Hess hadn't seen the sun since being brought indoors, as the guards herded him and the other prisoners down corridors and flights of stairs that went ever-deeper into the earth. The surroundings grew increasingly dark beyond the occasional torch, while the barks of the guards and the groans and frightened murmurs of the other unfortunates being marched along reverberated off the walls. After the third flight down, they entered a tunnel that opened out into a large shaft with a staircase that spiraled downwards.
The Aggron felt a shove to his right and continued on, noticing irregular walls that had been cut from the rock. Off to his left, there was tall metal scaffolding in the middle of a deep shaft. He looked down to try and see where the bottom was, but while he could see the head of the procession about a level below him, the shaft just seemed to keep going and going without an apparent end. Even more strangely, while the shaft topped out not far overhead, the scaffolding in the center kept going
up past it through a square-shaped hole hewn from the surrounding rock.
"Just where does that thing go-?"
Hess suddenly yelped as a sharp, searing jab caught him in his back. He stumbled and looked past his shoulder, where there was Junius behind him, brandishing his club with ghostfire dancing on its tips.
"Stop staring at the elevator. Scum like you take the stairs," the Marowak snarled. "
Get moving!"
"Okay! Okay!" Hess squeaked.
The Aggron frantically stumbled forward down the steps, eager to put distance between himself and that horrid lizard. He saw Junius lingering and heard him shouting at Pokémon behind him in the procession, prompting him to let out a small sigh of relief. As Hess walked ahead, he looked past the Flareon and the Banette just ahead of him and tried to look for anyone familiar, but he didn't recognize any of the Pokémon in the procession—the only exceptions being a Drapion and a Garbodor from his crew's newer recruits. It was then that the enormity of his situation crashed down on him like a Hammer Arm.
He wasn't going to escape this time. Especially not without the lucky charm that had always been there for him in the past. Given all the stories he'd heard whispered in Orleigh about this 'Pit', these walls and stairs would likely be the last things he ever saw.
And of course, of all the Pokémon that could've been there to put him through all of this, it just
had to be a Marowak… and one with that creepy ghostfire at that.
He lumbered along as every so often there'd be a tunnel branching off that had parallel, straight grooves cut into the ground—almost as if they were meant to guide carts or wagons. Or at least like they
had at one point, since all of the tunnels were devoid of Pokémon working in them. Curiously, one of the tunnels that he passed didn't seem to go far from the shaft at all. When he glimpsed it, much to his surprise, the passage was blocked not even ten paces down by a set of heavy-looking doors which were made of solid steel, with armored guards headed up by a white Ninetales standing at attention in front of it.
"… Why on earth would a mineshaft need doors like
that?"
He did a double take at the sight, as he couldn't make sense of why a
mine of all places would need something that expensive, much less why it'd need to be guarded so heavily. He tried to stop to get a better look, when he heard an angry shout from further up the stairs that made him think twice of the idea. The Aggron hurriedly moved along, letting the steps pass by underfoot, when he heard clacking footsteps joining him from behind. He turned and saw they were coming from Trizano, who drew near but averted his gaze the entire time.
He let his attention linger on the bird for a bit. It was hard to think that this was that same Skarmory that kept butting heads with him. He just looked so defeated right now as he trudged forward, a far cry from all times they had fought each other…
"I'm sorry I couldn't get you out of this one, Hess," Trizano murmured.
Hess blinked, before turning to the Skarmory in surprise.
"Get me out of this one?" the Aggron asked. "What do you mean by-?"
Hess was cut off by the sound of a loud clunk, and looked down to see the stairs came to a stop on flat ground. Off to the right, the source of the sound was there: a Klefki pulling a key out of another set of metal doors and returning it to his ring. Hess gave a puzzled tilt of his head at the sight, when Junius brushed past him and made him jump back with a startled yelp. The Marowak let out a scoff and made his way up to the door. He raised his club, and rapped the tip of his bone against the door's surface a few times, before drawing it back and waiting. There was a pause afterwards, before a second lock clicked from the other end. The doors suddenly creaked open, and the guards began to march them through a darkened passage, with light at the end of a short tunnel.
When Hess and Trizano emerged from the tunnel's end, they found themselves in a roughly circular chamber that had been hewn from the surrounding rocks, with bricked-off tunnels that branched off in multiple directions, barring one that, after a closer look, seemed to have several cells lined with metal bars.
The only other feature was a doorway and window hewn into the rock. The door had been fashioned from solid iron, while the window was blocked by metal bars that let out a cool blue glow from a lantern somewhere deeper inside. In front of it was a small group of mostly Psychic-Types led by an Alakazam, with some that looked like they'd be more at home sitting behind a desk writing runes than handling prisoners. The Alakazam and the others regarded the prisoners with disinterested scowls, as Junius went up and began to talk with them just out of earshot.
Confused murmurs went about the prisoners as Hess and Trizano looked around worriedly. Something wasn't adding up, since there wasn't anything around them that looked like it was obviously meant for mining. Or any sign of a place they were meant to go.
A sharp thump rang out against the ground as Junius pounded his bone for attention, before he glanced over the other guards and gestured towards the prisoners.
"Get them into position and clear out anyone who's already in those holding cells," the Marowak ordered. "It's about time these 'mons made themselves useful."
Before either Hess or Trizano could say anything, the guards began to shove them and the other prisoners towards the center of the room. A few yelped as they were pushed along, including Hess, whose voice struck Trizano as sounding almost like an Aron's as Junius came over and herded him forward. Off at the tunnel with the cells inside, other guards filed down it and shouts came from deeper within.
"A-Aah! Let go of me!"
They watched as a dirty and haggard-looking Pangoro was marched out, along with other Pokémon that looked like they'd been kept down here a while. Hess was at a loss as the new batch of unfortunates joined them, as his eyes drifted back closer to the rest of the group. The Drapion and Garbodor from his crew were now visibly stiff and pallid, as the Drapion turned back towards Hess with a worried murmur.
"Captain, what are they going to do to us?"
The Aggron had no response to that, and from their surroundings, Trizano wasn't sure if he could really piece together an answer himself. The Skarmory still couldn't make heads or tails about why this room looked so
empty, and scowled back at Junius, fighting against his bindings.
"Just what sort of mining operation
is this?" Trizano demanded.
"A
remote one," Junius answered, as his expression tightened up into a malicious sneer. "Though don't worry, you'll all get to see it in person
really soon."
Junius drifted off over to the Alakazam and his colleagues off at the far end of the room. They were talking about something in hushed tones that neither Hess nor Trizano could make out. Hess noticed a few of the prisoners like an Audino visibly cringe in fright, before giving a puzzled whisper over to the Skarmory beside him.
"Wait, what on earth are they talking abou-?"
Before he could finish his words, he saw a glint as the Alakazam pulled out a green, glowing gem from a satchel. The Aggron's maw hung open from fright, as the color began to visibly flush from his face.
"That's- That's a Teleport Gem…"
Everyone else in the room all but recoiled from shock, as a few startled cries rang out. Even Trizano's eyes visibly shrank, and Hess couldn't remember the last time he'd ever seen
him fazed in their past run-ins.
There was a sinking feeling in his stomach as it dawned on him what those Pokémon were likely planning for them. Teleport Gems didn't exactly just wash up on the beach since they required skilled Psychics to both make and use. He could only think of one reason why these 'mons would want to use something so valuable on a bunch of pirates like them right now:
They were going to send them all to the Wastes.
Junius tapped his bone against the ground as he made his way forward, leveling a malicious smirk at the gathered prisoners.
"I do hope you've all had a terrible time here during your brief stay on Nagrobek, but it's time for you to go," the Marowak said. "While most Pokémon would be happy to leave this island, I have a feeling you'll all feel different soon enough."
Junius walked past the group and made his way for the door back to the staircase. About halfway there, he stopped, and turned his head back with a predatory smirk.
"Give my regards to the 'mons on the other side," he said. "They'll introduce you to your new home once you're there… assuming they feel it's worth the effort. Your kind tends to not last long there."
Hess lost his nerves as a few of the pirates broke out into desperate pleas for mercy. The Aggron turned for the door and frantically tried to run, only for Junius to smash his bone deep into his gut. He pitched forward and laid on the ground when he felt his tail get yanked by an unseen force. He looked back, seeing the Alakazam's eyes aglow as the Psychic-Type dragged him toward a circle of Pokémon being herded into place. The other teleporters' eyes lit up in turn, bluish auras settling over the Pokémon in the room. Hess tried to move his limbs, but he was too weak and dazed to fight back, much less as the Alakazam in the circle reached out and hoisted him from the ground with Psychic. He watched in horror as the Psychic-type raised the Teleport Gem with a hand up in the air, as a blinding light overtook them all.
Hess' vision went white and the next thing he knew, he fell and hit the ground with a loud yelp. He lay there for a moment breathing in and out tensely as the air suddenly felt colder with a perceptible breeze, and noticed the dim lighting around them was now more evenly spread out. As the vision returned to his eyes, he woozily stumbled up and saw that there wasn't a tunnel ceiling anymore, but instead a sky filled with ash-colored haze where he couldn't see the sun beyond a muddy light.
Hess noticed there was dust coating his underbelly's scales, and all along the ground under his feet. He dusted himself off and started looking around, seeing other prisoners slowly getting up in a daze. They were in some sort of courtyard: brick buildings with catwalks adorned with Company banners on every side, built in a style unlike any warehouse he'd seen in all his years sailing the Cradle—simple, featureless, and lined with corroded metal bracing. Strangest of all, off in the background of the buildings to the right, there was a giant chimney that loomed over the entire space, alongside one that looked like it was either unfinished or broken halfway up. They looked like the ones that a 'mon would expect attached to a blacksmith's or a foundry, except much,
much larger…
"Wh-Where
are we?"
