Chapter Sixty Nine: The Least Sexy Chapter

Eevee's delighted squeals sounded throughout the entire garden. Sandy watched maternally as the Normal type danced around, being chased frantically by an eager Pichu. Evelyn the Flareon watched contently from the shade of a large rose bush, while Vinnie the Tangrowth stood in the middle, his eyes showing the smile his face could not, as the two Pokemon chased each other around him.

"They look like they're having fun, don't they?" Sandy turned around to see Daisy beaming at the running Pokemon.

"They definitely seem to be," Sandy replied, smiling back. If only the humans were as well…. Daisy continued to smile, and Sandy reluctantly grinned back, pushing the thought to the back of her mind, glancing once more at her delighted Pokemon before emerging herself back into the world she could not escape from.

She had never expected to return to the Celadon Mansion garden, not after how Alaska had left things last time. To be back, sitting at the long outside table, having breakfast again; it almost made Sandy want to laugh, that the world was in such dire straits that they all had to resort to being pleasant to each other simply to survive.

That was not to say things were not without tension. Alaska sat silently to Sandy's left at one end of the table, barely touching her food and glaring down at the human Evelyn opposite. In between, Sandy, Daisy and Alexis sat on one side, Looker, Trevor and Jericho opposite. Enough food to last Sandy for days was spread out in between: giant bowls of fruits and berries of every colour and flavour, piles of toast amongst an array of spreads, pancakes, waffles, muffins, bagels, jugs of juice so big you could drown in them.

It's all so much, she thought, gazing at the seemingly endless piles of food, wondering where to begin. It would almost be exciting if you couldn't cut the tension with a knife. Last time she had been here, Sandy had still been nursing her bullet wound. Yet things felt worse this time, and it disturbed her how having to be saved from a gunshot to the chest by a ghost was not the worst or strangest thing to have happened to her on this journey: things were simply getting bleaker and bleaker, and her delight a few weeks ago at being seated at such a luxurious table, eating such rich and heavenly food, celebrating simply being alive, that had all vanished, the true horror of what she and Alaska had found themselves in beginning to settle in.

"Does anyone know how Alistair is going?" Daisy said, throwing the question out to the table at another attempt of conversation.

"I spoke to the nurse girl before, she said that his wounds appear to be healing well," Evelyn replied, gesticulating with a fork laden with fat red berries. "The doctor will be coming around this afternoon; he will be able to –"

"Her name is Amelia." Sandy tensed up, a deeper, more anxious silence fell across the table Alaska looked past her fellow diners, seemingly ignorant to the effect her words had had, and she stared down at a slack jawed Evelyn.

"The little nurse girl, her name is Amelia. It must be nice, having so many staff you can't even remember their names." Evelyn did not reply for a moment, mulling the words over, though everyone knew her reaction would not be good. Finally, after a minute of everyone (except Looker, who continued to crunch away on dry toast like nothing was wrong) waiting, as though a firecracker was about to explode, Evelyn tutted and laid down her fork.

"Right then, Miss Acevedo, it seems we cannot even have a nice meal without making a scene anymore."

"The food may be pleasant, but this was never going to be a nice meal, not while there are so many questions to be answered," Alaska snapped back.

He should have known this, he should have been prepared for this, Sandy thought, briefly looking at Looker, wanting to be annoyed but too worried about what was about to go down. Alaska had been too shaken by her battle with Sabrina to protest when Looker had Gallade teleport them here, but once she realised they were at the mansion, surrounded by the faces of those they had encountered along the way, something seemed to snap inside of her. Alaska had quickly retreated to the room set aside for her, leaving Sandy alone to reconnect with their old allies. She had laughed and joked all night long, but deep down, fear and worry threatened to bubble to the surface, and Sandy had eventually gone to bed early, too busy wondering just what had annoyed Alaska so much.

And now it was all about to come out. On one side, Sandy was relieved that Alaska was getting it over with sooner rather than later, instead of letting her anger stew for days and days, seeping throughout the house until everyone hated them. But on the other hand, Sandy knew that there would be no coming back from this: she glanced briefly at the other faces around the table, and everyone around her age seemed to be as on edge as her. It felt like Sandy had shown up to a fancy dinner party with a violent drunk as her date, and she knew that whatever Alaska said would have an impact on her as well.

