Author's Rant
1.6. Even Demons Can Hope
"Are we there yet are we there yet are we—" Reyes grabbed Dominic's muzzle and slammed him to the floor. "Reyes, that hurt," he complained, rubbing his jaw.
"Do I look like I care?"
"Why are you so mean today?" he whined before giving up, running to the railing to hop excitedly at the looming island holding Ever Grande City and the Pokémon League of Hoenn. He was only surly due to his
goodwill of taking Dominic in, since he had the terrible terrible habit of speaking in his sleep, and on top of that he would kick at the walls or scratch the floors during nightmares; with all of that in his cabin, he didn't get any more than an hour of sleep.
"Morning," Louis said, coming out of the main cabin with a plate of Berries; he handed them to Reyes, who took them gratefully. "Sorry; I wasn't sure what you eat," he said to Dominic.
"Anything with a pulse," Reyes muttered.
"I eat those!" Dominic practically jumped over the railing, pointing at the rolling schools of Magikarp, Lumineon, and Feebas below them. "But I can't swim…"
"I can't dive down there, my fire will burn out," Louis said; both of them turned to Reyes.
"I won't go down there to catch fish for you to eat…it's against my ethics!"
"Please, Reyes?" Dominic pleaded.
"No way; just eat Berries."
"Berries aren't a real meal!"
"On the contrary, Berries have more nutrients as a meal than a fish." He offered his Berries to Dominic, who pulled a face and shook his head.
"Meat," he said staunchly, setting his jaw; Reyes shook his head, avoiding eye contact in case he had any funny ideas. It was only when he heard a splash behind him that he remembered that Louis didn't know Dominic's trick; he ran to the railing and saw him sinking below the surface, his fire creating a warm orange glow as it began fading. Reyes formed a vine and tied it into a loop, tossing it down into the water; it hooked around something heavy and he began pulling Louis free. He was more or less alright in the end, just drenched; he hadn't been underwater long enough for it to have caused lasting damage, but he was a little shaky from the temperature. There was a pair of large Magikarp held in his tail that he dropped on deck; Dominic instantly pounced on them like a wildcat, catching them as they tried to flop away.
"Stop it," Reyes snapped, stepping on his arm. "You need to stop treating other people and Pokémon so damn callously, because someday your karma will return full circle."
"The King does not believe in karma!" he proclaimed. "But he believes in immediate gratification!"
"Now I see why he's a rebel," Louis commented; Reyes sighed.
"He's not very good at learning lessons either." Reyes kicked the fish back into the sea. "But now you're hurting my friends, so you're going to be in a whole 'nother game; you'll learn respect, you'll learn restraint, and you'll learn to relent, or so help me I'll slice you up so badly Hell won't know what to make of you."
"The King doesn't find your threats amusing," he snorted; Reyes grabbed him by his nose, bringing him up until he could slice away the tip of Dominic's ear.
"They aren't meant to be." Blood poured down Dominic's face from the wound; he touched it in disbelief, then he grinned.
"That'a boy, Sceptile; it's no fun if the prey don't wanna fight back." Reyes released him, and somehow he landed perfectly on his feet.
"You're going to apologize to Louis."
"Why in hell—" Reyes slashed at his face, an attack he just barely managed to deflect with his claws; sparks flew from the contact and Dominic's wrist made a painful snapping sound from the force he needed just to defend himself. Reyes grabbed Dominic's head and forced him down in a bow; he grumbled beneath his breath, "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry what?"
"I'm sorry for almost drowning you Louis!" he repeated, breathlessly angry; Reyes released him and he slunk back to the railing, gripping it as he lowered his head out of view.
"I mean, I can tell that he's somewhat of a good guy…at least, he never tried to kill us in our sleep or anything," Louis said to Reyes, twiddling his thumbs anxiously, "but it's not all that smart to make friends with him."
"Does it
look like we're friends?"
"Sort of, yeah."
"It's a good thing your species isn't the Clarity Pokémon." He watched as Ever Grande's docks came into view and helped Louis moor the boat on the pier; Dominic didn't move for several seconds even after the boat was secured to a post, and it wasn't until Tex came down that he actually made any gesture, although it was one of alarm and surprise. "Tex, quit doing that; you scare the crap out of everybody," Reyes told it.
