ACT VIII: AN UNFAIR WORLD.
On further consideration, Space really should've sent his sister away the moment she set foot in his domain once more. The deity had just woken up from his latest millennial slumber and wasn't in the mood for Anti-matter's quirks, more so that her last words earlier still echoed in his vast thoughts. But he DID call for her moments ago in his waking thoughts and who was she to ignore him?
"A pleasant day to you, Big Brother," she greeted as the pale ageless man with crimson eyes stalked past her, gaze fixed on his current job. A malevolent galaxy threatened to encroach into the Milky Way and needed shrinking, lest it scatter his meticulous planetary arrangement. "I see you've taken on a more...pleasant form. You only do that when you want to initiate a conversation. Could it be you've finally warmed up to me? Or...is Papa trying to makes us get along again?"
His voice came out deep and throaty, a mere tone lighter than The Great White's. "Neither. I was reflecting on the words you left me with a millenia ago."
Anti-matter drew a mock breath. "You remembered? Oh dear Brother, I knew you'd come around-"
"Do not get the wrong idea," Space cut in sharply, silencing her as he focused on the troublesome galaxy. "I will not simply abandon my duties to go cavort with you on human ground. I just want to know why you've taken interest in telling me the world's affairs. In the past ten millenia, all I've heard you talk about was some war or disaster you caused for The Great White's creations and in all honesty, it's getting a little repetitive."
She had the nerve to tilt her head in confusion. "I just wanted to keep my loving brother current since all you do is work and sleep. The world is a very strange and interesting place to visit, what with the various playthings wandering about. Especially the humans! They're so weak and dim-witted that one can't help but have their way with them!"
"So you're inviting me to come raise hell there?"
"Oh? No, no! Of course not, dear brother!" she waved off with an innocent smile. "I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with Papa, after all! What with the shaky relationship you two already have-"
She clamped up as soon as Space turned his head around to glare at her. Experience taught her that this was usually the part where she would be ordered off or worse given Space's famous impatience and short temper.
To her pleasant surprise, Space neither changed form nor gave a biting reply. Instead, he turned his eyes back to the matter at hand and sighed.
"It's not my fault The Great White is so weakhearted that he'd create those human scum with free will. He even called them his greatest masterpiece."
Anti-matter stilled for a moment before testing the metaphorical waters. "So...you're jealous of them?"
Space gave her an irritated look. "I could not care less even if He went and mated with them. If there's any qualms I have with them, it's probably their freedom. They can do anything they want without so much as a warning from The Great White whereas anything we do has its equal punishments. You're a classic example."
He smirked as his little sister's brow twitched.
"Touche," she huffed. "So you hate the way they exercise their free will?"
"You've seen what they've turned the world to," he replied solemnly, letting his gaze fall on the blue speck in the dark distance. "Their injustice is rife and only grows further with their rising population. I'm just glad they haven't corrupted or harmed the magical creatures created alongside them."
Anti-matter froze. Was that tenderness in her brother's voice? Could...could this be it? The chance she was searching for?
"I see," she murmured, walking up to his much taller frame and wrapping her arms round his torso. Space didn't so much as give her a glance or even resist her touch as he was too lost in his own thoughts to care. "This is the longest you've ever talked with me, brother. I'm glad."
"...Are you planning something?" Space asked, more out of instinct than anything else as he heard her giggling.
"Nothing, dearest brother," Anti-matter cooed, burying her smile in his thick white hair. "Nothing at all."
And in the dirty recesses of her joyful mind, she could only wonder as to how utterly fun her latest venture was going to be.
Two days later.
The afternoon breeze was crisp and warm, carrying the fresh scent of flowers through the atmosphere and purifying every soul that indulged in the heavenly scene. One could tell at a glance that summer was here as the various Combee flitted about from tree to tree, drawing as much pollen as they needed for the hives on the grassy plains. Flowers scattered everywhere in various shapes and sizes, bringing a plethora of colors to the hillsides, stopping only at the ponds brimming with sparkling blue water and relatively small aquatic Pokemon who stayed to escape the heat.
