Chapter 85- Gathering of Friend and Foe
A/N: This is an original Pokémon Fan Game made by Amethyst. To check it out and play the game, download it at Reborn Evolved. Search for it on your web browser to get to the website.
Location: Calcenon City
The air was cold; the sun was slowly lowering in the sky. A distorted sense of serenity hung around the City of Calcenon. The streets were empty aside from a few trainers, wondering if or when Meteor might make an attack. Civilians of Calcenon knew with the wake up of Agate, it would only be a matter of time before the war with the sister city Labradorra would start and had started moving to Ametrine or Agate—a safer respite before the war.
"Drie…" Cried out of a blue face, it was a large dragon pokémon with three heads, carrying a boy with one arm on its back. Landing on the western part of town. Next to the Red Barirer, which blocked passage into Labradorra,
"Thanks, Orcus," Nero said to his Hydriegon, looking at the barrier. There was only one way to remove it… two, really, but both situations had about the same chances of survival. But Nero needed to check one thing before it. Raising his left hand, he moved it toward the barrier.
Fshhh… Bomp.
The barrier vibrated strongly from the twisted psychic energy but did not allow Nero's hand to pass through. This made it clear that Nero had been removed from the whitelist, so he could not shut off the barrier.
"*sigh*... Not sure if that's a relief or an annoyance…" Nero sighed. If he couldn't cross over… well, was there a way to shut down the barrier then?
"Hey! Get away from that!"
Nero turned to face three trainers. Two of them he hadn't met; they arrived in the Reborn Region not too long before Nero's "Death." The one Nero recognized was the shortest and youngest, and she was a familiar sight. She had long, dark hair, some pined up behind her head, others hanging down the sides of her face. Her eyes went wide as she recognized who this was.
"Y-you! You're alive?!" Marie screamed; the last she'd heard… rather seen, of Nero was just a severed arm.
"Alive. Do you recognize him, Marie?" The other girl spoke after Marie shouted. She was older than Marie but younger than Nero, around age 14. She had blonde hair with a fade on the left side of her head, and her green eyes seemed mischievous. But looked at Nero with confusion or maybe caution.
"Hey. Who the hell are you?" Came from the eldest one here. His white hair was the same shade as Percival's. His demeanor was certainly cautious; these three were tasked with protecting the city, after all.
"Just a deadman walking… Nero Umbrysl." Nero said, unsure how to proceed. These there were, apparently, his allies. But Marie had only known Nero as part of Team Meteor… "Most stuck back to clear the Meteor Grunts from Agate. Though Percival, Hardy, and lu-... My sister should be here in a few hours."
"Sister? Wait, do you mean Lucille?!"
"You're that guy whose arm we saw on the streets?!"
Kuro and Ari were surprised to realize who Nero was and seemingly lost points of caution. But Marie didn't. "Are… Are you on our side?"
"Would this happen if I weren't?" Nero said, swinging his left arm into the barrier only for it to be repulsed off of it. "I had already betrayed Meteor when I saved you from Lin's horror Labyrinth. But seeing as I was thought to be dead… Well, I was kinda hoping they kept me whitelisted."
"Whitelisted?" Kuro looked at Nero with an incredulous glare.
"Yeah, if I was still whitelisted, I could travel inside and shut down the Barrier… But that isn't happening." Nero sighed. "Guess I'll talk to Eve about that later. Know where she is?"
"They went off to train or catch Pokemon, I think?" Ari said in confusion… still unsure what the deal was with those girls.
"...They said you saved them? Is that true?" Marie looked at Nero, wondering what the truth was.
"It's not wrong, but also not true either. Pure luck that I managed to get them to their original bodies, though I killed them." Nero only spoke what he knew. He didn't realize that destroying PULSE Magnezone would return the two to their original bodies. It was just lucky that this is what happened.
After that, an awkwardness filled the air. None of the Whitehall Siblings knew how to interact with Nero, and Nero didn't know either… It was then Kuro finally broke the silence. "...So you were Part of Team Meteor… Then you know what's on the other side?"
"Yeah… It hasn't been long… but the situation could've changed. But from what I know, this is the layout of the inner base in Labradorra." Nero spoke with no emotion in his voice. With Taka dead and Solaris a Fugitive of Team Meteor… it was hard to say what Nero felt about Meteor. At this point, was it even the Team he knew? No, it wasn't, so there was no qualm in ratting out everything he knows, especially to the two who know next to nothing about Team Meteor… Besides, they had time.
