Slipping out of the castle undetected turned out to be decidedly easy. There were many tunnels that lead into the caves below and soon enough, Colress was on his way to Opelucid City with little more than the clothes on his back, his Pokémon and the Light Stone. He wasn't sure what he'd do once he got there. He wouldn't go to his parents' house, just in case Annie changed her mind. If the police began looking for him, that was the first place they'd check.
He sincerely hoped that she would keep her word. When he'd graduated, he'd told his parents that he was 'working on something big' and he'd tell them more when he had something to show for it. If all he managed to achieve was a spot on Unova's Top Ten Most Wanted list, he may as well never go home again.
As he walked along Route 10, the dark trees rustling gently in the breeze, something in the distance caught his eye. A figure, moving slowly along the path ahead. Colress squinted through the dim light, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. Even from this distance, he could recognize that limping gait, the slight slope of the shoulders.
Ghetsis.
For a moment, Colress froze. The rational part of him told him to turn around and walk away, to leave Ghetsis to his fate and start fresh. He could vanish into the night, pursue his research on Pokémon in peace, without the burden of Ghetsis' grandiose and dangerous schemes. It was what any sane person would do.
But as he stood there, watching Ghetsis limp forward, that thought - the idea of breaking free – made him uneasy. He had no destination. No plan. His entire life for the past few years had been shaped by the structure and ambition of Team Plasma. Without it, he was just as lost as Ghetsis was.
Colress clenched his jaw, then made a decision. He quickened his pace, catching up to Ghetsis in long, hurried strides. When Colress finally fell into step beside him, Ghetsis didn't turn to look at him. He didn't speak. But he didn't seem to object either.
They walked together in silence for what felt like hours, the road winding under their feet. Ghetsis' pace was slow and pained, but Colress didn't mind. He had nowhere to be. There was an unspoken understanding. Whatever Ghetsis had left, whatever lingering plan or glimmer of ambition remained in the man's mind, Colress would be part of it. He didn't know why he felt that way, but the thought of walking away no longer seemed viable. He was set in his ways, trapped by his own choices.
Eventually, the route led them to the station and they boarded a train bound for Castelia City. The train rattled along the tracks, the landscape passing by in a blur of shadows and distant lights. Ghetsis stared blankly out of the window, his face unreadable, while Colress sat beside him, his mind whirring with questions he dared not voice.
When they arrived in Castelia City, the bustling streets twinkled with Christmas lights. Colress wasn't sure when Christmas was. It could be today for all he knew. Ghetsis, still limping, still silent, led them toward the harbour. Colress followed without question, a sense of inevitability pulling him forward.
A frigate came into view, docked at the edge of the harbour. The sleek, dark vessel loomed ahead of them like a monument to their shared failure. It stood there, silent and waiting, untouched by the chaos that had consumed Team Plasma.
Without hesitation, Ghetsis made his way up the gangplank, his uneven steps echoing on the metal. Colress followed close behind, the ship's decks stretching out before him. The frigate was empty. It groaned gently as the waves lapped up against it.
They navigated the empty halls, the cold, metallic corridors, past dark cluttered rooms that looked like they'd once been hubs of activity. Finally, they reached the bridge. Ghetsis stood at the centre, his gaze sweeping over the controls and the dusty helm on a platform at the front.
"This frigate belonged to my father," Ghetsis finally spoke, running a hand along the chrome railing. "I always wanted to sail on it, but I was never allowed."
"Is that the plan then, we sail off into the horizon? Grab a malasada in Alola and sunbathe?" asked Colress with a smirk.
"No." Ghetsis said simply. He did not speak again for a long time. He just paced. Back and forth. Back and forth. Colress took a seat at the control panel and just... waited.
Back and forth.
Ghetsis had lost. Team Plasma had fallen. Their king was gone with Zekrom. He had lost his P2 Lab weeks ago. Did Colress really have nothing better to do than follow Ghetsis to the ends of the earth? If Ghetsis jumped off a cliff, would he jump too?
Back and forth.
Alola didn't sound so bad. The more he thought about it, the more he craved a Piña Colada. He'd never actually tried one, but it sounded delicious. Maybe Ghetsis would accidentally fall overboard on their way there.
Back and forth.
Colress watched Ghetsis sweep around the room, hate crystalising in his blood. He hated the way he walked, a slow deliberate pace to hide his limp. He hated the bulge in his cloak where he hid his spindly right arm. He hated the way he talked. He hated his stupid notebook and his messy handwriting. He hated his obsession with myths and legends. He hated his lust for power. He hated his gaudy castle. He hated his cruel red eye. He hated what he remembered of the other one too.
But mostly, he hated that Ghetsis was his only friend.
"I'm not done," Ghetsis finally spoke, turning on Colress, his anguished voice hissing from between his teeth. "... Not yet."
"Are you ever?" Colress asked bluntly, crossing his arms.
