O shit took two months to write this...

I also took a bit of a break so that explains stuff too.

Anyways, this chapter is very important to me. I want this to represent a turning point in the story, and I hope you guys like this chapter.

The next chapter will be the final chapter of the Kalos Arc. It should take considerably less time.

Note: This chapter has political content.

Chapter Twenty Three: A Broken Spirit

The Legendaries stuck outside had tried breaking the wall of ice that enclosed myself, Sarah, and our Pokemon in with Tranchant, but to no avail. The wall didn't even sustain a crack. The Weavile laughed at their fruitless attempts.

"I've been given quite the boon in power from my bon ami Giratina! I think you'll find that wall quite unbreakable. I have no business with you Legendaries anyway. That's for TDA to take care of. I just want to killMarcus and that Dewott. And, why not go after the girl, the Gardevior, and the Servine too?" Tranchant said.

I was okay with this. I shouldn't have been, but I was. I had no intention of killing Tranchant… again. I wanted to help him. No matter how bad someone is, they do not deserve eternal punishment for their actions. I didn't care what Tranchant did to put him in the Wall, I was going to save him. But first, it looked like we'd have to subdue him.

Sammy grabbed his scalchops, ready to protect me. Grace began to charge a Moonblast, while Snek used Growth. Considering that he had a huge weakness to Ice moves, he would need any boost in strength he could get to compensate. Tranchant dashed forward, targeting Grace first, likely because she was the only Pokemon who had a type advantage. He used Icicle Crash, which made direct contact. Grace managed to shake it off and used her charged up Moonblast. It hit Tranchant, sending him flying back. He managed to get up quickly, powering through the pain.

Sammy ran toward him and used Razor Shell. The dead Weavile yelled in pain as he was cut across the face. Tranchant swiped at him, intent on cutting his throat, but Sammy was able to move out of the way, countering with Water Pulse.

"Give it up, Dewott!" The Sharp Claw Pokemon said. He swiped again, managing to slash Sammy across the chest. "I'll never understand why any of you think you have anything to gain from this!"

Grace used Moonblast again, but Tranchant dodged it, countering with Ice Beam. She was hit, knocking her back somewhat. She quickly recovered though, and used Dazzling Gleam, which made direct contact. The Weavile spirit yipped in pain as he was sent flying back, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

"Tranchant! We don't need to fight!" I yelled. The Weavile picked himself up and scoffed.

"Oh really? You're pulling that card? What do you expect me to do anyway?" He said, mockingly. He used Icicle Crash once more, aiming at Snek. The Servine noticed and quickly slithered out of the way, retaliating with Mega Drain. The attack didn't seem to do much, as Tranchant seemed to shrug it off rather quickly. I didn't know how to respond to Tranchant, so I tried to make him question himself.

"What are you even going to do if you kill me? Will it really make you happy?" I asked him. He laughed once more.

"Of course it will! Is that even a question? If I kill you, I will be free of all the suffering Arceus has caused me! I mean, come on. How many times have I already told you this?" Sammy tried to attack the Weavile with Razor Shell, but he managed to avoid it. "What will I do when I kill you? Well, I'll hope that TDA and Giratina's little revolution goes well for one thing. I'm on board with their vision for a new world, to say the least. It aligns well with my own philosophy. But you wouldn't understand, would you?" He continued. Well, that didn't work. Tranchant was obviously entirely sure of himself.

He used Night Slash, hitting Sammy. Grace backed him up, using Moonblast once again. It hit, and Tranchant yelped as he was struck with the move. His eyes lit up in rage and he tackled Grace, swiping furiously at her with his claws. I ran towards him, kicking him off of Grace. He grabbed onto my leg and began to gnaw at it. I yelled in pain and began to frantically flail my leg in an effort to throw him off. Sammy rushed to my aid and used Water Gun, blasting him off my leg, leaving several bleeding bite marks.

