Ranger HQ Ranger Union HQ

[Chibi Pika]

"What?" Jade stared blankly at the Grovyle, feeling like her brain needed to restart. What did he mean he didn't know her? That was ridiculous, he was obviously ly--

"I suppose it's possible we met during one of the gaps in my memory," Ralsen went on, looking thoughtful. "The time leading up to before I got here is the murkiest, so--"

"We didn't just 'meet', we trained together!" Jade cut in, tail lashing. "For months! On the Rebellion!"

"The... 'Rebellion'?" Ralsen repeated with obvious interest that made Jade want to scream.

And yet, in spite of it all, some small part of her brain couldn't help thinking back to what Gladion had said, about all the people who knew other versions of him. The possibility that the Starr they were looking for might not be the one she knew. The fact that Giovanni definitely wasn't the one she knew. Was it... really so impossible that this was more of the same? Another Sebastian, one who'd never become Stalker. Never made the Rebellion, never used everyone as pawns, never--

Suddenly all the accusations she wanted to level at him felt thick and heavy in her chest. He'd never even done any of that, so what was she supposed to feel about him? But he was still here, still screwing with them, just in a different way.

"I guess it had to have been a different you," Jade muttered, avoiding his eye. She didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted someone else to yell at him because she didn't have it in her anymore.

 

[Tetra]

Koa still wasn't sure he got why Betel couldn't translate the pokemons words, but he dismissed it as yet another of the oddities of other universes. Perhaps it was some strange world where pokemon were.... different.

Between Jade's remark and the pokemon's behaviours, he could still glean a vague understanding of what they'd said. The langauge was nothing like his worlds but body language didn't change. In their pokeballs, then, and some kind of joke from the Sceptile.

Any further thoughts he had were chased away as Jade spoke. Stalker? Sebastian? What was going on? What Rebellion? He stared at Jade, longing to ask a thousand questions, then clamped his jaw shut.

"So what?" he growled. "We're supposed to believe you'll report it a lost cause out of the goodness of your heart? That you're just going to go back to reading your books?" And lying to other mon? How many others might he have deceived?

He could actually feel his fur bristling as his anger rose, but he forced his voice to stay somewhat level. "Do you even know your 'employers' real intentions, or do you just not care?" He was struggling to believe anything from that liars mouth at this point. Did he care about the lives that could be saved with the relic? What kind of employers did he have that they'd rather resort to common thievery?

If only they could restrain him... But then if he'd managed to get in, could Sinopa even hold him here forever? Even if they could, what would stop his employers from trying again?

 

[JFought]

The situation was threatening to leap over Isidora's head. There was way more going on with this guy than she cared to anticipate. And he was a trainer, and these were 'his' pokémon. She looked around at them. "And you're all just okay with this?" Is he forcing them? Or is it respect? He doesn't look that strong...

She shook her head and growled. "Look, it doesn't matter who this guy is, this isn't a reunion!" She pointed a claw at Ralsen, or Sebastian, or whoever he was. "You seem confident you can escape from here. But half of your team is injured, so I'm calling your bluff. What makes you think we'll just let you?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

"We didn't just 'meet', we trained together!" Jade cut in, tail lashing. "For months! On the Rebellion!"

[...]

"I guess it had to have been a different you."

Laura winced. Oh, Jade... That could only have been a betrayal, right? She could hear the outrage in the other girl's voice.

Maybe she should comfort her, somehow? Was now even the time? Howls.

She settled for taking a few soft steps closer to her friend, and shooting her a sympathetic look in case she saw.

"So what? We're supposed to believe you'll report it a lost cause out of the goodness of your heart? That you're just going to go back to reading your books? Do you even know your 'employers' real intentions, or do you just not care?"

Laura pressed a paw to her mouth, thinking. Koa's adolescent anger was... cathartic, somehow, but she had to keep from joining a shouting match. Even if she would fucking love to howl her fury.

Ralsen-Sebastian was cold, pragmatic, rational. He wouldn't take this personally, she was sure of that. So what would he do when his attempt to stealthily take the Relic failed, if he wasn't strong enough to take it by force...?

