Chapter Twenty: Incandescence
The ride to Tao Creek was mostly quiet, and fortunately Nora had asked to be confined to her ball, lest the drive there be even more awkward. Aaron still had not forgotten what Sofia had done to the poor typhlosion, and honestly, he blamed Nora's crush towards him on her former trainer's indifference. But he needed to look past whatever animosity he held towards her and focus on the task at hand.
That, and there was a car at stake…
"So… you heard Alexander's speech on the radio?" Sofia nodded without looking away from the road. "What did you think?"
"Aside from the fact that he's insane?" She shot him a sideways glance. "He's playing this very smart. He just managed to make himself look like the good guy, and Alpha and Delta were too stupid to see that. Both of them played right into his hands and acted like idiots."
"Yeah, no kidding." Aaron looked out the window. "But there's no way people will actually think he's the good guy, right? The guy trying to take over the world – there's no way people will support him." Sofia sighed.
"I hope not," she said. "But honestly, look around, Aaron. He's right about one thing: the world does suck. People might just prefer his tyranny over that of Alpha or Delta. It might just be more 'convenient.' Arceus, I hope it doesn't come to that."
They passed Opelucid on their way north. A city warring amongst itself more than most, split almost evenly between proponents of traditional mannerisms and more progressive ones. Though Aaron hated Delta, living in a place more or less dominated by them such as Nimbasa was preferable to a constant warzone.
Trees were ridding themselves of the last traces of snow, and grass had begun sprouting among the damp white patches spread about. Every year, Aaron had always enjoyed seeing the last blankets of white receding away, bringing forth new life throughout Unova. If only he could enjoy it this time around…
When they arrived at the site, Aaron saw the massive cooling towers stretching into the heavens, billowing steam that seemed to merge with the clouds. Tao Creek, as it turned out, held six nuclear reactors – a necessity for Unova's massive power consumption. A lowering gate that would have prevented any unauthorized person from entering had been pried open and broken. They drove through the entrance. Hundreds of vehicles were parked – many of which were likely people who worked here – as well as those of the trainers who were here to stop Omega.
Sofia pulled the car into an empty spot and parked it. She motioned towards what looked like a pair of trainers hurrying towards the front of the facility. They stepped out of the car and released their teams. Pierce quickly noticed Aaron and approached his former trainer.
"Hey bud," Aaron said, accepting the krookodile's hug as he looked towards the mission site. "Sorry we didn't call this week, but I'm sure you can understand why…"
"The world's gone to hell – that's why." Pierce looked at his former trainer. "So what's the plan now?"
"I'm not sure. An hour ago, I had no intention of being here." He saw a few trainers leaving from the mission site, only adding to his confusion. Did they not fight?
"What's going on?" Sofia asked as the other trainers approached. Both looked to be from Orre.
"They have a moltres," one of them said. "And he's demanding a one-on-one battle…"
"That's just great," Sofia murmured. And yet the two teams walked towards the scene all the same. Gravel crunched underfoot as they drew near one of the cooling towers, and it didn't take long for Nora to grab her head.
"What's wrong?" Aaron asked.
"Ugh… it feels like broken glass is in my head." Marcus similarly had a hand to his temple. He placed a hand on the typhlosion's shoulder, but they kept walking towards the facility entrance. Other trainers had come into view, and once they rounded the corner, so did the phoenix overseeing the site.
The moltres soared through the air, his wings radiating with heat, and landed on top of the facility. "Not one of you dares to challenge me?!" he cried out. "Not one has courage amongst the masses, even after my generous offer? How disappointing."
"Arceus," Sofia said. Had they known this was what they could expect, they might have gone to the other mission site. That is, if they could even make it in time…
"What was his offer?" Aaron asked a nearby trainer, a woman in her early thirties.
"They aren't taking prisoners if someone loses," she said.
"And nobody has challenged him yet?" he asked incredulously. There was only twenty minutes left before they closed the site, which likely meant they claimed the power plant for good. And with two of those exosuit-wearing troops, there was nothing anyone here could do to stop them.
