Frontier Town Mayoral Residence – Ground Floor

[Sinderella]

“̵y̷O̴u̵ ̵D̷o̶N̷’̶t̴ ̶D̸e̴S̸e̶R̸v̴E̷ ̸e̷V̶e̸N̵ ̸t̶O̷ ̸s̷P̷e̷A̷k̷ ̸t̷O̸ ̴m̴E̵,̶”̵ Jawile mocked before spitting a globule of what looked to be saliva mixed with blood into a nearby champagne flute. “̶I̵s̷n̸’̷t̸ ̶t̷h̸i̶s̵ ̴y̸o̷u̵r̸ ̷N̶A̷T̶U̴R̵A̴L̷ ̵S̶T̶A̸T̵E̸?̶ ̶G̶r̸o̴v̴e̴l̸i̵n̵g̶ ̶a̸t̶ ̸o̴u̸r̶ ̵f̵e̴e̵t̷,̶ ̵P̴E̶A̶S̸A̶N̷T̸?̵”̵

Odette was soon wrapping her chain back around the jaws. “That’s enough out of you,” she grumbled as she fitted the lock back in place. When she was certain the things were muzzled, she gave their motley crew a once over. Everyone looked like they’d just gone through a fucking wood chipper, and then some…

But, they all showed up and showed out. That was promising in itself. And for now, it seemed like it was worth it. Now, she had to find Steven again. She’d lost him somewhere between her tweeking and the scuffle.

But first…

Nodding toward Bellatrix, Odette soon found Sonora, and couldn’t help the relieved sigh she let out. “I’m thrilled that this worked out,” she said, trying to force the exhaustion out of her voice so she’d sound a little more confident. “I’m glad to have helped. And…thanks for having our backs, too.”

There, she presented the items she’d pulled from the vault. One of which looked pretty important, the other, well…

“However, what the hell did I grab here?”

 

[Mr.RMA]

He'd seen a bright, blinding light flash before him... which failed to dissipate. No gala, no Pokemon, not even darkness... All Corey could see was a void of bright white. Consciously he wasn't sure what to think, his mind seemed to drift, as if he was in a dream.

'...Guess that must've hurt pretty bad...' he eventually managed to lucidly ponder.

'Now what... Is that it?' It certainly felt that way. A few visions seemed to fade in and out of his sight... Family, friends... An oshawott... and not the one he had so recently befriended... no... this sea otter Pokemon he'd met long ago...

~

In the aftermath of the massive skirmish within the mayoral residence, laying alone near the north end of the ballroom, was the ralts' unresponsive form. The blast of light had made short work of what little energy he had left, and it was impossible to tell if he was even breathing. His clothes were in tatters, his hat had been completely annihilated, his horns were chipped, and his hair had been nearly completely torn off, apart from a few surviving strands. If he wasn't dead, he certainly didn't have long.

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova had mostly kept his eyes trained on Rin to make absolutely sure she went down. Which she did. As did the mayor. In fact, Nova wondered how much life was even left in the guy.

But amidst all the frantic energy evaporating, Nova spotted Lucien and… some beldum. Probably one of the… team’s? Squad’s?

Nova would have approached but there was one person who wasn’t a foe and hadn’t gotten up.

“Hey!” Nova ran toward the raalts. “Hey!” He had to hope he could project enough through the damn mask. “Mon down! Medic!”

The null never used a reviver seed, unlike many of the others. He quickly pressed it to Raalts’ head… not really knowing how to make it work.

 

[Shadow Serenity]

So, that was that, then. The dastardly mayor and his hired help had been defeated, whatever schemes he had been covering up were likely about to come to light, and the bandits won. Definitely felt like a Wild West story if Kimiko ever heard one.

It was easy during the heat of battle to push the "this is going to bite us in the ass" thoughts into a drawer to be dealt with later. But the fight was over now. The inevitable consequences weren't going to stay locked up for much longer. Even if the townsfolk considered them heroes for what they did. Attacking government officials, valid reasoning or not, was not something anyone just got away with.

