[attr="class","Navypog3-post"]
[attr="class","Navypog3-icon"]
He is coming. Navy feels it through the link. A swarm comes for the League. Standing outside of League HQ, he realizes that he alone will be here to defend it. Already, Ever Grande burns. The riot has started. A foolish man wearing a hateful face has made matters spiral out of control.[break][break]
He marches up the hill, blood on his hands. Space-Time has not dug its claws into Beast Navidson the way it has Sheriff Navy. He still looks young. He wears the face of his father, and wears it with unmistakable pride.[break][break]
“
How’d I know I’d find you here?” The younger man asks, cracking his knuckles. All around him are his Pokemon, monsters that have honed themselves in endless war. These are the younger man’s Einherjar, his warriors to fight at the end of the world.[break][break]
“
Never got the chance to thank you, guy. You beat the shit out of my dad. Realized then, all I’ve gotta do’s fight. Be strong. Everything will work itself out.”[break][break]
“
Is that really what you think?” An older man with the weight of near fifty years on his soul asks. “
That all there is to life’s being strong?”[break][break]
“
Sure as shit beats being weak. Look at you. I see those Ultra Balls on your belt. Feel that sygna. You’re strong, too. You’re…” Navy feels the beast aggressively press the link. Blinking, the young man steps forward.[break][break]
“
Not even an Elite 4? A gym leader? Man. Got no ambition, huh? Happy licking FERNANDO SILPH and the rest of the council’s feet?”[break][break]
“
Happy to help people.” He defends himself from himself. “
Dewford’s a nice town. People always overlook places like that. Happy to be there, keeping them safe.” Pacing, he knows what inevitably follows the talking. When he’s talking to himself, there’s only one way that this can go. “
From people like you.”[break][break]
“
Man…and you tell yourself you wanna be champ.”[break][break]
He throws a punch. Navy raises his left hand on instinct. It catches the fist, but he can’t control his scream. It is a newborn nebula of pain.[break][break]
“
Maaan, you really let Gav and Zev do a number on you, huh?” Laughing, he throws another punch. This one catches Navy on the cheek, sending him back onto the ground. He tries to catch his breath, but the younger man is already on him. He’s hit again and again. The Pokemon circle around behind him.[break][break]
Navy crawls away, stands back up, laughs.[break][break]
“
Man,” he says, laughing with blood in his mouth, “
Baki was right.” That gives the other pause. “
I really do look like Dad when I fight.”[break][break]
“
Don’t ever say that shit again.” Another punch. Navy dances back from this hateful thing. “
Nothing like him.”[break][break]
“
Yeah? Then why the hell are you doing this? You don’t care any more than I did, during the Three Days War, or that expedition that almost got people killed by Regirock, or Sootopolis. You only care who you can fight.”[break][break]
“
I’m fighting the forces of Arceus damn entropy. The League consuming itself.” Another punch. It takes Navy in the chest. Anticipating the hit, he clenched up. It hurts far less than it would have.[break][break]
“
Yeah? What ‘bout the Dark Triad?” He croaks. “
Or Eternatus?”[break][break]
“
You sound like that bleeding heart.” He dismisses
Naomi Sato and her quest to save the multiverse. “
The fuck does saving every world matter if this one’s gone to shit?”[break][break]
Another punch. Navy sprawls on the ground. Instead of getting up, he laughs. He laughs like they’re just two kids having a playground fight.[break][break]
“
Funny…I said pretty much the same thing to Silph.” Yet they both know the words bring them to different conclusions.[break][break]
“
Why aren’t you fighting?” The beast roars, kicking him again. “
Fight back!”[break][break]
“
No.” Navy curls up, taking it. He’s taken worse. “
Not after what I’ve turned you into. Someone who’d kill his own brother.”[break][break]
“
Wow.” His younger self mocks him. “
Gabe’s another bootlicker. You two’d get along well.” Another kick. “
Shame it’s just not meant to be. Shame yours died at Sootopolis.” Another kick. “
Shame you were too much of a bitch to be there for him, if you care so god damn much.”[break][break]
“
Yeah…” He’s hurting so bad. He hurts just like he did when his father came home drunk. He took all that hatred into himself, bottled it up. He watches it explode in the harsh, aimlessly evil eyes of a younger man.[break][break]
“
I can’t…change the past. Shouldn’t. Wouldn’t…” Coughing, Navy stumbles up again. Something is broken inside him. He bleeds. “
…wish I could. Damn, I wish Gabe could be alive. Wish I could’ve been there with Melody and Kyle sooner. But…if this is the only way Gabe and me’d both be kicking it…”[break][break]
Reservation.[break][break]
“
Guess it’s okay things turned out the way they did, or if it’s me who bites the bullet instead of him.”[break][break]
“
Fight. BACK.” The archangel punches. The sheriff takes it on the chin. His younger self is getting worn out, his fists are too tired to swing. He remembers being this young, being a young buck spending himself against
Kouji Matsubara in Dewford, a lifetime ago.[break][break]
“
I fight what needs to be fought, son.” He spits out blood. “
You’re just a kid having a tantrum who’s got lots of people killed. Not gonna dignify you with a punch.” He’s seen what happens down that road. He’s seen what attacking his father gets him. Not again.[break][break]
He feels an albatross slip free from his neck. It sinks down like lead into the sea of his soul.[break][break]
Entei tackles the younger Navidson from behind. Gabriel is right there. He looks from the tackled beast to the weakened, bearded man.[break][break]
“
Gabe.” Navy croaks, crossing the distance on hobbled feet.[break][break]
“
Who-”[break][break]
“
Gabe.” He hugs his brother. He cries at the sight of him. “
I’m so proud of how you turned out, kid. Even with a shitty brother holding you back.”[break][break]
“
Navy?” His brother reluctantly hugs him back.[break][break]
“
Don’t…don’t know…what your future’s gonna hold, but you’re strong, kid. Strong enough to get through anything. Don’t know if your world’s gonna just go away…but I want you to know, somewhere out there, there’s a Navy who’s rooting for you. You’re a good man.”[break][break]
A rift opens behind him. An Unown pulls him back through. It’s time to go.