A/N: My fanfic has an illustrated cover for each chapter, but since FFN doesn't allow inserting images nor does it accept links within the fanfic itself, please head over to my tumblr (carefreejules) if you'd like to see the covers!

Chapter 14 - Target

"Princess Juliet? What's wrong?"

"...It's nothing, Maya. I just...want to be alone right now."

Maya bounced over to Juliet's side, who had her face buried in her knees, tears landing on the fully bloomed forget-me-nots surrounding her. For a while, her dreams had been a place where she could escape the stresses and struggles of the real world for a moment, and she was in the company of a cheerful little girl who could smile through her heartaches - but the feeling of helplessness of having to choose her own happiness or Leon's well-being tore her apart.

In an ideal world, where people weren't cruel or hungry for gossip, maybe she and Leon could have been something. But, no such world exists.

Or maybe the problem was, her.

Her, and her fragile heart. Still so afraid, and resentful.

'All that matters is that you like him, right?'

Thinking about him, or even seeing him, was a painful reminder that she couldn't be with him. That she shouldn't be with him. She wanted nothing more to bury those feelings, so she can fondly cherish the close friendship that they had and ignore how her heart would flutter every time he laughed at one of her stupid jokes or how he wanted to see her smile.

But, with every flutter in her chest, she inevitably sunk deeper.

And that terrified her.

When did these tender feelings get so out of hand?

"...You're crying like your step sisters tore up your dress and you can't go to the ball and meet your Prince."

Juliet snorted through her tears. As if she was some sort of Cinderella.

"No, nothing like that, Maya. Love is...not all sunshine and rainbows, you know. Sometimes, when two people are in love, there are some people who won't be happy about it. And...they might even try to get in their way." Juliet grieved. "He's already going through a lot, and I don't want his fans to turn on him and-"

"Who cares what they think?!" Maya shouted suddenly, startling Juliet to whip her head in surprise at the girl's sudden outburst.

"Did Ariel give up on Prince Eric when her father found out about her love for him?! No! Even if she got tricked by the evil witch to give up her voice to be with him, she fought for her love for him! And he fought for his love for her too!"

"But-"

"No buts! Meanies will be meanies, but love will always win!"

...It was strange to be given a pep talk by someone so much younger than her, but there was something about Maya's optimism and eartnessness that moved something in her heart that made her acknowledge her pessimism. Was this what other people felt when she encouraged them when they were feeling insecure? Giving up felt like the safest option, but giving up was still giving up. She was getting ready to give up on Leon without even trying to prove her anxieties wrong.

"But now more than ever, I want to be there for you. If you need to let it out, I hope you'll trust my shoulder to cry on."

Arceus, she was pathetic.

Letting him deal with everything on his own, it was the opposite of what she wanted for him. Being there for him, making sure he knew that he didn't have to face his troubles alone - that was the kind of friend she had always been for him.

At least, that's what she hoped.

If life was taking a toll on him more than usual, then being there to help pull him up mattered more than ever. There was no time to despair over her feelings, there was no time to be selfish and defensive; the pain in his voice from the voicemail that he left for her - he wasn't just looking out for her, but he was reaching for help. What kind of friend would she be to ignore that?

Yeah, a friend. That was enough.

Even if Maya meant love in a romantic sense, platonic love was just as important, and carried a kind of weight that romantic love didn't have. And that feeling, that special kind of gentleness when it can to friendships, should always be treasured. She didn't want to take for granted of what they had, just because she wanted something more, but at the same time, she wasn't going to stop herself from letting her feelings run free. She desperately wanted to break out of the self-conscious cycle and be free. To embrace those warm feelings that tingled her heart while they were still there.

Love will always win, huh…

Juliet smiled gently and gently patted Maya's head. "You're right, Maya. But, not just romantic love. All types of love are worth fighting for."

Maya grinned toothily. "Do you feel better now?"

"A little, though that's the easy part. All that's left is how to deal with them. Though, now's really not a good time."

The little girl puffed out her cheeks. "You're so stubborn! Is it really that hard?"

Juliet laughed. "Perhaps it looks like I'm making it hard for myself, but it's better for the both of us. Honest."

