Chapter Nine: What the Team Needs
The last of his finals complete, Aaron was looking forward to a long-awaited break. Of course, that still had yet to come – with Christmas only two and a half weeks away, he would be working far more hours at the store in order to cover gifts. Similarly, his pokémon tended to battle more so they could do the same, both for him and each other. He would take off nearly a week from Christmas Eve to New Year's.
Now that the university was closed, meetings with Nathan had to be done in private. This wasn't a problem; they'd gotten used to the routine and tended to meet at some restaurant or another. But it was the day that his friend offered to pick him up and take him to his house in Undella that he wasn't expecting. Despite having known him for nearly two years, Aaron had never visited Nathan's home. Maybe it would give him a chance to see the half of Nathan's team he was still unfamiliar with.
When asked who wanted to go with him, Aster cancelled his plans to battle with Marcus, to which Krista half-heartedly filled in for him. Nora volunteered, as usual, to take care of dinner for the rest of the team. Both Aaron and the serperior waited on the porch for the silver truck which would show up any minute.
"Can't believe you're ditching Marcus on the chance that Naomi will be there…"
"Of course."
"Well, I guess 'bros before hoes' means nothing to you," Aaron said.
"Naomi is not such a derogatory—"
"Damn dude, it was a joke. Like I'd have room to talk given my freshman year. But still…"
"I can battle with Marcus any day," Aster said, gazing out towards the end of the street. Snow was lightly falling – he knew that despite being warm-blooded, the grass-type had to be cold. The salt truck had come by yesterday and had cleared the streets, but thick coats of white clung to every other surface in sight. He clung to his jacket.
"So… what did you two talk about back during Thanksgiving?" the trainer inquired. Aster lowered his nose and blinked slowly.
"Mostly casual stuff while our trainers made fools of themselves in front of television screens."
"Hey!"
"But… I asked her something." He turned to face Aaron, and any previous mischievousness was lost. "You know how, aside from those games, there are all those parades and pageants?"
"Yeah," Aaron replied. "Quite a few of them in Castelia. Why?"
"Well… milotics are often seen in them. I was wondering if she had ever considered participating in one." Aaron nodded, a grin appearing on his face.
"Wow. You sly dog. And what did she say?"
"She had… at one time." This much was interesting to him, and shooting a quick glance towards the street and still not seeing Nathan, the trainer figured there was enough time.
"So what happened?"
"She evolved. She'd looked forward to her evolution her entire life, hoping to show off her new body, and then she looked in the mirror," Aster replied. "I never noticed it – I don't think most people would – but her tail has a few defects that would have prevented her from winning any contests."
"Damn, that's rough…"
"I know…" The serperior perked up, shaking his head. "Of course, I couldn't possibly care any less. I never even noticed whatever tiny 'flaws' she may have been talking about. She took it pretty hard at first, but Nathan managed to convince her that it didn't matter. And now she said she pities those trapped within their own bodies, held prisoner to unrealistic demands and the desire for perfection. I think… she seems happier without that kind of life."
"Yeah. I guess no matter how hard you try, sometimes it just isn't meant to be. And you never know what the future holds. Like you said, it's probably better for her this way. Otherwise, she might not have met you," he said, nudging the grass-type. Aster gave him a sincere smile, then did his best to "hug" the trainer. It was then that the truck arrived.
Nathan's house wasn't something that Aaron would have imagined within a million years. The furniture all was thematically similar: rustic, mahogany wood pretty much everywhere. It was the décor that was so drastically unexpected. A lampstand that looked to be from Johto starkly contrasted an adjacent vase from Kalos seated on an accent chest. Two large bookshelves had been bolted to the wall, each sporting a nearly full collection covering nearly every topic under the sun. Biology, physics, history and politics… Towards the top, there were various novels, and scripture was proudly displayed in the center.
Pictures of various scenery and architecture lined the walls, and towards the end of the hallway was something that Aaron found himself enthralled with: an ancient-looking sword from Sinnoh. "Okay, that is awesome," he said. It was hanging gently within a frame, and despite its age, it had been well-polished and preserved. "How in the world did you get this? That thing looks like it could be in a museum."
