Skill Swap Shop

[Flyg0n]

This quaint shop tucked just out of sight of the main hall and a short walk from a beahc entrance offers an eclectic mix of items such as souvenirs, clothes, training items, and various snacks and drinks. A few chairs and tables have been arranged out front for guests to relax and enjoy a treat.

Given the outrageously low prices, it's hard to imagine Mr. Montorzi makes any profit off the shop though....

***​

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Given there was, by his understanding, probably going to be some sort of battling, Gladion decided to rifle through the TMs. He wouldn't have Silverbell to ice out enemies in the skies, and the opponents here were unlikely to be of the sort of calibre he could stall to the point of dropping from exhaustion, his usual fallback for defeating them with only Hazel left.

He'd left Hazel behind, given it was a public place, but he had an idea of the sort of thing she'd be likely to learn. He'd pick a few top contenders and come back to check them individually when it was less busy. Probably another day, he wanted to see Laura and Malachai later tonight. He had...

He thought he had time, but it was occurring to him that he still had no clue what was up with the tournament. It was his lucky day, though, because there was someone here who could answer that question. The talent show magician himself, their host.

"Hey. So, what's going on here, if I may ask? You seem to have went through a lot of effort to get us all here. Is there... something planned?"

 

[Flyg0n]

Xavian had been at the shop, picking up a bottle of his favorite beverage (Oran Berry flavored Ramune), when he ran into one of dear guests. Klefki Clink, who'd been floating beside him, shifted to hide behind his back, peeking out ever so slightly.

"Oh hello! Gladion, correct?" he asked. "Of course there's something planned!" he declared, his voice cheerful. "This Festival! And dinner, of course. The cooks at the Cafe are going to be serving pot roast I hear. I hope you'll join us, although you can always try the Dragon's Maw if thats more to your liking."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"Yes, that's me."

Gladion crossed his arms, unamused. "But, come on, you didn't spare no expense gathering us all from across time and space for a pot roast and some fireworks. You've got something of importance planned. Seriously, I can't imagine what kind of faustian expenditure it must have been to to build the guest list alone, much less arrange for this our arrival. How and why did you bring us all here?"

He narrowed his focus on Xavier. He wouldn't let even the smallest detail of his reaction escape notice. [Mind "Reader"]

 

[Flyg0n]

Xavian frowned and tipped his head, seemingly confused by the question. "Why...? Oh, I see. Well I spoke a bit about it during dinner yesterday, as I am sure you heard. But the truth is..." he paused, and glanced over his shoulder to Clink, who pressed himself against his shoulder. A hint of his jovialness faded, as if thinking. Clink gave a little jingle, as if to reassure him. "I'm doing it because of Clink here. My precious friend. As I said, I believe that the bonds between people and their pokemon are truly the most important thing in the world." His words were absolutely free of insincerity. They were the truth.

Clink jingled animatedly. Xavian nodded at them before turning back to Gladion. "Clink saved my life you see. We became friends because of our love of myths and legends, and exploring. But one day I fell gravely ill. Clink here risked everything to save me, by summoning a a mythical pokemon that was able to help me and giving some of its own power to save my life. I consider myself in Clink's debt-" At this, Clink rattled as if disagreeing- "even if they try to disagree," he added with a chuckle.

"Clink and I simply wanted to celebrate the beauty and strength of that bond. The way a trainer and human are inseperable."

"And as for how, well thats simple! Orzo helped me! His rings can reach many worlds, and we've had our share of adventures. I felt it only right to invite trainers who shared that bond."

Not once in his speech did he waver - truly, the words he spoke were true, and Clink's behaviour supported his story. The two were quite close, by all appearances. And how he'd done it was true indeed.

Mind Reader has revealed something! Xavian is telling the truth about why he's holding this Festival.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion narrowed his eyes at Xavier. Nothing he said seemed untrue, but he was familiar with lies by omission. And his own, frankly, were better than this.

Amature. "Yes. I heard you the first time. You selected an incredibly narrow selection of people across all time and space. Everyone seems to have the same question: Why me? I get you're holding a festival, that's cool and all, but come on, does this place really suck so much ass you can't find a couple dozen nice partners without portals? It's not as if you dropped invitations at random. How'd you even research us in the first place? How much do you even know about us?"

 

[Flyg0n]

Xavian chuckled amicably, unaffected by Gladion's suspicous attitude. "Oh that? That's easy enough! Pokemon like Klefki and Hoopa and other mythical pokemon can generally sense things like this. I myself don't understand it exactly. Clink tells me its something known as aura in some worlds." Xavian scratched the back of his head and narrowed his eyes, thinking hard. "There's a sort of how do you say... je ne sais quoi? I'm not sure there's a word for it, but its something... a trait... unique to some trainers. Those are the sorts of trainers who received an invitation."

A regretful expression crossed his face. "I wish I did have a more logical explain for you, Mr. Gladion. But I'm afraid I have my pokemon to thank for that part. I simply helped provide facilities. I just wanted to find others who had a deep friendship with their partners, and celebrate that with all of you. That's what we have in common."

