Jonathan Bradshaw - Bellossom
Slateport City, Hoenn
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii

I wasn't too crazy about being so close to the Trick Master's scrutiny. From what I could see with Azelf, he was using psychic communication and it looked like whoever was on the other line was making him anxious. I couldn't listen in, but I could tell it was all just reinforcing the idea that things were getting worse every passing minute this Trickonia cesspool showed its ugly face of horror.

Not to mention I had a feeling I was raising suspicion to myself. A Bellossom with psychic powers was very unusual, but then again, so were a ton of other things around here. Maybe he was thinking it was just a glitch or a fluke and nothing serious. I couldn't keep chancing it, though. Eventually something would slip and I wouldn't be prepared for it, so I had to start thinking of ways to do something that would make this whole thing worth the time and effort.

"We'd better get out of here," I told the others, seeing Slateport, if this pile of candy ruins and dust really was Slateport, really had nothing left for us. "Regardless of the kind of damage it does, we need to hunt down the Trick Master's legendaries. Worrying about reversing the damage is just something we have to handle later."

I wasn't sure how we could kill off the false legendaries faster than the Trick Master could create them. Only one thing came to mind.

Distracting and exhausting him. Despite his powers, he still had the mind of a human. His powers were extreme and limited only to his imagination. And I... needed to exhaust his imagination. To the point where his creative muse hit maximum writer's block and he simply couldn't dream up any more garbage to throw at us because he had exhausted everything his creative mind could vomit out. But this was NOT, by any means, going to be a fun experience.

Sloane and Azelf, along with the real legendaries, could be given time to kill off the Trick Master's legendaries if... I revealed myself to the Trick Master. He couldn't focus on dealing with me and Sloane at the same time. But it did mean I'd end up having to subject myself to plenty of the Trick Master's tortures and I'd have to tear my way through them until he couldn't think of any more. I had to be confident that I could outsmart his traps like I did with the zombie and the fat Goodra, no matter how bad the situation seemed. In fact, I was getting a better handle at figuring out the ways of this place. The only way to keep the plan secret was to communicate through Azelf, who could then telepathically tell Sloane the plan and who I really was.

I looked to Azelf, and just made this psychic message quick. I didn't want any of those bastard legendaries overhearing this. Especially no one like those two stupid cats that Azelf eviscerated.

<I'm going to need you and Sloane to find and gather the real legendaries and start killing off the Trick Master's fake ones. Sloane knows me, I'm Jonathan, a friend of hers, but I know the second I speak that name out loud, I'm target priority one for the Trick Master and I probably won't last another five seconds without him doing something nefarious to me. While he's dealing with me, it's drawing his attention away from the two of you and what's going on with his minions. He can't be dealing with both of us since there's only one of him. I'll try to keep in contact if I can. I know your psychic signature and it shouldn't be too difficult for me to find again. Good luck, buddy.>

With that message sent across, it was time to let the truth out. This plan was reckless, but it was the only thing that I thought would work. Not to mention with Sloane hurt and aching the way she was, I'd rather be taking the direct pain and punishment than let her deal with it.

"I have a confession to make," I told Lei and Jubilee with a hard sigh. "I'm sorry, but I'm not really a Bellossom."

"No?" Jubilee asked me, looking very surprised. "But you definitely look like one, Wishflower!"

"I'm not," I told her, looking at eyes with a shameful but compassionate smile. "The guilt's been killing me lately and it just keeps getting worse. I'm sorry, you two, but I'm normally a human. This was simply meant to be a disguise and when I found the two of you, I was really happy to have friends like you to help have my back. But the whole time, I felt like I was lying. Both of you believed I was the real deal and you both deserve to know the truth."

"Oh..." Lei muttered, looking shocked but sympathetic. "I never would have guessed, but you definitely seem like a very nice Bellossom. But... who are you really?"

Now here, I wasn't sure if the Trick Master was going to think I was being careless with the confession. I wasn't lying when I said the guilt was killing me.

"Jonathan," I whispered to Lei and Jubilee, pretending I thought that would be enough for the Trick Master not to overhear. "Don't say it too loud, because-"

And then, boom. Just as I suspected.

"Because WHAT!? You're afraid of ME LISTENING IN!?"

I tried to act shocked and surprised, and in a way, I kind of was. I was definitely going to have to brace myself for whatever hell this guy had in store.

"No way, that's impossible!" I shouted at the sky, trying to act as best as I could to think I could have gotten away with telling them. "You couldn't have heard that! Where the hell are you eavesdropping!?"

"Quite a cute disguise, Jonathan. You had everyone fooled, and it figures you let something like guilt blow your cover. Or your overconfidence in thinking that I wouldn't be watching and listening. I've been waiting to hear your name somewhere, anywhere, and now it all makes sense coming from you. I have ears everywhere. That's just how gods are. I see and know all."

Not quite, you stupid bastard.

"You're no god," I shouted back. "You're just some psycho maniac who only got his powers from three lousy wishes. Without Jirachi, you'd be nothing but some rejected circus clown!"

"No matter. Wave goodbye to your friends, Jonathan. We're going to have some fun."

I just looked to Sloane for that one last second, and then everything went black as I was suddenly whisked away and vanished completely from sight...