Screams of shock jolted me from my sleep, and I sat up groggily only to blink uncertainly at the hide walls of the tent I'd bunked in.
Huh? This wasn't my state of the art… oh, right, the Crusher Tribe. We were in their tent right now.
"Who's screaming?" I said as I prepared to head out and get into another fight.
"Heh, Lance and Lorelei, they both just woke up in each other's arms," Sabrina murmured from her position in our sleeping bag.
That had me pausing. Then I realised what was happening. Oh! Right! The prank we played on them. I'd forgotten about that.
"Oooooh," I grinned as I considered heading out and teasing him, only to decide that discretion was the better part of valour and to lay back down and snuggle up to Sabrina. "Forgot about that," I whispered as I shut my eyes.
"They won't, for quite a while," Sabrina replied before positioning herself in a better spot.
"Teach them for being such terrible drinkers that they couldn't get themselves to bed," I suggested, while also recalling the other event that I could have used help with.
Hooting and cheering followed the screams and Sabrina giggled.
"What's happening?" I asked her. While my eyes were shut I could see through Jorm's eyes and what I was witnessing second hand was rather amusing.
"The tribesmen understood our little joke and are complimenting the new couple, claiming that they're happy for the engagement."
"Ooooooh, that's not going to go down well," I replied.
"They're blaming each other," Sabrina replied and I urged Jorm a little closer to watch on as Lance and Lorelei had small freak outs only for them to pause and realise that they were both still fully clothed.
They both blinked then stared at each other. They were disheveled, rumpled, and quite possibly terribly hung over, but neither of them would have been able to make love last night.
The logic was slow to work through their clogged up minds but when it did relief swept through them.
The tribemen all clicked their tongues at the relief, understanding the joke was done.
They all laughed and heard back calling out for the pair to mind their drinking in future.
Lance coughed and gestured to the tent they'd tumbled out of. "You can… stay here, I'll secure another tent," he said quickly.
"Hmm, I suppose you can be a gentleman when you feel like it," Lorelei grumbled. "And… thanks for not doing anything," she muttered.
That… caused a bit of a twinge of guilt to flash through me. It was a little mean to trick them like we'd done.
"Did we go a bit too far?" I asked Sabrina.
"I don't think so, now sleep," Sabrina commanded from my chest, not at all plagued by remorse for the scare.
"We need to get you a ghost type," I replied as I yawned and settled back down. There was going to be a lot more discussion and paperwork to fill out today, but that could wait a few hours.
_____________________
When we finally sat down with the faction leaders of the Crusher Tribe, there were several more inclusions than there had been yesterday for the informal chat with Jade.
When Jade herself entered the tent I had stopped what I was doing to give her a long look as I weighed up my response.
She stiffened, realising she had my attention and quickly bowed her head.
With a grunt, I tossed my head to the side, indicating she might sit, but that I was still displeased with her. She sat apart from the others with a pair of young attendants while the other Elders that were already present eyed her.
On her chest, a feather sat proudly on display.
The others all bore a Fang, a Spike, and a Claw on their own chests with cloaks wrapped around them.
They eyed me warily, and that of Lance, who sat ahead of Lorelei and another man who'd been flown in earlier this morning. The Crusher tribesmen dismissed him as a threat, seeing only a thin man with glasses mumbling to himself.
I noted the stack of papers he'd brought with him and knew him for what he was.
An auditor and bureaucrat.
They'd be watching Lance and me, unaware of how Blake would work to advise Lance on how to best 'integrate and extract value' from them.
The other party was made up of Noland, Anabel, and another Fiore representative who had yet to introduce themselves and instead remained tucked under their cowl, observing everything but saying nothing.
"So, you're the new Overlord? I was out hunting yesterday but I hear you took down Granite?" remarked Fang's Leader, Coke.
"I did," I replied simply.
They observed me for a moment, and I held my pose, knowing it was a bit of an interview trick to make a person feel pressure. I didn't let them have anything over me however and I met their silence with a bored expression.
They turned to Jade. "You have been reinstated as well?"
"Yes, with you all off on patrols and hunts so often at the previous Overlord's behest, I took it upon myself to talk with them and gain an understanding of their wants and desires."
She made a show of tossing her head in annoyance. "They want much from us! They would see us restricted in our battles with the nations!"
