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The place could have been bigger. A lot bigger. There were plenty of candidates to fill it. But, no. Avani was glad the cemetery were small and secluded. Deep into the Beryl Ward, the calmest ward on the City, and surrounded by trees, only an iron fence, its gate always opened for everyone who wanted to honor the dead. People who had to be there already knew where the Beryl Cemetery was, so there was no point on marking it into the map. An, so, Avani was able to feel the still atmosphere, the chill air, as if time didn’t dare to pass through that area. A few flocks of Spearow and other small flying Pokémon, some Meowth that entered from the mountain at night… It was a nice place. Full of memories. – I know, I know. – The Ground-type leader muttered to the tombstone, which only answered with its silence. – There has been an eternity since I was here last.
At first, when dust settled, Avani thought of making Beryl Ward her residence first. It had everything one could have wanted: The place, the mountain field, the sights, even a Gym she could have redecorated for her type. Once Reborn was made anew, Beryl had become a good ward, a quiet ward, and once, Avani had thought she could get peace up there. But she was wrong. Maybe it was her fault. To think she could live with her regrets, just like that, with memories of him mere steps away from growing again, big and dreadful like a Tangrowth out of control. People think Beryl Cemetery is empty, but it’s actually full of memories. And they still live inside the people who are still alive.
Taka should have been alive. He was the one that was right at Team Meteor. Didn’t ask for his life, his father, his destiny. Didn’t ask for his partners in crime, but learned to live with them. To put a façade and to make himself seen as another bad guy. If he had done what was supposed of him, if everyone acted as they were supposed to, Taka would still had lived. Things would have been different. Maybe he could have convinced his father and his people, make them change their ways… No. Team Meteor was Team Meteor. I was no use to think like that, to think what could have been. Not again, Avani had promised herself she wouldn’t do that again. The point was, she had broken her promise a lot lately.
– You probably wonder what am I doing in the city, after all this time. – She opted for talking to him like he was an old friend. In some ways, he was one. – Well, at first, I thought it had nothing to do with you, or anything else. But, now… I don’t know. I came here to see my people, after all.
This morning
The starting point was the poison. Maybe a virus or just a change in the water composition on the pond back home, by the mountain. The Pokémon in the water were falling ill, and when her own Gastrodon managed to be out of combat just before a Gym match (luckily, Avani had a replacement), she knew it wouldn’t just go away. And there she was, back in Reborn City, with a sick Gastrodon and making her way to Azurine Nature Center, where the scientists would probably have a solution for the problem. – Look, I’m not saying people don’t have the right to have a good time. – Victoria was saying, gesturing, nervous. – But what about the Academy? You know it’s supposed to be an isolated place to know yourself? What’s with that?
- Come on, Victoria, It’s not like they made the Academy into a holiday resort, right? You still have your place. – Heather replied, one hand around Shelly’s shoulders, and the other busy with an ice cream. – People deserve a place to wind down, after all. The city’s a busy place, you know it better than anybody. Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to take a few days off. The beach is perfect for that.
- I wouldn’t feel relaxed with all those people going around with their beach umbrellas and their towels, and all those Pokémon teams free to roam around the sand. – Victoria didn’t allow herself to be persuaded easily. – I can’t believe Adrienn did let this happen just like that.
- I don’t know, it’s nice. – Shelly intervened, always calm and always conciliatory. Since she was with Heather she was better than ever, but some habits were more difficult to let go than others. – It might be a little noisy… - Victoria gestured a “thank you”. – But I think the city needed this. It feels nice, you know? To relax and know you’re not responsible, even if it’s only for a while…
- So you are with her in this! She took you there, didn’t her? – Victoria made a face. – I trusted you, young woman, and that’s how you repay me… - The three of them laughed. The age difference seemed to have become some sort of practical joke since Avani’s last visit.
- So, what do you think, Avani? – Shelly turned to their friend. – Do you think it’s a good or a bad idea to have a holiday Reborn southwest of Peridot Ward? – The Ground-type leader felt their eyes on her.