"I do not want to spend all morning exchanging insults with you," Evelyn said, pushing her plate aside and placing her elbows on the table. She leaned forwards, resting her chin on her cupped hands, and stared inquisitively at the teenager opposite her. "If I am going to be brutally honest, I think you are a nasty little bitch who clearly wasn't controlled at all as a child, and I quite frankly would rather kick you in the face then sit here spending money feeding and housing and protecting you. However, there are bigger things at play in our region right now than my feelings, so I am prepared to wave those aside for the benefit of solving the crisis at hand."

"How very big of you," Alaska snarked, and Evelyn smirked.

"I received an email report from Sabrina last night, with attached footage courtesy of Clyde. Coupled with Looker's take on the matter, it is clear that your personality is more of a danger to Kanto's future than it has been before." Evelyn paused, her eyes looking Alaska up and down, and Sandy wondered where this was leading. "It is troubling, given how much faith everyone has put in you. So I believe the best course of action is to give you some of the answers you so clearly desire. Note that I may be giving you free reign, but prove volatile and I will not hesitate to cease this conversation. Are we understood?" All eyes flickered to Alaska. Sandy watched her, waiting for the sign things would be alright. Say yes, Alaska, just say yes, maybe then we can move on.

Alaska nodded after what seemed like a lifetime, and Evelyn cracked a smile. "Excellent, now you may begin." Alaska leaned forwards, her eyes flickering around the table, and Sandy noticed Looker put down a crust of bread, the spy finally beginning to pay attention.

"Firstly, who exactly are you all? Gym leader, elderly housewife, friends," she said, looking at Daisy on that one, and the brunette ashamedly looked away. "What exactly do you all have to do with me?"

"My husband was always involved in politics and the inner workings of Kanto – being rich, those looking for control generally tend to come to you for help," Evelyn said, winking slightly at Jericho. "He would be told little snippets of what was happening from time to time, and moved in certain circles to be seen by the right people. It was not until Jericho here stopped a rampaging Dragonite several years ago that our family was seen as potentially being more useful in the wider scheme of things."

"The International Police regularly looks for civilian assets who can be of help in whatever field," Trevor explained. "Wealthy individuals are highly sought after as they see and hear a lot, associate with people with the money to fund dangerous projects, and… and they tend to enjoy the importance that comes with the role. No offence," he added, but Evelyn waved a hand.

"No worries, dear boy, I will be the first to admit that the rich have a significant array of faults that comes with the lifestyle," she said, shaking her head and laughing slightly.

"As a gym leader, I have certain responsibilities and I am pertain to a great deal of information about the safety and protection of the region," Alexis continued. "After I was appointed as Erika's replacement, Trevor suggested creating a small group to monitor the goings-on in Celadon and the surrounding routes, using the Mansion as base and a potential safe house."

"I was assigned to the case of monitoring Silph Co., and that led me to crossing paths with you two." Alaska looked towards Trevor as he spoke, her eyes twitching slightly, and Sandy got the impression that a number of puzzle pieces were flying around in her head.

"You two brought us here to try and keep us safe," she said. "That wasn't just to protect us after Lavender Town, was it?" She turned towards Daisy now, and the brunette tensed up under her gaze. "Back in Sandy's hospital room, you were reluctant to go into much detail about what would happen. Are we part of some secret operation that no one has told us about?" Alaska stared intently at Daisy, not blinking, not looking away; Daisy shook slightly, trying not to look at her, but then a sob escaped her lips.

"I am sorry, Alaska – you too, Sandy! I wanted to tell you, I have never been good at this whole spying thing, but Trevor told me not to say anything, so I had to keep quiet, even though you were both so lovely, and I…" Daisy stopped there, her eyes watering slightly, and Sandy reached out and held onto her hand, smiling softly back at her. It seemed to calm her down, but Alaska did not pay attention, instead turning back to Trevor, eyebrows raised. The spy briefly glanced at Looker before sighing.

"The Indigo League wants you to stay out in the open and to continue fighting against Buzz and Gideon for them, but the International Police does not share that viewpoint. I was tasked with bringing you in before you were harmed, and the idea was to keep you out of this war for as long as possible. The attack on the casino ruined that plan, and it would be foolish now to try and keep you here, but that was the original intention."

"Why? Why did you want to bring us in, why were you and the League monitoring us anyway?" Alaska snapped. "Does everyone with a blog that runs into a homicidal maniac automatically get marked as being the saviour of the region, or am I just special?"

