Epilogue Long Lived Team Plasma

Everyone was talking and chattering away to one another as the meeting came into session. The stragglers had finally arrived, and Grimsley knew Clay would be calling them all to attention any time now. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he hoped it would at least bring down the volume in that room. He had a headache. He had also stayed up until four AM at a casino in Castelia the night before and it was currently only twelve in the afternoon, but that was besides the point.

Alder had sent the announcement out to all involved League Staff—the gym leaders, the Elite Four, and some law enforcement—at eight in the morning. Grimsley had been hauled out of his bed at nine to start heading for their meeting place. It was a nameless building in Unova's western hinterlands owned by Clay. League Staff always met there to discuss high-profile, high-stakes issues. Despite that, they were usually full of annoying laughter and fake niceties. Sure, most of them got along well, but Grimsley's ability to sense out a person's intentions from across the room always felt more like a curse at these meetings than a gift. The truth of the matter was, outside of this room, they were all friends, but inside of it, everyone was concerned with their city and their city only. Grimsley couldn't blame them for that; after all, it was part of the job when one was a gym leader to look out for their city. As for the Elite Four and the Champion, well, they had concerns regarding some cities and towns as well, and it was always painstakingly obvious where their concerns lay.

Tossing his lucky coin in his hand, Grimsley waited patiently for everyone to take a seat at that long, wooden table. Marshal and Shauntal were seated on either side of him. Caitlin was just beyond Marshal. The gym leaders, along with Drayden's apprentice, Iris, Champion Alder, and a handful of law enforcement officers also sat at the table. Clay was seated at one of the far ends while Alder was at the other.

"Y'all received a message this mornin' tellin' you get here, but I'm assumin' not many of ya know why," Clay said, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. The dull roar of discussion finally died down and Grimsley sighed in relief as his throbbing head was given a break. "I know we're all still healin' from all Team Plasma did. But unfortunately, we've run outta time. We've got copycats."

Grimsley flicked his gaze to Clay. He had been staring at the golden coin he was flipping in his hands. He noticed everyone else was looking at Clay worriedly, too.

"People are callin' 'em Neo Plasma. They ditched the silver for black suits. They're not actin' nice at all. They've got no problems thievin' pokémon right off a person. Personally, I think it's just some people wantin' to make a quick buck off stolen pokémon causin' trouble usin' Team Plasma's name to get into everybody's heads," Clay sighed. "But we were a mess with the original Plasma. I called Alder and said we need to get a lid on this right now, right from Adam."

"I agreed," Alder said from the other end. He stood up and addressed the room, clearing his throat, "not too long ago, I sent all the Elite Four to some cities to check them out. I traveled back to Floccesy, and of course, the gym leaders know their cities. I asked them to survey people about the events of last year and Team Plasma, ask 'em what they felt now. Now, I want you all to present your findings. We can start with you three, Chester, Cress, Cilan."

Chester. Been a while since I heard that one. Grimsley couldn't help the small snicker that escaped his lips. He wasn't sure which name was worse, his stage name of Chili, or his real one of Chester. Either way, the triplets stood up at their seats. Chili shot a momentary glare at Alder, but with a scathing look from Cress, he wiped the look from his face. As the brothers cleared their throats and decided amongst themselves who would speak first, Grimsley noted the whispers and furtive dirty looks the siblings received from other gym leaders.

Now, he wasn't a gym leader. His life was very different from theirs. But he did know the context behind the mix of anger and disappointment on everyone's faces. Although he had not been there, he had been told that the gym leaders had arrived to fight six of the Seven Sages at the first floor of Team Plasma's castle. Champion Alder had called everyone to assist, Striaton triplets included, but before the trio had a chance to arrive, the Shadow Triad had come along and helped the Sages out of harm's way. The gym leaders had been stretched too thin to fend them off, especially considering the Shadow Triad were no normal men. Grimsley hadn't seen it firsthand, so he had difficulty believing it, but he'd been told they could teleport and even turn invisible at a moment's notice. Regardless of the true nature of the Shadow Triad, the triplets had been too late, and without their help, the Sages as well as the Triad eluded capture.