He paused, then added: "And as for your second question, fear not! I have not spied on anyone or pried into their personal business. I only know that those who came are ones who possess the bond I spoke of. And of course I recognize a few of my guests as similar to my own world in some ways." Such as the champion Steven, which he recognized, although this one seemed quite a bit younger.

Xavian paused again to consider Gladion. "Pardon, I hope you don't find it intrusive of me, but your partner is quite special, I understand. Clink told me you are very close. You can rest assured that you have nothing to fear here. My island is a retreat and I don't believe the trainers here will disturb you."

Xavian is telling the truth! The exact nature of why they were chosen isn't something he can explain, but no malice or ill will can be found in his behaviour. Nor does he seem to know anything about the personal lives of his guests, beyond their names.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion paused for a moment. This guy was so earnest that it hurt to be around him. Must've inherited the fortune, nobody this earnest makes their way to trillionaire status on their own. Someone would fleece him at some point and the money would end up back in an asshole's hands, as per the natural order of things. But, hey, that wasn't Gladion's problem. He'd take advantage of the guy's attitude while he could. "Alright, thanks. I'll take your word for it."

He picked out a TM for Icy Wind. It was a simple elemental move that didn't require use of Hazel's mouth, so odds were good she could learn and use it properly, plus it would be effective against most everything that could fly out of her physical range. Knocking things out of the sky with ice was tactically familiar. He also took an Air Slash TM for when he went home to avoid the overlap with Silverbell's kit, or in case she had trouble learning the first. They cost a complete pittance, so why not? Really, he should stop by again before he left to snag a Triple Axel for Silverbell, they were just that cheap. Hell, Sorrel would also appreciate the Air Slash. This felt like cheating.

<><><><><>

 

[Sinderella]

After leaving things off with Gladion and Laura, Odette figured it would be a good time to stock up on a few more water bottles for her room. Maybe indulge in a snack while she tried to figure out what the fuck she was going to do next. She had her eye on a few of those group one trainers to perhaps talk to. But, she also wanted to get a move on trying to locate a mythic before anybody else had a chance to. And then to make matters all the more worse...


"̷H̸n̴n̶n̷g̴g̶g̷g̴g̵h̵h̵h̸h̷h̷h̵.̸.̴.̸"̸


"How long are you going to keep doing that before you decide you want to talk about it?"


"̷U̴n̸t̴i̷l̴ ̴y̸o̸u̶r̶ ̵b̷i̵t̵c̶h̷ ̸a̷s̷s̵ ̸g̶r̵o̶w̴s̶ ̵o̶l̴d̸ ̶a̷n̷d̶ ̶w̴r̵i̷n̴k̶l̴y̴y̵y̴h̸h̴h̵h̵n̷n̷n̷N̷N̶N̵G̵G̵G̵G̶H̷H̴H̷H̷H̶H̵H̵H̷.̸"̷


"Real mature."


"Okay, you know what."

Odette shrugged the backpack off and walked off into the tree line just off the path to the shop. When she felt she was adequately out of the way, she sat it against a tree and crouched down in front of Odile.

"Can you please use your fucking words and tell me what has you so twisted?"


She stared at Odette for a long while. before glancing down at her body. "̴I̷ ̵a̵m̸ ̷t̷h̷i̶s̴ ̶t̶h̵i̴n̵g̸ ̶c̴a̵l̷l̵e̸d̴ ̶'̴t̷u̴m̴b̶l̶e̵w̷e̸e̸d̷.̸'̷"̸


"I meant figuratively, idiot. You said somebody was talking shit about me, and I want to know what they said and why you're acting like this because of it."


Odile averted her eyes away nervously. She could see plain as day that no giant Noiverns around anymore to distract Odette from asking again. Which meant she'd have to spill. It fucking sucked.

How would one even describe bowling balls? How would one who spent all of time not knowing what bowling balls were even attempt to discuss them?

Truthfully, it was much easier to keep this shit to herself. That's what she'd been doing, and it was working out perfectly fucking fine until Clovis 2.0 had to run his mouth a little too hard. He could probably do without his tongue. She'd cut it out the next time she saw him. Yeah. That would make things all better.

Shit. No it wouldn't. Odette would still fucking bother her about it, and she might even be a little mad to find somebody's tongue in her wallet...

Hngh. There was really no choice here. But what could she even say?

"̷.̶.̷.̴I̶ ̴d̷o̸n̵'̴t̶ ̸k̴n̸o̵w̴ ̴w̶h̴e̸r̷e̷ ̴t̸o̶ ̶s̸t̷a̸r̴t̸," she said earnestly. Because it was the truth.


Not much left Odile at a loss for words, and it was something that was clearly weighing on her. Enora sent a look to Odette, suddenly feeling a pang of sympathy, as she stepped forward.

"Can you begin with what they said? And maybe relay to an instance that might have contributed it to why it struck you?"


Hngh...for once, Enora actually had something useful to say. That sounded easy enough.

