At the recreation area of the village, Artemis was at a picnic table with two other Fusions. She smirked and waved her paw around, having just finished with a very lengthy and…odd conversation. "Annnd, those are all the reasons why you shouldn't trust my word blindly!" She leaned forward, holding her chin in her paws. "Any questions?"
She was talking to a Dodrio-Zweilous and a Komala-Musharna. The former was black-furred with blue skin. Their most striking feature was their five heads. The latter was a pink and purple Komala whose body was asleep on the bench and hugging her log. From the spot on her forehead, pink mist was seeping out and taking the form of said Komala, sitting by her Comatose body.
She looked around awkwardly. "Um…yeah, who are you again?"
"And can we leave now?" one of the Dodrio heads grumbled.
"You've been talking for fifteen minutes!" another shouted much more passionately.
Artemis laughed proudly and held her paw to her chest. "Now, now, I'm only offering useful advice to make your first few days in our village easier. You'll see what I mean in time." She smirked. "Would you like to try the chili I made for dinner?"
"Um…" they muttered hesitantly.
Before she could get an answer, Artemis was pulled by the feelers and reeled from her seat. "WAH!" She fell into the awaiting arms of her boyfriend, who seemed to be uncharacteristically frazzled. "Huh…Spooks?" She paid no mind to his expression and petted him with her feelers. "Heeey! How are you doing, my nightmare flame? I was just talking to some of the new guys and…"
Quinn shushed her by pressing his claw to her lips. "Not right now. This is important."
She smirked and pushed his hand away. "More important than me? What nonsense~," she purred.
Quinn clenched his eyes shut and growled. "Artemis, I said not now…"
The mischievous Fusion ceased her flirting and began showing her concern, now seeing the stress in his face. "Quinn, are you okay? You don't look so good." She patted his cheeks with her feelers. "You feel pale, too…"
He held one of the feelers in his hand for comfort. "I feel sick, but for other reasons…" He sighed and glared seriously at her. "I need you and Ren to come with me for a moment. Something came up just now and…" He sighed and held his face, shivering. "I…I really hope what I heard is a misunderstanding…"
Now Artemis was growing worried. "Spooks, what's wrong? What came up?"
He glanced at the two Fusions near them, then pulled her away. "We can't discuss this in public."
"Um…okay…" She waved to the Fusions. "Sorry to ditch and run, but I've got to go!"
The Komala-Musharna raised her hands and waved it off, laughing nervously. "N-No, no, we understand! We won't hold you up!"
"Y-Yeah, go on ahead!" the third head of the Dodrio Fusion insisted.
"Good riddance," one of the heads spoke up. The other four and the Komala glared at him. "What? We're all thinking it!"
Artemis shot that particular Dodrio head a sharp glare before letting herself be led away by Quinn. She matched his brisk pace, keeping a feeler around his wrist. "Sweetie, you owe me an explanation."
"I don't want to say anything until I get confirmation…" He closed his eyes. "However…it has something to do with Juniper."
"Eh? What'd she do that got you riled up?"
Quinn glared. "I may have a lead on her past…"
Artemis gasped. "Really?!" She pumped her paw. "Yes! That betting circle is as good as ours!"
Quinn shook his head. "That's just it…" Artemis eased up as Quinn sped up his pace. "…I'm hoping to the heavens and back that I'm completely wrong."
With Julian gone on his 'business' meeting, Brea was left to attend to his duties. A normal procedure she has grown accustomed to. She floated around the building, telekinetically writing on her clipboard with her arms crossed. She pushed up on her glasses and stared ahead as she came up to her office.
"Another long day…how riveting…" She let herself in and shut the door behind her. "I hate when he doesn't inform me of his trips. I didn't even know he planned for a business meeting…" She landed in her chair and set her clipboard down. She took her glasses off and wiped them down with a rag.
She couldn't help but stare at the lenses with a contemplative look. It was normal for the Machamp to be swamped with work, but she should've gotten word of this surprise meeting ahead of time. Even if it just came up, he's quick to notify her.
