Torrent Beach

[Flyg0n]

The beach you arrived at now lies empty. Waves lap gently against the shore, and the singular dock stretches out into the ocean. The cruise liner has departed, though assumably, it will return at the end of the celebration...

Still, with the hubbub done, it makes for a pleasant retreat. Soft white sand, clear water and great weather. It can’t get better than this!

***​

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Aggron was curled up beneath the shade of a tree at the dorm room's garden. He'd almost fallen asleep by the time Steven emerged from the room, cleaned up and refreshed from their hike that morning. Steven sat down in one of the patio chairs with a cup of coffee in his hands. Aggron caught wind of the scent and cracked one eye open, regarding his trainer with a curious look.

"I know, I know. It's well after noon but I have a feeling the time change is still going to catch up to me tonight," Steven explained. "I don't feel like having to call it an early night two nights in a row. This is a vacation after all."

Aggron gave a bored huff, because why would he care about the reason? Steven could do whatever he liked. Not like Aggron or Metagross's opinion would ever change his mind anyway. He grumbled sarcastically that it wouldn't be on him if Steven couldn't curb his caffeine habit enough to get a decent night's sleep.

But Steven ignored him with practiced ease, instead opting to lean back in his chair and take a sip from the mug with a satisfied sigh. "What do you think?" he asked his partner. "Should we take another trip to the beach today? The sunset last night was rather pleasant, and there were some nice berry trees nearby."

Aggron shifted in his shady spot, slightly more interested now that they weren't talking about coffee.

Steven cupped his mug in both hands, looking down at the contents with a slightly rueful expression. "I have a feeling the days will be getting busier going forward... I doubt Mr. Montorzi would arrange all this to treat it like a resort getaway. He did mention something about events during his introduction speech last night."

When Aggron interrupted with a sarcastic snort, Steven scowled at him.

"I may have been tired at dinner but I paid attention, thank you. Still, we should take the opportunity to spend one afternoon relaxing and enjoying the scenery while we have the chance. No paperwork, no photo ops, no mandated battles--" he took another sip of his coffee and smiled. "It certainly has been a long time since we've had no obligations. Might as well make the most of it."

His partner stayed quiet and looked around the garden, letting his gaze linger meaningfully on the shady tree above. Steven laughed.

"We'll find a shady spot at the beach, too. The trees were nice and close near where the boat docked. Give me a minute to grab some reading material and we can head out."

Aggron grunted something petulant, but Steven was already headed back into the room to get ready.

-----

The sun was well on its way toward the horizon by the time Steven and Aggron made it to the beach. This was a good thing because the heat of the afternoon was cooling somewhat. But, this was also a bad thing because that meant all of Aggron's precious shade was dwindling as the sun dipped lower in the sky. He made sure Steven was very aware of the consequences of his choice of excursion with a grumpy stare the entire way along the tree line toward the only decent patch of shade he could find.

"It's not my fault this beach is facing west," Steven said as he settled down next to his partner, leaning against his side like a backrest. "The sunset in a few hours will be worth it."

Aggron rumbled a quiet disgruntled noise, but he was already beginning to forgive Steven. The sound of the waves against the shore were soothing; it reminded him of warm summer nights at their house back in Mossdeep. Soon, the gentle sound of Aggron's snores mixed with the waves, and Steven tucked into the scientific journal he'd brought with an easy smile on his face. Now this was a vacation.

 

[Flyg0n]

Hayes let out a long sigh as he wandered down the beach, sand between his toes, his Nosepass waddling ahead, and small shovel resting against his shoulder. The setting sun made Nosepass golden stone body shine particularly handsomely.

It felt good to be out here, in the peace and quiet. Several trainers on his boat had tried to ask him about his Nosepass, including that girl who had a shiny Grumpig. Nosepass never minded the attention much but he always felt weird explaining that no, he wasn't hunting shiny pokemon and no, he didn't want have "tips" for finding shiny pokemon. And no, Nosepass wasn't looking to join a new trainer (although a few times Nosepass tried to act like he wanted to start a bidding war).