- I’m sorry, I thought I saw somebody. I don’t know. I think that people deserve a place of rest, and a beach… But it’s also true that I wouldn’t want a tourist attraction back in Tanzan’s mountain range.
- Oh, come on. – Heather said. – You can’t not pick a side. Tell the truth, people deserve their beach.
- I’m sorry, kids, but Avani’s on my side. – Victoria took her friend’s back. – I’ve known her longer than you, and I think she’s… - A loud noise cut her words short, followed by a shake. Around them, the Coral ward people looked around, scared, but Shelly was the one who first identified it.
- The smoke…. – A big column of smoke rose from the north of Reborn City after what could only have been an explosion. Right around the Grand Stairwell. And the same thought formed inside everyone’s minds. – It’s happening again… - Shelly said, in a whisper, eyes fixated on the smoke. – The smoke… Heather’s dad… Team Meteor is…
- No. – Heather was the first one to jump in to shake her partner out of it. – It’s not, you hear me? I’m here, Shelly, do you hear me? I’m right here, I’m with you, and I won’t leave you alone again, you hear me? – Taking Shelly’s trembling hands between hers, Heather looked up to Victoria.
- Yes, we’ll have to deal with whatever happened. I’ll go fetch city officers, Avani, and you… Where is she?
Now
The chirping around Beryl Cemetery made her feel at calm with herself. Feel like all her worries had taken a step back and let her breathe for once. – I know, keeping tabs with each other, being true to oneself… - She thought time would somewhat help her to come to terms with everything. But, to be true, she was still that mess deep inside, that house of cards threatening to fall down at the first blow of wind. She then felt somewhat like Titania was right when she ran out to the desert just to flee from the past. But sometimes you don’t get the luxury of forgetting. – Sometimes past comes back just to bite your ass.
This noon
Avani hadn’t wait to see what was happening. She knew the smoke and the explosion could only mean bad things. Did Julia lose control again? Did one of her Gym fights go where it shouldn’t and one of the Electrodes had… She ran through the streets, keeping the possibility of Team Meteor out of her mind. That was the first time she thought of all that situation. The things she couldn’t change. The people waiting for her at the Cemetery. If there was something trying to take that peace away again… The shopping district in Obsidian Ward, the Opal hall with some of the Grand Hall’s workers looking outside, confused. She didn’t have time for that. She didn’t have time for it being too late. The fear was there, like a claw grasping her heart. A breath taken from her. A cold feeling through her gut. If Team Meteor had come back…
It would usually end in a false alarm. But not here. Not in Reborn City. After taking the Espurr that tried to flee the crime scene, Avani looked at the one who started it all, and felt a clear shiver through her spine. The worn-out grey outfit, with the X-shaped motif clearly visible, the four-colored familiar pattern… The Meteor Grunt stood on the top of the Grand Stairway, just between the Grand Gates and the hole his bomb had helped create. – How cute. Do you think you can help? You can maintain this city for what it is? – The voice the man showed his deranged state of mind. Avani looked at the injured people, left and right of the Stairway (luckily nobody seemed to have been fatal) but she didn’t look more, because the sun shining on the steel distracted her. He unsheathed his Aegislash, and between the sword Pokémon, the injured civilians, and the Team Meteor, that was the point where the memories came back to her again. That time in the Water Treatment Center, when another person wielding an Aegislash showed how savage could a human be against the ones of his kind. The blood on the WTC was gone, but the images weren’t.
She saw the Aegislash being unsheathed, her reaction was more an impulse than a thought: Beifong, her Excadrill, wasn’t fully out of the pokéball when the first quake shook the whole Stairways area. It wasn’t happening again. Not Team Meteor. Not a human Aegislash wielder. Not a terrorist threatening Reborn City’s peace.
Now
- That’s when I thought of you. – Avani kept talking to Taka. – The first time, down the WTC, we weren’t in a good state of mind enough to stop Titania from going haywire, and look where it got us. – Ironically, while that was the first time Taka had to confront Titania’s Aegislash, that wasn’t the place where he met his maker. But it was that Aegislash. – I just wanted to make sure it didn’t happen again. I always thought it actually boosted Titania’s feeling, being like it is a Ghost-type. And I thought it also had something to do here. So, I had to defeat the guy and the Aegislash.
