Pokemon Umbral Intermission: The Ensnaring Conspiracies

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Chizuru

"Mister Granger! Guess what?! Oh, uhh...nevermind. Are you okay?"
"Oh, uh... yeah, I'll be fine." Pierce answered nervously. Then he noticed that Chizuru and the rest of the Kimonos looked roughed up, and instantly forgot his worries. After they finished explaining that they lost their base, Pierce tried to be encouraging. "It'll be fine, we'll get it back." Then, he asked Chizuru worriedly, "But, are you, errrrr... all of you okay? How did it happen? And what are you going to do now?"

------------------

Irene and Sophia

"Th- Thank you very much." Sophia replied weakly, blushing at Irene's praise. "U- ummm... well," She continued nervously but politely. "I was told to fully answer any of your questions, so if you have anything to ask about my abilities or the things I'm supposed to be testing, please feel free."

------------------

Pierce and Jeanette

Pierce chucked at Jeanette's explanation. "Heh, that's good." Then, he expression changed to something more worried. "But, are you sure she should be joining PATCA? I get that's what she wants and all, but is she mature enough to make that kind of decision? It's just... kids shouldn't be risking their lives for us. It's hard enough just watching Mio fight." He said resignedly.

------------------

Pierce and Natalya

"Well..." Pierce's expression changed to something downcast, his eyes left Natalya's and fixated on the ground instead. "I was happy, at first. It's just, this last mission... I don't know what you've heard, Chief, but I just... feel useless. Like try as I might, I can't do anything right." He sighed.

[Menarker]

Mess Hall
---------------

Renny listened as the Kimonos spoke about their eviction from the ruins. He listened silently as Pierce asked the questions. Mentally, he was reeling from the events of scarcely a minute ago. He tried to finish off his food, but he was starting to feel full, as he looked back and forth between the group and Lola.

"Ever get the feeling that for every step we move, someone moves the goal a step further away? "

--------------------
Funeral
--------------------

"Can you excuse me for a second Lola?"

Renny walked over to Jeanette after Pierce had left to talk to the woman with a powerful presence.

"Professor Ricewood? I'm sorry to hear about your daughter. Have there been any news about her whereabouts or her condition?"

Renny recalled the mess hall conflict between the pokemon professor and Shannon, but omitted to mention it in case there was still any bad blood.

"Also, how is Darcelle doing ok? Do you need any assistance or does she need any company?" Renny started to look a little embarressed.
"She got pushed onto you after my Mollesk... caused her to defect in the first place, so I am really sorry about that... Although to be honest, I'm happy she did. I think she would have died or been in Faynoc's hands otherwise, and that would have been a horrible fate. When I was last with her, she looked like she had such a wonderful personality."
Renny finally smiled as he said this and recalled Darcelle's infectious spirit.

------------------
After Jeanette
------------------

Renny then wandered to Irene, with one burning question in mind. He waited patiently for her to finish with Catherine before greeting her, albeit nervously.

"Irene, how have you been doing? I was wondering... Is Rayleen doing well? I heard recently that she was under house arrest and I wanted to wish her the best."

He looked toward Shevetson's grave with a deep expression.

"Did you know Shevetson for a long time? You said he was your best friend. I'm sorry I wasn't of more help back then."

[DanteFalcon]

Matthias shook his head.

"My apologies Jeremiah. Even if I did know some this is hardly the place or the time to discuss it. Grieving people don't need to be reminded about the details at the funeral."

Matt gave a small apologetic shrug. He didn't even know if that information was classified, but there would be a distinct lack of tact to mention it here. He took another glance around the funeral, just to see who else was here and searching for another topic of conversation.

[Astral Harmony]

Pierce and Chizuru

"Mika said the best way for us to stop the Prideguard and the Ruin Generals was to join up with you guys! Don't you get it, Mister Granger? We're movin' in!"
"And with this Gaea thing causing trouble, we're only so capable of stopping it apart," Tsubasa said, making a bridge with her cutting wires. "Mizuno-sama is already speaking with Irene about it, but given what's happened, I doubt Irene would refuse our assistance in the matter."

-----
Sophia and Irene

"Oh, I figured you were here to keep an eye on Darcelle Ricewood. She packs a lot of power and can be immensely useful to us, but her mentality is still that of an innocent child. Knowing this, I would normally refuse having her be a part of the agency, but unfortunately with things like Gaea and Sexy around, my hands are more bound than when I'm with Melanie."

Armored Bishoujo: "No, Irene wasn't actually with Melanie like that. You wacky fuckers and your wacky gutter-minds. But y'do like the mental imagery, right?"

-----
Pierce and Jeanette

"Unfortunately, Darcelle made the decision for all of us. She's already escaped from the lab twice and was arrested at PATCA HQ. The best thing we can hope for is that Sophia or I can keep an eye on her so that she doesn't get into more trouble."

-----
Pierce and Natalya

Natalya smirked. "I have never figured you to be vone vith...how do you say, 'confidence issues'? If you vere an actual liability, I should t'ink this funeral vould be for you instead."

Wow. That was kind of...disrespectful.

"PATCA cannot solve all of Honmyr's problems, Granger. But at least ve're not doing somet'ink like hiding in our little holes and vaiting to see vhere the fuckink country is goink. At least ve've got a fightink chance vhen true evil rears its ugly head. You have a place in PATCA, Granger. And if you vant to be able to do anyt'ink right, I recommend that you stay. Strength comes to those that are villing to fight for it. Vomen like Irene and I are living testaments to that."

-----
Mess Hall

"Eh, we'll get 'em all," Kirie said, posing with her greatsword. "And with us around, maybe we'll get 'em all, like, three times as fast. You've got Kirie up in this bitch! Prideguard, Ruin Pokemon, fuckin' bring 'em all, baby, wooo!"

Takano facepalmed. Rio nodded.

-----
Renny and Jeanette

"Oh, I'm alright, Renny. You're really sweet to ask." Jeanette gave him a tired smile. "I think I've managed to start getting some decent sleep again. I don't know how, but Darcelle's been a huge help in calming me down. I'm going to just have to trust Irene in that Nosferatu can help me figure out what's going on."

