A few months later...
A Mid-Sinnoh Night's Dream - XXX + 1 - In The Case Of Those That Follow
The holiday celebration held in late December in Twinleaf Town was lively, to say the least. There were people and Pokemon from all walks of life; so many in fact, that they had to make it into a festival rather than just a party at Johanna's. Lights were strung up by lampposts, and families from all around town had pitched in decorations and food, even if it was rather last minute.
There were trainers, Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, hell, even two League Champions had shown up. Along with most of their partner Pokemon, and then some.
The RSVPing was a nightmare, hence the amount of space it took up.
Most of this was due to Hilbert's classification as a Legendary Pokemon by most Pokemon Leagues.
"You're telling me they really did that?" A blonde girl on roller skates from Kalos asked. "I got the memo, but… really?"
"You had to have been there," Candice told her. "At least, been in the region. Snowpoint was getting hit pretty hard for a while, so I only caught a little. But whew, it was something! It took 'til November to get everything back in line."
"Yeah, I hear you. Kalos is a wreck right now, and… I don't know anything about rebuilding towns or anything yet, so my grandfather stepped in."
"Ouch, yeah, I heard about that. When's Lumiose-2 going to be finished? I saw something on the news before Black popped up again and they all went to that."
"You know, why does that guy get so much attention? What are we, chopped liver? Seriously, I saw a clip of him at a noodle stand in Unova, and that had everyone's attention on the GTS."
"Hey, the guy's a sensation, what can you do?" Candice gave a wide shrug, hands outstretched. "And he did, y'know, save the world."
"Eh, who hasn't? My Lucario punched Kalos's Articuno in the face too."
"Didn't he punch Zapdos, though?"
"Total plothole, I've never seen any proof, but that blond kid is always talking about it." Korrina looked over the crowd, and then found the boy in the scarf, arm around his taller friend Lucas and talking to Black's probably-girlfriend-but-who-knows-since-he's-always-out-of-town.
"Barry is older than you, isn't he?"
"Well, I, uh… Not important!"
All those months ago, when the Heavens were mended, and Hilbert came back down to earth, what many had thought before was true. Things would not be the same.
Lucario across the world could see it themselves. Rather than the black of normal lack of vision, there was now a very, very faint aura cloaking the earth.
Professor Krane, using a combination of spectrographs and his Aura Reader, hypothesized that this natural aura had been caused by the unknown Legendary that cloaked the world in darkness, and drew the conclusion that it was the cause of the newfound worldwide prevalence of aura-users.
Some took advantage of their power. Those who lost their possessions used their powers to rob those who had not. Attempt to, anyway. In the vast majority of cases, aura-users were only as powerful as a starter-level Pokemon. The minority, however, were the exception.
Volcanoes were torn from the earth, spewing lava across the mountains in pursuit of domination. In anger, some flooded villages in a petty attempt to create their own.
But there were two counter-balances.
One, was the Aura Guardian, or Golurk-Platinum, depending on localization. The human-sized Golurk would appear on the horizon when a great evil occurred, and the evil would fall. You already know his story.
Two, was a philanthropist in Kalos known only by the name of Lysander. The man seemed to own Lumiose City in all but its government. Even as Lumiose was being repaired, the man had demanded they rebuild it differently, into a fortress. Many agreed with the sentiment, as the city attracted all kinds of anomalous Pokemon.
In fact, an ice-covered robot appeared from a strange wormhole above Vaniville Town to the south, tore its way through the countryside, and obliterated the south end of the city before the Aura Guardian appeared and broke through the air itself to send it back where it came from. (One of Lysander's contacts, the CEO of a non-profit Pokemon-care foundation, took a special interest in this Ultra Beast, though this was only known to her. Soon afterward, after joining ranks with Lysander's company, the Aether Foundation nearly doubled their spending and their research that went towards helping Pokemon. Allegedly.)
The Aura Guardian had been tearing his way across the world since that midsummer nightmare, protecting those that needed protection, and helping those that needed helping.
Unfortunately, that leaves very little time for the people he left behind.
Dawn Berlitz was one of the most popular Coordinators in the Sinnoh region, owing to her range in styles, willingness to work with Pokemon not generally considered stylish, and having an unconventional mindset.
As she once said in an interview:
"I put a lot of work in, that's true, but just working hard isn't enough. You have to ask yourself what you want, you know? If you don't put your all into it, all of your heart… it's not going to be enough."
She's very well-known, though not without criticism, for hamming it up during contests, giving monologues that ignite fires in the hearts of the audience, even if they cause her to lose points.
Though, a few loyal fans have noticed, specifically a member of a Pokemon fan club in a Hearthome, that when one of her Pokemon imitates the Aura Guardian's drill-like attacks, she gets a far-away look in her eye.
More noticeably, she has friendships with people in many places, such as the Pulitzer-approved treasure hunter and planned-archaeology-professor than found the ruins of an ancient civilization that worshipped the mythical Mew, Cheryl Jones, the Top Coordinator of the Hoenn region, May Maple, and had begun a short-lived apprenticeship with the idol Fantina, before accidentally destroying the Hearthome Gym's ceiling (The two are still friends, they agreed that practicing in a larger hall would be for the best).
When asked about her dreams, she said this:
"My dreams? Well… my boy- my friend once said that we should all achieve our dreams, or at least try our best."
The interviewer clarified she meant her personal dreams.
"Oh, to be the Top Coordinator for a decade, the very best and all that, retire, try to get that idiot to settle down, and… y'know."
She changed the topic when asked about who the idiot was, and most just assumed it to mean one of her many friends, though some crackpots had ideas involving the number three. Some of them may have been correct, who knows?
All in all, she was on track to be one of the greats.
Dawn's appearance at the party had surprised few. She, of course, had been planning a reunion with everyone in their traveling troop anyway, despite Hilbert always being somewhere else.
There were reasons for that, of course.
Lucas had lain Hilbert out carefully, used to dealing with people a lot more injured rather than merely exhausted. The crater was rocky, but smooth enough to comfortably rest on until Shaymin could do their work.
He saw the Pokeball speeding towards Golurk, of course. Spending months or days or however long in universes where bullets fell like rain honed the senses like that. In the blink of an eye, he whipped out with his lightsaber, jumping slicing the ball into domes, before looking up at the man standing at the lip of the crater.
