Blaze Caverns

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

When the secret meeting behind the security office broke down into five different sidebars and wild speculation, Steven had heard enough.

"C'mon, Aggron. Let's go," he said listlessly.

Aggron followed, but rumbled a question.

"No I... I don't know where we're going," Steven admitted. "After this morning, there's no use in pretending we can go about this as if nothing had ever happened."

He kept walking, letting his feet take him wherever they may, and Aggron dutifully shadowed him the whole way.

"I want to find Reena, but finding a teleport destination with no other clues... It's impossible. We don't even know who took her away. Or those other trainers, too."

Steven sighed. "I'm glad our ship's passengers are clear of all this, but that still doesn't narrow things down. I'm supposed to distrust all of the other guests here? Potentially even our hosts?"

He shook his head. "This is too much. Running around and poking our nose into things half-cocked is only going to put the culprit on high alert."

Aggron growled in agreement, and snapped Steven from his thoughts. He slowed to a stop and realized where he'd been walking. The signpost for Mt. Moxie's trails was dead ahead, and nervously loitering nearby was the last person Steven expected to, but perhaps the one he most wanted to see...

"Hayes, hello," said Steven with a subdued wave. "I know this might seem absurd after the events of this morning, but would you be willing to join me for that hike? A think a bit of normalcy will do me some good, and perhaps it's best to travel in pairs for now..."

It was a grim thought. This was going to be a very different outing than Steven had envisioned yesterday...

 

[MintyMimix]

Using their sharp eyes, keen sense of smell, and prominent ears, Weavile can sense out any target and trail them with ease. Small shifts in their feathers provide them direction as they corner their quarry in a pack, striking swiftly with sharpened claws. Unfortunately for Violet, she had neither the eyes, nose, ears, or feathers to track with, nor could their duo be considered much of a pack. She also wasn't a Weavile, but those are just details.

Nevertheless, Violet was on the hunt, and her prey was a kidnapper. More specifically, the kidnapper's hideout. Although the victims had been teleported away, there were very few psychics in her world that could perform long-distance traversal. With this in mind, Violet believed that it the kidnapper was likely still on the island, and ventured to check under every rock and corner for hidden passages or holes that the kidnapper's victims could be trapped in.

However, Hazel could see from the frantic eyes, wavering walk, and clammy hands that her trainer was very, very tired. Hazel had assured her that it wasn't necessary to stay up so late like that — she was part Dark-type and could fend off whatever would try to break in. She begged Violet to take the day to rest, but the girl insisted that it was not only critical but necessary that they go investigate as soon as possible. The fervor and sadness that had been behind Violet's eyes when she made her assertion was not lost on Hazel.

Still, the state of her trainer's health was concerning. Violet was an early to bed and early to rise person by nature, and Hazel understood that her era very much did not have the distractions they had in the present that would train one to be a night owl. How long would she be able to stay up before she collapsed? Her father had these same bouts of passionate perseverance as well; on nights where he was nearing a breakthrough, he'd push through his own sleep frantically scouring through his documents and laptop to unveil that golden nugget of discovery at the end of a long, long tunnel. Was it a human thing?

Species-specific quality or not, the fact of the matter was that Violet was running on fumes. Not to mention that the cavern they were in was literally fuming. Steam occasionally puffed through the vents along the path as the area became sweltering. It was hotter than when the laboratory's Monferno decided to cook a "spicy surprise" for the science team. Everyone had to sit underneath a sink for at least twenty minutes after that incident. Where'd she even get all those Tamato Berries anyways?

Hazel panted as the heat started to get to her. If I'm starting to feel like this, then what is poor Violet enduring...? The trainer in question was tugging on her shirt a few times to fan herself, but kept her gaze forward. Realizing this was the perfect excuse to force her to take a break, she began exaggerating her symptoms: loudly breathing, wiping her forehead with dramatic motions, and occasionally sucking in air as if to beg for water.

