Offscreen Activities

[Weazel]

With the Oasis cure expedition ending up in failure, Archie decides to take a page from Koa's book and also warn some of his friends to beware Alex, and explain that the Zweilous may have the power to control the Oshawott, and Koa too, using Shadow. He specifically makes sure to seek out Wes, Seth, Steven, Nova, and, after some hesitation, Silver, and Dave. He emphasizes the importance of avoiding Alex if possible, and warning anyone else with them if they encounter him.

 

[Cresselia92]

After missing out the chance to meet Mewtwo, Silver’s manic rush to reach Frontier Town through the various anchor points finally took its toll, forcing the now-Sneasel to rest by the House of Maus for the night (even if, by judging his fatigue, he thought he was going to sleep for an entire week or more!).

As a result, he came across some people from the other expeditions, including…

With the Oasis cure expedition ending up in failure, Archie decides to take a page from Koa's book and also warn some of his friends to beware Alex, and explain that the Zweilous may have the power to control the Oshawott, and Koa too, using Shadow. He specifically makes sure to seek out Wes, Seth, Steven, Nova, and, after some hesitation, Silver, and Dave. He emphasizes the importance of avoiding Alex if possible, and warning anyone else with them if they encounter him.

Silver regarded the Oshawott’s warning with an appreciative nod and a serious expression. While he wouldn’t have backed away from a fight if he was forced to — because running away is for cowards! — that didn’t mean he couldn’t take a few extra precautions to limit the risks of manipulation.

“Gotcha, thanks for letting me know. I’ll keep a close eye out of any nightmare fuel-spewing Zweilous and warn others about him, then. And… huh… if you end up crossing paths with him, send a telepathic message to Betel immediately so that we can reach you with some backup. We’ve got your backs, alright?”

And once he heard about the group’s plan to raid Terminal Two, Silver didn’t need to think about his decision twice: he was going to join their quest, and he wasn’t going to take ‘no you can’t’ as an answer! Right before taking the train headed toward Blaguarro, the now-Sneasel asked Betel to relay a message to his friends back at the abbey…

Hey. Silver’s here.

I wanted to inform you that my travel to meet Gio—Mewtwo didn’t go nearly as great as I had planned. Unfortunately, the bast—that pathetic guy was MIA, but a few people and I are gonna have a formal meeting with him soon, if all goes well.

Also, everyone here is planning to raid Cipher’s base, and I joined them. Maybe it’s because I believe this is the right thing to do, or maybe I’m simply seeking some catharsis and a way to make up for my mistakes in my human life, or maybe I only want to satisfy these strange Sneasel impulses.

I dunno, really. There’s so much going through my mind. But I know this: If I have the chance to bring a positive change into this world while doing what I can do best, then hell! I’m gonna take it!

Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay. Keep training while chilling in that abbey because I’m not planning to slack off, and neither should you!

I’ll see you two again as soon as I’m done with all my business. Also, sorry about the hasty departure. I had to do this.

Armed with his new resolve and sheer determination to fight for a good cause, Silver realized what it meant to be a Paladin.

 

[Ambyssin]

He specifically makes sure to seek out Wes, Seth, Steven, Nova, and, after some hesitation, Silver, and Dave.

Nova's response is that, even though it's counterintuitive, Archie has to try and minimize his fears over his situation. Because that fear could feed into the shadows and make sort of feedback loop. Instead, he suggests they work together to figure out a means of purging that corruption. Perhaps his reaction to the Oasis heart means that the Relic could help... once Sybil's able to figure out more about it.

 

[Butterfree]

With the Oasis cure expedition ending up in failure, Archie decides to take a page from Koa's book and also warn some of his friends to beware Alex, and explain that the Zweilous may have the power to control the Oshawott, and Koa too, using Shadow. He specifically makes sure to seek out Wes, Seth, Steven, Nova, and, after some hesitation, Silver, and Dave. He emphasizes the importance of avoiding Alex if possible, and warning anyone else with them if they encounter him.

What the fuck. What the fuck. Wasn't the end of this supposed to be that Powehi had pinkie-promised nobody was going to turn Shadowed or anything? What do you mean he 'may' have the power to control you?

Dave is not thrilled about this news.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

He specifically makes sure to seek out Wes, Seth, Steven, Nova, and, after some hesitation, Silver, and Dave.

