Frontier Town Traveller's Haus - Dining Hall

[Chibi Pika]

Jade laughed a bit. "That name was from his first trainer, actually. I never asked him, but I think he kept it to remember him by."

She bristled at Mhynt's words. Merit in knowing when to kill, huh. "Maybe. Virga told me something like that before, back home. But I still don't think it's something we should be looking for. And I don't regret how we've handled stuff here so far." She thought of Moltres, drowning in paranoia and anger, lashing out at the world for its unfairness, dragging others into her own pit of lonely despair. Desperate to be understood.

Jade leaned her head against her palm. "The legends we've met here aren't all that different than the ones I knew back home. Maybe some of them weren't... coping as well as others. But they're just people, even if they're thought of as gods. I think it was right to give them a chance."

She wasn't so naive as to think that everyone could turn things around, but she'd already forgiven a lot worse.

 

[Namohysip]

"Where would you draw the line, though?" Mhynt challenged, tilting her head.

Owen tensed slightly, sinking into the shadows.

"For example, some Legends didn't seem to mind causing great harm to mortals as collateral, whether they intended or just didn't care. If a cyclone was heading for a settlement, about to kill many, or destroy their homes, or render the sick without shelter... if a Legend, in a tantrum of being misunderstood, caused a great flood, or a drought, cutting off the food supply... and we chose to give them a chance, only for them to continue the same... where would we draw the line? If the people rose up for a clash against them and their irresponsible behavior... who would we side with?

"Personally, I think the gods of this world are deeply flawed. Such great power placed upon mortal minds... It's not too far removed from my home. And my home is due for an apocalypse of the gods. I'm surprised it hasn't already happened here, with what we've seen when we got here, already so far from its state of decay."

Briefly, Mhynt was quiet. Then, she smirked faintly, facing Jade. "What do you think? That speech would probably appeal to the Coven for an upcoming meeting."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade's eyes flickered toward Owen as he sank lower. Something told her this might've been a point of contention between the two, if Owen had been the one to hold onto hope for their own world while Mhynt saw it as too far gone.

There was a small beat while Jade processed the last bit of what the Sceptile had said.

"Had me going there..." she said with an awkward laugh. Still, some part of her knew that it wasn't all an act. Where the act had begun, she couldn't say. The topic would've stressed Jade out back home. Arguing about it with Lugia had been agony, and she'd spent enough nights doubting herself for the choices she'd made. Here and now, though...

Jade glanced out the window. "I guess I just don't think we've met anyone here who was too far gone. Lugia's probably done worse, back home. You could ask Virga about it." Was that a stupid thing to say? Maybe. She couldn't help feeling a flicker of giddiness from saying it though, here where the Viridian incident was a world away.

"The people of my world wanted to see the legends put away because they were dangerous, and I tried to help them anyway." She stared down into her own paw, and couldn't help laughing at the absurdity of admitting it so easily, her biggest mistake. "I freed Mewtwo, and he attacked my hometown. Compared to that... helping the legends here almost felt easy."

Whatever else they still had left to do on Forlas, they'd helped. Even the ones who hadn't wanted to be helped.

 

[Namohysip]

"I hope your Mewtwo didn't cheer and sing kids' songs while doing it," Mhynt murmured an oddly specific wish. "But... I understand that light of hope. And you're right--aside from Alexander, thanks for letting me kill him by the way it was very cathartic--the Legends here have not been as dangerous.

"But they could be, if, for example, those hypotheticals came to pass. That part I think is true, and I wonder if the Coven sees it similarly. Loose cannons. If, one day, they aim at innocent towns, endangering the lives of a great many... what then? If you cannot safely contain them, cannot safely halt them without a killing blow... do they have a greater right to life, by merit of being a Legend? Or are they subject to the same laws and rules as mortals? And is that... fair? If you had the power to do otherwise, would you? Should you?"

This time, Mhynt seemed more serious. Owen emerged slightly, like a Feraligatr in a swamp. He, too, seemed curious of Jade's perspective on the value of Legendary life.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade tilted her head for a moment at the 'singing and cheering' comment but then thought better of questioning it.

She rubbed her arm. "I'm not sure about the 'greater' part. There's probably a lot of people back home who'd say yes. Maybe I'd have said yes before I got mixed up in all the Legendary business. I just don't think they should get less rights than other Pokemon just because they might be dangerous. Like... maybe if one of them just like, completely went off the deep end, then sure, someone'd have to do something about it. But until then, I'd wanna try to find a better way that isn't just locking them all away forever. 'Cause back home there's a lot of people who keep going on like there is no better way."

Her eyes flickered toward the emerging Owen. "I mean... where I'm from, even ordinary Pokemon are way stronger than any human. I think that's just... part of what comes with coexisting. Humans and Pokemon had to figure out how to do it a long time ago, but now that humans have the tech to imprison the legends, well... there's been some growing pains."

