Forum Thread

Magnus laughed. It was dry, and sarcastic.

"I mean, she's not entirely wrong."

Magnus shrugged.

"Alright I'll cooperate."

---

"S-So... you don't need the potion?" Araceli asked, halfway through mixing already and stirring the weird concoction in front of her, adding some... wait, was... was that sugar.

---

"Wonderful." Rai smiled. "No Ara, we're still going to need those... truth serums when you get a chance."

"So Magnus. First question. Who drugged you? Second question: has this happened before? Third question: why are you such an antisocial *ss at every turn to the people in this room? Interject at any point, Zaria, Araceli.

~~~

As she observed Rai's determined expression and forceful questioning, Zaria couldn't help but feel a pang of doubt. Was this the right approach? She knew that in this moment, Rai would do anything she asked. That kind of power was unfamiliar; the power to control the actions of another human. Yet Zaria was afraid because... she could see why others fell to the lure of power.

Rai's behavior seemed so unlike the Rai she knew, the one who was often reserved and quiet. Rai had warned Zaria that she was an irredeemable monster. Zaria's mind flickered back to their broken trust, and she couldn't help but wonder if she really knew Rai as well as she thought. Was she really this capable of playing the role of the interrogator? There was such a discontinuity between passive Rai and... this. But again, Rai was a monster at her bidding

As Magnus started to speak, Zaria's attention shifted to him. What was he hiding? She had listened to his story earlier, the pain and regrets he shared. But was there more to it? She remembered the mention of his past mistakes, the regrets he carried. Was there something in that past that was relevant to the situation they were in now? Zaria felt a surge of frustration at not knowing the full picture, at being kept in the dark about important details. This was why the interrogation was necessary.

And then Rai's mention of a drinking game hit Zaria like a bolt of lightning. Was she serious? The mention of truth serum, the idea that two of the glasses might be tainted with it, sent a chill down her spine. A fifty percent chance of having her secrets laid bare was not a fun gamble. But it might be worth it, if luck was on her side.

---

"First question, I have no idea! Second question, yes! Third question, No idea!"

Magnus said this quite loudly, sarcastically, with a fake level of enthusiasm.

---

Araceli wasted no time in continuing her brew, enjoying the atmosphere a little. The straight-forward Magnus, the interrogating Zaria, the glaring Raiden, and of the course the Pokémon, being her trusted Roserade and the lovely Stunfisk. It did not take long until she was finished. She did give her partner a sign though, as Roserade walks to the door and stands next to it. Just in case someone was "discharging themselves".

It took a little while longer for Araceli to stir the mixture, doing so in a clay pot. Judging by the shape, it would come close to a volumetric flask but you cannot see through it. But the chem-witch only needed a whiff of the compound to know it was missing something. A bit of powder, some stirring and shaking aaaaaand...

"There we go!" She slides over three cups of purple liquid, with slight white foam on top and still bubbling a little from the heat applied. She seemed proud, putting her hands on her hips and smiling down at her brew. The cups themselves were just standard coffee cups. "Soo, Zaria, Raiden, Magnus... yep, that is three! Don't worry, I got more!" The chem-witch leans on the counter now, eyes sparkling out of interest. Her gaze shifted between looking up at her colleagues and down at the bubbles. "No side effects but you might taste starch. I am much more into smells than taste but I did my best!"

---

Albe was in his own lab. Experimenting. He held a test tube on one hand, and a Dynamax Band on the other. He stared at both, and frowned. Something wasn't right about his experiment.
He set down the Dynamax Band in a drawer, then dumped the test tube on a test tube holder. He groaned, then sat down to retrieve his notes from his computer.
His Garbodor stood by the door, watching everything Albe did. As soon as he sat down by the computer, it slowly moved towards his rubbish bin, looking for anything that may interest it. An apple core was the only thing it found, which was the only thing Albe had eaten this whole day. It stared at it, then glanced at Albe, who was frantically typing on his keyboard. It slowly took the apple core and tried to eat it, but Albe's Galarian Darmanitan slapped it out of it's hands.
"Garbodor, bodor?" Garbodor changed its focus on Albe. You've been working nonstop for 20 hours, eating only one apple while experimenting at the same time. Shouldn't you take a rest?
"I'm alright." Albe replied without looking. His eyes were glued to the computer, yet they were looking restless. He himself was feeling tired, but he knew he had to continue. Finally looking up, he rushed to his drawer and took out the band once again. He mixed the contents in the test tube for the hundredth time that day, and added a white-ish powder in it (which Garbodor identified as... salt? ).
Albe then let his Rhyperior out from its Pokéball. "C'mon, it's finished. Let's test it if it works." he said, then rushed out his lab with Garbodor and Darmanitan trailing after him. However, before arriving at his destination, he halted. A strange smell was coming out from a lab. As a potion maker himself too, he had no doubt what that smell was. Truth Serum!