He knew that was why Alder had rudely used Chili's real name rather than his chosen one, and why he hadn't referred to them with the title of 'gym leader.' He didn't agree with it. Alder could be so damn holier-than-thou; Grimsley had made his discontent with the Champion known many years ago. But the fact of the matter was that Alder was the Champion of Unova and he was an Elite Four. He got away not listening to Champion Alder's orders most of the time, but there had been a few times where he had been threatened with an unceremonious discharge from the Elite Four should he outwardly rebel. Grimsley had always found himself away from the Pokémon League for days following those threats, trolling the streets of Castelia and Nimbasa, hitting up any casino or bar that would contend with him. Burgh and Elesa were not strangers to him considering the amount of times he had stumbled blindly out to the streets of the cities, lost, mind too fogged to even begin to piece together how to get home.

One might have thought, then, that it would have been better for Grimsley to be fired, to find something else to do than fulfill a role that brought him so much turmoil. They would be wrong. Leaving the Elite Four would have given him so much more time to lose himself in the casual streets of the region. He'd been disowned by the aristocratic Burnes family long ago; he had nowhere else to go and his vices tugged at his mind constantly. Working and living at the Pokémon League kept him far enough away that he would only relapse but every now and then.

Saying all that to say, as he flipped his lucky coin and listened to the triplets speak, he felt a somber sympathy for Chili and his brothers. "Well, I talked to people in Nuvema," Chili said softly, "and most agree on what really happened. That Team Plasma was a front Ghetsis used to try to put forward an authoritarian regime… Probably because most knew Hil Whitacre themselves…"

"Accumula was the same," Cilan mumbled with his eyes on his shoes.

"Striaton, too," Cress said curtly. He flicked his deep blue hair across his shoulder and had his arms crossed. He seemed to catch a harsh whisper from across the table, for he narrowed his eyes noticeably at the offender (Skyla, Grimsley noted) and a fury burned in those green eyes of his. It seemed he and his siblings had forgone the colored contacts they usually wore. Grimsley realized then that Cilan and Chili's hair was lighter, not nearly as rich in color as usual. Streaks of blond peeked through the fading dye. As Cress continued to stare Skyla down, his lips pressed to a thin line, as if challenging her to say something to his face. Grimsley smirked. Cress could act like a know-it-all, but his confidence and protective nature more than made up for his flaws. "Is that all you wanted, Alder?" Cress asked Alder without looking at him.

Ooh. Cress didn't use his champion title. Grimsley wanted to bust out laughing. Atta boy. Stand your ground.

"That'll be all," Alder growled. "Take a seat. Gym Leader Lenora?"

"My city's a mixed bag," Lenora sighed tiredly as she stood up. She brushed herself off and crossed her arms, too. "A lot think Team Plasma was all bad news from the start. Others think they started off meaning well, but the people in charge of the organization messed up. Then there's the really fun few who think Team Plasma was innocent, and Ghetsis was some loon using the name of the team to sabotage them for himself." She flexed a hand and groaned. "Some even support Neo Plasma just to piss off the other residents. It's awful. Lots of people who used to use the studio apartments to get away from all that nonsense and focus on their work are leaving and heading to Virbank or Nimbasa. I think it's because of when those idiots ran their stupid anti-fossil pokémon campaign."

Grimsley didn't care for Lenora too much. Her hotheadedness didn't sit right with him. Of course, he didn't know much about her, but his first instinct was to be cautious around her. He knew to listen to his instincts.

"Thank you, Gym Leader Lenora. Gym Leader Burgh?"

Burgh was half-slouched against the table. He picked himself off it with some effort and standing straight seemed to strain him slightly. He looked exhausted. Burgh was arguably the gym leader Grimsley knew the best. The expressive artist had a contagious kindness that inspired even someone as naturally suspicious as Grimsley. It infuriated Grimsley to no end the way some of his own city's people seemed to enjoy vilifying him like a pastime. Back when the Castelia City gun incident occurred, it was a sensationalist take to critique Burgh's lack of knowledge regarding the victim, Vincent's, mental state, to call it callousness on his behalf. And as copycats of the Grinning Shadow, the thief that singlehandedly prowled Castelia's streets and robbed many of their stores blind, sprang up, a frustrated populace had turned on Burgh once again, demanding why he couldn't seem to stop them. Grimsley despised those people that so easily disliked Burgh; the gym leader would give the shirt off his back to someone in need, and there was no big secret to him. He was an artist. He poured his soul out for all the world to see in his abstract creations.

