Main Hall - Cotton Down Lounge

[Hanafuda]

“Keep your fucking voices down about it,” she snapped. “It’s a myth Jirachi informed me of that might align with what was found in Jenny’s notebook. Keep it within the group, or I will hunt you down and beat the absolute fuck out of you. That’s not a threat, it’s a goddamn promise.”

"Y-Yes," Seb squeaked out, holding his chest. He was taken aback by Odette's aggression. He wanted to talk to her about her encounter with Jirachi, but was scared silent. He knew the mood wasn't right for casual conversation.

Zack and Jack were also frightened by her anger. They made a zipping motion around their beaks to emphasize their silence.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

“Do you know who the culprit is? Jirachi told me their theory.” She cupped a hand over her mouth to muffle herself. “A myth. About a malicious entity called ‘The Golden One.’”

She recounted the myth Jirachi shared with her, as close to word-for-word as she could manage. Every now and then she’d look around to make sure nobody was listening.

“Again, I promised to keep this between people I trust. And if you’ve found information that begins to corroborate that…then we might be in a world of shit. Because whatever this thing is, it’s going after the strongest bonds. And we need those.”

"No, we don't know who the culprit is, but with Jenny's notes, we may have a better idea on where to look."

"But, what's this about a Golden One? They're a malicious entity of myth? It certainly seems like it could fit the description of what Irene saw at the site of Reena's disappearance; something yellow or gold... And then, after that, we found flakes at the other scenes, but not before we had that testimony."

"The idea of a disguise being used has a lot more credence, I think."

his, however, made her raise a brow. “Xavian said that? That lines up. Jirachi needed our bond to attempt the rescue, and this Golden One wants the strong ones…”

"Strong bonds..." Steven muttered. "I don't know if that narrows down any potential targets to protect. I believe all of us here were invited because of our bonds with our partners. Though the power of those bonds, it seems to be capable of incredible things here."

Odile narrowed her eyes at Steven. “̶B̸i̸t̸c̵h̷ ̴d̵o̵n̸’̷t̴ ̶s̶t̵r̴i̶p̶ ̶u̸s̷ ̵o̴f̸ ̶t̵h̶e̵ ̸c̵r̴e̴d̵i̴t̷;̴ ̸J̴i̷r̴a̸c̶h̵i̶ ̷c̵o̴u̸l̵d̷n̷’̴t̶ ̵h̸a̸v̴e̵ ̸d̷o̷n̷e̷ ̸i̸t̴ ̵w̵i̶t̷h̶o̵u̷t̶ ̷t̷h̷e̵ ̷p̶o̶w̷e̸r̶ ̷o̸f̸ ̶o̶u̸r̸ ̸b̴o̸n̴d̶.̸ ̸S̴h̸e̶ ̸g̶o̵t̷ ̴u̵s̸ ̴i̶n̸ ̷a̵n̶d̶ ̸o̷u̴t̸ ̴w̶i̵t̷h̷o̵u̶t̵ ̷b̷e̷i̷n̵g̶ ̶s̸e̸e̷n̵ ̶b̶e̸c̸a̴u̸s̸e̵ ̴w̵e̴’̵r̴e̵ ̵t̶h̵a̷t̷ ̷s̴t̵r̸o̸n̶g̵.̵”̸ ̶“̵S̶h̴e̵ ̷w̸a̸s̸ ̶v̴e̸r̴y̸ ̶t̴i̷r̵e̵d̷ ̴a̷f̶t̴e̷r̷w̵a̵r̵d̴,̴ ̶t̶h̸o̴u̶g̵h̵.̴ ̴I̵t̴ ̵w̴a̷s̶ ̷h̷a̴r̴d̵.̵”̵

“The bond made it possible,” Odette agreed. “They were…very far away.” She frowned. “We could only get it to work on whoever I’d directly interacted with the most, and that was Mitch. Since I’d never met Reena or Franklin, I couldn’t—“

No. Do not feel bad about that. There was no reason to.

Jirachi trusted her. Enough to even try to save somebody. And they did.

