Chapter Forty: Unmasked

"Well, I guess that's that…" Sofia said after the last region had fallen. Both Unova and Kanoma had put up far more resistance than the other regions, but Omega had prevailed over the entire world. Following the nukes, they had doubled their efforts in order to prevent any other casualties along the way. She glanced at her phone, looking through the rankings. Both her and Aaron were in the top ten, and should the person in third place drop out, their combined total would be enough.

Enough to lose to Nathan.

Aaron was done with this entire ordeal. He would still do everything he could to make it to the very end, but any hopes that he had of actually stopping them were gone. Nathan was too powerful a force to even entertain the idea. Still, if Sofia wanted to be that final dissenter, only to lose to him, then he wasn't about to stop her. Of course, there was no telling who would be battling him; Clay, Elesa or that last person could be chosen. No doubt Nathan would select the matches most favorable for their side, and if Clay and Elesa lost, there wouldn't even be a third battle. And he had no doubt that Nathan had chosen two of the most powerful trainers in the world to represent their side.

"That's weird…" Aaron glanced towards her.

"What's up?"

"Leo Browning disappeared off the roster…"

"Huh? He's just gone?" She showed him her phone.

"Like he was never even there." That could only mean one thing: Leo had lost a match to them.

"Wonder what trainer managed to pull that off…" Knowing Omega, there could be any number of them. They always seemed to have some sort of surprise up their sleeve. Considering how powerful Leo's team was, and the fact that both he and Sofia still had yet to encounter their own 'headhunters,' it was probably only a matter of time until they found themselves locked away somewhere.

But that was then. For now, they could only take things one day at a time. And it could be much worse. Granted, everyone was surviving solely under the foot of Omega, but under their shadow there was finally peace. Alpha and Delta had disappeared off the radar, its followers quietly going about their lives without stirring up any trouble. It had taken three nuclear bombs and the toppling of the Unovan government for them to realize that there were bigger things at stake than their political disagreements. With hundreds of thousands in critical condition, nobody would dare incite conflict.

Which brought the two of them to one of Nimbasa's hospitals, standing in line to donate blood. It wasn't much, but it was one of the few things the people of Unova could do to help one another right now. And if there was ever a single good thing that came from this conflict, seeing a line that stretched around the block was one of them. Aaron and Sofia's teams stood ready, even with Krista being deathly afraid of needles. It gave him some sense of encouragement following the destruction that had been unleashed on the region – a feeling that things might just end up being alright, after all.

And then that portal appeared.

Necrozma was followed by a Hydreigon, both of which landed on the street in front of the hospital. A few of the people stepped out of the airship wearing their exosuits, using armor that had been designed for war to carry massive crates of supplies. Several people murmured among themselves as the legendary stood by, waiting for one particular person to step out. And as soon as Aaron saw those black and white shoulder pads, he felt sick to his stomach, no longer sure about donating blood. Among the Omega personnel was Nathan.

"There he is…" Sofia all but whispered. Their pokémon all stared towards Omega's leader. He carried a metal crate of supplies, one that had numerous labels on its side, and was oblivious to their presence. "The guy who started all this… and he's right there…" She said the words as though she didn't believe them.

"Y-yeah…" Aaron barely registered her questioning look towards him.

"Everything okay?" she asked. "I know it's… well, a lot to take in, but you look like you've seen a ghost." It didn't take her long to realize that he wasn't alone in that regard. "All of you do…" He left the question unanswered, watching as Nathan and the others went into the hospital. He would drop off whatever supplies, retreat back to that ship, and hopefully they would be gone. Any awkwardness would soon fade. Of course, that couldn't come soon enough – not when he was less than two hundred feet away from the person who had brought his own planet to its knees.

