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Guest Sod125dtr: Yeah, they needed a reality check. But how many of them will realize it is the real question.

Guest Geneevee: Glad you agree.

Political Aftermath

Alec's POV

When we returned to UA, I felt exhausted and was tempted to just go to sleep, but I couldn't just yet. Primarily because I knew if I went to sleep now, I'd wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to go back to sleep, and I wanted to see the aftermath as it happened. The Prime Minister seemed to be reluctant to let me just walk without problems, and a few other members were all but openly hostile towards me. I needed to know my friends were fully safe.

Instead, I chose to do some training with my Pokémon, sparring with them using their moves to improve my own skills as well as theirs. It was a pretty effective training style, one I sort of wish I had started doing sooner. Maybe then the early days of that wouldn't have been so rough if I was more prepared. It was probably close to sunset when I heard the door to the Training Grounds open, but I didn't pay too much attention, and considering my Pokémon weren't acting up, it was someone I knew and they weren't hostile.

I blocked a strike from Arco before side stepping away from a Shark's Dragon Claw coming from behind me, then flipped in such a way that I hit Shark in the face with my foot, then dodged a counter-attack from Arco before throwing a few punches myself, forcing him to block. Arco counter-attacked by slamming a fist into my gut, knocking the wind out of me before giving me a spinning kick and sending me to my back.

"Let's call it there," I told Arco between breaths. I wasn't panting, but my breathing had increased from the workout, sweat across my head and bare chest, which also had a few bruises, but nothing that wouldn't heal. I wasn't the buffest of people, but I was definitely fit.

[You lasted a bit shorter this time, but you seem exhausted, dad, so I won't hold it against you,] Arco said a bit cheekily as he extended a paw to help me up.

"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in," I commented, taking the paw as Arco pulled me up. I swear. Ever since I found him as an egg Arco has developed my more joking personality during my journeys before Unova.

I then looked over towards the door to see pro hero Cementos, real name Ken Ishyama, standing at the entrance looking a bit awkward. "What's up Cementos?" I asked as I walked over to the bleachers that were in the building where I had a towel set up and my shirt next to it

"Sorry for interrupting, I just thought I'd let you know about the government's final verdict," he said as I picked up the towel and started patting down the sweat on my body.

"I thought everything was taken care of after my little show of power? Your Prime Minister seemed to be letting things continue as they were," I questioned, looking at the pro.

"That was considered a temporary stance, but they had a more private meeting afterward to come up with a formal solution," Cementos stated.

"Well, don't leave me in suspense. What are they saying this time?" I asked as I slipped my shirt on.

"Right now, they did say that you would be allowed to remain at UA under our supervision, but they are saying that we have to impose some restrictions on usage of your Pokémon."

"They want to do what?!" I shouted, my Speaker Aura unintentionally flaring and releasing a small wave of energy that my Pokémon shifted back a bit, but Cementos didn't react to my aura, more my tone.

"I know that this isn't an ideal thing, but Nezu didn't have much of a choice. Thankfully, he managed to lessen the restrictions they were trying to impose on you."

"I'm not even a citizen of Japan. They can't impose Muk on me. What were they trying to do?" I asked through growls.

"A few reasonable things, like not using your Pokémon when out in public, though some of your smaller ones would be allowed to be treated like pets. Getting permission from UA to use them on school grounds, though Nezu said that you could have free rain, but to notify him of any fights between Pokémon and students, as to make sure nothing gets out of hand. And you can't use your Pokémon to fight villains outside UA grounds, though Nezu said he was going to work around this by giving you a temporary hero license," he answered.

"I'm guessing the original demands said I couldn't even have any Pokémon out in or out of school grounds unless under extreme circumstances? And they determine what that is?" I asked with a small glare, though it wasn't directed towards Cementos.

"Something along those lines," he answered, sounding a bit tired.

The two of us stood in silence for a moment, and from what I could tell, Cementos seemed he had more to say but didn't seem sure he wanted to or how to. "If you have something else to say, it might be good just to let it out," I told him.

"I just wanted to say I am rather proud of you, for what you said during the meeting. What you said was rather controversial, but it needed to be said for a while. But none of us had the guts to say such a thing," Cementos said, sounding disappointed in himself.

"Don't worry about it too much, Ken. I get it. This sort of thing is your livelihood and you have to be able to feed yourselves and your families. I said what I said because frankly I had nothing to lose by saying that, and I'm sort of used to people listening to what I have to say," I told him as I slipped my jacket on.

"Still, you're right about us heroes. There are a lot of us that care more about the glory and potential fame of being a hero than actually wanting to save others. And I myself only complain about the problems of our world, only doing something when someone's life is in danger. I always thought I was a part of the solution, but I was just part of the problem," he said, looking at the ground in shame.

