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The ocean breeze greets the trainers as they step off the ship and take their first steps into Orre. The sun shines down on them, welcoming them to the region. It's not as hot as it could be, but perhaps the salty breeze is keeping them cool.
Lacie takes in a breath before letting it out. Her long, black hair sways with the breeze. Sharp, red eyes scan the unfamiliar territory.
Orre isn't a region that appears much in her research. Then again, her area of expertise hardly touched upon regions that had little to do with the Distortion World. From what she heard, she was expecting worse. More violence, more chaos.
"Isn't this place nice?" Her companion asks.
She can't tell if it's a genuine question or not, considering he had been the one to inform her of Orre in the first place.
Volo stands tall beside her, a daunting figure that casts a shadow over her. There's a curious gleam in his eyes as he looks around, too. Although he seems to be searching for something rather than just idle curiosity.
"It's better than being back...home," she's almost reluctant to say that. Calling that place her home never felt right. But she doesn't want to linger on that thought. What matters is that she's away from responsibilities as a Champion.
In this region, no one knows her. No mask needs to be worn, and no one could beg for her help.
"I knew you would like it. It's a nice change of scenery," Volo hums.
He starts to lead the way through the port. No one bats an eye at either of them. Perhaps a couple of curious trainers do, but no one jumps them for a battle.
"We're not here for me," Lacie states.
"Technically, we are."
The woman sighs and stays quiet. She's learned not to bicker too much with him. Sometimes, silence was a better comeback.
Rather than leaving the port, they end up at the Krabby Club. Volo insists that they should go in. Lacie doesn't speak up about their destination, not until they've taken a seat, and Volo gets cozy in his.
"Why are we here?"
"to find that Pokemon, of course."
"No," she pauses and looks around at the other patrons. Her gaze lingers on the current performer on stage before falling back onto him. "Here."
"My apologies," he replies with a grin. He knows that he's getting under her skin. It's worth seeing her be more expressive, even if she is annoyed with his antics. "I thought after the long cruise, we could settle in."
"You make it sound like we weren't just sitting around for hours." She doesn't buy his excuse. There's more to it since he's still grinning.
"You shouldn't question my methods so much," he feigns a sigh. "Besides, we do need to gather information. And what better place than a club filled with a variety of people?"
He's not wrong. Lacie's gaze shifts amongst the people here. It's hard to tell who is a local and who isn't. Despite their origins, people are bound to talk. A sailor might even have some insights into those who come and go.
"I see your point. But...I don't think anyone is going to talk about a Mythical Pokemon in a place like this," she whispers the last part.
Lacie tenses as a waitress stops at their table. She lets Volo handle the simple chatter as they're given water.
"You'd be surprised," he hums as he takes a sip. "Information is passed along at all sorts of locations. If you don't know where to find it, you have to start where the most would be. I still heard them speak of what happened a few years ago on the way here."
"You were eavesdropping on the way here?" Lacie asks while crossing her arms.
"And on the boat," Volo states proudly. "Trust me, the history of this region may not be connected to Arceus; I suppose it chose not to cast its gaze here. Quite a shame considering what happened to the Pokemon. You would think it would have intervened to save them."
The bitterness in his voice doesn't go unnoticed. As much as she wants to silence him for uttering Arceus's name, no one seems to have heard him. If they did, they probably just thought he was a madman anyway.
"Please, don't bring it up now," she sighs and runs a hand through her hair. Her hand grips the glass of water, fingers lightly tapping against it. "That's not the one we're here for."
"I know." Volo takes a glance at her shadow, as if expecting a response. Nothing happens. "Well, if no one can provide the information here, then we can go to the source."
"We should have just gone there first..." Lacie turns her head, focusing on the performer with a red and white afro.
Her mind drifts to the reason for coming here in the first place. She isn't sure if this is some far-fetched way of getting Arceus's attention or not. His excuse was to help her, but he had to have something else up his sleeve.
For now, she decides it's best to relax and enjoy the show.