(ELITE) The PYRITE Team

"Dean--!" The blonde tried to ignore his name as he continued making his way into the kitchen. He refilled the kettle and was about to set it on the stove when he heard a loud thunk against the wall followed by a grunt of pain. Worried Dean left the kettle on the stove and rushed to where Justy was already splayed out on the floor with the towel doing very little to protect him anymore.

"Oh..." The moan of pain flared Dean's nurturing instincts and all thought of the injured man being barely clothed fell immediately away as he dropped down to check Justy's head. "I just-- I'm- I'm sorry..." Dean shushed him gently and carefully brushed the other's hand away. "It's okay, that's not important right now. Let me make sure you aren't hurt..."

Dean looked over Justy patiently, fingers pushing back the surprisingly soft locks from his head to make sure there wasn't any bleeding, then moving to make sure his pupils were reacting normally before finally letting out a small sigh of relief. "You're fine, just a bump. You shouldn't run with wet feet on these wooden floors, you know. You could have given yourself a concussion and that would be an embarrassing tale for both of us." Standing up he brushed some of the dust from his pants before holding out a hand to help Justy back to his feet. "Let's just get some sleep tonight, alright? We can talk in the morning if you want. But...thank you. For apologizing, that is. I'm sorry I was such a pill too."

With a small smile he made his way back to the kitchen and poured the water back into a bottle for later, having given up on the idea of a late night cup of tea. Finally free of his ire his body was feeling pleasantly sluggish with the promise of sleep and a large yawn signaled his own time to head to bed. "Goodnight, Justy," he offered politely as he head back to his room. "Sleep well."

---

The night went by almost peacefully, much to Michael's surprise. Though as he suspected he only had a little over three hours in the time he finally dozed off to the time he woke again he greeted the sunrise that morning with a renewed and hopeful heart as the thought of finally making progress on saving Lugia left him energized. From his new perch at the window where he had spent the last couple of hours sitting and waiting for the others to wake he noticed two figures walking up to the building. He didn't want to raise alarm just yet so he patiently waited for their visage to become clear and a smile broke out when he recognized them from the evening before. It was the blonde and Justy.

Dean and Justy were walking side by side, the animosity from the day before absent from Dean's body language. That morning they had made up properly, clothes and everything, and he no longer felt like smashing his head into a wall. Yesterday had been a tiring and eventful day for the breeder as he went from near complete isolation to a town full of people again but now that he had time to process everything he didn't feel so overwhelmed. All there was to do now was talk to everyone and decide what the plan for so many people together would be. Dean knew what he wanted just as Michael knew what he wanted so hopefully they would come together on something.

"Hey, guys," Michael called out gently, yet loudly enough for everyone to hear. "The others are back. Probably time to wake up."

((Rage-quitting from losing my post. Justy is just happily walking with Dean and Wes wakes to Mike's call, and answers, "'Others'? You mean he didn't kill Justin? Tsk. That's a damn shame." ))

"I don't trust that wall," Watson said as he sniffed at the wall. "... Or that mattress."

Colm quietly replied, "I know. I don't either, but we don't have much of an option. It's not like we haven't slept on worse." He unfolded and put the mattress down near the wall so that he could have his back to something. Taking off his bag, he put it down next to the mattress before arranging the sheets a little. It wasn't fancy, but it was better than lying on the ground.

Midori took the opportunity to basically plop down on one end, and she didn't want to move. Feeling bad for the dragon, Colm let her. When he started to lay down, she shifted so that he could basically use her excess fluff as a pillow. "Thanks..." He quietly muttered to her.

"No-no problem." She responded with a yawn.

With his bag shoved between him and the wall, Colm attempted to get some rest. While he was fairly certain his companions wouldn't try anything, he couldn't help sleeping lightly. Watson was in a similar boat as his trainer. He curled up next to Colm, but his ears remained perked as if trying to listen for danger.


When someone had gotten up and moved, Watson and Colm woke up. Colm kept his eyes shut, but Watson actually got up and stretched so that he could keep an eye on whoever it was. The Raichu had watched Michael settle near the window, but chose not to say anything to the redhead. Instead, the electric mouse curled back up next to his trainer before dozing back off.

It didn't take much for them to wake again a few hours later. Michael called out, "Hey, guys. The others are back. Probably time to wake up." Not entirely feigning a yawn, Colm sat up and stretched his arms out. Watson wasn't much further behind in getting up, and he worked on waking the sleeping Altaria.

Colm went over to the window that Michael was sitting at to see what the other redhead was observing. He could make out the short blonde who had staked out the town and the purple haired man who likely had a foot-shaped mouth. At least they both seemed happier.

Wes almost sounded disappointed, "'Others'? You mean he didn't kill Justin? Tsk. That's a damn shame."

"At least Dean seems happier," Colm observed aloud. Everything down to the way the blonde moved was different from yesterday when he had left them.

The sound of people moving snapped Diantha awake instantly. Caught in the strange realm of being awake but being unable to process that she was awake, the Champion laid there in a state of floaty confusion for a moment or two as her Gardevoir, waking faster than she, sat up to look. Deeming the situation safe due to the lack of action by Maria, she laid back down next to her human, threw an arm over her, and fell back asleep. Diantha, soothed by the clear sign that all was well, was asleep moments afterwards.

"Hey, guys. The others are back. Probably time to wake up."

Waking up for real this time was disorienting and unpleasant, and Diantha had to suppress a childish groan and the even more childish urge to ask for just a few more minutes. It had been a long time since she felt safe enough to maybe sleep in a little later than dawn.

Sitting up, she glanced over and could see Michael and Colm at the window; now curious, she stood and walked over, stretching.

Oh, it was Dean. And Justy, too. Well, they seemed much happier than yesterday! She smiled as she felt Cosette lean around her to look.

"'Others'? You mean he didn't kill Justin? Tsk. That's a damn shame."