"...He'll just move on to more vulnerable targets," she concluded. "Won't you? There are other Relics. Like that of the Stormbringer for instance, or the Blazing Dawn – if he can find them."

Who knew if they had the same properties as Celebi's Relic? Even so, he'd been researching historical Saints... could he have been building up a list of potential targets? For months, or longer?

"And you're all just okay with this?"

Huh? ...Did Isidora mean Ralsen's team...?

Laura bit her lip, a dozen responses clattering through her mind. Why wouldn't they take his side? They probably just want to go home. But no, best not to say anything, right...?

"You seem confident you can escape from here. But half of your team is injured, so I'm calling your bluff. What makes you think we'll just let you?"

She glanced at the other Wayfarers, some of whom looked the worse for wear themselves. Then at Sinopa, hackles still bristling, with none of her usual warm calm. The spirit was off her game, no doubt unsteadied by an infiltrator getting inside her home (her real, physical form?) without her noticing. Laura didn't like the squad's chances of apprehending Ralsen and his team – and that was assuming he didn't just have an escape orb handy...

She wouldn't undermine Isidora, though. They should project competence and confidence.

"We make better allies than enemies," she said, evenly. "Are you sure you wanna pin your fortunes to your current bosses?"

Nobody'd been seriously hurt yet, and they still had the Relic. This wasn't personal yet, and it wouldn't be personal unless they made it personal. Maybe there was still a chance she could persuade Ralsen to flip...

"We can't trust him," muttered Sinopa. "Not after this."

Laura rubbed her chin, forcing herself to stay frosty. There were ways you could secure trust and cooperation after conflict... Although, something told her Ralsen wouldn't go for a hostage exchange. Goddamnit...

 

[Chibi Pika]

Ralsen gave Koa a sideways glance. "It's fine if you don't want to believe it. Like I said, increasing security can't hurt either way." He paused for a moment, considering Koa's second question. "I do have some idea of their intentions, given my position. But ultimately that doesn't have much bearing on my own goals."

"...He'll just move on to more vulnerable targets," she concluded. "Won't you? There are other Relics. Like that of the Stormbringer for instance, or the Blazing Dawn – if he can find them."

Ralsen shrugged. "None of those are relevant to my goals outside of personal curiosity, and my employers haven't voiced an interest in them. I haven't quite identified which relic I need to track down."

Isidora's voice rang out, addressing Ralsen's team, then calling his bluff.

"I don't expect you'll let me," Ralsen said simply, without elaborating. He glanced at his various team members scattered around the plaza, as if curious whether they'd chime in.

Vesta narrowed her eyes, and for a long moment it seemed like she wasn't going to respond, but finally she said, "It's of little concern to me if my human will make enemies."

Tyranitar rumbled thoughtfully. "We have our contract. It remains unbroken."

"So formal," Sceptile said with a jeering grin.

Jade clenched her paws to keep them from shaking. She felt a sudden wave of phantom cold and a flash of memory--Dragonite smashing an Ice Punch into Swift's face, leaving them both falling, falling... Even when they'd had the same enemy, he'd thrown any sort of cooperation out the window the moment it was inconvenient.

Stalker had done that. Ralsen wasn't Stalker. But that didn't matter, it didn't--

"We make better allies than enemies," she said, evenly. "Are you sure you wanna pin your fortunes to your current bosses?"

Ralsen stroked his chin. "Interesting. But considering just how much knowledge and resources I have access to with them, it'd be pretty foolish to abandon that now."

"Hang on," Jade said suddenly, finally finding her voice. "Just--hang on. Maybe your team has their reasons for sticking with you, but that's not the case for all of them. What about the Legendaries? What about Latios?"

The name echoed around the plaza with as much spite as she could muster. And once it had died down, Ralsen stared at Jade, a momentary flicker of confusion giving way to understanding.

"The other me captured Latios?" he asked, eyes glimmering with intrigue.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura's eyes widened and her head snapped round to look at Jade.

Ralsen – her world's Ralsen, 'Sebastian' – had captured legendaries? Unwilling ones, that he hadn't won over to his cause?

Her stomach tightened as her eyes refocused on the Grovyle.

"You catch legendaries?" she asked, her words unemotional. Stay steady. "Just what kind of cause do you fight for that involves... that?"

