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Poppin' Arms Guild ~ Infirmary

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Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
  8. meganium
"Mew, by technicality," S'more said automatically, nodding. "We were close at a time, drifted apart, and, well, then there was the whole reincarnation bit... She remembers me in fragments, but by now we'd drifted so apart that it's more like we're friends anew rather than of old." S'more hummed again. "Ahh, and of course there is Xerneas, yes. He has been here since the first Dark Matter uprising, and then earlier. The same is true for Yveltal..."

S'more leaned back, lost in thought. "...Ah! And of course, the Voice. He is as old as Dark Matter is, really. Both were born from the same forces, after all. Opposites. Why do you ask?"
 
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unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
S'more didn't seem concerned by the matter. Perhaps his relationships with those mentioned were good, or he just had other concerns?

Luz laughed a little sheepishly. "Well, yer a hero from ancient times. You've surely lived through a lotta strife. I just find myself wonderin' lately... Well, what does that kinda time and wear do to a person, an' the folks they care about? I'm assumin' I might live a long time, bein' the kind of critter I am. I wanna have some idea of what that means."
 
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Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
  8. meganium
"Ahhh."

And to this, it seemed that Cal, too, had started paying attention. Owen's eyes had a more somber look to them, and he pulled Cal a little closer, wrapping a wing around her shoulder.

"Yes. When you live a long time, you become used to and prepared for goodbyes. Mortal friendships are just that--mortal, a blink in our lifetimes. But really, is that any different from how people normally live their lives?" S'more gestured vaguely to the ceiling. "Childhood friends drift apart as interests and careers change. Mates become estranged as time takes them down slightly different paths. And sometimes, yes, they do stay together all their lives, and perhaps together even in death do they fall.

"But one thing you learn is to appreciate their lives in the moment. It will end, yes, but that does not mean you must dread the day. Because as they pass on, you change and grow and you can find new friendships to forge."
 

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
"I guess."

Luz fidgeted with one paw, cracking imaginary knuckles over and over.

"Not t'say I ain't worried about how I'll handle the splittin' up of Team Spectrum once this is all over, and . . . losin' Brisa, but it ain't just that. Hmm... Say, S'more. Haven't you kinda 'seen it all' by now? I know y'got duties as guild chief, but..."

Ah, to hell with it.

"How d'you stay happy?" she asked, feeling stupid for letting the words leave her mouth so bluntly.
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
  8. meganium
"Living in the moment," S'more replied with a simple nod. "And for us, a 'moment' can mean quite a long time, but the philosophy is the same. Ancient memories... they can weigh you down if you don't pick and choose the ones to cherish. And while we are gifted with minds that can whether eras, it does take the right attitude as well." His eyes glinted a little. "I think, in time, you will understand."

Cal was silent, though she absently ran her fingers along Owen's arm without realizing it. Would she understand one day, too? She wasn't sure... but maybe that was because she was still so young, both in memory and in terms of when she was truly born.
 

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
"I sure hope so," said Luz, quietly.

She let the thought sit for a moment.

"Thanks, partner, I appreciate the advice. I'll think on that a spell. While I've got your attention, though, I've been meanin' to ask if you've found any leads on this spyin' business. My gal's itchin' to get stuck into that now fightin' Giovanni an' Joule ain't her foremost priority, an' she said to ask guild authorities about it. Was kinda hopin' you'd have somethin' to go on by now."
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
  8. meganium
S'more's countenance switched instantly, from casual to grave, and he nodded. "Of course," he said. "There are a few things that, surprisingly, we can narrow down the actions of at least one spy, and we know for sure that there is at least one."

"Because there's no way they could have pulled off what they did without some inside knowledge," Owen surmised. "And someone who can avoid mind reading or being discovered that way, too."

"It would be highly unlikely any other way," S'more said. "Too unlikely to pool resources into exploring when time may be a factor."

"So, someone with inside information," Cal guessed. "Who could that be?"

"I unfortunately cannot eliminate the possibility that one of our own have turned traitor," S'more said. "While I have no evidence against any of my fellow Legends, I also do not have alibis for many of them. Technically speaking, Lugia, Ho-Oh, or any of the captured Legends, too, could be working for Giovanni. Particularly the Psychics. They could mask any mind-reading and so on. Dark Pokemon as well. And, in general, any Pokemon with warding abilities."

"And for people with inside information," Owen said, "that's... anybody on Poppin' Arms... anybody with a high enough status to be in-the-know with Destiny Village's Legends... and the Legends themselves... and God Squad. And, uh, us."

"At this point, I'm ruling you all out," S'more replied flatly. "Far too many traps have been laid against you, and frankly after what I heard from the Tree of Life, if there was any time for you to betray us, it would have been then. Now, yes, it is possible that you are waiting for an even greater opportunity... but if you are, there is little we can do in the way of preventing it until we see a misstep."