"One of many odd behaviors lately…" She placed her glasses back on and sighed. "…he sure did leave in a hurry. Practically rushed out the door." She rubbed her temples. "He better not be getting himself into trouble." She shook her head and groaned. "Keep calm, Brea, Julian is a rational man. He wouldn't do anything stupid…"
She went to her clipboard to review her notes when suddenly her desk phone rang. She sighed and dropped the board once more before picking up the phone. She cleared her throat and switched to her normal, professional tone. "Hel-"
"The jig is up, Julian Roteman!" A loud, shrill voice came through the phone and assaulted the Musharna's eardrums. She pulled the phone away as the caller went on, "You thought you were clever, but it was I who out clevered you! Wait, is 'clevered' a word? BAH, whatever! I know all your secrets! Now, confess to your crimes!"
Brea was silently contemplating if this was the strangest call she has ever gotten or not. She has gotten her fair share of prank phone calls, but nothing of this intensity. Still, it did little to wipe away the deadpan expression the Musharna carried with her. "…Who is this?"
The caller, who sounded female, was silent for a moment. "…Wow, you sound a lot more feminine than I pictured you. I was expecting something burlier for a Machamp."
Brea pinched between her eyes. "Ma'am…this is Julian Roteman's secretary."
A brief pause before the caller went, "Ooooooohhhhhhhh!" She laughed in embarrassment. "That makes WAY more sense! Well hi, Ms. Secretary Lady! My name is Vivi!"
"Um…hello?" She held back any desire to hang up immediately after that deafening bombardment on her ears. She breathed out, then resumed, "Hello, and thank you for calling Profectus Inc. How may I assist you?"
Back over in her hut, Vivi was kicking her legs up as she reclined in a rolling chair. She giggled behind her hand. "Are you obligated to say that to everyone? You sound like a robot. Ooh! Now say 'Please hold while I direct you to another line!'"
Oh, I'll direct you to another line if you keep wasting my time. Brea rolled her eyes. "Is there anything I can help you with? You wish to speak with my boss?"
"Hmm? Oh, right, silly me!" Vivi laughed. "Sorry, it's been a long day and my head isn't in the right place." She cleared her throat, then resumed shouting, "I know ALL your boss' secrets! Confess or face the iron bars of justice!"
"I'm hanging up now." Brea pulled the phone away.
Vivi shrieked and flailed her arms. "No, no, no! I'm not crazy, I promise!" She paused. "Okay, that's a lie, but I'm telling the truth! Wait, I'm lying, but I'm telling the truth…" she mumbled to herself perplexingly.
Brea pinched on the bridge of her nose tightly, suppressing her frustration. "Ma'am, I have work to get back to."
"AH, but you need to know! Your boss is crazy! Like…crazier than me!"
"If you have a complaint about a Profectus Inc. product, you can speak to our-"
"ARGH! Stop deflecting my questions! This is top notch detective work!"
Brea sighed, deciding to drop the act. "What are you babbling about?"
"Your boss is up to…something! I'm not sure what, but I do know, I just don't have PROOF!" Vivi flailed her phone around. "He's doing something…something EVIL!"
Brea raised her brow. "How many cups of coffee have you had today?"
"Don't change the subject! And I didn't drink any coffee!" She moved her eyes to the pile of empty coffee cups strewed on the floor. There were about eleven, with one laying near her heel. She kicked it away, then resumed, "Your boss is up to something! He's conspiring against the world! I just don't know why!"
Brea narrowed her eyes. "I can assure you my boss is a sane man…unlike some people," she added under her breath.
"But I know he's responsible for the mayhem recently!" Vivi exclaimed.
That caught her interest, if only a little. "The Fusion Attacks?"
"Yes! He's the one who started them! He did something! He's making a sickness that induces rage! Like Rage Powder or really, really bad movie sequels!"
Brea sighed and shook her head. "I should have figured I was talking to a crazy, screaming child."
Vivi gritted her teeth. "Don't believe me? I'll have you know I'm trying to save the world! I've been researching a guy who is supposed to be dead, but now he might not be! If you don't give me the information I need, horrible, terrible things could happen! Worldwide panic, Pokémon mutating in Fusions!" She took a deep breath, then continued, "Don't you find it a LITTLE suspicious that know of these attacks are happening anywhere near Grandis City?!"
The secretary closed her eyes. "I'm hearing a lot of causation…not so much on correlation."
