POV: Cynthia / LOCATION: Veilstone City
Why am I doing this again? Cyrus is my enemy. I don't owe him anything, much less going out of my way to conduct a welfare check for him.
Yet here I am, standing before the very place I decimated. A long time ago, I stood in this very spot with the illusory thought that it would be my last time setting foot into its starry halls.
Cyrus, you owe me big time.
I release the breath I've been holding and march into the sliding glass doors. A few Grunts are minding the lobby area. What immediately strikes me is not their outfit change but how productive they are. They're actually working instead of messing around.
B-2 makes eye contact first.
"Hey," I say weakly.
"Hello," he says flatly, the syllables sliding through his clenched teeth. "Charon was expecting you."
As if on cue, the sleazy old man himself materializes from the shadows.
"Champion Cynthia!" he exclaims cordially, as if we are old friends. "I knew you'd have a change of heart! Thomas, fetch her a drink."
Who? Then I wheel around to see B-2 standing as rigid as a taut rope. The flames of defiance blazes behind his eyes, but he nonetheless gives me a Neo Galactic Energy bottle from the merchandise shelf.
"Thank you, Thomas," says Charon. "You are dismissed."
"Yessssssir."
I watch B-2 storm away. "Thomas?" I echo.
"His real name," Charon replies dismissively. "They all have names, you know. The number thing is rather silly."
With Garchomp's Poke ball ready in my pocket, I go along with Charon up the floors via warp panels. Along the way I notice how our footsteps simply echo off the carpet. No jazz in the background, merely ambient noise.
"Restoring Neo Galactic Energy back into a legitimate company certainly hasn't been easy," says Charon. "But with everyone's cooperation, I'm certain we'll prevail!"
While my body remains in the present, my mind teleports me back to one lazy afternoon. That morning, I had spiked the boss's coffee with salt. We went downstairs because B-2 had flooded the bathroom. I teased Cyrus's tastes in music and fashion. He retorted with the wittiest comebacks.
A pain throbs in my heart. Nostalgia? The bond we shared felt truly genuine.
Charon's oily voice drags me back to reality. "So as you can see, I've implemented many progressive changes to Neo Galactic Energy. Gone is the whole Team Galactic charade. What do you think, Cynthia?"
I think you've done a pretty good job of erasing Cyrus's personality from his home. "Where's the Nap Room?" I say.
"Rebuilt into an office. So was the Kitchen and the Recreation Lounge. The Laboratory was also demolished. Such amenities aren't necessary for rebuilding public trust." He sniffs. "Besides, those brainless Grunts have a talent for breaking things."
A woman shuffles out of an adjacent office, her back hunched like a shrimp's. R-8 sees me first, but it's Charon who speaks.
"Victoria!" he says. "How was work?"
"Hmph."
"Keep at it! I believe in all of you!"
"Rmph."
Charon turns to me. "They've been very efficient since I took charge. Why, that immature buffoon knew nothing about running a successful corporation. He was merely using their ignorance while I use their potential."
While it's true that the Grunts resemble a real workforce under Charon's control, something is missing. Something fundamental that can only be established organically: trust. The Grunts don't trust Charon. For them, every interaction with him is a visit to the lobotomy office.
Charon leads me down a blank corridor stripped of its starry attributes. While he flaps his lips, I note the inconspicuous glinting up in the crannies of the ceiling.
Cameras. A whole lot of them.
"Children," says Charon. I glance down to see Mars and Saturn sweeping the floor. It's so jarring to see Saturn not as his computer, playing games during work. It's even weirder to see Mars actually sitting still for a change.
"I have things to take care of in my office," says Charon. "You two finish your chores. Then show Cynthia around our newly-renovated HQ… understand?"
They nod.
Charon chuckles. "This is what obedience looks like. Excuse me, Cynthia. Farewell for now."
Only when Charon is well out of sight does Mars grab my arm and drags me away. Ow. Her slender frame betrays her strength. She runs up the emergency stairwell like a distinguished athlete while Saturn is left panting in her dust.
We emerge on the tenth floor. After ascertaining that the coast is clear, Mars pulls me into Cyrus's bedroom and shuts the door.
Except… it isn't Cyrus's room anymore. Not even a bedroom. The furniture has been confiscated, anything associated with him long gone.
