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 19 - You are Challenged by the Absolute King Leon
Dr. Fennel practically collapsed into her lab with armfuls of bags, alerting her assistants of her clumsy return and pried the bags away from her so she could regain her composure. She sighed heavily with relief, feeling the weight on her shoulders literally being lifted, before turning to her assistants with a cheery grin. "I'm back everyone! I hope things haven't been too hectic without me!"
"Well, there hasn't been much work here since we've been expecting you to come back with new findings. How are your Munna and Musharna doing? Need me to take a look at them?" A young man in a similar white lab coat, asked. His small, messy ponytail bobbed as he walked towards Dr. Fennel and outstretched his hand to accept the Pokeball with the aforementioned Pokemon. He tossed both of them out and examined them carefully with a curious stroke of his stubble and smiled gently at the great condition that both Munna and Musharna were in.
"How are they, Matthew?" Dr. Fennel asked with a hopeful grin.
"They look good to me. Better than last time when they nearly blew up the lab." Matthew chuckled.
"That was one time and I said I was sorry!" Dr. Fennel huffed, walking past him to her office, where she slumped into her chair to go through the gruelling routine of catching up on phone calls and emails.
"Soooo...you didn't find anything, huh?" Matthew chimed in cheekily, sticking his head into her office. Dr. Fennel would have thrown something at him if she wasn't already so exhausted from the trip back. She pouted by the number of voice messages that were left on her phone and pressed the play button to let the phone run through most of the spam messages advertising things like windows and cleaning services.
"Not anything mind-blowing but I learned a few things. I'll talk to you about it later-"
"Hello, Dr. Fennel. This is Dr. Greyson again. I'm calling to remind you that my patient, Juliet, is still interested in speaking with you about recurring nightmares she has been experiencing-"
Oh, right! Dr. Fennel completely forgot about that! She was so preoccupied with preparing for her business trip in Alola that she ended up staying for longer than she had intended due to there being some issues with Ultra Beasts popping up in the region and effectively stopping anyone from travelling in and out of the region. When they were finally dealt with, it took awhile for things to settle and for travel to resume that she had completely forgot about giving this Juliet person a consultation.
As Dr. Fennel reached for the phone to call back the number left at the end of the message, Matthew's hands suddenly shot out to replay the voice message again, his blue eyes wide in disbelief. "S-Sorry. Dr. Fennel but….can you replay this message again?"
"Hm? Do you know Dr. Greyson?" She wondered curiously.
"No, but, I could have sworn she mentioned a patient named 'Juliet'..."
Dr. Fennel raised her eyebrow. "Yes, that's correct. I got a message from this doctor requesting that I give a consultation with her patient but it was before my trip so I couldn't get back to her. Do you know Juliet?"
Matthew swallowed thickly and he bit his lip anxiously. Of course he knew that name. That name had always haunted his thoughts. Not in an overtly bad way but, more out of...sadness. Regret. There was the off-chance that there was another person named Juliet, but something in his gut told him that, no, this was the Juliet he knew. The Juliet that was his younger sister. No, he had no right to call her that. Not after what their parents did, and not after what he didn't do as her older brother. In a way he was...relieved that at the very least she was OK, wherever she was, and he always wanted to see her again, but...she probably wouldn't want to. He had never talked to Dr. Fennel about his personal life in detail to spare her from the grief, but he wasn't shocked by her stare at how emotional he probably looked to her.
"...Well, I won't pry into your business, Matthew, but it looks like this person means something to you. If you want, why don't you come with me to Galar to see her?"
…
"Wait, come again?"
"You heard me - I've decided that I'm going to go to Galar myself to speak to Juliet in person! I've always wanted to learn more about Dynamax so-"
"But, you just got back from Alola today!" Matthew sputtered.
"I know but, I don't want to keep a person who might need my help, waiting, so I'm going to head out again this evening! Make sure to pack your bags, Matthew!" Before Matthew could get another word in, Dr. Fennel was already making phone calls to book their plane tickets and hotel rooms, without his say on the matter. Though, knowing Dr. Fennel and how many years he worked for her, there was no use persuading her from a task that she already set out to do. Matthew slowly accepted his fate and walked out of his colleague's office to head into his own to finish up his work before heading home to pack. He didn't want to get too excited - this was just a business trip, nothing more.
Even if Juliet looked at him in disdain, as long as she was OK and living her life to the fullest, that was enough for him.
"It's getting down to the wire folks! Both Cinderace and Inteleon are barely hanging on, but it doesn't look like either of them are willing to throw in the towel!" Phil boomed into his microphone. He and his other co-hosts were all on their feets, their bodies trembling with anticipation as if they were the ones battling instead of just merely spectating.
It was such a close battle, but each Pokemon kept the other on edge with their respective strengths. Hop's Cinderace was quick on his feet, but Gloria's Inteleon made up for his nimbleness, just narrowly dodging each Pyro Ball that came his way with a slither. But, their back and forth could only go on for so long and Cinderace's movements grew stuttered, lingering longer than necessary to ready another Pyro Ball. On the other hand, for the precision and accuracy that Inteleons were known for, he struggled to keep his hand steady with each snipe of water that shot from his finger.
There was still a chance.
There was still a chance for Hop to turn this around!
Hop ignored the pounding in his head and commanded his Cinderace to dish out another Pyro Ball, to which Gloria followed up with another Snipe Shot in hopes of extinguishing the attack. The next few moments felt like it was happening in slow motion, and both competitor's eyes widened as they watched their respective attacks narrowly miss each other, and continue onward towards their targets, with nothing else to get in their way. Both Cinderace and Inteleon were too weak to act quick enough and braced themselves for the attacks that hit them hard enough to unleash a shockwave of smoke across the field.
The stadium fell completely silent, anxiously waiting for the smoke to clear. The various Rotom drones that buzzed around the stadium offered some clearance of the smoke thanks to their propellers, making everyone in the stadium rise from their seats simultaneously in hopes of catching a glimpse of which Pokemon was still standing. Hop and Gloria both couldn't breathe, and they both let out a gasp from seeing both of their Pokemon, collapsed on the field.
It was...a tie?
"A tie…?" Vanquil choked into his mic.
Tessu slammed her hands on the desk and leaned far into her mic. "Wait! Look!"
When the smoke had cleared completely, and after a few more beats of silence. Inteleon groaned weakly, somehow mustering up the little energy he had left to pull himself onto his knees until he could stand upright and let out a loud cry that echoed throughout the stadium and shook everyone to the core.
Inteleon pushed through. Gloria had won the preliminaries and would be moving on to the final tournament bracket.
"Cinderace is unable to battle! Challenger Gloria wins!" Phil announced,
The adrenaline that had been coursing through Gloria throughout the whole match had escaped, making her drop to her knees in shock, disbelief, and fatigue from how close the match ended up being. She shuffled to her Inteleon who nearly slumped completely into his trainer's arm and held her tightly as she wept. "We did it, Inteleon! We're moving on to the finals…!"
Hop, on the other hand, fell back onto his arse before sprawling his body across the field on his back, an arm folded just above his eyes to let the hot spot light blind his vision. He lost. This was the end of his dream of becoming the next Champion of the Galar region - an esteemed title that he dreamed of conquering his brother for. But, that was no longer the case. It didn't feel real. The cheers and applause just sounded like white noise in his ears, because this wasn't his victory. Those cheers weren't for him. As it slowly dawned on him, his lips quivered, his throat tightened, and his eyes grew blurry from his watering eyes. He didn't know how long he lay there, but he felt his Cinderace crawl over to him, with his head down in shame. Hop sniffled and shook his head, brushing his hand behind one of Cinderace's ears and offered gentle scratches.