Then she slumped. "But they offer more… it seems that in the time since our departure from the mountains of Indigo… the people of the plains and the cities have become strong in ways I cannot comprehend."
That caused two of the Leaders to stiffen while the last glowered worse.
"You wish to neuter us?" he growled.
I snorted. "Please, you've been doing a great job of that yourselves. It took one talk with Jade to learn of your Everstone practice."
"You have been roaming the world with a poison in your minds and hearts and only a hundredth of the strength that you should have had!" I snapped. "I expect I will discover more successful practices the more I learn of… my people," I announced, rolling my shoulders and straightening up. I also turned slightly so I was now facing just so that I was facing more towards the Indigo representatives rather than the Crusher tribesmen.
Lance stared at me, the gesture not lost on him. "Brock, what are you doing?" he asked.
"There was a thought plaguing my mind last night," I replied. "What happens now?"
I gestured around the room. "The Crusher Tribe is caught between a rock and a hard place, but I suspect that they would rather see themselves broken or even attempt to crystallise their ways should the pressure continue with no end in sight."
I raised a hand to forestall any denouncements from Lance. "It might be archaic, but leadership of these people is mine for the moment. I need to make sure they are not exploited. If I were to simply sit back and let such occur, or worse? Facilitate it? I would not be able to look myself in the mirror."
Lance worked his jaw for a moment before nodding slowly.
Noland went as far as to clap. "Can't say I understand it fully, but… I can respect it."
A glance towards the Crusher tribesmen showed that much of the fight was gone from their eyes. They weren't about to storm off.
I'd flipped the script on how they thought this was going to be. Rather than an ambush with them fighting for everything, they now had a way forward and someone extending a hand to them.
Sabrina squeezed my hand in a show of support.
"Let's begin with what I think will be the most important point. The Crusher Tribe's right to roam freely," I stated, beginning the discussion on the front foot.
I just hoped that enthusiasm could last.
______________
It got me through until lunchtime, where Sabrina suggested a recess with the groups breaking apart for food and drinks.
Rather than join Indigo's contingent, Sabrina and I rose, and I waved my hand at the tribesmen to follow me to the tent that Sabrina and I had claimed as our own last night.
On the way, we passed other crusher tribesmen. Most bowed their heads respectfully only for the rare person to glower at me and Sabrina.
Just as I was about to reach our tent, a man stepped forward. "This is the person who defeated Granite? I find that hard to believe!"
This caused a gasp from others with some people stepping forward.
"No, it's true I witnessed him do it! He even defended the tribe from errant strikes that might have hurt us!"
"He returned the stolen pokemon!" cried another from the crowd.
"Tch! All the more reason to doubt! Trickery no doubt! Look! He parades his pet psychic around!"
I turned and gave the man my full attention, once more drawing upon my aura.
He fell silent as I loomed over him. This was even before the aura made me seem like a mountain before a pebble.
"If you continue to run your mouth, I can arrange a similar showing for you as I did Granite and his cronies." My words were like cracks in a cliff, sudden, frighteningly unmissable, and situated just right to threaten.
The man stepped back and swallowed tightly, suddenly fearful.
Sabrina, knowing that I had only grown mad at his comment, stepped forward and squeezed my hand in thanks. "Don't have all the fun Brock, I'd be more than happy to show people how I fight. It speaks loudly that the ambush group who detained me have not spoken of how they forced my hand," she said calmly.
That got people frowning while the Elders all gained thoughtful looks.
I held back a smirk. Typical Sabrina, being scarily perceptive.
With a nod at her I led our group into the tent which had Kirlia within playing house with Link. They had a tray of treats out and a pot boiling.
"Hah, thanks for that you two," I said, giving them each a small nod of thanks.
The elders paused at this show and shared another look as the pokemon moved to sit along the wall like polite attendants.
At a gesture from me, the elders sat upon the cushions around the fire, watching with a respectful uncertainty.
"You spoke well Overlord," Jade complimented carefully, her head slightly bowed. The attendant that came with her tried to see to the pot on the fire only for Kirlia to raise a hand and telekinetically take control of serving everything up.
"Hmph! His blood is merely showing through! He must have been one of ours!" declared the leader of Spike, a man called Edge, declared proudly, ignoring how a treat was being offered to him only for him to snap his jaws around it. With his mouth full he muttered, "He's strong and that's all that matters!"
