Post by fattymccatcat on Jan 11, 2020 15:04:18 GMT
I wake up and grab for my pokenav in the dark but can’t find it
“…oh right” I mutter as I summon it to my hand from the item box
Its about nine in the morning and it looks like the storm has passed
I yawn and sit up in bed and see my hat sitting on the desk
I grab it and head to the bathroom
it fits perfectly and the added horn part blends in perfectly and looks like it was always part of the hat
I put it into the item box along with my pajamas and hop into the shower
I mess around with my magic a bit making a few of the water droplets float
After I’m all cleaned up and dressed I walk out and Ruche rushes in
Sasha is waiting her turn on her pokenav
“morning” I say
“good morning” she says
I go over and wake Scarlett up
Everyone else gets cleaned up and dressed and we have breakfast
“So, now that the rain has let up are we going to start heading over towards Sunyshore?” Ruche asks
“I’m fine with that or staying here a few days if you want to do anything” I say
“Eh its a resort town, there’s some stuff to do but like, meh” Ruche says
“I do not mind either way” Sasha says
“Okay, looks like were leaving after this stupid meeting then… Or we can skip it” I say playfully
“Oh no you don’t” someone says from behind us
We turn and see conifer walk up looking a bit tired
“Were you up all night looking up those fables or whatever?” I ask
“Yeah, and I got nothing, so we need all the info we can get, so no skipping the meeting” conifer says
“I was kidding, besides, I’m sure king has this place staked out anyway” I say sounding a bit more bitter than I wanted to
“How much are you planning on telling them?” Sasha asks
“As little as possible, nobody mention the whole two soul thing or having two patrons, like I’m planning on keeping Xerneas a secret until I figure out what’s going on with all that nonsense” I say and everyone nods
We head back to the room and Sasha and Ruche get their stuff together
They strap it all together and I walk over and touch Ruche's bag and a pop up window appears
[Deposit as one item or separate into individual items?]
[Deposit][Separate]
I click deposit and then do the same for Sasha’s bag
“Hmm, are you sure I should carry everything?” I ask
“it might be a bit inconvenient huh” Ruche says with a laugh
“Why don’t you all go buy some smaller bags to keep the essentials in” conifer suggests
“Good idea, plus with that I can make it look like I’m pulling the stuff out of something instead of out of thin air” I say
We check out of the pokemon center and head outside
We find a nearby store and head inside
We each buy a messenger bag
Sasha’s is black with white specks and has a purple trim
Mine is white with a black trim and a black and white checkerboard strap
And Ruche’s is a brilliant blue color with white trim
We find a secluded spot nearby and I take out their backpacks and they grab the essentials they will need as we travel
Things like water bottles, snacks, first aid kits, pokeballs, wallet, etc.
As I put their backpacks away I see king walking towards us with a big smile on his face and sigh
“Looks like its time for your meeting” conifer says
“I guess” I say
“Good morning everyone!” King shouts as he approaches
“Let’s just get this over with king” I say
“Still mad, got it” king says with a laugh
“So where is the one who’s supposed to explain things” I ask
“Ah ha ha, well, she’s waiting at a nearby cafe” king says
King leads the way as we follow behind a few feet but he slows down for a second and we catch up
“So, a bit of a warning, every legacy is a bit… of a weirdo” king says
“what’s a legacy?” I ask
“Oh, it’s what we call people with powers like us, we inherited the legends powers and some of their responsibilities so we call ourselves legacy agents” King explains
“huh, I guess that’s better than what the statue called us, “chosen children” or whatever” I say
“exactly, and I was put in charge of dealing with new legacy agents because of my powers and because I was the easiest one to get along with, you’re sort of an outlier actually, usually people like me” king says with a laugh
We walk through town and eventually the cafe comes into view
This cafe has a patio section but its empty except for one woman sitting all alone drinking coffee
She has dark red hair and is wearing a white shirt and a black jacket and a pair of black jeans
She looks to be quite young, I’d say about twenty five
For some reason there’s a little silver crown floating above her head
The second I see her my ears start ringing a bit but it only lasts for a second and quickly disappears
“The hell was that” I mutter
“Duchess!” King calls out
She turns and flashes an excited smile at us
We walk over and she stands up
“Hello everyone, its nice to meet you, I’m Duchess, I run the magical crimes unit at Interpol, king has informed me of the situation, don’t worry, I understand. He kind of creeps me out too” she says with a laugh as she shakes our hands
“I’m not creepy!” King says kind of pouting a little
I laugh
She looks me over and smiles
