Kunolo Island - Main Hall Banquet

[Flyg0n]

The main hall is a splendid, classically styled building that stands two stories tall and appears to have been built in a semi circle. Marble steps lead up to beautifuly carved double oak doors. Through the doors leads to a large reception area of sorts. Twin staircases on either side of the room lead up to a balcony that overlooks the rception, almost like a stage. Couches and love seats and beanbag chairs provide places for pokemon and trainers to relax, although for tonight they have been moved aside in favor of spacious round tables all around the room, decorated for a buffet style meal.

On either side are long tables filled with covered platters, from which waft a delicious aroma.

Rather pointedly, Amara mentions to each arriving trainer that there will, under no circumstances, be any fighting or altercations of any kind. She seems slightly displeased as she says this, staring pointedly at some, her Hypno looking equally disapproving.

[[Countdown to Day End]]

***​

Several other trainers were present in the room, along with their Pokemon. It seems people and pokemon from all regions are here. A serious looking boy with slate hair is seated near the front, alongside his Alakazam. Rather conspicuously, both wear a matching mega and key stone. A young boy with crossed arms watches him with narrowed eyes, an equally stoic Swampert by his side.

A cheerful Drampa weaves gently through the tables, following at the heels of a girl who couldn’t be more than 10. On her wrist is a band known to some as a Z-bracelet. Far off, half hidden by a marble column, an older trainer with long black hair seems to be watching the room, flanked by a Roserade and an Ampharos. Every now and then she glances towards the girl and her Drampa.

Many more trainers fill the room. A smiling girl with a slender frame flits about, waving and making small talk with some of the other guests. A salandit scurrying about nearly trips her before scuttling away. From a perch near the side of the room, a Fearow watches the girl silently. Another trainer and a Hitmonlee sparring with a girl and her Scizor. A woman and her houndoom. Somewhere, a shiny Grumpig can be seen.

Amara mentions that food will be served shortly, and everyone is free to mingle. She also affirms that Xavian will be here shortly to meet everyone and kick off the festivities.

 

[Sinderella]

Well, Odette was somewhat relieved to see that the place they'd arrived to was anything but a shithole. That put at least one distant worry out of her head. The place actually looked pretty grandiose, and was already ready for all of them. Hopefully, now that they were on land and being offered a celebratory meal, everyone would be less inclined to fight.

Ha. That was probably a joke.


"̷H̶O̵L̷Y̷ ̶S̷H̷I̴T̵ ̸O̸D̵E̵T̵T̶E̷,̴ ̴L̵O̶O̸K̶ ̴A̶T̵ ̷T̷H̸E̷ ̶B̵U̶F̶F̸E̸T̵.̴"̶


"It is pretty nice looking, but maybe we should wait for--"

Too late. Odile was already sprinting down the row of food and piling whatever she could grab onto a plate.


"̷̙͍͇͔̞͐Ṣ̴̰͓͖͈͐̈́͗O̶͉̜͇͔͗̊̂Ỏ̷̪̋O̶̝̻̖̦͆͛͊̌͜͝O̵̬͔͗͛͋̅͝͝O̸͚͔̰̍̌͝O̴͎̗̲̝̣͑̅̈ ̵̨̠͚͈͕͋̽̍͂̆̈M̴͉͎͇̿͑̀͂U̴̺̙͚̞̤͊͒̉̕͘͝C̸̛̩̰͆̾͐͝͠H̶̹̿ ̵̛̤̥̏͑͆̉̏F̵͇̐͒̀Ọ̸̒̈̚O̴̢̢̡̪̠̔͐̎̑̍͋D̴̻͊̕,̶̡̢̼̫͍̃̽̌́́̈́ ̴͖͖̗̾ͅI̷̫͖͖̽́̌'̷̡͍̠̥̞̽ͅM̸̹̬̯͛͆͑ͅ ̷̢̧̰͉͕̟̔̈́G̶͉̟͉̓O̸̫̺̘͉̪͆̇̂͊̓̊N̷͔̻̠͚̈́N̸̖̩̫͍̉̒̾͘̕A̷̮̺̾̅͆̔ ̴͙̱̦͍̈̀E̸̤̓̄̈̐̾͛Á̸̧̼͈̳͇̞̀̊́̏̽T̴̩̘͒̉́ ̷̰̘̮̠̃̽I̵̹̗̲̰͊͐̎ͅT̶̫̖̻̙̿ ̷̦̥̳̤͗A̴̢̧̘̙͇̔̔͗͋͛̔L̴̤̦̗̱͉̫̊̾̇̇͆L̵̗̉̏͊̔L̶̢̯̰̖͇͖͆̐L̴̘͓͑̊̆L̴͙̬͆̀̿́L̸̺̣͙̻͑̆̇̕̕L̵̙̼͕̹͋̃̒L̶͇̫͈͔͕̥̀͗͌͐͑̓L̴̨̠͇͎̻͗͐̈́̌͜L̴̗͕̑L̵̺͇̟̤̗̄̈́̉͘!̸̠͖̔̑͌!̵̡̜͓͇̝͍̿͒͛̏̄"̸̰̺̅̍͐͒