-----
Renny And Irene

"I...well, Rayleen's actually going to be handling a different mission, one not issued to PATCA. I need her to go and have a look at something for me. Something I found a long time and should've brought back with me, but I didn't 'cause it kind of shocked me. You know, like a mental shock, not a physical one. I uhh...can't really talk about it."

"As for Shevenston, actually, we never really kept in touch after the Second Succession War. The man just kind of...got distant from those of us who fought alongside him. It was probably for the best. The war is over, and who the hell wants to remember the times when you were trying to get away from enemy lines and over to the medics so that they can stop you from bleeding to death? War...changed him. I don't even know why he joined PATCA. As depressed as he looked then, I can't imagine why he'd wanna be on any kind of battlefield again."

Irene looked at Shevenston's family. "I have to thank Catherine, Travis, and Miracle. Walking down that old street must have turned his life around that night. Certainly turned their lives around. Have you ever heard the story, Renny? Shevenston just strolled down the street in a drunken stupor, picked up Catherine who was a prostitute, picked up Miracle who was a pickpocket, picked up Travis who was just a street begger. They must've been scared as hell, but he just guided them to his house. He woke up sober the next morning and decided to keep them. Married Catherine. Took care of all three of them. Prime example of how truth is stranger than fiction."

-----
Chizuru's Dream

"Wake up, my darling."
Pierce cracked his eyes, but not wide enough to see his brand new wife.
"Mmmph...five more minutes."
"Five more minutes," Chizuru repeated. "Why, that's plenty of time for me to change out of this."
"Change out of what?"
"Remember what you told me you wanted me to wear a few days ago?"
Pierce immediately threw the blanket and sheets off of his body and stood up, instantly awake.
Sure enough, Chizuru had followed through on his little perverse fantasy. Aside from a frilly checkered kitchen apron, Chizuru was stark naked.
"Good morning to you," Chizuru welcomed Pierce to the new day, then looked down at a certain part of his anatomy. "Oh, my. And good morning to you as well."

Chizuru suddenly awoke to reality and rubbed her face. "Was that a...dream? I haven't dreamed in years. But it had to be a dream. I couldn't see Pierce's aura. Well, I guess it's no big deal. This isn't the Hungry World where my dreams can actually manifest."

-----
Irene's Dream

Irene was checking out the newspaper. "Y'know, Pierce. You've never really answered me."
Pierce turned off the stove. "Well, I can usually only answer when someone asks me a question, Irene."
"Ha ha, smartass," Irene said sarcastically, putting the paper aside and standing up to go to the kitchen. "You know what I mean, Pierce. I mean, I'll always love you even beyond the end of time, but I still have to wonder why you decided to marry me in the first place? I'm old enough to be your mother."
"Well, I do like my women experienced," Pierce teased. "But I guess if I had to give you a straight and true answer, I'd say it's that I figured I would be the only man who can love you as much as you deserve."
"Confident bastard, aren't you?" Irene approved, kissing her husband on the cheek. "But I guess you've got a point. I'm a stubborn old bitch who for some reason set my own standards much higher than I really deserve."
"Don't sell yourself short, Irene," Pierce chided her lightly, then removed the pot from the stove and filled a bowl with chunky soup. "For all that you've done for this country, these people? I'd say you certain deserve much better than me, some vagrant who just wants to put it in any uterus he can find."

The two had a good laugh as they sat down to dine. "So you have to go into work for a few hours tonight?"
Irene groaned. "Yeah. Son of a bitch, it's all paperwork I've gotta catch up on. Compared to that bullshit, a battlefield where any second could mean my death is a welcome diversion."
"I'll be waiting for you to return so expect a good foot massage."
"A foot massage? I'll be too stressed out for a foot massage. When you hear my car pull in, you'd better have your ass unclothed and in the bedroom."
It was always like this. Before Pierce and Irene hit it off, Irene dealt with the stress of work by killing Honmyr's enemies. Now she deals with stress by making love until her mind goes blank. Not that Pierce minded, of course. But he kind of wondered if Irene was always this...pent up.

Irene woke up just as her dream was about to send her off to work. She stretched and yawned and scratched her head. "Well that was weird. Me and Pierce. I like the idea, but the guy's got hotter women just hanging off of his dick as is. I don't think he'd wanna trade all those hot young girls for a beat up middle-aged woman who already has a kid. A kid older than him, I think."

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Chizuru

"That's great!" Pierce replied. "We really appreciate your help." But Pierce's curiosity wasn't abated. Or maybe he just wanted to keep talking to Chizuru. "So, uh, where will you be staying?"

-----------------

Sophia and Irene

"Oh, um!" Sophie blushed as Irene guessed right. "Well, that's true that Ricewood-sama asked me to keep an eye on Darcelle-chan. Even though I'm not very good with children... or people..." She trailed off, staring into space for a minute before snapping back.

"Umm... well, if you don't have any orders for me, I thought I'd go look around and get acquainted?" She asked hesitantly.

-----------------

Pierce and Jeanette

Pierce sighed. "I guess you're right. But if you don't mind, I'd like to help watch out for her. And if you need me to babysit, you'll find my rates are quite reasonable." He finished with a playful smirk.

"So, um..." He continued somewhat nervously. "How are you doing?" Jeanette was actually the one he was concerned the most for, but he didn't want to risk insinuating she was a vulnerable little girl. Hence why he asked for Darcy first.

Of course, it was a transparent enough tactic that she might've seen right through it.

-----------------

Pierce and Natalya

Pierce shuffled around awkwardly at Natalya's comment. He actually had nothing but confidence issues. Still... "You're right. Giving up's easy, but never useful." It was kinda sad that he needed to be constantly reassured of something he already kn- wait no, dammit. It was time to start thinking fucking positive for a change. That was the place to start.

"So, what brings you here, Chief? Just the funeral?"

[Menarker]

Renny - Irene conversation
---------------------------

"I...well, Rayleen's actually going to be handling a different mission, one not issued to PATCA. I need her to go and have a look at something for me. Something I found a long time and should've brought back with me, but I didn't 'cause it kind of shocked me. You know, like a mental shock, not a physical one. I uhh...can't really talk about it."

