Frontier Town Mayoral Residence – Upper Floors

[Cresselia92]

Silver cocked an eyebrow at Steven and Archie, somewhat surprised (albeit not disagreeing) that they went straight to the point with the whole ‘oh, we’re targeted by some crooks who are sending shadowy creatures after us’ theory. ‘Well, so much for offering some reassurance to someone who’s already pretty high-strung ‘bout the entire situation…’ he pondered, giving another concerned look at Lucien before letting his expression drift back to neutral. No point in dillydallying.

“Hmph, yeah. The situation is far from ideal. Our arrival has attracted the attention of a few parties with wildly different agendas. And since extraordinary news can travel extremely far and wide, who knows how many folks know about our presence in this town already. And if we have the power and potential of messing up with their plans…”

Silver sighed, suddenly understanding why so many folks warned them to not reveal their nature as off-worlders. A barely perceptible shiver ran down his spine at the thought of shadowy assassins lurking anround every corner. If only they had been more cautious… but it’s not like they could do much about those rumors anymore.

“…Nobody wants innocent ‘mons ending up hurt because of these various conflicts of interests, not-so-veiled threats, and ambushes.” Silver pumped his fists, his eyes narrowing in a flash of defiance. “So, if there’s something we can do to help each other, we’re all ears.”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion grimaced. "Honestly, the more I find out, the less I think I understand. Feels to me like we're in the dark, too. Acting passively from the back foot. Maybe it would be best if we started with the Escarpa situation, and how to make sure it doesn't spill over to here. That seems like something we should be able to try to control..."

 

[Jackie Cat]

"[..] the Escarpa have taken significant interest in the railroad [...] they view it as a source of shadow 'mons."

"Blaguarro seems to be the epicenter [...] we've drawn attention of the shadows here to Frontier Town. I'm not certain of the safety of anyone in town as long as we remain here."

“The Shadow Drapion [...] was originally a feral Skorupi that some of our number encountered in Blaguarro. [...] It’s possible they’ll continue to send out more Shadows after us.”

“Our arrival has attracted the attention of a few parties with wildly different agendas. [...] So, if there’s something we can do to help each other, we’re all ears.”

"Acting passively from the back foot. Maybe it would be best if we started with the Escarpa situation, and how to make sure it doesn't spill over to here."

Lucien was getting used, by now, to the experience of fielding up to half a dozen Wayfarers at once. He seemed at ease. Or perhaps it was simply that he no longer felt it his duty to govern the town they'd settled in for the time being, and would not be held solely responsibile for them for much longer.

"So, in sum, Blaguarro hosts some source of Shadow pokémon, and you have 'drawn their attention'. Well, from what I know, I can hardly criticise your having drawn the eye of whatever dark forces are at work there, but I would advise you to move with caution going forward."

He frowned, thoughtfully putting a wingtip to his beak.

"The Escarpa are noted warriors. Is it not possible that they will resolve the situation in a satisfactory way with their own strength? If not, have there been any overtures made towards working alongside them? My, ah, father was a constant critic of the Escarpa for their savage culture – perhaps I shouldn't use that word myself – but I can't help but wonder if diplomacy would serve us all better than conflict."

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova only offered a shrug and a hum of thought. Then he looked up and said, "Sounds like my kinda people. Fighting was how I used to settle everything anyway."

But that couldn't really fly here, could it? "I can only guess... but I'm thinking it's more than trying to stop the shadows." Nova tilted his head. "I remember what was said about the railroad. All the business and people it could bring here if it's completed. Commonwealth folks... with their customs. What would happen if their numbers get greater than the clan's? If they want to keep building things up to be more like back east?"

The null slowly turned to the window. "The town... it's trucking by with folks supporting one another in their endeavors, yeah. But, like, if your family was calling the shots, they were trying to build it up to be something more, right?" He tapped a claw on the floor. Was Nova even making sense? "I don't blame folks for wanting something more for themselves. Earn a decent keep and all that. But what about the people who don't?"

