Written Story Sinnoh Mature Behold, a Pale Horse!

[Raderph]

Bro? Bro. What the fuck.

 

[Aurea]

Ohoho, so the pieces finally start to click together for Eddie... only for Soleil to be so ~rudely~ interrupted. At least we've confirmed he wasn't the one sending Eddie money/directions, but hmm... God, this whole update had me on edge in the best way possible, and the ending especially was great:

A hand grabbed my shoulder at the same time as all the light bulbs shattered above me, showering the store’s clientele with bits of glass. I felt the slightest shock make its way through my body as Volkner walked in front of me, Electivire in tow.

As soon as lightbulbs shattered I was like "ffffuck, Volkner?" and then ;;; poor Eddie couldn't even get a comfort smoothie in the Christmas update, damn.

 

[Wwarborday]

Hey Local, if you could do me a personal favor, and not end on a cliffhanger, just ONCE, my blood pressure would appreciate it.

 

[glancesherlock]

Spoiler: boy, do I love me a good cult conspiracy

HELLO. I've finally caught up! And I have some t h o t s.

I think I mentioned way back when that I'd be tossing out theories about who Eddie's benefactor is, but now things are so deep that there's so much I feel the need to unpack (more on that in a sec). Binging the last seventeen chapters or so really gave me a feel for the pace and story. I like how you balance moments where we ease into the supernatural elements and where they're just shoved into our faces (i.e. Soleil just spoutin' gospel). There are a lot of moving parts, between Eddie's seemingly straight-forward mission, Archer's revenge quest, Soleil's cult prophecy deal, Detective Queen's investigation, the absolute fuckery of the Coronet Twelve, and Deion who was just trying to live his best life, you fucking asshole. Everything blends together in this Sinnoh you've created that just feels so... rotten. Corruption is in every corner of this region. You started us off saying "Sinleaf" was the bottom of the barrel, but the rest of the barrel is filled with horrid stuff too. Everywhere you turn there's someone with a secret and an agenda; like no matter what you do, you're going to fall victim to someone else's plans.

I wouldn't want to live in your Sinnoh, is what I'm getting at.

BUT ANYWAY, I HAVE THEORIES.

So this cast... I'm trying to figure out who has the best motivation (besides Soleil) to knock off the Twelve and would also have the resources required to pay Eddie/acquire those special bullets. I was highly suspicious of Ezekiel at first, 'cause the guy is sus af, but I feel like I could play devil's advocate with him. On the one hand, he has knowledge of the cult and the Twelve's possession, and given he's something of a Looker proxy, he'd have access to quiet means of communication and special weapons. Like, yeah, he's a good detective, but then it could also be a front to some Interpol shit, but that's more of me speculating than taking a critical reading of the text. I could see him doing this as a "for the greater good" angle, rather than to further an ancient deity's agenda.

On the other hand, this recent talk with Deion makes me think he might actually be trying to stop these assassinations, because if he were orchestrating them, then it doesn't make sense for him to deliberately put an obstacle in Eddie's way. And why bother sharing this information with Deion? So yeah, he's slowly getting off the hook for me. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for releasing Eddie without a proper grilling, despite being a major suspect arrested at a crime scene, and assume Sinnoh laws are just that lax.

Second theory is a rando Coronet member who dodged possession, somehow. Just tossing it in there.

Currently, I've got big money on Cynthia. It has not escaped me how little she's been mentioned in this run, and how the Coronet has twelve members and not thirteen. Without any concrete moments with her, it's hard for me to do much but speculate on motives or endgame. I just have this feeling in my jellies that she's some kind of ringleader who's going to dark-horse her way into this (to complement the pale horse).

SPEAKING OF, HI. THE PALE HORSE.

Arceus or Giratina That's... that's what a I got. xD Arceus is more horse-like in appearance, but Giratina thematically fits the religious idea that "Death rides on a pale horse." So I guess it depends on which god you feel is going to be more malevolent. Unless we're gonna get a Calyrex situation where Giratina just bursts out of the Distortion World astride Arceus. That'd be hella something.

Anyway.

I feel like things are really starting to ramp up to something big, and I love this parallel that Eddie and Deion have gone from roommates to pawns on different teams. That reunion is going to be painful as hell, and I'm so here for it. You're moving at a breakneck pace, but things still feel warranted to slide into the positions they need to be in for this upcoming showdown. Whatever you've got in store is going to be insane, and the fact that you've gone from "assassination quest" to "Eldritch horror" is something to be proud of; what a bridge to build. I can't believe you went all Cabin in the Woods on our asses. You mad lad.

In conclusion: Amira better be okay, you fuck.

 

[localhoney]

Spoiler: Replies

@Raderph: Bro. I will take this "What the fuck" in the positive connotation.

@Aurea: Took us long enough for this shit to make some sort of sense! Well, we just know that Soleil says he isn't... but could he be leading us astray? No rest for the wicked!

@Wwarborday: Can't do that, it's in my contract.

@glancesherlock: You've caught up!!! I sooooo appreciate all your theories but I refuse to corroborate or confirm any of them, on account of my aforementioned contract. You'll just have to wait a while before we dig deep into the core of this rotten Sinnoh. And Amira? I'm sure she's fine. Probably.

Let's get this New Year rolling the right way: with an update!

Spoiler: CHAPTER 23 - SUMMONS

I acted surprised that Volkner was even at the smoothie shop. As if somehow that was going to make him leave me alone.

“What brings you to Fantina’s neck of the woods?”

“Not much. Just another Coronet Twelve murder.”

Volkner’s Electivire squared up with me and I kept an eye on the large electrified tails hovering behind it.

“I’m sure you had no idea. But it doesn’t quite matter because you’ve got other things to attend to.” He handed me a hefty envelope with the Twelve’s HQ address on the front and a stamp with his face on it. Humble. “That’s an appeals court summons.”

The word “court” brought a chill over me worse than seeing Bastion’s body in Celestia.

“Summons for what?”

“The willful killing of Marie, Fantina’s Mismagius. You somehow disappeared from the premises before Fantina herself died, which is pretty damn convenient. But regardless, the Twelve consider you guilty, and this trial is a chance for you to appeal your situation. Whether it be insanity or coercion, make sure your story’s good.” He flashed me a cocksure grin. “Because when it comes to these trials, I’m judge, jury…” Volkner leaned in.

“...and executioner.”

I pushed him off of me and noticed Flint and Byron step in through the double doors. I also noticed the smoothie shop had cleared out entirely, with my smoothie still in its blender.

“You’re the sole decision-maker? That sounds fair and just.”

“The unfortunate circumstance of our colleagues dropping like flies.”

The three of them started to walk out and I leaned over the counter to grab my smoothie. I spilled half of it on the ground when Byron slammed his shovel through the tiles.

“The trial is in two days. You’re coming with us.”
*****
I took a deep breath once the helicopter landed on the Canalave arena. I kicked myself, realizing I had traded an overpriced smoothie for my Pokemon and my rifle. On the bright side, Volkner was pissed he didn’t get to take my Pokemon away from me.

The three of them practically held my hand on the way to the Twelve’s accommodations. Flint handed me a card as I walked in the door.

“That gives you access to the Canalave Library. You may want to prepare for the trial tomorrow. And this...” He crouched down to grab my leg, then strapped an ankle monitor. “Will give us your exact location at all times in Canalave. It’s also rigged to give you a second-degree burn if you stray too far, so don’t get cute.”

His combination of Byron’s stoicism and Volkner’s venom unnerved me.

“Got it.”

