Seth coursed through the lake atop Princess in silence, casting his gaze along the shore until he spotted the Lake Arbor Boardwalk. There was no sign of tourists, passersby or even staff members; unlike the last time Seth visited, the boardwalk was completely devoid of people. The exception to this were the four people waiting for him on one of the docks, just barely visible between the rows of abandoned boats.
Roxanne stood on the edge of the boardwalk, one hand idly toying with one of her impeccably groomed braids. Sitting down beside her with his legs hanging over the water was Brawly, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. Standing together behind them were two women Seth didn't recognize; the first of which was a woman in her early twenties with a toned figure, with fiery red hair tied back in an untidy ponytail that splayed out in all directions. She wore a pair of tight blue jeans and a black crop top decorated with the image of a burning flame.
The second person was an older woman who looked to be around thirty. Her hair was long and lavender, with two tufts on either side of her head jutting away like feathers. She wore a collared blue and white flight suit complete with a helmet that she carried under one arm. Beside her was what looked to be a tuft of errant cloud as tall as a human and about three times as wide at first, but then as Seth approached, a blue bird-like head popped up out of the cloud and let out a call, alerting the others to Seth's presence.
"Seth!" Roxanne slumped with relief when he finally neared the docks. She offered him a hand when he tried to climb up onto the boardwalk, which he accepted gratefully.
"Hey," Seth began, only for Roxanne to pull him into a tight hug. It lasted only for a moment before she stepped away, leaving her hands on his shoulders. "Really, I'm alright."
"I've half a mind to slap you for causing me such distress!" Roxanne scolded him. Seth looked guiltily at the ground, murmuring an apology. She removed her hands, and then Brawly stepped forward, giving Seth a small smile and a clap on the back.
"Good to see you again, Seth," Brawly greeted him simply. "You look like you've been through a lot."
"That's one way of putting it. I'm glad to see you Brawly, but what are you doing here?" Seth questioned, noting how different Brawly seemed; gone was his usual casual and carefree demeanor—now he was serious.
"I was going on a trip with Roxanne, who kindly invited me along to go see Flannery in Lavaridge," Brawly explained, indicating the red-haired girl beside him, who stepped up upon being mentioned. "I was hoping to surprise you if you came to join us, but looks like reality got in the way."
"Yo! Good to see you in person. Put 'er there!" Flannery grinned and offered Seth her hand. When Seth took it, she yanked him in and lifted her arm in an enthusiastic handshake, the strength behind her grip surprising him. After a moment, she released him, his hand still aching. "Try to give a girl some warning before you leave her high and dry, eh? I was really going to tear up the caves looking for you, you know!"
"For real," Brawly added. "I bet Arty couldn't even hold her back."
Seth bowed his head. "I'm sorry for worrying you all. I didn't know that any of this was going to happen."
"No kidding. Seriously though, when I heard what was going on, I couldn't just stand by," Brawly replied. He took a breath and made direct eye contact with Seth. "So are they really going to do it? You know, blow the volcano?"
"I think it's time we get down to business." The last member of their group approached. She extended her hand in greeting, which Seth accepted. "I'm Winona. I'm both the gym leader of Fortree city and the spokesperson of the Hoenn Gym Leader Committee. I've heard a lot about you, Seth."
"I guess you have me at a disadvantage," Seth admitted uncomfortably. All he knew of Winona was from his conversation with Roxanne, so he was worried she might not believe him. "What is the Hoenn Gym Committee?"
"You're unfamiliar? It's a group of officials appointed by the International Pokemon League Association that's entrusted with the appointment, oversight, and training of gym leaders for the Hoenn Pokemon League. When it comes to situations where our strength is needed by the government or by the citizens, I'm the one who coordinates our movements," Winona explained to him, speaking as though she were reading from a manual. Seth gulped; now it made sense why Roxanne reached out to Winona in the first place. "I understand that you had a run-in with Team Magma, and are now working with Team Aqua on the dubious claim that the latter intends to force Mt. Chimney to erupt."
Seth didn't like the way she phrased that. "That's right for the most part. But there's more to it than that."
Winona stared at him pointedly, reminding him of an angry parent staring down at their misbehaving child. "I'll start by being blunt. Seth, I don't know you. For all I know, you're simply another member of Team Aqua, who are now known criminals, sent to undermine government and league authority with scare tactics."
"Hold on now, Winona-" Brawly cut in.
"I'm not finished, Brawly," Winona cut across him instantly with a glare. Brawly quieted down immediately, looking dissatisfied. Winona turned her attention back to Seth, causing him to sweat beneath the intensity of her words and her stare. "It would be easy for me to dismiss your claims as nothing more than the ravings of a lunatic. However, I hear you're the son of our newest gym leader. Furthermore, Roxanne and Brawly have both vouched for your good character. As such, I'm willing to hear you out. I'll need the whole story if I'm to decide on a course of action."
"Okay. I guess I can't blame you; I wouldn't believe me either; it'd just be easier to arrest me for working with criminals," Seth admitted, stammering somewhat. Winona nodded in agreement. Seth opened his mouth, but then he realized something. "Do you mind if I call my contact in the police? I think they should hear this too."
Winona raised an eyebrow. "You have a contact in the force?"
"Sort of. I spoke with him briefly in town, and he helped me find Team Magma in the first place. He gave me his number and said to call him if I needed him." Seth was fairly certain Grant didn't mean something like this, but he couldn't afford to be picky. "I think we may need him."
"I see. It is a good thought, but if you want to also give a statement to the police, it would be more efficient to call the chief of police in Fallarbor Town," Winona provided.
"I can't argue with that. Do you happen to have his number?" Seth asked, his voice breaking somewhat.
"I do. I was planning to give my report after speaking with you, but I suppose this is more prudent." Winona produced a PokeNav personalized with a color scheme that matched her clothes. With a quick press of a button and a few taps later, the phone began to ring. She notes Seth's state with a cursory glance. "You must have faith in your story if you hope to convince anyone."
"I do, I'm just not used to all of this. You're probably not going to like me for saying this, but…" Seth took a deep breath. "Team Aqua's leader, Archie...well, I feel like I can trust him on this, criminal or not. He didn't have to let me come out here to meet you, especially because I was so against his philosophy. So if even someone like him thinks that we all need to work together to stop this…"
"I see," Winona's gaze was icy for a brief moment, making Seth second-guess saying that much. Before she could say anything further, someone picked up the phone from the other end of the line. "Chief Greer? This is Winona."