“Ah right, this is my partner Scarlett, and these are my friends Ruche, Sasha, and conifer” I say and she kind of just ignores me
“So, first things first, what augment did you get?” She asks in an excited tone
I look around and make sure the coast is clear and take off my hat
Her eyes light up and a huge smile spreads across her face
“No way! That’s so cool!” She says laughing boisterously
“I didn’t know the augments could be that dramatic…” king says
I put my hat back on
“Well anyway, shall we get this lesson started?” She asks
“Sure, but I have a question first” I say
“Shoot” she says taking a sip of her coffee
“What’s the deal with the crown?” I ask
She looks at me confused then to king who shrugs
“What crown?” She asks
“… Could you lower your head for just a sec?” I ask
She does and I reach up and touch the crown and say “information”
[Tutor Crown - Effect of Title protégé - An indicator of an expert you can learn from - the material of the crown indicates the number of things they have to teach you, the quality of the lessons, the level of their expertise, as well as other factors]
“… I see, sorry about that. It was from a title” I say as the window disappears
“I see, I’m curious why I have a crown but we sadly have a limited timeframe” She says with a laugh
A folder suddenly appears in her hands and she sets it on the table
“first, let me apologize for how we handled your situation, you see we usually only find a legacy after they have gone through their first trial. So when King found you in Oreburgh we didn’t really have any protocols in place for the situation, we thought it would be best to wait for you to at least finish your fusion period before explaining anything as it would all be a bit overwhelming if you learned everything all at once” she says
“alright, I can understand that, but for future reference, a little confirmation that everything was going to be okay and normal would of gone a long way” I say
“noted” she says
She opens the folder and the crown above her head starts to spin and its like my mind clears away all unnecessary thoughts and I feel really focused
“Let’s start with my job, I’m in charge of making sure legacy agents, as well as those masked lunatics don’t run amuck with their powers, so don’t like, start stealing shit using your item box or whatever or I’ll getcha” she says with a laugh and I nod
“Masked lunatics?” Conifer asks
“Right, as… Dakota saw in the vision during the tutorial, Yveltal wasn’t completely sealed into the mirror, a small part of its body is still sticking out of the mirrors surface, it can’t manifest anymore world ending blasts but its still absurdly powerful, its creating masks by killing pokemon and stuffing its soul or its life energy or whatever you want to call it into masks giving whoever puts them on magic powers, but at a cost” she explains
“What’s the cost?” I ask
“Well it depends. We currently classify the masked ones Into two categories, wild, and compatible. A wild mask user is someone who has been taken over by the mask, they have gone crazy, their body’s have usually been transformed in some horrible way, and they seek only to create chaos and destruction wherever they go. Compatible mask users can take their mask on and off and can wield their powers at will, the mask still eats away at their sanity though, we speculate that its only a matter of time before a compatible mask wielder turns wild” she says
“Okay, what does that have to do with Dakota?” Ruche asks
“Oh, right, well… Dakota is going to have to fight these people” duchess says
“What? Like, me actually fighting? With like, fists and my dinky water magic?” I ask
“Yeah, what did you think your magic was for? Fun?” She scoffs
“But like, how do you even fight with water?” I ask
“Well one of your skills is probably a weapon of some sort, everyone seems to get one, as for your magic, I’m sure you’ll figure it out” She says
King puts up a fist and suddenly he is wearing a pair of solid gold brass knuckles
“They usually have cool powers as well, as for mine, things teleport when I punch them… it makes fighting very annoying” king says with a sigh
“I’m not like… Supposed to kill anyone right?” I ask a bit nervous
“Look, killing them is a mercy. Their minds and bodies are corrupted beyond repair. Killing them as fast as you can is the safest option for you as well… But, its not the only option I guess, All you really have to do is break the mask and its over, but doing that will be considerably harder on you, as you will need to be good enough to defeat your opponent completely while they are trying to kill you” he says
I don’t say anything
“…and they aren’t your only enemy” she says with a sigh
She takes a picture out of the folder and slides it over towards me
Its looks like a pokemon but its covered in smoke and has piercing red eyes and stone skin
“What’s this?” I ask and she looks a bit disappointed
“This, is a Grudge. No matter what you decide to do with the masks, there is only one option for a Grudge, destroy it at all costs” she says adamantly
