Hi. Tehk00 here. This is actually a rewrite of a "sequel" of a fanfiction I had written for my personal pleasure. I had not liked the direction of either piece, so this will be my personal 'get your butt in gear' attempt at making something I like. A New Year's resolution if you will. This story was inspired by Borne of Caution by Fuggmann, Hard Enough by Viva01, Have to Ketchum All! By Retribrutus, and The New Normal by CartecFF.
This will also happen to be my first fanfic on the site, so I hope you enjoy my story.
"I hate paperwork." I groaned as I sat behind my new desk, working on the towering stacks of paperwork that all ties into the workload I had inadvertently given myself, occasionally checking the laptop next to me for information.
I can't help but think of my new profession as a prison, one that I had willingly trapped myself in. No wonder Alder was so happy to be kicked off his throne.
"Perhaps you should have thought of that before deciding you wanted to become the Champion of Unova, Mason. We wanted things to change for the region, but this was not the only option." My starter Pokémon, Atalanta, spoke to me. I look forward around the stacks of papers to see a Lucario walk into my office with even more paperwork. I only heard her due to my Ability that allows me to speak to certain Pokémon Types. Being able to speak to both Ghost and Steel types happened to make me a dual specialist in both.
"This was the quickest and most efficient way to start changing things. I had already put the region in a small state of chaos due to removing the council from their position, I saw it as my responsibility to fix the mess that they caused, along with the power vacuum from removing them being a consequence I had to accept. I wish I didn't have this much paperwork for this long though." I grumble a little bit at the end. Judging from the snort from Atalanta, she heard what I said.
"I would be thankful we have already been making changes for the better in the last year. None of the Elite 4 were happy with the League Council's corruption, but they could not do anything legal to remove them. You deciding to unlawfully pin their corruption with proof certainly did no favors for you as far as the public opinion goes, but it certainly gave you the respect and loyalty of the rest of the Elite 4." She countered, and I can't help but smile at her bluntness in that regard.
The Pokémon League Council was supposed to be a board of members that have minor control over public relations and have been an integral part of the Unovan Government for hundreds of years. About 120 years ago though, they decided to forcefully take control of Governmental affairs due to a tragedy that had happened, and they took control of many important parts of the command structure. Since then they had pretty much taken over all the power the Elite 4 and Champion were supposed to have, up until I removed them entirely. Now I have to fix everything bad every council member since then has done, as well as bestow responsibilities and power to the Elite 4 since they didn't really have any. This is on top of all of the new reformations I am trying to implement.
The fact that every council member was a CEO or significant shareholder to a big company in Unova means that those very same big companies, the ones still around and outside government control, are doing their best to make my life harder. I already have enough on my plate as is, all I can be thankful for is that their efforts are relatively minimal.
I already made an example of the very obviously corrupt Lorwind Shipping company. When they were imprisoned and tried, they were given the option to sell ownership of the company to the Unova League, effectively being their one and only chance at bail. Selling the company to the government had effectively given the League a source of income outside of taxation and 'charity' from big businesses.
The Pokémon League does not get a lot of income, since the Council had made it so any changes they made were paid for 'personally' via their businesses. I have been forced to pay out of pocket for many of the changes I am implementing. I am thankful for the many spoils of war I had claimed throughout the civil war, since I was forced to spend all of it over the course of the last 10 or so months, either for obtaining passive income for the Pokémon League, or to actually implement new laws and regulations.
"The fact that the rest of the region does not feel the same for my king after all he has done for them infuriates me." My 'shadow' said, growling all the while.
"That is just how human nature is sometimes, Kriemhild. Groupthink causes people to do incredibly stupid things, if only to conform to everyone else." I respond simply, still trying to work through the paperwork. It certainly isn't as bad as it was during my first year as Champion, and is still becoming less and less over time. That said, some days it feels like it will never end no matter how much effort I put into it.
"You saved their lives in spite of them wanting your head. You saved their futures by sacrificing your happiness. You work for their continued prosperity without expectation of fame or reward. They should grovel at your feet for your forgiveness after everything they have done, my king." Kriemhild said once more, this time while forming her real body behind me, replacing my spot in my chair and holding me to her body while I sat closer to my desk.
