Chapter 39 All's Fair in Love and War

Nate had all but collapsed in his bunk upon finally getting a chance to rest that evening (he and Virizion had parted ways as he trudged inside) following the 'Battle for Opelucid,' as others had started calling it, much to the irritation of the beaten League Staff. The gym leaders had been so exhausted and sounded so defeated by the end of the night… They had canceled their plans for an emergency meeting following it all, citing that they were all far too tired to offer anything of use to discussion, and it would be best to try again the next day. That had been fine with Nate. He had seen far more than he would have liked over the course of that day, and adrenaline, normally something he despised, had been pleasantly flowing throughout most of it. He felt hollow once it started to fade, like his muscles were shot and his head heavy and throbbing. He was shocked to realize he kind of missed the rush…

He only barely remembered to text Hugh their room number for the Icirrus City hostel and responded to a message from Rosa asking where they were as well. It felt difficult to come up with the words to tell them that in the wake of exhaustion. When Hugh joined him, Nate just grunted his acknowledgment, a far cry from what he wanted to do, which was jump up and hug him, beam about how they had helped save so many people. Hugh must have been just as tired, as he offered a scratchy, "Goodnight," and flopped onto his bunk. He was snoring in minutes and Nate wanted to laugh at him, but it came as more of a pained wheeze. His throat felt burned despite him having been in subzero conditions most of the day.

Nate had been just about to cross the threshold to sleep when he jolted awake upon hearing the door open again. He glanced at it and saw Rosa enter with her Emboar at her side. She must be really close to that Emboar, he thought distractedly. She always has him out… Yawning, he turned over with the intention of going to sleep. He frowned to himself as he did, realizing he was alone in the bed. I didn't let Spacey and the others out before going to bed… They're not gonna be happy about being left in their Poké Balls all night… Ugh, but my bag is so far… His legs ached like hell and he did not like the idea of getting back up. Jumping from thought to thought in his tired, borderline delusional state, Nate then smiled to himself. Oh, I'm glad Rosa's here, though… I was afraid she'd stay at Lacunosa longer… I was so worried about her… I'm just glad to see her again… wish I could get up and hug her, too…

All he could verbally muster to say to her, though, was a muffled, "Hi, Rosa…"

"Hey, Nate," she mumbled in a trembling voice. He tensed. Had she been crying? After a pause, in which she seemed to pick up on his concern, she muttered, "Sorry, just… I heard about the news, and I saw a bunch of the people that got evacuated, and I saw Opelucid… Just…" Taking a shuddery breath, she sat at the end of his bunk. "I'm so sorry about all of that," she whimpered. Nate drew his feet away from her. Something seemed out of place… Why was she sitting on his bed? He brought his knees up close against his body and tried to sit up to talk to her, but his exhausted frame just dropped back to the mattress like a stone in a river.

Oh, chill out, Nate, he thought to himself tiredly. It's Rosa. What's she gonna do?

"Nate?" she quietly called. He blinked through the darkness at her and felt a mild prickle of annoyance. He just… wanted to sleep… She rubbed her shoulder nervously. "I… really missed you today… I was so worried…"

Although he was confused at first, his overwhelmed brain decided the why of what she was saying wasn't important. His annoyance faded and he enjoyed knowing she had felt some concern over him… He didn't want to make her worry, but knowing that someone had been worried about him… that… that was so nice… Someone cared… He smiled back at her warmly. "I missed you too, Rosa…" he yawned. After a delay, in which she scooted a little closer to him, he reluctantly mumbled, "I'm tired…" He didn't want her to go away, but he felt like if he didn't voluntarily go to sleep soon, he'd just pass out.

She nodded and then got up off the bed, but stepped closer to his face, leaning over his mattress slightly. Nate fearfully leaned away, feeling a pang of unease even despite the exhaustion wracking his brain; his natural instincts sensed something was off, and were screaming at him to do something about it, but… he just… couldn't… He swallowed and looked up at her uncomfortably. "Rosa…?"

