Frontier Town Traveller's Haus - Lobby

[Chibi Pika]

It's a pretty close bond! Jade did her best to keep a neutral face. "Ah, not exactly first partners, no. Virga was the last one I met. And we weren't on great terms before, so..." She didn't want Lillian to feel bad for asking, so she quickly added, "Virga was the strongest Pokemon I knew back home though! So, y'know, a powerful ally--I figure that's why the summoning program brought her here. We just, uh, have some stuff to work on. You know how it is with strong Pokemon." She wasn't actually sure if Lillian knew, but it felt like a normal sentiment that applied to non-Legendaries just as well.

Her tail swished as she racked her brain for a continuation with a more positive note. "Oh, and my actual first partner was Swift, he's a Pidgeot." That wasn't actually relevant to the question since the question had been about Virga, and Swift wasn't here. "Who's yours?" she asked, only narrowly stopping herself from adding "and are they here?" to the end of it, as she managed to temporarily forget that Lillian was herself in the second wave of summons, and would not have a summoned partner.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"Oh, yeah," Lillian said, as if she knew how it was with strong pokemon. The program must have different reasons to pick different people, because Lillie was hardly Gladion's most powerful connection. Quite the opposite, realistically. Maybe it was because she could rise to the challenge and become the best fit for the job? No, that felt too self-aggrandizing.

"Mine is Nebby, they're, uhh..." This required caution, so as not to openly contradict herself calling them a pokemon several seconds ago. "We call them a 'Cosmog', and they're odd. Actively destructive to any ball I've tried to put them in. But cute! Like a little cloud of stardust. Chaotic personality, honestly probably dangerous." Absolutely dangerous. They had some inadvertent role in the death of one person, nearly two. Somehow, that felt like bad information to share in casual conversation. "Wormholes and distortions and stuff, would probably beg a lot of legal questions if people knew about it. But we've both saved each other by now, so I guess that makes us partners? In a way?"

She hadn't really thought of her relationship with Nebby that way. But once she started describing it that way to Jade, she had to admit it wasn't far off. The main problem is that neither she nor Nebby really listened to the other, otherwise you could call it a non-trainer partnership.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade tilted her head, ears forward with interest. “Huh. Never heard of a Cosmog before.” Then again, wasn’t Gladion (and by extension, his family) from Alola? There were a lot of Pokémon in Alola that weren’t found anywhere else in the world. But the way Lillian talked about it made it sound like not an ordinary Pokémon. Almost like…

(Gladion had mentioned how he’d saved his partner too.)

“Is Nebby… sort of like Hazel? You know…” Different. Unique. “Special?” Not the most effective word.

Jade narrowly held herself back from coming right out and saying Is Cosmog a genetic experiment too? I have one of those! She was gonna feel real dumb if she was jumping to conclusions here.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Lillie took a step back, startled. Did she know? Did she know what Nebby was all along??? Had she been trying to salvage a dumb obvious lie that Jade had seen through from the start??? Also, Hazel... Hazel was... Right! That was what Gladion called the Null he'd saved. Not an ultra beast. Of course.

"Nebby's certainly special, but in a different sort of way from Hazel. Not a chimera, but an Ultra Beast. A faller whose species doesn't exist in out world. Although maybe a little more self-directed than the fallers here, they can make cut holes between where we live and 'ultra space,' which is..." Lillian took a moment to consider her choice of words. "Bad. Technically, I've been a faller in my own world ever since Nebby saved me. They dragged out of my world, and back into my world somewhere else. Except, I don't know, I'd already heard that most fallers don't end up in their own world, but now that I've met Gladius I'm really having to think about how much worse that could've gone."

If she was a more cautious person, she would have thought about that in the first place, she'd already known Nebby had made Father disappear. Instead, she'd acted like her belief that Nebby didn't do anything malicious would protect her from getting hurt by them. As if another accident couldn't happen if she were only kinder. So far, she'd narrowly avoided being proven wrong twice. And if maybe Gladius had gotten involved with his world's Nebby and been less fortunate.

That would be a real bummer thought to drop on a stranger.

"I guess that's probably not what you meant by special, is it? I assume we both know the nulls are chimera?" She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Wait, there's not a reason for the codewords, is there? Am I not supposed to be saying that aloud?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade blinked. "Not a chimera but... whoa. That is special." Not that it was supposed to be a competition or anything. "I, uh... can't say I've ever heard of any Pokemon that can do that." She'd sort of taken for granted that Pokemon species seemed to be one of the very few things that was consistent across worlds, especially with Forlas having all the same ones she was already familiar with. Then again, could she really say for certain that these 'Ultra Beasts' had never visited her own world? It's not like she would've known, if it were kept under wraps the same way the Null project was.