A rumble from Nosepass distracted him from his thoughts and he looked down. "Find anything Nosepass?"

Nosepass pointed at a spot in the sand with his nose.

Hayes grinned and starting digging. A moment later his shovel struck something. He carefully brushed the sand away to find what appeared to be the buckle of an old belt. "Nice," he said with a chuckle. He tucked it in his pocket and continued down the beach in the same manner.

In the distance, he spotted a trainer and an Aggron. That was odd, he didn't expect to see a steel-type near the sea. Perhaps it was just hanging out with its trainer. Shrugging, he continued walking, not intending to disturb them.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven gently closed the paper he'd been reading and leaned his head back against Aggron's flank. He'd wanted to read about the newly discovered fossil beds in Kalos, but gods the author had been so dry.


"How can you make a paper about ancient pokemon boring?" he muttered to himself.

The paper was starting to put him to sleep, so instead he let his gaze wander toward the water, his head slowly rising and falling in time with Aggron's breathing. He could feel his eyelids growing heavy, but then he caught the glint of something in the corner of his eye. Something... gold?

Steven sat upright and peered down the beach. Suddenly he wasn't so sleepy any more. It was unmistakable; that was a shiny Nosepass wandering down the sand. A young man with a shovel followed along behind him, presumably the Nosepass's trainer. Steven watched as the pair made their way methodically down the beach, stopping every so often to dig in the sand.

They were almost past where Steven was sitting when he made the decision to stand up and head toward them with a friendly wave. Roxanne would be so jealous right now.


"Hello!" he called out, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I couldn't help but admire your Nosepass here. He's a very fine looking specimen."

He knew he was being forward by disturbing the pair on their beach outing (he had wanted a peaceful afternoon himself), but the hope that he had run into someone else who had an appreciation of rock type pokemon was too great to pass up.

 

[Flyg0n]

Hayes jumped a little as the other trainer called out to him. He'd been so absorbed watching Nosepass he'd missed Steven waving. "Oh, hello!" he said, giving a small wave with his free hand. "Uh, thank you," he added awkwardly. At least they hadn't opened with 'Oh my goodness where did you find him' or some other variant.

"That's a.. thats a very nice Aggron," Hayes added. He fidgeted, then asked, "Are you a rock-type trainer?"

Nosepass seemed quite pleased by the attention, even more so than his trainer. He struck a pose, the sun gleaming off his golden body, them rumbled in greeting.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"May I?" asked Steven before kneeling down to inspect Nosepass up close. The mineral deposits in his rocky body caught the sunlight just right, and the magnetic field around its nose was quite strong. He really was a beautiful pokemon, and well cared for, too.

"That's a.. thats a very nice Aggron," Hayes added. He fidgeted, then asked, "Are you a rock-type trainer?"

Still kneeling, Steven replied, "In a way, yes. Most people say my specialty is with steel types, but I'm rather fond of rock types as well."

Satisfied in his examination of the thoroughly-pleased Nosepass, Steven rose and brushed the sand from his pants. "Aggron's a little bit of both." He glanced back up to where his partner was still blissfully napping.


"My name is Steven," he said, extending a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet someone else who shares an appreciation for the type."

He glanced at the shovel the trainer was carrying. It reminded him of the Gym Leader in Canalave, always at the ready to find something interesting in Sinnoh's mines. Perhaps this trainer and his partner had a nose for adventure, too. "Hunting for anything in particular?" he asked.

 

[Flyg0n]

Nosepass all too delighted to oblige, turning to show off. It was always good to meet a human with good taste.

"It's nice to meet you, Steven. My name's uh, Hayes." He shook Steven's hand. "Yeah rock-types are my favorite. I like to travel a lot to study them. And we're just here because Nosepass and I like to comb the beach together. Sometimes we find interesting trinkets but mostly its just fun to find stuff people forgot." Hm, he'd rambled too much hadn't he? He tucked his hand into his pocket and glanced over at Aggron.