"At least Dean seems happier," Colm remarked. Diantha nodded her head as Maria joined them at the window, floating up to peek over her trainer's head.

"It's better if everyone's in a good mood, anyway."

"Why, what happened with them?"

"Purple hair, Justy, pissed the blonde one, Dean, off a little." Cosette answered her friend. "But they look pretty happy today. Like Diane said; that's lucky. Regardless what comes next, it's better if nobody's mad at each other."

"'Others'? You mean he didn't kill Justin? Tsk. That's a damn shame." Michael rolled his eyes at Wes's sleepy retort and shook his head. "Justy's not that bad," he replied cheerfully, by far the most awake and morning ready person in the room from what he could tell. "He's a little pretentious but his heart is in the right place. You just have to get past all the pomp and find the actual person under those starched creases."

"At least Dean seems happier," came Colm's reply as he too looked out the window. The pair just disappeared from view as they went inside the building and Michael hopped up to go greet them. Letting the others continue their conversation he took the liberty of finding the pair and escorting up the stairs to Wes's place so they would know, or remember (whatever the case might be), which one they were gathering in. He didn't do group participation well so at least this way he could be helpful.

Dean followed Michael upstairs and once inside the tiny apartment he couldn't hide his sheepish frown. He had so much more space at his place and he left them all up here to cram in what was basically a studio apartment.... Crap. "Morning," he began quietly, already rubbing the back of his head as he tried to process his guilty feelings. "I hope... Did everyone sleep alright? It gets cold at night without the electricity working so I hope you were all okay."

Michael shrugged and left the others to their answers, instead plopping back down on the couch beside Lucky to scratch at the Espeon's head. Public forum wasn't really his strong suit. Give him something to do and he'd be able to do it but socializing had always proven disastrous in the past. Maybe that was why he only had one friend even before the world ended. Though...truthfully he wasn't sure he even still had that anymore.

"Justy's not that bad," Mike chirped, earning a loud and hearty scoff from Wes. "He's a little pretentious but his heart is in the right place. You just have to get past all the pomp and find the actual person under those starched creases."

"You keep telling yourself that, Mike," Wes grumbled under his breath, earning a bit of a glare from Whiskey. Wes shrugged at his Espeon, who could only roll his eyes as the conversation continued without them.

"At least Dean seems happier," Detective Colby remarked, and Wes didn't disregard that bit of good news. Dean had gotten fairly heated yesterday-- while Wes was not willing to imagine what got him in a better mood, he was still grateful for the upward turn of events. Maybe the morning would be better than last night...

The moment he spotted Justin's stupid garbage face, Wes felt any hope of a good mood leave him. Ugh. He and Justin made eye contact, but they both remained silent. After all, it was always better to be on the defense with someone like him... "Morning," Dean began sheepishly. It occurred to Wes that his apartment really wasn't the best looking, but to be fair, it never had been. Justy looked far more uncomfortable, his eyes trailing around the apartment as if the walls themselves were covered in bugs or something. Shit bag. It was the fucking apocalypse, what did he fucking expect? "I hope... Did everyone sleep alright? It gets cold at night without the electricity working so I hope you were all okay."

"Peachy," Wes began, maybe a twinge aggressive because of that fucking look on Justin's face, the slight horror and disgust. "Though I think we're all eager to get back out, right? Before the heat of the day melts us all. What's the plan for today?"

Morning arrives way too quickly for his liking. It’s not often Matt gets uninterrupted sleep, let alone in a relatively decent apartment on an actual mattress with actual sheets, and he really does not want it to end just because he happened to wake up. Maybe if he just stays here and says nothing, he’ll fall back asleep for another hour or two...

"Hey, guys. The others are back. Probably time to wake up."

Aw, damn it, there goes his plan. With a sigh Matt sits up, stretching out his arms and back-this mattress is way better than a floor or the ground, but that doesn’t make it comfortable. It isn’t even big enough to fully accommodate his legs, so now his muscles feel like someone squeezed them together for several hours. The only good thing about being awake? He doesn’t have to deal with mattresses and couches made for tiny people. Tiny people like his brother. How the hell did Chris prefer sleeping on anything other than a soft bed?

That’s a mystery he’ll have to save for some other time. Matt gets up and joins the others (Athena included) who are gathered at the window, hoping to get a look at their returning... acquaintances? Guests? Considering how poorly his last interactions with these people went, he’s inclined to think of them more as ‘annoyances’. Even their names aren’t coming to mind, so Matt files them as “guy who called them idiots” and “guy who is scared of prostitutes”. Talk about shitty first impressions...

They certainly look cheery today, though, almost like yesterday never happened.

"'Others'? You mean he didn't kill Justin? Tsk. That's a damn shame."

"Justy's not that bad," Michael protests, "He's a little pretentious but his heart is in the right place. You just have to get past all the pomp and find the actual person under those starched creases."

Still in a haze of sleepiness punctuated by a well-timed yawn, Matt has no energy to care about Justin or Justy or whatever it is he goes by. Michael might have a decent opinion of him, but honestly? It’s not like he’s going to stick around long enough for it to matter. Speaking of which, Matt really needs to find the right time to bring that up eventually; it’s best not to give anyone any ideas that he’s a permanent addition to this party.

"At least Dean seems happier," Bishop comments, which spurs a new branch of conversation that Matt’s content to listen to instead of saying anything. He can save his own plans for another time.

"It's better if everyone's in a good mood, anyway."

”Why, what happened with them?"

"Purple hair, Justy, pissed the blonde one, Dean, off a little. But they look pretty happy today. Like Diane said; that's lucky. Regardless what comes next, it's better if nobody's mad at each other."

”Seriously. It’s too early for an argument,” Athena adds, her tone more of a grumble than anything else. She’s right-Matt’s been through enough morning fights with his family to not want another one, especially not with strangers he’s barely known for a day. He’s tired, damn it, the universe should cut him a break.

