Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Jump Einatz]

The Round Table

The mechanical pit next to the Leroux's hologram stand hummed with activity. Crystal blue waves appeared in a flurry of pixels, swirling around in a tiny geyser before parting to give form to Madeline Taine. She sat up very straight, poised and deliberate. Despite being a noblewoman in her forties, Madeline had not neglected her health, and through her white silk gown it was clear she was sporting a bit of muscle. Sporting the same disinterested, above-it-all expression she had during the Lumiose parade, she looked to the pit next to her.

It was decide that Siebold would not be joining the Round Table meeting tonight. Although he was powerful enough to be in the same Elite Four as Drasna and Malva, he lacked the fortitude to stomach the discussions to be had. Madeline felt the Taine house was under-represented, and that she'd have to represent her court house with more gusto than usual if the others were to take her seriously.

"Elliot," she said, regarding the head of the Leroux house with a nod. Her attention turned to Jullien. "Are we to wait for Bertrand, or shall we begin? I'd rather not be in this chair all night."

Route 8 - Beachside

"Merde!" Youngster Kullen returned his KO'ed Corphish to its Pokéball. "How did you beat me so fast?"

Salieri shrugged, slouched on a vaguely throne shaped rock. Biz Marquis stretched his legs a few feet before her. His adrenaline rush from battle was wearing off, but she never had one for this match. "How did you lose so fast?" Cussing under his breath, Kullen kicked up some sand and marched away back towards Cyllage City.

A good amount of the trainers on the beach were from Ambrette Town, and weren't on the same level as she was. It was to be expected: Ambrette Town wasn't known for its battling scene. Salieri was actually glad she didn't run into any tougher trainers, or else she'd have to reveal her more potent tactics and moves. With her back to the bottom of the cliff wall and the ocean ahead of her, she was pretty sure The Sniper wasn't watching her. But she still had no idea what he looked like. He could even be on this beach right now. The less he knew about her fighting style, the better.

Sal looked at the Kecleon's Pokéball in her hand. His level was higher than the other captures she had made today, and his camouflage could prove useful in her current predicament. But if she was right in thinking that Faust hadn't seen her capture the Kecleon in the alley, then she had to keep it a secret from him.

The sky glowed a soft orange, but the light was fading away. Trainers were beginning to head back, and she didn't want to be on the beach alone. Sal decided she'd wait five more minutes before tailing after the next big crowd.  

[Jump Einatz]

((Edited just a tad))

Route 9 – Mountain Range

What could have been attributed to a natural disaster was decided to be the fault of Team Flare by the police. The Spike Passage was no more, as the trampling had laid most of it flat. The police had caution tape all over the area, and were treating it as a crime scene.

High up the cliffisde near the top of the mountain range. Where the cops below couldn’t see them, were Jump and the rest of his party. The Flare Admin was slumped against a boulder, nursing wounds with an ice pack. Of all his scrapes and bruises, he could contribute at least half to Zack. He wondered if the Unovan trainer had gotten away worse for wear.

Kiedis lay on his back, loudly snoozing while Hexum stood next to him looking out to the ocean. Behind Hexum was a tarp, and underneath it was a vaguely human shape. Jump had recovered Aliana’s body after Ratio and Helena left Diancie’s Domain. They were waiting on an extraction.

“Jump…” Hexum glanced at his trainer and adjusted his glasses. “Did I hurt anybody?”
“You beamed a t-rex into a wall. And then maybe you blasted some other dinosaurs.” Jump shrugged, weary. “It looked more like they were giving you props than giving you s**t…I think you’re their new king or something.”
Hexum just nodded. The end of the day’s sun reflected warmly off the Lucarionite on his arm bracer. “I’ll control it better next time.”
“It’s no big deal. We’ll work on it, Hexum.”
“…am I interrupting a pity party, mates?”

The arrival of a new voice brought Jump and Hexum to attention. Kiedis woke up and eyed where the strong Orrean accent was coming from. Higher up on the mountain range stood a man in his early thirties with a smug grin. The man wore a blue beanie, beige cargo pants over black boots, and an open, blood red longcoat that flapped in the wind. His lack of a shirt underneath the coat made it clear that unlike Jump’s lanky and lean physique, he was far more muscular. A long lock of dark blue hair covered his right eye. Clinging onto his shoulder was a Sableye, bearing a toothy smile at those below.

