Chapter 29: Hope in the Air
The Sinnohian Government arrived the morning after the celebration. An entire army rolled right up to Snowpoint City's southern gate, backed up by the full might of the Elite Four and Champion Cynthia herself.
The veteran Champion, who had been called in to weigh in on various crises around the region had seen nightmarish things in general before all of this, actually broke down and cried when she saw the extent of the destruction Olivier had wrought. There weren't as many dead as in a long war of say, a year, but it was still a shameful waste of life, and Cynthia, in a way, was to blame for it.
Nerevor would have none of it. He refused to allow her to take the blame, and stood as a representative for the magical community in pledging their undying allegiance to Snowpoint City and, by extension, Sinnoh itself.
Cynthia was happy to accept both his offer of allegiance and his offer to get to work on rebuilding their city.
The army was sent away, and construction crews of Pokemon and man alike were called in to assist on rebuilding Snowpoint City even better than before.
###
Nerevor took a break from the day's work and visited the cemetery nearest Sanctuary with Vanessa and Tabby later that week.
They placed bunches of iceflowers upon the graves of Marissa, Julian, and Vance, said a prayer to Arceus for their souls, and left them behind to do their legacies a favor.
He was sad that they would not be alive to see him rebuild, but by Arceus, he would make sure that it never happened again.
That promise, he would take to the grave.
He lingered for a few more minutes and then summoned one more bunch of iceflowers to his hands.
He left them on Corinth's grave.
###
"Nessa, you need to hurry up," Griffin's voice came through the bathroom door. "You're due in ten minutes."
"I know, Griffin," Vanessa called back, touching up her outfit.
They were three weeks into city-wide repairs. General infrastructure was in pretty good shape, and the roughest of it had been due for touch ups anyway. Traffic was awful in some parts of the city, but it was starting to feel less like a lockdown and more of a city with every day. Traffic flow into and out of the Northern Quarter had increased by 400% in the past three weeks, while they were actually beginning to turn a profit in imports and exports from outside trading deals now that their borders were officially reopened.
As the newly-appointed Governor of Snowpoint, she had to be on top of these things.
The election had been held barely two weeks after Olivier had been overthrown, and the last of the undead corpses burned away to be forgotten as ashes. She'd been surprised to see her own name on the ballot, and even more surprised when she saw that the only other candidate was a certain Gym Leader who hailed from the Southern Quarter…well, South Snowpoint, now. Quarters had no place in the new city.
Needless to say, she'd won by a landslide. She figured the south would accuse the voting of being rigged, but Zero literally just hyped up her own abilities when it was his turn to convince the public. They'd go off his word and proceed from there.
"I can't," she'd protested, face blanched as she saw the results filing in. "Nerevor, why can't you—"
"My time has come and gone, my dear," Nerevor said warmly. "You are more in touch with this generation than I will ever be, and you have the wisdom and patience to match. You will do fine, better than I ever would."
She had big shoes to fill, damn that man.
Her first press conference with the outside world was today, and she had to look the part.
Her Head of Security was always hovering around her to make sure she was not anymore than a second late to any of her appointments.
This was her first "appointment" and despite Griffin getting on her last nerve for the past three hours, she'd never felt safer.
She stepped from the bathroom, makeup applied (even though the assistants at the rebuilt press office would redo it anyways) and long coat buttoned for the harsh cold. "Okay. I'm ready."
"Right this way, Governor," Griffin said, lips twitching as he forced back a smile.
The Governor of Snowpoint flipped off her Head of Security, and he laughed as he followed her out of Sanctuary.
###
One month after Olivier had been defeated, the Governor granted Zero his official Gym Leader title and gave him permission to reopen the gym to new challengers.
Man, that was gonna be hard.
It hadn't been used in ages, and was covered in graffiti and litter and debris from vandals and squatters.
"Well boys," Zero said to his Pokemon and his Gym Trainers who understandably looked a little daunted at the utter mess in front of them. "We've got work to do. Everybody got a bucket? Yes? Good. Some of y'all get to sweeping, the rest get to scrubbing. Brrreak!"
It was going to be hard work, but for some reason, Zero couldn't wait to dive right in.
