Chapter Eight: Shades of Grey

Hearthome City was the last place in Sinnoh Cyrus wanted to visit – it was loud, it was colourful and full of really annoying people. Today, it was worse than usual. It was just his luck that pop icon Marina was arriving. That meant more annoying people to deal with. Some of his grunts had wanted the day off just to get a glimpse of the girl, but Cyrus had threatened them with a week of janitor duties should he find any of them slacking off. That's why he was here now to ensure there were no slackers around.

He had some form of respect for Marina though – she was a leader in her own way, having influenced a mass group of people to worship her every action. All she had to do was parade around like a fool onstage in ridiculous clothes and sing nonsensical lyrics into a microphone to get thousands of people to love her. People sacrificed everything just to get a glimpse of her. It was revolting, really.

Marina's arrival was perfect though. It gave his Galactic grunts and commanders extra time to complete their simple tasks without attracting the attention of the authorities. It also gave him protection. No one would suspect him of suspicious behaviour if he blended in with the crowd and pretended to act normal. Besides, being here gave him some time to himself to reflect on Charon's words about Dawn.

How she reminded him so much of her mother. She had inherited her mother's dark blue hair and the dark blue of her eyes, but he could see himself in her as well, such as the structure of the face. He wondered what other similarities they shared? He repeated her name in his head. It wasn't a name he'd choose for her if he had chosen, but he couldn't change it now.

"Oh my Arceus, that's her, Rihanna! It's Marina!" One of the young girls standing nearby squealed. He cringed at the noise. Did they have to scream so loud? "She actually got to meet Lance! How lucky is she? I wish I could meet him… he's so dreamy…"

Her friend, Rihanna, jumped up and down, her blonde pigtails bouncing. "I got my question answered by Lance himself thanks to Marina!" Cyrus felt himself pushed aside as the two girls made their way through the crowd. Although they were now a few feet away, he could still hear their comments.

"He's the hottest Champion! I would totally love to get my hands on him…"

Rihanna nodded. "I know, right? I would love to see what he looks like without that sexy cape on."

Cyrus wished he could block out their annoying voices. He didn't care what Lance looked like without his cape on. All he wanted was a place to stay for the night. The crowd surged forward again as more people tried to force their way to the front. Someone rammed into his back with their elbow. He spun around immediately and spotted one of his female grunts.

She wasn't wearing the uniform, but he could recognize that dumb bowl haircut anywhere. Her hazel eyes widened, her lips parting open. "Boss?" she whimpered, face paling dramatically.

He glared down at her. She seemed to shrink in size. "Did you hope to fool me by changing out of your uniform?" He didn't bother keeping his voice low. He could hardly hear himself talk with all the fangirling going on around him. Another teenage girl bumped into him. "You will be punished accordingly for neglecting your duty. Head back to the base and do whatever Charon commands you to do."

"Why are you here, boss?"

"Rule number one, do not ask questions."

She nodded, eyes welling up with tears. She turned around and navigated her way through the crowd. He turned back around. It was a bad idea to have come here. His irritation levels were growing at a rapid rate. "Fashion coordinator of Twinleaf Town coming through! Excuse me!" Once again, he felt someone push into his back.

He glanced over his shoulder and spotted a familiar blue haired female trying to navigate her way through. "Johanna."

At the mention of her name she froze. She peered up at him. "Cyrus?" she whispered. "What are you doing here?" She didn't sound too thrilled to see him. In fact, she seemed eager to get away from him as fast as possible since she went back the way she had come. He grabbed her arm holding her in place and drew her back towards him.

"You and I need to talk. Alone."

She paused then said, "Follow me."

.

Fantina prowled the aisles of the shopping centre searching for something that would spice up her outfit. The most glamorous of stars were rumoured to be visiting Hearthome City and Fantina knew she couldn't pass this opportunity up. It wasn't often superstars from other regions visited Sinnoh – most people preferred to remain in their own regions where they felt at home rather than go exploring.

