Archive of Our Own

“Master Cyrus, please respond! Master Cyrus!”

Silence.

The atmosphere inside the control room of Team Galactic’s Veilstone Headquarters had taken a dreadful turn. The buzz of anxious excitement had been replaced by a collective sense of abject horror, following the ravings of Cyrus at The Spear Pillar.

His true motives and ambitions had at last been unveiled to his loyal followers.

“I am resetting everything to zero. Nothing can remain...All spirit will disappear. It will be ripped away...From you! From your Pokémon! From those precious to you...! It is time! My dream will be my reality!"

His dream...

Team Galactic’s Commander Saturn, second in rank only to Cyrus, heard all of it. Until the shrill and deafening cry of the Legendary Pokémon had abruptly ended the Galactic Boss’ proclamations.

And now silence was all that greeted him.

Saturn’s voice was laden with a frenzied panic.

“Master Cyrus, are you there?! Master Cyrus!”

Silence.

His eyes briefly darted from the video monitor and scanned the control room. Grunts had begun to step back from their posts, eyes fixed on Saturn as if pleading for answers, orders, anything.

“G-2, G-3, this is G-1. What is Master Cyrus’ status?”

He heard a choked sob to his right.

“G-2, G-3, are you reading me? Mars! Jupiter! What’s going on up there?!”

Saturn could feel his own heartbeat throbbing in his ears.

“Cyrus, where are you? Talk to me, please. Just talk to me!”

Silence.

That last pathetic plea barely escaped as a croak; his throat had become so dry he thought it might close over. Not that it mattered.

Once more, Saturn dared to raise his head and examine the state of the control room.

It was inert.

The machinery and apparatus still whirred and worked, oblivious to the now abandoned operation.

And as for the people...they all still looked at him. Each and every one of them seemed to be laying the fate of their whole world, their whole future, their whole existence on Saturn’s shoulders. It was excruciating.

He had nothing for them.

This was it.

All that work, all those words and promises. For this.

“Let’s go through this shall we, Commander Saturn? This “Galactic Bomb” that was detonated at Lake Valor, you were in charge of its construction were you not?”

Saturn had been wondering how long it would take until they brought up the Lake Valor incident. In actuality, it had taken quite a while for the topic to be broached due to the people running this inquiry wanting to cast a wide net with their questioning.

It was Rowan, the Pokémon Professor from Sandgem Town, who took the plunge. He seemed as dispassionate as usual, casting a judgemental gaze towards the beleaguered Galactic Commander as though the latter was an errant schoolboy.

The days following the rout at The Spear Pillar had been filled with many different looks and sneers that were cast Saturn’s way.

Not long after everything had settled down atop Mount Coronet, Veilstone HQ was raided. No resistance was offered of course, the grunts who desired to flee had made their move straight away and all that remained were those too stunned or despairing to even think of engaging in a Pokémon battle. The Champion Cynthia and Looker of the International Police led the operation. Saturn had managed to snap himself out of his dazed stupor and formally surrendered, making clear as second-in-command that leadership and therefore responsibility now fell to him.

Such an unprecedented turn of events had major decision makers scrambling to sort out how exactly this would be handled. The Sinnoh region didn’t exactly have a play-by-play manual on how to deal with the people who nearly brought about the destruction of the universe.

Eventually, it was decided that there would be some kind of hearing or inquiry, Saturn saw it as a trial but perhaps those in charge saw that as too cruel a word. He was whisked away to the Pokémon League on Lily of the Valley Island to prepare for the affairs that would take place. He’d refused their offer of an intermediary representative, dismissing the proposition with a measure of incredulity. Did they think he was a child?

His Pokémon were temporarily seized as he was awkwardly shuffled into his (guarded) accommodation, an action Saturn supposed was fair enough. Perhaps the people here would sleep better with the known criminal separated from what they saw as his weapons, tools with which he could cause further misery like he did at Lake Valor. Saturn couldn’t blame them for thinking that way.

With Cyrus gone and the other Commanders in hiding, Saturn was the only leadership figure remaining in the public eye, this was HIS organisation now. It can’t be helped if people view him as the embodiment of Team Galactic’s crimes.

Despite being the youngest of the Commanders, he was the most senior in rank, technically his real title was “Lieutenant Commander”. Probably little more than an arbitrary bone that Cyrus had thrown his way just to keep him happy. Nevertheless, “Lieutenant Commander Saturn” needed to front up to all this, it was his job at the end of the day.

The inquiry council itself consisted of six individuals, all with different dispositions and backgrounds.

Cynthia (Sinnoh Champion), Professor Carolina (Cultural/historical expert and Celestic Town Elder), Professor Rowan (Expert Pokémon researcher), Looker (International Police), what Saturn could only assume was the most senior Officer Jenny in the region (Sinnoh Police) and curiously of all, Maylene (Veilstone Gym Leader).

They sought to try and sift through the ruins of Team Galactic and come to a decision about how things would work going forward. The proceedings so far had been draining but not overly aggressive, not yet at least.

But now Professor Rowan’s query on the nature of Saturn’s involvement with the Galactic Bomb threatened to test those waters.

“Yes, Professor Rowan, I was appointed as the head of the Galactic Bomb project and oversaw the majority of its development and eventual deployment.” His reply was (as always) measured and precise.

Rowan seemed to stir slightly, as though his curiosity was being piqued. It was uncharacteristic for the typically stoic Pokémon Professor.

“I wonder how exactly this device was crafted. I was in Canalave City when it detonated and felt the blast there myself, the force was quite extraordinary to reach that far across the region.”

He seemed to be acting like this wasn’t a criminal inquiry, but rather a discussion between two scientists. There was something in his eyes. Saturn didn’t know whether he should be encouraged or intimidated by this turn.