Hess gaped around incredulously, only to do a double take as he noticed a few of the Teleporters from earlier were walking past him. Had they seriously come with them all the way out to this place? They
were in the Wastes right now, weren't they?
The Teleporters made their way towards a set of steps leading up to the building straight ahead, as a group of surly looking guards came down them. As they traded places, a Clefable from among the Teleporters stopped and talked with a few of the guards, while Hess could've sworn their attention drifted over to him.
All of a sudden, a number of the Company Pokémon in the courtyard turned towards the steps. There at their top, there was some sort of strange creature that looked like some sort of Porygon with a slim, upright body, and a tail that twitched erratically as he floated along, with a Dragapult that followed close behind. As they neared, Hess noticed that the body of the Porygon-looking Pokémon was more rounded than that of a normal Porygon, and his head was disembodied. It took a little bit for Hess to make it out, but there was a Third-Rank Company scarf that had been tied into an armband on his right arm—not that Hess could really see a way for the Pokémon to wear it normally without a neck. The accompanying Dragapult wore his scarf normally, which sported a Second-Rank's pattern, a clear sign that the two were important around here.
The Dragapult had a guarded expression but still blinked and floated back slightly in surprise. He studied the prisoners for a moment, before casting an askew glance at his companion.
"Well that's certainly a larger batch of prisoners than usual," the Dragapult remarked. "Do you think something happened on the island?"
"Oh, I'm sure things are fine, Winslow," the strange Porygon answered. "After all, they wouldn't have sent us such a promising pool of subjects if things weren't under control…"
Hess' attention shifted as a Clefable went up to the pair and handed them a sheet of paper, before producing a silvery, round stone with swirled bands on it. The Aggron's eyes immediately widened. That was none other than his lucky charm!
"Hey! Give that back!" he shouted as he began to make his way forward. "That's my-!"
"Hess, calm down!"
Trizano hurriedly cut in and blocked his path, only for Hess to fume and try to shove the Skarmory aside.
"Get out of my way, you stupid bird! They-!"
Hess trailed off after he noticed the Clefable pointing him out, when the strange Porygon turned to look at him. The Aggron froze as his fighting spirit abruptly dissipated, and began to nervously pace back.
"… Why is he pointing at us like that?"
The strange Pokémon stared at them wordlessly for a moment, before looking at the gathering and floating up into the air over the courtyard. He raised his arms, clapping them together with a droning chirp.
"Welcome, everyone! I am Porygon-Z instance N9Y2XF8DD4E5M, though you may call me Doctor Nyxem—the Pokémon who runs this facility."
There was a brief moment of confusion among the prisoners, as even Hess and Trizano couldn't help but look on with blank puzzlement as the Porygon-Z bobbled about in the air.
"I know this place is different from what you were all expecting, but I can
assure you that what we do here is far more important than simply mining tin underneath Nagrobek Island."
Other Pokémon in the gathering started trading worried looks with each other as well, before a Venomoth uneasily fidgeted his wings and broke the quiet with a hesitant mutter.
"More important…?"
"Of course! This is a place where Administrator Elilan has made sure that even Pokémon like you are able to contribute to the good of society!" the Porygon-Z chirped. "Whether that's through keeping the Company's economy up and running, or working more directly with
me to help make new scientific discoveries!"
Nyxem's expression didn't change much like it often didn't with Porygon in general, but when he spoke up again, his voice seemingly lowered in its pitch and took on a strangely unsettling chime.
"I know most of you are afraid, but there is no need," the Normal-Type said. "Progress and its needs have a way of being bewildering at first, but you'll learn to adapt… or at least
most of you will."
There was a moment of stunned silence, as the air seemed to grow palpable with dread. Worried murmurs floated about when Nyxem turned his head towards his Dragapult colleague and motioned out at the gathering.
"Winslow, separate out the prisoners for their appropriate purposes," he instructed. "I'd like to spend some time with the ones that are more relevant to my research."
"You heard him!" the Dragapult snapped, waving a claw at the gathered guards. "Get these 'mons out of the courtyard and put them to work!"
Several guards made their way over, roughly shoving Hess and Trizano along as the rest herded the remaining pirates off. The Aggron and Skarmory looked on blankly as the guards dragged their captives away over their cries of protest, the Drapion and the Garbodor briefly glancing back at Hess. All the while, a sinking feeling came over their stomachs as dark thoughts filled their minds about what would happen to those Pokémon.
All the while, Nyxem floated in place as the guards brought Hess and Trizano up to him. Much to their surprise, the strange bird barely acknowledged them and seemed to be focused on Hess' lucky charm, as the Porygon-Z telekinetically levitated it in the air.
"Hm, yes. This is most interesting," Nyxem mused. "It's not every day that a Pokémon arrives here along with a corresponding Mega Stone, let alone alongside an Immortal…"
Hess quietly inched away as the Porygon-Z inspected his lucky charm with rapt attention. Why was this bird so fixated on his lucky charm? And why was he so insistent that it was a…
"Mega-what now?" Hess gulped.
Nyxem turned to them as he moved the gray stone into a pouch on the side of his body. It was admittedly a bit hard to tell with how different the Porygon-Z's expressions seemed to be, but Hess
swore there was a self-satisfied expression over the strange bird's eyes. The Porygon-Z briefly scanned the Clefable's paper for a moment, before looking back at them.
"You must be Captain Hess," the Normal-Type said. "And this is one of your pirates, I presume?"
"
Pirate? Perish the thought!" the Skarmory squawked. "I'm
Trizano the Immortal, and I would never stoop to such misdeeds!"
Hess couldn't help but turn and frown at Trizano's outburst, while Nyxem bobbled slightly with a quiet droning chuckle.
"My, my, apologies for being presumptuous, Trizano. Allow me to properly introduce myself," the Porygon-Z replied. "Like I said before, my name is Doctor Nyxem. Beyond my duties running this facility, I also specialize in researching the life energies of humans and Pokémon."
Hess and Trizano both traded confused looks as a wave of sinking dread came over them. Hess tried to shrink back further, only for a Blaziken among the guards to hold him in place.
"I'll admit that your arrival is a surprise to me," Nyxem continued "But I've never been the type to question receiving a rare opportunity like this."
"Wait, but I thought we were mining," Hess said. "Wh-What are you going to do to us? Are we really in the Wastes right now?"
Nyxem let out a small chirp in reply and swiveled his head to look at the Blaziken. He pointed an arm out at Hess and Trizano, before speaking up in that droning voice of his.
"Bring them out to the overlook," the Porygon-Z said. "Let them see for themselves."
The Blaziken and the other guards shoved them along and brought them up the stairs as Nyxem floated ahead of them. After a brief walk through a brick tunnel, they emerged out into an open space with an outer gate up ahead, along with a wall that looked like it'd been made from a combination of piled-up stones intermingling with truly ancient-looking concrete slabs. The guards led them up another set of stairs, as Hess noticed on the wall of the building they came from, that there was a curious circle with a design enclosing a set of stars inside it. Three… four… five of them, with tails that looked elongated upwards, almost as if they were falling. Something about the shape of the logo looked familiar to Hess, but he couldn't put his claw on what or why. He heard a startled squawk from beside him and looked off to his right past Trizano, as his breath caught in his throat:
Beyond the wall, there was a giant, crater-like pit with a path that wound its way up in a spiral, with shapes moving around in it. At the far ends, Hess saw what looked like collections of tents set up. Down just below them at the wall's base, he saw a train of Pokémon lugging along sacks and carts weighed down with rocks—visibly thin, haggard, and caked with dust.
The wall took a turn away from the pit but Hess couldn't get the image out of his mind. Was
that what 'The Pit' was? And was that where that Drapion and Garbodor from his crew were going to wind up?
"Ah yes,
here we are."
Nyxem abruptly spun around in place, before pointing dramatically out past the edge of the wall, as Hess and Trizano's eyes followed and abruptly widened:
There in front of them, was a plain that stretched on in every direction, with mountains visible in the distant haze that ran from left to right without an obvious stop in either direction. It was a sight that should've been breathtaking, except for the fact that everything was all wrong with it.
The plains were gray and ash-colored, without any signs of trees or even grass growing on them. Dark chasms cut through it in parts, like cracks left behind in shattered stone. The only obvious sign that there had been any water at all here before was a dried channel that resembled a riverbed, which exited out into a depression that looked like it used to be a lake, except it was filled with fog where they'd have expected to see water.
The two of them looked out with blank stares, their mouths fixed into tense grimaces, when Nyxem floated in front of them and raised his arms with a cheery chime.
"Welcome to Torn Outpost! Our research facility for delving into the mysteries of the world, and our little island of civilization on this side of the Veil."
Hess and Trizano stared out at the dead landscape in blank shock. There was an electronic-sounding chirp, when all of a sudden, Nyxem clapped his arms together.
"I'm sure you have plenty of questions, but don't worry," the Porygon-Z said. "Unlike the others in your group, you'll be helping me with my research as test subjects."
He tilted his strange beak downwards as a vaguely malicious glint came over his eyes. Hess fought to suppress a nervous whine, as the strange, unsettling tone came back into the Porygon-Z's droning voice.
"I just
know we'll achieve great things together."
When Kline insisted on having a meeting somewhere he'd 'feel natural,' Elty hadn't expected it to be the throne room of Duke Franz's castle. The actual environment was certainly… less regal than he initially assumed it'd be. Between being picked clean after the pirates took it over and it being pockmarked with battle damage from being besieged, Elty wondered if they'd have been better off meeting on one of the ships in the harbor.