And none of this changed her belief that none of them should have been involved in this fight to begin with.

A thought ocurred to her. The Voice had communicated to them during the battle. Maybe now that battle was over, she could get some answers. So tell me... was this worth it? Was this necessary?

While she tried to send mental signals to the Cloud Voice in her brain, Kimiko leaned against a post and let her body sink to the ground. She was bruised, battered, and exhausted, and with the fight apparently over, the adrenaline was finally draining away. Still, she kept her eyes on the battlefield - and the bandits. They were temporary allies during the fight, but now that the fight was over, who knew what their plans were.

In the aftermath of the massive skirmish within the mayoral residence, laying alone near the north end of the ballroom, was the ralts' unresponsive form.

All her allies (she still had no basis for a headcount) were also in various states of fatigue. All but one - the ralts who, for whatever reason, Ignatius said "fuck this 'mon in particular" and shot with a heavy beam of light. Concern washed over her, and she sauntered over to where he lay, unmoving, only hastened by her ally's cries for a medic.

 

[Weazel]

It… It was over. Somehow, despite the odds, they’d done it! The mayor laid collapsed at their feet, broken, bruised, soaking wet, completely and utterly defeated. And looking at him, it’d be a while before he could potentially be a physical threat to anyone again. Still, Archie had a sinking feeling that by this time tomorrow they’d all have gigantic bounties on their heads. Still, the relief of the situation washed over him, and he decided that that was something he could worry about tomorrow.

The Oshawott scanned over the assembled crowd on the Mezzanine, and eventually picked out Wes, the sheen of the small blue dog’s fur helping him stand out from many of the rest of them. Gloating speeches delivered to the enemy laying defeated at your feet wasn’t really the Oshawott’s style, so he weaved through the crowd to approach the Rockruff instead.

“Hey, Wes. Earlier, with Corey,” he sighed, remembering how the Rockruff had run over to the Ralts and tried to stir him to life and safety. It hadn’t worked, in the end, but then neither had Archie’s own attempt, “Thanks. I know you were trying to help.”

Speaking of Corey, where was he?

“Hey!” Nova ran toward the raalts. “Hey!” He had to hope he could project enough through the damn mask. “Mon down! Medic!”

Archie ran to the banister, pushing past anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way. Oh shit. There was Corey, lying in a crumpled heap on the ballroom floor. And there was Kimiko, and that strange chimera too. Archie found himself musing, in the form of one of those strange intrusive thoughts one has in moments of acute stress, that he’d never asked the masked creature its name. His body wasn’t going to wait for his brain to catch up though.

The Oshawott vaulted over the banister, landed awkwardly on the stairs, managed to catch himself on the railing before he took a tumble, and then nearly tripped down the stairs anyway when he tried to take them two at a time down to the ground floor. At the bottom, he wheeled around, and charged over to where the Ralts lay unresponsive, to the chimera’s attempt to use their Reviver seed on him.

“Corey!”

 

[Tetra]

Koa stood, panting and still soaking wet, the weight of the fight and their actions settling over him. Ignatius had been soundly defeated. They won. They won.

Still dazed, he glanced around. His heart lurched as he spotted the Ralts at the far end of the room, looking fairly charred. Sonora had said pokemon couldn't accidentally kill each other. But if Ignatius had been trying. He almost started to head for him, but already several mon had rushed to his side. Better not to get in the way.

Was it worth it? It had to be.

As he scanned the room again, his gaze settled on Sonora. A strange pit grew in his stomach as he stared at her. He unconsciously shrank back ever so slightly. He remembered her tirade, and Ignatius. Execute her. Fifteen. Taking back what was hers.

And in the end he'd almost been on Ignatius side. Or as good as much, considering he'd planned to oppose her. What does that make you?

Swallowing back the sick feeling, he forced himself to stand. Leaf... where was Leaf? And what of Nip or Isidora? Pushing aside the thoughts, he started walking around to check on the rest of the team.

