[Pokémon] Deep Space

[yugoslavia]

Wednesday, 7:50 PM. Team Galactic HQ, Veilstone City

The little cab stopped at the far end of Veilstone City, where a tall building loomed. Grabbing his little suitcase, Ghetsis passed a wad of cash silently up to the driver as he looked at the Team Galactic building, and stepped out.

At the edge of the curb the staircase trailed far up to the gated entrance. The sound of the cab revving up and zooming away snapped Ghetsis out of his stupor, and he began the slow climb up. A long shadow covered the entire width of the street. Ghetsis squinted up at the spikes jetting from the sidewalls.

"Ah, Ghetsis!" said Saturn, standing at the top of the staircase. "Good to see you've arrived safely. Nice flight?"

Ghetsis grunted on the last step. "Yes, very much so."

Smiling awkwardly, he took the case from Ghetsis. "I apologize, Master Cyrus– I mean, our… Boss Cyrus… He liked the, 'formidable look' the stairs provided," he said. For a brief moment, he frowned.

"I don't mind, just as long as you don't mind a sick client," said Ghetsis, smiling and waving Saturn away from his case. Saturn turned to lead him in; he caught the odd look Ghetsis gave the guards at the gate. Deploying the handle, the little case rolled behind him as he followed Saturn's lead into the compound.

"My apologies, we've had some special guests," said Saturn. "They're tricky business. Believe me, it was my last intent to invite them. Just be careful."

At the foot of the building, a steel gate door sat shut, surrounded by guards who immediately cleared when the two approached. The blue-haired grunt at door briefly snapped a salute, before he keyed in the passcode to the panel. "Nobody does," said Ghetsis. He stepped alongside Saturn down the bright white corridor. "Unfortunately, you had a… Unique situation…"

Saturn chuckled. "I have yet to hear a term that accurately defines it."

He led the both of them to the end of a hall where two heavily reinforced doors sat shut. With a single hand motion, Saturn directed two grunts to a console, where they both gave clearance.

The doors pulled apart with a loud whine. Inside, the hall opened up into a massive warehouse, filled with rows and rows of perfect conical steel devices Ghetsis stared oddly at. One at the far end had several grunts in HAZMAT suits inspecting an open panel on the cone.

"I'm unfamiliar with these devices. What are they?" asked Ghetsis.

"The complete collection of live Galactic Bombs, assembled and armed."

Ghetsis gave Saturn a complicated look, rubbing his forehead. "This wasn't the energy proposal I was invited to hear. I don't associate 'bomb' with electrical power."

"It is, actually. The program you would be backing would be putting these into a renewable energy source. Haven't you seen what they've done with nuclear reactors in recent years?" Saturn asked.

"Yes… But I cannot afford to have a nuclear weapon in my inventory… Have you even detonated one of these?'

"The correct terms weren't appropriate for a phone conversation. I apologize, it's perfectly acceptable to leave," said Saturn. He pulled a clipboard from a wall-mounted rack. "It would not be the first time. Here are the specifications on energy output."

Squinting down, Ghetsis tried his hardest to read the numbers even in his own hands. "You didn't answer my question, Mr. Saturn," Ghetsis said. When he turned to see Saturn, he had disappeared to a long wall console. He clenched his chest, realizing his own heavy breathing had distracted him.

At the console, a pot-bellied man with old tufts of lavender hair sat on a wilting stool. The back squeaked as it fought to keep him upright. His sleepy eyes poked out from his fat rolled eyelids to stare at Ghetsis.

"Who is this?" asked Charon. His laser-like gaze never left Ghetsis, looking dissatisfied with him.

Saturn smiled. "This is our guest, Ghetsis."

Ghetsis smiled quickly, surprised to wipe the sweat from his palms before reaching out to shake his hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Commander Charon," he said. "I am the final Team Galactic Commander, and the only one who isn't in there twenties."

This gave Ghetsis a chance to laugh. Saturn didn't, nor did Charon.