"̸H̵e̵ ̵w̴a̷s̵.̷.̸.̸a̸n̷g̴r̷y̸ ̵a̸b̸o̶u̷t̴ ̵t̴h̸e̷ ̵g̸i̷r̸l̴," she started. ̴"A̵n̶d̴ ̴h̵e̶ ̷w̵a̷s̸ ̶l̵i̴k̸e̴.̷.̵.̸'̷w̶h̸a̴t̴ ̶w̸o̴u̴l̶d̸ ̴y̸o̸u̶ ̴d̵o̵ ̶i̵f̷ ̵i̴t̷ ̶w̷a̸s̸ ̷O̸d̶e̴t̸t̸e̷ ̷w̶h̶o̶ ̷w̶e̶n̵t̶ ̶m̷i̷s̸s̶i̷n̶g̸'̷ ̷a̶n̴d̷ ̷I̶.̵.̷.̷"̷

She frowned. Deeply.

̴"̷T̴h̵a̸t̶ ̷a̴c̷t̵u̵a̸l̴l̵y̵ ̷h̷a̶p̵p̷e̴n̵e̷d̷.̶ ̸Y̵o̴u̴ ̸w̶e̸r̴e̸ ̴t̷o̶o̷ ̶f̸a̴r̷ ̴a̶w̵a̴y̵ ̵f̵o̸r̶ ̷m̶e̵ ̸t̸o̵ ̴k̵n̶o̸w̸ ̷w̵h̸e̸r̶e̷ ̸y̸o̷u̸ ̴w̸e̶r̷e̴.̴ ̵I̵ ̷h̸a̴t̵e̷d̴ ̴i̶t̶.̶ ̵A̶n̶d̸ ̷h̶e̶ ̷r̴e̴m̸i̴n̸d̵e̶d̴ ̸m̷e̵ ̴o̶f̶ ̷i̵t̶.̵ ̴A̷n̷d̶ ̴n̷o̸w̶ ̴I̸ ̸f̵e̷e̷l̴ ̷l̴i̴k̸e̴...̸b̶a̴d̵.̴"̶


"Oh."

Well. Son of a bitch. She wasn't expecting to get deep today. And yet, here they were.

"That's..."

She was suddenly sweating again. And suddenly felt really, really bad for laughing at her earlier.


Oh. For how obnoxious Odile tended to be, Enora was once again reminded that she didn't quite know how to handle her emotions. Or empathy. Or trauma. Enora knew damn well she was just as bothered by that instance. But for somebody like Odile, who had no idea how to air that properly...

She placed a paw on Odile's wing. "Hey. It's okay. Everyone's okay," she said. "It's alright to feel these things, you know. But you also have to understand that grating on people at times like these is going to cause these kinds of emotions to stir up. You're valid in being upset, but you probably made that poor trainer very upset too, and that wasn't okay." She then sighed.

"I know it's your thing, but you have to know that stirring wrath might also cause people to say things that will hurt you as well."


"̶W̸e̸l̸l̶,̶ ̸s̷h̵i̷t̸,̴ ̵I̴ ̶k̸n̸o̸w̷ ̸t̴h̸a̵t̸ ̷N̸O̵W̴.̵"̸ Now that it was apparent she had nerves that could be pulled. What the fuck even was that? "̷I̷ ̷g̶u̵e̸s̸s̸.̵.̷.̶i̸n̷ ̶a̷ ̷w̴a̷y̸.̸.̶.̴I̴ ̵f̵e̷e̴l̸ ̵s̴o̶r̴r̶y̸.̵ ̸N̷o̷t̶ ̸s̴o̶r̸r̸y̷ ̷e̷n̸o̶u̵g̸h̷ ̵t̶o̷ ̴n̵o̷t̸ ̴k̷i̴n̸d̵a̴ ̷w̷a̷n̵t̵ ̷t̸o̸ ̸t̵h̶r̴o̸w̵ ̵a̴ ̶r̶o̶c̴k̷ ̴a̷t̶ ̶h̶i̷m̶,̶ ̵b̷u̴t̴ ̵s̸o̵r̸r̴y̷ ̷e̷n̷o̷u̵g̷h̸ ̸t̵o̷.̴.̵.̸f̴e̴e̷l̸ ̴b̴a̶d̶ ̶f̶o̷r̶ ̶m̵e̸s̵s̷i̷n̴g̶ ̴a̵r̴o̶u̶n̵d̵ ̶w̵h̴e̴n̸ ̸s̴o̸m̵e̷b̷o̵d̴y̵'̴s̶ ̵m̶i̷s̶s̶i̶n̸g̶.̵"̵

For some reason, and as hard as it was, it felt really good to admit that. A bowling ball left.


They sat in silence for a while. Enora continued to gingerly rub Odile's wing, while Odette had very evidently gotten lost in her thoughts. There wasn't really much to say after all of that. Odette certainly didn't know where to begin; she felt completely frozen. Whether it was from some lingering PTSD or because she didn't have a comforting bone in her body, she couldn't tell.

Sitting and listening to the trees rustle in the wind was probably the best way to go. For the moment.

Until suddenly, she had an idea.

Not the most comforting thing in the world, and her eardrums might regret it later on back in their dorm, but maybe it would lift some spirits...and get their minds off of everything that was wrong.


"Pull up in the monster, automobile gangsa," she rapped, "with a bad bitch that came from Sri Lanka."

She stood up and gestured to Odile. "Yeah, I'm in that Tanka, color of Willy Wonka. You could be the king, but watch the queen conquer."


