Ghetsis received a hero's welcome when he returned to Blueberry Academy. Colress didn't get a chance to talk to him the entire first day. He was always deep in a crowd of people cooing over him, asking him to retell the story while they signed his sling.
Colress wondered if Ghetsis remembered the moments leading up to the accident. He seemed perfectly happy to recount a highly embellished version of how he saved the lives of the Shadow Triad, complete with a heroic cry of "Look out!" before he pushed them out of harm's way.
'If Ghetsis doesn't remember the artifact that he risked his life for... Should I tell him? If this is the key to finding the legendary dragons, Ghetsis could unleash them before I have enough knowledge or resources to control them. He is impatient, I may not be able to convince him to wait.'
By the second day, the buzz around him still hadn't died down. Colress sat at the back of Battle Theory class, his eyes focused on a flock of Wingull outside the window, listening to a group of girls quiz Ghetsis once again.
"And the... Shadow Triad, was it? They joined Team Plasma?" asked Aldith, twirling her hair in her fingers.
"They came to thank me while I was in hospital." Ghetsis replied in a humble voice. "They said that they owed me their lives, so they asked if there was anything they could do to repay me. I asked them to join Team Plasma and help me realise my dreams."
"Wow, so you could have asked for anything, but you chose to have them help liberate Pokémon? So selfless!" Rosie fawned.
'Oh please, Arceus give me strength.' Colress thought to himself.
Colress turned his gaze back to the window, which looked out onto the terrarium. He had a clear view of the beach, where he and Annie now battled twice a week after classes. His heart fluttered a little as he thought about it. He was hesitant to call them friends, but whatever they were, it was... nice. She was nice to him. It was a strange feeling, like being hugged by Evelyn Harmonia. He wasn't sure it fit right. It was sort of like wearing shoes that were too tight. He was positive that he would ruin it somehow.
But, until that happened, he would make the most of their arrangement. He didn't want to lose marks in Battle Studies due to lack of physical practice. She was a competent trainer. He couldn't ask for a better sparring partner. If he wanted to understand the bonds between trainer and Pokémon and how they affected Pokémon strength, what better way than to study Annie? Her effortless affection for them was still baffling to him. Cute normal or fairy types, maybe... But he had never seen somebody hug a spider as often as Annie did.
The chair next to him scraped against the floor and Colress looked over, half-hoping it was Annie coming to sit with him. It was not.
Colress let out a sigh as he took in Zinzolin's perpetually smug face.
"We're meeting in the library tonight."
"Good for you." Colress replied dryly.
"Ghetsis asked for you specifically." Zinzolin replied, not bothering to hide his disdain, "He wasn't happy that you've been neglecting to attend our meetings."
"And I suppose you didn't tell him that his sages neglected to invite me to those meetings?"
Zinzolin rolled his eyes. "Oh, for crying out loud... You know where we meet. There was nothing stopping you from coming."
"I have a good idea of what you're talking about," Colress shrugged, "Must I really be there for all of them?"
Zinzolin scowled at him, "If I had it my way, you'd be at none of them."
Colress smirked, "Charming..."
Zinzolin let out a frustrated sigh, rising to his feet. "Library. Tonight. Please?"
"Only because you asked nicely." Colress chuckled as he stalked back to his seat.
To Colress' chagrin, he was the first to reach the library that evening. He considered leaving and coming back later, so as not to look so eager. But as the thought crossed his mind, Ghetsis appeared in the doorway.
He wore a hospital-issue eyepatch and his arm hung limply in a sling. Ghetsis approached the table, limping as he did so, but his apparent pain didn't show in his face.
"The prodigal son returns," Colress gave him a lazy smile.
'Let's see if he brings up the artifact. If he doesn't, I won't.'
"I hear you haven't been attending Team Plasma meetings either. I'm partially blind, what's your excuse?" Ghetsis sat down opposite him, lacking his usual coordination. Colress noticed that as he talked, the right side of his mouth didn't move as much as the left.
