Chapter Twenty-Six: A New Approach
"Alright, remove your shirt please." Adira asked. The trainer was admittedly a bit flushed about that one.
"Oooh, looks like you've got a bit of competition, Nora," Brooke said, earning a death glare from the typhlosion. Luckily the latias ignored her. As with everyone else, it took the floatzel a minute for everything to sink in when she first saw the legendary. Of course, that didn't stop her from being her usual self...
Aaron pulled his shirt off and set it on the armrest. The typhlosion's gaze fell on him but she averted it downwards. He had done his best to bandage the cuts. All things considered, he counted himself lucky that the gyarados hadn't thought to clamp down harder on him.
"Not too bad," Adira said. "You are indeed fortunate."
"Had it not been for Krista – or Brooke for that matter – I wouldn't be."
"And don't you forget it!" Brooke chimed.
"Whatever."
"This should not take long to heal." The latias tenderly stretched her hands over Aaron's chest. He looked away awkwardly.
"Wait, is this going to hurt?"
"Not at all. Though it will itch a bit. Obviously, I would ask that you not scratch it while I work." Adira removed the bandages and exposed the wounds. A tingling sensation took over his chest as a bright light spread throughout the cuts. Aaron's eyes went wide as his flesh began to mend itself shut.
"Woah…" Krista looked at the scene with interest. "That's pretty cool!"
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Nora asked. The legendary continued her work in silence, leaving each tooth mark as though it had never been there to begin with.
"Healing is more tedious in nature than other psychic abilities. I can teach you, but not at your current level of understanding. We must build up to that point." Nora was visibly disappointed upon hearing that. "Do not worry – I have no doubt that you can master healing powers. But there are certain precautions that must be taken when working on someone's body – or one's own, for that matter. Cells must be made to divide in a controlled, healthy manner. The last thing you want is to introduce cancer into someone's body when attempting to heal them."
"That makes sense," Nora admitted. Each time they had visited Nathan, she had sought to learn as much as possible from the latias. Ever since a few weeks ago, Aaron noted, she had become a lot more confident, though she hadn't disclosed why that was.
"That said," Adira continued, "I do have something to show you today. Something I think you will very much like."
"Oh?"
"Mhm. But it is a surprise." The typhlosion rolled her eyes. "Go ahead outside; I will meet you there in a few minutes." Once she was gone, the latias finished mending Aaron's wounds as Nathan took a seat on the recliner opposite to them.
"You and Sofia made a bit of a ruckus at the bridge. Nice going." Aaron closed his eyes and groaned.
"I really didn't like asking Omega for help…"
"Why not?" Nathan asked. "Even if you don't care for them, why does it matter where assistance came from?"
"I don't know," Aaron admitted. "It just felt… wrong. Sofia and I are determined to stop this Alexander."
"So you've said."
"It just feels weird to accept their help."
"I understand." He glanced over to the screen, which showed an increasing purple stretching across North America. "And yet if it weren't for Omega giving out food, most people would be wrapped up in anarchy, killing each other for survival."
"If it weren't for Omega, we wouldn't be in this shitshow to begin with," Aaron countered.
"There may be some truth to that." The last cut had been sealed shut. Aside from the scars by his ribs, there were no marks at all on him.
"Well, at least they gave us points for whatever that clusterfuck was." Both he and Sofia had been surprised when Omega rewarded them for their intervention – and quite well, too. As a result of the bridge operation, they had more than doubled their points, even after two months of intervening in their affairs.
But they were always one single loss away from losing it all. He sat up and put his shirt back on. "Thanks, Adira."
"Of course." She smiled before turning around and flying towards the door.
Nora was impatient to get to the so-called 'surprise' for today's lesson – and it showed. Adira had her practicing their usual routine: basic psychic attacks, barriers and dodging techniques.
"Okay," the typhlosion said, "we've gone through the usual stuff. What's the surprise?"
"Have you no patience?" Adira asked.
"No."
"So I see." They both laughed. Childish as she may have been acting, her curiosity was piqued. Today was their last day before heading towards Mistralton. Following the drawbridge incident, the two teams decided to stick together for the next mission. It seemed as though there would be plenty of Omega trainers for the both of them, anyways, and after intervening in the affairs of all three enemy teams, they felt that sticking together as much as possible was ideal.
"Well?"
"Alright, alright," the latias said. "But you must promise me one thing: you must take this slow. The inevitable excitement you will feel is understandable, but I do not want you to accidentally harm yourself or your team."
"O-okay…"
"I'm going to teach you how to make fire." She had to do a double check to see if she had heard correctly.
"Fire?"
"That's right." Nora frowned.