Volkner slammed the door on his way out and I collapsed on the couch. I needed a moment to myself, even if I was less than forty-eight hours from a trial. Of course, of all the crimes I had ever committed, I was going to get nailed on killing a Pokemon.

A knock at the door roused me before I could fully fall asleep. I cracked the door slightly, but there was no response. I swung it open fully and heard a dull thud followed by the rolling of plastic. My duffel bag was on its side, the zipper most of the way open. A folded sheet of paper was sticking out of the top.

Soleil demanded you receive your duffel bag. Unfortunately for you, he didn’t mention anything about your sniper.

Enjoy the trial :)

- Saturn​

“Asshole.”

I did a quick headcount to assure all of my team was still there. At least, the remaining members. Scenes from Ezio’s death tried to flash back through my mind, but I pushed them back. If I wanted a fighting chance of skirting Volkner’s wrath, I had to go read a book or thirty. That was not gonna happen with a falling chandelier on constant replay.

I changed into a pair of sweatpants to hide the ankle monitor, though it was still glaringly obvious, and headed out. In most cities, it’d be hard to find something as nondescript as a library but Canalave’s was more supermall than library.

It could count fifteen floors, each one with frameless windows around the entire perimeter. There were banners hanging from the front, in alternating blue and silver tones, on either side of a billboard that I couldn’t quite make out the contents of from a distance. Once I got closer, I noticed that the billboard was a memorial to Roark, with the date of his apparently public funeral on Iron Island. It was slated for Saturday, the day after the trial.

I wondered how fucked up it would be to show up, just out of curiosity.

A fluttering black trench coat caught my attention as it disappeared into a crowd of people. There was only one man I had encountered in the whole of Sinnoh that owned a coat that looked like that. As soon as I walked in through the doors, I saw Queen at the top of the stairs, tapping his foot and checking his watch. There couldn’t have been a more convenient time to get Soleil’s errand over and done with.

For a supposedly grizzled detective, he jumped ten feet in the air when I tapped him on the shoulder.

“Mr. Dorian! What brings you to Canalave?”

I noticed him glance down at my leg, but I walked past him in that moment to draw his attention elsewhere.

“Gauntlet business. Busy doing research on type matchups and other trainer bullshit.”

“You’re just doing that now?”

“Never too late to learn, my mom always said.”

“Fair enough.”

Queen looked back at his watch, and I noticed that the crowd around us had mostly cleared out. There was a lull on the floor above overlooking the main terrace, and the upward and downward stairs were empty, so I figured there was no time like the present. I grabbed him by the crook of the arm and dragged him around the corner behind the thickest bookshelf I had ever seen.

“Excuse me, do you need something?”

“Yes, actually. I know you we-”

Just as I was about to go into the fake details that Soleil had prepared for me, I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

“Can you gi-”

Mid-sentence, I noticed it was Deion.

“Deion!”

“Eddie.”

Instantly, something was off. Of course, there was the whole thing with the leg. I didn’t even know it was possible to get a prosthetic that fast, but money moves people. But something in his demeanor was different. I wondered how much of that was because of Wake. It was still fresh. The funeral hadn’t happened yet. I also wondered how much of that was a result of being Queen’s apparent lackey. And how much he knew now that he shouldn’t.

I wrote that off as paranoia and went for a quick hug. He put his hand into my chest and nodded at me. Queen brushed himself off and shook Deion’s hand.

“I thought you’d lost your way.”

“In case you forgot, Ezekiel, it takes me a while to climb stairs. I was waiting on the elevator.”

“Of course. We are on a time crunch, however. I’ll let the two of you catch up. Meet me in the 11th floor study room in ten minutes.”

Deion and I walked over to a set of chairs closest to us. I sat slowly, careful not to let my sweats ride up. The last thing I needed was Queen and Deion snooping around my business.

He broke the silence first.

“How was your match with Fantina?”

I clenched my jaw.

“Not well.”

“Must’ve been busy training. I didn’t hear back from you.”

His voice wavered towards the end but he wouldn’t meet my gaze.

“I’m sorry, I was jus-”

“He’s dead, Eddie. My uncle’s dead. And you didn’t think to call or to write or, shit, I don’t know, send a fax?”

Deion didn’t scream. He just stared at me quietly before throwing his hands up.

“I just… shit’s been hard, you know?”

I glanced over at his prosthetic and my leg went numb.

“I know. I am… sorry I couldn’t be there. They did catch the bomber, supposedly. I saw it on the news.”

He nodded, but his eyes betrayed the nod. The downside to not being a lifelong criminal is that all of your tells are on full display. Deion knew something.

“Yeah, I saw that. Apparently connected to Osiris or something like that…”

Deion hadn’t heard about it. He was fishing for something, an answer, a slip-up.. I was willing to take the bait. It’d get me closer to working alongside Ezekiel and taking the heat off of myself.

“That’s what they say.”

I gestured for him to lean forward and made a spectacle of craning my neck around to see if anybody was around.

“Can I tell you a secret? You cannot speak a word of this to anybody, but I’m going insane and I need to tell somebody.”

His breath hitched.

“Osiris reached out to me in Veilstone. They wanted me to rob the monastery.”

Deion’s neck snapped around, as if Soleil was bound to appear behind us at any moment.

“Are you serious right now?”

“Dead serious. And not only that, do you remember when the Twelve sent me off to Celestia with Byron?”

“After the bombing, yeah.”

“There were members of Osiris in that cave, including Soleil.”

“Their CEO?!”

His voice echoed throughout the floor and I shushed him, partially to sell the story, but also because I didn’t trust Queen to do what he said. He could easily have wired Deion, or posted up behind a nearby bookcase. I needed to make this seem as true as possible.

“Yes, their CEO. They threatened to kill me but… he let me go. He said I was in his debt. Now they’re trying to sell me as the accomplice to the bombing.”

“What? Have you gone to the cops?”

I gave him a look.

“The man owns half the region’s infrastructure, you don’t think he’s got his hands in the police department? With how corrupt they are on their own time?”

He leaned back and took a deep breath. His forehead tensed as he tried to make heads or tails of what I had just told him. I had to hope that he’d buy it.

“What if we tell Ezekiel?”

“Fuck no. We barely know the guy.”

“Then what are we going to do?”

“We?”

“You came to me with this because you trust me, right?”

My answer came before I could think about it. It was rare that someone in my life was trustworthy. But Deion didn’t have a spiteful bone in his body. He was genuinely concerned for me.

“I trust you.”

“Good.”

He gave me a classic Deion Michaels grin, then a buzz came from his phone. We headed up to the eleventh floor. I opened the door for him and Queen put his hand out.

“I need to speak with Mr. Michaels alone for a moment. If it is not too much of an inconvenience for you. I assume you have your own research to conduct. Though you don’t strike me as an avid reader. No offense.”

“None taken. Let me know when I can rejoin your tea party.”

I headed out of the room but hung around the glass window in front of it. Deion was speaking animatedly, pointing every which way. I crossed my fingers that he wouldn’t let something slip.

I had to have faith.

I acted busy in the nearby bookshelves for a while, messing with massive encyclopedias about old religions and nations. My fingers lingered on one about Almia, but I had just about worn out on tentacle parasites and the Light Bearer and the rest of Soleil’s fanaticism.

I headed back towards the main area of the eleventh floor, looking for something related to court trials and their history in Sinnoh under the Twelve. And I should have guessed, but I was still amused when all the records and history about the Twelve was on the twelfth floor.

