Swole-POV:
Wheels squealing, slowly, the train crawls out of the Snowpoint City train station. Buildings, mostly unfazed by Alpha Regigigas' destruction, pass by on my right. The snow fell off their roofs, and icicles litter the ground like spears, but their walls still stand.
All cargo had been unloaded and reloaded onto treaded trucks, heading for the Space-Time Convergence. All personnel left and followed Cyrus' orders. The man seemed very thorough in his directions, micromanaging even the lowest grunts in his vicinity.
Now, the train is empty. Outside our little wagon, there is the train conductor, I've seen an engineer, and two Team Galactic grunts. They are Mars' and Jupiter's handlers – or perhaps 'pack mules' would be a more accurate term for them. They aren't even allowed in our wagon.
Mars' and Jupiter's personal wagon. They sit in a different set of four seats, which face each other. Mars and Jupiter are on one side, while Ursula sits across from them, nervously wringing her hands in her lap, placed in the looming shadows of those high-ranking Team Galactic authorities.
The space is well lit. It's a luxurious train wagon. Satin quilted seats, golden accents over the walls, spacious foot room, and even their own toilet-slash-bathroom. I haven't looked inside yet, but curiosity does tempt me. I imagine marble basins and maybe even a bathtub?
The decadent style of the wagon suggests there might really be a bathtub.
Next to Ursula is a currently occupied free seat. She put her shoulder bag there. I'm tempted to stand up and sit next to her instead...
Snow-capped pine trees replace the rural buildings outside the window. Picturesque sceneries pass by... I dread we've reached the top speed already, and this near-crawl is all we get for our tour to Veilstone City.
Lopunny pulls at my shirt. Which reminds me of the fact that the temperature inside is very comfortable. 'Cozy' would be the right term. A cozy feeling, a picturesque landscape - what else could a young man need?
Hard labor to distract myself, I guess.
"Swole? You've got something on your neck right there."
Zoey must be talking about Salazzle. That pokemon doesn't realize she has evolved and has become far too large to ride on my shoulder. Now she's kinda slung over my neck and back, with half of her body dangling down. Her face is suspiciously close to my crotch. Methinks this is by design. But Swadloon is in the way to prevent any mischief.
Now Lucario pulls at my shirt. I'm only wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt because of how warm it is... This won't work forever.
"Right here, Swole." Zoey points at the front of her neck, near her throat actually.
That's not at all where Salazzle is. "Here?-- Ouch. Huh. Feels like a bruise or something. Maybe Salazzle scratched me?"
"Aha!" Dawn shouts. Her seething glare finds my eyes the moment I glance in her direction. "You are listening to us! Cheating asshole!"
"You're still mad about that? That was like 5 hours ago. Give me a break already."
"More like twenty minutes!"
"No way, we went to the pokemon center, we waited until Lucario, Swadloon, and Salazzle woke up, we said our goodbyes to Candice, Maria, and... Uhhhh--"
"Riley."
"Riley. Thanks, Zoey. That was at least four hours."
"Well, it felt like 20 minutes!" Dawn was prissy the entire time.
"Aren't you happy for me that I got my fourth gym badge already? I would definitely be happy for you if you had just won your third ribbon a mere four to five hours ago."
"What kind of cheap tactic is that?! Huh?!" She got me there. "Yes, I am happy for you. But you're a serious scumbag! You did it all behind our backs even!"
"Dawn?" Mars speaks across the divide between our and their set of four seats. A smile on her face that is all sugar and rainbows. "Just think of it as a liberal expansion of his little harem."
"And you! You seriously went and seduced a guy who's nearly 20 years younger than you are. What kind of person does that?!"
Her lips flip into a frown in a heartbeat, eyes glaring with ill intent. "I'm not even thirty, you damn brat!"
"Stop telling lies, Mars." Jupiter calmly flips to the next page of her magazine. It's selling men's underwear... or not. A suspicious number of men in her magazine don't even wear that... Is that two guys kissing? Good grief, she's reading gay porn in public.