"I am the developer of the Galactic Bomb, and the one who can answer your questions. It's a rather genius design, if I do say so myself."

"You'll hear him say that more than a few times," said Saturn.

Charon continued to stare at Ghetsis. "Commander Saturn here is the only member to have detonated a Galactic Bomb. I wouldn't necessarily have agreed with the timing or need for it, but I certainly wouldn't have made that call anytime. It's an awe-inspiring weapon of the destructive nature."

"Then you also have the specifications for an energy conversion? I know I don't, nor do I know how," Ghetsis said. He handed Charon the clipboard, who quickly reviewed it before setting it beside his tea.

"I will review these later. You have made an excellent choice, Mr. Ghetsis, seeing as the last Galactic Bomb was of such a destructive nature. An accident would not be welcome at your place of business."

Rubbing his eyes, Ghetsis looked over to one of the warheads. "I still don't see the why in all of this. If they're so destructive, then what purpose do they serve? You haven't even let me in on how powerful they are."

Saturn grabbed a town map off the desk, opening the plastic lid and pulling out the thin glossy illustration of Sinnoh. He pointed to Lake Valor and traced a circle with his fingertip. "This whole area was destroyed in the blast. All the water was knocked out. No dead or injured, just enough force to knock Mesprit out of it's cave. Clean and simple bulldozing."

"Let's not forget the Magikarp," Charon smirked.

Stumbling back, Ghetsis caught himself on a rear panel. He store down to the floor, his face had gone pale. "What…? Wh– I.."

Saturn frowned, setting the map down and putting an arm on Ghetsis's shoulder. "Is everything alright?" he asked. Ghetsis legs slid out underneath him briefly and Saturn caught him.

"Mm, I'd recognize hemophobia even without such a clear image," said Charon. "Our friend has an active imagination."

"Hemophobia is a fear of blood, not armed weapons," Saturn grunted, helping Ghetsis to his feet.

"But… Do you really think it's safe to have all of them in one room?" Ghetsis said, leaning up against a computer console.

"I'd offer you my medication, but it's a little too strong I'm afraid," said Charon. His sleepy eyes flicked to the cabinet below the console lip, sealed with a lock.

"Not helping," said Saturn.

"We are professionals, Mr. Ghetsis. The possibility is very low, I wouldn't doubt the reinforcements either," said Charon. "How's that for uplifting?"

Ghetsis sank to the floor. "You'll have to forgive me, Commander," he said, panting heavily. "I have a, well, a very weak stomach. Is there some place we could…" he paled. "Get fresh air?"

Wednesday, 8:30 PM

From the manifolds of the Galactic warehouse was a steel door, where the hallway ended. Saturn paused at a control panel and gave the both of them time to pause. Ghetsis heard the laughing and chatter of people from just beyond the door.

"As you can imagine, we've been walled in for the last two days. The terms of surrender haven't been kind on our people, especially when some of us refuse," said Saturn.

"Refuse?" Ghetsis asked. "That's suicide."

Saturn chuckled. "This whole event has been suicide. It's too bad you weren't around for the days we were proud of, it was a scientific wonder," he said. With one last wretch, the lit control release gave and the doors squealed open. Ghetsis was immediately blinded by the direct sunburst ahead of him where the sun was setting. As soon as he pulled his eyes open, a wall of sound assaulted him.

Commander Jupiter was drenched in sweat, entrenched in a shouting match with a grunt who was struggling to find his next Pokeball. A crowd of identical blue-haired grunts jeered and shouted at the two combatants' final round. In the center of the ring was Jupiter's Stunky, roaring with adrenaline while scraping at the pressed concrete floor.

Ghetsis smiled, stifling a cough. "Far from bored however. They won't have time to reflect on their mistakes."

Saturn looked to him, frowning. "I had no role in this."

The grunt swung his arm over his head and launched his Pokeball, deploying an Onix who shook the compound. Jupiter laughed at it's rearing head, it's bellowing battle cry, and the victorious smile the grunt wore.

