Crescendo
[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
Wow, what do you know! Two chapters in two weeks! Nice speed! Anyway, I did the math and found out that I'll have about three more chapters before I finish this arc. Once it's done-- and I've already started this project and have it waiting for me to finish those chapters-- I've decided to create a "special edition" version of the Coordination series up to the end of this arc. It'll include a variety of notes from me, some nice pictures, and will come in a pretty PDF file. It will be free, though I wouldn't say no to donations to help pay for Office 2007 for my computer. Alternatively, donations to AGNPH, however that works, for hosting the story in the first place. Anyway, what I'm really looking for is a volunteer artist or two to create a few more illustrations for the special edition. I'd like to have one picture per story, give or take, either clean or dirty. I've already got two pictures, one of Cammy and Venus and one of Miranda and Franny. If there are any artists out there who would be willing to draw something for the special edition, contact me! Feel free to look through the chapters and see what you'd like to draw. As an added bonus, y'all would get the special edition about five days before I post the final chapter on AGNPH, if that's worth anything.
I'm picky about the medium, either; one of the pictures I have is a rough sketch, and one of the one's I'm debating using is a three-color oekaki-style picture. Lastly, any artists who submits pictures for use in the special edition will be specifically noted, by name, with their website/email (their preference) and their specific contributions to the book. I believe this is referred to as "billing," or "credit."
Anyway, enjoy this chapter of Coordination, and look forward to the coming climax to the arc!
[END NOTE]
"...fire fighters are still at the scene of one of the most successful and destructive jailbreaks in history. The Sinnoh League released a statement condemning the terrorists responsible for the attack on the Sinnoh Regional Penitentiary, but have not made any conjectures as to the identities of the attackers. An anonymous spokesperson within the League informed reporters earlier today that very few guards were ultimately injured, and that many guards reported a "vague sense of unease, growing into terror" just prior to the attack. Meanwhile, in local news..."
"So I suppose that's your idea of a discrete exit," Jefferson commented dryly. I shrugged.
"Well, they weren't precisely in the mood for tearful farewells," I pointed out. "And in all seriousness, Director, you did give me orders to see to Cynthia's safety."
"Which he did quite well," the Sinnoh Region Champion confirmed. She frowned. "Even though I do disapprove of violence on the whole."
"Well, if they hadn't introduced themselves with a blackjack, I would have been perfectly happy to keep things peaceful. Instead of pieceful."
The other two just looked blank. Beni, who could see the way I was spelling the words in my head, winced.
"Well, I suppose you did a fair job at that, boy," Jefferson admitted, sounding almost grudging. The smile on his lips gave lie to his tone, though. "Welcome back, Zach," he said softly.
"I'm back, Chief," I acknowledged. It seemed the thing to say. We had only just arrived a few hours before, after spending most of two nights traveling. Let me tell you, secrecy is nearly impossible to manage when you are escorting someone as recognizable as Cynthia is. There were some extremely scary moments when we thought for sure we'd be discovered, but in the end, we made it to the gate of the Academy without discovery, and thanks to the early hour, managed to get through to the Director without anyone identifying my companion.
"Now that we've got you, though," Jefferson continued reluctantly, nodding at Cynthia, "I'm not sure what to do with you. I mean, you're not really the Champion anymore, and we can't go public about having you until we can prove your innocence."
"You can't go public with me anyway," Cynthia corrected sternly. "I will not have the League thrown into chaos by some 'government in exile' scheme just before Darkrai makes his bid for takeover."
"As you wish. That still leaves us with the decision of what to do with you."
"I might make a suggestion," a voice commented. I sighed, restraining the urge to put my hand over my eyes.
"Who said that?"
"Jefferson, meet Arceus. Arceus, Director Cal Jefferson," I muttered.
"Such a graceful introduction," my divine pain-in-the-ass replied, materializing next to me. Jefferson stared. Then he chuckled.
"Well, if nothing else, you have great timing." He bowed slightly. "At your service, Arceus."
"Timing is easy when you're omniscient." Arceus looked at me. "See, that's the appropriate way to speak to someone as perfect as me," he chided. I shook my head, and smiled despite myself.
"Of course, my lord," I murmured, putting all my thespian skills into the sarcasm. "I am ever at your command."
"No need to be snide. Anyway, you were wondering what to do about Cynthia?"
Cynthia got over her apparent shock at this point. "You're... Arceus?" she asked, in sudden awe.
"That I am, little one. And I do remember you, you know. And that question you asked me ten years ago. The answer, m'dear, is 'yes,' by the way."
That stunned Cynthia all over again, so I took over. "You were saying?"
"Right. Well, let's put it this way. Darkrai and Lucien-- and I can reveal now that he is Darkrai's chosen-- may not realize it, but the rules to this game have just changed. You recall the gifts I gave you...?"
"Yeah. The mark, pokemon speech, and your third gift." I gave him a sharp look, which he evaded easily.
"Exactly. The Mark. Servants of Lucien, and therefore, Darkrai, attacked you." I blinked, and then thought furiously.
"Doesn't that mean..."
"Darkrai broke the rules. The neutrals won't like that, but I doubt it will sway enough of them to my side. On the other hand, because they broke the rules, I can do it too. The council has moved up two months, and I mean to have three representatives there."
"Two MONTHS? That's today!" I gasped.
"Not quite. It's pretty much the day after tomorrow, though. You, Cynthia, and Beni will represent me, while one of my minions has expressed an interest in Miranda."
"Minions?"
"Jiraichi." He shrugged, and I was suddenly reminded of how alien Arceus was, to drop the name of a pokemon that had hitherto only been rumors and legends to humans. Then the moment passed.
"The Sky Pillar is weeks away from here," I objected.
"I'll drive, kid," he winked. "Trust me, it'll take no time at all. I'll give you today and tomorrow to pack, though, so meet me back here on the dawn of the third day."
Then he vanished, before I could think of a suitably ironic comment. Fortunate, I admit, because the ones going through my head were pretty much entirely vulgar.
"Well, that was interesting," Jefferson observed. "I'm not sure how helpful it was, though. It solves our problem, I'll admit, but it creates a host of new ones."
"Well, those new ones are at least soluble." I frowned. "I do wish I had more time, but at least if we survive the council, I can take a vacation."
"Oh, no you can't. I've got plans for you, my boy." For a second, two voices instead of just Jefferson's rang in my head, and I winced. Clearly, Arceus wouldn't be done with me even after the meeting. I cheered up immediately, though. When the divine pokemon had recruited me, he hadn't seemed very optimistic. Now, however, he clearly expected there to be an 'after' for which to use me. I suppose it was a fair trade.
"I'll need to talk to Cynthia for most of the next two days to bring her up to speed," I told Jefferson. "I also need unrestricted access to all of the Academy's facilities."
"You've got it," the Director promised. "As of right now, I'm suspending all of our active operations. Anything you need, we'll do."
Well, I guess that the average Ranger operation was a bit less important than the fate of the world. Still, I had to disagree.
"Director, you can't do that," I told him. He looked at me and frowned.
"I can, too."
"Maybe I shouldn't have said, 'can't.' What I meant was, you shouldn't. Pokemon Rangers are the main interface between wild pokemon and humans. What with one thing and another, we need to keep that interface going." At the blank stares now from both Cynthia and Jefferson, I sighed. "Look, guys. Think for a moment. We're having this problem because people and pokemon have been having trouble getting along, right? Well, if we take away the main group of people responsible for keeping us getting along, things are only going to get worse, and if something were to happen while I'm at the Sky Pillar... I don't need that kind of trouble, too."
"Oh." Cynthia nodded along with Jefferson, understanding finally. "So what you're saying is, try to keep everyone here happy so you don't have to deal with even more there?"
"More or less."
"Alright, then," Jefferson agreed. "Still, you have priority. Take anything you need with you."
"Anything? How about the Bravo-Charlie One?" I asked eagerly. He laughed.
"I could have seen that coming. I'll have Tech send one over to your room."
"Sweet!"
The BC-1, or 'Battle Computer, Mark One,' was the next stage of the pokedex. Kept primarily for professionals rather than trainers or coordinators, it contained information about attacks, strategies, terrain choices, and a battlefield simulator. Even better, though, it connected with the vast reserves of information kept on the Ranger Academy servers, which would give me access to every scrap of data I might need for the upcoming trial. The fact that every Ranger in the Academy dreamed of owning one (they cost about as much as a not-so-small corporation) was simply a neat bonus. They were primarily reserved for research and development personnel on extended deployment. It was, in fact, the Holy Grail for most computer wizards.
It was also, needless to say, something I very much wished to get my hands on.
"In the meantime," Jefferson added, "You should go and spend some time with your friends. Cammy's missed you, I heard." He laughed.
"Actually, I've heard it every day, approximately three times a day, from Cammy herself since you left."
"I should introduce Cynthia to the new additions, too," I replied.
"Alright, then. I'll see you later, Director?"
"Of course. Now that I've got you back, you think I'm going to let a little thing like the fate of the world let you escape?"
* * *
I asked Cynthia to wait outside while I entered my room. I expected a mess. I found one, too. Just not the sort I was thinking of.
"Where the hell have you been?" Miranda asked coldly. "Not only do you fuck your pokemon..." and she nearly shouted those words, "but then you abandon them for weeks on some so-called secret mission!"
I frowned. "Firstly, you know as well as I do that Director Jefferson sent me out on a job."
"I know nothing of the sort. I know I heard you talking all about your good friend Cal Jefferson, and how he gave you some special mission, but I've only got your word for that, haven't I?"
"My word, and the uniform I'm wearing," I agreed equitably. "Hey, Cammy, what's going on?"
