Fandom Pokémon Kulvi: Untethered

[Gary Sue]

It had been a long day filled with little more than disappointment. Jet had arrived on Kulvi a few days now, making sure to get accustomed to Beachveil’s rather… questionable living conditions. He was so used to the urban landscape of Unova, that a city built like on the beachside with huts and thatch roofs felt far from normal. It was like they put style over functionality, but then again, the one day it did drizzle slightly he didn’t see any leaks on his inn… Maybe they’ve constructed them in such a way that water just wouldn’t leak down, but then again, not his issue.

He’d decided to go exploring this one day off on to Route 3 and the nearby Soma Village, and after a good few hours of walking, the sight before him made him regret every single one of them. He immediately turned around and looked for any interesting Pokemon in the rustling grass that he could potentially capture, however nothing got his attention. Nothing except for a single cretin that dared sneer at him almost condescendingly. Normally, he could keep a level head with being challenged, but by a Pokemon of all things? He wasn’t having it.

The ensuing bout was questionable, really. From the Rufflet avoiding any head-on engagements with his Pawniard or Minior and instead continuing to sneer at him, it only decided to fight when Jet took a few steps towards it, taking it as this boy challenging him, the mighty bird to surpass all birds. The results could be seen on Jet’s belt as he entered Beachveil with an extra Pokeball after the bird scratched up his arms and even tore his shirt some, briefly conceding once it still saw the man standing taller and angrier than before.

That being said, he did still have the marks of combat on him, although he’d briefly go by his room at the inn to change his shirt out. “It’d probably be a good idea to find someone to repair this for me, maybe by Gleamwood since they have that whole forest Pokemon shtick… They gotta have some weaver working with silks and fabrics, right? So that’s probably a good next stop, add to that that the next gym’s that way.”, the blond organized his thoughts as he changed clothes, finally done and fixing his collar over his hoodie once more.

Moving in to the apartment’s bathroom, he adjusted his clothes neatly on himself and slicked his hair back, putting on his glasses once again and taking a deep breath. And there’s that shit eating grin again. “Much better.”, he mumbled and looked down at his phone, noticing the time. Around now, in the afternoon, he’d heard a few ships would be arriving from some other regions. Considering he’d gotten no combat training thus far and he needed someone to exercise his tactics and theory-crafting with, as well as some proper practice for the gym, maybe he’d find some good opponent coming off of it. Someone more imposing than the Rufflet that wanted to put Jet to the test, over his Pokemon. “… Better yet, maybe I can see what this guy’s worth when not trying to piss trainers off.”, he nodded to himself and put his phone back in his pocket, grabbing his keys and exiting the room, locking behind him as he headed straight for the port.

---

Location: Beachveil City
Interactions: n/A
Mentions: n/A

Paperface Key of Stars Merciless Medic HerculePyro your time, goofs.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Location: Beachveil City, Docked Boat
Interactions: Will
Mentions: N/A
Key of Stars
HerculePyro
Paperface
Gary Sue

Nakano Saito​

Naka leaned against the bow's railing, letting the sea air flow through her hair and fill her lungs with adventure. Wearing a more faded leather jacket with her trusty too-heavy backpack and her pants with too-many-pockets and her little mouse perched atop her shoulder, she was ready for this region. It was likely she'll end up doing the gym challenge and while her team wasn't exactly built for that aside for three members, she wanted to make a different team, replace the ones in her party until she had a suitable team for what she needed.

This region also smelled like mystery to her, whatever that smelled like. She wanted to feel the excitement of discovering something seldom saw. After their bout in the Kingdom of Azoth, Naka decided to call in William for this trip. While she was likely to start researching Pokemon and participating in collecting this region's badges, she did want to sightsee and have fun. Yes, have fun. Turning to Will (wherever he was), she smiled and got ready to disembark as the boat neared the pier. "So, Mr. Saito." She teased, clearly not over the fact he's used her last name in the past and brought it up for the third time this boat ride. "After we get off this boat, where do you want to see first? I heard there's a gym here. Would it be funny if Chu beat it all by herself?" She giggled, clearly in high spirits as the boat docked and they were able to step off.

Even Chu giggled and her cheeks crackled with lightning and tickled Naka's ear, clearly wanting to try out her mettle and defeat the entire team of the first gym. Though, there was a sense of foreboding, as if it wasn't going to be that easy. One well placed hit and Chu knew she wasn't going to be able to stand.

As Naka stepped off the boat with a spring in her step, she saw on the mainland that there were thatched roofs for the housing. The buildings didn't look structurally sound at all, but if they were a port for tourists to arrive, looks were deceiving. It was likely that the houses were far sturdier than they looked and just kept up an aesthetic. Nakano pet Chu's cheek, her PokeBall twitched, and an Aerodactyl flew out in a blast of light, flying straight up, and screeched as if they had triumphantly did something amazing or to not let her forget he was here to help. Eyes widening, Naka let out an "eep!" as she got his PokeBall and sent him back in the confines, hoping no one fell off the pier or was hurt from his sudden arrival. Some people stared at her and she let out a sheepish chuckle, scratching the back of her head as the crowd gave her a wide berth. "Eh-heh, sorry, guys." She waved, and soon the crowd went back to what they were doing. But the feeling of all of those eyes staring at her caused her to shiver a bit.

She groaned. "That was embarrassing." She could positively feel her nerves jumping out of her skin and her cheeks looked rather red.

 

[Key of Stars]

William Holton

Location: Beachveil City
Interactions: Nakano Merciless Medic
Mentions: N/A
​

William turned to face Naka, still leaning on the railing with one elbow. "You'll never let that go, will you?" He asked, rolling his eyes. "Would you prefer Ms. Holton instead?" He added with a teasing grin. He rubbed his chin in thought, peering at the lay-out of the city as the boat drifted into the docks. "It certainly couldn't be more different from Azoth, hopefully that goes for the near death experiences as well." He muttered, more so to himself than Nakano. "I'll pass on watching pokemon fighting eachother for fun," He said eventually, gesturing for Watson to hop back into the bag. "I'll cheer for you in my mind if you do attempt it, Lestrade might want to watch though." He added, holding his hand out for Chu to high-five.

"I was thinking of making a few acquaintances among the locals," He stepped off the boat after her. "I wouldn't mind simply having a relaxing time for once but I can't pass up on an opportunity to at least hear if there is anything shady going on around these parts." Watson piped up from the confines of William's bag, arms filled with all kinds of snacks. "Yea, yea, preferably without any actual life-threatening situations this time around." He said with a chuckle, swiping one of the pieces of candy from his partner and popping it into his mouth under loud protest from the small pokemon.

William took a small step back and watched with amusement as Nakano's Aerodactyl escaped its pokeball and made its, and thereby their presence known to everyone at the docks. He exchanged a knowing glance with Watson before casually waving at all the crowd staring at himself and Nakano. William was used to attention, and frankly, it didn't really matter what kind of attention it was, he'd make the most of it regardless. Besides, he'd gotten fairly used to Nakano's natural ability to accidentally attract attention, it wasn't like it happened all the time but it certainly happened more than one would consider usual.

He smiled, pushing his gold-rimmed glasses further back up his nose as he stepped up beside her.

"Don't worry." He said, giving her a small pat on the shoulder. "You've done far worse. No need to get embarrased over something small like this" He teased, taking the piece of candy Watson was holding out and offering it to her. "At least this time I'm fairly certain there's no one looking to kill us in the crowd." He happily added.

 

[Paperface]

Kasey Kallisto
Kasey stood on one of the cruise ship's many walkways. His appearance was nowhere close to any of the vacationers sharing this cruise with him. This morning, he had dressed in his favorite grey-hoodie-black-jacket combo again, went out onto the deck, and cluttered one of the walkways with his presence and packed luggage. Then, he released both his Pokemon from their balls and let them roam free. His first Pokemon, Slakoth, had decided to claim his favorite spot and clung onto Kasey's shoulder. While his second Pokemon, Snover, immediately went for the walkway railing and watched the sparkling sea through the bars.This would establish two things in the occasional vacationer witnessing the scene. One, Kasey wasn't here on vacation. He was a journeying trainer. Two, he was entirely prepared for the upcoming arrival at the Kulvi Region's Beachveil City. This second assumption, however, was as far from the truth as one could possibly guess. It wasn't the first day the lavender-haired maniac had dragged the whole of his belongings onto the walkways in anticipation of the arrival. In truth, Kasey had no clue how many days the boat trip would take. He had responded to this by preparing himself for arrival every, single, morning, until the day finally came. Today!

Kasey moved over to the railing to join Snover's side. However, once his hands gripped the rails and he leaned forward to try and spot their destination in the distance, both his Pokemon responded instinctively. Slakoth dug his nails further into the fabric of Kasey's shirt. He didn't fear he might fall into the waters below, though. He feared his trainer might jump in willingly to see if he could swim the final stretch. Snover shared this concern and immediately took a break from watching the waters to instead push back against her trainer's legs.

Their trainer, as if oblivious to the concern of his Pokemon, responded by bringing one of his hands forward. He stretched out his index and middle finger and pointed them downwards. The forced perspective morphed his fingers into a 'person' as Kasey moved his hand around. He dashed over the waters and made the occasional leap over a wave, seemingly much to the boy's approval. His pokemon, on the other hand, displayed nothing but confusion at the sight of their trainer moving his hand aimlessly. Snover attempted to mimic the movements but got no closer to understanding her trainer by doing so.

Kasey dragged out the movements of his fingers until they 'touched' the harbor getting closer. The one he assumed to be part of Pallet Town. “We'll be like that!” he exclaimed as he pulled back his hand and balled it into a fist. “Powering through no matter the obstacle!”

Upon noticing his motivational outburst received only confused expressions from his Pokemon, Kasey knelt down. He took Slakoth off his shoulder and placed the sloth down next to Snover. Then, he rewarded his Pokemon with a pat on the head. “This is our chance to show everyone what we can do! Together!” Despite several dots remaining disconnected, the three of them shared a fired-up gaze and put their hand and two paws together before raising them up high in cheering comradery.

“That's the spirit!” Kasey exclaimed, starting to draw the attention of surrounding vacationers gathering on the walkways to watch the ship dock. “Now let's go show them who's gonna be the next champions!”

“Hey! That's one of our linen!”

The words made Kasey turn his attention behind him and found himself looking at two of the crew. They seemed to be accusing him of something as they pointed toward one of his two bags. Namely, the one that was not an actual backpack, but a tablecloth fashioned into one by binding the four corners together. Without a second thought, Kasey placed his trusty, single-strap bag over his shoulder before pulling the tablecloth sack over the other like a Delibird. “Yes? This trip was all-inclusive!”

“What?!” One of the crew perked up with an aggravated tone after Kasey's retort had stunned the surrounding people into silence. “All-inclusive refers to the meals, drinks, and activities! NOT the table linen!”

“How else am I going to carry breakfast with me?” Kasey retorted again, hinting at the content of the tablecloth bag. He was not lying either. How else was he to carry the surplus of the wrapped sandwiches taken from the breakfast buffet?