Jump scowled at the newcomer. “Skarada. Welcome to what's left of the cave party.”
“Yeah, heard it was busted by the po, two kids and some kinda monster. Not that anyone else was going anyway.” Ska squinted an eye at Jump's injuries. "So which one gave you those wounds to lick? The po, the two kids, or the monster?"
"It wasn't a kid, dude. He was at least 18."

Hands in his pants pockets, Ska slid a few feet down the cliff and bent over Aliana’s corpse. He peeked under the tarp and let out a low whistle. “Still wanna crack onto this one, mate? I know you had the eyes for her.”
“Hey man, she just died. Show some respect.” Jump sighed and glanced down, shaking his head. “She was gonna show me her n****e, too…”
“You really know how to shoot for the stars.” Ska snapped his fingers. “Hawkins.”

Hawkins, his Sableye, lifted ahand and lazily pointed a finger at the body. A pink glow emanated from its form, and the entire thing was lifted up by Telekinesis. The tarp wrapped around Aliana to keep her covered entirely, floating towards Skarada. “I’ll be takin’ care of this, then. Give her a proper burial. I trust you blokes can take care of yourselves if you don't have to haul a cadaver around.”

Jump was generally accepting of most people, but Skarada struck him as underhanded. Something about the man from Orre was just off, like he always had an ulterior motive. And his sense of style was far too raunchy. It was hard to believe Team Flare made Ska one of their Administrators, the same rank as Jump. Put on a goddamn shirt. “How do I know you’re not just saying that? About the burial.”
“You don’t. Try to trust me. We're on the same team, after all. Admins united.”
“It’s real hard. Like, you're a pirate. Can't trust pirates.”
Ska chuckled and turned away. “Your loss. Or as the Kalosians would put it, ‘C’est la vie’.”
Jump folded his arms. “I don’t know what that means.”
Hexum facepalmed while Skarada chuckled again. “I didn’t think you would. Be seein’ you mates later.”

With a backhanded wave, Ska hiked up the mountain with Aliana’s floating body in tow, until he was out of sight. “Is he gone?” asked Jump.

The Aura nodes on the back of Hexum’s head lowered. The Lucario nodded. “Man,” Jump grunted, “I really don’t like that dude's vibe."  

[Spinne Biss]

The Round Table

Bertrand Balibar's holigram hummed to life, projecting the image of the noble. His arms; large, lined with dark hairs and well defined muscle - were crossed over his chest. His head was bare of any hair, but he wore it on his face. It covered his cheeks and mouth, coming down to end partway down his chest. Dressed the part of a man of his standing, Bertrand defied age. Despite it, he was in peak condition. Even as a holigram, he could look imposing to all around - an image he was proud of.

"Everyone is here?" his eyes scanned the room as he spoke, stopping only briefly on each present individual. "Good. Let's begin."  

[Spinne Biss]

Route 8 - Beachside

Grant felt worse than he looked, and he blamed walking for that. His skin was littered with many tiny of cuts, none of them bleeding much anymore. They were thin lines all across his body colored white or red. His clothes were similarly tattered, though his Poketch coat, which fell down near his ankles, managed to stand a better chance against the sandstorm he'd endured earlier.

It was still tattered in places, and tinted with dirt, but Grant thought it only made the jacket look badass somehow with its ruby colors.

"Hey!" he called when he caught side of Salieri, waving a hand dramatically overhead to signify that he was the one calling out. "Can I get a bit of help, please?"  

[Klarp Glornharm]

Route 8 - Beachside

Benedict managed to keep from stumbling when his legs threatened to give out by reaching out and putting a hand on Jerath. It helped steady him well enough, but didn't stop him from wanting to just collapse anyway. He silently cursed himself for taking the path on the beach, but it wasn't like the cliff path was much better anyway. Still, using the Rhyhorn to help him climb down wasn't one of the better plans the youth had made, and the sand was shifting enough that he felt he might fall down sooner rather than later.

A voice called out from somewhere, and Benedict turned his attention to the person waving his arms. For a moment, the youth thought it was him being yelled at, but it was easy enough to see the figure that looked a lot less tired up ahead. From a distance they did, anyway.

For now, the people were in his path anyway, going the same way he was, so the youth decided to walk towards Salieri as well.  

[Jump Einatz]

Route 8 - Beachside

"Hrm?" Salieri perked her head up at Grant's request. The first thing she noticed, aside from his plethora of cuts, was his Poketch sponsorship jacket. The trainer was sponsored. A noble? He was in the Pokémon Center, with that guard from the Parfum Palace.

