Frontier Town Main Street

[RJr3:2]

Aige thought about it. "Spies huh? I've no experience with managing that kind of network... but I suppose there's some merit."

"As for the bounties." The Roggenrola stared at the ground. "I don't disagree that wanted posters can imply a lot about enforcement, but I would hesitate to say it's always a sign of a bad thing. Without all the information, we can't say what is the truth."

Staring at the a building across the street, she continued. "If there were one sheriff for every bandit, then the world would probably be better off. There's almost always going to be more criminals than cops. So it's a matter of priority. What if Lucien and his staff are busy with other matters?" Aige sounded unsure. "N-not that I'm assuming myself."


For a while Aige was silent, mulling over the last term Silver mentioned. "The term is a misnomer, to me at least. A trainer is one who teaches, usually in the sense of continually reinforcing particular skills, such as combat training. 'Pokemon' trainer implies that it's not inherently understood that it's a pokemon doing the training, which in turn..." She took a moment to complete her thought. "It would suggest that the one training the pokemon is not themselves a pokemon." She looked at Silver. "Which I think I know what that entails at this point."

 

[Cresselia92]

"As for the bounties." The Roggenrola stared at the ground. "I don't disagree that wanted posters can imply a lot about enforcement, but I would hesitate to say it's always a sign of a bad thing. Without all the information, we can't say what is the truth."

Staring at the a building across the street, she continued. "If there were one sheriff for every bandit, then the world would probably be better off. There's almost always going to be more criminals than cops. So it's a matter of priority. What if Lucien and his staff are busy with other matters?" Aige sounded unsure. "N-not that I'm assuming myself."

“…That’s a fair point,” conceded Silver, before shrugging. “I’m just skeptical about all of that, y’see? I’ve got plenty of experience with incompetent cops and CEOs, who did such a lousy job that kids had to save their sorry arses when criminal organizations took over important buildings and similar crap.

“Granted, I’m willing to give them the benefit of doubt… if there’s some evidence that things aren’t too terrible and they aren’t morons, that’s it.” He crossed his arms and looked away. “Better safe than sorry.”

"The term is a misnomer, to me at least. A trainer is one who teaches, usually in the sense of continually reinforcing particular skills, such as combat training. 'Pokemon' trainer implies that it's not inherently understood that it's a pokemon doing the training, which in turn..." She took a moment to complete her thought. "It would suggest that the one training the pokemon is not themselves a pokemon." She looked at Silver. "Which I think I know what that entails at this point."

Silver was intrigued by that train of thought. Aige was definitely a smart rock, much smarter than how anyone might initially believe.

Though, by the way she had worded her explanation, it was evident she had no knowledge of Pokémon training. Coupled with her reasoning, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that she was from one of those Pokémon-only worlds.

“Congrats! You hit the mark,” replied Silver, smirking. “Yeah, I’m one of those guys.”

His smirk softened to a neutral smile. “And you must be from a world similar to this, right?” He tilted his head, his gaze brimming with curiosity. “Well, to reciprocate the question, how was your life in your world? And what’re your occupations, both previous and current?”

 

[RJr3:2]

"Well, alright." Aige seemed concerned. "It sounds like there's a more fundamental problem with institutions from where you come from- no offense. I agree with your point though to err to the side of caution."

The Roggenrola perked up when Silver confirmed her words. "Well that's nice," she said happily, "You've probably heard enough about that by now, so we'll leave it at that."

"Anyway, this world is a bit different from my own." She glanced at Silver. "From your view though, I suppose the difference is weighed less than myself. Um, it's a lot less developed here, to say the least. I live in a large city, kind of like a layer cake if you know what that is. Simply put, it's like three cities stacked on top of each other."

"It sounds silly until you see it," Aige said good-naturedly, "Then it's just kind of ridiculous. Something you get used to."

"I'm a division commander in the HCU, that's short for Heinous Crimes Unit," she continued, "Think a few steps above a regular police force. We handle domestic terrorism, threats to national security, seditious activity, and anything else that falls under that umbrella. Aside from that, we fill in the holes the police have trouble with, like we were just talking about."

Aige made a noise like a sigh. "Not that that puts us above being glorified bodyguards in politically minded circumstances. Our purview is supposed to be fairly noble, but in practice, it's a bit more malleable than that."

"As for here? Nothing!" Aige laughed. "I've been sort of treating the last few days like a vacation. I try to keep to myself for the most part so I don't leave a black mark on the work everyone else is trying to do, I just don't need money for much as I am now." Aige spun in a circle. "Not much I need to do to take care of myself. That said, if you have any suggestions, I'd consider it~"

 

[Cresselia92]

"Well, alright." Aige seemed concerned. "It sounds like there's a more fundamental problem with institutions from where you come from- no offense. I agree with your point though to err to the side of caution."

