Tyrrier Cornèbre Forest

[Butterfree]

'Pewter is a volatile one, not helped by his tremendous combat prowess' she began. 'He will not be convinced once his mind is made, which is why I'm here. Unlike him, I am willing to give benefit of the doubt to an extent but you must also realise that I cannot merely put aside years of conflict based on nothing but your word.'

She raised a wing to gesture at Garnet. 'Our goal remains the same, to fight against the Coven and the most effective way is to deal with their so-called Knights. And like many others, she will be dealt with in whatever manner the Vanguard stationed here thinks is the best and since they are led by Pewter...' Farin let the implications of that speak for itself as she turned her head to eye Koa. Based on a growing smile, it seemed that his words resonated with her.

Yeah, no, Dave didn't like that. Didn't sound like Garnet herself had done anything heinous other than being obnoxious, just being a member of the Covenant (specifically a 'knight', whatever connotations that ultimately had). And being dealt with in whatever manner that frothing loon hopped up on Radiance thought was best rang a lot of alarm bells in any universe. 'Like many others'? So, what was she implying, that they were keeping prisoners? That they'd executed people?

He didn't get a chance to ask about that, or about how Pewter got his Radiance, before the appearance of a trio of dog Pokémon, and then a bunch of traps exploded into action as Mhynt took advantage of the momentary distraction. Dave would've liked to learn more, but what the hell. Apparently this was happening now.

 

[Tetra]

His mind reeled. Pewter was the head of the Vanguard here? Garnet would be dealt with? Koa blanched inwardly. They hadn't even provided proof or arguement of what Garnet had done and they just wanted to... He shuddered. Was the Vanguard seriously assaulting Covenant knights and just... eliminating them when they caught them?

That was wrong. Had Garnet even done anything bad? He opened his mouth to challenge Farin, or at least demand answers. Did the Vanguard care even slightly about trying to do good or did they just want some kind of revenge?

A cacophony of barking cut him off, followed by the sound of more traps activating. What was happening? Several Wayfarers used the distraction to run. No, they needed some answers, why were they running-

More barking, and several canines - a houndoom?! No, just a wild - were all calling over each other. Helping?

Biting down his confusion and annoyance, he cast a final glare at Farin. "Be seeing you." Even though his words came out as a growl, there was a deeper sentiment, still tinted by anger. He wanted her to explain herself to them. Later.

Then he ran after the other canine pokemon (it felt unnervingly satisfying to run in a pack). "Who are you all?" he demanded.

 

[Inkedust]

It took nothing to set off the first trap, leading to a whole chain of them going off in explosive fashion. Blast seeds detonated, pillars of rock shot out at all angles, creating a jagged cage of rock that surrounded the small clearing. It was a good thing the Wayfarers were already on the run by the time those went off.

Garnet was still busy with Pewter but seeing the pack of dogs run past, she winked and took off after the Wayfarers, slicing down the pillars of rock with her pincer. "Sorry darling, but it looks like that's my cue to leave," she giggled, taking a small bow before turning to chase the others.

As the Wayfarers escaped, they could hear Farin call out to all of them, 'Impressive! I will be watching you eagerly so show me your resolve through your actions!' She sounded jovial, clearly impressed by the display. She was now in the air as Pewter roared in anger. Mhynt managed to hang around enough to see Pewter's anger turn on Farin but he was quick to hurl a chunk of rock Mhynt's way to get the last laugh. He slammed the ground in fury when the sceptile teleported away.

"This isn't the last you'll see of me!" the kleavor shouted in the distance. "You hear me! I'll be back to finish the job!"

As the Wayfarers ran, more and more dog pokémon began to show up, whether they were jumping out of the bushes or just catching up. The pack was far larger than the three that were spotted before and they were all manners of canine species. From herdier, to rockruff, to granbull, and they were all led by an arcanine who ran at the front of the pack. The furfrou who'd tackled Bellatrix kept pace with the bulk of their group. Those who had been hanging around Novelux would've recognised him as Clive.

"We're here to investigate the oddities happening here too!" he called out. "But you guys looked like you were in trouble, so we came to help. We're the Dog Squad, by the way! Like the name? I came up with it myself!"

The group didn't need to run for long as when Arcanine determined that they'd run a safe enough distance, he stopped to jump on a large rock and howl. The other dogs followed suit and the canid Wayfarers would find that their instincts would have a hard time resisting joining in - even Bellatrix who'd crossed her arms and looked away.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Ralsen leapt down from the trees and landed in the snow alongside the Wayfarers, dusting the debris from his cloak. For a moment there, it'd looked like he might need to reach for some' reinforcements'--the Pokéballs he no doubt had stashed in his bag. But fortunately, it hadn't come to that.

As Garnet rejoined the group, Ralsen gave her a curious look. "Am I correct in assuming you have some manner of history with that 'Pewter'?"

