Kunolo Island - Main Hall Banquet

[Sinderella]

Kimiko listened intently as Odette -she’d overheard her telling the other boy her name - described Enora’s routine in great detail. “I’m gonna need you to write that down for me at some point,” she laughed. And then, “actually, believe it or not, this is all far outside my area of expertise. Would something similar work for an espeon?”

"No worries; it's a lot to take in. I only know what I know because my Nana is big into Pokemon Pageants and filled my brain with it while I was growing up."

She leaned down to eye Olivia closely. "I know most of the Eons--especially the Umbeon, Espeon, and Sylveon trio--have similar fur makeup. So I'm sure it would work just as fine." A pause. "Well, provided you have the same products in your world. I'm sure you could find something similar..." Of course, also provided berries did the same thing too. Gods, that was a whole can of worms.

“Why all the fuss, anyway?” he said before he could stop himself. “Fur is fur, hair is hair. As long as it’s not tangled or matted, that’s enough for us.”

Neo chirped in agreement. Novo was still staring at Enora in wonder.

What kind of question was that? Did a man of his temperament not understand the IMPORTANCE of good grooming? Especially in a lady?

Actually, that was a stupid question. Guzma had heard the rundown more than once and still used the same 4-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/body wash/shaving cream without a second thought. It might have just been a "male" thing.

She took notice of Novo staring at her. On one hand it wasn't polite to stare, but on the other hand, she knew she was hard to not look at. She decided to give into it, and smiled warmly at him. "Hi Novo! How's your bacon? I'm sorry for stealing some from you earlier. I didn't want to be impolite."


"That's a good way to look at it," Odette said. "But I've got a stick up my ass when it comes to my appearance for that reason." She grasped hold of one of her braids. "You wouldn't be able to tell, but I have unruly curly hair that I wake up every morning to straighten and braid, because curly hair tangles and mats up quite easily." A shrug. "Also it might just be a girl thing. My boyfriend still uses the same 4-in-1 shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and shaving cream combo and," another shrug and a fond chuckle, "whatever, I guess."

With another quick glance down at Olivia and Neo, she asked, “Um… would either of you mind if I joined you? You know, for dinner, I mean.”

"Oh no," Odette said quickly holding up her hands. Now they were getting into weird territory where she felt like she'd both overstayed her welcome AND contributed to a crowding table when he clearly wanted to be alone. She could stand to get up and say thank you, maybe give a little bit of small talk, but to keep that going? With someone who was clearly not for it? Fuck no.

"We're not sitting together. I just came over to thank him for something. I should really be getting back to...my table...and my other..." she started looking around frantically, as it slowly but surely dawned on her that Odile had been MIA since she ran off for the buffet table.

"God fucking dammit." She didn't see her. There's no damn way they'd barely been here half an hour and she'd already run off to cause a problem even after--


"̴H̵E̴Y̷ ̸O̸D̶E̸T̸T̴E̵.̶"̶


She whipped around to see the demon of the fucking hour, standing behind her politely, holding...a tray of salad?

"Fucking gods, where the hell did you go?"


"̸I̵ ̸c̴o̸u̶l̴d̴n̶'̷t̵ ̶f̷i̵g̷u̷r̴e̴ ̸o̵u̴t̶ ̶w̴h̴a̵t̷ ̸t̵o̵ ̷e̶a̵t̴,̷ ̷s̵o̵ ̷I̶ ̵j̵u̸s̶t̶ ̴g̴r̷a̷b̴b̸e̷d̶ ̷t̵h̴e̷ ̴f̷i̵r̴s̵t̴ ̷t̶h̴i̵n̵g̷ ̶t̸h̴a̷t̵ ̴l̶o̵o̸k̷e̵d̵ ̶g̷o̴o̴d̴.̴ ̶M̵y̴ ̴f̸a̷v̷o̴r̴i̶t̴e̵ ̵c̶o̶l̵o̴r̶ ̴t̵o̴d̶a̴y̵ ̴i̵s̵ ̴g̵r̴e̸e̶n̴,̸ ̷s̶o̵ ̵I̷ ̸g̴r̶a̶b̴b̶e̵d̵ ̵t̵h̴i̶s̴.̴"̸

Odette stared at the tray, absolutely flabbergasted. It actually looked like she'd just pulled the entire thing up from the buffet itself.

"What the fuck? You hate salad."


