Chapter Thirty-Seven: Meltdown
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Aaron murmured as the zombies downed him before he could reload his weapon. As red encompassed the screen, the sight of a deteriorating absol racing around, as if still searching for a target, was the last thing he saw. He was getting better at the game – a week of doing nothing but playing Darian's console would do that – but he still had yet to actually complete the missions on this map.
The door swung open, smacking the stopper on the wall much louder than necessary. Both he and Nora jumped at the noise. "I… didn't mean for that to be so loud…" He nodded, returning his focus to the screen. Aaron was about to start up another game when the typhlosion sat beside him on the bed. An almost indifferent glance was cast her way.
"Something up?"
"Yeah, a bit," she answered. "Look, I know this is hard on all of us… but it's been a week, Aaron…"
"Mhm." The words meant little to him, though they did come as a surprise. It wasn't like he was keeping track of the days anymore. Aaron was about to continue the game when she gently took the controller and set it down.
"And ignoring the issue and pretending like everything's okay isn't helping."
"Not much we can do about it." She cut a glare towards him and folded her arms. If she didn't look so adorable when angry, he might have even taken the gesture seriously.
"You know that isn't true. We should be out there – fighting this. Not… killing fake monsters."
"Zombies."
"Whatever." Aaron finally managed to look at her, though he wasn't about to budge.
"So you want us to go out there and fight, even though we both know damn well that there's no beating him… all for what? So we can give Sofia the points, only for her to get absolutely embarrassed in front of the world?"
"Well if that's the case, at least we'll go down swinging – and not hiding in our house like a bunch of cowards." Any other time, he would have been insulted by the accusation. Right now, he couldn't care less.
"There's no beating him. We shouldn't have gotten involved with this shit to begin with."
"I can't believe you right now. Are you seriously going to just wallow around in your pity for the rest of your life?"
"Maybe. Sounds like a good idea right about now." He wasn't in the mood for this. Not today – not ever. "Besides, don't you have a lesson to get ready for? You know, from the literal legendary that you think any of us have a chance of stopping?"
"We won't have a chance of stopping her if we sit here in this house," Nora snapped. "I don't know if it's dawned on you, Aaron, but none of us exactly like what we just heard. But you're the only one acting like a complete child over it. The single person who has to do the least in these fights refuses to get off his ass!"
"Then go," he said impartially. "You guys want to get out there and fight again? Want to waste your time just for us to watch Nathan and his friends roll through Unova anyways? Fucking go for it. Nobody in there exactly needs me."
"I need you!" she snapped. There was a silence between them as Aaron sighed. He wasn't exactly being helpful, but he wasn't sure what to do anymore, either. Nora softened her stance after the outburst, seemingly regretting it. But then again, Aaron hadn't been particularly useful ever since he learned the truth.
"I'm… sorry," he said. "I'm not trying to be a pain in the ass right now, I just… I don't know what to do."
"…I'm sorry I snapped at you," the typhlosion said with a sigh. "We're all so… confused right now. I need you with us… wherever that happens to be." Aaron gripped the controller, closed his eyes, and pressed the central button. The console turned off.
"Alright, fine. Guess you're calling the shots now, huh?" She playfully narrowed her eyes.
"Wasn't I always?" Aaron smiled, preparing a response when Marcus walked into the bedroom. The lucario folded his arms.
"I'm not interrupting something, am I?"
"Nothing as important as your little workout sessions with Brooke," Aaron retorted. "What's up?"
"Sofia's here."
The two teams gathered around the table. Sofia had recently learned of the hologram projecting feature within the PDA; aside from being pretty cool, it provided a useful and interactive display for briefings. If only it weren't showing what it was right now…
Omega was about to take Unova. There was no other explanation for it. Hundreds upon hundreds of airships were stationed throughout camps surrounding the metropolitan area. Mistralton had only been a small part of the plan – maybe even a diversion as he lined the southern portion of the region, too. Nathan surrounded them on all sides, and right now, it didn't look like this was something he was allowing trainers to stop. The room filled with dread as they realized that, while Omega had made all regions dependent upon them for necessities like water, food and power, he was about to politically take the region. Once he did the same for Kanoma, Nathan would have successfully managed to capture the entire planet. He had won.