I look back to see the Normal and Ghost-Type Zoroark I picked up in Sinnoh now hugging me from behind, and laying her head over my left shoulder.
"The public has done very little to me other than making their opinions heard, however incorrect and baseless some of those opinions might be." I state once again, while trying to continue my work. Kriemhild simply pushed our shared chair backwards away from my desk, to my minor displeasure.
"It is a well known fact that you had lost multiple Pokémon as well as your right arm in the war, and yet despite all of that you were still considered the greatest contributor in ending the War Against Plasma. They believe you are unfit for your position? They see you as a child that has an inflated ego from owning Reshiram's favor? They have done nothing but slander you and make your life harder, not simply 'making their opinions heard'!" She growled out once more, her malice literally reducing the temperature of the room.
"Enough Kriemhild. Mason has already made his choice on the path he wishes to take. It is very much true that the common person in this region does not deserve his effort, but he does not struggle for them and you know it." Atalanta spoke out against Kriemhild, now leaning against the side of my desk, starting a small glaring match between the two of them.
It is always like this between these two, as the relationship between all three of us is complicated at best.
Atalanta is my best friend. She has a bluntness about her that keeps my head straight whenever my feelings tend to take over. She is also the one who ensures that my team keeps a certain standard on both training and behavior. Atalanta tends to be the angel on my shoulder in conversations like these.
Kriemhild meanwhile is very much the accompanying devil. I had taken her in while in Sinnoh, after her mother had been killed because of poachers. She didn't trust me for a long time, not trusting anybody really. Eventually she warmed up to me, but also had developed this… fanaticism for me. She believes that I deserve the world after finding out how much shit I have had to deal with over the course of my life, along with all the things I have done for other people in spite of that.
When I saved her, she hadn't realized at the time how much I shouldn't have cared due to how badly I wanted to be left alone, and did not initially like me for a while, up until she figured out the gist of my life story. When the world up until that point always seemed to make it a priority to make your life as shit as possible, you tend to want nothing to do with it. Afterward, she had obtained this undying loyalty for me, but also gained an endless rage against those who do me wrong.
I care too much about those who have lived unfortunate early lives though. They remind me far too much about myself, and how much I wished I had someone to help me through the early stages of my new life. This is why she accepts me as her trainer to begin with, and where her fanaticism ultimately comes from.
When I had been reborn into this world, I felt a sense of confusion as to how and why. I never really believed in the idea of reincarnation, and I certainly didn't see myself important or worthy enough to get the chance. I always felt I did my best in my first life, but never above and beyond.
Then I felt despair, over the fact that I had to live in a terrible situation. Bad parents, little food, no luxuries and a small chance to succeed as a trainer considering I didn't get the chance to go to school. It needed a paid tuition to learn about Pokémon and my parents refused to pay for it.
I had to learn everything I didn't know from my previous life second hand from the rare kid or trainer who was willing to teach me and the public library. I got 3% above the cut-off point of 80% on my trainers test, because although game and anime knowledge certainly helped, this is real life, and Pokémon are far more complicated than what my previous life knew. 83% is certainly not a great score compared to most of the kids who mostly got higher than 90%, but at least I was among the 8% of kids who did pass that test.
After I left Virbank City behind with Atalanta, the world was my oyster. I could do whatever I wanted and I thought my life would get better.
Then I ran into Team Plasma once in Pinwheel Forest, stopped them from doing their evil bullshit, and from that point on I was somehow on their high priority hit list.
I had a hard time continuing my journey after that, either from my name being dragged through the mud due to bad rumors or an evil team constantly trying to get me killed, but I figured it would be okay. I met Hilda and could confirm things would be fine since she is an excellent trainer, and would eventually be able to defeat N with Reshiram. After that I could just finish my Gym Circuit, partake in the Vertress Conference, and leave Unova behind.
Then I got trapped in a building that was blown sky high, kick-starting the War Against Plasma. I was incredibly lucky I survived, but I was pissed that some of my Pokémon had died trying to save me from the falling rubble.
After that I helped for about 2 weeks in fighting against Team Plasma, but I was somehow considered both a traitor to the Pokémon League as well as an enemy to Team Plasma. Something about evidence of me being a spy or something.
After that I just left the region all together. I figured the war would blow over and that would be the end of it.