Truly, Route 204 was one of the most blissful, and possibly the most romantic, paths for any aspiring trainer to travel through.
And as such, was quite easy to set alight as a speeding Johnny Firebottoms fired another Flamethrower into the summer air. Catching up behind him were Cynthia, pale-faced with fright, and Piff, red-faced with rage and oddly splattered in golden honey.
It was therefore easy to guess why a horde of enraged Heracross flew after them in hot pursuit.
"You under-sized flea-bag!" Cynthia yelled, directing her own righteous anger at the monkey ahead. "Why did you have to stick it to the Heracross horde, of all the Pokemon here?! I hate bugs, especially the BIG, BRAWNY ones that can actually KILL you!"
"One of them was looking at me funny!" Johnny hissed back, setting another round off. "I didn't like it so I taught 'em a lesson!"
"By stealing their honey and NEARLY HAVING SEX WITH THEIR QUEEN?!" Piff screeched, waving a hand and batting the pesky Heracross at his side on the nose. "And to make matters worse, you dumped the honey on me!"
"So I might've tried to frame you a bit-"
"YOU TRAITOROUS SON OF A-"
"BUT it would've saved my ass and maybe Blondie's too! You'd have survived whatever punishment they dropped on you with your freaky healing anyway." Johnny turned so he was running backwards and smirking proudly at the horrified ravenette. "So you see, I am in fact a very considerate Pokemon, thank you very much! Now stop following us and do your job, bait!"
HE WAS TOTALLY PLANNING THIS ALL ALONG! Piff and Cynthia inwardly gasped, comical expressions of terror evident on their faces.
Before Piff could retaliate, Cynthia caught sight of their saving grace and veered off to the left.
"Get in the water!" she barked, taking in a swift gulp of air and diving into the pond nearby, all concern for her trendy clothing flying clear out the logical window.
Johnny recoiled. "No way, bitch!" he sputtered, continuing forward. "You know us fire-types don't go down with that blue hell!"
"Suck it up and take a deep breath!" Piff snapped, scooping Johnny up and plunging in after their companion. Johnny obviously struggled with the sudden change in environment but calmed down once the noisy beating of Heracross wings permeated across the water's surface. Had Piff not left his bag somewhere else, Johnny would've been safely in his Pokeball...or maybe not, seeing as the male trainer took some pleasure in watching his starter shudder at the watery blanket he was in.
The Heracross persisted for the next two minutes, skimming the surface and even dipping their horns on several occasions. Luckily, Heracross were known for their remarkable short-term memory so in time, the Heracross forgot why they were even there and flew off into the horizon, leaving two drenched teens and one soaked monkey to break the water surface and gasp for precious air.
Cynthia's hands were on Johnny's neck the moment her reasoning returned and would've quite happily ripped his eyes out had it not been for the eerie stare she could feel from the male trainer in front of her.
"What?" she asked sourly, in no mood for more nonsense. Her day was more than ruined as far as she knew and Piff had better not make it even worse by opening his fat trap-
"My mom had a lace bra just like that," he blurted, purple eyes transfixed on her torso, exposed by the wet, clingy and currently see-through material of her white top.
Cynthia lost it. With a roar the likes of which no girl could emulate, she lunged at Piff and sank his head into the water before sending an escaping Johnny into a tree with a vengeful kick. Satisfied, she turned her proud nose up in the air and with as much dignity as she could salvage (this being quite a lot), the blonde took her dripping self back to their resting spot quite a while away.
"Girls are scary," Piff concluded, rising out of the water as soon as her stomping died down.
"I kind of agree with ya," Johnny mumbled, following after her. The duo got back in time to see Cynthia unraveling a map of the region.
"Floaroma Town is still over a day away," she stated. "I think we've had enough rest with that little fiasco earlier."
