They did say the Latis could carry them anywhere they'd previously been, didn't they? They probably didn't expect Morgan to use that privilege immediately, and probably expected it to be more for emergencies, but… Berries.
A trip to the plant nursery south of Rustboro, and stopping along the way in both directions any place she remembered or could spy from the air that some berry trees were growing, and by the time she made it back to the Berry Master's farm, she had an impressive variety. The elderly couple who owned the land were kind enough to provide her with some rarer specimens, as well.
By the time she'd gotten them all planted and headed back to 119, it was already evening. But the Kecleon she'd quickly bumped into returned a very cute Pokemon- an Eevee- from Wonder Trade. And since Morgan was quite determined not to lose another impossibly cute Normal-type quadruped to being underprepared, she immediately jumped over to Mauville to swap it into her party and begin training.
Now, as she finally headed up 119 proper, she sat atop Mithril's head as xe floated at a leisurely pace, Eevee in her lap and Andraste at their side.
Are you sure it's all right to ride xir like that? Andraste asked.
I don't see why not. It's not much faster than walking. Or wouldn't be under normal circumstances. With the rougher terrain here, she might be saving herself a little time, but her Nav wasn't scolding her yet.
Mithril assured them both that everything was fine. Xe would see to everything.
Morgan agreed. Without having to worry about the terrain or where she was going, she could dedicate more time and energy to trying to develop her psychic connection to Mithril. Not that she wasn't still watching their surroundings, as well, but there was a difference between being fully engaged and merely alert.
Ahead, she could see a building she could only guess was the Hoenn Weather Institute. Sera had mentioned it in passing, and Morgan got the impression she'd wanted to visit it, but that seemed like sort of an underwhelming field trip option. Unless a storm broke out, it wasn't like there was likely to be much of interest at-
Or she could be wrong? Her eyes were drawn to a gaping hole in the second story wall, which seemed to have been left in the midst of repair to be resumed later. What could have happened there? Weird.
She wasn't really curious enough to stop, though… until, just as she was passing, a familiar face appeared in the front doorway, on her way out. "Shelly?"
The Admin held her head and mumbled to herself, seeming pretty out of it. Belatedly, she realized someone had said her name and looked up. "What?" As she saw Morgan, she took a step back. "Oh. You're that kid… but your arsenal certainly has gotten a boost, hasn't it," she remarked dryly.
"Also, xe can Mega Evolve," Morgan replied flatly.
"Of course it can." She huffed a frustrated sigh. "Well, fortunately for me, I don't need to deal with that right now. I was here on extremely legitimate business, and that's done now, so if you'll kindly stand aside so I can be on my way…"
"... Uh-huh. No kidnappings, no thieving, no…" Morgan looked up to the hole.
Shelly leered but averted her gaze. "That actually was there when I got here…" When Morgan didn't look convinced, she grew impatient. "Okay, look. One second." She headed back inside, and returned with a young man in a lab coat. "Can you please inform this trainer that I'm not causing you any trouble, dear?"
"T-trouble?" He blinked. "Not at all! This woman gra-"
"Young woman," Shelly mumbled.
"...This… young woman… graciously offered to help bring to justice the vicious Magma scoundrels who attacked us!"
"Riiight," said Morgan. Shelly thanked and dismissed the still-somewhat-confused scientist, before Morgan went on, "You know you're still wanted criminals whether you're doing anything right now or not, right? I'm sure if the League has anyone to spare they're already on their way, having seen you on the Nav already."
Shelly's eyes narrowed as they flashed to the device. "Shit." She grit her teeth, then took a deep breath as her eyes began to glow.
"I wouldn't," warned Morgan, recognizing the gesture. "Andraste over here is faster than a Suicune. And I can't just let you walk away."
The glow faded, and Shelly moved back warily until she found herself pressed against the wall of the building. "I'm not going down without a fight." There was a tinge of a growl to her voice, but it was at the same time weak. An honest threat, but a desperate one: one that knew itself to have little chance of success.
Morgan considered the situation thoroughly. Then, a thought was directed to Andraste, who silently conveyed then to Shelly: Do it. Call him. Make as aggressive a display as possible.
Shelly's eyes widened. "...But-"
Do it. Your chances are slim, but this is the best one you have.
Another moment's hesitation, then her face hardened resolutely. Her entire aura brightened in the blink of an eye. "Boreas, to my side!"
The Suicune was apparently not far off, for the roar that still made Morgan shudder answered her almost instantly: "KUUUUUUUUUUU."
"If I can't outrun your little dragon, then let's see how she likes playing with the North Wind incarnate!" Shelly gave an ordering point at the Latias, and Boreas seemed to question her for just half a fleeting moment before his own eyes flashed with light and he took an offensive stance, roaring again; he shot an Aurora Beam at the Latias.
Now, Morgan ordered.
Andraste, panicking, only just managed to dodge the attack before going invisible, stalling any follow-up attacks for the moment; and Mithril encompassed Morgan's Nav in an interference bubble.
That was too close, Andraste worried.
"It had to be convincing," Morgan shrugged. She stood on Mithril, then waited for Andraste to become visible again before hopping from xir head to her back.
"... What exactly is going on," Shelly more demanded than asked.
"You got the bubble now, Andraste? … Good. Time to rest for the moment, you two." Morgan recalled Eevee and Mithril, then turned to Shelly. "Mount up. We'll want to find somewhere more private if you want any chance of getting out of here today without a League escort."
"Excuse you? Are you giving me ORDERS? Since when did you get so bold?"
Considering they'd met only briefly before, Morgan could only guess Shelly had either been doing her homework or watched the Games in general. That or just assumed Morgan was a pushover. All seemed equally likely. But she sighed and answered, "Since I started getting tired of everyone's shit. Now are you going to take the offer or not?"
Shelly hesitated. "...And what's to stop me from actually fighting my way out of it?"
"Mithril isn't especially scared of Boreas, Andraste can probably rival him it terms of pure power, and most of your Pokemon should probably be afraid of Cerberus."
