Chapter 23 – The Problems & The Stakes

"W-war?" Lara gasps in astonishment. There hadn't been a war on Arceus in...well longer than The Pokemon League has been around, that's for sure.

My lips grew into a hard line and my eyebrows furrowed. I knew of only one ancient war that happened throughout the games, though I am sure there were probably many more in all of Arceus' history. "How bad is it David?"

"Bad, kid. Bad. Before we get into it, however, I need to ask you to hold your questions until I finish. We can't stay in here together for too long without raising suspicions and someone coming to check on us, so we need to make this as quick as possible."

Lara and I exchange a glance and then nod back at David. He nods as well and clears his throat as he forward in his leather office chair and steeples his fingers. The chair creaks ominously and fills the now quiet room with unease. 

"Alright. Three factions. Let's start with the most obvious." David says and pulls out a world map and unrolls it on the table. He points to a desert region directly north of Kanto over The Swift Blade Mountain Range and begins his explanation. 

"The Sunoma Region. Home to a variety of Desert, Rock, and Sand Type Pokemon. Also home to the Irimon Sultanate. The leader of which is Irimon The Cruel. This is our first threat, Finn and Lara." He looks up at us seriously to make sure we are paying attention, then continues, "For over a decade, the Sultanate has been expanding and taking small pieces of land from the unaligned regions to their East and West borders. They are landlocked by the Sea of Bones to the North and The Swift Blade Mountain Range to the South. Sunoma is a purely desert region made up of rolling sand dunes and sparse oases where civilization thrives. They have long been envious of the fertile soil and moderate climate of Kanto and Johto, but have, so far, kept their expansion to the East and West. This expansion stopped 2 years ago after they completely swallowed their Eastern neighboring Region, Dulece, known for sprawling mountains and deep fertile valleys."

David sighs as he leans back in his chair. "We had hoped that with the acquisition of this region their goals would have been met. We were far too naive in the belief that no one wanted an all-out war. We were very wrong. Last year the Irimon Sultanate started filling garrisons just to the north of The Swift Blades, their next target clear. At first, we were not worried. The Swift Blade Mountain Range has long been a strong defensive point for Kanto. They are nearly impossible to navigate on foot without a guide and the altitude is high enough to easily tire of all but the strongest Flying Pokemon. But our scouts and spies reported something that we could have never expected..." 

"Don't tell me..." I start with dread filling my heart, "They...they're going under it, aren't they?" Lara's eyes bulge at the implication.

David rubs the bridge of his nose. "Indeed. Our latest reports show massive tunnel networks being carved through the mountains. They have only managed to get through about a third of it at this point, but we expect a full-scale invasion within the next 3 years. The most troubling part is that they could pop up anywhere along the mountain range and if we dig in too deep, they can just move around us. We are stuck as defenders in this coming war, as the mountain's treacherous terrain also hinders our movements. Striking first is not an option physically, and even if it were, the people would never approve of such an action. Kanto has been at peace for too long and trust in The League has diminished somewhat in recent years. The people would never support a war we started first. We plan to secure all the tunnels we can...but we do not have a very large standing army and manpower is an issue."

"But we have the rangers! They are filled with some of the best trainers around, surely they can help us defend?" Lara demands, too into the discussion to remember to hold her questions. 

"Yes, we do," David says with a small smile. "If a war is declared, we should have no problem defending and pushing the invaders back. The League will step in and the other League-aligned regions will send support. The timeline is also a bit inaccurate. When they get far enough, our team of spies will blow up and collapse as many tunnels as they can to buy us more time. If this were the only threat, it would not be a huge one at all."

'Right. Two others. There must be more going on behind the scenes.' 

Lara and I nod to him signaling we understand and he can continue.