No no no, he said he was interested in cooperating—

—there's no way we can work with this guy, we can all see what kind of person he is.

Even if some Wayfarers could stomach it, what about the firebrands?

 

[Tetra]

"I do have some idea of their intentions, given my position. But ultimately that doesn't have much bearing on my own goals."

A steady buzz built in Koa's head as Ralsen continued. The rest of Ralsen's words entered his head but he didn't care. Ralsen didn't care. It didn't matter to him. He heard some kind of reply from Ralsen's team. Once again the words were lost on him, but he could get the jist.

He's like me. That's what Koa had thought, when they first met. What he hoped. Ralsen had never really been a potential ally. Never been a kindred spirit. Laura could try all she wanted to sway him but the Grovyle had proven already that he only cared about himself. Surely between Sinopa and all of them they could handle a single Grovyle and his team-

"What about Latios?"

[...]

"The other me captured Latios?"

The buzz abruptly cut out. Ice filled his veins and a pit formed in his stomach. Captured Latios. His mouth turned dry as the words rang through his head.

Again. Always, over and over. The same story. Every time. Legends used against their will. Enslaved.

His claws dug into the ground harder. Clenched his jaw so tight he thought he'd bite through his own teeth. He felt sure if he opened his mouth it wouldn't be to say anything, he'd just attack. Roar Ralsen through a wall. Blast him with lightning.

Laura was trying to be calm and rational and appeal to him, but Koa didn't see the point. There was no good excuse, nothing that would justify such an action. No kind of person he could ever trust. Except one detail gave him pause. This one hadn't. Yet. His gaze shifted to Jade briefly, trying to untangle what was going on. Time displaced? Different universe? Or just more plain old lies.

Are we going to do something about him or stand around and talk? he asked icily through their connection, his gaze still locked into Ralsen. It was better than biting his head off and restarting the fight. For now. Sinopa? Can you trap them?

"So I take it that aside from theft you wouldn't be above imprisonment and enslavement?" His voice came cold and clipped as he tried to assess their chances of winning a fight.

 

[Weazel]

So, Jade knew the Grovyle – Ralsen? Stalker? Sebastian? – but not this version of the Grovyle. Well, Archie could sympathize with that, he’d had to make peace with the fact that there were different versions of people he knew out there long ago. Still, whatever history the cat shared with the lizard, that was then and this was now. The simple fact of the matter was, the Grovyle seemed to believe that they were going to simply allow him to waltz out of Ranger HQ. As if they’d actually believe him when he said that he was going to report back mission failure and not make another attempt on the Relic.

As if. Archie’s paws drifted back towards his scalchops, while his eyes studied each of the intruders in turn. He’d tangled with the Tyranitar and the two had ended in roughly similar condition. The Charizard might prove a softer target, though if it took to the skies he’d have little to hit it with. The two Grass Types were a more immediate danger, and he only had a few things in his kit he could bring against them. Better to leave them to Isidora, the natural Ice Type.

<If we’re going to act, we’d better do it before the rest of his team shows up.> He thought to the others. The Grovyle apparently had two other Pokemon, presently engaged with the Ranger guards. If they showed up, the odds might turn against them.

<He’s stalling for time. Don’t let him keep you talking.> He thought, shooting Jade a look in particular.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"You catch legendaries? Just what kind of cause do you fight for that involves... that?"

"So I take it that aside from theft you wouldn't be above imprisonment and enslavement?"

Ralsen closed his eyes, exhaling slowly, and for the first time in the conversation, it actually looked like he didn't have a smooth response at the ready. Maybe he was just used to navigating situations involving things that he'd actually done.

"...I don't think this is going to go anywhere productive."

Jade snorted. "Not going to defend it?" Maybe this version of him hadn't done it, but he would have... right?

Ralsen made eye contact with her. "That would require knowing more about the person you knew. I want to know. But..."--he glanced around the aftermath of the plaza battle, from the water that had pooled on the flagstones to the bits of half-melted ice--"I don't think we're going to get that conversation here."

<He’s stalling for time. Don’t let him keep you talking.> He thought, shooting Jade a look in particular.

