Moxy walked out of the medical ward. The tunnel was as crowded as ever, and she winced as a bright-eyed Chimchar screeched farther down the tunnel. Its tail was wrapped around a female grunts shoulder, and she looked none too happy about the screech either.
Moxy looked to her left, and she spotted Aiden leaning against the tunnel wall. Sylveon was curled up beside him, and she jumped to her feet as soon as her gaze met Moxy's. Aiden, however, was fixated on a tiny, glass object in his palms.
"Hey," she called to him.
Aiden instinctively pocketed the object into his red slacks before Moxy could tell what it was.
"That took you a while," Aiden replied. "Well, how were your scores?"
"O-oh," Moxy was unprepared for his follow-up, for she still thought about the object Aiden was hiding from her. She simply pulled out the pink slip Chloe gave her and handed it to him. He read the paper for a few seconds before looking back up at Moxy.
"Eighty-three in medical?" he asked in surprise.
"Well, I do have some experience in life and death," she answered back amusingly.
"I know you're joking around, but don't joke about that," Aiden said, a worried crease in his eyebrows.
"Oh. Sorry..." Moxy mumbled.
"This is really good, Moxy," he said after skimming through her other scores. "No way is Tabitha going to turn you down after this. C'mon, let's go."
She nodded, and the three made their way down to the Hub again. This time they went through the tunnel that read COMMAND, which Moxy assumed were the meeting rooms. There weren't many grunts walking through here, which made the place feel empty and somewhat eerie. Moxy peered around the numerous doorways that lined the walls. It looked vaguely similar to a hallway in a school. After taking a right, she found there were only two doors. The hallway continued until an intersection, but Aiden led her to the door directly to the right side of the fluorescent tunnel. A steel plate on the side of the door read 'Tabitha', and Aiden knocked on the door.
"One moment!" Moxy heard Tabitha's call from inside. A tiny voice at her feet made it to her ears. Sylveon was pawing at Moxy's leg, and her eyes glimmered as if she were still an Eevee. The pokemon's stomach growled.
"Oh." Moxy knelt down to her pokemon's level. "We'll get some food after this, okay? I promise."
Sylveon bowed her head down and got a little closer to Moxy. She was about to pull her pokemon into a hug when Sylveon suddenly licked her face. The tip of her nose up to her forehead was greased with saliva.
"Oh! You-" Moxy wiped the slobber off her face before she dived for the sly pokemon. With a tiny yap, Sylveon jumped backward, and Moxy ended up with her face planted on the floor.
She and Sylveon stared at each other for a second before they both burst into laughter. A small snort arose from behind her, and she turned to see Aiden hiding a hand behind his mouth.
But she froze when the door to Tabitha's office suddenly swung open. Tabitha's large figure appeared in the doorway, only to find Moxy sprawled on the ground, her face slick with drool. Without hesitation, Moxy clambered up to her feet and wiped her face.
"You're both here." One of Tabitha's thin eyebrows cocked at Aiden, "I assume she's completed the exam?"
Aiden nodded in response.
"Right this way, then," Tabitha gestured them inside. Moxy took hold of one of Sylveon's feelers and led her inside.
Upon first glance, the office wasn't anything special. Just like most of the base, gray tiles surrounded the room. In the middle was an L-shaped desk with a high-tech computer sitting on its short end. On the long end, various papers were stacked neatly on top of each other. A banner of the Team Magma insignia at the back. Besides those two items, Tabitha had little else in the room that would give Moxy an insight into his personality. Moxy positioned herself to make the Team Magma salute, but Tabitha waved his hand.
"No need for that," Tabitha said as he lumbered into the red office chair behind his desk. "Now, let's see those scores."
Aiden placed Moxy's pink slip of paper on the desk. Moxy held her breath when the Admin took the paper. She could see his tiny pupils move back and forth as he read.
After less than a minute, he set the slip down and scratched the top of his head. "Not too bad. Did Chloe note anything special when she reviewed the test?"