Which was why it was difficult to listen to him sound so defeated and tired as he spoke. "Vast majority in Castelia think that the accident at the Pokémon League with the castle was a terrorist group unrelated to the initial Team Plasma," he muttered. "Some think Neo Plasma is that group. Others don't believe Neo Plasma is thieving pokémon at all, that they're the original Team Plasma trying to make a comeback, and I'm trying to stop them." He clasped his hands in front of himself and stared at them. "Very few said they believed the truth that Team Plasma was a front for Ghetsis' gain."

There was a heavy silence. Grimsley knew he wasn't the only one who wanted to viciously defend Burgh. He'd touched the lives of many of them. "Thank you, Gym Leader Burgh… I'm sorry to hear that." Alder paused. "You may take a seat. Gym Leader Elesa?"

Burgh half-fell back into his chair and Elesa worriedly checked on him before she stood. She wore a massive yellow jacket and long, thin brunette hair spilled across its shoulders. It looked as if she hadn't bothered to do herself up at all. Grimsley wondered why she didn't do that more often when she wasn't modeling. She looked fine without all the extra crap, he thought. It gave him the impression that perhaps she didn't have the highest confidence in herself. "Nimbasa's going through much the same as Castelia, except nobody really thinks Neo Plasma is the original Plasma trying to come back. They think it's new people that believe in what the original Plasma was doing." Without waiting for Alder's order, she took a seat and leaned down to whisper something to Burgh again.

"Gym Leader Clay?"

Clay muttered something under his breath as he ungraciously scrambled from his chair. Grimsley liked Clay, too. He hadn't spoken to him much, but he got the feeling Clay was an honest man, and there was no shortage of material covering his rise from being dirt-poor to easily the richest man in all of Unova. "Driftveil's people believe Ghetsis was just using Plasma as a front. They even talk to some of the former grunts in the halfway house next to my gym. I'm real proud of my city fer the amount of understandin' they've showed. None of 'em believe for a second this Neo Plasma is anythin' good. Really gives me some hope for this damn country." With that, he plopped back in his chair. Grimsley snorted in amusement along with the snickers from others at the table. There was that honesty he was talking about.

"Thanks, Gym Leader Clay…" Alder pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes in exasperation. "Gym Leader Skyla?"

"Honestly," Skyla threw her hands out as she stood up, "most people in Mistralton don't really know much at all about Team Plasma or what happened, and don't really care… So, they don't really have any thoughts on Neo Plasma, either." She shrugged and then sat back down. Grimsley found her brisk nature intriguing. Skyla really didn't lack confidence in any regard and had a very profound and well-developed sense of justice. It made her a bit… tiring to be around, but he appreciated it. She was a strong person. He admired a strong person. Arceus knew he had to; it had taken a long time for him to be even half as strong as he was now… The Dark-type master was constantly looking for new sources of inspiration.

"Gym Leader Brycen?"

Brycen rose and bowed dutifully to everyone else at the table to acknowledge them. "My people know the truth behind Plasma and Ghetsis. We are a very unified city. We have kept Neo Plasma out of our borders." That was all he had to say on the matter, and he sat down right away. Despite his cold exterior, Grimsley didn't believe it for a moment. I bet he goes and cuddles his Beartic, Grimsley thought amusedly to himself.

"Understood. Gym Leader Drayden?"

"My people were there for an announcement made by N and that Ghetsis fellow before they went and attacked the League," Drayden started before he even stood to his full height. Iris, to his right, looked up at him intently. "They all believe Ghetsis was a liar and using Plasma to his advantage. And they think Neo Plasma is bad news."

"Thank you, Gym Leader Drayden… Now, I sent the Elite Four to some of the other cities. Elite Four Caitlin, care to fill us in on Black City and Anville?"

"Black City is a mess," Caitlin said without getting up. She had her forehead in her hands. Grimsley knew these meetings were always hardest on her. She had such a difficult time keeping her powers in check due to the stress. She was almost always the first one to leave and the last one to arrive to ease her mind. "Mixed opinions all around. Anville has people still practicing the original Team Plasma's ideals who call Ghetsis a fake that mucked up Plasma's name. They think Neo Plasma's much the same."

Without waiting for Alder's prompt, Shauntal nervously blurted out, "Aspertia and Virbank just think a terrorist group attacked the Pokémon League and that the original Plasma was good… They think of Neo Plasma as another group muddying up their good name."

Marshal didn't dare say a word until Alder addressed him. "Undella and Lacunosa are the same as what Shauntal said," he said, rolling his shoulders to stretch them.