Maya wasn't completely buying it but she relented anyway. "If you say so…But, you better do it or I'm going to haunt you!"

"And, what exactly are you doing now?"

"...Spiritually observing!"

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

It was so hard for her to wake up when her eyelids were heavy and exhausted from all the tears that were shed the night before. When she finally managed to force her eyes open despite how much they wanted to close again, she reached for her Rotom phone and texted Leon. She didn't want to wake the poor guy so early in the morning especially considering how it looked like he was losing sleep from preparing for the Champion's Cup and whatever Rose was making him put up with.

Juliet: Hey Leon! I listened to your voicemail.

I'm OK and no, what made me upset

yesterday wasn't because of you.

Maybe we can meet up later to talk about it?

Now that she had that out of the way for now, she had to forgive her friends for lashing out. She had a lot of pent up frustrations, but no one should have been the brunt of it. Well, her friends were probably still sleeping in their suites so she wasn't going to wake them up just to apologize. She could never fall back asleep and sleep in once she woke up once so she had some time before their 'history lesson' at the Vault with Raihan. Maybe she should visit the Battle Cafe? It was practically a ritual by now for her to visit the cafe when she was in Motostoke, Hammerlocke, and of course, Wyndon.

"Tra...pinch…" Pistachio grumbled in his sleep. Rather than waking up the snoozing Ant Pit Pokemon, she quietly returned him into his Pokeball before getting dressed, and headed out into the Medieval streets of Hammerlocke.

No matter how many times she walked through the cobblestone streets, it never failed to amaze her how seamlessly the style of architecture could still integrate with modern society without being intrusive or tacky. Heck, how many people could say they lived in a town that still had torches lit up along the high walls, and drawbridges that sectioned parts of the city? It felt like she was a part of one of her favourite video game franchises that mainly took place in the era of royalty and knights.

She was so distracted by the architectural feats of the city that she didn't notice that Raihan was strolling beside her. And his sheer height was hard to miss.

"Top of the morning, Juliet."

"Oh! Morning, Raihan. Somehow, I didn't see you there."

"I was going to say. I almost didn't see you at all-"

As expected, she kicked him in the shins.

"You better not sass me at the shoot."

"I won't. You're going to be too gobsmacked during my history lecture to care. 'Wow Raihan! You're so cool and smart!'" Raihan ended playfully, pitching his voice a bit higher to lightly mock her.

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Uh huh."

"Anyway, I was hoping to run into you because I wanted to ask something,"

"What's up?"

"You're not mad that, you know, we weren't mentioned on the news about protecting Hammerlocke?"

"Not really, no. I mean, a bit of credit would be nice and Charizard did get injured pretty badly from protecting me and Tiki. Sounds like this wasn't just a one-time instance from how relaxed you are about it."

"Eh," Raihan shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm not too crazy about getting media attention myself so I'd rather not be mentioned."

Juliet's eyes widened a little, surprised that someone like Raihan, who seemed to thrive off of attention, was sketched out by the media as well. "Oh? I'd never expected that from you."

"TV snobs can say whatever the hell they want about me, but they'll never know the real me. At least with social media, I have a bit more control over what I can do and say.."

"...Hm. You make a good point. We're only showing the sides of ourselves that we want people to see."

"You got it-" Suddenly Raihan stopped, making Juliet stop as well and curiously followed his gaze to what caught his attention. They noticed Chairman Rose and Oleana walking across the drawbridge leading into Hammerlocke Castle, where they were probably going to take a lift down into the Power Plant as per usual.

That's when Raihan had an idea. It was a risky idea, but it was worth obtaining any information on what Chairman Rose had been up to this entire time. He couldn't erase the sinking feeling of paranoia from his stomach. In his mind, anyone who would go to such lengths to withhold information, conduct experiments that involved explosions and rampaging Dynamax Pokemon, had to be hiding something. Hiding something big. Whatever it was, he didn't know but he couldn't ignore the rumbling in his stadium that came from below, nor the power outages that became more frequent as the days went by. But, thanks to his sheer height, he wasn't exactly stealthy and in the event he had to hide somewhere, he probably wouldn't be able to fit in small areas. His head turned to Juliet, who in turn, looked up at him to meet his gaze.

Juliet could practically read what he was thinking based on how he smirked.