"So you think you've found the flaw in my Flamethrower, hm?" Jupiter shouted over the roar of the grunts. "STUNKY! Fury Swipes!"

"ROCK TOMB!" the grunt said, voice cracking and teeth gnashing.

Onix's fully extended body crashed to the ground and rolled along the surface at lightning speed to Stunky, kicking up rocks and a thick dust cloud. Leaping high, Stunky pounced on it's flailing tail and sent a fury of claw strikes shimmered in the sun. Jupiter's Stunky was flung from the tail as soon as it had landed. By the time Onix had swung it's full weight around, Stunky had made it back atop her feet and bearing teeth.

"Grrraaaah! Stand down Commander, I have the advantage!" said the grunt, arms held high, ready to react to Jupiter's next command.

Jupiter lifted a fist. "Bite Stunky, BITE!"

The staring match between the two Pokemon ended. Stunky lifted onto her hind paws and kicked up to Onix's flailing head. It's rocky jaw snapped up at Stunky as she flew, and found itself wailing when the smaller Stunky chomped down on it's horn. The momentum took Onix to the ground hard.

Onix stopped moving. "I'm disappointed, no commands! That was when you give a command!" Jupiter shouted.

"IRON TAIL!"

Stunky's stretch was interrupted by Onix's high-speed tail. A hard swing on it's head sent Stunky flying into the crowd, far out of sight. Onix bellowed a deep-throated cry, regaining it's full height on it's tail.

Jupiter briefly made eye-contact with the laughing grunt, and held her rage silently. "Look who gets to use the shower tonight! Me!" said the grunt, putting a thumb to his chest and laughing loudly.

"They turned off the water to get some momentum on the terms. It's in limited supply, possibly the only reason Jupiter would be interested in fighting," said Saturn. Ghetsis hadn't realized how confused he himself had looked, until he saw Saturn's look of concern.

Suddenly there was a crack of lightning to Onix's horn. "HA! " laughed the grunt. "Electric type doesn't work on Onix's Rock type!"

Stunky barreled through the crowd, tossing grunts aside as it bolted to the center of the ring. Onix was still staring up at it's horn, when Stunky flipped onto her front paws and slammed her back into Onix's chest.

"Rollout Stunky, very good," Jupiter said. The grunt with the Onix paled.

Onix had gotten up to it's full height and rolled onto it's back slightly. It's tail was given wide berth to swing and bash at Stunky, who lept over the rolling rock body of Onix to pounce up to his neck and deliver a tough blow and return. Groaning, Onix's movements became less and less coordinated, it's eyes twisting into pained shapes. Stunky's steeled determination plowed it through thick clouds of ground concrete and physically chipped away at Onix.

The grinding sound of rock faded, as Onix gave one last roar before collapsing into a motionless trail of boulders. His eyes hung open exhausted, his jaw refusing to close.

"I'll be taking that shower now," Jupiter smiled eloquently. "It was my pleasure, however. You are quite the trainer. Perhaps one day you'll be an excellent trainer," she said. Her smile widened. "First, you should probably go through puberty."

From the thick dust cloud that had encircled the battle, Jupiter emerged. The flashes of light no longer glowed, nor the battle cries, only the cheering of grunts. Jupiter walked up to where Ghetsis and Saturn stood devoid of conversation.

Ghetsis turned his sick green eyes to her, and before he could begin Jupiter took a deep snort. "It seems we have business with this foreigner?" she asked, giving Saturn aside a disturbed look. This was the only time she looked away from studying Ghetsis. "Don't act so surprised, I know a man from the outer regions when I see one. You didn't even bother to shower that thick city smog off you."

Jupiter looked to Saturn again, who had put a heavy hand on her. "Jupiter, time to stop. You're a little excited from the battle," said Saturn.

