Bright as the Sun
Metchi looked up at the shapes of the massive buildings growing in the distance, and had to squint to protect her eyes.
Sunyshore, the city that was bright like the sun… because it was powered by the sun, and was also close to a shore. As much as she appreciated the straightforwardness of the Sinnohan language –as Barry and Inyssa had shown her time and time again with their stupid attack names– she couldn't help but think that this one was a little too on the nose. Not to mention that what little she could see of the architecture, the buildings… it reminded her a bit too much of Mauville back home. All the pomp and brightness in the world, concealing within a sea of dull grey and metal.
"Look at that!" Barry exclaimed, eyes wide with awe. "It looks so different from the last time I visited! And it's only been a couple years."
A tiny smile formed on Metchi's lips. At least he seemed impressed enough with the place, which was to be expected of someone his age. Barry had been unusually quiet and pensive during the entirety of their trip, which was completely understandable given the circumstances, so it was nice to see a smile on his face again.
"Well, that's SEZs for you. You take your eyes off them for a second and they turn into a different city entirely."
There was a hint of bitterness in her voice, which luckily Barry failed to notice. He just knit his brows and turned to look at her.
"S… EZ? What's that?"
Really? thought Metchi. What the hell do they teach kids in school nowadays?
"It stands for Special Economic Zone," she explained. "It's, er… kind of a way to designate areas in a region that are under… different economic regulations than the rest."
"What, like tax breaks?"
"Yeah, exactly. It's supposed to be a way to attract foreign capital and promote economic growth," she recited from memory, from what she'd learned long ago. "Most regions have at least one of them, I think. Cinnabar and the Sevii Islands in Kanto, Black City in Unova…"
"Oh! Mauville too, right?" asked Barry. "I remember now, mom told me about those before, but she used a different name I think. I was really interested in how taxes worked so I kept bugging her about it until she explained it to me, and she used Mauville as an example of an exception to the usual rule."
Again, Metchi was surprised. The last thing she would've ever expected from someone like Barry was for him to be interested in a topic such as taxes. And yet he didn't know what SEZs were.
"You have… a really weird collection of knowledge, don't you?"
He just shrugged. "Always loved math. Niss hates it though, she's always saying that she can't believe her boyfriend's a nerd."
"She's one to talk," muttered Metchi. "But yeah, that's about it. Mauville actually got turned into an SEZ shortly before I left for Sinnoh… last I heard the city was doing pretty good. Barely recognizable from what it was before, though."
Again, that bitterness imbued her voice if only for a second. This time Barry noticed something was odd, frowning, but didn't comment on it.
"There'd been plans to turn it into one before, with the New Mauville project, but… a few complications arose, so it got delayed for a few years," she explained. "Though it makes sense. Normally you turn an area into an SEZ as negotiation and compensation for annexing it into your territory. That's what Kanto did with the Sevii Islands, and it's what Sinnoh did with Sunyshore and Stark Island. Hoenn was the first region to try it on a piece of land they already owned."
Barry nodded, though judging from his expression there was something he didn't understand.
"Why would that be a problem?"
Metchi smiled curtly, but didn't reply. She figured someone like Barry, a kid who grew up in a wealthy, beautiful paradise like Twinleaf, wouldn't understand. She didn't think less of him for it, of course, But she didn't quite have the energy to get into the topic right now.
It hit too close to home. Or whatever was left of the memory of the place she once called home.
"It doesn't matter," she waved the matter away. "Man, look at us. Heading toward a city of glamour and hedonism, on our path to save the world, and yet here we are talking about taxes like a couple of old farts."
"I… well…"
She gave him a strong, reassuring pat on the shoulder, and luckily he didn't crumple and almost fall to his knees like Inyssa had every time she'd tried it on her.
"Come on, we're almost there, see?" She pointed toward the city's entrance, only a few minutes away. "You just focus on getting us to the Gym and beating the leader's ass for that badge, alright? Then we can celebrate in one of the fancy bars nearby. Drinks are on me."
Barry didn't look entirely convinced, but he gave her a shaky nod nonetheless, one of his hands unconsciously hovering over his belt full of Pokeballs.
"Right," he muttered, looking away. "I'll… try my best."
Sunyshore was, indeed, quite close by now. They could see a good number of trainers and Association personnel patrolling around the western entrance, as well as a large vehicle parked just before the city gate. A check of sorts? Though of course, their gazes kept sliding away from, that spot and slowly drifting upward to the massive shapes in the distance.
Three spots were easily recognizable, even amidst the mess of differently shaped buildings trying to camouflage them. First was the famous labyrinth of translucent pathways connecting different parts of the city; the solar bridges, a necessity for a place built on a shore amidst a bunch of cliffs. Second was the bright red of the lighthouse in the distance, built on the very edge of the city. And third was, of course, their destination. The skyscraper which stood at the very center of it all; a marvel of glass and steel built into the shape of an upside-down cone with two sharp protrusions coming out the side.
The Sunyshore institute of technology. According to Cynthia, that's where Volkner spent most of his time in when he wasn't in the Gym. And considering the entire League had been ground to a halt, she doubted there was any other place where they could find him.
Metchi looked down again at the checkpoint next to the city gates, and pursed her lips. She just hoped Volkner had warned these people in advance that they were coming; otherwise she would have very little fun explaining to these Association people why she didn't have any kind of document or ID on her.
"Uh, y-yeah, you two! Right over here, if you could."
It was a much younger voice than she expected coming from inside the vehicle, calling them the small window on the side. Behind it sat a pale guy with glasses who couldn't have been much older than Barry, sporting a simple hoodie and a badly grown beard that most definitely didn't fit someone with his facial structure.
Metchi didn't need to look at him for more than a second to know he was some sort of programmer or engineer. He had the look down pat.
"Hello! Is everything okay? We just wanted to pass through," said Barry, forming a sweet smile. "I'm Barry, and this is Metchi."
The guy smiled back, then glanced at Metchi for a little bit longer than would have been normal, a look on his face that she knew very well. He then cleared his throat and looked down at the computer screen in front of him.
"Hi, yes! I'm Martin, just… give me a second. I have to check your identities before I let you through," he explained, grabbing something from under his desk. "Orders from the Association, you know how it is."
Metchi felt her face scrunch up unconsciously, even as Barry just smiled and nodded absentmindedly.
"Yeah, of c–"
"We're here on behalf of the League," she interrupted him. "Volkner is actually waiting for us."
The man gave her a polite smile. "It won't be more than a second, I promise."
"That's not the problem, I–"
"Ah, here! Step up, please."
The device the man had retrieved from under his desk looked like a barcode reader, only slightly bigger. He held it up to show it to them, then pointed it down at their faces.
"Oh! What's that?" Barry asked excitedly.
"It's–"
"A facial scanner? Are you serious?" Metchi asked with a bit more bite in her voice than she'd intended. "You're making this stuff mandatory for anyone who wants to get in or out of the city?"
Clearly Martin failed to pick up on her disapproving tone, judging by that proud nod and the happy tone of his voice as he replied.
"Yeah, isn't it much easier than needing to have all your IDs on you at all times?" he asked. "We just got these ones, actually. We originally got a batch of them from Unova, but Volkner wanted to modify them for easier use and portability, so the S.I.T. got to work and here we are! I helped a bit with the software," he pointed out with a cocky smile. "The plan is to have them all over the region by the end of the year. Should definitely help with problems like Team Galactic and the such."
Next to her, Barry kept nodding and listening, fascinated, while Metchi gawked as though she'd just heard a joke in really bad taste.
"That's really cool," muttered the boy. "I didn't know technology like that existed."