"No." She shot down quickly.

"I didn't even say anything!" Raihan retorted.

"You were going to suggest that I sneak into the Power Plant to check out what's going on down there. I know I'm smaller than you but I'm not stealthy! We can get into serious trouble-"

"Only if we're caught. Look, I'll distract the employee who's guarding the door; I'm the Gym Leader, and a handsome one at that. I can distract her with my charms-"

"What kind of a plan is that?!"

Raihan grabbed her by the shoulders and looked at her desperately. "Please, Juliet! We both want to know what Rose is doing, right? And Leon especially wants to know too! This could help him!"

Juliet breathed deeply, carefully considering his plan by outweighing the risks with the information that she could potentially gain. She wanted to help Leon and lift that burden from his shoulder, but she was also terrified of what she could end up discovering, and she wasn't looking forward to the consequences if she got caught. She could end up putting her friends' reputations on the line by being fired and then arrested and then-

"...Fine. But, you better cover for me if I need to make a run for it at the last second."

"Don't worry. I got your back." Raihan pointed to the large crates that were being dropped off outside of the stadium. "See those? Around this time they wheel those down into the Power Plant. I don't know what's in them but you should be able to slip inside one of them."

"...You can't be serious."

"Didn't you say you were going to do this?"

"OK, I get it just...keep an eye out."

Her heart was starting to race in anticipation, but Raihan was already strolling up to the Macros Cosmos employees who were loading up the crates on a trolley to distract them so it was too late to back out from the plan without making Raihan look suspicious for approaching them. Considering how much he wanted to know what was going on under his gym, this was likely not the first time he tried to get answers out of a Macros Cosmos employee. She tiptoed around the vicinity, deciding how exactly she was going to pry off the lid of the crates, get in, and then pull the lid back on without anyone noticing.

That's when she noticed a Machoke was about to put a lid back onto a crate, before a crate nearby tipped over and spilled it's contents all over the floor. The Machoke grumbled irritably, and set the lid down to go help his fellow Pokemon colleagues to clean up the mess.

This was her chance…!

She stealthily approached the crate, climbed inside, and buried herself with what looked to be Wishing Pieces, so she didn't stick out. Before she could let out a sigh of relief, everything was enveloped in complete darkness, meaning that the Machoke returned to put the lid back onto the crate she was in. Good thing the crates had narrow openings so she wouldn't wound up suffocating to death.

But, it was nerve-wracking as hell for not knowing what was going on outside.

Juliet waited, and waited, until finally, she felt her crate being lifted from the ground and put on top of what she assumed to be a trolley. She heard the distinct sound of an automatic door opening before hearing the electrical hum of the elevator taking her down to who knows where. She strained her ears, keeping them alert for any conversations that could contain any nugget of information.

"...That thing Rose is keeping is getting more erratic as the days go on. Is this safe?"

"Are you doubting the Chairman?!"

"N-No! Of course not! For something so terrifying, is it really the solution to giving Galar unlimited energy?"

Unlimited energy…? Something terrifying? What were they talking about? Damnit - she should have had her phone running so it could record the conversation, and she didn't want to risk making any sort of movement until she was sure that she wouldn't get caught.

"Beats me, but the Chairman wouldn't be spending months on this if he didn't believe in it. Let's put our faith in him."

"Right."

Juliet felt the elevator stopped and the trolley began to move again. She couldn't count how many turns and hallways she was being led through, until all movement stopped and her crate was promptly lifted and set down on the ground somewhere. Once she heard the squeaking wheels of the trolley fade away and all she could hear was the sound of her own breathing, she was confident that the coast was clear. She quietly nudged off the lid and carefully climbed out of the crate.

It looked like she was in a storage room of sorts and the first thing she kept an eye out for, were security cameras. Surprisingly, there was none, which seemed strange but she wasn't going to complain. Perhaps the facility had full faith in their employees and flawless security that there was no need for any heavy surveillance. After all, it was supposedly just a Power Plant. Still, she wasn't going to let her guard down.

She called out Odin - her foolproof escape plan if things got hairy.

"I made a good call for not replacing Teleport yet. If things get bad, use it immediately, OK?" Juliet ordered sternly. Odin nodded obediently and saluted.