But Marina was visiting and she was bringing along with her the latest fashion trends in her homeland of Johto. Marina was known mostly for being the administrator of the Lance Fan Club, but she was also a popular actress, model and a singer. She had access to all the latest fashion designs and could get anyone a backstage pass to a special event. Of course, she only gave special permission to people she liked so Fantina made sure to keep the bubbly girl on her good side.

Marina wasn't the main reason she was shutting down the gym for a temporary period of time. There was an imbalance in the Spirit World and she needed to consult with other walkers about its meaning. Besides, it wasn't as if there was anyone worthy to battle anyway – the last challenger who had reached her gym failed to make it past the starting gym trainer and that was well over three months ago.

Fantina made her way to the Super Contest Hall where a large crowd of eager fans were stationed outside. She pushed her way past, not caring at all if she rubbed some of the fans the wrong way. She did not care about them at all – there was no common trainer worthy enough of her attention, let alone her respect. Some of the fans grumbled, but Fantina didn't stop until she had reached the entrance. The security guards stepped aside allowing the gym leader within the halls of the infamous building.

"You finally made it," said a male voice from behind her, prompting Fantina to glance over her shoulder immediately. He was shorter than herself and younger by a couple of years, but she saw him as her equal. He specialized with the ghost-types and he too could traverse the Spirit World where most could not. "I hope this is worth it. I do have rather important matters to attend to back home," he added, arms crossed over his chest, calm eyes boring into hers.

"You're as welcoming as ever Morty," Fantina replied curtly. "I didn't invite you to attend this event just to socialize – I wanted to talk to you about the uneasiness in our world. The Pokemon in the Lost Tower are unsettled and you know as well as I do that is not a promising sign of good fortune for the people of Sinnoh." She grabbed a chair and sat down and motioned for Morty to follow. He took a seat across from her.

He leaned back in his chair. "These are troubling times for us all. Team Rocket has reformed, Ho-Oh has still not returned to the Bell Tower and our Champion acts like a spoilt child while Red continues to hide. Whatever threatens Sinnoh can't be as dangerous as the black cloud that hangs over Johto and Kanto." He readjusted his scarf.

"The issues that trouble your land are the faults of your people. Your 'Champion' is nothing more than an arrogant bull-headed fool who thinks the world revolves around himself." She sighed and took in a deep breath. "There is a dark force at work here and it grows stronger with each passing day. Malevolent spirits are searching for the one who will release the shadow beast from the chains that bind him. The world as we know it will cease to exist."

"You are being overly dramatic."

She placed a hand on his. "I am being cautious."

Morty pulled his hand away. "What do you see?"

"I was hoping you would venture into the realm with me to see it for yourself." She offered her hand and he took it with hesitance. An adventure in the Spirit World was never to be treated lightly. One mistake and a trainer would lose their minds forever, consumed by the spirits that roamed the realm. The Spirit World allowed a ghost-type trainer to see true nature of the souls of the living around them.

There were three glows visible in the realm. The pure emitted a white glow, the tainted had a grey hue and the impure radiated a purple aura. Fantina had traversed the realm many times to track down the unworthy, but it was always dangerous. Hostile spirits belonging to the deceased patrolled the realm searching for a weak heart to prey upon. If a ghost-type trainer failed to protect their mind they would fall to the power of a hostile spirit. The results were not pretty.

Fantina had once laid her eyes upon a fellow trainer being disembowelled by a couple of Haunters. The pair had drained the trainer of life, while they ripped apart his flesh, discarding the bones while feasting on his organs. A death in the Spirit World was not a death in the real world, but it came close. A victim often lost control of their body rendering them useless.

It was a truly frightening experience to witness. Fantina did not wish such a foul act even upon her worst enemy. Being trapped in your body while your mind was alive was far worse than death itself. Fantina curled her fingers around Morty's right hand and closed her eyes. To enter the Spirit World, a ghost-type trainer must consume a spoonful of blood of a ghost-type Pokemon. Blood wasn't easily obtained however as it required a powerful bond between master and Pokemon.

Consuming just a spoonful allowed the trainer to enter through a rift for a short period of time. Failure to exit the world within the time limit meant the trainer was stuck in the Spirit World forever. A maximum of one hour could be spent here. Fantina summoned her Mismagius as Morty summoned his Gengar.