I rubbed my forehead. "I'm not sure which of the factions my family came from. Flint was injured in a way that caused him to lose his memories as a young man."
"Flint? Hmmm that name is familiar to me." Jade considered me. "Still, that would have made him one of yours Topaz," she said as she glanced to the Leader of Claw.
The other woman nodded slowly. "He has the right look, if a slightly broader set of shoulders than most of ours," Topaz replied.
"It doesn't matter!" backtracked Edge quickly. "He is Overlord and therefore of no faction!" he claimed quickly.
"Hmmm, just so, I suppose I should use this time to—" I started to move things in a more progressive direction only for Topaz and Coke to cough.
"Overlord, while you have completed one of the rites by defeating the previous Overlord, for us to follow you fully, we must know that you are pure of spirit."
Jade stiffened. "Those are only to be done months after taking the Tyranitar crown! Not a day afterwards!"
Coke sniffed. "These are unusual times."
Topaz nodded along. "Indeed, while his previous status was never ascertained formally, it is still a break in tradition for an outsider to claim Overlord status. A grace period would be conceding too much!"
Sabrina and I shared a look. Traditions, of course it would be a sticking point. We'd barely gotten around to discussing the nomadic routes without tripping over some tradition.
It turned out the Tribe did not have a locked in route and would typically move like a swarm from fertile land to fertile land, taking what they could before moving on after no more than six months with each move requiring at least twenty kilometres, or one day's journey.
"This rite of spirit, what would it involve?" I asked as my eyes began to narrow.
Jade coughed, ""Actually, he has already passed this test… in such a way it cannot be truly questioned," she declared.
This caused a stir among the other Elders.
"He did?" questioned Edge. "When?"
"During the fight with Granite and his Brothers," Jade stated.
Ah, I was starting to get a good idea which test I'd already passed. "Mega evolution yes?" I asked.
Jade nodded firmly. "It was one of the reasons I proclaimed you Overlord so quickly."
Edge sniffed. "I have not witnessed it! Can he use it properly?"
A snort escaped me. Could I use it? That was rich.
"I' can use it, and more," I replied with a small smirk, my mind thinking about the Steelixite, and Aerodactlyite I also had access to.
The four elders blinked and stared at me. "More?" questioned Topaz slowly.
"You… claim that you can perform it already?" Edge asked carefully, suddenly uncertain in the face of my claim. Hmmm, good to see some wisdom coming to the fore, I thought to myself.
"It's not my first megastone, and I've trained up many of my pokemon. I'm extremely familiar with the process, but for all that I've done that with other pokemon, I know my bond with Titan, my Tyranitar is stronger than any other," I claimed. "Do you need to witness it again?"
The group nodded firmly, and I rose without any hesitation. "Alright, let's get this over and done with."
Titan, who'd been keeping an ear out for me all day, met me outside the tent.
People who had been lingering straightened as if through some subconscious awareness they understood that something was about to happen.
I held my fist up in front of me, causing the keystone upon my forearm to glint.
Titan grinned savagely, and through our bond, readiness and eagerness swept through.
"Titan!" I announced. "MEGA EVOLVE!" I boomed as darkness and rock aura surged through me.
Around Titan's necklace, the small gem rainbows began to fountain out, only to curl around him.
Titan drew himself tall and loosened a roar of triumph.
Bertha, who'd been watching nearby, perked up, and glee swept over her as light exploded out from Titan
Titan and I both shared an amused reaction at her all but gushing over Titan's 'Magical' transformation.
The draw for Titan's evolution drew deeper than any other, but I gladly fed the energy into him only for it to cycle through him and come back more powerful.
The glow around Titan intensified as we formed a loop feeding into each other. There had been a few things different with his evolution, hadn't there? I hadn't really thought about it in the moment and I hadn't reviewed Sabrina's video after the fact.
What was up with that?
An image appeared in Titan's mind of Salvadore and I in the armour shop but the concept he was pushing split past me before I could fully grasp it.
The sphere of powered condensed and a silhouette of Titan shown through the light exploded outwards as light and dark swept over the land.
People flinched or looked away only for a rumble to cause them to stiffen and slowly look back.
For my part, I had kept looking forward.