"Good boy. I'll be sure to treat you to some pancakes afterwards."

With bated breath, she finally left the storage room, but not before looking in both directions of the hallway for any signs of guards, Pokemon - basically anything that could spell danger for her. She couldn't even hear any footsteps. That's when she heard a distant buzzing that grew louder and louder, making her internally panic, as she watched a small Rotom drone pass by the hallway opposite from where she was. Shit, no wonder there were no security cameras - the Rotom drones WERE the security and they were probably multiple others scouting the entire vicinity of the Power Plant. Her hands clammed up anxiously, but she took a moment to take steady breaths before continuing her infiltration.

What exactly were her current leads? She didn't know what she was looking for. Surely the Power Plant had a floor plan or map for employees just in case they got lost. That was a good place to start.

"Odin, keep an eye out for any sort of map or guide. And, be careful of those Rotom drones."

Luckily, it didn't take long to find a map plastered against a wall and it turns out, the Power Plant wasn't as big as she thought it was. A lot of the rooms were computer labs and storage. The main point of interest though, was the 'Generator' room - which took up a huge chunk of space on the map. That was probably where Galar's main source of energy came from.

But, she couldn't exactly waltz in uninvited.

Odin tugged on her sleeve and pointed to an air vent in the ceiling that stretched throughout the Power Plant and would no doubt lead to the Generator room as well. She nodded at her Alolan Raichu, who quietly pried the screws out from the cover and used Psychic to guide his trainer safely into the vent.

"Thanks, Odin. I'll call you back out after I get what I need." He also wasn't going to fit in the vent, but she didn't want to make him feel bad by mentioning it. Shoving his Pokeball safely into her pocket, she shimmied through the tight and dusty air vent, using the photo of the map from her phone as her only guide.

"...report?"

Hm? Did she hear something? She stopped crawling through the vents and listened closely for what she thought was talking in the distance. She heard it again, but it was muffled and incomprehensible. She had a strong hunch that wherever the voices were coming from, was where she needed to go. She followed the voices until they grew louder and clearer, until she saw an opening in the air vent that she could peer through.

When she reached the opening, she had to cover her mouth to silence her gasp.

In all of her life, she had never seen...such a creature before. Was...it even a Pokemon? It was...It was so alien like, but nothing of the likes of Deoxys or Rayquaza. It was sharper, more angular - and not to mention dangerous and ferocious looking. She felt her skin begin to crawl uncomfortably from just imagining those sharp scales dragging across her skin.

Was this what Chairman Rose had been working on for the past few months? Was this...thing artificially created like Magearna or cloned from an existing Pokemon like Mewtwo?

Juliet had a typhoon of thoughts and theorizes swirling in her head, making her dizzy from the horrifying discovery of what Rose had been allocating so much time to that resulted in multiple explosions, power outages, and rabid Dynamaxed Pokemon. She shakily took out her Rotom phone and began to record everything, from the lab itself, to the creature behind the glass chamber, to the shocking details that were being exchanged from scientist to scientist.

"Chairman, it seems that Eternatus is capable of taking on a Dynamax form that's completely different from the likes of Gigantamax."

Eternatus. That must have been what the creature was called, but what was this about another form that wasn't Dynamax or Gigantamax? Professor Magnolia worked tirelessly to research the nature and origins of the two, but even she didn't know that there was a third?

"Oh? Please elaborate."

"Well, considering how it's harnessing the power of Dynamax itself, it has extraordinary amounts of energy to spare. If it's released, Eternatus can reach its full potential and take on a completely different form that could supply a limitless amount of energy."

So...the cause and origin of Dynamax, all came from this creature alone? That ruled out her initial theory that this creature was man-made, but that only spawned the question of where it even came from in the first place? Damnit, where was Sonia when she needed her?! At the very least, this could be a massive breakthrough for the assistant and give her the answers that she needed!

"Fascinating. And now that our...subject has been successfully fused with Eternatus, is my theory correct?"

He what? Subject? Fused?

"It looks to be the case, sir. Darkrai's abilities of inflicting nightmares has its own power over people and Pokemon, but during a new moon, he can truly harness the power of the new moon and when combined with Eternatus' limitless power, they can bring about the Darkest Day that Galar can never wake up from."