Aaron still hadn't informed Sofia about Alexander's true identity. Did she have a right to know? She wasn't nearly so familiar with Nathan and his team as Aaron's group was – to the point where they had stayed at his house numerous times, their pokémon telling stories of past adventures into the early hours of the morning. But she was his greatest ally, maybe even the only other human he trusted in this fight.
"So what's the plan?" she asked. "Because other than going to Mistralton, I have none."
"I guess that's a start," Aaron said, zooming into the holographic display. The mission site, once again, was around the town hall. They couldn't stop an invasion, but they could further progress their odds of securing Sofia's spot in that final fight. That's what was so terrifying about it, too: Nathan had easily predicted the other two dissenters. He had known that Clay and Elesa would rise to face him in the battles for humanity and had planned accordingly. Elesa, for all her mastery of electricity, stood no chance against General Surge – a man who had been a gym leader prior to her very birth. A man who had seen and strategized warfare, running Unova's own army for over a decade before he was replaced as Secretary of the Army by someone who politically aligned with the newly elected president in 2012. She was doomed to lose that fight the moment it had been decided.
As for the 'Wes' character, Aaron wasn't exactly sure who that was referring to. That was too common a name to mean anything at face value, and it definitely wasn't the senator who had been pronounced dead nearly a year ago. Whoever that happened to be, though, Aaron was certain that Nathan had picked another battle that was advantageous for him. In the chance that Clay did manage to win, though, that meant one terrifying thing: whoever the last dissenter was would be facing Nathan.
If that happened to be Sofia, then she had a right to know who she was going against. If not, then he felt no need to relive what he had last week.
"We don't have much else we can do," Chloe said. The noivern's wings dropped as she leaned against the wall. "If he's going to storm the region, eleven of us aren't going to cut it. We need to focus on the one thing we can fight."
"Sounds good. We probably—" A knock at the door caught everyone's attention. Wynette, being closest to it, peeked out the window – only to find nobody there.
"You guys heard that too, right?" she asked.
"Might be the duplex upstairs," Aaron said. On more than one occasion, he had come to the door when apartment inspections or package deliveries were occurring for his neighbors. Wynette took her spot by Pierce as the trainers looked over the Mistralton site once again. At this point, there were less than a dozen trainers still carrying on the fight against Omega within Unova. From what he had heard, Kanoma was only doing mildly better, their champion being one of the prospective trainers for that last slot. But combining Aaron and Sofia's points would easily overcome his total. Aaron only wondered if Sofia actually was ready for that fight – ready to lose in front of the planet, just as he had lost so handily to Nathan each time they had fought.
A second knock at their door. Everyone glanced at each other, a look of annoyance on most faces present. There was no doubting it now: someone was screwing with them. Aaron got up this time, opening the door and looking out. No one in sight; the apartment complex was as barren as it had been the past few months. Well, minus the few squatters who had taken residence in some of the buildings. But nobody was near the porch or the street.
Aaron returned to his seat, all focus towards the previous conversation lost. Eleven pokémon were ready to fight. And that's when the knocking resumed – a loud pounding that sounded as though the door could get knocked off its hinges at any moment. Nora slung the door open, ready to strike the aggressor when a gust of wind blew through the house. Leaves from the untrimmed bushes blew in as everyone shielded their eyes and readied their attacks.
"Might want to close the door," a voice said from their living room. There were more than a few groans of annoyance. "Wouldn't want to let a fly in, now would we? I may be courageous, powerful – and splendidly attractive – but I must admit, bugs do terrify me so."
"What do you want and why are you on my couch?" Aaron asked. Krista snickered as he kicked one leg over another, reclining as though he lived here.
"I believe the better question is what do you want, Aaron? Hmm?" A frown set on the trainer's face. "Especially after, well… you know…"
"What is he talking about?" Sofia asked. Her team looked at Aaron, each expecting an answer just as much as their trainer. Zak cocked his head, his mouth falling agape and revealing glistening teeth.
'Ohhh, the plot thickens. You sly boy – you haven't told her, have you?' The voice rang through his head, somewhere between accusatory and thrilled. 'Tell Krista to throw some of that popcorn in the microwave – I've got a great view from here.'
"…I had a bit of a mental breakdown last week," he said, knowing that she wouldn't push beyond that. His eyes never left Zak's, who seemed almost disappointed by Aaron's hesitation. 'How the hell do you know about that?'