 

[Namohysip]

"That's a pretty serious shift," Mhynt commented. "I could see why everyone involved would be a bit nervous."

"I heard stories of my human world. They've tried that, but usually good humans and their Pokemon put a stop to it. The one time they succeeded, and took Mew... didn't end well."

"Hmm, I don't remember you telling me about this one," Mhynt said. "What happened to those who took Mew? What happened to her?"

"...I don't know what they specifically did to Mew, but it was horrible. Horrible enough that it shook her down to her spirit. It got Arceus' attention, and in a wave of rage, he annihilated everything on the island she'd been taken to."

"Mm. Makes me wonder if humans of your world," Mhynt said, eyeing Jade, "are walking a fine line. If they step too far, if the pushback will bring about a similar ruin. Facing an embodiment of nature... can have real consequences, can't it? Oh, what was the term? I think I heard a human around here say it once. When you shoot for the king, you better not miss, I believe."

 

[Chibi Pika]

They'd gotten Mew. Jade tried to imagine what it would have been like if the Rockets had gotten Mew back home. It was hard to imagine anything that wouldn't end in crushing disaster.

"Yeah, that..." Jade sighed. "That honestly kind of sounds like what happened to Sootopolis. That is—getting an island wiped off the map. I know that's probably small-scale compared to the stuff that goes on where you guys are from, but it was a really big deal back home. It was the first time a lot of people had ever seen that kind of power."

'Remind me again… aren’t you the ones that unleashed the primals?' Dammit, not that bullshit, not now. She wasn't going to let herself think about him.

"So, yeah... it probably sounds a bit ridiculous that that's the kinda thing I've gotta try to deal with when I get back home. But I guess technically it's not as bad as figuring out whether a whole world's gonna be destroyed, so..."—she gave Owen an awkward smile—"I guess that's a plus. I, uh... I hope that gets resolved okay. When you go back home, I mean."

There was a sort of anticlimactic absurdity to it that made Jade feel slightly stupid. 'Hope your world doesn't get destroyed' wasn't exactly the sort of thing she knew how to express.

 

[Namohysip]

"A whole island, wiped away... That's not something to ignore," Mhynt said. "It sounds like you're dealing with large, cosmic problems as well. I wouldn't sell yourself short."

"Anything involving Legends seems like it spirals out of mortal control pretty fast," Owen remarked.

"We appreciate the gesture," Mhynt added. "...But seeing how Alexander was defeated here, I'm more confident it will work out for us, too. A little luck, some resistance... even a god can be toppled with the right kind of power."

"It doesn't sound ridiculous to me," Owen assured Jade. "It must be even scarier as a human. You don't have the powers on your own to fight back. We do..."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade let out a small snort at Owen's first statement. "You can say that again..." In a way, it felt like her whole life had been spiraling out of control ever since that day she'd stumbled across Entei in the hills.

The second bit had her tapping her paws together. "Yeah, I guess I can't really pretend like it wasn't scary, aha... Like, I can't even count how many times I felt out of depth there. But in a weird way, it was hard to feel powerless when I had my team with me, y'know?"

Maybe it'd be a weird sentiment for anyone who'd never been a trainer to get their head around, but she figured if anyone, Owen of all mon might understand.

"And, uh, being teamed up with a Legend helped," she added with a slight chuckle. Even if she technically wasn't anymore. She had to remind herself of that. It was getting harder to remember, interacting with Virga on a daily basis here on Forlas.

 

[Namohysip]

"Mm. Feeling alone and having to fend for yourself... It's very different. Having this idea that someone is behind you, should you fall... psychologically, morale has a big impact on performance. Even if you're just a weak human, I wonder if Pokemon feel the same way when relying on them for direction."

Mhynt tilted her head thoughtfully, and then shrugged.

"I have a meeting with the King soon," Mhynt said with a wry smile. "I hope your branch of our objectives go well, too. Be sure to send a mission update on it... We considered going, but Zena is not yet in a combat-ready state, and we've been trying to get our abilities synced up. We resonate well.

"But Owen was... interested, for some reason."

"Yeah. I... it's to rescue Starr, right?" Owen said. "I've been starting to remember... an old adventure we had. I think as we get stronger, we've been getting more of that past back. That... even happens here, outside of Kilo, huh?"

Mhynt shrugged. "Regardless, whatever state you find Starr in, he hopes to catch up with her later."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade nodded. "Right. Uh, good luck with that. And also with the training." She'd heard the news that some of them were going to be meeting with the king, and found the idea of being present for that pretty intimidating. Not that her own mission wasn't also intimidating, just... in a different sort of way. Weirdly, a more familiar one.

(At the mention of getting abilities synced up, some part of her couldn't help idly wondering if that'd ever be the case for her and Virga.)