Vivi tugged on her antennas and growled. "I'm telling the truth! Your boss is in cahoots with Data! I know he is! I know, I know, I know!"
Brea's eyes widened. Data? That's the name of that cube, right? The one Julian has been…talking to in private. She narrowed her eyes seriously. "You're going to have to specify."
"ARGH! There's a big scary machine! Mutation waves! I can't be any clearer than that!" Pause. "Well, maybe I can but…ugh, never mind! Just put me through to Roteman!"
"I cannot. He is away on business."
"A likely story!"
Brea sighed and tried to rub her face of the stress she had. "You're not making any sense. For all I know, you're a screaming child who just wants to speak to our company president. Now, I'm going to hang up. I have much to intend to. Have a nice-" she started as she went to put the phone down.
"WAIT!"
Brea pulled the phone back up and exhaled sharply. "You are running my patience thin."
"Please, you have to believe me! Your boss hasn't been the least bit cooperative with us ever since we started our investigation!"
"Investigation? Are you with the police?" They'll let anyone be a cop, won't they?
"Oh no, not at all! My name is Vivi! I'm with Gappei Village as their new conspiracy theorist!"
"Conspiracy theorist? When did they get that?"
"Eh…we just set up shop some time ago."
If she was with Gappei Village, then…was it worth looking into it herself? After all, she has noticed the slight change in her boss' behavior over the course of the last few months. Plus, it can't be a coincidence she was looking into something regarding someone named Data. Not a very common name she hears.
Brea sighed and leaned into her chair. "…Ms. Vivi?"
"Yes?"
"If what you say is true, I request you share the information with me to fact check your story."
"Hmm…" She could feel the serious look coming from the Fusion. "I can trust you, right?"
Brea rolled her eyes. "I could just hang up now."
"Okay, okay, I will! Just give me your email and I'll send what I have over!"
As Brea told her email, she thought to herself if this was a good idea. She was convinced this Fusion was legitimately nuts. Still, with recent events going on, was it worth ignoring?
This better be worth my time. Besides…might tell me a bit more on what's bugging Julian lately…
Juniper loomed her head over the freshly baked pie cooling on the counter. She inhaled through her nostrils and bathed her sense of smell in the delightful aroma of oran berries mixed with a heavenly custard filling. She shivered with glee, hugging herself. "Ooh~! This smells great! A heavenly treat fresh from the finest farms~!"
Wash chuckled. "I'm surprised you managed to follow Sheila's recipe so well. Looks almost as good as hers."
Juniper smirked. "What? You think I can't bake?"
"You fell asleep in a mixing bowl once, so…"
She punched him in the shoulder, laughing. "Shut up, you goober." She wrapped the pie, then set it in her picnic basket. "Looks like we're ready!" She held her arm out to him. "Shall we?"
He grinned and hooked her arm with her. "Absolutely."
They marched up to the door, with Wash reaching to out for the handle. They opened it, expecting a bare porch to step out onto. Instead, they were greeted by three varying faces: a suspicious looking Quinn, a disgruntled Artemis, and a very confused Ren.
Wash blinked. "Huh?" What the heck are they doing here?
Juniper grinned and tilted her head. "Gee, did you just get here or we're you waiting for us to come out?" She laughed. "That would've been super embarrassing if we went out the back instead!"
Quinn crossed his arms and glared at her. "Juniper…we need to talk."
She giggled. "I would love to, but can it wait?" She pressed herself against Wash and nuzzled into his neck. "Washster and I have been planning for this picnic the last few days! We want some quality alone time!" Wash blushed brightly, but smiled.
Quinn glared deeper, but eased up as Ren tugged on his mane. "Q, what's going on? Why did you bring us here?"
He glanced at his hut mates. "I need you two to help me fact check her story…especially Artemis." The Sylveon Fusion blinked in confusion as the nightmare flame turned back to Juniper. "But I need to speak with Juniper…now."
Wash got between him and Juniper and gently pushed him back. "Hold on a minute. Can you please explain what's got you so riled up? Did Juniper do something?"
"It's something she possibly did…"
Wash tried to argue, but Juniper pulled him back. "Oh, let him talk. I'm kind of curious myself." She grinned at the nightmare lizard. "So, what's got your mane in a twist?"