"P-P-Porygon-Z?" Dominic stammered, still in shock from his appearance; Tex immediately began buzzing about him, causing his mane to frizz out from his constant electric emissions. "O-Oi, that hurts," he complained, trying to move away; Tex just followed him, being the annoying virtual insect that it was.
"Tex, what are you doing here?"
"MEET-MEETING THE NEW GUY," it replied, finally backing away from Dominic. At that point, his fur was so fluffy he looked like a red and grey fur ball; Louis had to cover his mouth with all four hands to keep from laughing aloud.
"The Sharpedo will be feasting upon your tongue," Dominic warned him; Reyes grabbed his ear, pulling his head down.
"Let's go already, Tex," Reyes said; they walked up the crudely-carved stone staircases to a ledge, where they each had to climb ladder rungs made of rocks embedded into the stone wall to reach the downhill end of the city. They had to hike through some tall grass, fending away the natural wild Pokémon there (and also prevent Dominic from eating the smaller ones) before they reached the final checkpoint, which was the "gate" situated around the city; it was only seven feet long and seemed paltry, but that was because the actual gate was a psychic barrier held up twenty-four/seven, barring the city from all types of Pokémon, and though he had never visited Sootopolis, he assumed that the rebels had something similar.
"…Reyes, you've returned safely," Azalea beamed, throwing her arms around him as he came near; he returned the hug before pulling away, and she began examining the others. "And Tex, Louis…I'm assuming the one that I can't sense is the King?"
"Yes, that would be Dominic; he is a Dark-type."
"Maybe if you took off that blindfold you'd see me," Dominic pointed out; Azalea just smiled, kind no matter who it was.
"That still wouldn't work… You see, my physical eyes were injured a long time ago; I can't see through them at all."
"Really?" he asked, eyes wide; a second later, that "King" expression crossed his face as he whispered something to Azalea, resulting in her slapping him so hard Reyes' jaw ached.
"What did he say?"
"Nothing that a proper lady should repeat," she huffed, indignant; Dominic whined, clenching his swelling cheek. "You all may pass." She held up a hand to the gates; they parted, and less visibly, a hole appeared in the barrier for them to go through—in fact, the gates were only even a marker to know where the hole would be because of the barrier's consequences. Reyes, Louis, and Tex used the gates like
normal freaking Pokémon, but Dominic, extraordinary as he was, tried leaping over them; he received a face-full of barrier, then a face-full of the potent psychic energy it held, which manifested on him as a field of silver electricity. (The contact varied between Pokémon for reasons unknown; for Reyes, it was a strong Fighting-type punch in his reproductive organs…all both of them.)
"Are you alright," Reyes asked, although he was so uncaring of the answer that it was barely even a question. Dominic hit the ground in a larger fluff than before; he remained still for exactly three seconds before getting to his feet.
"Bashtaaard," Dominic slurred, grasping his ears in his claws as he shook his head.
"I've heard, come on." Reyes waited for Dominic to stumble his way through the hole, then let Azalea seal it up behind them; he expected ten seconds of silence from Dominic at least, but he only got two.
"That Gardevoir was haaaawt."
"She's got a mate," Louis told him.
"Not that I care!" Dominic said.
"Dominic, don't." They had to walk a few more pathways and do a little more hiking, something he could've done without Dominic's endless complaints, but they finally reached the last ledge in the mountainous city; Dominic's head went back and his jaw dropped in awe at the sight of Ever Grande City.
The entire place was blooming with flowers, seeing as it was early spring, and when Ever Grande was in bloom it truly was grand; roses, daisies, hydrangeas, myosotis, rhododendrons, tulips, violets, et cetera all opened up to all colors of the rainbows and then some, peeking out with no shame whatsoever from every corner of the ground not taken up by the cobblestone path. The buildings were revamped, all built from naturally-made products to give it the same appearance as plaster but more eco-friendly (and being duly appreciated by Grass-types) and none were as dilapidated as those within the rebels' cities or the humans cities (no matter how much the revolutionaries befriended them, they were still some polluting bastards); cars were there too, but very few considering the people mainly walked and had the friendly neighborhood Pokémon to offer to carry heavy burdens. Shops and stores abounded, national parks were all over, and very few walked around appearing downtrodden; in short, Ever Grande was as close to a paradise as that world was going to get.
