IC INBOX | VICTORY ROAD

[insidescoop]

I'll put stuff here later but for now IT'S JUST CARLY'S POKEGEAR LEAVE MESSAGE BYE

Comments

[uber_marionettist]

Are you seeing this shit? You do keep up with the news, right?

[insidescoop]

Huh? The news? I can turn it on now I guess.

I was working on unpacking this egg- it's going to be yours by the way, so you get TWO dragons~

Also sorting out this package from ~work~. Did you check your work mail? There's good stuff in there...~

Shit let's be Satan--I mean Santa.

[uber_marionettist]

For Christmas, Carly is receiving her commissioned caravan... or rather, she receives an email telling her that it's ready to go. On a different continent.

However, she also receives

1x Makeup Bag
1x Lens Case

Which, lest she misconstrue the gesture, are accompanied by a note that reads

Don't get caught.

There are also a trio of small, strange costumes, clearly intended for her Mimikyu: Eevee, Meowth, and Riolu. True to form, he's flawlessly replicated the jagged mouth and floppy character that normally distinguish a Mimikyu's disguise.

It's not clear whether this is related to the other gifts or not.

[insidescoop]

Carly loves literally everything here, even if the note has her tempted to say Haha weren't you in jail.

She can't do that, he has her caravan.

So instead, she'll text him-

Oh wow!! And just in time~ I should be ready to move into Saffron's dorms really soon...everything is packed up and ready to go, dorm prepared and everything! (I can't keep everything in the caravan after all...)

[Private Audio]

[uber_marionettist]

I assume you've been expecting me.

What the hell was that all about?

[insidescoop]

[Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnfine she'll use voice.]

I actually wasn't?

Dirk, I already know by now that after a point you're going to do what you want instead of what someone else suggests- I'm not going to start...arguing about what I think you should do for yourself in front of an audience though, I'm not throwing you that far under a bus!

LATER IN THE DAY, THE DAY AFTER THE FOSSIL HEIST

[fingersandteeth]

Hey, so. If you're still in town and you're near HQ, could you pick up my things at the dorm and bring them to Jack's house? There's not much there, but there's a few items of clothes, a couple books, some traveling supplies. Mine's the one with the, uh, poster over the desk.

You can leave the poster. I've got the real thing now.

Maybe it'll encourage the local grunts.

OH BOY

[insidescoop]

Jack's house??

wait

Oh~ Oh! Sure! ...I mean maybe?

Where does he live, and are we talking about Goldenrod's dorms or..? Because I can make it work I just need to do a bit of...working around on time...

URGENT URGENT URGENT

[conniemaheswaran]

[The message comes from Connie's stolen spare Pokégear and contains a live feed of this and a simple message:]

Please help her :(
D+D

PROM WEEKEND, FRIDAY MORNING

[uncutetomboy]

[Sent as a result of this shitshow:]

HELP I MESSED UP WITH CONNIE WHAT DO I DO

[insidescoop]

[GURL it is too EARLY for this SHIT-]

Start from the beginning...

text, a little while after akane's breakdown

[conniemaheswaran]

hey
i'd just like to say
thanks?
for whatever you said to help akane
i have a feeling our conversation would've been a lot
harder
if you didn't help
i
owe you one
majorly

wheezes oh connie

[insidescoop]

Phew, well I'm glad you talked...

Honestly, even in the 2020s our education on this kind of thing REALLY isn't great in Japan, so when she mentioned being from the late 80s it kind of clicked together?

I am definitely going to have a very long drink soon though! I'm an investigative reporter-slash-criminal middleman, not a therapist!

[Video] After the contest

[strings_theory]

[A dumb-ass probably should have done this in person, but Jolyne is nothing if not badly timed at literally everything ever.

Which is exactly why she's glad she has some downtime between this gym stuff and is just pacing in... what seems to be some sort of inn.]

Come on, answer... [Of course Demon's just watching her from the bed with a concerned expression. Nothing new.]

[insidescoop]

[It's fine. Totally. It's not like they'll be travelling together in a matter of hours after all right?

Right....

...

Click? Carly looks a bit flustered, but that might just be because of the remaining fumes of contest jitters.] Hello?

...Oh! Jolyne~!

Glitch day text

[amaure]

I have been pondering about our granted immortality in this world. Well, as we both know I have ever been immortal, but that's besides the point. Rather, is it not passing strange that this world would bring such a being as myself down to the scale of a mortal, but then in the same stroke make death a nigh impossibility?

