Linda ran back to her shop, her footsteps falling softly, attempting to pass unnoticed.
If the kid reports me, I'll have to go back to base if I don't want to have the cops on my tail...oh, I don't know where base is. Ha ha. Yup, they just blindfolded me and had me swear the oath of allegiance in a dark room, before assigning me in the south.
She would have to tell her superiors of her failure. They would find out eventually, and if she lied, the punishment would surely be worse.
After checking to make sure the windows were closed, she grabbed a holo-projector given to her to contact her higher-ups on important occasions.
Booting it up, she waited until the commander finally answered, his voice filling the room in a whine of static. "Hello? Who is this? I am very busy! If you want another route assignment, go ask Eric or Henry!"
"Apologies, sir!" Linda said. "I would like to inform you, commander, of the-"
"Excuse me! Have you forgotten how to address me, you empty-headed simpleton? I am not 'commander.' I am Eclipse Commander Faba! Do you hear me? Eclipse. Commander. Faba! After I escaped from the Wormhole, I have come back far, far more powerful than ever before! I will not suffer or tolerate any misuse of my title!"
"I am sorry, Eclipse Commander Faba. I have been seen and defeated by a boy that I believe to be Bronze, a Pokedex Holder of Roria, the one that Cypress gave a Pokedex to. He now has knowledge of our activities, so there may indeed be a chance that he could become a threat-"
"Quiet!" Faba barked. "If you cannot defeat a child, then you clearly did not learn enough from the basic training course! You are demoted to recruit, and are required to complete a full examination of your loyalties! See Emrett in three days. I would have you expelled, but we need all the members we can get right now...await further orders! Good bye, and don't bother me any further!"
With that, Faba disappeared in a crackle of digital imagery.
Linda breathed a sigh of relief, hiding the comm device away. She was demoted, but that could be amended. It was better than the alternative of expulsion. Yes, she would need to see Emrett, but he knew that he was reasonable. How bad could a few questions be? Yes, she had heard stories about the wonder worker, but those surely could not be true, the Master would never use such wicked men for his own goals...
She would not know what to do without being with the Glorious Leader's people. Once recruited, she had met the Great One herself, as all the new recruits did. He typically was not in person, as he had many duties across the world to attend to, but she had heard his thundering voice, and listened to his impassioned speeches, being moved to tears. She did not find the Hood's voice excessive, but had wanted to scream right along with him. If there was anyone worthy of reverence, it was that man.
Still, Linda had not seen his face, however.
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Bronze and Jake walked down Route 3, a loamy, grass-covered path. Outside Silvent City, many Electric-type Pokémon lived and went about their small lives, oblivious to larger concerns. This was mostly due to the ambient magnetic field underground, and the waste electricity dispersed by the city's hypermatter-annihilation reactor plant. Silvent City itself was a large population center, of about ten thousand citizens and many Pokémon. It was also the home of Roria's Electric-type Gym Leader, Gabe.
Soon, the city entrance began to pass into view, a reasonable metropolis of acceptable proportions for Bronze's aethstetics. More of a tourist-based battle-attraction town, it did not have any suburbs, only stacked apartment blocks. The city was divided into several sectors for more efficient transportation and space management, a characteristic that Bronze detested.
"A human should be able to do many things," Bronze said to Jake, regarding the layout of the city. "Butcher a hog, plan and invasion, design a building, read a book, study history, compose a poem, write a story, battle with Pokémon, build a wall, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
As the pair were walking down the street with their Pokémon, talking about the Gym Leader, Jake suddenly changed the subject. "Hey, what are all those people doing by that platform?"
Bronze looked, and saw about a hundred people by a bier that lay just by a old, condemned building. They were clearly waiting for something, or someone to emerge onto the stage.
"Jake, lets see what this is about." Bronze said. "We do have time to kill, metaphorically speaking. Time is a non-living entity and cannot be harmed-"
Jake quickly prevented Bronze from going on a tangent by shoving him into the crowd. The two saw a few orange and somber black banners around a platform, and Bronze noticed that all of the people either had curious or excited expressions. On the bier was a podium with a insignia that looked like a orange moon being covered by a black shadow, with a microphone atop the wooden board. After a few minutes of waiting, Bronze asked a nearby man what was happening.
"I don't know. I think it's some sort of rally, from the organization called...uh, I forgot, actually. I heard about it from a guy who was let in on the location ahead of time. Someone's going to give a speech, I guess."
Soon, six men in strange uniforms stepped out of a hatch behind the bier, and a seventh man, dressed in a orange and black linen robe and with a Cofagrigus by him came last, as the other men stood to the side at attention. The robed man, a sallow, tall person with long, flowing dark hair began to speak, his tongue as masterful and eloquent as silken velvet.
"Greetings, dear citizens of Silvent City, and by extension, Roria. I am Lord Emrett of the organization known as Team Eclipse."
