We've reached the final chapter of Turmoil. I hope it stuns you. Please enjoy Chapter 21.
Chapter 21
A Verismo
"Did we do it?"
Gloria's echo was hollow to Ash's ears. His eyes stared blankly at the smoking wreckage, doused in the darkness. The once brightly lit tubes had gone dead, not a single ounce of energy, Dynamax or otherwise, running through them. His fingers pressed into Pikachu's fur, realizing his partner had calmed.
"I can't tell." That was Marnie's voice. A screen lit up the room, the only other illumination being that of the moon filtering in through the holes in the ceiling. At her voice, Leon stood, releasing Bede and Gloria from his hold. The girl was quick to stand, running over to where her fellow trainers were. Raboot and Clobbopus joined her, though none were quick to share in any victory celebrations yet. "There's no service in here…"
"Let's check outside," Hop suggested. Before anyone could stop them, the three teens dashed for the exit. Bede was speechless, shaking as he looked over his downed Pokémon.
Ash reached up and slapped his own face before striding over, hauling Bede up by his jacket and beginning to drag him out of the facility. Leon continued staring.
"What have they done…?" he was whispering. Ash didn't have the answer, nor did he want to know it. It would inevitably come, in any case.
Ash continued dragging the strangely compliant Bede, while Decidueye and Charizard grabbed his partners. It didn't take long for them to emerge outside to utter darkness. Only Marnie's phone could be seen, slightly up the level of ruins. Leaving the stunned boy behind, Ash clambered up to join them.
"Why's it so dark out here, anyway?" Hop asked. He was squinting, though none moreso than Gloria, who was looking far east, towards Spikemuth.
"I don't see the clouds…" she noted. A smile started to stretch itself across her face, while the pit in Ash's stomach began to sink. "I think we did it! I think Spikemuth is safe!"
"I have to call Piers, then!"
"Can you even get through? I doubt the phone lines are still working there," Hop pointed out. Marnie shrugged, and attempted to dial, only to receive a busy signal. It didn't stop her from trying, or Ash from reaching the three and pulling them close to him. He looked over the horizon.
It was pitch-black. Silent.
The only movement in the ruins was that of Leon and his Charizard walking out from below. Ash knew something had gone very wrong.
Soon as he thought this, the ruins suddenly flooded with light.
Gloria and her friends winced, covering their eyes from the sudden bright lights. Screeching tires came roaring through the ruins, down ramps and slopes until Ash could see the armored vehicles emblazoned with the crest that was Macro Cosmos. Sirens were attached to each, and in seconds, the entire area was surrounded, flooded with police and the officials that Leon had said were coming.
Each of them had a Pokémon with them, an array of Boltund and Steel types that ringed the party that had gathered there. All their attention was focused on them.
"What…what's going on?" Gloria asked, her words tremulous. She saw fit to return Clobbopus, but Ash could feel her and the others shaking. It was an unknown variable, but one that became far more obvious when the last transport opened with a hiss, and a familiar woman walked out, taking long steps to the damaged facility. She didn't even pay Leon any mind, not until she'd examined its interior.
With every second of waiting, the air grew thicker with tension, and the ring a little tighter. Officer Jenny approached Oleana, though the ash-blonde ignored her for a long while until she stepped out, lips pursed. The policewoman looked to her for instruction, and Ash felt like his stomach was about to drop out from the very implication.
She didn't just have an iron grip on Rose.
"Them."
"Officers," Jenny called, raising her hand. With precision, they moved in. The first to be reached was Bede, the platinum-haired boy being gripped tight.
"Hey! Let go of me! Let go of me you filthy little-"
"Leave him," Oleana said, waving the issue aside to approach the boy. Leon was staring at her, dumbstruck, but his face was transforming into one of concern as the woman grabbed Bede's arm. "Remand him into my custody. He was here on orders. As were you, Champion. It seems you failed."
Leon was speechless, though not for long. His tune quickly changed as the police climbed to the upper level. Ash turned around, ready to order Pikachu to attack, to stop them from doing something so foolish, but the upper level was too crowded and he fell, cushioned by Charizard on his way down.
"Hey! What are you doing? Let go!" Gloria was shouting. Ash righted himself, and prepared to climb, only for the moonlit shadow of Oleana to be cast over him.
"I wouldn't, unless you prefer to join her."
"Join her in what?" Ash asked, rounding on the woman with a growl. Her expression didn't shake once, even when Leon came near. "She's just a kid! So are the rest of them!"
"Officer Jenny, please read off the warrant," Oleana said. This time, her expression did change, the rather proud little smirk stretching her face wider with every word the officer began to read in her official voice.
"For the destruction of Macro Cosmos property," she said, swallowing before she could continue on. Up above, the police and employees had pinned the teenagers and their Pokémon to the ground, preventing them from going anywhere. "And for the widespread damage to the Galarian energy system across eastern Galar, the perpetrators are under arrest."
"What?!" Gloria and Marnie managed to screech out. They thrashed, but were pinned down for a second and then hauled up. It looked painful, and Ash wanted to get right in there and free them. "We didn't do anything like that! We were just saving Spikemuth!"
"So, you admit to destroying our generator, one providing electricity for all of Circhester and its surrounding settlements," Oleana said. She shook her head, and Ash lashed out, his hand grabbing at her upper arm.
"Why?" he asked. "Why are you doing this?"
She wrenched free. "I didn't do anything. Your little protégé is the one who caused a blackout across Galar, and for what? Believing herself to be a hero? Would seem you didn't teach her very well."
"That's a bloody lie!" Gloria screamed. Ash looked up at her, the girl trying to break free from the officials that were dragging her, Marnie and Hop away. Marnie was silent, unable to process the event, but Hop seemed to just be trying to get the words out. "Spikemuth was in trouble! It was because of this!"