It wasn’t long after I checked out a few three-million page novels about the intricacies of our legal system that I heard Deion calling for me on the floor below. I was half-hoping for a classic shush from a librarian, but it never came. When I came down to meet him, Deion was standing next to a stranger. He was about the same height and build, but with his hair pulled back in a bun and the beginnings of a beard scattered across his face. I put out a hand.

“Eddie Dorian.”

“Riley Steele.”

“As in, Byron and Roark Steele?” His lips pursed at the mention of Roark and Byron. “Yes. And also no, but that’s a long story for another time. I understand you and your friend here need help.”

 

[Aurea]

Spoiler: rip Eddie's smoothie

“Because when it comes to these trials, I’m judge, jury…” Volkner leaned in.

“...and executioner.”

I pushed him off of me and noticed Flint and Byron step in through the double doors. I also noticed the smoothie shop had cleared out entirely, with my smoothie still in its blender.

“You’re the sole decision-maker? That sounds fair and just.”

“The unfortunate circumstance of our colleagues dropping like flies.”

Something tells me you're perfectly fine with this arrangement, Volkner... but yeesh, I kinda enjoy him and Eddie going toe-to-toe. I can't wait to see them fight at this trial.

Volkner slammed the door on his way out and I collapsed on the couch. I needed a moment to myself, even if I was less than forty-eight hours from a trial. Of course, of all the crimes I had ever committed, I was going to get nailed on killing a Pokemon.

OKAY BUT YEAH I was just thinking this??? Of all the bullshit to catch him for... and I mean, Ezio died first.

“The man owns half the region’s infrastructure, you don’t think he’s got his hands in the police department? With how corrupt they are on their own time?”

He leaned back and took a deep breath. His forehead tensed as he tried to make heads or tails of what I had just told him. I had to hope that he’d buy it.

Ohhhhhh Eddie. Eddie.

“You came to me with this because you trust me, right?”

My answer came before I could think about it. It was rare that someone in my life was trustworthy. But Deion didn’t have a spiteful bone in his body. He was genuinely concerned for me.

“I trust you.”

“Good.”

EDDIE DO NOT MANIPULATE THE BOY. HHHHHH. this is not at all what I was expecting from their reunion but I'm big nonetheless. I feel like Deion isn't completely clueless here, but maybe really does believe Eddie has some good in him. Idk man, I'm on the edge of my seat...

Also!!! RILEY!!! with a bun!!!!! keep this one alive pls

 

[Thirteenth]

Spoiler: I had a lot of things to quote

“The Utsorigo have taken control of this region’s leadership. Total. Parasitic. Control. And that is the last thing we need if we are to complete the work we were chosen to do.”

Look, somehow I was not expecting this story to dive into cults as much as it is but you know what, I'm here for it. If what Soleil is saying is true, I'm curious about how all this works? If only cause like... the Twelve have all seemed pretty normal. I guess Maylene being possessed or something would make sense since she was super Radiant and all, but beyond her, We'll see how this shakes out, though.

“You can check my ledger in my office if it will please you. It seems you have been working for someone independent. And independent actors, in our line of work, are dangerous. I will aid you in attempting to ascertain their identity.”

Now this. Not what I expected, tbh. I wonder who it could be then... Cynthia?? Has she made an appearance yet, I can't remember ;; Someone who's trying to get a bunch of people killed, I'd imagine it'd have to be an important NPC. Rowan? Maybe it is Soleil and he's lying (I doubt it)

complete with the plastic bead rollercoaster thing.

I love this detail, it's just so true to life.

Ezio had died, Amira had been arrested, I had been kidnapped, and the sun hadn’t even set. Soleil could fucking wait.

I laughed but damn this is a lot for half a day...

The three of them started to walk out and I leaned over the counter to grab my smoothie. I spilled half of it on the ground when Byron slammed his shovel through the tiles.

“The trial is in two days. You’re coming with us.”

His insistence to get his damn smoothie is so funny, esp when you realize that he might not have gotten caught if he decided not to get a smoothie.

It’s also rigged to give you a second-degree burn if you stray too far, so don’t get cute.”

:'D

Soleil demanded you receive your duffel bag. Unfortunately for you, he didn’t mention anything about your sniper.

Enjoy the trial :)




- Saturn

Smdh. But, see, this is curious. Soleil wants Eddie to help get rid of the Utsorigo hosts, but Saturn's kinda throwing him to the dogs here. And while it could be that Saturn knows Eddie'll get out of it without shooting anyone, it also comes off a little like he's working against Soleil's goals to some extent? Makes me wonder just how much Saturn is on Soleil's side, how much he knows, etc etc. I'm probably overthinking and it's just Saturn being a dick but still.

It was slated for Saturday, the day after the trial.

I wondered how fucked up it would be to show up, just out of curiosity.

oh god I remember this...

Mid-sentence, I noticed it was Deion.

“Deion!”

“Eddie.”

The sound I made now that these two are seeing each other again and Queen's planted that seed of doubt aaaaaa

“You came to me with this because you trust me, right?”

My answer came before I could think about it. It was rare that someone in my life was trustworthy. But Deion didn’t have a spiteful bone in his body. He was genuinely concerned for me.

“I trust you.”

;ASKJDF EDDIE, DEION DOES NOT DESERVE THIS

And I should have guessed, but I was still amused when all the records and history about the Twelve was on the twelfth floor.

Also I shouldn't have found this as amusing as I did lol

And now Riley's made an appearance, his response to Roark and Byron? Hmm... How many people know about this Radiance thing and the possessions? I'm assuming Riley's working with Queen, so it makes sense that he might already know or suspect the two have been possessed.

 

[localhoney]

Spoiler: REPLIES

@Aurea: rip Eddie's smoothie u_u Ezio did die first but, technicalities and all that! Eddie? Not lying? What fic have you been reading? We'll have to see what Deion is thinking (in this very chapter, perhaps!)

@Thirteenth: Cynthia? Perhaps. But be careful about taking Soleil at his word... Saturn is an asshole. That is a given. But might he have some external influence? Who knows. Maybe Riley's response will make a little more sense after this chapter... or maybe it won't. You'll see~

I'm sure I don't have to remind y'all, but it's Ganza season and nomination time is upon us! To those of you who have already nominated BaPH for anything, I deeply appreciate it~ I'm so excited to be named alongside a bunch of the most talented writers here on the forums, and can't wait 'til voting rolls around.

Now, back to the action (and another Deion POV chapter!)

Spoiler: CHAPTER 24 - ALIKE

Eddie leaned over to me as Riley stepped away, seemingly collecting every book in a certain bookcase. “Where’d you find this guy?”

“He’s in charge of this whole floor. The new head of the Veilstone Monastery sent us to him.”

“What were you two doing over by the monastery?”

“Long story. Ezekiel had some business over there.”

That wasn’t enough to satisfy him. “Okay, sure. Another thing, then. Since when are you and Queen a dynamic duo?”

“He reached out, asking for my help.”

I hurried to come up with some other detail that might give Eddie enough information to let things lie. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to explain the whole possibility about the Utsorigo and my uncle.

The funeral was coming up. I knew I had to show up, but thinking about it did nothing but put me off further. I wondered if I could keep postponing it.

I wondered if I’d ever be able to show up at all.

“Somehow the cave in Celestia was linked to the monastery. He was tracking down a lead.”

“But why you?”

I gave him a shrug and he let it go. Thank Arceus. I felt a pit start to grow in my stomach. I could still see the pictures Ezekiel had shown me of Eddie and that terrorist lady in Hearthome. But, even still, he had just confided in me, and I couldn’t do the same.

Like father, like son.

