Joining of Land and Sea | By : Fuzzbeast Category: +M through R > Pokemon Views: 1367 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
"Joining of Land and Sea" – Ch. 4
Author Note: Hey guys, this is the chapter where our story catches up to the timeline of the events in the game, although I'm pretty much ignoring the Delta episode's events. Sadly, no sexy warnings for this chapter."I do not own Pokemon or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story."________________________________________________________Archie's POV:It's been years since I left that little nerd and went on with my life – and I haven't heard a peep from him since. I went back to my swinger's lifestyle, and it was working out alright, although these days, I didn't much date anyone anymore. I...just didn't feel like it for some reason. I'd be lying if I said I never missed that nerd on occasion, but things were going well for me now. I had barely managed to get my degree, but it didn't matter because I'd found a great organization to be a part of – Team Aqua. Here I could make a difference in the real world helping water pokemon gain more habitat. In fact, I'd done so well in my work that when the old leader of Team Aqua was quitting. I'd volunteered to take his place, and he granted me the position. Now I was leader of my own environmentalist group, and I could bring about some real change with the help of my followers!"Yo Shelley! Matt!" I called to my new admins. Of course, they weren't just hired help, they were some of my best friends, too. We were on our way to another expedition to tag and track some water pokemon in the wild. Hopefully, we could learn more about their movements and what sorts of environments they needed to be happy. I always loved these hands-on field expeditions, as they were way more fun than reading books about it. Once we'd finished our work, we headed back to our office.I checked on the Pokemon Science news feed and was irritated to see that awful eco-terrorist group, Team Magma, was putting out yet another article full of bullshit. They had some crazy plot to dry up the oceans and expand the landmass in order to help humans or something, but they'd be killing so many pokemon in the process it was sickening. Their leader, whoever he or she was, seemed like a real douchebag since he never really bothered to appear in person and took all of his questions by email like he was too good to ever speak to anyone. His ideas were stupid anyways. I suppose it didn't matter, though, since his plan was crazy and un-doable, so I didn't really have to worry about a whack-job like him actually succeeding. Still, just reading his bullshit made me angry.Shelley walked into my office. "You still getting worked up over that crap, Archie?" she asked."Yes," I huffed.Matt walked in, too. "Hey, bro, if that Team Magma guy bugs you so much, why don't you send him an email and tell him so?" Matt asked. Huh, that wasn't such a bad idea. I oughta give him a piece of my mind."Alright, I will!" I declared triumphantly. I clicked on the email link and angrily began typing out a message:"To Team Magma,What do you think you're doing? Trying to expand the land will have terrible effects on the pokemon who live in the ocean, and will kill countless numbers of them. You really need to quit your crazy schemes before it's too late.--Team Aqua"There, I think that got the point across. I hit submit before even giving it a second thought. Let's see what those Team Magma assholes had to say to that...________________________________________________________
Maxie's POV:My plans were coming along well now. So many years had passed since my time on that boat with Archie, and I'd come to realize that I could help humanity so much by pushing back that wild, dangerous ocean. I had formed a plan to find the ancient legendary pokemon Groudon and acquire its power for myself. With its aid, I would dry up the oceans and help humanity expand into a glorious vision of the future. I smiled wryly to myself. Poor Archie would probably be a bit sad if he knew what I were doing right now, but it was for his own good. With less ocean around, he'd have a statistically less likely chance of being killed in a nasty sea storm. Besides, I wasn't going to dry up the whole thing; there'd still be a plenty left for anyone who wanted it."Leader Maxie," Tabitha said as he poked his head into my office, "I've got the new reports on the magma suit. Testing is going well.""That's excellent, thank you. Just leave them on my desk if you would," I replied. Tabitha did so, exiting my office quietly afterwards. I'm so glad that Tabitha had chosen to join me after he'd gotten his degree. Plus, now that he was helping me, that Magma suit that I'd dreamed of was becoming a reality! We'd