“One is better than none. So let’s count that as a blessing, yeah? It’s a step in the right direction for getting the rest of them. Besides unconsciousness, they otherwise looked unhurt. That’s a good sign, and we’ll cling to that,” she said, sounding rather cross.

“And I have means to contact her again if we need to,” she said quietly.

"I don't know what it cost you to bond with Jirachi and use its powers, but thank you for saving the Mightyena and her trainer. Well and truly, thank you."

"Look," she said, keeping her voice quiet, "aren't we overlooking the obvious here? The stolen berries make gray, pink and yellow dyes? That's the exact colors of the Hoopa from the banquet. If the culprit was in disguise like Officer Jenny thought, then Orzo is probably who it's disguising itself as. Right? We need to be investigating him."

"It makes sense," said Steven. "The lead I was following the night I was attacked claimed they had heard a sound like someone was training at the arena, but there was no one when they went to check, and no footprints either, just like the other attacks."

"If our culprit is disguising themselves as Orzo, and is acting alone, that would explain how there are no footprints at any of the scenes."

The sudden questions thrown made him think for a moment, trying to remember what exactly they mean. He snapped his claws. "Oh you mean the one on the boat where one Wes tried to murder the other? Yeah, I was there. Didn't get to see the fight but I heard it. You can ask Hazel or Coleane if you don't believe me."

"You met it?" He blinked. "And you lost? Holy cheese, are you okay?"

Steven nodded solemnly. June could be trusted. "I wouldn't say we met," he began. "More like I was ambushed. I never saw what hit us. There was a flash, and then I remember being overcome with the urge to sleep, like I was being pulled into darkness--"

He paused, feeling his body tense at the memory.

"The Latis chased the attacker off before they could finish the job... I don't know much about Hoopa, but is that something it can do? Put people to sleep and then make them vanish? Is that why no one was able to successfully fight back? Or why Hayes's Block didn't work? I wonder if Mitch (his name was Mitch, then) or Mightyena might remember anything once they wake up."

At the building's entrance, the doors slammed open, and Seb, riding on his humanoid Pidgeot, who slid along the floor after landing, came in with a sheepish expression. "Hey guys! Sorry we're late! What did I miss?"

Steven jumped at the noise, and Aggron whirled around with snarl at the interruption.

"What!? Oh it's you... Can't you see we're having an important meeting here? Have some manners," he finished with a snort.

 

[Hanafuda]

"What!? Oh it's you... Can't you see we're having an important meeting here? Have some manners," he finished with a snort.

"Sorry, we were in a hurry," Jack replied, looking down in embarrassment.

Seb gasped after noticing that the Champion of Hoenn was present in the area. He covered his mouth in delighted surprise, careful with his volume. "Steven! I'm glad to see you're doing fine."

 

[Hanafuda]

"What if Hoopa can learn Secret Power and used it in a grassy area?"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked with interest as he stepped a bit closer to Victoria. "I think I forgot what that move does. And if you mentioned terrain, that means it has different effects depending on where it's used?"

 

[Seren]

She sighed and turned to Kimiko. “I’m rightfully going to skin all of these fucking loudmouths alive,” she grumbled at a volume that assured only Kimiko would hear.

That got Kimiko to smile. Odette, it seemed, had less patience than she did, but she was more than willing to let the other girl be the one to voice their thoughts; it wasn't as though she disagreed. "Remind me to tell you about our battle," she whispered back, nodding her head ever so slightly towards the newcomers.

“I think…there’s another lead I need to follow…” she murmured to herself.

And just like that, the smile was gone. "Can't that wait? You look like you've been through hell, you should be resting! Especially if whatever you did to rescue Mitch left Jirachi to rest, too..."

She knew she wasn't winning this debate, but it couldn't hurt to try. Still, she admired Odette's dedication.

Steven nodded solemnly. June could be trusted. "I wouldn't say we met," he began. "More like I was ambushed. I never saw what hit us. There was a flash, and then I remember being overcome with the urge to sleep, like I was being pulled into darkness--"

He paused, feeling his body tense at the memory.

"The Latis chased the attacker off before they could finish the job... I don't know much about Hoopa, but is that something it can do? Put people to sleep and then make them vanish? Is that why no one was able to successfully fight back? Or why Hayes's Block didn't work? I wonder if Mitch (his name was Mitch, then) or Mightyena might remember anything once they wake up."

