At long last, Episode 13 is upon us. This one is... going to be very different tonally from what we've seen, but I think it's a needed reprieve given what comes after it. I've put a lot of work into this one, so I hope you enjoy it.
There's also a new poll up on my profile. I suggest you give it a look after reading this chapter.
~Sunset Shoals~
The steady beat of a subwoofer echoed through a long, sloped tunnel bristling with sapphire gems. A dizzying array of multicolored lights streamed through the gems, bathing the rocky ground in a veritable rainbow of tiles that cycled in a random pattern. Fluorescent seaweed protruded from either side of the path, swaying back and forth in time with the beat. The plants shifted their color in time with the sapphires and the ground.
However, the hypnotic sight was lost on the two Eeveelutions staggering up the trail, sweat matting their coats and breath coming in ragged gasps. "C… come on, Vappy!" a Jolteon cried, her fur marred by scorch marks and blood spatter. "We're almost to the entrance!"
Vaporeon lagged several paces behind her. His ear and tail fins had several tears in them where his piercings used to be. Small bits of blood trickled off of him, leaving behind a trail of spatter. Vaporeon limped forward, wincing in pain and casting a distraught look back. "It… it's no good, Jolty," he whimpered. "I'm spent. I can't…" He collapsed onto his belly. "I just can't go on."
Jolteon skidded to a halt, tears in her eyes. She dashed back to Vaporeon, tugging on his mane with her mouth. "No, you can't give up now. We've got to get back to Circadian Coast and tell everyone what's happening before it's too late!"
The baseline lingering in the air grew steadily louder, sending Jolteon's heart up into her throat. She tugged at Vaporeon with a renewed sense of vigor. "Get up, Vappy! They're catching up to us!"
"R… run… Jolty," Vaporeon wheezed. "Save yourself."
"No! I'm not leaving you behind to turn into one of them!" Jolteon said.
"Where do you think you're going?
We're just getting started!
No one's spoiling the fun,
Or they're getting bombarded!
My groupies will strike!
They'll put you in line!
You'll join my ranks!
And make this world positively fine!"
"We found them! You heard the boss… get their hideous asses so we can gussy them up!"
The ground trembled underneath Jolteon's paws. She scrambled backward with a yip, narrowly avoiding dirt plumes. Vaporeon wasn't so fortunate, however. Bits of rocky debris pummeled him, knocking him back down the tunnel and farther away from Jolteon.
"Vappy, no!" Jolteon screamed, electricity surging through her matted fur. With an angry howl, she launched her lightning through the tunnel.
Two Gastrodons dropped from the ceiling, absorbing the electricity like it was nothing more than someone tickling their backsides. The spat globs of mud in Jolteon's direction. Two bursts of steaming water raced past the Gastrodons, expanding the mud balls.
Jolteon's eyes widened. She sprinted up the path, swearing under her breath. Seconds later, the heat made the mud balls explode, flinging grime in all directions. Scaling-hot dirt smacked Jolteon's rear, singing her spiky, yellow fur. Jolteon slowed to an unsteady hobble.
"Oh dear, oh dear, this will not do!
Your resistance is a troublesome avenue!
I hate seeing you all gunked up,
But we have to make this count!
I need a dazzling army by my side,
And you'll make a positively stunning mount!
So, quit fighting and give in!
Enough of this charade.
Let my hypnotic tunes,
Take you away!
Shiz-abbidy-doop! Bop de whoop!
Jolteon, Vaporeon, this one's for you!"
Jolteon's eyelids grew heavy. Her hobbling came to a stop. She looked slowly around the cavern, blinking in stunned silence. "Uuungh… n… no. Have to… warn… have to…" Her eyelids fluttered. "But the music… so heavenly…" She turned back to face the Gastrodons, now flanked by three Claunchers. "Maybe… I'll stick around… for a bit…"
She shook her head about rapidly. "No! I can't let you do this, Primarina!" she shouted. In response, the Gastrodons and Claunchers launched streams of muddy water in her direction. With a yelp, Jolteon turned to escape, only to fall over as her legs gave out from fatigue.
The grimy wave swept Jolteon up and carried her the rest of the way through the tunnel, screaming. Jolteon disappeared from sight. Seconds later, a loud splash sounded, and then the tunnel went silent, save for the distant thumping of a baseline.
"J… Jolty?" Vaporeon said, shakily picking his head up. "Jolty? Jolty?!" He turned around to stare at the Tentacruel hovering over him. "You monsters! I… I…"
Tentacruel floated back from Vaporeon. Bright lights funneled in behind him. Hissing, Vaporeon threw a foreleg over his face. "What the–? Who's there?" He squinted to make out a dark silhouette in the bright, golden light. Locks of long, flowing hair fanned out in all directions from the silhouette's head. It hopped toward Vaporeon, the light growing brighter and forcing him to look away.
