Chapter Text
There’s a dull ache in your knuckles as you step into the lobby of Hammerlocke Gym.
The Macro Cosmos employee you had knocked out is snoozing peacefully in the alleyway behind the gym, a blanket over him, and his key card gone, currently clipped to your belt. His outfit fits you a bit loosely, but it works well enough to disguise you. You stuffed your hair into the cap and are currently hiding behind the sunglasses you swiped from his face.
You take in a steady breath and continue on.
The lobby is busy as usual, with fans and eager gym challengers registering for matches, along with those who have come to marvel at the castle itself.
Towards the reception desk, you spot Hammerlocke’s very own gym leader, Raihan, chatting with some of his gym staff, and you curse your luck, turning away from him as you scan your eyes across the floor layout. You hold your breath. Thankfully, his back is to you as you pass by, and you soon join another Macro Cosmos employee that had nodded towards you, heading towards the elevator with a large sign that says, “Authorized Only”, in bold letters.
Your heart skips a beat as you think about the key card that hangs face down, half stuffed into your pocket to hide the picture of the man currently outside in the alley. You don’t know about authorization levels or whatever, but you’ve observed the lobby for nearly a week, and you’ve seen the grunt— a man named Larson— go in and out of the elevator before.
It should work. Whatever comes after, you’ll have to figure out on the fly.
(But when have you not?)
You walk with him, glancing at the gym leader once more, an apology lost in a soft whisper, before you slip into the elevator, punching the button to close the door. The grunt scans his card, and you follow suit, making sure the picture faces downwards, hiding a sigh of relief when the scanner pings green.
Good. It’s another thing you noticed them do, and it’s the first of many hurdles you’ll have to jump over.
“What floor?” he asks promptly, and you quickly glance at your options. You select one at random, making sure not to choose the lowest floor to avoid suspicion, and you’re relieved when he simply nods, not questioning anything and quickly punching the button before hitting a floor higher for his stop. Silence fills the cabin as you descend, and you stare straight ahead, watching the numbers tick down lower and lower before you reach the other grunt’s stop.
When the doors open, he leaves with another nod, and you quickly reach over to close the elevator doors and continue your descent. You let out a breath, calming all your nerves and trying to keep your mind clear as you watch the numbers descend, floor by floor.
Deeper and deeper. You wonder what is on each floor you pass by, having only a moment of peace until you finally land on the floor you chose before.
The elevator dings, and as the doors open, you’re greeted by a similar hall as the floor above. You step out, quickly scanning each side before you continue walking. The only thing that keeps you grounded is your steady footsteps that echo throughout the white tiles and walls.
From under your cap, you spy the cameras situated on each corner of the halls. You have one shot, and you refuse to lose it.
With as much confidence as you can, you make your way down the hall, sweeping your eyes over the crossroads before you continue straight, aiming for the next door you see, the window reassuringly dark.
You sneak inside, stepping into an empty lab, finally taking in a deep breath as you close the door behind you. Wiping the sweat from your brow, you reach over to click on the light, relieved to be met with empty cubicles. Slowly, you step farther into the room, scanning over the bookshelves of binders and notebooks, the scattered papers and folders littering all the desks. A camera faces the room from the far corner, so you do your best to act natural, sliding into the seat of a small cubicle with stacks of books littering the desk. Ducking your head down further, you begin to sift through whatever you can, grabbing anything that might have even a sliver of information, anything useful to start gathering up the puzzle pieces.
You don’t have time—you hold your breath in anticipation, flipping through pages as you listen carefully, waiting for the door to click open or to hear pounding footsteps from the distance.
You finally focus on the words and diagrams scattered across the pages. Scanning them, you find mentions of wishing stars, something about the reactor and the mention of Subject #890. there’s a blurry photo of something huge, suspended in some containment, observation notes filling the pages with scribbles in the pages after.
/2XXX
Subject has showed no signs of reaction at the increase of wishing star input. Energy throughput has increased as calculated, with 95% accuracy…
/2XXX
We’ve harvested some particles for future research to send to the labs of XXX and XXX. Awaiting results, estimated delivery in the next 5-7 days.
/2XXX
We have reached 50% energy levels— reporting to the Chairman, he was quite pleased with the significant process. Continue further observation as planned…
The most recent entry is from yesterday— timestamped less than 24 hours ago.