A gruff, irritated voice came from the other end of the line. "Winona? This is our emergency line; I hope this is important."
"It is. I'm here with Roxanne and Brawly, and I have one Seth Rhines with me who wants to make a statement to the police concerning a potential regional, if not national, crisis," Winona explained to him.
"Did you say 'national crisis?' Goddammit, one thing after another today. Frerich, pull the file of Seth Rhines for me." There was the sound of a door opening and then slamming shut, followed by the scraping of a chair. "Give me the gist of it. How bad are we talking here?"
"It concerns Mt. Chimney. From here, I'll let Seth explain," Winona said. She held out the phone for Seth to speak into. Winona stared at him expectantly. "Go ahead, Seth. Try to keep it concise. If what you're saying is true, we don't have much time."
Seth took a breath and began. "Okay. It started when I was on my way to Meteor Falls, looking for one of my pokemon's lost family…"
An uncomfortable silence fell across the group for what seemed like an eternity after Seth finished his story. He could feel his heart in his throat as he looked for any kind of reaction from Winona.
"Hm...what do you think, Chief?" Winona asked at long last.
"I'm thinking this kid's actually part of Team Aqua after all," Greer responded. "See, we had one of their grunts turn himself in just last night with a similar story. I didn't believe him either."
"That makes sense. Archie did tell his administrator to send a grunt to you," Seth confirmed, choosing to omit Shelly's name. He wasn't sure that the police knew who she was, but he wasn't going to be the one to reveal it if they didn't.
"Easy for you to say now that I just told you," Greer retorted. "Listen to what you're saying, kid. Team Magma supposedly wants to force Mt. Chimney, a supervolcano that would wipe out the whole region at best, just for the sake of a few extra kilometers of land? Not only is that impossible, even with some space rock, but it's also counterproductive to Team Magma's mandate. No point in having more land if there's no one to live on it."
"I know it's insane. I can scarcely believe it myself, and I was fighting them directly. But you have to believe me!" Seth pleaded. "Why else would Team Aqua send one of their members to get arrested? They had to get that information to you no matter what it cost them!"
"I haven't been in this business this long just to trust everything I hear. This is likely no more than Team Aqua's poor attempt to mislead the police and get our attention away from the town," Greer snapped right back. Seth huffed with frustration and disbelief. "This is a waste of time. Winona, why are you even entertaining this nonsense?"
"Both Roxanne and Brawly vouched for his good character. Furthermore, he is the son of our newest gym leader Norman, whom the league vetted thoroughly. Neither he nor Seth have any criminal record, according to the Public Safety Commission," Winona explained to him. "I am more willing to believe him than some rowdy Team Aqua grunt."
"Be that as it may, who's to say he couldn't have-" Greer began, only to be interrupted by the sound of someone talking in the background. "What? Finally, give it here."
There was a short silence before Greer spoke again. "I'm looking at the kid's file. You were involved with the incident in Slateport, weren't you? The Oceanic Museum? You held off Team Aqua until authorities arrived?"
"That was me, yes!" Seth confirmed, mentally rejoicing. Somehow, despite everything he went through at the museum, it was all worth it in the end if it gave him even a hint of an edge in this conversation.
"I wasn't aware of that," Winona gazed at Seth with a hint of respect.
"Neither was I," Roxanne added with awe.
"Wait, for real?" Brawly emitted with shock. "No way...that was right after you left!"
"That's red hot, dude!" Roxanne agreed. "Wish I could have seen that!"
"All things aside, that was damn heroic for just some kid," Greer grumbled under his breath and then gave a few more orders in the background. "Fine. I'm willing to believe you're not a criminal. Instead, you're just a damned fool for falling for Archie's lies."
"It wasn't just Archie. I did hear the Magma grunts I fought talking about making more land." Seth protested. He opened his mouth to continue, but he froze when he felt the boardwalk shudder underneath his feet. "Whoa…"
"Another quake. Grab onto something; this could get bad!" Brawly warned. Winona promptly leaped onto her pokemon, her body sinking gently into the fluff of the Altaria.
"Not another one…" Greer growled, his voice fading as he too took cover. Something shattered on the other end of the line, followed by the sound of the chief cursing.
As Seth, Brawly, and Roxanne hit the floor to keep from falling, the quake worsened to a steady rumble that seemed to cause the very air to shudder. A stack of barrels beside a nearby concession stand wobbled and toppled, rolling in various directions. Glassware from a souvenir shop fell from the shelves and shattered to pieces on the wooden floor. With a resounding crack, the wooden support beams of a nearby stall broke, sending the whole structure crumbling to the ground in a mess of splinters and fabric.
When the earthquake subsided, Seth, Roxanne, Brawly, and Flannery gingerly rose to their feet, while Winona simply hopped off of her Altaria. The five of them looked around at the damage with concern.
"That one was worse than usual," Greer complained. There was the sound of shifting papers, and the tapping of pen on paper.
"It can't be a coincidence that these quakes keep getting worse." Seth saw his opportunity to push his point. "Sir, please think about this; Team Magma has been up on Mt. Chimney for some time now, and I even saw Team Magma blocking the paths up to the summit. They have to be doing something up there, right?"
"Seth is right," Roxanne concurred. "I believe him, but even if I did not, the risk is too substantial to ignore."
"Yeah, worst case, you get to arrest Team Aqua, right?" Brawly chimed in. "I mean, they did say they were willing to work with us."
"...I hate to admit it, but you've got a point there, Brawly," Greer said. "Unlike Team Aqua, Team Magma has been careful not to step over the line with their activities. I don't have enough evidence to launch an investigation."
There was a sigh from the other end of the line. "Look. I don't believe anybody would be psychotic enough to destroy the country and themselves just for a little bit of extra land. Even if I did, there's no way I'd convince the higher-ups to send any real support. But you lot seem convinced there's a threat," Greer continued with an air of decisiveness in his words. "Here's my decision. I'm sending an SAT team to assist you. Winona, I'm authorizing you to act as my intermediary in this matter."
"I understand. Thank you," Winona expressed gratefully. "I'll need their contact information so I can send them a rendezvous point."
"I'll forward you all the relevant information. You have them for three days at most. I can't guarantee their presence after that," Greer warned. "Do what you feel is necessary. I don't need to tell you that what you do reflects on both the police and the HGL."
"I am well aware. Thank you for your time, Chief Greer," Winona and Greer exchanged some final pleasantries, and then the former closed her PokeNav and replaced it in her pocket. Winona took a deep breath and then addressed the group. "We have a lot of work to do."