"Oh, I see. That's alright. I was just hoping she and Dormond were ok, since I haven't seen either of them recently. She in particular has been very encouraging and supportive. I always appreciated her kindness."

As Irene started to go into depth about Shevetson, Renny was drawn to the tale, listening attentively and gradually even developing a level of admiration for the former Chief.

"I never knew there was something like that to him! Wonderful!... I wish now I knew him more while he was still alive." Renny had a much warmer smile as he thought heavily on the story.
"I heard once that if you live a life worthy of a single blessing, several more will follow. I kinda feel now that maybe it was like that for him then."

He then briefly turned the topic toward Irene.
"Have you been feeling better yourself? You looked like you took quite a beating then."

Renny then looked toward Catherine and Miracle briefly.
"I never actually really knew Shevetson that well, so I'm really nervous about talking to Catherine or Miracle. Irene, do you think it would be ok if I offered them my sympathy? I really don't want to cause them any more sadness. I'm a total stranger to them and if they ask how I knew him, I worry the only thing I could tell them was that I lost when I tried to help fight Sexy. And I don't want to remind them of that day... Otherwise, I'll be fine if you think they'd be better off if I just wish them well silently."
Renny was visibly conflicted between wanting to voice his support to them and the possibility of making things worse.

------------------
After conversation with Irene
-----------------

Renny then wandered back to Lola soon after, not seeing anyone else he put a high priority to talk to, given his own urgent matters.

"Hi Lola. I think I'm ready. Do you want to stay longer? Or do you think we should go look for Milsha?"

[Astral Harmony]

Impact Has a Strange Request

Armored Bishoujo: "Using permission of Geminex to control Impact."

"Hello, Amethyst."
Garus turned away from his sketching to look at Impact in the doorway. "Ah, sir. Good day to you. Are the others looking for me again?"
Impact shook his head. Garus must have been referring to the other members of the Evil Eevee Eight. "No, actually, this is about something entirely different. I heard that you have a talent for drawing comic books."
Garus frowned and returned to his sketching. "You heard wrong," he snapped.
Impact was a little pissed off at Garus's disrespect. "Then what is that you're working on right there?"
"This...is doujinshi," Garus said without looking up.
"Sounds like comic books to me," Impact shrugged.
"Well, let me educate you," Garus said, turning away from his work again. "Comic books are comic books. But doujinshi is on an entirely different level. Many people would say it's just pornography, but I say no! Pornography is lame bullshit for which people pack terabytes into their portable hard drives. Doujinshi is of a much higher quality, I assure you. Some loser movie director with no talent for directing whatsoever can make porn, but us doujinshi artists are a lot less forgiving and accepting of our work. Doujinshi has to be perfect, Mister Impact! After all, we pour our hearts and souls into this work. We draw until the flesh melts away from our hands! Because our work, despite the fact that it can be considered pornography, is something that you can truely be proud of creating! When people buy my amateur doujinshi, they do so knowing that I haven't rested on my laurels and that every issue of my material is literally glowing with a true artists' spirit!"

Impact blinked. It was hard no to when encountering a person who was so proud of the task of creating pornography. Impact looked thoughtful for a minute, then tried to approach this from an entirely different angle.
"Interesting. Care to test your pride?"
Garus' brow furrowed. "I...must confess that I didn't think you'd be the kind of guy who would be interested in pornography to begin with, let alone doujinshi."
"I thought that you said that doujinshi isn't the same as pornography."
"I draw sex each and every day," Garus said without shame. "It's kinda hard not to call it pornography."
Impact coughed. "I was just wondering if maybe you'd be interested in drawing a doujinshi about a couple of girls."
Garus smirked. "Ah, a yuri fan, are ya? I dunno, it's hard to be inspired when you put me on the spot. I assume you're only asking for a personal doujinshi."
"Naturally," Impact said. "Those two girls wouldn't think about trying to kill me if they knew that you drew them together."
"Yeesh. Which two girls are you wanting together?"
Impact folded his arms. "Shannon Mordhaus and Charlotte Beaufort."

If Impact thought that Garus was going to laugh at him, he was sorely disappointed.
Garus leaned back in his chair. He laid a finger on his glasses. Light shined down on his spectacles, giving them a full glare that blocked out his eyes but from his grin, Impact could tell that Garus liked the idea. Really, really liked the idea.
"It's perfect, sir," Garus said. "It's fucking perfect. I should be done with in within a couple of days. Unless you want it to be colored in."
"Sure, but I'd like to see it in black and white first before you commit any further work to it."
"Of course, sir. Naturally, do be careful in keeping it out of the eyes of Charlotte and Shannon. Shannon probably wouldn't attack you, but Moon would...y'know, before he comes to his senses and asks if I could make a copy for him as well."
Impact nodded. "You're a strange character, Amethyst."
Garus shrugged and switched over to a clean piece of paper. Impact could see that he was already working on expertly drawn rough sketches of Charlotte and Shannon. Damn, he was fast! Couple of days? More like a couple of hours.
Impact exited the room and locked the door behind him to keep either of the two women from accidentally walking in and discovering Garus' work. Oh, this was going to be good!

-----
Pierce and Chizuru

"Well, to be honest, we're thinking of hanging out together in the Hiroshiho Empire," Chizuru said. "It's where Mizuno-sama said we were most likely going to live. We share a lot of similar physical and cultural characteristics with the people over there, so it'd be like we'd never left the Hungry World except for the lack of strange monsters. Plus, we're really fast when it comes to personal travel, so commuting wouldn't be a problem, either."

Commuting wouldn't be a problem? Hiroshiho was just over a hundred miles away! These girls probably got hella frequent flier miles.

-----
Sophia and Irene

"Oh, sure, please do." Irene nodded. "Just be careful of people like Pierce and Bretton. They're not dangerous, but you know how some guys can't resist hitting on any pretty little thing with a uterus."

-----
Pierce and Jeanette

"I'm passed the worst of it," Jeanette told him. "Irene is right. I just have to keep calm and focus on taking care of myself. I won't be able to do anything for Myrie if I'm falling all over myself with worry. Besides, Darcelle is a huge help, even though it kinda sounds like she's always laughing at me."

