Disclaimer: Pokémon is still owned by The Pokémon Company, which in turn is owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and probably others I forgot. The following fanfiction is me playing around in their sandbox, using characters they envisioned and created, except for the odd character that wasn't. I own nothing of this.

Chapter 59: Aspects of Fear

She was waiting for him, sat outside in the dark of night, hours before Ever Grande would kick off. Reginald dismounted his salamence, thankful the cloud-covered sky had hidden his fifty mile journey north across Route 111, and rounded on Umbra. "We need to talk."

"So you say," the Dark-type leader said as she stood up, her arms folded. "Inside."

"No. I am leaving shortly."

"Don't let me keep you. I will not speak more here where others might hear."

That was a valid enough point, and reluctantly, Reginald followed the Gym Leader into her home, salamence low against the ground to stay out of sight.

His reluctance was proven true when he felt the zoroark close the door behind him while he was blinded by the indoor lights turned up just a bit too much. "Umbra…"

"You come here," she said, interrupting him as pure Dark-type energy forced an instinctive silence, "and presume to lecture me on what I chose to do? Because it interferes with your vaunted plans? Is that right?"

The zoroark receded, and his eyes had adjusted to the light. It was previously part of the living room, set off with traditional shoji paper walls – a mediation room of some kind, seemingly. "Protecting the people of Hoenn is always my priority, Umbra. Against all dangers. Dangers you so willingly throw them into by encouraging the protests," he shot back. "Are you even a Gym Leader?"

"Hearing's in the new year," Umbra replied nonchalantly. "But let us leave this stereotypical attitude of our Types – Dragons are arrogant, haughty, but protective and fierce, while Dark-types win at any cost, diving perhaps too deep, you know how it is better than I do – aside. What were your plans, Reginald of Kingship, when you fled Hoenn last year. And the whole truth, if you please."

Lying was not an option. Zoroark were Pokémon of deception, he'd had that point driven home often enough in spars with this very one. Odds were they would detect anything but the most well-crafted of lies. "I strongly suspected to almost certainly knew that I had been discovered, or was about to. Fleeing was always going to happen, though my plans, such as they were, called for one a few days later and in a less conspicuous manner. Taking them was… Not planned, but when I received the tip-off from a source, I couldn't not save them. They knew far too much. And… We owe them."

"We, Reginald? Far be it from me to disagree, but what is your reasoning? You weren't known for your protective attitude towards specific Trainers."

Reginald winced at the words, even as he knew they were true. It was atypical. "Two and a half years ago, we received intelligence on some Team Rocket machinery in Hoenn. Lance offered me a new agent to the G-men, and he requested including those two Trainers. One, specifically, but they were a package deal. I was convinced after watching them fight Flannery and a background check." He looked Umbra straight in the eyes. "We were too late to pull things up by the roots, but did you ever wonder why it was the Psychic-type that took the longest to be involved in attacks?" He saw understanding, and pressed on. "Lance was impressed, and following them being in the right spot to aid Wattson when Team Aqua went to New Mauville and being in the wrong spot and fighting a poacher intent on capturing masquerain, he approached me, telling me of his intent to ask them to keep an eye out for rumours surrounding Team Flare in Kalos, where we knew they'd be going."

"And as you are both Dragon Masters, your pride demands following the hierarchy. Lance is your superior in all ways, so you agreed." Umbra tilted her head to her left. "Not without complaining, I imagine, but you yielded. And so you asked, and set them on a path of hardship and strength. A trial by fire and darkness." The zoroark behind Reginald retreated a bit. "There are few who could walk it. Let alone at their age. At least the elder is still sane. And alive. Was he involved in one of the recent attacks? Not Rustboro; I'm well aware he was with Sidney, yet I expect they are now split after Sidney's… Disappearance."

He hesitated a bit too long on answering, and paid for it by having the zoroark's claw in his back once more. This time, he felt an attack yearning to push through his clothes. "Yes," he bit out, and the energy vanished. "Slateport. He was in the market area, then presumably fought heavily north of there. My intel isn't all-knowing nor instant."