Then, she hugged him. A constricting, all-encompassing hug that made him wince due to his achy lungs. He almost sadly laughed away the nervousness from a few seconds ago. Of course… He grimaced. Why do I always assume it's something so bad that's about to happen? he thought to himself annoyedly. I'm away from all that now… I never have to go back. Never, ever. Rosa's nice. Rosa's part of my new family. Her touch was surprisingly welcome despite that recent discomfort, and he struggled to loop a tired arm back around her, boldly deciding he wanted to hold her in return regardless. She started to convulse and shake in his hold and he whimpered, wanting to comfort her, but feeling that unease return. "Rosa…" he whined, "what's wrong…? Why are you crying?"

She rubbed his head gently, still hugging him, and although Nate's breath hitched at first in apprehension of the touch, he soon pressed his head back against her palm. Her fingers running through his hair felt… really nice… I had no idea that even… could feel nice… he thought with a sheepish smile. Remembering she was upset, he awkwardly rubbed her hair back. "Rosa…?"

"I just… missed you so much," she admitted breathlessly. "I don't want to be apart from you ever again…"

Scooting with his back toward the wall to give her some room, Nate involuntarily whined at the pain in her voice. He didn't like it. His sleepy, lagging mind was telling him to chase away her discomfort in whatever way he could, to just protect her. "I didn't like being away from you today, either…" Nate whispered to her, hugging her almost needily. He fleetingly thought back to the short stint he had spent in Gym Leader Drayden's home, listening to the ice and death rain from above, helpless to check on her, Hugh, or anyone else. "I was so worried about you earlier…" Abruptly, those thoughts were interrupted as he remembered that she had been sick earlier that day. "Are you feeling better…?"

His hug, which had taken all his strength to perform, had inadvertently dragged her to half-sit, half-lie on the bed with him. She stroked his hair again and just leaned into his hug. "I am…"

Thinking to ask her something else, Nate quickly forgot what it was, and he laid his head down against his pillow, her hand still in his hair, his arm still loosely draped around her. It felt so strangely nice to have her there… Her warmth permeated the thick comforters he wore to bed every night, and it was pleasant to feel and hear the almost melodic rise and fall of her breaths… It was so nice with someone like her, someone he trusted, someone fully-clothed, someone just hugging him because they missed him for him, and not for any other reason. Wrapped in those fuzzy thoughts, his mind swam and finally, he was forced to sleep as exhaustion finally won out. Rosa sat there, awkwardly still in his embrace for a moment, before she gnawed her lower lip, contemplating what to do then. She didn't want to leave him… she felt like she needed to cling to him until she couldn't anymore. Guiltily, already knowing it was a bad idea, she slipped beneath the covers and joined him.

Unknown to Nate, sleeping peacefully beside her—who, still half-asleep, clutched her tightly with his free left arm—she had intended to do something else with him that night, something horrible. She had spent the entire agonizing hour or two upon returning to Icirrus internally warring, wondering how she could even consider doing what Dr. Colress wanted, yet still secretly plotting ways in the back of her mind. But upon looking at him and seeing that groggy, vacant, happy expression, she had started to cry and found her answer: there was just no way. Glumly realizing what she had known all along—that she simply couldn't do that—she had decided she would at least enjoy all that she could of his company while she still had the opportunity. Distantly in her stressed mind, she considered that Nate was just mentally and physically drained after the day he'd had and he would panic once he woke to find her in his bed, but she couldn't tear herself away from him, couldn't force herself out of that comfortable warmth. He was so different from the bitter, resentful boy she had known before… she wondered when that had changed and how she had failed to notice. She hated that she had failed to notice…

He was so much better than her and he deserved so much better. As she had said to herself before… she had made her bed. Now she had to lie in it. She glanced guiltily back at Nate, fast asleep against her. But you can't help yourself, can you, Rosa? she thought to herself viciously. You know they'll probably kill you for this refusal to cooperate, but you're going to get close to Nate anyway? Why? Just to break his heart whenever he finds it all out? He'll never trust anyone again if you do this. You know better, Rosa. Why are you in his bed? Why are you thinking about romancing him?

