CHAPTER 320
Getting to the address Mallory Ryan had provided had been tough. First I'd needed to catch a ride from a Kadabra, and to get one as soon as possible, I asked to be sent to Sunyshore. It was easier to get one the less distance I had to travel, given that it took less energy of them and they could get back to whatever they'd been doing at the League quicker. Had I not been privileged after saving the world, this single step would have been impossible.
The reason it was necessary, however, was because the Lily of the Valley Island was still on lockdown. Mallory sending one of the Teleporters on her payroll wasn't allowed; they would instantly get pinged by one of the many other psychics keeping track of every inch of the island, and as it stood, the League was still in 'attack first and ask questions later' mode. The Kadabra had brought to one of the Pokemon Centers— this one close to the boardwalk. Ten minutes away from here, the destruction Team Galactic had brought would be on full display. Inside were many trainers and their Pokemon in lower spirits than usual. There wasn't much to be happy about these days. I'd had no ti to get dressed properly, so I was still wearing my usual t-shirt and jeans; I had thrown a hoodie on top to hide my face while needing to hide my presence in Sunyshore.
Monts later appeared a Pokemon I'd never seen before, yet I knew littered the caves of Unova and once Orre, occupying similar niches as the Zubat line. His body was covered in soft, velvety fur, primarily a deep shade of cobalt blue, and the glow of his heart-shaped nose faded in line with his powers. The second I saw the Swoobat quietly pop into existence in the sky above the Pokemon center, I knew he had co for , so I gestured and waved until I was spotted. One could rarely mistake such purpose in a being's eyes. The flying type glided down toward , nearly bumping into the Pokemon Center's Pokeball sign glowing faintly in the night in the process; he was quite the clumsy flier, I noticed, but it looked like he could at least Teleport properly. I scanned the surroundings looking for a trainer, but found none. Swoobat had co alone.
MY APOLOGIES, HONORED ONE, Swoobat spoke— yelled telepathically. I'd never heard a psychic be so loud. The closest to this was Jasmine's tagross. I AM HERE TO TELEPORT YOU TO JUBILIFE. I HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO… he trailed off. UH OH. WHAT HAVE I BEEN INTRUCTED TO DO AGAIN? RIGHT! RIIIIIIGHT! TO TELL YOU THAT IF YOU WISHED TO TURN BACK, NOW WAS THE TI! THIS IS YOUR FINAL OPPORTUNITY! The bat heartily flapped his wings, as if he had not told the most ominous thing he could have said before this tense eting.
It did make hesitate a little bit. I didn't think Mallory would do anything drastic like attack , or whatever— and if the impossible happened and she sohow did this, Buddy would wipe the floor with anyone she could bring— but I did think she was the kind to make a social situation as uncomfortable as possible, which would possibly lead into an argunt.
And argunts… well, when I had one with Maylene's dad I defaulted to trying to kill him.
Still, I was not deterred.
"Can we just hurry? I don't want to be seen," I said, pulling the top of my hood down. The longer I stood around here, the more likely this beca, especially with Swoobat being such a bad flier attracting attention.
Swoobat grinned, revealing sharp teeth. I'M GLAD. I AM INTRIGUED IN YOU, HONORED ONE. YOU CAN UNDERSTAND US, AFTER ALL— he bumped into a passerby, who told to watch it as if Swoobat was my Pokemon. YOU WATCH IT! Swoobat hissed, throwing out a few vocal insults. Hearing my transporter calling soone's mother a whore had not been on my bingo card for tonight. AS I WAS SAYING, YOUR CAPABILITY TO UNDERSTAND MY KIND IS OF GREAT INTEREST TO AND MY PARTNER! NOW, LET US BE ON OUR WAY!
By the ti we finished that sentence, we were sowhere else. I was greeted by high ceilings adorned with an elegant chandelier that cast a warm, golden light over the intricate wooden flooring. Not very unique as far as decorations went, but it made feel like I was in another world. This place was even more luxurious than the condo Cece and I were staying in and I imdiately felt underdressed. Swoobat dropped to the ground and decided to hop forward instead of flying around, possibly out of fear of breaking sothing, and he told to follow.
Jazz music that Swoobat humd to softly played throughout the apartnt as he led forward. Each room I passed by or through was the apex of what money could bring you in Jubilife. It was as if every detail in the apartnt, from the recessed lighting to the rich wood flooring, to each extravagant painting that looked like it had been plucked out of a modern art museum, had been ticulously chosen to appear as opulent as possible. There were a few security caras in corners, which was not ideal; I was being recorded. Sotis I'd catch a glance of a window, each with its own stunning view of the city that would have made Cece stare for hours. This must have been one of Mallory's apartnts; she had a few in Veilstone, but one here, which she picked as our place of eting. As Sinnoh's most famous and popular news anchor, she could afford it. I knew that this wouldn't have made most of my friends even turn their heads, though.
But I was led into… not a living room, but sothing akin to it.
WELCO TO THE ROOM WHERE MANY CONVERSATIONS WHILE BROODING OVER THE CITYSCAPE CAN TAKE PLACE! Swoobat said, sweeping the place with his wing. AN ACTIVITY RICH HUMANS ARE VERY VERY VERY FOND OF!