“What is it exactly? A pokemon?” I ask
She takes out a picture of a statue of a pokemon
“Mask wilders absorb the life force of pokemon to power themselves up. Leaving behind a statue instead of a corpse” she says in a disgusted tone
I look at king
“…Pastoria?” I ask and he nods
“…damn” I say
“Anyway, if left alone the statues turn into a grudge, then they go and create all kind of havoc, killing and destroying anything they come across, so any statues you find you should shove into your item box, they seem to disappear when we do that so we figure we are supposed to do that, and if you bank enough you get a skill point” she says
“Okay, should my pokemon… help? Or am I supposed to do all this by myself?” I ask
“Don’t fight masks with your pokemon, they will just get turned to stone and power up your opponent. They can help you with grudges, but they are pretty strong so be careful, they don’t hold back and can seriously injure your pokemon” she says
“Okay” I say
“What’s next… The item box. Things stay hot or cold when you put stuff inside, food doesn’t rot so feel free to stock up on supplies you will need for the trials” she says flipping through her folder
“There’s going to be more trials then huh” I ask
“Yeah, The trial gate will open and drag you through If you try and run, so just go in willingly. As for what the trials will entail, who knows, it can literally be anything, the past, the future, parallel worlds, weird pocket dimensions where nothing makes sense, it can literally be anything so they are hard to prepare for and you can’t leave until you complete your mission, and when you get back, the time you were gone is always inconsistent, like your gone for a month but only five minutes have passed” She explains
“Wait, so he can like, be gone for years?” Conifer asks a bit concerned
“Yeah, but from what we can tell we don’t age during a trial, or age super slowly, so he won’t come back as an old man or anything” she says
“But still…” Conifer says
“So how many of us are there?” I ask
“We currently have seven legacy agents working at Interpol, there might be a few rouge ones around though, so we aren’t really sure” she says
“Oh that’s not a lot…” I say
“Nope, we are severely understaffed. Dealing with the masks, grudges, the prism association, and the statue clean up has us all overworked” she says with a laugh
“The prism association?” I ask
“Ah yeah, try and steer clear of them, from what we can tell they have a large number of compatible mask users in their upper echelon” she says
“Ugh, great” I say with a sigh
“… Do you have any information on the Bivlets?” I ask suddenly remembering Morgan
She looks a bit taken aback by the sudden question
“No, we don’t, I’m sorry. I’ve looked into them quite a bit but have found nothing that tells me where they went, I suspect they were legacy agents but we never found any proof, it was before the magical crimes unit was formed after all” she says
Conifer sighs
“so what now? I’m just supposed to go find some masked people and some monsters to beat up?” I ask
“no, just focus on learning your magic right now, continue your travels, and stay low until you’re ready. We would love to take you in and train you but like I said, we are understaffed and overworked as it is, so just… Try your best not to get killed” she says with a laugh
“So do what I usually do, except now with magic” I say
“Exactly” she says
“oh right, who’s your patron anyway?” She asks
“…Keldeo” I say
“Ah, a mythical! What their skills usually lack in firepower usually are made up for by having a bunch of cool tricks” she says
“What about you?” I ask
“I’m Zekrom, and king over there has Hoopa” duchess says with a smile
“Never heard of them” I say and she laughs
“My skills are mostly electricity based while king can teleport, he’s not really a combatant, we mostly just use him to get around” she says and king sighs
“Neat. So how do I get more skill points?” I ask
“Ah, well, you should have enough for three level one skills, focus on those since getting more skill points usually means defeating grudges and masks, which you are most definitely not ready for” she says
“Anything else you want to know?” She asks
“Is there a way to… Opt out of all of this? Undo what’s been done to me? Because I don’t really feel like fighting” I ask
“Ha! I wish, no, the system can and will force you into situations where you will have no option but to fight so you should give up on getting out of this. And just to get this out of the way, you aren’t some chosen one, you’re a kid who’s been conscripted against your will into a magical war, and it fucking sucks” she says with a serious expression
The crown floating above her head lights up and disappears and the hyper focused feeling disappears
“Well that’s pretty much everything, the rest you can work out on your own” she says standing up
“Uh, thanks, this has been very… informative” I say
“No this was fun, usually king handles this sort of thing, and I needed a bit of fresh air anyway… and to be honest I was a bit interested in meeting you” she says with a smile as she gathers all the pictures back into the folder and makes it disappear into her item box