"If it helps, I'm sorry," Johnny grumbled. Cynthia flicked her hair indifferently and it was then that Piff had noticed the dry clothing she was now donning. Deciding to shelve the question on dressing speed for later, he took a look at the map and frowned.
"There's no Magikarp around here."
Cynthia rolled her eyes. "They're saltwater Pokemon, Piff. We'll have to be pretty close to the sea if we want to catch one."
Piff sighed before perking up. "Ah well. It just means we'll have to travel farther. Let's go, then. I've got training to do!"
And train he did, fighting every trainer along the way. Johnny was definitely up to par with whatever was thrown at him but it was a different case for Wooper. Piff soon learned that obtaining a gym badge actually went a long way in boosting a Pokemon's experience as there seemed to be a clear gap in power between the trainers he had faced near Oreburgh and the ones he was facing now. A few arrogant trainers even berated him for not obtaining a badge yet, wondering what the newbie was doing on more experienced turf.
Johnny torched their bags when they weren't looking and almost pulled an Ace Trainer's hair off after a particularly heated match.
Oddly enough, Cynthia split apart for a while, saying she had her own training to do. Just because she wasn't collecting badges didn't mean she could slack off either.
And it soon became apparent by the amount of winnings how much of a knack she had for battling. Then again, she owned a Dragon type, which to most trainers at that level, was an unfair advantage. Coupled with the way she exploited weaknesses and strengths, her Turtwig and Gible soon gained popularity among the trainers in the area.
Piff, Johnny and Wooper had gained popularity too. A notorious one however as he was soon labelled "the crazy kid with an OP pyromaniac and a derp."
Hence the boy's sour mood as he and Cynthia traversed the grassy path with the rest of the beaten trainers currently ahead of them, carrying their tired Pokemon in their respective pokeballs.
"They stopped battling me altogether," he complained, crossing his arms and pouting. "It's like I'm some dangerous circus tamer or something."
"They're not too far off."
"Buzz off, Cynthia. You're just happy because you never lost a single battle today."
The blonde pushed up imaginary glasses with the smug smile back on her face. "I only challenged the ones I stood a chance against. Not blindly calling out every Volbeat and Illumise in sight."
"Someone's forgetting their very first battle a couple of days ago. Besides, your method's cheap and cowardly."
"It's called playing smart. Oh my, you're not jealous of my perfect streak, are you?"
Piff arched a brow. "Cynthia, you own a Dragon-Type."
"And a darn good one too!" she declared, rustic accent slipping in from nowhere. At Piff's laugh, she narrowed her eyes and beat him playfully on the shoulder. "That's another embarrassing fact that I let slip out."
"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Piff quipped. "People from your side of Sinnoh are known for their cowboy accents."
"What in tarnation!" Cynthia exclaimed in mock surprise, accent back with a vengeance. "Now I don't know 'bout you, partner, but I certainly ain't some rustic yellowbelly hick from Sinnoh's nether-parts! Now how'se about we get up this darned hill and get some R'n'R before that there sun takes a dip in da horizon pool?"
Piff's expression went completely deadpan. "Please don't do that."
"Understood," she replied just as flatly after showing why she never let her suppressed "Celestic-dame" get the better of her.
"Hey lovers, we can hear you all the way from here!" the young hiker in front joked.
"We're not dating, baldie!" they snapped reflexively, making him recoil with a weak laugh.
"O...kay then. Looks like we've got ourselves some unhappy campers," he remarked, slowing down so he could get closer to them. "By the way, most people call me Frank. 'Baldie' just so happens to be a shortened corruption of my last name, Bauder so your insults have no effect on me whatsoever!"
"Hey Cynthia, he's totally crying-"
"ANYWAY!" Frank cut-in, pretending to wipe his face free of sweat. "I enjoyed the battle I had with you two, even if Piff's Chimchar got a little bit brutal with his fire. You see this group of trainers here? We're sort of travelling together for a while and it's getting kinda late so you're welcome to camp with us for the night."