"Well, you look older than thirty." Dawn just shrugs, grins smugly, and looks out of the window. "Way older. Hag."
She looks twenty-five, tops.
"Don't hold me back, Jupi!" Mars screams while remaining perfectly still in her seat. Jupiter does not hold her back at all. "I will fight her! Personally! Not in a pokemon battle!"
"Oh yeah? I'm trained in Aura. You're just going to hurt yourself, Grandma."
"Barely trained." Dawn's smug stare shifts to me while her own glare appears. "Hey, it's not my fault you keep skipping it. You could be a proper Aura Guardian, but you're too lazy."
She grabs a bottle from her bag and tosses it at me.
"Hissss!" - "Sorry! I didn't mean to hit you, Salazzle!"
"You need to work on your aim too."
"Asshole."
"I disagree. I'm not an asshole - if anything, I'm a dick. Because I'm liberally expanding my harem. Haha."
Zoey snorts in laughter, and Dawn's glare shifts to her. Finally, it falters. With a huff of a breath, she deflates, and the pressure on the wagon fades away. "You're incorrigible... Dick."
Silence resumes. Out the window, it's still pine trees and snow as far as the eye can see. Some Gogoat frolic in the snow alongside a huge Beartic. Or perhaps they are fighting - Bearic swipes with his icy claw, and the Gogoats barely dodge by hopping back.
It looks like the herd of Gogoat are fighting him as a pack. Funny.
"Sooo." Ursula breaks the silence. "You're all dating Swole? And only Dawn seems kinda against it? Did I get that right?"
"Kinda? I mean, this insensitive dick--" Dawn is about to start another tirade, so I interrupt her.
"Jupiter is just Mars' friend. And there is also Akari. She's currently on Route 218. Oh, and Cynthia, of course."
"Cynthia is not your girlfriend. Stop making things up. You have such an inflated ego." Dawn rolls her eyes.
"What can I say? As my harem forever expands, so does my ego." Only Mars thought my joke was funny. Her laughter sounds rather tomboyish - a little like Zoey, just more... like a villain?
The rest of the wagon stays silent - judging me. Another page turning over, and the rattling of the train are the only sounds accompanying her sharp, cartoonishly evil laughter. That's actually pretty cute.
"As for Cynthia, she's not yet in my harem. But I'm working towards it."
Dawn finds another water bottle and flings it at me, this time missing completely. It bounces off the wagon window and slowly rolls down the middle.
"So... four girls?" Ursula whistles. "That's mighty impressive. You know, I really didn't take you for such a womanizer when we first met in Chocovine Town."
"I wasn't back then. I simply lucked out." A smile forms on my lips as the memories resurface. Feels like it was ages ago, even though it really was just two months. "During a party, Zoey just kissed me without a warning. With tongue, I should add. I didn't know what to do. So, dumb as I had been, I did nothing."
"This Zoey right here?" Ursula asks, and Zoey nods while a blush grows on her cheeks. "Wow. Huh. Sorry, you just really didn't seem like that type, Zoey. So forward. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that!"
"Don't sweat it." Zoey uses her stump to wave her off. "I used to be a complete-- completely different person back then. Anyway, I honestly didn't know what Swole thought of me after that, and he didn't talk to me much afterwards, so I thought he wasn't really interested."
Oh. I really almost fucked it up?
"And then you and Akari went on a date in a steakhouse, so I just tried to forget about the little crush I had on you."
"That wasn't even a date. I remember she clearly stated that she didn't want to go out with me - romantically - and she..." I pause to think. With all the stuff that happened since then, my memories are starting to become foggy. "Right. She thought the place she suggested was still a simple kiosk. She didn't know it had turned into a fancy restaurant." ... No. That isn't all there was to it.