The redhead kid brings Dean and Justy to them not long after, and it doesn’t take long for the entire situation to feel almost painfully uncomfortable. Matt has no idea what to say-he knows next to nothing about either of these guys, and both of their previously-positive demeanors have all but vanished. Awkward social interactions even in the apocalypse, just his luck.

”Morning,” Dean says, looking what Matt thinks might be nervous. Or is it sheepish? Either way, his attitude is a far cry from how he’d acted before, both with them and his Ninetales, and Matt doesn’t really know what to make of it. It’s not a bad change, but... it’s not what he’d been expecting. "I hope... Did everyone sleep alright? It gets cold at night without the electricity working so I hope you were all okay."

Was it really that cold? He didn’t think so, but then again, he’d always been the one complaining about heat while his siblings demanded him to turn the A/C off. To Dean’s question, Matt gives only a shrug in response, because fuck trying to find the right words when there’s this many people in one spot. Talking with strangers isn’t his thing, never has been, never will be-leave that to the more sociable people in the room.

”Peachy,” Wes says, clearly unhappy himself. At least Matt can appreciate him cutting the small talk short. "Though I think we're all eager to get back out, right? Before the heat of the day melts us all. What's the plan for today?"

As the pair outside left their view, Michael left the room. Probably to ensure they found the group sooner rather than later. Colm left the window to tend to his own Pokemon as the others talked. Midori was properly awake at this point, and she was stretching as much as she could. He reached for her head, and after she nodded to accept the affection, he started smoothing down the head feathers that had been ruffled during the night. In return, she motioned for him to lower his own head, and she started to fuss over his own hair. While he didn't have much of a bedhead, he laughed a little and allowed her to.

Watson kept an eye on them and the others in the room, and when he heard Michael returning with Dean and Justy, he swatted Colm's leg with his tail. By the time the three had entered the room, Colm had gotten the fluffy dragon out of his hair, mostly. Midori's nerves returned thanks to the tension from yesterday, and she notably stayed behind him.

Dean definitely looked guilty about yesterday, Colm noted. He was rubbing the back of his head in nervousness as he greeted them, "Morning. I hope... Did everyone sleep alright? It gets cold at night without the electricity working so I hope you were all okay."

"We've had to deal with much worse," Colm said with a shrug. "Having a roof was a big plus."

"Peachy," Was Wes's own response, and something about his tone made Colm glance over towards him, and then towards Justy. Oh great. What was Justy's problem with the apartment? It only took a moment before he remembered the issue of Justy's much more... priveleged pre-epidemic lifestyle. While Pyrite was worse than what Colm grew up in, he wasn't unfamiliar with shady apartment buildings. Thankfully, Wes did not press the issue with Justy and moved to a different topic, "Though I think we're all eager to get back out, right? Before the heat of the day melts us all. What's the plan for today?"

Diantha did her best to keep smiling even as Cosette's face fell. Well. So much for hoping the good mood would last. Nobody was very thrilled with Justy's immediate reaction to Wes's apartment, least of all Wes himself, his answer of "peachy" to Dean's worried and nervous (and perhaps sheepish) question about how everyone slept without electricity making that abudantly clear.

Well, Dean sure seemed all right this morning, at least, and so did Michael, judging by the calm, nonchalant way he handled the new people. Bishop seemed fine enough, although Cosette's careful monitering of him for a moment suggested he may at least be annoyed. And while she didn't have much of a read on Matt... well, if he was irritated by Justy, he hid it well enough.

Maybe this would go well, whatever came next. Even Wes didn't seem enthused about gunning for a fight, given that he veered off into talk of action. "Though I think we're all eager to get back out, right? Before the heat of the day melts us all. What's the plan for today?"

Didn't Dean want help with something? she mused. Yes, he did, and so she looked to him, expecting an answer.

"We've had to deal with much worse. Having a roof was a big plus." While he still felt guilty about basically abandoning everyone in a temper tantrum, and adding to the classicism Justy seemed to still be stuck in judging by the look on his face as he surveyed the room, Dean was glad to hear not everyone was miserable. It didn't make him any less of a piece of shit though. "Peachy. There it was.

"Though I think we're all eager to get back out, right? Before the heat of the day melts us all. What's the plan for today?" Suddenly it seemed all eyes were on him and Michael, the ginger shrinking in the attention before perking back up once he had a wall against his back. "Well, uh... I know what I need to do," Michael began with a nervous chuckle. "We already talked about it some yesterday Wes. But I could use some help." Looking to the others he cleared his throat and put on his best 'professional' voice, the same one he had been forced to practice once he entered the academy to train for the IP.

"Cipher has an island off the shores of Gateon and I need to get there to rescue a Pokemon they stole. I have knowledge that not only are they alive there but they are thriving, and I'm convinced that they are using that Pokemon, if not many more, to achieve this rare success. Their reach is already far across Orre as I have encountered several scouts and capture parties over the last two years but I cannot get to the island on my own, much less rescue the Pokemon there. That's the end game, of course. For more immediate need I just need to get back to Gateon."

"Then that goes right along with what I am doing," Dean replied. "My only goal is finding Cipher and taking back the Pokemon they stole from me. And maybe shooting the bastard who shot me. If helping you gets me to their hideout I'm in."

Michael was shocked by the easy declaration and looked around the room. There was no way anyone else would be so ardent in their goals so as to follow him with so little in return. But while he already knew Wes was going to help that didn't mean anyone else was going to. "Okay. Um... I guess that means we grab and sort out supplies then strike out as soon as possible?"

Dean nodded. "I already have nearly the entire town's supply stockpiled back at my place. I have jugs of water, food, matches, flashlights, batteries, you name it I probably have it."

