Interlude One: Darkness Rising
Sunsets were always best viewed from a high. In order to really experience the shift from day to night, one had to be amongst the clouds, watching the sky turned from blue to orange to black. It was an experience of true beauty, and tonight was no distance. The blueness of the sky was slowly sucked away by the setting sun, like ink poured down a sink. Warm yellows and rich pinks now radiated out from the horizon, heralding the end of the day and calling forth the darkness of night.
Buzz Bolton watched the sunset from the comfort of his office on the eighty seventh floor of the Silph Tower. He felt like a god right now, so high above the world, its people, its Pokémon, watching one of the purest events of nature unfold as though he had personally commissioned it. This is true power, he told himself.
Gazing out of floor to ceiling windows was just one of the reasons Buzz loved this office so much. Mainly, he enjoyed the sense of power it gave him. The windows helped with that, making the room seem larger, more impressive than it really was. Buzz had gone the minimalist route to maximise space, give off the air of power. The walls were decorated with only a few photographs and diplomas; all fake, but they added to his allure. Two leather couches, a Persian floor rug and a small flax plant were the only things aside from his desk and chair. When people came in here, Buzz wanted them to focus on him and him alone.
It was all part of a charade that had been long in the making. Everything about him was designed to exude power and strength. Even his name was fake; Buzz had adopted this moniker shortly before setting his plans in motion. It was more memorable than his birth name, and it helped people remember him, drawing the attention he had longed craved and desperately needed.
Style wise, Buzz gave off the air of class and wealth. He had gelled black hair that was cut by a professional stylist, wore immaculate suits that were tailor made specifically for him, and his buff bronzed skin had been expertly tanned at a nearby salon to look natural. He was average height so his fit body didn't come across as intimidating, but his electric blue eyes were commonly said to be the source of his producing powers: the media commonly joked about the fact they could hypnotize people to do his bidding.
If only they could; hypnotism would have made this all a lot easier. Buzz continued to stare out of the window, thinking about his path here, how he had gotten this view. It had been a long, tireless, carefully constructed process. He had made it though, and nothing was going to stop him now. One day soon enough, Buzz hoped to be as powerful and dangerous as the sun itself, and he smiled as he watched it sink deeper into the world that would soon be his.
His evening ritual was interrupted as his phone began ringing. His secretary, Annie, always went home at five, so his calls went straight to his phone. Buzz knew who it was though, and he pulled a universal remote out of his pocket and put the phone to loudspeaker.
"Sunsets are always a beautiful thing," Buzz called in his booming, movie announcer voice. "It is that one point of the day where everything is calm and peaceful, in between a hectic day and the bustling night. "
"Yes Buzz, I have heard it all before." Amanda Anderson voice sounded throughout the room, brisk and irritable as it so often was. "I didn't call to hear about the sun for the five hundredth time. Have you watched the footage yet?" Buzz chuckled quietly and stepped towards the rug. He pointed the remote at it, and the Persian skin rolled into a neat log, revealing rectangular box underneath. It mainly contained a large touch screen computer, which was now rising up on its hydraulic arm, but the several smaller objects inside briefly distracted Buzz: objects: several key cards, a rolled up blueprint, several handguns and stun grenades, CDs and a charred metal sign.
"I skimmed through it briefly; I haven't properly gone over it yet." Buzz tapped away at the computer until a video file came up. The lights went out automatically, and his view disappeared as the window was transformed into a movie screen. "I liked the first challenge, that obstacle course thing – we need to do more of them. Lachlan also seems better than we expected, try and get more interviews –."
"Not the stupid challenges," Amanda hissed. "I'm talking about the girl – Alaska, the one who battled Chloe."
"Oh, that. What about it?" Buzz scrolled through the files and until he found the right one. He had briefly looked over the battle when the footage had first arrived, but it had seemed irrelevant, unnecessary to what he was trying to construct. "Why did you even bother filming it? I'm not cluttering the show up with them battling randoms, that isn't going to bring in the ratings."
