Water Veil Cove

[Sinderella]

A strangled noise of perhaps shock and despair...? Not from the man and his Mightyena, but another figure, standing some yards away. A nervous gangly one accompanied by a familiar golden rock pokemon... Hayes looking distressed, rubbing frantically at his eyes.

Odette had woken up early to get the fuck out of the infirmary. Really, she just wanted to get back to her room. Her burn was fine, she was fine, so she could go back to her room. Nurse Joy could yell at her later.

As she left, she noticed one of the rooms--the one with the guy Odile liked and his Mightyena friend--was empty. Probably bounced early too.

She didn't get very far before a scream rung in her ears. She tried to tell herself it was the cry of a Pokemon at first, but she couldn't get just how human it sounded out of her head.

I need to stay away from it. Need to keep my head down.

But, something in her gut told her she needed to follow the sound.


"Fuck."

She motioned to Enora and Odile, and they sprinted for the cove.

They were cautious as they arrived, tiptoeing over the sand, eyes open and ears alert. It wasn't until they rounded past a some trees that a skinny trainer and his yellow Pokemon came into view. It looked like...a Nosepass.

She continued to move slow, as to not freak him out more. Because even from the brush, she could see he was shaking.

She nudged Enora with her foot. "You're the least imposing. Go first."

Meanwhile, she grabbed Odile by the arm. "Don't. Fucking. Move. From this spot."


With an annoyed breath, she reformed into her tumbleweed form. "̷S̷a̵y̷ ̴l̸e̴s̵s̸.̴ ̷I̷'̷m̷ ̷g̷o̵i̶n̸g̶ ̷b̴a̶c̷k̷ ̶t̷o̶ ̷s̷l̴e̴e̷p̷.̴"̵


Enora wasn't sure how to combat that. So, she carefully stepped out, still keeping her distance away. Odette waited a beat, before peeking out behind her. She didn't need to try to make herself look startled; she was well there already.

"Excuse me. Are you alright? My trainer and I were going back to our dorm from the infirmary and heard you scream. Are you hurt?"

 

[Hanafuda]

“Villain?” Zack asked to no one in particular as he slid on the ground after landing into the cove. He raised his wings in a fighting position, ready for any attacks that might have been directed at him. He looked around frantically.

“Zack, please don’t jump to conclusions,” Jack said as he went to his side. He was rubbing his eyes for a few moments as he tried to stay more awake.

“But the bad guy was here, right? I heard something! Like a scream! Someone must’ve called for help!”

The Farfetch’d saw the others present in the area and raised his voice a bit. “What happened here?” he asked.

 

[Seren]

Another day, another morning of being awoken by a distressed scream.

Well, okay, it was only the second time, but it was unnerving that it had happened again.

Olivia paced in front of the door impatiently, her forehead gem still glowing watchfully, as Kimiko forced herself out of bed to get dressed. One of these days, she was going to get a proper night’s sleep. That’s what a vacation was for. Maybe she should try going to bed early for once instead of hoping to sleep in.

When she finally opened the door, Olivia bolted out ahead of her, stopping at the end of the corridor to spin in circles while her trainer caught up.

“What’s gotten into you?” Kimiko asked. Her espeon seemed far more desperate to get moving. In fact, Kimiko would have preferred not going to investigate at all. She figured that, just like last time, the deed would be done and a crowd gathered long before she got there. (Not that it had taken her that long to get dressed.) The only thing pushing her forward - besides Olivia’s urgency - was the idea she had the previous night. She considered just going and doing it on her own; it wasn’t nearly as dangerous as the body swap thing, it might hopefully provide them with the same desired result. Still though, after what happened yesterday, she wanted to at least let someone know what she was going to try. Maybe get Odette’s opinion, and more if she recognized anyone trustworthy.

As she walked cautiously behind Olivia, Kimiko overheard someone mentioning the cove. Was that where the scream came from?

Suddenly she felt just a bit more urgency, herself. Yesterday had not made the group look good to at least one mythical, and chances are more of them had learned what happened, too. But if this had happened at the cove… could Manaphy have done something in retaliation? She’d never have guessed Manaphy was a spiteful sort, but then again, she’d never met one.

