CHAPTER 49
Hunger and exhaustion hit me in equal parts like bolts from the blue, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish a lot of dinner. My food went half-cold while I comforted dad and constantly handed him tissues. He’d stressed so much in my absence that he looked thinner than usual. The guilt I felt was indescribable. Just as I wouldn’t know what to do without dad, he wouldn’t know what to do if I ever disappeared from his life for good. We were each other’s last remaining blood family in this world.
When dad finally calmed down enough to sleep, I guided him to his bedroom. He paused at the door and looked back at me as if he was afraid I would disappear again. I stood there in the hallway and patiently let him have his fill. Once he was satisfied, he disappeared into his room.
There was finally time to think on my own, but it was impossible.
I went through the motions of showering and brushing my teeth with a numb state of mind. When I eventually entered my room, I didn’t bother moving toward the bed. Even if I wanted to sleep, moving images had long seared themselves into my brain. They constantly played behind my eyelids and made it difficult to stand still.
I kept thinking about the rage that had burned in Proton’s eyes and the troubling revelations gleaned from a remnant of the old Team Rocket.
The bed was ignored for the time being. I grabbed a sewing kit from a drawer and padded downstairs in slippers. Soon enough, my feet carried me into the living room. I hardly had time to register muffled crying sounds before something hurtled straight into my neck. If it was any other object or Pokemon, I probably would have gotten some sort of injury, but Mem weighed almost nothing.
A strange, inky substance bled all over my skin as the Mimikyu sobbed uncontrollably. The static noises he produced threatened to rupture my eardrums. He’d thrown on a random hand towel taken from the kitchen cabinets to cover himself with, but the ragged bits of his torn costume still showed underneath the bottom. A part of his true body was also visible.
Vel shot me a look from where he sat on the couch and mouthed words to me. Apparently, the Sylveon had been busy consoling Mem while I sorted things out with dad and freshened up. I mouthed back a thank you while rubbing Mem’s head.
“It’s gonna be okay, Mem. I’ll patch up your costume,” I promised in a soothing tone. “Let’s go see the others.”
I had to reassure him two more times before the Mimikyu finally quieted down a bit. My neck and the collar part of my shirt were completely soiled with dark tears at this point, but I didn’t mind. Vel grabbed some fabric from a supply closet before we headed for the backyard.
Everyone was still up. I had to gently extricate the Mimikyu clinging to my neck so that he could give me his ruined outfit, and everyone else turned their gazes away while Mem shuffled underneath his makeshift changing room. When he was done switching into one of his spare outfits, he finally shed the hand towel he’d been wearing. He tottered back a few steps to give me working space.
It was quiet in the backyard while I mended Mem’s cloth. My sewing needle weaved in and out of fabric in a rhythmic, calming beat.
The Pokemon who’d fought with me at Mount Moon had been looked at by Audi and local medical staff already. They were going to heal up just fine, but the atmosphere was a bit subdued considering one of us was currently absent. We all knew Grima was going to come back to us with his arm intact, but we would miss him in the meantime. Our anger had already been quenched by destroying the abomination that had injured him anyway. We’d collected our dues.
Pokemon healthcare was, fortunately, far more advanced than any medical technology available for humans. Even life-threatening wounds could potentially be reversed in certain situations, and we had Ditto cells to thank for everything. A few years after the War of Ashes concluded, Blaine received one of the highest honors a nation could give for his contributions in creating the artificial Pokemon known as Ditto. It was such a revolutionary achievement that other countries, even those on the other side of the world, kept their eye on Indigo for the longest time and made Ditto of their own. Blaine had stated back then that he’d been motivated by all the lives lost due to senseless wars and fighting.
Speaking of Blaine Katsura… there was something we’d told Lance before leaving Mount Moon. It was a point of interest that was going to be brought up at the meeting tomorrow, which… didn’t really mean much considering there was a lot of things we needed to cover.
For now, I busied myself with my current work. It was hindered by numerous breaks where I gave Mem headpats and backrubs every time it seemed like he would cry again. This wasn’t the first time his outfit had gotten torn, far from it, but he was more upset than usual because the costume in question was one of his favorites. My other Pokemon helped baby him with group cuddles while I slaved away with my sewing needle.
Eventually, I presented Mem with the results of my hard work: a fully mended costume complete with colorful stars to help hide stitch lines.
The happy, otherworldly screech he gave almost woke up our sleeping gym Pokemon.