"Everyone with a blog that may have a connection to a legendary Pokemon gets marked, yes," Evelyn purred, and Alaska looked like she had been slapped. Sandy watched her friend sink back into her chair, the anger fading from her face to be replaced with confusion.

"Not long after your first encounter with the Beedrill robot and Gideon, the legendary Pokemon Latios broke out from the Dragon's Den in Blackthorn City," Trevor said. "Do you know about Latios? He is not native to this region, but –"

"I know him," Alaska whispered back. How? Sandy asked herself, staring quizzically at her friend, but Alaska did not meet her gaze. Is there something you're not telling me?

"That makes things easier," Trevor said, quickly looking at his comrades before carrying on. "There are a number of stories over what role these two play in our world – I know that some believe they are the embodiment or creators of our souls, but that is not important right now.

"What is important is that the two Pokemon have long since been connected with these rocks called the Enigma Crystals. There are two, each with a bit of what is called the Soul Dew inside that has something to do with Latios and Latias' powers. Latias roamed freely for many years before Kris Soul was given possession of her Enigma Crystal, but Latios has not been seen for decades. His crystal has been held by the Dragon's Den for protection up until his rightful trainer made them known. Shortly after you faced Gideon at the Pewter Museum, Latios somehow appeared through his Enigma Crystal and then disappeared again."

"Through the crystal? Like he was trapped inside there?" Sandy asked.

"That is a possibility," Alexis answered with a nod. "I happened to be at the Dragon's Den at the time they explained to Kris the significance of the crystal, and they spoke about how Latios was known to be moodier and more withdrawn than Latias, and that he regularly released energy from the crystal during times of peril. However, I cannot remember them making any definite remark that he was actually inside the crystal."

"What does Latios have to do with me?" Alaska snapped suddenly, and all eyes turned back towards her. "So a Legendary broke out around the time I started my journey, big whoop! That doesn't prove anything." Silence fell again, and Sandy watched the others at the table, their bodies collectively tensing, looks being exchanged as though they were having a psychic conversation, and there was a feeling of nervousness amongst them, as though they had come across a problem they couldn't solve.

"Well, it looks like they won't tell you, so I will." Looker pushed his plate aside and turned to face Alaska, an obvious weariness in his expression. "Two thousand years ago, when the hell beast we today call Charlotte was created, the prophetic abilities she was cursed with drove her insane. In order to relieve the madness and while she adapted to her powers, Charlotte carved a number of her visions into different caves, mountains, lake beds and cliff faces around the world. The International Police, the various Pokemon Leagues, researchers, private organisations, and even crime syndicates like Team Rocket have spent decades searching for these since the first one was discovered after a train crash in a Hoenn valley back in 1910. There is no telling how many of them are out there, as Charlotte both doesn't remember and is highly uncooperative, but a vast number have been documented by various sources. And, as it so happens, there is one carving that we believe is particularly relevant today."

Sandy had been expecting it from the moment Looker began talking. In fact, part of her had been wondering if something like this would come out eventually: some big ancient secret, a thousand year old conspiracy that she and Alaska had stumbled across, just like in the adventure movies she had watched as a child. However, as Looker placed what looked like a smart phone on the table, Sandy realised her heart was beating rapidly, her entire being focussing on what had been said and what would come next, her past, her present, her future all hanging on this moment.

Looker pressed a button: the screen flickered on, and a projection rose into the air. Everyone looked at the generated holograph, which showed a large chunk of rock that had been removed from its origins. The image carved into the surface had been damaged by time, but the central figure was as clear as day: a person with long hair, presumably female riding on top of a Pidgeot, with what resembled a war raging on beneath them.

"Fuck off." Sandy had been transfixed, mesmerized and amazed by what had been produced, but the two words Alaska spat out pulled her out of her trance. Her friend had gotten to her feet, staring not at the image of a thousand year old carving of her, but instead glaring down at Looker. The spy looked up at the teenager with an air of amusement, nothing like the concerned glances their fellow diners were exchanging.

"I take it you do not see the resemblance?" Looker asked a smile on his face but Sandy could hear the exasperation in his voice. "I understand the scepticism; if you thought Charlotte was vague now, these pictures really show how undetailed she can –"

"Are you telling me that I am embroiled in some stupid war between the league, an insane scientist and a sociopath television producer because of a two thousand year old carving by a ghost?"