"Yeah, my world has obvious issues..." Silver held out a paw defensively. "But don't get me wrong! It's not all doom and gloom, either. Most people over there are... legitimately pleasant. It's just that the rotten apples reek and stand out way more, that's all."

"I'm a division commander in the HCU, that's short for Heinous Crimes Unit," she continued, "Think a few steps above a regular police force. We handle domestic terrorism, threats to national security, seditious activity, and anything else that falls under that umbrella. Aside from that, we fill in the holes the police have trouble with, like we were just talking about."

Aige made a noise like a sigh. "Not that that puts us above being glorified bodyguards in politically minded circumstances. Our purview is supposed to be fairly noble, but in practice, it's a bit more malleable than that."

Silver hummed in thought when Aige described her city. Some place where buildings and stuff were stacked like in a layer cake? He chuckled softly; that surely brought some fun mental images.

Then he perked up when she described her job, and he whistled in amazement. "Oh, wow. That's... impressive. It sounds like you've got quite the responsibility where you're from, huh?" He grinned again. "I'm sure your skills will be extremely useful and welcome here, especially if we'll have to deal with dangerous people or risky situations! And... while I didn't have the best of experience with police ad stuff, I'm willing to learn a trick or two. If you don't mind giving me a few tips, that's it."

"As for here? Nothing!" Aige laughed. "I've been sort of treating the last few days like a vacation. I try to keep to myself for the most part so I don't leave a black mark on the work everyone else is trying to do, I just don't need money for much as I am now." Aige spun in a circle. "Not much I need to do to take care of myself. That said, if you have any suggestions, I'd consider it~"

Seeing Aige so laid-back made Silver pause. As a big doer, he couldn't quite fathom taking a break in a foreign world while waiting for some clue about their mission. However, he also knew he needed to learn how to chill and relax more. Perhaps... he should have tried to enjoy the Sneasel experience and make the best out of it more often.

"Heh. Y'know, that's not a bad approach!" he commented. "No worries, no stress, no rush... That sure is a healthy state of mind!"

Silver brought his free paw to his chin. "As of what you could do when you'll need some moolah... Hmm, maybe you could take on some escort missions? You definitely look like the Sturdy gal, and you could help 'mons who can't fend by themselves." He clicked his claws together, emulating a finger snap. "You'd get some cash, and the 'mons would stay safe and sound. Looks like a win-win for both parties to me."

 

[RJr3:2]

"As far as 'tricks' go, I don't think I have anything top of mind that would help."

Aige shifted the brim of her hat up. "You'd have to prompt me with something specific to go off of."

"As far as no worries go- I'm trying." The Roggenrola seemed a bit distant. "I'm truthfully feeling a little stress trying to get myself *not* to stress! I'm managing though."

"And I certainly have a little experience with escorting people," she added. "I suppose I can take a look, but maybe I'd have better luck when I get back to being a Boldore. Thank you for the suggestion though!"

 

[Cresselia92]

Silver scratched his head, clearly at a loss for what kinda 'tricks' to ask for. "Huh... I can't think of anything at the moment, but I'll get back to you once I ponder this matter for a while. Also, yeah. Waiting to get stronger through evolution isn't a bad call, either. As long as you're fine with it..."

The now-Sneasel stared intently at the Aige, his ear and head feather flicking a few times, and a frown made its way to his face. "Hmm... If there's something that's weighing on you, you can talk to me about that. Not sure if I can help, but I can lend a listening ear, at least." To reinforce his point, he swiveled his ear toward the Roggenrola.

 

[RJr3:2]

"I suppose if the others prod me to make myself useful, I'll get to it," Aige said lightly, "Until then, I'll just wait and see how everything changes."

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about~" The Roggenrola seemed surprised by Silver's offer. "It's just natural stress from this whole affair, you know, just being in an unfamiliar situation. The same kind I'd imagine you'd be feeling, at least, I think so."

"Thank you for your concern though!" Aige would have smiled if she could. "If I need it, I'll take you up on that ear though. I've always wondered what it would be like to have one!"

 

[Cresselia92]

Silver chuckled, exposing a bit of his fangs. “Well! As soon as I figure out how to detach and reattach my body parts, I’ll let you know!” He sighed and shook his head. “But yeah, I gotcha. I bet we all are gonna feel like Magikarp outta the water for quite some time. I’m sure that’s gonna pass some day. We only need to get used to this situation and whatnot. In the meantime, we should try to support each other, and do all we can to stick together.”

The now-Sneasel held the papers a bit tighter and straightened his stance. “Okay, I gotta go now! I wanna check out some other places before sundown.” He waved his paw politely. “See ya around!”

With that final greeting, Silver walked away from the Roggenrola and toward the center of the town. Confidence swirled into his mind — with so many valuable allies into the team, he was sure that there wasn’t anything they wouldn’t have been able to handle together.

