When Akuma returned to the base things were once again functioning as he wanted them to. People were working again and based on how often he'd been around lately nobody had any particular reason to show him special attention. There were some who would give a smile and nod when their eyes met his and he gave them recognition, but that was all the attention he exchanged with others. Nobody approached him to offer consoling words or encouragement, and for that he was glad. When Akuma left Pokémon Tower he had finished his period of mourning. Any attempt to bring up the topic would do more harm than help. From this moment on it was just another day for him.
Akuma found Brianna in the guest rooms first thing when he came back. After she reassured him that she was in good health Akuma informed her that the same incident would probably not occur again. The fight was meant to discourage him from getting involved with the criminals again in some way and until he could afford to devote his time to the hunt once more he would do just that. Brianna could again reserve the right to call him if she was in trouble and that she had done nothing wrong given her situation. Akuma offered the hospitality of the Pokémon Hunter's building for further recovery and, if she wished it, the most basic of training for self defense since she was an unexpected visitor to those nearby at the moment. However he did caution her against staying too long since it was a very secretive place intended for highly advanced trainers and Pokémon. Brianna agreed to consider her choices and the two talked for a little while before Akuma left her alone.
Next he found Akashi in the halls and chose to walk with her for a short time to get recent news. Maybe it was just his current feeling of calm, but she seemed easier to speak with during this time. There was definitely something different about her in the way she handled her words and carried herself and Akuma enjoyed her company more than he expected to. Out of curiosity and intrigue, he drew out the talk a little longer than he had planned before telling her of his plans to take the group southward to Fuschia City for various reasons. He also forced himself to bring up the topic Mr. Fuji had spoken with him about before he left for the rescue mission. The topic surprised her, but Akashi was willing to explain what had happened. After that he excused himself to look for their shorter counterpart.
It took a little longer to find Chad since the boy was in neither the training rooms nor the usual research spot. Instead Akuma found him in the history section of the library. It seemed unclear what the boy was looking for since the books seemed to have no concrete connection to each other, but Akuma didn't feel like asking even though he did so to make a courteous greeting. After receiving a vague answer he told the boy of his plans as well and made it a point to stress how he would be taking Chad specifically to the Pokémon gym for an official battle. Chad wasn't sure which emotion to register at first, but settled for appreciation. Akuma soon left him to his studies to find one more person.
Mr. Fuji was sitting quietly in his personal quarters with his back to the door while writing on a scrap of paper. Akuma gave him a moment after he entered while Fuji greeted him in a reserved manner.
"I'm glad to see you've recovered so well after your rather brutal encounter, Akuma," Mr. Fuji said in a tone of voice that made Akuma wonder whether the old man was glad to see him at all. "I assume you've come to tell me what your hopefully well-thought out plans will be now?"
"Yes, I had planned as such," Akuma replied while trying to hide the suspicion in his voice. "I have quite a number of plans for the near future, not all concrete, and since I might not be back for a while I thought it would be best to visit before I leave."
"An interesting choice of words seeing as how you actually make me wonder what you might be planning for. I assume you have an idea for a rematch then?"
"I have an idea, but it won't happen soon. There will be a lot of personal growth within the next few months' time, during which I will be on and off the radar of the public eye as well as the hunters for a long while. But that doesn't matter at the moment, so let's stick with what I came here for. To begin with I need to head back to the power plant. Primarily because I need to catch a promised Voltorb for one of the Survivor kids, and secondly because I want to look for any clues or evidence the battle might have left behind for me. The fight was very large in scale so I'm sure there will be a large enough area to look over. After that's done I'm going to make a special training program for a certain individual that can only be unlocked by a DNA scan. The person isn't related to my traveling companions or Brianna in any way, nor are they associated with the hunters. I will keep the program in a separate storage unit which I will give to this person for keeps. They may choose to use it here at their own discretion, or in a separate location of their own choosing where a basic computer is accessible even though the program is intended for simulation runs to be most effective. I'm only telling you this because I don't want you investigating the program or person. This is a secret project of mine that I want to keep between myself and the other individual only. After I'm done talking I expect you to forget about it. Next up, I want you to start using your profits to start an economy in the town beginning with hotels and stores as quickly as possible. A few days after I leave town I'm going to start directing people here. If others start putting in their money here in any way we can start employing what few residents we have left and possibly bring in some food. I know we've been focusing on restoration up to this point, but it hasn't been getting us anywhere. I've spoken with a few other people on the subject as well and they have agreed to start bringing in tourists and businesses again. Lastly I'll tell you my plans for my own group. Firstly, when Brianna is done recovering here show her all the hospitality you can then let her go when she is ready. I've already spoken to her so she will be expecting this treatment. In a day or two I'm going to take Akashi and Chad to Fuschia City. The fresh air and attractions will do us all some good. For your information, until I get to the city I'll be leaving my strongest team members here so be prepared to deal with them when the time comes. For now, that will be all the information I have to report."
