The following day, Dawn and I head to the Ranger base first thing in the morning, both fully intent on getting answers from Summer. As we walk through its entrance, I realize this is my first time without Wes around. Granted, his was a much less welcomed company, but it's something I note all the same.
Our first stop is the reception, where we ask for a meeting with Summer. To our surprise, the receptionist replies by asking us if we're Mister Beccaria and Miss Hikari and - after we confirm it - he directs us to a place one would normally not expect Pokémon rangers to have.
The interrogation rooms.
Following the directions we're given by the receptionist, we arrive at a hallway with several glass windows placed right next to doors with a ranger guarding them. All of those rangers turn to us with surprised expressions as we enter, but pay us no further mind past that.
As that happens, I peek inside one of the windows and see a room with nothing more than a table and two people sitting on opposite sides of it. One is another ranger that has her back turned to us. Even with the prisoner outfit, I'm able to recognize the other as the woman I fought at the refinery, bruised hands tied to the table with handcuffs and face set in a scowl.
Enjoy prison, bitch.
"Excuse me," one of the rangers calls out at the very end of the hallway. "Mister Beccaria and Miss Hikari?"
"That's us," we reply simultaneously.
The ranger nods. "Come over here please."
Without any real reason not to, the two of us close the distance with him. "Sorry about this, sir and ma'am," the ranger says once we've done that, nudging to the window he's guarding, "Ranger Brisa had hoped to meet you earlier, but she had this interrogation to get underway."
Looking at the window, the situation inside is pretty much the same as the other room, only the ranger this time is Summer and the prisoner is Purple Eyes herself. Yesterday, I managed to get only a brief glance at her before she was taken away, so this is my first chance to get a good look at her. Despite her situation, she's holding herself poised and with her head held high, almost like she's a noblewoman rather than a prisoner. A detail about her I manage to catch, now that she's without her visor, is that she's got blue eyes, unlike her nickname would suggest.
How did she come up with it, then?
While I'm busy observing the scene, though, Dawn opts to ask questions instead. "She was expecting us?"
The ranger nods. "She did. Mentioned something about 'unfinished business she had to sort out with the two of you'." He furrows his brow. "I'm not sure what she meant with that, so I can't help you in that regard."
Sounds like she has some perceptive foresight.
"We already know what that business is," I tell the guy. "When can we speak with her?"
The ranger's face clears at that reply. "Anytime is fine, though I can't guarantee how much time Ranger Brisa will be able to dedicate to you." He raises a fist in front of the door. "Shall I?"
"Go ahead," we tell him and he proceeds to knock.
From within the room, Summer can be seen turning to the door and moving to it while Purple Eyes acts like it didn't happen. Shortly after, the top ranger pokes her head out, her eyes with bags that weren't there yesterday as they widen.
"Ah good, you're here," she says while fully coming out, before she turns to her colleague and points inside the room. "I don't know how long this is going to take, so would you keep an eye on her while I'm gone?"
"Understood, ma'am," he replies as he replaces her inside the room. Summer then makes sure the door is closed before turning back to us.
The brunette then folds her arms, "So, since you're here I'm assuming Wes didn't try to reach you again."
I let out a snort. "You assume correctly."
Summer lets out a sigh and lightly shakes her head, all while muttering something that sounds like 'figures'.
"In that case, follow me to my office," she then says. "There is something you need to see."
We follow her as she leads the way out of this hallway and to the elevator and finally to her office, where we find her Staraptor standing guard. He narrows his eyes at Dawn and me, but a gesture from his trainer manages to calm him down.
As we enter Summer's office, we find a laptop over the various papers resting on her desk. The ranger invites us to sit down and, while we comply, she turns the laptop on.
"One thing I want to make clear before we begin," she starts as she takes her own seat, "is that what I'm about to say is just my speculation. Until the International Police confirms or denies them, there is an ever so slight chance that I'm wrong and Wes was right in claiming they are two unrelated things."