The sun was setting, and the sky was a rich red, slowly turning black. Streetlights started to turn on, and the northern side of the city's paths glowed red, the southern purple. Kuro, Ari, and Marie warmed up in a nearby house. They were hesitant, but with Charlotte nearby, they trusted Nero enough to keep watch. As time progressed, more people also seemed to show up, two to be exact.
The green-haired explosion enthused Gymleader Julia and her friend… Amaria. Ari tried to be cheerful with Amaria as she saw her, but Amaria had a strange air… Julia was friendly and surprised to see Percival's siblings in Reborn. Neither seemed to care for Nero's appearance, which Nero didn't care either.
In either case, more people meant better odds, right? Or, in Nero's pessimistic eyes, there are more people for Lin to mess with. He was sure she got a kick from tormenting them… But to get to Lin, they still needed to get inside Labradorra. But how? They didn't have a way to get inside, and Nero was sure any of the grunts in Agate wouldn't do so.
Solaris… No, he disappeared after the battle in Agate was over…
Nero thought desperately. He thought there was a good chance that Solaris could be convinced… but Sirous had probably captured him at some point. Zero's and Bennett's locations were unknown, but would they betray Team Meteor? From what was said… Bennett already had, but was he dumb enough to let Meteor know that?
"Yo." Nero's thoughts were interrupted by three new people arriving. It was Hardy, Lucille, and Percival. The air between Hardy and Percival indicated that Percival won the Gym Match. Lucille looked calm, if not tired. Hel,l all of them were tired. But they had to push through, especially after Lin got whatever she wanted from Agate.
"..." Nero simply nodded, sighing out. "I've been blacklisted from Labradorra."
"Uh…" Hardy blinked, surprised at Nero's sudden sour tone. "That ain't sounding good."
"So, you can't even get into Labradorra now?" Percival asked no one in particular; this made things even harder.
"Were you planning on going in alone? Even after stating how much you didn't want to do it?" Lucille inquisitioned. Nero had described the thing creating the Barrier as dangerous and something he didn't want to fight… or rather couldn't fight. So why would he want to fight it anyway?
"It's not like it's possible now… But, like, I wouldn't do something that idiotic when you guys weren't even here." Nero shrugged; he wasn't planning on fighting that thing just yet. "Regardless, no matter how much we want to get inside… We can't unless someone on their side is willing to shut down the barrier controls. And the only people who could be capable of that aren-"
"It is not a "Risk" to unhand me, woman!"
The group of four turned their heads and saw a woman with a mixture of maroon, lilac, and cerulean hair with roze eyes, carrying a man with black hair over her shoulder and dragging another behind her. This was Saphira Belrose, the Eldest sister of the Belrose family and gym Leader of Labradorra City.
The man over the shoulder was unconscious, unresponsive to the chaos around him; that was Zero, a member of Team Meteor. He was a rather pesky enemy who forced himself, Eve, and Lumi to share one body. His arrogance and anger with Nero were among the reasons they separated from one body.
The one being dragged on the ground was Bennett—another member of Team Meteor who has recently betrayed Team Meteor. Not to mention illegally stole the position of Elite four from Saphira's Sister Laura. Not to mention, he has helped in kidnapping Luna, Lucille, and several other people as well.
The woman behind her was Laura, with long pink hair and a green dress. She seemed to look like a living plant. Laura was a member of Elitefour. Since she had been illegally removed, it was questionable whether she or Bennett currently held the position. Regardless, Laura had last been seen with Bennett chasing after Zero, and it was clear Saphira caught them.
"I stand corrected," Nero said, throwing his left hand into the air. The world just loved to prove him wrong.
"As I've already said, I will follow you voluntarily."
"No chances."
"Saphira, please! He's not a bad person!"
"Oh, so that's why he's been with Team Meteor all this time," Saphira said, ignoring the obvious Nero in the center of town. Though she certainly caught a glance and certainly glared at him. Before throwing Zero at the group. "You. catch."
No one moved, letting Zero fall right onto the stone floor. Not many people here had a reason to catch Zero anyway.