"Okay then..." Wow. Hoarding really had a place in this world, huh? "Unless anyone else has any ideas I guess that about covers my end. Anyone?"

"Well, uh... I know what I need to do," Michael began with a nervous chuckle. Wes watched him as he anxiously addressed them; it was odd, knowing who he was and seeing how terrible he was with other people. How did he manage to get past all the Cipher goons if he couldn't suave his way past them? Sure, there were pokemon fights, but often in Wes' experience, that didn't settle everything. Knives or guns or anything else that could be used as a weapon usually came up as a last resort. Maybe his Espeon just took care of it. Yeah. "We already talked about it some yesterday, Wes. But I could use some help." Grinning, Wes nodded and settled back, his attention going to the still slightly disgusted but also curious Justin. Shithead.

"Cipher has an island off the shores of Gateon and I need to get there to rescue a Pokemon they stole. I have knowledge that not only are they alive there but they are thriving, and I'm convinced that they are using that Pokemon, if not many more, to achieve this rare success. Their reach is already far across Orre as I have encountered several scouts and capture parties over the last two years but I cannot get to the island on my own, much less rescue the Pokemon there. That's the end game, of course. For more immediate need I just need to get back to Gateon."

Justy gaped at Michael's speech, stunned that Cipher was still kicking. How? How could they be okay when the whole world had gone to ruin? "Then that goes right along with what I am doing," Dean replied. "My only goal is finding Cipher and taking back the Pokemon they stole from me. And maybe shooting the bastard who shot me. If helping you gets me to their hideout I'm in."

Michael seemed a bit shocked at Dean's declaration. However, Justy felt something bubble in himself with Dean's words. There was no way he could let Cipher stay thriving. Not after everything. "Okay. Um... I guess that means we grab and sort out supplies then strike out as soon as possible?"

Dean nodded. "I already have nearly the entire town's supply stockpiled back at my place. I have jugs of water, food, matches, flashlights, batteries, you name it I probably have it."

"Okay then... Unless anyone else has any ideas I guess that about covers my end. Anyone?"

"I have a large supply of military rations, drinking water, and some other amenities," Wes offered. "I also have a bike to help transport it and large pokemon for people, if there are some without a one sturdy enough to help with travel. And... maybe a GTFO bag around here with more stuff, if it wasn't raided."

Justy raised his hand, the need to speak overwhelming him. "I may not have a bounty of supplies to share, but I offer my own power to aid you. I'm not going to let Cipher stay rooted in Orre. like the cancer it is, if I can help it," he firmly stated. A snort of laughter from Wes stopped him in his courageous stance, and he glowered at the blond. "What?"

"I mean," Wes began in a bit of a sing-song voice, but then was cut off when Whiskey smacked him hard with his tail. Remembering that they had company who were not privy to Justin's miraculous failures as a Gym "leader", Wes cleared his throat and waved off Justin's question. "...Nevermind. Sorry for interrupting."

Justy frowned, but didn't pursue the thread. "...Right. Anyway, I want to help fight Cipher in any way that I can. So count me in."

"You already know, but I'm in too," Wes grinned at Mike. "Pummeling Cipher into the ground again sounds like a fantastic use of my talents and time."

"Agreed," Whiskey coolly added. "The mere idea of crushing them a second time is exceedingly appealing. Therapeutic, even."

"Though, it might be a good idea to make sure everyone's on the same page." He looked to the others, specifically Diane, Detective Colander, and Matt. "You guys all know what Cipher is, right? Wouldn't want y'all jumping on a ship without knowing it was sailing straight to hell itself."

Matt’s starting to think that maybe “uncomfortable” had been an understatement for these interactions. Dean’s guilt was still palpable, Justy looked like he was standing in the middle of an overflowing dumpster rather than an okay-ish apartment... yep, just a totally normal situation here. Can he turn into a pile of dust already? It would probably be less tense than standing here waiting for things to move along.

"Well, uh... I know what I need to do," Michael mercifully speaks up, "We already talked about it some yesterday Wes. But I could use some help."

Help, huh? Knowing next to nothing about the kid, Matt can only wonder what it is he needs from them.

"Cipher has an island off the shores of Gateon and I need to get there to rescue a Pokemon they stole. I have knowledge that not only are they alive there but they are thriving, and I'm convinced that they are using that Pokemon, if not many more, to achieve this rare success. Their reach is already far across Orre as I have encountered several scouts and capture parties over the last two years but I cannot get to the island on my own, much less rescue the Pokemon there. That's the end game, of course. For more immediate need I just need to get back to Gateon."

That’s, uh... a lot. Wow. Not that Matt can’t follow along, but it’s still information he’s not sure what to do with. The nervous kid mentions Cipher and Gateon like everyone here should know what that is and why they’re important, which... Matt doesn’t. Goddamn it, he really should have paid more attention to the Orre region back when he actually had the internet. This is what he gets for favoring Hoenn.

Stolen Pokemon, though, that’s ugly news by itself. Seriously, fucking “capture parties”? Was that for Pokemon, or humans too? Matt can’t begin to imagine what he’d do if someone kidnapped one of his own, other than that it would not be pretty. No, it would be messy. Definitely messy. His instincts really want him to agree to knock out the teeth of these Pokemon snatchers; hell, he’d do it without even being asked. Problem is... he came to this region for a very specific reason and never intended to stop for long, only to let his exhausted flier rest. And now all this is being relayed to him, practically begging Matt to get involved even though he has his own things to deal with. Who could resist beating the shit out of traffickers?

"Then that goes right along with what I am doing. My only goal is finding Cipher and taking back the Pokemon they stole from me. And maybe shooting the bastard who shot me. If helping you gets me to their hideout I'm in."

More stolen Pokemon. Dean getting shot. Matt may barely know the guy and they had a rocky introduction, but damn, he’s never considered shooting him. Fuck it, he doesn’t need to know anything else about Cipher, they’re on his shitlist permanently.