Tranchant flew a few metres, hitting the ground with another thud, something he seemed to have a habit of doing. He got up, looking at us with intense and burning anger. "Fine then… I'm done playing around…" The dead Weavile's claws began to emit an icy glow. Without a moment's notice, he slammed his claws into the ground, and the ground began to shake. Then, giant ice spikes began to erupt from the ground, each spike erupting closer than the last. Though my leg still hurt, I ran away as fast as I could, ignoring the pain. My Pokemon followed suit, but I lost track of Sarah.

I panicked for a moment, but it was then that I heard Tranchant yelp in pain once again. I looked behind me to find the Weavile spirit face down on the floor, with Sarah standing nearby, a rather pissed look on her face. She must have attacked him while he was focused on us. The spikes stopped appearing without Tranchant to create them. Sarah glared at the Weavile, who was still on the ground, and spat on him. This seemed to trigger something in the Sharp Claw Pokemon, as he quickly stood up, eyes burning with hatred. He charged straight at Snek, who had no time to react, with an Icicle Crash. It hit, and Snek was instantly knocked out, the attack too strong for him to withstand.

"Snek!" Sarah yelled, rushing to assist her companion. Tranchant took advantage of this and jumped on top of her, clawing furiously at her back. Sammy intervened, deciding to use Razor Shell and knocking the Weavile off of Sarah. Tranchant focused his attention on Sammy and began to duel with him. Using this opportunity, I ran to Sarah to help her.

"Are you okay?" I asked. I grabbed her hand and helped her up.

"Oh, I'm fine… Aside from my bleeding back, that is." She replied deadpan. I didn't know how to respond to that. She continued on anyway. "Is Snek okay?" She asked. I moved to where Snek lay. He was still breathing, but was unconscious. He was also terribly cold.

"He's fine. Just fainted and really cold." I said. Sarah ambled over toward me and knelt down beside her Servine.

"Well, I'd expect him to be cold given the attack that hit him. I'm sure he'll be fine, but I'll watch over him and make sure that Weavile bastard doesn't try to attack him. Besides, there's not much I can do in this fight. Please take care of him, and don't die." She said. I nodded and turned my attention back to the battle.

Sammy was still battling with Tranchant, the two locked in close combat. Grace was using various support moves to give Sammy an edge. Getting frustrated, the Weavile spirit charged up some sort of powerful dark attack, though I couldn't tell what it was. Suddenly, he unleashed a wave of darkness at us, spanning all directions. It hit Grace, Sammy, and I, knocking us back a few meters. Taking advantage of our susceptible state, Tranchant ran toward Grace and hit her with Night Slash. She was sent flying and hit the ground hard. The Weavile spirit kicked her while she was down with Night Slash.

Grace was knocked out, the strength of the attack being too much for her to bear. With her out of the way, the Sharp Claw Pokemon turned his attention back toward Sammy, the only Pokemon left to oppose him. They charged each other, ready to duel.

They clashed, shell on claw, each trying to find a way to bypass the other's defenses. The two moved quickly, not allowing the other to find an opening. However, I noticed that Sammy was starting to show signs of fatigue. Having carried a lot of the fight on his shoulders, I could see why. He was going to lose if I didn't do something.

Without thinking, I rushed towards Tranchant and, for what seemed like the millionth time, kicked him in the side of his stomach. All at once, the wind was knocked out of him, and he doubled down on the ground, coughing. Sammy took this opportunity to strike him with all of his might.

The force of the attack did Tranchant in. The wounds he had suffered in the fight had left him unable to continue on. He lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Sammy held his shell in front of the dead Weavile, ready to strike once more if he tried anything.

"How could I... let this happen again?" He said in between heavy breaths. Sammy didn't respond, continuing to stand firm. Tranchant laughed. "So I guess you're going to send me back to the Wall then?" He asked. Underneath his confidence, I could sense great fear.

"No." I replied. Tranchant donned a confused expression. Before he could reply, I continued. "I want you to stand up and tell us your story. Why were you put in the Wall?" Tranchant didn't reply at first, instead focusing on standing up, which he did with great difficulty. It was a few more moments before he responded.