Still, it was hard to argue that there wasn't ample space here. He, Team Zephyr, Nagant, Cabot and his friends, and that 'Commodore Valan' Salamence had all come for the occasion and gathered around a table set up with a map of Anyilla and its islands. Kline was certainly putting the chamber's size to use with that massive, serpentine Forme of his, peering down alongside the others as Niilo shot a frowning glance out the corner of his vision.
"… Just saying, was it really necessary for you to come like this?" Niilo asked. "We could've had this meeting nearly an hour ago back in the harbor if you'd just stuck to that smaller form you approached us in."
"If you expect me to be comfortable during this meeting, then yes, it
is necessary," Kline replied.
Niilo shrugged in response but otherwise didn't press things further, while over at Valan's end of the room, the Salamence had a deep scowl etched over his face. The entire time,
his attention was directed at the Sandslash and his teammates, along with the Growlithe standing beside them.
"On that note, are
those four really necessary?" Valan asked. "Not that I'm complaining about how Duke Franz generously provided these accommodations for us, but-"
"
Yes."
Kline leveled a piercing scowl of his own back in reply, one that made Valan and Nagant both visibly tense up.
"I'm still not sure if I trust you two, but I
do trust them," Kline said. "As such, I'd like them to be present for this meeting, and to hold it in the Forme I'm most comfortable in."
Nagant briefly opened her mouth to protest, only to pause and look aside with a quiet sigh.
"I… understand, Protector," the Clawitzer said. "Though what is it that you wish to discuss with us?"
"I'd like to offer an alliance… assuming you're willing to lend me the strength that I need."
Elty briefly sucked in a tense breath and noticed that the rest of Kline's teammates were reacting similarly. An alliance… with the
Empire? The same Empire that had been trying to snatch Pleo away to use him as
their Protector to fight for them? How was that not defeating everything that Kline had been trying to accomplish by running around the Cradle with his teammates all these years?
The Growlithe kept the questions to himself, but even so, he seemed to notice a flash of unease come over the Zygarde. It passed almost as soon as it came, as the serpent reared up amidst the tall chamber, and loomed over the gathered Pokémom.
"I won't mince words: things are extremely precarious for your Empire now that the Company has captured Pleo," Kline said. "Thanks to past events that have given me reason to doubt both your and their motivations, I'd normally be content to stay out of things and let you and the Company have at each other."
The Imperials around the table all visibly stiffened up at the Zygarde's remark. Elty saw Berecien's flame flare up as the Ponyta was about to speak up, when Cabot suddenly cut in with a loud protest:
"W-What do you mean 'let us and the Company have at each other'?! We're nothing like the Company!" the Rampardos cried. "They're a bunch of greedy traitors who make all the Pokémon on their islands miserable! If they went and started a war, then-!"
"
Enough."
Kline gave a sharp hiss and flared his tendrils, as everyone around the table suddenly quieted down. Kline briefly scowled down at Cabot, before turning to the rest of the group and continuing on.
"Regardless of my normal opinions, these
aren't normal circumstances, as should be obvious from the very fact that we're having this meeting," he said. "Were open warfare to break out again, it could spiral out of control and devastate all of Anyilla."
The room fell dead silent afterwards, with Nagant and Valan remaining visibly on edge as Cabot and his teammates traded worried stares with one another. The Zygarde paused, before quietly shaking his head.
"As the Keeper of Balance, that's too much for me to tolerate," he continued. "As such, I'm forced to entertain the lesser of two evils in order to stop this disaster, which in this case means helping you fight the Company through this crisis."
Elty shot a worried glance over to Percy, who seemed visibly apprehensive as Calidus and Alice looked much about the same. Kline
had to have had some sort of plan to get out of this later on, didn't he?
From his end of the table, Valan scrutinized them all the while. There was a lingering quiet, before the Salamence broke it with a rumbling harrumph.
"Hrmph, I suppose that is good enough for now," Valan said. "I brought along maps of Vollezee, so we can-"
"I would strongly advise against mounting an attack on Vollezee at this point, actually."
Blinking stares went around the gathered Imperials, while Kline's own teammates seemed to quietly tense up and steel themselves. Elty furrowed his brow and pinned his ears back, staring up at the Zygarde with a puzzled tilt of his head.
"Wait, but wouldn't the Company have logically
taken Pleo to Vollezee?" Elty asked. "Why wouldn't we go there first?"
"Because the Company is
expecting that they will be attacked there," Kline explained.
A few whispers went about the Imperials' side of the table. The entire time, Kline's expression remained unmoving, as he motioned down at the map with his tail.
"As I explained to everybody on the way over, I'm able to see through extensions of my body called 'Cells', it's how I knew how to find you," the Zygarde explained. "From what I've been able to see through them, the Company's already in the process of moving ships and troops to Vollezee to reinforce it. If your attempt to attack there
failed, the losses that would entail would be severe enough to potentially be an existential threat to your Empire on its own."
Valan and Nagant visibly grimaced in response, which Elty supposed was as good a sign as any that Kline's remarks weren't just idle theorizing on his part. The Zygarde turned his attention back to the map, moving his tailtip down along its currents and sea lanes.
"As such, it makes more sense to strike someplace where they're
not expecting to be attacked."
He moved them along the map until he reached an island near the edge of the Cradle and the storms of the Veil. Percy and the others on Team Zephyr shot Kline hesitant looks, and when Berecien and Elty looked, they both let out a shared cry after reading the runes labeling its name. The others just stared with dumbfounded, disbelieving frowns, as Cabot turned his head up towards Kline and spoke up with a puzzled murmur.
"Wait, but that's…"
"
Nagrobek? Why on earth would we want to go after some barren rock that's closer to the edge of the Cradle than to Vollezee?" Niilo asked.
"Because it's arguably the second-most important island to the Company after Vollezee," Kline answered. "All the tin the Company produces originates from that island. If it ever fell out of their control for more than a couple of months, it'd cripple their economy."
The Zygarde brought his tailtip back from the map, and looked around the table with his gaze held straight and his voice coming out in a serious tone.
"Normally, it's
defended accordingly, too. In more typical circumstances, it's a more difficult target to take than Kenobi Island in spite of being less populated," he explained. "With its ranks thinned to secure Vollezee, Nagrobek is less defended and its fortifications are leaning more heavily than normal on a mercenary outfit that Administrator Elilan likes contracting. You'll never get a better opportunity to attack it than now."
Kline waited expectantly for a response, only to notice that all the Imperials around the table seemed unenthused about the idea and were
saying about as much in hushed chatter with each other. From the side, Elty looked down at the map and ran a paw along Nagrobek's place, before he shot Kline a sideways glance.
"Not… that I'm really
opposed to the idea of trying to go after the Company on Nagrobek," the Growlithe said. "But how's this supposed to get us any closer to freeing Pleo?"
"Because sometimes the best strategies aren't the most direct ones," Kline replied. "Capturing Nagrobek would break up one of the Company's strongest garrisons and force it to divert attention and resources to trying to take it back. By doing so, you would buy precious time to prepare to assault Vollezee more frontally."
The Zygarde briefly looked over the map, before turning his head up slightly to let his gaze settle on Nagant and Valan's end of the table.
"On top of that, from what I've been able to see, the rest of Pleo's friends are being held prisoner on Nagrobek," he said. "If the Company
does manage to put Pleo under their sway, having his friends present when we go to confront them would be the best chance of being able to snap him to his senses."
Elty's fur briefly bristled. Travellers Above, he knew that his friends weren't in a good spot after Hess sailed away from them, but to wind up in
Nagrobek in all places? He let his attention drift across the table as Nagant twitched her barbels and seemed to be deep in thought. She hesitated for a moment, before her posture eased and she nodded to herself. She looked back up at Kline and opened her mouth to speak.
"Zygarde, I
think that that should-"
A loud
thump filled the air as everyone stiffened up from a jolt that shook the table.
"I'm sorry, but this strategy of yours is simply not workable."
Everyone's attention turned to Valan's end of the table, where the Salamence had flared out his wings and craned his head up with an impatient scowl.
"We simply
don't have time for a long campaign if the Company is really on the verge of fielding Lugia against us," Valan insisted. "Almost all of your arguments for attacking Nagrobek are arguments for attacking
Kenobi instead. If we were going to spend time and resources on an island other than Vollezee, at least Kenobi's location would allow us to disrupt Company shipping routes and use it as a springboard for campaigns on other islands."
A few uneasy hems and haws came from Cabot and his companions, while even Nagant seemed hesitant. The Salamence briefly noted his subordinates' reactions, before shaking his head with a sharp frown.
"And that doesn't solve the issue that this additional campaign would divert resources that we should use to attack Vollezee instead," Valan continued. "The Royal Navy needs to be able to deal a definitive blow to the Company whenever we confront them at Vollezee, so why should we risk weakening or overextending ourselves beforehand?"
Kline uneasily wavered his tail back and forth, before turning to his teammates with a wordless stare. They all seemed visibly hesitant, before Percy gave back a wordless nod. The Zygarde turned back to the others around the table, as he spoke up with a quiet rumble.
"… And would your calculus change at all if I told you that the Company is holding a second Protector captive on Nagrobek?"
At once, confused, overlapping outcries broke out from around the table. From the ground, Elty shot a wide-eyed stare up at Kline and opened his mouth to interject, only for Nagant to hop over towards the Zygarde and raise her voice over the surrounding chatter.
"Zygarde,
please elaborate," the Clawitzer said. "This is the first that
any of us have heard of this!"
Kline visibly paused for a moment, weighing his next words. After a short hesitation, he began to slowly speak up.
"As Zygarde, I am a being composed of two halves," he replied. "My other half has been held deep within the bowels of Nagrobek's prison for close to a decade now, awaiting the day that his captors can turn us against the world."