Steven is confused at first. Archie hasn't seemed any different, nor Koa, but then he remembers what Archie said back at the Oasis, about how he should stay away, and how sick the Oshawott was at the center of the Oasis...

"Oh gods was it the Relic? Sybil had said something about its ability to purify, and I was holding you and it at the same time. Archie I'm so sorry, I didn't realize--"

He reassures Archie that he'll be cautious around him, but has no plans to abandon a friend in need.

"Do you remember what I asked of you the night we met Seth? I don't know what Alex did to you, but I won't let him use you."

Steven promises to keep an eye out for the Zweilous, but wonders why they'd make an appearance in town just to jailbreak the former Mayor and then vanish, if he planned on manipulating Koa and Archie, too...

 

[Virgil134]

After the Templefall Caverns was added to the fast travel network, Rodion stayed at the abbey with Lyle. The two hang out a lot, and at some point Rodion would have told him the same things he told Silver the day before going on the expedition, like how he became a pirate, why he's so proud of the pirate crew he helped build, and the circumstances he was in when he left his home world.

When Rodion got access to Radiance through Betel's network, he quickly began to start practicing. He also told Akela about his teammates having found the Wandering Light and show her that he can use Radiance now. He then asked if he can train with her, since being able to use Radiance and mastering it are two different things.

During his stay at the abbey, Rodion would have taken the time to get to know Shira a little bit and also tell her about himself in return. He also would have sparred with her a couple of times, with his strategy being to only use Radiance early on in the fight in order to build up resistance to Shira's Radiant attacks as soon as possible. His preferred move to make Radiant is Liquidation, due to the longer lasting Defense debuff. He never uses any Shadow attacks.

 

[Jackie Cat]

During the Terminal Two mission, the Rangers and Escarpa warriors – with Felin – engaged Cipher forces above ground led by Commander Exol, an Exploud. The peons and Shadow pokémon were defeated handily, along with the Shadow onix.

Nidoran Purple, the 'mascot' of the Ranger Union, demonstrated exceptional skill in evacuating pokémon, earning their trust effortlessly.
The defeated peons and lower-ranking commanders were taken into custody by rangers, Escarpa, and Blaguarran volunteers. They will be held at Blaguarro Penitentiary until a county judge can issue sentences.

The captured admins have been sent to Ranger HQ for secure holding and interrogation. Leona will accompany them, following a conversation with ranger Razael. Ranger Chief Ayda has requested that half a dozen or so Wayfarers capable of wielding Radiance also accompany the escort.

The Wayfarers retrieved numerous documents, which will take time to sift through for valuable information. They have already discovered that a Terminal One exists approximately 1700 miles northeast in the frozen wasteland called the Wight Barren, in the desolate, isolated country of Malantau, where environmental conditions are harsh.

Anite plans to fill Terminal Two with rock, earth, and concrete to render it unusable – but it may soon be swallowed by the local mystery dungeon, Blackwater Depths, whether it's filled in or not...

The Cipher portal chamber in Terminal Two has been identified as a wound in reality – a rupture in Blackwater Depths, forced open and stabilised by Cipher technology. Now that the planar gateway technology is unpowered, the rupture has contracted, and seems impassable. Connecting the dungeon's heart to Betel's network could allow for the gradual closure of the rift.

The ARK Unit, or "Ark," would like to travel with the Wayfarers to Frontier Town. They need somewhere out of the way to stay, where they won't have any difficult interactions with strangers but are still within reach of the Wayfarers – and civilisation.

Ayda will remain in Blaguarro temporarily to serve as marshal until the situation there cools off. She wants to formally deputise some Blaguarro residents into the Ranger Union, after Anite, Tala and Mav demonstrated the qualities of good rangers in their mission.

As a gesture of goodwill, the Escarpa will leave two warriors in Blaguarro, ostensibly to help with security but more importantly as part of outreach to maintain good relations following the excellent optics of the Cipher mission.

Luz gave the Wayfarers her begrudging congratulations on a successful mission, with no apparent casualties. The old Saint might genuinely be impressed, though it's hard to tell. She didn't stick around – mentioning plans to have a long chat with Sierra in the near future...

 

[Ambyssin]

The ARK Unit, or "Ark," would like to travel with the Wayfarers to Frontier Town. They need somewhere out of the way to stay, where they won't have any difficult interactions with strangers but are still within reach of the Wayfarers – and civilisation.