Ghetsis ignored him, his pacing speeding up. "I need to figure out where it all went wrong... N. Yes, I gave that freak of a boy too much power. I encouraged his compassion, thinking that his ingrained loyalty to the cause would manifest as undying loyalty to me... But he went rogue. The moment he was out in the world, out of my direct influence, he began questioning everything I taught him. And now he's Arceus-knows-where, with MY Zekrom!"
Ghetsis launched an old radio across the room in temper, narrowly missing Colress. It landed with a smash against the wall behind him. Colress looked down at the wrecked pile of plastic and wires. Last time he'd seen Ghetsis throw something, they had been sixteen. For the first time in a long time, Colress realised that he felt incredibly stupid. He'd thought that Ghetsis was going to be the king of a new Unova, but he was still just an angry teenager that bullied him into doing his homework. Annie was right, this wasn't worth it.
"You know where I went wrong, Colress?" Ghetsis suddenly looked up at him, his ruby eye glinting with delirium.
"Where?" Colress sighed, deciding to humour him for a little longer.
"You, Colress," Ghetsis replied, pointing his bony finger at him.
'That's it, I'm leaving.' Colress thought to himself and rose to his feet.
"Yes, I realise it now." Ghetsis continued as Colress crossed the room with a blank expression. "You were under-utilised. Hidden away, when you should have been front-and-centre. I devised my original plan in a way that would work if you never rejoined us after you finished university... I stand by that decision. Eight years is a long time and there was no telling if you'd change your mind."
Colress stopped walking and turned slowly, listening. Ghetsis began pacing once more.
"But when I found out that you would indeed be coming back, well, that's where I should have reevaluated N's worth. However... regrets are useless to me now. What is important is that now I understand what I must do."
"And what is it that you must do?"
"I must assign a new leader of Team Plasma," Ghetsis looked up at him, his lip curling into a sneer. "You, Colress."
"You want me to be Team Plasma's new puppet king?" Colress asked doubtfully.
"No, not king. I'm done with kings and castles. N's soft heart held Team Plasma back. He was a liability, beaten by the Genesect that HE freed!" Ghetsis looked scarily close to throwing something again at the mention of Genesect, but he held back. "No, Team Plasma needs a leader who embraces the future. Somebody with ideas, who will push the boundaries of what it means to be powerful!"
Colress met Ghetsis' gaze curiously. "And you believe I'm that somebody?"
"Think about it, Colress." Ghetsis placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer. His breath smelled like smoke. Not cigarette, but fire. "If you had been given an unlimited budget and free reign to do whatever you wanted, do you think we'd be here right now? Imagine if I hadn't built a castle, but an enormous lab, just for you. Where do you think Team Plasma would be?"
"Not on an abandoned frigate." Colress admitted, allowing himself to picture the lab of his dreams and Zekrom as his test subject. Ghetsis was right. If it hadn't been for N... If he had been the 'king', they would still have Genesect. They may not have been able to awaken Zekrom or Reshiram, but they'd have both stones.
"Yes," Ghetsis nodded, never breaking eye contact. "It should have been you. And now, Colress, it will be. We will create a new base and you... You will have the final say on everything. You are the most valuable asset that Team Plasma has."
"We could... use this frigate. I used to watch this show on Saturday mornings," Colress felt a little stupid admitting it, but the words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. "With this ship that could fly... I'd need help, but I think I could draw up the rough plans to make something like that. And the lab could be right here, in the bridge."
"Yes! Yes!" Ghetsis agreed vehemently. "That sounds perfect, what is more powerful than a military ship flying through the air!"
Despite himself, he felt a smile creeping to his lips. He ran his eyes around the room. The frigate was a huge ship. Not quite as big as a cargo ship, but still a formidable ex-military vessel. The bridge was a huge room and beneath the layer of dust was a functional space. "I could have monitors all along here, then this would work perfectly as a desk area..."
"Inspired! Why, Colress, you're not just valuable," Ghetsis' tone softened, just a fraction. "You're irreplaceable."
Colress felt a thrill run through him at the words. The temptation was overwhelming. Colress traced the edge of the control panel with his fingers, his mind already racing with possibilities. The bridge of the frigate felt less like a rusty relic and more like a canvas - a place where his ideas could finally take form. With Ghetsis' promise of unlimited resources and freedom, the vision of what he could achieve began to solidify in his mind. A flying frigate, outfitted with state-of-the-art technology, a research facility built to his exact specifications. The thought alone was intoxicating.
"Today marks the start of a new era, a new beginning. No heroes, no naïve idealists - just the truth. Neo Team Plasma will take Unova by force." Ghetsis leaned in close, his voice dropping to a whisper. "What is it you truly desire?"
"What I desire is to bring out the entirety in Pokémon potential. If I can accomplish that, I don't care what it takes." Colress answered without hesitation.
"Then let's begin."