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Spikemuth

Since every individual is accountable ultimately to the self, the formation of that self demands our utmost care and attention.

-Chairman Bronze Tercano, private journals

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"Blast!" Marnie said, standing beside Hop at the closed gate to Spikemuth. "I knew it would be like this. Piers, that little bugger..."

"What do we do now?" Hop asked. "Is there another way in?"

"Plenty. Only the townsfolk know about 'em. Come with me, save whatever you wanted to talk about for later!"

...

Doublade sprung out of the shadows like a whip, bringing one of its cursed arms of fabric on the nape of Henry's neck. Casey shot her arms out and threw him off her, evading the blow. Awake already?

"Dearie, dearie dear..." Sordward said. "It seems that only one Lick attack wasn't enough to subdue her for long enough. Kill, again!"

"Not a chance in hell."

Obstagoon came flying into Doublade, shattering its joints on ebony claws. It turned from the fallen Pokemon and bounded toward the terrified Sordward and Shielbert with a great leap. The look in Pier's eyes now showed a hidden malice, a glint that screamed: Killer!

He snapped his fingers, and the claws stopped a hair's breadth before the two royal's necks. "Now, I can kill you if I please. Hold steady, and I might spare you!"

"Brother, don't take it any further!"

Marnie stumbled upon the scene with Hop, drawing Pier's eyes. "Marnie? Stay out of this!"

The Obstagoon's claws dropped in a moment of hesitation, and Sheilbert sent out a Klinklang above the thieves. Both brothers grabbed onto the study iron ring segments of the Pokemon, flying high above the air. "Let us go, brother! The end approaches within the day, this will not stop our schemes!" They waved down to the trainers clustered below. "Continue on with your Gym Challenge! Goodbye!"

A Team Yell grunt shot an energy blast out of a plasma howitzer from the watch above the gate, but the beam of hellish blue fire missed its intended target and smote a gap in Spikemuth's city ceiling. Sordward and Shielbert flew out of the blasted hole, leaving toward a place unknown.

Casey tried to run after them, a futile gesture, entirely pointless. She then collapsed again, but something very odd happened. An explosion burned bright in her mind, and then vanished into lucid clarity.

Yes, it was a matter of opening doors, she thought. You get one hint and that brings you to a place with more doors. You choose a door in this new place and examined what it revealed to you. There might be times in which you had to open all the doors but the more doors you opened in your head, the more certain you become of what door you needed to go through next. Finally, a door would open to a place you recognized. Then you could say, "Ahh, this explains everything."

...

"I'm okay now, just a little dizzy," Casey said, reclining in a chair in one of Spikemuth's restaurants, the only patrons in the building. "I remember what happened at the Slumbering Weald when the Doublade licked me! It drinks people's life force, so I guess exposure to the same link of doors as before revealed to me what I forgot."

"Well, go on and tell us!" Marnie said. "I am very curious to hear this tale. You should also tell me and Hop about losing your memories; we have never heard of this strange thing."

...

One year ago...

It happened the same as I remember, with a fault. There was a bright flash of light, but I remained conscious. Henry collapsed first, and I...I ran over to help him, but then something hit me from behind. It was the Doublade, I think. Have you ever had your life force drained? It turned your thoughts to putty and your bones to berry juice. I couldn't move at all.

After that, those two came into the Weald. The entire place screamed when they walked into the altar, and I mean really screamed. You could hear a shout, but then it died down as those two began to talk.

"I cannot believe that the Elohim appeared for these imps when we are of royal blood, the rightful bearers of the Rusted Sword and Shield!" Sordward said. "We are scions from a line that reaches to the Elder Days. They are faded spirits! How dare they deny us such a privilege!"

"You know that the Grand Plan needs those heaps of rust in order to work, or so Rose says," Sheilbert said. "They are proof of heroism or something of the like. What made Zacian and Zamazenta 'worthy to defeat the Dark Lord' was not their high natural standing in the order of things, but the two relics they possessed, heaven-forged in Years of Yore! Calling those beasts 'heroes' is a blatant falsification! Now, brother. Join me as we obtain these artifacts and fully correct the course of history!"

The brothers seized the relics that lay near the altar with gloved hands, and then set their forms together. "Yes, we are nobles! They do not burn our hands through the gloves. Their enchantments must have faded over time..."

Casey moved her finger, trying to reach for her Poke Balls. Sordward noticed the motion with keen eyes. "That one is still conscious. Doubleade, remove her life force. She won't remember a thing."

Two arms of fine silk grabbed Casey's head. The images flooded all away, but she heard Sordward muttering about throwing her Pokemon in a river. "They'll be nothing of a hindrance otherwise. Good day, little one."

...