The two who caught my eye— because there were two people here— were Mallory and an old man slightly hunched over. Mallory, as usual, had her short, dark brown pixiecut. She sat on a couch in a fancy glittering dark blue one-piece dress with her legs crossed as she sipped on so white wine. There was another couch free, facing the sa massive window Mallory was, but the man was standing. He stood slightly taller than Denzel, draped in flowing robes of muted brown with a golden cloak draped around his shoulders and a tall, cumberso-looking hat. A thick, white beard flowed down to his neck, hiding the lower part of his mouth, and he had a large, round nose with a twinge of red from irritation. Swoobat hopped toward him like an excited child, forgetting his quest to not knock anything over. He bumped into a counter and the couch before reaching his apparent trainer, who lowered himself with a tired grunt carrying the weight of aching bones to scratch the flying type's neck.
"Ah, Grace! The girl of the hour!" Mallory had turned my way, her smile mildly unsettling. "Co, co, sit!" She motioned her way, and I hesitantly followed. "Thank you for taking up on my offer. I know I didn't make it easy for you, but the topic we're about is important, don't you think? Do you want anything to drink? I have water or juice. Soft drinks, too."
"No thanks," I dryly responded, plopping myself down on the free couch. The city unfolded below like a tapestry, and I could hear its sound faintly reaching the window; the occasional honking of a car or soone yelling. "Wait, where are my manners. Um," I quickly shot back up and faced the older man. "I'm—"
"Grace Pastel, yes," he interrupted, then slowly gestured toward Mallory. His voice was gentle, yet stern. Weathered, perhaps, yet it was clear that he spoke with purpose as well. He carried with him an accent reminiscent of Cece's before she'd absorbed Sinnoh's way of speaking. "I've heard many stories about you from our dear benefactor."
Mallory laughed, a sultry and admittedly pleasant sound. "You flatter , Rood." Then, she turned my way. "Rood was originally here to thank for one of my donations to their political party— my largest to date, but he jumped at the occasion to et you once I said you would visit. He even extended his stay!"
Swoobat snorted unpleasantly and glared. The old man stroked his beard in contemplation, and I honed in on his displeasure instantly. He had been either caught off-guard by this, or did not want to know about the circumstances of his visit, or both. Maybe he wanted to feel more important than I already was. Flatter was one of the many keys to get what you wanted from soone.
"As I said, I'd heard about many of your feats," the so-called Rood said. "Ah, but I forget myself. My na is Rood Vaughan, and I am a Sage of the Plasma Organization. Think of it as one of their guides or leaders. It is a pleasure to et you."
He outstretched his hand, and I shook it. The grip was weak, yet I felt a jolt of electricity up my arm. His skin was dry and wrinkly. Now that he faced , I noticed the emblem on his chest, tying the golden cloak together around his shoulders. A black and white shield with a blue 'P' and 'Z' linked together.
It hit all at once.
They wanted sothing from , and the knives were out. They wanted to use , perhaps each for a different goal, and I wanted to use them as well. This wasn't just a conversation, this was a fight for my survival in the mud. There was a tingle in my hands, the need to clench at sothing; a subtle sharpening of my senses; the hair on my neck and arms stood on end and I gulped.
Here, for a mont.
Here, at one of the highest points of Jubilife.
I found a story. I found purpose. I was alive again! This was a battle; there were three sides to it, and I was the only one blind to its ramifications. My back was against the wall. Mallory had the power to leak this and ruin my relationship with Poketch. If it had only been her, I could have escaped with only a flesh wound, but now with one of the leaders of Plasma in the room if this got out I would lay not only defeated, but dead. A corpse bleeding out on the floor, beaten by her betters. Those had to be the stakes. They had to be, because then I could actually feel this fire in my heart. The prickling sensation along my skin; the sweat building up on my palms; the rush of adrenaline; the realization that I was utterly outplayed and cornered. These were the drums of war, of blood and iron, and by the Legendaries, I had missed its rhythm.
Finally. My worries had been confird. I was a weapon. Conflict drove . Conflict ant a story with at its center. A story ant purpose. Purpose was to now as oxygen was to my body. No, it was worse. So bad you could get drunk on it.
But I could not get ahead of myself. The Sharpedo were circling, and the ambush I'd been led into had left bleeding. I had lost the first engagent before even knowing there was going to be a fight in the first place.
"You could have t Zinzolin too, but I'm afraid he had to make himself scarce yesterday when Sinnoh's airspace opened again. A sha that he left, really," Mallory continued with a threatening smile. "I truly apologize for not being able to warn you about Rood's presence. I am aware this puts you in a bind."
So they truly weren't on the sa side, sohow. There was a conflict of interest, and I was the only one blind to it. Not wanting to be out of my depth, I nodded and decided to go on the attack. "I would have liked a warning. And you know what, can I take you up on that drink offer?"
Her stare sharpened. Did she think a fool, to gloat and bare her ill will toward Rood right in front of ? Her smile softened, and she uncrossed her legs. "What do you want?"
I couldn't overplay my hand. "Just so tea, if you have so? I've beco a big fan over the last few months— any tea is fine." I did like tea, but the water reaching a boiling point ant the kettle would make so noise. I'd be able to figure out when she was done. If she took too long to co back, I'd know she was trying to eavesdrop, and water took a bit to boil. Plus, I had a good view of the way toward the kitchen.