###
A month after Olivier had been defeated, the word went out nationwide. After extensive talks with the Governor of Snowpoint, the Arch Mage representative of Sanctuary, and the Sinnohian Government, Snowpoint City was no longer to be the nexus of magical power. Schools of magic were allowed (and encouraged) to open around the nation, and no longer would anymore families be allowed to or be forced to break apart when a child was naturally inclined to magic.
When Nerevor had read the news online, he'd spent five minutes in his quarters crying happily over the news.
The days were finally changing.
###
He'd overthrown a tyrant and restored democracy and peace to an entire city.
He'd disposed of a bomb powerful enough to level said city.
He'd fought against a literal shard of his possible ancestor and managed to blast it to hell.
He'd broken into a temple and conversed with a fifty-foot tall titan of a Legendary Pokemon, and seen more Pokemon in general than he'd ever seen in his life.
Yeah, it was about time to get moving.
"You ready, Boss?" Ren asked, circling him excitedly. "Come on, come on, you're ready, right? We can leave now? Please, can we leave now?"
Floyd laughed and scratched Ren behind the ears. "Yes. Let's go."
He opened the door and Ren bolted out like she'd seen a deer in the Sanctuary hallway, clearly recovered from her wounds she'd taken in the fighting a month ago. They'd both been more hurt than they'd realized, and the month had been spent resting, recovering, and rebuilding.
For the most part, it was resting.
He'd had no more strange dreams. Belatedly, he wondered if it had anything to do with how much power he'd poured into defeating Olivier. He still was recovering from that, wasn't nearly as strong as he'd been the day before. But he figured at the very least his friends on Earth would contact him again, especially with how much time he'd spent sleeping.
Stay where you are.
He couldn't. He didn't even know if they knew where he truly was.
Floyd would find them or die trying. No. He had to quit saying that.
He'd made someone a promise, after all.
Floyd smiled and walked down the Sanctuary steps for what was probably the last time for a long time.
The Sanctuary Pokemon Center was as empty as it had been in a month, and that was the best thing in the world. At worst, Nurse Joy and her regular Pokemon helpers dealt with residual aches and pains from the wounded men who had fought that day against Olivier's army of Cleansers. At best, she healed the tired Pokemon of young children who had been knocked out in a Tackle fight. Either way, the bubbly Nurse looked as happy as could be, but was saddened to see Floyd go.
"We owe you a lot around here," Nurse Joy said. "If you're ever in need of medical supplies, don't hesitate to call this Pokemon Center. I can get a prescription written up before you'll have time to really start hurting."
"Thank you," Floyd said. "We'll be sure to take you up on that, but best case scenario, we won't need to."
Nurse Joy nodded…then got on her toes and kissed his cheek.
Ren laughed obnoxiously as Floyd blushed. "Stop in any time, alright?"
They left Nurse Joy to man the counter as they walked out into one of Snowpoint's trademark chilly afternoons. "I hate you," Floyd added as his boots crunched into the snow. "I hope you know that."
"Aww, I love you too, Boss," Ren replied, throwing him a sunny smile that he couldn't help but return.
They waited at the bus stop for a few minutes. He could have flown to the southern gate, of course, but he was tired of flying and spying and fighting for a while. He wanted to do things as normal as he could for as long as he could.
That wouldn't be for very long once he left, but he'd take what he could get.
The bus picked them up and whisked them south, and everywhere he and Ren looked, they saw the progress of a city still on track to become better than it was. All of Olivier's oppressive checkpoints had been ripped out of the ground and used as scrap metal. There were many, many more children running around with sparks flying from every orifice than there had been two months ago. There had been a revelation that a lot of Southern Quarter families had secretly borne magically-inclined children, but now that Olivier was gone, there was no reason to hide it anymore. The more stubborn of the past Southern Quarter were still clinging to their ideals—and aggressively, he'd broken up a few fights over the last month—but that was to be expected.
It wasn't perfect, but it was damned close.
Thinking about Snowpoint, and the future in general…it made him a little sad for what was to come.
The bus let them off at their stop half an hour later, and Floyd stepped out to face the southern gate for the first time in almost two months.
Beyond…that was the real mystery.
He headed inside the guardhouse, where the people he owed so much to awaited him.
Zero had started wearing more clothes so that the children of Snowpoint who now began looking up to their new Gym Leader wouldn't copy his fashion and end up with pneumonia from running around with a shirt and shorts on, but he looked relatively the same. Maybe even happier than he usually was.