The reaction was immediate. Odile's eyes lit up like Lumiose's skyline, and with a flick of her wing, she was back in that human form.

"̴O̶K̷A̴Y̷ ̷F̶I̴R̸S̸T̷ ̶T̴H̶I̷N̸G̶'̴S̴ ̴F̷I̶R̷S̵T̴,̸ ̵I̸'̵L̵L̶ ̴E̸A̶T̴ ̴Y̶O̸U̴R̸ ̶B̸R̵A̶I̶N̶S̵,̴"̶ she rapped back. ̸"̸T̸H̴E̶N̷ ̸I̷M̸M̷A̴ ̸S̵T̴A̷R̴T̸ ̴R̴O̶C̵K̴I̵N̸'̸ ̷G̷O̸L̴D̴ ̷T̴E̴E̸T̶H̶," she pointed to her mouth and flashed a wicked grin, ̴"A̸N̵D̶ ̶F̵A̶N̵G̸S̵.̸ C̷A̴U̶S̵E̴ ̶T̵H̷A̵T̶'̶S̵ ̸W̵H̸A̶T̵ ̸T̴H̴E̸ ̶M̷O̶T̵H̴E̶R̴F̷U̷C̶K̷I̴N̷'̴ ̸M̴O̴N̸S̷T̷E̶R̷ ̸D̵O̷.̸ H̴A̷I̶R̵ ̷D̵R̷E̶S̵S̸E̶R̷ ̷F̴R̵O̶M̴ ̶M̵I̵L̶A̷N̵,̸ ̶T̸H̶A̸T̷'̵S̶ ̸T̴H̷E̷ ̵M̶O̵N̶S̴T̷E̸R̶ ̴D̸O̵-̶-̶"̶


Odette watched expectantly as Odile returned the favor, actually nodding along with the verse and swaying her shoulders to the beat of how she remembered the song. When it was her turn, she stepped up to Odile and pointed at her.

"So let me get this straight, wait I'm the rookie?" She pointed back to herself, rolling her eyes dramatically, "but my features and my shows ten times your pay? 50k for a verse, no album out, but my money's so tall that my Barbie's gotta climb it--"


By this point, Odile was dancing around happily, mimicking Odette's moves as they went. "̷B̷U̸T̴ ̵R̵E̵A̸L̸L̷Y̷,̶ ̶R̷E̸A̷L̴L̷Y̶ ̴I̴ ̵D̴O̸N̶'̵T̵ ̵G̴I̵V̵E̶ ̷A̸N̵ ̵F̸-̵U̴-̷C̴-̵K̷.̴ ̷'̵F̵O̶R̴G̵E̷T̶ ̸B̴A̴R̶B̶I̶E̶,̴ ̶F̸U̷C̶K̸ ̶O̴D̴I̸L̸E̶,̸ ̶S̵H̴-̸S̸H̵E̵'̴S̷ ̸F̴A̵K̵E̷.̸"̷ ̸She smirked mischievously at the lyric change. "̵'̵S̵H̷E̶ ̶O̸N̶ ̵A̸ ̴D̵I̵E̴T̸ ̴B̷U̵T̵ ̸M̶Y̸ ̶P̷O̸C̸K̶E̸T̶S̶ ̷E̷A̷T̸I̶N̴'̶ ̷C̸H̵E̴E̵S̸E̶C̶A̶K̶E̸-̴-̴"̴

This was fun. This was so fun. More bowling balls left. And they were coming up on the best part!

"̶P̴I̶N̵K̶ ̸W̸I̷G̸-̸-̵"̷

"--thick ass, give 'em whiplash. I think big, get cash--"

"̵-̵-̶M̸A̶K̵E̶ ̷'̸E̸M̸ ̷B̴L̷I̴N̶K̵ ̷F̶A̶S̷T̵.̸ ̴N̷O̸W̵ ̸L̸O̷O̵K̶ ̵A̴T̷ ̵W̴H̸A̶T̴ ̷Y̸O̶U̷ ̴J̷U̶S̶T̸ ̷S̵A̷W̴,̶ ̷T̷H̴I̵S̶ ̸I̴S̷ ̷W̶H̶A̷T̵ ̵Y̵O̸U̷ ̶L̴I̵V̴E̶ ̶F̷O̵R̸-̸-̵"̶

They screamed in unison. It wasn't a loud one, one that was just loud enough to be heard among the three of them.

"I̷'̷M̶ A M̸O̴T̴H̵E̷R̶FFUCKIN' M̶O̴N̴STER!" They yelled together. The irony of the lyric wasn't lost on either of them but, but they didn't seem to care at the moment.


They laughed. And laughed, and laughed. All together, all at once. It really was a rare moment that Enora wouldn't take for granted. She actually wished she could have filmed it.

She gave their small performance a round of applause. She was absolutely overjoyed by the change in the air around them. Who knew rapping would lift the spirits so quickly? She'd have to take notes.

"Very nice," she complimented. She was even feeling better now. Less tense, less dread, less overall bad feelings. Much needed after the day so far.

She hoped it would last.

"How about we do some shopping now?" she suggested.

