Magnum/Apex/Zilch/Sledge
Team Lockdown
Relic Graveyard Safehaven
Affected RPers: @Gef @Morzone @Alphys @LKWayvern

Much to the Typhlosion's dismay, he was overruled by his leader, Crownless, but only ever so slightly. Crim, however, believed Darkrai despite the opinions of many others in the room.

Stone of Team Firestorm tried to persuade the others to listen to Darkrai and observe the code of honor. Magnum, however, found the words hard to swallow, especially in the current situation.

"Risk of humiliation and mistake?" Magnum asked, wondering how Stone could possibly be thinking this way. "I understand your point about protecting the innocent and the needy, but this is different! This isn't an ordinary Pokémon asking for help! I would be willing to help even a Pokémon that wasn't one of our own, but Darkrai is anything but weak, innocent, or needy! He hasn't been able to provide any shred of truth or evidence to these claims!"

Sledge, despite his feelings of compassion, could understand why proof and validation were important to his leader. If any of them were betrayed and killed as a result, it would be devastating to the Safehavens, and they would all feel like fools for having trusted a perceived enemy. The large and heavily built Aggron only wished Darkrai could provide some shred of proof, because he knew himself that speculation and rumors were something Team Lockdown never relied upon and took at full face value until something proved those claims true.

"I want to believe..." Sledge told Stone, looking sympathetic. "I want to believe Darkrai is innocent and perhaps not all legendaries are evil and are out to destroy the Safehavens. But in my time, I have seen too many lives lost and too much devastation. I've made mistakes that I wish I could take back, and I don't want this to be yet another one that burns in my heart. In these dark times, it can be hard to trust outsiders, especially ones that are believed to be affiliated with the enemy."

He then turned to Darkrai, hoping for some kind of mediation between the Pokémon in the room and the dark legendary.

"Darkrai, you need to see things from our perspective as well," the Aggron told him. "Our world has been shattered, darkened, and blighted by the many you considered corrupted, making it vital we distinguish carefully between our friends and foes. Our list of friends and allies grows shorter by the day as many friends and family fall to what you believe are the Corrupted. Because of this, if you cannot prove these claims here, we need proof and promise that you mean no harm, and that your words are true."

Zilch rolled her eyes, thinking Sledge was being way too lenient with Darkrai, but she decided to bear with it solely on the basis of the fact she expected Darkrai to be unable to produce anything and make a complete mockery of himself prior to being exterminated. Meanwhile, Apex the Emolga kept his eyes on Darkrai, analyzing his movements and behaviors at all time, taking in all the nonverbal cues and body language to discern the dark Pokémon's next moves. He knew he needed to be careful and leave nothing to chance, as it could be a very deadly mistake if those details were overlooked.

"You heard him," Magnum told Stone and Darkrai, referring to Sledge's request. "Trust and respect are earned, not given. "I don't take on any mission if I don't trust the client and get the details I need, and neither does the rest of my team. Anyone who does is a fool and will sooner or later end up dead because they assumed everything they believed was true."

Magnum felt it was a strong point that Stone would be hard-pressed to argue against. However, it all came down to what Crownless believed Darkrai should do. If the Nidoking gave the order to follow Darkrai's words, he had to follow them whether he liked it or not.