Author's note: soooo not EVERYONE gets a huge part in the epilogue (sorry, Maxie, you'll get your time soon) but here it is! it is officially OVER! book 2's next chapter is on its way as well, so please look forward to that! thanks again for the support and staying with me for this little ride - I hope you enjoy everything i have in store, even with my current slow update speed. thank you so much for reading!
A cool ocean breeze blew through Anabel's long locks as she looked over the deck of a ship, hoping Alola would be in sight before too long.
Four months had passed, and she could only imagine how much had been affected by the announcement. Magma and Aqua's higher-ups had known, even if they'd been asked to keep quiet about things. Zinnia had been mercifully silent regarding Wallace's presumed fate as well. It'd clearly pained everyone involved to stay that way, however.
The order to declare the Meteor Falls investigation a murder case had still made Anabel's blood run cold. A mere day after Steven had been discovered back in the same cave Wallace had found him in, a mere day after an agent discovered him collapsed, left there like a handout for Interpol before they'd sent him off to Aether Paradise, and suddenly Steven was to be tried for murder. Were her superiors simply swallowing their pride and admitting that the case was hopeless? Suspicion had taken hold of Anabel. All she could do was hold onto the Key Stone she'd sworn she would never touch again and hope that somehow, the case would end sooner than expected.
Metagross's death had been declared necessary. The situation had been called life-or-death for Anabel. With so many Pokémon present, Pokémon that had downed her team's best members, it had been stated that she was justified in her use of force. She'd never seen it as such, but she'd been ordered to keep her Key Stone even if she could barely hold onto it any longer.
She thought back to the people she'd talked to the day before. Back to Rhiannon, who had come out with a vicious hangover and cried through it all, more broken than she'd ever been. Back to the young contest star, Lisia, who had long since taken a break from the contest scene in order to grieve. Back to Juan, and to, only a few hours later, Joseph, two men who had given her the same look of grief when she told them what the situation had been.
Steven's mind had died, and he was being tried for murder.
Wallace had been declared dead, with their body presumed to be lost at sea.
Latios had healed well. Raikou had never looked stronger. Entei wasn't recovering quickly, but they'd be back to their old self in due time, Anabel was sure.
Looker and his Gumshoos had been recovering nicely; unlike Steven's Pokémon, Gumshoos hadn't been a victim of Nihilego's venom, and though there had been concerns that the Beast had gotten to Looker, not a single test showed venom in his system. At the very least, the world had seen fit to show him mercy.
If nothing else, Looker and she would ensure that the Beast's influence on the world didn't spread further than it already had.
Night had wrapped the world in a soft embrace. It was good, knowing nobody was listening to her at that moment. She could even hear her own heartbeat coursing through her ears, a warm, gentle thumping of blood that seemed to serve as her only company at such a solemn moment.
She had known the job would lead to this. Nanu had told her years ago. He had mentioned his team. Looker had spoken of those days, given her actual names, though perhaps not faces. She knew all the secrets of what had happened ten years before Moon joined the team.
Nanu had never had someone so young. She remembered his story. The youngest had been a girl of eighteen years, built like a bony Liepard and just as fast as one. Above her in age, the team's support. Their healer. She had never heard much about the healer of the team, and perhaps that was for the better, given how Nanu got when his name was mentioned. Above those two, still serving a lesser position compared to much of Interpol, was Looker.
Now, the position was hers, and the team was hers to build. She had her own young newcomer, she had Looker. All she needed was a third member, a healer, someone to keep the team alive when nobody else could.
She didn't want to drag Moon into things, but that would inevitably happen. She had been commendable when she captured the Beasts, even after everything she had been through. Looker had been right to seek her out after all that had happened, and though Anabel had her doubts at first, Moon had proven to be extremely strong despite her exceedingly young age.
And Looker...Where was Looker, anyway? He was on the ship, that much was certain, but Anabel couldn't recall seeing hide nor hair of her subordinate since the two of them had boarded. Had something come up on the ship, of all places?
Shaking her head, Anabel decided it was best she retire to her cabin. It was nothing, it was all going to end up being nothing. Even with the stress that stabbed at every inch of her, she had to at least try to rest.
Perhaps she'd be able to stop near Po Town while she was there. If there was anything Anabel needed, it was Nanu, someone who would understand the intensity of what had just occurred.
As she returned to the ship's interior, she swore she saw one of the sailors giving her a brief, intense look.
She dismissed this as nothing, as her mind playing tricks on her. More than anything, she had to rest. Hopefully, it'd prepare her for the long days ahead.
