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POSTED ON Sept 9, 2020 21:39:02 GMT

[attr="class","spiral"]"Ah. Of course. Sorry."

Fernando does his best attempt to appear sheepish, smiling inwardly as he diverts his gaze down to the table in a show of submission. "Well, can you truly say that when you haven't told anyone?" Fernando doubts the alibi in a heartbeat. The only reason he's entertaining the Gym Leader is a show of thanks for stomaching the courage to call this meeting in the first place. As for how secret this 'secret' really was, he can hedge his bet on several others who know. It's just a matter of who.

"Wait, wait, wait." Fernando waves his hand dismissively as if pleading with the man to hold the conversation so they could dial back. "So you withheld this information because you wanted to know as much as possible about them instead of asking certified experts who've devoted their lives to studying such intricacies?"

Fernando pauses, intentionally, so he can think of the best way to phrase this without being abrasive.

"And instead of using the League as a resources to look further into this between the time you and Thomas discovered this 'egg' several years ago, you did your own research. This included at least another trip into the cave where you found multiple Pokemon of the same species. Not only that but you found a single glass shard and enough time has passed that you've collect enough to put together this artifact into the state it's in now."

His expression never changes but his tone start to float into something lighter, uncharacteristically chipper as Fernando tries to ooze 'cheerfulness'. He flashes his teeth in a parting smile as he stares Alexei straight in his eyes.

"Do you see my concern here, Alexei?"

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POSTED ON Sept 11, 2020 20:04:34 GMT

It was a good thing he already recalled the Phione, otherwise the poor Water-type would’ve been sent flying and eventually caused an uproar should her favorite perch start behaving strangely.

“Look,” he began again, a hint of exasperation leaking into his voice, “I only ascended to the position after the very first time Slateport was attacked and a lot of those in power either disappeared or were sacked. Everyone else who came in the same time I did was just as new as me. Of course I was suspicious of everyone else around me.”

He then sighed, before remembering something he thought may be important. He wasn’t sure if the man disliked the former councilwoman, but either way…

“The only thing Miss Olivia mentioned to me before she disappeared when I asked her about it was that Phione appearing alone was an omen.”

What a fucking irony.

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POSTED ON Sept 13, 2020 2:27:41 GMT

[attr="class","spiral"]“No. You look. It’s been a year and a half since then. That’s five hundred days.” Fernando brows contort into a sharp ‘v’, crinkled as his frustration breaks through his earlier pleasantries. “A few months I can understand, sympathize even, but keeping this a secret for so long means either you still don’t trust this administration or you’re just outright selfish.”

Fernando sneers, glossing over the reference Olivia Abbiati. “If there’s someone you don’t trust in the science department, let us know. We can vet them, we can look deeper, but if your suspicions are real and you don’t act upon them then you’re hurting us. What’s the point in joining an organization you don’t trust.”

There’s another point further beneath but he needs the Gym Leader focused.

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 8:11:09 GMT

There was still something nagging him at the edge of his mind, but for now, he decided to treat this with as much caution as he possibly could place on the table without leaving himself exposed.

“It—well, the Pokémon I encountered in Shoal Cave gave off the air that they wanted to be left alone. Are they all like that, though? Those that aren’t commonly encountered, I mean.” he said with the tiniest of sighs.

Still, there were only a few people he could explicitly trust, like a certain individual who had enough Audino to start their own private army. It was a hard game to play, trust. So he was going to do this cautiously.

“I’ll take your word for it, then. Apologies if I kept that to myself for so long.”

Even so, his instincts were still prickling. Cautious, cautiously.

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 8:21:33 GMT

[attr="class","spiral"]“You say that like we can’t accommodate that. You think I let them probe Tapu Fini against its wishes?” The answer is painfully obvious. Alexei is not the only one with a rare Pokemon that wishes to be left alone. But that does not excuse his behavior. This type of problematic worry eats away at the League. It’s why they can never get anything done.

“Alexei,” he reverts to his first name. “You cannot be one of these people that say you cannot trust the League. You are the League! A senior Gym Leader like you needs to set an example. Either you’re in this together or you’re not at all.”

He mulls over his words before settling into something quieter.

“So go ahead, who is it you cannot trust? Who does the League need to look into?”

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 9:11:39 GMT

The last question was tempting—too tempting—to bite down on. However, how was he going to do that if the person in front of him held much more power than he did?

All he did was oversee Fortree as best as he could, the city still had a mayor after all.

The prickly feeling was still there, it was still bothering him for so many reasons.

He would need to tread very carefully around the man in front of him, as that was one of the primary reasons his instincts were screaming at him not to fall into the trap, trap, trap—

“I wouldn’t want to incriminate directly, if you know what I mean.”

Slowly, slowly…

However, there is one person he is rather suspicious of, despite being openly friendly to most everyone they met.