"...Good catch." Saphira shook her head, unimpressed, as she turned her head back to Bennet. "You, however… You and I have business."
"Enough already." Bennett snapped back at Saphira. "You know, rough-handling a compliant captive is a solid way to jeopardize that compliance."
"It's not the only thing I'll jeopardize if you don't start talking."
"I've been talking. You haven't been listening.
"I didn't like what you had to say."
"You didn't like me saying I've left Team Meteor behind?"
"I didn't believe you."
"Ain't that hypocritical." with those three words, Bennett and Saphira went silent. Both looking at Nero. "I mean, you haven't even tried to rip off my left arm yet. Or are you saying I'm less dangerous than Bug Boy? He can barely tell a lie. Unlike me, who has spent years on the streets learning deceit and betrayal."
"Simple." Saphira met Nero's silver eyes with certainty. "You aren't a fool."
"Hmm…" Nero contemplated saying everything he's done that would prove that statement wrong… but he'd rather not. "Well… You're currently acting like one."
"Nero!" Lucille grabbed him by his arm. Saphira certainly wasn't one to be trifled with, so why was Nero antagonizing her?! Though Nero ripped his arm away and walked up to Saphira.
"Meteor got to you good, huh? Was it Laura's disappearance or maybe Labradorra's captivity?" Nero took another step forward, seeing the rage behind Saphira's eyes. Usually, Nero would be scared of facing off Saphira's rage. Hell, he's seen her rip through a whole Meteor base, he knows how dangerous it is to piss her off. But right now… If something weren't done, Saphira would just be a liability. Because Saphira wasn't just angry, she was scared… A terror known all too well by Nero. "I know why you trust and hate me, Saphira. It's cause I know what you're feeling all too well. Fear. Fear that you can't protect your sisters. A fear that is currently driving you, controlling you. You need to calm down and think."
"Feh…" Saphira scoffed. "I am calm."
"You're not. And if you don't calm down, I guarantee it'll hurt not just you but your sisters-" Nero didn't get to finish that statement. Saphira's fist connected with his face before he could.
As Nero fell backward, Lucille and Percival were the first to catch him.
"Saphira!" Laura yelled.
"Whoa there, you don't have to hit the guy!" Hardy exclaimed, moving in front of Nero. He may not have known the guy for long, but did he deserve to get hit? Others would probably say yes. But right now, pointless fights weren't needed.
"Don't you dare presume that I would ever do anything to hurt my sisters." Saphira glared at Nero, seemingly forgetting about Bennett's existence.
"Willingly." Nero spat back as he stood back up. "I know far too well that look of tunnel vision. It's gotten many people hurt; I nearly killed my sister because of it. If you don't calm down, so will you."
"Enough!" Laura shouted, forcing the focus onto her. "You two are done."
"We are not done yet," Saphira said, her eyes cold.
"Yes, you are," Laura responded; there was no hesitation in her voice. She glanced between Bennett, Nero, and Saphira. "I believe, given the circumstances, we should be talking to each other with Mercy and Respect."
"Respect and Mercy won't keep you safe from our enemies," Saphira responded, her voice dripping with concern.
"Then I would rather be in danger."
"You've always been innocent…" Saphira said, her fists clenching at her side. "But I always hoped innocence wouldn't fall into naiveté."
"With all due respect and appreciation, sister." Laura was the middle child, but there was a sternness in her voice. It was a surprise to hear she wasn't the oldest. "In my opinion, it is more naive to think that people are not worth believing in."
Saphira looked at Laura and sighed. "Next, you'll tell me we should all hold hands and sing hymns with Sigmund fucking Connal."
"Not everybody is like him." Laura responded, "And I am sure that, in some misguided way, he also thinks that what he does is for the best of others. Perhaps he, too, can still change."
"How can YOU say that?" Saphira screamed, her body started to tremble as she spoke, "YOU of all people know what he's- What we've been through- Now you want to lap sympathy on him?! After… I…"
As Saphira continued, her body changed from a slight tremble to shaking… Laura, concerned took a step towards her sister. "Saphira..."
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Saphira screamed, pushing Laura away. Saphira, as if in pain, cradled her head still shaking. "Don't touch me… Don't even think about touching me… Stop- STOP! Please stop…"
""""..."""" Nero, Lucille, Bennett, and Percival looked on in silent shock. Nero did mean to agitate Saphira so that she would realize how shaken she was… But he certainly didn't mean to cause this reaction.