Jade blinked, suddenly yanked out of her single-minded haze. Stalling? Maybe, but... it really did seem like the only reason he'd stuck around this long was because he was genuinely curious.

Ralsen reached a claw inside his shoulderbag. "Typhon, Silvan."

"Right, right," Sceptile said, waving a claw as if to say 'hurry up.'

Tyranitar exhaled roughly through his nostrils. He turned to Archie and said, "It was a good duel," before a beam of red light recalled both him and Sceptile into their Pokéballs.

Vesta curled her wing around Ralsen, still glaring at the party as if she were daring them to make a move. Jade was pretty sure she knew what was coming next. This was a dungeon, after all.

Ralsen gave the party one last look, eyes still shining with intrigue, and Jade hated that he didn't cold or calculating or uncaring. She half-expected him to say that he hoped they'd meet again. Then he unceremoniously held up the glassy blue orb that she'd known he had, and in a flash of blue-white light, both he and Vesta vanished.

Jade let out the breath that she'd been holding. Then she threw a hurried glance at Laura to confirm that--okay, yeah, she definitely still had the Relic. They'd successfully defended it. Still, the whole encounter had left a bitter taste in Jade's mouth. Why did it have to be him?

Whatever. He was gone, and they still had the Relic, and that was enough for her.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Leaf risked a quick skyward glance to see if any more backup was incoming: any sign of anything else flying or leaping around, maybe trying to keep Nico busy. Nothing. Still and quiet. All the action was still at ground level, then—

The charizard moved. Leaf snapped back to them, lunged at them, but the escape orb shattered and light flared out before she could close the distance. Gone. Just... gone. Great.

And you're surprised? No matter who was ultimately intruding, of course they would have prepared insurance for getting in and getting out. If you'd taken this even remotely seriously—

—I'd have stopped and thought about it, yeah, yeah. Sorry I'm not as familiar with the way people like him operate. Don't have as much practice as you.

Whatever. It was over, for now. There were more important things to think about. "E-everyone okay?" she asked, still panting a little.

Stupid question. Laura and Koa still looked betrayed, Isidora confused, Archie probably even more beat up than she was. And Jade... as much as it'd hurt to realize that Mew was Red-but-also-not-Red, whatever this was had to be a million times worse. "We'll... we'll figure this out," she offered, moving a little closer to the meowth for reassurance. Also stupid, probably. But it was kinda hard to think of anything else after all of... that.

 

[Tetra]

Koa knew what was coming. Even before Ralsen moved to return his pokemon (had he somehow brought his pokeballs with him? Where did he get them?). No no no-

In a moment, the Tyranitar and Sceptile were gone, and only the Charizard remained. No- They weren't letting him just get away like this, not someone like him. If they just rushed him-

His gaze darted frantically to the others. 'Do something!' he wanted to howl. Koa saw Ralsen take out the orb. Electricty surged through him. He sprang forward, already loosing a bolt of lightning, already knowing he'd hesitated too long. The bolt struck only empty stone where Ralsen had been standing, leaving a blackened scorch mark.

He landed, his gaze still locked onto where Ralsen had vanished. Escaped. A storm of emotions flooded Koa, and for a heartbeat he continued to glare at the spot. Forcing his frustration down, he turned back to the to the others.

The Relic Stone was safe. Everyone was okay. He tried to focus on that, and put all the others thoughts from his mind. Ignored the bitter pit in his chest. They'd won. That was what mattered.

"We protected the stone," he said a bit stiffly.

 

[Weazel]

Archie had his scalchops in his paws the second it became clear what the Grovyle was doing. He cut off to the side, trying to get around the Charizard, get to an angle where he could close the distance with his Aqua Jet. But it was a waste of precious seconds. By the time he’d found a spot, the Grovyle was already gone. Nothing left to do but return his scalchops to their place, and survey the damages.

“Dammit,” he muttered to himself, putting his paws on his hips. Sure, Koa was right when he said they’d protected the stone, but judging by the Electrike’s tone, he found this turn of events just as much of a failure as the Dewott did. They should’ve rushed him while they had the chance. This little talk he’d had with Jade and some of the others could’ve been done with jail bars between them. This level of incompetence was unbecoming of Archie, at the very least. He’d thought he knew better than that.