"God fucking dammit..."


"The lack of manners, I swear..."

 

[Hanafuda]

@Flyg0n

Seb marveled at the magnificence of the Main Hall. Not even the Gyms in Kalos were this luxurious. He noticed the way the tables were organized, and he had a thought. Just as he expected, there was a restaurant to enjoy. He looked for any staff available. “Excuse me, where should I sit? Is there a menu?”

Jack was trailing close by behind him, wary of any human legs that may have gotten in his way.

 

[Flyg0n]

@Flyg0n

Seb marveled at the magnificence of the Main Hall. Not even the Gyms in Kalos were this luxurious. He noticed the way the tables were organized, and he had a thought. Just as he expected, there was a restaurant to enjoy. He looked for any staff available. “Excuse me, where should I sit? Is there a menu?”

Jack was trailing close by behind him, wary of any human legs that may have gotten in his way.

Amara nodded politely at him, and offered a genuinely pleasant smile. "Please seat yourself Mr. Seb. You're welcome to mingle with the other trainers or help yourself to the food. Mr Montorzi will be along shortly, but enjoy yourself in the meantime."

 

[HelloYellow17]

Wes kept as close to the wall as possible.

He had no idea what had become of…the other man that looked like him (only looked like him, that was all, that was it, nothing more), but frankly he didn’t care. He hoped maybe he’d get kicked out of the event. Or thrown in a jail cell. Or otherwise contained so that Wes would never have to see him again.

Novo leaned into his leg and whined, glancing from his trainer to the platters of food. Wes managed a strained smile; they hadn’t had much to eat all day, and now that the atmosphere seemed…somewhat more relaxed than before, maybe they were actually safe to eat.

Hah. Doubtful.

Still, they were all hungry, and Wes saw that someone else had started loading up a plate. Hell, free food was free food, and he certainly wasn’t going to say no to that. He saw plenty of people eating aboard the ship, and nobody had dropped dead yet. Given the rest of the day’s events, Wes decided that was worth a damn celebration.

With a sigh, he pushed off from the wall and headed for the tables, Neo and Novo bouncing and chattering excitedly at his feet.

 

[Sinderella]

"The friend probably hates me after last night."

("Why? You didn't say anything rude to them, did you?")

Oh damn. Wallace. She'd forgotten about him.

In the middle of all the fuckery and trying to, you know, vacate the damn premises, she'd completely neglected to apologize to him. Or even see if he was okay. She didn't know what else to do in the moment, and comforting wasn't exactly her forte.


Enora saw where Odette's gaze had gone and followed it, eyes landing on the blue haired fellow and his beautiful Milotic. It took her a second, but she quickly recognized it as who Odette had screamed at in the bar. Apparently, they knew each other somehow.


Oh. Now she understood.


Well, this could be a good opportunity to set things right. Steer the narrative and start anew. Odile was apparently set on at least APPEARING civil for the time being, so Odette could use this moment to her advantage as well. For both her sake, and that other fellow's.

She nudged Odette's leg wordlessly.


"Huh? What?"