Cammy looked around Miranda's waist with an apologetic look.
"SPEAKING of Cammy, do you know she's been depressed since you left? I've comforted her as best as I can..." and here Miranda blushed very faintly, and I made a note of it for future curiosity, "but she really wanted you. God knows why, scumbucket that you are."
"If I could point out," I continued calmly, "Beni went with me. I doubt that she would lend her efforts to anything she didn't approve of."
*Quite right.* Beni sounded almost amused. *Calm down, Miranda. He's being completely truthful with you.*
"Oh, really? Then what was this 'secret mission' of his, then?"
I decided I wasn't going to get a better straight line than that one.
"I'll be glad to tell you. Hang on a second." I opened the door and beckoned Cynthia towards me. Having had a few minutes to change while I finished my debriefs, she was in perfect Champion form, and it showed-- Miranda gaped at her.
"Miranda, meet Cynthia. Cynthia, Miranda." I made the obligatory gestures, and then hauled Cammy around Miranda to stand beside me. "Where's Venus and Lorelei?" I asked her.
"They're on their way. They were out in the park when we heard you were back," she explained.
I looked over at Miranda, who seemed, somehow, to be torn between mortification, anger at me for embarrassing her like this, and... well, how strange! I looked at Beni, who gave a canine smile and nodded at me. Ah. It seemed, I noted to myself, that Miranda had a crush on Cynthia.
Venus and Lorelei arrived very shortly, the former launching herself at me the moment she came around the door. I caught her with ease, and smiled at the both of them. "Glad to see me?" I asked.
"Yes, we are," Lorelei agreed. Her voice had a tone of quiet sincerity which was as touching, in its own way, as the exuberance Cammy and Venus demonstrated.
"Well, now that we're all gathered, I need to make an announcement." I glanced at Miranda, recalling that, of our team, she was the only one not aware of Arceus or the mess that we found ourselves in. Then, too, Cynthia only knew parts of it. "But first, I need to tell the story from the beginning."
"Do so, Zach," Cynthia commanded, and with well-honed Champion instincts, sat down in the best chair in the room. Miranda sat as far away from her as possible, and the others found various comfortable locations. I perched on the counter and looked at them gravely.
"Almost a year ago, a representative of Celebii, the Guardian of Time, tried to recruit me for a mission. I was not interested, and declined. Instead, I traveled to Celestic to take part in a Pokemon Contest that was going to happen there. When I got there, Celestic itself had vanished, along with all its residents."
"I remember that," Miranda murmured. "Did they ever figure out what happened?"
"Darkrai happened," Cynthia growled.
"Darkrai and Arceus are having a bit of an argument, it seems." Miranda looked blank, and I recalled that she originated from Kanto, not Sinnoh, and so Sinnoh's legends were not as well known to her. "Arceus is also variously known as the Creator, while Darkrai takes, if anything, the position of the Destroyer." Miranda's eyes were wide at this point, but I decided to let her have the rest of it rather than wait for her to recover. "Anyway, long story short, their feud is coming to a conclusion, and this time, it's for good--the other immortal pokemon are waiting to see who can best argue their case in a couple of days, and both sides have picked human representatives to argue for or against the human race's continued existence."
"How could another human argue against humanity?" Miranda asked. I shrugged and exchanged a wry smile with Cynthia.
"Easily," she replied. "Lots of people feel angry at the human race. It wouldn't be too hard to find someone willing to say that we should never have existed."
"And in the other corner, you have me." I continued. "That is, I'm the one arguing for our side, or at least for Arceus. Which requires me to be ready to leave here in about two days."
There was a very long silence, as Miranda digested this. Then she burst out laughing. "Let me get this straight. You are supposed to save the world?"
"Well, at least our portion of it," I clarified. The laughing stopped abruptly.
"You're serious." It wasn't a question.
"Deadly," Cynthia agreed. "I've only heard bits and pieces of this so far, but what I know makes me believe him. According to Arceus, we're going to help him somehow, too."
"Us? Like, me and you?" Miranda squeaked. She turned bright red. "IthinkI'dbettergogetpacked!" she said, all in a rush. She ducked into her room and I heard the deadbolt slide home.
"Well, that was interesting," I observed.
*Quite.*
Cammy, Venus and Lorelei all looked somber. Cammy, especially, looked worried. "Hey, don't sweat it," I told them. "We'll get through this. We just have to... uh..."
"Have faith?" Lorelei asked.
"Ugh, no. I was about to say, we just have to do what we can." I shied away instinctively from the concept of 'faith.' Despite being the chosen of a deity, I am not particularly comfortable with religion of any sort. In my humble opinion, if God (or gods, or goddesses, or flying spaghetti monsters) had wanted me to be religious, I'd have been born in a church. Lorelei, on the other hand, had shown occasional flashes of interest in the supernatural and theological. I hoped it wasn't a sign of things to come.
"Well, anyway, that's the situation," I told them all. Cynthia nodded in agreement. "But that will have to wait. We really can't do much about it until the time comes, so try not to worry about it."
The Champion stopped nodding in agreement and stared at me. "Not worry about it?" she choked. "You must be joking!"
"Not really," I demurred. "Look, there's nothing we can do until Arceus comes to get us, and so our time would be better spent in some form of relaxation." I looked at Cammy. "Tell me, if I sent you to the library for CDs with... Venus, I think... could you two pick about a dozen out? Music CDs, I mean." Cammy nodded energetically, and Venus hopped from my shoulder to her arms when I pointed at the Lucario.
"Beni, I'd like you to scare up some speakers, a sound system, and a technician to put them together. Try finding that one tech from R&D that was such a pain. Lorelei, ambiance--flowers, decorations, whatever you like. Find someone to help you carry them, or wait until Cammy and Venus get back from the library. We'll set up in the A Lounge, I think."
"A party," Cynthia said flatly, having heard all of this. I marshaled my most winning smile and bestowed it upon her. After seeing its reception, my most winning smile and its posse fled the field.
"A party," I agreed. "Cynthia, my team, you, and I, have spent the last few weeks, and the last nine or ten months, dealing with a lot of stress and fighting. It's time to take a break, or when we finally get to the meeting in a few days, we'll be wrecks, and that won't help anyone."
Cynthia nodded reluctantly at the idea, then grinned wickedly at me. "Then, sir," she said, standing to attention and snapping off a salute, "I request permission to assist Cammy in obtaining music for the party."
I glanced at the clock and recalled what little I could about the schedule of the average ranger student and teacher. "Go for it. Change into something a bit less like Cynthia Hawthorne, Sinnoh Region Champion, though. Jeans, maybe a hat, for a start."
"And a shirt, presumably?" she asked. I leered at her.
"Only if you want," I teased.
"Zaaach!" Cammy growled. I flinched.
"Only joking, love," I told her. "Just trying to lighten the mood." I stood up, looked at each of my press-ganged helpers, and clapped my hands. "Let's be about it, people," I ordered.
* * *
The rest of the day was a parade of people running in and out of the A Lounge. People I had attended the academy with, people who remembered me from one mission or another, or people who had just heard that a new Field Commander was in residence and came to see what they could find out. Field Commanders are vanishingly rare in the Rangers, and it is almost always a "temporary" promotion, which disappears once they leave their post. Finding one in the Academy was not a frequent occurrence at all, and so when people heard that one was setting up a party in the A Lounge, they came.
Some of them were mainly interested in what my mission was and had been. To a very few of these, at Jefferson's urging, I gave a brief explanation of my mission. To others, I referred them to Jefferson, informing them regrettably that operational security concerns prevented me from divulging the details of my mission. The latter of the group of curious rangers went away very quickly. The former went away even faster, but returned after a short conversation with the Director.
By the time the party was ready, much of the excitement had died down, and the only people left in the room were the half-dozen or so rangers I had given my explanation to, Jefferson, the eight members of the Director's Council, Jefferson's secretary, and, of course, my happy band. Cynthia sat in the corner, basking in the wondering admiration of those newly inducted into the "conspiracy." When I saw this, I made an excuse to sidle over to the Director.
"Isn't this going to cause some security problems?" I asked him discretely. He smiled and shook his head.
"Son, stick to pokemon," he advised. "Leave politics to those who were born to them. The more people we can trust who know about Cynthia, the more protection she has against an 'untimely accident' courtesy of the other side. If you're that worried, take another look at that group." He pointed at two of the rangers standing off to one side, chatting. They had broad smiles on their face, and their eyes glowed. "This is what many of them signed up for--doing the hard missions because nobody else could or would do them. That's the face of a Ranger who'll do whatever needs doing, not because he's ordered, but because he's found a cause. You can see that look all over the place, and when you leave, I'll announce it to the entire academy." There was a strange look of eager anticipation on Cal Jefferson's face.
"Sir?" I asked.
"I'm just imagining some delinquent like Lucian trying to attack the Academy over something like this. Public opinion will crucify him." He said it with a tone of relish. "I almost can't wait."
"Do you really think it will come to that?"
"Honestly? I doubt it. I think, among other things, that Lucian will be too busy with whatever you and Arceus are doing to his sponsor in a few days. And whoever Lucian leaves behind to deal with us will probably lack the balls to go full-out against the Academy. Just in case, though, I've put all Rangers on high alert. I know you said to keep them where they are, but if someone does attack the Academy, I'm going to call them all in. We'll see how much they enjoy facing half a thousand of the toughest trainers in the world."
"Come to that," Cynthia mused. "You might be able to call upon Lance and the Kanto/Johto Leagues."
I jumped. I hadn't seen her come up.
"Really?" Jefferson asked with curiosity. "I would have thought they wouldn't involve themselves in this sort of business."