Nagant's mouth flopped open from shock, as Cabot and his friends' eyes visibly widened in alarm. Even Valan looked taken aback for a moment, only for the Salamence to pause and shoot a dubious frown back across the table.
"I'm sorry, but a
decade?" Valan asked. "If you're as strong as you claim, then why has the Company simply not fielded this 'other half' into battle?"
Nagant pivoted on her tail and stared fixedly at Kline, quietly wondering to herself what his answer would be. The Zygarde once again hesitated, before he looked down and shook his head.
"Because my other half and I are capable of fusing together into a stronger Forme. The Company had hoped to quietly capture me first so they would have our full power at their disposal," Kline explained. "If the Company found out that I was helping you fight against them, they would attempt to press ahead and field my other half as their secret weapon alongside Lugia against your islands. Regardless of the consequences."
Everyone in the room traded worried stares with one another as a tense silence lingered in the air. From his end of the table, Kline straightened up again, and shifted his tail as he settled into place.
"I don't share this matter with you lightly, and truth be told, I don't fully trust you not to misuse our powers," the Zygarde said. "But I know what the Company will do with the two Protectors they have in their grasp. As such, it makes sense to start by fighting the battle they're not expecting, so that way you won't need to fight two Protectors at once."
A pause followed, as all the Imperials at the table seemed to be at a loss for words. Nagant was the first to break the silence, as she looked up with a wary, uneasy expression—one that Elty could've sworn looked almost like she'd been hurt somehow…
"I just don't understand, Protector," she muttered. "Why
now? Why did you wait all these years to come back?"
Kline stared back for a moment, before turning his gaze aside with a low murmur.
"With everything that's going on right now, I just couldn't afford to hide away for any longer," he explained. "I admit that there's more to the story, but I don't think I'm ready to share it just now."
The Zygarde turned his head back. It was hard for Elty to make out much of the way of emotions from his face, given that his eyes weren't as expressive as they were while in his Core Forme, but his pose looked heavy… deflated, almost.
"I promise that sometime when things are calmer, that I'll give you a fuller explanation," he said. "But at the very least, do you agree with me
now that we should attack Nagrobek first?"
There was a lingering pause at the table, before Valan frowned and spoke up with a low grumble.
"… Fine, I'll admit I can see the argument behind your proposal."
The other Imperials followed along one after the other, with Berecien strangely enough giving his agreement with particular vigor. After waiting briefly for any objections, Kline himself joined in and nodded back.
"Good," he replied. "Since we will need to mount our attack on Nagrobek within a week."
Valan abruptly batted his wings out and jerked his head back with a startled cry.
"I'm sorry,
a week?!" the Salamence demanded.
"Yes. Nagrobek's defenses are unlikely to stay weakened past then," Kline replied. "I'm sure that the Company is already looking into levying reserves and newly-pressed recruits to fill the ranks they're thinning outside of Vollezee. They will naturally shore up their more strategic islands first while doing so."
"Zygarde, that's just not possible," Valan shot back, shaking his head.
"Why? Don't you have a big, fancy base on Haipheh?" Alice asked, tilting her head. "Can't you just send some Pokémon from there?"
"No, because even after accounting for the Company pulling ships away and Zygarde lending his strength, we'd be lucky to mobilize even a third of the forces needed to mount a proper landing on Nagrobek in a
week. We have other threats that need to be defended against, and there simply aren't enough standing Pokémon ready and fully provisioned to sail out so quickly," he explained. "My original estimate for how long it'd have taken just to mobilize for a full invasion of Vollezee was nearly four weeks. Nagrobek may be less challenging to invade, but it'd still take between two and three weeks just to be in a position to begin sending troops onshore!"
Kline and Valan stared each other down, as the Salamence's face visibly fell. Elty and Team Zephyr stiffened up and grimaced, while Cabot and his friends shuffled about awkwardly. What were they supposed to do here when the first step of Kline's plan already wasn't workable?
There was a moment of silence, before Nagant hopped up between Valan and Kline, her lesser claw raised.
"… Are you
certain that we could mobilize a third of the forces we'd need for that campaign within a week, Commodore Valan?" the Clawitzer asked.
"Yes? Though I fail to see how that would change anything, Captain Nugget," Valan replied. "Such 'monpower would be inadequate for taking Kenobi, much less
Nagrobek."
"I'm
aware of that," the Clawitzer insisted. "I'm not contesting your point."
Nagant let out an exasperated sigh, before she hopped up to the window and pointed a claw out of it. Everyone else made their way up as they saw her claw pointing off at Starpeak Square below, seemingly in the direction of the village's garrison.
"It's just that I
think I know how we can get the remaining forces that we'd need in Zygarde's timeframe."
Pleo blearily cracked his eyes open and saw that he was in a dark, formless void. He at first thought he was still in his cell, only to realize that he couldn't feel the metal chains holding his limbs in place or the ship's wood under his feet.
The Lugia jolted upright and moved around as his memories slowly filled in what had happened: he woke up after Lyn opened the door to his cell and the Samurott revealed a red Apricorn that he had brought along with him. Not long after, Lyn ordered a Crobat that'd come along to sedate him, and the last thing Pleo remembered after that point was struggling against his chains as the Crobat flew up to him and cast rings of light from his eyes and suddenly feeling very sleepy afterwards.
He supposed that this place must've been the inside of that red Apricorn from earlier, and he was starting to understand why Pokémon were afraid of these things. Pleo looked around frantically and beat his wings in a panic.
"H-Hey! Let me out of here!"
He flung a cutting gust of air out forwards… although he wasn't sure
where it was going, since there wasn't any obvious change to his surroundings. He hurriedly went around to try and find some sort of end to the space he was in, but no matter how long he carried on, he couldn't find one. After a while, there was suddenly a sharp
crack as a vein of light opened from above and the world around Pleo lurched, when the Lugia was washed in blinding light. He briefly felt air under his feet and landed on something cold and stone-like, before stumbling forward as he almost tripped.
"A-Ah!"
Pleo squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light, when he heard flowing water in the background. As he looked around, he saw he was in a tall room flanked by water from three ends, with seats set up on a stony section in the middle. He looked up and froze as he saw Inler at the far end staring him down, with Farn and Zorn on opposite sides of the table looking at him in surprise. A little further back was also a Zoroark that he didn't recognize, who was watching him keenly.
It dawned on him that he was in front of the Company's Board, meaning the Zoroark had to be Elilan. He hurriedly tried to scrabble away, only to suddenly feel weight pressing down on him from above. There was a sudden swish of air as he saw Lyn behind him, holding a seamitar up to the side of his throat.
"Don't try anything funny, Guardian," the Samurott growled. "Your friends may not be here at the moment, but that doesn't mean there won't be
consequences for them if you cause problems."
Pleo dug his heels in and glared back, only to remember his conversation with Ketu back on Lyn's ship. Ketu knew Lyn a lot better than he did, and the Weavile had been
adamant that he needed to at least make Lyn
think he was succeeding at pushing him around in order to do anything to help his friends.
He grudgingly stopped struggling as he saw a Graveler and an Electabuzz come up and felt his wings get yanked forward in front of his body. Cold metal dug into his plumage around his wings' wrists, all as Lyn kept his paw firmly clamped onto his left wing's shoulder. After a brief moment, the Graveler and the Electabuzz stepped back and Pleo saw that his wings were tied up with chains again, while Lyn held his grip on him, before pushing him forward in front of the table.
The Pokémon gathered around the table gazed intently. Zorn and Farn had an almost disbelieving air about them, while Inler seemed to have a quiet awe on his face. Curiously enough, Elilan didn't seem impressed, as he propped his head up on a claw and narrowed his eyes with an unamused frown.
"Let me guess, Lyn: another Ditto? Or were you desperate enough to drag some Illusionist off the street this time?"
"I'm sure you would be quite pleased if that was the case," Lyn scoffed. "But unfortunately for you, this is Lugia in the flesh."
The Samurott ran a paw down Pleo's back and grabbed one of his feathers. He pulled his paw back with a sharp pluck, making Pleo squawk in pain and flail as Lyn held up a silvery-white feather in his grasp that sparkled as the sunlight coming through the windows fell on it. Lyn watched as a captivated silence settled on most of the Pokémon around the stone table, as his muzzle curled up into a satisfied smirk.
"Your eyes don't deceive you," the Commissioner said. "Even if his size may not match the legends, this is indeed Lugia, the Guardian of the Seas. Come and see him for yourself."
One by one, most members of the Board began to make their way over and crowd around him. Zorn brought his head down to size Pleo up, while Farn walked up to him. She gave a disbelieving prod at the Lugia, as she turned to Lyn with her muzzle curled up into a knowing smirk.
"He certainly looks better without all that paint covering those feathers," Farn said. "I
knew that you had it in you to get things done. See what happens when you handle your tasks with the appropriate degree of firmness, Lyn?"
The Samurott stiffened upright and briefly grew flustered at the Luxray's remark. Pleo wasn't sure what to make of the comment, other than that Lyn clearly hadn't expected to hear it. The sound of slow claps rang out as Pleo looked further down the table to see Inler making his way over to him, all while Elilan still glowered from his seat. Inler either didn't seem to notice or didn't care as he approached, stepping up to Lyn and his captive's side.
"After so many years, we finally have a Protector of our own," Inler murmured. "I was starting to think that I'd never see the day when one was there to help fight under our banners."
Pleo fought against his chains to try and lean away from the Nidoking, leveling a piercing scowl back at the Poison-Type.
"I don't
want to fight," he said. "I won't help you and you can't make me."
