Seventeenth Move

[king_of_flames]

[Action, Celadon City]

[Roy walks out of the gym triumphantly, a Rainbow Badge in his hand. He turns around and waves to the women who gathered outside the front door, all of them calling "good-bye, Roy" and "Come back soon!"

However, this means he isn't watching where he's going, and so something bounces off his leg. He turns around and looks...

...and sees an Eevee. A familiar looking one, at that.]

Hey...Elsie?

[At the sound of her name, the Eevee runs up and begans rubbing up against Roy's legs, looking utterly distraught.]

...no...

[Roy was at a loss for words...and for just about anything else. He sands there, frozen, for a while.]

[Text]

To those who knew Brigadier General Maes Hughes: he has disappeared. I have his Eevee and his Alakazam. If you received any of his Pokémon, let me know so we can account for them.

Comments

[text]

[explosivecombat]

[The text you're getting is unusually terse, Mustang, given the source. Kimblee had suspected something like this; he doesn't like it.]

None of his Pokémon - some of his belongings, however, possibly relevant to the situation at hand. I can't say for sure at this point.

[text]

[king_of_flames]

[Roy has to think this over. This was rather direct for Kimblee.]

Relevant how?

[text]

[explosivecombat]

[He hesitates for a moment before responding; he isn't exactly thrilled about offering Mustang any more information than he really has to. At the same time, as little as he'll admit it to anyone, he's more than slightly shaken up - either Hughes' disappearance was orchestrated or Johto has a sick sense of humor.]

We were looking into some things regarding this place. How it works, why things happen as they do. Investigating theories behind the appearances and disappearances. One of the things we were looking into was exactly what happens during those three-day periods that no one can account for.

I compiled notes on the subject. Gave him a copy. Told him to write down anything that came to mind.

He seems to have added to it.

1/2

[usedwrench]

[WHAT?!

Did her heart just stop beating? What's that thing people call breathing?

...

No. Lies. Liar. Hughes couldn't be... He was just... ...He...

Pokémon. What? Right, maybe Winry should check. Just in case. Sure.]

[ Text ]

[usedwrench]

[...Since when did she have a dit--? Hey two pokémon who she didn't catch or hatch or... Well, damn.]

His Audino and Chansey are in Goldenrod with me.

[TEXT]

[glaciates]

Cacturne. I found it in my box this morning.

[Isaac hesitates for a minute, and then a second text follows.]

It's a shame he's gone. He'll be missed.

[He's not entirely sure what else to say; he knows Mustang and Hughes were close. This must be hard on him.]

[text]

[king_of_flames]

[Don't worry, Kimblee. Roy is just as apprehensive about taking information from you. But at the moment, the two of you seem to have a common goal.]

What did he add?

[ Text ]

[king_of_flames]

[Roy pauses when he sees the name attached to the text. Winry Rockbell? She had returned?

But now wasn't the time for that. Roy focuses on responding.]

Good. I know you'll give them a good home.

[text]

[explosivecombat]

We didn't leave our notes out in the open, even here. You would understand that better than most, I'd think.

I haven't worked through enough of it to know just yet.

[text]

[king_of_flames]

Of course. It's only natural for alchemists and military types.

[Here, Roy pauses. He mulls over what he's going to add.]

I want to figure out what I can about these disappearances and the lost time, too. Let me know when you do.

[TEXT]

[king_of_flames]

That's five accounted for. Take good care of it.

Yeah. This is like his death all over again.

[text]

[explosivecombat]

[Oh. Well, that's.

...huh.]

Did he never discuss this with you?

[text]

[king_of_flames]

[Dammit. This is going to hurt to admit, but...]

It never came up. We tended to drift toward other topics.

[ Text ]

[usedwrench]

[Oh right, she hasn't seen you before this... Hello very unwelcome topic to this first contact thing.]

Thanks. I'll try my best, they deserve it.

[And when she says try, she means she'll give them the best adoptive home ever. Oh, sounds much like what Hughes gave her too...]

[ Text ]

[king_of_flames]

Yeah. They do.

[ Text ]

[usedwrench]

I'm sorry

[For your loss? For Johto's loss? For ... this feeling like his death again. For the fact that Hughes is not going home like most people who disappear and everyone who come from Amestris know it?

Or because she's out of words for this one? Or because crying starts right now? Or because she probably couldn't write anything else to that line right now without making it look like a keysmash or something?]

[ Text ]

[king_of_flames]

[Roy takes a while to respond to this one himself. He's too busy thinking over things in his own head.]

Everything will turn out all right.

[text]

[explosivecombat]

[How awkward...]

Understood. I'll let you know, then.

[Again, he hesitates before continuing; Kimblee has never subscribed to this whole concept of "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," but...]

It would be foolish to not utilize all possible resources. I'm willing to call a ceasefire, at least as far as this topic is concerned.

Should you choose to extend the same courtesy, I'll tell you what we've worked out so far. Not over the device, however; call me suspicious if you like, but bluntly put, I don't trust it.

[text]

[king_of_flames]

Very well. Sounds fair enough. I'll agree to that.

Then you'd prefer meeting in person?

[video]

[paladinlost]

...I think I might have his Gyarados.

[The fact that it's the same Gyarados he fought during the garbage incident is a little alarming, in his opinion.]

[ Text ]

[usedwrench]

[Winry's not fast with her responses either. And this would be so much worse if she was still the little girl from that train... But nope, she went home for a while. Briggs is a cold place, etc. She kind of learned to live with it, somehow. Well, this is still hard at first.]

Yeah, everything always turns out all right.

Well, at least he was still around when I got back here.

[text]

[explosivecombat]

Ideally speaking. Give me a date and a place and I'll see what I can make happen.

[Text]

[king_of_flames]

"You think?"

[ Text ]

[king_of_flames]

That's right. You got one more chance to meet him. I'm sure he enjoyed it, too.

[text]

[king_of_flames]

Goldenrod City train station. Two weeks from today -- June 18.