When William had initially invited her to the event, Shelly had to admit—she was quite skeptical of the whole thing. One moment she was just a normal university teacher, and the next, she was dining with some of the richest people in the region. It felt like something out of a fairytale.
Butterflies initially swarmed in her stomach at the prospect of speaking with such powerful people—but when she put some thought into it she realized she'd been through more nerve-wracking things before. She had fought on stage in front of millions of people watching; speaking to a few rich men was a breeze compared to that.
Her young age and beauty made it easy to grab the attention of some of the men and strike up conversations. She acted interested in them, and caught their own interest through smiles and affectionate touches—but nothing too far. Shelly prided herself as a trainer first and foremost, but she was also a woman—and she used that to her advantage.
She wanted them to be drawn to her looks, but stay for her charity—that was the plan. The main goal here was to promote it—to hopefully secure a few donations from some wealthy men like William said, and use that money for the betterment of Water-type Pokemon and their environment.
Other than a few passing glances, the next time she properly saw William was during the meal. It was an extravagant four-course tasting menu of items she couldn't name and ingredients which cost far too much for her to buy normally.
The food was bright and meticulously arranged—probably conveying some deeper hidden meaning which went over her head—, perfectly suited to the upper echelons of wealth and power. Here, presentation and rich flavour mattered far more than portion size or nutritional value. She liked the meal, but after two hours of talking and subtle flirting in a dress that was far too tight for her body, she would have much preferred a burger and fries and milkshake to replenish her rumbling stomach.
She wished to strike up a conversation with William during the meal, but the extremely concentrated and thoughtful look on his face gave her the feeling she shouldn't interrupt whatever was going through his head—it looked serious.
The party resumed in full swing shortly after. Some people made their way to private and quiet rooms for a drink while others continued to mingle with each other with gossip and conversation. The thought struck her that she needed to thank William after this. He had come with no hidden agenda—just a genuine desire to help her progress with her charity, and it seemed to have helped, given her conversation with a few people and their promises.
Shelly finally got the chance to speak with him soon after—just as the night grew dark and people were beginning to leave and scurry out. Most of them had traveled from all across the region to attend the prestigious event and were now making their way to the highest floor on the most expensive hotels in Sootopolis. One night there would cost more than her monthly rent.
Sootopolis wasn't anywhere as big as Mauville, but the city held vast amounts of wealth as this was where the Crestwell family decided to make their home. Their mere presence had elevated the city to one of large houses and inflated prices.
"Thank you," she said to William once they were alone. They stood near the edge of the room, watching everyone else.
"You should thank yourself. You're doing a good thing—those kinds of things should be rewarded." William responded.
"How did your night go?"
William shrugged. "Okay. I made a few deals, spoke to a few people…confirmed a few things. What about you?"
"Pretty good as well," Shelly nodded. "A few of them were interested in my charity. A few of them even promised donations."
She looked up towards him, but instead of being happy or impressed as she expected—he instead had a sorry look on his face.
"What?" she frowned.
William led her towards one of the empty hallways.
"I overheard some things…some unsavoury things, about both of us, so I decided to record it. I think it's better if you know the truth."
The butterflies returned. It was even worse than the first time.
William dug into his pocket and handed her a small recording device. She took a deep breath and pressed the play button. The recording began.
"And that girl, going around advertising her charity," the man guffawed. "I would have appreciated it more if she was actually using the money for herself!" the voices were quiet behind slight static, she had to concentrate to hear them.
"Isn't that what charities are?" another man said with a laugh. "Why would I give money out of my hard-earned purse to help aquatic life? Maybe they should help themselves rather than begging to other people!"
"The only scenario I'm giving her money is if she sleeps with me." the three men laughed. From the voices she recognized it was three of the people she had spoken to tonight. Three gullible men she believed she had won over.
"That charity is bad news for me and my ships. I've been told we harm the ocean and the Pokemon due to the methods we use. Maybe I'll do the opposite of helping her out—and sink her ship instead."
"Haha! Isn't that what your ships have already been doing? They're sinking from attacks, and the loss of profits."
"It's only because of that Neptune Shipping," the other man spat. "I saw him today, speaking with Joseph Stone. They looked awfully friendly. I feel like that man's gotten too influential too fast, it can't be normal. He shouldn't even be speaking with people like us, breathing the same air as us. He is lucky he's even here. And he had the gall to invite some no name girl preaching about her charity. Both of them ruined my night. Maybe it's time we take care of him—subtly?"
"There's not enough room at the top." the other man added, nodding.
"Agreed. Take care of his little girlfriend as well—she was yapping my ear off all evening."
The recording ended as the three men laughed and toasted one another, drinking in their debauchery and planned killing.
"What…" Shelly was stunned speechless. Tonight she believed she had accomplished something—she finally believed life had given her a favour and things were looking up. She was congratulating herself only five minutes ago— but now she wondered what was wrong with her.
In front of her, they praised her and smiled, but behind her back, they insulted her and possibly planned to kill her. They were snakes hiding in plain sight. She had every right to be nervous coming here—she should have trusted her gut.