"You put up an amazing fight, Cinderace. If there's anyone to blame, it's me. I just wasn't strong enough."
"But, you were strong, Hop. So strong."
Hop sat up to see Gloria standing by his feet with tearful eyes. "Glo…Why are you crying? You should be happy you won!"
"I am happy! But, I…" Gloria sobbed. "I stole your dream away from you. I'm...I'm so sorry…!" She fell to her knees and flung her arms around his neck. Hop blinked in surprise, but slowly relaxed and wrapped his own arms around her, stroking her short brunette hair.
"Mate, you did anything but steal my dream. We both had similar goals, but you ended up being the stronger one through your own hard work. I'm not going to take that away from you. You've earned it - fair and square." Hop tightened his arms around her as he felt his restraint from crying, crack little by little. His voice, now hoarse and unsteady, had enough conviction left to say, "If there's one person that I'm glad will carry on my dream for me, it's you. So, you better beat my brother, you hear?"
Gloria whimpered. "R-Right."
"Now this is a perfect display of good sportsmanship! Both of these challengers have been close rivals and friends from the very start and knowing that this day would come wasn't easy for either to accept. But, through their tearful smiles and promises to carry on for the both of them, Challenger Gloria will certainly put up a tough fight for the final tournament bracket of the Champion Cup! Please give a big round of applause for Challenger Gloria, and the runner-up, Hop!" Juliet announced cheerfully, sending the stadium into a frenzy as the two Challengers eventually picked themselves up from the ground and answered their cheers with enthusiastic waves.
The moment Hop stepped back into the waiting area, he was pulled into a crushing hug by none other than his brother. Hop chuckled weakly, quite literally having the life squeezed out of him until he took note of something that brushed his shoulder. Again. Then again. He craned his neck to see tears streaming down Leon's face, which made alarm bells ring in his head, pulling back enough to stare in shock at his older brother's tear stained face. He couldn't recall ever seeing his older brother cry right in front of him, or at all for that matter. "Lee?! Why are you crying?"
"Can't you tell? I'm crying because I'm so proud of you. Even when your back was up against the wall, you kept fighting until the very end. I've watched countless battles and met trainers as Champion, and many of them didn't display the determination that you did, Hop. And, I mean that."
Hop's jaw dropped. "R-Really…? You're not just saying that to make me feel better…?"
"I can be passionate with encouragement, but I don't sugarcoat when it comes to honesty, Hop. I mean it." Leon pulled him back into a hug and patted his back. "After the Champion Cup is over, let's have a battle. You and me."
"For real?! Thank you, Lee! I've wanted to battle you for so long I-!"
"Champion Leon." A Macro Cosmos employee interrupted. He stood by countless other employees, which alarmed Leon as to why Rose sent so many of his employees to pick him up. There was still so much he wanted to say to Hop, but it was best not to keep Chairman Rose waiting, despite him dreading the encounter more than anything. If it wasn't his fever that made him sick, it was him just thinking about Rose that did.
"Sorry, Hop. I better get going. But, if the meeting with the Chairman ends early and the hospital will let me, let me treat you and Gloria to dinner. I'll text you." Leon smiled weakly before letting himself be escorted out of the hospital as quietly and secretly as they could without causing a commotion. The public hadn't seen Leon today or yesterday so the media were probably on their toes about his whereabouts. The feeling of suffocation returned when he sat in Rose's private limousine and it drove off towards the Rose Tower.
Closer and closer…
He didn't get to enjoy the moment of respite and excitement of the earlier match and the car ride to the tower only prolonged his suffering. When the passenger door next to him opened for him, he sighed inwardly and pushed himself out of the car to finally face the man of the hour.
But, what was waiting for him was more than he bargained for.
"I guess Lee's not taking us to dinner…" Hop grumbled, mindlessly flipping his Rotom phone around in his hand, waiting for a text from his brother, while trying to ignore his rumbling stomach.
"Then, why don't order room service?" Gloria suggested, setting down her Switch next to her on her bed before reaching for the menu placed conveniently beside the phone until a knock came from their door. Hop jumped off the bed and opened the door to reveal Raid Prism holding large take-out bags.
"Oh! It's you guys! What's up?"
"We thought we'd stop by to ask if you two have eaten anything yet? The place we went to was doing a really good deal for the Champion Cup so we got some extra food if you two want dibs!" Vanquil beamed.
"Nice timing! We were actually just about to order room service since it looks like Leon hasn't texted me yet." Hop opened the door for them and caught a whiff of the tell-tale scent of curry and spices, making his mouth water. "Curry?"
"What else? It's a staple food of Galar after all and you two should treat yourselves! That was an amazing battle you two put on!" Tessu congratulated cheerfully, handing the two young trainers their own containers of curry and a can of lemonade.
"Thank you!" Hop and Gloria thanked in unison, both already scarfing down the well-deserved meal after such an intense battle. For some reason, the food tasted better and more rewarding, which spurred them to each faster despite Mary's gentle warning to slow down. Seems like battling wasn't the only thing that the two young trainers made into a competition.
"Juliet, are you there?"
Juliet nearly choked on her curry in surprise and pressed her hand to the back of her ear. "Y-Yeah. What's going on?"
"We have a bit of a problem."
Juliet's blood ran cold and she shot up from her seat, alarming everyone in the room. "What's wrong?"
"I can't seem to get a hold of Looker. The last transmission I got from him is when he reported that he would be headed to the Rose Tower to infiltrate it. But, that was more than an hour ago. His tracker isn't showing up either."
The Raid leader bit her lip. "You think it might have something to do with Oleana? She was the one who put tracking devices on our old phones."
"That's likely the case. Perhaps wherever Looker is in the Rose Tower, there's a special system put in place to block out communication transmissions from the outside."
"Hang on," Juliet looked at Hop. "Hop, you mentioned just now about not getting a text from Leon right?"
Hop blinked confusingly. "Yeah. He said that if his meeting with Rose ended early and the hospital let him, he'd treat Gloria and I to dinner."
Juliet had a really bad feeling and Anabel could hear it clearly in her voice especially since she came to the same conclusion as well from what she overheard. "...Well, Anabel? What do you think?"
"Yes. I'm thinking the same thing. Rose is likely giving Leon his orders for the Darkest Day. And Oleana must have made sure that no one would be able to hear in from the outside and vice versa."
"What should we do about Looker then?" Juliet asked, looking out of the hotel room to see the Rose Tower, standing tall in the distance, silently mocking her to the madness that was probably transpiring right now on the top floor, where she remembered Rose's office being when they first met when they accepted their job as co-hosts for the Gym Challenge and Champion Cup.
"Let's put our trust in him for now. I've known him for a long time and when push comes to shove, he always finds a way out of sticky situations."
"I really hope you're right, Anabel…"
"Chief? Can you hear me?" After getting no response for the 10th time, Looker clicked his tongue and tapped his foot impatiently. It was bad enough that the data he extracted from the Power Plant needed to be decrypted first, but now he was currently tasked with the grunt work that involved standing guard on some floor with Kazz stationed not too so he could at least keep an eye on him. Was security always this tight for the Rose Tower? It seemed a bit extreme considering how heavily Rotom security bots were used in the Power Plant. There was definitely something happening and it tortured him knowing that he had no way of getting to the bottom of it.
Guess there was only one way out of this…
Looker suddenly clutched his stomach and groaned in pain, alerting Kazz and other Macros Cosmos workers to his side in worry. "Ow, ow, ow! I knew I shouldn't have eaten that week-old sandwich…"
"You ate something that was a week old?!" A Macro Cosmos employee gawked in shock. "Geez, well we can't have you throwing up or anything! Use the washroom on the upper floor since the one on this floor is out of service. Hurry!"
