I considered titling this chapter "Mr. Ashland Goes To Gardenia" or something to that effect, but I decided to stick with what I'd originally planned. I hit a bit of a wall with this one, but I was able to chisel through it. That's the three-word piece of advice I give to anyone who's considering writing, that I wish I took more seriously myself: Just Do It.
Twenty people have now favorited this story. To have such an endorsement from 20 people scattered across the globe is pretty gratifying. It tells me that people are enjoying this tale, which makes me want to churn more chapters out more rapidly. Enjoy this one!
Current music: Rose-Colored Boy - Paramore
Don't ask me how, but I swiftly located Skipper and Lucy just outside the black market. So swiftly, in fact, that I could hardly believe I'd gotten lost in the first place.
"Took you long enough!" Skipper barked.
"Sorry" I mouthed, because what else was I supposed to say?
Skipper glared at me. "You shouldn't go wandering off on your own like that. Even though Emperor's Garden is a pretty safe city, no place is completely safe if you are stupid."
"I'm not stupid" I insisted weakly.
"Well, you could've fooled me, wandering away from us like that. From here on out, let's stick together."
Lucy sighed. "You know, we're well behind schedule for when we're supposed to get back. Barrett thought he'd need an hour to change into his tuxedo?"
"Right" I responded, dreading what Lucy had to say next.
"Well," she continued, "that's a problem, because it's almost 3 PM right now according to that clock. The meeting starts at four. So we'd better hurry."
"I'm not scared of much," Skipper remarked, "but I really don't want to let our allies down."
We scurried back to the castle. This time, I did my best not to pay attention to the floating chyrons above the heads of Gardenian citizens. (In hindsight, it would have made sense to take off my VR glasses so that I couldn't see those words in the first place.)
Before we could enter that castle, however, I needed to talk to these two. It was a conversation I had to have soon, because the offer I'd been granted would expire within twenty-four hours. (Come to think of it, had Douglas mentioned what time of day we were supposed to arrive?)
"There's something you two need to know" I muttered.
Skipper frowned, stone-faced. "Is it more important than being on time for the meeting? Or can it wait until after we address the Senate?"
"I don't want to forget," I replied bluntly. "And I might forget if…".
"Fine," Skipper said. "If it's quick."
"Okay," I began with a sigh. "It's a short story. When I got separated from you two, I ended up in the black market. I could tell it was a black market because they were selling illegal stuff - things that wouldn't fly if Emperor Cambridge had anything to say about it."
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "And? Did you buy some porno magazines?"
"What the hell, Lucy? I'm sixteen, I'm too young for that! Anyway, I came across Douglas Infernape again, the guy we saw outside the casino. And he said that if I came back tomorrow, he'd tell me something that concerns all worlds."
"All worlds…" Skipper trailed off. "Barrett, did he mean all countries within the Garden of the Second Sun?"
I shook my head. "It sure didn't sound that way. He said it mattered for those on the surface as well."
At this point, I knew I needed to tread carefully. Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but eventually, I would have to spill the beans about how I'd truly ended up outside Wildebush that day. Or at least, what had happened before that.
"Why should we care what happens on the surface?" Skipper replied. "You do remember how they treated us in the past, right?"
"Uh…" I mouthed.
Oh, shit. If I don't know this world's lore, my secret's really in trouble!
"We're almost out of time," Lucy said softly. "It's past three now."
"No, Barrett needs to know this," Skipper snapped. Turning to me: "You see, Barrett, you have to understand that we're at odds with those on the surface. Communities of animals called humans have terrorized our kind since time immemorial."
"Interesting" I blurted out, trying to pay lip service without making Skipper suspicious.
But he's my friend and roommate. He brought me back from the sleep of the devils. If I can't trust him, I can't trust anyone.
Skipper continued. "It's no laughing matter, Barrett. It really isn't."
"I never said it was."
