Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Marsuru]

Between Route 14 and 16 - Before the Team Flare Operation

As Alexander helped Helena to her feet, his mouth twitched, almost smiling, and he gestured Ferox towards the woodland. The Arcanine padded into the centre of the clearing. As she passed, the flames licking the earth bent towards her before dying down. All they left behind were tiny plumes of smoke and the occasional glowing ember. The pokémon growled at a mass of gleaming eyes, which retreated into the darkness of the forest. Her Intimidate ability would keep them at bay for now.

'A shortcut,' Alexander repeated, 'through miles of uncharted forest teeming with hostile and overwhelmingly powerful pokémon. Some might call that bravery...'

He nodded towards the oil field. It was quite the little operation, with dozens of rigs and pumps towering over smaller metal containers, like a herd of Miltank grazing in a field. To facilitate the drilling operation, a circular mile of trees had been cleared and the ground levelled, ravaging the wilderness's natural beauty. Or at least Alexander hoped Helena saw it that way.

'Well,' he said, standing on the edge of the cliff and overlooking the operation. 'I suppose it's not completely uncharted.'

The old trainer half-turned and offered Helena his hand again, except this time in friendship. 'Call me Alexander.'  

[Spinne Biss]

Between Route 14 and 16 - Before the Team Flare Operation

Helena looked out to the oil field as Alexander moved to the cliff edge. It was a massive operation that tore through the Earth. The hostility of the wild Pokemon seemed to support an argument that, even with all the forestal life surrounding the oil field, the environment wasn't unchanged. It was instead hidden in subtle ways. A sick idea of preserving the aesthetic image of the area.

"I guess not," Helena said, turning her head to look at Alexander when she saw him offer his hand. She took it to shake it, her own soft, small hands not able to give a firm handshake, but she tried regardless.

"Helena. Thank you for saving us."  

[Marsuru]

Between Route 14 and 16 - Before the Team Flare Operation

'Overheard someone say they saw a girl go off-route. Figured you'd need saving sooner or later.'

Alexander shook his head. Better to answer her questions before she thought to ask them. People rarely remembered enough about a conversation to be able to analyse it afterwards, especially if they were satisfied originally. Of course, Alexander hoped Helena wasn't like most people.

'Know much about politics, Helena?' Alexander said. He kept his accent broad and Unovan. Something familiar would be comforting. 'Truthfully it ain't much different here in Kalos to anywhere else, except here the nobles are the politics. They're the lawmakers and rulers, the lobbyists, the voters. They're the environmentalists and they're the oil magnates. See that? That field's operated by Verdralife, a little something owned by one Jullien Nostrad. Same man who sank millions into that environmentally friendly power plant out in the Lumiose Badlands.'

As Alexander spoke, he added a dash of simmering rage, so that when Helena looked in his eyes she'd see a churning ocean of injustice. The face of a man angry at the world but without the power to change it for the better. He made his fist shake slightly at his side, a nice touch.

'The Court controls everything here, just you remember that. It ain't only the wild pokémon who'll rip your throat out if you let them.' He sighed and softened his tone. 'Now, you all set? I've been just about everywhere there is to go in Kalos. You need a real shortcut, you come with me.'  

[Jump Einatz]

Cyllage City Hospital

"Oh!" Salieri stopped before she walked right into a surprise Benedict. "Ben." She wondered how long he had been standing there, or what he had heard. Long enough to hear her drop his name? If that was the case, he didn't seem interested in that part.

Benedict cut right to the chase, a far cry from how roundabout he could be. Salieri took a second to be overwhelmed by the sudden meeting and question before composing herself. She put a hand on her hip and tilted her head. "Why do you want to now?"

The way the police were already spinning the story made her knowledge confidential. But Salieri had no allegiance to the police, or the nobles that pulled their strings. She'd say whatever she wanted to. It was Benedict's proactive curiosity that made her react to his question with one of her own.  

[Spinne Biss]

Between Route 14 and 16 - Before the Team Flare Operation

Helena stifled a laugh when Alexander spoke. His words sounded like something Zack would say, and her own response was obvious. "Did you have to wait so long?"

Politics wasn't something that Helena knew very much about. Unovan news was Entertainment News, with political debates all over the broadcasts, creating sides instead of sharing facts and bringing people together. It wasn't an objective source of media, but people lived with it. Helena fell into the group of people who knew it was bad, knew it was wrong, but had no intention of standing up to fight the corruption. All of that was a faraway idea that priviledged people would have to do. Helena was just a girl with her hopes on college. Her life was very individual - carefully planned, step by step, and so she'd always blocked out the rest of the world.