"Only that I would be a good fit in Medical," Moxy said, if not a little too boastful for her taste.
"Yes, yes, an eighty-three is no laughing matter," Tabitha opined before leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, "but these scores aren't what make an auxiliarus."
Moxy's heart rate spiked again. Is he turning me down?
"I'm... confused, sir." Moxy tilted her head for good measure.
"Don't get me wrong. You would be an excellent candidate. And I trust both Aiden and Chloe with their evaluations. But it's that trust that I need from you. So, tell me, Moxy. How can I trust you?" Tabitha asked.
Moxy opened her mouth to speak, but her tongue disobeyed her. She didn't know what to say.
"Better yet," Tabitha corrected himself, "do you know exactly what it means to be a part of Team Magma? Do you have any idea what we are trying to achieve?"
Moxy recalled her talk with Aiden back in Rustboro. "Umm, I was told we were supposed to change the world. F-for the betterment of all manki-"
Tabitha shook his head when he interrupted her, "I'm sure that's what Aiden told you. You've already seen a little bit of how things work around here. What do you really think?"
"Honestly, not as much as I would like. Too many things are kept secret here."
"I could say the same about you. I did my homework. You won a tournament based in Rustboro. You went to a top trainer's school. Why give all that up for Team Magma?"
I didn't have much of a choice at the time, the truth was clearer than glass. Moxy crossed her arms. That was the exact opposite of what Tabitha would want to hear.
"The cons outweighed my benefits," she decided to say instead. "I lived under a thumb. I was ridiculed and treated like an outcast because of a stupid mistake I made in the past. I lost my friends and family. I never would have made it by myself once I was kicked out of the orphanage. I want more out of my life, and I believe working with Team Magma will give me that better life. A life where I can live happily with my family."
Tabitha put a hand under his chin. "Family?"
"Me, my pokemon, and my friends," she emphasized. Charles' face appeared in her mind when she said that.
One day, she really hoped she and Charles could be happy again. To be at his side, laughing and talking about her dreams like she always did with him. If what she thought about Team Magma was true, then those dreams could be a possibility.
No, they would be.
Tabitha seemed to be gazing at his desk in thought while Moxy was daydreaming. With his chubby appearance, it looked kind of cute. After a few seconds, his eyes darted towards Moxy.
"I'm happy to hear you say that. Because being a part of Team Magma means giving up a small piece of yourself for the cause. For the family." Tabitha finally said.
"Alright then. I shall promote you."
Moxy couldn't help the giddy feeling wiggling in her body. she made sure to stay still, despite her heart ready to burst like fireworks.
"However," Tabitha held up a finger, "I require one thing from you."
Moxy's adrenaline left the moment it came. It's always something, isn't it?
"An oath."
Moxy raised an eyebrow. Aiden gave her a reassuring nod.
"All intio must take it if they want to be promoted," Tabitha explained when he saw her expression. "It's proof that you're bound to Team Magma. Until death."
U-Until death? She shuddered at the thought. Moxy kept her eyes focused on Tabitha, but she was starting to feel like one of those poor saps on the news who got roped into joining that mafia based in Kanto.
Then again, Team Magma could technically be a mafia, she corrected herself before looking to Aiden. He just shrugged. As always.
"So, what will it be?" Tabitha broke her thoughts.
"I..." she started. It was a difficult decision. Two eyes burned through her back. Sylveon's, who had placed herself right beside the exit of the Admin's office. Moxy didn't want to break their promise, but...
"I accept," she concluded.
They were just a bunch of words. Oaths were only created because people couldn't keep those promises anyway. Sylveon would understand.
"Splendid! Now, repeat after me..." Tabitha trailed off before rummaging through one of his desk drawers. Moxy glanced at Sylveon behind her.
The pokemon's feelers had snaked upwards in passive-aggressiveness. She was glaring at her.
She'll understand, Moxy repeated in her mind.