The Lugia suddenly felt a sharp yank at his chains and looked up to see Lyn had pulled him back into line. From his place in the surrounding pool, Zorn craned his head down again, looming over the young Protector with a sharp frown.
"Read the room, kid," the Gyarados scoffed. "We wouldn't have brought you here if we
didn't have ways of making you play along."
"Not if those ways stink as much as your breath," Pleo retorted. "You couldn't even catch me when I was
right in front of you last time!"
Zorn's eyes widened briefly, before he grit his teeth and leaned in further towards Pleo, close enough for his barbels to brush him. Much to the Gyarados' frustration, the Lugia remained defiant and blew a raspberry back, prompting Zorn to let a furious growl from his throat.
"Listen up, pipsqueak," the Gyarados snarled. "We've come too far to just let this moment slip between our fangs from some little-"
"
Enough, Zorn."
Inler paced forward, motioning for the Gyarados to back off. Zorn grudgingly slunk back as Inler came to take his place, who shot Pleo a piercing glare as electricity danced around his horn.
"I understand that there are some things that might seem confusing to you as a child; being a god of storms with Anyilla's Pokémon counting on you is a heavy burden," the Nidoking began. "A burden that
we were willing to help ease you into."
Inler's expression visibly hardened as the Poison-Type angled his horn down towards Pleo. The Nidoking kept his glaring eyes fixed with Pleo's as the Lugia couldn't help but freeze up as the Director's voice took on a menacing tone.
"But we ultimately don't have the luxury of waiting for you to come around. If making you adjust to your new role requires sacrificing your comfort in the process, I'm more than willing to arrange for that to happen," Inler said. "I'm certain that Commissioner Lyn has informed you of some of the ways we have for doing so."
Pleo wavered after seeing the Nidoking's mood turn and static build up along his horn. Was he making it too obvious that he wasn't afraid of them right now? While he doubted that Inler would
really hurt him if the Company needed him so badly… what about his friends? Ketu said that he and Elilan would protect them, but if Inler saw that he didn't seem worried about them, would he start asking questions about why he was acting like this when his friends were supposed to be in danger? And if so, could that ruin the deal Ketu wanted to make with him before he even got a chance to make a decision about it?
"Are we
clear?"
Pleo jolted up as Inler's growl lingered in his ears, before the Lugia decided not to push his luck. He craned his head down and shrank back, raising his voice in a stammer that he hoped didn't seem too forced.
"Y-Yes."
Pleo's heart skipped a beat in his chest as Inler scrutinized him for a moment. After a noticeable pause, the Nidoking lifted head and looked off towards the door, where a Magnezone and a Honchkrow were waiting.
"Send word to have the Executive Suite below my office prepared for his arrival. We'll keep him there for the time being," the Director instructed. "If those accommodations prove unworkable, we'll naturally have to consider more…
secure alternatives."
The honor guards saluted in response, before they opened the doors and left the room. As they closed the doors behind them, Pleo looked back to Inler with a puzzled tilt of his head.
"… What kind of prison is an 'Executive Suite'?"
"It's a place I sometimes retire to for breaks from my work," the Nidoking explained. "One that's more fitting for a Pokémon of your nature to spread your wings…
if you can remain cooperative."
… Had Ketu expected that he'd be moved to a place like that? A resting place
did sound easier to meet him in than in some sort of prison… Pleo's mind drifted from his train of thought as he heard footsteps and saw Inler making his way back to the head of the stone table.
"Though if I may ask you all to return to your seats: I believe that there is one last order of business we need to account for before we get to the topic of Commissioner Lyn's promotion to the Board," the Nidoking said, before shooting a glance at the Samurott. "Did you find the missing article from the Vault?"
Lyn hesitated for a moment, as Pleo could have sworn he saw his whiskers twitch nervously, before the otter finally spoke up.
"I found some human artifacts among the pirates' loot, but nothing that was reported as missing from the Vault turned up," the Samurott answered. "We're not really sure what became of the Ledger, but since the thieves are presently in detention on Nagrobek, it shouldn't be hard to get to the bottom of things by interrogating them."
Pleo blinked at Lyn's response. He had remembered seeing that Ledian take the Ledger away back on the Starfall Shogun. Although he didn't know what the Iron Fleet did with it while he was asleep, he supposed there was nothing that would've kept one of the other pirate captains from taking it.
Even so, wasn't Lyn being a bit
too tense for just saying that he didn't find it? There was a long pause as Inler shot an askew glance at Elilan, before turning his attention back to Lyn.
"See to it that Lugia is questioned first about what
he knows about the Ledger in a more appropriate setting," the Nidoking said. "Though I'm not sure if we have the
time to wait for results from an interrogation. I will have Olivia dispatch agents to mount an investigation before our enemies realize what's going on. In the meantime, we should focus our attention on something that's been long overdue: namely Lyn's promotion."
Pleo noticed Lyn straightening up as Farn, Zorn, and Inler turned their attention towards the Samurott, Elilan giving a visibly unenthusiastic frown the entire time. After a brief, tentative silence, Inler glanced them over, before bringing his paws together on the table with a stern, serious frown.
"This isn't a trivial decision to make for the Company's future," he said. "While I myself have already made up my mind, it is customary to hear out each member of the Board before making promotions of this nature…"
The Nidoking trailed off briefly, before letting his eyes drift over towards Farn, who was batting her tail back and forth.
"Given that you're the Pokémon who is the closest to Lyn out of anyone on the Board… Administrator Farn, would you care to start things off?"
Lyn waited for a moment as Farn glanced at the Samurott and lingered in her thoughts. From beside him, Pleo briefly noticed that Lyn looked a bit on edge. A small smile settled over Farn's mouth, before she turned back to the head of the table and spoke up.
"I'll admit, things were a bit rockier than I was expecting, but Lyn stuck through his mission and turned things around even when things seemed to be in doubt," the Luxray said. "We're all aware of Lyn's track record and accomplishments prior to this mission, so there's no need for me to repeat them. Given that he delivered Lugia to us in the end, I'd say that he's built upon them well enough to earn this promotion."
Pleo briefly caught Lyn quietly sucking in a breath as Inler's attention turned over to Zorn next, the Nidoking giving an expectant glance.
"And you, Zorn? What is your opinion on promoting Lyn to fill our vacancy on the Board?"
The Gyarados shifted in the water and churned the surface of the pool as he looked over at Lyn with noticeably long face. There was a moment's pause, before Zorn sighed and shook his head with a low murmur.
"I'm not really impressed with how he handled some of the parts of his mission earlier, but he
did pull this off through a plan of his own design and execution," the Gyarados remarked. "I'd recommend starting him off slow, but I'll admit he has potential as an Administrator."
Pleo saw the tension leave Lyn's body as an ever-growing smile crossed his muzzle and the Samurott visibly puffed his chest out. He supposed that was one way to tell that Lyn had gotten the promotion he'd wanted. All the while, Elilan remained silent beyond quietly tapping his claws against the table. The Zoroark's reaction didn't escape Inler's notice, as the Nidoking finally turned his attention over to him with his mouth curled into a serious frown.
"Administrator Elilan, do you have anything to add?"
Elilan didn't say anything even as the others around the table turned to face him. Pleo gave a wary glance around as the silence dragged on for a moment, when he noticed that there was a palpable tension in the air between Inler and Elilan. All along his pelt, Pleo noticed the Nidoking had raised barbs much like Nida would when she was upset or startled, while Elilan's eyes were sharply narrowed.
The Zoroark looked at Pleo briefly, before his expression softened slightly. He closed his eyes and turned to face the rest of the Board, shaking his head with a sullen huff.
"I already gave
my opinions during that whole incident with the Ditto," Elilan scoffed. "But since everyone here seems to have particularly short memories, I'd like a moment to
explain where my opinions are coming from."
The Zoroark opened his eyes again and turned his gaze towards Inler, with a look so fierce that for a moment Pleo thought he was somehow trying to use Glare on the Nidoking.
"Ten years ago, I was the
only one on the Board who voted against Darzin's promotion to Administrator of Tromba Island," Elilan said. "Everyone
insisted that he'd be a good fit, yet look at what became of
that."
Elilan straightened up in his seat, turning his glance towards Zorn and Farn with a withering glare.
"And here we are, finding ourselves at the precipice of confirming another would-be peer that's doomed for failure. Despite the last several years, this Board is about to make the same mistakes again, having learned absolutely
nothing," the Dark-Type spat. "Lyn simply is not a good fit for running an island. Not now or ever. Capturing Lugia doesn't change that. It's taken Lyn a month and a half to complete what was supposed to be a three-day mission
at most, and in the end he ultimately needed to outsource the actual process of capturing Lugia to
pirates of all Pokémon."
"And yet, despite that, he adapted and overcame difficulties in the face of one unexpected development after the other," Inler said. "Qualities I seem to recall
you particularly valuing from your subordinates as an Administrator."
The Nidoking and the Zoroark stared each other down, as Pleo noticed everyone else in the room was watching the pair uneasily. There was a tension that hung thick in the air, almost as if the two were both ready to come to blows with each other.
"Your skepticism
has been noted," Inler growled. "However, it hasn't changed anything about my own decision, and I think I've heard enough to make it and begin the formal vote on Commissioner Lyn's promotion."
Elilan held his glare for a moment, before sinking back into his seat with a sullen scowl. Pleo couldn't help but fidget uncomfortably against his chains, when a loud harrumph cut through the air. He saw Inler shifting in his seat, before the Nidoking turned his attention around the table.
"All in favor of promoting Lyn to fill
former Administrator Darzin's position?"
Farn and Inler himself each raised a paw in assent, Zorn mimicking them as best he could with his tail. The Nidoking brought his paw down and brought them together along the table, before speaking up again, his eyes turning over towards Elilan.