"Anyway, there are events on the surface that are often referred to as great extinctions. One example was when those creatures called dinosaurs were wiped out by a massive asteroid. The humans are doing it to themselves again by burning all those fossil fuels like there's no tomorrow, for some of them actually believe there's no tomorrow!"
"That's awful" I mouthed. Of course, I already knew most of what Skipper was saying; say what you will about the Institute, but they'd at least taught us about climate change.
"It really is," Lucy said. "To make a long story short, us Pokémon are very glad our ancestors migrated inward as conditions on the surface became increasingly hostile for us."
"She's right, you know," Skipper pointed out. "When we ruled the surface, we treated the land with far more respect than humans. We recognized that there was life before us, and there will be life after us, so we need to use our resources responsibly for the sake of future generations."
That's reasonable. Sounds like what they taught us at Sacred Heart about how indigenous peoples managed their environment without trying to control it.
"Humans aren't like that, though?" I asked, trying to throw them off the scent of the former human that was I, Barrett Ashland.
"Not remotely" Skipper said severely. "In fact, they insist on driving their gas-guzzling cars, and they always say drill baby drill even when it comes at the cost of their own well-being. It's all for short-term profits, and none of their lip service will ever be enough. If anything, it's insulting that they pretend to be doing something, when they're still doing less than nothing!"
Now, I'd long since figured out that there is no good time in the average day to tell a group of Pokémon that you haven't always been one of their kind. However, it still stung to have a pair of your best Pokémon friends rant about humankind when you were unable to defend yourself.
"Anyway," Skipper panted, evidently calming down slightly. "You were saying…?"
"Yes. Douglas wanted to see us in the black market tomorrow. We can plan to be there around lunchtime. And then he'll tell us about whatever pertains to all worlds."
"What could he possibly have to tell us that's any worse than what we already know?" Lucy wondered aloud. "About humans, I mean?"
Humans aren't all bad, you know. There's Danny Sham, there's my mom. My dad…well, maybe not my dad. But you're only seeing the worst of humanity, not the best.
"I don't know, but we'd better find out," Skipper muttered.
Lucy gasped. "Skipper? Are you serious?"
"I'm serious, Lucy. Dead fucking serious. I'd rather have more information than less. We're from the land of eternal light; I don't want to get left in the dark."
This conversation would have to continue at a later time, though, because Commander Maisie lumbered into the foyer, her face pointed directly at the ground.
Is she ashamed of something? That's what my social-thinking groups always told me about body language.
But that was not the case, because the Arcanine then tilted her eyes at us and shouted the following words like a banshee:
"I'M PISSED!"
I flinched at the sudden loud noise, but Commander Maisie wasn't done yelling.
"Guys, you almost blew up the whole meeting for all of us! If you were a few minutes later, you might have to show up in your birthday suits! And that just wouldn't do!"
If by "birthday suit" you mean not wearing any clothes at all, I've got news for you: Most of us don't wear clothes to begin with.
"Get in!" Maisie barked. "Right now! You need to get dressed, because the Senate building isn't in the castle!"
Well, putting the tuxedo on once more was easier said than done. I struggled mightily with the buttons, a task made even more challenging by the need to avoid damaging the suit with my claws. But at least it didn't take a whole hour.
The Emperor's Garden Senate building towered over most of the rest of the city's structures. That being said, it was still far less prominent than the castle - perhaps that was meant to serve as a reminder that Emperor Cambridge was large and in charge.
"Wow" I mouthed as I noticed the coat of arms for Gardenia emblazoned above the twenty-foot-tall doors. "That's quite something."
"Well, you should expect it to be. That's where the legislature meets after all" Commander Maisie responded matter-of-factly. Her earlier outburst didn't seem forgotten exactly, but she at least wasn't yelling anymore.
I fixed my eyes on the Gardenian emblem displayed so prominently on the building's facade. It was a circular symbol with scarlet and crimson rings, as well as a scarlet flame in the middle surrounded by an eight-pointed star. The label was probably in Latin, but that did not matter, for my VR glasses translated it immediately: REPUBLIC OF GARDENIA - LAND OF FIRE.