"Now, now, Vappy, no reason to panic!
Because your best pal's here to make it all better!"
Horror overtook Vaporeon's expression as his legs tensed up. Above him, Tentacruel wrapped his torso up with his tentacles and hoisted him into the air. There, he met the silhouette's shimmering, rainbow eyes.
"Let the music flow through you, Vappy, babe!
Feel its groove!
Embrace its hypnotic mood!"
A flipper stuck out and gently caressed his chin, sending a shudder down his body.
"Let the tension wash away!
Prism Virus? I say, no way!
I've got the power to make things right!
All I need is some help to fight the good fight!"
Vaporeon locked up, then went limp in Tentacruel's tentacles. A few seconds of silence passed, then Vaporeon's eyes slowly opened, revealing an identical rainbow shimmer to the one in the silhouette's eyes.
"Hey, hey, what do you say?
Are you ready to help me seize the day?"
Vaporeon nodded obediently.
"Hip-hip hooray!"
Episode 13: Star-Studded Spectacle
Chapter 72: Life's a Beach
~Cosmic Cavern~
Shane lay sound asleep on the floor in Zoroark's house. His nine tails were nestled against his underbelly, twitching sporadically with each breath. Shane stretched his neck slightly upward. The tip of his snout brushed up against a strip of scales. Their coarse texture made his nostrils twitch. With a silent yawn, Shane's eyes slowly opened. He wondered what time it was, because he felt surprisingly well-rested. Had he finally managed to sleep through the night?
As Shane's eyes slowly adjusted to the lack of light in the area, he saw a dark blue strip in the center of his vision. It took him a moment to realize they were scales. He blinked a few more times, then tried to sit up. In the process, his snout rubbed against something furry. Shane tucked his head back against his chest.
"What the—" Shane gasped.
"Mmmrrggh… hrrmmm… why did… you stop? That felt… nice…"
Shane's ears stuck up. "S… Silvally, is that you?" he asked, still trying to get his bearings straight.
"Yeah, I'm awake," Silvally mumbled. "Hang on… I think my neck's a bit sore. Oof, I didn't need that this morning."
"Why does your voice sound all muffled?" Shane wondered. He blinked his eyes several more times. For his efforts, he was rewarded with the edge of Silvally's tail laying inches in front of his snout.
"Ahh!" Shane shouted, scooting back across the floor and scrambling to his feet. He got tripped up on Zoroark's carpeting, however, and crashed into the table. Shane rubbed a forepaw against his head, groaning loudly.
The shouts stirred Silvally from his half-awake stupor. He leaped to his feet, looking around the room in a panic. "What's wrong? Shane, did something happen?" he said.
Shane sat up, fixing an angry look on Silvally. "Yes! Why was your ass in my face when I woke up, huh?"
Silvally stood there in stunned silence. He craned his head to the right to inspect his backside. "Wait… that was you who was—" Silvally cut himself off, shaking his head. "Hold up… what are you barking at me for? I didn't do anything! Why were you sleeping up against my ass, huh?"
A flush fell over Shane's face. "I wasn't… that couldn't… I didn't fall asleep there!"
"Then you must've been tossing and turning in your sleep," Silvally huffed.
"As if! You and Tessa would've woken up if I did that," Shane said, snorting out tufts of ice.
"Maybe we were all tired from yes—" Silvally started, only to turn to his left. "Can we help you two?"
Shane looked to his right, only to recoil upon seeing Zoroark and Gallian standing in the doorway to the kitchen. They both had amused grins on their faces saying they had heard everything.
"Hey! Wipe those smarmy looks off your faces. This isn't was it looks like!" Shane said.
"I dunno. These two sure seem lovey-dovey to me," Zoroark mused, smirking at Gallian. "Didn't Dusk catch us in a similar situation when Midnight put Sleep Seeds into our breakfast that one time?"
"She did, yeah. Wouldn't shut up about it, either," Gallian said, his smirk turning into his typical scowl.
"We're not a couple!" Shane and Silvally barked in unison. They turned to each other, muzzles agape. Shane then looked away, face cherry-red.
"Okay, even I got to admit that one was funny," Silvally said.
"Stop encouraging them," Shane growled.
"See? They even argue like mates," Zoroark said, doubling over laughing.
"Har, har. What a comedian," Shane said. "Yeah, let's all get our licks in on the human who's still not entirely sure how love and mating and all that stuff works around here." He turned away from everyone in the room, grumbling in frustration.