 

[JFought]

"Would any of my new pals like to do the honours?" she asked the crowd, with a grin and a bow, gesturing elegantly to the struggling Ignatius.

Seeing the empoleon reduced to this in front of them, Isidora's claws flexed. Some lingering, unresolved anger tickled at the back of her mind. She wanted to go for it.

...No. She fished her hat from her bag and finally put it back on, hiding her feelings away underneath. I'm just a student; this isn't my fight. I don't even know this 'mon...

“Hey!” Nova ran toward the ralts. “Hey!” He had to hope he could project enough through the damn mask. “Mon down! Medic!”

Her eyes widened at the sight of the charred ralts down on the ballroom floor. Oh shit. She could feel her own wounds a bit more acutely now. From up on the mezzanine, she watched some of her equally battered allies rush to his aid, thinking to herself: We still have a lot to make up for if we're supposed to save the world. I hope he's okay.

Isidora sniffed. The irritatingly spicy smell of pepper still clung to her fur. She sighed in exhaustion. "I'm jumpin' into the river after this..."

For now, she only turned back towards Sonora. "Thanks for the save at the end there. Looks like we both owe each other one."

Spoiler: slight gag

Meanwhile, the maus were hollering and clapping towards the party's way. A very good show indeed.

Oh I see their game, they were BETTING we were gonna beat the mayor, huh?!

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

"Would any of my new pals like to do the honours?" she asked the crowd, with a grin and a bow, gesturing elegantly to the struggling Ignatius.

Lyle panted from the effects of battle as he looked over at Sonora and over at the now-humbled Ignatius. It was honestly hard to tell whether or not he was dreaming.

"Was this what you planned, or did things just turn out this way?"

His attention turned at the sound of cries as he saw his teammates crowding around the injured Ralts. He didn't feel all that hot himself, but nothing like that...

"Crap, hold onto that thought," he said. "Hit him with a Stun Seed or something to keep him there and we'll come back to help you."

 

[Virgil134]

Rodion panted as he looked around, taking a moment to catch his breath. They had really done it, huh? Not only had they taken everything from Ignatius' vault, but they even managed to beat down that corrupt mayor in his own home with enough evidence to put him behind bars.

Serves him right.

"Would any of my new pals like to do the honours?" she asked the crowd, with a grin and a bow, gesturing elegantly to the struggling Ignatius.

The Buizel went over to Sonora and looked at her with a small grin.

"Still worried we might be working for Ignatius or pull a Blast Seed on you? Or does this count as proof we can be trusted?"

He turned to Ignatius as his expression darkened, before walking up to him.

"Sonora has a few things to say to all your guest here about how much of a piece of shit you really are. The stuff we took from your vault should be more than enough evidence to back up her claims. So how about you lay here and stay quiet as she gets her point across?" Rodion growled, before pointing one of his swords right in Ignatius' face. "Or else I'll make you see the point."

 

[HelloYellow17]

He was down. Finally. The damn Vulture was subdued at last.

Wes didn’t have any energy left to gloat over the mayor’s quivering form, so instead he did the next best thing and slumped down to the floor. Which was still wet, and the water wasn’t exactly helping his shivering, but what the hell. Wes couldn’t find it in him to care.

He did, however, keep his head up long enough to do another sweep of the area; he blinked and gave a weary yet grateful nod to Archie, who then took off after Corey, who lay in a heap surrounded by other mon. The Ralts was looking rather worse for wear, though judging by the number of people swooping in to provide medical aid, he’d be fine. Hopefully.

Then Wes spotted a flash of blue; Koa was wandering around, looking distraught and battered but otherwise unharmed. Well, that was a relief, at least. He may be a snot-nosed punk of a kid, but it wasn’t like Wes wanted the kid injured or crippled. Koa seemed to have taken the hit from Ignition in stride; better than Wes himself had, at least.

