Thanks for all the support on my Patreo-n so far! 3 advanced chapters at /xlucqs.

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  The battlefield was silent as Nascour withdrew his final Pokémon. The wind scattered the dust and remnants of Shadow around them.

  "I suppose even if I had more, it wouldn't matter." He pocketed the pokeball by his side. His hand brushed each of them, every touch communicating more than a thousand words.

  "I wish I had named each of you when I had the chance," Nascour said. "I never imagined I would be the one saying goodbye."

  He looked up to the sky, taking a long, exhausted breath. The tension left his shoulders and his jaw, which had been slightly clenched, relaxed, while his fingers returned to their original shape from being balled up. He knew what was going to happen, and in that moment, he seemed to finally make peace with it.

  Nascour's hand went to his belt, detaching it before tossing it onto the ground—a belt containing all of his Pokemon, the same ones that had fought so fiercely for him.

  "Promise me one thing," Nascour croaked, looking up at William. "Promise me you'll take care of them. Whatever conflict we had, they had nothing to do with it. They were just following my orders—like any loyal Pokémon would. They are innocent. Please," he pleaded.

  William nodded. "You have my word."

  "Good," Nascour said. "Go on then. Get it over with." He spread his arms out wide, closing his eyes.

  Bond strode forward. The shot that followed was clean and precise, piercing the centre of Nascour's forehead and going straight through his skull. He dropped to the floor, motionless. Just like that, the fight ended—quiet, almost anti-climactic.

  William advanced, standing over the unmoving body. After a moment of silence, he pocketed the belt on the floor in his belongings, then nodded to Lochness.

  Lochness stepped forward, kneeling, manipulating the earth with careful precision. The ground beneath the corpse began to shift and rise and ripple, slowly consuming Nascour's body until the earth settled over it once more.

  "Buried in the very place you wished to take over," William said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. "In a way, you achieved your goal. It's the least I can do."

  There was no mockery in his voice. William was Team Aqua—no, in Orre, Team Revolution, while Nascour was Team Cipher. It was like oil and water— they couldn't mix. There was no room for mercy or negotiation in the field, both literally and figuratively.

  It was life and death, that was it. William had lived; Nascour had died.

  "Good job, guys," he said, nodding to his Pokemon. "Go get some rest. I'll treat you all later." He glanced at Bond, then the town up ahead. "Not you, buddy. Just in case." He eyed the town with apprehension— since he had just killed the mayor, who knows what would happen.

  He had been in Orre less than twenty-four hours, and already he had taken down Team Snagem and two of Cipher's core leaders. Anyone else would have celebrated—thanking their luck—but William knew better; this was only the beginning of his conquest of Orre.

  It wasn't just about taking out the villains and seizing control. True change required patience, power, and purpose. Opposition needed to be cut off in its entirety, leaving no room for revival, like a Hydra.

  They also needed allies, strength, and those with the relevant qualifications to rule the region even without his presence. Otherwise, they would just go around in circles—they would create another government that would be weak and give rise to more opposition, such as new teams or remnants of existing teams.

  If he wanted to consolidate power, he needed to do it perfectly. He only had one shot at this.

  His mind circled back to Team Cipher. He knew they weren't truly finished. From what he still remembered of the games, of the rough notes he had, the rough notes he made as soon as he could write, the real leader was still out there, operating outside of Orre. But now that Evice and Nascour were gone, Orre was without proper leadership, and because of that, he would surely reveal himself.

  William turned back toward the town, his body weary, heart hammering, mind still sharp from battle. It was an exhausting contrast. The body wanted to rest while the mind was wide awake. The streets on which he killed the mayor seemed distant now—almost unreal, a lifetime away, a lifetime between killing one person and another in two completely different ways.

  One was spontaneous, brutal, long—personal. Nascour's death was quick and painless, filled with a sense of respect that you got from battling someone to the death in the middle of nowhere. It was a strange kind of respect.

  The walk was long, agonisingly long. His footsteps slid across the sand, dragging it along with him each time he moved forward. As his feet shuffled through the dunes, the commotion of the town slowly got closer. The small reprieve of momentary silence shortly after the battle quickly vanished into thin air.