“Anyway here’s kings number, call him if you need help with a grudge, or a mask, or if you have any questions” she says handing me a card that I put into my item box
“I guess I will” I say a bit reluctantly
“Ah, professor, we will be sending you a bunch of files about all of this, maybe a fresh set of eyes will reveal something we missed” she says with a smile
“Oh, uh thanks” conifer says a bit surprised
“come on king, take me back to the office, bishop is probably freaking out by now” she says with a laugh
“Yeah alright, bye everyone, I’m sure we will meet again soon” king says and they both walk off
I lean forward and put my head in my hands
“Are you okay?” Sasha asks
“Not really no” I say with a laugh
After taking a few moment to catch my breath I take a deep breath and stand up
“Let’s go” I say and everyone stands up
“Where are you off to next?” Conifer asks
“Sunyshore” I say
“Oh I’ve been there, its a fun town” conifer says
“What about you?” I ask
“I’m going to head back to Oreburgh and wait for the files they are gonna send me, my research is pretty much at a dead end now that I’m sure all the legendary pokemon are dead” conifer says with a sigh
“Alright, I’ll keep you up to date on all this magic nonsense” I say
“Please do, and try to stay out of trouble, I know they said it was unavoidable but I don’t like the idea of you using these powers to fight” conifer says
“Yeah, same here. I’ll try to avoid it as much as I can” I say and he nods
We say our goodbyes and start making our way out of town
“It feels weird walking without my backpack, like I’ve forgotten something” Ruche says with a laugh
“Ha ha yeah, it feels weird but I’m sure we will get used to it” I say
We walk for a few hours eventually stopping for lunch near a small pond
As Ruche makes lunch and Sasha plays with the pokemon I walk over the water and try practicing my magic
After a bit I manage to form a sphere of water a little smaller than a ping pong ball
I make it float around for a few moments but I lose focus for a second and it splashes onto the grass at my feet
“That was better than yesterday” Ruche says walking over
“Yeah, but I still don’t see how it will help me in a fight” I say
“So you’re actually planning on fighting?” Ruche asks
“I mean, I guess? I’d rather figure out how to fight now instead of after I’m attacked when its too late” I say
“Good point” Ruche says
“But like, water? How do you fight with water?” I ask
“I don’t know, they said you’ll get a weapon right?” Ruche says with a laugh
“If its a sword I’m melting it down and throwing it in the ocean” I say and Ruche laughs
I start gathering another ball of water
“What about the gyms? You still doing the gyms?” He asks
“Yeah, why would I not be doing the gyms any more?” I ask
“Doesn’t this… Stuff, take precedence?” Ruche asks
“Nah, this stuff is secondary at best, I don’t really care all that much, but the magic seems fun for now” I say with a laugh
We eat lunch and continue on our way
“so, any plans for how to deal with Volkner?” Ruche asks as we walk
“Nope, been kinda busy lately” I say with a laugh
“Electric is a bad match up for you” Sasha says
“Yeah, and he’s one of the stronger ones right?” I ask
“Yeah, some say he’s on par with the elite four” Ruche says
“Aww geez really?” I say and Ruche nods
“Hmm, then lets put a time limit on this, I don’t want to get stuck in one city for too long” I say
“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying until you get the badge” Ruche says
“Yeah I’m sure, I kinda like being on the move” I say
We walk until nightfall and set up camp
Then we have dinner and head to bed
——
A large golden ring appears in what looks to be a very nice office
King and duchess step through and the ring disappears
“Well that went well” king says
“Mhmm” duchess says walking over to her desk
“You sure were in a good mood today as well” king says with a laugh
Duchess turns and glares at king
“Ah, back to the usual then, I’ll get back to work” king says with a sigh
He leaves through a pair of large double doors leaving duchess alone in the large room
Duchess walks around behind her desk and sits down
She pulls out what looks like a lockbox and takes a key from around her neck
She opens the box and pulls out the only two things that are inside
A bottle of scotch and a very old looking photograph
She puts her feet up on the desk and takes a big swig from the bottle and looks at the picture
The picture shows a slightly older version of herself standing next to a bunch of people holding various weaponry standing over a pile of broken statues
In the background you can see a destroyed city and everyone’s clothes are torn and dirty
The few pokemon in the picture are covered in scars and old wounds
Standing next to her in the photo holding a bat is what looks to be an older version of Dakota grinning ear to ear
“…I finally found you, my sweet darling Jet…” she mutters to herself with a melancholic grin as she takes another swig from the bottle