While tension rose, a shift below his feet announced the ship had finished docking. Kasey looked over the railing and noticed his way out of this nonsense. He had more important goals to pursue than discussing what all-inclusive meant. He calmly reached down to his belt and pressed the buttons on the slotted-in Pokeballs. The red beam barely had time to recall his Pokemon before Kasey used Run Away. The people around him were stunned for a second time as he bolted away over the walkway, hopped the railing, and landed on the walkway connecting the ship to the harbor below.

“You were gonna throw these away, anyway!” Kasey called back at the clearly pissed-off crewmembers yelling at him from the walkway. Then, he unapologetically barreled through the crowd towards his intended destination – Pallet Town's Pokemon Center. There wasn't the slightest concern about whether this would come back to bite him in the long run. His goal of reaching the next stop being the only concern on his one-track mind.

- - - - - - - - - -
Location: Cruise ship -> Beachveil City, Harbor
Interactions: N/A
Mentions: N/A

 

[Gary Sue]

And shortly after leaving his apartment and hitting the streets, Jet was met with some airheaded fool zipping past everyone and mustering his best efforts to not bump into anyone. He was surprised the dolt's brain didn't slip out of his head, but his attention was quickly pulled away from the lavender haired fool when he heard what sounded like a roar from just a bit further ahead. With a brief sprint, he moved towards the docks, recognizing that was nothing short of a Pokemon, and probably a strong one too. Maybe too strong for him to pick on its trainer and have any shot of coming out on top, but wherever strong trainers lied, weaker ones gathered as well most of the time. And he was right, he could see some form of a Flying Type briefly hover over the crowd before getting trapped back in its Pokeball by the trainer. And slipping in between all the people, he managed to see some blonde that looked like little more than a fish out of water.

The entirety of the crowd was either a bit impressed or mildly miffed, with some having covered their ears and doing their best to not glare at the overly energetic trainer that just got on land and seemingly decided to let it all out. It wasn't hard to imagine she was here for Kulvi's Gym challenge rather than just some relaxing vacation, and immediately picking up on that, Jet mentally grinned and began to clap his hands as he emerged from the crowd and took a few steps forward. Before he could say his oh-so-clever quip though to gauge Nakano's personality, or the much more composed man's beside her, somebody else took Jet's lightning and earned an annoyed stare in pure silence.

And just as eccentric as Jet's already too warm for summer appearance looked, so did the other man that showed up, boasting a jacket and almost college like look, as well as a rare shade of cerulean green hair. "... Couldn't stick out any more now, could you..?", the blond complained internally as he moved both his hands into his coat's pockets and even now awkwardly standing in front of the crowd, he watched like nothing had changed. The man spread his arms and spoke loudly, now everybody that was walking down onto the port from the ship able to hear him perfectly clearly. "Welcome everyone, to Kulvi's Beachveil City! As Beachveil's Gym Leader, I can proudly say we're all happy to have you here, so if there's anything we can do to better accommodate your stay, please let us know and we'll do our best! I hope you can all enjoy what Beachveil and the rest of Kulvi has to offer.", he finished with a grin from ear to ear, as the crowd clapped and some even whistled in agreement and in an effort to embrace the warm welcome of the self-proclaimed representative of the city.

The trenchcoat wearing trainer on the other hand continued to have the most deadpan look on his face, letting out an exasperated sigh to get a brief, confused stare from the younger looking adult, who turned his softer gaze towards Nakano. "I believe that Aerodactyl just a few moments ago was yours, correct? There's plenty of trainers stopping by Beachveil, but... Please, do your best to keep your Pokemon at their best behavior. I know some are more peppy than others from experience, but not everyone appreciates them too much. Ah, and for the less gentle looking ones like your loud friend, it would be a good idea to not let them out in the city too much. If you have the time to spare, I can show you some nice hangout spots near Beachveil to let your Pokemon exert themselves without bothering anyone.", he rather hastily told her off as gently as he could for the little uproar her Pokemon caused, before realising he was getting ahead of himself and letting out a sigh, closing his eyes and taking a breath before he let out a soft chuckle. "... S-Stop that attitude already, you look like you're flirting with her."

Despite the blond's internal protests, the 'Gym Leader' continued. "I got a bit too excited there, so let's take it from the start. I'm Jet Avonlea, the Gym Leader of Beachveil City. I take it both of you are taking on Kulvi's Gym Challenge, by the looks of things.", he finished with a slight tilt of his head, cutting himself short of another little monologue to help them feel more at ease and to give them room to talk. In the meantime, the 'original' Jet scanned up and down Avonlea's figure and raised an eyebrow, somewhat troubled. "This is admittedly more warm a welcome than I remembered, but... This guy is the Gym Leader..? I'm better off finding the other airhead to train, if not asking this guy where I could find some of these oh-so-abundant trainers, once he's done putting up his little show."

---

Location: Beachveil City's Port
Interactions: Nakano ( Merciless Medic ), William ( Key of Stars ), Annette ( HerculePyro )
Mentions: Kasey ( Paperface )

 

[Paperface]

Kasey Kallisto
As Kasey's relentless push forward began to pick up speed, he found himself quickly beyond the port. The city stretched out before him into the hillside ahead. It carried with it a near-constant, tropical aesthetic. The other near-constant was a soft breeze, inlaid with sea salt, moving through the landscape. It assisted the Wingull circling above the landscape. It made the grass on the ground below dance along with its flow. Only the thatch-roofed housing spread across the landscape seemed able to break apart the peaceful passing of the wind. This combination of natural greens, warm oranges, and wooden undertones painted an image of the area as a whole. One that would clash harshly with one's sensible expectations of what a rural town in the Kanto Region would be. Had Kasey given his eyes a moment to break from navigating a path to take in the surrounding area, he might have noticed? No. He grew up in the Kanto Region but had never been outside of Saffron City until very recently. This tropical setting would not suffice in changing his mind. He was convinced of being in the right place. As much as he thought he knew the location of a Pokemon Center he had never before visited.

The uphill climb didn't seem to slow him down much. His push onward was fueled by a feeling of intense determination now that he had finally made it to the start of his journey. Nothing would stop him now, and definitely not the people ahead of him. Left, right, left, left, right. He passed them without a second glance. Making no allies as at least two of them were forced to jump aside to prevent a head-on collision with him. The rhythm of his movement combined with the determination that pushed him forward. It sparked a memory in his mind as he pushed himself to locate this elusive Center. He had felt this before, back at home. The first time he landed a blow on that sparring partner. He'd felt the Iron Fists of that Hitmonchan so many times, he could still recall the exact pattern. Left, right, left, left, right, and then!

Kasey had been lucky the Pokemon Center doors opened automatically – and quickly enough - or he would have punched right into the glass beset with the iconic Pokeball marking. Instead of that potential disaster, he found himself standing upon the welcome mat of the building. His arm fully extended, hips rotated along with the movement of his punch. He hadn't pulled his punches back then, and muscle memory demanded he didn't do it now either. A short chime rang through the waiting room. It was a comparatively peaceful sound that cut through the tense situation. It announced Kasey's presence to those who hadn't already witnessed him pick a fight with the doors. Now met with a space dotted with puzzled expressions, there was only one thing he thought to do in response. Kasey did nothing in particular. He provided no excuse for almost assaulting a glass door. After all, he almost did. Almost. Which, if you look at it sensibly, meant nothing actually happened. The lavender-haired menace readjusted the tablecloth bag hanging over his shoulder and approached the counter across from the entrance.

“Welcome to our Pokemon Center,” The stationed Nurse Joy told Kasey. She seemed to attempt to normalize the situation but couldn't mask the confusion in her voice entirely. “Would you like me to heal your Pokemon back to perfect health?”

“They're fine!” Kasey responded.

“Are you?” Nurse Joy followed up instinctively. However, it was clear from her tone that she wasn't referring to his physical well-being.

“I'm always fine!” Kasey said elated, “there's nothing that can take me down and I'm here to prove it!”

He finished his sentence and promptly dropped the tablecloth bag next to his feet. With his other hand freed up as well, he brought his single-strap bag around and used them both to dig through the contents. A good few seconds passed before he found what he was searching for. Kasey produced a Trainer Card and slammed it down onto the counter. “Sign me and my Pokemon up for the Gym Challenge and I'll show you!”

- - - - - - - - - -
Location: Beachveil City -> Beachveil City, Pokemon Center
Interactions: Nurse Joy
Mentions: N/A
Hex Codes: #FC94AF

 

[Merciless Medic]

Location: Beachveil City, Pier
Interactions: Will, Jet Avonlea, Jet Cressfield
Mentions: Annette
Key of Stars
HerculePyro
Gary Sue

Nakano Saito​

The reaction she got from Will from calling him her last name had sadly wasn't as funny as the other times she teased him about it. Though, that eye roll was kind of funny. The wit had her cheeks burning red however, and she didn't say anything about it, not wanting to accidentally say something embarrassing. His comment on the near death experiences had her Pichu's ears falling sideways in glum remembrance. Even Naka had chuckled a bit nervously from having to remember something like that.

She had forgotten that Will didn't like watching Pokemon battles and that lifted the weight off her shoulders. Good, that was probably for the best. Doing anything nowadays with Will watching her was starting to feel like she was just carrying a heavier and heavier backpack each time. Chu returned his high-five, wanting at least one of Will's Pokemon to watch the fun.

Will was always going to be a detective. Always looking out for danger and she was going to roll her eyes at that and make a joke, but her Aerodactyl made a rude appearance soon after. At least the adorable protesting from Watson about Will stealing his candy was adorable and took the edge off of everyone having looked at her. Having Will beside her again, she felt a bit less sheepish and embarrassed. She chuckled nervously as he tried to comfort her. But then her face twisted into a sort of a confused scowl and she looked up at him again. "What do you mean I've done far worse? Clearly, I'm not that bad." She looked away, feeling her pride get a little bruised from it. After having saved effectively both of their lives while in Azoth, her ego did grow in size just a tad. But then when she saw the piece of candy Watson had wanted to give her but Will took it, she took it from him and ate it, a chuckle playing with her sigh. "Yeah, yeah. At least I won't have to worry about assassins. You apparently know how to make a woman anxious. Damn." She still couldn't believe he had told her about that. That probably terrified her more than fighting in front of a large audience.

But they did alright.

Naka had been aware of a kid in lavender hair zip through the pier, but she didn't really pay him any mind. The lady with twin tails looked familiar, but she was just on the other side of people and not near enough for her to fully recognize her. It was the kid with blond hair that caught her attention, but before she was able to wave at his appearance, a man with cerulean green hair, almost like that of seaweed, had appeared before them and introduced himself. She tilted her head and listened to the man before her. He looked young, but given that age was subjective and he was a gym leader, she wondered if he was just youthful in appearance. Beachveil was where they were at. That at least added up with the brochure she had. She joined in with the clapping, thankful that all the attention hadn't been pinned on her.

