(Author's Note: Here, have some Delta Episode. And here, HAVE SOME FEELS! FEELS FOR EVERYONE!)
After the call, Noel left the lab with Archie, who was talking to her with urgency in his voice. He asked her to reconsider, asked her to take him with her, and even asked her if she would take Hyde with her. She shook her head to all of his suggestions, taking his hand and stopping in the middle of the hallway.
"Archie, you and Hyde have no idea how big this could blow up. Besides, we can't have the leader of Team Aqua watching over me while the team might blow itself up. Cooper lit himself on fire yesterday, just think of how bad it would be if you left for too long."
"Noel, what if something happens to you?"
"In a lab? In Mossdeep City? In front of a computer?" she retaliated.
He sighed and rubbed his head, not wanting to come to grips with her decision.
"I understand you want to protect me, Archie. I appreciate it very much…and I know you want to be my hero for when something does happen to me…and boy I need it sometimes…but you have to let me make my own decision here. I know what I have to do and I know it wouldn't be good if I didn't help them. Please, Archie, trust me."
She continued walking through the halls, hearing Archie jog behind her when he lagged behind. As they reached her room, she ran through a list of things she needed aloud.
"Can you get my backpack from my closet, please? I need to think here…"
"Sure."
He retrieved her backpack for her as she wrote down notes on a piece of paper. She grumbled and mumbled, carrying the paper around between her lips while she packed clothing into her bag. Archie stood and watched.
"I'll only be at the Space Center, so if I need to call you in any way, keep an eye on your communicators and Navs. The same goes for if you need me back here. I'll come running if something happens." she told him. "I'll also call you if I need to hear you…" she smiled at him.
He smiled back. "Got it."
She zipped up her bag and double checked her Pokeballs, them being safely secured to her belt.
"I think I have everything. I think I'm good to go…" she said.
She felt Archie hug her from the side, a hug which she returned.
"I want updates on what's going on in the science world… A meteorite sounds pretty heavy… Don't leave us hanging."
"I'll send info through Hyde. You'll know everything as I receive it. I promise." she hugged him tighter.
"I trust you, Noel. You can do this."
It warmed her heart, hearing Archie say those words. They let go of each other, both making their way to the warp panel. Archie called on Shelly when they saw her, explaining the situation. Shelly nodded as they explained, giving Noel a thumbs up.
"You do what you do best." Shelly told her. "Be daring and be smart."
"Keep things afloat here, Shelly. And save me some pudding…I'm missing chocolate night." Noel smiled.
"Aye." she nodded.
Noel walked through the main room, Shelly and Archie at her heels, grunts all around just minding their own business. When they reached the exit, Archie and her exchanged a kiss, one that was witnessed by the grunts standing by, and of course by Shelly. The grunts, mostly the male grunts, responded with a simultaneous "YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO". The females went "oh shit", and Shelly looked surprised. Noel ignored all of the responses, focusing on saying goodbye to him, along with his words of luck and his shark-like grin. The chatter and murmurs died down as she exited the base and entered the sea-filled cave, the fragrance of salt filling her nostrils. The boatman greeted her like usual, pulling up a boat and sparking the usual conversation. Even though she offered to Surf with Swampert, he wouldn't let her. He told her that he didn't want to see her get wet for no good reason. She said that that was preposterous, they were Team Aqua. As they entered the boat, he said that he enjoyed carrying people on those shitty boats. He told her he was never good at battling, he just enjoyed the sea so much. Even if he lost at battles, he said, he would always have the opportunity to sail others around.
"Even though it's small…I just want to mean something." he smiled while he steered.
"That's really nice, Sam." she nodded and smiled.
"Because I know you think that way too. That's what brought you to us. So let's all think like this, cause we all mean something."
His words hit her as they landed, Noel getting up and exiting the boat. She stood in the sand and smiled at him, thanking him from the bottom of her heart.
"Any time, Admin!" he smiled widely and proudly, waving as he set sail back for the base.
Noel walked up the beach, finding a clear spot to let out Swellow. When she found a clear patch of sand, she felt her heart swell when she thought of the kindness that was stored in her Team. Sure, they were dweebs sometimes, setting themselves on fire with toasters and often putting their shirts on backwards, even starting food fights at dinner, but she knew that's what a family was. They all were an essential part. As she let Swellow out, she thought of what Sam had said to her on the boat. Every person meant something, either big or small. The world was a puzzle, a puzzle which all the people and Pokémon, all the pieces, were necessary in order to create the perfect image. At heart, she knew that's how she became a piece. Her dweebish family.
"Swellow, let's go to Mossdeep, okay?" she boarded her bird, kissing the top of its head.
Swellow chirped and took off, flapping its wings and spraying sand around their departure location. Noel's hair blew in the breeze, her Pokémon skillfully flying over the ocean below them. Nostalgia flooded through her, the heat of the sun reminding her of the boat trip she took all that time ago, when she was meant for the Orange Islands. There was also the memory of Krys and her flying atop Salamence that day they went to the Department Store. That was the day Noel robbed her own house. She smiled at the memory, knowing full well that her city might be angry at her when she landed. Swellow surged with energy as it flew, Noel praising it for being so fast. They saw the gigantic rocket first, docked at its tower, bird Pokémon flying around it as if it were a beacon. As they grew closer, the amount of people on the beach was no surprise. Swellow flew lower, and as they grew ever closer, more people began to look up.
"Can you land by the house, Swellow? I don't want there to be a mass gathering."
Swellow nodded, turning in the direction of their old home, the home which was still decorated in flowers and pictures, decorated as if she were still a corpse in their minds. Swellow landed lightly, stretching its wings as Noel slid off. She patted her Pokémon's head and it cooed at her.
"It's always good to fly with you, buddy." she smiled. "I'll call you out again if I need ya."
She returned Swellow to its ball, attaching it once again to her belt. Taking a look around the area, she sighed and adjusted her backpack. Taking the usual path down the grassy road, she was led to concrete stairs that eventually guided her to the Space Center, perched atop a multitude of hills. The Center was the highest point in the whole city. Before she reached the main doors of the Center, a young boy stopped her when his Poochyena went running by her legs. Noel bent down and grabbed it, holding the Pokémon against her chest until the boy could catch up. He was out of breath, it seemed like he was chasing the dog for a while.
