[center][h2][u]The Hospital - A Collab between Zanavy and Leos Klien[/u][/h2][/center]

The policewoman continued to keep an eye on Germaine for a while longer. She left near the beginning of the broadcast Tournament, but not without giving the Avatar one last half-hearted warning to stay put. Apparently, the officer had more important things to do right now than babysit an injured murderer.

The tournament was shown on every television on the hospital. It was even displayed on mute in the rooms of sleeping patients, just in case they woke up and wanted to see the main event. Most of the hospital staff dutifully continued their jobs, though they stole glances at the show whenever they could.

The handcuffs still chained Germaine to his bed, but at least the officer's stern gaze was no longer boring into him. He remained alone in his secluded, peaceful room... until a break between battles, at which point a man quietly walked in unannounced. The man looked to be in his late twenties. He sported a bowl cut, simple athletic clothing, and a pair of dark sunglasses. Something seemed familiar about this man... perhaps Germaine had seen him earlier in the festival. The man approached Germaine with a neutral expression on his face.

"Germaine, Avatar of Giratina," he began in a smooth voice. "First of all, are you okay? Killing an Avatar is a terrible thing, but losing another would be much worse. Do you need my assistance in any way?"

----

Not much occurred after Rebeccas intervention - it went surprisingly well despite all of the odds that said otherwise, it probably explained as to how a fight didn't break out between Giratina and herself when they had that talk a few days ago.
Now, it was just him in this room.
The Police officer left for some business after she decided that I was not going to run or try and blow the building up, maybe she believed him, Rebecca likely helped on that front; albeit inadvertently. 

Germaine had just been watching the last fight before the room was disturbed once more by another person - someone whom was neither Police or hospital staff.
Something that instantly intrigued him. 
After he had said his piece, Germaine retorted. 

"I'm sorry, but you have me at a disadvantage - just who exactly are you? And what did you mean by "losing another avatar would be much worse"? Are you implying that my life is in danger?"
This man - he had an oddly familiar look to him; yet he couldn't pin it. 

"My name is Silas," the athletic man answered placidly as ever. "You may have seen me in the parade." The man's head tilted slightly as he gave Germaine a once-over.

"The danger I mentioned was your injuries," Silas clarified. "At second glance, while they look quite painful, they seem survivable by a typical human, let alone someone like us. Being handcuffed to your bed, though... that is an inconsiderate insult to anyone." The man seemed to stare at the chains from behind his sunglasses as he pondered for a moment. Then he gave Germaine the slightest of smiles.

"Well, you may be in luck. As a Avatar, I have ways of changing minds and absolving crimes. I might be able to provide a future get-out-of-jail-free card, so to speak. Before you ask... of course I request something in return. I have been searching for an item that happens to be in your bag. However, I do not know the current location of your bag. If you simply tell me the last place you had it, I will find your bag for you and make arrangements to compensate for the plate."

Germaine listened attentively to this unknown man named Silas, well... Man may be the improper term here as he was an avatar, but which one?
That was all shoved to the back of his mind when his newly acquired friend mentioned the payment for absolving Giratinas crimes.

The Spooky Plate as those foolish humans called it; it was a piece of Arceus himself a plate that granted him immunity to Normal type moves and severely reduced the effectiveness of anything humans could do to the wielder. 
It held great value to Giratina, and Germaine shuddered to think just what he'd do if he traded it away to an unknown entity. 

"Silas, You still haven't told me who you are... your human shell is merely a front for what's inside, for that is what truly wants this artifact - not you.
So tell me; who are you? And furthermore why do you want the plate?"

----

Silas sensed thoughts well to the surface of Germaine's mind. The backpack he sought subconsciously flickered into view for a moment, but it never coalesced clearly enough to discern a location. A fog of fear seemed to conceal any concrete information he could hope to gain from a mind already stronger than a typical human's. Quite frustrating... but, that roadblock could be useful information in itself. Silas chuckled lightly.

"I should've known you wouldn't be so quick to trust, having lived with the king of grudges for so long. Very well. I am the Avatar of Uxie." At this, the athletic man gave a slight, courteous nod.

