Ch. 21 Desperation

Night had fallen by the time David stepped out from the building he slept in, his eyes turning red. Only vague memories remained in his head since the battle with Fëanor, with him only seeing Faith for a few minutes, her eyes just as red. He found out about what happened with Adrian, who, along with Maya, was taken to a hospital under Glorfindel’s care, and he remembered weeping for an hour since. The most he remembered throughout it was him holding onto that coin, with it hanging between his two fingers.

Candlelight lit up on all of the windows, with not a single electrical light within a building in sight. Various anthros in uniforms still went from building to building, carrying clipboards and notebooks and writing information down. David couldn’t understand the words they spoke, but he guessed they were assessing damages and casualties from the battle. Of course, it helped that there were speakers that gave the information with their electronic tone.

“Throughout all of the history of The Second Capitol,” the male voice said from above, “we have not received such devastating destruction. Unfortunately, reports are still coming in, with the currently confirmed number of 50,000, both anthros and Pokémon, were killed. Estimates suggest that it’s far higher, possibly going as high as a million at least. Many of the buildings caved in from within, with several toppling, including ones up to 3,000 feet. Several factories were left in ruin, with hazmat teams in the thousands trying to contain the destructive chemicals from harming the city and environment.”

The voice droned on, but David ignored it, his heart becoming heavy with pain. So instead, he approached northward, in a semicircle within 300 feet from *The Philosopher*, where countless anthros stood. Massive signs were placed up, along with video screens, and he turned to the words listed on them. Though his understanding of the anthro language wasn’t perfect, he has learned enough to know what they mean, saying ‘Killed,’ ‘Injured,’ or ‘Missing.’

David kept on walking until he encountered Acting Mayor Rosemary, her eyes just as red even as she tugged against her coat. They said nothing to each other and instead faced towards the screen, with them looking at one name in specific. David clenched the coin tightly, his eyes dampening.

A half-hour passed when Saria walked over to them, though they did not react to her presence. She turned from the coin to the screen, and she understood. At least, until she turned to the sign above it, and she blinked in confusion.

“I know,” David said, his voice lifeless.

Saria turned to the screen and spotted Al and Mayor Jonan’s names on it. “I thought they died. Why are they listed under ‘Missing?’”

“When we checked Mayor Jonan’s office,” Rosemary answered, her voice just as lifeless, “though there was a pool of blood on his desk, he was gone. Even after analysis proved that the blood was his, no body was left behind.”

“And when Glorfindel and I checked the wretched cockpit,” David said even as he turned to Saria a bit, “his body wasn’t in there.”

“Perhaps Fëanor kidnapped them?” Saria suggested and blinked when they shivered. “Sorry.”

“I know that you mean well,” David said as he shook his head. “But I saw that monster stabbed into that cockpit with that staff. I saw blood splattered out. And this coin,” he held it up, “flew out.”

“And though the security cameras didn’t catch what happened afterward,” Rosemary said, brushing her disheveled hair with her hand, “it did catch this Fëanor stabbing Mayor Jonan.”

“Then he took their bodies?” Saria tilted her head, and they nodded in response. “But what would he want with two dead bodies?”

“I don’t know.” David sighed as he shook his head. “Personally, I’m trying not to hope too much that Al is alive, especially after what I saw. I rather not live in such false hope.”

“And I feel it in my heart as well,” Rosemary said, rubbing her eyes to her ears. “He is gone from this world. Along with Mayor Jonan. But, oh, how will I work without either of them?”

Saria lowered her head before she approached Rosemary and rubbed her cheek against her leg. Rosemary responded by scratching her head. David took a couple of steps before patting Saria on the back of her neck. But his knees gave away, and he hugged her close, his body shaking. Rosemary kneeled down and petted them both.

“I’m sorry I can’t do much more,” Saria said, her head lowered.

“Don’t worry. I appreciate what you can do,” David replied before he stood up along with Rosemary. “It doesn’t help that Adrian’s life is on the line. I can’t have another close friend die on me too soon.” He rubbed his face before he sighed. “Do you think Glorfindel is done checking him up?”

“I would be surprised if he is not,” Saria answered, though her eyes turned away. “Still, at his state after the battle, I’m also surprised that he is willing to check Adrian up.”

David nodded, with him turning westward. “Should we check on them?”

“Sure. I’m getting a headache anyways. Not because of this tragedy,” Saria added as David squinted at her. “It’s my horn. I’m still sensing great danger, enough to destroy this continent even after driving Fëanor and Kyle off and having Maya in captivity. It’s driving me nuts,” Saria said. David blinked and tilted his head a bit before shrugging, and they both stepped west, though David stumbled a bit. They went a few yards before she stopped and turned back, with Rosemary facing upwards at *The Philosopher*. Saria tilted her head before she went back to her. “I know you don’t know Adrian much. Still, I think at least David will appreciate it if you come as well.”

“Huh?” Rosemary shook her head for a few seconds. Then, she tugged the back of her ears before she turned upward again. “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

Saria blinked before turning upwards to *The Philosopher* as well. On the Arbok symbol, where it is biting its own tail, a crack formed. It wasn’t deep, only surface level, though Saria winced at the sight.

“I know that you are forbidden to climb up it, but,” Saria asked before pausing for a few seconds, “but are you able to enter it if it needs fixing?”

“There is an automatic system within *The Philosopher* that would allow for any integral fixes along with any other fixes that can be done,” Rosemary replied, though more to herself than to Saria. “Still.” She pulled out a smartphone and, after a few seconds of fiddling with it, took a picture. “I need to go back to the offices. There will be a special meeting regarding the aftermath of this battle regardless, but I think I can get something done.” She cast a glance at the confused Saria and said, “I’ll catch up if I can.”