"Okay. Um... I guess that means we grab and sort out supplies then strike out as soon as possible?"

Whoa, hold on there-

"I already have nearly the entire town's supply stockpiled back at my place. I have jugs of water, food, matches, flashlights, batteries, you name it I probably have it."

Wait what? Goddamn-

"Okay then...Unless anyone else has any ideas I guess that about covers my end. Anyone?"

That entire interaction went from zero to one hundred so fast, he probably didn’t even get to blink. What, was it really going to be that quick? Kidnappers, saving a Pokemon revenge, supplies, leaving, just like that. Well, shit. Had he not had conflicting intentions, Matt wouldn’t have complained, but getting it wrapped up here and now means he has to tell everyone “hey, sorry, can’t go along on this wacky adventure”. Or at least some variation of that. Matt may be the decisive one out of himself and his siblings (not that they’d ever admit it), but explaining has never been a strength of his. If only he could press a button and have everyone instantly understand, oh okay, this guy is looking for his missing sister, makes sense to me!

There’s a small back-and-forth with Wes and Justy, but Matt doesn’t follow it too closely, only picking up on the fact that even Justy has personal history with Cipher. You’d think at least one region would be lucky enough to not have a famous criminal organization ruining everybody’s lives, but apparently, that wasn’t a thing. No wonder everyone’s so fired up about taking these douchebags down a few pegs.

"Though, it might be a good idea to make sure everyone's on the same page." Wes of course is referring to not just him, but the only other two who haven’t yet spoken about personal beef with “Cipher” (god, he’s never going to get used to such a stupid name). "You guys all know what Cipher is, right? Wouldn't want y'all jumping on a ship without knowing it was sailing straight to hell itself."

Well, here it is, the moment of truth. Better to get it out of the way now and make things easier, at least.

”Can’t say I’m familiar with Cipher, but from what I’m hearing it sounds like they really need to have their asses kicked,” he begins, ”Normally I’d be all for making evil bastards pay, but I can’t go along. There’s someone important to me in this region that I’m searching for-the only reason I’m not out there right now looking for them is because I’d been traveling for days before I met all of you.“

The conversation moved very quickly. Michael dropped his mission, and even Colm was surprised to hear just what the redhead had been up to. The focus on Cipher however, grabbed his attention, and now the prospect on finding out more info on the elusive group excited him. After following a bunch of dead leads, there was finally something. He wondered what the Pokemon was that Michael was so fired up about rescuing, but given how vague Michael was intentionally being, he doubted directly asking would make him talk more about it. Dean gave his reasons for wanting to follow, and so did Wes and Justy. Then, Matt declined joining them for the long haul, and Colm couldn't blame him for it.

He planned on waiting for Diantha's response, but during the conversations, he looked over towards Watson and Midori to see their reactions. Watson, like him, was listening intently, but Midori had this look of horror that cut into Colm's heart. She had suffered at their hands personally due to being a former Shadow, and it suddenly occurred to him that maybe she wouldn't want to face them. Especially if there was the chance of Ein being there.

Then something hardened in the cloud dragon's eyes, and she met his. "If you want to go, I'll go too. I-I can't let them do it all over again."

The Kalos Champion listened closely to the conversation, keeping her face carefully free of emotion. It was an uncomfortable atmosphere as the three young men tried to sort things out-- Justy and Wes plainly still didn't like each other (Wes's little interjection after Justy offered to help made Diantha wonder what exactly he'd been about to say, but it was definitely better he hadn't said it) and Dean still sounded sheepish and guilty. Michael was anxious.

This was off to a wonderful start, she sighed inwardly. Cosette came to sit by her side, the presence of her beloved best friend soothing some of her own frayed nerves.

Matt's answer to the offer to join made her bite her lip. Should she try to stick with this for the long haul? She did want to help Kalos, but...

It wasn't as if Diantha was making any headway there. And if she remembered what Cipher was correctly...

Midori's answer tugged at her heartstrings. Oh yes, she was nearly positive now that she was remembering this right.

"Cipher," she said, mulling over the name. "That... if I'm remembering my history correctly, that was one of the first great gangs, wasn't it? That ran amok in Orre?"

At the answer she recieved her face darkened.

"I can't say I'll be able to stay the entire time, but I have nothing I can help anyone else with immediately. And they have to be stopped."

(Man I wanted to do all of that dialogue but my brain took one look at it and noped out so she's just going to allude to chunks of it instead of reacting to each bit of dialogue as it came by. Sorry guys. DX May return in the future to polish this, but it won't affect anything that happens because it wouldn't have anyway.)

Dean sighed as Wes and Justy began to idly bicker and Michael hung his head, shuffling his feet nervously while he waited for them to either wrap it up or move on to a phase he knew how to handle. Confrontation was easier when it was physical. Mediation was always the hardest part of his academy training because more often than not he talked over everyone's heads and the fighting would stop because he would either confuse or bore people into silence. Not a good idea here.

"Though, it might be a good idea to make sure everyone's on the same page "You guys all know what Cipher is, right? Wouldn't want y'all jumping on a ship without knowing it was sailing straight to hell itself." Oh fuck, Michael hadn't even considered there were non-Orre natives here. Almost everyone who lived here, especially Pyrite, knew of Cipher but if these guys were from out of the region then that was a different story all together. He didn't even want to pretend to explain what a Shadow Pokemon was, much less that one of the most powerful Legends of the region was taken hold by Shadow. They would think he was nuts.

"Cipher," Diantha caught Dean's attention overall because of the clinical way she tried to remember the name. As if she were drawing memory from a textbook. It was sadly a lot different to those the organization affected personally.. "That... if I'm remembering my history correctly, that was one of the first great gangs, wasn't it? That ran amok in Orre?"