-----
Pierce and Natalya

"Pretty much. I vish I could stay, honestly, but alas, much is happening in the north. I have learned much of these Ruin Pokemon from reports that vere released to all of PATCA. Ve have one north of Vintervale. The Ice Ruin General Syndell. Normally, ve vould be tasked in neutralizing it and have, but the Fear Vanguard iz also out there so ve're kind of holding back and letting them go to town on each other. Ivene already knows about both of these issues, but I imagine that you Vatchmen vill not be involved. The Prideguard is also there and Ivene has spoken to me about them as well. I never really liked them, anyvays. Especially not Burkmont. The vay he alvays talked to my breasts instead of my face."

-----
Renny - Irene Conversation

"Well, to be honest, I'm a little pissed off, but maybe the next mission will help me get over it. The problem is that I really need to think about a lot of things, but there's just no time to set my swords aside anywhere. Oh well, no rest for us old women. At least I know what I have to do."

Irene smiled. "Sure, go talk to them. Shevenston wasn't actually remembered by many people because he kind of lived a lifestyle detached from normal society after the war. Actually, I don't think it was any different to how he lived before. Just be careful. I bet Catherine and Miracle could both fall in love with you. You are, after all, one of the male idols of PATCA."

She folded her arms. "You and Aster are rivals for the title of Darling Agent according to Rachel's poll. She has this cute little website where she personally assigns titles to every agent. I think you have the title of Darling Agent right now. I've got the title of Aged Gracefully Agent myself. I kinda wanna bop her on the head for that one, but I am over the hill so I guess I should take it as a complement."

"Anyways, I usually spend my time just seeing how Fainas changes over the months, and strangely there are a lot of girls with your face as their cellphone wallpapers. I'm scared that you may one day get abducted by a crazy fan. But, you are an elite member of PATCA so I'm sure escaping from silly teenage girls isn't a hard thing to do."

-----
After Conversation With Irene

"Yes. It looks like about half of the people here have already left," Lola said. "I wonder where we're going to find her?"

Milsha was surprisingly easy to find, though it was more a thing of pure luck. She was at a restaurant that specified in frozen treats stuffing her face. "Oh, hey y'all! Y'like uhce crum, too?"
Lola blinked. "Milsha, will you be all right? That's a lotta ice cream."
Milsha took a whole scoop down in one bite. "Aw, uh'm sure uh'll be ulright. 'Sides, uht's like muh daddy's thurd wife tuld muh: Jus' like 'em Multunks, uh gots dem...uhhh..."compartmentalized stomachs"...'n uh gotta fill 'em all up. Uh think one o'em is for uhce crum onleh."

Lola's expression made Milsha laugh. "Sorry. I'm just keeping in practice. I do tend to use it whenever I encounter guys I don't want to be pestered by."
Lola chuckled. "I can never get over the way you talk. Don't ever lose it, Milsha."
"Plus, if any jerks get persistant, I'm usually able to dead lift them right off the ground. They lose spirit pretty damn fast. Why are guys so intimidated by strong girls? Anyways, it looks like you're not here to pig out on sweets with me. Were you looking for me specifically?"

Lola looked at Renny. "Want me to take this one or would you like a crack at it?"

-----
Irene Finds Impact at the Funeral

"Oh hey, there you are, Impact."

After speaking with Renny, he left off with Lola to go find Milsha while Irene found Impact. "I was wondering if you might want to meet with me somewhere else? There's a few people I'd like you to get to know...and I'd like to get to know you a lot more as well and discuss your future in PATCA. I promise that it could be worth your time. I'll be waiting by my car whenever you're ready, but don't take too long. I don't like to keep people waiting. Especially people who can probably do a lot for you."

Irene nodded and excused herself, making small talk and excuses to a handful of the other funeral attendees. That was kind of weird.

-----
The Meeting, Part Two...

Irene and Killian were the first to return to the room.
"While we're alone-" Killian began.
"Killian, I'm old enough to be your mother. And there are plenty of capable, beautiful women who would gladly-"
Killian gave Irene a stern gaze. Irene doubled over in laughter. "Sorry. Gosh, I'm just kidding. After all, your father proposed to me once so I figured you weren't going to pass up the opportunity either. I know what you really want to ask about. Okay, near the end of the war, we were still having a lot of trouble. Sakuya had a number of capable generals and strategist advisors in her command. They were not only skilled at tactics, but at blending their strategies together to form large and ultimately successful strikes. And then Edelweiss comes out of the blue, assassinates just about all of them except for Silk, and gets the hell out of dodge before anyone could effectively counterattack."
"Just one woman did all of that?" Killian breathed.
"That's Edelweiss for you. It was a devastating and well-timed blow to the imperial army," Irene nodded. "Our casualty predictions at the time were very unfavorable, but with what Edelweiss did, well over ten-thousand predicted casualties never came to pass. Because of how absolutely perfect a table turner it was, Empress Sakuya strongly believes that Andricksen orchestrated the whole thing."
"That's nonsense! My father couldn't possibly know how to even contact Adonova, let alone-!"
"I'm not the one you have to convince of that, Killian. But unfortunately, the one you do isn't going to listen to you."
Killian frowned. "But why would Adonova be involved in the war at all?"

"All that Adonova does is for the betterment of its mistress, Bezelain, and it usually benefits the regular Team Rocket organization as well," Irene said, filling her glass with tea.
"So Honmyr becoming a republic advanced Adonova's goals?"
"That's the only reason," Irene said. Then they heard footsteps down the corridor. "Okay, back to the matters at hand."
As Sakuya and the others returned, Killian looked at his copy of Irene's report. "What are we able to do about the members of Pokegeddon?"
"A whole lot of not very much," Irene sighed. "We do know that they operate primarily out of Metal Hell. We just don't know where, and that massive underground labyrinth of steel and death is well over twenty miles in diameter. There are a few PATCA branches in various towns and smaller cities throughout Honmyr that have deployed agents here for the sake of finding them, but their efforts have been entirely fruitless. Pokegeddon's overall strength should allow them to move very freely throughout the numerous tunnels, so even if we do find them, they could defeat us, pack up, and relocate, and then it'd be well over a year before we can track them down again."
"There's nothing we can do? At all?"
"We're allocating some of PATCA's ancillary budget to hiring Vorpal Frenzy. They've agreed to help us, but it's going to cost us a lot to hire a large enough force. Our best bet is to meet them with overwhelming force when they've exited the safety of Metal Hell. Unfortunately, they're usually already committing their act of terrorism by the time we learn that they're exposed, which isn't good. It means they've already hurt or killed some people by the time we're able to intervene."