"We'll sort her delusions from the truth in Hammerlocke. Take them away," Oleana said with a wave. Then she shoved the still silent Bede into the arms of a different official. Another grabbed the boy's Pokémon. "And take this one to Wyndon."
"You heard her," Officer Jenny said, waving her men to move the teens to the transports. Hop finally managed to let his strangled cry be heard.
"Lee! You can't let them do this! She didn't-"
"Quiet!" Hop must have been smacked from behind, for he went silent following the loud noise, but it managed to finally work his brother into gear.
"Oleana, is all this really necessary?" Leon asked. His eyes were clouded, but his lips were taut, beginning to show the bulging cheekbones on his face. "Ash is right. They're just kids. They couldn't have known what that was for."
"Be that as it may, how will you explain the damage done to the cities?" Oleana said. Her smirk was gone, replaced with the cold, precise woman, tinkering with a plan she had set in motion. Ash's fist clenched tight, almost cutting off circulation to his hand. Pikachu looked up at him, but neither had anything to say. "Especially Spikemuth. We've sent an investigative team there already. No doubt your friends will return with them. We have questions."
"Oleana, please, listen to reason!" She didn't, ignoring Leon entirely. With a quick whip of her heels, she clacked away, towards one of the trucks. Ash made to follow, Leon alongside him. Before they could reach the woman's vehicle, the door had snapped shut and the engine revved, taking off down the dirt road. So, too, did the vehicle containing Gloria and the others. Ash looked inside as it passed, and his heart clenched at the sight of the three being unable to do anything but stare blankly ahead.
"Champion, we'll need your statement."
"Of course…" Leon hardly sounded enthusiastic about it, and Ash could barely restrain the growl that wanted to emerge. It stopped neither of them from joining the officer in her car, their Pokémon returned, and the vehicle revving off for Hammerlocke.
The car hit a few bumps on the road, but didn't stop Ash from looking out the window, his mind trying to work out some solution, but coming up with nothing. It was out of his wheelhouse, and he hated it. The very thought made a sigh leave his lips, one which doubled when he saw just how dark the eastern coast looked. His already twisted stomach tied itself further into knots.
How had he not realized it in time…?
"It'll be fine, Ash," Leon assured him. Or tried to. He didn't sound quite so sure, himself. "I promise, Gloria won't be arrested. I'm sure it's all theater…"
"Yeah, starting to sound just like Galar…" Ash said with a scoff. His bitterness made Leon flinch, something that came into sharper relief when they trundled into Hammerlocke, still as brightly lit as ever. Ash rested his chin on his palm, not wanting to engage with Leon further. He wasn't sure he, himself, had made the right choice, and he had certainly failed Gloria, but he still thought it was better than doing nothing. Theater for what…?
"Everyone looks disturbed…"
"We've yet to broadcast details," Officer Jenny called back. It offered Ash just a little bit of hope, rubbing Pikachu on the head; Gloria hadn't been plastered over the news as a perpetrator at the very least. "However, the blackout and preceding explosion have everyone just a little unsettled."
"Maybe you should go and reassure them," Ash said, unable to stop the biting edge. "You and the other Gym Leaders are good at that."
"I'd prefer to set the record straight." It was the nobility of his character that made Ash stop. He softened a bit; perhaps he was judging just a bit too harshly.
The car came to a stop, right outside the Hammerlocke police station, and Ash hopped out immediately, rushing inside. It was crazy in there, employees of Macro Cosmos lining the walls with various Klang or Ferrothorn, like an armed escort. Ash tried to ignore that unsettling feeling, and the ringing of phones that indicated the panic rolling across Galar in that moment.
Ash's eyes were only looking for Gloria. Instead, he could just find Marnie and Hop.
"Ash!" Marnie called, lighting up at his presence. She looked overjoyed to see him, running over without thinking and throwing her arms around him. There were tears in her eyes, but they were not full of the same joy. "We tried to tell 'em they were wrong, but they…they got a call and-"
"It's okay, Marnie. Calm down. Where's Gloria?" Marnie couldn't get the words out. She stumbled back, into a chair, and Ash realized that both her and Hop were unshackled.
"They took her back. Just her. Even left Raboot behind," Hop answered. His hands were in his pockets, and before anyone could stop him, he kicked at a wastepaper basket, startling Marnie, but not the rabbit sitting on the floor. "Damn it. I should've-"
"Don't despair, Hop. She may have acted rashly, but she only did what she thought was right," Leon assured his brother. Hop swallowed, appearing to bite his tongue, but he still turned away from his brother. "Ash, we should…"
"Yeah." Ash reached up to pat Marnie on the head, and then Pikachu leapt into her lap. His own intention was clear: in a room where so much was at stake, he would protect the two and their Pokémon. Knowing they were in good hands, Ash moved to join Leon.
"Ah, excuse me!" Officer Jenny shouted when they were halfway to the interrogation rooms. Ash turned, while Leon didn't stop, but when the blue-haired woman approached, it was clear the message wasn't for the Champion in the first place. "Mr. Ketchum, right? You have a call."
"I do?" Leon looked back, but Ash nodded him on. They were sure to have enough time to catch up with Gloria. So, he faced away, walking with Officer Jenny until they reached a phone. "Serena."
"Oh, thank goodness…" Serena was gripping at her chest, her hair disheveled, as though she'd been woken up and had spent far too long pacing. "I was starting to worry something had happened to you. When the news of explosion came out, and then they started reporting your name…"
"My name?" Ash asked, his eyes narrowing. "Gloria's, too?"
Serena nodded, beginning to confirm the worst. He didn't let it show on his face. "Ash, what happened out there? All they reported was an explosion that you, Gloria and a few others were involved in. That and the blackout."