“…oh right” I mutter as I summon it to my hand from the item box
Its about nine in the morning and it looks like the storm has passed
I yawn and sit up in bed and see my hat sitting on the desk
I grab it and head to the bathroom
it fits perfectly and the added horn part blends in perfectly and looks like it was always part of the hat
I put it into the item box along with my pajamas and hop into the shower
I mess around with my magic a bit making a few of the water droplets float
After I’m all cleaned up and dressed I walk out and Ruche rushes in
Sasha is waiting her turn on her pokenav
“morning” I say
“good morning” she says
I go over and wake Scarlett up
Everyone else gets cleaned up and dressed and we have breakfast
“So, now that the rain has let up are we going to start heading over towards Sunyshore?” Ruche asks
“I’m fine with that or staying here a few days if you want to do anything” I say
“Eh its a resort town, there’s some stuff to do but like, meh” Ruche says
“I do not mind either way” Sasha says
“Okay, looks like were leaving after this stupid meeting then… Or we can skip it” I say playfully
“Oh no you don’t” someone says from behind us
We turn and see conifer walk up looking a bit tired
“Were you up all night looking up those fables or whatever?” I ask
“Yeah, and I got nothing, so we need all the info we can get, so no skipping the meeting” conifer says
“I was kidding, besides, I’m sure king has this place staked out anyway” I say sounding a bit more bitter than I wanted to
“How much are you planning on telling them?” Sasha asks
“As little as possible, nobody mention the whole two soul thing or having two patrons, like I’m planning on keeping Xerneas a secret until I figure out what’s going on with all that nonsense” I say and everyone nods
We head back to the room and Sasha and Ruche get their stuff together
They strap it all together and I walk over and touch Ruche's bag and a pop up window appears
[Deposit as one item or separate into individual items?]
[Deposit][Separate]
I click deposit and then do the same for Sasha’s bag
“Hmm, are you sure I should carry everything?” I ask
“it might be a bit inconvenient huh” Ruche says with a laugh
“Why don’t you all go buy some smaller bags to keep the essentials in” conifer suggests
“Good idea, plus with that I can make it look like I’m pulling the stuff out of something instead of out of thin air” I say
We check out of the pokemon center and head outside
We find a nearby store and head inside
We each buy a messenger bag
Sasha’s is black with white specks and has a purple trim
Mine is white with a black trim and a black and white checkerboard strap
And Ruche’s is a brilliant blue color with white trim
We find a secluded spot nearby and I take out their backpacks and they grab the essentials they will need as we travel
Things like water bottles, snacks, first aid kits, pokeballs, wallet, etc.
As I put their backpacks away I see king walking towards us with a big smile on his face and sigh
“Looks like its time for your meeting” conifer says
“I guess” I say
“Good morning everyone!” King shouts as he approaches
“Let’s just get this over with king” I say
“Still mad, got it” king says with a laugh
“So where is the one who’s supposed to explain things” I ask
“Ah ha ha, well, she’s waiting at a nearby cafe” king says
King leads the way as we follow behind a few feet but he slows down for a second and we catch up
“So, a bit of a warning, every legacy is a bit… of a weirdo” king says
“what’s a legacy?” I ask
“Oh, it’s what we call people with powers like us, we inherited the legends powers and some of their responsibilities so we call ourselves legacy agents” King explains
“huh, I guess that’s better than what the statue called us, “chosen children” or whatever” I say
“exactly, and I was put in charge of dealing with new legacy agents because of my powers and because I was the easiest one to get along with, you’re sort of an outlier actually, usually people like me” king says with a laugh
We walk through town and eventually the cafe comes into view
This cafe has a patio section but its empty except for one woman sitting all alone drinking coffee
She has dark red hair and is wearing a white shirt and a black jacket and a pair of black jeans
She looks to be quite young, I’d say about twenty five
For some reason there’s a little silver crown floating above her head
The second I see her my ears start ringing a bit but it only lasts for a second and quickly disappears
“The hell was that” I mutter
“Duchess!” King calls out
She turns and flashes an excited smile at us
We walk over and she stands up
“Hello everyone, its nice to meet you, I’m Duchess, I run the magical crimes unit at Interpol, king has informed me of the situation, don’t worry, I understand. He kind of creeps me out too” she says with a laugh as she shakes our hands
“I’m not creepy!” King says kind of pouting a little
I laugh
She looks me over and smiles