"That matches, then." Umbra held up a pokéball, and returned zoroark before sliding one panel of the wall aside. "Come."

"I do not have time, Umbra."

"You do. You haven't attempted to chew me out for half of what I've done."

"Would it make any difference?"

"No. It wouldn't. But then at least allow me to offer you some refreshments and easy to pack supplies that you need."

"If you put it like that, Umbra… I accept the offer."

~~§~~§~~

The howls of Dark-type canines echoed far into the wilds, including to his vantage point in a tree. Close observers could see him perched in the century-old tree, but close observers would also be dead or at least disabled, Paulson knew: two of his most lethal Pokémon waiting nearby.

Through his binoculars, he could see people fight back. Flashes of attacks were myriad, and larger Pokémon were easily spotted amidst their chaos. A skarmory flitted up and down over town, rising to fly thirty, forty feet in the air before diving down, allowing gravity to deliver a hundred odd pounds of Steel-type to whatever Dark-type was unlucky enough to be targeted. Nearby, he saw a steelix rise up, towering over some of the nearby homes: a large specimen that could not effectively use its bulk in the street, but still provided protection.

Irritants. Pests. But not useless. Oh, how Paulson wished they were useless. But no, the regular people had to fight back. Even now, he could about hear his assistant's summary of letters sent to him, asking him what they could do to help protect the places they lived and loved. The business in adult catching Pokémon for protection had never been larger; to the point advertisements were coming on the radio for them.

This should not have happened. They should have been cowed by now.

A flash of flame caught his attention, and he saw what he desired. Someone's flareon had joined in against the Dark-types. It looked more of a pet than a battler, even if the red-haired girl that seemed to be its owner looked of age to be an actual Trainer, but even that would suffice for his needs; especially after he saw Ember and a weak-by-design Fire Spin be used in short succession. He opened communications. "Commence the test."

Nothing changed, at first, visibly. The flareon had been forced into a Quick Attack to avoid being hit by something, and a Fire Fang would not be affected due to the source…

But then it tried to use an attack at range… And barely any flame came out.

Not nothing, which was a disappointment, but an understandable one. Paulson had never had the best theoretical understanding of Pokémon moves, and neither did he understand the full technical side of the machines, but the trade-off of area versus strength was well-known to any teenager with more than three Badges. And that a flareon, with its close relation to its element and an internal flame, would be affected so, was promising.

The girl adapted, and the flareon started using a different move that could still work, but that was unimportant. The entire attack was that: by now, they were nothing more than a chance to lay political groundwork and cull some Pokémon along the way, regular occurrences.

But being able to force a Pokémon to use a move, and then to amplify its transmission… That was important for the inevitable fights to come.

Because there would be. And he knew who would be there. And this time, he was not going to let any of them get away.

~~§~~§~~

It was loud, it was very chaotic, it was not at all organised, damn if May didn't feel free attending the protest in Mauville.

Around her, she saw all sorts of people. Sure, most of them were Trainers like her or Serena, who was also somewhere around, but there were enough twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings, and even a few parents with children who weren't too far off leaving as Trainers.

There was no reason for it, May thought: government stuff ground to a halt during any League, and it was day two of that right now. No new regulations or outlawing or excuses, just… A protest that had started, and was growing by the minute as word of it spread. Peaceful, with a few Pokémon out for protection and company. She had added beautifly to that group, because it was a nice December day with lots of early winter sun.

A shout, a chant, for freedom of Pokémon and freedom from restrictions. She didn't join in, though a few around her did. May looked around instead, not finding Serena, but finding a father-and-daughter pairing standing off to the side, half in the group, half not. He looked doubtful, she looked maybe eleven and enthusiastic like only children that age could be, tugging at an arm rather futilely with one hand; the other in a bright purple cast. She clearly wanted to join, he clearly didn't want her to, and she was beginning to get a tiny bit angry.

