At the point the police had come, Ruth had expected that they would escort those involved to the incident to a police station for everything to be sorted out. She had been quickly proven wrong, as they were instead taken to the largest military base in the city of Dis. Given that the base was surrounding one of Oahu’s three ‘Leviathaness Protocol’ 406mm cannons, it was certainly high-security, and provided far more protection than the police station.
Quietly sitting in the interrogation room where she had both been questioned and had her mind probed through, the Elephuk was by this point alone in the room. Many of the questions had been repetitive, and had seemed to be variations of ‘you really don’t know why you’re being targeted’ and ‘you really had no idea an Aquassin Ninsect was in this criminal’s harem’. The psychic probes had been performed in a similar manner, seeming to look over the same memories and thoughts again and again. At the very least, when she had nervously asked if she was in trouble for not knowing the answers to what the military personnel were asking, she had been assured that as long as she continued to cooperate with them she would be fine.
Hearing two people stopping outside of the room’s door- one normal, the other hooved- Ruth turned her head towards the door before its handle even started to turn. The man who had been in charge of her questioning entered the room, before stopping on the other side of the table facing her. Whoever the hooved Pokegirl was, she remained outside, out of Ruth’s sight. Choosing to ignore her, if she wasn’t going to enter the room, the Elephuk instead turned her focus to the human man. Trying to read his emotions, the Elephuk found his countenance to be as expressionless as it had always been throughout the questioning.
“In addition to finishing interrogating everyone directly involved in the brazen attack, we have also finished having our Psychic-types look through the mind of the Aquassin Ninsect. We received more information from her than we did from all the rest of you combined. The situation we had determined from the Ninsect is far more serious than you had assumed in your responses to us. In answering our questions, you stated that you had thought that your previous captors’ harem did not include any Pokegirls capable of such an attack. It seems that you were completely accurate in your statement, and that the Ninsect- along with the Dark Maiden she had been working with- belonged to another human entirely.”
“What? If she had nothing to do with the ivory farm, then why was she attacking me?”
“Simple. Her owner had been hired by an unknown individual who was related to the ivory farm. His Aquassin and his Dark Maiden were sent to silence you, for reasons that were not disclosed to them- or at least, reasons the captured Ninsect knows nothing about. It’s possible the manager of the ivory farm simply had gained the money to hire the services of the group they were in. It’s more likely he was a pawn in this- especially given the memories of the Ninsect and the Sideviper, as well as your own memories.”
“What? Where in my memories would I have information to indicate that?” By this point, Ruth really had no idea what was going on. She was certainly glad that new information had been found- but she was also completely disoriented by how many assumptions it destroyed. She wasn’t quite sure what she had expected, but it certainly hadn’t been this.
“From the phone calls you remember hearing him having while you were in his captivity. None of those phone calls included incriminating information- but it’s what those calls didn’t involve that makes us think that. None of the calls involved giving orders to any sort of subordinates. Combined with what the Ninsect’s and Sideviper’s memories indicate, it would seem that he was just a bit player in a larger conspiracy. And before you ask me what the memories of the other two are, don’t you think you should ask about what I said regarding ‘the group’ she was in?”
Ruth paused at the man’s leading question, seeing no reason not to focus on the point he brought up. Reflecting on the conversation, she remembered him mentioning the Ninsect and Dark Maiden, and presumably their human owner, as belonging to some sort of unnamed group. “So what group was she in?” The Elephuk asked, willingly taking the bait.
“Six months ago, we executed Markus Blagg for his leadership of Team Black Mist. If you’ve been watching the news, you will not only be aware of the three main Teams now trying to replace him- you will also be aware of their splinter groups. The Ninsect had been recently acquired by a human involved with a splinter group of Team Miasma. Her owner- along with the other human criminals he was affiliated with- had been kicked out of Team Miasma due to their overly reckless behavior being seen as a danger to the group. Given the high-profile nature of the attack they just launched in the middle of the day in such a well-off public place, I have the rare occasion to say I agree with Team Miasma’s assessment on something.”