Gasps and murmurs broke out, and Bronze suddenly became rather angry. The spell of Emrett's words lifted off his mind, and he no longer saw a skilled orator, but a deceiver and wicked man, a vile and grubbing creature, learned in treachery and weaving thick webs of deceit.
"Regardless of what you know of us, or what you have been told," Emrett said, unfazed by the few angry shouts coming from the assembly. "I come with no hostile intentions whatsoever. I am here to extend the blessed olive branch of truth to the people of the world, in behalf of our great and glorious leader. Let our intentions be known to you, for ye who has ears would be well to listen..."
"We recognize the flawed and imperfect nature of human nature, and the world at large. Treachery, hatred, malice, anger, envy, theft, and cruelty to one another and Pokémon are rampant, not as a societal condition, but stemmed in the very nature of the world itself. It is a undying element of natural, organic beings to attempt to survive in a set board of the survival of the fittest, and a large part of this ends in human cruelty to Pokémon."
"We of Team Eclipse declare our steadfast opposition to Pokémon battles, and believe in their brutality and use as a method to muzzle creatures who are not only equal to us in intelligence, but sometimes greater. However, it is human nature to hate and degrade those who are different, and that cannot be changed in this present world order, not now, historically, or ever. Mankind could hold the all the expanse of Space in his grasping hand, yet would not be satisfied."
"Let me be clear to you. We do not advocate for the separation of Pokémon from humans. That is a flawed ideology that was proven false and corrupt years ago, by the foolish, hypocritical, and violent actions of Team Plasma. The partnership of two beings is a beautiful thing, and we do not wish to crush it, as one would not wish to wound a strong-growing flower. However, the use of Pokémon for entertainment in battling is no more noble and fair than a cockfight."
"We believe that traditional institutions, such as the Pokémon Association, work to undermine justice in the world by supporting the barbaric practice of Pokémon battles. This is detestable, and should be crushed underfoot with uttermost contempt. The International Police is a spear of terror in the hand of the Association, oppressing those with the courage to fight against the current world order. I myself pledge loyalty only to the Spirit-Force, and my esteemed leader, not the fallible and imperfect elected leaders of Men."
"I say to you, brothers and sisters in your own truth, what can be done? Unfortunately, any victory for the rights of all beings in this world will be eventually undermined by those greedy for gain, and all advancements will be one day lost, as those who made such changes come about will pass away, and the new generations will not remember the struggles of their forefathers, allowing any charismatic person with Ambition to do whatever they would."
"Nothing can truly last in a world of rot, and world of entropy. There is nothing new under the earth, and as the ancient Hisuians said, 'The stream goes down into the ocean, but the ocean is never full. The wind blows in the south, and returns to the north. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. Is there anything of which one can say, 'Look! Here is something new!' It was here already, long ago, when the forefathers of Pokémon and Men long faded into the tall grass.' Our cause, as this world currently is, is destined for utter and eventual failure."
"So, once again, brothers and sisters, what can be done? What can bring true justice to all the inhabitants of the earth, and lead the torch of Men and Pokémon into the next era? As I say to you this, please do not react with umbrage. A cause of the problem is human nature, which many have no issue in acknowledging. Shall that be conquered? No. Without out desires, emotions, our spirit, we are not human. We will become wisps, remains and debris of what we truly are and should be. If we removed that, as a certain man known as Cyrus attempted to do, then we will be as unfeeling machinations, programmed to naught but base survival."
"The complacency of Pokémon in their state as veritable slaves is a great obstacle as well. Shall that be conquered? Again, no. Unnatural tampering with the nature of such beings will inevitably have negative results, and that does not solve the first hurdle. Pokémon are, naturally, resigned to a unwelcome state, even though they truly prefer another. The Original One Arceus has not given much candor to the prophets, and His creation is flawed. Perhaps He wishes for His creations to repair it of their own accord. Did not the Hisuians say that the 'Son of Man' was coming? We may be such a creature, the New Man, the Better Man."
"We are left with but one choice to truly have all beings live in a community of harmony, of interdependence. We must change the very physical laws and hardships of this world. We must rewrite existing physical laws to create a blank slate that the best and most benevolent of our minds may write a new beginning. How could such a thing be accomplished, you say? Do not fear, o you of little faith! Our great leader, empowered in wisdom, sees the path to a greater world. Slowly, but with much progress over the years, I can attest to our growing success. We have divine aid, that much is true."
"If you wish to come and join our cause, and help build a better world, please, join me on this platform. I say this without any judgement to those of you who do not wish to take part in this. You too will benefit from our inevitable success, but your refusal to aid us may be the death of you, as those who do not wish for the new world will not be suffered to enter it."
With that, there was silence.
Then, the crowd shifted, like a great organism, to let a young woman through. Then, a single man followed her. Suddenly, many people began to break through the crowd to stand by Emrett. All in all, there were eight new recruits.
Emrett flourished his robe, raising his arms in a gesture of magnaminty. "Well done, good and loyal servants! Let you be changed before our very eyes!"