Cyrus stood over him, shaking and soaked in dust and sweat. Red links covered his body, like they'd been branded onto his skin, though they showed through his clothes.
"You…"
"You," Lucas cut him off. "Have caused a great deal of trouble." He looked at the purple semi-sphere that rolled to his feet. "Ah. Master Ball. Rare, if I remember correctly."
"What… what are you?"
"Yadda yadda, something something, I'm your worst nightmare. Hoopa, I know you're watching now that the fighting is over."
The doll-like Legendary appeared formed a ring over his shoulder, rubbing the back of its head. "Eh… It's like TV to me, I can't help it."
"Can you do me a solid?"
"Huh? Sure, Lukey-pookey, what do you have in mind?"
"I'm going to," Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Never mind. Send this guy to that one dimension with the portals and robots… Actually, no, send him to Arceus and see what he wants."
Cyrus could barely get to his feet at the time, there was no way he could avoid the portal that swept over him.
There was an itch in his eyes as he gazed upon it. A primordial form of white mass and red eyes, bearing down on him.
who are you?
It registered that he was looking upon the true form of Arceus itself, at which point he started clawing at his scalp and screaming into the void.
"Oh, darn, never mind, that's freaky!"
As the unbound form of Arceus floated in the void, it asked itself.
no new friends?
i should make my own.
And that was how Hoopa accidentally instigated the birth of another universe.
Back in Hilbert's world, Cyrus fell out of a portal, conscious but comatose at the same time.
"Hoopa…" Lucas warned.
"It's not my fault! Heck, it hurts my eyes to look at its true form!"
"You showed him… you showed him the true form of GOD? Are you-"
"It was stupid, I know! I'm sorry!"
Lucas shook his head and climbed out of the crater to check the other leaders of Team Galactic.
They all seemed incredibly out of it, covered in the same amount of dust, though Charon seemed a little too tense to be asleep and was probably already planning a move to Argentina, wherever that is. Lucas was the only one in the world who actually knew, most likely.
"Now, I don't remember if I have to read Miranda Rights or if they even apply here, but yeah, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning and at trial. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. I'm an officer of motherfucking INTERPOL, and you're under arrest- Man, I've always wanted to do that!"
A Kricketot chirped somewhere in the distance.
"...Excuse my French. Or Kalosian. The names get confusing, alright?"
The Kricketot stopped, but a Kricketune took its place.
"What does 'fuck' mean?" Charon muttered, one eye open and staring at Lucas.
"Oh, that word doesn't exist here. Much like the words-"
"Hey! Don't cut away from me! I'm the main character for the moment, let me swear!"
Lucas, unfortunately, is now a little bit crazy, but he never lost his thirst for knowledge and desire to be the one sane man in the room.
He was currently trying to not punch Barry in the face while listening to the blond boy sing the praises of Hilbert who was still in absentia.
"...And then Hilby said, "Catch her? I hardly know her!"" Barry's arm around his neck only tightened as the other boy laughed. "He was talking about Lucario, if you couldn't tell."
"We could, Barry, we were there."
And in fact, Cheryl and Dawn were, with the exception of Marley and Riley. The former was staring at Lucas with some odd expression on her face that probably meant something important but Lucas was still busy trying to not call someone a dumbass to notice.
The six of them were together somewhere near the center of the crowd of a few hundred people and Pokemon combined, dressed in relative-to-Barry formal wear, which meant dress shirts and blouses and the like, same colors as usual. Again, with the exception of Marley, who was dressed the same as always. That, Lucas did notice.
He managed to wiggle out of Barry's arm as he asked, "Hey, Marley, aren't you cold?"
She perked up, looking up at him like a Deerling caught in headlights. "...Hm? Excuse me...?"
"You can have my jacket. It's winter, and it'd be really unfortunate if you got hypothermia."
For some reason, Dawn and Cheryl found that absolutely hilarious, like he was calling back to something or other.
"...I don't think I'd mind…" She murmured, sending the other two girls into another fit of giggling.
"What did you say? I don't think I heard you right."
Marley's cheeks turned a pastel pink that totally negated the light chill in the air. "...If you follow me, I'll tell you."
"Alright. Be right back, everyone."
Marley walked off inside of Johanna's house, Lucas tilting his head in curiosity.
He didn't notice that he walked directly under the mistletoe until Marley turned on her heel and jumped him.
Barry McGonnigal hadn't changed much, that much was true. After the stars reappeared and he could see the sunrise, he made a reasonable guess for once in his life and went to the peak of Mt. Coronet like everyone else and their mother.
What he found was a crowd composed of Trainers, Rangers, Gym Leaders, and Cynthia riding her Garchomp gathered around the edges of that weird-looking temple thing, which he would later learn was called Spear Pillar.
Lucas was sitting on top of a pile of weirdos in jumpsuits and one in a lab coat, tapping his feet together and holding up his Interpol badge.
"Everyone, I'm not authorized to let you get a closer look, only a nurse and police will be- Oh, hello, Barry. Nice seeing you again."
"Who are you?"
"I lived with you for ten years, you-" Lucas wiped his face. "Lucas. I was in an alternate dimension or two. Maybe a few more, it's really complicated. Hilbert's taking a nap, I'm waiting for the rest of Interpol to show up."
The faint sound of a Helicopter's blades chopping started echoing over the peaks.
"...How about that? Anyway, Miss Cynthia, you're alright to take care of these guys."
"Right," the Champion said, before she walked over with a slight limp.
"...On second thought, hold on. I have something that might help you. Aren't you still supposed to be in a Center somewhere?" Lucas hopped up and pulled something with a needle from his belt.
"Aren't you?" She smirked, but the expression faded quickly. "What is that?"
"It's called a Stimpak. It'll make you heal fast."
The scientific implications could wait, so he grabbed her arm lightly, tapped it to her forearm, and injected it while only drawing the slightest amount of blood.
There was a notable sound of her dislocated arm and leg shifting back into place, making her wince.
"Sorry about that, by the way. I'm used to people being unable to do it themselves." He leveled his eyes with hers, nodding in apology.