"Oh no, I'm not stating anything new," sneered Jupiter, approaching Saturn's mortified face. "He knew this, it's his Unovan arrogance. They're so casual over there. I'm amazed you put on a shirt," she said. Her voice raised sharply as she turned her full intensity to Ghetsis. "How dare you come to us on the eve of our deaths so lightly?" she took the time to study Ghetsis's face, and smirked. "Oh look at you, sick as a Houndoom in winter. Saturn? Do we have any extra sympathy lying around? No?" her smile widened. "No, no we don't. Do you know why?"

Ghetsis's head returned to spinning, involuntarily clutching his stomach, leaning away from Jupiter's grim stare. Every step he took back, Jupiter took another forward, feeling her hot breath on him. "I wish I could agree with you, but I'm afraid this conversation is equal parts unprofessional."

"Unprofessional? How unprofessional do you need to be to someone as thick as you!"

At this, Ghetsis sank to his knees. "How dare you bow to me so mockingly," Jupiter hissed. "How DARE you! I know what your kind is like, you inherit the family business."

Ghetsis made a hard choking sound. Saturn paled.

"And then you think it'll make up for being a cripple. It's all the same isn't it? I bet you don't even like business, because you're a 'free spirit'? Has this gone on long enough?"

"Too long," Ghetsis wheezed.

Jupiter squatted down, fighting Saturn's grip on her shoulders. "And you know something?" she whispered, closed in on him. "You're still listening."

Saturn blinked, and then grunted once again, rocking Jupiter onto her heels and receiving a nasty glare. "Stop, now. This is our guest," he said.

"No no, this is not our guest. He would have left ages ago if he were our guest," she said, slapping his arm away. "You need this deal, don't you?"

"You don't even know his name, do you?"

"Of course I know who Ghetsis is," Jupiter smiled. "I picked him. He's my first choice, and do you know why? He's our most viable option. I only pick winners Saturn, something Master Cyrus learned too late."

Ghetsis looked up pleadingly to Saturn and Jupiter's conversation, fumbling for support on his weak knees. "Saturn... What's going on...?"

Jupiter reared up and kicked him in the stomach. Saturn yelped louder than Ghetsis did, receiving laughter from Jupiter, who reared back into a skip. "You don't get it at all? Any of you?"

"Jupiter he's got a weak stomach," Saturn pleaded. "Do you have any respect for what we're trying to do?"

"Oh but the utmost," she cackled. Ghetsis's pale throbbing face swung sleepily, fighting for control of his own body. Looking wide-eyed to the floor, he was looking into the polished reflection on Jupiter's boot. "Don't vomit if you know what's good for you."

"He'll throw up if he wants too, because he's a human being."

"If he does he will send his potential client into a very expensive fury. Saturn, he's no idiot, he's a human being."

Ghetsis rolled to the side, fighting to get his jacket off. Jupiter continued to watch waiting for his fighting to cease. As soon as the jacket was off he covered his face with it. An ungodly noise came from beneath the wool coat, where a large dark spot was forming. Saturn covered his face.

Jupiter's laughing fit didn't die down. Wrapping his arm around Ghetsis's back, Saturn lead him into one of the main facilities on the compound, where Ghetsis blindly stumbled into a stall.

"I'm so, so... Sorry..." Saturn sighed. "I hope that jacket wasn't too pricey, but if not, I can assure you it'll come out of Commander Jupiter's pay... Well... I suppose Veilstone sells some excellent jackets... I'm really sorry about this. If you'll excuse me, I have a Commander to reprimand. If you want to watch... Well... Forget about it. Take it easy."

 

[yugoslavia]

Thursday, 4 AM. Team Galactic Barracks.

There's nothing but rolling hills thick with trees. Ghetsis's breathing is heavy, his face is red. The last few clouds in the sky roll away and clear the blue expanse, and the sun bears down on Ghetsis's searching face. Just as he sits down, a twig snaps behind him.

"Come on Ghetsis, just another mile. What kind of kid did I raise?" the man laughs, smiling and reaching his hand down to Ghetsis.