"That's pretty cool" I said. "Land of Fire."
"We're going to be late if we don't enter," Lucy pointed out. "We have to go through security and all that."
So I reluctantly tore myself away from gazing at the coat of arms and walked through the doorway. After we made our way through the metal detectors (which hardly seemed necessary, because it should've been abundantly clear we had no metal on us), I glanced around the hallway, feeling rather like a Torchic whose head had been cut off.
"This way, you three," Commander Maisie told us, pointing to the right and leading us down that hallway. However, Lucy noticed something I hadn't.
"It says the Senate floor is in the opposite direction; aren't we going the wrong way?" the sky blue derg asked.
Commander Maisie shook her head feverishly. "You're going to the VIP box today. Anyone who testifies is meant to sit there - that makes you important, after all."
Oh wow. I guess we're VIPs - Very Important Pokémon. But what have I ever done to be important, besides be a victim of random chance?
The atmosphere within the halls basically oozed professionalism. Fire-type Pokémon wearing fancy suits, either Senators or their staff, milled about rapidly as though they all had somewhere they had to be soon. Which, of course, they presumably did.
Commander Maisie escorted us up a few flights of stairs. As she did so, she explained how the meeting would work.
"There are fifty members of the Senate here in Gardenia. Because Emperor Cambridge believed it was an impediment to governance and generally getting things done, the filibuster was abolished several years ago. As such, it only takes a simple majority to pass whatever initiative is being voted on, which then goes to the Emperor for his signature."
"Sounds like a great system" I muttered.
Commander Maisie grunted, but didn't look me in the eye. "That wasn't sarcasm, was it?"
"No, of course not. It really sounds like it works well."
And that was the truth. How often did Congressional gridlock thanks to the Senate filibuster make the news on the surface, at least in the United States? The answer was often!
"In any case," Commander Maisie continued, "you're going to have to testify during the meeting. I think Lucy and Barrett would be the most effective messengers for the point we're trying to advance."
At first, being told I was an effective messenger felt like a compliment. But it took me about five seconds, not even, to realize what the Arcanine implied.
"You want me…to testify?" I wondered aloud.
"Well, the safety of Wildebush could depend on it," Commander Maisie pointed out. "I've heard about the attacks from those bronze beasts, the Fighting Polygons as some have dubbed them. So you'll have to make a convincing case that your village should be given aid against those enemies."
"Oh yeah" I mouthed. Quite frankly, the last few days had been filled with so much intrigue that I'd almost forgotten the reason we were in Emperor's Garden in the first place. "Do I need a script?"
Commander Maisie raised an eyebrow. "Do you? It's a little late for that, Barrett."
"I know. It's just…".
"Honestly, you're probably better off without one," Skipper suggested. "Raw emotion is better - you don't want it to sound fake."
"He's got a point," the Arcanine told me. "You need to sound articulate, but not like you rehearsed it all several times."
That's a fine line to walk. Basically a burning tightrope. But I'll try, because like Commander Maisie said, the future of Wildebush hangs in the balance.
We reached the ornate door labeled VIP BOX. As fascinating as the architecture of the Senate building was, such as chandeliers everywhere that didn't look like they were made of Sawsbuck antlers, I could hardly enjoy it.
I didn't have much experience with public speaking. There'd been a few occasions when I'd needed to present a project to my classmates during one of the Institute's academic sessions, and those had wracked my nerves to no small degree. However, the worst thing that could happen if I choked on said presentation was that I'd get a bad grade, and how much did grades really matter when you were stuck at Sacred Heart? (The answer: Very little.)
In this case, of course, the stakes were far higher. My testimony would no doubt be held to a much higher standard than something in class, and what was more, I'd have a much wider audience while giving it. If I choked here, I would be the laughingstock of the inner world, and my adopted hometown of Wildebush would pay the price.
