Ask to Join The Dark Tournament

[Nygenn]

Location: Jinko Island, Hotel
Time: The day before the tournament, Late afternoon
Tagging: Salem, Cassie

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Before the cleric could even respond to Salem’s question a plastic bag was deposited unceremoniously onto the desk in between them.

“who?” Salem began but then recognized Cassie from earlier as she turned to leave. “What?”

For a moment he was unsure of what to do and in which order to do it, until he finally settled on checking the contents of the bag first. Upon seeing that it contained all his lost goods he whirled around ready to thank Cassie only to discover she had already disappeared. A grin slowly creeped onto his face. ‘How mysterious.’

He turned back to face the cleric and quickly put away his items in their proper pockets and pouches.

“Well now,” he began anew, “it seems nothing really can go wrong today.” He laughed at his good fortune and slid his ID across the desk. “I’ll be checking in now and will undoubtedly enjoy my stay here. Which room do you have for me?”

 

[TepigTurtwig]

Efret was exhausted with all the desks. He worked through them with no trouble, as his arrival on Charizard had meant he had arrived earlier than most. He was relaxing in his room, a loner through and through. He didn't take much from the mini-fridge, only a few cookies. Damn I love cookies. Especially those big chocolate chip ones. Needless to say, all that cookie eating really cut into the bits of exercise that a trainer got, so he was much weaker than most of the other trainers he knew.

He had read the invitation, so Blaze was his only pokemon. As such, Blaze was allowed to stay out of his pokeball, and wander the room. The only view his room had was a small balcony, which he seemed to prefer looking up from than down. Like pokemon, like trainer. Blaze took off again, working on his flying skills. You know, I could always just leave this place. Fly off, stop training. Pig out on cookies with my pokemon. Why can I not stop thinking about cookies!?

He had ordered room service, which finally arrived, as was signaled by the knock at his door. As long as it is not that creepy doctor... I feel like the only guy he did not check out. Good thing he doesn't treat people, or I wouldn't want to know what he does. The door was opened to a random waiter, who seemed to have matted down hair, as if pressed under a hat for too long. Well, so what? The other funny thing about him was how sweaty he was. I guess it is a hot island. And the funniest part? It looked as if he threw that black blazer and vest over something. Looks kinda like the guard uniform. Hm... The waiter delivered his food, a filet mignon (Efret's favorite steak) with a side of pasta, and a nice, big cookie on the side. Chocolate chip with ice cream! Suspicious waiters apparently deliver the best food!

When he finished chowing down on his dinner, he decided to contemplate that waiter. He looked like a guard had just thrown on a waiter outfit. Almost as if room service was not something they planned on. He scratched his chin for a little while, and started drawing other conclusions. Why were there so many desks? Perhaps to stop trainers from bringing something in. But what would they care so much about bringing in? Well, they immediately asked for trainer ids and such. I mean, that does eliminate things like criminals and whatnot, but it also eliminates a lot of professions that just used a pokemon now and again. The police force was famous for it. They even had members use croagunks sometimes, a pokemon that just felt evil. Wait a minute, that was it! The police force could not get in! Something shady is happening here, and I intend to get to the bottom of it. Thank Arceus I didn't bring any pokemon with me, or they would be in the hands of these weirdos. Now, just play it cool, and learn more evidence. You are a loner, you have to just put on a farce in battles. They named you after efreets, creatures known for being tricksters made of fire, that were wise, but cunning. Bring out that inner efreet, and you may solve something funky about this place.

 

[PentheWonderful]

Minutes passed of simple, aimless bliss. Wandering about her room like a lost specter. Unpacking. Organizing. Meticulously arranging her personal belongings. The sweet air of luxury and soothing energy of grandeur soothed her heartbeat, reminding her of her love for the finer things. A small smile pulled at her lips when she organized her bath supplies in the grand bathroom.

And then she looked up.

Silver meeting silver as the original stared upon their dopplegangers. She'd changed, and it was a heartbreaking change. She'd lost and it was a heartbreaking loss. What was left of her but an empty shell? But... That meant she could fill it back up with something new, right?

"Smile, Cassie..." She mumbled to herself whilst organizing the soaps and shampoos she had. "You deserve this, you really do..."

And shedding her clothes, she began to treat herself. The hotel room had an extensive array of beauty and spa products that Cassie intended to take full advantage of. Rest and relaxation never came, but she did find pleasure in busying herself with the work. The scrubs, the masks, lotions, and hair care products. Snacking on various treats and bingewatching sitcoms on the flatscreen plasma television. Once that was done, she went and took a long, hot bath. And she fell asleep.

Confined to the bathroom, she couldn't see Lady interestedly watch the crime show playing on the TV, patting her paw tentatively on the remote to change the channel. This bored her after a while, and hopping off the bed, the Liepard clawed open the glass door of the balcony. The other rooms also had balconies, and Lady found they were close enough together for her to jump across.

Time for a little treasure hunt.

The Liepard crouched down, ready to leap, when suddenly the next door balcony doors slid open, allowing a Charizard to exit! This spooked Lady quite enough to make her crouch lower to the ground to conceal her figure. Still. Waiting until the Pokemon flew off.

Leaving the balcony door open.

Flicking her tail in anticipation, the Liepard wiggled her bum and leapt clean across the balconies! Landing in utter silence on the other side with the utmost of grace before proudly entering the room. Pleased as ever with herself. She smelled something sweet. Treats perhaps? Cassie never let her have sweets, especially after the rare candy fiasco. But the smell tantilized her, and it was probably why she realized that a human inhabited the room a little later.

"Mrroow?"

 

[Astralkitsune]

The blond headed man just looked at Aidinia and nodded, "My name is Mathew." He looked toward the trainers satisfied that they were not going to cause trouble. "Alright you folks have a nice day." He turned and walked away casually, at the same time the guards quickly dispersed.

Alex shook the Dr.'s hand, "Blackened chicken and Jumbiliya huh, sounds spicy ill try it." He turned toward Delilah you can call me Alex or the the future champion of this tournament, does that work for you Yellow Jacket." He locked eyes with her and the spark of rivalry could be seen by all. Calling you Yellow Jacket doesn't bug you now does it."

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Each hotel room had a key card entry with a very advanced looking keypad. Each trainer card had a two digit number and a letter printed on it. These signified which room the trainer had. All of the rooms were identical and very high end, fully stocked, furnished and with five star luxury. The rooms also seemed to be soundproof for the convenience of the guest.

When Efret next called for room service the attendant was a different man, who seemed neatly dressed in a hotel uniform with nothing under it. He had a smile on his face and his service was impeccable.

 

[Chrocey]

Delilah gritted her teeth at the name he’d given her. It wasn’t particularly a bad name, but she disliked it simply because he gave it to her. “I like it very much, Lexxy,” she retorted.

The competitive girl felt that same spark once the two of them locked eyes. She wanted nothing more than to witness him losing to her in a battle. In lieu of their kindled rivalry, Delilah couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy. In a weird way, this was exactly what she was hoping for when she joined this tournament. Trainers smack-talking other trainers, everyone competing with a fiery passion that was reflected by their skill in battle. The only problem was that so many people weren’t as outwardly competitive as Delilah. Alex was just the man she was looking for.

