Mt. Moxie

[MintyMimix]

Violet had some pointed questions she wanted to shake out of their "gracious host", but Hazel had stopped her from trying to strike up a conversation at the Water Veil Cove. She proposed they instead followed him and his Pokémon to see what he was trying to do now that the news about the kidnappers got out. With any luck, maybe they could stumble upon a clue as to their whereabouts. Violet relented and agreed.

Once Xavian had finally took his leave, the duo trailed him from a distance away — making certain to be as careful and quiet as possible, even if that meant Violet losing sight for a few minutes. Thankfully, Hazel's sharper senses could course correct when necessary. When they saw the host and his Pokémon arrive at Mt. Moxie, the two looked at each other with the same silent question: Was he trying to contact a mythical Pokémon?

Tailing them became a more difficult task as daylight slowly faded and the need to scale the rock walls to avoid being spotted became ever more present. Hazel took a deep yet quiet breath as she clung onto the wall with one claw and hung onto her coat with another to prevent it from flapping in the wind and making noise. There had been unearthed findings that Sneasel of the past could perform this feat with ease, but she was certainly not one of them. Nonetheless, the Weavile assured herself she would be safe — Violet had been spotting her just a short distance away. The girl knew how to scale these rocks better than the Weavile could, to her surprise, but Hazel needed to take the lead. It was a stealth mission, and she had the smaller body and greater senses.

Taking another deep breath, Hazel pushed herself just barely above the top of the cliff before being able to finally take a peek at her quarry. Hanging onto the rock wall with Violet underneath her, Hazel kept her head low and her eyes open as she tried to carefully observe the Clink. She wanted to see if there was something amiss about the Klefki's appearance and actions.
@Flyg0n
[Foresight]

 

[Flyg0n]

Xavian seemed to have made his way to a high ledge on Mt Moxie, a flat bit of outcropping that offered a splendid view of the sky overhead. The stars shone brightly overhead and Xavian staredup at them.

"Jirachi?" he whispered. "I know..." his voice faltered and he shook his head. "Jirachi, I beseech you to appear. I need your help." Silence greeted him.

"Clink... could you not ask her to appear? Maybe with her help we can still save those trainers..."

Clink made a sad chiming noise.

Xavian smiled regretfully. "Ah yes... I know. You cannot force her to come, of course. I had just hoped she might..." He left the thought unfinished.

Clink brushed against Xavian's shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Hazel snuck close to get a good look! She examined Klefki...

As the two sat in silence, Hazel scrutinized the unusual key pokemon. They seemed to have many various keys on their loop. Tiny ones that looked too small to fit any door. Perhaps a padlock? A large skeleton key, something that looked like a car key, and a few keys that seemed to be twisted into utterly impractical shapes. Weird, but they also didn't appear sinister in any way.

Klefki themself looked in excellent health. Their strange metallic body appeared polished and well-cared for, with no obvious signs of damage. By all appearances, Clink and Xavian seemed close friends.

 

[MintyMimix]

After the Xavian finished his exchange, Hazel looked back towards Violet's direction before carefully retreating back to her trainer. It wasn't much, but it was all they could spare given how much riskier the operation had been getting by the moment. She had strong hypothesis Jirachi did not appear because of their presence, yet there was still the chance that they would rattata them out if that Pokémon did appear. Still, she made a mental note about Klefki's lack of damage and the various keys that they held on their ring.

Once they were at a satisfactory distance away, Violet asked, "See anything suspicious?"

Hazel shook her head and one of her claws in a "not really" gesture. [They were trying to call on Jirachi, the mythical Pokémon that is rumored to grant wishes. They said that they were trying to save the trainers. While I'm inclined to believe this based on the evidence presented, we still cannot completely rule out the possibility that they already knew of our presence and were making a show of it.]

Violet crossed her arms and hummed in contemplation. "And on the topic of those metal flakes and the keys...?"

[No scratches or signs of damage to note. It is exceedingly unlikely that Klefki was the attacker from the other night. As for the keys, some I hypothesize are for padlocks or lockers rather than doors. There also a master key — likely to our dorms — as well as key for their car, I think. There were a bunch of odd ones too.]

"Such as...?"

[I'll sketch them out when we get back to the dorms, and I'll forward this all to the group as well.]

