"You look a bit lost."
The unmistakably Unovan accent pulled Kukui out of a stupor, in which he had been leaned over a steel railing, staring at a mountaintop in the distance. Blinking fervently, he glanced over his shoulder, batting away a lapel of his labcoat in his face, and just… stared at the monochromatic man standing a few feet away. Brushing an errant lock of black hair out of his face, revealing chillingly icy eyes, the man proceeded to bounce a lone, golden coin in his right hand, and strolled closer to Kukui, as if completely comfortable. Kukui just didn't know what to make of him… or the gaudy kimono he was wearing.
"Alola, cousin," Kukui offered lamely. Truthfully, he wasn't in the mood to chat with this mysterious stranger. "I'm fine."
"I hear there's construction atop Mount Lanakila," the stranger mused, settling into place beside Kukui. He crossed his arms over the steel railing, still idly bouncing the coin. It made Kukui clench nervously. Wasn't he afraid he'd drop it? "I have to say, I might not be native Alolan, but even I'm kind of surprised that's been allowed. 'Where the Sun Touched Alola,'" the stranger snickered, "that's what they call it."
Trying to bite back the frustration he was starting to feel—Kukui had already dealt with more than enough backlash for one day—he gritted his teeth, and tensely muttered, "That is what they call it, cousin. But why are you talkin' to me about it, yeah? I'm not the person to be talkin' to about it."
The stranger snatched the coin in his palm, clutching it tightly in his grasp. A knowing smirk crossed his thin lips, and he leaned a hip against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest instead. "Is that so, Professor Kukui?"
Standing back to full height, Kukui crossed his arms over his own chest, and challengingly met the eyes of the other. "Who are you?"
"Grimsley's my name," the other replied smoothly, tilting his head slightly. "But that's not important, really. You are the person to be talking to about this. Now, truth be told, Professor, I'm not one to usually care about stuff like this anymore. See, I got all the excitement I could have ever wanted and more a few years back in Unova."
So? Get to the point, Kukui thought in annoyance, but out loud, said nothing. Who am I kidding, though… Probably just someone else here to convince me we need to hold onto these crummy old traditions, yeah. Why is it so hard for everyone to see that doin' that just holds us back? Kukui swallowed hard. The taunts Champion Lance had sent his way when he had challenged the Indigo Plateau in Kanto-Johto ricocheted in his head. Everyone sees us as jokes, the system we've got now clearly isn't working, and sometimes, I feel like I'm the only damn person here that notices, ae…
"But I can tell you now that revolutionary changes done under everyone's nose won't solve anything," Grimsley pointedly said, cutting those pale blue eyes at Kukui. "There's a thin line between altruism and ambition."
Remembering the conversations he had had over the last week or two with the Island Kahunas—Hala, Olivia, and Nanu—Kukui felt all of his muscles tense in sheer frustration. It had been hard enough convincing them the temple he wanted to build atop Mount Lanakila was for the long-lost god, the Sun Beast, rather than for any selfish gain! At first, they had seen right through him, of course, but he, in the end, had managed to grovel like a Rockruff to them and appeal to their spirituality, claiming that he was tired of living as an outcast in Iki Town's borders, wanting to show Alola once and for all, that he was absolutely dedicated to it and its moldy old ways. Yet, even if he wasn't being totally honest, everything he did was in dedication to Alola!
"Why does everyone seem to think I don't care about Alola itself?" Kukui snapped, prodding Grimsley in the chest with a finger. "Everything I do is to try an' make this place better. Put us on the map. Make livin' here a little nicer, yeah! An' who do you think you are, comin' all the way from Unova, to tell us how to do better, anyway?" Setting his jaw, Kukui contemptuously tapped a foot. "Or are you just like Aether, comin' here to 'set us straight?'" Scoffing, Kukui didn't give him a chance to reply. "Don't get me wrong. The research Aether helps with is incredible, an' I agree with a lot about what they say. But if it weren't for people like you showin' up, maybe I could have the Kahunas agreein' with me easier than—"
"Listen to you," Grimsley mumbled, softly cutting him short. With that, he closed his eyes, and disappointedly shook his head. He shuffled a few paces away. "Your intentions are good. But the way you're going about this… it's like a one-man crusade."