"I…I honestly don't know, myself," Ash answered, his fingers beginning to grip at the phone, denting it a little. "But I'm going to find out. I promise."
"Ash-"
"Ash!" The call from Astrid was matched by those from Bonnie and even Greninja. His faithful frog stopped before getting near, greeting Pikachu with a wave, but Astrid and Bonnie refused to stop until they, too, were near the screen. Serena nodded to both.
"You got here fast."
"Bonnie might have commandeered the vehicle," Astrid admitted. She blew up, pushing her bangs aside, while Bonnie grinned. That very same grin dropped in seconds. "Gordie and Piers stayed behind, and the three idiots…"
"They ran as soon as the police arrived…something about protecting Y, or getting into contact. You know them," Bonnie said. She looked around. "Where's Gloria?"
"I'm trying to get to her, but I keep being distracted." Bonnie had the sense to look sheepish, but Astrid continued looking concerned. A quick match of her eyes showed that the woman had a guess as to what was going on. He turned back to Serena, silently recalling Greninja. "Don't worry. I'll leave your dad out of any of it…and Alastair, if I can. It's more important to get Gloria out of whatever trouble Oleana is trying to put her in."
"Do your best," Serena said. Ash tapped the phone and walked away, leaving Astrid and Bonnie to pick up the thread of conversation.
He didn't look back, forging his way through the station until he reached the backrooms where the interrogations took place. One door was slightly ajar, and he stepped through it, immediately greeted by Gloria sitting up. "Ash, what's going on? Leon won't say anything and I-"
"It's okay. Relax. We'll get you out of this."
"Will you now?" Ash hated that voice, and was particularly beginning to hate the woman who owned it. The door snapped shut behind her, Oleana walking in the room holding nothing but a thin device. There was no Officer Jenny, no Macro Cosmos employees. Just the four of them. "I'd say you're in quite the situation, Challenger Gloria."
"I don't understand how, though?" Gloria said, sitting back. Ash finally realized her hands were uncuffed, and Leon's words returned to him. This was all for theater. All for a show. "That generator was causing the Power Spot to appear in Spikemuth and rip it apart. Piers can tell you!"
"I'm well aware of what happened in Spikemuth, girl," Oleana said, leaning over and tossing the device on the table. It lit up with various images, shots of blackened towns, and some of the very device she destroyed. "However, you have no proof of the generator causing this, and I'm afraid that with it lost, there will be no evidence to prove anything. All I see is a girl so desperate to make a name for herself that she ended up destroying priceless property which likewise resulted in millions in damages to Circhester and all of eastern Galar."
"Oleana, that's more than a bit harsh," Leon said, folding his arms. "There's no way Gloria could have known that. And she was not the only one there. That boy, Bede, goaded her and caused just as much damage."
"Can you prove that?" The metal table began to groan under Ash's increasing pressure. It was beginning to feel more and more like some kind of tactic to get rid of Gloria…get rid of him. Gloria was shaking her head, trying to convince otherwise but unable to get the proper words out. "No, see, there's no proof of anything. No cameras. No generator. And no light."
"So, what? You're just going to arrest her? You have no proof she did anything either!" Ash said, slamming his hands on the table. Oleana summarily ignored him. It didn't matter to her. Not Gloria's future. Not proof. "You just want someone to blame…"
"The people need someone to blame. Do you have anyone in mind, Ash Ketchum?" Her lidded eyes turned in his direction, the sneer upon her lips. It was a clear statement, a reminder that she had once threatened them to never cross her. A reminder of Lance's belief of what she was attempting. And with so much power behind her, Ash was quickly feeling the impact of who held all the power in the Galar Region, and whose ear she yet held.
"Whether the people need someone or not, blaming a kid is going too far. We're looking to support a new generation, not bring it crashing down!"
"You're right," Oleana admitted, swiping the device from the table and powering the pictures down. "To be honest, none of this is even necessary. It has been decided. You're free to go, Gloria.
"But you are hereby disqualified from the Gym Challenge."
Gloria fell back, halfway from getting up. Her arms fell limply at her side, every single effort to compose her body giving out. She stared blankly at Oleana, her breath becoming a short gasp. Ash felt it, too, his body going numb. He looked to Gloria, her skin gone pale. Her mouth flapped, but she could form no words.
It was, in a single word, devastating.
For the first time, Ash and Leon saw eye to eye, at least for a moment. Ash rounded on Oleana, the woman standing and preparing to leave. Leon, however, spoke. "That's preposterous! She was doing something she…she thought was right! To disqualify her-"
"It is the greatest saving grace I can offer," Oleana said, shrugging. It was so cold and callous, Ash wanted to knock her flat on the floor. She just didn't care about the dreams she was stepping over, the future they were all trying to build. He struggled to catch his breath. "Just as Bede was disqualified for such endangerment, Gloria is a discredit to this Gym Challenge. Her impulsive, rash behavior is frowned upon for one who would try to become Champion."
"She made a single mistake! We all do!"
"Champion," Oleana said, her lips pursed and her tone terse. "My words are the words of the Chairman. Honor them. That is all."
The woman swept from the room. Ash wanted to bar her way, wanted to force her to overturn the decision, but she was gone before he could even figure out what he wanted to say. He was starting to feel lost.
Hoping to do something, anything, Ash turned to Gloria, slumped in her chair. Her eyes were unblinking, but unseeing. She reacted to nothing, but for her lip trembling. He reached out a hand to her, when a crash sounded from outside the door. Hop and the others had arrived, but each stopped short at the sight of Gloria. Their stricken faces communicated everything.
"So, it's…it's true…?" Hop said, his face aghast. "That's not…Lee, couldn't you do anything?"