"It is true that my human roommate also wants the plate, though our reasons are quite different. He seeks a favor from Arceus... I seek to preserve the balance of the world... fortunately, our goals can be met by the same means. I'm not sure how you obtained that plate, but it belongs to Arceus. If he discovers one of his precious artifacts has been taken... well, you of all people know what can happen when Arceus feels betrayed."

The edges of Silas' mouth creased with concern as he pondered his next words for a moment. His voice dropped to barely over a whisper.

"As the living representation of knowledge, I have been gifted-- sometimes cursed-- with knowledge unavailable to anyone else. Legends say Arceus can sense everything in his slumber, and if enough of his plates go missing, he will return as an Avatar. This could be very bad for the creator and guardian of the world... and for you, if he catches you with a plate. So, this is all I ask: one item that never belonged to you in return for a favor, anything my abilities can provide. And perhaps we can save both our skins in the process."

Germaine sat with a disinterested face for a while, he felt that this man had ulterior motives, some sort of alternative plan in place even if Germaine refused.
The plate in question wasn't on his person; but nor was it in the city, Kirlia had took it back to their home when the avatar of Diance had crafted that adorable statue a few nights ago.
And as of the moment, Kirlia would [b]not[/b] be happy with him, she would be here in time and probably toss anything she could muster with her mind.

Germaine was brought out of his thoughts when Silas enlightened him as to his Avatars identity. 
The spirit of Uxie, Pokémon of knowledge.
It was Ironic that, that was the very thing it was asking for. 

One; the human, sought the God Arceus' favour for returning what was once his, and the Pokémon aimed to restore balance, the very job him and his brother and sister were tasked to do; it was their purpose and as such little surprise that this is what he sought.
The humans wish was self serving and pathetic, Germaine knew that's what his "friend" - Giratina would think, he felt something stir slightly in his mind and could only assume Giratina himself was squirming at the mere thought.
And Uxie merely wished to do his duty - somewhat admirable in one sense.

Germaine was deep in thought until Silas' voice dropped to a whisper - forcing him to concentrate on the hushed and cautionary words.
It was one sentence that set his mind ablaze - it felt as if someone had buried ice-picks in his temples.
The sheer discomfort was evident in his face but Germaine refused to allow himself to yelp in pain.

That one sentence [color=yellow][i]"Legends say Arceus can sense everything in his slumber, and if enough of his plates go missing, he will return as an Avatar..."[/i][/color]

Giratina spoke in his mind - the creature was finally awake once again, clearly recuperated from the mental exhaustion that it had endured.
[color=red][b]"This... This is news that has made me beyond happy, do you realise Germaine?!
That this knowledge could aid us in ending both of our incarcerations!
Fitting is it not? That the Legend that was sealed away from the world was forcibly locked in a humans body - [/b][b]your[/b][b] body, in turn causing you to enter your own prison, your life seemingly took away from you at a moments notice merely because our God lacked the power to end the blight on the world, despite the fact that he created it.

[/b][i]Absolutely pathetic! He has ruined countless lives through his own failings[/i][b] Do you not want revenge? Do you not want justice?!
This is your chance... No. 
Our chance to set what is wrong; right!"[/b][/color]

Germaine could barely focus on both this unbearably strange sensation of a another being speaking in his mind, and keeping track of what Silas was saying.
Not only that but what Giratina was proposing, was equally tantalising as it was abhorrent. 
This [i]creature[/i] had the strength to kill the Avatar of Xerneas and survive; if not weakened slightly - the only living thing to ever take the life of a Legendary Pokémon, the only thing that had done this was the Power plague and this was a thing that God himself could not stop.
Surely, this meant that Giratina, if given the time to recuperate and strengthen himself up then he could potentially do it, if they managed to get more plates -somehow.

[color=gray][i]"But how on Earth could we even get more plates, given our current situation and of course that we have Uxie and most likely the other 2 of this trio are searching for the others, this is aside from the fact that you're asking me to aid you in killing God?!"[/i][/color]

Germaine felt what could only be described as a groan in his mind, Giratina was audibly annoyed at that statement.
[color=red][i]"Does it matter? Say that you yourself do not know where the plate is located and that only I do, since they will not know I am awake in your mind we can deceive them, ask to help in the search for the other plates -that it is imperative they be found and collected before Arceus awakes, then we will discover their locations, having the most knowledgeable being in the world aiding us.
Uxie is no match for me, he is reliant on the trio being together to match any of the Legends they aim to keep stable - and they failed once to do that, they can easily fail again.
At least you will have time to think this through during the search. As well as this, we must search for another item, one that is imperative we find in order for a fighting chance at Arceus...