Juliet's blood ran cold and she swore her heart stopped. How...How did they get Darkrai?! She thought he left the region altogether when he left her dreams! To think that Rose captured the Mythical Pokemon for the sick intent of using his powers for this...this messed up plan, it was unbelievable.

She didn't want to believe it. But, she knew she had to save him. She didn't know how, but she was going to find a way.

How could he believe that bringing about the Darkest Day was a good idea?! Limitless amount of energy?! At the risk of rampaging Dynamax Pokemon and plunging the entire region into infinite darkness?! How could he, of all people, think that anyone would want to live in that kind of world?!

She didn't want to hear anymore.

"Ch...Champion Juliet…"

Her eyes widened at the voice that only she could hear.

But, she recognized that voice all too well.

"Help...me…"

And then, the whole lab plunged into sickening red with alarm bells blaring from every direction.

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"

Oh shit, oh fuck - she had to get out of there now! It didn't matter at this point if it was going to be a tight squeeze for Odin; she could not risk getting caught after getting this far and learning everything that she recorded. She shoved her Rotom phone in her pocket and let out her Alolan Raichu in the stuffy air vent. He clearly wasn't pleased or comfortable with his current position, but based on the urgency of the alarms and his trainer's frantic expression, he had no time to complain.

"Odin! Use Teleport!" Juliet commanded desperately, clenching her eyes shut as she grabbed one of Odin's paws and he somehow managed to teleport them out of the Power Plant and onto the outskirts of Hammerlocke. They clumsily landed in a bush, scaring off the Pokemon nearby as they quite literally appeared from thin air.

"Ow, ow, ow!" She hissed painfully, recoiling in pain from landing right on her butt. Luckily Odin could levitate with ease so he was able to catch himself from crashing to the ground at the last second.

"Raichu?" He asked worryingly as he extended his paw out to her.

"I-I'm OK. Thank you, Odin. You really saved me back there." Pulling out her Rotom phone, she checked to see if the video came out clear enough. Even though she was just there when it happened, she still couldn't bring herself to believe the information she spied on no matter how many times she rewatched the recording.

She had to tell someone - there were no two ways about it.

This was a matter of life or death.

Juliet scrambled out of the bush and sprinted to Hammerlocke, her heart pounding restlessly. She had to show Raihan the footage, she had to show it to Leon as well, hell, she needed the whole goddamn Pokemon League to know! They needed to know that they were working for the madman of a Chairman.

She was so dead set on her current objective that she didn't notice the missing keychain of the blue arrow of their team's symbol, from her Rotom phone.

"Is...Is this real?" Raihan uttered, holding Juliet's phone in disbelief as the clip ended. It...It had to be some sick joke, right? All of this was happening right under his stadium and he was completely oblivious to it? It wasn't his business to know what was going on in the Power Plant because he truly thought that it was just a place where workers maintained and monitored electricity and energy throughout the region - but now he felt responsible for being blissfully unaware that a diabolical plan was being orchestrated right under his nose.

He thought it was laughable by how much he didn't know about his own Gym.

"I can't believe it either, honestly...Especially since…" Remembering how tortured Darkrai sounded made her eyes water. "...I know Darkrai and he was with me for awhile…"

"What?! Are you serious?! How?!"

"It's a long story but, I can't believe Rose would do that to him...he's been through so much and now he's being used as some puppet!"

"Shit...We need to tell the others. The bloody shoot can wait-"

"Ah! There they are! Raihan! Jules! Sorry for the wait!" Vanquil waved over, walking up to the Vault with Mary and Tessu following close behind him. Juliet didn't waste another second and practically dragged her team inside and shoved her phone in their faces.

"Whoa! What's the rush, Jules-"

"Watch."

And just like Raihan, their faces slowly turned more horrified the longer they watched and listened that they were rendered completely speechless long after the clip had ended.

"What...What do we do?" Tessu whispered fearfully.

"We gotta tell the police! So many lives could be endangered!" Vanquil shouted.

"I have to tell Leon about this too. The guy works the closest with him, for Arceus sake!" But just as Raihan pulled out his phone to send Leon the urgent text, his phone was swiped out of his hand from a Pokemon using Psychic, and hovered right into Chairman Rose's hand. Oleana stood by as she always had with an unreadable expression on her constant poker face, but the face that Rose wore was that of absolute scorn.