Speaking of Nulls...

"Oh, uh... yeah, we kind of weren't sure if that was the sort of thing we should keep hush at first?" Jade replied with a shrug. "Gladion and Nova showing up here as chimeras, I mean. We thought that a man-made Pokemon appearing on Forlas might draw too much attention. But then Nova ended up on the front page of the Gazette, so that sorta... went out the window pretty fast." She laughed awkwardly. "He told everyone that he and Gladion were 'Graydians' and everyone was cool with it? And, well, since we're offworlders, it was hardly the weirdest thing about them."

She scratched her chin and then added, "Also it turns out they're not the only ARK Units here anyway? That was a whole thing. Did Gladion tell you about Sage?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Lillian tried not to sigh. "Oh... he did. He was really worried about them!"

It was part of his crusade to convince her that she wasn't allowed to care about the other version of him, which left her with a strong reflex not to get involved in it. Despite that, his concern wasn't performative. She was certain of that.

"He cared a lot about them and Leona." She tapped the left scale on the side of her head a few times. "I could tell that. I wish it just... y'know." (Did Jade know what was going on with those two? That really wasn't a given, but she wasn't sure she wanted to explain that right now.) "One brother is bad enough, having two of them fighting is a whole other matter."

Ideally, she'd get to change the subject. Jade was learning a lot about her, but not the other way around. She was supposed to be contentious of things like that, to try to learn more than she volunteered. Maybe she didn't have to live up to that as much as she used to now that she wasn't constantly stuck playing information games in every social setting, but it still felt rude to start a conversation with someone and spend the whole thing talking about yourself. Even if Jade didn't seem terribly uncomfortable with it.

"Is it just Virga for you?" An open-ended question, even if Jade had no one else in this world, she could take it wherever she wanted. And if she didn't want to answer, it should be deflectable.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"I could tell that. I wish it just... y'know."

Jade had already nodded along before realizing that she didn't actually know what Lillian was getting at. Two brothers... because Neo was also Gladion. But he wasn't an ARK Unit, he was actually a Zoroark, so what did he have to do with--RIGHT he made Sage!! that was the connection point, got it, she could follow along.

Part of her really wanted to ask what it was like to have two versions of the same brother, but it seemed like a sensitive topic...

"Is it just Virga for you?"

Jade nodded. "I think the summoning program was only supposed to bring one partner for each of us, so--" She realized she might have been stupid.

"Er, that is. Aside from..." She took a deep breath, forcing her brain to reboot. "I dunno if anyone explained already, but before any of us got here, the World-Spirit summoned a human hero to help with stuff. Only, I guess when the World-Spirit does it, they lose all memory of their previous life? So it's, uh, different than what happened with us, or with the Fallers." This was so pointlessly roundabout, why couldn't she just say it?

"And, well... the hero was my friend. Starr." Jade tapped her paws together. "Only, it's kinda hard to feel like we have anything, given the circumstances..."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

"Ah, I see..."

Navigating Gladius' damaged memory was already difficult. This sounded worse.

"I don't mean to pry, you don't have to answer... but have you told her? I don't know what it would do, but..."

Giving advice didn't come naturally to Lillie. (It was hard not to think of herself as Lillie when she wasn't performing the heroism that Forlas seemed to need from her.) She felt compelled by some sense of pathos to try anyway. Which was odd, because really, the thought in her head wasn't applicable to Gladius, who had remembered her from the start...

"I think it would matter. To her. If she knew you cared about her, you know? Even if she didn't remember any of the time you two spent together before, maybe she'd still feel safe with you if she knew that, and you'd still be friends."

...But despite that, intuitively, it felt applicable. Like she'd seen it work, even though that wasn't remotely what she'd done with Gladius. In fact, she was so disarmed by the idea of multiple people that, if anything, she was the one who wasn't expecting it. She didn't know if she had any shared history with him, and didn't recognize who he now was as someone she'd met before.

Oh.

"I guess it's why I trusted Gladius. I didn't really understand who he was. But stuff like that... Works? Is what I'm saying, I think?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade blinked. "O-oh. Yeah, you're probably right. And um, it's fine to pry, I'm the one that brought it up! Also, everyone kinda knew about it before you got here. Gladion was actually the one who helped brace me for the possibility that it might be a different 'her' than the one I knew." Which was kind of wild to think about given that they didn't know about Gladius back then.