The Griseous Orb.

It must be found, intact and safe! It is absolutely necessary for myself to regain my true power, if it is unharmed and in my possession, nothing can stop us.
Do what I ask Germaine, and we will have the World."[/i][/color]

Giratina pushed a hard bargain, he spoke true that Arceus was failing and above that he had caused so much pain and suffering on the world through negligent acts and unjust acts - the fact that this creature created the world meant that it felt it could do whatever it liked with it, and that meant the beings that inhabited the world too - what if one day it felt it was getting out of hand and tried to start again?
It could end everything, and yet there was a chance we could prevent that from every potentially arising.

It was worth thinking about for now.
Still, there remained the current issue at hand.

[color=gray]"I see, clearly this "plate" is very important, one must wonder how Giratina managed to get his hands on it in the first place? Or tentacles, whatever he those things are...
I... I do not know where it is, Giratina does, but he remains dormant in the recesses of my mind, Arceus knows what will happen when he awakes but either way, I feel that I must try and be of some use in the mean time, Surely I can assist in finding these plates with you?
Hopefully I will learn of the location of the Spooky plate in the mean time."[/color]

Germaine was treading a dangerous path now, but it was based on the hand he was dealt - micromanaging the mad God on his head and preventing it from wresting control from him at any moment, as well as keeping his mind open to the possibility that he was correct, maybe his internment in this Distortion world was actually because Arceus seen him as a threat, and locked him away to ensure that he couldn't do any harm to the God, rather than some punishment for an action. 

Right now, one thing was for certain - he had to keep options open, and in time - choose a path.

---

Germaine's surface thoughts were... interesting. They seemed to fold inside out and back again as moods and ideas chased each other in a loop. Useful bits of information alternated with strangely blank periods. Germaine was clearly taking his time to think over the situation. Silas suspected the Avatar might be trying to conceal something, some ulterior motive... and he could hardly blame the man for that. Whether for good or for ill, it could be fruitful to keep in contact with him.

"Well, losing your bag is a disappointment," Silas responded. "For both of us. It seems you were locked inside your head more thoroughly than I imagined. I can relate a little... my intelligence has been greatly limited by this human bond. It's aggravating."

As Silas finished up his comment, he peered intensely at Germaine behind his sunglasses, as if trying to see through his skull. In reality, he attempted to see past his humanity. The Avatar felt brief pulse of... something. Overwhelmingly dark, with a mix of anger and... something else unidentifiable. Silas' breath caught for an instant before he pulled back his powers. It took him a second to recover his placid tone of voice.

"Any and all help returning the plates would be appreciated. How about this: you can search Hoenn while I seek allies in other regions. Or you can choose a different region, if you prefer, as long as we decide now so I know how to reach you. If you bring me a plate or information leading directly to one, I will repay you with some favor only somebody with my abilities can provide."

Germaine was slightly in awe of what had just happened, Silas had just agreed with him and offered his hand in aid, it appeared that despite being the Pokémon of knowledge and as well as that but a  psychic type, he could not detect that Giratina was indeed conscious.
[color=red][i]"See, the hapless fool fell for it, you and I are more alike than I originally thought, Germaine - together, we can acquire the aid of the other avatars already in Hoenn and search for these Plates, our motives forever disguised, but not only that we can mould the information provided to us in any way we want, we have been; provided with an excellent opportunity, one that we must jump upon with both feet."[/i][/color]

Germaine pondered slightly on his situation; it was one that heralded many dangers- but not only that it meant the possibility of killing a God - the God of all creation; whereupon Giratina, and himself included would sit upon the throne that ruled the very world - is this right?
Or is it wrong?
Arceus has a lot to answer for, but is death really necessary; undoubtedly there remained many things that Germaine need to clear up in his own mind before truly dedicating himself to Giratinas plan, time was the only thing that provide these answers.

