Chapter 9
"The time for waiting is over! Team Rocket just made a public declaration of war against the entire globe! Whatever that thing was that just took out two of Devon Corp's satellites is as much a threat as Mewtwo. We cannot sit by and do nothing. I suggest-"
"That thing has a name, Lance. That thing is Deoxys, another Legendary Pokemon. I would also like to remind you that if anyone should be angry about those satellites it should be my father or myself. Yet, here I am calmly trying to develop a solution even after huge portions of Mauville City are still on fire from the impact."
"Steven is right. We cannot simply be dragged into a war. More importantly, how can we fight a war when we have no target?" Cynthia's voice was scratchy, no doubt the lack of sleep getting to her.
"We should drag in every known associate and former associate of Team Rocket! Interrogate them or have pokemon like Matthew's do what they do best, invade the minds of others." Lance's fist crashed down onto the table as he spoke.
The regional champions sat around a long conference table on one of the upper floors of the Indigo Plateau. As Matthew stood at the window, pushing hard on the brim of his nose in hopes of cutting off the pulsing headache infiltrating his brain, he watched the rescue workers continue their careful procedure in the stadium. The moment Lance had thrown the doors of the conference room open, Matthew knew that this evening's meeting would be difficult and frustrating. In his mind he replayed the images of Deoyxs as it ripped through the Devon Corp satellites as if they were made of paper.
Giovanni's broadcast had served the man well. The destruction of the satellites did not disrupt communication or media, that was never their purpose. Devon Corp had launched those satellites to assist with GPS providing ships and airplanes unprecedented guidance systems. Utilizing the Devon Corp GPS system new shipping lanes were tracked and commerce between regions bloomed into a intricate network like the roots of a tree. With the destruction of the satellites dozens of cargo ships, passenger cruise lines, and air traffic were sent into crisis with distress signals filling the radio airways. Of course in that chaos it was nearly impossible for the world to react quickly enough to stop the remnants of the two destroyed satellites from plummeting to the ground. Thankfully the damage was minimal. One satelite had landed in the ocean west of Mossdeep City due to a strong storm moving over the Hoenn region. The other satellite had crashed into Mauville City, however the storm had broken up most of the larger pieces. While the southern section of the city did suffer damage from fire, no casualties were currently reported.
"I will not be part of a league who uses violence, intimidation, or the power of Pokemon to torture people. Several former Team Rocket members live in my region and have proved to be excellent members of the community and excellent trainers. They have forsaken all attachment to that organization and have already paid their dues. Besides, Matthew would never use his Pokemon for such disgusting deeds."
"Diantha, don't you realize that your region has the most to lose? The Kalos League is only a few weeks away! Surely, they will target the league next."
"I agree Lance. That is why I have chosen to cancel the Kalos League. The announcement will be made upon my return after Drayden's funeral."
The others in the room murmured quietly to one another at Diantha's announcement. However, Matthew simply sat down next to his friend and placed his hand over hers, hoping she would take strength from his support. With a deep breath, Matthew gathered his thoughts and looked up at his colleagues.
"While it may surprise some of you, I actually agree with Lance. Giovanni has forced our hands and we cannot simply sit here and do nothing. However, without more information we run the risk of wasting our resources before the real war arrives."
"So you have a plan? You never make a suggestion without thinking of every possible outcome." Cynthia kept her tone level but her brother could tell that she was angry at him or worse, hurt.
"I do. We will all attend Drayden's funeral as promised. It is important that the public sees that we are not afraid to live after Giovanni's threats. Our presence will also provide Unova additional security personal and our own strength. After the funeral we will all begin the process of picking apart the pieces of this puzzle in order to find Team Rocket. Diantha, you must return to Kalos. Your announcement will be met with criticism and you are your best in person. I will be joining you in Kalos, not only to add with the logistics of the league but also because I agree with Lance, Kalos is most likely their next target. While I am there, I will go and speak with two former Team Rocket members who owe the Pokemon League a great debt-"
"You mean Jessie and James?"
"Yes, Cynthia you gave them a pardon and that has allowed the two of them to build a real life for themselves. Any information they have could be useful to us right now. In the meantime, Lance you should investigate Kanto and Johto. I doubt Team Rocket would return to their roots but you were instrumental in dismantling them the first time. Agent Looker should accompany you, his knowledge of hunting Team Rocket will be critical. You will also need to check the wilds of both regions, most are vastly uncharted."
"If any former Team Rocket grunts are looking to join again checking their old bases is a solid strategy. However, if I find any, I do not promise I will show mercy."
"There are your regions Lance. How you handle them is up to you. Cynthia, I believe it is time that you did a tour of the regions. I know you hate being the representation of the League but if we can keep the focus on you it will allow the rest of us time to investigate. Travel through Sinnoh, Unova, Hoenn, and Alola making it look as if you are checking the security of the regions. Take time to reassure the people you meet that we are doing everything we can to make them safe. Steven you are the researcher among us. Professor Burnett from Alola is scheduled to arrive her tomorrow morning. After the funeral, I think it would be best if you return here and assist Professor Burnett and her team. You will also have access to the full collection of research, history and data from every region linked to Pokemon League from the research area here."