This noon
After Aegislash flew out of the Grunt’s hand and fell to the ground’ defeated by Beifong’s Shadow Claw, the Meteor Grunt seemed somewhat disoriented. For an instant, Avani thought she had done right and it was the sword Pokémon possessing the grunt and boosting his bad feelings. But then, the Espurr Avani still held growled, in fear, and the man went again with it. A Malamar, a Gengar straight form his shadow… The good thing was that the fight helped to stop Avani’s feelings made her lock into her fight instincts without allowing her to remember anymore. It wasn’t the strongest enemy she had faced, not for a big stretch. Girafarig was easy to take down, and Gengar was finally out thanks to a last effort from Golurk before passing out. But when Avani tried to take out Mamoswine to deal with the Grunt’s Palossand, she realized something unprecedented: half her team, usually close-by at her belt, was missing. It was no error. The pokéballs had not fallen out. She hadn’t forgot to take them; she was actually intending to try and go to the beach Heather and Victoria were arguing over before. Somebody had taken her team, and when she turned back, she felt herself a fool: It was the Espurr, who ran at full speed towards North Obsidia Ward, about to get lost into the crowd. Avani started to pursue the Pokémon, but she felt the waves of energy before the Earth Power attack exploded just before her, knocking her into the ground. That’s where the Espurr stopped and turned back to her. And the “Meteor Grunt”, behind, started talking again. – What, you didn’t know you can’t flee from a Trainer Battle? Humans are truly stupid… - The Espurr in front of her, with half her team with its little hands around it, and the towering Palossand with the trainer behind her. – That’s why I think y’all should let us get the wheel. I mean, can you do this? – The man moved closer. – Just a wandering bum from the shelter, and old Meteor Outfit I found on 7th Street, and we’ve already put in check all Reborn City and given them a grim reminder. – It was the Espurr, it had been the Espurr from the beginning. – I’ve spent almost years planning to do this, you know? Recruiting all those thugs and convincing them to fight along with me… It was easy moving around the city, you know? The only times people talked to me were when they were saying how cute I was. – It was kind of strange to hear those words from a grown-up human, from where Espurr was talking. Avani tried to get up, or to take out another of her Pokémon, but a Shadow Ball from the Palossand exploded right over where her left hand was a moment ago. – That’s why we never understood who made you humans the bigwigs of all this battles thing. You, the little, weak and puny normal-type beings who actively refuse to engage in them and let us do the dirty job… Well, from now on, it will be different. – The little Pokémon went around where Avani was, and got close to the hole. – Now that I’ve opened the door from where our psychic-type friends were enclosed, from the sacred sanctuary where the power is stored, you weak ones will have to yield. – Looking at the Espurr, Avani would have sworn it was smiling maliciously. The Gengar went out of its shadow-form just to support the idea with its big grin. - ¡today the era of Pokémon starts again! ¡Rise, comrades! ¡Come out of the hole you’ve been all your lives, and…
The words were cut short when something big and winged swiped the small pokémon out of thin air, with a deafening Buzz. The Espurr started crying when the flying pokémon took it high, and the possessed grunt cried too. – No! Don’t do it! Take your claws off me! – The Yanmega spinned wildly with the pokémon firmly grasped into its jointed appendages, until it stopped, righ in front of its owner. – Well done, Heather! – Said Shelly, who had already catched up to the battle. Her girlfriend kissed her on the cheek, and Shelly laughed. – Well done, other Heather! – Avani finally got to stand up, and realized she was not alone anymore, as a lot of trainers had gathered all around them, all of them prepared to stand up for her. The Espurr meowed, trying to make them feel sorry for it, but everyone, and specially higher-ups from Reborn League, had seen how things were.
The fake Meteor Grunt let a scream out and kneeled, hands over his head. – I’m sorry! – Le said, almost crying. – I don’t know what’s happening here, this outfit is not mine! I don’t affiliate with them anymore, please, don’t shoot!
