Frontier Town Civic Courtyard

[Sinderella]

That obnoxious fucking thing in her chest spasmed when he brought her hand to where (she assumed) his lips were. Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck, hoe-lee fuck--

Why on Giratina's distorted world was she feeling so flustered now? Why the fuck did she feel dizzy? It wasn't like anything of note happened; she hadn't exerted herself, there was a breeze present, and they were just sitting on a fucking bench like two steel types might on an off day. So what the fuck was her heart doing beating so goddamn fast that it felt like it might punch a hole clear through her skin?

When he loosened his hold on her, she was still frozen, so she didn't immediately pull her hand away. Instead, she let it slowly slide away and back to her lap before clasping it with her other hand. Only then did she realize how fucking clammy her palms had gotten. She sincerely hoped that his steel skin didn't have any nerve endings on it, because dear gods--

"Come on, now, that's what made the first one so fun," she said, mindlessly running her thumb over her palm, still feeling the ghost of Steven's steel against it. "But I could definitely do without the arson, actually."

Taking another breath, she looked back up at the sky, suddenly aware of just how much time had passed since she sat down. And even more aware of how her fucking glasses had fogged up. She quickly pulled them off her face and started wiping them off on her skirt.

"Jokes aside," she said, "I don't know what the hell is coming our way in the next few days, but as always, I have your back."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven chuckled lightly at Odette's joke before fixing her with a smile. "It's agreed, then. No arson."

He waited for Odette to take her hand back before letting his own drift back to his side. Some of the warmth she granted him still lingered on his palm, and he closed his claws around it.

"I don't know either," he said as he followed her gaze skyward, some of his smile falling away. "But I appreciate it. More than you know," he added softly.

His eyes slid back to find hers. "And just as before, I have yours as well."

They were teammates, sure, and that's what teammates did, but after today, it felt like something more than that. They were both steel types. They were both Champions. And they both understood one another; more than most of the group truly could.

<><><><><><><>​

 

[Chibi Pika]

Grovyle Ralsen stretched his arms over his head, letting the afternoon sun shine on his wrist leaves. It was a pleasant day, cooler and breezier than most, and the courtyard was always a nice location for a quiet outdoor chat.

"I didn't expect I'd be passing through Frontier Town again so soon," he mused, folding the newspaper in his lap. "But I suppose with the train lines open again, it's not as far out of the way as it might've been, and well"--he gestured to the paper's headline story about the raid on Blaguarro--"I had to hear for myself what had transpired."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"I suppose we can't shake our habit of making headlines," said Steven with a sheepish expression. "Although, if it gives us an excuse to see an acquaintance again, then it's not all bad."

Steven settled comfortably where he floated with a smile. Something about the air of the courtyard always seemed to put him at ease.

"It seems you're aware of what we've been up to, so allow me to ask about you in kind. How have your travels been since we last met? Have they proved fruitful in your research?"

 

[Tetra]

It was good to see Ralsen again. After their last encounter he'd hoped he might run into him again at some point.

"And did you manage to run into any new information about Saints?" he asked curiously, careful not to sound too overly eager. He wondered if Ralsen had managed to run into Lux at all, not that he wanted to mention the Zeraora.

 

[Chibi Pika]

“Well, I had the good fortune to cross paths with Laura here, as well as a few others from your group, at the abbey,” Ralsen said, gesturing a claw in the silver Meowth’s direction. “We investigated the Templefall Caverns and uncovered the heart of the dungeon. I filled my camera with photos from the trip. It’s about time I took them back to the university—I expect I’ll have enough to write a paper on the iconography of the valley’s original inhabitants.” The Grovyle’s eyes shone as he spoke of his studies.

“I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure of meeting any Saints since we last met—arrived at the abbey a little too late to meet the Wandering Light.” He gave the Wayfarers a curious look. “I’ve heard the most interesting rumors about your group in that regard.”

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Ah, the abbey!" said Steven, feeling the infectious nature of Ralsen's enthusiasm. "I'm familiar with it; beautiful location. The cliffside terrace formations are a sight to behold. Although, Templefall Caverns you say? A shame I left the abbey in a hurry last time, I would have loved to be able to explore them myself."

He brought a claw to his chin. "Perhaps on my next visit..."

Though what Ralsen said next gave Steven pause. "Ah, well... about that..."