Kimiko turned to Steven sharply. "Wait... I thought the text said the Lati twins were attacked, and that you rescued them?"

"Look," she said, keeping her voice quiet, "aren't we overlooking the obvious here? The stolen berries make gray, pink and yellow dyes? That's the exact colors of the Hoopa from the banquet. If the culprit was in disguise like Officer Jenny thought, then Orzo is probably who it's disguising itself as. Right? We need to be investigating him."

The voice was someone Kimiko didn't recall hearing before; she turned to see a girl and a ninetales standing a ways away from their group. Was she supposed to be with them? Wallace seemed to think she was safe...

And then she registered her espeon standing right next to the ninetales, sniffing at her gems curiously. "Olivia! Personal space, dude!"

Olivia froze upon being called out and quietly slunk back to her trainer.

"Sorry about that," Kimiko said, addressing the ninetales. Then, to the girl; "I thought Orzo was supposed to be sick? Poisoned or something? Why would someone poison the pokemon they're pretending to be? It might make sense if we didn't know Orzo was sick, because then we'd never know the difference. But... maybe you're right, someone should probably confirm this."

 

[Hanafuda]

(“Well, yes. The effects of Secret Power change depending on where it’s used. In grassy areas, for example, it puts the opponent to sleep.”)

"I see," Jack muttered, becoming worried. "So that must be what the culprit uses to kidnap everyone. All the more reason not to leave at night..."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Kimiko turned to Steven sharply. "Wait... I thought the text said the Lati twins were attacked, and that you rescued them?"

"That's--"

Steven froze, the knot in his gut returning full force as Kimiko's incredulous stare bored into him. And here he thought he'd gotten past this.
This is what happens when you lie, Stone.

He shook his head, remorse clear in his tone. "No, that's not what happened. I never intended the message to convey that. I told Hazel the truth, but asked her to keep my name clear of the incident."

"I didn't want... I didn't handle it well, owning up to my actions that put myself, my partner, and the Latis in danger."

Aggron hadn't even known the full truth either. And now everyone did. Steven knew this was the hole he'd dug himself. Even if Aggron had forgiven him, would anyone else? He hung his head. "This isnt conduct becoming of someone in my position. I'm sorry. For everything."

 

[Hanafuda]

"This isnt conduct becoming of someone in my position. I'm sorry. For everything."

"Say what now?" Zack asked, confused.

"Whatever happened must've been something big," Seb muttered, pocketing his hands. He gave a reassuring look to Steven. "It's fine. You're fine, Steven."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Whatever happened must've been something big," Seb muttered, pocketing his hands. He gave a reassuring look to Steven. "It's fine. You're fine, Steven."

Wallace took how his rose quartz and held it up. "As a good friend of mine had to tell me time and time again before it registered in my mind, blaming yourself for the actions of the perpetrator is victim-blaming, and it's a lie the perpetrator wants you to believe. You didn't do anything wrong. This is all the fault of the sick and twisted culprit."

Steven glanced at Seb, and then Wallace. He wasn't sure that things were fine or that it was all the fault of their faceless, nameless attacker, but it helped to hear their reassurance just the same.

"Thank you both," he said quietly. "I don't want to be a distraction from the more important issues, though. My mistake is in the past. Right now we need to figure out what to do with Jenny's note and the knowledge that we might have to investigate one of our host's own pokemon..."


"This morning, he said both Clink and Orzo fell ill, apparently from some kind of poison."


"Wallace, you said you tried to speak with Mr. Montorzi today but he wouldn't allow you to see his pokemon."


"So if we do have to get close to them, and time is of the essence, what would be the best way to do so? We could try asking Mr. Montorzi again, but I fear he will start to get angry with us."

"Perhaps we could propose a treatment for his pokemon? And that would allow someone to get close enough to check Orzo for a disguise? I don't have much experience with poisoning, given most of my team are immune. Does anyone here know some remedies for nonstandard poisons or know someone who might?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Well, I could ask Nurse Joy and Brea, or at least feign having spoken to them in front of Xavian. I'm registered to give bedside prayers to the sick... though I'm not sure if Xavian is a Runekyōto or even religious. I could try to use a nondenominational prayer."