Was this but a means to preserve life? To sap one of their immeasurable power, yet keep death's door firmly shut so none may pass over? I am still theorizing and working out what exactly this world is, and what its laws of reality truly are—frayed though it is.

Thinking on it... Dragoon, in your travels have you been able to kill one of these absurd beasts? I know you shy not away from such brutality, and one must wonder how you have kept yourself fed with your absolute repulsion to anything remotely civilized. I have wondered if they likewise follow such rules of immortality as we have been granted.

[insidescoop]

This was definitely not meant to be sent to me.

It's a very interesting theory, especially considering I was definitely dead before coming here! But this definitely wasn't meant for me.

I think something might be wrong with the network right now...

[Text, because I DON'T KNOW SHE'S A MORON as she's probably RIGHT ACROSS FROM HER]

[strings_theory]

So what's the best way to anonymously send someone pictures so that they don't try and end your entire career?

JOLYNE IM LAUGHING

[insidescoop]

[Carly slowly, slowly looks over to where Jolyne is on the hotel bed-

jolyne

j o l y n e]

....

[She types back a reply.]

what kind of pictures and why

text

[conniemaheswaran]

i think you had the right idea with moving to the whirl islands and never checking the rocket comms carly

[insidescoop]

[Carly reads this in...somewhat of a dreading daze.]

Connie what will I see if I check the coms?

11/21 (late at night)

[fingersandteeth]

Hey so. I thought I'd give you a heads-up that I'm planning on leaving Jack. I recently found out that he did something I find unconscionable to his daughter and knowing he's capable of doing what he did to someone he ostensibly loves more than life itself leaves me... not feeling at all safe with him.

I. Uh. Might also be planning on buying a week's time to figure out how to actually leave him with the least amount of damage possible by pretending I've fallen into the sleep of temporarily going home. Which is maybe a little crazy-sounding, but honestly, it's just lying around Armin's houseboat and trying to strategize with *him*.

[insidescoop]

[Carly reads that message and actually has to Re-Read it.]

I'm not going to ask what that thing he did was, since if it has you that scared it was probably something no one wants to put into words, but. Well first of all stay safe? We're not exactly 'unconnected', even if there's a good way to keep distance here..

Uh. Case in point, the second thing is what on earth have I been missing..!? I know I've been busy with the islands and with Jolyne but...geeze here I was about to make a happy little announcement on the comms...

...delaying that now...

forward dated to 11/30

[fingersandteeth]

[Oh huh, Carly had texted him after Angel had made that big announcement two days ago... and yup, it had been about Jack.]

Hey. Sorry it took a couple days to get back to you. Would you believe I *really* fell asleep and went home?

It's been *years*. Long enough that I remember coming here for the weird weekend and not actually remembering my past self--I'm sure Charley would have some theories on how that all worked.

Anyway. Thank you for texting me about Angel's announcement. It's... kind of a relief that Jack isn't here now, even if I'm waiting for the next shoe to drop and for him to come back somehow. I'm going to probably stay the night where I am and maybe one more day before I head home to pack up everything else at Jack's house and temporarily move above Fight Club while I try to figure out what kind of apartment I can *afford* now.

(I don't want to stay at Jack's house to be honest. It's been six years for me since I've been there and it just-- feels weird to be there without him. It's *his* house, anyway. Not mine. You know?)

[insidescoop]

Wow, talk about timing huh. Well, I guess it at least means you didn't waste any time hiding out..? It sounds like Jack disappeared pretty much right around when you decided to go into hiding...

Hoooooo. Hmm. I think I've met you around that...time? Or 'other you'? I mean, you've had enough time here that it makes more sense to see you and the version of you I met on one of the weird weekends we had...

....uhh....

Is there even a spot in the fight club for that kind of thing? I still have that caravan stashed away in a secret power clearing if you'd rather a bed you know! Colours were kinda picked by Dirk but I mean, it's at least something better than a couch or an ex's place....

[Voice]

[strings_theory]

[WHY IS THIS VOICE. Because Jolyne's a brat and Carly's probably out doing mapping or some shit.

And might be why she's fake whining.]

Baaaaaaabe, I need heeeeeeelp with this Secret Santa shiiiiiiit. [Why are you marrying this again, Carly.]

[insidescoop]

[TWO CAN PLAY THIS GAME]

I'm in a cave!