'I know everybody important around Unova, pal. And I'm a sucker for drama – all good performers are. And you, my friend, happened to get right in the midst of it.' The zoroark stood up, clapping his hands together. "Anyways, I come bearing news, both good and bad. Which would you kids like to hear first?" If there was one thing Aaron could ever thank Zak for, it was speaking up before it became apparent a private mental conversation was taking place.
"…I really don't think we can handle any more bad news," Nora said.
"Alright then," Zak said. "Well, judging by your PDA activity lately, it would seem as though you silly kids would like to contest us in Mistralton."
"Yeah, no shit," Brooke said.
"Well, we'll be headed out this afternoon, so pack your bags. You'll be staying at the flower shop for the time being."
"Yeah, I think I'll pass," Aaron said. "We're fine here."
"See, about that…" Zak opened the blinds, staring south towards the faint pyramid in the distance. "That's kind of the bad news. You're probably not going to want to be anywhere close to here in a few days…"
"…What now?" Nora asked.
"You see, as nice as these apartments are… a few of them kind of have to go."
"What?!" Aaron asked.
"Yeah… rather unfortunate, isn't it? Yours should be fine since it was here prior to the development of thirty-nine."
"That was thirteen years ago," Sofia said.
"Great! We can do math! Also, it came at the cost of twenty-two bodies, but you didn't learn about that in elementary school, did you?" Zak asked. "Aside from those, the pokémon that your people took this very land from are all still very much alive. Had it not been for our invasion, I'd wager the Desert Resort wouldn't last another decade. It's about time we set some indisputable borders." His crystal eyes fell towards the krookodile. "Isn't that right, Pierce?" There was no response from the ground-type.
"So you're going to knock down people's homes?"
"Well it's not like they have nowhere to go. There are plenty of vacancies throughout the city now, especially once people ran for the hills. Your roommate was a prime example of that. We've been very adamant about finding a place for everyone, so you need not worry. And I think it's awfully unfair to say we're knocking down people's homes when we only wish to return the land to its rightful owners."
"That's just great," Nora stated. "Really, this is the last thing we needed right about now."
"Like I said, this apartment should be fine. But I wouldn't want to be within a mile of this place once we liberate the desert dwellers."
"Whatever. You guys can crash at our place when all that happens." Sofia's house was much more likely to be able to house six more people than that flower shop.
"Suit yourself. But we are going to visit Vivian for a few days, though. She's cooking for everyone, you see, and it would be quite rude to abandon an expecting hostess. Especially such a nice one."
"Almost as rude as making plans for someone else without their consent?"
"Mmm, not exactly. You all were headed towards Mistralton anyways, right? So we did you a little favor, Blondie. And plus, I'll even be staying for dinner tonight."
"Is that supposed to encourage us to stay?" Marcus asked.
"Oh, come on, pup! Look at all we've been through together. There was the power plant, that night by the campfire, the fight where we all teamed up and took down a few pesky insects within Omega..."
"Yeah, what happened after that, anyways?" Aaron questioned. "You attacked your own that night."
"Correction: we weeded out some parasites that Zadoc had led astray. He was willing to wipe your people out and start anew. As you might guess, he and Alexander did not exactly see eye-to-eye." The mention of that name made Aaron's blood run cold. Nora took his hand, rubbing it comfortingly and leaning her head against him.
"Then what?" Sofia asked the question this time.
"Well, they had a nice little chat, mostly with their fists, and Zadoc got some impromptu dental work. If I recall correctly, as of last week he doesn't need to drink his food through a straw. It's safe to say he's no longer calling any shots." The thought of Nathan doing that to someone was unthinkable. But after their own fight, and despite the older trainer's hesitation, Aaron wasn't really sure what he was capable of anymore. Whatever the case, Zadoc must have really done something to piss him off if that was the outcome. "Anyways, I'd imagine everyone won't take long to pack. Let's get this show on the road in half an hour." Nobody had a witty response for the zoroark.
Once Aaron's team was ready to leave, Zak helped them pack the trunk. The dark-type was hard to pin down, and none of them ever seemed to know if they could trust him or not. Something told Aaron that Zak knew about this and enjoyed the constant mind games. "I don't see any airships around. How the hell did you get here?" He grinned, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. A sleek, black and red sports car was parked on the side of the street, one that made several jaws drop. It was worth more than what Aaron would ever make in a decade.
