Frontier Town Jailhouse

[Inkedust]

The shadow lunged, trying to reach through the bars but the two smaller pokémon had just managed to escape the range of its arms. It pulled back to fire a Pin Missile in response but the poor angle caused the pins to bounce off the wall harmlessly before they vanished from its view entirely.

Out of sight, the drapion looked around, trying to find the two, growling at the sound of their voices before it slowly began to quieten.

For now, it seemed, they were safe.

 

[Jackie Cat]

There came a light coughing, as if a clearing of a throat, from the cell adjacent the drapion's.

"...You boys had some chance of success when you appeared neither submissive, nor threatening," said Ignatius Voclain, turning on his bed to face the bars of his cell. "Then one of you did something to confuse or provoke it. Did I hear the sound of someone reaching into its enclosure? When a creature like that makes a threat display, one does not approach it. You should have held your ground. Trying a new technique every few seconds does not project confidence..."

He laughed under his breath, a strange and mirthless sound.

"It is moot. This circus act can achieve nothing useful, when you would-be ringmasters have no understanding of your charge."

 

[Tetra]

Koa flinched and scooted back even further, his heart pounding and hackles on end. His lips curled into a snarl reflexively, and he almost went to attack, but caught himself. The attack missed. They were unharmed. For now.

And then a voice interrupted them and Koa tensed again, on edge. He knew that voice. Ignatius words needled at him and Koa frowned. Had they ruined themselves before they started? He felt a knot building in his chest and he whipped around, ready snarl, clamping his jaws at the last second. With great effort, he took a steadying breath, then another. And another.

"Care to enlighten us on our charge then?" The words came out stiff and tense, but he managed to stay vaguely level in his tone. He refused to risk setting off Drapion because of him. And on some level, beneath everything, he wondered if Ignatius knew something useful.

 

[Weazel]

Well, so much for that. Archie sent himself rolling across the floor in the direction of the jailhouse door, only managing to stop himself and push himself back into a seated position when he heard the last of the pins clatter to the floor. The sudden exertion activated every pain receptor he had left, and the Oshawott monetarily descended into a coughing fit as he clutched at his chest with one paw and stomach with the other. It took a minute for him to get his breathing under control again, and only then was he able to focus on the source of the new voice.

He hadn’t actually noticed the ex-mayor sulking in the shadows of his cell when the pair of them had entered. He supposed it only made sense this is where Voclain had ended up. Still, he was about the last person Archie wanted to see right now. For a moment, he considered trying to find a loose pebble around the floor and tossing it at the Empoleon to inform him just how little the Oshawott cared about what the disgraced politician had to say. But, Koa’s words caused him to halt.

That notebook that Steven had nearly died to protect, it had been Voclain’s, hadn’t it? And by following that notebook, Koa, Wes, and the others had had their first encounter with a Shadow Pokemon, hadn’t they? The Empoleon had to know something, then, didn’t he? But why would he share it with them, if he did? Well, Archie was in too much pain to argue at the moment, so he propped himself against the wall across from the Empoleon’s cell, and sighed.

“We’re keen to hear your great wisdom on this subject,” he quipped, dryly.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Ignatius harrumphed quietly to himself, and turned his face towards his cell's ceiling.

"If it were simply a wild 'mon, its behaviours and manner of living would be a matter for study. One might determine that a wild drapion can be, if not tamed, then at least manipulated with intent. It might respond to intimidation, to supplication with food, whatever base conditioning such as a circus beastmaster may employ."

The bird sneered in the darkness, and chuckled softly.

"But that creature is something else. I believe you call it a 'Shadow'? Surely you must have learned by now that it is insane from a madding craving for violence that supercedes all other instincts and directives. You may as well attempt to domesticate a beast afflicted with rabies. All the better, even, for at least rabid creatures are not empowered in battle as this monster has been."

He turned a cold eye towards the Wayfarers, unblinking.

"You would do yourself a service, and that thing a mercy... by putting it down."

 

[Weazel]

“Bullshit,” Archie coughed.