Fortunately for Shelly, she conceded then. "Fine. I know of a Secret Spot not far ahead." She climbed up on the Suicune's back.
The spot was hardly ideal: a small clearing well-concealed inside a large thicket. But it was much drier than the outside, and would be next to impossible to spot from either air or land without knowing where to look.
Once inside, with Boreas's immediate movement limited by the walls and Andraste's aide no longer needed to black out the Nav, Morgan swapped her for Cerebus, allowing the Latias to rest and removing the third wheel factor of another communicable party while also providing a bigger immediate threat should the Aqua Admin get any bright ideas.
"So what exactly are you hoping to get out of this, anyway?" Shelly asked sharply. When Morgan did not immediately answer, she smirked. "Or did you just want to get me all alone? Did you take the uncanny timing of our meeting as a sign? Maybe decide we were meant to be together?"
Morgan rolled her eyes. "Hardly." Though now that she mentioned it, the timing really was uncanny. But whatever. "Look. Had I bumped into you out shopping, I wouldn't bother asking questions before taking you down. But that weather guy mentioned Magma. And if you're both involved, that means it's probably something I want to know. And unfortunately for both of us, the Devon assholes who hold my leash like to take 'communicating in any non-aggressive manner' as suspicious behavior on my part. So I needed to get out from under their thumb long enough to ask: what exactly were you doing there?"
Shelly cringed, crossing her arms and turning away. "I'd… rather not talk about it, honestly."
"Wrong answer."
Shelly huffed a sigh. "Research, all right? Research I probably should have done years ago. But I had such absolute faith that I didn't think there was any need…"
Morgan pressed further, and Shelly revealed to her what every reader already knows: that Kyogre's Primal form was too powerful. That although some deep ocean Pokemon may survive, everything on land and even many sea Pokemon who would get caught in the violent storms were likely to perish. That when Archie spoke of bringing the world back to its beginning, he apparently meant the beginning. "I always knew he blamed people for what happened, but I never thought- I still don't believe he wants us all to pay with our lives."
"What happened?" Morgan repeated.
"-Ah. Our… involvement in Sea Mauville," she reluctantly admitted. "That's… a very long story."
Morgan clenched her jaw. She did want answers, but… "We'll come back to that. Are you sure you read all the data correctly? And there's no chance Magma or anyone else tampered with it before you got there?"
Shelly bit her lip. "I am, and I don't think so, though I wish that were so. But my source- the one who directed me to look into this…" She sighed. "Well, how I know him isn't important. But even if he can be the most insufferable piece of shit, and even though there are plenty of times I want to punch him in his smug stupid face, he's basically an obnoxious little brother. He can be The Worst, but he also knows when to be serious, and I trust him. It… took a lot for him to contact me at all, with everything happening recently... And he wouldn't lie about something like… this…"
"Mm," acknowledged Morgan. "So… Crazy idea here, but… Can you just call Archie?" Somewhere out in the world, closer to Fortree, a pink-haired trainer suddenly got the feeling she'd forgotten to even consider something very obvious, but she could not for the life of her place what it was or in what regards, so she shrugged it off and continued on her way.
"Do you think I didn't try that?" Shelly snapped. "I don't know if his phone is turned off or just in a dead zone, but I couldn't reach him…"
"I see." Well, that sucked. "So what would you plan to do if I let you go?"
She shook her head. "I don't-… I don't know. I don't know what to believe anymore. What's wrong or right… I guess, I'll pray he didn't know. That he'll end all this when he learns the truth. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise?" pressed Morgan.
Shelly looked away, and Morgan thought she may be holding back tears. "I don't know…" Boreas was lying upon the ground, and Shelly sitting on him 'sidesaddle', almost using him like a bench. But now, she shifted to lie down, draping herself over his back. She idly stroked his fur. "I know I should try to talk him out of it, but…" The smile that spread across her face was weak, but very genuine. "Heh. When he sets his mind on something…"
Morgan bristled. "That really doesn't sound like a good excuse to sit back and watch an actual apocalypse."
Shelly shook her head as best as she could without getting up. "You don't understand. I'm saying we may not have a choice… If he already knows and plans to go through with it anyway, then… It's not like I'd be able to get through to him."
Morgan was growing more annoyed by the minute. "If not you, then who?" Shelly's smile rather clearly conveyed 'nobody', and Morgan facepalmed and growled, "Oh for fuck's sake… You have to try. Or if you can't convince him, make him. You're Boreas's master, not him, right?"
"You're an awfully presumptuous little shit. Did you know that?" Shelly forced a caustic laugh as she sat up. "Let me tell you something, hon. I have spent my entire life dealing with that man. We have known each other at this point for nearly thirty years. I know when he's flexible and when his heart is set, and nothing sways him if it is. And Boreas… can't hurt him. I've never held a candle to him as a trainer."
… Morgan huffed a sigh. "Okay, but this is literally life or death on a global scale."
"And if he's already come to terms with that, then pointing it out won't make any difference," Shelly said matter-of-factly.
"...Good point."
Shelly shook her head. "I just… You don't understand. It isn't that I don't want to fix this. It really isn't. B-but…" She grabbed a lock of her own hair in each hand, tugging at it stressfully. "I don't… I really don't know if there's anything I can do. And if... we're going to die either way, I-... I almost… want… to make sure I can at least die beside him…" Her words grew weak, mumbled through her teeth as tears finally fell. "Even now, I… I sometimes wonder if he only keeps me around f-for… Boreas…"
Oh for fuck's sake, when did this become a soap opera… "Wow. Okay, no, I barely know either of you, but even I can tell Archie's not the sort of guy who'd throw away a friendship that old or value someone solely for such a self-serving reason. That sounds 100% like paranoia talking, so-"
"You clearly don't understand how deeply devoted he is to his ideals. If he was willing to break his engagement in pursuit of this dream, what chance do I have?" Oh? "And honestly… Why would he hesitate to break up with me when he's got Matt?" Oh..
