Chapter Thirty-Nine: Faded Light
Omega swarmed Unova in the days that followed Nathan's most recent speech, scouring every building in search of the hiding president to no success. Not yet, at least. Morale was low, with Nathan's being the lowest. He was their leader, and he felt like he had failed thousands of them. He had sought to bring peace to Unova after decades of political strife and violence. Instead, this conquest had directly brought nuclear warheads to their backyard.
That time passed him by as a haze, with only periodic moments throughout which Nathan actually recognized himself as conscious. One of those moments was at camp when one of the soldiers began cooking. Adira rubbed his shoulders as he stared blankly towards the city. He hardly felt the gesture. "How is Genesis?" he asked, trying in vain to mask the brokenness in his voice.
'She is scared. Everyone is. Mostly, she is scared for you.'
"For me?" He was the last person to be concerned with right now. There were countless people in hundreds of hospitals that were far more deserving of It than him. "Why?"
'Because you are not well, and it shows. You have never been good at hiding your feelings.' That much he could agree with. The latias continued, though Nathan wished she hadn't. 'She is asking when Solgaleo will return. I… do not know what to say to her…' He squinted his eyes shut. The otherwise intimidating legendary always had a soft spot for her, too, after his mate had taken it upon herself to constantly tend to Genesis' every need.
"I don't know…" he concluded. "I never imagined anything like this. I don't know how to tell her…" He always had a multitude of backup plans for every scenario. Only, not this time. Unova nuking itself – after he had presumably obtained all the warheads across the planet – was not something that ever entered his mind. A world without Solgaleo wasn't something he foresaw, either.
Rations sizzled on the hot plate as numerous soldiers crowded around. He had been offered first servings multiple times, and Adira had even demanded that he eat something. But appetite had left him for several days now, with Nathan being lucky if he could stomach a few bites per day. 'Please,' Adira asked again, 'You have hardly touched food in a week. You need to eat.'
"What I need is to find that pathetic excuse for a human being before he can hurt anyone else." Nevertheless, his eyes fell to the hot plate after his wife had insisted once again. Artificial meat had been rehydrated and was cooking. Though it was lab-grown, it had become a delicacy in a dying world due to the expenses associated with the process. At least, when compared to the manufacturing of simpler rations. He had eaten it numerous times before, amazed that the taste was incredibly similar to that of naturally obtained meat. But there was something new that he learned that day.
Red meat, when cooking, smelled very similar to that of burnt human flesh.
Immediately the scarce contents of his stomach worked their way to the back of his throat. Nathan stumbled towards the trees before throwing up violently, tears being jerked from his eyes as that stench worked its way back into his mind. He felt Adira's sorrowful pull on his mind, stronger than her hand on his back. The latias tried to soothe his fracturing heart as he sobbed like a child. Like Genesis would once she learned the truth.
Nathan never ate red meat again.
A shower of light rained down on the Altar of the Sunne, shining orbs illuminating the dark sky. The whole world seemed quiet, though most did not know what had happened. Lunala was the perfect picture of hysteria, wings crumbled over herself as she planted her face to Solgaleo's body. Today, after all, was the last time she would see her mate in this life. Nathan had bitter streams down his cheeks, feeling the pain well up within his chest. It wasn't as potent as hers, but the dead legendary had been his friend. More than that, even; the word hardly did justice to a being who could see into his own soul, who knew him inside and out. It was Solgaleo who, following Reshiram and Zekrom, had helped him begin Omega's conquest. As far as Nathan was concerned, he had stumbled upon the corpse of a family member a week ago. Someone so proud and regal in life, and yet, he was about to be laid to rest like any mortal creature. Many of the Alolan pokémon looked towards the altar, gazing silently at the scene from afar and mindfully keeping their distance.
There was that deathly silence in the air. Nathan had the benefit – if he could even call it that – of knowing what would come next. They had pushed the date to its very limit, and as Lunala mourned for her mate, Necrozma solemnly stood ready. Ready to ask that one painful question. One that, given her lifespan, would be comparable to asking a human woman if she wanted to donate her husband's organs seconds after his passing.
Over the legendary's sobs, Necrozma's gentle voice gave the atmosphere the tiniest amount of warmth.