Cynthia's reply was quick and to the point. "And how're we sure this group of yours aren't some band of robbers waiting for when we're at our weakest?"
Frank arched a brow before bursting out in laughter again. "Dude!" he said, looking to Piff. "Is she always this serious?"
"Oh, she makes mountains out of Diglett-hills all the time!" the ravenette laughed, glancing mockingly at the blonde who smacked him hard across the back. "A-although, she's got a point!"
"Oh please!" a female voice answered and the trio turned to see a girl with chocolate brown curls and bright orange eyes grinning at them. "These guys would need a freaking tank to rob a single Burmy!"
Her movements were bouncy, sending everything on her up and down with each step. Together with the ultra-tight top she was wearing, Piff had a hard time keeping his eyes steady. A fact that Cynthia noticed with visible traces of disgust.
"I'm Ace Trainer Misha!" the tall and bouncy girl declared, bending so she could be at eye-level with them. Which wasn't the best choice as Piff found himself staring where he shouldn't be. "But you already know that, especially you, Piff. After all, your Chimchar did hump my leg."
"With a rack like that, I wonder why," Frank mouthed, rolling his eyes as Piff broke into a short apology which Misha waved off.
"And don't you worry your pretty head, Miss Uptight Secretary-chan," she chirped, turning to Cynthia. "We're all innocent little beginners here. Well, most of us have at least one badge and we'd have taken advantage of you guys ages ago."
"Something tells me we're going to be great friends," Cynthia said, heavy on the sarcasm. Misha either didn't notice or chose to ignore it.
"I know right!" she chirped and looked up. "Sun's setting. Hey leader, we gonna stop somewhere or what?"
Frank, already in his position at the front, merely waved for them to keep moving.
"Slave driver," she complained though only in good humor. "When we settle in a nice spot, I'll introduce you to the rest. Laters!"
And she bounced off to the rest of her group, leaving a smarting Cynthia and a mesmerized Piff behind.
"I wanna see her in an Azumarill-suit," he unwittingly admitted.
Cynthia pinched him. "Boys."
...
"And that's how I lost my virginity!" Frank concluded and earned bouts of laughter from the trainers around the roaring campfire.
"Un...unbelievable!" Misha stuttered between gasps. "I don't know which one to believe. The foreplay or the afterglow!"
"Definitely the afterglow," he replied smugly. "Although, the activity was pretty one-sided."
"Yeah, given that you screwed your sister's barbie doll when she wasn't home," a trainer chuckled hysterically. "I've heard desperate but you took everything to a whole new level. And you were only eight!"
"Her big blue plastic eyes beckoned to me!" the bald hiker exclaimed dramatically. "I could not but ravish her in my iron-fisted-sister's absence!"
"You need help," Piff giggled, poking him in the side with an elbow. "Jokes aside, did you actually do your sister's doll?"
Frank put on an expression of hurt. "Wait, you guys believed that?"
"Weeeeelll~" Misha put a finger to her chin. "Knowing you, that doesn't sound too far-fetched."
"Arceus help me. I've become a pervert!" Frank cried and everyone laughed again.
"Um, actually," a young girl spoke up, curiosity in her blue eyes. "What's a 'virginity'?"
The banter came to an abrupt halt and Misha slapped a palm to her forehead in alarm. "Oh dear! Frank, you asshole! Cora's only ten years old!"
Frank blinked in surprise before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Hehe...guess I got too into my moment there."
"I, for one, think she needs the talk!" Choji, a trainer with fiery red hair stuffed into a beanie, spoke out. At everyone's glare, he shrugged indifferently. "What? It's only fair!"
"Her mind is still too innocent for such things!" Misha snapped, drawing Cora close. "Hush now, you little cutie. All you need to focus on is your Pokemon journey."
"But I wanna know! And quit treating me like a baby!" the youngest of the group protested and, for added measure, pouted. Piff almost broke it to her there and then had the little girl not yawned abruptly.
