Chapter Thirty-Two: Shattered
"Aren't you a bit scared with them being this close?" Aaron asked, closing the blinds. Hydreigons had flown towards Humilau City in preparation for the mission tomorrow. Sofia's team would arrive at the sight in the morning. They were more fortunate in having Nathan as a friend and thus had access to decently close lodging to their destination.
"We haven't had a lot of trouble around these parts," the older trainer answered. "They haven't had much of a reason to keep watch over Undella."
"Wish I could say the same." There was almost always a Hydreigon drifting overhead in southern Nimbasa.
"You also live in a city with one of the highest crime rates in Unova and one that houses a terrorist political team at that."
"Fair point," Aaron admitted.
It had been a few weeks since Nora's fallout with Sofia. Things seemed to have blown over now, which was good, considering they would likely need her help. Some battles were singles, but other times when there was more than one admin at a site a double battle could occur.
Something else that had dissolved over that time was the tension within their team. Brooke made no more advancements towards Marcus, and he had finally lightened up a bit – something that Aaron himself often failed to get the lucario to do. And every so often, he even caught a glimpse of them cracking a joke here or there.
He checked the rankings several times a day now. As of last night, both he and Sofia were in the high eighties – not because they had gained any more points, but because several people had lost their battles. As it stood, Omega had some very skilled trainers within their ranks. Aaron of Sofia, after all, had faced off against more than one admin that had been capable of ending their fight against Omega. The guy with that deoxys came to mind.
"Don't think that's goin' anywhere," Nathan stated. He sipped at his tea while Nora and Adira trained in the backyard.
"Sorry."
"You're good." He rubbed the spot behind Trina's ears as she dozed on the couch. "How are you on supplies?"
"Things are good for now," Aaron stated. "Well, as good as they can be given everything that's going on. Krista complains about there not being ice cream during a global invasion. It's almost always rice, beans, flour, grits, a few vegetables… We all miss red meat, too."
"Ice cream and red meat aren't necessary for survival," Nathan replied. "We hardly ever ate beef even when things were normal."
"Yeah, and you also don't drink or do anything fun."
"Where did you get the idea I don't drink?" Nathan said. "Just because we don't have liquor lining the cabinets doesn't mean we don't have any alcohol…"
"Really?" Aaron asked. "No shit." He nodded, pointing towards the hallway.
"You realize I have a small cellar, right? Adira and I drink wine every other night at least."
"Huh. So you aren't a total bore after all," the younger trainer joked.
"Entrance to the cellar is right underneath the five-hundred-year-old sword." He rolled his eyes, a dumb smirk on his face. "Anyways, I can start sending more fish with Aiden if meat is an issue, though I'd imagine Brooke is capable of catching them herself."
"Can't wait to watch Krista go vegetarian," Aaron said with a laugh. Might do her well, even. She could stand to lose a couple pounds.
The number of trainers opposing Omega was on the decline. That was no secret; a simple glance at the news would reveal a dozen or so trainers per mission site where there had been hundreds months ago. Humilau was no different in that regard. What was different was the fact that they weren't fighting Omega.
They were fighting each other.
The scene Aaron and Sofia's teams walked up to resembled a smaller version of what they had seen in Nimbasa months ago. They stood near a series of small, local businesses with tiny alleyways clustered with litter: bags and cups from restaurants that were no longer open, shards of glass bottles and newspapers that had clung to the ground, long unreadable, though hardly anyone ever read those at the current day, anyways.
Pokémon from each side lashed out with lethal intent. A guy's leafeon was doing its best to evade the attacks of an emboar. A zebstrika slammed into it, only to be dropped by a sawk hurling a manhole plate at it. Among the trainers, Aaron caught a glimpse of a rainbow armband on one. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he said. The trainers fought with each other as though the victor of this impromptu battle would determine which team inherited the world. Towards the back, Omega's soldiers stood ready to intervene with their weapons drawn, but for some reason they were allowing the fight to continue.
"Not this again," Sofia stated. Even with Nora on his side, the male trainer really didn't favor the idea of enemies ganging up on them today.
"Enjoying the show?" someone said from overhead. A man was seated on a small balcony over a mom-and-pop Italian restaurant, sipping at a plastic bottle of soda. His hair was dark, shoulder-length and wavy, and he wore a pair of aviators. A neatly-trimmed beard was his only other interesting feature.
"Not particularly," Sofia stated. "Why would we?"
"Because this, my dear girl, is some great advertising." They realized pretty quickly who they were dealing with. But before he allowed any of them to make a guess, Zak dropped the illusion.