Anything.

<><><>​

 

[Mr.RMA]

Now that he was away from the tense environment of the saloon, Corey finally had a chance to really ruminate over everything that had been discussed... and the longer he thought things over, the more uncomfortable he became over the entire thing.

There really didn't seem to be an ideal side to this whole conflict... In one corner, a band of criminals, highway roaming thugs who preyed on innocent people for their valuables, consequences be damned... the kind of people Corey personally loathed. Yet, in the other corner, stood a vengeful Empoleon whose elitist and uppity demeanor was only surpassed in repulsiveness by his sheer disregard for life... a disgusting bastardization of law and order, if one could even call it that.

Corey may have been dedicating himself to stopping these criminals, but if that meant turning them in to this manic penguin, was that really being any better? God it was frustrating... They needed to stay in the good graces of this town, the last thing they needed was to become fugitives or otherwise unwelcome while they were still fighting to survive in this wild world, but now that he saw just how rotten it was at the top of the chain of command, Corey was worried that they'd inevitably lose all of their good will just from trying to maintain a sense of morality!

This was all way beyond him; he was no vigilante, let alone any kind of enforcer of justice. As he and Archie walked through Main Street, Corey finally had to stop for a moment, unable to keep his concerns to himself any longer.

"Archie... What the hell are we supposed to do about all this? Seriously... I mean, I want to stop these criminals from causing any harm or damage or anything, absolutely, but that Ignatius guy... He's insane! He blatantly admitted he was both the mayor and the judge of this town, and he's hell-bent on sending all these folks to the gallows... What kind of justice is that?" Naturally he tried to keep his volume low enough as to not attract attention from any potential bystanders, but there was no mistaking the amount of anxiety in Corey's voice.

 

[Weazel]

Compared to his companion, Archie seemed fairly unbothered by the whole mess they’d just experienced with the mayor. Of course, the Oshawott was already fully aware of what it was he planned to do, and with a course of action set, it was much easier for him to focus on the immediate next steps of getting set up and ready for the night. Once the pair had left Lorenzo’s, he’d set them on the path back to the Haus, pace casual and paws in his pockets. When Corey suddenly spoke up though, he stopped walking for a moment. Then he looked back at his companion, doing his best to give the Ralts a reassuring grin.

“We hold to the letter of the agreement, of course,” Archie said. “We ensure the gala goes undisturbed by the bandits. Nothing more and nothing less. There is nothing in the contract about capturing the gang.”

 

[Mr.RMA]

Well, at least Archie seemed confident enough about it, though Corey didn't seem entirely convinced.

"Assuming we can stop them. We still don't know how capable these bandits are, especially compared to the bunch of us who are still pretty noticeably on the weaker side," he said shaking his head. "What if they're persistent? Like... we do everything to try and drive 'em off but they just keep coming back? They might not know when to quit."

 

[Weazel]

“Well…” Archie began, folding his arms. Sure, it was totally possible that what Corey was saying was true. At the same time, though, Archie did have his doubts. “If these guys have evaded capture for this long, I doubt they’re stupid enough to keep trying their luck if things turn sour for them.”

The Oshawott paused for a moment to glance in the direction of the Haus, then back at Corey, “And don’t forget, it won’t be just the two of us playing guard. Bellatrix and Wes will be there too, plus whoever else that Zorua decides to offer the job to.”

He did realize that meant they both had a lot riding on other people whose actions they couldn’t control or predict, but, for Archie at least, that was a simple fact of the job. No different from working with his guildmates or clients back in Treasure Town.

 

[Mr.RMA]

Corey sighed at this, clearly not entirely convinced, but then, much of that was likely directed towards his own self-doubt than anything Archie was saying.

"I just have a really bad feeling about all this... Like, I don't know how to put it but it just feels like there has to be something more to this whole ordeal, and it's... it's frightening not knowing what that could be. That might be something a hardened adventurer like you is used to, but this is all well beyond anything I've faced before in my life. I guess I just hope I'll be able to keep up with the rest of you."

Especially since I don't belong here in the first place...

He did what he could to shake off that thought, knowing it would only serve to make things worse, but he knew he'd likely never be rid of that concern entirely.

"...I haven't had to deal with criminals of this nature for... a very long time... and the last time it happened it... well in simple terms it ruined my life. I can't have that happen again..."

 

[Weazel]

The Oshawott frowned, and rested his muzzle against a raised paw. He kinda felt like there was more to this whole mess than Corey was letting on, but he didn’t know how to pull at that thread without the whole Ralts unraveling. Once again, he found himself wishing Spencer was here. The Treecko really had a way with Pokemon that Archie really couldn’t match.

“Well, what did you all say the gang was wanted for? Highway robbery, burglary, and theft, right?” He asked Corey, “I don’t remember you mentioning anything about hurting or killing anyone.”