Accepting her first loss, Mallory got up and calmly walked toward her kitchen. The size of her apartnt would play in my favor here, but I couldn't rest on my laurels just yet. Mallory, I knew a little about. I knew she wanted to abolish trainers; I knew she represented the biggest extres of Plasma; I knew she was genuinely interested in , and so while she would step on my toes, she wouldn't try to sabotage these talks to the point of getting to leave. Blackmail and threats were just that, an idea of what could go wrong. If I fucked up, she would use it, but she wouldn't just throw under the bus for no reason. She'd have to be certain there would be no avenues to cooperate with .
Rood was a blank slate, one whose blade has still not been dirtied from the battle. The old man had stayed quiet after our introduction, content to listen and observe with his hands behind his back while his Swoobat rubbed on the side of his legs in-between joyous snorts. Mallory being gone was my opportunity to figure him out. No doubt the woman thought she'd just listen back to the footage on her own ti, which was why she hadn't minded stepping away.
A mistake, in my opinion. It was as if I did the sa for a Gym Battle, thinking I'd just watch the video of my loss afterward. Yeah, I'd learn, but I had still lost.
"So," I eagerly began. "What is it that you want from , Rood?"
"Straight to the point," he said, clearly amused. "As you age, you'll learn to appreciate the scenic route to things."
"I an, from what I understood, your fellow Sage Zinzolin left before you did, aning that you're clearly interested." I'd been sitting on the couch with an arm over the armrest, aning that the wrist Mimi was on was hidden. I quietly tapped them on the side of the couch to wake them up until they shivered in annoyance. "Obviously you've heard that I can talk to and understand Pokemon, as you've said, but what are you hoping to do with that knowledge?"
Rood slowly ambled toward the window, and he observed Jubilife at night. "A wonderful city, don't you think?"
This was clearly leading sowhere. "Yes."
"So small. It is a quaint little city." Finding Jubilife small of all things was sothing only a Unovan would say. "I have to say, from my ti here, Sinnoh is quite the humble region. I have appreciated my stay, even in these dire circumstances. You have my sincere condolences for what these 'Galactic' terrorists have done."
I nodded, taken aback by the warmth in him. "Thanks. I—It's been a tough ti for all of us."
He swept his hand toward the city below. "Mallory… Mallory would have us tear all of this down; that is her ultimate goal," he continued. "You would be hard-pressed to find soone in Plasma who would go that far; we simply fight for Pokemon liberation." Swoobat crooned at that word. Liberation. "Mallory has been a staunch ally in the fight for Pokemon, but I fear she loses the forest for the trees sotis. I am sorry she forced your hand." There was a small smile behind his beard. "But I did not find it fit to stop it. The opportunity here was too interesting to pass and as she likely thinks, the fact that you have not left running as soon as you saw or the caras ans that this is sothing you truly believe in. I find that admirable. To be willing to lose much for your goals."
Here were go. I braced myself for the first bout; the mont friendly small talk would turn into a ga of pushing and pulling. He let around ten seconds pass, no doubt allowing the pressure to build. Occasionally, he would glance toward the hallway leading to the kitchen.
"Ah, but I need to make sure you are worth your salt, first," Rood said. "A little test for you. Swoobat, if you will."
The bat bead, happy to help his trainer. With a wink, Swoobat told that if I wanted to steal anything from Mallory on my way out, he would Teleport it with . I said no, of course, and quickly relayed the ssage to Rood, who I assud got confirmation from the psychic through telepathy.
His eyes widened. "Fascinating. All of my life, I've given to this cause and tried to find like-minded people, yet this is only the second ti I've seen soone like you. Soone who can truly hear Pokemon, even if they are strangers."
My nails dug into the couch, but I caught the tic and just humd nonchalantly, as if I was intrigued and not utterly bewitched by this revelation. He must have wanted to gauge my reaction too, from the beat of silence that he allowed to pass as his gaze washed over like a thousand needles. I called to sprit using my mind, asking if they had anything to do with this— so kind of half shard business they hadn't told like Chase and Cece.
Nope, the God imdiately answered. I've got nothing to do with this, if he's telling the truth! sprit snickered, signaling they already knew. You should have used your empathy to tell, Grace! C'mon, get your head in the ga! This is the most exciting thing that's happened to you since you've been back from the Distortion World!
Right. Right, he could have been lying. I didn't want to rely on empathy if I could; if possible I wanted to be able to tell what people thought and felt and wanted by just looking at them. Like Gardenia. But given that the stakes were so high, maybe…
Was that a lie? I asked sprit.
Well now it's less entertaining if I tell you. Figure it out on your own, if you want to be such a goody two shoes! Hmph!
The whistling of the tea kettle in the distance eventually centered before I could make my decision.
"Really? That's interesting," I said. "Are they another mber of your party—"
"Ah, welco back, Mallory," he said, facing the nearby hallway.
We heard her steps before we saw her. "I got you camomille," she said, lifting a ceramic cup. She looked frayed, but not beaten. "I hope you like it, I'm not that big on tea. I have to drink at least four coffees a day to survive, though."
When I grabbed the cup and thanked her, a realization hit like a bucket of cold water while she and Rood continued their small talk about coffee (the old man was convinced it was a vice).
Was this why he'd waited so long? Spoken so slowly? So he would get sothing out of , but not out of him? From how long an answer had taken to co out, he could have easily told that not only I did not know soone else like , but that I hadn't expected it to be possible in the first place. Yeah, I'd gotten information too— that out there soone else like existed— but again, it could have been a lie, and even if it wasn't, he had gotten the better deal. Internally, a curse rang in my head. I was rusty. It had been a while since the politicking of Poketch.