Riley led us back to the study room Ezekiel was in. He was poring over what must have been the biggest book in the whole library. There was a sketch of a beast on one of the pages, and once I came closer, I figured it must have been an approximation of an Utsorigo. So much for hiding the truth. He slammed the book shut once he watched us walk in. “Mr. Dorian. Deion gave me the summarized version of your troubles. It appears we are on the same side for the first time in our short acquaintance.”

“Indeed we are.”

I pulled up a chair opposite Eddie, and Riley sat next to me. Kahn had said that Riley was somehow of Almian descent, but he didn’t look anything like the monks in Veilstone. For one, he wasn’t bald. He had jet black hair pulled back in a bun. I reached to tousle my own hair to mimic him and wondered if I could grow mine out like that. Riley also dared to venture outside of the red and orange color palette of Veilstone; he was wearing a dark blue bomber jacket and black jeans.

Suddenly I felt self-conscious about my leg and tried to cover it with my jacket.

“There are two things that I don’t understand. One, why the ankle monitor?”

Eddie nearly sent all the documents on the table flying after kicking one of the legs. His eyes flickered for a moment before he crossed his arms. “I’m on trial for a crime I’m innocent of.”

“So you didn’t kill Fantina’s Mismagius?”

It felt as though the air was sucked out of the room. Riley glanced over at Eddie and squinted slightly.

“How do you know about that?”

Ezekiel smirked. “I know people that know people.”

I looked across the table at Eddie and lifted a brow. He sighed before leaning back in his chair. “Yes, I did, but I was under emotional and psychological duress. She killed my Staravia and I flew off the handle.”

My eyes widened at the news of Ezio’s death. I realized why he must not have answered my letters.

Ezekiel looked at him for a minute then clicked his pen. “Mr. Steele, if you could provide Mr. Dorian with the documents I asked of you.”

Riley grimaced for a moment before pulling out a set of reports from a folder. “In there, you’ll find the basics of the Sinnoh legal system from a defendant’s perspective. There are also transcripts from previous trials.” He stood to close the door before continuing. “You’ll also find the pleas most likely to lessen your punishment. Normally, I wouldn’t offer this information up, but I am also not the biggest proponent of the way the Coronet Twelve handle things.”

Eddie scooped up the papers and began to flip through them. “Much appreciated. You said you had another question, Queen?”

“What is your connection to Amira Faizan?”

If the air was sucked out of the room before, this time the temperature dropped below zero. Eddie didn’t seem to have a prepackaged answer for him. My fingers tensed involuntarily. I wanted to know almost as bad as Ezekiel did.

“Old high school… fling? Girlfriend? Other? We caught up the other day in Hearthome, had dinner.”

“Nothing further then?” Ezekiel pressed.

“Unless you count the expired restraining order from senior year. Emphasis on expired.”

I made a mental note to ask about that later.

“You may be interested to know she was arrested in connection to the Coronet Twelve bombing.” I glanced over at the folder under Ezekiel’s arm. I knew her Osiris ID was also in there. It seemed he planned on keeping Eddie in the dark. “Deion, Mr. Steel-”

“Riley, if you’d please.”

“Riley. Could you and Deion give Mr. Dorian and I a moment? I know you’ve just sat down but I’d like to keep some things private. You understand.”

“Of course. Call when you require my insight.”

Riley waited for me to stumble my way towards the door and closed it behind us. I looked around for a chair or something nearby so I wouldn’t have to stand the whole time. There were a few bean bags across the way, but I wasn’t interested in discovering how difficult it’d be to stand up from one in the middle of Canalave Library.

I was starting to get pissed at Ezekiel. He dragged me all the way from the relative comfort of Pastoria, to Veilstone, and now Canalave, and I still didn’t have the proof he promised.

Riley cleared his throat. “There are chairs in the cafe on the other side of this floor. Care for some coffee?”

Any distraction from my internal spiral was a welcome one. “I’d love some coffee.” If drowning a shot of espresso with ice, cream, and caramel counted as coffee.

The cafe was practically empty, save for the barista behind the counter. They were munching on some type of pastry and sipping on a cup that was four parts whipped cream, one part liquid. “Any sugar or cream?”

I was too embarrassed to rattle off my typical Staryu Cafe order, so I just asked for both. Riley had slipped behind the counter while I was determining whether the barista’s pastry was an oran fritter or a mago-filled croissant. I felt weird about just standing there while he ground beans and poured sugar in a cup, so I made conversation.

“So what made you want to become a librarian?”

That might’ve been the wrong question. He closed his eyes and sighed before handing me my coffee. It was still bitter. How people drink it regularly was beyond me.

“I didn’t originally. I wanted to become a ranger before I… left home.”

“Why’d you leave?”

Another wrong question. Another sigh. Swinging for the fences.

“Wasn’t by choice. Have you heard of the Nabrian eruption in Almia?”

“No. Should I have?”

“Not surprising. Our history is rarely touched on in most of the world, hence the librarian work.” He gestured to the rest of the eleventh floor. “I felt a responsibility to care for my people’s culture. Half the country was nearly wiped out by a volcano, the rest forced to suffer under the ash. We came here to escape, and the Steeles took me in.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It isn’t your fault. I’ve told the story so many times that it is more fable than fact to me. No longer as raw as it once was.”

“How come you never went to Veilstone?”

Riley shrugged. He drank the rest of his coffee in one swig. “I unfortunately have no answer for you, Deion. What about you?”

“Hm?”

“Why are you here?”

“Ezekiel asked me for m-”

“That’s not what I mean. Your father is, presumably, Palmer Michaels, the Tower Tycoon. Which makes you the heir to the Tower’s fortune. Why gallivant across Sinnoh and study long forgotten history?”

I felt like a Deerling in the headlights. I took down the whole cup of coffee like Riley did, and instantly regretted it.

Why? I didn’t know. Well, I did, but I didn’t know how to give my life story to a stranger in an easily digestible anecdote.

“Don’t mention Palmer or my family, again, please. I also don’t have an answer for you.”

Riley grinned, which was not the response I expected. “Then we may be more alike than I believe. Another coffee?”

“Arceus no.”

He laughed then shook his head. “Water then.”

I drummed my fingers on the table as he headed back towards the counter. Eddie’s voice called my attention away. “Deion! Queen’s ready for you. I’ll see you sometime this week.”

He headed down the stairs with a folder full of papers. I waved him goodbye, then gestured for Riley to follow me back to the study room.

A part of me wanted the trip to be a wash, for the myths to be exactly that, and to be able to grieve in relative peace. I had to wonder what we would be able to find in those books, if anything could convince me about what Ezekiel was saying about Unc.

But I wouldn’t have come all this way if I didn’t believe in the possibility.

 

[Wwarborday]

“That’s not what I mean. Your father is, presumably, Palmer Michaels, the Tower Tycoon. Which makes you the heir to the Tower’s fortune. Why gallivant across Sinnoh and study long forgotten history?”

bruh, let him have a hobby, you don't gotta intimidate him,

Anyway, really liking this look into Deion. He reads very differently from Eddie, which is stellar. Much quieter. Please give him his leg back, you monster

 

[glancesherlock]

“What brings you to Fantina’s neck of the woods?”

“Not much. Just another Coronet Twelve murder.”

Ah, yes. Tuesday.

Expect an invoice from me to pay for my future optometry bills, because I'm going to need glasses from all the squinting I've been doing reading the last couple chapters. Eddie's in hot water, but not the way we'd expect him to be. I love how close everyone is to him without actually ripping the curtain away. Part of me wants to hit Queen over the head for not just getting it, but I also know he's sus of Eddie and is looking for a bigger picture deal here. Funny how this scene in the library is both tense and casual at the same time. Tense because literally every one of these four guys is harboring some big secret or other from the rest and if one person says the wrong thing, shit goes haywire. Casual because Eddie is a smartass who can't shut it off.