Glancing sidelong at both Laura and Koa, he seemed hesitant to be the first to speak up about that particular subject. He didn't know much about the Wandering Light, anyway. Just enough that the Saint had granted them a sliver of their power, and sent them on their way. Perhaps Koa or Laura could provide more?

 

[Tetra]

Excitement bubbled through Koa as Ralsen spoke of the abbey. Even considering how things had gone in the Timeless Oasis, the idea of exploring another mystery dungeon was certainly enthralling. Not to mention the abbey itself. He'd heard they even had their own library there...

"I wouldn't mind seeing the abbey myself," he said, nodding in agreement. "I plan to try and make a trip there."

It was hard not to notice Steven's look at the mention of Luz. Of their group, he'd had the longest conversation with Luz. Though he didn't know her as much as he'd hoped, he knew enough to know she didn't want to be bothered, and he felt like telling anything much about her felt wrong somehow. "The Wandering Light did pass through town a short time ago," he said carefully.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura scratched her cheek, wondering if she should field this one. She had met Luz momentarily when the Zeraora had given them all the touch of Radiance, and again briefly when the party exited Terminal Two. Koa had had an actual extended meeting, but the guy seemed reluctant to speak up much.

"Zeraora Luz seems like – at least, she seems to me – like she's retired, or about to be. She looks old, sounds old, and lost her vision. She kept talking about Radiance blinding you if you misuse it, and something tells me that's not a subtle allegory, it's just literally what happened to her. We know she went to speak with Sierra, the Escarpa clan's chieftain, after giving her a heads up two decades ago on the dot. Not too big a leap to guess that she's passing the torch."

She wondered idly, with a pit in her gut, whether that meant becoming mortal again, or just passing away in the process somehow...

 

[Chibi Pika]

Ralsen's eyes lit up. "So you've met her, then. And if her concerns lay with warning of the dangers of Radiance, I must assume that the rumors are true. Your group holds the light now." His tone was difficult to make out, but his expression was one of boundless intrigue, like there were countless questions he wished to ask.

"I imagine that must be how you managed to turn back the demons plaguing Blaguarro. But then..."--his expression grew more serious--"is there any way to cure them?"

 

[Tetra]

He supposed Luz could take care of herself, so talking about why she was here wasn't that serious... Koa nodded in reply to Ralsen's first question. There was no point hiding that much. Either the paper or local rumors would inevitably confirm it, and Cipher and Alex both knew by now.

"It's true we can all wield that light now. Probably not nearly as good as Luz though," he added with a light chuckle. It was hard to shake the slight paranoia that giving away too much could cause problems somehow. Between Alex and that nonsense about doppelgangers and Cipher he felt weary about divulging specifics. How much could they trust Ralsen?

"But we do think may be a way to cure those afflicted unwillingly by the shadows! Hopefully something we can use to help any who need it soon." The thought brought a slight smile to his face. That was one success.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Ralsen chuckled slightly; he must have sensed Koa’s hesitation. “Ah, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be so forward. I understand if some things are best kept within your group, it’s only sensible.” The Grovyle leaned his back against the bench, looking up at the clouds. “Still, it’s incredible the progress you’ve made on your goals in such short time. Not even a month ago you were seeking the Light, and now you’ve found her. I’ll have to make sure I keep moving forward as well,” he added with a slight smile.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven gave a thoughtful hum. "I'm not sure if it's that we found her, or more that she found us."

"Who's to say? It certainly could be that the Light chose to appear before us in a time of need, rather than out of a pursuit in academic curiosity." He hastily raised a claw in Ralsen's direction. "Not to belittle your own quest, of course. I simply mean that it seems hasty to say that we've come this far of our own volition."

"Besides," he added, "I can't tell you how many of my own adventures back home stemmed from curiosity above all else." He finished with a chuckle, though that gave way to a more pensive gaze as he mulled over a question in his head, or perhaps how to best phrase what he was pondering. He tapped a claw against his chin as he regarded Ralsen with an earnest look.

"Although, I'm on a bit of an information seeking quest myself at the moment. In your studies, you wouldn't happen to have come across anything about the Timeless Oasis, would you?"

Mildly, Steven wondered if Ralsen and Sybil would become fast friends. What he wouldn't give to be a cutiefly on the wall for that conversation.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Had Luz chosen to appear to them? The party had upgraded Betel's network, and Betel tracked her down – she'd been in town on her way to see Sierra, not them... but maybe Ralsen didn't need to hear too many details about Betel's network. Not that they understood it well themselves.