"He clearly doesn't look too averse right now, so you should go say hello. Maybe talk to him about what happened."

Did Enora suddenly forget who she was dealing with? Odette was the last person to go about discussing feelings about bad things that happened, what on Earth? Especially not with a virtual stranger who looked like he was quaking in his latex suit right now. She wasn't sure who the fuck Enora was looking at, but it clearly wasn't the same person.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna pass."


"Come on. It'll be good for your head. And Odile's distracted, so there's no better time to try to get some normal words in."


As always, Enora had a good point. If she really wanted to assure everyone that there wasn't (much of) anything to be scared of, she might as well start with the person she was at least somewhat familiar with.

"Man, I hate when you convince me to go have heart-to-hearts with people. At least go find us a damn place to sit."

Nonetheless, she tugged on her big girl joggers and walked over to Wallace. As she made her way over, she thought long and hard about what she wanted to say. Hey, I'm sure I'm the last person you want to be speaking with right now, but I wanted to talk to you about what happened in the bar, and--

Before she knew it, she was in front of him.


"Um..."

Fuck, she never used to be this nervous about things. She hated being so jumpy. But, she'd internally rehearsed her eloquent words, so this would be fine. It would be easy. Just say them.

"I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you in the bar."

Nailed it.

Fuck me, oh my gods...

With a sigh, he pushed off from the wall and headed for the tables, Neo and Novo bouncing and chattering excitedly at his feet.

Good for Odette, taking the first step like that. She did want to stick around to eavesdrop, but it would be a better idea to go find a place to sit before all the good spots got taken. Gods knew Odile wasn't gong to do it, so it might as well be her.

With a flick of her tail, she stood up and trotted toward the tables, peering around at the seats, trying to find one that spoke to her. One that wouldn't be in the middle of everything (she didn't need to provide Odile with that kind of attention, no siree), but perhaps one that wasn't so close to the wall. She knew Odette preferred to be out of the way, especially now, but Enora really liked--

Bump.

She was so lost in thought that she ran smack into the back of somebody's legs. Goodness, this trip was going to make her insane. She was normally so careful, and yet here she was, stumbling over people like a wild-mannered lady.


She stared up at the man, with his spiky hair and trenchcoat. It was only then that she noticed he also had two Eevees at his feet. An Umbreon and an Espeon. Heavens, how embarrassing could this get? They were probably thinking she was such a heathen. Not an Odile level heathen, but still a heathen.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped, covering her mouth with one paw sheepishly. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

 

[Hanafuda]

Amara nodded politely at him, and offered a genuinely pleasant smile. "Please seat yourself Mr. Seb. You're welcome to mingle with the other trainers or help yourself to the food. Mr Montorzi will be along shortly, but enjoy yourself in the meantime."

“Wait, how do you know my—oh, wait, you record the names of the people who said yes, right? Alright.” Seb tried not to pay much mind to that as he looked for any food he would enjoy. The salads, pasta, pastries, meat—everything looked as fancy as the Main Hall itself. “Aah, spaghetti bolognese! Mom cooks up something like this back home. This has to be good.” He grabbed a plate and served himself some of that spaghetti. He now looked for something else to complement with it—maybe a bread roll? And where was the lemonade?

 

[Sinderella]

"So you remember me... I didn't send you off on this trip in your world, did I?" He tried to laugh at his own dumb joke, but it was hard, impossible even. "Hey, I... I didn't get drunk at the bar and say anything stupid, did I? I don't really remember much of what happened."

Certainly not her best apology, but it got the point across. At the very least, Wallace seemed receptive and not...well, running for the hills.

She quirked a brow at his words. "Yeah, of course I remember you. We talked about arts and I told your friend to break his neck."

Perhaps I shouldn't have said that.

She quickly cleared her throat. "I mean...yeah, I definitely remember you. For sure."

At his half "joke," she tilted her head entirely. "I--no, I'm pretty sure just Clovis and Guzma and my Pokemon partners were there. Didn't see you anywhere." She wasn't sure what he was getting at, but figured that answer would suffice.

She wanted to laugh at his final question. That certainly explained a lot, actually. For once, it seemed somebody getting blackout drunk worked somewhat in her favor.

