Chapter 30 A Stacked Deck and the House of Cards

"I didn't meet my uncle until I was seven years old. I believe he was twenty or so at the time, but I'm not entirely sure. My parents thought to open their doors to him after learning of what his parents did to him. They cast him from their home years earlier but had never heard of that happening until then. My parents were livid and begged him to stay with them, so, he did. At the time, I wasn't sure what to make of him. He was aloof and kept to himself, willingly did anything my parents asked around the house. One such task was to watch me whenever they went out.

"Naturally, as time drew on and Ghetsis stayed, they came to rely on him being there often and used it to stay out of the house more often. One day, I brought home a science textbook from a class—a dreadfully simple one, looking back on it—and he took a keen interest. Before, although he had taken care of me, it was the bare essentials; he'd bathe me, feed me, whatever else, but wordlessly and without much obvious interest in me. I'll admit, him suddenly wanting to know more about me was odd and at first, I didn't want to talk to him… but he encouraged me to talk by asking me specific questions about various subjects in the book and I'd spill them to him because my parents were not often there to hear them in his stead.

"I thought that would be the end of it, but then, whenever my parents were gone from then on out, he'd press me for more questions. Years later, he'd buy me basic tools and material to work with to dabble in experimentation. I should also mention that, as almost any young child, I'm sure, I was obsessed with pokémon. Couldn't wait to get my hands on one and wanted to know all that I could about them, including the limits of their power. I didn't appreciate the vague definitions of their power I read in books nor the arbitrary League-regulated definitions. I wanted to see it, to feel it, and to draw the most of it out that I could.

"One day, Ghetsis brought home a Blitzle. I don't know where he got it or how, considering as far as I knew, he wasn't a trainer and just worked odd jobs around Lacunosa and the Village Bridge. He did have a Deino, though… Anyway, he told me that the world record for endurance on a Blitzle was taken from a race, but he had a better idea for how to test the creature's endurance. He helped me construct a machine—essentially an oversized Pikachu wheel, really—and we used that. I'm sure you can already see a problem with that. The Blitzle did run for longer than any recorded Blitzle in the world, but just as I was going to shut it off, it collapsed… It died from injuries related to that machine.

"I didn't know what to do and was in shock. It was Ghetsis who told me it was alright and that this was why the world was so limited. So much information was lost because of human fear and ethics… He smiled at me. It was the first time I think I had ever seen him smile. Together, we took care of disposing the Blitzle, and he told me never to speak of it to anyone but him.

"Of course, it's a lot easier said than done to hide such experimentation from parents, even ones as ignorant as mine were. They eventually discovered us performing one such cruel experiment… They were horrified. I was shocked. I suppose a part of me understood they wouldn't appreciate it, I just hadn't considered it in detail, yet. They kicked Ghetsis out right away and refused to let him back. They punished me and were even afraid of me, I believe… I was angry at them for taking him away and for treating me so. I believe I might have even enjoyed scaring them on occasion.

"Eventually, they kicked me out, too. Ghetsis started meeting with me again soon after because I was at a loss for what to do on the streets. He managed to give me a place to stay and, once again, provided me whatever tools I might have wanted to experiment, as long as I would do something for him: as fascinating as pokémon were, he wanted me to try something on people. To see what they were capable of without those hindrances of emotions within. I was frightened, but so curious…

"Over the course of three years, I developed the rudimentary technology needed to control the Shadow Triad. I gave up on school after they kept holding me back—I hadn't time for their mediocrities that they indignantly seemed sure were necessary—and once finished with this technology, I needed to test it. Ghetsis brought me three men who were foreigners to Unova. They were from the Village of Dragons and barely spoke Galarish… not that that mattered, because they were on the verge of death when he brought them to me. He said he and his Hydreigon—that Deino had evolved at that point—had fought a Haxorus off them in Victory Road.