Of course Voclain would say such a thing. Maybe the Empoleon even believed it, but Archie knew it couldn’t be true. He’d seen with his own eyes multiple times that a Shadow Pokemon could be reasoned with. Even now, the Drapion hadn’t attacked them on sight, only after they’d accidentally pushed it too far. And before, when the Mawile had pissed it off, it had focused on her, not on Koa and Archie, who’d been right there in front of it. And not to mention, he and Wes had had a long conversation with Seth, who was perfectly in control of himself.

“Whatever you and your friends did to that Pokemon, it’s not constant,” he said, before glancing between Koa and the Empoleon, “we’ve seen it choose not to be violent, or pick its targets based on who’s coming across as hostile. I’ve had a full conversation with a Shadow Pokemon who was fully cognizant, and I’ve heard of another that ran rather than kill people it had at its mercy. They’re not too far gone to be saved. We just don’t know how to do it yet.”

 

[Jackie Cat]

Voclain's gaze shot to meet Archie's eye, and he peered at him with suspicion.

"Are you suggesting I'm responsible for this beast's condition? I've never laid eyes on it before it was brought to its cell, and only briefly at that."

He sniffed, and frowned doubtfully.

"This 'cognizant' thinking 'mon you met must be uncommonly strong to retain their faculties while so afflicted. I conjecture that they are in the early stages of infection, and their condition will inevitably decline. I welcome any proof to the contrary, but naive speculation is no proof at all."

 

[Tetra]

Putting it down? Koa bristled instinctively at the thought, but Archie beat him to a retort. But as he continued, Koa's gaze cut to Archie, momentarily baffled. A shadow that could hold a conversation? What was he talking about?

Biting back his curiosity, he turned his attention back to Ignatius. Maybe you're just too unintelligent to offer any smart advice. He almost said as much, but he curbed himself. "What do you know about 'shadows' then?" he said evenly, though through gritted teeth. Mhynt had implied that the Charmeleon had potentially been resisting. And Archie said something a cognizant shadow. And now Drapion had shown at least once that it could choose peace instead of violence.

"Clearly there's more to them, given we've observed them behaving against their violent impulses far more than once."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Ignatius scoffed, and shook his head.

"Even rabid animals are not wholly insane during the onset, will sometimes display lethargy instead of aggression, and become paralytic towards the end rather than continue to attack. You choose to interpret what you have seen as restraint, or even compassion, in reasonless wild 'mon. 'Choose peace', indeed! I think it far more likely that this 'Shadow' condition inflames not only the natural tempers, but the natural terrors of these wretched creatures. A 'mon that chooses fight, then flight, has only fled – not spared their victim."

At last, the Empoleon shifted, sitting up on his bed to look directly at the Wayfarers.

"This infection has come about only in the last two years, and clearly interacts with a 'mon's aura, befouling it and destroying the sufferer's mind in the process. The comparison to rabies is not a flippant one – irrational behaviour and extreme aggression are hallmarks of this disease. I'm told that it is not highly infectious, and that the Ranger Union have begun looking into it. Were I still governing this town, I would simply order that drapion killed and hand the body to a physician and chirurgeon to examine. Protection of the citizenry is far more important than taking boyish risks in vain attempts to rehabilitate a wild 'mon that would be territorial and merciless even without suffering this 'Shadow' illness."

He frowned coldly, and leaned forward, folding one wing over his leg.

"If you cannot bear to put that beast out of its misery, then you lack both moral courage and good sense."

 

[Tetra]

Koa saw red. His chest tightened and his hackles rose again. His voice came out clipped and venomous. "So what you're saying is you're just an ignorant coward who likes taking the easy solution."

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew a rant was pointless, but he also didn't care. Ignatius had abused everything he had and ruined people's lives and ruined his son's life and had been shipping people off to arceus knew where. "Because unless you have experience with shadows you'd like to further share, we've had more experience than you. Does protecting citizens include blackmailing them? Making their lives miserable so you can desperately compensate for your lack of skill by living in a mansion and manipulating people? Destroying lives and lying and cheating because you can't succeed without doing that?" Did Lucien have to listen to this every day?

His anger boiled higher as he regarded Ignatius with disgust. "Clearly the only one who people needed protection from is you. All your smug words do is make you more wrong when we prove otherwise. Say what you want or make up whatever excuses, but just because you think the easy way out is smart doesn't make it correct or true."