Steven smiled and gave Matthew a nod. Matthew had wanted to talk to Steven about this plan but the latest development had left them little time to do so. He would apologize later, but he was happy to see that Steven agreed with the plan. Cynthia on the other hand looked ready to lunge across the table at him. He was not looking forward to the private fight to come.
"Does everyone agree with Matthew's plan?" The other champions each nodded in turn, this was not a time for debate or inaction.
"Very well. We leave for Unova tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime it seems you all have preparations to see to."
Sometime later as Matthew reviewed some more information on the criminal activities of Team Rocket, Cynthia found him outside in the garden terrace. Her long blonde hair was left undone and cascaded over the long black jacket she loved to wear, though tonight she left it open showing the pearl white shirt and black pants underneath. At her approach, Espeon who had been quietly sitting at Matthew's feet mewed softly. Matthew was surprised to see that the fire in his sister's eyes had vanished and was unsettled by the fact that she had been crying.
All their lives, Cynthia and Matthew had been contradictions of one another. As kids Cynthia had been fearless, hot-headed, and never one to shy away from anything while her younger brother Matthew spent his time looking for Pokemon, laying out at the beach, or cuddled up on the couch with the family's Flareon, Cinder. Their parents knew that Cynthia was destined to be a powerful trainer since she was old enough to throw a pokeball and while she was not the most intune with Pokemon, her skills as a trainer quickly took shape. In contrast, Matthew had shown to be incredibly talented at connecting with Pokemon, learning quickly how to care for their needs, treat their injuries and even a basic level understanding of how they communicate. When Matthew's Eevee had evolved into Espeon his parents thought it was the perfect sign to enroll him a Pokemon school that focused on training Pokemon Researchers, Pokemon Doctors, and Pokemon Breeders. While Cynthia was out competing in the Sinnoh League, Matthew was gaining fame for his incredible talent of healing Pokemon. When Cynthia became Champion of Sinnoh, Matthew decided to take his Pokemon Research on the road while earning gym badges in Sinnoh. Within a year he had earned 8 badges but instead of competing in the League he decided to visit several other regions including Hoenn, Kalos, and finally Alola.
The two siblings were always close but the rivalry between them was deep. It had nothing to do with trying to beat the other, instead it was their philosophy for training Pokemon and interacting with people. Matthew only shared his deepest emotions with his Pokemon and felt that training was a delicate process that took time and was often done without battling another trainer. Cynthia, trained and fought with every ounce of her being, choosing to release all of her emotion and passion on the battlefield. She trained her Pokemon aggressively often challenging her own Elite Four several times a week to the point of exhaustion. She believed that both trainer and Pokemon should fight so hard that all of their fear, sadness, or anger was left on the field. To see his sister cry was unsettling and a flame of her anger shot through him. He would never allow anyone to hurt Cynthia and get away with it.
"I think you were probably expecting me to come out here and yell at you over your little coup this afternoon."
"You have never been one to take direction well. Though I think coup is a little strong. You are the Pokemon World Champion Cynthia, I have no plans on you leaving that position."
"Maybe I should."
"What?"
"I've been thinking about your suggestion, to travel the regions. How am I supposed to show people that they are safe? Why would they believe me if I couldn't keep the very heart of the Pokemon League safe?"
As Cynthia spoke, Matthew heard the beginnings of another sob build up in her chest, her whole body seemed to tremble. In one fluid motion, Matthew wrapped his sister up into a hug before gently leading her over to the bench he had been sitting on. Espeon leapt onto the bench next to Cynthia and laid her head on the champion's lap.
"Cynthia, you are one of the greatest Pokemon trainers alive, but more importantly you are one of the strongest people I know. Do you realize how many people look up to you? Admire you? You were one of the first women to be a regional champion and you are the first woman to be World Champion! What is happening right now, this attack, is not your fault. No one could have seen this coming, see that anyone would be capable of such violence. I suggested you visit the regions not just because of your position but because of the person you are."
"What if we can't stop them? What if all our work is for nothing?"
"I don't believe that and I know you don't either. I will not lie to you and say everything is going to be alright. More people will die, it is the reality of war. However, now is not the time to doubt ourselves. Cynthia, the world needs to see that we will not be afraid to keep going and to keep fighting. You need to do this tour, Cy, because you need to give people hope. This is going to get worse before it gets better but right now you can share your strength with the world."
"What if it isn't enough?"
"It will always be enough! Hope is like a tree, the world may batter it, tear it up, or knock it down like a storm but leave one seed, one piece of it alive and it will grow and multiply. Do you know that there are almost no places on the planet where plants cannot be found? Hope is like a plant, it will always find a way to break through the surface."