Ghetsis grabs it. The man pulls him to his feet and Ghetsis immediately stumbles into a barkdust drift. Sap coated hands claw through the dirt and pull onto his hands and knees. "Father...?"

A shrill roar is ringing upwind of Ghetsis. He turns around, just as a massive Usaring is running full speed at him. Grabbing for a supportive root, his hand lands squarely in the center of a Twinkie package, sending a shot of cream filling out the side with a loud crinkling noise. The Usaring's nose wrinkles, and it goes into a full sprint.

From the far left, there's a huge surge of light as Darumaka crashes down in front of the Usaring. It's long trunk-like arms shoot up in resistance and flip the Usaring into a shrub. Ghetsis takes this opportunity to get up and run behind Darumaka. Even though he's running as fast as he can, his legs feel like they're underwater.

"NO, Ghetsis! Not behind Darumaka!"

Ghetsis turns to see the source of this voice, but only sees a furry wall of red flying full speed into him. Darumaka's limp body rolls helplessly down the hill and drags Ghetsis with him.

Ghetsis's body shudders violently. He fights for air, until the convulsion ends.

Usaring is atop Darumaka, and beneath both is Ghetsis. Twigs and bark are rammed into every square inch of skin, besides the heavy hairy beast atop him, screaming in his ear for the Usaring's mercy. Fighting back tears, Ghetsis cries for help.

"GET OFF MY SON!" the man shouts. Darumaka bounces into Ghetsis as the Usaring pushes off. His arms are still trapped, though he can look up into the blank eyes of fainted Darumaka.

Ghetsis is fighting as hard as he can to clear the body. "No," he pleads. "Not this part."

"Get off me, you beast! AAAAAAUGGHH!"

There's a loud thud. Shrill shrieks of the man are incessant, as he begs for his life.

"Nnghhhuu..." sighs Ghetsis. He rolls over and plows his head into the floor. Weakly clawing at the floor, he rolls over and closes his eyes tighter.

"URUUUUUUOOOGGHHHHHH!"

Ghetsis is crying, blinking away tears and the thick globs of bear mucus flying from the Usaring's snapping maw, not a foot away. Each time he pushes, he rams his head into the rock that blocks the back of his head. Darumaka's blood has formed a tiny pool on his cheek, where Usaring's snapping teeth have made their marks.

"Father... Please help!"

It's been silent in the direction of where the man was last heard. Even when the Usaring's growls die down and he wanders off, it's completely silent. The only sound is the gnashing of teeth and tearing of plastic wrappers. Then, there's a low cry.

"Ghetsis... Ghetsis, my boy... Are you still there?"

Spitting up the dried blood and saliva from his face, Ghetsis screams as loud as he can. It's unintelligible, but loud.

"Please... Ghetsis... Make a sound for me... I need to hear you one last time..."

Ghetsis is screaming at the top of his lungs. His throat burns, and the thrashing he does only serves to bash his head against the boulder. He can barely hear the slow shuffling that the man struggles to make over the shrieks.

Coughing heavy and wet, the man's sound is much closer. "Darumaka... Are you okay? I need," he erupts into a coughing fit. "I need you to help me find Ghetsis... Please... It's my last revive..." A quiet hypodermic sound is close, and so are the man's heavy breaths.

Darumaka struggles atop Ghetsis. It's heaving chest shoves Ghetsis further into the twigs and bark, and his yelps of pain are drowned out by Darumaka's groaning.

"Darumaka, is your leg stuck?"

The leg shielding Ghetsis's shoulder tugs hard where the fist is lodged with a boulder. Looking up, a bloody hand is reaching to clear the boulder. Ghetsis tries to scream again, but he's cut short by a sharp intake of breath.

"UUUUGRRRROOOAAAAARRRRR!"

A claw sweeps the source of the bloody hand, and the heavy sound of taking a blow is drowned out by the Usaring's battle cry. It's swift speed is aided by pulling over Darumaka's exhausted head. Out from the forest there's a crashing sound. Ghetsis struggles to get out once more.