A second loss. I couldn't let it get to three. Three felt significant, sohow. As if he'd have too much leverage in the conversation and even Mallory would be able to twist my arm. Rember, this is a story. It would be too obvious to have lose here; an opportunity would arrive soon. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was insane, but at this point I was too deep into it to care.
I eyed the news anchor, who was also still reeling from her loss. She was far easier to read. Prickly, tense, and using their stupid argunt about coffee to feel like she was at least winning sothing. We all knew this small talk was only a break from the fighting. We'd all traded barbs; now was the ti for the second bout.
Taking the lead was a risk, but I had to trust Mallory would catch onto what I was doing.
I blew on my tea a few tis. "Slls good." A aningless filler ant to garner attention, and it worked. Both of my opponents were looking at , now. "So, Mallory. Tell how you and Rood t. If that's okay, of course!"
It was an attempt at an olive branch. If she knew any better, she'd take it. It wouldn't be wise to weaken our standing and allow Rood to get out of here as the sole benefactor to this eting. The potential reward had increased for now. I needed to know if this second Pokemon whisperer was real, and if they were, I wanted to know more about them. Knowledge was an invaluable.
She lowered her glass of wine and smirked. "Ah, it's been a while, hasn't it, Rood?"
"Certainly."
Mallory explained that she'd always been against trainers even when she'd been a child, and that she'd involved herself in Pokemon Rights organizations as a teenager and young adult. She'd even t her husband through these and forged a wide net of connections with important people all over Sinnoh. This was all information I already knew from lody, but I pretended to be fascinated by it.
Maybe that was a little too harsh. The story was interesting. She'd done a lot of volunteer work to reho Pokemon which had been abused or caught against their wills and released in an environnt they hadn't been adapted to live in by trainers too lazy to go back to where they'd caught them, too, so she had done a lot of good for the world. I was simply after sothing else. We were circling the drain, so to speak.
Unfortunately for her, or at least she thought so, her ideals eventually turned too extre for many of the groups she'd been a part of, so she quickly looked abroad and found a tiny group of like-minded people in Unova.
"I had only just joined at the ti," Rood explained. "We were small, only based in Castelia and without much funding. Mallory had already beco one of the largest news anchors in Sinnoh and was our second big political donor, you see. Without her, we wouldn't have grown anywhere as large as quickly. For that, she will always have my eternal gratitude." He inclined his head at her.
"Second?" I asked. "Who was the first?"
I caught the twitch in his eye; the way his hand reflexively moved an inch toward his beard, but then stayed flat against his robes. Rood was difficult to read, but was not infallible. I was only growing sharper as the night went on. He had not expected to ask that question, and normally I wouldn't have. Second just struck as an odd thing to say. If they'd had a donor beforehand, why had they stayed small? He'd identified them as big, after all. That ant pulling similar numbers to Mallory.
"I'm afraid they desire anonymity," he said. "You have to understand, Grace, that taking our position publicly, while easier than ten, twenty, thirty years ago, is still liable to ruin your reputation."
"Oh, I understand."
One loss for him, then. Minor, but a loss nonetheless. Mallory just had a smug smile, and I didn't know if it was she liked seeing Rood get so egg on his face or if she knew about this donor as well. Our alliance, while tentative, was still holding sowhat, so I decided not to throw her under the bus and ask her about this mysterious donor. She was the one with the caras, after all. Chitchat about how Plasma struggled in its early days continued for a few minutes until Mallory moved on the attack as soon as I signaled to her with a look.
"I'm sorry to bring this back up, but I do wonder what I missed while I was gone." She brought a finger to the side of her lip. "Grace looked quite shaken; I hope you weren't mistreating our guest, Rood."
Damn it, she was good to have caught on to what I wanted exactly. Crazy, but good, when she focused. She wasn't known to be rciless in her interviews for nothing. Years upon years of experience had been enough to sharpen her tongue enough for it to be lethal. It was a good thing that the beliefs she could barely hold back without a massive dia conglorate breathing down her neck were a weakness of hers. Honestly, the fact that they let her work for them with these views of her was insane to begin with, but maybe she'd grown too important, so they were stuck with her. It wasn't like she aired those in public, anyway.
"Most of it was just small talk, but Rood actually told about soone else like earlier," I said. "Soone who could also speak to Pokemon."
"Ah, yes. Them." That was confirmation they were real, especially with how Rood fucking stared daggers at Mallory, which seed to reinvigorate her. She was a little like Mars, in that way. While a trap was possible, I sincerely doubted they were coordinating this lie. "A wonderful child your exact age that I've heard many good things about, though I have never been allowed to et them, even with my many visits to Unova." Mallory tapped a finger on her armrest and lounged there like a lazy Glaow. "They're the reason why I was so intrigued by you when you walked up to Veilstone's Gate with that army of Pokemon behind you. You sounded and looked like what I'd heard about them."
Rood was fiddling uncomfortably with his beard. He'd overplayed his hand! Had he thought I'd never ally with Mallory just because she was fucking insane and he'd tried to tarnish her in my eyes while she was gone? And the best part was that he couldn't even say anything about it, lest he give sothing else away.
