Archie - Pokémon: 7 Deaths: 2
Blue - Pokémon: 5 Deaths: 0
{Jinua 6th, 8:33PM}
{Lake Valor}
Archie sat at the edge of the lakebed, one hand resting in the water. Occasionally he saw a Magikarp come to nudge his fingers, and absently watched the water ripple when it lost interest and swam away again.
The building was engulfed in thick black smoke. Sirens were wailing over the reporter frantically trying to cover everything that was happening and stretchers were being carted around, people and Pokemon of all sorts being carried away. Paramedics were barking orders, trying to get those with the most serious injuries out as fast as possible. Among them were a pair sickeningly familiar bodies-
Archie gritted his teeth and tried to clench his fist, but it was freezing and almost winter and nighttime in Sinnoh and the water was cold enough that his hand was practically numb.
They'd been there just under two weeks ago. They'd been in Eterna, they'd tried to inspect that very damn building, and of course now that they were on the other side of Sinnoh, Galactic went and fucking blew it up in Key and Saylee's faces instead. He was sick and disgusted and pissed and he'd wanted to turn around and march right back up to Eterna. The only reason he didn't was because after the news had taken a small break from the live report and he'd tried to stomp out, Blue had said "Sebastian, sit back down" in a collected tone but with a face that said he was that quiet level of utterly fucking livid, and privately reminded Archie of Matt enough that the Aqua Leader complied.
So now Blue was on a silent quest to destroy the Galactic building in Veilstone, and Archie was following fairly willingly.
It just didn't really stop him from feeling the way he currently did.
He was pissed at Galactic, sure, but he also couldn't stop thinking about how they should've checked better, made more effort to look outside the city for possible entrances, maybe just cut a hole in the hedge and just plain broken in because it wasn't like trespassing would impact his criminal record all that much.
He couldn't stop thinking about how this kind of shit seemed to follow the girls everywhere and how they were having to go through the same damn experience they'd already gone through in Hoenn with a bunch of hooligans willingly committing murder to achieve their goals.
He couldn't stop thinking about how he could've at least prevented the Hoenn half of their ordeal if he'd paid better attention to who was being hired. If he'd given up on his goals like Key had tried to tell him.
If he'd just fucking listened.
Of course he'd remembered the words, with how often he'd turned them over in his head trying to understand why she'd been so adamant to convince him, and he could chatot their conversations syllable for syllable if asked. Having such a good memory was pretty handy, in that regard.
But having such a good memory was easily a curse, too. You couldn't just pick out a few bits and forget them. He couldn't just forget the scene, what he'd seen, what he'd smelled, the mad, hysteric cackling-
"Again?"
Archie turned and looked up, watching Blue walk over with his hands in his coat pockets.
"I thought you'd be asleep," the Aqua Leader said.
"I knew you'd be awake," Blue replied.
"Says the one who sounded surprised to see me here."
"Not surprised, just exasperated. You've barely slept the past couple nights."
"Yeah, well, have you?"
"I'm a naturally light sleeper. Unlike someone like you who normally sleeps in until noon, I can easily live off four hours of sleep a night."
"It's because of the bloody chesto you can't stop stuffing yourself with."
"Arceus bless chesto for giving me more awake time to do things, then."
Archie rolled his eyes.
"Well, for how bad you are at sleeping, at least your Kanto accent is improving. I can even hear it through your usual one," Blue commented.
"That's because you've been rubbing off me, you bastard," Archie said with a scowl.
"Too bad that's the whole point of me hanging around you," Blue said smugly. "Maybe if I rub off on you some more you'll actually become a little smarter as a bonus."
"Look, did you need me for anything specific or are you just here to take the piss?" Archie snapped.
Blue rolled his eyes. "I want you to go and sleep, asshole. I get you're upset and all with the whole Galactic shit that happened couple days ago, and I'm pissed too, but you're gonna be useless tomorrow if you don't at least get a bit of rest."
Archie snorted. "I'll do my best, Mom."
"By the way, let me know when your hand falls off from the freezing water," Blue added. "Then we can up your pirate act and stick a hook on the stump."
"Fuck off, Blue," Archie groaned. Okay, it was kinda funny, but he also wasn't in the mood for that. points for trying, though.
When the gym leader finally left, Archie did pull his hand back out of the water, and immediately wrapped it with as much cloth as he could. As freezing as the lake water could be, it was actually warmer than the night's cold air. He'd decided to rest his hand in it less because it was technically warmer and more just because the contact with water helped him relax a bit, but he also knew that if he took his hand out and just let it sit in cold air he might possibly really lose his hand.