"The second major threat is Team Anarchy. In the last few months, they have been quickly taking out and absorbing small gangs all across The League's unified regions. Their organization and resources are no small worry to The League. They appear to be much better off than some of the other recent gangs we have had to deal with and their unpredictability and uncaring attitude on who their actions hurt have us nearly in a panic. The main problem is that we cannot predict the movements of this group at all. They have no interest in money, power, Pokemon, or any other object or wealth we could give them or lead them to. We have tried leading them to traps with senior members of The League, but they seem to be too smart to fall for them...or too well informed. Their one and only goal is the complete dismantlement of all laws and authority. Short of that, they will do whatever they want, whenever they want. Ironic and hypocritical, really, as their gang is very well organized. We believe that the leaders have other goals in mind, but have, as of now, not been able to infiltrate the higher-ups of the gang to find out what that might be. Their last attack on a random mall of little or no significance left 43 citizens of Hoenn and 57 Pokemon dead as well as millions of Pokebucks worth of damage. The mall could not survive the loss and shut down soon after."

"That's awful..." Lara comments and I reach over to take her hand in a gesture of support. 

"It is. But it gets even worse. We have heard from our spies in the organization that their leaders have been seen in contact with the Irimon Sultanate representatives as well as know Humanity First supporters, the third problem faction and the one we have already briefly talked about. Any one of these factions would be fine to deal with on their own. All three of them individually would be tough, but we believe we could still manage. All three of them at once?... We are facing an enormous threat to our very way of life. Each group shares the goal of taking down The Pokemon League, though for very different reasons. Team Anarchy and the Irimon Sultanate care nothing for civilian casualties and will do everything in their power to weaken and destroy The League so that they can take over. As far as we have been able to find, Humanity First doesn't mind The League but wants to remake it with the goal of subjugating Pokemon as slaves under humans. If The League is weakened from the other two factions, it is all the easier for them to swoop in and catch the falling pieces. They want to be seen as the heroes that saved the region so that they have more support from the people when they start releasing their Pokemon slavery and trainer disbandment laws."

"That is ridiculous!" Lara shouts and stands, "No one who owns and cares for a Pokemon would be willing to listen to those creeps!"

David gives Lara a pained smile. "You would be surprised how much war, destruction, poverty, and famine can make humans change. All it takes is one person with a loud enough voice and others who are suffering and looking for hope. That is how tyrants and dictators are born. We have seen it many times throughout history."

"But if we know who the supporters are, can't we just arrest them or wipe them out beforehand?" I ask, confused why we were letting this active problem persist.

"Hah...How I wish we could. As I mentioned earlier, this all has to do with politics. Humanity First has, technically, not broken any laws. Having radical ideas is not a crime. They have done nothing wrong, at least openly. We cannot squash a faction just because we do not agree with their political agenda. They have too many powerful supporters in and outside The League. If we made an obvious move against them, it could lead to rebellion and civil war. One we cannot afford to fight right now when a massive army from the North is already on their way. We are effectively trapped. This is one of the reasons I am moving to Galar next. Humanity First's main base of operation is supposedly located somewhere in Galar and I am going to attempt to infiltrate it. It's in a giant research base, no doubt..." David explains and trails off, deep in thought.

"This is much worse than I could have imagined...but why tell us all of this? What do you need us to do? " I ask with growing unease. Lara sits back down but nods seriously at David. He smiles at us genuinely and gives a small chuckle.

"In short, we only need you to continue doing exactly what you have already been doing," David says simply with a grin. 

"Huh?" I demand in shock, looking at him like he grew a second head. "How can that possibly help!?! There are so many issues...and you just want us to continue like nothing is going on?"

"That is exactly correct, Finn. In fact, we need and will pay you to do just that." David says with a nod, his face becoming serious again as he leans forward and crosses his fingers in front of him.

"What is the point of that?" Lara yells in outrage, "Surely we can do...something to help!?!"

"Peace, Lara and Finn, allow me to explain. Rest assured that your contribution to the future will be in no way small." He says waving his hands at us like he is fanning out a fire. "What we need you to do is provide hope to the people."