"So, they are descendants of a royal line," Magnolia said. "I am not surprised that such people exist, but they seem rather zealous about their heritage. This means that Mega and Giga are still in the wild, Casey. They still must have the Rusted Sword and Shield in their possession, but Arceus knows where they live."

"Maybe Sonia could tell us more of what she witnessed," Piers said. "I wonder if she made a full recovery with Leon by her side. Those two won't be anxious to fix that little problem. It looks like they think their plans will all come together in the day."

"Should we wait?" Hop said. "Or do we go after them?"

"I think we should stay put," Piers said, malice in his eyes. This place is the best location to survive a war."

"War?" Henry said. "Are you talking about that 'storm' that's approaching?"

Piers opened a holocube from the table before him, scrolling through his private footage. He showed everyone the view of a watcheye just outside Galar's borders, to mixed reactions of horror and awe.

Thousands upon thousands of frigates and ships with the banners of Roria emblazoned on their side moved through the foaming waves. Chanting could be heard on the waters, above shadows and beneath the sun. A massive flying frigate, the words L.S. Victory upon its hull, led the slow-moving war party. Smaller silvery chrome probes flitted before the armada, destroying roaming watcheyes.

"How can there be so many?" Marnie gasped. "Brother, when will they arrive?"

"Wait," Hop said, standing with excitement. "You're brother and sister?"

"Yes, shut up," Piers said. "They will come to Galar and destroy Tercano's enemies within the next few hours. Macro Cosmos is going to make a stand, but they know everything they can do will be futile. Chairman Bronze likely has a plan for preventing civilian casualties, but we should expect some collateral damage. Team Yell will fortify Spikemuth and defend it in case Association forces come here."

Magnolia slumped, put her head in her hand. "It's really happening. Tercano better have a good plan to keep Galar's industry running after the battle."

"He likely does. Regardless, we ought to stay here," Piers said. "Unless, of course, something else befalls us. We need to tell Leon this information..."

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Hammerlocke Medical Center, Hammerlocke Power Plant Outlying Facilities

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead/Today and tomorrow are yet to be said/The chances, the changes are all yours to make/The mold of your life is in your hands to break.

-Hisuian fire poetry

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Sonia felt the rays of the setting sun on her eyelids. She woke up, feeling the cot below her. "Where am I?"

"Thank goodness, you're awake!" Leon said, sitting by her side. "No, no, you don't have to get up! Don't push yourself so much! I and Raihan brought you to Hammerlocke, unconscious."

"Do you know what happened?" Sonia asked, trembling. She saw medical staff running madly through the ward, with Macro Cosmos mercenaries ordering short, barking commands to their inferiors. Objects that she recognized as plasma howitzers and Poke Ball gatling guns were being set at windows and moved through halls. "What are they doing? Why are they so anxious?"

"I'm not sure," Leon said, lying. "They seem nervous about something. Magnolia and Piers called me and gave the gist of things. You saw two guys with strange hairstyles meeting with someone else, and you stole a memory card from the watcheye they carried around with them. But what exactly did you see?"

I can't tell him now, not quite yet. "How is Gran doing? Why is she with Piers?"

"They were attacked but managed to defeat them. The two escaped, unfortunately. Casey regained her memories! Everything is going to be fine. They won't come here while I'm here to protect you!"

"You never beat me in a battle back when we were kids," Sonia teased. "How do I know that you can protect me?"

She paused, hung her head. "Sorry, Leon. I kept running away. Remember when I got endorsed for the Gym Challenge? Back when there were no politics we had to care about?"

"All those terrible rumors, yes," Leon said. "People thought that you being Magnolia's grandaughter and endorsed by Chairman Rose meant it was a sign of favoritism. I remember thinking, 'how will I become Champion if I can't even win against Sonia in training?' I hoped that people would stop thinking that your matches were rigged once you displayed your true talent."

"But everything fell apart at Turfield Stadium," Sonia said. "Pokedex Holder Sapphire volunteered to fight with only one of her Pokemon, since the old Grass-type Gym Leader had died. None of my strategies worked at all. It was only lucky that she got hit in the head with a Rotom Drone. One Tropius, Leon! She almost beat you, as well. We had to use all of our Pokemon against her."

Sonia sighed. "That was the first time I didn't enjoy a Pokemon battle. Sapphire tried to convince me that it was fine, and that not many people could defeat even one of her Pokemon, but I thought you were just as fed up as I was. Then I went to one of your matches..."

She was laughing now. "I saw you fighting against old Mustard. Even with your Type disadvantages and getting hit with critical blows, you still seemed happy. I remember goons in the audience that jeered at you, but you just waved back and thanked them for noticing your fighting!"

"You made it all the way to Ballonlea!" Leon cried. "You just had a self-esteem issue!"

