Riven stood at the foot of Gale's bed, both hands holding sharp steel, glaring Tesla down.

When he spoke, he snarled. "Move closer and you die. There are no pokemon here to protect you," Riven warned. "What do you want, Tesla? What are you doing here?"

The blonde's smile seemed to wane, if only slightly. Despite how one-sided their previous encounter had been, he also knew that the mercenary was something of a force in hand to hand combat. From the way in which he spoke like a protective Mightyena, he wasn't eager to test whether he could fight him there and then. Tesla remained rooted in place lest another knife fly at his face. Blue eyes remained completely carefree, however. He clapped both hands together, a laugh escaping him. "Ah, Prime. I mean, Gray… What do you call yourself these days? It's been so lo-"

Steel flashed with one sharp motion. Blood dripped onto the floor.

Tesla stood in place, having caught Riven's knife mid flight with his right hand, bloody fingers on the wickedly sharp edges. "Merciful gods, these are ridiculously sharp. What are you trying to cut through, steel?" He flipped the knife in reverse with a pained wince and tossed the knife back to Riven, shaking out his bleeding hand. Tesla was a bit disappointed with Riven's lack of reaction. "Oh, come on. Caught a knife mid flight and not even a slight bit impress-"

Another knife flew at Tesla, this time embedding itself into the wall where his head had been. The blonde stared at the gleaming metal as he settled back in place after deftly moving his head to the side.

"Try to deflect again and I will attack you. Stay on topic and answer the question," Riven warned again, pulling two new knives from underneath a coat. "Did you come here to finish her off? If you did, we might have problems."

Tesla sighed deeply and shook his head. "No, I didn't. I came here to talk to you about what happened with the girl, among other things. Why so hostile, I'm not Loberia. Easy…" He held up his hands, as if coaxing a rampaging Rhyhorn to calm down.

"You're my enemy," Riven scoffed, rolling his eyes. "In case you forgot, because of you, the bastard who did this to her is still breathing. I think being hostile is entirely appropriate in this situation."

The blonde pursed his lips and swallowed hesitantly. Really felt like prodding a snarling Houndoom at this point. "…True. I did save him. Although, I don't condone what he did."

"As if that makes everything okay." Riven's glare intensified, and Tesla could almost feel the seething hatred from there. He wouldn't be surprised if ice started forming around the room from such a look. Certainly felt that way. "I want to rip your intestines out right now. But I don't want to do that in a hospital. Especially not when she's here in the room."

"And I agree." Tesla gave the bed-ridden brunette a curious glance, ignoring Riven's growling to pause and stare. "Ah, she's quite pretty… And from the look of Loberia's nose after their encounter, she's a scary fighter. Do you care about her?"

"Don't ask questions you already know the answers to. You know I do," Riven answered seriously.

"How would I possibly know that?" Tesla asked, slight mirth in his eyes. "I can only infer so far."

"I've come here every day for the past week, from afternoon to night, leaving to the pokemon center to sleep. You came here wearing medical garbs and got the room number from following me in disguise, I assume. Obviously you don't know her name to have gotten the room number that way, or else we'd be having this discussion far earlier in the week. That's the only reason it took you this long." Riven trailed off, somewhat dully. "You had to follow me, learn my schedule, and then stalk me to see what room I went to. You're not a doctor, so standing around would get you unnecessary attention, you had to be discreet. Standard procedure, isn't it?"

Tesla swayed on his feet, smiling at Riven. "That was fairly quick, was it that obvious?"

"No, I actually just guessed."

There was a loud snort before Tesla put his non-bleeding hand on his chest, "Loberia didn't give me her name, sorry. I had to improvise. Hope you're not weirded out by getting stalked, it's fairly common in our work, right?"

The black-haired mercenary grunted like a dog.

"I figured one of you or your lackeys would be here, seeing what would happen in the aftermath and what the UFOs knew. I didn't expect anyone to directly approach me, especially not you or another member of Charaph."

A whistle came from the blonde.

"Even know the name of our group, huh? That gut feeling I had when someone kept trying to interfere with our plans in Kalos was true then. I'm glad it's you, though. Running circles around the authorities was getting a bit boring." Tesla shrugged casually. "But I'm sure you don't want to hear me talk about our previous scuffles. I also don't feel comfortable having knives pointed at me. If you will."

He twirled a hand but knives refused to come down, drawing another sigh from Tesla.

"Let's talk outside then," he suggested instead. "Walk with me."

And he expected it to work too, from the look of disappointment when Riven didn't budge an inch. It looked like he was about to throw a knife too. But he didn't, only scoffing sardonically.

"Why would I go walk with you? Outside? There's probably someone on the rooftops or on the street waiting for me to leave with you, holding a rifle or just eager to sic their team on me. And leave her here knowing Charaph is in the area? Do you think I'm an idiot?" Riven asked incredulously. "No."

Another frown appeared on Tesla's face, and he stopped trying to goad him.

"I tried asking nicely… What's her prognosis?" He asked seriously, face going rigid. "She's been here a week. Either Loberia did more damage than he thought, or it's graver than that. Since you're still here, you don't know how to fix it or are unsure of how. It's bothering you, feeling helpless like that. I can see it on you, like a cloud of doubt."

Riven met Tesla's gaze as mismatched blue and brown glared into sky blue. "She's in a coma," he answered obviously. "I don't know for how long. Might be weeks, months, years." Nothing else really needed to be said.

Tesla nodded dimly, crossing his arms. "And if I told you I had a way to help her wake up today, would you walk with me? Better than staying here and hoping for her to miraculously do so. This isn't a fairy tale. Listen to my proposal or sit here for another two weeks until you slip so far into denial that she'll never wake that you'll go insane. You don't want to pull the plug when that happens. Something like that… It'd disintegrate whatever fragile stability us mercenaries have."

Riven gave him a flat look, not wanting to accept that but knowing that Tesla was right. Still, there was a degree of suspicion underlying it all, given Tesla's nature. Mercenaries were crafty. After all, he was one. It was part of the trade, and so was lying. "I still don't know if you have people waiting to kill me outside. Or if the method you're about to propose is going to work at all, if not outright screw me over."

"That's a fair concern, but you don't have to worry about that. I came alone. And without my pokemon. See?" Tesla indicated the lack of pokeballs whatsoever. "My boss isn't exactly available because of that communications and trade restriction the officials pulled. So technically…" He grinned. "I don't have to listen to him this time either."