"What about you guys?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Nosepass all too delighted to oblige, turning to show off. It was always good to meet a human with good taste.

"It's nice to meet you, Steven. My name's uh, Hayes." He shook Steven's hand. "Yeah rock-types are my favorite. I like to travel a lot to study them. And we're just here because Nosepass and I like to comb the beach together. Sometimes we find interesting trinkets but mostly its just fun to find stuff people forgot." Hm, he'd rambled too much hadn't he? He tucked his hand into his pocket and glanced over at Aggron.

"What about you guys?"

"Hayes, the pleasure is all mine," said Steven, but he was already fixated on what else Hayes had said. "You travel to study rock types? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested to pick your brain about what you've learned in your travels. I'm a bit of a traveler myself, you see."


"It's a bit late in the day now, but if it's not too forward of me, would you be interested in joining me for a hike tomorrow? I spotted some interesting tunnels on Mt. Moxie this morning, and it might offer some things to find as well."

He glanced down at Hayes's Nosepass to see if maybe he could not-so-subtly convince him to give the trainer a little more motivation to accept his offer. Then again, he sneaked a peek back up to where Aggron was beginning to stir from his nap. If the steel type was listening in right now, he was sure he'd be getting a warning glare that said, "Stop inviting people on hikes just to talk about rocks."


"Ah, that is if you don't already have plans, that is."

Still, Steven was hopeful that Hayes might say yes.

-----


Aggron woke up with a small snort, suddenly aware that the weight against his side was conspicuously absent. He sat up in alarm, seeing only Steven's shoes in the spot where he'd been sitting. Where could his trainer have gone--?


Oh. There he was. Standing on the beach next to a shiny Nosepass practically vibrating with excitement.

Aggron sighed, secretly hoping Steven wasn't weirding someone else out with a passionate speech about rocks. Or stones. Or steel types. The Nosepass he was talking with seemed rather pleased, but the human trainer... He looked a bit more unsure.

Well, Aggron wasn't sure if his presence would improve his trainer's odds of making a new friend. So instead he rolled over and yawned, drawing in a big breath of the fresh beach air. Berries, ocean salt, warm sand... and...? He sniffed again. Was that something else?

[[use **Odor Sleuth**]]
@Flyg0n

 

[Flyg0n]

Nosepass nodded eagerly, bobbing its whole body. After a few moments consideration, Hayes nodded. "Uh sure, yeah. That sounds nice. Nosepass and I wanted to check those caves out too so if Nosepass says yes, what can I do?" he laughed awkwardly. Still, Steven seemed to be really nice. Maybe it would be fun. "Tomorrow morning then."

----

The beach carried many scents. Nosepass and Hayes, and the very faint odors of others trainers who'd passed by. A few lingering scents of wild pokemon as well. Yet there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

Aggron used Odor Sleuth! But nothing happened!

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Nosepass nodded eagerly, bobbing its whole body. After a few moments consideration, Hayes nodded. "Uh sure, yeah. That sounds nice. Nosepass and I wanted to check those caves out too so if Nosepass says yes, what can I do?" he laughed awkwardly. Still, Steven seemed to be really nice. Maybe it would be fun. "Tomorrow morning then."

"Fantastic! I look forward to it. Let's plan to meet at the cafe after breakfast."

With a final goodbye to both Hayes and Nosepass, Steven made his way back up the beach to where Aggron was waiting. Yes, this was going to be a good two weeks.

----

The beach carried many scents. Nosepass and Hayes, and the very faint odors of others trainers who'd passed by. A few lingering scents of wild pokemon as well. Yet there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

Aggron sniffed again... Was that... roasted figy berries? The scent made his mouth water. The sun was almost to the horizon now; time for dinner. He caught sight of Steven coming up from the beach, stupid grin plastered on his face. Aggron almost didn't want to ask (and half the time he didn't have to, Steven would tell him anyway.)