They spent the better part of an hour in there, and as they drew closer to the dozens of donation tents, food was brought out to everyone. They sat on the sidewalks and mostly ate in silence, though some people made small talk with one another. It was hard to ignore the brilliant light shining from the nearby legendary as they did so. Aaron readjusted his jacket slightly, appreciating the warmth that Necrozma's presence had brought to the area. It did little to calm his nerves, however. And the moment Aaron glanced towards him, he lost what little bit of appetite he had worked up all day. The legendary was looking directly at them. He felt those differently colored eyes staring through his soul as though judging him. Sofia similarly found herself petrified.

If matters couldn't get worse, Nathan and his crew stepped out of the building. By now, they were within earshot range. "Everything is finished here," Nathan said. "We should head to the next site." Necrozma said nothing, continuing to hold his gaze. "What's wrong?" It didn't take him long to trace the legendary's line of sight, and once he had done so, he paused. Aaron's mouth fell open slightly, and any words that he might have been able to put together would have died in his throat.

"Arceus…" Chloe whispered, the noivern hunching down and folding her wings over her front as she tried to make herself invisible to the human. Nathan said nothing, but after a few seconds, turned to leave. It was only then that Aaron realized that he hadn't breathed in the past twenty seconds. A sigh of relief sounded as a confrontation was avoided. Nathan likely didn't consider them worth his time, and Aaron was more than alright with that.

"We aren't afraid of you," Sofia said aloud. Aaron's eyes went wide. There was no malice, no self-convinced sense of misplaced courage, but it was loud enough to catch Nathan's attention, making him stopped in his tracks. Both Aaron and Nora stared at her incredulously, ready to tell her to shut the hell up. Before they could, though, the trainer spoke up again. "I don't care how many regions you take or why. People will always stand up to you."

"…I keep hearing people say that. Yet every single major threat has already faced defeat by our hands."

"Not all of them," Sofia stated.

"Don't flatter yourself yet," Nathan replied. "After Ellis decided to nuke his own country, I had bigger concerns. Now that Unova has reached some form of stability, I can focus on the more minor issues at hand." Though a helmet blocked his face, Aaron felt the older trainer's eyes fall on him. "And what about you? Do you have anything to say?"

"…I'm not exactly sure what all to say anymore."

"So be it," he stated. "Well, as we try to return the world to normalcy, I would suggest that the two of you prepare for your battles tomorrow afternoon."

"Wait, what?!" Sofia fired off, though no similar reaction came from Aaron.

"It's your turn now. We'll see if either of you have what it takes to face me for the fate of half the world. Though, considering the two trainers that you will be fighting, I have done you both a favor by preparing your tents near one of our encampments. Do not worry; we have been nothing but hospitable to those we have taken in."

"We aren't going anywhere." Aaron wished he had that misplaced confidence right about now.

"I suppose we will see soon enough. For now, I have more important matters to attend to."

"Or we could skip all the bullshit and you could fight me here and now."

"I appreciate your attempt at humor, but I'll pass." Nathan was about to leave before Sofia interjected again.

"You aren't scared, are you?" That made him halt in his tracks. After a pause, Nathan turned to face her once more, his voice dry and without any semblance of humanity.

"I have seen every horror, every atrocity, that mankind is capable of. I have had friends die as we try to fix this planet, watching as the flesh fell from their bones as they wasted away. After all I have seen, there are few things that scare me anymore. Neither of you make that list."

"Well then I guess I'll have to show you." Sofia was about to motion for her first pokémon, though none of them looked ready – or able – to fight right now. But Aaron clasped her forearm.

"Cut it out, Sofia," he stated. "You can't win this." Her expression dropped as if he'd stabbed her between the ribs. Like he had no faith in her after all they had been through.

"W-what?" she stammered. "Why would you say something like that? We've fought dozens of legendaries these past months! Why would he be any different?" Nathan remained silent, just as interested as she was in hearing his response.

"Because you can't, alright?" The older trainer folded his arms, and as if to make matters more pressing, treaded on the ground that Aaron had been careful to avoid.

"…You still haven't told her, have you?" Aaron looked down, wanting nothing more than to be anywhere else. "Why is that?"