"Maybe tomorrow," Misha said, stroking her hair. "For now, bedtime."
"Stupid...I'm not...sleepy..."
Her dozing expression was so cute, it was almost illegal. By the time she finally buried her head in Misha's laps, the group was enveloped in silence, inwardly gushing at how utterly precious and small she seemed.
"Baby sisters are nice," Piff remarked once Cora was deep in the vestiges of the dream world.
"She's not mine," Misha replied coolly, used to such comments. "She's one of those classic trainers. You know...the ones who leave when they're way too young."
The air suddenly got uncomfortable, which was understandable given the events that still plagued Sinnoh for a while now. The matter of young trainers turning up dead on a near monthly basis. It took sometime but the world soon came to understand that things weren't the same as, say, 60 years ago. Wild Pokemon grew more aggressive, underground crimes ran rampant, kidnappings grew to an alarming rate and the thought of a mere ten year old being sent out into such a dangerous world started raising more than a few eyebrows. But even so, such matters were treated delicately as training at ten had since become a worldwide tradition, rooted so deeply in humanity's foundations that anything against it, even a slight alteration, was called to question by the angry masses.
However, it had only taken the events of one particular day to turn several opinions around.
It happened on June 2nd, 1978.
The region was Kanto. Ten bright-eyed trainers had just received their Pokemon and were "released" into the wild world of training, eager to begin their journeys towards their respective goals in life. The first-timers made it all the way to Viridian Forest, hoping to part ways from there. Only one made it out alive, his starter mortally injured and his little mind scarred forever.
Upon hearing his shocking report, a group of rangers were dispatched to confirm the status of his fellow trainers. When they came back to Pewter City to give their report, their faces were grim and their bodies carried several gashes.
White coffins made of silk. Each the size of a small human. Hung from Beedrill infested trees. Dripping streams of ruby red.
No one knew when Beedrill acquired the taste for human blood. Some argued that the species were being territorial. Such statements were slapped against their faces when a Beedrill the size of a house flew out of the forest, feasted on helpless citizens of Viridian and flew right back while carrying several corpses to feed its nest.
Viridian Forest was razed to the ground shortly after by the regional Air Force and the world was given its first grim reminder of dark days to come.
In a renowned historian's own words, the world "went to shit" after that incident. Questions were raised, blame was hurled and arguments grew to faction-splitting proportions. When it was soon discovered that nuclear waste from Johto had somehow found its way into Kanto's backyard (thus infecting their pokemon and leading to "Beedra" as most people termed the giant Beedrill), a conspiracy theory was up in the air and the already tense nations had a reasonable excuse to start a war. One that encroached into other regions and turned the world on its head completely.
For starters, Sinnoh had militarized in the fear of being caught off guard. For a time, every non-training man and woman over the age of sixteen was drafted into the army for some long (and tormenting) years under service to the nation. Trainers had it worse as they were taken as soon as their identities were discovered meaning that a ten year old child was out on the battlefield at one point slaughtering with gun in hand, knife in pocket and his or her Pokemon on either side.
The war eventual ran its course and ended, like all wars before it, but the metaphorical scars remained. Impressionable minds were corrupted, training-ages were nearly hiked, several Pokemon were put on the endangered list, recession hit and Sinnoh still remained under military dictatorship.
Even if it wasn't as glaringly obvious as before.
Several years had passed since then and the world soon returned to normal, resuming its monotonous spinning and never forgetting the events that, somehow or the other, wound back to June 2nd 1978.
"Now that I think about it, Mom was right," Piff found himself musing aloud, drawing looks from the other trainers. "I was so butt-hurt from not being able to start this journey earlier that I never gave it much of a thought. Starting at ten really sounds like a dumb move now."
"It's not like '78's gonna happen again," Choji piped up listlessly. "Trainers between ten and thirteen are kept under strict surveillance to avoid stuff like that. The only reason Cora isn't tagged is because Misha took her under her wing like the Mother Kangaskhan that she is."