"Why am I not surprised to see you here?" Aaron said. "Are you part of the fight today?" He hoped not. As confident as Marcus may have been, he doubted they could defeat the zoroark again now that he had learned to suppress the abilities of psychics – and lucarios. But he shook his head.
"I'm afraid not," Zak replied. "Today, I'm only a speculator. Oh, and Vivian says 'hi,' by the way."
"What's going on here?" the ampharos asked.
"Can't you tell? These little Alpha and Delta fanatics have turned another mission site into a warzone."
"And you guys are just going to sit there and let them do that?" Sofia asked.
"Worry not, Blondie. I'll intervene if things get too serious."
"They're trying to kill each other!"
"Well, fortunately for them nobody's succeeded," he answered. "For now, though, I say we kick back and watch the show. Oh, Krista – you wouldn't happen to have any of that popcorn, would you?"
"I can't fucking believe this," Aaron muttered. He glared towards the fight. Any idea of actually battling Omega seemed to have been abandoned as these trainers – professionals in their sport – sought only to attack and kill their opponents. Somebody had likely made an offhand remark or worn the wrong colors, and nowadays, that was all it took. A decade's worth of stupidity had not absolved by the end of society as they knew it. It had only magnified.
He'd had enough of it.
Aaron clenched his fist and headed towards the fight. "What are you doing?" Nora asked fearfully.
"I'm done. I'm fucking sick of this." He found the nearest trainer – a guy in his lower thirties advocating for Delta – and stormed up to him.
"Hey! Who the—"
"You fucking idiots!" Aaron snapped. The leafeon pivoted on its feet, sending a razor leaf in his direction, but the trainer dodged to the side. He grabbed the trainer's shirt, locking eyes with the terrified man, and flung him to the ground. "All of you are idiots! Look at yourselves!" The combat slowed to a halt. Pokémon ceased their attacks, looking away from their opponents and towards their trainers, then back to the seemingly insane human. "Why the hell did any of you even come here if you were just gonna turn on the first person who looked at you the wrong way?!"
"Just what the hell are you—"
"Shut the fuck up!" Aaron yelled, thrusting a finger towards what he assumed was an Alpha member. "All of you morons have torn this fucking world apart. Before these assholes came, you bickered and fought and killed all in the name of some stupid red or blue causes. Your teams were burning the world down well before Omega was. And now, these guys are here to take over everything, and what do you do?! The same dumb shit as before! You idiots are helping them! They're using this kind of crap to gain support!" His eyes locked with his own team which looked at him with a mix of concern and fear. Aaron dismissed them and looked back at the small crowd.
"I'm not gonna act like I know what all the answers are to your political skirmishes, but I do know that this shit has been going on for far too long. If the end of the world as we know it isn't enough to break you out of it, then I don't know what can! If this is the inevitable fate of humanity – if this is all we can be – then it's best that Omega wins. But if you all can get over yourselves for a few minutes and look past all this pointless bickering, we might have a chance!" The trainer on the ground had gotten back onto his feet, the leafeon at his side.
"I'm not about to team up with any of those bigoted redneck fucks," he said.
"Then don't," Aaron replied, motioning towards the soldiers clad in exosuits. "Just get used to kneeling to them." He glanced at Nora, motioning for her and the others to come with him. "If you're so focused on being worthless, then just keep following your stupid teams to destruction. And when the day comes that Omega rules over you, I want you to look back to today. I want all of you to look back and regret it for the rest of your miserable lives. For now, though, get out of our way. Some of us actually want to do something useful."
Aaron didn't know what to expect following his outburst. He hadn't thought any of that through. It was not surprising when the fighting resumed behind him. There was no getting through to these people – there was no saving them. Alexander, for all his faults, was right about Clay and Elesa. They had ruined the consciences of those who fell in line behind them, pushing the world to the very point where some people thought that being ruled was a better alternative than living under this "freedom."
Both his and Sofia's teams awkwardly approached the trainer as he stood in front of the admins. They would need to take out four trainers, then that left the three admins. Omega was stepping up their game, and even amidst a decreasing base of challengers, many were busy fighting one another.
The surprise came when a girl with a straw hat stepped beside Sofia, holding a pokéball in her right hand. The emboar behind her wiped the blood from his mouth and stood ready to fight. On the other side, a guy in his upper teens similarly stood ready. "I've got the trainers," he said. "Think you can handle the admins?" Aaron paused for a moment, then nodded. Maybe not all was lost.