Akari got those letters from the past. And people only wrote to her because Lucas went to the past and knew where she would be that day.
The reason Akari invited me in the first place was because Lucas told her about it in the past. That day, she must have known that I thought it was a date... She... Was she just pretending so there wouldn't be a time paradox?
And then on our way to Canalave City. She and Dawn knew I had a crush on Zoey - because she kissed me. Still, Dawn helped Zoey and me to break the ice again.
Much later, Akari must've known that Dawn had a crush on me. Still, she asked to marry me... Is that even an old custom? Did she plan all this?
... No way. But what's the alternative? That I got a harem through an astronomically random chain of events?
"Swole?" Someone punches my arm.
"Yes, Dawn?"
"You zoned out. Are you good?"
Am I? No. "I'm just tired. I didn't really get any sleep while Candice and I had been buried under a literal mountain."
She drops the concern and fixes me in yet another glare. "Did you fool around with her too? Is there anyone else I need to worry about?"
"Haha! No, don't worry. Just you, Zoey, Akari, Mars, technically Domino, Cynthia one day, Mary, and--" Salazzle and Lopunny.
"And what?!"
"And nothing! I just lost count!"
Then Dawn mentally goes over my list. I told her enough about Domino so she won't fear her as competition. But perhaps Cynthia?
She glares. "And Mary too?! I thought you only met her in a haunted house for two days!"
"A lot can happen in two days!"
"You're such a scumbag!"
Mars laughs out loud and slaps her thigh. Next to her, Jupiter stuck a finger into one ear while holding a poketch phone to the other.
I motion for Mars to be a little quieter, pointing at Jupiter to make the reason clear. She just smirks.
"Ahhhh! Jupi, you stupid, sexy slut! Stop messing around with that stupid phone and keep messing up my insides instead! Yes! Ahhhh! Keep going! Ahhh!"
Jupiter ends the call. Stone-faced, she turns to her friend... Enemy? "I got word that Regice damaged the rails. We'll stop overnight in the next town, and you're going to solve a murder crime there. The boss said you should act your age."
"Nooooo! My vacation!!!"
---
Mars clutches at her short, red hair, ruffling the orderly strands up until she wears a wild pixie cut, just like Zoey. The women really look like... sisters is a little off. Aunt and niece fits best. But Zoey said she's her cousin. So they share some grandparents.
"Hey, Mars?"
She finishes her screaming before replying. "Yes, Swole? Can't you see I'm a little busy lamenting the loss of my hard-earned vacation?"
"More like hardly earned." Jupiter mutters under her breath.
"You need to help a murder investigation? What's up with that? Actually, what is your job?"
"Consultant."
That's what my father says too. "Honestly, it sounds more like you're a mercenary."
"Ehhh..." Her face takes on a few uncomfortable expressions as she tries to think of something. Everyone ends up looking at her expectantly, except Jupiter. She looks out the window, a smirk visible through the reflection as her... friend(?) struggles. "Taxes. Consultants pay taxes differently. That's why my job title is consultant."
"Trainers don't pay taxes at all."
"Smart-ass." She combs her fingers through her hair, somehow reshaping her usual style instantly. "I won't tell. Just try not to think about it."
What the hell kind of response is that? That will just--
"Idiot." Jupiter slaps Mars across the back of her head. "That will make those brats just more curious."
"Who are you calling an idiot, skank? Need I remind you that I scored higher on the assessment tests than you, huh?"
Jupiter clenches her jaw and grinds her teeth together as she glares holes into Mars. "By. One. Point."
"One point better than you."
That's a distraction, isn't it? I scan Dawn's and Zoey's faces. Ursula is too distracted to meet my gaze. But Dawn and Zoey understand: the battle for information has already begun.
Jupiter kept up her barrage. "Just because you got lucky a decade ago doesn't mean you're smarter than me now!"
"A decade ago?" Dawn asks. "Is that when you got hired by Team Galactic, or was that about your promotion to Commander in your organization? How old were you back then? 28?"
