Grass Continent ~ Treasure Town Beach

[Virgil134]

Cabot paused in thought for a moment. Given that both his and Nip's world had an Yveltal in it, he supposed it would be expected that there were other Lugia out there as well. Still, it didn't change that hearing about another Lugia after everything that happened with Pleo felt... strange.

"Right... I guess that makes sense if your world mostly consists of land," he murmured.

Cabot's gaze drifted towards the ground. When would he see Pleo again anyway? Even back home he wasn't sure how long Pleo's plan to blackmail the Company was gonna take, but visiting this world meant it would take even longer before he'd see him again. While it was true that he could do a lot of good here in Cibus, and the prospect of exploring another world was exciting, he never considered how long would it be until he'd return home, or when he'd see any other his friends again for that matter. Would it take weeks? ... Months?

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Oh, does your world consist of... mostly water? Huh. Sounds frustrating. I suppose sailing a common thing, then? That certainly would make Lugia more important, that’s for sure.”

Fascinating. Celeste wanted to ask everyone what their worlds were like now. All these differences piqued his curiosity.To think there was a world where Lugia, of all the higher beings, was important was endlessly amusing. A grin crept its way onto his face.

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot looked back up again.

"Yeah, that's right, I'm actually a sailor myself," he replied. "Remember how I mentioned the first day that only part of my world is still habitable? Well, that part of the world is a sea. I grew up on one of the larger islands in it."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Celeste slowly blinked. “Wha? I’m afraid I don’t remember that, no. That sounds rough...

“What’s it like being a sailor? Being on a vessel out over endless water...” He shuddered. “Sounds like a frightening occupation. I suppose it explains why Lugia is so important to your world, though. Heh, I’d follow Lugia too, if I had to worry about getting drowned at sea.”

 

[Virgil134]

"Well, being a sailor is definitely not the safest job. There's pirates, the Company... and of course there's always the risk something going wrong at sea even without other Pokémon who might attack the ship." Cabot explained. "But, that's one of the reasons why I'm a sailor! I'm part of an organization called the Royal Navy and it's our job to keep everyone on land safe from threats like that."

The Cranidos shifted a bit, before giving Celeste a small smile.

"And I wouldn't really say I 'follow' Lugia... we're friends actually."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Celeste was awestruck, his mouth hanging agape. “You... You’re friends with a higher being? Or, a “protector,” as you’d call it. Huh. I... Well then. Here I was thinking it was neat just to have met one. Heh, you really are something special.”

Something about it nagged at Celeste, though. How could someone so close to a higher being know so little about them? Really, it should be Cabot teaching him things rather than the other way around. He’d give Cabot the benefit of the doubt and assume he was telling the truth, but if that was the case, there was definitely something ill-communicated between them. It just didn’t make sense otherwise.

 

[Virgil134]

"Well, I don't know about special," Cabot said, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. "But I imagine that Pleo's not quite the same as the Lugia from your world. Like I mentioned the first day we got here, most of the gods in my world were killed centuries ago, which is why Arceus created new ones. I don't know when Pleo hatched exactly, but it can't be more than two months ago."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Celeste burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t l-laugh. I-It’s just. A hatchling higher being. The idea is just... just adorable. I love it! I wonder what it would be like to befriend a tiny Ho-Oh... Heh, our higher beings are immortal, so I’ll not get my hopes up.

“I guess I somewhat brushed over the part where all your original protectors had to die before the eggs were created. That... Well, that makes it significantly less fun to think about.”

 

[Virgil134]

"It does, but at least it happened a long time ago," Cabot said. "Besides, I try to look at it in a positive way! The fact that the new gods are waking up is a sign that my world is gonna be restored. As long I and the rest of the navy can prevent bad Pokémon from using them as weapons, everything will be fine."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Ever the optimist, huh.”

Celeste hadn’t even though of how the hatchlings could imprint onto people. That idea was terrifying. Someone controlling a higher being? He shuddered.

 

[Virgil134]

"I guess I am," Cabot chuckled, before shifting around a bit. "Anyway, thanks for telling me what you knew about Dialga. I think I'll head over to the guild right now, since I was already planning on going there earlier."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Huh. Mind if I tag along? I haven’t really been there yet, though I probably ought to.”

 

[Virgil134]

"Sure!" Cabot nodded. "I haven't visited it myself, but I heard it's north of the crossroads."

With that, the Cranidos set off and made his way for the beach's exit alongside Celeste.

<><><><><>

 

[Dragonfree]

The moment Dave looked into the dojo and saw Zane there (from the sound of it Brisa was about to kick his ass, and as much as he would've liked to see that, he had many better things to do with his time than to subject himself to more of the Zangoose's inanity), he scratched that plan and headed somewhere else. Somewhere private. The beach? The beach was probably good.