She’d slowed to a walk as they neared the cove, telling Olivia to do the same. As expected, there was already a small crowd here, but it was far smaller than she’d have thought. She hovered towards the back of the group for now, listening in to try to gather information on what exactly happened before doing anything.

Still though, that didn’t mean she had to be idle; her Pokémon was way ahead of her.

“Olivia, sense anything?”

[[ @Flyg0n Aura Reading ]]

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion arrived tired and weary. He had long forgotten however he'd used to wake up at six in the morning. Even being up this early was painful. He was drinking bottled iced tea just for caffeine, and worse, it was possible at this rate that he'd turn to coffee.

This was already terrible in and of itself, but when he heard a shriek from the cove, he knew it meant... one of two thing, really, but even though he didn't know which, he was certain it would be bad either way.

Upon seeing the group of people, Hazel ran up to them, curious. Gladion was not in the mood for running, and followed slowly.

He deliberately sighed once he arrived. "D'it happen again?"

 

[HelloYellow17]

Breakfast. Breakfast first, then…something. Wes wasn’t sure what. It felt like things were spiraling and escalating faster than he could keep track of…he ran a hand through his hair and trudged towards the cafe, murmuring to Neo and Novo to keep as close to him as possible.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when his PDA suddenly buzzed. Since losing contact with Sherles and Duking, he’d gotten used to the quiet. Wes fumbled for the device and read the new text:

Hey. Kimiko here. Heard about what happened yesterday. What is going on?? Anyway I hope you’re recovering okay.

Wes let out a small breath. Normally he’d be irritated at unwarranted text messages, but…given the circumstances, he was glad to have some connections and support. He certainly didn’t like the idea of trying to survive this whole ordeal alone.

Though he couldn’t deny the small, quiet ache in his chest. For just the tiniest flicker of a second, he’d hoped that maybe, just maybe, the message had been from Rui…

He snorted bitterly and shoved the PDA back into his pocket. Idiot. Different universe or not, you’ll never hear from her.

That thought only made his chest ache more. He didn’t have time to wallow, though, because his PDA buzzed again. Wes frowned and pulled it back out. What now?

Another text from Kimiko:

Just got news. Someone else disappeared this morning. At the Cove. Please tell me you’re okay and didn’t disappear, too.

At the Cove? Again? First Reena, then yesterday, now this…surely it couldn’t just be a coincidence that two of the disappearances happened in the same place, right?

Wes gripped the PDA so tightly his hand shook. He suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore, but at least now he knew where to go. He fired back another text: on my way.

“There’s been another abduction, guys,” he said to the two at his feet. They both tensed and looked up at him, fur bristling and ears pinned back. “At the Cove again. We’re gonna go and see what we can find out.”

Neo straightened and barked an affirmative. Novo lashed his tail and let out a fierce growl, rings pulsing in anger.

“That’s right. Stay alert, be on your guard, and raise hell at the first sign of shady shit. Got it? And stay close. I don’t want either of you out of my sight for even a second, especially not after yesterday.”

And with that, the three made their way to the Cove.

 

[Inkedust]

Ayumi had come to the cove for other reasons but she couldn't help the confused look on her face when she noticed the distressed gathering.

She bolted straight into the middle of the crowd, Dusana following not far behind. The latter not even bothering to hide in the former's shadow.

Dusana curled up around Ayumi protectively as she demanded, "What happened? Why are you all here?"

 

[Flyg0n]

View attachment 3720
Odette had woken up early to get the fuck out of the infirmary. Really, she just wanted to get back to her room. Her burn was fine, she was fine, so she could go back to her room. Nurse Joy could yell at her later.

As she left, she noticed one of the rooms--the one with the guy Odile liked and his Mightyena friend--was empty. Probably bounced early too.

She didn't get very far before a scream rung in her ears. She tried to tell herself it was the cry of a Pokemon at first, but she couldn't get just how human it sounded out of her head.

I need to stay away from it. Need to keep my head down.

But, something in her gut told her she needed to follow the sound.

View attachment 3721
"Fuck."

She motioned to Enora and Odile, and they sprinted for the cove.

They were cautious as they arrived, tiptoeing over the sand, eyes open and ears alert. It wasn't until they rounded past a some trees that a skinny trainer and his yellow Pokemon came into view. It looked like...a Nosepass.

She continued to move slow, as to not freak him out more. Because even from the brush, she could see he was shaking.