The man’s ever-expressionless face and tone of voice made it impossible for Ruth to tell whether she was expected to laugh at what seemed to be an attempt at a joke. “None of the phone calls I heard at the ivory farm ever mentioned Team Miasma,” Ruth said. Even if he had expected her to laugh, she was far from the mood for it. It was much better to redirect the conversation to a more serious subject matter.
“The phone calls you heard were coded so carefully and occurred so infrequently that makes perfect sense. Regardless, the Ninsect’s memories indicate that they had been hired by somebody who had been trying to purchase the services of the real Team Miasma. The leader of the splinter group had bragged in front of her about poaching the job offer so successfully the real Team Miasma never found out about it. And given she knew the leader personally, I’m certain that this will be the last stunt like this they ever pull before being killed or arrested. It’s just unfortunate she didn’t know any members from the actual Team Miasma we could target.”
“But beyond that, she also heard that the ivory farm had been started by somebody important within Team Black Mist. And given how much time the manager of the ivory farm spent on site without giving any sort of orders, that doesn’t sound like him. Wouldn’t you agree it’s incongruous?”
Ruth paused. That actually made perfect sense. While she knew little about the manager of the ivory farm, he couldn’t possibly have a management position in any other capacity. The time he spent at and around the ivory farm was simply too great for him to have any major responsibilities over other individuals. Slowly, the Elephuk nodded as she considered the military man’s newest revelation. If the manager of the ivory farm was just a bit player, and the farm’s originator was important within Black Mist, this was indeed a major conspiracy. Still, that did leave one lingering question which had yet to be answered by anything that had just been revealed. What in the world did they think Ruth knew that had led to her being a target?
“Given the gravity of the situation, the Silver Island government is officially placing you in protective custody until the matter is resolved. Your owner and your harem sisters, along with some of your owner’s family, are elsewhere in the building. The other witnesses we called in have already left, though, so you won’t be able to meet with the Ogress and Milliprisma. Prior to being directed to your new lodgings and tamer for the temporary duration of the protective custody, you will have plenty of time in which you can speak with them. They know just as much about the situation as you do, so you have permission to speak freely with them.”
“My Woolykins will escort you to them,” he said as his parting words before leaving the room for elsewhere. Somewhat surprised by the cutesy name coming from such a serious-looking man, Ruth watched as the hooved Pokegirl turned the corner, showing herself to be a Lambchop. The Lambchop puffed up in pride as she entered the room and faced the Elephuk.
“I have been given the duty to escort you safely within the base to your companions. Don’t worry- I’ve trained a lot in fighting, and must be close to becoming a Kung-Ewe. If anything should happen on this short trip, I’ll be sure to fight it off!” As Woolykins the Lambchop continued with similarly inane comments, Ruth silently followed her. Despite how safe the military base was, and the many more powerful breeds they walked past who could easily intervene if protection was needed, the Lamchop didn’t seem to notice any of it. She seemed to instead want to believe that she had been given an assignment far more important than showing a guest how to get somewhere they didn’t know directions to. Deciding not to openly question Woolykins’ delusions, the few times the Lambchop expected her to respond to her rambling Ruth simply gave short affirmative responses.
After less than a minute of walking, as Woolykins led her around a corner, Ruth saw her Peruva harem sister in the hallway, leaving a room marked as a restroom. As Bria saw her, the Plant-type’s reaction made the Elephuk assume the worse. The Peruva flinched away upon seeing Ruth. As Bria gazed down at the floor, avoiding eye contact with her harem sister, the Elephuk’s heart sank. What exactly was wrong? Did her harem sister blame her for the terrifying attack? Did Natalia or Emilia feel the same way?