"No pressure, Barrett" Commander Maisie told me as she led us into the VIP box. "You'll do great."
The safety of my village hangs by a thread, and I'm holding it. No pressure!
The VIP box was roughly several stories above the Senate floor. Seventy feet below sat a crimson-carpeted area with fifty desks arranged in five rows of ten; I surmised that's where the Senators sat whenever the body was in session. Given my present inability to fly, the height made my head spin.
If I didn't look down, however, I saw that the ceiling contained, would you look at that, a chandelier. There was also a stained-glass mosaic of what looked like Arceus, that staglike deity Pokémon who'd granted my wish not long ago. But as I glanced at the Senators filing into the chamber, I almost wanted to take that wish back.
I would need to speak from on high, from a proverbial mountaintop, when every single pair of eyes in that room would be fixated on me. And, as stated above, failing in this endeavor would be far more catastrophic than merely failing a class at school.
From this vantage point, I could see the Senators talking to one another about matters that, for all I knew, might be incredibly mundane. With a stab of envy, I realized that they had the privilege of viewing the issue from a very detached perspective. Their country wasn't the one on the line, after all.
"Sit down, Barrett," Commander Maisie told me. "They're not going to start yet."
"Oh. Right" I replied gratefully, taking a deep breath and doing as I was told. I sighed with relief at the knowledge that I had a bit more time to prepare mentally.
The testimony was only deferred, though, I thought bitterly. It was not denied entirely.
Emperor Cambridge soon lumbered into the Senate chamber, making his way to the chair in the middle. From the limited C-Span coverage I'd seen of the U.S. Congress, I knew that the Speaker of the House or Vice President sat in the analogous chair in the legislative chambers of my own country. I assumed the Emperor's role here was similar.
When Cambridge reached his designated seat, he used his mouth to adjust the microphone (which could hardly be sanitary) and began to speak.
"Good afternoon, Gardenia. Of course, we are not speaking solely to the citizens of Gardenia, as we have some special guests with us today."
By "special guests", he's talking about us four, isn't he?
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ammy in the seat right behind me. Maybe the mayor of Wildebush could serve as a soothing presence when I spoke, but I had my doubts that it would add comfort. In all likelihood, only the pressure would increase.
"These four," Cambridge continued, "are from the village of Wildebush. They have an important matter to testify about, but we must first address other issues that may not take as much time. So let's get started. Senator Cork?"
The meeting started, and at first I was on the edge of my seat, my stomach scrunched up into a medicine ball of anxiety. At any moment, I might be called upon to talk, and I needed to be ready for that.
After five minutes went by without such an event occurring, I sank a little more deeply into my chair. Ten minutes, and my eyelids felt heavy. After twenty minutes, I was struggling to stay awake.
The Senators droned on and on about whatever they saw fit to discuss. Most of the issues seemed like topics only policy wonks would care about, whereas us normies had no clue what they were speaking of. I noticed Mayor Ammy nodding every so often, but I was close to doing a different sort of nodding.
Emperor Cambridge, after what felt like a couple hours of us sitting beneath the chandelier and the hot lights (which only exacerbated my drowsiness), adjusted his microphone once again. Then, he said something that caught my attention.
"The Emperor recognizes Lucy Charizard of Wildebush. Will the aforementioned Pokémon please stand up?"
Oh, great. Now it's Lucy's turn, which means soon it'll be MY turn. That's just wonderful, isn't it?
"Is there a microphone here?" Lucy asked, to which Ammy nodded.
Lucy grabbed the microphone that was attached to the VIP box's railing and cleared her throat. Then, she started speaking.
"My name is Lucy Charizard. I'm sixteen years old, and I'm from the village of Wildebush. I want to protect my village from the bronze beasts, so much so that I trekked for four days to reach this beautiful city and ask you all for aid.