A bad feeling settles in your gut, fear suddenly clenching around your throat— What is Rose up to with this research? The collection of wishing stars— you were right to be suspicious of Rose’s endorsement for Bede, being used by the chairman to collect Wishing Stars you would never have thought it would be something of this magnitude, however. Feeding them to this subject, a Pokemon, most likely, but what Pokemon would consume Wishing Stars—
You freeze suddenly, cold washing over you in stark realization. You’ve seen something like this before— in the books you flipped through in Hammerlocke vault. Mentions of a Darkest Day, of a devastating fate that Galar faced, saved by the two heroes.
Eternatus.
There’s no possible way it exists though, not here.
No, you don’t know for sure.
You have to find it, wherever it is underneath Hammerlocke.
Slowly, you open the door, peeking down the hallways before slipping out quietly, heading in the direction from where you came. The elevator should be just around the corner—
Footsteps approach, and you quickly spot a door leading to the stairs, quietly opening it and beginning your descent. You keep going, passing down two floors until you arrive at the bottommost level. Silently, you crack open the door, and it’s another hall, devoid of any Macro Cosmos grunts. It’s all too suspicious, but you take your chances to quietly continue, trying to find whatever this experiment is.
You’re about to hit the end of the hall when you hear a radio crackle around the corner.
“There is an intruder in the lab! Breach code one-one-zero. I repeat, there is an intruder in the lab, please proceed with caution and subdue them once found.”
Shit, shit shit shit .
You quickly backtrack, heading back down the hall— you’re too late, though, and you hear yelling as your feet thud across the white tiles, running for your life.
You turn at random, trying to lose them in the stupidly maze-like halls of the plant, and at one point, you see a strange metal door, appearing out of place to all the other labs and offices, and you quickly slam your keycard against it. The green ping offers you a brief respite before you hurriedly enter and shut the door quietly behind you. All the adrenaline leaves your body, and you slide down to the floor, ear pressed up against the door. It’s extremely muffled, but you hear pounding footsteps grow louder, before they pass you, becoming fainter with each second.
As soon as you catch your breath, you turn back to look inside, and your heart drops.
It can’t be real… it’s not possible—
Pure fear courses through you at the sight of it— yet you can’t stop yourself from taking a few steps closer, until you’re in front of it .
Eternatus rests inside the huge glass container. It’s frozen, asleep, you presume, but it exerts so much pressure that makes your chest unbearably tight. You hold your breath, eyes scanning over its huge body, taking in the source of all chaos and destruction.
And then, light suddenly floods the empty platform, where you’re face to face with the man himself. Your heart drops to the pit of your stomach. Fuck .
But it’s just him .
No other Macro Cosmos grunts come swarming to surround you, not even the usual stone-faced Oleana is present at his side, despite knowing she is at his every beck and call. Fear spikes in you as he glances at you.
He remains undeterred by your presence, merely entering and letting the doors close behind him. There’s not an ounce of hostility in his gaze— maybe a spark of recognition, or even amusement?
You’re absolutely fucked.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Rose begins, smiling to you as his gaze lands on Eternatus, eyes softening as if he’s looking up at his god. “Perhaps you’ll understand. The second Darkest Day will save us all, in the future. Galar will live with bountiful energy to sustain its people for centuries to come.”
Your breath catches in your throat. This man was going to sacrifice the region to save the far future?
“Centuries? If you let this thing out you’ll destroy Galar now .” You shake your head in disbelief. “There won’t be a Galar the moment you release it.”
He takes a few steps forward, and you back up, mindful of the platform— the least you want to do is fall to your death, not like this.
“You cannot comprehend that we are doomed in a thousand years. I’m merely saving us before it’s too late.”
Doomed? Thousand of years? You can’t believe what you’re hearing.
“You’re insane,” you hiss, hand slowly moving to your belt, the familiar Poke Ball against your fingertips. “You’re not a savior. You’re going to ruin us all.”
You need to get out of there— you need to let Leon know. No one’s safe, no one knows—
Your legs don’t move, and your body feels heavy, frozen with fear and uncertainty. What do you do? What can you do?
Rose smiles. It’s not one of malice, it’s not one of evil. He smiles at you as if you’re a lost child needing help. It unnerves you even more, and you realize you won’t be able to escape. He won’t let you, no matter what it takes.
Your hand trembles, holding your partner’s Poke Ball. You can’t risk a battle here— not when there’s such a high chance of disturbing Eternatus, or even causing the entire gym above you to fall and cave in. It’s too much of a hazard— Raihan’s face pops into your mind. He’s above you at this very moment, blissfully unaware of what’s under his precious gym. You can’t afford to put him, or any of the gym staff and challengers in danger.