Metchi scoffed. "Trust me, we're better off without it."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Metchi ignored him, and instead took a step closer toward the truck, folding her arms under her chest as she glared up at Martin. The look she got in return was one she was used to from most guys. That paper-thin smile that almost did its job well enough to hide the small crease on the bridge of his nose. She supposed it was slightly more polite than flat out aggression, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
"Martin, you said you worked on the software, right? What kind of facial recognition does that thing work with, then?"
The man blinked a couple times before talking. "Well… It's kind of hard to put it in simple terms, but facial recognition is when you use a program t–"
"I know what it fucking is, don't treat me like an idiot," she snarled. "I'm asking what type is it. Does it discard the biometric info after comparing it to the database or does it keep it?"
Martin was taken aback by the sudden bite in her voice, but even moreso by the question. He let out a little laugh, as though the answer were obvious. Metchi wanted to punch him in the face.
"Well… obviously it keeps it," he said. "It helps build up a bigger database to compare each new scan to, so why wouldn't it?"
"Aha," she said. "And tell me, who gets access to that information?"
"Hm?"
"The database where all these biometric scans are stored in," she clarified. "Who can see it?"
Martin furrowed his brow. "Well… the S.I.T., of course. The Association too, if they put down a request for it. Oh, and Jubilife Electronics, the company who pays for the servers we store all the data in. But no one other than that."
"Other than that?" asked Metchi, letting out a sardonic laugh. "Right, only the most famous technological institute, the biggest electronics company in the region and also the government; just them! Don't you wanna sell it off overseas to the other regions too? Since you know, so few people have access to it as it is!"
This time her sarcasm was not lost on Martin, which was good because she would've been worried for him if it had flown over his head, considering it was thicker than jam at that point. Barry picked up on it too, and turned to look at her with something like worry. The silence that extended from there was an awkward one, the kind she was most used to.
"…Metchi?"
"Er… I'm sorry, but I don't really see the… problem," muttered Martin, trying to sound non-confrontational. "Like I said, I'm afraid these scans are mandatory, so…"
"So I guess we have a problem," Metchi confirmed. "Because I'm not putting my face in that database."
The heat and tone of finality in her voice only served to make the air more tense around them. Martin opened his mouth then closed it, unsure of how to reply. She never took her eyes off him, glaring like a Persian, until he had to look down at his screen, clearly thinking over what to say.
"I…" Barry took a step closer to her, frowning. "Is… there something wrong? I don't get why it's a bad thing."
Metchi looked back at him, her expression softening. "It's… complicated. Devon tried implementing this stuff back in Hoenn too, shortly after the Aqua-Magma incident," she explained. "They ended up regulating the hell out of it after a while, but by then the other companies had gotten all the data they needed. You have no idea the kind of trouble that shit caused me back in the day."
Barry frowned, confused. "I don't…"
"Well, I'm sorry… Metchi." Martin said the name with some delay, indicating that he might've been about to say 'ma'am' but was unsure if it was correct. Metchi's expression immediately hardened again. "But identification is mandatory to enter the city. If you try to go in without complying I… I'm afraid I'll have to ask the gentlemen over there to resolve this."
Metchi didn't need to look over her shoulder to know he meant the Association agents behind them. She felt Barry tense up next to her. Judging by the fake niceness on Martin's voice, his customer service voice one might call it, she figured he wasn't bluffing. This could turn ugly.
When does it not?
She shone Martin her best smile, not moving an inch, arms still folded.
"That's fine by me; have them try to stop me. I could use a good laugh."
Martin was not expecting that. He leaned back, mouth open in surprise, and it took him a few moments to come back to himself and reach for the device on top of his desk, some sort of microphone or communicator.
"H-hi, yes? We have a problem here, I think," he said nervously, leaning away from the window. "Could you…?"
Still smiling, Metchi turned around and placed her hands on her hips as a few of the Association goons patrolling around the entrance turned sharply toward them, only studying them for a second before starting to approach. Next to her Barry yelped, panicked, and unconsciously reached for one of his Pokeballs.
"Metchi!? I don't… think this is a good idea," he said, voice getting thinner. "We can just explain what's going on! If we tell them Volkner's waiting for us…"
"Oh, don't you worry, I'm great at de-escalation." She placed her hands around her mouth and yelled out. "Oi', dickheads! Why don't you go back to Jubilife!? I heard there's some more government dick you can choke on there!"
The three agents that were approaching stopped for an instant, processing what they'd just heard. Then the middle one, the girl, got out a baton. The other two guys produced Pokeballs on their hands, a furious look behind the visor on their helmets.
Barry sighed, shoulders dropping. "It's like being with Niss but somehow twice as worse," he muttered. "Metchi…"
"Excuse me, you two…" said the woman in the middle as she approached, not a hint of politeness in her voice. "I'm gonna have to ask you to come with me."
Metchi raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"I'm sure you're a looker underneath that helmet, but I'm not desperate enough to go for Association members yet," she replied.
The woman's eyes narrowed behind her visor. "This is your last warning; if you don't comply peacefully we'll be forced to–"
"So anyway, coming back to the previous topic," Metchi cut her off. "How much money would the Association have to give someone to turn them into obedient pets like you guys? I mean I know some people have lower standards than others but come o–"
"That's it. I warned you," she spat out, pointing with the baton at them. "You're under arrest. Get them."
Everything happened in a second. The two men with Pokeballs wound back their arms as they prepared to throw them while Metchi quickly reached for the knives hidden in her clothes, eyes narrowing and knees lowering in preparation for the fight. Barry stumbled back, eyes wide, frozen.
"W-wait, we don't have to…!"
They were but a second away from all hell breaking loose when a booming voice rang through the air, getting everyone's attention.
"Woah, woah, hold on! What the hell is going on? Put those Pokeballs down for fuck's sake!"
The three Association agents stopped in their tracks, immediately obeying and taking a step back, falling into formation. Metchi, meanwhile, just stood there. Unable to move. The familiarity of that voice hit her like a punch to the gut, flooding her with memories that were neither pleasant nor welcomed.
No… no fucking way.
"Who…?" Barry looked over his shoulder, then let out a gasp. "N-no way!"
Metchi knew he was here in Sinnoh. Of course she knew; she'd seen it all over the news back home when she still lived in Hoenn. Lavaridge's prodigy, the young trainer who had somehow gotten a seat as an Elite Four in a foreign region. Yes, she knew he was here… but never in a million years did she expect she'd actually run into him.
She turned around slowly, and that bright red afro of his was confirmation enough that she hadn't confused his voice for anyone else's. Flint approached from the other side of the gate, hands in the pockets of his pants, a crossed look on his face. He stopped a few inches from her and Barry, but his gaze was still set on the agents behind them.
"Well?" he demanded. "What do you numbskulls think you're doing causing a ruckus on the entrance of town? Didn't Volkner tell you that's the last thing we need right now!?"
The agents were quick to give the man a salute, and the woman in the middle spluttered out a response as best she could.
"S-sir, I'm sorry! But these two apparently tried to get in without identifying themselves and then provoked us by–"
Flint scoffed. "Provoked!? You're supposed to de-escalate these types of situations you idiots! And didn't I tell you that Volkner was expecting guests today? What do you think the psychic Pokemon patrolling the border are for? They would've notified you already if these two were suspicious!"
"Well… yes of course, but we can just ignore suspicious activity and…"
Rolling his eyes, Flint turned around, completely ignoring them and instead turning toward the man inside the vehicle.
"And you… still trying out that shady shit with the face scanners?" he asked. "Didn't I tell you to cut that out?"
Martin gulped. "B-but I was ordered by Volkner to–"
"Volkner's always asking for stupid shit, you gotta ignore half the things he says," Flint said with a wave of his hand. "Besides, everyone carries their ID with them nowadays, so it's completely useless. Put it back in the shelf, would you?"
"Y-yes sir, I'm sorry."
Once that was dealt with and the agents walked back to their posts, scared of more reprimand, Flint placed his hands on his hips and let out a tired sigh, shaking his head.