"My, my… thank you, I appreciate it regardless." The trainer of the most powerful Pokemon in Sinnoh, the Champion of said region's Pokemon league, and a past student of Professor Rowan, seemed to actually be a little flustered. Lucas easily being able to pass for her age might have played a part in that.
Barry smacked his hand against his head a few meters away, groaning. "Just my luck. I knew both of them would end up as chick magnets. Man, this sucks."
There is exactly one area of social interaction that Barry has expertise in, and unfortunately for him, that doesn't help you get a date when the other guys in your group have superpowers.
The old man at the top of the pile started groaning, before rolling off of their leader and the three other Commanders. "Hrrp…"
"Grandfather. Why am I not surprised?"
What.
"What."
Well said, Lucas.
"I think I've got some questions. Barry, go check up on Hilbert and his Pokemon."
"Huh? I mean, yeah, alright, man…"
Barry walked off to the lip of the crater as Lucas began a short line of questioning.
"This man is your grandfather?" He pointed at Charon, who was still mostly unconscious, keeping his face even.
"Unfortunately, yes. He was always a man of science, that's what my grandmother tells me. He took the scientific approach to mythology, and constantly spouted his ideas of attaining godhood through analysis of the natural wonders of the world. Eventually, he just left. Disappeared from retirement in Celestic, didn't leave a note. When I did get around to clearing out his office, his desk was covered in Team Galactic pamphlets."
"That's why you were involved with Interpol," Lucas connected the dots that had suddenly appeared. "I mean, they couldn't exactly force every Champion to sign on, that would be impractical. Brendan would have mentioned it to us if he was an agent…"
"That's all mostly correct, yes. We are technically supposed to serve as a militia should it ever become necessary."
"Like the last twenty-four hours?" he guessed.
She only nodded in response.
He gave her one of her own, before looking over to see Barry trying to slap Hilbert awake at a rapid pace.
"Hey, Barry, cut that out. The helicopters nearly here."
"What?"
"I said, the helicopters nearly- Wait, duh."
They stopped trying to talk as the painted double-rotary vehicle started to descend at a relatively even end of the pillar, scattering pebbles and dust to the wind.
Looker chose to just out of the side anyway, sliding down on a repelling rope and walking over to them, trench coat billowing in the wind, before the helicopter touched down behind him.
"Badass…" Barry whispered, in slight awe.
A Nurse Joy with close-cut hair in a pink jumpsuit and belts of medicine rushed over to the crater, a Gardevoir following behind her. The Psychic-type lifted
"You think that's- Never mind." Lucas shook his head, pulling out and handing the agent his ratty wallet and crusted badge.
"You're… Aren't you a little short to be an agent?"
"I was shorter when I got the badge, you're lucky I held onto it."
"I'm sure there's an explanation for… all of this, so I'll just take everyone involved to the local base."
"Black's here too," Lucas said offhandedly.
"Of course he is. Better here than buried in some rubble in Veilstone."
"Oh, that idiot really did it, didn't he?"
"We'll review after all of this is cleaned up. For now…"
"Wait a moment, let me say it."
"Excuse me?"
"Case… CLOSED!"
Shutters failed to flash across the screen, and credits failed to roll.
"...Let's just get on the damn helicopter."
Cheryl Jones was caught in something of a dilemma. On one hand, her girl- Ahem, best friend was pacing in her room and muttering curses, having called her over after she received the alert from Interpol that they would pick up Team Black members in Sandgem Town. Marley was a bit further away, but on her way back, and Riley was assisting the Lucario Kingdom in calming the legions of Pokemon that were confused about why they were destroying the forests and outposts located on major routes.
"Hilby, that idiot, that stupid heroically brave world-saving idiot, when I see him I'm going to…"
On the other hand, she was quite worried for Hilby's safety, as he probably wouldn't need to fight back, but a woman scorned is unlikely to let a little thing like invulnerability stop her.
She could have also been misreading the situation, as UST was a very plausible cause.
"You know, Dawn, we don't know if it was him…" She said halfheartedly.
"There was no way it wasn't. My memories might be a little bit fuzzy, but I'm sure I heard him yell about drills."
"That's true…" Wasn't it? She remembered the world being cloaked in darkness, and then light. The sun vanished, and then it came back. There was… a lot of pain, wasn't there? But now that she thought back on it, all she could remember was the dimness of the stars in the sky.
She shook her head, acknowledging that as long as everyone was safe, she wouldn't think too hard about it.
Marley arrived not long after, riding on the back of Arcanine.
"...Do they really have Lucas with them?" She asked after rereading Interpol's message.
"I guess we'll find out. It's strange that he's not in the Pokemon Center, though," Dawn said.
"Are you alright, Marley? Any bruises?"
"...No need to worry. Only minor cuts…"
"Are you sure? I'm sure I have a first aid kit around here." Dawn started shuffling around objects and sketches on her desk and in her drawers.
"I am still surprised that you can switch from harsh to sweet so quickly."
"Only when Hilbert's involved," Dawn responded, the words slipping out accidentally. "I mean, someone has to be. You're too easy on him."
"I don't recall you saying that back on Iron Island…" Cheryl said demurely, as if she wasn't implying something much more explicit.
Dawn flushed red. "We agreed not to talk about that!"
"...Talk about what?"
"I'll tell you when you're older! Don't ask!"
"Someone's embarrassed…"
"You are so not helping, Cheryl!"
A few minutes later, after Marley had gotten some band-aids put on, Riley arrived in much worse shape, but a wide smile on his face.
"Late to the party?" He said, after Dawn let him in.
"Early. How do you run faster than a helicopter can fly?"
"How can Hilbert do it?"
"Touche. Do you need some antiseptic?"
"No, thank you. I'll use a Potion or something."
The sound of chopping wind above them clued them in that Riley was only just as fast as the helicopter, not faster.
Dawn was prepared to utilize a technique known as "slap-slap-kiss" as soon as she saw Hilbert, but the fact that he was out cold in a medical bed in the cabin clued her in that it wouldn't be that great of an idea. Barry was holding his Pokeball belt, which contained his larger partner Pokemon. Shaymin was resting on his chest, and Lucas explained that even with Heal Pulses, Hilbert needed a good long rest.
