Chapter 2: Sanguine Sky

I'm sure many of you reading this would agree that the beginning to this story was at least a little bit confusing. It was meant to be. Don't worry though, all your questions will be answered by the end of this story, starting with this chapter. Hopefully this chapter will provide you with some answers or at the very least give you a better idea of just what's going on. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy chapter 2 of Love and Malice.

Disclaimer: Dr. Phil E. Sophical does not own Pokémon. Pokémon is the property of Nintendo. All original characters in this chapter are the property of Dr. Phil E. Sophical and are purely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

War. What is it good for?

If you were to ask everyone you know, you would see some interesting responses. Chances are that most people you ask would agree that war isn't good for all that much. Some might even say it's good for absolutely nothing. Very few people alive today would say they think war is a good thing. You are far more likely to get response along the lines of "War isn't the answer." or "Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind." It's simple human nature. We support whatever action ensures we live another day on this big rock, and in most cases, that action is anything but war.

Of course, some people must approve of war, and those that do must be very influential people. How else do you explain all the wars that have been fought throughout humanity's years on Earth? Back when man only existed in nomadic tribes, the leaders of one clan or another were successful in rallying their people against another's. When the nomads finally settled into the land, was it not Caesaris that lead his people in conquest of those that surrounded them, creating the most prestigious of empires in that era? Surely the people of what was then the newly formed region of Hoenn were quick to exalt the cause of General Napoleon. Even when Captain Arthur Nemo called out his message of peace, war ensued as riots sprang up across the map wherever people cared to disagree. Despite what many men express as a dislike of war, it seems that mankind is unable to resist the urge to rally behind their cause, or the cause of another, in the most violent of manner.

That, my friends, is how this world war came about.

You see, it all started with one man. He was just one ordinary man. He lacked great wealth. He didn't have fame. He was, to put it quite simply, a rather unremarkable man, and yet he was able to move people to support his cause. When he spoke, the world listened. What he ordered, people followed. The droves would hear each and every command that escaped the lips of the man they exalted as their leader. Cries of "long live peace" were soon replaced with shouts of "Long live Alexander!"

Okay, not quite so literally. Not every man was quite so willing to put themselves behind the cause and counsel of Michael Alexander IV. As a matter of fact, most men weren't, but that made no difference. Those that did choose to follow him were greatly devoted to his cause. They were fully prepared to do his bidding. If he had told them to hurl themselves off of the highest cliff, they would have. If he had instructed them to set fire to the sea, they would have found a way to do so. Some were even so devoted to Alexander that, had he given them the word, they would have killed their own families in cold blood.

Now, just who was this man that people would be so willing to follow in his footsteps? By profession, he was a political theorist, but few people knew him by his occupation. To some, he was a visionary. To others, he was nothing more than a fool and a bigot. Some people claimed that he was bigger than all of religion, a cry which Michael Alexander IV personally backed, having once said "Religion will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. I'm more popular than God now; I don't know which will go first – me or religion, though my thoughts lean to the latter." Other people went as low as calling him the reincarnation of Satan.

In all the disagreement, one thing was sure. People simply didn't know how to feel. Perhaps he really was on to something, or perhaps he was simply a man with delusions of grandeur. The facts can't say one way or the other. Only beliefs can do that.

Of course, for so many people to follow him, and for a greater number to hate him, he had to have some cause he supported. No man is made remarkable without a cause. Alexander was no exception. He put forth a cause so promising that the weak and simple minded couldn't help but rally behind it.

Just what was that cause? Well, in reality, it wasn't his cause. When Alexander rose to power, he simply renewed an idea that had been around for decades, granted it had been a dead cause through all those years. He revived a doctrine that was first put forth by a controversial philosopher by the name of Sigmund Lennon. Lennon had been dead for several years when Alexander rose, but his work was not unheard of. Many of his workings were still taught in prestigious universities. One piece in particular served as a great point of interest for scholars. It was a paper first published under the title of The Lennon Thesis of Utopianism, and it went something like this.

