“Accept the truth or I’ll beat it into you”

“Hello fellow meme(s)”

“I must maintain my meme king status”

“Stabbing is always good isn’t it”

“I’ll just stab any pain away”

“Who needs to stab when you can rub your face on swords”

“I AM HERE TO COMPLIMENT YOU”

“If you do not behave, Shakespeare will rise from the grave and make you read”

“B U L L Y”

*Muffled sobbing*

“I am excited to go back to hell”

“Only accept high tier waifus”

“We’re fucked”

“I AM DRUNK WHO WANTS CUDDLES”

“Is your sleep schedule in shambles…?”

“Why blaze it when you can praise it?”

“___ is All Knowing and Powerful”

“You are his waifu”

“Reality was made to be broken”

“I’ll just stab my wrist, yes”

“What’s my wish? I came for knives and, I dunno, cute girls I guess”

“The weak die for the sake of the stronk”

“Trust no one, not even your younger non-corrupted self”

“Be the shamer the world needs”

“sleeping is good but REROLLING AND WAITING FOR 24 HOURS OF MAINTENANCE IS BETTER”

Even if she didn’t get to see or talk to him, it’d be a comfort to know he was alive. Maria seemed instantly to be a little more willing to take Roark’s words at face value– though the unusual kindness and concern he exhibited was still a bit suspicious, considering she was a stranger and not the most universally beloved of people in general.

       “I have Mars here, if you’d like t- okay, yes, you can speak to her, that’s why I called you. Hush.” The gym leader sighed and held out the phone to Maria. “Careful, he sounds like he’s about to cry, though he’s very happy to talk to you.”

He knew Saturn.

He could get in touch with Saturn.

He knew if he was alive, how he was doing, how to contact–

“Saturn. Is he alive? I mean. Obviously. But. How is he? He got away, right?”

Of course he knew her, then. He’d known her from the very start. Obviously. She should’ve seen it, it wasn’t like he was trying very hard to keep that under wraps…

Maria was hesitant to follow him into the shed, but eventually did, ready to defend herself if need be.

“What do you mean, ‘vouched for’ me? How do you know all this?”

He wasn’t really planning to lend her Onix, was he? She’d walked straight into a trap.

“Look… I… I wouldn’t have…” So much for a smooth exit. Why was all this so hard now?

“I’m just here to stargaze.”

       Well, looked like he’d fucked up. While he believed her, it seemed the opposite was not true at all. “Yup, broke an arm in the gate,” referring to the tunnel connecting Oreburgh to route 203, “in a rockslide. He was... far more panicked than you are now when I revealed I knew who he was.” No surprise, given what the lieutenant commander had done compared to his coworkers.

       “He stayed with me while he recovered, he was too scared to stay in the center. We were sad to part, we’d grown pretty close. I actually have his number if you want me to call him up? Anyway. He called you ‘the best sister,’ and more or less gushed about you on more than one occasion, so I have a pretty high opinion of you, actually.” The entire time, he remained against one of the walls, not wanting to have Mars freak out.

Maria was tempted just to make a run for it while he disappeared into the she’d again, but he was bringing something out.

There were more reasons than one she’d rather avoid getting arrested, and the fact that she was using a fake last name had to be the least of them. Technically speaking, her family still formally had custody of her for a while, and she really would rather avoid being found.

Team Galactic had helped with that.

Still, it was touching that he actually seemed concerned for her health on the matter.

“I… will probably only be taking my telescope?” She didn’t have a backpack big enough, and what else would she need, really?

“Please, that’s really not necessary. I don’t plan on getting hurt.” Or on seeking medical attention in a city she didn’t know where people knew her unless she was actively dying.

Still, she was quick to follow him wherever he was going. There was no reason to be apprehensive of being alone somewhere with a public figure like that, was there? It wasn’t even that she didn’t trust him, but if he recognized her…

Then again, not following would’ve been even more suspicious.

      It didn’t take long for him to grab one of the torches, sticking a new battery in it. Well... even if she did fall, she probably wouldn’t be too hurt. The highest point of the cliff at the section she was hopefully climbing was only about twelve feet high. Enough to sprain something or break some fingers, but not high enough to risk any serious injury.

       Once he walked out, he handed it to her with a smile. “If you do end up becoming injured, please don’t be scared to come to the center for treatment. I’ll radio them right now not to card you. If they don’t card you, they’re legally not allowed to call up law enforcement, alright? And please, be careful. Check every handhold first- and you have a backpack, right? Maybe I should give you a headlamp, actually, now that I think about it-” and he took the torch back, rushing back into the shed and bringing out instead a little... head harness would be the best description, with a light attached to it.

Maria didn’t really have any climbing gear whatsoever, and had been planning simply to wear some sort of pants and boots. It couldn’t be too different from what anybody else wore up there, right?

“One last question. Is it usually a super busy area?”

Okay, this she could do. Even though she and her Pokémon had never climbed before, her Bronzor might be able to help her if she fell, right?

“Thank you!”

She should probably leave now before he put two and two together…

This time, Silver’s voice held considerably more distress, though he tried to hide it as well as he could behind a front of anger.

The fact that this guy seemed not to be giving him a choice only seemed to make things worse. Silver had to get out of there before he dragged him to a Pokémon Center and got him IDed.