"She was 25."
"I was not! I was 17!"
"That's a ridiculous lie, and you know it."
Taunting is not very effective.
"Wow. 17?" Zoey awes. "That's so young for such an important role. And are you sure it was 10 years ago? You don't look 27. You look barely a few years older than me!"
"Do you think she's stupid? Mars is a senile hag, but you're going to have to pick out something more believable than that."
"You're a senile hag! Have you looked in a mirror recently?! Maybe take a look at those crow's feet before you slander me!"
Another failed attempt. Perhaps a more direct approach would be effective. "I might have some sweets in my bag. Do you want some? It only costs some information."
"..."
"..."
They've been silenced!
Mars has a somewhat disappointed look on her face. "Kid." But a hint of lust flashes over her eyes. "Someone needs to teach you how to bribe properly. I think I saw a bribery-101 book in the toilet stall. Come with me, and I'll show you where."
"Sewaddle? ~Something's poking me? What is that? I can't move to look."
I'm so sorry, Sewaddle. But her counterattack was super effective.
Dawn was struck hard too. She's out of commission and switched to glaring at me. A double KO.
Zoey's still in fighting condition. And Ursula - "Oh! I get it now. You were trying to get them to talk about their secretive jobs."
Well. The Meowth is out of the bag.
Zoey nods while sending Mars and Jupiter glares. "We are. And honestly, you two owe us an explanation."
"We don't owe you anything." Jupiter straightens her back and holds her nose up high. "If anything, you gaggle of brats owe us some peace and quiet for using our traveling wagon."
"If it weren't for Team Galactic, my family would have never been caught up in a Space-Time Convergence. My home is barely standing because of you. Most of our farm is just gone, and you're too stingy to even tell us your jobs?"
Jupiter speaks up. "I told you already. The Space-Time Convergences are entirely coincidental. We cannot influence where they occur. It was regrettable, but our convoy and your family's home just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."
That is the generally accepted theory. They are caused by Dialga and Palkia battling each other and impacting our universe. There's not much - if any - control we have over these events.
"That's bullshit!" Zoey screams. "I know you brought that artifact with you!"
"There was no artifact. We were just on a practice mission."
... That's bullshit. The news reporter woman said they were transporting an artifact. "Did you see it, Zoey?"
"Well, no."
"See?! There was no artifact. We're telling the truth."
Jupiter is lying through her teeth.
But what did they have? They were north of Zoey's place... It might be impossible to guess what they found. The wilderness is vast and unexplored and-- Oh. I think Lake Acuity was that way. Zoey's mom said it's the only thing that way. And Team Galactic was guarding a path to it.
Yuck. I just remembered those guys. That was cum on his face, wasn't it? Disgusting.
Anyway... They captured a Lake Guardian. It can't have been Mesprit. She lived at Lake Verity before deciding to more or less follow me around.
So either Uxie or Azelf. I can't remember who lives at which lake, but I can check in my Ancient Sinnoh History book later.
"I--" Hold on. Can I even trust them? We've been talking with them as if they were our friends, but Jupiter is definitely not trustworthy.
And as sexy as Mars is, I don't trust her either. They must not know that we know what they were doing.
I need to handle this carefully. "I believe you. You wouldn't lie to us about something this serious, right, Mars?"
"Exactly." She lies through her teeth as if it were as natural as breathing.
"But I still want to know your real job description."
"Why don't you ask your father instead?" She crosses her arms.
"He wouldn't tell me anything. Did you know that it took him fourteen years to tell me how he got his first pokemon?"
"Pahaha!" Mars laughs like a villainess. "That bastard would do that." Finally, her posture relaxes, and she puts her hands behind her back. "Are you absolutely certain you want to know the truth? I would seriously recommend against it. Just enjoy the pleasant lies instead."
"What do you mean?"
A bump in the rail tracks shakes us up a little.
