Dorm Hall - 1st Floor

[MintyMimix]

Hazel's rapid tapping on her phone was light, yet still audible as she took in as much detail as she could on the discussion. She had planned on doing it for her own review later on to begin with, but went in with increased fervor when she realized that a certain champion and his Aggron had been missing from the picture. She really hoped the two had been getting the rest they needed.

She looked for a brief moment to see the helmet-less other Hazel and smiled. To see her counterpart be so free and happy brought a light tear to her eye. She really wanted to talk with her when the situation was a bit less dire and see how she's handling seeing the world in full now. Plus it couldn't hurt to test that telepathy.

Violet remained mostly silent as she listened to the conversation, arms crossed. There wasn't much for her to add; she and her Pokémon had communicated what they found to the group as much as they could and as soon as they could. She smiled as her eyes turned to Hazel. The girl had been such a blessing in her life, and the Weavile's note-taking was invaluable. Violet felt her best when she could talk through her ideas rather than trying to stew them internally, and having her partner by her side made that process all the more seamless. She could just concentrate on being herself and not miss a beat.

"If we're going to be trying to reach Orzo, and he's still a suspect, anyone who tries should be well prepared for a fight. Honestly, I don't like the idea of any of us confronting him alone, but if we're going to have to be discreet, that might be unavoidable. I know this is kind of a tangent, but... regardless of whether or not Orzo is our 'mon, we all need to be ready. And I think we could use some more firepower."

She held up a small, green whistle to the group. "I know most of us have met at least one of the mythical pokemon here. I - well, no, Olivia - managed to convince Celebi to come and aid us if we get into a fight. But I think we should try to talk to as many others as we can. So... I'm going to try to find Cresselia tomorrow. As far as I know, no one's gone to her yet."

That silence was soon broken as soon as one of the other passengers had brought up Cresselia. "The dream walker?" Violet said aloud, placing her hand to her chin. "Would it be discourteous of me to ask if Hazel and I may accompany you, then? I believe she may be of personal assistance as well as in this investigation." In her mind, dreams were connected to the mind, and the mind was connected to memories — perhaps, then, Cresselia could help her with those flashes she had been having of her 'other self'.

Hazel perked up at Violet's sudden interest, but decided not to speak up too much on the matter. She was certain that Violet still had the swap incident on her mind, but she no strong reason to object; having more mythical Pokémon on their side was always a boon, regardless of whatever secondary intent may also be involved. Still, would a dream Pokémon be helpful for a waking threat? Unless...

"Excuse me, I think I have an idea!" Hazel proclaimed, "We met with Meloetta the other day, actually. She talked to us about the power of bonds a little bit. Nothing that we don't already know, but..." She cleared her throat. "I-I know this is a bit risky, but if we ever need to defend ourselves, maybe Meloetta could sing a lullaby to help put our culprit to sleep, and then Cresselia could enter their dreams...?" It was a long shot, but it was one way of potentially ensnaring them and saving someone. Maybe even the dreams themselves could have answers.

Realizing some of the humans might not have understood her — including her own trainer who raised her eyebrow — she relayed the message via text as well.

 

[Dragonfree]

May listened to the talk of the others, frowning. So there was a myth, and it definitely seemed to be referring to a Hoopa. Orzo and Clink had both been poisoned, likely while attacking Irene, but what would they be doing there together? And Xavian had just... accepted healing for Clink and never brought up Orzo? What was that about?

"About sneaking in," she said when there was a lull in the talking, looking around to make sure she didn't see anyone who wasn't in the Trousselin group. "My Ninetales can walk through walls and make herself invisible. It's a long story. So she could get in there no problem, if we know where it is."

Spirit nodded affirmatively by her side, puffing herself up.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion sat leaning back against Hazel, with her curling around him like an armchair. He bit his lower lip as he mulled over all the new information. The subject reminded him of something he'd heard a long time ago... A week ago, which was basically an eternity when everything here sucked. Time here passed at the speed of the last half-hour of class while staring at the clock, but constantly.

"When I asked Xavier how he chose the people he did, he told me he hadn't actually chosen us directly. He let the Hoopa pick based on some arbitrary criteria unknown to him, because he's as naive as humanly possible. Dunno what that means, but it's probably bad, because most things tend to be when this guy's involved."

