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Sojaveña Wilds Totally Normal Bulletin Board

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Koa stared for a long moment, considering. "I don't know," he said, shrugging. "I didn't trust him but when we spoke Archie and I played along, invited him back to train with the team..." That probably sounded bad. "Not because we trusted him! But it seemed better to let the team decide how to handle him and not make an immediate enemy. Bellatrix ran into him before too. I... I don't think he knows? Or at least I don't think anyone has told him."

He gazed thoughtfully into the distance, narrowing his eyes. "He doesn't seem easily fooled but... you would know better."
 
"...His main flaw is he is too confident in how much he thinks he has others fooled," Mhynt said. "If... if he doesn't know, that could be our greatest asset against him. And he's still a Zweilous, right? Blind. Perhaps we can take advantage of that, too. So long as he doesn't evolve..." She grunted. "But he has Owen for his eyes. That... is a problem."
 
Hope flickered through Koa as he nodded. "Still a Zweilous. I'm not sure how long he's been one though. At least since Blaguarro... I'll have to warn the others if we want to avoid tipping him off yet," he mused.

The thought of having to fight Owen again made him cringe. Especially in light of knowing that it was some kind of power he wielded that had made him so dangerous... A much worse thought followed. What if it was Odette, or Jade, or even if it had been Kitto? Could he fight them? How would he have felt if it was Echo under Alex's control?

"Do you think the team can take them both in a fight?" he asked somberly. He found himself studying Mhynt, wondering how she would deal with it, wishing he could do more.
 
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"...Owen's main weakness is not being able to handle too many foes at once, even if they're weaker. We could probably defeat Owen handily regardless of his senses. But Alexander... He could turn some of us against each other. Those numbers, turned against us. I hate to admit it... but Alexander and Owen make a strong team, allegiances aside."

She closed her eyes.

"If we want to beat them, we need to do it at their own game -- and find a way to split them apart. Owen first, so we can take away his eyes."
 
"That sounds like a plan..." If enough of them got together and cornered Owen maybe they could capture him or restrain him somehow... He really hoped so.

"Between everything I've heard from others, Alex might be trying to gather forces to attack Terminal Two..." he tapped his paw on the ground in thought. "From what you know, is it possible Alex wants to control Cipher instead of destroying them?"
 
"...That could be the worst-case scenario, but as of now... I don't know if that's already the case or just one of his goals. I'm sure it's on his mind. We'd... need more research on that." Mhynt shook her head. "I can't help but wonder if this Cipher is somehow related. Back home, he ruled a place known as Cipher City."
 
Koa's eyes widened. "Cipher City? That... that seems to strange to be a coincidence." Seth was fighting Cipher, and Wes was fighting a Cipher. Was this yet another Cipher? He shuddered at the thought.

"What was Cipher City like? Was it something to do with shadows as well?" Mhynt's world didn't have its own Seth did it?
 
"...That is... a complicated answer," Mhynt admitted. "Cipher City, on the surface, could be considered the central civilization of the place I'm from. And it's not a happy place. But... it's the safest place if you're a normal person -- living in Cipher City, I mean. It's ruled by Alexander. And... his policies are generally... sound. The society functions well enough. It's only because I know of his true motivations, his need for power and his ultimate goals, that I hate him. If he had the chance, he'd certainly become an absolute tyrant.

"...But from how I've heard of other 'Cipher' organizations, mine is nothing like that. Shadows permeate the reality I'm from. It is not something to harness. It's... more like the weather. And Alexander, able to control this 'weather,' is... powerful."
 
Koa frowned at the description of Alex, his lips curling slightly in disgust. "He puts on a good show then," he muttered. "Hides his true motivations from everyone so he can do whatever he wants." It lined up. His fools act with Bellatrix, trying to promise them information... Even Odette had spoken to him.

That explained Alex's unnatural familiarity with shadows too, if they were everywhere on his world. "What... What's stopping him from doing what he wants and becoming a tyrant then?"
 