"No, Leon. I was relieved when Opal defeated me. She said that I was only a woman, not a human. Chairman Rose came to talk to me after that match. He said that the rules would be changed, and new protections would be put up for League contestants. Piers called out some rioters at matches and Kabu really put an end to it. People from all over the League came to help stop the situation. Nessa, most of all."

A nervous-looking man ran up to the pair. "Champion, miss! You will have to leave Hammerlocke Energy Plant as soon as possible, for your safety."

"Safety?" Leon said. "Against what threat?"

"That is unclear as of now," the man said. Leon could hear the lie in his voice, and knew that this Macro Cosmos employee knew what was coming as much as he did. "Please, evacuate as soon as possible if you are able!" The attendant ran away into the bowels of the Energy Plant.

"It doesn't sound like the Association did one thing for you," Leon said, expecting the warships to arrive any moment. "Why do you like Chairman Bronze so much? He's done a lot of morally questionable things."

"Leon, there was this one time when I went into a media storm when I walked out of Ballonlea," Sonia said. "Hundreds of reporters and jerks smothering me. No one was around to help." She closed her eyes, smiled. "And then Tercano came down from the executive box with some of his soldiers. He just said one word, and everyone scattered. He gave me a ride to the Magnolia RV."

Leon had never heard this before. "What was the word?"

"He just stared them down, and said, 'out.'"

I can't believe he helped Sonia in such a personal way!

"That wasn't even the end of the whole thing, Leon! He and Kabu mentioned legendary Pokemon and spirits from around the world, and Bronze told me of his one-man war against the Eclipse Alliance. I got completely absorbed in their tales. And then I thought, 'why do people in Galar from my generation not care about these things?'"

She continued. "Tercano told me that people had become complacent with their machines and safety, and I wanted to reverse that trend. Gran let me go the Wyndon University to study history. I learned from some...very important people from the past who spoke at the college that becoming stronger and Galar having more skilled trainers wasn't what counted. It's more about having the power to help people who need it! That's where Galar gets its soul."

"You sound like you're echoing Chairman Rose," Leon said. "'I want Galar to be as strong as it can! If Galar becomes a place where the strong and powerless and the disadvantaged can live together without worry, Galar as a whole will become strong!'"

Leon shrugged, seeing that night had almost come. "Sometimes Chairman Rose says some interesting stuff. But watching him in action, I figured that helping others in the position of Champion wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all."

Sonia grabbed his hand. The nails dug into his skin.

"Wait, what's wrong?"

"Chairman Rose has helped me, too," Sonia said. "I have a lot to thank him for, and I think he's sincere in wanting to help Galar. That's why...I just don't understand!"

"The person those two men were meeting with was Chairman Rose! He's joined forces with them! They want to start that ancient disaster again...the Darkest Day!"

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Spikemuth

Man is but a pebble dropped into a pool. And if a man is but a pebble, then his works can be no more.

-Bibiiolgrapher fatalism

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Piers and his companions hid in Spikemuth Stadium, a building only a hundred and fifty paces across. The city had been effectively scuttled: only the wandering Team Yell grunt still patrolled the roofed streets. "We have a better chance of coming out of this unscathed if we stay off the radar," Piers had explained. "Hold on tight. We might be stuck here for a couple of days."

As Henry wandered through the city, he reflected on how he had never been in a true battle before. Would he even see any fighting? Would it be glamorous: combat robots and aerial battles and Pokemon duels to the death? Or would it be one of the most terrifying things to have ever happened to him?

Everything was so quiet, so still. The sun was setting, and a hush fell over Galar. The calm before the storm, Henry thought. I still feel as though my purpose is not yet fulfilled in this war...for a war it has become.

"I guess our Gym Challenge is suspended," Hop said, huddled in the midst of the Gym arena. "If Rose is arrested, then the League Committee will be in chaos. Blast! This attack has to come out of nowhere and ruin everything!"

"Rose will be lucky just to be arrested," Henry said. "And if you want to blame anyone, put your rancor on me. The only way that Bronze can excuse this region-to-region warfare to, ah, higher authorities, will be under a full decree and audit under the rules of the Great Convention. I fulfill the requirement for Bronze having a stake in the League: he funded me, after all. It's my fault that everything is falling apart."

"Don't fret, dear!" Magnolia said. "You were used for greater schemes than you could have conceived. This is because of Tercano's blind hatred. We don't even know if Rose was directly responsible for anything those two fools did."

"Think again," Piers said. "Leon just sent me a message. Sonia told him that the person who met with our dear pair of pathetic peripatetics was none other than the head of Macro Cosmos himself."