Her hand moved to her backpocket, where her switchblade resided. Unsure if it was a coincidence or not, Salieri had to make a quick judgement call. If this sponsored trainer was The Sniper, there was no sense in showing his face at such close range. With all those wounds and the direction he was coming from, Sal assumed Grant was present during the Ambrette Town stampede. The Sniper had been on high ground, away from the fighting. Unless he had jumped into the fray later, he wouldn't be injured like this. Given his namesake, Sal found it unlikely.

So he's not The Sniper...but that doesn't mean they aren't working together. This could be a ploy to get me to lower my guard. Sal wasn't sold on the idea of trusting random nobles yet, even if Matheson had only shown her kindness.

As Benedict drew closer to Grant, Sal recognized the familiar face as the trainer who flirted with her days prior. With another witness present, one that she even knew by name, Salieri felt emboldened to figure out who Grant was. If he's a threat I can deal with him now.

Salieri got up from her rock and made her way slowly over to Grant, hand still close to her switchblade behind her back. Biz Marquis took note of his trainer's caution and walked alongside her, trying but failing to hide his curiosity. "I saw you before, in Ambrette Town. You were fighting in the Pokémon Center, right?"

Once Benedict got close enough, Sal would give him a nod as well, with a playful, "Hey, Cyrano, you really know how to milk a camera, huh?" She had caught a piece of his interview on the news her second time in Cyllage's Center.  

[Marsuru]

The Round Table

'Have some patience, Maddy. It's not like we're getting any older,' Malva said with a teasing grin. She leant on the round table with both elbows, holographic gleam on her glasses making it difficult to see her eyes. Elliot sighed, sensing an incoming barrage of flared tempers, but Bertrand soon arrived and ended it before it could begin. Quiet swirled around the black room, dancing with the electric hum of its hologram nodes. Flecks of cybernetic flame rose and faded. Elliot avoided eye contact.

'To begin with,' Lord Nostrad's dry voice broke the silence. His gaze circled the room, dark and intense like a furious blaze. His eyes lingered on Malva, and she smirked back. 'Team Flare.' Nostrad simmered. 'Malva, would you care to explain how you've raised such an utterly incompetent rabble?'
'Actually-'
'They were given a single task!' Nostrad roared like one of his dragons. 'And not only did they fail spectacularly, but they also managed to become a public menace! We can no longer use Flare freely. Instead, we'll be forced to linger in the shadows like common criminals!'
'And how's that meant to be my fault?' Malva snarled back with just as much venom as Nostrad. 'I train the rookies in combat; that doesn't make me accountable for every little failure!'
'Little?!'

'Can we-' Elliot started. Nostrad and Malva turned from glaring at each other to glaring at him. Elliot held out his hands and took a settling breath, 'Can we not get angry? Just for once.'

Nostrad gave Malva a distasteful look, then leant his chin on interlocked fingers. The sour look never left his face. 'Very well.'  

[Jump Einatz]

The Round Table

The hologram of Madeline lifted up an antique folding fan and fluttered it over her face to hide her tiny smile at the sight of Malva and Jullien losing their cool. In order to demonstrate her value as the head of a court house, she'd take the role of the rationale one. "If Team Flare are to become criminals than so be it. As long as they can continue to operate where we cannot then it changes nothing. We'll just have to give them more assistance to keep them afloat."

The fan snapped shut. "What concerns me more is that we've lost a scientist, and until the others can duplicate her capture designs then we're unable to capture any more Legendary Pokémon." Madeline closed her eyes, picturing what kind of power those Pokémon of lore possessed. "We must obtain the Pokémon of Life and the Pokémon of Destruction before anyone else, or we will fail."  

[Spinne Biss]

The Round Table

Bertrand Balibar took in everything that was being said with his eyes closed. The squabbling of his peers and their underlings was a thing that Balibar knew he'd spend his life with. It didn't make it any less annoying, however. Finally, Lady Taine spoke with the grace of an angel, saving the meetings of kings from becoming one of fools. He opened his eyes and looked out upon the meeting again.

"We also need the key."

Route 8 - Beachside

"Yeah, you're the fire lady," Grant said. Then Salieri addressed someone out of Grant's line of sight, and he turned to look at Benedict. "Thanks for the help, by the way," he said as he turned back toward the teenager.

"If you don't mind, I was wondering if I could ask for another."  

[Jump Einatz]

Route 8 - Beachside

"Another what, favor?" Sal smirked. The girl loved leverage. "Heh, that'd be twice now that you owe me. What are you looking for?" She flicked a thumb over her nose. "And it's Salieri. Not Fire Lady."  

