Magna City Shining Congress – Main Lobby

[Jackie Cat]

A civilised world is not only ordinary society and its comings and goings. Civilisation must have its bright spires and halls of power, its works of art and genius, its gleaming aspirations to greatness and enlightenment. What a wonder, to see educated and civic-minded individuals coming together, not to feud and vie with one another, but to put the resources afforded them towards the common good of the world!

With a flash, Articuno brought the Wayfarers another thousand miles and two time zones east, arriving with a brisk drop in ambient temperature in an enormous foyer of sorts. The Saint's signature frost soon melted away in the temperate Alexandrian air of the east coast. In three directions were wide and tall archways to what looked like a buffet, a lounge, and an indoor pavilion.

The bright reception halls of the Shining Congress were a shock to the eyes for any accustomed to Frontier Town's drabs or to Novelux's pale and austere grandeur. Here was rich red carpeting, marble columns in the style of the Arcadellen Renewal, electric lighting, framed paintings and artifacts, dapper valets serving platters of appetisers and sparkling wine, air conditioning, indoor fountains, a live band – all attended by adherents of the Covenant, each with their silver lantern lapel pins.

Bright-eyed youths gave each other earnest accounts of their ongoing work, which may or may not have been an inexpert form of flirting – whoever's accomplishments in technology or charity or societal philosophy being the greatest therefore having the most appeal. Wizened luminaries conversed in the manner of statesmen, speaking of regional capitals, fellow senators, and the looming retirement of the last knights of the founding. Several of the Teardrop Station staff were here too, though keeping with each other more than mingling, and clearly a little over-awed themselves by this – the gleaming heart of the Covenant.

And also here, of course, were the Wayfarers, who immediately earned themselves glances from many in the area. There couldn't be more than a few hundred real members, discounting staff. It would be no surprise if regulars at the Congress recognised most Covenant by sight.

"Please do enjoy yourselves," said Articuno, mildly. "The catering is complementary – just be sure that you're gracious about it."

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt recoiled at the sudden grandeur of all this and seemed to hide from all the brightness and odd cheer. It was too far from her element, and yet also ever familiar to the darkest time of her life. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she--

A dark shadow crawled over Mhynt's shoulder, holding her gently. While Owen was not manifesting, his presence as a dark shade was.

It was enough to steady her breathing. "...So. Who are all of these people?" Mhynt asked plainly. "Politicians? Academics?"

 

[Ambyssin]

It wasn't the teleporting that woke Nova up. Rather the lights and noises from the hall. The silvally opened his eyes, blinking rapidly.

"I smell food."

... Nova clearly had his priorities in order.

 

[Jackie Cat]

"...So. Who are all of these people?" Mhynt asked plainly. "Politicians? Academics?"

Articuno tilted their head towards Mhynt, their expression impassive. Still, the lingering look suggested the bird had caught something of her momentary distress.

"Some are, yes. Others are businessmon, or clerics, or constables... but the true commonality is that they are of human descent. Of course."

 

[Namohysip]

"...Suppose that makes me quite out of place, then," Mhynt said with a thoughtful frown. "Then again, considering the company I have in this world, I imagine that's always been the case..."

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova blinked sleep out of his eyes. "It's okay. Let's take the food and find an empty room to make into the 'Not related to humanity room!'" he unhelpfully suggested, fish tail wagging.

 

[Tetra]

Much as Koa tried to mentally prepare himself, he was still caught of guard by everything. The teleport, the sudden brightness, all the different mon wandering about. All he could do was stare for a good few seconds before he reigned himself in.

He nodded to Articuno as respectfully as he could, his gaze still wandering about and taking in the sights. After all his time in Frontier Town this was distinctly different feeling, even from his brief visits to Novelux. It definitely earned its name. There were so many different kinds of pokemon, he couldn't help but see how... normal so many looked. All different species and so many clothes. Not like Rocket or Galactic, with their eerie uniforms and similar appearances.

Taking a few more moments to ground himself, he decided it was safe enough to meander over to the buffet table. He was genuinely hungry after all. Might as well get some good food before anything else happened. And maybe he could get a feel for what some of these other 'Covenant' mon were like.

 

[MintyMimix]

Ghaspius had been about ready to reply to Steven's greeting with a jovial smile, grateful for the warmth, but then everything had faded in a flash. He winced, blinking to harsh light as he soon found himself a place far beyond his usual affair. His eyes gazed upon the sheer excess of it all — the showcases of power and opulence on display to show off humanity's legacy in the architecture, the outfits, even way the occasion itself was laid out:

He hated it. He hated all of it.