"I fixed their broken bodies and I weaponized their broken minds. My intention was to merely observe them for a while… I thought that was what Ghetsis wanted, too. But he didn't. He hadn't cared at all about the science of any of it. He hadn't wanted test subjects, he had wanted bodyguards, hitmen, or more bluntly… slaves. I still had total control of them at that point, so I went to order them to take care of him, so I could finish my studies and then let them walk free… My studies were threatened by Ghetsis. He needed to go.

"Yet, I… couldn't do it. The Shadow Triad at the time were not as sophisticated as today and not only did they not understand my orders, but Ghetsis… Grabbed me and in a moment, I realized something. I had no family, I had no job, I had no path in education anymore—I had none of the avenues this world forces people down in order to be successful. If I were to have destroyed Ghetsis, I would have destroyed myself… Then, he mocked me, saying he created me, just as much as I created the Shadow Triad.

"I managed to get the Shadow Triad to do something at last. They pinned him down and twisted his arms behind his back. I reminded him that he could have brought me all the tools in the world, but it was still me who put them all together and created what he wanted. I couldn't destroy him without destroying me, but neither could he without destroying himself. As much as we hated one another in that moment, we both came to the only logical conclusion: we needed one another.

"That wasn't to say we didn't go our separate ways for a long time. I still ultimately controlled the Shadow Triad, but after tweaking them until they were as reliable as they are now, I vanished. I still gathered data on the Triad from a remote distance, but I wasn't there to watch what he did with them. I can only imagine, as I know he at least hunted down every one of the Harmonia descendants like Magikarp in a barrel… All except me, because the Shadow Triad had measures taken so that they could not harm or target me in any way. There was a reason I used past tense regarding my parents, Miss Rosa… Hmph. I suppose they should have been as useful as me.

"I bounced from every other region, desperate for a way to maintain myself without needing him any longer… I couldn't have him threatening my work, couldn't have him breathing down my neck. Yet, I never could find it. Human arrogance in their moral superiority runs deeper than the magma at the center of this very Earth, I'm certain. Nobody could appreciate my intelligence nor my goals. What a pity… I didn't understand that, either. It was just so obvious to me, so why could nobody else understand it?

"Within the last year or so, I was driven back to Unova, the only region where I was not a wanted criminal, the only region that did not communicate regarding criminals elsewhere. Despite its fierce reputation for handling internal problems, I'm sure you've picked up by now, Miss Rosa, it's mostly theatrics and yet again, human arrogance. Unova has more than its fair share of problems… Especially when Alder was the Champion. Yet, I still had nowhere to go as far as supporting myself went. So, back to Ghetsis… Now, I stand before you. Oh, yes, I have used his money and his supplies, but I am still as self-made as they come, and my research is still very much my own."

He had monologued while circling her, flipping that discomforting control of space back on her. His voice flicked between calm conviction and borderline desperation rapidly; although he had told her the story in absolutes, although he claimed he was still very much the one in control, Rosa just had to shake her head in appalled disbelief as he carried on. As intelligent as he was, how was he so blind? If all he said was true, then even a Zubat would have been able to see Ghetsis had sculpted him, like an item for display… Or perhaps he knew, but the truth was too painful to believe. Everything made so much terrifying sense as he spoke and her strong-jawed façade from earlier melted away like an ice sculpture, revealing the spineless girl underneath…

"Dr. Colress…" she whispered, clutching at her own chest as she staggered back, her Pignite following dutifully, "don't you see…?"

He piercingly glared at her and bared his teeth. "See what?" he spat.

Maybe… just maybe she could talk him out of this… Make him see it didn't have to be this way… Maybe they didn't need to play this deadly game of Chess, after all… Shaking, Rosa shook her head slowly. "Dr. Colress, please… listen to me… The answers you're searching for in people, I don't think… I don't think they exist… You said you wanted to understand, and you wanted to understand Gh-Ghetsis, but I don't think you can understand anyone like that… There's nothing to understand… Nothing biological, anyway… He's just… he wanted to use you and that's that, so he manipulated you—"

She squeaked as he lunged at her, wrapping his hands around her throat. She went limp as her hands, shivering, clutched his forearms. He didn't press his hands in tightly, or at all, really, but having his hands on her at all was more than she could handle. How she had been fooled again… by herself, no less, into thinking she could handle him. Why did she keep coming back just to learn this lesson again and again?