"̸T̸H̴A̴T̸'̶S̷ ̸N̴O̶T̶ ̷T̷R̷U̴E̶.̴ ̸I̵'̶v̵e̴ ̷c̸h̷e̶w̴e̷d̷ ̸o̵n̸ ̴a̴ ̴h̸e̴a̴d̵ ̷o̶f̵ ̸l̶e̵t̷t̸u̵c̴e̸ ̴b̷e̵f̶o̷r̷e̵ ̸a̶n̷d̷ ̶i̵t̸ ̵f̷e̵l̵t̴ ̶r̴e̴a̸l̴l̶y̷ ̸g̴o̷o̵d̸ ̶o̴n̷ ̶m̵y̵ ̷t̶e̶e̷t̴h̷.̴"̷


"You need to go put it back. And that's IF they can even take it back, because you've already contaminated it by taking it off the bar."


"̷S̶o̸o̵o̸o̵o̵o̷ ̷w̸h̸a̷t̸ ̵I̴'̴m̶ ̶h̷e̵a̸r̸i̴n̶g̵ ̶i̷s̵ ̶t̷h̴a̷t̷ ̶I̵ ̴c̷a̶n̸ ̶k̸e̴e̸p̷ ̷i̵t̸ ̶i̵f̶ ̴n̷o̸b̵o̴d̴y̸ ̷s̷e̶e̷'̶s̸ ̷m̶e̶ ̶w̸i̶t̷h̵ ̷i̶t̷?̴"̵

"That's not--"

“Oh, hell,” he spat. The maniac from before was here, and glaring daggers at Wes with even more malice than before, which he hadn’t thought was possible. Why was he still here? They were seriously going to just let him walk free after that episode earlier? Gods.

Not bothering to hide his anger from the other visitors at his table, he picked up his fork again and stabbed at his steak with far more force than necessary.

Wes's sudden exclamation made Odette stop short. She turned around to see that his demeanor had grown increasingly more annoyed. Was he getting overwhelmed by all the people at the table? Or now that Odile had showed up? Fuck, she should have bowed out a while ago.

But, she did see the other Espeon, and followed its path back to...the Wes lookalike. Actually, now that she knew this was a multiverse game, it was safe for her to assume they were parallel copies. That might have been why they were going at it.


"̸D̷a̷m̸n̵,̵ ̸O̴d̶e̴t̸t̶e̵.̴ ̷H̵e̸ ̴l̶o̴o̷k̷s̵ ̶a̷ ̶l̵i̸t̶t̴l̸e̵ ̸p̶i̷s̴s̷e̸d̴ ̷o̴f̸f̶.̴ ̵M̶a̶y̴b̷e̵ ̶w̵e̸ ̶s̵h̵o̷u̷l̶d̶ ̵h̸e̴l̴p̴ ̴h̸i̶m̶ ̵o̴u̴t̶.̴"̵ Odile could practically smell the wrath wafting off of Wes's body, and on any other day, she'd have started digging into it without hesitation. But, she made a promise. She didn't want to feel any more bowling balls today.

But that didn't mean she couldn't offer her services for a GOOD reason, right? At least, today of course.

"̷H̵e̵y̴ ̵G̸u̸y̶,̷ ̴w̶o̵u̴l̸d̶ ̸i̸t̶ ̸m̸a̵k̸e̴ ̷y̵o̶u̶ ̸l̶a̵u̸g̵h̸ ̵i̴f̷ ̵I̸ ̷w̴e̵n̸t̷ ̶a̴n̷d̸ ̴p̴o̴k̷e̵d̸ ̴h̴i̶s̴ ̴e̷y̸e̸s̸ ̸f̵o̸r̶ ̸y̸o̶u̵?̵"̶

This is not the introduction she wanted to give these people. She was making such progress with making herself seem like a normal, caring trainer, but suddenly injecting something like Odile into the scene, even when she was being mostly agreeable, probably wasn't a good idea. She slowly grabbed Odile's wrist and pushed her behind her.

"Sssssoorrrryyyy about that. This is...my other Pokemon. Odile." She felt like she was sweating. "She's, um...very overzealous."


"̸O̸v̷e̴r̸z̷e̵a̸l̷o̶u̵s̴ ̷a̴b̶o̶u̴t̵ ̸N̵O̵T̶.̶ ̶C̴A̵U̴S̶I̸N̶G̵.̸ ̸P̵R̴O̴B̸L̵E̵M̶S̸.̸ ̷O̷N̵ ̴P̶U̵R̸P̷O̶S̵E̷!̴"̸

 

[Flyg0n]

A crisp, light sound like that of a windchime echoed through the hall. A bright spotlight came on, shining on the upper balcony and revealing a man who was unquestionably their host, Xavian Montorzi. He wore a flashy gray and blue suit jacket and a top hat, of all things.
He flashed a grin so wide it might have seemed impossible on anyone else, yet somehow on him it looked natural as ever. Flinging out his arms in a grand and dramatic gesture, he took a bow. He rose again, his eyes twinkling with genuine delight.