  The scene that greeted him was pandemonium. The place was swarmed with citizens and trainers, both curious and concerned and whatever other emotions came with seeing your mayor dead on the street. Some were angry, some were scared, others didn't want to miss out on the gossip that would soon be the talk of the town for weeks—especially given the now-deceased mayor's body rotting in the streets as though he was some common criminal.

  "I'm telling you," Wes was saying. His face was pleading, desperate, arms flailing wildly, "That man was the leader of Team Cipher!" Behind him, Rui nodded feverishly.

  "And why should we believe you?" A man said. He was tall, with purple hair and a generic-looking face. His most standout feature was the outfit he wore, more particularly his coat, a white cloth accented with gold stripes and a golden pokeball for a badge.

  Looks like he is important. William thought.

  At the words, the townsfolk nodded and agreed. He voiced the opinion of everyone there.

  "Take him down, Justy!" a townsfolk said.

  Justy narrowed his eyes, "Enough dancing around the question. You killed our mayor."

  "Damn it!" Wes spat, hands drifting towards one of his pokeballs. "Stay behind me Rui! Just wait till my boss comes back! He's the one who's been fighting over there! Lightning Bolts shoot from his fingertips! His Pokemon are mythic, long-forgotten gods! "

  "I was fighting," William corrected, walking over.

  "Boss!" Wes and Rui looked exhausted. They breathed a sigh of relief. William stood in front of Wes and Rui, shielding them like a lion would his children.

  "Are you the one who killed the mayor?" the man called Justy asked, eyes narrowing. The air grew tense.

  "I am," William said bluntly. "I killed your mayor because he was not the mayor, but the regional leader of Team Cipher."

  "So we've heard. It sounds like a made-up story—absurd."

  "You heard me fighting back there, yes?" William asked. "One of Team Cipher's admins caught me in the act, tried to get revenge. Now he is dead as well."

  Justy laughed, "It isn't helping your case. You're spouting things that an overactive child might say, with no proof at all to back up your claims. "

  "Kill them!"

  "Avenge the mayor!"

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  "I can give you proof. I'm sure somewhere hidden in the mayor's office is evidence of his wrongdoings. Would that suffice?"

  Justy looked contemplative. "If you manage to find it, yes. Though if you want to cooperate with us, then you will need to hand over your pokeballs."

  "Not a chance," William replied. "I'd sooner fight through all of you than hand my Pokémon over to a stranger."

  "I'm the leader of the gym in the city. With the mayor dead…It seems I'm the highest form of authority here."

  "Still a stranger to me."

  "Tch! Fine." Justy was the first to budge. "But—hands where I can see them. At the first sign of any of you or your comrades reaching towards your Poké Balls." He sent out one of his Pokemon—a Sandslash. "Then my Pokémon go for the kill," he chuckled, "They've killed quite a fair share of criminals."

  "Fine by me," William said. Wes nodded.

  "All right, show's over!" Justy declared to everyone. "I'll handle this!"

  One of the men at the front of the crowd, eager for retribution, said, "Justy, they killed the mayo—"

  "I said I've got this. If the mayor is really who they said, then they did us a favour. And if not, I'll take care of them myself." He gave a reassuring smile.

  William, Rui, and Wes walked ahead, hands clearly visible to Justy. Shortly behind them was Justy's Sandslash, claws eager to be stained red, while Justy trailed behind his partner. Rui led the way, as she was the only one familiar enough with the town to know where the office was located.

  "Here we are," Rui said, still a little afraid.

  The door was unlocked. They entered through the front, Justy following closely behind, eyes watching every move. The place was bland. It looked just like any normal office. The colours were basic and uninspiring. Everything was neat and tidy. William found it creepy.

  "So, where is this evidence?" Justy asked.

  "I'm sure there is evidence, just not sure where," William clarified. He looked toward Justy. "Can I look around?"

  "Go ahead."

  Under the watchful gaze of Justy, they began to search through the mayor's office—papers and books, little nooks and crannies, under plant pots and the TV. They even went upstairs, but they couldn't find anything.

  Justy's eyes narrowed further.