Steven listened as Wallace recounted his run in with their host from earlier today. "Ah, perhaps it's best if you steer clear of Mr. Montorzi for today, maybe let things settle between you two? I know if my partner were to suddenly fall ill, I wouldn't want to deal with any other kinds of stress while I tried to care for them."


"That being said, I also don't want to deceive him. If Clink and Orzo are sick, they need medicine, not prayer. I imagine he's already spoken with the Infirmary for treatment, but from the sounds of it, it wasn't enough."


"Though," he began as an idea struck, "if our usual kinds of medicine aren't working, maybe there's another way. So far it seems as if the Mythical pokemon that were invited to this festival are on our side. Would any of them know how to help?"

 

[Seren]

He shook his head, remorse clear in his tone. "No, that's not what happened. I never intended the message to convey that. I told Hazel the truth, but asked her to keep my name clear of the incident."

"I didn't want... I didn't handle it well, owning up to my actions that put myself, my partner, and the Latis in danger."

Aggron hadn't even known the full truth either. And now everyone did. Steven knew this was the hole he'd dug himself. Even if Aggron had forgiven him, would anyone else? He hung his head. "This isnt conduct becoming of someone in my position. I'm sorry. For everything."

Kimiko listened curiously as Steven set the record straight. So, the culprit wasn't going after the legendaries after all, or at least... there wasn't any indicator of that now. Steven had been the real target that night, and he was saved by the twins.

Suddenly, Kimiko laughed.

It was a short, almost self-depreciating laugh, and felt somewhat appropriate given she was feeling selfishly inadequate after Odette's success with Jirachi. When she calmed down, she looked Steven in the eye, smiling now. "I'm sorry, I know this isn't funny, but... here I've been worrying this whole time whether I belong in the same group as all of these champions around here. Knowing that even you weren't a match for whatever this thing is actually kind of makes me feel better. Misery loves company, I guess. Anyway, this... whatever this is we're up against, it's not something any of us can take on alone. And... frankly, you're not the only one who has tried."

She paused for a moment, looking somewhat guilty as she considered her next thoughts, then added, "Well, maybe you're the only one who's tried to confront it directly. But I think I understand where you're coming from. When Olivia and I sought out Celebi... it was just us. We... I didn't want to ask anyone to put themselves at risk for my silly idea. And even when Celebi thought she could help... she thought doing so would have put everyone on the island at risk, and I wasn't prepared to gamble with anyone else's lives. So yeah, I guess what I'm saying is... it was an accident, and no harm came of it in the end. Stop beating yourself up over it, because that's not gonna help anyone."

"Thank you both," he said quietly. "I don't want to be a distraction from the more important issues, though. My mistake is in the past. Right now we need to figure out what to do with Jenny's note and the knowledge that we might have to investigate one of our host's own pokemon..."

Wallace and the boy she battled earlier that morning - Seb - stepped in with their own comfort, which seemed to help Steven refocus.

"Right. Somehow, we need to determine if Orzo is really sick. Because if he is, then it wouldn't make sense for the culprit to be parading around pretending to be Orzo, then, would it? Unfortunately, my knowledge of poisons essentially consists of 'don't get poisoned' and that steel-types are generally immune to them... which makes me wonder just how Clink supposedly got affected."

She paused again as the conversation turned to the mythical pokemon, and thankfully, Kimiko was able to recognize most of the names Wallace was throwing out. That wasn't a bad idea... Xavius might be - understandably - refusing to let the guests harass Orzo, but perhaps if they brougt a mythic to try to help, he'd let them see the hoopa. "I don't know if Celebi can heal anything besides like... nature. But maybe cresselia can help? I... have a vague memory of a cresselia being able to cure some sort of void shadow anomaly... I'm not sure how I know that, and I guess it's a bit of a stretch if we're looking for a cure for some form of poison, but I- maybe it's worth a shot. And even if it doesn't work, all we really need is the opportunity to check on Orzo, right?"