He tilted his head ever-so-slightly at her and he growled, "Did you not hear a word I said?" He squeezed just slightly, and she yelped, instinctively shrinking from him, which only served to encourage him to dig his nails in tighter as he barked, "Do not question me. You said you wanted to help. You have been willing to work with me this entire time. Are you going to back out, now, Miss Rosa?"

That immaturity had somehow seeped back into his tone despite the aggressive stance he was in, the trembling hold he had on her neck. Even with the ripples of fear rolling through her body, she felt his story was only becoming clearer… but not in a way that made her feel sorry for him. Not in the slightest. Ghetsis might have goaded him into his line of work according to him, but it was still Dr. Colress that had pursued it with cold, callous passion. What Ghetsis had done was not right… but how Dr. Colress had chosen to handle it was far from correct, either. They were two sides of the same malevolent coin, a constant push and pull of dangerous tides, and she was now the lone ship in the night caught between them.

"No…" Rosa finally choked. He at last let her go and she collapsed to her knees. Instinctively, she ran her hands across her neck and sucked in a few fast breaths. He had not really hindered her breathing in any way, and she had collapsed from paralyzing fear rather than him letting go, but she still felt like she needed proof she could breathe. Her Pignite worriedly squealed as he shuffled closer to her and sniffed her over.

"I am not like that puppet of a son of his!" Dr. Colress was still fuming as he whirled away from her. "Still bending to his every word, running back home like an obedient, mindless Lillipup! I am more than what he says, and I'll show you, and I'll show the rest of the world! Even if it destroys them all in the process!"

What is he talking about? she distantly thought, mind too frazzled to try to piece together anything else. She quickly forgot about the earlier comment as he raved on. As she puffed for breath and stared at the stony floor, she mutinously supposed it would have been a bad time to inform him that there would be nobody to show if the world were gone. Cracking such an internal joke was far easier than dealing with the mortifying reality that had just been laid out for her. Dr. Colress was as intelligent as they came as far as data and numbers went, but it was clear as day to her right then he had no grasp on the reality of emotions… none whatsoever. He was a child when it came to them… and oh, how nothing is deadlier than misguided innocence…

"Shadow Triad, come to me!" Dr. Colress called. As before, they encircled him, and then they were gone in the blink of an eye.

She sat there for a long time, just enjoying her Pignite's reassurance, until her Xtransceiver rang and she saw that it was Nate.

"So, let me get this straight." Nate was hanging off the edge of his bunk in his hostel room, rubbing his forehead, while Zeshi sat comfortably next to him with her paws neatly crossed. She was so relaxed considering the… everything she had just told him. "These… Heroes, they both skipped out of Unova after they fought over their beliefs. Then the one's—N's—crazy dad was jailed but broke out soon after because of the Shadow Triad. Now, he's trying to just… destroy Unova? Because he's mad? And the legendaries like Cobalion that I saw are trying to figure out a way to fight him because they have reason to think he has an Ancient Dragon of Unova, or that the Heroes won't come back to help." He laughed in disbelief and shook his head. "Is that fuckin' right, Zeshi?"