"Uh… Yeah, sorry, I didn't realize it was that uh… Iiii'm, probably not actually very good to comment on that, sort of… stuff." Morgan rubbed the back of her neck and averted her gaze.
"Things were so instantly romantic between them, where it took me over twenty years to break out of the friend zone." … Morgan barely resisted commenting on the choice of wording, but things were awkward enough without starting a whole extra debate.
It seemed Cerebus was getting bored with this line of conversation, too. Boreas was lying down and close to dozing; why shouldn't he be, too? He yawned and curled up, ready to respond if Morgan called him, but kind of tuning everything else out.
Meanwhile, Shelly continued to ramble on. "I mean… As cute as they are together, I don't even mind 'sharing' him, or not nearly as much as I always thought I would. But if it did- and for what little it sometimes still does- what could I even do? I've known him so much longer, but relationship-wise, Matt was here first. And I realize I should feel lucky to have anything, but I…"
"Um…"
"I still can't help wondering if he's just taking pity on me. If he really 'loves' me the way I do him, or if I'm just a friend with several different kinds of benefits." She stroked Boreas's mane for emphasis.
"Hey Shelly?"
"And you know… what's really sad is even if that's the case, I'll still take whatever I can get. How pathetically desperate is that?"
"Hey. Like not for nothing here, but my romantic track record kind of sucks so I really have no idea what to say to any of this. Can we, like, talk about literally anything else?"
… Shelly suddenly barked a caustic, self-deprecating laugh. "Wow. Look at me unloading my entire life's story on some pesky kid. Speaking of pathetic and desperate, eh?" She wiped her eyes as she started trying to compose herself. "Gods this day has just ruined me. I swear I'm never this sappy."
Oh thank- well, the gods- a subject hook. "Speaking of gods, what is with the Suicune, anyway?"
A long silence, during which Shelly stared with a suddenly blank expression. "I don't really think that's relevant to stopping Kyogre or Groudon and it's kind of a long story."
Morgan's mouth twisted. "I mean… Having tamed one god sure sounds potentially relevant to dealing with another to me, but."
"It's-... Boreas is a friend, all right? Unlike some people, who use PokeBall technology and mind-altering machinery on the legendary Pokemon they know, Boreas has nothing man-made affecting him."
Well, that wasn't especially helpful, but Morgan found herself desperately wishing Sera could hear it. One team in that scenario definitely sounded like the lesser evil to her. "Oh, hey. Tangential thought: how did you talk him into attacking Mt. Chimney?"
Shelly blinked. "What?" It actually took her a few seconds. "Oh, you mean before the summit battle? Hon, you know Magma's base is under the mountain, right?" … Well, no, but now that she said it... "All we were doing was wrecking their front yard in hopes that'd slightly delay their plans at the summit and send a message." She pursed her lips and muttered, "Of course, we didn't know at the time that they still had Entei, or that Maxie would go so far to keep her so-called loyalty. So that didn't turn out as effective as planned.."
Oh. Now see? Morgan could almost get behind that. Still a little extreme, but a lot better than just inciting fear for fear's sake... She was starting to see more and more how Aqua's ideals overall aligned with themes of precaution and conservation, which matched Morgan's own first impression of Archie far better than other impressions of the team as criminals did. "Any chance you're willing to share what you were doing at Southern Island?"
Shelly delayed a bit before answering again, but then shrugged and answered, "You said it yourself. Latias is even faster than Suicune. When you're constantly evading authorities, it can be useful to get from Mauville to Mossdeep in less than a day."
The way she said that made Morgan slightly skeptic, but the actual content of her answer seemed very solid. Furthermore, any consideration she'd have given further questioning was quickly diverted into, "Hey, speaking of Mauville."
"Ah. Right…"
"I've been curious for months: What the hell was the deal with Sea Mauville, anyway?"
Shelly groaned, but then sighed. "I guess there's not much point in avoiding it… I'm not the best person to ask, since I lived on the mainland, at the time. Working in Greater Mauville Holdings's R&D, figuring out new applications for our 'new clean energy', etcetera. But I've heard plenty from Archie and Matt. Extremely long story short, it was a place where Infinity Energy was gathered."
"Mm? Hey yeah, Archie said something about that when I first met him. It's a lot better than traditional fuels, right?" Morgan inquired.
But Shelly winced. "In a way… It doesn't produce pollution, but it…"
Morgan suddenly heard a noise, and Shelly's eyes widened, but then Shelly looked sharply to her left, so Morgan followed her gaze. She saw nothing. Maybe something just moved outside?
"It's Pokemon life energy, kid," Shelly went on. Well that certainly got Morgan's attention again. "Extracted from living, breathing Pokemon. It's not a pleasant process, and they may or may not survive extraction. Sea Mauville used to catch and drain aquatic Pokemon in droves, then release the weakened survivors to fend for themselves, all to make human life more convenient."
Morgan found her mouth agape. "I-... But I thought… Archie said he didn't know where it came from?"
"Actually." The voice was masculine, familiar, and right behind her. Before Morgan could turn around, one set of hands pulled her bag away, while another, larger set grabbed her arms and held them behind her. "I said the fact that Devon won't tell people what they're doing pisses me off," Archie corrected.
Cerberus belatedly realized what was happening and began scrambling to his feet, but Shelly was already on hers, and Boreas barely beat Cerberus. Archie's Sharpedo, Jetsam, was soon released to join him, and between his Ice Fang and Boreas's Aurora Beam, Morgan knew her Sceptile's type advantage would only account for so much. He knew it too, and took a defensive stance rather than provoking the potential foes.
"Let go," Morgan spat.
"Afraid we can't do that, scamp." In fact, Matt might have tightened his hold a bit. Digging through her bag, Archie asked, "Now which of these is Sceptile's?"
"Let me go now."