"I swear, Sinnohan idiocy is so much more dangerous than ours," he muttered to himself. "Aaaanyway…"
Flint turned to look at Metchi and Barry, who were still just standing there, too shocked to speak, and shone them a warm smile that was nothing like what he'd shown Martin and the Association agents.
"Sorry for the trouble there, you know how these knuckleheads can be like sometimes," he said with a gesture of the hand. "Nice to see you again, Metchi. You really shot up like a bean-stalk since last time, eh?"
As Flint walked them from the outer rings of the city toward the center, Barry felt as though he were a kid inside a candy store, only instead of sweets it was a bunch of really tall and shiny and weirdly-shaped buildings. It was a city designed to keep one looking up, not down. And judging by what he found when he did look down, that was probably by design.
Most of the really impressive buildings and landmarks were build on top of the multitude of plateaus that rose from the shore inland, and were connected by the famous light bridges. They were incredibly wide and made entirely out solar panels, and there were just so many of them. Every time Barry took a step, the square pane under him would light up, indicating that said step had contributed somewhat to powering up the city itself. He felt a rush of excitement every time he did it. It was amazing; like he'd been transported to the far future or something.
But then he looked down, and that illusion was shattered.
There were buildings down there too, in the cracks and crevices between each plateau. Warehouses, factories, residential areas full of identical houses; the types of construction that didn't make for as good eye candy, and so he figured, they'd been relegated to the lower portion of the city. Not that it looked ugly, though. A glimpse down showed Barry more wildlife and Pokemon than his entire time looking at the upper part of the city.
I guess it's just different ways of living, he thought, pensive. Still… kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Yes, Sunyshore was very nice and shiny and impressive, but would he have wanted to live here? It was hard to say no at first sight. But a city with so little green, so few Pokemon… after an entire childhood spent in Twinleaf, surrounded by nothing but thriving nature, he would probably lose his mind.
To each their own, I guess.
"…sounds kinda bullshit, yeah."
Barry came back to reality. He'd been so lost in thought that he'd missed the other two's conversation.
"I know, right?" asked Flint, laughing in disbelief. "So then I'm about to call customer service, but then it dawns on me. I'm about to ask the assholes that run the Galar Fantasy League if their Dynamax Subscription includes an actual subscription to the service I'm trying to pay for! Just think about that. That's the kind of fucking world we're living in."
Metchi chuckled. "Yeah, those are the worst. I don't think I've ever paid for a subscription… except back in Lavaridge to that group of girl scouts, remember them? The ones that sent you a box of lava cookies each week if you subscribed to them?"
"Oh god, fuck you for making me remember that," frowned Flint, placing a hand over his stomach. "Man, I'd seriously kill for a lava cookie. Doesn't have to be anyone evil, I'm not particular or anything. Just give me a lava cookie and I'll kill someone for you."
"Sorry man, I'm all out," she said. "You can learn to make them yourself, y'know? That shit's all on the internet now."
"Ha. With how everything's gone to shit lately do you really think I've got the time to bake cookies?" he asked. "I honestly can't remember the last time I cooked for myself."
Barry couldn't help but be amazed at how… easily these two had started shooting the breeze as though the last time they'd met had been yesterday and not a bunch of years ago. He didn't think he'd ever seen Metchi talk to someone that casually before. And to a member of the Elite Four, no less; one of the highest-ranking members in the organization she despised. The thought was enough to send a shiver of nervousness down his spine. If he hadn't been a bit desensitized by meeting Lucian and Cynthia already, he might've started freaking out.
"So…" Barry cleared his throat, getting the other two's attention. "How do you know each other? I mean I heard you're both from Hoenn but…"
Metchi blinked a couple times, surprised, as though she'd entirely forgotten that he was there. Flint just let out one of his laughs.
"I see, she hasn't mentioned me, then?" he asked. "Can't really blame her. It has been a while. You could say I'm an… old flame of hers." He winked. "Pun one-hundred percent intended."
Metchi scoffed. "In the sense that you always make me wanna set myself on fire when I'm near you, maybe," she said, then looked at Barry. "We ran into each other a few times back in Hoenn, when I was… doing work." There was an odd emphasis on those last two words, which she must've realized because she hurried to continue. "He's the dumbest asshole you'll ever meet, but he's handy to have around sometimes."
"Yeowch," cringed Flint, although he didn't sound hurt. "And here I thought Volkner was cold. What happened to friends being nice and supportive to each other?"
"Your damn fault for picking friends like this," Metchi shot back. "Maybe you're a masochist, ever think of that?"
"That… wouldn't surprise me one bit, considering my history," sighed Flint. "So yeah, as you can see, Barry, we're just the best of pals. How 'bout you? How did you meet her?"
Barry and Metchi exchanged a quick glance, the same memory running through their heads.
"It was… complicated," he smiled. "I might've had my Prinplup hold her at… knifepoint? Finpoint?"
Metchi laughed to herself. "Oh yeah, I'd almost forgotten about that."
"Can't ever meet people without putting yourself in danger, huh."
She just shrugged, but Barry still felt curious, still wanted more answers. Unfortunately, the shape of the SIU was getting closer the more they walked; there wouldn't be much time for questions at the moment. Still…
"When you said you met him while you were doing work…" said Barry, tone careful. "What kind of work…?"
He knew he'd screwed up as soon as he saw the look on Metchi's face. Flint, however, wasn't affected by it in the slightest; he just laughed again and shook his head.
"Oh, she hasn't told you?" he asked. "Back then, she–"
"Flint."
The man raised his hands protectively, though that smile was still pasted onto his face. He mimicked zipping his mouth shut and looked away.
"I…"
"It's fine," said Metchi, forcing a smile. "I guess I… do owe you the story at this point, but…" She looked away toward the approaching building. "…Later, alright? After we deal with this."
"Yeah… yeah, that's fine," said Barry, forming a smile of his own.
It wasn't long before they finally reached the foot of the massive skyscraper, the gleam of the sun against its thousands of panel-like windows making it look as though the entire building were bathed in sunlight. It was enough to force Barry to squint.
"Welp, here we are," said Flint, turning around to face them, hands still in his pockets. "What d'you say? Ready to meet the rudest nerd and introvert in the universe?"
Barry nodded enthusiastically, but next to him Metchi just sighed.
"I'm gonna fucking hate him, aren't I?"
"Probably!" Flint said cheerily. "Try not to cause a ruckus like you did back there though, yeah? I doubt I could sweep that one under the rug."
"I make no promises."
After going up a ton more floors than Barry thought were necessary for a building, even one so important, they finally found Volkner on the last room of the highest floor. He sat on the ground with his back to them, ignoring the perfectly good desk and chair next to him. A multitude of cables, chips, tools and other electrical devices were strewn about without care or consideration, as though the man had tossed them across the room at random. There was a pile of empty water bottles atop the desk, as well as a few half-eaten energy bars. And curled up in a ball, asleep on his lap, was a happily purring Jolteon.
Volkner didn't turn around at the sound of the door opening, nor their steps as they entered the room. Barry found the mess before him uncomfortably familiar. Metchi scrunched up her nose, but said nothing.
"Hey, man. Long time no see," said Flint cheerily.
A sigh was heard from Volkner's direction. He hung his head low for a moment before replying.
"You just left," he muttered, voice rich and deep. "What is it?"
"Right! I was on my way out when I ran into some trouble named Metchi." Flint shot her a side-glance. "And this Barry guy too. They've got some business with you, last I heard."
"…Of course."
With some difficulty, Volkner pushed himself up to his feet, every bone in his body cracking and popping as though he'd been sitting there for hours. He probably had, judging by the bags under his eyes. The Jolteon that had been sleeping on his lap jumped out groggily, then shot his master a cold glare, purring more violently this time, a crackle of electricity running through him. Volkner took a moment to stretch, then clicked his neck one more time for good measure before letting his gaze fall on them.