"Gang is an understatement," he replied bitterly, his anger not directed at her but at Cipher itself. "They were an organization hell bent on taking over every region with their stupid plans. They are killers, thieves, pokemon abusers, and the worst kind of human trash. The people of Pyrite are saints compared to that lot. Anyone who shoots me and leaves me to die in my own burning barn is a monster."

Dean's sensitive description aside everyone else seemed okay with the suggestion of moving but it seemed many had their own plans. It wasn't fair to put their struggles on hold to fight this battle too, even if the outcome of it might determine the fate of the entire region. "If anyone can't stick around that's fine," Michael replied. "Dean's not wrong about them being terrible but things aren't... there's.... It's more complicated now. I mean, I'll take all the help I can get but I'm not about to start kidnapping and dragging people around. Really the biggest help I need is Wes over there, the rest of you... You don't have to risk your own plans or lives for mine."

Dean shook his head. "You lead to Cipher so I'm on board, hundred percent. If anyone else can't or doesn't want to go I can divide up the hoard of rations I have back at the house so they have supplies for a few days at least. There is plenty."

Michael nodded. "It's up to you guys. I'm leaving in the morning to head for Agate Village with Wes to get something we need. Then we need to make the long trek all the way back down to Gateon to find a way across the ocean to Citadark Island. It's a long trip, and I don't expect a lot of easy walking or uneventful encounters. Gathering up Dean's supplies and dividing them up today should give everyone enough time to think it over and see where they stand. Anyone who wants to go should meet in the town square in the morning. Agreed?"

”Can’t say I’m familiar with Cipher, but from what I’m hearing it sounds like they really need to have their asses kicked,” Matt began first. ”Normally I’d be all for making evil bastards pay, but I can’t go along. There’s someone important to me in this region that I’m searching for-the only reason I’m not out there right now looking for them is because I’d been traveling for days before I met all of you.“

Wes nodded, understanding the man's plight. There was absolutely no need for him to toss himself headlong into a fight he had no horse in, especially when he needed to attend to his own affairs. "You do you, man."

Midori was the next to speak, catching Wes and Whiskey off guard. "If you want to go, I'll go too. I-I can't let them do it all over again." She was talking to her new trainer, but Wes couldn't help but feel a swelling pride for how brave she was in that moment. After all they'd gone through together, as she had been on the front lines countless times, she was still willing to stand up to those fuckers... Oh, Midori...

"Cipher," came Diane's voice, interrupting Wes' pride in his former Altaria. She seemed to be testing the word on her tongue, as if she'd never said it before, or in a long time. "That... if I'm remembering my history correctly, that was one of the first great gangs, wasn't it? That ran amok in Orre?"

"Gang is an understatement," Dean spat-- a sentiment shared by anyone that had actually dealt with the organization. "They were an organization hell bent on taking over every region with their stupid plans. They are killers, thieves, pokemon abusers, and the worst kind of human trash. The people of Pyrite are saints compared to that lot. Anyone who shoots me and leaves me to die in my own burning barn is a monster." Yikes.

Justy placed a soft hand on Dean's shoulder, concern written all over his face. To hear Dean lay out their atrocities so plainly, so bluntly... it hurt to listen. "If anyone can't stick around that's fine," Michael continued. "Dean's not wrong about them being terrible but things aren't... there's.... It's more complicated now. I mean, I'll take all the help I can get but I'm not about to start kidnapping and dragging people around. Really the biggest help I need is Wes over there, the rest of you... You don't have to risk your own plans or lives for mine."

Dean shook his head. "You lead to Cipher so I'm on board, hundred percent. If anyone else can't or doesn't want to go I can divide up the hoard of rations I have back at the house so they have supplies for a few days at least. There is plenty."

Michael nodded. "It's up to you guys. I'm leaving in the morning to head for Agate Village with Wes to get something we need. Then we need to make the long trek all the way back down to Gateon to find a way across the ocean to Citadark Island. It's a long trip, and I don't expect a lot of easy walking or uneventful encounters. Gathering up Dean's supplies and dividing them up today should give everyone enough time to think it over and see where they stand. Anyone who wants to go should meet in the town square in the morning. Agreed?"

Nodding, Wes stood and clapped his hands together. "Sounds good to me. I can use today to make sure the bike is ready to go, and make sure that we have plenty of alternative transportation. Just in case. But it's going to start getting hot soon and without the AC working, this place is an oven. So let's get out where we can have some wind, yeah?"

Michael detailed his future plans. "It's up to you guys. I'm leaving in the morning to head for Agate Village with Wes to get something we need. Then we need to make the long trek all the way back down to Gateon to find a way across the ocean to Citadark Island. It's a long trip, and I don't expect a lot of easy walking or uneventful encounters. Gathering up Dean's supplies and dividing them up today should give everyone enough time to think it over and see where they stand. Anyone who wants to go should meet in the town square in the morning. Agreed?"

"Sounds good to me. I can use today to make sure the bike is ready to go, and make sure that we have plenty of alternative transportation. Just in case. But it's going to start getting hot soon and without the AC working, this place is an oven. So let's get out where we can have some wind, yeah?"

"Good plan. I'd rather not test out how hot it gets in here," Colm agreed. He folded up the futon mattress so that it wouldn't take up as much space. Midori and Watson had moved aside so he could do so. "... I should check with my other Pokemon to see what they think. They'd probably be fine, but better to make sure now than have resentment later." He did need to catch Holmes and Lestrade up to speed anyway, so a little alone time would be good for that. And maybe he could talk with some of the others in private too. "Are we coming back here for the night, or... what's the plan there?"

It felt right, to make the decision to go with them. Even if she should be getting back to Kalos, if Cipher was active, stopping them was probably a matter of keeping the entire world from crumbling more than it already had.