"Y-yeah. Right." Owen nodded. "So basically, anybody in-the-know who might be able to secretly report to Giovanni without being noticed. And to avoid being detected, Psychics or Darks or... wards?"

"Like Truffle's talents, for example," S'more said.

"And... there's also the possibility of, um, people whose memories have been sealed, maybe secretly being a spy and even they don't know it." Owen didn't like admitting that because he still wasn't sure if he had everything back just yet. It still felt like something was missing, a tiny nugget of information...

"We didn't really have a whole lot of things to do in the Voidlands," Owen explained. "Had a lot of time to think. The team over on that side talked about it a little, this spy stuff, I mean."

"The same for our side," Cal agreed. "That's where you got some of this speculation from, right, S'more?"

"Indeed." S'more looked to Zinc, who had reentered the room with some food for Diyem. Back to simple meals for him. "And then there's the matter of the replicated badge..."

"Just another person who could possibly get inside info," Cal said.

"And I wouldn't put it past Giovanni to be capable of modifying this technology. Between the Regis being missing, as well as the Unown, it's entirely possible that the technology is being crafted that way, somehow."

"Aghhh, there's just too many people!" Cal exclaimed. "Who can we even start ruling out?! Like, do we rule out Balm and Cepa because they're heroes? Hell, how about all the heroes? What if Pine just, like, got bored and decided to be evil?!" Cal smashed her hands over her forehead, merging with them, before pulling them out.

"Let's just breathe and think," Owen said gently, looking at Luz. "What do you think about all this? I don't think I ever heard from you about this ever since we got back. Anything about this change since we died?"
 
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Disco

Ace Trainer
Pronouns
They/Them
There was the sound of a door opening and shutting. A lone Charmeleon had slipped inside and was humming to herself as she sat down an almost comically oversized pack. She then began reaching in and grabbing jars full of pastes and tonics, then placing them on a nearby counter. The clinking sounds filled the air, and there was no sign she had noticed the group quite yet...
 

Disco

Ace Trainer
Pronouns
They/Them
She turned and nearly dropped what she was holding. "Oh- Um. Hi. Sorry. ...It's good to see you back, but am I interrupting something?" Mellow looked between Owen, Luz and S'more in apprehension, but then glanced at the Goodra when she approached and smiled. "Thank you, Zinc.", she said quietly, then continued unloading everything.
 

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
Among the forces of Destiny Village are three people who work for me.

They have outlasted their usefulness, and are starting to conspire against me, but may gain my favour if they help me in other ways.

The ones not with you will catch wind of my message.

There is at least one spy.

The spy or spies had inside knowledge and protection against mindreading.

The captured Legends generally do not have alibis, and the psychic, dark, or ward-using ones are automatically suspicious.

Almost any prestigious character could have inside information.

Team Spectrum can be safely ruled out.

Of God Squad, Truffle's wards and Soda's dark-typing would constitute a protection against mindreading, (Flesh & theoretically Potluck too, technically).

The spy or spies may not be aware that Giovanni is using them.

The user of the replicated badge has yet to be found, and they would have inside info. Giovanni could be responsible for creating it.

The various famed heroes aren't necessarily free of suspicion merely because they've been heroic.

Giovanni sometimes spoke to someone, and it was usually at night. Sometimes in person, other times it sounded more like it was through a badge, disguised by a voice modulator.

One voice was smaller, the other from a medium-sized male.

A fiery collaborator was present, but always silent.

Other Information said:
Lunala Silver, allegedly Giovanni's son, was trapped in the Shadow Machine. He has amnesia, recalls that Red works with Giovanni, and can perceive the Blacklight.

A fake message masquerading as being from Maple was used to deceive the party and enable the recapture of Darkwhite, and Giovanni knew to retrieve Darkwhite from Maple.

A Blacklight charizard assaulted Destiny Tower wearing Sword's scarf (stolen from Shield), and security tapes that would have exonerated Owen were wiped at the same time. We believe this was an attempt by Charizard Red to frame Charmeleon Owen.

Giovanni gave a pointed look to an unidentified participant in the fight against Eterna Darkwhite, and assuming that he was not lying and that Team Spectrum are cleared, this would suggest a God Squad member is a spy.

Giovanni was aware of God Squad before their arrival on Cibus, in order to capture Joule. He may have used extortion to secure the services of another member.

Luz blew out a long breath, or an approximation of one.

"Believe it or not, I've been takin' a lotta notes and listenin' in on the chatter. Communin' with Brisa about it, too, afore her . . . absence. It don't come easy to me, this investigatin' stuff, but Brisa asked me to take it seriously, and so I have. The conclusions I got... Well, let's me an' you go over 'em fer a minute."

She planted her notepad on the nearest table and stroked her cheek fur.