Letting out a yelp for joy, Ghetsis finds his left leg is free. Heavy vibrations of heavy footfalls are felt over there. Ghetsis stops wiggling his foot.

"No... No no no..."

Ghetsis screams until his voice falls out. A rush of thick red fur later, he's on the other side of Darumaka, flipping through mud and dirt. The foot inside Usaring's mouth tears away from the teeth and stops Ghetsis's roll down the steep ravine. His voice returns to air his pain, as he pulls it away to check the connection to his ankle; still attached.

Usaring pounces again. The loose dirt sends Ghetsis further down the ravine, just giving him a narrow glimpse of the slowly rising blood soaked chest that belonged to the man before it disappeared. His utility belt had torn from the buckle with out it's Pokeballs still attached.

He had moments to scan the scene, as Usaring reared onto his legs and bellowed out his yellow-stained jaw. A Pokeball was trapped in a bush's roots, bearing a green sticker and a '4' in marker atop the sticker. "Flaafy," he breathed.

Looking up, Usaring was tipping onto his front paws, prepared to strike. It's first sweep sank into the tree where Ghetsis ducked in time to release his grip. He tumbled down until his head caught on the bush. Flaafy's Pokeball rolled down out of the roots, and right into Ghetsis's quick grip.

"GO! FLAAFY!" Ghetsis shouted. "THUNDER FANG!"

The red burst of light erupted into bright yellow, as Flaffy hurtled into the beige 'O' on Usaring's chest. Usaring wailed in a much higher pitch than it had for the entire attack. Doubling over, it rolled down into the ravine at hurtling speed.

Flaafy dodged the oncoming Usaring by kicking off it's chest and sliding to the side. The build up of mud beneath it's stubby hooves brought her to a full stop.

"FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

A thunderbolt flies to Usaring's resting place, where the grunts that echo up are silenced by the crack of lightning. Ghetsis shields his eyes from the pure light.

Ghetsis pulls his hand away from his eyes. Back atop the ridge, Flaafy nudges the man's inanimate body. It's not until Flaafy is nudging Ghetsis's leg that he breaks his train of thought and looks down. Thick wet strands of hair hang down over his eyes, and when he brushes them out of his forehead he receives a fresh blast of rain on his face.

"It... It's raining... How long has it been raining for, Flaafy?"

"Your entire life," said a familiar voice behind Ghetsis. He turns around and comes face to face with Mars.

Ghetsis frowns. "You're not supposed to be here," he said, voice wavering. "This isn't how it happened."

Stepping around him, Mars continues to stare. "This is weird enough Ghetsis, I don't understand."

"I don't understand."

"I don't understand."

"STOP," Ghetsis says, shaking his head violently.

"Stop what? You're a grown man Ghetsis," she smirks. "Why do you have shame when we don't?"

"Shame is a weakness Ghetsis, a weakness you have..."

Wednesday, 12:45 AM. Team Galactic Offices.

"They still haven't signed the terms?" Ghetsis asked, grunting and walking stiffly, holding Mars's hands as Saturn carried her feet towards the secondary offices.

Saturn set her legs on the floor and slid open the door console. "No, unfortunately," he said. With one hand he punched in the passcode and hit 'accept'. The door chimed, slowly sliding open with pneumatic precision as the lights flickered on in the halls. "Sorry for forgetting the lights in here earlier."

Both of them wiped their brow and hoisted Mars back up again. "No problem at all. I probably would have hurt worse with the lights on," Ghetsis laughed. Just as he finished speaking, the lights flickered out. "I suppose it wasn't your fault after all. You would think Mars would have mentioned it your way. Odd, actually. This way," he said, pointing to the light down the hall.

"What is that?" Saturn asked, heading back first down the narrow hall. A shard of glass cracked beneath his boot.

"Snack machine. I assume Mars smashed it in."

Saturn stopped. "What?"