If before I'd felt like a feedback loop that was growing faster and faster and more potent, now I felt like I had a reactor in my chest that thummed in time with Titan.
We locked eyes, and I grinned as the feeling of successfully being more than we had before swept through us.
He now stood slightly taller, with a presence that weighed upon people who looked at him.
Then Titan shifted and what I had assumed was his shoulder crests floated off his shoulders, born upon a smoke that glinted with red light that exuded from the eye like dots within the gaps in Titan's scaly carapace.
A gorget? I thought.
Titan glanced down at it and smirked; a wave of smug validation swept over me.
Did you do this? I thought to him, and he looked back to me only to nod.
A moment later a memory of myself and Salvadore in the armoury resurfaced with the blacksmith pointing out the weaknesses in having spikes all over your armour, along with me agreeing with the man.
Titan had apparently taken that discussion to heart and somehow been able to guide the mega evolution to personalise it. Instead of spikes and crests and a huge horn that jutted out he had controlled barb like spikes along with a floating gorget that even as I watched, adjusted.
On a whim, I picked up a rock and flicked it at him, only to be surprised at how the rock rocketed out of my grip for what should have been a fairly easy lob.
Before I could focus on that oddity the gorget to rose slightly and intercepted the blow.
Titan chuffed in amusement as I hummed with interest. This wasn't just a boost to Titan, was it?
I grabbed another rock and considered a distant target. I hurled the rock before I could even question it.
Once agian my throw was vastly more powerful than it had any right to be, and the distant target was slammed into by a rock.
Huh. I flex my hands open and closed in consideration, marvelling at the feel of power coursing through me.
Titan was different, but I was also stronger, more in tune with the power.
This… wasn't what I'd expected.
"Synchronisation," whispered Jade from behind me.
Oh, right, the Elders.
I turned to glance back at them only to find them slack-jawed and staring at Titan and I.
"You… you molded the evolution… that has only been recorded by our strongest Overlords!" rasped Jade. Her gaze shifted to me and burned with an unasked question of how I'd done this.
Sharing a look at Titan, I chuckled. "Guess we're just that close," I answered.
A hand on my shoulder made me turn and notice Sabrina was next to me. "How does it feel Brock?" she asked, smiling as her fingers trailed down my shoulder to my arms and hands, causing me to shiver slightly at her touch..
"Strong," I replied, flexing my hand open and closed. "I feel like I've got a reactor in my body."
Alakazam chose that moment to float closer with his notepad already open as a pen floated back and forth, jotting down his observations.
Movement caught my eye, and a moment later, Lance, Lorelei, and Noland emerged through the crowd to gape at Titan and I.
Titan waved his now much more savage looking tail back and forth as Lance took one look at him and swore.
I glanced back at the Elders. "That's the only Rite you were worried about right?" I asked.
They shifted, and Jade snorted. "They didn't expect you to pass this one so…" she waved a hand at me with a light smirk. Heh, she was enjoying this.
"You've rather humbled us Overlord Brock," she declared. "It was this rite that Granite used to demonstrate that he'd done nothing averse with the acquisition of the trio of Tyranitar that weren't his."
That got a look from me. "The same pokemon that you now know he stole using hidden Indigo contacts?" I suggested.
The Elders scowled, and darkness began to radiate from them both emotionally and literally.
"Yes," Coke grit out.
"Hmmm so the Rite of Spirit has been tainted by him, no?" It wasn't a good idea to create too many comparisons to Granite. "What other Rites can I perform?" I asked.
That caused the darkness to evaporate from the Elders as they stared at me.
"There is only one other. But do not concern yourself with the Rite of Moon," Jade commented. "I'm sure none would demand that. You've already done two that would guarantee your position."
"But I can silence all doubters with three from three, right?" I teased.
Jade stared back at me blankly before shaking her head. "Your Ursaring, would you say it is capable of evolving?" she asked.
My smirk, if anything, grew, causing the Elders to wisely take a step back.
Sabrina smiled as I turned my head to address her. "When's the next full moon?"
The Elders shared a look. "He knows the secret method?" they whispered.
Sabrina giggled. "It's in a week," she announced.
The group all stared at me, watching for my next move. "Hmm, good thing I have the slab of peat then," I said, causing Coke to twitch.
"That's not supposed to be shared with the others!" he cried in shock.
