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[truthdecided]

[Nestled up in his and Ren's room, with his conspiracy wall proudly on display off to the side, Akechi addresses the Pearl with a fluffy blanket wrapped around him. No, it is not cute. Hush.]

Recently, Furfrou went missing. Odile-san, Dolly-san, and I went out to rescue them, and I noticed something all too familiar.

[He draws a breath, slow and soft.]

Whilst we were searching, the intrusive thought, 'They're going to leave me behind!' crept into my mind, and presumably those of my teammates. Moreover, we found Furfrou unconscious, just as what happened before with Zweilous and Phantump.

Given the pattern, I'm certain other groups experienced similar events. I believe it worth sharing our findings, so we can better document this phenomenon and perhaps gain a better understanding.

Those intrusive thoughts in particular seem worthy of cataloguing. It's hardly the first time they've arisen on missions.

Comments

[paperceptive]

The little seed?

[ Interesting. Odile taps a claw against one of her folded arms. She's going to have to bring that up with Siffrin. ]

Such things...could theoretically happen in my world. Experts have always believed that while the theory behind Time Craft is sound, it would simply destroy the user before they could accomplish anything. Too powerful. But I have seen it managed.

[truthdecided]

Temporal manipulation must be more difficult than other forms of magic by virtue of the fragility of time. In time travel stories, one small change can drastically alter everything. It stands to reason that similar principles may apply here.

[But then again, it's all theoretical. Folding his wings like a pair of arms, he thinks back on the false reality...

It wasn't quite time travel, but it did alter aspects of history.]

[paperceptive]

[ Her feathered ears flick. ]

It must take a great deal of power to cause such a thing - quite likely a number of times, too.

[truthdecided]

I've been told of Legendary Pokémon, whose power is comparable to gods... Perhaps a being such as that would find such a matter pedestrian.

[His eyes flit around the shelves. What information could they truly find here? Ingo and Emmet may be better leads.]

[paperceptive]

[ Oh? Odile's eyebrows raise. ]

Legendary? From what sort of legends?

[truthdecided]

I believe it varies. Local customs and folklore contribute to their status, but they are also truly powerful beings that exist in the world. The legends themselves may even vary between this world and Emmet-san and Ingo-san's experiences.

[It warrants further research, in other words. Cross referencing, compiling notes... All important facets of detective work.]

That being said, the temple shrine in Heavy Downmoor holds some traces of Legendary Pokémon worship. There is a statue there, though its precise appearance seems... unstable, depending on the beholder.

[paperceptive]

There's people here from worlds like this one? I'll have to look into that...

[ off-screen probably lmao ]

Is it not a common modern practice? I haven't seen anything like a shrine in town...or at that outpost. [ though like fuck skull town actually ]

[truthdecided]

I do wonder if the worship dates back to older civilizations. Both towns seem rather... secular, for lack of a better word.

[Well, Froslass aside, but that's beside the point.]

Ingo-san did mention a being called Dialga, who is associated with time. It isn't much, but it is a possible lead.

[paperceptive]

They do. I had wondered if they had any religious beliefs at all.

[ It's no difference to her one way or another, but that would have certainly been a change. Interesting in its own way. ]

Dialga...very well. I'll look into it.

[truthdecided]

I may have to take a deeper look myself.

[A soft chuckle escapes him.]

All these months later, and it feels like I've barely scratched the surface for the local customs. Clearly, they have them, or Froslass wouldn't have made such a... distinct entrance.

[paperceptive]

Did they talk to the local Pokemon out there before building that outpost?

[ She got that it was new, but the longer she's here, the less Odile trusts how the entire thing must have gotten started. ]

[truthdecided]

I'm sure there were some communications at play. Mightyena-san doesn't strike me as a conqueror... Yet, even so, it's clear that there's a lot we haven't seen directly.

[Eyes slightly narrowed, he lowers his voice.]

Frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if some of the authorities here believe that the outpost will 'civilize' the wild Pokémon. The mayoral election is an olive branch, but the fact that the land was entirely open and wild before suggests that the locals saw no need to build beforehand.

[paperceptive]

Tch. Ridiculous.

[ The history of colonialism in ISAT is opaque to me, but Odile disdains the notion regardless! She's too interested in cultures and roots to like the idea of some outside group just waltzing in and trampling everything. ]

[truthdecided]

Indeed. It's why I hope it isn't something so dubious.

[Mightyena doesn't strike him as a conqueror, but he can't in good conscience assume the best of Polteageist and Ribombee. It's simply not in his nature.]

There are benefits to building an outpost. Shelter, resources, organization... But it is a decidedly different culture, and one that holds alliances with the guilds of this city.

[paperceptive]

Well, there's little taking it back now.

[ Odile does see the benefits. Whether she'd have decided they outweighed the risks is a little more up in the air...but it's also ultimately pointless. Skull Town is there now and it's hardly going to vanish. ]

Are they looking for anything in particular, out there?

[truthdecided]

I imagine part of it is a desire to understand and map the region.

[He paces around, tail feathers lightly flicking.]

Despite this town having existed for quite some time, it appears that those of the Bay know little of the lands beyond the forest. And, with recent dangers, such as the fog drawing out aggression in rather powerful Pokémon, it's likely pertinent to venture further and find out the root cause.

[paperceptive]

It seems strange to me that they never bothered before. With the Guild structure and everything...

[ Aren't the guilds halfway about exploration entirely? Odile's not voicing this in outright suspicion just yet, but - really, it is weird. ]

[truthdecided]

Indeed. And the current guild leadership is not the original leadership, either.

[So why? Why is so much unknown? There are holes, discrepancies he can't overlook.]

I may need to look further into the archived information here. It's been bothering me for some time, but Flowey's findings regarding the ruined Archives in Heavy Downmoor hardly helped.

[paperceptive]

Well, I'll be here too, I'm sure.

[truthdecided]

Perhaps we could each take a section and see what catches our eye, then.

[He points a wing in an arbitrary direction, only half serious.]

[paperceptive]

Works for me.

[ She can tell he wasn't totally serious, but at the same time, why not? It's not as though she expects them to finish half of the entire archive in one sitting, but dividing it up seems helpful. ]

[truthdecided]

[Nodding, Akechi shuffles off to peruse the shelves. Of particular interest are culture, history, and of course, legendary Pokémon.

Annoyingly, what he finds regarding the latter is inconsistent and vague. No names, only vague concepts... Not exactly useful to the broader picture.]