Interested to see more of Riley. He really comes off as a guy who knows some shit, y'know? The way he just inserted himself into the situation makes him feel like his intentions are just as stacked as everyone else's. I dunno what, but I will continue to squint in the meantime, so save up those pennies, friendo.

 

[Garish Garchomp]

Spoiler: Quote City babyyyyy

I kicked myself, realizing I had traded an overpriced smoothie for my Pokemon and my rifle.

This is basically Eddie's decision-making in a nutshell

I took a deep breath once the helicopter landed on the Canalave arena. I kicked myself, realizing I had traded an overpriced smoothie for my Pokemon and my rifle. On the bright side, Volkner was pissed he didn’t get to take my Pokemon away from me.

And this is BaPH in a nutshell. Everyone makes bad decisions, nobody's happy, and there's helicopters and pawns and dead people everywhere.

My fingers lingered on one about Almia, but I had just about worn out on tentacle parasites and the Light Bearer and the rest of Soleil’s fanaticism.

This just struck me as odd. I mean, I can totally see Eddie being into, you know, tentacle stuff. Deprived fuck that he is. Smh...

Honestly just rolling with the ride at this point and not tryna theorize too much. Just fuckin' blowing it up from gritty hitman stuff to full-on apocalyptic rapturous lovecraft shit is a hell of a turn though lmao. Not that you hadn't hinted at some stuff, of course, but damn. Hoping that you can dive into stuff some more if not just for Deion's sake. Not sure how I feel about him kinda... being strung on like this, altho I get he's searching for truths and all at this point, in the wake of all that tragedy (no pun intended, but I'm proudly keeping it).

Idk, the thing about taking this leap into what Eddie described as fanaticism is that it's just that, a leap. You damn well gotta connect the dots and make sure that the reactions are believable and that stories at least add up enough to be plausible instead of it just spiraling into the absurd and having everyone accept it (regardless of their, ig, spirituality or open-mindedness or willingness to go along with detectives in Nikes. Pokemon's a crazy place, but this is still the whole "D.C. is filled with lizardpeople disguised as humans" deal in Sinnoh lmao. Eager to see how you progress, cuz there's some insane shit going on and we're building quite a fun little cast with a lot of different ties and relations to have some explosions in the future.

Just, yknow, hopefully not any explosions that cause amputations or whatevs.

In conclusion:

Of course, of all the crimes I had ever committed, I was going to get nailed on killing a Pokemon.

Not just that, but killing a ghost. I'm sure Eddie really appreciates that irony.

 

[Thirteenth]

I reached to tousle my own hair to mimic him and wondered if I could grow mine out like that.

I just thought this was cute and kind of endearing ;w;

Suddenly I felt self-conscious about my leg and tried to cover it with my jacket.

“Unless you count the expired restraining order from senior year. Emphasis on expired.”

Restraining order?? I'm asking about this too, Deion.

I love how close everyone is to him without actually ripping the curtain away. ... Funny how this scene in the library is both tense and casual at the same time.

I just wanna second glance here, there really is this tension here because of dramatic irony. We know everything and we're just waiting for the moment when everyone else pieces it all together like God I can't wait for the moment that Deion gets the confirmation he doesn't want hhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Dustox]

Like I was telling you on Discord, this run was so good I just had to read it all the way through in one sitting.

The premise itself is already bonkers (but in a good way!) but the progression of the events in the story is so good and organic and it just keeps raising the stakes further and further that it's too thrilling to put down. I'm constantly amazed how you can keep shocking me after every significant event but lo and behold, me just silently mouthing "what the fuck" in front of my staff meeting every so often.

And the fight scenes, man, you write them so good! I am in awe of your power and so should everyone else. I feel like I'm watching something straight from the anime which, as an avid viewer, is really good and you keep getting better and better at it too. Not just the fight scenes but any scene that Eddie is out there fearing for his life (which is a lot lmao), you make that shit keep me on the edge of my seat. You have a gift, man.

I really love the twist of Eddie being ex-Galactic and the addition of Amira to the regular cast and Deion being BEST BOY DON'T YOU HURT HIM I SWEAR LOCAL I WILL FIND YOU really just adds another layer to his character, giving us a peek into his humanity. And I love that you make him actually care for his Pokemon and not just treat them as tools. That Ezio death really hurt, hoo boy... Add that some threatening antagonists and this run is packed with the flavor, local. The flavor!

Anyway, looking forward to see where this goes because this run can only go higher in my eyes!

 

[localhoney]

Spoiler: REPLIES

@Wwarborday: Riley is a top, so he does have to intimidate him actually. More Deion on the way soon!

@glancesherlock: Technically, it was Thursday. Eddie absolutely cannot shut shit off, he is an idiot. But our idiot! Maybe Riley's just interested in helping people smh

@Garish Garchomp: Dead People Everywhere was my alternate title for this. Not as catchy though.

"Not sure how I feel about him kinda... being strung on like this, altho I get he's searching for truths and all at this point, in the wake of all that tragedy" wow

@Thirteenth: He's young and wants to be handsome ;w; What confirmation? Did he order something from Amazon?

@Dustox: you fucking toooooore through this and i'm so pleased that you thought this was good enough to slam nearly 50k words in a day ;w; It's been a while since I got to write a battle, but I've been trying to make up for it with some more man vs man action sequences haha! Flavor!! As far as Amira in the regular cast, you'll be seeing a lot more of her soon...

Wow! Y'all had some thoughts. I'm glad to have all of y'all aboard. Now, let's get back to our resident bastard.

Spoiler: CHAPTER 25 - PROCEEDINGS

My court date rolled around sooner than I would’ve liked. I hadn’t read through that many papers since high school. Cheating, naturally, but I did read them. The bags under my eyes felt like they were pulling the rest of the skin off of my face. I slammed the dregs of espresso left in my cup, and glanced out the window. The sun was coming up, meaning I had about three hours to shower, get dressed, and save my own ass.

I pressed my forehead to the tile of the shower to let the hot water breathe some life into me. I closed my eyes for a moment, then woke up to an alarm buzzing in the other room, bare ass on the shower floor, and the shower still running. I dove out and checked the time. 8:30.

I had to be at the courthouse in thirty minutes.

I tore my one dress shirt off the hanger, the slacks I bought in Eterna, and a shitty belt I had borrowed from Queen. I faced a handful of cold oatmeal on my way out of the door.

An oat fell from my mouth and onto Volkner’s loafers. Him, Flint and Byron were all lined up outside of my door. Volkner leaned down and cleaned his shoe off before handcuffing my hands behind my back. He leaned in my ear with a sneer and said, “Security measures. You understand.”

He turned me back around. I watched as Flint folded up a twenty and passed it to Byron. I looked at him and cocked a brow.

“We bet on if you’d skip town before the trial. Since your chances of coming out clean are… how do I put this? Non-existent.”

The beginnings of a smile danced across Volkner’s face. The three of them turned around in sync and started heading towards the court. I stayed in place, leaning against my door.

“Does the Twelve cover your two babysitters, Volkner? Or is that an out-of-pocket expense?”

He stopped dead in his tracks and his Electivire appeared from nowhere. I started moving as soon as a dark cloud formed directly above me. Maybe getting under the judge’s skin was a poor choice, but fuck it. My manners weren’t going to get me out of my situation either way.