She growled at his tone and shook her head. Yeah, if you wanna put it in such simple terms, she muttered. What Rood and the other Silver Knights never could figure out, though, is just which Ancient Dragon… because… well… they're bonded with the Hero of Truths and the Hero of Ideals. If they have one of them, then… She whimpered and put a paw over her muzzle. Then they either have one of the Heroes hostages or they did something to one of them, or… a Hero gave it to them. It was a few seconds before she added, I'm… not sure which of those is worse, if I'm being honest…

Nate just put his head in his hands. He was beyond frustrated. He just wanted to kick this stupid Zorua out of his room and never hear her annoying voice—illusion or not—ever again. He was trying so hard to do better, to balance his relationships with Rosa and Hugh so they weren't so tense and borderline fighting all the time, to just get his gym badges, and recently, to drum up the effort it would take to talk to his father to quell the anger he was sure he was going to receive for his recent defiance—and here Zeshi came along, expecting to derail all of that and thrust him into the bargain bin of 'discount Hero.' In her own words, she had said that Cobalion expressed interest in him as a potential trainer they could rely on to combat Ghetsis and Neo Plasma. After all, she had argued, you've already been fighting them with Hugh, haven't you?

Her argument essentially boiled down to the fact that the Twin Heroes were no longer in Unova and the legendaries were desperate, and he was their desperate choice due to how he had refused to back down to Cobalion's challenge. His fear-fueled arrogance when he had nothing left to lose was something they were interested in. He was their last resort and it was because of the defense mechanisms he had honed to deal with his problem for the last five or six years. He felt as if they wanted to take advantage of his natural disposition, to weaponize it, to utilize that fear, and treat it as a means to their end.

He had no interest in being a means to someone else's end.

Huffing and finally taking his face out of his palms, he glowered at Zeshi. "That's nice and all," Nate growled, "but why me? Why not, oh, I dunno, the gym leaders, the League, the Champion, or, hell, even you and the legendary pokémon themselves? Why do they need a person?" Impatiently, he snapped, "I am not just yours to use."

Zeshi jumped to her paws and barked at him, narrowing her eyes irritably. You don't understand! This isn't just a one-off battle! This is a big deal! The Ancient Dragons of Unova are so powerful! Zekrom nearly destroyed Unova at one point! She paced back and forth some, shooting him looks as she went. Rood used to talk to me all the time about it. At first, I never said anything, I just liked him talking to me… telling me stories about N and my mom… Then, he started telling me more about Unova and all of that… Zekrom cut the rivers in Unova's mainland in its anger after it was betrayed by the original Hero… Reshiram nearly burned all of Unova's forests to cinders and it was the Swords of Justice that saved everyone. She halted at last and whined. Nate, you gotta get this part more than anything else: this isn't just one single battle. If Neo Plasma really does have one of the Ancient Dragons, then this is war. You don't just send one guy out in a war! And we need humans to understand that! This isn't some piddly little operation anymore! Neo Plasma is big and it's real!

Folding his arms, Nate just shook his head as he listened to her talk. "No, you send out thousands of meat shields in war." Of which I have no interest in being one. "Thanks, but no thanks. Also, how do you even know any of this is real? You've just been hearing it secondhand from Rood. I mean, I heard one of them say something about having an Ancient Dragon… and Cheren was worried about it, too…" He swallowed and shook his head. "But I haven't heard of any raging thunderstorms or forest fires, so… I mean, their ship is cold as ice. It's a big ship but do you think it would really hold one of those Dragon-types if it didn't wanna be there? One of the Heroes if they didn't wanna be there? If the League knows, would you really think they wouldn't do anything about it? Zeshi, this is crazy. You need to calm down. Cheren and them—I'm sure they have it under control. I mean, they know where Neo Plasma's base is now, that boat. They'll probably seize that, and this'll all be over. They're probably bluffing just to get everyone freaked out." And clearly, it's working…

No! You don't get it! Zeshi yelped. I talked to the Swords of Justice before I found you on Route Six! I've heard it straight from them! The League thinks they've got this under control, but… but… I heard from Rood about how they thought they had it under control last time, too…

Nate had already retrieved his Xtransceiver and had started dialing for Rosa. He still needed to talk to her. Just something else on his plate… He had half a mind to kick Zeshi out for the night so he could get a good night's sleep. He had gotten frustrated earlier and tried to simply recall her to a Poké Ball, but she had expertly dodged the rays at every turn and insisted she hated it in them. Of course you do, he had thought bitterly. "Now, I need to call Rosa to figure out what's going on with her," Nate sighed, "so could you keep it down for a few while I do that?"