<><><><><><><><><>><<>><><<<><><><>​

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven chuckled as his partner guided them straight from the mountain right to the Skill Swap Shop.


"I never took you for the shopping type," he said with a grin. "All that talk of moves with Hayes must have gotten you fired up."


Aggron harrumphed in response. He would be more excited about shopping if it was for battling. But usually it was for food, or supplies, or display cases for rocks, and that was all more Cradily's speed than his. This kind of shopping, though -- he stopped in front of the expansive display of TMs -- this was more like it.


"You're right, though. We should get what we need sooner, rather than later."

They perused the shelves for a bit, mulling over options. Steven already had Rock Slide in hand, a sure pick after issuing that friendly challenge with Blue's Charizard. But perhaps they should grab something else in light of this morning's... incident.

He was thumbing through the dark-type TMs when Aggron poked his head over the display and fixed a glare on the shop's entrance. The door to the shop chimed as it opened and closed, and a low growl formed in Aggron's throat. Steven set down the Taunt TM and gave his partner a quizzical look.

"What's wrong, Aggron?" he asked, turning to look at what the big steel type had spotted...

 

[Sinderella]

Odette had been chuckling to herself as Odile was mouthing off some other song. Better to see her up and dancing around to whatever song was going on inside her head than being all mopey against her backpack. Mopey about...all that.

Because she wasn't going anywhere again any time soon. Not if she could help it. She hoped, in some weird way, she was able to comfort Odile enough into knowing that.

The door to the shop chimed as it opened and closed, and a low growl formed in Aggron's throat. Steven set down the Taunt TM and gave his partner a quizzical look.

"What's wrong, Aggron?" he asked, turning to look at what the big steel type had spotted...

Odile was feeling much better. As she walked circles around Odette and Odile, she felt far more confident that all of her bowling balls had gone away. Of course, that was the power of a Nicki Minaj verse.

But, no sooner had she stepped into the shop did a low growl hit her ears. Then a particular scent she'd become familiar with.


That Aggron. And Clovis 2.0.

And just like that, her bowling balls returned. But they were on fire.

"̸H̵a̵n̵g̵ ̵o̶n̶,̸ ̷I̵ ̶n̵e̸e̵d̷ ̷t̶o̷ ̸g̸o̷ ̵g̶e̵t̴ ̷a̵ ̶r̴o̴c̷k̴.̸"̸


Odette stuck her arm out in front of Odile before she could get very far. "Hooold your fucking horses, Grudge. What do you--"

She looked up. Her gaze immediately caught on the Aggron, before jumping over to it's trainer.

The silver hair...the suit...suddenly Clovis 2.0 made a lot more sense.


"Oh," was all she managed before she could stop her mouth from moving. She dropped her hand to start thumbing the zipper of her jacket. "I..."

Say something. Anything. Literally. A single fucking word, Odette.

"Shit."

Goddammit.

Her eyes slipped shut in annoyance, and she pushed her glasses up on her face. With a breath, she grabbed Odile's arm and forced her to turn around.

"I'm sorry," she said slowly. "I think I need to talk to you."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"I'm sorry," she said slowly. "I think I need to talk to you."

Oh.

It was the Kalosian girl, and the shadow creature (who was now in her doppleganger form, the irony of which was not lost on Steven considering what was said back at the marsh.)

He did nothing to quiet Aggron's growling, keeping both hands a bit too firmly grasping the Rock Slide TM.


"If this is about the boat," he began, expression and tone as neutral as he could manage, "then I apologize for my behavior. I was out of line."

"Other than that, I'm not sure what there is to talk about."

Only once did his facade slip, his eyes giving the briefest of flicks toward the shadow creature.

 

[Sinderella]

"If this is about the boat," he began, expression and tone as neutral as he could manage, "then I apologize for my behavior. I was out of line."

Odette sighed, rolling her eyes up toward the ceiling. "No, I was supposed to be the one to apologize for that. You were just trying to help," she said reluctantly.

"Other than that, I'm not sure what there is to talk about."

She then looked back at Steven. "But now I understand that something happened between you and my 'mon, and I'd rather not let that fester."


Enora nudged Odette's leg as she finished speaking. "Maybe this isn't the place for this..." she murmured, darting her eyes around, as if trying to assure nobody else was around.


"It's fine," Odette huffed. "We're just talking."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

She then looked back at Steven. "But now I understand that something happened between you and my 'mon, and I'd rather not let that fester."

Steven's gaze flicked back toward the shadow doppleganger at the word "'mon", and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, as if trying to process what he just heard.

Aggron was still tense at Steven's side, but as she said, they were just talking. Not like he could avoid the situation with them being at the back of the shop. He'd have to pass right by the trio to leave, and he certainly wasn't thrilled with the idea of getting any closer to that shadow creature.


"There was, perhaps, an... altercation this morning. At the marsh. Some heated words were exchanged. You can understand, tensions were running high at the time."

Steven spoke slowly, carefully, watching for any kind of reaction from the doppleganger. He took a steadying breath and exhaled.

"If you're looking for an apology, I'm afraid I don't have one for that."

 

[Sinderella]

"There was, perhaps, an... altercation this morning. At the marsh. Some heated words were exchanged. You can understand, tensions were running high at the time."