She tried to banish that internal reprimand, but couldn't, and it was a long, long night before she finally fell asleep. If there was anything she had learned in her time with Dr. Colress, it was that she most certainly did not know better… and… she kind of liked that. There was a frighteningly inviting comfort that came in thinking that she was not in control of herself, that it was Dr. Colress' doing, the suit's doing, winding her down this path of sinful delight.

She lavished the freedom that came with letting go of that massive, stressful ball and chain. She felt an overall tingling sensation that entered through her fingertips, much like the rush she felt whenever she applied her suit. She nestled further into Nate's sleep-induced hug and clenched her jaw. Unaware of her own deteriorating mental state, she obsessed over one thought: Dr. Colress had not won their game of Chess yet. He had failed to implant a kill-switch into her. He and Ghetsis had the Shadow Triad, but she would not underestimate them again. Last time, she had simply thought they had no interest in her. Now, she knew better.

She was the Queen of Diamonds and, if she failed, if they ended up killing her, that was fine, but first—she would make Nate her King of Hearts, and she'd love every second of knowing that Dr. Colress could only watch through her Emboar as she showered Nate with all the attention he could have had instead if he had simply had a stronger spine.

She couldn't fight his icy pawns and bishops with fire.

She needed more ice.

Taven had wandered to Opelucid like a phantom on the haunt. Ghosting around the streets of Driftveil at the time of the attack, he hadn't seen it, but he had heard of it shortly thereafter, and he hadn't been blind to the way Clay had quickly rushed out of the city. So, that night, he had taken Doc, his Archeops, and to the desolate city he went. Somehow, his metallic suit seemed to seize slightly in the cold bite of the air, but also provided him with enough insulation to tolerate the devastating drop in temperature.

Neo Plasma had done this, he thought, looking over the spires of ice, listening to the disturbing, near-silence of the breeze whipping across them. Apparently, that dark sailboat he had spotted them on before was no ordinary boat. While it still could operate on the water, it utilized engines like that of a jet, but with the capability to hover in place, and at a much lower altitude. Nobody on the news, anyway, knew how Neo Plasma had done it, and Taven hadn't been able to believe his ears nor the footage he had seen.

His pokémon explored the eerily empty city as well. He didn't mind them wandering out of his sight, as he was sure they'd return, but most kept close to him, clearly unsettled by how the city was mummified in ice. His Samurott, Drench, growled as he overlooked it all and then up at Taven. If he hadn't known better, Taven would have sworn the pokémon was telling him that he needed to investigate the source of the ice. Grimacing at the thought, he swept another stare across the frosted city. There was no light to be found save for the moon overhead. Unsurprisingly, power had been knocked out in the aftermath of the brutal attack.

Yet, he never quit walking, shuffling along like a zombie through it all, until he reached the other end of the city. He had ignored Team Plasma in the past, he had feared Ghetsis' revelations, and he had turned to so much in his bids to forget it all… He had let the suit guide his poisoned mind… At the other end of Opelucid, as Doc landed in front of him and expectantly turned its back to him, he took a few shuddery breaths, remembering how hopeless that news anchor had sounded when they spoke of the attack on Opelucid… How broken and hurt Burgh had been back in Castelia…

Taven whistled for his pokémon all to rejoin him and started to recall them to their Poké Balls. He didn't know what he intended to do, but wracked with guilt, he just wanted to help… So, he hugged Doc's neck and defeatedly whimpered against the brisk air, "Doc… Can you find the source of this ice? Find out where they went?"

The Archeops chirruped and plucked at some of his feathers, then proudly raised his head, as if answering with a confident, 'Yes.'

Hugging him tighter, Taven nodded stiffly. "Take me there, then…"

The next morning, Nate had woken facing the back of someone's head, and that had sent him reeling. He yelped and jumped, hitting his head against the bunk above him and jabbing his elbow harshly into the wall behind him. He didn't even recognize who it was at first, the panic borderline instinctive as he scrambled off the bed. He heard a yelping cry from her, and Hugh shot up from his bed, too. Realizing he had just nearly tossed Rosa into the floor, Nate swallowed hard and crossed his arms tightly, pressing his legs closely together. He felt a little bad about unceremoniously throwing her from her sleep, but his inherent panic wouldn't let him comment on it.