"You've grown quite strong," Adira said following their training session for the day. Nora collapsed onto the grass as the latias quietly floated to her side. "Just look at how much progress you've made in the last months."
"I had a good teacher." Adira smiled and nudged her shoulder. Ever since she had ditched her insecurities, Nora had become what the latias had predicted: become more powerful than most lower-tier legendaries. That was a thought far beyond the scope of her imagination prior to this whole thing. Even though she had been integrated into Aaron's team without the intent of battling, it was now no secret as to who his ace was. "What's next on the agenda?"
"Next week we will begin the more intense phases of our training."
"Oh?" Nora was a bit concerned to hear that. Hadn't these previous lessons already been intense? She could move faster than most pokémon, zooming around with the help of her psychic powers, create barriers, and hit enemies with a telekinetic force that most psychic-types could only dream of. "What do you mean by that?"
"Up until now, everything we have covered might as well be considered basic for someone of your capabilities. The fact that you have been keeping up as well as you have indicates that much. When we are finished, you will be able to fully control that which you used to protect Aaron and yourself – and magnify it further."
"But I killed people…" She didn't like to remember that, but it was true.
"Once we have discovered the full extent of your power, you will be able to refrain from doing such in the future." Nora nodded. Adira had been with her every step of the way, and for that, she was grateful. She was patient and mild, never growing tired of the typhlosion's constant questions, and acted with a humility that would have been befitting for any other pokémon.
But then there was that one question that occasionally nagged her. One that Nora felt might be insensitive to ask. All she had to go off of, after all, was the retelling of that story ending in their exodus from Alpha. Even then, that was nearly ten years ago – time enough for a lot of things to change. All this time, they had worked together to see just what Nora could do with her newfound powers.
But what exactly was Adira capable of?
Waves caressed the shoreline tenderly. The temperature was mild as the sun set, and a few dark blue clouds hung lazily in the orange sky as the two serpents made idle chat. That's all it ever felt like, Aster often thought. Each time he considered pressing forth, taking even the tiniest step towards something more, he always found himself too nervous to even attempt anything. Earlier, he had nearly passed out when she asked to see his wounded vine, condensing small droplets from the air and coating the appendage. Heat rushed to the serperior's cheeks as she worked. When she had commented that they had been quite brave, having watched the local news update showcasing the battle at Humilau, Aster felt like he might pass out.
Everything she did was gentle and graceful. The milotic had captured his eye more than any member of his species ever could. Given a serperior's sense of pride, many of which thought they were the most exquisite creatures out there, that was saying something.
"I was wondering..." she said, changing the topic. Previously, she rambled about her and Nathan's fishing experience this week, having giggled as she recalled him falling into the water after a long day of work and an unexpectedly strong fish on the line. He smiled, more so mesmerized by the sound of her than the story itself.
"Yeah?"
"You know what my life was like before finding a trainer. What about yours?"
"Oh," he said. "I'm afraid it's not all that eventful. My story was pretty much the same as every other starter. Not exactly from one of those high-end camps like Aiden came from, either. Just a regular-old research facility that assigned starters to prospective trainers that had gotten noticed by some professor."
"Aaron did?"
"Well…" Aster trailed off. "He was the star quarterback of his high school and had just taken his team to the regionals…"
"So his choosing was due to his popularity rather than any merit as a trainer or a researcher," she replied. He hesitated to nod. "Hey, the only reason Nathan got Aiden was because he was the up-and-coming leader of Alpha. At least Aaron doesn't have that one as part of his backstory. Besides, Nathan did nothing to merit Aiden other than being the son of the right person. Aaron worked for what he got."
"Yeah, I suppose that's true," Aster said.
"So what made him decide to pick a particular snivy?" He cherished that memory.
"Well, there weren't any oshawotts left and he wasn't much a fan of the tepig line, so he was kinda stuck with picking one of us. But the real reason was because his mom is terrified of snakes, and he thought it might be funny to show up with one. You should have seen her face."
"Oh, I bet." She had done her best to be supportive of her son's choice, but Aster wouldn't forget the color draining from her skin as Aaron held the snivy towards the poor woman. Now, even though he was far larger in size, she had no issue with the serperior. "What were you like then?"
"I mean… I was always a bit quiet. I tended to do my own thing instead of playing with the others. Heck, I guess that's still the case…" He looked down at the realization. The more he thought about it, he really hadn't changed much after all these years. Aster had his little circle and was almost terrified to venture outside of that. "I still don't know why Aaron picked me over some of the others..."
