Colress felt like he was starting to go mad in the weeks that followed Zekrom's awakening. N had returned to the castle, training with Zekrom in the dark passages under Victory Road, so Colress was confined to his lab and adjoining bedroom twenty-four hours a day. The tall ornate windows gave no hints as to what time of day it was and the only thing that broke up the sprawling stretches of ambiguous time was Ghetsis dropping by to rave about how close they were to Team Plasma's new world.
Colress could ignore the isolation and darkness that pressed in through the castle windows. He could live with not knowing the time, he could ignore the fatigue that gnawed at the corners of his mind and the constant cramping of hunger pains. What was really, truly driving him mad was the feeling of being... Useless.
In the end, he hadn't been needed at Dragonspiral Tower. N had successfully won over Zekrom, securing its loyalty through friendship alone. The EMWT – and Colress – had been superfluous. He may as well have stayed behind.
'But then, if I had stayed behind, what would have happened to Annie?' he reasoned with himself as he wired a half-made contraption, which was surrounded by many others. He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to work on, so he was just picking things up at random to keep his hands busy. Saving Annie was a small light in his cavernous tin chest. He had served one purpose at least, even if it had nothing to do with his research.
The EMWT 2.1 was already complete. He had improved the start-up time as well as making the whole unit lighter, with better mobility. He wasn't sure if Ghetsis would even need it now. He and N seemed to have their whole plan figured out, with or without him. He sighed, picking up a different device and beginning to calibrate it. He had to do something, he had to prove himself useful. Because if he wasn't useful... What was the point of him?
"People of Unova!" Ghetsis voice rang out. Colress turned around to face the door, but found his lab empty. "I stand before you today to share a vision, a truth that has been hidden from you for far too long..."
Ghetsis' voice continued and Colress' eyes eventually came to land on the television. He kept the news channel running constantly - just in case he saw clues of Genesect's whereabouts - and on the small screen stood Ghetsis. His voice boomed across a huge crowd of people. Colress recognised the plaza. They were in Opelucid City, his hometown. As he watched, he scanned the crowd for his parents. He hadn't spoken to them since graduation.
"Our lord N has combined his power with the legendary dragon-type Pokémon and intends to create a new world. We herald the return of the hero of Unova, founder of this region." Ghetsis continued. The crowd was quiet as they listened. "We, Team Plasma, invite you to join us! We all want to create a new world where people and Pokémon are both free! Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you now... Please, release your Pokémon. And so I end my plea to you today. Thank you one and all for your attention."
The screen shifted to images of Team Plasma's campaigns, of people releasing their Pokémon into the wild, of protesters holding up signs demanding liberation. The broadcast echoed in his mind - Ghetsis speaking with authority, manipulating the crowd with ease, while Colress was left behind, watching from the shadows. A spectator to a grand scheme that no longer needed him.
As the hours rolled by, he considered life outside of Team Plasma, a normal job and a normal house. If he left right now, what would he do? He could probably find work at the university or Blueberry Academy. Or maybe he'd travel and do independent research. But none of it felt... Enough. Could he really go back to his parents and tell them that he'd gotten a job as a teacher when he'd had the opportunity to research the mighty Zekrom and squandered it? When he'd nearly created the most powerful Pokémon ever known, but he'd lost it?
Team Plasma had been his goal from the beginning. As much as he hated to admit it, he believed that Ghetsis would win – and it was looking like he was right – so he'd planned his whole life accordingly. He hadn't made connections, he hadn't formed a life outside of his research... There was nothing for him beyond the confines of this grotesque castle.
Well, maybe there was one thing. Colress set down the handful of wires that he was fiddling with and pulled on the long black cloak. With a sigh, he pulled on the helmet too, completing his 'Hood Man' disguise. Colress then made his way out of the lab, down the many long corridors and gilded staircases, continuing out of the castle and the cave until he reached Victory Road.
When he emerged into the cold mountain air, he was met with the exact sight he was hoping for – it was nighttime. Winter was in full swing, its icy grip chilling the rocky path beneath his feet and frosting the scattered patches of dry grass. His breath formed faint clouds in the still air, but the cold didn't bother him. It was a clear night, and that was what mattered.
He found a small outcropping of rock to sit on, taking off the ridiculous helmet and placing it down beside him, and leaned back to gaze up at the night sky. A vast canvas of stars stretched above him, uninterrupted by clouds or the lights of the cities below. He could lose himself in it, forget everything. It was quiet, distant, infinite.
Colress had always found comfort in thinking about space. It was a world removed from the messiness of life on the ground, a place where things made sense in their vast, unknowable order. Out there, in the stars, everything moved on an unchanging course. The stars didn't need to justify their worth. They simply were.
His eyes traced the familiar constellations, losing track of time as the frigid wind gently stirred his cloak. He liked the silence, the stillness that the mountain offered. He liked knowing that at this moment, nobody knew where he was. It was as if the universe was offering him a reminder that not everything had to be understood or controlled.