All eyes were on Grimsley then. Heaving a dramatic sigh, he said, "Humilau and Lentimas don't really understand the news about it all. They're just afraid of Plasma. All of Plasma, no matter if it's Neo Plasma or not."

Grimsley had asked for Humilau specifically when Alder had told them all about his plans to send them to some cities and gather information. During the attack on the Pokémon League, he had been in the lower half of his chambers, searching for his lucky coin he had flicked from his battlefield while talking to Hil. All of a sudden, he had heard more noise than ever before, debris had started to fall, and when he started running up the stairs to check out what had happened at the upper half of his chambers, a Team Plasma grunt had run into him. He threatened him right away, his Liepard more than happy to assist, but then the man had just… broke down. Without giving Grimsley a chance to even ask for clarification, he had even threatened to take his own life if Grimsley sent him back to Team Plasma. A small voice in the back of his mind had screamed at him to listen to the grunt, even though every logical thought in his mind told him it could have been a trap. And against all of those thoughts, he had caved to the instinct, letting the hysterical grunt travel with him. As Grimsley assisted Alder and the other Elite Four in evacuating helpless League Staff from the calamity, the grunt had been there, too, helping where he could and thanking Grimsley repeatedly. It had been toward the end of the evacuations that he had realized the grunt was littered with scars and wounds. He had made it a point not to ask him for his name in case the grunt had truly been abused by Plasma, so that if police questioned him, he wouldn't have been able to point them in his direction. At the end of the night, Grimsley had told him to get on so he wouldn't be caught by police, and he had eagerly taken Grimsley's advice. He had remembered, however, that after a few hours with him, the grunt had slipped into a Humilau-sounding accent and so, he had asked to cover Humilau to see if he could spot him amongst its residents. Lentimas was just near enough to make it seem worthwhile, while also being small enough that it wouldn't have taken much effort.

Despite his best efforts, Grimsley couldn't find anyone that he thought resembled the grunt. He hoped that wherever he was, it wasn't with Neo Plasma.

"Guess that sums that up, then," Alder muttered. "Floccesy is also a bit in denial, and don't really have any thoughts or knowledge of Neo Plasma…"

"So, was there a point to that?" Grimsley interrupted. He lavished the incredulous stares he got. He didn't care. "I'm just saying, we know Neo Plasma is bad, and worrying what everyone thought was how we got our asses handed to us on a silver platter with the original Plasma. So, we really going this route again? Just sounds kinda familiar, Alder."

"I just wanted to hear what everyone had to say before we came to any decisions, Grimsley," Alder waspishly answered him. He gestured to some of the law enforcement seated at the table next to him. "They've been trying to make a law that makes it illegal to participate in a group affiliated with Team Plasma at all. They need the approval of myself, the Elite Four, and the gym leaders to do that. I've already approved it. I need the rest of you to agree or disagree."

Almost before he'd even finished speaking, everyone in the room responded with a resounding, "Yes."

"That'll make it so we don't need as much evidence, unlike what happened with the original Plasma," Lenora said smugly. "Now, all you gotta do is see 'em, and that's that."

"You guys haven't even read the fine print," Alder blinked dubiously.

"We don't need to," Burgh said flatly. "We can't let it get that bad again. Ever."

Alder put his hands on his hips and held out his hand to one of the law enforcement officers. "I guess start passin' it around for them to sign," he said resignedly.

"While we all do that," Clay blustered, "anyone got any announcements? I'd hate to adjourn this and have ta come back almost right away."

"I do." Burgh again. Grimsley watched him curiously as he staggered back to his feet. "Please, everyone, keep an eye out in your cities for high-stakes robberies. The Grinning Shadow has moved on from Castelia City with no evidence pointing to where he's headed next. If you have anything suspicious happen that sounds like it could be him, let police and myself know right away." He sat back down and leaned his forehead against his hands. Muffled, he finished with, "Thank you."

It was not the first time Burgh had made announcements regarding the Grinning Shadow's whereabouts. Grimsley always found it interesting when Burgh talked about the Grinning Shadow. He would get a very light twitch in the corner of his lips and his voice would instantly sound strained. Admittedly, he didn't know what it meant, just that it suggested there was more than what Burgh shared with them regarding the infamous thief.

"My brothers and I have one as well," Chili said as soon as Burgh was finished. He, Cilan, and Cress stood up again. Chili glanced to Cress, and the blue-haired gym leader raised his chin rebelliously at the hushed whispers that started again.