"Oh, will you relax? We were only teasing," Zoroark said.
"Yeah, well it's not very nice," Shane huffed.
"You're talking to a couple of dark-types, what were you expecting?" Gallian said, drawing a tearful look from Shane. "Okay, look, the fact is my sister and Espeon got up before you two. One of them nudged you over and you fell by Silvally's rear. I saw it for myself because they woke me up in the process."
"And you didn't try to fix it?" Shane growled.
"You were zonked out, dude," Gallian said. "I didn't want to wake you up. A 'mon needs a good night's sleep after they evolve."
"Okay, fine, whatever. It's water under the bridge," Shane said, sighing in defeat. He looked around the room. "So, should we get ready to leave? Where did Tessa and Espy go, for that matter?"
"We're right here."
Espy's voice carried through the room, then light filled up the house from a Luminous Orb Espy activated. She walked over to the table, dropping her satchel off on it and stretching her back. "Sorry if we woke anyone up," she said. "Tessa asked to work with me a bit before we left."
"On what, exactly?" Shane asked, looking at his teammate in concern.
"I wanted to make a couple of adjustments to my moves," Tessa said, wiping sweat from her brow. "It's nice to finally have Aura Spheres at my disposal, but they're a still finicky. Now that I'm a Lucario, I'd like some other ranged attacks, so I don't have to go charging into the fray to get a clean hit in."
"It just so happened that, between Team Go-Getters and us, we had the TMs for Psychic and Flash Cannon," Espy explained. "Perfect for a Lucario in training, I suppose."
"Oh… okay," Shane said, recalling Tessa's grief at having felt useless against Serperior. He sheepishly brushed one forepaw against the other. "Did… um… did that stuff go okay?"
In response, Tessa pivoted to face the floor, where the team's item bag sat. She pointed her paws at it and a pink glow overtook them. Matching pink light flickered around the bag. It hovered a couple of inches off the ground. All the while, Tessa's paws and aura feelers trembled. After a couple of seconds, she dropped the bag back to the ground and lowered her arms, breathing heavily.
"It's… it's getting there," she panted.
"That was pretty good, considering you're already tired," Espy said, putting her satchel back on. "In any case, Latias and Hoopa are back. So, it's time to get going."
"Already? What about breakfast?" Shane said. His stomach growled in agreement.
"We'll have to eat when we've settled into Circadian Coast," Silvally said. "C'mon, we shouldn't keep the others waiting."
They walked out into the center of the village, where they found Teams Paradox and Go-Getters waiting for them. Latias and Hoopa hovered a foot behind them. The former caught sight of Team Radiance and flew up toward them. Her eyes looked even more bloodshot than when they had last met and her feathers were completely disheveled. Claw marks were visible along her forehead, much to the shock of Team Radiance.
"Oh, gods… Latias, what happened to you?" Tessa gasped, throwing a paw up over her muzzle.
"It's nothing," Latias whispered, wincing. "Don't worry about it."
"My leftmost tail it's nothing. You look awful," Shane said, frowning. "You weren't attacked, were you?"
"No. I just… had to meet with Rayquaza," Latias whispered. "He's… he's…" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about any of this. We should focus on you guys right now." Her tired eyes glowed blue and she produced two glimmering metal bands from her bag. "I was able to get two more Naturia Looplets. Now, I know Team Go-Getters already has special looplets of their own. So, I figured Luxeira or Seraph could have one and Gallian or Zoroark could take the other."
The band with a sapphire in its center floated behind Latias. Seraph plucked it out of the air and held it up. "Luxeira told me I can use a Z-Move with this thing. Is that true?" she said.
"Yes, but only once per dungeon you set foot in," Latias said. "If you get confused, just ask one of your teammates." She levitated the other band toward Team Radiance while Seraph shrugged and slipped the looplet on.
"You should probably take it," Zoroark said, pointing to Gallian. "I don't really think I can go leaping into the fray again."
Gallian nodded and grabbed hold of the looplet with his mouth. He set it down on the ground and went about securing it to his right foreleg. "Sure feels weird to have one of these things again," he said.
"Hey, where did you guys get rainbow ribbons from?" Shane wondered, looking between Gallian and Zoroark.
"Espeon has one, too. Around the base of her tail," Seraph said. "Is that what you terrestrials consider clothing? It's pretty ski– oomph!"
Luxeira smacked her right horn against Seraph's back.
"Oh, it's nothing, really," Espy said. "Salazzle had some leftover fabric from when she worked on your guys' rainbow scarves. I thought, if we're all travelling together, we might as well attempt to match."
"Alright. If that's settled, we should get going," Dusk said.