"Ugh...Thank you...This guy here will help me there. Give me a hand, would you?" Looker reached out to Kazz, who leaned down to offer him his shoulder and helped him maneuver down the corridor and around the corner to the elevator. Once they arrived at the next floor above and entered the empty restroom, Looker stood upright and regained his composure.
"Thanks, Kazz. Pretty good acting, wouldn't you say?"
Kazz looked at him quizzically before rolling his eyes, clearly not impressed by that dramatic display.
"Well, we wouldn't be getting any work done by just standing there."
The Zoroark in disguise crossed his arms as if to say, 'OK. Then, what now?'
"Good question. I think the best place we can go to get information is the security room. It'll also give us access to all the cameras surveying the tower so we can see what's going on in the other rooms and floors. Ugh, it's probably already stationed by other employees so I can't just waltz in there-"
"Hello? Is MC Employee Liam there?"
Looker looked down at the incoming call from the walkie talkie strapped to his belt and cleared his throat to get into his acting zone again. "Y-Yes. This is Liam speaking. Is something the matter?"
"We got a report that you are experiencing a case of food poisoning. Are you feeling better now?"
"I'm feeling better than I did before but it's a little hard to stand for too long." That was when an idea hatched into his mind. It was a bit too on the nose for his liking, but surely if employees had the sympathy to check up on him, surely they would be...accommodating. Take the bait, take the bait take the bait-
"Oh, in that case, we can have you switched with the security team? You'll be sitting for the most part. The guy who's with you too can join you so he can keep an eye on you-"
"O-Oh, yes! That sounds great. I'll be able to concentrate and work better that way!" Looker couldn't believe they were falling for this absurd narrative he concocted and based on how Kazz shook his head exasperatedly, he couldn't quite believe it either. But now wasn't the time to complain.
"Alright. Then head to the security room on floor 5. You'll be switched with the team in room 506. Make sure to report when you're stationed there."
"Roger that." Looker turned to Kazz with a cheeky grin. "Well, shall we get going?"
Kazz sighed.
"I see you've made it safely, Leon. How are you feeling?" Rose asked, not even bothering to turn around to address the Champion properly. Leon trudged over to Chairman Rose's side, who's eyes were fixated on the city lights below and beyond - a sight that stretched so far like the stars in the sky. This was a sight that Rose wanted to preserve for years to come - he didn't want to see a single light go out.
Yes. This was all for the future of the Galar region. He was doing a good thing.
H̵̯̯͔̫̝̯̘̜̻͌̃͆̃͂̈͛̀͝͠͠e̷̢͈̫̦̯̜̦̭̝̯̗̹̣̔̉̂̐͘͝ ̴̼͓̆̈̊̓̃̌s̶̰̩̦̥͖̻̬̉͠w̵̧̛̰̫͈̞͓̉̄̀͊̉̃͌̿̒͝ͅo̴̙͎̬̤͍̫͎͑̈́̇̀̀̀̈́̌́r̷̰̣̲̮̠̮̓̇͜ͅe̷͚̣͕͙̰̥̮̞̪͚̦͌̋̑̃̇̈̂̈͋̾̊̊͜͠ ̵̧̥̜͉̘̗̱̟͗̅̀̌͊͘ͅh̵̰̙̭̫̯͋̈́̉͊͊͋̋̔̾̾͂̚͠e̷̗͈͈͍̤͎͚̒̊͊͜͜ ̴̢̫̗͉̯̱̱̙̩͔̼͔͕̬̔̋w̸̜̪͎̱̯͋̇̇̈́̕a̴͍̪͈̫̦̓̆̿s̵̡̪̜̣͙͖͎̳̗͚̈̔̽̓̂́̇͜.̷̧̳̜̻̻̬̬̪̻̯̻̹̦̒̏̍̆̌͌̋̐̍̂̃̈́̀̄͝ ̷̰͍̣̖̤̬̞̯̟̹̙̤̀͑̑͆̍̓
"I'm feeling better, Chairman. What is it that you wanted to discuss?" Leon asked hoarsely, before tensing up suddenly. That feeling was back. That feeling that crawled up his back and slithered around his body, as if his sense of energy and control were being restrained and taken away from him. That overwhelming weakness he felt when he met with Rose the other day.