"...Hope?" I ask quietly, flabbergasted. 

"Yes. You two are shining beacons of hope. Your social media accounts, your music, Lara's movies and modeling, Finn's rising talent in Pokemon training and battling. These are all things every trainer, past and present, wants or enjoys watching. Your lives bring hope and happiness to the region and that, in turn, brings stability."

"You want to use us for propaganda," I say in a low growl.

"Not entirely!" He says, pauses, and then sighs soon after, "But, yes. We will want to use you in that way for some things. Keep in mind, however, this is still helping and contributing to the war effort. You may not believe me, but the support of the people is key to taking on these three threats. You show the people that the current system works and that they can dare to dream to be like you. You are both extremely charismatic and inspirational. You were leading by example when you were only young kids and your family backgrounds make you perfect for a wide audience. Are we using you a bit, yes, but I dare say that it comes with more than a few benefits for doing so, does it not? Plus, all we are asking for you to do is continue doing exactly what you have been doing. The gym battles, the concerts and meet-and-greets, and, in the future, we may ask you to be in a patriotic-themed movie or commercial or two. That is it. We will not send you bright, young stars to the front lines to die. You are very important, not just to Kanto, but to all of the League-aligned regions."

We both glare at him, still feeling wronged by this all.

"Look, I know you both are strong people. I know that, you know that, and everyone knows that. I am in no way doubting your capabilities, but you are both still very young. You also can't deny that you stand no chance against World Trainers. You have not had the chance to grow to that level yet..." He sighs again and turns to look out the large window behind him for a long moment.

Lara and I sit there in silence, not really sure what we are feeling. This is all happening too fast. We need time to process it all. It feels like we are being wronged and looked down upon...but shouldn't we be? Aren't we are just barely adults? What can we honestly expect to do against an army? Thinking that we can somehow change the tide of battle with us and our small, low-powered teams is the height of arrogance and folly. Besides, I doubt either of us actually wants to fight as a normal soldier anyway. No...we are just upset from feeling helpless and lashing out... A very childish response...but still. I want to help. To protect my family and friends...there has to be something more I can do!

"Tell you what, I will make you a deal," David says as he spins his chair back towards us, a very serious expression on his face, "Finn, If you can become a World Trainer within the next 3 years, I will allow you to test for and possibly join a secrete special operations team as a civilian specialist. This team is tasked with some of the hardest and most sensitive missions that no other team can accomplish. They also deal with highly valuable or highly skilled opposing trainers, whether that is diplomatic...or otherwise. They do not move often, but when they do, the balance tends to tip in The League's favor. If you pass their training and they accept you, you will be free to join them when you wish and will not be enlisted in the army as a whole. You already have a very important, if very different, mission, after all."

"Lara, if you can become one of the top actresses, singers, or models in the whole of The League-Aligned Regions in the next 3 years, I will allow you to train for and join the advisory council for The League's Communications & Media Department. This would allow you to not only participate in The League Sponsored Media, or propaganda as you rightfully called it, but to also be a part of the group that makes them and forms the think tank on improving the stability of The League regions. This will not simply be an honorary title, but you would become a very important member of the League hierarchy via wartime promotion."

Lara and I both stare in shock at David's offer. We turn and lock eyes for a moment before we both nod.

'This...sounds like something I can get behind.'

"If you both want to actively help, I will give you the opportunity, but it all depends on you, your hard work, and your dedication to your passions...What do you say? Want to prove to the old fogies you are more than just talented children?" He ends with a wicked grin.

""I'll do it!"" We both stand and shout in unison.

"Fantastic! Now, before we adjourn this little meeting," David says with a wide smile, "Finn, let's talk logistics of your primary mission."

* | * | *

Lara and I left the fossil lab shortly after that. We ignored the glare Fredrick sent our way and continued back to our hotel in companionable silence while deep in thought. There was certainly a lot of information to go over and process. 