He tapped his claws against his crossed arm. "It's about your past."
"Oooooh!" she sounded in excitement. "Goodie! I always love when you guys guess!" She crossed her arms. "So, what is it this time? Was I a racecar driver?" she asked as she made the motions of steering a wheel. "Was I living in a canyon?" She pretended to scale a rocky surface. "Or was I a young and budding actress who disappeared from the limelight?" She posed dramatically.
Quinn grunted quietly. "Jun, I'm not joking around. And frankly, you shouldn't, either."
Artemis glanced at her boyfriend with bored eyes. "You have an unhealthy habit of being cryptic."
"Because I don't want to go excusing Juniper of anything until she gives a straight answer. I want the facts first." He pointed at the martial arts panda. "So Jun, what's the truth? What were you doing before you came to Gappei Village?"
Juniper smiled wryly and waved her hand around lazily. "Oh, doing a bit of this, a little bit of that. Stuff like that."
He shook his head. "That's not what I want and you know it. This is exactly why I brought Artemis. If you give me a false story, she'll know." He glared. "Probably why you don't give a complete answer. You know you can't lie, so you have to make half-truths to cover yourself."
"Wait, then why am I here?" Ren asked.
"To keep me from doing anything stupid." Quinn pointed at Juniper firmly. "Now…tell me the truth. What were you doing before we met?"
She shrugged. "Just me being me."
"Just you being you…" Quinn sighed. "That's the part that worries me. This…This isn't you. The old you. You told Tamara during your battle…that this is the new you. So I have to ask, was it you or this old you? The Juniper you abandoned from your past?"
Wash raised his brow, feeling a tingle of worry. He held his head as a light headache came about. "Quinn…what are you getting on about? Juniper doesn't want to talk about her past."
"After what I learned, I want to clarify it isn't true. I just need her to give me some closure." He held his face. "It makes too much sense, yet…it doesn't add up to anything. You…doing all that…that doesn't sound like you." He glared through his claws. "You've been keeping so many secrets from the village and now I see why."
Artemis groaned and shoved her boyfriend. "For legend's sake, Spooks, just tell us what the hell you're grumbling about!"
"Yeah!" Juniper exclaimed through her laughter. "Can't be that bad!"
Quinn lowered his head and gritted his teeth. "You really want to know?" She nodded enthusiastically, while the others gave simpler nods. "Don't say I didn't warn you.
"…Juniper…you killed innocent lives…purposefully…"
A cold chill shot through each one of them. A dreaded silence filled the air. Artemis held her mouth in utter disbelief while Ren's eyes went as wide as saucers, shaking in horror. Wash's body went tense, locking up and unable to move from his spot.
And Juniper?
She blinked at the nightmare lizard. "Uh…" She raised a wry grin, chuckling quietly. "Uh…wow, it's a lot worse than I thought."
"Spooks…you can't be serious," Artemis pleaded softly, still caught up in her shock.
Wash immediately started shaking his head. "No, no, no, that's not right! There's no way that's true!"
"Yeah, what he said!" Juniper immediately agreed. "I mean, look at me! Does this look like the face of a killer?" She held her cheeks and beamed. "Heh…still, I'll give you credit. That's the first time I've heard that one!"
Ren grabbed Quinn's shoulder. "Okay, now I see why you brought me, because you completely LOST IT!" he shouted.
Artemis nodded in agreement. "I'm all for dark jokes and all, but even I need to call foul on this one!"
Quinn gritted his teeth. "Artemis, you know I wouldn't joke around like this. Besides, do you think I want to believe one of my friends is a murderer? An actual murderer? Of course not!" He glared right at Juniper. "But I need to hear it from you!"
"Hear what?" she asked innocently.
"Ugh! Tell us you're not a killer AND where you've been all this time, then I'll drop it!"
Juniper shot some glances at Artemis, who now had her full attention on her. "Um…you know, it's hard to say. I mean, I am pretty tired after today, what with all the planning and baking and-"
"And there it is!" Quinn interrupted. "Juniper's famous 'Oh, look over there' chatter! Every time we ask you a question like this, you dodge it! In fact, you don't just dodge it! You dodge it, mail it away in a box, and send it to Mt. Silver so it can be delivered to a boomerang factory!"