He was tall and handsome, but more in the 'looks like the singer for an emo-punk band' than the way Barry preferred. He'd probably be right up Niss' alley, though. Still…
This is him, thought Barry, gulping. Tthe strongest Gym leader…
"Barry Paladino…" muttered Volkner. "And Metchi…"
He left the sentence hanging, and Metchi only replied after shooting him a cold glare.
"Hayworth."
"Wait, Hayworth!?" Barry turned to look at her, dumbfounded. "Your last name is Hayworth?"
"Yep. Boring, ain't it?" she said. "And before you ask, I didn't tell you because you never asked about it."
Volkner cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention again. He kept his face cold and expressionless, Barry could tell that much at least, but there was something incongruent in his posture, in the way he stood still as a rock, yet his fingers kept tapping nervously against his leg. It was a gesture he recognized.
I used to do that all the time back then, he thought. He probably doesn't like meeting and talking to new people, especially in his office.
"Lucian told me you'd be coming," said Volkner. "He didn't specify for… legal reasons, probably, but I assume you're here in place of Cynthia?"
Barry nodded. "She… told us she needed someone with all eight badges, and I'm only missing yours."
"Figures. Always sending others to do her dirty work." Volkner sighed rubbing the back of his head. "Being a trainer was all she was good for, and she had to get herself fired. And before I got to beat her, too. What a joke."
Barry and Metchi exchanged a look, and he could tell she was holding her tongue as much as she could, arms folded tightly. Flint had no such reservations, though.
"You know there's a reason she got fired, yeah? I mean don't get me wrong, I like her and everything but…" he raised an eyebrow. "Not everything revolves around you and your lust for Pokemon battles, my dude."
"Bah. If she'd only waited a little longer before screwing up like that… I had a team ready for our next fight and everything. Now Lucian's in charge," he complained. "He's strong, but nothing compared to her."
Barry's eyes went wide with wonder. "You… you fought Cynthia before?"
"Hm?" Volkner turned his head absentmindedly. "Oh, yes. A few times already."
"Where did you think we met?" laughed Flint. "One day I get the memo that this rookie Gym leader wants to challenge the Elite Four, and next thing I know he's plowed right through us and is fighting the Champion. He lost, of course, but that hasn't stopped him."
Volkner nodded to himself. "I've challenged the League four times already, and made it to Cynthia three of those times. Came so close to seeing her Garchomp last time, too…" He clicked his tongue. "Guess I can still fight her unofficially, but it won't be the same."
Metchi, who until now had stayed quiet, spoke up at that. "If you're so strong then how come you're still just a Gym Leader?"
"Because being an Elite Four member is a hassle," shrugged Volkner. "Just ask Flint."
"Ohhhoho… yeah. It's a pain sometimes, but that's Pokemon regulation for you," he shrugged. "Volkner ain't interested in a promotion unless it lands his ass on the seat of the Champion."
"That was the plan at least," Volkner whispered. "But trying it now would be too easy. I'll wait for Cynthia to come back or for someone else to take the mantle before I challenge the League again."
Barry nodded almost unconsciously, amazed by what he was hearing. He knew Volkner was strong; Niss had made it plenty clear already by telling him that he defeated more than ninety-percent of the people who challenged him, but to know he was even stronger than most Elite Four members…
"Anyway, you two caught me at a good time," said Volkner, looking at them and clicking his neck again. "I was just finishing up for today."
"How's it coming along?" asked Flint. "Lucian told me to check up on that."
Volkner looked over his shoulder, brow furrowing, and let out a long sigh.
"That bad, huh?"
"Damn thing's like a black box," he said. "But I'll crack it eventually, trust me."
Metchi frowned. "What are you talking ab…?"
But it happened for both of them at the same time then. Barry and Metchi looked behind Volkner, in front of the spot he'd been sitting in before, and noticed a familiar device resting on the floor. Identical looks of surprise appeared on their faces.
"T-that's…" Barry muttered.
"The Pokeball jammer?" asked Metchi, dumbfounded. "What are you doing with something like that?"
Volkner simply blinked a few times, confused by their reaction. Yet Barry could feel the knot forming in his stomach. The last two times he'd come into contact with that device hadn't been very pleasant.
"Oh, right," said Flint. "Lucian's men actually captured a few of these from Galactic grunts right after the… incident." A sour look crossed his face, and Barry felt the knot in his stomach tighten. He was talking about that night. "These are the new versions. The ones that also return Pokemon to their balls before locking them up. The SIU has been trying to figure them out ever since."
Volkner nodded. "It's a slow process, but I've got my best people working on it. We'll figure it out, and we'll build a way to counter it."
"Hopefully before the world ends," said Flint.
"It will be done," Volkner assured him. "It's my design, and it was his engineering. It's only a matter of time."
There was a moment of silence in which both Metchi and Barry wondered if they'd just heard him right.
"Ex…cuse me?" whispered Metchi. "What do you mean your design?"
Volkner raised an eyebrow. "It means I originally designed it. I thought I'd made that clear when I said the words 'it's my design' out loud."
"Okay dickhead, how about y–!"
A less than wholesome rant would've surely followed if Flint hadn't placed his hand on Metchi's shoulder. He looked at her and shook his head, then pointed with his eyes below. Volkner's Jolteon had stood up. He glared at her with his fur raised on end, small sparks and crackles of electricity running through his body. He clearly didn't like people yelling at his master.
"Wait, I'm confused," said Barry. "I thought Team Galactic designed that thing."
"Design, development and deployment are three different things," Volkner clarified. "The Pokeball jammer was an idea I had some time ago. I drew up the blueprints and thought of a few ways we could build it, but a few other projects came up and I had to scrap it."
Metchi scowled at him. "Then how the hell did it end up in Team Galactic's hands?"
"Word gets around in the engineering community," Volkner shrugged. "I showed the blueprints to a few of my overseas acquaintances, and one of them happened to be a soon-to-be wanted man; Colress. He took my blueprints, improved them, figured out a way to build the device and then sold it all to Team Galactic."
"Yeah, and the bastard didn't even have the decency to give you credit or send you a gift basket for it or anything," Flint pointed out. "I mean I know he's already a criminal but still."
Neither Barry nor Metchi could believe what they were hearing. He swallowed hard, hands clenching into fists at the thought. So back in Celestic, and then near Snowpoint, it'd all been…
"Why… would you think up something like that?" Barry was the first to ask what they were both thinking, his voice slowly rising in pitch. "Didn't you see how it was used? What Team Galactic did with it…!"
"Of course I saw it," said Volkner, frowning. "But what do you want me to do, go back in time and tell myself not to share those blueprints?"
"Well how about having the hindsight not to share them in the first place?" demanded Metchi, already sounding much angrier than Barry. "I mean seriously, aren't you a scientist or something? How the fuck did you think that wouldn't backfire on you?"
Flint frowned. "Metchi…"
"I'm an engineer, not a scientist," hissed Volkner, apparently more bothered by that than anything else Metchi had said. "And that's just how technological leaps are made nowadays; with cooperation. Would you rather we go back ten years to when all the regions kept their advancements a secret? Would you rather a device like this be owned by a single region instead of being available everywhere? That's how wars start."
"I think I'd prefer if they just didn't exist at all," Barry replied, crossed.
Metchi laughed. "Yeah, I guess it's better that terrorists are the first group to test the technology out. Screw beta testers, we should do that more often!"
"Okay, can we all…?" Flint raised his hands and spoke up in an attempt to calm the situation, but Volkner interrupted him.
"Trusting Colress was a mistake. One I won't make again," he said. "And besides, he provided us with plenty in return before his disappearance. Half the initial design for the modern Poketch came from him. Same with the biometric-reading technology that he lent us; without it we'd be years behind in that department. So yes, what happened was a tragedy, but you'll forgive me for not losing sleep over it."