Delilah waved the waiter over to her. She hadn’t looked at the menu, but instead listened as Alex rattled off some of the menu items. “I’ll take the blackened chicken and jumbilya. Make sure the chicken is extra black,” she locked eyes with Alex again and spoke passive aggressively, “I wanna make sure that bird is toast. Also, please make sure my dish is spicier than his.” Like a child, her face turned to that of content. As though by making her dish spicier, she’d guaranteed her victory in the tournament.

The bee-themed trainer looked out over the scenery to see if she could find her Beedrill. He was nowhere to be seen, but she wasn’t too worried about him. He was definitely strong enough to take care of himself, and smart enough to know how to get back to her.

 

[Astralkitsune]

Alex just arched an eyebrow at Delilah's order. He turned to the waiter, "I would also like a side order of HONEY glazed roasted plantains bruleted with cinnamon and sugar, and make sure the flames are EXTRA hot." He looked down and then as if an afterthought "oh and bring me a ghost pepper with my meal." The waiter blinked, "are you quite sure sir?" Alex nodded "oh yea I am sure a fresh ghost pepper." He turned and starred at Delilah.

Then he turned to Aidinia, "So doc are you here to battle in the tournament or help at the poke-center?" I have never seen a doctor that was a trainer so I look forward to seeing you battle."

 

[Loziana]

"I'll be competing in the tournament, but my main objective is exploring the island of my birth. I can't wait to see what's here!" Aidinia looked somewhat frustrated with the bickering back and fourth between her companions. She understood the competitive nature she just didn't think that way. Good natured bantering she tolerated, this just gave her a headache. "I hope the food is as good as it sounds. Mathew was certainly rude enough. I hope we don't have to deal with him to often." She wondered if anyone on the island were like her.

 

[SUPERRNOVAA]

Floyd sat down and silently watched Alex and Delilah brawl, they must have caught each others competitive drive. Floyd peered over at the Beedrill floating patiently next to Delilah, it was apparent that it was well kept and loved, it's eyes weren't cloudy at all. As for the Pidgeot, it's crest hadn't been brushed in a while, but that didn't matter too much because judging by it's appearance, it was still a healthy one. As soon as the guards came over, Floyd instinctively shuffled his chair away from Matthew and what seemed to be his goons. After they broke up the fight between Alex and Delilah a short sigh escaped his mouth as they walked away.

'Authority is scary...' Floyd thought to himself as he turned to Dr. Aidinia. She had a Sylveon on her lap. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a 6th generation Pokedex. Upon booting up the device he pointed it at the Sylveon.

"Sylveon, the intertwining Pokemon. It wraps its ribbonlike feelers around the arm of its beloved Trainer and walks with him or her. It also uses it's ribbons to calm those around it during an unexpected fight." The pokedex spoke out in it's usual high pitch voice. Floyd tapped the screen of his device a couple of times before turning it off and putting it back in his satchel. "That's a nice Sylveon you've got there Aidinia."

The waiter turned to Floyd and asked, "What would you like to order?".
"I'll just have a lemonade please." He replied.

Floyd was kind of shocked that Alex and Delilah were ordering such spicy foods. It didn't matter to him though, it was them that we're going to get their mouths burnt to a crisp, not him. Floyd turned around and looked around and found there we're less people by the pool then there was before. 'People must be getting ready for dinn- Wait...'

"I-I-Is th-that who I... uh... think it is?" Floyd thought out loud, he noticed a woman who looked oddly similar to that of the Sinnoh champion sitting by a Lapras next to the pool. He immediately peered closer to the pool. There was no mistake, that was definitely Amara. Floyds face flushed white as he turned back and sat in his seat.

"I... h-have no ch-ch-chance to win this."

 

[Chrocey]

Delilah nodded at Alex slowly, then called the waiter back over to her. “Please put a ghost pepper on my plate as well. Also, just give me a whole bottle of hot sauce for my jumbilya. The hottest hot sauce that you have. I’ll put it on myself.”

The waiter was a little perturbed by the request, but nonetheless jotted it down in his notepad.

Once Delilah and Alex’s food came out, it was going to be an all out food war. Many taste buds would be sent into battle, many of them might not ever recover from the heat of the upcoming meal. But it all would be worth it. The only thing tastier than their food would be the taste of victory.

While waiting for the food to come out, Delilah noticed that Floyd seemed to be having a bit of a breakdown. She tilted her head to the side, momentarily distracted from her feud.

“You okay, Floyd? You sound like you’re doubting yourself a whole lot all of a sudden.” She smiled, “I mean, I know it must be intimidating going up against someone like me, but don’t fret! You gotta take losses alongside the wins sometimes!”

 

[Astralkitsune]

The waiter with a look of worry brings the tray to the table. Atop the tray sat three plates that appeared as works of pure art. The plate sat before Dr. Aidinia held two fire grilled chicken breast, the breast were bathed in a roasting glaze full of spices that could be smelled from across the room. Paprika, various peppers, onion, garlic, salt and classic pepper all of those things melded together with honey, brown sugar and soy sauce and the chicken was grilled slowly basted with the blackening sauce and served atop a bed of jumbalaya. The jumbalaya contained beautiful ripe heirloom tomatoes, green red and yellow bell peppers, onions, red beans, and rice, the spices, though milder are still present in the jumbalaya. In a small crystal bowl are pintos almost verging on refried beans, they are fresh and the smell of bacon wafts from the bowl, their are caramelized onions and spicy jack cheese melted atop them, in a small container set in the center of the table, sour cream fresh made and a container of milk. The plate are identical except two have a massive amount of yellowish green sliced peppers and a bottle of yellow green hot sauce is set between the two bickering rivals. Also on the tray is a plate of sugary roasted plantains and a mini blow torch. The waiter pulls a tray table close and lights the torch. He proceeds to burn the sugar on top of the plantains the sugar emits a screaming sound as it is burned. Any pokemon who is nervous around fire would be very uncomfortable with this display. ((I let my wife the chef type that one ))

Alex takes a long look at the food and then stares Delilah in the eyes before taking a ghost pepper and biting into it.
He held her gaze for a moment as she could literally see sweat pouring down his face and his skin take on a bright red tone. Alex's eyes were pouring tears like a faucet and his nose began to run.

 

[Chrocey]

Delilah saw the tray being wheeled out and the plates arriving at their table. As artsy as they were made, to the Beedrill trainer she thought they looked like plates of doom. However, the thought of spice was the last thing on her mind. A more sinister evil was in this room, and it shook the arrogant girl down to her bones.

A blowtorch.

Bee tried not to look at it, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away. Even as the waiter picked it up, she kept hoping she wouldn’t have to witness what she thought she was the worst element on this earth. Alas, flames burst out of the nozzle of the blowtorch and she gasped. The pyrophobic trainer’s expression went from one of confidence to one of horror. She looked away, covered her ears and closed her eyes. She breathed deeply, trying to pretend that the fire wasn’t there. Soon, the waiter was done, and Delilah slowly opened her eyes and uncovered her ears.

Now wasn’t the time for phobias to take over. She had to focus on the task at hand. Alex had already taken the lead by biting into the ghost pepper. It was her turn to counter that.