  While Wes and Rui looked under the carpet and the night lamp respectively, William walked over to the bookcase near the edge of the room, resting by the side of the stairs. The books were neatly arranged by colour, size, and topic.

  Now, if you had a secret space, what book would you use to open it?

  His eyes scanned through the assortments: Pokémon biology, economics, fashion—none of them lined up.

  And then—

  The Political Structure of Orre.

  It blended in with just about every other book. Of course, a mayor would want to be knowledgeable about the structure of the country they govern. However, it also went both ways. If you wanted to learn how to take something down, you needed first to understand how it operated.

  Team Cipher had been doing a good job at slowly destabilising the structure of the government, and the reason for that was simple—their leader knew how the region operated.

  He grabbed the book off the shelf. Behind the bookshelf, a loud groan of metal and machinery churned and shifted in spinning gears. Slowly, the bookshelf swung to the side, revealing a large, gaping open entrance just under the stairs. The iron-reinforced door was wide open.

  "Cool!" Rui and Wes exclaimed, eyes sparkling with excitement.

  "Hmph!" Justy said, though his features softened slightly.

  The evidence is slowly building up…

  William looked at Justy. "Ladies first?" He gestured toward the open door.

  Justy glared at him.

  "Guess not," William said. He entered through the doorway. He walked down a series of stairs. It was dark—very dark. With each step he took, the sound seemed to bounce further across the walls, and the sharp chill only got colder. He shivered.

  The place was hard to navigate with no light to guide him or his senses. William's hands fumbled, gloves sliding along the edge rough concrete walls, searching for a light switch. He reached the bottom of the stairs—hands continuing to search the walls.

  He found a small bump in the wall and pressed it. The lights overhead flickered to life. The first thing William noticed was the dust—thick and heavy—once invisible in the dark, now dancing lazily through the air.

  Behind him, as Wes, Rui, and Justy reached the bottom of the stairs, all three of them erupted into coughing fits.

  "Does the mayor not clean this place?" Wes asked, covering his mouth.

  "He probably didn't come here often," William said. "The more he came here, the higher the chance someone might accidentally stumble upon him. Wanted to keep it as big a secret as possible."

  Even so, if someone had caught him down here, it might have seemed odd—but not enough to reveal him as the leader of Team Cipher. It was just a room in a basement. Just as inconspicuous as upstairs.

  The room was small: four concrete walls with a single desk and chair near the far end.

  There was only one place to look.

  William walked over to the desk. It was a fine brown mahogany, kept in impeccable condition. It was spotless—also itemless. Which meant, if nothing was here…then it would be down below.

  He tried to open one of the drawers—there were six in total—, but it didn't budge. It was locked.

  "Ah!" Wes exclaimed, digging through his pockets. "You need a key?" He pulled out a small object that glinted from the overhead light. "I got this from his body when you battled that guy. Thought it might come in handy."

  William nodded, smiling beneath his mask. "Well done."

  Stealing items—no matter how wrong it seemed—was necessary in this line of work. It was the first thing he'd learned. It was how he'd gotten Lochness, technically. He'd stolen him.

  The same principle applied to the Pokémon they stole after killing opponents. When William had defeated Archie, he took his Pokemon. Wes had taken Gonzap's Pokémon, and just now William had taken Nascour's Pokémon.

  If he didn't, then they would just be recycled back into the wild, where someone else would take them— more than likely an enemy.

  William inserted the key into the lock. Click! It opened.

  Let's hope this basement has evidence, William thought, looking at Justy. Otherwise…

  He didn't finish the thought.

  William searched through the drawer, fishing out a black cloak and outfit with the Team Cipher logo on it. "Would you look at that?" He threw the item on the floor.

  "Maybe it's evidence from when he valiantly locked away some team cipher thugs," Wes said sarcastically.

  William then moved to the second drawer: six pokeballs. His team. The man had been so confident and arrogant, he hadn't seen the need to keep his Pokemon by his side. He pocketed them then for himself.

  Each second he walked around defenceless in the city, without his Pokemon, knowing he was the most wanted man in the region must've been thrilling for him. And if he were ever attacked, the same people against Cipher would protect him. It must have given him an immense amount of joy.