"You chien de Arceus… Fine. If it will make you shut up, I will tell you my life's story, and why I despise Arceus so."

With that, I sat on the ground and listened intently.

…

It must have been at least two hundred and forty years ago, back when I was still alive. I was the Pokemon of a Kalosian noble with close ties to the royal family. As such, none of my wants or desires were ever unfulfilled. It was a perfect life, free of unhappiness. But I would soon find out that my life was built upon some of the greatest suffering in the history of our world.

I'll start at the beginning. One fateful day, my owner was dealing with some business in Lumiose City, or rather what the city was back then. He left me in our chariot, and told me to stay put.

However, I was never much of a good listener. I decided to look around whilst my master was doing whatever it was he was here for. I wandered for a bit, finding nothing interesting. I was about to head back, when I heard something faint amongst the bustle of the city… crying. I traced the sound to a nearby alleyway, where I happened upon a weeping Zoroark. Against my better judgement, I left the relative safety of the main city streets and entered the alleyway, approaching the Zoroark.

"What's wrong?" I asked them, tapping their shoulder. They flinched when I touched them, quickly raising their head, their tear filled eyes focused on me. Almost immediately, their eyes darted to the rather lavish jewelry my master liked to adorn me with, and their expression quickly turned to disdain and hatred. They grabbed me by the neck before I had a moment to even register what was even happening.

"You dirty pig…" He spat at me. I struggled, trying to break free. "You're a noble's Pokemon, aren't you?" He asked, shaking me around violently. I couldn't respond, as I was only able to gasp for air. "I know you are… Your disgustingly pretentious jewelry tells me everything." He loosened his grip slightly. "I wonder what reason you had to try and comfort me. As if you leeches care about us. I should kill you right now!" He yelled. I was still trying to break free of his grasp. His eyes suddenly widened in what seemed to be realization and a grin spread across his face. :I have a better idea. Maybe the boys back home will have an idea of what to do with you…" I didn't comprehend a word of what he was saying, but I didn't have much choice in the matter. He ran off with me in tow towards a grate.

To my surprise, he opened it and carried me inside, closing the grate behind him. Inside, I found that we were in the Lumiose Catacombs. From what I knew, it was a mass grave where the citizens of Lumiose were laid to rest. Skulls and bones lined the walls, inciting in me a mixture of disgust and fear. I had no idea why we were in here, and my confusion only grew as the Zoroark closed in on his destination. After several more minutes, we had arrived at a wooden door.

Behind it, I was met with what looked to be some sort of makeshift shelter, populated with many humans and Pokemon. The Zoroark threw me into the room unceremoniously.

"Found a noble's Pokemon. What do you guys want to do with him?" He said, closing the door behind him and leaning against it. A nearby Alakazam appeared to telepathically communicate to the humans what the Zoroark said. No one did anything for a moment, but instead just stared at me. Eventually, a Lucario wearing a long, tattered, black coat walked toward me.

"Are you really a noble's Pokemon?" He asked. His voice was gravelly and tough, and it only made him more intimidating. I knew there was no point in lying. Even if I was roughed up a bit, I still bore the unmistakable image of a Pokemon who had led a pampered life.

"Y-Yes." I stammered, quite afraid. The Lucario chuckled and reached out a hand to help me up. I was confused by this turn of events. "W-What?" I asked, taking his hand.

"You needn't be alarmed. I have no intent of harming you, not yet anyway. Allow me to explain your situation." The Lucario started. I kept silent as he continued. "I've seen your type before, you know. I'd wager that you've barely seen the world outside of whatever estate you and your owner live on." He was right. Whenever I did go outside, it was on official business and I never got to see much of the cities or towns we visited, aside from the times I decided to sneak away. The Lucario continued on.

"Your owner has likely offhandedly referred to 'commoners' in a rather derogatory fashion. No doubt he would call us filthy or refer to us as animals. Even if he's never done so, I'm sure he still holds a rather negative view of them. At best, he would be indifferent. Well, to put it bluntly, we are the commoners, those who society has neglected." He looked toward me as if expecting some sort of response. When I didn't say anything, he shrugged and continued.