“Welcome, one and all, to the Festival of Friendship!”

Scattered applause rippled through the hall. A Scizor enthusiastically clacked his pinchers and fluttered into the air, looking excited.

The applause faded, and Xavian paused for a moment to scan the crowd, making eye contact with each trainer. “I am delighted to have each and every one of you as my guests. Each of you possess a strength of spirit and a bond with your pokemon. This bond is the reason I have invited you to celebrate. This island served as a retreat for me for many years, until I realized it no longer wanted it to just be mine, but to use it for something more. To celebrate the very thing that makes our lives so wonderful.”

“Our dear, precious partners!”

After a brief pause, Xavian continued on, this time his tone slightly more somber. “You see, many years ago I found myself in a dire situation. I may almost certainly have perished, had it not been for my own beloved Pokemon.”

He brightened quickly, excitement pouring off him. “That is why I believe that the friendship shared between trainer and Pokemon is worth celebrating. So it is with great pleasure that I introduce my own wondrous companions!”

Two additional spotlights lit up the balcony on either side of Xavian, revealing two pokemon. The first, by all appearances, seemed to be... a floating keyring?! A closer look reveals it actually has a little face and is actually a pokemon. Some may recognize it as a Klefki, though to others it may be a new species entirely. The second pokemon is a peculiar gray and pink creature with oddly familiar golden rings hanging from the two horns on either side of its head.

Those rings almost look like the ones you stepped through to get here...

“It is my pleasure to introduce my first and dearest friend, Klefki!” Xavian gestured to the Klefki. “It is thanks to my friend Clink that they invited a few rare mythical pokemon to the island. Perhaps they may show themselves to a worthy trainer."

Clink floated forward and shook its keys in a greeting.

Xavian turned and gestured to the other pokemon. “Now I must introduce the very Pokemon who made this whole event possible, Hoopa! Now, his full name is quite long, so he has asked me to use his nickname, so you may call him Orzo.”

Orzo took the opportunity to bow before the crowd before taking a ring and twirling it expertly through the air and catching it again. <Helloooo everyone!> he called, broadcasting his voice telepathically.

Xavian continued. "It is thanks to Orzo that I was able to invite so many unique trainers. I understand many of you found this surprising or unnerving, and I do apologize for any distress caused. I'm afraid I'm so used to my partner's wonderful abilities I forgot it is quite uncommon for most of you.

Fear not, you are as safe as can be. Now, onto the true purpose of this gathering - the celebration!"

The rest of Xavian's speech was surprisingly brief. He explained how he'd had various facilities built on the island for everyone’s enjoyment. There was a training facility, dorms, a restaurant, and a whole island to explore.

The dorms had been built to accommodate all kinds of pokemon, and each trainer could choose their own. For his final announcement, he explained that breakfast would also be served every morning at the cafe. There were maps by the doors, and Amara would be available, as would he, if anyone had questions. No events were scheduled for the next few days, to give everyone a chance to settle in.

As he finished reviewing everything, he once again paused for dramatic effect. “Now I only have one last thing to say to you all - enjoy the meal, and have a splendid evening!”

Both he and Orzo bowed, and Clink bobbed up and down. With a final wave, they descended from the balcony and split up. Orzo floated off to talk to the other guests, while Clink watched from afar as Xavian gathered a plate of food.

Along with Amara, a few other staff members kept an eye on the main hall and remained present to guide trainers to the dorms. A couple trainers took the opportunity to turn in for the night, notably the boy and his Alakazam, who seemed uninterested in mingling, along with the Scizor and their trainer.

It seemed everyone was free to mingle and finish their meal, then head to their dorms when they saw fit.

 

[HelloYellow17]

“You must be pretty lucky or pretty skilled to get your hands on two eevee. They’re not very common where I’m from. And you’ve never seen a sylveon before, I think? Where did you say you were from again?”

Wes stiffened at the word “skilled.” That sure was an…interesting choice of words for her to make. He tried not to let his unease show as he took another bite of his food, and took his time chewing before swallowing and giving a measured answer.
“Orre. I’m from Orre. I got these two from…a work connection.”

Technically, it wasn’t a lie.