Right before he collapsed.
Rose, unfazed by Leon's sickly appearance, continued. "Leon. We've discussed this a hundred times already. And still you fail to understand what's at stake? You, who's supposed to be our Champion-"
"I think I understand well enough. What I don't understand is why we ought to cancel tomorrow's tournament in order to solve a problem that's a thousand years away from affecting any of us! What difference is one day going to make?"
Then, the uncomfortable feeling wormed its way under his skin and it felt like his coherent thoughts were swirling out of control and becoming clouded. He couldn't even process what was coming out of Rose's mouth. It sounded nothing more than garbled nonsense. Leon tightened his fists and shook his head to free himself, to regain what was left of his self-control amidst the noise and voices that were pounding in his ears - all of which didn't sound like Rose at all.
"You know exactly what's at stake. After all, you know what it is I'm up to, don't you, Leon? That's why I took some...liberties to make sure you don't disobey me. I still need you, after all."
Ȍ̴͈̫̈͋b̵̨̧̛̛̙͈͕͎̪͔̪̱̹̦͋̄͌̐̿͗̃̋͑̈́͊͠e̶̡̮͇̞̺̗̺̣̗̝̦̝̼̒͋̒ͅy̶̢͙̤̺̣̔́̆̐́͂̕ ̸̧̧̼̬̹͎̣͖̭͙̗͌̊̚͜͜R̷̨̭̜̟̞̬̳̓͂̅̔̒̓͗̊̿̈͌̄͘͝͝ơ̴̡͙͓͖̄̋̽͌͗͗̊̓̚̕͝͝s̵̡̖̣̘̖̻̼̙̙̗̈́̔̉̌́̾̏͑ͅę̸͙̗̟̣̻̮̟͊̆̍͋͒̽̆.̶͓̜̼̹̭̻̩̔̆̎̒̿̅͗̚̕̚
D̸̥̝̀͊̌͑͑̆̚̚͘o̶̫̪͉̠͉̪̙̐͂ ̶̢͕̟̬̣̖͉̱̳̮̩͖͉̑̓̉͠͠į̵̫̖͖̣̩̞͇͔̆̓̉͑̀̏̃̍̓̑̋̈́͋̚͝ͅţ̷͉̠̞̳̲̰͍̯̳͖͕̞͉̑̒͒͋̄̓̚̚͝ͅ ̸̞̲̞̙͚̜̮́̓͋̀̈̓͌̐̚f̸̡̲̦͍͇̯̲̙̯̿́͌͌͠o̷̮͔͚̹̫̾̑͛̅́̌̿̓̀r̸͚͎̲̻̣̥̻̭̟̀͆͑͑̿̓̉͠͝ ̸̢̢̪̠̬̣͍̯͖̞̪̩̼̹̽͂́̊̕ť̵̨̼̹͚̬͇͕̔͌́̂̋̕̚͝h̷͔͎̬̰͍͌̾̅͜͝e̵̲̳͖̤̊ ̸̰̫͉̫̪͍̘̄̐̔͆́͌G̵̛̱̝͕͚̣̮̙̳̞̻̭̒̽̽͗́͌̑̅͛̎̋̓ͅa̴̦̎̎l̸̨̲̩̻̻͔̒̀̽̆̀̚͠ͅa̷̘̲̭̲͝ͅr̴̢̭̣̹̲̩̟̫͍̟̦̥̘̩͜͠ ̵̠̞̰̻̬̳̭̀̑̈́͂̈̈̍̈́̕r̴̦̯̰͚̬͇̥̰͈͚̟̳͌̊̎̾̊̉̏̓̍͝e̷̢̛̪͛̎̓̀͒̊͗̅̚͠͝g̵̨̨̝͉̣̳̖͔̖̲̺̱̓̈̒͛̅̕͝ǐ̶̢̨̧̡̘͕̪̮̼̘̿̇̔̄̄̌͗̔͛́̎͐͜͜o̷̡̬̰̦͚̩̣̣̦̖̣̓̐̍͘͝ṅ̸̢̨̛͕̫͎͚͎̦̍̄̂̄͐̿̏̈́͠.̴̫͔̣̰̾́̔̋̔͂̄͋͒̽ͅͅͅ
Y̴̡̨̻̗̟̰̭͖̯͚̙̼̭̟̍̇̐̈́̈́̔͋͐͝o̵͓̦̩̟̝̙̙̼̅́ű̵̟̱̩̘̙̥̝͖͍̈̈́͘ ̶̡̢̨͔͍̭̼̗̘͙̓̂͑̊͝ả̷̧̙̗͕͈̫̻̰̖͕͇̆̎͂̏̔̍̉̇͝͠ŗ̶̠͍̮̪͖̗̺̭͙̰̗̭̂̃̂͌̅͑̓̄͆͋͛͜͝͠͝e̷͖̟͓̝̦̫̪͇̯̍͘͝ ̴̢̛̥̬̟̮̙͎͕̬t̶͈͇̄̓̌͂h̴̡͓̝̝͂̒ë̶̙̦̥̰͌̏̓̓͛̈̑ ̶̳͚̫͉͎̣̭́̆A̸̹̠̋͋͂̑̽̂̀͊͐͜͠b̷̡̩͚̩̬̬̲̗̠͗̋̐̉̈́̌͌̓̕͝ͅs̸̜͔̺͙̦̲͍͓͇̜̀͑͛́̏̊̈́̆͂̂̇̂͐ǫ̷̢̨̛͖̲̻̞̥̒͐̃͒̊̔́͘̕͝ĺ̷̨͈̘̹͍̠͎̜̰͍̰̳͈͎̿̐̐̇̆̏̚̕͝ͅư̸̢̘̻̯̖͙̓̒ť̵̡̛̮̳̞̰͙̊̓̋͛̃͘ę̵̨͍̠͙͓̬̝͕̇ ̴̨̩͉̩͕̟̓̃̀͐̇̐̂͛̿̚͜K̵̜͉̎̐i̷͉̥̎̈̽̈̾̐͗̐͒͊̅̑͜n̴̻̪̻̮͖̍͐͊̈̅͌̏̈̎̀̑͋͘͝͝ģ̴̮̹̣͕̘̺͓͙͚͍̦͕͕̳͑̑̅̓.̷͉̖̼̠͛̽͆͂͐͝͝
Ý̷̥́͘͝o̸̥̬͓̺͍͇̪͙̟͖̳̓̌̈́̆̊̃u̶͓͈̮͖̥̘͚̖̲͎̓̽̊̃̀̔̋͑̋͘̚ ̴̡̟̫̫͙͕̫̱̓̈́͌̈́͠h̶̢̙̟̍̈́͆̍̑͑̃͆̐̑̉͂͛͘a̴͙̭͐͒͐̾̋̈͊̇͛͊͝v̷̢̠̉̓̂̏̀̐͗̚͘e̶̢̧͎̹̥̖̘̼̼̯̅̏̀́̓͑̈̆̕ ̷̧̝̱͕͎͎͖̖̞̬̀̈́̌̓̕͝ḓ̸̜̳̭̹̠̳̋̒̑͋̈́͐̑̎͑̿̅́͘͝͝ư̷̟̠̈̀̈́̑̊t̸̬͚̭͙͇̹̯̳̠̹͖͔̉̀̉͒́̄̒͂͌͛̓͐̈̌͆i̵͇͕̬͕̠̤̯̦͚̰̖̗̱̥̙͒̌̏̏̉̄̂ȩ̸̡̧̛̲͉̹̣̐̑͌̿̽̕̕s̴̞͈̹̼͇͊̇͗̎͛͆̀̃̾͒̕̚͝͝ ̴̭̜̹̺̳̘̱̲̥̔͛̇̏̔̀̇̿̀̆͗͒̚͜t̸̛̬̗̫͌̈́̑̄̆̅͂͊̒̽̉̑ͅo̴͕͛ ̸̱̠̗̇̐̓̓̎͊̃͆̆̔f̴̡̨̜͉̟̆ͅư̷̡̟̬̩̯̏̔͜l̷̡̞͕͚͈̜̝͈̮̥͙͈̟̖͌̿̏͑̈́̀̂͛̃̈́͗͝ͅf̶̢̲̰̲̫̹̪̖̻́͜͜ȉ̷̢͈̞̻͕͉̥̥̳̓̈́l̵̞̞̣͙͙̣̘͕̲̤̄̏̍̿͛̕͝ͅͅl̵͙̖̦̣̔.̴̛̖́̿̍̏̂̉͌͂̉̕
"No! I won't! My duties as Champion is not this...this madness!" Leon thrashed about, falling to his knees and clutching his head painfully. He was stronger than this. He was the Champion of the Galar region. This wasn't what he worked so hard to-
"Leon. Don't fight it. Welcome it. You'll be the strongest trainer in the world. That's what you wanted...ī̸̙̼̬͓̀̓̕͝͝s̷͔̩͈̻̀̄͌̏ň̷̛͇̼̻̥̉̀̿͗̄̆͆͒͊̓͠'̸̝̮̟̹̉̋̍̉̓̇̓͑̊͊̔̋͝t̴̤̻̣̘͓̑͊̒̃͆̈̉͐̊͋͘͘͝ͅ ̷̡̲͎̖̗̭̰̰̘̺͇̠̗͇̋̽͑̑̌̇͝į̴͙̹̖͙͖̓͋̓͌͛̂̿̚͝ͅt̷̫̙̖͇̳͖̓͐͌̽̐̋͊̕?̷̨͚͈͈̖͎̫͔͒͌̋̉͜ͅ" Rose chuckled wickedly, his eyes glazing over in sickeningly red. "You'll be the one to guide the Galar region to a future of prosperity... with Eternatus at your command!"