Silence. Magnolia wrung her hands, and after a long while, said: "Tercano can now charge Rose with conspiracy and misuse of internationally held corporate funds. But those two seem to be in the final stages of their plan. They likely fled to one of Rose's strongholds, or to wherever they might continue their evil. In short, we don't know anything just yet."

"Actually, I better go to Wyndon to speak with Rose," Piers said, to everyone's surprise. "The other Gym Leaders will be there as well. As a member of the League, I am bound by oath to defend Galar against those that would threaten it. Perhaps we Gym Leaders can be a voice of reason in this fight between both sides, and convince Rose to surrender peacefully."

Henry thought of a new plan. At least it would be better than hiding like a coward.

"Piers, when did you first see those vessels?"

"About six hours ago on the watcheye footage. It takes about eighteen hours to reach Galar from Roria at their speed. Accounting for the position where they were first encountered, it probably has been about twelve hours since they set out. In case you were wondering, we have about six hours to go anywhere in Galar we wish."

"It's about three hours to Wyndon from Spikemuth, isn't it?" Henry said. "Plenty of room for error."

Piers sighed. "Henry, are you suggesting that you want to come with me?"

"Of course," Casey said. "If those two men are involved with Rose, then they made it personal. This is hardly somebody else's problem. We deserve to look into Rose's eyes and say, "Why are you trying to destroy Galar and everything we love?"

"Wyndon will probably be safer than Spikemuth," Henry said. "Compare this city to Wyndon, and there's a population difference of a million people. Tercano won't launch missiles or have Pokemon run wild in the streets with all those lives at stake! Rose knows this, and probably is waiting in Rose Tower to reach a more diplomatic decision, one that will buy him time. Staying here would be a terrible decision."

"I object!" Magnolia cried. "We must stay in Spikemuth! I will not travel across Galar with children when the region is about to become an active war zone!"

"Magnolia, leaving might be a very good decision or a terribly bad one," Henry said, looking her in the eyes. "But the worst thing we could do is nothing at all. And look around you, Professor!" He gestured to the surrounding buildings. "Magnolia, this city is controlled by Team Yell. They seem to like you, Piers, but that puts everyone staying here in even greater peril. Eradicating the annoyance that Team Yell is may not be Tercano's primary objective, but it would be a nice bonus, no? Are you sure that plasma howitzer was licensed? If not, he has an excuse to burn this place to rubble."

Piers turned even paler, his skin the color of industrial paper. "I never thought of that..."

"At least, you chose not to think about it," Marnie said. "Brother, this changes our plans to a considerable degree...I no longer think we should stay. Every second that passes makes the chance of our leaving less likely to succeed."

Magnolia seemed to be about to protest further, but she knew that Piers would take the others to Wyndon, whether she agreed with their decision or not. "Alright, to Wyndon we will go! But if I hear a single damned explosion, I will turn straight back to Spikemuth!"

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Ballonlea Stadium

Valient deeds make valor, regardless of one's intentions.

-Emrett Dialoges, compiled works

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You do not understand the teachings I give you. They are beyond your animal mind. Stay under my tutelage and you will find your humanity, but your mind has grown both soft and hard at the present. You depend on machines to do your human duties, but you can think of nothing but hatred and vengeance. Revenge is for the emotionally retarded. I hope you succeed, young man. One day, I will call you a young human.

Bede took a drink from a glass of mulled Apricorn juice, staring through a plaz window at the fungus-infested cityscape below him. His training with Opal was not going well: he was too impulsive, reckless, preoccupied with creature comforts, and easily caught off guard by Opal's deceptive techniques. It seemed that he was adding up to be a poor Gym Leader, yet he still kept himself with the old woman. He had no other options.

Despite himself, Bede had realized how much hatred was a driving force in his life. He hated Rose for abandoning him so blithely, he hated the other Gym Challengers for challenging his own presupposed notions of superiority, and he hated Tercano for sparking the Rorian Jihad that had almost certainly killed his unknown parents. Even Pokemon, in his mind, were sometimes too unassertive and easily manipulated by wicked men. His hatred was a great ouroboros: devouring itself forever until, at last, nothing would remain.

Above all, he hated Opal. She said that it drove him, made him stronger. Even if she was correct, Opal's constant attempts to train him in the way of Fairy-types and turning his focus away from the Psychic-types he already specialized in was an unending nag. I know that to be a successor to her, I will have to learn the ways of the Fae. But if there was another way to escape my peril, I would take it.

Opal turned to him while sitting in her overstuffed couch, putting down an antique cordless phone without any Rotom installed within it. "Bede, I have received news from Leon. We must get to Wyndon with the rest of the Gym Leaders, and quickly."

"Wyndon? Why bother dragging me along, unless it has something to do with Rose."

"It does, young man. Have you ever wondered what the man who twisted your life was truly after? Now is your chance to find out. I will tell you more along the way..."