A/N: I didn't really expect to be making a return to the site, but this plot I felt was too good to pass up. I'll keep this note short since I'm not too fond of long A/N's.
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Chapter One: A World Divided
Aaron glanced at his phone, finding himself to be only a few minutes late for the meeting, and briskly walked through the mostly empty cafeteria. He knew the same couldn't be said for Nathan, who was always punctual. To the very dot. He laughed to himself; sure enough, the other trainer was already seated at their usual spot. Aaron stepped forth, making his presence known.
"I was starting to think that you weren't gonna make it," Nathan joked.
"I was two minutes late." Despite his words, though, he smiled. "And I see we've got company today." Adira gave a cute grin and nodded. It wasn't always that she tagged along, and each time she did, Aaron found himself unable to resist looking at her bright auburn hair, shoulder-length and pristine. Had she not been married to his best friend, Aaron would have probably asked her out. At least, at one time.
He set his bag down and left for the food court. Aaron's eyes scanned over the options. Barbeque. He had hit every single dining facility on the campus numerous times, and this was one of his favorites. Though the same likely couldn't be said about Nathan; every single time they grabbed dinner together, it was the same story for him: fried chicken, collards and mashed potatoes. Without fail, Aaron thought to himself. A true creature of habit. Perhaps the country food reminded his friend of his home region, Kanoma.
Upon returning, he found his friends waiting patiently for him. Aaron silently began eating; Nathan and Adira silently bowed their heads and privately said grace before starting on their own meals.
It was a few minutes in when a girl around Aaron's age approached their table. She had a small stack of fliers in hand and short-cut hair that was more shaved on one side. "Hey there, sorry to interrupt," she said. "I'm with the local Delta chapter and we'd like to invite you both to our annual celebration of the legalization of human-pokémon marriages."
"No thanks," Nathan said.
"Same. I'll pass."
"Alright then. Have a nice day," she said, moving on to the next table. Aaron grimaced at the thought. Maybe it was a right, but that didn't prevent it from being weird.
"So," Nathan said between mouthfuls, "any interesting battles lately?"
"Unfortunately not," Aaron said with a sigh. "Wish I could say otherwise, but I've been studying for midterms. I know Pierce is about ready to crawl out of his skin."
"I see. And still no plans to resume your league challenge again, right? What's it been? Two, three years?"
"A bit over three," answered Aaron. All ten badges sat neatly within their case back at his apartment, but unfortunately, that was as far as Aaron and his team had gotten. They had never challenged Unova's Elite Four. Instead, Aaron had gone to college. "I sometimes think about going back..."
"Then do it," Nathan said with a shrug.
"But I can't – not anymore. No doubt the team has lost some of its edge. Aster just sits and sunbathes all day in the backyard. Krista just gossips with the neighbor's sylveon. Only Pierce and Marcus actually spar outside of the few battles we have here and there." Adira signed something to her husband, who quickly translated it for Aaron.
"She asked if you are planning on resuming over the winter break. Or maybe over the summer." Aaron shrugged.
"I kept saying that we could, but one thing after another... we never get around to it. I can't pretend to be as enthusiastic about the idea as I used to be, either. I failed them back then, and I continue to do so now..." He saw Adira's hands quickly move, and Nathan nodded.
"Yeah, I agree."
"What is it?" asked Aaron.
"You're overthinking this. So your gym challenge didn't end up working out. And? Does it all really matter that much? Most people with pokémon never acquire a single badge. I myself have several pokémon and I never attempted the gym circuit. I'd say focus more on them and let everything else work itself out. And if you don't ever challenge the league, then it really isn't that big a deal. The idea of taking a shot at the elite four and champion is overrated anyways. Overrated and nearly impossible."
Sure, Aaron himself knew that the odds weren't in their favor; he had not deluded himself into thinking that he was destined to be some prodigy trainer. But at the same time, it was what brought his four pokémon to him. And we were so good, he thought. Surely if anyone had a chance to stand toe-to-toe against the elite four, it would have been him.
"I know," he admitted. "But we were set on challenging Iris. I thought for sure that, you know... we would. But none of that is certain, and training isn't exactly the most stable form of income. So I came here. I feel like I failed them."