My plan was to stay up and talk a bit with my team, but they all urged me to get some rest instead. Worrywarts, the lot of them. I left them to talk quietly among themselves while I headed back to my room. Vel trotted dutifully after me while Mem hitched a ride on my shoulder. He really, really, really wanted to sleep with us tonight, and I saw no reason to refuse.
Vel took his rightful spot near my head as I made myself comfortable under soft blankets, but not before I tucked Mem under the covers first. The Mimikyu snuggled up to my neck with a sleepy cry. He and Vel fell asleep within minutes, but I couldn’t say the same. Even though I kept my eyes closed, I couldn’t drift away like I wanted.
Sleep did not come easily to me that night. When it finally did…
A vision of hateful green eyes plagued my dreaming self without end.
----------------------------------------
Like Lance promised, he called everyone to the Indigo Plateau for a meeting early in the morning. I barely had time to stomach breakfast and run through training drills with my team before it was time to leave.
The moment I Teleported into the designated meeting room, several figures converged on me.
“Arceus, Arin, it’s so good to see you in person again—”
“I requested to go after your group, but Lance wouldn’t let any of the Gym Leaders leave their posts—”
“Thank Ho-Oh. I’m just glad you and the others came back safely.”
Different voices overlapped one another and made it difficult to tell who said what. A healthy mix of Johto and Kanto Gym Leaders were up in my face with relieved expressions and well wishes. Even those I didn’t talk to very much or knew well had something to say to me. I couldn’t have been more touched by their genuine concern and struggled to thank my coworkers in turn.
My friends had been the most concerned of all. With a surprising amount of strength, Jasmine nearly crushed my ribcage from how hard she hugged me. Morty’s hug was a lot less painful.
We moved to the meeting table. We were still missing a lot of people including Lance and half of the Elite Four, but everyone who had been with me yesterday was already here. Judging by their tired faces, they slept about as well as I had. I paused halfway through sitting down when Falkner of all people raised a hand in greeting. I almost thought it was a mistake because of a distinct lack of any smile on his face, but he nodded his head in my direction. Even Clair offered me a brief nod once I finally sat down.
I wondered if I could consider this progress at all, but I snapped back to attention when Morty started talking.
“It was a real mess out here while you guys were gone,” he told me in a low voice. “Around day four or five of your disappearances, the public started to notice a few Gym Leaders hadn’t been sighted in a while around their respective cities and towns. It caused a lot of unrest. Didn’t help that trainers spread the word that Mount Moon was cordoned off.”
“Yeah. The League had to do so much work to keep the media under control,” Whitney agreed with a grave nod of her head. “Lance told everyone that ‘we were being very thorough with investigations into Team Rocket’ and buried the matter there.”
“If you had been gone any longer, the public would have gotten on our asses,” Surge added. He slapped a hand against his knee, grinning. “‘Course, all that matters in the end is you’re all alive. Good job.”
“What happened anyway?” Chuck asked. His eyes darted between me and others at the table. “With a group as powerful as yours, it’s hard to imagine what held you up so long in Mount Moon’s tunnels.”
I shared a look with Giovanni, Brock, and the rest of the now dissolved Mount Moon expedition group.
“It’s quite a long story,” Giovanni finally said. “It’s best we wait for everyone before we recount it.”
“Fair enough.”
A little over a minute trickled by. Lance and the Elite Four were the next ones to arrive. Sabrina entered with their entourage, so I could only assume she had assisted with grunt interrogations overnight. The rest of the Gym Leaders Teleported in with all due haste. Blaine was the last one to show up, and I briefly caught Lance’s eye from across the table. He looked back at me before clearing his throat.
“Many thanks for gathering this early in the morning,” Lance began with hands folded behind his back. “As we are all well aware, Giovanni and Brock went missing in Mount Moon a week ago. I sent task forces in after them, the second of which consisted of some of our very own sitting here. They engaged a Team Rocket Executive in battle deep underground.”
He held up a hand as shocked murmurs and gasps spread like wildfire around the table.
“There is a lot to explain, but it’s not my place to do so. I now invite those who were involved to speak.”
As he said that, Lance waved a hand in our direction. Bruno decided to go first. We hadn’t planned it in advance, but each member of our group then took turns explaining our experience in Mount Moon. There were several times where we had to pause for extended discussion.
For example, when we got to the part about the Clefairy clan’s powers, the room was quite literally astonished into silence.
“They’re capable of warping reality inside the entire mountain?” One of the Waterflower sisters finally squeaked out in a voice that begged for confirmation.