Archie gave her a wry look. "Hey now, no need to get all worked up. You should know we're not gonna hurt you." Someone should probably tell that to Matt. Cerebus did settle down a bit, though, looking to him questioningly. "So here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna recall your pal and set all your Pokemon on the far side of this clearing, and then we're gonna tie you up. You should be able to wriggle your way over no problem, and once you can get ahold of one it should be able to free you easily, but we'll be long gone by then. Or, you can fight back, and we can turn this into a three-on-one battle."
"Probably best to just cooperate," added Matt.
"...I've beaten two of you before," grumbled Morgan.
"What," said Archie, "you mean when you had help, after we fought a few dozen Magma grunts first, and while Boreas was preoccupied with Pele?" Morgan pursed her lips. He finally found Cerberus's Pokeball and recalled him, then headed over to Shelly and tossed Morgan's bag a bit farther away before embracing her, expression and tone softening. "You had us worried sick, love. You can't just drop off the map without warning like that. We must've checked at least a dozen Secret Spots, and I was starting to think..." He held her tighter.
Shelly neither returned nor rejected the gesture, having been pretty quiet and shaken since they arrived. Now, she asked, "What about you? I… tried to call."
"Augh…" He gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry about that. The spotty service this far out is both a blessing and a curse, ain't it? But I guess all's well that ends well, right?" Shelly just looked away, and Archie's smile faded. "..What happened? What's wrong?"
"I um… I found some… We should talk."
Archie waited, concerned, for her to continue, but when she didn't he just nodded. "Of course. But first, let's get out of here, eh?"
Morgan rolled her eyes, even as Matt finished tying her wrists and laid her down to start on her feet. "Oh, for- oof- for fuck's sake, if you won't come out and say it then I-"
"You'll shut your mouth," Shelly interrupted her.
"But it's-"
Matt's knee pressed harder into her back, forcefully silencing her. "You heard the lady," he said. "There's two folks I won't stand for disrespecting, ya hear? My bro and my metamour." Had Morgan been in less pain and at less risk of worse, she might have gone for a snarky remark about the dissonance between calling his boyfriend 'bro' but using such a proper and obscure term as 'metamour', but for now she bit her tongue.
"Easy there, babe. She's been through enough without our help." Morgan hated herself a little for getting flustered at that despite how thoroughly awful they were all being. Actually, Archie's voice might have contributed a little, now that she thought about it. That or the fact that so many people in Hoenn were so awful that even the slightest acts of consideration felt more notable. Probably some combination of factors.
Welp. Last-ditch effort time, she guessed. "Primal Kyo-" She was cut off by a sharp kick in the side.
"I said to shut it," Shelly hissed.
"Easy," Archie repeated, softer yet more emphatically.
"This isn't your place. I'll-..." Her ferocity faded. "I'll do it."
"...Do what?" Archie asked. "...Did she say Primal?"
A beat, then two. "L-like I said, we just. Need to talk. But later," Shelly answered.
Archie nodded, recalling Jetsam now that Morgan was fully restrained. "Boreas should be fine to carry all three of us, right?"
Shelly looked her metamour up and down. "I dunno… Matt's been hitting the mess hall pretty hard lately."
"... My bedroom is a literal gym," retorted Matt.
"Yyyyeah, but that beer gut." By now, it became obvious her tone was teasing. Morgan could only hope that humor was a coping mechanism and not a sign she was abandoning her conviction.
Matt chuckled as he caught on. "I mean, when it's time to party, who wouldn't prefer a keg to a six pack?"
"Looks mighty fine to me…" said Archie in a low, pleasant growl.
As they moved closer, thoughts both oddly alluring and wildly panic-inducing crossed Morgan's mind. "S-so, hey, in spite of the bondage situation here, if you're gonna break into an orgy can I please not be part of it."
Archie fought to stifle a laugh, and Matt turned to look down at her with a mildly offended look. "Dude. You just assume-…? That's so uncool."
Shelly seemed to be rather pointedly ignoring this conversation as she mounted Boreas. "You guys coming or what?" Archie's laughter grew harder to suppress, and something akin to a small giggle escaped him as he continued to try to hold back the rest. Shelly facepalmed. "Not at all what I meant."
"Kind of walked into it," Morgan mumbled intentionally-conspicuously.
As Archie mounted up behind her, Shelly sighed. "Screw you."
"I think we just discussed I'd rather not."
Archie gave up his struggle and openly guffawed at that point. By the time Matt joined them on the now-crowded Suicune's back, Archie had settled enough to wipe away a tear and remark, "I swear, out of all the thorns in my side, you're by far my favorite, scamp. I hate to leave you like this, but it's just a precaution, you understand."
"Uh-huh…" Once again she considered blurting the Primal info, but with none of the trio close enough to punish her, she didn't trust Shelly not to have Boreas do the silencing this time, and taking the brunt of a demigod's attack was not a pleasant concept. Morgan resigned that she'd just have to hope either Shelly would succeed or that she could try to deal with it later. Living to fight another day, and all. Still, ugh.
"See you around, and good luck on your journey, scamp~" And off they rode.
Well that took entirely too long. Morgan was never in great physical shape even at her peak, which she still was back up to; and- shockingly- it turned out sailors tied ridiculously strong knots, so wriggling out was not an option either. She couldn't seem to get rolling to cooperate, and inch-worming her way to her bag was absolutely humiliating even without an audience.
Now Mithril and Cerebus accompanied her as she finally made her way out of the brush. "You two were no help at all," she muttered.
You were not in danger, Mithril noted. Xe was right, of course. Cooperating had been the best method of escaping unharmed. But it still left Morgan fuming.
Just a few steps out of the brush, her Nav activated again. The signal would still be weak and distorted here, she knew, but at least they'd see her back on the map, alone, rather than thinking she might have run off with Team Aqua. And, hey. The fact that she looked like hell came more from wriggling through the dirt and grass and stray twigs for the past however long than from actual confrontation, but it should certainly add to her sympathy facto-
"SKRAWWWWR-o-REEEE." Morgan cringed at the sudden cry and squared her stance, but then realized it sounded familiar. A… Skarmory?