“So… I take it you guys aren’t brothers, then?”

“Wh—?” Wes managed to stop himself before biting out a sarcastic remark. He took a deep breath. Gods, everything about this place just set him on edge. “No, we’re not brothers. I’ve never seen him in my life. No idea who the hell he is.”

“Listen, I think he’s probably learned his lesson. He’s not gonna try anything in this crowd. And if he does,” she looked back at the black-clad Wes again. Something about him made her shiver. But she already froze once this trip. “If he does, Olivia and I have your back, okay?”

Wes blinked. Despite all his misgivings toward this girl…Kimiko? She seemed quite…sincere. There was a determination in her face that was not unlike someone else he knew.

Well, someone you used to know.

Shut up.

Maybe, just maybe, he’d been too hard on her. …Maybe. He still wasn’t about to trust anybody just yet. Still, he gave her a small nod. “Thanks for that. I appreciate it.”

“But I want details. Why did he attack you, anyway?”

Wes snorted and skewered another piece of meat onto his fork. “Hell if I know. Your guess is as good as mine.”

H̵e̵y̴ ̵G̸u̸y̶,̷ ̴w̶o̵u̴l̸d̶ ̸i̸t̶ ̸m̸a̵k̸e̴ ̷y̵o̶u̶ ̸l̶a̵u̸g̵h̸ ̵i̴f̷ ̵I̸ ̷w̴e̵n̸t̷ ̶a̴n̷d̸ ̴p̴o̴k̷e̵d̸ ̴h̴i̶s̴ ̴e̷y̸e̸s̸ ̸f̵o̸r̶ ̸y̸o̶u̵?̵"̶

Wes had been so focused on his conversation with Kimiko, he hadn’t noticed that another person had appeared at the table. The eerie, crackling voice made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. What?

He looked over to Odette, and saw…her twin? Except something wasn’t right about this newcomer. Her eyes were dark, her movements stiff, and her voice was just wrong.

He didn’t bother hiding his alarm this time. He shoved his chair back from the table and grabbed his dagger underneath his coat. He glowered at Odette and snarled in a low voice.

“What. The hell. Is that.”

 

[Sinderella]

“What. The hell. Is that.”

Odette put her hands up quickly and took a step back. This is more or less what she expected, but it still managed to fill her stomach with a sense of dread.

“A-ah take it easy!” she stammered. “I said she’s my Pokemon. She’s not dangerous, I swear, don’t jump a damn gun, please.”

She looked back at Odile with a wary look, sort of kicking herself for not suggesting this sooner. “Can you please get out of that form?” she asked in a low voice.


“̶B̴u̶t̷ ̴I̴ ̷l̶i̵k̷e̵ ̸t̴h̵i̶s̶ ̵f̴o̶r̴m̵.̷”̸


“Odile, please.”


She sighed, seeing how distraught Odette had become. The bowling balls were coming back.

With a wave of her hand and slight twirl, she shrunk down into…a tumbleweed. With eyes. And wings. Still holding the tray of salad in her teeny feet.

Definitely the cuter form of the two.


Odette cautiously turned back to Wes. “She’s a special kind of Pokemon from my world. I’m the only one who can give her any kind of abilities. I swear, she’s not dangerous. Creepy, yes, but she means well.” Like 50% of the time. But she wouldn’t say that. Not when she felt like bursting into tears.

A sigh. A shaky one. Shakier than she wanted it to be. She hated when she sounded like that.

“Trust me, I’m not here to cause a problem. I’m not…”

Don’t say them. Don’t say the words.

“I’m not a monster.”

Gods, she was such a baby. It was pitiful.


Oh no. Their good vibes were not going to be ended so abruptly.

“Sorry Novo. One second.”

She rushed to put herself between Wes, Odette, and Odile and arched her back protectively.

“Don’t be like that Wes! Leave them alone! If you’re truly a gentleman, you’ll listen to her! Real gentlemen don’t make young ladies cry, Wes.”

 

[Hanafuda]

After Seb paid attention to Xavian’s speech at the balcony, he took the last bits of food in his mouth and drank the lemonade quickly but carefully. He swallowed and breathed out before standing up. “Oh man, that guy is epic. He’s got style. And that Hoopa is a Psychic-type? I heard a voice in my head.” He started walking to the exit of the building. “Well, this is still really exciting. Too bad Zack wasn’t here to see this, but he might enjoy the training place. We better go to bed, though; it’s getting late.”

Jack flew down to the floor after Seb, following him outside.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion took one last glance back at their host before slipping into the hall.