"How convenient," Riven added sarcastically, hiding his own thoughts.

Just like in Kalos, he remembered. Again, Tesla's behavior didn't make sense. If he had stalked him, he could have threatened Gale's life and gotten him to do whatever he wanted. He could have had men wait until he was leaving for the pokemon center to jump him. Or had him shot. Now he just wanted to talk? Made no sense—which was actually the way most things were when it came down to it. Proceeding with caution was the best option, since he had no idea what Tesla's intentions were. This guy didn't operate on conventional "you're my enemy" logic.

A mercenary like that was dangerously unpredictable. Scratch that, every mercenary was dangerous and unpredictable. You could expect a trainer-or a ranger - to seldom go back on their word. They suffered from pride before reason. A merc, on the other hand, could promise you the moon one second then drag you into a boiling pit of acid the next. Or they could spare you for no reason at all.

He was still skeptical of Tesla, but really… what other choice did he have? If it didn't work out, he'd cut him to pieces and go about his way. There was a small part of him that still held hope for Gale, and even despite being so small and insignificant compared to the jaded cynicism he'd accumulated over the years, it was more overbearing than anything. Such a tiny, powerful speck. A gem among the sand.

Hope was frightening.

"Are you sure it's going to work?" He asked, giving Gale's unconscious form a look of concern. "That it'll wake her up?"

Tesla pursed his lips. "Well, I can't assure you that it'll wake her up definitively, but I believe it could. There's a good chance. A very good chance."

"So you don't know?" Riven questioned, patience wearing thin.

"Uncertainty is always present, Prime. You can never be fully sure of something. I don't quite know how comas function and what will allow people to wake up from them, but this is the best chance you-no… she has. If you care about her enough, you'll give it a chance. All you have to do is hear me out," Tesla proposed again. "It's a beautiful day outside, and the Ferris wheel is open! I'm not asking you to trust me, just want a chat is all."

I really don't like this, Riven grimaced. Maybe it was just paranoia returning, but if Tesla did have a way… He had to try it. It was stupid and probably a really bad idea, but damn it, he had hope. The last time he had hope he'd joined a significantly smaller army to fight against one of the greatest militaries in the world. Hoping to win too.

That'd gone over well.

I'm an idiot.

"Wait outside then," Riven conceded. "But I'm going to get someone to watch her, at least."

"That's fine with me," Tesla agreed, bowing slightly. "I'll be outside the hospital doors. See you there, Prime. Please don't sic a UFO dog on me either, please. We're both above petty tricks like that, they're no fun."

"Hey," Riven called, prompting a questioning glance. "What happened to all that talk of putting on a hell of a show in Hoenn? Three years and it never happened? You're quite shit at promising things."

He grinned. "Gave you one last week, didn't we? There was a little delay, but you had fun." He left with a wave, closing the door behind him.

"Right," Riven muttered. Picking up the bouquet of flowers, he moved them closer to Gale's bed and removed the knives in the wall. Taking out his holo caster, he dialed a number on the pad, waiting as the phone rang.

"Hello?" Came a confused voice from the other side. "Who's this? If it's more telemarketers trying to sell me Lapras skin balm I'm going to-"

"Allen?" Riven asked, interrupting the latter's tired response.

"Called me by my first name? What the f…? This is an official number, who is thi- Wait, I know that voice. Is this Prime?" Allen guessed, bewildered. "How the hell did you get my number?"

"I asked Yates for it?"

"Did you ask or did he give it to you? Because there's a strict difference."

"He gave it to me, actually. Said you were always willing to help people in need. At least I think that's what he said. What I understood was, 'if you need a glorified sitter, use Allen.'"

"You know, sometimes I hate that man."

Riven could hear that Elgyem screeching in agreement from across the phone. Sounded like a dying Ponyta.

"This is going to become a running joke, isn't it? Some punishment for being so damn lovable? And nice. And amazing. And handsome."

"Don't gush yet. Think about it this way, you're a big and strong babysitter. And uh, I kind of need your help." Riven held in a nervous laugh. Allen sucked in a breath, waiting for the gut punch. "I need you to watch Gale for me. For a few hours, maybe. Bring your gun and your team."

Allen let go of the breath he'd been holding, somewhat relieved that it was just guard duty and not something insane. Disappointing but he wasn't complaining. Maybe he'd get to finish that novel he'd been putting off. "Oh, that's not so bad. Wait. Why? Are you expecting-"

"I'm going to do something stupid," Riven cut in. "Again. For the hundredth time. Really stupid. You wouldn't like it at all if I told you. And if Yates found out, I'm facing jail time for sure, but I might have found a way to get her to wake up. I need to do this. Can you watch her? If you're not busy and are still in the area. I'd owe you, even if you handcuffed me last time."

"Really, something illegal again? Well, you aren't exactly a pillar of the law so it's expected but... Today was my day off, and now I have to put on pants…" Allen trailed off, frowning up at his Beartic. He sighed, damning his inability to refuse. "Okay… I'll do it. But whatever it is, make sure you don't get yourself killed. I don't want to tell your girlfriend that you went and killed yourself to find a way to wake her up. I'd really appreciate it if I wasn't a part of a tragic play's plot, because this seems to be going that way."

Riven didn't get the reference but he felt a slight bit relieved. "Thanks, Allen. Ignore the blood on the floor. Oh, and the knife marks in the wall. I… got frustrated?"

"I'm not even going to ask," the operative assured. "I'll be there soon. Now where did I leave those pants…?"

Riven hung up, breathing heavily. Warily, he opened the blinds with a finger, watching for any long sightlines that they could use. They were fairly high up, and the only building in sight was a story shorter. No rifles at least. That wouldn't stop a determined attacker with a flying pokemon, but he hoped Allen would be enough.

Taking his pokeballs and a potion from his trainer bag, he released Aine from her pokeball. She blinked down at him, her mood falling as she saw Gale's unconscious form on the bed again.

"Aine, can you watch Gale? I know it's depressing but… There's someone else coming to watch her too, but I'll just feel less worried if you're here too. I'm going to do something right now that might get her to wake up again. It might be dangerous. If something happens, push the red button near the table, it'll call the doctor in. Watch her, yeah?"