But that seemed to quickly die as he pinned her in his sights. Again, nervousness arose and the sweetness of the candy she ate didn't alleviate any of the anxiety that came with. He was the gym leader, too, right? Oh boy. She can feel her chest tighten. She knew that being polite would get her to better places, but she couldn't help but feel irritated that he was putting her down as just some trainer with rowdy Pokemon. It was common to have Pokemon well trained also being well behaved, but that wasn't the case with everyone. Maybe it was just something else and he wasn't meaning to come off that way. Brow furrowed, she let a scoff die in her throat as she regarded him with kind, easy-going eyes. She bowed in apology, a soft smile to her face. "Ah, terribly sorry about that. My Aerodactyl was just excited is all. He's a genuine sweetheart, but I can understand why most would be terrified of his appearance. But showing us around would be lovely. I might be doing some research here in Beachveil, if that's alright with you. Genetics in relation to differing locations and behavioral studies on top of that." She set a hand on her chest as she introduced herself. "I am Nakano Saito. This is Chu." She motioned to her Pichu, who squeaked and waved, puffing out her chest and getting a pet to her belly for it, making her squeak and giggle. "I am taking the gym challenge, yes. Not him, though." She motioned to Will, allowing Will to introduce himself. "Nice to meet you, Jet Avonlea. This isn't my first time at a gym challenge. Completed two other gym challenges, but I have yet to attempt their leagues." Then the realization hit. What if there was a crowd that formed? She began to nervously fiddle with the zipper of her leather jacket. "Um... Is there a.... Is there going to be an audience watching this one? I uh... Have performance anxiety... It's okay if there is, I'm just hoping it's not that big..."

As if in response to her stress, another Pokemon popped out in a bright flash of light. A Flareon appeared before her very feet, looking at her trainer then at the gym leader. A hushed cry from Naka and a stern look had the Flareon's ears falling back and he sat by her heel. "Fluffy, he just got on me about Aero doing that...!" The Flareon didn't seem to care, just watched the gym leader warily, with Naka apologizing yet again with her hands clasping together. "I'm so so sorry, he gets protective of me when I get stressed. But he should know better." She glared at her Flareon, wondering if the little critter even realized how rude that was and how embarrassing it was for her.

 

[Key of Stars]

William Holton

Interactions: Nakano Merciless Medic Jet Avonlea & Jet Cressfield Gary Sue
Mentions: N/A
​

He chuckled and calmly shook his head at her taking offense, gesturing for her to calm down. "Just a joke, no need to read into it. Besides, you've done far better as well." He said with a smile. "Not a joke this time." He shrugged at her other comment. "I wouldn't say it's my forte, really. But I've dabbled, sure." He added, flashing her a wink.

He watched with interest as a rather eccentric blond stepped away from the crowd toward them, followed almost immediately by an even more eccentric looking fellow sporting a head of cerulean colored hair. The second man spread his arms, though William admittedly had a fair bit of trouble putting a finger on the newcomers exact age, still, better call a kid a man than a man a kid, he'd discovered that the hard way before.

Gym leader, huh. He had to forcefully suppress his immediate negative bias of the man as he happily welcomed them to the city. Gym leaders, not exactly as bad as the police, but still, Gym leaders were one of the big pillars of support holding the entertainment Pokemon battling scene up. He slightly shook his head as the man wrapped up his introduction. It was easy to get stuck in a cycle of negativity but that was hardly the full picture, after all, Gym leaders were a big part of the reason that Pokemon battles for entertainment were at least safe, without them, underground fighting rings would become all the more common. Not only that, he'd met more than a few pleasant Gym leaders in his life, something which couldn't be said for the police.

He struggled to decide whether was more amused or annoyed as the Gym leader addressed Nakano more specifically. On the one hand, the situation as a whole was rather funny to the detective. On the other though, no one liked to get, or see one of their friends get, scolded. He eventually sighed silently, Nakano didn't seem to take it all too badly so it wasn't worth making a fuss over. His expression did visibly darken at the man's invitation, surely the only way to interpret an invitation worded quite like that one was as an attempt at flirting. Though perhaps not, given that Nakano didn't seem to think of it as such for even a second. Still, her immediately accepting the invitation annoyed him in one way or another he couldn't quite place his finger on.

"Name's William Holton, private detective. Like she said, I'm not too interested in watching Pokemon battle each other for fun, I have a partner who'd probably love seeing you at work though." He explained, tapping one of the pokeballs at his belt. "Anyway, yea, not here to take the gym challenge, but we," He motioned to himself and Nakano. "are here together." He inwardly shrugged, just in case.

He couldn't help but laugh as Nakano's Flareon burst out of its ball, though he promptly shut up as he realized his laughing was doing everything except make Nakano feel better. "So," He said with a fabricated cough, catching the gym leader's attention before he could scold Nakano again. "You must know quite a bit about this place, being its gym leader and all. So," He leaned forward ever so slightly. "Anything shady going on? Any theft? Smuggling? Murder? I'll take every crumb of information you can give." He inquired before briefly pausing.

"Of course, we don't have to discuss that here." He said with a smile, pulling his pocket watch out of his suit pocket and checking the time before flipping it closed again and placing it back in the pocket. "How about you show us the best place around here to get something to drink and it'll be my treat?" His eyes drifted to the side and he caught another glimpse of the blond that had emerged from the crowd just before the gym leader. "Right, this might seem like I'm addressing the obvious elephant in the room, but who is he?" He asked, pointing at the blond. "I figured he was your assistant but given that's he's staring at you like you're an unsolvable locked room murder, I somewhat doubt that."

 

[Gary Sue]

The Gym Leader's eyes seemed to light up once he heard Nakano's introduction proper, almost grinning for a moment upon learning this was going to be her third gym challenge. When she shot her question out, he let out a small chuckle and crossed his arms, trying his best to calm her down. "A small crowd, that's always gonna be there. Court of the public opinion and all, but also that's what helps kids aspire to get stronger and put themselves out there. Helps the parents know we're not just trying to 'train them for combat' or what have you, for lack of a better word. Pokemon are partners and friends, not tools. But... interesting. You're free to research in Beachveil as much as you are anywhere else in Kulvi, by all means. If there's anything you believe anyone can help with, as I said before, ask away, we'll do our best to help.", he made sure to help out with the important inquiries first before he got stopped in his tracks by William's rather abrupt interjection.

"A private detective..? Interesting.", those were certainly his thoughts as the man introduced himself, although he appeared to have missed the mark with what Pokemon battles were all about. No matter, he didn't do anything to change the man's mind who seemed to be checking if Avonlea was, in fact, crossing a line with how he talked to Nakano. Once the Flareon emerged from Naka's belt, a hearty chuckle followed as the cerulean haired man scratched the back of his head, sighing out to himself. "At least it's not your Tyranitar or Garchomp getting rowdy, it's al-", he was stopped short of finishing that thought from the man's cough, turning his attention with a raised eyebrow. An awkward smile and laugh followed that only drowned out as Will asked one of the bluntest questions with a pause afterwards, the two exchanging looks silently. "Th-That's-"


"Speechless.", that was the only word crossing Jet's mind as he watched what could only be described as a fever dream. The three most eccentric people he had ever seen thus far, putting aside the sandwich thief that escaped moments ago, all gathered in the same place and seemingly trying to put one another on the spot with every passing sentence. His glare was starting to soften into a confused and almost relaxed look again, as he realised all three of them were probably as 'unique' as he made them out to be at first, not to say much about their competence.

"Ahem, tell me what you're looking for and I'll give you a personal preference. There's no 'real' best place in a town living off of healthy competition, after all.", the Water Type specialist accepted William's offer, although his expression hinted that he probably only had disappointment in store or the detective. Maybe that was for the better as far as law, order and most importantly, the public's safety was concerned.

And just when things were starting to look as standard as ever, the red-eyed boy turned to leave before hearing something about 'assistants'. With a glance over his shoulder, he saw a finger pointed at him and exchanged a confused look with a raised eyebrow with the Gym Leader, who had mirrored the same expression on his face. "I... don't believe I know this man. Probably a tourist much like you, that took one too many steps ahead of the crowd.", he mumbled under his breath before offering a small smile, only for Jet's own to fade. And so, the blond let out a deep sigh and approached the lot, before he did his best to muster another smile as friendly as one could be faked to look, directed at the Gym Leader. "Hello there. Jet Cressfield, Pokemon Trainer. I've come to Kulvi for my own Gym Challenge, and I was here to see if I could find any sparring partners from the ship dropping by today. You're the Gym Leader, correct?", he asked, only to receive a nod from Avonlea who didn't want to stop the boy's flow. "I was wondering if you could recommend any routes to train, or something of the sort."

The veteran trainer found himself trying to give a brief response that wouldn't put William in a rough spot either, before an idea came to mind as he grinned and clapped his hands. "Well then. Why don't you allow me to help welcome you alongside these two? All three of you are new to Kulvi from what I picked up, and two of you are interested in the Gyms by the looks of it- no more perfect opportunity to get familiar with everything while I give you some good pointers, don't you think?", he proposed and chuckled, turning to Will to give him a brief nod as if to signal that he'll be covering the other Jet's expenses. The other Jet being... not too pleased with the proposal, but nodding along either way, even though he seemed rather hesitant. "Surely, so long as our esteemed researcher and detective don't mind.", he uttered and looked to the other two with as blank of a face as possible, bar the little upward curve on his lips. "... Not the most ideal way to spend the afternoon, but... intel matters a fair bit, I guess."

With Avonlea checking for the other two's approval, he nodded and smiled before noticing someone from the ship wanted his attention. He gestured towards them and looked at the other three, dipping his head in slightly and letting out a brief laugh as he excused himself. "I'll be just a minute, then. It appears I'm needed for a moment.", he informed the small group that had now formed, leaving Jet to awkwardly look at the other two with a relatively blank, if not somewhat cocky and arrogant expression. In the meantime, he talked with one of the crew members aboard the ship, seeming somewhat confused with the situation being explained to him but nodding along nonetheless. It didn't take more than a few minutes before he was back down with the mismatched crew yet again, looking at all three of them before gesturing towards the small path that had shown up as the crowd parted to let the new arrivals get situated properly. "Shall we be on our way then?", he asked and got a nod from Jet, who had been looking up and down Nakano and then William for most of the awkward silence thinking how she looked rather... menacing? "No, strong... Hm, just like a punk I guess? Not like a researcher. And this guy she's with is... Trying too hard to be a detective, probably. A few eras back by the looks of it."

---

Location: Beachveil City's Port
Interactions: Nakano ( Merciless Medic ), William ( Key of Stars )
Mentions: n/A

 

[Merciless Medic]

Location: Beachveil City, Pier
Interactions: Will, Jet Avonlea, Jet Cressfield
Mentions: N/A
Key of Stars
Gary Sue

Nakano Saito​

Oh Arceus. There will be a crowd. She can feel her hands shaking. But if it's to help kids get better? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, right? The shift to her research calmed her down some, sighing softly and smiling, thankful that it wouldn't be seen as taboo or wrong.

Naka had forgotten Will's usual negative bias of gym leaders. It was so common hearing him spout about the 'evils' of cops in general that she had forgotten about his disdain for gym leaders.

His prior comments didn't go unnoticed either, just ignored for now. As Will introduced himself and mention how they were here together with such emphasis, it just further confused Naka.

First, Naka showed hints that Will didn't get back in Azoth.

Now? Will was showing a hint she would show, but does he not understand where it came from???

Now Nakano was just a bit annoyed with William, but whatever. It's not like a detective had to be aware with himself either.

Clearly.