Over a year has past, and Hilda had still not summoned Reshiram, and I had been forced to come back to Unova to do something, since if Team Plasma somehow wins, then the rest of the world is next. My presence in the world had significantly changed the timeline from how I remembered it, and I needed to find Hilda to find out why Reshiram hasn't been summoned.
Apparently, Zekrom and Reshiram selects one person they sense from outside their stones, and only summons to their call and becomes their partners. The thing is that it requires a specific mindset, specific bloodline, and being the first one sensed while fitting both other criteria.
Hilda does have the mindset. She was also confirmed to hold the correct bloodline from a particular test done.
Reshiram wouldn't show a single reaction to her pleas, and I knew it was my fault. I only got confirmation when I secretly met with Professor Juniper to have the same test done on me.
I am apparently Hilda's third cousin, on the correct bloodline's side. I also know I went inside that Museum before she did, since I saw her on my way to Striaton City on Route 3.
Meeting up with her to take control of the stone, I also proved to have the correct mindset since Reshiram was almost immediately summoned due to my will.
After that, the rest was history. I had used Reshiram's power to defeat N and Zekrom, and then continue to clean up what was left of Team Plasma. Afterwards, I went about trying to get the rest of my badges for the next Vertress Conference, once they started the next season. I was allowed to get those badges because all I got from winning the war was a pardon for my 'crimes' from Alder, who later confided in me that said crimes were bogus from the get-go and was still investigating as to why they were officiated. Unbeknownst to me at the time, he knew exactly why, but couldn't do a damn thing about it.
At one point after the war, I had learned from Hilda that the region sucks because many big businesses basically control everything through the Pokémon League Council, and that they make the lives of low income families hell in order to turn a bigger profit. They would create laws that make their lives worse, offer them contracts for a loan in return for indentured servitude, but have those contracts be basically impossible to complete, having ridiculous clauses that make actually gaining money impossible.
So that very next conference, I battled for first place, and won the Vertress Conference. After that I did my Champion run and eventually defeated Alder. When I got my seat, I started to privately, and illegally investigate the Pokémon League Council for any dirt I could get on them.
It turns out the Pokémon League Council had been secretly funding Team Plasma and played for both sides. They used their influence and money from being CEO's or shareholders of big Unovan businesses to help Team Plasma along in order to have keys of power in the new government they wanted. They were also the reason my entire life was hell, from my family having few ways of obtaining money, and causing all the rumors about me during my journey, as well as announcing me as a traitor in the war. I obtained proof of it all and had them all arrested and removed from office. They were given the option of turning over their companies to the Unova League to be let off with a much lighter sentence, and only a couple of them took that option.
A few of them tried to plead innocence, but when it was confirmed that Reshiram can detect lies, but also cannot tell them, the Pokémon became a staple in Grand Court cases, and will be during my time as Champion. They were heavily fined and imprisoned for life. Their next in line in their companies would have taken over then. By heavily fined, I mean enough to make them go from very rich people, to being on the lower end of middle class citizens.
People who support them still try to drag my name through the mud, but it is not going anywhere, and my name is in fact getting better. After a year of hard work, the people of Unova have accepted me as a good Champion, even if there is still dissent floating around.
Doesn't change any of the injustice done against me though, no one except those who personally know me have apologized for any of it. Champions have a 8 year minimum before they can retire and leave their seat empty, in which case an Elite 4 will take the position and an ace trainer will be considered before being tested for the open Elite 4 spot. I want someone to sack me sooner rather than later, but I made an oath to take my duties as Champion seriously. I defeated Alder with all my might, I will attempt to do the same to any and all challengers.
I just wish any of the Elite 4 shared that opinion however. All 4 of them like me in my position, and don't really want it to change any time soon. They have made it a point to try extra hard at anyone attempting to take my seat. In the first year alone there have been 14 ace trainers that attempted to take my title, mostly because they thought me undeserving.
None of them managed to get through either Grimsley, Caitlin, or Marshal. There was a Normal Type specialist that managed to beat Shauntal, but was swiftly dealt with afterwards by Caitlin.
*BRRINNG RRIING*
I look down to my Xtransciever and see a call from Caitlin. Speak of the devil and they shall appear.