"Well if you're so brave, you challenge him," she snapped. Aaron went quiet, his gaze falling back to the moltres. It was then that Marcus spoke up.
"Okay." Aaron quickly turned his head.
"Not a chance in hell. We can't beat that thing – and that's saying nothing of your type disadvantages."
"Well someone has to fight, and I don't see any volunteers," the lucario answered. "Look, if we meant what we said the other night, then we need to act like it." Sofia's team was staring at him with a bewildered expression. If anyone here had a chance, it would be Seth, or maybe even Pierce – but not a fighting-type that was barely over four feet tall.
"But why here? Why now?"
"Why not here and now?" Aaron groaned, not liking the idea of this. His heart pounded. The trainer knew his lucario had to be picking up on his nervousness. Marcus was brave, but in Aaron's opinion, he was letting his pride get ahead of him here. "Did you hear what I said?"
"What?"
"Huh, so telepathy isn't working either…" Marcus murmured. "I asked if I'm going to get some help here or if I'm going to be fighting this battle without my trainer." Aaron closed his eyes. Sighing, he nodded.
"Fine. Let's do it." He rolled up his sleeve, hand resting on the mega bracelet, and Marcus stepped forth. All eyes fell to the lucario as he stood ahead of the crowd, light emanating from his body. The moltres spread his fiery wings, taking off from his perch and landing on the asphalt ground.
"I thought a legendary would have better things to do than holding power plants hostage," Marcus said aloud. The moltres tilted his head.
"And I thought a lucario of all species would have shown some respect, but I suppose we are both disappointments." He stretched his wings outward, showing off a wingspan far larger than the lucario, and craned his neck downward. "So you wish to challenge me despite your disadvantage? I admire your courage, though it may be more akin to foolishness. But I am not here to judge you – merely to subdue you." The legendary nodded towards one of the four guards. "See to it that nobody intervenes." Aaron clenched his fist as Marcus formed his bone staff, assuming his typical stance. There had to be only fifteen minutes remaining; whatever was going to happen needed to happen fast.
"Understood," one of the suited individuals said. The legendary returned his focus to his challenger.
"It has been some time since I have defeated a member of your species." The moltres' plumage flared to life, releasing a light that hurt to even look at. Marcus averted his gaze but didn't budge. "I will enjoy this, but it will be over quickly."
Marcus sprinted forth as a swirling flame formed from nothingness, bathing the atmosphere in an orange glow as it crashed near him. He ducked and dodged as fiery tendrils approached him, narrowly missing and warming his fur as he closed in towards the moltres. The fiery bird sprung upward, spreading his wings and launching a tremendous gust of air in his direction, flinging him off his feet.
The lucario rolled, narrowly avoiding a fiery vortex, and launched an aura sphere. The moltres dodged the blue blur much faster than he imagined possible and glided towards him. Shit! He dodged again, dodging a trail of flames that came from the legendary's beak. "Stone edge!" Aaron yelled. Marcus tried to draw gravel and sediment from the ground in order to form a rock but found himself unable to do so. "What're you doing?!"
"I can't!" Marcus shouted back. He didn't know why his strength was failing him. He heard a rapid series of caws from the moltres – the most insulting laugh imaginable – and grit his teeth.
"What's the matter?" he asked. "Having a bit of projectile dysfunction?"
"Shut up!" Marcus launched an aura sphere towards the bird which was just as easily dodged as the previous one. The moltres spun in the air before launching a ring of fire that Marcus leapt over. He landed close to Aaron before bounding back towards his opponent. Dancing flames leaped from every direction, causing Marcus to once again act defensively. His head pounded, almost like he was intoxicated, as he drew closer to the corner of the facility.
"Do you really think you stand a chance?" the moltres cried out. "I can do this all day – and you cannot match my strength!" He launched a devastating flamethrower towards the lucario who was unable to completely evade it. The wind was forced from Marcus' lungs as he tumbled on the asphalt. The world was a blur, and through the frantic calls from his trainer, his eyes fell on one thing: a few blades of grass poking through a crack in the road. Walls of flames seemed to stretch towards the heavens themselves, but those thin green strands remained strong.