That was the biggest reason Archie had balked at the Mayor’s demand to see the members hang. Even putting his personal qualms with the death penalty aside, the punishment just didn’t fit the crime at all. Even in terms of frontier justice, putting the captured members to work as a chain gang and having them help build the town for a while as punishment seemed more fitting, and more useful long term. So what was the mayor’s angle? Was it a personal beef? Was he trying to send a message?

Well, before he could let himself get taken too far down that train of thought, Corey still needed his support here in the real world. He looked up at the Ralts again, once again trying his best to look sympathetic.

“Listen, Corey, no one’s going to force you to take this job, if you’re not comfortable with it,” the Oshawott explained. “If you don’t think you can, just tell them you can’t and return any payment you might’ve gotten up front.”

He took a moment to glance up and down the street, before lowing his voice even lower, “But if you’re going to go forward, I need you to know something: I’m not going to have any blood on my paws. If it comes to it, I’ll see the gang freed myself before I allow anyone to swing for anything less than murder. And if that means we’re going to be on opposite sides of this coming conflict, then I want you to know it’s no hard feelings, but I will do what I need to do to make sure my conscious is clear.”

He gave Corey a significant look. Whatever past trauma the Ralts was alluding to, it was just that, in the past. And not to mention, a whole different universe away. It wasn’t fair to judge these people in this world by those circumstances, especially without knowing the whole picture.

 

[Mr.RMA]

It was sobering enough to hear all this, but... well, from who he was hearing it from in particular, it was even more poignant. Still, it was the splash of cold water Corey needed. He could only pace around and panic over making the right choice for so long, a decision had to be made.

Looking down, then to the side, then finally casting his gaze back at Archie, the ralts gave a quiet nod. That was how things were going to be, and he had to make a choice, even if he couldn't be sure it was the right one.

"Archie, you're a good man, I can tell... not just because of the version I knew; you've made it clear yourself. I don't know what I'll be able to do, but... I'm gonna stick to this job... and whether or not I like where things are headed I'll follow your lead. You're of the few folks I've come to trust, and you're right, abiding by... whatever excuse for a law this mayor's pushing, it isn't right... and it's not worth turning against you, hard feelings or not."

At that he held out his "hand" to shake.

"If you trust me in turn, I've got your back."

 

[Weazel]

The Oshawott released a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. To be honest, he hadn’t been sure how Corey was going to take his last statement. Thankfully, for now at least, it seemed no bridges had been burnt. He gave the Ralts an earnest smile, before clasping Corey’s hand in his own and shaking it.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to live up to your expectations,” he said. Archie had never really thought of himself as being a particularly good person. Somewhere in a past only half remembered, he was sure he’d done some terrible things in order to survive. But the Ralts was right, they needed to be able to trust each other in this strange world. Hopefully they would be able to trust the others who’d come from other worlds as well, but, well, they’d have to take all that one step at a time.

“We’d better hurry back to the Haus – unless there’s something else you wanted to discuss first?” The Oshawott asked.

 

[Mr.RMA]

Corey managed to crack a smile at this, in part just glad to get some of his worries off his chest without getting himself ostracized from his closest ally. Sure there was still plenty to fret about, but those were matters that could be settled when the proper time came...

"No, you're right, they're probably already getting the meeting started, we don't wanna miss out. Something tells me that weird zorua has some kind of elaborate scheme in mind..." Otherwise, he reasoned, it just didn't make sense how she so confidently took charge of things...

"Either way I need to get something to eat and fast... Feels like I haven't had a good meal in days."

<><><><><>​

 

[AdamArtDraws]

Only hours after fighting an oversized lokix and saving a wagon from certain doom, Felin devoted a portion of her evening to wandering the main street. Sonora's proposal was still fresh on her mind. Even if they shared the same species, Felin can't just tell what another cat is thinking just by looking at her.

Felin paused by the barber-surgeon shop. She brushed a paw on the long fur on her chin. It could use a trim. Figuring she had time and coin to spare, she strode on in.

"Hello, barber. I require your services," she greeted with a grin and a clack of her boots as she stood upright. "I hope you're not too busy, are you?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

A dark-shelled samurott with prodigious – and immaculate – facial hair gave Felin a stern nod.

"I don't get many plants in here," he rumbled, "but I'm game, if you drop the airs and graces."

He put a heavy paw on an axial chair and swivelled it to face Felin.

"You the chatty type, Sprig'?"

 

[AdamArtDraws]

"I sure am indeed," Felin remarked with a chuckle. She dropped back to all fours and glanced around at the shop's interior.

"Think you could help me with a cut?" Felin asked, paw held to her cheek. "These whisker's are distinguished, certainly, but they do make me look a bit too wild. It's just not the energy I want to have."