*Click* "Hello Elite Caitlin, is there something you need?" I ask the person on the other end of the video call.
"Champion Mason, the press conference regarding the change in our international stance starts in 30 minutes, where are you?" She asked me with a slightly worried look, probably due to seeing Kriemhild behind me.
I just looked surprised, before looking over to the date on the laptop, and then the calendar on my wall.
June 12th. (Press Conference)
"Shit, I completely forgot!" I say as I hop out of my chair before recalling Atalanta and having Kriemhild go back into my shadow. I start rushing out of the halls of the Pokémon League in order to get outside.
"Champion Mason, I know you feel that you need to get through all of that paperwork yourself, but there are commitments you must honor. I have told you time and time again to find people to delegate many of those unimportant documents to in order to free up your own time…" Caitlin sighed over the other end as I finally got outside to the plateau's front courtyard before releasing my Bronzong, Sen.
"I will be down there in a few moments, I am cutting the call now." I reply before tapping the X-Transciever. I then look to Sen.
"Can you teleport down to Vertress City Sen? Near Caitlin if you can manage it." I ask him with a hint of franticness in my voice. The Pokémon League Headquarters have special Dark Emitters that make it so teleporting in and out of the building is impossible. The only space that is publicly allowed is the front courtyard, everywhere else is highly monitored.
"Done and done, my lord." He says smugly as he starts to charge the teleport.
I just wince a little at the title. Ever since I had obtained Reshiram, Kriemhild and Arthur, my Aegislash, had started calling me some variation of 'king' or 'my lord' or even 'his highness' due to what apparently amounts to having royal blood as well as being the leader of the region. Most of my other Pokémon had started calling me that as well, but the rest of them say it in jest, finding it hilarious. It doesn't help that I kind of dress to fit the part, but that is a fashion choice made for me by Reshiram, so I can't really deny them.
The only ones who don't are Atalanta and Reshiram, the former because they are far too polite, and my best friend, while the latter calls me 'partner' instead.
Reshiram is capable of telepathy, but refuses to speak to anyone but me and their other half Zekrom. They have also made it a point for me to be more regal, but there are some things I won't budge on. Their weird obsession with imagery makes them try and have me live more luxuriously, but I refuse on the basis that those resources are far better spent elsewhere. My wardrobe is one thing, but eating high-quality food and partaking in other expensive luxuries is too much.
In a flash of light, Sen and I suddenly find ourselves in a lounge room, and I look around to find Caitlin and Grimsley sitting on the couches nearby. I am still impressed after all these years that Sen can accurately pinpoint the location of people miles away. He has a lot of impressive skills like that even if he isn't one of my best battlers.
"Caitlin, Grimsley." I say simply, trying to put up and practice my 'air of supremacy' as Shauntal likes to call it, before looking into a full body mirror in order to brush down my clothes.
Standing in the mirror is a brown haired, blue-eyed young man wearing what can only be described as a suit with armor. I am wearing a white dress shirt with a dark blue waistcoat and black overcoat, along with a light blue tie, and black slacks. On top of all of that however is pieces of armor that can only make one think I am some kind of knight. I am wearing full plate armor all over my right arm, from a silver pauldron made to look like a crown to a steel rerebrace, a vambrace, and a gauntlet to cover my hand fully. On my legs are greaves covering both shins, and connected to them are sabatons that cover the top side of my old boots.
Underneath my right arm's armor is a metal prosthetic I made, powered by my very poor aura control and Typeless crystals. During my exile to Sinnoh, I had met with Riley, one of the few Aura masters still alive. He had taught me how to control Aura when he saw that I had the ability to use it, but we both were disappointed to find that I have little talent in the art. I later learned that Typeless crystals, which are basically unaspected evolution stones, can react to aura in strange ways, such as moving them through a medium such as metal. All of this combined made the world's first working prosthetic, even though everyone and their mother really want to know how it works.
People who use Aura are sworn to secrecy on the art, and I try to keep my promises.
I turn to the side in order to look more closely at the white feathered half cape connected to my pauldron, to ensure there are no stains from anything recent.
I would kill myself if the feathers from Reshiram were stained right before a public appearance, if Reshiram doesn't get to me first.