“But if you want my honest opinion? I’m wary about her. I don’t know if you’re on good terms with Olivia Abbiati.”

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 9:18:35 GMT

[attr="class","spiral"]“Oh? Abbiati? She’s being handled.” He doesn’t miss a beat. As quick as her rise to power is all the dominoes she knocks down with great ambitions. They’ll come back to bite her in the ass. It’s only a matter of time.

“She has a big enough following that we owe her a chance. A chance that she’s squandered and will be seeing repercussions as they come about.”

But steering him of course isn’t so easy. His hands folder together as he stares with a curious quirk of his eyebrows. “But Olivia has only come into power recently. This predates her long before. Who else, Alexei?”

After all, they were suspicious enough that he couldn’t trust them, right?

“Incriminating someone who deserves it is important. No one will be in trouble unless warranted, but it’s important we look into it. We wouldn’t want to harbor any Rocket Remnants unknowingly, no?”

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 9:24:55 GMT

Trap.

Trap, trap, trap, trap, trap—

It felt like there was something pressing down on him at that very moment. Like it was suffocating.

“Would you take me seriously if my next answer was you?”

A flash in his eye. He had to be careful. Very careful. Well, it was already there, he’d already said it.

There was no taking it back anymore, no more rewinding.

He wanted to continue and add onto his statement however he decided not to, so he kept his silence. He wondered what the hell was going to happen next.

Trust is hard-earned and hard won… he thought to himself, keeping his face as neutral as possible.

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 9:32:35 GMT

[attr="class","spiral"]“Absolutely.”

Fernando doesn’t flinch at the accusation. He can’t afford to. Sometimes, it pays off to put on his dahlia goode impression.

“Your opinions are valid, even if I don’t understand them. After all, who’s to say that others don’t feel the same?”

And with that Fernando reclines into deep thought. It only lasts a moment before he follows up with the obvious.

“However, my follow up question is ‘why’?”

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 9:46:27 GMT

So he admitted to it then, he thought to himself. Externally, he kept his face as blank as possible.

Internally though? His suspicions were pretty much confirmed.

He would be doing Miss Isra Nightingale a disservice if he mentioned what she told him about her boss whenever they talked in private. He wondered if the other man would notice.

“Something about your public image. How other people perceive your approachability. That, and the lack of more information about your background that’s publicly available.”

Careful, careful, careful—

He didn’t want to get himself into a hole that he couldn’t get out of, therefore he had to tread really carefully around the other.

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 10:00:55 GMT

[attr="class","spiral"]“Public image?”

Fernando’s face contorts into a look of confusion. His PR is impeccable. Good enough to get him a seat on the council, polished by years of refinement. As for information available? He’s an open book.

“Information about my background?”

He doesn’t see where Alexei’s going with this but everything anyone needs to know is public knowledge. “I was born in Saffron. I went on my Pokemon journey at age ten. I came back at fifteen and set out again at seventeen. By the time I came back Kanto was under attack and I fought until Team Rocket killed my parents.”

Then he pauses.

“Then I came to Hoenn and ended Team Rocket myself. What’s there to question?”

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 10:11:12 GMT

“That’s it?”

He’s not telling everything… he thought to himself. Bless Miss Isra Nightingale, really.

Much as he was tempted to say the contrary he just kept quiet about it.

Somehow I still don’t believe you. There’s much more to that, but I know you’re not going to speak up about it, he continued in the back of his mind.

Everyone had their own skeletons in the closet. Everything that was out for the world to see, was what they would get. However he wasn’t getting the same vibes from the other man. Either way.

“If that’s all you’re willing to share then I can’t force you to talk more about it.”

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 10:39:22 GMT

[attr="class","spiral"]“…?”

Fernando’s beyond astounded by now. To describe it in words is near impossible. So, instead, he tries to reason with the unreasonable.

“Name four League members you’ve known for less than two years that you know their history in detail. What are you expecting, Ivanov, my life's biography?”

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 13:25:48 GMT

He had to bite back a snort. Thank hell he kept up with the times.

“At least their names should be easy for you to remember. Thomas, Miss Cait, Miss Stormy, and Alexander Stone. If you want another one that’s not the Champion because that’s admittedly too easy, Miss Francie.”

He could only wonder why that inane question was posed.

Were they getting anywhere with this? He could only wonder at this point.

“That aside, seeing as you have limited information about what I came to ask you about, I believe—I’ve taken up enough of your time.”

There was still that… prickly feeling he could pick up on. While it wasn’t as intense as it was earlier, it was still there, palpable in the air.

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POSTED ON Apr 18, 2021 13:35:26 GMT

[attr="class","spiral"]“Good.”

Fernando doesn’t so much as blink. “Stormy’s a good one. Her history is the same as mine. So what about my background makes me so mistrusting compared to her?”