"No fucking way," he said. "You can't be serious." He pulled out a pair of keys and spun them around on a single claw.
"How the hell did a zoroark get that?" Sofia asked.
"About that… we happened to free Central and South America from the cartels a year ago. This happened to belong to a particular drug lord who managed to evade us until a few months ago, hiding in his little rat cave while we freed the region from his tyranny. As you can probably tell, money doesn't exactly work anymore, and there aren't really any people on the market for sports cars, soooo…" Zak's eyes fell towards the lucario. "You want shotgun?"
"No."
"Screw it, I'm in!" Krista said, earning several disapproving glances. "What? This is the only chance I'll ever have to ride in something like that."
"Come on, pup. Live a little. I happen to be a great driver." Marcus lowered his head and sighed. Nevertheless, he and Brooke joined Krista by the car.
"…You're joking." Sofia shook her head as they got inside the sleek vehicle.
"Nope! Heck, if things were normal right now, I might even have a driver's license…" Before anyone could protest – or get out of the car, for that matter – Zak rushed to the driver seat with an annoying cackle, locking the doors and revving up the engine. It sounded like a damn jet was about to take off right by their driveway. Aaron rolled his eyes and got in his own vehicle.
There wasn't much that surprised him about Zak. Not at this point. What he didn't expect, though, was to pull up beside them at a stoplight and see that window lower. Both the zoroark and his audino looked towards Aaron and grinned, each wearing aviators. He stared at them, not sure what to make of the situation.
"I've corrupted them!" Zak yelled over the noise. "They've joined the fun side now!"
"Alright." Like Krista needed any corrupting. He stared at the road, tempted to run the red light. Wasn't like there were any cars coming from either direction, anyways. The roads were fairly empty today, and that fact seemed to encourage a really, really bad idea within the zoroark. He punched the gas a few times, making the sports car roar in short spurts. "Not a chance in hell."
"I'll go easy on ya." Through the tinted windows, Aaron could make out the sight of Marcus and Brooke starting to panic. The trainer shook his head as Nora clenched his hand. "Come onnnn – I heard you tore up the streets a week ago. Let me see some of that action!"
"Aaron… no." Nora looked at him with concern.
"Aaron, yes!" Krista added.
"No worries. I'd like to make it to Mistralton in one piece." Once the light turned, he proceeded at a normal speed, glancing in the rearview mirror as the car trailed behind – as if he were waiting on Aaron to change his mind. Once it became clear that he wouldn't, Zak drifted up beside him. He looked towards Aaron, shrugged, and gunned it.
"What an idiot…" Aster mumbled.
"That 'idiot' has half my team in his car…"
Aaron leaned against the wall and dropped the axe, panting for breath as he looked at the pile. Marcus and Pierce carried the split logs towards the fireplace up front. It seemed that Zak had disappeared as soon as there was any work to be done – apparently he 'had to make a call.' At this point, he wasn't sure if the zoroark was escorting them or keeping tabs on them. Probably a bit of both.
"You head inside and get cleaned up," the lucario said. "We've got things from here." Aaron nodded and headed inside. Vivian was helped by several of the other female pokémon as they put the finishing touches on dinner. Once Aaron stepped through the doorway, Nora stopped chopping vegetables and approached him. She nearly hugged him but paused.
"…Ew. You're sweaty…"
"Yeah, no shit."
"Could've sent Silenus out there, you know…" Aaron shook his head.
"We needed them split, not turned into woodchips."
"Yeah, what's that for, anyways?" Krista asked the middle-aged flygon. Instead, her daughter replied.
"We're having a bonfire. We even have marshmallows!" The audino pumped her fist. Aaron rolled his eyes, ready to step into the shower, when Krista spoke up.
"Today's been awesome! First Zak shows up and now this?"
"You seem awfully taken by a zoroark who tried to beat Marcus up six months ago…" Aaron stated.
"Well can you blame him?" Krista countered. That much was understandable; Krista wouldn't ever pass the opportunity to give one of her family members a hard time. The fact that it had happened in broad daylight for the world to see – and to someone who was more than a bit prideful of his abilities – only made it better. "Plus, he's really funny."
