Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Klarp Glornharm]

Benedict found himself grinning at Sal's statement. She wasn't exactly credible, a quick look into her background might find conspiracy theories were her jam and a journalist would look at anything she brought twice regardless.

"I have a reputation. Not as a journalist, but a reputation. Much as we might want to outright leave everything to the professionals, it means we're trusting them not to turn out to be corrupt, and the more people we tell it to, the more chance someone we don't want to hear hears. So I say we bring her something, or more specifically, I do. Not some vague potential story, but something I've seen with my own eyes. This without putting all our eggs in one basket."

It would also mean he could gauge the risk of what he'd be telling the journalist. "Sal is right about it being dangerous. Dangerous enough that we probably shouldn't all go." He didn't want to be the only one to go, or to go at all, really, if it was so dangerous. But that didn't stop it from being a step to be taken. "So we have a few options. I go alone, two of us go, or we tip off Alexa and offer to with her. If she says she can handle it, we take the risk, but it has to be a group decision."

Other leads existed besides that one, obviously. "Whoever doesn't go will need a job too. Which leaves Skarada and the rock. Pirate means a fight if we try to find him, and the rock means being covert in investigating it." He hoped that they understood he was calling the Mega Stone a rock intentionally.

Slowly, Ben turned to his own food and dug in while waiting for the others.  

[Jump Einatz]

Normally Salieri loved the idea of a espionage mission, but she didn't want to involve herself in Jullien Nostrad's business at this stage of her revenge. Besides, he didn't know that she was involved with his daughter's fiance and she intended to keep it that way for now.

"I'm already on Jullien Nostrad's radar, but if you're gonna go Alexa should be with you. Two eyes are better than one." Sal stopped, backtracking. "...two sets of eyes. Especially if one set belongs to a journalist with a camera. I can look for Skarada." Her nostrils flared as she dug into her steak, mopping a piece she cut off into the sauce aggressively. "I told him if I ever saw him in Kalos I'd kick his a**, so..."

She chewed, nodding to Zack. "You up for researching a rock?"  

[Marsuru]

Zack gave Sal a raised eyebrow while deciphering what she'd said through her mouthful of food. He picked the Mega Stone off the table, where it had been hidden from curious strangers between the salt and pepper pots, and turned it over between his fingers. It resembled a large marble with distinct swirls of red and purple at its core, and apparently had the power to push pokémon beyond the limits of ordinary evolution. People would kill for this thing. Ratio already had.

'Sure. Sounds easy enough,' Zack slipped the Mega Stone into his pocket of his hospital pants. 'I've already read up on Mega Evolution, and Sycamore's asked me to look into it at Shalour City, so that's where I'll go for the... rock.'

Pretending he hadn't just ruined Benedict's rock code, Zack pointed to the other two trainers in turn and said, 'So Deathwish goes off-route to find Nostrad's evil oilfield while One Shot tracks down her pirate and gets info on Team Flare, and I'll do the thing at the place. How about that, we almost sound organised.'  

[Klarp Glornharm]

Deathwish actually sounded like a pretty cool nickname, Ben had to admit. "I guess that's that then. We each take a lead and hope that it doesn't blow up in our faces. First two done decide on a meet-up point. If Zack's the third, I vote we meet him in Shalour City." He glanced at the other trainers curiously. He wasn't sure exactly what could be so important about the mega stones, but Zack might be able to figure that out.

For that matter, Sal might be able to as well, if she could beat the pirate guy and interrogate him.

"If you remember what the other rocks look like, try to identify exactly whose birthstones they might be. Anything we can go off of." Not that Zack had done a very good job of keeping up with the code, but Benedict decided not to completely abandon it.  

[Jump Einatz]

Deathwish? That's not fair, I wanna be Deathwish. Sal hid her pout as best she could.

"I'm gonna give both of you Mia's phone number. If you need any help with tech, she's your girl. And she has some kind of program that'll tell us if our calls are being monitored. Don't ask me how it works. I'm not talking to either of you over the phone until she updates your software."

Salieri texted both Zack and Benedict Mia's phone number, as well as that of Gotengo's PC. She looked at Esme Moreau in her contacts. When Esme ditched the conspiracy investigation years ago, Salieri couldn't help but feel abandoned. Esme always came across as cool to her, making Salieri feel like her mission was child's play. It'd be embarrassing to call her, but all she needed was an in to get with Alexa.

"I'll be right back," she said, getting up from the table. "...hey Ben, what is your reputation, exactly?"  

[Marsuru]

'Well I guess getting an update is the biggest priority of all,' Zack said, his plate emptied of any steak. He drained his glass and stood up just as Sal said she'd be right back, then said, 'Yeah me too.'

Zack walked around the table and started off towards the bathroom while Salieri spoke to Benedict. He gave himself a few seconds for Salieri and Benedict to make reasonable assumptions, then changed direction and walked out of the bistro. There would be a bill to pay and all his things were back at the hospital, including his money. Zack had faith his new besties would cover for him.