“Yes,” Clair answered with a firm tone. “They’re… quite powerful, more than we ever could have believed. It’s a wonder we haven’t had any issues like this until now.”
“And it’d best stay that way,” Morty agreed. “Lance, I think you should draft new and stronger laws to help protect the Clefairy of Mount Moon. Team Rocket aside, we don’t want anyone else getting their hands on that kind of power. They might be strongest within the mountain, but who knows if they could be trained to do the same thing elsewhere?”
There were chimes of agreement all around the table… even from Pryce surprisingly enough.
“While we’re on this topic, I’d like to request more Rangers to help me patrol Mount Moon,” Brock spoke up. “My gym trainers and I have it handled between ourselves, but I want to stay extra vigilant from now on.”
Lance easily agreed to all the suggestions. “Very well.”
We moved on. The atmosphere grew darker and darker as we neared the end of our story: the fight with Proton, the appearance of Ariana, and the explosion that nearly buried us under the mountain. We did not talk about certain information extorted from Logan because Lance caught our eyes first. There was something else he wanted to discuss before we got to that.
“Something the task force told me yesterday fascinated me,” Lance began. All eyes were on him as he paced with unhurried, deliberate steps across the room. “Before they engaged in battle with Proton, they heard something interesting from him. He had a drug that he was going to inject Brock’s Crobat with. They clearly heard him call it R2.”
He stopped directly behind Blaine Katsura with a neutral expression.
“I would like to hear an explanation from you, Blaine. Is that not the name that you yourself recently coined for the new drug the Rockets developed? We haven’t even released that name to the public. No one should know about it except a select few within the League currently. Either there’s been an information leak, or what we thought was a coined title was actually the drug’s real name all along. So tell me: why did Proton call the drug by the name that you came up with?”
None of us had thought about the conversation we overheard due to the urgency of the situation at the time. Once we got out of it, though, and had the chance to actually review events, it had stayed on our minds. Lance took the information very seriously… which was why we were now in this sudden confrontation.
His voice was level, but the thinly-veiled accusation was bared for all to see. The room was exceedingly quiet at this point. No one moved. Blaine himself sat perfectly still in his chair without turning to face the Champion looming over his shoulders. Our gazes were no longer on Lance but on the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island.
He sat there unmoving for a long time. After what seemed like forever… he finally opened his mouth.
“I swear I have nothing to do with Team Rocket,” he said slowly. “I don’t know how they got ahold of that information, but it didn’t come from me. I’m even willing to stake what remains of my life on this. You can tear my brain apart if you don’t believe me.”
Lance drilled holes into Blaine’s back with narrowed eyes. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to ask Sabrina to do just that.
He didn’t.
Someone let out a breath when Lance eventually moved. With a sweep of his cape, he walked back to his original position near the head of the table. His expression was a stony one.
“We will not be doing any such thing,” he said tersely. “I will order you to sit through an interrogation with Sabrina later to be on the safe side, yes, but your brain will remain intact. I only raised those questions to test how you would react. I didn’t actually think you were the one who leaked information. Lucky for you, there’s someone else who clearly did.”
We stared at him with shock. This was the first we were hearing of such a thing.
“What do you mean by that?” Pryce demanded.
“Given how we were recently on the verge of a national crisis with so many Gym Leaders and important figures missing at once, I thought it best to not stress anyone further. Thus, I’m only now bringing this up,” Lance calmly replied. “There was an incident here at the League two days ago. One of our forensics team’s assistants turned out to be a rat and escaped with all the R2 specimens we’d captured. What’s more, they made a mess of our archives. We’re still trying to figure out what documents they stole.”
“What?!”
“Who was it?”
“How did they slip under our radar?”
An understandable flurry of questions came out. I myself couldn’t believe such a thing had happened while we were stuck in Mount Moon.
Without a word, Lance took a remote from the table and clicked it. A man’s face was then projected onto the back wall of the meeting room. It was an unremarkable appearance all things considered. Dull brown hair, matching eyes, a small nose… no distinctive features.
“Takuri Hosaka as we knew him here at the League. He’d been around for the last two weeks,” Lance said dryly.
“Are you saying— Are you saying we had a blasted Team Rocket member hiding right under our noses?” Pryce spat out. The veins in his neck bulged with anger. “HOW?”
It was a solid question. The security measures at government buildings were no joke, and here at the Indigo League’s HQ? They were the strongest. Employees were thoroughly checked before, during, and after entering or leaving the building. We had everything from anti-Teleport tiles to living Dark, Psychic, and Ghost Pokemon blockades and more.