"I reckon Giovanni has three agents among our ranks, two of which are also among his three active collaborators, one of whom is Charizard Red, who is either bein' mentally controlled, or coerced somehow. Another is a member of God Squad, one present at the fight at the Sand Dune of Spirits, most likely Soda, I guess. I don't wanna believe it's Truffle, but I'm open to any possibilities, even if they hurt like hell t'think about. The third is someone who's got some credibility with the Guild, an' considerin' either of them God Squad fellas could constitute 'medium-sized and male', I gotta assume this one is the 'small' 'mon. I reckon this one's a Cibus native, but I guess Silver could be an unwittin' pawn just as easily. Of the Cibus natives I know of, I reckon that Chip fella has the knowhow to be of use to Giovanni, and is susceptible to either bribery or extortion, what with him bein' a fella of little principle, as I hear it. I also reckon that one of Giovanni's agents is not actively takin' orders from him."

She cracked her knuckles, bit her lip, swished her tail. Thunder, but this was uncomfortable.

"I reckon we oughta quiz Soda, Truffle, Silver, an' Chip. Usin' different angles, naturally. Silver's not a willin' spy fer sure."

She grinned awkwardly. This didn't feel very heroic. Or easy.
 

Disco

Ace Trainer
Pronouns
They/Them
Mellow paused in unloading her delivery to listen to what Luz said. A spy... It wasn't something she had considered. Must have been too focused on other things. 'Soda was the Zoruark, Truffle the Decidueye, Silver was...' Her thoughts trailed off after that. Chip... she couldn't remember that one either. ...Why would someone with Maple's team be working for the one that had done so much harm? Maybe they were the one that stopped taking orders... Mellow finished unpacking the medicine she brought, and came closer to join in on the conversation.

"...If there's a way I can help you find who you're looking for, I'll do it."
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
  8. meganium
"You know," Owen said, "if we're lucky, I might be able to come with you guys, too. I have Perceive, and it's stronger than ever." He gestured to his horns. "Even if they're able to defy mind reading with wards, they won't be able to hide their body language from me. Now that I'm back, maybe I'll actually be able to do that..."

"Which ones can you read the easiest?" S'more asked.

"Anyone biological," Owen said. "So... Chip's out. But Soda and Truffle are both bodies I'm familiar with. Silver, too."

"It sounds to me like you have a plan to find at least one of them," said S'more. "It's a start."
 

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
Luz nodded, and straightened up.

"Alright. I reckon I'd want to get Zeraora-shade Lexx to help me quiz Chip, an' I'd gladly have you along with me fer the others, Owen. Are you, uh . . . close, with Truffle? Fella told me his goddamn true name. I really don't... I really don't wanna believe it's him."
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
  8. meganium
"I know Truffle a little. We trained together for shield parries." Owen shook his head. "At least when I had Perceive active now and then, I don't think I sensed any, you know, evil intent or whatever... And Soda, well, he seems fine, too. But I don't really train with him much. In fact, I don't think he likes being around me because my Perceive makes me 'boring' because I see through his illusions." He huffed.

"I'll assist you in whatever way I can," S'more said, nodding. "I know most of them are available now, if you want to get started immediately."
 

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
"Alright. Let's get to it."

Luz turned to leave.

"And Diyem? Thanks fer nothin'. I hope you chuck up another loose soul, you unhelpful blackguard."

She smirked to herself and strode to the exit.

"C'mon, y'all. We got a spy to root out."
 
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R10 - Miles & Kindle

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
  8. meganium
"That's true," Owen said to Mellow, getting ready to go once Zinc confirmed that he was fine. "Maybe you could try talking to one of them to see how they react, or something? We might not really be able to catch them that easily if we do them one at a time..."

I hope you chuck up another loose soul, you unhelpful blackguard.

Diyem grunted back and rolled until he was facing the ceiling.

And then, as if Luz had cursed him, he felt something.

"...Oh no."
 

Namohysip

Dragon Enthusiast
Staff
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. charizard
  3. milotic
  4. zoroark-soda
  5. sceptile
  6. marowak
  7. jirachi
  8. meganium
"You should probably arrange to meet them now," S'more said. "Perhaps suddenly. I can direct you to one, if you like."

Owen, meanwhile, glanced worriedly at Diyem. The blanket was bulging out again, and he was making that same, sickening noise as before.

"A-another one?!" Owen said.

"Having so many of Team Spectrum in the Voidlands... may have shaken loose the remaining spirits I'd misplaced," Diyem wheezed. "Here it comes--!"

And with another horrid noise that made Zinc tiredly leave for more medical supplies, their new arrival was another icy Ninetales.

"...I don't feel better. Why don't I f--nooooOOOOO."

As well as an entire Luxray.

"I--I think we should give Diyem some time alone," Owen said to Mellow.
 
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