Theta Tales chapter 1
This was a bad idea. A very bad idea.
The leader of Team Epsilon stood before Morgan, looking down at the group of new recruits assembled in a neat line.
She had never liked listening to authority figures. So why the heck did she decide to join an evil organization run by someone who most likely demanded absolute respect?
To make her horrible day better, there were admins too. A man she didn't know, glare practically seething under his hood, had introduced himself as Admin Dock. Yeesh, that glare could rival a seviper's.
And to her surprise, Wattson was standing on the man's other side, grinning carefree. Morgan quickly masked her surprise behind an expressionless facade. The same Wattson the Electric Bomb from the Kalos War? Who knew a gym leader who also used to be a feared general doubled as an admin for an illegal underground organization? It was truly a small region after all.
Morgan had to quickly turn her attention to their boss as he started speaking.
"Today, I welcome all of you to Team Epsilon."
His voice wasn't that of an evil villain's. He just sounded like an ordinary kind man. In fact, he was smiling kindly. Pale blue hair framed his (somewhat aged) handsome face, eyes welcoming. He looked oddly familiar. So why did she get a feeling that something was off about him?
"Our mission is to harness Infinite Energy for the good of mankind. From today on, all of you will be loyal to one person: me. Is this understood?"
Right, and she was a flygon living in the middle of the ocean. No way in hell that was happening. Morgan snapped to attention along with the other grunts.
"Sir, yes sir! All hail Infinite Energy!"
Why were they not saluting their dear boss again? Morgan really should be paying more attention. Oh well. She tuned out the rest of the speech as her new boss started talking about other things. Probably some important stuff, but Morgan was too easily bored.
Damn her father for dragging her into this mess. It wasn't his fault, really, but Morgan still blamed him. If it wasn't for him though, she never would've needed to make cash to support what was rest of her family. Getting a legal job was out of the question. So of course, she turned to the easiest way to get cash other can hunting and selling pokemon parts— joining an illegal team. Killing pokemon never sat well with her.
As the new grunts were led into their sleeping quarters (apparently, the hideout didn't have enough space for separate gender sleeping quarters; she called bullshit on that), Morgan pondered on what the space deeper underground was for, as their footsteps practically echoed underground. Not to mention the sound of whirring machine parts screaming under their feet. Didn't anyone else hear that?
For a "secret hideout," this place sure was big and loud.
—
When Morgan was five and had just started in the Trainers School of Rustboro, she had barely known her father. All she remembered about him was his dark brown-almost-black hair, and his scent. He had always smelled of pokemon fur.
Mother had said he was busy training and getting stronger and that he would come home soon and see them and bring presents and… she was lying.
"Don't worry, my little angel."
She had always called her that, looking at her with beautiful blue-green eyes that Morgan had always associated with the seaside on a sunny day.
"I'm sure your papa is just busy. He's fine."
Her eyes, however, were hopeless. She already knew that her husband wasn't coming home anytime soon.
Did she think that Morgan didn't notice? The way that her own mother was staring out the window to route 113 with a sad look in her eyes, longing for someone who never came home, who would never come home to see his family…
Really, how busy can someone be? To forget his own family? What had they ever done to him?
Everyday she got up early to travel to Rustboro for school early in the morning, Morgan could hear her mother crying, alone, sobbing for her father, who had forgotten to call her.
Again.
One of these days, her father was going to pay.
—-
Well, at least this wasn't as bad as she was expecting.
For one, the suits looked adequate enough. Black pants with dark green tops, all covered with a cape and a giant bright E logo on the back. Honestly though, whoever designed these did not think about comfort. Morgan could barely deal with the itchiness. Morgan quickly made a mental note to acquire some proper cloth and make herself a new one. She highly doubted that anyone would notice, looking at the IQ of half the room she was in. Was that guy seriously trying to- oh dear Rayquaza, she was stuck in a room of idiots.
Another thing she was grateful for was that the grunts got to keep their old pokemon if they had any. She had heard of teams in other regions taking away pokemon of grunts if they had owned any previous to joining the organization, unless they were real powerhouses. Hell would be upon anyone that dared to separate her and Apolyta. Not that she could really do anything by herself against an entire organization, but she would make her protest clear. Violently.
The last time they were separated, Morgan had been ten, and it was Apolyta that had come to her rescue, and killed the man that had done it. She couldn't do anything, and had just sat there, eyes frozen to her savior in fear of what could've happened. It had been terrifying. Morgan would never go around Mauville City at night again.
Cash is cash, she reminded herself. And any money is good money, though it might not be clean. But where did it come from? It's not like the people they terrified would willingly throw money at them, and the towns the Team destroyed wouldn't have had anything survive the fire. So was there a bigger organization above this organization? She was straying into dangerous thoughts. Ignoring the chatter of the other grunts around her, Morgan closed her eyes and slept.
—
Trainer school was bad. Whoever thought it was a good idea to stick all kids from the ages of five to ten, when they could officially get their trainer's license, was an idiot, Morgan decided.