She nudged Enora with her foot. "You're the least imposing. Go first."

Meanwhile, she grabbed Odile by the arm. "Don't. Fucking. Move. From this spot."

View attachment 3723
With an annoyed breath, she reformed into her tumbleweed form. "̷S̷a̵y̷ ̴l̸e̴s̵s̸.̴ ̷I̷'̷m̷ ̷g̷o̵i̶n̸g̶ ̷b̴a̶c̷k̷ ̶t̷o̶ ̷s̷l̴e̴e̷p̷.̴"̵

View attachment 3722
Enora wasn't sure how to combat that. So, she carefully stepped out, still keeping her distance away. Odette waited a beat, before peeking out behind her. She didn't need to try to make herself look startled; she was well there already.

"Excuse me. Are you alright? My trainer and I were going back to our dorm from the infirmary and heard you scream. Are you hurt?"

Hayes glanced over at the Sylveon, a dazed look in his eyes, pupils pinpricks like he'd stated into a light too long. Nosepass say on the ground next to him, looking frustrated.

"It's my fault..." Hayes whispered. He seemed to be speaking to himself more than Enora.

At his words, Nosepass made an angry grating sound. Hayes looked away. "It was still my fault."

“Villain?” Zack asked to no one in particular as he slid on the ground after landing into the cove. He raised his wings in a fighting position, ready for any attacks that might have been directed at him. He looked around frantically.

“Zack, please don’t jump to conclusions,” Jack said as he went to his side. He was rubbing his eyes for a few moments as he tried to stay more awake.

“But the bad guy was here, right? I heard something! Like a scream! Someone must’ve called for help!”

The Farfetch’d saw the others present in the area and raised his voice a bit. “What happened here?” he asked.

Wallace was not in the mental or physical or any sort of state to leave his one and only safe space on this godforsaken island. But Victoria was making him eat, and so he had to leave the infirmary.

Then there was a scream. From the cove. If this was a result of his foolery with Manafí...

He half ran, half staggered to the noise. There was a little boy and a shiny Nosepass, clearly in distress.

"What happened?!" Wallace stopped himself, took a deep breath, and asked again—more calmly this time. "Is everything okay?"

Another day, another morning of being awoken by a distressed scream.

Well, okay, it was only the second time, but it was unnerving that it had happened again.

Olivia paced in front of the door impatiently, her forehead gem still glowing watchfully, as Kimiko forced herself out of bed to get dressed. One of these days, she was going to get a proper night’s sleep. That’s what a vacation was for. Maybe she should try going to bed early for once instead of hoping to sleep in.

When she finally opened the door, Olivia bolted out ahead of her, stopping at the end of the corridor to spin in circles while her trainer caught up.

“What’s gotten into you?” Kimiko asked. Her espeon seemed far more desperate to get moving. In fact, Kimiko would have preferred not going to investigate at all. She figured that, just like last time, the deed would be done and a crowd gathered long before she got there. (Not that it had taken her that long to get dressed.) The only thing pushing her forward - besides Olivia’s urgency - was the idea she had the previous night. She considered just going and doing it on her own; it wasn’t nearly as dangerous as the body swap thing, it might hopefully provide them with the same desired result. Still though, after what happened yesterday, she wanted to at least let someone know what she was going to try. Maybe get Odette’s opinion, and more if she recognized anyone trustworthy.

As she walked cautiously behind Olivia, Kimiko overheard someone mentioning the cove. Was that where the scream came from?

Suddenly she felt just a bit more urgency, herself. Yesterday had not made the group look good to at least one mythical, and chances are more of them had learned what happened, too. But if this had happened at the cove… could Manaphy have done something in retaliation? She’d never have guessed Manaphy was a spiteful sort, but then again, she’d never met one.

She’d slowed to a walk as they neared the cove, telling Olivia to do the same. As expected, there was already a small crowd here, but it was far smaller than she’d have thought. She hovered towards the back of the group for now, listening in to try to gather information on what exactly happened before doing anything.

Still though, that didn’t mean she had to be idle; her Pokémon was way ahead of her.

“Olivia, sense anything?”

[[ @Flyg0n Aura Reading ]]

Olivia scanned the area! The area is bursting with aura signatures! They're all overlapping! Traces of dark energy, normal, psychic and a pulse of fighting energy, as if from a strong attack.