"I met a very interesting trainer just now," he said, still beaming, "and his very interesting Nosepass. We're going for another hike tomorrow morning, this time to those tunnels we saw today."

Aggron growled a noise of displeasure. There it was.

"We're not going before breakfast if that's what you're worried about." Steven patted his partner on the arm. "You can sleep in a bit tomorrow, but not too late. I have a feeling we won't have too much more free time on this trip."

Aggron relented with a huff, sniffing again at the tantalizing figy berry scent. To his credit, Steven at least got the hint.


"Ah, it's getting late isn't it? Let's enjoy the walk back to the main hall for some dinner. We came here for the sunset and made a new acquaintance out of it. I'd say it was worth the trip, wouldn't you?"


Yeah, Aggron supposed it had been worth it. He got that nice nap he'd been wanting, so it wasn't a total loss. He followed Steven's gaze out over the water as his trainer gathered up his belongings. Aggron's tail swished in the cool sand contentedly. The view wasn't half bad either. He shook the sand off his belly and plodded down the beach after his partner. Dinner always tasted better after a nap.

<><><><><>​

 

[Flyg0n]

But before anything can be done about the mysterious note...

The day dawns quiet and peaceful, like the previous one. Many of the trainers seem relaxed and at ease. Some head to the cafe for breakfast, others seek out training rooms or choose to explore. Despite the gray clouds on the horizon, the island is pleasantly sunny for the time being.

However, it is not long before that peace is shattered...

A loud, shrill scream pierces the still morning air. By its tone, it sounds like the cry of a young girl. It seems the scream came from the direction of the beach.

Upon arrival, the beach seems empty, but there are signs of a struggle not far from the edge of the woods. The sand is disturbed and a small stretch of it has been turned to glass, as if a fire-type attack had struck it. The pawprints of a Drampa can be seen in the sand, alongside small prints like those of a young girl... Combined with the lack of seeing Reena and her Drampa at breakfast, there is only one dreadful conclusion - Something has happened to Reena and Drampa!

OOC note:

Spoiler

A few reminders:

-So for the sake of keeping everything organized and making sure I don’t miss anything, please do not forget to ping me for investigation powers, and write them in bold so it's easy for me to see!
-Try to keep things unchaotic (concise posts when possible and bold the investigation power you want to use, etc)
-Try to avoid double posting - if you have posted once, wait until I have made a reply, especially if you’re using a power. This is mainly to allow me time to reply properly :coolbat:
-Take caution to avoid unintentionally implying any details not mentioned by the GM, or having your characters see any clues or NPCs not explicitly mentioned in flavor/reply to investigations. If the flavor is unclear, please ask for clarification!

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion was already on-edge from the creepy note under his door, so when he heard the scream, he reacted more dramatically that he may have otherwise.

He and Hazel ran to the location of the scream, and his fear proved worthwhile. Her and the Drampa’s footprints disappeared, and with signs of a struggle.

He stopped Hazel from getting any closer. He wanted to stay far enough off that it would be apparent he wasn’t involved until someone else arrived. He’d seen enough cases in that lawyer game where the first witness had been accused by the second witness, after all.

For the second time that day, he really wished he had his phone connected to the network here. It would be great to be able to contact Laura or the other Hazel.

 

[Hanafuda]

Jack had questions running through his mind. What was the exact purpose of that note? It had to be some kind of riddle, right? Or coordinates? It couldn’t have been a regular poem.

The moment he, Seb and Zack read that note, he tried to guess what it could mean. He couldn’t help but think during breakfast. Besides, the Farfetch’d was the only one who thought about it, whilst Seb and Zack were relaxing at the cafe. Maybe the Pidgeotto was right—he must’ve been looking too deep into these small things.

However, midway through breakfast, they heard the shrill scream. They finished their meals quickly and ran towards the beach, where they found Drampa’s footprints on the sand as well as small grains of glass.

“What happened here?” Seb asked, confused.

“This is pretty weird,” Zack muttered, looking around.

“Uh, is that glass?” Seb pointed at the glassy grains nearby.

