Gardenia was exhausted.
She didn’t know how long she’d been gone for, as the density of Eterna Forest’s canopy blocked most of the sunlight, their only indication of night and day was whether the forest was dark or darker. Not exactly the best indication of time.
“Some Gym leader you are.” She chided herself, “Failing to do your job.”
As much as it frustrated her, she was retreating. Eterna Forest was a second home to her, one she learned the ins and outs of from her parents, and after their passing, the previous Eterna Gym leader. Eterna Forest was supposed to be her territory, her jurisdiction, and here she was, limping away.
Idly, she wondered how her and her entourage looked right now. They’d left the city confident and proud, and now here they were. Her usually well-kept friends (And bodyguards? Being a Gym trainer had a lot of side jobs attached) Jenna and Angela were dishevelled and wounded. Cuts and gashes that they could not afford to heal had them wincing with every step, their hiking gear being stitched over multiple times throughout their journey. The rangers that accompanied them were about the same, injured and tired, unable to rely on their partnered Pokémon who’d taken too many hits over the long periods of fighting.
Not even their capture stylers were of much use in the forest, they were intruders in a war, sometimes the Pokémon captured would break out of their pact in order to rejoin the fighting.
The last two members of their entourage were two wounded trainers. The first was the young Ace, Violet. Gardenia remembered her from a year or two ago after she’d barely eked out a win against her, taking her second badge. The girl had gone on to win badges up until Byron, but still she caught Cynthia’s eye and was made an Ace. Presently, she was unconscious and on a stretcher, groaning softly as her right arm slowly rotted away. Beside her was her brother Skye, his face caked with mud and dried tears, his eyes sullen and lifeless.
They were supposed to be heroes today. Violet had sent out a distress call…how long ago? Was it a week? Two? Gardenia knew the forest was becoming more active, but she didn’t realize just how active until she and her entourage were literally shot out of the sky by a clan of Scyther. Scyther didn’t act this way. They were territorial, yes, but rarely did they patrol their skies to such an extent.
7 trainers had gone deep into the woods, 4 they’d found, and two of them were dead. Violet was barely hanging on when Gardenia had finally tracked her down, stopping whatever poison was in her blood from escaping her arm. The arm would have to be amputated and regrown, but not here, not when they were prey in a forest of hunters.
Gardenia’s partner, Roselia, hummed for her attention. Snapping back into reality, she saw her friend pointing towards an opening, the opening. Relief flooded through her, she was tired, and aching all over. She wanted to go home, to bundle up with all her forest scented candles and sleep for a week straight.
Instead she squared her shoulders, wearing a smile and speaking with confidence she currently did not have, “We’ve made it folks!” It wouldn’t be good for morale if they saw how beaten she was, “Let’s get you all checked up, then everybody’s getting at least a week off.”
A ragged cheer from everyone except the two escorted trainers. Which, hindsight, made sense.
The second they were outside, about a half dozen rangers and medics tried swarming them with medical gear. The sudden surprise had the group cringing backwards, even Roselia brandishing her arms at the rush of movement. Said medics and rangers stopped, before a doctor pushed her way up.
“Leader.” She bowed, “I understand you’ve all had a rough ti–”
“Oh just help us already.” Gardenia sighed, “Thank Arceus you’re here, I don’t think we could’ve walked another step.”
The doctor gave her a small smile, before nodding at the rest. This time they went uninterrupted, though Gardenia pushed aside any that made their way to her, gesturing to her injured compatriots and the two critically injured trainers. The worst she had was some bruising, that would heal with time.
She was surprised to see an AT-MEV (All Terrain, Medical evacuation vehicle) on site. The Rangers, whose authority was outside of her jurisdiction, rarely allowed use of the vehicle, she wholly expected to either be flying or walking back home. Both of which would have really sucked.
The answer to why such a vehicle was here came in the form of a large figure walking up to her, one she recognized. Head ranger Rufus, who’d replaced old man Sterling about a year ago. A man in his early thirties, Rufus held a bit of a “wild” look to him. Tanned skin and hard grey eyes. His dirty blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, revealing a rugged face with a small scar just over his lip.