Then unless anyone stopped him, Zack headed back to his hospital room.  

[Klarp Glornharm]

"My father trains Rapidashes." Benedict replied, waving to Zack as he left. "For the most part, trainers don't use them as transport too often, but rich folks that like to gamble do like to own their own for the races. Races and the high speed battles here and there, if you can find a track for it. But the reputation is a bit of a family one, since we all pitched in at one time or another, and we do do business with nobles. Me coming forward will hold more weight than you coming forward, even if it's just for a lead." Benedict explained.

Well, there was that and the interview thing. But that was a newer one, fresh enough he couldn't quite use it the same. At least, he didn't think he could. All things considered, he'd definitely been recognized more for the interview than he had as the son of Monsieur Montgomery the rapidash trainer. But then, he didn't introduce himself as that, really.  

[Jump Einatz]

"Rapidash training. That's, uh, very..." High class hobby were foreign to Salieri, though she was sure that nobles played that sport with the long hammers and the balls. Her hobbies included jumping or flipping off stuff, constructing treehouse implements, and paintball sometimes. Building up relationships with people who could be resources was better left in Benedict's hands.

"...I'll be right back."

Salieri left the conversation without concluding that thought. Whatever word she was going to use was probably ill suited for the topic anyway. Sal went to the bathroom and emerged minutes later. Zack wasn't back yet.

"...did Zack leave?"  

[Klarp Glornharm]

Benedict had become somewhat aware that Zack was taking a while when Sal arrive. He had, of course, had time to think over how she'd reacted to the rapidash thing, but... Well, it wasn't a big deal. Different people, different lives.

"Either that or he has the runs." Benedict replied, frowning behind her as if Zack was going to be coming back just to claim he did not, in fact, have them. "You're free to place your bet, but I think he's not coming back."  

[Jump Einatz]

Salieri had been trying hard to keep her patience with Zack from the hospital to the bistro. She didn't even say anything or shoot daggers with her eyes when he kept calling her 'One Shot' throughout dinner. But her patience, which was thin to begin with, was gone.

"I knew it!" she shouted, slamming her palm on the table. A few people gave them annoyed looks, so Sal kept her anger to a hushed level. "That guy's such a connard! If I didn't need all the help I can get with this I would've told him to go back to Unova with his stupid sister. Ugh! How wrong is it for me to beat up an ICU patient, scale of one to ten?"  

[Klarp Glornharm]

"I mean, morally as long as you stay away from his injuries I'd say maybe eight. But it's pretty illegal." Benedict sighed inwardly at Zack's decision to ditch them with his bill. Which was a pretty d**k move, the least he could have done was warned them that he didn't have anything before they'd come.

"So I guess the question is whether you want to beat him up or avoid going to jail."  

[Jump Einatz]

"I wanna do both," Saliri grumbled, wallowing in her defeat. Zack had left some steak on his plate. Sal still had some of her own, but decided to eat what was left of Zack's to spite someone who wasn't coming back. he was already running revenge scenarios in her head. It would definitely be something involving food. Or bills, or both.

"Okay, we need to make up a nickname for him that we both have to call him from now on. Like Clown Baby, or something." Sal took out her wallet and munched in silence. She wasn't very good at coming up with nicknames. Not one person had mentioned to her how hilarious and awesome Biz Marquis' name was yet, leading her to believe that either everyone else was a tasteless idiot or maybe naming wasn't her forte. "Add 'coming up with Zack's nickname' to your homework. I'll let you do the honors."

Sal wiped her mouth on Zack's napkin and dropped some money onto the table: enough to cover her own meal and part of Zack's. "I have to get back to the hospital. I'll text you with Alexa's info later, okay?"

Unless Benedict stopped her, Salieri would also leave the restaurant with a little wave to Ben.  

[Jump Einatz]

Cyllage City

And so Salieri left the bistro, and on her walk back to the hospital she called up Esme.  

[Marsuru]

Lumiose City - Moreau Library

The third floor of the Moreau Library had been closed off following the 'idiot with the rocks' incident. The shattered glass met its final rest in a bin and Esme lay on a bean bag near the top of the stairs, waiting for the window repair man to arrive. For health and safety reasons she warned away anyone who came up. So far that amounted to one of her aunts and a boy who'd wandered in looking for a toilet. She flicked through the news on her holo caster.

CHAOS IN CYLLAGE CITY!

'Seems about right,' Esme said to herself as she tapped the article headline to bring up the body text.

There had been some kind of gasline explosion deep under Route 10, which injured three people. Hardly chaos, but after what had happened in Ambrette Town, articles like these were extra-succulent clickbait. Esme made a mental note to print off the article and find out who the injured people were. If they were trainers, she'd check their backgrounds to find out their league status. It was an old habit, and one she was glad to see return. She had to do better this time, though, for Allard's sake.

