Tyrrier Cornèbre Forest

[MintyMimix]

"Don't reason with him," she sent through the group telepathy. "We can't afford to look disloyal."

"Agh, why does this undercover stuff have to be such a pain?!"

It wasn't as though Ghaspius was a bad actor — his little performance at Scriven was proof of that — he just preferred not to when he could. After all, it was only yet another reminder of them. At least he could just be himself with his new job. Mostly. When he wasn't under a non-disclosure agreement, at least.

The Mismagus placed a tassel to his chest as he forced him gems to flutter. "'Skin-thieves', ya say? I ain't done much huntin', let alone skinnin'. Can y'all speak bit more plainly so we know what to be spooked about?" He tried to hold back his pained expression. Talking arrogantly like that physically hurt.

 

[Inkedust]

The shadowy Owen would find that while it was possible to disarm the traps, they were highly volatile and would activate at the slightest hair trigger. Disabling them stealthily and successfully would take time but he would have a chance if the Wayfarers could keep the kleavor talking and if he was able to figure out which traps would have the most effect based on their positioning.

Farin looked between the Wayfarers and kleavor and she exhaled through her nose. Those good at reading body language would've noticed that she looked hurt. 'You may speak your minds freely,' she said telepathically. Everyone in the area can hear you, including your... escorts, but Pewter, do not escalate simply because you crave conflict.'

She cast her gaze aside. 'But I'm disappointed... Valere trusted you...'

Kleavor, or rather, Pewter spat. "Think I'd tell you?" he goaded Leaf. "I don't owe you lot anything and don't think I don't know what you lot are capable of. What you think these traps are the only thing I got prepared for ya?" Was he bluffing? Difficult to tell and taking that risk could've had intense consequences if they got it wrong. "All you damn humans -" he spat out the word like it tasted foul "- are all the same. Actin' all high and mighty because you saved the world once. You and you traitors to your own kind." He brandished his axe again and in one swipe, he felled a second tree. He glowered at Farin. It seemed that the noivern was there to keep things from getting too explosive. If Pewter himself was a dead-end, then maybe there would be a chance with Farin.

Bellatrix looked around, analysing the Wayfarer's position. Feats were one thing but given the space and density of traps, it felt as if the kleavor had prepared for their usual strategies specifically. Even if the Wayfarers had the upper hand based on power alone, were these resources they were willing to expend, when they hadn't even reached the dungeon yet?

Garnet could be heard humming in the distance. Just what was the scizor up to?

 

[Phoenixsong]

They were... Vanguard? Yeah? The guys who didn't like the— oh. Right. Riiiiight. Okay. (Too many messes to keep track of in this place.) That made sense. And so did what she'd asked, definitely. Just pretend it was dismissive and condescending and cool instead of utterly confused. Easy!

...because apparently that was what they were doing now? Pretending even harder that they wanted to be here, which was super fun when she already emphatically did not? Great, awesome, wonderful. She should've stayed back west.

(Did they even really need to pretend? It wasn't like Ralsen cared; he sure wasn't working with the Covenant for real. So that just left that Garnet lady who— waaaasn't even here any more! Fantastic. Leaf tried to ignore the big rock scyther and look around. Was there any sign of where she'd gone? Was she just lost, or had she fallen into a trap? Please let her have fallen into a trap, it would be so funny.)

 

[Chibi Pika]

Ralsen glanced between the Wayfarers, curious. Seemed like they’d decided to keep their cover. Well, he had no prior interactions with the Vanguard, so he didn’t have to worry about breaking cover like they did. So, while that incorporeal Charizard did his work, he was fine with keeping up a distraction.

“What are your demands?” he asked calmly, keeping one hand on his bag.

 

[Weazel]

Well, the Kleavor – Pewter? – sure took that sick burn from Leaf and kept on trucking. These two were Vanguard, then. This might well be Archie’s first proper meeting with members of that organization. The Noivern, at least, seemed willing to talk – or think, as the case may be. As long as they could keep them talking, then, might as well try to defuse the situation just in case the Kleavor really did have more up his sleeve than it first appeared.