May moved closer, and got within hearing distance of the argument. "Crowds are rowdy, Amber. What if something goes wrong? I don't have any Pokémon on me to keep you safe."

"Maybe I can help?" May interjected, causing both of them to look at her. The girl – Amber – was faster at recognising her, but only by a bit. "My blaziken's strong, and large enough to keep you safe against the crowd." Eyes widened. "If it's okay with your… Father?"

Babbling pleas and wide eyes met a resigned-looking father. "Alright. But listen to blaziken, okay. If it leads you away, you have to follow. Understood?" Moments and a promise later, Fire-type and girl went into the crowd, and May leaned against the low barricade separating street from a small park. "You did not need to do that… Ms. Maple."

"May, please," she replied automatically. "And if I know anything, she would've spent all afternoon annoying you if you left. This way, it all works out. Protection if an attack happens, and she gets to join in."

"Yeah, she would annoy me. Nearly eleven, older brother of twelve and a half, thinks she's ready to go when she really isn't… And she broke her arm in the attacks earlier." He looked forlorn, May decided. "Can you blame me for wanting to protect her?"

May shook her head. "No. Even my Dad worries for me, and, well…"

"You've been places," the man finished for her. It was a good way to summarise everything. "Ms… May. If you don't mind me asking, why did you speak out? Weren't you attacked about a year and a half ago?"

It was a question she had practised answering with Umbra and Serena, back before the protest on the same day that everything had gone to hell. Yet, as she looked into his eyes, she felt he deserved more than just the standard answer, as a father to children who were too young to protect themselves. "I was. And then there was another attack earlier this year that I was caught up in. And I was around when that ended… The Pokémon who had just attacked us were… Ashamed, I think. I was too tired to ask, but it got me thinking… Are they doing it because they feel like it, or because they're forced?"

"Like they're ill? Hallucinating or something?"

May waited with answering because a chant broke out. It lasted for a while, which gave her time to think about what she wanted to say. "I don't think so. Professor Birch said he'd never heard of any Pokémon from Hoenn doing this in other regions." Not entirely true, she knew, but not the point. "It's only here, wild or trained Pokémon, doesn't matter if they're from Hoenn or Kanto or Kalos or Unova or Alola. It's… It feels like someone's controlling them."

"People can do that?!"

Right. Not everyone knew that, in general. She fought down a blush at being caught out after spending minutes thinking on it, succeeding easily. "Technology can do a lot of what Pokémon can. So if a Pokémon can use Hypnosis or Confuse Ray… Why shouldn't technology? And it'd explain why the Pokémon would be ashamed. A lot of Pokémon don't want to hurt us. So if they're forced to..."

The man, at length, nodded, accepting it, and May mentally patted herself on the back for saving the situation. "I… I'm not sure that's better than what the government is saying, but there's holes in there even my son could point out." He looked out over the demonstration, which had shifted to something a bit less chaotic. May could see blaziken, and there was a ducklett perched on his shoulder, which suggested Serena was there too. "He's in Kalos. Half a world away, letters take ages to arrive, but… He's having the time of his life, as safe as a journey can be." When he saw she was looking, he smiled and shrugged. "And that's all I want. For him… And for her, in a year's time. But until then, we have to protect her."

"Do you have any Pokémon yourself?"

"My wife has a hitmonlee. I have a hitmonchan. Our old journey Pokémon are long gone or passed on. Unfortunately, they've caught Pokéflu, and we were going to get some extra medicine when Amber spotted this and dragged me here." He gave her a look. "You'd make her day even more if you signed her cast, you know."

May was very unsurprised. The recognition had been fast. "A fan?"

"The entire household is a Maple family fan. Why do you think my son is in Kalos?"

~~§~~§~~

Gary was unsurprised he had been picked out for 'screening'. Usually, they didn't bother screening Trainers, he knew from experience, out of either compassion or not wanting to listen to the average teenager blather on. With everything the way it was, though, he would not be surprised if his presence on the overnight boat to Hoenn had been noticed by the crew and a message had been sent on ahead.