"Now, I've lived in Wildebush my whole life. I've always known the village to be a very safe place, free from all the creatures that roam in the jungle and pose a threat to us. But there was one moment that disabused me of that notion more than any other."
My heart rate quickened, and I couldn't help but wonder what, precisely, Lucy was about to mention. Somehow, I believed it was something I'd feel self-conscious about. This fear was confirmed when Lucy continued her testimony.
"You see," Lucy said, "on a beautiful day not long ago, I went to a river near the village in order to go fishing with my friends - Copper Charizard, who is not here today, as well as Skipper and Barrett, who are both Charmander and are both present here. At any rate, we were having a relaxing, pleasant day by the river when the unexpected happened."
At this point, forget self-consciousness; if a genie had come before me and given me the option to sink through the floor, I might well have taken it. Anything to avoid the discomfort of hearing about the unexpected again, let alone being the center of attention.
"An Araquanid was in that river, and when Barrett tried to reel it in, he was dragged into the river and forced to fight that creature. He defended us from the Araquanid, and shortly thereafter he grew wings."
My face was practically burning by now. As flattering as Lucy's description of me may have been, it was still more than a little awkward to be talked about in these terms in front of a national Senate!
"Let's fast forward a few days. I was in the middle of my History class at Wildebush Central School when a voice came over the loudspeaker. We were all told to go to the cafeteria, where Principal Gloom - the head of the school - had an announcement to make.
"Principal Gloom told us that a group of bronze monsters dubbed the Flying Polygon Team attacked the school's gym while students were playing dodgeball. And the students fought back - there were no deaths among us, though there were a few injuries. One of them was Barrett, whom I waited for outside the ER later that day."
At this point, I was ready to hurl, pass out, or maybe both. Neither would help my case when it became my time to speak.
"The point I'm trying to make," Lucy said after a long, pregnant pause, "is that we very often assume that our carefree life is going to continue indefinitely. That our hometown, especially if it's a small community like mine, is safe. But when it comes to these bronze beasts, none of us are safe.
"So I think you all need to help us. If you don't give us aid to fight the bronze beasts in Wildebush, it's only a matter of time before the problem comes to your doorstep. Because mark my words, it will happen if you allow it to."
Lucy let those words hang in the air like an oppressive smog. A few of the Senators clapped, though most merely stared up at her as though she were an animal in the zoo. I could only imagine how she must have felt, though in a few moments I wouldn't have to imagine anything - it would be my reality.
"The Emperor recognizes Barrett Charmander of Wildebush. Will the aforementioned Pokémon please stand up?"
Skipper, Ammy, and Lucy all glanced at me, which was all they needed to do to send the message: You have to do this, Barrett. We're counting on you. I knew they just cared about the safety of Wildebush, but Arceus, they were sure piling on the pressure!
I gingerly got to my feet and staggered over to the microphone. Because the mic was attached to the railing, I had to practically lean over the edge, which made my head spin a little. What made my head spin a little more, however, was something else.
Holy hell, the whole fucking Senate is staring directly at me! And I have to give a coherent testimony for the sake of Wildebush!
"Hello, everyone" I mouthed. "Can you all hear me?"
"Yes, we can hear you!" Emperor Cambridge barked.
"Awesome. I'm glad the microphone works. At any rate, my name is Barrett Charmander, as you all know. And I have lived in Wildebush for roughly a month - I'm a relative newcomer to the community."
A few of the Senators seemed to be groaning as though they'd heard this all before. Even if they hadn't, they probably guessed I was merely stalling for time. (Which, to be fair, is at least partially true.)
"Now let's get to the point. I've been attending school at Wildebush Central for the last month. For the most part, I like it." In reality, that's not very accurate. Is perjury a crime here? If so, I'm thoroughly screwed, aren't I?
"One day, soon after I grew wings like Lucy mentioned, I was playing Hunger Games dodgeball in the gym against my classmates when the door started getting slammed. Like someone, or something, were trying to force their way inside."