"There's a boomerang factory on Mt. Silver?" Juniper asked.
"STOP acting like an airhead!"
Juniper rolled her eyes. "Sorry! I just wanted to spend some quality time with my boyfriend and now you're interrogating me over complete nonsense."
"Then give me a straight answer and I'll stop! Just tell us where you've been and we'll call this off! You're an orphan, you're a child actress, you're a time traveler, something!"
Juniper held her hip. "Where did you even get this crazy idea?"
Quinn seemed to calm down a bit, breathing out tiredly. "I eavesdropped on the council. It was an accident…and I kind of regret doing so."
Juniper's eyes widened. "Wait…you heard this from the council?"
"Yeah. They mentioned something about a young Spinda years ago, who happened to be at specific crime scenes. Eight, to be precise."
"Uh…" Juniper rolled her eyes around the room. "Is…there proof that this was me?"
"Well, no, there isn't an exact match for your face, but-"
"Then I'm clear of all accusations!" She grabbed Wash's hand and tried to push through the trio. "Now seriously, can we go already? The pie's getting cold."
Quinn pushed her back. "You haven't cooperated at all with me and now the council's going to do extensive background checks on you. You realize everyone's going to be afraid of you when word gets out. That's why I'm taking initiative here. I don't want you getting blamed for something you didn't do." He glared. "At least, that's what I'm hoping."
"Come on, I already explained myself," Juniper tried to diffuse, but clearly underestimated Quinn's stubbornness.
"Explained what? You're not giving concrete information! You're literally being accused of intentional murder! Eight murders! And you're treating it like it's all one big joke!"
Juniper laughed quietly. "I mean, are you even hearing what you're saying? It sounds kind of stupid to be true."
Wash stepped back a bit as his head started acting up. Ugh…wha…?
Tch. Who does she think she is? Wash's eyes widened.
No…not now!
Don't play the lovesick fool, you idiot. She's playing the innocent game. She's good…real good. But I saw a hint of her true self in our last fight. In that moment…I didn't see a lazy, soda drinking doofus.
Wash gritted his teeth. Shut…up!
What was that old saying? Beware the nice ones?
He shook his head and look right at Juniper. "Jun, this is…crazy. Just tell them the truth already. Please."
Juniper showed a light grin and shrugged. "What else could I possible say? It's just some stupid joke."
Quinn crossed his arms. "If this is all true, you treating it like nothing…" He closed his eyes. "Jun, do you even realize the consequences of your actions? I mean, you're not even trying to prove your innocence! Why? Is it because you can't without going undetected by Artemis or any other Dark-Type who can smell a lie?"
Juniper just continued grinning…though, for once, it was starting to twitch from visible strain. "What's…there to talk about? Do you honestly think I would commit murder? Why would I?"
"I don't know…" He sighed. "I'm starting to think I don't know the real you…"
"Heh…" Juniper's smile slowly became more forced…and sad. "The real me? Heh…that's funny…that's real funny, Q." She laughed quietly. It was unnerving, and she looked uncomfortable. "I mean…why would…anyone love the real me?"
Vivi paced around the hut, impatiently waiting for Brea to review the material she emailed. She was mostly keeping watch for Eddie, as she didn't want him losing his temper over this. The last thing he would want was her getting into trouble again.
She stopped pacing and tapped her foot. "Well?!"
Brea sighed and pushed her glasses up. "You are certainly impatient." She glared at her computer screen. "I just finished looking over what you sent me."
"And?"
"…" Brea rubbed her forehead. "I have to admit…this all looks rather incriminating."
"That's because it's all true!" Vivi shouted. "I'm telling you, this is the work of the villainous Data!" She tapped her chin. "Well…as villainous as you can get with him, I suppose…"
Brea narrowed her eyes. "All of this being tied with Julian…it could very well explain his behavior recently. He seems more tired than usual…and more aggressive towards Liam."
"That's why I need to find out how he's tied to Data and where I can locate him!"
Brea knew it went against her job protocol to reveal private information regarding her boss, but this took top priority. "You won't have to look far. For all your babbling and screaming, I have to give you credit for your deduction." Brea glared. "Julian did, in fact, find Data."