certainly need it if we intended to get up close and personal to Groudon later..."Sir," Courtney said as she knocked softly on my office door, "it's almost time for your morning speech.""Thank you, Courtney, for reminding me, that will be all." With that, she turned and left. I was grateful to have found such a good admin to help my organization carry on its mission – and no one was more organized and efficient than Courtney was. I prepared myself for another morning and another edifying speech to help boost morale. I had been up all night preparing this one! I was truthfully a bit shy, though, so while I held live speeches, I often did so via video feed.I turned on my camera and addressed my followers:"Good morning, everyone, I hope that this morning finds you well. Preparations are going nicely on the magma suit, and we draw ever closer to achieving our goals. The future for mankind and scientific progress looks bright and glorious, and I want you all to know that I appreciate everything you've done for this organization so far. You're contributions have been invaluable, and we shall soon achieve our goals. Thank you, everyone."I mustered a smile for my employees before shutting off the feed. That was a nice enough speech, and I was pleased with our progress, but I was feeling rather tired, and it was difficult for me to display the enthusiastic joy that Tabitha often had. I checked through my emails and noted that someone had responded to my recent article. I chose to put out a few articles so that I could share my vision with the world, plus I didn't want anyone to be startled once it actually happened. Of course, I understood that some people may not understand my vision, so I was perfectly willing to answer any questions and clear up any concerns, so long as the discourse was civil, of course. I read over the message. Hmm...this "Team Aqua" clearly didn't understand the importance of what I was trying to do. Of course, there are always those out there who are too small-minded to understand the grander importance of certain things, but I would be happy to help clear up any confusion.I typed up a reply:Team Magma"
There we go – that ought to ease their concerns. There was no reason we couldn't have a civil discussion, even with people who thought differently than us. I'm sure that this "Team Aqua" would come around to my viewpoint after they got a chance to examine the strength of my philosophical arguments. I went to lunch feeling quite pleased with myself after that.________________________________________________________
Archie's POV:"That scum!" I yelled angrily. My admins and several of my followers crowded around my desk to see what I was screaming about. "L-Look at this!" I sputtered incredulously as I pointed at my computer screen. "The nerve of this asshole!""What is it?" Shelley asked, clearly annoyed that I wasn't getting to the point."It's Team Magma!" I shouted, "They've said that pokemon are stupid and they don't care about destroying their homes! I'd like to find this Team Magma leader and sock him right in the jaw!""Wow, bro, this guy really said that?" Matt asked incredulously."What an ass!" Shelley agreed. I could hear my people in the background, muttering their agreement. What a piece of shit this guy must be...I angrily banged out a reply as quickly as I could manage:Team Magma"
Why, that, stupid fuck! Matt and Shelley were both reading over my shoulder, and their disgusted looks mirrored my own."Seriously, bro," Matt said, "who talks like that? This guy sounds like he's never been laid before in his life!"Shelley chuckled at that. "Oh, look at that, your cursing hurt this poor little guy's feelings!" she said with a laugh. I laughed, too. There's no way I couldn't write back to this. I typed out a reply...We kept up our little internet argument, sending angry emails back and forth for the next couple weeks. Whoever this guy was, he was stubborn and refused to give up his stupid position. Everyone had a good laugh every time we got a new message though. This guy was a real hoot.________________________________________________________
Maxie's POV:Things were progressing well, but I kept being harassed by that Team Aqua person. He or she kept emailing me with endlessly stupid replies, and it was starting to drive me mad. Each reply was more stupid and insipid than the last one! I didn't quite understand why Team Aqua seemed incapable of having an intelligent discussion, but this was getting on my nerves. Nonetheless, I had the powerful urge to make them understand my vision. Perhaps things would be better explained in person? Maybe I should meet with this 'Team Aqua' and attempt some sort of civil discussion so that I might convince them of the correctness of my actions...I decided to type up a message:"To Team Aqua,I feel that this antagonism between us has reached an unreasonable level. I had not intended for this to get to so out of hand. I only wanted to have a reasonable discussion, and I feel that this is not happening currently. I propose a meeting between the two of us, in a neutral location, so that we may discuss these matters more thoroughly. I'm sure that if we meet we can come to some sort of agreement.Best Regards,Team Magma"