“Ah right, this is my partner Scarlett, and these are my friends Ruche, Sasha, and conifer” I say and she kind of just ignores me
“So, first things first, what augment did you get?” She asks in an excited tone
I look around and make sure the coast is clear and take off my hat
Her eyes light up and a huge smile spreads across her face
“No way! That’s so cool!” She says laughing boisterously
“I didn’t know the augments could be that dramatic…” king says
I put my hat back on
“Well anyway, shall we get this lesson started?” She asks
“Sure, but I have a question first” I say
“Shoot” she says taking a sip of her coffee
“What’s the deal with the crown?” I ask
She looks at me confused then to king who shrugs
“What crown?” She asks
“… Could you lower your head for just a sec?” I ask
She does and I reach up and touch the crown and say “information”
[Tutor Crown - Effect of Title protégé - An indicator of an expert you can learn from - the material of the crown indicates the number of things they have to teach you, the quality of the lessons, the level of their expertise, as well as other factors]
“… I see, sorry about that. It was from a title” I say as the window disappears
“I see, I’m curious why I have a crown but we sadly have a limited timeframe” She says with a laugh
A folder suddenly appears in her hands and she sets it on the table
“first, let me apologize for how we handled your situation, you see we usually only find a legacy after they have gone through their first trial. So when King found you in Oreburgh we didn’t really have any protocols in place for the situation, we thought it would be best to wait for you to at least finish your fusion period before explaining anything as it would all be a bit overwhelming if you learned everything all at once” she says
“alright, I can understand that, but for future reference, a little confirmation that everything was going to be okay and normal would of gone a long way” I say
“noted” she says
She opens the folder and the crown above her head starts to spin and its like my mind clears away all unnecessary thoughts and I feel really focused
“Let’s start with my job, I’m in charge of making sure legacy agents, as well as those masked lunatics don’t run amuck with their powers, so don’t like, start stealing shit using your item box or whatever or I’ll getcha” she says with a laugh and I nod
“Masked lunatics?” Conifer asks
“Right, as… Dakota saw in the vision during the tutorial, Yveltal wasn’t completely sealed into the mirror, a small part of its body is still sticking out of the mirrors surface, it can’t manifest anymore world ending blasts but its still absurdly powerful, its creating masks by killing pokemon and stuffing its soul or its life energy or whatever you want to call it into masks giving whoever puts them on magic powers, but at a cost” she explains
“What’s the cost?” I ask
“Well it depends. We currently classify the masked ones Into two categories, wild, and compatible. A wild mask user is someone who has been taken over by the mask, they have gone crazy, their body’s have usually been transformed in some horrible way, and they seek only to create chaos and destruction wherever they go. Compatible mask users can take their mask on and off and can wield their powers at will, the mask still eats away at their sanity though, we speculate that its only a matter of time before a compatible mask wielder turns wild” she says
“Okay, what does that have to do with Dakota?” Ruche asks
“Oh, right, well… Dakota is going to have to fight these people” duchess says
“What? Like, me actually fighting? With like, fists and my dinky water magic?” I ask
“Yeah, what did you think your magic was for? Fun?” She scoffs
“But like, how do you even fight with water?” I ask
“Well one of your skills is probably a weapon of some sort, everyone seems to get one, as for your magic, I’m sure you’ll figure it out” She says
King puts up a fist and suddenly he is wearing a pair of solid gold brass knuckles
“They usually have cool powers as well, as for mine, things teleport when I punch them… it makes fighting very annoying” king says with a sigh
“I’m not like… Supposed to kill anyone right?” I ask a bit nervous
“Look, killing them is a mercy. Their minds and bodies are corrupted beyond repair. Killing them as fast as you can is the safest option for you as well… But, its not the only option I guess, All you really have to do is break the mask and its over, but doing that will be considerably harder on you, as you will need to be good enough to defeat your opponent completely while they are trying to kill you” he says
I don’t say anything
“…and they aren’t your only enemy” she says with a sigh
She takes a picture out of the folder and slides it over towards me
Its looks like a pokemon but its covered in smoke and has piercing red eyes and stone skin
“What’s this?” I ask and she looks a bit disappointed
“This, is a Grudge. No matter what you decide to do with the masks, there is only one option for a Grudge, destroy it at all costs” she says adamantly
“What is it exactly? A pokemon?” I ask