"Wait, seriously?!" Vivi shrieked. Holy Mew, I was actually right?!
"Data is currently in a locked stasis. I haven't spoken much to him, but Julian only ever talks about him to me and a few trusted employees." Brea pulled her glasses off. "I've been getting suspicious ever since he found that darn cube in the desert. Now I see why."
Vivi jumped onto her work table. "Ms. Secretary Lady, I need access to Mr. Roteman's computer! It may have information on Data's next move! We still need to find the pieces to his weapon!"
Brea sighed and pinched between her eyes. "I'm…going to regret this, but it's for the sake of my boss." She closed her email, then turned away from her computer. "Listen, I'm one of few employees with any access to Julian's office. The keys are ever only handed out to employees that work closely with him. Being his secretary, of course I would need a key to there. If you know what you're doing, you'll meet me after hours when everyone has left the building. I'll help you find what you need."
Vivi grinned excitedly. "You mean it? Oh, thank you so much, Ms. Secretary Lady! How can I ever repay you?"
"By stop calling me that. You will address me as Ms. Lackner," she ordered firmly.
Vivi giggled. "Whatever you say, Boss Lady!"
"I just said…ugh, well, it's an upgrade." Brea then remembered another important question. "Hold up…do your superiors know about this?"
"Um…not really," Vivi sheepishly admitted. "I need to be extra super duper sure that I'm right. Plus, my friend Eddie would kill me if he found out I was sneaking into another secured building. He was not happy with the last time."
Brea raised her brow. "Wait, what was that about a-?"
"Um, hanging up now!" Vivi ended the call and slumped on the floor in relief. "Phew…"
Brea sighed and set her phone down. She looked up with a serious, contemplative, and even worried expression. "What is going on?"
Juniper chuckled quietly, almost as a soft whisper. She rubbed her arm as her smile twitched anxiously. "I mean…let's be real here. Why would I go around killing people? For fun? For revenge? I'm not a hateful Spinda-Mienfoo. L-Look at me. I don't hold grudges."
Quinn's face softened a bit, feeling guilty that he was interrogating the sleepy panda to get the truth. He almost wanted to stop, but this had to be cleared up soon. "I'm willing to believe you, Jun, I am, but you can't keep dodging us forever. You've hopped around the truth for long enough. Now please…talk to us. We won't hate you."
Juniper's jaw muscles tightened, her smile looking more and more strained. "Heh…you don't know that…" Even her laughs were crumbling. "What's…the big deal? My past is…meaningless. A…A relic of the past. Why can't it just stay that way?"
Quinn glanced at Artemis, who just shrugged. "So far, she's telling the truth, not that she's giving concise answers."
The nightmare lizard looked back at Juniper. "What happened to you?"
She scratched at her arm, breathing through her teeth. "What happened? W-W-What do you mean? I was just a happy-go-lucky Fusion who…loves life. T-T-That's what I am…I-I-I promise…"
Artemis flinched. "I can hear some inflexions in her tone…"
Quinn narrowed his eyes. "Juniper…"
She backed away, now beginning to sweat. "Y-Yes~?" she asked as innocently as she could.
Wash held his head and grunted, feeling Barbatos' presence grow stronger in his mind. Don't pretend you don't see it, idiot. She's clearly hiding something. She's not the sweetheart she pretends to be.
I said…shut up! Wash shook his head and stepped up to Juniper. "Jun…please, I know you're not a killer…just please tell us the truth. I promise, no matter what, it won't change how I feel about you."
Juniper showed genuine affection in her smile, even if it was overpowered by her quivering demeanor. "T-T-That's really…sweet of you. I appreciate the concern, but…I'm not a killer."
Quinn stepped closer. "Then why is it so hard for you to give us a straight answer?"
"Life isn't that simple, Q…" Her grin dipped down, struggling to keep up appearance. "I…really don't appreciate you coming in here and bugging me over something so stupid. Maybe you should leave…now."
Quinn nearly jumped back at the last bit of tone. A sound he never hears from the sleepy panda: aggressiveness. He steeled his nerves and stood firm. "We could always talk to the council about this."
Juniper shook her head. "No…we're not going to the council because it's not true."