"Lunala…"
"I-I already… know," she stammered. "It… it would not be him…"
"I am sorry..." She squinted her eyes shut. There were no tears that such a being could shed, and as such, seeing her break down was unlike anything Nathan would have imagined. Just like Solgaleo dying. "It pains me to rush such a matter," the golden dragon began again, "but I fear our time has run out…" Lunala pressed her head against the fallen legendary's mane, her back rising and falling rapidly.
"…Do it," she said between her sobs. "Th-the world… needs a Solgaleo. He just… he won't be mine…" Necrozma brought one of his four wings to her, comforting his fellow legendary as his body began to radiate. Shimmering particles began to rise from Solgaleo's body, joining the stars in the early morning sky. A glow came from within his chest, and soon the matter began to collapse inward. A brief glint raced across his head as the flesh began to melt from his body, darkness finally consuming the fallen legendary. Nathan grit his teeth as he saw the skeleton became more and more visible, and eventually, it was all that was left aside from the growing mass within his ribcage. That too, joined the dark sphere, and with it, a flash of light overtook his vision. When he was finally able to see again, Nathan saw the result of the process.
Lunala reached down and scooped the newly-formed cosmog into her chest as she cried uncontrollably.
Among the hundreds of legendaries within Omega, Nathan had seen one of the most powerful off. He knew that Lunala would count the days until she would be reunited with her mate. Unfortunately for her, that number would be an impossibly high one. He, for one, was counting the hours until Ellis would be found. The Unovan president had taken over a million and a half lives with those three bombs, and one, Nathan would argue, that had been worth more than most of them combined. Zekrom placed a clawed hand on his shoulder as the two other humans stared him down from afar. Nathan felt that, while he wasn't particularly fond of his own species right about now, they of all people deserved to be there. Even as much as him. It was when they began walking towards him that Nathan regret that decision.
The glare on her eyes spoke far more than her words ever could. Lillie, grown and married to the one other trainer who had partnered with the fallen legendary, clenched her fists. "We should never have let him go with you!" she spat. "Are you happy now? Now that you've gotten my Nebbie killed?!" Nathan averted his gaze, instead looking towards the ground as though it had the answer.
"I… I never thought—" His words died in his throat. Solgaleo, like all the other legendaries, had made his choice in siding with Nathan. But he knew the pain she must have felt. After all, she had known the lion longer than him, even protecting him like her own child at one time. He couldn't hold the outburst against her.
"I don't care what your goals are," Lillie continued. "I don't care if you right every single wrong across this planet. I'll never forgive you for this." Elio grabbed her wrist as though to refrain her from striking Nathan. He understood – because he felt the same.
"I'm not sure I'll be able to forgive myself either…"
They left him alone after that. Lunala still clutched the new cosmog to her chest. He felt Adira's grief through their mental link, and when it came time for them to leave the scene and return to work, Nathan remembered something and sighed. Something trivial that he had not put the tiniest amount of thought towards since the bombs had fallen.
He doubted that he would ever suffer a worse birthday than this.
Nathan walked into the tent as the medics kept their meager pace, joining dozens of other onlookers outside. Had he not been so busy trying to keep a fractured Unova from breaking apart further, Nathan would have visited more often. Soliera, upon her own request, had been transported to Patagaza. Her bed was in an open tent overlooking the plateau, and tubes of all sorts were wired into what remained of her body. There was very little that wasn't covered with bandages or wrappings. A hologram near her showed a steady heartrate.
The somber truth had spread about, and he had overheard more than a few people talking about it. Soliera's condition had worsened. Everyone knew what her radiation levels meant. But nobody wanted to ask.
He stopped by her bed and sat in one of the chairs gathered around. Soliera looked over towards him, and had she still had lips, he imagined she would have smiled. A pathetic noise came from her throat – the best laugh she could manage in her current state.
"We held Necrozma in our reactor and took everything from him. We shattered his body in our greed, and now…" She shook her head, each word more strained than the last. "I deserve this. Every bit of it."
"No you don't. You weren't in charge – Zadoc was. You didn't lock him up or drain him. You only fell in line – just like your ancestors."
"Nathan…" She shook her head. "We both know… I could have stopped it. I could have let him go. But I didn't."
"But he's forgiven you…" The very being they spoke of was in the ball at his right side.