He didn't have time to contemplate things, rolling backwards as the moltres pelted the ground with a swift attack. He hurled the bone staff only for his target to duck underneath it, causing for it to fall off into the distance before dissipating.
Aaron frowned, folding his arms as he tried to think of a strategy. Several of Marcus' attacks relied, to some degree, on his psychic abilities, and with those being compromised, their options were limited. "Keep using aura sphere!" he said while trying to think of something else. Maybe if Marcus could hit the moltres and bring him to the ground, then the lucario could engage more effectively.
But nothing seemed to be working. Marcus evaded one attack after another; massive blasts of fire swirled overhead, approaching the fighting-type and forcing him to continue sprinting wildly to avoid getting hit. The moltres cackled in glee as the onslaught continued, pushing Marcus to the extreme of his agility.
He was panting heavily. His legs hurt. Despite the added strength from his mega evolution, Marcus felt powerless – like he was being toyed with by this maniacal bird. Though that caw-filled laugh ingrained in his mind, he kept running, trying to tune it out as the fires grew around him. Again, his head pulsed, far more painful than before, but as he spun and leaped to the side, rolling before breaking out into another sprint, it lessened.
One aura sphere after another was shot into the air, each being dodged, though one seemed to clip the edge of the moltres' wing. If the legendary had even felt the attack, there was nothing to show for it.
Never before had he seen something so agile in the air, evading every attack in an almost carefree manner. The world turned upside down as a gust of wind caught him, sending him tumbling on the ground. The spike on his chest shot sparks as he skidded to a stop. A small trickle of blood came through his fur as he pushed himself up. "Are you down already?" the moltres asked, circling overhead like a mandibuzz waiting for her prey to die. "How disappointing…"
Marcus flipped onto his feet, launching an aura sphere faster than anyone could react. Faster than the legendary even could. The blue orb slammed into his face. Or at least, it should have. It seemed to disappear completely from sight, leaving a very confused lucario.
"Your attacks cannot hurt me!" the fire-type said. Marcus took the brunt of an attack from behind and stumbled forth, losing his balance and falling flat. He growled in frustration, every little aspect of this fight serving as an annoyance. The damn pain in his head wasn't helping, either. But then he felt the slightest thing: the displacement of air not too far away, carrying a scent on the wind like that of juniper.
The final straw was when he landed another attack, only to receive a flamethrower in response. Hairs singed as Marcus hissed in pain, striking the ground and leaping over the attack, well away from the point of impact. It hurt, but not nearly as much as he would have thought from a legendary, and then a glint of motion, fast and subtle, caught his eye.
Among the pillars of flames crashing around him and warming the earth and the splitting pain that made his head throb – amidst the storm – he found his focus. There was a series of impacts in the ground, tossing up dirt and rocks. If he hadn't seen the phoenix right above him, then those very motions would have looked like someone running. Marcus narrowed his eyes, dodging another flamethrower, and prepared an aura sphere, thrusting his hand towards the legendary and continuing to charge the attack. The moltres glided towards him. He glanced out of the corner of his eye. He waited for the perfect moment. Time crawled to a halt; he felt the pulsing of his heart as the world fell silent. Now! He pivoted and sent the blue sphere flying in a completely different direction.
That was when everything changed. Gone were the fires that lit up the skies. Gone was the legendary that had struck fear into the hearts of everyone present. The real culprit came to a rolling stop, pushing himself onto his feet gradually before dusting off his fur. The atmosphere was now still and quiet.
In the absence of the moltres was a zoroark.
"Well, this certainly is a shocking turn of events," the dark-type said. Marcus looked at him with wide, dilated eyes. A vicious, rumbling growl came from the lucario's throat the second he saw a familiar scepter solidify in the zoroark's left hand. In place of the blue ceramic bead that their species was known for was a red and black one that held all four suits of a card deck.