He looked over his shoulder at Lucien. "Now that your father's out of the picture, I wonder how many folks really want Frontier Town expanding like he did. Or if... people would rather it stay a smaller community. Distinct from the Commonwealth." Nova paused. "Cuz if it's the latter, that could be the common ground you need with the Escarpa.

"Or I'm talking crazy." Nova shrugged. "I'll be honest, I tried staying in the Haus and acting the part. But I... was a homeless wanderer for so long before ending up here." He shook his head. "Couldn't make it stick. This helmet hurts enough. I needed to be back outside."

 

[Jackie Cat]

"Homeless...?"

Lucien seemed quietly aghast for a moment, before composing himself and moving swiftly on.

"The railroad is a complex matter. It would be disastrous if that project were disrupted, after so many resources were put into its construction. Are you suggesting that common ground with the Escarpa may hinge on impeding further development of Frontier Town...? Hm."

He shook his head.

"If you take it upon yourselves to negotiate the region's future with the Escarpa, I assure you that whoever becomes mayor will not be willing to abandon the rail line. I know I certainly wouldn't."

 

[Weazel]

Archie folded his arms again, leaning back on his heels and taking in the various points of view of their little group. Certainly diplomacy with the Escarpa would be preferable, easily the goal they should be working towards. At the same time, if they were already rallying their forces, the Oshawott worried that any extended olive branches may be too little, too late at this point. Maybe if they’d tried to reach out to the natives sooner, this whole mess could’ve been avoided… But, hindsight was twenty-twenty, as they said. They were going to have to work with what they had.

If the railhead extending out to Frontier Town was a red line for the Escarpa, then they were already beyond the point of negotiations. The train was coming, and even if they could get Lucien or his successor on board with delaying or diverting it – or hell, stopping it outright – powerful interests in the Imperial Core out east would be all too ready and willing to overrule the petty mayor of a frontier outpost. And any attack on said rail line by the Escarpa would likely stir that sleeping Dragonite just as much. It really seemed like they were between a rock and a hard place here…

“As justified as they might be to do it, I don’t think the Commonwealth is going to look kindly on the Escarpa if they start raiding settlements or attacking the rails,” the Oshawott cautioned, “Hopefully, we could come to some kind of negotiation when it comes to ripping the rot out of Blaguarro, but… If the Escarpa want to stop the train, I don’t think that happens without armed conflict with the east.”

And, that was not a war that they could fight. Maybe the Escarpa could, but not their little group of off-worlders. Either way, it’d be a long and bloody conflict.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Lucien seemed less than bothered by the prospect of shadow pokemon descending upon Frontier Town. On one hand, it was a bit surprising, but on the other, the Marshal had plenty on his plate already, and didn't really need another source of stress on top of that. Steven nodded. Caution was the name of the game.

Although he had a point about the Escarpa. Weren't they a possible source of the Radiance power that could defeat the shadows? Working with them certainly would be the ideal outcome.

"Maybe it's a misunderstanding?" Steven offered. "If there was never an open dialogue between your father and the Escarpa, it could be that neither side understands the position of the other. It's all too easy to see something you don't understand as a threat. If we can assuage that..." He left the thought hanging in the air.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Lucien nodded, hesistantly.

"Perhaps. But I don't know that such a dialogue could come from me. I confess, I have come to believe that you Wayfarers, as offworlders not already mired in the long and murky politics of the region, would fare better than any Frontier 'mon in opening a dialogue with the clanners."

He swallowed, and put his wing to his temple, clearly feeling some dread.

"If it comes to open conflict as Archie suggests, then I forecast immediate ruin for the town, as the Escarpa unleash the martial prowess they have held back for the last generation, followed by unchecked destruction visited upon them by the Commonwealth Army."

He gave both Archie and Steven a serious look.

"I'd like to ask the Wayfarers to check in with the Army encampment in Sunward. We have very little contact with them, but it could be important to gain some intelligence of their movements, and whether they're likely to contest the Escarpa over Blaguarro."

The Prinplup leaned back in his chair, and glanced out of the tall windows of the room.