"My Team Plasma duties lie outside of meetings and protests, didn't we agree on that? I'm of most value when I'm pursuing knowledge." Colress replied loftily.
"And what knowledge have you pursued? Do you have anything of use to me?" Ghetsis eye twinkled malevolently. Colress rolled his eyes.
"Kalos wasn't built in a day, Ghetsis. I'm theorising a way of increasing a Pokémon's power levels during battle, but I have nothing concrete yet. I still find myself perplexed by the true source of their strength."
"You don't have to be a scientist to know that," Ghetsis snapped. "What makes Pokémon strong is fear. Desperation. Do you know what my Deino's strongest move is? Frustration. It's a move that becomes stronger, the more the Pokémon hates you. Myah-ha-ha-ha!"
Colress pulled out his notepad and jotted his every word, omitting only the maniacal laugh.
"So, your Deino is strong because it hates you?" Colress asked, pen poised.
"Deino is strong because it fears me. It knows that one wrong move will cost it dearly. I only keep the strongest Pokémon. If they can't keep up with me, well..."
Ghetsis trailed off and Colress felt a chill creep over his whole body. He remembered what Harold Harmonia had said that night.
"You know what he did to them, don't you, boy? Tore them apart, one by one. And who knows… maybe you'll be next."
As Colress continued jotting down notes, he found himself hoping that this wasn't the answer he'd been looking for. It wasn't how Annie became strong. But who was stronger, Ghetsis or Annie? A battle between them may give him clarity on the most efficient path to strength.
Ghetsis whipped Colress' pad out of his hands. Colress spluttered in protest as Ghetsis leant away, his one remaining eye flicking back and forth as he read.
"Help yourself..." Colress muttered defeatedly.
"Annie Foxglove?" Ghetsis asked, eyebrow raised.
Colress swiped his notepad back, adjusting his glasses. "Battle Studies class has been rendered obsolete by Team Plasma's relentless moral code. I had to consider an alternative method of battle practice."
Ghetsis gave him a probing look that sent a shiver through him. "I see."
Colress smirked, burying his nervousness, "Well, I can't very well let myself fall behind, can I? I must keep up with the demands of Team Plasma's grand ambitions."
Ghetsis let out an approving chuckle. "That's what I like to hear."
A pair of hands covered his eyes from behind. Colress stiffened.
"Boo!" Gorm shouted in his ear, then flopped onto the chair next to Colress. "Sorry we're late, Mrs. Hawthorn's class overran."
"That's a funny way of saying that we all got held back because you kept interrupting her." said Giallo. Colress tucked his notepad away as the sages filled the seats at the table.
"We're all here now though, that's what matters." said Ryoku, casting a glance at Ghetsis, seeking reassurance.
"Yes, let's get started." Ghetsis nodded, before pulling out his battered notebook. Once again, it was full of the illegible scribbles of a madman. "Zinzolin, how many members have we gained during my absence?"
"At our rally last weekend, we had ninety-six registered members. That's nearly half of the school." Zinzolin said, oozing smugness.
"Good. You have kept the momentum in my absence. Well done. However, we must not grow complacent."
"Quite right, Ghetsis." Zinzolin nodded.
"I've designed some more posters to put up on the notice boards." Rood pulled a stack of papers from his bag.
"I found out the date for the end-of-year dance, we can use that to get Ghetsis on stage for a speech. It would be a great opportunity to have the whole school in one place." Ryoku piped up.
"I'll speak to the events committee to get us on stage. Don't worry, the girl that runs it totally fancies me, so we'll get a good slot." Gorm grinned.
Colress watched with faint amusement as the sages vied for Ghetsis' favour. Some of them, like Rood, seemed to truly care about Pokémon liberation. Others, like Zinzolin, seemed to be far more concerned with appealing to Ghetsis himself. Perhaps it was the idea of his fortune, glittering just within their reach. It certainly couldn't have been his winning personality.
