Seekers

[bravenewmods]

"This is Union...?"

They stop outside the gates and exchange a glance. Moments later, the Warp Band network across Union switches on to broadcast a message, displaying two strangers, similar enough to be siblings apart from their stereotypical color schemes. The man in blue speaks first.

"You guys mind opening up? It's been a long trek; we can't all just align with Ponyta and gallop across a desert."

"Though I'll bet Ponyta are less grumpy to travel with than this guy. How about we introduce ourselves? I'm Maeve."

"Ceilto. We're here representing a group called the Seekers, from the branch up in Caldera. You guys hear anything about us yet?"

A short expectant pause before Maeve smiles. "No problem. I'll explain! What we do is seek out information about the old gods. You know, the ones that a lot of people worship or hate depending on who you are and where you're from. The ones who're in the legends, buuut other than that, we don't really know much about them. So! Our Boss wanted us to come here to do some digging."

"Yeah. You'll meet him sooner or later, but the Boss-man wants to start up a new chapter here if he can - heard you guys built your whole city on top of some old ruins."

Both of them look more enthused as the topic shifts to the Old City. "We don't know how deep you guys have gotten or how much you know, but we thought that maybe, just maybe, there might be some information down there. We want to help check it out!"

Ceilto holds up a finger. "We heard those Team Evolution nuts've been around already. If you're worried we're like them at all, don't be. We're interested in learning more about the old gods, not in catching them and rubbing on a Pokéball for three wishes. But you can kick us out anyway if you feel like it - long as you let us borrow your artifacts now and then."

He receives a sock in the shoulder for his troubles. "Arg, don't tell them to just kick us out when we haven't even gotten in! ...But yeah, those Team Evolution guys? Far from what we're here to do."

"We've got a few expeditions you might be interested in, too, since you guys've got some more tricks up your sleeves than the Calderans. Small groups, though - we don't need a hundred of you coming along with us and getting killed when you blunder around and collapse it on your heads."

"Oh good grief. Don't listen to him. We do have some favors to ask, but what we're asking for isn't that dangerous. No one is going to get killed. ...Probably."

The man grins mischievously. "Probably. ...Yep. ...Well, that's about all. We'll be by the gates if you've got any questions. ...As soon as someone lets us in, c'mon already."

"Maybe if you stopped acting like that, they will."

The conversation devolves into meaningless bickering before the Warp Band unceremoniously switches off.

((Respond as you please!  Thread jacking will likely occur.  Don't feel the need to wait for both characters to respond before you do; it will be in and out!))

Comments

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

Ceilto makes a face.

"Gigas won't let us in. We've submitted like, a dozen requests to investigate their area and start up a base, but they're all paranoid and weird about government secrets or whatever."

A pause.

"That's why... our first expedition will be to infiltrate Gigas! ....No, just kidding."

[bnw_tara_npcs]

Maeve hears Ceilto and sighs from off to the side.

"That was really lame, Ceilto. But y'know infiltrating them doesn't sound like a bad idea. The jerks totally deserve it for turning us down time and time again."

[niepokonany]

[Feliks cracks a smile. Okay, you two, he distrusts you relatively the least!]

Well, they act like a bunch of creeps, anyway. I bet they have a ton of secrets and they're all lame, like "Valeria uses Hoppip leaves in her foot cream" or whatever!

Anyway, you should totes check out the temple here, if somebody pets you in. They know a ton about the old gods, so maybe they could tell you where to find out more!

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

"Valeria? Cassius's head whatever? What that woman needs is hemorrhoid cream for the stick up her -- "

He cuts himself off there as he catches Maeve's eye.

"The temple? ...That sounds interesting. For anyone in particular, or just to the gods, generally speaking?"

[niepokonany]

Yeah, but like, it's so far up there, what's the point if she can't reach?

[He grins, even as a Gardevoir scolds him gently in the background.]

Anyway, the temple's like, for all the gods.

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

All the gods you know of, right? We can do some comparisons and see if your stories are the same. Any Red Giants ring a bell?

[niepokonany]

[He pauses to think for a couple of seconds.]

It sounds kinda familiar, yeah. Like, what about it?

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

It's Caldera's origin myth.

[...]

Or the opposite of an origin myth. A Red Giant rose from the volcano way back when and destroyed everything nearby. The survivors waited for it to go away before building Caldera.

[niepokonany]

I mean, I guess that doesn't sound way different from what we know? Like, that there used to be a ton more human cities and stuff, but then all the gods and a lot of the other Pokémon got way mad and ran around wrecking stuff.