"I could never have imagined that you would, in ti, beco such a brilliant trainer," Mallory said with stars in her eyes. "We need people like you among us."
Well, all good things ca to an end, I supposed. "Brilliant trainers? There are many like ; I don't even have my eighth badge." A soft rebuke first, to steer her away. We could still salvage this, even if she had slighted .
"But how many can speak to Pokemon, and how many are… at least favorable to our cause?" she asked. "And that's not even speaking about your rate of progress. Who knows where you'll be in three months? Six? A year?"
Why did she have to go there? We had Rood on the ropes, and now we were trading blows! "Generally, you slow down the stronger your Pokemon are," I said, echoing Craig's words. "Why do you even need for?" Back. Off.
"This world is run by strength above all, is it not? In nearly every single country, it is the most powerful trainer that rules, or at least appears to rule." Mallory's jaw clenched in displeasure. "Strength behind your cause is many things. It is respect; it is credibility; it is legitimacy. That is how the world works. The bigger a monopoly on violence you have, the better shot you have at being heard."
I bit the inside of my lip, knowing that she left no choice. "The world you're describing where I am a weapon for you to use is a fantasy," I hissed. I wanted— needed purpose, but I was not far gone enough to let anyone use . "I will not be a tool for you to scare people with or worse. I am certain Rood will agree with ."
Mallory's face fell. She'd expected a rebuttal, and maybe had wanted to drive into a corner, but she hadn't expected to run back to Rood for support after she'd given so much information about this other individual like . I'd essentially backstabbed her, and the look in her eye let know that she would never help again. Another loss for her; bad, since she had control of the caras. I slled her tea's aroma and circled a tiny spoon in the cup, as if unbothered.
Inclining his head toward as a sign of gratitude, the Sage spoke. "We have many young and hotheaded people." The importance he'd put on those words, accompanied by a very obvious stare toward Mallory made his intent known. "Passion is good, but I fear the actions so of them could take if the ban passes this sumr."
By that, he ant the banning of their political party in parliant. Cecilia had spoken to about it a bit, and I had done so research on my own with Jellicent's help.
"It will pass, and it will be buried now that the news can only speak about Sinnoh. The establishnt fears us." Mallory sneered and took another swig of wine. "We're surging in the polls! Nowhere near enough to be the largest party yet, but we've gone from a tiny irrelevant group to a sizeable voice with amazing ground ga and organization. Why would they ban our party if they weren't scared of us? Terrified that we'd keep growing? We were about to break the fucking dam, forgive my language, and they want to put a— a bit of tape over it and bury their heads in the sand!" She wildly gestured.
Rood audibly groaned, so I followed up to keep her talking. Anything to use her rashness as a weapon against herself. Anchoring myself to Rood was the only way I'd make it through the night. "And what does that an? Breaking the dam."
The news anchor's face burned alight with passion and she uttered a single word. Quiet, yet solid as steel. "Revolution."
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. Arguing for revolution while she would be watching from an ocean away in her ivory tower, sipping wine and profiting off of it by reporting on it was insane, yet expected from soone like her.
"Enough of that," Rood growled, sounding a decade younger. "I will not allow blood to be spilled in our streets. For innocents and children to die as collateral damage. Violence is never the answer."
Mallory laughed and clapped her hands. "Oh you bleeding heart. Spare ."
"And who, pray tell, do you think will fight this theoretical revolution." He gestured at . "Trainers will use their Pokemon as tools of violence! This goes exactly against our core beliefs! The very beings you want to save will die by the tens, hundreds of thousands! Maybe millions." His expression grew grim, and a darkened shadow clouded behind his eyes as if he was visualizing it. Swoobat patted his leg with a wing, and so of the tension left Rood, who took a deep breath. "You think we will put the heads of your enemies at the League on pikes, but war is never so self-contained. Innocents would die and be displaced, and in the wild as well."
"Coward," she hatefully spat. "So you would rather let them ban our cause," Mallory countered. "You would rather allow them to stay the course on hundreds of years of oppression than do what is necessary. Allow to posit you this." She stood up and began to pace, though maintained a piercing glare toward Rood. "It is the Great War. The Kalosion monarchy bans any dissident voice against the war and imprisons anyone who speaks out. Do you know how it ended? With a revolution, the king dead and Kalos out of the war."
"Apples and oranges," he dismissed her with an irritated rasp in his voice. There was a beat of silence passed, heavy even for . I did not know who'd won the engagent, but I'd give it to Rood. "And what do you think, Grace?"
"I agree that there is a problem," I said. "I just vehently disagree with what you think is the cure. And that goes for you as well," I told Rood. It was easier to understand their difference, now. Their agendas. Both believed Pokemon Trainers to be endemic to the issue that Pokemon in society were not treated as equals. They disagreed, however, on how to fix that issue. "It's like, you're both acting like Pokemon themselves don't get a say in this."
"A common rebuke," Rood said. "I can assure you, we both know that different Pokemon will have different needs and wants."
"Despite all of this, they are victims who have been brought up in the sa society that we have. Many of them think that this is all normal despite—"
Rood softly clicked his tongue, as if to tell her she would find no companion in that line of thinking. Not here, at least. "One cannot deny that ripping away Pokemon from their trainers would be a traumatic experience. Not only would it be impossible without a war we could not win even with all of Unova's resources behind us, but it would be morally wrong." Mallory whispered that they just lacked the will for it. He ignored her. "This is why I argue for a more sensible position. The banning of catching new Pokemon, effective imdiately."