No one knows, no one will ever know.
You think of Leon , who doesn’t know of Chairman Rose’s true nature and intentions. He still won’t know, even after he has his way with you.
You’re out of options.
“I’m truly sorry,” he says, in a tone that sounds so genuine it makes you glare even harder. “I simply can’t let you ruin my plans.”
A red light appears from his hand— that bastard was holding a Poke Ball of his own, this entire time, and just as you realize he released a Bronzong, its eyes glowed red, and every semblance of you disappears as you slip into darkness.
The heavy air stills for only a moment as Leon holds his breath, watching the Poke Ball shut with the red glow of the button. It doesn’t wiggle, as it usually does after a Pokemon is caught, and he waits for only a second before realizing something’s wrong. His suspicions are proven correct when he sees the Poke Ball crack, a thin spider webbing that shatters across the red metal. Quickly, he orders Charizard to protect the two boys while he curls up on himself, hearing the Poke Ball shatter and the burst of energy that explodes from it as Eternatus rises once more. The impact has him flying midair, and he tries his best to protect his head as he takes the impact head-on, before skidding across the concrete— like a ragdoll thrown to the side before he finally rolls to a halt.
His breaths are short and staccatoed, pain spiking with each beat and his muscles and bones aching painfully as he watches his little brother and his friend fight Eternatus in front of him.
And despite all the pain, despite his vision going dark, he hears you . Somewhere in the depths of his mind, behind the ringing in his ears and the thundering that wracks his entire body, he hears you so clearly.
You, who has been missing for months. You, who he’s been searching for this entire time.
Leon’s in and out of consciousness by the time the air calms— it doesn’t feel as suffocating, the pressure releasing as soon as he vaguely telltale click of a captured Poke Ball.
At one point he cracks his eyes open, feeling pain shoot up his body as he feels the cold seep into his tattered cape. Eternatus is no longer looming over Victor and Hop, and the two legends are standing near them
He blinks, trying to make out the scene in front of him, the lack of Eternatus, Hop’s worried face appearing suddenly, as warmth finally cradles his body.
He closes his eyes.
It’s over.
And he dreams.
He doesn’t remember his dreams often, easily forgotten as soon as his eyes open to greet the next morning. There’s already too much to do, too much for him to face in the world when he’s awake, after all.
But he opens his eyes and sees you. Before you disappeared months ago, the same you who accompanied him for so long, since his childhood, his best friend.
You.
“I don’t know about Chairman Rose, Lee.”
Your words echo, and he vaguely remembers this conversation, during one night you were able to meet up, camp out in the Wild Area like old times. The fire is starting to die down, and you dump some sand over it, watching it sizzle out for good.
You stare out the overlook— it’s one of your favorite views of Lake Axwell, and you’ve always camped here with him when time has slowed for both of you, the little chances between his packed schedule that allows him to just run away from everything for a night with you.
“Him endorsing Bede… I don’t know, it feels like he has something else planned for him. It’s not like how he endorsed you back when we were kids.”
Charizard and Tyranitar snore lightly near the tent, leaning against each other comfortably. It’s the same as when they used to sleep together as a Charmander and Larvitar, with the former’s tail wrapped warmly around the latter.
“I think he’s just giving the kid a chance,” Leon smiles, but it does little to reassure your frown. “C’mon, he gave him his Hatenna. I think he sees some potential in him.”
And he truly believes so— knowing how it feels to have someone who put so much faith into him— Chairman Rose had done exactly that, giving him the opportunity to grasp his potential and push him farther than he had ever dreamed. Without him or his endorsement, he wouldn’t be here today, proudly representing Galar and helping other trainers start and continue their journeys, becoming an inspiration to all.
For that, he’s eternally grateful.
He would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit upset that you refused to understand, try to, at the very least. Rose has given Leon everything . Yet you purse your lips, defeated, wanting to say more, but letting out a soft sigh instead. “Leon…”
“Trust me,” Leon says your name, in a way you can’t deny him. It’s not like you didn’t have full faith in him, anyways, so all you can do is bite your lip and nod. “C’mon, let’s get to sleep.”
He waits for you, watching as you gaze at the moon shining down across Lake Axwell, and something squeezes tight in his chest as he sees your expression, one muddled with grief and uncertainty, before it’s smudged away with a tired smile. You pass by him, and he watches you, worried, as you slip into the tent, and he looks up at the same moon that you gazed at.
Was he doing the wrong thing?