"You know as well as I do that I can't. My body doesn't work like it should…"
"I am aware. You lack the biology that most can use to initiate their attacks. But do you think that it simply is a matter of biology? Do you see me breathe flames when I create fire?"
"No."
"Because there are other ways to make heat. Today, I'm going to show you how I do it. And my flames can rival that of the sun itself."
That afternoon, Aaron and his team prepared to leave for the Mistralton mission site. It looked as though they would be spending several days there; for that reason, both he and Sofia had brought out the very tents they'd used during their campaigns, packing up old roll-up mattresses, portable cooking plates and fleece blankets. Being able to stuff it all in the trunk of a car certainly helped.
Nathan was texting on his phone while Aiden slept on the couch, the charizard's head in his trainer's lap as though he were still in his pre-evolved form. Some things, Aaron supposed, never changed. The silence was broken when Nora violently swung the front door open.
"Aaron!" she all but squealed. He looked at her with concern as she bounded over on all fours, nearly knocking one of the chairs over as she did so, and stood on two legs once again. She held her hands out with excitement as a flash of light formed between her hands, forcing him to blink.
A small flame was levitating in place.
Nora's smile – that of a child eager to show their parent a crayon drawing – was contagious to him. "Wow… you did it!"
"I know! Adira taught me how to make fire!" The typhlosion's eyes beamed with glossy moisture, barely able to contain herself. "I… I can make fire!"
"Woohoo!" Aiden said. "But… please be careful with that. We've got some bad memories with fire in the house…" Aaron shot him a questioning glance.
"What did you do?"
"Oh, it wasn't me! Kiel left one of his cigars lit in the dining room and accidentally burned a nice tablecloth…" Nora giggled.
"You let Kiel smoke inside?"
"No," Nathan countered. "That pest did it while I was at work. In any case, be careful. Fire has greater potential than any of the other attack types to be dangerous. Unless you have mastered it like Adira, you cannot stop it once you have lost control. I'm sure she was first to tell you that." She nodded slowly. "We aren't trying to scare you. Had that been the case, Adira wouldn't have shown you to begin with. But I do want you to be careful."
"Of course!" Nathan's serious look was replaced by a small grin.
"That said, be sure to have a little bit of fun. Just not too much."
When the time came for them to leave for Mistralton, Nathan and his team packed a few extra supplies, mainly food considering there would be twelve people eating several meals. Everything else aside, it was nice to get out and about with the team, sleeping under the stars as they had during their campaigning days. "Just like old times," Marcus murmured. "Only, people weren't trying to take over the world then."
It was getting dark once Nathan shut the front door. There was one issue that Brooke's presence brought to the team; there wasn't room for all of them to ride outside of their balls. It hadn't been an issue coming up here since Aster was content in napping within his during the drive. "Alright, y'all decide who's riding in the car," Aaron said as he shut the trunk.
"Hmm… whatever will we do?" Brooke asked. "It looks like two of us might need to share a spot…"
"I'd like to go into my ball," Marcus replied. Aaron rolled his eyes as the floatzel huffed in annoyance.
As Aaron drove towards the mission site, Nora's hand found itself gently clasping his. Again his mind drifted towards his parents and what they might think. He still wasn't really sure what he himself thought, though there was that intense curiosity he felt about what further affections might be like. Then again, she was determined to take this slow, and he cared enough for Nora to be alright with that, though this was new for him in more ways than one. Aster's cheek was pressed against the window as he stared at the streetlights lining the road to Lacunosa.
"So…" Brooke began. "I saw you slitherin' off towards that milotic. Any luck?"
"Huh?"
"Did you score?"
"Absolutely not!" Aster hissed, insulted by the insinuation. "I would not dare degrade her in such a way!"
"Eh, whatever."
"Pretty sure Nathan would kill him if he tried, anyways. He more or less raised her as a daughter."
"Oh? Your friend seems to have a weird little family dynamic going on. Let me guess: daddy issues?" Aaron glanced at Nora who seemed equally irritated. "That answers that I suppose."
"Nathan's a great friend. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here today and I wouldn't have Nora."
"Yeah, yeah. He seems a bit pretentious, though." As if to make her point, the floatzel straightened up, assuming an overly dramatic posture with her chin held high. "Look at me! I'm really smart and we don't have fun in this house! Except for me, though, 'cause I have sex with a legendary!"
"Shut up, Brooke," Aster said.
"Relax, I'm just kidding. He seems pretty cool."
Aaron and Marcus hammered the pegs into the ground to stabilize the tent. Their makeshift campsite was about three-quarters of a mile from the main route to the city so as to avoid being spotted. Eager to test out her new abilities, Nora took it upon herself to light the campfire that evening.