The Mismagius took in a deep breath as he held his tongue. It wasn't his place to talk about inequality in this world; he just had to play the game. Putting on the most careful grin he could, he gave a grateful nod to Steven, then hovered over by the buffet table, hoping to overhear a conversation he could chime in on.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade took a moment to remove her frost-covered cloak now that they were indoors. She had a simple maroon vest and silk scarf on underneath, which she hoped would suffice—at least, Articuno hadn't given the warning for any imminent fashion crimes. Probably everyone knew they were out-of-towners anyway, so that was hopefully worth a pass. Fighting back the expected out of place feeling, Jade reminded herself that all of the Wayfarers were expected here as invited guests.

Also, being on the road as a journeying trainer had taught her to never turn down free food, so she immediately followed Nova to the banquet table and helped herself to some smoked fish. She spotted a couple of 'mon who, judging by the species—Lopunny, Solrock, Pignite, among others—were probably the Teardrop Station crew that Laura had told her about. So if nothing else, she could expect those guys to be more easily approachable than the Magna City crowd.

 

[Weazel]

Archie absentmindedly tugged on one of his whiskers, wiping away the already melting ice that had formed on its end from the teleportation. Were it not for his fur, he’d probably look a little green, in fact, teleporting always made his stomach do flips. How the others managed to feel hungry so quickly after, the Dewott didn’t understand.

More than that, there was something… Off, about this place. In how, well, normal it felt. Like he could’ve accidentally walked into a fancy party back in Castelia City. Even the guild back home in Treasure Town didn’t feel this mundane. Well, he couldn’t let himself get psyched out now. Just act like he was supposed to be here, best way to not draw unnecessary attention to himself.

Still, the Dewott didn’t think he could stomach any food right now, so instead he stepped off to the side to study some of the collected artifacts. While doing so, he kept his ears open for anything interesting bits of info he might happen to overhear.

 

[canisaries]

Andre looked around. It was familiar. He'd been dragged to parties like these a couple of times back home, though his family had always been on the lower end of the affluence spectrum of the people present. Andre could tell not only from the others' auras but the looks on their faces that they didn't think the Duvals belonged anymore, having mixed with the riff-raff too freely. That was part of why he he'd wanted to participate less and less with each iteration, but the main reason was that he'd grown more knowledgeable about inequalities in the world and wanted to divorce himself from a rich boy's life.

But you still stuck with the money, didn't you? You still wanted to hold on to a comfortable life where you just get to paint and socialize and sleep around instead of working the three jobs someone without your allowance would need to work to afford your lifestyle? Sure, you throw a little bit of that money towards charities to ease your guilt, but you haven't stepped foot in a soup kitchen in months. And you want to be an archeologist? How does that help people in need? Do you really think --

Andre stopped that train of thought right there. This wasn't the time.

He sighed and looked between the different archways. Many of the Wayfarers were going straight for the buffet, which could be seen as tacky, but then again, many of them could have skipped their breakfast. Andre didn't have a very hearty one himself. He decided it would be be better to get some sugar in his blood to make sure he was his sharpest when it mattered.

He thanked Articuno with a bow of his head and headed for the buffet.

 

[Sinderella]

Odette didn’t know what she was planning to see when they arrived at the Shining Congress hall. Despite the surprises that awaited her at Teardrop Station, a small corner of her brain still tensed over the image of sacrificial altars and candles and cloaks. Being met with the scene of a grandiose hall of high ceilings and expertly chiseled columns was a close second, and she felt the specters of familiarity crawling up her back. It felt natural that a congress building would be this nice, but everything Enigma had ever done was always bathed in the same levels of extravagance and mindless frill.

Adjusting her skirt, she nodded reverently toward Articuno. “Appreciate it,” she said. With very little early morning appetite to speak of, she felt the call of the indoor pavilion, and moved in that direction. As she passed Koa, she reached over and gave him a single affectionate scratch on his ear. Whether it startled him or not, she didn’t stop to notice.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

The Shining Congress got under Gladion’s skin almost immediately. This was a mistake. He’d been right the first time: He should never have come here. Never should’ve changed his mind. The simple fact was that he didn’t belong in places like this. He’d tried desperately to do so before only to crash and burn. What the hell made him think it was going to be any different this time?

He was going to be eaten alive by this place. Could already feel it starting to corrode him.

The most obvious problem, aside from being a Silvally, was that he was underdressed. Usually he’d just wear his amulet and if that made him look less human then he was fine with that. Here, he’d at least bothered to wear a cloak. It wasn’t enough.

