Pokémon Obsidian | An Orre Fanfiction

Chapter 59: Guilt

When GoD woke up, Ardos was standing over him. There was a faint smell of soap. Below him, the floor was squeaky clean. The old man must have washed the blood and vomit off him. He scowled.

'When did I give you a key?'

'You left your key in the door, Grand Master.'

'Do you... need something?'

GoD stiffly sat up. His limbs felt taut. Ardos apparently bandaged them, too.

'I do have news to deliver, but I also came to check on you. I know you began drinking heavily last night.'

If Ardos thought he was pleasing GoD by helping him to his feet, he was wrong. It was one thing hoping he could teach him to stop feeling, but a display of how pathetic he was compared to a 95 year-old man was another thing entirely.

'What's your news?'

'The majority of the city's residents are prepared to fight for Cipher. They know they will risk arrest if we fail. Every Cipher member, of course, is prepared to fight for the same reason.'

'They're hardly gonna be arrested if they haven't done anything.'

'They do not need to know that. The city is being prepared. I also sent Brynlee and Ryland on a slightly amended mission, though Brynlee caused more trouble than anticipated.'

'Of course she did. In the future, Ardos, don't send anyone on "amended missions" while I'm unconscious. They don't disobey when I'm around. And remember you're an Admin, not Deputy Grand Master.'

'Indeed. I respect your authority entirely. You know I do. But there was work–'

'I'm not interested in your excuses. Go to my office. Call Brynlee and Ryland. I'll meet y'all there.'

'Yes, Grand Master.'

Ardos shuffled out. The door clicked shut behind him. Only two of GoD's regular Pokémon were there with him. The rest were at his home above ground. One was Eagun's surviving Pikachu, which ended up in his apartment when it resisted the Shadow Pokémon conversion process. GoD intended to train it to want to become a Shadow Pokémon. It could be used against those who loved Eagun. He said he never got around to it, but the truth was that his conscience got in the way, yet again. The other was the Pokémon he used to fly.

Tears disturbed their fur as they inched towards him. He pulled them close. If he surrounded himself with Shadow Pokémon, maybe his commitment to apathy would never crumble... so maybe it was time to reveal his identity.

Then he wouldn't need his regular Pokémon. He could release them. Except at this point, when he considered revealing his identity, it wasn't really to surround himself with corrupted monsters to commit to Cipher. It was to hand himself in.

His Pokémon still deserved to be free. He would inevitably be declared unfit to care for them. Even if he didn't die in jail, a long sentence awaited. They would be happier in the wild.

But that won't solve the problem.

GoD took his P★DA from the coffee table. One of his saved videos was the announcement that Grand Master Lyndon made atop Citadark Isle, to tell his followers that Cipher was done, once and for all. Yet Cipher wasn't done. It was alive and well.

Even if I dissolve Cipher, someone will just replace me. But what if... what if I destroyed us from the inside? If I destroyed the entire city with all of us in it?

That would make me no better than Ardos. How many innocent people would die? But how many more innocent people will die as long as Cipher lives? And there aren't just deaths. There are lives worse than death.