"In the governmental sphere, there's something called the Social Contract. In short, it basically states that the government must see to the needs of its people. In return, the people are loyal to the government. However, if the government fails to see to the needs of their people, then the people have a necessity to rebel. You nobles certainly are being treated well, but us common folk?" The Lucario's fists clenched and his voice became angrier.

"We languish in the streets, barely managing to survive. Our people are wracked with disease, hunger, and suffering. And yet, the ruling class does nothing to help us. Nay, they laugh at us and look upon our situation with scorn. Some go as far as to say we deserve to be in this situation, that Arceus despises us." His fists began to glow with a faint aura. "Imagine that, huh? Feeling as though the entire world, even Arceus, despises you for something you can't control? Most of us are born into this after all." He took a deep breath and seemed to settle down, the aura fading.

"I digress. What I mean to say is, we have determined that the government has not properly cared for us, but has rather systematically and intentionally oppressed us. Therefore, we intend to overthrow it and replace it with a new one, one where all are equal. A society where we can alleviate as much suffering as possible, and guide both human and Pokemon to a brighter future." I couldn't respond. It was so much to take in. They were planning a revolution? I couldn't process much before the Lucario spoke again.

"You are rather fortunate that I was able to intervene, otherwise my companions would have ripped you to shreds. In truth, I am the partner of a very influential human plotting this revolution. He's responsible for our operations in Lumiose City, and he carries with him a special kind of philosophy. He believes that even nobles can be turned to our side, and they should be welcomed with open arms, should they cast aside their nobility. So now, I offer you a choice. Will you stay with us and learn more about how this society has oppressed us so that you may fight with us when the time comes, or will you cling to your status?" The Lucario said. I carefully weighed the options presented to me. If I were to accept, my noble life would vanish and I would be apart of this revolution. If I refused, I would probably be killed… Would I really be so petty as to cling to my position in the face of death? Besides, might these rebels have a point? If I died now, I would never fully understand what was at play here. I knew what I had to do.

"I will join you." I said. The Lucario chuckled.

"Wonderful. I'm glad you've chosen the correct path. I promise you won't regret this choice." He said. He took my hand and began to walk toward another door. "Allow me to show you to your quarters." He said, opening the door. "I apologize for my rudeness. I'm Jacques. You interest me profoundly, Weavile. Most nobles they bring in, human or Pokemon, would rather die than renounce their status. But you're different. Tell me, what is your name?" Jacques asked.

"I'm Tranchant…" I said meekly. I was still a little on edge.

"Nice to meet you, Tranchant. I'm glad to make your acquaintance. I hope that in your time here, we can become very close." Jacques said. I simply nodded as we neared another door. Jacques opened it to reveal a room with several bunk beds, some of which were occupied.

"Hey, friends! We've got a new recruit… Oh! I forgot to remove his jewelry. He's a former noble's Pokemon, you see." He announced to the room. Most simply nodded and went back to what they were doing. Jacques led me inside. "I apologize that it isn't much. We don't really have access to the best living spaces." He said, showing me to a dirty bed. "Your instruction will begin tomorrow. I normally don't lecture newbies, but you… interest me. My friends are also rather critical of former nobles, so if any one else were to instruct you, they may treat you harshly. I'll try to find time to teach you each day. Absorb the information well. It's crucial to everything we stand for." The Lucario said. He patted me on the back and left the room, leaving me to my own devices.

Over the next few days, Jacques took two hours out of his schedule each day to inform me of why exactly they were planning a revolution. I learned much of how the common people were oppressed by the small ruling class I once belonged to. Before, I had joined out of survival instinct, but the more Jacques told me… the more I began to understand.