I arch an eyebrow. "If it's just speculation, what makes you so sure that Purple Eyes's gauntlet and," I glance at the laptop, "whatever you want to show us are related?"
Please tell me Wes wasn't actually right and we made that scene for nothing.
"You'll see."
Summer turns back to the laptop and tampers for a bit with the keyboard. After that, she turns the screen to the two of us and reveals a video on pause. By the looks of it, it's a recording taken inside some room similar to the ones down below, the video showing the end of a desk with the seat taken by a man with a white tattoo on his face and wearing a familiar blue coat.
His face is set into an unamused scowl as his legs rest on top of the desk and his arms are folded behind his head. He looks much younger - probably Nate's age - but the resemblance is hard to miss.
As I realize that, I also notice he has an extra article of clothing on his left arm: a black gauntlet and shoulder pad adorned with red veins, with red wires dancing around his arm as they connect the two pieces.
"Is this Wes?" Dawn asks.
"Yes," Summer replies. "This was taken twelve years ago, so that's why he looks so young."
Twelve years?! Jeez, how young was he when he got in this line of work?
"Before I play this, though, you are going to need some context," the ranger adds. "Twelve years ago, there were two criminal groups operating in the Orre region. Team Snagem and Cipher."
The former of the two names doesn't ring any bells. But something about the latter sounds familiar.
"I've heard of Cipher," Dawn chimes in. "A group dealing in illegal Pokémon trafficking and many other criminal activities. Pretty much a sort of Team Rocket of the Western Continent."
Western Continent?
"Not quite just that," Summer replies, shaking her head. "Cipher was much more secretive than Team Rocket, hence why fewer people know of them worldwide. Team Snagem were a separate group of Pokémon abductors and poachers, but Cipher relied on them to do their dirty work." Her hand passes over the keyboard again. "This recording is about the nature of that relationship." She presses the enter key.
The recording starts playing and the first thing Wes does is let out a huff.
"Is this really necessary?" He asks someone above the camera. "I already told you all I know."
As charming as he is now, I see.
"We need a video recording all the same, son," an elderly voice replies, the man it belongs to nowhere in sight. "For the archives."
"Fine," Wes huffs out as he pulls his legs off the desk and replaces them with his elbows, hands folded in front of his face as he stares at the camera. "My name is Wes. No last name I can remember or that the cops could find."
The faceless voice says nothing to that bit about his last name, which only serves to make me question what it's supposed to mean.
In any case, Wes takes the silence as his hint to continue. "I and a girl named Rui have come across a device invented by the organization known as Cipher."
Rui? "What girl? Who is he talking about?"
"His associate and travelling partner. Or at least, she still was a few years ago." Summer shrugs. "Why she isn't with him now is anyone's guess."
I can take a couple.
Regardless, the recording continues. "This device is called 'Snag Machine', a generator of some kind that makes normal Poké Balls capable of catching trainers-owned Pokémon, effectively kidnapping them right under their trainers' noses. These types of Poké Ball are called 'Snag Balls' by Cipher and those associated with them."
That is...similar to what Purple Eyes' gauntlet did, right?
"Cipher gave the Snag Machine to their cronies of Team Snagem, but," he places a hand on his chest and smirks, "yours truly saw to it it was destroyed himself."
How very humble.
His smirk gets wiped away as he continues. "However, before I did that, Cipher had developed a new prototype of the Snag Machine." He leans his gauntleted arm closer to the camera and taps on the gauntlet with the other one. "This prototype."
...what?
"The generator is here," Wes explains as he taps the shoulder pad. "The wires send its energy down to the gauntlet, where Poké Balls have to be held for a few seconds before they can be turned into Snag Balls."
What?!
"If you want more details on how it actually works," he makes an overly dramatic shrug, "that's not my problem." He looks up again. "I'm done." The video ends there and then.
I keep staring at the last photogram of the recording as his words keep repeating in my head. Specifically the ones about this Snag Machine's mechanism and how he was wearing one there. And how it all mirrors Purple Eyes' gauntlet.