"And everyone
opposed to promoting Lyn to fill said position?"
The Zoroark all but rolled his eyes in response, as he raised a paw and let out a disgusted sigh, when there was a sudden rattle from Lyn's end of the table.
The Board looked over and saw Pleo had raised his still-chained wings. Lyn shoved his wings down with a sharp frown, while the young Lugia saw Inler mirroring the Samurott's expression. Curiously enough, Elilan seemed to be surprised, and for a fleeting moment, Pleo swore he could see a faint, amused smile on the Zoroark's muzzle.
Inler
thumped his tail against the floor for attention. After he received it from his audience, he shook his head, turning his attention over to Lyn.
"That makes things official. Welcome to the Board, Administrator Lyn."
Over by the doors to the meeting room, a blue-and-white Vivillion fluttered over and came up to the Samurott's side, presenting a lavender cloth with a pattern of purple squares on it. A flash of disbelieving awe came over his eyes as Lyn took the cloth and unfurled it, revealing it to be a scarf with the same pattern as the other Administrators present.
He took a moment to undo his scarf and put on his new one, before tucking his old one into a satchel. He made his way forward along with Pleo, passing the young Lugia over to Inler, before claiming the empty seat across from Farn's. Lyn sat down and adjusted himself, as a widening grin came over his muzzle. From the side, Inler briefly glanced down at Pleo, before turning his attention to the newly-promoted Administrator with a stern gaze.
"Your first order of business as an Administrator is to show the world our newfound Protector's power and fealty to our cause," the Nidoking said. "I believe that Tromba Island ought to be quite familiar to the both of you. Putting it back under direct rule of an Administrator seems like an effective demonstration, no?"
Pleo felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realized that they were talking about Lyn taking over Tromba, with
him taking part in it. Lyn idly dusted his chest off with a paw, as the Samurott gave a knowing smirk in reply.
"Quite. I've been able to keep that island in line for years. I'm sure it will be no different whenever I arrive there again," the Samurott said. "Using the Protector's power to take back an island that the Company has lost control of for years seems as solid an idea as any. With the appropriate conditions, I'm sure it would send quite the message to Anyilla and the Cradle's waters beyond."
Pleo's breath picked up as he felt his heart starting to race. Those were all just words, right? He remembered Ketu had mentioned that the Board was planning to use him as a weapon, but they didn't
actually have a way of making him fight the rest of Bluewhorl Town for them without threatening his friends… did they?
Whatever the truth of the matter was, he didn't want to find out for sure. He just hoped that Ketu really would be able to see him again before Lyn started his mission. Especially if Bluewhorl Town was really in this much danger.
Was it best to just agree to help him with whatever Elilan was planning? It was harder and harder for him to see ways of avoiding it, but at the same time he just couldn't shake this feeling that helping Ketu and Elilan would end horribly. Kline had insisted over and over again that it would be bad if Elilan's plans, whatever they really were, succeeded. But if he did
nothing, both his friends and everyone on Tromba would just suffer and he'd have nothing to show for it.
The Lugia's mind went blank as his gaze drifted to the floor. He wished that
someone was there with him. Nida… Crom… Elty… Guardia… or any of the others.
Surely they'd know what to do right now…
He heard a soft
thump and saw Inler pulling his leg back from stomping the floor, much as Nida might've thumped her foot for attention. He turned his head up, as the Nidoking looked down at him with a small, knowing smile.
"May this be the start of a fruitful partnership," Inler said. "I
do hope that you find the Executive Suite pleasing. It's among the finest accommodations that can be offered for visitors to our offices here… especially
cooperative ones."
Pleo tried to scoot away only for the Nidoking's grip on his bindings to stop him. No, he didn't want any of this. He just wanted to be back with his friends and not have to be someone's weapon or agent or anything at all.
Inler had grandchildren of his own, didn't he? Maybe there was a part of him that could still be reasoned with.
"Why can't you just leave me and my home alone?" Pleo demanded. "Can't you just be happy with everything you already have right now?"
Once again, Inler's expression curled into a small frown. He said nothing, before turning his head over to the Samurott beside him.
"Administrator Lyn, kindly bring Lugia to the Executive Suite on your way out," the Nidoking instructed. "Due to the needs of your mission, access to him outside of you shall be restricted to me, my direct subordinates, and a list of whatever Pokémon you submit to me that you feel are necessary for your mission's success. After all, in light of the recent spy ring we discovered, it only makes sense to exercise some caution."
"Quite," the Samurott replied, nodding back. "I will see him there immediately after we are done here."
"Good, I believe that this is a suitable note to leave things off on," Inler remarked. "This meeting is adjourned."
Lyn rose from his seat and went over to reclaim the young Protector as the other Administrators made their way out. Farn and Elilan left the room through the doorway, while Zorn went through the aqueduct that fed into the pool surrounding the meeting table. Much to Pleo's surprise, Lyn didn't leave yet, and only budged once Inler began to make his way for the door. The Samurott followed after him, before raising his voice to speak.
"Actually… there was one last thing I wanted to ask of you, Director," Lyn said. "As an Administrator, I assume I'm entitled to request any Company records that are on file?"
The Nidoking Director paused and turned his head back, quirking a brow with a slight tilt of his head.
"You are, yes," Inler replied. "Just submit a request to the records department. As long as it's not anything unreasonable large in volume, your request should be granted."
"Perfect."
The Nidoking turned and carried on as Lyn tugged Pleo along by his chains. As the Lugia lurched forward, he noticed that Lyn's expression was strangely satisfied. He supposed that was one way to tell that Lyn was happy about things… except there was one thing that didn't quite make sense to him.
Shouldn't Lyn have been asking for things that would help him with his mission to Tromba? Where did these records fit into all of that?
Rodion didn't know what he was expecting after his Marked captors told him and the others that they were going to be leaving the Mystery Dungeon, but it wasn't that they'd take them back to Starpeak Square, nor that he'd just be sitting around in some burnt-out square for hours afterwards. The local Imps had apparently run out of cells in town to keep the pirates they'd captured, probably well before the Marked had brought them here from the way that even Tarquin and that Seviper first mate of his were still stuck waiting here in the open.
So that left him here sitting on the ground with his wrists chafing from the ropes holding them in place and his legs stiff from staying in one place the entire time as the Imps assigned to them did the rounds. The guards were every bit as crabby as the Marked had been and not remotely talkative—not even after that strange Pokémon gathered all those green lights and turned into that towering serpent—and were content to leave him and the others around him wondering aloud about what on earth had happened. He hadn't seen any sign of Hess or Kichiro since arriving, and had only found out through that Haxorus from the new recruits that the two at least managed to make it to the ship.
It was cold comfort considering that he didn't know what had become of them. Had they even made it to Lyn? And if they did, who was to say that Samurott hadn't just stabbed them in the back?
Just having
some idea whether they were okay would've made the situation he was in a little more tolerable.
He looked to his left, where Kenny sat, seeing the Quilava nervously stealing glances around him. The Floatzel looked on for a moment before quietly hanging his head. Even when that Imperial crab had caught him back in Orleigh, he'd been able to force a grin over his own face and raise the spirits of the others, knowing that she'd left some of her peons behind and wouldn't want to sail off without them, but
now…
Well, he just wasn't sure what he could even say or do to lift his crewmates' spirits. What on earth was there even to hold onto right now for hope?
"… Rodion? What's going to happen to us?"
Rodion looked over and saw Kenny tense and wound up, his ears pinned back. Much of their crewmates nearby seemed like they were in similar straits, and many of them were looking over waiting for some sort of response or reassurance.
He hesitated for a moment, before looking back at the Quilava and forcing a small smile over his face.
"I… honestly don't know," the Floatzel admitted. "But whatever happens, I'll be there to face it with the rest of you."
Kenny weakly tried to give a smile of his own in reply, but his heart didn't seem to be in it. Rodion honestly couldn't fault him. Even in the dicey situations he'd been in the past, things didn't ever look
this bleak—not even when that Samurott had boarded their ship.
Perhaps this really was the end of the line for them.
All of a sudden, he heard murmurs start to go around the Pokémon in the crowd, including from some of his crewmates next to him. Rodion tried to make sense of what was going on, when Kenny suddenly gave an insistent nose at his shoulder.
"Rodion, something's going on."
Rodion looked away from Kenny and saw a Salamence in Imperial colors coming to a stop in the square just a few paces away. A Gliscor and Talonflame joined him shortly afterwards, along with a group that followed them from further behind on foot:
There was a Sneasel he didn't recognize towards the front. A few Marked from that village in the Mystery Dungeon were there too, but they all looked strangely wound up. But much to his astonishment, that old crab from Orleigh was also there… along with Elty.
The Floatzel narrowed his eyes into a sharp scowl at the sight of the Growlithe. He could've done without seeing
him again, but who were the others-?
"H-Huh?! Alice made it out after all?!"
Rodion glanced back and saw that Kenny's vents were pouring fire, while the Quilava looked much like he'd seen a ghost. The Quilava stared wide-eyed at the Sneasel, his mouth hanging open as his voice came out in a squeaking stammer.
"B-But I saw her get left behind on Vollezee! I-I thought-!"
So she was that same Sneasel Kenny had mentioned being with that other Protector, huh? The former pirate? Rodion supposed that it cleared up the question of who those strangers were a
little, but why were they there together with that Clawitz-?
"EYAAAAAAH!"
"N-No!
Mercy!"
Rodion flinched after hearing a few screams and cries coming from around him, and saw the Marked pirates were visibly cringing and shuddering, while a Marked Kingler was even desperately fighting with his bindings to try and flee. The general mood around them had turned tense, as even Kenny was looking up, his pupils visibly shrunken.