She leaned back in her seat, idly swishing her tail. "But, I think it might be worse than just 'not remembering', is the thing. Brisa told me Starr had got some memories back from this weird dungeon that messes with your head." Jade grimaced. "Bad ones. Specifically some stuff she did to me." She clutched her arm where the scar wasn't.

"So, she's probably avoiding me because I remind her of that. Of who she used to be. But like, that's not who she is anymore, at least not back home!" Jade quickly added, hoping the seriousness came through in her voice. "I just gotta push through the awkwardness so I can remind her of that."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Lillie was beginning to learn that being able to sense emotions wasn't as useful as she'd initially expected it to be. It didn't tell you why people felt the way that they did. Nor did it tell her what to do with that information, which was the really hard part.

"That... sounds hard. But you're right. It doesn't sound any better to leave the air uncleared. Easier said than done, though."

Was that why everything felt so awkward with her brothers? Did she remind them of things?

"I guess we just have to hope things stop being awkward eventually. Bleugh."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I hope so too. Better than ignoring it and hoping it gets better on its own." She rubbed the back of her head. "I kinda used to do that a lot back home. Uh, but I've been getting better about it!"

Figuring out things with Starr certainly seemed easier than figuring things out with Virga, at any rate. The two of them were pretty committed to the whole 'just pretend nothing's wrong and do Wayfarer stuff while on Forlas' bit at this point.

Jade nodded, mostly to herself, but she gave Lillian a smile just the same. "So, next time I see you, I'll have talked to her. That's, uh, mostly to make sure I stick to doing it, aha."

Maybe it was unnecessary to make a big deal of saying it out loud, but it felt like the right thing to do.

<><><>​

 

[JFought]

On a night not long before the fight with Powehi, Isidora could once again be found on the Traveller's Haus veranda. For the past half year, this had been her spot of choice to loiter on restless nights while in Frontier Town, whether to read a book, write in her journal, or spend some time gazing at a now familiar sky. Tonight was a "lean against the veranda and stare at the stars" night, though she kept her journal in her paws. While she still couldn't tell the constellations apart, a couple days ago she had made the effort to learn about them at the very least. It seemed important to, now that the chances she had to see and remember this sky were running out.

She thanked the gods back home that the Phantom Star wasn't here to interrupt this chance. Ever since he arrived he had made a habit of inviting himself and ruining the mood.

"All of this, it's so very interesting, isn't it? Though perhaps not to you by now."

"Eh. Definitely a change in scenery at first. But yeah, I've gotten used to it."

"Oh? Is that wistfulness I detect?"

"What? You're making shit up. What part of what I said would give that impression?"

"Hm... The passionate denial, perhaps?"

"Well- tch."

"...It's all temporary, isn't it?"

A sudden impulse had Isidora skimming through the contents of her journal again. She had finished translating (most of) its Liberian script last night -- now, she had to figure out what to do with it. Her first thought had been to donate it to the library in Little Scriven. As egotistical as it sounded out loud, it did likely have some historical value, and the 'mon there were certain to appreciate it.

But just considering that plan filled her with a nameless anxiety. She threw the book onto her bag by the wall and fell back to staring at the stars, hoping she could find some answer up there, the reassurance she needed to tie up all her loose ends. I have to start somewhere. And soon.

 

[Jackie Cat]

It wasn't long now until their next big battle – this time, as a united team. Depending on how it went... Well. There wasn't a lot of time left for pleasantries. Laura couldn't remember the last time she'd put in a proper day's work at the Gazette. That was alright. She'd get one last piece in before she left Forlas, she was sure.

Pacing the streets of Frontier Town, she felt the night air on her whiskers. There was a different sensation to things in her new, pantherine body. She could feel the tremors of pedestrian traffic under her forepaws, take in scents she'd have failed to notice before. As a Meowth, she'd felt like a human in a fursuit, sometimes. Now she felt like a carnivorous animal with a scarf and a day job. All placebo, no doubt, just whiplash from her evolution, but still. It made her realise how she'd not really thought of herself as a pokémon until now.

She blinked, as she caught a familiar scent she struggled to place. She recognised it, this was someone she... liked? Right? She peered into the streets, and caught a shock of red – Isidora's crest, as the Weavile stargazed on the Haus' veranda.