"You really do know how to work a miracle, Hazel. Mayhaps the wish granted was having thine presence as a part of mine life," Violet complimented, plucking her up by the hips and nuzzling her. Hazel let out a purr in response before she was prompted given uppies onto her trainer's shoulder as to the two ventured back to the comfort of their room.

<><><><>

 

[Hanafuda]

After Seb was finished getting some TMs from the Skill Swap Shop, he hiked up the mountain nearby. He sent a text message to the general group chat, unsure of what his intended receiver’s username was.

Hanafuda: Hey, Coleane. It’s Seb. Hope you’re doing alright. Zack’s been looking like he wants to fight, so I had an idea. Meet us up at Mt. Moxie.

He pocketed his phone, sitting down after having climbed close to the summit. He waited, letting the soft breeze cool his face. He lifted his head and closed his eyes in relaxation.

“If only life felt this good…”

 

[IFBench]

wingsofachampion: ok! just let me get some tms first! i didn't come to this island with a lot of attacking moves.

 

[Hanafuda]

Hanafuda: Solid copy. I love that username, by the way.

 

[HelloYellow17]

After a day of no disappearances, Wes had almost allowed himself a tiny ray of hope that maybe—just maybe—the kidnapper was having second thoughts. Or maybe they had grown intimidated as everyone on the island grew more tense and vigilant. He knew it had been a foolish thing to hope for, but he held on to the thought all the same…

Xardian’s morning announcement quickly brought him back to reality. *Two* disappearances in the night…it’s as if, rather than getting intimidated, the kidnapper was only growing bolder, doubling down on whatever the hell their plans were.

Wes was in a fog all through breakfast and the better half of the morning after that announcement. Even now, they still had such little to go off of, and the disappearances continued left and right…

Gods. Are they going to keep going until there’s no one left?

Feeling more lost than ever, he decided they may as well begin poking around places they hadn’t yet seen. So, in the late morning, he headed for Mt. Moxie with Neo and Novo, both of whom were absolutely thrilled at the prospect of a hike. Wes shot a quick text to Kimiko telling her where he was headed…just in case. He’d toyed with the idea of asking her to come with him, but…well…after yesterday, he wasn’t sure he wanted to risk ruining what few good relationships he had left.

He was so lost in thought he almost didn’t realize they’d reached the mouth of the cave until his PDA pinged and jerked him back to the present. He pulled the device from his pocket to see a message:

Conversation With: Wes Hey. You doing any better? Still got all that on my mind. Wish it hadn't been such a mess. At least we know everyone's still on the island? Can't be that many places to hide people here.

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Wes’ lips as he read the message. It was good to know not everyone he’d interacted with hated his guts. He quickly typed out a reply:

Hey, I’m doing alright. I’m a hell of a lot better than I was a few days ago, anyway.

I’m thinking the same thing. And where better to hide people than in caves, right? Anyway, I’m headed to Mt. Moxie if you’d like to tag along. Traveling in groups and all that.

@Shiny Phantump

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Conversation With: Wes Good to hear. Mountain makes sense, Hazel and I'll be there in a moment. Speaking of, not sure you've really seen her yet, given the circumstances we met under. Don't let her look frighten you, she's a sweetheart.

As he got close to the mountains, before seeing Wes himself, Hazel picked up on the man and started running ahead. She signed [Hello] to him even though Gladion wasn’t quite there to translate yet. She was curious to meet his friend.

Gladion followed a moment after. Tired bags were growing under his eyes as the island took its toll. "Hey. Nice to see you again. This is Hazel, she says hello, too.”

There was a tension in his voice, but he was glad to see Wes regardless.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Wes couldn’t help but flinch just a little when Hazel came into view. He trusted Gladion’s word that she was gentle, and her body language was nothing but playful, but he still hadn’t been prepared for her to come gamboling in in such a fashion. She skidded to a halt in front of him and his Pokémon and…did something with her front paws. No, talons? He’d never seen such a peculiar mon before.

He had no idea what her gesture said exactly, but it looked like a greeting, so he nodded to her and offered a small smile. “Hey there…Hazel, right?”

Novo stepped forward, a bit cautiously, and sniffed curiously at the newcomer. Neo bounded right up to her and danced all around with a series of shrill yaps. “Spi! Spi! Spi!”