Mr. Fuji rhythmically tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair in thought while he considered what Akuma had told him. "Very well, I will keep these things in mind. In return, I want you to answer questions of my own now and please do be truthful in answering them."
"As I always am," Akuma stated simply.
"For starters I want to know how much you trust the people you travel with. I know they are capable, but how far will you-"
"I trust them enough to travel alongside them by choice and not by obligation. While I do not consider them to be my friends, they are optimal companions that I place a great deal of trust in as they do in me. They are certainly the closest people outside the city that I wish and desire to be close to."
"Tell me your thoughts on Kurishimi as a person then."
"A bit rash, but she thinks before she acts since I started training her. She values lives and appreciates growth and improvements in both herself and others. If there was one person I would choose to back me up in any given situation, whether hostile or friendly, she would be my primary choice."
"What of the boy, Chad?"
"He is still a child and thus he is very naïve. His questions seem to branch off into even more questions that I don't have the patience to answer. However I see it as a thirst for knowledge and not a mere curiosity regarding the unknown. Judging by his currently observed rate of growth and ability to adapt, I believe he has the potential to become a Pokémon master in the future. The average trainer simply learns what choices to make in and out of battle, but a master, and this is where his growth shines the most, learns why he makes these choices. Chad's skill level is deep, and it will be decades I believe before he taps into the few things he does not know."
"High praise coming from you, boy. With that in mind, have you told them your stories about Shinji or Shiner?"
Akuma flinched at each name and there was an unintentional pause from him. "Akashi knows about the latter, or well enough I should say. To my knowledge Chad knows nothing beyond the existence of it unless she has told him what she knows."
"She hasn't, I can confirm that. Now since you consider them to be so close to you, and because you are a friend to them as well,-"
"I don't consider them to be my friends," Akuma repeated.
"Hush up, I'm not done talking. Since you three are so close to each other it would be beneficial for you all if you were to tell them both of these stories. While you consider it to be irrelevant, it is not fair for you to be keeping such closely guarded secrets from them at this point. I know this may seem like a lecture meant to bore you, but-"
"I'm bored already actually."
"I said hush! I'm telling you this for your own good boy, and possibly theirs too! Brianna was badly wounded alongside you and you two barely knew each other. It could soon become even more deadly for those you travel with if it hasn't already. These are the two biggest threats to anyone through you if someone becomes your friend. Yes, I know you don't consider your relationship to be as such, but it is whether you like it or not. Now for you to become who you want to be you need to accept this fact and allow it to happen, even embrace the idea. If you deny it, then your rematch will have the same results during your next battle. Should you decide to pursue the idea, tell them what they should know, not what you want them to know. Even if you decline they must know who and what they travel with for their own safety. Those two are the best thing that has ever happened to you so you must work to keep them close. Do not abandon them either or you will become what you hate."
Akuma's face hardened at Fuji's last line. He had to bite his tongue for self control while the old man waited for his reply with the slightest of smiles few could catch. Akuma interpreted it as a sign of victory which almost forced him to lash out, but by some miracle he held his tongue, in more ways than one, until he could find the words to say. He wanted to simply thank him for the advice and leave at best, or say he'd consider the option if necessary. But while he intended his reply to be considerate his words seemed to come from his thoughts instead.
"I am nothing like him, and you know that better than anyone. Don't you dare throw your guilt and regret about letting Amber die for good at me either. I can accept the death of my loved ones with grace, but you wallow in your self loathing and shame over what could have been. Everyone knows it, so don't deny it. I can leave the past where it is just once and it will stay there instead of returning to haunt my thoughts at a whim. You can't do this and you expect me to do the same. I do value my friends, old man, and as much as I respect and value you as a mentor I do not regard someone like you to be a friend to me or anyone. Ariados is dead just like Amber is dead, but only one will ever stay buried. I keep my companions of all kinds close to me. I know I will never abandon them. I am nothing like you, Fuji, and I do not want to be. If you ever suggest anything like that again, no matter how vague, I will make what's left of your life so miserable that you won't have time to remember you once had a daughter. If you hadn't done so much for me over the years I'd be starting that right now. You know better than to bring up that demon, so drop it for good."