"You can't make this stuff up," Looker replied, his glass and raising it in a mock toast. Alaska looked the angriest Sandy had ever seen her, her face seeming to meet in the middle as it twisted with rage. Her hands were going white as she clenched the table, and veins seemed to pop out of her skin.

I have to do something; I can't let her scream at them all, not before we have all the answers. "Does the League know about this?" Sandy asked quickly, and Trevor and Alexis nodded simultaneously. "Well, why haven't they been trying to help us?"

"Trust me, they want to, they don't want another war destroying Kanto. But… it just isn't the right time." Alexis sighed, rubbing her temple for a moment and sinking back into her chair. "I really didn't sign up for this when I agreed to be a gym leader. I thought it would just be battling a few trainers every week, training Pokemon, training protégées, promoting things… if I had known what was really involved…"

"None of us expected this," Jericho replied, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "We just need to move past that and put a stop to this all, and then things will go back to normal." Alexis smiled at him, and Sandy's heart fluttered slightly, softening at the sight of compassion and warmth between them, imagining what it must be like to have someone by your side during these difficult times…

"All of the Pokemon Leagues in every region have been dealt massive publicity blows over the past few years," Alexis explained, turning back to face Alaska and Sandy. "They all received a lot of criticism for what happened with Rocket, Galactic, the turf war in Hoenn – everything made training Pokemon look dangerous and the Leagues suffered as a result. We have had peace for a few years now, and before the attack on Vermilion we were seeing pre-Rocket levels of trainers signing up."

"So the Indigo League sees Gideon as bad publicity?" Sandy asked, and everyone nodded, a shudder of irritation flickering through the table. Perplexed and unnerved, she turned to Looker, who had returned to his breakfast as though nothing was wrong. "When we were fleeing Silph Co., you told me that the International Police tried to warn the League about Buzz. Why didn't they listen?"

"Indigo Dreams is the best thing to happen to the league for years," Alexis answered "The League does not want to harm their brand any further, so they have chosen to continue to build the partnership and let the promotion carry on. With Gideon posing a bigger threat at the moment, having the show on provides a distraction and offers the ideal to everyone that there aren't any problems and to continue going on gym challenges."

That… that's messed up, Sandy thought. She couldn't look at anyone, the words simply washing over her. I was shot, I could have died… and if they hadn't ignored the threat, if they had offered us protection, if they had tried to stop it sooner, instead of relying on two teenage girls just trying to get away from their homes… this is… this is revolting…

"Sandy, are you alright?" Sandy snapped out of her thoughts. Daisy was holding her hand again, smiling softly but with concern obvious in her eyes. Sandy forced a smile on and briefly looked at Alaska, who still towered over them all, looking ready to scream. One of us has to carry on; there are still things we need answers to.

"Sorry, I'm fine, that was… that was just a bit much to hear," Sandy replied, trying to phrase her rage and disgust as eloquently and neutrally as possible. "If the League does not want to get involved though, why has Red sent Zapdos and Suicune after us?"

"Oh, please!" Daisy snorted, letting out an echoing laugh. "I have known Red since he was born, and trust me, no one, not even the Pokemon League, is going to put to tell him what to do!"

"He is concerned for you, all of us gym leaders are," Alexis added. "He doesn't want the same thing to happen to you like what the League did to him, so he is trying to help you from afar. The League has expressly forbidden us from getting involved, especially after Surge nearly got killed alongside you two during Gideon's attack. The death of a gym leader would be terrible publicity, just like it was when Blue di – … oh, Daisy, I am so sorry, I didn't mean –."

"It's fine," Daisy replied automatically, though she blinked rapidly to disperse the tears. "It has been four years; I don't let it bother me anymore." She turned to face Alaska. "Every gym leader wants to help you, but if they go against the League's wishes, they face significant punishments. The League has a plan, and they want to stick to it as much as they can, no matter what the costs are." Sandy noticed everyone exchange looks again, and even Looker glanced up from his toast, eyes furrowed and looking at Daisy as though she had just sworn.