He stopped on a stretch of sand, looking around. Nobody there, as far as he could tell. No sound but the crashing waves and the distant chatter of the town. Some peace and quiet.

As best he could recall, dog Pokémon tended to learn... Odor Sleuth? Who the fuck named these things. A move that let them find and identify creatures that were hidden, made Ghost-types visible and vulnerable. Something useful not just in a fight but for investigative purposes, especially if they were facing things like that Darkwhite creep. Fuck if he knew exactly when Poochyena might learn it, but he was pretty sure it tended to be an early move, and he did definitely have a stronger sense of smell. He could at least give it a try.

If only trying to use moves without an opponent didn't feel so fucking dumb.

He sniffed experimentally at the sand; it smelled like sand and ocean. Fascinating.

He moved a little, put his nose down. Sand, sand, more sand. And also... a faint whiff of a Pokémon. Probably one that'd been there earlier today. Hell if he could tell which one. Actually, as he moved, he was pretty sure he could smell traces of several different Pokémon. Not all that helpful; probably loads of people had been to the beach, and it brought him no closer to identifying any of them.

Irritably, he moved a little further towards the bushes by the edge, towards maybe less sand and ocean and more... something else. One of the Pokémon scents intensified just a little. Another step, and yeah, definitely one above the others. He looked up, at the bushes ahead, took another step, frowned.

"Hey. Is somebody there?"

 

[Negrek]

Nate was on his feet immediately, even before registering what actually woke him. Another split second to take in the situation: some pokémon on the beach, close. They would be on him in a second. His first thought to retreat deeper into the bushes and lie low, so instead with a burst of irritation he charges forward, out of the shade and onto the sand.

"What the hell! Can't a guy get a goddamned--" Nate pulled up short before he bowled into the pokémon, staring in disbelief up the stubby, toothy muzzle and into red-yellow eyes. Poochyena?

 

[Dragonfree]

Suddenly something blue and orange was charging at him. Dave jumped, fluffing, but the Pokémon stopped itself before it would barrel into him, staring at him in the most dopey-ass way. A Mudkip. “Jesus. Don’t just lurk in the bushes when people think they’re alone.”

 

[Negrek]

Nate started to laugh when the poochyena raised their hackles, just like they'd been startled by the hated frog toy that always got Poochyena barking up a fit for no reason. Their words brought him back down to earth, though. Male poochyena. Right. There was one of those in amidst all the other "heroes," yes, and now it was all coming back to him, the stupid mission and the magikarp and fucking Celebi. Nate scowed as resentment welled up hot and furious. And of course it was years since Mightyena'd been a puppy, idiot. "What? I was just sleeping. Is that a fucking crime now?" he spat.

At least he did feel much better, even though the light said he couldn't have been out for more than an hour or two. Pokémon recovered fast like that. And what do you know, it looked like everybody really did fuck off, finally. He could have the place to himself, if not for one small, fluffy problem.

Leave or get the other asshole to leave? Nate grimaced just at the thought of the bustling, repopuated town, but he was going to want grub soon anyway. On the other hand... Now the innocent face was starting to piss him off, actually. Not a pokémon, or at least Nate had never heard one say "Jesus" before. What gave this dickweed the right to go around all being a poochyena, of all fucking things? Nate tried to summon his anger and not get distracted by how cute the poochyena looked when he was pissed. "If you thought you were alone, why the fuck were you all sniffing around in the bushes, anyway?"

 

[Dragonfree]

The Mudkip let out a brief laugh - what the hell was so funny? - then abruptly grimaced and started complaining. Dave sighed in irritation. A teenager, maybe? Something like that, probably, or the Mudkip equivalent thereof. This had to be one of the so-called ‘heroes’ that Diyem had brought in - as far as he’d been able to tell the natives of this place stuck to TV-friendly language at all times. He wasn’t sure he’d ever actually seen him before, though. Maybe there’d been a Mudkip skulking around the dojo sometime, not talking to anyone, looking for all the world like a random onlooker?

“Not that it’s any of your fucking business, but I was figuring out a move. Some of us are trying to investigate what’s going on here. And why were you sleeping in a fucking bush? Didn’t you get a bed like everyone else?”

 

[Negrek]

Odor sleuth? Yeah, that would probably make sense. And would put the poochyena pretty close to evolving already. "I don't know if you've noticed, but these bodies can't battle for shit and get tired after like two attacks. Seeing as I got nearly fucking murdered out here, I didn't really feel like dragging myself all the way back to the dojo for a fucking nap." Besides, it wasn't like the beach was less comfortable than a pile of straw.

 

[Dragonfree]

"Nearly fucking murdered--what?" Dave blinked at him. "What are you talking about?"