Jolyneeeeeee! I'm alone, in a dark cold cave, and you call for this?? Not even a 'how are you'? [She's hurt, see how hurt she is?? Boo hoo :[

...] ...wait there's a secret santa?

[Strategic text while she's out because someone's a coward]

[strings_theory]

Heeeeeey.

This totally came up while I was talking to someone and they were talking about their own relationship stuff. But, like, did your world have poly relationships? If not they're, like, mutual multiple people relationships and shit like that.

oh m,y god

[insidescoop]

[Why does this keep happening while working-]

Eh?

...You know I don't know.

They wouldn't have been legally recognized anyway, but maybe? We wouldn't have legally been able to get married back home as is, so that's not really an indication of most things.

[schachmeister]

[This is slightly backdated, but somewhere around the fifth/sixth of January, every Aurora League member is going to get one of these. It's a hand-written letter with a Pelagic gym letterhead leaving no doubts as to the sender.

It reads:]


I hope this letter will not be seen as me overstepping my bounds but --

I think the Aurora League should meet.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed that strange things are happening -- first the wild rumours about pokemon losing control, then the incident at the Safari zone, and now the message that was visible in the sky during the New Year.

Perhaps I'm worrying too much, but it is starting to feel like what happened a year ago when that creature managed to find its way into this world. That didn't come out of nowhere either; there were several smaller events that preceded it though we didn't see the connection at the time. I'm not necessarily saying that this is because of that same creature (though 'He will be back' could certainly be a reference to it) but something certainly seems to be going on. And perhaps this time, if we act early enough, we can put a stop to things before it gets that bad.

I know the Pokemon League is undoubtedly monitoring this situation too, but there is no reason why we of the Aurora League couldn't look into things as well. Or at the very least share our thoughts. Several of us are gym leaders and come into contact with a lot of trainers. Someone may have heard or seen something that, on its own, isn't particularly troubling, but if put together with other, similar accounts, could indicate something brewing.

Plus, even if there is nothing to share of that sort, I think it would be good to get to know each other a bit better. Several new members have joined us since that November. Who knows, we might need to depend on each other again in battle, and wouldn't knowing more about each other and how we fight help if it ever comes to that again? It's easier to trust someone at your back if you know what kind of person they are.


I know all of us are pretty busy, but I'm hoping you could all make time to meet on the 27th of January. That is still nearly three weeks from now, which should give those of us with gym schedules and other jobs enough time to arrange for some time off. I've even found a good place to meet at, where we can both talk and even battle if people would like. I've enclosed the address on a separate card in this envelope.


I hope to see you all there, though please let me know if you cannot make it.

Yours truly,

Armin Arlert


PS. Please do not worry about the costs involved. When I asked Lance for suggestions on where to meet, he told me the Pokemon League has a discretionary fund for these kinds of things.


[As mentioned, there is a card inside the envelope with the address of a battle club in Viridian City.]

TEXT REPLY

[insidescoop]

[Carly will send Armin a quick message once she gets the letter-]

Just letting you know I got what you sent okay?

I'll try to make sure Jolyne comes too, it'll probably help that you added the ah...last bit though.

Lucky for you guys, investigative reporting was my big thing back home~ Including the really big stuff~!

[Shhhhh don't worry about the part where that got her killed shhhh]

Text, in early January

[uber_marionettist]

Hey. Carly.

Don't worry, I'll make this quick.

Emet mentioned that your people had a card game back in your world that was pretty important. But he said you didn't tell him the name.... would you mind filling me in on that?

[insidescoop]

I'm babysitting cryptid hunters in a cave in the middle of winter, 'quick' is actually the last thing I need, but anyway.

The game? Duel monsters? Why do you want to know about duel monsters?

During the whole Indeedee thing

[strings_theory]

[Guess who just got a card slapped in her face from the doorway and is just making confused, broken Jolyne noises? It's her.]

Baaaaabe, what the fuck does this mean?

[She's just going to hold the note out to her.]

[insidescoop]

[Squinting at it.]

...Huh. That's.

...Weird.

[..................she's gonna be messaging Dirk when she goes to the caves for work huh.]

1/18 (text to start)

[fingersandteeth]

[It's been four days since Steven got a particular secret delivered to him via the Indeedee and he's no closer to figuring out who sent it. It's not Thace, who was the only person with a checkered past that Steven remembers calling 'good' to their face repeatedly--Steven cleared that one up with him immediately after reading the card. Could it be Armin? Except even as a child soldier, Steven's not entirely sure he could have ended up with that high of a body count, especially given how he's been here for years. He can't think of anyone else he's told that they were a good person repeatedly, except for Scorpia and Carly, and from everything he's heard about Scorpia's homeworld, specifying human souls sounds strange. Not to mention he'd already figured out one of the other secrets belonged to her and said mental 'voice' sounded completely different.