"I'll admit, Zak does sing to his own tune," Vivian murmured.
"He's a massive pain in the ass," Sofia retorted, only for Lily to chip in as though she'd known the zoroark for years.
"That's just how you know he likes ya."
"Speaking of singing," the audino continued, "is he singing solo? Or is he in a duet?"
"Sorry to say, sweety, but Zak's very happily spoken for." Krista huffed in annoyance at Vivian's words.
"…Today's less awesome…" Aaron looked at her in disbelief. While it wasn't exactly surprising that she would state her thoughts without any inhibitions, he wasn't exactly believing the words that came out of her mouth, either.
"Really? What happened to the 'food is the only company I'll ever need' audino?"
"I don't know – maybe she's gone on a trip with the Aaron who wouldn't even consider dating a pokémon!"
"In any case," Nora interrupted, "what Aaron needs to consider now is a shower. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, so hurry up." Aaron rolled his eyes, but then a devious grin stretched across his face. Nora shrieked as he hugged her from behind, making sure to grab her tightly.
"Alright, babe. Love you."
Everything was almost in order for the final push three days from now. This had gone on long enough; the final three dissenters would have their shot all the same, but Unova and Kanoma would both fall. Their time in the sun had long passed, and with both of their governments in hiding, silent from the very beginning, he doubted little would change. Still, Nathan and Surge had reasoned, they would put up a fight. But with every single military base having been leveled, he doubted that fight would be significant. With the collapse of these two regions, Omega would finally have retained political control of the planet.
And yet here he was, the very leader of that force, loading weapons like any other common member of the group. That is, until a pink feline landed on his shoulders, propping her front half over his head. "Hey Genesis."
"You're sad," she said, her voice devoid of its usual playfulness.
"Not nearly as sad, now that you're here." Nathan stopped what he was doing and reached up, pulling the mew over his head. She grinned as he held her upside down. But once he returned it, hers fell.
"That's not a real smile," the mew said with a frown. "What's going on? Why are you sad?" Nathan sighed.
"A friend and I had a bit of a falling out. Turns out we don't see eye-to-eye on this whole thing."
"But aren't we saving the world?" she asked in confusion.
"That's our view, but it isn't shared by many of the people in Unova or Kanoma."
"Wha—so they think we're the bad guys?" Genesis seemed to be unable to process this. Then again, she was simply a juvenile.
"I'm not sure what all they think anymore. Just when I think I've got them figured out, they bomb bridges or burn their own cities down. I cannot predict the chaos in man's heart… or the desire for absolute autonomy above all else." He shook his head; some of these things were still a bit ahead of her time. He put more effort behind his smile this time. "But then little rays of sunlight like you come along, and I just know that everything will be better." Genesis breamed happily and hugged him.
"Oh! Speaking of sunlight – the bright guy wants to speak to you." Nathan laughed.
"You mean Necrozma? Did he say what for?"
"Nope!"
"Huh, alright."
It didn't take Nathan long to find the legendary, both from the fact that he knew the camp layout by heart and due to the radiance with which he shone. Adira kissed his cheek and took Genesis for the time being as he approached the three regal creatures, kneeling before he raised his head. Soliera was with them.
"Something is terribly wrong," Zekrom said. Nathan turned his head slightly.
"Everything's gone perfectly according to plan. In just a few days, both Unova and Kanoma will fall," Nathan stated. "So what could be wrong?"
"We do not know," Reshiram added. "But there is a grave threat hiding somewhere. We believe it would be best to remain back for the time being."
"What could possibly be a threat to us? We have dismantled the world's toughest militaries, taken over all but two regions, and we have suits that can stop all but the strongest artillery. There's nothing left for them to throw at us." He glanced towards Soliera who nodded in agreement. Waiting, especially when they were so close, seemed absurd. But Nathan looked down. He was still nothing more than another fallible mortal in a fallen world. "And yet… I trust the faintest intuition from you all over the summation of all human knowledge. If you ask for me to wait, then I will wait." Zekrom and Reshiram, the two from where all of this started, smiled upon hearing this. However, they were alone in that regard.
"I… I don't understand…" Soliera stated. "This makes no sense. They have nothing to fight us with. This is impractical."