"If I don't, then who will, cousin?" Kukui frustratedly demanded. "Who?"
"I'm not saying that, as a Unovan, I have all the answers," Grimsley snorted, almost amused. "You just remind me of someone… He thought he knew all the answers, but he had just been fed lies from an ambitious monster. He was willing to fight to the end to prove he was right. But he wasn't." Grimsley raised his chin right back at Kukui then, equally as challenging. "So, are you so arrogant to believe that out of an entire country of living, thinking people, you are the only one that can possibly have a semblance of an idea of how to move forward, and fix… whatever it is you're trying to fix?" Grimsley started to flick that coin again. "Something gives me the sense that instead of trying to work with others, you always try to work against them. Because you think you know best."
That was it. "Because I do know best! No matter what I try to do to show people here my thoughts and theories, everything goes back to those stupid Tapus, and how afraid they are of them, and of each other, yeah! The rest of the world thinks we're a joke! So much so, most other regions won't even come near Alola unless it's for a weekend stay!" Stamping a foot in annoyance, Kukui added, before he had a chance to think it through, "If I really didn't think I was doin' the right thing, why on Earth would I have sent Lillie to travel and bond with those Kanto kids and Hau, so they might stay and give this Pokémon League some validity?"
At first, Grimsley said nothing, while Kukui stood there panting. In the end, though, Grimsley cracked a taunting grin and wagged a finger at Kukui's bewildered face. At that point, he held up the coin he had been bouncing, then tossed a Poké Ball, a Liepard spilling out of it to sit at his side. "Thank you, Professor," Grimsley teasingly said, "your testament will be very useful."
Balking, Kukui noticed a tiny, black glint in the center of the coin… and realized it was no coin at all. But a camera or a microphone, or both. "What are you going to do?" Kukui breathlessly asked.
"Funny story, but that Lillie of yours is missing," Grimsley shrugged, "and a friend asked me to check in on a certain Masked Royal to figure out if there were any leads there."
"I'm K-Kukui," Kukui stammered, "not the Masked—"
Grimsley's Liepard started to growl, and lunged forward, flexing its claws into the earth. Grimsley himself stowed the fake coin in a pocket in the folds of his kimono and leaned forward until his nose nearly touched Kukui's. "You wanted Alola to be more on the map, taken seriously. Now, it is. Between you and Aether, Interpol's going to be crawling all over these islands." Flamboyantly throwing his arms out into the air, Grimsley abruptly turned around and gleefully announced, "Oh, how I love my new job!"
Feeling his heart start to race as fear seized him, Kukui sputtered, "Who—what—how—I—"
Tossing a look over his shoulder, Grimsley rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't look so shocked, my friend. Maybe it would do you a little good to concern yourself with more than just Alola on occasion, wouldn't it? You're almost as stuck in your ways as some of the old-timer religious zealots around here. I told you my name. Does it mean anything to you?"
Only that I hate you right about now, Kukui thought with a vague flicker of amusement, even though his eyes continued to be stretched wide in fright.
At his failure to respond, Grimsley only shrugged. "I'm an ex-Elite Four from Unova. Grimsley Burnes." He started to walk off but couldn't seem to help but teasingly call back to Kukui, "And I'm feeling a lot better these days~!"
Considering Lillie had never envisioned herself kidnapped, she hadn't been sure what to expect from the coming days, at all. If movies were any indication, it would have been torture in a dark room, her captors brutalizing her with vindictive, frightening pokémon and tearing answers out of her through any number of horrifying ways… but this was not the movies, and of her captors, only about a quarter of them even seemed to be adults. During the days (or what Lillie presumed to be the days; honestly, with Po Town's weather and her obscured view of the outside being a single measly, grungy window, she had difficulty keeping track of time), Plumeria would visit her, and press her for all the information she could muster. During the nights, or whenever Plumeria wasn't around, goofy, teenage grunts were stationed outside her door. It was almost disconcerting with how they consistently checked up on how she was doing. The first day, in fact, when they had noticed how horribly chafed up her arms were, they had scrambled to craft spare bandannas and fabrics into makeshift wristbands and ankle-bands, giving some protection against the scuffing of her binds. And that was after Makua had been called in to dress her wounds. It also seemed that whenever Plumeria ate, she ensured she brought some extra in for Lillie, and the grunts were always offering her drinks of water.