"We are stepping down as gym leaders," Cress spoke clearly. Grimsley jolted in shock. He shared a look with Shauntal and then turned his focus back to the gym leaders.

"Why?" Lenora asked in a rather rude tone.

"They probably know we're onto 'em," Skyla muttered under her breath. She hadn't been nearly as quiet as she seemed to think she was.

Cress glared at her again. "For your information," he said tensely, "my brothers and I have decided we want to take some time to explore our own interests in life and come to decide what we each want. We can't do that while we're lumped together all as one gym leader, like three parts to a single whole." He paused and swept a seething look across the entire table. "Nor can we do that under your constant judgment. Team Plasma took a toll on the entire region. We have apologized again and again for not getting there in time."

"Cress, please," Cilan whispered, stiff as a board at his brother's side.

"No," Cress insisted, turning that look on his own brother, "don't 'Cress, please' me. They're all scarred by Plasma and they want someone to blame it on, and that's us. Well, guess what," Cress spat, "we're human the same as the rest of you. It's not okay and it's extremely unprofessional, the way you all have been treating us since it all happened. We were in this together, but you let Plasma get in all of your heads."

"Fine, Cress," Alder interrupted hotly, "so, who do you three suppose will take your place?"

"We found someone in Humilau we think would make a good gym leader," Chili cut Cress off with a gentle hand to his brother's shoulder. The triplets received even more cruel and incredulous looks at the seemingly random choice of city. Chili's shoulders sagged. "We were on vacation there and met him. His name is Marlon Chase. We also just think Humilau could use the foot-traffic… their economy isn't the best and people are struggling there. Having a gym could really help the place out…"

"You three need to talk to me once this is over," Alder huffed.

As the triplets took their seats, Skyla suddenly burst in anger, making Grimsley flinch as his headache flared angrily. Sometimes, Skyla's sense of right and wrong could get a little twisted… he wished she'd give the triplets a break. "You weren't there!" she snapped at Cress, leaning her hands on the table. "You don't get to tell us it's not okay for us to blame you! You didn't get assaulted by teleporting crazy men, okay? So, shut it!"

"Skyla!" Clay hollered. She jerked her head to look at him and visibly shrank at his reprimand. "That's enough. Leave 'em alone. Gotdammit, y'all get it together… Anyone else?"

Lenora awkwardly raised her hand and stood up. "Yeah. Cheren's doing really well under me and I think he's ready to take my place as a Normal-type gym leader soon. I was thinking of pulling some strings in Aspertia and seeing if they won't let him run the trainers' school they're building there. I figure he can double it as a gym, and he's got an Unfezant he can use to just Fly there."

"Hm, it would be good for gym challengers to travel to that side of Unova as part of their challenges," Alder pondered aloud. "Thanks, Gym Leader Lenora."

"I suppose I have one as well," Brycen piped up. "I intend to step down as a gym leader within the next month or so… I'll be traveling often to Virbank for a new role I picked up. I figured I could choose my successor in Virbank since I'll be spending so much time there."

Everyone just nodded respectfully in response to his announcement. Grimsley didn't think there was a soul there who didn't respect Brycen.

He then felt a sharp pressure in his left side. Shauntal frowned at him. "Go on, tell them about your new protégé!"

She was not quiet about that. All eyes fell back on Grimsley and he threw himself back in the chair, aggravated, and ready to go back home. He was so tired. He spat out ungraciously, "I took on a kid to train to replace me at some point whenever I decide I'm done with you losers because Marshal, Shauntal, Caitlin, and Alder all wouldn't get off my ass about it."

"Grimsley!" Shauntal hissed in his ear. He smirked.

"I had no idea who to pick, so I decided this funny kid with his Fire-type team that keeps trying to beat us to get to Alder would do," Grimsley said, shrugging. He continued with sarcasm dribbling from his words rich enough to taste. "His name's Churchill but he goes by Church. Works a lot in Virbank, so I expect I won't be seeing him too often for training. Which works, since I don't plan on giving up my position anytime soon, which coincidentally, is why I kept telling them I don't need an apprentice and why I only took one so they'd shut up."

Shauntal had her head buried in her palms in embarrassment. Marshal was glaring at him. He couldn't see Caitlin, but he presumed she was likely doing anything in her power to focus on anyone except him at that moment. Alder was giving him a mutinous stare. Grimsley knew the Champion of Unova didn't like him one bit. Frankly, that was fine with him. He liked knowing he got on Alder's nerves.