"You did no such thing. Do you forget that they are just as equally sentient as you and I?" Nathan inquired.
"No – not at all!"
"And if they have chosen to remain with you, then that shows that they care more for you as a person than they do about some arbitrary gym challenge." He took a drink – Southern iced tea, or basically just an excuse to funnel sugar directly into one's mouth – and set the cup down. "Look, I'm not trying to steer you one way or another regarding your former campaign. I personally don't see any value in it, but that's just me. You need not concern yourself, though, with 'failing your pokémon' because things didn't work out."
"But I can tell that they miss it," Aaron replied.
"Well, you should have that conversation with them. It is not wise to run from an issue, or to bury it and hope it never surfaces. Talk to them. Learn what their positions are and make a decision from there." Aaron relented. Nathan was right – he always was. Maybe he was just overthinking this, but it was clear that he needed to have a talk with his team about the matter. A real talk, not just glancing over the issue and putting it off until later. He focused on his meal for a few minutes.
That is, until people started yelling on the other side of the cafeteria. At first it had started with a rather loud discussion between some of the people passing out fliers and one particular table, but it was clear that there was about to be a fight. He glanced over, and it was as he expected. Team Alpha. What had likely started as a snarky remark from one of the two sides had escalated.
"Look here you dumb bitch, I don't know if you could tell or anything, but we just wanna eat our lunch. Take that perverted bullshit somewhere else."
"You parade around here with those hats and spread your hatred and bigotry, and you just expect people to be fine with that? You people have no place in Unova!"
"Welp, that's our cue," Nathan said, rolling his eyes. Both he and Adira stood up, and he pulled a single pokéball from his pocket.
"It's hard to be intimidating when y'all degenerates are out there dying your hair every color of the damn rainbow. Now you best get going. You don't wanna be late for your gender studies class," another guy added.
For a few seconds, no one said a word, and it looked as though the standing group might leave the three seated individuals alone. But then the girl who had started the confrontation decided to escalate it. Before anyone could react, she swiftly grabbed his tray and slung it violently into his face. The man flipped the table in rage, hauled off and punched her straight in the mouth, sending her sprawling on the ground. Everyone around began hollering, some rushing over and multiple hands fishing around for their own pokéballs. Campus security wouldn't be able to get here in time before there was massive destruction. It wouldn't be the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
"All of you back off!" Nathan shouted, calling out his charizard. With a mighty roar, the fire-type grabbed the male and forcibly thrust him into the seat, then flared his wings outward and growled at the three men. Nathan, on the other hand, put himself at Aiden's back, making sure that the members of Delta were not going to further escalate things. Fortunately, his intervention had stopped any more pokémon from entering the fight. "Take this crap outta here. It's a cafeteria, not a colosseum." Nathan stepped forward, making eye contact with the girl as she sobbed and held her bloodied mouth. "Are you alright?" A voice within the surrounding crowd was yelling for somebody to call the police.
"That bitch had it coming. She started it, and I end—"
"Be quiet," Nathan said. "That was more than a bit overboard, even if she did start it." Aiden nodded, and a puff of smoke flared from his nostrils. "Should've kept to yourselves. If you can't play nice, don't play at all."
Despite the snide comments that both groups gave to one another – and to him – he successfully managed to split them apart, and once campus security took each group aside, Nathan returned to his seat, shaking his head. His charizard looked dejected. "I know you don't like being aggressive, buddy. But sometimes that's what it takes." Nathan put a reassuring arm around the fire-type, whose usual smile returned. "Here, why don't you join us?" Aiden happily folded his wings and slid awkwardly into the booth, grinning at Aaron.
"I dunno how much more of this Unova can take..." Aaron muttered.
"I'm not sure if the world can take it much longer," replied Nathan. "This isn't just going on here. All over the world, it's pretty much the same story in some form or another."
"...Damn."
"It's all red and blue. Alpha against Delta. Something has to give soon. I can only imagine how much worse this will get." The assaults, rioting, and vandalism had become all too common. Years ago, things like that captured attention in the news. Now it was an expected part of life, and society was dangling somewhere in the middle, just trying to function as it had before. But there was no going back. Not anymore. This was the way things were going to be. The military could – or even would – only do so much.