Sidney stubbed out a cigarette as Phoebe approached. She'd never been able to handle their old habit the first time they'd done it, and she certainly wasn't able to handle it once they'd started again. They shouldn't have done it, they should never have looked back and thought to do such a thing, but a few stress smokes had brought them down from their own inner turmoil, and they'd soon returned to their old ways.
They'd just about emptied a pack that day when Phoebe walked out of the League with a bag slung over her shoulder and a look on her face that said that this was something big. Sidney had expected no less from her.
Sidney turned towards Victory Road's entrance, knowing there'd be hardly anyone coming out of the cave when the situation was what it was. It left a bitter taste in their mouth, knowing that the tragedy months before had still affected the League so much later after Wallace vanished.
"...Guessing I can't stop you this time," Sidney sighed, "Well, good luck out there. I'm not gonna step away from the League with you here, but you've got my support."
There was an air of falseness to Sidney. They wouldn't say it to Phoebe, never to Phoebe, but they wanted to blame Steven for everything. They could only hope she said nothing regarding it.
Lack of tact or not, Phoebe wouldn't dare let herself hear their true thoughts. She would know.
"Well...Somebody has to go," Phoebe replied, forcing a smile, "I can't let things end like they did. I want to know what's going on. What made Glacia and Drake have to just leave like they did!"
The sudden intensity from Phoebe caused Sidney to take a step back, a gesture that Phoebe returned as she quieted down.
"...I want the League I knew back," she admitted, "I know I won't get that, but maybe I can get something close."
She wouldn't get anywhere close, Sidney told themself. She could try. The League would carry its scars forevermore, and nothing would return to the way it was. At the same time, Phoebe's attachment to the past was understandable - She was still young, and hadn't matured to the point Sidney had. She was still in the chaotic throes of early adulthood, being tossed about by the waves of the turbulent ocean that life tended to be.
"Well, somebody's gotta be here for May's sake," Sidney chuckled, "I'll take care of the League while you guys're gone."
Phoebe took a few steps away before she turned back to Sidney. While she clearly intended to leave Ever Grande with the help of her Drifblim, she seemed hesitant suddenly.
"...Are you..." she whispered, "Are you going to be okay, though?"
Sidney turned towards the door to the League building as Phoebe released her Drifblim and let it carry her upwards. They didn't bother to look back.
They wouldn't be able to face themself if they did.
"I'll try, Phoebe." Sidney entered the building, letting out a deep breath. "I'll damn well try."
The waters of Sootopolis gently rippled, tossed about gently by the winter breeze. Lisia's eyes were pointed towards the gym, emptied for the past few months when Juan had needed time away. The hollow pit in her chest had only ached more with the announcement from Interpol that day. Murder. They weren't just looking to try someone for what had happened to her uncle, they were going to try Steven. Their longtime best friend, their closest partner, suddenly being tried for their murder.
In only a few days, Lisia had been left with nothing, and only Juan had ever been able to stand by her side in such times. It hurt. May was playing Champion for an all but dead League. Her own mother hadn't been on speaking terms with anyone after her reaction to everything. She had reacted viscerally, and she'd all but rejected whatever help had been offered.
Lisia didn't want to blame her mother for anything. It was a loss that had affected the entire family.
Wallace's name had been enshrined at the crater's top, though as much as Lisia wanted to head up there herself, to visit the altar dedicated to the past leaders of Sootopolis, she couldn't bear the thought of facing what had happened.
In that sense, she was no different from her mother. She wouldn't let herself dwell on this, however.
She had to take one thing with her.
She had to return home, take the single Poke Ball that had been found near Wallace's body, and run. Lisia had no idea where she'd go or what she'd find, but she would run, take the matter of looking into recent events into her own hands.
The two of them weren't staying permanently in the city. Just in a small, temporary place, a bit dusty around the edges, a bit dark (nobody minded the lights being off, after all), a glass bottle on the floor somewhere, left empty and never cleaned up, and in the middle of it all, Rhiannon, her face not flushed for once as she looked out the window. Light filtered in against her face, and dust particles fluttered about. She didn't speak as Lisia walked in. She didn't have to say a word.
Lisia didn't speak either. She held Ali's ball tightly, hoping she wouldn't have to send him out for a battle.
At Rhiannon's feet, Uolae was coiled, clearly taking the loss as hard as her trainer. The Huntail looked almost devoid of life, staring out blankly and letting out thick, shaky breaths.
On the corner of the table in the room's center, a massive white slab that Rhiannon had leaned against, say a Poké Ball. Worn and scratched, even making Ali's ball look new compared to it, Lisia knew exactly what it contained. She was quick to take the ball and turn towards the door, only stopped by her mother's voice.