Hazel's eyes lit up when she heard about sneaking around. "Ooh! If I was using Sensu for typing I could be walking around the door! Or the walls! It would be very sneaky!"

 

[Seren]

"Hoopa is Palkia's Mythical, and like with all Mythicals, there's two of them! One looks like Orzo, and the other looks golden! They both had their power sealed away long long ago in my world, and it was put into something called a Prison Bottle! When a Hoopa has their Prison Bottle, they can become their Unbound form, which is Psychic/Dark! They're both said to be on the Sand Continent in my world, and Team Travelers found the one who looked like Orzo! They even recruited them! Nobody has seen the golden one, though."

Kimiko frowned at Coleane. She was glad the tropius had some more information, but... that information didn't lift her spirits. "Call me a pessimist, but I do not like the fact that that hoopa's transformation item is called a prison bottle. That doesn't entirely line up with the myth, though... it said the Golden One was stripped of its power and presumed destroyed. Clearly that doesn't seem to be the case, but... " She stopped and shook her head. "Well, it's as likely a theory as any right now."

That silence was soon broken as soon as one of the other passengers had brought up Cresselia. "The dream walker?" Violet said aloud, placing her hand to her chin. "Would it be discourteous of me to ask if Hazel and I may accompany you, then? I believe she may be of personal assistance as well as in this investigation." In her mind, dreams were connected to the mind, and the mind was connected to memories — perhaps, then, Cresselia could help her with those flashes she had been having of her 'other self'.

There seemed to be a lot of trainers here that Kimiko didn't recognize (but no one seemed to be accusing anyone, so she figured everyone here had at least two others to vouch for them at this point). She did take notice of the... was that a weavile in a lab coat? Hm. She must have been the one who started the group text chat. "Oh, please! I'd welcome the company," she said with a smile. "I'm planning to go first thing in the morning. Or, well... might take an extra hour or two to sleep," she added, gesturing to the room at large to indicate the meeting. "Probably gonna need it after this."

"About sneaking in," she said when there was a lull in the talking, looking around to make sure she didn't see anyone who wasn't in the Trousselin group. "My Ninetales can walk through walls and make herself invisible. It's a long story. So she could get in there no problem, if we know where it is."

Ah, she recognized this one, the blue haired girl and the ninetales with the gems. She almost sounded like a ghost-type. Maybe the gems were related... a regional variant, perhaps? "Steven knows where Xavian's room is, but he's not here... but so does Odile. Problem is, neither of them saw Orzo in there, so we need to find out where he is, first, right? Or do you think there's something more to the room?" A pause, and then, "We need a plan for what to do when you find Orzo, too." A thought suddenly came to her, thanks to Coleane. "Actually... do you think maybe Orzo has one of these prison bottle things? I imagine he'd keep it somewhere nearby if he does, that doesn't sound like an item he'd want to lose. Maybe if you find that, you should take it."

"When I asked Xavier how he chose the people he did, he told me he hadn't actually chosen us directly. He let the Hoopa pick based on some arbitrary criteria unknown to him, because he's as naive as humanly possible. Dunno what that means, but it's probably bad, because most things tend to be when this guy's involved."

"Well that's grim," she said, frowning at yet another trainer she didn't... actually, he did look somewhat familiar, now that she was looking right at him, but she couldn't place why. Not important now, she thought to herself. "I guess it's possible Orzo was able to tell what pairs had strong bonds even in our own universes, so he knew who would give him the strongest energy, and that's why we each were chosen?"

 

[Hanafuda]

"I guess it's possible Orzo was able to tell what pairs had strong bonds even in our own universes, so he knew who would give him the strongest energy, and that's why we each were chosen?"

“That sounds like a good theory,” Seb said, furrowing his brow. He shifted his gaze to one side. “Adding to the Mega-Evolution stuff, I remember asking back in Kalos about a Pidgeotite for Zack. You think Orzo thought that he’d get stronger if he drained Zack? And this may sound a bit, uh, Farfetch’d, but would it be possible for a Pokémon to devolve after being drained of their power?”