Though, she did roll her eyes and make a chuckle-like scoff at his 'we are here together' comment, finding it a tad amusing. His laughter when Fluffy burst from his confines didn't really make her feel any worse, good for him. She would have promptly punched his shoulder if she were actually annoyed with him.

He went on to ask if there were any problems in Beachveil, and she crossed her arms and shook her head. A detective always will be a detective. She watched him for a brief moment, wondering why he pulled out his pocket watch to begin with. And then when he said it'll be his treat if they went to get a drink, Naka realized it was to show off his wealth. Of course he was flaunting it.

Not that she could complain, of course. It made her wallet feel a lot better.

When he pointed to the obvious kid who was about to approach the two before the gym leader showed up, Naka giggled behind her hand in a desperate attempt to be polite at the joke he made. As the second Jet introduced himself, Naka looked between the two. They both shared the same first name?

As blond Jet made a sarcastic remark about them being 'esteemed', Naka shook her head, throwing out a pun. "Ah, such sarcasm. The only esteemed anything is how 'steemed your face looks. Looks like you're about to pop off with all that irritation brewing." She can see it plain as day on his face too, before he tried to be pretty stoic. She didn't know if that smirk was just his usual or if he was being sarcastic or hiding something, but it definitely lent to the second. It was a little hilarious and she held a sort of sadistic, mischievous grin. Judging by this kid, he was either new or has been doing this for a while. She couldn't tell until she saw his Pokemon.

She nodded at Avonlea, agreeing with the plan set forth. She tilted her head as Avonlea was called up to the cruise ship and stayed there for a bit. "I wonder what he's talking about." She mused softly to herself, always the curious one. Judging by their faces, they looked quite confused. She took this time to speak to Will about his earlier comment, leaning towards him and whispering slightly. "Dabbled, huh? Seems like you've had your whole friendship with me to dabble in it. Thanks, winkmaster." She rolled her eyes again, though she had an amused smirk, so she wasn't irritated at all. Thankfully.

As Avonlea came back and asked if they could be on their way, she nodded. She could feel the blond Jet's gaze on them both, scrutinizing them it felt like.

She was always aware of when someone was staring.

The Flareon didn't like it either. In fact, the fiery Pokemon stayed by her heel but growled warningly at the blond Jet.

Immediately, Naka returned him in a flash of red, sighing. "Sorry about that, he doesn't like it when people stare at me for too long with that kind of look. But I understand, you're just trying to gauge the competition you have in front of you." She grinned wide, knowing full well what he was doing. She would have done the same. "Besides, it's easier if you see it in a battle." Her voice suddenly deepened slightly with a whimsical tune to it, her eyes looking at him as if to judge his strength before looking at Avonlea to do the same. She couldn't tell with Avonlea until she got to see his Pokemon, either.

She left that 'challenge' open-ended and vague. She was itching for a fight, truthfully, and this kid was practically asking for it. She had this anticipatory air about her, as if it wasn't just her Pokemon who loved the adrenaline of a fight.

Suddenly, the researcher asked the gym leader, her Pichu following her gaze the entire time. "Avonlea, how is the gym challenge like? As in, is there a fixed path or do gym leaders have a set team or do they have more challenging Pokemon for harder trainers? I'd assume the latter, yes? It wouldn't make sense if it were the former. Wouldn't want to get steamrolled." She reasoned, not with any form of sarcasm, but with a matter-of-fact tone as if it were common sense.

 

[Key of Stars]

William Holton

Interactions: Nakano Merciless Medic Jet Avonlea & Jet Cressfield Gary Sue
Mentions: N/A
​

William tilted his head to the side slightly. So they were both called Jet? Funny coincidence, or perhaps, a thrilling mystery that required a detective of a caliber much like his own to solve. Well no, probably just a coincidence.

He nodded along with the gym leader's proposal, all the same to him. He just wanted information, whether or not a fourth person came along barely mattered. As for the bill, he shrugged as the gym leader non-verbally communicated he would pay for the newcomer, all the same to him too. William was everything except strapped for cash, an extra drink or two was hardly going to get him to file for bankrupcy.

He laughed out loud at the blond's comment, nodding along with Nakano. "She's right you know. Careful to not show too much emotion. Arceus forbid you smile one time and it gets stuck on your face, right?" He added with a chuckle. Perhaps that was a bit rude but something about the way the man carried himself and the tone he'd used before led William to believe the man dealt out his fair share of verbal jabs himself.

He only nodded at Nakano's next comment, too occupied staring at the back of the gym leader on board of one of the ships, trying to figure out what was being discussed. Sure, it was probably none of his business but his thirst for any sort of information won over his desire not to be rude. That said, it wasn't like he could hear much of anything, rather, he heard absolutely nothing. Even so, he could vaguely tell from the gym leader's and crew member's posture that it was likely about some sort of trouble. Something that should have probably not made him nearly as excited as it did.

"Well, you make for a pretty good test subject I'd say, though I'm not sure I'd call myself winkmaster quite yet." He said, following it up with an exaggerated wink.

He nodded when the gym leader asked if they were ready to go, readjusting the strap of his bag as he got ready to follow the man. Of course it wouldn't ever go quite that smoothly though as Nakano's Flareon decided it was necessary to have a wild west stand-off with the blond. He smiled to himself, sharing a knowing look with Watson as he popped another piece of candy into his mouth, slowly chewing on it as he waited for them to get moving.

He matched his pace to the gym leader's when they finally did start walking. Only somewhat paying attention to Nakano's question as soon as he realised it was about the gym challenge, focussing most of his attention on his surroundings and the memorization thereof.

 

[Paperface]

Kasey Kallisto
Although Kasey's behavior seemed far from normal, Nurse Joy took the Trainer Card and with a slow, rather hesitant nod, she sighed and looked to the side of her counter, where there was a small room leading to the back of the Center. "Honey, can you take over while I sign a Trainer up please..?", she asked in a mixed voice of what sounded like exhaustion and gratefulness. Probably because she was getting some time not getting menaced by this boy's energy. And just as she spoke, a chirp was heard from the back before a Chansey came waddling in, taking the pinkette's place while she dipped her head in and moved to the corner of the counter, where there was a computer neatly out of sight under it. "Mr... Kalisto? You came all the way over here for the Challenge, then?", she asked rather hesitantly, doing her best to keep a friendly front despite her slip-up previously. "It must have been a very long trip, from Saffron all the way to here."

“Definitely!” Kasey responded while retaining a constant level of unfaltering confidence, “I'm definitely here to win the challenge, and it definitely was a long trip!”

Kasey finished explaining himself as he placed his forearms on the counter. He leaned in and saw a glimpse of the small room behind the counter before it got blocked by the rotund, pink shape known as 'Honey'. He recognized the Pokemon as a Chansey. So, why call it 'Honey' then? His expression turned contemplative as he tried to piece the reason together. He had personally been called 'Honey' in the past, on occasion, but saying it to a Chansey did not make a whole lot of sense. Did this nurse consider Chansey her child? He decided to drop the idea at that thought.

Regardless of its relationship with the nurse, the Pokemon sparked a feeling of familiarity as it waddled in. Back home, at the Dojo, everybody always talked about the safety measures taken for the members. There was always a Chansey on site to ensure any injury was cared for immediately. It made sense for a Pokemon Center to employ one or more Chansey. At least to him it did. Kasey leaned in further over the counter to take a better look at the Pokemon, and decided he had to know more after all. Just regarding a different subject. “Since you're asking me questions, can I ask you some as well?” He asked but continued immediately without missing a beat.

“Is that Chansey yours, or does it work for the Pokemon Center?” He nodded towards the Pokemon. “We had one at the Dojo, and they seem strong!” He finished while sizing up the Chansey and deemed it worthy of being his first opponent on this journey.

Just as Nurse Joy attentively added the seal necessary on his trainer card to validate the boy for the challenge, she made sure to do the digital paperwork necessary as well. And the only thing that ruined the almost back to normal atmosphere that was taking over once more, was a question that had a rather obvious answer to it. "U-Um, yes to both. Honey's been my Pokemon ever since I was a kid almost, although we're not quite fans of fights ourselves. She can carry her own weight if need be, but we prefer more... idle, jobs, if possible."

At the mention of a dojo though, maybe she could keep herself interested in Kasey's little energetic rambling while the computer slowly and painfully as ever processed the information inputted. "... By Dojo, you mean the one in Saffron right? Are you familiar with it, then?", her own question was rather extra itself as he seemed already bruised and battered enough by default to give her all the answers she needed. He probably frequently participated in the Dojo's activities, although so far away from home, that'd be a tough habit to keep up now. "It's quite a long way, you know? Are you just going to be giving the Gym Challenge your all, so far away from home? It'll be a while before you can visit Saffron again, judging by how determined you are to see this through."

'Familiar with it, then?' He could not believe what he was hearing. That, and the fact that this nurse and her Chansey were not fond of battling, made something crystal clear to Kasey. This duo was not going to be his first-ever opponent after all. Trying to make an unwilling Pokemon participate in a battle was something he would never take part in. Besides, if she had not even heard of their family business, she would definitely underestimate him. No doubt! It just was not a fair matchup. The least he could do in this situation was inform them. “My parents run the Dojo, you could say I'm familiar-” He boasted and flexed his arms for a moment to ensure to her he wasn't 'just familiar'.

“Hang on, what do you mean by all that?” Kasey interjected on his own explanation – and flexing. “Ofcourse I'll be giving it my all! I always do!” He insisted. “Besides, Saffron isn't that far away. It's just a couple of towns over if you don't get distracted like an idiot!” He paused for a moment to crudely map out the path in his head. Taking longer than somebody reasonably should, given what answer he provided after consideration. “Yeah! You just go north from here until you hit Pewter, take an east until you hit Cerulean, and go down from there! I can make that, no problem!”

She was awestruck. What exactly was she meant to do to break it to the boy that he wasn't in Kanto..? With a shake of her head just as the info had finished processing, she pinched her nose's bridge for a moment and looked towards the Chansey, which seemed to curiously tilt its... everything. "Pewter and Cerulean are in Kanto, right? That's... Definitely not north, I'm sorry to say. Are you sure you meant to come to Kulvi, Mr. Kalisto..?", she rather hesitantly asked him with a small, confused and somewhat worried smile all mixed up in one.

And judging by his almost unwavering expression, she was in luck that some tall lady entered the Pokemon Center, just to address the lavender haired brawler and grab his attention. "Y-Your card, by the way. If you need anything else, we'll be happy to help again... Might be a good idea to start with calling your family.", she offered her piece of advice, although the last part came out more murmured than it otherwise would have, as part of her just hoped he wouldn't hear her. It was written all over her face why- "Too much energy... I just hope this kid manages to find some way out of this."

“What does that mean, Kulvi?” His confidence faltered for just a moment before it returned twice as intense. “You're testing me! There is no Kulvi Town in the Kanto Region.” He exclaimed with satisfaction. He swiped his trainer card from the hand of the nurse, convinced he had seen through this 'test'. At least, until he noted the mark on his card did not relate to the Indigo Challenge but something else entirely. He knew the boat he boarded had Pallet Town as its destination. What was going on here?