"What is he talking about?" Sofia asked, though it was more of a demand. "Aaron?"

"Is it because you still consider us friends?" Nathan asked. "I wish we were standing on the same side of things, but as I said before, I have never once lied to you. I have and always will be your friend." Sofia's hands uncurled themselves, her mouth slightly agape. She seemed to have to force the smallest of breaths from between her lips. The other people in the line stared in silence, everyone far too afraid to offer any commentary or even film it with their phones.

"…Aaron?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Who the hell am I looking at?"

"I suppose I can do you a favor this one time," Nathan replied. "Follow me." After having stood in line for the better part of two hours, the two teams were escorted into the hospital. Every step felt like it couldn't take long enough. Aaron knew he shouldn't have hidden this, but he never considered how to break the news to Sofia – nor did he want to. Because he himself still didn't want to believe it.

They were led past a set of double doors, well away from the view of anyone outside of Omega. Nathan put his back to the wall. All of the fire in Sofia's voice had left, both of them standing there as though they were children in a principal's office. That was the best comparison Aaron could draw with what little part of his brain felt like it was working now.

Nathan reached back, unhooking a thick cord that connected the helmet to the rest of the suit before lifting it off completely.

What Aaron saw looked like anything but his friend. Bags sat underneath cold, lifeless eyes as though he hadn't slept in weeks, and his face seemed to sink in slightly. He looked like shit, and yet, there was still no mistaking it for either of them.

"No…" Sofia shook her head. "This can't… I don't…" Neither of the two males said anything. Aaron had no warning before a fist caught him in the jaw. He fell into the wall, reaching out and catching himself before he could trip. Nora rushed to his side, though she couldn't manage an angry stare towards her former trainer. Not this time. "What the fuck, Aaron?!"

"Look, I'm sorry – I didn't know how to—" Nathan interrupted them and motioned towards the doors.

"Whatever the two of you wish to argue about, please do it outside. There are patients here who need their rest." Her eyes seemed frozen as she glared spitefully towards Aaron, but without another word, she shoved the doors open and stormed out. As Nathan secured his helmet back in its place, the other trainer followed her out, both of their teams standing there and trying to process what had just happened.

"Sofia! I swear, I wanted to say something, but—" She spun around, all but knocking down a woman towards the front of the line.

"But what?! How long did you know?!"

"…A little over two months."

"And all that fucking time, you didn't even think to tell me?!"

"I thought about it a lot, okay?! But what the fuck did you want me to say?! 'Hey, the one guy who absolutely destroyed your team happens to be the person we're after?!' I'm still trying to process all this myself, alright?!" Sofia's jaw clenched shut, though the angry look in her eyes didn't seem to diminish much. "It took everything my team had to beat Clay. He did it ten years ago with only two pokémon – and he could've done it with one. It's over, Sofia! It was from the very start!" Now she didn't look angry. Instead, a disappointed look was cast towards him. She didn't even turn around as Necrozma took off, following the airship into a portal.

"So that's just it then? You're giving up because he has an intimidating team?"

"No, I'm using my common fucking sense. I know when I can't win. I'm not out here to chase some imaginary bullshit dream of being some sort of hero. I'm not – and you aren't, either. You're going to go on that battlefield and get obliterated for the entire world to see."

"Then we'll lose on our feet instead of cowering on our knees!" Aaron pulled his arm away from Nora's grasp, motioning towards her team.

"Easy for you to say! You aren't the one doing any of the fighting! You still don't fucking get it, do you?! Do you even realize what kind of danger your team would be exposed to? He can't afford to lose in his mind – he won't hold anything back! But that's fine by you, isn't it? You would break every bone in your team's body if it meant making a name for yourself!"

