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Laura sighed. Another day gone, and not one challenger at her gym. It was almost 6 PM; the staff would be heading home for the day. Even though Laura had her own room here, somehow she felt as though she ought to be getting home too. It was a feeling that had been nagging her for the last week or two: a suspicion that her own gym no longer felt welcoming.
“N-nonsense…” she said to herself, “I just need a battle. I haven’t had a proper battle in weeks…”
She took out her Pokénav to peruse her list of contacts, but not one displayed a “ready to battle” icon.
“It’s just late in the day,” she said, clipping her Pokénav back on her bag strap, “They’ll all be ready to fight tomorrow, I bet…”
All the same, no one had called her in a while, either.
Laura walked down to the main lobby, her tennis shoes squeaking on the stairs. The cafeteria and nursery were dark, and the front desk secretary was packing up his things.
“Tory!” said Laura, feigning cheerfulness for the boy’s sake, “Heading home?”
“Yeah,” said Tory. He’d grown a little taller in the last year, she noticed.
“Listen,” said Laura, “It’s been a long, boring day. Wanna go get something to eat in Slateport? My treat.”
Tory hesitated. He was a kind, thoughtful boy, but his expression as he looked at her seemed almost defensive.
“Sorry, Laura. Not this time. I gotta get home to Larousse, and I can’t miss the ferry…”
“Aw,” said Laura, “I’d fly you back on Rayquaza if you wanted!”
“I don’t want to trouble you…”
“Whaaaat? We’re friends, aren’t we? I don’t mind going out of my way.”
“Laura,” said Tory, “I’m sorry, but… I think your definition of ‘friends’ is much looser than mine.”
“Huh…? Tory, you’ve worked here for so long, and you never--?”
“It was fun at first,” said Tory, “I got to meet a lot of cool Pokémon, and I really am glad for that. It’s just… coming in every day for months and having nothing to do but sit around all day, maybe help feed the Pokémon in the clinic… The only reason I’ve stayed with this job is to avoid making you mad, and I can’t take it anymore.”
Tory looked at his feet, gripping his bag tightly.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “But I quit.”
Tory turned and walked briskly out the front door without another look back, worried that he’d see the look on Laura’s face if he did.
Laura was disappointed at first, but she smiled weakly to herself.
“So…” she said aloud, “Three quitters in one month. Yikes.”
She looked around the darkening lobby, not bothering to find the light switch. The place seemed almost deserted, despite its shiny floors and new paint. Deserted, and… cold. It gave her the chills to think of what would happen if her staff kept walking out.
Just gotta hire some new ones. Who wouldn’t want to work for me? Good pay, all you could ever need covered for you…
Laura found herself wandering aimlessly around the building, not really keeping track of time. Everything was in its place: all the private battling rooms, the dormitories, the greenhouse where berry trees were growing placidly in potted rows. She'd designed the facility herself, down to the smallest detail--there was no question that it was perfect, but somehow it felt a bit too perfect. Too sterile. It had been made for crowds that never came.
She eventually found herself in the middle of the main stadium field, with its picture-perfect view of the ocean. She had built the place to accommodate hundreds of spectators, but not one person had sat there since the gym’s inaugural tournament. Her footsteps echoed off the empty seats.
She took all six Pokéballs off her belt and looked them over. There were as many as there should have been, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that one was missing. That she was forgetting something--something irreplaceable.
“Come on out, guys!”
Salamence, Zangoose, Groudon, Rayquaza, Latias, Latios--they all came out in quick succession. The Pokémon looked at her expectantly, and she met each of their gazes. This was the team she’d been maintaining for some time now, her closest friends. But something still wasn’t right. These Pokémon hadn’t pursued badges with her, grown up with her… she was close to them, but there were few precious memories they shared. Only Groudon, whom she’d nursed back to health, and Rayquaza, who had answered her call at Sootopolis, were the ones she truly felt attached to.
“You guys must be out of shape,” she said, “No challengers in ages…”
Her Pokémon nodded.
“I wonder why nobody comes by anymore…?” said Laura, “We advertise and everything. Who wouldn’t want the chance to fight a legendary Pokémon? That’s a once in a lifetime thing. They could even get a badge to prove it! Who wouldn't want to brag about having nine badges? Of course, it’s not like they’d have a chance of winning…”
She paused.
“Maybe nobody comes by because they know they won’t be able to win? I guess even seeing a legendary Pokémon isn’t worth being humiliated like that.”
“Zan,” said Zangoose.
“What’s the point, anyway?” said Laura, “I became a Gym Leader to fight interesting battles, but no one can put a scratch on me. It’s boring. It’s--”
She paused midsentence, unable to say the rest.
It’s the same battle every time.