Why? Zeshi mutinously asked, laying back down and flicking her tail. He swore she almost smirked. Am I annoying you?

"Yes," Nate growled, missing the amusement in her tone, "now hush so I can call her."

Oh, I had no idea! she gleefully said. I'm so sorry for annoying you, Nate!

Pressing the button to call Rosa, he cut his eyes at her, her intention setting in. "Shut it," he muttered as the Xtransceiver rang.

I really am so sorry, Zeshi yawned, for annoying you with the story of how Unova is at stake and you're too busy being arrogant to care.

Managing to hold his tongue, he fumed as he thought, I do care! I just—I can't be involved in that! Uncomfortably, Nate turned away from her, as if refusing to look at her might make her shut up. Rosa picked up at last and he almost cried out in relief. "Rosa!" he exclaimed a little too excitedly. She looked almost dazed at his exuberance.

"Hi, Nate…" she mumbled uncertainly. "You seem chipper for having been away for like an hour. So, uh, you at the hostel?"

"Yeah…" Nate cleared his throat and stammered, not sure how to approach the subject. It would have been so easy to just interrogate her, to just demand she tell him whatever her dilemma was—in fact, part of him really wanted to. That was how he had lived so much of his life with her, full of direct bluntness, because he didn't have the patience for mind games. Yet, in that moment, he felt like he was hit in the face with a wave of clarity, and he recognized that pressing her to divulge whatever was eating her would have been hypocritical to the extreme. Yet, he wanted to help her so badly… Hugh was convinced he couldn't help anybody, so he knew Hugh would never be able to do anything about it… Still, he was already helping Hugh… Maybe… His hands started to shake as he all too gingerly asked, "So… Hugh talked to me a little and said that… back in Driftveil, you told him about a problem you had… Or, well, mentioned you were having one… not what it was…"

Rosa narrowed her eyes at the screen and cagily arched her shoulders. He had to admit, it was a little saddening, in that moment of clarity, to see her immediately tense when she sensed he was going to ask her something. Had he always been so aggressive that it put others on edge like that? That put a bitter taste in his mouth and made him look down at his lap. Grimacing, he gave a shuddery sigh. So many fights with Hugh played out in his mind in a never-ending highlight reel, including that of him nearly punching Hugh in Nimbasa and then of Hugh attacking him in the front of Driftveil… He almost cringed as he heard Zeshi bark at him. She wasn't putting words in his head anymore, but she still clearly was not done with him. Did everything have to be so violent…?

"I'm worried about you," he lamely added at last when she remained quiet. He couldn't demand she tell him, oh no; he knew that. Feeling every bit as pathetic as he always feared he'd be seen as, but pushing through it, Nate almost whimpered, "I… know I can't ask you to tell me. Because I haven't always been so… open with you… but… if there's anything you want to talk about, Rosa, I'm… I'm here."

"Nate…" She trailed off and looked away from her camera. "I just can't talk about it… It's not that I don't want to. You really don't understand. I can't."

"I understand…" I wouldn't talk to anyone about it, either… I thought I couldn't… He took a shuddery breath and jolted when he felt Zeshi press her wet nose against his arm. Giving her a temporarily lost look, she apologetically lowered her head and whimpered at him.

There's a lot of brokenness in Unova from everything I've heard from Rood… and from the people… She shivered. Everyone in the Silver Knights was just so… broken… But that never made them any less of a person. It doesn't make you any less of a person. I never meant it to sound like I wasn't thinking about you like a person… Zeshi tilted her head at him. I can tell you want her to trust you with something… maybe show her you trust her in the same way…?