 

[Weazel]

“Don’t play dumb,” Archie growled. The Oshawott tilted his head to the side, staring at the Empoleon incredulously, “Your little notebook leads a group of us to our first encounter with a Shadow Pokemon. Another Shadow Pokemon comes all the way from Blaguarro to here and just so happens to attack the person who has said notebook in his possession. Specifically targeting him out of the three dozen or so of us? And you expect me to believe that’s not even a little suspicious? You might not be personally responsible for this Drapion, but you know – and are responsible for – something in all this.”

And of course the Empoleon would encourage killing the Shadow Pokemon over saving them. Doubtless if any of the sapient Pokemon who were forced to go through the process of becoming Shadows could be brought back, they’d point the finger at the ex-mayor and many of his other friends. Sure, this Drapion was a feral Pokemon, and even if they brought it back bring its infection it would still be a feral Pokemon, wild and potentially dangerous. But plenty of thinking Pokemon had gone missing, only to attack others as Shadows. Seth wasn’t a feral Pokemon, and nor was that Treecko’s friend. They couldn’t just give up and condemn them all to death or worse.

“’Protection of the citizenry’, don’t pretend you care,” the Oshawott scoffed, “You’re nothing but a fraud. ‘Just kill the Shadows’, what about when the Shadows are those citizens you’re suddenly so concerned with protecting. A real leader wouldn’t take the easy out. They’d never give up on the people relying on them.”

 

[Jackie Cat]

Ignatius' expression hardly budged except to grow mildly more disdainful than it already had been.

"You are a child, who knows nothing of what is easy, hard, worthwhile, or justified," he said to Koa, with a dismissive wave of his wing. "And you seem to believe that I should be some... pulp paperback hero who never leaves a soul in peril, no matter how deplorable. I am a politician, boy, not a shepherd."

He scoffed, seeming genuinely amused, despite his position behind bars. Was he not afraid of spending a life in prison?

"You have 'proven' nothing, offworlders. Coincidence and fanciful conjecture are not worth arguing with. Present hard evidence if you wish me to take you seriously."

 

[Tetra]

"Oh I'm so desperate to get the disgraced inept mayor to take me seriously. Enjoy your stay here," he snapped. People like him were always convinced they somehow knew better. As if their age granted automatic moral superiority. Just because they couldn't be bothered to ever use their power to actually make the world better.

Quelling the hate in his heart, Koa turned to Archie. "I don't think he has anything useful to share. And he's less likely to respond to reason and intelligence than Drapion. Don't bother."

His gaze shifted back to Drapion's cell, wondering if they still had a chance at trying to make a little progress today. Or perhaps attempt to keep coming back... Leaning ever so slightly, he cocked his head and listened, trying to see if he could spot or hear what Drapion was up to now.

 

[Inkedust]

Koa's ears were met with the sound of claws scraping on stone and low growling. It seemed as if it was still rather riled from before.

 

[Weazel]

Archie rolled his eyes. Maybe he would make good on his original plan to find a rock to toss at the ego inflated avian after all. They’d almost certainly have more luck bringing a Shadow Pokemon back to normal than they would ever expecting this self important blowhard to have even the slightest bit of a change of heart. All talking to him was doing was getting them agitated, and if they were upset that was going to make it that much harder to get the Drapion to calm down too. Still, he couldn’t help but snicker at Koa’s quip.

He pushed himself back to his feet, using the wall for support. Sitting on the jailhouse floor wasn’t exactly his idea of comfortable, anyway. Maybe they should try to change the subject to more happier things? Even if they couldn’t make another attempt at getting close to the Drapion, they could at least try and get it used to the sound of their voices. Easiest way to do that, the Oshawott figured, was to circle back to an earlier topic!

“Anyway, Koa, you never told me about your team!” Archie said, walking over to the Electrike again.

 

[Tetra]

Koa cast an uneasy glance back towards the mayor's cell. Then he mentally shrugged. He was here for Drapion, not to listen to him or think about him. And he needed to see if there was any chance the Drapion could still respond to them. Sidling away from Ignatius cell, he began to talk.