Mars scans the faces of Ursula in front of her, Dawn, and Zoey leaning forward to watch for deceit. Then, Mars meets my eyes. "You're only young once. You just get one chance to travel the world for the first time. I can share a piece of the truth, but that will make the adventure less fun."
"Hold on, is this all just some of - the world is a dark place. You're just too young to get it - crap? Or is this just another lie?"
"No, you've hit the Diglett on its head with that. But when adults say that, they're usually doing it for a good reason."
"Bullshit." I say, and Dawn and Zoey nod along. "I've seen wild pokemon tear each other apart. I've seen the most horrifying deaths before my eyes. I've lost dear friends. I've seen the dregs of society. I've done terrible things. I've been there when Zoey was erased from the world with only her hand left behind. Not even twenty-four hours ago, I was nearly crushed to death under a mountain, and you're saying I can't handle a little bit of the truth? Give me a break."
"I'm sorry." Mars whispers. I can barely hear her over the noise of the train. "We're doing our best out there." She tears at her hair before speaking up. "You're really the worst shota I could have found. Do you have any innocence left? Next you're telling me you're not even a virgin anymore."
I'm not telling her that.
"Alright. You win. I'll tell you--"
"Wait!"
"Ursula?"
Ursula suddenly jumps from her seat, tears streaming down her face.
"I don't want to know!" She rushes down the aisle but stops after just a few short steps. "Swole, Dawn, Zoey - I'm so sorry this happened to you. And to you, Zoey. Oh, Arceus..." The rest of her steps are slow and sluggish until she reaches the bathroom cabin.
She opens the door, steps inside - her gaze lingers on us for a while with glistening eyes - then she shuts the door.
Is... that the normal reaction? That seems a little extreme. She's fourteen; she should be able to handle some words... right?
Mars looks at Dawn and Zoey, a frown on her face, eyes soft and full with concern. It seems genuine; I just wish I could know for sure with her. "What about you two?" She asks them.
"After what I've been through?" Zoey simply holds her stump up. "I think I can handle it."
Dawn doesn't look so sure. "I--" She stares at her lap, wringing her pink skirt and glancing around. "I want to know as well."
"Dawn?" I catch her attention. When she was looking around, her eyes were lingering on me the most. "You don't have to."
She mumbles something under her breath before looking up properly. "It's alright, Swole. I might not look like it all the time, but I'm actually a tough girl. I am a steel-type trainer after all. Haha. Get it?"
Yes. Steel is a hard material. "I get it." But Aura tells me a different story. Her concern is palpable. You're doing this for us, aren't you? "Thank you."
"Alright." Mars catches our attention. "You want to know my job? Here it comes: I'm a professional killer."
---
"What did you say?"
"When the league wants to get rid of people, they hire workers like me, like Jupiter, or like your father. The crime I'm supposed to investigate - I don't know the details, but whatever the criminal did was enough to warrant a disappearance."
That's why our jails are never full... "Wait, then what about Team Rocket? How come they're still operating in Kanto? Why isn't the Indigo League stopping them?"
"Because they aren't the criminal organization you think they are. They are a rivaling government in Kanto and Johto. I've met Giovanni before, and their goal isn't to simply amass wealth; their goal is the betterment of society. Just like ours, just like the league. He simply disagrees with the process. Their transgressions are tolerated because of Giovanni."
Corruption. Maybe nepotism?
"We all spy on each other. We all try to gain more power wherever we can. We all follow certain rules of engagement. But most importantly, we're all working to make a better world. A world that's safe, a world where everyone can be free; a perfect world... Sometimes, that means removing those who tarnish it."
"How--" Dawn swallows a lump, inching away from the middle aisle and seeking Zoey's warmth, taking her remaining hand and wringing it along with her skirt. "How many people have you killed?"
