Chapter Fourteen – Façade

Aaron scrolled through the rubric for an essay that needed to be written within a week. His serperior was beside him on the couch; Aster's head pressed against his leg as he silently watched the television. Or at least, pretended to. He instinctively ran his hand down the serpent's body and brought out an almost silent sigh. Aster was still moping about what they'd seen the other day.

"I don't think I'll ever be happy again."

"Yes you will, bud," Aaron replied, not looking away from his laptop. "Just give it some time. Plenty of fish in the sea."

"Not like her…"

"You don't know that." Aster sniffed, looking blankly at the screen.

"This would have been so much easier had I never met her," the grass-type stated.

"Well…"

"I couldn't ever compete with someone like Aiden. But… that doesn't make it hurt any less…"

"Bud…" He set the laptop to the side; the serperior looked up, his eyes watery, and buried his face into Aaron's chest. The trainer sighed, hugging his starter as Nora took her spot beside him, joining the embrace.

"Hey… it's alright. I just know you'll find the girl who's right for you." She was close enough that Aaron could smell the faintest trace of the perfume he'd gotten her for Christmas.

The trainer had his fair share of relationships years ago that had gone south for various reasons. Most of the time, it was his fault. But that fact aside, he knew firsthand that it was possible to find someone new. That said, it was only right that he be as supportive as possible.

Though, if he was being honest, he wasn't exactly sure what to say. All of his relationships had been relatively casual; the girls Aaron had dated years prior had been little more than a passing lust or a means of company. Nothing like this; none of them had been 'the one.' But he knew who he could talk to about that, stepping outside and casually walking to the same table he'd had that conversation with Pierce.

Nathan had missed the first call, then the second. But on the third attempt, he picked up. "What's up?" he asked, sounding a bit out of breath. Aaron only then realized that he was at the power plant given the time of day.

"Hey, is now not a good time? Sorry, I didn't think that through."

"I've got a few minutes. What's goin' on?"

"It's… kind of a weird topic. But let's say I've got a friend dealing with a… well, a letdown of sorts."

"Oh? Alright then," Nathan replied.

"What do I tell this friend? You know, outside of the usual? How would I convince him that that perfect someone is still out there?"

"You shouldn't," the older trainer said. "Because that person doesn't exist."

"What?"

"Do you honestly think that relationships are that simple? That any love worth pursuing will be perfect and without flaws?"

"I… I mean I guess that's the ideal."

"No, that's the impossible." From what he could hear, it sounded like Nathan had settled down in one place. A few other workers could be heard in the background, but only his voice was clear.

"That doesn't sound very romantic…"

"Sorry to disappoint, but that's the truth," Nathan replied.

"But… you and Adira seem to be perfect."

"None of us are perfect, Aaron. Everyone seems to think that there's such a thing as 'soulmates.' But you come to learn that real life is often messier than that. There might be several people out there that could be suitable partners for you, but ultimately, every one of them will bring their own challenges to the table. But… if you want my personal advice as to who the best person is… it's whoever brings out the best in you. Whoever forces you to be a better person and keeps you on your toes. That's what Adira was to me… and why Dad didn't like that. At least, that's one of the reasons…"

"Oh… well, that makes sense."

"That said, don't think for a second that marriage doesn't bring its own complexities. You have to learn to work through those, and to learn to truly love. And I've already told you what that means. It's unselfish, recklessly generous, and when it's real, it will withstand the test of time. That's how it's always been for Adira and I, and I'm sure that's how it'll be when you find a wife of your own. You proved that much back when you traded Pierce." Memories of the event – memories that Aaron still sometimes struggled with – surfaced in his mind. "Let's just hope your friend can love in such a way, too."

"Yeah…"

"I'd best get back to it. Same time this Friday?"

"Of course."

"Great. I'll seeya then." Without another word, Nathan hung up. Aaron was about to return to the apartment when he noticed Nora standing off in the distance. She realized that his phone call had ended and approached the table.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Aster's still moping about. Thought I'd check up on you. Did he say anything useful?"

"A few things above my head, but that's nothing new," Aaron replied. "But mainly that there are lots of people out there, and with that, a lot of chances of him finding someone who makes him happy. So basically, I was right. Plenty of fish in the sea." She gave him a cheeky grin.

"Oh, whatever."