Ȩ̵̛̛̛̘̥̣͖͖̠̪̇̓̄̔̒̎̅͛͜͝ţ̵̠̞̜̙̟͕̪̬̩̭̩̩̔̈́̏͒͗̀͗̕ē̵͉̃͑́̚͝r̴̢̨̧̗̟̘̻̤̣͇̟͔̳̔̿͒͒̅̅́͆̈́̃͘͝n̵̨̟͙̰̜̠͈̭͓̖͙͚̫͎͔͌a̸̰̻̯̳͙͎̹̻͎̮̞̍ț̵̡̢̮̲͍͇̣̪͙̝̭̱̑̿̀̈́͐̄͗̔͋̎͘͝ŭ̴̜̳͝ś̵͓̪̮͕̼̳̮̮̯̭͋̚͠.̶̡̥̗͖̪̼͇̼͙͂͆͌̇̕̚͜͜͝
Ȩ̵̛̛̛̘̥̣͖͖̠̪̇̓̄̔̒̎̅͛͜͝ţ̵̠̞̜̙̟͕̪̬̩̭̩̩̔̈́̏͒͗̀͗̕ē̵͉̃͑́̚͝r̴̢̨̧̗̟̘̻̤̣͇̟͔̳̔̿͒͒̅̅́͆̈́̃͘͝n̵̨̟͙̰̜̠͈̭͓̖͙͚̫͎͔͌a̸̰̻̯̳͙͎̹̻͎̮̞̍ț̵̡̢̮̲͍͇̣̪͙̝̭̱̑̿̀̈́͐̄͗̔͋̎͘͝ŭ̴̜̳͝ś̵͓̪̮͕̼̳̮̮̯̭͋̚͠.̶̡̥̗͖̪̼͇̼͙͂͆͌̇̕̚͜͜͝
E̷̢̛͔̫͙͈̻͆̎̀́̄̒͒̔͘T̴̳̲̣̲͍̹́̀̄͜E̶̢̢̺͚̦̼̼̮̰̟͑̍̀͐̈́̌̓̄̉̍̋̆͘͜͜R̶͖̣͕͌̀̽̀̾͊̾̌̊͘͝͝Ṇ̷̯̗̜̬̲̥̩̮͓̼̬̈̃̓͒̏͗͝A̴̡̡̧̜̳̳̣͍̖͎̙̣̫̒͗̉͐̊̂͑͆̓ͅT̸̡̛̝̰̝͍͈̗̬̗̫̱͋̈́̒̄̈́͜Ų̸̙̘̞̙͚̥̮̣̞͐͌̽́͂́́̕͘͜ͅS̵̬͋́̈̀̏́̑͛͛͗͒̒̾͘͜͝.̸̨̡̳̦̝̟̰͎͖̮̗̗̟͉̑͜
Leon writhed on the ground in pain and cried out in pain. For help, for anything! Anyone! Hop, his mom, Raihan, Sonia-
Juliet.
...
And he got exactly what he wanted.
But, not in the way he would have expected. Rose shook his head with disappointment at the lack of obedience, making him grab what appeared to be a golden royal crown encrusted with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and every gemstone that was out there. But the gemstone that shone the brightest of them all, was the glowing red gemstone in the front of the crown.
"Don't worry, Leon...You won't feel any more pain. So...accept your duty as…" Once the crown had been set on top of Leon's head, his eyes widened momentarily before fluttering closed and his body grew still. "G̵̣̪͆̈́̓͌͊̊͂̇͒͝ạ̶̙̰͖̳̜̤̫̻̤̯̰̞͂̅͂͌̋̍̈́͌̅́̓̕͘͜͝ļ̷̬̘̲̫̭̲̠̯̟͉͕̏͐̀͐̃̈́͌̆̓͋̐̚ͅą̴͕̱̹̠̀̅͘r̴̡̧͈̯̘͔̣̬͚͚͔͉͔̭͆̀́́̋̐́͂'̶̨̲͎̯̺̻̱́͒̍̌͌̾̀̐̇͛͗͝s̷̛͍̺̽́̑͋̓̃̓̂͊̄̚̕͝ ̵̛̥͍͙͚͖̭̫̙͉̝̭͐͑́̌̐̚͠Ã̵̧̛͙̙̪̘͙̻͙̠̹̫́̿̈́͗̽̓̀̒̚͠͝b̸̧̢̬̻͓̞͈̻̞̥͔̯́s̴̨͇͔̺̤̻̤̿̒o̴̢̭̬̦̲̱͔̟͈͔̓͌͌̌͊̍͘l̶̢̬͉̞͖̹͖̦̩̘̼̼̈́͒̈́͒̀̓̍͋́̌͜u̸͇̝̤̣͓͋͌́͂́̚̚t̸̛̻͔̺̥̋̾̿͛̔̈͂̅̓͂̌͘͠ͅe̷̤̣̓̒̽̇͛̉̌̈́̉͠ ̵̡̧̭͕͙͕̲̰̜̖͎̠̮̓̔̃͊̀̋͂ͅK̷̡͍̲̼̯̦̟̲̠̺͍̠͙̅͌͊̊͂̈́̅̿͌͒͜͠ḯ̴̛͙̘̄̑́̀̄̈̉̀̍̉̄n̶̨̡͔̱̰̲̘͇̮̼̦̏g̵̨͍̗͛̾͐̎͛̒́͆͋̾͂̉̚.̶̨̢̛̰̱̙̘̟̳̜̦̔̈́̽͒̕͘̕͠͠ͅͅ"
Rose turned to Oleana, who had been watching silently, stoically, from a distance, who nodded at him knowingly and pulled out her phone.
"Hello? This is Oleana. Chairman Rose kindly asks that Leon be discharged from the hospital. There's no need to check on him. We have it taken care of from here."
"Oh, and Oleana? Make sure to get rid of any...Rattatas that snuck in." Rose ordered coldly before lifting up the unconscious Champion from under his arms and handing him over to his agents.
"Yes, Chairman."
Anabel paced around anxiously in her hotel room. There was absolutely nothing from Looker. No calls, no messages, no…anything! Where in the world was he?! There was no way he could have been caught...right? It was absolutely torturous, being at the centre of communication while everyone else was running the Champion's Cup, pretending that nothing was wrong even though today was the dreaded day. Nothing felt right anymore. There were too many unknowns and hitches that propped up in their plan that made them all anxious.
It started with Looker and Kazz's seemingly disappearance.
...And now, Leon was nowhere to be found. In place of Leon who was supposed to kick off the final tournament before the long-awaited Champion match, was Chairman Rose, who looked too jovial and excited for someone who was about to unleash hell upon the Galar region. He definitely had something to do with Leon's disappearance. It didn't take a genius to assume that something was very wrong when Leon had left to see Rose, and now no one heard from him since.
Still, Anabel still believed in Looker. They've gone on so many missions together and been through their fair share of close calls - he was surely OK. He had to be.
Holding on to that shred of hope and faith was what made the uncertainty bearable.
"Any word from Looker yet?"
"No...nothing. How is everything at the Champion Cup, Juliet?"
"Just about what you're seeing on TV. Gloria has secured her match with Leon but...no one knows where he is."
Anabel couldn't take it anymore. She had to do something. "I'm going to look for them."
"Wha-Wait! Do you even know where to look?"
"Leon, Looker, and Kazz were all headed to the Rose Tower so I'm certain that's where they are now. I'm acting out of concern for their safety so...I'm going to take drastic measures. Please act in my place for the meantime."
"...Alright. I doubt I could convince you otherwise once you've set your mind on something. Just...be careful. We can't not know where you are too."
"Don't worry. I have Raikou and Entei by my side. I'm sure I can manage." Anabel ended the call and opened up her briefcase where the aforementioned Pokemon slept in their Pokeballs. She prayed that it would never get to this point, but she would never forgive herself if something bad happened to Looker while she remained idle, oblivious to his potential suffering.
Her emotions took over her reason. Reasons that involved putting her job before emotions. Not when the people she cared about could be in danger.
"It's go time, you two."
"Ugh...I can't believe they figured me out that easily...Chief is not going to like this…" Looker muttered to himself. He couldn't remember the last time he got caught on a mission, or be held prisoner no less. But, he definitely wasn't expecting his so-called prison cell to be as cozy and clean as it was. It probably hadn't even been used at all, considering how loyal and obedient Macros Cosmos employees were. They wouldn't dare defy Rose or his secretary Oleana. Just thinking about his encounter with the woman sent a nervous chill down his spine. He never thought a woman so stoic was capable of looking so furious.