- - - - - - - - - -
Location: Beachveil City, Pokemon Center
Interactions: Nurse Joy ( Gary Sue ), Annette ( HerculePyro )
Mentions: N/A
Collab: Gary Sue
Hex Codes: #FC94AF
Hotel: Trivago

 

[Gary Sue]

The pun that Nakano tried to hit Jet with was... bad. Rather than looking offended, he tilted his head somewhat and just gave another shit-eating grin out of confusion, having his suspicions confirmed in full from her attitude and almost aggression. And then came William's comment which... it was fair, if he weren't smirking half the time, of course. Maybe Sherlock was onto something, after all. "My my, so much for being kind. Puns tend to stick better if you don't explain them, by the way.", he told Nakano rather matter of factly, although the upward curve at the end of his lip did climb just a little bit higher once again. In the time the two spent flirting, he looked at them and pondered, before getting distracted by Avonlea, too much so to notice the Flareon until the Gym Leader was done speaking.

Although both the Jets were looking down at it rather amused, it even got a laugh out of the blond one as the Pokemon was retracted back into its Pokeball's confines. What should have been nothing more than a crystal clear challenge offer to the man was kindly turned down as he raised a palm and shook his head. "I gauged you alright, I'm not interested though.", he said with the same easy-going tone, although it was hard to tell if he were truly messing with her or just not interested in fighting. The answer he knew was that an Aerodactyl was probably enough to wreck all three of his Pokemon, especially considering neither had that much hands-on experience with battles bar a few other rookie trainers a year or so ago in Kalos. Even then, it was mostly his Pawniard, but he knew how to pick his fights. This was simply not the right one.

Just to make sure the friendly banter stayed just that- banter-, Avonlea clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and began to walk, only for Nakano to shoot a question his way shortly after they started. Although Jet kept the same look on his face- a wide smile and significantly brighter expression, he gave the Gym Leader a quick glance from the corner of his eyes almost too attentively. "That depends on the Gym you'll be going into. Beachveil's is both the one off course and closest to one of the more remote parts of the region, Aurelia Town, so most tend to start off with it. That all being said, most of us adjust the challenge for the challenger. I'll be taking your team into account once you step into my Gym as a challenger to take you on properly. There's no paperwork needing to be done, but there are some warm-up matches with some of my students, if that's alright by you. Get you and your friends in shape first, hm?"

Despite being as friendly as before, hopefully he wasn't coming off as quite flirty anymore. Then again, it wasn't like he did it intentionally so he just sighed and gave Nakano a glance over his shoulder alongside a thumbs up before turning in front of him again. He kept looking at the side of the street as they were on a path by the coastline, looking at all of the restaurants, taverns and bars that were open at the time. Rather thoughtfully, he kept exchanging glances between all of them before he moved towards one called "The Cloyster", fittingly enough for the shape of the sign right outside of it.

"A tavern to get everybody a hearty meal should do.", he confirmed his choice as he led everyone inside and to a nice table for four that was by the shop's entrance, with wide windows right by their seat letting them look out and at the ocean freely. With the sunset, the water sparkled beautifully for all to enjoy and even Avonlea himself just smiled at the sight almost filled with... something. Nostalgia? Self-accomplishment? It was hard to tell, but he was content with everything, by the looks of it. "So, big kahuna, any recommendations?", Jet looked at the cerulean haired man and got him wondering, looking over the menu and grinning. "There's some very nice berry salads if you don't want anything too heavy on the stomach. Good dressings too. There's also a lot of filling oyster-related recipes... And yes, the name is just a pun, not a warning."

With an almost synchronized chuckle from both Jets that got them to stop as soon as they started and look at one another, the blond one coughed and the Gym Leader simply awaited everyone to look over the menus laid out in front of them and make their own choices. When they had, he decided to deliver some of the advice he promised he would earlier as he tried to get the attention of a waiter with his hand. Just how lively the store was making it hard, but he'd make it sooner or later. "If you want your Aerodactyl roaming around- or your entire party for the hell of it, Routes 3 and 4 might be a good place. Route 3 leads to Soma Village which might be a good destination if you want to take the tourist approach, but it wouldn't hurt to get acquainted with the entrance of Turnaround Woods either. It's a bit of a hurdle for most travelling trainers and you'll have to trudge through them to get to Gleamwood either way, and you might even get to see some new species. Or at least ones you didn't have over in..?"

What a smooth way to pass the conversation back to Nakano, huh? And even though he was intent on letting her end, the glimmer in his eyes when he gave William a glance alerted the detective all he needed to know. Maybe there was a job for him after all, although he would be foolish to expect something too grandiose like what he's used to expecting. And while the others spoke, Jet took a moment to look down at his phone, checking the time and his lock screen momentarily before he lifted his head again to look at everyone and keep smiling and listening along. "... At least they're lively and not trouble-magnets like they seemed to be at the port. It could be much worse.", a train of thought interrupted as the waiter had made his way over to take their orders. Just in time.

---

Location: Beachveil City's Coastline, "The Cloyster"
Interactions: Nakano ( Merciless Medic ), William ( Key of Stars )
Mentions: n/A

 

[Paperface]

Kasey Kallisto
What a predicament Nurse Joy found herself having to assist with... This was rather nerve-racking. She'd never stumbled onto someone so absent minded that they boarded the wrong ship, let alone gotten lost on a region so far from home... No, maybe it was just a human mistake. What was there to do though..? And the stubbornness of this headstrong kid wasn't helping her come up with any good response for the situation. "Kasey is your name, right? Kasey, you're not in Kanto. I-If you were close to Pewter, then you would be...", she groaned and did her best to map out Kanto in her mind, although she struggled. It wasn't like she'd ever visited it for herself, so she had some trouble before realising it would probably be- "Pallet Town, you would be in Pallet Town. A boat from the nearest port to Saffron would not take a long trip. It should have been a few hours at most."

A soft groan came out as she slumped somewhat, looking at Honey with a troubled expression on her face and then peeking over her counter at the PCs that doubled as phones. "It might be in your best interest to call someone from your Dojo and see if there's anything they can do to help you out, talk to the Gym Leader or the local poli-", and just as she practically finished giving her advice, the landline on her desk next to the computer began to ring. "I'm sorry, I have to pick it up, but if there's anything I can do to help...", she left it at that and picked up the phone, giving Kasey a nervous smile before she managed to get absorbed in her call.


Kasey's eyes remained fixated on the marked Trainer Card. The pressure he was exerting on the card turned his fingertips red. He had heard the nurse explain the predicament he found himself in. He saw that the mark did not belong to the Indigo League. If it had been anyone with less authority, Kasey would have rejected the notion that he was not where he had intended to go. However, what reason did this Nurse Joy have to lie to him? The only thing he could do was accept that he had messed up before he had even started. Kasey managed to tear his gaze away from the card only to discover the nurse had gotten herself absorbed in a phone call. He shrugged in response. It was not like she could help him any more than the advice she had already given him.

Kasey slid the Trainer Card into his pocket for the time being. Hiding away the mark that meant nothing but failure. He took one more glance at the nurse, and a single thought crossed his mind. “Might as well do the same.” Kasey walked over to the PCs while dragging the bag of sandwiches along with him. There was no reason to just leave them there, but he could not muster the spirit to carry them either. As he stood before the PC, he took the horn off the handle. Somehow it felt heavier than anything he had ever lifted or would ever lift. He could feel the horn tremble against his ear. Was this it? Was he really going to throw away all the work that went into getting here?

No.

The weight of the horn melted away instantly as he slammed it back onto the handle. Or rather, he missed the handle entirely and nearly cracked the screen of the PC with it as it bounced. He turned around towards the room - and with the horn hanging from the cord - pointed into the open space. “Listen UP!” He exclaimed loudly with rekindled fire in his soul. “My name is Kasey Kallisto! I don't know who ANY of your Gym Leaders are. Hell, I don't know WHERE I am, but I know I WILL be the next champion of this place!” He finished while sizing up every single person within view. There was nobody here who could match him. He would take them all on if that was what it took to realize his dreams. "So, you BETTER remember the name!"

- - - - - - - - - -
Location: Beachveil City, Pokemon Center
Interactions: Nurse Joy ( Gary Sue )
Mentions: The whole damn Pokemon Center
Collab: Gary Sue
Hex Codes: #FC94AF

 

[Merciless Medic]

Location: Beachveil City, The Cloyster
Interactions: Will, Jet Avonlea, Jet Cressfield
Mentions: N/A
Key of Stars
Gary Sue

Nakano Saito​

Nakano, later, realized how rude she was to the blond Jet. She should probably apologize. While he seemed like it didn't affect him and he even slightly chastised her for making a bad joke, she still felt slightly bad. However, William's joke made that practically impossible right now.

Oh well.

Though, William's exaggerated wink... She didn't have anything to say about that besides a massive roll of her eyes amidst an amused smile.

Jet seemed to understand that she was likely too tough for him. If someone didn't want to fight, she wasn't going to make them. Especially since she didn't want to completely destroy the guy. She couldn't tell if he was messing with her though, but better to be safe than sorry. She just gave him a respectful nod at that, easing up on that pressure she was emitting like her Aerodactyl.

Though, she can appreciate Jet's calm attitude despite what she said earlier. She's scared quite a few people doing what she did. It was to determine their experience or personality for the most part. Though, Jet seemed to rarely do anything with his face but smirk. Was that just his neutral face? She had to ask at some point.

Avonlea's clap had reminded Naka he was there. She totally didn't forget he was there on the cruise ship for a second. The answer she received was interesting. She smirked at his question to get her and her friends in shape, nodding. "I wouldn't mind a warm-up~." She said excitedly, sounding pumped up for something like that. Her whimsical tune sounded as if she were flirting, which she wasn't. She just got really excited.

As they approached "The Cloyster", Naka smiled as her Pichu cheered. A tavern was what it was? Naka followed closely, looking around at the pretty aesthetic she's rarely seen since being in Alola. She noticed the look on Avonlea's face as he stared at the sight before them. Of the ocean.

It did look rather beautiful, but there was more to his expression she didn't understand. Sitting at the table for four, Chu landed on her lap and began staring at the PokeBalls that held her friends. Looking out at the water, she wanted to give Barraskewda a breath of fresh water. She looked up at Naka, who looked down and petted her, shaking her head upon seeing the pleading look and the point of her paw towards her belt. "Not right now, hun. Let's wait."

Chu pouted and crossed her arms, sitting down as her ears fell back from her head being pet. Naka looked over the menu and decided to just get something similar to what she'd normally get. Though, once Avonlea got her attention, she raised her eyebrow before watching him and smiling at his advice. He trailed off and she chuckled. "In other regions, yes. I have quite a few Pokemon I've caught for strictly research purposes. Mainly in Sinnoh and Hoenn." She leaned forward, propping her elbows upon the table and interlocking her fingers to create a resting place for her head as she rested her chin on her fingers. "Turnaround Woods sounds like Bewilder Forest, a forest in the Sinnoh region. Stantler are all over the place there, and it's easy to get lost. I will assume the same thing with Turnaround Woods, either Pokemon who are capable of hypnotizing humans like Morelull or Noctowl or to cause problems in traversing like Ariados and Shroomish. Or maybe the trees all look very similar and it's denser than the forests of Hoenn. If it has no pack of Zoroark, I think we'll be fine. Had to find, identify, and watch over a pack of Zoroark in Kalos and since they can change their surroundings and themselves with their ability, I've gotten a bit used to getting lost and have found clever ways to not get turned around and find what I was looking for." She spoke matter-of-factly, her eyes looking at Avonlea's direction but more through him as she recounted her time in Kalos.