"You might be a bit young to remember things. No doubt you weren't paying much attention to politics when you were a kid."
"I still don't really follow them," Aaron commented.
"Most people don't, really. But there was a time when things weren't like this. Political divides have always been present, but back then you didn't have to worry about someone doxing you and setting your car on fire because you voted a certain way. You didn't have to worry about being sucker punched and left in an alleyway. People coexisted at one point."
"Wish it was still that way..." Aiden nodded, giving a genuine frown. Somehow, seeing the innocent charizard unhappy made the trainer feel all the more dejected about the situation.
"There was even a time – get this – when both Clay and Elesa were actually friends." Aaron laughed.
"Nah, now I know you're bullshitting me..." But he looked up and wasn't met with the kidding grin he was expecting. "Wait... what? You're serious..."
"Dead serious. The leaders of Alpha and Delta were friends at one point."
"But... how? They're literally on opposite ends of the spectrum, right?"
"Again, that used to not matter as much. I wish we could return to that." His hands were folded up, pressed against his chin, and a sidewards glance caught Aiden eyeing his unfinished meal. The charizard averted his gaze, trying to remain discrete, and Aaron laughed. "Here you go, buddy," Nathan said, sliding the tray over, receiving a short series of happy growls in return. Had Aaron brought his translator, he would have understood what was said, but seeing as to how his team was at the apartment, Aaron had not seen a need in bringing the small device. The fire-type wasted no time in setting into the meal, avoiding the collards and downing what was left of the chicken hastily.
After they finished dinner, the two trainers talked some more before heading their separate ways, agreeing as always to meet next Friday at the same time. To Aaron, Nathan was more akin to an older brother than a friend – and he was well outside of the types of people Aaron typically associated with. At a first glance, one could hardly find any similarities between the two. Aaron had focused on sports in high school, partying, and engaging in the trainer lifestyle that society romanticized. For him, being an extrovert came naturally. Nathan, on the other hand, had supposedly kept to himself until college and wasn't even in the same age group. He was already married for Arceus' sake.
Their choices of majors served to further distinguish the two. Aaron had chosen to pursue a degree in competitive studies, hoping to teach young kids how to battle, and if he was really good at it there was always the chance of becoming a gym leader – though that was a far more difficult path. Nathan, instead, pursued a more practical route, majoring in some form of engineering. Truth be told, Aaron couldn't quite remember the specific details, as his older friend talked very little about it. But he had gone to school for free. Maybe if I had done better in high school, I wouldn't have to work so hard now to make ends meet…
As Aaron stepped outside, the cool wind stung his cheeks, and he instinctively clutched his jacket against himself. Nimbasa, despite being just north of a desert, could get fairly cold from fall until spring. That much was clear now. Nathan had told him once that the desert hadn't been natural, but rather resulted from centuries of deforestation, leaving quite an eyesore within the region. But over time, some architecture had gone up in the area and certain species of pokémon had moved there. Now it was protected as a natural park and a historical site.
As he waited for the bus, Aaron couldn't help but think back to what his friend had said during lunch. He needed to have that conversation. And he knew the one reason that kept him from sitting his team down and saying what needed to be said. He was scared. Maybe Nathan was right in that they had stayed there for him, but that didn't mean coming clean with them about his failure as their trainer was any less daunting of a task. And they already know, too. They just needed to hear him say it.
He stared out the window of the vehicle, watching as the fog from his breath coated the glass surface. Cloudy, then fading, revealing a dejected trainer. He had failed them. Sure, his team cared for him, but he had not cared for them in the way they deserved. Now they sat around his apartment and did nothing aside from the occasional household chore or lazing about. Like pets. Slaves. They were his friends, and yet he had failed them. Tears threatened to well up in the corner of his eyes.
A vibration in his pocket caught his attention. A text from Nathan read:
Look man, don't beat yourself up over what we talked about earlier. If I know you, you probably are. Go have that discussion with them and don't run from it. But keep in mind that they have to love you in order to have stayed as long as they did.