Really put a damper on the whole thing, even before Lucas explained exactly why his hair was so long, his armor was so weird, and he was now the tallest member of the team.
"Damn… that's really unfortunate. You don't even know who your parents are…" Riley said, regret clear in his voice as he pulled his hat lower.
"Hoopa didn't want me to choose to stay there if they showed me. So they didn't. I'm not mad about it, my family is here, after all, but I hope they weren't too sad that I disappeared."
"Dimensional travel… I can't even begin to map that in my head," Cheryl said, shaking her head.
"Hoopa said that it was like a web of threads with a ring that led to another universe. They said that it would break my brain if they showed me. By the way, Marley…" He looked down at the girl that was wrapped around his chest, face still pressed into his chest plate.
"...I'm not letting you go…"
"Well, alright, then."
Barry, outside of everyone's notice, smacked his forehead and groaned.
Cynthia seemed vaguely amused by the turn of events, though she was far enough away that she wouldn't have to involve herself and kept leaning against the humming wall.
Looker had turned his focus to his earpiece, and as such, was listening to radio chatter instead of their eclectic conversation, chewing on the paper end of a lollipop, his gaze resting on the bound and unconscious Team Galactic members piled in the corner. The pilot was an Officer Jenny, as the cyan hair foretold, and the Nurse Joy was her copilot at the business end of the aircraft.
"Mhm…" Hilbert murmured in his sleep, wrestling against the sheets. "Drills… yeah, drills are nice."
The six looked over to him, waiting for him to awaken, but he failed to do so.
"...Do Lucario dream of aural Mareep?" Lucas asked, tilting his head back in thought, a slight snarkiness in his voice.
"Maybe. I know Empoleon dreams of eating a lot of fish."
"I meant like the book, Barry…"
The blond shrugged. "My bad, I guess."
"What do you think Hilby dreams of?" Cheryl murmured.
"Drills."
"Drills."
"Drills."
"...Drills..."
"Drills."
"...I should have expected that response. There is more to him than that, you know."
"Well, obviously," Dawn responded.
"But I'm sure you appreciate the size of his d-"
"Cheryl!"
"-etermination. What?"
Dawn's face flushed red. "Nothing! You knew what you were saying!"
"What else could I have said?"
"NOTHING!"
Hilbert, though still fast asleep, had somehow yanked his blankets over his head and was halfway to suffocating himself in his pillow;
Marley Fahn was by no means a complicated girl. At the very least, no more complicated than anyone else her age. She read a lot of books, enjoyed learning about mythology, and naturally, had teenage hormones even if she did her damndest to suppress them.
That sort of thing never seems to work. It simply makes the repressed feelings come out all at once in a confused mass.
Lucas was just as confused that mid-winter night, his lips considerably less chapped and his brain turned halfway to mush.
We will not elaborate on why, but he managed to stumble his way back to the group with Marley, a full head shorter than him, pulling him by the hand.
"Hey, Lucas. Did you guys get lost or something?" Barry asked, rubbing his chin in a way that suggested he knew what the answer would be.
"Huh-huh-wha?"
"...No…"
And there were no more questions asked. Rather, they were heavily implied, Marley having a non-verbal conversation with Cheryl and Dawn via a staredown that only Riley seemed to be able to follow for some reason.
Marley was a very quiet girl otherwise, not because she had nothing to say, but because she was afraid of saying what she did. Words hurt people more than fists, on some occasions. She wouldn't say that she was more mature than her peers, but her teammates would recognize that she was able to keep a calm head in most situations and maintain her patience almost as well as Cheryl, whose tolerance for stupidity (e.g. boys) extended well into the Pacific.
Interpol's operational headquarters in Sinnoh was located off the northeastern coast, in a series of reinforced buildings embedded in Stark Mountain, though officially separated from the Battle Frontier. It was located on the northern side, facing away from the region and more populated zones.
Barry seemed to recognize a lot of it, pointing out the window and naming each of the towers, and told everyone that his dad totally worked there, no, seriously guys, he does.
Lucas got a bad feeling looking at the sprawling base of operations though.
"Is that some sort of prison camp?" He asked, an edge slipping into his voice.
"Holds some of the most dangerous criminals this side of Japan," Looker nodded, "And also serves as our base of operations when involving Team Galactic. Where better to hold criminals than a frontier where the strongest Trainers come to train?"
"That's smart. So, do they just not get trials, or is there a courtroom?"
"This isn't a black site, of course there are trials."
"It wouldn't have been authorized if there weren't," Cynthia remarked.
"The UR-council will be pleased to hear of Galactic's end and capture. There will be a hearing, though it's for the best that it isn't televised."
"So it is a black site."
"There are reasons. The UR council's identities are classified, and they do wish to stay anonymous for... reasons which I am not sure of."
"You don't know?" Lucas asked, incredulous.
"No one does," Looker responded, snapping his lollipop stick in two. "We'll be touching down soon. Prepare yourselves."
"For what?"
"You'll be questioned as well, Black too, as soon as he wakes up. If you hadn't noticed, your badges have your codenames emblazoned on them as well. Memorize them and pay attention to the intercom for your call."
"But we didn't do anything!" Barry interjected.
"You are all closely related to a boy that ought to be classified as a Legendary Pokemon. You will be questioned, and I will not be able to prevent them from doing so. So, prepare.
They gathered in a claustrophobically gray hospital room, standing around awkwardly as Nurse Joy settled Hilbert in a medical bed and did all sorts of checks on his blood pressure and such before bowing to them and leaving the room. Looker and Cynthia had gone off to do important things.
"...I believe this is what they call a reversal of fortunes…" Marley murmured, arms tight around Lucas's off-arm.
Lucas blinked, dots flashing in his mind.
"Oh, right. That was me a while ago," he said, looking down at Hilbert's unconscious form.
"How long was that?" Riley asked.
"I don't know… two years? Give or take twelve months?"
Riley looked at the girl on the taller boy's arm, did the math, and shrugged. "Well, divide by two, add seven, you know the rule."
"What?"
Barry and Riley smacked their faces in unison. Barry's forehead was starting to throb at that point.
A mechanized voice came over the intercom, cutting through the concrete like water. "Agent Diamond, please report to sub-level seven for questioning."
