Main Hall - Cotton Down Lounge

[HelloYellow17]

"Nope, I'm my own trainer!" Coleane said, a tiny smile appearing on her snout. "And Gen's with me!"

Snug in one of Coleane's wings, a white-furred arm poked out, waving. "Um, h-hi...I'm ok," Gen said, before his eyes widened as he saw Wes arrive, and he held tightly onto the wing.

Coleane raised her wing again as Wes entered the room, though she was a bit wary. This...was the human who wanted to kill all other humans, right.

"Hi! Uh...are you a bad human?" she asked.

"I d-don't think he's the one wh-who wanted to kill all humans..." Gen said. But that still didn't mean he was nice.

Wes stared. And then stared some more. The Tropius was talking. Like, talking talking. In a language he could understand. And then a little white and blue-furred mon popped out and also started talking. Human talking.

“You know,” he murmured hoarsely, more to himself than to anyone else, “I don’t even know why I’m surprised at this point.”

He took a long swig of his coffee and wondered if it was too early for a gods-damned beer.

 

[Seren]

He trudged over and sat in a cushioned seat near Kimiko—which he soon realized was a mistake, because these chairs were real damn comfy. “Hi. Sorry to interrupt. Neo wanted to socialize for a bit. Hope you don’t mind.”

"Not at all," Kimiko replied, watching as Olivia and Neo got reacquainted. "Can't seem to tear these two away from each other, anyway." Plus, she wasn't about to turn Wes away, despite the fact that he looked just as beat as she felt. She'd approached him twice now and didn't really get him to open up. And it looked like waiting for him to engage if he'd choose to was the right decision.

It looked like it was going to be a lively morning, though, so she bookmarked her page and set her history book down. Maybe she'd be allowed to take them to her room for inspecting tonight if she promised to return them later. It's not like she was going anywhere... and if she did, they knew where the books would be.

"Nope, I'm my own trainer!" Coleane said, a tiny smile appearing on her snout. "And Gen's with me!"

"You're your own trainer?" Kimiko repeated flatly, somehow managing to look shocked despite her weariness. She'd been all prepared to accept the 'talking pokemon' thing, but the multiverse just loved its curveballs. She was too tired to really counter it. "That's... really cool, actually. If you don't mind me asking... How does that work? Why did you want to be a trainer?"

---

Snug in one of Coleane's wings, a white-furred arm poked out, waving. "Um, h-hi...I'm ok," Gen said

"Oh, hi again!" Olivia trilled. "I'm really sorry I couldn't help you on the boat. I'm happy you're safe though!"

And suddenly, her new best friend had arrived. Her face lit up gleefully - oh no! She'd already eaten all the bacon! ...Would Neo accept the toasted bread instead? Tail swishing, she pawed a piece off her plate towards him. And then, after a beat, levitated her last piece over to the umbreon. Might as well show she knew how to share!

 

[IFBench]

"I-it's ok," Gen said to Olivia, gripping onto his reunion cape as Wes spoke. He didn't seem nice, then...

"Uh, s-sorry," Gen said, looking at Wes.

"That's... really cool, actually. If you don't mind me asking... How does that work? Why did you want to be a trainer?"

"I have my own team, and battle as myself too!" Coleane said, fanning two of her wings out, with the other two holding Gen and the human plushie. "The voice who sent me to the human world told me to become a trainer, and it's a human job! So it must be cool and great and heroic!"

But...what June said...

 

[Seren]

"I have my own team, and battle as myself too!" Coleane said, fanning two of her wings out, with the other two holding Gen and the human plushie. "The voice who sent me to the human world told me to become a trainer, and it's a human job! So it must be cool and great and heroic!"

So Coleane literally trained her own pokemon team. And it sounded like she'd already been transported once before to a world other than her own before coming here? "So... are pokemon trainers common where you're from?" She paused for a second, then corrected herself, "I mean, pokemon who are trainers, training other pokemon." Another pause. "And by 'where you're from' I mean, like... originally? Not the place you were before you came here." Gods, what the hell was she even saying anymore? Being tired sucks.

"Well, it's definitely got it's cool and great and heroic moments, for sure..." she said, hesitating a bit. "But just being a trainer in and of itself isn't really a heroic thing. It's pretty standard where I'm from. I mean, look at me, I'm no hero." She forced a laugh. It wasn't really even a lie. She was no champion or savior or anything. Hell, even in the fight against the cult, she was just one piece of the whole. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering what was so special about her that got her an invite. She paused again, considering the mention of the voice. Hell, even this talking tropius had something special about her, and it wasn't even the talking ability! "So... you didn't choose to be a trainer, then?"

 

[HelloYellow17]

And suddenly, her new best friend had arrived. Her face lit up gleefully - oh no! She'd already eaten all the bacon! ...Would Neo accept the toasted bread instead? Tail swishing, she pawed a piece off her plate towards him. And then, after a beat, levitated her last piece over to the umbreon. Might as well show she knew how to share!