Then he turned to see himself, and his own eyes widened, as there, at the very back of the group, passing a few Marked that were hastily shrinking out of its way, was that towering black-and-green serpent from earlier slithering up and looming over them. The Floatzel stared as the strange Pokémon settled in, his own mouth hanging open as he blinked in disbelief at the sight.
"Well,
this one's going to be interesting," he murmured.
The thump of chitin against the ground rang out, as Nagant made her way forward along the group of pirates. Her eyes met Rodion's as she passed, as the Clawitzer stopped and whirled on her tail. She paused and tilted her head incredulously for a moment, before narrowing her eyes back with an unamused scowl.
"Hrmph, I see you didn't learn anything from last time, Floatzel," Nagant huffed. "You're a real glutton for punishment, aren't you?"
"I prefer to think of myself as being determined," Rodion retorted.
Nagant stared back with a long, sour frown, before letting out an annoyed scoff and turning away. All among the captured pirates, puzzled and confused chatter rang out amongst their ranks, as they traded dumbfounded looks among themselves and at the strange serpent looming over them. Even Tarquin was at a loss as to what to make of the newly arrived strangers, as he shifted against his bindings and raised his head with a low growl.
"What on earth do
you want?" the Tyrantrum spat. "Shouldn't you be chasing after that bird right about now?"
"Normally, yes," Nagant replied. "Though these aren't normal circumstances right now, so I'm here to make an offer that I think will be worth your while."
Valan shot a sidelong glare at the Clawitzer captain from the corner of his eyes, as his mouth cracked open with an incredulous growl.
"Captain Nugget, you can't
seriously be-"
"Commodore, do recall that Zygarde told us we may only have a week to work with," Nagant insisted. "You yourself acknowledged that we can't source the 'monpower we need through normal methods on such short notice."
She trailed off briefly, before looking over the gathered pirates in front of them.
"As such, we can't afford to be too picky about how we get it."
Valan opened his mouth to reply, only for the words to never come out of his mouth. He turned aside with a disapproving growl, as the captured pirates tried to make sense of the Clawitzer's words. Some were clearly puzzled, while others like the Strongjaw Gang's first mate were visibly glowering out of impatience.
"Are you just going to stand there and ignore us, or are you going to explain what's going on right now?" the Seviper spat.
"I will.
Once," Nagant harrumphed. "So pay attention."
The Clawitzer hopped over and clambered onto a nearby crate to get a better view of her audience. She took a brief moment to better study a few of the pirates in the crowd, before straightening up on her tail with a withering glare.
"Effective immediately, you're all enlisted sailors of the Royal Navy, under the command of Commodore Valan and myself as part of a mission we will be carrying out alongside Zygarde, the Keeper of Balance," Nagant explained. "Some of you may be brevetted to perform duties beyond what such a rank would normally entail, but your pay and benefits will be the same as any such sailor who has entered the service as part of a penal sentence."
The chatter began to kick up in waves amongst the pirates, as some simply shot their captors dumbfounded looks, while others in the crowd spoke up with skeptical tones, like a Haxorus with a gold-and-silver scarf who huffed back with a sullen growl.
"I'm sorry, but are we supposed to be
excited about this?" the Haxrorus demanded. "Who is this overgrown Serperior even supposed to be? Some sort of Protector?"
"
Yes, and if it were possible I'd be the first to insist that we do everything to
avoid getting a bunch of thugs like you involved in this," Kline hissed back, flaring his tendrils. "Unfortunately for us, our options are limited at the moment."
The gathering remained silent afterwards, as suddenly most of the pirates sat up sharply at attention. There was a lingering tension in the air, as some of the pirates grew uneasy, while others like a Conkeldurr shot back dubious frowns.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" the Fighting-type pressed.
"Commodore Valan and I will be leading an expedition to liberate Nagrobek Island from the Company," Nagant answered. "It's an island that a lot of you have history with and I'm sure plenty of you have had daydreams and idle plans of storming, so doing that under Her Majesty's sails and the cover of Imperial artillery shouldn't be an excessive ask."
At once, dozens of eyes in the gathering visibly widened and the silence gave way to overlapping cries of protest.
"Storming
Nagrobek?!" a Pawniard exclaimed.
"Y-You're sending us off to be cannon fodder!" a Litten stammered.
"Yes? And?" Valan retorted. "I'm failing to see the problem he-"
"Commodore Valan, please let me finish my offer."
Nagant motioned for silence with a claw, as the Salamence glowered back, but otherwise kept his mouth shut after seeing Kline continuing to look on without objection. The Clawitzer at first tried to speak up over the ongoing protests from the pirates, only to fire a Water Pulse into the air. It burst overhead, raining water down on the crowd and after a few scattered yelps, threw the proceedings back into an uneasy silence.
"
If you and whatever salvageable ships you have are all the extra strength we can muster for this campaign, your fates will most likely
be to become cannon fodder," she explained. "That was why I wanted to give you a chance to improve your odds of self-preservation, and better help
our odds of success in the process…"
The Clawitzer pivoted on her tail, before turning her gaze towards Tarquin.
"We'll head to Orleigh first.
If you manage to talk your peers there into assisting us with our mission and improving your overall odds of success, we'll naturally be motivated to ensure that you're better equipped for it," she continued. "After Nagrobek is captured and our present campaign concludes, the lot of you will be given suspended sentences for any crimes you committed prior to this point and honorably discharged… once you return any equipment lent to you by the Navy as part of this mission, of course."
Valan cocked his head with a dubious frown, and even Team Zephyr outside of Alice traded uneasy glances with one another. Nagant's appeal didn't seem to be going particularly well, either, as the Water-Type's words were met with glares and snarls from more defiant Pokémon in the group, including none other than the Strongjaw Gang's captain, who let out a scoff in reply.
"Gods, you all must be desperate right now," Tarquin spat. "What sort of motivation is that supposed to be? Let's say we accept your offer, why on earth should we not just mutiny the first chance we can get?"
Nagant narrowed her eyes and abruptly leveled her claw, aiming it at the Tyrantrum's head, prompting a few of the nearby pirates to hurriedly try to scoot out of the way as Kline slithered forward with a sharp hiss.
"For one, I'm
more than capable of using my powers to rip your hulls out from under you if you try that," Kline said. "Furthermore-"
"Wait, you two. Give me a moment here."
Just as the water gathering at the tip of Nagant's claw started to form into an orb, a set of white claws pushed them down. Kline and Nagant shifted their glances, seeing Alice looking over at them with a determined look.
"Let me have a chance to talk to them," the Sneasel said. "I can speak your new recruits' language so to speak. They'll probably be more motivated to work for you if you
don't start things off by smacking them into line."
The Clawitzer jerked her claw free and scowled at Alice. The pair stared each other down for a moment, before Nagant turned aside with a sigh.
"Fine," the Water-Type said. "But don't drag this out."
Kline and Nagant backed away as Alice paced forward along the crowd, scanning the faces. Most were visibly wary, others were hostile, and a few that she recognized from the Siglo Swellow—like Kenny—visibly cringed as her eyes fell on them. She pinned her ears back with a disheartened frown after seeing the Quilava. She looked away after a moment's hesitation, and turned her gaze towards the center of the group.
"Look, all of you are here right now since you've made some bad choices and they caught up with you," Alice began. "Some of you probably deserve to be in this situation right now, some of you might not since you were pressured or forced into being here. Either way, after what happened here, this would normally be the end of the line for you, but nobody says that things
have to end badly here today…"
She continued walking in front of the crowd, opting to focus specifically on the faces in it that were familiar. Her eyes moved from one face that she recognized to another: an Ekans, a Zebstrika, a Sableye… It was hard for her to hide her disappointment, as she shook her head and pawed at her shoulder.
"You're clearly got
some skill at raising some hell while coming ashore, and we
need 'mons capable of doing that right now," she said. "And I know that deep down, Nagrobek would likely be up there on the list of islands you'd want to raid if you thought you had a chance of succeeding. I'm sure that some of you have friends there you'd want to free, or at the very least avenge them… and now you can
do that."
She paused and trailed off, before shooting a pleading gaze out to the crowd with her eyes.
"I've been in your place before, and it's not every day that 'mons like us get a second chance, Much less with a Protector at their backs," she insisted. "You've got a chance to genuinely do good with those skills of yours and chase after something bigger than the next batch of loot. Maybe saying you're you'll
rewarded for it is a stretch, but at least you won't be
punished for it. So please, won't you help us here?"
There was a moment of blinking silence afterwards. Much to Rodion's surprise, all the Pokémon he'd recruited back into the Iron Fleet from the local garrison seemed to be visibly wavering. He turned his head over to Kenny and saw that the Quilava himself looked like he was seriously considering taking the Sneasel up on her offer.
"Kenny, do you really trust this 'mon?" Rodion whispered.
"I do," the Quilava replied, nodding. "She's one of the few 'mons who stood up for us back on Tromba, and without her we'd still be stuck there."
Kenny fell silent for a moment, before shooting Rodion a pleading look.
"… Maybe we should hear her out?" he suggested. "She didn't steer me wrong in the
past, and I don't know if we have any better options right now."
Rodion turned his head to face Alice as she made her way over. He eyed her keenly, his muzzle curling into a small smile as she approached.
"I'll admit, you've got a way with words, Sneasel," he said. "What crew are you from, anyway?"
"The Boltstrike Bandits. We didn't sail into Anyilla all that often back when I was on it, but I'd like to think I can speak your proverbial language well enough," the Sneasel replied. "Also, just call me Alice."
The Boltstrike Bandits, huh? Rodion remembered running into them at sea once, but for whatever reason he couldn't remember that Sneasel being with them at the time. Shame, since he felt that he and Hess would've gotten along well with her.