"If you have seen the footage, then I hoped you are as worried as I am."
"Worried? Why should I be worried?," Buzz scoffed as the video began playing on mute. "This girl is a rather talented battler; if she prettier, we could have had her on the show."
"What!?" Amanda snapped. "She is threatening our plans: she and Carmichael have some silly girly feud going on between them, and this battle would have made it worse. Chloe will most likely want to battle her again if their paths cross, and-"
"I seriously don't know what you are on about, darling. This is just first day jitters – I thought you were smarter than this." There was a pause on the other end of the phone. Buzz was always amused when Amanda got hysterical like this: try as she might to wear a brave face, he knew just how fragile she was underneath. And the thought just made him smile.
"Of course I'm worried." Amanda had clearly paused to control herself, perhaps sensing the scorn in his voice. "This is the same thing that happened last time. Giovanni underestimated those… children. If you want to succeed, you can't make the same mistakes he did."
Buzz had not expected her rant to end up here. Part of him felt like laughing, her suggestion completely ridiculous. Instead, he treaded carefully onwards. "Can you hear yourself? You're delusional! Do you really think this girl could be the next Red or Leaf? There's nothing to suggest anyone will get in our way."
"Look at what happened in the other regions. Rocket failed twice because of teenagers. The Magma Corporation is nothing now. And there were brats involved in Galactic, that's what all the stories say."
"There's your answer: make sure the girl doesn't get involved with the show," Buzz replied, beginning to sound rather irritated. "We need this plan to work, and having our lot embarrassed by some stranger isn't going to be good for our image."
"What do you want me to do if she does come across us somehow?" Amanda asked quietly, expecting Buzz to shout back at her. But the executive paused for a moment, pondering over what she had said.
"Just do you best to avoid and ignore her and don't let the cast get involved with her," Buzz replied thoughtfully and calmly. "But if she keeps getting in the way and she proves to be a real threat then… we can't fail here, Amanda, not after everything we've been through. If it looks like she is going to interfere with our plans, then you know what to do." He knew Amanda would have nodded at this, as the call suddenly went dead. Buzz continued to watch the battle for a few more minutes, replaying every order Alaska gave, watching the way her Pidgey responded. Alaska was doing this like it was natural, and seemed to be having laugh.
The part of him that felt like laughing had fallen silent. As the sun continued to set behind the pictures, magnificent shades of navy and purple spreading across the sky, Buzz watched the battle over and over again. Giovanni had never killed the children that brought him down. He had them turned into play things, pawns in his drawn out revenge, at the same time underestimating their skill until it was too late.
I won't let it come to that, Buzz thought finally, frowning as he watched Chloe's Bulbasaur get flipped over for the twentieth time. I've been planning this for too long. If this girl proves a nuisance in any way, she will have to die. A pity, but someone has to go first.
Buzz cut the video feed. His view returned, but by now the sun had set, now only a faint glow on the horizon. The producer continued to stare through the window though as darkness poured in, thinking about all he done and all he would do before his dreams were realised.
It was closing time. The lights were always on at the Pokémon League, but outside, Steve Brookes could see the sky darkening. While the nurse stayed behind to tend to any Pokémon harmed in Victory Road, registrations closed at five p.m. Steve had been manning the desk all day, and he knew it was time for him to head on home.
Yet as the thought of leaving crossed his mind, a subconscious bubble of fear rose up in his stomach. It was a silly feeling, of course. Nothing bad had happened here for five years. However, every time he was here late, Steve couldn't help but remember the day that man had passed through here: dark orange suit, long, flapping trench coat, wide brimmed hat that cast a shadow over his face, yet his eyes still shone out, dark, piercing and full of hate. His whole life had changed that day – hell, the whole damn world had. It was so long ago now, but whenever Steve was alone in this giant foyer, nothing to keep him company but the furniture and the beyond, he can't help going back to that dreadful night.