The dark energy could be from Mightyena, but what about the rest?...

Gladion arrived tired and weary. He had long forgotten however he'd used to wake up at six in the morning. Even being up this early was painful. He was drinking bottled iced tea just for caffeine, and worse, it was possible at this rate that he'd turn to coffee.

This was already terrible in and of itself, but when he heard a shriek from the cove, he knew it meant... one of two thing, really, but even though he didn't know which, he was certain it would be bad either way.

Upon seeing the group of people, Hazel ran up to them, curious. Gladion was not in the mood for running, and followed slowly.

He deliberately sighed once he arrived. "D'it happen again?"

"Our kidnapper has struck again," Caden said soberly, addressing the assembled trainers. "I believe..."

"It took that guy with the Mightyena." Toby grimaced ruefully. "And we're no closer to answers." Regalia, hovering at his side, gave a furious snarl.

That much was evident, judging by the scene of the crime. Mightyena tracks leading to the area, and a flurry of them around, alongside human shoe prints.

Further away, at the fringes of the group of trainers gawking, stood Noro and Blair. As soon as they saw the area, they started to leave, going seperate paths, but were almost immediately stopped by the appearance on Officer Jenny and Victor riding on his Arcanine.

"Nobody leaves the area!" Victor called out, his voice commanding and firm. He was backed up by a fierce bark from Pyre the Arcanine. "Not until we get a chance to speak to each of you. Understand?"

Some of the trainers around murmured anxiously, but stayed put.

 

[Sinderella]

Hayes glanced over at the Sylveon, a dazed look in his eyes, pupils pinpricks like he'd stated into a light too long. Nosepass say on the ground next to him, looking frustrated.

"It's my fault..." Hayes whispered. He seemed to be speaking to himself more than Enora.

At his words, Nosepass made an angry grating sound. Hayes looked away. "It was still my fault."

"It-it's okay," she cooed as she stepped closer. "Take a deep breath. What was your fault? Are you hurt?"

She glanced toward the Nosepass, tilting her head solemnly. "Can I assist in any way?"

"Our kidnapper has struck again," Caden said soberly, addressing the assembled trainers. "I believe..."

"It took that guy with the Mightyena." Toby grimaced ruefully. "And we're no closer to answers." Regalia, hovering at his side, gave a furious snarl.

Shit. He hadn't just got up and left the infirmary. He was snatched away entirely. Now the fuckers were coming for their group too?!

From her spot near the perimeter of the gathering, she eyed Toby and Regalia. Had they seen what happened? Did they watch that guy and the Mightyena get grabbed? Were they with that scrawny trainer and the Nosepass? And who the hell was that guy announcing this shit like it wasn't blatantly obvious? They didn't need a fucking sports caster for this, they needed answers.

"What the fuck," she muttered under her breath.

Further away, at the fringes of the group of trainers gawking, stood Noro and Blair. As soon as they saw the area, they started to leave, going seperate paths, but were almost immediately stopped by the appearance on Officer Jenny and Victor riding on his Arcanine.

"Nobody leaves the area!" Victor called out, his voice commanding and firm. He was backed up by a fierce bark from Pyre the Arcanine. "Not until we get a chance to speak to each of you. Understand?"

Some of the trainers around murmured anxiously, but stayed put.

She decided to take a cursory glance around. Once more, everyone had begun to gather, and once more, she noticed Blair and the Alakazam trainer more toward the fringes of the gathering circle. Both of them turned heel to bolt, until they were interrupted by one of the cops, finally riding up to do something.

Oh, so NOW they were going to hold everyone for questioning? Fucking lovely.


Enora's ears perked at the sound of Victor and Pyre. She thoughtfully sat down before Hayes and Nosepass, deciding it was best she stay put, lest she accidentally stir the scene more.

"Of course, Officer," she said. "I only just got here, but I'll cooperate however you may need."

She hovered towards the back of the group for now, listening in to try to gather information on what exactly happened before doing anything.

It was a good thing Odette had decided to sent Enora first; much calmer than just rushing in like the rest of some of these trainers had. She continued her look around, until her eyes landed on Kimiko. Without thinking twice, she made her way over to the girl, shooting a look back
toward the bush where she'd left Odile sitting. She'd yet to hear another peep out of the eldritch terror, so it was safe to assume she was still there.