Helena watched Alexander's face as he spoke. She didn't need to look back to the oil field - though she glanced for a second, a small flicker of her eyes. That was a reality that she couldn't change. Alexander's passion resonated with her, though. He spoke of a world that Helena had always seen, or suspected, but never faced. There was a passion to the man, in his eyes, his voice, his face - even the shaking of his hands. He spoke of injustice as the reality that it was, as if it were right there in front of them. A reality that the little Redgrave teen had always pushed away, seeing it from such a far distance, distorted by rose tinted glasses.

When Helena looked at the oil field this time, she saw it for what it was. It wasn't injustice in a video, or on television. It wasn't an advertisement, or a sub-plot in a movie. It was right there, literally so close she could explore it, touch it, see how it affected everything around it.

The land where they pulled oil from the ground was dead, or it looked dead. The results of its influence decaying everything around it. Helena came back to her first thought, about how wild the Pokemon were, about how passionately they hated humans.

"I know this girl, she says a lot of the same stuff. My brother, too, he's afrajd of them, I think. The nobles, or the court, or whatever." Helena's words felt very far away when she spoke them, they came out on a soft voice, almost lost to her. Unfamiliar, and yet she knew them as she spoke them.

Alexander's offer was a solid one. She knew that immediately. There was a familiarity in the way that he looked at the world, one she knew in Salieri. They weren't close, but the abrasive girl had been right. Helena knew it before Zack freaked out on her, she knew it the moment she stood in that cave, looking at the man in the mask - at Ratio.

"I would love a ride, to Anistar." Helena said, looking at the man now. It wasn't just that he reminded her of Salieri, or that he'd sounded like Zack if only for a moment, there was something else familiar about him too. The Arcanine, though this one seemed majestic and proud, not terrifying.

"Are you afraid of them, Alexander? Of the nobles?"  

[Marsuru]

Between Route 14 and 16 - Before the Team Flare Operation

Alexander cracked a grin, then nodded to his Arcanine. She padded over, paws barely brushing the earth.

'Scared of nobles? Nah. Of the nobility?' Alexander sucked his teeth. 'I figure any man with a lick of sense ought to fear what he can't stop. But if enough of us band together, there should be something we can do. Some change we can make for the better. It'll take fewer of us than you'd think, mark my words.'

Ferox reached Alexander and Helena, and began circling them. When her long, cloud-like tail drifted up to her snout, she began to glow, her body hot like coals.

'Been a few generations since anyone taught an Arcanine to Teleport,' Alexander said, patting Ferox's back. 'Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle, and don't hold your breath. To Anistar City.'

With that, Ferox roared and her glowing fur went completely white, went so bright she hurt to look at, like the sun. A moment later, all that remained was the curling-smoke of Flamethrowered grass and the forest's creeping silence, with off-beat clangs of machinery echoing in the background.  

[Klarp Glornharm]

Cyllage City Hospital

That was a good question... Maybe he should have tried some tact instead? Drawn it out slowly? With the way the police were all acting...

But then, as he remembered, Sal tended to be pretty straightforward, and something this important, he wanted to know sooner rather than later. After all, he'd have left it at the rumors if it weren't for the fact that one of his friends had been involved.

"You got caught up in it, right? Well, for one thing, if it wasn't a freak incident, It could affect trainers taking part in the league, so knowing more means being able to protect myself." And others, of course. Not by going around and telling everyone, but maybe he'd be able to recognize the right signs to get people to evacuate an area before an incident took place?

"For two, you're a friend, and from the sounds of things everything's not completely over." Why lie if the cause was in custody, after all? They could parade them around and show how much was being done for the people of Kalos. "I might not be quite as good a trainer as you are yet, but that doesn't mean I can't help out." He wasn't actually sure how good a trainer she was, but the memory of being beaten was the only one he had in regards to her.  

[Jump Einatz]

Cyllage City Hospital

Salieri heaved a sigh. When she started her miniature crusade against the nobility, it had been just her. Then Mia joined in once Moze had his memory wiped away. Esme joined as well, but she dropped off the wagon, and then it was down to two. Sal never thought it would be more than two. Then she met Matheson. Then Zack of all people was in on it. And now, Benedict was stepping into the pool. The more people she could talk to about this that didn't treat her as crazy, the less she felt alone in Kalos, and the closer the felt to grasping at her revenge.

"C'mere." Salieri pulled Benedict aside so they weren't talking in the middle of the hall. She took a deep breath.