Halfway there, my stomach rumbled and reminded me we need to do something for dinner. I felt like this was one of those, "Stay In" nights so I pulled up a highly rated pizza place on my phone and ordered 3 large pizzas with different toppings, 2 packs of breadsticks, a 16 piece set of boneless wings, two orders of fries, and a couple of different two-liters of soda. Why so much? Pyra and Grace LOVED pizza.

Pokemon can eat human food, it is just not very nutritious for them, so they wouldn't get much out of it. Be that as it may, Pyra often asks for a bite or a try of several of the things I eat. I indulge her and, so far, we have found that she loves greasy foods, but if she eats too much (As in 3 or 4 human portions) she gets a bad stomach ache, she hates citrusy foods and drinks, for some reason, and she also loves Prof. Pepper so much that I had to hide it from her when I lived back at home otherwise she would drink all of it all in one sitting. She has self-control issues when it comes to Prof. Pepper. I just bought her an entire two-liter and I was very excited to see her reaction.

After a small smile, my thoughts quickly returned to our conversation with David. A look of deep concentration could be seen on my face as we arrived at the hotel. We made our way up to our room and collapsed together on the couch. We took a few more minutes just to relax before we let our Pokemon out, introduced our new family member, Rebecca, and then explained to them what we had learned. Or rather Lara did while I was still consumed with my thoughts.

"-inn Cambridge!" Lara shouts in my face. 

"Huh?" I ask, bewildered as she sighs heavily and gives me an exacerbated look. 

"Are you finally back with us?" She asks and smiles at me, "What were you thinking about that distracted you so much?"

"You in that negligee." I quickly quip.

She blushes and punches my arm weakly before saying, "Har Har. Seriously! You even ignored Pyra and now she is sulking."

I look over at my dejected girl who is cuddled up with Grace facing the other way. I make my way over to her quietly and scoop her up silently, giving her a big hug. 

"Sorry Love, Pyra, I was just thinking of the implications of the bet with David."

Pyra wriggles in my arms, faining annoyance, but I can see her eyes sparkle with joy at me paying attention to her again. Angie gets jealous, like usual, and jumps up into my arms as well.

'Poor little baby.' I think with an eye roll as I lean down to kiss the top of her head.

Our newest member is draped over the couch with her head on Lara's shoulder. Celeste, in her real form, is hugging Thorn on the couch next to Lara. Thorn, for his part, looks like he has accepted his fate with grace and dignity. Jeffery and Leo are playing catch with Paul, who seems to love the attention. I laugh as I watch Paul land on the skull crest of Jeffery, just for him to lightly toss Paul into the air again where Leo grabs onto him, spins him in the air, and tosses him back. Good to see the kids playing and getting along!

Grace jumps up into Lara's lap as I rejoin her on the couch with Pyra in my own lap. Angie squeezes in between mine and Lara's legs, happy to be in close contact with us. I run my hands over Pyra's purple scales and brush them gently through Angie's permanently statically charged fur. 

"Implications? You mean the positions he offered us?" Lara questions, bringing me back to my earlier thoughts.

"Yes, but I mean more why he offered us those positions in the first place. They were much too specific to be off-the-cuff ideas. His acting was superb, but he is a spy, Lara... Perhaps he is even the head of the intelligence department in The League, or at least very high up the chain? Did you notice how he never gave us his job title but seemed to have in-depth knowledge of what was going on? Or how he was apparently important enough to offer these opportunities to us? Not to mention how he claims to have personally pushed my reserve idea through. The most telling thing, however, was the Black Security Clearance Card. Only a handful of people in the entire League have that card. Professor Oak told me about it when he explained my own security clearance. Not even he has that card."

"You...you think it's a trap?" She says, worry etching her features.