"Maybe. But my punishment here is just. I only regret that millions of others suffer alongside me." Nathan couldn't understand how she was so accepting of this – almost at peace with the fact that most of her flesh was falling off the very bone. Her eyes turned towards him again. It was an eerie sight, particularly after the lids had melted off, and he wished desperately that Xerneas would join them. That the embodiment of life itself would have made his presence known in this conflict. But nothing of the sort had happened; Xerneas' whereabouts remained unknown. "You have Necrozma with you, right?"
"Always." Ever since he had been restored to his former self, the golden dragon had not left Nathan's side.
"Let me see him." The legendary was released, and the giant dragon lowered himself to a prone position in order to see into the tent. Amidst his presence, the holographic display flickered. He glanced at Nathan, his red and blue eyes growing dim, and frowned as the human shook his head. "We finally found you after all that time," Soliera croaked.
"I am glad of it," Necrozma replied.
"I'm… I'm sorry we hunted you down like an animal. You saved our planet, and we… we took you for granted."
"I have already forgiven you." He looked towards the readings, seeing that they were stable. Her body looked anything but. "You were only following orders."
"Orders that I should have resisted. And because I didn't, you paid the price for it." There was a moment of silence among the people present. He wondered how much time there might be left – how many more labored breaths the machine hooked up to her could force out of her body. They had tried everything – every medical marvel they had created and every method of healing. But there was nothing left to heal; the DNA in her cells had been shredded apart by radiation. "It's… almost funny. Here I suffer the same way you must have."
"I would never have wished this upon any of your people," Necrozma said.
"I know. Because that's who you are. But… I wanted to see you again. You were the savior of our world, and we betrayed you. I'm sorry…" If her tear ducts were still there, Nathan imagined that she would be crying right now. Necrozma reached in and touched her cheek with the tip of his wing.
"I have loved your people, and I will continue to love them," the golden dragon replied.
"I know. You and Nathan," Soliera replied. She turned to face the human. "You are now the sole leader of our race. With you, they will achieve greater things than we could've ever imagined on our planet."
"Soliera…"
"I have made my decision. I see no one more capable for the role."
"Power has never been what I wanted," Nathan said. "That's why I've designated it to the legendaries…"
"It's for that very reason that I find you most qualified to wield it." She reached out, and after hesitating, Nathan took her hand. "Lead them. Continue to teach them your faith – our faith – and make sure they don't follow in the footsteps of our ancestors." He nodded, though he was unable to meet her bloodshot eyes.
"I will… I promise…"
"I know."
Soon after, an armored man respectfully entered the room, a few dozen others ready for deployment throughout the camp. "Sir… I apologize for entering so abruptly, but terrorists in Ramzaha are attacking one of our posts. We're ready to provide backup, but we need the portal…"
"Of course," Nathan said. Without changing his position, Necrozma formed the wormhole in the sky. Soliera grabbed his hand tighter.
"Go," she said. "Do what you do best. Save people."
"I think that might be ideal," one of the medics said. "You need your rest." Soliera nodded and let go of Nathan's hand.
"I'll be seeing you around, Nathan." Necrozma, upon his request, stayed by her side as Nathan embarked on the mission, and she drifted off as stability was restored to a war-torn region.
Soliera never woke up.
It was midway through October when Surge managed to deliver good news. The general walked briskly towards the command tent and stood in front of Nathan, his helmet held against his right side. "We found him." Nathan immediately stood up.
"Where?"
"A small base fifteen miles northeast of Humilau. The place is mostly underground – all but the missile silos."
"Even then, how didn't we find it before?"
"It wasn't there when I was the secretary of defense. Unova must have built it after Ghetsis, likely as a defense measure in case something so drastic ever happened again." Plasma's affront against the region had all but overwhelmed the government at the time, and Kyurem being used as a weapon to freeze entire cities over, killing tens of thousands, was certainly a threat to be guarded against. But even then, the very means Unova had used to protect itself had killed over a million of its own people. Nathan nodded, a spiteful look in his eyes, and gave the order.
"Tell everyone to suit up."
He joined his troops in the armory. The legendaries were scattered throughout the world on various missions, but the only one he needed was with him. Nathan got into his exosuit and grabbed a pistol – the sole lethal in their handheld arsenal.