"Oh, yes." Cynthia gave him a cold, almost bleak smile. "Lance is my cousin, on my father's side. Or rather, I'm his cousin, on his mother's side. It's a long story. Anyway, he himself will show up, and probably bring a fair bit of both leagues with him. Koga would come, almost certainly. So would Jasmine, of the Hoenn League, and Phoebe of the Hoenn Elite Four. Several of the other gym trainers will probably rally to you, as well. Professors Rowan and Ivy could probably connect you with other highly-placed trainers who would help. Both of them know the stakes in this game."
I leaned back against the wall and counted slowly to one hundred as I adjusted my mindset. The atmosphere I was currently working in was certainly rarified. This was a woman who referred to other Champions and members of the Elite Four by their first name. Truly, though, I actually was enjoying myself more than I had in years. Despite my protestations of being my own man and being unwilling to work for someone else, I enjoyed being at the center of things, and this was larger than any other game in town. Even now, with days left until the final confrontations, I could feel the old pre-Contest adrenaline coursing through my veins, making me feel alive with eager anticipation.
"Zaaach!" Cammy came hurtling through the crowd and jumped on me, interrupting my thoughts. I smiled down at her.
"Yes, Cammy?"
"The music is about to start!" she informed me. "Let's dance!"
"Uh, I'm... not that great a dancer," I said apologetically.
"I've never danced either! C'mon!"
I gave Cynthia and Jefferson a wry smile and allowed Cammy to tow me out to the dance floor just as the music began. That smile turned into a glare, met with Cynthia's apparently normal look of bland innocence, as a truly horrendous metal riff roared from the speakers.
"What... is this?" I asked Cammy. She thought for a moment.
"Um... I'm not sure," she admitted. "Venus picked it."
"Venus?!"
"Yep! It's called Priest or something. Something Priest, I think. Whatever. It's good, isn't it?"
I looked down at Cammy, searching for any sign of sarcasm or irony, but was forced to admit that she was serious. I shook my head.
"It's, well, different," I said truthfully. "I'm not sure how to dance to this."
"It's simple! You just jump up and down and throw your hands in the air!" Cammy exclaimed, demonstrating.
"I'm certain that there's more to it than that." Still, I gave it a try, until a couple other Rangers joined in and made me feel a little less idiotic by doing much the same thing. Eventually, Cammy was swept up by a wave of people doing more complicated moves, and I chose to make my way back to the wall where I had last seen the Director.
He was gone, but Cynthia was still there, with two drinks in her hands. She handed me one as I leaned against the wall next to her.
"Cammy seems to have a lot of fun with you," she noted noncommittally. "A lot of fun." There was a strange emphasis in her repetition which made me look sharply at her.
"What do you mean?" I asked bluntly.
"Let's go for a walk," she answered. As we passed Beni, I nodded at the Arcanine, raising one eyebrow.
*Venus and Cammy are dancing together, now. Miranda's watching them. Lorelei's DJing.*
Lorelei? Huh. I'm not sure how that was working, but clearly it was.
*I believe she had Cammy force one of the other rangers to help her,* Beni explained. She stood up. *I'll follow you two at a distance,* she told me privately. *Don't do anything stupid.*
Cynthia led me to one of the larger indoor gardens, just a few halls away from the library. "I found this when we went looking for music," she explained. I followed her to a bench and we sat down. She stared at her hands for a few brief moments, and I decided to help her out a bit.
"Is this about what you saw, that one day by Celestic?" I asked her gently. She nodded, and looked at me.
"I've seen how Cammy looks at you. And not just Cammy, but all of your pokemon. They care for you very deeply, and so I'm not too worried. But I need to know--it's my job to know--if you're abusing them in any way."
I considered a number of sarcastic replies, but her quiet concern disarmed my usual attitude, and so I matched her honesty with my own.
"I don't believe so," I said thoughtfully. I leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. Skylights let the fading sunlight stream down on the plants in the garden, giving the room a spooky, apocalyptic feel. "Can I tell you the story from the beginning? Then, maybe, you will understand and can make your own decision."
Cynthia merely nodded, and so I began, from that first night with Beni, all the way until discovering Cammy's pregnancy, leaving nothing out. In a way, this was a more complete disclosure than even the one I had given Director Jefferson, because Cynthia didn't have the same history with me that I did. Because of that, I ended up explaining a lot more; about my feelings about pokemon, my dreams, and even, with some embarrassment, the atavistic chill I had felt when Gardevoir first tried to recruit me on Celebi's behalf. Then I had to go into why I had felt that way, which segued neatly into explaining my parents--as well as I could, anyway. She remained silent for the entire story, only occasionally letting her expression change from attentive neutrality, as certain parts of the story either amused her or concerned her, and when I finished, she sighed once.
"It's an odd story," she admitted, leaning back to look at me. "I don't think, from what I can tell, that you are abusing them. I mean, it seems clear that you care for them as much as they do for you, and while many trainers wouldn't feel the same way as you did with Beni, I think any good trainer would have done anything to help their partner. Even something they didn't really want to do."
"Don't get me wrong," I said, with a haste I didn't understand, "I may not have thought about it before, but after it happened, it became--and still is--one of the two or three most wonderful moments of my life. She's a pokemon, I know, but..."
"But." Cynthia echoed and concluded, "they're people, too. Wonderful people, frustrating people, fearful and courageous people... people just like us. Professor Rowan used to talk about it all the time."
"You understand, then?"
"I do. It's not to say that I would have made the same choice..." she blushed and laughed lightly. "After all," she said, the words bubbling up with the laughter, "the mechanics are slightly different for me."
"I imagine they are," I agreed, remembering the size of her Garchomp. If it was equipped with anything like the same proportions as a human male... "Ouch," I added as the thought concluded.
"I suspect so. Still, I've never been in that position--pun not intended--so I can't really say what decision I might make."
"I take it this means you won't be reporting me to the League any time soon?"
"Well, the League seems not to be taking my calls, just at the moment," Cynthia replied dryly. "But once we've sorted that minor difficulty out, I don't think I'll have any time to worry about what a trainer and his pokemon friends may choose to do in private. Does anyone else know?"
"Jefferson and Miranda both do," I admitted. "Jefferson may have told one or two of the more liberal councilors, in case we have to cover something up. I believe Cammy was looked over by a Dr. Dora Eventree here at the Academy, so she probably knows as well."
"Let's keep it from going any further, then. I'll do my best to help you, if something comes out." Cynthia frowned. "But if worst comes to worst, you may wind up having to do a disappearing act."
"So be it." I shrugged. "It's not like I think my career's more important than they are, Cynthia. It's important, yes. That is, my career as a Coordinator. But all things being equal, I think I would only have slight regrets if I had to trade it for my partners."
"Then you are a true trainer, and a good man, Zachary Winton-Kincaid," she murmured. "And I'm proud to know you."
I blushed, and was about to mutter something appropriate in response, when Beni's voice roared into my mind.
*Zach! Darkrai! It's taken Cammy!*
"What?!" I shouted, forgetting that Cynthia couldn't hear Beni. I bolted for the A Lounge, and a sudden cold chill ran through me as I burst through the door. Several Rangers were on the floor, and scorched carpet marked, presumably, where Darkrai had appeared and then exited. I glanced around the room in the hopes that Beni had been wrong, but Cammy was nowhere to be seen. Venus, however, I discovered huddled under a chair. She made a wailing noise as I picked her up, one which had no translation other than pure, abject grief.
"What's wrong?" Cynthia asked. She glanced around the room as well, and I heard a sudden intake of breath as she realized who wasn't there. "Cammy?" she asked gently.
Venus began to make gestures, sniffling slightly. I patted her on the head and stood when she finished, placing her on my shoulder. She crouched there, cheek against my ear, and I swept the silent audience with a stony gaze.
"I'm afraid the party is over, folks," I told them quietly. "Please leave. Now."
It was a sign of how shaken everyone was that they left without even a protest. I caught Jefferson's eye as he began to try to slink out with the crowd. He smiled sheepishly when I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Command voice," he explained. "You've got it."
"Good." I gestured Beni and Lorelei closer, and Miranda followed with Franny. "Darkrai came and took Cammy," I said shortly. "As of right now, this became personal." I looked around and raised my voice. "Arceus, where the fuck are you?" Aside from the increase in volume, and despite the expletive, my voice was perfectly level. The deity popped in with a sudden woosh of air and light. For once, his face was serious.
"I just found out when you called," he said. There was a definite note of apology. "Darkrai distracted me, and--" I held up a hand to interrupt him.
"We're leaving."
"What?"
"The Sky Pillar. I need thirty minutes to pack and be ready to leave, and then I want you to take me to the Sky Pillar. That's where we have to go to meet with the neutral immortals, right?"
"...Right..." Arceus replied with a note of question in his voice.
"Take you?" Miranda repeated in a dangerously calm tone. "What about the rest of us?"
"You'll stay here," I informed her. "All of you. I'm the only one who needs to go, and I won't have you in harm's way."
"Fuck you," Miranda growled. "I liked Cammy, too."
"I, too," Cynthia agreed quietly. "If you leave me behind, I'll just follow on Garchomp."
*You're not going anywhere without me,* Beni interjected.
"We're going, too," Lorelei chimed in, speaking apparently for both her and Venus.
"Now hold on just a moment," I objected. "You can't all come..."