"Too many to count. Too many to remember them all too. Only the first kill is firmly stuck in my mind. His name was John Howard Pain. In school, he used to bully his classmates. At home, he tortured their family's Furfrou. When he grew up, he grew jealous of his brother's success and murdered him in his sleep. Bronzong helped me figure it out, and Crobat took him out. On record, he has been in rehabilitation for the past nine years."
Dawn almost whispers. "You say you're trying to make the world a better place, but you've just turned yourself into a cold-blooded killer."
"I hope you don't really mean that, Dawn. The world is a much better place thanks to us. Our cities are clean, our wealth abundant. Everyone is safe as long as they don't run into the wilderness... At least, it used to be like that until the universe started falling apart."
Wild pokemon have begun invading routes more and more often. Entire chunks of land just disappear, leaving nothing but destruction behind. But the murder rate is still very low.
"So... in the end, the only remaining criminals left are working for Team Galactic?" Dawn asks.
Zoey mutters. "Seriously?"
"Does my dad kill people?"
Mars looks away from Dawn to me. Her expression lacks any concern. She looks as if this topic is just natural. "Your father is one of the best. Just like me, just like Jupiter, and just like Domino before she found out her position was compromised."
Domino... there's no way. She's a real psychopath! I know it!
"As for the remaining criminals, you're right, Dawn. My packmule, for example, killed his opponent's Rufflet in a match. His license had been stripped, but he showed genuine remorse. The only way for him to continue traveling with his partner pokemon, was to become a grunt."
So that's why grunts are treated like the lowest schmuck of society. They're all criminals. Or just some? "Are all grunts criminals?"
"Actually, some grunts just choose their jobs." Jupiter says while looking out of the window, seemingly just barely listening to the topic. "Team Galactic offers great benefits; did you know that yet?"
"Right. Not all are criminals. Most actually aren't, but I prefer to treat them as such. Cretins." Mars... she is a villain.
But she has good intentions.
Does that make a difference? I'm ready to kill for my pokemon, friends, and family, but the moment I do, I become a murderer.
Does she even have good intentions? "What's in it for you? I know I'd need a very strong reason to become a killer; I honestly can't see myself doing it from the goodness of my heart, and I can't see you doing that either."
"Money." Huh? "Money, power, influence, fame. The same reason why anyone tries to make it big as a pokemon trainer. Why do you want to become the pokemon champion?"
"I never thought much about the why. It's just been my goal ever since I can remember."
"Wow, you do have some innocence left!" Mars laughs again with her villainess laugh. It feels a little different listening to it now. "So, you're just winging it? Set your goals high and see where you'll end up?"
"Yes and no. I am winging it, but I will succeed. Failure is not an option."
"Your father said the same things before he was stuck in second place for the rest of his life. Are you sure you want to repeat his mistakes?"
"I thought you were just twenty five - how do you know my father so well?" She glares, but my smirk only grows more smug. "Old."
"Brat."
Zoey speaks up, her voice cold and accusing. "How many people know about this?"
"Beyond a certain point: everyone."
What the fuck does that even mean? "Can you be a little more cryptic?"
"Haha! Basically, everyone with any degree of power in the world. Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, all royalty, the elite trainers, and of course Team Galactic officers."
Everyone important is in on it. It's a huge conspiracy. Unless Mars is lying again. "But why would it be kept secret? Is 'secret' even the right word if so many people know of it? Why not tell everyone? Wouldn't people be glad to know that unredeemable criminals are being taken care of?"
Dawn stares at me as if she disagrees. Zoey just closes her eyes, thinking, I guess.
Jupiter shakes her head. "Humanity is a stain on the world."
"What she meant to say!-- is that humans need guidance."
"Right. That."
... Jupiter definitely meant what she said.
"It's not like humanity is all bad. Just lots of them. And when they group up. That's also bad. And it's why we can't allow them to know the truth. Guns exist after all; all it takes is one bad guy with a gun, and he could take out even Cynthia in the blink of an eye."