She cocked her head at Owen's words, and the almost nostalgic tone in his voice. "An old adventure...?" she repeated. He almost made it sound like their paths had crossed before. But that was... impossible? (Was it really? When both she and Starr had been summoned here separately? When Owen himself had crossed world lines at least twice? Maybe more?? Impossible was starting to feel commonplace with the Wayfarers.)

Jade grinned at the shadowy Charizard. "When we find her, you'll have to let her know. Maybe you can both remember it together. And, I'll wanna hear it too."

<><><>​

 

[Phoenixsong]

Blue slept like the dead after the riverside, but that was fine, because when he woke the next morning he felt... still kinda dead, honestly? All the anger and frustration had drained out of him, but so had the excitement of finally evolving or figuring out fire. Mostly he just felt kind of foggy. Yesterday'd just been too goddamn much all at once.

A good day off, that was what he needed. Just because he'd finally (sort of) accepted going along for the cowboy theme park ride didn't mean he had to be neck-deep in all that nonsense twenty four–seven. Training and saving the world and whatever else could wait for tomorrow. Instead the only things on today's agenda were relaxing, clearing his head, maybe a little walk around town to stretch his new legs. Nice, normal shit, like. What a concept.

Also eating. Wow he was hungry. He'd only realized after his plate was empty that growlithe-sized portions weren't gonna cut it any more, so he'd hit the continental buffet a second time, and then a fifth for good measure. He took his seat again and tucked into the bacon with relish. Had to enjoy this while it lasted, after all. Probably something would just explode again tomorrow anyway.

 

[canisaries]

Ben had had either a great night or a terrible night, depending on how one looked at it. On one hand, he'd dreamed of being back home in Galar with Mike - of what was just a regular day of training. On the other hand, he'd had to wake up from that and remember once more that he would never have that again.

He tried to cheer himself up with the fact that he would get to eat breakfast again soon, though the thought of that made him feel like a glutton. He recalled that Mike had never liked it when he ate too much... but then again, none of this food was coming out of Mike's wallet. Nothing ever would be again. Because he was dead. And the guy who did that was here, too, and not even put behind bars. He hadn't been put behind bars even though he, for reasons completely unknown to Ben, had begged for it.

But, well, as Lyra had pointed out, they were here to help Forlas. Ben supposed that he too should just focus on that. Maybe get to know the other Wayfarers better before the next big thing went down. There were still plenty of people he was unfamiliar with...

Once he'd made his way down to the breakfast hall and gathered himself a meal that wasn't too small or too big, he looked around, and his eyes fell on an arcanine. Something about him reminded Ben of that growlithe that he'd seen riding on the back of that rapidash. His name had been Blue, if Ben remembered right. That was a bit of a funny name for mon who was very much not blue, but Ben thought he recalled that Blue was originally a human, anyway. Ben also recalled that Blue had a bit of a sour attitude, but maybe he was feeling better now that he'd evolved. The change from a growlithe to an arcanine was nowhere as drastic as, say, the change from a remoraid to an octillery, so he probably wasn't in too much discomfort.

In any case, the guy could just tell Ben to eff off if he wasn't feeling chatty. No harm in trying to strike up a conversation.

The teddi circled the table Blue was sitting at and gingerly placed his plate on it, ready to pick it back up if he was turned away. "Hey, you're Blue, right?" he asked. "Congrats on evolving."

 

[Phoenixsong]

Well, company sure hadn't been on the agenda for today. Blue stiffened for a second, but managed to let it go. Not worth getting annoyed over someone just saying hello. Didn't have it in him to get annoyed, really. He was supposed to be playing along with all this now, anyway. Snapping at a teddy bear probably didn't count as 'playing along'.

"Yeah, sure. That's me." he said. Was he supposed to know who this was? There'd been a teddiursa with everyone at that Congress place, hadn't there. "You're... Ben, right? Thanks. It's... different? Not normally supposed to be a pokémon at all, but I'll take what I can get, I guess." Hopefully it'd go back to being really really cool tomorrow, when his head was clearer.

He watched as the teddiursa took a seat. Whoever he was, he seemed a lot more chill than most of the other guys he'd met so far. (Keyword: so far.) "You, uh. You used to this stuff? Fighting jacked-up magic pokémon and..." He waved a paw at nothing in particular. "Whatever all this is, I mean."

 

[canisaries]

He watched as the teddiursa took a seat. Whoever he was, he seemed a lot more chill than most of the other guys he'd met so far. (Keyword: so far.) "You, uh. You used to this stuff? Fighting jacked-up magic pokémon and..." He waved a paw at nothing in particular. "Whatever all this is, I mean."

Ben hummed. "Well, I've never been on as much of an... adventure as this, but I am a battler," he said. Then he frowned. "Or was a battler, until I lost my trainer. I've just been doing odd jobs since then. Most recently, I think I've been a mover." He shook his head - this wasn't about him. "I guess this is all new to you if you're a human. Are you from one of those worlds where pokémon don't talk at all?"