The Pidgeot looked shocked at Seb. There was no way that happened. No cases of devolution could ever happen, right?

 

[ShiniGojira]

Sitting by the corner with Evie curled around him, June snuggled deeper into her fur as they listened in on the theories and info thrown around.

The room was tense, he could practically smell the worry radiating from everyone present. But who could blame them? Everyone else expected a pleasant little vacation but... Hah, yeah. You can certainly guess how that turned out.

Mysteries weren't his expertise so it wasn't like he could really provide much on that matter. Besides, everyone had already worked out a lot on the suspected culprit so it wasn't like he was really missed.

Orzo the Hoopa. Pink, grey, yellow, their colors certainly fit the bill and then add their unbound form into the mix and you got a near prim-perfect match for the myth of 'The Golden King'.

But there had been something that was itching his mind.

Nudging the vixen, Evie uncurled herself as he stood up. "Yo, um question here. Anyone here thinks that mind-control or possession may have taken place there?" He pointed to Odile. "You said Orzo hadn't been there but that Klefki was, right? Do you think that Xavy might've been possessed by Hoopa? Or at least brain washed? Like what if say the Klefki was possessed by Orzo to help it and not wanting Xavy to butt in, it took some of his memories, kissed them goodbye and found some step-mommy-memories to substitute in. Or what if, Hoopa was in Xavy when you were there and fooled you in thinking it was gone. Boom. Bap. Done. Totally fooled like a tool." He clapped before shrugging. "I mean, it's capable of opening up portals and stuff so who's to say mind-control isn't one of its skills? A certain someone –whoIwillnotname – told me messing with the mind is a lot easier than most would think."

'It totally is~'

Frick off, Crude.

 

[Sinderella]

"About sneaking in," she said when there was a lull in the talking, looking around to make sure she didn't see anyone who wasn't in the Trousselin group. "My Ninetales can walk through walls and make herself invisible. It's a long story. So she could get in there no problem, if we know where it is."

"̶W̶e̴l̷l̶,̸ ̷I̵ ̷k̵n̶o̴w̸ ̵e̶x̵a̴c̶t̸l̷y̸ ̶w̷h̸e̸r̶e̵ ̴t̷h̵e̵ ̶r̴o̶o̸m̴ ̷i̵s̴,̶ ̵s̴o̶ ̴t̸h̷a̶t̴'̸s̷ ̵n̸o̶ ̵p̶r̵o̵b̸l̷e̶m̶.̷ ̵I̶'̴l̸l̸ ̸p̶e̸n̸c̶i̴l̷ ̸y̷o̵u̷ ̴i̶n̴ ̶a̸s̴ ̷'̷i̸n̶v̵i̷s̴i̵b̴l̴e̶ ̸i̸n̷t̵e̵l̵ ̴d̸i̴v̷e̴ ̵t̸e̷a̴m̴,̸'̷"̷ Odile said.

"When I asked Xavier how he chose the people he did, he told me he hadn't actually chosen us directly. He let the Hoopa pick based on some arbitrary criteria unknown to him, because he's as naive as humanly possible. Dunno what that means, but it's probably bad, because most things tend to be when this guy's involved."

"Huh. That's another thing I was talking with somebody with earlier. Trying to figure out why Orzo or anybody would bring us here to pick us off instead of doing it in our worlds. I'd guessed it was because we have more 'fire power'," she said around air quotes, "per se, in our worlds, than we do here. And if what Xavian said is true, then I feel like it makes perfect sense that Orzo would pick the strongest bonds it could find, while still weakening us enough to be able to fucking kidnap us."

She felt like she sounded absolutely Zubatshit insane, but this wasn't even the weirdest case she'd been a part of.

"Steven knows where Xavian's room is, but he's not here... but so does Odile. Problem is, neither of them saw Orzo in there, so we need to find out where he is, first, right? Or do you think there's something more to the room?" A pause, and then, "We need a plan for what to do when you find Orzo, too." A thought suddenly came to her, thanks to Coleane. "Actually... do you think maybe Orzo has one of these prison bottle things? I imagine he'd keep it somewhere nearby if he does, that doesn't sound like an item he'd want to lose. Maybe if you find that, you should take it."