Neo lit up and eagerly accepted the offering, snarfing it down in a heartbeat. Novo twitched his ears gratefully and also accepted, though with a bit more poise than his brother. Enora wasn’t around, but still. He ought to practice so that he could choking like he did last time.

"Uh, s-sorry," Gen said, looking at Wes.

Damn, had he been that obvious? Wes rubbed his temples with a sigh. “S’fine, you don’t have to apologize. I’ve just…never seen a talking Pokémon before. And the less stuff makes sense, the more it makes my head hurt.” He looked back up at the…Pokemon. He’d never seen one quite like him before. “Anyway. What sort of mon are you? I haven’t seen one like you before. Can you all talk?”

That was probably a dumb question, he realized. After all, the Tropius was talking, and while Wes had never met one in person, he was pretty damn sure they weren’t known for spouting off human speech.

"I have my own team, and battle as myself too!" Coleane said, fanning two of her wings out, with the other two holding Gen and the human plushie. "The voice who sent me to the human world told me to become a trainer, and it's a human job! So it must be cool and great and heroic!"

“Wait—what?” He frowned at the grass-type. “You’re a trainer. But you’re a Pokémon. But you’re from a different world?” Holy hell, there was so much to unpack from all of that. And from everything that had happened on this island. At this point he was starting to think it was all just a crazy, extended fever dream.

Whatever. He was too tired to fret over…everything. Might as well just roll with the insanity.

"Well, it's definitely got it's cool and great and heroic moments, for sure..." she said, hesitating a bit. "But just being a trainer in and of itself isn't really a heroic thing. It's pretty standard where I'm from. I mean, look at me, I'm no hero."

He couldn’t help but let out weary laugh. “Yeah. You and me both.”

 

[IFBench]

"So... are pokemon trainers common where you're from?" She paused for a second, then corrected herself, "I mean, pokemon who are trainers, training other pokemon." Another pause. "And by 'where you're from' I mean, like... originally? Not the place you were before you came here."

"Nope! We don't have any trainers at all! We don't have any humans in my original world, besides the heroes!" Coleane said.

"Well, it's definitely got it's cool and great and heroic moments, for sure..." she said, hesitating a bit. "But just being a trainer in and of itself isn't really a heroic thing. It's pretty standard where I'm from. I mean, look at me, I'm no hero. So... you didn't choose to be a trainer, then?"

"Oh...uh, I did choose it! It's a human job, of course it's great, even if it's standard for humans! Of course I'd want to do it!" Coleane said, reaching for the human plushie with a vine, and showing it to the two humans. "Humans are so so cool! I want to be like them!"

At least, the not-bad ones.

"Damn, had he been that obvious? Wes rubbed his temples with a sigh. “S’fine, you don’t have to apologize. I’ve just…never seen a talking Pokémon before. And the less stuff makes sense, the more it makes my head hurt.” He looked back up at the…Pokemon. He’d never seen one quite like him before. “Anyway. What sort of mon are you? I haven’t seen one like you before. Can you all talk?”

"Um, I'm...a-an Oshawott," Gen said, looking down as he named his species. "I...I know a few others like me who c-can talk, but...not very many."

“Wait—what?” He frowned at the grass-type. “You’re a trainer. But you’re a Pokémon. But you’re from a different world?” Holy hell, there was so much to unpack from all of that. And from everything that had happened on this island. At this point he was starting to think it was all just a crazy, extended fever dream.

He couldn’t help but let out weary laugh. “Yeah. You and me both.”

"Yeppers, I am! I'm from a world without any humans! Or, well, originally. Now I live in a world with lots of humans!" Coleane said, beginning to smile more.

 

[Seren]

Neo lit up and eagerly accepted the offering, snarfing it down in a heartbeat. Novo twitched his ears gratefully and also accepted, though with a bit more poise than his brother. Enora wasn’t around, but still. He ought to practice so that he could choking like he did last time.

Olivia's tail swished happily as both pokemon accepted her offerings. You'd think their human didn't feed them at all, the way Neo ate! But she'd seen evidence to the contrary already, so he probably wasn't all bad. They both seemed quite happy, anyway. She trotted closer and sat down right in front of Neo, leaning in close and craning her neck to sniff around him. He had such a strange scent, almost like he lived at a beach! But without the weird water smell.

---

He couldn’t help but let out weary laugh. “Yeah. You and me both.”

Kimiko side-eyed Wes, trying not to stare. Well, at the very least, he didn't look to be the hero type. But again, the fact that he had both an espeon and an umbreon revealed a side of him she wouldn't have guessed just by looking at the man, either. Who knew what he was up to back where he comes from. Orre, wasn't it? Whole lotta nothin' out there, especially now that Cipher had been evicted. "So... what's Orre like? What do you even do for fun out there?"

