Chapter 15: The Star of Nexus

You listen to Rime and Natasha banter for a few minutes. The time flies, making you realize this is a rare occasion where the group has to wait on something idly. After Rime softens her up, like a lightning bolt, she strikes Natasha the question.

"I was wonder what were you doing in that plane crash. I didn't know you were the political type, Natasha."
"Hah... I got a gig being body guard for the lot of them. Makes me wonder if the weak are really the ones with the right to lead."

"Those who put in the time and effort to lead have that right, even the most vile. It isn't our job to interfere as time will wash away all stains... Did that Man put you up to it?
"Give The Boss some respect, gym leader. Not even that status holds a candle to what will come. I must rest now... I ordered that ointment too auf wiedersehen!"

And with that information, Natasha drops the call. Rime gives you all a look, as if she knows the upcoming turn these events will take. Still, she keeps on by calling Tatsumaki.

"Hello?" A soothing voice that carries away the grief blows by. Rime, covering the phone mic, whispers to the three. "Want to say something to your lady friend?"

Rime gives a slight nod and brings the phone to her face. "It's me, Rime. I saw you on TV with Grump. Pretty swell speech. Were you the angel that showed Scrooge the necessity of changing his ways?" Rime plays.

"Please Ms. Rime, I'm much more persuading than that. You're smart enough to figure this out yourself, but I'll give you a hint. He's been replaced by a 1:1 replica-" A pause. "No, he is Grump without ignorance and malice. A new and welcomed Grump. I don't feel bad about what I had to do to make this happen. An unexpected, yet fortuitous wind is coming. Do you not want this?"

Rime, with an even longer pause. What happened back there? When those kids left us at Oars Rest Port.

"Well, Natasha and I had been nearly ripped apart by Jasmine so we were unable to participate in the final conflict, but what I got from Jeremiah- Tully, the nervous and keen looking one captured it with a Masterball. I don't know where it is now. I have my assistants, Kuki and Yozora, looking for it. Chances are he might have it."

Rime looks at Jace with a gesture question. Giving thumbs up, thumbs down in a rapid motion.

"Yes your intuition was true, Tatsumaki. Tully has the master ball, he attempted to toss it within the mountain. I refused his wishes as it is his burden to carry. I hope you understand that. They're currently en route to Kanjin Kiwantari's dojo." Rime tells her unrehearsed explanation, the infliction in her voice remain unfazed.

"Perfect. I will tell Kuki and Yozora to head there. I'm so glad you decided to call me, Rime. I hope you can accompany us under less dire event in the future."

Rime hangs up. It seems Tatsumaki gave her the chills at the last second as she brushes her arms. "Well, now you know. You're going to send two girls on a wild goose chase for now?"
  

"A-are you going to be alright? Paradiso, Tatsumaki in particular, torture their enemies." Sana's eyes furrow and her heads tilt down, she knows that once Paradiso learns of this deception, Rime will be targeted by Paradiso's wrath, whether her fame as a vigilante means anything or not.

Whimsy's flaunting the gets noticed by Sana. She picks it up and tries to pass it back to Rime, but Whimsy flails her arms up and down with a face similar to an annoyed Cosmog, as if begging Sana to have it. Ruby's persona steps in, the lack of cloth material would make Sana prettier on it. "How much is this?"

Not wishing to anger the little dark type, Tully awkwardly returns the hug. However, after a moment's thought, he manages to squeeze a hand into his pocket and release Otto, looking at him for help against the cuddly might of his old trainer.

Otto, on the other hand, takes one look at the scene and bursts out laughing, seeing no need to ruin the wonderful tableau.

Sana returns Ika's hug in kind. She needs to ease some of her mental exhaustion after Paradiso's move. "You too, yes, your Panggoro isn't causing trouble, yes?" She decides to let Jace do the talking for now, but slips in one small concern.

Tully straightens his clothes after the semi-consensual hug. "So, we expectin' any more gym leaders to show up to... discuss things?" He asks, hoping but not expecting to hear that his sister would be joining them. As rocky as his relationship with his family was, he didn't want anything to happen to them, so they needed to know about the threat that Paradiso now represented.

Ika turn to Tully with a smile with her hands behind her back. "Nope, just us two. Travis' brother is in the Elite Four so I figured bringing him here will help with transferring information." Behind her, you can see the TV rerunning the events of yesterday, Marietta watches the program keenly. "I was in shock when Marietta came back to our place, she hit an age-spert. You guys fought an evil doctor that aged Marietta! How evil to take a woman's youth!!!" Ika's ire is set ablaze by Marietta's outrageous lie.

A lightbulb goes off in Marietta's head. She jumps and turns to you in haste. "First thing's first! You told Kuki and Yozora a white lie about travelling to the next gym right? Well, they're not not going to be easily fooled when they have the convenience of tracking you." Marietta, using a gesture to reel Jace and Tully in. "Gimme your Skymall devices! There's a GPS inside so that's how they can deliver it to your nearest location AND track your every move." She says triumphantly. It seems she's learned more technical skills in the last couple of years.

Travis goes in to hand Ika a letter with a broken, yet well made, purple wax seal. "I think they deserve to hear this more than us." Ika's inner light dims as she reluctantly grabs the letter. As if the next word may end the world, she points out that it's a letter from Roderick.

"Sup, you three. I'm writing this before we set off to the final battle at the Spire. If you're reading this letter that means I chose the wrong side, and lost. I just wanted a scenario where Ika's politician parent's didn't have to die and get replaced, but I have no regrets about my decisions. This is letter is about telling you the truth, this whole ordeal and why your group was a central part of it...

You're not the first gym-climbing trainers we've been in contact with. We've recruited countless trainers and pushed them in the right direction, but none ever delivered as much as our current group. As you've found out, The Boss replaces people of high status and uses them for Paradiso's benefit. There's only one people we deemed almost impossible to reach, the Nexus Champion, not even Jeremiah himself can get in contact with him. As people with actual duties and lives, we could not effectively tackle all these gyms, so that was where our trainers came in.

You've probably wondered why you've been cruising and crushing these gym challenges. We unintentionally put you against our convenient enemies and my Crimson Muk in order for you to get stronger in hopes you can take on the Elite Four, one on one in such short time. It was truly a chance of fate I met you three after you took down Gurner. We were unsubtle, in the way we threw you against these challenges, if we seemed to wield you as a play-thing, please believe that your victories were the closest thing we could come to feeling joy. None of us bear no ill-intent towards you, not yet at least."

And with that Ika begins to break down and Marietta goes in to concert her. Even the lab assistant pats her head.

Tully sighs. "Figures. Did wonder why the gyms were such a priority, guess I shoulda been even more paranoid. So, whadda we do now? Ain't like we're the only way they can get to the champion."