"So it's you!" Marcus barked. "I shouldn't be surprised that the circus freak would side with Omega!"
"Ouch! Your words wound me," Zak stated. "Well… not really. After all, I'm still winning."
"Like hell you are!"
"But I am, my shortsighted pup. You're running out of time, and without the need to maintain my 'first impressions' anymore… you're about to enjoy this fight a whole lot less." His lips parted, revealing a gleaming set of pointed teeth.
"Shit," Aaron muttered. Everyone present had been fooled, too scared to challenge what they had thought was a legendary. And now things were down to the wire. Sofia placed her hands on her forehead, clearly just as irritated as he was.
"Say, I think I recognize that grumpy face," he said, pursing his lips. Zak's eyes scanned the crowd, landing on Aaron, then back to the lucario. "Ah, that's right – you were at my show! Well, if it isn't my biggest fan…"
"FUCK OFF!" Marcus closed the distance between them and slicing the air with his bone staff. Zak vanished in a purple cloud, leaving the lucario confused, and appeared ten yards away. The zoroark laughed melodramatically, and somehow, Marcus preferred the obnoxious rapid caws of the false moltres to him.
"Don't worry, I've got something very special for you – a showcase of a few of my finer scenes." He grinned that same wide, pompous smirk from before. "After all, I enjoy treating my fans… especially my biggest ones."
"YOU LITTLE FUCK!" Marcus yelled, closing the distance between them with an extreme speed. Just like before, he vanished from sight. The lucario was the snarling picture of rage, filled with wrath and holding his staff like a baseball bat. He wanted nothing more than to beat Zak's head in, but somehow he couldn't see through the zoroark's illusions. Again, he reappeared well out of reach, carelessly inspecting his claws as though nothing were wrong.
"Little?" Zak asked innocently. "That's a poor word choice – especially coming from you, short stuff."
"Marcus! Calm down!" Aaron yelled.
"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!"
"He's trying to get to you – he's trying to throw you off your game!" Aaron frantically looked at his phone. Seven minutes.
"Trying?" Zak said.
"Listen to me!" Aaron yelled. "You need to calm down! You need to focus and ignore him! That's the only way we win this in time!" The lucario breathed heavily, gripping the bone construct tightly. His fangs bared towards the zoroark who only looked at him with that stupid, smug grin.
"Oh, don't be spoilsport – you're far more fun when you're riled up."
"Do you ever shut up?" Marcus snapped.
"When I'm asleep."
"Then I'll just have to beat you unconscious!"
"Oooh! Now we're talking!" He tapped the ground with his scepter, bouncing it upward and snatching it up. A purple fog stretched out across the field, blotting out everything from sight. Somewhere in the haze he heard that annoying cackle. "Showtime!"
A bright flash emanated. As Marcus opened his eyes, he was greeted to the sight of a large, open field, spanning as far as the eye could see. From either side a stampeding army, each bearing their own flags, charged towards him. The fighting-type readied himself as the ground seemed to shake.
They collided into each other, suits of armor clanging as spears were thrust. Pokémon and humans clashed as Marcus zipped through the calamity, weaving between the illusionary figures. From out of nowhere a hard object smashed into the back of his leg and he yelped in pain, falling forth but rolling upright again and responding with a force palm directly behind him. Zak was gone as quickly as he'd struck.
"Marcus!" he heard his trainer yell from somewhere. "Use vacuum wave!" He nodded, understanding what Aaron was suggesting. The attack would keep Zak off his tail and at a certain distance. He planted both feet firmly in the ground as the horsemen charged, sending a whirling gust in each direction. The power plant was visible again; the illusion had fallen as the attack contacted Zak. The zoroark immediately tried to regain his composure but Marcus wasn't letting the opportunity go to waste. He closed the distance between them with extreme speed and brought the bone staff down.
Zak blocked it with his scepter, gleaming fangs revealed in his smile at the attempt. "En garde!" Marcus growled as he followed it by one swing after another, each blocked masterfully.