"Are there any 'leads' you might pursue regarding Shadows that don't involve breaching an Escarpa blockade of Blaguarro, if it comes to that?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova was about to say something — to bring up the Wolf, actually — but his gaze instead fell to Archie. "I think... it's not my place to say." He stepped back and bowed his head slightly.

 

[Cresselia92]

Silver frowned and uncurled his claws, focusing his efforts into following the discussion of the railroad. That seemed to be one of those ‘adult topics’ that older people loved to bring up whenever they talked about complicated political stuff, and he couldn’t help but feel a wave of discomfort. What could he do or say that didn’t make him look like a fool? Hmm…

"Are there any 'leads' you might pursue regarding Shadows that don't involve breaching an Escarpa blockade of Blaguarro, if it comes to that?"

Oh! That sounded like a good breakthrough!

“Obstinea,” Silver replied automatically. “The monks in the monastery have some knowledge of a light-based force called Radiance, which can be used to fight shadows. If we manage to harness that power, then we’ll have some way to potentially purify the Shadow Pokémon.” He shrugged with nonchalance. “That should spare a lotta headaches.”

 

[Weazel]

Send off a group of them to check on the army base in Sunward? The Oshawott wasn’t so certain about the idea of sending a chunk of them that far off away from the rest, but, he couldn’t argue with Lucien’s point. They needed information about how the Commonwealth was moving, especially if they wanted to avoid the exact kind of bloody outcome both the Oshawott and Prinplup seemed to fear. They’d have to tell the others as soon as possible. Hopefully there’d be a few volunteers…

In the meantime, Nova’s statement caused Archie to shoot the chimera a confused look, momentarily meeting the masked Pokemon’s eyes. Something that wasn’t for Nova to say? Surely he didn’t mean Felin and their lead on the Radiance? And, well, it seemed like Silver had that area covered, at least! Which could only leave…

“Uh… A few of us have encountered a pair of Pokemon, each claiming to be working for an organic source of Shadow that’s acting in opposition to whatever’s going on in Blaguarro,” the Oshawott said. “One is The Wolf, the Lycanroc on the Bounty posters. The other is a Zweilous, Alex and Xander. Both of them have shown they can use the powers of a Shadow Pokemon without losing themselves to mindless violence. Neither seem particularly keen on working with others, but, Alex at least seems more willing to share information. We’re planning a meeting in the Industrial District with him, around noon the day after tomorrow.”

A meeting that he, and so far as he was aware Koa, had yet to announce to the group at large. Oops.

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova tensed. “Excuse me? Who went hunting down a zweilous?”

 

[Weazel]

The Oshawott couldn’t help but flinch. He’d only brought it up because it’d seemed like Nova had been prompting! Had he said too much?

“Uh…” He stammered, “He came to the jail while Koa and I were visiting the Drapion. He did something to calm it that raised our suspicions, so…”

So they went out to Silver Ravine with him and got extremely corrupted, bad enough to spread it on to Betel and then on to the rest of their group. Maybe that part could be left out...

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion was, more than anything else, tired of dealing with this railroad already. Technically, he hadn't even had to do that much with it yet, but he and the railroad had got off to a rough start. And between the idea of it being a incursion point for Coven influence, whatever other people thought it had to do with the spread of Shadows, plus it becoming a source of conflict with the Escarpa, it wasn't doing much more to endear itself to him.

"The railroad can be rebuilt. I don't know if we can stop the Escarpa entirely, and if we could it would likely just escalate things, and burn the bridges that would otherwise give us a better chance at having that dialogue. The right move would probably be to pause the railroad, but if there's no political will for it, there might not be much we can do."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Lucien sniffed. "I can have the construction work paused and delay commercial use of the line until the istuation is resolved, if that's what it comes to... As for this Shadow and 'Radiance' business, it's all very much outside my own... expertise. I'm not well versed in such things, and would have thought them all superstition, were it not for the increasingly outlandish nature of current events."

He smiled, with thick irony.