"Hey," she whispered toward the familiar blonde. She noticed Olivia nearby as she came to a halt at the girl's side. "Picking up on anything weird?"

 

[Dragonfree]

So much for that battle they'd been planning to have.

May clutched at Spirit's mane as they looked around the scene, heard the shouts.

Hayes glanced over at the Sylveon, a dazed look in his eyes, pupils pinpricks like he'd stated into a light too long. Nosepass say on the ground next to him, looking frustrated.

"It's my fault..." Hayes whispered. He seemed to be speaking to himself more than Enora.

At his words, Nosepass made an angry grating sound. Hayes looked away. "It was still my fault."

"What?" she asked, marching up to the trainer with the Nosepass. "What do you mean by that?"

 

[Hanafuda]

"Our kidnapper has struck again," Caden said soberly, addressing the assembled trainers. "I believe..."

"It took that guy with the Mightyena." Toby grimaced ruefully. "And we're no closer to answers." Regalia, hovering at his side, gave a furious snarl.

Zack glared and groaned in frustration to the ceiling. “I thought I was gonna see the baddy! I even came here ASAP!”

“No use dwelling on that now,” Jack said, tapping the Pidgeotto’s shoulder a few times. “We just have to do what we can.”

"Nobody leaves the area!" Victor called out, his voice commanding and firm. He was backed up by a fierce bark from Pyre the Arcanine. "Not until we get a chance to speak to each of you. Understand?"

“Oh, boy. The Useless Squad is here…” muttered Zack, crossing his wings and giving a disapproving glare.

“Not in front of them, please!” The Farfetch’d placed a wing over his friend’s beak. The last thing he wanted was for Zack to raise suspicion.

 

[Seren]

"Hey," she whispered toward the familiar blonde. She noticed Olivia nearby as she came to a halt at the girl's side. "Picking up on anything weird?"

Kimiko smiled at the girl as she approached. There was something comforting in seeing s familiar face. “Hey, glad to see you up and about so quickly. That burn feeling any better?”

Olivia let out a trill as she looked up at the two women. Kimiko could feel something from her, like she was trying to speak telekinetically, but she had never really mastered it the way Koyomi had.

“She’s definitely got a read on something, some kind of aura in the air,” the blonde said, and she focused on her espeon. “I can’t tell… Olivia, send me pictures. What types?”

An image of an espeon flashed through her mind. Then an alakazam. Them a hypno. “Okay, psychic. Anything else?” A couple more, images of various Pokémon before Olivia stopped. Kimiko turned back to Odette. “Interesting… there’s also normal, dark, and a hint of fighting-type aura? Lots of psychic types can learn focus blast,” she concluded. But what about the normal aura? That could be anything!

“Oh, also,” Kimiko added, “this is is somewhat related I guess. I was going to text you later about it but since you’re here, you got a minute? I had a thought that I wanted to get your opinion on. I think you were on a good track going after Manaphy, and I have another plan.”

 

[Sinderella]

“Hey, glad to see you up and about so quickly. That burn feeling any better?”

Her hand instinctively traveled to her arm, covered now by her jacket and the compression sleeve she'd pulled back into place. "Not sure what she put on me but it's all good," she said. "Like it was never even hurting." And no needles had been needed, thank gods.

“Okay, psychic. Anything else?” A couple more, images of various Pokémon before Olivia stopped. Kimiko turned back to Odette. “Interesting… there’s also normal, dark, and a hint of fighting-type aura? Lots of psychic types can learn focus blast,” she concluded. But what about the normal aura? That could be anything!

Psychic. That was expected. But what had come next...

Dark type probably came from the Mightyena. Then again, one of the loudmouths who'd just spoken up had a Hydregion right fucking next to him. And somebody else was walking around with a Houndoom.

She shuddered ever so slightly at the thought.

As for the fighting aura, there was a young looking kid walking around with a Blaziken. Not to mention, it had been implied that Marshadow had made itself present around here for the sake of this festival. But then the normal type...that could have truly been anybody. Most, if not all 'mon, had access to normal type Pokemon moves.