Hand finally bundled up in several layers of thick, red and green tartan scarf, the Aqua Leader let it drop on his lap as he sighed.
He was pining for a conversation with Shanks. He had been for weeks already. Blue wasn't a bad person, and after a certain amount of travelling together he was finally starting to get used to the bastard's actions and behaviors, but he was hardly something that Archie could call a friend and right now he needed a familiar face, a small piece of home, someone who knew him inside-out and could give advice that he understood. His Sharpedo certainly fit the bill.
But he'd willingly entrusted Shanks' Pokeball to Blue as a gesture of goodwill ('willingly' being after he'd made clear that he didn't appreciate the whole theft-like ordeal), and he didn't have the guts to ask Blue if he could have Shanks back.
He finally stood up and went back to their makeshift campsite. Blue didn't budge, but Archie was pretty sure that the scrawny little shit was far from being already asleep and had definitely heard the rustling grass as the Aqua Leader came back. Star's ears barely twitched in her sleep, her brain likely registering his steps as having a familiar gait and not being a threat.
He slipped into his sleeping bag best as he could, trying to wrap his pair of fake glasses in another bit of spare clothes so that the metal frames didn't freeze overnight, and closed his eyes.
The whispers were back again tonight.
{Jinua 7th, 9:54PM}
{Veilstone}
"Are you ready?" Blue asked, glancing at the stairs. Stone steps were set into the slope, leading up to a small plateau that was probably paved like the rest of the city and led to the largest building that wasn't the shopping district.
"I'm not seeing anyone up ahead," Star reported. "At least between here and the main entrance. I can scan through the walls of the building when we get closer. Is that really Galactic's headquarters? It looks so...normal. I was expecting something with about the same ugliness as the one from Eterna."
"That's definitely the one," Blue said. "It's looks like they're renovating the building though, so they probably do have plans to make the building look dumber."
"Too bad we're not giving them to time to actually change the architecture," Archie commented quietly.
"Hey, you three!"
Blue whipped his head around to see who'd shouted. He could see a man in a long, olive green trench coat stomping over to them. Damn, I was hoping that the night would cover us a bit more than that…
When the man finally arrived, Archie took a nervous step back. For once, Blue couldn't really blame him. This guy was absolutely gigantic, well over a foot taller than the gym leader and a very broad set of shoulders that made him look all the more intimidating. The fact that he looked somewhat angry didn't help things.
Blue folded his arms. "Can we help you?"
"I don't need help unless you're all plannin' to carry yourselves to the police station for suspicious loitering, pal," the titan said with a huff. "What are you all doing out here this late?"
"Getting ready to dish out some vigilante justice," Star replied flatly.
The man frowned. "Look, whatever you're doing, it's probably best left to the police. We're professionals, see? We know how dishing out justice works. And you might get hurt, so you shouldn't just run into trouble anyway."
"You're part of the police?" Archie asked, trying to sound carefully neutral as he slipped into his 'Sebastian' voice.
The man saluted. "Detective Richard Hawkshaw, Criminal Affairs Department."
"Hawkshaw?" Blue repeated. "Do you happen to have any relation to Professor Melody Hawkshaw and her daughter Jenny Hawkshaw?"
"Oh, you know them?" the man chuckled, visibly dropping most of his guard. "They're both pretty neat people, yeah? I really miss Mel. What happened back in Gronua was pretty heartbreaking." The detective's smile dropped entirely. "It's not like she ever hurt anyone, y'know? She was always so bright and happy-looking that it'd cheer you right up. I can't believe anyone would do that to her."
"Um…'was'?" Archie repeated, already dreading the response.
"Sorry about what happened," Blue said. "I'm Blue Oak, gym leader from Viridian in Kanto, and these are Sebastian Marlowe and Star. I didn't know Professor Hawkshaw personally, but my girlfriend went to visit her at the lab a few times so we've been trying to stay updated on the investigation as much as possible."
"Oh yeah, I think I heard about you," the detective said, nodding. "My brother was keeping tabs on who all is getting what kind of information about the case. He was married to her, y'know?" Blue blinked. He'd been pretty sure that this guy was the one married to the professor, since he vaguely remembered Saylee mention that her husband was a police officer. Police brothers, then? "He was pretty bent on getting the murderers himself, too, so he was trying to get information about pretty much anything even slightly relating to the case."
"You're using that 'was' again," Archie said, trying not to wince.