"Pooch! I told you to wait for me!" the boy bent over, hands on his knees, panting.
"Lucky you that I was walking by, huh?" Noel smiled at the boy.
The boy straightened up and looked at her.
"What is that you're wearing?" he asked.
"I'm from Team Aqua. Don't you remember me? I used to live," she turned and pointed to her house down the hills, "right over there."
The boy swiped his Pokémon from her hands and backed away, startling her.
"My mom says Team Aqua are bad people." he narrowed his eyes. "Mr. Steven says they're criminals. He said they took his best friend away!"
Her eyes widened at his exclamation. "But I'm…"
"A criminal!" he pointed at her, Poochyena barking with his actions.
The boy ran off, leaving Noel alone on the path once again, only now she felt guilty. Looking at the road, she straightened up and gripped the straps of her backpack, keeping her mind on the mission. A young boy wasn't going to deter her focus. She walked up the main stairs leading to the Center, the doors sliding open for her and leading her into the nice and air conditioned lobby. She smiled as she felt the crisp air cool her skin. The blonde woman at the desk recognized her immediately, eyes widening when she walked through the doors.
"Noel…what a surprise." she blinked. "What brings you here?"
"Professor Cosmo summoned me here to assist in his…study." she raised her eyebrows, assuming the woman knew what she meant.
"Yes, of course." she walked around the desk and gestured Noel to walk with her. "I'll take you to him."
"I worked here, April. I know where to go." she smiled, hoping her ex-associate would lighten her mood.
"I suppose you're right, but" April scanned Noel's outfit with her eyes. "we can never be too careful."
Offended, Noel furrowed her brows. April simply walked forward and guided her up the stairs to the second floor. Before they even reached the top of the stairwell, Noel could hear the scientists in a panic, footsteps pounding on the floors as they ran around, papers flying everywhere and whipping around. She sighed, the disorganization she remembered must have still existed. Noel ended up walking past April and escorting herself into the main hub of the research floor. The room was large, like a lecture hall, screens and monitors lining the walls with information, graphs, and images. Nobody was aware of her presence yet, so she stood at the top of the room, watching as her old coworkers dropped papers and spilled their coffee in the rush they must have been in. This was going to be more difficult than she anticipated. Professor Cosmo was at the bottom of the stairs talking with another scientist. His clipboard was a mess, papers nearly falling out and sticky notes stacked on top of one another.
"This is a wreck." she shook her head.
Cosmo nodded his head at the scientist he spoke to and then turned his head, seeing Noel standing with her arms crossed. He scurried up the stairs like an old woman and greeted her with a smile.
"Noel, thank you so much for coming to our aid!" he shook her hand shakily. "As you can see, everybody is a nervous shamble."
"Can you update me on the meteorite?" she asked.
"The trajectory changed last night, around 2:00 in the morning. Saunders called me from here and I raced right over. When I called your base earlier today, the speed was increasing."
She narrowed her eyes. "A meteorite changing its motions like that…it's impossible." she set her backpack on a desk, walking down the stairs so she could clearly read the screens. At the sight of her, the majority of the scientists calmed down, either confused or afraid of her.
"Thank you for having me here." she looked around the attendance. "And thank you for calming down." she looked at the screens. "Show me the flight path in succession beginning at midnight to when you noticed the significant change."
Someone put the graph on screen, typing in a list of commands. The line on the graph remained straight until it suddenly began to curve. When it reached 1:00 in the morning, it appeared the meteorite was in mid-arc, halfway through the process of turning.
"No way…" she whispered.
At the 2:00 mark, as Cosmo said, the meteorite had successfully changed direction. Cosmo walked down next to her and handed her a lab coat, a coat she took and wore with pride.
"This is so…outlandish." she whispered. "It's almost like it's alive…"
"If it continues on its projected path, it will collide with Hoenn at a dramatic power, wiping out our region, and probably even more."
"How long do we have?" she asked, swallowing nervously.
"Six days." Cosmo looked at her bleakly.
"Ironic." she smirked. "That's the same night as the meteor shower."
Her smirk faded as she was gripped with the thought of losing Archie.
"What technology do we have on hand? It takes too long to send a rocket, and I doubt we can blow it up at a safe distance." she rubbed her chin.
"We are actually already partnered with Devon Corporation." he told her. "They suggested using the Infinity Energy we have on hand…to…" he stopped, sensing Noel's displeasure. "What is it?"
"You need to enlighten me, Professor. I have no clue what Infinity Energy is. You never told me."
"Oh, didn't I?" he scratched his chin. "Oh, well…" he mumbled.
"Can you give me the rundown on what that is, please?"
"Infinity Energy was first developed 3,000 years ago. It was used to power the Ultimate Weapon that brought about calamity that you surely see in folklore. That power is being harnessed by Devon, using it to power technology and our rockets for absolutely positive use. Small amounts of it power your very PokeNav, while larger quantities go into our fuel. It can power just about anything." Cosmo explained.
"So we're dealing with some pretty heavy stuff." she sighed. "What did Devon suggest? I assume you're speaking through President Stone about this?"
Cosmo hesitated. "Actually…"
"What?" she asked. "What's wrong?"
"…We've mostly been communicating with Steven about this…who has orders from his father…to be arriving in a short while…" he inched away from her slowly.
"You're fucking kidding." she narrowed her eyes.
"No, my dear, I'm not…" he shielded his face with his clipboard.
She sighed angrily, pinching the bridge of her nose. Furious aura could be felt around her body. Cosmo, obviously frightened, backed away and up the stairs.
"I'm sorry, I should have informed you beforehand, I was just afraid you wouldn't assist if you knew he would be joining us in these efforts…!"
"Does he know I'm here?" she asked.
"N-No…"
"PROFESSOR!" she turned angrily, arms outstretched.
"We need all the help we can get!" he defended. "You're my former employee and one of Aqua's best scientists, so I knew you would be a great help, and Steven has the resources we need to get this done!"
She sighed again.
"Oh, by the way, congratulations on your win in the Pokémon League…"
"YESTERDAY, COSMO. I BEAT HIM YESTERDAY."
"I know!"