"Nope! We don't have any trainers at all! We don't have any humans in my original world, besides the heroes!" Coleane said.

"No humans, huh? Must be a pretty world you come from. What about these heroes, then? Are they from your world?" Kimiko guessed not. On paper, she could see why Coleane was so interested in humans. She figured if some unknown species suddenly appeared and wiped out the cult back home, there'd be plenty of people calling them heroes and wanting to be like them, too.

"Oh...uh, I did choose it! It's a human job, of course it's great, even if it's standard for humans! Of course I'd want to do it!" Coleane said, reaching for the human plushie with a vine, and showing it to the two humans. "Humans are so so cool! I want to be like them!"

"Well, you're well on your way, I think!" The tropius' enthusiasm was infectious. "I don't even consider it a job, myself. It's just something I do for fun. Or, well, I used to." She glanced again at Olivia, now practically climbing on top of Neo to sniff at the back of his head, and felt a pang of guilt. All the espeon had known for most of her life was conflict. That wasn't what she'd intended her journey to be, although perhaps it was a little naive to assume it would be smooth sailing, given what she was looking for. She turned back to Coleane. "So... why did this voice want you to be a pokemon trainer, anyway?"

 

[HelloYellow17]

"Um, I'm...a-an Oshawott," Gen said, looking down as he named his species. "I...I know a few others like me who c-can talk, but...not very many."

Huh. So other talking Pokémon weren’t unheard of, wherever he was from. “An Oshawott, huh. What region are you from, then?”

"Yeppers, I am! I'm from a world without any humans! Or, well, originally. Now I live in a world with lots of humans!" Coleane said, beginning to smile more.

The Tropius—had Kimiko said Coleane?—Coleane sure had a childlike enthusiasm that was packed in every syllable. It almost reminded Wes of a certain redhead. He grinned a little and quickly hid it by taking another sip. Rui would have lost her damned mind over talking Pokémon, no doubt.

Still, the statements Coleane made weren’t lost on him. Other worlds. Worlds without humans. Sent to another world to become a trainer…as a Pokémon. Gods, what kind of a crazy story was that?

Roll with the insanity, he reminded himself. He needed to conserve his mental energy for more pressing matters, anyway.

And speaking of pressing matters…

Olivia's tail swished happily as both pokemon accepted her offerings. You'd think their human didn't feed them at all, the way Neo ate! But she'd seen evidence to the contrary already, so he probably wasn't all bad. They both seemed quite happy, anyway. She trotted closer and sat down right in front of Neo, leaning in close and craning her neck to sniff around him. He had such a strange scent, almost like he lived at a beach! But without the weird water smell.

Neo quivered with excitement. He liked it when Olivia came close! Really liked it! Without thinking, he let out a trill and licked Olivia’s cheek.

Ha. Ha! Hahahahaha! That was weird! But fun! But why was he trembling?

Novo grumbled a quiet growl and went to go sit in Wes’ lap. He wondered where Enora was, and if he would get to see her today.

Kimiko side-eyed Wes, trying not to stare. Well, at the very least, he didn't look to be the hero type. But again, the fact that he had both an espeon and an umbreon revealed a side of him she wouldn't have guessed just by looking at the man, either. Who knew what he was up to back where he comes from. Orre, wasn't it? Whole lotta nothin' out there, especially now that Cipher had been evicted. "So... what's Orre like? What do you even do for fun out there?"

Wes scoffed. For fun? Not many things in Orre could be considered “fun,” really. Although—

“They’ve got a few different battle colosseums around. Participating in those is pretty fun, when I get the chance.” Though they’re more enjoyable when you’re not risking your neck to steal Shadow Pokémon…

Oh, well. Semantics.

Eager to turn the conversation away from himself, Wes continued. “Sorry to, uh, ruin the mood, but…you guys haven’t heard or seen anything suspicious lately, have—”

He was cut off when Novo leaped into his lap without any warning. Wes jumped and swore under his breath, nearly spilling his coffee. You’d think he’d be used to the dark-type sneaking up on him by now, but being trapped on an island with a potential murderer on the loose wasn’t exactly doing his nerves any favors.

“Brrrr?” Novo blinked at him with wide, apologetic eyes.

“It’s fine, bud, just—a warning next time would be nice, yeah?”

“Brrrrt.” Novo purred and settled down in his lap.

“Right—so—as I was saying.” He cleared his throat and hoped none of the present company noticed how flustered he was. Gods, his heart was going a million miles a minute. “Seen anything?”

 

[Seren]

Neo quivered with excitement. He liked it when Olivia came close! Really liked it! Without thinking, he let out a trill and licked Olivia’s cheek.

Ha. Ha! Hahahahaha! That was weird! But fun! But why was he trembling?

Novo grumbled a quiet growl and went to go sit in Wes’ lap. He wondered where Enora was, and if he would get to see her today.