"More like Mother Ursaring," Frank chipped in snidely and Misha gave a rather well-executed growl in response, making sure not to wake her sleeping protege.
Cynthia poked at the fire in front of her with a twig, eyes fixed on the little girl. Thinking of her own sister who could have been there beside her made her feel heavier than usual and Piff soon noticed it.
"Let's talk about happier stuff!" he piped up, jumping to his feet. "Like...oh, I don't know...GOALS! What's the goal at the end of this journey."
"Oh boy, here we go," Cynthia deadpanned, shutting her ears as Piff took a deep breath.
"I!" he boomed, thumping his chest. "Am going to become the greatest Water Pokemon master ever! And then I'll bone the sensational water trainer Misty of the Kanto Region!"
The boys wolf-whistled and clapped humorously while the girls merely shook their heads amused. Empowered, Choji stood up and struck a cool pose.
"I'm a breeder in-training, travelling Sinnoh to study various interactions between male and female Pokemon species. You could even call me...The Future Greatest Love Doctor-"
"Sit down, Choji," a girl ordered.
"Yes ma'am."
Misha cleared her throat, opting to remain sitting so as not to move Cora and wake her. "I'm an Ace Trainer and I'm just following the common cliche of becoming a master generally. But-" and she winked for this. "I want to become a doctor in one of those war-stricken regions, saving both human and Pokemon lives."
"So noble, I could gag," Frank jeered and got a kick in the shin. "Ouch! Geez, you have the knack for it anyway so it was kinda obvious. Give us something juicy like Piff did!"
"Fine!" Misha turned to the remaining twelve trainers. "I also want to be a doctor so I can meet Gym Leader Brock and...b-bone him!"
"Brock?!" they cried.
"Yes! Brock!" she hissed back and hid her reddened face behind her hands. "I think he's got nice eyes okay?!"
Last time Piff checked in the Pokemon League monthly magazine, Brock had no eyes. Or more technically, he was squinting all the time so what lay underneath his eyelids remained an urban mystery.
But Misha's display of confidence was enough of an excuse for everyone to declare who wanted to bone what and it came as no surprise when Frank claimed he'd bone anyone who could kick his ass to hell and back. Piff made sure to quietly vacate his spot beside the man before he got any funny ideas.
"Your turn, Cynthia!" he called, pointing at the blonde who drew up an expression of annoyance.
"It's pretty private, as you should know," she replied, nose in the air. Piff gave a half-assed persuasive smile.
"Oh, come on! What did I say about a problem shared-" Her glare had his words devolving into a nervous laugh. "W-w-well, it's not like you have to or anything..."
"A problem?" Frank quipped, saving him from an awkward moment. "We could help!"
"Yeah! We're friends, right?" Misha added jovially.
"I said it's private," Cynthia said, adding more force to her words. "Definitely not something you could fix."
Her warning tone was caught quite quickly. The questions died for a bit and the awkward silence came anyway, interrupted only by the crackling of the warm fire.
"Sorry," she added, trying not to sound anti-social. "It's just a really personal problem of mine."
"Nah, sorry they pried," Choji muttered. "We're all carefree idiots here. But hey, at least we're having fun. That's something a journey brings up by default, right?"
Everyone agreed with him. Everyone except one young man who had been quietly observing the group with utmost displeasure.
"Really, that's why you're all nothing more than failures."
The cheer stopped and cautious eyes turned to the nineteen year old boy with brown curls the same shade as Misha's. His eyes were just a shade darker than hers and seemed far narrower to accent his haughty posture. Piff could tell that he had Cynthia's pride although with his condescending manner of speech, the extent seemed infinite and possibly in the grating range.
Oh yeah, he was also the trainer who had gotten his hair pulled by Johnny after a devastating loss on the latter's part.
Misha cast her brother a nervous glance. "Don't start, Caleb."