"Ahem," Tabitha started, and Moxy whipped around to face him. He was standing now, and there was a tiny, black device in his hand. It looked like a recorder.
"Hold your right arm up and put your left hand on your chest, like this." Tabitha imitated the gesture quickly for her. She did as he said. Aiden had crossed his arms casually, and he gave Moxy an amused look.
"Repeat after me. Miles iurat erunt exequi omnia, ut in communi imperat," Tabitha recited in Arcanese after pressing a button on the black device.
"Meeles iroot exec q-qui omnia, ut in ko-muny imperaat," Moxy copied, doing her best to roll her R's just as Tabitha did.
"erunt numquam deserto servitium..."
"Er-erunt numquam deserto serve-itaam..."
"et non erit nunquam, ne mors in pugna, si generalis vult..."
"Et non eret nunquam, ne mors en pugna, see generales vult..."
"Ave Magma!" Tabitha finished with a triumphant yell, and she could hear the sound of his fist beating his chest as he performed the Magma salute.
"Ave Magma," she followed after, just not as enthusiastically.
"Don't be so modest. You're a full-fledged member now! Ayahaha!" Tabitha cheered and pressed another button on the black device before slipping it in his right pocket.
"What did all that mean?" Moxy asked.
"Hyun? Oh, I forget you aren't well-versed in Arcanese. Loosely, the translation is as follows: the soldier swears they shall execute all that the general commands, they shall never desert service, and they shall never avoid death in combat if the general wills it. Hail Magma!"
Talk about overly-exercised patriotism, Moxy thought to herself when Tabitha cheered that finishing statement yet again.
"Anyways." Tabitha calmed himself before sitting back down. "I'm sure everyone has kept you in the dark about exactly what Team Magma is trying to achieve. Now that you're auxiliarus, I'm required to fill in some of your blanks. So, what have you heard so far?"
Moxy placed a finger under her chin. "Well, the first time I met Aiden, he told me about trying to permanently change the weather. I heard we might have a better life after we finish whatever it is we are trying to do." Moxy shut her eyes, trying to remember anything else, but alas she could not.
"You have a few pieces, but not the entire picture. As you can probably tell, we aren't just common criminals after something as meager as changing the weather. Think about the League. The regions and their leaders. What do you know about them?"
"I don't really follow politics," Moxy responded. She'd wished Tabitha would stop asking her all these vague questions and get to the point.
"I'll give you my perspective." Tabitha started, sliding one of his pudgy fists onto his desk. "Our 'government' is a shame on society, and their politics are but childish games. A game only the privileged win. Because in the end, the bottom-feeders of the world are the ones who suffer when these… imbeciles make mistakes."
Moxy crossed her arms, unsure what Tabitha meant by all this. Sure, the League pressured the public with all their laws, but wasn't that a requirement? To keep the public safe?
"I'm surprised you don't feel this way. Think about your own situation, Moxy."
"My... situation?" she raised an eyebrow.
"You're wanted for a major crime."
"You know about that?"
"Ayaha! Every city knows! It was covered on almost every news outlet. Young girl steals a ruby from a high-security museum just when it was sold to the Unovan kingdom the previous week. Of course, they found their precious gemstone the very next day."
"That wasn't me," Moxy replied adamantly. "I never stole that ruby. I was framed by the police captain, Walter."
"So, you understand, then? This is what the League does. They use people, just like they used you. You've become a common enemy to the public, a scapegoat for Unova. Doesn't that make your blood boil? Don't you want to do something about it?"
Moxy clenched her fist. "Of course I do. But what does any of this have to do with Team Magma?"
"It has everything to do with us. Because our primary goal... is to destroy the League."
"What?!" Moxy exclaimed. "Destroy the government? We're anarchists?"
"Far from it. Our leader wants to make the League obsolete. He'll create a world where all people can live fairly. No more wealthy. No more lower-class. No more war… only peace."