Neo's movements startled Olivia, and she froze for a moment in surprise. Then her heart raced, and returned the favor in kind. Neo liked her! She gleefully headbutted the other psychic, darting away and skidding to a stop, daring him to come chase her.

---

“They’ve got a few different battle colosseums around. Participating in those is pretty fun, when I get the chance.”

A battler, was he? Yeah, that fit. He looked like he'd been through some rough spots. Made sense he'd be more comfortable doing it for fun, too. Probably good practice. Still, if they were in Orre... "I guess you've probably seen more than a few cheaters out there, huh? I don't think Orre's matches are like, official, are they? How do you handle that?"

“Sorry to, uh, ruin the mood, but…you guys haven’t heard or seen anything suspicious lately, have—”

Ah. There it was. All at once, the weariness returned. She'd almost been able to ignore it while talking to Coleane, but the return to the threat that loomed over the island like a dark cloud brought it crashing back down on her.

“Right—so—as I was saying.” He cleared his throat and hoped none of the present company noticed how flustered he was. Gods, his heart was going a million miles a minute. “Seen anything?”

Her mood improved, if only marginally, as she watched his umbreon climb into his lap, as the two espeon had all their attention on each other. Perhaps he felt left out. She didn't miss the way Wes' expression relaxed (after being startled, anyway) and softened as he spoke to his partner. "You know, for such a rugged looking guy, you clearly care about them a lot. Hero or not, I think it's a safe guess as to why you might have been invited.

"As far as what we've seen... nothing beyond my report yesterday." She was too tired to recall who was even around when she'd gotten back yesterday. Perhaps Wes hadn't heard. "I caught up to Amara in the forest, supposedly she just tried to cover-up the prior disappearances so as to not cause mass panic, and Olivia insists she was being honest with us. I... don't think she's actually involved in the missing trainers problem, but I also..." She shrugged, unable to put her thoughts into words. "Something in my gut tells me not to discount the possibility anyway." She pat the stack of books next to her bean bag. "That's why I'm here this morning, in fact. Amara mentioned something about 'not seeing an evil like this' in a while and mentioned these history books, so... thought I'd see if anything stood out to me."

She studied Wes carefully, trying to read his reactions. "What about you? I think I interrupted your eavesdropping in the cafe the other day, sorry about that. And I know we didn't get anything out of Noro... did you happen to turn up anything else since then?"

 

[Flyg0n]

It was a struggle not to drag her feet as Kimiko made her way to the lounge. She'd stopped by the cafe only to get more coffee (Gods, is this how addictions start?) and breakfast for Olivia, because it was going to be another long day. She must have fallen asleep at some point last night but it couldn't have been for very long, if her current state of exhaustion was any indication. She'd passed by a couple other trainers on the way here and most of them looked similarly zombie-like; She expected that to be today's running theme.

At least Olivia was perky, trotting along with a slight spring in her step. She'd managed to get a respectable amount of rest, despite also keeping an invisible eye over their dorm room all night. Thankfully, nothing seemed to have happened. No notes under her door, no screams, no disappearances. Not as far as she could tell, anyway; the other sleep-deprived trainers surely would be more worked up if something else had happened. That felt like a minor miracle, because Kimiko had no real desire to do any further exploring right now.

Still, that didn't mean she couldn't investigate further. Kimiko made straight for the bookcase, searching for the one Amara mentioned yesterday about this region's history. She wasn't sure where the hell she even was though, so she picked up half a dozen different history books. She'd just have to skim them, look for any kind of crisis she'd not heard about before. And with that, she strode over to one of the bean bag chairs in a corner and flopped down. With Olivia eating quietly at her feet, she began digging through the books.

With enough skimming of the history books, one thing will begin to become clear. This world's timeline seems to be ahead of what many trainers are used to. Team Rocket is little more than a chapter in the past. The other evil teams were disbanded or dissolved, primarily by the work of the champions themselves and tenacious trainers who had a strong bond with their pokemon. The most recent incident seemed to be something in Galar, but even that was a couple decades ago.

The world, by all means, had been at peace for over two decades. No apocalypses, no dreadful crises or fights between legendaries. Even Orre is considered a possible travel destination now. There were minor things, of course. Small bands of thieves, isolated groups of pokemon smugglers. But as a whole it appeared this world had managed to exist in harmony for some time.

Perhaps that is why the reaction to this crises is so strange. This world truly hasn't seen anything like this in many trainers lifetimes.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Neo's movements startled Olivia, and she froze for a moment in surprise. Then her heart raced, and returned the favor in kind. Neo liked her! She gleefully headbutted the other psychic, darting away and skidding to a stop, daring him to come chase her.

Play. Play! PLAY!

Neo jumped to his paws and tore after her, utterly giddy with glee. It was on.

"I guess you've probably seen more than a few cheaters out there, huh? I don't think Orre's matches are like, official, are they? How do you handle that?"