Noel walked back up the stairs and went through her bag, finding a hair tie to wrangle her hair up with. She pulled it back into a ponytail, wiping the aggravated sweat from her forehead.
"He's not gonna be happy I'm here, you know." she warned.
When the anger diluted itself after a good bit of silence, Noel sat down at her old desk, which still had her nameplate on it and her old passcode still worked on her computer. She began typing down notes for herself.
"Say, Noel…" Cosmo asked.
"Yes?" she didn't look up from her screen.
"What happened between you two?" he asked.
She looked down at her keyboard. "I found someone else, Professor. And I think Steven had a tough time with that…and now he hates me."
"That man who leads your Team?" he asked.
"Yes."
"It was rare…a friendship the two of you held. It's a shame to see it break like this. I hope you two get along while working through this catastrophe. Perhaps you two will learn something." he walked away.
"Professor." she made him stop. "You explained to me what this Infinity Energy is. Can you explain to me the plan you currently have?"
"Of course." he walked back over to her and handed her his clipboard.
"A 'Link Cable'?" she furrowed her brows.
"Using this Infinity Energy, we can power a device like this, a device strong enough to open a warp hole in space. It takes a large quantity of energy, so we won't be blasting our rockets off anytime soon…"
"A warp hole?" her eyes widened.
"Hopefully, if we're successful, the warp hole will transport the meteorite somewhere else."
"Okay, I believe this is no 'meteorite'. Let's call this a fuckin' asteroid because the more we talk about it, the scarier it gets."
"Agreed. But yes, the Link Cable Steven is bringing with him will ensure this outcome."
Noel nodded, flipping through the papers on Professor Cosmo's clipboard. Slowly, the plan came together in her mind. She was amazed that a ditz like the Professor came up with this plan all by himself. She smiled, hope filling her body. Until now, her body was numb from the possibility of seeing the world's end. She handed the clipboard back to Cosmo.
"I suppose we wait until Steven arrives now?" she asked.
"Yes." he looked at his watch.
Her heartbeat was hard, fighting the anxiousness she felt from having to see Steven again after all of the things they've been through. Along with that swam the knowledge of being at a standstill until the Link Cable arrived. Until then, they needed to play the waiting game, and that's what she hated doing the most. She stood from her desk and approached the top of the stairs again, turning to go to the water cooler at the end of the room. There were other scientists huddled around it like in an office setting. The group moved out of her way so she could get a paper cup to fill with water. She heard nervous whispers from behind her, obviously from the group.
"She looks so intimidating…do you think she's still…" one man whispered.
"Possessed? No, I don't think so…Steven said she was cured, but I dunno…" another man whispered.
Noel stood up straight and drank her water, ignoring them as she walked past. Cosmo was waiting by the door frame, anticipating Steven's arrival. As Noel looked around the room, she realized she was receiving all sorts of strange glances. They were all looking at her uniform like it was a taboo object. She looked down at herself, not seeing anything wrong with her wetsuit or her Aqua crest. She was comfortable in her own skin, but she felt negatively branded.
"Tch." she drank her water.
Crushing the cup when she was finished, she tossed it in the trash can. She sat back down at her desk, looking at the notes she had already typed. Her notes were still there from the original start date of the analysis of the asteroid, the notes about the mass and size. Speed had increased and she made a note of that in red. She typed what the Professor had told her about his plan, typing that in green. As she typed, she heard April's voice coming up the stairs, aided by another pair of footsteps. She tensed, keeping to her work. She went through old formulas that they may be able to use in the process of the Link Cable. Cosmo sounded rather excited.
"Steven, my boy! Thank you for coming. I was worried your father didn't get my message."
"Nonsense. As soon as he heard from you, he explained the situation to me. I'm happy to help work through this catastrophe." Steven's footsteps were getting louder.
"And you have the Link Cable with you, yes?" they both reached the top of the stairs.
"I do."
"Perfect." the Professor swallowed nervously. "Eh, Noel! Could you come here please?"
"What?!" Steven asked.
Noel stood from her desk and calmly walked up the stairs to stand next to the Professor. She didn't make eye contact with her old friend; she instead looked past him like he was a figment. She nodded in greeting.
"Professor, you can't be serious." his voice held an uncomfortable tone to it.
"Steven, she knows the situation we're dealing with and she's one of Aqua's best. Her mentor and her leader told me that themselves. Her knowledge and your connections will be enough to put this plan at an end."
He looked at Noel angrily. "You make a fool of me at the Pokémon League and now you expect me to work alongside you?"
She smirked. "Steven, I didn't know you'd be here either, so I was duped by Cosmo as well. I'm not happy about this any more than you are, so please, get your panties out of a twist and we should be fine here."
"Steven, the Link Cable?" Cosmo pushed up his glasses.
Steven fished a small device from his coat pocket and handed it to the Professor. To Noel, it looked like a box with two cords hanging from either side. In the center of the box was a glass orb, looking like the container for the power source. It didn't look like much from the outside, but there must have been a series of complicated inner workings. Cosmo took it and smiled, scurrying to the front of the room by the monitors and hooking it up.
"Noel, I'm sending the data of the Link Cable to your computer. You may use it as you wish." Cosmo told her.
"Aye." she nodded.
"Cosmo," he ignored Noel. "Dad and I sent May to Granite Cave for a meteorite shard because he said that's the first step to powering it."
"Indeed it is." he nodded. "Will May be accompanying us as well, then?"
"Yes. I asked for her help through this because I didn't know…" he glanced at Noel. "…that she would be here."
"I will hold off of the full explanation until she arrives, then. Until she does, Noel can fill you in on what we'll be doing with the Link Cable. Can you manage that, dear?"
"Yea." she nodded.
"Good. Move along, you two." Cosmo shooed them away, beginning to plan out the energy needed to power the cable.
Noel led Steven back to the top of the room, feeling the hostility in the air. She took deep breaths to keep herself calm.
"So, what's the situation with the Link Cable?" Steven asked coolly.
They stood at a fair distance away from each other.
"Cosmo plans on filling it with Infinity Energy and creating a warp hole for the asteroid to transport through, sending it away from here. He didn't give me the full run down because we were waiting for you. But in the meantime, I've been calculating the amount of energy that may be needed to fill it along with the speed of the asteroid. I'm assuming that the asteroid might speed up, so I asked Saunders to keep my data directly connected with his." she explained, crossing her arms.