[Marsuru]

The Round Table

The key. So small yet so vital. Nostrad watched Bertrand carefully. Aside from Nostrad, Bertrand Balibar was the eldest member of the Court, and the one Nostrad felt most drawn towards trusting. Which meant, of course, that he had to trust him the least. He and his were put in command of searching for the key, though perhaps his talents would be better put to use elsewhere. It wouldn't take the Quillon to get the job done.

'The key is a problem that will be solved in due time.' Nostrad said, looking around the room. 'There are only so many ways our friend AZ can continue to elude us. More pressing...' he paused, chewing on the words. 'The assassin Ratio is back, and he now possesses Diancie.'
'Uh, forgive me,' Elliot said, leaning forward. 'But who exactly is this "Ratio"?'

Nostrad looked annoyed at the interruption, but remembered that of all the court, Elliot was the only one who hadn't been a house leader at the beginning of their endeavour. He wouldn't know of the events 15 years ago, not first hand, at least. Nostrad smiled.

'Well then, why don't I allow our guest to explain?' He waved his hand over his shoulder, beckoning. 'Jean?'  

[Spinne Biss]

The Round Table

Jean placed a hand upon Nostrad's shoulder. The hologram program would create an image of him off of the one of Nostrad. To those not in the room, he would simply appear as if out of no where.

Jean-Pierre, a native Kalosian man, was dressed in a suit. His boots, gloves, pants and jacket were all a deep black, while the dress shirt was white and finally he wore a red ascot. His hair, dark but greying, was pulled back into a ponytail, giving it a near look in the front but the hair frayed in all sorts of directions within the ponytail itself as it gave in to its curly and wavy nature.

"Ratio," Jean began, his voice deep and low and the words, as they followed, all in his native Kalosian language, "is a master assassin." His eyes flickered across the room as he spoke, changing whomever he looked at in the eyes every now and then. "One of the best there is, if not the best out right. Fifteen years ago, I captured him." Jean's voice was a little louder when he referred to himself, and his lips curled only the slightest amount. "But he escaped," this time he looked down at Nostrad.

"Right out from under your noses." He'd expect Nostrad to take this blow to his pride, and he looked back up at the rest of the court, to look for reactions. His lups curled slightly more, making the faint smirk apparent to anyone who looked. "He has a specialty," he began again, louder again to drown out any protests, "in swift assassinations. He can take out anyone in a room he enters within the first few seconds of his arrival, and that's if you're well hidden and well guarded."

"Of him personally, we don't know anything. Not his real name, who hired him then or who hired him now. All we do know is that he's back, and he's already carving the lot of you to pieces; plans, people and all." They couldn't track his movements, only respond to them. Ratio's assassination also kept him one step ahead of his targets. The only stopping wall, Jean was sure, that Ratio had ever encountered was Jean himself.

"Ratio's most dangerous aspect is that he's an aura master. He can act without planning. Speak, move, gesture, anything. Then correct himself on the fly. Ratio can issue commands before you've even started speaking. He will respond faster, adapt more efficiently, and kill more swiftly in any given scenario." His eyes settled on Balibar. "He's greater than anything you've ever seen before."

Balibar snorted loudly and Jean's smirk broadened as a result. "I am here to protect Nostrad. The rest of you better figure out how you plan to survive. Call it a mercy that he hasn't already arrived to kill you, one by one."

Balibar glared at him. "You speak a lot of this man. If the court approves, I will handle the defenses against this man myself, as well as the hunt for him. We will see how your assassin holds up to my Quillon."  

[Marsuru]

Sycamore Pokémon Lab

A long rectangle of orange sunlight streaked across the hallway, then vanished in shadow. The main doors closed with a hefty clunk, and Esme redid the lock as she'd been told, taking off her shoes and leaving them neatly by the wall. The lab's old smell greeted her warmly. It had a way of reminding her of the first time she set foot in the place; a wide eyed rookie on placement from Université de Lumiose. Despite all the s**t that had happened since then, that memory habitually bubbled to the surface and took her back in time. Esme flipped the lightswitch without looking, driving the faded shadows from the ground floor.

'Hey, it's me!' she called up in Kalosian, slinging her bag to a side table. A battered copy of la physiologie complet poked out of the top, and a few different coloured leaves of paper were marking her pages. A thundering of steps descended the staircase, and Sina stopped at the first turn, grinning.