"I sure hope Kazz is alright...He somehow managed to get away in the kerfuffle-"
As if to answer his prayers, he suddenly heard shouts of protest, followed by growls and attacks being unleashed, which grew louder and louder until the door to his cell got blasted into pieces. He watched with his jaw dropped as Anabel emerged from the smoke with Raikou and Entei trailing behind her, along with Kazz, who had long discarded the Macros Cosmos disguise. "Chief?! How did you-"
"I had a feeling you were in a bind so I came looking for you. It wasn't easy with how big this place is but luckily Kazz here had shifted back and forth between other Pokemon and workers so he wasn't caught until he found me entering the place."
Looker gaped at the damage she caused, both in his cell and the path of chaos she left behind to get to him. She did more than just enter, and he never expected her to take such bold measures for his sake. Calm and collected as she always was, now fierce and angry. Yeah, he was certainly glad that she was on their side especially with her loyal legendaries at her beck and call.
Anabel tossed him his Pokeballs containing Growlithe and Croagunk that were taken from him, along with the USB drive that he kept all his data on. "Missing some things?"
"Y-Yeah. Thanks, Chief."
"Count yourself lucky. They probably didn't have time to erase anything if they didn't bother to get rid of the device all together. We got what we need so we need to get out of here now and head to Hammerlocke. I couldn't find Leon here anywhere so the only place he'd be is at the Power Plant." Anabel returned her Raikou and gave the Pokeball to Kazz. "Return to Wyndon Stadium and give this to Juliet."
"I'm really worried about Kazz…" Mary sniffled. She had never been apart from her Pokemon for this long, and not knowing where he was, was eating away at her slowly. Juliet shook her knee anxiously, constantly putting her hand behind her ear every few seconds for some sort of transmission back from Anabel to get an update on where she was, what was going on - all the while patting her friend's back comfortingly through her endless worrying.
"Juliet?! Can you hear me?"
Juliet practically leaped into the air upon hearing Anabel's voice, on top of feeling intense relief. "Anabel?! Did you find them?!"
"Don't worry! Looker and Kazz are safe and sound but I couldn't find Leon anywhere! Looker and I are headed to Hammerlocke now! Kazz is on his way and I'm entrusting you with Raikou in case you need him!"
"Oh my god. It's really happening isn't it-" Juliet trembled in fear. It was happening all too quickly for her to process-
"Focus, Juliet! I know, everything is happening all at once but we're going to get through this together!"
"Right! Should we get-" Suddenly, the whole stadium shook, throwing everyone off their feet until the tremors slowly settled. Luckily it wasn't a big enough earthquake to cause any substantial damage, but when Juliet and Mary collected themselves, many chairs were knocked off and there were papers strewn about in the break room. Tessu and Vanquil, who had left for a moment to get them all drinks, barged into the break room where they pulled both Juliet and Mary to their feets.
"Are you two, OK?!" Tessu asked, looking them over quickly for any obvious signs of injuries.
"We're fine but-"
"You guys! Come quick!" Phil shouted, his face twisted in horror as they followed him back to the broadcast room. All of the air in their lungs left them, the scene before them striking a raw kind of fear that one would get from facing their absolute nightmare. Nothing had prepared them for how catastrophic the situation would turn.
On the giant screen, displayed Rose in all his glory, in front of what Juliet recognized to be the Power Plant. Despite the flashing red lights going off behind him, Rose was somehow as composed as ever, like all he was about to deliver was the weather.
"Hello, dear citizens of Galar. I sincerely apologize for that small tremor that happened just now. You see, for these past ten years, I've worked hard to discover an energy source to keep our beloved region thriving for generations to come. But, as with anything, nothing lasts forever. Or so, I thought. To put it simply, I've discovered a Pokemon that could give Galar just what it needs to keep flourishing. And it just so happens that this Pokemon is responsible for the Darkest Day."
"What?!"
"The Darkest Day?!"
Juliet gritted her teeth and pressed her hand behind her ear. "Everyone, get in your positions, now!"
"Right!"
"Anabel, what's happening on your side?!"
"We're approaching Hammerlocke Stadium and it looks like something is charging up at the top of the castle!" Anabel huffed, holding onto her Entei for dear life with Looker clutching her waist from behind as the legendary Pokemon pushed through to the elevator of the Power Plant. Once the elevator stopped, Entei charged past countless guards and employees, before busting down the door to the hangar with Flamethrower.
"Chairman Rose, I'm placing you under arrest!" Anabel theatenened, reaching into the inner pocket of her blazer to pull out her International Police ID. Rose sighed, not fazed by the threat at all and merely looked at the agent as just another obstacle in his plan.
In his mind, it was rude to interrupt when someone was speaking.
"Oh? For what? For protecting my region?"
"You must be mad if you think causing a catastrophe that is going to endanger countless lives, as protection." Anabel seethed through her teeth. "Do you want me to go on and list all the other charges with everyone watching? Or shall we settle this peacefully?"
"I'm afraid I don't have time for either option. Besides, you're too late. Even if you arrest me now, it can't stop what has already begun." Rose mocked menacingly, snapping his fingers to switch the shot from him, to the indescribable horror that was transpiring on the roof of Hammerlocke Castle.
"Don't fear, citizens of Galar! We have the Darkest Day under control. There's only one person in the world who can lead this region into an era of eternal peace and prosperity. Please, bow down to your new ruler - The Absolute King, Leon!"
No...No, it couldn't be...This...This wasn't real. Juliet wasn't staring at Leon, in a full suit of armor with a bejeweled crown on his head, with his eyes, sinister bright red, instead of his warm gold that put her heart at ease. This wasn't Leon. There was no way. But...no matter how many times she pinched herself or how she rubbed her eyes in denial, it didn't change what was happening on that screen. Her disbelief eventually morphed into absolute rage.
How dare he.
How dare Rose use him like this?
It was unfair.
It was sick.
"Well, Leon? Anything you'd like to say to your loyal subjects?" Rose taunted from off screen. Leon didn't say a single word, his eyes devoid of any emotion at all, as he raised his hand into the air, commanding Eternatus to unleash a barrage of red lights that streaked across the sky, which landed on unsuspecting Pokemon that then, grew in sizes and thrashed about violently.
Then, beams of light exploded from the centre of all the stadiums and Power Spots across the Galar region, causing more Pokemon to Dynamax and wreak havoc with no sense of self-control left within them.
But, it was too soon to give up. Not after all the planning they did to get this far.
Juliet pushed passed Phil to reach for her mic. "Everyone, please evacuate the stadium immediately! Look for the people holding bright yellow glow sticks! They'll guide you to safety! As for everyone at home, please evacuate your homes and follow your Gym Leader's instructions so they can direct you to safe zones! Do not stay in your homes!" She turned to Phil and shoved the mic into his chest, who was already struggling with composing himself from the shock of everything that was happening. "Phil, repeat that warning over and over for me!"
"I-But…Right!" Phil agreed shakily.
Juliet looked out to see her team with their entire team of Pokemon out to help with the evacuation orders. But, it was taking longer than she would have liked. She hissed impatiently, storming over to her bag and pulling out bundles of yellow glow sticks and handed them to staff members, who were just standing there, gobsmacked, and not doing anything to help. "Don't just stand there with your jaws on the floor! Pick them up and help with the evacuation!"
"But, Rose-"
Juliet growled and slammed her feet on the ground. Were they seriously still questioning Rose after all that they saw?! What kind of blind loyalty were they playing at?! It only confirmed her earlier skepticism that no one would have believed her on what she saw, if they still didn't believe what was happening in front of their very eyes. She didn't mean to be rough, but at this point, she wasn't going to put up with any more compliance towards Rose. She grabbed the collar of an employee and got up in his face. "You saw with your own eyes of what his true intentions are. And you still want to ask questions?! Everyone's lives are in danger now because of him. This region - this world - doesn't belong to him! We are all responsible for leading the world!"