She takes out a picture of a statue of a pokemon
“Mask wilders absorb the life force of pokemon to power themselves up. Leaving behind a statue instead of a corpse” she says in a disgusted tone
I look at king
“…Pastoria?” I ask and he nods
“…damn” I say
“Anyway, if left alone the statues turn into a grudge, then they go and create all kind of havoc, killing and destroying anything they come across, so any statues you find you should shove into your item box, they seem to disappear when we do that so we figure we are supposed to do that, and if you bank enough you get a skill point” she says
“Okay, should my pokemon… help? Or am I supposed to do all this by myself?” I ask
“Don’t fight masks with your pokemon, they will just get turned to stone and power up your opponent. They can help you with grudges, but they are pretty strong so be careful, they don’t hold back and can seriously injure your pokemon” she says
“Okay” I say
“What’s next… The item box. Things stay hot or cold when you put stuff inside, food doesn’t rot so feel free to stock up on supplies you will need for the trials” she says flipping through her folder
“There’s going to be more trials then huh” I ask
“Yeah, The trial gate will open and drag you through If you try and run, so just go in willingly. As for what the trials will entail, who knows, it can literally be anything, the past, the future, parallel worlds, weird pocket dimensions where nothing makes sense, it can literally be anything so they are hard to prepare for and you can’t leave until you complete your mission, and when you get back, the time you were gone is always inconsistent, like your gone for a month but only five minutes have passed” She explains
“Wait, so he can like, be gone for years?” Conifer asks a bit concerned
“Yeah, but from what we can tell we don’t age during a trial, or age super slowly, so he won’t come back as an old man or anything” she says
“But still…” Conifer says
“So how many of us are there?” I ask
“We currently have seven legacy agents working at Interpol, there might be a few rouge ones around though, so we aren’t really sure” she says
“Oh that’s not a lot…” I say
“Nope, we are severely understaffed. Dealing with the masks, grudges, the prism association, and the statue clean up has us all overworked” she says with a laugh
“The prism association?” I ask
“Ah yeah, try and steer clear of them, from what we can tell they have a large number of compatible mask users in their upper echelon” she says
“Ugh, great” I say with a sigh
“… Do you have any information on the Bivlets?” I ask suddenly remembering Morgan
She looks a bit taken aback by the sudden question
“No, we don’t, I’m sorry. I’ve looked into them quite a bit but have found nothing that tells me where they went, I suspect they were legacy agents but we never found any proof, it was before the magical crimes unit was formed after all” she says
Conifer sighs
“so what now? I’m just supposed to go find some masked people and some monsters to beat up?” I ask
“no, just focus on learning your magic right now, continue your travels, and stay low until you’re ready. We would love to take you in and train you but like I said, we are understaffed and overworked as it is, so just… Try your best not to get killed” she says with a laugh
“So do what I usually do, except now with magic” I say
“Exactly” she says
“oh right, who’s your patron anyway?” She asks
“…Keldeo” I say
“Ah, a mythical! What their skills usually lack in firepower usually are made up for by having a bunch of cool tricks” she says
“What about you?” I ask
“I’m Zekrom, and king over there has Hoopa” duchess says with a smile
“Never heard of them” I say and she laughs
“My skills are mostly electricity based while king can teleport, he’s not really a combatant, we mostly just use him to get around” she says and king sighs
“Neat. So how do I get more skill points?” I ask
“Ah, well, you should have enough for three level one skills, focus on those since getting more skill points usually means defeating grudges and masks, which you are most definitely not ready for” she says
“Anything else you want to know?” She asks
“Is there a way to… Opt out of all of this? Undo what’s been done to me? Because I don’t really feel like fighting” I ask
“Ha! I wish, no, the system can and will force you into situations where you will have no option but to fight so you should give up on getting out of this. And just to get this out of the way, you aren’t some chosen one, you’re a kid who’s been conscripted against your will into a magical war, and it fucking sucks” she says with a serious expression
The crown floating above her head lights up and disappears and the hyper focused feeling disappears
“Well that’s pretty much everything, the rest you can work out on your own” she says standing up
“Uh, thanks, this has been very… informative” I say
“No this was fun, usually king handles this sort of thing, and I needed a bit of fresh air anyway… and to be honest I was a bit interested in meeting you” she says with a smile as she gathers all the pictures back into the folder and makes it disappear into her item box