Ash began to dig his nails in deeper. She had acted so quick, made it so public and permanent. It was proven by Marnie's hands quivering with her phone, the news story displayed. The disqualification was already listed on the rankings. "Raboot…"
Gloria's steadfast partner, bruised and burned, shuffled up to her. She finally found it in her to react, her breath in rattles as she turned to pat him on the head. "I'm…I'm fine…"
"Mate, you are not fine. You're-" Gloria stood, perhaps in a momentary act of defiance, but enough to silence Hop. He was quieted further by a ringing from Leon's pocket, the man taking out his Rotom Phone. All eyes were on him.
"Forgive me." His presence moved all others aside as he left the room. Ash followed right after.
"So that's it?" Ash asked, chasing after the man through the police station. It drew eyes, especially those of his companions. Pikachu joined back up with him once they had all left the room, watching him pursue the Champion. "You just hear the words come from Rose's mouth and you give up?! Leon, Gloria's dream was just taken from her and you won't fight for it?!"
"You think I don't know that!" Leon shouted, perhaps louder than he intended to, as many eyes were drawn to the pair. With a frown, Leon pulled Ash aside, to a more secluded place. "I know, and it kills me to see it. Disqualifications are rare at best. Overturning one is…"
"So that means you just roll over and let it? Just like last time? Can't you see what that led to?!"
"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu agreed. It drew a sigh from Leon's lips, his eyes looking past Ash to the gathering of their group emerging from the room. Gloria was chief amongst them, some of the officers looking at her, but many going back to their business in dealing with what had happened.
"No, but, take a look around…" Leon said, hand on Ash's shoulder. He shrugged it off. "This isn't the time to worry about one trainer's fate when there's a region."
"If you can't help one trainer, then what does it matter?"
"That's childish." Ash didn't care about that. Leon's lips twisted back and forth a time before another sigh split them. "I'll…I'll see what I can do. Put in a good word. But…it's unlikely she'll be able to see the Wyndon Conference this season. I'm sorry."
Ash didn't need the platitude of the hand on his shoulder, Leon pulling away to whatever duty supposedly called him. He didn't need the "maybe". He didn't need the constant reminder that Macro Cosmos owned the Gym Challenge.
And he certainly didn't need to see Leon walking away, calling himself the undefeated Champion that couldn't care for a single trainer who was hurting.
"Gloria!" The sudden cry from Hop called attention the girl, whose knees gave out beneath her. She was collapsing, breaking into little pieces, and he understood. His muscles tightened, blood drawn on his palm, as flashes of his own defeats came to him.
She didn't deserve this.
"Pikapi?" Ash snorted, and whipped around. Pikachu barely clung to him as he stormed forward, out of the police station and into the moonlit skies of Hammerlocke. Many gave him a wide berth, sensing he wasn't there to be trifled with. His feet pounded across the stone streets, ignoring the televisions broadcasting the confusion, stomping right for the Hammerlocke Gym and the power plant therein.
Two people stood out front, each with a different Steel type, but he didn't stop.
"This area is off-limits to civi-"
"Move!" Ash snapped. He was done playing around, and when Pikachu sparked up, they scrammed, permitting him access to the power plant, and the woman who had just arrived back inside, swiping her card. "Oleana!"
"Ugh, what do you want this time, Mr. Ketchum?" She turned, the scowl not deterring Ash in the slightest as he came to stop before her. Her lips still snarling at him, she gave him no quarter to respond at all. "Just because you are a League Liaison does not mean you can go traipsing about demanding whatever you want from me."
"I don't want anything from you," Ash insisted, matching her scowl with his own. Pikachu backed him up, though Oleana didn't appear to care much. "I want to talk with your boss."
"The chairman is a busy man, with many things to do. He has no time to-"
"He can make time." Ash took a step forward. Oleana didn't flinch. "I want to talk to Rose. Alone."
His demand brought in a slight hesitation. Her scowl melted into something else, something more enigmatic. "I speak for the chairman. There is no need to see him."
"I think we'll be the ones to decide that." Another step, and still Oleana did not budge. "You just shattered the dreams of someone I care about. Someone I've seen work hard. Maybe she isn't another Leon, or a Champion yet, but she is still honest, hardworking, and deserves to complete her Challenge. I won't let you decide that!"
"You mean to challenge me?" This time she did take a step back.
"I've challenged lots of people. Elites, Champions, people who wanted to end the world, people in pain," Ash said, getting in the woman's face. "I don't know which you are, or what your plans are, but I will not let you use them to hurt the people I love. Take me to Rose. Now."
Oleana's eyes blinked, losing their lidded stance to go wide for all of a second. She scoffed, and that scoff soon turned to laughter. "Ever the bleeding heart. Soft, too, if you think I have anything planned."
"Stop with the-"
"Very well. Yes. I'll take you to the chairman." She swiped her card and opened the doors wide. Ash followed in, riding the elevator to a lower level.
Sound assaulted him the second they stepped off, the power plant going into overdrive as they tried to fix the situation that had occurred. The panic was palpable, but Ash couldn't worry for them. He had his eyes on the one man who could fix the situation. Walking down the halls, bumping into a man with blond hair poking out of his hat, Ash kept his eyes on Oleana's back, all the way to the quietest hallway, one out-of-place and ostentatious door sitting at the end of it. She gestured towards it, and with a smirk, permitted him to walk on alone.
Pikachu glared at her on the way, and the pair stepped forward, down the length until they pushed the door open and emerged in a nicely furnished office. The first thing Ash saw was the large window, overlooking something both below and above, but when he stepped in, that same window was covered in shading, the chair at the desk turning around to show Rose. The man looked up, scratching at his beard.
"Ash! This is a pleasant surprise! Though, not so pleasant a time, of course." Rose stood, extending his hand to shake Ash's. "What can I do you for? Though, pray make it quick. We're a little busy…for obvious reasons."