Regaining her composure, she did her best to smile confidently, but it still came off as halfway scared. “Good try, Lexxy. You don’t look like you’re holding up well.” She reached for the hot sauce, but hesitated as she noticed there was a picture of fire on the label. Turning the bottle so that the label faced her rival, she began to pour the hot sauce on top of her ghost pepper.

Clearing her throat, the green-eyed trainer spoke, “now watch how a true professional handles this.”

Delilah’s confidence was already shaken at this point by being exposed to fire. Her heart was pounding, and she appeared to be sweating before even touching her food. She had to take a few deep breaths just to ensure she didn’t faint. Through the phobia she kept pushing forward like she always did. In an instant she took a big bite out of the hot sauce covered pepper, eating about three-quarters of it in one bite.

Delilah chewed it, then swallowed. Right away it felt like her mouth was ablaze with spice. She could feel the burning sensation even traveling down her esophagus and into her stomach. That painful burning was going to haunt her for a good long while.

Despite putting on her best poker face, Bee began sweating profusely as well. Her eyes watered, and she kept wiping her face. At one point she accidentally touched her left eye with the hand that was holding the pepper, which caused a very painful stinging sensation.

“Not even that hot,” she fibbed. “I might just order another one.” Her hand twitched a little bit as it instinctively was trying to reach for the milk, but she fought the urge. “It’s even better with hot sauce. You should totally try it.”

The heat was getting too much to bear. Having never eaten a ghost pepper before, she didn’t know what to expect. The agony this pepper wrought definitely had the element of surprise on its side.

 

[SUPERRNOVAA]

"Bee... The ch-championn is... I'm fine! This is fine! Everything is absolutely f-fine!"

Floyd turned to Alex and couldn't help but crack a grin. The look he had on his face was absolutely priceless. It certainly cheered him up a bit but still, how on earth could he win against someone like the Sinnoh league champion? Not only that, after his defeat by Flint of the elite four, there's no way he could possibly face her without being ridiculed.

Floyd began to sip his lemonade bit by bit, this was really troubling. He kept looking behind him to see if Amara was there, maybe it was his imagination? He certainly didn't know.

Floyd looked at Delilah as she ate the ghost pepper. He burst out with laughter when she touched her eye. It was painfully obvious that the both of them were simply putting up an act. Floyd called a waitress to his location and asked "Could you please get me a Ghost pepper? Oh, and some Berry juice?"

 

[Astralkitsune]

Alex could swear smoke should being pouring from his mouth. He had never bit into anything so hot in his entire life. It was like eating a charizards flamethrower. He was sure that he was about to literally burst into flame. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and he kicked the chair back and made a mad dash for the pool before diving in head first and opening his mouth trying to swallow the whole damn pool.

He forgot about Delilah"s existence in that moment or even the tournament, all dignity was thrown to the wayside as his brain was screaming at him. He swore he could see his life flashing before his eyes.

 

[Chrocey]

Delilah’s mind was exploding like fireworks. Her mind was so consumed by the spiciness of the pepper that, for a moment, she thought she’d gone blind. Her face felt numb and her stomach was irritated. The pepper slowly burned her insides until it finally won the war.

“Oooooh sweet mother of Moltres!”

The bee-themed trainer reached for her glass of milk, but inadvertently knocked it to the floor and shattered the cup, spilling the milk. Her body felt light as it went into auto-pilot. She scrambled out of her chair and ran alongside Alex. She jumped in at the exact same time as him, opening her mouth wide and accepting all of the water her mouth could handle. This had to have been the only time she truly pined for a pool filled with milk.

 

[SUPERRNOVAA]

The waitress came back with what Floyd asked for, a ghost pepper and some berry juice. The juice was an orange liquid stationed inside a coconut bowl with a white straw coming off of it. Floyd thanked the waitress before grabbing the ghost pepper out of the small crystal bowl it was in.

He ate the whole thing in one bite, stem and all.

Floyd's cheeks turned slightly red but apart from that, no visible changes occurred on his face. "It isn't as spicy as I thought it would be." He murmured, staring in awe at both Alex and Delilah drinking as much water as they could. Floyd grabbed Swifts pokeball out of his satchel and sent him out. He grabbed the berry juice he ordered and poured it on his Starmie, who rapidly soaked up all of the juice into its skin the minute it hit him.

Swift, after his drink, rolled as fast as he could towards the pool. Despite his effort, Floyd just couldn't keep up. Swift leapt into the air and dove into the pool, creating a large splash, sending water all over the people around the pool, including Amara.
Floyd raised his pokeball and Swift was sucked into it. A lot of bystanders around the pool gave him menacing looks, he had definitely made a scene of it all. Floyd quickly twisted in the other direction but froze in place as soon as he saw the Champion.
"S-S-SO-S... SORRY!?"

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Jinko Island, Hotel room 3030
Time: The day before the tournament, Early evening
Tagging: Salem

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‘Even the hallways look extravagant’ Salem thought as he made his way down one on the third floor. Serving staff were running up and down catering to the needs of their many guests. Some of them were pushing food trolleys around. ‘The showing for this Tournament is immense. I bet the hotel will be completely booked before too long.’

Salem looked up at the number plaques on the doors and realized he’d walked right passed his room. He spun around without breaking stride and strolled back down the hallway. When he got to the door leading to his room he took out the keycard and fumbled a moment with the fancy looking lock before swinging it open. ‘Alright Tournament hotel, amaze me,’ he thought as he stepped inside.

And amazed he was. Salem stood in the entrance gaping and the luxury displayed in front of him. The room contained all the essentials such as a bed, seats, fridge, and bathroom, but it was the quality of things that make him pause. The bed was a spacious queen size ordeal with fancy modern frame and many pillows all neatly arranged. It looked incredibly soft and inviting. The seats were stylish leather chairs and couches al placed around a glass paned coffee table to create a comfortable sitting area. One side of the room had floor to ceiling glass panels that could be opened up to a balcony with a grandiose view of the pool area and the surrounding landscape beyond the hotel’s perimeter.

If Salem was the type for it he would have squealed. As it was he grinned sheepishly and moved to open the balcony doors.

“Mental note,” he said, “I must never tell Kaguya about this place lest she decide this should be her new living standards.”

He shrugged his pack off and tossed it onto the couch before he stepped onto the balcony and leaned on the railing. The sun was already on the descend but it would be plenty warm and bright for a while longer. At this height flowed a gentle breeze that billowed the curtains as it blew past him into the room. Salem leaned his head on his palm and watched several flying type Pokemon dance about in the air.

A loud splash drew his attention to the pool below where he could see a pair of trainers excitedly playing around in the water. They hadn’t even bothered to strip their clothes and were clearly having the time of their lives. His gaze moved to the side where he could see a part of the restaurant terrace and his stomach choose that exactly moment to rumble and remind that it had been a while since his last meal. Satisfied, he went back inside and closed the doors but opened the windows a crack instead. He untied his sweater from around his waist and stripped off the rest of his clothes so that he could have a quick shower to wash away the sweat and salt from his ocean voyage earlier. Afterwards he merely shook his hair out and brushed it back intending to just let it dry on its own and put on khaki shorts and a loose white shirt he only bothered to button up halfway. Strapping on his Pokebelt he slipped back into his sandals with practiced ease and secured his waterproof pouch with valuables onto his belt.

“Alright, time for dinner,” he said with a singsong voice as he stepped back out into the hallway and closed the door behind him. He shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled in the direction of the staircase.