“Listen, we’re not here to pick sides in your ideological dispute,” he said, glancing from Pewter to Farin and back. “We heard something’s going in Tyrrier, so we’re trying to figure out of there’s anything we can do to help. If someone else wants to assist, who are we to say no? We did do that though – that whole saving the world thing – so it would be nice of we could have the benefit of the doubt, instead of showing up and immediately start popping off about ‘damn humans’ and race traitors.”

<I don’t know how to explain that a fancy badge doesn’t mean we’ve drank the Berry Juice without alerting Garnet,> the Dewott thought. <Laura, Ghaspius? Do either of you think you could reach the Noivern to explain to her without being overheard?>

In the meantime, he at least shot the bat wyvern an apologetic look. It was all he felt like he could safely do.

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt closed her eyes and contemplated something. Owen, meanwhile, meticulously worked on the easier traps while adjusting the harder ones from the shadows. He planned to set off a chain reaction of many of them, one activating another, with nobody in it. But for now, he had time to set up...

"We're here to investigate," Mhynt said plainly. "We don't hold some alliance with anyone unconditionally. I'm not even human, for what it's worth. Never saw one in person, either, as a human at least. I know from my world that humans are capable of the great and terrible, just the same as any Pokemon. The only thing that makes them special is their auras, not their valor."

 

[Tetra]

Koa bristled at Pewter's words, swallowing back the growl in his throat with considerable effort. He'd never met the Vanguard before, only heard of them from other Wayfarers, but he decided very quickly he didn't think highly of Pewter and wouldn't mind getting a chance to knock him flat. At least he didn't have to try very hard to keep up appearances when it came to Pewter.

As far he was concerned, this Vanguard didn't sound much better or different from the Covenant's snobbishness. One group who hated humans and one looked down on humans. He didn't see any Covenant or Vanguard showing up to fight Cipher or free shadow pokemon. Or standing up to Alexander. Too busy skulking about or holding stupid fancy meetings in their dumb buildings. Maybe if they'd bothered even once to talk to the Wayfarers-

With effort, he forced his gaze away from the Kleavor and to Farin, who at least seemed capable of holding a civil conversation. He clenched his jaw, considering his words carefully before he spoke. They needed reason here, first. Leveling his tone into something more neutral, he spoke. "I believe our past actions speak well enough about who we are. Don't let our... present company blind you to that."

 

[MintyMimix]

"All you damn humans -" he spat out the word like it tasted foul "- are all the same. Actin' all high and mighty because you saved the world once. You and you traitors to your own kind."

And here he thought the Covenant's arrogance meter was off the charts! For a brief moment, Ghaspius shut his eyes, took in a sharp inhale and tipped his hat down to shadow his face before speaking again.

"So whether actually human or not, it's already decided then, huh?" he mused, playing with one of his dangling tassels with his arm-like appendages as he spoke, "Do y'all also shut out firefighters when you're in a burning building 'cause ya didn't like the sheriff they worked with?"

<Laura, Ghaspius? Do either of you think you could reach the Noivern to explain to her without being overheard?>

With a nod in Archie's direction, the Mismagius slowly and carefully rose up — appendages up as he did so to communicate he meant no harm — before trying to whisper in the Noivern's sensitive ears, "We're workin' undercover. I'd rather be a Caterpie in a Fearow nest than try to believe in weird human supremacy shtick." It certainly wasn't the whole picture, but his talking time was limited. Anyone could jump in and elaborate, at least, and Laura wasn't too far off elevation-wise if she wanted to join in.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura ignored the messy back-and-forth below. There were more than enough people speaking without her joining in. Meanwhile, she had a chance to spot another trap concealed in the canopy, and work on attempting to disarm it. Not her usual skillset, but it was better than doing nothing...