Laura’s Pokémon drew closer to her, sensing that something was wrong. She backed away from them, holding a hand to her forehead. The weight of everything she’d done the last four years was hitting her all at once like a mud-laden wave.
I’ve become Hoenn’s strongest trainer, but for what? Breezing through battles and bulldozing anyone in my way? Where’s the fun? Where’s the challenge? And my Pokémon--they must be bored sick too!
God… what have I done?
Laura looked fleetingly at her Pokémon before turning and running back into the building. They glanced at each other before following--rather, the smaller Pokémon did. Groudon and Rayquaza waited outside.
* * *
Latias was the first to find her, and she alerted the others and two of the resident trainers to where Laura had gone. The group found her in the adoption clinic, holding a pair of boxes: one filled with Pokéballs, the other empty.
“Laura…” one trainer, a red-haired boy named Kamon, put his hand on her shoulder, “Is something wrong?”
“I messed up,” said Laura, “I’ve been messing everything up for so long, and nobody told me?”
“Uh…”
“It doesn’t matter if you understand or not,” said Laura, “I need you to do something for me. Get Team Groudon HQ on the phone and tell them to disband.”
“What? Why?” asked Kamon, “Team Groudon was your--!”
“Failure? I know,” said Laura, “Just do it, and stop asking questions! Just do one more thing for me…”
“Laura, it’s almost eight,” said the other trainer, “They’ve all probably gone home.”
“Just do it!”
“Laura,” Kamon grabbed Laura’s arm, causing her to drop the empty box, “Something’s clearly wrong with you. What’s up?”
“Everything!” said Laura, “Everything is wrong. Everything is--I shouldn’t have done any of this. I owe better to these Pokémon--to all of you. To every person and Pokémon in Hoenn. Now let go of me and let me try to make this right.”
“Can you really reverse what you’ve done, though?” said the other trainer.
“No,” said Laura, “Of course I can’t. Nothing can. But I’m going to start by putting things back where they belong.”
Laura took one of the Pokéballs out of the box, aiming at the Pokémon nearest her.
“Yeesh,” said the other trainer, letting out a sigh, “I was wondering when she’d come around.”
“Weren’t we all?” said Kamon, “Uh, I mean…”
Laura had heard him, but she just didn’t have the heart to care. She knew she deserved it. She began recalling the Pokémon one by one, tossing the filled Pokéballs into the empty box. For a while the two trainers just watched her.
“So… what happens now?” asked Kamon.
“You two can leave,” said Laura, “I’ll take care of things here, and at Team Groudon. I have a lot of apologies to make. And this facility… I have to destroy it. I can’t leave anything behind.”
“Destroy it!? After you put so much into building it--?”
“You don’t have to pretend to care about me anymore! Just--get out of here! Leave me alone…!”
“C’mon, dude,” said the other trainer, “We gotta tell the others.”
“Yeah…”
The two trainers left to tell their comrades the news. Laura spent the better part of 10 minutes recalling Pokémon, trying her hardest not to cry. It wasn’t quite clear what she was going to do with them--they were all Pokémon that had been abandoned by their trainers, and she’d taken them in to care for them until they were adopted by visitors. But no visitors had come by in weeks, months, and the daycare staff began to quit one by one. It was as if these Pokémon were spending their lives in perpetual abandonment, just with a roof over their heads and a steady source of food.
If I’m not training them myself, what makes me any better than the trainers who abandoned them?
As she finished, she handed the box full of Pokéballs to Latias. The Pokémon looked at her curiously.
“You and Latios take these back to Team Groudon,” said Laura, “And… and don’t come back.”
Latias looked at her curiously, tilting her head to the side.
“Don’t you understand?!” said Laura, “I’ve kept you cooped up all this time, fighting boring battles against weak trainers. You’re legendary Pokémon. You deserve to be able to roam wherever you want and fight whoever you want.”
At first Latias looked sad, but she nodded. She turned to Latios, and both of them took one last look at Laura before floating out the front door and rocketing away. Laura took their Pokéballs from her pockets and crushed them on the lobby floor.
“That’s two down…”
Laura went through the facility and recalled the regular Pokémon that were living throughout. She recalled Zangoose and Salamence, depositing them and the others into the PC. The halls were dark, all rooms were empty--Laura got chills, but somehow, she felt… better. Not substantially better, but she felt closer to better than she had in weeks.
She picked up her Pokénav and dialed Team Groudon HQ. It was a while before someone picked up.
“Hello? Team Groudon Headquarters, Butler speaking.”
“Butler? It’s Laura.”
“Laura? What are you doing, calling this late? I was about to head out for the night.”
“I need you to do me one last favor.”