"They're going to have this conversation with you anyway. Might as well come clean and tell us this is all just a stupid misunderstanding."
Juniper shot more glances at Artemis, who how gave the panda a suspicious glare. She gritted her teeth. "Easier done than said…"
Quinn sighed. "I'm trying to help."
"I don't need your help."
"You've always avoided us on the subject. Now I want to know the truth. Who. Is. Juniper?"
All eyes in the room were squarely on her. She backed herself until reaching the couch. "I-I-I'm not a bad Fusion! I'm not! Really!" Strained, forced laughter was the best she could muster for her crumbling façade. "C-Come on, look at me! I'm the lazy goofball! The village jester! The sun's radiant smile! I'm anything but bad!"
Quinn narrowed his eyes. "One thing always bugged me. Your talent for fighting. Even with your adeptness in battle, you shouldn't be any different from the other Fighting-Types here. You're far more advanced and skilled. Different from what I've seen from most. Why is that? Where did you learn to fight?"
Juniper grinded her teeth together. "That's…not important…"
Ren grabbed Quinn's shoulder. "Dude, seriously, lay off."
He shrugged him off and stepped closer to Juniper, a couple feet of space between them. "You're making this harder than it needs to be. Just come clean and we'll sort this out with the council."
Her smile faded deeper into a foreign expression. She lowered her head and tightened her fists. "I'm…telling…the…truth…" She was choking on her words. Her voice was tight and raspy. "I'm done with my past…"
Now Artemis was trying to call Quinn off. "Okay Spooks, I think that's enough. Seriously, I've never seen her like this before…it's kind of freaking me out."
Quinn swiped his arm from her reaching feelers. "Not until we get answers."
Ren held his hands up. "Look, let's be adults about this. Maybe we should go to the council." Juniper's eyes widened with panic. "They'll be more reasonable about this."
"No!" Everyone jumped and turned towards Juniper. She shook her head aggressively. "We're not going to the council! We're not because I'm not guilty!" she shouted, eyes shaped into a glare.
The sudden shift in emotion threw everyone off guard. Never before has anyone seen the panda in such a hostile state before. Quinn held his hand out in concern. "Juniper…"
Juniper shook her head and pulled on her ears. "No, I'm not! I'm not a monster! I'm not! I didn't do anything wrong! I'm not bad! I'm not evil! I…I'm not!" She started clawing at her face angrily, scratching up at her fur and skin. "I'M NOT! I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I'M NOT!"
Quinn grabbed her by the wrists and held her still. "Juniper, stop hurting yourself!"
"I DID NOTHING WRONG! I DIDN'T KNOW! I DIDN'T KNOW!" she screamed.
Wash gritted his teeth, pained to see the distress she was emitting. "Juniper…"
"Juniper, calm down!" Quinn shouted firmly. "Let's just talk this out-!"
"WHY WON'T YOU TAKE A HINT, YOU JERK?!" she shouted right into his face. "SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" Without thinking, she slammed her palm right into his chest. Quinn gasped as the palm burst with a blinding yellow light.
From the outside of Wash's hut, the walls exploded open in a burning blaze, sending fiery debris scattering and smoke billowing out into the open. A streak of smoke flew from the hut and crashed against a tree, parting and revealing the critically wounded nightmare lizard as he collapsed to the ground. He was unconscious and unmoving, with a searing scorch mark over his chest.
"QUINN!" Artemis and Ren shouted, racing out the hole and running over to him. Ren immediately turned Quinn onto his back and checked the wound while Artemis his arm against her chest, wrapped in her feelers.
Back inside the hut, Wash stared in shock at the destruction of his home and the action Juniper committed. But his shock didn't come close to the devastation all over Juniper's face. Her palm smoked from the blast as she pulled her arms in and hugged herself. She was shaken, quivering, and layers of regretful. Tears brimmed from her swirly eyes, then drizzled down her face like rain over a windshield.
"I…I didn't…w-why did I…?" She clenched her arms and choked through her sobs.
Wash narrowed his eyes and, hesitantly, reached out to her. "Jun…"
She flinched, then looked over her shoulder. "Wash…" There was obvious concern in his eyes, but…all she could see was fear and anguish. She hastened a breath and staggered away. "No…NO!" She raised her arms. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" She clapped and released the same light of Force Palm.