He nodded. He was once again overcomplicating things. Aaron vowed that he would have that conversation. Soon. And this time, 'soon' would not be put off for all eternity. The phone was shoved back into his jacket pocket. Before long, the bus came to the third stop in its route. Towering skyscrapers and scattered panhandlers were the images burned into his mind of the inner city. That and the occasional political riot. In the distance, a constant flicker of blue and red permeated the dark.
Checking his phone, Aaron found that he would make it to the next bus stop with about ten minutes to spare. Nearly a dozen pidoves were perched overhead on several power lines. He gave a short laugh, knowing from experience that the birds tended not to care if they managed to nail an innocent passerby.
"Guys, I'm home," he said as he opened the door. Krista, as usual, was the first to greet him, sporting her usual dopey grin. The audino began speaking about something in her high-pitched squeals, seemingly unaware of the fact that he had yet to insert the small earpiece. "Hold on a second," he said, positioning the translator into his ear. "Alright, now."
"Maddie evolved! Y'know, the purrloin down the street? She evolved today!"
"Oh, really?" he said. "I didn't think that they did all that much in terms of battling. And what were you up to today?"
"Oh, nothing much. I tried to get Aster to go out and do something, but he just wanted to coil up and sleep. Isn't that right?" she said loudly, calling out to the serperior draped lazily over the couch. A single eye barely opened, and a quiet hiss was his only reply. "See? Hard to think that sorry thing used to go toe-to-toe with dragons."
"Shouldn't you be perched on a shelf next to the other stuffed animals?" Aster asked.
"Hey!" Aaron shook his head and went into the kitchen, grabbing two cans out of the refrigerator. It was still several months prior to him turning twenty-one, but his roommate, Darian, was willing to buy for him.
"Either of you two know where Marcus and Pierce are?" he asked as he joined Aster on the couch.
"They went out. Something about finding some trainers to fight," said Krista. She hopped up there with them, making sure to bump into the serperior and receiving a hiss in response. That didn't exactly come as a surprise. "They said they'll be back tonight, though." He nodded, taking a sip of the cool beer, and grabbed the remote. News channels were intentionally dodged.
He eventually settled on a documentary about legendary pokémon. The focus of this particular episode was on the species collectively known from mythology as the "Swords of Justice." Contrary to popular belief, they, like many other legendaries, belonged to small populations rather than being truly unique individuals. They were not like Groudon or Kyogre – or like the region's own Reshiram and Zekrom. But if that was the case, why had they not been making public appearances to humans anymore?
The last known event regarding a legendary had occurred two and a half years ago, and had Aaron been under better circumstances at the time, he would have paid more attention to the event which had rocked Unova to its core. Apparently, a trainer had received the support of both Zekrom and Reshiram – something that had never happened before, as both pokémon had historically aligned themselves with people on opposing sides. The few videos that had been taken during the event revealed little detail. The black and white dragons both flew to Dragonspiral Tower, and though reporters had tried to catch a glimpse as to what had happened, they were gone as soon as they had arrived, with an unidentified trainer riding on the back of Reshiram. Nobody knew who the trainer was or where the two mythical creatures went.
No, Aaron had not been following the current events of the time. More prominent seemed to be the constant violence between the two global teams. Alpha and Delta had done quite a nice job of regressing the world back into tribal divisions. But that year, Aaron had been more worried about his own life falling apart.
It had been his first year of college, and he was having the time of his life. The parties were more vibrant than they had been in high school. The memories of all the drinking – all the women – flooded his mind. Perfume infiltrating his inebriated senses and luring him to bedrooms. Many mornings consisted of waking up and not knowing where he was, and hangovers were an all too familiar experience. They were wild times, and he had enjoyed each day to the fullest. But then, at the end of his second semester, everything had changed.
It was one of a handful of times that he could remember every single detail of that day. Wearing his favorite t-shirt, he had turned in his final assignment for English: a five-page essay in response to a reading prompt. The world had woken from its wintery slumber. The scent of cherry trees still remained with him.
It was that night when everything had changed. Aaron had planned on bar hopping with some buddies and would have been out the door in another ten minutes had he not sat down to check his emails. Opening his laptop, he scrolled through mostly spam until seeing an automated message that his Chemistry 212 exam had been graded. He rolled his eyes. Aaron had been certain that he hadn't done well in the class, especially following his performance on the second exam. Titration had been the death of him. At least now he would no longer have to worry about the subject. A single click was all it took to turn his annoyance into terror.
