Beginner

Alice agreed that it was time for some respite, and so went with Laura to the Pokemon Centre not too far away, where they could get a drink and a meal to fill their and their Pokemons' stomachs. When she retired to her room for the night, Alice let her Pokemon get acquainted with one another, using the TMs she carried to teach Sakina Toxic, Return and Hidden Power, although she knew that training would be necessary to solidify any lessons. She cleaned her boots and washed herself, grooming her Pokemon before bedtime. The next day, Alice wished she had fresher clothes to wear. Scrubbing them daily was a chore and she was tired of the sight of herself.

She went to meet her companion for brunch, glad to finally have time to sleep in late. The trainer picked out some bread to butter, some fruit and meats and a soft drink to go with her plate, settling at a bench. There weren't too many people in the Centre given that the day had long begun and it wasn't a place of great interest besides the lab. It was good to relax and take time, although the day would soon be busy. Alice definitely wanted to train and find more Pokemon!

The day would definitely be eventful for the two; one should know for Laura came running up with news. "Alice! The boat scheduled got shifted about and our boat is today! What say?" She grinned; one her pokeballs seemed to be wet, and shaking slightly, and it could be noted that she had three pokeballs on her waist, not two. The other female was evidently quite excited, for she grabbed a juice and sat sipping it, drumming her fingers excitedly. They were a day behind schedule, but should still have enough time to get there soon enough. "Since it's really hot out, now, the boat will sail after three hours. While coming back here, I saw a lot of pokemon around the port. Wanna go have a look-see? Or would you rather go shopping?" The redhead, too, hadn't carried many clothes, and the apparel around here had a fresh, tropical look to them. They'd be a nice addition to any drawer, and one must always take time off from being a trainer, after all!

Alice looked ecstatic to learn that the boat had been moved. "Oh my gosh, that's awesome! Hopefully we haven't missed anything..." She assumed not. If the event had passed, Laura would likely have noted it for them. "You went and caught Horsea or something, then?" She added. Laura seemed to have an affinity for water Pokemon, which wasn't surprising given Archipelago wildlife and culture. Everything from Finneon, Magikarp and Lapras dwelled in their oceans.

"I really would love to look at the Pokemon, but I also really need to go shopping. Like, I can't stand this anymore." She laughed. Alice could only share make-up with Laura for so long, or go without, but she needed proper changes of lingerie and outfits that better suited the weathers and terrains. "I don't need or want to carry a lot. Maybe shop for an hour or an hour and a half tops, and then return to port so we don't have another mad dash?" Alice suggested between mouthfuls of food.

Laura took a deep sip and looked up, "Well, maybe I caught Horsea. Maybe I didn't," she grinned again, and discarding the now empty bottle, nodded. Getting to her feet, she stowed away her pokeballs in her bag, and turned to leave. "I'll be waiting outside!" She called, holding up a hand. Taking note of how much Alice had yet to eat, she decided to take a gamble and ran along the beach. Waving to a few friendly pokemon, she arrived back at the spot that had intrigued her for two days. "What is it about you?" She whispered, peering about. The bushes looked singed, and trampled. A heavy fire user? She snorted in discontent and turned back to 'mad dash' back before Alice noted her absence.

It wasn't as if the food would take too long to devour, but Alice did have her Pokemon to feed and check over as well. They all seemed fine, although Sakina was obviously still very timid, and seemed to crouch a bit more by Alice than the others, which irritated Gael just a tad. Regardless, they all ate amicably together, and Alice didn't notice Laura's absence, coming outside not long after she had returned with her own Pokemon also sealed away. "Hey there, let's go!" She insisted brightly. "I actually had no idea that Valencia Island even had any proper shops! My world didn't exactly cover this place in much detail... Or most places, really, when it gets down to it. Thank goodness one of us is a proper expert!"

