"Change the name?"
"Yes, I know you have a flair for the dramatic, uncle, but that name really sounds like a name reserved for a villain team. Team Rocket? Team Magma? Team Aqua? Or the recently emerged Team Galactic that just attacked Sunyshore in Sinnoh? Ring a bell?"
"Nonsense!" My uncle snorted as we continue to eat our breakfast in our luxurious apartment. "Team Flare is built by me to help make the world a better and beautiful place! It's not a terrorist organisation!"
"Define better and beautiful." I pressed on, because I know better than anyone how one-track my uncle's mind can be. It also doesn't help that he can be extremely stubborn when it comes to his vision of his perfect world. I know I'm being irrational here, but I'm just afraid that if things with my uncle are not handled properly, he might get out of hand.
I read too much of our lands' history to know that it's often the people who started off with the best of intentions that ended up being the worst villains. The most famous example is the Kalos King.
I'm worried because my uncle has no concept or notion of stopping when things get too far. Look at how he spoils me on a regular basis. I have blocks of luxurious apartments from all over the region under my name, buying posh cars for me that I never used, the money in my bank account is filled by my uncle with too many zeroes to count even if I told him I earn enough as a historian, putting me as the co-owner of Lysandre Labs even when I had done absolutely nothing for the company, and many else.
"Eternal beauty, that's what Team Flare is striving for." My uncle spoke while eating his hard boiled egg. "I know you and I don't agree with this idea of 'eternal beauty', Nova, but all I have in mind is to let Team Flare help humanity using only the right ways. If someone doesn't do anything right now, tragedies will happen. I cannot do this alone, so I created Team Flare to help me with it. Malva is in it too."
"Tragedies?" I asked because I'm confused. "Like?"
My uncle drank a little from his cup before continuing.
"You didn't see what I see, Nova. I don't blame you for that because the ugly things that I saw is what I'm trying to protect you from. You didn't deal with all the shortsighted idiots in our Government up there, the fools with no vision but are placed in positions of high power. Tell me, what is the biggest problem Kalos is facing?"
"Overpopulation, which leads to a strain of our natural resources. The Kalos Power Plant was built so many years ago precisely for this purpose, to ensure that we have enough electricity to go around the region because a shortage of power was what we had foreseen should our population continues to grow. Our present situation showed us that building the power plant was the right decision to make."
"That's it." My uncle 'bingo' me as he pointed at me with his fork. "Because of our overpopulation problem, we often have not enough resources to go around. My years of working in the corporate world and the things I have seen during my time as a trainer led me to believe in one thing, Nova. This is something you should know."
"And that is?"
"At their core, humans are inherently evil and greedy, we need to accept that as a fact." My uncle said solemnly. "When something cannot be shared, they will fight over it. Someone will have to live with it and some without. Tragedies happen because of that. There are many ugly battles fought behind closed doors by our leaders, Nova. It's not a pretty sight. Because resources are scarce, they are fought over."
My uncle pointed upwards to the ceiling light above us.
"Take the allocation of electricity produced by the Kalos Power Plant as an example. Every town and city in Kalos is always fighting for the rights to be allocated with more electricity every year, because there is simply not enough."
"Not enough?"
"Yes, even with the power plant, there is still barely enough electricity to meet our region's demand." My uncle cut me off when a look of disbelief crossed my face, because this is the Kalos Power Plant we are talking about. "This is something the Government wants to hide because it may cause a mass panic if this fact was made public. If this weakness is known to the world and another region wants to cripple Kalos with immediate effect, all they have to do is to launch a full scale attack on our power plant."
"Another region attacking us? A war?"
"Not in the foreseeable future, but if you are the President of Kalos, you will need to always consider the worst case scenario, right? A global war not happening yet doesn't mean that it will never happen again in the future."
"True." I accepted my uncle's explanation with a sigh.