She and Plumeria's first conversation had gone about as well as one could imagine, considering Lillie was still hot from the previous day's kidnapping. Although cautiously grateful for their lack of brutality, they were still kidnapping her, and Lillie was still furious. While Plumeria encouraged her to explain why she was so sure her mother was so problematic, Lillie responded almost cryptically, spending the rest of her energy demanding to know where Nebby was being kept. Finally, Plumeria had just groaned, and retrieved a Nest Ball from her bag. "He's stayin' with me," Plumeria had muttered in annoyance, "now will ya focus on the task at hand? Y'know, answerin' me, so hopefully I can let your crazy little ass go?"
It's almost like you could do that regardless! Lillie just gave her a withering look and spat back at her, "Why does Guzma trust my mother so much?"
At that, Plumeria had almost visibly recoiled. Her lips had pressed to a thin line, and she almost… hugged herself. That made Lillie raise a brow. "Guess he likes her," Plumeria had quietly replied at last. "But that ain't the point. I need specifics, girlie. I can tell 'im 'til I'm blue in the face she's a crazy psycho bitch, but that ain't gonna make him listen, the stubborn asshole. Not to mention, 'crazy psycho bitch' means different things to different people. There are people here who'd probably call me a crazy psycho bitch. So, specifics. What makes Mommy Dearest so horrible? What's goin' on with this runt pokémon that's makin' her go nuts to get it back? Why'd ya steal it? Give me somethin' to work with, for fuck's sake."
In that moment, Lillie had made the decision that being brutally honest was likely her best bet out of there. She had explained it all, from her family arriving to Alola, to Mohn's disappearance, to Lusamine's fracturing sanity, to her leave and what she knew of Aether's experiments, to staying with Kukui, to his kicking her out to do… whatever it was he wanted her to do, and then, her traveling with Elio, Selene, and Hau to try to find the prior two's inexplicably missing parents. It had been a long, laborious tale, and by the end of that first session, Plumeria had looked dumbfounded. She had said nothing throughout it, and at the very end, had merely nodded slowly, then left the room without a word.
The next time Plumeria had come back, Lillie had learned why she had left like that the first time. With a pointed look, Plumeria had planted her hands on her hips, and announced that Lillie's story sounded like something straight out of a science fiction movie. "If you want me to help ya," Plumeria had huffed, "I need ya to tell me somethin' that can be believed."
That had been the second day. And it would be the last time Lillie would bear to listen to such mockery of all she had been through. She had tossed her weight against her constraints, threatening to knock the chair over as usual, and viciously bared her teeth to snarl, "Well, I guess they'll just have to make a movie about it one day, then! Because this sci-fi movie plot's been my life the last few years, and whether you believe it or not, it's true! How can it even be that hard to believe? You believe that Aether created that pokémon Gladion uses, right?"
Shuffling in place, Plumeria had crossed her arms and frowned. "Well, yeah, but that's a little different than monsters from other worlds or a space hole openin' up to—"
"How?" Lillie had bitingly cut her short, unwilling to listen to her excuses. "How? They have technology to fabricate a pokémon out of nothing, and you can't believe the rest?"
After a few minutes, Plumeria's shoulders had sagged and she tossed her head back. "You're killin' me, kid. I need somethin' concrete to look into. I can't exactly just waltz inside Aether and go searchin' through their records, so, is there anythin' I can get to that I can look int'a to figure out if what you're sayin' means anything? 'Cause even if I decide I believe ya, I can guarantee ya Guz ain't gonna buy a lick of it."
Lillie had had an idea. "The Ultra Recon Squad!" she exclaimed. "Zossie, Dulse—you may be able to find them!"
Despite Plumeria's blank stare, Lillie had felt ecstatic—hopeful.