"̴L̶e̵t̸s̷ ̵f̵o̴r̷g̸e̷t̵ ̴a̶b̴o̸u̴t̸ ̸S̷t̸e̴v̷e̴n̷.̵ ̸H̸e̴ ̸d̷i̷d̴n̸'̵t̸ ̶s̴h̴o̶w̵ ̶u̵p̷.̵ ̶A̴s̸ ̷o̴f̷ ̴n̷o̸w̵,̵ ̶I̸'̵m̵ ̸t̸h̷e̷ ̸o̵n̸e̴ ̵w̴i̴t̶h̶ ̵t̵h̷e̴ ̵d̶i̶r̴e̷c̸t̶i̶o̵n̵s̴ ̷t̶o̵ ̵t̸h̶e̸ ̸r̸o̴o̴m̸.̴"̸


"̴A̷l̶s̸o̵,̶ ̵w̴e̷ ̴s̶h̶o̸u̵l̴d̵ ̶p̴r̴o̴b̵a̶b̵l̵y̸ ̵r̴e̵f̴r̷a̵i̵n̵ ̷f̷r̷o̸m̷ ̸i̸m̷m̷e̴d̷i̸a̸t̶e̸l̸y̷ ̶t̸e̷l̷l̶i̸n̷g̴ ̵h̴i̴m̸ ̷e̶v̷e̴r̸y̶b̴o̴d̶y̸ ̸k̸n̴o̶w̵s̶ ̸w̴h̶e̷r̸e̶ ̶t̴h̴e̵ ̶r̵o̵o̴m̸ ̸i̷s̶ ̴t̶o̸o̶ ̷b̶e̶c̸a̶u̸s̶e̵ ̸t̴e̸c̸h̴n̴i̴c̵a̴l̶l̸y̴ ̸X̸a̷v̴i̵a̷n̴ ̸a̸s̵k̷e̴d̷ ̸u̶s̸ ̸t̴o̴ ̶n̶o̴t̸ ̴s̶a̴y̷ ̶a̵n̸y̵t̵h̸i̵n̴g̷.̵ ̵I̸ ̷m̵e̸a̵n̸ ̶I̸ ̴d̸i̷d̷n̸'̸t̸ ̴s̶a̴y̵ ̴a̸n̵y̷t̷h̴i̴n̵g̶,̶ ̸I̸ ̷j̴u̴s̵t̵ ̵t̶e̵l̶e̷p̵a̵t̷h̴i̷c̶a̷l̷l̵y̷ ̵t̸o̴l̷d̵ ̴O̷d̸e̴t̵t̵e̴ ̵a̷n̸d̵ ̵s̵h̷e̵ ̴t̶o̶l̶d̴ ̷e̸v̶e̶r̷y̵o̸n̷e̷ ̵e̵l̵s̴e̴.̶ ̴S̴o̵.̸ ̷I̵'̷m̴ ̸g̸o̸o̷d̵.̶ ̶B̷u̵t̴ ̵y̷e̴a̶h̷,̴ ̸I̷ ̸r̶e̷a̵l̶l̸y̶ ̸d̸o̵n̸'̷t̵ ̷w̸a̸n̶t̷ ̸t̶o̸ ̸h̷a̶v̵e̴ ̸t̴o̶ ̷d̶e̷c̷k̴ ̸S̵t̷e̶v̵e̵n̴ ̷o̷r̸ ̵A̷g̷g̵r̷o̶n̴ ̴f̸o̷r̴ ̷y̸e̴l̶l̶i̵n̶g̷ ̶a̷t̶ ̷m̵e̶ ̷a̸b̷o̷u̶t̸ ̶i̶t̴.̸"̷

"Yo, um question here. Anyone here thinks that mind-control or possession may have taken place there?" He pointed to Odile. "You said Orzo hadn't been there but that Klefki was, right? Do you think that Xavy might've been possessed by Hoopa? Or at least brain washed? Like what if say the Klefki was possessed by Orzo to help it and not wanting Xavy to butt in, it took some of his memories, kissed them goodbye and found some step-mommy-memories to substitute in. Or what if, Hoopa was in Xavy when you were there and fooled you in thinking it was gone. Boom. Bap. Done. Totally fooled like a tool." He clapped before shrugging. "I mean, it's capable of opening up portals and stuff so who's to say mind-control isn't one of its skills? A certain someone –whoIwillnotname – told me messing with the mind is a lot easier than most would think."