"Right." Latias faced the Rem Canyon expedition team. "The 'mons that you guys are meeting up with from the Horizon Guild have a special communicator. I've got one on me, as does Team Radiance," she explained. "If you want, you guys can keep each other informed of your progress. I might be a bit tougher to reach, depending on what I'm doing."
"I don't see a problem with that," Espy said, checking her satchel to confirm the Gear-Com was in it.
"Great," Latias said. "Hoopa, if you'd be so kind?"
Hoopa smirked. "Finally! Stand back everyone… Alléhooparing!" he shouted, pointing his hands forward. Two golden rings flew out in front of him, forming into swirling purple portals. "On the left, you'll find a gateway to the lovely Rem Canyon. And, if you turn your attention to the right, we have a stunning, one-way, all expenses paid trip to Circadian Coast," Hoopa declared, waving his hands enthusiastically.
"Somebody shut him up… please," Seraph groaned, rubbing her temples as she marched toward the appropriate portal.
"Aww, c'mon, kitty, no need to lie. Hoopa's a great MC!" Hoopa said, his smirk broadening. Rather than offering a retort, everyone hastily funneled into their respective portals. Hoopa shut the rings behind them. "Well, that takes care of that," he said.
"Yeah. Onto our next task," Latias said.
Hoopa turned around to face her, his expression darkening. "You know… if Meganium and Delphox were here, they'd chew you out for letting Rayquaza hit you like that," he said.
"I don't want to talk about this," Latias whispered, biting her lower lip.
"Fine then. Don't," Hoopa said, shrugging. "All I'm saying is you stood up to Dialga yesterday, but you couldn't do the same for Rayquaza?"
"Yesterday was different… I had you there as backup," Latias whispered. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I have nothing else to say. Let's go."
Hoopa sighed and tossed a ring portal in front of them. They flew right through it, leaving Cosmic Cavern behind.
~Circadian Coast~
Team Radiance emerged from Hoopa's ring portal onto an expansive beach. Bright-tan sand stretched in front of them for several yards. Far in the distance, palm trees hung down from the edges of a small jungle. Nobody could tell whether or not the trees held any fruit or coconuts, though.
Instead, they looked at a short stone ramp that led up into the town. Rather than seeing multiple buildings, Team Radiance saw one large, rectangular building. The two shorter sides of the rectangle had several floors to them, while the longer sides were only two stories tall. Imbrices and tegulae tiles sat overlapping one another on the roof in alternating columns of orange and sky-blue. By contrast, the walls were mostly white. However, the side that faced Team Radiance had a mural of rolling ocean waves painted across its base, underneath the windows.
"Hey, Tessa, what gives? Back when we started out, you told me Aeon Town was the biggest community in Horizon. This place seems way bigger," Shane said, scratching his head in confusion.
"Err, well, Dad always said something about Circadian Coast not counting," Tessa said, fidgeting with her paws.
"Yeah, because it's a giant tourist trap," Gallian said, drawing surprised looks from his teammates. "Those were Mom's words, not mine. She was always insistent on never letting us come here lest we 'get our heads stuck in the clouds like those fopdoodles in Team Harmony.'"
"Wouldn't 'stuck in the sand' be a bit more appropriate in this context?" Zoroark quipped. Gallian rolled his eyes. "Still, it's quite surprising to see a building that… large. What do you suppose it is?"
"No idea," Silvally said. "I'm more interested in this wall behind us." His teammates turned around. Sitting in front of them was a wall made from a combination of rocks and large, inflated burlap sacks. The wall stood a few inches taller than the tip of Silvally's head crest. He walked up to it and nudged one of the bags with his beak.
"I think there's sand in here," he said. "What do you suppose is on the other side?"
"The Midnight Sea," Tessa replied, to looks of confusion from everyone else. "Don't you guys remember? The guild did an expedition here a little over a month ago. Magearna mentioned something about installing fortifications against the rising tide from the Midnight Sea. We must be looking at them."
"Speaking of which, I think someone's not happy that we're over here. I'm picking up a couple of energy signatures heading this way," Espy said, tail flicking to her right.
Tessa momentarily shut her eyes. Her aura feelers tensed. "Oh, you're right," she said. The group turned back around to find an orange-furred rodent with white paws and feet floating toward them atop its yellow, surfboard-shaped tail. Its cream-colored chest bore a yellow pendant that housed a familiar-looking multicolored crystal.
"Okay, I'm guessing by those yellow dots on its cheeks this thing's related to Togedemaru," Shane said, his brow furrowed.
"Close, but not quite. That's a Raichu," Tessa said. "And, by the looks of it, he's the Totem around here."