"Zip it, airhead," he growled coolly, disregarding her existence as he rose. From the corner of his eyes, Piff could see Frank tensing. "Where do you all get off on this happy-go-lucky charade? It's obvious that the older ones among you just joined so you could escape being enlisted, correct?"
Choji rolled his eyes. "The Military Council stopped that tradition of enlisting teens sometime after the war, remember?"
"Which is only applicable to the smart, successful children who actually passed their way into college," Caleb fired back in a flat voice though he smirked as a spark ignited in Choji's yellow eyes. "Oh, did I hit a nerve? Reveal any embarrassing secrets, maybe?"
"Caleb," Misha murmured, narrowing her eyes. Her warning tone went unnoticed.
"So I'm guessing you all just picked up some super-powered pets because you're either failures who'd rather avoid the real battlefield at all costs or you've got death-wishes. Judging by the general stupidity I have to put up with from you lot..." He frowned. "I'd say the former."
Frank, being his easy-going self, tried to laugh him off. "Hoho, a saint, eh? Misha, you never told me your brother was Prince High 'n' Mighty! Just because he's so strong doesn't mean he's gotta-"
"Address the person you're talking about to his face," Caleb deadpanned. "Or are all lower-class immigrant-citizens such as yourself this cowardly?"
"Ehehe...dude..."
Having dealt with the clown, Caleb straightened and turned to his, undoubtedly livid, audience. "You can choose to ignore it but this stupid rock we call Earth is still at war. Small ones that go unnoticed but are still very much there. Misery, pain and death became the norm long ago but this country thought it was far too special to acknowledge them, blinding its citizens with veils and feeding them false facts about the state of their own country, much less the world at large. That's what annoys me the most and it makes me even madder to see all you goddamn rejects lazing around when you can be making names for yourselves and helping this country!"
"What're we supposed to do then, oh patriotic and hard-working judge?" a trainer sneered. "A prick like you couldn't make a difference anyway!"
"As a matter of fact, I could," he snapped, acid in his gravelly voice. "I'm going to become the champion and join the military. My status will automatically give me a favorable position of importance where I could change laws on a very whim. I'll work my way to the top, throw that lazy, good-for-nothing figurehead known as The General off his high chair and return Sinnoh back to the way it was."
His outstretched hand had balled into a tight fist by then and even Cora had awakened upon his involuntary rise in tone. The boy before her seemed fierce. Dangerous. She couldn't help but hold tightly to her silent mother figure, Misha.
"It may sound imaginary to you fools but with these Pokemon in my hands and some years of hard-work, I will become unstoppable," he concluded and smirked at Frank. "And as for who I'm going to bone? Please. If I were you, I would do not partake in such barbaric thoughts, especially since you don't stand a chance."
A thud cut the atmosphere in two and Cynthia swiveled her gaze to see the expressionless Piff beside her grinding a fist into the log they were sitting on.
"Got something to say?" Caleb sneered, locking eyes with Piff.
Said boy exhaled. "That's some nice goals you got there. Makes my dream look like a slacker's. I can even ignore the fact that you've annoyingly danced over your real reason with a long-winded speech. Kinda like my pal, Cynthia here."
The girl would've retorted had she not spotted Caleb's (and Misha's) involuntary flinch.
"But if there's one thing I hate, it's when a hypocrite tries to drag his own Pokemon into his mess. Don't talk about them like tools, meathead."
"And I'm sure a dim-witted loser like you can tell me how to use them," Caleb hissed, smiling mockingly.
Inwardly, Piff eased his sore temper and began to count. "Pokemon are not tools. They have feelings just like us."
"Yeah, keep lying to yourself. Like it or not, we use them as we see fit. For battling, for work, for war. You don't see a human ordering another human to enter a radioactive disaster site when they've got a Pokemon around. Why? Because they're expendable and their lives come second to ours. Sometimes third, depending on what's at stake."
"You're wrong."
"Wake up and smell the roses, brat," he continued, now face to face with the purple-eyed teen. "If you can't realize something as plain as that, it's no wonder you were held back for this long."