"She's here!" Mars yells.
A woman emerges from the shadows. My heart drops to my stomach at the sight of a scowling Jupiter.
Oh shit. They're going to gang up on me and beat me to a pulp. Well, Mars and Jupiter will do the punching. Saturn's just here to guard the exit.
"How is he?"
I did not expect Jupiter to use words instead of action. Moreover, I did not expect her tone to be so… soft.
"How's Cyrus?" she repeats. "Is he alive? No, of course he's alive. That motherfucker is as stubborn as a grease stain…"
"H-He's alive," I manage to choke out.
Mars claps her hands. "See, I knew Boss is still kicking! He's gonna break out of jail, just you wait!"
"I can't wait for Master Cyrus to return," Saturn grumbles. "I hate Charon. He locked away my games."
"Hey Saturn, what say we rip out Charon's tongue? He also locked away my weapons, but I still have shears!"
Jupiter redirects my wandering attention back to her. "Is he eating?" she asks. "Are they abusing him in prison? Shit, I don't think they're giving him anything to help with—"
"You're not mad at me?" I blurt.
Mars laughs. "Oh most definitely."
"Master Cyrus really liked you," Saturn huffs. "And you stabbed him in the back."
"You almost killed him twice," Jupiter says crisply. "After he went through aaaalll that trouble to save your life."
What? "He saved my—"
Jupiter then slams her heel against the wall. "I'm the one asking questions, princess. Is Cyrus okay?"
Define what you mean by "okay." Cyrus seemed to be holding himself up well when I visited him. He's still a smug bastard. Didn't display any signs of pain. That's what I tell Jupiter, who just shakes her head.
"You don't understand," she hisses. "Cyrus isn't as tough as he pretends to be. He needs dire medical attention!"
I push away her leg. "Then why don't you tell him that then?"
"Because he doesn't let me see him! Me, and all of Galactic! The only people who care for his wellbeing, and he forbids us from visiting!"
Jupiter is panting now, stray violet strands of hair clinging to her forehead. Mars and Saturn stay in the background, observing us adults with wide eyes.
"He refuses to see you?" I whisper. Cyrus had no problem talking to me or Looker, the people who put him in there. Why turn away his team, the very people he practically begged me to check for him in the first place? "That's why I'm here. Because Cyrus wanted to know if you're safe."
Jupiter covers her mouth. She looks so sad. Pained. Cyrus must mean a lot to her then. That realization brings a pang of regret to my heart.
"Then I also have a favor to ask of you," she says.
"Forget about that criminal already!"
Heads whip around to Charon, who storms over to our little group huddle.
"Don't touch her!" Mars barks.
"What do you see in Cyrus?! He's in prison on terrorism charges! I'm the one that's keeping you all afloat! You should be calling me 'Boss!'"
Mars bites his arm. He screeches and swats her aside.
"How dare you!" Saturn roars from behind Jupiter.
"Hell will freeze over before I acknowledge you," Jupiter growls. "You sold Team Galactic out for your petty greed. You planned Cyrus's arrest. And you have the nerve to crawl back here like a fucking leech."
By this point I'm inching towards the door. I feel like I'm the outsider in a heated family feud.
Suddenly, Charon chuckles. It's a deep, dark laugh ripe with ulterior motives.
"Are you actually thinking of abandoning your team?" he purrs. "What are you without Galactic, Jane?"
And Jupiter flinches like he'd just slapped her.
"Heh heh… admit it, you're nothing without me. Without my intervention, you'd all be labeled as criminals. How can you return to society then?"
"S-Shut up…"
"And what about these two, Jane? These children who go by Mars and Saturn? Without you, who will provide for them? Do you want them to be sent into the state's care? Last time I checked, the recidivism rate for young offenders was startlingly high… Do you really think these two can lead the life of an ordinary citizen?"
Jupiter swings her fist to Charon's head… but it never connects. She merely stands there, arm trembling, hot air sizzling from her open mouth. Her stunned silence affirms Charon's point, and with a haughty scoff he turns to leave.
Our eyes meet. He dons a hard smile.
"Excuse me, Cynthia," he says. "I'm afraid our little tour will have to end prematurely for today. I have some disciplining to do."