"This is…" she still couldn't find the words to speak. "You need to go to the police with this. They want to kill us!" Shelly blurted out.
William, despite the threat of death looming over his head, chuckled. "The police will do nothing. Not with men that are that wealthy. That's how this world works." he said it so casually like it was a rule in the universe—like it was one 11=2.
Before she could descend into a panic, William said, "Relax, I have a plan, and since I got you into this mess I should probably include you in that plan. I have somewhere safe we can hide. We need to get out of here fast. Are you coming?"
Shelly reluctantly agreed. Maybe it was because William had been nice to her, or maybe it was because they were now in the same situation—possibly being killed because they bit off more than they could chew.
Yeah, that was probably it—she didn't want to fucking die over something so stupid and trivial. She much preferred being alive and living, thank you very much.
In the car ride, Shelly kept stealing glances behind her—worried someone was following them. On the other hand, William was relaxed, his upper body fully sunk into the chair, one hand lazily guiding the steering wheel.
"Hitmen could be trailing us right now." she said, afraid. William laughed.
"What? Do you know where they are?" Shelly questioned, narrowing her eyes.
"That would be telling," William whistled. He seemed to be enjoying the entire situation they were in.
"How can you be so calm?" she asked.
"Do you know why? Because I'm strong. That's why I can be so calm." William said simply. He returned back to being silent.
The ride continued in suspensive silence for a while. The prospect of being assassinated scared her—but what added even more to her fears was William's calm demeanour, and the fact that, as the journey went on, they slowly left the bustling city of Sootopolis and entered the dark abandoned wilderness on its outskirts. Alone.
Darkness enveloped the car, and only the faint chirping of nocturnal Pokemon gave her some relief. The silence was truly unnerving. Thoughts raced through her head.
Had William betrayed her in exchange for his life? What if the recording was fake and this whole thing was a trap? She felt her pokeballs through the fabric of her dress, sighing in relief.
Good, she wasn't alone. Her Pokemon and herself were the only things she could rely on right now.
The last turn was down a gravelly path. As the vehicle began to crackle against the gravel and slow, her heartbeat sped up—the drums of blood banging through her body. Her body was preparing for the worst—to fight or run away, but most importantly: survive.
The car came to a stop. "We're here," William said.
Shelly gulped.
She stepped out of the car, ready to send out a pokeball at the first sign of danger. Her eyes widened in shock. Of all the things she had expected, this was not one of them.
The three men who had planned her assassination barely an hour ago were now bound at the wrists and ankles—screams muffled by tape over their mouths.
"The three men of the hour." William mocked.
Behind them, a large and intimidating Swampert loomed, standing guard, casting a dark shadow over them.
"Once I heard the recording, I acted quickly. My Pokemon managed to catch them leaving. To the outside eye it looks like a simple car crash. No bodies, they will think the Pokemon took them. Happens all the time, especially when you leave the party drunk."
"Are you going to…"
"Kill them?" William asked. He smiled. "Of course I'm going to kill them. They planned to kill us after all."
"But…"
"But?" William repeated mockingly. "Oh come on, Shelly! You need to grow up! It's us or them! If we don't kill them, they kill us. Did you not listen to that recording!? So who is it going to be? Us or them? Us or them!? US! Always us!"
Shelly flinched.
"You asked me before how I was so calm about all of this. I said it was because I was strong... but it is also not only that—it is because I know how to use that strength. If you want something in the world, no amount of begging or crawling will get you there. How can you climb if you don't stand on your own two feet and ascend the steps of influence and wealth? No! You need to take what you want by force with power and ruthlessness. You need to grab it and clutch it so hard to your chest that you can't breathe and your fingers bleed from gripping too hard. No matter what or who gets in your way and tries to steal it from you—you keep holding on, until you die, even after you die. That is the way this world works. If you want something, you need to take it!"
The rain began. Whether the Swampert had summoned it, or the world had answered William's terrifying proclamation with a torrent from above, she didn't know. She also didn't know which option scared her more. The first meant he was preparing for a fight, while the second meant William's determination had been answered by the clouds above. She shivered.
"End it, Lochness," William said. Swampert nodded, and with three Brick Breaks, the men she had been scared lifeless of lifelessly fell to the floor. She was worried about the wrong people—the person she should have been scared of the whole time was William. He was the scariest thing she had ever seen. He was like a god commanding the rains from above to do his bidding.
And now looking at that man drenched in rain with unbound ambition in his eyes, his bloodied partner of death standing beside him—she would never forget the image.
"What are you?" she asked. The rain made her shiver. William made her shiver.
"I am William. I am Neptune Shipping. I am Poseidon. I am the leader of Team Aqua. And I will rule the seas."
A bolt of thunder crackled in the distance.
The revelation startled her. Her jaw quivered as she said, "That's you? The leader of that group of pirates who attack ships? I thought you protected people from villains like the–" her mind finally connected the dots.
The three men had been right—William's rise had been awfully quick, and that was because he had perfectly orchestrated it. He used Team Aqua to leave a pile of bodies in his wake as Poseidon—then as William used the dead bodies to further his own rise. He didn't only climb the steps with his own two feet but made it easier by placing dead bodies in between.