The Blaziken nodded in understanding and gave him a low cry, telling him to be safe.

"I will, thanks." He turned and gave her a grin. "Hopefully there won't be any new fireworks, right? Or else you might see me here in a bed again and we'll have to add to the tally."

Taking a seat on a chair, Aine seemed to chortle, and waved him good bye.

"Oh, right. There's some cards there on the table. In case you get bored. Allen's coming later so play with him too. He gets bored easily."

Tesla waited idly by the exit of the hospital as he said he would. He kept his face hidden with a hat as he watched Riven exchange a few words with a less than pleased older blonde man at the entrance. While he wasn't in uniform, it was fairly easy to tell that it was an operative.

Kicking off the wall and tipping his hat up, Tesla greeted him with his uninjured hand. "I thought you were about to set him on me. Did you call him here to watch the girl? I already assured you nothing would happen to her."

Riven hmphed. "You could assure me all you want that the moon is going to fall into the Earth, and even though I know it won't, it wouldn't make me believe you or increase how much I trust you. Which pretty much comes down to—not very."

Tesla frowned again, and motioned Riven to follow. The day was indeed nice, with clear skies and large white clouds scraping along the blue. A cool breeze blew along the streets of Nimbasa and the sun shone overhead, vibrant and warm. It almost made Riven forget that his friend was currently mentally degrading in a hospital bed. Then he remembered and the day wasn't so great anymore.

Talk about dissonance.

"I'm glad this part of town was untouched," Tesla began, taking a turn to the right as the street light turned red. "It was always the nicer one. And has a much better view than the other part, even if it's smaller. Have you been out of that hospital, by any chance?"

"Not really." Riven eyed him with a twisted expression. Somehow, seeing a known and dangerous mercenary peer around at shops like a wide-eyed child was more than unsettling. He even went and tickled a Lillipup that a child held in his arms. That made Riven's face contort.

Halfway down the street, Riven directed his attention toward him, snapping his fingers in irritation. "Stop getting distracted, this isn't a damn date."

"Oh, I know," Tesla assured. "I was just wondering what your annoyance threshold was."

Riven's brow furrowed hard enough to slash paint off walls. "Well, we're outside now. Start talking, it's not like people care much about what two random people on the street are talking about. I'm not here to watch you pretend to look at shops. And I'd appreciate it if you don't lie to me from here on out, I'll know. First, some questions."

Tesla pouted but straightened out. "Okay, ask away."

"Those rumors of the Plasma protest. Your job was to spread those rumors, wasn't it? The UFOs were the original aim all along?"

"Hmmm…. I wouldn't say they were the original aim. We never planned to kill anyone, just… discredit them a little."

"Then why all the theatrics and explosions?"

Tesla sighed. "Killing Elesa was also never part of the deal. I advised against involving those lunatics. Things got out of hand rapidly. Plans don't always go according to… well, plan. Some improvisations needed to be made."

"You let a bunch of loose cannons out and are just now regretting it?" Riven snorted. "Your boss is more stupid than I thought."

"Oh no, it's quite genius really. Efficient, but horribly frustrating to deal with. You can't control these kids at all. The entire reason everything blew out of proportion last week was because they went and got ideas. Bringing the Tournament back was something we definitely didn't want. It would go against our interests both. As you know, now everyone is stuck here for the next half year. Perhaps more if things get worse."

Tesla grimaced, shaking his head at the prospect.

"They're here now though, so we'll have to deal with what that entails. Their little obsession with the idea of what a 'real trainer' is seems to be very infectious. Especially among the higher echelons of the trainer scene. Nearly every trainer has lost a pokemon or two at that point. Sympathy and stupidity seem to have trouble discerning one from another among teenagers."

"You're going to get rid of them? Why bring them here in the first place then?"

"How hard is it to destroy a building from the outside with a bomb?" Tesla asked randomly, pointing to a large residential building in the distance. He visualized it exploding.

"Not very hard with a big enough bomb," Riven answered. "Or pokemon. A Voltorb works fine."

"True, but now take the same bomb and instead put it inside. That building is done, and for far less effort. Just from the mere difference of the bomb detonating from within. See what I'm getting at?"

Riven scowled, thinking about it.

Taking them down from the inside by trying to pose as their allies… Singularity was the Sayre cult's supporters and thus automatically commanded respect and confidential information like member names and locations. Information went up, not down. Not only would they give those up willingly, but they could be systematically eradicated in one fell swoop if all known members were hunted down by their own superiors. Those kids wouldn't know anything about how the underworld was and just how badly your own supporters could throw you under a train.

Cyrille was a good example. Ungrateful shit.

Regardless, the best way to get rid of an idea was to discredit it. Or alternatively, kill everyone who supported it and wipe it from existence. Brutal, but only possible if you had access to every members' knowledge. And Singularity did.

So that's what that was.

His expression went grim and his lips became a thin line as it came to him. Tesla grinned as he saw the realization in Riven's face.

"Your aim wasn't to kill the UFOs, it was to get them involved to limit the damage. You covered the downsides of your plan by knowing how the UFOs would respond and used them to your advantage—carried out what you wanted, kept the Sayres in check, and still let you get away. Using the enemy to tie up the loose cannons. Planned to get rid of them all too, so there wouldn't be any messes left for Singularity to clean up—innocent people be damned because the UFOs would get them out first. That stupid guy you gave a sphere to, he was a distraction and an oblivious test dummy to see just how much the spheres can affect a normal person. You brilliant, horrible assholes."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're smarter than you look?" Tesla laughed. "I thought you were the brooding, kill it with force type. It seemed that way back in Kalos. Although, I shouldn't be surprised since you're a mercenary yourself. Who taught you what you know?"

"A certain red-headed woman with a control obsession," Riven sneered. He noticed Tesla's smile slip. "That goes by a certain name… Rose." Looking up, he searched for signs of recognition in sky blue eyes but found that Tesla had a pretty tight control over his expressions. "Know the name?"

"Afraid not, I'm not some special demon child like you or Loberia." He didn't look at him, only focused on the Ferris Wheel in the distance, humming a tune. He still had that perpetual smile on his face, and it made the other mercenary a slight bit aggravated. Too casual, like he was so damn sure Riven couldn't lift a finger to disprove him.