In a quiet, casual voice, but loud enough for Drapion to hear. Even though he was talking to Archie, he tried to talk as if he were talking to Drapion too. "Okay well... My starter was a Zubat named Echo. He's a Crobat now." The memory of his evolution still brought a smile to Koa's face. "I have an amazing Joltik who doesn't want to evolve, and a Breloom named Scrapper. He loves to fight. Then there's my Houndoom, and Spheal. And my strongest in raw power, a Tyrantrum. She's the one I told you about. Honestly I'd be lost without them."

He paused for a moment, listening again to Drapion and trying to get a handle on whether their efforts were having any effect. Was it getting used to them at all? Or was it still angry at Archie for approaching?

"What about you? Did you work with a team back home?"

 

[Namohysip]

Steps echoed from the entrance to the jail. Scaly feet padded down the concrete pathways. With only the chatter from the two filling the air, it was easy to hear someone coming... though Drapion's growling and scraping initially didn't make it clear.

Someone approached, silent and purposeful, and passed by a walkway and into the view of Koa and Archie. It was a Zweilous, one head muzzled and growling softly, the other seemingly leading the walk forward.

He was walking directly toward Drapion's cell.

 

[Weazel]

Archie nodded along with Koa’s team talk. It sounded like Koa was a fairly accomplished Trainer with an assortment of powerful Pokemon partners, even a revived fossil, an uncommon sight! It definitely made sense that the Tyrunt would’ve been the one to be a bit distant at first, but the Electrike had found a method that worked for them, and, all told, sounded like he treated all his Pokemon very well. As for the Oshawott, though… Had he ever been a Trainer? Did he have Pokemon of his own, at one point? He honestly couldn’t remember, so, that had to mean he hadn’t, right? Pokemon where such a huge part of a Trainer’s life, surely he’d remember something if they had been part of his.

“Back home, I’m a member of the Adventurers Guild. My partner Spencer – he’s a Treecko – and I are the newest recruits at our guild branch, so, you know, we’re not exactly prestigious or anything, mostly just do odd jobs and all that. There’s also Gwyn and Reid, they’re a Kirlia and Mienfoo, our branch’s other active team. Everyone else is a solo act right now; Douglas, our Foongus door guard, doesn’t leave the grounds much. Will – he’s a Growlithe – specializes in outlaw capture, so we often provide him backup on those. Our Branch Master is a Scrafty named Blake, and his second-in-command is Viola, a Gliscor,” Archie explained, running through the others in his guild. There weren’t a lot of them, but theirs was a particularly coveted branch with high standards and a somewhat grueling regimen… Or so people kept telling the Oshawott. He folded his arms and frowned, remembering that there was one other member he’d neglected to mention. “Oh, there’s also Sterling. He’s a Yungoos, keeps to himself mostly. I’m… Not really sure what he does?”

He didn’t really get much chance to talk further on the subject though, as they were suddenly joined by another Pokemon. A Zweilous. Archie hadn’t heard the Pokemon come in, or say anything to the Watchog on guard duty. The Oshawott glanced towards the entryway back into the jailhouse office, then focused back on the new arrival, with a confused frown.

“Can… We help you with something?” he asked, “It’s dangerous to go down that way.”

 

[Namohysip]

"...Oh, you're here," Alex said after a pause in his walking. "Hello. Yes, I'm fine. I'm part of official Shadow investigations. Thank you."

And without another word, he continued toward Drapion's cell. Somehow, he must have learned about this one's location, but... Shadow investigations? Whatever it was, it must have been enough to get past Watchog.

Alex displayed no fear, no hesitation, upon approaching the cell. He was just an inch away from any attempt Drapion would have in reaching him. Despite being blind, he had remarkable spatial awareness for this Shadowy creature...

 

[Inkedust]

Drapion growled and reared once more, mandibles clicking as it eyed the newcomer curiously. It seemed to notice that the two-headed pokémon was out of its range as it proceeded to slam its claws into the concrete and roar: A more aggressive form of intimidation. Sharp pins, ready to fire, jutted out of its chitin in warning but something about this strange pokémon made it hesitate for just a moment.