Mhynt smiled ruefully. "He isn't the strongest power out there. If he became too large too quickly, he'd attract their attention and surely be eliminated. He's a tyrant... but he is also careful. It's how he was successful in the first place. You don't get that way with constantly overpowering anything in your way.

"Seems he's trying again here. If left unchecked... he will make a new kingdom here."
 
At least there was still chance. Here and back home. But that meant Alex was smart too, smarter than typical sort of tyrant who would just make a mad grab for power.

"That won't happen," Koa growled. "Do you have any idea how he got here? Powehi didn't summon him, neither did Betel. Does he have powers that would let him do that? If we knew how long maybe we could get an idea of how strong he's getting..."
 
"No, he doesn't," Mhynt said, "but..." She trailed off. "But... I... I have... vague memories of something. I'm not sure if it's relevant, but I recall... my trip into this world was... turbulent. But I can't remember what happened to lead up to that. But I wonder if... Alexander chased me here. And Owen, too, had followed.

"At the time... we were in the same area. Could their spirits, so linked to mine, have been pulled on accident? My world... is very energetic compared to other worlds. That volatility might have..."

The Grovyle sighed. "It's... all speculation anyway."
 
Koa stared at her, wide eyed. Alex and Owen had followed her? With a panic, he wondered what that meant for the rest of the Wayfarers. Or him. Could one of his own pokemon have ended up here without him knowing? Or was that just Mhynt's world?

He hummed in thought. Maybe Alex had only been here as long as they had, or a little longer. If he had only just evolved... "Maybe there's time then. I mean, you just evolved right? If he really got pulled here somehow around the same time as you then maybe he only recently evolved?" Did that mean he would evolve soon? He really hoped so...
 
"He must have arrived earlier somehow," Mhynt agreed. "Our... guardian seems to be much less experienced. There's a chance that we took some time to form compared to others who came in through different mediums. Perhaps they even had more starting power than we did, too." She brought a claw to her chin, tapping it thoughtfully. "We know so little. That's part of the problem."
 
"Lot of that going around lately," he muttered. Sighing, he shook his head. At least they had a start. "It doesn't seem like the 'Auriga' Powehi spoke of would summon someone like him but who knows. Doesn't even seem like there's much we can do now though, at least not until we find how to get this radiance power... We'll just have to keep an eye out for Alex, and try to make a plan for when we do see him." For a moment, he considered asking about Owen, then decided against it. He'd already pried enough.
 
Mhynt nodded and glanced at the reward supplies for the board. The same, as always.

"By the way," she said, "did you hear that Gerome's son visited this place? And then seemingly nobody knows where he was until later that evening. Seems... curious."
 
"Uh... No..." he said slowly, staring at her oddly for a moment. He wasn't sure what that had to do with anything. Had she seen something useful or was she sick of discussing her past? If so he could hardly blame her.

"I didn't realize he had a son," he admitted. "You don't think Alex has anything to do with that, do you? Or..." his voice trailed off for a moment before he continued in a lower voice. "Could he have visited the boards owner?"
 
"That's my guess," remarked Mhynt. "...Sorry, no. I was just changing the subject. I don't like to dwell on things I hate that I can't do anything else about," she said in her usual, monotone way.
 
"Sorry," Koa murmured. "I.. I don't blame you, I hate it too. We don't have to talk about anymore though, I think I know enough now, so thank you." Despite his awkwardness, he was sincere.

Maybe he should find something less terrible to discuss. "Well... congrats again on evolving! That must have been sick. Now you can use new moves and you're stronger."
 
There it was again. That look of death like she could have turned Koa into mincemeat. But just as quickly, it faded.

"...Right," she said. "I did. I'm sure I'm stronger now as well. Unfortunately... I have some bad memories with my higher forms. I suppose it was silly to think I wouldn't be able to keep things small and retain my power. This world does not operate in the same way." She glanced at Koa. "...I'm sure you'll evolve soon, too. You must be looking forward to it. Have you ever experienced evolution before? ...Mm, no. You're human, yes?"
 
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