Lucas clapped his hands, "That's me. You guys probably don't need to worry, since you didn't see all of it."
Lucas punched the floor number into the elevator, waited a strangely long time for it to descend, and blinked in surprise when the door opened to reveal darkness. There was some kind of inscription on the floor that he could make out from the elevator light, but he couldn't understand what it was supposed to be. Perhaps a tree of some kind? Further in, he could make out a simple folding chair.
He walked into the darkness, his ceramic boots clacking on the smooth black stone, and took a seat, almost positive it was a test of some kind.
Eighteen tiles appeared around him in a near-circle, each of them reaching towards the far-off ceiling and bordered by red light. Each of them were titled with UR, and then a Type.
The tile labeled as UR-DRAGON spoke first, a signal of a speaker flashing below its center.
"Agent Diamond. You are to answer all questions to the best of your ability in regards to the events that have occured in the last eight months. Do you understand?"
"Do I understand? Yes. Will I comply? Maybe."
UR-PSYCHIC spoke, as if reading his mind, "Compliance is mandatory. The United Regions must paint an accurate picture of the calamity. Failure to aid us in this goal will result in termination of employment and legal action. We must ask again; do you understand?"
"Yes."
UR-DRAGON took over from there once again. "Very well, let us begin. Your legal name is Lucas McGonnigal. You are familially tied with Agent Pearl, are you not?"
"I am."
"You do not share blood. How did your relationship come to be?"
"I was adopted."
"And how did that come to pass?"
"I don't know."
UR-PSYCHIC made a clicking noise. "I have the impression you are not telling the truth, Agent."
"Don't read my mind, that's poor etiquette in most universes." It wasn't a slip of some kind, he said that intentionally. He turned his glare on UR-DRAGON.
"A Legendary Pokemon known as Hoopa kidnapped me from my home universe with the intention of turning me into some sort of messiah. This is my home now. I would like to inquire into how," he stared back at UR-PSYCHIC, "they are reading my mind."
"Classified information, Agent. Know your place." UR-DARK interjected, a slight edge slipping through the synthesized voice.
"I have matched Giratina with my own two hands. You should know yours."
There was a sudden commotion as UR-DARK started swearing, and UR-FAIRY and a few others attempted to talk them down.
"I ask that we keep this… questioning civil," UR-POISON stated.
"I agree," echoed UR-GROUND, UR-ROCK, and UR-STEEL. "DRAGON, if you could continue."
"Of course. For the purposes of this questioning, Diamond, and for the sake of civility, do not instigate."
Lucas sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes, and simply slumped back in his chair slightly. "Alright."
He got the impression that the speaker nodded before continuing. "When did you first encounter Team Galactic?"
"Relative to me or this timeline?"
"Use our timescale."
"Then I'd say about six months ago. They were attempting to rob Professor Rowan, but Black intervened."
"Did he have any connection with them beforehand?"
"I am not sure of the Professor, but I know that Black had no clue who they were."
"Had he developed use of his powers at this time?"
"No."
"How often did Black intervene in incidents perpetrated by Team Galactic?"
"Whenever he saw them. As he would say, every couple of chapters, but they generally happened a few weeks apart."
"At what point in time did he begin manipulating AIAM fields?"
"Excuse me?"
"Professor Rowan's proposal at the recent academic conference used that word for it," UR-FIGHTING said. "We have already adopted it as a replacement for "aura". An Involuntary Aural Movement; that is what it stands for."
"So you're calling Hilbert the great AIAM? Isn't that a little blasphemous?"
"...I believe that question requires the context of another universe to answer," UR-FIGHTING admitted.
"Never mind. He found out about it when he met with his Riolu after he fought Team Galactic at their Eterna City department. Afterwards, he was inducted into the Lucario Kingdom and spent a month training."
"Did he return to develop his skills further?"
"Not to my knowledge. He checked with them once, I think, after we dealt with the Legendary Birds."
"I find that hard to believe," UR-FIGHTING replied. "That much power does not simply come out of nowhere."
"It is not your responsibility to believe," UR-DRAGON intervened. "I believe the explanation will suffice for now. What occured atop the Spear Pillar in the last twelve hours?"
"I only arrived back in this dimension part-way through the… what do you call it?"
"The Shattered Heavens incident."
"Of course you do," he said, shaking his head. "Can't anyone around here take things seriously?"
"Moving on," UR-DRAGON insisted, "Please describe what you witnessed."
"Team Galactic, those people in jumpsuits, had defeated the Lake Trio, absconded with their red gems, and summoned Giratina. I believe there are a few steps in between, but I wasn't there to see them."
"We will ask your teammates for further details. What are your opinions on Team Galactic?"
"Why?"
"I believe painting a picture of your motives would be helpful in the future."
"In that case, I dislike them. How could I not? They nearly ended the world."
"Perfectly rational."
"However, I'm sure they've all got some sort of Freudian Excuse laying around, so expect that. It doesn't remove any guilt, but if you want to find their motivations, I don't think you'll need to dig too deep."
"Naturally. Now, what is the nature of your power? To what extent can you control your AIAM field?"
Lucas made a small blue sphere of light on his fingertip. "I can see aura and make aura spheres. Nothing like what Hilbert can do though, not yet."
"What is the case of your armor?"
"Alternate universe technology. I will not be handing it over, if that's what you want."
"Not at all. Personal strength is, after all, the source of personal freedom. We exist to protect, not to stifle."
"Sure, sure. I'm willing to provide scraps of the armor, but some of this tech I have really should not be reproduced."
"Whether or not we can trust your judgement on the latter is a topic for another day, however, I thank you for your willingness to contribute to our goals."
"Which are?"
"That… is a story for another day. There are no further questions. Dismissed."
"Agent Pearl, please report to sub-level seven for questioning."
Barry walked into the dark room, slightly creeped out by the darkness of the basement and reluctantly took the empty seat.
He jumped slightly when the tiles appeared around him, but managed to keep his yelp at a normal volume. "Agent Pearl. You are to answer all questions to the best of your ability in regards to the events that have occurred in the last eight months. Do you understand?" The plate in front of him asked, inscribed with the word UR-DRAGON.
"And compliance is mandatory," cut in another tile.
"Peace, PSYCHIC."