"Ken," I started, looking the pro in the eye. "You're a good person. All of the teachers at UA are. And really, the main reason I said what I said at the meeting was because I don't want what happened to my world to happen to yours. The early signs are too similar for my liking," I told him.

"What happened?" Cementos asked, sounding curious and worried.

I was silent for a moment, and I could feel my Pokémon looking at me with concern. I debated whether or not to answer, telling them would make them look at me differently. And in a way that I didn't want them to. But if I didn't answer, they would likely press the issue until I did. At the same time though, if I wanted this world to avoid what happened to mine, they needed to know. Making my decision, I then muttered a single, three letter word that sent so many horrible memories through my head.

"War."

Cementos' eyes widened in surprise and a hint of fear. "Oh god. You mean…"

"As in actual blood sheed, yes. Two and a half years ago, the first true war my people have seen in several millennia started. And I was on the front lines for every major battle for its seven month timespan. From the first attack up until the final battle, where I took that blade and stabbed it through the gut of the one who started it," I said somberly, pointing to my blade, which was sitting on the bleachers in its compact form.

Cementos looked at me in horror and what I thought was sympathy, but I couldn't tell. I looked away, the shame and guilt of what I was forced to do in the war replaying through my mind. I then felt a calming presence next to me and I saw Arco pressing a paw on my shoulder and releasing a small amount of aura to calm me while looking at me with a saddened expression.

"That's why I don't want a repeat of what happened in this world. So many people died, all because my world couldn't look past that some people were born like me, with powers that made us different, and when we showed our powers to the world, most of us were feared. And it's not just for you pros, but for all the students as well. If war breaks out, they're more likely to be the ones fighting. Unlike me, they aren't stained in blood, and I'd rather keep it that way," I added softly.

We all stood in silence, Arco trying to comfort me with his aura and looking at me with saddened looks like the rest of my Pokémon. Ethan brushed against my right leg and I looked down to see his own hurt look.

"I'm sorry, Alec. For what happened to you. No one should have had to go through with what you did."

"It's not your fault. If anything it was mine. I was too ignorant to see what he was telling me, until it was too late. It wasn't until my own secret was revealed to the world and we almost lost the war because the government officials back home wanted to imprison me in fear of my Speaker abilities did I realize that what he told me was the truth," I replied, looking towards the ground as a bitter memory came to mind.

Cementos sighed. "I've been a hero for years, and I always told myself that sometimes there would be things I never would wish to see, but I prepared myself for that. You didn't have that, and I can see it's affected you deeply. But the fact that you've worked hard to rebuild your broken world says a lot about who you are. You might have blood on your hands, but you're a better person than me," he said, and I could tell he was being sincere.

"I wouldn't say that, Ken. The fact that you recognize your faults and plan on striving to do better makes you better than me, since it didn't take until people started dying for you to get that," I stated.

"I'm curious though, why didn't your people trust you when you were revealed to be a Speaker?"

"Because my power does more than allow me to understand Pokémon. There are many powers that do that, but what makes a Speaker dangerous is their ability to command Pokémon. And when I say that, I mean as in a sort of mind control. The stronger the Speaker, the stronger the influence they can have on a Pokémon's actions," I answered.

"And your own abilities?" Cementos asked.

"From what I've been told, I have one of the strongest Speaker aura's in centuries, to the point where I sometimes accidentally let off a little bit of my Speaker Aura when I lose my temper. When you mentioned that your government wanted to restrict my freedom, I did just that. And that kind of ability scared my world's governments so much, they feared I would take control after the war. And the scary part is that I know I could do it. Whenever I want and there are few out there who could stop me."

"You sound a bit like All Might when you say that, but if anything, it proves what I said about you," Cementos stated, then became silent as he seemed to think about something. "Do you want me to tell the others? About what you told me?" he then asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, you can tell them. I think it's only fair. If you're going to have a chance of changing your world's societal structure, you'll need to know the potential consequences," I said after a bit of hesitation.

Cementos nodded slightly. "Okay. Everyone's still here, so I'll let them know now," he said as he turned to leave. I was about to head back to where the rest of my Pokémon were when, "And Alec," Cementos started and I turned to look at him. "I know I said this before, but I'm sorry this happened to you. No one should have had to go through what you did."

"Thanks Ken. If any of the other teachers have questions, they can talk to me in the morning. I'd rather not think any more about the war than I have to today," I told him.

Cementos then left my training ground, closing the door behind him, while I just stood where I was trying to force the painful memories down, but they persisted. A long shadow then fell over me and I looked to see Royal's massive form as she looked down at me.

[He spoke the truth, his words to you,] she said.