"He's alive," the detective said quickly. "But he had an accident about a month ago that really messed up his memories, see? He knows that Mel is gone in a fact kind of way, because Jenny told him, but he doesn't remember a whole lot about the investigation he was doing or...or anything else much about the case. And I hate to say it, but I kinda hope he never does," he admitted dejectedly. Blue raised a brow. "...You've seen the reports of what the crime scene looked like, pal. Now imagine being the first one to find it."
Blue very privately cursed his brain for bringing up the mental image of Saylee in that state before he could try not to think about it. He felt sick.
"Detective Hawkshaw, is there anything you can tell us about Galactic?" Blue asked.
The man made a face. "...My best advice is not to rush in, pal. I don't wanna have to arrest the lot of you for breaking in and trespassing on private property."
Blue frowned. "You saw what happened in Eterna three days ago. And you probably know that one of their higher-ups is a prime suspect in the murder of Professor Hawkshaw. Are you really gonna tell us not to go in and wreck their shit?"
Richard pressed his lips a moment, clenching his fists and looking distinctly unhappy. "I don't wanna have to arrest the lot of you for breaking in and trespassing on private property," the detective repeatedly bitterly. "Don't test your luck, pal. Galactic's got the best defense attorney of the Fairlands working for them right now, and I know that guy both professionally and personally. They could probably even call up Mr Hunter or Ms Fates against you if they press charges, and you don't want to face those prosecutors in court, trust me on that."
Blue simply stood for a moment, holding the detective's gaze.
Eventually the gym leader turned to Archie. "Alright then. We promise not to raid the building yet. Star, Sebby, we're heading back to the Pokemon Center."
"We're what? Are you serious?" Star growled. "We're right in front of their den and we're not gonna do anything?"
"There's other stuff we can do," Blue said, "but it's too late for any of it right now. We're better off going back to the Pokemon Center to get some sleep for tonight. Tomorrow we can start heading back up to Eterna and try to meet up with Saylee. With her luck, chances are she'll be stuck in hospital until we get there anyway." He ignored the audible groan that came from Archie's throat.
"I'm trusting you guys not to do anything rash, yeah?" the detective said. "Get back safely."
"Thanks. See ya," Blue said, idly waving a hand and walking off.
"Blue, we can't just walk away!" Star hissed, catching up with him. "Who cares about that guy has to say? Galactic's already murdered too many for them to be left alone and we all know it!"
"And that guy knows it too," Archie muttered, glancing back to see how far the detective was. "He knows Galactic is probably behind the death of Professor Hawkshaw, and he obviously wants them gone, but he still turned us away. Either he's really obsessed with holding up even the tiniest laws, or..."
"Or Galactic's taken a fuckton of hostages and has the entire Sinnoh force under their thumb," Blue growled. "They're probably all in that building, and we have no idea how many or which room. If it's just the two of us raiding the building, we can't guarantee their safety."
"We need more people and a better-prepared plan," Archie continued. "But I thought you didn't want to involve Saylee and Key in this, after what happened in Eterna."
"I still don't," Blue said darkly. "But they're also the best damn trainers currently in the region that I know of and that aren't part of the League. The only one I definitely trust not to be a Galactic mole is Si-Roark, and that's only because he has so much experience with that kind of taushit already that he wouldn't be stupid enough to go find more." He didn't know Byron enough to confidently say he wasn't part of Galactic, but for the sakes of Saylee, Johanna, and Silver, he really fucking hoped Byron was clean.
Star stared at the ground, a low, angry rumble rolling in the back of her throat. "...Fine. Back to Eterna it is, then."
{}
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Not adding a last Pokemon to Archie's team yet. It wasn't from lack of Pokemon to replace Rapier- I definitely had more Pokemon I could pick up from the box, despite my failure to actually write my catches down in these end-of-chapter notes- but even back when I did my playthrough I already had Special Plans on who to add to the team in case anyone died on the way.
Additional reminder that timeline-wise, this week's chapter is set to be happening around the same time as the funerals in last week's Dimensional Destruction chapter. In-chapter won't be happening quite at the same time within a same update for a while, but the boys will catch up eventually.
Also reminder that 'Gronua' is the equivalent of May and that Professor Hawkshaw's death was basically late-spring.
ARCHIE
Shanks the Sharpedo, Prince the Empoleon, Star the Luxray, Warin the Beautifly, Basil the Buizel
BLUE
Sam the Blastoise, Pete the Pidgeot, Adam the Alakazam, Gary the Arcanine, Girish the Gabite