Akuma couldn't stop himself from saying such venomous words to his mentor. They weren't very well composed either, but somehow the message seemed to strike home as Fuji recoiled away. Akuma almost turned around to see if Arceus itself had appeared behind him. He didn't think he could make such an impact by rambling on.
After a moment or two Mr. Fuji slowly spun the chair around so he could look out the window. "It would seem… I have been mistaken quite often as of late. You truly are a marvel among marvels, boy. You not only command others, but inspire with your presence as well. I wish I knew what made you who you are so I could know what I missed back then. Regardless of your decision, only one thing remains now that must be resolved before you leave us."
"And that is?"
Fuji turned back to Akuma with a determined look on his face. "What Pokémon did Kurishimi sneak in during her exam and what was she trying to do?"
"Didn't you ask her yet?"
"We've been busy and I'm tired of worrying so I'm going to ask you and get an answer. Which one of her Pokémon was that?"
"It wasn't one of her Pokémon. Not as far as I know anyway."
"So it's a recent acquisition?"
"No, it does not belong to her. To my understanding it's a rental Pokémon from someone else. She borrowed it for her test."
"Fine, it was a rental then. Now stop evading the question and answer me simply!"
"It's none of your business really, but I'll tell you anyway. The Pokémon she borrowed was called Porygon. It's an inorganic Pokémon designed to interact with computers and other technical devices. You won't know about it for two reasons. First, it was created by humans. Not in a laboratory like the one you know of. The Pokémon is composed entirely of data and virtually nothing else, no pun intended. It has no territory or nest beyond cyberspace so it can not be tracked by normal means. I owned one for a few months during my Hoenn visit which is the only reason I know of its existence. The second reason is that there are very few of the species in existence. Creating such an intelligent and complex creature is long and expensive. They are sold on the market for around $10,000 at base price. The former kingpin Giovanni used to produce and smuggle the species for as much as $40,000 as well. For these reasons it can be considered so rare that they will never exist in the wild or far from computers. Most consider it to be a phantom or extinct species as well."
"Interesting. And all the more impressive that she has access to one."
"Not if you know her and who she knows as well."
"So you say, but back to the original question again. What was she doing with it in the testing area?"
"Easy enough to answer. She was aware of the computer's Pokémon sensor and suspected it to be illegal technology."
"Ah, I see now. She figured out that the programs we use for training will go through self-modifications based on the user's Pokémon on hand and scanning their brain activity, correct?"
"That's right, and by my investigation less than an hour ago she is sure that what we're doing is not illegal now. She's not a threat to what we do around here so there will be no more suspecting her of anything. Is this agreeable?"
"Very well, I'm convinced, Akuma. You may go."
"Thank you, but out of respect for her abilities I should bring up one point which I have failed to introduce until now."
Mr. Fuji tilted his head to the side in a visual display of curiosity. "Go ahead…"
"If the training program was frequently used by Akashi prior to the test, if her Pokémon and skill improvements were accurately recorded in the system up to that point, if the Porygon did not alter the coding in the program while inspecting it, which it didn't, if the program was set to level 16 for her, if all seven of her Pokémon were indeed scanned and analyzed by the computer system before the program began, and if the computer naturally expected her to use all seven Pokémon to fight the Groudon in addition to predicting her taking charge of the crippled trainer's Pokémon group, just how powerful a trainer do you think she is to complete the training session with a six Pokémon team that brought down a legendary Pokémon which was designed by the computer to be fought with a roster of seven? Even then she only used five to fight until the last minute, not counting the Ninjask since it was indirectly involved. I don't train others to succeed against the impossible. I teach them how to survive the hopeless."
After Akuma left the room Mr. Fuji's face was still white as he tried to comprehend the facts laid before him. For months after that day he would try his hardest to find just how she had managed to succeed, but would never find the answer. When he finally gave up he began to consider the unthinkable. Kurishimi Akashi could be many times more powerful than her teacher and Pokémon Hunter legend, Akuma Masurao.