I turn to look at Dawn, who responds with a perplexed look mixed with worry. After neither of us says anything, we turn to look at Summer, who has folded her arms.
"Yes," she says. "It's exactly how it seems."
We say nothing and just keep staring at her.
"I also have some more evidence," the ranger adds as she retracts the laptop, reaches beneath her desk and puts two pictures between us and her.
She taps on one of the pictures, which shows the offending device that started this whole debacle, identical to the one Wes was wearing minus the color. "This is Purple Eyes' Control Gauntlet." She taps on the other, which shows a similar device, but with a rounder shape of both the gauntlet and the generator compared to the other. "And this is a Snag Machine the International Police built to deal with another of Cipher's creations."
"This one and the one Wes was wearing were the only known Snag Machines to still exist, until yesterday. Both of which have been in the International Police's possession for the past seven years." The ranger shrugs. "How Team Plasma got their hands on the technology, I have no idea."
I glance at Dawn as an idea strikes me as to how they did it. "Their spy strikes again."
She nods. "Indeed."
Summer widens her eyes as we say that. "Hold on. Spy? What are you talking about?"
We look at Summer. Then we look at each other again.
"Should we tell her?" I ask.
"Do you feel comfortable telling her?" Dawn responds.
I shrug. "I told so many others before, what's one more?"
Summer clears her throat, some annoyance in her voice now. "Hello? I'm right here!"
I let out a sigh as I turn to her. "Strap in. This is gonna take some time to explain."
After that, I proceed to fill in the gaps for the brunette, telling her the parts about my arrival and my situation before that, which Wes conveniently skipped over.
I skip the part about Ottavio being Tabitha, though. That guy has at least earned this much, I guess.
Strangely enough, when I mention I knew the Pokémon world through video games, Summer's composure doesn't break down. At least, not then. When I get to the parts just before we got to Virbank, that's another matter.
"So let's see if I understand this correctly," Summer says when I'm finished, brow furrowed in confusion. "You knew what Team Plasma's plans were, you told the International Police, Plasma found out and you suspect they have an inside person that is also responsible for this?"
I nod, though I also have to arch an eyebrow. "That's just about right. Honestly surprised you are not freaking out about the whole 'video game' thing, though."
She responds with a snort. "If we ever meet again, I'll have to tell you about the time my husband created a temporal paradox thanks to a Celebi."
Say what now?
"True story."
The silence that follows is potentially the most awkward I've ever been a part of in my life.
"Anyway," Dawn intervenes, "if Team Plasma was able to adapt a Control Gauntlet into a Snag Machine, that should mean they've been tinkering with the technology. What are the chances they've built more?"
"Very high," the ranger replies. "Those devices don't explain what the DNA from those Fire-types was for, though."
I asked it once, I'll ask again: what the absolute fuck are you cooking up, Ghetsis?
"That's true," Dawn concedes. "But I think the Snag Machines can tell us what their next major target is going to be."
I give her a perplexed look. "What are you talking about?"
"Think about it. What place will open up soon that will host strong trainers with powerful Pokémon?"
...when she puts it like that, I realize instantly what she means. "The Pokémon World Tournament," I mutter. "All those trainers that will be there, if Team Plasma attacks and uses Snag Machines to steal their Pokémon…"
They'll have Unova on a silver platter.
Dawn nods to that. "Precisely." She then turns to Summer. "I know this is all 'speculation'," she raises her hands to make quotation marks, "but is there really nothing that can be done about this?"
Summer replies with a frustrated sigh. "As a ranger, civil security is beyond my authority. The only thing I can do is make a few calls and hope for the best."
Goddammit!
"Still, the PWT won't open for a few more months. And despite what he said yesterday, I'm sure Wes realized what is truly going on. We can still hope a way to stop them will come up then."
You'll forgive me if I don't hold my hopes up.
"Now," Summer gets up from her chair, "excuse me, but I've got an interrogation to get back to-"
Her words are cut off as a sound comes from beneath her desk. She reaches out and, after the sound stops, says, "Yes?"