"There's a snack machine in this hall, didn't you know?" asked Ghetsis. "That seems to be under your jurisdiction here," he grunted as Mars's legs dropped out from Saturn's grip, her full weight resting on his arms.

"Of course I knew there was a snack machine, that's ridiculous," Saturn said, stepping over broken glass shards easily highlighted by the blue fluroscent light of the machine. "Aagh!" he shouted, banging his fist on the dial panel. "I aught to punish all the grunts, this is getting out of hand."

"Hold on now, this isn't the grunts's doing. Theres a little cut visible on Mars's knuckle," Ghetsis said, holding her limp hand up. "And what do you mean 'out of hand'?"

Kneeling down, Saturn checked the deposit slot. "You saw Jupiter's stunt back there. If she has alcohol then you can't rule out that others are involved. Breaking into the snack machine isn't an isolated incident either. I had a deposit on this machine, let's not forget."

Thursday, ?

The wall opposite Ghetsis came swirling into view. By the light in the room, he could tell it was still early, until the warm light of the hall came through the crack in the open door.

"Grrhhuuu... Who is it...?" Ghetsis groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"A Commander with a friggin' big headache," said Mars. Ghetsis turned to look, seeing her dark outline in the doorway. He sat up while rubbing his eyes, inviting her in. She had already walked around to the side of the bed. "Who took me home last night? Was it you?"

"Saturn did it...Shhhshshhh," said Ghetsis, waving her off. Through squinted eyes he put a finger to his lips. "What time is it even?"

Mars frowned. "Saturn? Saturn doesn't have any body mass to him, that's impossible."

"Mm, well, I suppose I had a hand in it too. That's irrelevant though. What time?"

"Were you the one who banged my head up?" Mars asked, straightening her lopsided upjet of hair.

Ghetsis groaned. He leaned over his lap and popped his back loudly. "No, that was Saturn. Seriously, what time is it in here?" His eyes sleepily searched the room. "Odd... They forgot to put a clock in here."

"Why did Saturn get mad?"

Blinking, Ghetsis finished rubbing one eye and looked up at Mars, who had leaned over on the bed to inspect Ghetsis. "Mad? What makes you think he's mad? Saturn's the most rational person here, he probably has a fantastic temper."

Mars scratched her head in confusion. "Saturn? Saturn's the most trigger happy person I know. Charon gave him a very long talk about manners before you or any other of his guests arrived. I bet that's why he's so mad."

"Other guests? That would explain Jupiter's anger too, I suppose. That's a tough road to walk."

"I bet," Mars nodded. "Jupiter hasn't been helping either."

"Oh of course not, she was the catalyst for last night."

It was Mars's turn to rub her temples. "I was about to ask about that. Last night... I remember you, Jupiter, and Saturn, and something Saturn was really pissed about? Oh! Wait... There was... A metal bottle? Jupiter's hip flask!"

Ghetsis nodded. "The hip flask, right. It was filled with alcohol, and Saturn took it from her."

Mars gasped. "What? She's had that thing on every mission! And she every time I asked, she ignored me," she said, crossing her arms and rolling onto her back, resting on the side of the bed.

"Mm, I wouldn't mention that in your reports."

"Wait a minute, something's not right here," said Mars. She paused, tossing her Pokeball up and down in thought, slowly chewing her lip. Her head slowly turned up to Ghetsis. "Why then? She would've smacked Saturn if he took it."

"She was quite intoxicated by the time we got there. You were in battle, remember? Right before the Psywave?" Ghetsis asked.

Mars had turned her gaze to the wall. "And Jupiter knows where because she's getting it directly... Y'know, Saturn's been on my case all morning about getting you up, even though he's been having me do all sorts of things... It's not like Jupiter goes anywhere unusual here..." she picked at a cut on her chin, looking up at the ceiling and pushing her head into the side of the mattress.

Ghetsis had rolled out of bed, sliding his arms through a shirt sleeve and buttoning it up. "What time did you say it was?"