Wow. He looked like someone who bought a stage magic kit for their high school talent show. In other words, atrociously tacky with a veneer of falseness. Whether this even the real guy, Gladion was unsure. Quite possibly not, it was hardly as if any of them would be the wiser.

He left to the dorms wholly unsatisfied, with perhaps less of an idea what was going on than before.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Okay, cool, so apparently portals to other universes or timelines or mirror-selves or whatever were real now, probably, and not just some overdone sci-fi movie plot crutch. Super cool. Really great. Blue had absolutely 100% come on this trip because he wanted a science lesson, specifically to learn about how things that should be fake science were actually real science that could happen to him and ruin his day. Amazing, and awesome, and all around definitely a very good thing that was totally not giving him a headache right now.

He'd wanted to ask that girl from the pool more, but he guessed that after the knife fight (also a super awesome funtime vacation activity) she hadn't exactly been in the mood to hang around and talk existentialism. Neither was he, frankly, never mind all the waiting around for ages for the security staff to drag their asses over to said knife fight and let Gyarados get back to his swim. Now he sat at a table in the overwrought dining hall, only occasionally glancing at the other guests but mostly trying to pretend they weren't there. Who needed them, anyway? He had cheesecake, and a cannoli, and tiramisu, and about four other things that did not remotely count as dinner but were infinitely better than fake science, or knives, or people. And it wasn't like Daisy was here to tell him he couldn't.

The table jostled a little as Charizard returned from the buffet with his own plates, bearing two sauce-drenched meatball mountains each the size of Blue's head, hair included. Blue stared for a moment, then snorted. "Those are supposed to be for the spaghetti, you animal."

Charizard gave a snort of his own and pointed a claw at the pile of desserts before using it to spear a meatball and sear it with a puff of flame. "Yeah, yeah, you got me. Fair. It's a junk food kinda night."

The host's announcement sure as hell left something to be desired. Good for him, he got to go portal-hopping with his pokémon so often that it was just another Tuesday to run into people who lived in a world where half your friends didn't exist, or something terrible had happened to you and the friends who did exist, et cetera.

"What's so great about blastoise, anyway?" he mumbled around his mouthful of tiramisu.

Charizard rested his head on top of Blue's—just enough weight to make it obvious he was there. He growled, not an angry growl but low, reassuring, pleasantly warm from just a little fire in the throat. Then he followed it with a dismissive huff. Blue didn't need to read minds to know what that meant. Nothing, that's what. I'm awesome.

Blue sighed, and smiled, and reached up to run a hand along Charizard's snout. Yeah. He was awesome. Fuck those other worlds and their blastoise and their weirdos and their problems. Charizard was real, and here, with him, and that made this the only world that mattered. They'd figure out what was going on tomorrow, together. Maybe, just maybe, they'd even get to enjoy that vacation.

Blue's fingers went from brushing against rough scales to something wet and squishy. He pulled his hand down to look at it. "You're drooling sauce into my hair, aren't you?"

Charizard burbled contentedly. A dollop of sauce hit Blue's eyebrow.

Tomorrow, together. After a goddamn shower tonight.

 

[Seren]

Kimiko stared at Odile as she turned into the tiniest tumbleweed she’d ever seen. In another time it might have been quite the hilarious sight, but instead… She completely zoned out as the sight brought back the memories in full. Her body stiffened, and Olivia poked her cautiously.

“Would you both excuse me? It was lovely to meet you both, truly. I hope we can talk again, but I… I’m feeling a little ill. I think I should probably find a room and turn in.”

She cast a pointed look at Odette; she wanted to argue her strange “I’m not a monster” comment, she really did, but something about Odile unnerved her in a way she hasn’t felt since…

“Sorry. Olivia, let’s go, please.”

It took everything she had to not run out of the hall.

Yeah, she needed to know what this was about.

 

[HelloYellow17]

With a wave of her hand and slight twirl, she shrunk down into…a tumbleweed. With eyes. And wings. Still holding the tray of salad in her teeny feet.

What. What. What the actual—

Odette cautiously turned back to Wes. “She’s a special kind of Pokemon from my world. I’m the only one who can give her any kind of abilities. I swear, she’s not dangerous. Creepy, yes, but she means well.” Like 50% of the time. But she wouldn’t say that. Not when she felt like bursting into tears.

He stared. “What—what is this, some sort of shape shifting mon? Why does it choose to look like you?” He couldn’t pinpoint why, but something about this…Pokémon set him on edge. It didn’t feel quite right. Or natural.