In my lifetime, I have succeeded in making it to the forefront of my field. I studied for ten years at Oxland University in Mauville City, among the most prestigious pupils in my study, and received recognition for academic merit in that field from highly renowned professors. I held a seat in the Sootopolis City Board of Commerce for three two-year terms, where I was able to apply my practices, and met with great suspect. Upon choosing not to run for re-election to the Board, I took an offer from the federal government to fill an empty office in the Inter-regional Relations Committee (IRRC). I have been a devoted member of the committee ever since, and as a result I have become well renowned for my merit as a politician. Of course I have not left my philosophy practices behind. My work has been printed on a weekly basis in various publications, both domestic and Interregional, including Traveler's Interregional Bulletin, The Indigo Gazette, and The LaRousse Times.

Now, back when I was a student at the university, I met many interesting people, and those people had a lasting effect on my career. Had I not been able to converse with such distinguished colleagues, I fear that many of my works may not have come to light.

Of course, one man stands out above the rest. In respect to him, I shall not mention names, but I will say that he greatly changed my perspective.

You see, every morning he was at the university, this colleague of mine observed a very specific ritual. At precisely 8:05 every morning he would take his seat in the cafeteria at the table furthest from the door in the seat closest to the back wall of the room, with him he always carried a mug full of black coffee and the daily edition of The Mauville Herald. Once he had taken his seat, he would begin his daily gripe about the political, economic, or ethical state of our world. Once he finished his rant he would open the paper and add some remark about how, even though we were faced with such grave problems, the government had yet to succeed in any action to remedy the situation. Then he would page through his paper, reading the headlines and passively remarking, and never bothering to actually read the article. Once he reached the last page, he would stand up and walk off to tend to his studies, always making sure to leave the paper open to the obituaries. He completed that exact routine every morning without fail. I swear as long as the world continues to turn, that man will be unhappy about it.

Now, usually, this didn't affect me, but on one particular day, the date of which I can't quite remember, his morning rant brought me to an epiphany.

As I always tried to, I met my colleague in the cafeteria that morning promptly at 8:05. We sat down, and, as expected, he began his routine rant. On that particular morning, he chose to argue on our world economy.

"Between what the rich take in taxes and the poor take in charity," he protested, "my money goes just about everywhere it can except for the pocket in my own set of pants." He then went on to add "And congress still hasn't passed that bill. How do they ever expect us to be able to survive in an economy such as this if they don't pass that legislation?"

He went on with his routine. His exploration of the paper was rather unimportant to me, so it seemed. Finally he reached the obituaries. One in particular was notable that day: Captain Arthur Nemo had passed away the night before.

To this information my colleague remarked "There goes the world's last chance at salvation."

I was well aware of my colleague's support of Nemo. In the earlier years, even though he was at quite a young age, my colleague was a dedicated supporter of the peace movement. It was his well-expressed belief that in order to bring about a more perfect union, it would first be necessary to banish violence from our world entirely. If that were achieved, he would claim, then perhaps we could finally fix everything wrong with the world.

Now as time wore on, the two of us went our separate ways. For a while we did all we could to keep in touch. However, as life went on, we conversed less and less, until we reached the point where any contact between the two of us was all but unheard of. I'll tell you honestly that I'm not even entirely sure where my colleague ended up. Perhaps he still devotes his life to the peace movement. Maybe he continues his morning ritual of complaints to this day. Of course I can't even say with certainty that he is still alive today, but that is beside the point.

You see, I realize he wasn't unlike other men, what with his routine of complaining. He was just more vocal about it than most other men dared be.

I spent the next many years looking for the answer. I spent that time looking for the ideal, for the society in which men would have no complaints about it. In short, I was searching for a way to bring the concept of utopia to be a reality.

Now, for the first years, my efforts proved to be fruitless. The answer eluded me because I found myself unable to find the root of the problems, but I didn't let that discourage me. I continued my work, and finally stumbled upon what I believe to be the answer.

Let me just preface this by saying that my role in society, as is any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all. The conclusions I have drawn are simply those which have resulted from my own personal research and experience.