Today, he was going to make a point.
The bunker was completely hidden from a view – small enough to evade their constant searches and even thermal satellite detection. But there was no doubt about it; the missile silos were tucked against the concrete, shrouded by the trees overhead. Nathan worked his way to the front of the airship and pressed a button, activating the microphone. "You're surrounded, Ellis. There's no way out. You can either walk out of that bunker… or I can have you ripped out. Your choice."
Alexander waited for a response. Necrozma's wings flapped outside as the airships waited for something, staring towards the missile silos as if waiting for flames to leap from within. This time, he was ready to stop any potential catastrophes before they could occur. Nathan folded his arms, growing tired of the silence as that steel door remained closed. "I'm not in a very patient mood today. Respond immediately or we're tearing you out of there." Part of him was savoring this; savoring the fact that the president and whatever other politicians were probably huddled together down there, terrified of what would become of them. And they should be terrified. "Have it your way." Nathan glanced over at Necrozma. "Plan B."
'As you wish.' The golden dragon focused for a moment before replying. 'There is a large room downstairs with many people inside.'
"That's it."
'Very well.' The air shook when Necrozma roared, spreading his massive wings as a radiant glow came from his body. The world went silent as the colossal beam scorched the ground, tearing through earth and stone as a wide hole spread in the ground. Fire jumped across the trees as Necrozma continued. Now the president would witness the very fires he had spread across this region.
The legendary stopped upon hitting a steel surface. There you are, Nathan thought. 'Rip it out of the ground.' Necrozma's eyes glowed as his wings became still, shaking the earth and pulling the bunker upward in a masterful act of telekinetic control. Nathan ordered the airships to surround the bunker as it landed on the ground, likely rattling everyone within, and headed towards the hatch.
Nathan motioned for the soldiers to rappel to the ground before activating the microphone again. "I could blow the door open, but that'd risk killing people inside. People who didn't have a say in what you did. So you're going to open it for me. Either you do it willingly… or Necrozma will start heating up those steel walls and turn that place into an oven from hell. We'll see how long you can take that." He was confident they wouldn't wait it out. Nobody with even the smallest amount of sanity would, and everyone had their limit. A few moments passed before the vault-like door pressed outward, massive latches unclasping as the mechanical lock began to open.
He joined his men on the ground, not feeling the need to wield his PDR with Necrozma landing in front of the sole entrance to the bunker. The legendary uttered a simple statement when it finally swung open. "Get out." Omega's personnel surrounded the entrance, aiming their weapons as the remnants of the Unovan government and their protective forces stepped out one by one.
"Drop your weapons," Nathan said as he approached the scene. Not that their smaller-caliber rifles would do anything, anyways. One of the secret service agents offered a death glare towards him, braver – or dumber – than the rest. Nathan walked past him and snatched the rifle, snapping it as he walked inside of the vault. The single person left inside was the one he had come for.
The president was only about fifteen years older than him, that having been a major factor – along with virtue signaling and left-wing politics – in winning his election. He was a few inches taller than Nathan, and his slick black hair had begun to show the slightest signs of gray in the absence of hair dye. Despite the state of the world, though, Ellis still wore his suit in an effort to convince himself that he was still important. Or relevant.
He certainly wouldn't be after today.
Nathan had recited what he wanted to say for this moment. But now that it was actually here, the words failed to come. Instead, he simply grabbed Ellis by the throat and shoved him towards the door. He led him towards one of the airships – away from everyone else who had been in the bunker. "Where are you taking me?" Ellis asked. He sounded as though he were trying to hide his fear. He failed on that account.
"I think a little one-on-one time is in order."
The agents could only watch at gunpoint as their president was hauled away.
Nathan landed in the middle of what had once been Altoma City. The airship ascended soon after they stepped off, both it and Necrozma drifting a respectable distance away. He had been adamant that it was just to be the two of them. Nathan stepped towards a broken wall, any letters that had been engraved on its surface smoothened over by the nuclear blast. "I wanted you to take a good look at what you've done," Nathan finally said. "This charred earth is the last you will ever see of Unova."
"You don't have to do this…" Ellis said, stepping back nervously. "My advisors recommended—"
"You are the sole person able to launch nuclear weapons within this region. The nukes were Unovan-made. Minutemen-5 ICBMs."