Violet noticed it quickly. Her eyes gleamed concern as she asked, "Oi, Hazel, are you alright? Do you need a moment to sit?"

Results were proven successful. Hazel made a vigorous nod as she plopped a seat onto the ground, fanning herself with her claw to drive it home.

Violet relented, taking a blanket from pack and setting it down on the floor alongside a couple of flasks of water. She passed one to Hazel before she sat on the blanket as well.

Hazel smiled and nodded, happy to Violet taking a well-deserved break. She pulled out her phone and looked in surprise as she saw a message from Gladion. She responded in tow.

Conversation With: Gladion

Hi Gladion! That's wonderful! I hope you and Hazel can really bond together even more now!
Violet stayed up all night trying to keep me safe. I worry about her sometimes... hoping I can convince her to take a nap today.
We're checking out the Blaze Caverns to see if there's any clues or traces of the kidnapper's hideout, but no luck. I doubt they would've chosen such an inhospitable place anyhow. If you're in the area, feel free to stop by!
I'll try to learn a bit of sign language for Hazel, but it will take me a bit... forgive me if I spend a bit of time looking up the signs during our conversations!
Oh, and if you know anyone that is cleared of suspicion, send them our way. Maybe we could get a group chat going and compare notes.
Good luck today, and stay safe!

Satisfied with her reply, Hazel looked back at Violet once more. The human's eyes drooped down slightly as the fatigue from the night prior caught up. Her stance relaxed as she hunched back, placing an arm behind herself to keep herself propped up as she stared at the ceiling. Hazel gave her a soft, but proud grin.

Wanting to put her at further ease, she decided to swap to her phone's music player, and put on a soft, yet comforting classical melody. Something that even Violet would be familiar with... probably. She wasn't entirely sure if the song itself was, but the instruments would be, at least. The brass and string tones echoed throughout the cavern walls, gently inviting those who might be wandering around to their location.

 

[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 ]]

 

[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

 

[Phoenixsong]

Charizard only seemed antsier as they took off yet again and resumed their spiral flight around the mountainside. Blue couldn't blame the guy; he wasn't feeling much more optimistic himself. Three cave mouths they'd checked so far this morning, and three times they'd come up with jack, zilch, and a flock of zubat who didn't much appreciate the sudden interruption of their afternoon nap. None of the caves led anywhere at all, let alone to a cave system deep enough to keep a freaking lava legendary happy on vacation. (It sure wasn't enough to keep the zubat happy.)

"We'll find it, Charizard," he said, patting the side of his starter's neck for reassurance. "Heatran's gotta be here somewhere, right?"

Charizard didn't acknowledge him, gaze still scouring every nook and cranny of the mountainside. What had gotten into him today? No question at all that they definitely needed to be doing something, but Blue couldn't shake the feeling that something else had him on edge. Was he just in a hurry to see if the other victims could be brought back? Nervous about the big heist the rest of the Trousselin crew was planning? Charizard hadn't given the impression he'd wanted to go along with that; he'd just nodded when Blue had suggested to the group that his team's talents were probably best used elsewhere, rather than trying to ask a forty-foot sea serpent and a dragon that was actively on fire 24/7 to tiptoe around a tiny apartment without anybody noticing. Was he just worried about whether the others were going to get caught?

Blue's stomach jolted as Charizard dropped out of the air and landed less-than-gracefully on the mountainside. "Dude, take it easy," he groaned, stumbling a little as he hopped off his friend's back. "Usually the pilot warns the passengers when there's gonna be turbulence, y'know?"

The complaint, at least, seemed to grab Charizard's attention. He rumbled a sheepish apology, spent a few seconds fussing over Blue to make sure he was steady, but snapped back to the opening he'd noticed as soon as he was sure his human was all right. It led into indistinct darkness, just like all the others they'd tried so far today. It was probably just as likely to lead to a dead end, or more angry, bitey, fighty zubat. The trouble with that was that zubat weren't was Charizard was looking to deal with today.

It had to be here somewhere...