"A warp hole?" his eyes flashed with curiosity. "I see… Interesting."
"Do you know how long it will take for May to return with the meteorite shard?"
"I only sent her about an hour ago, so I've got no idea." they continued to avoid eye contact.
Noel's stomach growled, making her lift her hand to her stomach and sigh. Of all the things she packed, of course she forgot to pack a lunch. Her grumbling stomach reminded her of something, making her return to her backpack and dig around in it once again. Steven watched as she pulled her PokeNav out and dialed a number.
"Are you telling me that your PokeNav has been functioning this entire time?" he asked assertively.
"I just charged it last night?" she raised her eyebrow.
"No, you idiot." he sighed. "Never mind…"
Shrugging, she waited for her call to be put through. She stood in front of her computer and jiggled the mouse, seeing the new tabs that had opened on the screen. She was delighted when Hyde's face appeared on the screen, bringing a smile to her face.
"Noel! It's good to hear from you. What's the situation with the space rock?" Hyde asked.
"The asteroid is said to crash into Earth in about six days. We've got a plan here; I'm making a file for it and sending it to you now."
She compiled the tabs into one folder and typed the Aqua base's IP address into the 'connect' bar. A loading screen went through its progression, leaving a checkmark when the information was shared.
"Do you see the files?" she asked.
"Yes, I do. Thank you, my dear." he put his reading glasses on. "Infinity Energy? I see…I'll have Shelly look at this as well. She did work for Devon, so she may also have a theory on how to approach this."
"Great, that sounds like a plan." she nodded. "Also, look through my old wavelengths. If they match up with any future material sent to you, call me right away. We need everything we could possibly lay our hands on."
She heard Steven walk up behind her and she turned the screen so Hyde wouldn't see him.
"Are you alright there? How's the Professor?" he asked, typing now as well.
"He's good. Clumsy as usual."
"And how is Mossdeep?"
"The same. Hey, uh, where's Archie?" she asked.
"The last I saw him, he went looking for Matt. Shall I give him a message for you?"
"Tell him I love him and that I got here safe." she smiled.
"Of course. Now I'm going to get back to work, you should as well. I'll call you if I need you."
"Okay, Hyde. Bye."
The call ended, screen going black. Noel sighed, tucking the Nav back into her bag. When she stood back up, Steven was still standing with her at her desk.
"What do you want, Steven?" she asked, irritated. "You're in my way, I need some water."
He didn't budge.
"Come ONNNNN let me go by…" she forced herself past.
Grumbling, she made her way to the water cooler again, chugging down another cup of water, her stomach growling in protest of the liquid. She wanted food, not liquid, but all she had was water and she couldn't leave until May arrived and was briefed on the situation. She continuously refilled her cup, thinking as she drank. She glanced at Steven, who was still at her desk with his arms crossed, seemingly muttering something to himself. She narrowed her eyes.
"Would you get away from my desk?" she spoke loudly over to him.
Without saying anything, he sidestepped away from her desk.
She tossed her cup in the trash, watching as the silver haired piece of shit walked back up to her, looking into her eyes coldly.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing." he looked away.
"You're acting like a five year old. Boohoo, I won against you in the Pokémon League. You still have your position and you still have your fame. I don't care if your ego dropped because of it, you still put up a good battle and you don't have anything to be ashamed of."
"I appreciate your words, I think, but that isn't why I'm upset with you." he kept his arms crossed.
"Then please, enlighten me." she said sarcastically.
He scanned her outfit with his eyes. She could tell just from that what this was all about. He must have been still upset about her disappearance.
"Professor Cosmo?" April called from the stairwell. "May is here to see you!"
Steven turned his head toward the voice, Noel doing the same. Cosmo scurried over to them so all three of them could greet May at once. She walked through the doorway holding a small rock in her hands, approaching Steven with a nod. Professor Cosmo shook her closed hands excitedly.
"May, hello! It's been awhile, hasn't it?" he tittered. "Thank you for coming."
"May, I assume you had no trouble searching for the meteorite shard?" Steven asked.
She shook her head, looking past Steven and at Noel. Noel nodded in her direction.
Three champions in one room. This is more awkward than I anticipated.
"Professor, now that May's here, will you give us the full run down of your plan?" Noel asked.
"Yes. If you would follow me down here." he led them to the bottom of the room, surrounded by all of the screens.
All three were attentive as Cosmo explained what he knew, Noel occasionally glancing at the other two to see their reactions.
"May, I assume you've heard some of the situation from President Stone already. Our current plan involves using Infinity Energy from our rocket, combined with the life energy of humans found in Key Stones…"
Cosmo didn't tell me that last part. What the hell?
"We will start by artificially replicating a massive energy that is triggered at the time of Mega Evolution! We will fire a small capsule filled with this energy into space and create a warp hole. By creating such a thing in the path of this asteroid, we hope to be able to transport it somewhere far away from here."
"Where will the asteroid end up?" Noel asked.
"Noel, please, let the man explain." Steven silenced her.
She looked at him with a deadly stare.
"May, this technology actually is already used in our daily lives. It's incorporated into all of our commonly used devices. I think Noel will understand what I mean when I do this—" he spun around in a circle and jumped into the air. He was trying to act out warp panels…very poorly. "Those panels that spin you around and then out you come, warped to another spot."
"Professor…you don't spin…" she shook her head.
"No? Well, May should understand anyway." he nodded and smiled.
Steven spoke up. "An audacious plan. Using such technology would…"
"Where will the asteroid be warped to?" Noel spoke above him.
"Well…I'm not entirely sure, but we do have the device to make these warp holes. That is the Link Cable Steven supplied us with. But Noel, there's nothing to worry about. Based on our theory, we can at least guarantee that we will be sending it away from our planet."
"And possibly into a different planet?" she raised her brow.
"Possibly." Cosmo nodded. "But more importantly, Noel, from our scans, I realized that the Link Cable requires more energy to control than we previously thought. Could you do me a favor and run some wavelengths? I want the cable to be full power, but I don't want to accidentally overcharge it."
"Got it." she nodded and returned to her desk.