She rushed to put herself between Wes, Odette, and Odile and arched her back protectively.

“Don’t be like that Wes! Leave them alone! If you’re truly a gentleman, you’ll listen to her! Real gentlemen don’t make young ladies cry, Wes.”

Enora’s bark made him jump. She was bristling, glaring at him…Wes took another look at Odette and, with a jolt, saw she was near tears.

Ugh, dammit. He wasn’t out to make anybody cry. Just—why couldn’t anybody here be normal?

Still, her distress seemed genuine. He released his grip on his dagger and let some of the tension drain from his shoulders. “All right. Okay. Fine. Sorry, I just—I’ve never seen that before. This whole place gives me the creeps.”

Kimiko, however, quickly dismissed herself. Wes couldn’t blame her. He was starting to wonder if he should do the same thing—

They were interrupted by a ringing bell, and Wes watched as a man made quite an exaggerated entrance—their host, apparently. He’d hoped that meeting their host could answer some of his questions or ease suspicions, but unfortunately it only made him more wary. What exactly was this guy playing at? And what the hell was a Hoopa? Xaviar mentioned something about its powers being unsettling…but what did that mean, exactly?

He didn’t get to say much more to Odette, because they were soon ushered out of the hall and towards the dorms. He managed an awkward and stiff farewell to her and Enora, then made his way to the third floor, with Neo right behind him. Novo was planted in the hallway, watching Enora walk away, and Wes had to call after him three times before the Umbreon snapped to attention and followed after him. What was that about?

As he made his way to their room, something about Xaviar’s words, mixed with an earlier comment from Odette, struck him as particularly odd. He frowned.

She’s a special kind of Pokemon from my world

What had she meant by…her world?

 

[Flyg0n]

Slowly, all the trainers were gathered together once more in the main hall. Gone was the cheery, chaotic energy of the banquet. Most trainers appeared scared, somber or angry. Hushed whispers rippled through the grounds, and some of the trainers made a point of avoiding everyone else, as if they suspected them.

In particular, it appeared everyone was giving Noro a wide berth, which he didn’t seem to mind.

“If I may have your attention please,” Xavian’s voice echoed across the hall from his spot on the balcony. His cheery and showy demeanor was gone. His hair seemed like it’d been styled in a hurry, brushed back away from his face. His jacket looked wrinkled and dirty, as if he hadn’t stopped to change it. The light and exuberance in his eyes from the first night's banquet was gone.

By his side hovered Orzo and Clink, both looking equally depressed.

Once everyone had quieted, he spoke. “As I am sure you are all aware, one of our guests disappeared this morning from the beach. Young Reena and her Drampa. I...” he paused. “I regret to inform everyone that despite searching all day, we have yet been unable to locate her.”

Xavian hung his head. “I’m postponing all events until we find her. In the meantime, those of you who wish to return to your worlds will have to wait a bit longer, I'm afraid, until Orzo recovers. If anyone has any information, please contact officer Jenny immediately. I can, of course, arrange for anyone who wants to return to the mainland here to do so. I am truly, deeply sorry.

In the meantime... please stay safe. Stay in groups and keep your eyes open for Reena. I’m sorry,” he added again, his voice cracking. Without another word he turned and hurried away.

 

[Flyg0n]

A somber meeting is held that morning in the main hall. Xavian holds a roll call, for which at least, all trainers are accounted for. Xavian’s only reassurance is that they should hopefully be able to go home soon. For now... Officer Jenny and Victor are ever present, but still have no updates.

For now, they’ve told all trainers to beware a gold attacker, though they’ve confirmed neither Blair nor Alakazam are involved. They have also advised trainers to try to have countermeasures prepared for psychic types. And that under no circumstances should trainers stray far alone, as the attacker seems to pick off people who are easy targets...

XXX​

 

[Flyg0n]

Everyone shuffles wearily into the main hall for roll call. It’s not long before worried murmurs spread across the group. Looking haggard, Xavian enters, this time on the lower floor instead of the balcony.

A grim feeling settled over the group - something is wrong. A quick scan over the group reveals no sign of Officer Jenny, who usually stands guard inside... And the group of trainers is alarmingly small...

Amara stands behind Xavian, her facade of composure weakening. Even Honzo’s often unreadable expression is troubled, and he twists his pendant between his fingers.

“My dear trainers...” Xavian’s voice cracks. He clears his throat and continues, his voice struggling to remain even. “I’m afraid it seems Officer Jenny was taken last night. As well as Mrs. Irene and her pokemon. Officer Victor is keeping watch outside for now.”