Then, a glint of light streaked across the sky. At first, Colress thought it was a shooting star, but the light didn't fade as it should have. Instead, it grew brighter, larger, as if it were descending toward him.
He sat up, squinting as the bright object dipped closer to the mountain. For a moment, he wondered if it was a meteorite on its way to crush him flat. 'So be it,' he thought, 'What a marvellous way to go.'
The light slowed, hovering above the rocky slope. As his eyes adjusted, he realised what it was... A small, glowing figure floating in midair, surrounded by a faint, shimmering aura. Colress' eyes widened beneath his glasses. An Elgyem.
He'd read about them in scientific reports, but seeing one up close was entirely different. Nobody had ever seen one until around fifty years ago, after a UFO crashed in the desert. The alien Pokémon's large, green eyes glowed as it slowly descended, locked onto him.
"Fascinating..." Colress murmured, his voice barely audible. "A real, living being from beyond the stars."
Elgyem hovered in front of him, its round head tilting slightly to one side, as if it were studying him in return. Colress didn't move. He wasn't sure if he should reach out or stay still. He had never really understood how to interact with Pokémon beyond launching a Poké Ball at them, but that didn't feel like the right thing to do in this moment. The Pokémon floated closer, calm and curious. His attention was drawn to three glowing lights in Elgyem's hands, pulsating gently like the stars overhead.
And then, unexpectedly, the Elgyem let out a quiet, chittering sound. It reached out with one of its tiny, glowing hands and pointed at him - specifically, at his blue cowlick. Colress blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
"Ah, this?" he asked, raising a hand to smooth the stubborn lock of hair that always refused to lie flat. Elgyem's eyes twinkled, and it made the chittering sound again, almost like it was... laughing?
He let out a small chuckle, surprising himself. Of all the things Elgyem could have found fascinating, his unusual hair was apparently at the top of the list. The absurdity of the moment - sitting alone on a mountain, staring at an extraterrestrial Pokémon who was amused by his hair - somehow made everything feel a little less heavy.
The Elgyem bobbed closer, inspecting him as if he were the strange creature from another world. Its wide eyes followed every slight movement he made and Colress couldn't help but feel... connected, in a way. For once, he wasn't just observing from afar. He wasn't trapped in his own head, dissecting every interaction or wondering whether he mattered in the grand scheme of things.
He was simply... there, in that moment, with a being who found him just as strange and intriguing as he found it.
For a few minutes, they just sat there, Colress watching the stars while Elgyem floated beside him, amusing itself by tugging on his hair and watching it spring back up. And for the first time in what felt like forever, Colress didn't feel completely alone.
His thoughts drifted to Annie. Perhaps this was how she felt every day, surrounded by Pokémon, with nobody expecting anything from her. She wanted to stop Team Plasma, to preserve a world where Pokémon and people could be together, because this was her life. He felt envious, but also... he understood. If he had even half of the life she did, he would do anything to protect it.
As Elgyem continued flicking is hair, chittering softly, an idea formed. He could catch it. He could feel this connection every day, just like Annie. He reached into his cloak and pulled out an empty Poké Ball.
The ball felt heavier than it should have as he raised it between them, his fingers trembling slightly. His Klinklang and the rest of his team - they all looked at him now with cold, indifferent eyes. He'd trained them, improved them, pushed them beyond their limits. But in the process, he'd sacrificed any chance of forming real bonds.
He couldn't bear to see that same coldness in Elgyem's eyes.
The Elgyem tilted its head, floating a little closer, nudging the ball with one glowing hand as if to say: 'What are you waiting for?'
"No," Colress lowered his hand, letting the ball fall between them. "I'll only hurt you."
He averted his eyes, feeling the sting of his own words. This was who he was. Pokémon were tools. If he didn't push them, he'd never achieve anything. If he didn't keep his distance, he'd lose focus. It was the only way he knew how to succeed. Success demands sacrifice.
The Elgyem chittered happily, its alien eyes glowing brightly. It clearly hadn't understood what he'd said. With a sudden movement, the small Pokémon floated down to the Poké Ball, reached out, and tapped the button. A flash of red light enveloped the Elgyem, and in an instant it was gone, drawn into the ball.
The ball clicked softly, signalling the catch. The stillness returned, pressing in around him once more, but this time it felt different. Colress sat there for a moment, simply staring at the ball as it lay on the rocks at his feet. The light had faded, leaving him alone again on the cold mountaintop.
He wanted to feel happy, but instead, a deep sense of dread settled over him. Elgyem had trusted him, wanted to be with him, and yet...
"I'm going to hurt you," he whispered, voice cracking under the weight of the admission. "Just like I've hurt all the others."
He could already picture the coldness that would creep into Elgyem's eyes over time, as it realized that he wasn't a trainer like Annie. It wouldn't be frolicking around Unova, making friends or going on adventures. It was stuck with Colress.
Colress picked up the Poké Ball, holding it in his palm as if it were a fragile thing. The warmth of Elgyem's choice lingered in the cool metal, but it felt like a lie. He wasn't meant for this - this bond, this fragile connection. He would break it, just like he had broken all the others.