Curiosity got the better of him, and he rushed in the lab to see Magnus, Raiden, Zaria and Araceli. "What's happening here?!"

---

Araceli looks at the newcomer Albe, slightly irritated about how everyone barged into her lab like that. She didn't mind the company, it was just surprising how many people came to the basement, considering nobody could read her writings or figure out what she was brewing half the time. Not to mention certain personality quirks that makes the scientists in the upper levels difficult.

Though, seeing how Raiden, Magnus and Zaria had something to discuss, she took the initiative and slowly backed Albe away from the door with Roserade. Closing the lab door, she whispers. "Psst. We're having a bit of an irritated reunion and he..." She points at Magnus. "... fainted on my doorstep. I nursed them back to health and now they want to do an intervention. Best if you don't disturb them!" Araceli whispers, while Roserade looks at Albe's Pokémon, handing out candy bars to either again.

---

Abi had heard the commotion and the words… Truth Serum. Interesting, she had often seen it, but never it being used. This - and the scent of the Serum - got her attention Softly she walked down towards the basement where Araceli and Albe were talking. Araceli looked somewhat annoyed by his presence, and from what Abi could hear, they weren’t the only ones. The smell of the Truth Serum had vanished: she was too late. A shame, really, she could have seen it used.

---

"I see. Thank you for telling me." Albe replied, and slowly walked off. Meanwhile, Garbodor gladly took a candy bar by Roserade, and started munching on it. It stayed on Araceli's door for two minutes until Albe finally realized that Garbodor was missing, and dragged it with him.
Before leaving, he saw Abi, also looking at Araceli's lab. He was in a hurry, and therefore left after giving a quick nod. He dug out the dynamax band from his coat pocket, then put it on his wrist. "C'mon, Garbodor!" He called to it one more time, then led his pokémon to an outdoor garden. "Alright, let's commence." He took out a test tube, then heaved the contents in a big pot. He took a deep breath, and began stirring it.

---

Araceli was less annoyed at everyone being here and more just intrigued. Out of the entire laboratory, her basement was the odd one out. No cameras, walls full of drawings and stapled papers, some more coherent, others almost hieroglyphic. The otherwise stark white that decorated the upper labs was replaced with a terracotta-like brown/orange, apart from some discoloration from splashes. And while the labs had fancy beakers, see-through flasks and all that, she worked a lot more medieval. Cauldrons, grinders, there was a reason she was called "the witch" after all. Though she seemed a lot more hospitable than the name suggests.

"If either of you can leave them be for the time being, you can stay down here. I still have some hot chocolate left." Araceli points behind her and gave a little smile. Annoyed, a little but not enough to throw them out or anything.

---

"A- Abi, wait!" Girl rushed to person who tried to talk to her earlier. "Sorry... It's not like I want to be alone, I just didn't knew how to answer you... Would you like to talk with me a bit? I don't really have someone to spend my time with expect of my Pokemon. Most of my time I spend working or laying on bed and thinking about the past... Sounds boring, I know, but that's my life, it was never nice... Expect of few years when I was young, but I don't really like to talk about things that happened. I don't want bad emotions to take me over."

---

Araceli didn’t need more trouble, after all a recently-unconscious scientist was enough to handle. Abi was merely curious and whilst that was good in some ways, she needed to know when to pause it. Giving one last acknowledging nod at Araceli, she turned to follow Albe up the stairs. He was muttering something to his Pokémon and she saw a faint glimpse of a dynamax band before hearing her own name.

“Yes? Oh.. you’re back.” At this point, Abi had reached the top of the staircase when Elli appeared. She seemed quite apologetic and that soften her slightly. But nothing in her face showed it. “It’s.. alright, the Exp-” But she cut herself off, not quite comfortable in referring to her code name. It seemed.. strange to say it aloud.

---

Albe was under the impression that someone was following him, then turned for a moment to see Abi. He put his focus back on the experiment, and kept stirring it. Then, he took a pill out of his other pocket and threw it to Garbodor, who happily ate it. Before continuing, however, he was disturbed by someone shouting outside.
Albe turned and saw Elli shouting at Abi, telling her to "wait". "Hey, could you two keep it down?" He shouted to them, not angrily but a little bit annoyed and irritated. He dumped the contents of the pot in a cup, then gave it the Garbodor again, who drank it, cup included. It spit out the cup on Albe's lap, then coughed.
"Alright, let's do it. " Albe took the cup and put it in a corner. He then attempted to gigantamax Garbodor, retrieving it in a Pokéball, dynamaxed it, and threw it out. However, the results were not what he was expecting. Instead of gigantamaxing, Garbodor merely grew in size, and with a red aura on it. There was no doubt what this was - Dynamax.
The experiment had failed. Something is still missing. These words rang in Albe's mind, as he sat down on the ground with disappointment. He tucked the Dynamax Band back in his pocket, then returned Garbodor to normal. Garbodor tried to pat his back to comfort him, but instead tripped him over. Albe was too lost in his mind to be angry at it, and merely looked down. He took a few documents out of his pocket again, then read them over and over. Finally, he spotted one line that caught his attention.