"Not sure how I feel about working with criminals, but I guess there's nothing for it. At the end of the day, who's gonna stop them if we don't?" Brawly expressed.
"Quite," Roxanne agreed. "Working with Team Aqua is the lesser evil if it means saving the country."
"Even I have a limit on how hot things can get," Flannery added. She cracked her knuckles and grinned. "Boy, I can't wait to take it to 'em."
"I can't tell you how relieved I am," Seth said. With the four gym leaders behind him as well as an SAT team, Team Magma didn't stand a chance. He glanced at Winona. "Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but what made you believe me?"
"Like the police chief, I am convinced of your good character, especially after hearing about the incident at the Oceanic Museum," Winona answered with a smile. "Whether the threat is as great as you say...I will be confirming that for myself shortly."
"What do you mean?" Seth asked.
"I'm going to fly up to the summit and scout out the extent of Team Magma's presence with my own eyes," Winona revealed. She walked over to her Altaria and climbed onto its back once more, stroking the top of its feathered head. "I'll need you to supply me with a meeting location.I assume you can get in contact with Archie?"
"I have a one-time use number for him," Seth explained. "Never mind about that, are you sure you'll be alright? We don't know how strong they are."
Winona paused and gave Seth a patronizing stare, her lips curled with the slightest hint of amusement. Without another word, she tapped the neck of her Altaria, and the two of them took to the sky with a blast of wind that caused Seth to cover his eyes with his arm.
"She never answered me..." Seth turned to look at the others, only to find Brawly and Flannery snickering. "What's so funny?"
"You know they call her the Sky Queen of Fortree City, right?" Flannery told him. "I think it's Team Magma that should be worried for their safety!"
"I didn't know that. I guess she must be pretty strong," Seth gazed after the disappearing form of Winona in the distance. He didn't relish the thought of having to battle her someday, though he bet Kyra would be thrilled.
Seth sat down on the pier beside Brawly. "Phew...I don't know what's more stressful, talking to Archie or to Winona and the police."
"No kidding. This is one heck of a vacation I signed up for," Brawly agreed. "Still, it's really cool to see how you're stepping up."
"Honestly I can't believe I got roped into something this huge...but I don't have time to dwell on it. I need to call Archie," Seth produced his own PokeNav and began dialing the number he was given.
"Brawly climbed to his feet and walked over to Roxanne and Flannery. "You got it. We'll be on standby. Just tell us where to go when it's time."
"I will." Seth finished dialing the number and held the phone up to his ear as it began to ring.
The outpost at the bottom of Mt. Chimney stood abandoned in the afternoon sunlight. All of its inhabitants had evacuated by order of the regional police. The only remaining people in the town by the time the evacuation had finished were the two members of Team Magma that guarded the cable car.
Winona strode purposefully into the outpost, with Brawly and Flannery flanking her on either side. Roxanne and Seth walked just behind them at the head of a squad of thirty SAT troopers.
The SAT, or the Special Assault Teams, were a national anti-terrorism tactical force consisting of well-equipped and well-trained policemen. Each city's police department generally had one or two teams assigned to them, but they rarely saw use. The fact that a team of them marched behind Seth made him shiver; there was no doubt that he was part of what would no doubt be a historical moment, whether they won or they lost.
Each trooper wore midnight-blue uniforms underneath rigid black ballistic vests and hardened plates on each of their limbs. Their helmets were also black, visored, and layered over top of a face mask, making it impossible to see anything other than their eyes. They were equipped with extendable stun batons and two pokeballs each, making them more than capable of handling any threat. Just seeing this made Seth understand just why the two teams tried so hard to stay in the government's good graces.
"That's close enough." Archie's authoritative voice boomed throughout the street. Winona immediately came to a halt and motioned for everyone else to do the same, her free hand drifting to her belt of pokeballs.
As she did so, Archie strode into the street, flanked by his Sharpedo and that of Shelly's, who followed close behind him. Members of Team Aqua trickled into the street, forming up into ranks behind them, their pokeballs in their hands. Seth noticed how restless they looked, the grunts watching the heavily armed policemen with unease.
"Well well, the Sky Queen herself graces us with her presence," Archie addresses Winona, his eyes filled with distrust. Like her, one hand was on his belt of pokeballs, ready to release them at a moment's notice. His eyes narrowed. "I didn't realize you were capable of leaving your perch to join us lesser folk."
"Archie. I can't say it's a pleasure." Winona dipped her head respectfully despite Archie's mocking words. "You can lower your hand. We didn't come here to fight you."
"With that SAT behind you, I'm sure you can understand why I find that hard to believe," Archie returned, his hand not moving. "Where is Seth? He's the one that brought you here, isn't he?"
"I'm here," Seth spoke up and stepped forward so that he could be seen, cursing himself for how meek he sounded. A hard lump formed in his chest as Archie spotted him, the larger man nodding with satisfaction.
"If you want me to believe that you're not here to arrest us, send the boy over here," Archie supplied, reaching out with a hand. A murmur of unrest passed through the police forces, and the other gym leaders glanced at Seth with concern.
"You expect me to give you a hostage willingly?" Winona countered icily, never taking her gaze away from Archie.
"Don't insult me. I don't use hostages, and I don't plan to start now," Archie spat, offended. "I assume you've been briefed, so you know the situation. If we're supposed to work together, then you should think nothing of my request."
"You choose your words well, but I still have no assurance that this isn't a ploy," Winona responded to Archie's words without missing a beat, unswayed. "What guarantee do I have that Seth would be safe with you?"
Archie jabbed his finger at her. "What guarantee do I have that you won't sic your police attack dogs on me? If you won't trust me, I don't see any reason why I should trust you. And if you came looking for a fight, Team Aqua is more than ready to answer your call." At Archie's words, the Team Aqua grunts bristled and reached for their pokeballs.
"Hey hey, hold on!" Seth couldn't stay quiet any longer.
"Seth, please leave this to me," Winona expressed quietly.
"I'm sorry, but I can't," Seth winced underneath the frigid stare Winona gave him after that. "This conversation is about me, right? Don't I get a say in this?"
Archie looked pleased with Seth's interjection. "Let the boy speak, Sky Queen."
"Archie does have a point. From his point of view, he took a chance trusting me to bring back help, and I came back at the head of a SAT team," Seth said to Winona, doing his best to meet her gaze despite the weight behind it. He took a breath. "And...well, I did spend some time with Team Aqua already. I trust Archie at least in this."