 “I would surmise that you utilised some of the materials you stole in this device’s construction, the Veilstone meteorites perhaps? Take us through the process of this device’s creation and deployment.”

This Professor was sharp, his reputation was no joke.

“That is correct, we stole some of the Veilstone meteorites because they had special properties that our research determined was linked to a Pokémon from outer space. Initially we didn’t believe we had enough material to create the force required-”

“The force required to draw out the Legendary Lake Guardians?” Professor Carolina of Celestic Town interjected. She was older than Professor Rowan and lacked the elegance of her granddaughter Cynthia, although she carried the same sense of focus and wisdom.

“We figured that we only required one bomb, and we would use it on Lake Valor. It saved us the trouble of searching for enough materials to create a bomb for each of the three lakes. The idea was that we would activate the device and draw out Lake Valor’s Guardian Azelf, the bomb’s special properties would make the resulting detonation capable of breaching the extradimensional window through which Azelf views our world. Thereby making it extremely vulnerable.”

He knew that didn’t sound good, but pressed on.

“The distress caused to Azelf would in turn draw out the other two Lake Guardians from their own resting places. As you know, we had teams stationed at Lake Verity and Lake Acuity that were ready to engage and capture the Legendary Pokémon.”

Both Rowan and Carolina were seemingly satisfied with his response, despite the disturbingly frank way in which Saturn had described corralling the Legendary Pokémon by virtue of manipulating their emotional bonds.

“Did you not consider that this bomb might cause destruction and damage to people and Pokémon in the surrounding area?” Officer Jenny was clearly less mollified by his explanation; her tone was pointed and accusatory.

Saturn considered his next words carefully.

 Thus far it had been his intention to address the questions honestly and not defend himself strenuously. Though aware this could quickly turn into an exercise in public shaming, Saturn knew that he had to tell the story as it happened.

“There were...initial reservations about the plan, but-”

“But you decided to do it anyway?” She didn’t understand, none of these people really understood.

“Yes, we decided it was the best course of action to reach the goal that was assigned to us.”

Glances were exchanged between Cynthia and Officer Jenny; it seemed the former was attempting to steer the course of the discussion elsewhere. Or maybe the Champion simply didn’t like the Officer’s tone.

Either way, Saturn’s answer seemed to be satisfactory.  

“Looker, I believe you have some points you’d like clearing up.” So, Cynthia was steering the conversation elsewhere.

He’d already faced a brief examination from the International Police operative immediately after the base was raided. His...unique style of delivery was certainly something. And now Saturn had to deal with this peculiar cop once again.

“Ah yes, thank you Champion Master. Mister Saturn...I am currently in the midst of an investigation of my own, you see...”

He paused to stand up and adjust his tie before rubbing his chin contemplatively. Nobody else had stood up when putting forward their queries so far, but this Looker guy seemed to be a strange sort.

“So far, we have failed to ascertain the location of your compatriots, Commanders Mars, Jupiter and Charon. Do you have any idea of where they may be hiding out? It is of great importance that we find them with greatest haste, you see...” Looker trailed off as though he wasn’t finished speaking but Saturn soon realised that he was expected to respond.

“Right now, I have no idea where any of them may be hiding. I lost contact with Mars and Jupiter when they were at The Spear Pillar and Charon saw fit to make his exit from HQ as soon as things went south. I haven’t heard from any of them since.” None of them were ever particularly close on a personal level, there was always an element of competition for Cyrus’ attention among the three younger Commanders, and Charon was Charon.

Saturn had hoped this would be enough to placate Looker, but the puzzling detective wasn’t done yet.

“Ah-hah! They have broken away from Team Galactic as you know it...fascinating.” He paused again, repeating the tie and chin routine, and then continued. “What of your leader Cyrus, do you have any idea where he might be?”

That was the first thing they had asked him back at HQ. Saturn felt his jaw tighten. They had heard the audio logs from that day, they know damn well that he was as clueless as them.

“No.”

Maybe they had been through Cyrus’ office and found something, Saturn wouldn’t know. He hadn’t set foot in there since the last time he spoke with his now former Boss, a few hours before it all ended.

Looker determined that enough was enough and sat back down, giving Saturn an exaggerated nod.

Saturn took this brief pause as a chance to finally pour himself some of the water they had provided him, the hydration didn’t seem to help much.

In truth, he probably should’ve asked for more than a jug of water, his head was pounding and he felt weak. Saturn was in fact anaemic but he wasn’t going to tell them that. It all just reminded him of days he wanted to forget, when he was a weak and sickly child, often in and out of medical care. A defective body seemed like another sign that proved he didn’t belong in this world.

By the time he joined Team Galactic he had gotten something of a grip on it, making sure to take supplements when nobody was looking in order to stave away the bouts of tiredness. Cyrus knew though. He knew everything.

Cynthia ended the impromptu break with a query of her own.

“Commander Saturn, how long have you been working for Team Galactic? By our reckoning you appear to have been one of the very first members aside from Cyrus himself.” She didn’t appear to be enjoying this at all, her usual grace appeared to have been supplanted by a sense of discomfort.

She was the only person on this council who was at The Spear Pillar, who saw what happened.

“I have been employed by Team Galactic for a number of years, I was the very first person recruited into the organisation and was only a teenager at the time. The other Commanders joined later on.” This was getting dangerously close to prying into his life before Team Galactic, something that surely, they had no interest in and something he definitely had no inclination to discuss.

“So, it is fair to say that you had a close relationship with Cyrus?”

His headache was getting worse.

“We worked together very closely, I proved myself to be a very capable subordinate.” Professional, it was a professional relationship.