"So I was seeing this guy, and we heard an explosion on Route 10. He wanted to check it out, I called it stupid. He called me stupid, he went to Route 10. So I got there and the police blockade was gone. There were some connards from Team Flair in there and they told me I had to leave. And I said 'Step aside dweebs', and we got in a fight." She pounded a fist into her palm. "I totally kicked their asses. So then I found these traps on the ground, like it was kind of a mine field, and I was like, 'Oh, merde, it's Skarada. What's he doing here?' Skarada's this pirate guy from Orre I met before, he likes to use traps just like those. That part's not important right now."

Salieri took a breath. "Anyway I finally find Matheson, and he's being attacked by this ballistic Arcanine that belongs to a Grim Reaper looking dude. Me team and I, we try to fight this Arcanine but she's crazy strong. And I'm like, 'Oh my god, Mia was right, I have to call Zack'...I think you'd like Mia. Anyway, so I call up this guy Zack, who is so high up on his Horsea he doesn't think he's on one, and I'm like 'You gotta come get me'. God, Zack sucks. So BAM!" She clapped her hands. "Connard comes flying into Route 10, I get Matheson and we high tail it out of there. Except Zack wants to go back in to fight this Grim Reaper, Ratio, who's been blowing up everything left and right and massacring this Team Flair."

Salieri took another breath. "Anyway, Matheson's Vespiquen takes him to the hospital and I don't want to get killed by medieval Zubatman but I kinda want to see what he's all about in case he has something to do with the darkhorse hunter conspiracy...by the way, the Kalos nobles have trainers that hunt down civilian trainers so they don't win the league and become nobles themselves. And Team Flair might have to do with the nobles, and Ratio kills nobles. So the noble thing's an underlying theme here, gotta keep that in mind. So I decide to check it out with Zack and we fight Ratio, and Ratio is like 'Something about your brother.' And I'm like 'Ahhhh what, how do you know my brother?'. But I get electrocuted before I can figure that out. After I wake up I find out that we...lost."

She paused and looked past Benedict briefly, then went back to the story. "Ratio was after this box with Mega Stones in it. Mega Stones make certain Pokémon evolve again in battles. Like some kind of super mode. But then Skarada came and took the stones, apparently, but Ratio kept fighting us. Eventually I got Zack and myself to the hospital after Ratio left with a lady from Team Flair. And Jullien Nostrad questioned me himself, which means he took over police questioning duties, which means this is something the nobles don't want the police involved either so they went with the gas leak story to cover it up cause gas leaks happen all the time in the middle of fields, right? So somewhere right now, a crazy Orrean pirate is on his airship with stolen Mega Stones while a crazy black knight has some kind of secret, murderous agenda and I want to know what that all has to do with me."

By now Salieri was out of breath. She leaned against the wall. "My bad. I've had to tell this story a lot now, so...Any questions?"  

[Klarp Glornharm]

Cyllage City Hospital

All in all, the story made sense. Well, enough sense. Probably wouldn't make any at all to someone from outside of Kalos, foreigners weren't as likely to keep up with their politics fully. No doubt, they just thought that nobles only participated in the Kalos league, since there wasn't as large a discrepancy outside of Kalos for nobles winning the league. It'd make sense that most of the best would stay out of a league hosted in another region, of course, but Benedict doubted all of them did.

So the darkhorse hunter thing? Made sense. An assassin after nobility? Also made sense, though not as much as he would like, not without a loooot more information, but it wasn't far-fetched. It also sounded a lot like something that he should be staying out of, and really far away from.

"So you fought a guy who usually fights to kill and didn't get killed then." Benedict summed up, with a short nod. "Sounds like he's either not entirely worried about the nobles learning he's coming for them, and any information on how he fights getting out, or he thinks he's justified, and killing you takes that away from him." This Zack had been pretty injured, though, if the rumors were true. And that wasn't all of the reasons that Benedict had thought of either.

It was also possible that Salieri's brother had something to do with the reason they hadn't been murdered. But that wasn't clear, not unless he talked to this Zack. If this Ratio had been as talkative with him, the story would make more sense with everything put together.

Getting involved in this is just gonna get you killed Ben. Leave it at the story and you'll be fine. Don't, and it's a huge risk. But huge risks usually had huge rewards as well, even if you couldn't always see them. And letting his friend take all the risk alone meant she was more likely to get crushed by it.

"You're not entirely in this for the Ratio guy, though, right? He might have answers for you about these dark hunters, and whatever you're after with the nobles," it was clear enough that this was about them for her since she hadn't been interested in Ratio just for himself, "but the juice wouldn't be worth the squeeze, even if he was willing to talk to you clearly. Not if he ever suddenly changes his mind about not killing you. I'd say that means you have two leads on your hands. At least, two good ones."