That is what I'm missing.
"Wait a minute, I'll be back!" He whispered to Garbodor, then sprinted back to the lab as fast as his legs would bring him, leaving Garbodor and his other pokémon in the garden, looking at each other with a bewildered expression.

---

Rai's focus remained unwavering on Magnus, her eyes narrowing slightly at his sarcastic responses. She was determined to get to the bottom of this, to unravel the truth that seemed to be buried beneath layers of secrets. The interruptions and newcomers were an unwelcome distraction, each voice adding to the chaos of the situation. Her frustration grew as Abi and Albe joined the scene, and she could feel a sharp edge to her patience.

As the purple liquid was presented, Rai eyed the cups warily, her earlier determination now mingling with suspicion. She didn't entirely trust Araceli's brew, especially considering the potential for truth serum. Rai had always been a cautious person, and in this situation, that caution was heightened. She glanced at Zaria, her expression a mix of uncertainty and resolution.

"We're here for answers," Rai said firmly, her voice cutting through the commotion. "Magnus, you've agreed to cooperate. If there's nothing to hide, then there's no need for evasion or sarcasm. We need clarity, and we need it now." Her gaze shifted from Magnus to Zaria, a brief flicker of tension passing between them. Despite their strained relationship, Rai was determined to see this through, to get the answers they sought.

---

As the tension in the room continued to mount, Zaria felt a rising storm of panic within her. Every second seemed to amplify the pressure, the uncertainty of the situation gnawing at her conscience. Her desire to do the right thing warred with her ethical compass, and the result was a turmoil that she struggled to contain. When the conversation took an unexpected turn and Magnus's flippant response cut through the air, it was as if a dam had broken inside her.

With a sudden, frantic motion, Zaria's hand struck one of the cups on the table, sending it tumbling and its contents spilling across the floor. The truth serum splattered and reacted with a hiss, releasing tendrils of vapor into the air. It was an unintentional and reckless act born out of sheer anxiety, an attempt to stop the process that she found herself unable to control.

Her heart raced, and her breath caught in her throat as she watched the corrosive liquid hiss and sizzle on the floor. She turned to Magnus, her eyes wide with guilt and turmoil, her voice trembling. "I... I'm so sorry, Magnus. I didn't mean to..." Her words trailed off as she struggled to articulate her feelings, the weight of her actions heavy on her conscience.

The desire to seek the truth, to unravel the mystery, was strong within her. But so too was her fundamental aversion to causing harm, even indirectly. Her ethical principles clashed with the unfolding situation, creating an internal conflict that she found increasingly difficult to bear. Her hands clenched into fists, her fingers trembling with the effort to control her rising panic.

Turning towards Araceli, Zaria's gaze was a mixture of gratitude and distress. "Araceli, thank you for your help," she managed to say, her voice wavering. She then looked at Rai, her eyes silently pleading for understanding, for a reprieve from the relentless pressure of the moment.

Checking her watch, she realized that she was running out of time. Quentin would be expecting her back, and yet the chaos in the room had become a storm that she couldn't weather any longer. Without another word, without any grand farewell, she turned on her heels and swiftly left the scene, the echoes of her internal conflict following her down the corridor.

---

Magnus stared at Zaria's escaping form, a wry smile across his features.

"I don't remember her being this... emotional."

He leaned back in the chair.

"is this some sort of new routine? Bad cop, worse cop?"

His voice was sarcastic, mocking.

"Can I go back to my room? There's no point in staying if y'all are just going to have damned panic attacks."

---

Rai's frustration and anger boiled beneath her calm exterior. The situation had taken an unexpected and chaotic turn, leaving her with more questions than answers. The sense of control she usually maintained was slipping, and it was becoming increasingly clear that her interrogation tactic had backfired in a spectacular fashion.

Her eyes narrowed at Magnus's wry smile and sarcastic remarks, her voice carrying a cold edge. "If you think this is some kind of game, Magnus, you're sorely mistaken." Her tone was icy, her patience thinning with each passing second. "And don't insult Zaria. She's just trying to do what she believes is right."

Rai's frustration with the entire situation was evident, her composure wavering ever so slightly. "If Araceli weren't here, believe me, you'd be dealing with something far worse than a panic attack." Her voice held a dangerous undercurrent, a warning that she was not to be underestimated.

With a controlled exhale, Rai collected herself, her demeanor shifting back to a more collected stance. "We were seeking answers, Magnus. Answers that might have been buried in your psyche, obscured by whatever happened in the lab. But it seems this approach wasn't effective." Her eyes locked onto his, the intensity of her gaze unwavering. "You're free to go back to your room, but make no mistake, this isn't over. We will find the truth to make sure no one is... Messing with you. Ogd, was that really all this was about?"