Jade smirked. "Should have demanded silence then, but oh wait, you can't as he is Overlord," she replied gleefully.
Topaz smirked at a suddenly uncertain Edge and Coke. "One of all of us, no?"
Hmm, seems I'd just revealed a faction secret. That wasn't good. If I didn't rectify it now, I'd have someone trying to trip me up just because I'd gotten on their bad side.
Coke clenched his fists and glared at me. "Do you know—"
"Do you have any idea how to evolve Rhydon?" I asked, jerking a thumb towards Bertha.
Coke looked her over, and I could practically see the moment he made the connection.
When he looked back to find my smirk still in place, I nodded. "Follow my lead, and I can make things happen for you and your faction. Why worry about an Ursaluna when you can have a Rhyperior?"
"Are they strong?" he asked.
"Heh, I'll have you know Bertha over there has knocked multiple Legendary pokemon out of the sky," I replied honestly.
Coke was quick to bow his head after that and I pat myself on the back. Huh, maybe this would work out for me. I'd just taken a potential oops into a moment of binding one of the factions to me.
Not bad progress when lunch had only started.
So it was true what they said, actual progress didn't happen around negotiating tables, but in backrooms and private chats. "Let's continue that lunch," I prompted, leaving Titan to be a symbol to others for the next few minutes before we had to release his mega evolution.
Huh, I was kind of liking this version of politics, I thought to myself as we all sat down for a meal.
That sense of accomplishment promptly evaporated when Jade coughed halfway through the meal. "You understand that you will have to remain Overlord and stay with the tribe if you wish to retain that megastone, yes?"
Ah… shit. I thought to myself, there was the catch.
"Hmmm, you know that makes a lot of sense in retrospect, but…" I looked to the side and sighed. "I want to keep it," I admitted freely.
The Elders all tensed. I suspected they hadn't been expecting that sort of blatant honesty from me.
It made sense, especially with Granite being the previous Overlord. If I decided to hold onto it… well it would come down to a literal fight for their symbol of power.
Jade tilted her head and glanced towards the others. Then she nodded. "It is your prerogative Overlord," she proclaimed, causing the others to twitch in surprise.
I tilted my head, considering her. Was this a show of support after her mistake yesterday?
The others seemed rather lost but after a moment's consideration, nodded along with her lead. Hmmm, it seemed they were still suffering from Granite's iron fist. Odd to get some benefits from that and perhaps something I needed to fix.
"Where did you find the stone?" I asked, shifting the conversation. "There might be another if it was discovered a long time ago."
The Elders frowned. "The Graveyard of Giants is not a place to explore on an idle whim," Jade chided.
Graveyard? Hadn't Granite mentioned somehting about a Graveyard last night? Huh, perhaps there was more to it than just wishing I was dead?
"And a Megastone is not an idle whim," I replied firmly. "Tell me of this Graveyard of Giants if you would be so kind?" I asked, bowing my head slightly.
"In truth, it is one of the responsibilities that we will be discussing in future, so it is no great burden to discuss it now I suppose," Jade declared as she drew herself up.
"Should we not get a Lorekeeper for this?" questioned Topaz pointedly, causing me to raise an eyebrow.
Jade sniffed. "The Overlord wishes to know now, and I know the tale well enough to pass it on to a youngster of the tribe!" she spat, causing the other woman to bow her head in apology.
I glanced between them, noting the exchange but unsure what they were referring to. Some sort of oral history tradition perhaps?
Jade cleared her throat once before starting to speak, "The Graveyard is a site for pokemon that have lived through an age and have borne the weight of the world upon their shoulders. Some of them were pokemon companions, while others were wild lords of their respective domains that never fell in combat. The origins of the graveyard are what made it truly special."
That got a raised eyebrow from me. For a wild pokemon to go that long undefeated was… inspiring to say the least. The wilds were after all, not for the weak, so for them to remain on top of the pack for that long was respectable.
"It is said that it began with a Machamp. With the mighty ruler deciding to seek out one final fight worthy of themselves, so they travelled the lands, accepting all challengers in the hopes that they would fall, only for none to be worthy," Jade spoke carefully with her eyes staring off into the distance.
"It fought, and fought and fought until age and illness claimed it!"
"Then, with its final breath, the Legendary pokemon appeared before it!"