She could help them deal with Cipher and then return to Kalos. If she absolutely must leave later, Michael's promise that he wasn't about to try to press any of them into being soldiers to fight Cipher was a good indication that it wouldn't be held against her unless she ditched them in a dangerous situation.

And she was getting nothing done in Kalos, anyway.

"It's up to you guys," Michael went on as he started to detail what his plans were. "I'm leaving in the morning to head for Agate Village with Wes to get something we need. Then we need to make the long trek all the way back down to Gateon to find a way across the ocean to Citadark Island. It's a long trip, and I don't expect a lot of easy walking or uneventful encounters. Gathering up Dean's supplies and dividing them up today should give everyone enough time to think it over and see where they stand. Anyone who wants to go should meet in the town square in the morning. Agreed?"

"Sounds good to me," Wes replied. "I can use today to make sure the bike is ready to go, and make sure that we have plenty of alternative transportation. Just in case. But it's going to start getting hot soon and without the AC working, this place is an oven. So let's get out where we can have some wind, yeah?"

"Good plan. I'd rather not test out how hot it gets in here." Good lord, did she have to agree. She stood to push her mattress into a corner, Cosette realizing what she was up to and taking care of the problem for her with a wave of her hand. "... I should check with my other Pokemon to see what they think. They'd probably be fine, but better to make sure now than have resentment later."

"Are we coming back here for the night, or... what's the plan there?"

We could probably find somewhere else to sleep for the night but I would really rather not.

"Sounds good to me," Michael sighed in relief at the affirmation, his heart still unsure if the blonde was still willing to help him after having slept on the decision. "I can use today to make sure the bike is ready to go, and make sure that we have plenty of alternative transportation. Just in case. But it's going to start getting hot soon and without the AC working, this place is an oven. So let's get out where we can have some wind, yeah?"

"Good plan. I'd rather not test out how hot it gets in here." Nodding everyone seemed to begin gathering their things, Dean nudging Justy for them to go ahead and start heading out. It seemed Wes wasn't too fond of the man and Justy didn't seem all that thrilled about them being there anyway. At least this way they could duck out first and keep the peace a little longer.

"... I should check with my other Pokemon to see what they think. They'd probably be fine, but better to make sure now than have resentment later. Are we coming back here for the night, or... what's the plan there?"

"We're meeting at the square once we finish searching around and gathering everything from Dean's place... but uh..."

"We can share my place too," Dean offered as the ginger stalled, pausing at the door to look back at the group. "There's more than enough room, I took over one of the larger houses near the chasm. We uh...needed the location to look for Asche and a few others we lost around there. It's pretty well fortified now after several months of living there."

"Right, well, that works. We can split to different places or all crash in one, whichever works, but at least we have options. For now lets settle on meeting at the square and we can go from there once we do so we know who all is planning on sticking around."

"Good plan. I'd rather not test out how hot it gets in here." Yeah, that was for the best. As much as Wes enjoyed being back at one of the few places he'd ever actually called "home", he knew that it was a death trap in the Orre heat. Justy, in the meantime, was only happy to have an excuse to leave and not be thought rude. God, he needed another shower after this. There was no way he hadn't been exposed to all sort of diseases just by breathing the air. Obeying Dean's silent cues, he quickly made himself scarce and headed out of the building.

Wes, however, was much more happy with simply waiting to make sure everyone found their way out all right. "... I should check with my other Pokemon to see what they think. They'd probably be fine, but better to make sure now than have resentment later. Are we coming back here for the night, or... what's the plan there?"

It was a good question. Thank god he didn't have to answer it. "We're meeting at the square once we finish searching around and gathering everything from Dean's place... but uh..."

"We can share my place too," the blond offered. "There's more than enough room, I took over one of the larger houses near the chasm. We uh...needed the location to look for Asche and a few others we lost around there. It's pretty well fortified now after several months of living there."

"Right, well, that works. We can split to different places or all crash in one, whichever works, but at least we have options. For now lets settle on meeting at the square and we can go from there once we do so we know who all is planning on sticking around."

With a nod, Wes began to gather everything back up, occasionally putting something back onto his bike. There were some old sentimental knick knacks he'd like, and though there weren't many left, his mind clicked as he stepped on one particularly creaky board. Oh... was it still there? Had Dean found his secret stash?

Wes knelt to the ground, eyes wide with wonderment, as the others filtered out and pulled up the complaining floorboard to reveal a very dusty, but still very intact gym bag. Giggling with nostalgic glee, he pulled the other floorboards away to make room for the heavy bag. "I can't believe it's still here...!" he laughed, earning Whiskey's interest.

The Espeon easily made his way to his trainer's side, sniffing the dusty bag idly before sneezing and causing a cloud of the stuff to rise. "Is that... relic... what I think it is?"

"Sure is!" Wes chirped back. "My GTFO bag! Oh, I never thought I'd see this again!" He zipped it open, finding some spare clothes and toiletries, but the thing that got his attention was the giant bag of melted Skittles. It was a wad of sugar at this point, really-- weird taffy with a technicolor shell. But Wes hadn't had candy in too fucking long and now he had a giant ball bigger than his fist. Oo boy. He eagerly stuffed it back in his bag and swung the thing over his shoulder, much to Whiskey's repulsion.

"...You're going to eat that ball of stale diabetes?"

"You bet your furry ass I am."

(please skip me this round 0:)

"We're meeting at the square once we finish searching around and gathering everything from Dean's place... but uh..." Michael started to answer, but he petered out quickly.

That hadn't quite answered the question Colm was asking, but Dean soon offered, "We can share my place too. There's more than enough room, I took over one of the larger houses near the chasm. We uh...needed the location to look for Asche and a few others we lost around there. It's pretty well fortified now after several months of living there." Colm couldn't deny that sounded promising. While he had appreciated Wes's hospitality, the opportunity for better accomadations was extremely tempting. But he would wait and see how many people were staying before worrying about that.