"Ah, no. You're definitely asking the wrong person, I'm sorry. I was a little...preoccupied."

 

[Hanafuda]

Once Seb finished filling his plate with his desired meal, spaghetti bolognese with some Caesar salad and a glass of lemonade, he surveyed the tables for a moment. He saw Wallace in the vicinity talking with a short woman with black hair and glasses. He went to sit down to the table next to Hoenn’s Water-type Gym Leader. “Oh man, I still can’t believe Wallace and Steven are here,” he whispered with a grin.

Jack sat with his Trainer, gazing cautiously at Odette. After the first impression he and Zack got, he had all the reason to not get too close.

 

[HelloYellow17]

She stared up at the man, with his spiky hair and trenchcoat. It was only then that she noticed he also had two Eevees at his feet. An Umbreon and an Espeon. Heavens, how embarrassing could this get? They were probably thinking she was such a heathen. Not an Odile level heathen, but still a heathen.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped, covering her mouth with one paw sheepishly. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

Wes heaved a weary sigh as he felt something nudge his leg. “Dammit guys, I’m not getting you an entire plate of bacon no matter how many times you beg—”

A tiny, squeaky voice met his ears. One that didn’t belong to either of his mon. He looked down and blinked in surprise.

The thing was…blue. And frilly. Wes had never seen so many bows on a Pokémon. Was that some kind of stuffy outfit, or was that actually part of its body? But what grabbed his attention the most was the face. This Pokémon was…an Eeveelution? It had to be—there was no mistaking the shape of those eyes and ears.

The little Eevee appeared to be profusely apologizing, shuffling her paws and looking bashful and she chirped in flustered tones. Wes couldn’t help it; he smiled.

Dammit, this thing was cute.

“Hey there,” he said, and crouched down a little, though he was careful to still keep the plate out of the Pokemon’s reach; Neo and Novo had taught him that much. “Don’t think I’ve seen a mon like you before. Are you hungry?”

He paused and glanced at the plate in his hand. Surely just one wouldn’t hurt.

“Here.” He held out a strip of bacon. “I’m sure you’ll like this.”

“Spi!” Neo barked sharply. “Spispispispi!!” Both he and Novo stared at Wes with looks of utter betrayal.

 

[Hanafuda]

Seb couldn’t help but overhear Wallace’s words. He shifted his gaze towards his table, noodle dangling in his mouth after he begun eating. What was that talk about demons and lights? After a moment, he nodded in remembrance. Right, it must’ve had to do with the dark lady that Zack wanted to fight. Seb tried to take his mind off of that memory and focused back on his meal.

 

[AbraPunk]

Wes kept as close to the wall as possible.

He had no idea what had become of…the other man that looked like him (only looked like him, that was all, that was it, nothing more), but frankly he didn’t care. He hoped maybe he’d get kicked out of the event. Or thrown in a jail cell. Or otherwise contained so that Wes would never have to see him again.

(Read this post first, if you haven't already!)

As soon as Wes walked in, he stopped and immediately scanned the area for that fucking bastard who'd stolen his knife.

So many fucking people. Fuck all of them.

He grit his teeth and growled in a rather animalistic way.

Staying near a corner of the room, he kept looking until he'd found the guy he was looking for.

There. Once this bullshit banquet is done, and he's outside, I can catch him by surprise.

--

Nico watched as the wisp around Wes' head enlarged, the churning splotches of black and violet becoming faster, more chaotic.

He inadvertently let out a small whimper of fear.

--

Wes heard Nico's whine and looked down, seeing his Espeon partner looking scared over... something.

He crouched down. "Hey, what's wrong? You don't like all these people, do you? It's alright, neither do I."

--

Nico's ears flattened. He knew he couldn't talk to Wes about what was really going on, why he was so scared and concerned for his trainer's safety. Instead, he just shook his head.

--

Merian kept his head low. He couldn't bear to look at the wisp. He knew what it could turn into, and what it had done to Wes in the past.

--

Wes, confused by Nico and Merian's seemingly random fear, looked back up, and around at his surroundings... nothing to do now except wait for this shit to be over.

