Project: Titans -- A Pokemon Story (OC x Piers)

Chapter 39 -- Piers' POV

I jumped out of bed at the sound of something sizzling, thinking the apartment was burning down.

Racing down the hall and ignoring how cold the linoleum was on my bare feet, I stumbled into the dining room to spot the tail of Gia's Salazzle. Coming around the table for a closer look, I saw her heating a pan on the stove, which was full of what looked to be scrambled eggs with ham and cheese.

The cooking of the eggs was being overseen by the Meowth from Wyndon, Meowsie, who was perched on the counter, occasionally emitting a warning hiss whenever the eggs were cooking a little too quickly. Marnie was excitedly bouncing on her toes behind the toxic lizard, watching the pair cook, until she heard me stumble into the room.

"Oh. Hey, bro," Marnie grinned, bouncing on her toes, loose hair bobbing with her movement. "Meowsie's makin' eggs and pancakes for breakfast."
"Where is she?" I asked, eyes flitting around the kitchen and dining room. Marnie snickered, knowing exactly who she was. "She's rooting through the old band shirts in the laundry room," she smiled, gesturing in the direction of the hallway.

As soon as the words left her lips, Gia stumbled into the kitchen in a tangle of fabric and blonde hair. Huffing her annoyance, she blew a loose strand of hair away from her face and walked over to her Pokemon.

She was clad in a really old Rolling Stones t-shirt, which was much too long and hung down to her mid-thighs. Apparently, she had gotten colder during the night, because a black and white striped shirt that fit her snugly was also present under my old clothes.

Loose shorts in charcoal grey that were mostly hidden by the shirt completed the look; without her elegant dress and fancy gadgets, she looked somewhat domestic. The thought almost made me laugh aloud. Almost.

"Really?" she asked as she flitted a quick glance over my shirtless form. "Put some clothes on, you idiot; you're going to get sick."
"It's been colder," I replied, but walked back to the linen room to grab a shirt.

"It's true," Marnie said once I'd come back with some Led Zeppelin top I found near the top of the laundry pile. "Once, the thermostat dropped to 20 degrees, and Morpeko had to run downstairs to the main office to keep it running through the night so we didn't freeze."

"Well, call it what you like," Gia shivered, leaning closer to Salazzle for warmth. "It's still frigid in here."
"I'd suggest getting a fur coat, but I don't think you're gonna get that luxury while you're here," I smirked, leaning on the counter and pulling out my Rotom Phone.

"Plus, there's nowhere to get a fur coat," Meowsie pointed out as Skrelp put out the flame with Water Gun. "There's no clothes shops, hair salons or anything in here, as far as I've seen. It's completely devoid of fashion!"

"She's kinda right," Marnie mumbled as eggs were passed her way. "We're gonna need some kinda clothing stores sometime soon; we can't keep givin' out Dark-type uniforms after battles without somewhere to put 'em."

"Why not try finding your own sense of style to market?" Gia suggested before tossing a box of pancake mix to Meowsie, who caught it with some difficulty. "I mean, you've already got a punk-rock aesthetic going on for the entire town. Maybe something pertaining to that? Leather jackets, studs, jeans, some Zigzagoon merch because those little demons are everywhere in this town-"

"I've gotta get goin'," I announced suddenly, standing upright. "Chairman wants t'see me."
"Again?" Marnie asked, and I saw the anxiety in her eyes. Rose had been calling me to more and more meetings recently, especially since the whole masquerade ball disaster.

"Yeah, I know, it sucks," I said, shrugging on a black jacket hanging off the back of a chair. "But I've gotta. It's about her." I jerked my head in the direction of our 'guest'. Gia flicked her tongue out at me when she thought I wasn't looking. The little-

"You'll be back by this afternoon, right, bro?" Marnie asked, disrupting the large strings of colorful and creative curses my brain was labeling her with. "'Course," I lied, walking back to my room to put on some clean pants. I never really knew when meetings with Rose ended; he usually kept me extra long just to get on my nerves.

Ten minutes later, once I had found a pair of relatively nice jeans to put on, I hailed a cab to Wyndon.

********

"Ah, Piers! So glad you could make it," Rose smiled as I took a seat in front of his desk. "Not like you gave me much of a choice," I drawled, resisting the urge to throw my boots onto the desk and dirty up the paperwork sitting there. I knew exactly why he'd called me here. "Well, you're here now, and that's what matters," Rose said, unfazed. "Oleana, could you by chance order a coffee for our guest?"

"Of course, Chairman," the blonde said in monotone, turning sharply on her heels and walking out. I felt a chill run up my spine when she met my eyes, even for a split second, before exiting. If demons and monsters were real, their nightmares would have nightmares about Oleana. I started to wonder if she even had a soul.

"Well, I presume you know why I called you here," Rose said once his secretary had gone. "I'm not signin' anythin', if that's what you're gettin' at," I said, purposefully putting my feet on his desk to rile him up. "Ah ah ah, we don't do that here," he chuckled as if reprimanding a small child. Scoffing, I put my feet down.

"Actually, I've been meaning to talk with you about the whole issue regarding the thief who infiltrated the ball," Rose said, standing up and beckoning me to follow him. Giving an exasperated sigh, I followed him to the edge of Rose Tower's top floor, where the glass walls looked down on all of Wyndon. He'd given this speech to me thousands of times.

"Look around, Piers. What do you see?"
"A crowded, noisy city whose carbon footprint is responsible for rapid climate change?" Rose laughed aloud, thinking it was a joke. "Well, that's one way to look at it. But do you know what I see?"
"Lots of overpriced apartments only rich toffs like yourself can afford?" I guessed again.

Rose sighed, shaking his head. "I see people, Piers. People walking, people talking, people thinking nothing's wrong in their good city of Wyndon. They're blissfully ignorant of the real world outside here; trapped inside a bubble, if you will. I don't want that bubble to pop, Piers, and neither do you."
"What's it to me if the bubble pops?" I asked. "It's not like I live here or anythin' of the sorts."

"Perhaps," Rose sighed. "Perhaps. After all, your town hasn't really had a bubble for years." I was getting very confused by his metaphors; my head was spinning like a top. "Piers, you know why we sent the thief to Spikemuth, correct?" I didn't answer.

"We sent her there because your bubble popped years ago. Nobody visits Spikemuth any more, and nobody wants to at this point." I pressed my nails into my palms, trying to keep my breath steady. "I mean, honestly, Piers; you can't provide for the people any more. At some point, you need to ask yourself, 'Is it really worth all this trouble to keep sailing on a sinking ship?' Why drown in the financial sea when you can swim in a pool of relief? All it takes is one little signature--"

"You really think you can bully me into givin' up on my hometown, you're really more of a prat than I thought you were," I snapped, backing away from Rose. "I said it once, and I'll say it again until you get it through that bloody thick skull of yours; We're. Not. Moving. That's final."

"I'd advise you to watch your temper, Piers," Chairman Rose replied with a cool smile. "As of right now, I hold all the cards. It's my compassion and patience that has been holding me back from cracking down on that little town of yours, and frankly, that patience is starting to wear thin in some places. Now, is there anything else you wish to say to me?"

"No," I hissed out through gritted teeth.
"Wonderful," Rose smiled, walking back to his desk and clicking a button on a microphone stand. "Oleana, please escort Piers back down to the ground floor. A cab is waiting for him there."