At the root of all our problems, it would seem is a single concept: ethics. The way our government runs is completely ineffective due to a conflict of ethics between different representatives, and between representatives and those they voice for. The resulting gridlock ensures that any progress made in any capacity is painstakingly slow, and in most cases, is an ineffective compromise as opposed to a true solution. That's the reason why simple problems quickly become tremendous difficulties.

Now, it is unreasonable to say that in order to reach a utopian state, we must simply all decide to agree on things. To truly achieve such a goal we must look beyond the broad scope and concentrate on unifying the underlying concept.

That led to another interesting question. What determines our ethics? Surely there must be some distinct set of factors, as describing such a process as random would be a ludicrous statement at the least.

Now, trying to answer that particular question took a while more. Many long hours were spent pouring over research documents and examining data-sheets. After many days and nights of devoted work, I was able to pinpoint what I had searched so long for.

Studies show a direct correlation between various ethical beliefs and the religion a person practices. In most, but not all cases, persons who practiced any one given religion were more likely to have similar ethics as other who practiced the same religion as opposed to those who practiced a different religion.

What does that mean for us?

Let me put it this way. It took many years for women to achieve a state of equality with men. That was the first main advanced towards total equality. After many long fought battles following that, we were able to achieve a state of equality for minorities, which was our second advanced towards total equality. After that, we spent the years toiling away until we were more or less able to remove all traces of religious persecution from our world. That leaves us with just one more step along the road to total equality: ethical unity.

Now, it seems there are two ways to come about this. The first method is to force conformity through religious conversion to a new world standard belief. The second would be to eliminate diversity through extermination of those who do not meet the defined standard for the new utopia.

As one may guess, both of these options are highly impractical. Furthermore, even if it were possible to succeed in either of the aforementioned options, our world would face serious repercussions that would gravely affect the stability of the new utopian society.

Let's start by examining the possibility of mass conversion. I would suspect that a vast majority of people would be against the notion of willingly converting their religious beliefs, and with good reason.

You see, a man's religious beliefs often reflect his the way he was raised, specifically his parentage. At such a young age, a vast majority of men simply adopt whatever religion their parent's follow, until they are old enough to make a conscious decision themselves.

Now that's not to say that people don't change. It is not unheard of for young adults to, once independent of their parents, to experience a change in beliefs. Often this is the result of new real-world experience that may cause them to either doubt the religion they were taught, or realize they have been isolated from a doctrine that better suits their thoughts and morals. However, more often than not, men retain the religion they were raised with. As a matter of fact, a vast majority of conversions are interdenominational, within a single primary religion, as opposed to full religious conversion.

I find it needless to say that most men are firmly cemented in their religious practices. Now imagine what it would mean if they were forced to change those beliefs.

The application of such methods would result in serious cracks in the new society. The likelihood of revolt would greatly increase, and it would not be unreasonable to expect that the converted would seek retribution for their oppressors. I would chance a guess that, if we were to apply such a method as I have described, we would see the fall of our utopia within a few short years, if not months.

Of course, we still have a second option: the complete extermination of those who do not meet what is defined as the standard for the new utopia. Although, this option isn't much greater. Why? Just think about it.

In order to achieve that task we would have to result to structured execution on a massive scale. The simple proposal of this method is a one way ticket to mass-genocide, infanticide, and a tremendous holocaust. Following this plan of action would lead to the murder of millions. What for? Simply because they don't share the religion with those who rise to power in utopia. Potential problematics would become the target of the greatest decimation in all of recorded human history.

Now, as inhumane as it may seem, this course is decisively the better of the two. While it may not seem that way in the short term, it all pans out in the long run. How? You may ask. Think about it like this.

Both plans involve two main groups. The first is the new majority, which defines the new world's standard. The secondary group is the rest of the population, those who don't fit the new mold.

Now, in the first plan, the secondary is suppressed in such a way as to make them to fit in with the standard of the new world. Of course, it is no secret that, in many cases, oppression ends with revolution. It is because of that, that the first plan is less than optimal. Were we able to succeed in a mass religious conversion, we would be creating a new society that is fragile at best.