 

[Sinderella]

"Well, maybe it's a good thing you told my 'friend' to break his neck."

"Oh," she chuckled. "Well, in that case, yes I hope he breaks his neck."

"Clovis and Guzma... I don't think I know them."

She swatted her hand at him bashfully. "My bad. My boyfriends, Guzma and Clovis. I don't think they come to these things as often as I do." Which was ironic, considering most of these invites were for Clovis. However, this one had specifically been for her, so she wouldn't get into that.

"Ah, that makes sense, considering... the fights, the lights, and that demon who appeared."

Shit. He did remember. However, it sounded as if he wasn't too phased by it. He had met Odile before right? But, she wasn't acting so much like...well, a demon.

"Yep," she said flatly. "A lot of things to take in at once, you know?"

Jack sat with his Trainer, gazing cautiously at Odette. After the first impression he and Zack got, he had all the reason to not get too close.

As she spoke, she suddenly felt like she was being watched. Her features scrunched up into something pensive, and she turned around in time to lock eyes with Jack. That motherfucking bird from the bar.


Her expression became a tad violent before she could stop herself. In this case, she didn't care. She wanted that bird to know that if he came near her again, she'd tear off his feathers and make a mid-2000's-esque hair piece with them.

"Putain d'oiseaux," she grumbled.

Wes couldn’t help it; he smiled.

Dammit, this thing was cute.

Thank heavens! It seemed as if this man was quite understanding of her airheadedness. There wasn't a shred of anger on his face. In fact, he even kneeled down to her height to speak with her more intimately. What a gentleman!

"Bonjour! Je m'appelle Enora," she greeted happily. "No, I don't think I'm too--"

Her stomach growled, and she instinctively pressed a paw to it.

"Actually, I might have missed a meal today..."

“Here.” He held out a strip of bacon. “I’m sure you’ll like this.”

“Spi!” Neo barked sharply. “Spispispispi!!” Both he and Novo stared at Wes with looks of utter betrayal.

And now he was offering her food right off his plate? After she'd bumped him? Goodness. This man must have been of fine breeding, because his manners exceeded her expectations.

However, he was offering her...bacon, was it? Hm. She'd never had bacon before. The scent of it never agreed with her, and Ange and Loic usually fought over it at breakfast anyway, so she never bothered. But, beggars couldn't be choosers, and it would be impolite to refuse such an offering.

"You're very kind!" she complimented. "Thank you so--"

The yips from her fellow Eons hit her ears, and they perked up. She was startled to see just how betrayed they looked. Was...was bacon something special to them too? Was she stealing their trainer's attention and their food? Oh goodness gracious...


She frantically held up her paws and gestured to the latter two 'mon. "I greatly appreciate your offer, but I don't want to anger your partners or be a burden in any sort of way. It's bad enough I ran into you."

 

[HelloYellow17]

And now he was offering her food right off his plate? After she'd bumped him? Goodness. This man must have been of fine breeding, because his manners exceeded her expectations.

Upon seeing her decline his offering, Wes shot a glare over at his boys. “For gods’ sakes, chill out. It’s not like you won’t get any. Look, I’ll even replace this one. Happy?”

Novo tilted his head to the side, considering this proposal, then decided it was acceptable and sat down. Neo glared between Wes and his new friend, then begrudgingly followed suit with a huff.

Wes snorted and turned back to the Eevee. “What a fine pair of gentlemen you two are.” Not that he had any right to talk. But still.

 

[AbraPunk]

Merian needed something to distract himself from this suffocating sadness, and thankfully he knew just what could help. A mischievous glint in his eyes, he rocketed off from the floor and ran as fast as he could around and under the many tables in the room, often slipping or having to skid to avoid crashing into someone.

--

Wes' eyes widened, and he hissed through his teeth. "Wh-- damn it!" He groaned, and put a hand on his head, hoping nobody figured out it was his Umbreon causing this little scene.

It... was a little funny, though. He found himself with a small smile on his face regardless.

--

Nico glanced up, and-- yes, the wisp seemed to have returned to normal size. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank you for sacrificing what little dignity you had, Merian.