"May, I'm sorry to ask this of you, but do you think you could fetch us another meteorite shard?" Cosmo continued.
Cosmo, I understand your thinking, but you dodged my question twice for a reason. If we use this plan, we may be saving our own planet, but what if the asteroid slams into another innocent planet that we don't know about? If that planet has life, you'd be endangering even more lives. I'm going to pray that you know what you're doing.
As she ran some tests, she heard April shouting from the first floor. She turned around in her chair to hear someone running up the stairs. Noel saw a woman with short black hair and a tan shawl, a Whismur at her heels. She wore a black shirt with no sleeves and red embellishments, a pair of dark khaki shorts, and she had a dragon-shaped anklet wrapped around her right ankle. She had a big grin plastered on her face, along with a pair of piercing red eyes.
"Nice! So this is the heart of the famous Space Center everybody talks about!" she shouted. "Pretty impressive, eh, Aster?" she looked down at her Pokémon.
Noel stood from her desk, taking her lab coat off.
"Excuse me, miss, you can't just let yourself in here." she told her, eyes narrowed.
The trio surrounded by monitors looked to the voices, startled by their sudden guest. Noel made eye contact with the woman, her eyes like daggers.
"Where's the harm in it? Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud!" she laughed, her eyes moving to her ear. "Wow…would you take a look at that beauty…"
Noel covered her earring, afraid that it would somehow levitate out of her ear and into the stranger's hands. Everyone at the bottom made their way to the woman, who didn't seem to mind her audience. Steven growled.
"Who are you? You're no sightseer."
"Oh me, we seem to keep running into one another!" she completely ignored Steven, making him angrier. "You're a busy girl, May."
"Wh-who are you?! What are you doing here?!" Cosmo shouted.
"Professor, calm down before you soil yourself." Noel walked up to them, gently pushing past him.
"Well well, who are you?" she smiled at Noel. "Oh, wait! I totally know who you are!"
"I'm not surprised, everybody does." Noel's tone was calm.
"How rude am I, you don't know who I am." she placed her hands on her hips. "I'm Zinnia. Just your regular ol' tourist and nothing more. Dreaming of taking a little trip into space…" she smirked.
Noel stared at the woman named Zinnia. She knew what she had said about being a tourist wasn't true. Zinnia looked at all of the screens.
"Oh, I seeeeee. So this is what's come of human technology and of hope and blood and sweat and tears and…" she took a breath from her run-on sentence. "Well, the list gets kinda long and boring. But it contains everything, huh?"
Nobody said a word, baffled by the woman in front of them. Zinnia turned back to them.
"I know all about it." her voice lowered. "I know all about the energy you're using in this rocket thing… It's the abominable energy that was thought up by humanity 3,000 years ago."
Noel listened intently.
"So, you once again think you're doing what's best for humanity? Or best for the whole darn world? It's a snap of your fingers to repeat the sins of the past. Worse, if what I overheard is true, this time you're planning to do something even more abominable than before!"
Steven stepped forward in surprise.
"Then tell me, would you rather we sit here wringing our hands, waiting for an asteroid to strike us?"
Zinnia erupted into laughter. "What's up with that? You're a pretty simple guy for the former Pokémon League Champion." she winked at Noel.
Noel blinked in surprise, looking at May as well, who had been standing there silently this entire time.
"Well, I guess I'll hang my hopes on what the two current holders of your title have to say." she looked at May first. "What do you think, May? You have a better idea, don't you?"
All looked at May, who hesitated before nodding her head. Steven's eyes widened, as did Cosmo's.
"Oooh, really! That seems promising!" Zinnia smiled and clapped her hands. She turned to Noel next. "And as I heard, you don't like this plan, either. You don't know where the asteroid will go. You weren't kept in the loop as much as you wanted to be…what do you think, Noel? Do you have a better idea?"
All eyes were on Noel now. A bead of sweat formed on her face as she thought about the current plan. They were using Infinity Energy, which was completely dangerous since it was used 3,000 years ago to power an ultimate weapon that nearly wiped out Pokémon for good. That is what the legend said. Noel had no clue where the asteroid would end up. Sure, their plan was scientifically sound and it would save them for now, but there was no true answer for where the asteroid would end up. She looked Zinnia in the eye.
"I don't agree with the circumstances of this plan and I haven't thought of a better one…but I just don't want other lives to be in jeopardy…"
Zinnia's eyes sparkled in interest. "Listen, guys. I'm not here to criticize the way you're looking at this. But I want to be sure that you've thought it through well and good. You know," she looked at Noel. "there are necessary sacrifices, and there are unnecessary sacrifices. What a disappointment! This is the best you could do with all of your knowledge and technology? Instead of trying to make something outta nothing, you're willing to repeat the mistakes you've made in the past, straight up? No, you're gonna add new mistakes on top—now that really takes the cake." she narrowed her eyes in disappointment. "You guys need some imagination."
The sass within this woman is powerful.
"But you all were in the middle of a conversation, weren't you?" Zinnia asked. "Sorry about that. I guess we'll just let ourselves out then.
"Allow me to escort you out." Noel stepped forward.
Zinnia smiled. "How polite of you! Sure thing, honey!"
Noel walked forward and nodded at Zinnia, who walked with her out of the research hub and down the stairs. Noel watched Zinnia prance down the stairs in a carefree action. Whismur hopped down each step, Noel being careful and letting it hop in front of her.
"Zinnia, what you said in there…about sacrifices…what did you mean?" Noel asked, out of earshot of others.
"Oh, so you caught up on my hints?" Zinnia glanced at her as they reached the lobby. "I knew you would."
"You looked at me like you were referring to something specific." Noel opened the door for her.
They walked out and stood in front of the building, gazing at the sky whose sun was lowering into the dip of sunset. Time felt slower when engrossed inside the research hub.
"Honey, you were nearly an unnecessary sacrifice. The resolve you had for your team was great, but what happened to you…" she sighed.
Noel swallowed, understanding what she meant.
"You're a smart girl, Noel. I know you said you don't have a plan, but you just need to remember what you already know. You need to get creative. But for now…you need to ask yourself… The actions you're taking now… Are they based on the ideals you cling to? Or are they based on actual truths? And if they are…how much of the truth do you think you know?" she looked at Noel with her red, piercing eyes. "I'll be back, Noel." she touched her cheek in a motherly way. "And I'll know your answer then."