He let his head fall back to cold, hard floor with a thump and closed his eyes. Sonora could take care of the rest. He was just…gonna rest his eyes for a bit…

 

[Mr.RMA]

For a while it appeared the reviver seed didn't seem to have any effect, but as it activated and faded within Corey's body, the ralts seemed to finally start breathing normally. He was still well and thoroughly knocked out, and judging by his condition, it was probably for the best that he wasn't conscious... and even if the pain wasn't the issue, his appearance would've probably been enough to make him faint in itself. One way or another the lad would need to be brought to a bed of some kind sooner rather than later, and no doubt a few days of close attention would be practical, if for anything, at least to make sure he'd handle the aesthetic results of this little scuffle with some degree of grace.

 

[Jackie Cat]

"I dunno what just happened, but seems like you've got yourself up shit creek this time, eh, mayor? Now, what would have been discovered by these little troublemakers that'd have them all turn on you..."

"Yes, I believe those 'threats' are not sounding as trite as you made them out to be."

“̵y̷O̴u̵ ̵D̷o̶N̷’̶t̴ ̶D̸e̴S̸e̶R̸v̴E̷ ̸e̷V̶e̸N̵ ̸t̶O̷ ̸s̷P̷e̷A̷k̷ ̸t̷O̸ ̴m̴E̵. I̵s̷n̸’̷t̸ ̶t̷h̸i̶s̵ ̴y̸o̷u̵r̸ ̷N̶A̷T̶U̴R̵A̴L̷ ̵S̶T̶A̸T̵E̸?̶ ̶G̶r̸o̴v̴e̴l̸i̵n̵g̶ ̶a̸t̶ ̸o̴u̸r̶ ̵f̵e̴e̵t̷,̶ ̵P̴E̶A̶S̸A̶N̷T̸?̵”̵

"Sonora has a few things to say to all your guest here about how much of a piece of shit you really are. The stuff we took from your vault should be more than enough evidence to back up her claims. So how about you lay here and stay quiet as she gets her point across? Or else I'll make you see the point."

Ignatius struggled for breath enough to spit back an insult. Even thoroughly defeated, he was a creature of immense pride.

"Gloat if you wish," he muttered. "It is... impossible... for you to have accomplished this... alone."

Squatting on the balustrade behind him, Grafaiai Vago gave the group a hard look.

"You know," they said, softly, "he's got a point. How did you pull that off? By rights, that should have been a way closer thing."

"Mm. Seen yer wanted posters."

"Well then, does this mean you're a free kitty now? He was a tough bastard for sure. I'd kick his ass again while he's down if I was feeling cheeky tonight."

"You fight well. Even when holding back."

“I’m thrilled that this worked out. I’m glad to have helped. And…thanks for having our backs, too.”

"Thanks for the save at the end there. Looks like we both owe each other one."

"Was this what you planned, or did things just turn out this way?"

"Still worried we might be working for Ignatius or pull a Blast Seed on you? Or does this count as proof we can be trusted?"

Sonora held up her paws. "Hey, hey, thank you kindly, everyone!" One paw went around the group as she addressed individuals. "I had no idea this would turn out quite like it did – I honestly expected that bastard to turn me into a limp rag. Of course I trust you strange folks – and you fight plenty well, too. Y'all really came through. How could I not help y'all after that? I, uh..."

She laughed a little, and her gaze wondered.

"I ain't sure what's next fer me, Felin." She tipped her head to Gerome. "I still got warrants. We'll, uh... see if they're renewed, I guess. Don't rightly know what'll happen, I just wanted to stick it to this guy as hard as I could. Now... Maybe there won't even be any more illicit wagons fer me and my crew to hit. We'll have to figure out what to do instead..."

 

[Jackie Cat]

“Hey! Hey! Mon down! Medic!”

There was one more 'mon in a bad way in that ballroom – knockout attacks were very rarely fatal to adult pokémon, but Corey had taken an extraordinary elemental attack while already close to fainting.

When an aura breaks in battle, and a pokémon faints, they will recover.