"Rosa!" he snarled. "What the fuck? What…" He swallowed hard against the lump rising in his throat. The next question came in something more akin to a whimper as he started to shake. "What were you doing in my bed…?"

"You hugged me last night and wouldn't let me go!" she spat at him as she unraveled herself from the blankets, throwing them back on the bed. She brushed herself off and huffed, crossing her arms, her cheeks flushing pink. She was still in her day clothes… She shot him a glare, but it softened as she realized he was trembling. Apologetically, she rubbed her arm and looked to the wooden floor. "I just… thought you were okay with that and wanted me close…"

"Rosa," Hugh slurred in a yawn as he jumped to his feet, "I'm really not trying to guilt trip you right now, trust me, I hate guilt-tripping people, but we went through basically a goddamn warzone yesterday." He squeezed the bridge of his nose and growled, "Did you really think making a move on him after that was the smartest choice?"

Making a move. Nate didn't like that phrasing… he cringed. Racking his brain for last night's events, he found the ones shortly before he went to sleep were splotchy and difficult to piece together. He remembered Rosa coming into the room after Hugh had fallen asleep, he remembered her telling him that she had missed him… and he remembered hugging her… But she hadn't been under the covers, he didn't think… She had been sitting upright in the bed, and he had thought that she would slip from his grasp and go to her bed once she was ready… He anxiously scratched at the back of his neck. I should have told her that, he thought guiltily, should have told her that… Did I try to tell her that and I couldn't get it out in time?

"I'm sorry, Nate," Rosa said at last, still with her arms crossed. It sounded resentful and insincere.

Nate hated that. He didn't want her to be upset at him… Maybe he had overreacted… He had enjoyed her embrace… He just hadn't expected to wake up to her in his bed… He crept closer to her and apologetically mumbled, "I'm sorry, too… I just… I didn't know you were gonna stay there all night, so I… freaked out…"

Lips pressed to a thin line, Hugh crossed his arms as well and started to tap a foot. "Nate… I really think Rosa was the one in the wrong there."

Avoiding his gaze, Nate shuffled his feet. He wasn't so sure… He did have such a tendency to overreact… He didn't want to do that anymore. The angry outbursts felt so foreign after enjoying such a stretch of time without them. He just liked feeling close to them, his new family, not having to be so defensive…

Hugh hung his head in defeat. "Are you guys hungry? I'm hungry," he loudly asked. "Let's go get some food."

"It's okay, Nate, really…" Rosa shyly smiled up at him, ignoring Hugh. "I should have asked…"

Feeling a little more courageous now, Nate slowly moved closer to her and even sat down on the edge of the mattress, keeping just a small distance between the two of them. He had all but forgotten Hugh and his questioning tone in his desire to make it up to Rosa. He just didn't want to fight with her… Not after yesterday, not after struggling to get so close to her and Hugh, not after deciding they were his new family… "It… it was really nice, I admit, last night…"

"When you two remember the rest of the world exists, I'll be down in the lobby getting food," Hugh grumbled. He snatched his bag up and then wrinkled his nose. "Maybe after I shower and stuff first… Damn, I was so exhausted yesterday I just went to bed in day clothes… Even had my shoes on…"

"I'll see you in a bit, Hugh," Nate distractedly told him at last, oblivious to the obvious annoyance in Hugh's tone. He was busy staring at Rosa. He anxiously rubbed his hands together and, after Hugh left the room, he quietly admitted, "I just… I didn't know someone being in my b-bed with me could be a good thing… I mean, I guess I technically knew. I saw it on TV and all that… but I just…"

"Never thought that would be you?" Rosa supplied gently. He met her gaze and blushed lightly as he sheepishly nodded.