William nodded. "I was also the one who freed the Pokemon that time at the zoo. Instead of taking your method and making a charity, hoping to do it through love and peace and wishful thinking, I used my strength to free them. People call me evil, call our team corruption. But true corruption is what you saw at that party." he pointed out. "We don't hurt anyone, we only steal from the rich and well off to provide for those let down by this region and the people ruling it. I thought today would open your eyes to the truth, but it seems I need to do it forcefully for you to understand."
Swampert strode forward.
"I've said multiple times that the only way to live and thrive in this world is through strength and power. I will show you right now. Send out your strongest Pokemon." William said.
Shelly froze.
"Send them out! Or I will kill you! Is it how you want to die? In the middle of nowhere, buried with these three scum? Send out your Pokemon!"
In one quick motion, Shelly's battle instincts kicked in. Ripping out a Pokeball from under her dress, she sent out her Politoed. If it weren't raining already, Drizzle would have activated. The rain was her Pokemon's natural element.
Swampert coiled its body for battle. The size difference was almost laughable, but it wasn't about the size of the Pokemon in the fight—it was about their buffs.
Politoed began to bang its belly as its strength grew considerably. The trade-off for half of its health in order to maximise its attack was well worth it.
Shelly smiled, a flicker of confidence growing further. However, the moment she looked at William and his Pokemon—still standing still, letting her use Belly Drum—it caused a sense of unease to grow through her.
"Let's see if you last longer than Juan," William said.
Her mind wandered. He beat Juan?
The small moment of hesitation was immediately capitalised on. Swampert rushed forward at a speed surprising for its size.
"Bodyslam!" Shelly commanded. Although not normally a physical attacker, when Belly Drum was up, Politoed turned into a complete monster.
"Protect!" William said.
Politoed's small, green body collided with a white barrier, sending the green toad bouncing back. She was about to go back onto the offensive, but that small slither of doubt still lingered in her mind. She shook her head, trying to concentrate.
"Mud Shot!" William called out.
"Dodge it!"
It was a simple sequence—one she had gone through thousandsof times before. The opponent sends a projectile special attack. You command your Pokemon to dodge, and they do. It was one of the first things they taught you in trainer school.
However, in this circumstance, she forgot to account for one thing. The ground. Or more precisely, the muddy ground. The rain had turned the field to mush, making movement sluggish. Politoed practically sank into it, struggling to move.
The Mud Shot collided. Now covered in even more mud, Politoed was immobilised.
How did it happen so quickly?
Left slow and stuck in the sticky sludge, Swampert came in and slammed Politoed into the ground. Despite all her Pokemon's strength, the sheer size difference—combined with its small limbs and the mud which stuck to her body like glue—left her Politoed pinned.
"Had enough yet?" William asked seriously.
"Politoed, get up!" Shelly cried. But it couldn't.
"No? Lochness, use Earthquake."
The ground shook, and a tremor of vibrations jolted through Politoed. It let out a pained croak, body twitching under the pressure of the move as it sunk further into the ground. The rain poured down harder now, as if the world itself was reacting—as if it were crying.
Politoed was barely hanging on. She looked at her companion in pain, and she gave in.
"Alright, I give up! Just stop!" Shelly withdrew her Pokemon and fell onto her knees. The mud messed up her expensive dress—but she didn't care about that anymore. It didn't matter—none of it mattered.
Neither did William's promise to kill her. Right now, she was just so exhausted. She was so tired—tired of losing, tired of being overlooked, tired of making the wrong decisions.
She failed her parents, failed in the conference league, failed to get Gym leader, failed at Crestwell manor, and now she failed to win when it mattered the most. She was so sick of it, she didn't want to lose any more.
She was so naive and stupid. I mean really, a charity? That was her solution to all of this? She had progressed through the Conference League and made a name for herself with her strength, but after that—nothing. She made no effort to improve upon herself and her Pokemon. She was stuck in limbo with her eyes closed.
What kind of life is it, teaching other students to be good trainers instead of being one herself? Relying on other people to give money to her charity rather than do it herself? She had the potential and the Pokemon to do it, so why didn't she do it? She was just scared—scared she was going to lose again, scared she was going to fail again, so she was scared to even try again.
It was something that plagued her even before her loss at the conference league. The small hesitation of doubt that was always there but she always tried to hide and distract herself from the fact that it existed.
William walked over, his footsteps squishing against the mud.
"You have lost time and time again," he said. "No matter what you do, it seems as if you will make no progress. You feel as though you are trapped with nowhere to go. But I can fix that."
Shelly looked up, tears streaming down her face.
William held out his hand. "Join me, and I will show you what it means to be strong. I will show you what it means to win. I will show you what it means to become someone. I will show you what it means to accomplish your goals and your dreams. All you have to do is take my hand."
Through all the grief and tears, Williams' declaration that strength ruled the world called out to her, and now so did his hand. Her tears suddenly stopped and she reached out to grab the hand of the man who she now believed to be her salvation.
His hand was wet and soft, but the look in his eyes was steady and full of endless conviction. William clasped his hand against hers, and from then on that moment everything changed.
The rain continued to pour.