Maybe it really
was for the best to just take up Alice's offer. They were at the mercy of these Imps right now, who sentenced 'mons to death for far less than what had happened here on Gestirn. He knew the alternative wasn't
great when the
last time they'd gone to Nagrobek seven years ago had already been a close call even when they largely hadn't been on the front lines with the Council's crews.
… He didn't exactly trust that Salamence or Clawitzer to
really care about their fates in a dangerous situation all that much… but they clearly respected this 'Zygarde' well enough to let his judgement influence them. As his friend, surely Alice could influence
him in turn, meaning they'd have an advocate for them if they went along…
Rodion looked down and closed his eyes for a moment, before shaking his head with a quiet sigh. He opened his eyes again and looked back at Alice, as the ends of his muzzle curled up into a faint smile,
"Alright then, Alice, I'm in. And I'm sure that the rest of my crew-"
"Hey
kedama, go walk a plank. Nobody aside from those bottom-feeders is going to go along with this."
Alice paused after a sharp hiss rang out through the air and turned her attention over to Akane, who was leveling a piercing glare alongside her captain.
"
Real rich of you to be talking about friendship while we're all tied up like this," the Seviper hissed. "How about we flip this situation around and we can show just how friendly
we're feeling at the moment?"
Alice flattened her ears as the mood started to spread from Akane. Other nearby pirates started grumbling and growling their displeasure, prompting the Sneasel to fold her arms back with a small frown.
"Look, I don't expect you all to be
friendly right now, just to be rational about your interests here," she insisted. "If you can set aside your feuds and differences to raid a village with this many crews, surely you can do the same with-"
"Take your offer and shove it up your ass, Sneasel," Tarquin growled.
"Seriously, where on earth did you get that speech from?" a red-garbed Conkeldurr scoffed. "Your
Guildmaster?"
The mood quickly grew contagious as one pirate after the other joined in scowling and baring their teeth at the Sneasel, their snarls drowning out the few who stared silent and wide-eyed at their peers. From her place in front of the crowd, Alice looked on as her face fell at the pirates' reactions. She sighed and gave an unamused shrug of her shoulders, before she turned and began to walk away.
"Whelp, I tried," the Sneasel said, waving her claw. "Have fun with the crab and flying alligator, since I'm pretty sure they're going to get right to the point with you."
"Very much so," Nagant harrumphed. "Though for reference, I'm a
shrimp."
Nagant hopped up and took Alice's place with a steely glare, which much to Elty 's surprise, didn't seem to move more than a handful of pirates' reactions. Valan was similarly unamused, as the Salamence flared his wings and bared his fangs out at the gathered pirates.
"I don't believe the lot of you understand just how precarious your situations are at the moment," Valan growled. "You are facing charges of piracy, mass arson, insurrection, and high treason, all of which would incur harsh sentences were the local Court in a position to try you normally."
"Obviously, that won't be possible with
how many of you there are right now," Nagant added. "Which would mean your sentencing would need to be expedited and forgo much of the formal trial process along with your opportunity to plead your cases. Accepting the terms that I offered you earlier will
by far be a more pleasant experience for all of us."
"Yeah? Or else what?" an Emboar demanded.
Nagant narrowed her eyes back at the group and turned her head over to a Bewear standing near the edge of the square and motioned over with her claw.
"Bommel, come and show these scoundrels what the rightful reward for their actions would be."
The Bewear lumbered over, and halfway through, Rodion noticed that he was lugging along a hefty sack over his shoulder. The Normal-Type came to the front and set it down with a sharp thump, as the mouth spilled open and a few colored Apricorns spilled out, with one sending the Emboar all but jumping back with a yelp as it almost touched him. Nagant looked back at the gathering, her eyes locked into an icy scowl.
"We begin sentencing tonight for those of you who don't feel like accepting our terms," the Clawitzer snapped. "Whoever chooses this route will get
exactly what they deserve under Her Majesty's law to the fullest extent: namely to be put into an Apricorn and sent to their fate in the Wastes."
The gathering went audibly silent, as tense stares and grimaces went about the group. From his place, Rodion stared at the sack himself before setting his teeth on edge.
"… Yeah, that sounds like the Empire I know," he murmured to himself. "Alice really wasn't kidding about them getting right to the point."
A quick uproar broke out, as a few of the more defiant pirates were suddenly cut off by stammering appeals to "hold on a minute here"—including from a few of the stronger-looking pirates like the earlier Haxorus. Nagant rolled her eyes briefly as the Bewear gathered up the stray Apricorns with a heavy cloth, before turning her attention over towards Tarquin's end of the group. The Tyrantrum stared at the Apricorns long and hard and traded a look with his Seviper first mate, when he shook his head with a low growl.
"… Tch, I can see where the Company got its internal culture from," he spat.
Tarquin lowered his head and averted his gaze. His glare looked every bit as fixed and immovable as ever, except the tension in his body had visibly dissipated, as he let out a reluctant grumble.
"I can't make any promises for how the others on Orleigh will take things, but I know when to fold them," the Tyrantrum said. "I'm in."
One after the other, the other pirates joined in, some grudgingly like the Conkeldurr, while others like a Bombirdier joined in with an eagerness that would embarrass even a literal tail-kisser. The sole exceptions were the Marked in the crowd, who visibly squirmed and quailed as their peers yielded, their eyes remaining fixed on Kline.
"N-No, you can't expect us to work for this demon!" a Drizzile stammered.
"Why don't you just kill us and get things over with already?!" a Kingler near the front cried.
Nagant looked over at Kline for a moment, before hopping out of the way. The Zygarde came and slithered forward, coming to a stop in front of the Kingler as he let out a frightened squeal. The other Marked looked on in petrified terror, while the Kingler flinched and curled up, bracing for the end.
Kline let his gaze linger on the quivering pirate, before shaking his head with a low harrumph.
"We already had a feeling that your kind wouldn't be interested in our offer," the Zygarde said. "Fortunately for your sake, you had advocates who arranged for you to receive alternative sentences. They should be coming forward to gather you right now."
Kline briefly looked behind him towards the edge of the square, before slithering out of the way. The Kingler looked back to his fellow pirates and quickly tried to scuttle away, when a furred hand suddenly shot out and dragged him back by his claws' bindings, revealing a Marked Typhlosion giving a withering glare down.
"And where do you think
you're going? Just because our village is a
haven for those who know the truth doesn't mean that we have to
like everyone who takes shelter there," Nina growled. "The lot of you can start by fixing the damage your friends left to our village!"
Nina grabbed the Kingler hind legs and lifted him off the ground, before dragging him off flailing and protesting. A few Marked from Starbreak Square who'd come with Nina stared at Kline wide-eyed for a long moment and visibly squirmed, before the Zygarde sighed and slithered back further. One by one, the other Marked made their way forward with a wide berth and began grabbing the small number of Marked from the captured pirates, leading them off with similar yelps and protests under Nagant's watchful eye in a procession that visibly picked up pace while passing the "demon" in the square.
The Clawitzer began to turn away when she noticed three figures trailing after, and spotted a Marked Combusken, a Grotle, and a Scraggy from her crew attempting to sneak along…
… which summarily came to a stop as she launched a Water Pulse at their feet and threw them off-balance. Nagant hopped over towards the three, throwing her large claw out and dragging the Combusken of the group up by her scarf with a seething hiss.
"That offer
didn't extend to you three," she hissed. "Get back to your posts or I'll have you tried for desertion!"
The Combusken let out a startled squawk as Nagant let her go, prompting the three to hurriedly scurry back to the local guards. The shrimp retraced her hops over as Kline slithered back into position, and as she neared the pirates once again, she caught Rodion shooting an askew frown back at her.
"So now what?" the Floatzel asked. "Are you just going to keep us tied up like this?"
"Most of you, yes," she said. "Just because we're running
short on places to hold you all doesn't mean that we don't have enough to keep those of you who don't have anything productive to do. As for the
rest of you…"
The Clawitzer went up and snapped the ropes holding Rodion's paws in place. The Floatzel shifted his arms, and shook feeling into them as he looked up, and saw the wizened shrimp giving a sharp frown at him.
"Get up and start getting those ships of yours in the harbor that you can salvage sailworthy," she said. "We leave for Orleigh as soon as possible."
The guards began to make their way around and started untying a few of the pirates more obviously suited to ship repairs, while a few others who were passed over at first suddenly loudly and eagerly found a desire to offer their services. As Rodion watched the guards come and start to lead some of the pirates nearby him along, he stood up and shot a sideways glance at Nagant.
"If you're really planning on setting sail 'as soon as possible', I'm going to need a few more friendly paws to help me as the acting captain of my crew," the Floatzel said. "The Quilava with me would be a good place to start."
Nagant rolled her eyes in response, before hopping over and summarily undoing the ropes pinning Kenny's forepaws behind his back. The Quilava uneasily shook feeling into his limbs as Nagant shot Rodion an icy stare.
"Be mindful that we're not going to let you go about as you please just because you're untied, Floatzel," the Clawitzer said. "Don't make us regret this."
Rodion looked over his shoulder towards Kenny just as Elty and Alice walked up to the Quilava, the stoat giving a sheepish grimace as Alice ruffled the fur on his head. The Floatzel let his gaze linger on them, before looking back with a small smirk.
"Heh. Not making any promises there,
babushka."
Author's Notes:
-
kedama (毛玉) - Japanese: "hairball", "furball" (Hepburn Romanization)
-
babushka (бабушка) - Russian: Term for an old lady or a grandmother akin to "granny". (BGN/PCGN Romanization.)
Maybe spending more time with Team Traveller really is softening him up.