But not always without hardship.

Can you still hear me?​

'...Guess that must've hurt pretty bad... Now what... Is that it?'

Not at all, Corey.

You appear to be in adequate health.

I am not a medical professional – but I am fairly sure you will be alright shortly. Although, perhaps you should avoid combat for a while, after so much exertion...

Do you know that you used Destiny Bond, near the end? That is a technique which risks serious consequences for your wellbeing, Corey. This body is not your original, and you will not inhabit it forever, but you should still take care.

You are not expendable!

Rest well, Corey...​

So tell me... was this worth it? Was this necessary?

Hello, Kimiko...

I do not have as much worldly knowledge as I would like, so it is hard for me to be sure of an answer.

I hope it will have been worth it.

Judging by the positivity and relief in many of the souls here, perhaps it already was...

...Please tell me if you find out for certain, Kimiko.​

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"You may not have long to make your decision, Beldum Steven."

There was little hesitation in Steven's reply.

"I think the decision has already been made for me," he said, and then shook his head. "For us."

"The purpose of removing one tyrant is not to replace it with another. And if this is destroyed, there's nothing left to hold them accountable for their actions."

He fixed Lucien with a look of conviction. "Which leaves us with one choice."

The sounds of fighting were gone, replaced with an eerie silence. He followed Lucien's gaze to where the mayor lay, slumped to the ground in defeat.

Steven regarded the prinplup with a sidelong glance. "We came here for a reason. If there's any group that would choose to risk themselves for the betterment of this land, it's us."

"Someone brought us here to help. So we will."

The rest of the group were picking themselves up and gathering together. He couldn't hide the relief in his eye. They were okay.

Steven gave Lucien a curt nod, tucking the book back behind him. "If you'll excuse me," he said, turned to join his comrades.

 

[VeniaSilente]

Kalas found some room to be by himself near a corner and rested from the fight. After enough of a struggle, the bird was down.

He eyed Sonora and her group for a moment from where he was, however. Cloud Assist or not, Ignatius being down only took care of one half of the group's problems.

"Would any of my new pals like to do the honours?" she asked the crowd, with a grin and a bow, gesturing elegantly to the struggling Ignatius.

Lyle panted from the effects of battle as he looked over at Sonora and over at the now-humbled Ignatius. It was honestly hard to tell whether or not he was dreaming.

"Was this what you planned, or did things just turn out this way?"

The Spearow thought he recognized a voice, he looked around. Sure enough there was that Cyndaquil he had met during the Zera's. Halas weakly waved him a wing of hi. Track of the current fight considered, Kalas could only assume the Cyndaquil had been part of the more Sonora-aligned part of the group this time.

"Would any of my new pals like to do the honours?" she asked the crowd, with a grin and a bow, gesturing elegantly to the struggling Ignatius.

The Buizel went over to Sonora and looked at her with a small grin.

"Still worried we might be working for Ignatius or pull a Blast Seed on you? Or does this count as proof we can be trusted?"

He turned to Ignatius as his expression darkened, before walking up to him.

"Sonora has a few things to say to all your guest here about how much of a piece of shit you really are. The stuff we took from your vault should be more than enough evidence to back up her claims. So how about you lay here and stay quiet as she gets her point across?" Rodion growled, before pointing one of his swords right in Ignatius' face. "Or else I'll make you see the point."

Kalas kept track of Sonora and narrowed his eyes at the Buizel and his threat. Sure, the group had managed a win and under normal conditions that was nothing that could be considered "hard" when you had the advantages of numbers and mob with you, to be said. But if any of what Sonora had said was true, the group making more of a show of force in front of the other citizens after having trampled the current mayor, corrupt or not, would likely not feel like a good omen for the townspeople.

Ultimately, Kalas ventured a brief interruption.

"Hopefully that'll be enough of that," Kalas chirped as he went to the Buizel but kept his eyes locked on Ignatius. "We probably can get up sooner than you and do this entire thing again, if feeling more pain is your pleasure, but someone who looks at their immediate world from afar like you, mayor, surely understands when to fold'em flippers."