“I’m sorry,” he said, mostly to Sinopa, before turning to answer Leaf’s question, “Battered, but not broken.”

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade nodded distantly at Leaf’s words, then found the weight of all the muddled emotions finally catching up with her, and she sank against the Rapidash’s foreleg.

“I’ll be okay,” she said after a long pause. “Koa’s right, we protected the stone. We should… probably take it back inside, and keep it close.”

The night air was cold.

 

[Tetra]

A thousand questions rattled through his mind, and he turned to Jade, only to catch himself. His heart twisted. He tried to catch her eye and give her a sympathetic glance. It had to have been even worse for her, meeting someone like him but who wasn't the one she knew.

Supressing a shiver, Koa focused his mind back on the stone.

"Isn't there anywhere here... Safer to keep it?" he asked Sinopa carefully. He didn't want to insult Sinopa but it was impossible to dismiss his paranoia after tonight.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Sinopa? Can you trap them?

"Only if they don't have Escape Orbs or something of that nature. Which they will. They aren't stupid..."

The pueblos rumbled...

Then he unceremoniously held up the glassy blue orb that she'd known he had, and in a flash of blue-white light, both he and Vesta vanished.

"Salt and sand," swore Sinopa, releasing her hold on the reconfigurable dungeon. "Saw it coming, but..."

Laura chewed her cheek, but she'd save her anger for later. For now, the party needed direction, morale...

"I know it's frustrating for them to get away, but this was a success," she said, firmly – if without joy. "We were here to guard the Relic while the HQ was understaffed, and we did that. We even learned a thing or two – who Ralsen really is, and the kind of people he works for."

No need to belabour the point. Everyone would be assuming already that it was either the Covenant or Cipher, the Wayfarers were already neck-deep in a tangle with both those organisation already, and it wasn't like there were any other leads.

What about Jade...?

The silver Meowth turned to the cream Meowth, her expression full of sympathy.

"Let's talk later about 'Sebastian', yeah? Could be useful for the team to have a better idea of what Ralsen might do and how to beat him."

Good. They'd do something about this, they weren't helpless, but it didn't have to be now. And separating Ralsen from Sebastian might help with how personally Jade would take this...

“I’m sorry,”

"Isn't there anywhere here... Safer to keep it?"

Sinopa sighed deeply, and sat up with her tail wrapped around her paws.

"It's... alright. The HQ has scarcely been attacked in my whole afterlife. I wasn't taking this seriously enough. I didn't think it was even possible that I wouldn't notice an intruder enter the pueblos... I can sink the heart to a deeper basement level, and seal it off properly. It's a pain, but it'll make defending the Relic trivial if they try again. I'm sorry, for being complacent."

The ethereal Espeon could hardly be more plainly chagrined. This had been a humiliation for her. But it wouldn't happen again – even if it meant Sybil would have a tougher time getting between the heart and her living quarters from now on...

<><><><><>​

 

[Phoenixsong]

It'd been hard to nail down for a bit, why being a for-real ranger felt so good. Easiest, at first, just to say it was miles better than bad-luck job board pickings and pothole patrol. Really it was millions of miles better than waiting. Something would need doing, or someone would need help, and Leaf could get it done. Getting to see more of the countryside (and the dungeons) in the process was icing. Definitely not as easy as pothole patrol. Wouldn't feel anywhere near as worth doing if it was.

(How close was this, she wondered, to what rangers did back home? No dungeons, obviously, but patrolling the deepwilds off-route had to be kinda similar. When Chief Ayda had given her the badge she'd felt the tiniest little sting of sadness, knowing she'd done all this work to get here and was just gonna have to leave it behind when she went home. But maybe... in a couple years, maybe not.)

Between the jobs that involved actual ranging she'd check in with the refugees from Terminal Two. There were still a lot of pokémon at HQ waiting for Sybil's research with the Stone to help them come back to themselves. (They wouldn't be getting that help at all if Stalkeralsen'd had his way. Asshole.) The damage Cipher had done was the kind of problem that she couldn't just Fix, which was eternally frustrating, but at least this frustration was one she had plenty of experience with. You had to get used to being satisfied with the little things. Make sure they were aware of the little things, how they were adding up, how they mattered.

