened."

 

[Flyg0n]

Evie and June glanced at one another before turning their gazes back to the mythicals.

"I accept," Evie said. "But before I do so...

[[Mind Reader]]

"... could I ask whether you've any clues or ideas that may help us? Have you or your brother noticed anything suspicious on the island? Do either of you know where each mythical was when... Reena was taken? I don't doubt any of you but I want to know whether any of you, were near or at the beach when it happened."

"Clues? Oh no, I don't have any of those!" Victini said, almost nonchalantly. "Don't need them."

Latias jabbed them in the back sharply and frowned. "Victini. That is not polite! Just because you always believe victory is assured does not mean you shouldn't pay attention! This is not easy for all of us."

Victini rubbed their back and frowned. "Sorry. But I really don't know anything anyways, honestly! Do you?"

"No," Latias admitted mournfully. "My brother and I searched the island but found nothing yet either. I... I don't think they're here."

"And as for the others, well..." Victini seemed to be thinking hard. "I'm pretty sure most of us stay in our realms a lot! You know, those little pockets of reality unique to each mythical pokemon, accessible only by keys, or by us! So I don't think any of them were near the beach."

Latias wilted a little. "Victini, maybe we shouldn't tell everyone so much about mythical pokemon. We should be careful for mean humans... But yes," she admitted. "I don't believe any of them have been around the island physically much."

June and Evie are paying close attention! Both pokemon are being completely truthful!

"So, are you guys ready!?" Victini chittered, taking June's paw. "I want to see what happens!"

 

[ShiniGojira]

Clues? Oh no, I don't have any of those!" Victini said, almost nonchalantly. "Don't need them."

Latias jabbed them in the back sharply and frowned. "Victini. That is not polite! Just because you always believe victory is assured does not mean you shouldn't pay attention! This is not easy for all of us."

Victini rubbed their back and frowned. "Sorry. But I really don't know anything anyways, honestly! Do you?"

"No," Latias admitted mournfully. "My brother and I searched the island but found nothing yet either. I... I don't think they're here."

"And as for the others, well..." Victini seemed to be thinking hard. "I'm pretty sure most of us stay in our realms a lot! You know, those little pockets of reality unique to each mythical pokemon, accessible only by keys, or by us! So I don't think any of them were near the beach."

Latias wilted a little. "Victini, maybe we shouldn't tell everyone so much about mythical pokemon. We should be careful for mean humans... But yes," she admitted. "I don't believe any of them have been around the island physically much."

Evie frowned at the information given and she tilted her head at them. "Most of you stay in your realms, you say? Might I ask who's most likely to leave their realm if they wanted to?"

"So, are you guys ready!?" Victini chittered, taking June's paw. "I want to see what happens!"

Wait a second... He blinked at the sudden touch. Why me? He thought it was gonna pick Evie as the vessel, not him.

Oh well, there was no turning back on this. Hopefully, it wouldn't be as painful as those few times his ability activated.

Taking in a breath, he flashed Victini a grin. "Alright! Let's do this! My body is ready!"

 

[Flyg0n]

"My brother and I like to fly a lot, and Manaphy is very friendly," Latias said. "And Victini too... I'm not sure about the others. Celebi and Jirachi are cautious and Heatran isn't big on people. Cresselia sometimes comes out on nice nights but its really hard to say. Everyone's been really on edge lately..."

Victini beamed. "Come on, grab your friend too!"

Once everyone had linked paws or claws and stood in a circle. Victini closed their eyes and focused. Warmth began to pulse rythmically from their body, steady as a heartbeat. The warmth seemed to increase, growing first pleasantly warm, then hotter and hotter, until it felt like standing near a fire. Yet June and Evie would find their skin unharmed. Then the heat began to shift, a warm tingle spreading into the other two pokemon. It felt like a pleasant buzz at first, like finding a coin on the ground or getting an extra nugget in your order.

Suddenly it surged, flaring up, blood pumping like the heat of battle, fear and determination. It almost burned, but from the inside out instead. A single minded drive, backed by confidence and surety. Every limb alight, ready to strike or defend. For a moment, both June and Evie glowed with a plasmatic orange light.

Then the light poured from them, coalescing into a single ember, which slowly levitated over to Latias, melting into her feathers. The sensations would fade from June and Evie, and Victini let go of them, panting. Latias appeared to be focusing, her earfins twitching-

Victini clapped. "Okay! There we go. You should be all powered up now Latias. Do your thing-"

Scrrriieeeeee!

Latias eyes shot open, glowing solid whitish blue, her mouth agape in an eerie draconic cry. Victini yelped and covered their ears, eyes wide as they backed away.

As soon as it begun, Latias stopped screeching and a tense silence fell over the caverns, punctuated only by her panting. She clutched at her head and whimpered softly.