She almost added "I'm willing to go myself" to the end of that sentence, but after Steven's reaction, she thought better of it. Of course, just because she didn't voice it didn't mean she wouldn't go anyway, if she was the only one willing to explore it.

 

[Sinderella]

Odette had fallen into her own little world. She could vaguely hear Steven dropping the ball on the fact that he’d be attacked, and everyone around him comforting him—as they should. She had half a mind to chime in, but she’d already done her part in assisting him through that. Besides, it was clear he and Aggron were fine now. And surely Steven was tired of her voice at this point in time.

A lot of theories being thrown about. A lot of insistence that they needed to get close to Orzo. To that, she agreed. But she could not get past the poison aspect of it all.

And just like that, the smile was gone. "Can't that wait? You look like you've been through hell, you should be resting! Especially if whatever you did to rescue Mitch left Jirachi to rest, too..."

She blinked out of her haze and stared at Kimiko. She then promptly shook her head. “Hell’s no match for this fucking midget,” she said flatly. “I was up walking around the burn unit two days after my Houndoom bite; no wish is gonna take my ass out.”

“̶A̶n̵d̶ ̸i̸t̶’̷s̷ ̸a̷ ̶b̶i̵g̸ ̴a̴s̴s̷.̷”̵Odile snickered.

Odette sent a pointed look toward Odile, before glancing at her backside self-consciously. Yeah, she danced, so of course—why the fuck was she thinking about this?

She snapped toward Enora. “Enora, come with me.”

“Where to?”

“We’ll figure it out. Odile, you stay and relay any info you hear here back to me,” Odette said, jabbing her finger into Odile’s shoulder. She didn’t give the demon a chance to answer before turning toward the door. Not before saluting everyone goodbye, of course. She made a special effort to tap Kimiko on the shoulder.

“Tell me about that battle later. I’ll text you.”

“̴W̶a̴i̶t̶,̷ ̶I̵ ̸w̷a̸n̶t̶ ̵t̷o̵ ̷g̸o̶ ̶w̴h̸e̵r̵e̴v̴e̵r̶ ̴y̴o̵u̵’̶r̵e̵ ̴g̷o̷i̸n̵g̷!̴”̷

“Sucks,” Odette chided. She scooped her bag back up, and she and Enora began to walk out. “Stay put.”

Odile’s face scrunched with violent conviction. “̷I̴S̷ ̴T̸H̷I̴S̶ ̷B̵E̸C̷A̵U̴S̴E̵ ̴I̸ ̵C̶A̷L̸L̸E̸D̶ ̸Y̶O̶U̴ ̷F̵A̷T̵ ̴W̵E̶D̷N̷E̶S̴D̵A̴Y̶ ̶A̴D̶D̷A̸M̵S̴?̸ ̸B̷E̴C̷A̷U̵S̵E̷ ̵I̸F̸ ̸I̴T̴ ̸I̶S̵,̷ ̴A̷S̵ ̶O̷F̸ ̴N̸O̷W̵,̷ ̴I̸ ̴M̷E̷A̸N̵T̵ ̵I̴T̵.̵”̴

“That’s nice.”

“̶G̵O̶ ̷B̶A̷C̶K̷ ̸T̶O̷ ̶T̴H̴E̸ ̴F̷U̶C̶K̸I̶N̴G̴ ̷I̵N̸F̶I̶R̶M̶A̵R̸Y̴ ̶B̴E̶F̸O̸R̸E̶ ̴Y̸O̵U̸ ̷F̵A̵I̸N̴T̸,̶ ̵P̸U̴S̶S̸Y̷.̷”̵

As Odette kicked the door open, she laughed harshly and flipped up her middle finger. “Not on your goddamn life.”

She and Enora were gone after that, leaving Odile to stand there, pouting as she angrily crossed her arms.

“̷B̸i̸t̴c̸h̴ ̸a̵s̵s̴.̴”̸

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Suddenly, Kimiko laughed.

It was a short, almost self-depreciating laugh, and felt somewhat appropriate given she was feeling selfishly inadequate after Odette's success with Jirachi. When she calmed down, she looked Steven in the eye, smiling now. "I'm sorry, I know this isn't funny, but... here I've been worrying this whole time whether I belong in the same group as all of these champions around here. Knowing that even you weren't a match for whatever this thing is actually kind of makes me feel better. Misery loves company, I guess. Anyway, this... whatever this is we're up against, it's not something any of us can take on alone. And... frankly, you're not the only one who has tried."