He trusts Chairman Rose— always acting for the greater good of the people, a philanthropist at heart and an extraordinary leader who cares about the entire region of Galar. It’s not like it’s a rare opinion— many have approved of his achievements over the past years, and it goes without saying that he has built up Galar to what it is today.
But he also trusts you — who has been by his side throughout all his adventures since you were kids. He knows you’ve always been more closed off, more distrusting of others for good reason. But he wonders if it’s just more than that when it comes to Rose, who you’ve always disliked, harboring enough suspicion towards him like a skittish Skwovet. Part of him thinks it’s because of his involvement with the gym challenge, especially in recent years. You’ve expressed your concern for him multiple times, especially when he’s been exhausted from publicity events, or having to handle Rose’s requests, and maybe you think he’s overworking Leon to the bone.
Part of him is worried about what you’ll do. He wonders if he wasn’t convincing enough, to drill it into you that he’s perfectly happy with where he is, and how he’s grateful to Rose for everything he’s done.
He’s worried you’ll stick your nose in something you shouldn’t.
It’s one thing he loves about you— having the power to go out and do what you put your mind to. It’s exhilarating, watching you put your mind to something and seeing that fire burn in you, to burn hotter, brighter.
But it’s also the one thing he is incredibly worried about, knowing you refuse to sit and twiddle your fingers if something is bothering you.
He’s brought out of his thoughts once you call him from the tent— having changed and prepared to go to bed. When he slips in through the cover, zipping it back up, he sees you get comfy in your sleeping bag— the one he gifted you a few years ago when your previous one ripped. It’s Umbreon themed, black, with yellow rings around the body and near your head.
You busy yourself on your Rotom phone, turned away from Leon as he quickly slips into a more loose t-shirt, slipping on a pair of comfy joggers before he gets settled into his own sleeping bag next to yours.
“Good night, Leon.”
“Good night.”
Curled up in your sleeping bag, he stares at your sleeping form, and for the first time, he doesn’t know what to believe in.
It’s the last time he sees you, before he’s swept into preparations for the upcoming gym challenge. He had parted ways with you in front of Hammerlocke, where he returned to Wyndon for the exhibition matches the following week, and you announced you’d be staying in the city to stop by the Vault and see Raihan.
It starts without a hitch, and this year's competitors have already begun challenging Milo and Nessa, quick to train and progress. He makes his rounds around each city, making sure each gym leader is doing well, he goes to resolve any trouble that arises as informed by Chairman Rose.
He messages you, when he can, and he’s met with brief responses or silence, for the most part, and he blames it on terrible cell service, assuming you’re traveling along the edges of the region again.
And then, you don’t respond.
He waits for the notification to go off in the next few days, and still nothing, and it’s when worry begins to sprout. You’re not stuck to your phone like Raihan, but you’re also not like Leon himself where he forgets to check it on a daily basis, and worse, he forgets to reply.
So the silence from you becomes concerning once one day becomes two becomes five, then a week.
It’s when the challenge is a few months in, and Hop has recently beaten Motostoke’s Kabu, that he receives a rare call from Sonia.
Sonia is the first to mention it, asking if he’s heard from you. He mentions you guys meeting up before the challenge had started, but you had gone off again to who knows where. He calls, once, twice, and is sent to voicemail both times before he shoots you a quick message while he’s being dragged away by Oleana for a meet & greet event in Wyndon.
He tries again a few days later, only to be met with silence once more. Leon is about to start searching for you on his own, planning out a route across the Wild Area until the whole fiasco with Bede occurs at Stow-On-Side, and that’s when he realizes maybe you were right.
A terrible feeling settles into the pit of his stomach as he watches Rose disqualify Bede from the Gym Challenge, eyes settled onto the torn up mural behind them. The look in Bede’s eyes breaks something in Leon, but his words kept echoing in his head, laced with desperation to make Rose proud with all the wishing stars that he’s gathering for the man.
But why… why was he so adamant on gathering the stars for Rose? Before he can ask, the chairman excuses himself, with Oleana following close behind, disappearing into a private Corviknight cab so they could return back to Wyndon.
His questions remain unanswered, and he only becomes more lost.
The next thing he can think of is to contact Raihan next— you’ve always gotten along well with him, like two Smeargle itching to paint the town red. You indulged him in his knowledge of history, as well as his wild battling technique that you return with the same intensity.
Surely, he would know something, right?
Leon’s entire world crumbles when Raihan hesitates. That’s never a good sign to begin with, and eventually he tells him he hasn’t seen you recently. “But,” Raihan quickly adds on, and Leon perks up, latching onto a tiny ounce of hope.