"Eh, it probably could be. A friend of mine gave it to me after I visited the region. Maybe I'll donate it someday, but for now it makes quite the conversation piece. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah, I'll say," Aaron replied. The serperior looked at it as well, noticing his reflection in the smooth blade. "So what's the plan?"
"Well, Adira is nearly finished with dinner, and after that, I was thinking you and I could try our hand at catching some sea bass."
"Wait… you mean fishing? At this time of year?"
"Yep. Season's in and supposedly they've been biting quite a bit. Naomi has seen 'em around this past week, too."
"I haven't ever fished before…"
"Then it'll be a new experience," Nathan said.
"I guess…" The idea of sitting out there in the cold wasn't too appealing, but he wasn't about to object. Nathan tended to be right. His eyes skimmed over the wooden chest, seeing the tickets from the state fair next to a book on popular Unovan locations for tourists. He walked into the dining room and took a seat. "That show at the fair really was something. It was really impressive how that zoroark managed to hold all those illusions for so long."
"He's very skilled at what he does," Nathan said, having approached his wife from behind. He hugged her as she drained the pasta into the sink.
"Heh…" Aaron laughed, his mind drifting.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing – it's just I was thinking back to some stuff we covered in class." Nathan looked at him expectantly, and Aaron was silently coerced into continuing. "Zoroarks are a tier five due to their abilities. They're the reason why military bases tend to have either a lucario or a psychic around them at all times – to recognize a potential illusion. And I think I get it now – everything in that show looked like it was right in front of me. For all I know, you or Adira could even be one." This caused both the husband and wife to laugh, though hers was more of a swift series of exhales. Nathan shook his head.
"Ah… that's a good one. Adira's a lot of things," he said, tapping her on the nose, "but a zoroark isn't one of them."
The chilly wind almost stung his cheeks every time it blew past. Aaron had picked up on fishing better than he'd imagined and had even managed to catch something – though unfortunately, Nathan had tossed it back into the water on account of it being 'too small.' A small propane heater was between them and was the only thing that made the activity bearable.
"So what are your thoughts on the recent uprisings around the world?" Nathan asked, not looking up from his line.
"Don't really have much of an opinion one way or another," Aaron replied. "It doesn't affect me, so what does it really matter?"
"With all due respect, that isn't really a good reason."
"Yeah, you're right. But I don't know hardly anything about it, anyways, so my input isn't really worth all that much." Nathan shrugged.
"Well, as has been reported – so far – some people have gone missing. Drug traffickers and many politicians in second and third world countries. Somehow, groups of people have managed to overthrow their dictators from right beneath their noses – almost like a series of coups has been under way for quite some time. But everything's speculation at this point since each of these regions has immediately closed up and isn't letting anyone in at the moment. All we have to go off of is satellite imagery, which hasn't revealed much aside from celebrations, food lines, and mass mobilizations of troops. It doesn't seem like anyone really knows what's going on, so you aren't the first."
"Did these regions have anything in common?" Aaron asked, reeling in his line for another cast.
"Only that they were all communist or socialist. Failed states. Now it remains to be seen what they are."
"I guess… if the people weren't happy with their government, it was their right to overthrow it." His friend nodded slowly.
"I suppose. It definitely looks to be that way in this case." He gently reeled his own line before casting it far away once more – a motion that Aaron was secretly impressed with. But with practice came skill. "Oh, and Aaron? There's nothing wrong with having an opinion on what's going on around the world. I can respect your desire not to get caught up in the vitriol of politics, but indifference towards everything is not the answer, either."
The week seemed to crawl by at an excruciatingly slow pace. Aaron worked every single day, each being a ten-hour shift, and his manager was more than willing to keep him busy. He was, after all, one of the most senior employees, and knew the store like the back of his hand. But Christmas brought more shoppers than the past four months combined, and the workload, like every year, made him loathe coming back the following morning. Carts were strewn around the parking lot, the noise was insane, and the amount of human stupidity that he had to endure made him question how several people had survived so long. But he was determined to do right by his pokémon.