Focus was wrenched from him when one of the law enforcement officer's Xtransceivers rang. They stepped aside and answered the call. Idle chatter broke out amongst the gathered group while they waited for them to return. It was an almost easygoing ambience, though, as if they had all forgotten the tension from moments ago. Grimsley didn't participate, but he watched the others. You could learn a lot from watching others talk amongst themselves, after all.

But that peace was soon shattered when the officer rushed back over to the table. "Everyone, up," they snapped. "Ghetsis Harmonia just escaped from prison."

There was a resounding, unified, "WHAT?"

"Police don't know, cameras captured a few men appearing around him in his cell, like out of nowhere, and then they were gone," the officer despaired. "Happened earlier today. They literally only just realized it happened and had to watch security footage to even find out how he got out. Is that who you all called the Shadow Triad?"

"Yeah, that'd be them," Skyla replied, all the while glaring murderously at Cress.

"Fuck you, Skyla," Cress snarled at her stare.

"Cress!" Cilan whimpered and grabbed at his brother's arm. "Please, please, let's just go, let's just see if we can't help them find him…"

"I'm not helping them do shit," Cress spitefully said and wrenched his arm free from Cilan. "You're more than welcome to do whatever you want to do, Cilan, Chili."

Grimsley rubbed his head again. It really did feel like the original Team Plasma all over again.

He sincerely hoped it didn't get that bad.

IT'S COMPLETE!

I had SO much fun writing this! And I am so grateful for those that have stuck it through til the end, or any who may find this in the future! Be sure to check Pokemon Retold: Black 2 when the prologue drops this week to catch up on how everyone's handling in Unova two years after the events of this story! You may find Nate is quite different from Hil, though...

To those that have read this far - what do you think? What do you think of Hil, Church, my characterization of Cheren, Bianca, the gym leaders, Elite Four, Alder? Of Noodle and Hil's other pokemon? Do you think Hil makes for a good Hero of Truths? Are you excited to learn more about Taven and and all the other unanswered questions in Black 2? Let me know! I want to hear all the thoughts! :eyes:

If you're interested, I've decided to include a lot of trivia and things! This is just fun extra information and also some stuff talking about my writing process behind this story.

For my writing process... I usually create a pretty massive outline where I just write in complete sentences what I want to happen, to who, and where. It usually starts off really broad and then gets more detailed. This process usually takes about 2 weeks. Then I make a character chart, giving every big to minor character a full name, some virtue personality traits (these act as 'guiderails' to make sure everyone behaves accurately to their character throughout the story), and then a description of their physical appearance to keep track of things like eye color or hair color, or even what clothes they're currently wearing (think of how Hil switched out his blue and white hoodie for the black one after his got slashed at the Relic Castle). These resources make writing chapters SO easy! Since I already basically have everything written down, I am just going in and filling out details and giving inflection on what happens. Idk, it helps me out.

As for... TRIVIA

1. Chapter 10 - Back To You - the title is a reference to the song 'Back to You' by Selena Gomez and is in reference to how Hil seems to always find interest in people that don't seem to like him very much. It speaks to his strong desire to help others even at the expense of himself, but addresses that he gets something out of that, so it isn't necessarily altruistic by nature.

2. Chapter 12 - Heart So Jetlagged - title is also a reference to another song! Jet Lag by Simple Plan ft. Natasha Bedingfield. Song talks about missing another that lives far away, like perhaps a long distance relationship, foreshadowing Hil's relationship with Church.

3. Chapter 13 - Fierce - chapter title is derived from Burgh's "fierce" desire to protect regardless of his own image. This chapter also showcases how Burgh acts as an almost surrogate father figure to many people he helps out, drawing tentative parallels between him and Vince.

4. Chapter 22 - Make Good Choices - "Make good choices" is the last thing Vince said to Taven (mentioned back Chapter 14 - Dark Side of Castelia) and is in reference to how Taven appears to not have made good choices by the end of the chapter.

5. Chapter 23 - Hurts to be Human - Another song reference, this time P!NK's "Hurts 2B Human." I just felt the song really captured how I imagined Bianca and Cheren's relationship, showing how she leans on him and he on her (but also how she wishes he'd see himself the way she sees him - "we want the same..."), but also how he views himself as the static rock of the group. "Someday, I'll face the music..." line comes to mind when thinking from Cheren's perspective.