"I find little inside myself. And I must ask, why do we have a simpleton whose mind I can't read in our employ?"
"Salaam," echoed UR-GROUND, UR-ROCK, and UR-STEEL, as one voice.
And then there was.
"Uh, I can answer any questions. As long as they don't involve math."
That got a few chuckles out of the council, UR-FIGHTING in particular.
"Very well. Let us begin." UR-DRAGON asked him, "What is your relationship with Agent Black and Agent Diamond?"
"Well, we're pretty good friends. I knew Hilbert when he lived in Twinleaf town. We were around five years old before he moved to Unova. And I've known Lucas since my parents adopted him. They're my brothers in every way except blood."
"Where did Black live in Unova?"
"We visited a while ago, it was… Nuvema? And that was right after he and Shaymin did whatever in the big city. Castle-ia?"
"Castelia. We are aware of that incident, thank you."
"Yeah, no prob-"
"When did he capture the Legendary?"
"...You're going to have to narrow it down a little."
"Shaymin."
"Oh, that was right before he went to the Lucarop Kingdom. Late February, I'd say."
"That does match up with the records from Eterna's Gym Leader," added UR-ELECTRIC.
"Very good. What do you know of Team Galactic?"
"Well, they're the baddies. They hurt people, and… I don't think they had a good reason, but I'm not the smartest guy, so I couldn't really tell you. I'm all for taking them down, though."
"Would you not agree that that's reckless? There are proverbs about that sort of thing," asked UR-FAIRY.
"Like, because I'm not smart? And that's the one about people just following orders, right?"
"Not exactly, but for the sake of the questioning, yes."
"See, I'm not sure that applies, because the only orders Hilbert gives are rare, and usually things we were going to do anyway, like "kick their ass" or "rip and tear." And I'd say that those are more battle cries than actual orders, but… y'know."
"You underestimate yourself."
"Fighting is what I'm good at. I'll leave the philosophy and big brain stuff to the others."
"On that… You do not give off AIAM fields, so what do you mean by fighting?"
"AIAM fields?"
"Aura," UR-FIGHTING interrupted.
"Ah, yeah, I don't have any of that stuff. My partner Empoleon is pretty cool, though."
"That species is strong, this is true," UR-DRAGON agreed.
"I also caught Regigigas and Regice, if that helps."
"...I believe you are mistaken for Relicanth or another Pokemon," they responded with a tone of disbelief.
"Nope. They're in their Pokeballs right now, they helped a lot with rescuing people from the rock slides."
There was silence in the sub-level for a good few moments.
"...Moving on. How would you describe Agent Black?"
"Well, I've known him the longest. He's a hero, like, the kind you'd see on TV or something. It's pretty crazy. Real dramatic, hot-blooded, that kind of stuff."
"Diamond had similar thoughts," UR-PSYCHIC mused aloud. "His thoughts of you seem to differ greatly from reality."
"Yeah, I know he thinks I'm stupid. He's not mean about it."
"On the contrary, he thinks you're rather intelligent, in the sense of battle strategy. With the exception of one of your Oreburgh battles."
Barry winced. "Yeah, I still don't know what I was thinking with that…"
"Now, Agent Pearl," UR-DRAGON brought them back on topic, "what occurred at the peak of Mt. Coronet?"
"I don't know, I wasn't there."
"No idea?"
"Well, Team Galactic was there, and there was that huge shadow that ate everything, but I think everyone remembers that."
"This is true. Anything else?"
"Well.. I'm sure I heard Hilby yelling, somewhere in there. And there was that huge star in the sky, and then the cracks out in space, and everything…" Barry rubbed his temple. "Ah, my head hurts! I'm no good at this complicated stuff!"
"I think that will be all for now, Agent. You are dismissed."
"Agent Platinum, please report to sub-level seven for questioning."
Dawn strode into the basement, having been warned by Barry that they were totally questioning them in the dark to freak them out. She sat in the folding chair and pressed her legs together before crossing her arms and waiting.
Soon enough, the tiles appeared around her.
"Agent Platinum. You are to answer all questions to the best of your ability in regards to the events that have occurred in the last eight months. Do you understand?"
"I'll try my best," she said, feeling a bit stiff.
"Good. What is your relationship with Agent Black."
"He's… a very good friend of mine, and… you could call him my boyfriend."
"Yours and yours alone?" UR-PSYCHIC snarked.
"PSYCHIC, do not read minds unless we give you a signal to do so."
"Fine, fine. Continue."
"Platinum, how would you describe Black?"
"He's a massive idiot, but he's got a good heart. He cares about people, and wants to protect them. Also, doesn't this conversation fail the Bechdel test?"
"That's the one about female characters being shown talking about things other than the male heroes?"
"Yes."
"Then no, because it is important to the world at large, I am not a woman, and most importantly, this isn't a book or something similarly fantastic."
"Hilby might actually disagree with you on that one. He seems to think that it is."
"Interesting. Now, you do understand that whatever said here is to not leave this room, correct?"
"I think that's obvious. Except for Barry, maybe."
"In that case… What exactly is a coordinator doing with such a group of people? It doesn't seem like your goals align."
"Well, we're friends. If Lucas was a jerk or Hilbert was just a hormonal teenage boy, I'd probably have split off around Jubilife and caught a ride to Hearthome, but they all turned out to be pretty nice guys. And I'm glad I did, because then I met Cheryl, and Marley, and… Riley doesn't seem to be a bad person. We all started together because the Professor decided we were who he wanted to give Pokemon to."
"For the sake of his research, as many other Professors do?"
"Well, yes. I don't know if it's nepotism exactly, but… I did work with him until I was old enough for a license. And he seemed to be pretty good friends with Miss Johanna, and I think he knew Barry's dad."
"Back to the topic at hand, what do you know of Team Galactic?"
"I think they're bad. I mean, they blew up the lakes. That's bad. I don't need woman's intuition to tell me that."
"Very true," agreed UR-FIGHTING. "I tell them that we should have intervened earlier, but-"
"There are laws for a reason, FIGHTING," warned UR-ELECTRIC. "They bind us like a web, but they also connect us."
"Yeah, yeah, social contract and all that. Whatever."