They weren't very materialistic – at all – but he wanted to get them gifts that they would enjoy and use. First came Aster's since he had to order it online; his was a very safe bet on account of having mentioned wanting a heating rod for months. Krista wasn't very hard, either, since she more or less wanted the same foods every year. But he always tried to get something that was a surprise, too, and decided upon a pink scarf that would look cute on the audino. Marcus was a bit trickier, but manageable, and after several secretive questions towards the other pokémon, they all agreed that a few training items would best suit him.
It was Nora that was the problem. He had no clue what to get her, and the only person who might have an idea would be Krista. Aaron had to ask the audino; with only ten days before Christmas, he was running out of time. And one day, when he had arrived at the apartment, he managed to pull her aside without gaining much attention. Aaron closed the bedroom door quietly.
"Alright," he all but whispered, "I need your help."
"Oh? What for?" the audino asked.
"I'm running out of time and I still have no idea what to get Nora. Do you have any thoughts?"
"Not really," she said. "I'm just about as confused as you are. You could ask her…"
"Yeah, that totally wouldn't ruin the surprise," he sarcastically replied.
"I mean… I know what I'm getting. Aster probably knows, too. What difference does it make?" Krista inquired.
"I dunno – I just wanted it to be a surprise, I guess. Do you have any leads? Anything at all?" She fell silent, quickly glancing towards the door, then sighed.
"Alright, there is this one thing—´
"Sure! Go on!"
"—but it's expensive," she added. "Like… I'm not sure it's such a good idea."
"What do you mean? How much?" Aaron asked.
"I don't know," she replied, "but it just looks like something that would be." She motioned for him to follow her into the bathroom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; though he no longer slept in the bedroom, he did use this restroom every night to shower up since the only other one in the duplex was in Darian's room. The audino opened one of the drawers and carefully removed a glass vial; a small amount of translucent pink liquid was inside. He took it into his hand and gave it an experimental sniff.
"Oh wow… that stuff is strong."
"You're not supposed to use a lot, genius," she snapped. "But it's a perfume made for fire-types. It's… something she brought over from Sofia's place, and as you can see, it's almost out. She's been rationing it pretty much ever since she got here."
"Gotcha. I mean, I doubt this could cost too much… right?"
"You'd be surprised, especially when it comes to makeup. Pull out your phone and look it up." He did as she said, and almost immediately, Aaron understood where her concern had originated from.
"Shit!" he said, trying not to be too loud. "This stuff comes from Kalos…" He was looking at spending nearly five hundred dollars for a vial not much taller than his hand.
"Told ya so."
"And I couldn't spend that on her – not when I've only put in like half of that for each of you guys…" He felt defeated – if only they offered the perfume in a smaller size. But this was it. There was only one single retailer in Nimbasa that even sold it.
"I really don't care," she said with a shrug. "And I doubt the others would, either. And besides – who says they have to know what it costs? If you want to get it, then just leave it as our little secret."
"Alright, I'll figure something out," Aaron replied, rubbing her on the head affectionately. "Thanks for the help."
"Of course. I'm sure you'd be lost without me," she said with a snooty tone.
Alexander stood in front of the camera with his four legendaries behind him, and to his left and right were Soliera and Zadoc, respectively. Public speaking had been something he had become very familiar over the past few years, and as he was given the confirmation that they were going live in a few seconds, he exhaled gently. This message would go to each and every inhabitant of Megalopolis – to every person still alive on this dying planet. The blue light flashed.
"As usual, I want to thank each and every one of you for all your hard work – and for the sacrifices you all have made throughout these past few years. It is my utmost pleasure to tell you that the goals of Omega, up until this very minute, have been both met and exceeded, no doubt thanks to the efforts of the Recon Squad," Alexander said.
"As of four days ago, we have managed to overthrow the government of Santagua, and by procuring the alliance of Patagaza's president, we now have either direct or indirect control over half of South America and a quarter of Africa. Several of the more threatening countries are looking into matters; Sovenovsk, Shansu and Unova are all on high alert," Zadoc stated. "So we're deciding to be cautious and refrain from any more high-profile targets for the rest of the month. In other news, exosuit production goals have finally been met."