"Betel, how fucking strong is this guy, anyway?" she sent.

I cannot say. From my perspective, you are collectively incandescent with power. I am not able to discern an individual aura for analysis in this circumstance.

Well, it was worth a shot. And it was reassuring that they were still strong as hell themselves – despite her private worries that they were overestimating themselves after their last big fight. It paid to be cautious. You never knew when there was something you, well, didn't know about the situation. Maybe Pewter wasn't even alone...

 

[Butterfree]

'Skin-thieves'? Was that supposed to be a slur for humans, wearing Pokémon's skin? Jesus.

Dave looked skeptically towards Laura at her warning to maintain their cover. Really? They had to play at loyalty to the Covenant now, even to these guys? He hadn't heard all that much about the Vanguard, but it sounded like they were the main active resistance to the Covenant, even if they were trying hard to make themselves unlikable. And what, now they had to pretend actually they loved the Covenant, because otherwise the world's most oblivious Scizor might suspect something?

Well, Ghaspius seemed to be on it. Dave looked at Pewter, deadpan. "Well, aren't you a delight. What do you want exactly?"

 

[Inkedust]

Pewter grinned pointing a blade to the Wayfarers. "Want my demands? We can begin with—"

Farin glared at him.

The kleavor harrumphed, crossing his thin arms. "Hand over the knight." Pewter's eyes sparked with something and his voice... was that Radiance? A flash of the light ran down the edge of his axes. Thankfully, it didn't seem that the traps that Owen and Laura were working to disarm had any lingering traces of the aura. Work on them was slow but with Pewter so laser-focused on the Wayfarers and Farin keeping an eye on Pewter, they went unnoticed giving them just enough time to setup and disarm them to their liking.

"Talk about your intentions all ya fuckin' like!" he continued. "But if ya choose to lie with filth, don't act surprised that some pokémon want nothin' to do with it." He didn't care about what was happening in Tyrrier at all or the Wayfarer's reason for being there, he just really despised the fact that they were working with the Covenant at all.

As Ghaspius approached and tried to whisper in Farin's ear, the mismagius would've been blown away with a powerful gust from the noivern's wings. 'Make yourself heard,' she demanded, flying off to another branch. Her eyes narrowed. 'I've heard that story too many times to believe it. Did I not warn about how clever they are? How they can hook you in if you give them the slightest opportunity?'

Garnet could be heard giggling in the distance. "Oh you two are no fun at all!" she called. "Can a lady not take a stroll through the woods to her liking?"

From just above Pewter, a scarlet blur descended downwards and landed right on top of the kleavor, locking axe and pincer together. "I personally think that it's rather uncivilised to attack random people in the woods just because you don't like their company," Garnet said, her tone becoming far more serious. With her free pincer, the scizor gestured to the Wayfarers to continue. Would they? Or should they hang around to reason further? Their choice.

While the two were distracted, Bellatrix summoned an illusion to hide herself to scout the perimeter of the area just to see how prepared these two were. Setting up traps and an ambush was one thing, but were they alone or did they have backup? Knowing that would've made it more clear as to whether or not Pewter was bluffing or not.

...Was that barking in the distance?

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh, wonderful. You're drunk with Radiant power all the same," Mhynt said with a sigh. "So, let me understand this. You saw us interacting with the Covenant just once, even after we have literally already saved this world once, have interacted with other factions freely, and have demonstrated how we fight independently. And in reaction, you prepared elaborate traps just to get in our way of gathering information to fully understand the picture. How we are suspicious of this... mess of a political landscape this region has become." She waved her hand in the air.

"Have you ever considered," Mhynt went on, "that making allies is difficult when you fight anyone who may so much as even slightly interact with your foes? You clearly have not researched into political alignments. These things happen all the time. It's called diplomacy. And if you are unable to follow it, you will fail for lack of allies. You will turn on each other and fall into the pitfalls of purity tests. Then all you'll have is your pride, standing atop your tattered flag.