"Oi, lady. You good?" Hardy was the only one who wasn't silent and spoke out of concern.
"..." Saphira didn't respond.
"Saphira..." Laura calmly told her sister, "It is just me, okay? You are safe. The doctor isn't here. It's going to be okay. Just breathe for now."
"..." Saphira was still silent as she looked at Laura before swiftly walking away from the group. Whether it was the shame of having that state shown or because Saphira didn't feel safe… No one knew.
"So uh… You mind explainin' what just happened?" Hardy was the most confused as the one alien to the situation.
"I'm sorry..." Laura looked away. "I'm afraid it isn't my place to say something like that. But if this is like the past has been, she may need some time to collect herself. Back then there were times where she was unable to even speak at all afterwards for quite some while…"
"Please forgive me if I don't consider that a loss in the immediate moment," Bennett responded.
"Bennett, Nero, I apologize for how she's treated you." Laura looked ashamed. "She is rather protective of Charlotte and I, you see..."
"I saw," Bennett stated, seeing the look in Nero's eyes… Pissing Saphira off usually doesn't end well.
"I think everyone else here knew that as well." Lucille sighed,
"For now, I will step aside and make sure she is all right." Laura sighed and followed after Saphira.
As Laura left, Lucille spun around, glaring at Nero. Who was nursing a fresh bruise on his face? "What the hell were you thinking?! You know Saphira already hates you for being on Team Meteor. The only reason she didn't attack you is cause you're my twin!"
"The panic attack wasn't what I intended."
"Then what were you intending?" Lucille said with an uncharacteristic glare. Her Silver eyes beamed with worry.
"Saphira was acting too erratic. Especially given these two are our only ways through the barrier." Nero said non-chalontly.
"Nero, did you purposefully make yourself the ire of Saphira's rage?" Bennett blinked. Not too long ago Nero seemed like he would curse Bennett out, yet here he was defending him?
"Take it as you will." Nero, despite his emotional outbursts, was a rationalist. Suppose Saphira did something drastic like crippling or even killing Bennett or Zero that made it impossible to pass the barrier. But Saphira's mental state was another factor… Lin would have no issue exploiting that. Lin would dangle things like Sigmund, aim at Laura or Charlotte, or even reveal how Charlotte didn't kill their parents in a house fire.
To mitigate the risks and foil Lin's plans to make everyone mentally unstable… Well, Nero had no qualms about continuing to act like a villain. He had barely any bonds to anyone here anyway. Even if he would, as long as everyone survived… well, they would have time to repair those bonds. However, Lucille looked like she still had things to say about it.
"Z-Zero?" However, those thoughts would have to wait as two girls suddenly approached the barrier. A girl with blue hair and a grey hat dressed in heavy winter clothes and another girl with pink hair and a red winter jacket approached. They stopped as they saw the unconscious man in black on the ground. "Um… Why—Why is Zero here? Is he okay?"
"Don't worry," Bennett said to Lumi calmly. "It's just sleep powder. I couldn't let him make it back to Labradorra."
"So I've heard you went out to catch and train some pokémon?" Percival eyed the girls worriedly. He knew Lumi and Eve were hostages of Meteor… As of Now, Meteor still thought the girls as dead… But it was usually better to hold some caution. "You could have taken Marie or Ari as back up."
"While their assistance was offered, we felt it would be safer if they stayed inside the city," Eve responded matter of factly. "Especially due to Meteor's Focus on Agate, it gave us an opportunity to catch up on some much-needed training now that each of us may have our own teams again at our own discretion."
"We don't wanna be deadweight after all!" Lumi said, proud that she could stand on her own before blinking, realizing Bennett was here and Nero's face. "N-Nero! Are you okay?!"
Nero shrugged while Lucille responded. "Saphira punched him."
Deciding against continuing that train of thought, Eve turned to Bennett. "Do you really intend to turntail on Team Meteor?"
"Yes, not that anyone has seemed to believe me about it. Except for Laura, somehow… and maybe Nero?" Bennett said, tilting his head in confusion; he was confident Nero took the punch for him… But couldn't tell if Nero trusted him. "So if you won't trust that I'm here for the greater good, let's just say I'm here for Laura. I'll make things right and support her however I'm able to. It's something I frankly should've started doing a long time ago."