"I hope you make this worth my while," Morty said, turning to face his Gengar. He gave his Pokemon the order to cut itself and Gengar willingly obliged, dragging his sharp fingers into his flesh. A trickle of blood leaked out of the wound. Morty placed his hands underneath the wound and caught a few drops as Fantina did the same with her Mismagius. Once there was enough blood, Fantina brought her hand to her mouth and licked it. Immediately, she felt a wave of nausea grip her mind.

Drinking even a tiny amount of a ghost-type Pokemon's blood brought on quite a number of side effects. Headaches and nausea were the most common symptoms, but it also had an effect on vision, hearing and a person's sense of smell. For a short period of time, a trainer could see through walls, hear voices from within a miles radius and could smell decomposing flesh.

Morty brought a hand to his head and winced. "You owe me, Fantina."

A fog door appeared before them – the rift entrance to the Spirit World. Fantina stepped through the rift first and Morty followed close behind, their hands clasping each other. The Spirit World was generally visited alone – if a trainer wanted to invite someone into their world, they had to share some form of physical contact and not break it for the duration of their visit.

"This is your version of the Spirit World? A misty pine forest?" Morty said.

"It seems fitting."

"My adventures in the Spirit World takes place in the forest around the Bell Tower," Morty responded.

Fantina didn't reply – she ventured deeper into the forest ignoring the pure souls that walked past them. What was important were the souls that were impure and tainted for they were the ones most likely to cause collateral damage. Souls had no faces so it was hard to put names to faces in the real world, but an aura could be felt if within range. It came down to luck when it came to making correct assumptions.

She came to an abrupt stop, pulling Morty behind a thick tree and covered his mouth. A spirit with a purple hue walked by, carrying a blood stained spear in its right hand. It weaved in between the trees and stopped before another spirit with a white glow then plunged its weapon into the white spirit's back. The purple spirit devoured the other one, turning its colour a deeper shade of purple.

"What in the name of Arceus…" Fantina head Morty mutter.

A spirit was devouring other spirits in the realm. In the real world that meant someone was using others for their own gain, but to what end exactly? Fantina couldn't tell. "We have to get out there before the spirit sees us. Keep your guard up. We are not safe here."

.

"What troubles you, Cynthia? It is not like you to wear a frown," Steven said, sitting down in the chair across from her. They were currently seated at one of the popular cafes in Jubilife City as Steven had dropped by to visit the developers at the Poketch Company.

Cynthia leaned put her menu aside. "You once said that darkness spreads… I believe that darkness has reached my homeland." She crossed her right leg over her right then leaned forward, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Have you heard of the name Cyrus before?" she said, looking directly into the man's eyes.

Steven looked thoughtful. "I can't recall the name… Cyrus… Hmmm… Wait… It does sound familiar… Blue hair, right?"

She nodded. "I think he is the darkness that you were warning me about. I met with him earlier and he was rambling on about a world devoid of spirit. But that is impossible, isn't it? You can't rid of the world of feeling." She tilted her head to the right studying Steven's face.

The man was only a few years older than herself, but he was far more experienced in these matters since he had dealt with criminals before. He was also an intelligent man having spent quite a number of years exploring ruins, studying ancient relics of the past to understand the present better. If anyone knew what Cyrus's true intentions were Steven would know.

"The name does sound familiar now that you mention it… I met his grandparents while I was in Sunyshore one time." Cynthia lifted her brows at this piece of information. Cyrus lived in Sunyshore? "They were nice to me. They invited me into their home and we sat down and had some tea. We discussed my work and my plans for the future. They mentioned Cyrus's name quite often. A brilliant mind they said, but a troubled one."

A young lady carrying her iced chocolate came over and placed it on the table. There was a mountain of cream on the top like she had asked. Picking up her spoon, she scooped up some cream and brought it to her mouth, relishing in the flavour. Her grandmother wouldn't approve of her taste in drink, but she wasn't present so it didn't matter. "Troubled?"

Steven frowned. "It wasn't my place to pry for details, but they mentioned their grandson had been kicked out of home by his parents."

"His parents?"