For a moment, neither of them said anything. The crowd around them had backed away, everyone looking from a respectable distance. Cruel as it may have been, Aaron was sticking by his words, her feelings be damned. "I… I would never—"

"Look me in the eyes and tell me I'm wrong! Look at me and say that this isn't all about you! You're so damn determined not to turn into your parents, so you instead turned into a heartless bitch that convinced herself that she's right no matter what! You think you're the center of the fucking universe!" Her eyes went wide, his words cutting through her like bullets. "I don't know if Nathan's team would kill if it came down to it, but in their minds, they're saving this half of the world. I doubt they're going to take risks." He took a long-held breath, not even blinking as his eyes drifted to Pierce. "And I'm not about to help you get my friend killed for your ego."

"Aaron… This isn't helping…" Aster's downtrodden look had no effect on him this time.

"No," he retorted, still staring at Sofia. "Nothing can help us now. But I can at least say what's on everyone's mind – and keep her team from danger. Our little arrangement is over."

"Aaron—" He cut the female trainer off.

"I thought you had become better than this. Clearly I thought too highly of you." With that, he turned around and started towards the vehicle – her vehicle. "Come pick up your fucking car at my place. Not like we need it anymore, anyways."

"Aaron, I'm sorry!" Sofia said as his team followed him. "I was just shocked, that's all! I didn't—please don't…" Despite her efforts to ignore the past minute, though, he had made up his mind. Had he looked back, he would have found beads forming in her eyes to match the cracked voice.

"Best of luck with your battle. I have a feeling we're both gonna need it."

A foreboding silence had overtaken their house the following day. Aaron had expected Nora to be happy that her former trainer had been put in her place – in public, nonetheless. But instead, the typhlosion hadn't uttered so much as a word about what had gone down. That much he was fine with; he didn't particularly care to revisit those events. Sofia had yet to come, and as such, her car still remained in the driveway.

At noon, it wasn't the only vehicle there.

Aaron heard the airship long before he looked out the window. A sigh forced its way out of his chest, and he nodded a single time. "Come on, guys. Let's get this over with." Maybe he had a reason to be optimistic; after all, they had defeated Clay despite having one less team member. Somehow, though, that offered little comfort now. One of their soldiers approached the door and knocked three times, and when Aaron opened it, he wordlessly motioned for the trainer to follow. Aaron hesitated until Nora's hand brushed against his.

"Hey… whatever happens, we'll be fine." He smiled, and after returning everyone, headed towards the visitors. One other soldier stood in front of white-haired man. A man who, despite pushing eighty, stood with vigor and a readiness that made him question his own.

"Your apartment complex has a small battlefield," the man stated. "I presume it would be better to destroy that than the road."

"Who are you?" The old trainer's hands rested on a belt with five pokéballs.

"I would be surprised if one so young as you knew of me," the man replied. "I am Eldes, and as it stands, I am the fourth strongest trainer in Omega." Hearing that, Nathan must have considered Aaron at least mildly threatening to have sent someone of this caliber after them. But of course, there could be a world of difference between him and the others. In any case, that was a problem for another day. The guards stepped aside as Eldes headed towards the complex's battlefield, and begrudgingly, Aaron followed suit. Eldes didn't seem to be in a hurry, though, and waited until Aaron was at his side.

"You aren't from around here," the younger trainer said. "Not with a name like that."

"I'm from Orre." Not too far from the pool and the sports bar, their destination had remained untouched from the very start of the invasion. Most of the battles that had occurred since then, after all, had been in the streets, either out of political extremism or for looting.

"And what brought you to Nathan?" Eldes shrugged.

"He sought me out, as he did others whose goals aligned with that of his organization. In my case, I helped bring down the remnants of my father's team." He stopped in front of the small court. Weeds had claimed it long ago, and the slim moat surrounding it was murky from being untended. But it would still serve its purpose. A brisk chill ran through the air as Eldes turned to face him. "Now, we seek to do the same to all other human factions. They all must go; not one may remain. Nathan and I both witnessed what kind of pain people can inflict upon each other of when driven by blind ideals. When we have ended this conflict, all will be as it was in the very beginning."

"Sounds really good in theory. Only problem is it comes at the cost of everyone's free will."