"...Lisia..." Rhiannon whispered, "Are you going to stay?"
"N...No," Lisia replied, "I'm taking Milotic with me...I'm gonna try to visit May in a bit, and I think she'll be good to have with us."
It was a paper-thin lie. Lisia had no intention of visiting May so soon, and Rhiannon was well aware. Rhiannon, however, turned towards her daughter with a smile, thin, dark lines of makeup running down her cheeks.
"I ask because Juan wanted to see you," Rhiannon continued, her voice considerably dull, "He's...Concerned."
"I...I see," Lisia murmured awkwardly as she turned away, "I'll be back soon."
It was the wrong thing to say, she knew it. Rhiannon needed her family. Lisia wanted to trust that Juan would be enough to keep her mother hanging on to life when she couldn't.
Taking Milotic's ball in hand and placing it in her bag, Lisia wondered if she'd be able to do one of the things everyone knew Wallace would have wanted: Returning to contests. The fact that Wallace hadn't made it out alive...She'd known it longer than anyone else. Her mother had certainly assumed this to be true before the announcement, but Lisia...She had known the whole time.
Taking her Pokénav Plus from her bag and sending out Ali, Lisia tapped a few buttons and selected the Match Call feature as she was lifted into the air.
"Hey," she began, "Are you coming to Sootopolis, or...?"
"I'm on my way," the voice on the other end replied, "Get to the altar for now. Interpol tell you what's going on yet?"
"Yep." Ali quietly dropped Lisa at the top of the crater, in front of a massive stone monument lined with numerous names of Sootopolitan leaders, a clean and rock-solid wooden gate in front and numerous wildflowers surrounding it.
There were numerous altars like it, each with a stone slab in front of the gate, meant for offering to be placed. The one Lisia stood in front of was simply the newest, and she could still make out the name carved into its front.
A Noivern descended from the gray skies above.
"Well," the woman atop its back called to Lisia, "Hop on. You and I've waited long enough for this one. We're going to Meteor Falls."
"Yeah...Right!" Lisa called back, "...Just...Just let me have another moment here. Please."
"Hey, it's okay. I know how that goes," the Noivern-rider replied, "Take your time here. We have time."
"...Right." Lisia approached the shrine, tracing her finger across the name that had been carved into the stone. This was her uncle, one of the few family members she had...And they were gone. She couldn't tell if it felt like Wallace was there with her as she stood, feeling every groove in the stone. It was unfamiliar, written in an archaic form of Sootopolitan, and though she had difficulty reading the characters, she didn't have to translate them to know it was her uncle's name.
It was unfamiliar, much like the feeling of loneliness that had taken over her.
And amidst it all, she had one person.
Lisia wouldn't let her hear it, but she whispered a few words before stepping towards the Noivern.
"Thanks...Zinnia."
"You're playin' with fire there," Archie snarled to the stranger that'd approached the entrance to Aqua's hideout, "What'd ya think'd happen after that battle...Guzma, you said it was?"
In front of him, standing shorter and with a hunched posture but not at all looking like they couldn't tussle with the best trainers, was a Bug-type trainer, one that almost struck Archie as an expert, albeit not a formal one by any stretch of the imagination. The ocean behind them had originally brought to mind the question of what Pokémon could have taken him through the waters of Lilycove, but they'd proved to simply be using Pokémon that only Archie knew much about.
He'd recognize a Golisopod any day. As a child, he'd always wanted one, at least before he'd come across that small, injured Carvanha. This trainer was undoubtedly someone who had grown up in Alola, and somebody who knew little of Hoenn as a whole.
He would speak with them before any of his admins could.
The strange trainer straightened their back, looking into Archie's eyes with a steely glare. Their blood was clearly boiling after their loss, and the scarring on their knuckles had suggested that they'd taken losses much worse in the past.
"Shut up," Guzma spat, "Lemme guess - Archie? Whatever ya call yourself, shut up! I didn't come here to get my ass handed to me again! I came 'cause I heard there was a team here. Now show me your damn team."
Archie let out a quick breath, trying to hold back his own laughter. What was this, then? A team? There had to be a reason for this, and judging by this person's demeanor, their Pokémon, the way they spoke about Aqua...Was this about an alliance? When Hoenn had just become the eye of the storm when it came to the Beast? Considering what was happening in Alola...
It was rich. At the same time, however, as Archie let out a booming laugh, much to Guzma's chagrin, he knew that Alola would be in immense danger, and even if this one seemed like a capricious sort of person, they were clearly seeking to strengthen themself (and whatever team was behind them, if any) in order to survive through such times.