"Bullshit," Riven called. With a quick grab, he pulled Tesla's bandaged hand out of his pocket and sprayed it with something, drawing the attention of some people around them. Some of them cocked a head in confusion.

They gave the two men that kind of look, but promptly turned away when Riven snarled at them.

Tesla winced at the stinging in his hand, pulling it away quickly. He focused on the pink object in Riven's hand. A hyper potion? Why would he-

"Tch."

The wounds from the knife he'd caught earlier closed nearly instantly, leaving healthy skin in place of torn and bleeding flesh. He closed his hand in a fist and frowned at the black-haired merc, a smug smirk plastered on his face.

"Medicines and status effect items don't work on regular people," Riven recited. "A full heal can't so much as remove the paralysis in a finger for regular humans. A hyper potion can barely heal a paper cut. But for us, they do work. And your cuts closed up instantly. Along with that insane reaction time… You're Liran, aren't you? There's only one place I've seen reflexes that good. And you're obviously not a Kanton ninja."

There was a small moment of silence as Tesla seemed to look over Riven in a different way, like examining a new and formidable foe, but it was quickly destroyed as he beamed energetically. "Using a potion, now that was inspired! If you were a trainer you could make it to the Elite Four with that brain."

"Unfortunately, I got involved with your lot's business in Petalburg first. Thanks," Riven scoffed. "I assume you know what I am."

Tesla held up both hands, disappointed that he hadn't been able to keep it hidden for very long. "Since you know already, there's no point in denying it. You're Altean. Yes. But not just any, you were a part of the Remnant army."

"We were the few that were left at the time. Makes logical sense I'd be. Everyone else just become nice little piles of ash," Riven snorted. "Back in Kalos, you said, 'it is you'. How did you find out, assuming you knew all this time."

"How often do you visit hospitals, Prime?"

"Visit?" Riven cackled in self-depreciation, "I live in hospitals. I keep score of how many times I end up there."

Tesla blinked, eyeing the cackling mercenary somewhat oddly as he continued to laugh at himself. "Well, There was a blood sample collected nearly three or four years ago. It was analyzed by one of our recruited scientists and determined to be a perfect match of dark type DNA mixed with human DNA. They thought it was a genetic experiment like Mewtwo, but quickly ruled it out to be something naturally occurring. Obviously it baffled them. No one knew who it belonged to."

Riven stopped laughing. Considering the time frame… probably Oldale or Lavaridge.

"When I saw it I knew what it was, and that it had to be a Remnant soldier. Of course, I wasn't sure. Uncertainties… like I said. And then, while perusing a rare antique shop in Lilycove, I saw two brilliant blades made of black steel. Those dark blue edges were unmistakable. Altean black steel. Magnificent weapons."

Tesla smiled to himself as Riven went very still. "Resistant to psychic influence, and able to cut ghosts. When I saw them, I had to ask—no, pleaded to know where the man had gotten them. They were in perfect condition, with not a hint of misuse. Whoever had them was meticulous in taking care of them. Strangely and coincidentally similar to the amount of care you give your knives. They were quite new as well, no signs of age. And the insignia… the Remnant symbol. I couldn't contain my joy knowing that one of you ended up here, and in my living lifetime."

Riven stared down at the floor sourly, recalling how he'd lost the paired blades. "By any chance, how did this collector find them?"

"He bought them off a fisherman who caught a Sharpedo near Slateport. Apparently, it swallowed the entire case they were held in whole. Inside was a bow and a few arrows, strangely along with a fishing rod."

"Never did get to use Sam's fishing rod…" Riven mumbled to himself. "Did you keep them?"

"I bought them off the collector. Quite expensive, believe you me. I even had custom scabbards made for them."

Riven fidgeted a little.

"Why are you so interested in the Remnants. Or me? Alteans in general—whatever. Lirans worked for the Roses. You killed us."

Frowning, Tesla shook his head. "Aren't you a mercenary too? Don't you get it? We fought you, we killed you, but we didn't hate your people, Prime. My ancestors and our clan did fight in the Remnant period, and while it may have appeared that we were indifferent or otherwise dismissive of your little army…"

He smiled, remembering something vividly. He snapped out of it and left Riven furrowing a brow at the statement. He was still waiting for him to finish. "Let's go to the Ferris Wheel," he said instead. "We can talk in there."

"Stop changing the sub- Wait. You mean… go inside the Ferris Wheel?" Riven squinted so hard his eyes nearly closed. "Isn't that…"

"What?"

Riven's jaw moved uncomfortably. Tesla blinked.

"No… no. Not the Ferris Wheel, let's pick a building with a high skyline because I'm not getting in a cart with you. No."

The blonde merc frowned deeply. "I already told you that no one is going to kill-"

"Oh, this has nothing to do with killing," Riven said, making a face at the prospect sharing a cart with him. "Think about it."

He did.

"It's not g-"

"Yes, it is," Riven insisted. "Extremely. I said no."

"Tsk, building it is then," Tesla agreed with a huff. "Snow cones, at least? Think of it as a peace offering."

"I don't care, just… anything other than the Ferris Wheel."

Rawst-pecha was an interesting flavor, Riven noted as he sat on the rooftop of an office building overlooking the city, feet dangling over the edge. Tesla was sitting next to him, eating a Sitrus fruit punch cone himself.

"Just so you know, bribing me with sweet things doesn't make me trust you more," Riven added while breaking down the ice with a plastic spoon. "I appreciate it, but I'll still put a knife in your lung if you try anything."

Tesla ignored him for the most part, taking a bite of the treat. "Do your friends know you worry excessively over trivial things and have an unhealthy amount of paranoia?"

"Yes, and talking with an enemy that tried to kill me a week ago is not 'trivial'. Fully warranted right now. Down there on the street, what were you going to say? There's no one but us up here. Not being a cryptic shit would be nice too, by the way."

He was here for Gale, but he couldn't help it. Riven still wanted to know about what the old world was like, especially from viewpoints that weren't his own. There were a lot of things the generals and officers didn't tell scouts and lowly foot soldiers like him. Even his typing and abilities had been seemingly forgotten, forming a separate personality within that was prone to intense acts of violence. His parents also seemed highly secretive now that he remembered; they were always shunning him away and obscuring their correspondence. What else hadn't they told him?

The blonde let out an exasperated breath, picking at the ice. He looked up at the sun in the distance—it was nearly sunset and sky was beginning to turn a brilliant orange, signaling the shift from day to night. It gave him a feeling of melancholy as he watched it begin to dim and wane.