“I’m sorry.” Bria’s voice, though softly spoken, was clearly heard by her large-eared harem sister. “I did all that training Breanna asked me to, but when actual battle came, I was too scared to do anything. I wasn’t even under the effect of the Drone attack the way you were. I… just…”
As Bria trailed off, Woolykins stopped where she was. The Lambchop seemed to have noticed that Ruth had stopped following her, and was instead standing still. As dense as she was regarding the importance of her tasks, the Lambchop at least had the sense to stay quiet in the face of what Bria was saying. Ruth, by this point not paying attention to Woolykins, was instead focused on how she should respond to Bria’s confession.
Obviously she wanted to say something to make her harem sister feel better about herself. Would it work to say it was a scary battle so it made sense? Or that might emphasize to Bria what she had done. Maybe to say she hadn’t fought either? But she had been under the effects of the Drone attack, and Bria knew it. Then, after a brief moment, Ruth came up with something that would hopefully work.
“It’s probably a good thing you didn’t do anything. Breanna was training you on aiming your distance attacks as a way of supporting us. However, given you only had one Boobleaf to train with, you never practiced distinguishing between targets locked in melee combat. If you had been trained to do such a thing, I’m sure you would have had the confidence to help in the battle as support.” That last part of what Ruth was saying was technically a lie, but as long as it helped lift her harem sister’s mood, the Elephuk saw no harm in it. “I mean, you helped a lot against that Sideviper!” Ruth blurted that last part out as an afterthought- although at least it was something else to say to boost Bria’s confidence.
“Maybe,” the Peruva said. Her mood didn’t seem to have lifted much at all from what Ruth had told her. “I honestly don’t know how I managed to do anything against the Sideviper with the timidity I proved I had here. I guess I should at least be glad you’re not mad at me for being a coward.” Stepping up to Ruth, Bria hugged her tightly, not saying anything as she did so. Her embrace was much less careful than it typically was, and Ruth found that her long trunk of a nose was being uncomfortably pinned against her body during it. Still, as she felt her harem sister slightly tremble against her, she ignored it as she hugged the Peruva back.
“At least nobody got permanently hurt from what I didn’t do. Natalya did get injured, but Breanna put her in her Pokeball quickly enough that she was able to recover fully. Natalya and Emilia and Emilia’s family are all in that room back there, so you probably want to see them to,” Bria said. Upon making such a statement, the Peruva ceased her embrace of her harem sister. Walking past Woolykins without even seeming to notice her, the Peruva walked towards the door, gesturing to beckon Ruth. The Elephuk was glad to see her Lambchop guide quietly depart, yet again having the sense not to ruin the mood.
After Woolykins left, before Ruth could walk through the door, Bria held out a hand to stop her. “Before you enter, I should tell you that I haven’t told Emilia about me being too scared to help. I’ve been careful not to say much of anything about the situation, for fear that she might start to wonder what I was doing. Right now our owner just doesn’t seem to be thinking about it.”
Now this was a surprise. Emilia had always been good to them. While Ruth knew that her Peruva harem sister was a bit timid, this secrecy didn’t seem fair to their mistress. “I’m sure that Emilia would understand,” Ruth said. It probably wasn’t a good idea to talk about Bria’s choice not being fair to Emilia. After all, the nervous Peruva seemed to be genuinely afraid about the thought of confessing her cowardice- there was no reason to add more guilt. “After the attack with the Sideviper, don’t you remember how she stood by me even though I was the target and I failed in my attempts to help defeat the Sideviper?”
Bria winced. “The most that happened last time was Natalya was paralyzed before Emilia immediately fixed it with P-Meds. This time, when our Alpha faced an attack that could have killed her if Breanna hadn’t put her in her Pokeball so quickly afterwards, Emilia reacted differently. I mean, you’ve always recognized that Natalya is Emilia’s favorite, right?”
“…Yes? It’s not unusual for a tamer to have a favorite. As long as the other members of the harem are treated well, I don’t see a reason for jealousy. And given how Emilia pampers us, we’ve been treated as well as most tamers’ favorite would be treated. I really don’t see a problem for us.” This was the first time Bria had ever had a private talk with Ruth about harem dynamics, and the Elephuk was feeling somewhat disoriented. Sure, Natalya had a Delta bond with Emilia whereas she and Bria just had Alpha bonds, but she had never imagined the Peruva would make something of it.
