[Unknown POV, Melemele Island]
Just after Marco’s return, and Nautilus’ sudden disappearance, an alarm rang throughout a dark research lab. The alarm, which rang from a tablet resting on a desk, was ignored because of the simple fact that no one was there to hear it. The owner of the tablet, Professor Kukui, was still helping Elio recover from Tapu Lele’ and Tapu Koko’s actions, a feat much more difficult than they originally imagined.
A figure emerged from the shadows, slowly approaching the desk drowning in private and confidential letters from the League. They sifted through each letter, occasionally taking pictures of the plans and contingencies the League was beginning to plan.
The figure then moved on to the tablet, taking a look at the information before their eyes-widened in surprise.
[ALERT]
Anomaly Detected
Interdimensional Portal Opened
33⚬N, 62⚬W
Biological Form Found And Identified
Marco Pérez, Alive, Healthy
“Shit, Boss won’t be happy with that.” the figure whispered to themselves before taking a picture of the alert and clearing it from the tablet with Porygon’s help. After going through the rest of the documents, the figure slipped back into the shadows and disappeared.
0-0-0-0-0
[Unknown POV, Lumiose City]
Augustine Sycamore, one of the most respected Pokémon professors in the world, has not had a pleasant time over the last few months.
The Trainer he chose to sponsor was gone. Alola’s Guardians were causing mischief. Paldea had a national emergency that was just barely being contained. And Calem was too busy dealing with the strange creatures coming out of the interdimensional wormholes to worry about the League.
That left Augustine to deal with the aftermath of everything. Which is to say, Augustine was trying to please politicians. A job he had as much finesse with as a surgeon with essential tremors.
‘And to think these imbeciles are also running the show. I’d rather a group of teenage Trainers than any of these corporate politicians,’ he thought in frustration.
As Augustine walked into another meeting, the twelfth of the day, he noticed something rather peculiar. Most of the time, the politicians were eager to please each other just to be pleased back. Today, they were all scrutinizing him as if he cucked each and every single one of them.
While he would never do such a thing, the politicians were blinded by their egos and jealousy. Jealous of the fact that even with no real interest or experience in professional battling, Professor Sycamore’s Pokémon team were powerhouses that rivaled the Elite 4. Jealous that Professor Sycamore is tied to the much coveted phenomenon known as Mega Evolution. Jealous of the Professor’s legitimate amount of and claim to power.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
And as the politicians heard the Professor ramble about how important it was to support Calem in his efforts to battle the interdimensional creatures that threatened to destroy everything, it was that jealousy that pushed the old men to decide that Calem and Augustine should be replaced if they weren’t doing their jobs.
As they continued to push the pressure and blame onto Augustine, the Professor felt a part of him crack. He thought back on the many years working for the League, oftentimes finding himself relying solely on Calem and the Champions or Professors of the other regions. He thought about Marco and the 24/7 spying the League forced upon him, filling everyone with doubt about his character.
‘Maybe Marco was right,’ he thought. The two had shared many conversations since Augustine decided to sponsor him through his lab. One of those conversations involved the League and its decisions regarding the public.
While Augustine had understood his point, he couldn’t fully agree with the idea that the Pokémon League was keeping people weak so it could continue to serve as the region’s protector. If that was the case, then why hold tournaments and encourage Trainers to grow strong? Why hire the strongest of those Trainers and invest resources into making them true powerhouses to protect the region?
But now, Augustine had a prickling change in his thought. Here he was, trying to convince the League’s board members to recruit more people to fight against the obvious threat of alien creatures. And there they were, too preoccupied with making themselves look good to the public and willingly throwing him under the Revavroom.
‘Is this why Diantha rarely got involved?’ he thought to himself. Thinking back to the start of his career, back when Diantha was more focused on being a Trainer, Augustine reevaluated his entire time with the League. His face scrunched up in distaste.
“Well, what do you say?” one of the men growled. “Stop spouting this nonsense about ‘spreading our resources.’ It won’t end well for you.”
Augustine stood silently for a minute. The League officials began to hope they successfully convinced him to sit back and let them continue with their business. His next sentence sent shivers down their spines.
“I don’t know who any of you think you are, but it seems we Trainers have become a bit too complacent with letting politicians think they are powerful. Plus de. Let me show you the power you need to really run a region.”
0-0-0-0-0
[Unknown POV, Unknown Location]
*drip*
*drip*
*drip*
*drip*
*splash*
A Liepard lashed its tail into a murky puddle as she waited for her Master to finish her business. There was water slowly dripping from the ceiling, creating the puddle she occasionally splashed to cure her boredom. It was always a long wait, especially when her master was excited. But the waits were always worth it.
There was nothing she loved more than eating a fresh face.
As her Master walked in dragging a struggling man, Liepard stood up on her four legs, her hungry eyes glinting with excitement. This time it was an athletic man, her favorite. The meat was flavorful and exquisite, much more tender than the Pokémon she usually hunted. She always made sure to savor each bite, especially before they died.
Their screams was music to her Master’s ears, so she made sure to make them sing a humdinger of a song.
As the man struggled to get out of her Master’s iron grip, the woman wrapped a zip tie around his slim neck and slowly tightened it. She then pulled him up to her face.
“I’ll give you one last chance to give me what I need before my beautiful Liepard here eats you,” her sultry voice promised. “Where is he hiding?”
“Even if I told you, you would never be able to take over. He is now connected to the Dark Lord. And the Dark Lord has no room for scum like you,” the man taunted, his expression growing to ecstatic obsession the more he talked.
“Hmph, this so-called ‘Dark Lord’ must not be so great if he’s associating himself with low-life criminals like Faba,” she retorted with a snort. Such an arrogant, cowardly man could never be capable of anything more than being a stepping stone for the true forces of power. A stepping stone for someone like her.
“Haha, you can keep thinking of yourself as better,” the man cackled, “but you’ve yet to see real terror. Real evil. And when you do…
“Hahahahaha, when you do, you’ll wish you had never come knocking.”
*slash*
*gurg* *gluhgrr*
*thud*
The woman dropped her latest target, whose head was nearly severed from his body. Liepard flicked her tail, removing the blood before it could dry. She then slowly walked over and began licking the blood, not bothering to eat any part of the now-dead man.
She could never enjoy her food if they weren’t scared. They always tasted bland without fear or anxiety coursing through their blood. Liepard’s Master walked over to a recliner, sitting down as she waited for Liepard to have her fill for the day.
She sat, furiously going through the information she had found today. Faba had made another resurgence after several months of hiding. The bastard had taken everything from her last time he tried to take control of the League from the background. Last time he involved Rainbow Rocket to take over Aether Foundation. Now it seemed as if he found a new backer.
‘Not that it matters,’ she thought. Her blood began to boil at the thought of getting vengeance for the life she lost. She was getting close, she could feel it. Her anger gripped her mind as she thought about how she would make Faba scream. She could feel the heat rise to her face, her chest tightening as she began to…
She felt suffocated, as if there was no air for her to breathe.
Liepard’s head snapped up towards the ceiling, a growling forming in her throat and escaping as a high-pitched yowl. No words could describe what they were seeing, but Liepard knew what she felt. It was a primal reaction.
She stood frozen, panic and dread filling her very existence.