"How would you know that?" the president protested. Even if he had a point, the way he made it was like that of a frenzied animal looking for a desperate escape. "Kanoma could have easily launched them! I'm willing to bet they wanted to set us up and—"
"Don't lie to me," Nathan snapped. "We surveyed the blast sites, and the promethium signatures were much higher than normal. Only one collection of reactors in the world produces plutonium with that quirk. Northeast Project, probably generator one. After the fuel has gone through its three burnup cycles, the assemblies are transferred to the Crystal River Site where the plutonium and uranium would be extracted. I should know – I worked there."
"You… you're from Unova…" The words were almost pulled from the president's mouth. Nathan folded his arms.
"Tell me, do you know what this place is?" Ellis glanced around, though their surroundings would do little good. What he was referring to was the crumbling wall. "This was one of the memorials for the tens of thousands of people Ghetsis killed in his attempt to take over Unova. Not that I'd expect someone like you to care, but…" He trailed off, then stared straight at the president through his visor. "It's ironic. You built that base in case something like that were to happen again. In case another Ghetsis should arise and inflict terror on the world. But you… you used those horrible weapons and unleashed a destruction that he could not have rivaled. Even with Kyurem."
Nathan almost wanted some sort of snappy reply – a comment about how they 'did what they had to' or something of the sort. Anything. But Ellis stood there silently, that terrified look plastered on his face as Nathan's right hand rested by the pistol. "Have you nothing to say? Nothing in defense of your atrocity? A million and a half people are dead because of you, twice that number injured. Do you not think any of them are deserving of an answer?"
"I…I n-never meant for this to h-happen…"
"But you pushed the button. You sent the nukes."
"I d-didn't want this," Ellis replied. "You forced our hand."
"Really? The one political organization in the world that strives not to kill forced your hand? I have taken every measure possible to save my enemies – because deep down, I know that I could have turned out like any of them. I could have been born in the wrong time or place and ended up just like they did. And I've done my own share of evils, too. Now that I've escaped that lifestyle, I have striven to help others do the same. You didn't bomb your own country because you feared what I may do to it. You did so because you were losing what little bit of power you still had." Nathan lurched out, snatching the president by his shirt and lifting him into the air with a single hand. His exosuit made the task effortless, and as the president squirmed, he continued.
"You murdered all those people because at the end of the day, you're nothing more than a selfish, wretched creature. And I've made sure to remove animals like you from the equation." He threw Ellis to the ground, watching him back away in fear as he withdrew the pistol.
"NO! PLEASE!" Ellis began to sob, continuing to back away.
"You wouldn't even face death like a man, would you?" Nathan grunted. "What a waste of oxygen." With that, he aimed the pistol at the president's head as Ellis continued to beg and plead. In the midst of the ruin and wreckage that this man had caused, Nathan pulled the trigger.
The gun clicked.
Ellis cried out from the noise, his heavy breathing being the only sounds following after. He stared into Nathan's visor, eyes wild and frantic, and his hands clasped at the blackened dirt. Nathan lowered the handgun, unclenching his left fist. A single bullet fell before the Unovan president.
"…Part of me would enjoy nothing more," Nathan said. "I gave Lunala the choice to take your life. And despite the fact that you killed her mate… she has found it in herself to forgive. If she can spare you… then so can I. But you will never see Unova again. You will be left on a dying world, locked away in a cell for the rest of your miserable life, and your company will be among the worst that humanity ever had to offer." He holstered the empty pistol.
"I d-don't… understand…"
"You probably wouldn't. Because you – and most of the former leaders – would rather have eliminated a threat than understand it. You all know nothing other than acting out of fear. You gave all those fancy speeches and made all those campaign promises, but at the end of the day – behind the scenes – this is who you are. A selfish coward. But now the whole world has seen you for what you really are."
"Wh-what?" Nathan tapped his helmet, the visor delivering every second of this to every screen.
"It is said that character is what you do when nobody is watching. Well… the whole world now knows who you are when you think you're alone. Everyone has witnessed your cowardice, and they know that you would rather destroy Unova than lose control of it." Necrozma, knowing the time was at hand, landed on the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up dirt as he did so and causing the president to flinch. As the legendary grabbed Ellis, ready to carry him across dimensions and away from this world forevermore, Nathan spoke up once again.