"That said," Alexander added, "we are moving into the final phase. Every combat-capable individual should prepare themselves for the invasion. Rations are being doubled for each of you for the next several months. As Zadoc has instructed, you are each to continue your exercises and put on as much muscle mass as possible – you're going to need it." Soliera nodded; she had little to say in the matter of speeches. Her results were always behind the scenes. He continued.
"I hope you can all relish in the fact that your struggles are coming to an end. The Westerners don't deserve what they have – what has been built upon the backs of their ancestors and unfortunates around the world. They have become the living embodiment of every single capital vice. The conservatives… the liberals… they all lift up their causes, willing to kill and destroy any who oppose them, and are all too ignorant to see their own faults – even when it's right in front of them. And as they've fought each other, they have pushed a planet with abundance to the brink of collapse.
"I'm sure many of you have misgivings about this invasion. But I can promise this: if left in the hands of these fools, my world will be destroyed. They'll deem us enemies, but it's Omega that is promising true freedom. Freedom from selfishness. Freedom from degeneracy. From hatred, materialism, and every other sin in the book. Freedom from themselves." Alexander nodded to the woman behind the screen, and almost immediately, the blue light dimmed. The announcement was short and to the point. For most of the Megalopolans, it would be one of the last they heard from him on this planet.
Though there weren't many inconspicuous places in the duplex, Darian let Aaron store the gifts in his closet. With all of his pokémon and direct family covered, he finally felt like he could relax some, and with only a week left before the holiday. Truth be told, he had to take on a few additional shifts to afford the perfume, but Aaron felt like it had been a worthwhile investment. The day he had gone in to purchase it at a small store specializing in makeup products, the woman who assisted him had been sure to let him know that this so-called Nora was a 'lucky girl.' The implication made him immediately stammer out a defense.
The call with Pierce would be in a few minutes, so Aaron's pokémon had already gathered around him on the couch in anticipation. The television was nothing more than background noise, but Krista decided upon muting it anyways as she huddled up to her trainer. As the running water came to a halt from the kitchen, Nora stepped out, the fur around her paws damp and matted.
"Scoot over, Aster. You're hogging half the couch," the audino said as though he weren't eleven feet in length. Nevertheless, he coiled himself tighter and made room for Nora, who quietly took her spot towards the end. Aaron positioned his phone on the table in such a way that would allow Pierce to see everyone.
"Anything on the agenda tomorrow?" Marcus asked as they waited.
"Not really," Aaron replied. "Why? What've you got in mind?"
"Well, Aster and I were battling at the park the other day. Little snot-nosed kid that often shows up starts talking all sorts of trash to a few other trainers – and normally I'd ignore that and go on my way – but he was all but bullying this younger boy who was just walking with his growlithe." Aaron rolled his eyes; the unfortunate truth of the trainer lifestyle is that some would abuse it for the sake of easy profit. It wasn't the first time he'd heard of something like this. They'd intimidate a trainer they could exploit into a battle so that they could take their money.
"Alright, I'm game. Think you can win?"
"Definitely," Marcus said. "The rhydon he was using was more than slow enough."
"So we'll use Krista to bait him out—"
"Hold on a second," the audino piped up. "I don't remember agreeing to any of this…"
"Oh, you won't need to battle. Leave that to us. We just need to use you to lure him over," Aster stated.
"And then you bet a couple hundred dollars on winning," Marcus said. The trainer flinched. But if Marcus and Aster were confident, he trusted them. "That way we embarrass him and get to legally take his money as a result."
"Alright, fine. What time should we—"
"Guys," Nora said, pointing to the phone. The screen was lit and displayed Sofia's number. Aaron reached forth and slid his finger across the device, answering the call. They were greeted to a close-up of the krookodile's nose.
"Sorry," Pierce said. He backed the phone away.