“It is understandable. Somebody went missing, I get it.”

"If you're looking for an apology, I'm afraid I don't have one for that."

She then shook her head. “No. Actually, just the opposite.”

She’d want to explain things to him, but something else needed to happen first. She nudged Odile.

“…”

“You’re gonna catch flies making a face like that.”

“̶M̴a̸y̵b̵e̵ ̵t̶h̶a̴t̸’̷s̶ ̷t̷h̶e̵ ̵p̸o̸i̷n̸t̷.̶”̴

“Dude.”

“Just say what you said to me just now,” Enora urged. A thought then occurred to her. “…minus the rock thing.”

Odile frowned even deeper and crossed her arms over her chest. Man, fuck this apology thing. Why did it feel annoying?

“̴I̴ ̵a̷m̸…̷s̵s̵s̶s̴s̴o̵r̴r̷y̸.̵”̶ she said slowly; defiantly.“̴F̴o̷r̶ ̵c̸a̴u̸s̶i̶n̸g̷ ̵a̸ ̷p̶r̴o̸b̷l̶e̴m̵…̸w̷h̸e̶n̶ ̴s̵o̷m̸e̶b̴o̸d̴y̷’̵s̶ ̸m̵i̵s̷s̶i̴n̵g̸.̵I̵ ̴d̸i̴d̷n̵’̶t̶ ̸l̸i̵k̸e̷ ̸i̵t̷ ̵w̷h̶e̷n̸ ̸m̶y̵ ̶v̶e̶s̴s̷e̶l̸ w̸e̵n̴t̴ ̴m̸i̸s̷s̵i̵n̷g̷,̶ ̵s̸o̸…̷”̵ She shifted her weight to her left leg uncomfortably as she started to wring her hands together. ̴“̶I̷ ̸f̴e̴e̸l̴ ̴b̸a̷d̵ ̸a̵b̶o̶u̴t̵ ̵i̵t̴,”̶ she added quickly, because for some reason it felt like everyone should know that that was indeed true. She did not feel good. And she was starting to assume that was the point.

For some reason, though, that still didn’t feel like enough.

̴“̴I̷ ̸s̶h̷o̶u̶l̴d̴ ̴k̸n̷o̷w̸ ̴b̶e̴t̶t̶e̶r̶.̴”̶ Nope. She was still sure she needed to say more.

̵“̸I̶’̴m̴ ̶l̶e̴a̶r̷n̷i̸n̸g̴ ̶t̸h̴e̴ ̶c̶o̸n̵s̶e̷q̴u̴e̶n̵c̴e̷s̷ ̸o̷f̸ ̷m̶y̴ ̴a̸c̸t̸i̷o̴n̸s̷ ̷a̴n̵d̷ ̵t̸h̷a̵t̶ ̴c̸a̴u̴s̸i̷n̴g̷ ̸w̶r̶a̵t̴h̶ ̴i̷n̸ ̸p̷e̵o̷p̶l̴e̷ ̸m̸i̸g̵h̴t̴ ̶c̷a̶u̷s̵e̸ ̷t̷h̵e̵m̴ ̶t̷o̴ ̷s̷a̸y̶ ̷t̶h̸i̸n̸g̴s̴ ̶i̴n̶ ̶r̶e̴t̴u̸r̸n̷ ̶t̴h̶a̷t̸ ̶m̸i̴g̵h̷t̸ ̷h̶u̴r̴t̸ ̸m̶e̷ ̵t̷o̵o̶,̸ ̸w̵h̸i̶c̶h̷ ̸w̷a̶s̸n̵’̷t̷ ̴a̴ ̴p̷r̸o̵b̷l̶e̸m̵ ̵u̷p̴ ̸u̴n̴t̵i̸l̷ ̶n̷o̷w̴ ̷b̵e̴c̵a̷u̶s̶e̸—̷“̶

Odette clamped her hand over Odile’s mouth. “Okay champ, I think you’ve made your point.”

She sighed loudly again. “I know it doesn’t change the fact that any of that stuff happened, but she’s a Pokemon of very, very little emotional understanding. So, I also apologize. For everything. And if she struck a deep nerve, I get it, and really…” she shrugged. “I guess all I can do is promise we’re working on it.”

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

“̴I̴ ̵a̷m̸…̷s̵s̵s̶s̴s̴o̵r̴r̷y̸.̵”̶ she said slowly; defiantly.“̴F̴o̷r̶ ̵c̸a̴u̸s̶i̶n̸g̷ ̵a̸ ̷p̶r̴o̸b̷l̶e̴m̵…̸w̷h̸e̶n̶ ̴s̵o̷m̸e̶b̴o̸d̴y̷’̵s̶ ̸m̵i̵s̷s̶i̴n̵g̸.̵I̵ ̴d̸i̴d̷n̵’̶t̶ ̸l̸i̵k̸e̷ ̸i̵t̷ ̵w̷h̶e̷n̸ ̸m̶y̵ ̶v̶e̶s̴s̷e̶l̸ w̸e̵n̴t̴ ̴m̸i̸s̷s̵i̵n̷g̷,̶ ̵s̸o̸…̷”̵ She shifted her weight to her left leg uncomfortably as she started to ring her hands together. ̴“̶I̷ ̸f̴e̴e̸l̴ ̴b̸a̷d̵ ̸a̵b̶o̶u̴t̵ ̵i̵t̴,”̶ she added quickly.