"Since the revolutionaries are situated here, there are little to no attacks; therefore, we're not constantly on guard or have to have weapons constantly at the ready," Reyes told Dominic, who still hadn't fixed his dislocated jaw. "Also, we're not always doing repairs and humans are free to raise families here; this is one of the nicest cities still remaining on the Earth, if you couldn't see."
"I… Flowers?" He bent down to pluck one of the flowers from the ground, taking a sniff. "It's weird…so weird…" He stuck it in his fur so that the sunflower's petals stuck out and got down on all fours, sniffing at more of them; remembering what happened the last time he had a taste of life, Reyes grabbed him by his ponytail, pulling him back.
"Alakazam is over in the Pokémon Center; you're going to talk to him, then you're going to get the hell out of here before you ruin our lives."
"Aye aye," he muttered; Reyes herded him towards the Pokémon Center, getting a few unnecessary stares in the process. The glass doors pinged softly as they slid open, blasting them with cool air and the crisp scent of cinnamon as they entered; Nurse Joy and her Chansey were speaking to a young Trainer with his two Eevee, and there were only a few other Trainers within the lobby. Tex and Louis separated from them to attend to their own duties; Reyes released Dominic and he started sniffing around, not saying anything for a long while.
"Alakazam is in the basement area," Reyes said.
"I'm really gonna meet him, huh?" he muttered, awe in his voice. "Blaziken told me that if I ever were to meet Alakazam, gut him on sight." The rebels' leader wasn't known for his mercy, in any event.
"I really hope you don't; despite your Dark-type, he is powerful enough to chuck you like a skipping stone."
"I…don't think I get the simile."
"Not that it matters; you'll probably get to see it yourself." Reyes opened the backroom's door for him, allowing him into the stairwell; they walked the short distance into the cold basement where a few revolutionaries lurked. "Alakazam's right there," a Mightyena said, nodding his muzzle in the direction of a door; Reyes nodded back and glanced at Dominic, who was looking all around as if Death itself was going to spring out of nowhere and claim him. He knocked twice on the door, and when he didn't hear anything he pulled it open. "You first," he told Dominic; Dominic shook his head and latched onto Reyes' tail, so he gave up and moved on.
The room was entirely empty save for a bright red pillow set in the middle of the wooden floor, and on it was Alakazam, even though he was actually hovering a few inches above it, legs crossed and spoons poised as if for an invisible bowl of soup. "Alakazam—" Reyes started.
"Good afternoon," he interrupted, scratching his long grey whiskers; the spoon remained in the air even as his hand moved.
"It's actually morning."
"My mistake," he chuckled; he cracked open an eye, looking at Reyes and then Dominic. "And good after—morning to you, Your Majesty." He even bowed a little, but since it was Alakazam it was more amusing than derogatory; Dominic sort of mumbled something that sounded dangerously like "Revolutionary scum." "I wouldn't say that we're
all scum," Alakazam countered evenly, twirling his spoon psychically.
"Reyes is, as far as I've seen, not scummy-scum," he concurred, causing Reyes' eyes to widen slightly; as far as Dominic's mind went, that was a compliment, but it was odd considering how detestable Reyes acted around him.
"Why is that?"
"Because he can kill!" You fool, Reyes thought but didn't speak aloud. "But uh, in all seriousness, why did you wanna talk to me? I'm sorta a rebel…and you're sorta the
big revolution'ry…"
"I'm aware of the differences in our positions, however…Reyes, may you please leave?" he said, interrupting himself to stare at Reyes.
"Yes, sir."
"No, no, stay." Dominic grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Please, Alakazam sultan President Prime Minister sir?"
"…Reyes, do you want to stay?" Alakazam asked him; Reyes shrugged a shoulder, but he immediately felt the tingling sensation of more than just Alakazam's eyes searching him.
"Excuse me, sir, but my mind is
mine," he said, clenching a fist but quickly loosening his grip; Alakazam relented, but with an odd expression on his aged face.
"You may stay, Reyes; now, King…"
"Dominic! I mean, my name is Dominic," he amended, still looking around as if he expected to be attacked at any moment; considering his position, it was highly likely, but he hadn't shown any fear of the revolutionaries yet—perhaps it was Alakazam's aura of power that had him on edge.