"Seriously?" Shane gasped. He shook his head with a groan. "Look, I'm used to the whole 'some Pokémon in Horizon are different' thing, but I've still got a couple of questions. For one, why is he surfing through the air on his tail?"
"Raichus in Horizon are part psychic," Silvally replied. "I'm not actually sure they can learn Surf, though. Was that your other question?"
"No. I want to know why the powers that be thought it'd be a good idea to make Raichu look like a cinnamon bun!" Shane whined, saliva dripping out of his mouth and onto the sand. "I was already hungry enough, but this is making everything worse!"
"Yo!" Totem Raichu called, waving down the group. "Listen, if you folks are tourists, I'm gonna have to ask you to head back to the resort, yeah. Evening Beach is closed because of the tidal issues and I can't risk anything happening to our barricade."
He floated up to the group and came to an immediate stop, hovering in midair. Curiously, a pair of spiky, yellow ears popped out from behind Totem Raichu's head. No one on Team Radiance felt compelled to point it out.
"Err, sorry about that, Totem, sir," Tessa said. "We actually just got here, so we didn't know."
"Whoa… easy there, cousin," Totem Raichu said, smiling and holding up his hands. "No need to get all formal with that 'Totem' business. Everyone around here knows me as the Kahuna. Kahuna Raichu. Sounds much more mellow, yeah?"
"Uh… yeah," Shane said. He lifted a forepaw and wrung it out. "Mahalo… and all that jazz."
"Nice! I see someone's already got the local lingo down," Kahuna Raichu said, beaming.
Shane grinned sheepishly, ignoring the stunned expressions on his teammates' faces. He fought back the urge to say something about the human world. Instead, he said, "Aha ha… well, I try. After all, us Horizon Guild members need to be up to speed on that stuff, yeah?" He pivoted to show off his badge. Likewise, Tessa, Silvally, and Gallian showed off theirs.
"Ah, that'd explain it, then," Kahuna Raichu said. "At first I thought Totem Ninetales had come down from Solstice Summit to visit. After all, she's the only Ninetales in Horizon, last I heard. But I realized you were too short."
"Totem… Ninetales?" Shane said, blinking in surprise. He wanted to follow-up on that subject, but Tessa stepped in front of him.
"Aha ha… nope, we're just up-and-coming guild explorers," she said. "Ninetales' situation is a bit… unusual, that's all."
"Fair enough," Kahuna Raichu said, shrugging. "So, are you guys here to check on the barricade? You should've dropped by the resort first, yeah. My daughter and I would've been happy to help you out."
"Your… daughter?" Zoroark said, tilting his head.
"There's a Pikachu clinging to the back of his head," Silvally announced, his appendages glowing pink from his psychic memories.
"Oh, right. How rude of me not to introduce her," Kahuna Raichu said. "C'mon, it's your time to shine, yeah!"
"Excellent!" a peppy, high-pitched voice declared. To Team Radiance's surprise, Pikachu vaulted over her dad, landing in the dirt and thrusting her arms apart while shouting, "Ta-daaaaaaah! And she sticks the landing!"
"Wait a tic, I've seen this before," Shane gasped, looking Pikachu over. In stark contrast to the rest of the group, Pikachu had on a pink, sequined skirt, with a matching bowtie, slippers, and a ribbon on her right ear. The ribbon had the Horizon Continent's emblem painted in the center.
"You're a Cosplay Pikachu!" Shane realized, his tails fanning out in surprise. "How the heck— this doesn't make any sense… and that's saying something by our standards."
"Cos-what? Is that some kind of Pikachu subspecies?" Silvally asked, looking Cosplay Pikachu over skeptically.
"I'm Cosplay Pikachu! We're exceedingly rare. Like, once in a century rare!" she said, pivoting to wiggle her black tail at Silvally. "See the tail? It houses special psychic energy in it." She turned back around and tapped a digit against the yellow sphere on her bow tie. "I channel it through this orb here to use my special technique: Wonderous Weaves! Watch and be amazed!"
Cosplay Pikachu pressed her paw against the orb's bolt-shaped emblem. A flurry of pink energy with fabric-like texture raced around her. It disappeared a second later, revealing Cosplay Pikachu in a white poncho with a hood resembling Shane's head. Nine tails fanned off the back of the poncho, fluttering in the morning breeze.
"Whoa!" Shane said, tails bristling defensively. "That's… you're me? But I thought Cosplay Pikachu only had, like, five different outfits. What is this witchcraft?"
"Witchcraft? No… it's my Wonderous Weaves! Weren't you paying attention?" Cosplay Pikachu chided, shaking her head. "And here I thought Ninetales was supposed to be elegant and graceful." She pirouetted.