He paused, hanging his head. “Clink and Orzo have both fallen ill. I fear that whatever is attacking trainers poisoned them to prevent anyone from leaving. Victor believes the threat may come from something outside that invaded the island.

As such, and in light of... what happened to Jenny, I requested aid from other trainers. Mr. Caden and his Salamence, Mr. Taro and Blaziken, and Mr. Toby and his Hydreigon, Regalia, have agreed to help patrol for any signs of danger. All I can say is to watch out for each other. And if anyone has further information please... help.

Clink has also informed me that the mythical pokemon are doing all they can to find who or what is responsible. If you have any more questions, Victor or Amara can inform you.”

After another pause, he added “That is all.”

The heavy atmosphere only seemed to grow worse, though there seemed to be a sense of resignation as one by one, trainers filed out. Outside, Victor waited, watching each trainer, nodding in greeting to them. In the sky above, a young man on a Salamence could be seen overhead, and far off, the silhouette of a Hydreigon.

The unspoken question hung in the air - who would be taken next?

<><><><>​

 

[Flyg0n]

The roll call that morning was grim. Xavian reproted that his pokemon were still struggling against the poison, but healing, barely. Slowly. But far more distressing, perhaps, was another stolen trainer.

A young researcher by the name of Hayes, and his golden Nosepass. And a girl named Windi, and her Fearow.

Victor confirms Hayes was taken from his room, and to select trainers (mostly any from the Trousselin) he explains the same traces were found. Gray flakes. A faint ghostly chill in the air, and the same scent as before. He offers the key to the room if any want to investigate, although he hasn't discovered anything else unusual there.

As for Windi, he explains that the last trace found of her suggests she took off from her balcony for a flight, and never landed. He can only presume she was ambushed midair. He has been unable to definitetively confirm where.

Victor also reports that while on night patrol Pyre sensed a disturbance and the strange scent for a moment, and then they both saw a shimmer in the air. He believes the attacker may have been dissuaded from attacking him by the presence of a mythical pokemon. Unfortunately, he has no further information. He never saw the attacker and Pyre only caught the brief scent.

Xavian appears more distraught than ever, despite attempts to hide it, and the other trainers are growing uneasy. The attacker seems to grow bolder each day....

 

[Flyg0n]

The morning dawns with a gloomy atmosphere once again, though for some of the island's more intrepid guests there’s a sense of purpose. Plans are being made...

This time, Xavian enters the room stiffly, looking troubled, his gaze distant. Amara stands nearby, alongside a young boy and a Swampert. And surprisingly, Orzo is present. The Hoopa looks worn out, a little pale or off, and his gaze is weary. He seems to droop midair, instead of levitating effortlessly like usual. He hovers close to Xavian, looking almost half asleep.

Xavian begins, voice dull with sadness. “I have very unfortunate news, and some good news. My pokemon are recovering, slowly. They are not at full strength but I pray that they will continue to recover and I can send you all home.”

“Orzo is sorry...” the Hoopa’s voice is shaky, sad. He fiddles with one of his rings, head hung in shame.

A sympathetic glance is sent his way by Xavian. “It breaks my heart to report, someone else was taken last night.” He pauses before continuing. “Mr. Sigmin and his Salandit.”

The crowd of trainers seemed to give little reaction, perhaps used to it by now. In particular, Lourine seems to be staring with narrowed eyes, her arms folded, though her gaze is thoughtful and unfocused.

“However there is some good news.” He beckoned to the boy and the Swampert.

“Mr. Silas and his Swampert were protected last night by a mythical pokemon. The attacker was driven off and they were saved.”

Silas stepped forward, shifting slightly, seemingly uncomfortable being in the spotlight. “Thel and I were turning in for the evening. We were leaving the lake when something attacked us. It tried to put us to sleep. We didn’t get a good look but Thel spotted a glimpse of red eyes and a flash of a gold body. I think a mythical pokemon near the lake saved us. When we woke up we were still here.” He pushed his hands into his jacket pockets.

Xavian nodded. “Thank you, Silas. I am so glad you are safe.”

With an awkward nod, Silas shuffled off to join the other trainers assembled. The rest of the announcements proceeded with the usual somber atmosphere. Warnings to stay together, to watch out for each other, to try to train any way they knew how, and so on.

During all the announcements, one surprising face can be spotted - a small silvery shape up on the balcony, quietly watching everything.

Clink.