"Dominic," he corrected. "How exactly did you become 'the King'?"
"Oh, I killed the last four territory leaders," he said offhandedly. "And it's not exactly like I became
the King; I could've also been
the Dominic."
"Then why did you become
King instead of
Dominic?"
"Because my name, orig'nally, was Rex."
"Interesting… Why did you change it?"
"I…didn't change it; my new-old owner did." Dominic shivered a little as if the memory itself was bone-chilling.
"What was the person's name?"
"S…Steven Stone." He was getting incrementally more paranoid.
"The old Champion who died during the beginning of the revolution? Who was your owner before him?"
"A guy…a boatman—seaman…Ali Stuart. He had me and my mom after my dad was killed by wild Pokémon."
"Er, Alakazam, you only wanted to see him to know more about him? because if you plan on killing him, it would be a bad idea…due to how it would throw the rebels' chain of command out of sorts," Reyes inserted.
"I'm aware of that, Reyes," Alakazam said coolly, eyes still on Dominic; he clamped his claws around his mouth, shaking slightly. "Dominic, who were your parents?"
"Sho… Two Zoroark…Michaela and Dominic…"
"Hm… Can I ask you one more question?"
"On top of the eighty-something you just did? Suuuure," Dominic muttered bitterly.
"I don't suppose you remember every Pokémon you've killed?"
"Why in hell should I?" he said, although his tone wasn't as fiery as it ought to have been. Reyes assumed that Alakazam had a problem with the amount of revolutionaries Dominic killed; if so, then he also might have been planning to… Oh, how obvious of such a genius Pokémon! Yet, if Alakazam were to kill Dominic at that moment…why should Reyes have cared? He had been nothing but a pain in the neck and had given him nothing but pains in his bloodstream; he killed many, rebels and revolutionaries and humans, and surely wouldn't stop at Reyes' behest. No, the King wasn't worth saving at all.
"I see… Then I have a request for you." He sat up a little straighter. "Would you perhaps join us, not officially but in aid?"
…Is he serious? Arceusdamnit, he's a rebel! He's
the King! Reyes thought, flabbergasted, and Dominic said it aloud.
"I am very aware of what you do, and that's exactly why I want your help."
"You want me to be some sort of double-agent? You should know, I don't play that s—"
"Shut up?" Reyes told him.
"He was talking to me!"
"And you sound like an idiot!"
"Do not!"
"Do so!"
"Do—not!"
"Do—so!" Alakazam interceded with a soft ringing of his spoons like a tuning fork, although the noise seemed amplified in his meditation room.
"I find it smarter for you to leave Blaziken's side and come to mine, Dominic; the rebels have their power, but they're truly not going anywhere, and I think that something better should be offered to you considering your…upbringing. Be honest with yourself: do you like what you're doing now?"
"The King likes it," he said testily; Alakazam raised his eyes to the ceiling for a moment before closing one, looking Dominic up and down.
"Be honest with yourself visually," he said cryptically; Dominic scoffed through his teeth. A slight breeze passed through the sealed room, and although Reyes was standing behind him, he could feel something had changed; his thoughts were confirmed when he moved forward. Dominic had had him under an illusion the entire time, he realized, and maybe everybody else too with their lackluster reactions upon meeting him. He had so many injuries it was far from funny, from his chewed-off ear to claw marks on his muzzle baring some of his teeth to a genuine hole-shaped scar near his heart; one of his claws were broken off to a jagged stump and he was also a living embodiment of the phrase "stab you in the back." As bad as Reyes thought of the King, he was glad that he did his sort of censorship; that sort of appearance brought on new waves of feelings for him.
"Dominic is tired of it all," he said in a weary voice, sitting down and covering his nose with his claws. "Tired tired tired tired. But what's the difference? If I join the revolution'ries, then that's just changin' my beat-downs to the rebels, and it'll be worse; they'll call me a traitor, try to get revenge twen'y-four seven. I jus'…won't."
"And that's your final answer?" Alakazam asked, expression blank; Dominic nodded, standing up, and he visually phased back to the appearance Reyes was used to—thank Arceus for that one.