"̶P̸o̵sse̸ssi̷o̶n,̷ ̴h̸uh̷?̴"̵

Both Odette and Odile exchanged doubtful looks.


"̵I̵ ̴c̵e̸r̴t̶a̸i̷n̸l̷y̴ ̵k̶n̵o̶w̷ ̸a̸ ̶t̷h̶i̶n̴g̶ ̸o̶r̴ ̴t̵w̷o̷ ̷a̴b̵o̴u̸t̷ ̶t̵h̶a̴t̶.̸ I̴f̸ ̵I̸ ̸a̵c̸t̸u̵a̷l̶l̷y̸ ̵b̴o̸t̵h̷e̴r̴ ̴t̷o̴ ̷l̸o̷o̸k̷ ̸n̵e̴x̴t̶ ̴t̵i̴m̷e̷,̶ ̴I̵ ̸c̸o̵u̸l̷d̶ ̴p̷i̸c̷k̷ ̸u̷p̷ ̵o̵n̷ ̷t̵h̴a̷t̵ ̵e̵a̵s̶i̵l̵y̸.̴"̷


"That could also be an explanation for the poisoning. If Orzo has the ability to do that, maybe it possessed Roserade for some odd reason and perhaps got poisoned in the process."


A huff. "Well, if we are actually going to plan a break-in, we'll need to go about it carefully. Distractions, provided we need to get and keep Xavian and perhaps Clink away from the room, maybe a recon person, and a few stealthy individuals who could get in and out without too much issue."


"̴I̶ ̴o̵b̴v̸i̸o̴u̷s̴l̵y̸ ̷h̴a̴v̴e̵ ̷t̸o̴ ̶g̶o̵ ̵h̶e̷l̶p̵ ̷b̸r̴e̴a̸k̷ ̷i̶n̴ ̴b̴e̵c̴a̸u̴s̴e̵ ̷n̷o̶b̵o̷d̶y̶'̶s̵ ̴g̸e̵t̷t̵i̸n̵g̶ ̷t̷h̵e̴r̴e̸ ̴w̶i̴t̷h̶o̴u̵t̵ ̴m̸y̶ ̷l̶e̵a̴d̴ ̴a̶n̵y̸w̸a̷y̸.̴"̴


"Yes, Odile. We get it. You know where the room is."


"̴J̶u̴s̸t̸ ̷m̵a̷k̶i̶n̸g̶ ̸s̴u̸r̵e̴ ̷e̵v̴e̴r̶y̶b̸o̴d̶y̷ ̸k̴n̶o̵w̶s̶ ̵t̴h̴a̴t̷!̶"̵

 

[Hanafuda]

"Well, if we are actually going to plan a break-in, we'll need to go about it carefully. Distractions, provided we need to get and keep Xavian and perhaps Clink away from the room, maybe a recon person, and a few stealthy individuals who could get in and out without too much issue."

“I can try to distract the guy,” Zack said, raising a wing.

“If it’s gonna involve showing off your muscles or moves—” Jack said, but was quickly interrupted.

“Hear me out, man. Well, yeah, I was thinkin’ about puttin’ up a show, but I’m gonna need some help with that.”

“Well, Kimiko said that she met Cresselia and Celebi, right?” Seb asked, leaning forward. “Do you think it’d be better to ask the other Legends for help? I don’t think we’ve seen every one of them, but if we can get them all to help us find who the Golden King really is…”

 

[Negrek]

"Wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of mind control fuckery going on," Nate said. "Psychic legends and all. They do that shit. Though I dunno why somebody with mind-control powers would bother with a disguise."

There could be some kind of constraints on the power, of course. If nothing else, it no doubt took less energy to smear some berries on yourself than make people think they'd seen a different color. But Nate was feeling too tired to chase down all the possibilities, really sort through the mess of what was going on. People were talking about going to see Cresselia, sneaking into the rich guy's room to see what was up (the fancy ninetales could turn invisible? What the fuck?)... it sounded like they had shit under control. Nothing he really needed to add here.

