Calls for cultural change rang loudest coming from those who had benefited most from the Network as it was.
It is this that makes Pluck's contribution to the social upheaval of the last days of Season XXXVI so significant. A happy and successful Monster trainer, they were always an underdog in the Leagues, but had never been bitter about it. Their services as a trainer were in demand across Bastion; they were in the Network's good books - rumoured to have been in the running for Network's Choice, though ultimately that award went to Omega.
They had always had a reputation for earnest, open, sincerity. And they had a huge, dedicated, outspoken fanbase.
So when Pluck said the Arena was corrupt, when Pluck called for it to be replaced, when Pluck called for a new Era: people listened.
Pluck cannot be held solely responsible for the riots that raged across Bastion in those weeks. There were many, many grievances being aired, along with a great deal of dirty laundry, and more than one ship war.
But they do bear some responsibility, both for igniting the riots, and, ultimately, for dampening them.
Pluck was sincere. Naive, perhaps, but fundamentally optimistic. And the fans that listened to them listened because they valued that optimism, that plucky underdog spirit. That sincere belief that Bastion could be something better. And when they were offered new stories, new institutions, they were happy to take up the chance, and to give the new status quo a chance.
If the riots had been triggered by a cynic, by someone speaking only of how terrible the Network was, it would have been torn down, yes. But would Bastion have been able to rise, as it did, like a phoenix from the ashes of the Network, without that spark of optimism?
I'm not sure it would have.
- From The Fall of the Bastion Network, by Relic
Students at the Academy may choose to live on or off-campus; and attend part-time or full-time. Living on-site in our luxurious accommodation - fit, quite literally, for Champions! - will not only allow you to devote yourself full-time to fulfilling your Monster Training ambitions, but also maximise your opportunities for networking, allowing you to make social and professional connections with your peers.
The mentorship programme that forms the core of the Academy curriculum will help all students learn and grow to their fullest potential. When the academy was first founded, all new students were mentored directly by our founder, Principal Pluck. These days, however, students will be matched with a personal mentor in their area of focus, allowing us to support you fully whether you wish to become a fighting trainer for AMBER or UMBC, to learn to tame Monsters in the wild, or to work with domestic or monsters.
We will also assist students in finding Monsters to suit them and their Training needs, through regular expeditions to the Wasteland - providing essential experience for our more adventurous students! - and partnership with the Monster Menagerie.
For a supportive learning environment and a thorough grounding in compassionate training techniques, at an institution that has produced some of the most acclaimed Trainers of this generation, enrol today at the Bastion Training Academy.
Become the hero of your own story today!
- From the Bastion Training Academy prospectus.
Two figures make their way to the top of the city wall.
Years ago, they would have taken the stairs. Years ago, there would have been no other choice. These days, Pluck struggles to walk for long, even on level ground. And Bright limps, has done for years, ever since she broke her leg in a scuffle with a small-time drug dealer in a back alley, and it never quite healed right.
Fortunately, these days, there's a lift - Crash's patented antigravity platforms, put to good use.
The two of them make their way to a familiar nook, looking out to the West. They lace their fingers together.
“Hey. You know I…”
“Yeah. I know.”
The sun is sinking at the horizon, the sky lit with streaks of orange, fading out into rose-gold, and then the deep, darkening, cloud-streaked blue of the sky above.
The colours gradually shift as the golden circle of the sun dips down to the horizon. In the distance, there is a whining hum, and a flight of hoverpods flit across the face of the sun, banking and turning - racing season is coming up, and the pilots are training constantly.
Pluck leans in against Bright's shoulder. Pink-orange clouds spatter across the darkening sky, and the horizon is darkening reds and oranges, deep purple above it.
“Love you.”
The sun settles deeper, the colours of the sky deepening and fading. Night comes on.
“…you too.”