"L-l-latias?!" Victini yelped, their voice cracking. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she whispered. "I'm sorry..." She shook her head.

Victini patted Latias side. "What happened?"

Latias shivered, her feathers rippling from head to toe. She took a moment to gather herself. "I reached out across the island with my emotion sensing and..." she shivered again. When she spoke, her voice trembled with fear. "I felt something... something malevolent. Wicked. There was so much hate overflowing... It almost overwhelmed me." She wrung her claws together. "I only felt it for a moment and then it just-just shut me out. It's gone now. I've never felt anything so horrible." She shut her eyes again, fins flicking side to side. "Its disguised it self now." Distress bled into her tone.

"Who or what was it?!"

She seemed bobbed up and down anxiously. "I don't know... I don't know but its not human. And whatever it was, there was just one. I could feel it. This the work of something... evil. Something hiding itself away. I need to go find my brother." Her eyes darted towards the exit.

"Please stay vigilant Victini," she murmured.

She turned to Evie and June. "I will do whatever I can to guard you. And if I find anything else I will find you. Just... Have faith in your bond. Bonds here have power, and if you two stick together, you can do anything." And with thatm Latias shot off down a tunnel and vanished.

Still wide-eyed, Victini turned to stare at June and Evie. "I think you two should go back to your dorms. Please be careful."

 

[ShiniGojira]

Once everyone had linked paws or claws and stood in a circle. Victini closed their eyes and focused. Warmth began to pulse rythmically from their body, steady as a heartbeat. The warmth seemed to increase, growing first pleasantly warm, then hotter and hotter, until it felt like standing near a fire. Yet June and Evie would find their skin unharmed. Then the heat began to shift, a warm tingle spreading into the other two pokemon. It felt like a pleasant buzz at first, like finding a coin on the ground or getting an extra nugget in your order.

The warmth was pleasant, almost soothing to them but as it grew hotter and hotter, there was a steadily-growing pressure in Evie that she couldn't fully ignore.

Flashes of orange and red crossed her mind and she found herself staring back at the crazed glare on the tyrant's vulpine features. One claw glowing an ominous purple and the other a fire that burned brighter than the sun.

Falln trees and melted rocks littered the field, the flames growing stronger and larger each minute. She panted, standing her ground and returning the glare.

Then, it vanished as suddenly as it appeared and she found herself back in the caverns, the warmth now feeling like a comforting hug from her mother.

She felt a grip on her paw tightened and she turned, meeting the strained grin on June's face with her own.

Suddenly it surged, flaring up, blood pumping like the heat of battle, fear and determination. It almost burned, but from the inside out instead. A single minded drive, backed by confidence and surety. Every limb alight, ready to strike or defend. For a moment, both June and Evie glowed with a plasmatic orange light.

The heat struck him in a weird way, it felt oddly familiar yet it was different enough that it still felt foreign.

The sudden adrenaline surging in him was the most familiar feeling, it was akin to his ability activating. But instead of feeling hurt or strained, it felt pleasant and kind like the warm smiles of his friends.

Then the light poured from them, coalescing into a single ember, which slowly levitated over to Latias, melting into her feathers. The sensations would fade from June and Evie, and Victini let go of them, panting. Latias appeared to be focusing, her earfins twitching-

They let go of each other, panting from the experience.

"Th-that was awesome–" Evie caught him before he fell. He grunted, leaning against the fox. "Phew, th-thanks, Eves. Th-that was–"

Scrrriieeeeee!

Latias eyes shot open, glowing solid whitish blue, her mouth agape in an eerie draconic cry. Victini yelped and covered their ears, eyes wide as they backed away.

As soon as it begun, Latias stopped screeching and a tense silence fell over the caverns, punctuated only by her panting. She clutched at her head and whimpered softly.

The sudden screech startled the both of them and June felt a sense of dread washed over him.

"Th-that wasn't supposed to happened, w-was it?"

Evie stayed silent, an uneasy feeling weighing inside her.

"L-l-latias?!" Victini yelped, their voice cracking. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she whispered. "I'm sorry..." She shook her head.

Victini patted Latias side. "What happened?"

Latias shivered, her feathers rippling from head to toe. She took a moment to gather herself. "I reached out across the island with my emotion sensing and..." she shivered again. When she spoke, her voice trembled with fear. "I felt something... something malevolent. Wicked. There was so much hate overflowing... It almost overwhelmed me." She wrung her claws together. "I only felt it for a moment and then it just-just shut me out. It's gone now. I've never felt anything so horrible." She shut her eyes again, fins flicking side to side. "Its disguised it self now." Distress bled into her tone.

"Who or what was it?!"