Gleamwood sounded extremely familiar and she spoke as such. "Gleamwood sounds a lot like Glimwood Tangle in Galar. I don't think there is much of a correlation. From what I can remember from the brochure, Gleamwood's a town?" She chuckled, leaning back a bit as her forearms rested against the table. As the waiter approached, she listed off what she wanted. A fried oyster sandwich with tamato berry and lettuce. Yum. And a bowl of berries for her Pichu.

She had other food for her Pokemon to enjoy.

She turned to blond Jet and gave him an apologetic smile. "Also, I want to apologize for my demeanor earlier. It's been a while since I've spoken to people other than Will and I didn't think I was being rude. Glad to see you took it well, regardless." Now that she had the promise of food and was on land, she was a lot more chill. She turned to Avonlea again. "Is there a stream or water source on Routes 3 or 4? I got a Barraskewda who can only be in water."

Meanwhile, Chu was staring at the ball containing Barraskewda and was hatching a plan to take him out of here.

 

[Key of Stars]

William Holton

Interactions: Jet Avonlea & Jet Cressfield ( Gary Sue ), Nakano ( Merciless Medic )
Mentions: Kasey ( Paperface )
Collabs: Gary Sue
​

As William stayed relatively quiet, listening to the conversation idly, the blond Jet simply grinned at Nakano's apology and Avonlea tried to compose all his thoughts so he could word them as neatly as he could. "If you can put all the comparisons aside, I believe you're sorely mistaken about Kulvi. Pokemon here do not tend to be aggressive, neither do they try to attack or 'eat' humans. I was concerned about our detective's interest, because he seemed a bit...", he trailed off, only for the blond to tilt his head and chime in. "... enthusiastic about crime and unsavory topics?", Jet finished rather bluntly, only to get an awkward laughter from Avonlea. "... That's one way to put it, haha..."

William shrugged, shaking his head slowly. "Not at all, really. I'm simply intrigued with the idea of solving mysteries that others can't quite wrap their head around. Whether that be murder or where you left that shoe you lost a few weeks ago, as long as it has a certain level of mystery to it." He said with a slight smile. "Though I am to understand from your answer that there is nothing of that sort going on around here, I have to say I'm glad there's no foul play going on." That was somewhat of a lie, he was glad the region was calm for those living in it but he really would have preferred at least something mysterious or interesting enough to keep him busy for a day, hell, even an hour.

The Gym Leader grinned and raised a palm as if to tell William to wait for a moment, as he turned back to facing the trainer beside him. "Gleamwood is a town, and it should be your next destination for the Gym Challenge once you wrap up over here. As for your Pokemon... Although Routes 3 and 4 aren't that full of water, bar the occasional puddle you'll see left over from rain, you could use Beachveil's sea. It is called Beachveil, after all. Just please- do make sure to not scare the non-trainers too much. Barraskewdas are somewhat... scary looking, yes?", he tried to make sure Nakano wouldn't just repeat what happened earlier with Aerodactyl, laughing as if to relieve the tension and looking outside through the window for a moment. "If you look around town any tomorrow, you might be able to find a cafe or two- I don't remember as of right now, but the newest one built in Beachveil should have a small water area for your Pokemon to play with others, provided you can promise it'll behave. Might be worth looking into, Mrs. Saito."

With all of that out of the way, he then turned to William and rested his head on his hands, leaning forwards somewhat with a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure why, or who, but... I do have some business to tend to tomorrow, so I will be gone. The local authorities have already been informed, but there was a... 'theft'. If you can even call it that. Some 'thickheaded kid' took a tablecloth from the ship and scurried off with it, and now he's gone. Could you find him and get the tablecloth back, if you please? I'd like to have a word with the little rascal, but from what my crew said, that's inevitable as he's probably a trainer.", Avonlea almost blurted out the entire situation at once, looking down at the floor next to the four and just murmuring under his breath. "Why a tablecloth even..."

Putting that aside though, he looked back up at William and smiled. "He should be rather easy to find, if he did stay in Beachveil. Purple hair and a lot of bandages on him, hard to miss really.", he finished only to hear a chuckle from the rookie trainer by his side. "The more speed than brains guy? He left the port when I was heading over to check the new arrivals. Before the whole... Aerodactyl screeching part."

William rhythmically drummed with the tips of his fingers on the edge of the table. "Well, I suppose I could find this small time thief of yours for you. Though I have to say it hardly sounds mysterious or interesting." He quickly glanced at Watson who was stuffing himself with candy from the bag. "Well, I'll admit I'm somewhat curious as to why he decided to steal a tablecloth if nothing more, though I assume the answer will probably end up disappointing me rather than unveiling some genius grand scheme."

He shrugged again, he'd do it, though having a full description of the rather unique sounding thief did make things rather clear cut and boring, still, it would serve to kill an hour or so.

He turned to the blond with a curious gaze. "Care to tell me a bit more about what you saw, then?" He asked with a smile. "Although I doubt you did any actual observing rather than simply looking."

Jet was honestly too absorbed trying to remember the scene to realise the verbal jab sent directly his way, squinting at the table. His order of a plain risotto with some oysters and berries sprinkled in, alongside Will's chocolate cake were on the way while he thought and thought about it. And just as the waiter took everyone's attention and handed them their orders, it all came back. "Come think of it, I was heading to the port and he ran off to the left... I'm not too sure of how to map the area out in my mind, though.", he admitted and looked at Will with a straightforward face. For once, that stupid grin was gone.

But it returned once Avonlea realised what Jet was talking about, and turned to look at him. "Say, where were you coming from, Cressfield?", he asked, and it was obvious the blond had a thing or two to say about the lack of a 'mister' before his last name, but... he'd live with it. "The AirBNB I've rented, somewhere further out but mostly close to the outskirts.", he admitted and with that, Avonlea turned to look at William. "Well then... I can reassure you the culprit's still in the town and well within reach. Mr. Cressfield over here can show you where he was if you two would like to head to the port, and see if you can find him from there yourself- if you want a mystery to solve that is. Otherwise, I can spill the beans and have you get to it as is.", Avonlea almost hummed as Jet shrugged and started to dig into his meal, blowing at it to make sure it wouldn't burn his tongue.

"I'm not all too surprised, people tend to look rather than observe, there's no shame in that either. But," He paused to take a bite of the chocolate cake. "Let me pose you a fun little query, do you happen to have a set of stairs in your childhood home?" He continued after the blond youth hesitantly nodded. "Wonderful, surely you've walked up and down that staircase a tens of thousands of times if not far more. So then, let me ask you this, do you know how many steps your staircase contains?" He paused to take another bite of his cake. "I can tell you that the staircase to my office contains exactly 21 steps, because I've observed, rather than simply looked."

He shook his head at Avonlea's suggestion. "That's quite alright, I already wouldn't say it is much of a mystery rather than a small detour really, no need to spoil every last bit of what little intrigue is left." He looked towards Nakano. "You're welcome to come with but I can meet up with you later if you'd rather spend your time training." He then turned to the other Jet. "I'd like to extend the invitation to you as well, though let me be clear in saying I don't require any assistance."

 

[Gary Sue]

Jet was... unsure what exactly to make of the rather self-centered ramblings of the detective. He was certain that was some form of jab at the blond, but just like the Gym Leader by his side, he thought not to comment on it, instead observing quietly and taking a few bites out of his meal quietly. "Right.", he said with a shrug of his eyebrows, before going back to eating. He had a fair few things he wanted to say as jabs, but he was better off keeping himself on good terms with fellow travelers- even though he wasn't going to get all buddy buddy with them. By the time the black haired man turned down any form of assistance, it felt like that was meant to be another insult. Then again, what was he to get 'insulted' by this?

"Don't worry- I'd love to show you where this most menacing criminal went, but I'll do nothing to help you catch the fool.", Jet made his intentions perfectly clear and looked to the side out of the window, grinning slightly to himself and even letting out a low chuckle before turning back to the bunch again. "I had my eyes on him before Mrs. Saito put on a show herself- he looked like a rookie, if he's a trainer at all. In case he is though, I think he'd be a more fitting opponent for me.", he shared his thoughts with everybody else on the table, getting Avonlea's attention as the man crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair.

"Sparring partner? He could do- I'll take a gander and say I'll be seeing this 'thief' pretty soon myself, so do your best to prepare him and... if you do want more training partners, although my Gym won't be open for challenges while I'm off-duty, you can always check if there's any apprentices of mine training to help you out. Otherwise, check the neighboring routes alongside your fellow trainer and see if there's any other trainers over there. There's some small 'fields' by the route you can use as arenas, provided you don't...", he muttered the rest, trying to think of some way to phrase it rather politely. "Destroy or damage the plains and environment much, yes? Which means please- do not set things on fire or bring any harm to the nearby routes. That'd make me a bit more peeved with you than I am with the tablecloth collector in town.", he ended off his rather stern warning with a joke and laughed at it alongside a kind chuckle from the other Jet, before he checked his phone for time and let out a deep sigh.

"Is there anything else you lot would like to know? I'll have to go pretty soon, so I can answer any final questions and then, I'm afraid I will have to leave you to it. You can always visit me by the Gym the day after for a challenge, or take your time if you feel you still need to prep up.", he declared, just to get a shrug and thumbs up from the blond. And with that, Avonlea turned to William and Nakano with raised eyebrows and the same kind smile he wore for most of the encounter still on his face.

---

Location: Beachveil City's Coastline, "The Cloyster"
Interactions: Nakano ( Merciless Medic ), William ( Key of Stars )
Mentions: n/A

 

[Paperface]

Kasey Kallisto
Kasey's passionate outburst served little more purpose than drawing the attention of surrounding people. The second time since his entrance into the Pokemon Center. However, despite repeated exposure, there remained very little chance anyone would remember his name. That much was clear from their collective expressions of confusion and growing annoyance – excluding a select few. Those few seemed to garner some sense of entertainment from observing the lavender-headed loudmouth. To them, Kasey would have been comparable to a car crash. You should probably not look at it. However, while it is right there, it becomes hard not to satisfy the curiosity. There was no actual response other than those curious gazes. “Got it?” He added to the backend of his monologue.

To him, that was rhetorical – even though he would not have understood what that word meant – he knew the people watching him understood. If not, why would they be awed into silence like that?

He believed he had established his position with his speech. These people would remember him. It gave him the boost needed to top off his confidence to the 'Kasey Standard Level' and he moved on to the new next step of his new foolproof plan. Admittedly, it was still the same plan. It was foolproof, after all. He just had to make some adjustments regarding the towns he had to visit. The Gym Leader he would have to beat.. The best direction to head from here... In short, he needed information. At this revelation, Kasey looked across the floor of Pokemon Center again. He stared intently into the eyes of many of his onlookers without gathering anything substantial. It was going to be his first task to overcome!