Which was exactly as he and Lance had intended. There was a lot of counter-espionage and counter-counter-espionage involved in the dance they were in, and Gary's role in that was to be the visible distraction. The loud and obnoxious irritant that couldn't be seriously touched unless things went really sour, in which case it was likely full-on war regardless. He would suck the oxygen out of the room, pop up enough for them to keep track of him somewhat, in hopes that others in the region might go unnoticed.

And step one was right here. "Mr. Oak. A pleasant surprise," the sole woman in the group of three that had escorted him started. A quick glance revealed just a few decorations more on the uniform. The leader, then. "What brings you to fair Hoenn? The League, as you visited Kalos's last year?"

"Afraid not," he replied, taking a form from an inner pocket. "Professor Elm is in need of several Pokémon, including, but not limited to slugma, volbeat, and illumise for research on their reproduction. Professor Rowan has requested a pair of nincada specifically to study the moment of evolution and the creation of the Bug/Ghost Pokémon shedinja. Professor Oak, my grandfather, is looking for a deaf whismur, which is a fairly uncommon mutation not related to any Abilities." He slid the form over, allowing the border guards to read the collective requests of some of the most powerful men in the Home Regions. "Oh, and my umbreon adores Lava Cookies, so while I am at it, I might as well pick some up. And no, I did not bring any proscribed Pokémon."

Though one of the subordinates had a face like he'd just had to drink a glass of belue berry juice, the leader nodded. "All seems in order," she stated calmly. "Though given your known… association with multiple proscribed Pokémon, we would like to see your Pokémon regardless to be wholly certain."

Gary delayed his immediate answer, even though it did not change. "No. The State of Emergency grants law enforcement and border control a lot of power, but you do not have the legal standing to just demand to see my Pokémon," he said, casting his mind back to a briefing a few days ago. Gramps had brought in the legal team, and they had anticipated this exact scenario. "Mere association is not sufficient." And now for the peace offering. "I am willing to call the Pallet Laboratory and have the Pokémon you are afraid of be in view."

Emotions warred on the face of the leader, muted compared to the outright loathing looks sent at him by the subordinates, but whatever else, she ran a tight ship. Gary could appreciate that. "This is… Acceptable. How many proscribed Pokémon do you own?"

One of the subordinates turned the videophone in the room on, but it was an older model and needed a minute. "A handful," Gary answered as he watched the screen flicker. "You probably know about alakazam, umbreon, houndoom, and lampent. I have also recently acquired a ralts, and pupitar is likely to evolve within the next two months."

His guess that they were going off of Pokémon he had used in official tournaments here or there proved correct, and adding the ralts as a gesture of openness meant they accepted his words without looking for more. Predictable. Not that he was planning to use starmie, but it was the principle. "And they will all be available?"

"On my word as an Oak, they will be." Not least because this had been a topic explicitly raised during preparation.

Five minutes later, they closed the call to Pallet Town. "This all checks out. Where will you go first?"

"The weather will decide that. No use looking for nincada if there's a rain front moving in." Gary rose from his chair, pocketing a pen that was his now, and looked the leader – whose name he still hadn't gotten, Gramps not asking for it – in the eye. "Am I free to leave?"

"You are. Welcome to Hoenn, Mr. Oak."

~~§~~§~~

Six parents sat in a comfortable, spacious living room, but the occasion was anything but comfortable. "Norman?" Elizabeth asked as she sat down, having been the last to enter, moments ago. "Did something happen to…"

"Not yet," Norman replied, shaking his head. He locked eyes with the other parents. The pair of healthcare professionals were mostly off-duty – Ian was on call for regular emergencies – while Keith's mother had come straight from the nursing home she worked at. "But given what we know… I fear it's not long. What do all of you know about what your children are doing and where they are?"

Naomi answered first. "He… Was here, I think. Wrote that they were in Lilycove but didn't do much except keep a street safe, and told me they were going on to get a new Ground-type for the… Lily Valley Conference? A smaller one, because his onix was too large."