"My policy regarding conflict with these untoward individuals is that the security staff of the town are just that – watch 'mon for the town itself. I can't be involved in hunting down this 'Wolf', or getting tied up with this Alex-Xander individual. I can connect you with the next wagon headed out of town towards the west, though, if you mean to send members of your party that way, towards the Abbey."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Some of us were interested in that, I believe." Though Nova's gaze didn't waver from the oshawott. "But what aren't you telling us, Archie? There's a whole second half of that sentence you left out. So... what?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven looked at Archie, incredulous. He knew about Archie's run in with the Wolf, but there was another lucid shadow pokemon he'd met? And he was planning to meet with them again? Was this what he'd wanted to talk about after the meeting? Nova was pressing for answers here and now, but maybe this wasn't the right time or place for it... Ultimately, it was Archie's call.

Finally breaking his gaze from the Oshawott, he glanced over at the other Type:Null in the room. "Sure, the rail could be rebuilt, but it would just continue a cycle of the Escarpa wanting to destroy it again, no? As long as there is no dialogue between the Escarpa and those constructing the rail, it will continue to be a source of conflict, destroyed or not. I like your idea of delaying it for the time being, though. Especially if the Escarpa believe the shadows are using the rail to get to Frontier Town and other destinations..."

Speaking of other destinations, he gave a thoughtful hum at Lucien's mention of Sunward. It was true he'd been wanting to go back there, doubly so before he learned that daylight wasn't exactly a shadow pokemon deterrent. But to involve the Commonwealth army while also speaking of diplomacy? It felt like a mixed message... Although, if they were to go there and not mention anything about a growing conflict with the Escarpa, maybe it wouldn't stir up any tensions.

"I've been to Sunward before," said Steven, "Though I never met any of the army's soldiers stationed there. It might be possible to go there on a visit to the Wardens without alerting the army and having them escalate the Escarpa situation unnecessarily."

 

[Weazel]

The Oshawott turned his head from person to person. From Nova to Steven, then the Lucien, Silver, and finally the second chimera. He grimaced, this was not how he wanted any of this to come out. But he couldn’t keep it secret forever, people needed to know. The other off-worlders, of course, but, probably also the Marshal as well. Finally, he grabbed the brim of his hat, and tugged it down over his eyes.

“Nova and I were talking the other day, about how fighting against a Shadow Pokemon might, in some way, weaken the corruption holding it, and how it seemed to be the case with the Drapion. After facing us in battle, it started acting… More like a normal feral Pokemon, and less like a mindless killing machine. At the time, I theorized that doing things that way was a two way street. And that while the Shadow Pokemon was opening its heart to us, we were doing the same, and inviting some of their corruption in,” he said. “Alex showed us how we could check to see if we had any latent Shadow corruption within ourselves and… Koa and I were able to prove we did. Which means that, every single person who has had a run in with a Shadow Pokemon likely had some measure of said corruption within them, as well. Or at least, that used to be the case…”

He glanced around the room again, before sighing, defeated. He looked down at the ground, ears and tail drooping. “The next time Betel connected to us, the corruption spread from Koa and I, to them. And, if something like that is possible, then I see no reason to doubt that it could also spread from them… To every single one of us, regardless of our past encounters with Shadow Pokemon. One of the reasons for the meeting with Alex, is to learn how to control the Shadows from him, so that they don’t end up controlling us. We were hoping to spread the word manually, so enough of us could go to the meeting and learn, and then spread the technique to everyone else. Get ahead of it before the corruption spread.”

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova's height hid his eyes from most of the people in the room. Others might have seen a brief flash of anger in his eyes before they returned to their usual dull gray color. It was going to spread. No, it probably had spread.

... But that was always going to happen, wasn't it? Because Nova had wound up here... somehow. Had Betel not even realized it? How had they even gotten to his spirit to begin with?

Truly, this was a fate.

"It's inescapable," he muttered. "Fate always wins in the end."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“I have so many problems with this situation and primary among them is that we’re hearing about it for the first time here and now”