Wes barked out a bitter laugh before he could stop himself. Oh, she didn’t even know the half of it…

Without warning, several haunting memories flashed through his mind. The flash of bright red blood on his hands as he frantically worked to stop a profusely bleeding wound…a sickening snap of breaking bone, followed by shrill, ear-piercing screams…

Novo shifted ever so slightly in his lap; Wes suddenly realized he’d stopped petting him and had clutched some of his fur in a fist. He shuddered, muttered a soft apology, and shoved the images from his head. No. Don’t go there. Keep your head on straight.

“Yeah. Sure. I’ve seen my fair share.” He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"You know, for such a rugged looking guy, you clearly care about them a lot. Hero or not, I think it's a safe guess as to why you might have been invited.

Wes didn’t remove his gaze from Novo’s fur and he continued to stroke the Umbreon’s pelt, smoothing out the ruffles he’d created in his moment of tension. “Just because I care about my Pokémon, doesn’t make me a hero,” he said quietly.

"As far as what we've seen... nothing beyond my report yesterday." She was too tired to recall who was even around when she'd gotten back yesterday. Perhaps Wes hadn't heard. "I caught up to Amara in the forest, supposedly she just tried to cover-up the prior disappearances so as to not cause mass panic, and Olivia insists she was being honest with us. I... don't think she's actually involved in the missing trainers problem, but I also..." She shrugged, unable to put her thoughts into words. "Something in my gut tells me not to discount the possibility anyway." She pat the stack of books next to her bean bag. "That's why I'm here this morning, in fact. Amara mentioned something about 'not seeing an evil like this' in a while and mentioned these history books, so... thought I'd see if anything stood out to me."

She studied Wes carefully, trying to read his reactions. "What about you? I think I interrupted your eavesdropping in the cafe the other day, sorry about that. And I know we didn't get anything out of Noro... did you happen to turn up anything else since then?"

…Right. Yes. Back to the present. Which, frankly, wasn’t a whole lot better, but at least he could do something about it. Maybe.

“Huh. I expected somebody would get more out of Amara, but maybe she isn’t as shady as we thought.” Figures. It was never the most obvious suspects. “I did some digging in the victims’ rooms yesterday. Didn’t find anything in that girl’s room, but there was a weird smell in the Scizor trainer’s room. A sweet chemical smell. I suspect it might have been some kind of drug, maybe, but I can’t be sure.”

 

[Seren]

Play. Play! PLAY!

Neo jumped to his paws and tore after her, utterly giddy with glee. It was on.

The second Neo sprang up, Olivia turned tail and ran, darting around a table and then another. So he'd played this game before, too! He'd follow, for sure... and the second he did, she'd ambush him! Round 1: Olivia.

She wondered what this game's rules were. Were they the same as her world?

---

Novo shifted ever so slightly in his lap; Wes suddenly realized he’d stopped petting him and had clutched some of his fur in a fist. He shuddered, muttered a soft apology, and shoved the images from his head. No. Don’t go there. Keep your head on straight.

“Yeah. Sure. I’ve seen my fair share.” He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.

The sharp, hollow laugh, the tenseness... she didn't miss his reaction. She'd struck a nerve somehow. Wes sure didn't look like the type who liked to lose. But would he get this frazzled over it? ...If we were like his doppelganger, perhaps... but so far, he didn't really seem like that type. Kimiko stifled a yawn while she debated whether or not to ask him about it. Her instinct told her no, but even through her exhausted haze, she was curious. "You didn't mention how you deal with them," she ventured.

Wes didn’t remove his gaze from Novo’s fur and he continued to stroke the Umbreon’s pelt, smoothing out the ruffles he’d created in his moment of tension. “Just because I care about my Pokémon, doesn’t make me a hero,” he said quietly.

"No, but it's called the 'Festival of Friendship', not the 'Festival of Heroes'," she countered. She looked off towards wherever Olivia vanished. "I mean... like I said before. I'm no hero, either. And while I certainly care about my pokemon... that's nothing special, either, really. Any semi-competent trainer would. So why..." She found herself once again wondering why she'd been selected. What were the criteria?

Again, she shook her head. Not the time. "So how did you come to have two eevee, anyway?"

“Huh. I expected somebody would get more out of Amara, but maybe she isn’t as shady as we thought.” Figures. It was never the most obvious suspects. “I did some digging in the victims’ rooms yesterday. Didn’t find anything in that girl’s room, but there was a weird smell in the Scizor trainer’s room. A sweet chemical smell. I suspect it might have been some kind of drug, maybe, but I can’t be sure.”

"...Maybe I'm just not much of an investigator," she replied. "I'm still not ready to clear Amara yet, someone else might see something that I didn't. But for now, I've seen enough evidence - or, a lack of evidence - that I'm willing to look elsewhere. The problem is... where?" It sounded like Wes' own investigation didn't offer anything useful, either. Her first thought was chloroform, but... surely Wes would have thought of that, too? Besides, how did that help them in locating who was taken? "We just... don't have enough information..." she said, frowning. Her eyes fell towards the stack of history books, and then to the shelf they came from. "I don't suppose we could try to look it up in a book... oh, wait!" A sudden idea struck her. "Do you think the local nurse Joy might know anything about that scent you found? You'd think the culprit would have had to get the chemical from somewhere on the island, right? Where else might it come from?"