 

[Astralkitsune]

Amara stood their dripping wet covered in pool water from the Starmie's antics. Her eyes locked onto Floyds with a piecing intensity as her lapras Crystal let out a "Lapraaa.." Without breaking his gaze she reached out with her other hand into a bag and pulled out a towel, that she began to dry herself off with. After a several moments of that intense stare she finally spoke. "Your Floyd Johnstone right." The lapras tilted her head down and followed her trainers intense stare on the boy.

Several staff soon appeared cleaning up the mess at Delilahs table and handing out towels to all the soaked guest that didn't already have one working in a clean efficient manner. Alex dragged himself from the pool and flopped onto his back panting with his tongue and face swollen and burnt from the powerful pepper.

Floyd and the others could hear giggling off to the side of the pool and a girl's voice. "Look Teddy all those people got wet." Standing to the side of the pool out of range of the wave was a twelve year old girl with blue eyes, long raven black hair that danced lightly in the wind and pale white skin. She was wearing a full length Gothic black dress and was carrying a large teddy bear in both arms. Her dress and shoes were both very formal and impeccable without a single scuff or mark. The teddy bear had a sash around it waist that contained all eight Kalos badges.Behind her was a Gardevoir that was dressed in a full maid outfit. The girl looked adorable and made you wonder where her chaperone was. (For those in the know she was the Kalos finalist barely losing to Diantha in a battle where they were each down to their last pokemon. She is a genius and a fairy type trainer who tore through Drasna like she was a novice. Her name is Willamina Soren Daniels the third.)

 

[PentheWonderful]

Leap, snatch, and scatter.

That was the exact order of events Lady partook in during her stay in Efret's room. Leaping onto the bed, snatching his filet mignon, and scattering right back out the balcony.

A cheshire grin was plastered across the feline's face, holding onto her juicy prize with glee as she conducted her great escape across the balcony. A violet flash, dashing from one platform to the other. Bursting through the doors of a room she recalled the scent of. Just in time to see Cassie coming out of the bathroom cloaked in nothing but a bath robe.

Trainer and Pokemon locked in a staring contest.

Unmoving.

Unblinking.

Just as many questions running through each other's head. Why were Cassie's clothes fuzzy? Where did Lady get that filet mignon? Why did Cassie smell funny? Why was Lady coming from the balcony? Why did Cassie look... Happy?

The trainer blinked. And she held up her hand before the Liepard could gloat. "I don't want to know." Stepping towards the bed, climbing on, Cassie proceeded to pull her beauty pouch, an item long untouched, from its designated place in from the counter surrounding the bed. Pulling out a hairbrush, to tame her wild locks, a hairdryer, to style, moisturizer and foundation, to ease her dark circles. The cream was cool and soothing, and Cassie could not help but sigh in content upon feeling the long missed sensation. Once that was done, the young woman proceeded plug in the hairdryer, and styled her hair with the brush. The hum of the beauty contraption drowned the noise emitted from the television, leaving Lady to feast in complete muted silence.

Her locks were not tamed. The curled and flowed the way they liked, yet now with a newfound healthy sheen, and softness. Pulling out a hand mirror, she observed the reflection contained within it. A slight difference, but this person now resembled the girl on the trainer card. And she felt... Good about herself again.

"Not bad... You still got some make up skills left..." Came her soft voice carefully touching her cheek. Hesitant. Terrified of destroying the delicate image upon the mirror.

And then she shook it off and pulled out her transreceiver instead. Dialing her home number, a holographic projection spewed across the air, ringing as it awaited an answer. It morphed into an image once the deed was done, one of a familiar face. Once an enemy, now her a stable source of income on her side.

A sleazy, insincere grin came from the man on the other side of the line. Dark hair and hazel eyes with astoundingly sharp features. "Hey darlin' you look magnificent. I was wondering when you'd call."

"Thomas." Cassie responded curtly. "How are Nine and Peridot?"

"Hmm? Oh, they're doing okay. Furball is leaving hair all over your bed and the green one won't stop making a racket with the piano." His grin only widened. "Can I just say it's impossible to focus with you looking this good~?"

"I'm not lowering your rent, Thomas."

Defeated, the man fell back into his usual sneer. "What, so is that it then?"

"Don't forget to feed them, and vacuum my bed while you're at it."

"Oh honey, you don't want to know what I plan to do with your bed-"

And so Cassie ends the line, finding his sneer contagious as it pulled on her own lips. "That idiot."

"Mrrowww!"

Silver irises flicked to the Liepard just as she pounced and knocked her small frame right off the bed. Spinning in circles a few times, padding the silken sheets with her paws and plopping down upon it. Cassie's sneer only ever deepened. "Right, it's excruciating physical labor for you."

Strip, dress, glove, and slap the fedora back on her head. She tied her jacket around her waist, in case the ocean breeze began to sink its fangs in, and with the lace of her boots, Cassie was ready to go. Packing only training necessities into her bag, and returning Lady to her pokeball, the girl left her room, ensuring her key card was on hand, and headed down to the garden by the pool.

Trainers, all crowded together upon her arrival. But none would acknowledge her. That was good. They would all undoubtedly leave for dinner soon, and that was even better. Grab a bite when the dinner rush passed. And yet, she did recognize at least one of them. A girl with distinctive purple hair. Amara Landos. It seemed the tournament had bigger hitter than she thought. However, Cassie merely slinked into a shaded area, isolated from noise and distraction, before releasing Lady yet again.

"Okay, let's get started."

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Jinko Island, Hotel pool
Time: The day before the tournament, Early evening
Tagging: Salem, Willamina, Ecarte

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​

Salem came wandering out of the hotel building and was scanning the terrace for any empty seats. As he expected it was quite crowded, what between the amount of trainers and staff running around, and it was the right hour for food, nevertheless, he was hopeful he could find a seat somewhere. He wouldn’t even need a table all to his own. He could just slide in between some other trainers and get social. They were all here to have a good time after all.

When his eyes fell on a demure looking young man with glasses he felt he’d seen somewhere before, he stopped and raised a questioning eyebrow. The man was looking at him fearfully. ‘No, not quite at me,’ Salem noticed. He looked over his shoulder and immediately regretted it when he met the coldest gaze he’d ever seen. The girl it belonged to was quite pretty, with long purple hair and a nice figure, but the ice in her gaze kept him from commenting on any of that. He shivered and took a deliberate step out of her direct line of sight. Whatever it was that drew her ire it wasn’t him and he was glad for it.

Taking another step put him face to face with another shocking visage. This one belonged to a red haired young man who was thoroughly drenched and looking quite miserable. When he looked up Salem flinched involuntarily. The man’s mouth was bright red and swollen.

“That looks painful sir,” he remarked, “What happened, did a bee stung you in the lip?” He thought back quickly to see if he could remember an infirmary or some other place they could have the right salve to treat conditions such as these, but couldn’t immediately think off anything. “Perhaps you could ask at the recept…” he began but trailed off midsentence. He had turned sideways to point back in the direction of the main lobby when his eye fell on an elegant looking lady in an, honest to god, real maid outfit. Whatever else had been on his mind was now forgotten as Salem skipped over towards the woman and her child. Or maybe her care? Ward? Regardless, he beamed at the exotic looking woman

“Ma’am, may I just express my gratitude, on behalf of all the gathered men, that you were willing to dress up so despite the smoldering heat. That outfit looks absolutely fantastic on you,” Salem gushed and then bend the knee before the child. “And you certainly aren’t doing any fewer favors young miss. Are you here to enjoy the Tournament?”

