Loomian Legacy Veils of Shadow

Let's go to the Beach!

"Why are we wasting time like this?" Jake demanded as the group stepped out of the gate and onto Lotusun Beach. Jake stuck out like a sore thumb. While his friends were dressed in beach garb and had towels draped over their shoulders, Jake still had on his tattered black long-sleeve, black pants, and of course, his tattered orange shirt with the eclipse insignia blazed onto the front. It was like the symbol was constantly mocking him.

Lucas slapped him on the shoulder. "Lighten up dude! This is going to be the best beach day-" Mabel cut him off. "Probably the only beach day we're going to have in this whole journey." Lucy nodded in agreement. "She's right, soon, we'll all be so busy that we won't have time for a beach day."

Jake's mouth was agape, and he turned to Thane for his input. "Thane, we're supposed to be looking for stones, or training at least, not whatever this is!" Thane was a few paces ahead of the group. He wore a loose gray T-shirt and black swim trunks. Behind the dark-tinted sunglasses, his metal eyes scanned the beach without drawing unwanted attention. Embit was perched on his shoulder like always.

"Via." He asked the voice that only he could hear. After a few moments of silence, Thane to the group, leaving his friends to wonder what his silent advisor had told him. "We're here to have fun. If we're needed in Atlanthian, it's just a short ride away." He clapped his hands for extra emphasis. "F U N." He drawled out the letters. Thane looked down and picked at one of his nails. "Besides, it's our only chance to enjoy the beach. I got a call from my parents this morning, they want us in Atlanthian City as soon as possible. We're going to have F U N, for a few hours. Then, we'll head back to the rental, shower, pack our bags, and then we'll come back here and catch a sub down to Atlanthian." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Easy."

Jake was left there standing aghast as his friends raced down the path and onto the sand. He couldn't believe their casualness, especially coming from Thane. There was a serious crisis unfolding across the region, and this is how his team wanted to spend their time? Jake scoffed. Aiden would never. He thought, but with no other choice, he followed. As he walked across the pleasant sand, Jake tried to conjure up memories of his old life. Rosecove, the beach, anything to make himself feel better. It had the opposite effect. The memories just reminded him of his complete breakdown the night before.

It was a complete shutdown. Jake had spent two hours crying a flood of tears. After so long, since Anthian really, he had allowed himself to let it all out. Everything he had been feeling had spilled over, and the walls had collapsed. The betrayal and loss of his friends, the loss of his family and Pokémon, being marooned. The possibility of never going home. Once the flood started, Jake couldn't stop it.

Eventually, Jake's eyes dried up and he had no more tears left to cry. He had fallen from his rock and into the soft but cold grass. He lay there for who knows how long with the cold air biting him. He had no idea how he had gotten back to the rental, but now, he wore a brave face. He couldn't let his friends know about the previous night. He couldn't afford to show his weakness, not again. He had to be strong, for his Loomians, for his friends, for the mission, and for himself. Naturally, with this mindset, Jake wanted to move on as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, his friends had different ideas, and they had outvoted him.

Now, lying on the sand, Jake was forced to watch his friends play a game of volleyball. Even Searknight had joined in as the referee. Mabel had tried to pull him in, but Jake declined. He had to. He was dead tired from the previous night. It was a tiredness so powerful, that it pierced his soul and mental state, along with his body. He remembered calling out Lucas for his lack of sleep and felt like a hypocrite.

His sleepy eyes scanned the beach. It was Thane and Lucas versus the girls. The Loomians who were playing were scattered across the two teams. The entirety of Lucy's team save for Whimpor were on the girl's team. As for the boys, they had Embit, Geklow, and Kabunga. Everyone else who couldn't or didn't want to play relaxed in the sand next to Jake.

Jake laid his head back onto the beach towel, head pressing down on the soft sand. His eyes fluttered. Maybe Thane had the right idea. Jake thought. Some rest would do him some good. It seemed to work great for Lucas. The green-eyed boy seemed to be in perfect spirits despite being forced to run the gauntlet just yesterday.