"Maybe. But was I in the right to tell this world about their societal flaws? We're outsiders here, and frankly, we've gotten more involved than we probably should have," I questioned.

Royal then lowered her neck so she could look me directly in the eye, and I could see concern and worry in her pure blue gaze. [I will admit it may not be our right to intervene, but the truth is something they needed to know if they are to avoid our fate,] she stated.

I sighed as I started petting Royal's head, the dragon not even fighting it, instead pushing herself further into my hand and closing her eyes in an attempt to comfort me. "I know that, Royal, but it doesn't make things easier," I said softly.

UA Meeting Room: 3rd Person POV

"I can't believe something like that happened to him," Midnight said in shock. Cementos had just finished telling the staff at UA about what Alec had told him, and many of the teachers were understandably horrified about the news, both by the fact that it happened, and that Alec was on the front lines for it at the age of eighteen.

"I suspected something when he showed me that suit yesterday, but I thought it was just one battle that required something more effective, not this," Power Loader said, punching himself mentally for not realizing sooner.

"What are we going to do about this though? Surely we can't just let him wander around without some kind of precaution?" Vlad King questioned, looking towards Nezu.

"For all we know, he's just a hair away from snapping, and with his kind of power and that of his Pokémon, who knows what he could do before we could stop him. And that's even if we could," Snipe added in agreement and a hint of fear.

"I think the only thing we can do is try to help him," All Might said, being in the meeting in his slimmed down form.

"This isn't some common thief or someone who made a mistake and got someone killed, All Might. This is someone who's killed for seven months straight in what sounds like a horrible conflict. How can we be sure if he's even mentaly stable? Surely the rational thing to do is to keep him from the other students," Vlad King said, addressing All Might then turning to Aizawa in an attempt to gain support from him.

"I think the rational thing to do is to help him," Aizawa started, meeting Vlad King's gaze. "I figured he was suffering from some kind of tragic event the moment I saw him. And it's possible it's taken the form of PTSD. His eyes gave it away. Like-"

"Like he lost someone close to him, and hasn't been the same since it happened," Present Mic finished, sharing a knowing look with Aizawa, who gave a slight nod in agreement while Midnight gave the two a sympathetic look.

"His own people didn't trust him. Surely we shouldn't either," Vlad King argued.

"Can you blame him? Alec strikes me as the type of person who tries to keep a secret to protect people, and hiding his own powers likely was to protect himself and his family, considering his ability is genetic," All Might pointed out, knowing all too well about having to keep things secret for the safety of everyone involved.

"We have to at least try to help him. And I'm not saying that as a hero but as a person. He's suffered enough as it is, we shouldn't add to it," Midnight stated.

"While I do agree he does need help, I would advise we use caution. Try to help him as best we can, but also try to be ready if something does happen," the pro hero Ectoplasm suggested.

"You all make very good points," Nezu spoke for the first time since the meeting began and gained the attention of the other teachers. "We'll do our best to help Alec through this. But I want everyone to look out for him. At the same time, we need to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Midnight asked.

"For what Alec warned us about. If what's happening here is similar to what happened in his world, then the League of Villains will attack again. And when they do, we must be ready for them, and make sure that our students are as well," Nezu answered, looking everyone right in the eyes, his normal smile replaced with a serious and determined look.

The Next Morning: Alec's POV

I didn't sleep well last night, the memories of the war never fully leaving me alone, even as I pulled myself out of bed and made some breakfast. [You alright, Alec?] Ethan asked me in concern.

"I don't know if I'll ever be fine, Ethan. But I dealt with the memories before, I can handle them again," I told him as I finished.

Ethan looked like he was about to speak when we heard someone knock on the door three times. I walked over and opened the door to see Aizawa standing outside.

"Oh. Hello Shota, what brings you out here?" I asked.

"I wanted to see how you were doing, and I have a few questions," he answered.

I suppressed a sigh and waved him in. I took a seat on the couch while Aizawa sat down in one of the other chairs.

"So, how are you doing?" Aizawa asked.

"You mean physically or mentally because those are two very different answers at the moment," I said in a vain attempt at humor.

"Mentally speaking mainly, though knowing your physical condition wouldn't hurt," he told me.

"Well, physically, I'm fine. My injury is healed up so I don't have to worry about that. Mentally though… I could definitely be doing better," I answered his question.

"You lost someone during the war, didn't you?" Aizawa suddenly asked, and I could see a familiar look. One I only saw in the mirror.

"Yeah. Once the war was over, he likely would have, no, he would become my brother in law, and I already considered him as a brother to me," I answered, then looked at Aizawa. "You lost someone too, didn't you? In a way that you know you couldn't fully control, but feel that if things were just a little bit different, they'd still be here," I asked.