Dawn had a sort of dumbfounded look on her face. These were the people Interpol got their orders from?
"Excuse us, Agent Platinum, you are free to leave, I believe FIGHTING needs a reminder on etiquette."
"Wait a moment, when you say laws… are you going to punish Hilby for doing what he did?"
"Dismissed, Platinum," UR-DRAGON stressed. "That will await deliberation, and I will not make a promise against it at this time."
"I won't hold you to it."
"Even so, it would be a waste of breath. Please leave at this time, Agent."
"Agent Jade, please report to sub-level seven for questioning."
Cheryl entered the room, tapping her fingers together and feeling rather out of place. After all, she was an explorer and treasure hunter, not a civil servant. Personality-wise, of course, she hoped she wouldn't be there otherwise.
"Agent Jade. You are to answer all questions to the best of your ability in regards to the events that have occurred in the last eight months. Do you understand?"
"Ah, yes… sir?"
"Good. We're nearly done painting our picture of recent events, so this questioning will be rather short. What do you know of Team Galactic?"
"They're… not very nice people. They hurt Lucas really badly, and Hilby- Hilbert wants to take them down."
"Alright, we won't rehash. Did you witness anything atop the Spear Pillar? Gaze into any alternate realities? See Giratina with your own eyes?"
"No, none of that. I remember the darkness, the pain, the shadow, the light… and that drill coming down like the might of Arceus, but…. It's all a bit fuzzy to me."
"I see…. What are your thoughts on Agent Black?"
Cheryl flushed in a way that indicated absolutely nothing, thank you very much."Well… he's very, uh, nice, and- I mean that his personality is!"
UR-PSYCHIC seemed to be cackling and groaning at the same time, sliding in between the two every few seconds.
"Teenagers," DRAGON sighed.
"You were one too, once," UR-FIGHTING replied.
"I will neither confirm nor deny. Now, regardless of your personal feelings, could you describe Agent Black's motives or personality? An outsider's perspective could do some good. All of this character shilling is grating on my nerves."
"I see… he's a very dedicated sort of person. He can be violent, but he's never hit any of our team members. He directs his anger at his enemies or… at himself, sometimes. I remember that when he lost a Gym Battle for the first time, he ran off. He did come back, but I think he'd been crying. He doesn't deal with losing well."
"Would you say that he's unstable?"
"Not because of that, no. He rarely loses, so I simply didn't expect him to respond like that, and he hasn't since. If you watch a lot of TV, I imagine that you'd understand how he thinks much better."
"I see. He thinks in archetypes?"
"I wouldn't say that. He's just… he just… thinks in Black and White. If you're a bad guy, it doesn't matter what your motives are, he'll try to change your mind by fighting you. If he thinks you're good, he'll probably treat you normally."
"And how is that?"
"I don't know. I think it hurts him, to be honest. He has a hard time letting people in, because the only person he knows for a fact is gray is himself, even though everyone is like that."
"He's afraid of other people believing he's a villain?"
"He's afraid of other people believing he's human."
"...That's a surprisingly mature way to speak of it, Agent."
"My grandfather was an introspective sort of man, it was difficult to not pick anything up, as it were. Or is. Isn't he?" She murmured, falling into her own thoughts.
"Thank you for your insight. You are dismissed, Agent."
"Agent Onyx, please report to sub-level seven for questioning."
Marley entered the basement, eyes scanning the darkness like a hawk, though she still took the lone illuminated seat.
The eighteen plates appeared around her, though she didn't jump an inch. She'd read of things in stories much scarier than some big lights.
"Agent Onyx. You are to answer all questions to the best of your ability in regards to the events that have occurred in the last eight months. Do you understand?"
"...I do…"
"Good. As the last member of Team Black that is currently able to answer questions, I ask that you not rehash facts that you all know, and rather tell us facts of your team and events that have occurred that only you are privy to."
"...Alright…"
"Is Agent Black a danger to others?"
"...In what context?"
"Normal folk."
"...Not at all… he wants to protect people…"
"As we have heard many times before," UR-DRAGON sighed. "Do strange things happen around him, even when he hasn't caused them?"
"...Yes…"
"Then he truly is magnetic. What of Agent Diamond, the man out of space and time?
Marley turned a pale pink in the face.
"Not another one," UR-PSYCHIC groaned.
"Teenagers!" UR-ELECTRIC shouted.
"Aye!" Many others yelled in response.
"Quiet," came the voice of UR-GROUND, UR-ROCK, and UR-STEEL.
And there was silence.
"Continue, DRAGON."
"Thank you. Now, I believe the question must be answered."
Marley stuttered, "...Less so than Black…"
"Good enough. On behalf of the United Regions, I thank you for the cooperation of you and your teammates. You are free to go."
"..What about Hilbert?"
"That will depend on if he wakes up or not."
Riley Armand was the first person to speak to Hilbert after he woke up. And honestly? He'd later wish that he'd been the last, to escape the tense awkwardness that came afterwards.
He hadn't left the hospital room in the first place, with everyone else needing to change clothes covered in dirt or soaked in sweat from the nerve-wracking questioning.
Lucas was outside, having chosen to brood instead, and try to remember as much as he could about their dimension, and Marley was happy to give him reminders. Well, as happy as a nearly mute girl could show she was.
He watched Hilbert's fitful sleep, and how the other boy would cry out at nothing and tense up, before relaxing a few moments and doing so again. It stressed him out just to watch.
And then he actually woke up, and it got a lot worse.
He shot up with a gasp, clutching his chest through the medical gown. A machine pressed to his face was torn from its socket and sent rolling across the room. His breathing was rough and ragged, like he'd been fighting for his life.
"Am I awake?" He asked, not sounding like he expected an answer. "I better be awake. Giratina, if this is another trick, I swear to Arceus, I'm going to tear you-"
"Hilbert?"
"Oh, thank Arceus, you're you... Do you know how many universes I've seen where you're still a girl?"
Riley's throat constricted around his windpipe. "What?"
"I mean, you could totally have told us in the real world, we… I think we would have accepted you either way." Hilbert was trying to rip the blankets off of him, though they were tucked in around him like they were straps. "I mean, it would be hypocritical of me to say I'd protect everyone and not accept one of my teammates because of how they were born, I mean, how dumb would that be?"