6. Chapter 24 - The Next Right Thing - yet ANOTHER song ref... lol. This time to "The Next Right Thing" from the Frozen 2 soundtrack. The song is just so powerful, talking about a person picking themselves up after they've been knocked down, which really inspired me for Hil's epiphany that he still had time to help his friends, pulling him from his own panic attack.

7. Chapter 26 - Deep Down in His Heart - Title is a reference to Anthea's dialogue in N's Castle: "Ah, good. Both you and your Pokémon regained energy... Trainers battle to practice their skills and to grow in experience, but never to hurt their Pokémon. My lord N has realized this, deep down in his heart...but he has spent too much painful time here in this castle to admit it..." which foreshadows his relationship to Anthea. It also suggests that N knows what he's rolling with isn't quite right, but he just... can't take it yet.

8. Chapter 27 - Race to Twist Mountain - Title is reference to the movie "Race to Witch Mountain." No, I'm not sorry.

9. Chapter 30 - Out of Kindness - Title references Ghetsis' dialogue, of course, but it also references Hil realizing Alder may have helped push his father down the path he went on. Hil is "out of kindness" for Alder.

10. Chapter 32 - Anyone Else - Title references how Hil desperately tries to pawn off the Light Stone on "anyone else," but then also how Taven thinks the Hero should be "anyone else" other than himself. Also, I imagine the event described in this chapter, of Hil running into Taven, didn't happen in my oneshot "The World Where Ghetsis Won," and so Hil lost his confidence as he traveled to Icirrus, causing him to stop near the lake where he loses the stone in that oneshot.

11. Chapter 33 - More Than What He Seems - References how Ghetsis seems to be implied to have way more to his story than just being power-hungry, and also references how Hil is "more than what he seems" by standing up to Ghetsis. He may not be a fantastic trainer, but he'll stand up to even someone like Ghetsis if you push him hard enough.

12. Chapter 34 - Echoes of the Past - Hil asks Bianca if she thought he'd "Dropped the Light Stone in a lake or something." In my oneshot The World Where Ghetsis Won, which is a different reality from this one, Hil did just that lol.

13. Chapter 36 - The Divided Horsemen - I sometimes hear the Unovan Elite Four described as 'the Four Horsemen.' I'm not sure why, but I thought it was really cool, lol. Fits with the whole religious subtext of Team Plasma too. References how Grimsley does not adhere to the group, that they are 'divided.' Also, yes, there was a self-aware joke in there with Shauntal where I poked fun at myself for writing this long drawling story about Hil, who completely isn't what you'd expect of a normal "Hero." Shauntal is a fanfic writer. Change my mind.

14. Chapter 37 - Truthfully, No Hero - Title and the chapter's theme all revolve around how Hil subverts the hero stereotype, foreshadowing that there really ISN'T a true hero of anything, it's the dragons who choose.

15. Chapter 38 - United Unova - Title is of course in reference to how the gym leaders arrive to assist. As for the wooden effigies, this is actually a reference to the Black and White manga, where (prepare yourself, this really happens) Ghetsis crucifies the gym leaders themselves on crosses in front of the castle. N even berates them. I didn't quite want that to happen because holy damn, that would be a little wild, and also take away from the badassery of them arriving to help against the Sages, but I still thought it was so damn cool and very much a Ghetsis thing to do. So, wooden, crucified effigies that get burned instead. Also, Burgh, Lenora, and Clay all attack the Sages that they dealt with personally - Burgh with Bronius, Lenora with Gorm, and Clay with Zinzolin.

16. Chapter 39 - N's World - Title is in reference to how N's Castle was his entire world, and is designed to kinda leave you feeling sick to know that everything Anthea and Concordia talk about is the reality N was living. This chapter is designed to make you understand Ghetsis, but make sure that you still HATE him. There is no redeeming Ghetsis. He's still human and he still has reasons for what he's done. That doesn't make them good or excusable. He's meant to be inexcusably evil and twisted. He is far, far too far gone.

17. Chapter 40 - A Fateful Encounter - Title references their run-ins with Ghetsis (notably Cheren telling Ghetsis at the end that anyone can do whatever they want with enough help) but also is a reference to the text used to describe event pokemon in-game, which are described as having "a fateful encounter" where location data describing where they were caught would normally be shown, referencing Reshiram's awakening as well.