"I could have killed you. We could have killed anyone who stood in our way. But we aren't like you. The legendaries you profaned and dishonored still care for you – for all of us. This world is broken and has been for a long time. But now, Unova – just like every other region – has the chance to be something else. To be better. People like yourself accuse me of wanting to strip the world's freedom away, but nothing could be further from the truth. True freedom is found when we shed our selfish mortal tendencies and instead stop trying to be our own gods. Freedom isn't the absence of boundaries, but the presence of the right ones."
"And who's to say what those 'right' boundaries are?" It seemed that, after learning that he was being watched – and that his life would not end now – Ellis had tried to regain some composure. The fear lingered in his voice, though, and irreparable damage had already been done to his reputation.
"Not you," Nathan replied. "And not me. That's why neither of us are fit to lead Unova, and neither of us will. When my conquest is over and the world is restored, given to its rightful rulers, I will fade out of the spotlight. All the power in the world will have been at my fingertips… and not a bit of it exercised. Because at the end of the day… I'm anything but perfect. I'm not one of them." He motioned to Necrozma. After a nod of confirmation, the portal was formed. The golden dragon tightened his grip on Ellis to ensure that he wouldn't slip along the spacetime jump.
"Someone… someone's going to stop you."
"It's amusing to hear you talk tough after sobbing and pleading for your life. And I suppose we'll just have to see what those final three trainers have to offer. Of what I've seen, though, I am not concerned. Not in the slightest. I don't think Surge or Wes are, either." With a wave of his hand, Necrozma flew through the portal. Ellis was never seen on Earth again.
Aaron and his team watched as the president disappeared from sight. The footage was cut a few moments after, ending as an airship landed in front of Nathan. The realization of what had just happened had yet to fully set in. With Ellis' absence, Nathan had toppled what remained of the Unovan government and had essentially taken over the region. That meant there were no more missions that would take place, and the number of points that he and Sofia had was set now.
"He did it…" Nora murmured. "He finally won…" The fact that Kanoma was the last region that had managed to resist Omega didn't provide them with much hope – not when it was in the same predicament as Unova a month ago. Most of their land had been taken in Nathan's war of attrition, where he had slowly chipped away at every region throughout the better part of the year. Four and a half months remained before those final three battles, and as it stood, Nathan had just about wrapped things up well ahead of time.
"He doesn't… think any of us are a threat?" Brooke asked. The floatzel seemed disappointed by the statement.
"He's trained with legendaries for years. I doubt there's anyone on the planet he considers a threat," Marcus replied. "But still, we've come this far. There's no need to stop now, I suppose."
Life would likely resume as it had ever since Nathan first invaded. Only now, there was no threat to Omega's dominion over the region. And yet, despite that, the amount of people who cared was starting to dwindle. The political radicals on either side were still up in arms, but even their numbers had been decreased over time. For the average person, Nathan's system was starting to look appealing. Freedom from suffering was preferable to freedom of choice in many respects, and after Ellis' nukes, any sympathy or confidence in the Unovan government had been lost.
The fiery sentiment of defending their cities and protecting democracy had died down as people began to slowly accept the new world. It sucked for them – for a population that had been used to such prosperity when compared to the rest of the world. Aaron now understood that; even the poorest people here had been dealt a better hand in life than what Nathan had showed him across the globe. Under Omega, Unova would eventually adapt to not always getting what they wanted – just like every other non-western region.
But it would take some time to fully set in.
For now, there was nothing they could do but wait. Only a dozen or so people remained that could viably be that third and final trainer. Their one shot now was in preparing Sofia's team for that fight in hopes that Unova might remain free after all. But Aaron knew that was wishful thinking. Sofia would lose against Nathan. Anyone would.
He remembered that one talk in the diner, the very day that he had unintentionally crushed Nora's hopes of a relationship with him. The authorities had swarmed the streets, military personnel and vehicles ready for the slightest outburst following the conflict between Alpha and Delta. And under their tyranny, despite the guns ready to fire on anyone who stepped out of line, there was more peace than had been in Unova in decades. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Complaining about the new world wouldn't change what had happened, anyways.