I felt that was the best, most respectful message I could send at this point. Now I would just wait and see what their reply was.I heard a knock at my door. "Come in," I called."Leader Maxie," Courtney said, "the final round of tests...are ready on the magma suit. Do you want...to see?""Yes, I'm coming," I replied as I got up and headed out. I went down several floors in my base. I'd chosen this location in a sea cave to make my base even though I feared the ocean because it was the least likely place for someone to find me. I couldn't have anyone upsetting our plans before they were fully realized, after all. That's why I always signed my articles anonymously as "Team Magma" and refused to let anyone see me in person. It'd help keep our secret until we could achieve our goals.Once we made it to the testing room, I could see Tabitha excitedly watching the monitors. He was practically bouncing with joy. "Hey, I'm glad you made it, sir!" he greeted. I nodded at him and managed a tired smile. "Watch this!" he said excitedly as he pushed a button.I watched the monitor as the temperature in the testing room rose and rose. The temperature probe inside the magma suit, however, remained at a stately 70 degrees. This was a truly impressive achievement."Aha ha ha!" Courtney laughed happily.I nodded. "Excellent work, Tabitha," was all I said. He looked slightly disappointed that I wasn't more enthusiastic, but I just couldn't summon the kind of energy I had when I was younger anymore. I hoped he'd understand.I headed back up to my room after that, and sat down to check my messages. I had gotten a response from Team Aqua. They had agreed to meet, although the reply was still phrased a bit rudely. They had even suggested a location, a rented office room one town over in Mossdeep. I'd have to cross the ocean to get there...but I didn't want to turn them down now, so I agreed. I informed my admins of my intentions, and they agreed to accompany me. I prepared by booking us hotel rooms in advance in case we needed to stay the night. I didn't know how long these discussions would last.Once the morning came to embark on our trip, I headed out of my base. There was a boat waiting for me, and Tabitha and Courtney were already on it. I clenched my fist as I crossed onto the deck, but I kept my expression neutral. I didn't want them to see my weaknesses..Those fears would unnerve them, and I needed them to be strong for our future plans. I sat in the cabin watching one of my people pilot the boat as we passed over the ocean. I did not speak, and my admins thankfully kept quiet. I suppose they could sense the seriousness of my mood.By the time we made it to Mossdeep, I was very prepared to be done with this boat ride. We located the correct hotel, and I put my single traveling bag in my room. My admins went and did the same in their rooms. I sat quietly until it was close to time for the meeting, then we headed out. It wouldn't do to be late.________________________________________________________
Archie's POV:I had picked this location because it was close to where I worked already. I got to our meeting room early, and just waited for this jerk to show up. Matt and Shelley and several of my people had followed me here to see what this idiot had to say."Why's this guy taking so long?" Matt complained."Yeah!" someone else piped up from behind me."Maybe he's busy jerkin' off!" came another voice from behind.I snickered. I don't even know why I was bothering to do this meeting thing, but hey, it might be amusing after all.After a few more minutes, finally there was a knock at the door. I had one of my grunts open it, and a small woman with purple hair and a ridiculous red hoodie with little ears on it (or maybe they were horns?) entered the room."Excuse me, Team Aqua members? Our leader will see you now," she said in a strangely monotone, robotic voice.'Our leader will see you now?!' The fucking nerve of this guy! I glanced around and several of my followers were frowning in irritation at her statement. What a joke...Suddenly, though, the door opened and a slender figure stepped into view. Was that?! It couldn't be....Maxie?!!! He gasped when he saw me, and his eyes widened behind those thick-rimmed glasses."Archie...is that you?" he practically whispered. I was stunned speechless....what to say? Everyone was glaring at