He had received a forty-seven on the final.
The trainer's breathing became frantic and quickly pulled out his phone. Aaron may have hated math, but he could at least do averages. And yet no matter how the numbers were punched in, a failing grade was inevitable. For a general core topic, that didn't cut it.
The excitement of the night was lost upon him. Without the credit hours that would come from that course, he would lose the one scholarship that he had received for his capabilities as a trainer. Aaron emailed the professor in an attempt to negotiate even a D; a sharp reply back that he shouldn't have slept through the class that semester put to rest any chance of her passing him out of goodwill.
Aaron remembered trying to drown the thoughts out that night, but no matter how many drinks he downed, the thoughts resurfaced. Thoughts of returning to his father, telling him that he had thrown it all away, plagued his mind. He wished he could blame someone but himself – anyone – but his indifference had directly led to this. A hard knot had formed in his stomach that week.
His pokémon were the first to know. That conversation had hurt far more than he could have possibly imagined. After all, their dream of challenging the Elite Four had been put on hold over his own ambitions – ambitions, as it would seem, that he had not taken very seriously. They tried to play it off. Everyone made mistakes, and his own lack of judgement and the immaturity natural to his youth could have played a part in this. But Aaron knew them well enough to see the hurt in their eyes.
The conversation with his parents had been far more volatile. His father yelled every sort of profanity under the sun towards him – something that he almost never did. But Aaron had disappointed them all. His team, his parents, and even his own future self. Here his father had drawn from his retirement to ensure that Aaron could go to college and make something of himself, and he had just thrown it all away. The tough façade had broken that night – one of a few times he could remember in his life – and he cried.
Then there was telling his friends and preparing to move out. He'd inevitably lose the scholarship funding most of his education. Those days had been a miserable blur, and reluctant job searches were done as he packed his stuff.
And then, when Aaron had found himself at his lowest point, a spur-of-the-moment idea from his roommate had gotten him out. Bar hopping – one last time. Aaron had no interest in getting blackout or bringing a girl home, but he decided that getting out of the apartment would do him some good, and after a shower and a shave – something he had neglected for far too long – the two of them headed out.
The restaurant was winding down for the night; another hour from now and it would be closed. This was one of the less well-known sports bars around town, and since baseball was not the sport that Nimbasa was best known for, there was little activity in the spring. Nevertheless, a few tables were still occupied by both humans and pokémon. Aaron's beer had long since gone warm. Darian had left with a girl that looked as though she was trying too hard to pass for twenty. I see where your priorities were, he thought.
He was supposed to be having a good time, but that clearly wasn't about to happen. Thoughts constantly drifted back to life after dropping out: a scar that he would carry with him for the rest of his days.
Aaron looked around for one of the two waitresses that he had seen moving about. If he was going to sit around and feel sorry for himself, then he'd rather do it at home. That's when he noticed an auburn-haired woman in the corner of the room making eye contact with him. She was seated with a table of four: two men, one of whom looked vaguely familiar, and an espeon. Aaron averted his gaze, but snuck a peak through his peripheral a few minutes, noticing that she was still looking at him. Where have I seen that guy before? he thought to himself.
Eventually the waitress seemed to take the hint that he was ready to leave and dropped the check off. It was surprising that the sports bar didn't have an automated payment system at the edge of the table – most places had them now – but not this restaurant. The slim black checkbook had made its way to his table, and as soon as it had arrived, Aaron sent it off with his card. During the wait, he snuck another glance towards the table in the corner.
Two of the diners were headed towards him: the lone woman and the man who had been seated next to her. Aaron froze up, not knowing what to do, but the duo casually walked over to his table and stood there for a moment. "Mind if we join ya?" the man asked. He looked to be three inches shorter than Aaron. Short brown hair was contrasted by sharp hazel eyes, matching those of the woman. He looked to be physically fit, though not as much as Aaron.
"Be my guest," he murmured. Not like it mattered.
"My wife here seems to think you're a bit down. Wanna talk about it?"
"What's it to you?" Aaron asked. "I don't even know you. Not like it'd do any good, anyways."