It was awfully late, but Zossie wouldn't have known. She had quickly lost track of the days and nights (even though truth be told, it hadn't been that many), a concept that had fascinated her upon arriving in Alola, and as she sat up while Dulse slept, she felt absolutely hollow to realize she had lost that again. They were still held hostage within the confines of Aether Paradise, within that same room as before, as Captains Phyco and Soliera had come to the tenuous agreement to not confront Aether Paradise until Dr. Colress was safely finished with his machines that would hopefully calm the Blinding One once and for all. She and Dulse, as much as it had pained Captain Phyco to submit to such demands, had been tasked with taking one for the team by remaining imprisoned for the time being. "The fact of the matter is, we cannot risk President Lusamine's wrath and failure to cooperate by removing you from this facility," he had sighed defeatedly, with a twinge of aggravation in the back of his throat, "but we will of course monitor you both and ensure your physical wellbeing is kept up with until the situation improves."
She all but froze, then, as the door to their chamber abruptly opened, and a Furfrou—Dulse's Furfrou, Zossie immediately recognized—bolted through. She was too shocked to even think about what to do with the open door, but the decision was made for her when it snapped shut again before she reacted, and Furfrou threw his paws in her lap as she sat at the edge of the single bed in the room. She hastily stroked his head but blinked and sputtered in blind confusion at what had just happened. "Furfrou…? Wha…? Why? I mean, I'm gl-glad, but, the door—how—"
"Keep your voice down, for Arceus' sake," Rosa's hissing voice cut through the empty room in a way that made Zossie jump, and cling to the Furfrou tightly (not that he seemed to mind; in fact, he only waved his tail more). The woman materialized just a few inches in front of Zossie's face, dressed in her usual suit, and she froze as Rosa smirked and touched her right pointer finger to Zossie's nose. "You wouldn't want to wake up Dulse for this, I don't think. He tends to be a bit… opinionated and might cause a commotion. Spoil it."
For a moment, Zossie wondered if she was in a dream. Or maybe a nightmare. "I don't understand…" she almost whimpered, petting Furfrou's head again. He licked her hand.
"Come with me," Rosa whispered, slowly turning on a heel and tiptoeing toward the door. With a wave of her palm near the keycard slot, the door opened again.
Heart starting to beat faster, Zossie swallowed hard, and glanced back at Dulse. He had shifted in his sleep, but didn't seem close to waking up… He had been awake for such a long time prior to finally falling asleep a few hours ago that she doubted he would wake for a while yet. And oh, she had to admit… she was so curious about what Rosa wanted to show her or do… Undying natural curiosity trumped her caution and she, quietly as possible, urged Dulse's Furfrou forward and off her lap so she could sneak after Rosa. A surge of excitement found her as she wondered if she'd be getting out of there at last.
Once Zossie reached the door, Rosa smiled, uncharacteristically genuinely, and purred, "Would've gotten you earlier, but had to wait for the old man to go to sleep… along with everyone else. I thought it was weird Colress and I were going to live on this thing, but would you believe almost all the people that work here live here, too? They're on six month shifts or something like that, like sailors. It's nuts."
Just as she had begun to shake her head, confused and desperate to ask Rosa what she was hoping to accomplish with this (or what she wanted at all—and what about Dulse?), Zossie and Rosa both flinched as a man cleared his throat just ahead of them and outside the door. Furfrou abruptly yelped at the noise and darted behind Zossie's legs, shaking. Looking up, Zossie's round eyes froze as she recognized Dr. Colress himself, though his demeanor was completely different from her and Dulse's meetings with him. His golden eyes gleamed as he clenched his jaw and swiped a hand to snatch Rosa's left wrist tightly in his grasp. She jerked once against his hold, and he yanked her back even harder, making her stumble as she scrambled to stand beside him. "Going for a midnight stroll, are we?" Dr. Colress asked in a frighteningly quiet voice as he swept that penetrating amber gaze across both of them. Locking onto Rosa, he curled a lip. "Just what are you up to, Miss Rosa? You jeopardize the machine's creation with this! Jeopardize my research!"
A pokémon unfamiliar to Zossie drifted out from behind Dr. Colress and into view. It looked like the 'Magnemite' she had met on one of the islands, except it looked more like three of them joined together… Electric sparks surged around its magnets, at any rate. Rosa gritted her teeth and glared back at Dr. Colress with a burning anger. Her voice snapped Zossie's attention back to her. "What I'm up to is none of your damn business right now," she growled.