Damn it.
He was better than her. He really was. And I was sure I would enjoy speaking to him about many things.
But at the end of the day he was cut of the sa cloth. Plasma was no good for .
"It would allow us decades of leeway to learn how to work with wild Pokemon as equals, along with slowly adapting the state to function without their labor, yet it would not upend society in an apocalyptic manner. It would allow the trainer class to naturally die out over the decades," he continued. "Though I can tell this disappoints you, Grace. A sha."
"Yeah," I just said. When I imagined future generations unable to experience the sheer love I had with my own Pokemon, it filled my chest with so much anger. "Yeah, I think you're both full of shit. And it pains , because— because you're so close to being— to being workable with, Rood. You seem like such a kind and passionate man at heart."
The man exhaled. "I could say the sa. By His Truth, this was such a wasted opportunity. I wish I could understand how you could hear the voice of Pokemon and not think the sa as us. Not think the sa as them."
Them. That mysterious figure again. Biting my lip, I put my face in my hands and sighed.
"I gotta go to the bathroom. Where is it?" I quickly asked.
"Ah, Swoobat knows," Mallory said. "He can bring you."
"Nonsense. You should trust your guests, Mallory." Rood looked to still be willing to cooperate even though we'd co at an impasse.
That was exactly what I'd hoped for.
I wanted more from this, but first I had to do this test. After Mallory directed to the nearest bathroom, I left Mimi on the couch in their bracelet form and made my way there. The truth was, I didn't need to go at all. I just needed to see if Rood would stab in the back and attempt to discredit , which was why I'd woken up Mimi from their slumber earlier. I allowed two minutes to pass before I flushed a clean toilet and washed my clean hands, then I ca back to Rood and Mallory debating poll numbers. The little steel type had no warning for , so I knew we were in the clear.
Supposedly with the election this October, the Plasma Organization was polling at 14%. That was behind every single mainstream party who I assud were in the pockets of the corporations, but they were the largest out of the four parties that Cece would call the 'non-establishnt'.
Granted, Unova wasn't like Sinnoh. Even 'establishnt' parties were a part of the opposition sotis, and there were a crap ton of parties. I knew of few of their nas because Cece would often rant at about them being beholden to the Conglorate at the end of the day, even if they all had differing opinions. 14% was actually a huge rise from the paltry 2.3% they'd gotten the previous election, which hadn't even been enough to get any seats in parliant. According to Rood and Mallory, their rise in the polls ca in the wake of a series of very public scandals in the Unovan Ranger Corp which were 'worse than usual'. In the Mistralton branch, it was because of the mistreatnt of Pokemon in their custody. In the Nacrene Branch, it was due to an aggressive rehoming of Pokemon off the route into a supposed 'Pinwheel Forest' that left many hurt and so dead. A video a nearby trainer (who hadn't been supposed to be here; Rangers had the authority to fully close down areas of a Route in Unova on their own) had fild had catapulted the story to front-page news.
Well, until a massive rift opened up on top of Coronet, at least.
While I knew there was no way that many people believed in separating trainer and Pokemon, they'd still jumped that high in the polls for whatever reason. I had heard that they were moderating a little publicly, at least, so maybe that was it, but the ban on them would take that out of the picture.
"People always say that it's a few bad apples…" Mallory trailed off with genuine sadness. "Every few weeks, there's an incident that's supposed to be just an exception. They investigate themselves and sotis fire the culprit or put them in prison, but the entire thing is rotten."
"That, we can agree on," Rood said. "Mark Obel, of all people, will not change anything. He is even worse than cruel, he is a coward who revels in inaction. I never thought I would miss Alder. For all I disagreed with the man, he was better than this."
Silence was my answer. I would not form an opinion on the Rangers until I saw the region for myself; while these incidents had happened, I could not forget that these people were biased. What they were describing was difficult— especially when knowing how good Sinnoh's Rangers were in comparison.
I swallowed. We'd traded blows tonight, and I found him to be a very engaging conversationalist. We were opponents, yet like in every battle, it did not an I could not learn from this. I ward my hands against the teacup and leaned forward.
"Why don't you tell about so of the other things you've seen, Rood?" I slowly asked. Unlike Mallory, he could be objective. "I'm afraid that while I desperately want to help Pokemon, I am severely lacking in the knowledge to do anything about it."
Rood stroked his beard, sothing that I was quickly learning was a soothing gesture for him. "While you may not be a new party mber, it would always be good to have soone of your caliber working to help Pokemon. I can see that you are different."
"Because I talk to Pokemon?" I asked.
"No. I see that look in your eyes, young girl. It reminds of my father's; he fought in the Last War." Few people used that na for the Great War, for obvious reasons. It implied that it would be the last war ever fought, at least officially. "You have seen much horror and hope for good in the world. Perhaps it is what I want to see, but it is what I see nonetheless."
Rood was an optimistic man at his core. I was learning much about him tonight.
"I—" I hoped that I was like that as well. Desperately. "Yeah."
"It has been… more than two hours of discussion. I'm afraid that like Zinzolin before , I will have to leave. I have a flight to catch early tomorrow." Rood chuckled. "I assu that so will be greatly pleased with this."