"That might explain why you failed the final," he stated. "I was the TA of your class, Mr. Calloway." Aaron's shoulders slumped. That explains that. Any excuse he could have prepared vanished. "Is that what's gotcha bummed?"
"You could say that," Aaron admitted. "Mrs. McCrady wouldn't even bump me up to a D. She failed me."
"No," the man stated. "You failed yourself. What did you think would happen if you skipped class as often as you did? And when you were present, you browsed the internet, texted, or just slept. Unless chemistry comes easily to you, then that's a good combination for a failing grade." Aaron was starting to regret telling him that he could join. Thankfully the waitress returned with the checkbook once again.
"Look, I don't need you to tell me that I screwed up. I already heard that enough from everyone else." He slipped his card back into his wallet, signed the receipt, and prepared to stand up and leave.
"I'm not here to chastise you."
"Really? Then why are you here?" Aaron snapped back. "You know what? It doesn't even matter."
"Ah, so that's what this is about. You flunked out, didn't you?"
"No," he said through grit teeth. "I just… I don't have the credit hours to keep my scholarship."
"I see." The man looked to his wife, who had yet to utter a word, and she simply smiled back. He was confused about this until he saw her hands quickly move. The unspoken language was lost upon him. "Maybe, maybe."
"What is it?" Aaron asked.
"Is your scholarship Unovan-based or private?"
"Unovan. From my gym campaign."
"Then I'm guessing you haven't spoken to your guidance counselor about all this. If you had, then you'd know that there's a way that you can keep from losing it." This grabbed his attention, and any idea of leaving the restaurant was abandoned.
"What do you mean?"
"You could retake the class over the summer. State and national scholarships are based on yearly terms – often from the fall semester to the summer. Most people think it's only to the spring semester, but classes can be taken over the break." And just like that, any hopes that Aaron had developed dwindled into nothingness.
"Damn," he muttered. "Welp, that settles it. I'm screwed."
"Why is that?"
"You think I could afford that? Dad's not going to help me after the conversation I just had with him, and I doubt I could get a private loan in what… two weeks? No doubt any summer classes will start soon." The chemistry TA – the name of which still escaped Aaron on account of never having looked at the syllabus – put his hand to his chin as if contemplating something.
"I see…"
"Just wish I could go back and do it all over again," he admitted. "But now I'm at the end of the line."
"Maybe not," the TA stated. His wife had clasped his left hand and was smiling. "If given another chance, would you take it seriously? Would you stop focusing on parties and one-nighters and give your studies the attention they deserve?"
"Yeah," Aaron said solemnly, "I would."
"If you truly mean that, then I'm willing to help." Aaron had to do a double take on that.
"I don't… I don't understand."
"I'll pay for you to retake Chemistry 212." The trainer looked down, unable to meet the man's gaze. That didn't make any sense – he hardly knew him, aside from seeing him as that one lazy student from class.
"But… why?"
"Because everyone deserves a second chance." He was unable to form any response. He had failed – miserably so – and here this person, practically a stranger, was willing to do something like this for him? It made no sense… "I'll tell ya what: I'll leave you my card, and you get back to me about it within the week." He slid the slim card over; it was similar to a business card but had the university insignia on it. The name Nathan Hayes could be seen on the front. As he looked up from the piece of paper, he realized that the two of them had stood up and were joined by the other two from their table. The other man was quite slim, sporting black hair and a loose-fitting jersey.
He didn't know how to feel about this. Tears threatened to pool up in his eyes as his voice croaked. "I'll… I'll call you," he said, trying to refrain from looking like a pathetic mess. Nathan smiled, and with a nod, headed out the door with his group.
Their meeting could have been under better circumstances, but in some way, Aaron was glad it had happened this way. Looking back, he had not had his priorities in order. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise – one that forced him to reevaluate what really mattered. Not to mention it had brought his best friend to him. After passing the class that Nathan had personally paid for, the two had kept in frequent contact, even to the day. Though they only met once a week in person, the two tended to text every day.
The door opening caught his attention. A lucario and a krookodile stepped inside, receiving a curt nod from their trainer. "Hey guys. Have a good time?" he asked, noticing that the ground-type was holding a tissue to his snout. A little blood could be seen. "Shit, are you alright?"