Killian adjusted his tie. "Father was very concerned about your reports on Gaea and...Sexy is her name?"
Irene nodded. "That is correct. We don't know where they came from, and while it was believed at first that Gaea was actually Miss Mordhaus, additional evidence suggests that Mordhaus was being manipulated by the real Gaea who appears to us as a winged sword of immeasurable power. Mordhaus isn't personally built for killing, but Lady Mizuno has informed me that she was more or less invincible even when faced by some of Honmyr's best fighters, which includes Edelweiss herself."
"That's just insane," Killian agreed. "That a sword could hold such incredible power."
"We've only begun to brainstorm strategies that would allow us to effectively counter this new threat, but at current we've only got one tactic."
"Another woman with another strange name."
"Yes. Dinner. Lady Mizuno has informed me that her comrades in arms will begin to seek Dinner out again. We've lost sight of her, and her powers are dangerous if misused, which seems to be the case when she isn't receiving direct guidance. Even with direct guidance, Dinner's powers could prove to be world-altering so we're decided on only using her to stop these extreme threats."
"You should probably use her powers to fight Pokegeddon," Killian suggested.
"If she used her powers in those tunnels, the energies unleashed would cause a massive explosion which would turn the underground inside out and send the entire metropolis about thirty-thousand feet into the air," Shizuka countered. "If PATCA cannot defeat an enemy, then yes, it might be a good idea to have Dinner assist us. However, because Pokegeddon is within our abilities to defeat, we in PATCA should do all in our powers not to rely on Dinner. Her talents are indeed a godsend, but if something goes wrong, we'll all be sent to god."

Killian's jaw hung. Honmyr had apparently changed a lot in the past week.
"I think we're almost done here," Killian said, glancing at the report briefly. "Branch Chief Baskinova, your report is about quite a bit of activity in the White Wastelands. Care to explain it for us?"
"Ov course," Natalya said. "My second-in-command Ciel, does a lot of reconnaissance up north. Normally it vas to investigate the large creature which Ivene confirms to be a Ruin General. The Ice Ruin General, Syndell."
Natalya reached into her portfolio and pulled out several different photographs which where passed around. "Even vith Ciel's special camera, it vas difficult to gain much intel on the monster. Syndell is clearly a large beast, volf-like in appearance, vith spikey vhite fur and two heads and tails. It is constantly surrounded by a vinter storm of much greater pover than vhat is usually encountered in the Vhite Vastelands."
"I...see," Killian observed, obviously in fear of what was pictured on the photos. "The White Wastelands offer little in the way of food. How does it survive there?"
"Ciel suggests that it has gotten to some of the Prideguard and Fear Vanguard, but othervise most likely hunts Vater Pokemon in the nearby ocean."
"Can you tell me about the Fear Vanguard?" Sakuya asked her. "I'm afraid my knowledge on them isn't very expansive."
"You've been selling a lot of your obsolete weapons, right?" Irene said, leaning back. "Don't be insulted. So has the Prideguard. Anyways, meet your buyers, the Fear Vanguard. Their objective is a forced regulation of our various advancements in numerous fields such as technology, robotics, and genetic science. They can't replicate what we do. They're nowhere near being close enough. So they fear us. And fear often leads to anger. They've taken to buying our old weapons to use against us with the objectives of destroying several large corporations that are key to our growing development as a world power."
"Such as Ricewood Masterworks," Jeanette observed.
"I for one agree with them in that perhaps we are moving entirely too fast with our national development," Irene said. "However, our citizenry isn't going to put up with anyone trying to shut down our overall growth, especially if they try to use violence to do so. The Fear Vanguard has been trying for years just to get a foothold into Honmyr, and apparently the snow-capped beaches at the northern edge of the White Wastelands is where they attempt to do it. But with Syndell there, they're going to regret succeeding."
"I see. Then I have nothing else to ask about it." Sakuya said.

"Will that be all, Killian?" Irene asked him.
"Oh, yes, I think that's enough to keep him abreast of events going on. If there's nothing else to add, I'll consider this meeting concluded."
Irene stood up. "Then we're done. Thanks, everyone."
"Irene, may I speak to you for a little bit if you're not immediately pressed for time?"
Irene and Killian moved over to Irene's office. "Father's given you direct authority to choose PATCA's new Regional Chief. Unfortunately, he regrets to inform you that you are ineligible to assume the role yourself."
"Of course I'm ineligible."
"You knew?"
"Honmyr needs my hands to swing my blades, Killian, not to type up reports on computers," Irene explained. "I don't mean to sound disrespectful to Shevenston, but that's exactly why he chose to become the Regional Chief in the first place. It meant that he would no longer have to see the battlefield if he didn't want to. He could just bury himself in paperwork all day, every day, and I don't blame him. There's plenty of times where I get so fuckin' sick of seeing combat that I'd like to go to sleep one night and never see the next sun."
"Irene...I didn't know you felt this way."
"I'm not well, Killian, and that's sugarcoating it. There are days that I wish I never woke up from that goddamned coma. I'm going to have to make a lot of very hard decisions. Despite the fact that I know what I have to do, I just wish somebody was there to make the decisions for me so that I wouldn't feel this way about what I'm going to need to do."
"Is there anything I can maybe do to help you?"

Irene strolled over to the window and looked outside. "Do you remember what you asked me when you first met me?"
"It's the foolish things one does in life that he remembers most," Killian sighed. "But I still consider myself to be a very foolish man. Yes, Irene, I remember. But it wasn't a question. I flat out told you that I was going to marry you."
"Well..." Irene said, then bowed her head and closed her eyes. "Once all is said and done, if you still feel about me the way that you do now, maybe you should try ordering me to marry you again. I might be involved with someone else by that point, but if not, I'm all yours."
"I might just hold you to that, Irene."
"Don't worry, I'm a woman who doesn't forget her commitments."