“What are you— Wait!”

But Rosemary already stepped away, with her pulling out a folder and flipping the pages before she disappeared in the crowd, turning southward instead. Saria’s jaw dropped, with her tilting her head before David’s hand-paw landed on her head. She blinked some more and nodded, with both of them turning back west to the SC Hospital.

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In the eastern outskirts of The Second Capitol, Faith traveled with A-Ninetales, her eyes red even as she towered at a hundred feet tall. For every acre, they have smoothed out the bleak landscape, burning up the destroyed crops and trees with their flames, and planted the fruits and veggies that once stood there. Afterward, they shrunk down to their standard size, and A-Ninetales’s badge glowed green before he fired a green energy ball with his paw. The soil replenished with the ashes fusing with the dirt as plants and trees regrew, each carrying far more than before.

They went from acre to acre for several hours, repeating this process until the farmlands were restored, carrying far more foods than before. Finally, A-Ninetales sighed, his chest taking a great deal of weight even as he picked up one of the destroyed berries, squashed flat and having a bit of blood on it. He dropped it before turning back to Faith, his chest becoming heavier.

“How do you feel?” A-Ninetales asked, Faith’s eyes losing their shine. “Better?”

“Not really, no,” Faith replied, her voice toneless. “I can’t keep my mind off of Adrian. Of course, it’s all my fault.”

“Don’t beat yourself—”

“I wasted so much of my energy on trying to distract Maya.” Faith lifted up one of her paws and flipped it over. “If I haven’t used up that supercharged Flamethrower, Adrian wouldn’t need to sacrifice himself for me. As a result, I was too weak.” One of her tears fell on her paw-pads. “My stupidity wasted all of my time training with you.”

A-Ninetales’s eyes shifted from side to side. “Faith, it’s my fault as well, far more than yours. I let myself get distracted, and, as a result, Kyle got away from our battle. And,” he sighed as he pressed his badge once more, “there’s this.”

“Huh?” Faith tilted her head as a green orb, the size of a marble, appeared from his badge.

“You remember that day when we discussed your parents and Resladerstadf?” A-Ninetales waited until she nodded. “That wasn’t all that I wanted to discuss with you that day. There was this as well.”

“What are you talking about?” Faith asked as the orb floated up and above their heads.

“There was another incident that involves you and that town,” A-Ninetales explained as the orb expanded in size, with it becoming transparent. “And if I had shown this to you that day, perhaps much could’ve been averted. At least, you would’ve approached Kyle more carefully.”

Faith blinked even as she craned her neck, the orb displaying moving images even as voices were heard from it. Various anthros and a few Pokémon were shown on it, either digging up roads or making buildings, with them having an aesthetic not unlike Kucheat Town, though perhaps with more steel and glass. Faith’s ears flattened back even as she tilted her head.

“Is that Resladerstadf?” Faith asked, her tails twitching.

“Yes, a week after the rift has finally closed,” A-Ninetales answered. “The plan was to reconstruct or replace any damages the rift has caused, get volunteer Pokémon to repopulate the town with them sworn into secrecy for the truth, and prop up a cover story. Then, once everyone has gotten to their roles, the anthros would take any anthro tech away and return to this continent. But,” A-Ninetales’s tails twitched, “there was an attack.”

“An attack?” Faith’s mind flashed back to the giant Flygon mech flight all of those months ago. “Yes, you hinted that something like that happened. But what does—” At that moment, on one of the distance rooftops, a Lucario landed. A Lucario with a yellow body instead of blue, spikes on the tail and appendages, and blood-red eyes. Faith’s eyes widened even as some of the anthros in there reacted to this Lucario as well. “Kyle?!”

“Indeed,” A-Ninetales said.

Kyle’s appendages floated a bit even as he extended one of his arms, and an Aura bone formed. He leaped down, swinging the Aura bone and piercing through an anthro lizard through the chest. One of the anthros reacted by pulling out a steel weapon with a long barrel, only for Kyle to fire out a lightning bolt. The anthro horse flinched in place as the other anthros screamed, and the orb turned black.

Faith’s face turned pale before her cheeks turned green. “W-what?”

“Kyle fought against the anthros, ignoring the Pokémon, for three days,” A-Ninetales said as the orb disappeared. “I was told what put him down, at last, was getting shot in the head.”

Faith recalled the purple gemstone on Kyle’s forehead, and she shivered, turning away. “I-I can’t believe it. I have never seen him act s-so violently. W-why?”

“For that attack, I think I can piece together the truth,” A-Ninetales replied before he turned around, his tails lowered even as his ears folded forward. “From what you told me, Faith, you know him for the last sixteen years, correct?”

“Yes. Because his home fell from an ex—” Her throat clogged before she finished that word, with her coughing.

But A-Ninetales said, as though she finished her sentence, “Exactly. Resladerstadf fell from an anthro experiment sixteen years ago.”

Faith turned even paler, as though she became more Ghost than Fire, as she turned to A-Ninetales with wide eyes. “How could I have missed that? That Resladerstadf was his hometown.”

“We don’t know for certain, though it makes too much sense otherwise,” A-Ninetales sighed even as he shook his head. “Especially after I viewed the footage myself. But if I was braver than I was that day, then—” He stopped for a few seconds. “I’m sorry.”

Faith nodded even as she lowered her head and her ears flattened to the sides. “I-I thought I know Kyle,” she said, more to herself than A-Ninetales. “But was it all a lie? He seemed so sincere.”

“Maybe he was, from his viewpoint.” A-Ninetales reached out and hugged Faith close, with her flinching before hugging back. He turned to the city, with its candle lights shining on the windows. “Shall we check on Adrian?”

Faith nodded, and they both walked to the city, with both of their heads down and their chest heavy.