Well that certainly was an... unexpected reaction. "Ah, well I suppose that's one way of looking at it."


"Though, I hadn't wanted to confront anyone that night. Just take a look to see if I could spot anything unusual. I guess the point still stands though; this isn't an enemy any of us should trifle with alone."

She paused for a moment, looking somewhat guilty as she considered her next thoughts, then added, "Well, maybe you're the only one who's tried to confront it directly. But I think I understand where you're coming from. When Olivia and I sought out Celebi... it was just us. We... I didn't want to ask anyone to put themselves at risk for my silly idea. And even when Celebi thought she could help... she thought doing so would have put everyone on the island at risk, and I wasn't prepared to gamble with anyone else's lives. So yeah, I guess what I'm saying is... it was an accident, and no harm came of it in the end. Stop beating yourself up over it, because that's not gonna help anyone.

It seemed he wasn't the only one who was thinking of the others' safety when going off on some harebrained idea. "That's amazing though, you found Celebi! Maybe there's more merit to seeking out the Mythical pokemon than I thought."

"Well, there's Tziráchi, Samínas (I believe it's called Shaymin in Sinnoh), the Lati duo... I think there's a Kantonian Pokémon called Mew and a Johtonian Pokémon called Celebi that can heal

Steven brought a hand to his chin as Wallace rattled off names. "According to Odette, Jirachi is resting after their encounter, and Kimiko has already found Celebi. I have come across the Latis once as well, though they may be busy patrolling the island given what's happened as of late. Shaymin, though..."

He trailed off in thought.

That wasn't a bad idea... Xavius might be - understandably - refusing to let the guests harass Orzo, but perhaps if they brougt a mythic to try to help, he'd let them see the hoopa. "I don't know if Celebi can heal anything besides like... nature. But maybe cresselia can help? I... have a vague memory of a cresselia being able to cure some sort of void shadow anomaly... I'm not sure how I know that, and I guess it's a bit of a stretch if we're looking for a cure for some form of poison, but I- maybe it's worth a shot. And even if it doesn't work, all we really need is the opportunity to check on Orzo, right?"

"Oh, Cresselia! I wonder if you're onto something with Clink and Orzo's illness not responding to traditional treatment for poison."


"I hate to say thing in light of, well, everything. But maybe we should divide and conquer. Try to contact as many of the Mythicals we haven't yet. Clink and Orzo are important to our ability to leave this island, so healing them is just as important as gathering allies to stop this Golden One."

"I was planning to head to the forest to follow Victor's info about Irene's disappearance. Perhaps I can look for Shaymin there as well. From what I remember, they love plants and greenery, so it's a sensible place to try."

 

[Seren]

She blinked out of her haze and stared at Kimiko. She then promptly shook her head. “Hell’s no match for this fucking midget,” she said flatly. “I was up walking around the burn unit two days after my Houndoom bite; no wish is gonna take my ass out.”

“Tell me about that battle later. I’ll text you.”

Kimiko snickered at the reply. It seemed they both had stubbornness in common, too. "Just... be careful, alright? Enora, you make sure to drag her back to the infirmary if she's really struggling, alright?"

It seemed he wasn't the only one who was thinking of the others' safety when going off on some harebrained idea. "That's amazing though, you found Celebi! Maybe there's more merit to seeking out the Mythical pokemon than I thought."

"More than that," she said, turning to Steven. "She promised to help us if we call for her. I'm just waiting on a good time. Not sure I want to call her just to check on Orzo, at least not when there are other options to explore first... and also, my time travel thing is still on the table, too. It won't get any less risky, but we all get desperate enough in the next week and are willing to pull it out, I want to keep that option open."

"Oh, Cresselia! I wonder if you're onto something with Clink and Orzo's illness not responding to traditional treatment for poison."

"It's possible, I think, considering steel-types aren't normally vulnerable to most poisons. Logically, that suggests to me that we need to find unconventional cures." That might take some more research, though... maybe she could do that tonight.

