T R I N I T Y ;

Fat, heavy snowflakes continuously fell from the dark, creamy gray sky above in a flourish. It no time a thick blanket of snow hid the road from the grass. Through hazy windows, Theo watched as trainers rushed for the Pokémon Center. With each trainer that passed through the sliding glass doors, a sharp and bitter gush of wind racketed those inside.

Eventually as the day carried into the evening, with the snow increasing by the hour, it was apparent that no one was going anywhere for the next day or so. The fireplace that crackled and popped in the middle of the Pokémon Center became a beacon of warmth. Nurse Joy and several others began to pass around blankets as well as instructions for the night.

Although Theo’s current situation was absolutely horrible, at least he had an actual bed he could sleep in. So following Nurse Joy’s instructions, instead of keeping himself out in the common area with a bunch of strangers, he left for his assigned room until all of this quite literally blew over.

The room was small and quaint with, strange enough, a bunk bed instead of just one bed on the right and a desk on the left. He hardly gave the bunk bed half a mind because his attention was drawn to the coffee table on the desk. Immediately he began to make himself some hot chocolate--one of the nurses working at the center kindly provided him with some packets before he retired for the night. 

A busy housewife taking a break after presumably a long day of tidying up; sipping quietly on a herbal blend as she scours the newspaper; the afternoon sun pouring through the small window just above the sink; the faraway cries of children playing in yards. Everything was too...picturesque, too comforting, too familiar in an uncomfortable way. It reminded him of before.

Fortunately he wasn’t going to have to visit memory lane when the front door clicked open. Suddenly Noir’s sitting up in his seat, straining to hear what mother and daughter are saying, until at last the flood gates open.

And he can’t help that cruel smirk that pulls at his lips.

The nostalgic comfort was addicting as it was depressing. A small part of him was displeased with himself for even wanting to return to his previous life. However, with as much bullshit as he’s lived through in the past how many years, it would be near impossible.

What’s more, he’d have to reconcile with his...parents, although he’d use that term incredibly loosely.

All these memories of the couple that took care of him, of those shitty bullies that tormented him, and his childhood dreams and hopes for the future came crashing on his merry little parade of nostalgia. Suddenly the cotton candy he was eating wasn’t so delicious anymore, and he promptly threw it in the nearest bin before disappearing within the crowd.

He had half a mind to turn in early for the night, but then something caught his eye. Nimbasa City’s world renowned Rondez-View Ferris wheel stood proudly at the center of the park, a beacon of beauty with its mesmerizing lights illuminating the night sky.

Noir paused, watching with childlike awe, as the great wheel elegantly dance in the sky. He could just make out the couples that sat in the cabs. When one kissed, he turned away, an ugly snarl pulling at his lips. Then when he turned back to look again, instead of two silhouettes sitting in a cab, there was just one.

As the cab came closer to the ground, ready to pick up the next person in line, he spotted a familiar tuft of green hair just poking out from underneath a worn baseball cap.

It couldn’t be...

Yet when the lights flooded the cap, illuminating the figure within, it was no mistaken that the person in there was him.

Noir’s feet moved on his own and he pushed through the crowd, cutting in line just as the cab’s doors opened. He ignored the shout behind him as he shuffled in, standing before what was supposed to be a future king. And as the cab jerked and was gradually hauled in the air, he took to his knees, bowing in utmost respect.

His vendetta against the young woman didn’t start until after Ghetsis disappeared for good. For even though she beat Noir in battle, it didn’t matter; Ghetsis’ plans would come to fruition nonetheless. Except they didn’t. Afterwards the defeats became so much more because if he had bested her in battle, perhaps that would have bought Ghetsis extra time.

He couldn’t right the wrongs of his past, but perhaps there was yet a chance to correct the future. All he wanted was justice for the saint that took him in. What was so wrong about that?

His first course of action was to deliver such justice to the trainer that he held in contempt. Although he wasn’t sure how, she’d feel the same pain his master went through, that was a fact.

It wasn’t particularly difficult to figure out where the little brat lived. Aspertia was small enough that everyone knew one another. After the fall of Team Neo Plasma, reporters swamped the small city, questioning the relatives of the three heroes who saved Unova. Her house was on the far south side of the city, tucked away near a small pond and field to grow crops.