He never had any problems estimating the martial capabilities of people, but that was not the information he needed for once. Kasey was looking for someone who knew the area – preferably the whole region. If necessary, he might even let this person be his travel companion for the time being. Yet, to figure out who was suitable, he would need to get to know them first. It needed to happen fast because his time was precious. He needed to get going again. Kasey hoisted the tablecloth bag onto his shoulder once again, and then it suddenly hit him. He and his parents mostly only talked to eachother during breakfast, lunch, or dinner. His bag held enough to serve the entire Pokemon Center a sandwich dinner - and then some. That might get people to share some of their stories.

He shrugged to express it might be worth a shot and honed in on an empty glass table with a bench and two seats surrounding it. With the finesse of a Rhyhorn, Kasey dumped the tablecloth onto the table. He then untied the knot. Kasey wholeheartedly expected that the cloth peeling away would reveal a stack of sandwiches as presentable as the one onboard the cruise ship. However, when part of the disorganized pile spilled out onto the floor, he was visibly confused by the lacking presentation. He tapped his finger against one of the Pokeballs on his belt, and the bright streak of light produced Snover. The small Frost Tree inspected her surroundings, noted the unfolding disaster, and gave her trainer a concerned look.

“Listen, I have a plan,” Kasey said before explaining his method of getting people to talk to him by sharing a meal. “So, I will clean up the table and you grab some sandwiches and start handing them out to people you like. We're a team, Snover, if you like them, I will too!” He finished with some words of encouragement, placed his hand on the head of the still-mildly-worried Pokemon, and gave her a reassuring pat. Snover responded by setting her concerns aside for the time being to hand-pick some of the nicer-looking wrapped sandwiches. Then, set out on her quest to find people she might like. In turn, Kasey began making their pop-up sandwich station more presentable in case anyone approached him directly.

- - - - - - - - - -
Location: Beachveil City, Pokemon Center
Interactions: N/A
Mentions: The whole damn Pokemon Center

 

[Merciless Medic]

Location (Naka): Beachveil City, The Cloyster -> Streets
Location (Pichu/Flareon/Barraskewda): Beachveil City, Pokemon Center
Interactions: Will, Jet Avonlea, Jet Cressfield, Kasey
Mentions: N/A
Key of Stars
Gary Sue
Paperface

Nakano Saito
Interesting. The Pokemon here weren’t as dangerous as she thought. That was good, at least. Still, she’d have to be careful with the random Pokemon trying to steal their gear or their food. The blond Jet’s succinct comment about Will’s enthusiasm had Naka snickering. Will’s incessant need to have something mysterious happen was like an addiction. She really needed to get him more crossword puzzles. Maybe a whole book dedicated to it.

Nakano got her answer about Gleamwood and the surrounding routes. She nodded, making sure to find a secluded part of the beach to throw her Barraskewda out for a swim. She did chuckle and shrugged at his question if Barraskewda were scary. Honestly, she had many terrifying encounters with small and seemingly harmless Pokemon like Shiinotic. So, were they? Maybe to the general populace, but not to her. She just considered it cute. She did kiss the damn thing when he was an Arrokuda after all. She did like the idea of another cafe suiting her Pokemon’s needs, so she grinned and bowed her head in thanks.

Hearing that the issue Avonlea had on the boat was from a stolen tablecloth, Nakano snickered. She didn’t know why a tablecloth was taken either, but it was probably something stupid simple. To hear that blond Jet had seen where the ‘culprit’ went, Naka knew that they would find them soon. That was good.

Naka did agree with Will though, that it wasn’t a very mysterious nor interesting endeavor to pursue, if it weren’t for the curiosity eating her away as to why, which might just make her die from laughter through second-hand embarrassment and cringe than anything else. When Will spoke to Jet however, she knew what was coming and rolled her eyes and shook her head. She decided to tune it out, eating her food as it came by and giving her bowl of fruit to Pichu.

However, as she ate diligently, Chu only ate a few pieces of the bowl before pushing it over for Watson to eat. In the meantime, she stole a napkin that she used to wrap around her waist, the knot on her stomach. She made sure it was tight, then leaned over to pull the PokeBall clip that housed Barraskewda’s PokeBall off Naka’s belt. Once it was out of the belt’s grasp, she slipped it on her back and under the napkin, getting it snug on there. Thankfully for Chu, the only people who could see her was Naka if she looked down, Will if he looked anywhere else but Jet and his food, and Watson if he wasn’t mowing down on that candy. Avonlea had spoken up to somewhat end their conversation as he seemed to take a leave. Naka nodded to all of what was said, knowing not to make a mess of the nearby routes. There must have been a protection order in place for the wildlife.

“Nope, that’d be all, Avonlea. Thank you for being hospitable and taking us in.” Her tone sounded a lot more honeyed than normal and she had doe eyes as she stared at Avonlea. Her prior frustrations and wondering if Will would ever realize anything about his own emotions like a good detective had Naka so miffed that she decided to take some revenge. Was it petty? Yes. Was it manipulative on both Will and Avonlea? Yes. Did she care? Not really. She did catch on to Will’s rude nature, so it was only a matter of time until some negative behavioral aspect made its rounds to him.

Although the tone and look on Nakano's face felt a bit off as opposed to before, Avonlea crossed his arms and with a small smile, gave her a curt nod before he took a glance at everybody else, and upon confirming there was little else to be said, he clapped his hands. "If that's all then, excellent. It's been a pleasure getting to meet you lot- I'm sure I'll be seeing at least two of you again in a fairly short while. Until then, take good care of yourselves and train up as best as you can. And don't stir any trouble, if possible, yes?", he joked at the end, having figured Nakano had learned her lesson by now- and oh, the tragic irony of the timing.

Feeling herself ready for takeoff, she jumped out of Naka’s lap and ran for the entrance of the building. Naka didn’t feel Chu jump off her lap, so Chu was practically safe to leave. That was until Flareon bursted out of his PokeBall and chased after Chu, and that alerted Naka. She put her hand on her PokeBalls as she watched Flareon run outside, only to feel her Barraskewda was missing. Looking down at her missing napkin and her missing Pokeball, she sighed. Grateful to have eaten everything on her plate, she got up.

It seemed like a regular occurrence for her, as she didn’t seem all that troubled. She waved a nonchalant hand in their direction. “I’ll catch up to them in a second.” As she rounded the table to Avonlea, she gave him a sweet smile.

"Do take care of them as soon as possible, Mrs. Saito...", a disgruntled sigh left the man's lips as he chuckled lowly, ending it off with a deep exhale.

“I’ll see you later then, gym leader. You mind if I were a bit more Kalosian with my goodbye?” Her voice held a more mature, sultry edge to it than the innocent honeyed sound she held earlier. By the time she had made her way over to him, he had noticed the change in tone and gave William a quick, rather wary glance and a slow nod to Nakano's question- she then kissed his cheek (taking a moment to watch Will in her peripherals for any changes). The kiss made him uncomfortable enough to almost push her back... but he did not this time. She then walked out of the building with a light wave of her hand, then running to catch up to Flareon, who was chasing her Pichu.

Clearly rather tense though, he gave Nakano what felt like a harsh glare before his expression softened again, with a facade of the same easygoing attitude he had up to now and a small, rather sharp smile. "... I will be off then. Have a good night, everyone.", he bid everyone farewell again and gave William another silent look before he walked over to one of the employees to pay up and then make his way out of the building as well, to attend whatever business he had to.

Did she feel bad? A little, mostly for Avonlea. She didn’t like making strangers uncomfortable, and she swore her kiss was maybe a little too close to his lips, but she did it. But when she met Avonlea again, she vowed to herself to not make any moves like that to him, or even act like she had done anything like that. As if it never happened.

Meanwhile, her Pichu would have gotten to the beach if it weren’t for Flareon, who had interrupted her path and had chased her towards a Pokemon Center. Seeing a Snover, the Pichu rushed past the Grass/Ice-Type and then jumped on the table of sandwiches. The Flareon ran in, looked around, then glared at the Pichu on the counter. He walked over and sat down, growling and not budging, while Pichu held the handkerchief around her waist tightly, keeping the stolen PokeBall and its clip on her at all times. The two were squeaking and growling at each other, embroiled in an argument about whatever they were doing. Flareon wanted to take the Pichu back to Naka, while Pichu just wanted her Barraskewda to take a dip.

 

[Key of Stars]

William Holton

Interactions: Jet Cressfield ( Gary Sue )
Mentions: Nakano ( Merciless Medic ), Kasey ( Paperface )
Collab: Gary Sue
​

William showed a sudden increase in interest in the remaining part of his chocolate, rather aggressively stabbing the slice with his fork, doing his best to ignore the display Nakano was putting up. She was most likely expecting something or other from him, but as to what exactly, he'd need at least a few more years of detective experience or a guidebook for dummies to understand. Still, he was more than a little annoyed by the whole thing. "Right," He said to Jet rather forcefully when Nakano left the building. "We're going as well, we've been sitting here twiddling our thumbs long enough, detective work waits for no one. Let's start by going back to the harbor."

Jet hadn't noticed the shitshow, as he'd call it, going on next to him until he noticed the Sherlock-wannabe eating more and more aggressively and hurriedly. He turned to look to the side and gave a half glare at the immature show put on, coughing dryly and going back to enjoying his own meal as best as he could. By the time William gave Jet a nudge to get going, the other two had already left and the two of them were done with their meals. He nodded, sighing and fixing his collar quietly before he proceeded to get up and put both hands in his pockets. "Ready if you are. Lead away, cap'n.", he sighed out and moved a hand down to his belt's Pokeball clips, placing his hand over one of them and grinning somewhat again. "So, humor me. Why are you here? You said you don't want to battle, right?"

William just hummed, leading them out of the building before responding. "Vacation... of sorts. I was invited, that's why I came." He answered, navigating to the harbor with ease, honestly he was confident he could have done it blindfolded if he wanted to. "Still, I'm not one for taking it easy. You let yourself relax for a while and the next thing you know you end up as useless as the standard police officer. Besides, pursuing a mystery is more interesting than a vacation could ever be. Well, not that this case is all that interesting, I've most likely set myself up for disappointment if anything."

"Well, here we are." He said, leading them into the harbor. "As for battling, I can stand my ground when I need to. I simply abhor pokemon fighting for entertainment."

The answer from William just showed this vacation concept was oh so beneath him. "Uhuh, I see. Don't wanna end up drinking coffee 24/7 with a badge to flash, right? Be unpaid and stay disinterested is how it goes.", the blond didn't hesitate before he began flaming the police on his own as well, following right behind him and eventually arriving at the same spot he saw the airhead running off. He looked towards what he quickly figured was the Pokemon Center's direction, turning back to the detective and smirking. "I take it you'll figure things out yourself? I could just point towards the direction this evil mastermind ran off to, and let you do the rest, but that happens to be just half the mystery.", he scoffed and painted a funny picture in his mind.

With that more speed than brains he was carrying in his hollow skull, the purple haired buffoon was trying to rid the world of tablecloths one at a time. It would only be a few millennia before he had collected them all, and became the only supplier- that was funnier than the truth that he really did just try to smartass his way into stealing from the cruise, wasn't it? With a deep sigh and a shake of his head, the man's red eyes darted back to where the Aerodactyl had emerged earlier before he turned to look at William again. "Who knew this would turn out good in the end?", he pondered to himself, tilting his head somewhat. "So, chief?"