On the other hand, the second plan of action removes the second group from the equation entirely. That minimizes any chance of revolt, and provides for an overall more stable society. (That is, until the inevitable happens and some group of men finds a way to make themselves more elite members of society, at the expense of those below them. Although, in a utopian society we may find that such the ordinary cycle of society is no longer applicable.)

Ironically, the key to the solution is the same as the root of the problem: ethics. Yes, it all comes full circle so it seems. The key to making utopia a reality lies in a single question. Is the product worth the price?

Unfortunately, the answer to such a question has yet eluded me. There is no practical solution to the presented problem that is not completely subjective in part or in whole. It all comes back to the morals of man, so one could say that the point is moot.

Is securing serenity and perfection for the unborn millions worth fire and brimstone for those who live in today? That is the question that we must leave to the ages.

These were the words that Alexander drew upon. He spent uncounted years analyzing them, studying them, interpreting them, and observing how he could apply them to the world in which he lived.

Unfortunately, he chose to disregard the warnings Lennon described. He formulated his plan of action. He garnered support from close friends and distant family. Finally, when he felt he had sufficient backing, he set the ball rolling.

As his ignorance of Lennon's precaution displays, Alexander was not the brightest of men, but he was by no means dull either. He knew that if could ever hope to succeed in achieving his goals of creating utopia, he would need far more support than that provided by his existing support platform. In hopes of remedying the situation, he made his decision to seek political office.

He knew his success would not be built overnight, so he decided to start small. He began by running for mayor in his hometown of Icirrus City. He made sure to build his campaign around everything he knew the people wanted. He didn't care much if he did well in the position of mayor after all; he was just using it as a stepping stone to reach higher offices.

He promised everything good he could think of: better city maintenance, increased revenue, lower taxes and fees, fewer restrictions on recreational activities. With all the promises he made, it was hard for any voter to say know. The prospect of such great improvement to their quality of life was too great of an opportunity to simply pass up. He won the office in a landslide.

Now that he had secured his position in office, he prepared for the next part of his plan. He knew he had to get his name in good standing with the public, politically. He spent his term working his fingers to the bone in order to fulfill all the promises he had made to the citizens.

Eventually the time came that his term reached its end. He left office on good terms with the city's residents. Almost all of them could see some sort of improvement since he had taken office. At the very least, the city was in worse of a state than when he had taken up his position.

Having left local-scale politics behind, Alexander began rallying for the next step in his political career: regional government.

However, he was unable to return to action immediately. You see, the election system was designed in such a way that voting for each of the three scales of government, local regional, and federal occurred in different years. In consequence, Alexander was forced to wait through a gap year before he could begin his pursuit of regional election.

Of course, he didn't spend that year idly. Instead, he spent it lobbying for his upcoming campaign. He already had Icirrus City's confirmed support, but he knew that that would not be enough to obtain an office in the regional government. He spent his days traveling from city to city attempting to gain further support for his vie for office.

Finally the time came. Alexander officially announced that he would be running for regional office. While his campaign had been going for a year already, he had continued to withhold what office he would be seeking. However, when the time to announce it came, he declared that his name would be on the ballot for the senate seat belonging to Unova's third political district, the heart of which was Icirrus City.

Contrary to what the people were expecting, officially announcing his campaign left his campaign completely unchanged. He simply continued working at his leisurely pace; promoting the ideas he thought would win him the most votes: lower taxes, a stronger welfare program for low-income and disabled families, less government spending, and stronger positive relations with the other regions.

After several months on the campaign trail, Election Day rolled around. That election saw the greatest voter turnout in over fifty years. When the ballots had been cast and the polls were closed, work began on the tally.

Not surprisingly, Alexander won the support of Icirrus City almost unanimously. Only three percent of the city's population voted against his favor. The rest of the district however, was less decisive. Most of the other poll locations saw a more balanced set of results, and in the end, Alexander claimed his office by a very narrow margin.