"Right, well, that works. We can split to different places or all crash in one, whichever works, but at least we have options. For now lets settle on meeting at the square and we can go from there once we do so we know who all is planning on sticking around."

"Sounds like a plan." With everything settled, people started filtering out of the room, and Colm contemplated trying to get Wes alone so that they could speak. However, he couldn't do that easily without drawing attention, so instead, he gathered up his belongings and followed the others out of the soon to be oven room.

Midori paused as they passed by Wes, and she looked at him as he arranged his gear on his bike. Her chest tightened at the sight of her old trainer. She had been hoping for so long that he was still alive, and here he was. She had almost expected Colm's comforting words about having seen Wes to be lies, but, no, they were truths. He had been shocked to find Wes here, but that wasn't the same as being surprised at his survival. She shook her head when Watson put a paw on her back, and didn't give a response to the questioning look the Raichu was giving her. She followed Colm out of the room, and some part of her wasn't sure why she still did. Did she consider Colm her trainer now? He hadn't indicated that she should stay or go, and that left her with the decision. For now, it didn't seem like Colm and Wes were going to part ways for a long time, so she didn't have to make a final decision at the moment. But she knew at some point, she would have to.

"We're meeting at the square once we finish searching around and gathering everything from Dean's place... but uh..." Michael began to explain before trailing off.

"We can share my place too," Dean spoke up. Diantha sighed inwardly in relief. Good; while Wes hadn't explicitly said they could use his apartment for more than last night, Dean was offering. "There's more than enough room, I took over one of the larger houses near the chasm. We uh...needed the location to look for Asche and a few others we lost around there. It's pretty well fortified now after several months of living there."

"Right, well, that works. We can split to different places or all crash in one, whichever works, but at least we have options," Michael replied. "For now let's settle on meeting at the square and we can go from there once we do so we know who all is planning on sticking around."

Yes, that sounded perfectly fine. Maria and Cosette both looked to Diantha, the latter of whom began to rub her Gourgeist's head absentmindedly.

As people moved to disperse, Diantha nodded to her pokemon and gestured with a jerk of her head for them to follow her, pausing as a sound of elation from Wes caught her attention. He'd dug something up, it seemed, but it wasn't any of her business what it was, so she gestured for her pokemon to follow her again. One of them giggled on the way out.

They walked a little ways away from the building, Diantha sitting on a bench with a sigh, staring up at the old, poorly-constructed buildings that rose up across the street in front of her.

"Well, Wes is sure happy," Cosette remarked, taking a seat beside her trainer with a snicker.

"Wonder what he found," she mused, wondering if she should take these few minutes to recheck all of her own supplies. Running inventory was generally always a good idea during downtime.

"I don't know but I heard something about 'stale diabetes' from his cat, so I can only imagine it's good."

"Ew!" Maria gasped, making a face. Diantha chuckled and rubbed her head again, trying fruitlessly to smoothe back the curl of leaf that perpetually hung in her ghost's face.

"We'll probably find out later. Right now we should talk."

"Should we tell them who you really are? They seem like nice people."

"They definitely don't seem dangerous."

"I'm inclined to agree; if they were we would've died last night." She stretched, leaning back against her bag to avoid touching her back to the rusty bench. "I'm just not sure how to bring it up. 'By the way, my full name is Diantha. You probably know who I am' doesn't feel appropriate."

"Yeah- uh- I guess we were so concerned about hiding your identity from people who'd react badly to it that we didn't really think about what would happen if we ran into good folks," Maria chuckled, sheepish.

"Well, just because they're nice people, doesn't mean that we'd automatically be safe," Cosette mused, chewing the inside of her cheek. "It's true that I don't think any of them are from Kalos, but if anyone is... they might just be nice people who blame the Champion for not being able to keep the infection out. Just because they're not stark raving mad like that one guy doesn't mean they can't still hold some blame in their hearts..."

"Also true," Diantha agreed, feeling something in her heart deflate. Yes. It was. At least no one had asked any personal information from her yet besides her name. It was true that she went by 'Diane' when out travelling her region anonymously and that 'Diane' had been a nickname her parents called her. Nothing she'd said so far had been a lie, exactly...

But she'd still rather be open and honest with them all.

"Well... they said today we're gathering supplies and they mentioned from Dean's place, specifically. We can figure this out later, maybe overnight. Why not go see if Dean needs any help in the meantime?"

She smiled at Cosette and stood, stretching again, slowly, rolling her shoulders, before picking up their bag. "And true again. That's far more productive than this anyway. Maria dear, would you like some rest?"

"... Yeah, I think I would," she decided with a nod. "But don't hesitate to bring me out if you need me again, okay?"

"Deal," Diantha agreed, turning her smile on Maria as she took out her pokeball and recalled the ghost.

Well, time to be useful. She returned to Wes's apartment building.

Michael could hardly believe his good luck as everyone filtered out to begin gathering supplies. After all this time, after the last time he saw Eldes... He had been convinced he would have to handle Lugia and Cipher himself. Convinced. Even to the point of overpreparation when he isolated himself in the lab where he grew up and tore through book after book researching everything Kane and his father had put together regarding purification. He even deconstructed one of the old chambers to make sure he knew exactly how it worked. But this...

This was more than he could have ever hoped for.

Dean was oblivious to Michael's thousand yard stare as they walked out of the building, the blonde looking for Justy instead to let him know they were headed for the house to gather everything. He just knew the redhead was idly following him while he looked. Eventually he came across the man and was about to address him when he noticed Diane walking up to them. "Oh...hello. Were you looking to go with us? We were going to pack up some of the stuff back at my place. We could probably use the extra hands."


((Sorry this post is short, I have a terrible headache and it's not letting me be any more creative than the basics.))

((Skip. Wes is just rejoining the group with a weird chunk of technicolor in his hand and Justy is standing quietly by Dean.))