 

[SUPERRNOVAA]

Floyd's face flushed of all color as Amara uttered the exact words he didn't want to hear, 'Your Floyd Johnstone right?'.
He tried as hard as he could to straighten his posture, if anything else were to happen, he would probably die of embarrassment.

"Y-Yes... I'm sorry about, uhh, the m-mess i've made." Floyd quietly replied, still dripping wet from Swift's mischievous behavior. It was beginning to get dark, the suns rays of light reflected off of the clouds creating a beautiful orange and blue mess of colors in the sky. A mild breeze blew throughout the resort as the temperature slowly began to drop. The sound of childish giggling made itself apparent from behind him.

'Oh no... they're laughing at me!' He thought while turning his head to the source of the noise. A short, seemingly young girl dressed in gothic clothing stood there. Behind her was a Gardevoir dressed in a maids outfit. Floyd had heard of people thinking of humanoid pokemon as other people, but he never would have imagined something like this.

A man approached the Gardevoir and began to spout nonsense about how she was willing to dress up and stuff. Did he really mistake a Gardevoir for a human? Floyd couldn't help but chuckle at Salem.

 

[Chrocey]

“Yes! He got stung by a Bumbl B-!” Delilah had burst out of the pool with that sentence not too long after Salem had asked if Alex had gotten stung by a bee. When she realized the stranger was no longer there to hear it, she stopped herself and sighed at her missed opportunity for a bee pun.

The loud trainer swam to the edge of the pool and dragged herself out. She laid down on her stomach next to Alex, her clothes uncomfortably wet. The side that her head was resting ensured that her eyes would stay on her rival. It was at that moment that she noticed something.

The miserable male’s lips were swollen and his tongue was out. He looked like a monstrosity that was barely clinging onto life...and it appealed to her. While she wasn’t necessarily one to fawn over boys, Delilah certainly liked this one. He knew just the way to make her hate him, and she loved it.

“Lexxy…” Delilah said, her speech having a lisp as her tongue was swollen as well as her mouth. “...I totally won. You were a fool to think you could beat the great Bumble Bee.”

A buzzing noise got louder and louder. Delilah could recognize it anywhere. She felt two drills slipping underneath her shoulders and lifting her back up onto her feet. Looking over her shoulder, she nodded to the Beedrill who’d rushed to his trainer’s aid. “Thanks.” Her hand went over her stomach as she still felt like she was being burned alive from the inside out. “I think I’ll be fine. I don’t need the infirmary.”

Without question, Beedrill lifted his trainer up and ignored her statement. He flew her to the only doctor that he knew of on this island, Dr. Aidinia.

 

[Astralkitsune]

As Salem approached Mina's Gardevor the little girl cocked her head and looked at him funny. When he began to address the Gardevor as if it were Mina's actual guardian she giggled again. Ecarte the Gardevor blinked and looked at Salem, "Gardee?" Mina turned to look at her bear, "look teddy that silly man doesn't realize that Ecarte is a pokemon. She put her hand to teddy's ear like she was whispering some sort of secret, "maybe hes a little fou." She smiled childlike and looked up at Salem, "Ecarte will not be able to respond to you to well sir, she doesn't speak your language. Perhaps you can talk to me instead."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amara and Crystal continued to stare at Floyd, like he was a rat in a cage they found interesting for a study. Finally she spoke again, "you come from Jubilife city right?" Again that intense stare that made it feel like she was trying to freeze him with her eyes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex raised one arm weakly and croaked up at Delilah as her BeeDrill began to fly her off, "you haven't won yet." Maverik flew down and began to fan Alex with his wings causing a large gale that began blowing over tables and causing water to slosh hard to one side of the pool. This action sent a large wave of water toward Salem and Mina.

Ecarte eyes glowed pink for a moment and a pink wall of light sprung up in front of her and Mina although it did not include Salem. Mina giggled again, "Your about to get humide good sir."

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Jinko Island, Hotel pool
Time: The day before the tournament, Early evening
Tagging: Salem, Ajax, Willamina, Ecarte, Amara

----------------​

At the little girl’s warning Salem quickly looked back and saw the wave coming. Almost on instinct he got up and leaped towards it. With practiced ease and surprising speed his hand snatched the Pokeball from his hip and opened it up directed downwards. A massive Blastoise materialized beneath his feat just as the wave crashed into them.

“We’re turning this around Ajax!” Salem shouted over the roar of the wave. His Blastoise knew exactly what was expected of him and in no time at all they were on top of the current and in control. Under Salem’s silent ministrations Ajax swerved the wave around the little girl and her maid, who both seemed unfazed by the threat, and directed the water back towards the pool basin.

“Geronimo!” Salem announced as he, Ajex, and the wave they were surfing slammed back into the pool where most of it was contained. A few big slashes scattered left and right but caused no harm to any bystanders. Except for one purple haired, frosty eyed young lady standing too close to the edge. The poor girl was completely drenched from top to bottom and did not look amused as she stood there with a wet towel in hand.

“Booya! Awesome job Ajax” Salem said as he hopped down from his turtle’s back and gave the Pokemon a high five. “That’s how we do it on the islands.”

Basking in the glory Ajax roared in triumph and shot a fat torrent of water into the air where it eventually lost momentum and came back down in a harmless rain soaking the already wet girl a bit more.

When Salem noticed her and her Lapras glaring at him he flinched but caught himself quickly. He gestured for Ajax to cut it out and attempted to appease the steaming girl. “Please don’t be upset miss. Wet is actually a really good look on you, and your selfless sacrifice protected his hapless young man from harm,” he said motioning to Alex lying at his feet. “You are a hero in my books.”

He looked back to make sure the little girl and her maid hadn’t accidentally been swept away in all the commotion. “Are you both alright as well, young miss?”

 

[Loziana]

“Yes! He got stung by a Bumbl B-!” Delilah had burst out of the pool with that sentence not too long after Salem had asked if Alex had gotten stung by a bee. When she realized the stranger was no longer there to hear it, she stopped herself and sighed at her missed opportunity for a bee pun.

The loud trainer swam to the edge of the pool and dragged herself out. She laid down on her stomach next to Alex, her clothes uncomfortably wet. The side that her head was resting ensured that her eyes would stay on her rival. It was at that moment that she noticed something.

The miserable male’s lips were swollen and his tongue was out. He looked like a monstrosity that was barely clinging onto life...and it appealed to her. While she wasn’t necessarily one to fawn over boys, Delilah certainly liked this one. He knew just the way to make her hate him, and she loved it.

“Lexxy…” Delilah said, her speech having a lisp as her tongue was swollen as well as her mouth. “...I totally won. You were a fool to think you could beat the great Bumble Bee.”

A buzzing noise got louder and louder. Delilah could recognize it anywhere. She felt two drills slipping underneath her shoulders and lifting her back up onto her feet. Looking over her shoulder, she nodded to the Beedrill who’d rushed to his trainer’s aid. “Thanks.” Her hand went over her stomach as she still felt like she was being burned alive from the inside out. “I think I’ll be fine. I don’t need the infirmary.”