"Heh. Well, don't look at me! I haven't been here before! Although I travel a lot," Laura was back to herself; prime, natural self. Though she managed a wonderful facade, inwardly thoughts churned in a chaotic maelstrom. "Hey! Wanna get some seals for our pokemon while we're at it? The thing with Archipelago Islands is that they hand-make a lot of things. Like these vintage statues..." She held up a polished status of a Weavile, no bigger than her palm. Clearly a collecters edition. These statues seemed to be primarily Dark types, with a skillfully crafted Umbreon next to it, kept company by a Houndoom, Mightyena and Honchkrow. Off to a corner, stood a small Absol statuette. "Hey, check that out. It's like it's staring right at us," Laura joked, but upon closer inspection, the statue really did seem...almost sentient. Were its eyes glimmering? That was insane; it was made of wood!

"There's lots to see! In the afternoons, I hear they hold an entire open air bazaar!" Laura excitedly pulled Alice away; this might take more than hour. This was going to be a long and enjoyable day - best grab hold of this joy where one could. At this time of the day, a fair number of stalls had set themselves up, notably either in the shade, or with an umbrella shading their wares. Besides the drowsing shopkeepers stood some pokemon, presumably their own. One stall was completely unattended, guarded by a sleeping Houndoom, as life-like as the statue back at the stall. Wait, was it the other way around? Regardless, they carried striking similarities. There was no shoddy workmanship to be found here.

Alice was definitely intrigued by it all, admiring everything that she saw. She had never been much good at art, and definitely not at practical things like carving and crafting (although she could sew passably with a machine if the goal was uncomplicated). "When I win the Pokemon League here, and get fame and money, I'll get you some of these, yeah?" She joked to Laura, happily walking along the path with her, "And we can check out the bazaar, too!"

"I definitely want to get some seals, though! Bubble ones for Gael, purple hearts for Sakina! I dunno for Farren, though." Alice pondered, blue eyes surveying the goods. She went and admired a bright blue dress by one stall, perusing the pairs of shorts, hats and tops they had, too. Alice knew she should probably see everything around before paying for anything, but the beautiful goods were certainly tempting.

"Aw, great, I'm never getting my statuettes!" Laura joked, teasing Alice back. Concerns were, for the time being, thrown to the wind, as the two females roamed the area, which was gradually expanding and growing denser with new stalls. The place that was selling seals was manned by a sweet old lady, dressed in a killer fashion sense; namely, a floor length kimono, with the traditional sash that went with it. Had she been a Geisha at some point? Regardless, she was sitting anyway, so the fabric pooled around her. Even when she stood, she was unusually short, shorter than Alice by about a foot - albeit she was bent over with age. Gladly accepting the walking stick her partner Growlithe passed, she began enthusiastically showing off her seal wares to Alice. "Why don't you try these party seals, dear? Or perhaps some flame ones would suit you better?" Besides the usual wares, some unconventional ones were visible as well.

The goods varied widely in price; no doubt according to the labour put in. A young man stood by, cheerily appreciating how 'the blue really brings out your eyes!' while Laura disappeared in the growing hubbub. There were no shortage of shops to explore, but staying together might be the problem here. As darkness began its slow descent, lovely lit lanterns (see what I did there? No? Never mind) were hoisted, casting a soft glow on the area. If this was life, it was fine indeed.

When Alice eventually found the seal stall, she couldn't help but admire the hostess' beautiful kimono. She had never ever worn one, and would absolutely love something like it for herself. "I'm actually quite scared of fire, so probably not. But I'd love the splash ones for my Shellos, black smoke for my Stunky and... Pink lines for my Pineco. I'll take six ball capsules as well." She added, rooting through her purse.

Said purse was growing lighter as she perused the stalls, eventually getting what she had originally come for: some undergarments and actual clothes in a mixture of bright colours and patterns and with variable practicality. Carrying several bags with those, and a few new TMs and candies, Alice decided to try and find Laura so that they could get themselves together and make it to the ship. They couldn't miss Golden Island, after all!

Laura was beside the PokeFood stall, inspecting some water type food. Interestingly enough, she held a dark-blue manual, when all water type manuals were light blue. She stowed her armful of stuff away as Alice approached; she was wearing new clothes, evidently one she'd purchased, but she didn't seem to have much of an eye for colour. Her hot pink tank top and loose pale green pants didn't exactly go together. "Oh. Hey, Alice," She waved the woman over, taking a quick check at her watch. "It physically hurts to leave this vibrant place behind, but we better get ready for the ferry! Definitely coming back here, though," She nodded at the blonde, hoisting up her enlargened bag on her shoulder.