"When it is jeopardizing my research, it very much is my business," he retorted loudly, making Zossie instinctively begin to backpedal from them. With his pokémon looming threateningly over his head and he and Rosa apparently in the beginnings of a fight, she suddenly wondered if her room wasn't that bad after all…
Then, Dulse marched out beside her, the noise having apparently finally woken him. He lacked his helmet at that moment, much like she did, and without any hesitation, he went like he was going to snatch Dr. Colress by the lapels of his white jacket. Yet, as soon as his arm lunged for them, Rosa's eyes widened.
"No!" she yelped as she dove at Dulse's outstretched hand, knocking them both to the floor, just as a bluish forcefield of sorts appeared around Dr. Colress, stemming from the flick of blue hair jutting from his forehead. Or so it had looked like hair… With the blue arcs of electricity coursing through it and the energy field now protecting his body sourced from it, Zossie had a hard time believing it was mere hair.
"Get off me!" Dulse barked, throwing Rosa off him with a harsh wave of his arm. She clattered to the ground on her rear and groaned. Jumping back to his feet immediately, Dulse pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Why did you do that?" he demanded.
"Because that forcefield would have cut your hand off if he activated it after you grabbed him, you fucking idiot," Rosa rasped, as if she couldn't quite catch her breath. Her brown eyes met Zossie's sunset-colored ones for a moment, and Zossie was uncomfortably aware of just how scared Rosa seemed about then.
"What were you trying to do…?" Zossie finally squeaked, as she instinctively clung to Dulse. Why did Rosa seem so focused on her? "Why did you come and try to get me…?"
Floundering for a response, Rosa winced and pathetically mumbled in the end, "I just thought it'd be fun for us to hang out for a little while…"
"We all have our orders. Nothing is to be done until the machines are finished," Dulse pointedly said. "So, whatever Rosa was planning, it was out of line. Come on, Zossie, let's go." With that, he looped an arm protectively around her shoulders, and directed her back into the room, Furfrou in tow. Dulse then tossed a cautious look over his shoulder as Dr. Colress curtly dipped his head and shut the door behind them. Whispering to Zossie as they reached the bed, he resignedly sighed, "Zossie, you cannot trust her. Have we not spoken about this before?"
"I know, but…" Zossie felt a lump of emotion start to rise in her throat as she was seated back on that bed within the suffocating walls of that room. Furfrou joined them and she gave a shuddery exhale, grateful that he would at least be with them now. She tentatively reached a hand to thread her fingers in his thick, woolly fur. She welcomed the comfort, considering she didn't know how to explain to Dulse just why she had been so eager to leave with Rosa. Maybe she was overthinking it… When had she started thinking so hard about everything, anyway? That was something she did back at Ultra Megalopolis. "I was just excited to leave for a while…" To just leave… all of this for a while… She gnawed her lower lip. Just hanging out for a while with someone, anyone, and forgetting about all they were tangled up in, sounded wonderful.
She froze when Dulse randomly wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Before she could ask, he said, "I am honored to have you as my partner, Zossie, but you should not have lied to get into the Ultra Recon Squad."
Silently, Zossie just leaned into his grasp. It had been a long time since she had been with family, and even then, she didn't have siblings, but she was almost certain that this was what having a big brother felt like.
"It's been a few days now, kid, an' ain't nobody able to find a sign o' your Ultra Recon Squad guys…"
Lillie failed to react. Although she wanted to be strong, it would have been a lie to say her determination was unwavering…
Plumeria sighed. "I talked to Guz anyway."
That gave her some pause. She sucked in a shaky breath, and pressed, "And… and what did he say?"
Looking up just in time, Lillie watched in slight shock as Plumeria's fists clenched at her side, and she abruptly kicked the door to Lillie's room shut. "That dickhead ain't listenin' to any o' it, he ain't listenin' to me, an' he still wants to give ya an' Nebby to her because he's too wrapped up thinkin' about that blond psycho bitch to see reason!"
Hanging her head again, Lillie scoffed dryly. She didn't really know what to say to that.
"Whatever happens, you ain't dealin' with it alone."