Without question, Beedrill lifted his trainer up and ignored her statement. He flew her to the only doctor that he knew of on this island, Dr. Aidinia.

"Beedrill, give her here, and go get Alex and bring him to me. I'll treat their burns. Excuse me! waiter, I need ice cream, cottage cheese, and milk, sour cream too if you have it." She looks around the Island, 'surely there is some aloe around somewhere, its an Island.' she grabbed a couple of stems off an allow plant and she cracked a coconut open, carefully to conserve the water and the milk. She began applying the water and milk to Bee's lips and inside her mouth. "Don't swallow this yet sweat heart. It'll cool the burn, When the milk gets here, we will cool down your stomach." The Dr. put a bit of the milk in the girls nasal cavity as well. She waited patiently for both the waiter and the Beedrill's return.

 

[Chrocey]

Beedrill complied with leaving his trainer in the care of Aidinia. He then dutifully flew his way back to the pool where he would try to bring Alex over here as well. The bug pokemon didn't exactly know what happened to these two, but he knew it was important to make sure they were taken care of.

As the Beedrill slipped his drills underneath Alex's shoulders, he could swear that he felt the watchful eye of Pidgeot. He buzzed a few times so as to tell Pidgeot that he meant Alex no harm, and carried him to the doctor as well.

Meanwhile, Delilah fought the urge to swallow. The coconut helped cool the burn inside her mouth and she desperately wanted to get the same feeling in her stomach. The ghost pepper was a bad idea, to say the least. However she'd do it all over again if it meant trying to beat Alex in a competition. With her mouth still recovering, she nodded her head to the doctor as a silent 'thank you'. Perhaps this was the first time on this island that she'd ever communicated quietly.

 

[PentheWonderful]

Click.

Dash forward.

Click.

Swerve.

Click.

Sprint.

Click.

Still sprinting.

Click, click, click, click, click...

And the Liepard was gone. Completely, utterly, entirely out of sight. From her sitting position, Cassie gazed at the clicker in her hand. Well, at least she knew Lady responded to it. And it functioned. And it was very fun to click. "She's running fast..." Even with power braces on her paws. Well, that was the entire training regime anyway. Speed to gain speed.

Swoosh.

Slosh.

The champion all wet.

Cassie turned her head in time to witness the massive wave and massive Blastoise riding the wave while being ridden by a trainer itself. Isn't that Salem? The wave swerved, and yet, it's precarious splash zone enough to send Lady running right back to her. Cassie restrained a laugh. Amara, one of her few greatest adversaries in the tournament, soaked to the bone. And what of the girl with the Gardevoir? Cassie was quite familiar with the child. Mina something. Her name was a mouthful, but her battles were memorable.

This would be amusing.

Lady's tongue hung from her mouth, rhythmically extending and shortening with the quick cadence of her panting. "People are weird..." She mumbled under her breath, casting a gaze to Lady the same time she equipped a harness around the Liepard's torso, and then quickly clipping a leash onto it. Her hands folded quickly, clicking the wheel pad of her Kalosean skates on to the soles of her boots.

Water break for Lady. Put away the water.

A click from the clicker, and Lady took off yet again, zipping past the crowd by the pool, and leaping across the width of the pool. Cassie was light. Tugging on the leash to propel her forward, she grabbed onto the harness. The girl rode on Lady's momentum as they flew across the pool, Cassie unboarding, inches before they land on the other side, before carrying on in a nice evening dash around the hotel resort.

 

[SUPERRNOVAA]

"Erm, Yes, I am from Jubilife." Floyd shuffled around a little bit, he was obviously nervous. Amara and her Lapras's frozen gaze pierced him as easily as a bullet through a pillow. A Pidgeot next to the pool began to flap it's wings with great intensity, he wasn't sure of it's intentions but it was certainly causing a commotion. Umbrellas went flying and tables were knocked over due to the sheer force of the gale. Floyd barely avoided a stray chair that came his way.

A sudden barrage of water sped it's way across from the pool to the little girl in the gothic dress. A screen of light manifested itself in front of both the girl and her Gardevoir maid, they were safe from the wave, but Salem however, wasn't. In a blinding flash of light a Blastoise appeared under him. Much to Floyds surprise, they both headed straight for the wave and hit it
head-on. Somehow, the wave ended up splashing back into the pool. A couple of people in the splash zone ended up getting wet including Floyd, but none of the passerby really minded, most of them were just shocked at the events that just unfolded.

Oddly enough, the only one who received any actual damage was Amara. She was absolutely sopping wet, the towel she held was also absolutely soaked. She didn't look happy in the slightest. A Beedrill came down and lifted Alex to Dr. Aidinia. 'It's just one Pokemon after another at this point...' Floyd jokingly thought.

The faint noise of roller skates began to get louder and louder as Cassie and Lady drew near. In a panic, a lot of people ran back to their tables to make way for the Kalosean skater. Cassie and her Pokemon leapt into the air, using their momentum as the driving force for jumping over the pool. People around marveled at her as she landed gracefully on the other side and then off into the distance. Various waiters and waitresses walked out to the pool and handed towels to those affected by the splash.

Floyd couldn't help but stare at Ecarte and Ajax. They both had completely opposite personalities by the looks of things. On top of that, Floyd hadn't seen a Blastoise since he beat a trainer at the Unova victory road. It was kind of nostalgic for him.

'Interesting...'

 

[Astralkitsune]

Maverik watched the BeeDrill pick up his trainer and carry him over to the Dr., laying him down beside Delilah gently. The Pidgeot quickly hopped after clearly concerned for it's trainer health and safety. Alex moaned, "no fair I took the bigger bite." He turned his head to look at Delilah and he held up his hand slowly in a weak thumbs up.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mina smiled and laughed clapping her hands at the antics of Salem. Oh look teddy that boy is riding the wave that bird created. She turned to her Gardevior, "thank you for protecting me Ecarte but it seems that older boy has made that not needed. As Cassie made her jump across the pool and came down on the other side. Mina met her eyes for a moment as Cassie flew past and in that brief second Cassie could see that look of recognition. That look that said Mina knew who she really was. She responded to Salem, "oh I am fine. Thank you for the lovely show mister."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amara opened her mouth to speak further to floyd when she was once again completely drenched by yet another huge wave. She shut her mouth and the water dripped off of her in large rivulets. Her eyes never once left Floyd's through out the whole display. Crystal craned her neck down and grabbed a clean towel from Amara's bag and handed it to her trainer. Amara calmly took the towel from her Lapras and dried herself off without saying a word until she finished. "I am also from Jubilife."

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Jinko Island, Hotel pool
Time: The day before the tournament, Early evening
Tagging: Salem, Willamina, Ecarte

----------------​

When the purple haired, and very wet girl ignored him in favor of the bespectacled boy, Salem quickly recalled Ajax and got out of the way before she changed her mind. He ducked under the Beedrill that was kidnapping the red haired man and walked back over to the little girl and, what he now realized was, her Pokemon.

“I am happy to hear you enjoyed that, young miss,” he told her. To her Gardevoir he smiled and shrugged. “Sorry to steal your thunder there, but I just couldn’t risk letting anything happen to those pretty dresses the both of you are wearing.”