"Yes, they can," Arceus corrected flatly. His voice became deeper and more solemn. "AND THEY WILL," he intoned, eyes flashing. "ZACHARY WINTON-KINCAID, I CHOOSE YOU AS MY CHAMPION, TO FIGHT AT MY RIGHT HAND FOR THE WORLD I CREATED. YOUR ENEMIES AND MINE SHALL BE AS ONE, AND WE SHALL FIGHT THEM TOGETHER. YOU HAVE A DIVINE CHARGE, AND YOU WILL USE ALL THAT YOU MAY HAVE TO FULFILL IT." The volume and sheer power of his words nearly sent me to my knees, and I was forced to remember that I was speaking to a pokemon powerful enough to have created the world. "YOUR FRIENDS WILL ASSIST YOU, FOR YOU CANNOT WIN ALONE, AND TOGETHER, YOU WILL TRIUMPH, OR PERISH IN THE ATTEMPT. THIS IS YOUR DUTY, AND THEY WILL SHARE IT WHETHER YOU WILL IT OR NOT. I WILL ACCEPT NO ARGUMENT." His voice tapered off on the last words, the glow in his eyes dimming to a mere golden tint. "You have no choice," he concluded softly. "This, too, was destined from the start."
"Even Cammy's kidnapping?" I asked angrily.
"Not that. But that's almost a good sign," he added. I started forward, fists clenched, but he held up his hands in a warding gesture. "I don't mean it's good that she was kidnapped," Arceus said hastily. "But it means that Darkrai's worried, badly. She's making mistakes that she wouldn't normally, and she hasn't come into direct conflict with me in three thousand years. I don't believe she would do it now if she felt she had a choice, and she has to know that this would force her hand the same as it does mine."
"What do you mean, it forces your hand?"
"When I bound you as my champion, I didn't just compel your loyalty," he explained. "When you accepted the charge, that bound me to you as well. Your enemies are mine, and mine are yours. I must help you in any way I can, just as you must help me. And I swear to you this, Zach." He clenched his own fists now, and slammed them together in front of him. "I will not allow her to get away with this."
"Thank you," I said softly. "And all of you." I bowed my head. "We'll go together, then. Half an hour, and then we'll leave. Good enough?"
"More than good enough," Arceus agreed. Jefferson clapped his hands together, then, breaking the solemnity.
"At this stage, I believe it's time to go to full alert status," he said. "Zach, I'll have a BC-1 taken out of storage immediately and updated. It will be ready for you when you leave. Meanwhile, get down the armory and grab something."
"We're going to be fighting pokemon, if anything," I objected.
"Not just pokemon, as I understand it. There will be other people there, too, and some of them may decide to dispose of the competition early."
"There is wisdom in what he says," Arceus added. "I would not have believed Darkrai rash enough to strike directly at you--and through you, me--but if she's rash enough to do this, she's rash enough to allow her human pawns to attack you. You, Jefferson, may wish to brace for an attack of your own."
"As soon as I get back to my office, I'm ordering all inactive agents back to the Academy, and ordering station commanders to bring all but a skeleton shift of Rangers here as well. By the time anything gets close enough to hit us, we'll have double or triple the manpower we have right now. They won't be able to crack us in less than a week, and at the end of that week, we ought to have the rest of our reinforcements coming up their ass."
"Within a week, this should all be over with one way or another," Arceus pointed out. "And once it's settled, if I can, I'll come back here and end anything happening to you."
"Understood. Zach, get moving. We'll take care of everything else here."
I nodded and strode out of the room, Beni following me closely. I heard voices starting up behind me as the door shut, but I couldn't pay attention to them. Blood was pounding in my ears, and I was discovering that the old cliche about seeing red was more than just a myth. Cammy was gone! All because some stupid goddamn bastard of a pokemon decided... I cut that thought off with an almost audible growl.
"Jefferson called ahead," I was informed when I reached the armory. I was met by a grizzled, elderly sergeant who nonetheless felt... solid... to me. He took in my palpable anger and nodded. "I think you'll want something a bit stronger than the usual," he murmured. "Remember the injunction against using these on pokemon, though. Humans only."
I nodded reluctantly, and he opened the door in the counter so that I could come behind it. He unlocked the top of the cabinet and flipped it open, revealing a hidden chamber within it. Inside were a number of handguns and the shorter variety of rifles. I sought out the shape that I knew had to be there, and found it almost at once.
"This will do nicely," I hissed, pulling out the revolver. "I'll need about... three reloads, loose, and two quick loaders, I think. And a holster and belt for this."
"That's a bit of a powerful gun y'got there," the sergeant pointed out.
"I'm qualified on it, and I'm not on any of the other popguns you've got in here," I responded. I cradled the large, double-barreled monster in my hands. Every Ranger was expected to qualify with one handgun and one rifle, if nothing else, just in case it became necessary to use weapons in a fight. Though it wasn't often publicized, any number of criminal elements eschewed pokemon entirely, sticking instead to the tried-and-true methods of force. This meant that at any time a Ranger might find him- or her-self in a gun fight no matter what their intentions, and woe betide the Ranger who couldn't use every weapon at his disposal to win. It's only happened three times in the last decade, as far as the Academy records tell (though there's always the occasional Ranger who meets with some mishap and never returns to tell about it), but nevertheless, it's a part of training that's emphasized at the Academy, and I had more than once proven my skill the weapon in my hands.
It was a rather exotic weapon, by the standards of my peers--the cylinder had space for sixteen total shots, in two rings around the center. Two separate hammers could be pulled back, to fire two shots at once, or only one to fire just the one shot at a time. By choice, you could load it either with all standardized bullets, or load the inner ring for the lower barrel with a variety of specialized ammunition, from simple buckshot to high-explosive rounds. The sergeant brought a number of these specialized rounds out from the back room and set them on the counter for my inspection. I selected about half a dozen tranquilizer cartridges, an equivalent number of shotgun shells, and a dozen of various other rounds. To these, he added two boxes of .42 caliber rounds, and two quick loaders. For those who have never encountered these, they're essentially bullets arranged on a hemisphere such that you can swing the cylinder out and slide the bullets all in at once, reloading much quicker than manual reloading. Better still, the quick loaders can themselves be reloaded, meaning that I could rely on that high rate of reload for as long as my bullets held out, if someone else was reloading them while I shot.
The sergeant grinned at me as I checked each part of the revolver, and I returned his look with a feral intensity that Beni herself couldn't have matched. Normally, I would have about as much enthusiasm for these warlike preparations as a Delcatty does for water, but now I was mad, and there was a certain psychological comfort in the familiar motions involved in breaking down and reassembling the gun in my hands. I slid the chamber back into the gun, and smiled in satisfaction as I heard the gentle click as it locked into place.
"Anythin' else?" the sergeant asked me.
"No," I replied, having regained some measure of calm. "I think, assuming I don't encounter an entire army, that what you've put here will be fine."
"Oh, aye, I reckon it will," the sergeant agreed equably. "Y'll be wantin' paper or plastic for this?"
* * *
Arceus greeted my armed return with only a slight widening of his eyes. He nodded, however, when I gave him a small, tight smile.
"Feeling any better?" he asked quietly. I shrugged.
"Not really," I admitted. "Some. I'll feel better when I get Cammy back, and feel much better if I get to shoot someone while doing it."
"Your thoughts are quite bloody right now, do you know that?"
"I didn't, but I'm not surprised. I'm mad, Arceus. They attacked Cammy. Not me, not Cynthia, not even you. Cammy. She didn't have anything to do with this, and the only reason Darkrai took her is because they knew it would hurt me. And that makes me want to hurt them back. Hard."
"Well, you'll soon get your chance," he promised. "The council--the neutral immortals--has determined the form of competition. It will be a two phase tournament, elimination style, with the winner's side gaining the allegiance of the neutrals."
"A tournament?" Cynthia asked. She stepped in to the room just in time to hear Arceus's last statement. "Isn't that a bit, you know, pointless? We're supposed to be arguing the merits of a human/pokemon society, not proving who is the strongest."
"Actually, it makes sense," I said thoughtfully. "If we're prove that human-trained pokemon are stronger than the pokemon they select, it proves the benefits of the relationship between our world and theirs."
"Precisely," Arceus commended me.
*It seems like this will be difficult,* Beni said to me privately. *Cammy was one of our main combatants, and we barely even know Wendy's battle skills. We'll be going in one short, and with one rookie.*
"We'll deal with it," I said, ignoring the confused looks of my companions. "Cammy's depending on us, and I won't let her down. Not now, not ever."
A few moments later, Director Jefferson returned with a small black briefcase. I noted the logo on the side of it and smiled despite my concern. "Is that...?"
"Yep, that's the Bravo-Charlie One," he confirmed. "Preset with your identification and everything."
"I'll take it," Miranda said, following him into the room. She smiled at me and nodded at the holster on my hip. "You may need your hands for more important things at some point," she explained.
"Good enough. Lorelei, Venus, are you two ready?"
"We are, Zach," Lorelei sang. Venus, on my shoulder, nodded.
"Alright, then," I said. "Director--"
"Cal," Jefferson corrected. I blinked at him, and he shrugged. "You're about to go risk your life to save the world, Zach. Surely that puts you on a first name basis with me. Besides, you're a field commander, and I don't make them 'Director Jefferson' me all the time."
I ran my hand across my eyes to hide the sudden wetness in them. The other occupants of the room found certain interests in the walls and floor until I recovered, and I met Jefferson's--Cal's--eyes and nodded at him. "Okay. Cal. We're off. Hold down the fort for us, okay? It might be a bit awkward if we got back and landed on a bunch of goons, y'know?"
"Sure thing, Zach. Bring us back a postcard or two, y'hear?"
"Everyone, grab tight," Arceus commanded. "Next stop, the Sky Pillar."
The room, the Director, and the entire rest of the world vanished into a spinning blur of color.