They were fucked.

"What do you think you're doing, Raihan?" Rose ordered, his calculative glare striking fear into their cores, but Raihan wasn't going to let that deter him from deciding what was more important. Even knowing that he was putting his own job at risk. His mind was far away from thinking about his livelihood. It couldn't possibly replace everything else that would be at risk if the Chairman's plan came to fruition.

"What? You going to fire me? Go ahead. I don't care. That's nothing compared to what you have planned, you bastard-!"

"Hmph. I figured as much. Oleana."

Oleana sent out her Froslass. "Use Psychic."

Froslass effortlessly froze all of them in the spot, making them squirm futility against the strong bind of the Pokemon's power as they watched their phones being taken away, one by one, each of them being inspected by Chairman Rose and Oleana. When he got to Juliet's phone, he smirked knowingly. He dangled her phone in front of her frozen body, along with the keychain that had broken off of her phone, that dangerously revealed herself as the intruder of the Power Plant.

Juliet would have hung her head in despair if she could.

"I'm disappointed in you, Juliet. You led your team well, got along swimmingly with the League members including Leon, and were so obedient. You're one of the last people I'd expect to do something so outlandish and stupid. Do you take me for a fool?"

She opened her mouth to retort, but she couldn't even speak. She had no choice but to helplessly watch Chairman Rose delete the video she recorded right in front of her eyes. Then, as if to make his point painfully clear, she felt her lungs forcefully tighten and she struggled to breathe. He leaned into close, his mouth ghosting over her ear, sending an icy chill down her neck.

"If you say a single word about this to Leon, I'll do more than just eradicate your career and reputation." He pulled back and sent equally chilling glares to the rest of the group. "That goes for the rest of you as well. I will not allow anyone to get in my way including Leon. If you value your lives and everyone else in the League, I expect you all to make the wise decision of remaining silent. Do I make myself abundantly clear?" The man had so much power and control over a majority of industries in the Galar region, and opposing him was like going up against a hundred man army by yourself. It was futile. And he knew it, which is why he didn't need to hear what their answers were because they knew it too.

In that moment, they felt so blind-sighted and powerless to how corrupt the business world actually was and how Chairman Rose, a businessman at heart, was always going to be driven by success alone. Maybe a part of him did genuinely care about the people of Galar, but his methods were so twisted and delusional that it was difficult to regard him as anything but villainous.

When the weight of Psychic was finally lifted, they collapsed onto the ground, Juliet rasping and wheezing desperately for air while she watched the Chairman and Oleana leave the Vault with watery eyes and the despair of betrayal stabbed into her gut. She weakly reached out for her Rotom phone that was tossed onto the ground in front of her and just when she thought nothing could possibly make the situation any more shitty, Rose did more than just delete the video - he completely wiped everything from her phone's memory. Photos, chat logs - everything that she saved and treasured over her travels.

It was beyond cruel, considering her current predicament.

"Rotom...are you OK?" Juliet coughed.

"Bzzzzt...I think so…"

"...Well, even if he got rid of everything, I'm glad you didn't suffer either."

"Zzzzzrt...I'm sorry for not doing more to protect your data..."

Juliet bit her lip and blinked through her tears. It hadn't dawned on her of how much she lost, but now wasn't the time to grieve. They had just witnessed Rose's true nature and were subjected to his cruelty. There was no way they could go back to their normal everyday lives, working the jobs that were overlooked by someone like him. They, along with everyone else working for the Chairman in some way, were regarded in some shape or form as just another cog in a grander machine - one that can easily be replaced if they broke down or rebelled against the task that was given to them.

It was a heavy realization to bear.

"...How exactly do we move on from everything we've seen? I don't know about you guys, but I can't just not shut it out and pretend it didn't-" Tessu began before being abruptly interrupted by Vanquil slapping a hand over her mouth, making her squirm and groan in protest.

"Van…? What-"

"Shh!" Vanquil hissed and motioned them to cover the receiver part of their phones. Once they did, albeit confusingly, he shut down his phone and summoned the Rotom out of it completely. "Shut down your phones now and get your Rotoms out. While I was looking through my phone, I think a tracking and audio device were implanted in the background."