"No… I didn't…" He looked her up and down and sighed. Guiltily, considering how he had just overreacted, he wanted nothing more than to hug her all over again, and put as little distance between the two of them as he could. He had gotten a taste of the loveliness of her touch the night before, and suddenly, he felt like he was starving for it, like a man wandering in a desert desperate for water, and he had just come across a beautiful, flowering oasis with a crystalline pond in the center. Yet, something kept him from rushing in and lapping at the liquid… Would she think him hypocritical for his panic that morning? Or worse… he winced at this thought. Would she doubt his story about his father, considering how desperate for this new, lovely touch he was?

As if sensing his confusion and apprehension, Rosa looked up at him with nervous hopefulness. "Nate… It's okay," she whispered. "I'm not upset at you and I don't blame you… You were really tired. I should have made sure or something first… But I agree." She hummed happily and shifted on the bed, a beautiful smile blessing her face. "It was really nice, though…"

"It was?" he questioned curiously, flushing a little redder at the eagerness in his voice. He hadn't wanted to sound so interested… Yet, at his apparent intrigue, she dubiously looked him up and down, too, much the same way he had just done to her. That made him swallow in anxious anticipation and he battled a shy grin. What did that mean…?

"It was," she insisted, scooting a little closer to him and then inspecting him hopefully for his response.

The water in that oasis was so beautiful, clear, and there was nothing actually in his way to it… Fearfully, he closed his eyes and made his way closer to it, deciding to take a drink at last. He leaned into Rosa, wrapping an arm around her again, but this time, kissing her, too. Anxiety made his chest flutter, pulled his heart into his throat, but when she hugged him back and relaxed at his attention, that fluttering settled uneasily. This was new, this was scary in a way, but it was an oddly good kind of fear. Or maybe it wasn't fear at all, he just didn't know what to call it other than that… He had felt nothing but fear in intimate positions such as these before. This didn't feel scary or bad, though…

He broke the kiss quickly, unable to believe how nice it was or that she had wanted to, and, panting lightly, nervously grinned back at her. She looked just as flustered as him then. Oh, she looked so wonderful in that moment, and her soft smile filled him with encouragement. She was wonderful; she was so warm, and that kiss had felt amazing coming from such a trusted, close friend. Rosa, who had listened to his every word and taken everything completely seriously. His residual fears faded fast under that fluttering hope and her gentle gaze. He almost purred as she cuddled him close with the arms she had wrapped around him.

Yet, he still felt so thirsty for something… He hugged her back tightly. He didn't know what for, but he'd have given anything for it… He froze as she kissed at his neck, but he all but melted afterward. It was so confusing—why did this feel so great coming from her, even though for a split-second, at the start, it was terrifying?—but he didn't tell her no… He had not yet gotten his fill of that wonderful water, and oh, how he wanted to worship like a Herdier the gift from Arceus that was this new, pleasant, warm oasis… He'd march back out into the sands later and continue his journey, but what was one short stop to refresh…?

Of course, he didn't realize yet how badly he wanted to drain the whole pond.

Intending to just go down to the lobby following his shower for breakfast, Hugh found himself swept up in the drama following the Battle for Opelucid far sooner that day than he had anticipated, still munching on a sausage biscuit by the time they called for him to join. The entirety of the League—all the gym leaders bar Marlon, the Elite Four, Champion Iris—and quite a few people he didn't recognize had packed in the lobby of the Icirrus City Pokémon Center. Although he was more than furious with Team Plasma than ever and definitely wanted to help them, he found getting wrapped up in it so early aggravating. Even more so as his mind wandered to how Nate and Rosa had apparently slept in the same bed the night before, and how quickly Nate's discomfort had faded despite the red flags.

Then, of course, he felt guilty for being irritated; Nate was his friend, and he should have been elated to see his barriers falling. Yet, something about them happening to falter around Rosa was upsetting, not to mention, something about it felt off, in a way that made him so, so anxious for Nate. Unlike his friend, Hugh hadn't failed to notice the way Rosa had reacted to Nate's father's death, hadn't failed to notice the eerie parallels between his attacker having been a young woman with an Emboar that she mysteriously refused to recall to a Poké Ball.