“Did you ever broach the topic of what his ultimate goal might be? We know that you were promised a new world, but as his second-in-command, what was the extent of your knowledge of his plan?”

This was the question they were building towards and of course it was the Champion herself who decided to go for it.

Saturn straightened himself as much as possible, wading through his crowded thoughts and general fatigue.

“Mast...Cyrus believed in compartmentalisation.” Not a good start. He hadn’t wanted to use that name. Every time that he’d been forced to say it since that moment in the control room felt wrong.

“He was very particular when it came to controlling information, he would cite potential involvement of law enforcement, Pokémon Trainers or rival teams as security risks. Everything had to be perfect. His mechanism needed to function flawlessly.” Saturn realised he was beginning to use Cyrus’ own words. He could still hear that monotone voice.

“I knew he wanted to make a new world for us, one in which we could be free from problems that had blighted our lives here. I knew we needed to create a Red Chain from the Lake Guardians in order to shackle something on Mount Coronet. I knew that doing so would cause the Legendary Pokémon great suffering. I did not know that he wished to destroy this world, nor did I know that he wished to make a world all for himself. A world free from spirit.”

All those actions, plans and operations seemed like a lifetime ago for Saturn. The preliminary emotions that coursed through him as he and Cyrus embarked on their mission to escape this world and all its faults now felt like a distant memory.

“But I know that doesn’t really matter. I take full responsibility for the actions that I helped facilitate as a Commander. I made the Galactic Bomb, I organised many raids and robberies, I was there for the construction of the Red Chain...” This was the only information he could offer them, the truth.

He didn’t look up at the council or Cynthia. He imagined they were regarding him with a mixture of pity and revulsion. The scientists were probably chastising his gullibility, the cops were probably trying to assign a monetary value to everything he stole.

As for the Trainers.

A realisation dawned on Saturn and his eyes shot towards Maylene, the Veilstone Gym Leader. She was one of the younger Gym Leaders in the region, a few years younger than him in fact. Throughout this entire procedure she hadn’t spoken a single word, but she also hadn’t stopped looking at him.

Was she simply so overwhelmed with anger at the trouble Team Galactic had brought to her hometown that she couldn’t even form a question without breaking decorum? He couldn’t make out what she was thinking.

Saturn noticed he had trailed off without finishing what his statement, thoughts suddenly turning to the grunts and their fate in all this.

“But you must understand that the people who are still with us have been through a great deal. Most of them gave up everything they know to join Team Galactic, to join our new world. The ones that are still here don’t exactly have lives to go back to. All they know now is HQ in Veilstone, it’s their only real living quarters.” He didn’t quite have the heart to use the word “home”.

Cynthia had been listening carefully. She seemed to be torn, briefly making eye contact with Maylene. The two appeared to have something of an understanding.

It was Cynthia’s grandmother who made the next move.

“How many did you lose after the events on Mount Coronet? And how many people do you still have inside that building?”

“I haven’t had the time to take a full headcount due to being brought here but...” Saturn stopped, trying to run the numbers through his head.

“I would say we lost around 30%, perhaps slightly more. They fled upon the failure of the operation, this includes all other Commanders and a few division leads.” That number would likely come as a surprise to the council, he imagined they would have expected far greater losses. However, most grunts had no alternative but to remain.

As Celestic Town Elder, Carolina herself clearly knew how to handle leadership roles and it was like she was sizing up his capability to take responsibility for the hapless grunts.

“Then a large portion of your staff still remain, no doubt in need of guidance and leadership.”

That sounded an awful lot like a proposition, a test to see if Saturn was up to it.

“They’re good people. All diligent workers and very skilled. I’ve known some of them for many years.” He was conditioned to having to deal with Cyrus, where he would often have to plead a case for the grunts in private in order to gain concessions. His former Boss often forgot that these were people and Pokémon under his leadership, not machines.

In this instance, it seemed as though the council would be fair towards the grunts. Saturn hoped so at least.

He may at times have been unduly firm towards them, a side effect of Team Galactic’s paramilitary structure as well as his own tendency to be aloof and curt, but he did harbour a strong sense of personal obligation. The Commander would spurn the chance to fight his own corner when personally attacked for his role in the mess Team Galactic made, but allowing his underlings to be caught up in the culture of public shaming felt altogether unseemly.

It was at this point Cynthia decided that they had kept him for long enough.

“Commander Saturn, I think that will do. We appreciate your candour and the detail of your responses. Over the course of the next few days, we will be speaking with other relevant parties regarding Team Galactic and the events that we have discussed today.”

Saturn stowed any queries of his own pertaining to who exactly these “relevant parties” were.

Cynthia adjourned the hearing, uttering all the correct procedural jargon before adding one final remark as the others left and Saturn was about to be escorted out.

“Thank you, Commander Saturn.”

Commander Saturn. He had heard that name so much over the last few days, spoken by so many new people, so many strangers. It was practically white noise at this point. This was to be his legacy. Commander Saturn, the man who blew up Lake Valor and was so easily fooled by his Boss.

There was one particular question they hadn’t asked him during all this, one he didn’t want asked. Whether or not Saturn was his real name.

It wasn’t, of course, but they didn’t need to know that.

His hair colour wasn’t naturally blue either as a matter of fact. These changes were all part of his reinvention. The person he once was, the anaemic boy with long unkempt blonde hair and a feral disposition, would be replaced by the stoic and clean-cut Commander Saturn. He would cast off his old identity, his history and his failures, such extraneous aspects of the old world wouldn’t be needed once he entered into the new world alongside Cyrus.

That was the plan anyway.

He won’t do that again, he’s Saturn now. For the long haul.

