"Legion?" he asked, the weasel moving on, Dagda cautiously following, his Pokemon rather on edge. "Indeed. You see, I was ordered by him to aid you, if only to atone for my sins a little." he said, and Dagda found the Pokemon rather odd. It was a completely different being, it's bloodthirsty, vulgar attitude replace by a humble presence.
"If you don't mind, can you explain further?" he asked, the group now numbering three continuing through the Wild Area. Dagda noted many strong looking Pokemon. Beartics, Dusknoirs, Seismitoads and so on all avoiding them, the sky filled with powerful Pokemon like Noivern and Corviknight, the Obstagoon's presence seemingly protecting them from the monstrous beasts.
"Of course. You see, I was under attack. A group of humans garbed in odd clothing that felt rather… casual, had broken into my den and attacked me and my family. We were beset by not only enemy Pokemon that we struggled against, but also the men themselves." he said, and Dagda found that rather odd.
"The men were armed to the teeth with weaponry and Pokemon that I stood little to no chance against. I fought for what felt like days… and yet I failed. I was broken by my failure, my body barely able to press on. I was forced to watch, defeated and broken as my family, my wife and cubs, fell to these men. I have no idea why they attacked me, but they took everything from me." he said, frowning as he spoke.
Dagda found his description of his attackers odd. People working in a group wearing casual clothing? Was he talking about Team Yell? Could they be so afraid that their idol was going to have a challenge that they sought out random Pokemon and killed them? Dagda knew this was the beast that scarred him and struck fear in his heart, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness at the tale.
"Broken and defeated, I wandered the Wild Area, striking down as many humans as I could. I couldn't control my hatred. My desire to strike down the demons that took my family from me was so great that I lost all sense of reason. I fought off stronger Pokemon, trainers, researchers, even the infections that riddled my wounded body." he said, Dagda noticing his fist clench.
"And I saw you on one of those days. I am truly sorry for what I did. You see, what truly made me attack you was your partner here." he said, referring to Danzig. The Linoone narrowed his eyes, finding the statement rather odd himself. "I was so angry to see someone moving about happily with a Zigzagoon. It hurt too much." he said, and Dagda found that odd.
"Was I the only trainer with a Zigzagoon?" he asked, and the Obstagoon looked to him, a sad regret in it's eyes. "Indeed. You see… I am sure that we brought on ourselves, but… my beloved… she was human." he said, and Dagda felt his heart skip a beat.
If the weasel told the truth, then that meant that the children he lost were Halflings. Dagda assumed until recently they couldn't exist, and now that he was aware he wondered why he couldn't find them, or Kenny couldn't find them, all region wide. Was someone going out committing actual genocide against a species that can't control their circumstances? Who would do such a thing?
"So they got people killin' Halflings out here?" Kenny asked, and Dagda noticed that his teeth were heavier, and his skin was a different shade of blue. The weasel looked back, that same sad look in his eyes. "Indeed. Only when I was struck down by Brother Legion did I realize that I was wrong. Legion's brother, the man you know as Pops, was very sympathetic to my sadness." he said.
Dagda frowned. Why had Pops never mentioned exactly what happened to the Obstagoon? He did mention battling it, but he never once mentioned defeating it, killing it or anything. He just said it was a fun battle. And Dagda, far too concerned with his lost time and lost sight, didn't even think to ask. It all made perfect sense now. "And Pops recruited you to help him figure out who was attacking Halflings?" he asked, and the Pokemon nodded.
"Indeed. My beloved always called me Gouki, but under Great Lord Pops, I am known as Atilla. I was given a second chance, and I will use my teeth, my claws and my cunning to bring down those that would see Halflings like my poor children, and humans that beget Halflings like my beloved, struck down." he said.
Dagda found this awe inspiring. The vicious, mentally unstable monster that struck him down was in front of him, a reformed warrior who sought the protection of those the region itself seemed to target. Dagda was conflicted about how to feel about this. It was incredibly odd to him.
That night, when they made their camp, Dagda was able to fall asleep rather quickly. He wanted to fall into a deep sleep, mentally praying that he could talk to the voices in his head. He needed another perspective on this scenario, some view that might aid him when he awoke.
"You really strugglin' with this? Gods you're fuckin' stupid." Evil said, the trio in Dagda's dreamland, taking the shape of a bar, the black garbed aspect of Dagda's mind playing pool in the background.
Fairy was the bartender, serving a drink to the trainer, who sat at the bar sighing. "I am. How am I supposed to feel about this?" he asked, and Fairy sighed. "I think it sucks to say, but I think you should forgive him. He seems genuine, and perhaps you can learn something from him." he said, and Evil sighed, knocking an orange ball into a corner pocket.
"The Fairy is right. He beat your ass and scarred you, but he apologized, and he lashed out in nihilistic anger. Even a guy like me understands that. Don't concern yourself with how we feel, Idiot. He's helping you right now, right?" he asked, and Dagda nodded.
This was hard to deal with. His mind was being overloaded with so much, and he decided that he'd try his best to have at least one day to relax. Even if he had to treat Atilla like a friend, even if he had to forgive him. Dagda wanted a sense of normalcy. He wanted to chat with friends, spend time with his partners, learn about Halflings. He cared more about his own happiness.