"But he did mention that the best partner will bring out the best in you."

"And he's absolutely right," she said.

"Yeah. Hopefully I'll find someone like that – one day."

"I'm sure you will," Nora answered. She drew back one of the chairs next to him, scraping it along the iced-over bricks, and sat with him. Fortunately, once March had settled in, most of this snow would be gone.

"I don't understand how you aren't cold…"

"Well… I am a fire-type," she replied, but then corrected herself. "At least, in theory… But snow was pretty common in Johto, too."

"Ah."

"So… do you have any plans for today? Aside from class, that is."

"Not really. Military or not, I'd still prefer to stay out of the streets. Why?" he asked.

"I could use some help in the kitchen. I found another recipe on your laptop earlier—"

"Yeah, I noticed the extra dozen or so tabs…"

"…Yeah, sorry about that."

"But I could use some help in the kitchen if you aren't busy." Her smile became slightly smaller, and she lowered her head. Whether out of timidity or as a method of 'begging,' he wasn't sure.

"I'm never too busy for you guys – you know that. Now let's head back inside and comfort Romeo in there."

The disadvantage of surrounding himself with far more experienced individuals was that Alexander was often left with excess time. True, he had to be ready at a moment's notice; status reports came in frequently, the occasional announcement needed to be made, and if nothing else, there was always the possibility of combat training.

But right now, the 'hurry up and wait' routine left him with ample time to pursue his one project of interest. He'd taken notes on what each of the prisoners had said, starting with Sanchez and tracing down the web of possibilities. There was no guarantee of success; even with all of Omega's resources, he had no way of going back in time and interrogating people who had either dropped off the map or had been killed. Not when the kidnapping had occurred over a decade ago…

It was like trying to grab smoke; it could all be nothing more than an illusion, slipping through his fingers and into an abyss. But he hoped that he could right this wrong, and for that reason, had requested that Soliera have a few people look into the matter when there might be time. Of course, they were all very occupied with their own assignments, but it didn't hurt to have others looking into the matter. He just hoped it wouldn't be in vain. It was that very possibility that had prevented him from telling Genesis about this little project.

And then there was another matter entirely that concerned him. One that, if he was right – though he desperately hoped that he wasn't – could be very concerning. The thought of what they had done to the poor mew made him clench his fists every time. But it was what those scientists could do now that they had retrieved her egg cells that was frightening.

He'd read the literature on the subject at hand; all the reports that Omega had gathered and the destructive capabilities of a single specimen. The first had been made through significant genetic manipulation and an artificial insemination process. That first clone, soon after being created, had managed to destroy the very lab he'd been made in shortly after recognizing his abilities.

That was half a century ago. The data from the production of the first mewtwo had traveled into many other hands. Who even knew how many people had it, tucked away in file cabinets or on some hidden flash drive? Mewtwos had been made in several other cases and many of them had escaped. That hadn't happened in a while. Perhaps they had called it quits for some time; after all, creating one of the most powerful bioweapons in history had a bad track record in terms of the scientists' survival. But the fact that Genesis had been kidnapped and her eggs retrieved was evident that someone out there had, for whatever reason, done so again.

One of them could be tolerable. But until they found that lab – and there were several people at Omega's dispense who were intently searching for it – there was cause for concern. There was no telling how many mewtwos could be out there.

Alex frowned; he was unable to find anything else past the point of Dr. Huang, who had initiated the transfer to one of Sanchez's men after the extraction had occurred. After being captured and interrogated, the doctor from Shansu claimed ignorance as to the identity of the person who had sent them the mew and the current whereabouts of the frozen egg cells that he had extracted. That was what Soliera's crew had focused on; they were, as one might expect, more determined to find the lab. And he had little doubt that they would do just that given time.

'Still looking?' a voice rang within his head. He didn't know Lunala's current whereabouts, but it was definitely her. He'd become very used to his mind not being a private place.

'Unfortunately. I haven't found anything else, but maybe it's slipping me…' He furrowed his brow, looking over some of the holograms. There was a pause, and for a moment, Alexander thought that she might have left him to his work.

'It brings me joy to see you putting in so much effort for her,' the legendary said.

'And it hurts me to hear that people are so bad nowadays that a common act of decency is to be commended,' Alex replied. 'Of course I'm going to do everything in my power to get her back to her parents. Unfortunately, with the point I'm at now, I might as well show Genesis a globe and ask her what part of South America she thinks she's from…'

'I see.'