Salem put his hand on his chin and brought his face a bit closer to Gardevoir’s studying her intently for a moment, before speaking to the little girl again. “You know, I have never seen a Pokemon quite like her before. For a moment there I honestly thought I was talking to an exotic looking, human maid.”

‘I should really increase the range on my travels. There are obviously many more wonderful things to discover,’ he thought to himself.

Somewhere in the back of Salem’s mind there was a thought trying to wrestle its way to the front. Something about the wrongness of a Beedrill carrying off people that have been stung, but for the moment wonder and admiration occupied all of his attention.

 

[AesgirFenrir]

Shade stepped off the ferry, his rucksack on his shoulder, and looked around. He immediately noted the abundance of cameras and other security features, high end and state of the art. And all of the security forces, both uniformed and plainclothes. Whoever was running this thing wasn't playing any games. His Mightyena, Anubis stayed at his side, sniffing the air.
Shade walked up to the Hoenn reception desk and put on an aloof air as he handed over his well-crafted fake ID and his tournament ticket. Having only brought Anubis with him, he proceeded unmolested through the security post and made a beeline for his room.
"Wow, Anubis, this is a lot better accommodations than our usual assignments." He dropped his gear on the bed and pulled out a laptop. He typed up a brief report to his handler and sent it out on the secure link, then headed down to the dining area to eat and scope things out.
He sat quietly in a corner, feeding scraps occasionally to Anubis. He watched the scene between the bee girl and the bird trainer and the subsequent juvenile food war and waterworks with bemusement. He took special note of the security chief.
"Well Anubis, if this is the competition, we should have an easy time of it in the arena."

 

[Chrocey]

Delilah scoffed at Alex’s thumbs up. She shook her head. The gall of that man to think he’d won anything right now was laughable. Especially when he was so clearly under the effects of the ghost pepper. Sure, she wasn’t any better herself, but she liked to think that he was way worse off than she was.

One of the waiters brought the ice cream, cottage chease, milk and sour cream as the doctor requested. The sight of it appealed to Delilah, and she began thinking of just throwing a heaping amount of ice cream down her gullet. However, she let the doctor do what she did best...for now.

The bee enthusiast met her eyes with the doctor’s, then motioned toward the ice cream and mouthed the words, ‘don’t give him any’ and pointed to Alex. Afterwards she looked at Alex with a fake smile and gave him a thumbs up.

 

[Loziana]

Aidinia knew her job well. "You know I can't do that." She treated her patients the same. Administering the aloe and coconut. Then she began feeding them from coldest to thinist items of dairy products. She watched her patients closely. She kept a look after the insides of their mouths and their throats for actual burns. She kept an eye on them for rashes incase of allergy. She also watched for signs of stomach injury as well. "I think the two of you will be alright, mild foods for a few days. Maybe the BRAT diet. NO MORE PEPPERS." She walked back to her seat thanking the Beedrill by petting him on the head. She dove back into her meal and shook her head at the two over achievers.

 

[Chrocey]

Beedrill once again buzzed happily as the doctor patted him on the head. While he was grateful for Delilah’s affection, it was nice to receive positive reinforcement from other sources too. He turned to see if Delilah was okay, then widened his eyes at the sight of her grabbing onto Alex’s shirt collar and shaking him violently.

“I totally won that round! You took a bigger bite but my ghost pepper had hot sauce on it, so that’s double points!” Even though a few minutes had passed since he made his comment, Delilah apparently stored it in memory and decided to finally respond to him. “Besides, I’m recovering way faster than you right now.”

Delilah smirked and released him. She then pointed a thumb to her chest, “this bee is the perfect example of how to deal with bad situations. Maybe now you’ll understand what all the buzz is about!”

A loud growling noise could be heard coming from the bee trainer’s stomach. She paused before slowly clutching her stomach. Her confident smile gradually turned to desperation.

“Hoh boy...I...I’ll be right back.” With that, she darted away from the table and grabbed the nearest waiter and exclaimed, “restroom!”

The terrified waiter pointed towards the back corner of the dining area. To which Delilah let him go and raced passed tables and patrons before finally disappearing behind the bathroom doors.

Beedrill couldn’t help but sigh. As many times as he wanted his trainer to stop gloating so much, he was glad that she didn’t. It was times like these that he understood the importance of not caring how one looked in the public eye. If Bee did, then she’d be utterly embarrassed.

 

[PentheWonderful]

The look in Mina's eyes continued to haunt her.

Shredding with reckless abandon wherever the wind took her. That'd become her life philosophy as of late. Drifting wherever the breeze may go, wherever the path may end, however it ends. Willful, yet lacking will at the same time. Simply hanging on for the ride. The Cassie that Mina recognized was gone. Dead. She was a ghost, and now that ghost had returned to stalk her. But then she moved her gaze to the view and simply stopped.

The sun setting over the horizon was beautiful, Cassie noted.

Her gloved hand gripping firmly the leash connected to Lady's harness, they traveled at speeds fast enough to cause the trainer to hang on to her fedora to keep it from flying away. Her feet tingled from the friction her skates received, but the breeze and the view was all worth it. And Lady? Well, she figured the Liepard's kleptomania was a result of her having too much energy. Plus, it was always good to have extra preparation before any battle. Maybe this would hone her focus.

Click.

Lady swerved, changing direction to transform scenic seas to dense plant life. They tore through the gardens, close to completing their lap around the massive resort. She did notice a third fleet of ferries coming in, and most notably a man and his Mightyena. Lady gave the canine a suspicious look before continuing her bounds and strides. Perhaps it was just his aura, but he stuck out like a sore thumb among the other competitors.

Aura...

The word sent her back to memories of her Lucario. Her once dear, closest friend. She wondered where he was now, how he was doing. If he missed her as much as she missed him and thought of him every single day.

The winds were soon disappearing, and the world had stopped moving. Cassie blinked herself back to the present, where they had returned to the pool side and Lady was panting madly. It was an excellent run, she decided. Lady had been moving at extreme speeds with extra loads for over fifteen minutes straight. A well deserved rest was definitely due.

Retracted the wheels of her skates into the pads on the bottom of her boots, Cassie proceeded to unhook the leash, undo the harness, and usher her exhausted feline into the dining hall. She took care of her Pokemon first, getting her a bowl of Moomoo Milk and a plate of lean meats for her to gorge on, along with a side of berries for vitamins, and setting them on the first empty table she could find. She gave the okay for Lady to climb onto the chair and eat, gratefully so as she drank and devoured everything before her.

Once her Pokemon was set, Cassie went to get something for herself to eat. The hum drum of noise and action faded into the background as the trainer focused herself on picking up and stacking whatever piece of food she could grab on her plate. She hadn't eaten that well in a long, long while.

Although, admittedly a bee themed trainer making a beeline to the restroom was quite an entertaining sight.

With a satisfying pile- array of foods, and a glass of hot tea, Cassie went to join Lady at their table. Their empty, lonely table by the window. She was having quite a good time.