You had spent quite some time with him in Hammerlocke a few months ago— spending late nights within the vault, looking desperately for something among all the historic texts and artifacts stored there.
“I wasn’t sure what she was looking for,” he admits to Leon. “When I asked, she’d always turn me down or stay quiet, so I let her be. Then she must have found something , and then she left without a word.”
Leon starts his search there, with Raihan’s help. He spends days in Hammerlocke, goes to locals, the gym staff, the police, and no one has answers. The police-trained Growlithe can’t find your scent, and even their Lucario couldn’t sense your aura.
A week later, you’re officially on the missing persons list, and Leon doesn’t know what to do. He’s contacted Sonia and Raihan daily— which is rare, considering he barely used his Rotom phone in the first place, and he had checked with all the other gym leaders for anything, only to be met with regretful apologies and downcast faces.
There’s no way you’re gone. And there’s no way you’re…
Dead.
It’s not unheard of. It’s the reason the age requirement was bumped up to fifteen for your generation, after there were one too many accidents and the protests grew too loud for the region to ignore. Traveling the Wild Area always came with risks, whether it be aggressive Pokemon, or even just mother nature herself, and he can’t help the scenarios that run through his head.
You’re more than capable of handling yourself, but what if your foot slipped on a rock mid-climb? What if you couldn’t swim up from wherever deep waters you were exploring? What if you got in trouble with a Dynamaxed Pokemon in a den somewhere? Your body lying deep inside it with no one to find you—
It all haunts him, and all he wants is to hear your voice again.
He spends countless hours trying to find you, trying to find any hint, any remainder of you, but it’s like you disappeared with the wind, without a single trace.
Your Rotom phone signal disappeared— as if it never existed in the first place. Your Pokedex records showed the last time you encountered a Pokemon was months ago, which are the same ones you had encountered when he was with you that night at Lake Axwell.
So the Wild Area is an unlikely place, but where else have you gone?
A month into his search, as it runs him ragged and dry and unseeing of anything else, Chairman Rose calls him to Rose Tower. Upon entering his office, he’s greeted with a kind “welcome back,” a soft smile as he offers Leon some tea.
Oleana places the steaming mug in front of him, and he takes a sip. It does little to calm his nerves and wake his exhaustion. He needs to make this meeting quick, so he can keep searching for you and he can’t waste time and—
“Leon, cease these search efforts.”
Leon grows still. Rose smiles.
“You have been neglecting your duties as Champion,” Rose continues, standing as he looks outside the large windows, gaze brushing over the cityscape below. Leon bites his lip. It’s true, he can’t deny that, but there just isn’t enough time to do both . “But no need to worry. I will take over the investigation.”
“You… You will?” Leon asks, hesitantly. Rose nods, lips still curved in his gentle smile.
“Yes, don’t worry, my boy. I’ll make sure to prioritize it with all available Macro Cosmos personnel. We’ll keep collaborating with the police. But I need you to regain your footing. The people of Galar need you to be strong.”
He glances at Leon with a reassuring smile, and Leon can’t return it, but nevertheless he nods. The next day, he’s in Wyndon, following around Oleana as he fulfills his duties, ignoring the texts from Raihan and Sonia, trying desperately not to look for you in every person he walks past. It gets exhausting by the hour, every minute he has to plaster a smile to flashing camera shutters and to huge crowds of fans.
Days pass, and as the gym challenge nears its finale, he finally faces the truth.
Leon had no idea that Rose would have nearly destroyed Galar.
Lying against the cold stone at the top of Hammerlocke Gym, he watches his little brother and Victor fight the poisonous dragon, their Pokemon exchanging intense moves one after another. It’s as if the entire weight of Galar has suddenly pushed him down, and for once, he doesn’t have the strength to stand back up, no matter how much he wills it.
“I told you, Leon.”
He tears his gaze away from Eternatus. After long, long months, it’s the first time he sees you. You’re crouched near him, looking down on him as your hair curtains your face as you hug your knees close. Your eyes are void of any life. It scares him, the fire that burned brightly in you is long gone, snuffed out for good.
“You didn’t listen to me, Leon.”
His mouth is so dry, the faint taste of iron lingering. His head rings. “I… I’m sorry. I couldn’t…”
“Why couldn’t you find me?”
Something drips onto his face. He looks up to see blood trailing down the corner of your lips to your chin, and he gasps.
“No, no no no, I’ll find you, I promise I will—“
“It’s over, Leon.”
He blinks, and you’re gone.