The first day of school, Morgan's mother had to drag Morgan to Rustboro. When she introduced Mr. Reed, who was going to be Morgan's teacher, he had smiled and quickly excused himself to save a caretaker from a kid.
It had been a couple of weeks since she enrolled in the place she personally nicknamed "Hell".
The other children were annoying, it smelled like Joey had farted again, and she was getting nauseous. And Morgan wasn't even going to think about the little showoffs shoving their pokemon (that their family had caught, bred, or bought for them) in other people's faces.
"Hey, look at the pokemon my dad sent me!"
The kid's bagon was met with a bunch of oohs and ahs. Wait… a bagon?
Holy Rayquaza (Mother would, at this point, tell her not to say the great Sky Guardian's name in vain, but this was a real dragon!) what was Takao doing with a bagon someone call the Rangers this thing is going to set the school on fire-
Morgan took a deep breath, her face ashen and pale.
"Morgan, honey, are you okay? You look a bit sick."
Were these people idiots? A dragon type that learns ember at a relatively early stage in its life shouldn't be in a wooden building!
"I'm… okay, I think. Can I go outside for a bit? For some fresh air?"
Her dark hair, cut into an uneven bob cut was apparently the "cutest thing ever", if what Morgan overheard the caretakers talking about was true. She wasn't above using it, along with her "growlithe eyes of doom" to get permission.
Suckers. She wasn't going to be in that building when it burned down.
—
"Hey you, squirt, fight me!"
Archie. Built like a machamp and brain always lagging behind his body. She was surprised that the other grunts had started to avoid him sheerly due to the fact that he was almost two meters in height and strong, unbeatable with his carvanha that had seemingly iron skin. None of the grunts could last a minute against him. The guy was like a sharpedo that wanted to stake his territory by claiming his strength. Morgan thought that he was an idiot.
Morgan was also the only other grunt that had not fought him yet. And of course he had to notice that.
"C'mon! I can tell you're strong! Let's battle! Carvanha wants to take a bite out of your pokemon!"
His persuasive skills could use much help. Morgan sighed before turning to him.
"My... apologies, Archie, but I just decline. We are nearing our destination. It would be most unwise to damage our pokemon and fall back on our performance during the mission."
Apathy, apathy, sound like you don't give a flip, she wasn't going to show her true emotions in a place like this. Not when others could turn it against her. Not when she could get killed here.
"What's with that tone? Geez, squirt, you and I both know that we don't give a crap about the mission."
His intuition was unsettling, she mused. If only he could act on it more he would be a perfect manipulator, though she wasn't going to be the one telling him that. Looking around at their surroundings, Morgan noticed something and deadpanned.
"Archie, with all due respect, we're on a boat and surrounded by seawater. You're at an obvious advantage here."
"Damn it squirt, you've noticed. Wait! So you don't have a water type!"
"Good job, only 16 more types to go."
Surprisingly, he threw his head back and , most people by this point would have been thrown off at her unfriendliness. The other grunts had, at least. And since they were avoiding him too... Morgan's face paled a bit as she realized that he would stick to her like a magnet for a while.
"So, c'mon squirt, let's fight!"
She planted her face into her hand. Did he not realize that he had asked her this a couple of minutes ago? Despite that she couldn't help but to let a small smile out.
And promptly scowled as she realized something. He wouldn't stop calling her squirt. Rayquaza damn it, she wasn't that short. He was just abnormally tall. 152 centimeters was not short. Morgan growled under her breath.
"That's not my name, damn it."
—
Takao Cozmo was annoying. The kid had a fascination with anything to do with stars and space. That was fine and all, but there was only one problem. He would not shut up about it. Morgan would've gladly told him to shut his face, but there was one problem. Takao was also four years older than her.
Morgan had always hated talking to people older than her, be it in experience or age. Her mother had always called her a torkoal ready to go back in its shell at the slightest moment. Morgan never denied it. She didn't like strangers became her excuse whenever someone brought it up.
She was right about that bagon though. She swore that it was laughing every time something was set ablaze.
Takao had various parts of the trainer's school on fire, multiple times, claiming that his bagon, creatively nicknamed "Sirius", had sneezed.
("It's the name of a star!" he claimed, smiling. "I've even found it on my telescope!")
The other children had started to avoid him, and Morgan soon found out why.
His father was never home. Instead, he was a work-a-holic, whatever that meant.
Huh.
Seemed like she wasn't the only one with daddy issues. When she had finally gotten the nerves to go and talk to the older kid, she was disappointed. Takao had pretty much idolized his father.
Was it wrong for Morgan to hate her father for never being there? For never helping them out in times of need, especially when Mother was ill and sick and crying and— sweet Rayquaza, why? Where was he?
It made her angry just thinking about it.
—-
author notes:
This is what happens when I go to Sea Manville and check everything there is to check. That place is amazing. Plot bunnies, how I love you. Speaking of New Manville, cheers for ORAS lore.
OC!Morgan is someone that decided to jump in this story when I first started it. Worry not, because she'll affect the main plot very little. Or will she? bum bum bum...
Please drop a review on your way out. Constructive criticism will be appreciated. Until next time~!