A video played about halfway down the page. It showed a trio of trainers coming from Route 10 after the explosions; two knocked out and the third barely conscious, riding on the back of a flying Torkoal. The blurry trainers took on recognisable shape, and Esme shook her head.

'That also seems about right,' she said. Esme blew hair out of her eye, closed the Holo Caster and sat deeper in the bean bag. Zack, Salieri, and someone dressed like a noble. She had half expected something like this when Zack ran off earlier, so it came as a relief to see that nobody had been killed. Hurt was still bad, however. What would Salieri say if she went to visit them?

Esme snapped the Caster open again and flicked through her contacts. The bluish display flashed a list of names then opened a holographic keyboard, and Esme began to type.

Cyllage City - Hospital

Zack walked through the hospital's front door like it was nothing. The rows of chairs to his left were stocked with people in various states of disrepair, and none had the time to pay him any attention. When you had accidentally amputated your thumbs, or glued your hands together, few things could hold your interest for long, not even a hot mess of a trainer staggering in with his arm in a sling. Zack didn't mind. He could save the energy he'd need to ignore them and reallocate it to dealing with the welcoming committee.

'Okay, okay, you got me,' he said, holding up his hand in surrender. A pair of orderlies stood beside Nurse Berthe and the Blissey that had been treating Zack's injuries. The orderlies looked a little out of sorts, like they'd been running around looking for a patient who'd slipped out for a while. Berthe stared open-mouthed for a second before gesturing at the trainer and spitting Kalosian. The orderlies ran around Zack's sides and secured his arms.

'Watch it,' Zack growled as his injured elbow shot with pain.
'Ah, so now you care about your health,' Nurse Berthe said. She stopped before the trainer with thunder on her face. 'Please escort Monsieur Redgrave to his room, and make sure he stays there.'
'Fine, I'm sorry,' Zack said as he was lead away, Berthe watching him with a frown. 'I came back, didn't I?'

'Monsieur Redgrave,' said Berthe. 'Might I suggest that if you think less about the end result and more about the process, you will be far less likely to be here in the first place.'

Zack frowned, but didn't respond. The orderlies lead him back to his room with the Blissey nipping at their heels. They stood sentry outside the doors while Blissngale made sure Zack got in bed as soon as possible, then set about inspecting his bandages, peeling them back to change the dressing. He caught a brief glimpse of his abdomen, which had gone a nasty shade between red and brown. It hurt like hell. If he didn't have such a high pain tolerance, Zack doubted he'd be up and about so much. He had his mentor to thank for that.

Still, whether the pain bothered him or not, he was tired. Part of the reason Zack left the bistro early was to rest, and shake off the dead weight feeling creeping into his limbs. Bed eased it out of him as he lay there, head propped on his hand while Blissngale got to work. There was a wall-mounted television opposite the bed. Zack found the remote and switched the television on, running straight into a news story about the Route 10 gas explosion. Trust the media to cover up what had really happened. The fact that nobody had threatened him yet boded well, but just to be safe Zack had to assume he was being watched.

No problem. Not like he had anything to hide, really. Zack switched to a station covering the festival in Lumiose City where a battle was taking place. The cameras flew overhead, held aloft by specially-trained pokémon, and circled the battlefield for dramatic effect. According to the commenter, this was a friendly match between two league hopefuls. The first was some noble Zack had never heard of before and, as the camera switched into close up, he realised he knew the second.

'Aw s**t,' Zack groaned. Blissngale looked up from her Heal Pulse for a second, then returned to her job, slowly knitting together strands of flesh. Beside Zack's bed, his Holo Caster vibrated inside his bag, unnoticed.

Lumiose City - Moreau Library

Esme finished texting and quickly slung her Holo Caster into the bean bag. She ran her fingers through her hair, messing it up deliberately. Everything was happening at once. Esme covered her face and blew out hard, hot air washing against her palms.

Talk to anyone, and we'll kill you.

She couldn't think about that anymore. She had spent a year with her head buried, trying to ignore the media, ignore trainers and the league. Anything that might remind her of Allard, and the killer who was protected by the nobility. Of how useless she was. Esme dropped her hands and glanced at her Holo Caster.

Things were different now. Salieri's crusade meant the darkhorse hunters would come crawling out of the woodwork. Among them was Allard's killer, and Esme's chance for revenge. Her Holo Caster lit up, and Esme made her way over, socks rubbing over the third floor's shaggy carpet. She was surprised that Zack wasn't the one calling, and her stomach did a backflip when she saw who it was.

Esme snapped the Caster open and pressed the reciever, bringing up a Holo display of a sound line, which would start to twitch in peaks and valleys as soon as Salieri spoke. Esme swallowed. 'Ah, salut?'  

[Jump Einatz]

Cyllage City

"Hey, Esme. Hi."

Salieri hadn't talked to Esme in a long time. Her decision to quit conspiracy research wasn't something Sal had taken well. She wasn't even sure if Esme would want to hear her out. "Uh, it's Sal."