Still… he wasn't convinced it was Rosa… after all, he partly thought she didn't have a violent bone in her body, considering how she struggled to earn gym badges and cried so easily. Not to mention, the woman in the footage had been totally obscured and plenty of people in Unova had Emboar, but… well, he couldn't shake the concerns. Yet, he knew better than to tell Nate, either… He and Nate had so recently started truly working together and he cherished that friendship, like a precious gem he hadn't realized he had wanted. Why would he threaten that with his stupid paranoia?

Still, as aforementioned, he had been dragged into their meeting early and he hadn't the time to mull over his concerns regarding Rosa. The League staff had pulled tables from across the Center's lobby to make one large table, big enough for everyone to sit down at as well as leave some chairs empty. Gym Leader Clay, seated at one of the far ends, grunted and asked, "Challenger Hugh, where's 'at friend o' yours, Nate?"

Sourly, Hugh muttered, "Still in the room. He'll come down soon." Or he won't. I don't know. Don't know what he and Rosa are doing.

"We don't have time for this," Roxie, seated just two spaces away from him, muttered, crossing her arms. Her white hair was wild and frizzy, flat against her head rather than up in the signature, spiky ponytail. It looked like she hadn't had the time to fix it that morning.

"No, we don't," someone Nate didn't recognize snapped. He bore a striking resemblance to Nate, Hugh realized with a jolt of shock. His hair was just slightly shorter, coming to gentle curls just below his ears, and he was dressed in a black hoodie. He narrowed his brown eyes at the table, refusing to look at anyone in particular. "So, just let me and Church go, Reshiram wants to leave, I want to leave, we have to at least try—"

Reshiram? Hugh's jaw slowly fell open and he gazed in wonder at the boy across the table. "Wait… Reshiram…? A-are you…?"

The boy turned a sorrowful look to him and issued a halfhearted smile, his aggravation from seconds earlier dissipating. "Hi. Hugh, was it? I'm Hil." He took a shuddery breath and looked back to the table. "The Hero of Truths… Surprise! …Heh."

Hil felt so alone, seated at that table, even as Church, to his left, squeezed his hand below it. Despite desperately pleading with them all to just let him and Church fly on Reshiram's back to where the pokémon wanted to lead him, they had all but ganged up on him, insisting that he would sit with them and cooperate with them as a group while they all came to a joint decision on what to do to handle this. Shamefacedly, Hil had asked Reshiram to return to the Light Stone temporarily, and the pokémon had. It was uncomfortably hot in his hoodie's pocket. He knew Reshiram was upset and desperate to go somewhere… He was, too…

Yet, he also knew their anger wasn't undeserved. He guiltily explained to the amazed Hugh who he was, and later did the same with Nate as he eventually joined them at the table. Yet, before that, the gym leaders had a matter they wished to discuss before they focused on the Musharna in the room: Gym Leader Marlon.

Hil had never met him, but according to Skyla, he had refused to assist in the Battle for Opelucid, and when she had questioned him on it, he had admitted that he was involved with Team Plasma. He had even called Ghetsis by his old title of 'Lord Ghetsis.' Disgusted, Hil just had to look away. Even gym leaders and League Staff were falling for them…? he wondered.

"Wait, he what?" Grimsley had intervened, slurring his words slightly.

"He—"

Skyla's explanation was cut off by Clay, snarling, "We don't have time to worry about him right now!"

"He's right," Champion Iris muttered, "we can deal with Gym Leader Marlon once we take care of Neo Plasma and that… ship of theirs…"

Upon Nate's arrival, Hil had been a little disconcerted by how exuberant he was—radiating with some sense of pride that clashed with the brooding cloud that had seemed to swallow the League Staff—but that faded rapidly as the League Staff around him commanded Hil to explain himself again, who he was. After hearing his introduction, Nate had gawked at him. Unlike Hugh, though, his wide-eyed wonder at realizing he was meeting the fabled Hero of Truths was short-lived. It took a few seconds, but Hil could practically see the cogs turning in the other's mind as he cagily crossed his arms and spat from across the table, "So, where the hell have you been?"