The courthouse was the plainest building I’d seen so far in my romp across Sinnoh. I finally understood why Oreburgh was so drab. Save for the library, Canalave was the blueprint for boring. Cookie-cutter windows, untouched concrete staircase, grey paint inside and outside. If I had ever wanted to be an architect, seeing this building would make my dream seem achievable.

Flint and Byron split off down the main hallway, flanked by Tiny and Beanpole. Volkner walked me to the holding cell with the help of Large and Larger. I sat tentatively on the singular metal bench as the bars creaked close. Through the crack in guards’ broad shoulders, all I could see was another plain gray wall.

At least forty minutes must have passed when I heard the clack of boots or some other heeled shoe. I expected to see Justice Volkner round the corner, but the sound stopped short, just beyond where I could see out of the cell. I cupped my hand around an ear to try and make out what might be happening just out of sight.

There were two voices, murmuring back and forth. The conversation continued and the volume steadily increased, to the point where I could just barely make out Volkner saying, “Sir, you do not have permission to be here. Leave or you’ll be escorted.”

That was followed up by another bout of murmurs, this time accompanied by the shuffling of papers. The clack of heel on linoleum returned for a moment and faded out just as Volkner came back around. Unfortunately, he wasn’t wearing one of those old powdered wigs. He wasn’t wearing a robe either. He was just decked out in an black Osiris three-piece suit, with a bright yellow tie and pocket square.

“An executioner, led to the scaffold...”

“I didn’t take you for the poetic type, Volkner.”

He stepped closer to the cell and grinned through the bars. “There are many things about me that you would not expect.”

Large helped him with the bars, then dragged me outside. They led me back down the main hall where Flint and Byron had gone through a set of doors.

The courtroom was smaller than I was anticipating. All of those prison break movies have massive courtrooms and dozens of people milling about in the audience and the jury box. There were only nine empty wooden chairs in the back and Volkner’s judge bench was about the size of a high school teacher’s desk. Flint and Byron were standing to the left, on either side of the witness stand. Tiny and Beanpole were waiting in the wings, with too many new security guards to give names to. The only thing of note was a big square skylight directly above the stand. At least the lighting would be good while they tried to put me away.

I plopped down on a wooden bench opposite the stand. The court reporter turned on her whole set-up and Volkner climbed up into the bench. He banged a gavel to signal the trial was about to start in five minutes. Just as the five minutes expired, the doors behind us creaked. I craned my neck to see Archer slip into the room and sit on the chair closest to the back. My eyes widened and he gave me a nonchalant smile and wave. He had dressed down for the occasion, swapping the slacks and blazer for a pair of wrinkled chinos and a long-sleeve tee. His hair was a mess and his face screamed “haven’t slept in a week.”

“Excuse me, why is there an audience of one to my trial?”

Flint looked over at me. “All matters of the Coronet Twelve are public record. Citizens are free to bear witness to the legal system if they so choose.”

I sighed, and the trial began.

The beginning was a whirlwind of prepared speeches and discussion of what was required of me in order to appeal to the judge. All the books in the world could not have prepared me for this shit. Volkner went down the list of punishments that could potentially be handed out. My only solace was that the death penalty had been abolished in Sinnoh some-odd years ago. However, twenty years in prison and psychological evaluations didn’t sound like a much better alternative.

“The prosecution may begin.”

Flint crossed over from his place by the stand and pointed at Beanpole. He interrogated him with a handful of leading questions and tenuous reasoning, then did the same with Tiny. They kept offering me chances to interrogate them as well, but I didn’t learn enough in my criminal law crash course to even attempt that. Flint moved to bring Large or Larger to the stand and I objected, on the grounds that I saw someone do it in a movie. Volkner squinted before saying, “Sustained.”

Dumb luck or otherwise, I started feeling somewhat better about my chances. I started feeling a little worse when they brought some random Hearthome beat cop to the stand. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was lying through his teeth. He would’ve made a better actor than a cop if his lines didn’t sound so forced. Apparently, the cop was inside the arena when I killed the Mismagius and capable of determining that I was of “sound mind and body” at the time. Convenient.

“The prosecution calls Edmund Dorian to the stand, your Honor.”

The rigid wood of the stand didn’t do much in the way of comfort. All eyes in the room were on me, and Flint was conjuring questions I had no prepared answers for.

“Do you consider yourself a violent person?”

“No.”

“Do you have a history of violence?”

“You could say that.”

“Alcoholism?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Volkner banged his gavel. “Answer the question, Dorian.”

“Yes.”

Flint smirked, eyes burning with malice. He was gearing up to tie the noose. I threw up a silent prayer and hoped that the Radiance or Arceus or, shit, a benevolent Bidoof would answer a non-believer.

The turnaround time on my prayer was ridiculously fast.

I was the only one to notice the first shot when a small hole opened up in the skylight. Every hair on my body stood up on end as something breezed past me. I looked up for a second while Flint was asking his question. The room went silent, and I realized that I had missed his question. I was too busy figuring out the trajectory of the shot. It should’ve hit me, or at least grazed my arm.

That line of thinking was cut short by the second shot. I only had a moment before watching it lodge itself in Byron’s neck, sending him staggering to the ground. A bright blue light engulfed the room and blinded me. The skylight exploded into shards of glass, raining down over the courtroom. The security guards flooded the room, dragging anyone of importance out. Once I blinked the light out of my eyes, I noticed Archer had left before the shooting started.

They led us out to the main hall of the courthouse while the guards secured the perimeter and the Twelve. Flint and Volkner stood on either side of me, as if I somehow had anything to do with this. Once everyone was out of earshot, Volkner grabbed me by the collar. I was close enough that I could tell that he only flossed before dentist visits. “Dorian, I know this was you, you fucking criminal. How you managed it, I don’t know, but I know it was you.”

I gave him a genuinely confused look. “Who could I possibly have enlisted to get me out?”

“I don’t know. But I’ll find out.”

He threw me against the wall and stormed out with his Luxray and Electivire. Flint left down a side corridor, leaving me with only Large for company. That is, until Queen waltzed in through the doors and shook my hand.

“It seems you’re at the center of yet another dilemma, Mr. Dorian.” He nodded at Large and flashed a police badge. “The chief of police has demanded you release him into my custody, at once.”

Large shrugged and uncuffed me. Queen pointed towards the doors, but there was something that didn’t make sense to me. “Wait, hold on. I need to see something.”

I led him back to the courtroom, where doctors and cops were swarming Byron’s body like flies. They pushed his body onto a stretcher and carried him out the doors. A cop stuck his hand in my chest, blabbing about an active crime scene, but Queen’s badge made him shut up. I made a mental note to get one of those mocked up.

“Why are we here, Mr. Dorian?”

I sat back on the witness stand and tried to recreate the scene in my head. “There were two shots. The first missed everything, the second hit Byron in the neck.” I looked back up at the skylight and tried to remember where the first shot came in. “But judging by the angle of that first hole, the target was… me. I don’t know how they missed.”

I searched around in the seat and found what I was looking for: a smoldering gap in the wood. I straightened up, the way I was when Flint was questioning me, and I tried to work the shooting backwards. “If the bullet fired through the stand, at that angle through the skylight, then the bullet should have passed straight through my collarbone, down through to the abdomen, and out to the seat.”

Queen furrowed his brows. “So the entry and exit holes would be… here?” He pressed a finger near my shoulder, and the other under my rib cage. His fingers touched bare skin and I shivered when he said, “Has this shirt always had these exact tears?”