me, their eyes boring into me..."Hey, boss, do you know this dork?" someone yelled.Um, uh...."NO, I don't know this scrawny asshole! Why would I know this nerdy weakling?!" I yelled. I instantly regretted it the second those awful words passed my lips. Why did I say something so stupid?! Maxie's face contorted in pain, and he instantly spun on his heel and fled out the door. I just sat there stunned for a second before I got up to chase him, but he was long gone from the corridor outside."Um, Archie," Shelley said, "it seemed like he knew you...""Yeah, maybe..." I replied distractedly. What was I gonna do now? I had to pursue him, to keep him from reviving Groudon and drying the oceans, and more importantly..."Hey, boss, did you see how that pussy ran?" someone shouted."Uh, yeah..." I replied. I didn't know what to do now. Should I tell my team about our background together? They might not follow me anymore if they knew what our relationship was, especially after I had already talked up how much I hated Team Magma. I needed their help if I was going to stop Team Magma from destroying the world, so I guess I had better keep pretending I didn't know him. Damn, what a horrible thing I've done...I trudged back to my office, my heart heavy. I ordered my grunts to keep an eye out and find out where Team Magma was going next. Maybe I could stop Maxie from carrying through with this awful plan and maybe someday I could apologize and he might forgive me...________________________________________________________
Maxie's POV:I practically ran back to my hotel room, struggling desperately to keep a straight expression on my face. I was fighting back tears, though, but I didn't want my admins to see my cry so shamefully."Wait, Maxie," Tabitha called as he jogged to keep pace with me, "Did you know that guy? He almost looked familiar...""No," I replied sternly, "I do not. He was very rude, though, and I refuse to speak with him any further. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling angry and tired." I let myself into my hotel room and shut the door in the face of my friends. I listened as Tabitha's heavier footsteps faded away. Courtney didn't seem to be moving, though.She knocked softly. "Leader Maxie...are you okay?" she asked softly."Courtney, please don't let anyone bother me for the next few hours. I'm going to be...weeping for awhile," I answered through the door."Will you be finished in time for dinner?" she asked quietly."I – I'm not sure..." I replied."Understood," she responded. I heard her lean against the door and not move. I knew Courtney was a good admin who wouldn't question me about this, and I knew she'd keep it to herself. I silently thanked Courtney for her loyalty before I let the tears flow, sobbing into my hands.Archie? How could you do this to me? I trusted you to some degree, and you used to be so kind to me... The tears flowed softly down, pooling in the lenses of my glasses and obscuring my view. Well, if he didn't want people to know about our past, then I'd honor his wishes and pretend I didn't know him either. It was the least I could do in return for the joy he'd given me previously, even if he hated me now for some reason. I fingered his ring, which I still carried in my pocket every day even after all this time, and cried myself into a fitful sleep. The next morning, I was feeling as empty as I'd ever felt before, but at least the tears had ceased."Come along now," I commanded my admins, "We need to hurry back to our base. Groudon's waiting for us..."We continued our work, tracking down a meteorite and later the red orb that would help us control Groudon. After that, I had my team acquire a submarine so I could travel to the Seafloor Cavern and awaken the mighty Groudon from its slumber. I clenched my fists as I rode in that submarine, but the fear was as nothing compared to the aching in my chest. Archie and Team Aqua pursued us, along with that strangely talented trainer child, over the course of our activities, but I coldly ignored them. I would not let anyone stop me now.He fought me there, in that cave. I struck him down anyway, despite his elemental advantage against me. Strategy and intellect were on my side! I struck him down...I delivered a great speech, "Even I, the great Maxie, have found myself wishing for something I cannot justify. And the illogical desire that I harbored was to have you present here at this moment. Hahaha... And now that fool's wish has come true. Fantastic! Nothing could please me more! I suppose I should make introductions... I present to you my incomparable partner, who will assist Team Magma in driving humanity forward to its next level!" No doubt that child thought my words were meant for him, but they weren't. I'm so sorry, Archie, but I'm still glad I got to see you again...________________________________________________________