"Now's not the time for that, Steve," the old man told himself. He forced himself to focus on his screen, double checking the two dozen trainers whose details had been entered into the system that day. Making sure everything was in order was important than things that had happened in the past, and Steve worked for another ten minutes to make sure it was all in order.
"Your worrying about nothing, you silly old fool," Steve chuckled as he pulled his green sweater back on, watching the trainer profiles get sent off into the world. "All that stuff is over now." Steve turned his computer off, gathered up his things, waved goodbye to the security guard and nurse, and crossed the foyer humming to himself, doing his best to keep his spirits up as the world outside got blacker still.
Little did he know what he had just done.
Alarm bells were going off throughout the world. The computers of gym leaders, scientists, spies, elite four, socialites and champions were being taken over. Screens turned black, leaving only four words behind. A program had been activated, one that had been lying dormant for decades, lurking in the system, waiting for its purpose.
"What the hell is going on?"
Trevor Archer stood in the control room of the International Police. Hundreds of screens had all gone black. The five largest ones loomed above them all, its message shining red on the faces of all the spies and controllers below.
"Is this a cyber-attack?" Archer roared. "Does anyone know what the hell is going on here?"
"It's the Cynthia Code."
"The – wait, what? It doesn't even say Cynthia, it says –"
"It's a warning, taken from the utterings of a possessed little boy thirty years ago." Trevor turned to the source of the comments. His mentor stood in the shadows, the red letters the only thing illuminating his wizened face. "This is no cyber-attack, boy. It's a warning – peace time is over, everybody. Our next saviour has been found."
The program's namesake was the first of the Champions to notice. In her training room, watching her Eelektross and Lucario square off, Cynthia Carter saw her laptop light up black. Curious, she picked it up, and instantly felt her chest go cold.
My god, it's her… it's actually her. Cynthia collapsed into her seat, shaking. They had been searching for this name since 1985: it was the only one Viktor had told her they could actually track, the only one unique enough that the options were limited. Her Pokémon swarmed her as Cynthia clutched at her chest, the worst moment of her life rushing back to her.
The Fall of Kalos and the War on Three Sides, that sets everything off. It paves the way for Red and Leaf, Krystal and Alaska, Brendan, Bryan, Yasmin, Kieran…
May the gods look down upon you… Cynthia stared at the screen, tears forming, as a photo now joined the text, and she saw the figure the she had long prayed they would never find.
From her darkening porch, Krystal Soul looked up from her drink, eyes flickering from whiskey bottle to laptop. She normally ignored these warnings; her League usually covered it first, less she get too involved, less she damage their brand further. Yet something felt different, and as she stared at the screen, looking at the flashing name and wondering what it meant, voices began to whisper in her head. Kris put her glass down and quietly closed the lid, wondering, for the first time in four years, who the voices belonged to.
On the other side of the mountain, Edward Lowe sat quietly on his sofa, staring at the words, taking in her face. He knew there were no coincidences in life, not his anyway. The rumours, the whispers, the threats; the reality show begins the same down the Cynthia Code activates. Red sank back in his chair and sighed. He had no idea what would happen next: all he knew was that his death was now more certain than ever.
Throughout the five regions, the people who saw the four words became panicked, concerned, worried, curious, excited. Few knew what it meant; those that did wondered what happened next. Everyone knew that, after three years of peace, this simply wasn't good.
Only one person was celebrating. One person had been waiting years for a sign, a hint from the universe that it was time to return. After five years of hiding, five years of working, preparing, analysing, constructing; after five years, he finally had his clue.
Gideon stared at his computer, reading the four words that had just appeared, and he smiled.
Alaska has been found.
That's the end of the first arc of the story! Coming up next: Alaska ventures into Viridian Forest, where she fidns more than just bugs amongst the trees.
For any brand new readers, please note that the last few chapters have been edited for the first time in many years. You will notice more typos and such from this chapter onwards, but if you like the story so far, please bear with me as the grammar gets much better the further into the story you get.