All of this was, of course, provided that no other outside 'mon had teleported in, if that teleportation theory was correct. Or no 'mon had simply learned different types of moves--that was equally as plausible, if not more so. No sane trainer taught their Pokemon all one type of move unless they were going for a true monotype team.

But, she was going on a tangent now.

"Mm," she hummed. "I can loosely point fingers for fighting and dark. Loosely." She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her left leg. "But normal? You might as well have found residue of every fucking Pokemon to ever live."

“Oh, also,” Kimiko added, “this is is somewhat related I guess. I was going to text you later about it but since you’re here, you got a minute? I had a thought that I wanted to get your opinion on. I think you were on a good track going after Manaphy, and I have another plan.”

Odette raised her eyebrows at the slight subject change. "You heard the coppers; none of us are going anywhere anytime soon. Shoot," she said.

She tilted her head at the mention of Manaphy, but she quickly became somewhat...smug.

"What, don't tell me you had an idea to go find Jirachi too?" she said in a forced chuckle. "If you're considering going mythic hunting again, we're going as a duo. Maybe a trio. I refuse to draw a crowd again."

Nobody else was going to get shot this trip. Unless they pulled a knife or some rabid 'mon on her.

Shaking her head, she stretched her arms above it, tucking her chin toward her chest for a deep shoulder stretch. She'd been in such a rush to get the fuck out of the infirmary, she hadn't done her wake up routine yet, and was feeling stiff as a result.

"But, do tell. I'm all ears."

 

[Hanafuda]

Zack held a Rotom Phone in his wings, typing out any important detail that was mentioned. He nodded along as he typed.

Jack looked at his friend in confusion. “You’re taking notes?”

“I’m not that dumb, you know.” The Pidgeotto glared at the Farfetch’d disapprovingly. “Besides, when it comes to gettin’ info, I trust the ladies over here than the canon fodder keepin’ us here.”

“You mean the police? Just please, be careful with what you say—they might start asking you questions.”

“Sorry, can’t avoid givin’ the stinkeye to those idiots.”

“Hmmmmmm!” Jack groaned with shaky, curled wings. “Can you please just stop it with the tantrum?”

Zack sighed, relieving some stress. “Okay. I’ll stop it with the cop shamin’. Don’t wanna look bad with the adults here.”

 

[Seren]

Mm," she hummed. "I can loosely point fingers for fighting and dark. Loosely." She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her left leg. "But normal? You might as well have found residue of every fucking Pokemon to ever live."

For a moment, Odette seemed to be looking around at the other Pokémon in the area, and Kimiko knew what she was thinking. “I mean, I don’t want to rule any of them out,” she said with a pointed look toward the rest of the gathered trainers, “but it makes most sense with the rest of our ‘yellow psychic’ theory. Mightyena is a dark type, which is strong against psychics. I figured the dark energy was probably from her putting up a defense, the way the dragon fire was probably Reena’s drampa. Makes sense then that the psychic would carry a fighting type move to combat its weakness.”

… She really needed to get a fairy move for Olivia.

“I don’t think either of those two fit the previous mold… unless we’re still assuming there’s multiple culprits, which… gods, we’re never going to solve this at that rate.”

"What, don't tell me you had an idea to go find Jirachi too?" she said in a forced chuckle. "If you're considering going mythic hunting again, we're going as a duo. Maybe a trio. I refuse to draw a crowd again."

Kimiko stated at her in surprise for a moment. “… That was plan B, actually,” she said with an awkward smile. And it was; Jirachi could supposedly grant wishes, so she thought maybe they could ask for one, or maybe make some kind of deal with it in exchange. But no, that was her backup idea.

“No, I was thinking I want to find Celebi.”

Odette was a smart girl. She probably picked up on exactly where Kimiko was heading, but she felt the need to… what? Explain? Defend herself? She didn’t miss the ‘we’ in there, and suddenly she was reminded why Odette wanted to do the swap herself. She didn’t want to ask anyone else to risk their safety for her own plan.

“So, hear me out. We already know where three of the disappearances happened. It might be complicated getting into Franklin’s room, but I could hide out here and follow whoever attacked Nate or Reena, see where they’re being held. Or at the very least, see if I can figure out exactly what happened to them and by who. Maybe stop them before it happens. And after yesterday, well… I didn’t want to just go off and do it and make everyone else think I’d been taken, too.”