She seemed bobbed up and down anxiously. "I don't know... I don't know but its not human. And whatever it was, there was just one. I could feel it. This the work of something... evil. Something hiding itself away. I need to go find my brother." Her eyes darted towards the exit.

Evie wrapped a foreleg over the Charmander, bringing him closer to her.

Whatever this thing was. It was horrifying to make even a legendary fearful of it. It was powerful, deadly and unpredictable.

And worst of all, it was on this island with them.

She turned to Evie and June. "I will do whatever I can to guard you. And if I find anything else I will find you. Just... Have faith in your bond. Bonds here have power, and if you two stick together, you can do anything." And with thatm Latias shot off down a tunnel and vanished.

Still wide-eyed, Victini turned to stare at June and Evie. "I think you two should go back to your dorms. Please be careful."

As Latias flew off and out of sight, June gulped and chuckled nervously. "Ye-yeah, I think we should. Th-thanks for everything you've done for us, Victini. It was nice meeting you."

And with that, they left the caverns and went straight back to their dorms.

***​

 

[Sinderella]

Odette had never spoken to that Salandit trainer. Barely even glanced at him. She didn’t normally touch poison trainers with a 30-foot pole. But this was a special case. Nobody from their group had said a word to him, and she was aching to change that.

“Do you really need to be hunting down another person? We already got so much done with Jirachi, and you really need to follow her lead and rest,” Enora insisted in a whisper.

“Yeah, I’m not one to rest when there’s this much to do. I’ll take a nap when I get my poison related questions answered.”

As they approached the entrance to the cave, Odette felt herself stumbling to a stop. Where would a Salandit and their trainer even hang out? From what she’d observed, the trainer seemed like the type to linger at the edges of any gathering. These caves seemed secluded enough, especially for a Salandit. If they weren’t here, then she might need to try something closer to the dorms. Maybe the Sap Sipper?

“We are in no state to be caving right now, Odette,” Enora warned. Especially with Odile back at the lounge gathering more intel while they ran off.

“I’m not caving, I’m just taking a damn peek.”

@HelloYellow17

 

[Flyg0n]

Not much further into the caves, two sets of tracks could be spotted in the dirt easily enough. Skinny-clawed reptilian ones, and a set of human ones. Following them led down a small side tunnel. The air grew warmer as the tunnel sloped downwards and soon opened into a small chamber.

There, a young man lay, leaning against the rock wall, eyes half closed, while a Salandit paced back and forth in front of him.

As Odette entered, Salandit whipped around to face them and let out a hiss of suprise.

Sigmin sat up quickly, eyes darting between Odette and Enora, before he seemed to relax. He made a pacifying gesture to the Salandit, who scurried up the wall, watching them with an blank expression.

"Hey!" Sigmin called. "What brings you to our little cavern?" he asked, his tone neutral, but amicable.

 

[HelloYellow17]

After his excursion with Gladion, Wes wasn’t quite content to call it quits just yet. The caverns were on the way back to town anyway, so he figured he might as well take a look. He considered offering Gladion to tag along, but he looked fairly tired anyways, so they went their separate ways.

He hadn’t gone very far when he heard voices. Wes tensed and glanced at his Pokémon, both of whom had already crouched low and were on high alert. The three of them crept closer, until they could more clearly make out the voices just around the corner.

“Nov,” Wes whispered, “go dark.”

Without a sound, the Umbreon’s rings faded to black and he slipped around the corner, practically melting into the shadows.

Wes looked to Neo. “Ready?”

Neo met his gaze with determination and answered yes with a flick of his tail.

Wes turned back to the voices. They didn’t sound hostile, so he figured he could attempt to play it cool unless—or until—he needed to go on the offensive. Standing straight and nodding to Neo, he stepped into the alcove. “Hello?”

 

[Sinderella]

"Hey!" Sigmin called. "What brings you to our little cavern?" he asked, his tone neutral, but amicable.

Odette jumped at the sound of the trainer’s voice. Lasting jitters from her rescue? Or sleepiness? Maybe. But, now she had no reason to leave.

“Oh, hey,” she sputtered. She regained herself by shaking her head. “I wasn’t expecting to find anybody here.” That was only a half-lie.

“I don’t mean to intrude, I just haven’t been to these parts since arriving, and I’m…really tired of the crowds.” That was the full truth. “Sorry if I scared you or anything.”

She gestured to herself. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Odette, and this is Enora.”

“A pleasure.”

Standing straight and nodding to Neo, he stepped into the alcove. “Hello?”

Odette was startled for a second time by the sound of another person approaching. The cave caused the voice to echo, and it caused her eyes to widen ever so slightly.

However, the tension deflated when she saw who it was. It was Wes, and his Eons.

“Novo!” Enora chirped.

“Looks like I’m not the only one,” Odette said under her breath.