I learned of how the commoners lived in abhorrent positions, essentially existing only to produce stuff for the ruling class. In return, they received nothing other than scorn and disdain and bare bones living conditions. Not that they had a choice in the matter to begin with. Their lives meant nothing to the ruling class. Many regularly died on the job, or passed away due to illness with no means of treatment. The ones that lived suffered immensely, racked with starvation, malnutrition, deformities, and crime. And the nobles lived without even batting an eye to this suffering.

But that wasn't even the worst of it. There existed a singular entity that kept Kalos, nay the world, in a chokehold, controlling everything. It was none other than the Church of Arceus. What a corrupt institution that thing was. They were valued above all else, even by the nobles and royal family, and the commoners placed them at the forefront of their life. In fact, it was due to the Church that the commoners had not rebelled sooner.

The Church kept them apathetic toward their situation with their lies. They said that the commoners were in their position because Arceus wanted them to be, that an individual's wealth and status were decided by Arceus himself. But, the Church had an opportunity for those that Arceus had dealt a bad hand. If they dedicated their entire lives to Arceus, they said, then Arceus would bless them in the afterlife. Hell, one could even improve their chances if they donated money! So, the commoners were kept in check with their devotion to Arceus, leading them to ignore the problems that existed around them, and the corruption running rampant through society. Meanwhile, the Church accrued money and used it to gain a foothold in every regional government on the planet.

In the higher echelons of the Church, atrocities ran rampant. Pedophilia and rape were not uncommon and swept under the rug by the higher ups. The money the commoners donated often went into the personal pockets of the priests and the nobles often bribed the Church for whatever reason they had. This is barely even scratching the surface, so I'll spare you the details. Essentially, the Church was responsible for keeping the commoners in apathy, and so Jacques and his associates had decided it must be eliminated, at least in Kalos.

Jacques and his trainer were former members of the Church, before being excommunicated once Jacques' trainer began to speak out against the Church's corruption. They languished in the streets for years after that, before they were introduced to the revolution, quickly rising to become prominent leaders thanks to their knowledge of the Church and connected nobility.

After I had finished my education, I was allowed to participate in active duty. It was nothing much at first, just some basic scouting, but I was soon able to participate in active sabotage against noble activities, such as raiding lone carriages in the dead of night. Over time, Jacques had grown to appreciate me more, till I eventually rose straight past second in command to being his equal, coleading our branch of the revolution. Well, the Pokemon in that branch at least.

We made a grand plan to kick off the revolution. Once we had recruited enough people, each branch of the revolution would rise up in their respective cities, inciting rage and discontent among the populace and attacking the nobility. In doing so, the hope was we could get the unrecruited commoners to join us in the attack. While this was happening, Jacques, myself, and a few other members would attack the Kalosian branch of the Church, which was located in Lumiose. We would demolish it and kill every member of the Church that refused to defect. Meanwhile, the other members in Lumiose and the other cities would kill the nobility and royal family, hopefully with the help of the other commoners. From there, we would take control of Kalos and build a more egalitarian society and defend against other regions attempting to avenge the fallen nobility.

And so the day came. We had amassed thousands of members in the Lumiose branch alone. Across the entire revolution, we must have had a million or more humans and Pokemon ready to give the kingdom back to its people. The leaders of the respective branches had coordinated a specific date and time to rise in the cities. We had ample weaponry for the humans, courtesy of our thievery, and we had more than enough manpower. The tables were set and we were going to destroy the nobility or die trying.

And at the designated time, the commoners of Kalos erupted into righteous fury.

We stormed our cities, inciting discord among our fellow commoners and allowing them to join in. Apathetic as they may have been before, they must have known subconsciously that things weren't right. Jacques had told me that humans and Pokemon weren't meant to be held in bondage, so maybe there was some sort of instinctual thing? I didn't know.

In either case, things quickly devolved for the city. Buildings were burning, property was being destroyed, and the royal guard had been sent to deal with us. Fighting had broken out between us and the soldiers, but they proved no match against our collective wrath. Heh, some of us got a little carried away and mauled them beyond recognition. Once the soldiers had been dealt with, we stormed the houses of the nobility and pulled them out into the city square, where we were going to test out a new method of execution.