The Elders all bowed their heads suddenly and put their hands over their ears. "It is not for us to hear!" They chanted together.
Jade locked eyes with me, and the shadows of the room darkened. "Giratina appeared before the mighty pokemon and offered it a final challenge.
"Machamp, unshackled by the restraints of its physical body, rose and did battle as a spirit! The battlefield was ravaged by the force of the blows, but in the end, only one could emerge victorious!"
Jade bowed her head. "The Legendary pokemon, in a show of respect for a powerful foe that had to die before it knew defeat, imbued the land with a symbol. That symbol was an obelisk that now rests in the very centre of the graveyard!"
Jade locked eyes with me, and a chill ran through me as I felt the shadows shift and judge me. I held my pose however, and remained unbowed.
Jade blinked at that for some reason before lightly shaking her head. "The Graveyard is a place that mighty pokemon have since sought out when their time comes. Tyranitar, some of the strongest pokemon of the mountains and hills, often will seek an honourable foe for their death, and a Legendary is not a terrible fate."
"There are many stories of the keeper of graves, but none of them are unkind when it comes to easing the burden of a long life," Jade proclaimed.
She smiled slightly. "It is also a place that some Elders of the tribe will seek out with another to escort them and bear witness to their final moments. Sometimes those volunteers come back with something of note."
Jade bowed her head as she raised her hands high above her head. "A year I must wait before I may retell this tale and the tribe will need to move in two months at least!" she declared as the others took their hands away from their ears.
"The Lorekeepers will know," they intoned seriously. "No Shadow Realm stories for at least two months!" they declared.
That got my attention. The Crusher Tribe had Shadow Realm stories?
What the hell had they been doing in their roaming?
Suddenly, just labelling them bandits didn't do them justice.
"What you have just mentioned… I think it is important that this responsibility stays within the Tribe. It must also be acknowledged by Indigo and Fiore, as their ignorance might see them dismissing the importance of your roaming routes," I stated. It certainly recontextualised the importance they placed on moving set distances with maximum days allowed in one location.
It was one thing to be chased off by the Legendary Birds, but another entirely to have a pokemon that represents antimatter and what was thought of as pokemon of hell hunting your tribe down.
"They will not understand!" growled Coke firmly.
I hummed, ignoring how a few shadows retreated from the room with one pausing to wink at me. "Oh I think they will respect your duty. One of the former Elite Four was after all Agatha of Lavender town, the Ghost mistress. Speak to her of your duties and I think she'll hear the wisdom you offer," I said, knowing it would be true.
Agatha might be an annoying hag to deal with occasionally, but Ghosts, and the damage they could do to the world was not a matter she ever joked about.
I gave the Elders a long searching look. "Are there any other Landmarks or sites of interest like that which you observe or tend to?" I asked.
The Elders shared looks with each other.
"The cleansing grotto?" Topaz suggested, earning nods from the others.
"Volcano valley?" grunted Edge, having said little before this moment.
"The thousand spears?" one of the attendants suggested, earning themselves a reproachful look that turned into a thoughtful nod from the elders.
"I think we're going to have to get those maps laid out and your interactions with these landmarks explained. Keeping you moving and handling this duty, I think just became rather important."
"Truly?" Coke asked dubiously. "You would not deny us but support us?" he asked.
"Did you happen to experience a storm of unheard of magnitude a little over a month ago?" I asked vaguely. "With hordes of pokemon marching south?"
The Elders frowned. "Yeeees," admitted Jade through gritted teeth. "It is something that forced our hands to come south faster than we would have preferred. We had thought the plainlands we'd settled on were ripe enough to hand us for a season or two… only for our hands to be forced. Granite was not pleased," Jade admitted.
"Hmmm, so the effects were felt that far north?" I replied thoughtfully. With what they'd admitted, they would have been thousands of kilometres away from Shamouti, and yet still, they'd been affected by it.
"What do you know of that event?" Edge demanded, leaning forward.
Sabrina replied for me. "During that time, a great imbalance occurred in the world, and ten legendary pokemon descended upon the Island of Shamouti for an event that had been prophesied by the locals for generations. Pokemon from all over the known world responded to the event and moved south in an attempt to right the balance."