“Easy, bud, don’t overwhelm her,” Wes chided.

Neo minimized his leaps to tiny hops and chattered again in almost a whisper. “Spi, spi, spi.” Novo blinked at Hazel by way of greeting, then politely reached out to touch noses…or, well, faces, he supposed. What was with that helmet? Was it somehow part of her? It didn’t look like that was the case…

Wes crouched to his knees, but kept a short distance of a few paces so as not to overwhelm their new friend, and admired her unique form. Scales, fur, and feathers…he knew there were many Pokémon he’d never seen, but something told him Hazel wasn’t just an average mon from another region.

He looked up as Gladion approached, a little ways behind his eager Pokémon, and greeted him with a grin. “I know I haven’t seen every Pokémon out there, but I gotta say. I’ve never seen anything quite like Hazel.”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Hazel sat down on her stomach to be level with Neo, Novo, and Wes' crouch. She touched Novo’s muzzle with her helmet.

Gladion laughed. “Yeah. I’d be surprised if you had. She… doesn’t occur in nature. She was created, but things went wrong. I rescued her. Or stole her, depending on who you ask.”

Hazel looked up towards Gladion from where she was sitting, extending a talon. [Rescued.]

He smiled at her. “Rescued, according to her, and she’s the one whose opinion I care about.”

 

[HelloYellow17]

Created.

The word made the hair on the back of Wes’ neck stand up. Choosing his words carefully, he said, “What exactly do you mean by…created?”

He tried to shake the sense of foreboding, but now he couldn’t shake the thought of this Pokémon in a lab, being patched together piece by piece until others deemed her complete. He had to wonder if the process was at all similar to creating Shadow Pokémon, and if so—

No. No, Hazel definitely wasn’t Shadow. It was hard to see her eyes through the clunky helmet, but from what he could tell, they were bright and clear, and none of her mannerisms indicated anything wrong…

Created. Wes felt his stomach tighten. He hoped to gods Gladion had a good answer for this.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Hazel noticed Wes making eye contact with her. She looked back into his eyes and waved. She'd heard humans considered eye contact polite, but most people didn't extend that to her. Wes must be nice. That was no surprise to her, though, since she already knew that Gladion liked him.

"You know, like..." Gladion scratched the back of his head. "At my point in time, at least, most meat is lab-grown. It's like that, but... well, alive. They decoded the genome sequences of some different species and combined them. It was wasn't actually going poorly at first, but then my- the project head passed away unexpectedly and... it all went downhill from there. When they cancelled the project, I was... already planning to leave, so I just... took her with me."

 

[HelloYellow17]

When they cancelled the project, I was... already planning to leave, so I just... took her with me."

Well, shit. Wes didn’t like the sound of that at all. The brief chill he felt at the word “canceled” quickly faded as the rest of Gladion’s words sank in, and he found himself grinning.

“So you took her and ran.” Damn, they had more in common than he’d even realized. “Amazing. Please tell me you raised some hell and destroyed a few things before you left. Sounds like they deserved it.”

---

Neo sniffed curiously at Hazel. She was cool! She smelled of far away places. Her helmet was weird, though. He chirped a question at her. Wasn’t it uncomfortable? Was it hot in this weather? Why did she wear it?

Novo said nothing, but listened intently. He wanted to know, too.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Amazing. Please tell me you raised some hell and destroyed a few things before you left. Sounds like they deserved it.”

Gladion laughed. "Did what I could. Stole enough money to keep me going until I was legally employable. Nobody got any sleep that night after all the alarms I set off stealing a boat. But the whole thing was set up on a ship filled with critically endangered species for conservation, which'd all drown if it was actually destroyed... Makes it pretty much politically unsinkable. Intentionally so."

Though Hazel couldn't understand Novo's question, she was pretty sure she knew what it was. She looked up at Gladion, chirped to get his attention, and signed [Can you be explaining the helmet to them please?]

He was somewhat surprised by the request, given she didn't seem to have any language in common with them... Unless it was telepathy. Huh. Maybe that was it. He found himself wishing her type changing worked, to see if she'd be able to use it herself if she was psychic.

"Alright. It's... a medical device. Of sorts. The idiot who started fucking things up after the original project head died tried installing machenery in her head. Literal electronic augmentations. But the aforementioned fucking of things up happened instead. Now, she has to wear that to keep device disabled. I'm... not sure exactly how it does that, honestly. But if she didn't have it, her immune system would start fighting her, and she'd become gravely ill."