"Ma'am? Are Mister Beccaria and Miss Hikari still with you?"
Everyone in the room frowns at that question. "Yes. Why?" Summer replies.
"Mister Ottavio is here. He says he was looking for them."
Tabitha? What does he want?
Summer furrows her brow and looks at us. We both can only shrug.
"Let him know they're coming." She reaches beneath her desk again and then tells us. "Sorry, this one is on you."
Yeah, it is.
We get up ourselves and leave her office.
As we get to the reception, we're told Tabitha got outside to smoke. Because of course that's the excuse he came up with to avoid unwanted ears. At least when we find him, he does have a cigarette in his hands, though rather than smoking it, he's holding it over one of his Camerupt's humps.
"Come on," he groans at the Fire-type, "Just this once?"
The Camerupt lets out an annoyed snort.
"You know, there is a thing called a lighter for that."
After I say that, the trainer and Pokémon turn to us and Tabitha's face quickly shifts from annoyed to bemused.
"Bought one," he chuckles. "Unfortunately I keep forgetting it either at my office or at my house." He glances at his Camerupt once again. "And this sourpuss is never willing to help me when that happens."
The Camerupt lets out another annoyed snort.
"He's smart then," Dawn chimes in. "That stuff will kill you."
"Yes, well," Tabitha shrugs and puts the cigarette in a pocket, "one day I'll die of something anyway. Might as well get some relief where I can."
Someone's a ball of sunshine today.
"Anyway, my smoking habits are not why I'm here. Were you finished with the rangers?"
We nod to his question. Slowly. This guy has been actually working with us the whole time, but he's still one of the idiots that thought awakening Groudon was a good idea. Not exactly a trustworthy person.
"Excellent." He grabs a Poké Ball and recalls his Camerupt. As he puts it away again, he tilts his head in the direction opposite of the Ranger base. "Then you're free to have a walk with me right now, aren't you?"
Dawn and I exchange a look. There isn't exactly much we can do until Nate is still in Aspertia, and Tabitha isn't exactly in a position where he can force us into anything. Still, as I said earlier, Team Magma member.
"I promise, it's worth your time," he insists. "I assume you want to know what Courtney had to say, yes?"
...motherfucker.
Regardless of my surprise, I try to keep it cool and cross my arms. "Is there a reason we can't let Wes tell us?"
He arches an eyebrow. "You mean besides the fact you two weren't at the precinct with him earlier but here," he nudges to the structure behind us, "where I assume you learned what Snag Machines are?"
...how did he figure that one out?
"Wes is leaving Virbank as we speak," Tabitha continues, taking us by surprise. "Apparently Gym leader Cheren and the police arrested a group of Team Plasma members on the outskirts of Aspertia a few hours ago. I don't think he'll be back any time soon."
The group Nate spoke of last night?
"So," he tilts his head again, "walk?"
...guess we don't have much choice.
Before we can actually reply, Tabitha takes the first steps away from the ranger base. We follow after him in silence, one he returns in kind for the first few minutes as we just walk among Virbank's dark-colored buildings, the tension between him and us not really leaving as time passes.
Eventually, Tabitha finally speaks, but not before he lets out a sigh. "First of all, I would like to reiterate my apologies, Miss Hikari. I didn't mean for my words to come off like that."
Dawn barely suppresses a snort. "I still stand by what I said the other day. Saturn owned up to his mistakes. You didn't."
All Tabitha can do to that is shrug. "Perhaps. But I've looked up on the Porygonet who this Saturn and his group are." Dawn flinches at that. "Team Galactic's situation was different from our own. We weren't a group left in shambles by the disappearance of our leader. We saw what our actions led to and we all wanted to make amends as a group. But when Maxie was arrested, we had to disband and scatter as far away from Hoenn as possible. Preferably knowing the whereabouts of as few of our compatriots as possible."