Sabrina's eyes glowed as she spoke the truth to the Elders. "We were there, fighting a corrupted Legendary and cleansing it of a taint that has caused nations to go to war."
The Elders swallowed loudly. "That… is quite a claim," Edge replied.
Sabrina raised an imperious eyebrow, and Edge, rather than challenge her claim, lowered her head. "Thank you then," he offered and Sabrina's psychic aura vanished.
"You are welcome," she replied with a soft smile. "And I would thank you for your continued duties towards those landmarks," she said, bowing her own head towards the elders.
I copied her, understanding what she was doing and mentally applauding the finesse she was demonstrating.
Sabrina straightened and gestured towards me while the elders reeled from our show of humility. "Brock is singling those out as if there is a risk of a Legendary taking home within them, such as the Graveyard of Giants. There we must observe and maintain the balance of those sites."
That got the Elders stirring and nodding along. "Agreed. That… will change much of our arguments," the Elders admitted.
"No one's going to want the experts to step away from their duties," I admitted. "We will want you to guide us on this." I rubbed my chin in thought. "Perhaps have someone talk to the Indigo and fiore delegates to explain this. There's no point retreading it and I doubt you want to speak that name once more."
That got a chorus of nos and topaz and Coke both volunteering to meet with the delegates to express their concerns over the handling of said landmarks.
"Tell Lance that you wish to speak of a cognitive hazard of the highest level and he will understand," I said to Topaz as rose to depart.
She nodded, only to turn to Sabrina with a small smirk. "Many will seek to take the measure of you in the coming days. Especially with the news of your victory over Legendary pokemon. I hope you are ready to show your merit?"
Sabrina just smirked back at her causing Topaz to chuckle as she departed.
With that done I hummed and settled back. Edge smirked. "Heh, with them talking, I don't think we'll be meeting officially for another day. With your leave Overlord, I would see to my family…" he wet his lips. "Thank you, as well, for returning my son's Companion," he said as he bowed low.
"It was my pleasure to return them to each other," I replied easily.
Edge nodded and departed.
Jade, having lingered, hummed and glanced towards the exit. "Was there anything else you wished to discuss Overlord?"
Hmmm, she was seeking to support me in future and stay on my good side, wasn't she? I might not be great at politics, but I think I'd scared her with my earlier denouncement. Still, a question did occur to me.
"Does it matter if you have heard the name too many times but not spoken it yourself?" I asked, unable to stop the niggling feeling of being watched despite knowing that Agatha was gone.
Jade gave me a long look. "It is best not to hear it too often." She swept her hand to the vacant cushions the other elders had sat upon. "They might have looked silly to you just now, but that pokemon is no laughing matter."
"No, they're not," I replied. "I think I and another would be interested in going to the Graveyard of Giants," I admitted.
A ping on my wrist had me glancing down to see a message from my family. I rubbed my face and groaned. Urgh, while the politics of this situation were looking more positive, the personal side was still up in the air.
"Also, Jade, how do you think the others would take it if I had my family come to the tribe?"
Jade, rather than being affronted, beamed at me. "They would all approve. Family should be with family!"
That got a huff from me. "Hmmm that they should," I murmured. I had to wonder what they would think if they learned of how Flint and Lola had acted.
I toyed with the idea for a while before deciding to put the ball in someone else's court.
I dialled home and got Suzie, who grinned at us. Jade perked up with interest.
"Brock! Big sis! Guys! Brock and Big sis are on the phone with some old lady!" she bellowed. Only to lean in close. "Huh, did you adopt another granny Brock?"
Rather than be affronted, Jade laughed with delight. "Oh, the things children say!" she giggled.
Flint stepped into the picture next, which caused the joy to vanish as Jade stared at him. "Oh," she said.
Flint blinked, his eyes darting from me to Jade. "Hmm, hello there? How have you been Brock?" he asked tentatively.
That got a long sigh from me. "It's… a long story," I decided to start with before continuing the story.
If I were going to introduce my family, it was probably important to check if they wanted to know more.
In the end, I wasn't at all surprised when they all agreed to come north and meet their distant relatives.
"The family is coming to visit," I announced upon hanging up.
Now I felt like I needed some of that hooch from last night. Hoping it was as strong as the taste they gave me.
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A.N. Thanks got ot my patreons for your continued support.
It also goes to Twmmy for proofreading this chapter!