As was the case when he held the office of mayor, Alexander spent his term as a Unova senate member doing everything he could to fulfill the promises he had made in his campaign. Of course, the regional scale was much harder to work with than the local scale, so it was only natural that he, along with many who voted for him, to believe that he would be able to achieve as much as he had promised. That didn't discourage him though. He continued to work for what he felt was the people's best interest. He knew he had to leave the senate with his name in good standing if he were ever to be able to accomplish the final portion of his political rise: election to the federal system.

The end of the senate term finally came. When asked if he would run for reelection, Alexander replied that he would not be putting his name on the regional ballot for the coming term. Instead, he announced that he would be running for federal office in the next election.

Unlike when he was preparing to run for senate, Alexander did not spend his gap year working on his own campaign. Instead, he spent it assisting the campaign of a young man named Charles Adams, who was running for the office of Governor General in Unova, the highest regional government office.

Many people were shocked to find that Alexander was backing Adams. Up until that point, the two politicians had never interacted. At least, not in the public eye they hadn't.

What people didn't know was that Alexander had secretly coerced Adams into backing his cause, should he be elected to federal office. As a matter of fact Alexander had already selected members for his cabinet if he were to be elected, and he made sure each was on the ballot as a candidate for Federal Delegate for their respective political district.

Regional Election Day came and went. The votes were cast and the world in turn began preparation for federal elections. A few days later, the regional results were released, and Charles Adams had indeed been elected as Governor General.

With one more victory under his belt, Michael Alexander IV prepared for the home stretch: getting himself and those he was in league with elected.

Since it was the final step in his political journey, Alexander knew it was not the time to hold back. He promised more than he had ever promised before. If he were to be elected, he promised, he would make dreams come true. He would make utopia a reality. Televisions and radios were buzzing with his message.

"A dream you dream alone is just a dream, but a dream you dream together is reality. Dare to dream. Vote Alexander for Chairman of the Board of Executives."

He traveled the world, shaking hands, kissing babies, and making speeches.

"Imagine a world of no problems. A world of no possessions. No need for greed or hunger. A brotherhood of man. Imagine there's no regions. It isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, and no struggles too. A world with no hell below us, and above us only sky. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. Join us, and the word will finally live as one."

Alexander also spent his time working on the campaign of his prospective cabinet. However, he made sure that the public never found out that they were in cahoots. It very well may have ruined his plan if they had.

Election Day came and went just as expected. The whole world was watching and waiting for the results. Counting the votes was quick work, and that very night it was announced that the new Chairman of the Board of Executives was Michael Alexander IV by a thirty seven percent margin.

I tell you, there isn't a man who was alive in that day that will ever forget Michael Alexander IV's acceptance speech. "This dream, will last forever. This dream will never die. We will rise to meet the challenge. We will leap into this fight head on, and we will succeed." Those were his words, and surely I tell you, they moved a nation.

In addition, thirteen of the fifteen delegates in league with Alexander were also elected to the board, leaving just six seats that weren't filled by Alexandrians (as they would soon be called).

Having the federal government well under his control, with two thirds of the board in his favor, Michael Alexander IV was quick to put his final plan into action. They didn't know it then, but the sixty eight and a half percent of voters who voted for Alexander would soon regret it dearly.

It was six months after the election when it all began. Michael Alexander's master plan was finally ready to be put into action.

Every television and radio station in the union was broadcasting that afternoon, and almost all the people were watching. Those in their homes stopped working and took a seat. Those on the road were quick to find the nearest Pokémon center where they could tune in. On that fateful day, the whole world came to an utter standstill to hear the words of one man.

Earlier that same day, Alexander announced that he would be making a public appearance in Goldenrod City in order to address a most dire issue that had arisen. Each and every person with a television set or radio was urged to stop and listen, and most all of them did.

Goldenrod City's Town Hall was filled to the brim. They were all packed in there to the back wall. Everyone wanted to be able to witness the event firsthand.

Alexander took his spot at the wooden podium in the front of the hall and cleared his throat. In a strong, calm voice, he began his address.