In less than a day as a Ninetales, Shane found his limited grip on the Pokémon world rapidly slipping. He again fought the urge to make a smart remark. "Uh… just forget I said anything," he exclaimed.
"We're not actually here about that wall," Tessa said. "It's, um, a more sensitive issue."
"Oh, are you all here about my request then?" Kahuna Raichu asked, raising a brow. A group of confused stares met him. "I sent a request to the Observatory the other day. See, we're having ourselves a bit of a… well… I hesitate to use the word 'crisis' but it ain't good for business, yeah."
In a twirl of colorful fabric, Cosplay Pikachu switched her poncho out for one that resembled a Sableye, complete with a brooch resembling the ruby in a typical Sableye's chest. "It's positively spooky, I tell ya! Tourists keep heading out to Morning Beach… only to disappear entirely!" she said, sticking her tongue out and shaking her head about in a bad impression of a ghost-type.
"Pokémon are disappearing?" Tessa gasped, aura feelers crinkling in surprise. "This is the first we've heard of it."
"Probably because we've been away from the Observatory for a few days," Silvally said.
"Yeah, I sent the request yesterday. Metagross is usually on top of this stuff, so I figured he sent you guys," Kahuna Raichu said. "I guess not."
"Well, hold on a second. I'd like to a hear a bit more about this 'disappearing tourists' business," Shane said. "Specifically, how long has it gone on for?"
Kahuna Raichu tapped his chin. "Hmm… I'd say it's been a few days, yeah."
Shane's ears folded against his head. "I was afraid of that," he groaned. Turning to his teammates he said, "How much do you guys want to bet this issue is tied to the Seaside Shard?"
"You're probably right," Espy said, frowning. "The timing's too convenient to be some sort of coincidence." The rest of the team nodded their agreement.
"Seaside Shard? What are you guys talking about?" Cosplay Pikachu wondered.
"It has to do with why we're here," Shane said. "See—"
Tessa clamped Shane's muzzle shut. She shot nervous glances around the beach. "Um, Kahuna Raichu? Do you have somewhere private we could talk?"
"Of course," Kahuna Raichu said. "Let's head to the resort. I need to check on some stuff in the bar, anyway. It's closed at this hour, so we'll have all the privacy we need."
"A… a bar? Like, a drinking bar?" Espy said, ears sticking up. She shot Silvally a nervous look. How was she supposed to walk into a bar a day after she had sworn off drinking and act like nothing was wrong?
"You know it," Kahuna Raichu said. "We serve up the best grub and drinks on the whole Horizon Continent, yeah! Just don't tell Crabrawler that," he added, chuckling to himself.
"Um… I don't suppose we could trouble you for some food, could we? We kind of skipped breakfast to get here," Shane said, his stomach gurgling.
"No worries, cousin. I'll whip you guys up some Sparksurfer Breakfast Burritos. They're a Circadian Coast specialty," Kahuna Raichu offered, grinning.
"A breakfast burrito? Like with actual meat?" Shane gasped. He had to gulp down a mouthful of spit. It sounded great, except Shane wasn't sure if that meant Kahuna Raichu went and killed other Pokémon to get meat.
"Shane, we went over this when you tried Steenee's beef stew for the first time. Magearna created power formulas for civilized 'mons to use to make meat and milk-based products," Tessa said, shaking her head.
"Oh… right," Shane said, embarrassed at getting called out.
"Hey! You all coming or what?" Cosplay Pikachu shouted from a few yards ahead. She was positioned on Kahuna Raichu's back as he floated toward the resort. Team Radiance jogged along after them, with Gallian lingering behind to help Zoroark.
When they reached the end of the beach, they walked up the stone stairs. Kahuna Raichu led them toward the right side of the giant building, where a giant gap sat. A stone archway lay over the top of the gap, offering the group shade from the sunlight.
It turned out that the large rectangular building was a border surrounding the whole resort. Inside of it were several smaller buildings sporting an array of bright, vibrant, tropical colors. The shop closest to Team Radiance was structured to look like a green quartz crystal. The sign read "Sky Jukebox Emporium." Other shops offered different novelty wares or tropically-themed accessories for Pokémon. Shane spotted a Seviper and Arbok slithering out of a store selling exotic fruits, both with content smiles on their faces.
"Uh… wow," Tessa said, looking at the trio of palm trees sticking up between two stores. "Is this all part of the resort?"
"You know it, cousin! The town is the resort," Kahuna Raichu declared, grinning. "All the fine folks that set up shop here specialize in producing goods and services you're not likely to fine elsewhere in Horizon. We've got home-grown fruits and veggies, herbal treatments and remedies, massage therapy…"
Shane's head poked up and his tails wagged excitedly. "I could go for something like that," he chirped.
