Mission 008 | Video and Action

[brandnewshoes]

[video]

Something we saw in that... memory? Vision? I'm not sure what the word is.

[Estelle sighs. The way the gods appeared to them is still a mystery and she's not sure how to explain it. They might never know, exactly, she realizes.]

In the one we saw... the people there had one of those devices Gigas uses to contain Pokemon. They got one of the gods with it, I think, and sealed them inside at the end. I... don't like the idea that something like that could be out there.

[video; locked to the Seekers]

We might wanna start taking notes about what people saw. I think headquarters will wanna know, and... uh, if they can compare it to the things we saw, that might be good, right?

[She's a little unsure about that. Taking extensive notes and compiling reports isn't Estelle's specialty. She usually gets the materials they write reports with. But, there's nothing to retrieve, this time.]

[action, later that day]

[Estelle's taking some time off. The events of the mission are still weighing on her mind and making her worry. At the moment, she's taking a walk through the forest, because getting away from the crowds in Union feels like a good way to do that. And taking a walk...]

[That's an easy way to try to take her mind elsewhere.]

[Adol the Flareon is pacing afterward, keeping an eye on her while she walks. She's lost in thought, which means she might walk into a tree. Or a person.]

Comments

[sparkofgenius]

[Estelle isn't the only one out in the woods today. Lucca is too, with Gato and Interceptor following close behind. The Houndour stops when he smells the familiar scent and lets out a yip that draws Lucca's attention away from the thing in her hands.]

Estelle?

[brandnewshoes]

[Adol sniffs the air and perks up; the Flareon notices before Estelle, but he gives her a good nudge. Estelle turns, glancing towards Lucca and her Pokemon. She flashes a smile, then waves.]

Hey, Lucca! [Then, a little more soberly:] You out for a walk too?

[sparkofgenius]

[Lucca nods slowly, taking a deep breath.]

Yeah. Just...needed to think. You?

[brandnewshoes]

Yeah. Same here.

[She hesitates a second. Then:] We saw some serious stuff.

[sparkofgenius]

Yeah. Lots of it.

[Her hands tighten on the little jar in her hands, her eyes going down to the ground.]

Mewtwo. That was...something else. Didn't think I'd run into two gods in less than a month.

[brandnewshoes]

...yeah. He was so strong, but... [Not strong enough for that army to not take them. Part of her still feels like they failed; she knows, now, that's not quite true. It was the past. A vision.]

[But she can't shake the feeling.]

You saw another god?

[sparkofgenius]

[Lucca nods slowly, holding up that jar. It's obviously glowing, with ice crystals forming on the glass. Inside is a perfectly preserved feather, made entirely of beautiful ice crystals.]

Y-Yeah. The day I came to Union. I was out here, maybe...fifty feet from this spot, and one came and talked to me.

[brandnewshoes]

No way...!

[She stares at the jar -- and the feather inside it -- with wide eyes, before she looks back at Lucca.]

Which one was it? What did they say?

[sparkofgenius]

It...called itself Articuno.

[She looks at Gato, and the Golett nods.]

A um...definitely an Ice Type. I didn't bring it up because I didn't figure anyone would believe me, but it basically talked to me. Told me a few things, and talked philosophy at me. It seemed to question my motivation. Like...it wanted to know why I left Caldera, why I moved onward. How I'd guide myself forward if my reasoning fell apart.

And I think it was trying to tell me to be careful, and always stop to reflect.

[brandnewshoes]

That's... that's better than it could be, right?

[Estelle hesitates a moment. She remembers what they heard about the gods in Caldera: that powerful Pokemon had killed countless people. The legends and myths seemed to confirm it.]

I thought they might want to destroy us. But... maybe some want to help us. Maybe they care, a little.

[sparkofgenius]

I don't know what to think, Estelle.

[Lucca takes a breath, closes her eyes, and hugs that jar tight.]

But I know that they're more powerful than I could ever be. And they're terrifying. And...that...they're watching us.

[She shivers.]

I'm...well, at least Articuno seemed alright with me. And I think Mewtwo appreciated what we tried. But is that enough?

[brandnewshoes]

I... dunno. I wanna say yes, you know? We're trying to do better. We're not dumb.

[She frowns, then she looks to the side.]

But... Gigas is out there. They used stuff like what they used against Mewtwo. There's more humans than just us.

[Estelle tenses.]

And like you said, they're powerful and they're watching us. They may not like what they see in some places.

[sparkofgenius]

No...but do you think they'll take it out on us? I mean...we've been fighting Gigas. They attacked us, not the other way around.

[All she wants is to be left in peace. Really. No more weapons. Ever.]

And those machines...they weren't bad. It was just...those people in those black uniforms. And whoever that Giovanni guy was...they were definitely evil.

[brandnewshoes]

Yeah... I know. But I mean--I don't know if they do.

[She frowns. She only knows the broad strokes, despite being a Seeker. The gods rose up and struck the whole world down. But...]

I can't think everyone in the past was like that. We dunno how much -- if -- the gods will care, if some of us aren't like that, now.

[sparkofgenius]

We don't. Which...I guess is what I'm worried about.

[She looks down at that feather, utterly mystified...]

It's why I'm trying to build new things, peaceful things. But if it comes to a fight with Gigas again...I'll do what I have to do. If the gods want us to fight them, then I will. But I don't want to.

[brandnewshoes]

Yeah...

[She trails off, her expression going distant. She thinks of when her mother died: in a Pokemon attack, that was widely believed to be caused -- or even commanded -- by Gigan soldiers.]

I don't want to either. Nothing good happens when wars are fought, y'know? People always get hurt...

[sparkofgenius]

Exactly. People get hurt. Families get broken, resources are wasted.

But...who knows what'll force our hands.

[brandnewshoes]

...yeah. I hope it's nothing. But if we have to fight...

[She frowns, but nods.] That's the way it is.

[sparkofgenius]

If we have to fight, I'll just have to reinvent some of those cannons.

[Her smile? Is cold. Very, very cold.]

[brandnewshoes]

...yeah. I hope we can keep it from coming to that, though. I don't wanna fight Gigas like that. Not if we can help it.

[She hesitates.]

Or the gods.

[sparkofgenius]

We won't fight the gods, Estelle. That's a stupid proposition. It's illogical and gets us nowhere.

If we fight them? We all die.

[brandnewshoes]

...yeah, I know that.

[She means going down fighting, but that's grim enough that she doesn't want to dwell on it.]

I wish we knew more about Gigas. It feels like all we've ever seen or heard of is... their armies, you know? How scary they are. There's gotta be more to it.

[sparkofgenius]

There has to be. But all I know is that they keep slaves. And I'll unmake anyone that tries that with me.

[She is so very, very serious.]

Ultimately it doesn't matter what their home is like. What matters is how they approach us. Because we're not the invaders.

[brandnewshoes]

[She frowns, then nods. Whatever they're like, their leaders have done awful things. They have to defend themselves.]

Yeah. Maybe some day, we can fix things there. So we don't have to be at war and so they won't start another one.