He wasn’t supposed to blend in, he’d told himself. The whole point was to be bait for people who knew what he was… Didn’t make him feel any safer. Any less like this was the maw of a gilded abyss waiting to swallow him whole.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Well, so much for having time on the way here. A blink, and the cold, windy shores of the wharf were replaced with opulent halls and the lively ambiance of conversation and music. Almost immediately, the familiar feeling of wanting to blend in, but undoubtedly standing out washed over Steven, and carefully tuned habit kicked in. Manners, Steven. He held himself a little higher, a little more formally. At least as much as one could as a Metang.

The same couldn't be said for everyone, though. A feeling of unease tinged the air nearby, and he gave a concerned glance towards Ghaspius's retreating form. The Mismagius looked stiff, in stark contrast to his usual laid-back self. Steven almost followed after him to check on his friend, but he was in good company with many of their group heading for the buffet. Besides, this wasn't the place for such a conversation, not with so many eyes on them.

In that vein, it was fortunate he'd recently gone for a good polish. Brushing some non-existent dust from his non-existent lapels, he drifted away from the center of the hall and followed Odette towards the pavilion. He wasn't familiar with many Covenant members, but he kept an eye out to see if he'd recognize any familiar faces among the crowd.

 

[Cresselia92]

Silver internally flinched when the various gazes of the other patrons trained on them. Pokémon of all sizes and kinds, staring and chattering with various levels of curiosity. So many people in the same room… no, too many people in the same room. It’s been only a few seconds, and yet the entire place felt suffocating and overcrowded.

‘Why am I even here?’ he hissed mentally as his eyes immediately darted around the place, searching for the closest exit in case he needed to bail. Though, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand and took a deep, relaxing breath.

Right. He needed to keep his chill and act natural. Blend in with those unknown faces and keep a low profile. Get as much information as he could without raising suspicion. Funny how that convention mirrored one of those cold and shady business meetings hosted by Madame B—

‘Hmph. Just as long as nobody forces me to dance with them…’ he grumbled to himself to shut down his train of thought, and he unconsciously drew closer to his teammates. Just like back then, he seemed it best to stick close to the few people he trusted.

 

[Inkedust]

Such a departure from the celebrations of the Escarpa.

Bellatrix's garb was far more extravagant than her usual wear, a simple midnight blue sash stylized into a robe with white trimmings, yet it was still far simpler than most of the attire of the other partygoers. Not that she was surprised, she had plenty of experience getting into the good graces of the upper class for her own advantage and she was never one for parties to begin with as fielding so many people, regardless of class and status, was something that exhausted her.

After some consideration, she decided to follow Steven and Odette but decidedly remained close to a nearby fountain where she could linger and listen to much of the gossip while avoiding much of the social element. She held her head high and walked serenely, putting on an impenetrable, formal mask.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura winced at how underdressed she felt – she was emphatically not a fancy clothes kind of person, and the best she'd been able to muster was a sort of smart waistcoat over a satin blouse, and dress pants she'd rented from a place in Novelux. It wasn't so bad. There were some less-attired 'mon here and there. Articuno wasn't even wearing anything, what with being a Saint. They didn't need to – nobody would look at them and think 'feral'.

"Thank you for the lift, Articuno," she said, almost laughing at how absurd a sentence it was.

So many Covenant... She could easily waste the day interviewing a handful of them and get nowhere. First she needed to get her bearings. She drifted vaguely in the same direction as Koa and Archie, partly out of a genuine interest of her own in the kinds of things the Covenant would display on their walls. That in itself would say something about them, wouldn't it?

Her eyes was drawn to one display in particular – a portrait, painted with care, of 'Founding Member', Lord Articuno. The Winter Arbiter. They looked younger in the painting. More hopeful... and more proud.

"Hey, look at this," she said, half to herself and half to any Wayfarer nearby. "It's, y'know. Them. From like two hundred years ago..."

---

Over at the buffet, a tuxedo-wearing Lopunny Julius was delicately nibbling at a plate of florentines, while Aipom Roscoe shovelled sausage rolls and assorted cheeses into his mouth, wearing a rather more dishevelled suit of his own. The Solrock – a chalk-stained oddball named Apricity, had detached one of his extremities and levitated it into a glass of something that passed for wine among silicoids.

The bowtie-wearing Pignite was the first to actually notice the Wayfarers, and wave enthusiastically to them.

"Why, howdy, Weyfharersh!" said Roscoe, his voice muffled by the food stuffing his mouth. "Ahem, so, uh. You just get here?"

One of the non-Teardrop 'mon at this part of the buffet table – a Ribombee in a sapphire-blue dress – perked up at this.

"You know them personally, Roscoe?" she whispered. He nodded back with a shit-eating grin. She turned and bowed in mid-air to Andre and the other Wayfarers approaching the buffet table.