(+ @Chibi Pika)
Nova is very quick to check the Gazette's classifieds and assorted signs posted around town to see if there are any vacated spaces on the edge of town looking for a buyer. He's got a decent enough cash surplus since he wasn't paying any board at the Haus. He also reaches out to Lucien with a similar inquiry about "off the beaten path" spaces, just in case.

Until then, he offers the tent he was using while staying by the Bulletin Board.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

In the immediate aftermath of the Cipher raid, Steven remains with those who were rescued from Cipher's cells. He has his own record of missing persons from Frontier Town, but relies on Mav's help to identify all of the rescued Blaguarro citizens and works to reunite them with friends and family in town.

He also enlists the help of Grace and Ghaspius, as well as any other Wayfarer who could offer healing (Radiant or otherwise) to tend to those too weak, too injured, or too shadowed. One person he visits in particular is Reno, hoping that things between them were more amicable now that they were free from Cipher's clutches.

"I'm sorry, we don't have a cure yet. But we'll find one and we'll fix what they did to you and everyone else."

Steven also works with the Rangers and the rail to organize transportation for all the freed Frontier Town citizens to get them out of Blaguarro and back to town safely. He sends word ahead to Lucien to inform him of the mission's success, and so that he may help prepare for the incoming arrivals, both to notify families that their loved ones were returning and to prepare lodging for those who might not have a home to return to. For some it would be only months since they'd last been in Frontier Town, others years. Steven would leave the grim task of informing Lucien of the names on the list he was unable to locate for when he sees the Marshal in person...

For now, Steven makes arrangements to return to Frontier Town with the refugees in order to help Lucien with the logistics once the train arrives.

 

[Inkedust]

Anite fills Terminal Two with rock, earth and concrete rendering it unusable.

---

He has his own record of missing persons from Frontier Town, but relies on Mav's help to identify all of the rescued Blaguarro citizens and works to reunite them with friends and family in town.

He also enlists the help of Grace and Ghaspius, as well as any other Wayfarer who could offer healing (Radiant or otherwise) to tend to those too weak, too injured, or too shadowed. One person he visits in particular is Reno, hoping that things between them were more amicable now that they were free from Cipher's clutches.

Mav is appreciative of Steven's help since the dodrio does seem to be overworked trying to corral all the rescued prisoners. Although he is still on the volatile end due to heavy Shadow corruption, Reno is a lot calmer now that he is free from Terminal Two and its dirty work. Perhaps he also feels relieved that he is allowed a break as he cannot work as the town's nightwatch in his current state, unpleasant of an experience being Shadowed may be. He begrudgingly accepts Steven's apology and will patiently wait for a cure. Mav assures Steven that Reno has always been a bit gruff, even before all this, and that this is typical of him.

---

With Ayda temporarily serving as marshal, Tala sees the opportunity to start rebuilding Blaguarro Town and discusses what being a Ranger could bring for the town with Ayda. Even disregarding the recent affairs with Cipher, the town has been in dire straits for a long while and now seems to be the best time to make it a far less terrible place for its residents.

Perhaps the Wayfarers could offer their help to build more trust with the town.

---

After the Cipher Admins are taken to Ranger HQ, Bellatrix is more than happy to help in any further interrogation of both the Admins and the retrieved Frontier Town guards. She also tells Sinopa about what happened and suggests that she remain on high alert in case Alexander tries to attack the HQ to make another attempt on the Admins.

In the meantime, Bellatrix is left to wonder what the purpose of killing Ein was after the fact if he had preserved the Frontier Town guards.

---

The only remnant of Ein left, one of his hind legs, is now in Sybil's possession. She seemed thrilled when she noticed that his corrupted aura seemed to linger and wanted to study it alongside the Timeless Relic.

A couple days later, Sybil gets Sinopa to message Betel about an exciting development regarding the Relic, asking a small group of Wayfarers to visit her as soon as possible.

 

[Tetra]

Koa pays a visit to Lucien and provides a description of Alex Xander to him, and advises that wanted posters should to be made and warnings provided not to approach under any circumstances and stay far away. After lingering for an awkward moment, he also tells Lucien he's a good mon and thanks him for all his help.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Gladion makes a thread made from the string of his worn-down bandanna he was given, and uses his metalworking job experience to work the spike from the bottom of his helmet, which he saved to make a new sapience indicator: An amulet.