"He casually swore an oath to Arceus that he has no intention to harm us, Lara. People don't just do that...but he went by it so quickly that I didn't even notice until I went back through the conversation in my head. Small pieces that just didn't seem to add up...But no. I don't think it's a trap. The opposite, actually. I believe he is one of the ones we can trust the most. Up there with Professor Oak."

"Really? Why do you think that?"

"He was honest with us. Completely and in more ways than he should have been with people of our age and importance. Either he truly believed what he said back there, or he is the greatest actor ever. I think...I think he is grooming us."

Lara thinks quietly to herself before a light seems to shine in her eyes. "I would be in an official position of power, high in the leadership hierarchy and you would be privileged to the most secret missions The League offers!" She connects the dots as I did.

"Yup, the question is: Why? Why trust us with something so important? Why offer us this? 3 years at our current pace may make those goals seem lofty, but they are actually quite manageable. What does he stand to gain having us in those positions, unless..."

"Unless?" Lara eggs me on.

"Unless things at The League are much worse than they appear. With you having a hand in controlling the narrative that the people hear and me having access to top-secret missions, we have leverage over those who would otherwise use these positions to abuse their power. I think there is a much bigger power struggle at play here than just Humanity First. Furthermore, I think this is a test. David is testing us to see if we can peer beyond the veil."

"To what end, though?" 

"I don't know yet...I could be completely wrong. He honestly might have just thought of those on the spot or, maybe, he is one of the bad ones seeking to manipulate us... Either way, that is a worry for another time." I finish and smile tiredly at my Fiance. "My brain hurts and I need Pizza."

"Pizza!?" Pyra perks up and Grace raises her head looking excitedly between us both. Lara and I chuckle, and I decide to tease my little fire dragon a bit.

"Yup...I even ordered you an entire bottle of Prof. Pepper...but you seem to be sulking from earlier, so I guess I will just have to drink it-"

"I forgive you!"Pyra shouts and flips around to hug me. "You are...the best!"

Lara snorts as Pyra reaches up with her claws and gently cups my face with wild glee written all over her expression. "I can forgive...such a simple thing."

Just then, there is a knock at the door. I put the now clingy and overly excited Pyra down and walk over to it. I pay for the food from the delivery guy and tip him generously. He had to carry a ton of hot food and drinks up to the 5th floor, after all. When I turn around, I see a happily dancing Pyra and Grace waiting close at hand, which makes me laugh as well.

We spend the next few hours eating and enjoying each other's company. Pyra and Grace split an entire meat lover's Pizza together, Lara and I eat half of a supreme, and the rest try out both the leftover supreme slices and the remaining cheese pizza. Rebecca seems to love the cheese pizza most of all, if her closed eyes and happy smile is any indication. All our Pokemon seem thrilled at the food and are enjoying it greatly, but Pyra is clearly the happiest as she slowly and reverently nurses the two-liter of Prof. Pepper. Anytime someone asks for a sip, she growls at them and that sets us all off giggling again. Leo is a herbivore, so I let him try some of the bell peppers and olives from my Pizza, which he seems to greatly enjoy.

I pass out a hot boneless buffalo wing to each of the Pokemon and it is met with a variety of reactions. The most dramatic is Angie, who, Pyra informs me, wants a spray of potion for her tongue. She stares up at me with full teary, puppy dog eyes and I just can't refuse her, not that I would have either way. Celeste and Jeffery seem to really enjoy the wings and, while I am applying the potion to a certain energetic fluffball, they steal all but one of them. When I look back, I see Lara about to pop the last wing in her mouth with a wide shit-eating grin.

'Oh, it's on now.'

I tackle and start tickling her as she tries to shove it in her mouth, then, while she is distracted, I kiss her deeply and steal it back from her hand. I savor my victory while she pouts. I bite it in down the middle and give her the remaining half, which she just stares at and yells,

"Ew! Finn cooties!" 