After all, Kalas thought, if the truths behind this entire assault were in any way what humans back home called "big truths", the last thing the town needed after getting the foot of some tyrant lifted off them, was the shade of larger tyrants threatening to step on.

 

[Ambyssin]

One way or another the lad would need to be brought to a bed of some kind sooner rather than later, and no doubt a few days of close attention would be practical, if for anything, at least to make sure he'd handle the aesthetic results of this little scuffle with some degree of grace.

It wasn't exactly graceful given Nova's body type, but he managed to hoist the small raalts onto his back. "I'm taking him to that doctor's office." Nova figured everyone else had things other control. "If anyone else is hurt enough they need a lift, speak up now."

He saw Lucien was still talking with Beldum and nodded to the prinplup.

 

[MintyMimix]

It wasn't exactly graceful given Nova's body type, but he managed to hoist the small raalts onto his back. "I'm taking him to that doctor's office." Nova figured everyone else had things other control. "If anyone else is hurt enough they need a lift, speak up now."

He saw Lucien was still talking with Beldum and nodded to the prinplup.

Ghaspius lifted himself off the ground and tried to ignore the aches all over.

"I'll move up ahead and see if I can alert her and get as much as we can prepped," he declared before floating over towards the door with a wince.

 

[Namohysip]

We'll have to figure out what to do instead...

"Mm. Well, y'still got some dues ter pay, I figure. Stolen er not." He shrugged, but then eyed the team that had 'rescued' her, or at least assisted. It was all a fine mess... and Gerome, as usual, did not seem to reveal many of his mental cards.

"Mm. Well. If yer lookin' fer a way to get some income, I get the feelin' The Wanderin' Zera's gonna be gettin' some extra activity. Could hire a bouncer er two. Can't help all yer gang, though." He shrugged as if it didn't matter. "Up to you. Y'got choices."

Mhynt didn't buy the nonchalance for a second... but Gerome had been... at least not an obstacle so far. She knew this wasn't the place to interrogate a giant Tyranitar about his motives, though.

"Alright," Mhynt said flatly. "What exactly can we do from here? Is any of this actionable, can we legally apprehend the mayor for blackmail as it stands? I'm not familiar with the laws of the land." She looked to Gerome expectantly.

"I'm just a barkeep. Someone breaks something, I blast 'em out. I ain't knowin' what legalese lets me do that."

 

[Inkedust]

Bellatrix ignored Ignatius. Even if she knew, he would've been one of the very last 'mon she would've told. Vago, meanwhile, received a quadruped's best attempt of a shrug.

"I still got warrants. We'll, uh... see if they're renewed, I guess. Don't rightly know what'll happen, I just wanted to stick it to this guy as hard as I could. Now... Maybe there won't even be any more illicit wagons fer me and my crew to hit. We'll have to figure out what to do instead..."

Instead, her attention turned back to Sonora. "Yes, about those wagons. Perhaps you could enlighten us on why you picked the ones you did and how you managed to find a pattern between them. I tried it myself before the evening. I heavily suspected there was something there but couldn't find anything substantial."

 

[Butterfree]

"Gloat if you wish," he muttered. "It is... impossible... for you to have accomplished this... alone."

Oh yeah, he definitely seemed to know shit.

Dave stepped up near Ignatius - not too close, not planning to get hit with another blast of freezing cold water. “Oh yeah? What’s your theory? You think there’s more to it than that almighty human magic I hear so much about?”

Sonora’d asked if anyone’d like to “do the honors”. Was Sonora expecting them to… apprehend him, somehow? When most of them were like a tenth of his height? How exactly was that supposed to work? Wasn’t like anyone was carrying a pair of handcuffs. (Well, honestly he wouldn’t be that surprised if Odette was.) Or like a pair of handcuffs would ever fit on an Empoleon. Weren’t there supposed to be any actual police around?