After that, Killian exited the room. Irene drifted over to her swords Sulphyr and Brymstone and hefted Sulphyr up, pointing it forward and examining it. "Unfortunately, destiny requires that I am to be a woman who must...and shall ignore them."

[Menarker]

Irene and Idols
------------------

"Sure, go talk to them. Shevenston wasn't actually remembered by many people because he kind of lived a lifestyle detached from normal society after the war. Actually, I don't think it was any different to how he lived before.

Renny smiled, feeling much reassured.
Just be careful.
"Hmm?" Renny perked his attention up listening for what he should be careful to avoid doing or saying.

I bet Catherine and Miracle could both fall in love with you.
"Whah?" The statement left him dumbfounded and incredulous.

You are, after all, one of the male idols of PATCA."

"I'm sorry. I beg your pardon? For a moment, I thought you said I was one of PATCA's idols." Renny's head was spinning as if he couldn't discern whether he slipped into some weird fantasy daydream. Irene's continued explanation into PATCA's celebrity culture left him in shock. It was a pleasant one, but it overwhelmed his modest nature to comprehend the series of amazing statements like that out of the blue.

"Wow. I'm still surprised. I never saw or heard anything like that." Renny smiled warmly at Irene all the same as he said his farewell. "I guess I'll go talk to Catherine and Miracle then. Thank you so much for your time. I really enjoy talking with you. I hope you will feel much better very soon."



Renny politely seperated from Irene as he headed toward the two bereft family members. He waited for a brief lull where he might insert himself in a manner of social grace.

"Excuse me? Catherine, Miracle? My name is Renny. To be honest, I didn't know Shevetson very well but I work in PATCA. Irene told me about how he met the both of you and Travis. I, er, wanted to let you know that I thought Shevetson was a incredible person and that I'm sorry for your loss, especially of someone as kindly as him.

-----------------------------------
Moving, Milkshakes and Milsha
-----------------------------------

Milsha was at a restaurant that specified in frozen treats stuffing her face.
"Oh, hey y'all! Y'like uhce crum, too?"
"Milsha! I'm sure glad to see you." Renny looked at all the ice cream she had eaten or was going to eat.
"I like ice cream too. It's a rare treat for me." He smiled impishly as his sweet tooth itched from the enticing cold feast and his urge to get a banana split or a milkshake was strong. But he had something more important to discuss... maybe after.

"Anyways, it looks like you're not here to pig out on sweets with me. Were you looking for me specifically?"

Lola looked at Renny. "Want me to take this one or would you like a crack at it?"

He thought about it for a moment before looking towards Lola warmly. "I think it is only fair if I explain things first. But feel free to jump in if there is anything important to add or if there is anything I missed."
He then looked toward Milsha. The topic was depressing for him to think about, but he tried to keep a kindly demeanor as he laid out all the important details.

"We were looking for you Milsha because I could really use your help. Last week, the Millennium House mission and the attack on PATCA headquarters where Shevetson was killed got a tremendous amount of news coverage. I was also involved heavily in both events. I had gotten my pokebrid surgery just the very same morning and went to the mission right after, which lasted overnight. As you might have known already, the Millennium House had a massive explosion which we barely got out of in time. Shortly after, PATCA's distress call came and I went to fight this assailant called "Sexy". I and all my pokemon tried to fight her, along with several others who helped fight, but she won easily. To be honest, I don't know why she left us alone after, although it looked like she was testing us... and here is where it gets worse."

Renny took a deep breath, trying to remain composed.

"After Lola helped me recover in the hospital for a short time, I came home. My parents were worried sick about being gone all night, and that I had been injured, something which hadn't happened before the surgery since I was purely a trainer then. Not long after, they saw the news, regarding the huge explosion and the attack at PATCA HQ, with reports of the chief's death and how we couldn't beat Sexy and that it was sheer luck the rest of us were alive, all with extensive footage of me directly involved." Now they are so angry and worried about me being PATCA and one day dying in a mission from terrorists, nukes and unbeatable enemies, that they said that the whole family is going to be moving out of Honmyr for our safety as soon as possible."

Renny started to get tight in the throat, but he pushed through his words.

"I REALLY want to stay in PATCA. Being there means a lot to me, but nothing I say to them will get them to change their mind. Due to my age, there are so many restrictions that prevents me from finding a place of my own to stay. I couldn't think of anything I could do on my own, so I asked Lola for help. She heard recently that you have a spare bedroom in your apartment. And that's why we have come to talk to you. If it would be at all possible for you to rent that bedroom out. I promise I won't be any trouble to you. I'm out of options so if you could help, it would really mean a lot to me"

Renny finished, and under the table, his legs and arms were shaking from the stress.

[Dracorion]

Pierce and Chizuru

Pierce's expression turned slightly sour when Chizuru said the Kimonos would be staying at Hiroshiho. That was... far away. And even with Empress Sakuya working with PATCA, he knew it wouldn't be simple if he wanted to go over there.

He suddenly noticed the change in his expression and immediately corrected it. "Oh... oh, well..." He stuttered. "Still... wouldn't it be easier if you already lived in Fainas?" He argued.

"W-well, if you like the Empire better, that's okay. But if you'd prefer to stay in the city, I don't know for sure, but I could try to help out. If, if that's okay." Jesus Christ, get it together man! You're looking like an idiot!

--------------------

Sophia and Irene

"Um, I see..." Sophia replied. "Thank you for your time, Crosswald-sama." She bowed one last time and stepped out of Chief Crosswald's office.

Well, her new boss seemed nice. She'd take her advice and steer clear of those two guys, Pierce and Bretton.

They sounded like total creeps.

--------------------

Pierce and Jeanette

"I see..." Pierce hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "I'm sorry Professor. I thought you were vulnerable and I should be as delicate as possible with your feelings, and that was an extremely disrespectful to do. Probably because I'm such a wreck myself. But now I realize that you're stronger than me." He said apologetically, with a sad smile.