Wow, what do you know! Two chapters in two weeks! Nice speed! Anyway, I did the math and found out that I'll have about three more chapters before I finish this arc. Once it's done-- and I've already started this project and have it waiting for me to finish those chapters-- I've decided to create a "special edition" version of the Coordination series up to the end of this arc. It'll include a variety of notes from me, some nice pictures, and will come in a pretty PDF file. It will be free, though I wouldn't say no to donations to help pay for Office 2007 for my computer. Alternatively, donations to AGNPH, however that works, for hosting the story in the first place. Anyway, what I'm really looking for is a volunteer artist or two to create a few more illustrations for the special edition. I'd like to have one picture per story, give or take, either clean or dirty. I've already got two pictures, one of Cammy and Venus and one of Miranda and Franny. If there are any artists out there who would be willing to draw something for the special edition, contact me! Feel free to look through the chapters and see what you'd like to draw. As an added bonus, y'all would get the special edition about five days before I post the final chapter on AGNPH, if that's worth anything.
I'm picky about the medium, either; one of the pictures I have is a rough sketch, and one of the one's I'm debating using is a three-color oekaki-style picture. Lastly, any artists who submits pictures for use in the special edition will be specifically noted, by name, with their website/email (their preference) and their specific contributions to the book. I believe this is referred to as "billing," or "credit."
Anyway, enjoy this chapter of Coordination, and look forward to the coming climax to the arc!
[END NOTE]
"...fire fighters are still at the scene of one of the most successful and destructive jailbreaks in history. The Sinnoh League released a statement condemning the terrorists responsible for the attack on the Sinnoh Regional Penitentiary, but have not made any conjectures as to the identities of the attackers. An anonymous spokesperson within the League informed reporters earlier today that very few guards were ultimately injured, and that many guards reported a "vague sense of unease, growing into terror" just prior to the attack. Meanwhile, in local news..."
"So I suppose that's your idea of a discrete exit," Jefferson commented dryly. I shrugged.
"Well, they weren't precisely in the mood for tearful farewells," I pointed out. "And in all seriousness, Director, you did give me orders to see to Cynthia's safety."
"Which he did quite well," the Sinnoh Region Champion confirmed. She frowned. "Even though I do disapprove of violence on the whole."
"Well, if they hadn't introduced themselves with a blackjack, I would have been perfectly happy to keep things peaceful. Instead of pieceful."
The other two just looked blank. Beni, who could see the way I was spelling the words in my head, winced.
"Well, I suppose you did a fair job at that, boy," Jefferson admitted, sounding almost grudging. The smile on his lips gave lie to his tone, though. "Welcome back, Zach," he said softly.
"I'm back, Chief," I acknowledged. It seemed the thing to say. We had only just arrived a few hours before, after spending most of two nights traveling. Let me tell you, secrecy is nearly impossible to manage when you are escorting someone as recognizable as Cynthia is. There were some extremely scary moments when we thought for sure we'd be discovered, but in the end, we made it to the gate of the Academy without discovery, and thanks to the early hour, managed to get through to the Director without anyone identifying my companion.
"Now that we've got you, though," Jefferson continued reluctantly, nodding at Cynthia, "I'm not sure what to do with you. I mean, you're not really the Champion anymore, and we can't go public about having you until we can prove your innocence."
"You can't go public with me anyway," Cynthia corrected sternly. "I will not have the League thrown into chaos by some 'government in exile' scheme just before Darkrai makes his bid for takeover."
"As you wish. That still leaves us with the decision of what to do with you."
"I might make a suggestion," a voice commented. I sighed, restraining the urge to put my hand over my eyes.
"Who said that?"
"Jefferson, meet Arceus. Arceus, Director Cal Jefferson," I muttered.
"Such a graceful introduction," my divine pain-in-the-ass replied, materializing next to me. Jefferson stared. Then he chuckled.
"Well, if nothing else, you have great timing." He bowed slightly. "At your service, Arceus."
"Timing is easy when you're omniscient." Arceus looked at me. "See, that's the appropriate way to speak to someone as perfect as me," he chided. I shook my head, and smiled despite myself.
"Of course, my lord," I murmured, putting all my thespian skills into the sarcasm. "I am ever at your command."
"No need to be snide. Anyway, you were wondering what to do about Cynthia?"
Cynthia got over her apparent shock at this point. "You're... Arceus?" she asked, in sudden awe.
"That I am, little one. And I do remember you, you know. And that question you asked me ten years ago. The answer, m'dear, is 'yes,' by the way."
That stunned Cynthia all over again, so I took over. "You were saying?"
"Right. Well, let's put it this way. Darkrai and Lucien-- and I can reveal now that he is Darkrai's chosen-- may not realize it, but the rules to this game have just changed. You recall the gifts I gave you...?"
"Yeah. The mark, pokemon speech, and your third gift." I gave him a sharp look, which he evaded easily.
"Exactly. The Mark. Servants of Lucien, and therefore, Darkrai, attacked you." I blinked, and then thought furiously.
"Doesn't that mean..."
"Darkrai broke the rules. The neutrals won't like that, but I doubt it will sway enough of them to my side. On the other hand, because they broke the rules, I can do it too. The council has moved up two months, and I mean to have three representatives there."
"Two MONTHS? That's today!" I gasped.
"Not quite. It's pretty much the day after tomorrow, though. You, Cynthia, and Beni will represent me, while one of my minions has expressed an interest in Miranda."
"Minions?"
"Jiraichi." He shrugged, and I was suddenly reminded of how alien Arceus was, to drop the name of a pokemon that had hitherto only been rumors and legends to humans. Then the moment passed.
"The Sky Pillar is weeks away from here," I objected.
"I'll drive, kid," he winked. "Trust me, it'll take no time at all. I'll give you today and tomorrow to pack, though, so meet me back here on the dawn of the third day."
Then he vanished, before I could think of a suitably ironic comment. Fortunate, I admit, because the ones going through my head were pretty much entirely vulgar.
"Well, that was interesting," Jefferson observed. "I'm not sure how helpful it was, though. It solves our problem, I'll admit, but it creates a host of new ones."
"Well, those new ones are at least soluble." I frowned. "I do wish I had more time, but at least if we survive the council, I can take a vacation."
"Oh, no you can't. I've got plans for you, my boy." For a second, two voices instead of just Jefferson's rang in my head, and I winced. Clearly, Arceus wouldn't be done with me even after the meeting. I cheered up immediately, though. When the divine pokemon had recruited me, he hadn't seemed very optimistic. Now, however, he clearly expected there to be an 'after' for which to use me. I suppose it was a fair trade.
"I'll need to talk to Cynthia for most of the next two days to bring her up to speed," I told Jefferson. "I also need unrestricted access to all of the Academy's facilities."
"You've got it," the Director promised. "As of right now, I'm suspending all of our active operations. Anything you need, we'll do."
Well, I guess that the average Ranger operation was a bit less important than the fate of the world. Still, I had to disagree.
"Director, you can't do that," I told him. He looked at me and frowned.
"I can, too."
"Maybe I shouldn't have said, 'can't.' What I meant was, you shouldn't. Pokemon Rangers are the main interface between wild pokemon and humans. What with one thing and another, we need to keep that interface going." At the blank stares now from both Cynthia and Jefferson, I sighed. "Look, guys. Think for a moment. We're having this problem because people and pokemon have been having trouble getting along, right? Well, if we take away the main group of people responsible for keeping us getting along, things are only going to get worse, and if something were to happen while I'm at the Sky Pillar... I don't need that kind of trouble, too."
"Oh." Cynthia nodded along with Jefferson, understanding finally. "So what you're saying is, try to keep everyone here happy so you don't have to deal with even more there?"
"More or less."
"Alright, then," Jefferson agreed. "Still, you have priority. Take anything you need with you."
"Anything? How about the Bravo-Charlie One?" I asked eagerly. He laughed.
"I could have seen that coming. I'll have Tech send one over to your room."
"Sweet!"
The BC-1, or 'Battle Computer, Mark One,' was the next stage of the pokedex. Kept primarily for professionals rather than trainers or coordinators, it contained information about attacks, strategies, terrain choices, and a battlefield simulator. Even better, though, it connected with the vast reserves of information kept on the Ranger Academy servers, which would give me access to every scrap of data I might need for the upcoming trial. The fact that every Ranger in the Academy dreamed of owning one (they cost about as much as a not-so-small corporation) was simply a neat bonus. They were primarily reserved for research and development personnel on extended deployment. It was, in fact, the Holy Grail for most computer wizards.
It was also, needless to say, something I very much wished to get my hands on.
"In the meantime," Jefferson added, "You should go and spend some time with your friends. Cammy's missed you, I heard." He laughed.
"Actually, I've heard it every day, approximately three times a day, from Cammy herself since you left."
"I should introduce Cynthia to the new additions, too," I replied.
"Alright, then. I'll see you later, Director?"
"Of course. Now that I've got you back, you think I'm going to let a little thing like the fate of the world let you escape?"
* * *
I asked Cynthia to wait outside while I entered my room. I expected a mess. I found one, too. Just not the sort I was thinking of.
"Where the hell have you been?" Miranda asked coldly. "Not only do you fuck your pokemon..." and she nearly shouted those words, "but then you abandon them for weeks on some so-called secret mission!"
I frowned. "Firstly, you know as well as I do that Director Jefferson sent me out on a job."
"I know nothing of the sort. I know I heard you talking all about your good friend Cal Jefferson, and how he gave you some special mission, but I've only got your word for that, haven't I?"
"My word, and the uniform I'm wearing," I agreed equitably. "Hey, Cammy, what's going on?"