Barry scoffed. "That's… we almost died because of that jammer! Cynthia too!"
There was a burst of… warmth. Of dizziness and motion that grabbed Barry for a moment, a familiar itch appearing behind his eyes. Volkner's Jolteon seemed to notice, because he growled and sent out a tentative spark forward, urging him to stay back.
"Pulsiver, calm down," Volkner reprimanded him, then looked up at Barry again. "And I don't see how that's an argument against what I did. The Pokeball jammer isn't a more dangerous weapon than what Team Galactic already had at its disposal. And tell me the truth, if you'd had it for yourself, wouldn't you have used it against them too?"
"T-that's not…!" Barry mumbled for a moment, caught off guard by that. "I…"
"You know what the difference is?" asked Metchi. "Barry wouldn't have tried to kill them after disabling their Pokeballs like Cyrus did!"
"That comes down entirely to the user," Volkner argued. "This is a technology that was being talked about even before I drew up the first blueprint. It would've been created regardless someday. You can't blame me for getting a head start on it."
Metchi spat out a derisive laugh. "Right, I guess it's never your fault, is it? Much easier to build shit like this if you never take responsibility for what it's used for, ain't that right?"
"Metchi, come on," whispered Flint. "We all make mistakes, we–"
Volkner clicked his tongue. "I made no mistakes. Don't pin this on me."
"Fuck's sake, man," Flint sighed.
"I guess that's what I'd expect from the genius that brought us the idea of mandatory face-recognition checks in every city," snarled Metchi. "Not really out to upend my expectations, are you?"
"A perfectly reasonable response to the demand for stronger inter-urban security," said Volkner, raising a hand to the side. "At least I'm coming up with ideas instead of only criticizing others. Besides, what room do you have to criticize me anyway, considering you were one of those terrorists you're talking about?"
Metchi's mouth fell open, then closed shut again. She seemed to freeze mid-sentence, eyes shooting up wide open, something like panic crossing her expression. Barry felt it first-hand. It was the first time since losing Mesprit that he'd felt someone else's emotions, and it wasn't nearly as much of a relief as he'd imagined. There was danger building up under that sudden fear and panic.
He gulped, then took a step toward her. "Metchi…"
"Did you think that just because you're working with the Association now that Lucian wouldn't have you investigated?" Volkner asked derisively. "I took a look to both your files. Your identity is not a secret, so I'd really like to know what grounds you believe you have to stand on when it comes to criticizing others for their actions."
"Volkner." Flint took a step forward, his expression growing dark for a moment. "That's enough. Cut it out."
"I'm just replying to her questions," he shrugged. "She's the one that got irrationally angry. I'm just trying to show her that it's not me she's angry toward. Some self-reflection would do you some good, I'd say."
Barry clenched his teeth at that. "W-what the hell is your problem!? Y-you…"
He could feel that heat, that gale inside of him growing stronger and stronger, and a small portion left out of his mouth before Metchi grabbed him by the shoulder. It was a soft pat, simply letting it fall there. It was enough to break him out of it, and next thing he knew that energy, that itch behind his eyes disappeared again.
The anger in Metchi's face had disappeared. There was something else there now, and it wasn't any better.
"It's fine," she said, voice full of venom and exhaustion.
"Metchi…"
"He's right. I am angry," she said, shrugging. "Been for my whole life. May just be because no one ever seems to give a shit, and it doesn't look like they'll start to anytime soon. And yeah, I guess most of that is directed to myself, too. But that's just fine. You keep playing with your toys up here in your ivory tower. I'll go back to where I belong."
She glared coldly at Volkner one last time before turning around and heading for the door.
"H-hey, Metchi!" Barry protested. "Wai–"
"Have fun getting the badge," she said without turning around. "I'll be in the nearest shitty bar I can find. Call me if you need anything."
Metchi sat sprawled against the seat of her table, absentmindedly sipping her drink and enjoying the music booming through the bar. She liked the song. It was one of this year's top 10, she believed; that one punk ballad by Roxie that Metchi was convinced was about two women, gang leaders, that hated each other's guts but were secretly in love, deep down. No one believed her, and it wasn't like she could ask the singer herself for proof.
Maybe someday.
This was a nice bar. It was the only one she'd found that didn't advertise craft brewing or cheddar-covered fries or blue-cheese burgers. A bit dingy, but that's why she liked it. It didn't pretend to be anything but a dark, loud place for people to get shitfaced in, and maybe pick up some strangers to accompany them for the rest of the night.
Not that Metchi was in any place to look for the latter, though. She still had a job to do. A stranger's warm embrace would have to wait for another day.
Though it didn't take her long to get some company, even if it wasn't the type she intended. She'd barely gotten through her first drink when she spotted a familiar head of spiky blond hair in the distance. Barry looked over for a few seconds before finding her.
"Oh… hey," she said, raising her glass a bit as the boy sat across from her on the small table.
"Hey…" Barry looked down at his own drink, and swallowed. "Flint told me you might be here. Said it was… your style or something."
Metchi smiled. "What can I say? I make my tastes known." She took another sip of her drink. "What you got there? Gin tonic?"
"Hm? Oh nono, it's… just sparkling water," he said. "I like the bubbles. And how it tickles when you drink it."
That's all the explanation Barry needed, and Metchi had to respect that. Any other kid his age would've said that with a hint of embarrassment, but there was nothing like that in his voice. Metchi looked down at her own drink and downed it, letting out a pleasurable sigh. Spicy.
"Don't like alcohol? I remember the look you gave me when I mentioned drinking together."
"It's not my thing," shrugged Barry. "And I know people who've had trouble with it. I'd rather stay away from it."
Metchi nodded absentmindedly. He must've meant Inyssa's mom; she'd heard about it from the half-pint herself, as well as everything else regarding her… complicated familial situation. It wasn't the kind of topic to be discussed in a bar, that was for sure.
"Anyway… what are you doing here?" she asked. "Thought you wanted to challenge Volkner for the badge."
A somewhat incredulous laugh left Barry's mouth. It was a nice sound. Bright and warm.
"Yeah, I don't think either of us were… in the mood," he said, looking to the side. "Him and Flint were arguing pretty loudly after you left. It was… too much. Too loud and… thrumming, like a heartbeat." His face scrunched up at that, and Metchi could've sworn she saw a glow behind his eyes. "So I excused myself. Told him we'd come back tomorrow for the badge."
"Right," muttered Metchi, licking her lips, tasting what was left of the alcohol off them. "I'd say I'm sorry but… I'm not."
Barry shook his head. "You don't gotta apologize. I… it was kind a mess there. Just… a lot," he said, trying to find the right words. "I came here 'cause I wanted to see if you were okay?"
Metchi raised an eyebrow at that, and if it had been anyone else but Barry, she would've laughed derisively in their face.
"I really mean no offense by this, but I'm not a hormonal, overtly-emotional eighteen-year old anymore. I'm not gonna be moping around just 'cause some nerd thinks he's smart because he got a rise out of me. You think it's the first time that's happened?" she questioned with a sarcastic smile. "You can't throw a rock in here without hitting a pile of dumbasses like Volkner. They're not worth my time or my energy."
Yeah, that initial comment had definitely hit a nerve with Barry, but due to consideration or maybe something else, he closed his mouth shortly after opening it, keeping the rebuttal to himself. Metchi did feel a little guilty, in all honesty. It's not like it was Inyssa and Barry's fault that all this horrible shit was happening to them at the very peak of their adolescent explosion of hormones and sentimentality. It truly was a tragedy.
But in some cases, it was also a bit funny. Kind of.
"I just thought…" Barry pursed his lips, concerned. "I mean, 'cause you and Flint are friends, and now…"
Metchi rested it importance with a lazy wave of the hand.