I looked down to my shoulder and saw what he was talking about. A perfect circle, about ten millimeters across. Not standard, but close enough. I wagered the one under my rib cage was about the same. “What the fuck…”

“Then the second shot, if it hit Byron in the neck, where would it have passed through?”

It took me a moment before I said, “It should be sitting in my brain right about now.”

“Well, there’s no holes in your head. No more than usual, anyhow.”

Queen smirked, then walked around the witness stand. He leaned down when he got to the side with the bullet hole; he stood up, holding a still-warm bullet that I recognized instantly. White tip, neon blue slug. The shooter was using my gun. Luckily, that narrowed my suspicions to one.

Soleil’s lapdog was trying to kill me.

 

[Dustox]

Gee, work for a shady person and you get double-crossed? Who would have guessed? Not me, that's for sure!

But like okay 3:00 AM Dusty is too stupid to parse why that shot didn't kill Eddie (though I would be like it's some Radiance-related shenanigans) so I will leave that for the next update to explain. But you definitely made me go "woah" again, so, woo, great update!

He stepped closer to the cell and grinned through the bars. “There are many things about me that you would not expect.”

I'm so ready for these two to throw down. Or kiss. You've done a great job building up the tension between Eddie and Volkner so well that I'm sure the inevitable battle is going to throw some sparks.

My eyes widened and he gave me a nonchalant smile and wave.

LMAO, what a shitty shit shit Archer is.

Flint moved to bring Large or Larger to the stand and I objected, on the grounds that I saw someone do it in a movie.

Okay, I legitimately laughed at this.

 

[Thirteenth]

I craned my neck to see Archer slip into the room and sit on the chair closest to the back. My eyes widened and he gave me a nonchalant smile and wave. He had dressed down for the occasion, swapping the slacks and blazer for a pair of wrinkled chinos and a long-sleeve tee. His hair was a mess and his face screamed “haven’t slept in a week.”

“Excuse me, why is there an audience of one to my trial?”

Flint looked over at me. “All matters of the Coronet Twelve are public record. Citizens are free to bear witness to the legal system if they so choose.”

I sighed, and the trial began.

I'm crying what a piece of shit

I threw up a silent prayer and hoped that the Radiance or Arceus or, shit, a benevolent Bidoof would answer a non-believer.

The turnaround time on my prayer was ridiculously fast.

I think you shared this line with me at some point?? I still really like it hehe.

“If the bullet fired through the stand, at that angle through the skylight, then the bullet should have passed straight through my collarbone, down through to the abdomen, and out to the seat.”

Queen furrowed his brows. “So the entry and exit holes would be… here?” He pressed a finger near my shoulder, and the other under my rib cage. His fingers touched bare skin and I shivered when he said, “Has this shirt always had these exact tears?”

I looked down to my shoulder and saw what he was talking about. A perfect circle, about ten millimeters across. Not standard, but close enough. I wagered the one under my rib cage was about the same. “What the fuck…”

But alright alright, wtf is going on here? I'm also assuming this is Radiance related but ?? Makes sense Soleil wants him gone though u_u


I would also like to say that I read some of this out loud because I just felt like it and had no one around for a while, and I kinda wish I had noted all the places where I had to pause to laugh for a good bit. But I do remember pausing at my last quote there, with the bullet holes in his shirt.

 

[Aurea]

wait I missed a chapter?? D; And the DEION extra too, damn. Please know that the entire thing was perfect, I really loved the way his voice read throughout, his interactions with Riley have me going and the line about him feeling self-conscious about his leg, ugh, pleaseeeee. ;;;;;

I threw up a silent prayer and hoped that the Radiance or Arceus or, shit, a benevolent Bidoof would answer a non-believer.

The turnaround time on my prayer was ridiculously fast.

Hands down my favorite pair of lines from this most recent chapter, the timing of it is perfect, I got a good chuckle out of it even right before the "oh shit" moment when I realized how it was happening. You've got a talent for that -- keeping the wry, dark humor tone even when things are going to shit. It's one of my favorite things about this run. Which, another example of it incoming:

“Then the second shot, if it hit Byron in the neck, where would it have passed through?”

It took me a moment before I said, “It should be sitting in my brain right about now.”

“Well, there’s no holes in your head. No more than usual, anyhow.”

Queen smirked, then walked around the witness stand. He leaned down when he got to the side with the bullet hole; he stood up, holding a still-warm bullet that I recognized instantly. White tip, neon blue slug. The shooter was using my gun. Luckily, that narrowed my suspicions to one.

Soleil’s lapdog was trying to kill me.

Not Queen dragging Eddie on his court date right after he about got his brains blown out. xD I cackled, but also, big BIG at whatever caused those shots to miss... like everyone else I'm assuming Radiance, but still???? very interesting... And damn, bold of Saturn to be such a little bitch to shoot Eddie with his own gun and have the audacity to miss. Poor buddy just can't quite keep up. I can't wait to see where this goes next, though I have an idea. :')

 

[Wwarborday]

Oh, okay, he's just

Spoiler: fucking

IMMUNE TO BULLETS NOW??? IMMUNE TO MAGIC BULLETS??? Fuck kinda X-men power is that???

shakes you GIVE US ANSWERS, DAMMIT!

Spoiler: Some Quotes

The only thing of note was a big square skylight directly above the stand.

Yeah I saw that and IMMEDAITLY was like "some bitch is gonna die." And I was right. I should be a detective.

My only solace was that the death penalty had been abolished in Sinnoh some-odd years ago. However, three years in prison and psychological evaluations didn’t sound like a much better alternative.

Eddie. Edmund. Ed. You're so fucking stupid. That's so much better than dying.

 

[glancesherlock]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat

Okay. *rubs temples* I knew Eddie was The Special, but bullets phasing through the man! I'm hmmmmm...

Though I'm betting this has more to do with what the bullets are made of vs Eddie himself. They're special bullets for the Twelve, who are possessed, so maybe they don't work on normal people at all? Byron got the full brunt, so. Still, Eddie has got some universal armor if this is the millionth near-death experience he's gotten out of. Something tells me the charges won't be dropped if Queen should release Eddie from his custody, Volkner's gonna be hounding at his door. Funny how Eddie feels like he's becoming more and more of a pawn as time goes on.

Also, Queen lending Eddie a belt is really funny.

 

[localhoney]

Spoiler: REPLIES

@Dustox: No honor amongst thieves? smh. Eddie and Volkner are just gonna fuck this has just been a longwinded way to write a Sinnoh action-romance.

@Thirteenth: Archer is a very nice guy! omg I would love to have been a fly on the wall while you read this aloud xD

@Aurea: You did! Deion is a sweet boy, I do my best to keep him intact (except for, you know). Saturn is a bitch and things are not going to go well for him if Eddie ever gets his hands on him. I wonder what your idea is

@Wwarborday: is he immune? or is saturn a bad shot? or is this whole fic an enigma? "some bitch is gonna die" you think? you think people are gonna die? in a fic where the protag's a hitman? Call Scotland Yard I found Sherlock Holmes.

@glancesherlock: Volkner? Nah I'm sure he'll just give up and let bygones be bygones... probably. Eddie? Losing agency (that maybe he never had?) Never. That sounds like A Character Arc and we Don't Like Those.

Yeah, it's Friday and yeah, someone died in the last chapter, but like, who cares, right?

Spoiler: CHAPTER 26 - SYMBIOSIS

Queen’s police badge only gave us permission to be in the courtroom for so long. Eventually, the lieutenant arrived and forced everyone out who wasn’t a part of the crime scene. I would have liked to tell her that we were conducting our own investigation, but I can’t imagine that would’ve played well.