"Since when has any of this been about practicality?" Nathan asked. "Zadoc was a practical man. Omega strives to do what is right, not what is easy or convenient. Our goal is to show the world how to submit to something greater. How can I rightfully claim that while not doing so myself?"
"Very well." The three legendaries remained silent as they spoke.
"You don't seem very convinced," Nathan added. The recon squad leader sighed.
"Forgive me. I do not mean to be cynical…"
"Please, speak your mind."
"…But this concept of faith is still very new to us. Perhaps it is because we have lived under people like Zadoc for so long."
"I understand," Nathan said. "But you chose to side with me against him. I think that's because you know things are better this way. When we aren't the ones calling the shots or dictating what's right and wrong. We aren't smart enough for that."
"I suppose you're right." Soliera looked out over the camp, seeing thousands of people in this division alone with full intentions of ending a war in a few days. Yet some of those very soldiers, several decades ago, had helped them hunt Necrozma like a dog. "This makes little sense to me, but… I have seen your motives and your compassion. It is clear to me that you have something that we do not. I would not have spared Zadoc had I been in your place – a threat that great to my own position and life. But… perhaps that is why you were chosen by them. And since you have saved our race from extinction… I trust in your faith over our calculations." With that, she bowed her head towards the legendaries, still avoiding Necrozma's gaze, and headed back towards her tent.
The fire crackled as everyone sat around with empty plates at their feet. Aaron held a metal skewer over the flames along with a few others, grateful for the fact that something so sticky was much easier to clean off of bare skin rather than fur. Every so often, his eyes would dart towards the zoroark. Zak carried on as if those around him were his best friends – and not a couple of teams ready to oppose his own organization tomorrow. Everything about the situation seemed warped to Aaron.
"So," Zak announced, "we're going to have a little heart-to-heart."
"Zak, don't harass the poor kids…" Vivian said.
"I would never do such a thing," Zak replied, though everyone was certain he very well would. "So I have a question for our human friends here: what lead to you becoming trainers?" For a conversation starter, he had touched on a heavier topic. "Any volunteers to start us off? Maybe you, Blondie?"
"My name is Sofia."
"And mine is Zak!" She scoffed at his witty response and shook her head.
"Why would you expect us to open up to you? This just… none of this is right. You can act as nice as you want, but at the end of the day, you're still on their side. You aren't our friend." There was a pause. Even if what she said was true, Aaron glanced towards her. That was harsh, even given the situation.
"First of all… that's not nice. You're not very trusting, are you? Tell me: is it because I'm a dark-type?" Pierce and Wynette shot an unamused glance towards each other, then back towards the zoroark. "Second, why is it that you think that I'm your enemy? Everyone else seems to have gotten with the program – more or less. Why are you determined to be so mean? Though I suppose that given how you treated Nora, you have quite a bit of practice…" Aaron's mouth fell open. What seemed to be an innocent, weird as it may be, conversation had now drifted into something far more uncomfortable.
"H-how do you—"
"Like I said, I know everyone. And if I wanted to be an ass, I could delve into that little topic more. But what I really want to know is what makes you get up in the morning, ready to risk your freedom to go out there and fight. Or… send your pokémon out there, I guess. What drives you?"
"Fine. You want to know why I became a trainer? Why I actually strive for greatness? It's because of my parents." Those were the last words anyone expected to hear. Judging by the expressions of Sofia's own pokémon, it came as a surprise to them, too.
"Do elaborate. Last I checked, daddy was a pretty successful banker."
"Yeah – before you and your friends destroyed all that. But that wasn't all he was. Or Mom, for that matter. Especially her…" Sofia clenched her fist as she spat the venomous words. For a moment, the trainer seemed more intimidating a force than any of the pokémon around her. "She worked at the Nuvema lab, back when Juniper was running it, and had one of the best damn teams Unova had ever seen. She didn't really have much interest in getting into the competitive scene. At least, not at first. But she got really good at it over the years. Her and Dad met at the Battle Subway before its leaders disappeared. He was a rich kid from Castelia with more money than he could ever spend the second he was born. They fought, and… from what I heard, it went on nearly half an hour." Aaron shook his head. That was an incredibly long battle, even for a six versus six.