"Hey Pierce," Krista said. "Oh wow, you look sweaty…"
"Yep, just got through kicking Wynette's ass," he said far too loud, earning a swear from a distant corner of the room. "I'm sorry – had to gloat a lil' bit. Anyways, what's up with you guys?"
"Nothing much. Just talking about paying a call to some little asshat in the park," Marcus replied. "We're gonna go put him in his place tomorrow. And take his money, of course."
"That's what I like to hear!" Pierce said with a bellowing laugh. Sweat particles still clung to his skin from his own battle.
"Let's talk about you beating that weavile though," Aaron said.
"Sure thing." He hustled over the corner of the private gym, making the screen jump up and down in the process. "Wynette, let's talk about that battle," he said, holding the phone at an angle. The ice-type's eyes were narrowed.
"Screw you," she snapped.
"Aww, there's no need to be upset," Pierce replied, laying an elbow on her shoulder. She pushed it off with a growl. "It happens to the best of us… and to you."
"Whatever, asshole. Any other time, I would have beaten the hell out of you. You're just lucky I tripped." She didn't seem to be taking the loss well.
"Sure, if by 'trip' you mean getting slammed into the ground by an earthquake attack."
"Bud, you might wanna let up. I don't think she's finding as much humor in this as you are…" The krookodile shook his head in response to Aaron's words.
"Nah, it's all good. Wynnie's bark is worse than her bite."
"Don't count on that," the weavile retorted. Nevertheless, a small grin appeared on her face. "But all things considered… it was a good earthquake. I'll just have to make you pay for it next time we fight."
The two of them soon parted, leaving Pierce walking through the large house on his own. He eventually flopped down on the floor in his shared room with the ampharos, holding the phone with an outstretched hand as he rested on the hardwood. Nora shifted in place.
"Umm… is Sofia there?"
"Huh?" he asked. "Oh, no. She just left her phone for me to use. She went to the backyard to train with Seth."
"She… did? Oh…"
"Yeah, and he's gettin' really good at that signal beam of his, too! Oh! I don't think I mentioned it, but he damn near cleaned my clock with it last week. It was towards the end of our battle…"
As Pierce went on and on about what had been going on throughout his time there, Aaron and the other three pokémon listened attentively, chiming in and laughing alongside him. Despite his absence, Aaron couldn't deny that he was happy for the krookodile. Pierce was where he needed to be.
It was when he felt a push against his mind that he finally managed to look away from the screen. 'What's up?' he thought towards Marcus.
'Something's wrong,' the lucario answered him. 'Very wrong.' He glanced at the lucario, who was devoid of the previous joy they had all shared. It was then the trainer noticed the typhlosion was no longer seated with them.
'What is it?'
'It's Nora – you need to go back there now.' He gave the lucario a concerned look, then made sure nobody else suspected their private conversation. 'I would go, but you are her trainer. Whatever is wrong, you should be the first to try and fix it.' He was right about that, though he still had no clue what was going on. The lucario could only pick up basic emotions and directed thoughts; everything else was beyond his abilities.
"Hey bud, I'll get back to ya later," Aaron said. "Got something I need to take care of for a minute. You guys keep at it." He gave the screen a playful fist bump, receiving the same in response from Pierce, before retreating to the back of the house.
The bedroom door was shut. Aaron stood there with his hand over the doorknob, pausing for a moment as he considered his best course of action. He lightly tapped the door with his knuckle. After receiving no response, he walked inside. "Nora?" He didn't see her; she must have been in the bathroom. "Nora… please talk to me."
"She doesn't even care. She never did," she said, her voice cracking. Aaron sighed; his worst fears had surfaced. He had hoped that there wouldn't be any hard feelings towards her previous trainer. Clearly that hope had been in vain.
"Nora… can I come in?" No response came, and, referring to his better judgement, Aaron slowly twisted the doorknob. She was sitting on the floor, her back to the bathtub, and her hands were cupping her eyes, hardly even acknowledging his presence. The light was off; a single cloth-shaded lamp bathed the room in a dim glow. Aaron joined her on the floor. "Talk with me," he said gently.
"What more is there to say?"