The Eclipse Lord gestured at the line of men and woman, and then the Cofagrigus moved its shadowy arms around and around, producing a black, choking mist. The smog covered the recruits, and a few moments later, it dissipated, revealing that the recruits clothing had been changed to the smart uniforms of Team Eclipse.
The group looked in shock at their new attire, and all of them suddenly bowed before Emrett, who looked somewhat smug, his eyes glinting with triumph.
"I assure you, we shall not fail in our principal goal!" Emrett said, looking at each member of the audience in the eyes. Bronze swore that his gaze lingered on him just a fraction of a second longer than everyone else. "Those who have joined me are blessed among the nations, the salt and light of the Earth, as the Hisuians once said. Go, and be at peace, till the Day of Victory."
And with that, the new members of Team Eclipse followed Emrett and the soldiers into the hatch, the flowing robes of the masterful orator disappearing into the gloom.
The crowd started talking amongst themselves, debating, discussing, arguing what had just happened.
"He did have a point, I always though battles were cruel, even if Pokémon can physically take it."
"I can't believe what he said about the Association!"
"Did you see what that Cofagrigus did?"
"What is the Spirit-Force that he mentioned?"
"Come on, lets go!" Jake said, clearly not caring whatsoever about what the Eclipse member had to say. "We have a Gym to beat, and I don't want you getting all caught up in your philosophy like you usually do, although I don't think what he said about Arceus would please you."
"Exactly," Bronze said, still rather annoyed that he did not have a opportunity to debate with the man. "Arceus, making a imperfect creation for His fallen cretons to amend? Rubbish! Oh, yes, the folk at BetterHumansTM will get us all nice and perfect! And the Son of Man has already come, Arceus Incarnate in the hroa of a Pokémon two thousand years ago, which only recently has had the Plates returned to it. I could go on and on about why his speech is pure garbage, but we need to get to the Gym."
As Bronze walked away, he firmly disagreed with what Emrett said. They truly believe in their cause. But that doesn't change the fact that no matter how good of a spin they put on it, they will go to any lengths to get what they want. I can't believe mother and father may have joined these people, spouting pseudo-intellectual diatribes and a form of pantheism. I suspect that something deeper is going on here...
And with that, Bronze and Jake headed to the Gym, the rest of the crowd clearing out from the beir.
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Emrett had his eyes closed tight, his open hands over a flickering candle. He was whispering a name, the name of his patron spirit. He was oblivious to his surroundings, but his voice, getting a gravelly tinge and rather sinister tinge to it, was speaking the same damnable name over and over again. He was levitating.
"Enamorus...Enamorus...Enamorus..."
Then, with a cry, he snuffed the candle out. Emrett opened his eyes, emerging from his psychic high, and saw that he was in his improvised office. Strange idols of spirits and demonic Pokémon lined the shelves, with even more exotic tomes of knowledge, spellbooks, manuals for a hex, how to control demons...they were his pride and greatest speciality.
Emrett's Gengar pointed to a receiver on the wall. Emrett had explicitly torn out the ringing function, as he preferred to let his innate psychic abilities take over, and to sense whenever it was ringing. His Pokémon apparently has felt the near imperceptible vibrations before him. Blast.
He grabbed a ornate, jeweled knife from some grotesque, carven idol's head, keeping it secure in his hand, and picked up the phone. It was the Hood.
"It is my understanding, Emrett, that the boy attended your rally in Silvent City today. I would like to hear about this little...event. How did he respond to your message?"
Emrett knew that his master never asked twice, and would not be suffered to do so.
"He was...unconvinced, my lord. Of course, I didn't put on my specially tailored show for his interests, just the official narrative that the masses so eagerly consume. Do you think he poses a risk after that women Linda so foolishly revealed her identity? I just processed her a hour before the last rally. She won't be making any mistakes like that again, I assure you. Shall I subdue the boy?"
The Hood vehemently disagreed.
"No! Any spell or tail on that boy, and the Association will be crawling on us. He is of special interest to them, due to his Pokedex Holder status. The Association has their own psychics to combat you, as I am sure you know, and we are hard beset to remain in the shadows as it is. On another topic, have you improved your staff?"
Emrett fingered the warpwood rod. "Yes. The beneficial effect of it will nearly double the potency of my abilities. You might wish for me to aid you when the 'absorption' that you mentioned comes around. The effects of putting that particular energy in your body, even if you are aided by the Great Djinn... I would never risk it. But the archeologists know that bottle up and down, they will tell you how to handle it properly, my lord. There are some things that even the Great Djinn does not know, including the safe treatment of the-"
The wonder worker realized that the Hood had already hung up. Emerett did not call back.
Emrett raked the gem-encrusted blade across his pointer finger, the scars around his hands showing that this action had been performed many times. Emrett put the blood in a vial, other phials showing more of the dull crimson substance. The wonder worker put the little object on the shelf, and readied to move out to his next rally.
Yes, my lord. We shall remain in the shadows...for now.