William chuckled. "Seems we might have more in common than I originally thought. Every police officer could be replaced with a Mr. Mime and they'd still achieve better results." He said, not failing to notice Jet's glance in a certain direction before waving his hand dismissively. "Yes yes, I'll figure it out. Though you've already accidentally given me a less than subtle clue."

Well, there wasn't a lot to figure out in the first place. It's not like there would be any evidence left at the scene, searching for footprints was a lost cause in such a crowded area and asking the ship's staff was far too much trouble for something as simple as this. Speculation would have to do, speculation based on Jet's not so subtle glance. "Huh, oh you were waiting for me to say something." He said in response to Jet. "I've figured it out already but you looked rather lost in thought so I figured I'd let you finish the thought. Well, no matter, follow me." He started down the path to the pokemon center.

Another laugh followed with both the jab at the police force, and the little pause William made for Jet to conclude his entertaining daydreaming session. "How thoughtful- let's get going.", he almost mocked and followed right behind the investigator, looking around at all the people by the side if not over the docks they were leaving and into the ocean. "New start's my reason. Getting away from Unova and starting fresh, y'know?", he plainly introduced his own reasoning, although he wasn't sure that the other man would have anything to say about it. That was fine though, they weren't all buddy buddy or on the way to be best friends either way.

Before long, it became obvious where they were headed as the Pokemon Center came into view and Jet chuckled. "Sorry if I gave it away too fast. I doubt Avonlea would have been this lax if he wasn't sure tablecloth thief is in here.", he smirked again and pushed his glasses up, before moving the same hand down and just over the Pokeball his Pawniard was in. "Getting ahead of myself, heh. Just a bit more."

William didn't recall asking the youth about his reason for visiting the region, still, he wasn't going to say no to some free information. Well, not that it was all new information, he had long since guessed that Jet was originally from Unova. "A respectable reason. I once moved regions for much the same. You can only catch so many criminals and solve so many region wide terrorist plots in one place before it gets boring you know." He eventually answered with a thoughtful nod.

William hid a yawn with the back of his right hand. "Don't worry about it, even without your little clue it wouldn't exactly have been a thrilling deduction." He remarked, stepping up to the door. "Well then, let's go find out who the mastermind behind this tablecloth mystery is, shall we?" Stepping into the center right after.

 

[Gary Sue]

Once the detective invited the blond to step inside, as the automatic doors made way for the duo, what Jet could only look at with a disappointed look on his face unfolded before them. An all too familiar Pichu was wreaking havoc alongside a Flareon that was growling at him only a few minutes ago, now having turned its attention to the Pichu and trying to get it down. "Aren't those your mate's Pokemon..?", he asked as he entered with his hands in his pockets and an unenthused look on his face, seeing the Nurse Joy behind the counter trying to think of a way to rationally approach this and give a stern yet not-too-harsh scolding to everyone acting out of line. Although the boy simply smiled at her and raised a hand out of his pockets as if to ask her to calm down, he turned to look at the Pichu again and realised...

"Is that..?", he sighed out, fully disappointed but equally amused by the table turned into a sandwich stall, on top of that. Yes, the legendary tablecloth they were looking for, and behind it was the culprit as he'd been described by Avonlea himself. "Go apprehend the vicious fool, Sherlock. And best grab blondie's Pokemon while you're at it, Joy isn't too happy with them either.", Jet muttered and looked to the side at William with a small, smug grin, until he noticed something was moving towards the two. A small green and white stub, which he quickly recognised to be a Snover... holding two sandwiches. Despite towering over it initially, he squatted down to its level once the two had moved away from the entrance and raised an eyebrow, confused by whatever this was... Did Kasey run a pre-electoral campaign by spreading sandwiches around..?

Admiring the snow-capped tree Pokemon aside though, he... didn't do too good with talking with them- Pokemon, that is. As the Snover lifted the sandwich a bit higher, almost asking Jet to take it, he raised his eyebrows and smiled awkwardly before looking up at the purple-haired dolt, whom William was approaching. And so, a sigh escaped both Snover and Jet, although one was probably worried while the other mostly aware of the stupidity that would follow. Worst of all, William's effort to continue with the investigation to avoid being around Nakano for a hot minute probably failed, so it was only a matter of time before the researcher arrived at the center too and added to the mess.

---

Location: Beachveil City's Pokemon Center
Interactions: William ( Key of Stars ), Kasey's Snover ( Paperface )
Mentions: Nakano ( Merciless Medic ), Kasey ( Paperface )
double mention, cry about it

 

[Paperface]

Kasey Kallisto
“How do those Pokemart people do this every day?” Kasey vented out loud as he caught a few falling sandwiches. His expression gave away his growing frustration as the third attempt at making a sandwich pyramid fell apart. With each try, it became increasingly clear that neatly stacking was not his forte. Yet, he could not just stand and awkwardly hold it in place as he spoke to people. So, as patience ran thin, he resorted to 'molding' the pyramid into a more stable form. The bread had already taken a beating being dragged halfway across town, but the abuse was about to worsen. Kasey began stacking for the fourth time, but now, whenever it looked like a sandwich would cause instability, he pressed it down harder until it stuck in place properly.

The method paid off. Kasey seemed pleased by his handiwork. He inspected the dressed table from a few angles before deciding something was missing in his makeshift buffet display. If he could make a sign of sorts to let people know these were free to take, that would do it. The gears in his head spun wildly until his eyes landed on the tablecloth. The way it was hanging down over the edge of the table was perfect for making a sign on! He placed his bag on the floor and knelt to rummage through it - searching for something he could use to write. However, before Kasey could find what he was looking for, he was used for a springboard. Surprised, he looked up and saw - what was to him - a very small Pikachu that had used him to get onto the table.

“What?..” He asked, confused. The sight of the yellow mouse immediately made Kasey change priorities, and he now dove back into his bag to find his Pokedex. He had to know whether this was a different Pokemon or the smallest Pikachu he had ever seen. Once Kasey found his Pokedex, another Pokemon had just joined his side. This Pokemon he did not need assistance with identifying. It was a Flareon, plain and simple. He also noted the two Pokemon were familiar with each other. They were squeaking and growling, yet neither showed signs of attacking the other. If anything, it seemed like a discussion of sorts. Whatever it was, it made it easier for Kasey to scan the tiny Pikachu with his Pokedex. The display revealed that it was indeed a different species. “A Pichu?..”

Meanwhile, Snover was experiencing her own troubles with her part of the agreement. The people present in the Center had noticed she was with Kasey. It was not helping her cause whatsoever. Luckily, the chime that filled the Center for a moment announced the arrival of new people. As these people had not seen Kasey in action, Snover deemed the odds more favorable and approached the duo with the sandwiches in hand. She practically blocked their way before presenting the gift of food to them. Then, the blond squatted down and gave her a confused look. Was it not clear the sandwiches were a gift? She tried again by lifting the sandwiches higher and adding a distinctly friendly call.

Again, no luck. It seemed the blond was more interested in Kasey already. She glanced over at her trainer and noted the duo of Pokemon that had joined him. One at his side and one on the table. She could only worry about what Kasey had gotten himself into now. Overtaken by mild concern, Snover decided she had to know what was going on and temporarily retracted her offer of food and instead led the way over to the table while repeatedly looking back to see if the blond was following her lead.

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Location: Beachveil City, Pokemon Center
Interactions: Pichu & Flareon ( Merciless Medic ), Jet ( Gary Sue ), William ( Key of Stars )
Mentions: N/A

 

[Merciless Medic]

Location: Pokemon Center, Beachveil City
Interactions: Kasey, Will, Jet
Mentions: N/A
Gary Sue
Key of Stars
Paperface

Nakano Saito
Uh-huh, she figured as much. Will got jealous, which meant he actually did have some kind of attraction - or at least possessiveness - with her. As she left, the trail of her Pokemon ran cold as they disappeared around a corner and no matter of calling out to them or straining her ears would make heads or tails of them. In fact, she was about to send out her Aerodactyl until she realized it was probably best not to do that. Words from Avonlea echoed in her head and she sighed with some exasperation. She decided to head towards the coast, wondering if they were there, but there was no Flareon or Pichu by the coast. Not even a Barraskewda in the waters.

Sighing, she decided to head back into town, looking for a Pokemon Center. It was then she found the tail ends of William and Jet going into the center. Maybe her Pokemon were in there?

Oh, but the regret of doing whatever she did to Will and Avonlea churned her gut, making whatever she ate feel like she ate death’s sandwich. Sighing, she steeled her resolve. She’ll have to make it up to William today or soon - or do what William would always do with her: Take her to the side and explain why he did what he did.

Hmm… An idea came up in her mind. She wasn’t going to just tell him immediately what she thought he felt for her. No. He will have to figure it out himself. But she will say some sort of reason that could have made sense… If Naka ever had more interest in others. Which she didn’t.

Hm, she could try being pretty pathetic- oh, she already crossed the threshold of the Pokemon Center’s doors.

What stood before her had her sighing in disappointment. There was her Pichu and Flareon, arguing with each other as Pichu sat on the table with the tablecloth and sandwiches, Barraskewda’s PokeBall and the PokeBall clip tied around her waist with the napkin Chu “stole” from the restaurant.

To the Snover, she could hear how the Pichu was irritated that the Flareon had caused her to redirect her course to the beach, wanting to send out their friend to get some surfing in, only for the Flareon to butt in and told her not to be so impulsive and to follow Naka’s orders. The Flareon noted how Pichu made their trainer look like a complete buffoon with untrained Pokemon and the Pichu took that as an insult, blasting back by saying he was no better, and the heated argument ensued with the two insulting each other and defending their actions.

However, as Chu’s ears perked up upon hearing people walking towards them, she caught sight of Will and then Naka behind him, having just entered the center. She can sense Naka’s anxiety, and it was obvious with the way her trainer looked worryingly at the back of Will’s head. But then she saw the eyes turn into steel and she shrunk back, her ears falling as she stared guiltily at her trainer.

Naka didn’t pay much heed to Jet or Will, she just stood before her Pokemon with her arms at her hips, her gaze a glare. Her voice was that of a harsh whisper. “What in Giratina’s Distortion World are you doing??? You both make me look like I’m a literal newbie. You both can behave so much better than this, why are you two acting like this?” She looked to Flareon, who tried to growl back at her in defiance, but she shut him down quickly, his ears flopping back. “I don’t care, Fluffy. You could have let me handle it or at least let Chu towards the beach, that way I don’t have to worry my hair out thinking you two were taken or worse.” Sighing, she closed her eyes and looked at the purple-haired guy with the Pokedex out and then the tablecloth. She let out an amused scoff, her fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Ohhh, Arceus…” She looked at the kid. If he had to pull out a device to see whatever a Flareon or Pichu is, then he must be new. “So, what’s the story about the tablecloth?”

She outstretched her hand towards Chu, who guiltily untied the napkin and gave her back Barraskewda’s PokeBall, clipping it back on her belt. She then pulled out two PokeBalls, returning the two droopy-eared, ashamed Pokemon back in their confines as punishment. Now that was out of the way, she sighed, letting Kasey speak and letting Will do his detective work without getting in the way of it. Once he was done though, she wanted to pull him away to explain her situation.

Or, at least attempt.