"Anything. Just talk to me." He placed his hand on her shoulder, doing his best to be as supportive as possible. It seemed as though the typhlosion wouldn't say anything, but as she tried to contain the smallest of sniffles, she broke.
"I l-loved her," she sobbed, slamming her clenched hand into the tile. "I know… I was a disappointment, but… I couldn't help that! I can't help what I am!" The trainer abandoned any sense of personal boundaries, hoping that he was making the right decision in doing so, and pulled her into an embrace. Nora lowered her face to his chest, breathing rapidly as though she was running a marathon. His shirt quickly became damp as he hugged her tightly.
"Hey… hey," he said, running his hand down her back. "There's nothing wrong with what you are, alright?"
"Y-you… you all call Pierce all the t-time… and he is always so happy when you do. But… she doesn't even care to speak with me past an occasional 'hello.' I th-thought I meant more to her than that." She looked up, chestnut eyes now bloodshot, and then looked away. Her trainer had no idea how to deal with this situation. For a moment, he worried over the type of person he had just given Pierce to. But he knew all too well the harsh realities of competition.
"I can't speak on behalf of Sofia. Can't say that I know what is going on with her." He continued to rub her comfortingly. "But… I think I can understand what happened." She looked up at him in desperation for an answer. "You see, when I was in my senior year of high school, we went to the regionals – I told you that, didn't I?"
She nodded. "At the fair…"
"Right. I was quarterback. Since I'm right-handed, the most important person on the team to me is the left tackle. He guards my blind side. Quite literally has my back. If he messes up, then I get hit. The team loses."
"…Alright."
"Our left tackle was a guy by the name of Cameron. Probably the nicest guy I've ever met – a real 'gentle giant' type. A bit awkward, and he always had that redneck accent that we would tease him over." Aaron laughed to himself, shaking his head as memories of their time in high school surfaced back. "But anyways, he worked harder than the rest of us; when practice was over, he often went back to the weight room. And when he'd knock someone off their feet, no matter how nasty they'd been, he never hesitated to offer his hand."
"He sounds nice," she said, listening to his story.
"Yeah. He was," Aaron replied. "One weekend, he was driving his girlfriend around town. She showed him something on her phone – just long enough to miss the stop sign – and plowed right into an eighteen-wheeler. Cameron threw his arm up over her, protecting her from the blunt of the airbag, and broke just about every major bone in his arm in the process." The trainer sighed, then shook his head. It had been the worst news in his school at the time. "It was two weeks before the regional championship. An injury like his took several months to heal." She looked away, likely understanding the message he was working towards.
"Oh…" was her response.
"It was hard – for all of us. I didn't want anyone else in his position, Cameron didn't want it, the coach didn't want it… but at the end of the day, our coach had an obligation to the entire team. Not our favorite lineman. Cameron lost the opportunity to play in a game he had worked four years to get to. He couldn't play. It was as simple as that. Coach had to make the decision that was best for the entire team." Her eyes clamped shut again, though whether it was an effort to fight back tears or avoid his gaze, Aaron wasn't sure.
"So… is it wrong for me to be sad?" she croaked.
"No. It isn't. But I think that's what happened – at least, to some extent. As you are, you aren't fit to play the game. You might not have been what her team needed." But Aaron smiled, then cupped her cheek, making her look at him. "But you know what? You're exactly what this team needs. Not because you can or can't fight, or because you help around the house, but because you're you, and I wouldn't trade that for the best battler in the world." Before he could say anything else, Aaron found the air forced out of his lungs. She clung to him for dear life.
Later that afternoon, Aaron stepped outside with his phone in hand. The cold air would have forced him back inside any other time, but despite the heavy snowfall and frigid breeze - one that chilled the damp spot on his t-shirt - it hardly registered to the trainer. He scrolled through his contacts and clicked on one before pressing the phone to his cheek. His breath condensed into small, rolling clouds in front of him.
"Hello?" Sofia answered.
"Hey."
"I'm a little busy now," she said. "Can't this wait until tomorrow? I don't really have time—"
"Well, you're going to make time," he replied. "We need to talk."
Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.