Cammy looked around Miranda's waist with an apologetic look.
"SPEAKING of Cammy, do you know she's been depressed since you left? I've comforted her as best as I can..." and here Miranda blushed very faintly, and I made a note of it for future curiosity, "but she really wanted you. God knows why, scumbucket that you are."
"If I could point out," I continued calmly, "Beni went with me. I doubt that she would lend her efforts to anything she didn't approve of."
*Quite right.* Beni sounded almost amused. *Calm down, Miranda. He's being completely truthful with you.*
"Oh, really? Then what was this 'secret mission' of his, then?"
I decided I wasn't going to get a better straight line than that one.
"I'll be glad to tell you. Hang on a second." I opened the door and beckoned Cynthia towards me. Having had a few minutes to change while I finished my debriefs, she was in perfect Champion form, and it showed-- Miranda gaped at her.
"Miranda, meet Cynthia. Cynthia, Miranda." I made the obligatory gestures, and then hauled Cammy around Miranda to stand beside me. "Where's Venus and Lorelei?" I asked her.
"They're on their way. They were out in the park when we heard you were back," she explained.
I looked over at Miranda, who seemed, somehow, to be torn between mortification, anger at me for embarrassing her like this, and... well, how strange! I looked at Beni, who gave a canine smile and nodded at me. Ah. It seemed, I noted to myself, that Miranda had a crush on Cynthia.
Venus and Lorelei arrived very shortly, the former launching herself at me the moment she came around the door. I caught her with ease, and smiled at the both of them. "Glad to see me?" I asked.
"Yes, we are," Lorelei agreed. Her voice had a tone of quiet sincerity which was as touching, in its own way, as the exuberance Cammy and Venus demonstrated.
"Well, now that we're all gathered, I need to make an announcement." I glanced at Miranda, recalling that, of our team, she was the only one not aware of Arceus or the mess that we found ourselves in. Then, too, Cynthia only knew parts of it. "But first, I need to tell the story from the beginning."
"Do so, Zach," Cynthia commanded, and with well-honed Champion instincts, sat down in the best chair in the room. Miranda sat as far away from her as possible, and the others found various comfortable locations. I perched on the counter and looked at them gravely.
"Almost a year ago, a representative of Celebii, the Guardian of Time, tried to recruit me for a mission. I was not interested, and declined. Instead, I traveled to Celestic to take part in a Pokemon Contest that was going to happen there. When I got there, Celestic itself had vanished, along with all its residents."
"I remember that," Miranda murmured. "Did they ever figure out what happened?"
"Darkrai happened," Cynthia growled.
"Darkrai and Arceus are having a bit of an argument, it seems." Miranda looked blank, and I recalled that she originated from Kanto, not Sinnoh, and so Sinnoh's legends were not as well known to her. "Arceus is also variously known as the Creator, while Darkrai takes, if anything, the position of the Destroyer." Miranda's eyes were wide at this point, but I decided to let her have the rest of it rather than wait for her to recover. "Anyway, long story short, their feud is coming to a conclusion, and this time, it's for good--the other immortal pokemon are waiting to see who can best argue their case in a couple of days, and both sides have picked human representatives to argue for or against the human race's continued existence."
"How could another human argue against humanity?" Miranda asked. I shrugged and exchanged a wry smile with Cynthia.
"Easily," she replied. "Lots of people feel angry at the human race. It wouldn't be too hard to find someone willing to say that we should never have existed."
"And in the other corner, you have me." I continued. "That is, I'm the one arguing for our side, or at least for Arceus. Which requires me to be ready to leave here in about two days."
There was a very long silence, as Miranda digested this. Then she burst out laughing. "Let me get this straight. You are supposed to save the world?"
"Well, at least our portion of it," I clarified. The laughing stopped abruptly.
"You're serious." It wasn't a question.
"Deadly," Cynthia agreed. "I've only heard bits and pieces of this so far, but what I know makes me believe him. According to Arceus, we're going to help him somehow, too."
"Us? Like, me and you?" Miranda squeaked. She turned bright red. "IthinkI'dbettergogetpacked!" she said, all in a rush. She ducked into her room and I heard the deadbolt slide home.
"Well, that was interesting," I observed.
*Quite.*
Cammy, Venus and Lorelei all looked somber. Cammy, especially, looked worried. "Hey, don't sweat it," I told them. "We'll get through this. We just have to... uh..."
"Have faith?" Lorelei asked.
"Ugh, no. I was about to say, we just have to do what we can." I shied away instinctively from the concept of 'faith.' Despite being the chosen of a deity, I am not particularly comfortable with religion of any sort. In my humble opinion, if God (or gods, or goddesses, or flying spaghetti monsters) had wanted me to be religious, I'd have been born in a church. Lorelei, on the other hand, had shown occasional flashes of interest in the supernatural and theological. I hoped it wasn't a sign of things to come.
"Well, anyway, that's the situation," I told them all. Cynthia nodded in agreement. "But that will have to wait. We really can't do much about it until the time comes, so try not to worry about it."
The Champion stopped nodding in agreement and stared at me. "Not worry about it?" she choked. "You must be joking!"
"Not really," I demurred. "Look, there's nothing we can do until Arceus comes to get us, and so our time would be better spent in some form of relaxation." I looked at Cammy. "Tell me, if I sent you to the library for CDs with... Venus, I think... could you two pick about a dozen out? Music CDs, I mean." Cammy nodded energetically, and Venus hopped from my shoulder to her arms when I pointed at the Lucario.
"Beni, I'd like you to scare up some speakers, a sound system, and a technician to put them together. Try finding that one tech from R&D that was such a pain. Lorelei, ambiance--flowers, decorations, whatever you like. Find someone to help you carry them, or wait until Cammy and Venus get back from the library. We'll set up in the A Lounge, I think."
"A party," Cynthia said flatly, having heard all of this. I marshaled my most winning smile and bestowed it upon her. After seeing its reception, my most winning smile and its posse fled the field.
"A party," I agreed. "Cynthia, my team, you, and I, have spent the last few weeks, and the last nine or ten months, dealing with a lot of stress and fighting. It's time to take a break, or when we finally get to the meeting in a few days, we'll be wrecks, and that won't help anyone."
Cynthia nodded reluctantly at the idea, then grinned wickedly at me. "Then, sir," she said, standing to attention and snapping off a salute, "I request permission to assist Cammy in obtaining music for the party."
I glanced at the clock and recalled what little I could about the schedule of the average ranger student and teacher. "Go for it. Change into something a bit less like Cynthia Hawthorne, Sinnoh Region Champion, though. Jeans, maybe a hat, for a start."
"And a shirt, presumably?" she asked. I leered at her.
"Only if you want," I teased.
"Zaaach!" Cammy growled. I flinched.
"Only joking, love," I told her. "Just trying to lighten the mood." I stood up, looked at each of my press-ganged helpers, and clapped my hands. "Let's be about it, people," I ordered.
* * *
The rest of the day was a parade of people running in and out of the A Lounge. People I had attended the academy with, people who remembered me from one mission or another, or people who had just heard that a new Field Commander was in residence and came to see what they could find out. Field Commanders are vanishingly rare in the Rangers, and it is almost always a "temporary" promotion, which disappears once they leave their post. Finding one in the Academy was not a frequent occurrence at all, and so when people heard that one was setting up a party in the A Lounge, they came.
Some of them were mainly interested in what my mission was and had been. To a very few of these, at Jefferson's urging, I gave a brief explanation of my mission. To others, I referred them to Jefferson, informing them regrettably that operational security concerns prevented me from divulging the details of my mission. The latter of the group of curious rangers went away very quickly. The former went away even faster, but returned after a short conversation with the Director.
By the time the party was ready, much of the excitement had died down, and the only people left in the room were the half-dozen or so rangers I had given my explanation to, Jefferson, the eight members of the Director's Council, Jefferson's secretary, and, of course, my happy band. Cynthia sat in the corner, basking in the wondering admiration of those newly inducted into the "conspiracy." When I saw this, I made an excuse to sidle over to the Director.
"Isn't this going to cause some security problems?" I asked him discretely. He smiled and shook his head.
"Son, stick to pokemon," he advised. "Leave politics to those who were born to them. The more people we can trust who know about Cynthia, the more protection she has against an 'untimely accident' courtesy of the other side. If you're that worried, take another look at that group." He pointed at two of the rangers standing off to one side, chatting. They had broad smiles on their face, and their eyes glowed. "This is what many of them signed up for--doing the hard missions because nobody else could or would do them. That's the face of a Ranger who'll do whatever needs doing, not because he's ordered, but because he's found a cause. You can see that look all over the place, and when you leave, I'll announce it to the entire academy." There was a strange look of eager anticipation on Cal Jefferson's face.
"Sir?" I asked.
"I'm just imagining some delinquent like Lucian trying to attack the Academy over something like this. Public opinion will crucify him." He said it with a tone of relish. "I almost can't wait."
"Do you really think it will come to that?"
"Honestly? I doubt it. I think, among other things, that Lucian will be too busy with whatever you and Arceus are doing to his sponsor in a few days. And whoever Lucian leaves behind to deal with us will probably lack the balls to go full-out against the Academy. Just in case, though, I've put all Rangers on high alert. I know you said to keep them where they are, but if someone does attack the Academy, I'm going to call them all in. We'll see how much they enjoy facing half a thousand of the toughest trainers in the world."
"Come to that," Cynthia mused. "You might be able to call upon Lance and the Kanto/Johto Leagues."
I jumped. I hadn't seen her come up.
"Really?" Jefferson asked with curiosity. "I would have thought they wouldn't involve themselves in this sort of business."