Seconds later, a bird larger than her own swooped dangerously close, but from its back lept Hoenn's Champion. "Morgan, thank the gods. Are you all right?" Before she could answer, he grabbed her hands and saw the raw marks from where she'd tried twisting out of the ropes.
"...Y-yeah… They sort of ambushed me." She pulled her hands back and rubbed one wrist. "I'm okay, though. All they really did was make sure I couldn't follow them…"
"And make it harder for anyone to find you," murmured Steven.
… "Ah. Yeah, right. Also that." She… totally didn't willingly come to a Secret Spot, because that definitely wasn't a concept she was aware of or actively exploiting. It was almost too easy to forget that Steven had League ties.
"They're getting bolder by the day," he said, more to himself than her. "You two have to stop trying to take them on by yourselves before one of you gets hurt."
"...Us two?" It took a moment to click, and Morgan rubbed a temple. "Of course… What did she do now?"
"Tried to chase a Magma Admin into the wilds. I searched all night and couldn't find either of them. Apparently she lost his trail, too, but it's a miracle she made it back in one piece." So Sera was getting braver, too, it seemed… Morgan didn't know whether to be angry or proud, honestly… "Of course, he didn't seem to have a Legendary Pokemon on hand. What were you thinking?"
Morgan did hate being scolded, and imagined she'd be getting some of the same speech from Genevieve later. But the sheer amount of concern as Steven said it made her actually feel a little guilty. "To be fair, so do I…"
He sighed. "I suppose. ...Though wait. They didn't take her? Or… anything else?" Morgan shook her head. "Mm… Perhaps they realized such a Pokemon would not follow a trainer it didn't choose, or…"
Oh shit. "Hey speaking of Legendary Pokemon, though, we have bigger problems." Suddenly she realized and glanced toward her Nav, trying to make the gesture as apparent as possible to Steven and as discreet as possible to everyone else. "H-hey, should we, or, you…?"
"Hm?" When he caught on, he seemed less concerned than she'd imagined. "Right. Allow me."
It seemed Steven's Cobalt had also recently evolved, and given Steven still seemed a bit uncertain about Mithril, he and Morgan now sat atop Cobalt as they floated north, keeping Morgan on track while she explained all she'd learned, or as best as she could without admitting she'd just had a pleasant sit-down with the enemy.
She also found herself wondering if perhaps having the Champion as her personal escort- even if it was just an hour or so, so late at night now that things tended to be quiet anyway- constituted an unfair advantage of any kind, but… Honestly, fuck it. Sera'd had advantages from Day 1, and she wasn't about to complain about such pleasant company.
Especially not when he seemed to be the only person in the entire gods-forsaken region who was both willing to listen to her and capable of doing anything about any given problems. Honestly. If she had one shred of hope left for Hoenn, it was that Steven was apparently already working on changes within the League (she couldn't imagine having come here when they still enforced Devon's rulings in full force?) and was supposed to take over Devon someday, too.
Besides, it wasn't like the League was going to punish her, haha. ha...
"So it's come to this…" said Steven when she'd finished her tale. "What you've been able to relay about Primal Reversion aligns with my own findings in some of Hoenn's ruins and records, as well… This is far worse than we feared." He sighed heavily. "Are… you well enough to travel on your own?"
Morgan blinked. "I mean yeah, I should be. Though I should probably be stopping for the night anyway, really."
"Mm… I'll have to ask you to forgive me. I'd love to accompany you farther just to be safe, but there are a lot of things I need to look into. Wallace will need to double the guard, and I may even need to reach out to the Draconids… Dad probably knows better than to incite a riot, so I might even want to have him start preparing evacuation plans just in case… Hmmm…" He was doing the talking-to-himself thing again, words growing quieter and more mumbled until Morgan couldn't make them out anymore.
"Well, definitely do what you need to," she said finally. "Should… I do anything in particular, or just…?"
He shook his head. "Mm, no. You already serve a very vital role, as I'm sure you've realized by now. I may disagree with the way my father handles these Games, but at times like this… Well, as long as people are invested in what you're doing, they're that much less worried about the world around themselves. I need you to keep putting on a good show."
Something about that answer was far more offputting than she'd have ever expected. It was a perfectly rational suggestion, but… She supposed nothing required her to like it… "I see." She sighed. "I guess it's not like I have much choice, eh?"
"Mm. That's far enough, Cobalt." The Metagross stopped and landed, and Steven jumped to the ground before offering Morgan a hand and helping her down.
He might have held her hand a little longer than necessary, and Morgan might have been willing to embrace that small indulgence on a better day. As it was, she averted her gaze, which fell to the Metagross, sparking a sudden thought. "Hey. You said you were Mithril's breeder, right?"
"I did," he answered.
"So are xe and Cobalt related, then? I mean I don't know how breeding works with these sorts of Pokemon, but…"
Steven smirked and hummed a pleasant note. "They are indeed. Immediate siblings, in fact. Descended from my prized Ditto and the older Metagross I reserve for League-sanctioned battles."
"Heh…" Morgan still had to force her smile just a bit, but it surprised her that she did. She honestly did appreciate it? Hm. "Well, that's really nice to know."
"I suppose…" She looked to him quizzically, and his soft expression gained the slightest sheepish quality as he averted his gaze. "It's just one of several ways we've become connected, now… don't you think?"
"... I uh…" She supposed there was the Key Stone she'd gotten from him… and the Metagrossite… Also their connections to the League but she didn't really care for that dynamic so much.
"Would… it be too forward of me to ask you to accept yet another token of my admiration?"
Morgan took a half-step backward as his blue-silver eyes shifted back to her. Her heart pounded. "I-I mean, had you not phrased it like that it wouldn't have been…"
"Aha…" He rubbed the back of his head. "My apologies."
"...What is it, though?" She still had mixed feelings and all, but… free shit.
He pulled out his own Nav- visibly a very different device from her own, but serving some similar functions- and went through its menus until he found and materialized a small green stone. "Sceptilite. You'll need to be careful, as it will only make Cerberus that much more vulnerable to ice. But against other foes, he'll be a force to be reckoned with."