 

[HelloYellow17]

Gladion laughed. "Did what I could. Stole enough money to keep me going until I was legally employable. Nobody got any sleep that night after all the alarms I set off stealing a boat. But the whole thing was set up on a ship filled with critically endangered species for conservation, which'd all drown if it was actually destroyed... Makes it pretty much politically unsinkable. Intentionally so."

“Nice job,” Wes said with a wicked grin. He meant it, too. “What do you mean about a boat, though? Was this on island or something?”

"Alright. It's... a medical device. Of sorts. The idiot who started fucking things up after the original project head died tried installing machenery in her head. Literal electronic augmentations. But the aformentiond fucking of things up happened instead. Now, she has to wear that to keep device disabled. I'm... not sure exactly how it does that, honestly. But if she didn't have it, her immune system would start fighting her, and she'd become gravely ill."

Wes swore quietly under his breath, at a loss for anything else to say. “Gods, that’s—what were they trying to accomplish there? Holy hell.” He looked at Hazel again, a myriad of emotions twisting in his gut. Horror, pity, anger…

Guilt.

How many years had he been stealing Pokémon and shipping them off to their “clients”, none the wiser? How many Pokémon suffered like Hazel, suffered on operating tables and in cages and died without ever seeing the sun again…?

He swallowed past the bitter taste in his mouth and spoke quietly to Hazel. “I’m sorry.”

Gladion’s explanation had flown largely over Neo’s head, but he got the gist: the helmet was good! It kept his new friend from getting sick. That was all he needed to know. He hopped and chirped excitedly, this time speaking aloud.

“Cool! Your helmet is cool! I wish I could put on a helmet that made me all better when I feel bad! I don’t feel bad as much as I used to, though. We have new friends who are nice to us, even when we battle! And they feed us good food that tastes really good and it doesn’t make us sick except when we eat too much and—”

Novo calmed him with a steady purr, then turned back to Hazel. “You are nice. Your human is nice, too.”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“What do you mean about a boat, though? Was this on island or something?”

Gladion nodded. “It was an artificial metal ‘island’ of sorts. Exorbitantly expensive to build, but free from any political jurisdictions, since it’s not really in a country per se. It’s where I grew up… I don’t miss it, exactly. For a number of reasons.”

Wes swore quietly under his breath, at a loss for anything else to say. “Gods, that’s—what were they trying to accomplish there? Holy hell.” He looked at Hazel again, a myriad of emotions twisting in his gut. Horror, pity, anger…

Guilt.

Gladion had seen a number of reactions to Hazel of the past week, but that one might be the most memorable. He couldn’t even figure out what the look on Wes’ face meant.

Hazel stared at Wes, trying to make sense of it. [You have no need for sorriness. You did nothing to hurt me.]

Instead of translating, Gladion responded directly to her. “Sometimes, people apologize out of sympathy and not because they hurt you themself.”

Hazel seemed content with that answer. She noticed Neo making more noise than she thought was normal, though. Like he was trying to talk in the way the other Hazel could. She wished she could understand that ‘language’ herself, but she could at least think of something else to try. She closed her eyes and thought loudly again, like with Malachai.

Are you hearing me? I am sorry, but if you are saying words I can not be understanding them.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Gladion nodded. “It was an artificial metal ‘island’ of sorts. Exorbitantly expensive to build, but free from any political jurisdictions, since it’s not really in a country per se. It’s where I grew up… I don’t miss it, exactly. For a number of reasons.”

Wes scoffed. “Sounds an awful lot like a prison, if you ask me.” He looked Gladion up and down again. So, he’d abandoned his old life and “home,” too, and lived on his own for some time…that would explain his tattered clothing, not unlike Wes’ own wardrobe, though admittedly Gladion had far more rips and tears than Wes did. Wes idly wondered if the guy had never taught himself to patch his own clothing, or maybe he just didn’t care. Hell, it looked intentional. For all he knew, the tears were a fashion choice of some kind.

“So…you don’t keep in touch with your family, I take it. You been on your own ever since?”

Before Gladion’s answer, Wes rose from his crouched position and dusted himself off, then jerked his head to the cave. “Come on, let’s head in. We can walk and talk.”