"It's true that we've got a lot done in a short time," admitted Laura, scratching behind one ear. "Feels like we've been here ages, but it only took us a matter of months to uncover and turf out Cipher, and that's while having day jobs. I dunno if we'll keep up that pace, though..."

Their only lead on the rest of Cipher was that they were in Malantau, thousands of miles away, so unless they could find a mystical shortcut across the continent, it'd be a slog to make progress on that front. Of course, trains could cross a continent in a matter of hours or days... and anchorpoints could take Wayfarers any distance within seconds.

Ah, Steven was asking about Ralsen's research...

"While we're talking legends, you ever find anything on the Saint of Victory?"

It was a long shot, but ever since the samurai rolled into town and mentioned their quest, Laura had been wondering about Victini...

 

[Tetra]

Saint of Victory... Forlas name for Victini, he realized, from what he'd read. He felt a little bad in hindsight about being so wary with Ralsen, he hoped the Grovyle wouldn't be hurt or offended. Maybe he was being overly worried.

"Or have you heard about any divine dungeons?" he asked on a curious impulse. The power of saints did seem important to understand.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Who's to say? It certainly could be that the Light chose to appear before us in a time of need, rather than out of a pursuit in academic curiosity." He hastily raised a claw in Ralsen's direction. "Not to belittle your own quest, of course. I simply mean that it seems hasty to say that we've come this far of our own volition."

Ralsen hummed with a thoughtful look. "It's interesting to consider how much our progress might be from outside factors, and how much is from our own efforts." He gestured with a raised palm and added, "Well, it's good fortune all the same."

At the mention of the Timeless Oasis, however, his eyes widened slightly. "So you know of it? I recently read a supposed account from an expedition to reach it, but it made mention that the oasis is impossible to reach outside a very specific time of year, and well... needless to say, I was too late." He closed his eyes. "I know it's presumptuous to assume that I would've even been able to reach its center, but I still can't help but wish I'd had the opportunity to try it. It would have been my first time coming across a Divine Dungeon," he added with a nod toward Koa.

"While we're talking legends, you ever find anything on the Saint of Victory?"

Ralsen cocked his head with a curious look. "That's an interesting one. Not a whole lot of published material on him, but given such a widespread cultural impact, it's hard to imagine he never existed. But that was thousands of years ago--with so many fanciful stories, it would be hard to separate fact from myth."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura pawed at her chin, brow furrowing.

"If the guy was real, then I guess you'd look to the very oldest surviving myths? What culture has those?"

She tried to recall what she knew about the Victini of Forlas.

"I've heard... Let's see, uh. That he's the god of victory, of course. Also that he was some kind of prehistoric champion of mortals, taming the world and saving people from cataclysms – fixing the sun in the sky, punching out tsunamis, that kind of thing. Never defeated in battle, always adventuring, been around the whole world just to see it all. And vanquished demons along the way, of course."

Demons. She'd grown used to thinking of those as a Shadow thing...

"Very much associated with light, too. And the sun."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Ralsen put a claw to his chin, looking both surprised and impressed by Laura's musings. "It sounds like this is a subject you have a budding interest in. Is it something you wish to pursue for yourself--unraveling the truth behind the Saint of Victory?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura laughed awkwardly, and shrugged.

"It's hard to say what might be critically important! ...Legendary pokémon aren't any kind of gods where I come from, so far as I can tell, but they sure do seem to be on Forlas. So I can't help but wonder if it's a big deal that so many seem to be... missing."

She gestured vaguely with a paw.

"Like, the shrine in memorial for Zapdos, right? Or the Timeless Oasis – no sign of Celebi, and apparently any time a Relic turns up, it supposedly means the corresponding Saint is long-passed."

 

[Tetra]

"The Timeless Oasis was... weird," Koa admitted. "Time there behaved strange, and it was like the dungeon really was testing us. Pretty strange compared to what I'm used to. But now that its all over, I'd still want to visit another Divine Dungeon if I could... Although its still so strange to hear that saints here can go missing or even die like that." He shook his head.

Maybe it wasn't all bad. Seeing how tired Luz had looked, being able to pass on the power might be good. But it was still so strange. Then again, he'd never spoken to a legendary from his world, so perhaps they too could die.

Koa glanced toward Steven. "Do you think the Saint of Victory could be tied to that place you mentioned Steven? The... Fort Sunward?"