Steven nodded. "It's a sad tale, but I will tell you if it clears your mind." Cynthia nodded. Learning the facts about the man's history would help her understand him better to see if he was a threat or not. "His father was a scientist who was interested in energy sources and his mother was just a housewife. The father came up with the idea to use windmills to generate electricity for the cities in Sinnoh securing his place as the richest man in Sinnoh's history. But he wanted more and sought to find other alternatives to creating electricity."

"What happened then?" Cynthia said, taking another scoop of whipped cream from her iced chocolate. The waitress came back a few moments later with Steven's beef burger and orange juice. Another waitress arrived seconds afterwards with Cynthia's garden salad. She took the menus and walked away.

Steven took a bite out of his burger then put it down after swallowing. He helped himself to some juice then continued. "He became obsessed with finding a new source it started to put a strain on his relationship with his wife. He refused to communicate with her unless he needed something. He'd spend his days locked up in his office working on solutions while his wife took care of the household duties. She planned to divorce the man, but that all changed when she found out she was pregnant."

"She stayed with him then."

He nodded. "Yes, she did. She was miserable with him, but she didn't want to raise her child without a father figure present. A trimester later, a baby boy was born. They called him Cyrus. His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps. While most kids were playing outside with their friends and Pokemon, Cyrus remained indoors with his father studying. It wasn't the bonding moment one would expect though – his father was quick to anger."

"He mistreated his family?"

He pressed his lips together in a grim smile. "He was a man who could not tolerate failure. He became accustomed to beating his wife every time she argued with his opinion and he punished his son in the same fashion because he failed to keep up. His father informed his colleagues his son brought shame to the family name and he wanted him disowned. When Cyrus reached the age of ten, his father kicked him out of home because he couldn't tolerate the sight of failure. All he had was a Zubat given to him by his mother."

Cynthia's gaze softened. It explained why Cyrus seemed to despise emotions so much. "What happened to the mother?"

Steven paused, taking another bite of his burger. He wiped his mouth clean and frowned. "She died. She didn't want to live with a monster so she took her own life instead of seeking a fresh start. She poisoned her husband then she poisoned herself unable to live with the crime she had committed. His grandparents regret having done nothing to help. Cyrus disappeared. It was believed he had met a tragic death himself, but he was found by Professor Rowan a few years later."

"Professor Rowan knew him?"

"For a short time, yes. He was responsible for introducing his niece Johanna to Cyrus. He thought she could help him. Cyrus didn't stick around for too long though – he claimed he was going to achieve something his father could not and left." Steven rubbed his chin.

This was a lot of information to absorb. Cynthia felt her head spin just thinking about it. Johanna was Professor Rowan's niece… Professor Rowan introduced Cyrus to Johanna… Cyrus left shortly afterwards to surpass his father… Her grandmother seemed to really detest Dawn's father… A sudden thought dawned on her. It was a troubling thought. Dawn's father was Cyrus.

She stood up from her seat abruptly, knocking her iced chocolate over in the process. The glass fell down and rolled off the table and landed on the ground, breaking into hundreds of different pieces. Other guests in the outdoor area of the café glanced in her direction. Steven looked up, alarmed. "Cynthia?"

"I need to find Dawn."

Steven sat up and grabbed Cynthia's arm. "What's wrong?"

She was aware the other guests were watching. Fortunately, the other guests did not rush over to ask for autographs. They knew not to ask a well-known name for autographs and photos in an eating area. "It all makes sense to me now..."

His grip tightened. "Sit down, Cynthia. Please," he said softly. "The other guests are watching." He jerked his head to the right. Indeed, everyone was watching her. Thank Arceus the media weren't around otherwise she'd be all over the news. She could just imagine the title, 'Champion has a public meltdown' or even worse, 'Cynthia has a meltdown. Ex-Champion Steven comforts her. Possible romance?'

Cynthia took in a couple of deep breaths and sat down calming herself down. It did nothing to slow her racing heartbeat. Carolina had said Dawn's father was a dangerous man. What sort of danger was Dawn in? Was Team Galactic involved in this mess somehow? "I need to return to Eterna City, Steven."