"Did you give the order to disqualify Gloria from the Gym Challenge?" Ash cut straight to the chase, stunning Rose where he stood. "Because it's a mistake."
"Well, I must admit this isn't what I-"
"Overturn it." He knew he wasn't in the position to make a demand, but Rose continued to listen. "Gloria is a good trainer, and she acted in the best interests. You can't let her future be ruined. Please don't make the same mistake you made with Bede. Don't send any other trainer down the path he took."
Rose continued to stare, licking his lips for a moment, and then he drew back. There was a clear deliberation in his mind, but after a time, he finally spoke. His voice, however, sounded different. "So, you finally have use of your position."
"What?" Rose chuckled under his breath.
"I'm a businessman, and not in the business of giving things away for free," the chairman said. He sat down, prompting for Ash to do the same, though he was too slow to join him. Rose cocked his head, bending one knee over the other. "And you're a League Liaison.
"So…liaise."
Ash glanced at Pikachu, both unsettled by the sudden change in tone. Worse yet, was the newfound sharpness of Rose's eyes. Cold, dead and efficient. The genial man who had greeted him, spoken with him, appeased him…all of it was gone. Instead, there was a man, locking his fingers together and staring at him expectantly. It forced Ash to sit, swallowing. "What…what are you talking about?"
"You came here to make a deal, yes? To use your vaunted position to secure her reinstatement." Rose didn't change position, and Ash felt lower than him. Outmatched. The chairman leaned forward, showing a little bit of teeth in his growing grin. "I expected as much. You've never been one to let injustice stand. Dive right into the heat of a battle, something you're familiar with, no doubt. Something it would seem you passed on to your protégé. Something I've been thinking of making use of for quite some time, if I can be blunt."
"I don't…I don't understand…"
"No, of course you don't. If you had understood, all of this would have been for naught." Rose now stood, done with his relaxed position. The shift in demeanor made him a man of ruthless action, and now, Ash could see how a man such as him had become the chairman of the greatest company in Galar. The whole thing made Ash feel like he was underwater, gasping for air. "Instead, you defaulted to your never-give-up attitude. A charming attitude and notion, but one for a rather antiquated age. Old-fashioned, if you will.
"One out of place in this new era of change."
Ash felt the wind was knocked from his lungs. He had expected reasonability, or at least the amiable man he had treated with before, free of Oleana's poisonous influence. He shook his head. That was the only answer for it, had to be. Oleana still had her grip on him, even now. He finally found the words to speak. "I don't understand what you're talking about, but it doesn't matter. I just need you to overturn Oleana's decision to-"
"Oleana? Is that what you thought?" Rose chuckled, turning around. There was a light frown etched there, though the man's eyes danced with amusement. "I'm a bit disappointed in you, Ash. I'd have thought a trainer of your skill and stature in legend would have been able to figure it out, though I suppose Leon is even more of a dullard than you at times. Did you really think Oleana was calling the shots in my Galar? Or did you seriously believe I would put a woman I couldn't control directly under me?"
Ash's breaths were heavier now, his temporary shutdown coming back online as his brain caught up to all the words that Rose was speaking. His face twisted with horror, his eyes drawn to the man and his austere expression. Images of destruction, the name engraved on the generator, and the supposed cocoon Bonnie had mentioned came to him. His fist tightened on his knee. "You…? You did this? Spikemuth? Gloria? Motostoke, too?"
"Before you accuse me, know you have no evidence of a thing." Rose now placed his hands behind his back, walking around the desk. Ash's hand unfurled and gripped at his knees, clenching his teeth. He was feeling overwhelmed, but the more Rose talked, the more apparent everything became. "But don't beat yourself up too much. There was never going to be any evidence left behind. Whether it had been you, your apprentice, or even the self-destruct system I built in, the devastation would remain without the proof of who had caused a thing. I just needed someone reckless enough to find it, but of course, I knew you'd come running once Spikemuth happened."
"Why?!" Ash shouted. His blood caught back up to his brain and he stood, kicking the chair to the floor. "These are people's lives you're talking about! And you're trying to play everyone? Leon already belongs to you, but now you're trying to hurt people like Gloria, who-"
"Ah, yes. Gloria." Rose gripped Ash's shoulder, calming his tirade in an instant. His stare bored into Ash's, and a hand hovered near his waist. The intention was clear; though a businessman, he was not opposed to violence. "I am quite fond of her, but when I saw how willing you were to save Bean's career, well…I knew that was a sentiment I could use to my advantage."
"You tossed her aside like she meant nothing! And did the same to Bede!"
"Oh, I know, I know. And it breaks my heart to have to disqualify potential Champion candidates just for this, but I'm sure they'll understand when the vision I have for our world in this new age comes to light." Rose finally removed his hand, assured that Ash wouldn't try to attack him in any way. He wanted to, of course, but with Pikachu's claws digging into him, he knew even his position wouldn't save him. "Though it's not like anyone can defeat Leon anyway, so the oaf is useful to keep around for now."
"What vision? What vision of the world could be so important to-"
"Not one I care to share. Not now, at least. That deserves a more appropriate time…and a more appropriate stage," Rose said, his nod carrying the air of conclusion. He made his way back around the desk, Ash trailing him the whole way until he sat back down, leaning forth on his elbows and crossing his fingers. "And that is the reason you are here. Not to observe and report, though I'd gather you've seen more than enough, but to make a deal."
"Deal?" Ash asked. He couldn't keep up anymore, growing tired, and there was little doubt that Rose knew it, else he would not be grinning.