I gulped. My confidence waned as I saw that the Senators down below were giving me judgy side-eyed looks. But I could not stop now.
"Before long, we were no longer focused on a playful foam-ball battle with one another. We were fighting for our lives against the Fighting…Polygons, those bronze beasts. They turned to…this sort of dust after they were defeated, but there were still so many of them…I felt certain we'd lose at least one student."
My voice wavered a bit there, and so did my balance. If the railing had not been there, and if I hadn't seized it with all my might, I would likely have toppled over right there. And a white Charmander, collapsing in front of the whole Senate, would raise even more eyebrows.
After that, I hesitated, not knowing what else to say. Really, it was difficult to see anything else being effective; at least, anything that Lucy hadn't already addressed. So my only real play was to plead for help, to portray myself the way some youth climate activists did. How dare you!
"Please look at me," I told the Senators as forcefully as I could. "I stand before you all, a mere child of Arceus. So many residents of Wildebush are in the same…boat as me, and we face a major storm. You can either help us escape the rising tide by providing…lifeboats, as it were…or you can let us drown.
"Look at me, and tell me that you want us to drown. I dare you to. If you're going to vote down sending aid to Wildebush, at least have the guts to admit the true reason why. I rest my case."
I staggered back to my seat, and I would have flat-out collapsed there if Lucy didn't catch me and help me sit down. My face turned red; it was one thing to willingly accept such a gesture, but it was quite another to require it.
"How did I do?" I mouthed, because that was all I could think of.
"I think you did well, Barrett," Skipper muttered, sounding as though he didn't really mean it.
I frowned. "Really? That seems like sarcasm to me."
"Trust me, it isn't," my roommate responded. "If I had any constructive criticism - not that you'll get another chance to construct your testimony - you could have betrayed a little more confidence."
"He was clearly nervous, Skipper," Lucy pointed out. "He did the best he could."
"Sometimes the best just isn't good enough," Skipper said with a sigh. "Hopefully it was in this case, though."
I gritted my fangs. "Would you two please stop talking like I'm not here?"
My friends both turned back toward me, each carrying a sheepish expression. But something about having just done something so intimidating made me feel even more on edge than usual. It seemed to be little short of a miracle that I'd thought to use the phrase child of Arceus the way we called ourselves children of God at the Sacred Heart Institute. That sort of eloquence was unheard of from me, at least in such a situation as this.
Emperor Cambridge cleared his throat down below. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Gardenia Senate, the time has come to vote on the proposition. Shall military aid be granted to Wildebush to fend off the Fighting Polygon Team?"
Seconds later, a screen on the opposing wall came to life, where a number of names were listed, seemingly around fifty. These were almost certainly the names of the Senators, because green O's and red X's appeared next to each name as the votes were tallied. (I assumed that an O meant yes and an X meant no.)
If my assumption was correct, we were winning. Like, the vote wasn't even close. But without any knowledge about how tiebreakers worked here, I wouldn't relax until that board had twenty-six O's on it.
Soon, the board had far more O's than that. When everyone had voted, Emperor Cambridge announced into the microphone that Yes had won with 86 percent of the votes, No had received 12 percent, and 2 percent of the Senators had abstained. In other words, Wildebush would be receiving the aid, and the signature from the Emperor was a formality at most.
"We did it, guys" Lucy mouthed, emitting a sigh of relief.
As Emperor Cambridge discussed the terms of the agreement that had just been established, however, my own sense of relief was limited. When the Emperor mentioned that heavily armed soldiers would be stationed all around the village's perimeter, it served as a stark reminder that we were under threat.
Still, if nothing else, I was happy that I didn't have to speak in such a public setting for the foreseeable future.
That "evening" was a blur. I vaguely remember going out to a restaurant that served delicious dumplings and synthetic meat dishes, but the specific details elude me even now. It's said that people will forget what you said, but they won't forget how you made them feel, and having just secured aid to my adopted home was something that made me feel like a million bucks.
It didn't last.