"I am glad you are taking such importance in your appearance, Champion Mason. However, we need to go over your agenda once more to ensure everything goes smoothly for this press conference. Public opinion has been decidedly mixed about interacting with other regions, and this will be the start of a new age once everything is said and done." Grimsley said, as he started organizing some papers next to him, which probably contain an outline of our agenda, as well as expected questions that reporters will ask.
This is one of the more recent things I have been implementing, since much of the worst has blown over. I want Unova to be a centerpiece in creating globalization for all the known regions.
Most regions in the world don't actually have any openness with many other regions, or even know all of them. Kanto and Johto have only recently unified into Indigo a little under 3 decades ago, and have also far more recently made alliances with Hoenn. They know of Sinnoh and Unova, but have so far been attempting to make strides with Sinnoh since Unova's isolationist stance has been difficult for them in recent times. They know nothing about any of the other regions in the world, and those situations are different.
Kalos, Paldea, and Galar all know of each other, and while the former two have open borders with each other, since they have connected borders, they are not allied in any way and have apparently been shifty with Galar who wants globalization. Galar has been trying to get any of the regions they know to open up, but has had little success.
Then there are many smaller regions such as Alola, Ransei, Orre, and Rota, who all have taken up isolationist stances or are simply considered unimportant to the rest of the world. In Ransei's case, no one that knows of them wants to touch that war-torn region with a 200 mile long pole, which includes Galar surprisingly enough.
My attempts here today are to announce that we are going to work with Galar to start globalization, and to open our borders with other regions. My reason for this is threefold. The first is to make it so people traveling from one region to another that don't have open borders with each other are not considered illegal immigrants.
I was one such person when I went into self-imposed exile to Sinnoh, but that is something I will be keeping secret for a long time. Riley knows of my situation, but has also promised to keep it secret.
The second is to create a more diverse array of Pokémon for trainers to find and capture, as while there are some Pokémon that overlap with other regions, I personally know that it doesn't even cut into a 5th of the total number of species in the world. This will allow for a more interesting battling scene, especially when you consider that there are only like 11 Pokémon in Unova that have a Fairy Typing, 4 of which are fully evolved… discounting Sylveon, which would make 12 and 5.
It turns out, from what we can gather from our spy network, that Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh all don't know that the Fairy Typing exists… somehow.
Considering Sylveon exists and the number of Dragon Specialists they have, I imagine that they would figure it out sooner.
Unova knows of the Fairy Type due to our expansive spy network, as Kalos, Paldea, and Galar all have known for decades at this point and have a wide array of such Pokémon.
I want the world to be on the same page sooner rather than later. When I eventually leave my seat, I know that if anything ever happens to Unova, the other regions can either pitch in to help or call the region out on any bullshit it does. I, meanwhile, will have retired and will live out the rest of my days in a region that is not Unova.
I have too many bad memories of this place. Once I am done with making sure it is up to a decent standard, I will be leaving it behind.
I look back to Grimsley after combing away whatever little dust was on my cape.
"Let's review our points of interest then."
[-{==}-]
Grimsley, Caitlin, and I walked out to the podium from behind the curtain to see the cameras flashing as we sat down.
This would be my second time being in front of so many people looking to ask me questions outside the court of law, so I still find it a little jarring. The first time would be when I became Champion at 19.
I checked my microphone to see if it's working, which when it was proven to make sound all of the reporters had quieted down.
"Hello everyone, I am Champion Mason and today we will be discussing the Unova Leagues plans for the region going forward. The past 4 or so years have been quite tumultuous due to the rise of Team Plasma, the civil war against them, my rise to Champion as well as my actions upturning the government processes of all of its corrupted nature. We at the Unova League feel that much of our region still needs work in order to create a brighter future, yet we also feel we are much better off than we were." I start off my speech, giving a background that will help explain our actions.
I don't lie here, many of the things that I had worked on were making sure people of low income had ways of improving themselves, one of which was making education free so anyone can learn to become trainers, as well as making it so it is slightly easier. The Pokémon League Council has slowly been ramping up the difficulty in order to create fewer legal trainers, but I am lowering the difficulty so as to create more trainers going forward. There is still a limit on taking the test a maximum of 2 times ever, but that is a reasonable thing to have.
Failing the test twice means you are not cut out for being a trainer.