She found herself padding over without hesitating. Oh? She wasn't gonna agonise for fifteen minutes about whether to bother Isidora? No. No, she bloody well would not. She was done being neurotic.

"Hey, Isidora," she called, with a purr in her throat. "Nice night, huh?"

She glanced back, checking they didn't have an audience. Sometimes 'fans' would trail a Wayfarer hoping to get an autograph. But not tonight. Laura let herself onto the veranda and put her forepaws up on the wooden rail.

"Been a minute, huh? I helped dismantle the Covenant the other day – no big deal. I hope you've not been slacking."

She flashed Isidora a grin, genuinely curious about how she'd been besides her friendly banter.

 

[JFought]

Isidora's ears twitched at the voice. And as it's source walked up and joined her on the veranda, it took a couple seconds of confused staring before realization hit.

"Oh, Laura. I almost didn't recognize you." She met the new persian's grin with a mischievous one of her own. "My condolences on evolving." And abruptly her eyes went wide. Wait was that a weird thing to say? She scratched her cheek. "Er, I mean, congrats."

Brushing that off: "Yeah, I've been keeping busy too. Y'know, tyin' up loose ends with the Vanguard and Rangers and stuff." The unexpected new topic resonated odd with Isidora's mood, and a ton of disparate thoughts suddenly coalesced into a sigh. "Crazy to think we actually succeeded in taking out the Coven." With some embarrassment, she smiled and looked away. "I guess I owe an apology for being a hardass all this time, thinkin' it was impossible to do from the inside."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura snorted at the condolences. What was that about? Just banter, probably.

"No apology necessary. Honestly it sometimes seems like we were crazy to believe it was possible. I'm not gonna lie, I only really thought we had a serious shot at getting intel on whoever the worst guys were, or whatever. I guess we overperformed, and got a little lucky with guilttripping Articuno into helping out."

She sighed, turning away for a moment.

"A lot of those folks were totally well-intentioned, is the thing. Or at least harmless. I hope they can make something better without indirectly supporting all the shitty stuff the Covenant got up to. I was surprised at how many of them weren't even human-descended, so... maybe they can make a special club that doesn't make a big deal out of being human."

Laura gave a nasal huff of fatigue and mild guilt. When she breathed in, she caught hints of cigarette smoke, alcohol, and gunpowder.

"What was that about condolences?" she asked, with a smirk, idly examining underneath her claws on one paw. "I think I look good!"

A lot sexier than a Meowth, anyway. At least she'd lucked out with her jaw shape and not gotten that inbred look like pedigree Alolans usually had... A good cheek-fur haircut certainly helped!

​

 

[JFought]

Isidora waved a paw in an attempt to dismiss her little gaffe. "It was a stupid joke, don't think about it too hard. You do look good." She idly flexed her own claws and stared off into the distance, feeling a little weird about it. "Figured you'd care about being forced onto all fours and losing your dexterity, since you used to be human and all. But I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?"

On the topic of the Coven's remnants, Isidora wasn't sure what to think. But did it matter what she thought about them? Soon, she wouldn't remember it. "And yeah, I hope those guys can make something good out of this too," she said, somewhat wistfully. "Not like we have much choice but to trust 'em."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura thanked Isidora for the compliment and shook her head mildly at the remark about being less human-like. Truthfully, it bothered her less by the day. The dexterity wasn't even so different, honestly.

Isidora's tone of voice as she returned to the Covenant topic, though...

"Is it just me or are you..."

She skewed her mouth as she searched for the right words.

"...feeling differently to usual, about things? You're normally so tense, but now all I'm getting is melancholy. Don't think I've seen you in this mood before. So. Dungeon dust for your thoughts?"

 

[JFought]

For a moment, Isidora froze. "Uh..."

And then she relaxed, and replied with a self-deprecating chuckle. "Is it that obvious? I guess I really have gone soft."

The idea of talking about it felt strange. Don't I just need to get over it? Wouldn't it be easier to just... not? But Laura was her friend, however temporarily. She owed it to her to at least be honest. She took a deep breath.

"I've just... been thinking about how little time we have left. Doesn't matter how the battles ahead go: soon we won't be here anymore, and our memories of our time here will be gone. Like none of it ever happened." She rested her chin on her arms and put a little more edge into her voice. "And of course I always knew it'd come to this. I know it's stupid to get all weepy about it when we've all known, all this time. I just, don't want to leave any regrets behind, y'know?"