Vanessa uncrossed her arms and put down a cup of coffee, and wherever she went, Griffin went as well. The both of them had definitely aged in the past month, but they would be alright. They were strong.
Nerevor stood with his staff in one hand, Kazam's odd mustache twitching with psychic force as he looked at the both of them.
And Tabby…Tabby was there too.
For a moment, no one said anything.
"Weeeeeeell, I guess I'll be the one to ask," Zero said finally. "Floyd, howsabout you just go ahead and stay here in Snowpoint and solve all of our problems for us when they pop up? Your Sneasel can stay close to her pack, you guys get a lovely little winter cabin free of charge, and all of the bad guys stay a million miles away because you're here."
Ren laughed at that, and Onyx popped out of her Pokeball at the mention of her pack, hopping up on Floyd's shoulders. "Sorry," Floyd said, "but if I stay here any longer, Ren will claw me when I sleep."
"Damn right," Ren remarked, examining said claws. "Sorry pretty boy, you'll have to find your own superhero to boss around."
"Ah, it was worth a shot," Zero said, stepping forward. "Well, thanks for all the help then. And next time you're in town, feel free to visit the Gym. Can't believe we did all this and never had a real Pokemon battle." He grinned down at Ren. "It'll be good to knock you down a peg, Ren."
Ren blew him a good-natured raspberry and Floyd nodded. "Count on it." They shook hands hardily and Vanessa stepped forward. "Governor."
Vanessa scoffed. "I know you have to call me that in public, but if you do that in private, I'll be forced to arrest you."
"Already on the new Governor's bad side," Ren teased. "My, my, Boss, you really are a bad boy."
Vanessa shook her head and didn't bother to hide her smile. "It goes without saying, but if you ever need anything, anything at all, you need only call my office. Hell, my direct line. And if there really isn't a way home for you…I will always have a house waiting right here for you should you want to return. We owe you that much, at the very least."
"Just so long as Ren doesn't go breaking any rules while you're away," Griffin said.
"Why, Griffin," Ren said. "I believe you just made a joke!"
"I make jokes all the time," Griffin grunted. "Onyx, you keep an eye on her, alright?"
"Snea!"
"And Floyd, you keep an eye on both of them," Griffin said. "And while you're at it, find your way home and don't you dare die out there."
"Yes sir," Floyd said. Vanessa caught him in a warm hug, and he and Griffin shook hands.
Nerevor stepped forward this time. "I don't suppose you'd consider an offer from the Arch Mage of Sanctuary? There is always a room in Sanctuary, should you want your old one, and we would love to learn more in the ways of incorporating combat into some of more aggressive types of magic."
Floyd opened his mouth to speak, but Ren cut him off. "C'mon, old man. I figured you of all people would be the last person to try and keep us around. I mean, we made this place hell for a month and a half. You should be trying to ship us out of here."
She was joking of course, but Nerevor still shook his head. "You've helped us more than you could possibly imagine, and neither words or gifts cannot express how indebted we are to you. Though, I hope that your packs will be of some slight concession?"
The backpack Floyd wore and the fitted bandolier Ren was strapped into were near limitless in their storage capacity, and contained a multitude of rations, water, money, and other supplies to aid them in their journey south. There was even a tent in Floyd's pack, which Nerevor had promised in the note left with the bags that they would be "more than spacious".
"Absolutely," Floyd said, adjusting the strap. "All of you…thank you. You didn't have to do all this."
"But we gladly will keep all of the gifts," Ren added quickly.
The entire room laughed. "It is of no trouble, believe me," Nerevor said. "As for your destination…I would recommend that you travel south until you find your way to Sandgem Town, my friend. Had the Champion not been busy with internal affairs here, I would have gladly referred you to her, but your best bet is likely with Professor Lucas who resides there. I haven't the slightest idea of what could have thrown you through universes, but if there is someone who would, it is him. I've included a little bit of an…incentive in your bag, should he prove to be stubborn in helping you. If there's anything else that you should ever need, as Vanessa said, you need only ask."
Nerevor gave him a stooping bow, and Floyd took a deep breath for his last goodbye.
"So," Tabitha of Snowpoint said, her arms crossed before her. Blitz looked back and forth between them, then mimicked his trainer. "You're outta here."
Floyd smiled. "Yeah."
"You're not gonna stay?"
"No. It's time to be moving on." Tabby nodded, like that answer pleased her. "And you?"