He held up one hand. "The first is this team Flair. You've already beat up some of their guys, it sounds like. You get your hands on someone who looks important, they might be able to tell you something you wanna know. The second..." His other hand raised, as the one that was representing Flair fell. "Your brother. Ratio knows him, right? So that means there's something going on there that put him in his sights." At least, if he knew her brother well enough to know her, that seemed to be the case.

The real question was, was her brother someone Ratio knew because they both were after the same thing, or did he know him because her brother was with the nobles? Maybe there was another reason, but those seemed to be the two most likely.

"Does that sound about right? Or did I miss something?" He grinned at her and crossed his arms across his chest. "And no, I didn't miss the whole Mia thing, but I think that can wait." Also, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be set up with one of Sal's friends.  

[Spinne Biss]

Anistar City - Hospital (Present)

"Alice, right?" Helena asked as she stepped into the room. There was a haze to her day in the face of its contrasting difference between waking up, traveling, and being here. She knew it was going to change again as soon as she got to her brother, but in the meantime, where she stood now felt very real and present - for the first time the teen was aware of how grounded in reality she felt.

"Yes, and you're the one who found Écarlate. I am very happy to see him." Helena caught the look of concern in Alice's exposed eye, They didn't give the best impression with how they looked when they arrived, Helena knew immediately. She made a mental note to clean up before she met with Zack.

"Yeah, I found his pokeball, and it's been a bit of a journey getting here. I tried to cut through route fourteen to get here and, uhhh." Helena gestured over her appearance and Alice nodded slowly, "it wasn't a good idea."

"No, you should not do that." Helena caught the slightest of smiles on Alice's face. It had been a near-fatal mistake, but she could see how obvious a newbie move it was on her part.

"But you made it here safely," Alice said and Helena nodded this time.

"Thanks to Écarlate, he's very well trained. I'm glad that he's made it back to you."

Alice looked at the Scizor who stood quietly in the corner of the room and she shook her head. "I don't think so, not quite yet. What is your name?"

"Helena, Helena Redgrave."

"Helena, I don't think Écarlate is back to me yet. We always had a dream of challenging the league, but I do not think that I can do that now. Hopefully I'll make a full recovery before the league is over, and then Écarlate will be back with me. But right now, our dreams are kind of shattered. We always wanted to challenge the league, but I cannot do that now, and we can't go through it together."

"There's always next year," Helena said and Alice smiled and shook her head.

"I'm afraid that won't be good enough. You two got here safely, it is as if you two work really well together. May I ask you a favor, Helena?"

"Yes, of course."

"Would you take him with you? It would only be until I have recovered. I want Écarlate to see Kalos, and to participate in the league. You brought him to me, so I know that you are a good person."

This had been the result that Helena had wanted. To be able to continue to use a powerful Pokemon like Écarlate in order to face and win the league. Helena couldn't help but think that Alice would be a serious contender if she hadn't been injured.

"Are you sure?" Helena asked, immediately aware of how a 'yes' might sound greedy.

"Oui, yes, I had a man who laid across from me when I got here. He past away, but he had spent most of his life in that bed, in a coma, waking up every few months or years for only a short time. He had a wife who had been here constantly. She told him about how faithful she was, and he had acted happy to hear that. When I spoke to him, he let me know that he wished she had lived a full life all her own, and it made him very sad to learn that she never did. After he past, she told me about the life she did have, full of wonder and joy, of a different family. It had hurt her greatly to lie, but she thought it would make him happy. I do not wish to prevent Écarlate's dreams, just because I cannot live them with him."

Helena looked at Écarlate, and noticed his eyes on her. "As long as he's okay with it." Écarlate nodded and Helena smiled.

"Before you go," Alice said, and Helena returned her gaze to the girl, "would you mind visiting with me a little longer? I do not get visitors, so it would be nice to speak to someone."

"Of course."

By the time Helena stepped out, she felt more calm. Relaxed but tired, afraid but focused. It was all calming, or she felt calm in some strange way. Speaking with Alice had helped clear her head. She needed to get to Cyllage now, as there were things left to do.  

[Jump Einatz]

Cyllage City Hospital

"You're just full of insight, ain'tcha?" Salieri crossed her arms, wondering where Benedict's interest came from. Sure, they were becoming friends but they didn't know each other long enough for him to put his life on the line for it. Ben didn't exactly shy away from heroics either. He was at Ambrette Town for the stampede. In fact, Sal saw more Twats about Benedict being at Ambrette Town than anyone else. Looks like I have a glory Houndour on my hands.