"What the fuck," Raihan swore. "Is Rose seriously going that far? And, how can you tell?"

"I noticed a lot of data and battery were being used for some reason, and when I went to check what was the cause, the phone said it was due to 'background running apps' even though he wiped my phone's memory as well so there was nothing that could have been running." Vanquil rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm interested in Rotom technology so I learned a lot about the security involved as well. I'm not a hacker, but my gut is telling me that this isn't normal." He motioned Rotom to use Spark to fry his phone completely in order to render it unusable.

"B-But, wouldn't that make Rose more suspicious of us if he sees we're not using our phones?" Mary stammered.

"That's probably what his goal is. He wants us to feel paranoid to the point where we're too scared to do anything. Besides, he can't force us to use our phones and if he's going to enlist his employees to come stalk us personally, well, I ain't going to back down from a fight." Juliet wheezed, still feeling light-headed from almost being suffocated to death.

"...It's kind of unsettling how composed you are despite going through all of that..." Tessu commented suspiciously, which made Juliet laugh dryly. Even if she didn't have any tangible proof of what she saw, she wasn't going to comply with Rose's orders. This was serious and more people had to know what was going on. To hell with the cliches of hiding important information, thinking it was going to save their own butts and everyone else's. Rose's plan was undoubtedly going to cause more damage if they didn't do anything. The problem was that they no longer had evidence to back up their claims so going to the police or leaking what they saw was completely out of the question.

The only thing they could do now was look for another way.

"Believe me, I'm just as scared, but no matter how foolproof his plan is, there will always be a weak spot - and I don't know about you guys, but I'm done being pushed around by people like him." Juliet rose to her feet, dropped her old phone onto the ground, and crushed it under her feet. This was a declaration of war in her eyes. She wasn't going to sit back and let him make their life a living hell to make them submit with their silence. And, it looked like her determination was rubbing off on her friends as well, shattering their phones under their feet as well as they looked at each other with newfound resolve.

"Alright, leader, what are your orders?" Raihan smirked, putting a hand on his hip.

"For now, try to act natural and if you have to, lay low. There's not much we can do if we end up being stalked so as long as we don't give them a reason to do anything that would warrant an arrest or anything like that. If you need a new phone, I'd order one from overseas just to be safe."

"And, what should we do about trying to prevent Rose's plan?" Vanquil asked.

Juliet breathed apprehensively before speaking. "I haven't thought quite that far yet, but I already have someone in mind who I can call to help us out."

"Really? Who?"

"You'll see. For now, I think it would be a good idea to talk to Sonia about what we've learned about Dynamax. She's been researching about the history of the Darkest Day so if she learns about the cause of Dynamax, then she'll be able to piece together everything and maybe figure out a way to stop it if it does happen again."

"In that case, if you're in charge of the phone call, then leave Sonia to me, Mary, and Vanquil." Tessu volunteered.

"Sounds good. As for Raihan, as much as I'd hate to say this, it would be best if you don't tell Leon unless it's absolutely necessary." There was a feeling in her gut that this decision was going to come bite her back, but it was a necessary decision if they wanted to be fully prepared for all the possible outcomes.

"...I'd figured as much but something tells me the reason is more than just you wanting to save his arse."

"You catch on quick. The truth is, we don't know how far along Rose's plan is. All hell could break loose next week or even tomorrow, but the fact that he's been withholding information from Leon for this long, I think Leon still has a role to play in his plans. Like a secret weapon or trump card."

"I get it. So, you're basically assuming that Rose's plan is ready to go at any time, but he needs Leon in some way in order to execute it. We don't want Leon to give Rose a reason to set things off too early before we're even ready for it." Raihan scratched the back of his head. "I feel bad keeping him in the dark like this especially since he wants to know what's going on as much as we did."

Juliet clenched her fist. "I know how you feel. Leon might be able to put up an act, but he's closer to Rose than all of us and I don't think he can switch his loyalty that easily. And, seeing as you're his best friend, I'm sure you've noticed how stressed he is right now with the upcoming Champion Cup hanging over his head."