 

[Sinderella]

“I mean, I don’t want to rule any of them out,” she said with a pointed look toward the rest of the gathered trainers, “but it makes most sense with the rest of our ‘yellow psychic’ theory. Mightyena is a dark type, which is strong against psychics. I figured the dark energy was probably from her putting up a defense, the way the dragon fire was probably Reena’s drampa. Makes sense then that the psychic would carry a fighting type move to combat its weakness.”

♪♪♪

That did make a lot of sense. Physical fire residue at the scene of Reena's disappearance, who was with her Drampa, and now there were traces of dark residue where somebody with a Mightyena had gotten jacked. And of course, why not carry a move to fight off anything that might stop you?

“I don’t think either of those two fit the previous mold… unless we’re still assuming there’s multiple culprits, which… gods, we’re never going to solve this at that rate.

She sighed to herself. "I'm not off the topic of multiple culprits. Especially considering..."

She turned her gaze onto the scrawny trainer and the Nosepass. "Odile told me that the Roserade trainer only said she saw something yellow. Or gold. No shape, no nothing. Who's to say it is a yellow psychic type, and not a yellow 'mon with psychic help?"

However, her hands soon traveled to her hips. That guy didn't look like an evil mastermind. From the way he was trembling and spouting off about 'it was his fault' and whatever...

Her index finger traveled to her lip as her eyes lit up, recalling a conversation that had been had in her Monotype class. The day they'd been discussing rock-types. "Or," she gasped to herself. "I'm stuck on that clue. Maybe..." she droned on, "the normal type residue was the defense..."

She whipped out her phone and began to scroll through it frantically, eyes scrunched in concentration. It took a few minutes, but she finally found what she was looking for.

A photo. Of her classmate's notes. From all those years ago, when she still actively attended trainer school. They were training a Nosepass, and had so graciously offered her a list of the first ten moves they naturally learned at a young age.

"Young Nosepass have the capacity to learn 'Block.' That's a normal type move, is it not?"

Could that be why he was freaking out? He wasn't the culprit, but he'd tried to help?

"Maybe there is only one culprit. Or I'm simply having suspicions over the wrong Pokemon."

Kimiko stated at her in surprise for a moment. “… That was plan B, actually,” she said with an awkward smile. And it was; Jirachi could supposedly grant wishes, so she thought maybe they could ask for one, or maybe make some kind of deal with it in exchange. But no, that was her backup idea.

“No, I was thinking I want to find Celebi.”

Odette was a smart girl. She probably picked up on exactly where Kimiko was heading, but she felt the need to… what? Explain? Defend herself? She didn’t miss the ‘we’ in there, and suddenly she was reminded why Odette wanted to do the swap herself. She didn’t want to ask anyone else to risk their safety for her own plan.

“So, hear me out. We already know where three of the disappearances happened. It might be complicated getting into Franklin’s room, but I could hide out here and follow whoever attacked Nate or Reena, see where they’re being held. Or at the very least, see if I can figure out exactly what happened to them and by who. Maybe stop them before it happens. And after yesterday, well… I didn’t want to just go off and do it and make everyone else think I’d been taken, too.”

She turned back toward Kimiko. Before long, she smirked.

"Huh. We might actually be parallels. Celebi was my plan B."

She went back and forth with it as she tried to fall asleep. She figured it'd be best to run it by somebody who wasn't a fucking idiot or shady, at least to get it out in the open. "Celebi's time abilities could very well be helpful, but Manaphy was blocked from the body swap. Who's to say Celebi couldn't be blocked from using their time abilities? Or have them manipulated to show something different? Manaphy isn't all-powerful and was able to be intercepted, so I'm sure Celebi would be in the same vein. Jirachi too, of course. But...a wish is a wish. Would anybody be able to fuck with a wish before they even knew what the wish is?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion crossed his arms. "Sounds like there was a longer struggle than last time. I think we can make a good inference about three of four of those moves, at least. Lots of normal moves out there. Could have been either the kidnapper or the Mightyena. The dark move is logically from the Mightyena. The psychic move has to be Teleport again, because psychic attacks would be nullified. The fighting would be an energy-based fighting move, because a psychic attack would be useless."

 

[Flyg0n]

"It-it's okay," she cooed as she stepped closer. "Take a deep breath. What was your fault? Are you hurt?"

