Another boom of thunder echoed throughout the city. Moxy stood in front of the gateway into the Devon Corporation's forecourt in the dead of night, and she was still grasping on Sylveon's feeler as they waited. She had to squint her eyes to see the shorthand of her water-speckled timepiece. It pointed towards nine now.
Moxy hardly ever traveled to the north city. The glass skyscrapers towering around her mirrored the world around them, and the wide streets were empty in the miserable weather. Woopers and Zigzagoon ran into alleys at the booms of thunder, and Pidoves sheltered themselves under canopies and scaffoldings.
None of the large buildings, however, could hold a dime against the Devon Corporation. It had a unique, spiral design, and Rotom drones hovered around the apex of the great skyscraper. Most likely protecting the building from any intruders coming from the sky, as it was one of the most reputable technology industries in Hoenn.
The lobby of the building cast a brilliant, white light over the forecourt. Moxy and Sylveon staggered over to a wooden bench along the tiled, straight walkway in the forecourt. Moxy's legs ached from walking, and the wet bench was a godsend in its own, uncomfortable way. The rain pelted Moxy without pause until she could see nothing through her sopping hair and dripping eyelashes.
A minute passed. Then five more as she sat there waiting. Sylveon silently endured the rain, but she shivered when the cold wind brushed against her wet fur. She inched closer to her trainer, and Moxy put her arm around her pokemon. It was uncomfortable for a second, but Sylveon's body warmed Moxy up.
"I'm sorry Sylvie. I let you down," Moxy apologized. "I wish I could take back everything I did after Dahlia died. If it meant I could go on a journey with my best friend, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
Sylveon stared at her trainer, sadness behind her big eyes.
"Now it's my fault you won't be able to see Espeon either," she added. Sylveon made a soft, miserable cry, and Moxy's heart sank. She laid her head against Sylveon's shoulder, doing her best to calm her down.
"I don't know what the future will hold. But from here on out, it'll just be you and me, Sylvie," Moxy finished as lightning flashed in the distance.
The two sat in silence.
Another ten minutes had passed, and Moxy had enough.
I guess it wasn't worth it after all, she thought, getting up from the bench. The rain had stopped hitting her at that moment. Moxy looked up to notice an umbrella hanging over her head.
"What are you doing out here?! It's pouring!" the man holding the umbrella yelled through the loud rain. Despite his yell, his voice was cool, calm, and collected. He was about six feet tall, and he was wearing a black suit under his long, black trench coat.
Moxy pulled her flopping hair behind her ears to look at him as she responded, "I was waiting for someone, but they were a no show."
Moxy noted some of the man's facial features. His most evident was his unusually long ears, but they complemented his thin and long face. His small eyes gleamed like rough emeralds and his hair was so dark Moxy couldn't see the top of his head under the black umbrella.
"Out here in the rain? You must really like this person to go through all this trouble for them,"
Moxy's pale face heated up, and she hid her embarrassment behind her hand. "No, it's nothing like that!"
He let out a small chuckle, almost inaudible in the pounding rain, before speaking up, "Just a little joke. I could lead you to a shelter until the rain passes if you'd like." The man gestured Moxy to follow him, but she stayed where she was seated. Sylveon tightened her grip on Moxy's hand, and she seemed to be pulling her back.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I don't bite. I promise."
She was much more comfortable under the shade of the umbrella than under the rain. After a few seconds, the girl sighed as she walked out of the forecourt and back onto the sidewalk, the man holding the umbrella between them. Sylveon stayed close behind, looking vigilantly at the stranger through her drooping tufts of hair.
"Something bothering you? You looked sad back there." his words melted seamlessly together like honey, and there was a lot of concern behind it. Genuine or not, she couldn't tell.
Moxy's gaze faltered. "Well… I'm going on a journey soon."
"A pokemon journey? Isn't that something to be excited for?"
"Yeah. But I'll be going alone. My best friend can't come with me."
"Why not?" he asked, but Moxy was hesitant in answering. She didn't know this person well enough to talk about it.
"Sorry," he apologized in response to her silence. "But maybe it's for the best. Some journeys are meant to be taken alone."
Moxy nodded in agreement. The two reached a park, where they saw a large gazebo in the middle. There was a single, fluorescent lightbulb hanging in the middle.
"There. That should be good enough," The man said, pointing at the gazebo. Sylveon ran ahead of them, eager to get out of the heavy rain. When she was safe, she ruffled her fur, scattering water all over the place. Thunder boomed again as Moxy and the man entered the shelter. The man put away his umbrella, and Moxy noticed his unkempt hairstyle, like dark icicles protruding downwards from his head.
The man looked out into the rain, and Moxy remembered her manners. "Um… thank you."
"Before I go, I have a question for you," he started randomly, leaning his back against one of the pillars of the gazebo.
"Um, sure. Go for it."
"Have you ever wished the world could be a better place?"
Moxy cringed. His question was even more random, but she decided to play along. He did make an effort to walk her here after all. "A better place? For me or you? Everyone has a different opinion on world views."
"Not for me, or you, but for mankind itself. Do you think mankind is logically and morally satisfied with where it is?"
"Where... is this coming from exactly?" she tilted her head slightly.
"Oh. I work at Devon. I like to make time to hear the ideologies people have about the world," he explained. Moxy was a little satisfied with his answer, but she still wanted to be careful about what she said to him.
"How about you tell me what you think first, so I get a better idea."
The man smirked. "Discreet about your dispositions. In my opinion, the world is slowly dying. We've reached an age where mankind no longer wants to strive forward. Too content with where we are and allowing nature to take more steps into destroying us."
Moxy laughed dryly. "If you work as a comedian part-time, then you're really nailing the comedic relief here. Nature destroying us? That's crazy talk."