"So, what are you suggesting?" Winona asked in a level voice.
"Just let me go over to them like he asked. He could have hurt me many times already," Seth answered. He did his best to control his breathing as Winona stared at him for several moments.
"Very well. If that is your decision," Winona finally said. Seth let out a sigh of relief and looked back at Archie and Team Aqua, noticing how they seemed to relax as well.
"Thank you for trusting me." Seth crossed the empty street, the short distance feeling like an entire football field. Archie watched him approach and gave him a silent nod and gestured to a spot just beside and behind him, next to Shelly. Seth obediently stood in the indicated spot. One of the grunts clapped his back reassuringly from behind.
"There. That wasn't so hard, was it?" Archie remarked with a smug smile. To her credit, Winona didn't flinch or show any emotion in response to his provocation. "Now, one last thing before we get down to business. I want to talk about the police's involvement."
"Are you objecting to their assistance?" Winona questioned. "I was under the impression that you needed all the help you could get to overcome this crisis."
"Of course we do. But I won't fight with them just to get arrested once all of this is over. Who among their number speaks for the police?"
"I have been given permission to act as an intermediary for the Chief of Police of Fallarbor Town," Winona revealed to him. When Archie raised an eyebrow, she produced her pokeNav and opened it. "You can inspect the official documentation if you would like."
"Shelly," Archie said, indicating Winona with a tip of his head. That was all he needed to say. Shelly crossed the gap over to Winona and accepted the PokeNav from her.
"It looks legitimate," Shelly announced after a minute of looking over the screen.
"Very well then! In that case, I demand a full pardon for Team Aqua's transgressions at the Oceanic Museum, in exchange for our help," Archie demanded as Shelly returned to his side.
"You're making demands of us? Weren't you the one who originally asked us for help?" Winona returned incredulously.
"Hahaha! I'm no fool! You know as well as I do that once all this is over, the police and the gym leaders will take all the credit for saving the country. I'm fine with that, but remember that you would have been caught with your pants down if I'd never come to you with this information. In the end, the fact that you can do anything about this crisis in the first place is due to our intel. Surely a pardon isn't too much to ask for saving the country."
Archie crossed his arms and watched Winona with a self-assured smirk on his face. Seth noted that it was technically himself that had uncovered the information and not Team Aqua, but remained silent. After all, he wouldn't be here if Archie hadn't saved him at Meteor Falls in the first place.
Winona hesitated for several moments. "Very well. I will see to it that you get that pardon," she finally said, looking defeated. "Do you have any more demands to make?"
"None. You've been a big help," Archie beamed. "Now, let's get down to it. We have a lot of intel to discuss and a lot of planning to do. Come to the Information Center with us."
Seth was nearly overcome with relief as the tension finally crumbled and the two groups began to mix and walk together behind Archie and Winona. With that out of the way, there was nothing stopping them from focusing fully on Team Magma.
The Information Center was fairly typical as far as its interior was designed; it was a rectangular building with the long side facing the street. On the opposite side of the main room from the doorway was a ceiling-high partition decorated with pictures and descriptions of various attractions and sights, situated just in front of a pair of restrooms.
On the left end of the room was a sitting area consisting of tables and chairs, which for the purposes of the newly formed coalition had been moved aside to make room for the rank and file. On the right side was an abandoned gift shop filled with all sorts of knickknacks and baubles that would make suitable souvenirs for those visiting the mountain. For the time being, the gift shop had been repurposed into storage for everyone's unneeded gear and supplies.
In the center of the room was the reception counter, which had been converted into a makeshift table where the most prominent members of the coalition stood, gazing at a map on its surface. The parchment had already been thoroughly marked and annotated by the various leaders in different colors, presenting clearly to those watching the different potential avenues of attack.
Around the table was Winona, Archie, Shelly, Seth, Roxanne, Brawly, and Flannery, and for the past two hours, they'd all discussed the best strategy to defeat Team Magma. In Seth's case, he'd mostly kept quiet with the exception of a question here and there.
"Let's go over the plan one more time," Winona said to the gathering of individuals around the table. "The majority of our forces will be taking the cable car to the summit, with Archie and Roxanne as unit commanders. There, Flannery will lead a selection of grunts and coordinate anti-artillery efforts in the rear line, while Brawly and Seth take point."
"That's right. And you will be taking half of your men and leading a sky assault on the summit. We can't let Team Magma have air superiority," Archie continued. He looked to Winona with a grin. "I have to say, I'm looking forward to seeing the Sky Queen in action."
"Hmph." Winona then turned her gaze to the base of the mountain on the map. "The remainder of my men will split into two groups; one to form a perimeter around the base of the cable car here, while the other will slip through the fighting and secure Jagged Pass."
"What about the captive pokemon?" Seth asked.
"We will have to see how the battle progresses. If all goes well, we'll be able to locate and rescue them from their cages after Team Magma has been defeated," Winona placed a hand on the table and stared intensely at Seth. "Remember, our priority is to prevent the volcano from erupting. Everything else is secondary."
"But…"
"Seth, I can't have you distracted in the battle to come. Whether you've realized it or not, your power is formidable for a young trainer, so we need you focused on breaking Team Magma's lines," Winona expressed to him firmly. "Do you understand?"
"I do...I'm sorry. I'm just concerned," Seth murmured, unable to meet her gaze.
"Good. Now, let's go over Maxie and his administrators," Winona picked the conversation back up, gazing at Archie. "Archie?"
"They are the biggest threat. I'll start with Maxie. Let me be clear," Archie tapped the map, where a blue circle was labeled with the name of Team Magma's leader. "None of you can take him in a straight-up fight. Anyone who manages to break through should work together to take him down."
"What about you? Didn't you say you were evenly matched with him?" Brawly butted in.
"There's a chance I'll be targeted by the administrators the moment I set foot on the summit. If that happens and I get held up, you can't wait for me. Destroying their device is the top priority," Archie explained. "Whatever you do, do not try to handle Maxie on your own unless there is no other choice."
"Who should handle the administrators?" Roxanne inquired. "There are two, I believe you said. Courtney and Tabitha?"
"That's where I come in," Shelly presented herself with a flourish. "I've tangled with their lot before. I can handle one of them. I expect either Seth or one of the gym leaders to handle the other."
"That accounts for everything. Ideally, we'll take out their forces and focus everything we have on Maxie. Is there anything that we still need to discuss?" Winona asked. The others looked at one another and returned a chorus of no's. "Good. Then it's time to brief the men. Roxanne, come with me."