The fact that we’d had a Rocket who infiltrated our ranks was, quite frankly, an embarrassment to the Indigo League. It was even worse because they’d escaped.
“It happened while Agatha and I were out maintaining security at Mount Moon,” Lance explained. Though his face remained calm, a clenched fist at his side revealed the anger simmering within. “Someone hacked into part of our systems and took control long enough to cause a temporary blackout. Some barriers went down, too. We only found out later that it was the combined work of a Rotom and Porygon-Z.”
No matter what side of the world you lived in, Rotom were quite rare. The Ghosts typically sequestered themselves in the deep wilds away from human civilizations. On the rare chance they felt like messing with humans and entered cities or towns, regional Leagues were quick to track them down and take the Ghosts into custody. They failed more often than they succeeded.
The point was this: as useful as Rotom could be as allies, it was even worse to have them as enemies. Rotom were the biggest fears of any government, League, or security company because of how easy it was for them to take over electronics.
Ignoring the sea of shocked expressions before him, Lance continued. “Needless to say, Agatha and I hurried back to HQ. Koga and Lorelei weren’t able to find the rat in the chaos. By the time we joined them, he was long gone. Teleported away most likely.”
“That doesn’t explain how he got into the League in the first place,” Giovanni spoke up, eyes narrowing. “Was he not screened beforehand? How did he pass security checks everyday?”
A long sigh drew itself from Lance as he reached up to rub his temples.
“Our little rat borrowed the identity of a real, innocent citizen over in Kanto. Based on input from Agent Echo and other Interpol officers, we’re under the belief he disguised himself with a silicone mask. As for how none of the guards ever caught onto hostile intentions and the like while he was here…” Lance paused, grimacing. “When interrogated, they claimed they never felt any from him. They and their Pokemon all said he was familiar.”
“What the hell does that mean—”
“If you’d kindly let me finish,” Lance said over Pryce’s interruption, “then I could tell you that when Sabrina did a deep dive of their consciousnesses, she discovered they were telling the truth. The man in their memories felt normal to her, too… genuinely so, as if he’d always belonged here and would continue to do so.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
The emphasis on certain words made each of us pause in place. Whitney was the first to speak up, and it was no wonder. She was the person most familiar with what Lance was trying to hint at.
“Are you suggesting that the Team Rocket member was an elite Normal Specialist?” she asked. The teenager’s usual smiling countenance had been replaced by one of utter seriousness.
Part of the Normal type was centered around self-identity and the ability to belong anywhere. It sounded almost counterintuitive, but it was having a strong sense of self that allowed Normal types such a high degree of adaptability. They were willing to accept change, but they stayed inherently true to themselves in a way that made it seem like they had always belonged in the world. They didn’t simply fit in. They belonged in the personal way that each individual knew how. You could not define Normal because they all defined it differently for themselves. They lived distinct lives of their own making filled with unique experiences. Just like how Fairies could shape reality through the power of belief, Normal types affected their surroundings with their personal viewpoints of what normalcy meant to them. Their idea of ‘normal’ became what you felt and saw.
Even though Normal types were some of the most common Pokemon in the world, and even though there were numerous Normal Specialists who sprang up because of that very abundance… the number that actually reached the top of the field or at least came near it could be counted on a single hand. Behind it was a deceptively simple concept that not many people truly understood or could ever hope to master.
And now, we were possibly dealing with one of them.
“Yes. After a talk with Interpol, that seems to be the most likely scenario,” Lance revealed. “Our guards are most familiar with Psychic, Dark, or Ghost-related attempts to subvert security checks, so it would make sense that they failed to see through an attempt from a different angle. Sabrina had to take a mental trip through their past memories to see if she could discern anything the guards weren’t aware of at the time. From an outside perspective, what she discovered was a subtle yet pleasant scent emanating from our mystery man. We would like to hear your thoughts, Whitney, as the leading Normal Specialist in Indigo.”
The pink-haired girl in question crossed her arms. Silence stretched on as she took her time drafting a response, lips pressed into a thin line.
“If you ask me…” she began cautiously. “I think that Team Rocket member might have used an advanced application of Sweet Scent on himself.”
Lance took her word in all seriousness and silently motioned for her to continue.
Feeling encouraged, Whitney went on in a louder voice. “Everyone in this room is familiar with Sweet Scent. It’s a move many Grass types and other Pokemon can learn, and it’s typically used to calm or even distract the enemy by emitting a strong, sweet-smelling odor. It’s distinct and sudden. It’s all you can think about after inhaling it. This man, the one who posed as Takuri Hosaka, might have subverted its usual properties.”