Her nostrils flared a little, and she brushed some brown hair behind her ear nervously. "Well…during my brief little stay in limbo, Mesprit said something about…something about my dad. Nerevor and I were talking about it last night."
"You never said anything about him when you told me their story," Floyd said.
"That would be because I really don't know what happened to him. One day he disappeared, but we never found a body. We all just thought…" She stopped and shook her head. "Regardless, Mesprit said that she'd give me the answers I didn't know I was looking for about Dad's fate. And…and I can't ignore that. It said I would know where to go when the time's right, and when I was looking over some leads over the past few weeks, I just…I think Mesprit was right. I know where I'm going." She paused. "Probably."
"What about Snowpoint? And everyone else here?"
Tabby shook her head again and smiled. "They'll be okay without me. And unlike Zero, I'm in my twenties with no Gym position holding me down! I need a vacation…desperately." There was a rumbling chuckle behind Floyd and Tabby joined them before her face molded into something more serious. She seemed so…sure of herself. The old Tabby was talking to him right now, the fun-loving, talkative, adventurous woman he'd met two months ago, but…a new Tabby was there too, waiting for when she'd be needed again. "I'll be fine."
"Okay," Floyd said. His sadness redoubled, though he kept it from his face. "I'm sure you will be. If we ever bump into each other again and you need help, just say the word, alright?"
The room went dead silent.
Tabby's face screwed up in anger. No, wait. Confusion.
What?
For a second, Floyd wondered if he'd said something offensive. Ren was muttering "Holy shit, holy shit," beside him, and both Onyx and Blitz had facepalmed.
"Clarence Floyd," Tabby began, "you are single-handedly the stupidest, sweetest, bravest, dumbest, strongest idiot I know."
"What?"
"Do…do you not see the signs laid out right in front of your face? Me going 'Oh they'll be fine', and leaving the exact same time on the exact same day as you to leave for my destination, which by the way, is also dead south of here?"
Floyd shook his head, and Tabby crossed the distance between them, poking his armor with every word.
"I. Am. Coming. With. You."
Floyd's mouth hung open for a minute as his brain reeled to catch up. He never thought…he didn't…this wasn't…
"Boss, do us all a favor and just say okay," Ren drawled. "Much as I loathe to say it, your little girlfriend will definitely make things easier in the 'not-dying' territory of things. And watching Blitz put things he finds on the road in his nose will always be a fun little show."
Tabby nodded a little towards Ren, a grin spreading from ear-to-ear on her face.
Floyd sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You realize that it's not going to be easy. And I don't get tired as easily as most humans will. There's going to be walking and rainy nights and cold nights and hot nights. Things will probably attack us. We will more than likely brush with death even closer than we did a month ago, if that's even possible. Why would you want to come with me?"
Tabby tsked and turned around, bumping his chest with the back of her fist. "Because I still have a promise to keep. And I'll make you another one, Clarence Floyd. You are not getting rid of me that easily."
With that, the argument was over, and he knew it. "Then I guess I have a…a…" He fumbled for the words.
"A warband," Ren suggested.
"Companions," Nerevor said.
"Lackeys!" Zero said from the back.
"Infernape!"
"Sneasel!"
"Friends," Tabby finished, grabbing his hand. "Come on, friend! We've got ground to cover!"
Tabby pulled him to the exit, and they walked through the southern gate and out onto Route 217, yelling goodbyes and waving behind them.
Floyd wasn't sure about this at all…was he?
Was this a good idea?
Ren and Blitz had started up a conversation in the strange native language of all Pokemon, and even though she would deny it, Floyd could tell she was happy about him coming along. Onyx rode Ren like one would ride a horse, and from time to time, she would chime into the conversation as well.
And Tabby?
Tabby walked forward with all the confidence in the world, a smile on her face as wide and as genuine as Floyd had ever seen. "Make sure you keep up, okay? There are a lot of areas on 217 where the snow can get super deep. We can burn you out of it but you'll be really cold—"
Yes, he realized. It was a good idea.
And maybe…
Maybe things could be different. Maybe the past didn't need to repeat itself.
Maybe it was time for him to start thinking about the future he really wanted.
And maybe, just maybe, he would find something else worth fighting for.
Floyd followed Tabby deeper into Route 217, the sun shining down on them as he found himself eager for the future.