"That's a good question," Hil chuckled uneasily, lamely. I deserved that, he thought glumly. He felt Church squeeze his hand beneath the table. "But not one to focus on right now…"

"Like hell it's not," Nate barked fiercely.

"It's not," Gym Leader Clay retorted, reigning the meeting back in. "Now, that's everyone, so, Cheren, what was it you said the Seasonal Research Lab said?"

"Giant Chasm is reading extremely low temperatures. Abnormal even for that place. Beyond subzero," he answered bluntly. He was across the table from Hil and had his head down against it, on top of his folded arms, looking like a deflated balloon more than the unfaltering friend Hil had known in the past. Hil wished he could have said anything to bring his old friend some hope, but every word that fell from his lips seemed to just hurt Cheren worse, so he made the choice to keep silent.

"So, we can assume that Neo Plasma is plannin' somethin' there or is just holdin' the ship there in the meantime," Clay concluded. "If we attack 'em preemptively, we might just have a shot at this."

There was silence in response from the rest of them for a moment. It was Drayden, on the other side of Church, who broke the despairing quiet. "Clay… they destroyed my entire city. Now, they have the DNA Splicers…"

Hil hung his head. Drayden had explained to them this morning what those were fabled to be capable of. They could force any two of the Ancient Dragons of Unova to fuse together… meaning that their greatest weapon, in Hil and Reshiram, had suddenly become their weakest link.

"…If we go without Reshiram, we're doomed. But if we go with Reshiram, we might just be handing him exactly what he wants," Drayden repeated his statement from earlier that morning urgently.

"We have to at least try!" Nate interjected abruptly. Everyone jerked their heads to look at him. He and Hugh both had their eyes wide in shock, almost panting in their panicked disbelief. Nate swept a look across them all and Hil could feel the disappointment, almost palpable in his line of sight. Then, he froze in apprehension as Nate jabbed a finger in his direction. "He's a Hero, isn't he? He has Reshiram, doesn't he? Just because things could go wrong doesn't mean you shouldn't try at all!"

"Great, so Ghetsis can burn one city down while he freezes another," Grimsley coldly huffed. He snatched a bottle from the table in front of him and threw his head back, chugging it. "Or, hey, maybe they'll cancel each other out. Maybe Discount Hil has a point."

Burgh, across the table from him, slammed a fist down, making everyone jump. He surreptitiously raised the hand and shook it out, as if the strike had hurt him more than he expected. Sternly, he said, "Grimsley, that is enough. Everyone, Nate is right."

Hil felt a surge of hope and he smiled uneasily at Nate. The other still had his eyes narrowed, still partially standing, looking over them like he couldn't believe who he was looking at. Then, Hil realized that his eyes were focused on a specific one of them: Champion Iris. He followed Nate's trajectory and frowned, realizing that she had an elbow leaned against the table, her face pressed against the palm of that hand. Swallowing nervously, Hil shook his head in disbelief. Even the Champion is out of it… he thought despairingly. Looking desperately back to Burgh, Hil hoped against all hope that he and Nate could convince the rest of them to just let him and Church go.

"We can't just sit down and take this," Burgh growled. "I told Team Plasma before that I wouldn't do that and I'm not about to start."

"What do you propose we do, then, Burgh?" Skyla waspishly demanded.

Burgh opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Nate, who had no problem bitingly spelling it out for her, "You're all idiots. Send Hil off to fight first and gather everyone you can to help out after. Divide and conquer. Even if Hil doesn't beat the Beast of Black Ice, that'll buy you time to chew through the rest of Neo Plasma's defenses, and then we can throw everything we've fucking got at that monster."

Church turned his emerald gaze anxiously to Hil, clutching his hand closer, and then glanced back to Nate. "That… that could be suicide…"

Wincing, Hil looked down. Even Church was starting to second-guess it all… He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. So, what if it is, Church? he thought guiltily. What if that's just what it takes? Nate's right… Hil's heart started to pound as the other's words made him think.