Several dehydrated MREs were tossed together into a large pot which sizzled over the fire, Krista stirring the stew occasionally as most tended to their own business. With a dim electric lantern inside her tent, Sofia's shadow could be seen braiding her hair. Three months without access to a barber was starting to show on many people. Aaron himself was beginning to loathe how long his own hair was getting, as well as re-using the same razors which had long since become dull. Fortunately, Nathan had gave him an extra pack today.
Aaron was brought back to reality when Nora sat sideways on his leg, pressing her body against his chest. He readily accepted the embrace and chuckled. "Somebody's a bit affectionate." He looked down at her closed eyes. "Something up?"
"No," she replied. "Just taking the opportunity while I can. We don't have a whole lot of time for just the two of us…"
"Yeah…" He hated that, too – had things been any other way, he would have been treating this relationship like any other. He'd have taken her on dates or had movie nights or a multitude of other things that new couples often did. But with most of their efforts being towards resisting Omega, Nora wasn't getting the time that he felt she should. "I'm sorry for that. I wish things weren't like this."
"Me too," she admitted. "But I'm just happy to have you, even if the world is ending."
And it certainly felt like it was. As the flames flickered into coals and everyone readied themselves for bed, a resounding ring came from both trainers' pockets. "What's going on?" Brooke asked.
"Service announcement," Aaron murmured. "They give them every once in awhile. Guess they just like rubbing it in our faces…" He slid the default screensaver to the side before accepting the video call.
This time, things were different. Alexander reclined against some sort of metal post, the sky to his back as wind softly whipped the air. It was daytime wherever he was. He almost seemed to stare off into space as if he were unaware that he had gone live. But then he spoke that same somber tone.
"It has come to my attention that there are a few misconceptions circling about as to what our goals are." Aaron glanced over at the various pokémon with them, shaking his head and giving a single laugh. "Many teams have come and gone, advancing various causes. So it is understandable that the world would be hesitant at best to accept a new one. Many of those leaders – some of whom continue to destroy the world as we speak – have made extraordinary claims or promises of a better world. I'm not the first. If we fail, I will not be the last. I doubt most of you think that we are any different. That we are just another group seeking world domination.
"While I feel that the sheer amount of legendaries who have willingly sided with us should account for something, I'm here to put many of these fears to rest this very day." He looked directly at the camera, a stream of light cutting across his visor. "You think I want power because all those before me wanted it." He paused. "That couldn't be further from the truth."
"Really? Then what the hell do you want?" Brooke asked, getting shushed by a few of the other pokémon.
"Perhaps the namesake of our team would shed some light on the issue. It is not simply thematically related to those two wretched, tyrannical groups that destroy everything they touch. Delta named themselves off of their stances for societal change; Alpha for their desire to set things back to their very origins. We, on the other hand, stand under this symbol because we will be the final team. There will be no more like us, and truth be told, we do seek to end the very world before you. I'm aware that most of you don't want that. At least, not yet.
"But from its ashes, something far better will be born. A world free of the evilness that we have plagued it with. A world free from suffering and corruption and selfishness. A world free from individualism. And truth be told, I am not the first to seek such a world. Both Galactic and Flare sought similar goals, though their respective leaders were willing to destroy everything and start anew. But I am not like them, nor do I share the same goals. Cyrus sought to remake the world and to be a god. Lysandre simply wanted to destroy it. I want to revise it for the better. As twisted and broken as this planet is, we are not beyond hope.
"But that requires you all to swallow your pride and submit, admitting that you are not the center of the universe, and everyone else is not simply a player in your little game. Most people have never realized that. You all just do whatever you want, regardless of the cost. Everyone goes about their lives, either oblivious or willfully ignorant, seeking only control, comfort and approval. These three age-old idols are innate to the mortal condition and have ruled our lives for millennia. We seek to influence things to our liking and bend the wills and actions of others, do whatever makes us feel good, and act in such a way as to feel loved and accepted by others. And in bowing to these idols, we have forsaken the wellbeing of others and of our own souls."
"This guy's scary," the floatzel said. Several people present wordlessly nodded, though a pit formed in Aaron's stomach as that visor seemed to stare straight through him.
"I have sifted through feedback and surveys and have heard the voices within these dissenting regions. Many of you are under the impression that I am preaching down to you as though I'm some moral, superior authority. That is a mistake made by most of the villainous teams. They think their leaders are here to set the world straight. The truth is, though I have disciplined myself and have pursued the narrow path, I am still just as capable of falling into evilness as every other person.