'I just hope that I can. I haven't said anything to her about it. I don't want to needlessly raise her hopes, and at the moment, she seems to have taken to me as a father of sorts, but I have an obligation to at least try to find her real parents.'

'And if you succeed?' Lunala asked. 'What will you do?' For the first time in what felt like hours, he looked away from the displays. He'd grown to love the mew's presence. She reminded him that in the midst of the storm, there could be some peace, however small. But that peace wasn't his to keep. A heavy sigh escaped his mouth.

'The right thing. As much as it might hurt.'

This time, the four of them had decided to meet at a burger joint not too far from Aaron's place. Frosted windows revealed a lively atmosphere inside with several waitresses pacing about. Every step that wasn't on concrete was placed in some combination of soggy snow and mud. The four of them picked a table near the corner opposite to the kitchen. Some form of garbage that passed as modern pop music was playing.

"Ugh, I hate this song," Aaron said in disgust.

"It's kinda catchy," Nora replied, bobbing her head a bit to the beat. His eyes went wide, and soon the two of them broke out in laughter. "Seriously, what is this? It's horrible."

"Music nowadays isn't what it used to be," Nathan stated.

"You say that like you're sixty."

"If you give some older songs a listen, you'll see what I mean."

"Whatever you say, grandpa." Nora giggled. They each looked over the menus, decided what they wanted, and placed their orders. The meals arrived shortly after their drinks; it tended not to take restaurants like this too long.

"So… the state of the world is pretty interesting right now," Aaron stated as his typhlosion drizzled ketchup across her fries. "Nothing like seeing an armored vehicle at just about every corner." Nathan shrugged, and the younger trainer looked at him in a puzzled manner.

"Is what it is."

"What do you mean? Doesn't that unnerve you at least a little?"

"Honestly? Not really. Has this past week not been much calmer?" he asked.

"I mean… I guess. But still…"

"If you don't misbehave, you have nothing to fear. Right?"

"Maybe," Aaron replied.

"Trust me – I'd have just as much a right as anyone to be scared of Unova's government. There are more than a few rumors and supposed ties to Delta, and those were pretty well ingrained into me during my time in Alpha. But from what's been seen so far, Unova is more interested in not collapsing as opposed to punishing any particular ideology. At least, for now. People were murdering each other in the streets, Aaron. So yeah – I'll take seeing a couple of soldiers out and about as a tradeoff to war."

"When you put it like that…" Honestly, it felt like Nathan had an answer for everything. Sometimes that could be annoying.

"All I'm saying is that this could honestly be a lot worse. I doubt you forgot what happened on the bridge just last week…"

"True that," Aaron replied. "I guess what I was trying to say is that it's just sad. That's all."

"Yeah," Nora agreed. "It's sad that people have to be forced to behave…"

"Agreed," said Nathan. "But it would appear that's the world we live in."

After they finished eating, Nathan paid for their meal and returned to the booth. Nobody seemed to have any desire to leave, and as Nora sipped from her styrofoam cup – somewhat obnoxiously, as there was very little liquid inside of it – Aaron cast an annoyed glance. A knowing smirk was all that he was met with.

"Is that really necessary?" he asked.

"Not if you get me a refill," she teased. He rolled his eyes.

"Sure. Anything else you want?"

"Maybe. I'll let you know if I think of something," Nora said, handing him the cup. Once he sat back down, she nudged him affectionately. The two of them were close in proximity; upon looking down and checking his phone, Aaron noticed that she had invaded his half of the booth with her right leg almost pressed against his left.

"I was meaning to ask you something about that battle against Delta," Aaron said. "That move that Naomi used towards the end."

"Oh, you mean 'depletion.' Another custom move."

"Yeah, I figured as much. But it was pretty cool."

"Heh." Nora laughed.

"Oh, be quiet," Aaron teased, recognizing his accidental pun. "Anyways, what was it? Blizzard and twister?"

"That and whirlpool," Nathan said.

"Right – she did draw in a ton of water." He took a sip from his drink. "That really broke up the party."

"Naomi's a difficult one to beat. She's very durable when it comes to taking hits and just as capable of delivering them. As you remember from our first battle, she becomes especially threatening in the water. Of course, that wasn't exactly a possibility on a bridge, but she can make do."