She paused briefly to let her words sink in.
“I think he trained his Pokemon to make it familiar instead. Like a scent that’s been there in the background all along, a constant presence and yet one you’re only faintly aware of… whose name is on the tip of your tongue… a smell you wouldn’t blink twice at because it’s so subtle and familiar. That’s how he wanted to be perceived by the guards. He cloaked himself with that scent so that he could blend in and belong with the rest of the League as if he’d been here for years. Our guards might not have had their minds physically or mentally tampered with, but their perception was still warped by high levels of Normal type energy in the air.”
Whitney tapped the side of her head with a finger here.
“They were tricked into believing this guy has always been around. Our Psychic type Pokemon probably weren’t any better off. Psychics use their minds to control the world around them, right? Well, if that world is influenced by someone else’s idea of what it should normally look like — in this case, a reality where that Rocket guy was just another employee among thousands — then it probably screwed with their powers. They couldn’t find anything because they were peering through the lens of someone else’s reality, one where the guy was completely innocent.”
To wrap things up, Whitney shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “If I’m right about all this… then that guy is definitely a top-tier Normal Specialist. I don’t think even I would be able to finesse Sweet Scent for infiltration purposes like that. It’s incredibly innovative.”
“I just need to know one thing, Whitney,” Lance said quietly. “Do we need to worry about this person coming back with the same tactic in the future?”
“No,” Whitney said with a firm shake of her head. “It’s clever, but it loses its effectiveness when used against the same people and over an extended period of time. I think he pulled out of the League now instead of spying further because he realized he’d get caught soon.”
Lance nodded in approval. “There’s one more point to back that up. He pulled this stunt to create a diversion for his ally.”
He clicked his remote again. Another face joined the fake Takuri Hosaka’s visage on the projector, and it was a familiar one.
“Right after Agatha and I left Mount Moon for HQ, a red-haired woman appeared out of nowhere. She took advantage of our absence and broke through one of our defensive brigades. This woman was strong enough that she even managed to get past Agatha’s apprentice, Karen, to enter the mountain,” Lance explained. “Thanks to yesterday’s task force, we can now identify this individual as the Rocket Executive known as Ariana. She went to go save Proton.”
Arceus. Team Rocket was a lot bolder and more coordinated than we’d ever thought. To think they’d risk getting caught at the League HQ just so they could lure people away from Mount Moon and get their people out… and all of this had happened while we were gone.
“It’s truly an oversight on the League’s part that we allowed someone to infiltrate our ranks and escape, but at least we know better now. Stolen documents aside, all the R2 specimens he took don’t matter in the end since yesterday’s task force brought us more,” Lance said in an attempt to keep motivation up. He clapped his hands together. “Now look sharp, everyone. We can’t fixate on the past. Let’s go over the big info.”
More pictures popped up on the wall including those for people and Pokemon alike.
“We know more about Team Rocket’s inner structure thanks to the grunts captured yesterday. There are four Executives, and each has two Vice Leaders who work directly under them. Based on the task force’s personal experience with Proton yesterday, it may be safe to assume each Executive is at least on the level of an Elite Four. The Vice Leaders are as strong as Gym Leaders. Therefore, I’m telling all of you this: do not slack on personal training.”
The warning was issued in a firm tone with no room for argument. He waited for each of us to nod before continuing.
“Before anyone asks: no, we could not find any of these people in databases. Either they wiped themselves clean, or they’re like the old Rocket boss and never got registered after they were born,” Lance stated to start things off.
He circled a green-haired man’s face with a laser pointer.
“This is Proton, the Executive that the task force fought. Real name and age are unknown. He’s presumed to be an Ability Holder who can communicate with Poison types. To no surprise, he’s a Poison Specialist. He also has a Key Stone and Gengarite in his possession. Here’s the list of the known Pokemon he has…”
A few Pokemon icons were either grayed out or had red X marks slapped over them. Crobat and Drapion were listed as having particularly severe injuries. Arbok, Swalot, Weezing, and Muk were among those confirmed dead.
“I would like to thank everyone who fought Proton yesterday for their hard work. I know it must be frustrating that he got away, but I count it as a victory because you all came back alive and with valuable intel. You also dealt a significant amount of damage. With so many of Proton’s Pokemon either dead or temporarily out of commission, his threat level has been significantly reduced,” Lance praised.
Those of us he talked about didn’t exactly smile, but it did ease some of the stress we’d been harboring.