It was a stretch, she thought, but still... maybe it was worth looking into, regardless. She had no other ideas at this point. Naturally, knowing how they did it was less useful than knowing who or why, but what else did they have to go on anymore?

 

[IFBench]

“An Oshawott, huh. What region are you from, then?”

"Um...I l-live in Johto," Gen said, looking up at Wes.

"No humans, huh? Must be a pretty world you come from. What about these heroes, then? Are they from your world?"

"It's pretty, but the human world is even prettier! There's so much cool human stuff!" Coleane said. "And the heroes are from the human world! They come to my world to save it from the Crises!"

"Well, you're well on your way, I think!" The tropius' enthusiasm was infectious. "I don't even consider it a job, myself. It's just something I do for fun. Or, well, I used to." She glanced again at Olivia, now practically climbing on top of Neo to sniff at the back of his head, and felt a pang of guilt. All the espeon had known for most of her life was conflict. That wasn't what she'd intended her journey to be, although perhaps it was a little naive to assume it would be smooth sailing, given what she was looking for. She turned back to Coleane. "So... why did this voice want you to be a pokemon trainer, anyway?"

"I'm not sure why they wanted me specifically...maybe they were answering my wish! I wished to go to the human world the night before I got sent to the human world!" Coleane said.

"So... what's Orre like? What do you even do for fun out there?"

"Oh, Orre!" Coleane said, fanning one of her wings out. "One of my friends, MonDegreen, lives there! I wanna go there and meet her someday!"

 

[HelloYellow17]

The second Neo sprang up, Olivia turned tail and ran, darting around a table and then another. So he'd played this game before, too! He'd follow, for sure... and the second he did, she'd ambush him! Round 1: Olivia.

She wondered what this game's rules were. Were they the same as her world?

Neo could sense Olivia’s glee, mingled with a hint of mischief. He trilled in delight. Maybe they weren’t supposed to be playing in the lounge, and that’s why she was feeling sneaky! Haha! That just made it more fun!

He followed her around a table, unaware of her plans.

"Um...I l-live in Johto," Gen said, looking up at Wes.

Oh. Wes perked up at that. “Johto, huh?” He didn’t think he’d ever heard of Oshawott living in Johto…but who was he to say anything? It’s not like he’d ever been there, and it wasn’t like he knew every mon in that region anyway. “Where in Johto? Do you like it there? They have tons of forests, don’t they?”

…Ah. Maybe he’d gotten a little too excited. He gave a small cough and took another sip. “Just. You know. Just curious, is all. I’ve never been.”

"Oh, Orre!" Coleane said, fanning one of her wings out. "One of my friends, MonDegreen, lives there! I wanna go there and meet her someday!"

He snorted a little. “Well, you might have better luck asking your friend to come see you. There’s not much to see in Orre.” Except trouble. And corruption. And sand.

"You didn't mention how you deal with them," she ventured.

Wes eyed Kimiko warily. She sure was asking a lot of questions. Specific questions. She could distrust him all she liked, but he wasn’t going to open up and tell her his life story just because she asked nicely.

“How I deal with them depends on how far they go,” he said in a measured tone.

"No, but it's called the 'Festival of Friendship', not the 'Festival of Heroes'," she countered. She looked off towards wherever Olivia vanished. "I mean... like I said before. I'm no hero, either. And while I certainly care about my pokemon... that's nothing special, either, really. Any semi-competent trainer would. So why..." She found herself once again wondering why she'd been selected. What were the criteria?

“Hah. ‘Festival of Friendship’, my ass. All I’ve seen is a festival of shady shit.” But, still, she did raise a good question. Why were they invited? This didn’t seem like a Cipher trap anymore, so how did Xero find out who he was? And why invite him? Wesley Lycas, of all people? Sure, he was a good battler, but it wasn’t like he was a Champion or anyone of note.

Again, she shook her head. Not the time. "So how did you come to have two eevee, anyway?"

Gods, so many damn questions. He took another sip of coffee while he pondered an answer.

I caught them. That technically wasn’t a lie. But then that would lead to the question of how one finds an Eevee in Orre, let alone two.

“They were a gift from a friend,” he said.

"Do you think the local nurse Joy might know anything about that scent you found? You'd think the culprit would have had to get the chemical from somewhere on the island, right? Where else might it come from?"

Oh, that was an idea he hadn’t thought about. Wes tilted his head to the side. “That’s not a bad idea, but it’s not like we found the smell attached to an item or anything. The best we could do is describe it and see if she has any ideas. Might be worth a shot, though.”

