PW! - At Loose Ends

At Loose Ends


A small smile crossed Vincent’s face as he nursed his cup. “Of all
the things I thought would happen when I first heard about you two, I
doubted this would be among them. You realize, of course, no one’s
going to leave me alone now that I’m a celebrity.”

The celebrations had long ended, the revelries ceased, and the
three victorious trainers were left with a quiet moment to themselves
in Gateon Port’s Pokémon Center, sipping tea and having their Pokémon
looked after.

Alex smiled. “I don’t know. Celebrity status might be a good thing
for you. Might encourage more business off at the parts shop you work
at now. Truthfully, I’m a little more concerned about what will happen
now that Cipher’s been dispatched.”

“Well, their boss is dead, their administrators have been
thoroughly trounced, some of their big-name operatives are gone and
done with, and all their bases are trashed.” Notably optimistic,
Nicholas looked at both. “I mean, it’d be hard for them to come back,
wouldn’t it?”

“Wouldn’t stop them from trying. Still, things changed for the
better out here the first time they got bested. Maybe this time,
things’ll improve even further.” A thought came to the young woman,
and she pondered aloud, “I wonder how hard it would be to get a lease
out here.”

The former mercenary looked at her with surprise. “Suddenly have an
interest in a summer home?”

“Nah, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a factory or something out here.
Give a man an honest job, and he’ll be a lot less inclined towards
pursuing a life less noble.”

A smile crossed the blonde’s face as he thought of his Swinub. “Or
you could encourage a change of heart. The steady paycheck doesn’t
hurt, however.” He took a sip of his tea before turning the
conversation to other topics. “So, what will you two do now?”

Nicholas shrugged. “I’ve gotten contacts from folks throughout the
region wanting performances. I’ll be booked for a while, and as glad
as I am to be a proper Guardian, it’ll be good to get back to the
stage for a while.” He turned to the lone woman among them. “What
about you? We’ve stopped Cipher, you’ve purified Rush. That’s what you
came here for, isn’t it?”

Alex gave a small, sad smile. “Yeah, that’s what I came for. As
glad as I am to have them accomplished, however, I feel like it went
by real quick. I’d have thought it would take longer than the month
we’ve been at it.”

The young Aura Guardian felt as if it hadn’t been a month, given
how fast things had gone, but kept that to himself. The way she was
speaking, however, suggested that Alex had plans in mind that didn’t
involve returning home immediately. “So, what are you going to do?”

A sip of her tea. “Well, before we do anything else, I want to get
that Snag Machine back to Professor Krane. We don’t need it anymore,
after all. And a small part of me wants to visit Realgam Tower, try my
luck one more time on Mt. Battle. If nothing else, it’ll give me a
chance to get to know the new Pokémon.”

“Speaking of, who did future you give you? I mean, she only had the
four…”

“Surya’s still with her. She passed Katana, Raijin and Eir on to
me.” She leaned back in her seat. “As glad as I am to have three
powerful, well-trained and high-level Pokémon on my team, I don’t know
how well they’ll adjust to me. The only me they knew was twenty years
older and wiser, and the best trainers get better with time. And as
much trouble as they’ll have adapting to me, I’ll probably have just
as much adapting to them.”

Her boyfriend gave her an affectionate nudge. “I think you’ll
manage just fine.”

“Thanks, Nick.” With some relief, she set down her cup. “In any
case, it’ll be a few days before the next ferry back to Hoenn, so I
may as well try my luck at the Tower, right? A little bit more fun
before I head back and meet up with everyone. Hopefully, the messes
that have started up back home will be settled by the time I get
back.” At the Aura Guardian’s surprised look, she explained, “Cass
didn’t give me many details, I just have a few friends who are
addressing some old issues. Nothing they can’t handle. In any case,
you’ve still got me for a little while.”

The young man smiled. “Then let’s make every second count, hm?”

Vincent gave a soft chuckle as he looked at the two youngsters. A
little too fond of baby steps, sure, but at least they were going
somewhere. “Well, seeing as I’m the one with the Snag Machine strapped
to my arm, I think I’d best go with you, at least to the lab. After
that, we’ll have to part ways.”