It's small, but it's not like anyone's gonna mistake him for for part of the local ecosystem and he doesn't really feel the need for a full outfit as a chimera. A full, more "human" outfit just feels like pretending at something he no longer is. He thinks it serves nicely as a reminder of the progress he's made, of the people who helped him break free, and also that it is just the helmet spike and absolutely does NOT look like a heart.

(Incidentally, while I'm establishing things about his appearance: His crest won't quite stay upright. He prefers to let it lean over to his right. It just feels more correct to him that way.)

 

[Namohysip]

The guards that had been left behind by Alexander are Shadowed deeply, but they appear to be, for the most part, stable enough to be put under some security watch without worry of them attacking. They are moody and afflicted by darkness the same way as other victims had been. They are also prone to talking about their problems. A lot. At this point, anyone who spends more than a day with them knows about marital woes and way too much about the bodily hardships of a middle-aged Sandslash.

--

Comparisons are made with Alex Xander's description, powers, and other trace findings... it seems that this corresponds directly to recent announcements that the Grand Quarry is strictly off limits. It had, seemingly overnight, or at least in the past few weeks, become a much more hostile Dungeon. Those who go inside--and return--report that they constantly feel like they are being watched; that the atmosphere feels heavier and oppressive; and sometimes, they see dark figures in the corner of their vision, despite it being bright and sunny.

--

Overnight, screams had come from Mhynt's room. She was fine and claimed she only burned herself with some boiling tea. During the following day, Mhynt saw very few people and rarely left her room upon returning to Frontier Town. Despite being in the sun for much of the day prior, her leaves had the appearance of a wilting plant. She frequently holds the shoulder she'd been bitten--long-since healed--as if the wound was still there.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Since taking part in the Templefell Caverns expedition, Lyle has mostly been spending time around the Abbey preparing supplies for the next leg of his journey with Rodion and Silver. In the background, he's been playing around and experimenting with the Wayfarers' newfound ability to fast travel, along with their recently unlocked abilities to wield Radiance. After all, both hold great promise for making a trip into the unknown a lot less daunting.

Meanwhile, he has held onto a slip of paper from the Templefell Caverns meant for the trial to get past the Reshiram and Zekrom statues. On it, he had written a truth, but didn't manage to think of a complimenting ideal for it before the path opened. The way he came up blank for an ideal rubbed him a bit wrong, so he's held onto the paper in the hopes of completing it, but hasn't had any luck getting past his impasse.

 

[Hap]

After he returns from the Terminal Two mission, Ridley still feels uncomfortable in his disguise. He'd assumed it was his shadow corruption which caused him to feel so uncomfortable in his own body, but even after that problem was exorcised by radiance, the dysphoria still remained. It seems that many of the other Wayfarers have been evolving recently, though, so maybe...

Ridley buys a large amount of pink fabric and spends a significant amount of time locked in his room, patterning and measuring and cutting and sewing.

When he finally re-emerges, Ridley is now wearing a clefairy disguise.

 

[Cresselia92]

Following the post-raid Betelepathic conversation, Silver reached out to Dave to deliver Leona’s documentation and see if he can find anything useful in them. Perhaps there wasn’t much info in it, but well! Extra information was always valuable!

Also, with the whole Team Cipher business out of the way, Silver decided to follow another unresolved matter, this time with the local crime: the Morgrem and their lackeys. As such, he paid a visit to the goblin that supposedly could “see all”: Morris, the one he and the gals had defeated.

Who better than a former thief with yakuza ties could engage with another criminal and try to pry some intel? At least, that rationale made sense to him.

“…Hey. It’s me, your favorite asshole.”

Knowing well that many people pick a path of crime because they have no better options, Silver dropped his overconfidence (a smidge) to ask Morris why he and the others chose that way of living and what kind of relationship they have with their leader, Hawthorne. Simple partners in crime, or something else?

 

[RJr3:2]

Aige learns explosion.

As a form of stress relief. That's what she tells herself.

 

[Weazel]

After letting him stew in jail for a little while, Archie pays a visit to Dakim, looking to at least attempt to extract more information out of the Darmanitan. He is friendly, but persistent, jokingly telling Dakim that the fastest way for the Cipher Admin to get the Dewott out of his fur is to give him some of the information he’s looking for. His questions start out fairly general.

“What’s your ultimate goal, here? Power, sure, but power to do what?”

“What is it Cipher offers that attracts so many followers? What did they offer you, Dakim?”

“Why go through all this effort to create more and more Shadow Pokemon, if you’re already the dominant power back on your home world?”