His coffee now finished, he stood and stretched. “Right, well. I’ll be doing some more poking around today. Uh, let me know if you find anything, I guess…?” Ugh, that was a stupid thing to say. It’s not like any of them had a way to contact each other.

 

[IFBench]

"Where in Johto? Do you like it there? They have tons of forests, don’t they?”

…Ah. Maybe he’d gotten a little too excited. He gave a small cough and took another sip. “Just. You know. Just curious, is all. I’ve never been."

"Um...G-Goldenrod City. It's...a really n-nice place," Gen said, smiling a bit. "Y-yeah, there's lots of f-forests. Johto...it's th-the best place I've e-ever been to. It's m-my home."

shit

"What does shit mean?" Coleane asked, Gen's eyes widened, and he gripped onto his reunion cape.

“Right, well. I’ll be doing some more poking around today. Uh, let me know if you find anything, I guess…?”

"Ok! Just give me your phone number!" Coleane said, taking her phone out of her bag with a vine.

"Um...I'm gonna g-go look for Wallace. Um...s-see ya!" Gen said, waving, before he wiggled onto the ground and waddled away.

"Bye Gen!" Coleane said.

 

[Seren]

Neo could sense Olivia’s glee, mingled with a hint of mischief. He trilled in delight. Maybe they weren’t supposed to be playing in the lounge, and that’s why she was feeling sneaky! Haha! That just made it more fun!

Olivia leapt on top of Neo as he came around the corner, sending them both tumbling. They rolled around for a moment, each trying to get back on their feet first, until Wes called Neo back to him. They were leaving already?? But they’d only gotten started!

---

How I deal with them depends on how far they go,” he said in a measured tone.

Yeah, so something had happened that Wes didn’t want to talk about. She supposed she didn’t blame him. She didn’t like losing either, but losing to a cheater?

Hah. ‘Festival of Friendship’, my ass. All I’ve seen is a festival of shady shit.” But, still, she did raise a good question. Why were they invited? This didn’t seem like a Cipher trap anymore, so how did Xero find out who he was? And why invite him? Wesley Lycas, of all people? Sure, he was a good battler, but it wasn’t like he was a Champion or anyone of note.

“That’s a very good point,” she said with a sigh. “Supposedly all the events have been canceled too, and now the hoopa has to rest before it can send anyone home? I know no one plans for disaster, but like… the response fo this has been pretty lackluster if you ask me.”

They were a gift from a friend,” he said.

“That was nice of them!” And probably expensive, too. Possibly shady? Kimiko didn’t think it likely that anyone with real money would be living in Orre of all places. Not that that was something she was going to say aloud. Still, they did have common ground on one thing. “Olivia was a gift, too. Got her as an egg.

His coffee now finished, he stood and stretched. “Right, well. I’ll be doing some more poking around today. Uh, let me know if you find anything, I guess…?” Ugh, that was a stupid thing to say. It’s not like any of them had a way to contact each other.

“Oh, do you have a phone?” Kimiko asked, wearily pulling her Pokédex from her bag. “I only just figured out how to connect to the island network last night. It’s not hard!”

What does shit mean?" Coleane asked, Gen's eyes widened, and he gripped onto his reunion cape.

Kimiko turned to Gen with a furious blush. She hasn’t even said it! …Had she? “It’s uh… well, it’s a… let’s just say, a not-so-polite way of saying something feels wrong.” Why was she thinking of Gen as a child?

Ok! Just give me your phone number!" Coleane said, taking her phone out of her bag with a vine.

Kimiko was too tired to be surprised Coleane had a phone of her own. She held out her Pokédex to the tropius after taking Wes’ number. “Here, I’ll put mine in your phone if you’ll give me yours too!”

…she was getting a pokemon’s phone number. That was not a sentence she ever expected to say.

Um...I'm gonna g-go look for Wallace. Um...s-see ya!" Gen said, waving, before he wiggled onto the ground and waddled away.

“It was nice to meet you!” Kimiko said with a small salute as the oshawott wandered off. Olivia had said they’d been lost… but perhaps they were just looking around different parts of the boat?

 

[HelloYellow17]

Olivia leapt on top of Neo as he came around the corner, sending them both tumbling. They rolled around for a moment, each trying to get back on their feet first, until Wes called Neo back to him. They were leaving already?? But they’d only gotten started!

Neo yelped in surprise as Olivia plowed into him, then tussled with her, exchanging playful growls and yaps. He froze when Wes called him, then wilted a little with a sigh. Play time was over, again. When would they just get to play for as long as they wanted?

He bid Olivia goodbye with a wave of his tail and trotted back to Wes. They would get a chance to play again, surely.

"What does shit mean?" Coleane asked, Gen's eyes widened, and he gripped onto his reunion cape.

Oh, gods. Wes fumbled for words. “That’s. It means. Uh. It’s just a—”

Then Kimiko stepped in and answered for him, in a much more tactful way than he would have likely managed. Right. Yeah. He decided to let her handle that one.