"I reinstate Gloria to the Gym Challenge, clear her name and pin it elsewhere. Perhaps those three idiots from the former Team Rocket snooping around. In return, you gather me the Champions." Ash was unsure how to respond, like much of the rest of the conversation. Though Rose was asking it of him, his brain was already searching for a way out. The disarming smile was nearly enough to convince him there was no point to it. "The Wyndon Conference is in less than a month, time enough for many to complete the Gym Challenge, and I want it to be big. Bigger than Lanakila, Lily of the Valley, Lumiose. For that, I need the Champions of all regions here in Galar. Of course, they're always so busy, and wouldn't care to come even for reviewing our League. Thus, it is a task only the League Liaison can accomplish.
"Convince them to come here, and Gloria's dream can be made real. Fail, and I'm afraid I have to resort to…other methods sooner. Ones not so pleasant for her, or the League, I'd imagine."
Ash bit at his lip, his breath coming out uneven. Rose continued to stare, knowing full well the position he had him in. Even if he refused…even if he could callously toss Gloria aside, it would make no difference. Every situation was dismissed soon as it arrived. Attacking the beloved Chairman would merely make him an enemy. Trying to find the cocoon would only power down the rest of Galar. There was no way forward but to accede to Rose's ambitions, whatever they were for.
Rose's eyes made that clear. His following words only exacerbated it.
"I know, it must be frustrating. So used to fighting your way out of every situation. You're now at a loss, but I assure you, Ash. This is for the best." Ash rounded on him, taking sharp breaths, restraining himself and Pikachu, who growled at the chairman. Rose's eyes softened. "There is no other way for the new era. The only way for her legacy to be made real."
Ash didn't know what he meant, or what he had planned. He only knew what was at stake. Gloria's face, smiling from when she had caught her first Pokémon, won her first Gym battle, swam before his eyes. The look on her face when he had told her stories. Her bright grin when she employed Countershield. When she heard him give her praise.
And the devastation that rocked her when she was disqualified.
In that moment, he hated Rose, but in his heart, he was forced to agree. His brain strained a little longer, hoping to find a loophole, some way that wouldn't cause retaliation. Some way where Gloria could smile again.
He found nothing. Just the road to Wyndon, paved on Rose's intentions.
Ash slammed a fist on the desk, and when that action toppled a picture frame, the vibration completed, he extended his hand. It shook, his legs threatening to give out. "You'll…you'll bring her back in immediately? No tricks?"
"I'm a man of my word. Shrewd, and not one given to whimsy. You have my word, Gloria will be cleared, passed off as a glitch in the system, so long as you keep up your end, League Liaison."
"Then…d-deal." He spat the word like poison, and Rose clasped the hand, sealing it. It felt like the bars of a cell closing around him, and Ash turned with deadened steps.
"Chu…" Pikachu's head hung as the two faced the door out, looking more ominous than it had coming in. Rose was speaking again, even as they walked away, up until their hand was on the doorknob.
"I'll be returning to Wyndon tomorrow evening. Send them there in time for the Conference. I know I'll hear from you soon."
Ash gave pause, swallowing the thick lump in his throat. The cocoon. The destruction at Spikemuth and Motostoke. Lance's words about the power play Oleana…no, that Rose must have been making. All of it coalesced in his brain, and his fingers curled inward. Acquiescence or not, the fire came back into him, knowing who he would rely on, and what he'd have to do to make it right. Ash faced back, straightening his back. "You do know, whatever vision this is, or plan you have…I won't let you do it. I won't let you hurt them. Neither will the Champions."
"Oh, I'm aware," Rose said, looking up with a twinkle in his eye. The geniality had returned, and it made Ash wish to vomit, the door swinging open. "But then, desperate men make different choices. I look forward to the one the world makes.
"One month, Ash Ketchum."
Ash left the room, slamming the door with finality. Rose's words echoed after him.
The sun that rose that morning over Hammerlocke was a cold one. Perhaps it matched the way Circhester would dawn, or Spikemuth, the loss of power still broadcasting all over the region. It was momentous, a fear that rippled its way through the public, looking for someone, anyone, to give them comfort and peace. To convince them the world had not ended.
For Gloria, it already had.
She couldn't feel anything, or see anything. Sitting on a bench at the park in Hammerlocke, watching the sun rise, all she saw was darkness. It was all over.
"The sunrise is pretty," Marnie said, her voice coming out as a croak. No one had spoken the entire night. Some were shivering from the unseasonable chill, but others, such as Astrid and Bonnie, looked used to it. They remained silent at Marnie's statement. So did Gloria, and the girl realized that her words meant nothing. She bowed her head.
"Rabuh…" Raboot sidled closer to his trainer, but Gloria could barely feel him trying to give her warmth. Nor did she want to run away, knowing her legs would simply give out beneath her.
Though she had held it in for hours, the tears were finally coming to her eyes as the light assailed them. Her fingers trembled against one another, and her throat dried up, letting loose a muted, strangled sob. Next to her, Hop reached his hand out, taking hers and squeezing it, but she knew he couldn't understand. Couldn't feel what she was feeling, even if he wanted to help. Even if she wanted him to do something. Anything.
It was all her fault.
That was the only thought in her brain. The one thought taking precedence over everything. She had wanted so desperately to help, to do something, be something, and all it had done was make things worse. How she wanted to scream. Bury her head into Hop's chest and scream, but the sound couldn't make itself out.
Now she was just empty.
Wanting to be told it would be okay, Gloria turned to Hop, meeting his eyes. They were clouded over, lost themselves, and she couldn't do it. Because it wouldn't be enough.
"Ash."
Hop's hand left hers, the chill returning to it when everyone stood with Astrid's call. Gloria remained seated, still sure that her legs would give out. Instead, she looked up to see Ash approaching. He looked tired, and almost lonely in the abandoned park at dawn. Something had changed for him, but Gloria…all she wanted to do was apologize. Apologize for failing him.