"Because even jocks can be smart sometimes," she joked. A wide grin stretched across his face, and Aster found it difficult to contain his embarrassment. "What happened after that?"
"Well, we started our campaign that week. Aaron would sometimes spend nights talking with me as we stared at the stars. Sometimes I zoned out, but I really like those memories."
"Aww…"
"But we weren't alone for long. He caught Pierce pretty soon after we started. Then towards the end of the summer, Krista pretty much welcomed herself onto the team when we were eating lunch. She was… different."
"How so?" Naomi asked.
"Everyone else was mindful of private space. Krista… not so much. But I guess you get used to that."
"And Marcus?"
"He came the following summer, towards the end of our gym circuit."
"I see." Naomi looked towards him. "It is always interesting to live with someone who can be in your head at a moment's notice."
"Tell me about it," the serperior replied. "Though I'd imagine a latias could be a bit more… intrusive if she wanted."
"Fortunately, the half of our team that can pry is mindful of boundaries. At least, Trina is most of the time." The milotic rolled her eyes. "She can be really annoying when she wants."
"She called me a 'grass noodle' the first time we fought…" Aster said.
"Mhm. She's always been a bit of a jokester, even as an eevee. But then she met Kiel, and… well, let's say he wasn't the best of influences on her."
"Oh?"
"Nothing bad. Just… they can be a bit much on their own. Together, though? That can be unmanageable. There's a reason Nathan keeps a good bit of Tylenol on hand." That thought made the grass-type release a silly, impetuous laugh – one that made him look like an idiot in hindsight. They always did, which is why he typically tried to avoid laughing. Aster stopped himself quickly.
"Why did you do that?"
"Huh?"
"That was rather abrupt."
"Oh…" He looked down. "I know, it's a bit of an annoying laugh…"
"I don't think so. Not at all." He smiled timidly, looking down at the blades of grass in front of him.
"Th-thanks." The silence that overtook them was a sweet one. Aster again found himself in that same position, wondering if there were any hints that he had overlooked – or if there were any that she had picked up on. Surely he had acted awkwardly more times than he could count today alone, and Naomi was smart. Did she already know? And maybe, just maybe, did she reciprocate? Or was this how she acted towards everyone? He decided to change the topic and not find out. At least, not today. There was always tomorrow.
"So… what are your plans for the future? Surely you couldn't be Nathan's pokémon without having the next thirty years mapped out."
"Very funny." He flicked his tongue out at her in response. "For now, I suppose we just make it to the end of this invasion and go from there. Then I can focus on other things when all this is over."
"Like?"
"The usual stuff, I guess," Naomi stated. "Finding a mate of my own, starting a family… I'm the only one in that house who hasn't." She looked at him again, those deep, beautiful eyes, captivating his own before he averted them. "What about you?"
"Uh… s-same I guess. Right now, we've got a lot on our plate, but I'd like to do that sort of stuff, too."
"I see," she replied. "Well, I can tell you this: you'll make some girl very happy one day." Again, he was unable to tell where she stood, or if there was any meaning behind the statement. It was enough to drive someone crazy, even though he had yet to actually press forth. But then, there was always tomorrow for that.
Aster came to his senses. No, he thought. Tomorrow hasn't come for months now. He was sick of being too much of a coward to actually make a move. He had a window of opportunity now – a perfect chance. A chance to do what he had failed to do over the better part of the past year.
A chance that he took.
"What about you?" Aster asked, his voice nothing more than a whisper. The foamy waves made the only sound between them. Naomi paused, and a pain formed in his gut. Tears threatened to form as he began to fear that the longing had only been one way.
"I… could not be happy. Not with what you would lose by being with me."
"Wh-what?" he stammered, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "I don't… understand."
"I may not be as smart as my parents, but I am no fool. I know the feelings you have for me, Aster. And they're as pure as you are. That's all I could ever ask for." She looked down, closing her eyes. "But I cannot in good conscience ask you to make a choice."
"A choice?"
"Between me and your family." He shook his head.
"I don't…" He had to catch himself again. "Why would there need to be a choice? You could join us – we have another slot left on our team!" The serperior sounded desperate, grasping at straws. No doubt she noticed that.
"That isn't the choice I was referring to," Naomi replied. She then echoed the words of her trainer. "Love isn't selfish. As much as I would like to be with you in that way, it would be selfish of me to drive a rift between you and your team. I… can't do that to you, Aster. I can't make you choose like that. I'm sorry." No effort on his behalf would have hidden the tears at this point. Aster remained silent. He focused on the setting sun and nodded slowly.