"Ah…" She gratefully accepted, in that case. Keeping Cerberus safer was definitely a high priority. "Thank you. We'll definitely use it wisely."
Steven nodded. "Morgan… Please, stay safe." There was a briefly tense moment, then he moved as if he might hug her, only to back out and settle for a smile instead. He recalled Cobalt, and sent out his Skarmory. "Good luck."
As he flew away, she awkwardly answered, "You too…"
Sera couldn't imagine. She couldn't imagine what Morgan must have gone through after first meeting Archie. The amount of questions she kept getting, the clear suspicion in some of them, even with her impeccable record, even with her connections… Steven claimed to believe her story, as did plenty of others. Yet she kept getting questions. Most recently, it was Steven himself calling her- waking her- in the middle of the night to ask if she'd caught anything about Primal Reversion in her dealings with Magma.
Obviously, she couldn't give him the full answer, so she had to feign that the words might have sounded vaguely familiar, and that it "wouldn't surprise her" if Magma had something of the sort planned.
Ugh… If she could trust anyone to handle this without targeting all the team indiscriminately, or could share what she knew without being barred from dealing with it herself… As it was, she made a promise to Tabitha, and she intended to keep it. She had grown to care about Team Magma as a whole, and she wouldn't watch everyone she'd met and all hope of achieving their dreams in a less drastic manner be mowed down if there was still a chance they could fix this.
All she had to do was breeze through Fortree and make her way to Mt. Pyre…
Between Sapphron, her Mega Stones, and having focus trained such a small group of Pokemon, her power compared to the average wild Pokemon was far greater than it had been early in her journey, so although these routes were long, she was making excellent time on them. It was now her third day on 119, and she should pretty easily reach Fortree by nightfall. If she was especially lucky, she could even clear the gym tonight and-
"What?" she asked, incredulous, to the caller on her Nav.
"We're aware there haven't been many full training days since last time," the man said. "But it has been quite some time for the viewers, and your rosters have both changed a terrifying amount in a short time. We think the timing is quite perfect."
"But-"
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Miss Birch, but you are to wait at the Fortree Pokemon Center until Morgan arrives and conduct a rival battle before progressing farther."
Great. Just… fucking perfect.
At least Morgan was no happier about this than Sera was, and she hadn't even lost nearly an entire extra day out of the ordeal. They took to their usual routine: finding a spot at the edge of town and awaiting the countdown. Unlike usual, however, they agreed to do a triple battle this time. It was ""exciting"", after all, and frankly neither wanted to be stuck here any longer than necessary.
3… 2… 1…
Morgan sent out her Sceptile, Metagross, and brand new Sylveon; Sera countered with her Anorith, Latios, and brand new Shiftry.
"AWW!" Sera exclaimed in spite of herself. "When did you get that cutie!" Morgan didn't respond, or say anything at all. "...Morgan?" Her eyes were locked firmly on the Anorith. "Morgan?"
She finally shook herself out of it. "S-sorry, I don't-... There's something about your little bug there that bothers me." She shook her head. "It's probably stupid. ...Is." She leered scrutinizingly at the Shiftry. "Is that Pelt?"
"The one and only!" Sera exclaimed proudly. "We found a Leaf Stone yesterday afternoon." Pelt seemed less pleased, and borderline sulked. Sera cringed. "We uh… may not have especially thought through the whole… going-back-to-a-lack-of-proper-hands… thing. But I'm sure he'll get used to it in no time~"
"...That's kind of fucked up," commented Morgan.
Sera really didn't need her judgment. "... Let's just battle."
Morgan quickly swapped Cerebus for a Linoone, evolved from the same Zigzagoon she'd kept largely for helping clear obstacles off and on since Rustboro. Then she Mega Evolved Mithril.
Sapphron and Pelt ganged up on Sylveon with Luster Purge and Leaf Blade, but Mithril's Pursuit on Sapphron was stronger than either, and Sylveon's Moonblast knocked Pelt clean out to give Morgan an early lead. Meanwhile, Anorith got in a decent X-Scissor against the Linoone, but it hardly made up for the loss.
Sera replaced Pelt with Wings, and Morgan swapped Sylveon for her newly evolved Crobat.
"Holy shit," remarked Sera. Morgan had really been training hardcore these past few days, apparently.
Wings's Steel Wing against Crobat did almost as little damage as Linoone's Rock Smash on Anorith. What it did do seemed to piss Anorith right off, though, as she promptly evolved to retaliate, and the new Armaldo's X-Scissor proved far more formidable than before, knocking out Linoone! Now that's what Sera liked to see!
Sapphron took a moment to Recover, and Mithril attempted to attack Armaldo, but only managed a glancing blow.
Morgan replaced Linoone with- "Where'd you get a Castform?" whined Sera.
"I went back to check on the Weather Institute once things settled down a bit," shrugged Morgan. "It's not like it took any time to do so. They'd probably give you one too if you asked."
...Well that made sense. Sera was going to pretend she definitely was just prioritizing her journey versus having completely forgotten to go see if everyone was all right, or anything like that…
While she was busy in a brief state of denial, Morgan went on with the battle. Mithril's Meteor Mash knocked Armaldo out, and Crobat's Cross Poison-
The dreaded Critical Hit alert sounded as Wings hit the ground. Sera would never admit the small undertone of relief mixed in with her horror. "Wings…"
Morgan just shrugged. "Sorry. Guess accidents happen." … Sera knew Cross Poison had a heightened crit ration, and she suspected Morgan knew it, too.
Luster Purge almost managed to avenge the Swellow, but not quite. Nor did the pelting of Castform's Hail quite finish off the Crobat, though it certainly did annoy everyone on the field except Castform, trainers included.
Play time was over, and Tank and Flash replaced their fallen allies, Flash Mega Evolving almost instantly.
The combination of Dragonbreath and Blaze Kick left Mithril on xir last leg, and Flash managed to dodge xir counterattack entirely.