"Nothin' to worry about," the reptilian creature stated. "And besides, we won a two versus five fight. Ain't that right, pup?" The lucario rolled his eyes but did not reply. "Ah, c'mon. Just pullin' your leg a little. Lighten up."
"Anyways," Marcus stated, changing the subject, "we took fifty from the jar and doubled it." Aaron shook his head.
"You don't have to tell me when you guys take money from the jar. You two won most of it yourself, anyways." More often than not, it was put towards food throughout the week. Immediately, thoughts of his talk with Nathan resurfaced, and he wondered if tonight would be the night that he had the inevitable conversation. But Pierce seemed quite content with their victory, so he didn't want to risk changing that. Soon, he reminded himself.
There was something terrifying about this perpetual world of darkness. A world with almost no light. The black hole that had once been a star millions of years ago now only served to hold the planet into orbit. At one time, life was only possible thanks to their technological advances. But now, it wasn't possible anywhere. An everlasting night sky stared back at them. Millions upon millions of other stars that, if the conditions had been right, could have been traveled to in order to avoid the incoming doom. Calling a place like this home would scare him.
Fortunately, it wasn't home. He was an entire universe away from that.
He watched as the aircraft was constructed. Much like a helicopter, except it was powered mostly by electricity. Massive batteries – three on each side – had been neatly fitted inside large cylindrical holes made for the purpose. Instead of propellers, two large circular rings jutted out from each side, each having a full range of motion. It was funny; upon completion, each "wing" of the aircraft almost resembled the birds from his own world. From what Alexander understood, there were none here.
"Sir," one of the Recon members said from behind, "we have received word that the ground units are nearing completion." She sounded uncertain about something though.
"Is something the matter, miss?" he asked. Her right hand grabbed the left as she looked down.
"Well… it took quite a bit more energy than we expected to mine the titanium – somewhere around fifteen percent more than expected. It's not a problem on its own… but we're still two weeks away from finishing the aerial fleet. If something like this happens again…"
"Do not worry," he said with a reassuring voice. "Even if power does run low, I'm sure we could transport materials from the other dimension here. And my priorities are with your people; I will not continue military production if the energy costs are too high."
"Yes sir." The relief in her voice was evident.
"Please make sure to tell this to all your subordinates, Zossie. I will not needlessly expose your people to harm."
"Thank you, sir," she said with a curt nod. He thought that would be the end of the discussion, and with a smile, Alexander made his way for the exit. "If I may," Zossie continued, "how would you be able to transport energy here?"
"I have multiple methods in mind," he stated matter-of-factly. "Have you forgotten who all I am allied with?"
"No sir," she said.
"And if that doesn't work, we can transfer large amounts of uranium here. I would like to avoid that, since it would undoubtedly stir the hornet's nest ahead of time on my Earth, but it is an option. Not like it will matter much, anyways. They won't be able to stop this with their current technology."
"How… how would you accomplish that – if I may ask?"
"Well, I happen to have a very close ally there who works in the mining field. He could grant me access to uranium mines in several regions, though the enrichment process would need to be done here." Alexander never formed one single plan; there were always several backups. "That should keep us going for the remaining time we have left."
"I see." She joined him by the window, watching as several workers were welding rivets onto the aircraft. In just two more days, this particular unit would be finished – one of thousands. This site had been one of several that had been working non-stop since the time he first visited this planet. A planet where winds had died down and whose tides never came. Storms had not brewed in many years, and before long, the few remaining scraps of usable resources would be mined from the planet. Had it not been for their ability to artificially grow certain plants, then the population would have starved.
Everything needed energy. Energy that they would soon lack.
"Will you miss this world?" Alexander looked at her as she stared at the starlight. The middle-aged woman sighed.
"Of course. I love it here – it's my home. But my home is dying…"
"I am so sorry," he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"But I suppose… all good things must come to an end, right sir? And maybe… this isn't all bad. I remember – back when Dulse and I navigated the land you call Alola – the sunrises there were the most gorgeous thing I'd ever witnessed."
"Soon, your people will witness it every single day," Alexander promised. She nodded, and a small smile formed on her face.