"Low sweep!" His foot swung forth immediately, intending to sweep Zak's, but the zoroark backflipped, slowly floating down. Several purple projectiles formed around him, taking the shape of playing cards, and stood ready over his right hand.
He launched them towards the lucario. Marcus ran and dodged until one caught him in the stomach and caused him to clutch his abdomen in pain, flinching and giving Zak all the time he needed.
The scenery changed again. A frost-covered tundra with wind that whipped his cheeks, though it wasn't all that cold, and false snowflakes that fell swiftly. This time articunos soared through the sky, wings shimmering like crystals, and danced under the northern lights. Several gave the appearance of spotting the lucario and released bright beams of ice in his direction.
"Flash cannon!" Aaron yelled. He launched a silver beam against theirs, seeing his break through, but only to strike that which was never there. The remaining false attacks contacted him effortlessly. Though his senses were dulled, he pivoted around and swung for air, feeling as though the zoroark had tried to sucker punch him again. His answer came from a violet card slamming into his side, striking with a strength great enough to knock him over – far stronger than the last.
"Marcus! He's charging his attacks!" Sofia yelled, perceptive as always. He grunted. Time was running out and he still couldn't see the dark-type. He sprinted in the direction of the projectile – his only guess – and ignored the articuno that landed directly in front of him, running straight through it.
As he drew near to what he imagined was the facility – he couldn't tell left from right anymore – he followed with another flash cannon, intent on at the very least blinding and stunning this circus performer. But it was then that he found another equally annoying surprise: a pained shriek in front of him, and for the briefest of moments, the pain in his head subsided as an outline of a pokémon folding over could be seen. Marcus struck with a fury, slamming his bone staff into the unexpected opponent. Close as could be, the illusion failed to conceal a malamar. The lucario put two and two together.
"Oh come on now – why'd you have to do that to poor Elliot?"
"YOU CHEATING SHIT!" he roared, a howling laughter echoing across the battlefield.
"Silly pup. Did you really expect a zoroark to fight without a trick up his mane?"
Aaron glanced at Sofia who pointed towards the field. "Two can play at that game!" she stated. "Wynette! Help him out!" But before she could, one of the guards readied the large weapon in his hands.
"Nobody intervenes!" he said.
"But he's cheating!" she snapped back.
"Cheating?" Zak said, finally materializing. "How is me refusing to forfeit my abilities to those who might see through them cheating?" He took a relaxed stance, placing both hands on the tip of the scepter. "What, did you expect me to risk a power plant on a fistfight with a lucario? That wouldn't be very smart, now would it?"
"Marcus!" Aaron called out, gaining the lucario's attention. "Take out any other malamars and do it fast! We're down to five minutes!"
"Yes, yes – hurry now, pup – you're running out of time." Zak disappeared once again as the scene changed a third time.
He stood on a mountain, boulders and jagged stones surrounding as he looked over the edge of a cliff. Storm clouds swirled overhead, lighting crackling throughout, and a zapdos descended towards the field. A jolt of electricity contacted him faster than he could dodge, sapping his strength as the metal in his body worked against him.
"Marcus!" Aaron yelled. The lucario's muscles locked up, refusing to obey him, and his opponent came in for the kill. He could only watch helplessly as the zoroark appeared in front of him. He brought his open palm, surrounded by a purple aura, into Marcus' face. The lucario yelped, tasting his blood as he bit his lip. The fighting-type contacted the hard ground as the last remnants of electricity exited his body.
"Down so soon? I was just starting to have fun."
"Is this just some sort of a game for you?" Aaron said to the zoroark. Zak shook his head, his mane swinging accordingly.
"On the contrary – I'm treating this very seriously. I think your pissed-off little pup can attest to tha—"
Marcus reacted faster than ever before, rolling over and swinging his bone club like a sword, slamming it into the zoroark's ankle with a loud snap. Zak winced, jumping back and falling on his rear. The blue canine was on him immediately, bringing his knee to the dark-type's face and knocking him flat. He lunged, bringing his staff down and contacting the scepter once again. Zak's bright blue eyes widened, and for the first time in the match, he wasn't wearing that stupid grin.