18. Chapter 41 - Blind Ideals and Wicked Truths - Title references that ideals and truths aren't mutually exclusive. Hil has been blinded by the ideal outcome of befriending N and having him come with him, while N now has to deal with the gravity of the horrible truths he's discovered.

19. Chapter 42 - No Reason to Stay is a Good Reason to Go - Title is a quote I found that is often used in regards to romantic relationships that just aren't working out. This is in reference to how Vince felt with Amber, and how Hil has started to feel antsy and listless since N's Castle. This chapter also shows that Hil is extremely, PAINFULLY similar to Vince. They both want to help people even when they can't help themselves and have a certain wanderlust about them (which is why Hil still can't seem to find anything that interests him, eerily similar to how Vince couldn't, either). In previous chapters, it's also mentioned that Vince used humor to hide his troubles, and this also shows Hil doing the same in his conversations to his friends.

20. Hil's full name is Hilbert Black Whitacre. The first is his in-game name and the second is his "color" name, while his last name is a reference to "white," showing that again, ideals and truths aren't and shouldn't be mutually exclusive. It "isn't all so black and white."

21. Cheren's last name, "Achron," is a reference to the word "anachronological," because Cheren starts off thinking of himself as the hero to realize in the end he's not. It also is similar to "achromatic," 'colorless,' in reference to his static personality he uses to cover his feelings.

22. Bianca's last name is "Goode," which I thought was fun because even though she believes in some of what Team Plasma has taught, she's not evil. Helps promote the idea that thinking about pokemon rights isn't exactly bad... it's just the people that were scapegoating it... yeah.

23. The gym leaders full names: Chester "Chili" Trust, Cress Trust, Cilan Trust, Lenora Glee, Burgh Astera, Elesa Kaslon, Clay Barkley, Skyla Hunt, Brycen Haru, Drayden Legend, Iris Legend. I'll let you guys theorize about why those names are what they are. :P

24. Marlon's last name is Chase, in reference to how he's chasing his freedom most of the story.

25. Taven is 17 years old at the time of the events in this story. He is technically owned by a friend of mine, and this is a different version of Taven than what will be in his works. He has not started posting his story yet, but his pen name is Clumsy Reaper, and I really hope he gets around to doing it some day... Taven's story is super enthralling and I really hope if any of you liked Taven here, you'll check him out when Clumsy Reaper gets around to it. This story doesn't get into even half the craziness Taven gets up to! Anyway, Taven's full team in my story are: Samurott (Drench, M), Scrafty (Morda, F), Archeops (Doc, M), Reuniclus (Circe, F), Chandelure (Lumi, F), Krookodile (Koco, F), and later on, Ymir (Garchomp, M, met as a Gible in "Anyone Elese"). Ofc, his pokemon are at various evolutionary stages throughout my story.

26. The Shadow Triad are bound to Ghetsis and must listen to his every word. That's not to say they can't do anything of their own accord, though...

27. Churchill "Church" Pines - Church's name started as a joke. I thought it would be hilarious to stick it to anyone crazily religious that thinks "ah ah gay bad" that also happened to read this story by finding out Church is totally into Hil later in the story. But also, I do really like the name and think it sounds nice, lol.

28. Noodle's head twitch tic is permanent. (sorrryyy)

29. Throughout the story, it's strongly implied that N was going down the same path as Ghetsis and the final battle with Hil was necessary to save him from this. Not only did Hil's fervor to save him suggest that, but the way he angrily demanded to know who hurt the Munna in The King's Longest Day, the way he pauses to take in Hil's pained reaction in A Wild Ride, the way he is frozen when the Shadow Triad physically grabs Juniper in Heavy is the Head That Wears the Crown, the way he callously acts in the last few chapters set at his castle where he swears up and down he hates Hil - N really only snaps out of this truly when Ghetsis goes off and comes down harshly on him. Ghetsis inadvertently shot himself in the foot by losing his temper like that in front of N.

30. There are some strong parallels between Ghetsis, Vince, and Hil that are drawn throughout the story. Ghetsis just directed the pain and suffering he endured (violently) outward, while Vince directed it inward, and meanwhile, Hil directed it in a mix - outward in that he wanted to help others never have to go through anything like what he's been through but inward in that he often did so at the expense of himself.

31. Hil is gay, Church is bi, Cheren and Bianca are both straight. Idk, fun facts lol.