 

[Weazel]

The Kleavor intended to kill the Scizor, then. The Dewott flourished his blades again, thoughts of ditching the whole affair at least momentarily forgotten. It didn’t matter what he thought about Garnet or the Covenant at large, he wasn’t going to stand by and let a Pokemon get murdered…

Only it didn’t actually come to that. Their little stand-off was interrupted by a the appearance of a gaggle of canine Pokemon – including the Furfrou Archie recognized from Realgar Springs, of all places. The forest around them exploded in sprung traps as their group – Garnet included – made a break for it. Naturally, the Dewott followed along, cuttings his way through the undergrowth to keep pace. It was only once they’d joined up with the rest of what was proving to be a veritable horde of dogs that he put the scalchops away.

"I expect we'll all have history with him before long," he muttered to no one in particular. Pewter did not seem the sort to be satisfied until the situation really came to blows.

 

[canisaries]

It took all of Andre's willpower to not give into his primal cervine instincts when he saw a bunch of canines run towards him. Once the traps were triggered, though, the built up stress in the deerling's body could be safely released through running away.

Once they stopped and Garnet returned, Andre remembered what she'd done for them. He felt begrudgingly thankful, then figured that he should show it without the begrudging part.

"Thanks for looking out for us back there," he said to the scizor. "That could've gotten messy."

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt, with a self-satisfied grin to herself, dusted off her arms without any sign of debris and glanced at her shadow, which had shifted and mutated back into a Charizard. He remained flat on the ground and instead gave a simple OK sign with his claws.

"So," she said, "I don't know everything involved in what happened back there. Care to explain?"

 

[Tetra]

"Awoo-" Koa snapped his jaws shut and swallowed, hoping nobody heard the beginnings of a howl rising in his throat.

"The... Dog Squad?" he asked, tipping his had in confusion, looking between the assembled group. They were all canine, he realized. There were even a few Manectric he spotted, which felt oddly comforting. Still. "What?"

Half of his instincts wanted to trust them but the rest of him was wary of the idea of all these new groups. If all his time on Forlas had taught him anything it was that not everyone was nice. He shook himself inside, trying to compose his thoughts. "Thanks I guess. So... You're all investigators or something? Why are you looking into this?" he asked carefully.

 

[Inkedust]

Garnet bowed to the Wayfarers in acceptance of their thanks. Well, it seemed that Andre was the only one to be outwardly thankful but Garnet was happy to assume that everyone else felt the same way.

Ralsen received a dismissive wave of a pincer in reply. "Not at all! That's the very first time I've encountered that ruffian. Who would have thought that he was once a species as noble as scyther," she added with a small, uppity huff, punctuated by her crossing her arms. "Talk of a first impression."

Garnet sighed at Mhynt's question. "The Vanguard have been a bit of a..." she trailed off and hummed as she thought of the words. "A thorn in our sides. They always seem to show up to cause problems specifically for us and I'm not sure why. Can't they see we're trying to help?"

They're led by Valere and the noivern is his right hand if I am not mistaken, Bellatrix added over Betel's network to keep Garnet from prying further. There is some kind of history, personal history between them although it seems that both are liable to having less than savoury members among their ranks if that encounter is anything to go by. "I think we have history with him already," Bellatrix added aloud as to not appear suspicious. "What's more alarming is how he managed to get a hold of Radiance."

The arcanine hopped down from his rocky perch and took a few steps towards the Wayfarers. All the other dogs sat aside, all their tails wagging furiously.

"You could say that it's a hobby of mine seeing that I carry no badge here," Arcanine said. His countenance was somewhere between gruff and personable. "I arrived here not too long ago and when I saw the oddities here, that beam of light, I couldn't help myself!"

 

[Tetra]

A species as noble as Scyther? Koa rolled his eyes when she wasn't looking. Even if that held a shred of truth, Garnet certainly wasn't. Why did they have to work with her?

Yeah I bet you have no idea at all why the Vanguard dislike you.

Koa did his best to focus instead on the issue quite literally in front of him. (He really wished he was taller, craning his neck was getting annoying). The Arcanine, leader of the 'Dog Squad'. "Wait you just arrived here? From where?"

"Oh and uh, my name is Koamaru. You?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Mhynt," the Sceptile introduced with a nod. She decided, for now, to keep Owen hidden. It would add too many unnecessary questions, and it didn't affect much anyway. "Thank you, regardless, for getting us out of something that would have been a nuisance... but we do still want to delve deeper to investigate this place. If that Vanguard will continue to pester us, however... Hm."

 

[Butterfree]

As soon as the Dog Squad started howling, Dave was hit with the absolute most idiotic urge to join in with them, and God, he could not get out of Forlas fast enough.

Garnet sighed at Mhynt's question. "The Vanguard have been a bit of a..." she trailed off and hummed as she thought of the words. "A thorn in our sides. They always seem to show up to cause problems specifically for us and I'm not sure why. Can't they see we're trying to help?"

Dave raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, maybe the patronizing taunts about how 'uncivilized' they are have something to do with it. Just a thought."