"This problem came about because there are too many people to feed." My uncle continues to explain the unseen problem plaguing our region. "Our Government already had their hands full with all the infighting and disagreement, we cannot count on them to resolve this problem in time. If we do, it will be too late. Everything will culminate in one big tragedy if nothing is done. Kalos will be finished."
My uncle gently held my hand from where he is sitting opposite me across the table before he speaks again.
"So, Team Flare's purpose is to help regulate that evil by finding ways to ensure that there are enough resources to go around the world, so that people will not need to fight over it when it cannot be shared. Through doing that, tragedies can be avoided. When all tragedies are avoided, the world can then be beautiful for eternity."
"But how the world grow and learn without tragedies?" I questioned as I averted my gaze. "I know this sounds… wrong, but it is because of tragedies that happened, like the Kalos War told about in the story of the Kalos King, that we learned something from it. It is because of such tragedies happening that our civilisation got to where we are today. If no tragedies happen… How will humanity continue to grow? How will we learn? We will simply be stagnant. Is that beautiful?"
"... Do you wish tragedy upon the world?"
"No!" I exclaimed. "But… a 'perfect' world of eternal beauty may not be what the world needs, uncle. I'm not saying that your ideals are wrong or the vision of Team Flare is wrong, but something about what you said just does not sit right with me. Humanity got to where we are today because of our pursuit for perfection and eternal beauty, but what happens when that pursuit stops? What happens when everything becomes perfect? Will that be really perfect? Is that truly beautiful?"
"You really are a bright and kind child, Nova." My uncle sighed as he patted the top of my head as though I am a six-year-old once more. "No, I don't think you are wrong, just as I don't think I am wrong either, but something needs to be done to help Kalos. I've done the math with the help of my scientists. At the rate our citizens are using our resources, problems will surface by the next decade."
"... That soon?"
"I told you. Already, electricity is a huge problem." My uncle dragged a tired palm across his face. "Since the Kalos Power Plant is starting to have problems producing enough power to sustain Kalos, there are talks about building another power plant, but such an endeavour will be extremely costly. Building the Kalos Power Plant took a lot out of our region's treasury reserves and I don't think it had fully recovered yet. Do you know why Kalos faces a power shortage problem? Even with our Kalos Power Plant, said to rival even the one in Hoenn's New Mauville?"
I shook my head.
"Selfishness. Needless wastage. Look, Nova." My uncle spread his right arm and pointed to the window, showing the scene outside. "Needless usage of electricity and our resources on extravagant and frivolous things. Look at all the street lamps that we don't need. The amount of wastage left behind after every Pokemon Contest was held. The many water fountains dotting our city that has no purpose than to look pretty. I can tolerate and understand for one or two of those, but surely we don't need fifty of them in our city? Sure, we don't pollute the environment, but we are still taking more than what mother nature can give us. So, if we can't change the ugly side of human nature, then there's only one thing that we can do to ensure that humanity will continue to survive while also making sure that the world remains beautiful."
My uncle took a brief pause before continuing.
"We generate more resources to sustain ourselves. That's why the company is so invested in creating new technology that focus so much on helping mankind. That's why your parents invented the Holo Caster, an energy efficient device that also revolutionise the way we communicate by bringing hologram technology to everyone. Hologram technology alone can revolutionise the way things are done in many fields. Medical, transport, communication, research, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Your parents' Holo Caster doesn't even need to rely on electricity but rather draw its energy from the sun using solar cells. Do you see the beauty in it? This, is what Lysandre Labs and Team Flare is all about. Everything your parents and I are doing, it is to help Kalos and the world."
"You already said that we are taking more than what mother nature can give." I asked. "So how are you planning to generate more resources?"
"There are obscure tales of energy derived from pokemon, Nova. Bioenergy so potent and strong that it could possibly last us for eternity."
Bioenergy derived from pokemon?