Noel didn't know what to say, so she just nodded. Zinnia patted her cheek before lowering her hand.
"C'mon Aster. I bet you're hungry, huh?" she laughed with her little Pokémon.
Noel watched Zinnia disappear down the stairs to the rest of the island, leaving her alone outside the doors. The doors opened behind her and she heard the angry, grumbling voice of Steven Stone. He grabbed her shoulder and whipped her around so she was looking at him.
"What the fuck was that in there?!" he shouted. "Not agreeing with the best plan we have?! The loss of lives?!"
She pulled his hand off of her angrily. "Don't touch me."
"Were you siding with that crazy woman? Talking about truths and ideals and insanity such as jeopardizing the world?"
She didn't answer him. Not because she didn't want to, but because she didn't have to.
"Don't flake on us, Noel. Admit it, this is the best plan there is and we're going to succeed." he huffed, crossing his arms.
Her stomach growled louder than it had earlier that day and it was very obvious she was starving. She ignored her stomach and sat on the stairs. She looked at the sky, thinking of what Zinnia had said. The hostility in the air seemed to dissolve as Steven sat down next to her.
"Aren't you going to eat?" he asked.
"I forgot to pack a lunch." she pouted, resting her chin on her fist.
"Well at least let me get you something from my house." he offered, anger leaving his voice.
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't want anything from you except to leave me alone." she told him a-matter-of-factly.
He sat there in silence for a few moments until he finally stood back up.
"You continue your research with Cosmo. I have something I need to do at Meteor Falls. If May comes out, tell her that's where I went." he walked away without another word.
She watched him leave, letting out an annoyed sigh. She closed her eyes and listened to the atmosphere all around her. She listened to the waves, she listened to the Pokémon flying overhead, and she heard the people walking around in the nearing sunset. The sky was at its mixture of orange and blue, creating the perfect environment for a walk or jog. She inhaled, attempting to cleanse the bad energy from her body. She heard the automatic doors slide open again, making her eyes pop open. May came out of the Center, letting out a huge groan.
"May?" Noel turned her head.
"Oh, it's you. Hey." she gave her a half-smile.
"Steven went to Meteor Falls if you're curious."
May's smile faded as she let out an even louder groan. She pouted and sat next to Noel on the stairs.
"Why do I always have to do everything? I had to put Kyogre back to sleep, defeat your team, save your life, defeat the Pokémon League, and now I need to run around to help prevent another catastrophe?" she covered her face with her hands, as if exhausted.
"Thank you, by the way."
"What?"
"For saving me down there, in the Cave of Origin. I understand you have no idea who I am, I'm some woman, and you had to rescue me from my own mess. I appreciate it highly." she nodded.
May sighed. "I can't just let somebody die…"
"How old are you, May?" Noel asked.
"I just turned sixteen a few days ago… And nobody really cares. There's always something else I have to do, whether it be an errand for Steven or a battle that means a lot."
"Well, Happy Birthday." Noel smiled.
"Thank you…" she smiled too, looking at her feet. "Noel, how old are you?"
"I'm twenty-five years old…" she looked at the sky. "I remember being sixteen like it was yesterday…but it was so long ago…"
"What was your favorite part of being sixteen, Miss?"
Noel's eyes sparkled. "My father granting me my Key Stone…"
"They had Key Stones that long ago?" May was interested.
"Yea… It's not like I'm a dinosaur, May." she laughed. "Life may seem like a bore right now, or even excruciating because of what's happening in the world right now, but when it's all over, there's so much for you to look forward to."
"That's what my mom says." May played with her thumbs. "What's your mom like, Noel?"
"I never knew my mother." Noel said.
"What?" May's eyes widened.
"She was killed when I was a toddler." her smile faded. "I hardly remember her face. But I know she was an innocent woman, a beautiful woman."
"I'm sorry…" May looked down at her feet again. "I didn't know…"
"It's okay. I learned enough from my father to become who I am today, and I'm fine with that."
"My dad's a Gym Leader in Petalburg…"
"NO WAY. NORMAN?"
May blinked. "Uh…yea. Why, do you know him?"
"I battled him when I was your age! I kicked his ass."
"Aight." she sighed. "You know, it's weird to be talking to a criminal."
Criminal.
"After all, your goons are running around looking for Key Stones as we speak. That Matt guy tried to steal Wally's earlier today."
"What?" Noel asked, eyes wide.
"Yea. That big muscley guy is running around trying to snatch up Key Stones. He battled me earlier today."
"But I just saw him this morning…" she muttered to herself. "That's why Archie couldn't find him!" she stood up in a flash. "Thank you, May! Holy shit, you just answered a question of mine! Thank you!"
Noel dashed back into the Space Center, leaving May dazed and confused. She sprinted up the stairs and pushed by Cosmo by accident, apologizing and nearly falling down the steps in the center of the room on her way to her desk. Her hands floundered for the PokeNav, dialing Archie's number in a type of panic. Cosmo looked at her, pushing up his glasses with a puzzled expression.
"Come on, Archie, pick up…" she whispered to the screen.
Archie's face appeared on the screen, obviously pleased to be hearing from her. He smiled wide.
"Noel! I was wondering when you'd call your hunk of man." he raised his brows and chuckled.
"I'm happy to see you babe, and I love you bunches, but I need to know where Matt is."
"Matt? I actually just talked to him like you asked me to. I couldn't find 'im this morning, so I kinda gave up after a while. But yea, we literally just had our bro time."
"I spoke with May and she told me he battled her this morning while trying to steal someone's Key Stone."
"Matt stealing a Key Stone? Why the hell would he do something like that?" Archie asked, bewildered.
"I…I don't know, actually…" she admitted.
"Babe, are you sure you're not just working too hard? You get a little paranoid when you over exert yourself." he said, concern in his voice.
"Maybe…I dunno…" she sighed, sitting down in her chair and looking into the screen. "You might be right, though…"
"But hey, I'll keep an eye on him, okay? I'm worried about him too. He seemed a little off today, so don't worry your cute head about it. I'll call you if he gets out of whack or something."
"Thank you…" she smiled.
"What'd you have for dinner?"