He turned towards the Arcanine. "I'm Dave. So you're... not aligned with the Covenant or the Vanguard, I take it? Who are you exactly?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura finished disarming her trap just as everything went wild. At the sound of so many canids arriving on the scene, her fur went up all down her back despite herself, her second nature overriding all other impulses, and she fumbled the damn device. She had just enough composure to catch it, nearly dropping it in the process. Howls!

She looked down and listened to the usual immediate exchange. Interesting. And unexpected.

(She frowned, her ears twitching with faint recognition. There was something very vaguely familiar about these guys. Had she read some column about them in Novelux or something? Overheard a fleeting whisper of hearsay at the Congress? Who fucking knew. Whatever.)

She dropped down from the tree, mimicking a technique she'd seen other 'mon use – Sonora and Shira, to name a couple – of slowing her descent with a set of claws in the tree trunk. Cool stuff like that was getting steadily easier as she grew stronger. Nice.

"So you're vigilantes?" she inquired, already reaching for her reporter's pad. "You carry no badge 'here' – are you implying you've had law enforcement experience?"

The rescue was appreciated, and the guy seemed well-meaning, but it'd be good to have a fuller picture of the situation...

 

[Inkedust]

Garnet looked mildly taken aback at Dave's comment. "He attacked us in the woods!" she argued. "Is that well mannered for anyone?" The scizor was ready to go on a long rant about being ambushed in the woods but it was halted in its tracks by Arcanine who cleared his throat.

He nodded his head in acceptance of their thanks and said, "The situation is rather... complicated, I must admit. But yes, we have no association with either organisation. Not that we're vigilantes, 'freelancer' would be the more appropriate term. Even still, we would be glad for the opportunity to help one another."

"Complicated?" Bellatrix asked. "What makes it complicated, unless you are implying that you're a Faller?"

Arcanine opened his mouth to respond, only for Clive to interrupt with, "That's what he told us! Borker here was supposedly a member of the International Police back on his home world. I'm sure it's why he was so drawn to the mysteries here."

"Looker," he corrected. If he had the dexterity to rub his temples, he would, it seemed that it was a common enough mistake among the group.

 

[Jackie Cat]

"—Fucking Borker?"

Laura put her paw to her mouth, intent on pretending she'd said nothing.

Looker. His name was fucking Looker. Like the goddamn Interpol agent. She'd seen interview clips from the Aether thing, some Kalosien bloke in a trenchcoat who looked and sounded straight out of a pulp paperback, save for being more of a... softboiled detective. Not a pushover, just...

She looked the extremely fluffy dog up and down.

Soft.

"You have your memories?" she asked, brow furrowing, pencil in her paw.

 

[Namohysip]

"Looker," repeated Mhynt with a thoughtful frown. She seemed to be eyeing the Arcanine as if considering something. Judging. Evaluating.

"...In any case," Mhynt said, suddenly glancing at a very interesting tree, "I appreciate the help. But can you describe the nature of your arrival? Voices you heard, guiding presences? The circumstances of your first hours in Forlas? That may help us understand how you came here in the first place."

 

[Tetra]

Koa did a double take. "Looker?!" he said, unable to restrain the yelp.

"What-" he shook his head and blinked, reigning in his shock. Not his worlds, just... one of who knows how many. It was no less disorienting though, to hear the name of someone so famous. Still, he felt much more at ease now knowing that this was Looker and not just some potentially nefarious party tricking them.

"Well... It's good to meet you. Maybe we can try and help each other," he mused, his tail wagging slightly. Knowing it was Looker, even a Looker, meant that he could be a great ally. "Are you all... Fallers?"

 

[Butterfree]

Why... why were multiple people reacting like the name 'Looker' or 'Borker' meant something? Had he missed something?

"So, uh, that means you're human?" God, it was still dumb to look at a dog and ask if he was human. "And you're just... investigating, same as us?"

 

[Inkedust]

"I have a clear recollection of things, save for the circumstances that brought me here," Looker replied. He tilted his head, frowning slightly. "It was rather odd. One moment, I was heading to a new region to take up a new case and the next, I woke up here. I'll admit, there was a bit of an... adjustment period for me. I landed in an odd place, not too far from here, a 'mystery dungeon' some of my companions called it." He looked at a few members of the pack and nodded at them. "It was some kind of burnt forest. I'll admit, a funny coincidence given my newfound fire-typing. I was lucky that a few of these fine fellows found me not long afterwards."

At Dave, he nodded, and to Koa he said, "I think some are, but most are just from around the area and wanted to help out but yes, any further help would be deeply appreciated. It'd benefit the both of us as well!"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura scratched her cheek contemplatively.

"Well, I think our priority ought to be finding shelter and civilisation. We have camping supplies, but I'd rather we not get, y'know. Attacked in the night by crazed guerrillas? You get it. Any idea where the nearest town is?"

Perhaps 'town' was a bit ambitious. She'd read that Tyrrier was pretty backwater by Commonwealth standards.

"Uh, the nearest village, even?"