“Master Cyrus, the Red Chain has been completed and is now being loaded onto your transport. We anticipate some level of outside intervention. If you wish, I could escort-”

“That is of no concern.”

“Sir?”

“It is almost time, Saturn. Time to be free of this universe and all of its incomplete constraints. Time to start again, together.”

Saturn blamed the dreams on the bed they had given him, it was too soft.

The whole room had an overly fragrant edge that was typical of Lily of the Valley Island, everything seemed so flashy and abundant. It was nothing at all like home.

He assumed this was where Pokémon Trainers stayed during tournaments. Though Saturn was never a Pokémon Trainer himself, it was hard not to hear about the pomp and pageantry of Pokémon League tournament finals. Even now during the off season, the place dripped with a sense of grandiosity. The primary Pokémon League building was accompanied by numerous stadiums, training fields, fan zones and of course, hotel blocks.

In Saturn’s case, the premises they kept him in was relatively unoccupied. They had stripped the room of anything he could cause trouble with as well as posting a guard outside, the atmosphere was strangely clinical but also overly accommodating.

Following his protracted session in front of the council, it had been a waiting game. A couple days had passed and all Saturn could do was stew and think while these “other relevant parties” were being consulted. All this waiting around made him feel ill.

They had offered him the opportunity to go for extended (and guarded) walks around the island while he waited. There didn’t seem to be much point in that, though.

His room had a window that overlooked the entire area and he was sure that a couple times during the last few days he had seen grunts down there, presumably being brought in for their side of the story. The last thing Saturn wanted was for one of them to somehow bump into him walking around the picturesque island like he didn’t have a care in the world.

No. He’d have to make do within the confines of this room until summoned by Cynthia.

It had been over a week since had had last seen his Pokémon, he figured this was now the longest he had gone without seeing Toxicroak since a time he’d care not to remember.

Bronzor and the others had come along later, but Toxicroak (or Croagunk as she was then) was the very first Pokémon he had ever caught. While they weren’t exactly inseparable in an emotional sense, Saturn was struck by the fact that with Cyrus now gone, Toxicroak was the only one left who knew him from when he was someone else. The two had a strong mutual understanding that was bound to have built up over more than a decade of partnership.

Besides, she was there with him on that night...when Cyrus appeared.

The way that Cyrus spoke, the way that he looked, the way that he instantly related to Saturn and understood what he was going through. All just by looking at him. It was almost supernatural. For the longest time, Saturn had held it up as the night that he entered into a new life, one with hope and ambition, one in which he would never again be alone.

Cyrus said that it was providence that they would both meet in the Sinnoh Region, where they were granted proximity to new worlds all around them and the tools with which to make their own world.

Building an organisation from scratch wasn’t an easy task and so for a while, it was only the two of them. To Saturn this was utterly exhilarating, the thrill of growing slowly towards the great escape that was Cyrus’ vision. It lacked the gleaming halls and cutting-edge equipment of Team Galactic in its fully formed state, but a single bulletin board and a single room and a single dining table felt like everything Saturn had ever needed.

Naturally he had told Cyrus everything about his past. Saturn felt so comfortable around him and for the first time in his life, he actually felt valued.

He got very little in return. The sum total of information Saturn received after years of living and working with Cyrus was the latter’s strong aversion to Sunyshore City. This of course wasn’t certain information in and of itself, but reading between the lines Saturn understood what Cyrus’ hostility to that place had meant. It was the same reason Saturn was so unwilling to be stationed in Team Galactic’s Eterna City building.

As things developed with new recruits and the designation of new Commanders, that initial sense of closeness began to ebb. The one-to-one meetings where Cyrus would explicitly ask for Saturn’s input became fewer and fewer. Their routine meals stopped and then Cyrus would no longer let Saturn take both their Pokémon out for training.

Until by the very end, Cyrus would hold clandestine meetings that would exclude Saturn entirely.

Saturn tried not to let this get to him. After all he was the stoic Commander Saturn, steadily by his leader’s side and unquestioningly loyal. He had gradually quelled his fiery side over a number of years, though it occasionally reared its head at times much to Cyrus’ admonishment.

“You must steel yourself for the new world, Commander. How can we expect to lead when we still carry with us the ugliness of this world? The very things that have led to our suffering here?”

By now, Saturn couldn’t even remember the last time he had cried.

As a child, he was brought to tears over every trivial mishap or accident. It became clear therefore, that Saturn needed to remove such a glaring stain from his persona when around Cyrus. Such emotional leakages occurring around his leader didn’t even bear thinking about.

This still didn’t explain why he hadn’t even felt the inclination to cry during the last week or so, despite all that he had been through.

It wasn’t like he had anyone left to impress by hiding it.

Since the very beginning, he had wanted to be Cyrus’ perfect right hand, to stand alongside him through everything. Throughout the course of his life Saturn had never wanted anything quite so badly.

He would cling onto the tiniest common thread between them as though it was a precious lifeline.

Ever since he could remember, Saturn was someone who asked questions and wanted to know how things worked. It was natural that this inherent streak of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge led him down the path of science and technology. He couldn’t be content unless he had answers, unless he knew how to do something and could repeat it by himself.

At first, he believed that this was a trait that endeared him to Cyrus, who would in those early years gladly mentor him while also giving him room to express his own theories. He thought that maybe this was similar to how Cyrus was so fascinated with machines, that maybe this shared passion meant something to Cyrus and was one of the reasons why they worked so closely together.

But it seemed that as often was the case, Saturn saw familiarity where Cyrus saw utility.