Mallory was already salivating at the prospect of getting alone to try to turn over to her side. "Don't worry, Grace. I have two more Teleporters on payroll that you can use to get back." She'd downed her wine by now, but she enjoyed twirling the empty glass around in her hand.
I had not touched the tea I'd had her make.
Despite wanting to leave as soon as possible now that Rood was gone, Mallory still had the footage, and she knew it. She would be able to twist into so kind of concession before I could leave in exchange for safety. The good thing was that I hadn't lost too much of my standing in the previous conversation. We'd fought, and I'd co out on top enough tis for her to respect . If I'd mishandled the eting, she might have forced into—
"Oh, and Mallory," Rood said with a hidden smile. He motioned at one of the caras in the corner of the room. "Do a favor and delete all of tonight's footage."
The news anchor nearly fell off her velvet couch. "And why… is that?" she asked, barely containing the surprised rage within.
"You know that I am a private man," he said. "I am not the face of Plasma; I cannot be as outspoken as Zinzolin or Gorm. I fear that I have not behaved as a man worthy of my position as a Sage tonight, with all the argunts and the non-curated narratives— ah, but you know how politics go." Swoobat giggled and jumped on his trainer's back. Sohow, as clumsy as he was, he did so gently as to not hurt Rood's back. "Ah, patience, Swoobat. You must take Grace ho, first."
"And what if I refu…" Mallory didn't finish that sentence, as if the thought of going against Rood was unimaginable.
I thought I understood it. They could spar verbally all they wanted, debate theory and theoreticals, but at the end of the day, he was one of the leaders of Plasma and she was just a donor. A donor with influence within the party, of course, but a donor nonetheless. If Rood wanted, he could probably cut her off. It wasn't like they were financially dependent on her any longer, and she needed them. They were more important than donations to her, they were her life's purpose.
The old man simply nodded. "Grace, a little conversation, if you will. Swoobat?"
In-between Mallory's outrage, the psychic's nose glowed pink, and he yelled—
Then everything around us went quiet before my hands could even get to my good ear to take out my hearing aid. It had been painful for a fraction of a second. I knew I was within so kind of sound barrier, but it was different than one Cass would make, for example. Less refined, with less of a defined border between the outside and inside.
"This is a favor I am doing you," he said. "Truth be told, while what I said tonight getting out would not be ideal, it would not hamper our goals much. I would never be so careless."
"Then wh—why? Why do this for ?"
He placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "While I am disappointed this eting is ending this way, I still wanted to analyze your character tonight. To see if you were as bloodthirsty as your so-called 'battling' showed." He scoffed, squeezing my shoulder a tad, and it was now that I'd realized how close to oblivion I'd stepped. He had watched my battles. Of course he had! Why would he not try to learn everything about ? "While I am appalled at what you make your Pokemon and the Pokemon of others go through, I understand that it is… sport for you all, however misguided that may be. One day, hopefully, you too will see the truth."
I responded with a terse nod, not agreeing but being grateful he was giving this opportunity.
He took his hand off of and brought them both behind his back. "All I ask is for you to not speak of the other like you to anyone."
I expected more, like an explanation as to why he did not want this person known, but it never ca. "Of course. I owe you."
"Thank you, Grace. Tonight, you showed genuine concern for our plea," he continued. "You showed that you do not follow the path of violence in hopes of fixing things. You showed that you have a good head on your shoulders," I could have laughed at that one, "and that you are a smart and good speaker. So I will let Swoobat take you ho. Do not worry, Mallory will not do anything rash. She is young and has the temperant of a Hydreigon, but like all of us, there is good in her heart. She is bitter at a world that has refused her at every turn, and it has only radicalized her more. I will handle her with a gentle hand."
"Th—thank you, Rood."
The Sage smiled, closing his eyes. "Why don't you head on ho, then. Teenagers like you need good sleep, and you look like you haven't gotten any in a week."
My ears popped when Swoobat took down whatever he'd done to contain our voices. Mallory looked to be stewing in anger. I wouldn't hear what they were going to talk about, given that Swoobat was already hopping away. It wasn't until we reached the condo's foyer, where he had Teleported beforehand, that he spoke up again.
SO, Swoobat wondered. WHAT DID YOU THINK?
I shook my head in disappointnt. "I learned a lot, you know. A lot of statistics and horrible, horrible stories that had happy endings because of Rood. His heart is in a good place," a way better place than Mallory's, who just wanted blood and death, "but I still believe he's misguided."
HE THOUGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE CO TO AN AGREENT, Swoobat said. HE THOUGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIKE THAT PERSON HE NTIONED TO YOU. YOUR COUNTERPART. I THOUGHT SO TOO, BUT OH WELL. POBODY'S NERFECT!
I leaned against the wall, staring at one of Mallory's paintings. "Can you tell more about them?" Then, I raised my hands innocently. "I promise I won't say anything to anyone."
The flying type snorted. YOU'RE GOING TO UNOVA, RIGHT? IF YOU ARE, YOU'RE GOING TO KNOW WHO HE IS VERY SOON— OH CRAP, I REVEALED HIS GENDER! Swoobat jumped around, flapping his wings in a panic. BAH! WHATEVER! YOU'D HAVE FIGURED IT OUT EVENTUALLY. ROOD MADE A CALCULATION WHEN TELLING WHO ABOUT HIS EXISTENCE AND HIS PURPOSE. A GAMBLE THAT IT WOULD GET YOU TO OUR SIDE. YOU BETTER REMBER YOUR PROMISE, EVEN IF IT DIDN'T.