"Flint and I have known each other for a long time. I know he wouldn't be friends with someone who were genuinely a bad person, and I admit I might've gotten a bit too heated back there," she admitted. "But hey, that's life for you. Sometimes your friends have terrible taste in friends, and there ain't much you can do. I'm sure there's something that firehead sees in that dumbass."
Barry let out a small chuckle. "Flint is kind of weird like that."
"Always has been," said Metchi. "Even when he was a dumb teenager back in Lavaridge, he always strolled around like there was nothing wrong, causing trouble and then accidentally fixing it. It's a wonder he got hired as an Elite Four, but he really is something else."
"Aha… You two must know each other really well," said Barry, then concern crossed his expression again. "Ah, sorry, I…"
"It's fine."
Metchi leaned back on her seat, taking in a deep breath. Lazily, she raised a hand and showed the waitress two fingers, indicating that she wanted a refill, before turning her gaze to Barry again.
"Not like we have much else to do, and I did promise you," she said. "So… wanna hear the story?"
The next words out of Barry's mouth were obvious for a polite kid like him. "Only if you don't mind…" Even though his eyes were burning with curiosity, he still pretended to be mindful. It was adorable.
The waitress came by to refill her drink, and she took another sip before she started talking.
"You're a smart kid," she said. "Considering everything you heard… I'm sure you already figured out what my job was before I came here to Sinnoh."
A bit of guilt in his face, Barry gave a small nod.
"You were a ranger, weren't you?"
She was surprised that the word still hurt a bit coming out of his mouth, if only barely. An unpleasant surprise. She only hoped that retelling the story wouldn't…
She shook her head.
"Yeah. Though it was a little more than just a job to me," she said. "You could say I was practically born into the rangers."
"What… do you mean?"
Metchi sighed. How to explain it more accurately. She leaned back on her seat, took another sip and looked over to the distance before continuing.
"My earliest and strongest memory is that of resting on the back of a flying Pokemon, the clear Hoenesse sky rolling by above me. And my second earliest memory… is of being taken in by my new family.
"According to what I found out a few years later, the Swellow that delivered me there was heavily wounded, and died shortly after landing. They couldn't identify who was the owner. To this day, I've got no idea who my real parents are, or what led to them putting four-year old me on the back of a dying Pokemon and sending me away."
Barry's eyes widened. "That's… awful."
"Eh, it's not like I remember, so it's not a big deal," she shrugged. "Besides, the only people I really consider family is the man who took me in, even if he had nothing to gain by doing so." A warm smile formed on her lips. "His name was Matteus Hayworth, though to me he was always 'dad', or 'old man' if I was feeling angry. I know you probably already figured it out, but he was a ranger; a pretty damn famous one actually, and the head of one of the five ranger bases in Hoenn, which surveyed the entire southeast portion of the region."
"W-wow," Barry whispered, awed. "He must've been a super cool dad."
"Guess you could call him that. He was a fucking mountain of a man, the kind you see across the street and have to do a double-check to make sure you didn't just see an Ursaring. He was kind, but grumpy. Had more cunning and luck than any man should, and he could make friends with literally anyone, even if he hated their guts. And yet he never hid his intentions. He was honest at his core, even if you had to read between the lines sometimes.
"He took me in without protest, despite being single and having no kids. Treated me like I was his daughter from day one." Metchi eased herself into the story, her eyes growing distant, the smile on her face slowly dropping. "I admit, his parenting style was a bit more laissez-faire than most, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. He ran a tight ship. Made me help him with the house, cooking and whatever other ranger matters he had to attend to outside his office. And even though he disguised it as 'interest' for taking me in, he never just had me doing blind work. Every task he gave me had a purpose, taught me something new, a skill or point of view I might find a use for someday. From cooking to survival to how to handle knives, he… taught me everything I know. I wouldn't be half the person I am today if it weren't for him."
"Ha… I can definitely imagine a man like that being your dad," Barry smiled. "Was he preparing you to be a ranger someday?"
"I think he was mostly making sure I could make it on my own, were something to happen to him," she said. "Besides, it was lil' pipsqueak me that bugged him to let me be a ranger whenever I had the opportunity. Over the years, he took me to his base a few times. The people there were so friendly, always ready to help those in need, whether they be humans or Pokemon, even if they had nothing to give in return. I… admired that. I admired them all so much. I spent the next few years doing my best, training and learning so that I could join their ranks some day. And in the meantime, I got to know them more. Sometimes, when dad had a job to take care of, he'd leave me in the base, and the rest of his squad would babysit me. It was…" She closed her lips, feeling them dry. The words struggled to come out. "They were fun times. Times I look back on fondly, even now."
Cold. The glass felt cold in her hands now that the ice inside was melting, cold drops of condensation dripping down her fingers. She looked down at the clear reddish liquid and gulped.
"…I was eighteen when I joined. And for a while, things went well. There were only about a dozen rangers in the squad, and having someone new, trained by the boss no less, was a sigh of relief. Especially with how thinly we were spread out, considering the size of the territory we had to look over."
Barry frowned. "There weren't enough rangers?"
"Ha. Let's just say it wasn't the most enticing of careers," she said. "A trainer could get their certification in half the time it'd take a ranger, and they wouldn't have to deal with intensive training or government restrictions or Pokemon regulations or with having to help the general populace. And of course, the pay was nothing to write home about. Even for those in charge, like my dad. Most kids wanted to become the Champion, not run around making sure local Ludicolo aren't summoning rain everywhere with their silly dances."
"Ha… yeah…" Barry looked down. "I'm…"
"Hey, it's not like I blame them," she shrugged. "Being a ranger is tough work, and not very rewarding. We regulated Pokemon territory every year, a task that would've resulted in hordes of Pokemon attacks to civilians if not done correctly, and we never got an ounce of recognition. But of course one stupid kid goes and stops a couple of environmental terrorists and he's hailed as the region's hero. Go figure."
Realization dawned on Barry and his face lit up with wonder. "W-wait, you mean…!"
Metchi smiled sourly. "Yep, good ol' Brendan. I shouldn't talk about him like that," she whispered. "He and those pals of him, May and Wally, are real good kids. They helped us out plenty when we were in a bind, same with that guy that had just become Champion at the time; Steven or something. Truth be told, the League was a lot friendlier and more helpful in Hoenn than it is here. Might be because our League wasn't also our government," she laughed. "No, it was mostly our employers that caused us trouble."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we rangers were trained by other rangers, and sometimes by experts from the League, but we were officially employed by the government. Our pay came mostly from the citizen's taxes," she explained. "The people were… mostly content with paying a bit more so that we could keep the region safe, but we weren't very profitable for the state, nor the companies lobbying in its name. And most importantly, our attitude of 'nature and civilians above all else' was… a bit at odds with their philosophy, let's say.
"We heard the same thing from these assholes every week. They thought that rangers were outdated, that our methods were archaic and that the amount of training and expertise needed to become a ranger was ludicrous, considering that most of the knowledge needed didn't usually see use in the real world. And for a while… those were just sly comments. Things I'd hear one of them mention to my dad, of which he'd just laugh it off like it was a joke." Metchi closed her eyes and sighed. "But it wasn't a joke to me. It made my blood boil every time I heard it. And it made me even madder that my dad reacted like that instead of telling those people to fuck off."
"I… get why that'd be frustrating," said Barry. "But he was probably just–"
"Trying to keep his job. Our job. I know, I get it now," Metchi shook her head. "In retrospect, it's clear that dad's approach actually bought us a lot of time, and that blowing up at them like I would've done in his place was exactly what those assholes wanted. But… anger feels a lot more real, a lot more justified when you're younger, you know?"
Barry smiled, and Metchi figured he was thinking back to Inyssa. "Yeah, I know."