It didn’t matter anyway because Lance expressed joy on our behalf. For the first time in the whole meeting, he smiled and gestured for Koga to step forward. The famed ninja took out a box from his pocket and revealed its contents to us. A familiar multi-colored orb gleamed brightly under the lights.
“I also cannot stress the significance of the Beedrillite you stole from Proton. This is a huge boon to our military power and a very unfortunate loss for Team Rocket. Well done,” Lance commended us.
He really wasn’t exaggerating.
Key and Mega Stones did not simply grow on trees. They were difficult to acquire, and the power they offered if used properly was nothing to scoff at. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say a Mega Evolved Pokemon in the hands of an elite could help wipe out a whole city or town. For that reason, these rare and elusive stones were one of the biggest military assets any country could have in addition to strong trainers.
Lance and my coworkers were in full knowledge of this. The rest of the table chimed in with praise for our efforts. Even Pryce, dare I say it, looked a little impressed.
“Your Pidgeot did excellent work snatching it away in time, Falkner—”
“No,” Falkner politely refuted Lance. His bangs nearly covered both eyes as he shook his head. “Being able to take the stone was a group achievement. We also have Arin to thank for noticing the Beedrillite in the first place.”
I felt a bit put on the spot as multiple pairs of eyes came to rest on me, but I dipped my head in a humble gesture. Lance’s lips twitched upwards into another smile before he recomposed himself.
“At any rate, this Mega Stone should be put to good use.” Lance’s gaze landed on a boy sitting among us. “Bugsy, I would like to entrust this Beedrillite to you.”
The teenager gaped a little. “A-Are you sure? I’m next in line to buy one from the international market. It might be best to give it to someone else like Koga—”
“No. Koga already has one. This stone is better off being entrusted to Indigo’s best Bug Specialist. I know you’ll be able to utilize it to its full worth,” Lance told him. “We need all the pillars of Indigo at their finest for upcoming fights.”
Bugsy’s eyes flitted nervously between Lance, me, and the other Johto Gym Leaders. Morty and I gave him encouraging smiles.
“Then…” Bugsy swallowed nervously, nodding. His voice came out stronger when he next spoke. “I would be honored to accept. I swear I will use it in the service of Indigo.”
A quiet round of clapping went around as the Beedrillite was passed between Koga and Bugsy. Lance waited for it to die down before pointing to the projector again. The atmosphere grew serious once more.
“Let’s keep going. The next Rocket Executive we know of is Ariana. Again, real name and age are unknown. She’s the head of their organization’s Research Department according to some grunts we interrogated. Very brilliant mind. She’s the one who made the Rocket’s newest drug, R2,” Lance explained.
A faint hiss of displeasure came somewhere from my left after Lance said that. When I turned my head to look, I realized it had come from Blaine. I couldn’t tell what emotion he had beyond the dark shades he wore, but he stared at Ariana’s face on the wall with a clenched jaw. I wondered if he despised her for creating such a drug.
I knew the rest of us did.
“List of known Pokemon include an Arcanine that she rode on and a Camerupt, Magcargo, and Charizard that helped her break into Mount Moon. I think it’s safe to assume she’s a Fire Specialist…”
Lance continued, but I was only half-listening. I stared at the picture of the red-haired woman and clenched a fist under the table. If only she hadn’t arrived to help Proton… but I couldn’t bemoan the past. Like Lance had said, we needed to take what victories we could get.
I snapped back to attention when Lance moved on.
“After a discussion with the Elite Four and Interpol… we’ve come to the agreement that the presumed Normal Specialist who infiltrated the League is most likely one of the last two remaining Executives. That, or he’s one of the Vice Leaders. His infiltration skills are certainly not ordinary, and we’ll be revising security measures around here going forward,” Lance announced. “We don’t have any information on Petrel, but we did get some information on Archer ripped straight from memories.”
Without fanfare, he clicked his remote. A face I’d never seen before popped up on the screen. It was a man with teal-colored hair and a conniving air about him.
“Rocket Executive Archer, real name and age unknown. We have nothing on his specs as a trainer, but apparently he takes care of a lot of the administrative work in Team Rocket. He’s as smart as Ariana and helped her develop R2,” Lance helpfully added. “No news on the Vice Leaders. They apparently go out often on missions, and none of the grunts in our custody have seen them. Same goes for Team Rocket’s new boss. Nobody’s ever met them before aside from the Executives.”
He allowed everyone enough time to commit the faces of those displayed on the wall to memory, and then he clicked his remote to shut the projector off. Lance clasped his hands behind his back.