Marcus found himself telekinetically flung away. In midair, he caught the slimmest glance of a second malamar standing in front of the crowd. Zak floated back onto his feet, propelling himself upward with glowing violet spheres between his claws, and vanished from sight once again.
"There you go Marcus!"
"That was a cheap shot," that voice called from the abyss. He paused. "…I'm proud of you! You're learning!" The lucario ignored him, sprinting towards the zoroark's second accomplice. Before he could get there, though, he found a flamethrower forming, crashing into the ground in front of him. "Oh no you don't!"
"Yes I fucking do!" Marcus leaped over the invisible zoroark, launching an aura sphere beneath him, and slammed the bone construct into the malamar.
Just like that, the power plant appeared, outlined in slim blue lines that he could distinguish clearly from the illusions around him. His head clear, he knew exactly where Zak was.
"You're finished now!" Marcus shouted.
"Really?" Zak's piercing blue eyes couldn't hide from him anymore. "You don't seriously think I was idle that entire time, do you? I've been using calm mind since this battle started." Gravel and dirt rose from all around, forming into countless purple projectiles which orbited the zoroark.
"Bring it!" The dark-type levitated, thrusting his right hand forth.
"Looks like it's time for the finale. For my final trick, I'll make this mutt dance!" The violet crystals slammed into everything around, impacting the ground like tiny meteorites. One clipped Marcus in the shoulder, stinging like he'd been struck by a machamp, but he kept going, clutching his bone staff as he closed in.
Zak flung the remaining projectiles, and landing several, narrowly leapt over an aura sphere, swinging his scepter downward as Marcus swung his own weapon. They clashed. Marcus slammed his right foot into the ground, bouncing up and planting his left shin into the zoroark's head. The dark-type stumbled.
Marcus slammed the staff into the scepter, destroying Zak's own construct, and brought his paw to the zoroark's midsection, knocking the breath out of him. One punch after another – his swiftest close combat ever – and he uppercut his opponent, knocking him flat on his back. The lucario planted his foot on Zak's chest, pointing a glowing paw at the zoroark's bewildered face, and shot him point-blank with an aura sphere.
"YES!" Aaron yelled, far too loudly. Marcus panted heavily, his mega evolution coming undone, and fell to his knees beside the unconscious opponent. He felt like he was about to pass out. But he had done it.
He had won.
Aaron ran over towards Marcus' side. "You did it!" The lucario looked at him with bloodshot eyes, blood trickling from his mouth, but managed only the smallest of grins. He slipped his arm under the fighting-type's own, hoisting him up as the crowd roared in applause.
The rest of the team joined them and similarly flooded the exhausted canine. A grunt came from the side, though, catching everyone's attention. Marcus stumbled forth, ready to continue if necessary, but the zoroark raised his hand. "I'm finished," he said simply. "After all… I won."
"As if!" Marcus said. But the zoroark only chuckled.
"I don't suppose you'd like to look at the time…"
"Shit!" Aaron yelled, turning around. Sofia sprinted towards him but was stopped by another guard, this one a female.
"His team only."
"What?"
"He won, so only he may continue." The blonde trainer folded her arms and grimaced.
"Aaron! Run!" He didn't need to be told twice, sprinting towards the large open doors of the facility. He was far too scared to look at his phone, worrying that he would lose a precious second or two that might just decide the fate of the entire local power grid.
He didn't know what the inside of a nuclear facility looked like; anything could be within these walls as far as he was concerned. What he didn't expect, though, was a single trainer, propping her hand on her hip. Though she wore a mask, the lower part of her face was visible, skin as pale as moonlight. His pokémon stood ready to fight, but she only walked past him.
"Your points have been added to your trainer card," she said, exiting the building. Two pokéballs were at her side; she brought both of them up and returned the fallen malamars.