'Dude, you took your time,' Sina said with a wink in her voice. Esme gave her a flat look. It had barely been ten minutes since she took Dexio's call. 'You've gotta come upstairs. There's this seriously hot guy and-'
'Ladies,' Dexio spoke with a flourish, leaning over the bannister rail. He looked like he was about to speak, but Esme spoke first.
'You mean Dexio?' she asked incredulously. Sina's face burned.
'W-what? No! There's this guy, and he's got this jaw. And- and you're enjoying this, aren't you?'
'I may be savouring every second, yes,' Esme replied, breaking a grin of her own. Sina giggled while Dexio looked between the two, his wide eyed look doing little to mask his confusion.

'I feel like I've missed something,' he said, straightening his scarf. 'Regardless! Esme, before you begin door duty, the professor would like a word with you. It isn't urgent, but as there is little reason to become distracted-' Sina mouthed hot guy with an exaggerated wink and pointed upstairs '-there is little reason to delay. So, chop chop!'
'Oooh, you don't get to chop me,' Esme said as she took the staircase. She gave Dexio a lingering look, and he swallowed, nodding his head silently while Esme walked past.

They turned on lights as they went upstairs, transforming the gloomy old manor into something more homely. Professor Sycamore was in his lab. He leaned over some paperwork but didn't appear to be reading. Esme imagined that the rampage on Route 9 must be playing havoc on Sycamore's mind. A pokémon professor lived to further their understanding of pokémon and their behaviour. For something so strange and so tragic to have happened, he must be itching to get out and investigate. She was interested as well, she admitted, but her purview was biology, not psychology.

'Professor,' Dexio said, sweeping his hand to the side, 'Esme has arrived.'
First Sycamore looked up, then he stood up, leaving his paperwork forgotten. 'Esme, it's about time you got here. Sorry to land you with this, but I'll need you and Sina to clear out the nursery and prep it for study. Our friend upstairs has kindly permitted us to study his rather unusual Aerodactyl.'
'It's three times the size,' Dexio added. Esme met him with a raised eyebrow.
'I know Dexio told you that we'd need you on the door, but the pokémon listen to you, and it'll be much easier to get them packed away if they're not charging around the lab all willy-nilly. Dexio, you're on door duty.'

The young aide froze, then cleared his throat. 'Um, actually, professor. I was hoping that I might be able to assist you.'
'Dexio, Dexio.' Sycamore, put a hand on Dexio's shoulder and shook his head. 'No. I'll send Esme in once she's done, but until then, I'm counting on you. Can you do this for me?'
'Professor, I-' Dexio paused, then nodded with resolve. 'I can.'
Sycamore gave Dexio's arm a quick pat. 'Then go. Go!'

Dexio charged out of the lab, raring and ready to give it his all. To go out there and be the best darned doorman the Sycamore research lab had ever seen. Esme sighed as he left. 'What an idiot.'  

[Klarp Glornharm]

Benedict shot Salieri his best grin when he recognized her properly. It had taken a moment, but she was memorable because of the pokemon battle, and a little because of the way she'd made him vie for her attention. "Hello again."

The comment about working a camera had him confused for a moment, before the youth remembered that he had been interviewed before. But again, he was sure it wasn't that big of a deal. Other people had probably been looked at too. "Of course. Use every advantage to its fullest, right?" And public opinion could be a pretty big advantage.

Grant earned a look from Benedict, but he was too tired to be competitive or suspicious. Besides, Grant looked as worn out as he felt, and this girl had proven she wasn't exactly easy and going to fall for some one-liner. For now, he waited to see what the guy wanted.  

[Jump Einatz]

The Round Table

Madeline opened her fan and flapped it over her face once more, this time to cover her anxiety. Even though she was miles away from Jean Pierre, his words made her feel unsafe. She had heard of Aura before. The ability to read and sense another's presence was terrifying in the wrongs hands. Nonetheless, she recollected her cool when Bertrand made his skepticism known.

"What of the key?" Madeline asked Bertrand. "That tiny relic is just as pivotal as the Pokémon of Life and Destruction. If you're preoccupied with defending against this 'Ratio', then I shall have Siebold take care of searching for AZ."

Her eyes tried to catch the attention of Jullien's. "You may not approve of him joining our inner circle, but you can't deny that Siebold's power is immense. Give him the right pretense, and it won't matter if he knows what he is searching for. He will bring it to me." She would whatever was in her power to make sure House Taine was not sidelined from their destiny.