“There are two other things I’d like to discuss before we draw this meeting to a close. First, the strange shields that Giovanni and the others encountered in Mount Moon,” Lance said in a heavy voice. His brows furrowed. “It seems to be an energy similar to what we saw in the sky on National Day. In fact, I dare wager they are one and the same.”
“Most definitely,” Bruno rumbled from afar. “Lucario and I share the opinion that it’s similar to psychic energy but somehow… different. It felt wrong.”
“Yes, and it also directly attacked our minds,” Clair added with a frown. “It felt like someone was looking at us from afar.”
“With that sort of mental attack, I think it’s just about confirmed to be the work of a Psychic Pokemon,” Falkner muttered, but he was loud enough for the rest of us to hear. An uneasy look crossed his face. “I wonder… perhaps it’s not a Pokemon at all. Perhaps they succeeded in what they tried to do years ago. It would explain why the energy felt wrong.”
“Artificial human psychics?” I asked.
The resulting grimace from Falkner was the only answer I needed.
“Can human psychics be that strong, though?” Erika inquired. She quickly winced and shot Sabrina an apologetic look. “Er… not that I mean any offense, Leader Sabrina.”
“None taken,” the woman replied in a level voice. “To answer your question: it could be possible. It would not be hard for me to destroy the brains of multiple people within a certain distance, but I must stress that there’s a limit. Any human psychic near my level could do that.”
I tried not to stare at her after she just admitted the extent of the monstrous psychic powers she possessed for a human. Even Morty looked a bit disturbed at the casual admission of brain crushing.
“If we are to assume whatever put the shields on those Rockets and attacked your minds today is the same entity behind the National Day incident, however, then it’s a different matter,” Sabrina continued calmly. “What happened on National Day was on a completely different scale. We mentioned this at a meeting long ago, but my Pokemon and I would have trouble getting through so many Dark type Pokemon… it’d be almost impossible.”
She raised her head, pink eyes staring directly at Lance. “My personal conclusion is this: regardless if Team Rocket has succeeded in making human psychics or not, I don’t believe they are the true threat here. I believe the Rockets have a team of powerful Psychic type Pokemon at their disposal instead. We know they’re in possession of a drug, R2, that enhances the abilities of Pokemon. I do not believe it would be too far of a stretch to think they’ve enhanced Psychic types to a level that surpasses my own Pokemon. Perhaps they even have a stronger version of the drug that we’re unaware about.”
Honestly… I agreed with her. I didn’t think this was the work of a human psychic. As powerful as they could be, they could never be as strong as Psychic Pokemon. The idea of a drug-enhanced Psychic type wasn’t too far-fetched either.
It made the most sense out of any theories we currently had anyway.
Lance listened patiently while the rest of us discussed among ourselves. Eventually, he cleared his throat to get our attention.
“If it’s possible, we should try to capture a grunt next time who has one of these odd shields intact,” he commented. “That way, Sabrina or Blaine can trigger the shields and study them.”
Oh, that was actually a decent idea. Sabrina liked it if the way she dipped her head was anything to go by, and Blaine…
He was very quiet. He hadn’t said anything in the last couple minutes ever since we began talking about the strange shields and psychic theories, and that extended to the suggestion Lance threw out. Blaine gave no sign that he’d heard and only stared down at the table with a deeply pensive expression. What on earth was he thinking so hard about…?
I tore my gaze away when Lance cleared his throat again.
“We’ll have to put a pin in this topic since we can't make any real leeway on finding out the truth,” Lance said. Fair point. “This brings me to the last topic I’d like to talk about.”
One moment Lance was calm, and the next his face was devoid of all emotion. The sudden shift in demeanor caught all of us off guard and held our rapt attention. Whatever Lance was going to talk about was serious indeed, and I was pretty sure I knew what it was. It was the only thing we hadn’t discussed yet.
“We interrogated many grunts yesterday. Over half of them turned out to be remnants of the old Team Rocket,” Lance began in a slow voice. “Sabrina discovered at one point they had trigger words, ROCKET among others, that would cause their hearts and brains to fail if spoken. A little fail-safe in the event of being captured so to speak, and it lends credence to the idea that we’re dealing with powerful Psychics. That is not the important part.”
I expected murmurs to break out, yet everyone held their tongues. The Indigo Champion’s gaze demanded our attention and absolute silence.
“We were able to find out part of Team Rocket’s goals, or at least why these specific people joined back then.”