He really was a wreck, in spite of the elaborate mask he put up around others. The fact was, it had been a week and Sam was still missing. Probably... probably...

... And he didn't quite know how to deal with that. It probably spoke to how messed up he was that he was stupidly admitting these things to Jeanette.

--------------------

Pierce and Natalya

It was rather disconcerting to find out a Ruin General, the Prideguard, and these Fear Vanguard guys were so close to his hometown. Regardless, Pierce stayed calm. "Well, I know you don't need help, but don't hesitate to call, Chief. It's my hometown, you know? Of course I'm concerned."

--------------------

Pierce and Irene

When Pierce finished talking to Natalya, he saw Irene and Renny were conversing. After his chat with Jeanette, he knew he was treating Irene the same way. After Renny moved away, he approached her amicably. "Hey Chief. How're you?" He shuffled around awkward on the spot a bit, trying to figure out how to say the next thing. "Y'see, I told Miracle I wish I'd known her father better." He blurted out. "Then I realized there was no reason I couldn't do that now anyway. S-so, I was wondering, if you had time some day, if you could share some stories with me. Maybe over drinks, if you'd like."

[Astral Harmony]

Renny With Catherine/Miracle

Catherine was frozen in place. Literally frozen in place, as if time had come to a complete stop. "Uhh...yeah, good to meet you, Renny, and your sentiments are appreciated but, uhh...might wanna step back...like, ten or so yards."

Catherine suddenly seized Renny in a tight hug, burying his face between her breasts. "It's him! It's totally him!"
Lola gasped. Miracle rubbed at her forehead. "Ugh. Too late. Mom just can't help herself."
"Could you uhh...maybe get her off of him?" Lola asked Miracle. "I think she's going to suffocate the poor man."
"I'm not sure I can," Miracle sighed. "My mom's crazy about cute things, especially boys. I think she has Renny on her cellphone. Granted, his body's changed a little with the Gallade DNA but-"

"Say there, my little Renny," Catherine purred. "How do you feel about...older women?"
"Forget it, Mom. He's already got a girlfriend," Miracle directed Catherine's attention to Lola.
"Oh, come on. What does she have that I don't?"
"Youth, beauty, larger breasts," Miracle started to list things off.
Lola's face got redder and redder. Catherine released Renny and fell to her knees in sobbing defeat.
"Don't you think...that was perhaps a bit much?" Lola asked.
"It got Mom off of him, didn't it?" Miracle said, then her expression grew wicked. "By the way, I noticed that you didn't deny being his girlfriend."
Lola's cheeks burned. "And she still isn't denying it," Miracle said, turning to Renny. "Sorry about what you had to go through. Mom 'n' I'll be alright, though I think you can expect further glomps in the future. After all, I think we'll probably end up joining PATCA, Mom and I. She's a really talented boxer with some of the quickest hands you've ever seen, and I think I'll be inheriting Dad's Normal type Pokemon. Don't worry, we're not crazy about vengeance or anything. Honestly, I think Mom's only joining because cute boys like you are employed there."
"It's not only because cute boys like Renny are employed there," Catherine said, standing back up. "Even though Antonio wouldn't want us to join PATCA just to avenge his murder, he was kind of the only breadwinner in the house."
"That's how it is," Miracle shrugged. "We need dolla dolla bills, yo."

-----
Moving, Milkshakes and Milsha

Milsha gave Renny a rather surprised. "Muh stars, Rennuh. Uh 'm so shocked."

She stood up to go get more ice cream. Seriously, her calorie intake for the day was through the roof. "Sorry. I guess my country drawl isn't good for something so serious. But honestly, Renny, you've surprised the hell out of me. I thought I was supposed to be brave and stupid at the same time. After all that happened that night, you still wanna get up the next day with the possibility of that same terror happening again."

Milsha finished her ice cream and stood up. "You're getting more?!" Lola asked her.
"Nah, I'm done. I probably won't want ice cream again for fifteen minutes. C'mon, let's go! You have a car, right?"
It was actually only several minutes of driving in Lola's car to reach the apartment Milsha stayed at. It was a surprisingly prestigious hotel that loomed over them. "Come on in, I'll give you a brief tour."
"Welcome home, Lady Mathers. Ah, you smell like you've been to the ice cream buffet again."
It was a ravishing young lady in a bunny girl costume who greeted them. Despite the kinkiness of the situation, the woman had a professional appearance and personality. Her hairstyle was current with the trends and it was clear that she took good care of her body.
"Yep. Us countryfolk stick to our routines like clockwork," Milsha said with a playful salute.
"Lady Mathers is so lucky," the bunny girl sighed. "She eats stuff like that every day and doesn't look a pound heavier. Meanwhile I'm stuck munching on steamed vegetables. Some girls just have all the luck."

Milsha, Lola, and Renny piled into a luxurious elevator. The Moonlight Sonata played softly throughout the hotel.
"Wooooooooow," Lola breathed, looking out the window. "Milsha, this is amazing! You live here?"
"Courtesy of Veldyne Corp," Milsha nodded. "You know how I managed to get them to let me test their prototype sword, right? The one I use in combat?"
Lola nodded, still marvelling at the sight. "Well, now I've got a contract with them. I test pretty much all of their personal weapons. They own this hotel, and I do quite a bit of work for them when I'm not working for PATCA. It's not even difficult work either, and I make two fat paychecks every two weeks. Plus my room and board is free."

"Holy shit," Lola breathed, still mezmerized. "And it's okay for us to just live here?"
"Sure, why not? It's not a very large room, but back in the days when I lived on the farm, all I ever owned were some toiletries and a bunk...a bunk that I shared with my brothers, to be honest."
The room was indeed not very large, but it was certainly of good quality. Milsha's signature weapon leaned against what looked to be a minibar. "The maids clean it daily, but I'm not a messy person to begin with," Milsha said. "I don't really care for space, myself. I actually had a much larger room here, but I elected to move in a smaller one. Seriously, what the hell do I need a bathtub that seats twenty people for?"
Lola coughed. Milsha gave them a quick tour, then picked up her sword and prepared to leave. "Alrighty, then, I'm gonna go do some weapons testing. I'll go make sure that Pamilla knows about you two. Then you can get some keys to this place. By the way, that one bedroom is yours, so enjoy yourselves?"
"Seriously, Milsha, this is wonderful. It's so awesome to have a friend like you!" Lola smiled. "Wait, what one bedroom?"
Milsha blinked. "You know. That one I showed you. You'll share that, right?"