"Hey, Leona," she said, poking her head in to the lycanroc's guest quarters. (She'd been doing better, mostly, Sybil had said. Less likely to get badly spooked by someone just showing up, and so on. The measured tone of voice was still a force of habit.) "Been holding up okay?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Leona's hackles went up only for a moment, falling back down almost at once as she recognised a friendly voice.

"Leaf," said the midday-Lycanroc, rising from the cushion and low desk she'd been hunched over. Reading something, apparently.

She stood, turned, and nodded. A little stiff, but there was a small, forced smile there, too.

"Yeah. Sinopa says I'm 'stable'. It's weird – being talked about like a Shadow 'mon. Being one. Whatever."

Leona took a calm, deliberate breath. Then another.

"Stable sounds right. Wanna get outta here? Bit cramped."

 

[Phoenixsong]

Leaf tried to imagine being stuck in a cage in the Game Corner, going through... she didn't even know everything Minerva'd gone through. She wasn't sure she wanted to. "Must be," she said after a beat to come back to herself. "Easy to get used to knowing what to do about something from the outside, but it's... it's gotta be different when it's you." She smiled and hoped it looked less awkward than it felt. "But it's good that you're getting better! Gotta be nice just to be able to relax sometimes."

She stepped aside to let Leona out. "What're you reading, if I can ask?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

"What's it to you?" snapped Leona. Then she whined sharply, instantly embarrassed. "Sorry. Old habits. Bad habits. It's, uh, you know, a novel? Fantasy adventure type stuff. Guess I'm a sap."

She really did sound startlingly like Seth. They could be siblings, if you didn't know their true relation.

Leona exited her quarters and whistled as if calling a pet to heel. The pueblos began to shift and rearrange as the rift spirit obliged her. When Sinopa was done, the adjoining corridor led directly out into the light of day. Pleasantly sunny, though the plaza had its share of shade.

"I always liked to think that you could win a happy ending," Leona continued, sounding almost out of breath from the weight of her emotional affliction. "Maybe I'm tryin' to chase that. Get that certainty back. Sure don't feel that way right now."

She looked like she might give voice to how she did feel right now, but decided against it. If Leaf knew what it was like to be in the pit, she knew. And if she didn't, then she didn't.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Leaf flinched for just a second at the snarling wolf shout, but shook it off. She doesn't mean it. "What's wrong with adventure stuff?" she asked, giving the lycanroc a defiant little grin. "Someone tell you you can't read that if you want? Anyone who'd whine about that's not worth the time it takes to tell 'em to get lost."

By now it wasn't too hard to take Sinopa's adjustments in stride, all the little changes and accommodations she made for the pokémon staying here. Felt nice to be out in the sun, especially now that it wasn't dead in the middle of summer anymore.

"I always liked to think that you could win a happy ending," Leona continued, sounding almost out of breath from the weight of her emotional affliction.

"But you can—" she started, then caught herself. Of course you could. That was what she did. You work hard enough and you give it your all and things'll work out in the end. And they always did, definitely. Eventually. Imagining things going any other way didn't... really work? (Then why'd it feel so awkward to say?)

She had to think for a second, let the words hang a little longer while the gears turned. "From what you said, you already did a ton of that earning back in Orre. Doesn't make sense to beat yourself up about... about a Cipher from a whole other universe forcing a bunch of super-powered despair into your head. How's literally anybody supposed to see that coming, right?" Couldn't really do anything other than shake her head at that. What even was this place, sometimes. (All the time.) "I think that if sometimes you need to take it easy and go somewhere else for a while, that's fair, and nobody oughta give you crap about it. And at least there are plenty of people still working on finding that happy ending here, too. Sybil and Sinopa and the rest of us. Doesn't all have to be on you."

God, this was hard. You'd think talking to someone who was going through it would be easier when they could understand you and talk back. Actually mostly all it did was make you aware that they could hear it loud and clear when the dumb thing you said bounced off all the awful feelings they were radiating.

They weren't going to stop, though. Didn't matter how cornball it sounded. That much was sure.