  He moved to the third drawer. A book. Worn and torn. An old pen was clipped to it. He flicked through the first few pages. A diary, William thought, eyebrows raising as he saw the contents of them. He threw it towards Justy, who picked up the diary.

  His face changed between disbelief and disgust—before finally resigning himself and the fact that the mayor was who William said he was. "Sandslash, return."

  William decided he wouldn't be smug about it. He changed the topic slightly, "I've noticed not many of you give your Pokemon nicknames. Nascour spoke about it, and now you. Everyone names their Pokemon— so why not you?" he continued to search through the drawers, but it was mostly full of valuables and jewellery. He pocketed that as well. By now, they were quite heavy.

  "In Orre, we don't really name our Pokémon," Justy explained. "Some people do—maybe they're stupid, optimistic, or maybe they're just willing to take the risk."

  "What risk?"

  "The risk of our Pokémon dying. Orre is harsh. Lots of Pokémon don't survive in its tough environment. When you name a Pokémon, it creates more of a bond—a personal connection with them. It means that if they die—and they most likely will—it's much more heartbreaking. So we don't give our Pokémon names. And although it's tough, it's easier to move on. It's easier to think of your Pokémon as just… the name of that species, just like the thousands of others in the wild. It saves you from all of that."

  William nodded solemnly. "I understand that. It's kind of obvious—I didn't grow up here. Where I grew up was a nice region, but I was dealt a bad hand. I had to fight to survive, to climb my way up. No one put a Poké Ball in my hand and told me I could do it. I had to take Poké Balls from bloodied hands, otherwise I'd be the one buried.

  "However, the way I see it is—you only have one life, and so does that Pokémon. Giving it a name makes it feel special, unique. As you said, it gives you a deeper connection to them. Even if they die… I think it's that connection—the bond you have with your Pokémon—that makes it all worthwhile."

  "One day, my Pokémon might die," William continued quietly, "but when that happens, I'll cherish all the memories I've had with them. And I hope they can die thinking that too."

  The possibility of it crossed his mind, but he quickly snuffed it out. He didn't wait for any reply or reprieve and moved on to the final drawer. It contained…a phone. A piece of technology like this, in Orre of all places, was rare. He picked it up and turned it on.

  A detailed list of contacts appeared on the screen—all of them Team Cipher members, people Evice most likely contacted regularly to give or receive orders.

  One name stood out among them all:

  Greevil.

  He recognised the name. The true mastermind behind Team Cipher. William took a deep breath, weighing his options. One eventually won out.

  He called the number.

  It rang once before being picked up.

  "Evice…" a voice on the line said. It was a quiet, calming voice, edged with something he just couldn't quite place. It brought him a shiver.

  "Incorrect," William replied.

  "Who is this?"

  "You can call me Shade."

  "And who are you, Shade? How did you get Evice's phone? Do you know who you're speaking to?"

  "I know exactly who I'm speaking to—and that's precisely why I called. I'd love to be the bearer of bad news." A pause. "Team Snagem is dead. Their machines—gone. Team Cipher—dismantled. Evice and Nascour are gone. All because of me."

  There was silence on the other end for a moment before the voice hardened.

  "Whoever you are, however you got Evice's phone, I suggest you choose your next words very carefully. You have no idea who you're speaking to—or what they can do. I'm in no mood for jokes. Put the phone down, and walk away."

  "Only if you promise to walk away from Orre," William said, voice calm. "Though I highly doubt you would do that. Let me tell you straight: Orre is mine from now on, not Cipher's. If I were anyone else, I might have asked nicely or tried to make a deal—but I don't care. I understand you won't just let this go, you won't give up Orre, its remaining Cipher assets, and Shadow Pokemon. You've invested far too much to back out at this point."

  He leaned forward slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips.

  "So I'm telling you to come at me with everything you've got. The winner will take Orre."

  AN: Nascour is dead, doesn't matter if he knows William's Pokémon's names's. If he were in a stadium full of people and he said it, it would be a problem, but it isn't. In a fight to the death, William really doesn't need to worry about hiding his pokemon's names. Wes and Rui heard it, and may have remembered it, but thats a non issue considering their allies.