“There had to be a battle happening here,” Jack said, examining the footprints and glass from afar.

“Uh, duh,” Zack replied sarcastically. “What else could’ve happened, a circus show?” He looked away for a moment. “Then again, I hope that’s what happened…”

 

[Sinderella]

Odette had made the decision to sleep in today. She deserved it. She was in need of a solid rest. A good night's rest for a new good day. It was weird enough that she'd been slipped this cryptic note in the middle of the night, but she felt her blood run cold at the sound of the shriek she was met with when she left her dorm building to head to breakfast.

"What the--"

The words had barely left her mouth before she broke into a sprint, following the noise down to the beach. She didn't need to say anything to Enora or Odile, because they were right at her heels.


"̶O̴H̷ ̴B̷O̵Y̶,̸ ̶I̴ ̴H̸O̷P̵E̶ ̸S̶O̵M̴E̸ ̸S̸H̵M̵U̶C̶K̵ ̵G̵O̵T̵ ̸T̶H̸E̴I̴R̶ ̴A̸S̸S̴ ̶H̵A̵N̵D̸E̷D̵ ̶T̴O̸ ̷T̴H̷E̴M̵.̸"̶ What a fabulous way to start the day. Well rested after her iconic rap routine, and a morning fight. Or worse! This vacation was getting better and better by the day.


"You really need to get your priorities straight," Enora grumbled. She wasn't feeling particularly good about this, and Odile's gleefulness about it wasn't helping. She'd woken up to the sound of something being slid under their door, only to be met with such a strange note. Something about Solgaleo? And Dauntless Shield? What did that have to do with anything?

And now, somebody was screaming bloody murder. She didn't like it one bit.


Upon making it down to the beach, it became all too evident something bad had happened. Signs of struggle, the Drampa tracks, human tracks, and...was that residue of a fire-type move? What the fuck had happened? And who screamed?

Odette unfurled the note she'd unintentionally crushed in her grip as she ran, eyes roving over the words. Solgaleo...take shelter...what?

"Enora, can you get an Aura Reading on the area?" @Flyg0n

 

[Flyg0n]

View attachment 3260
Odette had made the decision to sleep in today. She deserved it. She was in need of a solid rest. A good night's rest for a new good day. It was weird enough that she'd been slipped this cryptic note in the middle of the night, but she felt her blood run cold at the sound of the shriek she was met with when she left her dorm building to head to breakfast.

"What the--"

The words had barely left her mouth before she broke into a sprint, following the noise down to the beach. She didn't need to say anything to Enora or Odile, because they were right at her heels.

View attachment 3261
"̶O̴H̷ ̴B̷O̵Y̶,̸ ̶I̴ ̴H̸O̷P̵E̶ ̸S̶O̵M̴E̸ ̸S̸H̵M̵U̶C̶K̵ ̵G̵O̵T̵ ̸T̶H̸E̴I̴R̶ ̴A̸S̸S̴ ̶H̵A̵N̵D̸E̷D̵ ̶T̴O̸ ̷T̴H̷E̴M̵.̸"̶ What a fabulous way to start the day. Well rested after her iconic rap routine, and a morning fight. Or worse! This vacation was getting better and better by the day.

View attachment 3262
"You really need to get your priorities straight," Enora grumbled. She wasn't feeling particularly good about this, and Odile's gleefulness about it wasn't helping. She'd woken up to the sound of something being slid under their door, only to be met with such a strange note. Something about Solgaleo? And the Dauntless Shield? What did that have to do with anything?

And now, somebody was screaming bloody murder. She didn't like it one bit.

View attachment 3260
Upon making it down to the beach, it became all too evident something bad had happened. Signs of struggle, the Drampa tracks, human tracks, and...was that residue of a fire-type move? What the fuck had happened? And who screamed?

Odette unfurled the note she'd unintentionally crushed in her grip as she ran, eyes roving over the words. Solgaleo...take shelter...what?

"Enora, can you get an Aura Reading on the area?" @Flyg0n

Enora scanned the area! Enora sensed something!