Cynthia... even she is involved. My father. My mother probably too. It sounds bad, but is it really? Everyone lives good lives, unless Dialga or Palkia literally tear their livelihoods apart.
All it takes to maintain is a few disappearances... "I remember a news article. It was about disappearances. One every two months, globally, until Space-Time Convergences made more people disappear. Was that you guys before?"
Mars nods proudly. "We've been very effective. There are not a lot of people left who need to disappear. Serious crime is rare."
"Who makes sure this isn't abused? You've said everyone follows some rules, but I find that hard to believe. Team Rocket steals everyone's pokemon and Domino - The Black Tulip - she is crazy. I've heard she killed her own brother and made his pokemon eat him."
Dawn's and Zoey's eyes widen in shock, their mouths gaping open.
Mars has the decency to look abashed. "Well, Giovanni enforces Team Rocket. Ultimately, he, as their strongest trainer, decides what goes and doesn't go. Just as Cyrus decides how Team Galactic operates. And Cynthia rules over the league - although she rarely does anything. She prefers to defer to the league's experience."
Dawn gasps. "This is why everything's censored on the internet and on television! You guys are why nobody really knows anything about the pokemon in the wilderness!"
"Close." Mars grows a smug smirk. "The pokemon journey is a rite of passage. Many young people begin one, but few are worthy of knowing the truth. Everyone knows to stay on the routes, but those who do - they will never make it. They lack passion and drive for greatness. If you stay within the guardrails of society, you'll stay confined by its rules. If you dare to breach it, you'll figure out the truth eventually. Tell me, with everything you've been through, is this revelation truly shocking to you?"
... No. It really isn't. There's been nepotism at every twist and turn. I could count the number of interactions I've had with non-trainers on one hand - even the clerks at the Pokemart are more like trainers than pet keepers.
We have a two-class society. The first class is sorted by strength - might makes right. That's why the champion is the highest position.
The second-class citizen... I doubt they hold any power at all. Their elections are rigged, or the mayors are just puppets acting within the frames they're allowed to operate in. Any deviation, and they might get sacked.
But... their lives aren't bad. What's best for us - safety, order, peace - is best for them as well.
Dawn shakes her head. "My mother hinted at it a few times before. I didn't get it back then."
"My family had to leave Solaceon Town because we were too weak. Is that it?" Zoey's limbs tremble. "We had to leave not because of taxes, not because the mayor was just an ass, but because those Miltank's bastard owners were just stronger than us?"
"Not just. But yes."
"How's that any fair?! We were there first!"
"But none of your family had been first in the league. None of you had been anywhere close for the past decades. What did your mother do before she started raising your sister? She just tended to her family's farms. My mother warned her of it, but yours never listened!"
"And where's yer mother now, huh? Ah know I don't have any aunts - she's dead, isn't she?"
Mars recoils. Her whole body jolts within her seat, and she's just about to get up. Then, she goes slack. She braces her head on her arms. "... She died in the wilderness." But her Aura tells a different story.
"Because that's what happens to far too many trainers. They just fucking keel over during their useless pursuits of strength!"
"There's no better way."
Zoey glares at me. Her eyes look at me with pure, unfiltered vitriol. "Bullshit! Big, stinking Mamoswine shit!"
"If just one person goes the extra length, risks their life to become the strongest, and succeeds, then that person would rule the world. Do you remember that battle in Eterna City between Cynthia and Paul? She wiped the floor with him. There's an insurmountable difference between an average trainer and the best."
"..."
"The only reason why Giovanni isn't in charge right now is because others went that extra length as well to oppose him."
"Bullshit..."
"..."
Silence grows thicker. A quiet winter wonderland rushes by past the windows. A flock of Swanna and Ducklett drift across the horizon.
Still and heavy rest the implications.
But as always, the world resumes whether we're ready or not.
Ursula pokes her head out of the bathroom door. "Are you guys done yet?"