"Oh, yes." Cynthia gave him a cold, almost bleak smile. "Lance is my cousin, on my father's side. Or rather, I'm his cousin, on his mother's side. It's a long story. Anyway, he himself will show up, and probably bring a fair bit of both leagues with him. Koga would come, almost certainly. So would Jasmine, of the Hoenn League, and Phoebe of the Hoenn Elite Four. Several of the other gym trainers will probably rally to you, as well. Professors Rowan and Ivy could probably connect you with other highly-placed trainers who would help. Both of them know the stakes in this game."
I leaned back against the wall and counted slowly to one hundred as I adjusted my mindset. The atmosphere I was currently working in was certainly rarified. This was a woman who referred to other Champions and members of the Elite Four by their first name. Truly, though, I actually was enjoying myself more than I had in years. Despite my protestations of being my own man and being unwilling to work for someone else, I enjoyed being at the center of things, and this was larger than any other game in town. Even now, with days left until the final confrontations, I could feel the old pre-Contest adrenaline coursing through my veins, making me feel alive with eager anticipation.
"Zaaach!" Cammy came hurtling through the crowd and jumped on me, interrupting my thoughts. I smiled down at her.
"Yes, Cammy?"
"The music is about to start!" she informed me. "Let's dance!"
"Uh, I'm... not that great a dancer," I said apologetically.
"I've never danced either! C'mon!"
I gave Cynthia and Jefferson a wry smile and allowed Cammy to tow me out to the dance floor just as the music began. That smile turned into a glare, met with Cynthia's apparently normal look of bland innocence, as a truly horrendous metal riff roared from the speakers.
"What... is this?" I asked Cammy. She thought for a moment.
"Um... I'm not sure," she admitted. "Venus picked it."
"Venus?!"
"Yep! It's called Priest or something. Something Priest, I think. Whatever. It's good, isn't it?"
I looked down at Cammy, searching for any sign of sarcasm or irony, but was forced to admit that she was serious. I shook my head.
"It's, well, different," I said truthfully. "I'm not sure how to dance to this."
"It's simple! You just jump up and down and throw your hands in the air!" Cammy exclaimed, demonstrating.
"I'm certain that there's more to it than that." Still, I gave it a try, until a couple other Rangers joined in and made me feel a little less idiotic by doing much the same thing. Eventually, Cammy was swept up by a wave of people doing more complicated moves, and I chose to make my way back to the wall where I had last seen the Director.
He was gone, but Cynthia was still there, with two drinks in her hands. She handed me one as I leaned against the wall next to her.
"Cammy seems to have a lot of fun with you," she noted noncommittally. "A lot of fun." There was a strange emphasis in her repetition which made me look sharply at her.
"What do you mean?" I asked bluntly.
"Let's go for a walk," she answered. As we passed Beni, I nodded at the Arcanine, raising one eyebrow.
*Venus and Cammy are dancing together, now. Miranda's watching them. Lorelei's DJing.*
Lorelei? Huh. I'm not sure how that was working, but clearly it was.
*I believe she had Cammy force one of the other rangers to help her,* Beni explained. She stood up. *I'll follow you two at a distance,* she told me privately. *Don't do anything stupid.*
Cynthia led me to one of the larger indoor gardens, just a few halls away from the library. "I found this when we went looking for music," she explained. I followed her to a bench and we sat down. She stared at her hands for a few brief moments, and I decided to help her out a bit.
"Is this about what you saw, that one day by Celestic?" I asked her gently. She nodded, and looked at me.
"I've seen how Cammy looks at you. And not just Cammy, but all of your pokemon. They care for you very deeply, and so I'm not too worried. But I need to know--it's my job to know--if you're abusing them in any way."
I considered a number of sarcastic replies, but her quiet concern disarmed my usual attitude, and so I matched her honesty with my own.
"I don't believe so," I said thoughtfully. I leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. Skylights let the fading sunlight stream down on the plants in the garden, giving the room a spooky, apocalyptic feel. "Can I tell you the story from the beginning? Then, maybe, you will understand and can make your own decision."
Cynthia merely nodded, and so I began, from that first night with Beni, all the way until discovering Cammy's pregnancy, leaving nothing out. In a way, this was a more complete disclosure than even the one I had given Director Jefferson, because Cynthia didn't have the same history with me that I did. Because of that, I ended up explaining a lot more; about my feelings about pokemon, my dreams, and even, with some embarrassment, the atavistic chill I had felt when Gardevoir first tried to recruit me on Celebi's behalf. Then I had to go into why I had felt that way, which segued neatly into explaining my parents--as well as I could, anyway. She remained silent for the entire story, only occasionally letting her expression change from attentive neutrality, as certain parts of the story either amused her or concerned her, and when I finished, she sighed once.
"It's an odd story," she admitted, leaning back to look at me. "I don't think, from what I can tell, that you are abusing them. I mean, it seems clear that you care for them as much as they do for you, and while many trainers wouldn't feel the same way as you did with Beni, I think any good trainer would have done anything to help their partner. Even something they didn't really want to do."
"Don't get me wrong," I said, with a haste I didn't understand, "I may not have thought about it before, but after it happened, it became--and still is--one of the two or three most wonderful moments of my life. She's a pokemon, I know, but..."
"But." Cynthia echoed and concluded, "they're people, too. Wonderful people, frustrating people, fearful and courageous people... people just like us. Professor Rowan used to talk about it all the time."
"You understand, then?"
"I do. It's not to say that I would have made the same choice..." she blushed and laughed lightly. "After all," she said, the words bubbling up with the laughter, "the mechanics are slightly different for me."
"I imagine they are," I agreed, remembering the size of her Garchomp. If it was equipped with anything like the same proportions as a human male... "Ouch," I added as the thought concluded.
"I suspect so. Still, I've never been in that position--pun not intended--so I can't really say what decision I might make."
"I take it this means you won't be reporting me to the League any time soon?"
"Well, the League seems not to be taking my calls, just at the moment," Cynthia replied dryly. "But once we've sorted that minor difficulty out, I don't think I'll have any time to worry about what a trainer and his pokemon friends may choose to do in private. Does anyone else know?"
"Jefferson and Miranda both do," I admitted. "Jefferson may have told one or two of the more liberal councilors, in case we have to cover something up. I believe Cammy was looked over by a Dr. Dora Eventree here at the Academy, so she probably knows as well."
"Let's keep it from going any further, then. I'll do my best to help you, if something comes out." Cynthia frowned. "But if worst comes to worst, you may wind up having to do a disappearing act."
"So be it." I shrugged. "It's not like I think my career's more important than they are, Cynthia. It's important, yes. That is, my career as a Coordinator. But all things being equal, I think I would only have slight regrets if I had to trade it for my partners."
"Then you are a true trainer, and a good man, Zachary Winton-Kincaid," she murmured. "And I'm proud to know you."
I blushed, and was about to mutter something appropriate in response, when Beni's voice roared into my mind.
*Zach! Darkrai! It's taken Cammy!*
"What?!" I shouted, forgetting that Cynthia couldn't hear Beni. I bolted for the A Lounge, and a sudden cold chill ran through me as I burst through the door. Several Rangers were on the floor, and scorched carpet marked, presumably, where Darkrai had appeared and then exited. I glanced around the room in the hopes that Beni had been wrong, but Cammy was nowhere to be seen. Venus, however, I discovered huddled under a chair. She made a wailing noise as I picked her up, one which had no translation other than pure, abject grief.
"What's wrong?" Cynthia asked. She glanced around the room as well, and I heard a sudden intake of breath as she realized who wasn't there. "Cammy?" she asked gently.
Venus began to make gestures, sniffling slightly. I patted her on the head and stood when she finished, placing her on my shoulder. She crouched there, cheek against my ear, and I swept the silent audience with a stony gaze.
"I'm afraid the party is over, folks," I told them quietly. "Please leave. Now."
It was a sign of how shaken everyone was that they left without even a protest. I caught Jefferson's eye as he began to try to slink out with the crowd. He smiled sheepishly when I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Command voice," he explained. "You've got it."
"Good." I gestured Beni and Lorelei closer, and Miranda followed with Franny. "Darkrai came and took Cammy," I said shortly. "As of right now, this became personal." I looked around and raised my voice. "Arceus, where the fuck are you?" Aside from the increase in volume, and despite the expletive, my voice was perfectly level. The deity popped in with a sudden woosh of air and light. For once, his face was serious.
"I just found out when you called," he said. There was a definite note of apology. "Darkrai distracted me, and--" I held up a hand to interrupt him.
"We're leaving."
"What?"
"The Sky Pillar. I need thirty minutes to pack and be ready to leave, and then I want you to take me to the Sky Pillar. That's where we have to go to meet with the neutral immortals, right?"
"...Right..." Arceus replied with a note of question in his voice.
"Take you?" Miranda repeated in a dangerously calm tone. "What about the rest of us?"
"You'll stay here," I informed her. "All of you. I'm the only one who needs to go, and I won't have you in harm's way."
"Fuck you," Miranda growled. "I liked Cammy, too."
"I, too," Cynthia agreed quietly. "If you leave me behind, I'll just follow on Garchomp."
*You're not going anywhere without me,* Beni interjected.
"We're going, too," Lorelei chimed in, speaking apparently for both her and Venus.
"Now hold on just a moment," I objected. "You can't all come..."