Are you hearing me? I am sorry, but if you are saying words I can not be understanding them.

Neo abruptly stopped yapping when he heard Hazel’s voice in his head. Oh! She could do telepathy too!! He trilled and kneaded the ground in delight. Cool!

I can hear you! Can you hear me? Are you psychic? I didn’t sense you were. Are you a sneaky psychic? Maybe you can help us find the bad guy who is taking people away because you’re sneaky!

He continued jabbering even as they all made their way into the cave, not catching the way Novo’s twitched his tail in annoyance at being left out of the conversation.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“I’m inclined to agree, it was. Of the family I had there… I wouldn’t spit on my mother if she was on fire. My father’s dead-“ Wait, I just told him the same of the BKP project head. Oops. “And my sister… twin sister… I haven’t spoken to her since I left, and that was four years ago. She probably wouldn’t recognize me anymore. Still, we’re adults now, and she’s leaving herself. Might talk to her again… but it’ll be an awkward reunion.”

He sighed. Once Wes invited him into the cave, he followed. “Should I ask about your family?”

I can hear you! Can you hear me? Are you psychic? I didn’t sense you were. Are you a sneaky psychic? Maybe you can help us find the bad guy who is taking people away because you’re sneaky!

Hazel opened her eyes, pleased she could be heard. I am… not a psychic. Hazel was sad about that, and it carried in her mental tone. It is why I need to use signs to talk to Gladion. But if we were taken, maybe we could be surprising them. I am having many surprises. Who are you? And who is the Umbreon there?

 

[HelloYellow17]

“I’m inclined to agree, it was. Of the family I had there… I wouldn’t spit on my mother if she was on fire. My father’s dead-“ Wait, I just told him the same of the BKP project head. Oops. “And my sister… twin sister… I haven’t spoken to her since I left, and that was four years ago. She probably wouldn’t recognize me anymore. Still, we’re adults now, and she’s leaving herself. Might talk to her again… but it’ll be an awkward reunion.”

He sighed. Once Wes invited him into the cave, he followed. “Should I ask about your family?”

Damn. Wes had expected about as much, but it was still quite the story. “Sorry to hear that,” he said with a small shake of his head. “I hope things go well with your sister, whenever that happens.” Not that he could relate. He didn’t have the faintest idea what it was like to have a sibling.

He snorted when Gladion returned the question. “Not much to tell. Parents died when I was kid, and that’s that.”

Hazel opened her eyes, pleased she could be heard. I am… not a psychic. Hazel was sad about that, and it carried in her mental tone. It is why I need to use signs to talk to Gladion. But if we were taken, maybe we could be surprising them. I am having many surprises. Who are you? And who is the Umbreon there?

Neo hopped again. I am Neo! He is Novo and he is my brother! And Wes is our human! We are family!

Novo grumbled aloud, displeased that he could no longer hear the conversation. Neo trilled out a laugh and translated for him, then relayed Novo’s reply: “You are called Hazel and your human is called Gladion? Where is your home?”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Damn. Wes had expected about as much, but it was still quite the story. “Sorry to hear that,” he said with a small shake of his head. “I hope things go well with your sister, whenever that happens.” Not that he could relate. He didn’t have the faintest idea what it was like to have a sibling.

He snorted when Gladion returned the question. “Not much to tell. Parents died when I was kid, and that’s that.”

“Ah.” There had to be something more to it than that, but he wasn’t going to dig if Wes didn’t want to share. He just had to find something else to say. “Well. I’ve always figured blood relatives aren’t what makes family anyway.”

He sighed. “…That sounded way less sappy before I said it out loud.”

Neo hopped again. I am Neo! He is Novo and he is my brother! And Wes is our human! We are family!

Novo grumbled aloud, displeased that he could no longer hear the conversation. Neo trilled out a laugh and translated for him, then relayed Novo’s reply: “You are called Hazel and your human is called Gladion? Where is your home?”

Hazel looked to Novo, then back to Neo. Someone translating again. Seemed to be happening a lot, though in the end she was more grateful to be able to communicate at all that anything.

Yes! We live in Alola. Our room in on Akala Island but we go to the other ones too. But not to other countries because they would be inspecting me and then they would be having a great many questions that we could not be answering.