"That isn't true, son. But even if it were, complete autonomy is more than a fair price to pay to stop the wickedness of the mortal condition." He paused, looking towards the skyscrapers of Castelia. "I know firsthand what that is capable of. I participated. We were cruel to the pokémon we took, and we… we turned them into nothing more than mindless weapons. I spent many nights awake over my sins, but at the end of the day, I took a better path. I destroyed what I had helped create, because no matter what my past held, my present defines who I am. We can choose to be better. I merely hope that your people will learn to make this choice." Aaron sighed.

"Yeah… me too."

"But for now… let us test the strength of your will. Though my years may be piling on, my team is just as strong as they were then." He slowly looked up, taken back when Eldes withdrew not one, but two pokéballs. "We will be fighting a double battle today. They were very popular back home."

"…Alright." It wasn't like he had much of a say in the matter.

"If it offers you comfort, I have not studied your team in order to make this a fair match." Aaron gave a nod of appreciation as he pulled out two of his own pokéballs. The edge of Eldes' mouth curled into a small grin, and the first four pokémon were released simultaneously.

Krista looked at the metagross and gengar, then glared back at her trainer. "If we win this, I'm going to slap the shit out of you."

The Larsen Tower had entertained many business partners of Nick's company for years. Now it served as a meeting place for Omega's local operations – or just as a place to relax. Or in Nathan's case, to attempt to. Loading and unloading supplies for weeks on end had exhausted him down to the bone, even with his exosuit handling most of the weight. With his team out and about, all he had for company was half of Wes'.

Well, the one that wasn't asleep, that is…

He scrolled through and swiped at holograms, checking on the status of multiple regions at once. Everything was in order, or at least, as orderly as things could be. There was some reason for contentment, even: his approval ratings had finally broken the seventy percent threshold – a feat greatly helped after the actions of Unova's own government. People were tired of fighting the inevitable, and after seeing all the good that Omega was capable of, many were willing to accept the changes.

But he felt anything but content. They had, for all their advances, completely failed to predict and stop Ellis' nukes. The final estimates that accounted for all those who had and likely would die exceeded 1.7 million, and that was a number that he felt responsible for. He wasn't, but when you were in charge – and acted like it – that's what it felt like.

'Constantly looking at that won't change anything,' Felix said within his mind. The espeon was sprawled across the counter of the minibar Nathan was seated at, his tail lazily hanging over the edge.

"I know."

'Then why do it? We won – the fighting is over. Take a breather.'

"Just want to keep on top of everything," Nathan answered, not looking away from the screen. Eventually, though, he sighed and shut the device off.

'There you go.' Felix grinned victoriously. Of the eighteen pokémon that Omega had deemed capable of defending their claim to the world, two of them were espeons. That much was coincidental; a single member of Wes' team, though, was a far bigger surprise. The rather loud snoring – what he was trying to distract himself from in the first place with the holograms – wasn't coming from the tyranitar laying across the large L-shaped couch. It came from the quilava sleeping on top of her. Rozzi's head and little arms were hanging over the edge, still grasping a plastic bottle by the lid with only enough soda for a single sip. He shook his head before looking away.

"If only Dialga had joined us."

'Hmm?' Felix frowned upon seeing Nathan's blank stare towards the countertop.

"I just wish we could have stopped it…"

'It's horrible that things turned out the way they did,' Felix said. 'But was there anything you could have done? And can you change it now?'

"…No."

'There it is, then. You were not to blame for what happened, so do not continue to blame yourself.'

"And yet it was because of my invasion that it happened to begin with."

'Had it not been for you, Ellis would have continued to degrade this region. Besides, your people were hellbent on nuking each other at some point considering how many thousands of warheads we disassembled. If not for Omega, they would have found some other reason – one that would have brought about a far more catastrophic outcome.'

"You're right." It would still take him some time to convince himself of that, though.