As it turned out, the tomorrow that never came was preferable to today.
Nathan reclined against the couch, his eyes growing heavier as he waited. A small red blotch stained the bottom of an empty wine glass as the words on the page of his book began to merge together. Everyone else within the house had turned in for the night. It looked as if he'd be joining them…
The footsteps outside the window propped him up, making him return to his senses. The very reason he had stayed up this late had now arrived. Nathan closed his book and stumbled onto his feet, fingers finding the lock on the brass doorknob. He opened the door and smiled. "Hey Val." She gave a tired grin, nodding as she sidestepped into the door. "What? No hug? After I waited all this time for you?"
"Shut up." Nevertheless, she put a clawed hand around her trainer, pulling him into her.
"Love you too."
"Mhm." She pecked his cheek before relaxing her posture. "Where's…" The words died in her throat as her eyes fell to the couch. Aiden was sprawled out with his head slanted and lower jaw parted as he snored. "Flattering."
"To be fair, it is two in the morning." Valerie walked to his side, gently jabbing with a claw in the stomach.
"Aiden?" Her usually stoic voice was always softer towards her mate. The charizard only repositioned himself a little and the snoring continued. "Aiden…"
"I'll go get a bucket of water." Nathan said, running the sleep from his eyes. She cut a glare towards him as if daring him to do so. "Joking."
"Uh huh. I'd like to see you try." Anyone else might have been put off by her, but the subtle grin wasn't unnoticed by her trainer. "Aiden… wake up." The fire-type's eyelids blinked open, and for a second, Aiden squinted as he tried to make sense of what was going on.
But it only lasted for a second. "Valerie!" He sprung up as though he hadn't been asleep at all, slamming into her full force as the flame on his tail blazed to life. Valerie didn't even budge as she laughed.
"You couldn't even stay awake for my return?" she asked. Aiden looked down in embarrassment.
"I…" He glanced over towards Nathan. "It's not my fault! He and Mom cooked a really good dinner, and—"
"Hey, don't try to bring me into this," the human stated.
"You could've kept me awake!"
"Tried."
"Both of you hush," Valerie said. "Where's Adira?"
"Asleep. She was pretty tired after today's training session." She looked at him in disbelief.
"Tired? From her little workout with Nora?"
"No. The one after that." Val paused for a moment, then shook her head.
"That's right. Today's Friday…"
"Exactly."
"Well, I'd say we join her. I'm pretty beat myself," she stated. Valerie gripped Aiden by his horns and pulled his maw to hers. After they parted, she gave him an almost ravenous look. "You're coming with me."
"Ugh."
"Be quiet, Nathan."
"I'm hoping you two will tonight…" He started towards his own bedroom before pausing. "Good to have you here, Val. Even if it is only for a few days."
Aaron and Nora had retrieved their rations for the week and went about storing them in the kitchen. In the living room, Brooke nudged Krista and whispered something, causing the audino to laugh. Following her talk with Marcus, things had been better for the water-type. She seemed different from before – actually happy, not that faux grin she had worn before. The same, for some reason, couldn't be said about Aster, who had insisted on staying in his ball the last couple of days and wanted to avoid conversation each time it was initiated.
Nora went about boiling the rice while he grabbed the spices she demanded from the cabinet. She had experimented with different types here and there, managing to make what would have otherwise been the same dish every night into something novel each time. Of course, he wondered how long that could last. It was true that one didn't know what they had until it was gone. Access to any kind of food, like all conveniences of the prior world, was no different. Nora looked back at him, noticing him staring, and cocked her head. "Everything okay?" she asked.
"More than okay." He walked up and hugged her from behind, his hands meeting themselves around her midsection. Nora relaxed in his embrace, sighing in content as his fingers rubbed into her fur. There may have been differences between her and his species, but more than a few of those he had come to enjoy. She turned her head and was about to bring their lips together but froze when she looked to the side.
"Don't mind me," Brooke said, leaning against one of the chairs.
"Holy shit!" Aaron stammered. "Little stealth artist…" She smirked at his comment.
"Just act like I'm not here. Or you could, you know… get a room."
"Brooke, what the hell?!" Nora replied.
"Alright, alright!" the floatzel said, holding her hands up. "…Should I at least bring some candles? Some rose petals? Oh, maybe some of that scented massage oil—"
"Alright, that's enough out of you," Aaron said.
"Yeah, you just killed it," Nora replied. The floatzel grinned triumphantly.
A/N: Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.