"Is everyone in this world an idiot?"

 

[Weazel]

Okay, so neither of them were even the slightest bit willing to listen to reason. What an absolute waste of time. Although, now that Garnet was busy locking blades with Pewter, this was actually a great opportunity to ditch their Covenant babysitter and disengage with the Vanguard true believers all at the same time. They’d still have to deal with Ralsen, but it wasn’t like he had any particular loyalties either way.

“Let’s go, then,” the Dewott sighed, before looking around the rest of the group. Bellatrix was gone, Laura was still up a tree, and they were short a shadow. On the other hand, it certainly sounded like more company was on the way, meaning they had to regroup fast if they wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. “How are the traps coming, are we good to march?”

He really hoped so, but Archie kept his Razor Shells ready, just in case.

 

[canisaries]

The Vanguard. Andre'd heard other Wayfarers discuss them, and it seemed like they were highly anti-Covenant - perhaps even created precisely to be that. Andre certainly had sympathy for the non-human-descendant pokémon of Forlas protesting the unfair advantages that human-descendant had, and he could hardly blame anyone for being aggressively against the Human Club that the Covenant tended to be.

The others, though, seemed to think that the Wayfarers needed to keep up their cover of working with the Covenant instead of against it when the scizor - Andre was suprised she actually could fight - was present, possibly also because of the grovyle. Andre thought of what he could say without blowing their cover and remembered his favorite trick: playing innocent. Dumb, even.

"Filth?" Andre said, tilting his head, looking cute as a deerling knew how to do. "I might be out of the loop here. What did the Covenant do that makes you call them that?"

 

[Tetra]

The others Wayfarers words echoed around the forest as they stalled. Frustration tore at Koa. Nobody here was doing anything. He hated the idea of looking like he believed the Covenant completely, but the Vanguard hadn't done a thing to explain themselves or even try to talk. But it wasn't his place to ruin the rest of the teams plans.

"Make myself heard?" he growled, fighting down irritation. Farin judging them, even when she should have known, even when she'd never once made an effort to explain, made his hackles bristle. Did she not see? They were wandering in the dark, trying to find a way to help, trying to stop the group who'd hurt Sage, and she wasn't doing a thing to try and help, much less Pewter.

"Hear this. I'm not here for empty words or squabbles. And no, we're not handing anyone over to a pack of aggressive strangers." He glared directly at Farin, ignoring Pewter utterly. He wasn't worth the breath as far as Koa cared, given his behaviour. Even if he found Garnet annoying, he didn't trust Pewter's intentions.

"I care about actions. And I haven't seen yours. The only thing I want to try and do is get rid of evil forces hurting pokemon and trying to take over here. Like Cipher, and Alexander, and that wretched former mayor. I'm only out here in case we find something that lets us help. So any time you feel like helping handle problems hurting real pokemon, I think you know where to find us."

Despite the edge in his tone, he let his stare linger. Wondering if she could (or would) read between the lines. If the Vanguard had such a problem, then they could try to guide them and help them. "That's the reason I'm here." Not about Covenant, not about Vanguard. Not because he was some... Covenant lapdog.

 

[Butterfree]

From just above Pewter, a scarlet blur descended downwards and landed right on top of the kleavor, locking axe and pincer together. "I personally think that it's rather uncivilised to attack random people in the woods just because you don't like their company," Garnet said, her tone becoming far more serious. With her free pincer, the scizor gestured to the Wayfarers to continue. Would they? Or should they hang around to reason further? Their choice.

Jesus fuck. Way to make their fucking point for them. Everyone else responding with "Well, we saved the world, so there" to the guy complaining that humans acted high and mighty because they saved the world wasn't exactly helping either.

"Why do you want her 'handed over'?" he asked instead, glancing towards Farin. "Something she did? What do you want with her exactly?"