"Yeah, agreed! And it'd be nice to see how the babies have grown at Professor Ivy's and show her my Pokemon and Pokedex." Alice replied. She would change on the ferry, as that would be easier, but for now the young woman just made her way with Laura to the docks. They still had a bit of time, so she kept her eyes peeled for any interesting Pokemon on the way. There had been a few fire types owned by marketeers, so Alice hoped that she didn't have to walk on eggshells here at least.

Alice needn't have worried; all pokemon present were immensely well-behaved, and used to crowds of people. The most she, or Laura, would receive would be an uninterested gaze, or a bored look. In either case, the transition from a crowded marketplace to a serene, isolated beach was a sudden and jarring one. No time to dwell on that; the ship was visible in the distance, just pulling into the harbor. It would remain there for a while, so Laura suggested going through the rooms again, to check if they'd forgotten anything. That might be for the better, considering the amount of papers Laura seemed to be in perpetual possession of.

There were a lot of Wingull and Pidove scavenging scraps, and Magikarp were visible in distant waters, as were Wailmer. Alice thought they were all amazing, even the derpy and flailing fish. "That sounds like a good idea. I can get changed and put some of my stuff in the PC, too." She said, making the brisk walk with Laura back to the Pokemon Centre. Alice decided to handle her PC business first, logging in to deposit what she needed to and then meeting her companion back at the room after.

Laura appeared looking disheveled, but her bag seemed unchanged; instead of overflowing with merchandise, it was now overflowing with papers. They made their way down to the port, Laura lagging slightly to take in the sight of the beach. As they made to board the ship, a small gathering near the end of the harbor seemed to be murmuring in slight confusion. Since they still had a while before the ship left, Laura released her Shellder and Goldeen into the water, watching as the water-dwelling mons playfully headbutted the ships metal body. "Why don't you released Gael as well? It might be a while to Golden Island."

(This too @~@ I get the feeling I was confused while writing this, but I'm too confused to know whether I was or wasn't...)

Alice's bag was certainly emptier by the time she was done with the PC, and she had exchanged that bag for a leather backpack which she slung over her shoulders. She changed in the room, free of leftover baggage, into a bright blue layered crop tank and white shorts, her belly button on display for the world to see. She chose a pair of flat white sandals, zipped at the back, for her feet, slinging the burnt orange Pokegear back around her neck.

She certainly felt better walking back down to the docks in those clothes, which were airy and stylish, although Alice did stand out for how pale she was. "Sure. That's an idea." Alice agreed. This time when the Shellos was released, projections of blue waves and splashes burst forth amidst the green lighting. Gael landed cheerily into the sea, diving briefly under to soak himself completely before joining Goldeen and Shellder. "Are you nervous about it, though? Did you see anymore visions last night?"

(Sorry for the wait!)

"More visions...?" Laura suddenly seemed nervous, and hesitant. "No..." She paused, breath catching. "Well, okay, yeah. Only, this wasn't at night. Or even when I was sleeping. It was a random...premonition. It came and went in a flash, but I remember it clearly; every time I go back in memory to rethink the situation, its like I find a new clue every time, just hidden in the surroundings. Fire." She whispered the last word, looking around nervously. "Whatever happens on Golden Island, it involves fire." She reached into her bag and pulled out a fairly skillful drawing.

Arching horns. Elongated muzzle. Sharp eyes, a pointed tail. All it needed were a pair of bat wings to pass for a canine devil. As it stood, the Houndoom was certainly one. "Do you know the theory revolving around a Houndoom's fire? That if someone is burnt by their black fire, the pain ever ends?" She held up one arm, a smile spreading as she protected against the water splashed by Goldeen. "Let's talk this over in the lounge," She waved Alice in.