 

[Sinderella]

Upon seeing her decline his offering, Wes shot a glare over at his boys. “For gods’ sakes, chill out. It’s not like you won’t get any. Look, I’ll even replace this one. Happy?”

Novo tilted his head to the side, considering this proposal, then decided it was acceptable and sat down. Neo glared between Wes and his new friend, then begrudgingly followed suit with a huff.

Wes snorted and turned back to the Eevee. “What a fine pair of gentlemen you two are.” Not that he had any right to talk. But still.

Hm. The other two Eons didn't appear to be as friendly as their human, but it looked like he was doing well at keeping their manners in check. And if he insisted, it would still be rude to not take him up on his offer.

She offered an apologetic look to the Umbreon, and then the Espeon, before grinning sheepishly at the gentleman. She cautiously took the strip of bacon in her mouth and chewed it up.


And it was WONDERFUL!

Wow! How had she gone so long without trying bacon? Was she really missing out on such a delicacy when it was often sat right in front of her at breakfast? And she just let the boys go at it because she was wary of the smell? Well. Now she most certainly knew better. Never judge food by it's smell.

"Thank you so much! You've opened my eyes to the world of bacon. Now I understand why your partners are so adamant about not sharing. It is really quite good!"

 

[Hanafuda]

As she spoke, she suddenly felt like she was being watched. Her features scrunched up into something pensive, and she turned around in time to lock eyes with Jack. That motherfucking bird from the bar.

View attachment 2997
Her expression became a tad violent before she could stop herself. In this case, she didn't care. She wanted that bird to know that if he came near her again, she'd tear off his feathers and make a mid-2000's-esque hair piece with them.

"Putain d'oiseaux," she grumbled.

Jack quickly averted his gaze from Odette. “Sorry,” he muttered instinctively. He relaxed somewhat as he stood on his seat with wings on the table and looked around for other people. He knew Seb was quite shy around other humans, but if he was nudged in the right direction, perhaps he would open up like he did with Coleane and Violet.

“Hm?” Seb turned to his Farfetch’d with a curious gaze, slurping another noodle into his mouth. “What’s up, buddy?”

Jack pointed his leek at Wallace. He remembered his Trainer showing some excitement when he saw Wallace, so he thought he wanted to talk with the Gym Leader.

Seb drank some lemonade and gulped before speaking. “Oh, Wallace? He’s busy with someone else, right? So I’m waiting for him to finish. Ya know, so that I don’t butt into their chat.”

Jack nodded in understanding, sitting back down. He patiently waited for more arrivals.

A crouton was being held close to his face.

“You hungry?” Seb asked.

The Farfetch’d took the crouton into his beak, savoring it for a few seconds before gulping.

 

[MintyMimix]

As Violet and Hazel entered the extravagant, classically styled room, a chilling wind passed by the duo. For Hazel, it was simply the refreshing breeze of the air conditioning bristling her fur. She closed her eyes and smiled as she relaxed, enjoying an environment more suitable to her species.

Violet, however, narrowed her eyes and balled her fists as she scanned around the reception hall. A haunting familiarity struck her with the balcony looming above, judging over all within its sights. The twin staircases that lead to a false paradise. Long tables filled with lavishes with aim to deceive and receive favors. Her breathing tensed up. Her fingers curled in and out as her head lowered. Her eyes darted around the floor, trying to find focus. She felt compelled to tap her current set of clothes, as if confirming that they were real as opposed to something else being there.

Sensing her trainer's distress, Hazel clutched Violet's pant legs. Hazel furrowed her brows and issued piercing, concerned glare as she made a small yip. When Violet's eyes snapped to attention to meet Hazel's, the Weavile gave reassuring smile. She spoke meowing assurances while petting her trainer's leg. Violet wasn't at her estate anymore. That was long past. This was the present.

"T-thank you..." Violet whispered to her partner, wrapping her fingers around Hazel's claw. Violet's hand quivered, but her partner's gentleness had at least relaxed her fidgety eyes. That's right. This was the Weavile she had come to know in this future. A future far from the courts. A future far from them.