She released her grip and dashed out of the stadium with her hand pressed up to her ear. "Everyone, status reports!"
"We're in a bit of trouble in Stow-on-Side! A Dynamax Pokemon appeared from Glimwood Tangle and is headed towards us!" Bea reported.
"Then Opal, Bede, before you head to Ballonlea, help out Bea and Allister in subduing the Dynamax Pokemon!"
"Understood!"
"Jules! Everyone in Wyndon Stadium has been safely evacuated and it looks like Macros Cosmos employees who were working at the stadium have taken over the proceedings there for the rest of the city!" Vanquil interjected.
Juliet sighed in relief. Looks like her tantrum from earlier was enough to snap them out of it. If they could get help from the rest of the corporation from Rose Tower, then Wyndon would be well taken care of for the time being. "Good! In that case, you, Tessu, and Mary, head to the Wild Area and release what we recorded on Pokegram!"
"What about the part you recorded?"
"Leave that to my uncle! For now, just release what we recorded! By the time you guys get to the Wild Area, hopefully other trainers will be there to help! It's going to be the area that will be hit the hardest from how many Power Spots there are! I'm going to Hammerlocke first so I'll catch up to you guys in a bit!"
"To Hammerlocke?! You're not going to face off against Leon, are you?! Wouldn't it be better if Hop and Gloria go because they have the rusted sword and shield?! Surely Zacien and Zamazenta will help us now!" Tessu shouted.
"Ummm...about that…" Hop trailed off, forebodingly.
"We can't seem to find them anywhere!" Gloria cried out.
"What do you mean you can't find them anywhere?!"
"They were with us just a second ago and we should be the only one who should be able to wield them but-"
"...! Hey! That's ours! Give it back!" Hop could be heard shouting before his transmission got cut off.
"Ugh...What a bunch of troublesome lads...Marnie and I caught sight of Hop and Gloria chasin' down some shady folks and Pokemon so, we're gonna lend them a hand." Piers reported annoyingly. "Don't worry about Spikemuth. There aren't any Power Spots near the place so it should be relatively safe for now."
On the other end, Juliet heard what sounded like a car drifting to a halt, followed by Sonia's voice to beckon Piers and Marnie into her car, where Gloria and Hop were already inside. "...Are we even going to fit in there?"
"It'll be a tight squeeze but come on, we don't have much time!" She heard Sonia say, followed by Piers' mutterings of 'what a pain'.
Juliet hung her head sluggishly. Her heart wouldn't be able to take anymore adrenaline and stress at this rate. "Thank, Arceus. We're counting on you guys to get the artifacts back! I'll try to hold off Leon in the meantime for now. He's commanding Eternatus to cause Pokemon to Dynamax after all!"
"Juliet, please don't hurt my brother!" Hop called in
"Don't worry! I'm going to try to wear him down in hopes it doesn't get to a point where I have to get physical with him."
"Jules, wait!" Mary called after her with Kazz safely back at her side. "Kazz has something to give you!"
The Zoroark handed her a Pokeball. Ahh, right. This must be why Anabel entrusted her with her Raikou. Juliet took the Pokeball from his claws and sent out the legendary beast who turned to her trustingly. He lowered himself enough so she could climb on to his back. Juliet turned to Mary and gestured to her to hop on as well. "Vanquil and Tessu already got a head start, right? It'll be a lot quicker if you hitch a ride too."
"O-OK!" Mary returned Kazz back into his Pokeball and sat behind her best friend. It felt...surreal sitting on the back of one of the legendary beasts, but they could practically feel the electrical flow crackling around them.
"Juliet!"
Juliet whipped her head around, stunned to see Holly running over to them with a frightened look on her face. She jumped off of Raikou for a moment to address the fear-striken woman, who clutched onto her arms desperately with watering eyes. Arceus, Juliet could only imagine what Leon and Hop's mom was going through right now. It was already tough to watch over her bed-ridden eldest, and now to see him being turned into this? As a mother, she was probably blaming herself for what happened and wracking her mind over what she could have done to prevent the situation from getting to this point.
"Please...Let me come with you." Holly pleaded.
"Holly...That's not a good idea. It's going to be dangerous and-"
"But, Leon! And Hop too! Both of them have suffered in different ways this past year and I want to be there for them when they need it the most!" Holly broke down into tears as she buried her face into Juliet's shoulder, whispering apologies to both Leon and Hop over and over, and chasizing herself for not being a good mother. There was no way Juliet could take her to where Leon was in such a despaired state. Which is why she took a deep breath and looked at the woman seriously.
"I understand how you feel, Holly, but please, don't blame yourself for all this. We all thought Rose was smart enough, sane enough, to make the right decisions for everyone. He made fools of us, but not anymore. Leave everything to us and hurry to safety. I'm going to save Leon, I promise."
Holly sniffled. "Are you sure?"
"120%. I'll make sure he returns safely so you can scold him for worrying you so much." Juliet ended light-heartedly, hoping that it was enough to shine a light in what looked like darkness for Holly. Slowly, Holly pulled away but not before clasping both of Juliet's hands in her own, hands shaking uncontrollably.
"Please...save my son."
"I will." Juliet gave Holly one more hug before settling herself on Raikou's back once more.
"Hang on tight, Mary! Take us to Hammerlocke, Raikou!" After letting out a mighty roar, Raikou took off at a breakneck pace, making the two riders clutch onto his back and mane for dear life. Juliet managed to fish out her uncle's phone from her bag and brought the receiver up to her mouth.
"Uncle! Release what I sent you!"
"Breaking News! An unknown Pokemon has been sighted atop Hammerlocke Castle shortly after Chairman Rose reportedly confesses to bringing about the Darkest Day, a devastating event that nearly wiped the Galar region 3000 years ago, as a means to prolong Galar's energy supply indefinitely. We're reporting to you live from Galar where evacuation measures are in order by all the Galar Gym Leaders, along with Raid Prism who are a well-known group of trainers that specialize in-"
"...! Brendan, isn't that!" May exclaimed, shooting up from her seat in disbelief. Brendan, who was in the middle of nibbling on a Lava Cookie, turned his head to the TV, and nearly choked on the pastry. How many years had it been since he last talked to her, or even saw her face? He could still remember their last meeting like it happened yesterday, where he took her title as Champion, but rather than her being upset by it, she looked...relieved. Like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulder. And then she gave him her Mega bracelet and Swampertite, and he had never heard from her again since. But, he still kept them - just in case he saw her again. He'd like to think they were friends at one point, back when they first met at a Pokemon camp along with May.
So, he couldn't believe that the person who was riding on the back of a Raikou was her.
"..What's Juliet doing in Galar? If she's involved with what's going on, then-"
"Then, she needs our help! What's happening over there looks really bad!"
"Yeah...I agree, May. But, hang on! I need to look for something first!" Brendan pushed out of his seat and clambered up stairs to his room where all May could hear were drawers opening and closing and things being tossed around his room and rolling to the floor.
"He really should be more organized…" May muttered to herself. She turned her attention back to the TV, where they were now showing footage of what had been posted on Raid Prism's Pokegram account before switching abruptly to footage of Juliet talking by herself. No, she was talking directly to the camera. May grabbed the remote on the dining table to turn up the volume, just loud enough so Brendan could hear from above as well.
"To everyone from all the other regions who are watching what's happening to the Galar region, I have a big favour to ask of you. I know I'm just another trainer, and it's not like anyone out there owes a stranger like me anything but, even so - I humbly ask for your help. Some of us, especially me, weren't completely oblivious with what Chairman Rose was capable of, but knowing how corrupt the system is, how those with power and money like him could spin any narrative to their favour - we didn't know if anyone out there would believe what we saw; what I saw. I could lament the things that I did wrong, but I'm done with running away and turning a blind eye. I refuse to be bossed around and looked down upon by people who abuse their position to do whatever they want. No one should ever have to feel that way. No one is truly powerless because we all share the responsibility of protecting our world, and each other."