Yes.... It's faint, very faint, but there's definitely something there...

There's the slightest trace of psychic energy in the air!

 

[IFBench]

Gen was clutching tightly onto Coleane's neck, as the Tropius rushed into the area. She scanned around, eyes wide in horror.

Something very bad had happened here.

Even as more people arrived to the glassy scar on the beach, Gen didn't feel any safer. This island wasn't safe. What if one of them was next? There could be a killer among them! Heck, it could have been Wes, he said he wanted to kill humans! Who's to say he hadn't took out the girl with the Drampa?!

His breathing kept getting faster, and faster, until Coleane draped a wing over him, a serious look on her face.

"We'll figure this out," she said. But will they? What had happened to the human and the Drampa?

"We...w-we need to go. We can't stay here. Th-this island isn't safe. We all need t-to flee," Gen said. He hesitated, then hopped off of Coleane. He dug into his bag, and took out Veri's Dagger. Hopefully he'd be able to save everyone here from meeting a similar fate to the girl and the Drampa. He sliced the dagger through the air, and reality tore. A tiny sliver opened, a portal to another world. But it was so small, even a Joltik couldn't fit through it, and not even a second later, it closed back up.

"H-huh?" He yelped, and tried slicing again. This time, no portal opened up at all. "I-it's not working!"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven had a forkful of eggs on the way to his mouth when he heard the scream.

Aggron's head shot up in alarm from where he was devouring a plate of berry crepes.

Both of them looked toward the cafe's open windows, where the view looked down towards the beach.


"That didn't sound good," Steven muttered.
Beside him, Aggron was tense, a growl rolling in his throat.

With a regretful glance around the cafe (Steven still hadn't spotted Hayes this morning, though he did say after breakfast...) Steven rose and made as quickly as he could for the beach.

-----

Once there, Steven saw several other guests had already assembled around an area near the tree line, not too dissimilar to where he and Aggron spent the afternoon the previous day.

As he neared the group, he saw his first glimpse at what the others were already murmuring about.

The sand was churned up as if several humans or pokemon had gone through. And not on a casual walk either. There were some large prints that Steven didn't recognize, but others were smaller, as if made by someone much younger. But the most striking thing was the streak of glass from where the sand had been melted together.


"What's going on here?" he asked. "Is everyone alright?"

He couldn't see signs of anyone present having been hurt, but Aggron was already in full protective mode, bristling and scanning the area for any more signs of danger.

 

[Sinderella]

Yes.... It's faint, very faint, but there's definitely something there...

Odette narrowed her eyes and glanced back down at the note.

"So I coincidentally get a note about Solgaleo, somebody goes missing, and there's psychic energy in the air," she muttered to herself.

Motherfucker. She was back on her sleuthing bullshit again. Where was Noel when she needed him? She'd need to text Laura...

In the meantime, she held up her crumpled note. Might as well see what was up with that first. "Did anybody get some cryptic shit under their door last night, or am I the lucky one?" she called out sarcastically.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion crossed his arms. “So,
I’m developing a hunch that our buddy with a Scisor didn’t just leave like we’d thought. In that case, this should be the second time this has happened. Unless anyone else has found mysterious scorch marks, the fire was probably Drampa’s.”

"What's going on here?" he asked. "Is everyone alright?"

[Something bad], Hazel signed.

Something bad,” Gladion translated, “but it was over by the time we got here.”

She held up her crumpled note. "Did anybody get some cryptic shit under their door last night, or am I the lucky one?" she called out sarcastically.

“The verbose one telling us to meet at the security place at noon? Yeah. Got that.”

 

[Hanafuda]

As Zack kept looking around, he noticed Odette nearby. He jumped back in shock, wings in a defensive position. “Wah! It’s the angry lady from the boat! Don’t come closer, or I’ll take you down!”

“Huh?” Jack looked to where Zack was looking, noticing Odette and her Pokémon. His eyes widened in worry. “Oh no. Not again…”