A moment later, though, the combination of Crobat's Wing Attack and Castform's Weather Ball managed to knock out Sapprhon.
Morgan was no doubt feeling pretty confident, but Sera's last attacker was far stronger than he was fast. Tank's Rock Slide managed to finish off both Mithril and Crobat simultaneously.
Sylveon and Sceptile replaced them.
When Flash saw Cerebus, he gave a competitive grin and got all the more riled… but the Sceptile just looked at him blankly for a moment before turning his attention to Tank. Flash's heart hit his stomach, but the battle had to continue.
A Blaze Kick took out Castform, and while the doubly-super-effective Mega Drain was devastating, Tank lived up to his name by once again managing to endure it at all. Sylveon's Moonblast didn't quite take Flash out either, though it came close.
In desperation, imagining Flash wouldn't last much longer anyway, Sera ordered Tank to use Earthquake- and ended up laughing in disbelief as Flash dodged it. Cerebus and Sylveon did not.
It was two-on-two.
Flame Charge fainted Sylveon; Mega Drain fainted Tank.
It was one-on-one. Flash versus Cerebus.
Again, Flash tried to antagonize his rival. C'mon, Cer. Show me what you've got!
Again, he received the flattest look in response. Let's just finish the battle.
"Another Flame Charge should do the trick," said Sera.
But Flash clenched his jaw. ..What? Are you not even going to try?
Cerebus rolled his eyes. With you Mega Evolved and Speed Boosted this high? I'll save myself the disappointment, he sighed.
… FIGHT ME, Flash demanded.
"...Guys?" questioned Sera.
"What's going on?" asked Morgan.
Cerebus just crossed his arms and waited.
At last, Flash let out a frustrated scream, and swooped in to finish him with a Blaze Kick.
"What the hell," hissed Morgan.
"That wasn't me!" Sera insisted. "Flash, what the hell indeed! Is he okay?"
Morgan confirmed that he was, and Sera went to check Flash, who released his Mega form now. He… Why wouldn't he fight me? He… That look he gave me… It was like I was dead to him. Why-... Why wouldn't he…
Sera cringed. "Ahh… Yoouu, should probably take a nice rest now…" She recalled him, hoping he'd be over the ordeal after some time to cool down. Turning to Morgan, she offered, "You've gotten surprisingly good lately. That was easily our toughest fight yet."
Morgan pursed her lips. "And yet…"
Sera forced a weak smile. "Hey, maybe next time, eh? Flash got pretty lucky there a few times, and at the rate you've been training…" She was trying to be encouraging, but as much for the camera's sake as Morgan's, honestly. The truth was, right now, Sera was pretty sure she had just a little bit more to fight for.
Losing Wings sucked, especially since she never did get around to confronting him about exactly what all that "harbinger" business was about… But even now she feared she may not want to know, and she'd already revived him once… Would beating death twice only make him that much more terrifying? Perhaps she'd hold off on finding out, and save what money she could have spent on a Revive for someone a little more vital to her current mission.
Vibrava was getting up there, and her Audino was good, too. Both would make fine replacements. So for now, she needed to pick one, heal up, and take on the Gym so she could be on her way.
Morgan fumed as she sat in the Center, long after Sera headed off for the Gym.
Once again, her rival had won priority to move ahead. Once again, Sera humiliated her in a fight. Once again, no matter how many times Morgan thought she had the lead, it turned out to be meaningless in the end.
She was tired. Tired of dragging behind. Tired of being treated like nothing but a source of entertainment. Tired of no one seeing just how grueling this entire situation was, never knowing when a trusted friend might die, and then having to deal with the choice of letting them stay dead or bringing them back knowing they'd be… different…
She never had a great feeling about revival, but the evidence had become too strong for her to deny there was something more to it than the higher-ups would admit. Sera wrote off Spitfire's behavior as an isolated incident, and Morgan supposed she couldn't tell if Wings was any different. But Kitsun, as well as he'd gotten off overall, refused to battle Poochyena and Mightyena now. And Cerebus… He'd lost so much of his former spark. Morgan didn't need to hear their exchange to tell his behavior toward Flash was a total 180 from their previous rivalry, and she couldn't blame him at all.
There was Mithril, she supposed, who for all intents and purposes seemed calmer- more focused- after his revival. But she hesitated to call that an "improvement" when it seemed so much more likely that it was a similar side effect and just happened to work to her benefit.
And if all this was just what Morgan could see, what was there under the surface? Damage, scars, that she couldn't see? She wondered if it was fair to force Pokemon to deal with that. Not that she'd normally prefer being dead to being 'broken', but the more she thought about it, the more upsetting she found it that the Pokemon couldn't have a say in that choice.
That it even was a choice.
Her own damage she could deal with. It happened, it affected her, and she'd been learning to accommodate. But with them, there was a conscious decision to be made as to whether to inflict such a fate upon them, and she couldn't even ask them beforehand what they'd prefer, because they still wouldn't know what they were agreeing to until-and-unless they actually experienced it. They could not make an informed decision, which left it to her to decide their fates, or to force them to make a choice without knowing what they were agreeing to, and…
This entire system was a moral clusterfuck. Who exactly had invented or discovered Revives, and whose sick idea was it to make them available to young people who were already struggling to secure their own livelihoods?
When her Pokemon were healed, she still had some time to kill before she would be allowed to challenge the Gym. Well, no sense sitting on her ass just waiting.
Instead, she mounted Andraste- who had been omitted from the battle at her own request, not wanting to fight Sapphron- and headed southwest. There were a few routes she'd technically been to on Briney's boat without ever having encountered a wild Pokemon, and this seemed like as good a time as any to see what she could get.
As it turned out, a Honedge (named Happy, of all things… okay) and a Froakie (named Russia) from Wonder Trade. Not a bad haul. Not bad at all.
They made it back to Fortree a little before midnight, and more than ever Morgan loved the freedom granted by the impossibly fast demigod who'd chosen her as a companion.