“Leader.” His voice was much softer than his looks suggested, he bowed slightly, “Welcome home.”
“Did you bring the whole hospital?” Gardenia wondered, giving him an exhausted smile, “This must’ve cost a bit.”
“Tried to.” Rufus smiled back, “And don’t worry about Evac, it’s paid for with tax-payer money anyway.”
She shouldn’t have laughed, really. But she’d been protecting about a dozen trainers/rangers for days, she was tired. Rufus could have told her a knock-knock joke and she’d have laughed.
Rufus stepped close, bringing his voice low to a whisper, “Are you hurt? I know you like to keep your head up in front of the others, but–”
“I’m fine, Rufus.” She said, patting his arm, “Really. I’ve practically lived in this forest my whole life, it’s the others you should be worried about.”
He held her gaze for a few moments, before finally nodding and stepping away, “I’d ask you about the situation, but it looks like you’ll be talking a lot very soon, best get your rest.”
Gardenia blinked, and she could see her dream of sleep fading. She let out a sigh, “What is it?”
“Mayor Sablewood and Admin Mars. The latter wants reports, the former is up to his usual schemes.”
“Can I push it off…?”
He gave her a rueful shake of his head, “Public conference, we’re doing our best to stop the crowds from overwhelming the panel.”
Another sigh. Sablewood had been a problem since she’d taken the mantle of gym leader all those years ago. At first he’d called her too young and inexperienced, then he called her too brash and foolhardy, or too indecisive and cautious. It took her a long time to realize she couldn’t win him over. He supported the idea of equal rights for non-trainers, and while she could respect that, he was such an asshole about it sometimes.
Admin Mars though…that meant Galactic. She’d sigh again if she had the energy for it. She never liked Galactic, in fact, she despised them. They were too powerful, too arrogant in their hayday, and prone to violence. When the League first approached Sinnoh it was with negotiation and diplomacy. Arrogance led to war, and Galactic learned there were bigger Magikarp out there.
The cost of their folly was paid for with Sinnoh blood.
Most of her fellow Gym Leaders called her weak for dismissing Galactic, even Cynthia sometimes gave her that look. But she knew that nothing good would come from them. And she would stand by her decision to push League laws against them.
But damn, it was probably going to bite her in the back today.
“Get some rest.” Rufus said, placing a hand on her shoulder and sitting her down. She blinked, when had she gotten inside the AT-MEV? Before she had a chance to comment, Rufus shut the door, leaving her within the passenger carrier alongside Jenna, Angela, and her Roserade.
“So not fair.” Jenna sighed, settling in beside her.
“Absolutely not.” Angela agreed.
“What are you talking about?” Gardenia asked.
“Oh, she’s pretending she doesn’t know.”
“I suppose we should air our grievances.”
“Namely, where’s our hunky medical-ranger man to take care of us after such a stressful journey?”
“You couldn’t even be bothered to share.”
She felt heat creep into her face, “Rufus and I are not like that!”
Jenna shrugged, “Could have fooled me.”
“What with both of you gazing deeply into each other’s eyes.” Angela nodded.
Even Roserade gave her a pointed look, a mischievous grin dancing across her partner’s lips.
“Et tu, Roserade?” Gardenia sighed.
“You know, some say Pokémon hold even greater wisdom than us.”
“I’m willing to agree.”
“Shut up, both of you.” The Gym leader muttered, before leaning onto Jenna’s shoulder, “Stay quiet for a bit, I’m going to nap before this stupid press conference.”
“Oh boo. Angela, I believe our boss isn’t treating us right.”
“You know I happen to agree. Shall we push for a union?”
Even half asleep Gardenia let out a half-growl.
“I suppose she does pay us enough.” Angela sighed
“And we have known her for a while.” Jenna agreed, poking the Gym leader’s cheek, “You’re off the hook today.”
Gardenia settled into a small smile, nestling into her friends as Roserade let out a soft aroma from her bouquets. All three trainers relaxed further, Roserade had that effect on people.
“Should we order another batch of those rain candles you like so much?” Angela asked.