"Jane said the same," Ian reported. "Ground-type for Keith, hoped she'd see us in Sinnoh for Yule." He folded his arms. "Not sure which Ground-type he'd want from Hoenn, what with everything."

"Trapinch, numel, maybe a barboach," Norman said, feeling like he'd been asked a question. "Numel's most likely, I think, but they're also far away from Lilycove. Barboach can be found west and east of Lilycove, I think. And Danny, Elizabeth?"

"Funnily, his letters home have been devoid of any location except in the broadest terms. Except the last one. That one did describe Pewter and a Gym Battle in some detail." An eyebrow was raised, elegantly. "Last I heard, they were doing the Battle Frontier, not the Kanto Gym Challenge."

Norman and Caroline locked eyes for a second, knowing with the certainty of two decades of marriage that they were on the same wavelength. "They'd probably do it anyway. The Frontier is all over Kanto." He turned serious, sending out his girafarig; one of his two exempt Pokémon that Juan had managed to negotiate in all haste after the government had outright banned all Psychic-types from Hoenn. Gym Battles were still dangerous unshielded, after all. "What I'm about to say does not leave this room," he said as the Normal-Psychic hybrid threw up a sound shield.

"Or?" Sarah asked.

"We likely end up arrested." His brother-in-law's message flashed in front of his eyes. The mention of a high-tech listening device found embedded in the roof of the Gym greenhouse had been only the third-most surprising thing in there. "If you don't want to hear it, leave now."

Nobody moved, except to drink. "Norman, respectfully, my husband does theatrics infinitely better," Elizabeth quipped, and he saw Caroline's face twitch in amusement. "Please tell me that my son was not involved in Lilycove, following yours."

"If he was, wouldn't they have said so?" Caroline replied. "But…"

"He is in Hoenn. Has been for about three months now." Disgust, loathing, and self-hatred mixed, as they ever did these days when Norman thought of what had happened to his son. And overlaying it all: fear. "It's an ugly story." He relayed the story as he had been told in October. "I have not seen them since, but if Max is still around… I see no reason why Danny wouldn't be."

"Ian? Wasn't there…"

"Yes…" the moustached health care worker said slowly. "They flew several of us in for the overnight shift for a few days after, myself included, though I was down in emergency. And the rumour around the hospital was that the Pokémon Trainer School must have been defended by someone who had been through something." Ian locked eyes with Norman. "When faced with a Hyper Beam, most Trainers would freeze. The unknown one there retaliated brutally. Without a shred of mercy. Like they'd been in a situation like it before."

"Your sons both qualify," Sarah added. "The other Trainer all but admitted it was not him who led the defence. And after last year…"

Norman made to speak, but he saw Naomi bite her lip. "Naomi?"

"Keith, he…" They all waited for her to find the right words. "He said something last year. That helping and protecting Max was the scariest thing he'd ever done. And even days later, my son… He did not want to do it again." A wan smile. "But he would. And he did. Because turning his back on friends isn't something he does."

"But as we saw, our sons needed little external motivation to interfere somewhere. Not that I would blame Keith or Jane," Elizabeth added quickly, seemingly realising her words could be taken differently. "To hear that your child; the apple of your eye, sought out danger he well knew was so great it could end in his death, no matter the justification, is bone-chilling. They shouldn't be here!"

The outburst caught all of them off-guard, but Norman understood. He had had words with Sidney over this. And despite knowing it had been coming, the Elite Four member had shut him up with one sentence. "They are here because they care, Elizabeth." he quoted verbatim, except for the name. "They choose fight over flight too often, but… We raised them too right, and now that they're teenagers and acting on that agency…"

"If this is your idea of soothing words, Norman, it's not working."

"I know it's cold comfort. If jirachi was here, I'd as soon wish them all to Kalos with no chance of a flight back." He sighed. "But they are here. All we can do is hope they succeed. At whatever they're planning. Whatever they're doing."

"It's still not right, Norman. And why aren't you helping? Gym Leaders have a duty!"