"The Remnants and the Alteans… people of the dark. The Roses called you evil, the Curians feared you, and everyone else shunned you. Tragic story." Tesla slipped into memory once more, smiling widely in reminiscence. "I don't know about the Raksas or the steel people, but my clan? We admired you."

Riven's eyebrow nearly hit his hairline. "Admired?"

"The dark is free, it always has been," Tesla said soberly. "Electricity… fire… water… All of it can be used and manipulated freely, constantly shifting forms. Our entire existence as a clan was based on people using us for their own goals so we could survive. We were content with it, going where we pleased. And without jumping into others' problems, we didn't know what to do with ourselves. It's like we had no other choice. We became who we worked for. Our goals became theirs and we were used for centuries. Our freedom was just something we thought we had, even though we pidgey-holed ourselves into that willing manipulation ourselves. Funny little freedom we had."

There was a crunch of ice as he took another bite.

"But the dark? The dark just is. It's the absence of light… a nothingness. It shouldn't exist. But it does, and its children don't care what anyone thinks. They live by their own rules. They're what we couldn't be. Living creatures hate the dark, despise it, all for being unnatural. And throughout history the story has been the same. Absols and many creatures of the dark were hunted down to near extinction because of what they were. Because they felt wrong. Most are still afraid of them. And your clan wasn't different. Every single time the dark fights back, refusing to give in to those that hunt it, despite being backed into a corner, yet never truly striking out. True to yourselves and your beliefs to the very end. There aren't many that can say they'd do that with the same circumstances. That's what made you special to us, and why I love dark pokemon."

He glanced at Riven.

"The entire world was against you and for nearly a thousand bloody and terrible years the Alteans fought. Just when we thought they were finally gone, the Remnants popped up, like a spiteful afterthought. It seemed fitting, really. And we thought you'd get crushed within a month. Boy, that was wrong."

He beamed as he remembered, surprising even Riven with the enthusiasm. He was like a giddy child remembering when he got his first toy.

"Oh, they were magnificent fighters. Such a small force and yet caused so much destruction and chaos within the Rose clan. Supply lines cut off, fields sabotaged, entire outposts slain in the middle of the night without a single sound. In one-on-one combat and sheer skill your soldiers were worth ten Rosans. Maybe twenty. Just swords, arrows, tactics, and Mightyena. Fighting a Remnant soldier was an honor for us. I was only able to bring down two of you. I was nearly killed by one of your officers—a woman. We pulled back at the last second, but she let me live. Then bowed and kissed me. I was a bit confused, in two different locations."

"What did she look like?" Riven asked as he cringed. He had a feeling.

"It was a little hard to tell with the leather and armor she had on, but when she took off her helmet, she was quite the looker. I think I fell in love for a few months. Why do you look like you're about to throw up?"

"That was Yanine. She was my CO," Riven answered, running a hand down his face. "She had a habit of kissing worthy opponents, had a weak spot for younger men, as well as undressing in front of me."

"Lucky man. What happened to her, if you don't mind me asking."

"She died in front of me," Riven scoffed. "Stabbed through the stomach by one of your clan. It was at Nimva Plains, I'm sure you heard of it."

"…Ah. Yeah, I heard. Pyrrhic victory for the Remnants, I believe."

"Hold on, wait. How god damn old are you, anyway?"

"Fifty three," Tesla replied with a gigantic grin on his face. A grin that was situated on a guy that looked about as fifty three as Riven did. "I came here about thirty two years ago. I was a kid soldier back home, probably like you."

The black-haired mercenary carefully and very deliberately kept his face still. Isole did tell him they aged slowly. It made him wonder how old the people in his time were if they had white hair and wrinkly skin. Five hundred? Maybe more?

"Why didn't you use the Nightmare?" Tesla asked curiously. "It would have made your battles much easier. And more fun for us. You might have even won the Rosans, given how skilled your average soldier was compared to the average Rosan. Our higher ups considered sending Pulses after you." At Riven's questioning glance, Tesla held up a hand and electricity sparked out of it. "Like Nightmares, only our supermode is with electricity. That's what we called them. The Rosans were Cinders. We hardly ever got to fight all out, kind of depressing, really."

"I see." Riven eyed him dully. So this guy was genuinely battle obsessed. Granted, he couldn't exactly reprimand him for it either. Fighting was all he knew how to do too. "They never told us we had dark abilities. They also told us not to hate you, but kill you all the same. Don't give in to emotion. Think rationally and kill quickly."

Tesla looked confused for a second, but then he frowned. "Repressing your nature? In war time? We always thought you Remnants were insane, not stupid. This… this is both. Why?"

Because we were idiots, Riven retorted in his mind, scoffing audibly instead. Tesla blinked a couple times, then sighed as Riven shrugged.

"Prime, do you want to know why your kind was hunted?"

"I've stopped wondering, honestly," Riven replied dispassionately. "Just tell me."

Tesla frowned sadly. They didn't tell you anything, did they? Poor boy. He brought out a small bag from behind him, opening the flap on the front. Rummaging through it, he pulled out an object in his enclosed hand, but instead of revealing it, he faced Riven once again.

"The objects we've both been competing against each other for, do you know how they work?"

Riven couldn't see the relevance behind the question, but he answered anyway. "Some kind of weird, crystal energy technology. Someone I know mentioned that that kind of technology can't even be analyzed by modern day science at this point in time. It's similar to the time flowers found near Rota in Kanto, apparently."

"It does seem that way. However, do you think that this ancient civilization just happened to come up with such a technology? And happened to be in constant communication across the world?" Tesla suggested. "Do you ever wonder why are there so many espers in the world? There have been a staggering amount of Curians that have come to this world. More than any other clan or typing for that matter."

"I mean sure, but we didn't have technology like that in our time. Our cities were tiny compared to the ones here. All the great cities we used to hear about got sacked and destroyed multiple times. Even the city of steel wasn't that impressive. I know sure as hell we didn't have computers. We lived in a stone age in comparison."

If anything, the steel clan's city was little bigger than Lilycove. He'd only ever seen the outside of it from a far off bush and binoculars, but it wasn't that great. There also weren't any instant communication devices either. Assuming everyone was already born with different type abilities, they also had no real need to develop spheres that would change a regular person; mainly because there weren't any regular humans.