Roscoe gestured vaguely between the bee-fly and the group. "Angels, meet Angel. Angel, meet Angels." He snorted at the inherent comedy while Angel blushed faintly.

"Pleasure to meet you," she said, earnestly. "I've been following your adventures as closely as I can! But it's so hard to get real news from so far away. Did you actually battle a Saint? Do you really have memories of your home worlds? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm being rude! Please, allow me to welcome you to Alexandria, the amaranth state!"

The flustered Ribombee could be an opportunity... She was clearly an Alexandrian local, more in tune with the Covenant's core than the misfits of Teardrop Station. And she already seemed thoroughly won-over by the legends of the Wayfarers.

---

Moving towards the pavilion, Odette, Steven and Bellatrix would overhear various intriguing snippets of conversation. Most ear-catching of all was a loud, confident voice addressing a gaggle of well-dressed admirers on the topic of Radiance.

"—possible that the power could manifest spontaneously in any heroic pokémon in extremis, should the stars align! Perhaps there is some factor, some intrinsic change in the very soul, that if we understood it—"

As they approached, the speaker cut himself off and cleared his throat. With a gesture, he bid some of the 'mon around him move aside so he could see the newcomers, and they him – he was a Hypno, impeccably dressed in a spotless white suit, monocle and cravat.

"Welcome!" he declared, beaming. "If I am not mistaken, you are some of those bright-and-shining heroes from the western frontier, am I right? Please, please, join us! Or, ha, nevermind whatever I was saying before, I'd much rather get to know you instead."

From his cheeky expression, this was a joke – one that earned a smattering of chuckles from his audience of gentlemon.

"I beg your pardon – you can call me Arthur. And what might your names be, good sir and ladies?"

The smile was more than genuine. Arthur was delighted to host Wayfarers, and apparently seemed to be influential in some way. Perhaps this was an opportunity?

---

Jade and the chimeras stuck out like a sore thumb, but it seemed at first that Covenant normies were too polite to walk up to a pair of exotic 'mon with a wild air about them and ask presumptuous questions. Some gawkers flushed and looked away if their eyes were met.

Even so, their plan paid off shortly in another way.

"Hello there, Gladion. It's been a little while, hasn't it? I hope life has been treating you well. Will you introduce me to your friends?"

The voice was calm, friendly, almost self-effacing. There was almost a kind of sheepish laugh in it, as if the speaker were trying to come off as awkward and non-threatening.

But it was the voice of Greninja Matthias, and Gladion knew what that voice sounded like in the midst of combat.

"If you'd like to talk, perhaps you'd care to join me in the lounge? There's an open bar, if you like that sort of thing."

The amphibian smiled around his oversized tongue, and bowed politely.

There might never be another chance as good as this to talk to him.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Slipping through the crowd like a ghost, a Grovyle dressed in a silver blazer appeared near Laura's side. "It's all a bit too formal for my liking as well. Though, I can't deny it's a good place to gather useful information." Ralsen met her eye with just a hint of a smirk. "You know, I bet some of you could slip into the halls and no one would bat an eye. Honored guests, right?" He took a sip from his glass.

 

[Weazel]

His eyes were drawn first to Laura, and then to the painting she had spotted. A younger, haughtier Articuno, from before time had worn them down. He had to wonder just how old this painting was, how many lifetimes the Legendary bird had lived since it was completed. He opened his mouth to make some kind of quip about the downsides of having such a long lifespan, but someone else spoke first.

Archie’s muzzle quickly drew into a tight frown. He recognized this Grovyle: the would-be thief from Ranger HQ. The Pokemon Trainer who’d managed to bring his whole team with him here. One of his paws momentarily drifted towards his scalchop… And then he reminded himself not to make a scene. The Dewott let his paw fall back limp to his side.

“I suppose you would know a thing or two about that,” he said, his tone measured. Still, it wasn’t the worst idea. Their whole goal here was to root out the rot in the Covenant, wasn’t it? Hard to do that in a setting where everyone was carefully presenting their best faces. He leaned towards Laura, before adding, “But I wouldn’t say no to a walk around the premises… What do you think?”

 

[Jackie Cat]

Laura tensed up for a moment, before remembering the agreement she'd made with Ralsen. Was this his way of tipping them off?

"Sure," she said, keeping her voice low. "Who could blame us for having a look around? We've never seen anything like the Congress, after all, have we?"

She'd seen Wyndon and Hammerlocke. There were pubs in Galar older and grander than this.

She glanced sidelong at Archie. "I'm up for it. Rather have another person or two with us, if we can." She gave Ralsen a quizzical look. "Anything we ought to be looking out for...?"