"I agree. I need to make sure my team's morale is high," Archie said. With everyone in agreement, the group broke away from the table and split away to their respective groups.
Seth watched Winona and Roxanne break away to join the SAT team. He looked down at the floor and did his best to steady his breathing. There was a hard lump in his throat, and his chest felt tight. Seth saw his hands begin to tremble, so he clasped them together and crossed his arms.
"Hey, man," Brawly clapped a hand to Seth's shoulder, the older man gazing at him with concern.
"What should we be doing?" Seth asked. Unlike the others, it didn't seem like he had much more to talk about, considering he was just going to be part of the front lines. That said, he couldn't handle just standing around doing nothing, either. If he at least had something to focus on...
"You and I have simple roles, so we should take some time to relax," Brawly advised him. "Wanna get some chow with me?"
"That actually sounds good. I haven't eaten yet today," Seth admitted. Now that his attention had been drawn to it, his stomach came to life, demanding sustenance with a painful growl.
"Me neither. Come on." Brawly beckoned to him, and then the two of them split off from the main group and headed into the street.
A few moments later, the two of them sat at a table in front of an abandoned cafe. From one of the nearby shops they'd appropriated some food, which they were now hungrily digging into.
"I'm real glad shops are using those self-checkout kiosks nowadays. It makes it easy to pay for food even without the staff," Brawly remarked. He took a bite out of his sandwich. "Anyway, how have you been? I mean...considering."
"It's…" Seth started to say, and then he just chuckled helplessly. "It's been a trip. All I did was help someone out with a few deliveries, and now I'm smack in the middle of what's basically a gang war between two criminal teams."
"Yeah, tell me about that Oceanic Museum incident. I heard on the news that Captain Stern had been assaulted, but I didn't know you were there," Brawly pressed. "You seriously held off a horde of Team Aqua grunts by yourself?"
"I still don't know how I did it," Seth admitted wryly. "I was trapped with no way out, and Team Aqua terrified me. I just wanted to stay in one piece."
'I don't blame you. Man, that's crazy," Brawly marveled. "You must have really improved since I saw you in Dewford. How's Kyra?"
"She's on the moon. Somehow all of this is just serving to fire her up." As Brawly chuckled at that, He grabbed her pokeball and released her onto the sidewalk beside him. Seth nearly toppled right out of his chair as Kyra promptly yanked on his ear hard with telekinesis. He squealed in pain, but there was nothing he could do to free himself from her grip. "Aaah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just got caught up in everything and I forgot to let you out!"
"Easy there girl, he's been through a lot," Brawly reassured her with a placating smile. Kyra glared at Seth for several moments, before she finally released him. Seth nursed his now reddened ear, whimpering softly. "Hello again, by the way. I haven't seen you since Dewford. Seems like you've got a tight leash on Seth here!"
Kyra looked at Brawly and gave him a polite curtsy, before turning her attention back to Seth. She leaped onto his lap and sat there, earning a yelp of surprise from Seth.
"Yeah..sometimes I don't know who's the trainer at times," Seth teased Kyra, stroking her head affectionately. Brawly laughed at that. "Honestly, it's my fault. She gets furious when she's stuck in a ball for too long."
"That's unusual. All the pokemon I've been with recognize the necessity," Brawly commented. "Especially if you're wandering around a lot. When they're in the ball, you don't have to expend resources on them, or worry about taking them through environments they're not used to."
Seth swore he could feel Kyra rolling her eyes in his lap, despite the fact she wasn't facing him. "I think she just wants to be a part of the adventure. Especially now. If we fail…she'll never...I mean we'll never..."
"Don't think like that, man," Brawly cut across him sharply. He put on a confident smile and stretched out his arms, giving Seth a good view of his toned muscles. "We'll be fine. I've been training for something like this for basically my whole life. Plus, we've got Winona here; I don't think there's a better trainer among the HGL, unless you count Juan."
"Juan?" Seth questioned.
"The gym leader of Sootopolis City," Brawly explained. "He's a real tough trainer. He's the one who trained the current champion of the Hoenn Pokemon League."
"Oh man, that sounds intimidating." Seth couldn't imagine fighting someone like that, even though he knew he'd have to eventually. "Sootopolis is that city out in the ocean, right?"
As they continued to talk about simple everyday topics, Seth could feel the ever-present lump in his throat slowly disappear. Kyra also helped just by being herself, the pokemon stealing bites of his food from time to time while radiating a sense of excitement that was almost tangible.
"Hey Brawly?" Seth interjected at the tail end of a mundane conversation about sights to see in the Mt. Chimney area. "Thanks for chatting with me. I feel better now."
"S'what friends are for," Brawly smiled at him, and Seth felt a sense of warmth welling up inside of him.
"Heh, this is a new feeling," Seth confessed. When Brawly looked, confused, he explained. "One thing I didn't tell you about my time in Johto; I only really had one friend, and she was always more focused on her prospective career as a trainer. So I was always handling things on my own for the most part."
"How come? You're a pretty chill guy, if you ask me," Brawly asked curiously.
"I think part of it was my looks. I didn't really fit in with the guys because of that. They were always picking fun or suggesting ways to bulk up...or 'man up,' as some of the less blunt people would say. The girls mostly just ignored me," Seth found it easier to confide in Brawly now that he'd already gotten started, the words coming faster and faster. "The kicker was that I hated pokemon battles, and because of Red's exploits, pokemon battling is bigger than ever over there."
"I guess that makes sense. Red is an inspiration to a lot of people, despite him being off doing whatever it is legends do," Brawly responded. "I don't think that's a reason to ostracize you, though. What about battling didn't you like?"
"All of it. It seemed sick to me, grabbing pokemon out of the wild just to make them fight one another. I used to get angry watching the TV, seeing people cheer at watching other pokemon get hurt," Seth elaborated. He noticed Brawly's eyebrow rising, even as he noticed Kyra looking at him, unamused. He waved a hand. "I know better now. It's just a contact sport like any other, and all parties involved are consenting. But I didn't understand that at the time."
"What made you change your mind?" Brawly asked. The fact that he was paying attention with what appeared to be genuine interest went a long way to help Seth feel comfortable talking to him.
"Kyra," Seth tapped the head of his pokemon lightly. "I still don't like seeing pokemon hurt, but Kyra really likes to battle, and she wouldn't let me rest if I didn't give her the opportunities to test her limits."