She got no answer, as her friend was already asleep. Both trainers looked at each other, and decided that yes, they probably would order some new candles. Their hard-working leader deserved a reward after such an excruciating journey.
And you know what? So did they.
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Lady Leander Enshiro, head of the Aurafire clan, the once renowned crime family, found herself sitting in a public press conference.
Her traditional robes of red and gold had been swapped for what the Sinnoh people deemed “fashionable”, in this case a dark red (almost brown) suit with a thick jacket thrown overtop. Her golden eyes had to be hidden behind a pair of thick sunglasses as they were a telling feature, and her dark hair cut to chin length. The lack of hair around her neck had her shivering every time a stray breeze caught her, so she opted to wear a brown scarf using…Bibarrel fur?
Strange, but it was soft.
Sinnoh was getting colder and colder everyday, and they were only just touching fall. She missed her home, at this time of year Johto was a vibrant mosaic of reds and oranges, and she’d spend the time walking her gardens with her followers or her daughter.
Such times were a dream now, and instead she sat in a place entirely too cold for her tastes, though she didn’t let any of her discomfort show on her face, keeping a neutral expression as she watched the others within the press conference mill about.
It was a bit strange to get used to, being unknown. In Johto the looks she received were either of fear, respect, or in the case of her daughter, defiance. Within Sinnoh's poor excuse of an Underworld, she received looks of wariness, and none dared talk to her so disrespectfully aside from Chronos’s High Table.
Here though? Nobody recognized her at all, they treated her as just another face in the crowd, with the respect one would give a stranger. It was nice, if some weren’t intent on bumping past her in order to reach the front when the reporters were first let in. She was half tempted to send out her Arcanine and see if any of them were still willing to try such a stunt again.
“They will be starting soon.” A soft voice said smoothly. She glanced to her left to see her…ally for this mission.
Lord Avery Tempus. One of the Chronos high table lords, and from what she could gather, one of Lord Damus’s most competent allies. Weathered bronze skin showed proof of work in the field during his youth, hard lines etched in his face from the years. Everything about the man was muted. From his grey eyes, shadowed by a grey bowler, to his silver ponytail and grey suit. Even his voice, when he chose to speak, was quiet and soft.
What made her wary of him was his lack of scars. Trainers, especially in their line of work, often caught strays from Pokémon, or even other trainers trying to finish a battle quickly. Leander bore many of her own, dozens of lines painted across her body through her years of strife. She couldn’t tell if he had any, and none of her sources indicate he’d ever been injured enough to garner one. That made him either a coward or a monster, and both options did not bode well for her.
He handed her a cup of warm coffee, one she took with a nod. Coffee here was one of Sinnoh’s better points, when she did return home, she’d bring home a few stalks for her own gardens.
“I assume everything has gone accordingly?” Leander asked, though she doubted he needed to answer.
A nod, “It will only get easier from here.”
Small talk and idle chatter died as two people stepped onto stage. The first was a balding man in his 40’s, Mayor Sablewood, dressed in a black three piece as he awaited his “partner”.
Said partner arrived not a moment later, the glint of confidence in her eye and with a stride only the youth could possess. Gym Leader Gardenia took the seat offered to her. From her distance, Leander couldn’t make out much of how she looked, supposedly the woman had spent the last few days in a forest. She certainly didn’t look like it.
“Gym Leader Gardenia.” Mayor Sablewood said, though Leander noticed he didn’t give her the bow she deserved, rather a curt nod of his head. She scoffed internally, the man believed himself an equal.
“We’ve heard pressing reports about Viridian Forest, this marks the fourth time trainers have gone missing in Eterna Forest, a problem you are supposed to handle.”
“A problem as complicated as this cannot just be handled.” Gardenia replied, “The forest is acting unusual at the moment, I am making a public announcement that the Forest is now moving up to Threat Class 5.”
That got some of the crowd riled up.
“But won’t that stop flight paths over Viridian?”
“It will cut trade with Fuego Ironworks!”
“What about the missing trainers?”
“Calm.” Mayor Sablewood ordered, speaking over the crowd, “I’m sure the Gym Leader has ample explanation for this.”