"Yes, they can," Arceus corrected flatly. His voice became deeper and more solemn. "AND THEY WILL," he intoned, eyes flashing. "ZACHARY WINTON-KINCAID, I CHOOSE YOU AS MY CHAMPION, TO FIGHT AT MY RIGHT HAND FOR THE WORLD I CREATED. YOUR ENEMIES AND MINE SHALL BE AS ONE, AND WE SHALL FIGHT THEM TOGETHER. YOU HAVE A DIVINE CHARGE, AND YOU WILL USE ALL THAT YOU MAY HAVE TO FULFILL IT." The volume and sheer power of his words nearly sent me to my knees, and I was forced to remember that I was speaking to a pokemon powerful enough to have created the world. "YOUR FRIENDS WILL ASSIST YOU, FOR YOU CANNOT WIN ALONE, AND TOGETHER, YOU WILL TRIUMPH, OR PERISH IN THE ATTEMPT. THIS IS YOUR DUTY, AND THEY WILL SHARE IT WHETHER YOU WILL IT OR NOT. I WILL ACCEPT NO ARGUMENT." His voice tapered off on the last words, the glow in his eyes dimming to a mere golden tint. "You have no choice," he concluded softly. "This, too, was destined from the start."
"Even Cammy's kidnapping?" I asked angrily.
"Not that. But that's almost a good sign," he added. I started forward, fists clenched, but he held up his hands in a warding gesture. "I don't mean it's good that she was kidnapped," Arceus said hastily. "But it means that Darkrai's worried, badly. She's making mistakes that she wouldn't normally, and she hasn't come into direct conflict with me in three thousand years. I don't believe she would do it now if she felt she had a choice, and she has to know that this would force her hand the same as it does mine."
"What do you mean, it forces your hand?"
"When I bound you as my champion, I didn't just compel your loyalty," he explained. "When you accepted the charge, that bound me to you as well. Your enemies are mine, and mine are yours. I must help you in any way I can, just as you must help me. And I swear to you this, Zach." He clenched his own fists now, and slammed them together in front of him. "I will not allow her to get away with this."
"Thank you," I said softly. "And all of you." I bowed my head. "We'll go together, then. Half an hour, and then we'll leave. Good enough?"
"More than good enough," Arceus agreed. Jefferson clapped his hands together, then, breaking the solemnity.
"At this stage, I believe it's time to go to full alert status," he said. "Zach, I'll have a BC-1 taken out of storage immediately and updated. It will be ready for you when you leave. Meanwhile, get down the armory and grab something."
"We're going to be fighting pokemon, if anything," I objected.
"Not just pokemon, as I understand it. There will be other people there, too, and some of them may decide to dispose of the competition early."
"There is wisdom in what he says," Arceus added. "I would not have believed Darkrai rash enough to strike directly at you--and through you, me--but if she's rash enough to do this, she's rash enough to allow her human pawns to attack you. You, Jefferson, may wish to brace for an attack of your own."
"As soon as I get back to my office, I'm ordering all inactive agents back to the Academy, and ordering station commanders to bring all but a skeleton shift of Rangers here as well. By the time anything gets close enough to hit us, we'll have double or triple the manpower we have right now. They won't be able to crack us in less than a week, and at the end of that week, we ought to have the rest of our reinforcements coming up their ass."
"Within a week, this should all be over with one way or another," Arceus pointed out. "And once it's settled, if I can, I'll come back here and end anything happening to you."
"Understood. Zach, get moving. We'll take care of everything else here."
I nodded and strode out of the room, Beni following me closely. I heard voices starting up behind me as the door shut, but I couldn't pay attention to them. Blood was pounding in my ears, and I was discovering that the old cliche about seeing red was more than just a myth. Cammy was gone! All because some stupid goddamn bastard of a pokemon decided... I cut that thought off with an almost audible growl.
"Jefferson called ahead," I was informed when I reached the armory. I was met by a grizzled, elderly sergeant who nonetheless felt... solid... to me. He took in my palpable anger and nodded. "I think you'll want something a bit stronger than the usual," he murmured. "Remember the injunction against using these on pokemon, though. Humans only."
I nodded reluctantly, and he opened the door in the counter so that I could come behind it. He unlocked the top of the cabinet and flipped it open, revealing a hidden chamber within it. Inside were a number of handguns and the shorter variety of rifles. I sought out the shape that I knew had to be there, and found it almost at once.
"This will do nicely," I hissed, pulling out the revolver. "I'll need about... three reloads, loose, and two quick loaders, I think. And a holster and belt for this."
"That's a bit of a powerful gun y'got there," the sergeant pointed out.
"I'm qualified on it, and I'm not on any of the other popguns you've got in here," I responded. I cradled the large, double-barreled monster in my hands. Every Ranger was expected to qualify with one handgun and one rifle, if nothing else, just in case it became necessary to use weapons in a fight. Though it wasn't often publicized, any number of criminal elements eschewed pokemon entirely, sticking instead to the tried-and-true methods of force. This meant that at any time a Ranger might find him- or her-self in a gun fight no matter what their intentions, and woe betide the Ranger who couldn't use every weapon at his disposal to win. It's only happened three times in the last decade, as far as the Academy records tell (though there's always the occasional Ranger who meets with some mishap and never returns to tell about it), but nevertheless, it's a part of training that's emphasized at the Academy, and I had more than once proven my skill the weapon in my hands.
It was a rather exotic weapon, by the standards of my peers--the cylinder had space for sixteen total shots, in two rings around the center. Two separate hammers could be pulled back, to fire two shots at once, or only one to fire just the one shot at a time. By choice, you could load it either with all standardized bullets, or load the inner ring for the lower barrel with a variety of specialized ammunition, from simple buckshot to high-explosive rounds. The sergeant brought a number of these specialized rounds out from the back room and set them on the counter for my inspection. I selected about half a dozen tranquilizer cartridges, an equivalent number of shotgun shells, and a dozen of various other rounds. To these, he added two boxes of .42 caliber rounds, and two quick loaders. For those who have never encountered these, they're essentially bullets arranged on a hemisphere such that you can swing the cylinder out and slide the bullets all in at once, reloading much quicker than manual reloading. Better still, the quick loaders can themselves be reloaded, meaning that I could rely on that high rate of reload for as long as my bullets held out, if someone else was reloading them while I shot.
The sergeant grinned at me as I checked each part of the revolver, and I returned his look with a feral intensity that Beni herself couldn't have matched. Normally, I would have about as much enthusiasm for these warlike preparations as a Delcatty does for water, but now I was mad, and there was a certain psychological comfort in the familiar motions involved in breaking down and reassembling the gun in my hands. I slid the chamber back into the gun, and smiled in satisfaction as I heard the gentle click as it locked into place.
"Anythin' else?" the sergeant asked me.
"No," I replied, having regained some measure of calm. "I think, assuming I don't encounter an entire army, that what you've put here will be fine."
"Oh, aye, I reckon it will," the sergeant agreed equably. "Y'll be wantin' paper or plastic for this?"
* * *
Arceus greeted my armed return with only a slight widening of his eyes. He nodded, however, when I gave him a small, tight smile.
"Feeling any better?" he asked quietly. I shrugged.
"Not really," I admitted. "Some. I'll feel better when I get Cammy back, and feel much better if I get to shoot someone while doing it."
"Your thoughts are quite bloody right now, do you know that?"
"I didn't, but I'm not surprised. I'm mad, Arceus. They attacked Cammy. Not me, not Cynthia, not even you. Cammy. She didn't have anything to do with this, and the only reason Darkrai took her is because they knew it would hurt me. And that makes me want to hurt them back. Hard."
"Well, you'll soon get your chance," he promised. "The council--the neutral immortals--has determined the form of competition. It will be a two phase tournament, elimination style, with the winner's side gaining the allegiance of the neutrals."
"A tournament?" Cynthia asked. She stepped in to the room just in time to hear Arceus's last statement. "Isn't that a bit, you know, pointless? We're supposed to be arguing the merits of a human/pokemon society, not proving who is the strongest."
"Actually, it makes sense," I said thoughtfully. "If we're prove that human-trained pokemon are stronger than the pokemon they select, it proves the benefits of the relationship between our world and theirs."
"Precisely," Arceus commended me.
*It seems like this will be difficult,* Beni said to me privately. *Cammy was one of our main combatants, and we barely even know Wendy's battle skills. We'll be going in one short, and with one rookie.*
"We'll deal with it," I said, ignoring the confused looks of my companions. "Cammy's depending on us, and I won't let her down. Not now, not ever."
A few moments later, Director Jefferson returned with a small black briefcase. I noted the logo on the side of it and smiled despite my concern. "Is that...?"
"Yep, that's the Bravo-Charlie One," he confirmed. "Preset with your identification and everything."
"I'll take it," Miranda said, following him into the room. She smiled at me and nodded at the holster on my hip. "You may need your hands for more important things at some point," she explained.
"Good enough. Lorelei, Venus, are you two ready?"
"We are, Zach," Lorelei sang. Venus, on my shoulder, nodded.
"Alright, then," I said. "Director--"
"Cal," Jefferson corrected. I blinked at him, and he shrugged. "You're about to go risk your life to save the world, Zach. Surely that puts you on a first name basis with me. Besides, you're a field commander, and I don't make them 'Director Jefferson' me all the time."
I ran my hand across my eyes to hide the sudden wetness in them. The other occupants of the room found certain interests in the walls and floor until I recovered, and I met Jefferson's--Cal's--eyes and nodded at him. "Okay. Cal. We're off. Hold down the fort for us, okay? It might be a bit awkward if we got back and landed on a bunch of goons, y'know?"
"Sure thing, Zach. Bring us back a postcard or two, y'hear?"
"Everyone, grab tight," Arceus commanded. "Next stop, the Sky Pillar."
The room, the Director, and the entire rest of the world vanished into a spinning blur of color.