Now, at last
Avani looked around. Was something around? It was probably some Meowth loitering around after something shiny, after all, it was getting dark. – Turns out, that Espurr was actually behind it all. Just a superpowered pokémon with an unusual ability and a tendency to crime. It lost its original owners in the chaos the city was when you… - She sighed. – When Team Meteor was winning, and, well, all those things leave a mark. – That had been the third time she had thought of the past. Sometimes she remembered feeling resentment towards Taka and Mr. Copperman Lumi and Eve, and all those people who defected from Team Meteor, because those too, had lend their power to sink Reborn City. But then, if failures were everything that mattered in people, all those good things they did would be in vain. Life was worth living. Corey was wrong.
- After the Espurr was discovered and defeated, the situation de-escalated. Palossand and the other pokémon were returned to their pokéballs, the poor guy is safe and sound, being made a check-up at the hospital, and the other victims are recovering well. I think. The only thing left is what to do with the little guy. In one hand, it is a pokémon. But, in the other, it’s a criminal. Ah… I’m glad it’s not up to me. - It was in a cage for now, and Reborn City would take care of it form now on. The only thing left for Avani to decide, was what to have for dinner in the Spyce. After all those memories from the past, she finally noticed she needed to have new memories, with her friends.
That was her reason to be there, after all that time, finally facing Taka’s tomb again. I’m here again, she wanted to say. I’m not afraid of memories anymore. She was. But this time, she knew she was not alone. She turned around, and was about to go towards the gates, when a faint voice, Taka’s voice, replied. “Bye”. Avani froze in site. “Bye”, the voice repeated, softly. “Bye”. Shaken for a minute by the implications of that voice, Avani turned again, only to find, much to her relief, a small pokémon, just a little bigger than a Spearow or a Pidgey, landed in a low branch near her. “Bye”, the Chatot chirped, and Avani smiled as one does when meeting with an old friend. – You were with him the whole time, did you? – The Chatot chirped again, and a small flock of smaller Chatot landed around him. Yes, Avani thought. Old memories stick around the most, and it’s no easy feat to get out of them. But, sometimes, our friends are there, to remind us we are not alone.
A few hours later
The cell zone of the jail was dark and it smelled bad in there. Troublemakers, drunkards, thieves, were placed there temporarily while awaiting their trial, and for the time being, the criminal Espurr was no different. The pokémon looked around with his big purple eyes, leaning against the bars, wondering which of those people would be easier to make help him escape, when a sudden noise made him look to the door, from where the light slipped through from the police station. – Okay, ma’am, take your time. That damn ball of fur is in there. – The white-haired girl Espurr was about to defeat before was there, with her penetrating glare that rivaled over Espurr’s, and her hands in her pockets. – Oh, great, you’re here to laugh at me, don’t you? – The Espurr rolled his eyes as high as he could. – Who am I kidding, you cannot even understand me, can you?
- In fact, I can. – The visitor surprised him with a grin. Was she listening such a long list of profanity when they defeated him? – I only wanted to say how fun it was to see you struggling to get all that people’s attention, what you really craved.
- Hey! – The small pokémon took offence.
- What? You had a pretty good spot with that guy, and you blew it. Literally. You know why the og Team Meteor did as damage as they did? Because they didn’t go for a quick and flashy show once they got their hands in some power. They infiltrated, they made a net under the city, and then started knocking down Reborn City from the insides. Then they got flashy.
That was strange. When Espurr had faced the white-haired ground leader, Avani, she didn’t seem to be the scheming type. – Come on, girl, I am no legendary, cut me some slack, will you? Besides, if you let me try again, I will try better next time, deal?
- The point is, my dear Espurr, you won’t. Because all you want is to get flashy and get seen. It must have been alone, with nobody to look at you for so long. Do you want to know how I know? Because that game you’re playing as a newbie, some of us are already playing as masters. – The young woman with Avani’s appearance stepped back again and turned towards the halfway closed door to the cell ward, with one last stop to look down on Espurr. – You know what they say, little one… - In an instant, the figure flashed, and instead of Avani, the shocked Espurr saw and old woman with a cane, and the Zoroark who actually was smirking at him, before turning back to the fake Avani. – “We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when…”