With that, Rai's attention turned to Araceli. "Thank you for your assistance, Araceli. We appreciate your help, even if it didn't go as planned." Her voice held a hint of frustration, but it was clear that Rai's determination was undiminished, despite the setback.

---

Araceli takes the final cup and drinks the truth serum herself. Despite the drama, they were both still courteous enough to thank her for her service. That was interesting. Would've been greater if they drank her serum, which was actually just a drink from this weird purple ube thing, but you can't have it all. "Sure, sure, we all have tensions we'd like to ease right now. The door is mechanical, you can just open it." She sighs, finishing her drink and opening the door first. "Magnus, I don't expect you to be truthful. We all have our demons, but... it's obvious Zaria cares about you. The least you can do is show some respect."

This time, she left to the upper floors. She didn't really know where Zaria would flee to but judging by time and everything, she made a beeline for Quentin's lab. They work together a lot and Quentin is a night owl, so the thought of Zaria going there was plausible.

---

"Mmh, thanks. Man, i could really use a nap."

magnus yawned, slinging his guitar case over his shoulder. he stretched lazily, then left the room, heading for his own office, hands in his pockets, posture slumped as ever.

He hummed quietly to himself, absentmindedly fiddling with the edge of his jacket.

He footsteps were heavy, but he walked quickly, eager to take a nap.

---

Araceli's decision to drink the truth serum herself caught Rai's attention, her gaze following the chem-witch as she finished the concoction and opened the door. She listened to Araceli's words, her irritation momentarily replaced by a touch of appreciation for the gesture of honesty. She nodded in acknowledgment. As Araceli left, Rai's focus returned to the situation at hand. Her attention turned to the hissing and sizzling mess of spilled truth serum, a physical manifestation of the chaos that had unfolded.

With a long, controlled breath, Rai took a moment to center herself. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of anger, frustration, and confusion. But as the Electrocutioner, she had learned to channel these emotions into her work. She took a few steps to examine the spillage, her analytical mind assessing the situation even in the midst of her seething emotions.

"Fu-" She muttered to herself.

Rai's fingers tightened into fists as she closed her eyes briefly. She had let the situation get out of control, and that was something she couldn't afford. With that determination, Rai's gaze shifted to the door. She had work to do, and emotions to quell. The Electrocutioner's mask returned, a shield against the turbulent storm within her. As she turned to leave, her steps were purposeful, her mind focused on the task ahead.

---

Zaria's footsteps were unsteady as she made her way back to the lab she shared with Quentin. Her heart raced, and her mind felt like a whirlwind of thoughts, each one competing for her attention. The events in the basement had left her shaken, her emotions a chaotic mess. She entered the lab and closed the door behind her, the action feeling almost surreal.

She paced back and forth, her fingers occasionally running through her hair in a nervous gesture. The room, which was usually a haven of order and scientific curiosity, now seemed like a tangled mess reflecting her own inner turmoil. She had wanted answers, but the confrontation had spiraled beyond her control.

"I just wanted to understand... I wanted to find the truth," she muttered to herself, her voice wavering. Her mind replayed the scene in the basement, the tension, the panic, the confrontation. She had never been good at handling confrontations, preferring logic and reason over emotional outbursts.

Zaria sunk into a chair, her head resting in her hands. She felt lost, unsure of how to proceed. Her thoughts swirled, guilt over the way things had unfolded mixing with frustration at herself for not handling it better. She had prided herself on her ability to analyze situations and make rational decisions, but today had shown her that emotions could still disrupt her carefully constructed world.

As her breathing steadied, she forced herself to focus. She needed to make sense of what had just happened, to find a way to salvage the situation. She took out her tablet and began typing, organizing her thoughts and forming a plan of action. While her emotions were in disarray, her logical mind still had its grip, and she was determined to use it to navigate the mess she found herself in.

---

A parting gift from Roserade to Rai. A gift card for a book store, seems like she never used it. Araceli never read modern books anyway, they were a little corny for her taste. He handed it over but when Rai left, the Grass-type followed.

---

Araceli meanwhile looks into Quentin's lab... she only saw a moving shadow but she could tell the difference between "contemplating walking" and "chaotic walking", so she could discern that it was, most likely, Zaria. But, barging in wasn't a good idea either, she probably still has a turbulent mind. So, she sat down in front of the lab and leans onto the opposing wall, watching the shadow move until it didn't anymore. When it stopped, Araceli tries opening the lab doors... those modern doors are a little weird for her but she knows the basics

---