He paused briefly, but that single moment seemed to stretch on for eternity.
“They want to destroy Indigo and go back to being two separate countries.”
Silence.
Complete and utter silence reigned.
It was not tension that clouded the atmosphere but sheer disbelief. That was how ludicrous the words that came out of Lance’s mouth were. Those of us who had been there for Logan’s interrogation at Mount Moon were hearing this for the second time, but it still rattled us to our cores.
“Arceus…”
I had no idea who the faint whisper came from, but it snapped the rest of us out of our stupor.
“Is that… Is that why the old Team Rocket boss told Champion Oak they didn’t need Indigo? Because they hated the idea of being unified? Because of misplaced patriotism?” Chuck asked in a strangled voice.
“They did all of this — everything from back then and now — because they want Kanto and Johto to remain separate?” Surge followed up. Rather than being shocked like Chuck, his whole frame trembled with anger. “Forget mere patriotism. This is a fucking insane and radical approach they’ve taken. Their whole plan is insane.”
“I don’t understand…” Erika murmured, hands clasped tightly together as she squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t think I could ever understand them. Did we not unite as one country after the war fifty years ago because it was the best thing to do? To avoid more bloodshed and pave a road of peace for future generations? Indigo has reached a new era of prosperity because of mutual cooperation.”
“Yeah, well…” Surge made a spitting motion off to the side, thoroughly disgusted with the turn of conversation at this point. “It seems like they don’t care. Their motto makes sense now. To them and their delusional asses, we’re all traitors just for wanting to live peacefully, and they want to kill us all.”
In hindsight, the previous clues held in our knowledge should have made sense.
For a true and better future. We don't need Indigo.
Remember Our Cause, Kill Every Traitor.
The answer had always been right there. It should have made sense, but it didn’t. None of us could have gotten it. Why?
Because the idea behind it was simply that absurd.
While there were people out there across Kanto-Johto who were very patriotic toward their respective region, we’d never had anyone go so far as to want to roll back unification. The War of Ashes had happened fifty years ago. In the span of five decades, Indigo had gone from being one of the poorest regions to one of the most prosperous countries in the Kinjoh Area. It was only thanks to everyone working together that we’d made so much progress. None of the luxuries we enjoyed today would be around if we’d remained as two separate countries and spent all our time fighting like in the days of the distant past. We had left the violent past behind so that we could walk towards a peaceful future together.
I had been born in a time when Indigo had long been unified, and that applied to almost everyone in this room. I couldn’t even imagine a world where we weren’t one country.
To me, Indigo had always been Indigo. Any other reality was simply unthinkable.
“It’s ridiculous,” I muttered, but Lance heard me.
“No, you’re absolutely right, Arin,” he agreed. In a louder voice, he addressed the whole room. Lance tried his best to keep his voice steady, but he could not hide the hint of fury that leaked out. “There may be other reasons and motivations we have yet to uncover, but this? THIS alone angers me. Because these people thought they knew what was best for the people of Indigo, they decided to kill thousands of good soldiers fifteen years ago and got thousands more of innocents caught up in their fighting—”
Lance broke off hurriedly to breathe harshly. From the other side of the table, I saw Clair’s facial features pinch with concern as she stared at her cousin.
When Lance calmed down enough, he continued.
“That was the first Rocket War,” he warned us somberly. “We must not let a second happen. I do not wish for all of Indigo to be embroiled in senseless fighting again. The peace we have today must be protected with our own hands. We are not just Kanto and Johto or Kanto-Johto… but Indigo. I need to know that all of you are with me, that no matter where you’re from… you stand under the flag of Indigo.”
My body moved faster than my mind could think. Amidst a sea of gazes, I rose from my seat and raised a hand to my heart as if swearing to the national anthem. My lips parted.
“For Indigo.”
Not even a second passed before someone else followed my example. Giovanni had risen from his own seat and placed his hand over his heart.
“For Indigo,” he murmured. Though quiet, his voice carried strong conviction. “For a future we can live in peace and to honor all the innocent lives lost.”
One by one, everyone around the table echoed our sentiments and gestures. I thought Pryce would be reluctant, but he was one of the fastest to rise with the help of his cane. Even our Interpol members joined the show of unity.
Lance was the last one to follow.
“We, the pillars of this country, will uproot the rest of Team Rocket for good this time. No matter how long it takes, we will do so. We do it for the people we love, the citizens who trust in us, and for the country we all live in,” he stated.
My heart thumped in tandem to our Champion’s words.
“For Indigo.”