"…Was that a test?" Dominic asked all of a sudden, his fur standing on end; with how much he had, it made him look like a medieval flail. "'cause if it was, I have a different answer—"
"No, I very much prefer your honesty," he interrupted. "But there is one more question I'd like to ask of you, then you can be on your way."
"H-Huh?"
"Firstly, that was indeed a test, and I'm interested to see how strong your loyalties are; now, to get to the point of all of this…you owe me a very large sum, King."
"What? I don't have money…" he said. "…Well, I do, but I've never lent it to you…I think."
"Not monetary, but metaphorically; I'm referring to the value of a life."
"
One life? I'm sure I've killed dozens of revolution'ries…no offense, but yeah, sorry, not sorry."
"But this life matters most to me," he said, his eyes graver than Reyes had ever seen. Reyes was briefly reminded of why Alakazam became a revolutionary in the first place: a rebel had killed his wife some long years ago—five at best, and the rebellion had been going strong for seven, and Dominic was active for all seven, but he couldn't have… No, actually, that sounded too much like something that Dominic would do, and that meant—
"
Arceus," Dominic whispered, and he turned and barreled into Reyes just as an unbelievable amount of pure psychic energy raged through the room; the walls split and plaster disintegrated, causing dirt to spill into the room as the foundation was wrecked, and the floor was torn away and fried with the heat of the energy. Reyes stumbled to his feet to find Dominic's arms wound around his neck in a vise grip; he wasn't letting go anytime soon and that was for certain, and he made Reyes a target too.
"Get off of me!" Reyes yelled, running past the blown doorway to the stairs.
"Nooooo I'm scared," he whined. "He's trying to kill me!"
"That's called
karma! Don't make him kill me too!" He could barely move without stumbling, and he felt Alakazam's energy tingling on the back of his neck; he finally grabbed Dominic by the waist and pulled him free just in time to receive a particularly strong bout of Psywave, knocking them to the ground and breaking the staircase down into chunks of rock.
"Are we stuck down here?" Dominic asked, eyes wide and glowing in the semidarkness; Reyes gritted his teeth.
"Why, now, are you so bearable? Had you been as annoying as you have been since I met you, I'd find this a lot easier…!"
"I'm sorry!" he blurted, squeezing his eyes shut. Reyes lurched to his feet and grabbed Dominic's arm before extending his leaf blades to their full length, stabbing into the ceiling above them without time to worry for whoever was above; it collapsed entirely on them, hopefully slowing Alakazam, and he used his hand to Dig free, covering Dominic's snout to prevent him from opening his trap and sucking in a mouthful of dirt. He burst through the asphalt and onto the street, seeing a crowd gathering at the tumultuous sounds that originated from the Pokémon Center and its basement—which had both collapsed, he now noticed.
"Dominic, are you alright?" Reyes asked, pulling him free and dropping him on the ground; he started coughing up a lung, spitting out clods of mud and clay and wiping it from his eyes.
"I've been worse," he sputtered, scratching his tongue clean.
"Why did you kill his wife!?"
"I never killed no Alakazam's wife! I would've remembered that!" Reyes grabbed his ear angrily.
"Come on, you barely even remember which way is left!"
"Ow, ow—yeah, but I really would've, I swear on Arceus! I really believe that that's one voice I've never heard…" They broke apart as a column of flames burst between them, rising high into the air and singing Reyes' skin.
"He's so intent on getting to you that he doesn't care about everybody else!" Reyes shouted at him. "You've messed up big-time, Dominic!" More flames were appearing, scattering around them—apparently the first one was just lucky.
"Then why are you still here?" he shouted back, clenching his claws. "Why aren't you going to fight me with your leader, huh? Why are you standing
with me instead of
against me!"
"Every single damn thing you've done so far is inexcusable!" he countered, "and yet I still can't watch an unwarranted death!"