"Plan?" She asked tentatively, not liking the feeling they were all giving her. "What plan?" The six all looked at each other at once, flickering eyes seeming to dare each other to be the one to say it, drop the terrible secret Sandy realised had been hovering above them this entire time. A sigh of complete exasperation sounded from the top of the table, and Evelyn looked past her guests, ignoring their stunned gazes, and she locked eyes with Alaska, a grimness settling into her face.

"They are grooming you."

The five words were like a slap: Alaska stumbled backwards, her rage disappearing to be replaced with confusion. She appeared flummoxed for a moment, and then began to laugh. Sandy knew her well enough to know that laughter was not genuine; it felt forced, unnatural, a strangled noise like someone pretending they weren't in pain. Alaska looked at everyone as though expecting them to find it funny, but no one else laughed, and her smile quickly died.

"Groomed? Groomed? Am I a Furfrou all of a sudden? What the fucking hell do you mean by groomed?" Alaska hissed, spitting the words out, her anger returning with a force. Evelyn opened her mouth to speak, but Looker raised a hand, silencing her with a single finger.

"Red is going to be murdered in a few weeks time," he said, throwing the words so bluntly into the universe that Sandy barely had time to react. "Buzz, the reality show, the robot army, all of it is part of some grand scheme to get revenge on him for destroying Team Rocket. We do not know the full details or the scope of Buzz's plan, but one can presume he plans to use the show to gain access to the stadium, and then will pull his army out as a surprise and publicly destroy Red. It would have worked perfectly if we had not received the tip off and if you had not ruined the unveiling of the first robot."

"Beedrill?" Sandy asked, and Looker nodded.

"We believe the robots were going to be part of the reality show, be involved in the challenges and such – it would explain why Silph would willingly fund an army of killer metal Pokemon, and why people like Alistair were unwittingly brought in to work on the project. But anyway, that isn't the important part. The important part is that there is a very significant chance that Buzz is going to succeed, leaving Kanto without a Champion and a homicidal maniac taking over."

"Unless I stop him," Alaska murmured, and Looker nodded.

"The League does not want to fight in the war, but lo and behold, the perfect candidate for future Champion just happened to stumble across the wannabe dictator!" The spy boomed dramatically while rolling his eyes obviously. "Fighting with a Pidgey, writing your blog, going up against the villains so early – you have the perfect back story, plus you're pre-destined to capture yourself a legendary, an added bonus! The League has ordered for you to be guided by the gym leaders but not helped; while they wait for absolute proof that they are ignorant wankers and that they have basically welcomed an army into their backyard, they want you to defeat the villains for them. If you win, you save Kanto and will earn yourself a gym, an Elite Four spot or get a battle with Red he is told to lose. If you die, then that proves they are wrong, they send Red, the Elite Four, the gym leaders, Kris, Alder, everyone to storm Silph Co. and wherever Gideon is holding up, becoming the heroes who avenged your death. And if you and Red both die, well, then, Lance gets to be Champion again. Either way, should you fail to defeat everyone for us, high profile trainers from across the regions will be called upon to take them down."

Alaska did not reply immediately at this; instead, she tapped her fingers against the glass surface of the table, chewing on her lips, staring intently at the toast rack as though imagining it catching on fire. Sandy struggled to keep her face calm, her head spinning and her stomach churning in rage; in just over a minute, Looker had torn down everything she still believed in, everything she thought she had been fighting for. Were she and Alaska really so disposable, that they could die and be replaced straight away without anyone caring, simply becoming figureheads for trainers much more powerful and famous than them to take over the fight?

"And what is the International Police's take on all of this?" Alaska hissed eventually.

"We think that the League is certainly going to doom all of us with this plan of theirs. Our plan was to bring you here for your protection and wait until we had more information, or Latios showed up, before letting you go out there. You did resist our attempts at help, though, and the attack on the casino forced us to take you away."

"If you wanted to protect me, why didn't you find us after the attack?" Alaska snarled, and it was now that Looker's face truly faltered. Sandy sensed another uncomfortable truth, and Alaska did as well, tensing up besides her.

"You are the only person that has been able to gather solid intelligence on Buzz and Gideon, and real world experiences will teach you more than you can learn inside a mansion, especially if you are the person meant to end this war. We decided it was for the best that you continued on your own and matured under your own steam."