"I won't. It's mutually assured… well, it'd be destruction for , and I assu you guys don't want the world to know he exists yet, or that he's involved with you, so it'd be bad for you too," I guessed. As Rood said, that might ruin his reputation as well, though he still had plausible deniability given that he'd never confird this boy to be a part of Plasma, just that he knew him.
WELL HE'LL MAKE A BIG SPLASH, I BETCHA! A BIG SPLASH! Swoobat cackled. Their nose started to glow as they gathered the energy to Teleport. BACK TO SUNYSHORE, I PRESU?
Before agreeing, I spoke up. "Say, Swoobat. You agree with Rood's ideals wholeheartedly?"
He nodded. YUP!
"Even if it ans he'll have to release you if he reaches his goal?"
The bat's concentration wavered for a mont; his wings shivered and he began to cackle wildly until his laugh turned into a snotty-sounding wheeze. SILLY HUMAN! DO YOU THINK I STAY WITH ROOD BECAUSE OF THAT PRISON YOUR KIND CARRIES ON YOUR HIP? He continued speaking in-between coughs, looking at Buddy and Mimi's Pokeballs. I AM WILD, STILL! ROOD'S PLAN DOES NOT AN A TOTAL SEPARATION BETWEEN HUMAN AND POKEMON; I WOULD NOT HAVE TO LEAVE HIS SIDE! ONLY WACKOS LIKE ZINZOLIN AND MALLORY BELIEVE IN TOTAL SEGREGATION! WE HOPE TO UNDERMINE THEIR CAUSE EVENTUALLY, BUT WE'RE FORCED TO WORK TOGETHER FOR NOW. UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL AND ALL OF THAT JAZZ. ROOD THINKS TOO WELL OF THEM, HONESTLY. HE SEES GOOD WHERE THERE IS NONE, OR AT LEAST IT WOULD TAKE TOO MUCH WORK TO SQUEEZE IT OUT OF THEM.
Oh. Oh, that made a lot more sense. I disagreed, still, but that was so much more palatable. Still, it was clear from Rood's argunt that this would result in so much fewer opportunities for bonds between human and Pokemon to form, and that was in line with his plan. Not because the Pokeball was necessary to that bond (history had shown that wasn't the case; people had been partnering up with Pokemon long before the invention of the first Pokeballs made using apricorns and whatever the hell else). Ignoring the fact that Pokeballs had saved my Pokemon's lives many tis, it was his phrasing, which had bothered . 'Allow the trainer class to naturally die out'. He wanted to phase us out, and from the conversations I'd had with him earlier, he was vehently anti-battling to the point of believing it to be abusive. Not only my thods of battle, but any battling.
I exhaled in disappointnt, rembering that mont. So much for listening to Pokemon; good luck taking battling away from Sweetheart, Princess, Honey or Sunshine.
"To Sunyshore," I said, satisfied.
ALRIGHTY! HERE WE— Their eyes glowed white, and they seized up. Emotional misery encroaches upon you— GO!
"Wh—" we were back in Sunyshore, in front of that sa Pokemon Center. "—at?" People spared us a glance, as they usually did when people Teleported nearby, but that was it. The cover of night and the hoodie I was wearing helped keep hidden. "What did you just say?"
WHAT? Swoobat clumsily blew up, knocking himself into a pole. WHADDYAAN?
"Was that a joke? Or do you genuinely not rember? You said misery encroaches upon —"
OH! OH! THOSE. YEAH, I DO THAT SOTIS, he yelled. I WOULDN'T WORRY, THAT'S JUST A TIC. I HAVE A GOOD NOSE; I CAN SLL ONGOING, PAST, OR FUTURE EMOTIONAL TURMOIL SOTIS, BUT IT'S NEVER THAT CLEAR, AND I ALWAYS FORGET! LIKE A FLEETING DREAM! IT'S PROBABLY WRONG! ANYWAY, GOTTA DIP! SEE YA!
I blinked, not knowing what to say, and the bat disappeared into the night.
"Way to make anxious," I muttered to myself. Mimi vibrated against my wrist. "Yeah, hopefully it's nothing. Better be ready for anything, though." I honestly couldn't think of anything that would cause turmoil in the future now that Galactic was gone, so it was probably what I was feeling now. lancholy. "Hey, thanks for helping out in there. You didn't have to." My hand gently caressed the bracelet, who quietly wled.
I pulled out my phone, texted my contact at the League and sat on a bench on the opposite sidewalk of the Pokemon Center while I waited. Tonight had been full of twists and turns, and honestly, at the beginning of it all, I'd felt like I'd been fighting for my life. I had carved out a space for myself among those two and gotten out with a deal that was as close to optimal as it could have been thanks to Rood.
And honestly? I was sad that it was over.
Sothing was wrong with . I didn't exactly care to fix or even acknowledge it, at the mont. I closed my eyes and reimagined the words full of harm, poison and barbed wire, and what I'd done to counter them.
A/N: I usually wouldn't feel the need to do this because I don't like spelling out things for the readers, but here, just in case: reminder that Grace is an unreliable narrator who puts way too much importance on stories because they make her feel alive and help her think during high stakes situation. She is just a teensy weensy bit insane (very insane).
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