“While Natalya was healing, Emilia suggested the possibility of willingly giving you away to prevent something like this from happening again. This was before the government had told her they wanted to keep you in protective custody. When I made a small question to her about it, Emilia said she couldn’t risk Natalya’s safety again. That’s what I meant when I said our mistress reacted differently.” Bria’s gaze, which had previously been staring at the ground, suddenly lifted to make eye contact with Ruth.
The Elephuk found that for once, she was the one who turned her gaze away from the shy Peruva. Ruth had known that Emilia had gone out of her way to locate Natalya at a ranch after her threshold, once she was old enough to purchase her. The two had been childhood friends, which Ruth had also known. By contrast, Ruth had been obtained recently only to bring trouble, and Bria was just a wallflower of a Plant-type won from a contest. The harem pecking order which Ruth had just dismissed as unimportant- which the Elephuk had genuinely felt shouldn’t be considered important- suddenly loomed large in her mind.
“We probably shouldn’t keep our mistress waiting. Just remember not to mention anything I said when we talk to her.” This warning was the last thing Bria said before she pushed open the door in front of her. As the Peruva stepped in, Ruth followed right behind her. While she tried to pretend to have the same relaxed demeanor as before, the Elephuk had never been good at acting. If somebody commented, hopefully she could just pass it off as her overall nervousness at the situation.
Inside the room, Emilia and Natalya were surrounded by the members of Emilia’s nuclear family. Well- most of the members, as while Emilia’s Metalmouse mother was out of her Pokeball, the Minimouse harem sisters were still likely within the others on her father’s belt. Also present was their mistress’ younger brother with his Kitsune pet. Finally, there were two Metalmouse Pokekits who Ruth had been told were from the same litter, both younger than either Emilia or her brother, and almost old enough to be sold.
Given that these other members of Natalya’s family lived in Purgatory Bay, visits were infrequent, and this was the first time Ruth was meeting them. Their reactions to seeing her varied. Simon, the father of Emilia, stared at Ruth with a stony gaze. Metalmary, the Metalmouse mother of Emilia, looked uncomfortable. Wade, the brother of Emilia, looked oblivious, and was smiling with the same peaceful expression he held before he saw her. His Kitsune pet, whose name Ruth had never been told, studiously avoided her gaze.
As for the two Pokekits, though she hadn’t met them before, Ruth had heard about their personalities, and could probably match faces to names based off of that. Metalmyrtle, the more practical and responsible of the two Pokekits, had changed her previously relaxed expression to a carefully neutral one upon seeing her enter. Metalmoana, the daydreamer with the highly improbable goal of becoming part of a battle harem, started grinning upon seeing Ruth.
As Emilia spoke to her, and everyone entered into conversation, Ruth was only half-listening to the words being said. The Elephuk certainly responded when she was spoken to, but she didn’t initiate any new topics of conversation herself. Instead, she paid the most attention to facial expression and tone of voice. She wanted to see if any of those whose expression had turned negative upon seeing her enter relaxed upon actually speaking with her. Unfortunately, the initial reactions held by Emilia’s parents and Metalmyrtle held true throughout the conversation. While the Kitsune appeared more sympathetic towards her once she realized Ruth hadn’t known she would bring such trouble, she was the least important. Wade eventually noticed the tension, at which point he looked as uncomfortable as Metalmary, and Metalmoana was quickly ordered to stop talking after asking for details on the battle.
As for Emilia and Natalya, there was no indication from either of them that Emilia had considered giving Ruth away. Ruth would have vastly preferred open hostility to such a dishonestly friendly façade.
Author's Note: Alright- this is the last chapter before the answers are revealed. Hopefully I've provided enough foreshadowing throughout these multiple chapters that the answer will seem fitting. I might have been too subtle for anybody to figure it out before then, but if I'm proven wrong with anybody's guess, I'll be pleasantly surprised.