"Not until you tell me what is going on. Who is Dawn? And who is Galactic?"

She searched her mind for answers. She barely knew much about Galactic – up until recently, they hadn't done anything wrong, but that appeared to be changing. But why now? Why make themselves known to the public as a force to be reckoned with? "They're criminals…" she said slowly, piecing together the information she had received from newspapers and television programmes. "They claim to be searching for alternate energy sources…" Just like Cyrus's father had intended do… Was Cyrus the man behind the creation of Galactic? It had been her who had signed the contract to allow them to build their buildings.

Steven frowned, concern taking hold of his features. "Team Rocket? Team Aqua? Team Magma?"

Cynthia shook her head. "No, they're worse. Team Rocket was fuelled by greed and money. Team Aqua and Team Magma's leaders were extreme environmentalists… Galactic want to create an entirely new universe…" That's why they were searching for alternate energy sources so they could somehow generate enough power to create an entirely new universe.

"And Dawn?"

"Dawn is Johanna's daughter. Cyrus's daughter."

Steven raised his head slightly. "You think he's going to use her?"

"I swore I would protect Dawn from harm."

"You don't know if he will harm her."

"I'm not taking any risks. I've known Dawn since her birth." Cynthia rose from her seat again. "I may not have been with her as much as I would've liked, but she's like a sister to me. I need to tell her the truth before he does." She rubbed her temples. Throughout her three year reign as Champion, never had she faced something as great as this. "Goodbye, Steven." She hurried away from the café leaving Steven alone to clean up her mess. She hoped she wasn't too late.

.

Johanna led him inside the building which thankfully, was much quieter. Several security members walked over to approach Johanna. "Excuse me, madam. We will need to validate your pass. The doors aren't open to the public yet," said the first officer.

She nodded and pulled out her VIP card. The second officer brought his face close and read the words on it. "You may pass, Johanna." The security guards turned to face him next. Unlike Johanna, he didn't have a pass. Were they going to drag him out?

"We need to see your pass as well."

Johanna clung onto his arm. "He's my partner."

The first officer gave her a suggestive smile. "Most of the rooms are booked out already, but there are a few… rooms left." The other guard chuckled. "Please enjoy your stay. I hope you both enjoy the show. It's going to be a great one." The guards walked away, their laughter filling the air. Cyrus glared daggers at their backs. What were they laughing about?

"Don't worry about them, they're just doing their job," Johanna said, leading him over towards the counter. A lady with bright baby blue eyes gave them a dazzling smile revealing her brilliant white teeth. "We'd like to book a room, please," Johanna said. "It's just the two of us."

The lady grinned and winked. "We've only got a couple of honey room suites left. Will that be all right?"

Cyrus opened his mouth to argue that it would not be all right, but Johanna answered first. She smiled and nodded. "That'll be perfectly fine, thank you." She signed a few papers for the receptionist then dragged Cyrus up the stairs and towards the suite section, after putting the key in her pocket. "Don't say anything. You wanted to talk in private… this is as private as it gets."

They reached the room which had '69' engraved on the front. As if this couldn't get even more humiliating, Cyrus thought. Johanna inserted the key and turned it clockwise then stepped inside. He followed, and she closed it quickly and locked it. She moved away to him and immediately sat down on the king size double bed and gazed around the room.

He followed her eyes. The room wasn't that bad actually although it did leave him feeling a little uncomfortable. Their room was the third and final floor and also one of the largest rooms. They even had their own private balcony overlooking Hearthome City. "Not bad, not bad at all…" Johanna mused, running her hands across the surface of the bed. "It's quite firm."

Cyrus searched around the room for a sofa. He had hoped to sleep on the couch while she had the bed, but there was nothing except for two non-reclining white armchairs and a glass table. Sleeping on the floor wasn't preferable either since the floor was tiled. He didn't have any other option other than to share the same bed. It was a big bed, but the design was all wrong.

There were six pillows in total; four of them were the standard white ones, but the two smaller ones were red and designed in the shape of a love heart. There was even a matching red strip across the stretching across the middle of the bed and underneath it were two overlapping hearts made of hearts. That wasn't the worst – the bed had its own curtain to make sharing the bed feel more intimate.