Alex grinned. “Until next time, anyway.”

-

Evening was starting to settle down on the area. Vincent had gone
back to his residence at the port, and Nicholas had gone back to his
RV, Alex staying behind at the Pokémon Center. A quick log in with her
PC, and she’d zapped in her three newest Pokémon, her two main
standbys waiting beside her.

“<You realize, of course, this could well be a waste of time.>” His
emerald eyes fixed on his trainer and friend, Surtur watched as she
collected three Poké Balls from her belt. “<The cynic in me is already
considering more than one bad scenario for this.>”

“I’m well aware that they could react poorly to the news, Surtur.
Still, I need to give them a chance to stand up and talk. They need to
know what’s going on.”

“Assuming, of course, they don’t know already.” Perched on her
shoulder, ShadowWarrior elaborated, “After all, you wouldn’t simply
abandon us without explanation, would you?”

“No, but we don’t know how much I’ll change in twenty years. And I
need to give them a word or two edgewise.” Without another word, the
balls were tossed, the Pokémon inside them sent out.

Before Alex could start to speak, however, Raijin charged and
grabbed a tight hold of her waist, embracing her with a warm hug. At
the girl’s surprised expression, the Raichu looked up and smiled.
“<Aren’t you glad to see us?>”

“Well, yes, but I didn’t think…”

Katana managed a chuckle. “<Did you honestly think that you would
simply leave us without explaining why? We knew this was coming, Alex.
You told us as much.>” The Scizor stepped forward and gave the
Blaziken an approving look. “<She also told me of you, Surtur, that
you were stubborn and frustrating, but loyal and steadfast. She
compared the two of us often. I see I have much to live up to.>”

The Blaze Pokémon gave a smug grin. “<Yes, you do.>”

With a surprised smile on her face, Alex wrapped her arms around
the electric mouse and brought her up to her chest. “So you three
don’t have a problem sticking around with immature little me.”

Eir smiled serenely. “<Child, we are family. It’s what family
does.>”

A grin formed on the girl’s face, and she laughed. “In that case,
I’d say its official. Welcome to the family.”

-

The next day, rested and with their Pokémon recovered, the trio
made their way to the region’s Pokémon Lab. Both Alex and Nicholas
quickly noticed that the external structure had been repaired, the
shattered windows replaced with new glass, and guessed that it was
much the same for the purification chamber within. They’d barely
gotten inside when they found, idly chatting with his secretary, the
man in charge. “Professor Krane!”

The bushy-haired scientist turned and greeted them with a smile.
“Alex! Nicholas! Vincent! I was wondering if we’d see you again! Well
done defeating Cipher!”

A proud smile flashed on the girl’s face. “Thanks, but we can’t
take all the credit. Looks like you guys have gotten things fixed up
well around here.”

“Like I said, repairs to the purification chamber didn’t take long.
It was getting everything else moved out of the way that was the real
problem.” Noticing the Snag Machine on the former mercenary’s arm, the
professor noted, “And I’m guessing that you won’t need it at this
point.”

“Cipher wasn’t as far along this time.” Vincent removed the device
and handed it off. “But both this and the chamber might come in handy,
just in case they come back for another round. I’d rather have both
than nothing.” All too aware of the surprised looks from both his
allies, the ex-mercenary gave a small smile. “What? Someone has to
stand vigil around here, and I’m going to be here for now anyway, so
why not me?”

The Aura Guardian smiled before turning to the scientist. “Sounds
like you’ve got everything ready in case there’s a next time.”

“Oh, there will be a next time. There’s always a next time. But
when it comes, we’ll be better prepared.”

Alex grinned as she looked at the pair. “Plus, you’ll know where to
turn in case you need a little backup.”

“Just send the signal and you’ll come in with both swords swinging,
right?” Pointing out the sword on her back, taken from Kosda upon his
defeat, the former mercenary asked, “Or are you going to get rid of
that one?”