"Ok! Just give me your phone number!" Coleane said, taking her phone out of her bag with a vine.

Wes stared.

She’s giving me her phone. She has a phone. She’s a talking Tropius and she wants to exchange numbers.

Normally he would have flat-out refused to give his number to anyone here, but given the circumstances…he could use all the backup and info he could get. Especially since he hadn’t been able to contact Sherles or Duking the whole time while he was here. He probably wouldn’t have been able to contact Rui, either, but to be honest he hadn’t even tried…

Wes sighed wearily and exchanged numbers with the two. To hell with it. The insanity was only growing by the minute, but seeing how the only alternative was to believe he was losing his mind, he was going to keep rolling with it as best as he could.

He shortly bid them farewell and headed for the cafe.

 

[Seren]

As Wes excused himself and Olivia trotted back to her side and curled up into a ball, once again looking dejected, Kimiko returned to trying to skim through the history books. She spent a short while flipping through pages, looking for anything she'd never heard of before, something unique to this world. The Mewtwo project... the meteor in Hoenn... some ancient weapon fired in Kalos... the ultra wormholes in Alola... everything she'd skimmed through seemed at least somewhat familiar if she spent more than a minute of attention on it.

She tried to skim some of the time frames in between events, but soon found it very difficult to focus. The longer she stared at the words on the page, the more they blurred together, and blinking only cleared her vision for so long before it happened again. The lack of sleep was finally starting to take it's toll on her.

"I give up," she announced aloud with a yawn. Olivia looked up at her curiously, and she reached down to scratch her behind the ears. "I'll have to look over these tomorrow. Too tired today."

She stood up and stretched, and Olivia instinctively followed suit. "I think I need to get up and move around a bit if I'm going to be awake now." She turned to the tropius. "It was really nice to meet you," she said. "I hope we'll get to talk some more before we leave."

And with that, she gave the same little two finger salute she threw when Gen left, and headed out, her espeon following along quietly.

********​

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven was currently slumped on one of the lounge couches, trying desperately not to fall asleep. His coffee sat half-empty on the end table next to him, nearing room temperature, but even that was doing little to combat his fatigue.

He and Aggron had gone back to the Blaze Cavern's beginning and managed to find the path they originally intended to follow. They combed it high and low searching for Hayes with no luck. So, reluctantly, Steven agreed to give up (at Aggron's insistence) and head back to the village to rest, recharge, and see if Hayes was anywhere around there instead.

But the second Steven sat down in the lounge, it was like his energy was sapped. The lack of sleep from the previous night was finally catching up with him. He chose the lounge as it seemed like a place that more people might pass through, giving him a better chance of running into Hayes (rather than going on a wild Zangoose chase like they had been for the better half of the day.)

The trouble was, the lounge was unusually quiet today. He hadn't seen a soul. The other challenge was that he was quickly losing the battle to keep his eyes open, and that was not helpful for finding Hayes, either.

Aggron was of no help, already curled up around a cushy beanbag and snoozing away.

Steven sighed, letting his head sink into the hand propped up on the arm of the couch. He tried to tell himself all his worry was for naught; Hayes was probably off exploring some part of the island, or training at the arena, or literally anywhere else. Heck, he hadn't seen several of the trainers and pokemon from the boat ride since arriving. There was nothing to worry about.... right?

His eyelids were growing heavy right when the sound of footsteps entered the lounge. He jolted upright in his seat and looked to see who it was.

Definitely not Hayes, but he realized he did recognize the woman sporting her dark hair held up in a bun.

"Oh," he said, unprompted. "I remember you from the boat. Briefly passed by you on the deck and thought you looked rather at peace."


He chuckled a bit to himself, realizing he'd just blurted that out loud. "Ah, my apologies. If I may, though, you still look just as well-rested. I'm a bit jealous."

He sat up a bit straighter and glanced at the little Bulbasaur that dashed around the woman's feet. Yes, a nice conversation was what he needed to distract his tired anxiety.


"My name's Steven. A coin for your secret?"
@Inkedust

 

[Inkedust]

Ayumi had walked into the lounge with a small yawn. Dusana had hopped right back into her shadow the moment she'd left her room. The lounge itself appeared to be rather empty save for a single resident half-heartily strewn across one of the couches. Now, Ayumi had intended to leave him be however, when he commented on her presence, she stopped. As did Vera who was now occupying herself with, what was presumably, the man's aggron. She sniffed at its tail before giving Ayumi a pleading look. Ayumi gave her a rebuking shake of her head before taking a seat on another couch to chat.

"Well, getting a good rest isn't exactly the easiest thing for me," she chuckled, making a small gesture at Vera, "but I've been managing." She nodded at his introduction. "Well met, Steven. My name is Ayumi, I wouldn't mind taking the time to slow down and chat. A lot has been happening recently."