Video;

[truthdecided]

[Akechi addresses the Pearl in his and Ren's new, high tier room. Thanks to the help of Maya and Mayaka, the conspiracy wall is all in order. So many notes! There are even some new ones, and an open journal lies at Akechi's tiny birdy feet.]

I'd like to take a moment to discuss the dreams from last month.

[Yes, the dreams. Surely a vast majority know what he means.]

More specifically, the rather... cataclysmic one toward the end of the month. Volcanic eruptions and ash, foreign beings unlike any Pokémon we've seen, and calamity consuming the land.

[He brings his wings together like a pair of hands, breathing in.]

I believe this is significant, between the fossilized remains at Furnace Mountain, the ruined copy of the Archives in Heavy Downmoor, and the words imprinted upon us when exploring new regions and when rescuing lost Pokémon.

[He turns his Pearl toward his notes on the latter. Some ominous phrases appear:

Something important is... missing.'

Wait... Wait, stop!

They're going to leave me behind!

No, no, no, not again!

Are we who we think we are?

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

How many times have we been here? How many times have we lived here? How many times have we fallen to ruin?

There's an additional note about "doing it again" as well, though the phrasing isn't exact.]

Flowey and I had already hypothesized that there may be a cycle of destruction at play. That dream only solidified that hypothesis.

[He flutters over to another portion of the board, where the previous bounties are noted.]

And now we have three new bounties to contend with. Something keeps driving Pokémon mad, both in the form of these larger threats and the smaller swarms. Missing Pokémon go missing multiple times, yet their memories remain inconsistent...

I'm not yet sure how it all connects, but I do believe that nightmare holds connections to Furnace Mountain, if nothing else, and may be an omen of things to come.

Comments

[edgewater]

What makes you so sure of the clinic?

[ parvati's been there, what? twice? so this is a genuine ask on her part. enlighten her. ]

[truthdecided]

They're supposed to be doctors. Their job should therefore expand to those suffering from mental ailments.

[Of which the swarm Pokémon are hardly the only examples, anyway.]

[edgewater]

Yeah, and if they're supposed to be doctors they're probably not gonna just tell you about a bunch of patients on a whim.

[ and akechi doesn't seem the type to stoop to bribes. whatever you'd bribe a person with in this world, 'cause it sure ain't money. ]

Aren't most of them sawbones, anyhow?

[truthdecided]

Not all of them are surgeons. Their medical technology seems to rely largely on old fashioned, herbal remedies and the healing abilities of certain Pokémon, but given that there are psychic types out there and other types who can dabble in emotions, it's possible they have more insight than we realize.

[...]

Though, yes. Patient confidentiality would normally be an issue. However, the swarm Pokémon have very little self-control as it is, and as guild members, they may be more forthcoming.

[edgewater]

Just don't be an ass about it.

[ he's too thorough for his own good, and that intensity may override any decorum needed to talk to pokemon in such a state. all she's saying is that if he says something stupid and gets mauled then that's his own fault. it'd be unfortunate, sure, but that's what happens when you invite it upon yourself. and besides, the so-called authority being a guild member gets you can only get you so far. isn't the clinic operated by lum...? ]

They're still people, even if they've got a few screws loose.

[truthdecided]

[He reports back a little bit later with a bit of a grumble.]

So, apparently many of the swarm Pokémon are being regarded as merely overwhelmed with emotions and nothing particularly hazardous.

[edgewater]

What did I tell ya?

[ she can't help but be a little smug about being right. ]

[truthdecided]

However, some of the locals did note that the fog of the forest and Froslass' presence may have prompted the attacks, which does align with the experiences shared by Dondozo and Tatsugiri.

Urslaluna claims they wished to take advantage of the fog and claim the forest territory, but they seemed to have some doubts about their own immunity to the fog, and Spiritomb... well, they were very insistent about the fog influencing them, but refused to give details.

[So there! He did get some useful knowledge.]

[edgewater]

[ one day this kid will realise being a smartass will only make him look stupid later on. one day. ]

Ooh, the fog. Scary. [ well. it is literally scary in this sense. ] So, what, we gotta stay indoors afore it gets too cloudy?

[truthdecided]

You weren't here for the first batch of bounties, so I'll kindly ignore the sass.

[Because, yes, it is indeed scary.]

For a time, the forest fog was incredibly hazardous. Enough to drive many Pokémon mad. Even now, the forest plays with our perceptions, but the fog and the spores of the native mushrooms both presented their share of hazards.

That the fog spread out to the sea is what troubles me, even now.

[edgewater]

Have you slept much lately?

[ it's an innocuous question, even if it is pretty unrelated. ]

You can't get in way over you're head if you ain't taking breaks.