Sixteenth Flight. [audio/action for travel party.]

[newberktown]

[Among the background bustle--familiar sounds for anyone who's set foot in a Pokemon Center--there's a small whine from an Eevee, almost like a prompt for Hiccup to speak. After another second or so, he does.]

Uh... Has anyone ever, uhmm. [There's another pause. How should he put this...] Lost...half their pokemon? [He clears his throat before continuing, quicker this time like an excuse.] I still have all their pokeballs, and those are registered to all of them still, according to the people at the Center. But I can't find them anywhere...

[Hiccup sighs, and there's a subtle clunk as he moves his hand to the 'gear to shut it off. Before he does, though, there's one last mumble.]

I can't believe this is happening again...

Comments

[aswirlofspirit]

Crap... well, I'm sure you'll find them if you keep looking. Don't give up until you've gotten some answers.

[A beat, and then finally she asks--]

You didn't have a fight with them before you left, right?

[newberktown]

Why would I fight with my pokemon?

[It was one thing to imagine them angry at him for whatever reason, and something entirely different to imagine arguing with them.]

[aswirlofspirit]

Well, I don't know. They don't always agree with what we tell them. [Hiccup you should see her with Konjo sometime. Srsly.]

[newberktown]

I guess but...

[Still seemed extreme to him. Then again, he hadn't approached that one dragon since it bit him, and he had trained his Miltank specifically as an 'anti-Haunter' pokemon, after Carmen's Isabelle problem...]

It wasn't anything like that, though. Things seemed pretty normal to me.