And then Tesla opened his enclosed fist, revealing a small yellow stone. On it was glowing helix that pulsed with bright hues of red, green, and blue. It shrunk and grew repeatedly, reacting to his hand as thin yellow circuits of light spread throughout his palm. His eyes held a golden tint, as if seeing something other than the city and sky in front of him.

"It stores information like a computer does, operating on the network of the planet—the energy that flows through all living things. Just like the spheres-but not as advanced- it shows memories and events, among other things. Reacts only to the recipient it's assigned to. Unique. Made in our time. Touch it, see for yourself."

Riven took the small stone, surprised as the helix disappeared and the light that surrounded it faded. Sitting in his palm, it looked like an inert yellow stone. Just like the one his mother had given him… "The Lirans had this the entire time?"

"Only a select few had them. As did most of the clans," Tesla answered, taking it. "My brother gave this to me. It was on his body after a skirmish with the Remnants. Our father gave it to him."

"Why's this important?" Riven asked. "They might be coincidentally similar. They still do drastically different things. Hard to believe they're connected."

"Just because they don't seem connected doesn't mean they aren't," Tesla smiled ruefully. "This is a prototype of the spheres from the ruins. These were the precursors. Throughout history, Origins have popped up in different time periods everywhere." His smile grew wider. "The psychics were the ones responsible for fabricating these stones in our time. There's reason to say that a Curian, or someone else, introduced them to the civilization that existed so long ago and made them into what they are today—wonders of technology. But that's not all. See, the Curians didn't invent them. They couldn't figure out how to make them work as intended."

He grinned widely. "The Alteans did."

"But we were-"

"Warriors? Warlords? Soldiers? Yeah, you were. But before the war… before the death and all the misery it wrought, your clan consisted of scientists and researchers, living in seclusion. Everyone but your clan seems to remember it well. But I guess they needed to forget about that to create the living weapons needed to fight back once things got nasty. That's where the warlord trend started, and the Ceruls rose to power, blah blah."

Riven's eyes were focused, mind racing with questions and realizations.

"I only know a bit about what happened thanks to the records back home, but it's enough. The dark clan found the answer in the energy opposite to that of the world's. A kind of inversion that exists parallel but not quite in the same location. Darks and ghosts draw their power from there. Do you know what that is?"

"Tsk, I can see it," Riven replied. He traced the sky above with a glance. Nimbasa had less colors due to being a center of entertainment-and thus a positive outlook- but there was always negativity somewhere. "Looks like the northern lights, but with emotions and negativity instead of pretty gases. It's… disorienting. After last week, the lights were everywhere. Then they kind of fizzled out and disappeared. Others are faint, but they're still there. It's weird, that doesn't really happen."

"Ah, yes. That would be the UFOs' handiwork. Amnesia is such a useful move."

Riven turned to face Tesla, eyes wide. "You mean…"

"The operatives wiped everyone's recollection of what happened? Bar a few individuals but yeah, they do that. Limits social unrest, but it only leaves their memories hazy—easy to control. Doesn't eradicate them though. Other regions have argued against mass amnesia usage, but Unova prides itself in a strong police force. Makes you wonder if people should give up their freedom in exchange for protection, even if it includes protection from themselves. Heavy, heavy themes, really."

After this, a talk with Yates was definitely needed. Riven growled at Tesla again. "You were counting on this."

Tesla smiled again, laughing cheerily to himself. "Regardless, the war began because of these." He rolled the stone in his palm. "The Curians saw the development of these spheres and manipulated the heads of other clans to attack the dark clan and steal their research. There were always resentful feelings between the Curians and the Alteans. It just needed a spark and a little bit of mind control and voila! They only needed to start the war and let the hatred run its course. Eventually, the Roses would eliminate poor little Altea and the Ceruls in time, with a bit of psychic prodding here and there."

The blonde merc was surprised to find Riven in mellow, somber acknowledgement rather than full blown rage. He supposed it made sense given that was a long time and a literal world ago.

"So we abandoned that way of life to fight. Because we had no other choice," Riven surmised bitterly. "Just like a bloody cycle… The grass clan tried to help us and got torched. The Roses weren't the ones that started it… Those Curians controlled the world. And we got fucked, just like the dark always does. Should've known, psychics are bullshit."

"They couldn't control God though," Tesla said cryptically, holding up a finger. "They could only stall the inevitable. Those stones were important enough to start a war over, according to them. Looks like they never had time to finish the research. Or maybe they did. Maybe that's why we're here. Who knows?"

"They knew it was coming?"

"Psychics can see the future, Prime. When they peered into the future, they saw everything they feared—a black void of nothing. Not death, but nothingness. The entire future of every human on the planet was nothingness, all destined to be erased. Wouldn't you be scared too?"

Pensive, Riven rested his chin on a hand. Certainly it wasn't mere coincidence that Tesla had a stone too. He had to ask Isole to see if she had one… and possibly Nera. He hated the idea of talking to her again, but now there was no way he was just going to let the thought simmer in his brain and potentially drive him insane.

"My mother gave me a stone also," he said after a moment. "It's black, looks like yours. Might not be a coincidence."

"Oh?" Tesla raised an eyebrow, interest piqued. "Your parents must have been important. Mine were, somewhat." He noticed Riven's right eye. Specifically, the color of it. "Hmmmm. Not every Altean had blue eyes, now that I think about it. They were a sign of strength and intelligence in your culture." He grinned knowingly. "Might be worthwhile for you. If you still have it, and your abilities have grown enough, reach into it. It'll leave you drained to unlock it, but be careful, you may not like what you see."

Riven thought about that, gut twisting as he thought about the day his mother gave it to him. She looked… happy. But sad too. Like she didn't know what to feel. It felt like a good bye, he guessed.

Both men sat in silence as night came, one in deep thought while the other idly swung his feet over the edge. An awkward aura hung over them as they had no real idea where to go from there. They were enemies and yet… not. It didn't even make sense to be talking right now.

"You mentioned a way to get Gale to wake up," Riven began. He swirled a finger. "Before all… that."

"I did," Tesla nodded. "But first I need something from you."

Riven scowled.

"Like what?"

"I want to make a truce with you."