"Hah! Sounds like Arty and me," Brawly laughed, slapping the table with a hand. "Real talk though, it sucks that you had a tough time back in Johto. I'm glad I can have your back, man. Tell you what. I know Roxanne already invited you, but let me do it too. When all this is over, let's go to Lavaridge Town and hit the hot springs. We'll have drinks and just have a good ol' time. What do you say?"
Brawly looked at Seth with such earnest excitement in his boyish face that Seth flushed and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "How could I say no?" Seth responded.
"Now that's what I'm talking about! If you've never been to a hot spring, you'll really love this!" Brawly leaned back in his chair, his smile widening to a grin. His eyes glinted with mischief. "Though speaking of hot...what do you think about Flannery?"
"W-What?" Seth, taken by surprise, could only stammer out a question. "I...I never really thought about it...I mean…"
Brawly laughed. "Wow, you're still so shy, even after what we did with Jocelyn together! That's just adorable."
"S-Shut up!" Seth looked down at the table, his face on fire. The sound of Brawly's merriment filled the empty street, the last moment of levity before the coming battle.
Once Seth and Brawly returned to the Information Center, they were met by Winona, who quickly filled them in on what had occurred in their absence. After much discussion, three major decisions were made. The first and most controversial was the decision not to call for a mass evacuation of the region.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? If that volcano erupts…" Brawly trailed off warningly.
Winona gave a worried sigh. "I'm well aware of what will happen. However, we're simply out of time. Even if we managed to convince the bureaucracy to evacuate the citizens, it would only cause a panic. And if the volcano did erupt…"
"Nobody would get out in time anyway," Seth finished. He gulped and wrung his hands, sweat forming on his brow. "Oh man…"
"That's right," Winona confirmed. "Does that make sense, Brawly?"
"Yeah, but I don't like how close we're cutting it. Everything's on us now. We can't fail," Brawly answered. His words only served to unnerve Seth further. "Any chance we can call in extra help?"
"That brings me to the next topic. I reached out to all remaining gym leaders, and even put out feelers to see if any of the Elite Four were in the area," Winona continued. "Sadly, it would take more than the time we have for the closest gym leader, Wattson, to reach us. Further, no members of the Elite Four are close enough to render any aid."
Brawly grunted in exasperation. "Damn. The good news just keeps piling on, eh?"
"However, I've filled in those I could get in contact with," Winona finished.
"Wait, even my father?" Seth asked immediately.
"Indeed. Norman is too far to be of any help, but he's promised to keep an eye out for any Team activity in his area," Winona said. She noticed Seth turning pale. "Hm. Rest assured, I didn't tell him you were involved. Whatever you choose to tell him is your business."
"Thank you," Seth told her, a sigh of relief leaving him. Winona nodded in response. There was so much pressure on him right now, he couldn't imagine having to explain himself to his father on top of all of that.
With that particular conversation out of the way, Winona moved on to the last topic; the decision was made that the assault would begin the following morning at the crack of dawn. The plan during the night was to have Winona and some of the other troopers fly up to the summit and keep an eye on Team Magma. If any alarming activity was detected, they would wake everyone up. According to their scouting reports thus far, Team Magma was still in the middle of construction of what was being called their doomsday device.
Thus, the rooms of the outpost's motels were divided up amongst the coalition, generally keeping the troopers and Team Aqua grunts separate from one another. Upon glancing at the slip of paper he was given, Seth noted he was given a room to himself, at the motel at the far end of the outpost. He was tired, so he fetched his equipment from the gift shop and made for the motel.
As he made his way there, a group of grunts caught up to him. Among their number was a certain woman who promptly put him into a friendly headlock, causing Seth to struggle and yelp. "Wh-!?"
"Glad you came back, pretty boy!" Anya expressed cheerfully, thoroughly mussing up his hair before releasing him. "Some of the boys were making bets that you'd run off."
"How could I run away from this?" Seth demanded, offended.
"That's what I said!" One of the vindicated grunts proclaimed, earning a few good-natured groans from some of the others. "Is the guy who trashed both us and Team Magma really gonna run away?"
"I'm still convinced that was a fluke! Besides, he let Anya boss him around without a word of backtalk!" Another grunt proclaimed. Seth flushed as the other grunts argued with one another, his shame growing when he heard several of them mention the collar.
"What, you're saying you'd test me?" Anya stepped towards the grunt who last spoke with a confident grin. The grunt quailed beneath her stronger gaze, earning the derision of his peers. "I'd rip you to shreds and you know it. Besides, so what if he likes the collar? Don't go kink-shaming him."
"Yeah, no kink-shaming, bro!" The other grunts chorused, and then they all broke into laughter.
They continued to joke amongst one another all the way to the motel, where they split off and headed to their rooms. Seth hesitated, watching them go. Anya was about to enter her room when she noticed him.
"What's up? You've got a face on," Anya observed, crossing her arms. She grew impatient. "Come on, spill it."
"You mean, apart from the very real possibility that I could die tomorrow?" Seth replied without a trace of humor in his voice. He sighed. "It's just odd that you all of Team Aqua are treating me so well. I am your enemy, after all," Seth said. He didn't know if it was a good idea to once again confide in Anya, but he doubted holding out on her would go well for him.
"Not right now you're not," Anya corrected him. "Chill. You've earned our respect, especially after what you did at Meteor Falls."
"You're not still angry at me for 'stabbing you in the back?'" Seth questioned, even as he processed her words. Anya suddenly punched him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him right off of his feet.
"There, see? We're even. Happy now?" Anya retorted. Seth rubbed his shoulder, staring at her in confusion. She burst out laughing. "Aw, you look like a kicked puppy. Come on, you were a sneaky little shit back then, but no point in holding a grudge."
"I don't know…" Seth trailed off, finding himself with a lack of good arguments to make.
"Ugh, you're so stubborn!" Anya huffed in annoyance. "If there's anything we hate, it's people who just let the world walk over them; the weak who bow before the strong. You're not like that, or you'd have surrendered at the museum. Then, you did right by us at Meteor falls. So we'll do right by you. Make sense to you now?"
"I guess so." Seth still had one question left in his mind. "What if I end up getting in your way again after all this is over?"
"Then we'll fight, obviously. We won't lose to you again." Anya answered instantly, her eyes narrowing. Seth shuddered, recognizing just how serious she was. "But when we beat you, we won't shame or humiliate you. You deserve that much."