When he rung the doorbell, her mother answered, and he was quick to relay the information that he were a friend her daughter met on her travels. The older woman ushered him in and offered him a drink to which he declined. He was told he had to wait for her daughter was out running errands.

He didn’t mind. He could do this all day.

Where Lord Ghetsis stood, those five years back, commanding that he and his brothers do not try and follow him, or look for him for that matter. It was an order Theo had a hard time acting on. His purpose in life was to protect Lord Ghetsis, to help him realize his dreams and make them become a reality. How could he continue to serve his lord when he didn’t want anything to do with them?

It was a bitter goodbye nonetheless. No matter what Lord Ghetsis ordered, his word were their command. There was a loophole, however, that Theo and his brothers realized soon after he left. While they were not to follow him, or to look for him, Lord Ghetsis never said anything about waiting for his return.

So that’s what they did. When two years passed since then and Team Neo Plasma began to make their move, the Shadow Triad was there every step of the way, fighting for the greater purpose of their master.

Theo and his brothers did everything in their power to ensure that Lord Ghetsis would win this time. They took extra precaution, sacrificed sleep and sanity, because if he left again then there was no point to any of this; there was no point of them being here, being alive.

...

Is that why he stood on Marvelous Bridge, alone and out of uniform, that of which had been retired nearly two and a half years ago? He was precariously leaning over the side of the railing, red eyes straining to catch a glimpse of what lie beneath the bridge. It was too foggy to see properly, but if he could just get a bit closer...

No, no, no. What was he doing? Why was he being so careless? He wasn’t planning on becoming another tragedy all because he lost his sense of purpose. But that was just it! He hadn’t a purpose--he hadn’t someone to guide him from right and wrong. For the majority of his life Lord Ghetsis was making all the important decisions; Theo didn’t know how to think on his feet anymore until recently, and damn was it impossible at times.

After the fall of Team Neo Plasma and the disappearance of Lord Ghetsis yet again, Theo and his brothers promised to always be there for one another. No one was to leave the other two behind and yet...their pact failed, one brother left and then the other, and Theo can hardly remember what they looked like.

It was that stability that held him together. With his brothers gone, however, there was nothing holding him back from jumping.

It wasn’t as if the idea had been on his mind for a while. Theo liked to think that he did pretty okay on his own, but then he’d get in those moods where every little thing reminded him of someone from his past; a past he wants to relive and yet forget at the same time.

It almost reminded him of before Lord Ghetsis found him when he live with his adoptive parents. Before he found out the truth, he loved his life. Sure, the kids back then were assholes, but he learned to adapt and overcome.

So why couldn’t he adapt and overcome now?

A hated that he was being so indecisive, so unsure of what he wanted. Did he want to know what it felt like to fly, to tiptoe above the heavens and feel so weightless of body and mind? Or did he want to ground himself and stay uncomfortable forever, lost in a sea of inner turmoil?

The suspension cables creaked once more under another gale. The heavy fog that previously billow below vanished. All Theo saw was rocky water, that of which prompted him to release his iron grip on the railing and take a step backward. His chest still felt tight, his skin crawled, and he felt so very tired.

The worst part about all of this was that he hadn’t thought it wise to check when his flight would be rescheduled. An exaggerated groan fell from his lips. Turning on his heel and shoving his hands deep into his pockets, Theo sulked away from the airport and into the night. 

He couldn’t take another night in Aquacorde Town. It was so dull that he sorely missed the liveliness of the big cities. Then again, he came here for a reason, but the exact reason escaped him. Not that he cared anyways.

Broke and beat, and still pissed, Theo aimlessly walked around hoping to blow off some steam. The last thing he wanted to do was get into a fight with the motel owner and subsequently lose his chances of getting a decent rest on a bed. The night was still young anyways.

For some reason or another, the fountain at the town’s center square seemed to call to him. Theo rested against one of the benches just opposite of the fountain. The water spouting upwards and falling into the basin below was mesmerizing at best, but then something--rather, someone--caught his attention.

A young man dressed mysteriously in a cape. All he needed was a top hat, a cane, and a monocle. Unless he were a magician because if he were then he didn’t need a stupid monocle.

Which led Theo to believe that the man he was looking at was, in fact, a magician. This night just got ten times better.