We devolve into giggling fits again and spend the rest of the night as a family...or most of us do. Pyra slips off to a corner with her bottle of Prof. Pepper and sips it in pure bliss like a 20-year alcoholic. This only makes us all laugh harder as she ignores us.

* | * | *

The next day, Lara and I wake up early and head out towards the Gym in Pewter City. We have to get briefed on what is going to happen, how it works, as well as get into our new costumes. When we arrive, there is a Leauge representative in a black suit out front waiting for us.

"Ah, good! You both came early." The man says with a jovial smile.

Lara snorts and I look over at her with a raised eyebrow and a look saying, "Really?"

"Yeah...Finn Cambridge." I shake my head at my Fiance and turn back to the man with a hand held out, "And this charming woman is Lara Ketchum."

Lara sticks her tongue out at me while the man smiles good-naturedly and shakes my hand. "Jerard Gordin, your League representative for the gym battle circuit. It is a pleasure to meet you both."

"You as well Jerard," I say with a smile, "What's the plan?"

"First, let's get you checked in. The others have yet to arrive, but you two are the stars of the show." Jerard says and starts walking towards the Rock Gym. 

As the name implies, this gym focuses on Rock Type Pokemon and is decorated, can you guess it? With rocks! The whole building is made out of varying sizes of fitted stone blocks and different types of rocks are embedded in the walls. I stare at a brilliantly shining purple quartz crystal that has to be the size of my head and that sits just above the gym sign.

We walk into the building through the sliding glass double doors and are greeted by a lavishly decorated main lobby. Marble with veins of gold line the floor and this contrasts well with the granite countertop and reception counter. The room has a set of black leather couches and black cushioned reception chairs in one corner against a series of windows and a natural-looking rock formation with Rock Type Pokemon carved artistically into it is on the opposite end. 

We walk up to the desk and a cheery-looking middle-aged man in mountain climbing gear greets us.

"Ah! Our main guests have arrived! Brock is just finishing setting up the arenas. If you wouldn't mind waiting out here, he will be with you shortly."

"Very good," Jerard says and ushers us towards the sitting area. "Alright, I am sure you are dying to know, so let me break down the challenges for today. There will be three sections and you may only use the Pokemon you choose for each section once. You also may fail a section only once, and if you fail a second time, you will not be able to get your badge and will have to try the gym normally later." He explains.

"The first section will be a King of the Hill event where you will each choose 1 non-Flying Type Pokemon and will have to hold a rock plateau for 5 minutes. The gym staff will be using their weaker Pokemon to try and knock yours off. You will each have to defeat or out maneuver 3 other Pokemon at once. If your Pokemon falls or faints, you fail. Your opposition will not be strong, but the numbers will make it challenging and fun to watch."

Lara and I nod with giant smiles. This sounds like it is gonna...Rock! 

"The next section will be a team battle. You will each choose 1 of any type of Pokemon and will need to work together to take down your opponents. The catch here is that the field is constantly shifting and small boulders will be rising from the ground and falling from the ceiling periodically. Simply defeat your opponents while minding the terrain and you will pass. If one of your team member's Pokemon is knocked unconscious, you will both still have a chance to win the section if the other manages to finish the battle and defeat your opponents."

"The last section will be a 1 on 1 battle with Brock. He will be using his Nosepass or Coalossal for the battles. They are quite powerful, so he plans on fighting with some restrictions. This is not technically within the Jr. League rules, but we are allowing it since it will be entertaining for the viewers to see a Pokemon from outside of the Kanto Region. Brock has been training them diligently as members of his personal team over the last two years, or so I have been told. It is advised you save your best Pokemon for last. If you win, you will receive your first gym badge, The Boulder Badge. Don't leave immediately, win or lose, as we will be holding interviews afterward to discuss the battles and the challenge. All in all, this will be a fun event! Ah! And here is our announcer!" Jerard finishes with obvious excitement. 

"Yo Cuz! You ready to get your ass kicked for the whole League's entertainment?"