Even now, with Cyrus gone, the man still held Saturn in a vice grip. His mind was occupied constantly by thoughts of his former leader, even sleep couldn’t offer a reprieve. Saturn cursed the fact that now of all times, his thoughts were occupied by the man who had abandoned Team Galactic, rather than the very people who had been abandoned.

He still had so many questions though.

How could a man so stirring, so full of ideas, brilliance, and passion be so hollow?

Cyrus loathed the very idea of spirit and saw it as incomplete. But he managed to turn his very own spirit into a tool to rally people and speak to their spirits. Saturn had known that the Cyrus people saw during rallies was not the Cyrus he would see at home, during those quiet and meaningful moments. He was aware that Cyrus contorted himself emotionally in order to communicate with the people at large of Team Galactic. Even so, Saturn was ready to see what Cyrus was going to do, he hoped that his leader’s dream would hold true to what they had talked about for so many years.

But resetting to zero? Cyrus’ dream was a world completely devoid of spirit, of emotion, of...anything. You could barely call that life.

Ironically for Saturn, it seemed as though spending so long attempting to no longer be a part of this world had actually made him understand it a little better. The time he spent in a real role of consequence within Team Galactic, observing the bonds form between grunts. All of which was based on a shared dream of a better future. It was strangely enriching.

Not for Cyrus, though.

There was a fire within him. A brilliant fire. One that swept up the whole of Team Galactic in a feverish storm that Saturn was the first to be taken in by. In the end, it was that very fire that would have burned Team Galactic to the ground as well as the whole of existence itself.

A world without spirit. Who would want such a thing?

Saturn jolted at the sudden sound of a knock at the door. It must’ve been one of the guards.

“It’s time.”

A sharp surge of nerves spread through his body; this was it. He had been annoyed at how long they were taking but now that the moment had finally arrived, he felt wholly unprepared.

Almost on autopilot, he began to straighten himself out and remove any remnants of sleep on his face.

He hadn’t once contemplated running throughout this whole ordeal. There seemed little sense in wondering what would’ve been if he’d ran when he had the chance like Mars, Jupiter and Charon. But in all seriousness, he still could run. Saturn wasn’t like Mars or Jupiter, both of whom were ordinary girls before joining up with Team Galactic. He was totally capable of taking advantage of the lousy security here and getting his Pokémon back.

Even indulging passively in the thought caused his stomach to drop.

He had been compelled to stay so far not out of a desire to face whatever bureaucratic justice this inquiry had planned. For Saturn, it was about the people who felt they had nothing else besides their existence in Team Galactic

Ultimately, he was one of those people too.

“Could you please confirm once again that it is your intention to stay on as Leader of Team Galactic?” Cynthia knew the answer already, as did the rest of them.

Saturn had hurried down to the chamber as fast as he could, with the council awaiting him. This was the last piece of information they needed before presenting their judgement.

“With this council’s permission, yes.” Try as he might, that didn’t come out as authoritatively as Saturn had hoped.

Following his assertation, the council members all stood. Cynthia spoke once more.

“Very well. It has been the purpose of this investigation to find out the full extent of Team Galactic’s operations and how much of Cyrus’ plan had been revealed to you all. We’ve spoken to yourself, as well as numerous employees of Team Galactic and others who crossed path with Team Galactic throughout the course of your activity.”

Saturn again found himself hearing the throb of his own heartbeat in his ears.

“It is our belief that you were not aware of the full extent of Cyrus’ plan and that you were actively excluded from any discussion regarding its finer details. Testimony from other Team Galactic members has illustrated that you were a fair leadership figure and that they would not feel endangered by your continued involvement as head of the organisation.”

His breath hitched.

Cynthia gestured towards the Professors to her left, who both stared owlishly at him.

“Professor Rowan and Professor Carolina agreed that you and your organisation has shown a tendency for research into Legendary Pokémon and sustainable energy that is in equal measure dangerous and promising. But they were not opposed to you continuing operations as a research institution, albeit under supervision.”

They...weren’t going to be shut down? He supposed that having a bunch of well-resourced and talented people carrying out research could actually do the region some good. But really? After the Galactic Bomb?

“As your headquarters is in Veilstone City, the level of direct supervision was decided by Leader Maylene, who strenuously argued that she does not view you as a dangerous group and wishes not to involve Officer Looker or Officer Jenny.”

The revelation of Maylene’s support came to Saturn as an even bigger surprise than the fact that they somehow weren’t going under.

“Commander Saturn, this council entrusts you to continue operations of Team Galactic as its leader, you will undergo an initial 6-month probational period with bi-weekly meetings with Leader Maylene. All subsequent research materials will be shared with Professors Rowan and Carolina.”

He glanced at the two cops briefly and noticed an unsurprisingly sour expression on Officer Jenny’s face, doubtless frustrated at being benched by Maylene. Looker on the other hand offered Saturn a crooked smile before his hand returned to his chin.

“On a personal note, as Champion of the region I understand that this won’t have been easy for you. And I hope that you can live up to my faith in you and ensure the safeguarding of all the people within your team.” Cynthia paused for a second, looking down at Saturn with a spark of her poise seemingly restored. He could detect a measure of relief in her countenance, she had wanted this outcome.

And just like that, the Sinnoh League Champion brings the inquiry to an end.

Saturn had taken to pacing around the halls within the main Pokémon League building. Supposedly there were still some bureaucratic T’s that needed to be crossed before he could officially leave the island.

So, the Galactic Commander (Galactic Boss? He hoped they wouldn’t call him Boss) waited.

Despite being a very historic structure, the deeper halls of the Pokémon League were not unlike Veilstone HQ’s own in terms of their modernity. The Sinnoh Region was in many ways defined by how it seems to exist in a constant state of perpetual marriage between the old and new, fitting for the place where existence itself had begun.