There was no way he was getting on that. He'd rather sleep outside and catch a cold.

"What did you need to talk to me about that was so important it needed to be done in complete privacy?" Johanna said, looking up at him. She lay back down and made herself comfortable, stretching her slender body across the bed.

He sat down on one of the armchairs. "Dawn."

Johanna immediately bolted upright. "How did… What did you tell her?"

"She doesn't know if that's what you're worried about."

"You didn't hurt her."

"No," he said firmly.

"I know your… slaves are running around the region creating trouble. Professor Rowan told me about the incident he had with some of your men," she said sharply. "If I find out that they laid one hand on my baby I will…" She stopped short. Obviously, she hadn't thought the rest of her sentence through.

"I have no intentions of bringing harm to her. You have my word, Johanna." After all, why would he want to bring harm to someone who had his blood running through their veins? Dawn was partially his creation.

She didn't seem convinced. "You can't always be there to keep your slaves in line." She swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I will have no part in your schemes, but please, I beg of you, do not involve our daughter in your affairs." She paused for a few moments letting the impact of her words sink in before speaking again. "Do you know how desperate she is to find you? I pray the day never comes when learns of your true identity. It will devastate her."

He stood up from the armchair and slowly wandered over to Johanna. "I can't make any promises." He turned around and made his way over to the kitchen area when he felt her presence directly behind him. Holding back a sigh, he turned back around and added, "You must understand that I-" Johanna pulled her hand back then drew it forward, slapping him in the face. He growled, grabbed both her wrists and flung her down onto the bed.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She thrashed in place, trying her hardest to pry herself free, but she couldn't throw his weight off her. "You promised!" she spat.

He climbed on top of her, using his entire weight to keep her pinned down. "You never let me finish. I can only do so much to protect her but my… slaves as you call them… will not be so kind." He reached down to her face and wiped away her tears. She sniffed. "I'm asking you to trust me, Johanna. Can you do that?"

"I…"

"You'll be safe. Dawn will be safe. There will be no need to cry, no reason for sorrow. We'll live in a better place. I just need you to trust me like you did all those long years ago." He studied her face, noting there was a mixture of fear and desire in her eyes. She was scared of him, but at the time, she didn't want him to leave. He could make her submit to him.

She trembled. "What are you…" Her sentence was cut off abruptly as he leaned down to kiss her neck, eliciting a pleasurable moan from her. "Oh…" He relaxed his grip on her arms and she lifted them up, wrapping them around his back, pulling him down as close as possible. She lifted her head and brushed her lips against his. At that very moment, he felt an overriding passion for her run through his veins.

The ugly feeling of desire, lust and power were far too strong to ignore. He hated himself for being so imperfect, a slave to feeling, but he had to see this through to the end. His resolve weakened. Lowering his head to her neck again, he kissed the exposed skin, a moan escaping her throat. She felt his fingers trail down her sides, over her hips then upwards again, his fingers making their way behind her back to find the zipper.

She brought a hand to his hair, running her fingers through it, while she brought her other hand around to her zipper to help him undo it. He pushed her down onto the bed and proceeded to remove his clothing, while she did her best to undo hers. Looking down at her, he propped himself up and studied her physique for a couple of moments, then grasped her legs to pull her up. He entered inside her and began to thrust with slow deep strokes. He settled himself into a rhythm, then increased his movements, his breaths becoming faster and shallower. Johanna clawed at his back, as he continued thrusting into her, a deep groan soon leaving his throat, as he released inside her.

Giving himself into these ugly feelings, these emotions of desire and lust, would no longer be a concern in the near future. She moaned again, calling his name, as she reached her peak. The woman beneath him still loved him, despite everything, even though she pretended she didn't care. Love. Another meaningless emotion. It only led to pain and more grief. He collapsed on top of her, exhausted. He lay there for a few moments, then pulled himself out, and went to go and redress. Johanna remained stretched out on the bed. He looked at her again.

There'd soon be a day when none of this matter anymore, a day when all emotions ceased to exist.