Seth could feel Kyra's excitement growing beside him as the Kirlia felt Anya's fighting spirit. Once again, Seth felt grateful for her presence during tense conversations like these.
"Okay. That makes sense, I guess. Hopefully it won't come to that," Seth said, satisfied.
"Good," Anya smiled at him as though the last few seconds hadn't happened. She shoved him. "Now go get some sleep. Tomorrow's the day we take it to the top."
With that, Anya walked into her room and shut the door, leaving Seth to locate his room on his own.
The motel room was nothing special; it was little more than a single queen-sized bed, a small living area, and a bathroom. Seth swiftly stripped out of his clothes, releasing each and every one of his pokemon out into the room as he did so.
Summer stretched out with a yawn from her position on the bed, watching Seth curiously as he removed his underwear. While he fished through his bag for clean clothes, Cairo alighted atop the television set and watched in silence. Princess made straight for the bathroom and disappeared into it. The sound of running water soon came from within. Kyra, as always, stayed by his side, giving his naked form an appreciative glance every so often.
"Hey, everyone," Seth addressed his pokemon. He produced from his bag a series of pokemon snacks he'd purchased from the nearby shops and shared them with everyone. He smiled, watching them nibble at the food. "This is it. Today's the day we go up against Team Magma, for the sake of the region...and for Summer's family."
"I just wanted to ask. Are all of you still willing to fight with me? This isn't an ordinary battle," Seth asked nervously. He got his answer immediately from Kyra in the form of her eager anticipation and growing excitement. Summer gulped down a mouthful and trilled softly. Cairo blinked slowly, making no other sound or motion. Princess stuck her head out the door of the bathroom, humming softly. They all seemed determined in their own way; at the very least none of them made to leave him. "Okay. Thanks, everyone. I just want you all to know that if we don't make it tomorrow..."
Seth choked up with emotion mid-sentence but before he could continue, Kyra waved an arm and knocked him right off his feet and onto the bed with a gentle telekinetic push. She glanced at him with a determined expression, her emotions flowing into his mind. She didn't want to hear the rest of his sentence.
"Ahh...I guess you're right, Kyra. I shouldn't be thinking like that. We have to get through this. Losing just isn't an option." As Seth spoke, he recognized that he was trying to convince himself just as much as them. He placed his head in his hands. He needed to shower, but now that he was alone, his emotions were crashing down on him. "I'm just not made for this kind of pressure. I'm just a normal guy, not a hero."
He could feel Kyra's frustration without looking at her. "I know, I know. Please just let me vent," he said to her softly. "Honestly, I just want to get as far away from all of this as possible. I didn't go on this journey to end up in a battle with stakes this high."
Kyra's eyes softened, and she hopped on the bed next to him. She lay beside him as he continued to express his maelstrom of emotion, stroking his hair gently with one of her arms and projecting calming waves of emotion into his mind. With such a calm and attentive pokemon by his side, Seth steadily calmed, his anxiety curbed by her ministrations.
"I really am lucky to have you," Seth whispered, turning his head to look into her soft ruby eyes. Overcome with affection for his partner, he and Kyra shared a brief kiss with one another. "Thanks for letting me talk."
With that, Seth rose from the bed and made his way to the shower. Along the way, he paused, noticing his PokeNav where he'd left it on the couch beside his dirty clothes. He picked it up and opened it up to his contact list.
His finger hovered above the entries for Caroline and Norman Rhines, his family. Should he call them? If he failed tomorrow, then this would be the last time he could talk to them. The thought of leaving his parents without knowing what had happened to him had him move to press the call button...only to halt halfway.
"I won't lose," Seth said aloud, firmly. He repeated that to himself several times. Like Brawly said, they couldn't lose. Losing wasn't an option, because the alternative was too awful to think about. A dark thought came to Seth just then. If he lost tomorrow, then his family wouldn't have a chance to miss him. He knew enough about the geography of the region and about pyroclastic flows to know that nearly everyone in the region would perish in less than a day.
"Aaah!" Seth thumped his forehead with a fist, forcing himself to stop thinking like that. "I'm going to win tomorrow, and then I'm going to the hot springs with Brawly and Roxanne...and then I'm going to visit my family."
With that, Seth's finger moved away from the call button. Instead, he opened up a new text message.
Seth: Sorry to bug you so late at night. But I was thinking about you, and wanted to tell you that I love you.
His mother answered within seconds.
Caroline: Aww, you're so sweet. I love you too! Hope you're having a lovely journey! Come back and visit sometime if you're ever in the area!
Seth: I will. Thx, mom.
Caroline: Anytime, honey!
Seth put down his phone, closed it, and headed for the shower.
"The time has come, everyone."
It was the following morning. Winona stood in front of the Information Center atop a ramshackle stage made of salvaged boxes and wood. Beside her stood Archie, and assembled before her was the coalition, consisting of the SAT team, Team Aqua, and the gym leaders.
Seth stood in their midst, with Brawly on his left and Shelly on his right. He was dressed in a pair of black polyester shorts that clung to his body tightly, and a short similarly-colored tank-top designed for heavy exercise. Over his shirt, he wore a sea-blue sporty overshirt that was decorated with snow-white stripes. His four pokeballs were attached to a strap that was fastened to his chest, spanning from his shoulder to his hip. Kyra stood beside him, her mind as calm as a pond in the still of winter.
"I suppose I needn't remind you, but for those of a…" Winona glanced briefly at Archie and Team Aqua. "...less than reputable nature, it needs to be said. According to the second article of the Sanctity of Life Accords of 1937, regardless of circumstances, no human or pokemon life is to be taken and all offensive actions upon an individual must be ceased upon confirmation of the individual's inability to fight. I expect everyone here to abide by these rules, or they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Is this clear to everyone?"
"Yes ma'am!" The members of the police force, Seth, and the gym leaders chorused at once, while Team Aqua just rolled their eyes and nodded.
"Good. Regardless of what Team Magma is trying to do, they are still human, and must be treated as such," Winona confirmed with a satisfied smile. "Before I give the stage to Archie, I wish to declare my heartfelt thanks that you all have come to help us in this time of cr-"
Before Winona could finish her sentence, a member of the SAT team spotted movement from the end of the street leading to the cable car. "Contact!" was all the trooper needed to say before the entire team released their pokemon before them, creating a barrier of various strong pokemon such as Arcanine, Shiftry, and Graveler.
"Hold!" Winona snapped out immediately before the situation could escalate.