It had been a good while since he started this absentminded patrol around the building and Saturn guessed that he ought to make his way back towards the main atrium since someone may be looking for him.

The halls had become less and less occupied the deeper he went, the complex itself wasn’t bustling as it was still quite early in the day.

Most of the sensations of nauseous anxiety had left Saturn’s body after the ruling of the inquiry, replaced by a swarm of thoughts and ideas on how he’d handle things back home. It would be a daunting job but he earnestly believed he was the best person suited to see it through.

As he rounded a corner not too far from the atrium, Saturn noticed someone walking towards him, their head low. He tried not to stare as it was only the two of them, but right as the they were about to cross one-another, he felt a hand grab onto his wrist.

Although startled, Saturn didn’t struggle. More than anything else he was confused. A confusion that he quickly snapped out of when he saw the person raise their head...her head.

Recognition washed over him as he stared into the eyes of a grunt, or rather a former grunt.

She’d made obvious efforts to conceal her identity, with the Team Galactic uniform long gone and a hat tightly fastened to cover hair that she clearly hadn’t had time to dye yet.

The mostly identical appearance of the grunts had often confused certain Commanders, with their collective turquoise dyed hair, bowl cut and matching uniforms. Saturn on the other hand had always seemed to be able to tell them apart. The last time he recalled seeing this particular grunt was in the control room right around when Cyrus was taken, she had clearly made her exit not long after.

The grip on his wrist loosened as she began to speak.

“He was going to destroy us all to make another universe. For himself...not for us...all for himself...”

It was as though she was speaking to nobody in particular. She seemed dazed and restless.

“All that time, all that work. For him. Just him. He didn’t care...he couldn’t care.”

She gathered herself and refocused her gaze on him, tone shifting into bitterness.

“And you, Commander. You and him. You two were thick as thieves. I saw.”

Saturn didn’t break eye contact, he assumed that he appeared rather defeated himself. This brought him back to that time in HQ. When everywhere he looked, he saw grunts judging him, pleading to him.

“Now I hear they’re making you the new Boss. That all is forgiven and forgotten.”

That wasn’t exactly the truth but Saturn didn’t feel compelled in the slightest to correct her. What was the point? He had no right.

“But I’m telling you now, Commander. There’s no way you didn’t know. No way.”

The title of Commander was said like an insult.

“Tell me. Tell me right now that you honestly had no idea, no suspicion, nothing.”

Saturn was silent.

“Tell me.”

The clandestine meetings. The averted gazes. The documents and research that Saturn was no longer allowed to see. So much more.

He thinks of his own words.

“We, Team Galactic, take all that we need, and eliminate what we do not.”

It was all there right in front of him.

Why didn’t he follow his gut instead of his heart? He knew what his instinct told him on that day.

Why didn’t he race into one of the choppers and go after him on Mount Coronet?

Why was he so confined by his fear and delusion?

Maybe if he’d been able to talk to him one last time. If he’d actually tried to make Cyrus remember how things once were. If he’d looked Cyrus in the eyes and told him the truth the way he did in the very beginning, instead of walking around with his head down like some machine.

Idiot!

There he is again. Still deluded. Still assuming closeness between the two of them.

“Tell me!”

He couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t do anything but look back at her mutely.

Noticing that she had gotten all that she needed, the former grunt let out a resigned and shaky sigh.

“Well, I hope it was all worth it.”

With that, she turned and walked away, not looking back.

Saturn noticed a single Poké Ball fastened to her waist belt and a small bag on her back, probably comprised of all the earthly belongings she had left.

This was the reality he and Cyrus had made. Saturn had little right to defend himself to people like her, who now had to face a brand-new world foisted upon them.

For Saturn, it was now a world of accountability.

He had spent all his chances at being selfish and pursuing foolish personal dreams. Now, it all has to be about bringing something good, something real into the lives of the people he now commanded.

It will never be enough of course, but this is his job. He is the only one left to do it.

“Um, excuse me.”

An unfamiliar voice came from behind Saturn.

Turning about, he was greeted by Maylene. The Gym Leader, accompanied by her Lucario, was carrying 4 Poké Balls.

“I’m Maylene. I don’t think we’ve actually met one on one before. And this is Lucario.” She practically beamed while introducing her partner Pokémon, who offered a small nod Saturn’s way.

“S-Saturn. I...appreciate what you did back there at the hearing.”

He didn’t know if she had overheard what just happened.

The Veilstone Gym Leader simply smiled at his bashful display of gratitude before a murmur from Lucario seems to remind her why exactly she was there.

“Oh! Saturn, I’m sure these guys have been missing you.” She offered over the Poké Balls to Saturn before continuing.

“I’m sorry that it took so long to get your Pokémon back to you. I’ve been asking the bigwigs here for the last few days but they weren’t having it.”

Saturn listened while impulsively running his thumb over the release button of Toxicroak’s Poké Ball, a habit he developed when he was a kid.

“Thank you, Maylene. But I guess they had their reasons.” His attempt at being diplomatic was half-hearted.

The Veilstone Gym Leader chuckled.

“It’s alright, we both know it was pretty excessive.”

Saturn was stunned by Maylene’s blasé attitude. A couple days ago he thought she wanted to kick his head in for all the trouble he’d caused in her town. It appeared that her silence at the inquiry must’ve been because she was trying to get a read on him.

He’d done something right apparently.

Maylene’s face suddenly changed to one of deep thought, the Gym Leader and her partner nodded together at once. As if concluding a wordless exchange.