Once we were past the police cordon, and far from anyone else, Queen stopped me in my tracks. “Because we happen to be on the same side of this whole Osiris business, I’m going to ask you a question. I will ask it only once. Are you responsible for this?”

“No, I’m not. Do you think I’d put myself in the line of fire?”

“Not out of the realm of possibility.”

I pushed past him, towards the apartment. If I couldn’t find Saturn, Archer would do just fine. Him being at my trial was no coincidence and Soleil had all but confirmed that they were working together.

Queen grabbed me by the wrist. “If not you, then who? Who would want to kill you?”

“Queen, I’m going to assume the name Archer Cunnigham is familiar to you. Just so happens Archer was at my trial. I plan on starting there.”

“To do what, exactly?”

I looked him dead in the eyes. He knew the answer to his question; there was no need to say it aloud.

“So this is just a personal vendetta? A masturbatory revenge quest?”

I clenched my hand into a fist, but had just enough presence of mind not to swing.

“If you knew me at all, you’d know that’s not how I operate. But you don’t. All you know are teenage mugshots and my run-ins with the law here. I won’t hold it against you, all you cops operate in black and white. It’s not your fault.” I shook him off me and turned my back. “Get back to your history project with Deion, Queen.”

“What if I said I wanted to help? With no further questions asked.”

Now that was an interesting proposal. A clean-cut officer of the law, hunting down a wannabe crime lord alongside a longtime hitman. Might make for a decent buddy cop movie. “Aside from playing chaperone, why would you do that?”

“I scratch your back, you scratch mine.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then the full force of the Sinnoh PD will be on your accommodations within the hour, and on your ass before the day is out.”

I chalked up another mental tally on my list of shaky mutually beneficial agreements. “What do you want?”

“I intend to investigate Osiris’ dealings, business and otherwise, but if Darius Soleil discovers this, all evidence of any crime will conveniently disappear. He believes he has you in his palm. I need you to work with Deion and I in gathering information from his headquarters.”

“You want to put me right in the dragon’s den? After everything Deion told you?”

If Soleil caught me rubbing elbows with Queen and Deion, snooping through his shit, I’d probably die in some back alley. But if I turned Queen down, I’d probably die in prison.

“I cannot be sure what members of the Sinnoh PD are not on his payroll, not to mention their sparkling track record in ethical policing. Therefore, I can’t trust them with something this sensitive. However, you have a direct line to the man and enough incentive to not turn on me.”

I rubbed my eyes and sighed. At least I’d be able to make sure it wasn’t Soleil sending me my money. “Fine, fine, fine. I’ll stick my neck out for you. What do you think you’re going to find?”

He clapped me on the shoulder with a grin and said, “Classified.”

“You’re a bastard, Queen.”

“I’ve heard worse from worse. Go get cleaned up and meet me by the docks.”

He walked away, leaving me to my own devices. I needed an explanation. Not about the assassination attempt though; no, I knew that Archer and Saturn were playing footsies behind Soleil’s back. I needed to understand how those bullets worked. The humming, the blue flash, the phasing through my fucking body.

I dug through my duffel as soon as I got back. I pulled out the cartridge box and studied it. No manufacturer, no date, no anything. Nothing to go on. It seemed that the trip to Osiris HQ would have to pull double duty. Soleil knew something about all the weird shit I’d encountered so far, why not this?

*****​

I met with Queen at the shadiest dive bar I’d seen in my time in Sinnoh, called The Mine. He must’ve been on the verge of disintegrating, being so close to pure impurity. The bouncer took one look at him and shook his head, but stepped aside.

It smelled like stale salt water and rotting wood, and every floorboard creaked. The two posts in the center of the building were covered in scratches and fist-sized dents. A pack of four bald-headed sailors were getting rowdy in the back corner of the bar, betting drinks and dollars on games of darts. The bartender spit on a rag and wiped their glasses down before pouring them a drink from the nearest open bottle.

My kind of place.

I sat at the nearest stool and put up two fingers, then pointed at the bottle of Blackthorn Gold behind her. She slid it down the counter, though not without shooting daggers at Queen. The couple in the back booth even stopped eating each other to stare him down.

“It appears that I’m not welcome here.”

I snorted as I took a sip. “You ooze ‘cop.’ Can’t imagine these people have a positive opinion of your kind.”

Queen pulled up the stool next to mine. “Which is why you’re going to talk to them, not me.”

“They already saw us together. Besides, I really doubt Archer would’ve passed through here. That guy has a stick so far up his ass you can see it in the back of his throat.”

Even if he did look like a mess at the trial, I liked the odds of him being at a rodizio-style steakhouse better.

“No harm in asking.” He put a hand up and gestured for the bartender to come join us.

“What do you want?”

“First, can I please have an oran daiquiri?” He scanned the counter and probably noticed there was no blender, because he followed it up with, “Actually, a water’s fine. But my colleague here would like to talk to you.”

She cut her eyes towards me while she reached into a fridge for Queen’s water. “What about?”

I passed my glass back towards her with a five-dollar bill under it. “Information. You seen anybody pass through here with, like, electric blue hair? White long-sleeve? Looks like you want to punch him in the face?”

She shook her head but took the money. “Nobody like that has passed through here. But if he had, five bucks weren’t going to get it out of me.”

I sighed then leaned over to Queen. “Let’s get out of here, there’s other places he’s probably been at.”

Queen covered my tab and left. The sailors might’ve known something, but those guys were so drunk I was liable to catch a dart in the ear. If only I knew Canalave better, to have any sense of where Archer might be. A seaside gastro-whatever, maybe? Some sort of combination dream therapy-acupuncture grotto? All I’d seen was a library and a courthouse and he had no reason to be back there.

I was just about to follow Queen out when the guy from the booth in the back grabbed my arm.
“I overheard you talking to the bartender.”

“I’m impressed you heard anything over the sound of your violent makeout session.”

“Heh, yeah, Maggie can get out of hand. My name’s Iroh.”

“Eddie. What’d you hear?”

“You’re looking for somebody with a punchable face and cotton candy blue hair. We lived in Twinleaf for a time, after we left Hoenn but before we’d managed to-”

“The point. Get to it.”

“Anyways, what I was going to say is that it sounds like Archer Cunningham to me. Am I right?”

I nodded. “That’s who I’m looking for. You seen him around?”

He practically howled with laughter. “Seen ‘im? Man, he invited us to dinner later tonight. 9 o’clock, Seaturf Steakhouse.” I fucking knew he’d be at a steakhouse. Iroh droned on, “-and we didn’t know what to say but Maggie can never turn down an invitation and Archer and Ariana were always pretty-”

“I appreciate the intel but I gotta run. I’ll probably see you later on tonight, and if I don’t, enjoy your dinner.”

If things went well, Iroh and Maggie would have a wonderful meal on Archer’s dime, while Archer and I would have a little meeting. Queen was waiting outside, across the street, in the middle of a heated staring contest with the bouncer. “What took you so long?”

“I’m a charismatic man, Queen. Didn’t take long ‘til I managed to figure out where Archer’s going to be tonight.”

“Where?”

“Seaturf, 9pm. Sounds boujee, so I’d assume it’s downtown and by the water.”

He checked his watch. “We’ve got an hour or so. How do you wanna play this?”

Keeping Queen out of my personal issues would’ve been my preferred method, but if he was going to drag me all the way to Veilstone for his problems, I was going to drag him into this. “You’ll be my right-hand man. Just do what I say, when I say it, and this’ll go smoothly.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.”