"Uh, we're on a tight schedule, remember?" Silvally said, to Shane's disappointment.
"What we're known for worldwide is our production and distribution of Sky Jukeboxes and music crystals," Kahuna Raichu continued.
"Wait, you guys make those here?" Espy gasped.
"Oh, totally!" Cosplay Pikachu said. She hopped off her dad's back and spun around, changing into a poncho of a Sky Forme Shaymin. She plucked a blade of grass from the ground and stuck it in her mouth. "Because of the way ocean water crashes up against the rocks in Sunset Shoals, we can mine the materials we need by going there. Then we take them back here and make the final products. Well, Dad and I don't specifically, but there are 'mons here who know how to make them."
Shane wondered if that made them this world's blacksmith equivalents, but knew that comment would only draw blank looks. "How exactly do music crystals work, anyway?" he asked.
"Eh, it's got something to do with magic and psychic energy," Cosplay Pikachu said. "Primarina would be the one to ask because he works with them a ton. He said something about how you press them against your head and think about the music you want to produce. The crystal then absorbs your thoughts and transfers them into actual sounds. Then you sing into the crystal if you want your song to have vocals."
Shane wished music worked that way for humans. If it was that easy, he could've been a famous musician. Heck, he could probably do that here if he could get his paws on a music crystal.
"Not to put a damper on all of this, but where exactly are you taking us?" Gallian asked, looking cautiously around the area. While there weren't many Pokémon out and about, he was wary of being spotted in the middle of a town.
"To the other end of the town," Kahuna Raichu said, pointing an arm forward. "That's where the actual lodgings for guests are. I call it 'The Circadian Kabana!' Pretty slick, yeah?"
"It does sound catchy," Silvally said.
Everything was getting weirder for Shane. So much of Circadian Coast felt ripped out of tropical destinations he knew from the human world. He wanted to question it, but considering this was a world where he could breathe ice and fire despite not being a dragon, he shrugged it off.
The group passed more shops. One stand had a thatched roof resembling a Kecleon's head. It was manned by a Kecleon whose scales were primarily orange instead of green. "Huh, he kind of looks like a pineapple," Zoroark said. "Wonder if he did that intentionally?"
"I strongly doubt Color Change works that way," Espy said.
"I'll have to take your word for it. Illusions are really all I'm familiar with," Zoroark said. He offered a friendly wave toward Kecleon, but the shopkeeper's expression blanched upon seeing him. Zoroark's ear drooped. "Oh, great, looks like some of the folks here aren't too keen on Zoroarks."
"Nonsense," Kahuna Raichu dismissed. "You're with the guild. They'll love you, cousin. He's just gawking because you're strutting around town with me. While I try to get to know all the guests at the Kabana, I don't offer personal escorts."
Team Radiance proceeded through the center of the resort, passing a marble fountain with statues of a male and female Milotic lovingly intertwined with one another. The rim held multiple stone statues of a small sealion with a round nose at the end of its snout. They all spat streams of water into the fountain.
"Hmm… so, is that Pokémon spitting the water out a pre-evolved form of Primarina?" Shane asked.
"Yeah, that's a Popplio," Tessa replied. "Who knows? Maybe we'll find one around here."
"Oh, most definitely. There are Popplios and Brionnes that work with Primarina as his backup dancers for his performances," Cosplay Pikachu said. "Check it!" She pointed a paw to her right, revealing a large, pink and blue building that resembled a giant clamshell. "That's our theater! Primarina does paid concerts there… as does yours truly!" Cosplay Pikachu spun around in a stream of threads, emerging in the same outfit that Team Radiance first saw her in.
"Lemme guess, you go by Pikachu Pop Star in that getup?" Shane said, having finally given into the persistent urge to make a quip.
"Ah, I see I've got myself a fan," Cosplay Pikachu said, starry-eyed. Then, in a harsher tone, she said, "If you want an autograph, it's gonna run you fifty coins."
"Err… I'll pass," Shane said, a nervous grin on his face.
"Alright, cousins, here we are: The Circadian Kabana!" Kahuna Raichu declared, putting his hands proudly on his hips. Team Radiance lined up next to him, looking up in unison at the numerous stories of the large building's northern face. The top floor contained a single circular window with a vibrant orange sun painted around it. Lower floors had fluffy clouds drawn around the windows. Swathes of blue ran in between them, giving way to a dark blue mural of the sea along the ground level.
"Come on, let's get you all situated inside, yeah. We can talk more once we've gotten you some grub," Kahuna Raichu said, directing Team Radiance to follow him through a door made from straw and giant palm leaves.