"We were a team through and through, looking after one another. None of us wanted to condemn the others to save their skins. So we had only two options: surrender to the International Police and spend the rest of our days in jail, or start over somewhere else."
"I chose the latter. I started by doing community service here and signed up for the Terra Foundation when Team Plasma fell at the Pokémon League. All to try and do some good after all the harm I caused." He arches an eyebrow at Dawn. "Would I have been able to do the same while rotting in a cell?"
Dawn doesn't say anything to that. She just stares at Tabitha with a blank face, her jaw working incessantly as her mouth opens and closes again and again.
As for me, I'm almost tempted to say that changing his name and some community service hardly make up for what he and his pals did in Hoenn.
Part of me feels disgusted at thinking something so cynical. The same part that knows he didn't just change his name. He had to go into exile in all but name from the only home he knew and cut ties with everyone he ever knew, be it fellow Magma members or just any potential family and friends he had in Hoenn. He went through what I am right now. The difference is, he chose to inflict this on himself.
"Anyway, I think we can consider all of that water under the bridge," Tabitha nonchalantly continues. "Let's focus on why I wanted to see you: Courtney."
...yes, let's.
"Contrary to what I think all of us were expecting, she had no intention of exposing me. She just wanted me to get her a lawyer."
Seriously? "You essentially sold her out. I would expect her to want to strangle you."
Despite my choice of words, Tabitha still manages to let out a low chuckle. "She wasn't as loyal to Team Plasma as you think. Though, that's something I'll tell you more about later."
Okay?
"Even so, how did she justify knowing you?" Dawn chimes in. "Surely someone would question that."
Another low chuckle from the guy. "Apparently, her old colleague Tabitha Harlan was a high school friend of mine. One that often spoke of me back in the days of Team Magma."
Dawn widens her eyes. "Seriously? That's what she came up with?"
Tabitha shrugs. "I graduated from high school about twenty years ago. I think I'm justified in not remembering everyone I spoke to so long ago."
I question what kind of standards this world's cops have for believing bullshit like this.
"Anyway, before long Wes showed up." He furrows his brow. "With Purple Eyes' gauntlet on himself."
I quirk an eyebrow. "What did he do that for?"
"He started with asking Courtney whether she knew who he was and what the device he had was." He lets out a sigh. "Which is when I realized the gauntlet is a Snag Machine."
"So you know about Cipher and their invention?" Dawn asks him.
"I may not have been here when it all went down, but the Orre region is not so far from Unova. And over there, many still regale Wes as a hero."
The people of Orre have weird standards for heroes.
"In any case, it took some work, but Wes was able to convince her that the International Police would be lenient on her and any former Magma and Aqua member currently in the police's custody if she revealed everything she knew about Team Plasma's plans."
I snort. "Will he actually make good on that?"
"Not to mention all those people are charged with terrorism, environmental damage, and several other things," Dawn adds. "What kind of leniency is Courtney expecting for that?"
Tabitha waves his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that."
Really the best words to hear.
"Anyway, Courtney didn't actually know much," the former Magma lieutenant continues. "She never met Ghetsis. All her orders came from - and I quote her - 'an old guy spewing philosophical nonsense and some scientist with a blue stripe tied to his hair'."
Neither of those are much of a description, but I can still hazard a guess as to who they are. "Zinzolin and Colress," I mutter.
Tabitha shrugs. "If you say so. Wes wasn't interested in their names."
Here's to hoping that's because he already knew them and not some other crap.
"In any case, all Courtney actually knew was that she was supposed to deliver the Control Gauntlet to Purple Eyes and make sure the Pinchers respected the terms of their deal with Team Plasma. And the scientist wanted DNA samples from the Fire-types for something called 'Project Genesis'."
...'Project Genesis'? Genesis of what?
"Did she explain any more than that about this project?" Dawn intervenes, a perplexed look on her face.
Tabitha shakes his head. "Again, she didn't know. Even if she used to be an Admin in Team Magma, that doesn't mean Plasma's leadership fully trusted her."