 

[SUPERRNOVAA]

Floyd gazed at Ajax and Ecarte until Amara began to speak again, he then darted his head towards her. "Oh? Ha-ha, w-what a coincidence." Floyd replied in the most confident tone he could put on. He couldn't help but notice her Lapras, it was a Pokemon he didn't have much information on. A guy in Jubilife city use to have a Lapras, he always went to the lake on sundays. Unfortunately, Floyd didn't have a Pokedex back then to record it's data so he could barely even remember the name. The way they moved their necks back and forth to grab objects really freaked him out as a kid. Now, in a way, he saw them as a gentle kind of dinosaur.

Floyd closely inspected his white satchel for any water damage, luckily it seemed there was none. He let out a short sigh of relief when he looked through his belongings, nothing had a drop of water on it. Floyd stared at the Pokedex in his the main compartment of his satchel, contemplating on whether or not to scan the Lapras. He didn't want Amara to get mad but, he needed as much information as he could get. This was a golden opportunity for research! "The more info the better... right?" Floyd thought out loud as he took the device out. It was a sixth generation Pokedex, it was basically a red, square object with a stylized pokeball in the middle. Floyd clutched the device and mustered up all his courage before finally pressing the button in the middle of it. The dex expanded upwards and it became more reminiscent of a rectangle.

Floyd nervously angled it at the Lapras and braced himself for the impending storm of doom to come from Amara.
'Out Of Range'
He instinctively tried to get closer to the Lapras, his eyes glued to the Dex to see if it was in range. Before he knew it, he was almost directly in front of it. Upon realizing this he tapped the dex a couple of times and all of a sudden it quickly began to spout all the dex info about Lapras in it's annoying monotone voice.

'Lapras. The transport pokemon. It loves crossing the sea with people and Pokémon on its back. It understands human speech. They have gentle hearts. Because they rarely fight, many have been caught. Their number has dwindled in the recent years.'

​

 

[Astralkitsune]

Mina cocked her head at Salem, "so you have never seen a Gardevior then mister?" She giggled and looked at her bear, "hes a very strange and funny man teddy." She turned back to Salem, "don't you have a pokedex mister? All elite trainers should have one. She blinked again, "they do have pokedexs where you come from don't they? She looked back at her bear. If, he wants to have any chance of winning the tournament he better know what peoples pokemon can do or else he will most defiantly loose." She turned and looked at Salem, "you do want to win don't you mister, after all winning is everything. Isn't that right teddy." She made the bears head nod in agreement.

Amara watched Floyd as he shuffled from side to side and then pulled out his pokedex slowly. She starred intently as he slowly moved closer to her Lapras. Crystal for her part watched the boy creep closer and closer as he tried to get within range so that he could scan. Just as he was almost close enough Crystal leaned down her head right beside his face, and let out a very loud, "Lapraa!!" right in Floyd face. Just as the pokedex decided to finally speak up.

 

[AesgirFenrir]

Shade watched from behind his sunglasses as Cassie and her Liepard walked in. He kept his head facing the fountain area, so as not to draw her attention. He cocked an eyebrow, thinking "There's no way they don't know who she is. There's definitely SOMETHING up at this tournament." Anubis narrows his eyes at the pair for a moment, sensing his trainer's curiosity, then he settles back down next to Shade's chair.

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Jinko Island, Hotel pool
Time: The day before the tournament, Early evening
Tagging: Salem, Willamina, Ecarte

----------------​

The girl’s question pulled Salem out of his reverie. He leaned back, giving the Gardevoir her space back and looked pensive for a moment.

“I don’t have a Pokedex,” he murmured as if only just now become aware of the fact. “I have seen people carry them around though now that you mention it, and those had been the tougher opponents.”

He shrugged then, put his hands behind his head and the bright smile returned to his face. “I have never considered myself an elite of any kind, but my Pokemon are pretty tough, so I’m sure we’ll do well enough in this tournament. Win or lose, as long as we have fun either way, it’s all good.” He looked the girl right in the eyes then as he continued in an uncharacteristically serious manner. “There is no meaning in reaching a destination if you didn’t enjoy the journey there.”

The girl blinked, but before she could say anything Salem’s lopsided grin was back in place. “At least that’s what I believe anyway.” He reached out with a hand and placed it on top of her head. “You seem a very special young lady,” he said petting her gently. “I’ll be rooting for you.”

Just then Salem’s stomach growled loudly, reminding him of why he came down here in the first place and he turned to look longingly at the restaurant area.

‘The place looks quite a bit less crowded now so finding a spot somewhere should be easy enough.’ He thought. Scanning the crowd he could make out a Beedrill and large Pigeot hoovering over two trainers laying down at their table. A comely redhead was fussing over the pair and Salem’s interest was piqued, but then his eyes fell on Cassie sitting alone with her Pokemon in a corner near the window. ‘Ah! There’s my savior,’ he thought and his face possibly beamed a little brighter.

 

[SUPERRNOVAA]

Floyd was taken aback by the sudden Lapras's movement, it didn't help that it let out a cry as well. He took a step back and turned off his Pokedex before putting it right back into it's pouch. "Sorry, this is just for work." Floyd stated to the Lapras with a bright grin on his face.

Afterwards he turned to Amara, his grin quickly transformed into a nervous smile. "Sorry to uh... cut his chat short but I have to d-dry myself off so... bye!"

Floyd began to pace his way back to the table where Alex and Aidinia were stationed but he stopped midway. 'Was it rude to leave like that?' He thought. Floyd looked down at himself and found that he was still dripping wet, a short sigh escaped his mouth as he tugged his way over to the nearest resort assistant and asked for a towel. "I swear I'm gonna feed Swifts core to a Sableye if he does this one more time." Floyd muttered to himself while drying off. He then haphazardly tossed the towel on to his shoulder and proceeded to walk over to the table once more.

Upon arriving Floyd found that Delilah's seat was empty. He assumed that maybe she went to an infirmary or had to go to sleep for the night, either way it really didn't matter. His gaze switched to Alex whose lips had swollen to an unimaginable size. Floyd contained his laughter, he honestly wasn't in the mood for any more antics. It had been a tiring day for him, the stress and embarrassment ended up getting to him quite easily. The crowd that the dining area boasted started to dwindle, the sun was definitely going down. Floyd just wanted to go to bed at this point but despite all that, he carried on.

"Um. Are they gonna be alright Aidinia?" He asked while pulling out his chair and sitting down.
Floyd subconsciously took off his glasses and wiped them with his shirt, waiting for a response.

 

[PentheWonderful]

Eyes.

Always. She could always feel them. It slowed down her eating speed, kept her stiff and glancing around. Frequently, to the newly arrived man with his Mightyena. Lady wasn't quite fond of the canine he owned, thus, her eyes were coincidentally in sync with her trainer's in watching him. The feline made it a point to show off how much better she was being treated; sitting on the chair, eating from the table off her own plates.

Cassie just didn't like being stared at. At least, not anymore.

Therefore, when an additional pair of them came to fix upon her, the trainer was about ready to take her plate and leave. Though, looking at who it was, she had second thoughts. Salem. Beaming so brightly, she got the impression that he was looking at someone behind her. Thus, stiffly and awkwardly, the young woman turned her head to check.

Nothing but the buffet table there.

Maybe he was grinning at the food on display there? Yeah, that seemed probable. Though, in hindsight, farfetched. But the girl would do anything to make herself comfortable. Even fool herself. It's what she's been doing for the past eight years, why would it be any different now?

She simply continued eating.