Eventually, he starts drilling in to more specific topics, focusing on the Terminals and the Admins.

“Do you guys have a hierarchy, or is it just, Nascour at the top and the rest of you vaguely underneath him?”

“Was one of you specifically in charge of Terminal Two? … Was it Ein?”

“You mentioned a couple other names: Gorigan, Ardos, and Eldes. But you didn’t say anything about them.” He adds teasingly, “Should I fear them like I should fear Nascour?”

“Is there a specific reason Eremus Fault and Black Water Depths were chosen to house your bases?”

“Any way I can convince you to tell me what species I should be on the lookout for, when it comes to your colleagues?”

When Archie finally goes to leave, he stops at the doorway, and turns to ask the Darmanitan one final question:

“What happened to Seth’s Eevees? Where are they now?”

 

[Butterfree]

Dave spends a couple of days after the Cipher raid poring over the Leona documents Silver gave him and library books on how the fuck aura works, as well as speaking with Greenbough about anything her research has turned up, trying to build a mental model of what aura is in this universe. He also reads what he can find about Radiance and about Witching Beasts, by whatever name.

He invites Greenbough to accompany him to interrogate Lovrina. Maybe she'd make some connections to something that's come up in her previous research, and at least he knows she knows how to ask the right questions.

Whether Greenbough comes with him or not, he then heads to the Ranger HQ prison. Lovrina is an annoying little gremlin, but she's also a scientist, and while she obviously had less than zero interest in developing a cure for Shadow, he doesn't need her to develop a cure - he just needs to understand the science behind what she actually did, and then he can work out what that means for curing it, or using it without turning into a raving beast, or even just using it more efficiently, if they're going to be stuck with this thing.

He doesn't ask her about a cure - already covered that she happily didn't even think about it. Just stick to the goddamn science and let her brag. What did you do to make the ARK Unit and how does it work? What did you do to Seth? What about the casual fucking multiverse portals? And what about Cipher's dealings with the Covenant of Light? Who did they speak with there? Had they met an Inteleon called Nolan, by any chance?

 

[Chibi Pika]

He doesn't ask her about a cure - already covered that she happily didn't even think about it. Just stick to the goddamn science and let her brag. What did you do to make the ARK Unit and how does it work? What did you do to Seth? What about the casual fucking multiverse portals? And what about Cipher's dealings with the Covenant of Light? Who did they speak with there? Had they met an Inteleon called Nolan, by any chance?

"Didn't I, like, already tell you guys that I didn't make the ARK Unit, I just made it #Slap."

While Lovrina's reasonably familiar with genetic engineering, a bit of prompting will reveal that it's not her field of expertise (difficult as it is for her to admit to not being an expert at anything). No, her actual field of expertise--"I'm a freakin' prodigy lmao"--is aural engineering.

On Earth (or at least, the Earth she's from) Pokemon are equally as defined by their aura signature as they are their genetic code, and their bodies very quickly adapt to alterations made to the aura signature. This is also the case on Forlas.

She'd been trying to achieve two goals: to create a Shadow Pokemon that could never be purified, and to create a Shadow Pokemon that could generate more Shadow energy, which would greatly speed up the production of more Shadows (under normal circumstances, Shadow Pokemon can't spread the affliction to others). The problem was that none of the initial test subjects were able to interface with the Shadow-generating machinery effectively.

"And then those losers rock up and what do they have?"

The ARK Unit. Its system was configured to generate Radiance, but due to poor sampling, it was unable to accurately reproduce the correct energies.

"It was a piece of cake to reconfigure it to generate shadows instead. Piece of cake for me that is. Uncle Ein could never, lmao."

Translator's note: It seems that he is not literally her uncle. Perhaps it is a figure of speech...

Incidentally, it seems that Ein was the one responsible for conducting the experiments on Seth, and Lovrina had little to do with those.

"He was like, toootally obsessed with that mutt, always wanting to see him get dunked on. Pretty lame if you ask me."

Apparently, during the trade negotiations, Lovrina had been so single-mindedly fixated on obtaining the ARK Unit that she hardly paid any attention to any of the Covenant members present at the time.

"There, like, might've been a lizard guy there? Naps! Didn't I send you a lizard meme?"

"Uh... maybe. Or was it a frog meme?"

"Anyway, if you reeeally wanna know so bad, that thot Venus was the one in charge of getting them to simp for us.”