"That she can," the typhlosion stated. "But something I haven't been able to figure out – and something I've wanted to ask you for a while: why haven't you ever considered going professional? I feel like you'd even give Sofia a run for her money."

"Simply because I don't want to," Nathan replied.

"Oh."

"I will admit, I was exposed to some very skilled trainers – being a member of Alpha will more or less ensure that much – but the competitive circuit isn't exactly my cup of tea."

"So Alpha trains its members well?" Aaron asked.

"Very. There's little choice when Delta outnumbers them two-to-one. Of course, Delta tends not to have guns, so there's that I suppose, but pokémon training is an important part of the regiment."

"You say that like their soldiers…" Nora stated. Adira signed something, causing Nathan to nod.

"That isn't far from the truth. There's a pretty significant percentage of Alpha that served in the armed forces. A combination of them and country boys is what you can expect to see. Some of the latter might be so out of shape that they couldn't jog a hundred yards, but don't be surprised when they can hit you with a pistol from that far." Aaron averted his gaze, looking out the window. Maybe having the military in the streets wasn't such a bad thing after all…

"Then that explains why they killed so many more members of Delta these past few weeks."

"Exactly. Delta has several things working against them in this case," Nathan stated. "They're pretty strongly against firearms, so they're at a massive disadvantage against enemies who aren't. They've got something of a hierarchy, buts it's incredibly loose in nature and admins hold very little actual power. Most of 'em just form impromptu mobs when something happens that they don't like. Thing is, that doesn't work against an AR-15." Nathan's eyes scanned the restaurant, making sure that their words were only between the four of them. He seemed to have conclude that they were, but his voice lowered, nonetheless. "Wanna know the worst part?"

"What is it?"

"There are quite a few who enjoy it. When you think your way of life is under threat and that everyone who disagrees with you is evil… you can mentally justify all sorts of things. Clay goes by a 'scorched earth' approach. Kill as many of them as possible as fast as possible. Demoralize them. That way they stand down and the fighting ends sooner."

"…Shit."

"Thing is, I'm not so certain it would really stop there. There's been so much anger and hatred building for decades between the two major factions. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if one team would completely kill everyone in the other, given the chance. So it's for the best that chance never comes. You were wondering earlier why I was fine with the current arrangement. There is your answer."

"So you just don't want people to fight?" Nora asked.

"I'd say that's a good first step. But I'm not so sure that's a possibility at this point. If two can't play nice, then they shouldn't play at all."

"Yeah, you said that back when the two teams were about to fight at the university."

"Oh? What happened?" Nora asked.

"A small group of people from Alpha and Delta got pissed off at each other in the dining hall. I think it had something to do with the flyers that Delta was handing out. Something about an event."

"It was commemoration of the legalization of human-pokémon marriage," Nathan said.

"That's right."

"So Alpha's against that?" the typhlosion looked questioningly.

"Very much so," Nathan replied. "Not so much on moral grounds as much as they think it's disgusting."

"Well, that's one thing they've got going for them," Aaron said with a light laugh. He took a sip of his drink, thinking the others would follow suit. What he didn't expect was dead silence. "What? It is pretty weird, right?"

"I'd… say it's somewhat uncommon." The older trainer seemed to choose his words carefully. "And certainly not for everyone. But I don't think it's immoral – not when humans and a lot of pokémon species are biologically compatible."

"Compatible or not, I still think it's kinda strange," Aaron said.

"To each their own, I suppose." Nathan changed the topic in the interest of carrying on conversation, but there was little from that point forth.

Aaron shut the door behind him, locking it and removing his coat. In the living room, Marcus was performing one of his exercises, barely nodding to acknowledge their return. Nora excused herself to the restroom. Passing Krista in the hallway, she failed to even look at the audino, catching her off guard.

"Hey, how was dinner?" she asked.

"A bit awkward, honestly. At least, towards the end. Anything interesting happen while we were out?"

"Not really. Marcus is hogging the television for his workout while Aster is trying to sleep away the pain of losing his imagined relationship." Glancing into the living room once again, he saw that she was right; the television was muted with subtitles appearing, and the serpent had coiled around the heat post that he'd received for Christmas.

"Uh… is he alright?" Aaron asked.