"Besides, dad never scolded me for it. He never told me that I was being childish or petty or anything like that. He respected my anger. Told me that it was valid, that I should hang on to it, and use it when necessary." A sad look crossed her face. "But even then, I didn't get it. Part of that anger started targeting him. As time went on, I grew bitter because of the way he did things, always with a smile and a laugh, faking courteousness just to get what should be ours. I hated it. Felt like a Caterpie begging for some scraps.
"In time, though, their attempt to undermine us got a whole less subtle. That's when they tried to pass both that law and that project at the same time."
Barry's brows furrowed. "Which ones?"
"The project was an idea they'd been toying with before, a proposal by Devon, a company closely associated with the League," she explained. "They figured that they could kill two Tailow with one stone by taking a big percentage of the public funds that went into rangers, and using them to hire normal trainers to do most of those jobs instead."
Barry let out a little gasp, and she smiled knowingly. "Yep, it's the same system you guys use here; that's where they got the idea from. Instead of having a bunch of overtrained rangers per territory, just have a couple with enough knowledge and experience to lead the trainers that'd serve as manpower."
"That's…" Barry made a face, lips pursed. "I… remember my mom saying it was more efficient, but that–"
"It was better for the region, worse for the people," Metchi summed up. "After all, trainers would only accept assignments if they were paid to do it. Us, on the other hand, regularly volunteered to help civilians without compensation. That would disappear if this project became a reality."
"Synn above…" Barry shook his head. "I can't imagine what you must've felt when you heard."
"Oh I was right pissed, you can be sure of that," said Metchi. "But they couldn't pass the project right away, there'd be too much outcry. People liked the rangers because we always made sure to help them out; our public image was too good. That's what the law was for.
"Article twelve… the annexation of Pacifidlog."
"What?," whispered Barry. "But… isn't Pacifidlog still independent?"
"Yeah, 'cause the law never got to pass," Metchi nodded. "Pacifidlog is… unique, because of its status as the last fully independent native settlement in all of Hoenn. Mt. Pyre had been the last one, annexed about twenty years ago. In fact, back then the agreement for it to be annexed was to leave Pacifidlog alone, since the two places were home to the same people. But of course, promises like that rarely mean much.
"We… the rangers from our base I mean, worked closely with the people of Pacifidlog, since we shared a territory," she explained. "They were always so good to us. Only a few dozen people lived there, but they always gave us a warm welcome when we came to help with the local Tentacruel population, and they always gifted us nice things, mostly a bit of what they'd fished that day. Now… you gotta understand, they were the best fisherman in all of Hoenn. The stuff they caught was delicious, and often sold at exorbitant prices because of the difficulty of their methods and refining. Seafood from Pacifidlog was… a delicacy, you could say.
"And by now you should know that people don't like that which they can't make theirs easily."
"Really? That's why?" asked Barry. "They wanted to annex them just for their fishing?"
"Well, the whole territory was rich in rare species, and it served as a nice connection to the south sea. That's why the state offered to make the place an SEZ," said Metchi. "Of course, the people of Pacifidlog just wanted to be left alone, and we made sure to interject in their behalf whenever we could, but the state pressed just as hard. They used every argument they could think of to get popular opinion on their side. They started suggesting, not so subtly, that maybe the people of Pacifidlog had had something to do with the Aqua incident a while back; not only 'cause their leader had been born there but also because the elders of Mt. Pyre had failed to stop him from getting the Blue Orb. They suggested that they'd collaborated with the terrorists."
"That's… insane. It doesn't even make sense!"
Metchi formed a lopsided grin. "Course it didn't. Phoebe, the elders' granddaughter and Elite Four member, did her best to stop the terrorists when they were still at large, but people are quick to forget stuff like that. Luckily the League did step in on Pacifidlog's defense, mostly at the behest of the Champion. And to Devon's credit, the CEO did express his disapproval of the methods the government was using to manipulate public opinion… though of course he never admitted that the law and the project were connected." She curled her lip, looking to the side. "Anyway, the whole thing mostly stalled out for a while, but it never went away."
Barry smiled nervously. "And I'm guessing you never stopped being mad over it?"
"Nope," chuckled Metchi. "I… actually grew more and more frustrated as time went on, and the government kept getting in our way. I just… didn't get it. I honestly couldn't understand why they'd spend so much time and resources going against us, when all we wanted was to help, to have them let us be. I'm guessing the people from Pacifidlog thought the same thing, when they heard of the annexation," she said bitterly. "I… never stopped butting heads with those assholes though. It got to the point where my dad and my teammates recommended I just stay away from them. Take a vacation, maybe." She chuckled. "Right, like it was that easy."
Her hand wasn't cold anymore. When she looked down, she noticed that all the ice had already melted, and her drink had gone from a deep red to something more like a pink. Sighing, she raised the glass and chugged down the entire thing. It stung her throat something awful. She enjoyed the sharp feeling for a few seconds, eyes closed, trying to make it last. When the sting was gone, she lowered the glass and spoke again.
"Dad and I… we had an argument that day," she said, barely a whisper. "He'd been called to do a job for the government, and left me in charge, and of course the usual topic came out. Things got… heated. I called him awful things. Said he was a coward, that he didn't care about what was right, only about keeping us afloat. It got bad. So bad that a few of our teammates had to interject. I had tears of anger by the end, and of course my dad was calm as usual, which only served to piss me off even more.
"He… apologized before he left, like it was his fault." Metchi stopped, then took in a deep breath before continuing. "And then it happened."
Barry seemed almost afraid to ask. He gulped. "W-what?"
"I really shouldn't give those assholes any credit, but for what it's worth… I don't think it was a coordinated effort, but the actions of one guy. He was someone high up in the local government who wanted to climb the ladder even more, so he came up with a… clever way to resolve the stalemate regarding Pacifidlog's annexation." She spat those words like poison, fingers curling inward. "It… started with an alarm in the base. I got to the terminal first and I honestly couldn't believe what I was seeing. An emergency beacon saying that a small school of Gyarados was fast approaching the southern edge of Pacifidlog."
"G-Gyarados?" Barry paled at that, the reaction of someone who'd seen one of those things firsthand. "A whole school of them?"
"Yeah. Luckily, schools of Gyarados rarely contain more than two or three of them, because of how territorial they are. Unfortunately, three of those fuckers could still reduce Pacifidlog to a floating pile of burning debris in the time it'd take me to sneeze." Her expression grew dark. "Gyarados are the biggest threats you can run into at sea, and since day one all rangers are told that under no circumstances should they attempt to fight one. That's why we're usually notified in advance if one of them is spotted near a human settlement. Except… that time."
"Did…" Disgust showed in Barry's face. "Was that guy responsible for…?"
Metchi nodded. "He delayed the message until it was almost too late. He was also the one to call my dad away from the base, as well as Phoebe, who was the only Elite Four member we kept in contact with on the regular. And he was our only point of contact with the rest of the League, at least the part of it that could interject in time. He made that crystal clear when we came to him asking for help."
"That's…"
"He'd clearly heard about me. That's why he sent my dad away, because he knew I'd be left in charge in his place, and that I wouldn't take his… threat very well." She looked down, ashamed. "His plan was simple. First, he'd anger me enough so that I'd attack him, all so he could use my aggression against us later. Then, he'd have us rush to try to save the people of Pacifidlog from the Gyarados, to no avail. And finally, rush in with a bunch of League trainers and save the day, thus proving that rangers couldn't be trusted to protect Pacifidlog; that only the government could."
There was a sudden golden glow behind Barry's eyes, and she suddenly felt a burst of anger that did not belong to her.
"H-horrible," he whispered, eyes wide. "That's so horrible."
Metchi smiled appreciatively. "Yeah… it was a mess. I only spent like a minute beating the shit out of him before we went off to Pacifidlog as fast as we could. I sent half of my teammates to take care of the evacuation, while the rest of us who had Pokemon headed further into the sea in our boat and waited for the Gyarados, to try and slow them down.