"I don't know what we would have done without you," she said. "Our Lunala could only take so many people at a time, and when she left for your world… and we came back without Necrozma… everyone here accepted that we would all eventually die…"
"She never left – not for good, at least," Alexander replied. "If I've learned anything about my legendary friends, it is that they know far more than we could ever dream of. I have no doubt that they knew this would happen and that it was part of their plan. With both her and our Solgaleo… we could likely transport your entire city to my Earth."
"That would be quite an amazing feat."
"Oh, I'm sure," he said with a laugh. "What phenomenal power they have."
"But maybe we shouldn't. This city was built to be a habitable power grid. But without Necrozma, it serves no purpose. And we were wrong to do that to the poor creature. So maybe it's best that Megalopolis fades to dust with the rest of this planet. And besides… Megalopolis isn't just a city. It's a people." That wasn't the response that Alexander was expecting, but he could not deny the wisdom within her voice.
"Very well. If that's the case, then I look forward to watching the construction of a New Megalopolis on my world."
"Those from Earth… they will surely hate us for what we are about to do…"
"You need not worry about that. They're too busy fighting each other half the time. My people… they've come up with some rather impressive technology. But you know how most of it was made?"
"How?"
"Through war." She made eye contact with him.
"We… we have done some pretty bad things too. Your people aren't alone in that regard."
"But that's why I'm even here in the first place. They're still at each others throats constantly. Maybe not with tanks and planes, but they're determined to destroy one another. And many of these countries in turmoil have nuclear weaponry. It only takes a spark, Zossie. Just a spark." He shook his head. "I don't intend to allow them that much time."
"But this all seems so… so…"
"So humane considering what they do to one another every single day," Alexander said. "I am their final punishment. And once I'm done, none of this will ever be a concern again. For your people or mine." Zossie replied with a genuine smile before swiftly putting her right hand to her chest. Alexander followed suit, and the two offered a short bow with their heads. "Now go – tell your subordinates all that I have told you. I do not want for them to lose sleep over this matter."
"…Thank you, Alex," she said. "For everything. You've brought hope to a dying world."
Alexander walked up the stairs of the massive tower. Once a symbol of oppression, he had now turned it into his own personal quarters. Now it would serve to liberate the planet. There had been a functioning elevator when he had first arrived here, but considering he was the only one really using the old facility, Alexander decided to have it deactivated. He didn't mind the walk, though he would have loved to have personally seen the tower in its former radiance. Now the structure was pitch-black.
Upon arriving at the top floor, he found the four creatures of interest – in the exact same place as they had been this morning. Or rather, twelve hours ago since morning never came on this world. Alexander immediately lowered himself to his knee and bowed his head – this time, he was not addressing the beings as equals as he had with Zossie. They were far more.
"There is no need for that, friend," Lunala said gently. "There is nothing more that you could do to convince us of your loyalty or respect." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe. It's just… I feel compelled to do it." Solgaleo slowly walked over towards him.
"Is there anything you have to report?" he asked.
"I have just received word that the production of ground units is nearing completion. The mass production of exosuits has yet to start, but that shouldn't take long at all. However, they did utilize more energy than they expected. It is not enough so that it would threaten life support systems or inhibit the progress of further production, but another similar miscalculation would be problematic. If that is the case… then I may have to ask the two of you for your assistance…"
"And you will have it as always," Solgaleo replied. "So long as your intentions are right, we shall stand by you."
"I am honored," Alexander said. "Thank you – all of you."
"We shall return to your world soon," the lion stated. "I see no reason for both my counterpart and me to go, so I will accompany you as always." He looked over to Lunala, then fixed his eyes on the starry heavens above. "And I suspect she would enjoy this scenery far more than me."
"Ah, I don't know what could have possibly given you that idea," Alexander joked, earning a slight giggle from the large bat-like creature. "There's an odd beauty to it all… even though this place is withering away, the skies are serene and living all the same. Like I've walked into a painting…" he trailed off, then shook his head. "Will the two of you be accompanying me as well?"
One of the two legendaries stepped forth. "Where you go, we both go."
"Thank you, Reshiram."
Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta-reading this chapter.