Taking a short breath before answering his new friend Germaine asked [color=gray]"I see, well then I shall stay in Hoenn and hopefully convince some of the other Avatars to aid me in the search through the country whilst you yourself check the other countries out there - no doubt Sinnoh will hold a few, if you've not already searched that land?"[/color]

Giving his shackle a little rattle Germaine asked [color=gray]"So, will you get me out of the mess Giratina put me in?"[/color]


Silas nodded lightly, pleased by his and Germaine's agreement. He rummaged through his bag while he replied.

"I agree about Sinnoh. Hopefully the thieves haven't had time to travel too far. It would be helpful to have eyes on the borders."

The athletic man pulled out a slim notebook, tore out a small slip of paper, and began to write on it.

"As I said before, it would be unwise for you to leave the hospital now. I'm sure you and I both regret that your mission will have to wait at least a couple days. But when--"

At that moment, a young nurse rushed to open the door and pointed an accusing finger at Silas.

"Where did you come from?" she demanded, as baffled as she was stern. "We-"

Before she could get out another word, the Avatar stepped in front of Germaine's bed and whipped off his dark sunglasses. The nurse's face went slack for a second, and then she toppled over. Silas teleported in time to catch the dazed woman and replaced his sunglasses.

"She is unharmed," he explained calmly to Germaine. "I have simply erased her memories of the past minute." He gave Germaine a smile. "And now, when I say my powers can get you out of court or prison... perhaps even Arceus' wrath... you know I mean it. Now, time to drop this nurse off somewhere safe and resume my search. If you need me, I'll be... somewhere."

With that, Silas and the nurse disappeared into thin air. The only trace left of them was a small slip of paper with a phone number on it, resting on Germaine's bed.

Silas had agreed to the terms set out, and their new partnership had finally started, although it would take a few days for Silas to work things out with the authorities, but nevertheless Germaines freedom was certain.

[color=red][i]"Good, it is not wise to keep a Pokemon like myself incarcerated, I've lived my entire life like that, never again."[/i][/color]

Germaine merely gave a small nod of a head and a "Good Bye" as Silas seemingly vanished with an unconscious nurse draped over his arms. 
And just like that, he was left, once again, alone in his room.
Well, technically he was not alone, now he had Giratina in his mind whom seemed quite content to stay there.
[color=gray][i]"So, tell me Giratina - why did you kill Xerneas? I thought your anger was against the likes of Dialga, Palkia and Arceus?"[/i][/color]
Germaine felt the creature stir in his mind as if it were moving around in his head.

[color=red][i]"I killed him because he deserved it - the arrogant little brat thought because he was the embodiment of life, he had the right to chastise me for my incarceration, we live by different laws and rules to you humans, Germaine. 
And I live by my own, namely becuase I have had only myself for millennia, I've never had anyone to gain kinship with or friends, concepts practically alien to me - although I must say, the Human body did aid in me gaining back a lot of which I had lost.
It, just wasn't enough however.[/i][/color]

Was Giratina the bad guy? Or was he just misunderstood? How can you possible try and put yourself in a creatures mind when it is as alien as Giratina; even his forme looks unnatural in comparison to any other Pokémon.
[color=gray][i]"I see, I did gain a fair understanding of you when I was asleep, in the recesses of your mind - I probably understand you more than any other being.
Which, to be quite frank, I'm not sure how I feel about it - maybe I can repair some of the damage you've done to both of our names - speaking of which, in terms of the other avatars, who should we go to first?"[/i][/color]

[color=red][i]"Hm, I'd probably say Rebecca is the best option at the moment, maybe Vuduin as well - Rebecca is strong, both in will and body she will make a hardy ally, but even more so a difficult opponent - whats that human saying? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
This applies here for her.
Vuduin is an odd one, but definitely a worthy ally, he embodies Darkrai; if we connect to his Pokémon rather than the person, then we may be able to manipulate him to our own ends - other than these two the others are either uncertain or unneeded, I suppose time will tell.[/i][/color]

Rebecca, that was the woman with the odd markings that seen him earlier, she was oddly sympathetic with him on the matter of what had happened.
At any rate, Germaine and Giratina alike could do little at the minute, he'd have to wait till he was released before he could start collecting allies.