As soon as the shadow spoke, Steven was taken aback. Any trace of his practiced, measured expression was gone, and he stared at both trainer and partner (apparently) in open surprise.

"I... what?"

She was apologizing? And did she just say vessel?

“̸I̶’̴m̴ ̶l̶e̴a̶r̷n̷i̸n̸g̴ ̶t̸h̴e̴ ̶c̶o̸n̵s̶e̷q̴u̴e̶n̵c̴e̷s̷ ̸o̷f̸ ̷m̶y̴ ̴a̸c̸t̸i̷o̴n̸s̷ ̷a̴n̵d̷ ̵t̸h̷a̵t̶ ̴c̸a̴u̴s̸i̷n̴g̷ ̸w̶r̶a̵t̴h̶ ̴i̷n̸ ̸p̷e̵o̷p̶l̴e̷ ̸m̸i̸g̵h̴t̴ ̶c̷a̶u̷s̵e̸ ̷t̷h̵e̵m̴ ̶t̷o̴ ̷s̷a̸y̶ ̷t̶h̸i̸n̸g̴s̴ ̶i̴n̶ ̶r̶e̴t̴u̸r̸n̷ ̶t̴h̶a̷t̸ ̶m̸i̴g̵h̷t̸ ̷h̶u̴r̴t̸ ̸m̶e̷ ̵t̷o̵o̶,̸ ̸w̵h̸i̶c̶h̷ ̸w̷a̶s̸n̵’̷t̷ ̴a̴ ̴p̷r̸o̵b̷l̶e̸m̵ ̵u̷p̴ ̸u̴n̴t̵i̸l̷ ̶n̷o̷w̴ ̷b̵e̴c̵a̷u̶s̶e̸—̷“̶

Steven blinked. He'd hurt her? The lewd, crude demon spirit that cackled at dead bodies? His words had affected her?

Suddenly he felt a little ill.

Odette clamped her hand over Odile’s mouth. “Okay champ, I think you’ve made your point.”

She sighed loudly again. “I know it doesn’t change the fact that any of that stuff happened, but she’s a Pokemon of very, very little emotional understanding. So, I also apologize. For everything. And if she struck a deep nerve, I get it, and really…” she shrugged. “I guess all I can do is promise we’re working on it.”

And no, not a demon spirit. A pokemon. Who could... insight wrath? He had a feeling there was a lot more to this than he initially thought.

Finally, he spoke up.


"I'd say the one you should be apologizing to is Reena, but even with the information from the marsh we still haven't been able to find her."

"I'm... not faultless in this either. I let my emotions get the better of me. That's not helpful to anyone."

He glanced up at the doppleganger. She at least looked genuine, aside from the scowling.

"I appreciate your apology, though it feels rather like we've gone 'an eye for an eye'... I'm sorry for that. That's not how I wanted things to be. We shouldn't fight amongst ourselves, not at a time like this."

He hadn't expected this confrontation to be so... Refreshing. Certainly not from the way he left off with both trainer and partner...


"If you truly mean it, perhaps we can start over-- wipe the slate clean-- and work together. For Reena's sake."

 

[Sinderella]

"I'd say the one you should be apologizing to is Reena, but even with the information from the marsh we still haven't been able to find her."

"̶D̴o̷n̵'̸t̵ ̸w̴o̶r̷r̶y̴.̸ ̴I̴ ̷h̵a̶v̶e̴ ̶e̶v̴e̴r̷y̷ ̷i̸n̷t̶e̸n̵t̴i̷o̶n̸ ̷t̸o̵ ̶s̴e̵n̷d̷ ̷h̷e̸r̷ ̶a̴ ̵b̶o̶u̷q̸u̴e̸t̸ ̵o̸f̸ ̷c̷a̸c̵t̸i̸ ̴w̸h̶e̸n̷ ̷w̶e̸ ̶f̷i̷n̸d̴ ̸h̷e̷r̵.̴"̶

"Wh...why cacti?"

"̵.̸.̸.̴b̵e̸c̷a̸u̵s̵e̸ ̸t̷h̷e̶y̶'̴r̵e̴ ̸p̸o̸i̸n̷t̴y̸ ̶a̷n̸d̵ ̷c̴u̵t̷e̴.̴ ̶A̵n̶d̴ ̵p̵o̴i̵n̸t̵y̴.̶ A̶n̶d̸ ̴n̶o̷t̷h̶i̶n̸g̴ ̸s̴a̴y̴s̶ ̶'̶f̴e̶e̴l̷ ̵b̸e̴t̸t̸e̸r̵ ̷s̶o̸o̸n̴'̷ ̴l̶i̶k̵e̴ ̶c̶u̴t̴e̵ ̴a̸n̵d̸ ̸p̸o̵i̵n̸t̷y̷ ̸p̶l̶a̵n̸t̸s̷.̶"̷

"...okay, all of that aside," Odette said cautiously. "Believe me, I've been looking around for some leads myself, but they might as well have doused this place in fucking bleach."