Tabitha made it sound like a paradise. This is exactly what Ryker had told her back in Rustboro, and it was exactly what Moxy wanted for Sylveon and Charles. To live in peace with them, pursue her dream of becoming Champion, and never look back on all the crimes she had committed.
But why did it feel like there was a catch?
Before Moxy could speak, Tabitha rifled through his desk again and pulled out a thin, yellow file. "Have you ever heard the legend of the Super-Ancient pokemon?"
Moxy tilted her head. "Are you talking about the Regis?"
Tabitha darted his mahogany eyes up at her. "No. They aren't as old as this legend. Long ago, a great and mighty pokemon ruled all of Hoenn. From the scriptures and research that we've found, it's believed that this pokemon could literally create new landmasses."
Moxy widened her eyes. A pokemon that can create land?
"I can tell from your expression that you've heard not a shred of this. As a member of Team Magma, your main objective is to find this pokemon. It is the first step in our grand plan of making the world a better place for mankind."
Tabitha placed a picture from inside the file on his desk, and he waved his hand over it. "We found this mural a few weeks ago in Dewford. It was sealed away by the League, but we managed to uncover it."
Moxy looked at the picture. The mural in question was lit up by a camera flash. Moxy saw a crude drawing of a huge beast. It was breathing fire towards the sky, and it towered over the numerous drawings of volcanoes, all erupting at its roar. An odd symbol was engraved on each of the beast's arms. It looked familiar to Moxy, but she didn't know why. In the upper lefthand corner was a large blot of ink, which Moxy figured was the sun. The mural was magnificent, but it also filled Moxy with a sense of dread.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Tabitha chimed in. Moxy looked up at him and tilted her head.
More like chaotic, she thought. She placed the photo back down on Tabitha's desk.
"So, what does this mean?"
"It's proof that the legend is true. And to make things even more interesting, we've discovered the location of where the beast slumbers."
"R-really?" Moxy exclaimed. "Then couldn't we just go and catch it right now?"
Tabitha shook his head. "It isn't quite so simple. According to the archive we deciphered, we have two, major problems. First, its lair is too deep in the ocean. Our submarines can't travel that far down without the pressure of the ocean destroying them."
Moxy scratched her head. "I'm guessing digging a path underneath it isn't an option?"
Tabitha smirked. "That will take too long, and our excavations will draw unwanted attention. There's another, simpler solution that Aiden can debrief you about later."
Moxy looked at Aiden, and he responded with a silent nod. She turned back towards Tabitha.
"And the second part?"
Tabitha crossed his fingers together in his chair before speaking. "Awakening the beast. Apparently, it only responds to a certain type of energy. A primal one lost to the ancients. We don't know exactly what it is, but I'm hopeful that you will help us find these answers."
"Oh. Of course. I'll do whatever I can." Moxy responded, eliciting a smile from Tabitha. This was a lot of information for her to digest. However, it seemed Team Magma was true to their word. They really were trying to create a new world.
"Excellent." Tabitha said. "Before I let you and Aiden go, could you tell me what division you are joining?"
"Infiltration," Moxy answered without so much as a thought.
"Following in Aiden's footsteps, hm?"
Moxy crossed her arms and gave him a shy smile. Tabitha opened his desk drawer again, and after a bit of fishing he pulled out a piece of paper.
"Aiden, take her to records so she can file her division request," Tabitha continued before handing Moxy the paper.
"Now that you're an auxiliarus, you should go down to our armory for your new ID card and outfit. Chloe will also give you a free starter if you so choose to add another pokemon to your party."
"Thank you, sir." Moxy bowed her head. She was just itching to get her hands on that spectacular horned hoodie. Things were finally looking up.
"Well, I bid you adieu. Give Quinn my regards."
"Wait, what?" Moxy tilted her head, "Q-Quinn's here or something?"
"Hyun? No, you'll be reporting to him. He is the Admin in charge of the Infiltration division, after all," Tabitha said, smiling wily at the end of his sentence.
...
WHAT?!