"As you may or may not know, the board has spent the past forty-eight hours in a heated session, and I'm afraid the offspring of that session is less than optimal. A most unprecedented series of events have occurred. While I wish it were not so, under the nineteenth clause of the third article of our constitution, I am, when outweighed by a two thirds majority, unable to veto the decision of the board delegates. It is thus, that I speak to you today of Unova's secession from the union."

A collective gasp spread through the hall. Not once in the history of the union had a region resorted to secession. For such drastic actions to happen out of the blue was all but unheard of.

Making an effort to calm the crowd, the chairman continued.

"Now, I assure you a full investigation of the events is underway. The federal intelligence agency has sufficient reason to believe that the Governor General of Unova, a mister Charles Adams, may be plotting against the union. In addition, we are making examinations of the thirteen board delegates who voted in favor of the impromptu action, of whom only three are current citizens of Unova. It is due to this fact that we believe the plot headed by Mister Charles Adams may reach beyond the regional boundaries. We do not yet believe this to be an act of terrorism, but we do suspect that political catastrophe is imminent. In consequence, until further notice, all government functions are being put on hiatus. Thank you."

Alexander proceeded to leave the podium. After which, the cameras stopped rolling, and people started filing out of the room. With the government locked down and the threat of war looming in the air, no one knew quite what to do.

As far as the government blackout went, feelings were mostly mixed. On the bright side, since the government was in a state of inactivity, those that were eligible wouldn't need to be pay taxes, but that also meant that the welfare program was at a stand-still. The Battle Frontier, being a privately owned operation, would remain open, but the Pokémon League and contests, which were both government funded programs, would be in a state of blackout as well. All in all, the benefits didn't outweigh the costs, nor vice versa.

Most people were happy to find that the government was at least taking action in light of the events. Of course, most people didn't know what was really going on.

Everyone that supported Unova's secession was in league with Alexander. He was the mastermind of it all. Quite honestly, it was an ingenious plan. He knew the how the system worked. He knew how to work around it. He played it like a violin.

Alexander knew that in order for his plan to work, he would need to create massive chaos. In order to do that, he needed a pawn. That's why he backed Adams. He knew he could turn around and use him for his own personal agenda.

He convinced Adams, the Governor General, to appeal to the Board of Executives for Unova's secession. Once the appeal was made, it would be up to the board to pass a ruling. That's where the two-thirds majority came in.

Alexander knew that his power was limited. So long as at least two thirds of the board was in agreement on any given issue, the chairman was powerless to veto it. That's why he worked so hard to get such a large portion of the cabinet that was on his side. They could do his dirty work for him, and he could feign innocence because he was constitutionally powerless to stop them.

That was the brilliance in his plan. He achieved his goals, but all the blame went to his scapegoat colleagues. Meanwhile, he was exalted as the hero. He planned to continue using the façade, saying that his own actions were those of Adams, and he was unable to put a stop to it. To him, Adams was nothing more than a pawn, a way to do what he needed to without being held responsible. It was the perfect plan.

Well, it would have been perfect, but Murphy's Law makes sure that doesn't happen. Anything that can go wrong will, and it will happen at the least opportune time. If you make sure everything can't go wrong, it will anyways. If there are multiple ways in which something can go wrong, the one that will do the most damage will be the one to happen.

That's what happened, and that's what started the war.

It was a few months, almost a two years, after Alexander made his address to the people. The government was still locked-down, and Unova was still holding tight to its new found sovereignty. The federal government had yet to take action, and Alexander claimed that their hands were tied by the constitution. Meanwhile, he was exercising his own personal agenda, starting in Unova, through Charles Adams.

Unfortunately, that's when the plan fell apart. Lead by a traitorous Alexandrian among themselves, the board sought to impeach Alexander. When put under the pressure of their peers, all but one member of the board voted in favor of the trial. In addition, they gathered support from the Governor Generals of whom all but Charles Adams agreed to have Alexander tried.