Someone in Kalos had invented a device designed to deliver a relatively swift and painless death to those who were to be executed. It was called la guillotine. I'm sure you've heard of it, Marcus. We decided to use this to execute the nobility. It was surprisingly effective, given that the machine operated quickly, and there was little mess to clean up afterwards, making it easy to quickly move the next noble up… Jacques gave me the honors of beheading my former master. I did so with immense pleasure.

We had most of the newly recruited commoners work on that while another group stormed the castle to grab the royal family. Once again, they were completely overwhelmed and we dragged them out and cut their disgusting heads off as well.

Kalos now had no leader… but there was still the matter of the Church. According to plan, Jacques, myself, and a few more experienced members stormed the Church, the last stronghold in Lumiose. Things went well at first. We tore through the royal guard members stationed there and began to burn everything inside. But, I was blindsided by a soldier's Arcanine. It came up from behind me while I was distracted covering Jacques from some particularly tenacious soldiers. It sank its teeth deep into my neck and threw me towards a nearby wall, tearing a chunk of my flesh out in the process.

"Tranchant!" Jacques yelled. He quickly ran over to me while the others covered him from enemy attacks. "Tranchant! Are you okay?" I was tempted to retort with something along the lines of "What does it look like!?", but I decided against it. I instead weakly shook my head. Jacques' face quickly turned to one of anger as he focused his attention back onto our assailants. In an instant, he charged up a powerful aura attack, larger than I'd ever seen him make before, and launched it at our enemies.

The attack was devastating. By the time the smoke cleared, I could see that the Church's wall had been blown out and our attackers were reduced to ash. I was impressed. I had no idea a Lucario could do something so powerful. But the hole in the wall had greatly damaged the stability of the building. Jacques could barely turn his attention back to me before the building had begun to collapse.

I told him to go on without me, that my wound was too grave to be treated and that helping me out of the building would only risk Jacques getting killed too. He hesitated at first, but reluctantly agreed when it became clear the roof was about to fall. His last words to me were that he'd see to it that I was honored in some way.

Soon after, I was crushed under the collapsing building, hoping that Jacques and his companions would finish what we started. It was an odd life I led. I went from a pampered noble's pet to a high ranking member of a revolution that sought to rid Kalos of the very class I was a part of. I died content with my decisions.

But Arceus had other ideas.

My next conscious feeling was nothing but pure pain. From what I could tell, I lost all of my senses, except for the feeling of pain, which was exponentially higher than any pain I'd ever felt in life. I couldn't even scream, because I had no body anymore. I was just a soul writhing in agony in a wall of thousands, perhaps millions, of other souls, and I just knew that Jacques was in there too. There I suffered, for hundreds of years, before Giratina let me out. By that time, I'd gone basically insane.

I was told I could be free if I killed you… how could I pass up that opportunity? I'd do anything to never feel that pain again. I'd kill a million to free myself, and I'm sure anyone else in that Wall would have too. Even Jacques.

…

"And there you have it. After that, I ended up in Lumiose City, partially to track you down, but also to see what had become of Kalos since we died. From the information I had gathered, it seemed our revolution was a success. Jacques, his trainer, and their associates had lived to spearhead the movement and create a new society. Until the day they died, they were revered and the egalitarian society we wished to create seemed to be progressing nicely. However, after their deaths, the population was left without a strong guiding hand. With that, the remnants of the old hierarchical system were able to reestablish themselves, and everything we fought for became for nothing." Tranchant said. He did a gesture with his hands outward.

"Now we have the current Kalosian society, a capitalistic society with just the same amount of oppression, just more hidden. Most of the population doesn't even realize anything is wrong. Jacques and our rebellion have been condemned in the history books, seen as savage and insane. And the Church? It may be less prominent, but Arceus is still widespread. All that fighting… All that pain… It was all for nothing!" Tranchant clenched his fists and began to shake.

"Tranchant…" I said softly. He donned an expression of rage and stared at me hatefully.