Lumi, like the snow angel she was, smiled brightly. "I believe you."
"I don't know what to do with that, but I'll take it." Bennett seemed to relax slightly. Knowing at least two…maybe three people here who trusted him made him feel happy.
"At any rate, it's not as if whether or not you are trusted will impact your course, correct?" Eve asked… though the tone of voice sounded more like she was also asking the whole group.
"Correct. And though I would appreciate if I were not literally dragged along by the ear in the meantime, trust must be earned through merit. To that end, I have an offer."
""The barrier,"" Both Eve and Nero said at the same time. Bennett smiled softly at this. Eve's tone was neutral, while Nero's was of annoyance and what little sounded like concern.
"Hardy, before you ask what. The barrier will essentially only allow Team Meteor Members to pass through. Me, Lumi, and Eve are barred entry… Leaving these two as our only way past." Nero said, his tone trying to be neutral.
"What Nero says is correct," Bennett explained his plan to the group—using Zero as an excuse of having rescued him from the group of Meteor's Enemies as justification for coming through Calcenon. Then, sneak to Labradorra's Power systems and cut the PULSE-Mime's Power supply; without that the barrier would fall.
Zero was a no-go, as he was and still is a willing member of Team Meteor. Without Nero's ability to sneak into Calcenon, this was the group's only option… So, it only came down to one thing, though. Some people were on the fence about whether they could trust Bennett.
Lumi and Laura had already said their piece about believing in Bennett turning tail from Team Meteor. Hardy was skeptical, even knowing that Bennett was the only way into the city and to get Aya back. Lucille… she had only ever seen Bennett on the side of Team Meteor, having seen him work with Elias and getting put in chains because of them. Percival had seen Benett a good number of times… Wondering how much Elias just manipulated Bennett.
However, the first one to break the silence was unexpectedly the one with the most issues regarding trust. Nero Umbrasyl himself. "Bennett's not lying when he says he'll turn off the barrier… Whether the Mime or Meteor kills him before then is another question. Still, I've done some questionable and rather unlawful things… Yet you three trust me enough to have your backs in battle. Why? Because I'm Lucille's brother? Or because I've risked my life twice to save your asses? And that was without your permission or trust. So why push away someone who's trying to earn it?"
Hardy, Lucille, Percival, and even Bennett looked at Nero in surprise. None expecting Nero, of all people, pushing to trust Bennett. With that, Percival thought back and sighed. "I'll put my faith in Bennett. While there are some things I find disagreeable… As Nero said, we're all capable of mistakes."
"In research for League Management. I've read the files of several of the Back-Up-Leaders. Bennett, your file has always been praised for your skill and passion for Bug Pokémon." Lucille relented, "Please show me that there was no falsity in that file."
"If you three are all saying yes…" Hardy hesitated but decided to throw his trust into Bennett. "All right! I'll go with it! It may just be the quickest way to save Aya after all!"
"Nero, Lucille, and Percival…" Bennett bowed his head to the three trainers younger than him… He felt regret for his previous actions towards them. "I thank you for offering me the chance to prove my allegiance."
"I guess that works for Zero too…" Lumi said, her eyes wandering to her sister, Eve. "He'd prefer to be on that side, right?"
"What are you looking at me like that for?" Eve asked, confused by the expression in her sister's eyes.
"Do…Do you miss how things were?"
"I don't know.
"I do," Lumi muttered quietly. "I don't want things to go back to how they were, but I miss it. I miss him. Does that make sense? I don't think it does…"
"It makes no sense whatsoever," Eve responded with a shy smile. "Yet, I understand fully."
"Oh, this is where everyone was…" Another person arrived, quickly trailing off, sensing the atmosphere as strange as he came. His hair was blue, and he was wearing a red suit. This was Cal, another ex-meteor member. He blinked twice when he saw that Nero was alive, missing an arm and a bruise on his face, but alive. "Am… I interrupting something?"
"I can hardly tell myself, mate." Hardy sighed. It seemed like this day was going to be hectic.
"Oh, it's Cal! When did you dye your hair blue?" Lumi asked with innocent curiosity, having not seen him since… sometime in the past.