"Gideon has only appeared where you have been so far," Trevor added sheepishly. "We have no idea what he is doing, so…"

"You expect us to fight him for you so you can gather more evidence?" Alaska snapped, and she grabbed her plate and threw it on the ground. Pichu and Eevee cried out in shock, and Vinnie and Evelyn the Flareon stepped forwards, cautiously watching Alaska. Everyone at the table jolted, including Sandy, who was fearfully clutching at her chair.

"Alaska, now isn't the time," she whispered, carefully watching Looker and Evelyn.

"If now isn't the time, then when is?" Alaska snapped back, and she grabbed a glass and threw it across the garden. Sandy winced as it shattered, but Alaska didn't notice, her rage exploding. "So I have just been a pawn this entire time? The second I walked out my front door, I have been marked as either being the hero of the region or some martyr that will force the League to action?"

"Well, in all fairness, you were only marked after Pewter City," Looker retorted, and Alaska snatched his plate from beneath him and hurled it backwards. Vinnie's long arms shot out and grabbed hold of it before it broke.

"What about you lot?" Alaska yelled, pointing between Daisy, Trevor, Alexis and Jericho. "Why did none of you tell me about this back when you first met me?"

"That was not what we were ordered to do," Trevor replied. Sandy could tell he was keeping his voice calm, but that would do nothing to stop Alaska. "As Looker just said, Daisy and I were assigned to bring you back here for your own safety while we investigated what was going on. When the tunnel collapsed on us, I used the opportunity to split from you three and find out if the carving really was of you, and when we confirmed it was, it became clear the only thing to do was –"

"Let me fight two maniacs on my own?" Alaska screamed, and she grabbed another plate.

"Put the fine china down, madam!" Evelyn roared, rising to her feet and emitting such a presence that Alaska froze. "You can destroy as many of my dinnerware as you want, but that is not going to change anything! There is a war going on out there; two men have plans to ruin our region and the powers that be have made it so that there is little hope of stopping them except for you. We have told you the truth now, and it is up to you to decide what we do next. Like it or not, you were born to fight in this battle. You need to accept that and help us find a solution before you get yourself killed." There was fierceness in Evelyn's voice that reverberated throughout the garden, powerful enough to send chills down Sandy's spine. Alaska stared angrily back at the matriarch for a moment, and then she threw the plate back onto the table and stepped away.

"I never asked for this, any of this!" She yelled, and Sandy could see she was on the verge of tears. "If I had known what was being expected of me…" Alaska trialled off, looking between everyone with her face flickering between pain and anger. Sandy reached out for her hand, but Alaska stepped further back, casting a final look across all of them before turning and storming inside the house.

"Well, that went well," Evelyn sighed as Alaska slammed a door shut behind her. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting any better, but still… we have well and truly screwed that girl over."

"She can fume for the rest of the day if she has to, but we need to pull her out of this rage," Looker said, brushing shards of broken plate off the table. "Meeting Buzz and seeing his army seems to have thrown her, but as the League refuses to pull their heads out of the sand, Alaska is the only hope we have. We know what Buzz is after now; we need to start planning for it."

"It won't be easy talking her around, Alaska knows how to hold a grudge," Sandy said, staring at the chair her friend had vacated.

"Then you need to talk to her for us." Looker leaned into her line of sight, forcing Sandy to look at him, even though the sight of all of them was sickening. "Can you do that, Sandy? We need you and Alaska in on this if we have any hope of stopping Buzz."

Why didn't you tell us this months ago? Sandy thought, trying to stay calm but was struggling not to grab a chair and throw it right though the table. We could have helped you, we could have done more to stop Buzz if we had known who he was and what was being expected of her. I was shot in the chest; I nearly died because we were left to fight this battle on our own. Why didn't you tell us, why didn't you try and save us from this earlier?

"I will do my best," Sandy replied, forcing a smile back, and Looker nodded in approval. Everyone smiled weakly back at her, and then their attention fell back to the abandoned breakfast. Sandy simply sat in silence, watching them all with a smile plastered across her face. She knew how to keep up appearances, how to pretend things were fine when they were anything but. Sandy knew now was the time for smiles and laughter, to be like Eevee and Pichu and focus on the good things in life, but no matter how wide her smile got, there was no denying the crippling pain of knowing that despite everything she had done in defence of Kanto, her life meant less than a reality show.

Hopefully this chapter cleared up things about some of the wider goings-on in the story. The fallout from this will seep through the remainder of the arc. If there is something you want expanded on from this chapter, let me know.