As Malva's face appeared on the screen that night, showing the most recent update to the conflict, Unova was colored purple.
The temperature had started to drop, if only a little, in the region. Of course, that wasn't saying much. Leaves painted the trees orange and yellow as the scent of smoke carried across the wind. The sun beamed down, showering the country in blistering heat as it did ten out of twelve months, and it was one of the few things Nathan had disliked about his home. Of course, that heat couldn't compare to the flames throughout the capitol building.
Kiel landed on the ground with a few heavy flaps, folding his wings behind him before kneeling in front of a defeated entei. "Aww… where's all that mean talk now?" He glanced up at the champion of Kanoma, relishing the dumbfounded look on his face.
"…What the hell are you?" he asked Nathan's pokémon, bewildered by Kiel's appearance.
"Stronger than half your team, that's for sure," he replied.
Tyson tried weakly to get back to his feet, but Kiel nudged the entei back down with a clawed hand. "No, no – none of that now. I don't think you want to go for round two." He withdrew a small, metal case. From within it, Kiel pulled out a cigar. "But I'll tell you what, there is something useful you could do for me. Can I have a light?"
"F…fuck… you."
"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the doghouse?" He provided his own flame, taking a deep puff before exhaling smoke in the legendary's face. Bloodshot eyes glared daggers towards Kiel, but he only grinned back. He motioned his hand towards Tyson. "Now be a good boy and play dead."
"That's enough," Nathan said, not finding much humor in Kiel's antics.
"Fine, fine…" his pokémon stated. He worked his way back towards his trainer's side, releasing another puff of smoke as he did so. Nathan took the opportunity to finish things up here.
"You knew the risk, Leo. I imagine you considered yourself a patriot, ready to fight to the last man to defend your region's independence. As you can see, that didn't work out so well for you. It's time to go." With Leo Browning's loss, his battle points were now forfeit, leaving one fewer threat that could potentially challenge Omega.
"All that talk about 'character' and all? You're nothing more than a tyrant – you just changed Delta's colors and called it a day."
"If you think I'm anything like Delta, you are either ignorant or stupid. With you, it can be difficult to tell." He ignored Kiel's snicker as he continued. "That is what's wrong with you people. Left and right – anyone who mildly disagrees with you becomes the enemy. People like yourself have done a fine job dividing the world, setting people at each other's throats when the real solutions are clear and simple. I'll make sure that doesn't happen in the new world."
"Whatever you say," Leo retorted as his hands were cuffed behind his back. One of the two guards returned the entei, attaching the ball to the champion's belt before confiscating Leo's team. "I don't know why the legendaries sided with you, but I do know one thing."
"And what would that be?" Leo seemed to glare right through his visor.
"You're a hypocrite." Nathan rolled his eyes at the stupid remark.
"Reshiram does not choose hypocrites."
"Or maybe Reshiram ain't all that perfect." That was enough to draw ire from Omega's leader.
"Well, I guess that settles the debate between ignorant and stupid."
"You called that son of a bitch Ellis a coward. And he was. You'd have done the world a favor had you just dropped him off in space," the champion stated. "But you're no better, hiding behind that mask. Why don't you take that helmet off and show the world your face?"
"This mask – this symbol – is my face. Everyone in the first world wants to be the center of attention – to be some sort of hero. Never mind the fact that they never want to do the things heroes must. But your kind has lost the ability to submit, to devote themselves to something greater. I aim to bring that back to humanity."
"You won't win," Leo countered. "Even when you beat those three trainers, there will always be patriots. People who will fight you to the death."
"If that is the case, then it will be by their own hands. I do not kill. But… I have no qualms about locking them away until the end of time if they cannot be fixed."
"Spoken like a true Delta asshole." Nathan looked towards one of the two guards behind him.
"You know what? Give him the cell next to Ellis." Maybe he was being petty, but if the champion couldn't tell the difference between Nathan and Delta, then he would surely learn so in the next couple of months. Leo Browning glared hatefully towards him as he was escorted towards one of the hundreds of airships in the city. The flagpole on top of the building now donned Omega's colors, and when a soldier handed Nathan the flag of his home region, he only looked at it for a moment before dropping it into the smoldering flames.
Omega had finally taken the world.
A/N: Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.