He gave her a nod that even Gardenia seemed surprised to receive. But she caught herself quickly, nodding to two other trainers who brought up a screen on stage, showing a map of the forest split into many different sections.
“These are the rough territories of Pokémon who choose to stake their claim here.” She began, “Every five or so years we update the map, the last update was roughly 7 weeks ago.”
“This is what I can assume the territories look like today.” The screen flipped, revealing vastly different lines, cutting into one another. “I’m sure you’re all wondering what this means, it means at this moment, the Forest is at war.”
“Is this not normal for such territorial Pokémon? Even I know Pokémon tend to have a wild instinct within them.”
“Not like this, unfortunately.” Gardenia smiled, shaking her head ruefully, “Yes, sometimes Pokémon will contest one another, or attempt to overthrow leaders, but nothing like this. We are looking at no less than 4 Parasect colonies, 3 Vespiqueen hives, 3 Honchkrow families, and 5 Scyther clans, all of which are causing untold destruction in the forest, and upsetting the habitats of more neutral and nomadic Pokemon.”
“I see…I suppose you will be busy then.” Sablewood muttered, looking slightly disturbed.
Gardenia nodded, “I will be calling Ranger reinforcements from all over Sinnoh, as well as taking any trainer with no less than 4 badges to find the root of this aggression. The longer the Forest remains contested, the worse the consequences will get for the rest of us. Eterna forest is vital to Sinnoh’s ecosystem, and as is my duty as the Gym Leader of Eterna, we will find the problem, and fix it.”
“Ah, she’s said it.” Leander mused, earning a raised eyebrow from Avery.
“Then I ask you step down from legislative activities regarding day-to-day citizenry.” Sablewood declared.
For the first time Gardenia seemed speechless, her eyes widening in surprise, before narrowing slightly in suspicion. Amidst the clamor of reporters asking for clarification on Sablewood’s request, and trainers leaping to protest, Gardenia stood.
“Silence.” She demanded, her voice carrying the strength to quiet those around her. Leander smiled at the girl, she had mastered her ‘words’! Perhaps the Sinnoh leaders had some merit to them.
Gardenia smiled softly at the Mayor, who was doing his best not to avert his gaze, “And what exactly are you implying, Mayor?”
“T-that…Ahem.” The Mayor cleared his throat, confidence returning to his voice, “That at the present moment, you are unfit to oversee both Eterna and Law at the same time.”
“Even after all these years….do you think I’m some little girl, Sablewood?”
The reporters went silent, this was going to be a clash of words and they wanted to drink in every juicy detail.
“I think your duties skew your priorities.”
“Eterna Forest is a priority!” Gardenia hissed, “The consequences of being unable to balance such a delicate ecosystem will be catastrophic!”
“The mayor has won.” Avery sighed.
“Is there a reason why he isn’t in our pocket?” Leander asked. Instead of an answer, all she received was a hum.
The Mayor spoke up, his voice becoming more and more powerful with every second that passed, “Exactly! These are problems to be handled by trainers and rangers, not the folk who want to live peacefully! It has taken me a long time, but I agree, Gardenia. You have done great work.”
He swept his arms out to the reporters, “But when have you, or any other Gym leader ever prioritised us!? The people who wish to live in peace! The young, the old, the sick, those who spend their time living within the city, working to fuel our economy, making Sinnoh our home?”
“I’ve been tra-”
“You’ve been trained to be a fighter, Gardenia, a protector. I spent my life working to be a civil servant, a man for the people. It’s time we both took our true jobs seriously.”
“I can do both.” Gardenia declared, “I have done right by this town for years, I won’t fail you now.”
“The stakes are too high.” A lazy voice called, and all turned to see a red-haired woman striding up towards the stage.
“...Admin Mars.” The Gym Leader said, her eyes narrowed.
“Gardenia.” She smiled, bowing slightly back. “I think we’re all in agreement when we say Eterna takes priority. Galactic will cover protection, working alongside the Police.”
“What? You can’t simply waltz in here and command authority!”
“We didn’t.” Mars said, nodding towards Sablewood.