"Uh, do I know you?" Cal was confused, having never met Lumi or Eve in their original bodies.
"Evelynn Seijaya. This is Lumi." Eve pointed at herself, then Lumi. Then, at Zero. "We only spoke in passing and only under that one's face."
"..." Cal looked at Zero, recognizing his face, then back at the two girls. "Yeah, I don't get it. But, uh, have any of you seen Shelly around? Heather had a message for her."
"Shelly and a few other Gym Leaders are still in Agate," Lucille explained. "Between making sure the Meteor Grunts there are arrested properly. Since we practically just took the city today."
"Bad day to be a Meteor." Cal nodded. It must have been a devastating defeat for Meteor.
"Might be the last day to be a Meteor," Bennett added.
"Ironically, most people gathered here were a Meteor." Nero sardonically laughed. Quite the sight out of all the people gathered in the city, five were ex-Meteor. And each of them was gathered right next to the barrier.
"And yet, I don't think I've met any of you," Cal said, looking at Lumi, Eve, and Bennett. He had left Team Meteor before Bennett had joined but never saw Lumi and Eve's original bodies.
"Cal…?" Another person entered the gaggle of people. This woman has long black hair and onyx eyes and is wearing a kimono. Victoria, one of their friends of Percival and Lucille…
"Oh. Um, hi. Been a while." Cal said awkwardly… He and Victoria didn't part on the best terms last they spoke.
"Not long enough, if you ask me." Victoria glared at him. Eyeing over the group, many, some she didn't know, some she knew. Her eyes paused on the one who was supposedly dead but said nothing of Nero's survival.
"Um, what brings you here?" Percival asked, not expecting her to show up in Calcenon. Lucille was just as surprised; last he knew, Victoria was helping Adrienn with paperwork in Reborn City.
"While Agate was being reclaimed, Ari called, saying an attack to reclaim Labradorra City would begin either today or tomorrow. Adrienn said they could handle things in Reborn City, so I should give back up." Victoria said nicely to Percival and Lucille before turning to Cal. "Besides, I thought I'd take xem up on that offer, take a break from the literal mountains of paperwork and responsibilities building up. Not only from having to deal with everything going on in Reborn City but also from the very slightly tiny, minuscule teensy weensy issue of having had to have taken charge of all of Apophyll Academy after YOU got Kiki killed!"
"..." Cal was silent before responding. "I know there's no way I can atone for what happened there."
"Yeah, there isn't." the viciousness in Victoria's voice was palpable
"Did I miss somethin'?" The events of Apophyll have not yet been explained to Hardy.
"Let's assume so and not get in the way of it," Bennett said, and the two took a step back.
"I wasn't going to let Apophyll go," Cal said
Oh, you weren't! Well, that totally explains you betraying us all and setting up the PULSE that was going to burn it all to a crisp! So THAT explains what happened to Kiki's Medicham! So that's why you stopped Team Meteor on Pyrous Mountain, and she's still alive today-" Victoria stopped then said. "Oh, wait."
"I sabotaged the PULSE. It wouldn't have done anything but overheat."
"And you REALLY think I'm going to believe something as convenient as that-"
"It's true." Eve suddenly interrupted. "Even Nero can attest."
"Oi, why are you bringing me into this!" Nero shouted. Nero knew and understood Saphira, so getting involved with her was easy… Nero knew nothing about Victoria, however.
Ignoring Nero's outbursts, Victoria looked at the interrupted girl, who was seemingly siding with Cal's innocence. "Who even are you?"
"I created the PULSE."
"Oh. You did, did you?" Victoria's eyes showed evident vindictiveness. "Well, today seems to have been a great day to come up here after all. I get to solve not one, but two problems."
Eve looked at Victoria with understanding… Eve, regardless of how she and her sister were threatened, complied in building weapons of mass destruction. "I will accept any punishment you deem fit to apply to me."
"Eve-" Lumi was about to step in front, but Eve raised her arm to block her.
"But before you do. Please be advised that as I have already escaped Team Meteor, I have nothing to gain by defending this individual." Eve said, resolute and determined just to state what she knew as fact. "Yet, I personally inspected the damage to the PULSE-Camerupt system after the incident. Although it was clear that the machine had been targeted by a Fire-Type Attack, there was no significant damage to it from that. However, the coolant system had been completely drained and removed. The machine could have powered on, but it would've overheated and shut down long before producing enough energy to resonate with Camerupt. Further, there was no sign of the Camerupt itself around the scene after the incident."