Deciding that sleep was a good idea and a blessing, Jake decided not to look a gift Horsea in the mouth. Instead, he let his eyes fully shut close shut. The sounds of the competitive, yet friendly game of volleyball were the soundtrack of his dreams.

While Jake slumbered, everyone else took advantage of the downtime in their own unique ways. The Loomians who didn't want to or couldn't play relaxed on the hot sand like it was a spa. Whimpor helped bury Vari and Starla under a soft bed of sand. Meanwhile, Paratweet perched on the volleyball pole post to keep the sand from her wings and spectated the game. Slugling lay on the towel next to Jake, taking full advantage of the sun and soaking up as much solar energy as he could. He could feel his power growing, and training wasn't the cause. Soon, he would be ready for evolution. Meanwhile, Searknight acted as a referee for the game between the friends.

On the court, Lucas sent the ball flying back onto the girl's side, only for it to be sent back by Lucy. Thane quickly dove into the hot sand, barely able to send the ball back onto the other side of the net. A powerful strike from Phancub sent the ball back. With a cry, Embit quickly leaped into the air, Ear Slap charging and turning his ears into powerful whips. With a powerful smack, the ball cut through the air, nearly hitting Paratweet and sending her into the air in a frenzy. Embit's strike was too fast to counter, and the point went to Thane's team.

Eventually, the game fizzled out without a winner as everyone got hungry. As Lucas pulled the sandwiches and Loomian food from his bag, Mabel woke Jake with gentle nudges. The boy rose groggily and took the sandwich Lucas offered as he passed out the food.

As Jake got situated, his mouth watered at the sight of the sandwich. Lucas had crafted them expertly, like a talented artist. He brought the sandwich close to his mouth, ready to take a bite. Suddenly, a quick blur swooped from the sky and snatched the food right from his hand!

In a flash, all of Jake's experience and skills manifested as lightning-fast reflexes. The disc flew from his hand and cut through the air before the Snagull could get away. It caught his friends and the Loomians by surprise. Jake even surprised himself with how fast he did it. However, he wasn't given a chance to think as the disc and sandwich began to fall through the air. Pushing himself off the ground, Jake sailed through the air and managed to catch his sandwich without spilling any of it in his left hand. With his right, he managed to catch the disc, which exploded in stars, signifying Snagulls capture.

As Jake stood up and took a bite of his food, he turned to his friends. All wore expressions that were a mix of shock and awe. Mabel had the added feature of being red-faced. Thane looked a bit puzzled, but also impressed. He had some idea of what had happened, but not the full picture. Jake shrugged. "What? Your reflexes naturally improve the longer you travel."

After lunch, the group and their Loomians lazed around on towels or the sand. They soaked up the sun and relaxed like lazy cars for an hour as the food digested. After getting their full of sunbathing, the group packed up, making sure to pick up any trash they left behind.

Once everything was packed and ready, the group walked across the sand and back into the resort. The way back to their rental was a trip full of high spirits and jokes. When they arrived, however, the group began to focus on what came next. Jake took a quick shower and changed so he could go and meet with the resort manager and pay for their stay. While he was doing that, the others took turns showering until everyone was changed and ready to go. The bags were quickly packed and the house was cleaned and inspected.

By the time Jake returned, everyone stood outside in front of the house, ready to go. Jake smiled as Magel handed him his backpack. "Everyone ready?" A chorus of Yes filled the air. Jake smiled again. It was time to go.

here is a lil filler chapter. again, mabel won't get her own focus chapter, not yet, i don't know if i'll write one for her when she gets more backstory. we don't know much about her or her backstory and i want to mostly follow the games plot. she is probably the second most important character after jake (player doesn't count) so i can't really make stuff up for her like I did for thane and the twins. next chapter the plot finally progresses again! that's all from me, have a great day everyone!