“It might take a little while longer for the official clearance to come down for us to go back to Veilstone so...how about we go outside to one of the training fields? I’m sure your Pokémon could do with stretching their legs and, to be honest, mine have barely had a chance to train these last few days.”

For all intents and purposes Maylene was his parole officer and the first thing she wanted him to do was go outside with her and have some training matches?

“Are you sure that’s-” His reply was met with a raised hand.

“I’m sure. Besides, you’ll want to get back into the swing of things before you return home. Right?”

Saturn on instinct looked over his shoulder, as if expecting someone to appear behind him and inform him that this was some joke.

The hallway was empty.

“Right.”

He didn’t how long he’d been moving; time was like a blur.

There was a spiral.

A spiral beyond everything that seemed to go on and on. Unending.

How long had he been there? He didn’t know. Time didn’t seem to flow at all here.

He made to summon his Pokémon but realised their Poké Balls were gone...he had nothing.

All around him there were trees, platforms, and waterfalls.

The trees would vanish as he stepped towards them. Others turned into stones.

There was a noise like the howling of the wind but he felt nothing. No cold or heat.

It was as though there was some force compelling him to keep moving through this desolation and emptiness, to keep looking. He dove into the water and began to swim...upwards. The waterfall carried him higher and higher until he stepped onto another platform. His clothes were completely dry.

Looking above his head, he saw the platform he had recently left behind. It was below him and yet he felt no force of gravity.

A massive shadow darted by. So massive in fact that it briefly obscured the hue of the endless spiral that acted as a backdrop to this strange place. The blackness of the shadow swallowed up all colour and light before disappearing as quickly as it came.

This place felt familiar somehow.

A recognisable sound jolted him from his stupor, a cry. One he remembered from the Valor Lakefront.

The blue and purple hues were once again masked, this time by a harsh red light. His eyes didn’t feel any strain even as he stared directly at what was a blinding light.

Deep within it, he could make out a shape floating in the air.

Azelf.

He started towards it but notices something more.

A figure stood beneath Azelf. A human. Faceless.

It reached out a hand towards him.

Without thinking, he reached out his own.

His eyes snapped open at the sensation of Toxicroak nudging his side. Apparently, he was in danger of oversleeping and missing his meeting.

Realising that Saturn was awake, Toxicroak returned to her bed.

During the last few months, Saturn had experienced a lot of strange dreams. The ones he had gone through during the inquiry had been replaced by these altogether different ordeals.

Despite their otherworldly nature, they felt more...tangible.

All things considered, events at Team Galactic were going decently well.

The organisational restructure was fairly smooth and the remaining grunts as well as new recruits seemed to enjoy the greater sense of freedom within the workplace. Maylene made sure to keep things as low key as possible when it came to outside intervention, and the two of them had formed a decent rapport.

The bubbly fighting girl insisted on helping his Pokémon keep up with their training and advised those new to Team Galactic on all the best eateries in and around Veilstone City. It was a strange arrangement, but it worked.

Despite his numerous trips to Lake Valor to assist with the repairs, he hadn’t caught a glimpse of the Legendary Pokémon Azelf. Its prevalence seemed to be limited to his subconscious experiences.

After undergoing the usual routine of getting washed, fixing his hair and putting on his characteristically pristine uniform, he left his quarters and made for the common area on HQ’s ground floor. Grunts still saluted as he passed by, regardless of him being very specific that he didn’t want them to do that anymore. It was mainly the older grunts who did it, probably as some form of muscle memory from the old days.

Saturn was greeted in the common area by his new de-facto second in command, a diligent and rather stone-faced admin by the name of Inertia.

Despite the more relaxed rules with regards to uniform and hair colour/style, she still sported the classic Team Galactic turquoise bowl cut. Grunts also now had the choice to go by their given name, rather than their new Team Galactic identity or grunt number, Inertia elected to stay with her Galactic identity. She was someone Saturn had worked with on many operations during the earlier days. He deemed her to be reliable and loyal.

Inertia methodically talked him through the daily order of business before bidding him a safe journey in her flat voice. After all, she would be taking charge of HQ for the day as Saturn had a ferry to catch.

He had started to feel like a part time resident of Lily of the Valley Island, such were the frequency of his excursions. Unlike his very first visit to the island however, this one did not concern him and his own fate.

Before setting off, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh as he knew the type of nonsense he was about to confronted with.

“Can you believe it? A hovel like this is totally unbefitting me, the genius Charon!”

The last 45 minutes had primarily consisted of the crackpot scientist talking at Saturn about his brilliance.

Apparently, that ongoing investigation Looker referred to during the inquiry had concerned Charon. The old man had roped Mars and Jupiter as well as some unfortunate grunts into one of his schemes. It all culminated on Stark Mountain with the attempted theft of the Magma Stone, there was no grand plan with Charon beyond extortion and money.

The scheme failed of course, which resulted in Mars and Jupiter vanishing once more and Charon facing the consequences.

That wasn’t his only misdemeanour either.

“You know, before you broke out of them, the first four rooms they gave you were more than adequate.” Saturn bit back.

The two had never liked each other but were often forced to work together by Cyrus, owing to the fact that they probably were the two smartest people in the team aside from Cyrus himself.

Naturally, Charon would never remotely acknowledge them as being on the same level. He saw the Commander as a capricious and intrusive kid. Though to be fair, Saturn saw Charon as a megalomaniacal screwball who was more than a little long in the tooth.

The ever-slippery Charon managed to escape custody following the Stark Mountain incident and not long after was caught trying to meddle with Fuego Ironworks. Then he tried to commandeer a ferry that was headed to the Resort Area in order to find a Mythical Pokémon that resided in some kind of flower paradise. Most recently he had frozen himself half to death trying to reach the lower levels of Snowpoint Temple in order to awaken its Legendary Guardian.