"I had submitted a proposal to the Government for us to embark on two projects, which I named Project X and Project Y respectively. Project X will focus on researching how this bioenergy come about in the first place. Once complete, Project Y will find out what is the best way to safely harness this energy for commercial use. If the two projects are a success, Kalos will no longer need to concern herself with energy scarcity, because the energy we are generating is near infinity. The scientists at the company call it the Infinity Energy."
My uncle obviously became more excited as he went on.
"Of course, I'm not planning to let Kalos or the company hoard the benefits all for ourselves. I'm also planning to share the results and the fruits of our labour to the entire world. Joseph Stone, the owner of Devon Corporations, is also a man striving to make the world a better place with his company's products. If all goes well, maybe our two companies can even embark on a joint venture to harness this Infinity Energy. Together, we can help the world."
"I'm hoping that the pokemon in question that is being experimented on-"
"What do you take me for? A heartless madman?" My uncle rolled his eyes at my statement. "Don't worry, we will make sure that the pokemon we are experimenting on will not be harmed in any way."
"If you don't mind me asking, what is this bioenergy derived from pokemon all about?"
"I'm sorry, Nova, but I cannot reveal anything more to you because it will be against the law to do so." My uncle apologise sincerely. "All I can tell you is that the bioenergy my scientists and I recently uncovered is a big secret that the Pokemon World League had been hiding since its founding. It's discovery by the company was entirely by accident, and I would have unknowingly gotten myself into big trouble by revealing the company's findings to the public. If it wasn't for Malva who coincidentally popped by the company just before I was about to publish what we found, things would have gotten out of hand."
"And Malva knows about the secret obviously way before you do because…?"
"Because she is let in on such a secret as an Elite Four. Your friend, Siebold, should know about it too." My uncle answered smoothly. "If my proposal for Project X and Project Y is approved by the Government, maybe you can also be let into the loop. After all, you are the co-owner of Lysandre Labs."
"I didn't even do anything for the company."
"You don't need to." My uncle waved it off. "Just enjoy your life however you want to. Learning more about our region's and our world's history is equally important. Earning big bucks isn't as cracked up as people made it to be. Sure, earning enough is important, but beyond that? It really depends. Just go do what makes you happy."
"I'm more interested about learning that secret. A secret kept by the PWL for centuries? Now that is a history I want to investigate." I can feel my excitement bubbling at the thought. Just what secret is it that the PWL had been hiding from the public for centuries and it happens to tie into my uncle's work on researching this Infinity Energy? Bioenergy derived from pokemon? How?
"Like I said, if all goes well, you can." My uncle finished his meal at about the same time I finished mine. "Even the PWL don't know for sure where the origins of the secret came from. Many suspect it to be our region, but nobody knows for sure. Maybe you will be the one to uncover the truth of its history."
"My name on the history books for uncovering the origin of that secret. Now that will be a beautiful thing to behold."
"Someone's being narcissistic today, I see."
"Please." I snorted. "It runs in the family. How long do you take to style your ridiculous hair every morning?"
"I'm disowning you."
My reply was to stick my tongue out at him.
"Meh, you love me too much to do it."
Character and pokemon list:
Nova Labelle, Age: 26, Female, Ground Specialist, Historian, Niece of Lysandre
Pokemon on hand:
1. Mamoswine (Berg), Male
2. Golem (Crust), Female
3. Excadrill (Solid), Male
4. Golurk (Drift), Genderless
5. Garchomp (Core), Male
6. Claydol (Vision), Genderless
7. Whiscash (Seis), Male
8. Marowak (Tinen), Female
9. Torterra (Terra), Female
10. Gigalith (Mantle), Male
11. Tyrantrum (Jaws), Male
12. Aurorus (Sail), Female
Lysandre Labelle, Age: 52, Male, Owner of Lysandre Labs, Uncle of Nova Labelle
Pokemon on hand:
1. Pyroar
2. Gyrados
3. Mienshao
4. Honchkrow