'I tend to be.' It wasn't long after, as Nathan was glancing on his phone, that a ding came from the elevator. Felix's eye drifted over before closing. 'My trainer and his dumbreon have arrived.'

"How'd it go?" Nathan asked without turning around.

"Could've been better." Having known Wes for years, that meant no progress had been made whatsoever. "The jackass seriously thinks he has a shot of pulling this back." Not every cartel leader had been as willing to cooperate as Sanchez, and though the drug market had all but vanished, they wouldn't stop until every trace of it had been wiped out.

"Only a matter of time."

"Yeah, of course." Wes took the spot next to him, and a few seconds later, Darius hopped into the other spot. "You're lookin' a bit down." He diverted his gaze to the espeon. "Felix?"

'No,' the psychic telepathically said.

"Come on." The espeon disapprovingly stared at his trainer for a moment before sighing. "I'll take one on the rocks. Minus the rocks, though."

'You'll get one alright. Only one.'

"Don't be like that, bud."

'Were it not for me, your liver would have turned into a rock by now…'

"Whatever." He forced a bottle into the air, placing ice in one of two glasses before sliding the drinks towards the humans.

"What about me?" the umbreon asked.

'No.' Wes clacked his glass to Nathan's, who hesitated before taking a small sip. It was a moment before either of them spoke. The older trainer's eyes focused on his cup before sighing.

"You know… I'm not going to know what to do with myself once it's over…"

"I figured as much," Nathan replied.

"Taking down villainous organizations and cartels has been the majority of my life. For damn near fifty years it's just been us trying to make it to tomorrow. Of course, having Uriel helped and all, but we didn't exactly have some sort of retirement plan in mind…"

"…Yeah, I can get that." His mind raced back to Larek's dream of running a farm with his family. He had to shove those thoughts out of his mind for the time being, though. One day he would still be able to look back at everything fondly, but that wasn't today. "But I'd imagine there's some sort of satisfaction in finally seeing them crumble."

"No kidding." His glass, already, was nearly empty. He tapped it lightly. "After decades of seeing the shit they do to people, well… doesn't take a genius to figure out why I struggled with drinking as long as I did…" He took a few seconds to down the rest of it before sliding the glass away from him. "You have no idea how happy we are to have those sick sons of bitches taken out. Of course, you do things a bit differently than we did." A dry laugh forced its way out of Nathan.

"I have always sought to minimize suffering, even among the evil. But I also had the means to do so. You, on the other hand, took on drug lords under the noses of the very politicians they had bought. You did what you could with what you had."

"Still," Wes added, "leaves us without much of a purpose now. Guess we'll need to find one in the new world." Nathan said nothing but nodded. "What's on your mind, anyways?"

"Not much. My friend should be losing to Eldes right about now."

"Ah, the one who you had that big argument with?" Wes inquired.

"Yep. Of course, I regret that he found out – especially the way he did. But I didn't want to put him in danger. Or to complicate things, for that matter…"

"I see you did a great job with that…" Wes joked.

"So I've been told." Nathan glanced out the window. Over what remained of the Desert Resort, Aaron was out there fighting what would likely be the last battle of his campaign against Omega.

Nora and Aster readied themselves, proud of the double knockout they had gotten thanks to the typhlosion's quick thinking. An unconscious metagross and lapras were the result of that, and though they panted slightly, they both were prepared for what was next. They had no choice, either, given that it was just them and whatever Eldes' final pokémon were. The old trainer's features lightened, seeming impressed by the feat, even, and returned his fainted pokémon. "Not bad, son. But as you may have guessed, I've saved the best for last."

"Let's see 'em then!" Nora replied, readying herself for the challenge. The determined look on her face fell as his last two battlers were released from their balls. For the first time since their near-encounter with death, she looked scared. Aster's lip quivered as he glanced back towards his trainer.

"…Fuck," Aaron simply muttered. If this was some sort of joke on Nathan's part, it wasn't funny.

Staring at them was a latios and latias.

A/N: Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.