“I’ve given them permission, majority council vote.” Sablewood declared. “While Gardenia shall handle threats in the Forest, Galactic and the Police Force will watch over the city.”
Reporters began to speak up and clamor with questions, but by this point, Lord Tempest had seen everything he needed to see. He stood up quietly, offering a hand to Leander. Courtesy had her taking it, and the two left the poor little Gym Leader to her questions, fumbling to answer the slew of questions.
“Your plan has worked.” Leander said, as they returned to their base in Eterna. It was a large temple, dedicated to the “Great Sinnoh” of Time. Rows of pews lay empty in front of a raised dais. Large, stained glass windows absorbed light and cast the room in a sleepy blue hue, warming it up considerably from the outside.
The Church was split into 5 Floors. The upper floor was similar to the main prayer hall, though split into a number of smaller rooms. The one above that was a refurbished attic, providing rooms for Leander, Lord Tempest, and his two sons. The floor directly below them acted as temporary housing for the grunts, while farther below supplies, Pokémon, and a few illicit goods were kept.
As Leander entered the building, she was immediately flanked by two of her guards dressed in deep greys. Their straw hats covered their expressions from the world, but the way their fingers tap-tapped at the handle of the long blades strapped to their waists spoke of their joy at her return.
Lord Tempest was not accompanied by guards, nor did he seem surprised of the two Greys suddenly appearing into existence. “So it has.” He hummed, “But it appears our adversaries are making their moves too.”
“You’ve made this job harder for us.” The lady said, glancing at her two guards, “For me.”
“Have I? The way I see it, nothing has changed.”
“The Mayor walks hand in hand with Galactic. He’s competent. Perhaps he’s eaten one too many sweets, but there is intelligence behind those eyes, he’s a man we could have used.”
Lord Tempest shook his head, “It’s as you’ve said, he is intelligent. Nikolai is a man who knows what he wants, and unfortunately what he wants is to stamp us out for good.”
“I suppose there’s a reason you’re not asking me to kill him.” Leander sighed, why was he always avoiding speaking directly? “You haven’t been hesitant to use my resources before.”
“A man in his line of work doesn’t survive unless he’s built some form of countermeasures.” Lord Tempest smiled, finding a pitcher of wine and pouring out two cups. Leander politely refused hers, “Besides, should he die Gardenia will come running back, see the situation, and other Gym Leaders will start looking this way. Or even worse, Galactic uses it as an excuse to flood the streets with their people.”
“Is that so? So what exactly shall we do?”
“Wait, watch, and slowly flood the streets with our product.”
Leander raised an eyebrow, “You make it sound so simple.”
“My lady, it is that simple. To win, we need only discredit Gardenia, sow chaos into the citizenry, and keep them dependent on our markets. Now we wait for the enemy to show their hand, and we will respond.”
That…that wasn’t a bad way to look at things. She looked to her guards, resolute and strong, her sons in all but blood. They would be safe until the enemy made their move, whether it was Gardenia or Galactic, they weren’t the ones who were fighting from a defensible position.
“Then I will send out some of my men to keep an eye on movements.” Leander declared, her mind whirling with options and decisions.
“No need.” Lord Tempest said, “My children are eager to prove themselves, let the young play while we sip wine and take credit.”
That almost made her laugh, almost. “Very well, but I will send specialists to shadow them, I will not have the blame of loss fall to me.”
“As you wish, my lady.” Tempest said, “But do keep in mind, if they fail their tasks none shall take the blame but them…I would not worry though.”
The older man slowly removed his hat, placing it on the pulpit. He smiled at her, but it was a smile she recognized. A cold smile. A smile that promised blood, that saw death.
“Because we will not lose.”
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Admin Mars of Galactic stood at the head of a round table, her commanders and a certain Nikolai Sablewood standing with her. Their base was one of the nicer casinos in Eterna. Easy whatever illicit activities they needed to, as the only regulars with money to spend in Eterna were retired folks. Not exactly the most suspicious people.
Currently they looked over a map of the city, looking over recent crimes and areas of interest. If they were going to play protector they were going to do it with zeal, the cleanup would also be a great coverup for a few side activities.