Lola slowly craned her head to look at Renny. "Us...in the same bedroom?"
Milsha folded her arms. "You wacky cityfolk and your sensitivity about gender. I slept with boys all you time when I was young."
"Uhhh..." Lola faltered.
"Out in the countryside, gender is almost entirely negligible. I lived with boys, slept with boys, even bathed with boys."
"Ahhh...bathed with...?" Lola faltered again.
Milsha simply shook her head and left.

Lola looked at Renny. "Wow. I didn't know any of this about Milsha. About her being hired by Cecilia's company, about any of it. Kind of a super shocker, y'know?"

-----
Pierce and Chizuru

"Well, I doubt we will all be living together," Tsubasa said. "I'm used to living just about anywhere, so I'll probably end up staying out in the mean streets of Fainas. It's just closer."
"Tsubasa-san, you could really use a roof over your head," Chizuru countered.
"We're demons, Chizuru. At least some of us are. I've slept in rainstorms, no problem."
"Just because you can doesn't mean that you should."

The Kimonos back-and-forthed it for a while, but it seemed like they would decide individually on the issue.

-----
Pierce and Irene

"Drinking with me, eh? You sure you're not into older women, Pierce?"

Irene looked thoughtful. "Well, the day is still young. I have to handle a few things here and there, but sure, tonight. I'll contact your scouter when I'm ready. But don't you be getting too many funny ideas."

-----
Irene Interrogates Impact, Part One...

Irene drove Impact a long distance away from the funeral. They weren't anywhere near the metropolis. It looked like...ancient ruins? Judging from the scouter's data, they were at the Ruins of Resonance.
Impact remembered Irene's story. This was where Irene was put into a coma, her husband and Rayleen's fiancee crushed between the massive body weight of a Bastiodon.
Then he no longer cared about any of that. There was another woman here who appeared to have been waiting for the two of them. She had long, pointed ears that extended six inches from her fiery red hair. She had beautiful blue eyes, which normally wouldn't be strange aside from the fact that she had a total of three of them, the third centered on her forehead. Her clothes were rather primitive and revealing, a lot like the Crimson Amazons, but with a different style. Red tribal tattoos ran the length of her arms, legs, torso and face, but she were actually quite fashionable and complemented her wild beauty. She held a large staff which looked capable of crushing like a sledgehammer.

This woman wasn't human. Not by a long shot.

"Ignore her for now and come with me," Irene said stiffly, already walking away from her car, Sulphyr and Brymstone clutched in her hands. It was kind of hard to ignore the long-eared girl. She was staring right at him.
Impact was brought out of being distracted by a sudden stabbing sound. Irene had thrust Brymstone into the ground, then used her free hand to remove her Pokemon and gently place them on the ground. Then she jerked Brymstone out of the ground.

And then she slowly turned back around to face Impact.

...And holy fuck, she looked royally pissed.

"A long time ago, even before I was put into a coma, I've known you," Irene said, her red eyes fixed on Impact like two raging gateways to Hell itself. Then suddenly, Impact had to make a sudden dodge. Sulphyr suddenly found itself sheathed into the car's hood. A strong hissing issued from the car and told Impact that Irene wasn't going to let him sit this fight out. "Who you are. What you intend to do. All of it."
Was she fuckin' crazy? Impact was unarmed, but reacted quickly, tearing Sulphyr free of the car. It was a longer, thicker, heavier blade than the Dragon Slave, and would take some getting used to.
But he was out of time. Irene was approaching him, slowly and steadily. Impact examined Brymstone from the distance and discovered that they weren't twin blades. Brymstone was even bigger. And Irene held it steady in one hand.
"You may wanna hurry up and defend yourself, human," the long-eared woman said, obviously the only one enjoying this situation. "Do not accept defeat. This world desperately needs you."
Irene stopped and raised Brymstone so that it was level with Impact's head. "As the hero who will save this world from terrors nigh-unstoppable, you will be tested by this world's Old Guard, first. Take up that sword, draw up thine courage..."
Irene took Brymstone in both hands, fixing Impact with the gaze of a seasoned warrior prepared to annihilate all in her path. "And test your mettle against Honmyr's Finest!"

And as Eyes Set to Kill's "Deadly Weapons" consumed the sounds in the background, Irene erupted at Impact with all the force of a vengeful god.

No time to think! Go!

-----
Mika and Shannon

"Do I really have to get naked?" Shannon asked Mika.
"No, I'm just messing with you," Mika winked. "Actually, I'm already done looking you over. I won't keep you much longer. There's this handsome young man desperately waiting outside."
Shannon chuckled. It'd be nice to let Moon know she was okay and then let him drown her in his embrace. "So, what exactly happened to me?"
"It's not complicated. When Dinner severely damaged Gaea with her Radiant Judgment power, Gaea was forced to abandon a great amount of its power. It decided to just implant this power into your body. I don't really understand why when it could have unleashed all of the power in a massive explosion. Would've killed Chizuru, Shizuka, Pierce, Jeanette, you...pretty much everybody who was in that room at the time...well, except for Dinner. Actually, I guess that's why it didn't let the power detonate that way. It needed you around to help it escape...anyways, that's my hypothesis on the subject."
"So I'm filled with Gaea's power?" Shannon looked up. "Isn't that kind of dangerous? What if I end up randomly exploding or something like that?"
"That's kinda what you did back there," Mika said, looking thoughtful. "It would appear that these Gaea powers inside you manifest when you're conquered by your emotions. In the case of back there, you were gripped tightly by fear that Jeanette would kill you."

Mika stood up and paced back and forth. "The powers seem to manifest the same wing and sword themes that Gaea possesses. You grow angel wings out of your back and a sword appears around what I'm going to assume is your dominant arm. Honed properly, you may be able to call upon this power to assist you and your allies in battle, but that is an issue for another time. I'm sure Mister Travorian is getting really upset at me monopolizing your time."