The Gym Leader saw hints of the other parents bristling at Elizabeth's harsh words; mostly from Jane's parents, but Caroline as well. He held up a hand to forestall them. "No, Sarah, Ian, Caroline… She's not wrong. But we are as strong as we are united, and until recently… There were too many naysayers. Rustboro changed a lot of minds. But even now… The fear of another civil war, like the one of a hundred and forty-three years ago, runs… Not as deep as it once did, but deep enough to make us fearful."

"It… Is it that bad?" Naomi asked, to Norman's surprise.

"It's not guaranteed, but Rustboro flipped Roxanne and caused Cory – the Steel-type leader – to shift position to neutrality. The problem is twofold. One: glacia supports what's happening, and she is a fearsome foe that nobody wants to cross. Two: the new Dragon-type Leader supports what is happening, and Dragons are…" He sighed. "In the wrong hands, they're destructive, very quick to anger and rampage, and dangerous. Dray… Fits that stereotype, loath as I am to say it. Nobody wants to invoke his ire needlessly. Still," he pressed when he saw people about to speak. "That is for us to deal with. And if I have my way, we'll do that soon after the League."

"Hopefully before any of our sons get involved more."

"Or our daughter, or your son, Naomi," Ian spoke up. "Jane called home after Rustboro. I was tired and… I told her to stay away and asked Keith to keep her safe." He shook his head ruefully. "That probably sealed it. She doesn't take being patronised well, and Keith knows that. He just paid lip service to me, I think. My bet is that immediately after that call, Jane talked Keith into coming back here. The Ground-type's just an excuse, and the time elapsed is because they needed to get to a boat."

Norman frowned. That didn't track with his recollection of Jane – less timid now, but still not the most headstrong personality out there. "I thought she was…"

"If the spirit grabs her, she will be as stubborn as anything," Sarah said with a shrug. "It's just that between the start of her journey and maybe some loneliness, and puberty, that was buried underneath insecurity. Ian is right: if they're here, Jane will have convinced Keith, very easily. And as Naomi alluded to… I don't think he needed too much convincing either."

"Could… Could they have met your son, Norman? In Lilycove?"

"My husband would call it contrived coincidence, but you are likely right," Elizabeth said before Norman could reply to Naomi. She gave the Gym Leader a steely look, revealing she was back in control again. "Or we should assume it to be the case. It makes sense; ignoring being wanted, there is safety in numbers and if Max has been moving around Hoenn for three months, he knows what's up and how to not get caught. And he has easy transportation." A look at Norman over her drink. "I despair to think where my son is, then."

Caroline cleared her throat. "Brock said he had help from someone as well, and that Trainer wanted to be anonymous as well. And nobody knows who kept the attackers out of Jonan either."

Norman had to concur. Contrived coincidence, as Elizabeth had put it, but in this world, he had seen too much to dismiss it out of hand. So even though his intuition told him something wasn't completely right, he accepted it. Reluctantly. "I'd put feelers out, but I think that's a bad idea with everything."

There was silence, as everyone worked through what had been discussed. Norman checked on girafarig, but there were no signs of strain on the part-Psychic-type's face. Good. She was more used to needing to shield for shorter periods and needing to reinforce, which meant this was out of her comfort zone a bit. It was one of the best ways to practice.

Naomi cleared her throat, interrupting the silence. "Is there… Is there anything we can do? Obviously not for… For fighting, but for, you know…"

Care home, elderly people, limited amount of floors… Reception area, likely multiple emergency exits? "Having Pokémon with Protect around is a big help. Targeting has only happened a few times, and I don't think a care home is a high priority target, so you won't need to hire private security."

"Whereas we have already been targeted and you cannot guarantee you'll be around," Sarah observed into the silence Norman let fall. "Let alone the building is nearly a hundred feet tall and has two basement levels. Do you have recommendations?"

"A few. The best is probably..."

Author's Note: For how short this chapter is, it sure was annoying to figure out. Another calm before the storm chapter, and people putting things together.