She decided to touch down at the edge of town rather than in the middle mostly to give herself a brief chance to stretch her legs before turning in for the night, but on her way to the Pokemon Center, she spied some movement in the distance. Had it been casual, she'd have paid it no mind, but this was quick and erratic- clearly someone trying not to be seen.
"Hello?" called Morgan. "Who's there?" Whether they answered or took it as a warning that she was onto them, the question seemed like a win-win.
"I've been asking that question for fourteen years myself," came a vaguely familiar voice.
It took Morgan a moment, but then she found herself suddenly honestly excited. "...Aarune?"
"Ssh," he whispered. "The trees have ears." Of course they did. "But if you want to find some that don't, come with me."
Of course, the strangest part of this evening was that this wasn't the first time Morgan had followed a fidgety man of questionable stability to a secret guild hall, just the first in Hoenn or without a party of fellow adventurers at her side, unless she counted her Pokemon.
Maybe Morgan should really start questioning her life choices a little more.
Then again, maybe not. The Guild of Secrets was looking like a better and better option, to be honest… She wouldn't abandon her quest quite yet, but…
The Fortree Gym was pretty easily handled early the following morning, and Morgan headed to Route 120.
She'd taken little more than a few steps when an Absol appeared to her, not even appearing aggressive. Her Dex app informed her that Absol often appeared to warn of impending disasters, and Morgan couldn't help but bark a laugh. "My buddy. My pal, my dude… You don't even know…"
"... Sol," he said flatly.
"Heh." Morgan rolled her eyes. "Man, I guess you're my first encounter, too… I don't suppose you're going to quietly come with me so I don't have to fight you, huh?" To her surprise, he nodded. "... What? Really?" Again, he nodded. "... Uh… Well okay then."
She dug out and held out a ball to him, and watched as he entered without struggle. "How about that… Welcome to the team, I guess, Omen." Impending disasters aside, maybe he would also be something of a good omen? A sign that someone was noticing what was happening and willing to help?
… That interpretation would have held more water if she hadn't… seen… so very many Absol in passing as she traveled down the route. She checked her Nav, then checked it twice, then thrice, just in case she misread, but each time confirmed Absol were very rare, and seeing them in such numbers definitely warranted the chills it sent down her spine.
Then she saw it.
In the middle distance, on a low cliff, staring right at her.
Brilliant cerise skin encompassed by soft rose-white fur, with teal eyes contrasting so sharply against its face that Morgan could make out their color from here. The light caught it at every angle: just like Mithril, just like Flash.
A Shiny Absol.
For half a moment Morgan cursed her luck and all the gods of Hoenn that she'd spent her catch already, but then Norman's words so long ago echoed. Shiny Pokemon were such a rarity that exceptions to the capture rule were not just allowed. They were encouraged.
Immediately she released Andraste, whose colors complimented the other creature's so well. "I need it," Morgan eloquently explained. By the time Andraste understood what she meant and Morgan had mounted up, the Absol was turning away to bolt off into the distance. "After it."
Morgan pursued, but she soon lost sight of the beast in the mountainous terrain.
Neither could Andraste track it, for its Dark typing prevented her from scanning for its presence. So they looked manually.
For an hour.
For two hours.
For three.
Morgan got a call.
"Sweetie, you've been flying in circles for a while. What are you doing?" Genevieve inquired.
"There's a Shiny Absol here somewhere," Morgan explained. "I've gotta find it."
"Oh! Goodness, I'll have to rewind the playback to see it! I certainly understand, then. Best of luck to you!"
Day two. They'd still not found the elusive treasure.
Norman called this time. One of the first calls she'd received from him her entire journey.
He congratulated her on her sighting, and told her he was willing to allow some delay for such a compelling find, but to please try not to drag it on too long. If she couldn't find it, better to cut her losses than fall too far behind.
Morgan assured him everything would be fine.
Day four. While they hunted, Morgan had also been training. Almost nonstop hunting and training.
Happy was a Doublade now. Russia was a Frogadier. About once a day, she'd jumped back up to Fortree to swap her team out- all except Cerberus and Mithril, of course. Usually Andraste stayed as well, but when she needed a rest, Mithril proved a suitable replacement for deep scouring versus broad sweeps.
They checked the edges past the boundary lines from time to time.
Morgan must have slain or injured nearly a hundred normal Absol in her pursuit of the Shiny. In fact, she'd brought up an application on her Nav to count that she had.
Thanks to the Exp Share she still carried, her Pokemon grew at an unparalleled rate- especially those that never left her party… Mithril scarcely listened to her commands in battle anymore, but that was fine. Xe'd never been the most obedient Pokemon, and xe normally knew what xe was doing anyway.
Morgan trusted Mithril's advice. Mithril had started giving such wonderful advice.
Day six spent on Route 120.
Sera called. She sounded worried. It sounded kind of important? Morgan didn't really have time for her right now.
She hung up.
Omen died later that day during training. Morgan did not grieve. She understood she'd have a better Absol soon. Mithril agreed.
Day seven.
An entire week poured into this hunt.
The calls she got were less concerned now, and more threatening.
If she didn't give up the hunt and continue on her journey, they'd cut her healing access.
She had more berries than she knew what to do with.
They'd cut all her supplies in general.
She had friends and sources.
If she forced their hand, they'd take her Pokemon again. They'd consider this another Violation and punish her accordingly.
Morgan considered this.
She looked down at the Latias she rode. She considered the number of Pokemon who came anywhere near matching her travel speed.
She considered the number and strength of her psychic Pokemon, and her own quickly developing mental powers. She could readily understand Mithril now. She'd started understanding Kitsun in the past few days as well. At this rate, it may not be long until she didn't even need their help to block signal.
She considered the implications of finding such a rare Pokemon associated with omens so soon after she'd considered abandoning this entire journey anyway.
If they could not find her, and they could not catch her, and she neither wanted nor needed them...
"Good fucking luck," said Morgan.
Then Andraste flashed with power, and Morgan's signal went black.