"It's right here," Cal said, taking out an orange camel with two volcanic humps. "Back then, I used my attack to covertly withdraw the Pokémon from the scene and have since recovered it back to health. But that was just a show. I had discarded the coolant system long beforehand. The PULSE would've failed regardless."
"But we appeared before that…" Percival sighed aloud.
"Destroying the machine made our purpose there worthless. If it could've been a simple patch, Solaris would've killed everyone on that mountain. But with it beyond normal repair and Camerupt missing…" Nero decidedly added. It was the plan stop anyone from reaching the PULSE… by any means.
"That's convenient." Victoria huffed, evident anger directed at Cal, Nero, and Eve. "And just how do you explain what happened to her Medicham then? You still let that poor thing be burnt to a crisp!"
"Actually…" Cal said, recalling the Camerupt, replacing it with a familiar Medicham.
"You're not going to say that's the same Medicham! It sank right into lava-" Victoria shouted out. "There's no way it would have survived that!"
"..." Percival internally flinched as he recalled what happened at Titania's Gym. Lin had been stabbed through the chest, her body thrown into lava… yet she appeared uninjured a while later.
"There was another advantage I had discovered." Cal continued to explain how emptying the PULSE's coolant into the Volcano managed to lower the temperature of the Lava a significant amount. If a normal person fell into that Lava, it would be one thing. But Pokémon were resilient creatures; a fighting-type pokémon was used to taking Flame throwers or even Lava Plumes. And as a fire-type specialist, Cal could easily recover it.
"And you didn't think to bring any of this up before?" Victoria glared at him. So many reasons to hate him were quickly slipping away…
"I managed to explain some to Percival and Lucille…" Cal said, understanding this was something neither of them could bring up. "But you said you didn't want to speak to me. I intended to respect your wishes for as long as you needed."
"..." Victoria fell silent before walking away from the section of the city. "I need to be alone for now…"
"Victoria…" Lucille said in a low tone, only for her to feel two nudges. It was from Percival and Nero. Lucille knew Victoria the best, so she was the one to ensure she was alright. So she followed after Victoria to check on her.
"Perhaps it would be better if we hold off on our planned raid on Labradorra," Percival said in an even tone.
"Wait, you're planning to what?" Cal said, completely surprised that Victoria had arrived before anything was explained.
"I can't cross; we sure as hell can't trust Zero; Eve and Lumi weren't even registered." Nero quickly added. "Our only hope is the possibility of Bennett making it to PULSE Mime's power source and then have Battle for Agate part 2."
"Oi, mate, don't paint my city like that!" Hardy said with some exasperation. "But, yeah, what he said."
"I see." Cal nodded, glancing to look at the City past the Barrier. "Blake is back there… But more importantly, Solaris."
"Yeah, I've seen that look in Victoria's eyes," Nero said before Cal could continue. Everyone seemed to glance at Nero, who wasn't always known for being understanding… or acting like he was. "If I didn't know any better, that was the same look I had when I single-handedly destroyed the Aqua Gang and scarred their leader's face."
"What do you think we should do about it?" Cal asked him cautiously… Nero was a favored soldier of Solaris, and it was known that Nero also respected Solaris.
"We?" Nero nearly started to laugh; it was a funny question, really. He was a Demon who had hurt anyone and everyone who had hurt him. "As if I have a right to tell her, or anyone for that matter, if they should take revenge or not."
"..." Many people went quiet at that. Having seen or heard of what Nero was capable of.
"Then I'll be the one to look out for her," Cal said understandingly.
"Even still… Battle for Agate part 2…" Percival sighed; the effects of exhaustion would be prevalent on several people. "Bennett, how long until you're sleep powder stops affecting Zero."
"We managed to catch him about four hours ago… reapplying it again would buy us at least six more hours. But if we wait too long, Meteor will be more likely to question our story." Bennett explained.
"All right then, Bennett, do what you must to prepare. I want you to enter that Barrier in 3 hours." Percival said, placing his trust in Bennett. "Everyone else, do what you think will be necessary. I'm sure this will be our hardest battle yet."