Here we go. "I refuse," Riven replied instantly. "Not after Singularity's tried killing me more than four times. All this just to offer me a 'join me' deal? Fuck no, you're out of your mind."

"I'm not asking you to make a truce with them," Tesla corrected, rolling his eyes. "Or the rest of my group. If you see Loberia again, feel free to poke him full of holes with those little knives, or sic your Gallade on him. I won't stop you again. I'll just have to make my plans around that fool rather than have him involved in them. I'm asking you to make a truce with me."

God damn, this guy was full of surprises. Warily, Riven tilted his head slightly, "what kind of truce?"

"Help me get rid of the Sayre followers and be a little more… reluctant to deal with our operations for the next half year. Inevitably, they're likely to try and take Castelia again, whenever it is the UFOs least expect it. When they do, they'll no doubt try to bring the Tournament back. My boss is counting on this, but I don't agree with that. This is why I'm asking you."

"That's it?" Riven frowned deeply at him, running a hand through his hair. "You go behind your boss' back, and if I help you eliminate the Sayres, that'll just smooth over your plans without putting the blame on you at all. You're actively manipulating me and you know it."

"It's this or your friend's life," Tesla reminded, drawing a growl from Riven. "Which do you value more? Letting a girl you care about waste away is even worse."

Oh, you cock.

"Don't jump the gun with the emotional prodding, Tesla. Try it again and I'll throw you off this roof," Riven warned.

Damn him. Damn it all. Getting manipulated was annoying. First Nera and now this. Fucking circumstances.

Helping Tesla and his shady goals wouldn't work out very well in the long run. Of course he didn't know what the hell he was planning, but it couldn't be good. Riven seriously doubted that Tesla was trying to undermine his boss, especially with how easily loyalties shifted with Lirans. They really were representations of just how quickly lightning and electricity could adapt and change. That didn't make trusting them any easier at all.

He sighed in exasperation.

"I accept," Riven said apprehensively. "For her, not you. I'll deal with the repercussions later. Tell me how to wake her up."

They shook hands, coming to an agreement. The blonde smiled and dug into his pack again, this time pulling up something Riven didn't expect to see.

Another sphere. It had the same characteristic circuitry patterns running along the entirety of the sphere, but this sphere was a hazy silver color, like staring into a thick mist. A pulsating silver light emanated from it, drawing Riven in like the deepness of the azure sphere had. Tesla breathed as he refocused himself.

"Sorry, visions."

"What did it show you?"

"See for yourself."

As soon as the sphere dropped into Riven's palm, the world seemed to blow away—swept away in a sea of white. He saw nothing but a blinding white void until pictures and images started to swirl and form in his mind rather than his eyes.

He stood inside a large antechamber dimly lit by torches. Around him were people kneeling and bowing, uttering silent phrases in a language he couldn't understand. The first thing he noticed were the clothes they wore; they were similar to those worn by the people he saw in Dewford, but these had different markings, resembling talons and winds as opposed to waves. And they were chained to the floor.

Walking invisibly among the people, Riven stopped near an older man who remained knelt in front of a podium, where light from a giant hole in the roof above shined through. In the center lay colorless spheres with the same markings as Tesla's. Riven craned his neck to examine them, but heavy breathing and a low snarling caused him to instinctively back away. The light from above obscured the shadows behind it. He couldn't see in this darkness, mainly because he technically wasn't using his eyes.

Glowing yellow rings and deadly yellow eyes shone in the dark as a massive dragon emerged from the darkness, bright green scales gleaming in the light of the sun. Riven froze as he saw Rayquaza's eyes focus on him briefly before watching the humans in the antechamber bow in respect. The old man held a multi colored chunk of what appeared to be crystal in his hands, offering it to the dragon.

Rayquaza lowered its head, eyeing the man for a few seconds before devouring the chunk. A mighty roar resounded throughout the antechamber, forcing Riven to cover his ears. The action did nothing to diminish the sound, and he was forced to his knees from the call.

A flash of intense light erupted as Rayquaza's rings grew and changed in size, glowing even brighter than previously. The glowing light spread, forming a crest on its head and interconnected rings down its body. The horns on its head and jaw elongated, forming spiked protrusions below the jawline, with translucent streams of flowing light emerging from the tips.

Riven stood there stupidly, entranced by the dragon's appearance and the sheer respect it commanded. He'd never seen a legendary pokemon this close before, and that transformation... Well, it was breathtaking. Just a memory wouldn't do the sight justice. Everything felt real. Too real to argue with.

Then the dragon reared its head back. Riven took another step back.

A green aura surrounded Rayquaza as it growled, building as the growling got louder. Energy swirled and illuminated the dark antechamber with green light, flaring as the dragon roared once more and a blast surged upwards into the sky. The force of the blast nearly blew away the people in the antechamber, and Riven could feel the destructive force of the winds; it was definitely strong enough to blow away a house, and that was just a tiny shockwave of the attack. Suddenly, white wisps of energy left Rayquaza's body, traveling into the spheres below. They reacted, lighting up in bright silver light as they gained their power.

Then the world around him shifted back to Nimbasa, and Riven found himself staring dumbstruck at the city below, as if in disbelief he was back. Cold sweat poured down his face, and he felt his heart beating like he'd just run a marathon.

"Holy shit."

"Quite the memory, isn't it?" Tesla grinned. "Couldn't believe it myself. Only it was worse for me since- well, it happened in the middle of Sky Pillar. The ground there isn't nearly as stable as it is in that memory."

So the spheres are charged by legendary pokemon…? Best to think about this later, when my mind isn't mindblown to shit.

Just seeing Rayquaza transform like that made him an incoherent mess already. Anything more and his head would explode. "Singularity went to Sky Pillar?" He managed instead, swallowing to wet his dry throat. "Trying to capture Rayquaza?"

"Nope. I went to Sky Pillar myself. Heard something relating to this sphere business could be located there, according to some riddle. I found this sphere there, hidden in a room that was already partially caving in. Those Claydols guarding it were particularly ferocious, let me tell you. Azazel even had trouble with them. I'm the only one that knows about it. Quit worrying."

"And now you're giving this to me to save my friend? Why?"

Tesla didn't respond, electing instead to give him a cheeky grin. "That doesn't matter, right? I'm manipulating you, remember? Can't tell you everything." His grin fell slightly, settling into a happy smile. "What's her name? This girl you care so much about?"