"What happened?" Zak said, his voice truly interested and engaged. She spoke as though he had not been the one to make her snap just a few moments ago.
"They were more focused on each other than the fight. She won… and I wish she had just walked away. But she didn't. She stayed, they talked, and…" Sofia shook her head.
"It sounds to me like you regret your parents ever meeting…" Zak folded his arms. For once, he wasn't about to crack a joke or reply with a backhanded insult.
"…I don't hate my life, if that's what you're implying," Sofia stated. "But… they got married. Mom walked this region alongside Unova's hero – the very guy that gained Reshiram's trust and took down Plasma. And then she just… settled. She could have been the champion – she could have beaten Iris. Instead, she gets married and leaves all of it behind for a 'new adventure.' To become a fucking parent." She paused, contemplating if she should go on. Maybe she felt that they all deserved to know the truth.
"She and Dad released their teams so they could move into his mansion and accomplish nothing with their lives. So that Dad could spend only a few hours at home per week, always needing to make more fucking money for some reason, while Mom still works as a lab assistant. At least, before this..." She thrust her hand towards the cars. "Look, I know that I was born into all that, but do you think I wanted any of it? Do you think I wanted private tutors, or chefs, or cars or a damn mansion? Or do you think I wanted a father during that time? Or a mother who didn't castrate her entire life's ambitions just because she fell in love?" Nobody said a word. Sofia shook her head, blonde hair falling over her face as she did so.
"I'm sorry, Sofia." For once, Zak actually used her name. "I imagine they did what they thought was best for you."
"Everywhere I go, people only think I accomplished anything because of who my parents are. And they're right – all for except one thing. This team was the only thing I ever did by myself. They threw private tutors and expert trainers in front of me – we beat them. We did that on our own. As for me… taking down Iris was the only way I could prove that. But now there's a bigger challenge at hand – and that's the one we're going for." Aaron's eyebrows raised, his hands locked under his chin in contemplation. The marshmallow, long forgotten, had completely burned off a skewer glowing red-hot.
"I'm glad you got that off your chest," Zak said. "While I won't make some sort of perfectly timed joke, I will ask you to do one thing."
"And what would that be?" She didn't even look up to acknowledge him.
"Please… make things right with them. One day you'll wake up and they won't be in the picture anymore. That day could be fifty years from now… or it could be tomorrow. But whenever it comes… you don't want to look back and regret how things were between you when they passed. I promise you – it's a heavy burden to carry. Heavier than I would wish on my worst enemy." Maybe he still had some hard feelings against her over Nora, but Aaron could at least understand now. From his peripheral, he saw the zoroark act subtly, wiping his eyes while everyone stared awkwardly towards the fire. Had anyone questioned it, he might have blamed it on the smoke. Aaron wondered, though, if the zoroark spoke from personal experience. Deciding to return the favor from earlier, Aaron spoke up.
"I didn't have a good reason. My team had just won regionals and I was allowed to choose a starter. I picked Aster and decided it might be fun to see what all the hype was about with the whole trainer thing. We got Pierce, then Krista. Marcus came a year later – right after I graduated high school." He released a held breath. "As much as I hate to admit, I've got a lot in common with your parents, Sofia." The female trainer finally managed to look up upon hearing that. "We were really good, but… I quit when I saw how strong the competition was getting. I ended our league challenge not too long after we got all the badges, and I hurt Pierce and Marcus like that. We could have challenged Iris too, but… I got scared. College gave me an excuse – you know just as well as I do that the whole trainer thing can't really pay the bills. If your win-loss ratio is one-to-one, then you're wasting time. So instead, I said that I was going to tutor other trainers – and then nearly failed out my first year because I was more focused on drinking and partying."
"So what happened?" He was curious as to whether or not Zak already knew the answer. Something told Aaron that he did.
"…Nathan." That name almost hurt coming from his mouth.
"What did he do?" Sofia asked. He wondered if this was it – if this is when he should reveal the secret. But in the end, Aaron couldn't bring himself to do so.
"He paid for me to take the course again. Tutored me in basic chemistry even though he had a PhD in nuclear. We became friends, and then…" He shook his head. Not tonight. "I thought of him as an older brother. Someone who always had the answer to everything, you know?" Sofia nodded, looking back towards the fire. "But I guess I didn't like some of those answers…"
A/N: Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.