Aizawa nodded, and I could see the pain in his eyes, likely remembering whoever he lost. "If you do ever want to talk about it, us staff members are willing to listen. Try and help you through this as much as possible," he told me.

"Thanks, but I can handle it. It's been two years, and I've come to accept it," I said, but I was lying through my teeth. Aizawa looked like he was going to say something, but seemed to not call my bluff.

"Well, I'd best get going. I have a class to teach," he said, standing up and walking towards the door.

"Wait, you're planning on teaching looking like that?" I questioned in surprise as I stood up and Ethan gave Aizawa a surprised look as well.

"My well being is irrelevant. I'm a teacher at this school, and unless I am physically or mentally unable to do so, I will," Aizawa responded, turning to face me.

"Irrelevant my ass. Come on, this won't take long. Ethan, go tell Sarah," I said as I grabbed Aizawa's arm and pulled him behind me. Ethan ran ahead and opened the door to the training grounds with Psychic and ran in.

As me and Aizawa entered, Ethan was approaching with Sarah, an Audino standing just above three and a half feet, and was a bipedal Pokémon, with pink-and-cream colored fur, with oval blue eyes. The top of her head, back, and arms were pink, while the lower half of her face, body, ears were cream-colored, as well as her front and fingers. The patterning of pink and cream on her chest resembled a jacket, and there are three digits on her hands and two on her feet. Her tail was a puffy, white tuft, and had floppy ears with thin, curled extensions on the underside. Around her neck was a necklace with an Audinite, which was a bright light pink with a darker pink and cream swirl showing the Mega Evolution symbol.

When Sarah saw Aizawa, she ran ahead of Ethan and looked at the pro in concern. "This really isn't necessary, Alec. Recovery Girl has already healed me up for today," Aizawa stated, sounding more tired than normal.

"Recovery Girl's Quirk drains your stamina everytime she uses it. Sarah doesn't have that problem," I pointed out as the feelers on Sarah's ears extended to their full length and she brushed them over Aizawa's bandages gently.

"What's she doing?" Aizawa asked, looking at Sarah as she continued to rub her feelers on Aizawa's bandages, including those on his face.

[All the bones are situated correctly, but these cracks are pretty deep. It's a wonder he's even alive,] Sarah noted to herself aloud.

"I'm not asking for a miracle, Sarah. Just want you to heal Shota to the best of your abilities, okay?" I asked her, rubbing my hand across her head.

[That I can do, Alec,] Sarah said happily.

"What's going on?" Aizawa asked.

"I'm going to have Sarah speed up your recovery. I'm not letting you teach a class in that condition without helping in some way. Sarah's got that ability," I answered.

Sarah then formed a light pink orb between her hands and let it out as a gentle beam towards Aizawa, whose wounds glowed a light pink under his bandages. Then, much to Aizawa's surprise, she removed the bandages to reveal that Aizawa's face and arms had been healed, with a crescent shaped scar under his right eye being the only sign of his previous injuries.

[I've managed to heal the worst of the damage, but a few scars will remain, nothing anyone can do about that,] Sarah told me and I relayed it to Aizawa.

"I see. What was that, by the way?" he asked me.

"Heal Pulse. Pretty self explanatory on what that move does," I answered.

"I'm sure Recovery Girl would love to hear about that. Might save her some time," he commented before looking at Sarah. "Thank you. I appreciate it," he told her. Sarah smiled and gave him a small bow before returning to the others.

"Huh. That's interesting," I noted with a small smile.

"What is?" Aizawa asked, looking a bit confused.

"You treat my Pokémon like actual people. Even in my world, that doesn't happen very often," I told him.

"While I did call your Pokémon animals when you first showed up, I've seen that isn't the case. They might not be human, but I can tell they have a near-human intelligence, maybe even smarter, so logically I should treat them as people," Aizawa stated.

"Well, I appreciate that," I replied as the two of us and Ethan left the training grounds.

"Oh, by the way. Nezu said that you no longer have to attend classes if you don't wish to," Aizawa added.

"I'll think about it. A part of me wants to continue hanging with your class, but another part want's to continue training," I answered.

"And another thing, I'd be careful when leaving the school for a few days. The vultures are still swarming outside," Aizawa stated as he started to head back to the main building.

"Are vulture's creatures that swarm around dying creatures and ready to eat them once it happens?" I asked.

"That and something to describe a certain group."

"Fucking reporters," I grumbled as the two of us continued towards the school.

Like chapter 13, this is dealing with the aftermath of Alec's actions, though thankfully things are going well. What's more, is that this is the formal end to what I'm calling The Arrival Arc. Next up, is the Sports Festival and something else that I've been hinting at. And we may see a few people from the Pokémon World make their formal entrance into the story.

Next up: What Comes Next