"I hate to say thing in light of, well, everything. But maybe we should divide and conquer. Try to contact as many of the Mythicals we haven't yet. Clink and Orzo are important to our ability to leave this island, so healing them is just as important as gathering allies to stop this Golden One."

That was a factor she hadn't considered. How would one multiverse-jump without Orzo to return them? They'd all be stranded here if something happened to him... "So far, no one's been taken in midday, have they? It's probably safe, but I think for now I'll join you in the forest. I can show you where I found Celebi; I'm not sure it's likely we'd find Shaymin in the same place." She looked down at the stack of books in her arms. With a sigh, she resigned herself to holding onto them a bit longer. Maybe she could spend tonight looking through them further...

 

[Dragonfree]

The talk wound down, and May headed out. Out of the building. The culprit was probably the Hoopa. And what? It'd attacked Steven. She wasn't exactly equipped to fight a legendary with nobody but Spirit. Even if it was one that was doubly weak to Shadow Ball.

Spirit was agitated, glancing at her, like she wanted to talk. "May, we shouldn't go out without company."

And that was when she almost ran straight into a dark-haired girl. She'd seen her around, she thought. The one with the massive Noivern? She looked warily at her. The Noivern had been on the ship. She was from the safe group.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Oh, shit, sorry—"

Actually, the girl had been the one to run into Laura, but that was what being Galarian did to you. Compulsive apologies, a predilection for complaining about weather, and a natural affinity for queues.

"Oh, you're, um— Actually, I don't think I know you...?"

Pretty sure she was from the ship, though. Good. And that ninetales was gorgeous. Something about seeing a partner 'mon that elegant brought Malachai's insistence on personal confidence to the fore of her mind with a start.

"I'm Laura," she said, putting out a hand to shake, "of Circhester, Galar."

 

[Dragonfree]

May shook her hand, wary. She looked older, but not old. Late teens, maybe. Galar was pretty far away, but she'd heard about it; rowdy fans of star trainers, the whole Dynamax phenomenon thing that made the Pokémon bigger for extra showiness.

"I'm May and this is Spirit." She indicated Spirit, who bowed; of course she did. "New Bark Town, Johto, although I've been journeying in Ouen. You were on the Trousselin too, right?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Laura bowed reflexively to Spirit, signing an acknowledgement of her strength. It was harder to tell with 'mon that used casting over physical channelling, but she sure felt like she was strong.

"I was, yeah. Nice to meet you both. I take it you're also trying to investigate this serial abduction shit, huh."

Howls, this May kid looked young enough to be on her first circuit. She couldn't be any older than fourteen, or something.

"Can't say I'm familiar with Ouen, but if you're journeying abroad, you must be pretty proficient as a trainer, right?"

 

[Dragonfree]

May took a sharp breath. "Well, originally I just went there to get a low-level Skarmory and then return, but I got sidetracked and wound up doing the Ouen League instead." No chance she'd heard of any kind of alternate-universe counterpart of hers, if she didn't even know Ouen existed. How did that work? Was there any chance Laura's world just... didn't have an Ouen? Then why did May's have a Galar?

Spirit glanced at her. Yeah, better change the subject. The investigation? Not until she knew for sure Laura was who she thought. "You had the massive Noivern, right? On the ship?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Laura nodded, looking sheepish. "Yeah, that's Malachai. I'm doing the Galar League with him and the rest of my team, but it's not really... I have some unrelated business that's more important, you know? Actually, it sure seems like everyone I meet on this island has got something like that going on."

May was like, thirteen or something. Probably not involved in crazy bullshit like her and Jade and Odette and Gladion. Although Gladion had done his shit around that age, right...? Who fucking knew, so, whatever. Laura reached for Malachai's ball, and grimaced. He couldn't be present without dominating the interaction, but that wasn't always a bad thing.

"Sorry in advance if he's rude. He's kindof his own dragon, our partnership aside."

She released the noivern, and although she braced herself for some barbed remark, some tension did leave her when his bulk manifested at her side.

<Good day,> he sent, impassively. <What is it that makes you significant, girl?>