She lifted up a finger. "One, I'm not taking Ratio off the table. He thinks he's so cool and mysterious, I hate that cryptic crap. I know I can beat him, make him talk." Her confidence faltered as she scratched the back of her head. "I just, yanno, need to level up my team first. Get some tactics together. Just because he's not a priority doesn't mean he's off the radar."

The faltering ceased and Salieri lifted a second finger. "And two, you're half right about the best leads. Team Flair, yeah. They're sketchy as hell. But my brother...I can't really get in contact with my brother. Hmm." She laughed off the issue. "It's actually Ratio who's the best lead to my brother...whatever, I think Skarada is the other good lead. I mean, I know him already. Just a matter of finding him."

Sal stood up from the wall and took a long hard look at Benedict with a wry smile. "Why do you want to be a part of this, Ben? You must know how dangerous it is, right? Look where we're having this conversation. You have to be in all the way if you're in my world, so if this is an elaborate ploy to get into my pants just tell me now." She realized too late what that sentence may have sounded like.  

[Marsuru]

Cyllage City Hospital

'Maybe he's just got a death wish,' Zack said, hobbling over on a crutch, his right arm in a sling. He'd been outfitted with a hospital gown and thankfully, for everyone behind him, a pair of hospital pants too. It was a lovely green colour that brought out his eyes. Or so he assumed considering the country he was in. His chest had been bound by bandages to prevent infection while Blissngale took a break from healing it. That plus five days without a shave, Zack looked like crap.

'Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise this wasn't a public conversation,' Zack said. He glanced at Benedict and nodded sideways at him. 'So who's this, One Shot, your back-up boyfriend? Must be handy considering you broke the other one.'  

[Klarp Glornharm]

Cyllage City Hospital

Benedict frowned at that idea. The pirate? He seemed pretty out of left field to have any real involvement, and mega stones sounded worth a bit of money. Still, it was Sal's investigation, so he figured she knew something he didn't.

Before he could answer the question on why he'd bother helping, someone else arrived and broke in. The accent made him think 'foreigner' immediately, and his attitude didn't exactly make Ben all that interested in learning more about him.

Of course, by the way he was acting like he knew Sal, this was probably Zack. Which meant that talking to him would help get the full story. Assuming he was at all forthcoming with information. Her dislike of him made a bit more sense suddenly, actually.

"Je m'appelle Benedict. So you're the guy that almost died in the gas leak." He replied politely. "Nice to meet you."

The youth turned his attention back to Sal and he shrugged. "It's not just your world Sal. You're forgetting that I'm in the league too, so these Darkhorse Hunters affect me as well. And maybe Ratio's not my problem, but that could change at any moment. Especially if I do win the league and he's all about murdering nobles. As for Flair, well... If they're connected to this, there's no point in not looking into them."

He looked at Zack for a moment, and realized a moment later he was looking for support from someone Sal didn't like. "You might be the farthest in, but that doesn't make it yours. So maybe I'd be helping you, but it's helping me as well, isn't it?"  

[Jump Einatz]

Cyllage City Hospital

"Benedict, this is Zack." Salieri's smile was pure sarcasm now. "Don't mind him, he's just jealous. Zack, I thought you'd play nicer after your 'tedium'." She made a gesture for an activity people did when they were alone with her hand and stepped back from the boys, running a hand through her hair. Sal wasn't used to people asking her for the answers or trying to be part of the solution she so desperately sought after. Merde, is this becoming a team? Who's the leader, am I the leader?

She nodded to Benedict. "I saw you after Ambrette Town. If you really think you can be that fighter on a regular basis, then maybe you have what it takes to unravel something huge." She looked to Zack. "And despite your whole...personality, I know you're good in a pinch. And this has been my thing since forever, so you guys need me too, so..." Salieri put her hands on her hips, trying to think of how to end this summary. "So, maybe it would be best if we all worked on this together. Cause otherwise we might die alone, right? We could be like some kind of...crew or group of something. I don't know. Squad. Guard."  

[Spinne Biss]

Cyllage City Hospital

"I don't know about all of that," Helena spoke as she approached the group. Her eyes flickered between each of them before falling on Zack. Hurt, trying to move, a part of Salieri's 'save the world brigade'. "It would probably be best if you guys went about this smartly, instead of fighting world class assassins who, by the way, is after the same people that you are."

She had quickly washed and dressed before her arrival, leggings and a long t-shirt thrown hapharzardly on, wet hair in a tight pony tail. She didn't look as tired as she felt, she knew that in the way she could feel her face rest. Focused, calm, but cold. It sounded through her voice as well.

"It's a better idea than putting your lives on the line, too. You want some real advice, to actually fix everything, I'll tell you exactly what you all need to do."