"I can't," Nate whispered back to Zeshi, his voice hardly audible, freezing uncomfortably at Zeshi's attempts at reconciliation. It was so strange, the supportive words, and he didn't know what to think of them. He just wanted her to be quiet again…

"What was that?" Rosa asked almost breathlessly.

Panicking, Nate swallowed and quickly shot back, "Nothing!"

There was an awkward stretch of silence. "Nate, I need to go… I'll be in Mistralton in just a minute…"

"Can I tell you something?" Nate blurted suddenly, voice dying slightly in his throat as soon as he said it. What are you doing? that dissenting voice, one he hadn't heard in so long, returned immediately, sounding shrill and confused more than the waspish one he had grown accustomed to. He just shook his head, faster when it repeated the question. He bared his teeth against it and was distantly glad the camera on his Xtransceiver was broken. It gave him a sense of comfort that she couldn't see his strange reactions… It gave him some courage… And maybe, just maybe, if he finally reached out with that amount of trust… After all, their fragile house of cards was built on rudimentary foundations, the belief that they'd grow closer, based on what Gym Leader Elesa had said… Maybe… maybe letting Rosa in on the secret would strengthen it and make her feel part of the group… Maybe fighting his battles alone so much wasn't that healthy, anyway… He just wanted her closer more than ever and for her to trust him. Hearing Zeshi's story, listening to how convinced Hugh was that he was harmful to all around him, now worrying about Rosa dealing in potentially something dangerous on her own… everything was just so stressful… and he couldn't handle carrying anymore weight.

He just wanted her to be honest, for them all to be honest, and grow closer together. As unsteady as that house of cards was, it was more of a home than the brick walls of Aspertia.

"Oh… yes, of course…" Rosa faltered and blinked fervently at her camera. Her voice briefly sounded ragged and she rubbed her neck with her free hand. "What is it, Nate?" she asked quietly.

"It's about my father…"

He didn't want it to just be a house of cards anymore.

As they laid down for the night, though, Church had one more question for Hil… He frowned at the other as he tossed an arm around Hil's torso. "Hil?"

"Yeah?" Hil hummed happily, nestling into the covers and his hold even further.

Church swallowed nervously. He didn't want to ruin the new, comfortable closeness that had befallen them at Hil's request he come with on whatever journey might come next… But he felt he needed to ask… Damn me and my insistence that I need to make sure everything is okay. I must be so annoying with that… "Why were you… so afraid of telling me anything about it…? Of going to do this…? Are you… scared of me?"

"No… I'm not scared of you, Church. Not at all. I'm just… afraid of all of this, again. I know so much is at stake… But I just didn't want to be a part of it… Part of me just wanted to believe someone else would fix it… That I wasn't the Hero and that I didn't need to be… It was eating me alive, though, because I knew better… I just was scared of starting it all over again… Because what if this is all I am forever?" Hil answered quietly. "Just… everyone else's 'Hero?' I'm scared of what that… m-means…" He sadly laughed and covered his face some. "I know, I know, that's… stupidly selfish of me… I just…"

"Hil. You are still you even with this," Church said with as much conviction as he could muster, relieved that it wasn't him Hil was fearing. He leaned his chin on Hil's shoulder and ran his hand down the other's arm reassuringly. He was just… afraid. Same as the last time, as that night in Nacrene. Church had to chuckle to himself. It was more than understandable for Hil to be afraid… He really did worry too much. "Whatever it means, we'll figure it out together. Okay?"

Heaving a happy sigh of relief, Hil nodded against the pillow. "You're right. We will, Church."

Okay so this was another one of those "I just have to plow through it" chapters and if that bleeds through during reading it I am so sorryyy

I ended up rewriting it like 4 times before I finally got it to where I felt it was right but ughhh. It was like, more setting up, and I'm worried that's getting annoying and- I dunno. Either way the info in the chapter was important and it's done now so we can move on next time