Lillie blinked. "What?" she echoed in a croak. "Why…?" Swallowing uncomfortably, she expounded, "I just… don't… you seem so loyal to what Guzma has to say…"
"Yeah, well, fuck him," Plumeria huffed, flopping down to the floor in front of Lillie. A Salazzle released itself from one of her Poké Balls, and worriedly nudged her trainer on the cheek, giving a few soft hisses in poor attempts to comfort her. "I've followed Guz for so long… but he's gone nuts. We don't kidnap people. We don't hurt people like this. We fight for ourselves an' against the Island Challenge. I don't see what Lusi has to do with any o' it." She clenched her jaw. "'Side from him getting his dick wet," she spat venomously. After an awkward gap of time, she grimaced. "Sorry. You ain't need to hear that."
"It's okay," Lillie offered quietly. She shut her eyes. She was so tired… "It's okay…"
"Whatever happens, I ain't lettin' you face Lusi or Guz alone," Plumeria repeated herself, adamantly this time. "Look at me."
Tentatively, Lillie looked up, her green eyes meeting Plumeria's bright amber ones.
"Guz is wrong. An' I ain't lettin' Po Town screw over one o' our own. You're Glad's sister, and Glad's one of us, an' you don't deserve this." Plumeria stood up, and balled her right fist over her heart, giving her chest a light tap. She dipped her head for just a second. "I promise. We'll get you outta this."
For a moment… Lillie weakly smiled, tears starting to pool in her eyes. "Thank you, Plumeria…"
She swore she saw Plumeria's face light up in the warmest, almost motherly grin. "O' course, girlie."
Your conversation with Pepperspray ️
Pepperspray ️
Omg am so sorry! So had a mix up an got on the rong boat, ffs
Wrong*
At this pokepelago island? Lol whatever that is theres just a crazy old guy here
But anway ishould be back at ula'ula in few days, just took a rest for a day here, and servise was bad
Elio had woken up to those messages on his phone—and he hadn't believed a word of it. All that had accomplished was to make his lip curl in aggravation, to cause a wave of anger to wash over him, as he wondered just who the other person holding onto Lillie's phone thought they were. He didn't bother sharing the message with the others, not at first, as with how frustrated Selene was with him, part of him feared she might not listen to why he didn't believe the texts.
Yet, despite his best efforts to keep it a secret to himself, every time he thought about it, realizing that someone had to have forcibly taken her phone… it just made his blood boil.
It was a quiet, tense journey to Po Town, and one that lasted over the course of a week. With every passing minute, Elio became more withdrawn from the rest of the group (he had decided that Selene needed space and he would just work harder to keep her safe, to do what she had told him she needed), and more determined of his belief that Lillie was held hostage within Po Town's borders. As they sloshed their way closer to the town at the end of that torturous week, Nanu—who they had learned surprisingly little about despite how long they spent traveling together—had finally planted a hand on Elio's shoulder, drawing his attention to him.
It was late that day, about the time they'd have normally stopped to find a Pokémon Center to rest at, but Nanu had said the only place to stop for a while yet was a grungy motel, and they would just be better off continuing on to Po Town. Per usual, Selene and Hau were at the front of the group, talking quietly with one another, while Gladion brought up the rear, ignoring them all (or trying to; Acerola seemed intent on annoying him as much as humanly possible, and Elio swore one of Gladion's veins would pop sooner or later if she kept at it). Yet, at the policeman's heavyhanded touch, Elio just issued him a sour look. "What?" he grumbled waspishly. He almost didn't recognize his own voice; it was so laced with bitterness.
"When we get in there," Nanu started, burgundy eyes settling patiently on his target, "let me do the talkin', would ya?"
Curiously scowling at him, as if to ask him why he felt the need to say that, Nanu rolled his eyes and shrugged.
"Well, I figured I should ask ya that, because I get the sense that when we go in here, you're gonna act crazy. You ain't spoken a word to your sister since we left an' your Torracat would rather hang out with the Water-type"—Nanu jabbed a finger in the direction of Popper, and Elio noted that Macho was headbutting and playfully batting at the Brionne as they walked along—"than with his own trainer 'cause he's been in such a bad mood. In fact, ya look like you wanna punch me just by that expression on your face right now."