“Anyway here’s kings number, call him if you need help with a grudge, or a mask, or if you have any questions” she says handing me a card that I put into my item box
“I guess I will” I say a bit reluctantly
“Ah, professor, we will be sending you a bunch of files about all of this, maybe a fresh set of eyes will reveal something we missed” she says with a smile
“Oh, uh thanks” conifer says a bit surprised
“come on king, take me back to the office, bishop is probably freaking out by now” she says with a laugh
“Yeah alright, bye everyone, I’m sure we will meet again soon” king says and they both walk off
I lean forward and put my head in my hands
“Are you okay?” Sasha asks
“Not really no” I say with a laugh
After taking a few moment to catch my breath I take a deep breath and stand up
“Let’s go” I say and everyone stands up
“Where are you off to next?” Conifer asks
“Sunyshore” I say
“Oh I’ve been there, its a fun town” conifer says
“What about you?” I ask
“I’m going to head back to Oreburgh and wait for the files they are gonna send me, my research is pretty much at a dead end now that I’m sure all the legendary pokemon are dead” conifer says with a sigh
“Alright, I’ll keep you up to date on all this magic nonsense” I say
“Please do, and try to stay out of trouble, I know they said it was unavoidable but I don’t like the idea of you using these powers to fight” conifer says
“Yeah, same here. I’ll try to avoid it as much as I can” I say and he nods
We say our goodbyes and start making our way out of town
“It feels weird walking without my backpack, like I’ve forgotten something” Ruche says with a laugh
“Ha ha yeah, it feels weird but I’m sure we will get used to it” I say
We walk for a few hours eventually stopping for lunch near a small pond
As Ruche makes lunch and Sasha plays with the pokemon I walk over the water and try practicing my magic
After a bit I manage to form a sphere of water a little smaller than a ping pong ball
I make it float around for a few moments but I lose focus for a second and it splashes onto the grass at my feet
“That was better than yesterday” Ruche says walking over
“Yeah, but I still don’t see how it will help me in a fight” I say
“So you’re actually planning on fighting?” Ruche asks
“I mean, I guess? I’d rather figure out how to fight now instead of after I’m attacked when its too late” I say
“Good point” Ruche says
“But like, water? How do you fight with water?” I ask
“I don’t know, they said you’ll get a weapon right?” Ruche says with a laugh
“If its a sword I’m melting it down and throwing it in the ocean” I say and Ruche laughs
I start gathering another ball of water
“What about the gyms? You still doing the gyms?” He asks
“Yeah, why would I not be doing the gyms any more?” I ask
“Doesn’t this… Stuff, take precedence?” Ruche asks
“Nah, this stuff is secondary at best, I don’t really care all that much, but the magic seems fun for now” I say with a laugh
We eat lunch and continue on our way
“so, any plans for how to deal with Volkner?” Ruche asks as we walk
“Nope, been kinda busy lately” I say with a laugh
“Electric is a bad match up for you” Sasha says
“Yeah, and he’s one of the stronger ones right?” I ask
“Yeah, some say he’s on par with the elite four” Ruche says
“Aww geez really?” I say and Ruche nods
“Hmm, then lets put a time limit on this, I don’t want to get stuck in one city for too long” I say
“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying until you get the badge” Ruche says
“Yeah I’m sure, I kinda like being on the move” I say
We walk until nightfall and set up camp
Then we have dinner and head to bed
——
A large golden ring appears in what looks to be a very nice office
King and duchess step through and the ring disappears
“Well that went well” king says
“Mhmm” duchess says walking over to her desk
“You sure were in a good mood today as well” king says with a laugh
Duchess turns and glares at king
“Ah, back to the usual then, I’ll get back to work” king says with a sigh
He leaves through a pair of large double doors leaving duchess alone in the large room
Duchess walks around behind her desk and sits down
She pulls out what looks like a lockbox and takes a key from around her neck
She opens the box and pulls out the only two things that are inside
A bottle of scotch and a very old looking photograph
She puts her feet up on the desk and takes a big swig from the bottle and looks at the picture
The picture shows a slightly older version of herself standing next to a bunch of people holding various weaponry standing over a pile of broken statues
In the background you can see a destroyed city and everyone’s clothes are torn and dirty
The few pokemon in the picture are covered in scars and old wounds
Standing next to her in the photo holding a bat is what looks to be an older version of Dakota grinning ear to ear
“…I finally found you, my sweet darling Jet…” she mutters to herself with a melancholic grin as she takes another swig from the bottle