"I'm... not faultless in this either. I let my emotions get the better of me. That's not helpful to anyone."

Odette felt herself cringe a little, and she sucked her teeth. "See," she started, "I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt there. I don't know you, but I feel like you're the type of person who knows how to keep their emotions in check, right? So, I can probably tell you why--"

"I appreciate your apology, though it feels rather like we've gone 'an eye for an eye'... I'm sorry for that. That's not how I wanted things to be. We shouldn't fight amongst ourselves, not at a time like this."

"̵W̷a̷i̶t̵ ̷a̴ ̸m̶i̷n̵u̷t̴e̷,̸ ̵w̸h̵o̷ ̸t̶h̶e̷ ̴f̵u̷c̴k̵ ̸l̷o̶s̴t̸ ̴a̸n̶ ̶e̸y̷e̷?̸ ̸I̵ ̸W̵A̸N̸T̷ ̵T̷O̸ ̷S̵E̴E̷ ̶I̸T̸?̷"̷

Once more, Odette clamped her hand over Odile's mouth. "It's...figurative speech, Grudge. Saying you both kind of traded blows, even though you started it."

"̴O̴h̶h̸h̴h̸h̷h̸h̵h̴h̸,̸"̷ Odile said, her eyes sparkling with understanding. ̷"̷R̵i̶g̷h̷t̵.̵ ̷H̵o̶n̸e̸s̸t̵l̸y̵ ̸I̷ ̷w̷o̷u̷l̷d̶ ̵h̷a̵v̸e̶ ̴r̷a̵t̸h̸e̷r̷ ̸t̶r̶a̴d̴e̷d̴ ̷e̸y̶e̷s̸.̴ ̴I̴ ̴f̵e̷e̵l̵ ̶l̷i̸k̴e̴ ̸t̷h̵a̶t̴'̶d̵ ̷h̶a̸v̸e̷ ̵h̸u̵r̷t̸ ̵l̷e̵s̸s̶.̵"̵

Odette smacked her hand to her face. "Okay, please let me do the rest of the talking so you don't make this worse.

"If you truly mean it, perhaps we can start over-- wipe the slate clean-- and work together. For Reena's sake."

She took a leveling breath as she dropped her hands back to her sides. "I would very much appreciate that. I feel like I owe you some sort of an explanation, so...would it be alright if I bought you that TM you're holding? Or perhaps a drink? Non-alcoholic, please. I'm really not in the mood to be inebriated when there's people going missing, and I'm still trying to make sense of everything I've found so far..."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

?̸̸?̸̸?̸̸?̸̸?̸̸?̸̸?̸̸?̸̸something about cactuses and eyes and ?̸?̸?̸?̸?̸?̸?̸

Steven raised a brow, confused and slightly horrified at this pokemon's odd sense of... humor he supposed.

She took a leveling breath as she dropped her hands back to her sides. "I would very much appreciate that. I feel like I owe you some sort of an explanation, so...would it be alright if I bought you that TM you're holding? Or perhaps a drink? Non-alcoholic, please. I'm really not in the mood to be inebriated when there's people going missing, and I'm still trying to make sense of everything I've found so far..."

"An explanation does sound nice, actually. Perhaps over a drink? Aggron and I just got back from a hike... And I agree, I'm usually not one for alcohol myself."


"Please, lead the way. Once we sit down I should give a proper introduction, instead of being that one person who keeps causing trouble for you and your partner."

He chuckled lightly at his own joke. There were enough other problems on this island. No need for him to add to the pile.

Aggron shuffled behind him to the counter where he paid for the TM, (and another he grabbed just in case) and headed out of the shop.

<><><><><>​

 

[Hanafuda]

Seb entered the shop, a smile on his face as he looked around. “Ooh, there’s so much stuff here. Hope there are plushies here. Maybe a Riolu one would be nice.”

Jack looked around with a similar sense of amazement. There were so many battle supplies, like X Attacks and HP Ups, and there were even TMs on display. Which one could he learn for the next battle?

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven had stayed in the lounge only a little while longer after Ayumi had taken her leave. He finished the rest of his coffee and stood from the couch with a stretch.

He was tired, but he couldn't-- shouldn't-- go to bed so early. Not that he was in the mood for sleep after the conversation with Ayumi about the missing trainers. His mind was going back over clues and his concern for Hayes and, no, sleep was definitely not in the cards.

Perhaps a walk would do some good, and he had an idea...

"There's something I want to pick up from the shop," he told Aggron as he made his way out the door.

The walk to the Swap Shop was as uneventful as his stay in the lounge (minus meeting Ayumi and her partners). Mildly, Steven wondered where all the trainers were hiding today. Maybe it was the Manaphy hubbub that was in the text Violet has shared.

Either way, he was content to spend the rest of the afternoon in calm, quiet fashion--

A growl from Aggron stopped him in his tracks as he pushed the shop door open.

"Ah."

The bird trainer from the boat.

Maybe he could still sneak in, quickly grab the stationary supplies he wanted, and leave. But Aggron was very keen to announce their presence. No way they'd go unnoticed now.

So much for a quiet afternoon.