"How did you know I was…"
"I was trapped in… actually, you should probably get the others for this," he admitted, managing to stand before looking around. "Where are my clothes?"
"I brought your bag from the Lucario Kingdom…" Riley weakly gestured to the bag hung on a hook. How the hell did Hilbert find out about that? He wrapped his chest extra tight, used his aura to deepen his voice, stood up straight, took up as much space as he could when he sat down, all of that! How?
"You just said all of that out loud, by the way."
Riley could only stare at the other boy as he finished pulling his clothes on.
"How did you get dressed that quick- No, wait, how did you know all of that?"
Lucas and Marley chose around that time to walk in, having heard Riley's speech.
"Well, I'll explain how, but I won't explain what I know now unless you tell them."
Riley kept staring at him, jaw moving but no words coming out.
"...Are we interrupting something?" Marley asked, arms still clenched tight around Lucas's, while the boy himself didn't seem to notice.
"Not really. Also, nice to see you again, Marley. It's been a while."
"...Thank you?" She tilted her head to the side, confused by the distance in his voice.
"And, hey, Lucas is here, so I guess that means this is the real world," Hilbert adjusted the collar of his jacket. "Now, I'm sure you're all dying to hear another witty reference to something-or-other, but I think everyone needs to hear what I have to say."
Riley had walked out, almost in a trance, to dial in the others on his cross-transceiver.
Dawn, Cheryl, and Barry had arrived in short order. The former of the three pounced on Hilbert as soon as she saw he was standing.
He accepted the hug, arms wide, but there was something missing.
The fire in his eyes that burned against cold stone was gone. All that was left were embers.
"I'm… I'm very happy to see everyone again. It's… It's been a while since I've seen all of you. The… the real you."
Dawn's grip loosened slightly as she felt the boy shake.
Steam was flowing from the edges of his eyes, like the last wisps of smoke from a dying fire.
"I've seen… so much. I need to... " He stumbled back, slipping out of Dawn's arms and sitting on the foot of the bed. He looked up at all of them. These were his teammates. His friends. They stuck by him, no matter what. Didn't they?"
"When I fought Giratina," he choked slightly, his vision tinged with red, "I was trapped in its aura. And I got out, but… How old am I, Lucas?"
"Well, you're sixteen years old, obviously enough."
Hilbert smirked like he knew some terrible secret that they didn't. "How long do most people live?"
"Around six times that."
"Right, now multiply that by… a hundred thousand, maybe."
Lucas did the math, ticking on his hand. "Ten million years. Why?"
Hilbert shook his head. "That's how old I am."
"...What?" was the common question.
"I've seen things. Arceus, I've seen things. I lived a hundred thousand lives, everyone. Probably more. My memories… I barely remember this world. I can't remember what the sun feels like on my skin, what Shaymin's fur feels like, how much I missed you all."
He threw his head into his palms, trying to keep any water from escaping his eyes.
"I've seen things! I've seen a hundred thousand versions of each of you! And every time I look at Dawn or Barry or Cheryl, I get these pains in my head, because… There was a universe where Barry was evil and destroyed Twinleaf, there was a universe where Dawn actually put me in the hospital with slapstick, there was a universe where Cheryl got eaten by those Trevanant in Eterna Forest and…" Air no longer escaped his lungs. "I can't see you for who you are anymore! I can't see anyone like that! There were universes where Pokemon didn't exist, and there were universes where they hunted down humans and massacred them! This world… I don't even know what it means. Is this another illusion I can break out of? I can't! I CAN'T! I CAN'T I CAN'T I CAN'T- I can't do it! How can I treat you- Any of you- fairly when I'm always seeing darkness?"
"Hilby…" Dawn reached out, but her hand on his shoulder didn't offer any solace.
"Don't call me that! I don't...I can't stay here! I know in my heart that I care about all of you, I'd die a thousand times just to protect you all… and I have! But with my eyes, with my brain, I can't see why! I just… I'm just a kid from Twinleaf Town. In some universes, I wasn't even that. I was nobody. I didn't want this! I just wanted to protect people!"
"We know, man," Barry put his hand on his other shoulder. "And you've done a great job."
"Have I? Have I really? What kind of hero can't even recognize the people he's supposed to protect?"
"You don't have to be a hero… you just have to be you," Cheryl moved to his side as well.
"But I do have to be a hero! That's what I have my aura for... It's what I was born for!"
"...You don't need a reason. You've done your duty. You've saved the world… Isn't that enough?" Marley asked, hesitantly adding her own hand to the supports being laid on his back.
"No, there's always other people to save. Always someone else to protect. I… I just can't stay here."
"Who says you have to do it?" Riley said, gathering his resolve. "There are always others that will save them instead. There are other Champions, other heroes, hell, I'm an Aura Guardian too! The burden isn't yours alone."
"It doesn't matter, the weight needs to be carried. I need to hold up the sky, or else it will crack again. Don't… don't touch me! I'm not worthy of it! I can't see you as people anymore! You're all just… illusions made up by Giratina! Lucas is the realest person here, because I didn't have to see him betray me over a thousand lifetimes! You're all innocent, but I'm… I'm afraid I'll see you as guilty." Hilbert's voice kept cracking up, tears soaking his wrists and sleeves. "One wrong move, one misfire of a sphere, one slap to the back of the head… I could hurt someone! Someone who hasn't done anything wrong! So tell me, what am I supposed to do? I don't know any of you anymore! My memories of this world are just as vague as a hundred thousand others! I can feel it, the world…. It's shifted. It's different now. I can feel the danger in the air. So what happens when I'm not there to stop that danger? Who helps the helpless? Who saves the savior? Who watches the watchmen?"
Lucas looked upon his friend, concern and worry burning in his eyes.
The question to ask is… What does the man out of time and space say?
AN:
You have one week. Come up with an answer. The ending of this dream, the true ending…
Well, I guess it all ends with you.
There are two ways to go here. A branching spiral path.
The hero to his people, or the hero to his world.
There's only one way to tell this story.
Be a hero, be a hero.
All the power is at your command.
Answer in the comments here or on the r/PokemonFanfiction subreddit post. Those guys have been a huge help while I've been writing this story.