"What?" Aaron asked incredulously. "That's it? Nobody else?" Looking at his phone, he saw the mission clock had stopped at a minute and a half. And she wasn't kidding; a thousand 'dissenter points' had been credited to him. A confused trainer and his team walked out of the building. Omega was boarding one of their aircraft; as close as he was, he could make out the dark blue word Hydreigon on its side. One of the armored guards had helped Zak up, who limped slightly as he walked towards the ship's open hatch.
Before leaving, though, his eyes met Marcus' again, and despite his apparent loss, he grinned. "Hope you enjoyed the show," he stated.
"What did you mean 'you won?' You failed to take the plant."
"You're assuming we wanted the plant." Aaron's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Had we wanted to take your power grid down, well… why take the plant when we could just cut the lines?"
"You mean…"
"Look at all those trainers standing around. Trainers who could've defended Anville Town – and it's railways and water plant and fields…"
"No…" Aaron looked at Sofia who was equally shocked. They wouldn't have gotten there in time, but that didn't make this any less of an annoyance.
"I played my part – and you were all-too-willing to take the bait," the zoroark stated as the ship took off. He winked before the hatch shut. "So yeah... I won."
Though the mission had not exactly been what they expected, there was still cause for celebration – to some extent, at least. Marcus had really pulled through, and even if the power plant had not been a primary target, he had no doubt that Omega would have kept it without question had nobody shown the courage to challenge them.
It was that part that Aaron struggled with; it was Marcus who stepped up, not him. The pokémon that seemingly held a double type disadvantage against what appeared to be his opponent. He recalled Nathan telling them that courage wasn't the lack of fear, but the resolve to act in spite of it. And he hadn't. Maybe he was a coward in reality. But that wasn't what the average person would think if they turned on the news…
Malva, a news anchor and former member of the Kalos Elite Four, seemed to maintain the only news station that was operating around the globe. It was here that a map of the world was shown, and one that made him sick at that.
South America and Africa were almost entirely purple.
In the dissenting regions, clips were played that showed the battles that had decided the fate of various mission sites. His heart all but stopped when he saw himself and Marcus on the television. Arceus… Dad's going to kill me… He spent the rest of the night dreading the inevitable phone call.
But there was one good thing that had come from today – and it was parked in the driveway. If the world wasn't in its current state, he would take his pokémon on a ride, blazing down the highway like a typical college-aged moron, wearing cheap sunglasses with the windows down. But any thoughts of fun took a backseat to the situation at hand. Unova, along with the entire world, was at stake.
And then there was the issue within this very household, too. True to his word, he hadn't forgotten about his and Nora's dilemma. She was drying dishes as everyone readied themselves for bed. Figuring he should have the courage to do at least one thing right, he initiated.
"Hey… how're you holding up?" he asked. Probably a poor word choice, but it was what came to mind.
"Fine," she answered quietly. There was an awkward silence as she continued drying.
"Let's step outside for a minute," he offered.
"It's kinda cold…"
"We can sit in the car." She forced a brief laugh.
"Alright."
They sat in the front seats, cranking the heat up slightly, and gazed at the distant glows of Castelia's innumerable windows – all thanks to Marcus. Well, not entirely thanks to him; had she not insisted on their involvement in this conflict, there was a good chance that Omega would be setting up shop in that power plant tonight.
"I don't suppose you have an answer yet," Nora eventually said.
"For what?"
"My question the other day." He was afraid that's what she had been referring to.
"Do you know why I couldn't answer it?" he asked.
"No, but I would like to."
"Because… if I had said yes – that I would have asked you out – it could have hurt your feelings, making you think that the only reason I wouldn't ask you out is because of what you are."
"Is that the case?" she inquired. Thankfully, her eyes showed no signs of distress or hurt. Or maybe she was just hiding it better than before. Nora took his silence as an answer. "Yeah… that's what I thought…" Her shoulders slumped.
"I'm sorry, Nora."
"I'm a big girl. I'll get over it with time," she said. "But I guess right now… I wish I'd been born a human…"
A/N: A commission has been done for this particular fight scene. If you are interested in seeing the artwork, shoot me a DM. Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.