It was so that a month later, Michael Alexander IV was brought before the judges of the high court to make his case. Now, by the constitution, he was entitled to an attorney for his defense, but the egotistical tyrant refused and chose to represent himself.

He tried to make his case in the same manner he had before: propaganda. He continued to use Adams and the board as scapegoats, and claimed that he was powerless to stop them, as dictated by an ineffective doctrine for governing the people. Unfortunately, that was a case that few people were still willing to believe, and the judges least of all.

Then there was the prosecution's case. By some unknown means, they were able to produce record of phone calls, emails, and various other methods of communication that clearly exhibited Alexander's method of coercing his scapegoats into following his plans.

Faced with so much cold, hard, evidence, Alexander pleaded guilty to his supposed crimes. However, he didn't stick around long enough for anything to be done. He resigned from office the day of his sentencing and readily fled, not to be seen again for quite some time.

Now, with Alexander no longer in office, a replacement for the position was very much necessary. According to the constitution laid forth by the forefathers, in such a turn of events, the replacement chairman was to be selected from any Governor Generals currently holding office that wished to fill the position. Of these there were two. In order to select one of the two, an informal election was hosted. The results were tallied, and it was deemed that the Governor General of Kanto, Terrence Mann, would fill the chairman seat.

Of course, since no region had ever seceded, the whole process came as somewhat of a shock. Up until that time, there were only two cases where the chairman had to be replaced, and both were as a result of assassination. Alexander was the first to be impeached, which made Mann the first to step into office under such conditions.

It would be reasonable to expect that Mann, upon taking office, would begin doing everything in his power to reduce controversy and get the government functioning properly again. That wasn't the case. As a matter of fact, Mann's very first action upon taking office was just as controversial as Unova's secession.

You see, according to the constitution, any member of the federal government proven to be subject of corruption could be forced to resign by petition. Now it's rather needless to say that the thirteen Alexandrians in the board of executives were indeed proven to have been subject of corruption. As a result, most of the world was expecting Mann to petition for their removal. However, he had a different perspective.

According to Mann, it was the influence of Alexander that caused the corruption that served as the subject of the controversy. In no way was it right to hold that against the delegates. Despite their actions in helping Alexander, Mann still supported the delegates and Charles Adams too. Within a few days of filling office, he announced that he would not file petition for their removal, nor would he notarize any petition started in order to call for it.

That was his first mistake.

Why? There are two reasons.

The first? After what had happened, the names of the delegates and Adams were not in particularly good standing with the public. The fact that Terrence Mann was still willing to support such publicly disliked names greatly influenced people's opinion of him.

Of course, the second reason is probably more important. Leaving the Alexandrians on the board and as Governor General meant that Michael Alexander IV still had influence in the government. Surely they did not expressly support him any longer, seeing as they had called for his impeachment, but they still stood for values that would benefit his plan.

Now, that brings about a better question. What was his plan?

Alexander's basic plan involved three distinct steps: incarceration, emancipation, and termination. Through Charles Adams, he was able to begin the first part of his master plan without taking blame. However, when he was impeached the first step was still far from complete.

You see, the first step of Alexander's plan called for the imprisonment of millions of people, more specifically, those who didn't believe in what he deemed as "utopia's religion". Needless to say, the task was not an easy one, especially because Alexander's utopian standard was made to reflect his own personal beliefs, not those of the majority. In consequence, those that were part of the majority were actually part of the target.

Now, to understand this fact, you need to know something about religion in the world at that time. In those days, you could divide religions into five main categories: Arceism, Mewslam, Anthropocentrism, Atheism, and Other.

Arceism was the religion Michael Alexander IV practiced, as well as that which he chose as the standard for the new utopian world. Along with Alexander, roughly sixteen percent of the world population practiced Arceism.

Of course it would useful to know: what exactly is Arceism?

The religion of Arceism is a polytheistic one, venerating the so-called Legendary Pokémon above all others as deities, not merely powerful Pokémon. Now, there are many different denomination of Arceism, the most popular of which is Traditional Arceism, but they all share one thing in common. All branches of Arceism believe in the Pantheon, a sort of house of the gods in which each deity is the ruler of a given aspect of the world, with Arceus serving as the supreme deity and creator.