Archie's POV:I tried fighting Maxie there in that cave. He battled like someone possessed, and he didn't once acknowledge me in any real way. Not really... His eyes stared straight into me, but it was like he didn't really see me at all. I felt the strong urge to just take him into my arms and beg his forgiveness, but he beat my pokemon back with a ferocity I wouldn't have thought he had in him. Then he rambled on like a crazy person, but I saw the glint of tears behind those glasses.Tabitha ran in and tried to stop Maxie from reviving Groudon, but he did it anyway. Then he turned and ran from the cavern. "Wait, Maxie, please – I'm sorry!" I called after him."It's too late..." he cried out as he fled the scene. After that, Groudon's power began heating up the region with harsh rays of sunlight. Maxie realized he had made a terrible mistake, and he helped me and that trainer fix things, but he still wouldn't look at me whenever I spoke to him, nor would he really acknowledge me. I kept trying to apologize to him, but he wouldn't speak to me long enough for me to say what I needed to say. He and his admins kept running away from me whenever I tried to get him alone.Once we'd managed to succeed in putting Groudon out of commission, he paid lip service to working with Team Aqua to overcome our differences, but I could tell he was just saying it to please the people listening. Although he seemed genuine about being sorry about what he had done, he didn't seem like he wanted to speak to me at all. Not that I could blame him... I'd been a terrible asshole and it was no wonder that he didn't want to talk to me anymore. Still, I desperately wanted to make things right between us again... "Oh, Maxie, I'm so sorry..." I whispered as he fled onto a helicopter.He completely disappeared after that. I looked everywhere for an entire year, but it was like he had just vanished. He did not answer his emails anymore, and I didn't even know where to find him. I'd heard rumors, though, that he had gotten a job as a professor somewhere in Lilycove city, so I'd traveled there with my admins looking for him. They didn't really know that, though. I hadn't told them about my search, and they thought we were taking a bit of a vacation in coming here. Of course, Lilycove was a big city, and I didn't really know where to look other than just stalking around every university here and asking for him like a desperate weirdo. Shelly and Matt, though, were keen on seeing the sights now that we were here, and I really couldn't think of a way to say no without sounding awkward, so we walked along the main boulevard past many nice little shops and restaurants."Wow! Check that out!" Shelley said, pointing at some store.I didn't really care, and wasn't paying much attention because a flash of red had caught the corner of my eye. There was a figure dressed all in red off in the distance sitting at a small café bistro table. Was it him?! My heart sped up as I quickened my pace."Hey, where you goin'?" Matt called after me, but I ignored him as I practically ran up towards that table. As I got closer, I could make out the outline of glasses... It was him! Maxie! His two admins were sitting next to him as he drank some cup of something. I slowed my pace a bit as I got closer so I wouldn't startle him. He looked...haggard. Those dark circles had grown and his whole expression looked sad and tired. I noticed his hands shaking as he lifted that cup, and he barely seemed to acknowledge anything his friends were saying to him.I stood there waiting for him to see me, and when he finally did notice me his hands jerked so much that he dropped his cup. Thankfully, it landed only an inch or two back onto the table without spilling. His admins noticed my presence, too, and just glared at me. Maxie just stared off into the distance, not really looking at anything. I waited awkwardly for someone to say something, but Matt and Shelley just stood behind me giving me confused looks, and no one in Maxie's camp said anything either. We were just a bunch of random people staring at each other.Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and I said something, anything, to break the ice, "Um, hey Maxie, how have you been doing?"He winced when I said his name. "I'm fine, and you?" he said after a long pause."I've...been fine, too. So, what have you been up to?" I asked, not sure exactly what better to say after all this time."I....I've been working as a professor. People are...surprisingly forgiving, it seems." He didn't say anything else after that."So, um" I continued awkwardly, "this is some lovely weather today, huh?""Archie, what do you want?" he asked me blankly, still not looking at me."Um, well, I..." I stalled."Did you want your old ring back?" he suddenly asked in a strange monotone voice as he pulled it out of his pocket. I did a double-take at that."Why've you been carrying that thing around for the past several years?!" I asked incredulously."I can't wear rings," Maxie stated matter-of-factly, "because the feeling bothers me, so I have to keep it in my pocket." I shook my head."Maxie, that's not what I meant," I said to him, "I meant why did you keep it for so long?"He finally turned his head and looked me directly in the eyes, and it was unnerving. "Archie," he spoke, "I want you to know that I'm not angry with you. I kept the ring because it reminds me of a time when I was happy. You made me happy, the happiest I've ever been, at least for awhile...so I cannot be angry with you because you gave me something beautiful. I just wish...that you hadn't also made me so sad later. I only wanted to be treated with basic respect - that's all I really wanted from you afterwards..." He held out the ring in his hand and offered it to me, but I closed my hand over his, curling his fingers over that ring."You keep it," I whispered."Well," Maxie said as he suddenly and unexpectedly stood up, pulling out of my grasp, "It was nice seeing you all again, but I must be going now. Good day to you all." With that, he turned and began walking very briskly in the opposite direction. His admin, Tabitha, hurried after him, but that weird purple-haired girl stayed behind, just staring at me."What did you do to him that day? I've never seen Leader Maxie cry like that before. He cried for hours..." she said flatly before she turned and followed her leader away.I just stood there dumbfounded until I finally sat down in Maxie's chair. It was still warm. My admins sat down, too, and just looked questioningly at me."Archie, what the hell was all that?" Shelley finally asked."Shelley, help me, I feel like a shit-heel," I said to her, my expression pained."What?" she questioned, clearly not understanding."I....me and Maxie used to date in college. I loved him back then, but I was just too stupid to realize it!""What, really?" she asked, "You're all torn up over this guy now? What could you have ever seen in him?" I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes."Shelley..." I tried to explain, "He's so beautiful. I used to be into the casual sex scene and then he came into my life and I just couldn't help it, but I wanted him, and I couldn't want anyone else anymore even though I tried... And then we agreed to split and I pretended it was okay, and I didn't tell him to stay when I should have! I should have begged him to stay with me but I was too stupid! ...He used to lay his sweet face against my chest so trusting of me - and he had such soft, feathery hair and it felt just like a little bird fluttering against my heart..." I knew I was rambling at this point but I couldn't help it anymore as the tears started flowing down my cheeks. "He had such soft, pretty hands and he always smelled like cinnamon..." I sobbed out."Hey! Get a hold of yourself!" Shelley shouted, with a clear look of disgust on her face. "That guy's not worth crying over," she continued, "He's hideous. I mean, look at him – he's a dork. I don't see what you can find appealing in those huge glasses and turtleneck sweater he wears in the middle of summer. You could surely do better than that, now, come on."I didn't answer her; I just sat and looked forlorn. At least the tears had stopped now.Matt had been awfully quiet up until this point, but now he spoke, "Archie, I've been listening to what you've said, and I just want to say, I think that was a beautiful story, bro. I believe in love, and I, for one, vow to support you in whatever way I can to help you get your true love back."I smiled a shaky smile at him. "Thanks, Matt," I replied."I guess I'll have to find someone else for me, then..." he muttered quietly to himself."What was that?" I asked."Ah, nothing, bro," he replied with a grin.I turned to Shelley, who still looked incredulous that any of this was even happening. I quirked an eyebrow at her, and she finally sighed. "Oh, alright then, I'll help you," she said, "but that sweater, though...ugh." She shook her head. Well, she didn't understand Maxie's appeal, but that was okay, at least my friends were on my side! I vowed to track him down and beg his forgiveness!__________________________________________________Aw, this was a sad chapter to write. Still, check out the last chapter for a resolution to this story!While AFF and its agents attempt to remove all illegal works from the site as quickly and thoroughly as possible, there is always the possibility that some submissions may be overlooked or dismissed in error. 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