Nate closed his eyes for a long moment, opening them only reluctantly when Mightyena nudged him again. "I ain't got much more to say than that," he said, nodding at Odette. "You need me for something, distraction, destruction, whatever, just let me know."

 

[HelloYellow17]

Wes sat on the floor near the back wall of the room, listening in silence. He didn’t feel up to saying much after the disaster that was his encounter with Steven, and the somber mood clearly still hung over Neo and Novo as well. Novo laid beside Wes with his head on his paws, ears drooping to the floor. Neo had curled up in Wes’ lap immediately and fallen asleep.


Wes stroked Neo’s silky fur as he absorbed the different theories being tossed around. Distractions…snooping…there seemed to be a whole lot of talking, yet not much to show for it…

Nudging the vixen, Evie uncurled herself as he stood up. "Yo, um question here. Anyone here thinks that mind-control or possession may have taken place there?" He pointed to Odile. "You said Orzo hadn't been there but that Klefki was, right? Do you think that Xavy might've been possessed by Hoopa? Or at least brain washed? Like what if say the Klefki was possessed by Orzo to help it and not wanting Xavy to butt in, it took some of his memories, kissed them goodbye and found some step-mommy-memories to substitute in. Or what if, Hoopa was in Xavy when you were there and fooled you in thinking it was gone. Boom. Bap. Done. Totally fooled like a tool." He clapped before shrugging. "I mean, it's capable of opening up portals and stuff so who's to say mind-control isn't one of its skills? A certain someone –whoIwillnotname – told me messing with the mind is a lot easier than most would think."

Two things crossed his mind: first, that he was never going to get used to these talking Pokémon. Second…good gods above, he hadn’t thought about possession or mind control, and he almost wish the theory hadn’t been brought up. As if they needed more unsettling developments on this Horror Island. Still…if he kept Novo close, maybe that meant the three of them would be safer, somehow.

The conversation slowed to a lull. Against his better judgement, he cleared his throat and spoke up.

“I agree with Mitch that we need to be careful,” he said. “Don’t want to go in guns blazing, or whatever. But if we’re going to do something, let’s outline a plan, yeah? Some people are available to distract Xav…whatever the guy’s name is, others can do recon, and others can help get us in to the rooms we want to check. I say we divide up into groups, figure out a timeline, and pick a day we do this. Hell, if we can come up with a good enough strategy, I say we do it as soon as possible. I’m tired of waiting for answers.”

He rubbed at his temples, trying to fend off yet another headache. Dammit, he was tired. So tired. “I’ve got experience with picking locks and…ah…staying under the radar, so I could help get us into any locked doors. Nov here is also exceptional at stealth, so we have that, too. Sounds like we have a lot of people with different capabilities, which will work in our favor. But first, we should figure out who will handle the distraction, and what that will be.”

 

[Hanafuda]

But first, we should figure out who will handle the distraction, and what that will be.”

“You know, I was thinking that we could lure Xavian out with a big show,” Seb said, adjusting his glasses. “He looks like the kind of guy who specializes in Contests, so would it be okay for him to be a spectator to either a display of grace or a big battle like on TV?”

 

[Sinderella]

“Do you think it’d be better to ask the other Legends for help? I don’t think we’ve seen every one of them, but if we can get them all to help us find who the Golden King really is…”

That was a decent point, surprisingly. A lot of the group had fraternized with the mythicals, but not all of them. Now that she was thinking about it, she had wanted to hunt down Marshadow. Maybe not just because she was biased around ghost types, but because it could possibly be helpful.

“If we have time, maybe. But our focus is Orzo. Don’t get sidetracked if you don’t think it’s going to be helpful.”

"I ain't got much more to say than that," he said, nodding at Odette. "You need me for something, distraction, destruction, whatever, just let me know."

She nodded back. “If you’re up to it, we might need to start putting together a breaking and entering group.”

“Don’t want to go in guns blazing, or whatever. But if we’re going to do something, let’s outline a plan, yeah? Some people are available to distract Xav…whatever the guy’s name is, others can do recon, and others can help get us in to the rooms we want to check. I say we divide up into groups, figure out a timeline, and pick a day we do this. Hell, if we can come up with a good enough strategy, I say we do it as soon as possible. I’m tired of waiting for answers.”