"And right now, the one person who needs our help more than anything is someone you all know very well and look up to. And he's standing on top of Hammerlocke Castle, all alone and suffering at the hands of someone who used him. Champions aren't invincible people - they aren't super humans. They're just like you and me - people. They're carrying so many of our burdens so we can keep going about our lives with ease, but what about them? Who's shouldering their burdens?"
Kukui and Burnet watched the program, accompanied by Selene, Elio, Hau, Gladion, and Lillie, who had joined them for their usual weekly dinner get-togethers, with widened eyes in recognition of the Pokemon trainer on screen. A Greninja, Alolan Ninetales, and an Oricorio, who had been keeping an eye on little Lei and helping feed him, scrambled to the front of the TV with worry. They too, knew who the trainer on the screen was. She had tasked them to stay in Alola to help Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet to take care of their newborn son Lei, seeing as it'd be hard for the busy professors, and new parents, to balance their work life on top of caring for their child. It had been a year since they last saw her and they've always anticipated her eventual visit, but they certainly didn't expect to see her on TV, pouring her heart out to the world.
She needed their help, but they weren't there by her side to give it to her.
"Ah! Flora, don't claw at the TV like that!" Selene scolded lightly, getting out of her seat to calm down the Alolan Ninetales. Soleil, the Oricorio, couldn't help but throw a bit of a fit, flailing her pom pom wings around in panic, all the while Felix, the Greninja, was the only one who seemed to keep his cool.
Elio cautiously approached the frantic Oricorio and gently stroked her head to calm her down. "Easy there, Soleil. It's going to be OK. Do you know that trainer?"
"That's the trainer that those three belong to. Before all of you went on your adventure, Juliet had stayed in Alola for a while to train at the Battle Tree and she even took care of a Rowlet that had yet to be picked by a trainer. I wonder how he's doing now…" Professor Kukui mused to himself. "But, in any case, it looks Galar is in a bit of pickle and I can't sit back knowing that all those Pokemon and people are in trouble-"
"Then, we'll go to Galar!" Hau announced, jumping out of his seat.
"We are?" Gladion and Lillie blinked.
"Of course we are! It's just like Professor Kukui said - it wouldn't be right for us to stand idly when someone needs our help! And I'm sure those three want to see their trainer again! Isn't that right?"
Flora bowed her head respectfully, Soleil nodded eagerly, and Felix was already making his way to the front door. There was no denying Hau's infectious energy and enthusiasm, which is why all the young trainers practically inhaled what they could of their dinner before grabbing their belongings and heading out the door-
That was until Lei started to wail uncontrollably.
"Oh, Lei…" Burnet picked up her son, cooing him gently. "Shhh...it's OK. They'll be back soon."
Selene approached Lei with a gentle smile. "Be a good boy while we're gone OK?"
"Yeah! We're going off to be heroes so be sure to cheer us on at home, Lei." Elio added, patting the baby boy's head.
Even though Lei couldn't understand what was being asked of him, their earnest smiles put him at ease and he snuggled deeper into Burnet's chest, his sniffling gradually subsiding. Burnet let out a sigh of relief and patted all of their shoulders.
"Thank you for going on behalf of Kukui and I. I'm sure Juliet will greatly appreciate your help."
"No need to thank us, Professors. We want to make sure that the both of you and Lei are safe." Lillie reassured.
"Are you sure you want to come too, Lillie? I don't want mother to worry for both of us…" Gladion noted worryingly.
"Hey, I may not have as many Pokemon as you, but I want to look out for you too."
Her brother sighed in defeat. "Alright. Just stick close to me, OK?"
"He-e-y! Are you guys comin' or not? Galar isn't going to save itself, you know!" Hau howled from outside.
Juliet's words stretched far and wide, instilling hope and courage with words that many didn't have the guts to say themselves. Trainers, Gym Leaders, Elite Four, Champions, and everyone in between tuned in to listen to her fervent calls for action and assistance.
In Kalos…
"These Champions need our help just as much as we need them. Needing help is not something that's just exclusive to a certain group of people."
In Unova…
"You might be thinking that the problems happening in one region are issues outside of everyone else in the world, but is that really the kind of message you want to send to future generations?"
In Sinnoh…
"Everything we do, affects everyone else one way or another. And the things we do affect the Pokemon, the creatures that we love so dearly, and they're counting on us to make this a world that we can continue to co-exist peacefully in."
In Hoenn…
"I know there might be so many people out there who feel like they're not strong enough to fight, or that the things they do won't make a difference. But they can, and they will."
In Johto…
"If you love something enough, and there's something or someone you want to protect, you already have that spark inside you. Everyone on this planet has something special inside of them that's waiting to come out!"
In Kanto…
"I love this planet more than anything, and I'll always be thankful that I got to live in this amazing world, but it's up to each of us to keep it that way so our children can know the joys of living too!"
And all the smaller regions in between…
"No one is truly alone in this world. There's someone out there, who shares the same pain as you do. Which is why now more than ever, we need to extend our hands towards each other, so we can walk side-by-side and make sure that everyone can wake up to a brighter tomorrow!"
"Thanks Raikou, but I can take things from here. You better go help out Anabel and Looker down below." Juliet urged the legendary beast as she got off of him. Raikou took one last look at her before leaping down below to rejoin his trainer in the depths of Hammerlocke Castle. Even though the wind was picking up the higher she climbed, she readied herself for the inevitable encounter at the top. What exactly was she even planning on doing? It wasn't like she had time to prepare for this. She was probably making another stupid mistake of coming here on her own.
But...she didn't want to leave Leon suffering alone any longer. The way he looked at her desperately when he clutched her hand back in the ambulance - he was crying for help. She had never seen someone in such agony before, and to have it escalate to this point? He of all people didn't deserve any of it. He didn't deserve the way people obsessively idolized him, he didn't deserve doings things that only benefited others-
He…
He didn't deserve being alone at the very top.
Juliet shielded her eyes as she finally reached the top, where Leon was standing in the very center with his back turned to her. He must not have noticed her, as he raised his arm once more to order Eternatus to dish out more blasts of Dynamax energy across the region.
Juliet gritted her teeth and sent out her Swampert, Hajime. "Hajime, use Hydro Cannon!"
Hajime reeled himself and released a heavy stream of water directly at Eternatus, effectively stopping it from charging up its attack. The creature turned in Juliet's direction and let out a screech that made her ears ring. Leon, too, turned around to face her and he stared her down with such animosity that could convince anyone that he wasn't human anymore. But, the real Leon was in there somewhere, screaming and shouting to be let go - to be free.
In the back of her mind, she wondered if the power of love and friendship could get through to him, like it always had for all the stories she watched and played. It sounded foolish, but there was nothing to lose from trying. She would try anything to make him return to his senses.
"You know, we were supposed to have a battle again some day, remember? I just...I just never thought it'd be like this."
Leon didn't say a word.
"Leon? Or, would you like to call me 'your majesty' instead with that get-up you got going on?"
Not even a laugh or smile.
Just dead, cold eyes, and his lips pursed into a tight line.
Juliet sighed heavily. "I guess that's it then. Even when you're possessed, you'd rather settle things through a battle, huh?" She took a deep breath and sent out the rest of her team, who stood before her and glared up at the Pokemon floating in the sickening cloudy sky.
"I challenge you to a battle, Absolute King Leon."