"Then why did they even bother to look for and recruit her?"
Tabitha's walking comes to a sudden stop at that question, forcing us to do the same. For once, he hesitates from answering as his eyes dart down to the ground between his feet. All of which sets off my 'bad stuff incoming' alarm.
"They didn't," he ultimately says when his gaze returns to us. "Someone dragged her away from the Ferrum ranch she was hiding in to the Plasma frigate."
...what?
"She wasn't the first to be abducted like this, either. The one responsible used golden rings to drop new recruits, money, and International Police secrets onto their frigate time and again."
...no. It can't be.
"She only managed to get a look at it once. It was-"
"A small Pokémon with a horned head, pink fur, and detached hands?" I interrupt him.
Tabitha grimaces at my question. "Y-yes. How did you-?"
Hoopa, you son of a bitch!
With that new information in our hands, we then have to share what we know of Hoopa and our suspicions of a spy in the International Police with Tabitha as well. As we confront our evidence with what Courtney revealed, the picture that comes out is...disconcerting, to say the least.
Team Plasma learning of the trap set for them at the Giant Chasm? Jupiter's escape from prison? The finances to hire the Pinchers? The schematics to recreate the Snag Machines? All Hoopa's doing. The little imp played us all like a damn fiddle from the start!
"I…" an incredulous Dawn states, "I don't understand. Why would Hoopa do all of this? What does it get out of this?"
"My best guess?" I mutter, venom seeping into my words. "Helping Team Plasma will cause more chaos. And that damned gremlin loves chaos."
As those words leave my mouth, I feel my hands tightening into fists. Wasn't it enough for that bastard to screw me over?! It had to drag the rest of Unova into this too?!
"As good of an hypothesis as any," Tabitha sighs. "Though I'm afraid this is the end of where I can help you. My knowledge of legendary Pokémon is limited to just two." He moves past the two of us. "Good luck in the future. Oh, and should Mister Black be worried about his sponsorship, you can assure him our contract is still valid." With that said, he walks off.
My gaze remains fixed on his back as he gets farther and farther, but my mind is in a completely different place at the moment, as it focuses on the fact I'm dealing with that trickster again after all this time, and how I'm going to strangle him with his own stupid rings once I see him!
"Are you alright?"
Dawn's question brings me down to the present. I shake my head. "Not really. I thought I'd never come across Hoopa again. To learn that it is behind all of this is…" I pause to think over my next words, "infuriating, to say the least."
Dawn places a hand on my shoulder.
"I can imagine," she says. "But for now, let's stay focused on the here and now. Should we come across Hoopa, we'll deal with it. I promise you that."
Yeah. Yeah, she's right. I may not like it, but she's right.
[Nate]
This morning, despite yesterday's discovery of the Team Plasma camp, I tried to act like everything was fine in front of Rosa and Hugh. Judging by how she acted, Rosa probably bought it. Hugh was too focused on his training with Samantha to notice.
Of course, not all was the same as yesterday. Cheren needed one of our Pokémon to show him and the police the way, and since Crossbones was the toughest among our three fliers - as much as Ruffles didn't like to hear that - and could handle herself the best in a fight, she was the one to go. That left the job of patrolling to just Ruffles and Mister Jaw, because Samantha demanded that her Mandibuzz needed a break.
Despite all that, training with Rosa was relatively the same, with Mary exchanging blows with Shane until Samantha decided to call for a lunch break. We split up once we returned to Aspertia, since the four of us each wanted different meals.
Now it's almost the time for us to meet again and I'm already by the gate. While I wait, though, a few thoughts go over my head. Shane's skill with Vine Whip is improving every time, but I'm still convinced a ranged move could benefit him in a fight. Perhaps having him face someone with more of an advantage than Mary could encourage him to try a different advantage, but who? Puppy is still recovering from his injuries, Ruffles is at too much of an advantage, and Mister Jaw…
A knot forms in my throat. I've actively tried to avoid sending Mister Jaw in a fight after...after that Nidoking. He still hasn't recovered from that experience. A Snivy is a much smaller Pokémon, and Rosa could hardly put up the fight the Nidoking did, but…
"Well, well," Samantha's voice suddenly intervenes and our eyes meet once I look up. "Wasn't expecting you to be here already."