"Perhaps our Head of Research and... sitting around would care to tell us what he plans to do next?" Giallo turned to Colress, fixing him with a disapproving look.
Colress rolled his eyes, leaning back on his chair as all seven boys turned their eyes on him,
"Was nearly getting killed in Dragonspiral Tower not enough for you? I'm getting a fast-track scholarship at Castelia University, my contributions are long term." Colress sighed. It was amusing when Ghetsis tried to give him grief, but Colress didn't care for being nagged by his minions.
"What?" Giallo's eyes widened in surprise. Colress looked around to see the others mouths agape too. Ghetsis wore a scowl.
"What?" Colress asked, baffled. "Surely you knew I was going to university?"
"You were with Ghetsis when he had his accident?!" asked Bronius.
'Oops. Was I not meant to say that? Now that I think about it, if people knew I was there, they would have been asking me questions about it for the last few weeks. Bother.'
"Yes, I asked Colress to accompany me on that trip, I thought his knowledge might prove useful." Ghetsis interjected before Colress could get himself in any more trouble.
"Perhaps if you had brought somebody more devoted to the cause, you may not have sustained such injuries." Zinzolin said, his voice dripping with jealousy.
"What were you looking for at Dragonspiral Tower, Ghetsis?" asked Ryoku. The others leaned in eagerly.
"That is not your concern right now, I am simply planning for the future." Ghetsis said finally. "However, the trip did not yield any results. As it is, I have a hazy memory of the events leading up to the accident. Truthfully, I only know what happened because Colress and the Shadow Triad have corroborated it."
Colress' heart leapt slightly. 'He doesn't remember the stone.'
"For now, let us get back to the matter at hand." Ghetsis began pointing at scribbles in his notebook and effortlessly moved the meeting on, but Colress could see the other boys' eyes on him more curiously now.
Colress realised that from their point of view, he'd simply lost interest in Team Plasma weeks ago. They hadn't realised that Colress had spent time with Ghetsis outside of school. As the meeting continued, he could feel Zinzolin's icy blue eyes glaring at him across the table.
Colress almost let himself dream of going back to his room and studying in peace when the meeting ended. His dreams were promptly crushed as Zinzolin fell in step beside him as he walked through the quiet corridors.
"Ah, good, I was hoping to spend more time with you today." Colress shot him a weary look.
Zinzolin answered with a cold smile. "Why are you in Team Plasma?"
"Because I love liberating Pokémon." Colress answered bluntly.
"Funny." Zinzolin scoffed, "Now, the real reason."
"Why do you care? If I bother you so much, stop talking to me."
"As tempting as that sounds, Ghetsis is very insistent on you being involved. And, as Head of Operations-"
"Is that your job? You haven't mentioned it." Colress snarked.
"As Head of Operations," Zinzolin continued louder, "It's my business to know the motivations of our members."
Colress sighed heavily. "Is it so hard to believe that I'm simply concerned about the oppressed Pokémon?"
"Yes," Zinzolin gave him a sardonic smile, "As a matter of fact, it is."
Colress rolled his eyes. "Are you worried I'm going to steal the portion of the Harmonia fortune you've earmarked for yourself? Don't be. I'm going to be a scientist, I'll be perfectly capable of making my own money."
Zinzolin scowled, his eyes narrowing. "So, you've got me all figured out, have you? How presumptuous. You've barely said two words to any of us and you've labelled me a self-serving opportunist."
Colress shrugged, "Fine, I'm wrong. You're a hero to all Pokémon. Now, leave me alone."
"No, I don't think I will." Zinzolin replied stubbornly, "You haven't answered my question."
Mercifully, they reached the dorms and Colress opened his door, casting a scathing look back at Zinzolin. "Oh, what a shame. I wish I could talk further, but alas, I don't want to. Good evening, Viomare."
Zinzolin opened his mouth to retort, but Colress shut the door in his face before he could speak further.