"I may have been exaggerating a bit. But it'll get better with time. It has to, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." He gently patted the audino's shoulder. "Come to think of it, I've never heard you say anything about a relationship."

"And I doubt you ever will," Krista said with a wink. "Food is the only company I'll ever need." Yeah, Aaron thought, that sounds about right.

Work that Saturday consisted primarily of returning shopping carts. Towards the end, Aaron was tasked with stocking shelves in the female hygiene products of all sections. Placing the various items in their places, and looking at some of the prices, he was grateful that he was a guy.

At some point in the night, a shoplifter had been caught in the act by the one security guard in the entrance, though it wasn't like they could do much about it. For some absurd reason, the law protected shoplifters, and most stores wouldn't attempt to apprehend them anyways. Not when it could hurt their public image, and insurance was willing to cover so much. But that was as much excitement as the Saturday shift offered.

The following day was equally dull, and when he returned that night, his four pokémon were getting situated at the table. They mostly ate in silence, and while that had commonly been the case prior to Nora – as everyone ate on their own accord – he missed the dynamic atmosphere that he'd become used to these past couple of months. Attempts to start conversation had mostly failed, and it seemed like Krista was the only other person trying.

Once the dishes were in the sink, he approached Nora from behind. She remained still by the counter. "Thanks for dinner, Nora." The typhlosion only nodded. "Is… everything alright? You've been quiet these past few days?"

"Everything's fine." Her tone was empty and she didn't meet his gaze; clearly, everything wasn't.

"What's going on?"

"It's nothing."

"I don't buy that for one second. You've been off all weekend." He placed his hand on her shoulder, causing Nora to freeze up. "Have I upset you?" For a moment, she didn't respond, worrying Aaron. The typhlosion sighed.

"It's not your fault. Just mine."

"That wasn't my question," he stated.

"Well then, I'm sorry to disappoint." Nora walked past him, heading to the back of the house. He frowned. What was with her? He'd never seen her act like this. Until these last few days, everything had been going perfectly. But now Aaron felt like a stranger in his own home. Hopefully, whatever was going on would resolve itself soon.

He was about to call it a night when a text came from Nathan.

Do you have any plans tomorrow after school?

Aaron tended to use Mondays to work out and focus on schoolwork.

Nothing outside of the usual.

Nathan's response took him by surprise.

I'll pick you up at your place. Does two work? Think it's about time you meet my starter.

All this time he had assumed that Aiden filled that role. With Aaron's curiosity piqued, he sent a final response.

Two works fine. See you then.

The car ride to Nathan's place was almost completely silent. Upon asking if anyone wanted to tag along, Aaron was surprised to find that he'd be going alone. "You don't want to see if anyone's down to battle, Marcus?" he had asked.

"Not now. Maybe some other time," was the lucario's response.

They drove through the Marvelous Bridge, this time undisturbed. Adira had not tagged along today, so he sat in the front passenger seat. "So about this starter of yours…"

"Not until we're at the house."

"Why not?" He didn't see the need for anticipation.

"You'll see. Just be patient." Slim sections of forest gave way to the coastline. The bay brought its chilly winds, trying to preserve some of the last snow, brown grass peeking between melting clusters of white. Nathan gripped the wheel as if uncertain about something, but nevertheless stepped out.

Aaron looked at the door. He had initially been impatient, but the older trainer was quiet, and that caught him off guard. Whatever that house held, Aaron now wondered if he was ready. His heart beat heavily in his chest as Nathan twisted the knob.

Inside, Aaron saw no pokémon. His eyes skimmed over the room; a herbal scent came from the kitchen, and Adira walked out with a small plate, holding three cups and a sizeable teapot. "Hope you aren't expecting me to drink that…" Aaron stated, still looking for a pokémon.

"I thought you might say that." Nathan took one of the two and Adira another. The three of them took seats at the table with Adira positioned at the end. He cautiously sipped, closed his eyes, and managed to relax a little.

There was still no pokémon to be seen. Aaron wanted to ask, but the words never came. With a sigh, Nathan nodded. "Alright… show him."

One might have expected a flash. Maybe the slightest of sounds. But nothing of the sort came. One second things were one way, the next they were another. Aaron's mouth went agape. The Adira he had known was gone.

In her place was a latias.

A/N: Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.