"Why do you jump to that conclusion? Why do you assume the worst?" Nate frustratedly snapped at Church. He got up and started to circle their lengthy table. "Why are you all so out of it? Why have you all given up?"

Hil started to clench his fists unknowingly, forcing Church to let go of him. The redhead frowned at him. "Hil?" he whispered gently. "What's wrong?" Yet, Hil ignored him, starting to grind his teeth aggravatedly as he listened to Nate's incendiary words. He could hear the pained edge to Nate's words, and something told him Nate wanted to add something more personal to his speech, as if he had dealt with such hopelessness before, but was holding back, doing his best to rile them up.

It was working.

"We have a goddamn god of fire on our side!" Nate exclaimed. "They're using one of ice! Has anyone even thought of that? You're all so far up your own asses in fear, that you've lost sight of what's real!"

Why am I listening to them, cowering here, afraid of what they'll think if I just were to leave on my own? Hil thought with a flash of anger in his chest. No… He shook his head to himself. Not anger. That's not anger. This was violent, desperate hope, the kind one summoned when they had nothing left to grasp. He hadn't realized he was losing his grip on that in the aftermath of the attack on Opelucid until just then… He dug his nails into his palms, though, as anger did join that internal bonfire. I can't believe this…. I can't fucking believe this. He was starting to tremble. Ghetsis has gone too far. He has gone way too fucking far. He doesn't just want to control us anymore… He wants to destroy us.

"Now, are we just gonna sit here and wait to see what they do next?" Nate said as he rounded back to his original position at the table, slamming his hands against it. "Is that what Unova is? Is that who we are? We're just going to give it up and let them have the satisfaction knowing that they won while we were all too busy biting our own tail?" A Zorua bounced from the floor beside him and onto the table, shaking out its fur. It barked furiously and waved its tail, as if echoing Nate's thoughts. Hugh jumped to his feet then, hands balled to fists at his sides.

Although everyone was staring at Nate by then, most still wore the same vacant, frightened expression from moments earlier. Grimsley just took another drink and Elesa rubbed her left arm uncomfortably. Burgh, however, pumped a fist and nodded in approval, still standing tall. "No. That's not who we are." He swept a pointed gaze across the rest of them.

There was an awkward stretch of silence before someone else spoke. "No, it's not," Skyla agreed weakly at last, staggering to her feet. She wiped her face clean of unshed tears that had been welling in her eyes.

"It's certainly not the Unova I came to know when I moved here," Iris mumbled as she, too, stood up slowly. She heaved a sigh. "Thank you, Nate, I'm… I'm sorry I forgot that…" She stared at the boy thoughtfully.

Unable to internalize that furious hope any longer, Hil stiffly launched to his feet. "No. That's not who I am, that's not who I'll ever be," Hil answered, too, blood roaring in his ears. Church almost simultaneously rose with him, and one by one, the rest of the table joined. Even Grimsley, the last of them, shakily put his bottle down and struggled to get up. Hil took a deep, shuddery breath as he overlooked the group and felt the Light Stone in his pocket. "This is our home. This is my home. This is where everyone I care about lives. This is their futures as well as everyone else's." He looked up to Church with his lips pressed to a thin line, that pissed-off, internal fire visible in his usually anxious, chocolate eyes. Church breathed deeply and nodded curtly in response. I'm with you no matter what, he swore the other was saying.

Snatching the Light Stone from his pocket, Hil held it up for the rest of them to see. "No matter what happens, we will not go down without a fight. Nobody will say we didn't try!" The Light Stone glowed a bright orange and threatened to burn Hil's hand, but he held it steadfast anyway. The rest of them pumped their fists after him, each shouting something different, creating something of an incoherent battle cry.

"That's better!" Nate huffed. "Now, Hero of Truths…" Nate stared him dead in the eyes. "Go start the fight. We'll bring the backup."

things are happeningggg

QOTD(s): Rosa and Nate are finally setting into their true roles in the story. Any predictions about them or guesses as to what might be happening between them? :eyes: Iamnotsorry