"I agree. Knowing Leon, he'd probably still try to believe that there's still good in him. I don't think it'd be easy for anyone to turn on someone who basically raised them." Raihan cracked his knuckles, feeling his blood pumping from the precarious situation they were in, but he had full faith that they could do it. "I guess it's up to me to convince the rest of the League. And don't worry, I'll make sure they don't make themselves obvious. We need all the help we can get. And if anyone tries to stop us, well, I'll give them one hell of a fight."

"We're counting on you, Raihan. For right now, let's just get this shoot over with and keep each other posted over the next few days. But keep it to in-person interactions for vital information."

"I feel you. If Oleana can place tracking devices on our phones, who knows what else she's capable of when it comes to tracking." Vanquil noted.

"Right. Then, if everyone knows what their job is, then the mission has officially begun."

"Leon."

"Chairman."

There was still a lingering tension in the air from yesterday's confrontation with Chairman Rose and Leon wouldn't say he was feeling any better about how Rose was operating his company, and his reputation, behind his back. His initial anger and disbelief was replaced with confliction - he didn't know how he was supposed to act around the Chairman now that he opened his eyes to his obvious flaws. He was so young and vulnerable when he swept up the title of Champion and without any sort of guidance, he didn't know how he could represent the region of Galar and become a trainer that everyone could look up to. As much as he wanted to solely praise his raw power and tactical mind for leading him this far, that wasn't the case. Chairman Rose practically adopted the role of a fatherly figure when his own father left, so he could go on and reach greater opportunities through his own influence and connections.

It was a harsh reality to come to terms with, that your hard work does pay off in its own way, but it's knowing the right people through networking that really gets your foot through the door and fast tracks you to the front of the line.

Chairman Rose always made sure he was first, even if it meant crushing the competition.

But, Leon despised it. He'd playfully taunt and provoke his opponents before every battle but at the end of the day, he was still a good sport and wanted battles to be treated fairly. And, that attitude extended to his everyday life. He will always be grateful for the sights he got to see, the people he got to meet over his 13 year reign, but if Chairman Rose had to bribe his way through, then those exchanges will always be tainted with dishonesty.

"I hope you're still not cross with me from the other day."

"...No. I'm not, Chairman. I shouldn't have lashed out like that." It was a lie, but he didn't want Rose to think he was childish for holding onto a grudge. He was an adult, maybe not a mature one, but an adult nevertheless, and he still had the responsibility of acting like one.

"I forgive you, Leon. The Champion Cup is only two weeks away so you're probably just a little stressed. You always get fired up around this time of year, no?"

"You're probably right, Chairman. How are preparations?"

Rose swiveled around in his executive chair so he was turned away from Leon and facing the tall glass window panes of his office. "They're going smoothly. We're actually ahead of schedule, you could say."

"Really? That's good to hear. Is there anything else you need help with?"

"Not at the moment, but I do have a question for you."

"And, that is?"

Chairman Rose swiveled back to face Leon and folded his arms over his desk, staring intently at the Champion. "Will you help me with a plan that could save Galar's future?"

The abruptness of the question sent a shock down Leon's spine and his hands began to clam up. But, it was a question that he kept at the back of his mind and Rose was finally going to address it. "Galar's future?"

"Indeed. We have an abundance of energy and resources now, but who's to say that that will last forever? We need a plan for the future generations so they can thrive just as we are right now."

"What does this plan entail exactly?"

The business man smiled forebodingly and nonchalantly folded his arms over his desk, fingers rhythmically tapping his desk in contemplation. "I'll let you know soon enough. I promise. For now, can I trust that I have your full support?"

Leon felt like he was being binded into a contract - a contract he was not allowed to say no to. His stomach shifted uncomfortably and his throat went dry. If this was for the benefit of Galar's future, it was hardly a question that he wouldn't give his full support. But, the way the Chairman smiled - it made his back break out into a cold sweat from how...unnerving it was. There was something hiding behind Rose's chilling smile and he found himself growing more wary of him as their interactions dragged on. And, he didn't know if he was imagining things but, behind his cold, emerald gaze, he swore he saw something cloudy flash through his eyes. It felt...dangerous. He didn't want to see how he would react if he said no.

"...Of course, Chairman."