"Did you fix it?" Bonnie asked. Gone was her chipper attitude, instead all business for the League Liaison.
Ash sighed, Pikachu with him. "I fixed part of it."
"What does that mean?" Astrid asked. She had folded her arms, staring at him pointedly. "Did Oleana rebuff you, or…?"
"Oleana doesn't matter. Rose is the one I had to make a deal with."
"Rose?!" Astrid's question was matched by the chorus of everyone's voices but Gloria's. She just couldn't bring herself to care, not after everything her actions had wrought.
"Rose is the one who planned all of this. Spikemuth, Motostoke…I just…didn't see it." Ash removed his hat, running his fingers through his hair while he looked beyond the horizon. "And now, I have to deal with it. I need to get the Champions here, which means we need to meet and talk about how to deal with the situation, and it needs to be soon, in case Rose goes back on the deal. I don't think a simple phone call will do with them all over the place."
"And…and Gloria?" Hop asked. He was shaking, too, not even doubting Ash's words regarding the Chairman. There was no reason to deny any of it. Ash wasn't one given to lying that way.
"Reinstated. Name cleared." Gloria found herself able to look up, and she could see Ash's wan smile, directed straight at her. "You're still a Challenger, Gloria."
"I…I'm…" Gloria could barely believe her mouth was forming the words. Shattered, then repaired, her heart began to beat wildly, running the gamut of emotions in so short a time. She was trembling again, wanting to fling herself onto him, and thank him.
But Astrid spoke. "I'm sensing there's a but to this."
"Like I said, I made a deal," Ash said. He shook his head, looking more frustrated than Gloria had felt mere moments ago. "Gloria's reputation and place is restored, but I have to bring the Champions to Wyndon for the League. Which means…"
"You're…you're leaving?!" Gloria found herself able to get to her feet. She shook her head fiercely. "No. No, you can't!"
"Gloria…" Ash took a deep breath, and then offered her a smile. She continued shaking her head, her brunette locks flying back and forth. "Sometimes, there are things we have to do, even if we don't want to. But I made that deal so you could keep going, become Champion."
"I can't…you can't…" Gloria made to grab for him, but only managed to grip the front of his shirt, crumpling it between her fingers. "I…"
Witnessing the exchange, Astrid turned away, scoffing, while Hop kicked at the legs of the bench. Bonnie and Marnie were more silent, unable to find the words. Ash, however, found the action, taking Gloria into a hug and holding her tight. She buried her face in that chest, her tears staining his shirt. "Gloria. You're strong. Stronger than you were. And you'll keep growing stronger, walking your own path."
"But I can't!" she cried out, the words muffled through the fabric. "I…I can't without you. I only got so far…because of you! Your adventures! Your tactics! You…you…
"I just wanted to be like you!"
Her words were so strangled, it felt like her soul was being ripped raw to speak them. Though she didn't say the rest aloud, it kept hammering inside of her over and over: her fault, her fault. It was all her fault.
"But Gloria, you're not me," Ash said. He pulled her away, and she found her legs crumble from beneath her, collapsing to the dusty floor of the playground. Ash kneeled at her side, smiling softly. Pikachu's tail came up, wiping the tears away, but she couldn't stop them falling. "Those Gym Badges? They weren't won by me. They're yours."
"But I only got them because you taught me! You can't go, Ash! You're…" Gloria reached for him, but her arm collapsed midway, her breath emerging with a rattle. "I don't want you to go…I don't…it was my fault…"
"Gloria, listen to me." Ash took her by the shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes. "None of this is your fault."
"But I thought I could do something…I thought I could be like you. Like a hero and I…Now you're leaving because…"
"Because of Rose. Not you." Ash reached up, and flicked her on the head, showcasing his calm smile. She so desperately wanted it to set her at ease. "The only thing you did was do what any trainer would do. What any Champion would do. That's why I know you'll have the determination to make it to the top, and I'll be watching you no matter what."
Gloria couldn't say anything. Could only watch as Ash pulled away, coming to a stand and looking out to the horizon. "Galar is a beautiful place. Strong, determined. Just like the very best of it. I won't let this be the last of it because of his plans. Or the last of you, Gloria.
"I promise, we will meet again."
He bent down one more time, perhaps in an act of impulsivity, and planted his lips on her forehead. When he withdrew, Gloria could only watch him. He shared some words with Astrid and Bonnie, asking them to stay with her. Pikachu left his shoulder, running up to Gloria, and nuzzling against her.
"Kapika, chupi!" Pikachu gave her a hug, and then scampered back to his partner.
"One month," Ash said, giving a wave to the group as he began to walk away. "I can't wait to see you at the Wyndon Conference, Gloria! I know you'll make it. But for now, I gotta go and fix this right away. Take care. Later."
Gloria bit down on her teeth, watching Ash walk away. His back was so large, greater than Leon's, or anyone's in the world. She couldn't…she didn't want him to go. "No…come back! Please!"
She tried to run after him, but only when her feet stumbled again did she realize her words had just been a whisper. Ash hadn't heard them. He just walked away, leaving her with her dreams and the promise of a better tomorrow. His wave burned itself into her mind, and all too soon, he was gone, the man she had come to love so much that it hurt disappearing into Hammerlocke's sunrise.
Gloria held it in, pushing up from the ground, wanting to run after him. It was just long enough for her Poké Balls to shine with light, her team surrounding her, calling for her. But all she could do was scream.
He was gone, and she was left alone. Just Gloria.
Gloria from Postwick, good for nothing.
It had been a long day, but a fruitful one.
Pleased with the events, Rose stood within his office in Wyndon, overlooking the shining glittering lights below. With but a single month remaining, already they were beginning to prepare for the League, the different colors coming out all around the city. It was visible to all, and very soon, all would see it.