She laughed nervously and scratched her neck.
"You forgot to pack food, didn't you?" he rolled his eyes with a smirk. "You're a dweeb."
"Yea, but I'm your dweeb." she stuck her tongue out.
"Damn right you are." he laughed. "Get a good night sleep tonight, got it? I don't want you pulling any all-nighters. Don't go turning into Hyde on me."
"Speaking of, is Hyde keeping you updated? I have a direct feed channeling information to him."
"Yup. Shelly's helping too, and honestly, she loves it. So we're good back home, Noel."
"Good to hear…"
"I can see the Professor from behind you and it looks like he wants you. So I'll let you get back to work. I love you."
Her heart fluttered. "I love you too."
With a wave, he hung up. Her heart hurt to see his face leave her screen, but she knew she had work to do. Standing up, she turned to see Cosmo approaching her.
"I'm sorry for pushing you, I was in a hurry." she apologized again.
"It's okay, it's just…the way you did it seemed a little familiar. I don't recall you shoving me before, but I feel like you actually have…" he pondered.
Knowing full well what he was trying to remember, she covered it with a smile.
"Professor, I'd never shove you on purpose. I don't have the heart to do that."
"I suppose you're right, I'm sorry." he smiled back. "I have some more information to send you, just hang tight…" he walked off.
Why did I just do that? The smile remained on her face. I just lied to him. I thought I was done covering up who I was. Am I afraid of what he'll say to me? Or perhaps that he'll be disappointed?
"Here's the latest data from the Link Cable with a meteorite shard inside. The wavelength changed from when we had just the Infinity Energy inside. I think it'd be great if you took a look at it."
"Will do." she nodded and sat down.
Cosmo sent the wavelengths to her computer. To her surprise, the wavelengths looked somewhat familiar.
"Hmm…"
She minimized all of her tabs and searched through the folder her and Hyde were sharing over the network. To her delight, Hyde shared her wavelengths from the meteorite, Latiasite, and Swampertite over the network, so now both of them were dealing with all of the information they could ever have. Hyde must have had his socks rocked at this point because all of this information was a giant cesspool waiting to be dipped into. She opened her file on the original meteorite she stole from Cosmo and compared it to the meteorite shard.
"Bingo…" she smiled to herself.
The shard and the meteorite were a direct match.
"That means we're dealing with something powerful, right? How is the Infinity Energy connected to the meteorite…?" she asked herself.
She knew the Latiasite had some sort of parallel as well, considering its wavelength was originally similar to that of the meteorite and the Mega Stone for her Swampert. She continued to type in equations that fit all of the surrounding wavelengths, trying to find a connection. As she worked, scientists around her turned their monitors off and yawned, leaving the research hub and for home. Noel looked at the clock on her taskbar. It was already 8:00 at night, but it didn't seem like bedtime just yet.
"Shit, time sure flies when you're working here…" she mumbled.
More scientists turned off their monitors and said goodnight to her and Cosmo as they left, all actually frightened of her. She didn't care about what time it was, only about what she was working on. Eventually, it was only her, Saunders, and Cosmo left in the research hub. Saunders stretched and looked up at her from his desk lower on the hall floor.
"Remember that I leave at midnight, so my computer will stop feeding you live links." he yawned.
"Yea, yea, I know. I'll be heading off to bed soon anyway, don't worry about it." she waved his worry away.
"Well, you've got an hour." he smiled. "I've never seen you work this hard."
"I'm on a roll, Saunders."
Cosmo chuckled, still fiddling with the Link Cable. He explained to them how the launch of the capsule was going to work with the Link Cable inside. She thought his plan was all good and sweet, but she was figuring something out in her head as she typed. Code after code, wave after wave. Hyde must have been seeing it too, because his activity of downloads was increasing as she worked. However, his activity stopped at 11:45, fifteen minutes before midnight. She assumed that he either fell asleep at his keyboard or went to bed.
"Noel?" she heard Saunders say. "Soon means fifteen minutes. It's been forty-five."
"Shush, I'm on a roll." she repeated.
He sighed, obviously giving up. He walked up through the hub and wished the two remaining scientists a nice night. He could be heard leaving down the stairs. Cosmo approached Noel's desk.
"What exactly are you so keen on finding, Noel?" he asked.
"Well, you told me to analyze the wavelengths. I did. Then I found a connection with Aqua's work, so I dug a little deeper. I'm finding more puzzle pieces that could lead us to success." she smiled.
"Well, great! Just go to bed soon, dear. I'm sure that Archie fellow would murder me if he found out you were awake too long…" he shuddered.
"I said I was going to bed soon, so don't worry about it." she reassured him.
"Alright, I'll believe you. I'm going to turn in myself, to be quite honest."
"Go on home, Professor. I'll be fine here." she patted his arm.
"Alright, Noel. Have a good night." he left her be.
"Goodnight, Professor."
Cosmo could be heard leaving down the stairs, footsteps eventually fading into silence. Noel looked around her, the science hub left all to herself. She relished in that, standing from her desk and getting a cup of water without any of the stares from before. The silence was eerie, given the fact the hub was abnormally dark, but she didn't mind. It reminded her of home and how the halls were dimmed at this hour. She gulped down several cups of water before heading back to her desk, eager to finish the connection of data she made. She rubbed her eyes, the sleep trying to make her stop, but she knew she couldn't. As she typed, she began to use trial and error. Zinnia told her to be creative with the information she already had, which she was attempting at that moment. If the meteorite and meteorite shard were the same wavelengths, then that meant they were both connected to the same strand of power held in the Pokémon not found in Aqua's database. If the Latiasite was similar to both, it could only mean one thing.
"A Legendary Pokémon…?" she yawned.
Her clock read 1:00 a.m. Now that she had a link of where the information was trying to lead her, the next step was research. If there was indeed a legendary Pokémon involved, she needed to clear the air on what exactly it was. Her eyes continuously tried shutting.
"I'll rest my eyes for a good twenty minutes, then I'll hit the research…" she told herself, laying her head on her elbows on top of her desk. "I'll figure this out…" she yawned again.
She closed her eyes and listened to the humming of her computer.
5:00 A.M.
Noel felt a shaking on her shoulder, making her blink awake. It was a tad lighter in the research hub, making her confused at first. The humming of her computer monitor remained.