"Could be," the man said, his smirk unchanged. "But look around you. At all this rain."
As he finished that sentence, Moxy's senses were heightened. The damp scent of the water, the deafening rain beating the ground without pause, and the whistling wind coursing through her soggy hair as the storm grew stronger than ever. Just thinking about it made her feel small to such a primordial force.
"Do you know what happens when it rains for a long time? Floods. What about when the ocean rages? Storms and hurricanes. We will always be in an ever-constant battle with nature. We need to evolve in order to defeat it."
"So that's your latest project at Devon? To stop the rain?" she said sarcastically, "Aren't there pokemon that can already control the weather?"
"No. Pokemon can only control a small portion of an area for a limited amount of time. Even that takes a lot of strain. And it isn't just the weather. Every year, the water level rises by an inch from rain and melting glaciers. That's a year closer to the end of the world."
Now it just sounded like he was pitching some kind of crazy cult belief on her. "Well even if you could change it, should you? Changing the way the world works has to have consequences."
"A small price to pay for humanity's future."
His answer was disconcerting to her, and it seemed like his mind was completely made up about the topic. "Yeah, whatever you say. Fighting the rules of nature is like dueling a Haxorus with nothing but a stick. It's impossible."
"That's where you're wrong, Moxy," The man said, his eyes narrowed at her.
Danger instantly rang inside of Moxy's head, and she didn't miss a second to whistle for her pokemon. Sylveon jumped in front of her, her tiny fangs barred at the mysterious man.
"How the hell do you know my name?" she demanded, planting a foot in front of her. The man put his hands up casually.
"Calm down, I wanted to make sure you weren't tricking me. You did come out of the police captain's home before going to Devon, after all."
"Yeah, his son is my best friend, and I'm an ace trainer. If you don't answer me, I'll have my pokemon rip your throat out. So don't take another step like your life depends on it!" she threatened. Sylveon acknowledged her trainer with a sharp bark.
"Ryker was right when he said you had a little anger temperament," he answered, a smirk growing on his face.
"Huh, so you're the mysterious man I was supposed to meet with."
The man nodded. "That's correct. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm only here to help you. Because together, we can change the world."
"Wait," Moxy started in disbelief. "You were being serious about that thing with mankind and nature?"
"It's serious all right. We wouldn't go through all this trouble for no reason."
"We? As in you and Ryker? Who are you?"
"My name is Aiden, and I work for an organization whose goal is... well I gave you a little idea. But we are ambitious. And if you want, you could be a part of that."
"What is your organization? Stop messing around."
"Can't say. Not yet anyway."
"What is it with all the cloak and dagger?" Moxy exasperated, "Fine, what can you tell me?"
"That if you help us, we'll help you. I know you're an orphan. Your parents gave you away at birth. Lucky for you, the headmistress took you under her wing. She spoiled and taught you until you were twelve before she was killed in a hit-and-run next to a league official. She wasn't the target; the official was. Once Nicole took over, she made you and every orphan there miserable. She beat you for trying to escape, and then you set the orphanage on fire with a couple of kids and Nicole inside. You went to prison. And now nobody will even bat an eye at you. So you steal and rob because it makes you feel better."
Moxy lowered her eyebrows. "How do you know so much about me?"
"Ryker filled me in," he responded plainly, and Moxy mentally facepalmed herself. Aiden continued, "But you and I are alike. I was an orphan too. In Lilycove. And now I'm offering you what you've been searching for your whole life."
"And... what would that be?" Moxy asked.
"A true home," Aiden stressed compassionately. "A purpose. A place where you can fit in, and a place where nobody will reject you ever again."
Moxy was silent. Sylveon stomped her feet impatiently, but Moxy knew she wouldn't dare move without her command.
"I won't force you," Aiden spoke up. "You can contact me on this phone. But don't take too long. My offer ends at sunrise."
Aiden reached for his pocket, but Sylveon's bark brought his attention. He gazed at the pokemon, whose ears were flattened against her head.
"You have a protective partner," he stated, a hint of admiration in his eyes. He pulled out a gray flip phone. "Keep her close to you."
Moxy barely caught the phone when he tossed it to her. Aiden opened his umbrella again and walked into the rain. Sylveon was about to go after him, but Moxy snapped her finger.
"We're okay now, Sylvie." She knelt and placed a hand on Sylveon's back as they watched Aiden disappear into the fog.
Moxy looked at the phone in her hand, unsure of how to process everything Aiden had told her. It sounded like something she should run far away from, but at the same time, she had nowhere to run to. It was her against the world, and as much as she denied it, her goal is insurmountable. Especially without Charles by her side. She stared down at Sylveon, whose gaze was still following Aiden through the hammering rain. Moxy ruffled the hair between Sylveon's ears, and the pokemon licked Moxy's hand in return.
What would she do if her pokemon went hungry? Would she steal and risk everything as she has always done, or would she starve herself to make sure her pokemon would be fed? However, she had an opportunity now. People who wanted her, supposedly. And according to Aiden, she wouldn't have to worry about a thing. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give this a shot.
No, Moxy shook her head.
As much as it pained her, the most honorable way out was to struggle. She couldn't give up on her dreams just yet. If she could win tournaments, she might be able to make enough money to make a living. She could maybe get a part-time job with someone who didn't care about five-year-old records. She wouldn't steep low. She didn't need help from anyone. Once she was free of that orphanage, she was a woman capable of anything she put her mind to.
"The orphanage!" Moxy's heart skipped a beat, too enraptured with her sadness to think of something as mundane as the orphanage. Moxy dreaded what punishment awaited her once she arrived as she and Sylveon bounded for the streets, disappearing into the darkness of the rain.