Train of thought broken, Mars pulled out a Pokegear phone, flipping up the screen. "A little after noon," she said. "Oh look! A message!"

Mars hopped up on the bed and sank into the spot where Ghetsis's body had impressed upon the foam. She patted around the much larger outline, until Ghetsis got up and looked over.

"It says?" he asked. He leaned over, smoothing the long sickly blonde hair out of his eyes, and read:

Meet at Charon's room in 15 min, bring Purugly.

-Saturn, 12:33 PM

"Hmph," Mars said. "I wonder what that's all about. I should probably go then. You're good to go then? I think you'll probably be needed at some point..." she looked up at him. "Ghetsis?"

Ghetsis was staring at the wall with a concerned look on his face.

"I'd offer you my medication, but it's a little too strong I'm afraid," said Charon. His sleepy eyes flicked to the cabinet below the console lip, sealed with a lock.

"Charon..."

"Yeah? That's where I'm going, if you'd like to come," said Mars. "Are you okay? You don't look so good. Are you going to be sick again? Come on, get it together!"

Ghetsis turned to Mars. "Does Jupiter ever visit Charon's office?"

Frowning, Mars got up, going to the door. "Like daily, why? Is something wrong?"

Mars was about to exit, when Ghetsis grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her to her.

"Charon has the alcohol, it's a part of his medication."

"Wait what? What does that mean?"

"Charon is about to get arrested for a crime he doesn't know he's committing. We need to stop Saturn before he gets there," Ghetsis said, wide awake now.

Mars flipped the screen on her Pokegear again. "Ghetsis, this message was sent at 12:33 PM; it's 12:49 PM now, we'll never make it."

The door swung wide open, rattling from Ghetsis's blunt shoulder. Mars stumbled out with his hand still on her shoulder. Ghetsis looked down the long hall, where various grunts sat on the floor bored. "Not if we run," he said. As he finished speaking, his stomach gurgled. Mars looked over at his stomach.

"I think I'll do the running. You get yourself a trash can, meet me at Charon's office."

Ghetsis smiled, nodding. Mars sprinted off before she could see him.

Mars rounded the last corner in the hall, running into Jupiter and falling over onto her rear.

"HEY! Watch it!" Jupiter shouted.

With her sleeve, Mars wiped a bit of saliva that had been knocked from her mouth. "Sorry! Sheesh," she groaned, getting up. "I was just looking for Charon. Have you seen him? It's an emergency."

A thin smile appeared on Jupiter's face. "Charon, hm? There's not much trouble around here these days, must be related?" she said, pointing to Saturn grilling a grunt outside the window.

"Yeah," said Mars, getting to her feet. "That was pretty good. Did you know already?"

"Of course I knew already, who do you take me for?" asked Jupiter, punching Mars on the shoulder. "I was looking to save him from this too. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Fun? We're helping cover his rear, that just seems more right than fun."

Jupiter chuckled, gripping Mars by the shoulders and backpedaling with her. She pointed to the gated perimeter, where the rounded hull of the Galactic Shuttle sat. "Oh no, this won't be so simple. A violation of the terms of surrender here will be almost certain death for Charon, so we need to give him a great send off."

Mars gave her a confused look. "Send off?"

Sighing, Jupiter punched in the exit code on a console. "It's not worth explaining. In fact, this conversation never happened. I don't need another accessory here, you wouldn't understand."

"What? What do you mean I wouldn't understand? What's there to understand?" asked Mars, lighting up.

"Mars, you were a fantastic Commander, but don't you need to go live a life? Team Galactic's done. Why else is Saturn selling us all?"

Just as Jupiter was stepping through the doorway, Mars stopped her. "Wait! So, there's no Team Galactic to go back to? It's just, whatever I had before, right?"

Jupiter nodded. "That's it. It's the way it's supposed to be. Please Mars, be normal, be the better of all of us."

"I see," said Mars, letting her go. "I suppose that's it then?"