She glanced toward the Nosepass, tilting her head solemnly. "Can I assist in any way?"

"No," Nosepass rumbled in reply, voice dull. "Not anymore." There was a lethargy to its tone, a finality.

Hayes just kept shaking his head. He seemed unhurt, at least physically, though it was clear enough that he seemed lost in his own thoughts... "Never mind... I shold have known better." He absently patted Nosepass.

"What?" she asked, marching up to the trainer with the Nosepass. "What do you mean by that?"

Hayes looked up in surprise, then flinched at the sight of May. "I-" he glanced between her and Enora, then shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry, don't worry about me." His tone was forced, though he didn't seem deceptive or shifty. Just distressed.

--

In the meantime, Amara had arrived with Hypno, as did Xavian. Both seemed to be taking stock of the scene, speaking to trainers, and particularly, scanning the area for more danger.

Victoria approached Victor, calmly but attentively.

(“Do you have any idea as to what is going on?”) she asked him and Arcanine. (“Any information? Who got kidnapped? Where? Is there anything we can look out for so we can be safe? More importantly, is the infirmary safe?”)

"The Infirmary is safe for the time being," Victor replied, his tone authoritative. "Nurse Joy is no pushover, nor or the other pokemon there. And Bao is keeping an eyes on things." It seemed that in the past day, the officers made some attempt to organize themselves. "Right now our best theory is something that can teleport. There's no strong evidence its a flying type. Clink insists they believes the mythical pokemon are not at fault, but we're taking precautions right now if we spot any. We're recommending trainers keep an eye out all the same."

He continued, speaking loud enough so that everyone around would hear. "We're also advising that from now on, trainers travel in groups. Keep your pokemon partners with you at all times, and try to stay in groups of four. As I said, everyone should remain where they are until we speak with every witness." There was, thankfully, a calm assurance to his voice as well.

Victor is telling the truth!

 

[Sinderella]

Hayes looked up in surprise, then flinched at the sight of May. "I-" he glanced between her and Enora, then shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry, don't worry about me." His tone was forced, though he didn't seem deceptive or shifty. Just distressed.

"Darling, you've just witnessed something traumatic. You deserve a little worry. There's nothing to apologize for."

She pursed her lips. She wasn't getting too much out of him. He was far too distressed, it seemed. Hm...

"Do you have a friend you'd feel more comfortable talking to? I know you don't know me too well, so it can be a little strange; I understand. Do you have another partner somewhere else on the island who could help put you at ease?"

 

[IFBench]

A Tropius arrived, looking worried, a small Oshawott clutching onto her neck. She'd left mid-chat with her friends when she heard the scream, and now...

"What happened?" she asked, sniffing around for any odd scents.

[Coleane used Odor Sleuth!]

.

Gen whimpered as they arrived at the cove. He could still faintly smell the stench of blood here from yesterday...

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven burst through the underbrush and bent over at the waist, breathing hard. Gods, when was the last time he ran that far? (Probably never.) The ground shook as Aggron thundered up from behind, finally catching up to his frenzied trainer.

"Aggron--" he said between breaths, "Find Hayes. We have to find Hayes."

Aggron growled in confirmation and sat up to his full height. There were already so many people gathered in the cove, it was hard to see... A flash of yellow here-- No, a Hypno. Yellow over there-- No, that was an Alakazam. A glint of gold, peeking out between a huddled group of trainers--

Aggron let out a startled snort and thumped his tail against the sand.

Steven's head shot up to look where his partner was pointing. "He's here? You see him?" he asked frantically.

Steven was on the move the second Aggron's helm tipped up in a nod. He rushed down to the sandy beach and shouldered his way through the crowd. He didn't care any more about appearances, ignoring the looks he got as he hurried to the spot Aggron had pointed out.


"Hayes? Hayes?!"

Odette was there, and so was a girl with a Ninetales, and-- There was no mistaking it, the gold of Nosepass's hide.


"Hayes! Oh gods, you're alright," he breathed, stepping past Odette and into the group. "I thought you might-- I heard something--" Steven stumbled over his words, voice shaky. He took a breath to try to compose himself, and it was then that he saw the distraught expression on the young man's face.


"You're not alright," he stated. "Hayes, what happened?"