"My death is far from unwarranted," he said in a low voice, eyes narrowing. "In fact, it'd just be easier for everybody if I gave up now—"
"You won't be giving up—not now, Dominic!" He felt a painful shock of energy run through his skull; concurrently, the revolutionaries around them looked up to something he couldn't see or hear—Alakazam. In the next second, they dropped whatever they were doing to begin advancing on the two of them; Dominic backed away, glancing at Reyes, but he couldn't focus on him. The revolutionaries formed a wave to lunge at them, Alakazam still working to free himself from the ground while releasing waves of energy—
—and the dirt quaking beneath his feet stole his focus from the scene ahead. He blinked, rubbing his eyes furiously to clear them as a tight grip appeared on his arm; he was pulled away from the action as Brendan's Gardevoir, Azalea, led him to the side. Her large scarlet eyes narrowed with worry as she pulled him away just as a humungous ball of red and orange fire slammed into the ground, decimating it until a large crater was left. "Pay more attention, Reyes," she warned, hiding behind an old Pokémon Mart.
"I…I'm trying, Lea, but it's all so…" He covered his ears briefly as a boom! sounded from across Fortree City, felling yet another tree. "…overwhelming!"
"Come on! We have to find Brendan!" she urged, grabbing his arms and shaking some sense into him. He covered his eyes for a moment, taking deep, shaky breaths. "You're the one he trusts most, Reyes; he needs you!"
"You…You're right, you're right. Thank you, Azalea." She smiled brilliantly, then she gasped and pulled him to her chest as a bolt of lightning struck feet away from them; he felt his skin get singed from the intense heat, but he could regrow it easily. "I hope…we can both make it through," he said to Azalea.
"Me too," she replied, releasing him; not a second later a Mawile's huge jaws clamped around her body, her eyes widening in alarm. Reyes grabbed her arms, pulling her back, but the Mawile was like a dog with a bone; she cried in pain, and he realized at that moment that it was smarter to let go of her. The Mawile pulled her away—
"Reyes, snap out of it!" Dominic shouted, grabbing Reyes' forearm hard enough to dig scores into his skin.
"This is…just like…back then…" His throat was so dry it felt as if it had been razed by Groudon's claws; his heart was racing and he could barely focus on the scene ahead of him. "Just like…"
"Oh, Arceus!" he complained, grabbing both of Reyes' arms and ramming his head into Reyes'; the pain brought his eyes to Dominic. "Let's get out of here!" He turned to the others and raised his arms; a wall of hellfire erupted between them and the revolutionaries, burning away Ever Grande's beautiful buildings and flowers. He pushed Reyes backwards and they started running, heading back to the port.
"W…Why are
you helping
me?" Reyes asked.
"Because—" He stumbled at the ledges, nearly falling over; Reyes grabbed his arm, steadying him, and he locked his eyes on a speedboat at the pier. "—you're the first person in a long time to risk yourself for me, and I'm…grateful, Sceptile." They hopped and skidded down the ledges as the revolutionaries advanced, headed by none other than Alakazam himself.
"Reyes, why
you?" he called, a genuine expression of disappointment on his face. "You're one of my most passionate revolutionaries, always looking to help the people; why are you
hurting them now by aiding this one?"
"First of all, we're the
people's revolutionaries, not yours," Reyes called back, feeling a bit of his confidence return. "And secondly…I don't know; I've probably just caught his crazy."
"
Bunch together a group of people deliberately chosen for strong religious feelings, and you have a practical guarantee of dark morbidities expressed in crime, perversion, and insanity," Dominic said.
"I'm sorry, Azalea," he said to her, "and Louis too, but…" He backed away, stepping onto the pier and untying the speedboat's knot. Suddenly there was a strong Psychic-type grip on him, not just one but two Pokémon's energy; he felt himself being lifted, and he probably would've been tossed into the water like a rock if Dominic hadn't grabbed his arm, cancelling the energy transfer. They jumped onto the boat and Dominic immediately fired up the motor; it spat water out angrily as it worked, then they were tearing away from Ever Grande City.
You won't get away, Reyes, Dominic, Alakazam warned psychically.
It may not be today, may not be tomorrow, may not even be next week, but eventually, we will catch you two, and you will receive the ultimate punishment.
"What are you thinking about?" Dominic asked, perplexed; Reyes exhaled slowly.
"Alakazam's last threat. I hate to think of it, but now I'm like you." He sat down on the bench, clenching his hands to prevent them from shaking; just thinking about the enemies they now had was making him…
"Huh?" Reyes raised his head, a wry smile on his face.
"We're both enemies of the world."