"Don't you see! This is why we need TDA! He's the strong, guiding hand the world needs! We accomplished many things, but we were only mortal! If TDA can win this, then he can become an immortal deity and guide this world to proper development alongside Giratina!" He yelled.

"Tranchant…"

"Why!? Why do you serve Arceus!? Knowing what he did to me, what he's done to Jacques!? What he has and will continue to do to countless people and Pokemon!? You're just going to let this continue!?" He continued yelling.

"Tranchant."

"I'll tell you this, Marcus. You're just a tool! Just a useless puppet th-"

"Tranchant, I agree with you!" I yelled. Tranchant immediately shut up, his expression quickly turning to surprise.

"...What?" He asked softly.

"I agree with you! I'm on your side! What more do you want me to say!?"

"I… Are you lying to me?" He asked. This only served to add to my frustration.

"No! After our last battle I specifically made it my goal to save you! Why do you think I even bothered talking to you while we were fighting earlier? And hearing about your past life has only made me more convinced!" I retorted. Tranchant didn't respond for a moment, trying to find the right words. He was genuinely surprised that I was agreeing with him.

"But… What are you going to do to me? And what about Arceus? Aren't you fighting TDA to preserve Arceus' order?" He asked.

"I'm not so sure about Arceus anymore. Your story has helped me to see that there's something more here. I want you to join us and help us get to the bottom of this." I said calmly. Tranchant laughed.

"And what are you going to do about TDA, huh? He's still an issue, isn't he?" He asked. I shook my head.

"We will continue to fight TDA, but not for Arceus' sake. I want to get a clear understanding of what's going on before I choose a side, if any. But I know for certain that Arceus has crimes to answer for. You are proof enough of that." I stretched out my hand. "So, will you join us? Will you help us decide which direction is best for this world?" I asked. Tranchant didn't say anything for a moment, but soon began to chuckle ruefully.

"I… Only if you promise you aren't fucking with me…" I had to admit, I was somewhat taken aback. Part of me expected him to reject the proposal.

"I promise." I said with conviction.

"If you aren't lying to me… Then the world needs more people like you, Marcus. You don't blindly obey what you've been told. You question things that most others wouldn't even think twice about. I thought you were just some dog of Arceus… but this new side of you has changed my opinion. I just hope this new side is genuine." Tranchant looked at the ground. "Besides… That was the same quality that Jacques had. You aren't quite like him, but… it's a good thing to have." He added. He gestured at himself. "Giratina and TDA will probably catch on that I'm not helping them anymore and cut off my power, so I'll be just an ordinary Weavile, with some ghosty things I can do. Don't worry though. I learned some pretty decent combat during the Revolution." He added.

"I'll be counting on your help." I said. Tranchant stared intently on me, still unsure but willing to help. He would be slow to gain the trust of, but I would do everything in my power to help him on this path.

"I believe we still have something to do in order to seal the deal?" I asked. Tranchant looked confused as I pulled out a Pokeball. Without further delay, I threw it at him. Tranchant let out a little scream of surprise at this gesture.

The ball hit the dead Weavile straight in the forehead, and opened up as Tranchant began to turn into light. And just like that, he had entered the Pokeball. It swiveled three times before stopping. I was confused. Wasn't it supposed to click?

Just then, a woosh sound emitted from the Pokeball, and its color slowly turned to a dark purple. I walked over and picked it up, staring at it a moment. I'd done it. Tranchant had sided with me, and I had made my mind up on what I was going to do. From this moment forward, I would cease working for Arceus and take my own path. Of course, I still had to get the others to agree to it… But in that moment, I held Tranchant's ball, containing a being that symbolized Arceus' evil actions. I would find out what's going on, and if need be, I would do anything to make both Arceus and TDA answer for their crimes. I took one last look at the Pokeball.

"You're safe now, Tranchant. I swear I will stop any of this from happening again."

Note: The Kalosian Revolution is not a perfect mirror of the French Revolution. As such, it is not entirely historically correct.