“One… last? Laura, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I feel great,” said Laura, “I need you to put an announcement up for the Team’s disbandment.”
“Huh? Disband the--Okay, something must be wrong if you’re calling it all off.”
“No, nothing’s wrong. What’s wrong was everything I’ve done the last four years. But we can fix it. There’s still time.”
“You’re not making any sense!”
“Oh forget it!” snapped Laura, “Do I have to do everything myself?”
Laura hung up angrily and stormed off to the stadium, where Groudon and Rayquaza were waiting for her. She recalled Groudon and nodded to Rayquaza.
“I need your help just a little longer. Can you fly me to HQ?”
* * *
Laura’s trip through the Team Groudon Headquarters in Slateport was almost systematic. She printed and put up flyers indicating that the team was disbanded. Though the flyers didn’t say anything about what would happen to the building or the Pokémon within, Laura already had a plan formulated. The abandoned Pokémon would need somewhere to live, and the city of Slateport already had a small shelter for unwanted Pokémon. Slateport would put the facilities to good use, and make sure those Pokémon found homes.
Laura recalled all of the legendary Pokémon she'd been housing there. She hadn’t realized how many of them she had captured over the years. It was impressive--but she knew they couldn’t stay cooped up like this. Not one of them had joined her by choice. Those Legendary Pokémon deserved to be free.
Laura took Rayquaza into the mountains near Fallarbor first, releasing the legendary Pokémon one by one. Once the land and sky Pokémon were taken care of, she took Rayquaza to the beach outside Meteor Falls to release the water Pokémon into the sea. Some legendary Pokémon seemed relieved to leave, others were more reluctant. But she knew it was for the best--for their sake, and for hers. The overcast sky was dark by the time she’d finished.
“Now you two are the only ones left…” said Laura, “Rayquaza, I need one last favor. Fly me to Mt. Chimney.”
* * *
Mt. Chimney’s caldera glowed with bubbling magma. All the trainers who regularly trained up there had gone home for the night, and the crater’s rim was empty. Rayquaza let Laura off and floated close by as she took her last Pokéball from her belt: the Master Ball containing Groudon. She pressed and held the central button before tossing it. Her Groudon appeared before her in a flash of blue light. For a while they just eyed each other. Laura couldn’t help but notice how majestic the Pokémon looked, lit from below by the bubbling magma. It brought back memories of the day they met, way back in the Cave of Origin.
“Groudon, Rayquaza…” said Laura, “You… you’re free. Go.”
Both her Pokémon looked at her in concern.
“Go on!” she said, “I’ll be fine. I can just take the cable car down and walk to Mauville. Just… I don’t want to keep holding you two back anymore. I’m glad I got the opportunity to know you, but… you deserve better.”
Groudon let out a low grunt.
“Go! Your home is right there, isn’t it?”
Groudon stomped one foot defiantly, making the ground shake beneath them.
“You too, Rayquaza! The sky is yours!”
Rayquaza shook its head and growled.
“Go on!! Why won’t you two go…?”
Groudon bent down, putting its face close to hers. It was the first time in a while she’d been able to look her Pokémon in the eyes. She couldn’t handle the look of concern on its face and looked away.
“Please…”
Groudon ambled forward, enveloping her in its huge shovel-like hands. It pushed her close to its body and held her tightly.
“Groudon…?”
Rayquaza coiled around them, putting its face as close to hers as it could manage.
“I… I messed up again, didn’t I…”
Groudon only pulled her tighter, trying its best to comfort her. Laura could feel a low rumbling emanating from its throat.
“You’re right,” she said, “You’re right. You’re my friends. My closest friends… my only friends. The only thing left to do is for the three of us to disappear. Lay low somewhere… let Hoenn forget about us.”
A light rain began to fall. Groudon flinched.
“Let’s get you out of the rain, okay?” said Laura. She held up the Master Ball, touching her Pokémon’s chest lightly. Groudon was sucked inside almost as if nothing had happened. Without the massive Pokémon to shield her from the rain, Laura could feel it pattering on her face. The raindrops sizzled as they hit the magma below and evaporated. Laura pulled off her bandana and let the rain soak her hair for a little. She felt… at peace. For the first time in a long time, she felt free of responsibilities--as a Team Leader, as a Gym Leader, even as Champion.
“Yeah,” she said, “Its gonna be okay. I’m just gonna have to start again from here. But if you two are with me… it won’t be so bad. Maybe I’ll get some of my old guys together, too. And Swampert... I bet Swampert's been missing me the most out of everyone. I should never have sent it to the PC... Swampert would've kept me on track. It wouldn't have let things get this bad...”
Suddenly something occurred to her.
“Oh… Steven’s been taking a break from the team lately,” she said, “He’s probably at home. I should let him know…”