The guy was certainly persistent, he would give him that. Saturn himself was the only thing keeping Charon from an actual prison.

Every time they brought Charon in, Saturn like a fool would argue on his behalf. He’d also gotten into this habit of meeting with his ancient colleague. Though times like this made him wish it was a habit he had kicked.

The two were sat in a guarded room within the Pokémon League complex, separated by a small table. The security was far greater than anything Saturn had dealt with during his own stay on the island, that disagreeable fragrant edge still remained however.

Charon had taken to pacing back and forth as he ranted.

“Come now, Lieutenant Commander.” Charon tutted.

“My intellect is simply too vast to be caged in such a-”

Saturn was about through with this self-aggrandisement act.

“Yes, and I’m the only reason you’re not in an actual cage right now. So, sit down, gramps.”

Although affronted, Charon obliged. Smirking as he had found a new conversation thread to bother Saturn with.

“About that, I was wondering. Why is it that my fate weighs so heavily on that conscience of yours, hmmmm?”

Saturn’s riposte was measured and almost sounded rehearsed.

“Commander Charon is still an employee of Team Galactic. You weren’t officially fired and you didn’t officially quit. So here we are.” He lamented the fact that he and his organisation were still lumbered with this walking PR scandal.

The old man let out an exaggerated “AHA!” and clicked his fingers.

“Of course! The solution is simple! Why not fire me right now, then?”

Saturn groaned in reply and Charon pressed on.

“If I am such a detriment to you and Team Galactic then just be rid of me here and now! I thought out of the field Commanders you were meant to be the smart one! How disappointing.”

This was becoming intolerable. Even as Saturn closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, he could still feel the dreadfully smug smile emanating from Charon.

“Don’t push it, old man.”

The smile only broadened.

“We both know these little pity visits aren’t because of any legal obligation, don’t we Lieutenant Commander? So why is it that you care about what happens to me? Might it be that I, the genius Charon, have somehow worked my way into your...where are you going?”

He really was a fool for thinking he would gain anything but annoyance from Charon. Every time, it felt as though the older man delighted in pushing his buttons. Still viewing him like nothing but a moody kid.

And the worst part was, in getting up and turning to leave, Saturn had given Charon even more reason to view him as precisely that. A moody kid.

Clearly Charon hadn’t gotten the message that Saturn had endured enough for one day.

“It was things like this you know...”

His tone was different. The mockery was gone and suddenly the old fool sounded his age and not like a raving child. It sent a chill through Saturn.

The younger man turned around, trying to keep his own tone as level as possible

“What things?”

Charon smiled softly. With a look on his face that was difficult to place, it seemed almost...wistful.

“Things like these visits, Saturn. The way you feel inherently compelled to check up on me, despite the fact that you cannot stand me. That is spirit, feeling...empathy. He knew that about you.”

Saturn realised exactly who Charon was talking about.

“It’s things like this why no matter how much you did for him, changed yourself for him, were loyal to him, he would never have told you. Ever.”

Charon still seemed to be enjoying this exchange ever so slightly, but his wizened visage also betrayed a degree of pity. Like he truly was talking to a kid who needed everything spelled out for him.

“He had to keep you far away on that day, my guess is he couldn’t risk facing you when it happened. He benched you in Headquarters, is that not so?”

It was a question that needed no confirmation.

This information, was it supposed to comfort him?

“You’d been around the longest. You’d worked your way in. He knew you.”

That last remark hit Saturn harder than it should have.

He knew you.

How could other people keep seeing things that he could not? Things not only about his heart, but also the heart of the person he saw as more important than everything?

“And you...know this how exactly?” Saturn felt obliged to ask, if the walls were down and he was getting answers then he might as well fill his boots.

Charon leaned back in his chair; lips pursed.

“I’m old.”

The scientist paused as if carefully weighing up his next move. The stoppage allowed Saturn to catch on to the fact that he had actually sat back down.

“And it could be said that I was like you once, leaving that antiquated city behind with a reckless hope.” Charon’s brows furrowed, eyes narrowing. As if the thought of his hometown stirred mixed feelings. “As for Cyrus, I had him made since the start you see. Such is the nature of my genius.”

The mask of arrogance seemed to slam back down. The sense of nostalgia stuffed back into the recesses of the world-weary scientist’s mind.

This man was inscrutable. A fool and a genius in equal measure.

A pregnant pause built between the two. Charon had steered the conversation in a direction Saturn wasn’t entirely prepare to navigate. The former’s expert reading of Saturn and Cyrus’ dynamic was one thing, but his implication of a common origin between them...

“Eterna City. Quite a place.” Saturn’s voice was breathy.

Charon chortled

“Quite a place indeed.”

Saturn couldn’t help but be struck by this fairly simple and innocuous revelation. He and Charon both hailed from the city that serves to tie the past to now.

The old and the new, the past and the future. They were always in perpetual marriage in the Sinnoh Region. That’s the way it was.

At the time, that moment in the control room had seemed like another major breaking point for Saturn, the same as the time he first encountered Cyrus. They were moments that appeared to signal a clean break from one lifetime to another.

He had viewed his past identity and experiences as things to be cordoned off, guarded deep within himself until the very end. He had told Cyrus all of it and what good did that do?

But now Saturn found himself with a chance to move forward, no longer needing to burden himself with task of fitting into someone else’s vision.

This was the new world and it presented so many fresh trials for Saturn, but his will and spirit were still his own. They had always been his own.

It might have been just one lifetime all along.

The grinning old man sat across from him had perhaps given Saturn the last hint that he required.

In the end, it turned out to be Saturn’s longest visit yet.