"If there'd been more than three of them, I probably wouldn't be here telling you this," she sighed. "We had a few Pokemon and tasers. Did a little damage, but not nearly enough to matter, only to piss them off. It was…"
She tried to find the words, but came up short. Something was pulling at her from the depths of her stomach.
"I remember being hit by one of their tails, and by the time I regained consciousness everything was smoke and chaos. I could barely see 'cause of the blood running down my eye. The boat's engine had been damaged and we were sinking. Someone was screaming. I… saw one of my teammates lying on the hull, unconscious, while she slid down toward the water. I tried to get up, but my legs didn't listen to me.
"Then I heard a growl. I looked up and saw one of the Gyarados, looking down at me. There was… a light in its mouth; it was preparing a Hyperbeam I think. I didn't have time to move or get away. I remember… my last thought, at least I thought so at the time, being… 'This isn't fair'. I didn't want to die.
"Heh. I guess out there somewhere, a finger in a Mankey's paw curled, because the next thing I saw was my dad appear out of nowhere, jumping in to shield me from the attack."
Barry's breath hitched. She felt a bit of his distress, but her gaze was set on the empty glass in her hands, so she couldn't see his face.
"He came flying in on a Pokemon that didn't belong to him, a Swellow, like the one that first delivered me to him. And… after that day, I never saw it again," she sighed. "I'm guessing it somehow knew what was happening, and warned my dad and the League people he was meeting, which is why they showed up when no one expected them to. Though obviously… dad got there first.
"I remember the sounds of battle raging around us, of Phoebe and a bunch of other trainers fighting off the Gyarados, but all I could focus on was the weight of my dad against my shoulder, and the feeling of blood running down his chest toward mine. And even then…" She chuckled, though it was weak and formless. "Even while bleeding to death, he was ever calm, ever composed.
"I… held on to him like my life depended on it and yelled… so many things, few of which made sense. I apologized. I screamed at him for intercepting that attack. I begged him to stay awake, just a little more, until we could get him to a hospital. And he… he just laughed. He patted my head and ruffled my hair. Told me he was sorry. That he should've listened to my warnings. Begged me to forgive him for being such a sorry sight of a father. Forgive him for… leaving me alone. Again.
"And then I heard something in him give out. I opened my mouth to yell at him, but there was no one there to hear me."
Barry made a noise across from her, voice straining. "Metchi…"
She closed her eyes, her grip on the glass getting tighter. "I screamed and cried, so loudly and for so long that I could feel my throat rip itself to pieces, until the echo of my own screams drowned the silence and emptiness of the man whose lifeless body I held in my arms. At some point… I passed out. And next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed. Can you guess who came in as soon as I woke up?"
There was no guess, no answer, but Metchi figured that was okay. "It was that asshole; the one that had thought the whole thing up. His plans had gone astray, you see, and he figured he could still manage to taint the ranger's reputation by provoking me to attack him again, this time while I was sick with grief and flooded with drugs and painkillers."
"W-what!?" asked Barry. "Wasn't he arrested?"
"Not at that point," she smiled. "The League was gathering evidence on him, and he was arrested later that day and given the life sentence. But at that moment, I didn't know that. And none of my teammates could've been there with me, because they were all either in the same condition or answering questions for the League and the government. I was alone in that hospital room, not thinking straight, convinced that I'd just gotten my dad and Mew knows who else killed. Convinced that those people were there to arrest me, to put me behind bars for what I'd done.
"I… acted in a panic. I jumped out of my bed and kicked one of the doctors in the chest before jumping out the window and running away." She shook her head. "It's… funny how much you can do in such a short time if you're full of nothing but panic and stimulants."
"What… did you do?"
She shot him a sad grin. "You already know the answer. And you gotta understand the mental state I was in. The realization of what had happened… I didn't want it, didn't want to be there when it finally set in; I just wanted to run away. So that's what I did."
Barry swallowed. "You left Hoenn."
"I… couldn't stay," she said, almost pleading. "How could I face my friends again? I'd gotten their leader killed because of my stupid pride, because I wasn't good enough, because he had to come in and…" She stopped, and took in a deep breath. "Right then, I was sure I couldn't ever show myself to them again, that if I did they'd beat me up or yell at me or try to kill me for what I did."
"That's…"
"Stupid and absurd, yeah," she said. "Unfortunately, by the time the drugs and the panic wore off and I could think straight again, I was already on a boat heading to Sinnoh. And I'm not one to turn back once I commit to something, as stupid as it might be.
"Less than a week after I was here in Sinnohan shores, with nothing but my clothes and a little bit of money I'd managed to scavenge. I didn't know anyone here. Didn't have any plans for the future, and only knew a little bit of Sinnohan. I was desperate and afraid." She looked up to Barry and smiled derisively. "And you can guess what happened next."
"Yeah… Team Galactic."
"That's a story for another day, though." Metchi sighed as she leaned back on her seat, shoulders slumping. "Sorry, but it's been a while since I've talked so much, and my throat's pretty dry. Think I'm just gonna spend the rest of the night preventing that from happening again."
She gave him a smile, but of course Barry didn't play along. These damn kids never did. Always with their empathy and their emotive responses and stuff, it was getting real old, even if it did make her chest feel just a little bit warmer.
"I… I never even imagined…" Barry looked down sadly. "I'm sorry."
Metchi shrugged. "Don't sweat it. It honestly feels like it happened a lifetime ago for me," she said. "Time heals and all that."
"Still…"
Metchi didn't need to look at his face to know what he was feeling. Guilt. Shame. She rolled her eyes; these fucking kids…
"I didn't tell you that story to make you think that all trainers are evil or incompetent or anything."
"I… huh?" Barry looked up, surprised.
"Sure, you guys caused us plenty of headaches before, and you might be the reason I joined Team Galactic, but the real enemy was always a lot subtler and insidious than just a bunch of kids who wanted to become cool heroes," she explained. "You chose to be a trainer, and that's the path you gotta walk, in whatever way makes you feel proud of yourself. "
"Well… yeah, I guess," he said, frowning. "But…"
"It was actually something my dad said," Metchi cut him off. "'If trainers do their best to help people, and if rangers conduct themselves with the heroism expected of legends, then what difference would remain between them?'" She shot him a warm smile. "We all gotta do our best with the path we chose. That's all there is to it."
She saw it almost like in slow motion. Barry's expression changed; lit up, as though some kind of knot had come unraveled inside of him, and for a moment the light behind his eyes shone like a storm, and his face truly was as radiant as the sun, as the yellow of his hair.
"I… yeah," he said, barely a whisper. "I think I get it."
She nodded strongly, then reached over and gave the boy a pat on the shoulder. "That's what I like to hear. Now, let's forget about all this sad shit, okay? What do you say, wanna order a pizza and get some drinks in?"
Barry gulped, still overwhelmed, but he managed a small nod at least. "Y-yeah. I'm not gonna get anything alcoholic, but I think I could go for a piz–"
A ring broke through the dull throb of the music flooding the bar. Barry almost jumped out of his skin before he realized what it was, and raised his Poketch, brow furrowed.
"Who is it?" asked Metchi.
"It's… Niss?"
He stretched one of the earphones from the side of the device and put it in his ear before answering. Judging by the way he squinted, he could barely hear the girl on the other side.
"Niss? Ye-yeah I'm here. We're here in Sunyshore," he said, speaking loudly. "Yeah sorry, there's some music… huh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Why do you…"
There was a moment of silence.
"…Huh? What, did something happen?" he asked, a hint of panic. "No, I haven't heard anything. What's–"
He didn't say anything for a few seconds, and then his face went deathly pale, all that warmth and brightness from before evaporating in an instant.
"Wh–mom? What happened to her?"