Carly, though... she was a good, decent person. Another reporter. He'd never heard of her doing anything shady before coming here.

And then Steven suddenly gets very, very still. He'd never heard of it. But there was a lot about Carly's past he didn't know.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

It could be her. It really could be. And if it was...

Well. Steven knew very well how much being called 'good' made him want to claw off his skin, even now. No one who done what he'd done in Arcadia could ever be again. At best he was a bad man who did bad things for good reasons. It didn't rankle so much when Thace said he was a good person by Galra standards... but those were Galra standards, which Steven felt was basically Easy Mode when it came to the whole ethical person thing.

He didn't like to think that he'd made Carly feel like that. But if he had...

... and if it wasn't her, he trusted her judgement for interpersonal things more than his own. He could at least ask her advice on this.]

Hey, Carly? When you've got a moment, can I talk to you about something?

(Don't worry, it's nothing big or immediate or life-threatening. It's just about one of those damn cards we all got on Valentine's Day. I think I fucked up a bit with someone.)

[insidescoop]

Hm?

[She Suspects Nothing.]

Oh boy. Got a clear idea on who it came from I take?

These things are really weird but...one of Jolyne's at least cleared up what they were for me at least. Spooky! Psychic types are spooky!

A few days after prom

[uncutetomboy]

i'm so confused, carly, and i feel so bad

i still miss connie SO MUCH but also scorpia's hugs are really nice

[insidescoop]

[Oh no! Oh no. Oh no???]

I have some groundbreaking news for you, but I'm a little hesitant to share it because it might be about as world-shattering as when I told you girls could marry girls.

How open to new facts are you right now.

[Text]

[strings_theory]

Hey...

I don't know if you noticed, but it looks like Chloe ended up getting back home.

Which, uh. Well.

I don't really know how to feel? Like on one hand, good for her to get to go home. But you know.

[insidescoop]

I

...I had a feeling...

Jolyne are you going to be okay? I...do you need me to come out to the island right now?

[Text, totally on the way back from Manaphy time]

[strings_theory]

You really had to do the damn thing, huh?

You missed the hatching of some Pokemon that is the child of the fucking embodiment of the ocean or some shit? And also there's some dickweed called Kyogre that evidently controls the ocean. I thought one was bad enough, fucking hell. Apparently Lugia's bitch-ass only protects them????

WHY IS THERE SO MANY OF THESE FOR THE FUCKING OCEAN, DUDE.

[insidescoop]

I didn't want to be too late!!

I was already in costume to help tutor the new kid though...

And wow...I mean it makes a little sense, we definitely had gods versus spirits of protection versus of things, at home...there's probably just as many for everything else if I'm honest...

12/18

[fingersandteeth]

This is embarrassing, but I really haven't been paying proper attention to the new recruits this last half-year and it's come back to bite me on the ass.

You know Narancia well enough that you're listed as his mailing address, right? What kind of things would he want for Christmas?

(Guess who got him for Secret Santa.)

Backdated to the Hisuian Braviary event

[schachmeister]

[Armin's frantic face fills the screen. Underneath the nervous energy, he looks rather tired and battle-worn, and he looks like he might be being powered purely by adrenaline right now.]

Carly, I need your help. Please tell me you are on the islands right now.

[insidescoop]

YYyyyessssss...

[She's even on a lawn chair. And considering Armin's frantic energy and frantic look, Extremely suspicious of what this is about.

........whyyyyyy?

Backdated to April

[orangesmith]

[It's Narancia, looking desperate, as if he got some really bad news.]

Carly, how do you deal with being dead? I...Bruno told me I died before coming here.

[Uh oh.]

[insidescoop]

[Well.

That's certainly a way to start your call.

It would be very easy to panic, she's pretty sure. Actually she's already starting to, and she's glad her coffee mug is off screen. Very easy to panic, yes.

How do you respond to someone starting with 'how do you deal with it'.

...

There's not really any good way to respond, actually.]

Narancia where are you?

[She doesn't know who Bruno is. Right now she sort of wants to find this unknown Bruno and pull his ear, ignoring the fact that they're probably close in age. But important things first.]