Seth peered through the ranks of the coalition to see a lone man dressed in the unmistakable crimson garb of Team Magma. He could tell from a single glance that this wasn't a simple grunt, either. The man's outfit, although similar to a grunt's, was more elaborately designed with black and red patterns, complete with two golden horns on his hood. The man was portly and stout, but he held himself proudly, each step brimming with confidence. Clutched in his dominant hand was a white pennant, indicating a peaceful visit.
"Greetings, Team Aqua and Sky Queen Winona," the man announced in a thin, reedy voice. He threw back his hood to reveal a pudgy round face with neatly combed brown hair. "I'm Tabitha, Administrator of Team Magma."
A sneer of utter disdain formed on Archie's face. "Ah, I knew I recognized that stench. Was it difficult crawling down the mountainside, slug?"
"Charmed as always, Archie," Tabitha took Archie's insult in stride, giving a mocking bow in return.
"What do you want, Tabitha? I highly doubt you're here to surrender," Winona demanded calmly.
"Why, I'm here to declare war, of course," Tabitha announced with a malicious snicker as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Surely you barbarians didn't think you could stay hidden from us, what with all the noise you've been making down here."
"We never planned to hide from you. Team Magma ends today, worm. Maxie has finally gone too far," Archie snapped at him. "How can you even stand there with that damned smile on your face, knowing just how many people are going to die from your actions!?"
"You should be grateful I'm even sparing the time to visit you before the end. You see, you poor fools haven't the faintest chance," Tabitha proclaimed, lifting his arms to the sky. "Our savior Maxie will cleanse this country with Groudon's sacred fire, and there is nothing you can do but stand here and wait for your demise!"
"You're insane," Winona stated plainly to Tabitha, before turning to Archie. "I suppose that's a confirmation of Team Magma's true intentions. You were right, Archie."
"Soon, Mt. Chimney will erupt, and a new kingdom will be born upon the ashes of Hoenn! I would ask you to surrender, but shortsighted fools such as yourselves don't deserve a place in our grand kingdom under Groudon," Tabitha asserted. He then turned and began to walk back towards the cable car. "I've said all I've come to say. When next we meet, it will be upon the battlefield."
"You tell Maxie I'll cast him down here at my feet, and no amount of apologizing will save him from our judgment!" Archie roared after him.
Tabitha paused, and for a moment Seth thought he was going to respond to Archie, but instead, the administrator turned back and cast his gaze over the coalition. "One last thing. Is there a man called Seth among you?" Tabitha asked. Seth nearly had a heart attack.
"And if there were?" Winona asked coldly.
"It's nothing important. Courtney will be happy, that's all...if she's even capable of the emotion," was all Tabitha said before turning back and climbing onto the cable car. Seth watched him go, struggling to process why Courtney would care if he were there or not.
Everyone watched the cable car rev up and start the long ride up to the summit, carrying the administrator with it. The SAT team recalled their pokemon one at a time. As they did so, Seth thought of something. He turned to Brawly beside him.
"Why don't they just cut the cable to slow us down? If we can't get up the summit in time, we can't stop them from carrying out their plan," Seth asked curiously.
"That's a good question. I guess they must be very confident in their own victory," Brawly guessed. His gaze darkened. "Or it's a trap."
Almost immediately after Brawly spoke, Winona turned to Archie. "This is very clearly a trap," she informed him.
"I was thinking the same thing. Don't worry, I have an idea." Archie concurred. He shook his head, and then the two of them spoke in whispers for several moments. When they were finished, Winona gestured to the coalition. Archie nodded and walked up to the edge of the stage. "Fellow comrades of Team Aqua! I ask for your attention one last time!"
Archie pointed to the summit of Mt. Chimney. "Team Magma stands atop the country's largest active volcano, with the intent to force it to erupt using the power of the meteor. If they succeed, the entire country will be devastated! Your jobs, your families, your very lives—all will be destroyed!"
Archie thumped his chest with a fist, his necklace jangling from the impact. "But remember who you are! You are Team Aqua! You all came together behind me with a mandate to protect the ocean, and by proxy, the planet! Remember that burning resolve you felt that drove you to join with me, for now is the time for us to finally bring the fight to our sworn enemy—those who abandoned their own mandate and decided that not even human life was worth their attention anymore!"
"Everything you've worked for; everything you've trained for; everything you've lived for...it has all led you to this moment; the defining moment in the history of our country! Today we show everyone just what we're made of—nay, today we make history!" Archie's words were stirring the other members of Team Aqua into a frenzy, their eyes alight with rage and fervor.
"Team Aqua! Tell me, in whose name do we fight!?" Archie demanded of the crowd.
"Kyogre!" The chorus of responses from the surrounding grunts was so loud that Seth winced in pain.
"And for what do we fight!?" Archie demanded next.
"For Archie and the ocean!" A sea of fists rose into the air as Team Aqua's lust for battle grew to its highest level.
"Damn right! For the ocean!" Archie roared, pumping his fist in the air as well.
"For Archie, and the ocean!"
"For Archie, and the ocean!"
"For Archie, and the ocean!"
Seth took a deep breath even as Team Aqua chanted their battle cry again and again, doing his best to keep himself calm. This was it. No more waiting around.
The battle for Mt. Chimney was about to begin.
Authors Note:
Hello everyone! So I know I promised that the battle of Mt. Chimney would happen in this chapter, but by the time I'd finished writing it, it was a stupid amount of words: 26000 of them! So I've split the battle into three chapters that will be posted over the space of three weeks - the prelude, the battle, and the climax. Unfortunately that means three chapters without sex, but I'm going to make up for that with the next few chapters, when I can get back to the adventure!
Now, let's chat about what I've done in this chapter! I had the hardest case of writer's block to get through, because of the sheer amount of research and world-building I had to do, throwing around names like Public Safety Commission, Hoenn Gym League, Special Assault Teams, etc. Not to mention the Sanctity of Life treaty that would explain why there weren't any guns or the like.
Winona was introduced in this chapter! There wasn't really a lot of room to explore her character, as she's purely in crisis mode, but I hope to fix that later when I can see her in a more casual environment. Furthermore, I could bring in Flannery, who I view as being a very spunky tomboy. The games really don't give me much to go on as far as her character is concerned, so I've got full reign with her!
Apologies for the long wait, but I imagine you're used to that at this point. 2020-2021 has been a crazy time period. Make sure to stay safe for me! In the meantime, please be sure to leave me a review to let me know what you think! I worked extra hard on this chapter, so I would greatly appreciate the feedback! See you next week!