"Noel, come on, wake up…" a voice mumbled.
Groggily, she sat up. Her vision was blurry and her arms had a pins-and-needles feeling. She inhaled sleepily and stretched, hands bumping whoever was trying to make her rise.
"What…what time is it…?" she rubbed her eyes.
"5:00." the person answered.
"What…?!" she wiggled her mouse, making the darkened screen of her computer light up. Her clock read 5:03.
"You obviously fell asleep." the voice sighed.
Noel turned, still blinking furiously to banish the drowsiness from her eyes. The voice belonged to Steven. He had his arms crossed, standing over her with seemingly forced irritation in his eyes.
"You need to go home." Steven told her.
"Nuh uh, I'm almost…" she yawned again. "…done…"
"Noel, you're working yourself too hard. Come on, let's go." he took her hand and helped her up.
She walked past him, not thanking him for his help. She picked up her backpack and attempted to walk up the stairs. She tripped, but didn't fall down. Her walking resembled that of a drunk person's, only she was too tired to understand what the word 'drunk' meant. She felt Steven's hand on her shoulder again, another sigh escaping his mouth. He guided her up the stairs.
"I can do it…" she told him.
"Yes, you can…" he lied. "You're right."
Even though he had said what he had, he still guided her up the stairs. Noel seemed to forget the feeling of his hand there, so she didn't say anything else.
"What are you doing here…?" she asked. "You should be at home, sleeping…"
"I had errands to run. I took a short nap when I returned, but when I passed your home, it was still locked and dark. I figured you were still here." he explained.
They reached the stairwell to go down to the lobby, and Steven stopped her, which she detested.
"Don't get ornery with me. You'll fall if I let you walk down the stairs." he bent down, scooping her up.
"Your hands are freezing." she told him.
"Your hair smells like the sea."
"Touché."
He held her and walked down the stairs. She didn't protest for the sheer fact that he was right, she was too out of it to judge whether up was down or left was red.
"You can't overwork yourself like this, Noel." he sighed. "It isn't good for you."
She narrowed her eyes. "You don't have the right to tell me what's good for me."
When they reached ground level, Noel pushed off of Steven so she could stand on her own. She grumbled, brushing herself off like he vile garbage. He was.
"You're welcome." he narrowed his eyes at her.
"I didn't ask you to help me, or wake me up for that matter." she walked over to the doors and walked out.
"I'm only looking out for you!" he retaliated.
"I didn't ask you to look out for me!" she shouted back, now in the crispness of the early morning.
"I just want to—"
"What? Take care of me? Protect me?" she was slowly waking up, anger becoming her fuel.
"Yes!" he shouted at her.
"Why?!" her voice escalated further. "I told you not to!"
"Because…because…" he grabbed his hair angrily, as if he was trying to avoid erupting completely.
"It's obvious that you hate me! You detest me! All of you, ever since I've stepped foot back in Mossdeep, you all DESPISE me! You've all labeled me as some sort of criminal! You think I don't hear people talk? You think I don't notice how people look at me? You don't have the right to approach me and say you want to look out for me! I told you Steven, I don't want you looking out for me! I can hardly even stand talking to you at this close of a distance! So why? Tell me, Steven Fucking Stone, why do you feel the fucking need to try and continue looking out for me?!"
"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, DAMMIT!" tears escaped his eyes. "BECAUSE I FUCKING LOVE YOU!"
Noel's eyes widened. She didn't lose the irritation in her face, she only felt the sudden surprise of having his words being screamed at her.
"Noel…fucking dammit…" he covered his face with his hands. "Why don't you understand…?"
"Because, Steven." her voice lowered. "I already told you. I love Archie, not you."
"That isn't what I mean…" his voice shook. "When you left for the Orange Islands…I was so worried about your trip…" he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "And then I saw the news…of how you were unaccounted for…"
Her face softened, deciding to listen to his story.
"I hired the best people to search for you. When they came up empty…I lost control of myself…" he continued to cry. "I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, and I didn't battle. When I did sleep, I had nightmares. Cruel, cruel nightmares…you would come back to me, but it turned out to be an illusion. And then…there was the one day on the Southern Islands…where I met an Aqua Grunt who had your eyes…and any calmness I had held onto fled, making me a wreck. I chased after her, but she and that Matt fellow disappeared on a Salamence. May was afraid to speak to me for some time after that…because I was so upset… Then the night where Mr. Sturth said he had seen your ghost…my heart disintegrated. I was torn apart, thinking you had visited your home and your family…so lost… I was supposed to be put at ease…and I slowly began to accept it. It wasn't easy, but I got over your death…slowly…"
He hiccupped.
"The day of the downpour, I met your…crew…on the sandbar…and there you were…in a heap in that man's arms… I couldn't believe it. There you were, alive, but you were in shambles. You were a bloody, fucked up mess…and I was still so happy to see you alive… That man…Archie…he said that he was your lover. I couldn't believe my ears. And when he told me that you were an Admin…of Team Aqua…I felt like I was having an out of body experience. Surely, I must have been dreaming, right? No. I wasn't that lucky." he fell to his knees in tears. "Do you have any idea what it was like to have you taken from me, and then ripped from me again when I had the highest delight of seeing you alive?! DO YOU?!" he wailed. "I had gotten over you! I went through the lengths to try and forget you! But you were presented to me as a cheap trick! You awakened what I had buried deep within my heart and shredded it like a plaything! That is why I'm so angry, that is why I detest you so! You have no compassion! You don't UNDERSTAND HOW IT FELT!"
Noel clenched her fists, face growing pale from his explanation. As he sobbed in front of her, she didn't know what to do. She erupted into tears as well.
"What do you expect me to do then…?" her voice shook. "Leap into your arms and apologize? Tell you that I was wrong?"
"I just…I just…"
"I want to go home…" she turned from him and walked around the building.
"Noel!" he shouted. "Please!"
She collapsed onto her knees and cried, wailing Archie's name into the sky and feeling her nose run from her sadness.
"I want to go home…!" she wailed into her hands.
The wave of sadness and confusion could be felt in the air. Noel's words and tears reached all ears that were awake. Her emotions seeped into the red eyes watching from atop the Space Center.