“Well, that is the main point of why we’re here,” she reminded Wes. Nonetheless, she nodded along with his suggestion. “Multiple teams to cover more ground is the way to go. And I agree. This fucker is taking two at a time now; only a matter of time before they start knocking us out in troves. The sooner the better.”

“I’ve got experience with picking locks and…ah…staying under the radar, so I could help get us into any locked doors. Nov here is also exceptional at stealth, so we have that, too. Sounds like we have a lot of people with different capabilities, which will work in our favor. But first, we should figure out who will handle the distraction, and what that will be.”

Odette bit her tongue to refrain from laughing. Nothing was really funny; just the fact that Wes oozed bad boy energy and conveniently knew how to pick locks and ‘stay under the radar’? Had to be a criminal of some kind. Not a ‘needs to be executed’ type criminal like Dorien, though. More the ‘I fell into it’ type. He had an anger streak, and a severe case of foot-in-mouth syndrome, but he didn’t strike her as the person who’d kill for fun. Or worse. Maybe he was a seasoned thief or something along that line.

Gods, he’d probably get along well with Guzma. She missed him…

Well, the sooner they got the ball rolling, the sooner she could get back to him and tell him about the other white-haired Pokemon loving bad boy she met on her endeavors.

“So that’s another for breaking in. Personally I also have decent experience getting into places I’m not supposed to and sneaking around. And I’ll make the joke before anybody else can, but I’m very good at getting into smaller spaces.” As long as her hips fit, of course. She didn’t need to say that, though.

She moved her gaze to Odile. “And because Odile here is our informant, and we can communicate wordlessly, I think it’d be best if I also descended on the room for communications sake. And to keep her in check.”

“̶I̵ ̷A̸M̶ ̶i̵n̴ ̵c̷h̶e̷c̸k̵.̴”̷

“He looks like the kind of guy who specializes in Contests, so would it be okay for him to be a spectator to either a display of grace or a big battle like on TV?”

Odette began to shake her head. “No. Big cheery production in the middle of a locked down island where trainers are being kidnapped by a malicious entity absolutely reeks of distraction energy. I can’t imagine Xavian can handle that kind of liveliness right now, because he’s probably losing his fucking mind.”

She held a finger to her lip. “Keep it simple, stupids. In other words, act natural. Engage in a conversation with him. Bring him a drink.”

“̸H̸e̶ ̶r̵e̷a̵l̸l̷y̶ ̷l̷i̶k̴e̵d̷ ̷t̴h̶e̷ ̷c̴o̶f̶f̶e̴e̷.̶ ̵A̴n̸d̵ ̸w̵a̶s̶ ̶o̴k̸a̵y̸ ̸t̵a̸l̶k̵i̶n̵g̷ ̷t̷o̷ ̷p̵e̵o̴p̴l̸e̵ ̵w̶h̷o̴ ̸w̷e̶r̶e̷n̸’̸t̴ ̵y̴e̸l̸l̸i̶n̶g̸ ̶a̶t̴ ̸h̵i̸m̴ ̶a̵n̴d̴ ̷t̸a̷l̵k̴i̷n̵g̴ ̴n̸o̵r̸m̶a̸l̵l̸y̶.̷”̷Odile said.

“He’s a man under a lot of stress. Perhaps kind company will be just enough to keep him in place for a while,” Enora mused.

Odette crossed her arms. “This is of course, provided he leaves the room at all. With Clink better, he might be more inclined to hang around and assure they’re getting better. But, then again, he was out in the lounge while Clink was poisoned still, so perhaps not…”

A nod. “Recon squad will definitely be needed. Make sure he’s—or anybody else we don’t need to see, for that matter—isn’t in the room.”

She sent a look toward the kid with the Ninetails. “Would that be something the two of you could do? Since you said your friend can phase through walls and the like? We can have Odile lead you to the room, you can do your thing, and she can notify me if our breaking-in group is good to enter or if we need to stand by based on what you find.”

 

[Hanafuda]

Odette began to shake her head. “No. Big cheery production in the middle of a locked down island where trainers are being kidnapped by a malicious entity absolutely reeks of distraction energy. I can’t imagine Xavian can handle that kind of liveliness right now, because he’s probably losing his fucking mind.”