"To a new era…" he whispered, raising his glass of wine. The music across his speakers swelled to a remarkable level, filling him with reverie. "Please, continue to watch me, and Galar, as we take our rightful place."
In toast, Rose tipped the glass back, the bombastic segment of the beautiful Kalosian opera echoing around his office. As cymbals clanged, the baritone singing, a crash followed and Rose turned, just slightly. His door was wrenched off its hinges, a cloaked man standing, framed in its light. He said nothing, but he stepped aside, his trench coat billowing outwards and revealing the trail of bodies behind him. Macro Cosmos guards who had clearly failed in their sole purpose.
"I'm surprised it took you so long, Alastair." The man didn't respond, whipping Aegislash around. There was a cry from a guard still conscious who leapt at him. Without conscience or delay, Alastair ran him through, pausing only to give enough time for Marshadow to appear, locking the man's shadow in place. "Waiting for Ash Ketchum's departure? You appear to have a soft spot for him."
"Shaking my pursuer." Alastair's growl was tired, like a man who had lived on purpose alone, running himself until he was stripped to the bone.
"Then pray tell, why are you here?"
A grunt followed, and the chink of Aegislash stabbing the carpeted floor was heard. Rose turned back around to see Alastair with a slight lean, though he hardly underestimated the man. Seconds later, he was back up, cleaving through the desk and sending his most cherished picture to the floor. That, Alastair stopped at and looked down, but the burning fury in his gaze returned upon finding Rose. "To topple the king."
"Something I'd imagine you're quite used to, from your days in IDEAL."
Alastair pulled Aegislash back with a feral groan. "Are you pleased, then? Pleased at your pawns having their place? Your plans having their fruition? Your ambitions at their end."
"Oh, my ambition, Galar's ambition, is far from at its end," Rose said, turning away from the shining windows, the might of all Wyndon reflected behind him. He spread his arms. "It is only the beginning. But you know that, else you'd not be here now, when I am most unprotected. Oleana in Hammerlocke, Leon dealing with the fallout. I am unprotected.
"So, what do you plan to do, Alastair the Champion-killer?"
Alastair snarled, pulling up with Aegislash until he was pointed straight at Rose's chest. For a second, as the opera died down into crackling silence, neither men spoke a word. Then, Alastair stepped forward.
"I will put an end to this madness. The only way I know how."
Aegislash plunged forth towards Galar's heart.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: Where to begin with this one?
I guess the first thing I want to note is that of the chapter title. A Verismo. Some may have noticed there were five chapters with certain titles (1, 6, 7, 11 and this one), named Overture, Seria, Recitative, Repetiteur and Verismo. All of these have two things in common. One, they are all derived from opera. Two, they were all chapters in which Rose appeared. The only chapters in which Rose appeared. Connect that to the Kalosian opera and…well, here we are.
And speaking of Rose, I'm sure you might not be fully surprised that he is, in fact, the villain behind it all. That makes sense. So what we wanted to do was instead hide his motivations. And indeed, we've yet to reveal them fully. But one thing is certain: he's making a power play. This isn't about energy, not really. It's about something more: the future. This is a craftier, more malicious Rose. One willing to tear apart someone like Gloria to get what he wants. A number guessed at a disqualification, but I don't think anyone realized she'd be disqualified to put Ash in this position for Rose to finally begin making his move. Then again, many seemed to not realize this has always been his Galar. From the culture to the institutions. For those who thought this was a straight adaptation, this is the moment we say "no, this is something more" about the path to the future, and a deconstruction of Galar into the toxic hellhole Rose made it.
The biggest victim of this is, of course, Gloria. Who in this moment is reaching her lowest. Viroro and I have often described the first book of the trilogy as Gloria wanting to be Leon. This book…was her wanting to be Ash. Constantly seeking his validation, emulating him to the point others realize it, and wanting to desperately be someone. Someone more than Gloria, good for nothing. Where this leads, you'll have to see.
Viroro: And that's it, the final chapter of Turmoil, and the one that turns the whole story on its head. Epicocity already covered a lot of the major points, but this is very much the point where we fully unveil what the story so far has been about. As we defined the whole story, we really wanted to avoid making it just a straightforward and predictable adaptation, and as we reasoned our cast of characters and their arcs, we ended up heavily taking into account the kind of environment they all grew up in, and the man behind it all. This is not a slight to canon or a show of disrespect, and more our attempt to tell an interesting story from the material we were given.
And said story has now brought Gloria down harder than ever, a mere disposable piece in a story much larger than she is, and in a situation where Ash and the others can't just punch the problem away. You will have to see where the story is going to head from here on out, but we hope you will enjoy what's to come.
Now, with that all out of the way (and sorry for the long note), we need to thank people: to Cottonmouth25, Rajiv A. Rajaram, oomoepoo, Captainsquid12 and jjjdunk1 for reviewing. A special thanks to Purim Poipoie, Tenzalucard123, Ander Arias, FantasyLover88, MythGirl Writes, XDiamondX90, ChE clarinetist, Fury, RRV55, and AmourshippingCanon for taking the time to review every chapter. You're the best.
The final installment of the trilogy, Love in the Time of Temerity, is coming soon, debuting on January 4th, 2022. In that meantime, enjoy the holidays, and the summary below:
Galar is changing. The plans set in motion at Spikemuth have left Gloria alone, empty, nothing but the pawn on the board for the malicious game played for the future. Yet in this is that promise for the League ahead, a place for dreams to be made real, one she wishes to stride for with her team at her side, all to answer that question: "What is a Champion?" The Galar Trilogy concludes here.
So, until then, please leave us a Review and, as always,
Dare to Be Silly,
Epicocity