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

What about Union? Any angry gods in particular you guys feature in your stories?

[niepokonany]

Not, like... Especially? Our stories usually focus more on like, the Savior and stuff.

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

Yeah, what's that? We've heard it a few times here and there, but no one else we know has any kind of stories about a legendary human.

1/2

[niepokonany]

Well, like, nobody else has Enlightened, either!

[He flips his hair and sparkles at the camera. Fairy types, man.]

2/2

[niepokonany]

[He does take the gods pretty seriously, though, and calms down a bit for the telling of the story.]

So back then, when the gods got angry, a ton of humans ran back to this city, built up the walls, and tried to defend themselves. The gods and all the angry Pokémon weren't gonna give up and go away, though, so... There was this really strong girl. And she went out to the gods alone, and said we were sorry for what we did before. She swore we wouldn't do it again, and she... She offered them her life.

And the gods listened, and they decided to give us another chance. To like, live up to her promise. And that's where Enlightened came from, I think? I don't know, some people argue about the details there. But some of us can talk to Pokémon now, and all Enlightened have some stuff in common with them, so... I mean, maybe it's easier this way, to remember her promise?

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

[.............Ceilto will refrain from commenting on the sparkling.]

Seems classic, as far as hero folklore goes. I'm sure hundreds of people prayed to the gods and begged for forgiveness when things were getting rough, but the story sounds better when you imagine a pure maiden offering herself up to some vicious monsters in an act of sacrifice.

And you're not exactly wrong more than you are exaggerating, but it's probably worth mentioning that Enlightened seem to just be stronger Earthkin. With more abilities.

[niepokonany]

[Excuse you, rude! Feliks regains his original look of suspicion, prompting a concerned inquiry from what sounds like a Gardevoir, offscreen and near the Warp Band.]

So like, the same except radder?

Don't act like what the Savior did wasn't important! And it's not like the gods are monsters. Humans messed up, okay?

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

If I ever used the word 'radder', that would be appropriate, sure.

[Ceilto's expression suddenly becomes slightly melancholic and slightly resigned.]

It's probably fair to say that humans and Pokemon could have both dealt with the situation differently. War's usually like that. Calderans get all huffy when you try and say their ancestors were slaughtered because of anything they did wrong, so. You usually hear the opposite from them.

You'll make interesting allies, anyway.

[niepokonany]

Well, like, the gods gave us a second chance. That doesn't sound much to me like they were doing it for no reason, right?

We're always taught here that we have to respect Pokémon and work together--not as their owners or anything, as their friends and partners. We believe keeping them captured was a big part of what made them so mad back then, and that's... Maybe kinda why we freaked out a bit about Team Evolution's capture devices.

[Also because strangers are weird and scary, but that part may just be him.]

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

True. It was a war, like any other war. Both sides had reasons to fight, but wars don't always end with total destruction. Whatever truce was made was made for a reason.

[Ceilto pauses for a moment.]

We have no official opinion one way or the other about those, but I can see how it might come off as a kind of slavery. ...You ever try asking the Pokémon?

[niepokonany]

Well, like, we haven't used those things here since the Savior's time. Our Pokémon hadn't actually seen one until Team Evolution turned up, either?

And I can't understand what Pokémon say, but like, a lot of Enlightened can, so some of them have probably tried it!

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

[Ceilto gives a small shrug.]

Eh. There's a lot of reasons to think they're kinda kooky, anyway. They do experiments about Progress and Advancement and Achieving Potential - in capitals, if you can't hear it. If you ask me, evolution isn't evolution if you're just pumping more power into things 'cause you think that's what evolution means.

I guess they mean well in the same sense I mean well when I try to swing a sword.

[niepokonany]

Ugh, yeah, he totally went on about that! Like, their leader-guy. It was mad sketchy, and kinda boring? I mean, we're all gonna evolve when we evolve!

...Besides the people who don't, I mean.

But the point is, why get all crazy-intense about it?

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

'Course, you see humans using stones to evolve their partners all the time, so. It's just a more extreme version of that, in a way.

We've done some studies on Mega Evolution, by which we mean we awkwardly follow Team Evolution on their missions and hide under bushes whenever they turn around. There's actually some historical basis in it - we're pretty ticked they found it before us.

[niepokonany]

Wait, like, what do you know about that?

[So much for not really caring. He doesn't much envy it, but he distrusts it enough to want to know more.]

How do they do it? What's the deal?

[bnw_wighty_npcs]

Dark magic from beyond the pale of the abyss.

[...]

By which I mean, it's not happening for anyone without the tools that Team Evo has. You saw the gem, didn't you?