Another thing was fixing laws so that indentured servitude, and any forms of contracted slavery is illegal.
Then there was improving our systems to ensure Pokémon never get abused, as the systems in place have been improved to more easily detect that sort of thing, while also increasing the fines for if people are caught doing it. Team Plasma had reasons for being as widespread as it was, so making sure another group like them does not spawn is important.
"Our plans for the region will be something that has never been considered in all of its storied history. We will be attempting to open our borders and make attempts to connect with other regions in the hopes of trading resources as well as make strong connections with them in the future. We will now be taking questions." Thus, many of the reporters started to make a fuss, some almost screaming to have their question answered. We guessed this would happen, we had long since explained the point of this press conference, so many of them stewed on their 'juicy' questions. I simply looked around for someone to pick first for their question…
"You, in the green suit." I point out a man near the right side, as many of the reporters go silent after noticing me call out to one of them.
"Champion Mason, our region has never seen the need to interact with any of the other regions, believing in our own strength and prosperity. What has changed to make us do so now?" He held out his microphone for an answer, but I just squinted my eyes in disbelief.
"Team Plasma happened. In the event that they succeeded in taking over the region, they had plans to take over the rest of the world. If they failed then, every other region would look to Unova and point a very big finger, and demand retribution for the destruction and chaos Team Plasma would have caused. There is also the fact that the now defunct Pokémon League Council did not want to open our borders because they feared their business profits would drop due to other regions having better technologies and products. There is no grounds for this fear, and thus no reason to keep our isolationist stance. In fact, we believe many of the businesses in Unova will only prosper from open trade rather than flounder. It is also the case that trading resources with other regions will help our economy flow much better considering we are on a decline due to the War Against Plasma." I did mislead slightly here. We know the technological state of other regions and while some can be seen as technologically superior, those are subjective viewpoints. Not only that, but saying there are no grounds for fear implies we simply don't know.
It would be bad if another region had evidence that said we have spied on them liberally in the past.
After giving all the reporters time to write down my statement or take notes, I point to another person, this time a lady in an office dress and skirt.
"Champion Mason, won't it be seen badly if we are looking to connect with other regions after coming out of the War Against Plasma? We here at Sawsbuck News believe that finally connecting with those regions will be seen as being deferential at this point in time." She said plainly, but the look in her eyes tells another story.
I do my best to keep a straight face. This is going to be a long conference if these are the questions that are being asked
"It happens that while we are looking to open our borders and make connections, we are in no way going to be 'deferential' to any of them. While I cannot say the same for Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh- Galar has been wanting complete globalization for a long time now with little to no success. When looking at their plans under scrutiny, we have determined that their globalization plan has a lot of merit, and going forward we will work with them as equals. If they wanted to be superior, they would have simply attempted war." I say with finality.
The lady is not done however.
"Then why not use our position to obtain power over them? To allow their plans to commence while getting something great out of it? Wouldn't you say that we have power over them due to our military strength?" She says with a smile. Is she trying to convince me of something here?
I look at her for a few moments, before turning to Grimsley in disbelief this time. After turning back towards the reporter, I decided to shut down that line of thinking altogether.
"To boast and flaunt power, either political, economical, or from military might, can be seen as precisely what Team Plasma had done to us. They had effectively taken over the Pokémon League Council before the war started in order to obtain as much power, be it political, economical, or from military might, as they could in order to take over the region completely. They failed due to Reshiram's blessing, and N choosing to surrender that fateful day." My facial expression had not changed, but my tone certainly has.
"I refuse to do anything as they had. We do have political power, but we shall be using it to bolster our connections as equals. We have economic power, but that will be used to further improve the lives of the people and Pokémon that live in Unova. As for our military might?" I just brought out Reshiram's Pokéball, the Premier Ball that everyone has associated Reshiram with nowadays, and showed it off to the now stunned silent reporter, along with the rest of the crowd.
"Our military strength will be known to any and all other regions we connect with, but we will not be using it to stand above Galar or any other region, I am not a dictator and refuse to be anything like Ghetsis." I finish with the smallest bit of venom in my voice, as I put the Pokéball back on my belt. I stare at that reporter for a few more seconds, before looking at the rest of the crowd.
"Next questions?"