~Rem Canyon~
Is your gadgetry picking up any readings?
Magearna swiveled her head around, catching Sticky and Team Go-Getters by surprise. Sticky flew behind Luxeira, fidgeting nervously with his arms. "Erm… try not to do that around my partner. He's a bit jumpy," Luxeira said.
"Same here," Blaziken deadpanned, patting Swampert on the back reassuringly.
Ah, my apologies. I figured this was typical fare for working with a mechaniacal 'mon like myself, Magearna said. In any case, we're approaching the first point in the dungeon where there's a split in the path.
The expedition team made their way along a dusty brown trail bordered on each side by a large gray cliff. Huge rock formations jutted up at the base of the cliff. Each one was carved to display a different dragon in some sort of pose. The rock nearest to Magearna showed a Garchomp with its finned arms raised triumphantly. Across from it sat a stone Salamence leering down at the ground, as if challenging them to approach.
"I get the feeling the dragons living here have some very high opinions of themselves," Seraph said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "We'd probably do best to keep to ourselves."
Which is precisely why I requesticated that Sticky begin scanning the area for ultra auras, Magearna said. If we can locate the Scalebound Shard with our equipment, we might be able to retrievify it while causing minimal disruptions to the Pokémon living here.
Sticky's visor materialized over his eyes. It flashed purple for a few seconds, then Sticky shrugged. "Sorry, but I'm not picking anything up. We'll have to go deeper into this place."
"… absolutely, positively ain't making me stay in here in a minute longer!"
"Sounds like someone else is here," Blaziken said, crouching into a fighting stance.
"They didn't sound very threatening, though. That's about as shrill a voice as I've ever heard," Swampert said, looking farther down the path. "Do you think it's a dragon?"
"I made it perfectly clear to you, mate. We're laying low here until all this nonsense bubbles over. And we need you around because you're a dragon… so you can keep the dragons that live here off our backs, got it?"
Magearna held up one of her arms. I recognize those voices. That was Lycanroc… the one who ran afoultery of the guild after Shane upset him.
Dusk's brow furrowed. "No kidding. How'd he end up here? He must be pretty desperate."
"If that's really Lycanroc, I'll bet that shrill voice we heard was Jangmo-o," Comfey said. "What should we do?"
"Nuh… no! You can't make me stay here. I've… I don't want to be here, all right. Stand aside and let me g—"
A sudden whoosh of fire caught the group by surprise. They all backed up along the path, readying themselves to strike, if necessary.
"Well, well, well," a deeper male voice snorted. "Look at what we've got here. The runaway runt has come crawling back home. Nab 'em, gang! The Totem's gonna want to welcome his son home, after all."
More flames emerged from farther down the path, this time accompanied by dragonfire and electricity. "Uh, are we gonna do something?" Dusk asked.
"Nah, we should stay out of it," Seraph said. "You said he was a criminal, right? Let the dragons deal with him. If they're distracted with Lycanroc, we can accomplish our goal in peace."
"They said something about the Totem, though," Dusk pointed out. "I've got a sinking feeling the Totem might know something about the Scalebound Shard."
Let's not think like that yet, Magearna said. The voices were clearly coming from the left path, so we should proceed right for the time being. Onward!
The group went right at the fork, ignoring the panicked yelps and hollers coming from the left path.
Once again, I'd like to thank all of you for the support. It's crazy to think how much this one piece has grown from this point a year ago. I never would've thought this project would reach the level that it has, especially since this is my only fic and PMD fics do not have the popularity that anime-based fics have on this site. Who knows, maybe this'll hit the 750 review mark before the 100th part... though please don't use that as cause to spam the review section. My PM inbox is open and I linger around on Discord, too. Anyway, enough sentimentality. Onto review replies...
SuperOmegaGuest: this part, like all my chapters, had its draft finished long before I published it. I couldn't have anticipated that World of Light trailer. We're not going to see Galeem in this fic, that's for sure.
Anon Omega: you're on the right track. Arceus destroyed the old world using Judgement (the fully-powered version), but Mewtwo and Magearna survived by virtue of being in a bunker. Mewtwo was knocked out incidentally by the demon attacking Arceus. What happened after he passed out is a mystery. One we'll find out the answer to later. As for Let's Go, I passed on them. Too many things irked me about the game. I'm Team Eevee for sure, though.
Another guest: you're welcome to speculate but, yes, you'll have to hold out if you want answers to all your questions. I know, it's very evil, but that's apparently the fanfic business. And, as you can see, your Shane humiliation prediction came true! Try not to go too crazy with your celebrations.
Next time: trouble in paradise?!