No? "Why not? It's not that early, right?"
Samantha furrows her brow before looking at her watch.
"Huh," she comments. "Guess that call took longer than I thought."
Uh? "What call?"
A pleased smirk comes to Samantha's face. "Cheren called me shortly before I came here. The raid went well and they've arrested all the Team Plasma members they found."
Wait, what? "Really? Just like that?"
"Yup," she replies, nodding. "It seems these Team Plasma guys are just a bunch of push-overs."
That seems...too easy. Two years ago, they were much more difficult to catch. Even with their reduced numbers, they'd proven just as dangerous at Relic Castle. "Doesn't that sound too convenient to be true?"
"That's what I thought too at first," she replies. "When I told Cheren as much, he reassured me they had the camp surrounded and that no one escaped. I'd say that sounds like a success."
"But-"
"Look, Wes is also coming to Aspertia to make them squeal. Whatever Plasma is or is not up to, I think he can take care of it while we keep an eye on Rosa and Hugh."
I tense up when I hear Wes' name, my mind instantly going back to last night, when Eugenio and Dawn told me they called off our deal with him. Should I come across him, I have no idea what I should do.
"On that note, I think with a little more training Hugh should be ready for Cheren's Gym by the time it opens up. What about you and Rosa?"
I'm just about to tell her my thoughts about Shane from earlier, but I have to stop as all of her words register. "Wait, me?"
"Of course," she says drily. "Don't tell me you weren't considering challenging his Gym while you are here."
...to be honest, the Gym challenge has been kind of an afterthought for me lately. There has been so much going on that it didn't seem that important.
That's not to say my Pokémon aren't fit for facing a second Gym, we were training to face Roxie before the incident at the refinery after all. But considering Ruffles is the only one who hasn't been left in bad shape after that experience…
"I honestly don't know," I tell Samantha, her eyes widening. "My team took a...very bad beating just before we came to Aspertia. I don't know if they're ready for another proper fight."
Samantha's eyes narrow after I've said that. "So what? You and your mons are a bunch of quitters?"
"That's not what I-"
"Yes, you are," Samantha cuts me off, causing me to wince. She then waves her arm at our surroundings. "Out there, there's a bunch of sore losers that will call you names just to discourage you. 'Oh, you're just a kid', 'oh, you use Pokémon of a weak type', 'oh, you're trash from that ghetto'," she grits her teeth at that last one.
"Say what you will about my diamond metaphor, but I can tell you from experience that getting to the top is no walk in the park," she continues. "You have to shed sweat and tears to get there and you have to take any setback head-on. Because what builds true strength is not how much damage you dish out, but how much damage you can take and keep fighting. Even when you feel like you're past your breaking point."
"That's how I got to the Champion Cup, how I'm still here after that disaster, how the most famous Champions got where they did and how you and Eugenio defeated Burgh." She arches an eyebrow. "Or are you telling me you're just some pampered punk who goes crying at the first sign of things getting tougher?"
...she doesn't know what happened at the refinery. What happened to my Pokémon. I want to believe she wouldn't say that if she did.
Still, I can't deny that there are some truths to her words. But this isn't just up to me. It's also up to my Pokémon. How should I broach the subject of whether they feel up to it or not?
"Hey guys!"
My musings are interrupted as Rosa arrives, Hugh right behind her.
It seems I'll have to think about that later.
Merry Christmas, everyone! Enjoy this early chapter!
Yeah, that little twist with Hoopa probably wasn't built properly but hey that's how it went.
Thank you to Softandhappy and Krosrodes for betareading. You can find us at the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at: 9XG3U7a
Now, if all goes well, next chapter should be up by the first of next January. Until then, enjoy your holidays folks!