"Gale," Riven said, cradling the sphere in his hands.

"Gale?" He laughed. "'A strong wind'. How fitting." Tesla stood up and dusted himself off, breathing deeply as he felt a breeze picking up, noting the irony itself. "She's lucky, you know? She's going to experience what others can only dream of. Then she'll understand. Teach her well what it means to be an Origin, yeah? See you around, Cerul. And remember the deal!"

Riven recoiled as he heard the name come out of Tesla's mouth, jumping to his feet as the blonde stepped off the building and fell to the street below. Electricity engulfed him as oriented himself mid-air, kicking off the side of the structure to surge forward onto another building's roof. Dusting himself off again, he took off a shoe and pulled out a pokeball, summoning his Hydreigon. Flying away, he waved back, beaming once again.

Shaking his head, Riven watched the shrinking form of the dark dragon in irritation.

So he did have pokeballs. That damn blonde Weavile.

When he walked into the hospital room, he found Aine asleep in the corner of the room, huddled into a ball of beige and red feathers, her face on her knees. Allen was lightly snoring in a chair, his head drooping to one side. Cards were lazily spread out on a table. Looked like Allen lost.

With a nudge, the operative groggily opened his eyes. "No… the Lillipups need me…"

Riven raised an eyebrow, watching Allen bemusedly while he recovered from being sleep drunk. The look of realization on his face was made evident when he nearly jumped in his chair.

"Shit! Prime… god don't do that. Wait, you didn't hear what I just-"

"Yes, the Lillipups need you. I understand," Riven replied with a barely contained smirk.

Allen grumbled but otherwise noted that the mercenary didn't look any different. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, yawning. "You're not dead or dying. I guess that means things went well?"

Riven more or less nodded. Honestly, it was really unclear how he was feeling about that chat with Tesla. He was also confused as to whether Tesla was an enemy or a bizarre ally. Even less certain were his intentions, which apparently not even his employer knew of either.

Made things hard.

"So that means I can go?" Allen asked, looking very hopeful despite trying to hide it. "I'd really like to go to bed."

"I could tell from the snoring."

"I do not snore."

"Sure, you don't." Riven snorted. "Go home then. Thanks for watching her."

"No problem," Allen said, stretching as he stood up. He patted Riven on the shoulder as he turned to leave. "That Blaziken of yours… when did you teach her how to play cards?"

"I didn't," Riven laughed. "Gale did."

"Oh." Allen's face fell. "Well, I hope she wakes up soon. She was a good girl. Nice too. See you around."

"See you."

The door clunked closed as he left. Riven prodded Aine awake and dodged a reactionary punch as she realized who it was. She gave him a hug full of warm feathers, and he smiled back at her.

"Aine, can you wait here for a moment? I'm going to need your help getting out of the city quickly. Somewhere rural and out of sight."

She tilted her head quizzically but didn't question it, nodding instead. She watched as Riven pulled out a pokeball, releasing Baron from the ball. The Gallade scanned its surroundings and instantly became downtrodden as he saw Gale again.

Riven placed a hand on Baron's shoulder, smiling.

"Hey, stop blaming yourself. There was only so much you could do. Even the best healers in the world can't heal something that serious so quickly. Besides… I got an idea."

Riven smiled brightly, and Baron looked up at him, eyes hopeful. He pulled out the sphere from his pocket, bathing the room in silver light. "Baron, I need you to take her to a location outside the city. Aine and I will catch up soon. Take her east to route 16. There's a lot of people resting there so take her somewhere remote and out of sight. Careful not to move her around too much, she's still recovering from the surgery."

"Okay. Riven… will this work?"

Swallowing, Riven frowned. "I hope so." Walking over to her bed, he began removing the IVs and medical equipment on her, making sure nothing was still inserted in her arms. Once he made sure, he directed Baron over.

The psychic's eyes lit up a bright blue as he used psychic to gently lift her off the bed and into his arms. Baron looked to Riven one last time. His trainer gave him a reassuring nod, and with that, Baron disappeared in a pink flash.

Catching up to them took a few minutes as Aine carried Riven throughout the city, hopping from rooftop to rooftop until they reached the route gate. Entering the route, Riven ordered Aine to do something that would get Baron's attention.

She stood there for a moment before grinning and launching herself in the air. Spinning mid jump as she did so, flames sprouted from her wrists and legs, forming a spinning ball of flame in the dark sky of the route. The fire increased in intensity as she used flare blitz, appearing as a giant firework, lighting up the previously dark route in bright orange light. Fading flames remained in the air as gravity began to work, bringing her back down to earth.

Aine landed on the ground with a thud, eyeing an incredulous Riven with amusement. He meant something that would get Baron's attention, not the attention of everything within the next two miles. Seconds later, a slash of pink energy shot up into the air some distance away into the forest, revealing Baron's location. Aine grabbed her trainer and with a leap, reached the destination, snapping a poor tree in two from the force of the jump.

Riven dismounted, slightly jarred from the rough landing. Baron had gently set Gale down in the grass, being very careful not to disturb her too much. Dressed in the white hospital gown, she almost looked like something out of a fairy tale.

A grim fairy tale, perhaps.

Kneeling down to her, he brought out the silver sphere, unsure of what it would do to her in her state, and how her injuries would react to it. Would they reopen? Or would they heal? Would it bring her out of her coma?

There was only one way to know.

And so he shakily took her right hand, enclosing it around the silver sphere. The three backed away, waiting.

For a few moments, they watched as the sphere began to glow in her hand, white lines spreading up her arm.

Wind howled forth, and she woke up in screams.

So there's the new chapter. Not much else to say.

On another note, Pokemon go released and I went to a social event near the beach yesterday. There were so many people using it that the service was pretty garbage though, which sucked but hey, it was fun. Pretty amazing stuff, I really recommend it. Met a lot of awesome people and makes the experience so much better.

Going to go to other parts of the city to some of the Charmander nests and hopefully catch some Dratinis. There's a Bulbasaur nest at my local park, so that's going to be fun. Can't imagine living in a rural location though, must suck for those of you that do, heh.

I'm Team Instinct too. All you Valor and Mystic people can tear at each other, we'll pick up the pieces afterwards, just you wait. Still waiting on gen 3 and 4 pokemon though. Id camp out at a Torchic nest all day if I could.

Happy hunting!