She held a finger to her lip. “Keep it simple, stupids. In other words, act natural. Engage in a conversation with him. Bring him a drink.”

“̸H̸e̶ ̶r̵e̷a̵l̸l̷y̶ ̷l̷i̶k̴e̵d̷ ̷t̴h̶e̷ ̷c̴o̶f̶f̶e̴e̷.̶ ̵A̴n̸d̵ ̸w̵a̶s̶ ̶o̴k̸a̵y̸ ̸t̵a̸l̶k̵i̶n̵g̷ ̷t̷o̷ ̷p̵e̵o̴p̴l̸e̵ ̵w̶h̷o̴ ̸w̷e̶r̶e̷n̸’̸t̴ ̵y̴e̸l̸l̸i̶n̶g̸ ̶a̶t̴ ̸h̵i̸m̴ ̶a̵n̴d̴ ̷t̸a̷l̵k̴i̷n̵g̴ ̴n̸o̵r̸m̶a̸l̵l̸y̶.̷”̷Odile said.

“He’s a man under a lot of stress. Perhaps kind company will be just enough to keep him in place for a while,” Enora mused.

“Sorry,” Seb said, blushing from the embarrassment and backing away with his hands in his pockets. “I should’ve thought about it better.”

“Yeah, a conversation could work better to keep his mind off of things,” Jack said, tapping his shoulder with his leek a few times. “I can go for it, provided that Beheeyem translator shows up again.”

 

[Dragonfree]

A nod. “Recon squad will definitely be needed. Make sure he’s—or anybody else we don’t need to see, for that matter—isn’t in the room.”

She sent a look toward the kid with the Ninetails. “Would that be something the two of you could do? Since you said your friend can phase through walls and the like? We can have Odile lead you to the room, you can do your thing, and she can notify me if our breaking-in group is good to enter or if we need to stand by based on what you find.”

Spirit nodded firmly. "I will go in first." She said it in Pokémon speech, thank everything.

"Yeah, that makes sense," May said. "She can get in there invisible, make sure whether it's clear, and come right back out to report back."

The good thing about everyone else getting involved too was then probably Spirit wouldn't even have to risk going into the weak spirit form to sniff around. The strong form should be completely undetectable, and she could get out and report to backup at any sign of trouble.

She scratched Spirit's ears softly. The Ninetales didn't move or react, too dignified in her duty, but they'd been together long enough she knew she appreciated it anyway.

 

[Seren]

Finally, it seemed like a plan was coming together. Odile plays guide, someone distracts Xavian, Spirit scouts for threats, Wes breaks in, and they investigate the room. "Sounds like we just need to figure out who's going to distract Clink and Xavian. We don't need small talk or coffee for that. I agree with Mitch, that someone should be someone who can talk to Clink and try to learn just how the hell he came to be poisoned like that. Hell, we might not even need to distract Xavian himself. If he's around with Clink, what are the chances he'd let anyone be alone with his partner after what they've just been through? We should be distracting Clink, and I think we'd be distracting Xavian by extension."

That was a decent point, surprisingly. A lot of the group had fraternized with the mythicals, but not all of them. Now that she was thinking about it, she had wanted to hunt down Marshadow. Maybe not just because she was biased around ghost types, but because it could possibly be helpful.

“If we have time, maybe. But our focus is Orzo. Don’t get sidetracked if you don’t think it’s going to be helpful.”

"I honestly think I at least would be more useful trying to recruit another mythic," Kimiko said with a frown. "All this subterfuge and shit is... very much not my strong suit, unless you think either Olivia or myself could be useful to this plan some other way." She shrugged. "I don't really have any other personal reason for going to Cresselia, either, other than just to get our side some more firepower, and the fact that I was planning on doing so before this plan anyway, but..." She shot a sideways glance at Violet and Hazel. "I think they do, and I don't want anyone to be wandering around alone, either. I think we have everything covered for the break-in except who talks to Clink, and Olivia and I wouldn't be able to get direct answers there, so, uh... yeah, unless something more pressing comes up, I'll stick to Cresselia for now."