With the human and Halfling sleeping, the five Pokemon all sat around a fire, Dagda choosing to not set up his tent while he wasn't alone. "You were the one to scar the boy?" Ozzy asked, and Atilla nodded. "Sadly. I regret my actions, but I am not asking him to forgive me. He is young, and I ruined his sight." he said, and Otis narrowed his eyes, but remained silent.
"So the Chief sent you? Why would he capture a Pokemon that harmed one of the tribe?" Marko asked, and Atilla looked to him, that same beaten down look of sadness on his face. "I asked him why he would strike me down. He was a Halfling like my cubs, and I wished to understand what I did wrong to deserve this punishment. As soon as I said that my cubs were beget by a human woman, he stopped his attacks." he said, and they all found that rather interesting.
Ozzy sighed, shaking his head. "This kid is different, I'll give you that. Knowing him, he'll probably forgive you. I probably wouldn't though." he said, and Atilla nodded. Otis frowned, his arms folded. "These people, what did they look like? You said they wore casual clothing, but what?" he asked, and Atilla frowned, the sadness briefly exchanged for repressed anger.
"They were wearing odd garb. Hats, sunglasses, all black and white. There were colored markings, I am sure, but they all had a stiff attitude, and most of their Pokemon were Steel typed." he said, and Ozzy frowned. "All pale skinned, all with similarly brown hair? And lemme guess, they were all carrying weapons of some form too, huh?" he asked, and everyone looked to the crimson wolf. Atilla nodded. "That is correct. Do you know them?" he asked, and Ozzy nodded.
"They might be Pokemon League Staff. The same bastards that were in the stadium before my battle with that old man. Those people infuriate me. Though not those people individually, that organization has a section dedicated to whatever dark agenda they push. They were the ones that put me in that cage to begin with." he said, and the three smaller Pokemon looked between each other.
The Pokemon League Staff? What kind of cult, or group, could exist within the League itself that would do such different things? Imprisoning a Pokemon, but on the other hand hunting Halflings and the humans that birth them? What exactly was going on? Atilla sighed, nodding.
"Indeed. It must be the same ilk. That is why I am here to protect you all. If they hunt Halflings like my cubs, that boy is not safe." he said, and they all looked to Kenny. Atilla's gaze went to the Snubbull, shaking his head. "I never see Halflings in this place. I might not be one myself, but I will protect them with my life, if only to atone for my sins and failures." he said, shifting his gaze to Danzig.
"Which is why I will teach you." he said, the younger weasel looking to Atilla. "Me?" he asked, and he closed his eyes, nodding his long neck. "I will teach you the techniques required for our evolution. You see, when Zigzagoon were migrated from Galar to Hoenn, they became brown, and much less focus on certain things, affecting their movepools. Hoenn Linoone can use such moves like Seed Bomb, Play Rough, Belly Drum, ExtremeSpeed and so on." he said, frowning at the thought.
"Moves like Quick Guard, Counter, Knock Off, things that make us problems to the inexperienced and the weak, were forgotten. Amongst these, was the specific technique required to evolve into Obstagoon, which only us from the Fatherland may do." he said, shaking his head. "I will teach you these things so that you might evolve, and that I can continue to atone." he said, and the younger weasel nodded, determined to grow ever stronger.
"You sure about leaving the pup here?" Pops asked, standing at the Wyndon Airport with Mr. Felix. "Of course. He'll be of use to you as well. He's a Stagehand, he'll be useful for carrying things and helping groom Pokemon at the least." he said, and Pops shook his head. "He's like a son to you. You really trust him with me?" he asked, and Mr. Felix shrugged.
"My mates seem to think that it's time for him to be on his own. He is twenty three. Remember where you were all those years ago?" he asked, and Pops rolled his eyes. "That was over a hundred years ago. We were all different." he said, and Mr. Felix chuckled.
"Regardless, I think it'd benefit all of us if Dagda grew fond of Halflings, don't you?" he asked, and Pops nodded. "I do, but I don't like you teaching him all of that ballet crap you do. I don't want my Protege being a fence hopping diva like you." he said, and Felix rolled his eyes. "You and I both know that if he was it wouldn't be because of my training. Remember why you couldn't repair his eye?" he asked.
Pops shook his head. "I did. I was suspicious, but his mother confirmed it for me." he said, and Mr. Felix nodded. "I assumed as much as well, and his ability to get along with Kenny so well confirmed my hunch. Although, I must applaud you for staying in this godsforsaken hellhole of a region." he said, and Pops shrugged.
"I'm helping out with the research, and Atilla is helping me sniff out the rats here." he said, and Felix nodded, a frown on his face. "I'm leaving because I can't control my urges like you. I'd end up killing someone. For now, I'm going to go home and tell everyone else about what we've learned. We'll play it safe to avoid major conflict, but do know that everyone will be ready and willing if it comes down to it." he said, and Pops shook his head. "I pray that it doesn't come down to that. We're all way too old to be doing anything like that."