[[ @Negrek ]]

 

[Negrek]

"Well, so much for the hoopa being behind it," Nate said, sitting near the back of the room with his arms crossed, glowering at the stage. "Could be faking, of course. Wonder what pokémon it was that saved the swampert guy. One that didn't want people to know what it was, or just one that fucked off before the guy woke up? Places to be and all that?"

He went on like that for a bit, mulling things over to himself, while Mightyena looked around, half paying attention to the stage, half keeping an eye on the much-reduced crowd. After a couple of minutes her ears perked up, and she nudged Nate's hand.

"...immunity to sleep, that's obviously impo--what? You see something?"

Mightyena pointed her nose up at the balcony, and Nate squinted up into the dim galleries. "Oh. Oh, hey. That's the klefki, ain't it?" Mightyena gave a faint affirmative grunt. "Well, shit. I mean..."

Nobody else had exactly shown any interest in talking to the guy. A couple people saying oh, yeah, that could be important, but nobody actually volunteering to do shit about it. Nate sighed and drummed his fingers on the side of his chair. It was stupid. He couldn't fucking talk to pokémon, especially not pokémon that were just goddamned keys. But if nobody else was going to do it, if no one else was even going to try... Nate sighed again and pushed his chair back. "All right, come on. Let's see if Spooky Keys has any clue what's going on, huh?"

Mightyena lingered behind a few moments after Nate had set off, watching the proceedings up on the stage. "Stairs. Just what I fucking need right now," Nate said from somewhere up ahead of her, and she could hear him clomping his way up, slowly. With a last reluctant glance towards the stage, Mightyena turned to follow him, speeding up a little when an especially loud thud and a curse suggested that Nate was having a bit of trouble in the dim light of the galleries.

It wasn't too difficult to find Clink once they'd gotten up there, though. The klefki hovered near the edge of the balcony, watching the proceedings below. Nate approached uncertainly but stopped well shy of Clink, not wanting to scare the pokémon. Mightyena let out a soft "whuff" to get the klefki's attention, and Nate cleared his throat. "Hey, little guy," he said. "You got a minute?'

 

[Flyg0n]

Clink turned as Mightyena approached, eyes widening. They jingled their keys, making a soft chiming noise in greeting. "Oh hello!" they said in pokespeech, in an oddly stiff yet cheerful tone. "How are you? I heard what happened to you two..." their voice dropped and they glanced around nervously, almost as if expecting an attack.

 

[Negrek]

Mightyena's tail lifted slightly, and she hesitated on the verge of brushing her situation off with a "fine." It didn't seem quite right to, though, knowing something of how Clink must have been feeling itself. "We've been better," she admitted. "But what about you? I heard a flower healed you, but Orzo... he's okay, too? I hope both of you are feeling better."

Nate hovered awkwardly off to the side, unsure what to do with himself. "Good to see you're feeling better," he said. "You're looking nice and, uh, shiny today."

 

[Flyg0n]

"Oh thats a relief, I just so glad they saved you..." Clink trailed off, looking oddly uncertain, or perhaps uncomfortable. "I am doing much better, Shaymin's flower did wonders. Xavian told me what Steven did, and I'm very grateful." They gave nod of acknowledgement to both Nate and Mightyena as they twirled one of the keys on their ring.

"I don't suppose you saw anything when you were captured? Xavian's been so worried but I told him everythings fuzzy, I don't remember much." They spoke, but a bit oddly loud. Not immediately noticeable but ever so slightly odd. "I wish I knew more..." They drifted a little closer to Mightyena, as if looking perhaps to feel safer?

 

[Negrek]

"We didn't see too much," Mightyena said. "It sounds a lot like what the boy with the swampert down there said. Red eyes, mostly. But... do you mean you got attacked, too? Is that how you got poisoned?"

Nate couldn't understand a word of what was being said, but it seemed to him like the keys were on edge. "Hey, uh, are you all right?" he asked. "You seem kinda worried about something."

 

[Flyg0n]

"Must have been. It's like I told Xavian, I don't remember very well." Clink looked down sadly... or in a way that feigned sadness and regret. They appeared more worried than anything. Then they looked up at Mightyena, and then Nate, studying them carefully. "But at least you two are safe! Maybe there's still hope for the other trainers." And though they couldn't exactly smile in the usual way, they seemed to be smiling.

Then they glanced back at Nate. "Oh its ok, I'm not worried. Between all the mythical pokemon and the amazing trainers, everything will turn out ok." But even as they spoke, Clink made the barest motion, nearly undetectable. A nod. They were worried about something. And even if their words were lost on the human, perhaps the gesture wouldn't be.