Alex idly looked at the second blade, much larger than the one she
started her journey with. “Kosda’s first Hysbryd Eginyn found its way
to me as the Dorsal Excalibur. Knowing its history doesn’t make me
want to get rid of it, and the same is true of the second one. But I
am going to give it a new name – no offense to Wales, but ‘Spirit
Blade’ just sounds a bit pretentious.” She grinned and noted, “I do
like the idea of calling it the Dorsal Caliburn, however. A little
cheesy, I’ll admit, but it has a certain charm.”

A little lost, the professor shook his head and decided to roll
with it. “Well, whatever you decide to call that sword, let’s hope
whoever made it doesn’t decide to come back.”

Alex shook her head at that possibility. “Last we saw of Kosda, he
was having a close encounter with Mewtwo. I doubt we’ll ever see him
again.”

-

There is a quiet place in Agate Village, one part rest home and one
part asylum, intended to care for the elderly who can no longer look
after themselves due to dementia or Alzheimer’s or simply advanced
age. Many of those who worked there hoped that they would not become
residents themselves, but they nonetheless took care of those who were
left there by weary families.

That day, however, they would find themselves with a mystery. Found
naked in the streets, lost and vocally unresponsive and with no form
of identification on his person, was an old man. They couldn’t find a
name for him, but they took him in regardless, hoping to re-educate
him, help this John Doe to return to society.

Far above and in the distance, Mewtwo wondered if this was indeed
the wisest course. Wiping Kosda’s memory, leaving him effectively at
the level of an infant intellectually, was indeed a harsh crime, if
effective. A part of him wondered if simply killing him would have
been better.

Then he considered what could have happened, had he been allowed to
continue. Previously, Cipher had claimed the birds and beasts from
Kanto and Johto – it was only a matter of time before they tried for
the golems, the weather trio, the lake trio or the dragon trio. With
such powers at their disposal, they may even have been bold enough to
try for him. This was a problem that needed to be resolved, and he had
resolved it.

Fortunately, the girl had done much of the work for him. He hadn’t
foreseen this being their first meeting, but he was nonetheless
impressed. Doppler was not always the best at choosing his allies, but
it seemed in this case, Alexandria Masters had come to be a wise
choice. If nothing else, she had great potential.

-

Hours after their visit to the lab and their brief goodbye to
Vincent, Alex and Nicholas found themselves looking at the last major
landmark Orre had that they hadn’t visited – Realgam Tower. Built by
Cipher years ago as a front for its activities, the tower had come
under new management, its activities turned to legitimate ends. While
it had drawn business and attention away from Phenac City, it had
nonetheless managed to provide a boost to the local economy,
generating jobs and income for many of the people in the area.

“One performance here, one night only.” Nicholas looked up at the
beautiful tower, instantly reminded of a chandelier. “And given what
we can expect, you’ll probably have one impressive fight on your hands
when you battle there.”

“Yeah. If nothing else, it’ll be good for the team, let
Grospoliner, Strika and Snapdragon have some experience.” She turned
to the young man with a grin. “Think you’ll need me for the show?”

She got a grin right back. “Think you’ll be up for it?”

-

It hadn’t taken long for her to register and put together a team.
Much to her joy, this time wasn’t for high stakes or against terrible
odds – it was just for fun.

The crowds cheered as she stepped out onto the field at Realgam
Colosseum, a brawny bodybuilder waiting for her at the opposite end.
“Come on, kid! Let’s give ‘em a show! Donphan, Sealeo, go!”

Alex smiled. She’d be back on the job soon enough, reuniting with
friends, finding Smasher, back on the journey where she belonged. For
now, however, she was going to enjoy herself. “Daraxis, surf’s up!
Raijin, light up the night!”

Whether she kept it up for twenty years or twenty minutes, it
didn’t matter. Alexandria Masters was not controlled by fate – she
made her own destiny.


TBC!

[NS - And thus pretty much ends Alex's little adventure through Orre.
I don't know quite yet when she'll be back in Hoenn, seeing as I'll be
taking a break from writing starting today, but I expect I'll be back
at it sometime next month. Rest assured, however, I will keep up with
what's been going on. Also, expect updated profiles for all my
characters very shortly.]