“The Police still refuse to work with us.” One of her commanders, Tamsin said, glaring at Sablewood, “Have we not given you enough money? Or are you spending too much of it on treats?”
“The money is not the issue!” The Mayor protested, his face growing red, “Neither they or the rangers budge when it comes to bribery. They’re loyal to Gardenia.”
“Forget about it then,” Mars waved, “You can leave, Mayor. We’ll handle things from here.”
“But–”
Two elites moved and grabbed him by his shoulders. For just a moment, something dangerous flashed in his eyes, but just as quickly disappeared. Then that blubbering fool was back, resigning himself to be carried off like a prisoner in shackles.
Mars wondered if she imagined that look, before she scoffed at herself and shook her head. Now was not the time for this. She had a war to win, Cyrus to impress, Saturn to piss off, Jupiter to show off too.
Just another day for her, really.
“Alright people we play this good, and we play this right.” She declared, “Our friends at Chronos have done a wonderful job distracting Gardenia, and now it’s time to show our appreciation.”
Chuckles from her compatriots as she began to list out the plan, “First order of business, make Sablewood look good. After this is all said and done we need free entry in and out of this place, regardless of what the League says. We can’t do that unless Sablewood has more power, which leads to our second order of business; Make Gardenia look like an incompetent bitch who got in through nepotism. I want posters, articles, and news station attention on us at all times, got it?”
Grunts nodded and scrambled to make calls, calling in favors and threats. This was Mars’s favorite part of a plan, where everyone was running to make sure things happened at her call. Leading came naturally to her, and she loved the thrill of a good plan.
“Strike hard and strike fast.” Mars said, checking up on each and every one of her people, “Confiscate anything of value, give the rest to the police. We figure out what they’re doing, why they’re here, and if they’re under influence of hard drugs cause’ let’s be honest, they wouldn’t be fucking with us otherwise. Let’s move!”
The upper floors of the casino were bustling with activity as they began to work on pushing back against Chronos’s movements. It had taken a while to both acquire a powerbase and slowly start exerting Galactic’s influence on the town. Gardenia was a known Galactic contrarian, and apparently she had quite a few supporters.
Some of the more vocal had to disappear. Not all of them, all of them disappearing would be too obvious. But that wasn’t a job for her or her people, Cyrus was getting her reinforcements soon, and some of the elites in that batch happened to specialize in that sort of thing.
Speaking of, one of her grunts arrived just as she’d finished giving orders, stopping in front of her to say, “They’re ready for arrival ma’am.”
“Let’s go then.”
Mars was excited. Finally, finally she’d get her chance to fight, to prove herself as being capable of being independent. She’d been “too young” in forcing Chronos back after the League left their shores, watching from the sidelines as Jupiter, Saturn, and…Mercury waged war against them. It was her turn now, and she wouldn’t lose, she wouldn’t disappoint them.
Eventually Mars reached her destination, the basement level of the casino, the lights kept dim with three Hypno and their trainers. The only sound was the melodic swing of their pendulums.
“Everything is prepared Admin.” One of her Grunts nodded, “Teleportation is ready.”
Mars gave it a once over before she called the ‘okay’. It was a standard 6 star array, her three Hypno arranged in a triangular formation, three soft pink fires indicating the Psychics on the other side were doing the same albeit mirrored. The fires were strong, her own Hypnos would do fine with room for error, being bred for transportation.
“Do it.”
The Hypno hummed and clicked in strange language, their voices and sounds becoming more warped as space began to bend around them. Their trainers joined on the strange song, and she could see the edges of reality blur and mesh as Galactic headquarters briefly flickered into existence.
The song grew louder and louder, and the shapes of people could be made out within the star formation, shadowed shapes appeared, outlines of people, echoes of voices and a different song at a different place that matched their own.
And then it stopped, and over a dozen people now stood in the center of a room, most looking confused and disoriented. One taller man looked like he was close to throwing up.
“I’m giving you 5 minutes to shake off the effects of the Teleport.” Mars grinned, looking them all over, “Afterwards, we get you all dressed up and ready.”
They had a war to win.