He had been staring off into the horizon for quite some time now – it had been almost twenty minutes since the sun had set on the beautiful oasis city of Phenac. Mayor Trest Es'Cade had been stroking his bushy, graying moustache while mumbling something under his breath. His eyes looked off at the now starry sky with growing concern as a bead of sweat formed on his left temple and began to make its way down his scruffy cheek.
Wes cleared his throat, "You called for me?" He seemed to have caught the old man off guard as the mayor took a moment to recollect himself.
"Y-yes, I did," he said, not turning back to face the young man he had called for. "Goodness me, Seth, you should really consider rapping the door before presenting yourself. You startled me!"
"I had knocked three times on the door frame when I arrived," said Wes.
"Oh, you did?" asked the Mayor, apologetically. "I must have not heard it. My… mind's been rather preoccupied of late." Silence ensued for a moment. "You must be wondering why I called you at this hour when you should be going back home?"
"I am always ready to serve you, Guardian Es'Cade," said Wes as he knelt on one knee before the Mayor.
"Shssh! You mustn't make mention of my title here at my office!" the Mayor whispered. "We cannot speak openly anywhere besides HQ."
"I'm sorry."
"No matter," the Mayor turned round to face the young man. "There is a task for you, Seth. A task that would take you across the world and back to Phenac. The world, as we know it, is about to change and our very existence could be compromised. My sources tell me that the Aqua and Magma cults have joined forces and are working for Galactic Research – an organisation of mad scientists!"
Wes peered at the Mayor, who continued, "And last of all is the matter with Team Rocket! My friends in the media tell me they're recuperating from their losses and that the new leader, Madame Boss, knows about the Protectors and blames us for the death of Giovanni!"
"That is problematic," noted Wes. "But Giovanni went missing after our incursion, no one really knows whether he's dead or alive. And I made sure that no evidence of our involvement was present so there's no possible way for this new leader to know of our involvement."
"Yet she's already given a statement to the Johto Bulletin in which she's given a formal apology to the entire world of the past actions of Team Rocket and vows to invest in pokémon philanthropy and legal businesses related to pokémon. She has also said that despite the villainous deeds done by Giovanni, his death was unfair on the organisation and its stakeholders and that an investigation will be carried out by the police force to apprehend the culprits responsible."
"The police won't be a problem," said Wes. "They're not well-resourced enough to lead an investigation like this."
"Yeah? Well, let's just hope she keeps the Rangers out of this," cried Mayor Trest. "Those Pokémon Rangers have all the resources they need to do something about it."
"You know we are greater than that even."
"Yes… we're the Protectors of Arceus," sighed the Mayor.
"Defenders of the weak, guardians of the innocent," added Wes, who was standing now with his arm on his chest in salutation.
"Yes, yes," the Mayor waved dismissingly at Wes. "I fear the days will come when we will simply be protectors of nothing more but our own hides. Go now, Seth. Take the day off. Tomorrow you will begin your journey. I will give you the details of your new mission tomorrow as well."
"Fare you well, Guardian," Wes bowed, leaving the Mayor to stare off into the sky in his building terrace.
"Fare you well, Agent Seth."
"Is there anything else that you'd like, Master Wes?" asked his housekeeper as she placed a tray on Wes' desk in his room.
"No thank you, Lydia," replied Wes, thinking hard about something while looking at the ceiling fan in his room from his bed. "Could you just switch off the fan on your way out, please?"
"Certainly," his maid Lydia curtsied and proceeded to leave the room, shutting the fan and the door behind her. Wes got up from his bed and let out a sigh. He had been working for the Protectors for close to five years now – he was seventeen when the organisation first took him in. It was all on short notice. It had all been done quick. It was all very necessary. Necessary… That is what he keeps telling himself every time he would think too much about his life.
"Pssht, Protectors of Arceus…" he sighed again, walking towards the tray Lydia had placed on his desk near the window. He opened the window to let in the cool, desert night air. The sudden breeze as he flung open the window felt nice – reminiscent of his childhood when his mother would open the window to wake him up for school.
He reached for the contents of the tray; a glass bowl filled with crushed leaves from the Lum berry plant and a wooden pipe that had a golden tip. Placing some of the crushed leaves into his wooden pipe, Wes reached for a match box in his desk's drawer and began to light the leaves in the pipe. After a few starter puffs to ignite the leaves fully, Wes continued by inhaling deeply and exhaling through the nose and mouth. The dense smoke of the Lum plant was like no other – the perfect mix of fruity-sweet and spicy flavour that renders the user in a dream-like state for a short while.
He was introduced to smoking through Professor Tedius Krane who was known to smoke all sorts of berry plants. Initially starting out with the sweet-scented smoke of the Pecha berry plant and later moving on to the spicier flavour of the Chesto berry plant, Wes took to liking the mix of flavours in the Lum berry plant and also its dream-like status effect when smoked. Inhaling a few more puffs, he placed the pipe back onto the tray as he heard someone rasping on the door.
"Oh, it's you," he said quietly, opening the door and letting his espeon and umbreon inside. The two pokémon made their way on his bed and began nestling themselves by his pillows. Wes gave a smile as he looked at the only two reminders of his parents. On his thirteenth birthday, Wes had received an espeon from his mother as a gift and an umbreon from his father as he had finally reached the legal age to register as a Pokémon Trainer. He had never really used any of the two in battle, just as he had never really registered to become a Trainer.
Laying himself on his bed, in the centre of his two evolved eevee's, Wes was reminded of his little brother. Michael had always been the most loved of the two siblings – that never bothered Wes, though, for he loved his brother just as much as his parents did if not more. He had always missed him, however, even though the two stay in touch a few times a week over the internet.
He's probably off on some grand adventure of his own knowing how Pokémon Trainers are like, thought Wes. Where did he say he was last? I think it was Kalos… or maybe Kanto? Argh, I can't seem to remember. Grabbing his pillow closer and turning to the side, Wes slowly drifted off into sleep with thoughts of his little brother and his parents. Tomorrow is a big day.
"Is it ready?" her frail voice pierced through the air as her boney fingers tapped impatiently on the chair's armrest.
"No, not yet," answered a younger voice, presumably her employee. "We're almost finished if you can just be a little patient, my lady."
The old lady sighed, unimpressed. She revealed a pokéball from her sleeve and summoned a slightly large quadruped, canine pokémon that was covered in shiny, black fur. It had three ridges on its back, which were made of bone, and two large, curved gray horns that protruded from its head. Its tiny, red eyes complimented by the froth in its mouth gave it a very daunting appearance.
"Houndoom," the old lady smirked. The pokémon she had summoned suddenly leaped forward and tore the flesh off the face of the young man who was speaking to the old lady before. Its sharp teeth were covered in blood as it made its way to the feet of the old lady where it settled itself. "Get back to work!" She snapped at the rest of the men present who did not have the misfortune of speaking out of place. "Once it is complete, even Arceus will fall."