Pulling back from Nanu slightly, Elio bared his teeth. "Well, when your friend gets—"
"I ain't said anythin' about it bein' unreasonable, 'cause you're not bein' unreasonable," Nanu stopped him gently. Eased somewhat, Elio tilted his head, caught off-guard by Nanu's apparent empathy. One of the things he had learned about Nanu on their travels so far was that Nanu was a Dark-type trainer, and had a wry, downright cruel sense of humor at times, so patient empathy was not exactly something Elio had expected from him. Sighing, Nanu added, as he slung the rain that had gathered on his head away, "I just need ya to trust me. 'Cause Skull… well, let's just say I can get info out of 'em without a bunch'a theatrics. It'll be alright. We'll find your girl."
"'His' girl?" Gladion abruptly interjected. The comforting moment Elio and Nanu were sharing quickly was lost as the blond pushed his way between them. Shooting Acerola a murderous look, as if daring her to follow him (which she did anyway), Gladion then snapped at Elio, "That's my sister, not 'your girl.' You'll let me and Nanu do the talking no matter what." Null, at Gladion's side, gave a ferocious snarl in support of his trainer.
Instead of devolving into a shouting match as it might have at the start of that trip, Elio just pressed his lips to a thin line and glowered hatefully at Gladion. It was like looking into a stupid mirror he'd have loved to crack, but instead, he just gave Nanu a costive nod, and slunk away from the both of them, uninterested in further confrontation.
He'd save that for whoever really deserved it and Selene would see that her decision hadn't been a mistake, and that he wasn't something to be feared. He was doing exactly what they all needed, he was sure of it.
Guzma had been oddly silent to her the past week or so. Lusamine frowned as she sprawled across the pristine, white couch in the back of her private office; she was blankly staring at a movie, taking none of the motion picture in, accompanied by the lifeless stares and gapes of the pokémon trapped in ice about her room and Dr. Faba beside her, draped across her body. She had an arm anchored around his neck, pulling him close, blissfully unaware of how tense he was. He had an arm propped against her, his palm pressed to the cushion of the sofa, as if poised to leap away the second she'd let go. She stroked his chin and lazily laid her head across the armrest of the couch, eyeing a frozen Popplio close to her desk on one end of the floor.
Her grip abruptly tightened on his chin, digging her nails in, making him yelp. "I'm tired of Guzma's games," she announced at last, "I want you, tomorrow, to go give those thugs a reason to listen to me."
"Wh-what do you mean?" Dr. Faba asked dumbly, wincing against the pain of her lengthy, practically bladed nails latching into his skin. Yet, he was looking up at her so submissively… She loved him like this. That was exactly where he should have been. Lusamine didn't quite know what that look was in his eyes, that defeated, almost lost expression, but she lavished it. Was it dependence? Hmm… she liked it.
"Take Zero for a walk," Lusamine purred, using her other hand to play with and twirl his hair. Feigning a hurt twinge to her voice, she almost pouted, "And ask Guzma why he's playing games with me. Surely, he knows something by now?"
For a moment, Dr. Faba looked as if he wanted to protest against what she had said, but his opened jaw shut with an audible click of his teeth, and his muscles sagged as he closed his eyes. "Yes, of course, President Lusamine…"
"Good boy," Lusamine whispered to him, finally letting go of his chin. "But that's tomorrow… why don't you stay for now?"
He stretched his jaws and tentatively leaned away from her, slowly, and exhaled gratefully when she didn't draw him back in with another suffocating embrace. "Of course," he hoarsely whispered. As time drew on and she said nothing more, he shot her furtive glances, as if he didn't recognize her, but she was lost to his looks. She was suddenly very invested in the movie. Dr. Faba soon was as well, or so it seemed.
Or maybe he was just trying to desperately ignore reality right then.
Almost an hour later, completely out of the blue, Lusamine flopped her head over to inhale sharply and stare at that frozen Popplio again. "It's going to be show time soon, one way or another," Lusamine huskily whispered with a demented grin slowly beginning to spread across her face. "One way or another, I will meet him again, and I will find that wonderful world beyond our own…~"
Dr. Faba was decidedly silent.