"Caleb, stop it!" Misha barked, shocking everyone with her gruff manner of speech. "We don't need your tirade tonight. Everyone's tired and we don't want black eyes tomorrow morning. Now shut up, sit down and go to sleep before you cause any more trouble."
"I ain't some kid you were forced to babysit, Misha!" he roared back, finally coming unhinged. "You know what we've been through! Hell, you're just as angry at this country as I am for all the shit that's been wracked up in our lives! I have no idea why you chose this dull path but I for one am changing my situation, pronto! And I don't care if I have to leave some bloody adopted failure-sister of mine to achieve my goal!"
Misha froze and slowly lowered her head, visibly stung from the way her grip on Cora faltered.
"You're cruel!" the little girl snapped, rising to her feet and staring up at him. "How can you say that to your own sister?! And if all I heard from you earlier was true then doesn't that make you a guy with a god-complex? Last time I checked, you are anything but perfect, as shown when you lost to a stronger trainer named Nina two days ago! You need to face reality too, Caleb!"
Like his sister, Caleb remained still, expression hidden by his lowered head. The waves of anger rolling off him, however, was enough to make Cynthia shiver.
Then Caleb laughed. "What is this, I didn't think you had the backbone to talk to me, Cora." His hand shot forward, seizing her by the hair. People shot to their feet and Frank surged forward only to be stopped as Caleb drew a combat knife from his sleeve in one motion.
The military insignia was clear as day in Cynthia's eyes. "That's-!"
"My father was a Major," Caleb stated, holding it close to the frightened Cora's forehead. "I say "was" because he got stripped of his status after the shitty government decided to overhaul its power cabinet thanks to some rich blowhard who bought the military. Bought! What kind of system do we live in if some guy can just up and publicly BUY our government?!"
His hand shook. "Long story short, my old man drank himself into a frenzy after that, had his Pokemon try to KILL us and got executed for it. My family's name was forever smeared in the mud, reeking like a Muk on fucking fire! Damn it!"
Cora screamed as his fingers dug too deeply into her scalp.
"Stop it, Caleb!" Misha yelled, already in tears. "Please, for the love of Arceus, put the knife down!"
"Arceus doesn't exist! If he did, none of us would be suffering right now!" he shouted back. "That's why I'll take my destiny into my own hands and carve myself a future! I can save this country! Join me and I can make sure you guys never suffer again! People won't have to die over this senseless injustice-"
All Cynthia felt was a breeze. Caleb's words caught in his throat as he stared into the luminous purple eyes that appeared before him so suddenly that he was sure he was seeing a ghost. But the raven-haired boy currently holding the snapped knife in his blood-stained fist was real. Down to the last drop of dark red blood.
Piff was angry. Partly because of the pain he had unintentionally inflicted upon himself but more because of Caleb's foolish words.
"You're no god," he said, raising a hand. In that moment, time seemed to have gone stagnant and the animal before their eyes didn't appear fourteen anymore. "So stop talking about how foolish we are and face reality yourself."
Piff slapped him. Not as hard as he would've liked but he didn't want to rip the older trainer's head off. So that was why he held back, the force of his attack only enough to separate Cora from Caleb and cause the latter to fall down stunned and with fresh blood cascading down his nostrils.
"You're smart," Piff continued, even as Misha rushed to her dazed brother's side. "You've got people who love you and can put up with you despite your sass. Instead of bitching all day about things of the past, spend all the time you can get with these guys because you'll never know when you just might lose 'em."
Someone was yelling something. Eyes were widening at the steam emanating from Piff's palm. All it took was for someone to yell "monster" and it was like third grade all over again. The frightened eyes. The discriminating eyes. The human eyes.
"Let's go," Cynthia's voice rose above the din. Her fingers intertwined with his and Piff was dragged into the dark night.
But just before they disappeared into the woods on the other side of the hill, Piff was sure he heard a female voice thanking him.