"Heh...Bwahahaha! Oh, you've got some spine, ya scamp!" Archie shook his head, grinning ear to ear despite the clear rage brewing in the trainer in front of them. "C'mere. I'm guessing you've got a team of your own?"
Guzma let out a huff as Archie gestured for them to follow deeper into the hideout, a few Aqua grunts exchanging glances and whispers as they passed by.
"Damn right I do." Their bravado was all too obvious. They were clearly bluffing, and Archie...Archie couldn't make the decision as to whether or not it was best to play along with such a lie. It was especially apparent when he looked to Guzma's arms, noticing deep purple streaks beneath what was obviously makeup, streaks that seemed to form some sort of insignia - They had been with a team at one point, at the very least.
"...Aye, wait. Before ya go on," Archie interrupted, stopping in front of the first warp panel the two would have to take to make it to his quarters, "Your arms. Show me 'em."
Guzma smirked at this, taking a long set of nails to thin layers of makeup and revealing what they could of their old tattoos.
"Ya like what ya see?" they replied, "Skull's 'bout to make its first move in 'bout half a year, and I wanted to know if ya had any interest in comin' to Alola."
"Heh. With what Maxie'n I've gone through, we're damn well stayin' involved," Archie chuckled, though it felt like he was twisting the knife in his own chest, "I'm impressed ya got someone to put this on your arms in the first place."
"Heheh...I ain't keepin' track of how many times my ink gets infected," Guzma scoffed, "But if you're agreein' to the deal-"
"Not yet," Archie interrupted, "C'mere. We gotta talk this one out, and we gotta see how our other ally feels 'bout this. Once we've spoken of that...I'll see who I can't send with you."
Silently, the two vanished through one of the warp panels, the air between them still thick with distrust.
Archie wondered just how much of that distrust was his own, considering how Guzma seemed to be.
Gladion's hand was cramping by the time he'd finished the final note. Silvally had been peacefully slumbering nearby while the entirety of Aether remained silent about the former Champion - Not to mention possible murderer! - being brought into the medical wing of Aether Paradise. He was alone, suddenly, for one of the biggest events in the foundation's history, and already he was trying to route his way out of the place, if only for a day or two.
His back ached from the time he'd spent hunched over the smooth white desk he sat at, one that had looked pristine before his fingerprints had suddenly marred it. The Xtransceiver on his arm was suddenly ringing through the hollow study, and all he could wish for was a pair of headphones to try and drown the world out a little once again.
Reluctantly, he answered, knowing it was the same number that had given him the order to write the few notes he did.
"...President Blumenthal speaking," Gladion began, his voice like gravel, "What do you want?"
"Ah, yes...President," the agent replied, "I must be acting with discretion, as I fear somebody is listening. I have taken my place among the ship's crew, and must ask one final thing."
The man had managed to clearly disguise his thick Kalosian accent, but it was still very clearly him, at least to Gladion. To disguise himself as part of the crew based on a single suspicion...It was the sort of caution that he expected from a man of Interpol.
"All right." Gladion could hardly show any semblance of good manners when the night was as late as it was and when he had been forced to pen individual notes that would only be burned later. "What is it this time?"
"It is Steven. I have received troubling orders, you see..." There was clear regret in the agent's voice. "Steven Stone must not be allowed near his Pokémon. My boss...She does not wish this harm on anyone involved. However, our superiors have given their command."
To Gladion, such a thing was downright cruel. He hung up before the agent could let out another word, hastily scribbling on the order to each note.
Each note except one. He hadn't finished the final note, one of the notes meant for the staff of Aether. There was still one more person in the higher-ranking staff of the Aether Foundation, and this note...This would no doubt end up in her hands.
He gripped the sleek fountain pen in his hand with an unsteady grip between sweaty fingers, beginning to make one of the last notes he had to.
Stone has been brought to Aether to be treated for Nihilego venom. Due to the nature of the Pokémon possessing him, Stone may or may not recall his experiences while under Nihilego's influence. Care is to be taken not to aggravate him, as the lingering effects of the beast's venom may make him unpredictable before treatment is finished.
Stone is to be kept in solitude aside from brief nightly visits from our current Branch Chief. Should he need to leave his room for any reason, he is to be accompanied by guards at all times. He is not to have any contact with his Pokémon, even after being treated. Contact with him should be kept to a minimum until further notice.
The International Police will be arriving within the next few days to discuss the current state of affairs.
Upon the treatment's completion, Stone is to be returned to the Hoenn region to stand trial for the murder of Wallace Riva.
- Gladion