Wash staggered away in pain. "AGH!" His foot knocked into the fallen picnic basket and he fell over onto his back. The pain was nothing as he scrambled to his feet when the light diminished. However, by the time it faded, Juniper was already long gone. "Juniper?!" He searched around the destroyed hut for any sign of where she took off.
"Spooks, come on! Wake up!" He ran to the hole and saw Artemis crying over Quinn. "Spooks! Spooks! Quinn, wake up!" she sobbed. She looked at Ren. "Is he okay?!"
Ren was stuck with a fearful look of his own, but Artemis allowed herself to ease when he exhaled a relieved sigh. "He should be fine…but that Force Palm did serious damage. Juniper didn't hold back when she used it…"
Wash rushed over to them. "Get him to Gracelyn now!"
"Already on it!" He and Artemis picked the lizard's unconscious body off the ground. Ren looked right at Wash. "What are you going to do?"
"Find Juniper, obviously." He looked back at his hut. "Something's clearly upsetting her…and it must be bad."
Artemis rubbed her eyes and glared at him seriously. "If…there's anyone she needs right now, it's you. Just calm her down and bring her back."
Wash gritted his teeth. "But I don't know where to start looking."
"She's your girlfriend! Do the best you can! There's no way she went that far from the village!"
Wash held his face, breathing steadily to get a hold of his racing nerves. "…right." They split off in separate directions.
Now to himself, Barbatos made his presence known again. Wow, that was certainly a show. I've never seen her scowl before.
If Wash wasn't already worried out of his mind, he'd be berating his other personality relentlessly. I have no time to deal with you. Juniper's upset and I need to find her. Something about her past must be too much to handle…
So…you're NOT denying she may have been a killer?
It's not that, but…it's a start. Wash closed his eyes. If you're just going to bug the living hell out of me, can you give me your thoughts on this?
For once, the split half of Wash was taken back by the show of socialization. You're…actually asking for my advice? Huh…I'm not sure how I feel about this. Barbatos sighed. Look, I don't know what to tell you. Despite everything I've done, I've never actually killed anyone. I wouldn't know what's going through her mind right now.
Wash opened his eyes and dashed past some huts, surprising a few Fusions. Juniper told me her past wasn't always a happy one…yet she sounded genuinely happy when she talked about her father. What happened to her before we met?
It's like what you two keeping flirting about. Innocents with demons. Everyone has them…just a matter of time before they surface.
And she finally reached her impossible limit. A tear dripped from Wash's eye. Jun…
Far off in the distant reaches of Johto laid a deserted town, a relic of a time decades ago. The calm winds blew through the empty, trashed streets. Littered with garbage and dust. Windows were smashed, walls were eroded from the passing winds of time. All was quiet in the desolate city, nothing but the winds and rolling glass to be heard.
This quiet air was broken from a streak of wind, moving at speeds close or beyond sound, that crashed into the street. The ground rumbled under its force. The street cracked into a wide crater, sinking in. The landing blew away the surrounding dust as Liam stood up and held his head high.
His eyes wandered around the empty streets, taking in the sight of his old home town. "The more things change…" He shook his head and started walking.
It was close to midnight.
The taps of his staff hitting the ground as he walked bounced off the crumbling buildings. The echoes emphasized the utter abandonment the town now faced. With the Fusions ramping up in their gang wars, things became too much to handle out here. Too much was destroyed. Too much was lost.
He stopped before a small convenience store. It rang with familiarity, but his attention was drawn to a particular spot: the small alleyway beside it. Cardboard boxes and trash. Subtle changes, but otherwise the same home he made before…
"…when we met."
"Old memories." Liam closed his eyes for a moment, then looked over his shoulder. "Some of the best."
Julian stood across the street from him, donning a large trench coat that blew in the wind. He had his lower hands in the pockets with his upper arms were crossed over his chest. He stared at the godly ape, reflecting an emotionless expression that didn't falter from the cold wind hitting his face. Liam turned and faced the Machamp with a similar expression. Neither showed anger now.
They felt nostalgia.
Julian sighed, then raised a light smirk. "Heh…those were the days."