"Come on, let's have something to eat," Hazel cooed, escorting her trainer to the buffet tables. "You've always wanted to try new things, right? I'll be there with you for it, okay?"

Although Violet could not understand the exact words, the intent was clear as they approached the food. Violet loosened her grip on Hazel's claw as she gave her a soft smile in return. As she looked over the variety of foreign dishes that laid before her, her smile widened as her mouth shook in anticipation.

Hazel gave Violet a proud grin as she saw the girl get herself out of her own funk. She could see that the girl was still a little nervous — she hadn't let go of her claw after all — but she was at least making progress. Emotions weren't a science. They couldn't be broken down into components, nor proven through a method of replication. They didn't always come from rational places, and sometimes they even rose when their main contributor wasn't even present. But this was one non-science that Hazel was willing to work with. She wasn't always the best at it, but she just wanted to see that those she cared for were happy. That's all she could ask.

Hazel had been so distracted by her thoughts that she hadn't realized Violet had piled a few plates atop of her head. Hazel's top feathers had been flattened by the ever-increasing stack, but they would at least pop back up once the weight was off. Her trainer snickered before putting the final piece of her artwork: a smattering of bacon right on the top plate.

Unfortunately, this upset the balance as the plates slid right off of Hazel's head and clanked onto the floor. The succulent strips spilled all over Hazel as the Weavile's eye twitched in exasperation. Some of the pieces even managed to land her lab coat's pockets.

"Huh, sturdy plates..." Violet remarked as she flashed her Weavile a meek grin.

Hazel let go of Violet's hand, took a deep breath, and put up a single digit of her claw to signal, 'Wait a moment'. She made a point to take out her phone as gently and carefully as possible before getting to work with her taps. After finding what she was looking for, she pocketed the phone and gracefully waltzed to a dessert table with a sinister smirk.

Violet watched as her Weavile wordlessly walked off and gulped. She meant it as an innocent prank to she that she adored her. Was Hazel mad? Did she go too far this time? Oh Gods, what if the Weavile didn't want to be her partner anymore?! She blanched as her eyes darted around once more. Oh no, oh no, oh no— She needed to say something— apologize, do something right away—

A cream pie met Violet's face.

Hazel smirked as the bacon still shook in her lab coat's pockets, satisfied with her playful vengeance. Violet blinked, slowly licked the pie around her mouth — Wow, that tastes good — before returning an equally impish smirk. Oh, it was on.

 

[HelloYellow17]

"Thank you so much! You've opened my eyes to the world of bacon. Now I understand why your partners are so adamant about not sharing. It is really quite good!"

Wes grinned at her delight. So damn cute. “Glad you like it. Though you’ll have to tell your trainer to get you more. I don’t know if my boys would stand for it if I gave you another one. They are nice, though, I promise.”

He stood. “Where is your trainer, anyway? I hope you’re not…lost…?” Surely not. She didn’t look distressed, in any case…but still. Who left their Pokémon on their own in a place full of strangers? Especially after the madness that happened earlier? He supposed if this was a Cipher event, it wouldn’t have really mattered…but that theory no longer felt quite right. Cipher certainly wouldn’t have bothered to include Pokémon in this event, and certainly wouldn’t be giving them equal treatment like this.

He shook the thoughts from his head. Food first. The boys were now pacing around him, eyes wide with hunger, and Neo was sure to cause a scene if Wes kept his food away a second longer. He gave the frilly blue Pokémon another smile. “Sorry, gotta go. Need to feed these gremlins. But take care of yourself, alright? And be careful around…these other people.”

He made his way to the nearest set of chairs and sat, Neo and Novo hopping up on either side of him and immediately descending on their plates like a pack of starved Mightyena.

 

[Hanafuda]

Seb and Jack looked up wide-eyed to see Violet and Hazel doing some food shenanigans after hearing the plates crash down on the floor. There was no mistaking that Weavile with the lab coat.

“Violet,” Seb said between munches of his salad. He covered his mouth before drinking some more lemonade.

“Miss Hazel?” Jack said. “What’s going on?” He looked confused at both the human and her Weavile.

“Food fight?” Seb asked next, rather worried.