Alice hadn't believed her denial, so it was a good thing that her story changed. Or, perhaps it wasn't. The drawing was detailed and beautiful, but the subject of it was something she felt conflicted about. In theory, Houndoom was a favourite Pokemon, but she also had a great fear of fire and had no bravery about handling aggressive dogs-- nevermind a hellhound. "Sure-- hang on." She moved to the side to call Gael up, and the Pokemon pouted, leaping from the waves to slither up the ship's side and into his human's arms.

Grabbing a drink, Alice went to sit with Laura in the lounge. "I suppose that if fire's the problem, it's a good thing that we have some water Pokemon to help us." She said, keeping her voice quiet and sitting close so that they weren't overheard. Shellos had some berry juice in a bowl that he was content to be drinking in the shade, body nice and moist from his swim. "What other details did you see? Any Meowths, the gold statue or the stadium? Houndoom aren't native to Golden Island, I don't think. They'd be a threat to the culture there."

The redhead shook said head. (Wow, that really rhymed :P) "No. Nothing of the sort. Although behind the fire stood something shiny. Like, metal." She tapped a table to emphasize her point. With a splash, Shellder and Goldeen jumped in from the window, leaving trails of water as they made their way to Laura. While the graceful orange fish consented to a rest in its pokeball, Shellder comfortably found his way to Laura's lap. The girl was absentmindedly stroking the clam's shell, fingers lingering over the crack - still healing, still prominent. The ship seemed to be delaying, with the confusion having moved to the underbelly of the ship. The crew seemed very interested in finding something in the cargo hold.

"Possibly the golden dtatue they have. Or a poor shiny Pokemon, or a steel type. It's hard go make assumptions right now." Alice acknowledged, blue eyes drifting to the crew. They all seemed in a fluster. "I wonder what's going on there...?" Alice clearly wanted to go and look. After a few seconds she stood, intending to follow the sailors. "I'll be back. They look pretty wound up."

Laura nodded, trying to get her thoughts wrapped up. If she were to prevent people from getting hurt, she'd have to get her head back in the game. As Alice would make her way down, murmurs increased until it rose to regular talk. "Aye, ma'am!" A sailor called, waddling up. "Ken I help ye?" He, like the others, spoke in a strange accent. The door to the hold was choked up with the crew anyway.

Alice tried not to laugh too hard. Her accent used to be incomprehensible, too, after all. "I'm sorry, I was just wondering what was going on down here?" She questioned politely, "I'm a trainer, so I was hoping that I could help you, maybe."

"Aye, no worries, ma'am. We couldn't be askin' a lady. Besides, jes tryin' to figure out why the ship weighs 300 pounds more than it should. Matey went down some time ago to check, but he ain't come back yet. Probably napping somewhere, the lazy fluff 'ey," He tipped his hat, "Pardon mah language, ma'am. Excuse meh," So saying, he strode past, pushing the people aside and shouting at them to return to work. Didn't seem to be too serious.

Alice laughed. The language didn't bother her, but it was surprising to see that such rough men could be proper gentleman. She watched them all disperse, but she and Gael were both intrigued. "Come on, better safe than sorry. That's a lot of weight to carry." She pointed out, the water type agreeing as they began to venture through the door and room before them.

She, like the sailors, would be disappointed. The cargo hold was pitch black, illuminated by the occasional lantern hung in the wall. Clearly whoever came down here was encouraged to carry a lantern of their own. There was nothing to be seen or heard, and perhaps it was just someone who had added some extra luggage. Nothing to worry about, right? In any case, everything was covered by white cloth, possibly to prevent dust settling, but a few pieces were black, blending seamlessly into the dark - was the dust on them that thick? To the touch, it felt like any other fabric, if a bit brittle, but nothing else seemed out of place. Best get out before someone locked her in.

"This is creepy as fuck..." Alice murmured, trying to hold Gael close for comfort without squishing him so hard that he puked purple ooze. She was slow and steady in her steps, trying not to stumble when the boat rocked noticeably. She could make out the white sheets, but not much else. "Mister Sailor! Your colleagues are wondering where you are!"
"Shellos~~!"

The two stopped eventually, sighing. At least nothing bad happened. "We should go back. He'll wake up eventually." Alice decided, and did indeed turn towards the entrance, not wishing to be trapped in such a dismal place.