Now, in Traditional Arceism, the Pantheon is divided into two parts: The Major Arcana and The Minor Arcana.

The Major Arcana is viewed as the higher of the two divisions, and contains thirteen of the deities. Those deities which reside in the Major Arcana are described to control the major aspects of our world, hence the name Major Arcana. For example, celebi is the embodiment of change. Mew represents fertility. Palkia and Dialga are the embodiments of space and time respectively. Arceus, being the chief of the deities, is the embodiment of life itself.

Then there's the Minor Arcana, which contains the remaining legendary Pokémon. Those placed in the Minor Arcana are said to control the finer details of our world. Articuno is the deity of winter. Lugia is said to be the embodiment of destiny. Victini is said to be the personification of luck. In such a manner, each of the remaining legendary Pokémon is said to represent some aspect of life or the world.

Now, according to the beliefs of Traditional Arceists, Arceus created both the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. On the other hand, Reform Arceists believe that Arceus created the Major Arcana. In turn, the major created the minor. However, scientific evidence derived from fossils would suggest that the latter system of beliefs is less than likely to be factual. Regardless though, scores of people still practice the religion.

Since Alexander was an Arceist-and he chose his religion to be the only acceptable one- it would make since that those people who practiced other religions would be considered his enemies, because they did not share his beliefs. What then did they believe?

As far as actual religions go, the most popular was Anthropocentrism. The basic belief of all anthropocentric churches was that men, not Pokémon, were of god status. Some churches actually apotheosized historical humans. Other stuck to worshipping the spirit in the sky, so to speak. Very few actually share similarities beyond such basics, but regardless they are often discussed as being one branch of religion.

Then there's the other poke-centric religion: Mewslam. Unlike Arceism, where Mew is the viewed as the deity of fertility, in Mewslam Mew is viewed as the one and only deity. According to Mewslamic belief, Mew is the Christ from which all life descended. On the other end of the spectrum is Mewtwo which, created by humans, is the embodiment of sin and serves as the anti-christ. While it is possible to go into further detail, that information really isn't necessary to our cases.

The final of the major religious groups is Atheism, which is further subdivided into secularity, nihilism, and unaffiliation. All of these share one common characteristic. They deny or disbelieve the presence of a supreme deity. Secularists believe that though a supreme being may exist, it is one that lies beyond the boundaries of human comprehension. Nihilists prefer to think that there is no divine being. Most unaffiliated people can't be labeled either way. It's possible that they do believe in a god or gods, but prefer not to profess it, or they may believe otherwise. It's hard to know.

Of course, those aren't the only religions. Many cults and traditional religions dating as far back as the nomadic tribes still existed at the time. However, they were hardly prevalent and are not worth going into in greater depth.

Anyways, Alexander's second step was to weed out those who were willing to meet demands. When he began designing his plan, he determined that all interned citizens would be given a set period of time to make their choice. They could either convert to the utopian standard, and be freed, or refuse to convert.

What happened to those who refused? That's step three.

Those who refused to convert to the new world's standard of religion would be systematically killed in a massive genocide. All who were unwilling to meet the demands they were presented with would be removed from the world, so as to prevent potential problems.

Of course, a plan of that nature would be met with natural resistance. Everyone knew it would happen eventually. The only question they had was who would be responsible for that action.

Not so surprisingly, it ended up being Terrence Mann. It didn't take much effort to convince the leaders of the remaining regions to take action against Alexander and his followers. The result of that agreement was a pact that led to the formation of a resistance group that would come to be known as the Allies.

That's when the world was officially declared to be in a state of war.

Wow. That's definitely the longest chapter I've ever written, and probably one of the least exciting one's too…

Don't worry though. Now that a majority of the plot development and backstory is complete, we can start getting into the real action next chapter. Trust me; this story only has room to go up from here. I promise.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and I hope you'll come back to read the next one.

So until then, read, review, and keep on rocking and rolling…

-Phil