"History is full of examples of people who have wielded power that at one point had good intentions and morals. Though cheating the system or slaughtering one's way to the throne have often been the norm, every once in so often you start with someone pure at heart. They think they will be different. Incorruptible. But then they learn how the game works and what advantages it offers. They find out what they need to do to stay afloat, to keep their opponents at bay. All of a sudden, compromises need to be made to survive; black and white become grey and morals become 'subjective.' Anything will be done to maintain their power.
"One crooked decision after another changes them slowly until one day they look in the mirror and realize that they now are the very thing they sought to avoid. Or they break the mirror and criticize that younger person as a fool who didn't know how the world worked. There is truth in saying that the very governing systems you have set up filters out those who would be good leaders from the very beginning. For that reason, a good leader is nearly impossible to come by. But… there is also the fact that a good person may be corrupted by the power they wield, and because of that, even if I am the exception, I am not fit to lead you, either."
"What? Then what the hell is all this about?" Pierce asked no one in particular. Aaron frowned; it didn't make any sense. He was trying to conquer the world – even by his own words. So what was he going on about now?
"All this time, you all believed this fight to be against me. I am fine if the entire world opposes me; that does not phase me. But I do not seek to be your ruler or to make you bend to my will. I seek to restore power to those who can rightfully and justifiably wield it: the very legendaries you have neglected to listen to. They will be our saviors from this strife. They can lead us down the right path – not me. I'm just another fallible mortal in a broken world. Only difference is I seem to be in the minority acknowledging such. Your fight never was against me. It was always against them. From the moment of our reasoning, we have all fought against what was right and for ourselves. Now it is time to surrender to a better power. To a power that truly is incorruptible – one that has always been for your good. When this is done, we will have delivered each of the regions to its respective legendaries. Once that has happened, the world will finally be as it should have been from the moment the first mortals seized their independence from their Creator.
"I want you all to know one thing, though: you are never too far gone. There is nothing that any of you has ever done that cannot be forgiven. But you have to kneel. That is something you must do on your own accords; I cannot force it. Had I wanted to force your submission, I could have ended this war the month it started. I could have bathed the world in nuclear hellfire many times over had I wanted domination. But I don't. I just want you all to leave this pointless, selfish pride aside and to pursue what is right. In order for that to happen, though, you must kneel. You must leave these false saviors of Alpha and Delta – of yourselves – and submit to the forces that can make all this right." The camera zoomed out slightly, revealing him to be sitting on one of the four gleaming arches of Lumiose's Prism Tower. Omega's flag fluttered in the wind.
"All we have to do is submit." With that, the screen went dark. Aaron finally released a long-held breath. His throat felt dry. Other messages that he had given to the world had given Aaron and his team a since of justification. How could they trust a single man to run the world? But now even that was in question. Alexander didn't want to run it. He wanted to give it to the legendaries.
That called the very sentiment of this rebellion into question.
Were they willing to strike out against these higher beings? To deny them to their very faces in favor of this distorted world? If so, what did that say about their own character? That they preferred their own individualism over what was verifiably good? Aaron wished he had an answer for that. But he didn't.
"Huh," the floatzel murmured. "So that's the guy causing all this trouble…"
"Looks like Kalos did the only thing they're good for." She looked at Marcus with a curious expression.
"And that is?"
"Surrender."
Alexander stared blankly as the camera drone descended. His airships circled the city, removing the last of the trainers who had failed to stop them, including the gym leader that Alexander himself had beaten without issue.
It shouldn't have to be this way. Half the world could personally attest to the fact that his system – one free of despots or criminals or violence – was better than this creature his fellow humans had conjured. Even if they failed and had to retreat from the Western regions, there was no going back. He had fundamentally changed the way the world worked. He had changed the game. At least, for some of it.
Alexander stood up, looking down at the city street hundreds of meters down. A few people were being escorted into a Hydreigon as Solgaleo stood by. Omega's presence was long overdue here, but he would not make the same mistake as the leader of Team Flare. Unlike Lysandre, he didn't hate these people – or any of them throughout the world. They needed help. They were lost, blinded by their own pride and individualism. Lysandre wanted to kill them because he hated them; Alex sought to bring them to the light because he loved them.
A ring sounded from his augmented display, showing Proctera's name and ID. He tapped the button on his wrist and answered it. "How was the speech?" he asked.
"It was good, sir." She seemed distracted, and the response sounded rushed.
"Is everything alright?"
"I… we don't know." She paused.
"What is it?"
"…We uh… we found him, sir." Alexander glanced at her face on the augmented display. His eyes seemed to freeze over. "We've located Necrozma."
A/N: I've just received the commission for the fight scene in Chapter Twenty: Incandescence. If you are interested in seeing this piece of artwork, shoot me a DM. Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.